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[endlessflask]

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[heldontight]

A sunburn is counter-intuitive to relaxing, is it not?

I don't think i've had one in years...

[endlessflask]

charlton
sweetheart
you've been locked in a spooky dark castle for thousands of years
you're gonna burn up in five minutes whether you want to or not
but don't worry
i'll lovingly and delicately massage some sort of balm into your angry, crispy skin

[heldontight]

I'd much rather find my way to you. I don't like the idea of crispy skin at all.

[ and, after a few more minutes: ]

I've been told I'm in Florida.

[endlessflask]

ok
so don't wander off alone especially by the beach
if you need help only speak to women because statistically they are less likely to stab you
stay in populated well lit areas
do not go anywhere with strangers
and look out for people so fucked on meth they'll want to skin you alive, you'll know them if you see them

[heldontight]

What is meth?

[endlessflask]

meth is something you're not ready to know about
just leave a lot of room between yourself and anyone with buggy eyes who looks ready to foam at the mouth



but im really glad you never saw any of my meth memories

[heldontight]

I tried not to dwell on them, it seemed like an invasion.

[ He absolutely did see it, though. ]

I preferred the memories that you were happy in, as few as they seemed at times.

[endlessflask]

i have a whole lifetime of happy memories
and
you know
you're helping me make more
we'll make one when you get home from florida and while i realize that come off as a total pick up line i actually meant we'll do something nice

[heldontight]

We always do something nice.

[ He's not sure if what he said could be interpreted as bad or not. He probably doesn't realize it. ]

Should I start walking if I can't travel?

[endlessflask]

please don't start walking
you're very pretty and too trustworthy for me not to believe you won't get in the car with some stranger if they stop you on the highway
anyway i know you can get back because you always get back
just listen to those calming waves and think about all the times you traveled back here and i think you'll be surprised at your body's magical muscle memory

[heldontight]

I don't have magical muscle memory, Hyman does.

[ Okay. He can do this. He just has to listen.

image.jpg arrives 10 minutes later. ]

[endlessflask]

its your body now
so its your muscle memory
and look, you moved places, and this is probably way safer than florida

[heldontight]

It's cold, but it's quiet.

It looks like how I imagine Cock's Teeth would.

We should return here, together.

[endlessflask]

only if you come home to me without frostbite

[heldontight]

I promise.

[ Hopefully. ]

Being a magician is awfully hard.

[endlessflask]

listen
i've seen a lot of really incompetent people become magicians
you're smart, you're going to be a great magician
want me to put the fireplace on for you?

[heldontight]

Yes, thank you.

You'll have to show me Popper 43 again if my fingers don't freeze off.

[endlessflask]

of course i will

[heldontight]

[ It takes a solid half an hour this time, but Charlton is safe as he Travels right where he'd been previously--he's in the bedroom again, still wearing a dark floral shirt and dark slacks, although they have a bit of what looks like frost.

He comes down the stairs, softly and silently (he hardly ever makes a sound when moving around) and only speaks when he's at the landing, looking at the fireplace. ]

I should like to travel to Fillory one day. With you.

[endlessflask]

[ There's a certain degree of visible relief when Charlton shows up again. It was starting to get to be long enough that Eliot's worries were settling in, because it's hard to say where Charlton might have ended up at any given time.

But he's home again, so Eliot grabs the throw blanket that he's had waiting and walks over. ]

In case you've forgotten, Fillory is gone.

[ Sure, Eliot is fairly certain Charlton means the new Fillory. Of course, no one has any idea where it is - or, truly, if it even exists at all. Julia's been looking but she has a baby to concern herself with, and Penny can only travel with the baby, and it's not like they're going to send their child into some unknown world in some unknown place. With the Neitherlands on shut down, too, the risks are high.

But Eliot likes to imagine them getting there some day. He likes to imagine that if their friends are still alive, they're looking for a way to connect their worlds, too, and he wonders if New Fillory is like the old one. When it's ready for them, it'll call for them.

For now, though, he holds up the blanket, arms outstretched. ]

It's a nice thought, though. Come here.

[heldontight]

[ New Fillory is just Fillory, he wants to say, because Fillory is where they both belong and they'll always belong, it's home, not an exact planet with a Wellspring. He doesn't, because it's a bit too much to vocalize when he's not even sure what he means, and he's awful cold, so he takes the bracelet and closes the gap between them.

It's impulse, really, to lean over and kiss him on the cheek as a thank you. It's soft and chase but still a kiss. ]

I would still like to try to take you somewhere. Only when I'm sure I know what I'm doing--until then, could we watch the netflix?

[endlessflask]

[ Eliot helps to wrap the blanket around Charlton, using it to pull him in even as Charlton leans in on his own. Eliot turns his head to press a light kiss to Charlton's lips and then rubs his hands over the other man's arms. ]

We can absolutely watch the Netflix. Go get cozy, I'll go get snacks.

[heldontight]

[ He does. The thing of it is that he also gets Eliot's spot cozy--because he's seen Eliot's favourite spots from being in his head, and he knows exactly how to procure the couch by the fire place. He even shifts it so it's in the perfect position, and he grabs a few of Eliot's pillows from his bedroom.

When the snacks are ready, Charlton is curled up in the spot next to whichever side Eliot's used to. He has the blanket the other's fished out for him over himself like a cape, and he's hugging it closed, looking up. He's got the TV ready to go, too. ]

I think I found the beauty contest you watch all of the time.

[ He absolutely has drag race up. ]

[endlessflask]

[ God bless Charlton.

Eliot doesn't fail to notice things like this, the way Charlton just knows what Eliot likes the most even if it's something as mundane as how to curl up on the couch. Not for the first time in his life, he's left wondering what he's done to convince someone good and kind that he's worth their time. ]

It's more than just beauty.

[ The snacks are set down and Eliot toes off his shoes before he gets settled on the couch, too. He wraps his arm around Charlton to nestle him in close. ]

Are we watching it? I think you'll like it. I think it'll really appeal to Sassy Charlton.

[heldontight]

I'm gently trying to corral you to have a moral compass that's hardly sassy.

[ He's smiling, though, pleased. Sassy. He likes that. And at that arm around him, he'll shift so his chin is on Eliot's shoulder, like he'd seen Quentin do in all of his memories. Eliot likes little things, and Charlton has always loved details in general, so it works out well. ]

From my understanding these men are all vying for attention of one other man? When do they get to receive the rose as a token of his love?