PC: BEAU

[headmt]

Comments

[disreguarded]

[ she's going to hold him a little more tightly, but then he teases her and she splutters. ]

-- No! No, shut the fuck up! [ ... no, you know what!! ] We're supposed to go on a date. If you must know.

[headmt]

[Me, who had a strong suspicion of your cursed canon point, now having it confirmed: oh n

molly: wehehe]

I absolutely must know! I’ll have a lot to catch up on!

[disreguarded]

[ also me: wehehe ]

We're... in the middle of something. [ she says, glancing away. ] But once that's through, we're gonna figure it out.

-- I think she tried to write me a poem, but... [ oh no she's getting emotional about it again. ] It was a letter instead, and, um.

[ she rubs furiously at the back of her neck. aaaaaah. ]

[headmt]

In the middle of something?

[ e x p l a i n

but, also.]

As I’ve always said, her charm is truly immeasurable. [ He felt bad a moment ago, but honestly hearing about how Yasha seems to be able to be happy, to move on from all the shit that happened to her, how they’re all looking after each other. That’s nice to hear too.] I really am very happy for you both. She . . . I’m sure you both deserve it. Of course, if you do anything at all to hurt her, I will bleed you dry.

[disreguarded]

[ casually ignores that first part haha ]

Shit - no, I would never! [ she says, hurriedly. ] I would fuck myself up before I hurt her, she's - she's...

[ gross, beau is bright red. clears her throat, and then, in her best bravado: ] I like her a lot. You're gonna get sick of us when you come back.

[headmt]

[that’s fine they can just keep hype-manning yasha]

I’m sure I will! I’m greatly looking forward to throwing cold water on you!

[shut up molly like theyve never had to throw cold water on you]

[disreguarded]

[ she shoves him, grinning. ]

Whatever. I seem to remember you never getting payback for kicking Fjord out of his own room, so it's not like you can say shit.

[headmt]

I didn’t kick him out! He left! I told you that all of you were welcome to join.

[ This is just the horrible college roommate rebuttal to that argument. ]

Ah well. The rooms here are separated. [Scratching at his face.] Don’t actually like it that much. Bit lonely.

[disreguarded]

Gross.

[ blehhh. but the second part gets her to jab him in the side. ] You could stay in my room if you want, you know. Gojou's not a terrible roommate.

[headmt]

You do know that hurts every time!

[He is going to be bruised by this end of this.]

I’ll pop in. Couldn’t hurt to introduce myself either. He’s one I haven’t met yet.

[ . . . Anyway.]

Beau?

[disreguarded]

[ she grins, but he's just going to have to deal with her beating him up. this is how she shows affection.

a pause, then: ]

Yeah?

[headmt]

[his face drops a bit, a little guilty, almost? because this is clearly not going to be easy for either of them.]

I think I need you to tell me the thing that you clearly aren’t telling me.

[disreguarded]

[ ah.

she looks away. ]

Fuck. Um. [ should she lie? she doesn't feel like she can. like she should. ] ... You sure you don't wanna pretend for a while more?

[headmt]

[He pauses and looks down at his hands. He seriously considers it? Maybe it would be good to pretend for a while. Pretend until he literally can’t anymore. And then keep trying anyway. That’s how he’s always lived, comfortable in the bullshit.

Then again.]

Better to go ahead and rip the arrow out rather than let it stay and fester.

[Actually, that’s the opposite of all good medical advice. But still.]

[disreguarded]

[ she thinks about not telling him, because - she's not sure that it'll do him any good. he didn't want to remember anything about his past self, about the man he was before now. beau didn't want to learn anything about lucien.

but they're here now. and if everything works... well. she won't have to deal with lucien again. ]

Lucien came back to haunt us. [ she says finally, glancing at him. ]

[headmt]

[Yeah, this was a mistake. There’s a reason he said the truth is vicious. Here it is, on his heels, claws tearing into his back. It’s come to collect its toll. He always says these things and then . . . who can resist just the one peek behind the curtain. The cracking of the box to see just a glimpse of the inside, knowing you won’t be able to put it back exactly the same way.

He’s quiet for a moment, not visibly reacting beyond just the stone cold silence while he clicks into place a few things. That makes sense, doesn’t it? He hates how it makes sense with the thing she’s said, unintentionally or not.]

. . . Alright. We can go back to pretending now.

[disreguarded]

Yeah.

[ she shifts, turns, wraps her arms around him with an easiness that she's had to learn. the nein have made it simple for her to reach out like this, have made it possible for her to be better in a way she didn't know she needed, but he wasn't there for it. she's missed him, and she's never stopped thinking about him, and having him here in front of her just makes her even more determined to save him.

but that can be for later. right now, her bleeding heart, the one yasha praised so fondly, clenches and demands she make this better.

soft, teasing: ]

You could've just asked me for matches, you know.

[headmt]

[ Immediately leaning into it, wrapping his arms back around her - less easy, more clinging in rough seawater, but he manages to relax after a minute. He’s still here, right now. In a form that matters to him. With someone that matters to him. There’s this strange dichotomy of a face and voice he’s so familiar with, on this mature, loving, happy person. It makes him remember the first thought that flashed across his mind when was asked what his greatest desire was. The thing he wants to indulge in the most.

Just a little more time with them.

He isn’t much of a crier. In fact, he can’t think of a single time he ever has cried? Tears of pain from a tattoo needle hitting the wrong spot, a few drops when he was too drunk and listening to a particularly good bard. Nothing that counts. Really, there was rarely anything to cry about in his life, and that’s fortunate in a way most people don’t get. Still, his throat feels very tight right now.]

Fuck you, Beauregard.

[disreguarded]

[ she keeps a very tight grip on him, maybe enough to bruise. he needs it, but maybe she does too. a solid reminder of what she's playing for. she was stupid enough to say yes to a deal with fine print she's not allowed to see, but for this? it's worth it. for a life, a light burnt out too quick.

he says fuck you and she snorts, because she can feel the love in it. she tangles her fingers into his shirt and squeezes him once. ]

Fuck you, Molly. [ love you too. ]

[headmt]

[smash cut to molly being scapegoated on saturday because of his hug bruises

Anyway, he'll just stay here in this hug, because, damnb who doesn't love a good hug after a few fuckin' days like this, but also:]

Were you serious about the matches?

[disreguarded]

[ i keep telling you molly is going to live to endgame and you don't believe me

she forgets, sometimes, how much she lives for hugs. the nein is such a fucking touchy group that when she's not around them, she goes through withdrawals. but his question gets her to laugh like a fucking stoner, so: ]

Yep. I have a pack of them.

[headmt]

[yeeting myself into the gy]

And you watched me spiral myself into that, all the while knowing you had them in your pocket?

[Holding his hand out.]

Give. Come on. Hand them over, they're mine now.

[disreguarded]

[ she gives him a shit-eating grin. ]

Don't act like you wouldn't have done exactly the same thing, asshole. [ but she digs them out and hands them over. they're in a little matchbook with the eight sin symbols on it. ]

[headmt]

[Using one to light his own and then, I guess beau's, but like begrudgingly]

And you'd be right to be pissed off! Just seems I have the upper hand this time.

[Taking. A very fucking long drag. God.]

. . . You said the others talk about me?

[disreguarded]

[ she happily takes hers, and nudges him so she can lean on him, easily. she takes a drag, and exhales very, very slow. ]

Yeah. Sometimes. Jester and Yasha, a lot. Caleb, Fjord and Nott in... quiet ways.