Destcember 5th 2018-Prompt #4-“Little Joys”
(This one was a little more personal for me. Enjoy!)
A steady breath. Tunnel vision. Hypersensitive energy reverberated around him. Not a sound.
“Grlllllllll!” A Fallen captain yelled as he witnessed his vandal friend get his head blown clean off.
“Come on, Devrim, give me a hard target! I’m not here for basic training!” Cassus laughed.
“I’m just getting you warmed up.” He said in that British sassy tone of his. As he looked back down his scope, he mildly frowned. “Bugger...those scavengers hightailed it. Guess we’ll have to wait for the next group.” Devrim said, leaning back.
“That’s fine. I needed a warm drink anyways.” Cassus agreed.
It was beginning to chill a bit in the EDZ. Frost covered the ground, wind started biting at people who had skin, which was not him, but he hated the cold anyways. Sapphire, strangely enough, was “tired” and was taking a nap in my backpack. He didn’t know ghosts got tired. As he set down his Supremacy next to him, he pulled out some flint and steel.
“Dev, shame on you. You let our little hot drink kettle burn out again. How am I supposed to have hot chocolate with ice water?” Cass teased.
“You know bloody well I’m not in charge of our stove. Perhaps, you could use those fancy knives of yours.” Devrim retorted.
Cass laughed. “Dev, if I lit the stove with one of my knives, it would make the San Francisco fire look like a cigarette lighter.”
Dev chuckled. “Please don’t. I like my crow’s nest.”
As the water boiled, Cass sat next to him on the couch. “Dev, can I ask you an honest question?” He said, turning a little more serious. “And can you keep this between us?”
“Of course, old friend. You may be coming up on 130 years living, but you are technically still 25.” Devrim responded.
“Ok...um...what did you do when you found out you were gay?” Cassus asked, nervous.
Devrim sensed his anxiety and, like always, read the situation perfectly. “Well, not much changed, but then again, I’m not a guardian. What brought this on?”
“I guess...”. Why was he still talking? The Cassus he used to be never opened up to anyone.
“All these years I’ve been alive and I never really felt like I fit in. I felt awkwardly in between a lot of things. Lately, I’ve been trying to figure myself out and realized that there are a lot of things that don’t necessarily matter as much as they used to when I was growing up.” Cass spilled out.
“Are you saying you’re bisexual, Cass?” Dev responded in an inquisitive yet respectful tone.
“I’m saying I’m pansexual, Dev. Like, I’m still picky about who I trust, but love is purely about the person, not the...well, you know.” Cass responded.
“I feel another question coming on.” Dev said, stirring his tea as Cass dunked 16 marshmallows into his hot cocoa. And yes, he had counted.
“Well, who should I tell? I mean, I don’t want to feel like I’m hiding a decent part of who I am from people, but what if they see me differently. I know we’re all like gods and such, but I want to feel...I don’t know...a part of something...”
Devrim thought while he sipped his tea. “Well, let’s put it this way. If someone you don’t really know was aware of this about you, would it affect you?”
Cass thought hard. “Not necessarily.”
Dev sipped again. “What about a family member?”
Cass looked up from his shyness. “Well yeah, I would, but it wouldn’t change me.”
Devrim grinned. “Well, then there is your answer. The point I’m trying to make is that even immortality like yours is still going to feel short. Acting on the little joys of discovering yourself over and over again is part of the human experience. You still are human, Cass, even though you are made of steel now. Are you going to weigh yourself down with what everyone else thinks or keep learning more about yourself every day?” Devrim finished.
“You’re right, Devrim.” Cass said warmly smiling.
“Damn right I’m right. And bugger off to those people who think they have you pinned down because you’re dating a Queen.” Dev said.
“Dev, get out of the church. Very few people know about that.” Cass said, surprised.
“You talk a lot when we do our drinking games.” Dev said, without an ounce of regret on his face.
“Be you, Cass. If people don’t believe you, then they aren’t important.” Devrim reassured him, finishing off his tea.
“I enjoy our little chats, Dev.” Cass said, feeling much more proud of himself than he was five minutes ago.
“Cheers, my young metal friend, cheers.” Devrim said.