"I get the sinking suspicion that you'd support me through the most horrendous decisions," he says mildly. And then he's leaning a little, eyes closed.
He's already hurting. But he's made the decision.
He's already hurting. But he's made the decision.
Much more quietly.
"All right."
He... kind of wants to rest now. Even aside from losing at Mario Kart.
"All right."
He... kind of wants to rest now. Even aside from losing at Mario Kart.
"Ha ha," he murmurs as he leans up against Jacobi. He's smaller, now. He'd gotten some muscle and some bulk from being in the Flotilla, from being a pirate. His death has taken that all away. He's thinner now, fed like he'd claimed, but thinner.
"Not even worth making a pass at, I see..."
And he's starting to fade.
And he's starting to fade.
"...probably for the best as I'm ... Clearly a wanton-"
Which is when he drops off, exhausted by all of it. And finally somewhere safe.
Which is when he drops off, exhausted by all of it. And finally somewhere safe.
He's got one hand busy working him through it and eventually, down from it. But the other hand is stroking his skin where he can, softer than any of this has any business being.
"I always ache for it," he says easily enough as he smudges kisses here and there. "And... there's no shame in begging for that mouth. There's nothing better."
"I always ache for it," he says easily enough as he smudges kisses here and there. "And... there's no shame in begging for that mouth. There's nothing better."
Jacobi, my room's finally back, please come and get drunk with me.
[Jacobi is Tim's favourite room-mate and when he flops all over Tim's couch, Tim exits the kitchen a few seconds later.]
Yunlan, Ye Zun, Taylor and Zack all bothering me about a game plan. [He hands Jacobi a beer while he talks, as he rounds the couch to put the rest of a six-pack on the table and flop into the gap between his shins.] And Ulla updating me on Shen Wei being in Zero. And the man has less emotional awareness than you did when we met.
Yunlan, Ye Zun, Taylor and Zack all bothering me about a game plan. [He hands Jacobi a beer while he talks, as he rounds the couch to put the rest of a six-pack on the table and flop into the gap between his shins.] And Ulla updating me on Shen Wei being in Zero. And the man has less emotional awareness than you did when we met.
"Okay, first of all--" Then he pauses, and frowns. "Wait, shit, hold on."
Immediately he's back on his feet and taking his beer with him to the bedroom, but he's only gone for a brief moment to flick what sounds like a light switch - not that Jacobi will notice anything different when Tim comes back out and continues, "So I'm heading this off with--" and he slams back down, sitting leaned forward for Maximum Indignation "--you know I'm gonna put in a decent effort for him, because this is a fucking job and he's a bloody person who needs a bloody hand and I'm happy to give that, right?"
Immediately he's back on his feet and taking his beer with him to the bedroom, but he's only gone for a brief moment to flick what sounds like a light switch - not that Jacobi will notice anything different when Tim comes back out and continues, "So I'm heading this off with--" and he slams back down, sitting leaned forward for Maximum Indignation "--you know I'm gonna put in a decent effort for him, because this is a fucking job and he's a bloody person who needs a bloody hand and I'm happy to give that, right?"
"No one yet, I just need to be a bitch about it," he says. "Because-- like, I didn't even get a chance to see Shen Wei, or say a bloody word to him edgeways, because suddenly his entire extended family is in my DMs telling me to be gentle with him because he got traumatised by Flotilla!"
He's being incredibly reductive and he knows it, which is why he turned the Zero switch on so any eavesdroppers can't get offended.
"At least Zack is trying to be forward-planning, but again, I hadn't even seen Shen Wei yet! I didn't even learn he was in fucking Zero until his brother told me- oh, yeah, they're fucking aliens."
He takes a long sip of his drink. Because fuck him, honestly.
He's being incredibly reductive and he knows it, which is why he turned the Zero switch on so any eavesdroppers can't get offended.
"At least Zack is trying to be forward-planning, but again, I hadn't even seen Shen Wei yet! I didn't even learn he was in fucking Zero until his brother told me- oh, yeah, they're fucking aliens."
He takes a long sip of his drink. Because fuck him, honestly.
"Yeah, I think it was Carol? Fuck, that was a while ago now. But apparently he did it right after he got out of jail there, which." He makes a face around his beer. "I'm just saying, I didn't see Rawne go and murder any bloody inmates when he got out late."
Tim is definitely not telling Jacobi that Shen Wei hurt Taylor. But the temptation is very fucking real for a moment.
"Yeah, Ulla beat me to that, actually. She chimed in too, since she was technically his warden for a bit there. Limited him down to make sure he couldn't kill people, but she didn't take his powers away entirely. Refused to, actually, since Warren didn't do it for her."
He finishes off his drink in one long pull, and thuds the empty glass on the table. "At least Yunlan's got the grace to admit it's his own fucking fault that his being an absolute dumbass with Sephiroth is what upset Shen Wei. But the way they all came at me, you'd think I was his fucking permanent Warden. I have a file, Jacobi!" he stresses dramatically, flailing an arm in exaggerated outrate. "I had to make one, because that is how much bloody bullshit there is leading up to this nonsense!"
"Yeah, Ulla beat me to that, actually. She chimed in too, since she was technically his warden for a bit there. Limited him down to make sure he couldn't kill people, but she didn't take his powers away entirely. Refused to, actually, since Warren didn't do it for her."
He finishes off his drink in one long pull, and thuds the empty glass on the table. "At least Yunlan's got the grace to admit it's his own fucking fault that his being an absolute dumbass with Sephiroth is what upset Shen Wei. But the way they all came at me, you'd think I was his fucking permanent Warden. I have a file, Jacobi!" he stresses dramatically, flailing an arm in exaggerated outrate. "I had to make one, because that is how much bloody bullshit there is leading up to this nonsense!"
"Oh, god," he mumbles, grabbing a fresh drink before he starts. "So Yunlan's permanent inmate is Sephiroth, right? Apparently he convinced Sephiroth to share his weird mutant blood with him for..." He shrugs both shoulders bodily. "Reasons, he didn't elaborate and I didn't care to ask. Only it turns out him, Zack and Cloud, some bullshit in the thing that makes them super-soldiers is seriously lethal for normal humans - like fucking Yunlan, and it started being symptomatic on the Clipper. He got it healed when we all got back, but when Shen Wei saw him, they got into an argument about it and Shen Wei decided to try killing Sephiroth over it."
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