I'm tearing down these walls right now...

[sequence_0988]

Who: Tieria Erde (sequence_0988) and Lockon Stratos/Neil Dylandy (lockon_v1point0)
When: Midday Saturday of the first Manhattan week, after Neil's done with his prank on Lyle.
Where: The apartment they've been sharing at 910 Central Park Ave.
Summary: Tieria's gotten in touch with his domestic side to make something special for Neil. Now it's time for him to present his gift

Comments

[lockon_v1point0]

Neil blinked as Tieria handed him the items of clothing.

"So that's why I couldn't find my shoes that one morning. Wait. ...All that for me?"

Lockon set the items down carefully on the table, away from the gun and the various cleaning implements so that none of the residue would rub off on them. He then picked up the jacket, which was an exact replica of Lyle's and Tieria's, save for the fact that it was a deep hunter green. Just as Tieria had noted his expertise with the inner workings of the gun, Lockon was floored by the fact that Tieria could turn out something like this in such a short time. There weren't any gaps between the stitches or anything, which is what would certainly be the case if Lockon.

"...No, honestly, you made this? This quickly? That's really impressive..." A little voice in the back of his mind added on, 'And when did you even learn how to sew like this?'

He sort of felt... a little bad. Bad that he'd made fun of the uniform when it was only Lyle he'd seen wearing it. Bad that Tieria had gotten himself hurt in a mad dash to get this done. The first, at least, Tieria didn't know about and he was thankful for that.

"Thanks. I feel a little guilty that you spent so much of your time in a place outside of the Facility working on something for me when you could have done something fun." He smiled at Tieria. "It is nice, though."

[sequence_0988]

Tieria shook his head, indicating that it wasn't really that big of a deal. "I rather enjoy sewing," he explained. "It's something I did a lot of during my convalescence with Fereshte." He reached out to touch the sleeve of the jacket that Neil was holding up, as if examining it to make sure it was, indeed, up to the rigid standards that he held for himself. "Besides, after running diagnostics on Seravee, there wasn't much else that I wanted or needed to do. I made certain my errands were taken care of before I started."

It was as if he felt Lockon were admonishing him for working on the uniform instead of doing something important, rather than taking the time to enjoy himself. He released the sleeve at last, looking up at Lockon expectantly, trying to gauge whether he liked the uniform from his thoroughly surprised expression.

"Try it on?" he suggested. "If it needs any sort of alterations, I would be happy to make them."

[lockon_v1point0]

"Fereshte?" he asked quizzically, since the other group was still a shadowed, secretive organization that he didn't know about at the time that Neil was taken to the Facility.

"I just didn't want you to think that you have to do this sort of thing, but if it's something you enjoy, then I'm glad to hear it," he said, directing a broad smile at Tieria.

At the suggestion to try it on, Neil held out the jacket again, gave it another once over, then gave a small nod. He shrugged off the vest that he usually wore, then slipped the jacket on.

"Say, this really is nice." He shook out the shoulders, letting it settle. "What's this lining made of?" Not... that he would necessarily recognize any fabric that Tieria might name. But it did feel nice and the question seemed like a good way to convey that.

Neil may have missed the fact that Tieria meant to try the whole uniform on, not just the part he was currently holding.

[sequence_0988]

"Fereshte is a branch organization of Celestial Being," Tieria explained. "They recovered me and my GN Drive following that final battle. Provided my regeneration treatments, and gave me a place to recuperate and stay, lacking anywhere else to go with Celestial Being dissolved."

He watched as Lockon tried on the jacket. He had, in fact, meant the entire uniform, as he needed to see the fit of not only the individual components, but of them together. He readjusted his glasses as he examined Lockon in the jacket. "It's made of bamboo cotton," he stated, in response to his question.

He then gestured to the pile of clothes. "Could you please try on the entire thing? I need to know how it all fits."

[lockon_v1point0]

"Huh. I never knew." Neil's brows creased as Tieria mentioned the need for regen treatments and recovery. That couldn't have been easy to deal with. "I'm glad they ran across you, then. Nice to know we have friends outside of just the Ptolemaios and Wang Liu-Me."

"Bamboo cotton, huh?" He said it as if that was important to know and a good choice. In reality, he had never heard of it before and wondered if that was just a name or if the two components were somehow woven together.

"Ha, guess that would make more sense, wouldn't it?" Neil slipped the jacket back off and laid it back on top of the pile, then lifted it. "I'll be just a moment," he said as he stepped into the next room.

After about five minutes, Lockon strode out of the room fully suited up. He adjusted the zipper on his olive green collar, then pulled at the sleeves of his jacket so that they rested comfortably over his gloves.

"Say, these things are more comfortable than they look. So," he put one hand in his pocket and gave his customary relaxed grin, "how is it?

[sequence_0988]

Tieria nodded. "They treated me quite well. I'm afraid I can't say I returned their kindness, as I spent much of my time there isolating myself. Before realizing that wasn't what you would have wanted me to do." He looked down at his own boots, apparently ashamed of the way he had behaved toward their allies, who had taken such good care of him. Even given him access to sewing supplies so that he could develop the prototypes of the very uniform that he had just given Lockon.

As Lockon left to put the uniform on, Tieria relocated to the couch, careful not to disrupt any of the rifle pieces on the coffee table as he seated himself and waited for Lockon to finish changing his clothes. When he came out of the room, Tieria stood, partially out of surprise of what he was seeing:

Lockon. In the uniform that he had designed. It had been painful to see Lyle wearing the exact one he had intended for him, even if he didn't know Lyle before coming here. It was what had motivated him to sew another in the first place. And now...suddenly it felt right. Lockon, wearing the same uniform as his teammates, if just here in this place.

He walked over to him, unceremoniously tugging at certain pieces and grabbing at others, to test the fit. At one point, he even grabbed at the crotch, tugging at the fabric to make sure there was enough room. But he seemed satisfied once he was finished, standing back to admire the sight of his once-fallen friend in the uniform. Then he promptly leaned over and hugged him.

[lockon_v1point0]

"Well, everyone needs a little bit of time to cope. I'm sure they understood, what with the way Celestial Being fell apart. Just glad you managed to snap out of it." Tieria looked a little down about it all, so Lockon laid a hand on his shoulder that he hoped had the right comforting effect before he went on.

When he had walked out and saw the shocked look on his face, Lockon almost asked Tieria if he was okay. His question was answered before he could ask it when Tieria briskly walked over and started pulling and fussing at him. He stood there, mildly amused and resigned to take the adjustments like a man... until they got rather close to his manhood, at which point he yelped in surprise, stepping back a little.

Then Tieria hugged him, and Neil found himself asking the question he had been thinking when he first stepped out. "You okay?"

[sequence_0988]

Tieria nodded at Lockon's words of encouragement, as if it was absolution for his closed-off, rude behavior during his time with Fereshte. So much of what he had done, what he had thought, during the four years since he'd died...it was all motivated by what Lockon would think if he saw it. And sometimes, he worked himself up about it. But really, as he tried harder to be human, to connect with people, Lockon's example was all he had to go by.

He barely noticed Lockon's reaction to his checking the front of his pants, at least partially because he was already attached himself to him, unwilling to let him go. How many times while, while designing that uniform, had he dreamed of that somehow becoming a reality, of getting to see Lockon wear it? Had he imagined him standing before him, modeling it, complimenting him on the comfort of the design. And he had done just that...it was so perfect, so wonderful, he once again found himself expecting it to be a trick, or that he would wake up and find none of this had happened, all part of a bizarre dream. Except he didn't really sleep, and as such, didn't dream.

When Lockon asked him if he was okay, it brought Tieria back to reality. Or as much into reality as he could ever feel in this situation. He looked up at Lockon, smiling at him, just a little. "I am now," he said.