burstmodes | ic contact ( prismatica )

how easily?
i don't know a time we haven't uh you know
when we haven't been together i guess

[ Is that a stupid thing to worry about? ]

i can try to come back
i mean maybe for a night and see how it goes?

I mean, I might forget, but you won’t.
So in that sense it’ll be sort of easy?
I’d try to do better about it, too.

Even if it isn’t easy, I think it’s worth a shot.
We have to at least try.

[ That's kind of the opposite of effort, but he feels like a third wheel staying with Noct now that Lunafreya is there. So... what choice does he have? ]

i know
then i'll see you tonight?
or tomorrow if you're busy

[Even if the decision is made because Prompto is picking the less shitty of two shitty options, Nero will take it as a win.]

I'm not busy.
Tonight is good!

ok then i'll see you tonight
wanna watch a movie or something?

[ See what's on Lunatia cable TV and all that. ]

Sure. I’ll see what’s on.
What do you want for dinner?

oh uh i dunno
we can have whatever i'm not picky

if you want me to bring something on my way over just let me know

I'll surprise you.

Also, don't worry. I'm not cooking.
I'm ordering out.

cool
then i'll see you later?
just tell me if you change your mind on me grabbing something before then

Yeah, no.
I'll take care of everything.
Just, please come home.

yeah just for tonight though

[ That's important since... well, he still doesn't know how he feels. ]

i'll see you soon

Yeah, I know.
See you.

[ Strangely enough, he's anxious about this. It shouldn't be a big deal since nothing's going to happen, but Prompto is running over all these weird scenarios in his head anyway, not bothering to take anything with him since he's actually going to be staying at his house. It'll be nice to use his own shower and sleep in his own bed, and it'll be nice to see Nero too. (He hopes.)

And he shows up like he says he's going to, knocking even as he lets himself in. Strange, sure, but he doesn't want to catch him by surprise if he's in the middle of something. Which is also why he calls out to him too. ]

It's me! [ A pause as he wrestles with his shoes. ] Did you find anything good to watch?

[The food had just arrived, so when there's knocking again he knows it can only be Prompto. Nero sets the table like a restaurant date, side dishes placed over the table while the main course was already set on the center of the plates. He literally had nothing else to do besides stress himself out worrying about all the possible worst case scenarios.

Nero stuff all of the negative shit away and puts on a smile to greet Prompto with.]

Yeah! There's a marathon of buddy cop action films on one channel and also some weird horror thing on another. [He gestures toward the table with the food.] But there's food if you want to do that first.

[It feels weird not greeting Prompto with a hug or a kiss, but he doesn't want him to feel more weird about being there than he probably already does.]

[ The sad thing is... he was expecting Nero to try to be normal, so when he doesn't embrace him or kiss him, Prompto feels his heart sink just a little. But he tries not to dwell on it too much, deciding to make an effort to keep things normal by ducking around him and grabbing at one of the plates while gently elbowing Nero in the side. ]

Let's do both at once! We can figure out what to put on while we eat.

[ It's a compromise? Besides, he wants things to go back to normal, and he wants to be close to Nero too. The whole proximity thing is what he craves right now, more than anything, and he fixes his plate before urging Nero to do the same with a look. ]

You feel up to being scared tonight? [ He grins at him. ]

[Nero is stuck between a rock and a hard place where not behaving normally could bother Prompto but behaving too normally my might trigger him. It’s a dance he’s have to figure out quickly to fix how things were between them now. Assuming they could be fixed.

He suppresses those feelings again, and figuratively charges forward with his plan to not so much wine, but definitely dine his boyfriend.]

Both at once works. [That’s truly the best option when they can put off choosing all together. Nero sits down to arrange what he wants on his plate, using the remote to turn the TV on before any eating actually goes on.]

I doubt any of that stuff is actually scary. Real life is scarier.

[ Prompto sits next to him, keeping a fraction of space in case Nero doesn't actually want to be close. All of this still feels incredibly weird to him. ]

Oh come on! Some stuff can be scary. [ Probably not a good topic to be on, but whatever. ] You know, like ghosts and goblins and other crawly things...

[ There's a moment he almost blurts out 'monsters', but in real life, those are definitely a hell of a lot scarier than whatever they could come up with in a movie. Still, he settles back to eat, picking at what's on his plate as he watches Nero and the TV, trying to read the situation and hopefully not make it more awkward than it already is. ]

[If they're just eating, Nero doesn't mind being close enough that their arms touch every so often. It's likely the closest Nero can get without becoming afraid of fucking up.]

Those aren't real. Demons are real, and I kill those--like as my occupation. [They did look awful and unsettling sometimes, but never scary. Being alone was scary for him. Not so much fictional creatures.] Do ghosts and stuff exist back home for you?

[There's also the matter that if there are monsters on TV being scary, it can be turned off. Real life didn't work that way.]

[ There's a soft sigh, sitting quietly for a moment as he tries to figure out what to do. It still feels weird to him, and he doesn't know how he's going to manage a whole night of this. But he's determined to try, shaking his head a little and then hesitating. ]

We have daemons too, but they're... I dunno. They can be pretty creepy, especially if you find 'em in a dungeon or some ancient tomb. [ Oh yeah. He remembers that all too well, and it's something he'd rather not talk about right now. But if it gets Nero to talk to him... ] Let's watch the other channel for a while.

[ Since that definitely seems to be more Nero's style anyway. ]

I know you have demons. I meant like spirits of the dead! [He lifts his arms to make spooky ghost sounds that he's only ever seen on TV, but Prompto doesn't seem particularly entertained.

Nero takes a bite of food, and is about to ask if Prompto things places can be haunted when the blond suggests a change in channel. He nods right away and grabs the remote to change it. Maybe he should try not to talk through this one so much? For now he just eats in silence, trying hard not to ask a bunch of question just to fill the silence.]

[ The awkwardness is so sharp that he can practically taste it, leaning forward to set his plate aside as he tries to decide what he wants to do.

This isn't them. He doesn't know a day they've ever felt this weird around each other, even when things had been strange in Duplicity, and so, with a breath, Prompto decides to Nero's plate too so he can climb into his lap. This way, he's forced to look at him, reaching up to cup his face. ]

Can we talk about this? I wasn't trying to make it worse.

[Nero was willing to keep trying to act normal for as long as it took, but worrying about small talk wasn't really accomplishing anything. It was just spending more time avoiding the things that they didn't have answers to. They were stuck in a cycle, but thankfully Prompto chose to disrupt it a little.]

I want to talk about it.

[Going from having trouble keeping a conversation going with Prompto to having him in his lap like everything was fine gives him a little whiplash, but he's determined to focus. He rests his hands on the blond's thighs and looks directly at him.]

I think I can manage to do that without freaking out again. I've been practicing.

Practicing?

[ He shakes his head, not wanting to really delve too much into that. Maybe he's been talking with V or with whoever else he hangs out with when he's not home. Prompto doesn't want to pry, and he bites at his lip, gaze dropping for a second or two before he looks at him again. His fingers rub over Nero's jaw and eventually settle on his shoulder. ]

I just... I wanna know what it's going to take for this [ he gestures between them ] to not feel like we've never been together. Is there something you want me to do?

Yeah, so we don't have to worry about me changing suddenly again.

[What else would he be doing besides sulking and working on trying to fix the thing that ruined everything in the first place? He takes a long drawn out breath and then exhales in a sigh.]

Well, nothing's changed as far as how I feel. I still want to be with you. I just don't know how I can help? Do I give you space and time? Do I pester you to come back? Right now I'm trying to be somewhere in between and it's.. weird. [He has to laugh, though. It did feel like they'd never been together.]

I just want to know what you need from me, Prompto. I'm okay working toward something, but if we're working toward more weirdness, I don't know..

[ He shakes his head a little. ]

I don't know what I need. Maybe that's why it's all messed up. [ And it's not as if he hasn't thought about it. All he has is time, and with the distance between them, he knows he just misses Nero. ] I wanna come home, but... I guess I don't want you to have to worry about that, uh, Devil Trigger? And it wasn't you. It was just –

[ Prompto shrugs weakly and leans forward to rest face against his shoulder. ]

Sorry I freaked out.

ic contact ( prismatica )

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