boo.
the price we pay
He hadn't really meant to grab his foot. It just kind of happened, the same kind of raw instinct as flinching away from a hornet or even the sensation of falling into open space when approaching the edge of sleep. Before Kei had time to realize that he'd been the one to trip Ally, seemingly on purpose, the other was already faceplanted on the floor, the sudden crash settling awkwardly into groaning silence.
Oh, you've done it now, you seductive bastard. He's really going to let you hold his hand after this one.
In the very least, it helped Kei wake up a little more as he pulled himself closer to Ally in a frantic fit, hot panic washing over his face like a wave of sweat. "I'm so—"
I’ll sleep here instead.
Huh?
Kick me when you get back. I deserve it since I ruined your life. I’m still so sorry about that. You can stab me if you want to.
"No, no—"
Go get food please. I’m dying from hunger. I'm about to pass out from starvation.
Had he really woken up? Because this sounded like exactly not what someone who'd just fallen face-first to the floor would say. Kei's lips opened and shut like a fish out of water, tongue turning to clay in his cotton-dry mouth, and on his hands and knees he stared at Ally who laid there, facing away from him as though the very sight of him would send him falling through the floor.
"Al—right," Kei faltered, gathering his legs beneath himself and staring a moment longer, hoping Ally would at least look at him and make him feel less of a monster but quickly realizing nothing of the sort was going to happen. He'd fucked up and this was the price.
It didn't even register until he was closing the door of their room behind him that Ally had been shirtless and pantsless the entire time.
Unsurprisingly, intrusive thoughts won over concern and Kei moved about in a daze, descending to the pub area of the inn and wondering how he hadn't noticed before. All he'd seen was collarbones from beneath the blankets wrapped around him but even that—gods. So delicate. Messy golden hair falling in clumps just above his shoulders, piercing green eyes that had stared at him with an intensity of the sun. His skin, pale and smooth, totally unlike the ugly patchwork of scars that pieced Kei together.
A quick wash was in order to clean the thoughts from his head.
Surprise—it didn't really work. Now Kei was freezing, wet, and still thinking about the fact that Ally had nearly fallen on top of him completely naked. What did it mean? Was it some sick power move or was he really that stupid?
Heh. At least I can still think he's stupid. It's incredibly endearing—
Dammit!
Kei's brows were furrowed so tightly that they seemed to be fighting with each other. A half-uttered oath moved his lips but went mostly silent behind the creak of a door that announced his return, and he shuffled inside with his shirt slung over his shoulder and two plates of breakfast in his hands. Bronzed skin shimmered with droplets of water he'd missed from his quick wipe-down with the tiny towel the inn provided with the cold bucket shower. His broad shoulders nearly filled the doorframe, musculature on full display like some carven statue of an ancient warrior, only there was nothing flawless about him; faded scars crisscrossed his torso with reckless abandon, and a thicker, whiter scar wrapped around the base of his neck just below his Adam's apple. His entire right arm was pocked and rippled like a crater-filled moon from burns scars of his youth, discolored a slight pink and rough to the touch like old tree bark, all the way to his fingertips.
There was a divot at his last knuckle, where his smallest finger used to be.
Dark eyes remained fixed stubbornly on the floorboards at the base of the table, a fouler mood than before having settled over him like a stormcloud. These were becoming shockingly common. Perhaps it was an attempt at penance for the sin of gazing upon Ally so casually as though seeing him naked was a familiar sight—although he wished desperately it could be the case, not only because he was beautiful to behold, but because it would have meant he'd gained the trust of intimacy, that Ally felt safe around him. Whatever remained of Kei's common sense yet unpoisoned by the spell told him that nothing could be further from the truth.
He couldn't bear to even look for Ally, instead retrieving the teacup still half-full of cold tea and returning to the fireplace to start the blaze with a flint retrieved from his belongings. "Ginger tea helps with with nausea and pain, if you still feel like you're going to pass out." His voice was hardly above a mutter, as though he was simply talking to himself. And it seemed that way, when he wouldn't even look over his shoulder to confirm that Ally was actually still in the room.
A few beats of silence passed as fresh kindling caught flame and crackled quietly against dry wood.
"Don't make jokes like that. It hurts to hear you speak of yourself that way."
Oh, you've done it now, you seductive bastard. He's really going to let you hold his hand after this one.
In the very least, it helped Kei wake up a little more as he pulled himself closer to Ally in a frantic fit, hot panic washing over his face like a wave of sweat. "I'm so—"
I’ll sleep here instead.
Huh?
Kick me when you get back. I deserve it since I ruined your life. I’m still so sorry about that. You can stab me if you want to.
"No, no—"
Go get food please. I’m dying from hunger. I'm about to pass out from starvation.
Had he really woken up? Because this sounded like exactly not what someone who'd just fallen face-first to the floor would say. Kei's lips opened and shut like a fish out of water, tongue turning to clay in his cotton-dry mouth, and on his hands and knees he stared at Ally who laid there, facing away from him as though the very sight of him would send him falling through the floor.
"Al—right," Kei faltered, gathering his legs beneath himself and staring a moment longer, hoping Ally would at least look at him and make him feel less of a monster but quickly realizing nothing of the sort was going to happen. He'd fucked up and this was the price.
It didn't even register until he was closing the door of their room behind him that Ally had been shirtless and pantsless the entire time.
Unsurprisingly, intrusive thoughts won over concern and Kei moved about in a daze, descending to the pub area of the inn and wondering how he hadn't noticed before. All he'd seen was collarbones from beneath the blankets wrapped around him but even that—gods. So delicate. Messy golden hair falling in clumps just above his shoulders, piercing green eyes that had stared at him with an intensity of the sun. His skin, pale and smooth, totally unlike the ugly patchwork of scars that pieced Kei together.
A quick wash was in order to clean the thoughts from his head.
Surprise—it didn't really work. Now Kei was freezing, wet, and still thinking about the fact that Ally had nearly fallen on top of him completely naked. What did it mean? Was it some sick power move or was he really that stupid?
Heh. At least I can still think he's stupid. It's incredibly endearing—
Dammit!
Kei's brows were furrowed so tightly that they seemed to be fighting with each other. A half-uttered oath moved his lips but went mostly silent behind the creak of a door that announced his return, and he shuffled inside with his shirt slung over his shoulder and two plates of breakfast in his hands. Bronzed skin shimmered with droplets of water he'd missed from his quick wipe-down with the tiny towel the inn provided with the cold bucket shower. His broad shoulders nearly filled the doorframe, musculature on full display like some carven statue of an ancient warrior, only there was nothing flawless about him; faded scars crisscrossed his torso with reckless abandon, and a thicker, whiter scar wrapped around the base of his neck just below his Adam's apple. His entire right arm was pocked and rippled like a crater-filled moon from burns scars of his youth, discolored a slight pink and rough to the touch like old tree bark, all the way to his fingertips.
There was a divot at his last knuckle, where his smallest finger used to be.
Dark eyes remained fixed stubbornly on the floorboards at the base of the table, a fouler mood than before having settled over him like a stormcloud. These were becoming shockingly common. Perhaps it was an attempt at penance for the sin of gazing upon Ally so casually as though seeing him naked was a familiar sight—although he wished desperately it could be the case, not only because he was beautiful to behold, but because it would have meant he'd gained the trust of intimacy, that Ally felt safe around him. Whatever remained of Kei's common sense yet unpoisoned by the spell told him that nothing could be further from the truth.
He couldn't bear to even look for Ally, instead retrieving the teacup still half-full of cold tea and returning to the fireplace to start the blaze with a flint retrieved from his belongings. "Ginger tea helps with with nausea and pain, if you still feel like you're going to pass out." His voice was hardly above a mutter, as though he was simply talking to himself. And it seemed that way, when he wouldn't even look over his shoulder to confirm that Ally was actually still in the room.
A few beats of silence passed as fresh kindling caught flame and crackled quietly against dry wood.
"Don't make jokes like that. It hurts to hear you speak of yourself that way."
