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It's not really a part of myself I'm that I'm comfortable with.
Or know a lot about.
[And it kind of grated on him that he was such a terrible liar. Or that his new friend guessed it jokingly and was correct. God, fuck his life, man.]
Wait. That wasn't a joke too?
Lucifer? The devil. Is real?
...Maybe I really should have read the manual.
Or know a lot about.
[And it kind of grated on him that he was such a terrible liar. Or that his new friend guessed it jokingly and was correct. God, fuck his life, man.]
Wait. That wasn't a joke too?
Lucifer? The devil. Is real?
...Maybe I really should have read the manual.
Great well then maybe you could get him to take me off the angelic switchboard or something?
You're one of those 'dont hide who you really are' people aren't you?
[Honestly, Chris meant that a lot less offensively than it came out.]
I don't expect you to understand but, being half witch half angel? it's not really that cool. And I know most people here don't seem to care but.
I'd hate to be killed because Lucifer found my existence offensive.
You're one of those 'dont hide who you really are' people aren't you?
[Honestly, Chris meant that a lot less offensively than it came out.]
I don't expect you to understand but, being half witch half angel? it's not really that cool. And I know most people here don't seem to care but.
I'd hate to be killed because Lucifer found my existence offensive.
Edited (extra space was bothering me) 2024-11-18 00:29 (UTC)
He's really looking after you?
Yeah. If you can put in a good word so I dont end up like, a pile of ash or something, that'd be great.
You know, just in case he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed?
If he even sleeps?
I'm making a mess of this.
[What else was knew? Making a mess of things was kind of Chris' specialty.]
Well I'm glad you have someone who can watch over you that's actually in the same territory.
Shit. Sorry.
Yeah. If you can put in a good word so I dont end up like, a pile of ash or something, that'd be great.
You know, just in case he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed?
If he even sleeps?
I'm making a mess of this.
[What else was knew? Making a mess of things was kind of Chris' specialty.]
Well I'm glad you have someone who can watch over you that's actually in the same territory.
Shit. Sorry.
Yeah, he[He gets the feeling Chris could use a friend too.]
He's kind of like a father to me. I know that sounds like totally unhinged.
But I'd probably be dead if not for him. And I definitely wouldn't be the person I am.
Anyway, he's not gonna just kill you because he can.
I meant what I said about being friends too, you know.
Unless you don't want to?
No, it doesn't.
It sounds nice to have a family that you can rely on.
Even if they aren't blood related.
If you trust him. I'll......try.
But yeah. I'd like to be friends. I could use a few.
Whatever he did for you it sounds intense. To have saved your life like that. You don't have to tell me. It just. Sounds heavy.
[Chris is definitely the type to push everyone away in case they get hurt. Or that way, they can't hurt him. He's been quite comfortable in that small, dark closet where no one can hurt him. Until everyone started peeling at it piece by piece.]
It sounds nice to have a family that you can rely on.
Even if they aren't blood related.
If you trust him. I'll......try.
But yeah. I'd like to be friends. I could use a few.
Whatever he did for you it sounds intense. To have saved your life like that. You don't have to tell me. It just. Sounds heavy.
[Chris is definitely the type to push everyone away in case they get hurt. Or that way, they can't hurt him. He's been quite comfortable in that small, dark closet where no one can hurt him. Until everyone started peeling at it piece by piece.]
Or? Or and?
[ it's wilhelm's own fault for scooting closer and putting himself in the direct line of fire for iris' playful shove. after he puts some finishing touches on the crude outline he'd started work on earlier that day, he sets his graphite aside to draw out his little case of color pencils. he holds up three shades of green, turning briefly to hold each one up to wilhelm's face — he decides on a nice warm tone, an inbetween of olive and a darker forest green. that color he throws liberally onto the sketch, which begins to take shape pretty quickly.
it's a scarf, no a hat. well, it's a scarf and a hat, the kind that flops over your head and keeps your ears warm, while also wrapping around your neck and mouth when it gets chillier. and it's certainly getting chillier, especially if you're riding around on a bike. ]
Better decide quick — yes or no on purple stripes?
[ it's wilhelm's own fault for scooting closer and putting himself in the direct line of fire for iris' playful shove. after he puts some finishing touches on the crude outline he'd started work on earlier that day, he sets his graphite aside to draw out his little case of color pencils. he holds up three shades of green, turning briefly to hold each one up to wilhelm's face — he decides on a nice warm tone, an inbetween of olive and a darker forest green. that color he throws liberally onto the sketch, which begins to take shape pretty quickly.
it's a scarf, no a hat. well, it's a scarf and a hat, the kind that flops over your head and keeps your ears warm, while also wrapping around your neck and mouth when it gets chillier. and it's certainly getting chillier, especially if you're riding around on a bike. ]
Better decide quick — yes or no on purple stripes?
[In response to the playful shove, Wilhelm performs a dramatic fall into the pillows. He's careful, of course, not to spill any of their wine, cradling the bottle in the crook of his arm the way a child might hold a teddy bear. From this position, propped up by a swell of pillows, he has a good view of the sketchbook page as Iris transforms it with easy pencil strokes. That in itself is a kind of magic, he thinks.]
Definitely purple stripes.
[A soft smile lights his face, freckles glittering under the twinkling lanterns. As fascinating as it is to watch the drawing take form, he finds himself watching Iris as he works. The boy's eyes gleam as if the act of creation is a fire filling him, bringing him to life too. His eyebrows pinch together in concentration, forming a tiny crease that Wilhelm wants to reach up and trace.
Or he could just tap his fingers on the neck of the bottle.]
Definitely purple stripes.
[A soft smile lights his face, freckles glittering under the twinkling lanterns. As fascinating as it is to watch the drawing take form, he finds himself watching Iris as he works. The boy's eyes gleam as if the act of creation is a fire filling him, bringing him to life too. His eyebrows pinch together in concentration, forming a tiny crease that Wilhelm wants to reach up and trace.
Or he could just tap his fingers on the neck of the bottle.]
[ focused as he is, iris doesn't notice the additional attention. otherwise, he might have felt a little subconscious for the way his eyes flick between paper and subject, occasionally trailing into little side streets whenever a freckle twinkles a little too distractingly. purple stripes _ easy peasy. but at the last second he gets a stroke of an idea, and he lets it ferry him along into another few minutes of adding some fine, finishing details and then—
well. wilhelm's seen it dozens of times at thus point. none of it is new, the way the blue-green smoke wafts and curls from the paper, until eventually there is something solid and real in iris' hands.
this, he plops onto wilhelm's head, drawing on the long scarf tendrils attached until he can tie them off into a neat little bow just beneath wilhelm's chin. and wilhelm would have seen the added detail right before getting crowned with it: two cotton-ball eyes situated at the top. frog theme: complete. ]
There you go. Gorgeous.
well. wilhelm's seen it dozens of times at thus point. none of it is new, the way the blue-green smoke wafts and curls from the paper, until eventually there is something solid and real in iris' hands.
this, he plops onto wilhelm's head, drawing on the long scarf tendrils attached until he can tie them off into a neat little bow just beneath wilhelm's chin. and wilhelm would have seen the added detail right before getting crowned with it: two cotton-ball eyes situated at the top. frog theme: complete. ]
There you go. Gorgeous.
[To make it easier for Iris to pull the hat onto his head, he lifts it from the pillow. As Iris wraps the scarf ends around him, Wilhelm has nothing to do but notice how the deep brown of his eyes catches the firelight. He takes inventory of the curl of his eyelashes, the reddish marks stamped into his cheeks, without fully knowing what he's saving it all for.
Gorgeous, Iris says. Something warm pulses through him, and it can't be attributed to the fire crackling at his back, or the hat hugging his head, or the sweet hum of wine. Something stretches its legs in him.
Wilhelm busies himself with his new hat, reaching up to squish the pom-pom eyes on top of his head, grinning widely.]
It's cute. Thanks, Iris.
Gorgeous, Iris says. Something warm pulses through him, and it can't be attributed to the fire crackling at his back, or the hat hugging his head, or the sweet hum of wine. Something stretches its legs in him.
Wilhelm busies himself with his new hat, reaching up to squish the pom-pom eyes on top of his head, grinning widely.]
It's cute. Thanks, Iris.
You're welcome.
[ satisfied with his work, with the whole evening in general, iris finally joins wilhelm on the floor, finding a spot right beside the other to flop onto his back. he'd miscalculated, perhaps, landing a little too close that their shoulders bump awkwardly together, but he's already far too comfortable in the sea of pillows and quilts to move. ]
I should be the one thanking you, actually. I'm usually just making things for myself...
[ he trails off for a second too long, a tinge of melancholy as he recalls the gaping loneliness of his life back in seattle. he shakes it off a second later though, as is his say. he forces the lightness back into his tone. ]
It's nice having someone [ just having someone ] to make things for.
[ satisfied with his work, with the whole evening in general, iris finally joins wilhelm on the floor, finding a spot right beside the other to flop onto his back. he'd miscalculated, perhaps, landing a little too close that their shoulders bump awkwardly together, but he's already far too comfortable in the sea of pillows and quilts to move. ]
I should be the one thanking you, actually. I'm usually just making things for myself...
[ he trails off for a second too long, a tinge of melancholy as he recalls the gaping loneliness of his life back in seattle. he shakes it off a second later though, as is his say. he forces the lightness back into his tone. ]
It's nice having someone [ just having someone ] to make things for.
Not so bad as in wont kill me or ask for character references or not so bad as in he'll leave me alone?
And what do you do for fun then?
And what do you do for fun then?
[Iris bumps into him, but Wilhelm doesn't move either. He doesn't need more space. He likes the warm seam of their shoulders resting against each other. When he lolls his head to the side, he has a view of Iris's dark hair pooling against the pillow next to him.
As Iris trails off, Wilhelm can feel the empty space underneath what he leaves unsaid, like floorboards giving out. He wonders what kind of life his roommate had before, where he had to hide because of the power he possesses. Weren't there others like him? But if they were all complacent with tucking their power away, while Iris chafed against the rules forced on him, then...it must have been lonely anyway.
That's something he understands deep in his ribs. How nice it is, just having someone. Grinning, he nudges Iris's arm with his.]
You can make things for me whenever you want. [He rolls onto his side to face Iris, propped up on an elbow to tilt back more of the wine.] So...how has it been? Your first month here.
[A sudden sense of deja vu swings into him. Last year, he'd sat across from Kelson and asked this same question. With his arm curled around the bottle, his fingers subconsciously reach for the necklace he still has never taken off.]
As Iris trails off, Wilhelm can feel the empty space underneath what he leaves unsaid, like floorboards giving out. He wonders what kind of life his roommate had before, where he had to hide because of the power he possesses. Weren't there others like him? But if they were all complacent with tucking their power away, while Iris chafed against the rules forced on him, then...it must have been lonely anyway.
That's something he understands deep in his ribs. How nice it is, just having someone. Grinning, he nudges Iris's arm with his.]
You can make things for me whenever you want. [He rolls onto his side to face Iris, propped up on an elbow to tilt back more of the wine.] So...how has it been? Your first month here.
[A sudden sense of deja vu swings into him. Last year, he'd sat across from Kelson and asked this same question. With his arm curled around the bottle, his fingers subconsciously reach for the necklace he still has never taken off.]
Edited 2024-11-28 22:44 (UTC)
He'll probably leave you alone. I mean, you might catch his interest because you're an angel. But he won't like stalk you.
In the horizon? Drive around, listen to music, visit my friends. There are some fun places to get a drink in Nocwich too.
Edited 2024-11-28 22:31 (UTC)
[ there is a brief moment just after wilhelm shifts to prop himself up on his elbow that iris fears the other boy might have been drawing away. it's quickly dashed away by the reality of the opposite, but for at least that half-second iris had felt a familiar spike of fear. there had been many times, during those few months before laurence ultimately stopped paying him any attention, that iris had had to walk on eggshells around the other boy... never quite knowing what he could or couldn't do that would no longer be considered acceptable to the other demiflora's shifting views.
so far, he hasn't yet fucked up with wilhelm. but his current track record isn't very encouraging. ]
It's been... good.
[ the answer comes out tentative at first, because iris hadn't actually known how he'd answer until it actually left his mouth. he sits with that for a second, as if testing the weight of its truth. ]
Well, [ he says after a beat, ] the memory stuff was kinda weird and I definitely didn't enjoy having to drink fire water. [ just! saying! ] But everything else...
[ he trails off, gaze snagging on the movement of wilhelm's hand. reaching for the necklace he'd caught sight of, once or twice, and wondering if it was something of his brother's. iris's hands meet laced over his ribs, where he would normally feel the weight of rosalie's pendant resting there... only he'd arrived here without anything. not that necklace, or the collar the valley had outfitted him with just to keep him under control.
he draws in some air, lets it out in one slightly shaky breath. ]
I think it helps that I was sort of... in between stuff, right as I got here. I had to leave a place I was just starting to get comfortable in, and was about to sign myself up for what was probably going to be a really bad time.
[ he smiles a little ruefully, shrugging. ]
Anywhere's already better in comparison. But I don't hate it here. In fact, I think... I think I like it a lot. Actually.
so far, he hasn't yet fucked up with wilhelm. but his current track record isn't very encouraging. ]
It's been... good.
[ the answer comes out tentative at first, because iris hadn't actually known how he'd answer until it actually left his mouth. he sits with that for a second, as if testing the weight of its truth. ]
Well, [ he says after a beat, ] the memory stuff was kinda weird and I definitely didn't enjoy having to drink fire water. [ just! saying! ] But everything else...
[ he trails off, gaze snagging on the movement of wilhelm's hand. reaching for the necklace he'd caught sight of, once or twice, and wondering if it was something of his brother's. iris's hands meet laced over his ribs, where he would normally feel the weight of rosalie's pendant resting there... only he'd arrived here without anything. not that necklace, or the collar the valley had outfitted him with just to keep him under control.
he draws in some air, lets it out in one slightly shaky breath. ]
I think it helps that I was sort of... in between stuff, right as I got here. I had to leave a place I was just starting to get comfortable in, and was about to sign myself up for what was probably going to be a really bad time.
[ he smiles a little ruefully, shrugging. ]
Anywhere's already better in comparison. But I don't hate it here. In fact, I think... I think I like it a lot. Actually.
[Until Iris admits that — I think I like it a lot — Wilhelm doesn't realize that he's holding himself like a breath, braced for an answer he doesn't want to hear.
Kelson, who once shared this room with him, and whose necklace he now twirls around his fingers, had made it no secret that he never intended to stay if he could help it. He was unhappy here. Despite Wilhelm's best efforts to show him that his life didn't have to be confined to the narrow path chosen for him, he still believed the best he could do was surrender his happiness for duty. He still believed he could find no purpose beyond the throne he'd ascended to at such a young age.
At some point, Wilhelm gingerly brushed against the conclusion that even if Kelson had stayed, loving him would have broken his heart eventually.
Now, he relaxes into a smile. He lets go of the moon-white pendant.]
Good. [His eyelashes flutter low, head shaking.] I mean, not that you were going through a rough time before, but... It's good that you have a chance to...get comfortable again.
[He lets that linger for a moment, before he stumbles into saying something he wasn't planning to share, but it feels right suddenly. It just fits, in this cocoon Iris has created for them, this sleepover atmosphere of wine and confessions.]
I had a hard time at first when I got here. I was younger than everyone else, and I didn't have the skills or experience that they all seemed to have. It felt like...being thrown into the ocean without knowing how to swim. And it's not that nobody tried to reach out to me and help me, but...I don't know, I just felt like I didn't belong.
[His gaze wanders around the room over Iris's shoulder, his brown eyes catching the blinking lights. He expels a dry chuckle.]
Actually, I spent a lot of time hiding in here.
Kelson, who once shared this room with him, and whose necklace he now twirls around his fingers, had made it no secret that he never intended to stay if he could help it. He was unhappy here. Despite Wilhelm's best efforts to show him that his life didn't have to be confined to the narrow path chosen for him, he still believed the best he could do was surrender his happiness for duty. He still believed he could find no purpose beyond the throne he'd ascended to at such a young age.
At some point, Wilhelm gingerly brushed against the conclusion that even if Kelson had stayed, loving him would have broken his heart eventually.
Now, he relaxes into a smile. He lets go of the moon-white pendant.]
Good. [His eyelashes flutter low, head shaking.] I mean, not that you were going through a rough time before, but... It's good that you have a chance to...get comfortable again.
[He lets that linger for a moment, before he stumbles into saying something he wasn't planning to share, but it feels right suddenly. It just fits, in this cocoon Iris has created for them, this sleepover atmosphere of wine and confessions.]
I had a hard time at first when I got here. I was younger than everyone else, and I didn't have the skills or experience that they all seemed to have. It felt like...being thrown into the ocean without knowing how to swim. And it's not that nobody tried to reach out to me and help me, but...I don't know, I just felt like I didn't belong.
[His gaze wanders around the room over Iris's shoulder, his brown eyes catching the blinking lights. He expels a dry chuckle.]
Actually, I spent a lot of time hiding in here.
Edited 2024-12-08 22:39 (UTC)
[ at some point over the wintertide & solstice season, shortly before their invitation and arrival to the nether, wille will find a package delivered to his room, containing a handmade knitted gift for the celebrations. ]
wrapped neatly and tied with a bow, please find inside a little frog friend and matching frog scarf. there's only a short note that simply reads:
Happy Holidays
♥ Annabeth
[ iris' eyes trace along the twinkling constellations he'd painted out on the ceiling overhead. none of them are accurate to the skies back home, nor the ones here. all made up of shapes familiar to their shared living space, and anything else that might have caught his fancy at the time.
he thinks of the state of the room when he's got here — how little lived in it looked. he thinks of wilhelm spending all his time in a space like that, how much lonelier it might have been because of it. ]
Yeah. I get that.
[ he spent a lot of time in his room, too.
anyway. enough of that, he thinks. iris rolls over onto his side, reaching out to shove at wilhelm's shoulder. (it probably does nothing.) ]
Dude. Were you ever gonna tell me you're a literal prince??
[ yes, okay, it clearly comes with a lot of baggage for wilhlem. but right now iris isn't meaning to invoke any of that. rather, from the faint glimmer of his eyes, it's clear this is less a "omg that's so heavy i'm so sorry" and more of a "wtf you're literal royalty that's so cool." perhaps here, in this safe little space they've carved out for themselves as two regular teenage boys just hanging out, it can be alright to separate the two, and celebrate something objectively awesome. ]
he thinks of the state of the room when he's got here — how little lived in it looked. he thinks of wilhelm spending all his time in a space like that, how much lonelier it might have been because of it. ]
Yeah. I get that.
[ he spent a lot of time in his room, too.
anyway. enough of that, he thinks. iris rolls over onto his side, reaching out to shove at wilhelm's shoulder. (it probably does nothing.) ]
Dude. Were you ever gonna tell me you're a literal prince??
[ yes, okay, it clearly comes with a lot of baggage for wilhlem. but right now iris isn't meaning to invoke any of that. rather, from the faint glimmer of his eyes, it's clear this is less a "omg that's so heavy i'm so sorry" and more of a "wtf you're literal royalty that's so cool." perhaps here, in this safe little space they've carved out for themselves as two regular teenage boys just hanging out, it can be alright to separate the two, and celebrate something objectively awesome. ]
[It got better, he was going to say. It got easier. But Iris distracts him from the point he was trying to make by tilting toward him and shoving his shoulder, and maybe it doesn't matter anyway. Maybe Iris already understands that part too.
Anyway, he half laughs, half winces as his roommate pokes at his royal status. He puts off answering by slipping more wine, and appeases Iris by offering the bottle again and hitting him with puppy eyes.]
It just never came up...? [He shakes his head, then clarifies:] I was a prince. I'm not anymore, not really. I'm just Wilhelm.
[Wilhelm doesn't miss it. The weight of such grand expectations resting uneasily on his narrow shoulders, and the weight of so many eyes following his every move, so many cameras zooming in on his mistakes. The sense, knotted in his stomach, that he was going to fail. He was going to disappoint everyone.]
You're not going to start calling me your highness, are you?
Anyway, he half laughs, half winces as his roommate pokes at his royal status. He puts off answering by slipping more wine, and appeases Iris by offering the bottle again and hitting him with puppy eyes.]
It just never came up...? [He shakes his head, then clarifies:] I was a prince. I'm not anymore, not really. I'm just Wilhelm.
[Wilhelm doesn't miss it. The weight of such grand expectations resting uneasily on his narrow shoulders, and the weight of so many eyes following his every move, so many cameras zooming in on his mistakes. The sense, knotted in his stomach, that he was going to fail. He was going to disappoint everyone.]
You're not going to start calling me your highness, are you?
Edited 2024-12-27 21:42 (UTC)
[ iris hasn't yet mastered how to handle drinking from the wine bottle in the half-laying, propped-on-his-side position that he's in that wilhelm has seemed well adept in, and so when he takes his own swig he winds up spilling enough that it dribbles down his chin, but fortunately get caught up in his shirt before reaching any of the quilts or pillows. he swipes at the liquid with the back of a sleeve paw, lifting his brows in an innocent-but-not-so-innocent way when wilhelm questions him. ]
Only when I want to annoy you, [ iris promises. the kind of promise one immediately knows he'll make good on, eventually.
he passes the bottle back to wilhelm, before deciding he'd rather sit back up again to avoid any more spills. legs crossed, he maintains the sparse distance between them by leaning in, chin and cheeks cupped in his hands. ]
C'mon... There had to have been some perks.
Only when I want to annoy you, [ iris promises. the kind of promise one immediately knows he'll make good on, eventually.
he passes the bottle back to wilhelm, before deciding he'd rather sit back up again to avoid any more spills. legs crossed, he maintains the sparse distance between them by leaning in, chin and cheeks cupped in his hands. ]
C'mon... There had to have been some perks.
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