[PRP] all these things (aleksy & jeremiah)

[shibrogane]

"Again, I have no way of knowing," said Aleksy, who was starting to get frustrated. "I do not know either of these questions. I know Renard well; Liam is like father to me, but much better than my a*****e father ever was. Renard, too, is fatherly. But these things, they are not relevant to me. They have never been relevant to me."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah was quiet before he squeezed Aleksy's foot. "My apologies, Lisichya." That frustration was picked up from years of reading the redhead. "You know how I get when I am working what is essentially a case." The young man was given a rueful smile but the apology was genuinely meant (because sometimes Jeremiah was laser-focused and this was not the good kind of laser-focused). It was best to go straight to Renard which was long overdue, if he were honest.

Sometimes he felt indebted to Renard and Liam, if only because they impact they had made on Aleksy in this life and that of the one that was no more.

"How are you doing? Not just with the changes, but everything?" As he was interested in knowing, their friendship something important. His worries about how other ashdown was influencing this world and the cycles and the cage could be put aside.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Aleksy huffed, and didn't say anything like I forgive you, probably because he was pretty sure that'd be embarrassing for both of them. He crossed his arms over his chest, self-conscious, and looked away. "I am fine," he said. "Work is going well. The wedding planning is on hold. Finn asked. I suppose the other me had similar problems with letting the state become involved in my affairs, but was not so circumspect about all the trappings."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

The huff was as good a response as any. An actual statement of forgiveness would- Well, that would just be mildly embarrassing.

"It was a fairly big statement when he started wearing Finn's class ring," said Jeremiah thoughtfully. "We certainly spent more than one sunset on the porch discussing it but so far as I know, he had not said yes even after the radical-" He stopped and rephrased. "After Blackfriars nearly saw him dead. What business is it of the state that you are with someone?" It was an old conversation. There was also the matter that Aleksy had not been in the country legally but-

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Aleksy shrugged. "None at all. Tax benefits?" He had all his paperwork set up so that Finn was his power of attorney on the off chance he died or became so grievously injured that he could no longer make his own decisions. But he liked knowing that if he wanted to pack up and leave tomorrow, he could, and there would be nothing tying him to this place at all.

He wouldn't. But he could, if he wanted.

"I suppose you haven't been married to Algernon for years and years," said Aleksy thoughtfully.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"No," said Jeremiah, "we've not been. It'll be a year later in the summer." Which was different (it had been a spring wedding years ago). "Alg did not come to the states until a few years ago."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"How odd," said Aleksy. "You did not ******** right off the bat then either? Why not?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

In another world, Aleksy had heard and listened and knew enough to know why. Jeremiah had already been turned away once and- Stopping there. "Let's settle with I was stupid. You said so often enough. I had it in my head to not ... break the friendship with the complications of my romantic interest.

"It took being missing for a week in other ashdown and getting burned by Pax for me to reevaluate how idiotic I was being." Especially given that he truly was being idiotic given he had had a friendship that was not complicated or ruined with romantic interest but-

shibroswol

 

[shibrogane]

Aleksy grunted. Jeremiah was stupid. That was just a fact about Jeremiah, and it was comforting to know that it persisted across worlds. "Damn," he said. "Well, at least that is unchanged."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah huffed, laughing a little and pressing his thumb into the ball of Aleksy's foot in a light massage. "Yes, it is one fact that remains the same no matter what. I am likewise glad to know that your friendship hasn't changed."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Aleksy sniffed. "You're not my Jeremiah," he said. "But you are a Jeremiah. That will be enough."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"No, I am not and I doubt I will ever be your Jeremiah." Aleksy was his Aleksy either, not even his Lisichya. It would not stop him. "... but I will be there for you regardless."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"You'd better," said Aleksy darkly. "I can make enough noise about magical pod people to make your life very hard."

azuredreams

let's wrap this up?

 

[azuredreams]

"You have all the power," Jeremiah said dryly, "so don't let it go to your head." Another poke of his finger to Aleksy's foot. "Weren't there some dates we needed to discuss? Not wedding planning."

Things like this was good, needed in fact. He wouldn't trade them away for anything.

shibrogane

yep! it's at a wrap point! either let it go here or one more post from you ~