middaeg | fellas is it gay if you can magically read your best bros thoughts (OPEN)

Who: Rich and others
When: Morning and noonish, November 15
Where: Jeremy, Rich, and Michael's home
What: Rich and Jeremy's Bonding ceremony and celebration
Warnings: none

i. Bonding (Closed)

[Jeremy shows up at Rich's door bright and early the next morning. Despite how Rich claimed that suits weren't required, Jeremy still put together the nicest-looking thing in his wardrobe. His hair is slicked back, his skin is clearer than usual (where did he find concealer?), and he's used up a good chunk of his precious deodorant that he brought with him through the mirror.

The SQUIP had a lot of drawbacks, being an evil mind-controlling robot and all, but it taught Jeremy a valuable lesson: Jeremy cleans up good.

When Rich opens the door, Jeremy's waiting expectantly, hands behind his back and bouncing on his toes. It's clear that he's been there a while.]

You ready to go?

ii. Announcement (Open)

[To announce their Bond and to celebrate, Rich and Jeremy have opened the house up for any and everyone who wants to check it out--both quietly not mentioning how empty the space seems with Justine's recent disappearance. At Rich's suggestion, they've sent an open invitation out on the watch network to anyone who wants to drop by and offer congratulations.

Their budget isn't huge, but Jeremy's insistence on hospitality means that they've got enough finger food and drinks for people to try out. There's no alcohol.

Jeremy's still nervous even though the deed is done, so he's bustling around constantly to make sure that everything is perfectly neat, that they've got enough seats, and that nobody needs a refill. In his rush, bringing a hot tray of cookies from the oven straight onto a serving tray, he bumps into you. As he turns around to see who he's plowed over, he rushes to apologize. The niceties run into themselves before he even sees your face.]

Shoot--I'm sorry--thanks for coming!

iii. Wildcard (Open)

[Jeremy and Rich are both available to talk about their new bond with your character. Let me know if you want a specific situation!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Yes, uh. I can see that.

[He nods, ducking his head in an almost apologetic manner.]

If your focus is an individual, the fear is irrational because it's so incredibly unlikely. But if the phenomenon is your focus... your days are filled with death, and it's inevitable, and it has to become impersonal, or you'll go crazy. No one can care about that many lives on an individual level; empathy is a finite resource for even those who are very kind. Does... that make more sense to you?

Yes. I've read the Batman comics where he sets people on fire. I know the whole good of the many stuff.

[L's not trying to hide what his profession might have been now, not in a general sense.]

So it's not really you who's afraid of getting stabbed by your friends. You're afraid other people's friends will stab them?

[The metaphor might be falling apart.]

[L's framing it obtusely, but it's true that he's also edging a lot closer to that one major truth that reels all the rest of them together into that coherent picture.]

I don't have any friends...

[Not entirely true; there are a few people in Aefenglom who would willingly adopt and use that title. But L is speaking from the larger portion of his perspective, an overwhelmingly isolated time that left him crippled in casual, innocent encounters.]

And "afraid" isn't the right word. It's all very inevitable, so long as humans remain humans.

[L gets an odd look for saying so.]

Okay. So you're, like, bummed at the general state of humanity. And the existence of evil and everything.

But isn't it, uh... You know what they say. "There's a better place, but there's no way to get from here to there except by joining hands, marching together." Something like that.

[L finally lowers the puppet and looks Jeremy straight in the face. The hollow contours of his cheeks and eyes give him a wan and haunted and extremely tired appearance. It had almost disappeared when the conversation was a little more cheery and silly, a state that L isn't often allowed to inhabit. When he is, it never lasts very long.]

No. I don't know that saying.

[He did say, a moment ago, that he had no friends. There's no one to march with him except a computer.]

[Jeremy's cheeks redden.]

Oh, I thought--sorry, it's one of those prayers they do every week.

[He notices the look of exhaustion. He almost wants to offer to try to heal L again. Maybe with a Bond it won't be as disastrous this time?]

Hey, do you want some punch? You don't look great.

[He shakes his head, brisk, almost like a tic.]

It's been years. I don't remember any prayers.

[He nods. Punch sounds like a pretty good idea, right about now, even if it's non-alcoholic and therefore not as good for pushing down that empty darkness at his core.]

[Jeremy puffs out his cheeks.]

I'm not good at 'em either. I can't even read most of the Hebrew so don't feel bad.

[He says it as he's walking away, tucking the puppet under his arm. He returns with a glass of punch and a cupcake to boot, holding it out.]

Blood sugar or something, right?

Hebrew, I actually do remember.

[He slips the puppet off, setting it aside, eyes on Jeremy the whole time he's away fetching refreshments. He accepts them when the teen returns, long fingers fidgeting with the cupcake's paper wrapping.]

...or something. Yes.

[Explaining his issues with food aren't ever going to be a straightforward, easy, or sane process.]

Thanks.

'Welcome.

[Jeremy picks the other puppet up.]

Thanks for these. I'm sure Rich'll get a kick out of them.

I'm gonna get back to the kitchen... but hey, man. Thanks for coming.

fellas is it gay if you can magically read your best bros thoughts (OPEN)

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