WHO: Serefin Meleski and Jacob Frye WHAT: Jacob returns from Murder Mansion 2.0 with the mimic slab, and everyone is Tired™ WHEN: Sunday, October 9 (backdated) WARNINGS: None, just boyfriends being soft STATUS: Complete!
Once the train was empty, Serefin hadn't realized how loud it had been for days. A dozen people and the television turned loud so as to not miss anything, the quiet was different, welcomed, subdued in a way that Serefin's nerves had not been. He hadn't taken his eyes off Jacob when he reappeared in their bedroom after the hasty retreat on the space station. There were wild embraces, and celebration, and relief. And Serefin had stepped back to let each of them cling to Jacob in their own way.
Evie had been the last one to leave, and rightfully so. Even though it was late and Serefin couldn't remember the last time he slept, his body was buzzing with energy, his hands itching for release, and—blood and bone—he needed a drink. He now distinctly understood the need to punch things, or throw knives, or go running when the stress built up to immeasurable levels. But he had no intention of leaving Jacob anytime soon.
They were standing in the cramped little kitchenette of the train that also doubled as a hallway between rooms and cars. His hand touched Jacob's arm, gently at first before his fingers were wrapping around his wrist, firm and commanding, as if he could will Jacob to stay.
"Are you hungry?" Serefin asked, stepping in closer to Jacob's space. He had already held him and kissed him the moment he had appeared but now it felt like forever since they had just been close. "Ostyia brought Thai on the first day. Or the second day. I can't quite remember, but I would be willing to make attempts at the microwave to warm something up for you. Also, perhaps, sit for a moment."
Jacob felt a little outside of himself and he had a pounding headache. He didn't want to upset his loved ones any more than they already were, but getting back to his cavalier, snarky self was potentially going to take a few more hours. Hugging his sister had helped. Hugging Diego had helped too. Now he was following Serefin around like a sleepy puppy that really just wanted his favorite human to sit down so he could curl up in his lap.
"Blimey, it was multiple days? I forgot it worked that way last time." He plopped down onto one of the stools in their kitchenette and propped his head up in a hand. "I didn't eat anything there. Or drink anything, come to think of it. Might be why I feel bloody hungover." It was tempting to lay his head down on the bar but he didn't really want to take his eyes off Serefin just yet. "Are you hungry? When did you eat last?"
Serefin pushed Jacob's hair away from his face when he sat, noting the exhaustion, murmuring a soft just a little while longer, towy nóżczko. He now understood why everyone was fussing over him and Evie to eat, to sleep, to shower these last few days. If someone else wasn't doing it, Serefin knew it was unlikely to get done. But if Jacob slept first they might not eat. If he showered first, he might not sleep. A juggling act at its finest.
"Probably best if you didn't eat anything there, might have been poisoned. Or set off some kind of gas. Or get you arrested. I don't recall any party in Grazyk that intense about security," Serefin said offhandedly as he moved away to split whatever takeout was left.
Serefin only paused to count on his hand how many hours since his last meal at Jacob's question, then shoveled more onto a plate. "Ah, awhile," was his answer. He hit a series of buttons on the microwave, whether or not they were correct was up for debate, and let it run. He took up the other stool so that he could stop looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure Jacob was still there.
He mimicked the same pose Jacob had. "You did well out there. Killed the void-god. You seem to be very well suited for god killing, perhaps that's why it chose you this time."
"Cheerful thought. Thanks, love." Jacob managed a barely there smile before he frowned again. He hadn't forgotten they could probably see everything that was happening. He'd even counted on it once or twice, when he'd needed the reminder to stay on task and not do anything that might jeopardize his return home. But having the reminder now away from the chaos of it all made him realize they'd watched him die rather gracelessly in the hangar.
"I think I'm just good at stabbing things. At least when they don't have your face." He leaned over to lay his forehead on Serefin's shoulder. "And besides," he grumbled, a bit muffled, "I wouldn't call that disastrous run in with Harriet's goons as doing well." His tone turned more serious. "Sorry you had to see that. Temporary or not."
"Ah, well. I wasn't going to mention that one, and give you the benefit of the doubt with your gauntlet run at the end," Serefin said, bringing his arm around Jacob's shoulders when he leaned into him. That first death had been unceremoniously brutal, Serefin could admit that now, but he had done everything he could not to think about it when Jacob was gone. It felt a little like catastrophizing, which was distinctly not allowed to do when situations were chaotically dire.
That didn't mean that he didn't do it a little. Every corner Jacob had turned in the tower, or the space ship, or in the hangars after that had Serefin pacing, his heart racing. "There was nothing you could do, and I cannot fault you for that. It is not like I would have been able to look away." The helplessness during Jacob's first death was all-consuming, but Serefin didn't—couldn't—put it into words.
"She was a bit of twat." Serefin smiled, and it was easy to hear it in his voice. "She deserved it, and I'm surprisingly glad it was you. At least for one of the loops, yes?" The microwave beeped, but Serefin didn't move to get it. "But I'm not certain if we should be having a conversation about potentially fatal situations yet. Perhaps in a few days."
“I could’ve used that power what’s it and turned into a paperclip or something,” Jacob argued. He knew all too well that he tended to be reckless but it has almost always worked out in the end for him. It made him wonder if part of his hereditary boost was just old-fashioned good luck. “But you’re right, it was nice getting to finish her off just once. Anybody who sacrifices people for a show deserves worse.”
He smiled a little more cheerily. Hearing Serefin say twat had a way of improving his overall mood. And he was glad to be home. He was even more glad to sit up and turn on his stool to wrap both legs around Serefin’s waist. Was it awkward? A little bit. Did it please him anyway? Undoubtedly. He really wasn’t sure he could eat anyway.
“I missed you. Just in case I haven’t made that clear. I’m wretchedly spoiled by your existence in my life now and even a handful of weird repeating hours without you is torture,” he announced dramatically.
As Jacob started to lift his legs, Serefin was beckoning him encouragingly to get closer, and sliding his hands down his calves, his thighs, and up his waist to helpfully hold Jacob in position. It was undoubtedly awkward, and an unreasonable arrangement to be in, but everything about their relationship led to moments like this—wrapping around one another in impossible ways, literally and figuratively.
"You have made it clear," Serefin said, pressing a fierce kiss to Jacob's jaw. "I missed you too, a terribly awful tremendous amount." The experience of watching Jacob navigate a veritable death trap and still feel a deep absence had Serefin in a mental mess. He wanted to be that extra set of eyes over his shoulder, the person to watch Jacob's back when he was edging close to death. That had come so naturally the longer they were together, it seemed wrong that it wasn't him with him in the end of all of this.
He made a soft hum as he pulled away, acknowledging the same torture. "While you were not turning into a paperclip and sneaking around a megalomanic's playground, you did miss Evie and I getting along for three whole days." His hands wandered now, touching different parts of Jacob to make sure he was real, and here, and not a dream from his sober-brain.
"Unbelievable, really. It seems as though your well-being is our bonding experience."
Jacob pushed Serefin's hair back from his face with careful hands. Serefin looked tired, which wasn't a surprise but it still twisted at Jacob's heart. He massaged Serefin's temples with gentle fingertips. This was probably the most gentle he was with anyone, right here. This man eased him back from the high-wire adrenaline of the last few days with his tender gaze, soft mouth, and comforting touch. The least he could do was touch him back with all the love that had made him desperate to get back home.
"Aw," he smirked. "I'm glad you kept each other company. I imagine she'll tell me all about the moments when she wanted to strangle me through the television later but now I'll be able to distract her by talking about how close you two are now." He snorted a self-satisfied laugh and drifted his hands down to Serefin's shoulders and pressed in a little deeper to work the tension out of his neck.
An abrupt thought made Jacob bark out a laugh. "God. Were you both in the room together with all the fake willy rubbish?"
Was it a little selfish to allow Jacob to massage his shoulders when he wasn't the one who had spent the last few days—or nine hours for Jacob's brain—tangled in stress and tension to escape? Yes, most definitely. But Serefin was not known to be considerate all the time. He soaked it up, leaned into Jacob's hands, murmured ah , yes, right there when Jacob hit a particular knot. That one felt old, like it had been sitting there for a while.
"Closer than we'd like to be given the circumstances, but that is what you get for being whisked away to another location that none of us can get to," Serefin said, smiling, then smiling wider when Jacob started laughing. He had missed that sound, and it warmed him from the inside out.
"But you will have to be more specific," Serefin drawled, pulling one of Jacob's hands to him, and rubbing from palm to fingertip. "The part where you touched the brightly colored one, or when you ended up having to grab a weapon from the pillow shaped like one in the room with the terrifying undergarments on the wall?" He was so casual as he said it, which was only to see if it might bluster Jacob more.
"I cannot say it was my favorite mode of transportation for you, but yes, we did see all of it. I unfortunately lost my opportunity to make a joke to your sister when it happened, so you will have to touch another one somehow, when we are all sharing company."
“Christ,” Jacob huffed. His face heated as expected, but he managed to keep his embarrassment to just that. “Not likely, love. I’d soon never touch one in public ever again.” He tried to make his meaning clear with an obnoxious eyebrow waggle and a tightening of his thighs around Serefin’s waist. “That place was mental. With the pillows and the public sex. But at least they gave me a handy crossbow when I was desperate for a real weapon of some kind.”
As if sensing the topic of conversation, Jacob’s wrist itched for a brief moment and then was suddenly wrapped in a slab. He was startled at first. Not again, his brain shouted. But looking around confirmed he was still very much inside the train, sitting on stools with Serefin. “What the—” He pulled back to hold up his wrist between them to examine the slab. He could feel what it was now that the initial shock was passing, and he couldn’t help but smirk.
“Ha. A consolation prize for losing the blade.” With that as the only lead, Jacob touched the bar next to them and turned into a matching copy of the abandoned spoon that was laying there.
"At least it is not never. I would be worried that I have missed my chances, and had another reason to curse that place for what it's done," Serefin said, arching his own mischievous brow. With the food forgotten, and shower currently unlikely, bed seemed like the next best option and Serefin was more than happy to drag Jacob there.
Until he held up his arm showing off the slab. Serefin could see that flash of monetary panic, but then was focused on the object there. He had seen Jacob use these—to teleport, to copy the statue—and others to summon other people or turn invisible. Serefin opened his mouth to ask, "Are you sure it's a consolation prize? What if it's the rats—" only for Jacob to disappear.
No, not disappear, change. There was one spoon, right? And now there were two? Which one was Jacob? Blood and bone, he hoped he was not hallucinating.
He slipped off the stool and crouched down so that his eyes were level with the counter top. Serefin was tricking himself into believing that if he looked closer at the spoon that was supposed to be his boyfriend, he would understand it.
"Jacob, my love, you are a piece of silverware, and instead of being concerned, I'm now terribly curious..." He was reaching out with his index finger to poke him, it, whatever was happening. "Are you ticklish like this? Is the handle your body? The spoon, your head? Can you even hear me?" Serefin was, indeed, touching the wrong spoon.
The act of being a spoon was odd but surprisingly not uncomfortable. Jacob could still hear Serefin, even though he wasn't sure how that even worked. He could feel approximately where he was. And he could tell what Serefin was doing to the spoon, but he wasn't sure he had the sense of self enough to know exactly where he was being touched. He shifted back to himself in one swoop, appearing on top of the bar and capturing Serefin's hand to press a kiss to his palm.
"I could hear you and I know you were touching me, but that was about the extent of it. I wish I could describe it. It's like being outside of yourself really. Like watching it happen from somewhere else." He shrugged, snorting a laugh. "It'll be useful in annoying the hell out of my sister, I know that much," he grinned. "At the risk of getting stabbed. I wonder if I shift after being stabbed if I'll heal." He highly doubted it but what a benefit that would be if it worked.
That was going to take some time to get used to, Jacob popping in and out of different forms. But he didn't hate it; the whole ability was very Jacob, and he liked that they could keep surprising each other, literally. Serefin shuffled closer now that Jacob was person-shaped, and not spoon-shaped.
"Perhaps we should wait to test that theory. I would like you to remain fully unstabbed for the foreseeable future. It's very unpleasant to watch, and then if she does, I will have to defend your honor against your sister and you will be something else, like a bowl or a credenza or a painting while you attempt to heal, and it will be difficult to kiss one of those things instead of you," Serefin said, with all his usual tangent-talking flair, before turning to steal a kiss from Jacob. Days apart had felt like centuries and he wanted to get his fill.
"I'm glad you are home." Serefin was all sleepy smiles. Even though he was tired, and Jacob certainly was, his mood was bolstered significantly by his presence. "But I grow weary of Vallo separating us during these magical mishaps. Do you think it will take requests if I ask?"
The rambling and protective flirting made Jacob smile, big and adoring. He let Serefin steal a kiss and happily returned it. It was a sleepy affair on both sides, though. It seemed the mimicking and talking was all catching up at once and Jacob slumped off the bar top to drop his feet back down to the ground.
"Based on how few requests it's fulfilled for us in the past, I'm going to say no. But I think we should ask anyway. I really despise being where you aren't." He leaned in to kiss the side of Serefin's neck and murmured warmly into his skin. "Speaking of, want to be where I am whilst I shower? The food can wait, but I don't think the soap can and I'm worried I'll fall asleep in there like some kind of old man."
"I do want to be where you are, a great deal," Serefin answered, holding Jacob there a moment longer, just to impress upon himself having his physical presence back. And he would do it again in the shower, and in the bedroom, and in their bed. Recommitting him to memory to fight off the loneliness and worry that had creeped into his bones.
"Would it help to let you know that I did when you were gone?" He was saying this as he grabbed for Jacob's hand to lead him to the little bathroom. "Only for a moment, nearly nodded off right into the knobs on the second day. But I will not let that happen to you. You can only sleep when I get you at least horizontal, clothing optional."