the idea that lana thought he wanted him to leave was ridiculous. he'd never said anything like that. or acted like that in any capacity. more than anything he wanted lana to say. he would have thought the second part of his dream last night would have made that obvious. but maybe lana didn't remember that part.

"no." he gently grabbed ruslan's wrist to hold it. one of the few times he had touched him with any real intent. it was an internal struggle to grab him tight and keep him there eternally. but he thought he had a good grasp on himself.

his body shook now lightly for a different reason. but he was still breathing. still breathing was good. single drawn breaths that kept him from tipping over the mental edge again as he stared at lana. "i don't want you to leave." but he knew that lana might anyways. even as he tried to quell the small edge of desperation in his voice.

---

ruslan skye

Victor was hurt, or at the very least scarred. That much he could pick up on. He wasn’t supposed to see what he saw. He didn’t think that victor seemed ready to share that with a guy he’d only known for a couple of days, maybe a week at most. He felt his heart jump as victor carefully grabbed his wrist and he looked down at it, blinking as he remembered the weird, and embarrassing other part of the dream. The ribbons, the collar the- Lana swallowed dispelling the thought in shame. That had not been real. That had been a dream.[break][break]

He could feel the distress, ever so lightly. But words escaped him. “I-I won’t l-leave then. It’s n-not like I-I h-gave p-p-plans.” He assured him leaning forward and placing his other hand on top of Victor’s and squeezing his hand. “I-I can s-stay t-t-the weekend and g-go Monday m-morning. I-I don’t m-mind.” Should he get him a blanket? Maybe some tea to calm his nerves? He could run to a café. The neighborhood was nice enough to have one down the street, probably.


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+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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he didn't want lana to leave monday either. or any other day. at least not to stay in more pokecenters or arceus knew where else. he wanted him to come back to the apartment. to stay. "stay. even past then." they had talked about the contract at the party. before that dream mist had managed to take it all over. now was a good a time as any to get it down wasn't it? lock it all down so that they could just keep things the way he liked it.

"the contract still needs to be done. and i want you to stay here, as part of it." lana's hand on his concreted that in his mind. "what is the point of you going from pokecenter to pokecenter when you could just stay here? you'll have food, a clean place to sleep and whatever else you need." he wanted to keep it simple but he was willing to put whatever he needed on the line.

---

ruslan skye

Confusion was plain as day on his face as Victor asked him to stay, permanently. He blinked slowly, tensing up again at the offer. “F…For how l-long…?” He couldn’t quite grasp he was basically being asked to become a permanent resident. That’s not how it worked, right? He couldn’t just…stay here, right? That sounded dangerous, even if he had his ghosts sticking around. He couldn’t live somewhere he was on guard all the time.
[break][break]

He blinked again, the revelation that Victor really wanted him to move in hitting him like a sack of bricks. “…ly shit…” he murmured zoning out for a moment. He frowned looking up at Victor as he explained himself. It was such a good offer, and at least here he had his own bed and hot water all the time. He wasn’t fighting for scraps of food that may or may not have been rotten. The offer’s too good. He can’t trust it. Shouldn’t trust it. Lana had accepted a lot from Victor already, but something about this was overwhelming. “Y-Yeah…I-I mean…but y-you’d be m-m-my b-boss? And that’d b-be w-w-weird…?” He paused before pushing on. But they’re bargaining now…he guessed. Lana sat staring at the stable for a moment. He didn’t look up, pink beginning to dust his cheeks and his ears. “W…Will you w-w-wear t-that…t-the leash a-again…?” he asked his voice trailing off. “I-I just….w-what else d-do you w-w-want f-from m-me?”



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so lana did remember the latter part of the dream. his obsession at least seemed to be casted off as something... lustful... rather than the fact that he was mentally ill. and probably needed therapy. but he didn't really care about that right now. that was easier to work around contract wise. "a sugar daddy isn't someone's boss. the contract is to protect uncomfortable situations from arising." just because he gave lana money didn't mean he was employed.

"i'm not asking you to do anything like that." at least that much was true. he wouldn't ask that of him. especially not with how badly it seemed to freak him out. "companionship. i don't do well being alone all the time." and while pokemon might be a companion in a sense it wasn't the same. "you'll have access to a spending account for whatever you need. a card provided by me instead of just giving you money. you'll have full run of the apartment, i have a spare bedroom as well. you're not required or expected to sleep in my bed."

he was talking too much at once but it was easier to just lay things out and let lana digest them as he would.

---

ruslan skye

It was easier to think about if he called Victor his boss. Sugar Daddy was something he needed to get used to, but he wouldn’t voice that struggle out loud. He was embarrassed enough at it is. When Victor rebuffed the idea of incorporating the things he’d seen in the dream out in the real world, Lana couldn’t have looked more relieved. He made sure he was looking down as he quietly let out the breath he’d been holding. Maybe he would’ve agreed to it if it was that important but honestly that part of the dream, he’d been more eager to forget. It was partially to blame for Lana’s unwillingness to look Victor in the eye. [break][break]

He’d just told him something really terrible, did they need to discuss this right now? But they were in the thick of it. He’d feel bad cutting out now… Besides he needed to voice his own terms, right? That’s what a contract...helped with…right? He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Still, he just had to agree to hang around and spend time with him and he’d get his own room? A bank account with money flowing int it? “I-I like t-the offer b-b-but…w-what do y-you mean b-by companionship?” There’s a slight pause as Lana gathered the nerve to ask to about it. “J-Just to c-c-clarify…y-you know? D-Does it include s-stuff like…um, han-handholding? A-And kissing? S-S-Sex?” Despite the very serious, very clinical way he was trying to ask about what exactly Victor may or may not want from him, Lana’s ears were on fire.


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+ victor evans BUT DOES HE WANT THE NUDES OR NOT?!?!?!
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

he felt himself nearly get red when lana mentioned sex. that was one of the furthest things from his mind. he'd never thought about having sex with lana. it was so far off the radar that it almost caught him off guard. but he wasn't going to bother with entertaining that fact right now. instead he focused his energy and attention on other things. "occasionally. if you would like to do so. no." he wasn't going to force anyone into anything. but he did feel as though holding hands occasionally wouldn't be the worst thing. or perhaps a small kiss.

"though i won't force you at any time to do any of it." he would just simply have to deal with whatever handouts he got. that's how it was before after all.

---

ruslan skye

Victor seemed just as embarrassed as he was about his inquiry. But it was a perfectly natural one. At least, this sort of confirmed he wasn’t interested in him like that. Sort of? Lana looked at victor, gaging him as he spun the responsibility on him. “W-Well…I mean….t-that’s why I-I-I’m a-asking. S-So I can t-take it i-into c-consideration.” He returned. He’d never held hands with anyone except for when he was a child. Much less kissed anyone. Those things he could only glean form books or movies. [break][break]

“I-I know…” he said back carefully. Victor didn’t seem like the type. More sad and lonely than angry and violent. Dream murder aside. “I-It’s just…y-you can t-tell me w-w-what you w-want too. I-It goes b-both w-w-ways.” He said, pressing the man a little more.


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+ victor evans BUT DOES HE WANT THE NUDES OR NOT?!?!?!
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

it was confusing having to explain what he wanted. after all he had just wanted to put down a contract where ruslan was happy with staying here. everything else was secondary. even the requests he had put into motion were secondary. so long as lana stayed here.

"to be frank, i don't care about anything except for you being here."

he wanted to have him around. why wasn't that enough to build a contract off of.

"everything else is secondary."

he sipped on the coffee he had made, wincing because it was already slightly cold and still far too bitter for his taste. but he couldn't bring himself to move from the table now to refresh it or sweeten it more.

---

ruslan skye

Victor was a strange man. He had a strange job, strange tastes, and even a strange past. It’s not something Lana can really fault him for. It just took him by surprise. He hadn’t expected his first relationship like this to be so easy to haggle. It was a simple request. Stay here. A good offer, almost too good. But what were the alternatives? He’d never been asked to stay anywhere before, nor had that kind of interest ever been expressed with him. [break][break]

Just be here. He could do that. He caught Mikey’s eye, ever vigilant over his trainer. There’s a single, slow blink. A sign that there lacked a danger here, for now. “Ok.” Mikey didn’t seem alarmed, so why should he be? Besides…when was the last time he’d slept in a bed? Woken up without bed sores or clinging desperately to his backpack to keep it from getting stolen? He’d even cooked breakfast. Non-terrible breakfast. Hot breakfast. “L-Let’s write s-something up t-then. I c-can start t-today.” After all most of his valuables were already in a backpack somewhere in the apartment.


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+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
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[attr="class","pokeclass"]

finally. things were settled just as they needed to be. he had gotten what he wanted and what he needed out of it all. and that was what was important to him. everything else was just secondary.

"good, i'll have it written up then and we will both sign it."

he took it as a verbal contract for now. it had been agreed to and that meant that he could relax. the tension in his body releasing some as he felt himself feel better about the whole situation.

---

ruslan skye

Things seemed to settle after that, and Lana once again swallowed nervously. Even agreeing, it still felt weird. Like he shouldn’t be here. He stared at his plate for a while before finally looking back at Victor. “You…you wanna shake on it then? For now, I mean.” He said, peeking up at the man next to him. [break][break]

Maybe if they shook on it, it’d feel realer. Maybe he just needed time to adjust. That was probably it. He held out his hand to the other man, giving him a slight smile as he tucked some bangs behind his ear. “I-…um….T-Thanks for ha-having me…”


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[attr="class","pokeclass"]