[PRP-BATT] Old Aches (Become New Again) [Leeroi/Guouli]

[Gl!tch~]

I know I expect too much
And not enough, all at once

 

[zeflamigo]

"You should have seen it, Guo. I mean— I can show it to you if you didn't, I've got the performance recorded..." Leeroi rambled, blush obvious on his face. He moved towards his entertainment system, digging through tapes and discs for his recording of Superstar Authority. Upon finding it he giggled to himself, and loaded it up on the screen.

As the recording loaded, Leeroi shuffled back to sit beside Guo, falling heavily into the couch. When Fellah's performance started, Leeroi covered his cheeks in some kind of attempt to contain his infatuation. It didn't work very well.

"You can't tell me he's not singing about me, dude. Not unless he went out with some other blueblood with scars last Bloodfest..." Leeroi paused for a second, considering this. After a moment, he laughed. "Even if he did, I'm sure I left the biggest impression." He winked, elbowing Guo roughly.

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

Guouli sat back and rolled his eyes. He couldn't stop Leeroi from dragging him into watchign the stupid performance even if he tried, so he didn't. The music immediately sucked, Leeroi's gushy attitude sucked, and getting elbowed just made him even twitchier. The redblood was hot, he guessed, but still just some pathetic lowblood trying to avoid getting drafted. And probably just trying to use Leeroi like the dipshit's moirail was.

Leeroi's excitement dug at Guo's nerves. When was the last time he'd gotten to make Leeroi that excited? Probably not since they were kids, during a video game release or 12th Perigee's or something. Now it just didn't, like, matter anymore.

He just snorted and let his face break out into a tight smile. "How d'you know it's not actually about me? Not everything's about you, loser." Guo shoved back.  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi questioned Guo's remark for a moment, stumped. He didn't consider it could have been his friend instead, they had all the commonalities from the song. Then, Leeroi remembered an important detail, and shook his head.

"Like you'd ever be caught making out with a redblood on a public beach," Leeroi waved, completely dismissive of the idea. He folded his arms, smiling smugly at Guo. "Lowbloods would be shaking in their flip-flops at the idea of you asking them out. Fellah asked me." Leeroi bragged, attention flickering back to the performance. Leaning forward, he watched with half-lidded eyes.

"I guess I could believe it... If you saw him shirtless too..." Leeroi spoke slow, getting distracted between words. "Even a p***k like you might change his mind... for those... muscles..."

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

Ugh. Approachable enough for a redblood to just ask him out. Leeroi was turning into such a goddamn embarrassment to their caste. Guouli continued to sit in his discontent, leaning on a fist as he stared at wall above the TV.

If you saw him shirtless too...

Guo's thinkpan froze. His gaze flicked back to Leeroi. The other blueblood looked absolutely enraptured. For those... Muscles... He couldn't help looking at Leeroi's own covered torso.

And Leeroi wasn't going to do anything like that for him. ******** this. Guo got up all of a sudden. "Ugh," he hopped over the couch. "I'm gonna go barf all over your bathroom and toilet. Bye." He slammed the door on his way out.  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi barely registered Guo's tantrum, the slamming of the door doing a better job of pulling his attention from Fellah's performance. He didn't understand the reasoning, but he could hardly argue with him considering his own temper. Not to mention, he didn't have the feeling in him to yell back, not when he could rewind the tape another time and enjoy the song again...

----------

Perigees later, Leeroi found himself on the couch with Guo again. This time, he laid down in frustration, legs resting on Guo as if he were only a pillow in the way. Leeroi's forearm blocked his face, and he whined petulantly.

"I don't know, dude..." He started to shift, as if to get up, but he let out a painful groan and returned to laying down. "Everything hurts, man. She ******** me up."

Leeroi bared his teeth in a grimace, then took a sharp sigh. "It'd be one thing if she just... If she just kicked my a**, but no. She had to toy with me. My feelings." He punched the couch with the side of his fists.

Hemera Moachm.

"Kissed me. Messed with my head to win. Kissed me again to rub it in my face." He snarled.

Leeroi didn't know what to feel but pain, and he didn't know how to express it any other way than complain to Guouli about it. Maybe Guo would have advice? He almost doubted it. At least he had someone to listen. Psykgi was so far away...  

[Gl!tch~]

Guo could be found staring at the wall, looking completely checked out. Who even was this chick? Did it matter? It was like some new troll every other perigee was messing Leeroi's head up. Sometimes Guouli wondered if the guy actually had time for anything else between all his ~*~feelings~*~.

And why was he listening to this? Wasn't Leeroi's moirail some psych intern? God, what he had to go through just to spend time with Leeroi anymore.

"Sounds rough, bro." Guo exhaled. "Is this, like, actual feelings or just I-want-to-kiss-everybody Leeroi feelings?" It didn't even matter. Scratch that. "Either way, you could just...settle the score. It's not that hard. Put her in her place. Getting bent out of shape about it just makes you more of a ******** loser. Do you wanna be a ******** loser?"

He didn't really care but maybe for once Leeroi would beat someone up instead of getting all mushy about them.  

[zeflamigo]

"I'm not a loser. You just don't get it. You wouldn't get it." Leeroi scoffed. Of course he wouldn't understand. "I like her, I just don't like this. She's... difficult. Frustrating." At the same time, so pretty, so fun to tease. She turned it around on him and now he felt like a total tool. How did he end up feeling like this?

"I don't know if she's for real into me or if she's messing around. I just— I wish she'd said something earlier. Like straightforward 'Leeroi, I like you', you know?" He huffed in anger, folding his arms.

"I got pissed and yelled at her, and now she's probably too terrified to talk. It's all ********, Guo." He frowned, staring at the ceiling.  

[Gl!tch~]

God. ******** this. ******** this. Guo didn't hang out with Leeroi just for him to mope and be a shithead. He felt twitchy again. "It's not like you make it easy," he grumbled. "It's all about you and your problems. No one gets to talk about any other s**t. Maybe she wanted to but you were talking about your other crush of the week or gerbils or what the ******** ever. Anyone could say 'Hey a*****e I like you' and you'd go 'Okay cool but anyway back to my thing'. And now it's all ********!" Guo caught himself before he could continue on and go 'oh well, there'll be someone else in a week anyway'. He didn't want a fight, believe it or not. "You know what's never ********? Two bros and a daywalker shooter."  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi's attention snapped to Guo, furrowing his brows. "It's not my fault you hate talking about feelings, bro." He said shortly, then pushed himself up so he was sitting at Guo's eye level. Having refused to move his legs, Leeroi practically sat in his friend's lap. Guo was snappier than normal, so Leeroi supposed he'd try his best to placate him. He heaved a sigh, sharing a tiny, calm smile.

"Are you like... ok, dude? You wanna talk? Someone hurt you? I'll kick their a**." He watched Guo's face with genuine concern. It was easy to play games as a distraction, but part of him had to try to dig a bit deeper. Maybe Psykgi was rubbing off on him. Either way, he wanted to get to the bottom of this.  

[Gl!tch~]

It's not my fault you hate talking about feelings, bro.

Guo could punch him. His fingers even curled in a little. In a moment's notice, he was ready to throw down. Words hadn't worked. They never seemed to. Why did he even try?

But his hand fell away after Leeroi sat up, so close to Guouli's lap. That kind of contact was unusual in and of itself, and Leeroi's concern more so. Guo raised his other hand a little, almost reaching out for Leeroi's face. I like you. I like you I like you I like you

Instead he wiped the side of his own sniffnode, looking away. "Tch. Like I need you to fight for me."  

[zeflamigo]

Guouli's reaction felt hollow, and Leeroi felt hollow in response. That wasn't much of an answer at all, was it? A deflection. Leeroi didn't know what to do with that. He felt bad, useless when his friend was in need. Disappointment was plain on his face. Whatever, he knew Guo would just get pissy if he pushed it anymore. He shook it off, looking elsewhere.

"Pick your game, then," Leeroi acquiesced. He slid over, moving his legs so Guouli could stand.  

[Gl!tch~]

God, the atmosphere sucked. Why did everything always have to suck so bad these days? "Hey." Guo rubbed the back of his neck. "I get that you give a s**t. You don't have to, but you do. And that's cool. But I'm okay."

He could fess up. He could say something. Guo had the opening, and he knew it. It just hurt too much. He wasn't some lowblood with abs or spunk or whatever s**t Leeroi liked when lowbloods had it in them. He was just Guo.

And Guo couldn't lose if he didn't play.

The blueblood looked over his options. "Oh s**t, Dusk of the Daywalkers XII! Hell yeah!"  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi smiled, faintly. At the very least, he gave Guo a hearty clap on the back. Something to say he was here for him, whenever he needed it. "You better share your loot this time, a*****e," he joked. Anything to lighten the air a little bit.

----------

Too much time had passed. A military mission, a whole perigee of new automated leg designs, one kismesis later. A lot had changed, and Leeroi hated that there wasn't much room to share time with his bro. As soon as Hemera was well enough to be on her own, he scheduled time. And as soon as Guo got to the door, Leeroi blabbed without pause.

"Listen, I'm sorry, ok?" Leeroi pled for forgiveness before even giving Guo a chance to walk in. "I know it's been a while, but trust me, I was looking out for your best interest. You would have hated it." Leeroi gave a weak smile, wishing he had rehearsed this at all.

"Well... not Hemera, I hope. Just like, the third-wheeling part." He laughed to lighten his spirits, but the guilt was still obvious.  

[Gl!tch~]

The whole thing seemed sketchy from the get-go. Leeroi had no time to hang out, ever, for a long stretch. After a while, Guo could only assumed that he had his a** dumped wholesale. Too bad he couldn't have gone to that space stuff everyone else was doing. Guouli hadn't taken part of any big troll-unifying events outside of Bloodfest, and he was really starting to feel it. Everyone seemed to be living full lives and he felt out of the loop.

It didn't help that when he finally did get to chill with his bro, Leeroi immediately apologized before they even got to fistbump. Hated...what? Hemera? That name was back on the table? Third-wheeling?

"Wait, wait, okay, time out. I'm not even in the door and you're just-? Are you...holy s**t are you in quads or something? Is that what you've been doing this whole ******** time, bro?!"