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[endlessflask]

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[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?

[endlessflask]

You're one of the sassiest people I know, don't give me that moral compass bullshit.

[ Eliot's smiling, too. He even laughs a bit, pressing a kiss to Charlton's hair since it's right here and pressing play on the first episode. ]

At the end. When they win, they get flowers and a crown. But it's more of a … Talent show, I guess. Not the queer edition of The Bachelor.

[heldontight]

Disappointing, but doable.

[ He really, really likes the Bachelor. Almost as much as jeopardy--he uses it to study. He pulls a bowl of popcorn closer to put between them, already shaking away the coldness between the fire, the blanket, and Eliot. ]

I've been thinking--oh, Gods, he's a bitch--about how I know all of your memories.

[endlessflask]

[ Case in point: Sassy Charlton.

Eliot hums a bit, popping some of the popcorn into his mouth. He even takes Charlton's hand at one point, to nibble the piece out of his hand before Charlton can eat it himself. ]

It's probably best that you don't really think about it. That's what I do and it's made life so much easier.

[heldontight]

Maybe not dwell on it, but--these men are all attracted to other men, correct?

[ He does say that sentence staring at the fingers Eliot's eaten out of, clearly stunned with absolute love. ]

[endlessflask]

That's right. Though I'd be doing us both a disservice if I didn't use this an opportunity to teach you that drag isn't just reserved for male identifying gays. How exactly does this relate to my memories?

[ He flashes Charlton a softly amused smile. ]

[heldontight]

Presumably, they have a wide enough audience and are accepted enough to get on the netflix--that colour doesn't work on him at all.

[endlessflask]

Well, Drag Race is sort of a cultural phenomenon. I think there's a long way to go, but - watch, Michelle is going to say the padding on that outfit is awful - I guess it's more accepted now. There's a long way to go. Netflix lets a lot of shit on it but Drag Race airs usually on a queer focused network.

[ He still doesn't really know where Charlton is going, but Eliot enjoys talking to him like this, teaching him about Earth culture. ]