[ He crumples into Sylvain’s hold and the familiarity of it, gripping altogether too tightly. His tentacles shift too, twining around legs and back, wrapping them together, shielding Sylvain as much as he pulls him close. ]
I made it back [ he whispers, as much to assure himself as Sylvain. The danger is passed. The transformation is incidental. But the specter of his nightmares lurk too. Hallowed out halls, war torn buildings, mist soaked ghosts. That city beneath the waves struck something deep and unhealed in him.
He tries to focus on the hands in his hair, the familiar smell of skin and sweat, the sound of Sylvain’s breathing. ] You made it out. It’s alright.
We're both alright. [ Sylvain softly reassures him, murmuring the words against his hair as he feels the other man wrap around him - in far more ways than usual, but he's not worried about that, not really.
Although he's now mentally cursing himself for ever letting them get separated down there, especially when he knows Basch hadn't been in the greatest state of mind when he'd last seen him. ]
You're back and so am I. We're both whole and relatively healthy and I'm not letting go of you anytime soon. I'm right here, love. Feel me. I'm real. This is real.
[ That finally dislodges a quiet, choked out sob and with it the fear he had been too rattled to name.
He was happy. He was looking forward to the future. Of course it would be taken from him.
But Sylvain is right. This is real. They’re here. He lifts his head only to find the other’s mouth, kissing him like he needs it to breathe, not caring that there are tear tracks on his face, not entirely aware of how completely he has Sylvain wrapped in the grip of his new appendages. ]
[ Sylvain doesn't resist or pull away, meets him easily as he keeps fingers tangled in his hair and an arm twined about his waist. And while Basch's kiss might be frantic and needy, Sylvain's kiss is softer, coaxing him deeper into his embrace. Steadying him, because Basch seems to need that more than anything right now. And he's been that so many times for Sylvain when the redhead's been falling apart.
In between kisses and the soft choked sounds of Basch's emotions, he murmurs against his lips. Soft reassurances, words of love. Reminders that this is real.
because he knows that fear all too well. How many times has he woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and immediately reached to make sure Basch is in the bed beside him? How many times has he sought him out in the middle of an otherwise mundane day, just to remind himself that he still has this, has them. When it all still feels too good to be true. ]
[ That’s the piece of this Basch is missing, his body and his reactions out ahead of his mind. He’s never been the entirely vulnerable one, never let himself fall apart entirely. He so deeply never meant to put that on Sylvain, even as he always wanted the other to seek shelter in him.
Right now, falling apart like this is the most natural thing in the world. He is so grateful for the steady affection, the calmer demeanor to match his too. His stuttered breathing evens, his kiss slowing, his death grip easing to caress. ]
I still want to build you a house, but it may have to be on the beach. [ It’s murmured and shaky, the laugh a little sharp, but he’s calming. ]
[ Sylvain blinks at this abrupt change in topics, even as he tries to follow whatever train of thought Basch has been riding wild on. He pulls back to search his lover's face, hands lifting to cup his cheeks against warm palms. ]
Is that what you're worried about? Love. Home is wherever we can be together. A house, a ship, a lonely stretch of beach where we can fuck in the sand under the stars. Even if that's actually probably highly uncomfortable, considering sand gets everywhere.
[ he kisses him again, quick and fierce, directly on the lips, still gripping his face in his hands. ]
As long as I can be with you - in whatever form you happen to be taking - that's all I need. Understand me?
[ His eyes are wild still, searching Sylvain’s face as the other holds his face. His own hands come to hold Sylvain’s wrists, anchoring himself.
The emotion is still running rampant, making his face crumple even as his chest is feeling lighter. It’s like he has to let this out, get the poison purged before it starts to rot. He even manages a choked laugh at Sylvain considering the practicalities of sex on the beach. ]
No I — yes, all of that. I was afraid — I almost — if I’d died down there I would have never forgiven myself for leaving you.
[ There’s a crack in his voice, a hitch as he says it, like he’s daring it to happen by admitting it. ]
And then I got out, but I thought I was going to lose myself, be that creature — forget everything and stay down there.
We haven’t really been mortal for so long. The resort wouldn’t let us. I — I forgot, and it almost cost us both.
[ he tips their heads together, his forehead resting against each other as he keeps his hands warm on Basch’s face. ]
But you’re here, and you’re alright. You didn’t leave me. You didn’t forget me. You haven’t lost anything, love.
I can't say how the resort did what it did, or how the magic in this place is so different. We’re both going to have to learn as we go. But I also don’t doubt for a moment that no matter what magic you might get wrapped up in, or what danger you feel the need to fight, that it could make you forget to return home to me. Not after what we’ve been through together. I trust you, Basch. I know your heart, and I’m not worried.
[ He has a thousand protests to that, but he's calming enough that he does not want to reject Sylvain's comfort, does not want to sit in what could have happened. ]
It is not my heart I am worried over. It is my head being too slow or too naive.
[ There's less bite to it, though, and his lips find Sylvain's again. Less desperate, if no less demanding. His tentacles shift, wrapping around the other, brushing hair, finding any way to touch ]
I love you [ he whispers. It is a plea, a reminder, a promise -- and a fear. ] I am afraid -- I am afraid you will be ripped away from me too.
[ Because every other thing he had ever loved was. ]
[ A quiet chuckle, even if Basch's concerns are far from funny. He understands them, all too well. But he's also aware of those extra appendages now wrapping around him, in a way that's... almost familiar. Then again, this isn't the first time...
He presses another kiss to Basch's lips, warm and soothing, hating the way the man's voice had cracked on that confession. ]
I love you, too. And I can be just as afraid of that at times. Perhaps you shall just have to hold onto me extra tightly to make sure nothing can tear me from your grasp.
[ his own hands slide back until he can tangle fingers in Basch's hair, gripping firmly as he keeps the other man held close. ]
[ It helps that Sylvain isn't flinching, physically or emotionally. It had been one thing to be like this at the resort, but facing that it might...be permanent...was frightening and threatening in ways he couldn't voice.
His breath catches, too, at how easily Sylvain returns those words. They still don't use them often, and he still treasures what it means for Sylvain to give them back. ]
I do have the means to hold you extra tightly [ he says, hoarse and low, but a genuine tease to it. It turns to a sigh, almost a whimper as Sylvain buries his hands in Basch's hair and pulls him close. ]
I...want to pleasure you. I do not know the rules here. It is not the resort, and we cannot go anywhere private with me like this.
[ There's a plea to it, a frustration. How can he have his lover in his arms and still feel blocked from him? All he wants is to melt into the closeness they've shared so many times. ]
[ He pulls back a moment to search Basch's face, because that grief and desperation he can sense in his lover is still worrying him, even if he knows its the lingering effects of fear, of uncertainty. The thing they both fear more than anything else - losing the other, one way or another. But at that sight of frustration, it settles something in him, too. This, this is something he can do something about, even if the stuck magic leaves them both in a sort of limbo for now. ]
Come here.
[ he urges instead, wading deeper into the pool of water, drawing Basch along with him. ]
We've got this place to ourselves - there was no one around when I came looking for you. We can do anything you want, right here, alright?
[ Basch is suddenly shy, even if he lets Sylvain lead him. Despite everything they did at the Golden Peacock, it's different here; there's no way to mask his desire behind the rules of the place, the suggestions they both know are coming. It's absurd, really; Sylvain has wanted him through everything, in every scenario they've had.
That's the fear, isn't it? That somehow he'll find the combination that breaks this.
It doesn't help that he's never been entirely himself when in this form before. What if he doesn't have the parts that make it work for Sylvain? What if all he is now is this? It's a thousand worries, much closer to the man he was when Sylvain met him than who he is now.
He doesn't eve realize the way his tentacles are curling around the other, seeking and releasing in nervous want. He's learned enough to at least not bolt, leaning his head into the other's. ]
I want...to feel close. [ To feel stable. To feel okay. To be as carefree and confident as he'd been for those months. To still be enough for Sylvain. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 02:23 am (UTC)I made it back [ he whispers, as much to assure himself as Sylvain. The danger is passed. The transformation is incidental. But the specter of his nightmares lurk too. Hallowed out halls, war torn buildings, mist soaked ghosts. That city beneath the waves struck something deep and unhealed in him.
He tries to focus on the hands in his hair, the familiar smell of skin and sweat, the sound of Sylvain’s breathing. ] You made it out. It’s alright.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 02:28 am (UTC)Although he's now mentally cursing himself for ever letting them get separated down there, especially when he knows Basch hadn't been in the greatest state of mind when he'd last seen him. ]
You're back and so am I. We're both whole and relatively healthy and I'm not letting go of you anytime soon. I'm right here, love. Feel me. I'm real. This is real.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 02:38 am (UTC)He was happy. He was looking forward to the future. Of course it would be taken from him.
But Sylvain is right. This is real. They’re here. He lifts his head only to find the other’s mouth, kissing him like he needs it to breathe, not caring that there are tear tracks on his face, not entirely aware of how completely he has Sylvain wrapped in the grip of his new appendages. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 02:54 am (UTC)In between kisses and the soft choked sounds of Basch's emotions, he murmurs against his lips. Soft reassurances, words of love. Reminders that this is real.
because he knows that fear all too well. How many times has he woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and immediately reached to make sure Basch is in the bed beside him? How many times has he sought him out in the middle of an otherwise mundane day, just to remind himself that he still has this, has them. When it all still feels too good to be true. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 03:03 am (UTC)Right now, falling apart like this is the most natural thing in the world. He is so grateful for the steady affection, the calmer demeanor to match his too. His stuttered breathing evens, his kiss slowing, his death grip easing to caress. ]
I still want to build you a house, but it may have to be on the beach. [ It’s murmured and shaky, the laugh a little sharp, but he’s calming. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 03:12 am (UTC)Is that what you're worried about? Love. Home is wherever we can be together. A house, a ship, a lonely stretch of beach where we can fuck in the sand under the stars. Even if that's actually probably highly uncomfortable, considering sand gets everywhere.
[ he kisses him again, quick and fierce, directly on the lips, still gripping his face in his hands. ]
As long as I can be with you - in whatever form you happen to be taking - that's all I need. Understand me?
Your icons are killing me
Date: 2025-08-30 04:01 am (UTC)The emotion is still running rampant, making his face crumple even as his chest is feeling lighter. It’s like he has to let this out, get the poison purged before it starts to rot. He even manages a choked laugh at Sylvain considering the practicalities of sex on the beach. ]
No I — yes, all of that. I was afraid — I almost — if I’d died down there I would have never forgiven myself for leaving you.
[ There’s a crack in his voice, a hitch as he says it, like he’s daring it to happen by admitting it. ]
And then I got out, but I thought I was going to lose myself, be that creature — forget everything and stay down there.
We haven’t really been mortal for so long. The resort wouldn’t let us. I — I forgot, and it almost cost us both.
that’s what they’re here for ;)
Date: 2025-09-01 03:43 am (UTC)But you’re here, and you’re alright. You didn’t leave me. You didn’t forget me. You haven’t lost anything, love.
I can't say how the resort did what it did, or how the magic in this place is so different. We’re both going to have to learn as we go. But I also don’t doubt for a moment that no matter what magic you might get wrapped up in, or what danger you feel the need to fight, that it could make you forget to return home to me. Not after what we’ve been through together. I trust you, Basch. I know your heart, and I’m not worried.
Re: that’s what they’re here for ;)
Date: 2025-09-06 04:22 pm (UTC)It is not my heart I am worried over. It is my head being too slow or too naive.
[ There's less bite to it, though, and his lips find Sylvain's again. Less desperate, if no less demanding. His tentacles shift, wrapping around the other, brushing hair, finding any way to touch ]
I love you [ he whispers. It is a plea, a reminder, a promise -- and a fear. ] I am afraid -- I am afraid you will be ripped away from me too.
[ Because every other thing he had ever loved was. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-09-08 07:37 pm (UTC)He presses another kiss to Basch's lips, warm and soothing, hating the way the man's voice had cracked on that confession. ]
I love you, too. And I can be just as afraid of that at times. Perhaps you shall just have to hold onto me extra tightly to make sure nothing can tear me from your grasp.
[ his own hands slide back until he can tangle fingers in Basch's hair, gripping firmly as he keeps the other man held close. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-09-10 10:19 pm (UTC)His breath catches, too, at how easily Sylvain returns those words. They still don't use them often, and he still treasures what it means for Sylvain to give them back. ]
I do have the means to hold you extra tightly [ he says, hoarse and low, but a genuine tease to it. It turns to a sigh, almost a whimper as Sylvain buries his hands in Basch's hair and pulls him close. ]
I...want to pleasure you. I do not know the rules here. It is not the resort, and we cannot go anywhere private with me like this.
[ There's a plea to it, a frustration. How can he have his lover in his arms and still feel blocked from him? All he wants is to melt into the closeness they've shared so many times. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-14 02:01 pm (UTC)Come here.
[ he urges instead, wading deeper into the pool of water, drawing Basch along with him. ]
We've got this place to ourselves - there was no one around when I came looking for you. We can do anything you want, right here, alright?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-27 05:54 pm (UTC)That's the fear, isn't it? That somehow he'll find the combination that breaks this.
It doesn't help that he's never been entirely himself when in this form before. What if he doesn't have the parts that make it work for Sylvain? What if all he is now is this? It's a thousand worries, much closer to the man he was when Sylvain met him than who he is now.
He doesn't eve realize the way his tentacles are curling around the other, seeking and releasing in nervous want. He's learned enough to at least not bolt, leaning his head into the other's. ]
I want...to feel close. [ To feel stable. To feel okay. To be as carefree and confident as he'd been for those months. To still be enough for Sylvain. ]