broken down by the sound of your prelude

[iudex]

Who: Dreamin' (iudex) & Accidentally Dreamwalkin' (psychopath).
When: Late night on the 31st.
Where: Phancyhive, but in a dreamfield.
Summary: In which Oswald takes the risk of making a part of Lake Meridian in a dreamfield and accidentally tugs the closest sleeper (Jack) in. oops??
Warnings: Thankfully no pie gallows!  Check yourself before you wreck yourself, Jack.

[oswald slips up when he starts - the key tonight is to make sure the setting is the last thing in your head before you sleep. he thinks and thinks, and slips because while he's thinking of lake meridian golden lights come to his distant mind.

the abyss taints this field that's mostly forest, but when he opens his eyes and sees the lake - shallow waters just in case someone wandered in and right into the lake - and nessie basking in the sunlight near the shore, maybe it's not so much of a mistake. the lights aren't present where he can see, so maybe they're further in. he tends to tuck the more personal aspects of his fields away in boxes, in spheres, under tight lock and key -

he pushes himself away from the tree he's sitting against, atmosphere as calm and quiet as he can make it, and slips over to the lake shore, blinking when nessie doesn't move. sleeping? weird thing. looking up warrants the sight of the bottom of the floating mountain - strong enough to make that in its entirety he sees. as long as it doesn't drift he should be fine; it'll stay immobile and he won't have to waste any dream energy on it. lake meridian is beautiful as it is, all stones, crystal clear lake, strong lake monster, the forest, and...

that temporary house that had a purpose. he'd rather sleep near the lake than go there and look. at least- for this visit. oswald thinks he can get away with it once.

with luck, he won't end up pulling anyone in; jack's first in his mind, and ciel, gilbert, and ahiru are all next. there are other occupants, but oswald far from cares (about anyone who isn't jack). - still, he didn't make this field to stress over things. he made it to escape from his nightmares for a night - maybe two if he can manage to not pull anyone in. if he does pull anyone in, it's likely that they'll show up close so it's not as if he'll miss them at any time tonight.

forcing them out would just hurt them.

it's a long shot, but it's worth it to save himself from the sight of another noctaere.]

Comments

[iudex]

[before crawling right back into bed and throwing the covers over himself as he sits with his back turned to jack like any mature adult would do. because he's a mature adult with mature thoughts and mature feelings. right.

...uh.. huh.....

and then - like any mature adult feeling their face heating up - he mumbles out a reply.

sure don't know how to deal with this other than mumbling the truth. (that he loves him, too. not... that jack can hear, um.)]

[psychopath]

[oh. oh ok oswald's mumbling something jack can't understand and he has his back turned to jack and oh, he can't help but take it the wrong way.

life is hard. his hands shake, and as he climbs to his feet it feels like he's stepping on his heart. well at least oswald knows! unlike lacie, where he never risked the chance of trying to get to know her better, with oswald, he was willing to sacrifice what they had if only for the faintest glimmer of hope that the baskerville heir would somehow....reciprocate.

alas, alas, juliet is going to go burn things now!!]

You...don't have to say anything about it, I am aware that we are both men and we...were best friends, so...

[he takes a breath, heads to the nightstand to take his earring, maybe he can drown himself in his tears in his rooms... oh no he can't cry here, self, stop.]

Haha, when it comes to these things, I'm really awkward. I'm sorry, Oswald.

[iudex]

[WHAT turning his head so quick towards jack that he's afraid it might've snapped - except it didn't, thank god! another ouchie for the road.

wow no don't cry he's an idiot-- and feels like he has a bunch of cotton stuck in his mouth, in his thoat, and skdgdkag]

--don't apologize.

[said like jack's the idiot, but oswald's just as bad gosh.] I said - [LIFE... OF AN AWKWARD TURTLE... AWKHAWK... this is so difficult, but it doesn't feel right not saying it.]

I love you, too. [and NOPE HE CAN'T KEEP HIS HEAD VISIBLE flushing like he's never before and just. going back under the covers to smother himself or something hdfk.

what are emotions what are feelings. ugh.]

1/4

[psychopath]

Are you blushing? You're blushing. Your ears are red-

[psychopath]

[wait, what.









he drops the earring back on the nightstand.]

[psychopath]

[you know what, you know what, jack is just going to....lie down and flop over oswald and generally wriggle over the oswald burrito. did he really just say....]

done oh no

[psychopath]

[jack, being very helpful, rolls over to his stomach and kicks up his legs, squirming his way over to where the top of oswald's head is, and he knocks their heads together, lightly. he laughs, too, something welling up in his chest again.

ohhhh now he can feel his cheeks heat up. oswald burrito, why do you inflict these feelings on jack?]

We're...both idiots, aren't we?

[1/2] lmfao ho boy

[iudex]

[he wants to snap that he's not blushing tyvm he's rarely been in such a position and he's twenty seven, but he hears the earring drop and his mouth snaps shut.

fight or flight senses, go- oswald's never saying anything like that again, gosh! the lying down and the flop and wriggling start and the oswald burrito is frozen as its contents try to figure out what to do and how to process what's happening.

--a lot of movement, yes, jack seems particularly fond of imitating a wriggly critter, and it doesn't look like he hates him. oswald had a nasty penchant for shutting himself down when his feelings became too much in hypnosia, and by the tine he hit that baseball diamond he learned that that's- not exactly healthy, releasing his breakfast aside.

he had no reason to not reciprocate (understanding brought on by being somewhere else helped), glen's sneering something he accepts and gets over. he'd run to silence glen further, but jack's knocking their heads together and laughing and it makes him twitch a moment in indecisiveness.]

[iudex]

[there's a rustle as he... fights his way out of the mess he's rolled himself into, yes, and he sits up on his knees as the covers fall away. idiots- that's what he's been calling them all along, and oswald frowns in thought, face back to being - well, not red.]

...we are. [because it's rare that master glen is wrong and oswald has long accepted that he's an idiot.

they're not fools, but they're definitely idiots.]

[psychopath]

[jack, oblivious to oswald's inner demons (i.e., glens), crawls over and headbutts him in the chest. oh. oh, oh, oh, jack feels like reaching up and taking oswald's heart and holding it against his, a fluttering bloody bird....]

I hope you understand what you're getting into.

[he murmurs, because oswald will have to live with the fact that jack, someday, will kill him, and destroy everything his world is.]

[iudex]

[may he stay forever oblivious to the symphony of burning disapproval that oswald can't completely block out! jack can think and do what he wants to - oswald is still a vessel of glen baskerville and he's so close to obtaining his title that it doesn't matter to him what anyone calls him if they aren't lacie, jack, and master glen.

...well. he'll just have to count on the next glen, won't he? there are ways to fix what's been done - some ways that he's not ready to accept - and he's sure he'll figure it out.

(what use can he make of this body...?)

oswald pets a hand over jack's head and nods, as simple as that. sombre seriousness - he'll erase lacie's existence and continue to get in jack's way. jack can't change that. oswald won't let the world that lacie loved be torn apart.]

[psychopath]

My birthday falls on the third week of this world's month on January. I've until then with you, I guess.

[he sits back on his haunches and reaches out to tug on oswald's hair, looking at him, really looking at him. he drags his fingers diagonally from shoulder to hip, tracing where he had wounded glen first.]

My soul had been steadily fragmenting and disappearing for the last hundred years, along with my memories. Alice and her sister shattered it, I think, when she killed herself.

[iudex]

[what a terribly misfortunate life, he thinks. the children of misfortune destroy everything they touch (no, no, enough of that, hush). oswald follows the tug without looking away, gluing his eyes to jack's as he so often does. lovely, reflective sort of eyes -

and, he keeps his hands as his sides when jack's hand falls in its drag over his torso, not minding it as much as he might have once. only lacie touched him back then - alice sounds familiar.

he stares, sharp and clear.] ...and you think that will continue here.

[not a question. (foolish - when oswald was young and stabilizing, he frowned at people for less.)]

[psychopath]

[there's a diary in ciel's possession that oswald will never see, and it's the most important record of Jack's memories. he'll leave instructions, of course, but only to ciel.]

Yes, I'll lose all my memories. Maybe I just...won't wake up. I don't know, have you ever seen something without a soul?

[he asks, faintly desperate, cupping the other's face like he's afraid. (he is.)]

[iudex]

[until it's put on tumblr, you mean - and there's the core of the abyss, but that's a special something. likely the noctaere too - (can he exchange a soul to stop a soul from breaking anymore he wonders and doesn't that create a sharp pang in his skull)]

- yes. [finally, quietly, pained for a moment. both special, special cases, and he reaches up to cover jack's hands with his.] They were both special, but very awake.

What will you do if you remain... or if you end up returning to the way you are now?

[with soul and memories, that is. it's always good to have a plan for the ifs, remaining, and backups for the returns.]

[psychopath]

Maybe I would cry.

[he does, right now, eyes shining, hands cold and shaking against oswald's. that would mean a reprieve, and jack could probably live, he could, and maybe he could use what time he had left to make sure oswald knew how sorry he was.]

I should have never been born, so it isn't a cause for celebration anyway. [he sniffs, noisily.] But that day, all your time is mine. You've no choice. I'd drug you if I have to.

[iudex]

[and here come the tears— oswald frowns, but not because of them. because of the words coming out of jack's mouth after and his eyes narrow and he thinks jack foolish again.

even so, him being harsh probably won't help the situation. his look flattens and his hands rub over jack's.]

My time is yours without the use of such a thing. [idiot.] I'll have Ciel throw a party.

[dealwithit.jpg]

[psychopath]

[what the fuck no parties get out :(((

he sits back and scrubs a forearm across his eyes, sniffing. It's pretty hard to give smile wickedly when you've been crying in the ugliest way known to man, but jack makes a damn good effort.

all it takes is Imagining Things, things that have made his heart ache and his err- well! Other body parts have a lot more votes in the Jack's Priorities Election.]

Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while, [he purrs, leaning in, here we write an obituary for Oswald's personal space, rest in peace,] do you know how long I've wanted you?

[iudex]

[oh :( gets out then goodbye

oswald was all for sighing, removing himself from close proximity, and watching while jack sniffled and scrubbed the tears from his eyes. hell, he even started to— nothing, because jack's done and (purring—?!) talking and leaning in, and asking him that question.

—wait what what's happening? he's visibly surprised, blinking and starting.. to move a hand between them in a bid for his personal space, thank you. he remembers what went down in his dreamfield; oswald doesn't want to budge.]

No— I wouldn't know. [AND HE WOULDN'T he doesn't notice things like... that... unless it's directed towards someone else. probably. maybe. that's a long shot.]

[psychopath]

You can read me very easily but you're really oblivious.

[he lectures, very intently ignoring oswald's hand thank you! jack has seduced much, much older men than him before, and he's pretty sure that he can seduce oswald, but it just...doesn't seem right. he can wait. after all, he'd waited years for lacie, and he'd never laid a hand on her that way. (but then again he'd never wanted to pin her against a wall and-)

heerrppp. he leans in even more, faces really close and- he yawns.]

Things are fine like this, though. I'm really happy you're here. Thank you for existing.

[iudex]

[rude he's— yeah he's really oblivious. he can't justly deny it.] I've never had reason to notice things like that.

[unless it was directed towards lacie. he cut that shit before it started, of course. -and jack yawns in his face, wow. the words just ignite that earlier flare of anger (of bitterness) - his killer thanking him for something like existing, for being happy that he's here. how terrible an irony that is!

but, he won't tell jack that. besides, the embarrassment is back as he just... leaves all of that as it is!! it makes him feel funny.] —if you feel sick in the morning, make sure to tell me. Dream sickness is terrible if left alone.

[and he pulls himself away again and pushes his hair behind his ears, hands moving to dig in the covers and situating them in... what they were before, yes, and not the nest... burrito... thing that he made of them, oops. why am i a bird??]

[psychopath]

[oh, he'll be out sick for a week, at least, but for now, Jack is a snuggly little thing under the covers, really quite happy about the turn of events! Now he'd be able to control his homicidal urges. He thinks.]

I'll be fine, how bad can it be? Oswald.

[he just-very quickly leans up and nips the other man's ear. He's positively glowing with happiness, can't you tell? (the crash will come much later.)

How bad can having a murderous cold-blooded psychopath be hopelessly in love with you?]

[iudex]

[luckily for jack, oswald doesn't remember the plush (oz, he supposes, poor dear) until after they're under the covers, so it just sits on the nightstand all innocent. he wants to get it, though - and goodness, will he need to try and sift through his memories to see if he ever figured out how to make dream boost?

no matter for now. he does seem fine, but oswald will be watching as he always does.]

You may feel fine right now, but you'll be bedridden if it hits.

[if only he had the luxury to joke. he's speaking from experience after all - now that he's more experienced he doesn't let it cross his mind that he could get sick too, but w/e! jack seems too happy to care about getting sick.

--KDJSDJAG staring at jack indignantly and covering his ear with a hand, and not in that order!! yes, how... bad could that be?? oswald isn't sure he wants to know.]

[psychopath]

You'll take care of me, won't you?

[he settles, right next to oswald, claiming one of his arms and pressing his cheek against a shoulder, ignoring his blush and indignation because that's what jack does. Yan lyfe forever!!]

And don't get all shy, for all I know you've bedded more people than me, lord Baskerville.

[iudex]

I will.

[no hesitation there, and there's him watching jack again, calm until he opens his mouth UMMMM he can't believe this conversation is a thing that's happening someone send help asap]

I've not bedded much of anyone, Jack. [unless this is pure bedding and just sleeping, in which case there's at least two he doesn't remember and two he does. he'd scowl, but what's the point??]