It was quiet inside the room. No response to the knocking other than a startled meow. Inside, Chris sat in the corner he had made for himself, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, dead to the world.
Romeo paused, head tilting slightly, and then he turned the knob and quietly let himself in. He wasn't prepared for the carnage that greeted him. Stuff was everywhere. It looked like someone had dropped another atom bomb. Romeo's cape whispered across the floor as he slipped toward Chris' corner. He stood just a foot or two away, judging his approach.
A member of the team, hm?
The leather he wore squeaked in protest as Romeo dropped to a crouch, reached out to touch Chris' shoulder. "Chris-kun, a new day has come," Romeo commanded softly, a mysterious smile crossing his features. "Rise and greet the sun, my friend: we have much work to do."
Shifting slightly, Chris murmured something and tried to bury his head deeper into his knees for a moment. Seconds later, he groaned and lifted his head up, dropping his arms from around his legs and letting them slide out in front of him, shifting some of the debris from yesterday around as he did.
He gave Romeo a bit of a haggard look and grabbed at the blanket around his shoulders - only to stop and glance over at Yuan, who was sleeping in the armchair he had perched himself on the night before, also with a blanket spread over himself (and two kittens sleeping on his lap). Had Yuan really stayed the entire night? To watch him sleep? Or to watch for a relapse, maybe?
"It's too early," Chris said to Romeo, trying to keep his voice quiet for Yuan's sake. "Come back later or something." Or never. Chris could deal with that, too. It was becoming a trend, anyway. Why not make it two for two? He stood slowly, supporting himself on the wall behind him and holding the blanket around him. He still felt too out of sorts to deal with the
( ... )
Romeo had been quiet for a reason. He let Chris stretch out, slowly awaken, understanding the man's reluctance to continue with life as it were and feeling it, too. But that didn't mean a thing, because whether or not they got up in the morning, life would move on. The sun would rise, and then it would set, and it was completely up to them to fall behind or catch up. He glanced over at the sleeping Yuan, but only briefly, as his main concern was Chris.
"It's nearly noon. If you don't come out now, you'll never see daylight," he mused. Romeo straightened as well and offered Chris a slight, polite bow. "I only desire a few minutes of your time. After that, you may do what you wish."
Romeo wasn't quite as enthusiastic as usual, but that was due to the need for silence and his own dampened spirit. It was only a matter of time before the snow melted, however, and the little king wanted that for Chris as well.
"Like I said," Chris replied. "Too early." He glanced over to the pair of black, green and white A-Ts that sat innocently on the floor, then walked over and kicked them under the still-standing armoire. The sliding noise they made was grating, but thankfully, only the kittens awoke. Hitsu-chan stood and stretched, hopping off the sleeping half-elf's lap and rushing over to see what had made the noise.
Chris watched the kitten with a frown. Just looking at her reminded him of what was missing, so he turned away and gave Romeo a skeptical look. "Only a few minutes? And then that's it?" he asked, hoping that this wasn't just some trick. He distinctly remembered Romeo mentioning something about a stage the night before.
Romeo watched Chris take out his frustration on his A-Ts. When the half-angel turned to face him again, Romeo wore a concerned frown. "Yes. Stay or go, it's completely up to you, Chris-kun. But for now, I want you with me." There was nothing about his manner to suggest teasing or trickery in any way.
But-- where were they going? That was the question.
Romeo stood by the door and waited patiently. "Are you ready?"
Chris could only manage an eyeroll at Romeo's frown, stepping around some of the rubble to deposit the blanket around his shoulders onto the coffee table. "Yeah, fine," he replied, running a hand through his hair and coming to the door.
He glanced back at the room for a moment, noticing the window that had repaired itself sometime in the night. It looked... different. Even among the destruction Chris had yet to clean up, there were obvious differences in the theme of the room. Now it was predominantly in the style of a Victorian mansion, gone were the other half of dramatic influences that had made it up. He didn't like it.
Shaking his head, Chris turned back to Romeo and nodded. "Let's get going."
Romeo gave Chris some more of that concerned look. He knew Chris was hurting, and it bothered him. Well, leave it to Romeo. He'd think of something. The caped king couldn't help but hold the door open with a flourish, waiting for Chris to walk past before quietly shutting the door behind them.
He led Chris down several flights of stairs without saying a word, though he did hum to himself. Chris was welcome to interrogate him as they went down, if he so wished. And no, he would not be encouraging the whitelighter to orb there first and cheat.
For Romeo's sake, Chris ignored the look the teen was sending him. He knew all too well what it was about, but was doing just fine not thinking about it, thanks.
"This has to do with that stage, doesn't it?" Chris asked, the vague curiosity seeming worth pursuing more than anything else he was feeling at the moment.
Romeo paused at the second story landing when that question fell upon his ears. He turned his head slightly, just enough for Chris to see his mysterious smile. "All the world's a stage, Chris-kun." That stated, he swept down the final flight of stairs and out the double doors. Rather than take the main path to the town, Romeo made a hard right and led Chris along the castle wall until the interrupted view of the field appeared
( ... )
Comments 16
Reply
A member of the team, hm?
The leather he wore squeaked in protest as Romeo dropped to a crouch, reached out to touch Chris' shoulder. "Chris-kun, a new day has come," Romeo commanded softly, a mysterious smile crossing his features. "Rise and greet the sun, my friend: we have much work to do."
Reply
He gave Romeo a bit of a haggard look and grabbed at the blanket around his shoulders - only to stop and glance over at Yuan, who was sleeping in the armchair he had perched himself on the night before, also with a blanket spread over himself (and two kittens sleeping on his lap). Had Yuan really stayed the entire night? To watch him sleep? Or to watch for a relapse, maybe?
"It's too early," Chris said to Romeo, trying to keep his voice quiet for Yuan's sake. "Come back later or something." Or never. Chris could deal with that, too. It was becoming a trend, anyway. Why not make it two for two? He stood slowly, supporting himself on the wall behind him and holding the blanket around him. He still felt too out of sorts to deal with the ( ... )
Reply
"It's nearly noon. If you don't come out now, you'll never see daylight," he mused. Romeo straightened as well and offered Chris a slight, polite bow. "I only desire a few minutes of your time. After that, you may do what you wish."
Romeo wasn't quite as enthusiastic as usual, but that was due to the need for silence and his own dampened spirit. It was only a matter of time before the snow melted, however, and the little king wanted that for Chris as well.
Reply
Chris watched the kitten with a frown. Just looking at her reminded him of what was missing, so he turned away and gave Romeo a skeptical look. "Only a few minutes? And then that's it?" he asked, hoping that this wasn't just some trick. He distinctly remembered Romeo mentioning something about a stage the night before.
Reply
But-- where were they going? That was the question.
Romeo stood by the door and waited patiently. "Are you ready?"
Reply
He glanced back at the room for a moment, noticing the window that had repaired itself sometime in the night. It looked... different. Even among the destruction Chris had yet to clean up, there were obvious differences in the theme of the room. Now it was predominantly in the style of a Victorian mansion, gone were the other half of dramatic influences that had made it up. He didn't like it.
Shaking his head, Chris turned back to Romeo and nodded. "Let's get going."
Reply
He led Chris down several flights of stairs without saying a word, though he did hum to himself. Chris was welcome to interrogate him as they went down, if he so wished. And no, he would not be encouraging the whitelighter to orb there first and cheat.
Reply
"This has to do with that stage, doesn't it?" Chris asked, the vague curiosity seeming worth pursuing more than anything else he was feeling at the moment.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment