[PRP] This is a Trope (Elliot & Horace)

[saedusk]

'Chill with my bat homie' wasn't the most in-depth description Elliot had ever heard, but he assumed it was something like Oliver's moonwalker-ism. Once they were out of this damn rain, he'd ask more questions. Maybe nugget would come out of Horace's hair so he could meet him. Meeting a bat, imagine that.

"I hope you're ready to take responsibility, then," he said, "I'm in your capable hands." Eli reached out and took Horace's hand, mentally preparing for the possible shock, but never shying away.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

There was only the tiniest of shocks when they touched hands. Maybe the rain dampened things, Horace thought. Then again, touch in general was just easier when he was initiating it. "Oh, I'm good with my hands. Strong fingers, you know."

He tugged Elliot along to the weird gazebo he remembered. There was a hole in the roof, but only over part of it. The inside was relatively dry, luckily. Horace sat down on the bench, trying to tug Elliot down next to him. "You're wet."

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[saedusk]

The shock was minor, more like static than anything, and Eli almost didn't notice it. "I don't doubt it," he shouted through the rain. As if on cue, it was picking up. "Let's start with you getting me out of here!"

Thankfully it didn't take long and the gazebo was blessedly dry, but it took him an even longer moment to sit down despite Horace's relentless urging. "You don't say?" he drawled, eyelashes fluttering. Goosebumps were already spreading down his mostly bare legs and arms. "That's quite observant of you. To be honest, I hate sitting in wet shorts." Eventually, reluctantly, he did so.

It was like night and day outside compared to only minutes ago. The rain was thick and white and heavy as it fell straight to the ground.

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[The Semblance of Unity]

"Well, at least you didn't call me Captain Obvious." Horace grinned at Eli, slicking back his own wet hair with his hand. "No one said you had to stay in your shorts. I'm not stopping you." He pulled at the neck of his own wet shirt, grimacing at the wet noise it made when it slapped back against his skin. Gross.

"No blankets here though, so you might freeze unless he go all survival mode - make a fire, huddle together for warmth." His lips were definitely twitching.

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[saedusk]

"You may be surprised to hear it, but even I'm not that into public nudity." Then again, was this crazy, empty Otherworld actually a public place? There were barely any people here. Horace was it as far as Eli had seen. Presumably anyone could show up at anytime, though, same as he had. That wasn't a risk he felt like taking. Besides, no one wanted to see anyone's waterlogged junk.

"You know, it... it is awfully brisk here." Now that they'd stopped moving and the adrenaline had died, Eli was cold. Even the rain shouldn't have made it this chilly. "I'll leave the fire to you, Horace. You're experienced with this magic business, aren't you?" The way he said it sounded like he'd completely disregarded what totally had to be flirting, but moments later it was obvious he hadn't. A hand went for Horace's shoulder, coy in the way it moved. Time for exposure therapy, round two.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace glanced at the rain outside and the gazebo they inhabited. There wasn't anywhere really to build a fire, provided he could even magic one up. Then suddenly he was being touched and he flinched as a shock went through him. But it was only Elliot.

"Ah, s**t, s**t I'm sorry!" He grabbed Eli's hand and put it back on his shoulder. "It's easier if I see it coming, like this." His arm snaked around Elliot's waist and he yanked him closer until their thighs touched. Horace was dying inside was this was good therapy, right? He was going to die; his eyes were going to be little x's.

He took a deep breath. "Also, I'm not really a fireman, I just... make sparks fly." To illustrate, he shot a spark at one of the damp wooden planks. Predictably, it did not catch flame. Then he touched his finger tips to Eli's hand. "Makes my hands warm, though, so there's that."

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[saedusk]

What was far more surprising than the shock itself was the way Horace reacted to it, as if he'd been the one at fault when sure, he was the one with this intrusive static power, but Eli had been pushing his own luck—and on purpose! "Don't worry about it," he assured, a lot of the normal, pretentious fakeness drained from his voice. Though he did make a small, genuinely surprised sound when Horace pulled him closer.

Whether it was a good idea or not, Eli let that hand from before slip from one shoulder and around behind to the other.

"I guess we'll have to make do without the fire," he said softly, flipping his hand so the fingers sat in his palm. "Everything's wet, anyway, I'm not sure we'd have any luck even if we had a lighter." And then he went silent, his leg brushing against Horace's as he shifted ever so slightly. He couldn't help but think he shouldn't be doing this. It was a bit much for exposure therapy, wasn't it?

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I always worry about it," he huffed. And Horace did. He'd shocked people and that was kind of terrible. |I'm trying to get better, though." He concentrated on Elliot's hands, his hands, the way their legs touched. He was doing this. It was alright, he could see if was Elliot and because it was Elliot, it could be fine.

Horace wriggled his fingers halfway through Eli's. Hah, take that! "As long as you're sure you won't freeze to death, Elliot," he murmured. "Hmm, so - Eli or Ellie? ...Ottie?"

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[saedusk]

"You are getting better." Or it seemed that way to Eli. If this sort of thing, spending time with Horace, touching him... if it really was helping, then maybe it wasn't so bad. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he didn't like the contact, and he didn't just mean physical. Despite Horace's undoubtedly quirky personality, he enjoyed talking to him, too.

It was refreshing. It was fun.

"Ottie?? That's a new one." Experimentally, he squeezed Horace's fingers between his own. "I've been called Ellie before, though it's usually Eli. Honestly, I don't care what you call me." Only Oliver had ever called him Ellie. "And don't worry now, I'll be fiiiine."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Most days it just didn't feel like he was getting better. His past was like his shadow, always there and it overwhelmed him. "You're one of the few people to say that... Most think I'm a lost cause - apparently I regress a lot." He smiled sadly. And this all was from before he started shocking people.

"I didn't used to shock people, though." He returned the squeeze, sliding his fingers further between Elliot's until their palms touched. Horace let out a slow breath, his other hand reflexively tightening a bit. "Elliottie, get it?" He shot Ellie a smirk. "I like Ellie; it sounds cute. Perfect. Mine doesn't shorten to anything. And you'll be fine until I ******** up and fry you."

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[saedusk]

Regression was practically Elliot's middle name, at least it had been in high school and the first year or so of college. Well, that might've been too generous, actually. Had he even made progress enough to call his actions regressive? Okay, now wasn't really the time to think about this. He was trying to be supportive.

Elliot, supportive. It was strange how this actually felt nice, even when the recipient wasn't Oliver Beaumont.

"When did this even start happening?" he asked, "Was it when you realized you were magic?" Now that their palms were flush, he drew only one finger away from the tangle to press to the tip of Horace's instead. "You know, if I was worried about getting a shock, I wouldn't be doing this. There's really nothing you could hold over my head to force me into cooperating." Poke, poke. "You could shorten it to Acie, though. That's kind of cute."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The shocking thing?" He watched their interlocked hands. "Yeah, it started around the time I noticed I had magic... and it was the only magic thing I had for a while. The touching thing... was years in the making. Didn't used to be like that, either." Tentatively, he tried to poke Elliot back, feeling kind of funny and light, somehow.

"I've never had a nice nickname before, much less a cute one," he said. There was a shock, but it was small, not much more painful than the scraping of nails lightly against skin. "Sorry. Maybe the rain is dampening it a bit, though?"

"Ellie, Acie."

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[saedusk]

In years gone by, Eli might've let it go at that. Delving into deep, personal things had never been his strong suit when he was younger. It was dangerous, made it too hard to keep up fronts. Now, though, he'd gotten much better about it. That was thanks in great part to Ollie's influence.

"It might be too much to ask," he ventured, "but I'm guessing you didn't grow an aversion to touch all on your own..." Okay, so he still wasn't a master a bringing up these subjects, but he was trying. He sure did wonder what sort of nicknames Horace might've had that couldn't even be labeled nice. "No pressure, but I'm available if you need an ear. Oh, and to be honest, I'm not sure I would've noticed the shock at all if you hadn't apologized." That was supposed to be an 'it's alright, you're doing fine.'

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Maybe it was the peaceful sound of the rain. It closed in around them like a blanket; it left him feeling alone, except for Elliot. Or maybe it was the warmth of Elliot pressed against his side or they way their fingers interlocked or how the air here felt so clean.

"No," he sighed. "I love touching people and hugs and stuff objectively, but it's all instinctive. I guess I learned that while I could leave an ex behind in Florida, I can't get rid of the bits of him I carry with me." That might have sounded dramatic, but it was something he thought often. He hated that he was still affected by Him, even though his ex didn't care, never had.

"The shocks just highlight the bits that are broken, I guess." He laughed a little, but it was forced.

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[saedusk]

No doubt Elliot had a feeling it was something like this. The influence other people could have over someone was staggering, it was something he'd learned firsthand. Outwardly he was independent, inwardly he relied on others to fuel his own self-worth. Thank his loveless parents for that one.

There was silence between them for a short time after that, but the way he continued to fiddle loosely with Horace's hand said he wasn't put off or anything of the sort. Not by Horace himself, at least.

"People can be... cruel," he said after a while, testing the revelation on his tongue like aged wine. "Moving on like it's nothing is something they only do in the movies." Okay, but was that really the most comforting thing to say? Eli flicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, unsure how far to go. There was something stirring in his chest as he shook his head.

"My parents were like that, too," he admitted, "In the way that what they did sticks with me even when I try to forget them." Their situations were far from identical, at least with the brief explanation he'd been given, but there was a tie that bound them here. He could empathize, he did empathize.

The Semblance of Unity