hideawayparadise | IC Inbox

Well you're going to have to eat anyway. If not for you then you have to eat for P'Pete. If you're not taking care of yourself for when he's ready for you then how are you going to take care of him, hm?

[Riley knows that he can't fully logic with Vegas right now. But what he can do is give him a reminder of who needs him.]

(( Riley's right. Logic is pretty meaningless to Vegas right now. However, the approach the Fae chose is a more effective one. Vegas grunted and waved vaguely toward the small kitchen in the apartment. ))

Soup.

(( He and Pete don't keep the place stocked with a lot of fresh foods, but there's plenty of tea, canned goods, and some dry goods. Things that won't go bad in a week if they're not there to eat them. ))

Soup.

[He agrees to that and gently frees himself so that way he can go to search through the kitchen for everything he needs, turning on the light in there. It doesn't take long before he comes back with some tea and a bowl of hot soup.]

Time to sit up. You've got to keep yourself fed for him.

(( It doesn't take any effort to get free of Vegas' hold. He listened to Riley in the kitchen, doing nothing until the little Fae came back and urged him up. Vegas huffs and pushes himself up, slumping back against the couch. Looking at the bowl and the cup of tea, he then glances up Riley. ))

Both for me?

Yep. But focus on the soup. If you don't finish the tea I will.

[Somehow. He's not a fan of unsweetened tea because it can be his least favorite thing...bitter. But for now he takes the soup and holds it out for him.]

Eat.

I'll finish the tea.

(( The soup, maybe not, but he won't make Riley drink something he doesn't like. But Vegas reaches out to take the offered soup. ))

Can you just hold it for me for a little?

Yeah. I can do that.

[Making himself comfortable, he holds the tea for him while he lets Vegas start on the soup.]

Go slow and take your time.

(( Vegas has no appetite, but he spoons the soup into his mouth anyway so Riley won’t have anything to fuss over. He finished maybe half before handing the bowl back to Riley to exchange it for the tea. ))

You don’t have to stay, nong.

I know. I'm here anyway.

[Taking the bowl, he sets it on the table then continues to sit there. What Vegas did was stupid, even without him knowing all the details. But that doesn't mean his brother doesn't need him so he'll be there.]

(( Vegas breathed out heavily. Not because Riley wanted to stay, just because of... well, everything. He's silent for a long moment, the only real sound in the apartment is the sound of Vegas occasionally sipping the now-lukewarm tea. After solid minutes of silence, he finally sighed and spoke: ))

I don't actually care for tea. This is... (( His voice catches in his throat and he looks pained. )) This is Pete's.

Then you should drink it as a reminder that you're going to make yourself better for him. Because he needs you as much as you need him.

[He reaches over and rests a hand on his arm, giving it a little squeeze.]

I know you don't want to tell me all the details, probably because you're scared I'll hate you, but the fact that you regret what you did tells me a lot. So it's time to learn from your mistake so you can be the man that he needs to live, okay?

(( Does Pete really need him? The illogical part of Vegas' mind wonders. Though, deep down inside, he knows it's true. He knows it because he needs Pete, too. They complement each other in the most surprising and yet natural of ways. ))

The thing is... if it were anyone but Pete, I wouldn't even care.

I know.

[And Riley knows that includes him. But he's okay with that. He's not about to be upset about that when he's always known he's not on the same level as Pete in Vegas' heart and soul. He'd never ask to be either. He's his brother while Pete is Vegas' universe.

He gently fixes his hair a bit.]

That just means that you have to take care of yourself for him so when the time is right you can be able to take care of him again.

(( Riley's partially right. Vegas probably wouldn't care as much if he did something horrible to the Fae. But he'd also destroy anyone who hurt him... with Riley's consent. That's why he hasn't laid hands on either of the young man's exes. ))

Okay. (( He nods, actually agreeing. )) Okay.

That's it. I'll stay here a bit longer before I head out again, okay? So if you want to hold onto me again I'll be here.

[He's not Pete and he never will be. But he knows that sometimes physical contact is just what a person needs most.]

No. It's okay.

(( Tempting as it was, Vegas needed to stay focused. And frankly, he didn't feel like he deserved comfort, anyway. ))

I'll just lean against you then.

[And he plops himself to lean against his side. He's fine with just that really. Just enough to give his brother support.]

Just take things slow. One day at a time.

Mmm.

(( Mote like one minute at a time, presently. A day feels like too much to bite off. ))

[Leaning over, he presses a kiss to his cheek.]

Just know you're not alone, okay? And neither is he. You both have people to help you through this.

(( Maybe he should be alone though... He really didn't deserve anyone supporting him through this. ))

[He's not a violent person but he sighs and punches his brother's arm.]

There. You got a punishment for whatever horrible thing you did. Now stop pouting at me and let it be okay that I want to be there for you.