IC INBOX for The Last Voyages

[magician_king]

You know what to do.

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[callmefives]

Fives reaches out and snags his hand as he follows him in, and ducks his head a little to only partially hide his wicked grin. "We basked very gloriously," he answers. "I promise."

He squeezes Quentin's hand. "I know he probably told you, but you do know he wants to marry you too, as soon as you're ready, right?" he asks, a little quieter.

[magician_king]

"I'm the one who's not ready for that."

He says, and takes him by the hand, moving to lead him inside.

"It's more like- let's have coffee, come on." Through to the kitchen, he shuts the door behind him. "So the three of us, we're building this tripod, and we're building it slowly, we're building it steadily, and the link between me and you is tender, new, tenuous, the link between me and him is pretty good but occasionally throws me these terrible curveballs, and the link between you two is fate, destiny, cosmic- it's hard sometimes not to feel like I'll never catch up. Which makes me feel like if pressure comes, we all know damn well where the structure will buckle."

[callmefives]

Fives doesn't let go as he trails along behind him, listening solemnly. He doesn't really know, still, what to make of he and Jedao being called some kind of cosmic destiny, but that's not his focus, and when Quentin's done he answers almost immediately. "But there's already been so much pressure, and it hasn't. Buckled? It would have been so easy for it to, more than once. I think... you and Jedao are stronger than you think, probably?" And he's glad that (mostly) doesn't intimidate him the way he had when he'd first realized it anymore.

[magician_king]

"What pressure?"

Asks Quentin, from whom this is all pretty damn normal, day to day so far. He's got an unusually high bullshit tolerance.

[callmefives]

"Me not being able to handle it at the start, and nearly ruining everything," he points out. But Jedao had loved him too much and wanted him too much to give up, and Quentin had felt the same. "And Jedao getting all those memories back, and how kriffing awful everything was for so long after." He doesn't think either of those count as anything like normal, and he's sure the pressure of them could have easily shattered a lot of relationships.

[magician_king]

"Oh Jesus, I'd actively blacked all that out. J, not you- you were never that level of upsetting."

He promises, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I guess I hadn't looked at it that way."

[callmefives]

"Maybe not, but it was hard, and neither of you gave up." He'd hated it at the time, felt like it was just proof he wasn't enough, he's glad they'd stuck it out now. Most of the time, when he's being rational. And the memories... he doesn't like to think about those weeks at all, or about how he knows all that trauma's still lingering behind Jedao's eyes, he's just good at pushing himself through it.

"It's... it's been hard. It's probably always going to be hard. Because this place is hard, and war is-" He shakes his head. He can't pretend it will be anything other than vast amounts of slogging misery, but he's hoping for bright spots to illumine it. "It's always going to be hard," he repeats. "But it's not like you ever got easy to start with, right? And... none of us are just going to quit."

[magician_king]

"Would it bug you guys if I came over for a bit?"

He asks, a little uncertainly- completely equally convinced that of course he's welcome, and of course it's a huge imposition and he's crazy to ask.

"It'd be nice to just- be underfoot. Fall asleep while you chat about whatever, all the things."

[callmefives]

For an answer Fives steps in and wraps his arms around Quentin again, presses his face in against the side of his neck. "Always. You are always welcome, cyar'ika," he assures him quietly. The bed's not that big, but he doesn't think Jedao will mind it any more than he expects to, and hopefully Quentin won't either.

"C'mon. Bring your coffee." He'll have tea with Jedao at this time of night since they're going home.

[magician_king]

He turns his head, kissing his temple quickly before going to do as he's told, doctoring up a cup of decaf the way he likes it.

"Could you put down a couple of grapes for Pope while I'm gone? They're in the fridge."

While he adds the milk, and folds the cup carefully in both hands so he can follow him back to their place.

[callmefives]

Fives finds the grapes in the fridge and puts a few down, and realizes they should probably introduce Tits and Pope to each other sometime, since they're likely going to end up living together some day. But not right now.

"Okay, let's go." He doesn't wait for an answer, just slings an arm around Quentin's shoulders and steers him towards the door.

[magician_king]

He lets himself be steered, deeply comforted by just riding along tucked in against his side. He doesn't really have to watch where he's going, he can just trust Fives to handle it while he tries to work out a math problem in his head about heat loss per minute out of a coffee cup.

"Does Jedao's tea have caffeine in it? I'm sure it must."

[callmefives]

"He has a few different kinds, there's some decaf too," Fives assures him, still holding him close. Even if he prefers the caffeinated.

[magician_king]

"It's probably contributing to his night agitation. Want to launch a combined offensive where we keep drinking tea with him and any time it's after twelve noon we ask to please have the blueberry, or whatever it is?"

Says Quentin, making a bid at turning the wrong way coming out of the elevator, walking on pure autopilot.

[callmefives]

"I don't think caffeine will make much difference in the nightmares, and those are the biggest reason either of us are restless at night," he points out, and gently tightens his arm around Quentin's shoulders to steer him the right way.

"But if you think it might we can try it." Because it's not like it will do any harm even if it doesn't help, and if Jedao really needs or wants to be more alert he can just take some proper stims.

[magician_king]

"No, I'm sure, but it's one of those 'every little drop will help' thing. I'm only recently noticing how tired he actually is."

It's hard not to meddle.

[callmefives]

"He sleeps better than he used to," he answers quickly, with a hint of defensiveness to it. He's done his best, neither of them sleeps well, it's just that he doesn't need as much sleep as Jedao.

They're at the door now, though, and it's not really an argument... and maybe Quentin's right and less caffeine will help. "I'll ask him to make herbal tea," he concedes, before swiping them through into the little cabin he and Jedao share. "Jed'ika, I brought Quentin," he announces as he steps in, like he brought a particularly good present.

[ninefox]

Jedao glances up from a holographic history of a minor rim planet that's probably going to make a useful wedge someday, hand already reaching to freeze his place, and beams when he sees them.

"Hello, darlings." He pauses, then asks, "How heartbreaking would it be if I asked you to stop calling me that? Only because I finally realized it's perfect for the other Jedao."

[callmefives]

Fives grins at the greeting, arm still around Quentin's shoulders as the door slides shut behind them and Tits gets up from her spot curled up on the corner of Jedao's desk and jumps down to come greet them. And then he stops in his tracks, expression going carefully neutral at the unexpected question.

"You'll have to remind me for a while," he answers after a beat. He calls him that more often than he calls him anything else, and it's going to be a hard habit to break, and a painful one. "It is a good name for him, if he wants it."

[magician_king]

"I like Jaby."

Offers Quentin, naive to the deeper intrigue, head tilting to rest on Fives' shoulder unconsciously.

"Jedao-baby and space bumblebee. Did either of you get a look at his supporting architecture? He's wild, under that human mask."

[ninefox]

"I don't dislike it, it was just a thought," Jedao assures him, getting up to kiss them both, Quentin first. "I remember. I'm not sure what kind of bees they have on your planet," he replies, a little dryly.

"But it might be a convenient moment to switch, since you can call me husband now," he points out as he turns to Fives.

[callmefives]

Fives privately doubts he'd be interested in that type of diminutive of Jedao's name, but there's a chance the Mandalorian wouldn't bother him. He remembers the conversation where the boy had insisted he wouldn't give up his name, no matter how much he hated the man who bore it first.

"I only saw him the normal way." He wants to ask about the architecture, why Quentin would call anything to do with him that, but Jedao sidetracks him and he slips his arm around his waist to hold him close once he kisses him, tipping their foreheads together. "Riduur," he murmurs by way of agreement, though it doesn't come as easily to his tongue, doesn't have the same feeling of intimacy. It's a title, not his name, but... he'll get used to it.

[magician_king]

"We could make him Jedao and just rechristen you all together. Bob."

Proposes Quentin, before taking an innocent sip of coffee and giving him a nice, sincere bat of his eyelashes.

"Brian?"

[ninefox]

"Butts," he says immediately, because Jedao cannot be trust to name anything, apparently including himself. Because it matches the pattern! Mostly because he wants to see Fives laugh and Quentin splutter.

[callmefives]

Fives had already been starting to smile at Quentin's ridiculous suggestions, and Jedao gets his wish when he makes his own. "It goes with Tits' name, too," he points out. "I'm not sure General Butts has the right degree of dignity, though."