Kaldur'ahm (depthcharge) wrote in momadness_log, @ 2022-12-19 17:41:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | dc: kaldur'ahm, marvel: peter parker (asm) |
Who: Peter Parker (ASM) and Kaldur'ahm
Where: New Asgard
When: Wednesday, November 30, 2019
What: A Heartfelt Reunion
Rating/Warnings: Low/none
Status: Completed via GDocs
Once Kaldur had dropped Klaus off at his house, he took a few minutes to return to his own home. He roamed the empty space where Cassie had been before sending Peter a private message, inviting him over and letting him know he could let himself in. Oddly enough, after spending nearly a month in someone else's presence, it struck him now more than ever just how lonely he was.
Really, he needed to get out of his head—which had been the precise reason for his sabbatical anyway—and also wash some of the salt from his skin, so he elected to shower before his friend arrived.
Kaldur’ahm was home! Well, not home, but back on the surface at his house in New Asgard! Which was incredibly exciting, because Peter had missed him a lot, probably way more than Kaldur missed him. But that didn’t matter, because Pete was on his way to his friend’s house with an armful of bags, stuffed full of snacks, and his rucksack with jammas and clothes for the morning. He’d also remembered to pick up his Tablet on his way out so he could show Kaldur some of the photos he’d taken, as promised.
"Kaldur, I’m here…" He still announced himself as he kicked off his shoes, even though he had been told to let himself in, not wanting to surprise his friend with a sudden appearance. "With too many snacks!"
The timing was less than ideal, but, really, Kaldur should have planned better. As it was, his debate between delaying their reunion long enough to dry off and change into surface clothes and finding even the slightest hindrance to seeing his friend to be completely unbearable was decided in the space of half a breath. He went directly from his bathroom to the living room, took one look at Peter and offered him a single warning masked as a suggestion. "You should put the bags down now."
And then he was across the room and yanking his dear friend into a full body hug.
"Whoa." Not the most eloquent of remarks, but he hadn’t expected a fresh-from-the-shower Kaldur to be greeting him. But the warning was heeded and he dropped his bags onto the floor by the sofa, barely managing to do so before he was pulled into a warm, enthusiastic, but slightly damp hug. Laughter bubbled up and he cuddled back for all he was worth, "Here I thought I’d be the tackle-hugger, not the tackle-huggee. Which isn’t a word but I’m sure you understand what I mean."
Lifting his head from where he’d nestled against a strong shoulder, he smiled, "It’s really good to see you, I’ve missed you."
The low rumble of his amusement moved through Kaldur's chest and seemed to spread through the rest of him. He knew his clinging was unseemly, and he wasn't ready to pull away, not when it seemed like Peter was feeling the same reluctance. There wasn't a single thought to the disproportionate amount of clothing between them, except to note the chill against his skin still warmed from the shower. It was like a knot was unloosening inside him, just being close again. "I would offer apologies if I thought I had truly offended, or if you were genuinely offended that I stole the opportunity from you."
It struck Kaldur in that moment just how much he'd missed the easy way his friend could smile, how it lit up his entire face. He cleared his throat a little and gave Peter his own smile. "I have missed you as well. A great deal. How have you been? Let me help you with your bags."
"Nope, I’m not at all offended. Besides, there’s always next time." Pete hadn’t really registered that there was only his own clothing and a towel between them. It didn’t matter much to him, and he had a feeling that Kaldur’ahm didn’t mind either, they were both enjoying being close again.
"A tiny part of me is glad to hear that." Peter gave an impish grin, "I’m good, just been hanging around and taking photos. Oh, the bags are…" He stepped back and looked down at the pile by their feet. "Most of them are food," He nudged the rucksack with a toe. "That’s pajamas and clothes. I should probably get the dips and crudités in the fridge though."
Kaldur chuckled while he reached down for the abandoned bags and began to carry them toward the kitchen. "If you would like, you may use the empty room for your clothing and overnight things." Even if it was temporary and only his first night back, he was glad that the room wasn't remaining vacant for long. He knew he'd be returning to an empty house, but he hadn't quite prepared himself for how that would feel. "I must confess, I genuinely thought you may have been joking about spending the night, but I am very glad to be wrong."
After the food was sorted on the counter and table, he investigated the state of his fridge, and wasn't shocked to find it nearly empty. "I am afraid I have little to offer in the way of drinks other than some beer that was here when I left and water from the faucet. At the very least, I can purify the latter for us, if that is what you prefer. Do make yourself comfortable, Peter. For as long as you are here, this is your home."
"Brilliant, thanks!" Peter easily accepted the offer, though he followed Kaldur through to the kitchen rather than take his bag up straight away. As if now they were reunited, he was reluctant to let his friend out of his sight. Their time in Camelot had created a very strong bond and it felt like he’d known the Atlantean for years. "Well, I thought it would be a bummer to come back to an empty house, especially when Klaus has been with you for the past month. I didn’t want you to be lonely." He smiled, helping to unpack the items.
"Beer and water are both good with me." He tilted his head, intrigued by the purification comment. "You can purify water with your powers? That’s incredibly cool. I mean, I knew you could do a lot of awesome things with your magic, but I have a million questions I still haven’t asked about it.” He rubbed the back of his neck, awkward all of a sudden, "Just tell me if I’m being too much. And thank you, for the hospitality, and for coming back to shore."
Kaldur's smile was small, but warm as his thoughts touched on his time with Klaus and the wonders he'd shown his friend. In that same breath, though, the feeling twisted into regret, and his movements slowed as he continued taking the food out of the bags. "I would have brought you, too. Should have." He leaned a hand against the counter, webbed fingers spreading and pressing into the surface. His head dipped forwarded. "I have as many regrets for the time I was away as I do moments of joy."
It took him a moment to push down this odd feeling of malaise, but he tossed a hand airily and retrieved a couple of bottles from the refrigerator. "A mere spell. I wish I could do it on a wider scale, but I'm afraid it's only a localized effect. My King would often lament that we had not the ability to mitigate the damage the surface world wreaked on the oceans and waterways. Which… reminds me. The most unusual thing happened a few days before we came back. I was with Klaus in a sea cave, and the portal gave me King Orin's armor—his Aquaman suit, but made for me. I have struggled ever since with what it might mean, but I have no wish to bring down our current mood."
"It’s okay, Klaus needed to get away from the ghosts." Peter reached out and covered Kaldur’ahm’s hand with his own, trying to assuage any guilt felt on his behalf. "Next time we’ll go exploring together." A little furrow of concern formed between his brows, "Do you mean the abandoned Hydra base you found? They’re slippery guys by all accounts, Clint and Bucky went to investigate but didn’t find anything either." He gave a one shouldered shrug and patted his friend’s hand again before drawing his own back. "Word travels in this place, I’m not sure if their scouting mission was supposed to be a secret or not."
"A mere spell? You say it like it isn’t incredible." Peter chuckled for a second before his expression sobered at the mention of the irreversible damage his kind had done to Kaldur’s home. Humans were only just now getting the fact that they had to look after the planet. Not that the planet was in danger, she’d been through ice ages and violent volcanic activity before and survived; but human life on it was. "So you’re Aquaman now? Maybe he decided to stay below the surface and passed the mantle to you to be the envoy for your people on land?"
"Then they uncovered my secret message. That is both heartening and frustrating, but ultimately unsurprising. I have encountered eels less slippery than those villains." Kaldur sighed, but it was less to do with the topic of conversations and more the warmth of his friend's hand and then its absence. So casual, so freely given. It made a space inside him he had long since thought would go unused both ache and become unmoored. He turned, the request for more such casual affection caught on his tongue, but the conversation had already moved on.
He handed over the second bottle of beer and then perused the snack offerings. Grabbing a bag of tortilla chips and the package of guacamole, he walked back toward the living room, intent on starting their evening properly. Except the continued mention of his evident new mantel brought to him the realization that he was still only in a towel. He paused for a moment in putting his things down and then carefully came upright again. "You are the second person to encourage a positive reaction to this unexpected phenomenon. And I fear our reunion has temporarily robbed me of my higher reason. I should go and dress in something a bit more fitting for our… 'slumber party'."
"They did, they’re pretty smart like that. Meanwhile I was jumping the gun on your homecoming." He smiled, a blush flooding his cheeks for a second as he recalled his very enthusiastic first message. Taking the offered bottle, he just remembered to put the other dips into the fridge before following his friend through to the living room.
"Something comfortable, snuggly and warm," Peter agreed, "I feel chilly just looking at you." How Kaldur wasn’t covered in goosebumps, he didn’t know. Maybe underwater folk were just more hardy than the land lubbers. "I fully intend to slip into something more comfortable too." Peter winked, setting his beer down on a coaster beside the pot of guacamole. "You can show me your snazzy new armor in the morning."
Had he been looking at Peter's face when it happened, he might have been completely flummoxed by the high color. As it was, Kaldur merely sent a warm smile over his shoulder as he straightened and turned to move toward his room. Which put him right in the line of sight of that wink instead. He nearly tripped over the coffee table in his haste to leave, but he continued to speak as he did, "The depths are harsh and frigid. There is very little in the way of extreme temperatures that bother me, save of the arid variety."
He hurried a bit as he pulled his discarded armor from the bathroom and hung it over the closet, and then pulled on the sleep attire he wore when he knew someone else was in the house: flannel shorts and a Stark Industries shirt that was soft and worn with overuse. When Kaldur finally emerged, it was with his hands held behind his back. "Have I kept you long? Are you bored with my presence yet?"
"Right, no desert vacations for you, got it." Peter called after his friend as he disappeared into his room. Once alone, he pulled his own sleepwear from his backpack and threw it on in a flurry of long limbs and awkward hopping. Full length flannel pants and a long sleeved raglan shirt with a faded Avengers logo on the front. His jeans and sweater were stuffed hastily into the bag as he heard the door opening and he tugged a soft fleece throw from the remaining grocery bag by the sofa.
"Pfft, it’s only been a couple of minutes." Peter grinned, settling himself on the sofa and throwing the blanket over his legs, keeping one corner lifted in clear invitation for his friend to join him. "I don’t bore easily, Kaldur, besides I highly doubt I’ll ever tire of your company."
If Kaldur paused at all at finding Peter already so comfortable on his couch, it was only because he looked so at home. Kaldur had to swallow once to unstick his throat before he gingerly settled in where indicated, just about as close as they had been in the woods. He nearly forgot what was in his hands for that dumbstruck moment, but then he slid his closed hand toward his friend, palm down. "I found something that made me think of you."
It was a small stone, shot through with reds and blues and a touch of green that seemed to glow from within. In fact, when it touched Peter's palm, it flared brightly and grew warm to the touch.
Smiling across at his friend as he joined him under the blanket, Peter shuffled a little closer to tuck the soft fabric around Kaldur. As he moved his hand back, he noticed how still his friend had become and wondered the reason for it. Then as the souvenir was produced he understood, and another little blush pinked his cheeks as he saw the colorful gift. He could see why the blue and red had reminded Kaldur of him.
"Oh wow, thank you." Peter looked down at the stone, entranced by the brightened glow as the irregular orb heated up when it touched his skin. "This is incredible, where did you find it?"
An inevitable question, but one that Kaldur already knew he wouldn't be able to answer. Their shoulders brushed, and he knew it wouldn't take very much movement at all to do the same with their hands where they rested between them. And yet he wasn't certain that this was what Peter might want, and wasn't so selfish that he would foist himself on his friend. The smile he wore now had a twist of apology to it, and it coupled with the slight shake of his head. "Somewhere deep. Somewhere magical. Somewhere… secret. Perhaps one day I can show you, but for now, I would greatly love to see your work from these past few months, if I may?"
"Deep, magical and secret? I'm very privileged to have such a rare souvenir." Peter chuckled, curling his fingers around the stone carefully, before fishing his tablet from where it had wedged itself between his hip and the sofa’s arm. Opening the gallery, he passed the device to Kaldur and gave him the background to the first photo. "This was Rainbow beach at sunrise on the day of Clint and Dylan’s wedding. We marked out where everything would go and had to make sure when the tide came in it wouldn’t submerge the guests. I took some pictures of the venue being assembled too." He leaned closer as Kaldur swiped through the photographs, shoulder pressed comfortably against his friend’s. "Lucky and Archer are very photogenic, as you can see."
"No more so than their photographer." It just slipped out, low, but perfectly conversational. And it wasn't like he could blame it on the beer on a nearly empty stomach; the bottle sat on the table, largely untouched. Kaldur could feel his gills fluttering, but his eyes were locked on the tablet, trying to take in each picture as it came up. "I really do regret not being able to attend. It looks truly beautiful, and everyone looks so happy. Were you able to enjoy yourself?"
Peter ducked his head to lean on Kaldur’s shoulder at the compliment, a bashful smile on his lips. "I don’t look quite as cute in a bow tie." He wanted to take Kaldur’s photograph, his friend was the most photogenic of all, in his opinion. But not all people liked having their pictures taken, he knew that from experience. "They were really happy, it was a lovely ceremony. Tony makes a good officiant and Zari is incredibly talented at putting celebrations together. And I did, I even had a walk in the waves."
From this angle, he couldn't quite see the full extent of that smile, but Kaldur had a good idea of what it might look like just from the curling edge of his mouth and the shifting of his cheek. He very much wanted to smooth his thumb across Peter's face, but his hands were occupied by the tablet and their slowly shifting slideshow of his friend's latest works. I would have taken you dancing in them, he thought, but didn't say. Did you think of me? he thought, but didn't ask. Kaldur paused over one particular picture—a long shot down a parade route filled with floats and dancers and marching bands with people lined all along the sides—and chuckled. "Using your advantage to perfect your art? I'm truly impressed. Do you have other such pictures as these? Have you ever considered underwater photography?"
"It would have been even better if you were there." The thought was mumbled aloud, he hoped not too loudly, but realized he didn't actually mind if his friend had heard. Just maybe that he hadn't picked up the underlying tone in his voice. Glancing at the screen he gave a little laugh, "I did actually cheat with that one. But trying to take a decent photograph of the parade from ground level is almost impossible. Thanks, I'm glad you like it. There are a few more later on in the reel that are just shots of the city and a few of the ocean from the top of the lighthouse that I think you'd really like." He paused at the last question, it wasn't one he'd really considered before. The underwater cameras were pretty expensive and he never had reason to buy one, until now. "Honestly, not until you mentioned it in your netpost. But I'd like to try sometime."
"What you call cheating, I call using your natural talents to better advantage." Kaldur's smile only deepened when he came across one of the ocean views his friend had mentioned, and it was all he could do not to simply take Peter's hand right at that moment. If nothing else, now at least he knew what he would be doing for the holidays. He just hoped it wouldn't be too much. In the meantime, he flipped back to the parade pictures. "Tell me more about this giant inflatable cat? The orange one. It seems very popular, and I feel as though we may have had something similar in my reality."
"Well, we can agree to disagree on that one." Peter chuckled, lifting his head from Kaldur's shoulder to flash his friend a grin. "You probably do, or at least I hope Garfield's charm is universal." He retrieved their forgotten drinks and passed Kaldur his before launching into a detailed history of the lasagne loving feline and his hatred for Mondays.