[ Hythlodaeus lets out a sharp breath, then moves, to embrace Hades and hold on, reading the body language and finally giving in to just. How he wants to be, twined with him as close as he can be. ]
No longer. It is over, Hades, the nightmare is finally over.
I'm here.
[ He can see so much... so much pain. A yawning abyss in Hades's eons of existence which, Hythlodaeus is sure, will keep sucking him back in for a while yet. His friend, whose tongue is sharp but heart is soft, has suffered, and he can only give this. Reassurance, calm, and time. ]
[ It is difficult to not break, to fall to pieces, but he leans into Hythlodaeus and settles down, allowing some of his racing heart to settle and soften.
His eyes close and he breathes out. ]
You are here. And I will not let you go again. This I do swear.
[ He feels as though he has been shattered, and that is a difficult enough thing - but he must muster himself somehow, and there is no better person to have at his side.
This is true enough, at least. ]
Oh, do you? Perhaps that is something we ought to indulge in, in our time.
[ ... and in those thousands of years... Hythlodaeus has not learned to resist Hades's heated cheeks. So he leans in and brushes his lips over one and then the other cheekbone. Feather light but drinking in the heat. ]
Well then. Hold away. [ A little crane of the neck, and words against Hades's ear, not that it's needed, alone as they are, other than as a sensation. ] I have no intention to slip through your fingers.
[ It's fine, Hythlodaeus slot himself so closely and comfortably that he might be clinging, himself. Which he is.
And while he hasn't been fully aware all the time that Hades has been waiting, Hythlodaeus has been there, severed from everything and just about everyone. So, yes, he's clinging, too. Even if it is, right now, mostly for the sake of reassuring Hades, it is a need of his own, too. ]
You have prepared? For me? [ A very theatrical, exaggerated gasp even while he doesn't move an ilm away. ] I'm flattered.
[ There is a certain amount of brooding that Hythlodaeus will dispel with utter ridiculousness. For both of them, and on the force of habits that have endured, well. A long time. ]
[ It's all right. Hythlodaeus can wait until it's again natural and right for Hades to reach for him, rather than something he needs to muster himself from doing. For now, Hythlodaeus will stay close, reminding, reminding that he won't be going away, won't be slipping out of reach again.
A soft chuckle. ]
As you wish. Though you know I am a little less particular about what I do take to heart, hmm?
[ Emet-Selch recognises the fact that he is struggling, that he has new bounds to leap over; he has to adjust to a new world, a new way of thinking, a new sharpness. It's the weight of emotion that had been stolen from him, ripped from him, forced back in.
He shakes his head, looking at Hythlodaeus with a gentle, tender fondness. ]
[ A raised eyebrow because ... what hasn't altered over the years? And are they ready for this pain quite yet? But mostly, his hand soothes Hades's cheek, and he melts into the shift, the drawing closer - and he holds Hades back, unhesitatingly, comfortably. No, he had no trouble recognizing the embrace for what it is. ]
I rather think you found me insufferable some of the time, or so it might have looked to many. But I knew... I did not belong anywhere but at your side. And I still do.
[ Hythlodaeus's smile is small, but so, so bright, lighting up his face and aether both. His fingers twitch slightly at the kiss, and he inclines his head. ]
Exactly where I was ever meant to be.
[ Without letting go, he finds a way to settle even while adrift, opening his free arm to invite his friend to be held - or even to stretch out with his head in Hythlodaeus's lap. Anything goes. ]
[ Hythlodaeus laughs, lightly, and wraps himself around Hades. Soft, indeed. His hand comes up to play with the soft, dark strands for a while, merely... holding. ]
Over this time. Did your mind play tricks on you, thinking I was harsher?
[ Mischief can be complicated, but Hythlodaeus has rarely had any desire to be unkind. But it has been so long for Hades, and time can play very unpleasant tricks. ]
[ Memories can become clouded, darkened with danger and grief and hurt. It would come as no shock to imagine that he would damn himself with memories of a friend long gone. ]
Hmm. [ Hythlodaeus watches him for a long moment. ] Shock, no. [ Worry, perhaps, but not shock. But he's unlikely to express worry when he can focus on making things better instead. ]
What else do you wonder if you remember right, then?
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No longer. It is over, Hades, the nightmare is finally over.
I'm here.
[ He can see so much... so much pain. A yawning abyss in Hades's eons of existence which, Hythlodaeus is sure, will keep sucking him back in for a while yet. His friend, whose tongue is sharp but heart is soft, has suffered, and he can only give this. Reassurance, calm, and time. ]
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His eyes close and he breathes out. ]
You are here. And I will not let you go again. This I do swear.
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Hythlodaeus smiles, relaxing, too. ]
Well, that's good. I have a rather strong preference by being held by you.
[ So, so easy to phrase his own longing in a light-hearted way. ]
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This is true enough, at least. ]
Oh, do you? Perhaps that is something we ought to indulge in, in our time.
[ They have quite a long time, after all. ]
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[ Hythlodaeus smiles, eyes clear. ]
Just as you are not letting me go, I am not going anywhere, either. I hope you are prepared for that.
[ Nobody is prepared for that, Hythlodaeus has made a great effort to not be clingy before. He has absolutely no such issue now. ]
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[ His eyes glance over, his cheeks a touch red, and he scoffs. ]
We'd best make short work of that, then.
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Well then. Hold away. [ A little crane of the neck, and words against Hades's ear, not that it's needed, alone as they are, other than as a sensation. ] I have no intention to slip through your fingers.
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You are a monster, as terrible as the ones created long ago.
[ But he reaches to tug him closer, to wrap his arms around Hythlodaeus all the same. ]
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Well then. I have to live up to that in the future, clearly. I can't have you disappointed.
[ With his nose, he traces the curve of Hades's cheek, then a line to right beneath, then behind, the earlobe. ]
Or is that, I should become more monstrous?
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But he scoffs. ]
No, I have prepared enough of that for this lifetime.
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And while he hasn't been fully aware all the time that Hades has been waiting, Hythlodaeus has been there, severed from everything and just about everyone. So, yes, he's clinging, too. Even if it is, right now, mostly for the sake of reassuring Hades, it is a need of his own, too. ]
You have prepared? For me? [ A very theatrical, exaggerated gasp even while he doesn't move an ilm away. ] I'm flattered.
[ There is a certain amount of brooding that Hythlodaeus will dispel with utter ridiculousness. For both of them, and on the force of habits that have endured, well. A long time. ]
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It's hard not to reach, to keep and want and yearn, but he musters himself all the same. It's what little he has, what little he can do. ]
Don't take it too closely to heart.
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[ It's all right. Hythlodaeus can wait until it's again natural and right for Hades to reach for him, rather than something he needs to muster himself from doing. For now, Hythlodaeus will stay close, reminding, reminding that he won't be going away, won't be slipping out of reach again.
A soft chuckle. ]
As you wish. Though you know I am a little less particular about what I do take to heart, hmm?
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He shakes his head, looking at Hythlodaeus with a gentle, tender fondness. ]
I am well aware. You suffered me long enough.
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[ He reaches up again, hand cupping the face of the man he loves so much. ]
No time with you has involved any suffering. This, I can promise you. I ever have, and do, and ever will welcome each moment.
[ He is not going anywhere. The struggle that Emet-Selch has faced alone is over. ]
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Perhaps your definition of suffering has been altered over the years.
[ But, at least, he can lean in, accept some tenderness - even offer something of an embrace, if Hythlodaeus can figure it out. ]
But it makes me full glad to hear it.
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I rather think you found me insufferable some of the time, or so it might have looked to many. But I knew... I did not belong anywhere but at your side. And I still do.
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[ But it is meant as a joke, allowing himself, once again, to be wrapped an embrace, to let himself curl around familiarity. ]
It is a good thing we found one another again.
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[ He's absolutely keeping the lightness, though his smile softens. ]
It was never going to be otherwise. It just took a little longer than I expected. But now I am where I should be.
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[ He lifts Hythlodaeus' hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss against his fingers. ]
And I shall not allow you to leave again.
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Exactly where I was ever meant to be.
[ Without letting go, he finds a way to settle even while adrift, opening his free arm to invite his friend to be held - or even to stretch out with his head in Hythlodaeus's lap. Anything goes. ]
Come, Hades. Rest against me a while.
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As soft as you have always been.
[ But that doesn't stop him from moving, to lean, to sink into the embrace. ]
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Over this time. Did your mind play tricks on you, thinking I was harsher?
[ Mischief can be complicated, but Hythlodaeus has rarely had any desire to be unkind. But it has been so long for Hades, and time can play very unpleasant tricks. ]
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[ Memories can become clouded, darkened with danger and grief and hurt. It would come as no shock to imagine that he would damn himself with memories of a friend long gone. ]
It would not shock, I am sure.
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What else do you wonder if you remember right, then?
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