[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

he was glad to see mint.

[break][break] even though they'd spent the last twenty years together in a fugue state, even though he'd just seen the other last week as a part of an internal review, even when he still remembered the last text message that the other sent him in the CERBERUS group chat, it was a relief to see mint.

[break][break] one thing that anchored him to this world, rather than the dream-like state of the other.

[break][break] even though mint had been there too. maybe?

[break][break] "thanks."

[break][break] jayden takes the black coffee from the tray, taking a sip from the hot liquid. he blinks, looking over at mint — taking a mental calculation of his state compared to last time — and pauses.

[break][break] "you seem tired, mint."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"fern's at work," jayden reminded mint, sliding off his shoes by the door. his fingers ghosted over the security panel, locking it securely, before he stepped into the monochrome space.

[break][break] in the time that he and fern delaney had been together, his apartment had made a subtle shift from cold and unassuming to slightly warmer. there was evidence of the other admin littered all across the apartment. none of which was as adorable as lada and hesus cuddling on the slate-gray couch, with a multi-colored blanket draped over them.

[break][break] "yeah," jayden says, stepping towards him. the back of his hand presses against the beast's head to check his temperature. "but you're not feverish."

[break][break] jayden doesn't sip his coffee yet. he simply frowns, avoiding the question.

[break][break] "no. tell me."

[break][break] "what's the matter?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

it isn't the first time he's seen it, but it is the first time that he considers it relevant. jayden's face pinches together with concern as the silence in the apartment takes up more space, the sound of the beast chewing on the straw the only thing that echoes there.

[break][break] after a moment, he breaks it.

[break][break] "did i ever tell you," he says, with little to no preamble. "this story?"

[break][break]

SPOILER: Click to show

he holds up his wrist. not the other wounds that crater his shoulder, but on the underside of one of his forearms, are an unmistakable streak of scars — ones that mint frost might recognize most intimately.

[break] jayden steps forward, taking the plastic cup gently from the other's grip, and then onto the island counter.

[break][break] "mint," he says evenly. "tell me what's bothering you."

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg [break][break]

tw: self-harm mention

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

of the terror that mint frost experiences, jayden is unaware. he has spent too many nights with his own terrors that he can't seem to fathom anybody elses.

[break][break] they are just a story. just like any one of his other scars.

[break][break] at the mention of galar, his gaze steels. then softens. anxiety bubbles in his throat at the only worries that he holds tight to his chest, and then he remembers — this is mint. not him.

[break][break] "you don't have to forget," he says. with that, jayden steps forward, closing in on mint's space. a frown turns his lip. "you can - "

[break][break] "you can just be mint, mint."

[break][break] "don't force it."

[break][break] a hand, like freshly fallen snow, is placed onto the boy's blue locks.

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg [break][break]

tw: self-harm mention

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

'i hated ballonea.'

[break][break] his fingers tighten. his jaw locks. the reaction is instantaneous, and it is only because of a lifetime of restraint that he is able to pull himself back. his fingers loosen, slipping away from the beast's scalp, and he steps back.

[break][break] even then, in the slate-gray of his home, the admin's eyes are still as hard as charcoal.

[break][break] "don't say that," he says, stiffly. "that's my hometown."

[break][break] but even so, he can exercise sympathy. he understands, if only a little bit, how difficult it can be. to be unable to wake up from a nightmare. he steps away from the beast, walking across the island to open the fridge. he pulls a tray of fruit, one of which is an orange. a sting of memory reminds him of Felix Gallagher, who he hasn't heard from either. setting it onto the island, he picks one up and pulls apart the skin, slowly and carefully.

[break][break] a gesture towards the other implicates for him to do the same. physical motions can sometimes ease the pain.

[break][break] "things get easier with time," he says. "you're not in galar, anymore. you're here. you're home."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg [break][break]

tw: self-harm mention

☉

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

'paradise?'

[break][break] "you think my childhood was paradise?"

[break][break] electricity lights up in his violet gaze — but unkind, volatile.

[break][break] jayden had never, not once, laid a hand on mint. in the same way that Cillian Quinn had never laid a hand on him. but perhaps that was sheer luck, not intention.

[break][break] it's the your majesty that has him triggered though, standing stiff above mint frost. his jaw locked.

[break][break] "what exactly are you so upset about, mint?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
post-gg [break][break]

tw: self-harm mention

☉