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[superniceone]

(open / overflow)

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[recreatable]

Verso can't help the amused-confused look on his face at the offered arm; so gentlemanly!! After a moment, he laughs and takes Gustave's hand instead, grip loose and light so that he can easily step away if anyone decides to stop and chat with him on their way back. He feels a twinge of uncertainty at letting Gustave be seen with him like this in public at all, but he smothers it down.

"—I'll have you know I leave the window open to air the place out."

Probably also responsible for his improved mood. Before Monoco burst in, he'd spent most of his time with the curtains drawn and windows closed. Now, thanks to Monoco's absolutely disgusting collection of Nevron legs, he gets both sunlight and fresh air.

[superniceone]

Gustave seems a little surprised when Verso takes his hand, his grip tighter. "Sounds refreshing." He's not interested in forcing Verso to interact with people— but he also doesn't want him to think he's expected to move back, or that Gustave doesn't want to be seen with him.

"This was a nice afternoon," he adds quietly then, like it's private for just Verso. "Thank you."

[recreatable]

It was a nice afternoon, actually, likely owing to the delusional way they'd both ignored reality. In other circumstances, in another world, he thinks they'd have a good time. Unfortunately, they live in this world, where somehow the fact that Verso is still keeping the way he'd wanted to let Gustave die a secret is not the biggest threat to their relationship.

"Well," Verso says with a shrug, "turns out I'm a really good boyfriend." Lol, lmao, etc.

[superniceone]

Gustave rolls his eyes at that, pulling their joined hands to his mouth so he can kiss Verso's knuckles again. It's incredible, he thinks, the more he comes to know Verso— how obvious it is that so much of the sheer bravado is a mask. He doesn't know how he'd missed it for so long.

Then again, it wasn't often that Verso allowed any of them to see his vulnerable sides. How could they know? "So," he'll ask, casual as they navigate the streets, like they're some sort of normal couple in the real world: "When can I see you again?"

[recreatable]

'Again', huh. So this is really going to be an ongoing thing until Verso inevitably breaks Gustave's heart or ruins his life, whichever comes first.

"I don't know, I've got a pretty busy schedule." Sleep until noon, get up and argue with Monoco, maybe eat a little. His days are jam-packed. "But if you give me a day, I could... probably move some things around."

[superniceone]

Hey, it doesn't have to be either/or: Verso can totally do both at the same time. "Well, if you could be so accommodating— I'd appreciate it."

Gustave, ostensibly, has plans. Things he's supposed to do, people he's supposed to meet with. As someone once regarded as maybe the most dependable member of Expedition 33, he's uncharacteristically willing to ghost any of those commitments if Verso makes the time for him instead.

"Just let me know, alright?"

[recreatable]

Just let me know, he says, as if that wasn't Verso's way of trying to ask when he's free!! He changes tack: "What do you have on your agenda for tomorrow?"

[superniceone]

They're so mutually awkward they shouldn't be allowed to interact tbh. "I have— a lot of requests for my attention." Gustave shoots him a sidelong glance, both gentle and serious. "But you supercede everything else for the next four weeks."

They're boyfriends!!! So Gustave is going to allow himself this quiet intensity.

[recreatable]

"All right, Casanova."

Ridiculous. Intense is certainly the right word for it; he's not displeased by it on an emotional level, but on a rational level, he probably shouldn't encourage this.

"If you've got other requests for your attention, I can be patient."

[superniceone]

Gustave scoffs quietly at Verso's answer, because he certainly hadn't meant romantic bids for his time, but whatever. He won't correct him, if only because he's pretty sure Verso already knows.

He's not looking at Verso when he answers, instead just sort of squinting ahead in thought. "And if I don't want your patience?"

[recreatable]

Apparently, Gustave does not have the same concerns about encouraging Verso. He waffles for a moment, again knowing that he should pump the brakes and again not really wanting to. If he weren't already a bad person, putting Gustave through this because he doesn't want to give up human affection would make him one.

"Then," he says after a pause, "I'll demand to monopolize all of your attention." He does love attention. "Until you can't stand me. Just absolutely sick of me."

[superniceone]

Gustave laughs quietly at that, squeezing Verso's fingers in his; he's apparently pleased by that answer. Maybe it's a good plan— maybe he really will be able to shake loose his strange infatuation with the man beside him.

"Alright, then. I'm at your beck and call." Gustave is soooo just kidding around, except for the part where he isn't.

[recreatable]

Honestly, it is a good plan. Surely, without the mysterious distance and constant push-pull, Verso's annoyingness will shine through and give Gustave the ick. "Should I start tomorrow?" Since Gustave has sooo many requests for his attention; he wouldn't want to interrupt anything important.

[superniceone]

Gustave just said he didn't want you to be patient, gosh!! "Mmm. No, it's too late for that, anyway. I'm afraid you're the only thing I'm going to be able to think about for the rest of the day, regardless." It is an extremely cheesy line that — and Gustave is delivering with a little sideling grin that seems to acknowledge the fact.

sideling

[recreatable]

It's no more cheesy than Verso writing a poem, but he laughs anyway. "No wonder you have so many people vying for your attention with lines like that." The delivery is dry, but there's a little kernel of truth to it; why wouldn't Gustave have a whole city of admirers when he can say such corny things and be so endearing doing it?

"I'd invite you over, but I'd have to tell Monoco to get lost." Although he's sure Monoco wouldn't object to aggressively third-wheeling. "And you've got all those tissue samples to get back to."

[superniceone]

"Wouldn't dare interfere with your bromance," Gustave says, because Sciel canonically used that word, it is a word actually used by people in weird magic France. His tone is tongue in cheek, but he really doesn't want to drive Verso's closest friend out of his home. Not when it seems to be good for him. "Will he mind my stopping by for a visit tomorrow?"

[recreatable]

"He likes you," Verso says by way of answer, grinning. "...Not as much as he likes me"—Verso's still getting Monoco in the inevitable divorce—"but he likes you."

In fairness, Monoco was created to love Verso. Not this version of him, but all the same — loyalty was etched in with every brush stroke. Still, he has to wonder if Monoco wouldn't drop him in a second if the real Verso somehow showed up alive and uncharred. If they all wouldn't.

"I can tell him to go entertain your apprentices," he offers casually, although it's really just a roundabout way of seeing what Gustave's expectations are here, if this is the sort of stopping by where Verso's gestral best friend can sit between them on the divan the entire time or if it's of a more private, romantic nature.

[superniceone]

Gustave has forced himself to stop wondering if he, himself, were somehow pre-programmed to love Maelle and her brother. It didn't really make sense, did it? She'd bounced off so many families who couldn't love her the way she'd needed; it was happenstance, not pre-meditated fate.

"No one likes me as much as they like you," Gustave says with gentle mock-exasperation. "And you don't have to send him away on my account, but you're always welcome to sic him on the boys if you need privacy to wallow in peace."

[recreatable]

Monoco is the singular being in the entire world that likes Verso more than Gustave now that Verso's family is all gone, but that would be a depressing argument to get into, and the mood is still light enough that he doesn't want to ruin it. Besides, there's more important matters:

"For someone so brilliant, you do struggle to pick up on hints." It doesn't bode well for their relationship, given that Verso has never straightforwardly said something in his life. Far less smooth now that he just has to say it, he fumbles, "I'm— asking. If you wanted... privacy, when you come over."

Is it uncouth to ask if it's going to be the sort of visit where they make out? That feels uncouth.

[superniceone]

Gustave is a little surprised to hear it asked so straightforwardly as well, but he seems more confused by it than anything. "Mon beau. I assumed it we wanted privacy, we'd close your bedroom door." He doesn't really feel like Monoco is the type to stick his ear up against the door to eavesdrop.

[recreatable]

"And leave Monoco unsupervised in the house?" Kidding. Kind of. It's also sort of Monoco's bedroom, too, given the limited space in there, but— he won't mind, maybe. "Never mind. I'm sure it'll be... fine."

[superniceone]

Verso being 'pretty sure' that it'll be 'fine' doesn't do much to inspire confidence in Gustave. He'll pause, pulling Verso slightly off the path near a building showing no signs of life inside.

"Hey, just to be— clear. I'll never be unhappy to spend... private time, with you." He just really doesn't want to be overheard by a stranger because this is embarrassing!! "But I'm not going to be disappointed if we end up with a chaperone sometimes, be it gestral or otherwise."

[recreatable]

He's maybe in his head a little about all of this, because it's been seven decades since he's been with anyone in any way that goes beyond a wilderness quickie. It all doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, because he's going to let Gustave down eventually, but Verso finds himself somehow reluctant to let him down now.

"I just..." Want Gustave to have a good time. A perfect time, even. He finishes, offhandedly, "...know how you feel about gestrals." He pokes Gustave in the ribs, lighthearted.

[superniceone]

"Hey, he's a valued member of the Expedition before he's a gestral." Gustave pauses, then visibly waffles, even as he grabs the offending hand. He's ticklish 😤!! "Unless that's an offensive thing to say about a gestral?"

He's distracted himself here for a moment, but then he shakes it off. "I'll come make actual dinner." Because haha he's still avoiding Maelle too.

[recreatable]

They can't both avoid Maelle forever, but— "Oh, actual dinner. Sounds fancy." Especially considering that he's been subsisting on whatever takes the least amount of kitchen work, considering how minimal his experience in the kitchen has been these last few decades. Maelle would lose her mind if he accidentally started a kitchen fire. "No crepes?"