Get into the van, kiddo.

[captaincatblock]

[Peace is a funny thing. It's been teased and denied for so long that now that it's happening, it's almost weird. He'd missed most of the drama with the princess and her traitorous Terran Knight -- not that he's fully convinced of it, but if it gains them this peace, then he won't question it -- but he had been returned to his kin as Earth's first peace offering.]

[Kuroo hadn't been too happy about that, hadn't even had the time to say good bye to Tsukki after being whisked away by a couple of generals and then thrown into political chaos. But he had endured it, because he knew that eventually, the princess would get to the small issue of Kuroo's kataphrakt and how he intends to spend his time on Earth. He could be a diplomat, he'd offered, or teach his fellow Versians about Terrans, since he's learned a lot. Anything, he had added meaningfully, if he allowed him to keep his landing castle close to Earth if not entirely on its soil.]

[He'd gotten some leeway in the end, after weeks of endless talks, so here he is now striding into the hanger where they kept his mech, in full Count regalia. Oddly enough, he only has Terran escorts with him, and they back away well enough when he reaches his destination.

Tsukki? Oiii, I'm looking for your mechanic, Tsukishima Kei. [first he calls out, and then just outright asks someone to find Tsukki for him]

Comments

[hellacene]

You can do a lot with the right amount, that's why. [he leans his head against kuroo's.]

It's rare that we have the time to do it. I sort of wished we did it a bit more, but with how things had been ....

[captaincatblock]

I can always give you a ride to wherever you want to go. [Since he gets special permits and the like.]

Hey, what was up with you and your brother? Did you have... trouble in the past?

[hellacene]

[he frowns. he doesn't like talking about akiteru back then, since he's done all that he can to earn his way back to tsukki's trust, but the memory still stings. it's only recently that he talked to him again.]

Something like that. He's made amends now, but .... he was a pain in the ass a while ago.

It doesn't matter. [but he hates that it happened, fingers pressing angrily against each other at the thought of it.]

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo notes the sudden tension from his question, which makes him very curious. Akiteru seemed like a good sort, and he obviously adored his brother. What could he have done? Kuroo pulls Tsukki's hand to kiss at his fingers.]

Tell me about it?

[hellacene]

[he lets kuroo kiss his fingers, and then tells him the story, in a quiet, but rather frustrated tone. about the time the war started, and when akiteru joined, and how he had been so fervently enthusiastic about helping, about serving for a good cause, because he wanted to protect them. he looked up to him and thought the world of him. no matter how hard the war was, he always came back -

until one day he'd found out just how difficult the toll was on him, and how his service was actually eating him alive. bad enough that he got taken off the front lines, and it was a while before he was even allowed to service again. all this time, he had lied to him about his work and how much in danger he really was and had kept the whole thing to himself until it was just too much, and he'd found him in his room a horrible mess. pathetic.

things have been strained between them ever since. akiteru's been doing a lot better after a round of therapy and medications and the like, but he and kei never talked the same way that he did. what he didn't tell kuroo was that he felt a bit guilty about it. like all of his admiration pushed him to do worse, or something.]

[captaincatblock]

[He listens to Tsukki talk about Akiteru, kissing at his shoulder in the interval as he thinks about the situation. It doesn't surprise him though. Akiteru seemed to have that sort of personality.]

I can see why he did what he did, but lies like that never end well. You're sort of even with him now, I guess, since you being lovers with a Versian Count's got him worried halfway to death.

[hellacene]

I didn't want to be even. [quietly - ] I just wanted him to stop being reckless.

And anyway .... he's better at things now. That's a lot more than I can ask for.

[captaincatblock]

He seems to be trying hard, in any case. [kisses on the cheek] I hope you don't have a falling off because you had to move all of a sudden.

[hellacene]

I doubt that we will. [a slight smile.] He's persistent, too.

[kuroo's been doing a lot of the kissing, so - he gets one on the lips, slow and sweet, hands moving in between his own before he pulls back to tell him,] We should try and do this as often as we can.

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo's always down for kissing. He smiles at Tsukki even as he kisses back.]

I always have time for space picnics.

[hellacene]

[his eyes stare onto his own before he kisses him again.] I overheard Kai talking about your work. I don't think you'd have as much time once you settle back in your schedule.

[captaincatblock]

I'll make time for space picnics. [Amends that with a smile, gently catching Tsukki's lower lip with his teeth.]

[hellacene]

Mmm.

[he licks his lips, gently kisses him with tongue.] Wouldn't do for me to forget your face, if you're away for too long.

[captaincatblock]

Oh? What happened to that nice photo you took of me at the zoo? [He is getting a little handsy, though, his hands going anywhere fairly randomly.]

[hellacene]

[rather dryly,] I auctioned it. Paid for a day's meal, but not much else.

[well, he didn't, but still. he doesn't have to know it's in his files somewhere.]

[captaincatblock]

Alas, that's what you get for taking a hidden picture. [Hah, their first date still makes him smile.]

But if you're nice, I'll let you take a new one.

[hellacene]

I can ask Kenma instead, too. I'm sure he has lots he can give me.

[he'll bribe him with a game and tips on how to escape his current level.]

[captaincatblock]

But they won't be for you. [kisses him again]

[hellacene]

I can live with that.

[come to think of it - ] Do we have a picture together? I think my brother asked me that and I told him I only had that one picture of you ....

[and then akiteru laughed at him, the jerk.]

[captaincatblock]

[Akiteru had the right to be amused by it, you should take more glorious pictures of your boyfriend, Kei.]

Here, sit down properly and let me take a photo of us. [Kuroo points out the small, discreet camera on top of the monitor -- which he tugs over on its wire to place -- and smiles. The photo appears on the leftmost screen, although it comes out as a video. Kuroo has to poke and prod at it (virtual touch screen, tada!) to get the video to take a photo in the first place.]

[hellacene]

[sighs as he sits better on his lap so it can take a nice photo of him and kuroo. at the end of it, he leans his head beside kuroo's, hands wrapped around his own for the camera. he's not exactly smiling, but .... he looks incredibly fond of him.]

[captaincatblock]

[Kuroo makes sure to get some of their view of the stars in the frame, so that the context of the photo is better understood ("otherwise, it would be weird if people think we're just cramming ourselves into the Arcadia for nothing"), and then very quickly, fingers flying, he sends the photo to the Tsukishima tablet.]

[hellacene]

[after the photo, he murmurs,] .... they'd love that.

[gets back to drinking his hot chocolate and eating the rest of the strawberries.] My mom's starting to make an album again, apparently.

[captaincatblock]

[He takes a photo of Tsukki eating as well.]

Like the one with your childhood photographs? That sounds nice.

[hellacene]

[he just nods at that, not even caring that kuroo took a photo of him eating.] I don't have a lot growing up, so she wants me to take some photos. I keep forgetting, though. I'm not really one for pictures.