driftfleet | five ○ voice / action

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five ○ voice / action

Who: Caesar & u
Broadcast: Fleetwide!
Action: Marsiva, kitchens & gym!
When: Ostensibly 11/15, but really whenever

[His voice sounds muted, almost bored, but anybody who actually knows him might be a little worried at the lack of underlying irritation there. There's the clank of pots and pans in the background, also muted.]

Since we're stuck here for the foreseeable future - I understand that people are coping. [As people do. For what good it does.] I don't have the proper augment, but I know how to cook if anyone wants to learn. I don't have anything else to do. [Besides watch The Princess Bride on endless repeat.]

[. . . And then, almost as an afterthought:]

I can fight, too. If anyone wants that.

[Find him in the kitchens, or the gym on request. Close CR can assume a delivery of a comfort food of their choice.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't have a master plan.

[A sharp look. Chew with your mouth closed, classless bastard.]

Good? [Of course Joseph will say it's good. He's basically a goat. Congrats, Caesar, you're dating a goat.]

[He will chew in whatever way he feels like chewing, you snooty priss.]

Great! You're way better than Nightingale and don't tell that Souji kid, but his stew could use a lot of work. Don't even get me started with Mal. You could probably eat a boot and it'd taste better than what she can do.

[In short, Caesar spoils him way too much. But Joseph's not about to tell him to exactly stop that. Just use a little moderation.]

Anyway, what are you doing spending all your time in the kitchen? Not that I don't love all the free food, buuuuuut there's other things to do around here.

[Oh. He was expecting that Joseph would sort of say it was good in the way that all food is good, ie, it can go in his mouth. Not how it's specifically better than other people's. Hm. He tosses his hair out of his face and shrugs a little, pleased.]

I like cooking, Jojo. What's wrong with that?

[Even though that's not really an answer to the question. Hm.]

What do you want me to be doing instead?

[Look, Joseph is enthusiastic by nature. Add food to the equation? Do not expect a simple "good" unless something is seriously wrong. Like terminal illness levels of wrong.]

Mmm I don't know, [Joseph says, hugging Caesar's middle, resting his chin on his shoulder.] You could try talking to me about what's wrong.

[Because look, Joseph's not stupid. Or at least not that stupid. He can tell something's up with Caesar and has been since they got here. But it's getting increasingly worse when he can't even manage to sound vaguely irritated like normal. Joseph's not exactly worried, not yet, but he also doesn't want Caesar shutting down on him or anyone else. Just especially not on him because he has a vested interest in that and frankly, he's supposed to be Caesar's go-to. At least, Joseph's 90% certain that's how this is supposed to work. But he'd...try to be satisfied with Caesar talking to someone if he can't do it with Joseph.]

[Oh again. A hug. Okay. Hm. They're in the kitchen, maybe he should show some self-restr-- haha.]

[He pulls Joseph back against him so he's backed against the counter, presses his face into his shirt. Sighs.]

I just don't like it here. There's more space but it's less free. I don't like what happens at night. It's like nightmares but worse. And every night I fall asleep out there, or next to you, and wake up alone.

[Joseph holds Caesar just a little tighter once he starts hiding his face. He presses a kiss to the top of Caesar's head before resting his cheek there. There's not much he can do about any of that. He can't make the dreams stop and he can't stop whatever the hell keeps dumping him back in his room. He'll just have to find a way to wake up earlier, he thinks, and sneak back into Caesar's room.]

I know, baby. But they aren't going to keep us here forever. [He rubs small circles between Caesar's shoulder blades. He's pretty sure they can't anyway. If they're concerned about ratings--which they must be--they can't rely on the same thing again and again to get them there. Whatever the hell is going on exactly will have to even out soon or else... Well, it's just going to and they'll be back on their ships in no-time.] You just gotta try to leave the night behind you when you wake up in the morning.

[Ugh. It still makes him squirm a little when Joseph says that, although in this case it works out, since he can just hide his face a little more aggressively in his shoulder. Cooking is distracting, plenty of other things are distracting, but this is safe.]

I'm trying to. I'm trying to . . . do things for people instead of worrying. I don't understand why that's bad.

[The narration has an idea, but the narration isn't as dumb as Caesar is, so this isn't surprising.]

It's not. [And it's really not. Joseph would much rather Caesar spend all day in the kitchen over sitting around worrying about how much longer the clock has before it knock them all out again and the whole freaky dream process starts all over again. At least with cooking he's doing something and getting his mind off things for a while.] It's just... Caesar, you can't take care of other people if you're not taking care of yourself. You're not obsessing over it, but you're still just sitting on it.

[His instinct is to ask what else is there to do? But - Joseph wouldn't be saying it if there weren't a better answer than nothing. He wouldn't do that, just offer up a problem with no solution. So . . .]

Then - tell me what to do. Because I don't know.

Well, for starters, you don't hide away in a kitchen. You go about what you always do as best you can to avoid sitting around dwelling on it, but you talk to someone about it to get it out of your system instead of just hoping it'll go away on its own.

[He nudges Caesar off his shoulder to look at him, running his fingers through his hair.]

You know all it takes is telling me you need to talk and I'll be right there, Caesar, but you can do the same thing with other people about the dreams, too. You can talk about them since we're all experiencing them. You're not going through this alone this time. Besides, you never know. They might really need to talk about it, too, but don't know how to start or are too scared, and you'd be doing them a favor by taking that first step in talking about what you saw.

[He starts to grin a little, looking a touch impish. He can only stay serious for so long.]

Just consider maybe opening up with a little less hugging than you did with me unless you know the person really well. That might make things awkward otherwise.

[He listens. He really does, even though what Joseph is suggesting sounds impossible. He's not good at talking about his feelings even at the best of times, which this is not, and trying to share anything about the dreams with someone he hasn't known for months and months - someone who isn't Joseph, or maybe Ino--]

[He can try. He just doesn't think he'll be any good at it.]

[But he's good at playing, or - he's learning, anyway. So he tips his chin up in challenge, because that's what he does.]

I didn't open with hugging. I opened with feeding you.

Well, you can probably keep that part. If they turn down your cooking, they're probably insane and you don't want to be their friend anyway.

[That's just Joseph's humble opinion, you know. Unbiased and everything. His fingers still in Caesar's hair to cradle the back of his head so he can press a kiss to his forehead.]

Promise me? You're going to try not to spend so much time in here hiding away, yeah?

[He'd make him promise to talk to someone, but Joseph realizes that's a tall order for Caesar. As much as he wishes it wasn't, it simply is. Caesar's slow to share everything still even with Joseph. It's going to take more time and more than just a single conversation to get him to open up to more people when and where he needs to. So, Caesar has to start somewhere. Being around people, at least, seems a good place to start and doable even if he ends up sticking close to Joseph.]

[He can't not grin at that. It's sweet. Stupid, but sweet. Which fits to a T, really - and it shouldn't be charming, but it is, and he's so in love that his heart hurts a little bit, and right now he'd promise Joseph anything.]

[The difference between Joseph and anyone else he's made promises to in the past is that, for him, he really will try. Really and truly, with all his heart, he will try to be better.]

[He leans up, looking for another kiss, hopeful but content either way; he's happy to be here, happy to be close. Everything is better when they're in the same space.]

I promise. I'll do better - I will.

[At first he won't like it. But maybe he has enough people now, people he knows or wants to know, that it'll get easier with practice. That's how it's supposed to go, isn't it? It's supposed to get easier.]

[Joseph isn't in the mood to play hard to get right now. When Caesar goes looking for that kiss, it's exactly what he gets.]

I'll hold you to it then.

[He punctuates this with another quick kiss and ruffling Caesar's hair, a playful warning of all the ways Joseph could reward or "punish" Caesar. He trusts Caesar to make good on his word though. They don't lie to each other and when they make a promise, they do everything they can to keep it. He keeps teasing Caesar.]

But you know, I will make an exception. If you get bored enough to cook for me, you can spend all day in here if you want.

[Well. They don't lie to each other anymore. That is, Caesar doesn't lie anymore. There's one thing he's not saying, but he's pretty sure Joseph knows it anyway. Why say it out loud? He'd still have gone, is the thing. He just wouldn't have gone alone.]

[He doesn't want to go anywhere alone anymore. Sometimes he isn't sure if that's a strength or a weakness. He feels so desperately dependent, and it feels good, but what if--]

[It doesn't matter.]

You can eat all day?

[Of course he can. They're just words, something to fill the space and take up time.]

[Joseph snorts, shaking his head. Silly, sweet Caesar. What sort of question is that? Have you met Joseph? Like at all?]

Of course I can! My idea of an ideal day is just laying around, snacking, and reading comic books.

[Remember that thing where Caesar just says stuff that doesn't matter when he's looking at Joseph's stupid, distracting face? Yeah, that's what this is right now. You can tell because of how ridiculously fond he sounds, instead of exasperated.]

That's so lazy. I don't know how you ever got anything done before I came around.

Hey, I said it was ideal, not that it's what I actually did.

[...Okay, but it's pretty close. He'd have to admit to that if pressed, and it's not like Joseph hasn't fully admitted that he hates hard work. Thankfully, Caesar doesn't appear to be in a forceful mood right now.]

But you are a pretty good motivator.

That's true . . . I really am.

[All this humbleness, witness it. Witness him leaning in and up as far as he can and sort of demanding more snuggles without saying anything. It's about as close to an overt pay attention to me as Caesar ever gets.]

I'll cook for you all day if you want me to. Might as well take advantage, while we have a decent kitchen.

[Joseph can't exactly call Caesar out on being arrogant. You know being the pot in this situation. But he does gently and playfully bump noses with Caesar when he leans in closer for more attention. He wraps his arms a little tighter around Caesar.]

Are you trying to imply that wasn't your plan all along? You know I really don't like sharing.

. . . Maybe it was.

[He squirms a little, caught out but probably not as annoyed as he should be about it. Joseph is just really close, and it's distracting. And annoying. Probably.]

You're spoiled. But I like spoiling you.

[So super annoying.]

I know.

[He grins crookedly at Caesar. It goes without saying that Joseph doesn't mind being spoiled. In fact, one could safely assume that he also likes it. But he does especially like it when it's coming from Caesar.]

You've only got yourself to blame for how spoiled I've become though, so you can't complain.

[He twists his fingers in the hem of Joseph's shirt, leaning back against the counter and tipping his chin up with a little smirk.]

You were already spoiled when I met you. This isn't my fault.

[Except for how it kind of totally is. Sigh.]

Alright, alright, [Joseph says as he rests both hands on either side of Caesar on the edge of the counter.] Maybe it's not entirely your fault.

[He kisses Caesar's chin.]

But I don't see you putting an end to it either.

That's not my job.

[Hmm. He stays still, lets Joseph pay attention to him. He still doesn't really feel like he deserves it, that kind of attention. But he likes it, all the same.]

I like you the way you are. Don't tell anyone, though.

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