driftfleet | Mingle Post for Solace

[Okay, this is hilarious. And now that Mikleo's discovered he can essentially weaponize affection, he tries to have a bit of mercy, reaching out and tugging at the Shepherd's cloak.]

Stop being so dramatic, you're making everyone stare at you. I won't do it anymore.

[No more kisses, that's what you wanted, right??]

[Every single other person sitting in this booth is a huge jerk!! And Sorey's hair is messed up and his face is so red, because he knows he must be the only one between them who remembers that day when he was three and had declared he'd marry Mikleo when they grew up before grabbing his face and kissing him right in front of half the village.

It is. So embarrassing. ~~And Zenrus made sure to lecture them later about not adopting strange human customs but that's an issue for another time.~~]

You're being awfully cavalier, [Sorey mumbles, before leaning forward to finally kiss Mikleo back, right on the cheek, audience be damned.]

[Aaaand that was weird, seeing Sorey lean forward and kiss, uh, air. Clay squints a little, as if he can see it happen just by doing that, before he leans over to whisper to Allen:]

Should we... go?

[Allen turns to Clay, a bit taken back by the suggestion]

What? But we haven't eaten yet!

[SOREY COULD GET TO SECOND BASE WITH THE AIR FOR ALL HE CARES, HE WANTS FOOD]

[Mikleo blinks and glances sidelong at Sorey, eyes widening, cheeks going faintly pink. Speaking of cavalier... maybe he's not one hundred percent immune to being embarrassed by this, still. He's frozen in place for a few seconds, unable to break eye contact.

....Aaaand then he lifts a hand to press it against Sorey's face, gently pushing him backwards.]

The food's here, and you let go of Clay. We're guests at their table, remember? Don't be rude.

[did you think we were having a Moment]

[Oof. Sorey is tempted to lick Mikleo's hand just to gross him out, but he's right about them being rude to Clay.]

I'm sorry, Clay, [Sorey apologizes sheepishly, giving Mikleo a little kick under the table but offering his hand again.]

[KICKS BACK, LIKE AN ADULT]

[He gives Allen an apologetic half smile - of course, he should've known Allen would never leave food behind, especially now that it's shown up. Here he'd thought about giving Sorey and Mikleo some privacy, but he is here, resigned to his fate of watching Sorey make out with air.

Speaking of that, Sorey reaches out again, and Clay pauses before he takes his hand once more. Once Mikleo comes into view again, Clay looks at him, then gives that same happy, excited smile from before. This is never, never going to get old.]

Don't worry about it! Though I probably can't eat some of this stuff with just one hand, so maybe we can let go until we finish up?

[Allen meanwhile is COMPLETELY distracted by the food! He smiles happily as the waitress (who believe me, is seriously wonder what the hell is wrong with this group) sets down a plate food in front of him.]

Ah, it looks so good! Thank you!

[He grabs some silverware and starts digging in. Though really at the rate he's eating, it's more like he's inhaling the food than eating it. Even if it's an entire combo meal, it's probably going to be gone very fast. ]

[Yikes. Hearing it all get ordered is one thing, but now that it's arriving, that... is a lot of food. Mikleo stares as Allen sucks it all in for a long moment, in that morbidly-fascinated kind of way, then coughs into a fist and dissolves into light, vanishing inside Sorey. He pops back out again a second later, on the opposite side. It's a convenient way to get himself out of the booth without making Sorey get up. Being a seraph with a vessel sure is convenient!]

I'm going to take a look at their water filter, I'm sure it's disgusting- be right back.

[Try not to eat the entire restaurant while he's gone, guys.]

[Sorey lets go of Clay as he watches Mikleo get up and neatly sidestep the waitstaff. He's surprised he lasted so long, actually, though Mikleo's been sticking around more and more often when Sorey eats.

He turns back to his meal, appetite not what it was a few moments ago and picking at his...whatever this is.]

[Now that Clay's got both hands free, he can actually eat proper. He glances at Allen's way of eating with a half smile - not at all surprising anymore, just killer on the wallet. At least Allen's paying this time!

But once he looks at Sorey, he notices he's not really eating. He's pretty sure Mikleo's been pushing him to eat, so he gives Sorey's foot a nudge with his own.]

Hey, what's up?

[Even in Allen's eating spree (which by the way, he's done with his first plate and on to the second), that catches his eye and causes him to pause, his shifting between Sorey and the direction that Mikleo went off to. He swallows his food.]

Something wrong?

Ah... [Sorey shrugs a shoulder and tries on a brief smile. He pushes his untouched number four combo toward Allen questioningly.] Mikleo hasn't done well with food and eating since...y'know. The dragon thing. [Takes a reluctant bite.] So I try not to eat around him if I can help it, but it worries him that I'm not eating enough since he's used to eating with me.

It's not a huge problem. We're just still working on it.

Ah...

[He was kind of. Off planet with the dragon thing, which was definitely for the best. He's not sure he could handle something like that, much less be physically prepared to take on anything like that. He glances to the side as he takes a sip of soup, not really sure how to approach this.]

Well... When did you last eat for real? Like, is that why you're not hungry? [Because he ate just earlier? Clay might not know the specifics of this whole thing, but he can still try to help out.]

Ah...

[His eyes dart off in the direction that Mikleo went before he focuses back on Sorey and Clay.]

It's understandable...I've had incidents where I didn't want to eat afterwards. I mean, eventually the need to survive made me eat again, but if a Seraphim doesn't need to eat....

I'm eating okay, [Sorey reassures Clay, because he is. Mikleo wouldn't let him get away with anything else, hasn't for years...but Mikleo always enjoyed eating before. It's not unexpected, just sad.

He nods along with Allen's assessment.] I haven't been pushing it because it's not a matter of life or death. And he's slowly starting to make things again, sweets and things, he just doesn't usually eat them with me. Just, if he's gone for a while, that's why.

Oh. [He frowns a little; at least Sorey's eating all right, it's just Mikleo who won't eat. He pushes his own food around a bit, seeing how this is a pretty serious topic.]

I'd say give it time, but a lot of time's already passed, right? [He glances at Allen, then back at Sorey.] Have you two talked about it?

[BUSTED] We haven't not been talking about it...

[Oh. Well.

Clay gives Allen a long glance now, a significant one, before he looks at Sorey with a raised brow.]

Sorey...

[He shares that long significant look with Clay. Then he sighs and set down his fork. Great. Now he has to say something]

Sorey, how do you expect things to get worked out if you don't talk about it? If he doesn't face it, he won't get better.

Yeah... [Sorey rubs the back of his neck, appetite gone. SORRY FOR WRECKING YOUR DATE, FELLAS] I do, sometimes, it just- He'll get flashbacks once in a while and it seems cruel, so I was just waiting... [Waiting way too long. The problem is that out of the two of them, Mikleo is more likely to grab Sorey by the scruff of his neck and confront the things that piss him off than Sorey is.

Allen and Clay aren't wrong and their disapproving stares, while wholly deserved, make him squirm.]

I'll- I'll work on it. I'll talk to him.

Edited 2017-03-06 20:39 (UTC)

[If you're really sorry you should pay for dinner, Allen's just saying.

He gives another significant look at Clay before he looks back at Sorey, attempting to be gentle now.]

Look, flashbacks can happen no matter how long you wait. Sometimes I still have flashbacks about things that happened ten, even twenty years ago. Something will remind me of those times, and suddenly I'm there again.

But when that happen, it's okay, because Clay's there. [He reaches over to take Clay's hand] He talks me through it, and reminds me to breath. And then once I calm down again ... we talk things out.

[He smiles at Clay] Right? You've had to do that a lot.

[He smiles at Allen in return, turning his hand so that he can hold his hand as well.]

Yup. I just let him know that he's here, he's fine, and I'm here for him.

[He looks back at Sorey, his other hand moving to help gesture along with his words] If he flashbacks, or starts to panic, give him some kind of anchor. Hold his hand, his shoulders, something for him to focus on. Say simple sentences for him, and tell him to breathe along with you. Then breathe... slow and deep. In for five seconds, hold it for three, then out for eight. Think of yourself as... a guide of sorts. You want to help him, not for him to help himself. This is all about working together.

[He squeezes Allen's hand a little at that.]

[Sorey fidgets uncomfortably, glancing up at Clay guiltily before looking away and staring down at Allen's hand near his plate instead.] You guys don't think...I'd make it worse? I'm a focal feature in those flashbacks sometimes. [It's not like their advice isn't sound, and it's what Sorey's been doing for Mikleo lately, especially those first few weeks back. It's just that- well, he's worried about it, and he can't exactly ask Mikleo.]

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save_the_souls - 2017-03-07 17:06 (UTC) - Expand