[attr="class","beck"]the subtlety is noticed. he almost chuckles at it.

"no. it lunged on its own."

he reaches a hand over to brush messy hair away from cillian's face. it's a soft gesture, perhaps once too gentle for him.

"i'm fine, cillian."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Few people get to see Rocket's underboss like this, ruffled hair and clothes wrinkled from sleep. Soft, with all his sharp edges tucked away.

He cants his head, smiles.

"All right."

Another yawn cracks his jaw.

"Staying for breakfast?"

[attr="class","beck"]he rolls the pant leg back down, then tenses at the mention of breakfast, involuntary. he pauses, unsure, but nods regardless as he slowly shifts to get out of bed.

"sure."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Tension is acknowledged, mirrored by a slight frown as Gavin parses it.

"No pressure if you've got somewhere you need to be."

He stretches again as he gets up, straightening pillows and making up the bed. Riolu, who had curled up at the foot of it, grumbles her surprise as she's jostled by the comforter's removal and forced to hop down to the floor.

Gavin shuffles to the bathroom to brush his teeth, leaving the door open for conversation.

[attr="class","beck"]where cillian shuffles to the bathroom, beckett heads to the kitchen, perhaps finding some form of comfort in solitude. he finds a breath as he approaches the familiar island. there, he's met with the same alcremie who regards him with a restrained expression.

"good morning."

faking a smile, he extends a hand out for a mint. it takes a moment, but alcremie does hop forward and deposits one in his hand. it smiles, giggles, then simply watches. his smile lingers, no longer fake.

in the silence of the kitchen, he ponders his next move.

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Gavin enters the kitchen with clothes changed and hair neat.

Noting Beckett with Alcremie, his lip twitches as he circles the island. He pauses briefly to brush his lips against Beckett's cheek, a gesture so quick as to almost be instinctual before he crosses to the coffee pot.

"Anything you don't like?"

It's funny; for how long they've known one another, there's a lot to learn.

[attr="class","beck"]he's distracted enough for the quick kiss to not draw much of a reaction besides a glance over. he wasn't expecting it, and the gesture feels intimate on a level he's not quite used to. nor ready for.

"what?"

the question pulls him out of drowning thoughts. he blinks, remembering.

"no. i'm fine with anything."

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Unfortunately for both of them, Gavin is perceptive.

"You all right?"

He shoots a concerned look with furrowed brow before opening the fridge, turning away and giving Theo a moment with his thoughts.

[attr="class","beck"]"yeah."

it leaves without much deliberation. it's only then that his hand relaxes, opening up to plop the mint into his mouth. he sighs, taking a moment to suppress.

"what are you making?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

Doubt lingers in the pause before Gavin speaks but he doesn't press the issue; Beckett was a tough individual to crack, and that he'd opened up to Gavin at all spoke wonders. That was enough, for him.

"Galarian breakfast."

Because even if it wasn't home, even if the thought of Circhester made his stomach turn, certain comforts remained.

He sets out eggs, bacon, and sausage, then sets a tomato on the cutting board. Alcremie hops up on the counter to watch him work, smiling brightly.

He huffs a soft laugh.

"Was one of the things that took the longest to adjust to when I moved to Kanto, y'know. Culture shock. Least Hoenn's not too different."

[attr="class","beck"]beckett observes in silence, unable to contribute anything other than an occasional nod or a "mm."

eventually, he stands to walk over to the fridge. he makes sure to take the long way around the island, avoiding brushing by cillian. he opens it and reaches for a bottle of water, lingering by it for moments.

cold air flows past him, falling to the floor, spreading across the ground.

still, he says nothing.

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn

He notices. Of course he does. How Beckett avoids him, how he doesn't speak.

A concentrated effort to act natural in the hopes that whatever was bothering Theo might pass is challenged by the new knowledge that it might have something to do with him.

He swallows, turns away to focus on the stove.

Should he voice it? He'd already asked if something was wrong.

Should he close off? But then what if Beckett was fine, and Gavin's overreacting?

Gavin is definitely not fine.

[attr="class","beck"]neither is beckett.

he resorts to something familiar and reaches into his pocket only to find it empty. he pats it, then looks around and remembers he had smoked his last one last night.

should he ask?

does cillian notice?

fuck.

he twists open the bottle of water, downs about half of it, and exhales, focusing on anything else.

[attr="class","noodles"]Cillian Quinn