rattlingthestars | IC Inbox

Zell...

[ Jim's voice is ... well, it's trying to be a warning. It's not doing a very good job, but the point is It's trying. ] We need to... uh.

[ Jim releases Zell's hand to put his own over his face. ] Can we slow down for a second?

[It does get him to stop. Taking in a deep breath to try to calm down as he nuzzles Jim. Planting his chin on his shoulder.] Yeah we can. [Putting both hands on high on Jim's back.]

I don't think I ever met my grandpa. [He raises his shoulders a bit to kind of shrug. He doesn't remember much of his earlier years.]

That war ended when I was small.

Made a pretty big impact on you for someone you never met. [ Jim remembers Zell talking about how it was the reason he joined the garden, how the guy died protecting those he loved. ] He was... your Ma's dad?

[ He's still puzzling out exactly how Zell's family works. There's a possibility that the guy was related to Zell by blood, but given how little he seems to know or remember about those people Jim doubts it. ]

[He'll give a nod against his neck.] I used to hear stories about him from my Ma and people in town. I have a picture of him in my room with all of his guns.

[It's hard for Zell to keep still, but it helps that he can feel every breath Jim takes. He can heart his heartbeat and just holding him like this is nice. It's warm, and pretty comfortable in it's own way. Might be more comfortable if he wasn't excited.] When I had the time, I would maintain them. [~~So he's really good with handling guns ;D~~]

Huh.

[ Wow. The guy must've been really famous, but Zell had said he was a war hero. Someone like the Captain, maybe; he can imagine people telling stories like that about her. Or like Zell may be now, considering what he'd apparently done back home. Saving a planet probably earned you a few amazing stories told about you, and Zell deserves the glory. The idea of people - lots of people - saying those kinds of things about Zell makes him happy.

Jim doesn't voice any of that, though his silence is thoughtful until: ] Who taught you to shoot? Or were they just decoration?

[ Jim's own marksmanship had been less-than-satisfactory when it counted, but he's betting Zell is good at it. ]

[Kissing the fabric of Jim's shirt.] My Ma and the guy across the street did. He owns a weapon shop. It was pretty cool watching him work. I made sure the guns were in working order. Kept them loaded and everything in case Ma needed it.

[Not that she used them when the town got taken over by soldiers, but she was also trying to keep the peace to make sure everyone would get out of it unharmed.]

What about you? Any weapons experience before coming here? [Turning his head to bump his nose against Jim's cheek.]

Your ma can shoot?

[ Jim sounds pretty delighted about that. Now he's picturing her as someone a lot like Zell, which would make her pretty amazing. ]

I didn't, until everything happened with Silver. Captain threw a pistol at me and I shot it a few times before I lost it.

[ He shrugs, careful of Zell's head at his shoulder. ]

Never really had to fight before all that. Just... fistfights at school and stuff. Didn't know I had it in me until I stabbed Silver.

Yeah she can, but only if she needs to. I think her pa taught her.

[It does fill him with pride that Jim seems to like this fact.

He still hasn't heard what happened with Silver. He knows someone tried to kill him who wasn't Silver. He also knows Silver betrayed Jim, but in the end saved Jim. And he would give him another chance. Zell is pretty mixed on this information with the gun, too. Jim's learning curb seems to be hitting the ground running. He also stabbed Silver. Thinking back when they were besieged with the creatures that took on the appearance of people they knew. The one Jim identified as Silver had something leaking from that peg leg, right?]

I can teach you to use shot guns or anything else. [Lifting his head to press a kiss against Jim's jawline.]

I never got the full story about your trip. [Is date night really the best time to have this conversation?]

That's really cool. [ Jim smiles at the kiss, moving his jaw under Zell's lips, before he pulls back to regard him again. He just really likes looking at Zell, alright? Especially when Zell is looking back at him and Jim can see his eyes brightened by the tiny spots of light from the projector.

The mention of his trip dims Jim's smile just a touch, but he shakes it off and his expression grows a little mischievous instead. ] It's a pretty long story. I feel like I should get something if I'm going to tell you all that.

[ He pecks Zell on the lips and pulls back, tilting his head until his bangs fall down into his eyes. ]

How about I get a question about you for every question I answer?

[Hey, he's not done with that jaw yet.

Reaching up to tuck hair behind Jim's ear as he holds his gaze. It's strange to see someone look at him like that. Like Zell really is something special and amazing. It makes him feel like he really could goo do great things. It also makes him yearn to have Jim to keep looking at him like that weeks from now. The future is the future, but it's nice to start to think about it a little bit. To think that tomorrow, he'll still have Jim waking up beside him still liking him.

That mischievous look gets him to tilt his head to the side a moment. Really, going to tease him while in his lap? Making a soft noise as Jim finally says what he's after before moving in for another kiss. This one lingering for as long as Jim or his lungs allows it. Not quite as bad as sharing the cake at least. His cheeks are still a bit warm as he leans back.]

It's a deal. [A pause. He's not sure what else Jim has to ask still. It's probably boring.] I'll go first. [:D] What started the trip?

The trip.

[ Jim lets out a long breath, trying to trace the whole story back to the beginning. He'll leave out the 'almost being arrested' part and skip to - ]

I was sitting up on the roof, just getting away from people, and I see this little ship crash land on the dock. The guy who was in it, Bones, was hurt real bad. I got him out, but he really only lived long enough to hand me a map and tell me to stay away from the cyborg. [ Jim looks wry for a moment, but doesn't want to let the bitterness seep into this moment, so he leaves off the comment about how he should've listened. ] Two minutes later, pirates are bursting into the inn and burning the place down looking for him. We took off to Dr. Doppler's place and from there it seemed like the only option.

[ That probably counts as the beginning, right? Zell'll have to use another question if he wants more. Jim looks considering for a moment, wondering if he should ask about something serious, but there are so many little things about Zell that he wants to know that he asks instead: ] Tell me about your best friend from home.

[Jim has told him he got busted by the coppers in the past.

Keeping his hands still as Jim shares the answer. There's a little of a smile as Jim shares that he helped someone. It doesn't really surprise him in the least. The mention of a cyborg and the look that crosses Jim's features is enough to cause Zell to tense for a moment. Brushing his thumb against his cheek as more questions pop up in his mind. Doppler sounds like a neighbor? Family friend?

So, they went to Dopplers and decided to go on the trip. He fits the pieces in what he already knows for now as he watches Jim figure out what to ask.]

Squall. [He grins a bit as he kisses Jim's chin.] Some times he can be pretty cold, but he actually cares a lot. He's part of the orphanage gang and he's the leader of the group. He's pretty honest and strong. He saved my life before, which was pretty amazing. I didn't think he cared until he swooped in with his gunblade and took out the soldiers.

[That's what Jim wants to know, right? Leaning back as he thinks about what to ask Jim.] Tell me about your friends?

[ Jim still doesn't like to bring that up to someone he wants to think well of him, now that he really cares about Zell's opinion. Speaking of, he watches Zell's expression closely to see his reactions to the story, at least until the kiss distracts him entirely. He gives Zell one on the nose to match. ]

Squall. [ He sounds... a little unimpressed, just because he can't help but remember the way Zell had seemed surprised that people wanted him around. Someone else that Jim could blame for that, apparently, though he doesn't bring it up just then because he doens't want to spoil the moment. Instead he smiles softly. ] Have to thank him one day for that.

[ The question about friends gives Jim pause. How to answer...? Ah. ] Well, I told you about Silver, but I don't think we talked about Morph. He's... a morph, about this big - [ Jim makes a fist to demonstrate. ] - little pink blob, but he can turn into anything.

[ Not... unlike the monsters outside. Huh. ]

His favorite trick was hiding one of my boots and then pretending to be it until I tried to put it on.

[Letting out a soft chortle at the kiss on the nose. Nuzzling against the side of his face as he listens to Jim.] It was that time when we were locked up.

[Sharing just a little more. He does think Squall is really cool, and he's been pretty famous even before becoming leader. It's still pretty amazing how far they came together as a team and Squall actually caring.

He's distracted from his thoughts as Jim continues to talk. Giving him his full focus about his friend Morph as he tries to picture it. He already sounds leagues better than Silver.]

Keeps you on your toes, huh? He sounds pretty great.

[All this does is give Jim more points in the being adorable. He helps people and counts Morph as a friend. He's already pretty amazing to Zell, but he keeps getting better with every new thing he's learned.

He's not really going to make the connection quite yet about the monsters outside. Jim being cute and on his lap is proving to be a formidable distraction. Capturing his hand for a moment to press a kiss against the back of it.] How did you meet him?

[ Jim's silent at the mention of being locked up, unwilling to take them back to dark places just yet, but he can't help but touch where he knows the scar from being kicked is under Zell's clothes. So many little things that could've cost Zell his life before he even got to Jim, or the other way around. It's a miracle they wound up here together.

Jim lets Zell capture his hand and kiss it, distracting him from the path his thoughts kept trying to take, but grinned and withdrew it as soon as he was done. He holds one finger in the air, wagging it at Zell's face. ] Nuh-uh, mister, that's two questions. There should be some kind of penalty for that.

[Amazingly, he does notice the shift in mood. Feeling Jim’s hand over the crescent shaped scar is a pretty big hint to where Jim’s mind goes. He doesn’t know the extent of Jim’s thoughts though, and pretty soon he’s back to being playful.

Smiling as he teasing opens his mouth for that wagging finger. Not going to bite though.] You’re the one who didn’t take a turn. [Sliding his hands up Jim’s back.] Have a penalty in mind? [He’ll probably go along with it because he’s wrapped around Jim’s finger.]

Hey, you didn't give me a chance!

[ So there, Zell.

Jim seems to be thinking about this pretty hard, actually, judging by the little crease that appears between his eyebrows and the way he taps Zell's lip in a reversal of what he usually does when he's thinking. ]

Every time you skip a turn, you have to tell me a secret.

[Okay, Jim is really cute. He's just going to give him a smitten look at that look he gets. He kisses that tapping finger.]

A secret, huh? [Snagging Jim's hand press a kiss against his wrist. Sliding each finger in between Jim's as he lowers it to press it against his own chest. He's thinking about it for a bit. He doesn't really hide much from Jim, which makes it hard to figure something out. And then something pops up, which is a little embarrassing.]

I used to be known as a cry baby. [How's that for a secret?] I don't remember much of it. [He actually forgot it completely until Irvine brought it all up again.]

You? A crybaby?

[ Jim sounds a little disbelieving at that. Zell's not exactly a whiny guy. He gives Zell's hand a squeeze and wonders why he finds that secret cute, of all things. ]

-That wasn't a question.

[ It doesn't count! Just so Zell knows. ]

A question is... tell me about your favorite place back home, what you liked about it.

[He nods, but because Jim is quick to insist it’s not a question, he won’t divulge further. Grinning a bit as he leans forward to press a kiss against the corner of his mouth.]

I’ll wait for you to ask about it then.

[Returning the squeeze as he thinks about the different places.]

My favorite place was Balamb. [Reaching around to play with the hairs on the back of Jim’s neck. Keeping his touch feather light as he tries to pick the main reason.] Besides my Ma being there, it’s really pretty. The sea breeze, the sun, the water...it’s all great. [It’s pretty relaxing.] I want to show you. [Just imagining soaking up the sun or surfing with Jim makes his heart pick up it’s pace. Whoops, don’t think of boyfriend shirtless.]

How did you meet Morph? [Since it’s his turn! He’s taking it before his brain wanders too much.]

[ Jim's neck twitches minutely; that tickles! But he doesn't laugh or tell Zell to stop, because he's too busy listening. Trying to picture it, and Zell when he was younger. There aren't any beaches where Jim's from, it's damp and dreary for most of the year, but Zell seems like he belongs on one. His brightness and warmth would fit there the way it doesn't in the snow and darkness. ] I'd like to see it with you.

[ The next question brings them back to the trip. Jim hums before he answers. ] -It was on the trip. He belonged to Silver, so when they showed me down to the kitchen and told me I was going to be working there - he was pretending to be a spoon, then a straw to suck up all my soup.

[ And, since Zell seems to be hinting: ] You were really a crybaby, huh. What changed?

Edited 2016-06-19 17:29 (UTC)

[ There are a lot of places he wants Jim to see. Esthar, the Orphanage, Balamb Garden, and Winhill are on top of the list after his hometown. Digging his fingers into Jim’s hair as he bumps Jim’s cheek with his nose. ] There’s a lot I want to show you. [ Like the private rooms SeeD members get on the trains.

Nuzzling against Jim’s shoulder. A friend that used to belong to Silver, huh? Fitting that into what he has so far on the asshole and Jim’s trip. Chuckling softly as Jim shares the part about the straw. Definitely kept him on his toes. Though he probably wouldn’t appreciate if Morph ate his hot dogs. ]

Yeah, I was a crybaby. [ Thinking about what changed. Lifting his shoulders a bit. ] I got adopted. That gave me a break from Seifer for a few years. [ Kissing Jim’s shoulder. ] Now, I’m known as being lively and loud. [ He will take that over being called a crybaby.

So, they found a map and he met a friend on the trip. ] What was the biggest thing that happened on the journey to the place at the end of the map?

Lively sounds more like it. [ Jim's small laugh is easier felt on Zell's skin than heard as Jim leans forward, hooking his chin over Zell's shoulder and wrapping his arms around to brush over Zell's back. He wants to finish what he'd started with Zell's outer jacket, but for now he'll be content resting his hand between Zell's short sleeved coat and his undershirt.

Anything more would probably be a bad idea in quarters this close, but Jim can't help but imagine...

Or at least he can't util he has to force his mind back to something unpleasant. The hands that had been caressing tighten until Jim's almost clinging. ] The biggest... you've heard a lot of it, haven't you? About how Silver betrayed us for it.

[ Shivering at sensation of his laugh against his skin. Zell feels like they can stay like this for a while even at the risk of limbs falling asleep. Breathing out a content sigh at the affection and very little space between them. A part of him really wants to find a way to make them physically closer, but that means moving to shrug out of another layer of clothing.

Then the moment changes as he feels Jim tightening up his hold. And then things fall into place as to why the shift in mood. Sliding his hands up and down Jim’s back in a soothing pattern as he presses a kiss against his hair. If it wasn’t so serious, he might tease and ask if that was a question that counted in this game of theirs. Pressing more kisses against what he could reach as mumbles a quiet yes for Jim’s ears. ] You were following a map, he betrayed you, and then gave up the thing he’s been searching for to save you. [ A pause as he slots pirates and map together. ] It was a treasure map and he was after the treasure?

Not just any treasure map. [ Jim's fingers trace out a circle crossed with a flat X into Zell's shirt, unconsciously. The storybook image is burned in his brain; it's funny that he never really got a chance to see it from space. ] It was the treasure map - the one to Flint's trove. Treasure planet - loot of a thousand worlds, literally.

[ His voice takes on the tone of someone telling an old story, now, because it's easier to tell the story than it is to deal with the reality of dying Billy Bones heavy on his back, the enveloping smell of the fruit-barrel, the ache of his shoulders as he's marched and shoved. ] A hundred years ago, a pirate named Captain Flint was the most notorious pirate in any galaxy. He'd swoop in out of nowhere and vanish without a trace - robbed whole planets blind. We found his trove.

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