[Open] Return from canon-update

[stayb100ponyboy]

Characters: Equius Zahhak and you
Location: The fountain in the Plaza
Time: Mid-afternoon
Style: Whatever, I'll match yours
Status: Open

[He landed in the fountain

Comments

> Reunite with pitiable matesprit

[faygot]

[The first three days had gone by pretty quickly. Between the (sick) hope that Equius would be right back and the effects of introducing the slime into his system again, those three days had been easiest to bear with. But then the first three had passed and Equius hadn't shown up again. Which was cool. Just meant he needed a little longer. But the fourth and fifth --that was the day Wataru had returned on the first time-- passed equally without Equius' reappearance and it was around then that telling Karkat that he would be back soon --whenever they would talk about it, which was rarely-- became harder. Six days. A week. And Gamzee hadn't give up hope, but it had become harder. Yeah. Harder

==> Get knocked backwards into the fountain

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius hears the sound of running feet, of sneakers thwapping against the cobblestones, and he knows who that is, he recognizes that sound, he knows, and in the split second before Gamzee collides with him and knocks him backwards into the fountain all over again... he winces, and draws himself closer around his chest, his hands fluttering up to protect his neck.]

[Then he's underwater again, drifting, held down by another body, a warm, bony, intimately familiar body, one he knows almost as well as he knows his own, one he loves far more than he loves his own, and Equius closes his eyes, going completely limp and floating in the cool depths of the fountain.]

==> Put the pony back into the water

[faygot]

[Gamzee laughs, his arms around Equius' neck, his face pressed to the side of it. And between the water and the way he is rubbing his cheek against Equius' skin, he's leaving large swaths of paint there, mixing and dripping in the water, but it doesn't matter cause Equius is here again, he's really here again.

and he is not going to let him drown.

Gamzee quickly scrambles up, tugging Equius along with him, spitting out some water as he does. And between the run and the sudden fountain bath he is breathless. Breathless and suddenly full of boundless energy, beaming at Equius, stroking his hands over his shoulders, his neck, his face.]

Shit. You're back. You're really--

[And then he shoves in for a kiss.]

==> Suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius lets Gamzee manipulate him; he's as loose and boneless as a rag doll, limp and unresisting in the other troll's hands. Gamzee, Gamzee... oh fuck, his Gamzee, his matesprit, the troll he pities, the troll he loves, the one troll he can never say no to...]

[honk]

[Equius shudders, the memory of honking echoing through his head, the memories of a cord pulled tight around his neck and the world going dark at the edges, the memory of smiling at Gamzee for the first time...]

[No. No, he's smiled for Gamzee before. He's smiled for him, and shown him his eyes, and held him while he slept and let him wash his hair and played with chocobos with him and given him rides on his back when he was half-horse and seen their future in the fire and and and and and]

[And he's kissing him back now, feverish, desperate, almost like he's trying to suck the air from Gamzee's lungs, like he's trying to steal his essence and use it to make himself real again.]

==> That is the opposite of what he wanted!!!

[faygot]

[Gamzee squeezes his eyes shut, ignoring the way they burn as he strokes his hands over Equius' cheeks. Equius is kissing him back. He's kissing him back, which must mean he remembers. He remembers. Gamzee's hands shake for a moment, catching on Equius' hair before he just buries his fingers in it, holding him close as he kisses him absolutely fuckin' silly.]

==> Have a minor freak-out

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Yes, yes, he remembers this, he knows these lips, these hands in his hair, this body against his. He knows this Gamzee, he knows him, this isn't the same one as the one in the Veil, this is his precious matesprit, this is...]

[motherfuckin' KNEEL]

[Equius shudders again, so hard it feels like his body is trying to shake itself apart, and for just a moment, his lips falter against Gamzee's as he sucks in a deep, panicked breath and his hands flutter up to protect his neck.]

==> So super not what he wanted.

[faygot]

[Not Gamzee isn't the most observant person out there, but he did notice that. Leaning back, he looks at Equius, his brows drawn together in a frown. Half of his face-paint is washed away already, smearing it messily on his face rather than the crisp black-and-white lines he usually wears.]

Babe?

==> Get it together... sort of

[stayb100ponyboy]

[One of Equius' hands goes to his mouth, covering it as he pulls in great, gasping breathes, trying to fight down the panic that's rising in his chest. No, this is different, it's not the same one, this Gamzee loves him, he isn't trying to kill him, it's okay it's okay it's okay...]

[Squeezing his eyes shut so he doesn't have to see that smeared, messy paint, Equius leans forward, towards Gamzee.]

Hold me. Hold me, please, just.. just put your arms around me and keep me safe.

==> Type this while listening to vaguely appropriate music.

[faygot]

[Gamzee's blood pump thumps hard in his chest, tight with worry and concern. Equius never acts like this. This is how he acts after a nightmare, but this is never how Equius acts, never ever. Which means that Gamzee can't really deny him anything.

Wrapping his arms around him again, he pulls him tight against him, tucking his head against his shoulder as he does so, not even caring they are still sitting in the cool water of the fountain.]

There, there. It's gonna be fuckin' fine. Ain't nothing gonna happen to you here.

==> Types this while listening to completely inappropriate music

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius leans into Gamzee's embrace as best he can, hiding his face in the other troll's shoulder, shaking and shivering against him as all the tension, all the fear, all the trauma of the Veil works its way through him.]

[Except it's not that easy. It's never that easy. Just when he thinks he's got himself under control, he's got this, this is Vatheon, it's okay now... he hears echoing honks and the sharp twang of a released arrow string, and he's shaking all over again.]

I'm... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Gamzee, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry...

[He doesn't even know what he's apologizing for, just that repeating it, over and over again, keeps the ghosts at bay for a little longer.]

==> Turn off the porn music, dear failrail mine.

[faygot]

[Gamzee squeezes his arms tighter around him, eventually lifting one hand to stroke Equius' bare cheek. He really didn't know what to do, felt rather powerless to be honest. He had never seen Equius like this. Not even when Nepeta had been sent home.]

Sshhh. Sssh, babe. Ain't nothing to all be fuckin' sorry for, you hear. What all put the fuckin' fright into you like that anyway?

[What had happened to Equius back home? Back in the veil?]

==> Cranks up "Best of 70s Porn Soundtracks" album

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius shakes his head into Gamzee's shoulder. He can't tell him... not here, not like this.]

Can we just... I want to go home.

[Home... somewhere quiet, somewhere safe, somewhere he can collapse on their couch, on their bed, and just curl himself into a ball and try to sleep away the pain. Where he can go happily into the void, into nothingness, and escape for a few brief hours.]

Please, I... I want to go home.

[His hands move upwards and clutch at the back of Gamzee's shirt, and he doesn't even notice the sound of it ripping.]

Take me home, please, I want to go home.

==> Hubba hubba, those cerulean babes?

[faygot]

[Gamzee nods, not even caring if his shirt is ripping. Home was good, yeah. Better than getting soaked in a cool fountain, trying to figure out what the hell was up with Equius.]

Yeah, sure. Always.

[He strokes his cheek again, waiting for Equius to get up, because as much as he'd like to, he cannot exactly push him to his feet.]

Come on. Lets go home.

==> Cobalt beefcakes, thank you

[stayb100ponyboy]

Yeah, okay. Okay. Home. Yes.

[Equius eventually manages to push himself to his feet and climb out of the fountain, and then he stands there, dripping wet and shaking all over like he's freezing to death, despite the relatively warm and balmy weather in the bubble. He just... he just can't stop shaking.]

==> He'll always be a babe to Gamzee.

[faygot]

[Watching Equius stand there like that, shaking like a leaf and looking so down, just floods Gamzee's chest pump with a flood of concern and pity. Poor Equius. He doesn't know what has befallen him, but fuck it, if he could he would keep him from ever having to go through that again.

Climbing out of the fountain him, he shakes off for a moment, before very carefully reaching for his hand, wrapping his fingers around it, giving him a faint tug towards their hive.]

Come on, brother. You can get yourself up in some warm fuckin' duds back hive. I can up and warm your some fuckin' milk too, yeah? Get you all sorts of fuckin' warm again.

==> Mmmm, his indigo rodeo clown

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius doesn't think he'll ever be warm again.]

[But yes, okay, Gamzee is holding his head, he's pulling on him, and after a moment's hesitation, Equius gets himself moving and lurches after him, letting the other troll lead him where he may. He's aware that they're headed in the direction of their hive, but the rest of the city passes in a blur. He finds that, if he just focuses on the warm, familiar hand wrapped around his, that's enough to keep him grounded, to keep him in the here and now, and to keep the panic from racheting up in him again.]