[Mikleo's so mad. They can mess with his appearance all they want, but Sorey is off limits. He glances over at what used to be a blue toothbrush—]
...Seriously?
[...Hang on.
Mikleo darts out of the bathroom and goes to check their kitten. He talks to her soothingly as he wakes her up, and instead of light blue eyes that greet him, it's grey. Then he goes to check outside via the window—]
Holy shit. Sorey, you need to see this!
[The sky is no longer blue, but solid grey with some white clouds overhead. All the grass and any green trees are also no longer that color. It's honestly incredibly eerie to look at it.]
[Sorey's still poking at his eyes, blinking and rubbing at them like that might bring the color back. That's so weird... but then Mikleo calls for him. He goes to join his boyfriend at the window.]
Don't tell me--
[It looks like it's partly cloudy outside, except the sunshine is just as bright as it would be on a normally sunny day. The plants in the neighbor's planters are all gray, the grass is gray, the flowers are gray.]
It's... it's everything. Blue and-- I guess green, they're completely gone.
[He's having a hard time processing this. This is like-- like that one movie about the kids who get sucked into an old television. It's...]
Mikleo...
[Maybe this world isn't as real as they'd hoped. He wants to believe that it is, that the last twenty years or so of being alive aren't just-- fake. He reaches out for Mikleo's hand to cling to it. He gives it a squeeze and reminds himself that they're both very much alive and he's not about to join the ghosts in the park.]
[Mikleo looks over at his partner and squeezes his hand back reassuringly. He can't afford to freak out when it's clear that Sorey is starting to. He has to be levelheaded and strong for him. It's about all Mikleo's good for as he is.]
Hey.
[The older man reaches up to cup Sorey's cheek, gently bringing his attention to Mikleo.]
I love you, okay? That's not changing, and it hasn't changed in the past 20 years. Maybe our lives here have been nothing but a fabrication, but we still found and stuck by each other.
[He has to do everything he can to protect his partner. If that means dirtying his own hands to save Sorey from doing so, fine. Mikleo will take that burden. These people have hurt the brunet enough.]
[Sorey leans into Mikleo's touch unthinkingly, turning slightly toward him. He always gives Mikleo his full attention.]
I love you too, [he murmurs.] I know that this doesn't change anything. The way we feel-- that's real. But I don't want to accept that this world might not be. I know that's dumb, but my mother... my family. Jiijii. A-and yours, too--
[He swallows thickly. He feels so helpless right now. He's a kid with a sword and maybe some inkling of how to use it, but that doesn't make him powerful. All the strength in the world wouldn't be able to bring color back into the world right now, and it wouldn't keep anything else from happening.]
I don't think we had families in that other life. All we really had was each other.
[Mikleo shakes his head, pressing closer to Sorey to give him more physical comfort.]
I don't think so. That village in our memories? For all we know, all the people who lived there might've been our family.
[Yes, he's upset at the idea that the family he knows and loves here is a lie. Still, Sorey's more important right now. He's having more of a crisis than Mikleo is, but only because he refuses to break in front of him. The older man's done that enough, too, back in March.]
It's scary and overwhelming, but breathe, okay? We don't know everything yet.
[Mikleo reaches back to gently pull Sorey's head down to rest against his forehead.]
You're staying home. No arguing. I'll run out to the store really fast to pick up some ingredients, but today's gonna be the two of us and the cat under a blanket, eating ice cream mochi.
[He knows he needs to get a hold of himself, but for this one moment... just this moment, he wants to give rise to the doubts that have been haunting him for months. He slips his arms around Mikleo's middle and rests their foreheads together, takes in a deep breath, lets it out. Counts to ten.
He's okay. They're okay.]
Yeah... you're right. I'm sorry for freaking out.
[His knuckles whiten in the back of Mikleo's shirt.]
You don't have to do anything for me. But if you run outside, be careful out there, okay?
[He sighs and relaxes a bit more. Mikleo always knows how to turn him into putty, really.]
Of course I would. But I meant that just you being here is good enough for me. [He won't be gone long though. And maybe Sorey can supervise the uh, mochi bit. And taste test... all of it.
Sorey mirrors the now-familiar gesture with his other hand, his smile soft but bright.]
Yeah. We're partners.
[The kitten mews a bit, complaining that she needs help off the bed. Sorey's eyes shift over in that direction.]
Mikleo chuckles as his boyfriend goes to rescue their kitten. In the meantime, he's going to give himself one last glance-over in the mirror to make sure that he's good enough to go out in public.]
Just kiss me before I leave. It shouldn't take me too long, but I don't know what traffic will look like with green lights now being grey.
[Having handled the kitten issue, he comes back over to slip his arms around Mikleo's waist and snuggle into his hair. He leaves a few kisses there, because why not.] You don't even need to ask. [See, he's gonna kiss Mikleo a thousand times on his own.
Sorey steps around him and touches Mikleo's cheek so he can pull him into a soft kiss, the kind that tingles and lingers long after it's done.]
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...Seriously?
[...Hang on.
Mikleo darts out of the bathroom and goes to check their kitten. He talks to her soothingly as he wakes her up, and instead of light blue eyes that greet him, it's grey. Then he goes to check outside via the window—]
Holy shit. Sorey, you need to see this!
[The sky is no longer blue, but solid grey with some white clouds overhead. All the grass and any green trees are also no longer that color. It's honestly incredibly eerie to look at it.]
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Don't tell me--
[It looks like it's partly cloudy outside, except the sunshine is just as bright as it would be on a normally sunny day. The plants in the neighbor's planters are all gray, the grass is gray, the flowers are gray.]
It's... it's everything. Blue and-- I guess green, they're completely gone.
[He's having a hard time processing this. This is like-- like that one movie about the kids who get sucked into an old television. It's...]
Mikleo...
[Maybe this world isn't as real as they'd hoped. He wants to believe that it is, that the last twenty years or so of being alive aren't just-- fake. He reaches out for Mikleo's hand to cling to it. He gives it a squeeze and reminds himself that they're both very much alive and he's not about to join the ghosts in the park.]
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Hey.
[The older man reaches up to cup Sorey's cheek, gently bringing his attention to Mikleo.]
I love you, okay? That's not changing, and it hasn't changed in the past 20 years. Maybe our lives here have been nothing but a fabrication, but we still found and stuck by each other.
[He has to do everything he can to protect his partner. If that means dirtying his own hands to save Sorey from doing so, fine. Mikleo will take that burden. These people have hurt the brunet enough.]
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I love you too, [he murmurs.] I know that this doesn't change anything. The way we feel-- that's real. But I don't want to accept that this world might not be. I know that's dumb, but my mother... my family. Jiijii. A-and yours, too--
[He swallows thickly. He feels so helpless right now. He's a kid with a sword and maybe some inkling of how to use it, but that doesn't make him powerful. All the strength in the world wouldn't be able to bring color back into the world right now, and it wouldn't keep anything else from happening.]
I don't think we had families in that other life. All we really had was each other.
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I don't think so. That village in our memories? For all we know, all the people who lived there might've been our family.
[Yes, he's upset at the idea that the family he knows and loves here is a lie. Still, Sorey's more important right now. He's having more of a crisis than Mikleo is, but only because he refuses to break in front of him. The older man's done that enough, too, back in March.]
It's scary and overwhelming, but breathe, okay? We don't know everything yet.
[Mikleo reaches back to gently pull Sorey's head down to rest against his forehead.]
You're staying home. No arguing. I'll run out to the store really fast to pick up some ingredients, but today's gonna be the two of us and the cat under a blanket, eating ice cream mochi.
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He's okay. They're okay.]
Yeah... you're right. I'm sorry for freaking out.
[His knuckles whiten in the back of Mikleo's shirt.]
You don't have to do anything for me. But if you run outside, be careful out there, okay?
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A lot's happened. I'd be more worried if you weren't freaking out a bit.
[Mikleo runs his fingers soothingly through chestnut brown hair. He gives his partner a faint smile, trying to go for his trademark smirk.]
I'll be careful, don't worry. [He playfully thumps Sorey's chest with his free hand.] C'mon, you'd do the same thing for me. We're partners.
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Of course I would. But I meant that just you being here is good enough for me. [He won't be gone long though. And maybe Sorey can supervise the uh, mochi bit. And taste test... all of it.
Sorey mirrors the now-familiar gesture with his other hand, his smile soft but bright.]
Yeah. We're partners.
[The kitten mews a bit, complaining that she needs help off the bed. Sorey's eyes shift over in that direction.]
Ah, hold that thought-- I'm coming, I'm coming!
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[It gets Sorey almost everywhere, though.
Mikleo chuckles as his boyfriend goes to rescue their kitten. In the meantime, he's going to give himself one last glance-over in the mirror to make sure that he's good enough to go out in public.]
Just kiss me before I leave. It shouldn't take me too long, but I don't know what traffic will look like with green lights now being grey.
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Sorey steps around him and touches Mikleo's cheek so he can pull him into a soft kiss, the kind that tingles and lingers long after it's done.]
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I suppose you're right.
[He hums into the kiss as he returns the gesture, smiling slightly into it. The older man pulls away reluctantly.]
Love you. I'll see you when I get back.
[Mikleo grabs his keys and wallet, and heads out to the store.]