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[swordfucker]

Guren Ichinose | Red | #A5211F

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[passio]

[ dextera sees it, and he moves his lips to the center of guren’s palm before he pulls away from his hand. if there are things guren does—or doesn’t—want to talk about, he’s sure they’ll all come in time.

he drips some of the water over his shoulders, pushing it down his skin in the facsimile of actually trying to wash himself, though when it comes down to it he’s going to do the same thing he always does and purify his skin. death was a hard reset on everything anyway, but now that guren pointed out the barn smell once, he wants to be careful. ]

…

[ he looks over at guren. ]

Boring?

[swordfucker]

No.

[How could it ever be boring, sitting here, spending time with him? Guren shifts to just sit on the floor, shoulder against the bathtub so he can still see him enough for Dextera to sign at him. His arm rests on the edge of the tub, and eventually his head leans to rest on his arm.]

It's relaxing. Like being in there, just without the water.

[passio]

Get in?

[ that’s bold, and dextera realizes an offer is not exactly what he wanted to communicate. he shifts in the water, quickly, some of it spilling over the edge in his haste to turn and make sure guren can see his hands completely. ]

Do you want to? [ a pause. ] I can get out.

[swordfucker]

[DEX... Guren blinks at the sudden movements, shifting as some of that water spills on him and his bathroom floor.]

No, no, I don't want you to get out until you're done. [He's not trying to chase him out...!!]

[passio]

[ it’s just water!! it’s fine. it’s soapy water, but that is really even better, for floors like these. probably. ]

…

[ he nods, settling back down into the bath. he’s a little lower this time, which means his arms are sticking out at an odd angle to sign, but that’s just a testament to how much he wants to keep talking about nothing. ]

It’s warm.

[swordfucker]

...Good. I was worried it might have cooled down too much.

[He couldn't ask Yata or Fushimi for help with this one, that's embarrassing. But he managed.

Anyway, speaking of warm, his chest is warm with feelings! Goodness, this is so much mood whiplash, even with how many days it's been since Dextera came back.]

So you're a bath lover now, huh?

[passio]

[ it is a lot of mood whiplash, but that’s a good sign, isn’t it? things have turned around quickly—even when they get dark and painful, the two of them can find a way to bounce back. if dextera were by himself for any of this, as he forced himself to be when the werewolves came along, it would be much worse. ]

Bath liker.

[ a mild correction. ]

[swordfucker]

Bath liker.

[God that's dumb. He reaches into the water to flick some at Dextera with a grin.]

What do you want to do after this?

[passio]

Ah—!

[ if dextera weren’t so genuinely appreciative of the fact that guren ran this bath for him, he would flick water back. as it stands, though, he just raises his hand to block it with a little sound. ]

Dry off.

[ preemptively, leave him alone ]

[swordfucker]

[flicks MORE!!!]

Of course you're going to dry off. What about after that?

[passio]

[ don’t—stop it!! dextera relents when he goes for a round two, and gently flicks him with the water that’s already on his wet hand. a few droplets isn’t that much of a waste. ]

Rest?

[ or maybe not, so he corrects and clarifies. ]

Bed?

[swordfucker]

Haha...

[Guren pulls his hand back and half turns away from such a small flick of water. Adorable. But really, it's just fun playing around, pretending all those horrible things didn't happen, focusing only on the good.

He wants to keep this going. But to do that, he won't have free time like this every day. So is it so wrong to want to spend his days with Dextera having a good time like this?]

I can go for bed. [That sounds... like a good time.]

[passio]

[ dextera hasn’t really had fun like this since years before he came to this town. even the first month or so here wasn’t anything that could be qualified as a “good time,” and only recently have things begun to develop in such a way that he could genuinely be called happy, instead of just reprieved of his burden. ]

Good.

[ guren still needs rest, even if he can be petulant about it. maybe being in bed with dextera is more motivating—though as soon as that thought occurs to dextera, his cheeks warm. ]

[swordfucker]

[ spoilers he’s not going to want to sleep at all ]

Heh. [ It’s cute, he thinks again, and pokes at one of those pink cheeks before he stands. He’s still going to stay in the bathroom, he’s just stretching and making sure he puts his shampoo away. Small things like this to keep his mind busy. ]

[passio]

[ dextera watches him, wondering where he’s going—but as soon as he realizes that guren is just standing up from the edge of the tub, he relaxes once again. the water is cooling off quickly, even if it was warm, but for someone who isn’t used to baths in general, the temperature isn’t unbearable.

still, with the thought of moving to bed on his mind, he wants to wrap this up quickly.

the towel around his waist is now heavy and saturated with water, so he’s quite careful when he stands up, keeping one hand tight around the fabric. ]

T—

[ god, he wishes he had a voice. ]

[swordfucker]

[ It’s okay, he has Guren. He hears the water and moves to grab one of the towels he set aside automatically, stretching it between his arms and holding it in front of Dextera. ]

Drop it. [ The wet one. If he does, Guren will wrap his instantly around him instead! Maybe with a lingering hold, almost like a hug. Then there’s the second towel, that gets dropped over the top of his head. ]

[passio]

[ dextera likes the way guren wraps that towel around his waist. it’s a weird thing to be interested in, he realizes that, but there’s something possessive about the quick, decisive action that catches his attention.

phew! it’s hard to be dextera.

luckily, he’s shaken out of it when the other one gets dropped on his head, and he nods in his own silent gratitude for guren taking such good care of him, all the time. he wants to help do the same thing in return. ]

…thank you.

[swordfucker]

[ Guren lets his hands settle at Dextera’s waist, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth briefly. ]

You don’t have to thank me.

[ But it’s short, and he moves away quickly, helping Dextera out of the tub with one hand and then ducking down to pick up the wet towel and wring it out. He hangs it to dry and then moves to leave the room. ]

I’ll let you get dried off and dressed. [ he’ll be... in the bed ]

[passio]

[ dextera does just that, drying himself off slowly, being tender over his scar as always. he stops on his arm, too, where the consciousness orb was implanted in his clones—the archangel has plans, things that dextera can’t even begin to understand, and dextera has gotten all this time to think about them. if he goes back, will he remember all that he’s talked about here?

or will he fall into line once again, guren’s support disappearing entirely from his memory? ]

…

[ he shakes his head clear of those thoughts, and returns to the bedroom once he’s not dripping everywhere and his clothes aren’t clinging to him. his coat, at least, is draped over his arm. ]

[swordfucker]

[ Guren is sitting at the edge of his bed, one leg kicked back against the edge and the other stretched out lazily. He’s clearly waiting for Dextera, and it’s not until he’s close enough that he holds out an expectant hand. He wants to pull Dextera closer. ]

How are you feeling?

[ There are so many ways they could be feeling right now. Even Guren has had to chase away feelings of worry, sadness, despair, telling himself to focus on the now. That it’s not an illusion. He has to think on the good and embrace it fully. ]

[passio]

Clean.

[ dextera knows that’s not exactly what guren meant, but he doesn’t have the time or even the words to describe everything he’s feeling in this moment. “clean” isn’t really a lie, either—he feels refreshed, by the brief change of scenery, even if he let his own thoughts get to him while he was drying off.

he follows guren into the bed, taking his hand as he does. no one else is so good at making dextera feel like this. ]

You?

[swordfucker]

Pretty good.

[ That’s his answer, too simple for his real feelings as he leads Dextera into bed and scoots out of the way for him. He feels so lucky. So happy, so relieved, even now. And he’s so confused how he got to this spot with him, how they’re so close in this way, but he doesn’t need to analyze it. He just wants to feel.

He brushes his fingers over Dextera’s in his hold, not wanting to let go. ]

[passio]

[ dextera’s hair is still damp but no longer dripping, and although the bath wasn’t hot enough to give him a true flush, he seems to have a little more color anyway. he’s a little more alive, though whether that’s from cleaning or being invited into bed is impossible to say.

the coat is put aside, at the foot of guren’s mattress, and then he snuggles in as if he belongs here.

he can’t seem to make himself settle completely in his own place, offering it up for all the animals and anyone else who visits, but guren’s room—it’s like a second home. a better home. he sleeps well, next to someone. ]

[swordfucker]

[ Guren puts an arm around him immediately, encouraging Dextera to cuddle closer while Guren is too shy to. He likes the closeness, he wants more, and it feels like as comfortable as he is, he wants to stay awake and just enjoy the company. In whatever way he can.

He does bring Dextera’s hand to his face this time, with his free one, kissing at his knuckles. Once, then twice, slower. ]

[passio]

[ dextera lets out a soft, quiet breath, turning so that he can see guren’s face without putting too much pressure on guren’s body. he’s still healing, after all, even if it’s getting faster every day—he probably doesn’t even need to go shirtless at this point, but that’s his choice and not dextera’s. ]

…

[ he leans up, guiding their hands out of the way so he can kiss guren full on the mouth—just as slow as the kiss to his knuckles, but with more, a reciprocation that’s also a sign of his interest. ]