It is the bare minimum. [viktor assures, tilting into the touch a little. being on equal ground is all he is interested in when it comes to pal, to all of this. just the same as when he asked about sixth courting and dating, just the same as any understanding reached between them.
but pal is aware this is serious, and that puts the entire conversation in further context. it's odd not to feel nervous, he's so used to such intimate matters coming with a twinge of fear but something about this, the idle air, rio's trills, the old worn couch and a stupid group chat pinging away in the background- it's home. it's already here, just putting it to words, acknowledging it.
so when pal says that viktor leans in to kiss him, slowly and softly, long enough he almost forgets the words by the time he pulls back.] We'll just use Jr's, in a pinch.
[his hand goes to pal's jaw, thumb running over his cheek.] 'I'll wake up every day and keep choosing you,' you are going to ruin me one of these days. Saying such things so plainly. [a pause and his lips quirk again.] Viktor of Sextus House. Or Viktor Sextus- it has a decent sound to it, I think.
[Ah, the ornamental skull currently staring blindly into a corner, yeah, that's a great House symbol. Palamedes laughs lightly, covering Viktor's hand with his own.]
I'd say 'truth over solace,' but they're not always mutually exclusive. [Only in this circumstance, without the 'lies' part tacked onto the end, because, well. True: he loves Viktor and he will wake up every day and think, yes, this is still where he wants to be. And solace: that they are here; that they've managed to find each other in this otherwise grim set of circumstances, and found in each other the foundations of a home.
So: truth and solace, just this once. Hearth and home in the slant of Viktor's smile and the warmth of his hands, and the- ah, the very fascinating new concept of Viktor Sextus, mm. Mmm, and like that, Palamedes understands why so many cultures adopt names like this. He lifts up into another kiss, swift and affirming; yes, that's excellent, that's fantastic. More like that.]
What do you think sounds better, 'Sextus House' or 'House Sextus'? [This is an actual question, for sure, but he's immediately interrupting with another kiss, more lingering than the last.] I'd love to get your opinion on these crucial matters, Viktor Sextus.
[just put a wrench through his head and a pen in his teeth. that's fine. normal.]
Hm- [the kiss interrupts his answer, making him laugh into it before returning it with a content hum at the end. rio's gone to sleep at their feet, bored of the gay it seems, and this is everything viktor's wanted without ever knowing it. a place to belong without the hoops held over his head to jump through, challenge and comfort.] House Sextus. Less likely to immediately be turned to Sex House as we know it will, sooner or later.
[he gives a helpless chuckle at 'viktor sextus,' ducking his head before raising it again to press another kiss to pal, though this time an adoring one to his forehead.] Ah, Palamedes. You have no idea how happy you make me, I think. [and wow, he doesn't even tease himself for being saccharine, which frankly is a huge step for him. imagine, being sweet without prefacing it with some level of protective irony. incredible.]
Less likely, but not immune. Promise me you won't call me 'Sex Pal,' no matter how many times Gideon hints that it would be very funny. [has she already, also. He lives in low grade dread that he'll be called Sex Pal again at any time, especially in front of literal children who'll never let it go.
Anyway, House Sextus it is. With Rio asleep, Palamedes is free at last to snake both arms around Viktor's waist, locking his fingers together over his hip and melting wholesale into the forehead kiss. Viktor Sextus...!]
I could make an educated guess, given how happy you make me.
[Maybe there's a formula, ha ha. No. Like, maybe? But no, they don't need to play in that space. Palamedes is far too content to stay wrapped up and adoring like this, without doing a bit.]
Gods, you really are friends with teenagers. [viktor snorts, amused despite himself. he gets another kiss to his temple.] I will refrain somehow, for your sake. A united front of our house.
[and he's still getting a stupid little thrill out of that. absolutely, alarmingly saccharine. disgustingly so. he runs his fingers over pal's jaw like he's memorizing it, quiet between them as he says,] You'll have to let go if you still want me to make your mug cake. Celebratory, as it turns out.
Speak for yourself, but thank you, I appreciate the effort. I know it's tempting. [If it were him who could call someone a funny name, he just might... Regardless, thanks, and thanks again for the double whammy of 'united front' and 'celebratory' mug cake. Celebrating themselves is a fine idea; letting go of Viktor, less appealing. He shifts his grip to find the hem of Viktor's shirt and slide his fingers up under it, not going anywhere, but greedy for the warmth of bare skin.
Anyway, what's a mug cake, forget about those. Who needs mug cake.]
It will still be there later. I'm told all you have to do is stir and cook; stay here with me a while longer.
[On this couch, in this bunker, in this town. Ahem. All of the above.]
Oh extremely. I expect constant bribes to keep my mouth shut. [in truth he probably has less patience for teenage shenanigans than pal even, so he'll be quiet. lucky man.
he shifts his legs over pal's lap, happy to tangle them together, mug cakes or not. he tries not to have an absolutely ridiculous thought about it being like a wedding cake and nearly laughs at himself for being so... like this. happy, he guesses. maybe they should do a formula, bit or not.]
We should take tomorrow off, stay in. [he offers after a beat. shocking, not working for a whole day? who is this guy.] It's been a while, and it's been a busy month. It is good for our corruption levels to take breaks.
I'll find some way to make it worth your while. [Mouth shut optional? He's already workshopping it.
Mm, but this is a pleasant upswing to a mood that was already good, so - no one would blame either of them for getting cozy instead of learning the art of the mug cake. Who knew that all it took to make Viktor relax enough to take off work for a day was housing development. Ha.
Palamedes laughs, anyway - oh, is taking breaks what they'll be doing, fascinating - and makes an exaggerated face like he really has to think about it.]
I don't know; we might fall behind schedule. I'm kidding, obviously, I'd love to take the day off just for our sake. Frankly, we're owed this.
[Remina, personally, owes them this. He wiggles his fingers where they rest under Viktor's shirt, leaning in to press a kiss wherever he happens to land, and then another, and lo: another one after that. What's a mug cake, he's never heard of it...]
Viktor, you... [Hm, what hasn't he said a handful of times just today already, that properly conveys his feelings? For a moment he simply looks at him like this, admiration and adoration spilling over into an unadulterated contentedness, so, ah- there's that, to cover his bases.] Well, you know how I feel. You're amazing, for starters, and I'll save the rest for tomorrow.
["i will pepper in the fact that i am madly in love" - palamedes sextus, romantic genius]
[yes taking "breaks" while staying inside, what could that possibly mean. funnily enough it's less horny and more he knows going out under the sun is never going to be pal's favorite thing, so nice inside time? the plan.
viktor scoffs, so fond when he kisses the exaggerated face pal makes.] We are. Besides, Remina put us ahead of schedule if you remember. Far too ahead of schedule.
[dry. that loop is less problematic than others but still annoying.
ah couch married life though, if their day off is just this he would be incredibly content. he presses into pal's hand, mug cake easily forgotten for now, sorry mug cake. good thing for the sticky note reminder later.
he'd rather soak up the affection, less and less like a starving man these days, more and more secure in some level of understanding that this is not a passing dream. he'd rather offer it back in turn, softer around the edges than before, deeply content in everything pal is and offers him. painfully, ridiculously happy, as he said before. just one quiet moment untouched by what ifs and harsh realities.]
And what will we do in the meantime, I wonder. [he says fondly, and answers that with a languid kiss. he'd be happy to lose the evening to just this, grasping one of pal's hands to intertwine their fingers, the other free to tilt his head, rest over his heart, skirt under his old man pajamas.]
[Palamedes hums, half content and half, eh, not pleased with Remina by any means, but not so angry about that particular loop.]
I'm not thanking her; god no. If she wanted us to take a day off, she could have asked.
[Could she have still asked via oozing blood and menacing stare? Likely. Palamedes wouldn't have thought much of such a choice, but it is what it is. Regardless, he's more than willing to put her out of mind for the time being, to respond to Viktor in kind. This is the evening they've been owed, not even a joke; after everything, they should have more evenings like this, where the biggest concerns are legs falling asleep from how haphazardly they arrange themselves in a quest to get ever closer. There will be more evenings like this, he decides, and presses the determination that wells up in him into another kiss; so many more evenings like this until they're commonplace, without ghosts or illness or dread.
It's a good goal. It has its own list at the back of his mind, and it's the only thing on there. Still, in the here and now, after he's done horrible, irreversible stretches to Viktor's t-shirt and his old man pajamas are sufficiently rucked up and rumpled, does he pull back a moment to speak, pleasantly flushed and not quite out of breath. Ah-]
I've tried to think of a clever opening for this and come up empty, so you'll just have to bear with me: I have a request. [pause for effect just kidding he does not pause in the slightest, ahem,] Get up from here, skip the mugs and take a shower with me.
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but pal is aware this is serious, and that puts the entire conversation in further context. it's odd not to feel nervous, he's so used to such intimate matters coming with a twinge of fear but something about this, the idle air, rio's trills, the old worn couch and a stupid group chat pinging away in the background- it's home. it's already here, just putting it to words, acknowledging it.
so when pal says that viktor leans in to kiss him, slowly and softly, long enough he almost forgets the words by the time he pulls back.] We'll just use Jr's, in a pinch.
[his hand goes to pal's jaw, thumb running over his cheek.] 'I'll wake up every day and keep choosing you,' you are going to ruin me one of these days. Saying such things so plainly. [a pause and his lips quirk again.] Viktor of Sextus House. Or Viktor Sextus- it has a decent sound to it, I think.
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I'd say 'truth over solace,' but they're not always mutually exclusive. [Only in this circumstance, without the 'lies' part tacked onto the end, because, well. True: he loves Viktor and he will wake up every day and think, yes, this is still where he wants to be. And solace: that they are here; that they've managed to find each other in this otherwise grim set of circumstances, and found in each other the foundations of a home.
So: truth and solace, just this once. Hearth and home in the slant of Viktor's smile and the warmth of his hands, and the- ah, the very fascinating new concept of Viktor Sextus, mm. Mmm, and like that, Palamedes understands why so many cultures adopt names like this. He lifts up into another kiss, swift and affirming; yes, that's excellent, that's fantastic. More like that.]
What do you think sounds better, 'Sextus House' or 'House Sextus'? [This is an actual question, for sure, but he's immediately interrupting with another kiss, more lingering than the last.] I'd love to get your opinion on these crucial matters, Viktor Sextus.
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Hm- [the kiss interrupts his answer, making him laugh into it before returning it with a content hum at the end. rio's gone to sleep at their feet, bored of the gay it seems, and this is everything viktor's wanted without ever knowing it. a place to belong without the hoops held over his head to jump through, challenge and comfort.] House Sextus. Less likely to immediately be turned to Sex House as we know it will, sooner or later.
[he gives a helpless chuckle at 'viktor sextus,' ducking his head before raising it again to press another kiss to pal, though this time an adoring one to his forehead.] Ah, Palamedes. You have no idea how happy you make me, I think. [and wow, he doesn't even tease himself for being saccharine, which frankly is a huge step for him. imagine, being sweet without prefacing it with some level of protective irony. incredible.]
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Less likely, but not immune. Promise me you won't call me 'Sex Pal,' no matter how many times Gideon hints that it would be very funny. [has she already, also. He lives in low grade dread that he'll be called Sex Pal again at any time, especially in front of literal children who'll never let it go.
Anyway, House Sextus it is. With Rio asleep, Palamedes is free at last to snake both arms around Viktor's waist, locking his fingers together over his hip and melting wholesale into the forehead kiss. Viktor Sextus...!]
I could make an educated guess, given how happy you make me.
[Maybe there's a formula, ha ha. No. Like, maybe? But no, they don't need to play in that space. Palamedes is far too content to stay wrapped up and adoring like this, without doing a bit.]
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[and he's still getting a stupid little thrill out of that. absolutely, alarmingly saccharine. disgustingly so. he runs his fingers over pal's jaw like he's memorizing it, quiet between them as he says,] You'll have to let go if you still want me to make your mug cake. Celebratory, as it turns out.
[hm... he huddles closer.] But maybe not yet.
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Anyway, what's a mug cake, forget about those. Who needs mug cake.]
It will still be there later. I'm told all you have to do is stir and cook; stay here with me a while longer.
[On this couch, in this bunker, in this town. Ahem. All of the above.]
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he shifts his legs over pal's lap, happy to tangle them together, mug cakes or not. he tries not to have an absolutely ridiculous thought about it being like a wedding cake and nearly laughs at himself for being so... like this. happy, he guesses. maybe they should do a formula, bit or not.]
We should take tomorrow off, stay in. [he offers after a beat. shocking, not working for a whole day? who is this guy.] It's been a while, and it's been a busy month. It is good for our corruption levels to take breaks.
[uh huh.]
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Mm, but this is a pleasant upswing to a mood that was already good, so - no one would blame either of them for getting cozy instead of learning the art of the mug cake. Who knew that all it took to make Viktor relax enough to take off work for a day was housing development. Ha.
Palamedes laughs, anyway - oh, is taking breaks what they'll be doing, fascinating - and makes an exaggerated face like he really has to think about it.]
I don't know; we might fall behind schedule. I'm kidding, obviously, I'd love to take the day off just for our sake. Frankly, we're owed this.
[Remina, personally, owes them this. He wiggles his fingers where they rest under Viktor's shirt, leaning in to press a kiss wherever he happens to land, and then another, and lo: another one after that. What's a mug cake, he's never heard of it...]
Viktor, you... [Hm, what hasn't he said a handful of times just today already, that properly conveys his feelings? For a moment he simply looks at him like this, admiration and adoration spilling over into an unadulterated contentedness, so, ah- there's that, to cover his bases.] Well, you know how I feel. You're amazing, for starters, and I'll save the rest for tomorrow.
["i will pepper in the fact that i am madly in love" - palamedes sextus, romantic genius]
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viktor scoffs, so fond when he kisses the exaggerated face pal makes.] We are. Besides, Remina put us ahead of schedule if you remember. Far too ahead of schedule.
[dry. that loop is less problematic than others but still annoying.
ah couch married life though, if their day off is just this he would be incredibly content. he presses into pal's hand, mug cake easily forgotten for now, sorry mug cake. good thing for the sticky note reminder later.
he'd rather soak up the affection, less and less like a starving man these days, more and more secure in some level of understanding that this is not a passing dream. he'd rather offer it back in turn, softer around the edges than before, deeply content in everything pal is and offers him. painfully, ridiculously happy, as he said before. just one quiet moment untouched by what ifs and harsh realities.]
And what will we do in the meantime, I wonder. [he says fondly, and answers that with a languid kiss. he'd be happy to lose the evening to just this, grasping one of pal's hands to intertwine their fingers, the other free to tilt his head, rest over his heart, skirt under his old man pajamas.]
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I'm not thanking her; god no. If she wanted us to take a day off, she could have asked.
[Could she have still asked via oozing blood and menacing stare? Likely. Palamedes wouldn't have thought much of such a choice, but it is what it is. Regardless, he's more than willing to put her out of mind for the time being, to respond to Viktor in kind. This is the evening they've been owed, not even a joke; after everything, they should have more evenings like this, where the biggest concerns are legs falling asleep from how haphazardly they arrange themselves in a quest to get ever closer. There will be more evenings like this, he decides, and presses the determination that wells up in him into another kiss; so many more evenings like this until they're commonplace, without ghosts or illness or dread.
It's a good goal. It has its own list at the back of his mind, and it's the only thing on there. Still, in the here and now, after he's done horrible, irreversible stretches to Viktor's t-shirt and his old man pajamas are sufficiently rucked up and rumpled, does he pull back a moment to speak, pleasantly flushed and not quite out of breath. Ah-]
I've tried to think of a clever opening for this and come up empty, so you'll just have to bear with me: I have a request. [pause for effect just kidding he does not pause in the slightest, ahem,] Get up from here, skip the mugs and take a shower with me.