@heartshocked : "the strongest thing i've ever felt is my feelings for you."
He’d asked, back when he saved them, will you be all right if I pick you up? And Yuu had nodded, voice silenced by the shock of seeing his violence / new, something they’d understood he was capable of conceptually but seeing it is something else. Horrific, sickening. They’d thought, however briefly, of the moment that Nakamura had fractured their kneecaps with the baseball bat, how the crack had been the same, overlaid with a scream as much in shock as pain. And still, they’d nodded.
Despite the memory and the disgust and the horror, it had not occurred to them for even a moment to be afraid of Jade. It would hurt for him to lift or shift their body, battered as it was. They knew that. But they’d wanted to be in his arms more than anything. A BROKEN KNEE / A BROKEN BODY / but he’d been safe, they knew that. He was a safe place.
Violence in his blood, but not towards Yuu. They wonder, now, why they knew that. Why, even now, they can’t imagine him harming them.
They think they get it, when he says that.
It’s the third day they’ve spent in the infirmary. Magic works wonders, but some breakings can’t be healed that way, and they know they’ll be here a few weeks at least. They still hurt, and they need help to move more than a little, and they’re still covered in bandages. But it’s better. The others have been wonderful — Ace and Deuce bringing homework, asking who did it ( and yuu not saying ) so they can get revenge that Yuu knows is handled. Jack’s visited. Floyd, Azul in tow. Vil, even. Jade is the most steadfast, as though he suspects another may try to harm them here. As if any would dare. Maybe he sees the way the new violence has dredged old memories and knows that his presence assuages the fear that has them wincing at every sudden sound and thrashing in the slivers of sleep they can catch. He sits beside them now as they work on the homework Ace brought them earlier, offering help when they ask but otherwise allowing a familiar, comfortable silence to settle. Yuu thinks of the moment he broke that boy’s knee, and feels an instinctive disgust and horror but no fear. Still, he must see them flinch at the memory, because after a moment Jade’s hand settles against their cheek. They tilt their head and look up at him, expression curious and open.
“Is everything all right?” he asks. Yuu nods, and pauses, and then shakes their head.
“I — I know that you’re gonna...I’m not asking you to do nothing.” Because it won’t work, because Jade loves them they’re almost sure, because they know Jade. And because despite that stupid loving heart of theirs, they aren’t foolish. They have no problem dealing back the violence they’re dealt and didn’t deserve. This was different than the overblots, where they are in danger because of another’s hurt. This had been jealousy and pointless cruelty and giddy joy at what they thought might break them. That’s earned violence back. THE BOYS THAT HURT THEM DESERVE TO SUFFER — because anyone who would hurt someone that way without cause deserves to suffer. And it’s as simple as that, and Yuu knows that. As they know their parents deserve to die. They’re not a saint, nor are the incapable of violence when that’s fair. And with him, they don’t have to pretend otherwise. Yuu knows that as they heal and flinch from phantom pains less, he’ll be freer to leave their side — and he’ll hurt the ones that hurt them, and that’s fine. And yet — “But don’t kill them, or get so close they can’t come back. That’s all I’m asking, okay?” Their eyes harden a touch. “Promise me, Jade.”
After a long beat he offers them a shallow nod, and Yuu smiles something warm and relieved. The stretching grin hurts a wound on their jaw, and they wince a little. Jade’s touch shifts nearer to the ache as though to soothe it, and Yuu leans into his palm. “I’m happy. I expected to have to do some more convincing.” Jade is always in control, and he’d been in control even when he found them beat to shit and terrified. He’d been in control when he’d broken that boy’s knee, and will be in control when he breaks the others in whatever way he chooses. But they know that holding back won’t be innate, and find themself touched by the thought that he cares enough to respect the request. “You must be pretty smitten, huh?”
His hand drops from their face, and his eyes drift; the prefect knows he isn’t avoiding their gaze, just thinking, but they watch curiously nonetheless. After a long moment Jade says, soft and almost surprised by the words, “The strongest thing I’ve ever felt is my feelings for you.”
Their eyes widen and their mouth rounds. Ah. Like the moment he said he wanted to love them, like the moment they first realized he already did. Surprise, yes, but something else, something shifting around knowledge they’d already possessed. It’s a moment before they say, “Jade,” and he looks back to them to see their good arm and hand held out, palm up in offering. Their expression is open and expectant and something else. He fills their hand with his larger one, and they pull it to their face, hold it to their cheek for a long moment, eyes closed. Their eyes open again, and they smile up at him when they turn his hand and kiss the center of his palm.
They understand why they hadn’t been afraid, even when he repeated one of the old breakings right before their eyes.
There’s so much they want to say. I trust you, I love you, I’d do anything for you, knock their teeth in for me, I know you’d never hurt me and I don’t trust that from anyone else.
@heartshocked : "without you i'm going to sink." hm. take some unspecified emo jaderie. as a treat.
this is a familiar scene, one that rielle has come to cherish fondly. the pair of them are nestled in the corner of jade & floyd’s shared room, curled up together & resting comfortably upon the former’s bed. floyd’s at basketball practice for the next...two hours or so. so they’re free to do whatever they like for the time being. not that the other twin’s presence would do anything to deter either of them. it’s just nice not to be on the receiving end of one of floyd’s pouts for once.
rielle sits with his back against jade’s chest, both hands holding one of jade’s. the prince traces over the other’s hand gently, moving to memorize every crevice & wrinkle with his fingertips. ❛ you know, i don’t know what i’d do without you. ❜ he says after a few beats of silence. ❛ nobody’s ever really gotten me the way you do. sometimes i think about what would’ve happened if we never found each other again. & i --- ❜ rielle sighs, raising jade’s hand so that he may press his face against it. ❛ i can’t think of any outcome that doesn’t leave me so much more unhappy than i am now. ❜
there’s the sound of movement & rielle feels sudden pressure upon his head as jade kisses his crown. “ i feel the same, ” he says, “ i’ve come to find something in you i daresay i wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, something that keeps me afloat. but without you i’m going to sink. ”
rielle smiles at that, warm giddiness swelling in his chest at the words. it’s nice to feel needed & needed exactly as he is. there’s no expectations here, no high pedestal for him to crash from. & most of all there’s no perfected image of himself that jade would rather have him be. it’s all rielle’s ever wanted. & now that he has it, there’s little he wouldn’t do to keep jade by his side.
he moves to press a reverent kiss to the inside of jade’s palm, eyes fluttering shut as he revels in the other’s warmth. ❛ well, i’m not planning on going anywhere. so if you sink, we’ll sink together. i’ll be with you through it all. no matter what. ❜ the words are spoken like a promise, like a vow, rielle whispering them against jade’s skin.
rielle’s eyes are still shut but even so he can feel the smile across jade’s face as he says his next words, the leech wrapping his free arm tighter around the prince’s waist. “ earnest this evening are we? ” he pressed another kiss to rielle’s head. “ but i can promise i’ll stick by you as well. you may even hold me to that. ” rielle beams, knowing perfectly well how much those words in particular mean from someone like jade. it makes them mean even more for someone like rielle. & they both know it.
❛ don’t think i won’t. ❜ he teases, still smiling.
“ oh, i’m counting on it. ”
❛ good. someone has to keep you honest after all. ❜
Kalim has always been a ( self-proclaimed ) master at speed; however, his ability to stop still leaves much be desired, especially when his sights are set on something. Or, in this case, someone — a certain eel to exact.
“Jade—!” Spotting teal over the heads of the other students is quite easy thanks to Jade’s height alone, and weaving through moving bodies, Kalim reaches him with ease. But the unfortunate combination of slippery school hallways and a lack of brakes sends him right into Jade’s back. Hands instinctively grasp at the blazer in some attempt to steady himself, face pressed into the cool material. For a fleeting second, he finds the position almost comfortable and very... new, but such thoughts are quickly snuffed out by concern.
“Ahaha, sorry.” Kalim manages to pull away a bit, voice sheepish yet still laden by the very ardor that marked his greeting. He has something to tell Jade, but for the moment, it’s not on his mind. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
❝ jade, do you have a moment? i would like your assistance with something. ❞ the professor spoke in their usual polite tone, arms occupied with a box with a few books resting on top.
It’s so fucking fast — and Yuu almost doesn’t really process, when they all - but fall from the mirror. The glass ripples around them like water and their knee and their palm hit the ground at the same time, eyes huge, dilating. Did they — did they manage to ——— ??
Their head raises with a small, shuddering gasp, a bruise on their cheek and their lips trembling. They don’t have time to process what Jade’s doing in the hall of mirrors, JUST THAT JADE IS HERE. All wide eyes, all honest shock. After so many months of not seeing him, of missing him, of wanting so badly to be near him, the sight alone almost knocks the wind out of them.
It doesn’t. Because barely a second later they’re pushing themself up and running at him, leaping at the taller boy to wrap their arms around his shoulders with force enough that they’re both crashing to the floor. They want to speak — they have so fucking much to say — but all they manage past their bright, desperate laughter and the tears in their eyes is a gasped, “I’m back!”
Their chest heaves as they take a seat, breath coming fast — they’d expected it to be intense, when Jade agreed to help train them. They’d either underestimated just how intense or overestimated themself, though. STILL — the prefect’s smiling. “I think I’m getting better.” A pause to breathe and down some water. “What’s your estimation? Am I showing any improvement?”
❛ hey there, stranger! ❜ slender arms come to wrap around the other’s neck as the boy lets out an impish giggle. ❛ guess who managed to sneak those mushrooms you gave me into their mother’s omelette? ❜ what sort of mushrooms you ask? nothing too lethal. just poisonous enough to keep his mother sick for most of the day. now rielle has the day to himself. ❛ thanks for those by the way. ❜
@heartshocked: jade says nothing as he finishes the last bit of homework where he’s sitting at the desk, and he remains wordless as he moves to the bed where rielle is reading something. he’s tired, physically and mentally, and he does not bother asking permission when he works his way between rielle’s arms and legs to lie mostly atop him — head on his chest, arms around his waist. he takes a slow, deep breath, feeling himself finally relax. he shifts his head to get more comfortable but also as a silent request to play with his hair. “you’re comfortable,” he mumbles finally, eyes shut and a little smile pulling at his lips. his arms tighten around rielle’s middle, fingertips tracing lazy patterns into the back of his shirt.
as fascinating as this geology book is, rielle very quickly abandons his reading when jade collapses into his arms. the prince lets out a laugh, expression fond as jade wraps his arms around his waist. there’s a soft thud as rielle drops the book besides the bed so he can hold his boyfriend properly.
jade makes a comment about him being comfortable & all rielle says is, ❛ & you’re heavy. ❜ this sounds like it would be a complaint but the affectionate way it’s spoken along with the laugh that follows makes it clear that rielle likes this situation. jade is heavy but not heavy enough to be a bother. & even if he was it would still be welcome. jade is also very comfortable.
a hand makes its way into jade’s teal hair, fingers gently combing through it absentmindedly. jade needn’t make the request out loud, hell he didn’t even need to shift his head in front of him. it’s come to the point where rielle & jade just have...this unspoken understanding of each other. rielle’s never experienced something like this before. he wonders if he ever will again or if this is what having a soulmate is like. a soulmate...is jade his soulmate? maybe. probably. rielle hasn’t really thought about it that much.
the prince lowers his head to press a kiss to jade’s crown, sighing comfortably as he begins to sink deeper into the mattress below him. ❛ i hope you don’t have any more work you need to do tonight because i’m feeling very comfortable like this & don’t think i’ll be letting you go without a fight. ❜ he’s joking...well mostly. rielle definitely doesn’t want to let jade go but if his boyfriend actually needs to get up again he might consider freeing him...maybe. in any case rielle lets his eyes close, sighing again as the warmth in his chest & the warmth of jade lull him into a nice comfortable sleep.
