tfln overflow / open post

[superniceone]

(open / overflow)

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[superniceone]

"Verso," Gustave says, performatively exasperated and using it as an excuse to crowd him just slightly, "why would you-"

He's cut off by a gasp, and is halfway to summoning his sword when he realizes it's just Maelle.

"Maelle-" he starts, and is cut off immediately.

"I knew something was going on."

[recreatable]

Oh. There's a slight shift of his jaw. He doesn't particularly mind who knows about this—whatever 'this' is—but he'd have preferred not to have his sister find out that he's been kissing her brother. (Ugh. He was right not to tell her the truth. Imagine having to navigate that odd dynamic.) It's all fraught enough without involving Maelle.

"...Is that Esquie I hear calling for me?" he asks. It's dead silent.

[superniceone]

Gustave gives him the most deadpan possible look. "Yes," he says, "it certainly is." Coward. It's not like Gustave is so embarrassed he could die or anything.

[recreatable]

"I don't hear anything," Maelle says with that patented little sister Look™. It makes his heart clench and yearn to be close to her the way that Gustave gets to be, family and not just some strange man who came out of the woods to join her Expedition.

"When he gets stuck on his back, he can't get back up again," Verso says, excessively serious. "I should go help turn him over."

He's not proud of the way he absconds from Gustave for a third time, but clearly, it's their thing. Maelle watches him turn tail for only a moment before she turns back to Gustave, eyebrow raised, annoying little sister mode fully engaged.

"Is it offensive to say I didn't think you had it in you? Because I didn't think you had it in you."

[superniceone]

Gustave watches Verso go as well, but it's mostly with jealousy; he wishes he could evaporate from this situation, too.

"No, it's fine," he says finally, exasperated. "I didn't think I did, either. Are you going to lecture me?'

[recreatable]

"Lecture?" she asks, eyebrow raised skeptically. "I thought that was your job." Although Gustave is really a terribly poor lecturer. Not cut out for being a stern authority figure at all.

"I am going to tease you, of course." As is her sworn duty as a little sister. She makes a face, then adds, "He's a hundred."

[superniceone]

"Yeah, but he barely looks a day over ninety-five." Having a conversation about the complexities of his and Verso's weird - thing - together is honestly the last thing on the planet he's interested in doing. "If you actually love me, you'll pretend you didn't see anything."

[recreatable]

Wow, at first she was only interested inasmuch as it meant she could gently bully Gustave. Now she's actually curious. "Why?" she asks, voice lilting. "Is it a secret thing?"

[superniceone]

"No. I don't know." A good role model wouldn't be sneaking off to kiss boys in the dark, Maelle! He groans, pressing his hand to his face. "Sophie would never stop teasing me if she knew. She'd say she ruined me for other women."

[recreatable]

Maelle doesn't have extensive experience with relationships—she'd kissed a boy once, but the next day, she'd caught him kissing another girl—but even she knows 'I don't know' doesn't bode well. She cringes a little at that, open and obvious with it, before laughing at the next comment. "Well, didn't she?"

She'd just assumed that was the reason Gustave never tried anything on with Sciel or Lune, as beautiful and wonderful as they both are. Too much Sophie on the mind, on the heart.

[superniceone]

Gustave hums quietly at that question, glancing in the direction Verso had disappeared off in. "Suppose you're right," he says. There's no denying that it's easier knowing that Sophie is nothing but a name to Verso; there aren't any shared memories to mutually stumble over like emotional landmines.

That isn't a conversation he can have with Maelle.

"It's not a secret because it's not a thing," he says a moment later, belatedly expanding on his earlier answer. "We're going to focus on more important things until the mission is over. Let's head back to camp."

[recreatable]

"Okay, okay," Maelle says, hands up in a gesture of surrender. She's just trying to get the tea, jeez. No one tells her anything around here!!! She does take a step back toward camp, but then she turns back— "So you're saying he's not your secret boyfriend."

[superniceone]

"I'm saying he's not my secret boyfriend," Gustave confirms, joining her to pointedly walk back to the others. He hesitates, adding: "But I do hope he'll stick around for a while with us when we've washed our hands of the Paintres."

[recreatable]

"That's too bad. A secret boyfriend would be much more exciting than whatever weird, sad thing you have going on," she says chipperly. But! She'll let it go, because it seems to be a source of bad-embarrassment and not fun-embarrassment. Maelle links her arm in Gustave's as they walk back, saying, "He'll have to stick around. I've already talked to Esquie, and we're throwing a party after."

[superniceone]

Gustave can't really bring himself to disagree with that. He, too, wishes that any of them had the opportunity for something so mundane and normal.

But all of his attention is back on Maelle the moment her arm is in his, and he grins sidelong at her. "Oh, a party, huh? What do you think - three tables or four?"

[recreatable]

"Four," is her response. Does she really believe they're going to make it through this, or is she just putting on a brave face? Hard to say. Party-planning is a good distraction either way. "Esquie takes up at least three seats by himself..." She continues yapping about party logistics as they make their way back to camp proper, clearly happy to have a conversation with Gustave where they're both looking forward to the future.

[superniceone]

Monoco finds himself mostly unconcerned with the details of what Verso gets up to when he spends time with the other humans, but he's fully aware neither he nor Verso are immune to grief. He's aware that his human companion had been making an effort to keep an emotional barrier up between himself and this latest group of Expeditioners. He's also had front row seats to nearly incidental ways they'd begun to breach it.

"You can do better," he informs Verso matter of factly when Gustave and Maelle return to camp, arm in arm.

[recreatable]

Verso watches Gustave and Maelle, arm-in-arm, Maelle chatting animatedly to Gustave about something, and feels another ache of jealousy in his chest. He hadn't wanted to be confronted about Gustave, necessarily, but some part of him wishes he were the one she would have wanted to talk to about it instead.

It's pointless envy. Soon enough there won't be a Gustave or a Verso for her to walk arm-in-arm with. He lets the sight distract him for a moment regardless, before turning to Monoco: "Jealous?" Teasing, of course. Monoco will always be his #1 shawty.

[superniceone]

It's not Gustave's fault that Verso had immediately started making excuses to flee!! The most reasonable parts of Gustave know that he should just leave Verso alone, that this thing he's forcing between them isn't good for either of them. He hasn't known Verso long, and it's unfair to make him a victim of Gustave's own baggage - but he likes him. In the end, he hadn't chased Sophie, and his life had been poorer for it.

Monoco knows none of this, of course, and just snorts derisively. "Please. I could take him in a fight any day of the week."

[recreatable]

Verso tugs at the hair/fur/look we just don't know what Gestrals are made of on Monoco's arm, bullying. "Are you going to fight for me, Monoco?"

[superniceone]

Monoco swats Verso's hand away like he's shooing a fly. "I'll go thrash him right now if it'll cheer you up," he states, as if he has ever once needed a reason to get into a fight.

It's a real offer, though.

[recreatable]

Verso glances over at Gustave again; Maelle has taken him over to Esquie and is now discussing what party games they're going to play.

"And lose my opportunity to brood handsomely? Never."

[superniceone]

"You never miss a chance," Monoco deadpans, as though he's not a little genuinely bummed that he's not being asked to commit senseless violence.

Gustave glances back at Verso, and mostly just smiles a little hopefully (and a lot apologetically.)

[recreatable]

"It's a talent." Verso doesn't immediately look away, which is an improvement. He smiles faintly back, not nearly as hopeful, but— he's holding Gustave's gaze, which should really count for something. He cants his head toward Maelle, then raises his eyebrow questioningly (and a little smugly, since he so successfully managed to get out of that conversation).

[superniceone]

Gustave's little shrug is enough to get Maelle's attention; she glances at him, then tracks his gaze quickly enough back to Verso. "Hey," she calls over, "I said you'd be his date to the victory party. Don't let us down."

She looks a little smug herself when her interjection makes Gustave look like he wants to die. Someday Gustave will be baffled that he never saw the resemblance.