he's processing a lot right now because yves' love for love is so unreasonably real. there's truly nothing in the world that he treasures more, and watching his friends fall in love in record time was actually one of the highlights of his fucking week i'm not even joking. having that be some mean prank actually makes him frustrated, along with some like, earth-shattering realization that love might not be forever
but that little sentence from jiaoqiu is all it takes for yves to walk forward and pull him into a hug ]
... sorry. No one should have their emotions manipulated like that, least of all with something so precious.
[ this poor boy he's so sincere and i love him if he dies i'll blow this whole building up
for jiaoqiu, he's just kind of standing here feeling embarrassed, which is why he's startled when yves comes up to hug him. it's been an unreasonably long time since he's been hugged, so his initial reaction is to stiffen, his tail fur poofing out in surprise.
but. only for a second. after that second, he awkwardly rests a hand on yves's back, and half hugs him back. he doesn't know what to say. it takes him a minute. ]
... Thank you. [ he settles on, slightly hesitant. ] I suppose it was nice while it lasted, delusional as I was.
[ HE HASN'T BEEN HUGGED? ON THIS AFFECTION WEEK? BLOWS UP THE GAME
but yves doesn't take offense to the stiffening or the awkwardness - in comparison, his hugs are warm and natural, like they're second nature to him. he holds onto jiaoqiu like he's precious, like he wants to protect him from any weird magic that can mess with him again. ]
... maybe this time, it wasn't real. But... you deserve that type of affection any day, Jiao. You deserve that happiness every single day, and I'm sure that you're going to get it.
[ WELL LIKE ONCE but that was his divorcee so it doesn't count
this is so very sincere, and it's difficult. it shouldn't be, but this sort of thing has always had a hard time making it over the barbed wire fences he's lived in for the last good portion of his life. people are allowed to slip their fingers through the bars, but that's about as much as he's willing to accept, and it's no different here.
still, he isn't mean about it. he couldn't be. he's glad there are still people in the world who know how to let themselves feel anything other than pleasantly numb. ]
You flatter me. [ he says, soft. ] You've only known me a few days and you believe this so earnestly.
I am content enough. And in any case, it isn't so important in the face of what we're dealing with now.
cue yves annoyingly wiggling his fingers through this barbed wire fence for the next 8 weeks like a tickle monster trying to break through
which is to say - he means it. earnest, sincere, painfully so, but also unfathomably stubborn. he's heard every self-deprecating thing before, every time someone tries to rebuff him but there is always this unshakeable, core belief beneath it all: you are deserving of love ]
... you're right, so I'm not going to spend the day arguing with you about it. [ much.
he pulls back from the hug just enough to look jiaoqiu in the face ]
But I think I know the important parts, from your dedication to healing to the way that you tease. It's not flattery when I believe you're someone I could love.
We can talk about it after we're done figuring out what happened to Charlie, though.
[ LIKE A TICKLE MONSTER i can't say that wouldn't work tbf
he's like - not uncomfortable, because that's a strong word. he's perhaps seen. like yves just looks right through him and ignores the nihility. he doesn't know what to do with that and it makes him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass, itching to get away. love is difficult and out of his reach and opening up to it feels like swallowing the sun.
a pause. he meets that gaze, eyes open just enough to show the cloudy haze over gold. he can barely even see what this earnest face looks like.
... ]
Right. [ tersely. a beat. ] ... I hope to be able to do some sort of autopsy tomorrow, if we aren't given a satisfactory explanation tomorrow. If there even is a body still.
[ he's sooooooo annoying and persistent about love
but he takes this as their understanding, and he'll leave it alone for now. he does know when to focus, even when some part of him really does just want to talk about love just to prove it's possible.
for the time being he'll just give jiaoqiu's shoulders a gentle little squeeze before pulling away - back to getting him that ice ]
It'd be great if you could. We had to do some investigations of murders on the island before, so I'm a little used to the work but having someone skilled in an actual understanding of the body would be above and beyond helpful.
[ he exhales heavily, and then leans against a counter, tilting his head back. ]
Thank you, Yves. [ genuinely. ]
I think that I am not the only healer here, so their expertise will be valuable, as well. And this is all under the assumption that there will be one in the first place, and that it'll give us any answers at all. I've enjoyed the angels and their company, but... I think I'll need to trust my own judgement.
[ he's going to have to just. get... get real close. yves his eyeballs. ): ]
[ ice ice ice.... yves fills up a small bag with it, and then goes to get a small towel to wrap it with so it's not so bitingly cold ]
... I know. Just let me know if you want to stay nearby, or anything. [ HE'S TRYING NOT TO HOVER BUT HE DOES WORRY ABOUT JIAOQIU'S EYEBALLS. he'll doublecheck super quick to make sure that no one else is around, but lower his voice as he walks back to jq anyway ] I can ask you a lot of questions that sound like I'm trying to understand, but at least describe it better for you if you need it.
[ he's a sincere lil guy, but he does try to be clever in the moments needed. ]
That's a clever way to handle it. [ his ears pin back slightly, just for a moment, as he stares across the kitchen. it isn't yves's fault in the least, and so that's why he's tempering his tone, but this feels... bad. it feels bad. if you need help, if you can't do it on your own, if you need someone to guide you, it all curdles like spoiled milk.
his fingers curl into his coat for a moment, and then relax. ]
You're a good friend, Yves. [ genuinely. ] I'm sure that I will need help. But I suppose we shouldn't plan too far ahead in the future, hm? We don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I couldn't tell you, other than it's all very humiliating.
no subject
he's processing a lot right now because yves' love for love is so unreasonably real. there's truly nothing in the world that he treasures more, and watching his friends fall in love in record time was actually one of the highlights of his fucking week i'm not even joking. having that be some mean prank actually makes him frustrated, along with some like, earth-shattering realization that love might not be forever
but that little sentence from jiaoqiu is all it takes for yves to walk forward and pull him into a hug ]
... sorry. No one should have their emotions manipulated like that, least of all with something so precious.
no subject
for jiaoqiu, he's just kind of standing here feeling embarrassed, which is why he's startled when yves comes up to hug him. it's been an unreasonably long time since he's been hugged, so his initial reaction is to stiffen, his tail fur poofing out in surprise.
but. only for a second. after that second, he awkwardly rests a hand on yves's back, and half hugs him back. he doesn't know what to say. it takes him a minute. ]
... Thank you. [ he settles on, slightly hesitant. ] I suppose it was nice while it lasted, delusional as I was.
no subject
but yves doesn't take offense to the stiffening or the awkwardness - in comparison, his hugs are warm and natural, like they're second nature to him. he holds onto jiaoqiu like he's precious, like he wants to protect him from any weird magic that can mess with him again. ]
... maybe this time, it wasn't real. But... you deserve that type of affection any day, Jiao. You deserve that happiness every single day, and I'm sure that you're going to get it.
You're a person who's easy to love.
no subject
this is so very sincere, and it's difficult. it shouldn't be, but this sort of thing has always had a hard time making it over the barbed wire fences he's lived in for the last good portion of his life. people are allowed to slip their fingers through the bars, but that's about as much as he's willing to accept, and it's no different here.
still, he isn't mean about it. he couldn't be. he's glad there are still people in the world who know how to let themselves feel anything other than pleasantly numb. ]
You flatter me. [ he says, soft. ] You've only known me a few days and you believe this so earnestly.
I am content enough. And in any case, it isn't so important in the face of what we're dealing with now.
no subject
cue yves annoyingly wiggling his fingers through this barbed wire fence for the next 8 weeks like a tickle monster trying to break through
which is to say - he means it. earnest, sincere, painfully so, but also unfathomably stubborn. he's heard every self-deprecating thing before, every time someone tries to rebuff him but there is always this unshakeable, core belief beneath it all: you are deserving of love ]
... you're right, so I'm not going to spend the day arguing with you about it. [ much.
he pulls back from the hug just enough to look jiaoqiu in the face ]
But I think I know the important parts, from your dedication to healing to the way that you tease. It's not flattery when I believe you're someone I could love.
We can talk about it after we're done figuring out what happened to Charlie, though.
no subject
he's like - not uncomfortable, because that's a strong word. he's perhaps seen. like yves just looks right through him and ignores the nihility. he doesn't know what to do with that and it makes him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass, itching to get away. love is difficult and out of his reach and opening up to it feels like swallowing the sun.
a pause. he meets that gaze, eyes open just enough to show the cloudy haze over gold. he can barely even see what this earnest face looks like.
... ]
Right. [ tersely. a beat. ] ... I hope to be able to do some sort of autopsy tomorrow, if we aren't given a satisfactory explanation tomorrow. If there even is a body still.
no subject
but he takes this as their understanding, and he'll leave it alone for now. he does know when to focus, even when some part of him really does just want to talk about love just to prove it's possible.
for the time being he'll just give jiaoqiu's shoulders a gentle little squeeze before pulling away - back to getting him that ice ]
It'd be great if you could. We had to do some investigations of murders on the island before, so I'm a little used to the work but having someone skilled in an actual understanding of the body would be above and beyond helpful.
If you need any support, just let me know.
no subject
Thank you, Yves. [ genuinely. ]
I think that I am not the only healer here, so their expertise will be valuable, as well. And this is all under the assumption that there will be one in the first place, and that it'll give us any answers at all. I've enjoyed the angels and their company, but... I think I'll need to trust my own judgement.
[ he's going to have to just. get... get real close. yves his eyeballs. ): ]
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... I know. Just let me know if you want to stay nearby, or anything. [ HE'S TRYING NOT TO HOVER BUT HE DOES WORRY ABOUT JIAOQIU'S EYEBALLS. he'll doublecheck super quick to make sure that no one else is around, but lower his voice as he walks back to jq anyway ] I can ask you a lot of questions that sound like I'm trying to understand, but at least describe it better for you if you need it.
[ he's a sincere lil guy, but he does try to be clever in the moments needed. ]
If you call for me, I'll be there.
no subject
That's a clever way to handle it. [ his ears pin back slightly, just for a moment, as he stares across the kitchen. it isn't yves's fault in the least, and so that's why he's tempering his tone, but this feels... bad. it feels bad. if you need help, if you can't do it on your own, if you need someone to guide you, it all curdles like spoiled milk.
his fingers curl into his coat for a moment, and then relax. ]
I'll let you know.
[1/2]
he doesn't know exactly what's going through jiaoqiu's head but... ]
... you can do it. It's not about if you can or can't, I know you can. But if I can ever make anything a little bit easier, just say the word.
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... you didn't say the word but I got ice because I was a little panicky. Sorry.
I'll back off now.
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You don't need to apologize. [ gently. ] These are my problems, not yours.
The ice feels good, and I know what it's like to want to do something to help. Thank you.
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[ he nods, trying his best to understand. trying not to make an already bad day worse ]
If... you ever want company for your problems, you know where to find me. But I'm sure you'll win against whatever demons you've got.
no subject
You're a good friend, Yves. [ genuinely. ] I'm sure that I will need help. But I suppose we shouldn't plan too far ahead in the future, hm? We don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow.