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[inthebiblicalsense]

[In a very serious, business tone, Abel's answering machine sounds after any attempted calls that aren't responded to right away.]

You've reached Abel. I am not available at the moment, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is urgent, leave the line open.

And if this is Fitz I hope you're having a good day.

Comments

[reargunner]

Cain is quiet and still for a moment and then he gives a tiny shrug, one shoulder lifting up as his lips twitch in a smile.

"I'm scared to tell a lot of people a lot of things," he admits quietly. There's another pause before he lifts his hands away from Abel's and sit straighter on the bed, lacing his hands together in his lap instead.

Can't look too closely at that calm. He can feel it shivering like a glass hit with a tuning fork. That threatening panic.

"I wasn't even supposed to do this today. I was going to ask how Fitz was doing first. To see if you even... had space for this."

[inthebiblicalsense]

He doesn't like that he's pulling back, sort of folding in on himself. Perhaps it was a little much? Talking about all of it and talking candidly about feelings the way they were. It wasn't exactly an easy conversation to have.

Abel's fingers curl into a loose fist in his own lap, head tilting just so as Cain continues.

"I'm not so overloaded that I can't talk to you about things that are important, Alexei. I-" He takes in a steadying breath before continuing, "I love you, and just because Fitz is my best friend, and my responsibility, his crisis isn't something that I'm putting on hold or is being pushed aside so I can make space for you."

He's proud of himself in the way that his voice doesn't tremble. He sounds...not quiet confident, but definitely reassuring. "Don't go second guessing yourself now because it came out naturally in conversation. That's sometimes better than trying to make a plan, and...you're okay. You'll be okay, I know you will."

He lets his hand sit, palm up between them, "Can- can I hold your hand again? I feel like you're slowly moving away from me."

[reargunner]

He doesn't really hear much after the 'I love you'. Abel's talking, he knows that, probably something reassuring and telling him it's fine that this is happening and Cain doesn't even need to be able to hear him to know it's that, because of course it is, Ethan's just like that.

Finally getting those words said to him should have been elating, and it's not that he isn't happy to have it said back, but even knowing that he said it first something in him tries to balk at the response.

He rubs the heel of his hand up against the corner of his eye and sniffs. His chest feels tight. The back of his throat and top of his jaw hurt with how he's suddenly trying very hard to keep it together.

Maybe a plan would have been better, but he's here now. No backing off from it.

He unclasps his hands from each other and gives one of them to Ethan again when he asks, but he doesn't look at him. For the moment everything just feels too intense.

[inthebiblicalsense]

He almost wonders if maybe he shouldn't have said anything, he can recognize this now for what it is, the tight set of his jaw, the way he can't look him in the eyes. He'll give him the time he needs, quiet as he takes Alexei's hand in his, thumb gently moving back and forth over the back of his hand.

For all that he wants to just scoop him up and hold him, just touching his face before when they'd been in the storage had gotten him jumpy. He won't make the same mistakes again as much as he wants to.

[reargunner]

It takes him a couple of minutes to pull himself together in the silence between them. His breathing hitches and hiccups into his chest and the tops of his ears flush pink with the barely acknowledged embarrassment of being in such a mess again.

He shakes himself out of it carefully, giving Ethan's hand a little squeeze before he says anything. There's nothing to worry about here. Nothing bad is going to happen because he said something he shouldn't. He's not in danger.

"I'm okay. I'm... I'm here."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"But not where you should be," He says with the gentlest tease, giving his hand a gentle squeeze back. He shifts, leg half up and bent at the knee, his other still hanging down with his foot on the floor, gesturing him to come closer.

"Come here?" Because he knows how talking about things that are important and upsetting can be exhausting. Emotional labor had been the hardest thing he'd done on board, whether it was from stress or just therapy, he was always left bone tired.

[reargunner]

He nods as if he's responding to the request but doesn't move at first, then he scoots himself over and flops himself against the other man's side with a sharp huff.

"I'm exactly where I should be."

Maybe not here on the Barge, but right here, in this moment, having said all of that? It feels like a 'should be' kind of place and he doesn't want it to be brushed aside as another thing that shouldn't have happened, even in jest.

He lets his head drop onto Ethan's shoulder.

"I love you."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"Well, now you are," he agrees, putting an arm around him so that he can hold him closer, easing himself back so that they can both lay down comfortably on Cain's bed.

It's catches him off guard, him repeating it, before Abel turns his head and presses a kiss to his forehead, whispering back in a practiced accent, "Я тоже тебя люблю."

Did he learn that just so he could whisper it to him when he finally plucked up the courage to say something? Of course he did.

[reargunner]

Hearing it in Russian takes him off guard and he laughs slightly, turning his head so he can look up at Ethan under his eyelashes.

"How long have you been saving that one?"

The pronunciation was only a little off... but like hell he's going to say anything about it now. The fact he said it at all, that he must have learned it just so he could say it in this situation, is more than enough to make him all warm and fuzzy.

[inthebiblicalsense]

It was one of those things that he'd been curious about, before he'd even started to learn from Pyotr, or learn himself. And as Cain looks up at him through his dark lashes, he can feel his face heating up, the tips of his ears getting pink.

"S-since August?" He hadn't intended on telling him the actual truth, but he remembers the first time he knew he was truly in trouble when it came to the other man, the second time they'd slept together on board, and all that resolve had just fallen apart. It was days after he'd arrived, and god is it embarrassing to admit, but they were being honest, right?

[reargunner]

There's a pause, then he snorts.

"August... Wow."

So he'd been holding on to this, or at least the possibility of it, for that long? Alexei's not sure how to feel about that but again, it isn't something he really wants to think too hard about just now. There's a lot he doesn't really want to think too hard about now.

"That's cute."

That'll do for a reaction for the moment.

"... I guess I've been trying to figure this out for a while, as well. Every time I got close to it I just..."

He makes a gesture. Ethan's well aware of what happens when he starts pushing himself too hard to think about things he's not ready to face.

[inthebiblicalsense]

"H-hey...don't laugh." He doesn't prod him though, leaning them both back so he can stare up at the ceiling, run his nails up and down Cain's arm.

"And...I figured If I waited long enough you'd say something. I just didn't want to until you did. No...no rush."

[reargunner]

He's not sure how he feels about the fact that Abel was waiting. Cain closes his eyes and takes a few breaths, still trying to shake off that feeling that his insides are about to rattle apart, and he curls his fingers into the soft fabric of the bedsheets for something to focus on.

"Hm," is all he says to that, in the end.

"I'm fucking exhausted."

Nearly having another panic attack can sure do that to a guy.

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I figured you would be." He knows what that feels like now himself, and it was physically draining.

"Well, were in your bed, I'm not going to stop you from taking a nap." He glances down at him again with a little smile, squeezing his arm, "you want me to tuck you in Alexei?"

[reargunner]

"I'm not five."

So, no, but what he will do is roll over so he can wrap himself around Ethan like the man is a body pillow, and shove his face firmly against the other man's neck.

"You can stay here, though."

[inthebiblicalsense]

Abel bites back a laugh, pretty sure that was the sort of response he was going to get, but doesn't protest when he's suddenly a pillow, "can I? I think I'd have a hard time leaving anyways."

Though that might be for more reasons than being wrapped up in his arms.

[reargunner]

"I would protest loudly if you tried to," Cain grumbles against his shoulder, softly gripping against his shirt and curling into him comfortably.

"But I don't think I can fall asleep yet, so you can ask me some of those things you always want me to talk about if you want."

You know, like how was his day, who has he been hanging out with... the stuff he's always forgetting to mention.

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I thought you said you weren't five?" He returns though let's him adjust as he wants, he is just a pillow at the moment after all.

Rubbing his face to get rid of the last of his tears, he makes note that he's going to need to wash it later, but that's later.

"I guess I'll use my allotted time wisely. Aside from Blitz and Florian, have any other good friends? Anyone I should be aware of that might ask me invasive questions about what my intentions are, or is that just Blitz?"

[reargunner]

Cain gives a little snort.

"I think that's just Blitz, because he's an asshole."

But a well-meaning one, Cain thinks, who is just very protective of the people that he cares about even if he'd have a hard time admitting that he cares.

"Friends though... mmn." Still a curious think to think about. "Blitz, Florian... Aerith, Lester, Jacob, John, Tendi, Husk, Gale..." He starts marking them off on his fingers without realising, tapping his fingertips against Abel's chest. "There's a few others I'm still getting to know."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I like John...he's very sweet." Adds, just so he doesn't smile too much at the growing list. It's good to know, all these people he can hopefully rely on to help keep him safe if something happens.

"I think I'm starting to get Blitz a little more...he's just a bit much. I think I get why you like him though." Though bringing up Jacob...brings him to his next point.

"I wanted to ask...would you mind if I told Jacob details about about what happened? He's...stuck I think...and I wonder if it would help."

[reargunner]

"Yeah, he is."

Still keeping the fact he stabbed the guy once entirely to himself thank you very much. He does smirk slightly when Blitz's name comes up - just why he likes the imp seems to have mystified Abel for a while, so hearing that just why that might be is starting to become clearer is... nice.

But then Cain goes quite still for a moment, before he pushes himself up on his elbow and looks down at Abel's face with a small frown.

"... What do you mean?"

[inthebiblicalsense]

"Oh...you don't have to get up," Abel shifts himself, sitting up a little, looking up at him. "We can talk about it later, just...the more he tells me about his life, and what happened, I think he believes he has no other purpose than dying in service."

He can understand that, because that's what he'd been prepared to do until he'd found out about the project.

"I...I used to think that way, before everything fell apart, but It isn't just my story now. It's ours. But I won't if you don't want me to."

[reargunner]

It isn't as if he's not told bits and pieces of what happened to people to try and explain how he reacts to certain things, but what Abel is saying feels... different.

"Well, what..."

Why does it feel weird?

He tries to settle back down, resting his head against Abel's shoulder again and holding him in close.

"... What would you tell him?"

[inthebiblicalsense]

When Cain settles back down, Abel shifts a little, an arm around him, hand running gentle through his hair. "Just, what happened I suppose...I won't go too into detail with what you did, but I can't tell it without you in it, because it would be obvious I'm leaving things out."

He turns so that he can catch Cain's eye, "But I won't, if you don't want me to. Talk to me, what are you thinking about? Jacob's history is...well. I don't think anything you've done would turn him away from you if you were worried about it."

[reargunner]

He gives an abrupt, sharp snort.

"I don't give a shit about that."

And that's a lie, but it's a lie he needs to tell himself because he knows the Barge has a way of bringing things out whether you want them to be seen or not, that eventually it will happen to him, and he needs to not care about it so he doesn't think about it.

"I just—..." A shrug. "Don't see how what happened with us is gonna do anything for him."

He frowns against Abel's shoulder, curling his fingers into the other man's shirt.

"But tell him what you want."