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[superniceone]

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[superniceone]

Gustave is baffled at first by the amount of difficulty they're having arranging themselves for a cuddle, and he's beginning to wonder if that's just Verso declining the advance in a very clunky way— before he figures it out, too. Verso's laughter is contagious, it turns out, and Gustave is still chuckling to himself as he curls his arm around Verso's waist and gently squeezes.

"Do I seem like the type to brag about bathroom fixtures? You can be honest."

[recreatable]

If Gustave had felt out of his depth during sex, it can't be anything compared to how embarrassingly out of practice Verso feels now, not having cuddled another human being in 67 years. He shifts a few times, unsure if he's meant to be facing Gustave or facing away from him, before he finally decides that face-to-face is probably too intimate for baby's first cuddling session in seven decades.

It still feels strange. Not bad, but unusual. Like he doesn't really belong here, but that's probably because he doesn't; somehow, despite everything, he fell into having one good thing that he very much doesn't deserve.

Not that he says any of that. "Oh, definitely," he says instead, wry. "Total bathtub snob."

[superniceone]

"Yeah, I thought that's how I came across," Gustave muses, and he should probably be embarrassed by how much obvious comfort it brings him to wrap someone up in his arms and settle into his pillow. He presses a small kiss to the side of Verso's neck, just in reflexive affection instead of an attempt to be titillating.

"We'll save her," he promises then, and he's sad but convicted. "You don't have to do these things alone anymore."

[recreatable]

That's sweet and all, but he'd sort of had the opposite thought, that he should tell Gustave not to worry about it anymore and that he'd figure it out himself, somehow. Gustave was in Verso's shoes for exactly one day and spent the majority of it in bed feeling sorry for himself. Verso can't judge, of course, because that's the same thing he's been doing for the past week, but it really doesn't feel like they both need to experience that.

"That's a surprising amount of optimism, given your premature wallowing."

[superniceone]

"I'm allowed to wallow. I think I might be depressed? I'm not entirely certain." Gustave says this with the strange clinical composure of the scientist he is. The conversation with Maelle had the catalyst, not the cause. He hurtled along at breakneck speed his entire life and never spent much time recovering from the whiplash from the way he'd abruptly stopped. He wants to look at the city and see it as flourishing; instead it feels stagnant, like a scum-covered stone at the bottom of a pond.

It wasn't until halfway through the first Sakapatate doodle that he realized how little joy he was finding in the things he'd loved pre-Expedition. Maybe he had come back wrong. Or—

"Just everything catching up, I think. The people's hero is allowed to spend a few days being a useless lump in bed."

[recreatable]

"The people's hero, huh?"

Said with an audible eye roll. But he does turn to look at Gustave now, because he's depressed, apparently, and talking about it with a sort of scientific detachment that doesn't suggest he's anywhere near the healing stage.

"If the people's hero needs to talk, I'm a pretty good shoulder to cry on." Just saying!! "Very absorbent."

[superniceone]

"Hey, you're the one who kept trying to prepare me for these droves of persistent fans." He's not looking back at him, but only because his eyes are closed. To his credit, he does seem comfortable. "I haven't given up hope with Maelle. I'm just— picking my battles."

[recreatable]

"She's..." He obviously doesn't want to say something unflattering about his favorite person in the world, but also, she's driving him nuts. "More independent than she used to be." Meaning she doesn't fucking listen.

"At least you haven't come to blows with her yet." Although he's starting to wonder if they might be able to force her out of the Canvas if they team up against her; Gustave probably couldn't bear the thought of raising arms against Maelle, though, so he doesn't bring it up.

[superniceone]

"Yet," Gustave echoes, unaware that he's having extremely similar thoughts to Verso. It's exactly what he's afraid of: Maelle becoming the next iteration of the Paintress. He's not worried about her Gommaging the world — he just doesn't want to watch her slowly kill herself. He can't imagine how Verso must feel.

He opens his eyes, smiling crookedly at him. "Tu me plais."

[recreatable]

"Oh, I see," he says, knowingly. "You only said all of that so I'd think you were sensitive and vulnerable."

Obviously, he doesn't think this is true; it's unfathomable that Gustave wouldn't be depressed under his current circumstances. But he hopes the absurdity of it will make Gustave laugh, or at least keep the smile on his face.

"I know all about that trick."

[superniceone]

"Is it working?" It is, objectively, very sad to think about all of the reasons why this thing between them is doomed to fail. He wishes he could tell his past self to be a little kinder about Verso's uncertainties, his hesitation. In another world, maybe. "Je t'adore."

[recreatable]

"Oh, yeah. I'm a sucker for sensitivity."

He definitely shouldn't be encouraging this, and he definitely should have told Gustave that, yes, the disappearing act was an implied break-up. If Gustave is depressed now, being involved with Verso is only going to make it worse. But he loves having something to feel guilty about, so he leans in and kisses Gustave instead.

"—And baby faces," he says upon pulling back, because although it hadn't been a lie that he looks nice shaven, it really makes Verso feel like a dirty old man preying on an innocent when Gustave has gone from 'handsome' to 'boyishly handsome'. "Although the riot is still forthcoming."

[superniceone]

"I do not have a baby face," Gustave scoffs, affronted, but he does seem pleased by the kiss. He gives him another, soft and lingering and sweet; they'd never really had the time for ones exactly like that. "But save your energy. It'll grow back."

He closes his eyes again, though his hand is gently sweeping Verso's side. Petting him, really, but his touch is light.

"Just another minute, and then I'll let you up."

[recreatable]

The facial hair is really necessary, because now he just looks like Edward Cullen!!!

Gustave closes his eyes, but Verso's stay open, watching Gustave's face. He looks more relaxed now, at least, wound marginally less tight than before. "Are you kicking me out?" he asks, and it's teasing, but there's a hint of sincerity. He gets it, really. Sometimes you want to wallow in your own misery alone.

[superniceone]

"Giving you an option, not making a suggestion. Bed is too big for one person. Plenty of space to wallow with company."

It's not his fault Aline was obsessed with Twilight!!! Gustave is just going to snuggle in, thank you very much. He can have this for a couple of minutes.

[recreatable]

Aline included RPattz in her Sims preset heads and forgot to delete it before Gustave was born, tragic.

"Well," he says, shifting onto his back. "If I might remind you, you were actually supposed to come over to my place." Which is, like, the saddest bachelor pad in existence, but at least it's not a hut. "I had wine and everything."

[superniceone]

"How's the bed?" Gustave follows Verso when he shifts, sort of casually leaning over him. "I have some slightly stale pastries I could probably contribute."

[recreatable]

Worn out from Verso flinging himself onto it crying, probably!!! "Oh, roomy. Warm. Very sturdy." Just saying. "Could use some stale pastry crumbs to liven the place up, though."

[superniceone]

"Very sturdy. That's a big claim. Have you done much stress testing?" They are both miserable, disillusioned, worried sick — not typically emotional states that lend well to frisky business. But Verso is right there beneath him, talking about his sturdy bed, and Gustave can't resist the urge to drop his head, to press sharp and affectionate kisses against the side of his throat.

[recreatable]

Uh, yeah, he stress-tested it with the aforementioned flinging himself onto the mattress crying. But the horny human spirit is unbreakable, so he says, "I was waiting on someone who could help me test it more... scientifically."

He drops his voice, tone deep and sensual. "You know, with data points. Mm, and... hypotheses." And all those sexy science buzzwords he's just saying because he assumes that's what turns nerds like Gustave on.

[superniceone]

Well— okay. That's actually enough to get Gustave to lean up, his face crinkled in genuine amusement as he hovers over Verso. "Are you— is that seduction? Are you seducing me with data points and hypotheses?"

He's maybe a little outraged that it's actually working, but that's more to do with Verso's tone of voice than his actual words.

[recreatable]

Gustave isn't appreciating the sexy scientist roleplay enough. Verso could wear nothing but a white lab coat and goggles! Very hot, until he says 'data' when he means 'datum' and turns Gustave off.

"I think you're the one who decides if you've been seduced," he points out, which is just roundabout way of saying I don't know, is it working?

oh no

[superniceone]

Nothing sexier than a white man hitting you with the well actually mid-coitus.

But if Gustave is outraged, it's only because Verso didn't bat an eye at the way Gustave was whispering sweet nothings at him earlier, and him being an utter jokester is what's going to actually work. He deadweights on top of him, voice dropping to a whisper. "Are you inviting me back to your place because you're worried about having sex when my sister is home?"



He's just curious.

covers my eyes i saw nothing officer

[recreatable]

The feeling of Gustave's weight—which admittedly is not really that sizeable—on top of him isn't unpleasant, and Verso rests his hand on the small of Gustave's back, but that's all he does. Because, yes, he is sort of worried about that. He's not even sure if Emma knows that they're together (or something — this is a very poorly defined relationship), because Gustave didn't even know, and Verso kind of didn't know until he was asked, either.

"Science can be noisy work." And he's not really sure how thick these walls are.

[superniceone]

"We've never made— noisy— science—" Gustave starts, and he wants to be offended, but it just sort of sputters out. He doesn't really have the energy to actually care that much about it one way or the other. He leans in to rest more fully on Verso for a moment, just savoring the closeness of someone he's come to care about, before he rolls off the bed with a reluctant little groan.

"Okay. Come on, then, if you're going to be shy about it."