[ semi-closed ] (650): Come home... I'm drinking and playing with knives.

[hardwearing]

Who: Wash & friends
What: post-deserted event reunions, mostly! possibly a general blue team log?
Where: starting off in bluehaus once again
When: august 31 - first few days of september
Warnings: possibly mentions of suicide, will mark in subject lines and update if more arises

(( starters in comments! if any cr wants a reunion thread with this disaster hmu @ cuddlebug and i'll write you one, or feel free to just show up and check on wash. ))

Comments

[evocation]

You could go on jobs with me, if you wanted.

[hardwearing]

...maybe. I don't know if I'd be any good at it.

[ Even if he keeps practicing and makes a focus, he's never going to be up to Kyna and Harlan's skill level with magic, and it seems like a large part of Tucker's role on their team is fast-talking. He would be an abysmal con artist. ]

[evocation]

That's not true. You'd be awesome at it.

[Killing monsters is a valuable life skill.]

But we could figure out something else.

[hardwearing]

I guess we'll find out.

[ She knows how terrifying the prospect is for him. Being something other than a soldier. But he's willing to try it out, that's gotta mean something.

He tilts his chin up and kisses her forehead, snuggling her closer. ]

Go to sleep, Kyna.

[evocation]

[She laughs at that, voice shifting to something teasing.]

Don't tell me what to do.

[But she does settle against him, pressing close, rubbing his back absently.]

Hey, um... Can I tell you something? It might come out sounding kind of stupid.

[hardwearing]

[ Mmm, that's nice. He just hums his agreement, closing his eyes until she speaks again, then peeking at her curiously. ]

Yeah..? What is it?

[evocation]

[Kyna peeks up at him, smiling a little. She has no idea how to say what she wants to say, which means she might fumble through it, but he's used to that by now.]

Uh... I'm really proud of you. I mean, I know you think you screw up all the time, and you're always blaming yourself for everything, but... you shouldn't. Whenever you hurt someone, you try really hard to fix it, even after all the shit you've been through. You're a really good person.

[hardwearing]

[ Wash just blinks at her for a moment, and Kyna can practically hear the gears grinding in his head as he works past the instinctive objections to what she's saying. He does screw up all the time, he's blaming himself for things he did wrong, he hurts people and that's the part of it that has more weight, but...

He does try really hard.

He's just not used to anyone acknowledging that. It's always just "you used to be worse," which while it carries the same sentiment, isn't actually the same. So even if he disagrees that he's all the way to good yet... ]

Kyna, you... [ Deep breath. And he has to close his eyes again, to center himself. ] How do you always say things I need to hear? Shit I've needed to hear for longer than I realized I did?

[evocation]

[She wasn't quite expecting that reaction, so she blinks in surprise, and then her smile softens. It wasn't a stupid thing to say, then.]

Um... I've secretly been reading your mind?

[Kyna shifts, leaning up to sneak a kiss.]

I didn't know you needed to hear it. I would have told you like, forever ago if I did.

[hardwearing]

[ He'll look at her again at that, and offer a tiny but genuine smile. ]

You might be the best thing that's ever happened to me, besides the idiot brigade taking me in.

[ Which is important, because if they hadn't he wouldn't have been the same person when they met. He's pretty sure Kyna wouldn't have put up with that asshole. ]

[evocation]

[Kyna lets out a soft, surprised laugh at that. It might be the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to her, and suddenly, her heart refuses to beat quite right.]

I think you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me, too.

[hardwearing]

[ Yeah, nobody's ever said that to Wash. Ever. And he knows how much it meant when he said it, so.

Oof.

He reaches up and tucks Kyna's hair behind her ear, trailing his fingertip up to the point of it fondly. Good luck getting rid of him, Kyna, for all that you had to drag him into this like a feral cat that didn't realize how much better it was to live inside. ]

Really?

[evocation]

[She leans into his touch automatically, still grinning. It doesn't really feel scary to say things like this anymore, which is... kind of freeing.]

Yeah, of course. No one else has ever made me this happy. Why do you think I was so upset when you were gone?

[hardwearing]

[ That does make sense, but he didn't quite jump to "best thing that's ever happened to me" on her behalf. It's a bit of a leap to make for someone else. ]

I guess it's just really nice to be on the same page.

[evocation]

[She laughs again, bumping her nose against his.]

Yeah. You'd be perfect if it wasn't for that one thing you do.

[hardwearing]

That one thing?

[ He could list like three dozen things, Kyna. ]

[evocation]

You know. That thing.

[She's absolutely fucking with him.]

[hardwearing]

Seriously, Kyna, there are lots of things.

[evocation]

[She snorts, reaching up to run a hand through his hair until it sticks straight up.]

Shut up. There totally aren't. I was going to say something stupid like you cuddle your cat more than me.

[hardwearing]

[ Oh. She was teasing. Wash blinks, then rolls with it, grinning again. ]

You brought that on yourself by getting me such an adorable cat.

[evocation]

Are you saying she's cuter than me?

[Betrayal!]

[hardwearing]

[ You will not lure him into this trap! ]

Apples and oranges, she's a different species entirely.

[evocation]

[She sticks her tongue out at him, very maturely.]

My ears are cuter.

[hardwearing]

[ Wash laughs softly, flicking the tip of her ear before dropping his hand back down. ]

Okay, I'll give you that one.

[evocation]

[Kyna makes a face, then catches his hand and kisses his knuckles softly.]

So do you think if I like, handcuff myself to you this won't happen again?