[The hands on his face – familiar, beloved, calluses he’d learned like his own within days, as familiar as the charts and maps he’s stared at for years now, trying to find where his world and Quentin’s might intersect, where the divide between would be thin enough to find one another again – are the focus, for now, but Koby can feel the wounds (mind, heart, soul, body) all over the man he adores, and it sparks up a ferocious, vengeful savagery he hadn’t quite possessed when they were at the manor. Heartbreak and loss do that to a person – he knows, he knows it runs like a thread of venom through his words as he shakes his head hard and replies:] It’s my ship. And you’re staying.
[Anything else is unthinkable, unacceptable. Koby hasn’t torn the seas apart for five years to let go of Quentin now that he’s here. The air around them snaps, crackles, and there’s a steely sheen to those wide, sweet eyes, a threat to anyone who might disagree. Koby just manages to rein it in on an exhale, on a squaring of his broader, stronger shoulders.] You’re staying. With me. [As long as you’ll have me, he might’ve said, in another world, in another life.
Here, though, it’s a proclamation, accompanied by a glance over his shoulder at Helmeppo, who approaches cautiously, not wanting to interrupt. There’s nobody Koby trusts more, but he still straightens, angles himself between the rest of the world and Quentin, even as the flare of energy around him abates, washes out like foam on the tide. Mindful, Helmeppo stops several paces away, just close enough to be heard when he speaks – ”The area’s secure, nobody unfamiliar lurking about. I got ahold of Garp, and he’s coming to assist in locking down the island as long as you’re here.” A quirked eyebrow, curious over the visor the blond Marine wears, glancing towards Quentin. ”We’ll continue the patrols, but…you should both get out of sight, Captain.”]
Mmm. [Koby nods, already distracted – locked down, secured, for now, until he can be sure there’s nothing else from Quentin’s world on the approach, no ship that’ll need sinking, no Regent asking for a knife in the ribs. It’s a more savage line of thought than he normally follows, but Quentin’s shoulders are trembling, his eyes haunted, and Koby wants to tear apart something. But for the moment he softens, smooths back the tousled, tangled hair, leans in to kiss Quentin once more, uncaring of the audience.]
Come to my cabin? It’s quiet, there’s a bathroom, you can rest safely there. I’ll be right with you the whole time. [Shifting back to sit on his heels, voluminous coat spreading around them, there’s a flicker of the smile belonging to the boy he’d been.] You found me, and now there’s no getting rid of me, sorry. Are you sure you can walk?
no subject
[Anything else is unthinkable, unacceptable. Koby hasn’t torn the seas apart for five years to let go of Quentin now that he’s here. The air around them snaps, crackles, and there’s a steely sheen to those wide, sweet eyes, a threat to anyone who might disagree. Koby just manages to rein it in on an exhale, on a squaring of his broader, stronger shoulders.] You’re staying. With me. [As long as you’ll have me, he might’ve said, in another world, in another life.
Here, though, it’s a proclamation, accompanied by a glance over his shoulder at Helmeppo, who approaches cautiously, not wanting to interrupt. There’s nobody Koby trusts more, but he still straightens, angles himself between the rest of the world and Quentin, even as the flare of energy around him abates, washes out like foam on the tide. Mindful, Helmeppo stops several paces away, just close enough to be heard when he speaks – ”The area’s secure, nobody unfamiliar lurking about. I got ahold of Garp, and he’s coming to assist in locking down the island as long as you’re here.” A quirked eyebrow, curious over the visor the blond Marine wears, glancing towards Quentin. ”We’ll continue the patrols, but…you should both get out of sight, Captain.”]
Mmm. [Koby nods, already distracted – locked down, secured, for now, until he can be sure there’s nothing else from Quentin’s world on the approach, no ship that’ll need sinking, no Regent asking for a knife in the ribs. It’s a more savage line of thought than he normally follows, but Quentin’s shoulders are trembling, his eyes haunted, and Koby wants to tear apart something. But for the moment he softens, smooths back the tousled, tangled hair, leans in to kiss Quentin once more, uncaring of the audience.]
Come to my cabin? It’s quiet, there’s a bathroom, you can rest safely there. I’ll be right with you the whole time. [Shifting back to sit on his heels, voluminous coat spreading around them, there’s a flicker of the smile belonging to the boy he’d been.] You found me, and now there’s no getting rid of me, sorry. Are you sure you can walk?