Forward dated to After The Water Event because something something something

[feckinboomstick]

Who: Cassian (Now as one person) and Amberdrake
Where: Attleton, at Drake's office
Why: We've all learned an important life lesson about punching tigers.

So... returning to one body was actually a lot less painful than one would imagine. Rather it sort of happened while both halves were asleep.

The painful part, on top of clashing memories, was the insane amount of physical damage. All of it. Just all the physical damage ever. Is his jaw broken? Shit there's holes in him too holy fuck how did those get there- Oh his ribs were broken again.

... Welp.

There was always Drake, but as Cassian recalled... Drake didn't much care for Everglade. And he really didn't need this to be more trouble than it already was.

Which was why, a good... hour or more later, Amberdrake would get a visitor.

In Attleton.

In a very thick obscuring cloak, not that it'd matter due to the fact that one of them was an empath and the other one was walking around with like more than three broken bones at a time.

Not even a voiced answer to alert or greet him, just a text-

I've cocked some things up

Comments

[feckinboomstick]

Oh man. He went silent for a long time after that, his face turning a vague shade of pink. Right, that happened with couples too. He'd be lying if he said he'd not thought of it all before, of course.

He had.

It was just getting to that point.

"Well."

WELL.

"... Well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen chuckled, quietly enough that Cassian would feel it more than hear it, at this range. Especially through his hand.

And yes, he was definitely doing it on purpose.

But... teasing aside, this was a serious topic, too. "Two thousand years and you haven't fallen into bed with anyone? I'm not that hot," he smiled, "it's fine if you're not into that stuff. Really."

Really-really. The only time Cassian had shown any interest in those things, he'd been in a self-destructive mindset. Besides...

Besides.

Tannusen really wasn't suited to the job, and he knew it.

[feckinboomstick]

"Haven't thought of it for two thousand years." There were a few times with Kani, but then he'd never been sure, prior to receiving the water fairy's boon, that it'd been real or just due to hearing the stupid creature sing all the time.

Tricky thing, that.

"I don't know if I'm into it, I ain't never pondered it before, now have I?"

Annoyed, not at Tannusen. Mostly at himself for the oversight. No it'd come up in his own mind, not just when he'd been less than himself.

[black_black_heart]

"Well, if you ever decide to try it out, I have a lot of contacts thanks to this place," Tannusen smiled faintly against his hand, "male and female and a good many in between."

[feckinboomstick]

"Are ye suggestin' that I sleep with someone else for me first time? Then it won't ever happen."

[black_black_heart]

"Why not?" Tannusen honestly didn't get it. If Cassian decided he wanted to try things, why would it matter who it was with? "I'm really not good first-time material, if that wasn't abundantly clear after I pinned you down in the attic."

[feckinboomstick]

"First time should be like the one hundred and first time, from what I hear from old married folk. Ye do it cos ye want your partner to feel good, and it feels good in return.

Can't be more complicated than that.

I don't want to sleep with someone else, Tannusen.

I want to sleep with you."

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen went strangely silent, and still.

Honestly, he was still figuring out his thoughts on the matter when it came to someone who'd miraculously avoided sex of any kind for so long. Tannusen couldn't possibly be the right person. Sure, he knew he was great at what he did, but was that the important matter?

He also knew what lurked in the deep recesses of his mind; knew what footsteps Trench had intended him to follow. What if he slipped and did something awful? Tannusen could bury that part, over and over, hoping it would die...

But it never totally died, did it?

The hooks went too deep.

[feckinboomstick]

He sighed as Tannusen fell silent, and reached to touch his face, quickly and gently.

"Tannusen.

I ain't no different physically than any other humanlike creature ye've ever been with, whether or not I've been with someone before. Not a single difference.

Issac loved ye, didn't he?

Then I ain't worried about anythin' that might happen. If or when it comes to it, then we'll deal with it then.

For now, I don't want ye frettin'."

[black_black_heart]

"Yeah, and that ended so well for him," Tannusen set his jaw back onto Cassian's shoulder, letting their hands drop wherever again. There he goes into a spiral, watch him as he go...

He's never claimed to be a stable, sane, balanced guy. Not once. If he ever had, it was definitely sarcasm.

[feckinboomstick]

"It will be fine, Tannusen. It ain't like I can die." Less said on that the better though.

"I won't ask ye for anythin' ye feel ye cannot do. So if that means we just spend our nights literally sleepin' with each other, then that's fine with me."

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen remained quiet for another moment or two, then sighed.

"I'm just being stupid, that's all." Nothing new here.

[feckinboomstick]

"Ye ain't bein' stupid. Ye have valid concerns and hangups.

Same as anyone else.

It's your choice as much as it is mine, and be it far from me to force your hand in it. If and when the time comes, it will come the way it should be, and I can't see meself bein' upset with ye because of it."

[black_black_heart]

"It can be... special, for people who like each other," Tannusen stared at not much of anything, just over there somewhere. "It's not just nerves and friction and whatever. There's a lot more to it. And you should have that, if that's what you want. I'm not unwilling, I'm just nervous. I know I'm good, but what if I slip. You don't have any other experiences to fall back on, I could mess you up for good."

[feckinboomstick]

"I don't think ye'll be such a poor partner that I'll be ruined for the rest of me life.

... I bet ye twenty red bills I'm the one that cocks it up."

[black_black_heart]

"That would be an impressive feat," Tannusen admitted. It was a joke, but his tone just wasn't there.

[feckinboomstick]

"Don't fret about it. I'm not askin' for it here and now on the desk, or tomorrow, or the week after.

It'll happen when it happens."

[black_black_heart]

"That poor desk would break anyway," at least he sounded mildly amused at the mental image.

Tannusen continued to stare at nothing in particular for a moment, then shut his eyes with a nigh-imperceptible sigh. He was an angsty, sad piece of shit when one got past the flirting and joking... and that very fact, because he knew it, just made it even worse. His brain was one big catch-22.

[feckinboomstick]

"Ye need a sturdier one in here with your activities." Yeah he knew better.

Not much to say now, but Cassian didn't leave. Just continued to rest beside him and hold his hand, trying to think of a way to get Tannusen out of the funk that he'd gotten him into now.

Good job, Cassian.

[black_black_heart]

"Mh," Tannusen had gotten himself into this funk, thank you very much. He was extremely skilled at it.

As he'd told Cassian before, his brain was just a bunch of bear traps. Stumbling into one here and there was just... going to happen. No avoiding it.

But, he turned his hand over in Cassian's and very deliberately knit their fingers together as a silent apology for being such a downer. His hand wasn't nearly as callused as the priest's, but he didn't seem to mind that any more than he minded anything else about the guy.

Tannu stayed quiet for a while, but eventually something occurred to him to ask. "How did you avoid Holly Strike, during the fight? It was that spell near the end."

Look at that topic shift.

[feckinboomstick]

He's still gonna feel bad about it, okay? Tannusen was like the one person here he actually really liked, it sucks that bringing things up makes him sad.

It's normal to be sad about that!

For a time, they sat there in silence, Cassian just fine with this. Then the question came up, and there was a faint, non-committal shrug from the priest.

"Tis how it's been since I stopped agin'. Guns misfire, nooses snap or loosen, wood won't ignite or goes out immediately.

Escaped from bein' drowned once because the lock was faulty.

... "Lucky" is what they call it, I don't know if that's the case for me."

[black_black_heart]

"Is it just fatal things it counters? I know you get injured." After all, Tannusen had bitten the hell out of his shoulder, and broken his jaw... and helped re-break some ribs.

[feckinboomstick]

"Just fatal things, apparently. I've still gotten me arse kicked more times than I can count. Always stops just shy of dyin', course."

[black_black_heart]

"Well, I'm glad I didn't kill you, on top of everything else," Tannusen sighed, and was finally able to look at the priest without squinting. The spell had apparently worn off, finally. "And Holly Strike is a bad way to go, anyway. You know, it's technically the same spell as that healing I did on you that one time... how weird is that?"

[feckinboomstick]

"Trust me at this point I think that's impossible, so ye don't need to fret about accidentally murderin' me.

Somethin' will keep it from happenin', even if it's the ceilin' fallin' on ye."

That... was odd, he had to think on how that might work.

... God.

"How does the spell operate then?"