fiddlestick | IC Inbox (Kaisou)

[It throws Elliot off when Jusis gives no visible reaction to Rean's death. He knew how much Jusis cared about the other man, so he thought there'd be something. Rean died, how could he not react to that?

It's only when Jusis starts to answer does he realize what's going on. The anger leaves his eyes, only to have guilt fill up instead. It's not as blatant as Hunter, but he can still see it. Jusis saw someone he cared about angry. It scared him, and now he's quickly attempting to placate as much as he can before it resulted in consequences. Like it would if he was dealing with the Albareas. ]

Crap- [Way to go Elliot, he scolds himself mentally. He got too caught up in his own emotions that he forgot how sensitive Jusis was. ]

Jusis- [He'll turn fully in his chair to take Jusis's hands.] I-It's okay. I'm sorry. I went too hard. I just- [He swallows] This whole situation dredged up a lot of bad memories, but that's not your fault, okay?

[He sighs, feeling awful]

...Let's try to find out some more information first before we resort to calling your bosses, okay? We got a lot of people here with a lot of resources. You don't need to fix everything yourself to make me happy. [That's actually the opposite of what he was asking]

[It's Elliot taking his hands that gets a reaction from Jusis. Well, a more noticeable one, at least. Surprise.

He meets his friend's eyes this time. He sees the guilt, and that hurts. He's not entirely certain why it hurts, but Jusis is pretty adept at ignoring feelings he's unsure as to their cause. After a moment of silence, the blond closes his eyes and gives a small nod before opening them again.]

Very well.

[Jusis hesitates.]

Hm... I... seem to have made this more awkward than it needs to be. [He shakes his head, and then turns his hands so that he can gently grip Elliot's hands back. His expression, though somewhat sad, is softer.] It's not your fault for feeling the way you do, Elliot. You know I'd be just as angry if our roles were reversed.

[Jusis sighs softly, looking guilty himself.]

I'm sorry. It seems I still have a long way to go if I this is how I handle your anger. And I'm—[The blond stops for a moment, his grip on Elliot's hands tightening a fraction, and he looks away from the redhead. He can feel the delayed sadness start to tighten around his neck.] ... I'm... I'm sorry about what happened to Rean and to your students.

...I think we both had a hand in making it awkward. [he'll quietly confess. When Jusis grips his hands back, he'll give a gentle squeeze. ] But yeah, I do know. You'd be pounding on the Order's doors demanding answers, rather than sitting by quietly.

[He says that last bit with a touch of bitterness towards himself. How often does he have to sit by and let bad things happen? So often, he felt so useless in helping.

He swallows a little]

Even if I get angry sometimes, I won't stop loving you Jusis. Okay? [The word spills out without Elliot really thinking, the high emotions of the moment making him less careful with his word choice. And then he pauses as the second apology] ... That wasn't your fault either, but thank you. I'm glad they all came back, but easily one of the worst weeks of my life, I won't lie.

[He can't deny that. Even being a Guardian, Jusis likes to pound on HQ's doors about basic human decency.

The blond looks back up at Elliot in wide-eyed surprise, now. There's definitely a slight shade of pink to his cheeks, but... but he needed to hear that. Even if it's only meant platonically, he still needed to hear it. Jusis stares at him for a long moment before closing his eyes, nodding to himself, and takes his hands out of Elliot's. The reason why becomes clear very soon as he simply... moves half out of his seat to gently hug the redhead.]

I may not always handle anger well, but that does not change my feelings for you. You're not the one to blame for that inability of mine. You're dear to me, and you always will be.

[It's brief, as he doesn't want Elliot to feel trapped in it, but Jusis hopes it's enough as he attempts to pull away.]

Honestly, we're both quite the mess today, aren't we?

[He wasn't expecting to get hugged. Were it anyone else, he'd definitely trying to get out of it or be really uncomfortable. But Jusis? He does relax into it, letting himself lean against the other for a moment and involuntarily letting out a soft purr sound.]

Jusis...

[He can't help but feel warm as Jusis says he's dear to him. As soon as the hug started, it's over, and Elliot has to pull himself back on chair. He clears his throat]

Aha- Y-yeah, sure seems that way. Can't say I really planned this far ahead...

[...The purring is new. He didn't realize Elliot could do that while human, but it makes sense. In as much anything in Kaisou makes sense.

Jusis retakes his seat.]

It's not as if either of us planned for any of this, truly. [...] If you wish, I can keep you company while you clean the instruments. I'm not entirely certain how to clean them myself, but I'm willing to learn.

[And, well, maybe sticking around will also help reinforce what he said.]

[Elliot freezes, the expression on his face looking like Jusis just proposed something absolutely shocking and obscene. Someone else clean his precious instruments? Hugs are one thing, but this-

....

....

He takes a deep breath, before reaching over and pulling the bin full of recorders close to Jusis]

I...suppose you can start with those and see how it goes.

[Those things are made to be handled by small children SURELY it'll be fine. Right?]

[... 💧]

Fair enough. I'm more of a visual and tactile learner. So, if there's a particular way I should clean these....

[He's certain there is. This is Elliot Craig he's talking to.]

[Jesus christ Ryuu you're cruel. TWO CAN PLAY AT THIS GAME.

Elliot will nod. He's not even thinking about what this might look like because he's in music mode]

It's pretty straightforward. [He grabs a recorder off the pile to demostrate] First you want to twist and pull off the mouthpiece. Then on the opposite end of where the player puts his mouth, you want to blow into to clear the pathway.

[Which he'll do right now, he'll just blow into that recorder end that happens to be flesh colored and we're all in hell]

After that, you want to take one of the cleaning wipes and wipe both parts. [He'll show that now, grabbing one of the wipes into his hand and wrapping his fingers around the instrument's body as his fingers rub up and down]

Any questions?

[You've played yourself, Yuff, because Jusis sure as fuck isn't thinking about it, either.

The blond watches intently as he makes mental notes of what needs to be done. At the end of the demonstration, he simply nods.]

None so far since it's so straightforward, but I'll be certain to ask if any come up.

[Jusis takes one of the recorders in hand, and he starts off methodical and slow as he cleans it. He's taking his time to make sure it's to Elliot's demanding satisfaction before showing it for inspection. Fortunately for everyone involved, the blond is a very quick learner and it won't be long before he finds his rhythm.]

Alright.

[Elliot stands by, watching Jusis as he works. For the first recorder, he's so focused on making the instrument is being cleaned properly that it doesn't occur to him. It's only one the second does it...start to sink in what it actually looks like as Jusis is running his hand over long body of the-

He clears his throat]

Ah- Aha, you're...really good with your hands.

[Jusis glances over at Elliot from polishing the recorder's body. He doesn't seem to understand at all what this looks like.]

I like to keep them busy to relax sometimes. It helps to let off some steam and have a clearer mind.

[He finishes up his current recorder.]

I feel like I'm getting the hang of it, but I'll understand if you need to keep watching to make sure I'm doing well enough.

[God that description is vague enough that it makes his imagination runs WILD. His cheeks go a distinct shade of red as his voice cracks a little]

O-Oh, is that right.

[You know what he's just going to forcibly make himself look away and back at the xylophone]

N-No no! Y-You're doing fine! If I keep watching, we'll be here all day.

[Elliot's reaction confuses him so much that the question marks are almost visible to anyone looking at him. Jusis is quiet for a moment before shrugging lightly and resuming the recorder cleaning.]

Then I suppose I should pick up the pace somewhat. I'd hate to keep you here all day.

[Not that he'll sacrifice efficiency for speed or else Elliot will probably kill him and never let him touch another instrument again.]

[Elliot mutters his breath:] Yeah I'm not sure I'd survive watching this all day.

[HELP.

He'll start focusing really hard on cleaning the xylophone]

I-I mean, I really appreciate the help! I wanted to get all these instruments a proper cleaning while everyone's on break, though it's not easy job.

[Yeah, Jusis doesn't quite catch what Elliot mutters. He's even about to ask, but then his friend beats him to it. The blond kind of stares at him for a moment before going back to cleaning the recorder.]

I can imagine that it isn't, considering all of the varieties I see here. But that maintenance is important. I can see that much, and I can see that you truly care for the upkeep of instruments, whether they're yours or not. It's admirable.

[That's another recorder polished to perfection. He takes another one from the pile.]

I hope you've been going home at a decent hour, though.

Well of course I care about their maintenance. [Duh] Even if they aren't the instruments I use, they're the ones my students use. And I wanna make sure my students have the best proper experience with music, which means they gotta have instruments that work perfectly.

[No slacking off on this job!! If he wants to spread the power of music, then he has to make sure to eliminate any obstacles in the way]

Haha, well that depends. How late were you planning to patrol tonight? Because I'm going with you.

Fair enough. I can certainly see the logic to it.

[Elliot's so intense... Not that Jusis minds that, all things considered.

... He really should've expected that, honestly. The blond glances at his friend.]

And that depends on how late you're willing to stay up. I won't subject you to burning the midnight oil if you would rather not.

[He's as intense as they come when it comes to music. A perfectionist, through and through.]

Hehe, don't worry about me. I'm more of an night owl anyway. Really the only reason I ever go to bed before 1am is because Rean forces me.

[That gets a rare, soft chuckle from Jusis.]

Heh, I like my sleep a bit too much. It's a pity that I'm an early riser.

[Mercifully for poor Elliot, he finishes cleaning the last recorder. The blond stands up, hesitates for a moment, then puts a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder.]

I'll come by your place when it's time for my patrol shift to start. If Rean doesn't have any obligations tomorrow morning, he's welcome to join.

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