doreimi | IC Inbox | prismatica

It wasn't them. They were some kind of illusion. I have a pretty reliable source on that. ...I'm sorry.

[He continues to take lead, while Moody Blues stays mostly at Reimi's side. But they're both as close as possible.]

Yeah. I trust you on that.

Mohammed was, uh. Able to help me.

Don't be sorry. It's better that they weren't. [She sighs, ducking her chin.] They never came over to me. Never looked, never seemed to notice me. It would've been so much worse, if it was really them, and they didn't even notice me.

[But luckily, even next to that dismal thought, she manages to find a hint of a smile and a quirked eyebrow for his trouble.]

He helped you, huh. Does that mean helped you, or helped you?

..........................What are you implying.

[Oh yeah. He's beet red. He's never embarrassed about sex, but this is definitely different.]

That you guys kissed.

[She sticks her tongue out at him, flushing just a touch pink herself. Some of her usual sass is missing, whether from the latent exhaustion or something else, but the inclination to tease is still there as present as ever.]

Me just holding your hand wasn't enough. So he must've done something better than that.

Listen here, you brat.

[But he's glad she has some of her personality there. Even if it's faded and she's tired, it's still there.]

Yeah. We kissed. And stuff.

Good.

[It rolls off his tongue so easily, you brat, that it almost sounds like an endearment. All things considered, it probably is one.]

We're even, then. I'm glad he took good care of you.

...Yeah. He did.

[Abbacchio's voice is a bit softer. Honestly, he's grateful for Avdol. He's definitely more than what Abbacchio deserves.]

I wanted to do more for you too.

...You let go on purpose.

[She might've thought once, for just a sliver of a moment, that she could've believed it was an accident, a genuine slip. She knows better than to think that now, though. Now she can see more clearly exactly what he did and why.]

That wasn't just a mistake. You didn't want to risk it for me. Right?

Yeah. You got it. You just... you looked like you were pushing it. Spending more Chroma than you were getting back.

[Abbacchio stops, if only so that he can put his arm around her and hold her again.]

You'd have pushed it hard enough beyond what you should have.

[She hesitates, because what she wants to say is on the tip of her tongue, and it's also a lie. A strong lie, a noble lie, a courageous lie, and still at the end of the day, a lie.

Abbacchio deserves someone strong and noble and courageous. He doesn't deserve a liar.]

...I was. I would have.

[Telling a rueful truth doesn't feel particularly strong or noble. But it is courageous, she thinks, and maybe that's enough.]

I was so scared. I just thought if I didn't, you might never get back. I didn't think about...how that might have felt for you. To have to watch that.

[Someone dying for him, again.]

It's okay. I get it. I might have done something similar in your place.

But I hope you get why I couldn't just let you either.

[He gives her shoulders a squeeze.

Finally, they get back to the Gothcave. Moody Blues bumps his forehead against Reimi's shoulder before slipping away to make some tea.]

C'mon. We could both use a breather. [And some fierce snuggling on the couch.]

[Once inside, Reimi heads immediately for the couch, hopping up onto the cushions as Moody Blues departs and pulling her legs up under her while she finds a pillow to hug for the duration. That won't last long, she knows, once Abbacchio settles in and drapes over her like a gigantic blanket, but for the time being, it's nice to have something in her arms that she can rest her chin on.]

I know. I can't be mad at you about it, either. Just like you're not mad at me for pushing it too much...I hope.

[She smiles at him, a little ruefully.]

I'm not jealous, or anything like that. I don't care if it was me, or Mr. Avdol, or...whoever. I wish I could've done it, but if I couldn't, then at least someone did.

[Predictably, he does settle in next to her, basically draping himself around her shoulders. He has chroma to rebuild with her and Reimi needs it desperately.]

I'm not mad. I was just worried about you, but I figured you'd have people looking out for you too.

[He smiles wryly.]

Yeah? Not jealous even a little bit? [He teases a bit, but he gets it.] I wish I could've been there for you too, you know. But I'm glad you had Rohan there for you.

Oh, I'm so glad you're back.

[A response, it seems, to the familiar feeling of his arms around her, because she's gotten so used to a steady supply of cuddling from Abbacchio that going all that time without him had felt like crossing a desert without water. She settles immediately, slumped and content right along with him, soaking in the warmth of the chroma they're generating.]

...He kissed me. Rohan, I mean.

Glad to be back. I missed you.

[For a moment, he's relaxed, but then she breaks that kind of news. He tenses and sits up a little.]

Uh. Was it weird, or...? [Really, he isn't sure how Reimi must feel about it. The boy she used to babysit is basically an adult now and she hasn't aged a day on account of being a ghost, but. Fuck, he doesn't know.]

I missed you too.

[And she missed snuggling with him, and just talking to him, and the sound of Moody Blues making telephone noises as he clicks around in the kitchen, and the gruff rumble of Abbacchio's voice — all of it, she missed it so much, and it's such a relief to have it all back.]

It was just because holding my hand wasn't enough, I think. I was doing pretty bad, so he...for the chroma, I mean. Mista did the same thing.

[She laughs softly.]

See what happens when you leave me alone for five minutes? All of a sudden I'm kissing every boy I know.

[AND MISTA. OF COURSE. He imagines that it's probably for good reason BUT STILL AHHH.]

Not that I could blame them, you're fucking fantastic and you deserve the attention. [He will not, in fact, be mean enough to say that she deserves better.] What about the guy you're supposed to go on a date with?

He's so cute.

[Comes her response, immediately, like she didn't even have to think about it for even a fraction of an instant. Probably she didn't.]

And he's tall, and nice, and when he smiles at me I feel like we're the only two people in the whole world. And he doesn't know that I'm dead. Just that I'm Reimi. It's such a nice change.

[The answer makes him smile, and he gently squeezes his arms around Reimi. It's good that she really has a chance at something close to normal. Dating cute boys, going to class; she was robbed of it and deserves to have it back in some way.]

Aw, you have a crush, sorellina. That's adorable.

It's not a crush! It's, uh...it's a natural reaction.

[It's absolutely a crush. He was not wearing a shirt. Some people get candy for Geistnacht and she got eye candy, herself.]

And he liked my costume a lot even though it wasn't sexy anything, so that's a good sign.

Oooo, it's a natural reaction because you have a crush.

[He laughs a little against her, genuinely glad she's having a good time with not-quite-boyfriend guy.]

It's good you two are clicking so well. I mean that.

I'll have you know he offered me his arm while we went walking around, like a gentleman. That's definitely not a crush! It's appreciation.

[She would be a lot more convincing if she weren't so obviously fishing, but you know. It's nice to lean on Abbacchio and feel him leaning on her and just tease each other. It's normal and nice and makes all the horrors of Geistnacht feel far away.]

I hope you can meet him sometime. And that you don't have to rip his balls off.

Sure, whatever you say. Not a crush at all.

[It's good that she seems in better spirits. A definite step up from where they both were, honestly. He still feels kind of shitty and will probably feel worse later, but right now it isn't so bad.]

Well, if he's as good as you say, his balls are safe.

...okayfineit'salittlecrush.

[INNOCENT WHISTLING. She nudges him lightly back into an upright position, but only so that she can flop across his lap and sprawl, making it easier for her to look up at him and see his face while they talk.]

You're not gonna give Mista a hard time because he kissed me, are you? He seemed kind of freaked out about it.

[Sitting back upright, he drapes an arm around her waist, letting Reimi get as comfortable as she'd like.]

Hmm. Maybe only a little because it'd be funny. [He combs his fingers through Reimi's hair.] But I know he wouldn't do it just to be a bastard. You're important to a lot of us.

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