one day I might not make it back home (may catch-all)

[descendency]

WHO: Mingyu and YOU
WHEN: All through the month babes.
WHERE: House of Dew, on the road, wherever.
WHAT: Slutty, slutty CR.
WARNINGS: He's a hooker it WILL get sexual. Otherwise no real warnings yet. Will update. DM/PM/plurk me for prompts/whatever.

dreaming of foxes

At least this client was a kind one. Those could be few and far between, in this line of work. The House of Dew kept its business, and by extension its patrons, orderly enough, but the professional respect afforded Mingyu by most clients was not the same thing as genuine kindness.

He was patient with Mingyu, understanding when Mingyu apologized for how frazzled, how distracted he was. Refused an offer to reschedule, to discount his rate. They sat and talked for a good portion of the session before getting down to, how to say, the main event.

Mingyu even felt a little relaxed by the end of it, though the fox tattoo he was carefully keeping out of sight of his guest felt like it was searing into his skin with how hyper-aware he remained of it. It was moving. It had started moving when the ship carrying Archeval's pet project drew near to the ports. It was all he could think about, though he'd rushed back to the House of Dew only partway into the rescue attempts in an effort to stay in the house's good graces as he did not know how much longer he would remain reliant on his employment here.

Now he was just waiting for his client to go, unable to bear to rush him even though they were past their time because he'd been kind.

"See you again soon?" the guest asked, and Mingyu smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"I should be so lucky," he replied smoothly, well-practiced, slow to slip his robe back on because a man would forgive a great many things about your mood if enough skin was on display.

Comments

[descendency]

Worse, [ Mingyu forces out through clenched teeth, already well on his way to the basement. ] I've caught feelings for him, like an idiot, and if you even think about repeating that to anyone only one of us is walking out of the basement.

[ A pause. ]

You have dinner yet?

[darkeststars]

...I suppose not, in all the commotion.

[ and he pauses too. The perpetually abrasive Dark Lord sounds a little more uncertain of himself than Mingyu will be used to. ]

...

......you didn't know, though.

[ his voice is a little hushed. ]

No one can wait around for the dead forever. Or. Shouldn't, anyway.

[descendency]

I appreciate that. However, in practice I apparently was willing to wait about a year.

[ There's a huff of breath and then Mingyu pauses, hearing something in the quiet of Archeval's words. ]

That wouldn't be the voice of experience I hear, would it?

[darkeststars]

[ the other end of the line is dead silent for another second or three before he finally just gives a soft, resigned sigh. ]

I've been fighting the same stupid war for nigh on a decade. What do you think?

......suppose it was about a year for me too. But I don't see the fault in that. He hardly died for me just so I could spend the rest of my life sitting around being bitter about it.

[ he certainly tries very hard to remind himself of that fact, anyway. What Rynn would say if he knew Arche had a fling with an actual, active-duty Republic spy he really can't imagine, but. ...Well. Maybe he'd just laugh.

It's a good thing they're still on the comm. It would be excruciating trying to say most of this to Mingyu's face. ]

...Anyhow, I didn't have a great deal of time to sit down and converse with the idiot I met last night but -- even with that brief acquaintance. [ a little more dryly now ] Surely you're not about to tell me that he's the jealous enough type to hold it over your head when you thought him literally, actually dead.

[descendency]

[ Mingyu doesn't answer for a long stretch. It almost sounds as though the call might have dropped, but then he sighs. ]

He's the godawful combination of jealous, insecure, and at all times ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. There are many ways our talk could go, very few of them good. But it's my idiot and my mess.

[ A briefer pause. ]

You drink? I'll just presume that you drink and aren't picky. I'll be there in like ten.

[darkeststars]

[ even more bone-dry ]

I am picky, as it happens, but I will lower myself to whatever they have lying around on this rock. See you shortly.

[ he cuts off, and drags himself back to his feet to shuffle around tidying up where he's more or less just thrown his boots and helmet and half his armor down in this small corner of space. The basement isn't exactly a glamorous place to receive visitors, but at least right now it's mostly just Archeval, a lot of storage boxes, and a bare few others sleeping on the far side of the expansive room. He's guessing privacy will please Mingyu more than anything else at this particular juncture.

He's sitting on a crate leaned back against the wall when the other man arrives, giving his helmet a polish with a stolen rag. It's been a few months since old Lord Kallig's hand-me-down saw this kind of use. ]

So where was he, if not dead?

[ they're probably beyond the need for hellos and social niceties, right. ]

[descendency]

[ Mingyu's got dinner in one hand, a pretty hefty bottle of halfway decent booze in the other. His expression takes on a look of flat yet somehow fond irritation as he shakes his head at the manner of Archeval's greeting as well as the general state of their... accommodations.

He kicks a crate over to a halfway decent spot to sit, then plopped right down on the floor to start laying out their modest meal. No cups though, Archeval. Hope you don't mind sharing the bottle straight. ]

It's not him, [ Mingyu sighs in response as he finishes unpacking his haul, uncorking the bottle to take a swig since they're opening with this conversation. ] Not... exactly, anyway. So to answer your question—

He was two years in the past. None of what's going to happen to him has happened yet.

[darkeststars]

He was-- what?

[ he almost feels like he must have heard wrong, but -- that look on Mingyu's face, and the surface feelings that accompany it, are pretty hard to misinterpret. He casts the other man a tense look as he carefully sets the helmet down next to him. ]

...you have proof of this?

[ look, you've only recently introduced to him the idea that time travel even exists, okay. He stares over Mingyu's way for a long moment indeed before rising to join the other man next to their dinner. ]

[descendency]

[ Mingyu's expression remains flat and grim, taking another long drink before he passes the bottle to answer. ]

He's the proof. [ Shrugging, Mingyu picks up a piece of bread he brought and starts to pull it apart just for something to do with his hands, lotus tattoo itching where it's inked to his wrist. ]

A short while ago, before I came here. They found Fox's arm. Severed. One of my contacts got me in after hours so I could make sure it was his.

This Fox has both arms, wearing a favorite shirt he accidentally destroyed a couple years ago.

Proof enough for you?

[darkeststars]

[ his lips thin out into a line as his own expression sobers to match that dark look on Mingyu's face. ]

...the longer we are in this place, the less comprehensible it becomes.

[ he accepts the bottle to cast a brief irritable glance at the lip thereof, but he's certainly going to hear about it if he goes to the trouble of wiping off, so after a second he just sighs and takes a swig of his own. ]

Hm, not completely terrible. Will wonders never cease. [ he muses this in a deadpan before setting it back down between them. ]

So does this one know you're from his future? [ Fox surely hasn't heard what specifically happened to him, though, whatever the full details might be. Arche is pretty sure he's got Mingyu pegged in that respect at least. ] When I met him just earlier... well, he didn't mention anything about you. He was far more concerned with ferreting out the mystery of the mirror on that ship.

[descendency]

That's just his attention span, [ Mingyu snorts, though somehow it's very evident that he means the comment fondly. He can picture it perfectly, Fox all caught up in the chaos of it all, bright-eyed and eager, making smart comments about everything as he solved as many problems as he made, likely flippant about the very real danger he was in.

The idiot. His wonderful, perfect fool. ]

He didn't know, but he figured it out fairly quickly. [ At that, Mingyu's lips thin in displeasure. He's reduced the bread to crumbs and just sort of stares at the mess he's made. It's fine, the rats will probably get it. Sorry, Archeval. ]

It turns out of all the things I've gotten better at, lying to him isn't one of them.

[darkeststars]

[ luckily, he's not unused to killing vermin, even if it's not his favorite activity. He reaches over for some of the bread himself in case Mingyu decides to move onto another piece, though.

No comment about the mess. He did far worse to his own quarters after Rynn died. ]

...If I were to speculate, I suppose someone as cagey as you needs at least one being to be habitually honest with, hm?

[ the words are murmured out dryly, but not without compassion, as he layers the bread with... ...well, this looks like some kind of thin-sliced protein, but he doesn't know what most of the food on this rock is actually called. It smells edible, good enough. ]

Well. The situation is shit and will presumably remain shit, but at least you get to spend time with him. Silver lining of ending up in this hellhole?

[ he gives a shrug before tucking into his sandwich. ]

[descendency]

It's not a silver lining. It's everything. [ Mingyu murmurs this after a pause, heaving out a sigh. He actually does pick up one of the probably-apples he found and turns it over in his hand before biting into it, then motions for the drink to be passed back. ]

It's a mess, and I would've vastly preferred some kind of heads up, [ he goes on to say dryly, but then his voice softens as he goes on. ] ...but. It's all I could've asked for of anything, of anywhere. I'll get it figured out.

[ He looks over at Archeval, the distant hint of tenderness on his features as he smiles in an echo of his much younger, less burdened self. ]

Thanks. For helping him. For helping me. I know I've been a shitty person and a shittier friend this whole while, but.

I appreciate it.

[ A pause, then— ]

...what was his name?

[darkeststars]

[ he just... blinks, for a second. Brow furrowing as he gives a little squint, something a bit more vulnerable than usual passing across his face in response to that moment of sincerity. He plainly didn't expect any of this, certainly not being thanked for his trouble.

His shoulders hunch, just a little, as his gaze flicks off to one side. ]

........Sirynn. Just Rynn, to most of us.

[ it feels strange in his mouth now. He hasn't exactly had much reason to say it out loud as of late.

He turns the half-eaten sandwich over in his hands a little, his own voice a soft murmur in turn. ]

...you remind me a little of him. Mostly the annoying, insufferable quality.

[ taking a deep breath, sighing it out as he purses his lips-- ]

And no, that's not why I helped you with the sewing, so don't even start.

[ he sets down his food for a moment to contrarily stop and take a swig of booze before shoving the bottle back across their makeshift table. ]

...anyhow. You're welcome.

[descendency]

Annoying? Insufferable? [ Mingyu lets out a breath of a laugh, taking the bottle back to take a drink as well. He paces himself, however, figuring Archeval needs it more at this point. ] Are you sure I don't just remind you of you?

[ Sighing, he lifts the bottle to the air, tipping it at the emptiness. ]

To Sirynn, then. I'll try to look after your idiot best I can, so rest well.

[darkeststars]

[ he gives a little swallow, still looking... vaguely, uncomfortably surprised.

When Mingyu is done with the bottle, he tugs it back for a moment to stare up at the dark ceiling. ]

Rest well. I'm not sorry you're not here because you'd absolutely be into the booze and already crying about leaving Cindy by now. ...and say hello to that old friend of yours for me, I suppose.

[ it's a lie. He's always sorry Rynn's not here. But Mingyu probably understands that, if anyone does.

Arche takes one more swig from the bottle before figuring he should take a break for a little while, nudging it back in the other direction. ]

....and no, believe me, you had some of the same manner about you. I'm not going to tell you about all the annoying things he liked to do because you'll promptly adopt half of them immediately just to irritate me. And I'll be too guilty to bother you into stopping. [ giving a little hmph, and then a dry look in Mingyu's direction: ]

Anyhow, this isn't about me. I believe you came down here to complain my ear off, now didn't you? I'll have you know I was still in the middle of coordinating the whole damn op and the comm chatter was such a mess I barely had time to get in touch with the people inside the damn ship--...

[ nothing does the trick for putting a fellow asshole at ease like a good petty argument, right? Right. Not that he's doing this to comfort Mingyu or anything silly like that, it's simply unreasonable to expect Arche to busy himself playing messenger at such a crucial moment...

But as they sit there over their late dinner sniping at each other about the nitpicky details of the whole matter, perhaps -- just perhaps -- he feels a little more steady himself. ]