geonomy | Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

[He chuckles and puts his hand on his cheek to reassure him for a moment. He pulls away to take the box and open it. Which when he sees what they are? His eyes lit up]

Ah- earrings! They're beautiful!

[Oh thank goodness, he doesn't think they're too girly or anything. Clay gives a relieved smile at that]

I saw you had pierced ears so, um, yeah. And I tried to get ones that really looked like starlight, since you're... well, my Starlight. [Awkward sounding, but - the point got across! Yes!!]

[Allen's smile only seems to grow when he hears the explanation. He lean over again, this time to give a kiss on Clay's cheek]

I love them. Thank you. I'll put them on right now.

[Which he'll set the box on a nearby surface and pull off his gloves so he can take out the silver studs that were in his ears already. Then he'll put on the ones Clay gave.]

How do they look?

[Wow. The earrings look better on him than he imagined! Clay gives a big smile, hands lifting brush Allen's bangs behind his ears, then keeps his fingers there for a better look.]

They look stellar. Especially when they're on you.

[He grins]

Well you have fine tastes in jewelry. [Yep, definitely happy with this] I've been meaning to get more earrings, but I never seemed to get around to it.

[So well done Terran! But now he'll dig into his coat pocket and pull out his present- holding it out to Clay]

Here, it's your turn. I hope you like it.

[The package is pretty light as well, though slightly heavier. He's fairly confident that the item inside the wrapping will get a reaction...]

[And he even needed more earrings! Good, awesome! Clay gives a pleased, happy grin at that. One that looks more anticipating as he reaches out to take the gift Allen's giving him.]

You know I'll like whatever you give me.

[He says it as he starts to tear open the paper. There's a frame, and hey, it's space-themed! That's always cause for a huge bonus in his book. But once it's unwrapped to about the middle, and it's really revealed just what it is, Clay freezes mid-unwrapping to stare.

It's Apollo. Or, rather, it's a picture of Apollo, one he's never seen before.]

Where did you... [He slowly pulls off the rest of the paper and lets it fall to the floor]

Ah...Timcanpy, actually. He records everything he sees. That's why I never let him in the room when we're...

[Ahem. Right. Yeah, anyway!]

Anyway, Apollo liked spending time with Ino in Paradisa, and so did Tim. So I looked through his recordings to see if there was any footage of him, and I found that!

[He rubs his neck a bit awkwardly, trying to read Clay's reaction.]

Sorry, it's not the best quality photo. I mean, it is a photo taken of a recording. I just thought...well, you seem to miss him a lot, so I thought maybe you having a photo would be nice.

Yeah... all I've got is a drawing.

[And he's not exactly the best at drawing people; objects and angles are more his thing. He does have the video too, which he still loves. But this... This is completely new. It's of Apollo's time in Paradisa, which just seems so abstract to Clay that it's sometimes hard to imagine or even believe, like hearing your friend went to some far off place with no pictures or a personal account of it or anything.

Good lord, it's a picture of his best friend, the person who'd always be just a bike ride or a phone call away, who'd always come over to hang out, watch TV, gossip, and talk well into the night without ever growing tired of it. The one who'd been a constant staple in his life for more than ten years now, who was suddenly ripped out of it the moment Clay was brought here. It's like a huge hole in his heart that he never talked about, preferred to hide from others and tried filling it himself in various ways, though he knew it'd never happen unless Apollo himself was there. Like the hole his mother left that, while healed, would never properly be the same again.

This doesn't fill it, of course, but god... Seeing him like this, with a smile on his face as if he heard something funny, happy in a world where he heard some terrible things happened...

He can't help it. His eyes burn and water, but he still smiles as he wipes at one of them with with his palm.]

Ha, he looks - He looks like such a dork - he looks happy here...

[He watches the reaction carefully, as Clay takes everything in. Slowly, he'll move his hand to rest on the back of Clay's shoulder, as a sign of support and affection]

Yeah...he really liked being around Ino.

[Even Allen could tell that much. They spent a lot of time together. If Ino hadn't been with someone else...he wondered if Apollo would've done something about it. Ah well, there was no telling about that]

I'm sure he missed you too, though.

[You know... he really hates crying in front of people. Even with Pearl when he saw the video of Apollo for the first time, he got up and left even though she didn't quite understand what was wrong. And... Apollo was the only one he actually felt comfortable doing so in front of in the rare times that he would. Apollo had seen him at his worst, after all.

And even now, he feels that urge to turn away and collect himself so that Allen won't see. But instead, he leans over to rest his head against Allen's shoulder, though at an angle where he could still see Apollo's picture. It's still hiding, in a way, still a little shy about some things... but at least he's accepting Allen's support and not shutting him out.]

I needed something like this. Thank you. [Both the picture and the support, really.]

[Allen meanwhile didn't mind crying. It was something he did often, why would he judge someone else for doing it? So he just quietly holds onto Clay while he leans against his shoulder, not remarking on what Clay's doing. It's only when Clay speaks up does he say something in turn]

It was nothing. I'm glad I was able to get it for you.

[Thankfully, Clay doesn't take long to get out the raw ache of missing his best friend. He takes a moment to clean his face, keeping his head down, then raises both that and his free hand to look at Allen and cup the side of his neck, thumb stroking his cheekbone.]

I want...

[I want to stay with you, I want to go wherever you go, I want to be with you even after this is over, I...

But... he's still on an emotional high and he knows it, and he shouldn't go spouting things like that if he changes his mind later, if his still-strong desire to go back home lingers in the end. So he shuts his eyes, lets out a quiet little huff of laughter, and tries again.]

I want to stay here for a little while. With you, just the two of us. Is that okay?

[Allen isn't privy to what's going on in Clay's mind, so he's unaware of the full range of emotions going on inside him. So Clay shutting his eyes and laughing is a little odd, but...he doesn't dwell on it. Maybe he just feels a bit awkward that he cried in front of someone. Some people got like that]

[So he'll just smile at him, reaching up with the hand not around his shoulder to brush some of his messy hair aside]

Yeah. We can stay as long as you'd like. [Allen honestly wasn't in any hurry to get back. Just because he was okay spending time with Clay, didn't mean he was up to spending time with everyone else.]

[Clay smiles, leaning into the touch, then forward just enough to kiss Allen's lips lightly in gratitude.]

Okay... come on -

[He says as he starts to lower himself to the floor, pulling down a bit on Allen to indicate he should follow before he sits, facing the planet and the aurora, which is still going strong, once more. The frame gets set to the side, still important, still with an eye kept on it (and maybe purposely facing the aurora too), but not entirely with him right now.

When Allen's sitting beside him, Clay leans over to rest his head on his shoulder, arm sliding around his waist and fingers trailing lightly up and down his side. This right now, more than the earrings, more than the picture, is what makes his Christmas.]

Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

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