I wanna go back down and lie beside the sea

[nokeystomysoul]

The beach is alluring, with the way the waves touch against the wet sand and curl away again, and Melchior could sit on the sand and read or write until his skin baked for all he cared. It isn't like his oak tree, his old private place for thinking, but nothing ever will be, he's starting to think. The beach is just as good though, in a different

Comments

[whoneedsadream]

"Melchior, hello!" Fresh from a much needed walk to clear his head, Anatoly waved merrily at his young friend. "I haven't seen you in awhile, how are you doing?"

[nokeystomysoul]

"Anatoly!" Melchior grins and waves back, taking a few steps toward Anatoly. "I'm well, thank you. How are--" Aeneas chooses this moment to follow after Melchior, but his footing in the sand is still unsure and he winds up scrambling over to the two men and flopping down between them. Laughing, Melchior scoops the puppy up and presents him to Anatoly. "I have made a new friend since we last met. This is Aeneas."

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly laughed, reaching out to pet the enthusiastic puppy. "Hello, Aeneas. Aren't you an adorable thing?"

He looked over at Melchior, smiling. "Where did you find him? He seems a lovely friend."

[nokeystomysoul]

"In the snow outside the Compound. Poor thing was shivering and cold. I don't know if he belonged to anyone but I wouldn't think so, since he's so tiny and small. I heard that people had been finding surprise presents from the Island, or something; I guess he was my present." He shrugs and scritches Aeneas's head with his finger. "Did you get anything?"

[whoneedsadream]

"A crate of vodka from home," Anatoly answered. "I didn't realize it was there at first. I think I nearly tripped over it, as it happened. Lex received a set of fencing foils. He's been quite pleased by that. I suspect I will be cajoled into a fencing lesson or two soon."

He shook his head, amused. "I suppose it's only fair, considering the Russian lessons, but I can't imagine I will be very good at it."

[nokeystomysoul]

He raises his eyebrows with a smile and shifts to set Aeneas against his shoulder, cupping his back legs in one hand; Aeneas makes a small little grunt of satisfaction, waving his tiny tail frantically, and nuzzles into Melchior's neck. "And how are you and Lex doing?" he asks, meaningfully.

[whoneedsadream]

The question took Anatoly by surprise, though really, if he'd thought about it properly, it shouldn't have. Melchior had given him advice; it was only natural that he should want to know how the situation had turned out.

"We are doing well," he answered, smiling fondly. "Very well."

[nokeystomysoul]

Melchior narrows his eyes a little and sets Aeneas down, finding it a little difficult to get serious with a puppy licking his ear. He steps closer to Toly, crossing his arms over his chest. "So you two worked out your feelings for each other then?" he asks flatly, eyes watching Toly quizzically and with no judgmental emotion -- no amusement, no fondness, no smile, just flat inquisitiveness.

[whoneedsadream]

"We did," Anatoly answered after a few moments, a little reluctant to divulge all of the details of their, for lack of a better word, relationship. It wasn't that he didn't trust Melchior; it was only that he preferred to keep his affairs of the heart close to his heart, so to speak.

[nokeystomysoul]

He doesn't see why Anatoly should be reluctant to share details; he already asked Melchior for help in getting to this point when it was still a secret to Lex and everyone else. It certainly isn't a secret to Lex anymore, which makes him wonder... "Well, are you together? Or are you trying to keep it a secret from everyone?"

[whoneedsadream]

"We haven't discussed that," Anatoly answered honestly, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve. This was true enough; they had fallen in bed together, in a manner of speaking, and had kept going from there with no sort of discussion whatsoever. "I don't know that we need to, if it comes to that. We are what we are, and putting labels on things will not change what we have."