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[bitemefightme]

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Orion Jacobson

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[flowrite]

[For a moment Fai has the urge to text Orion back, to protest that he wasn't texting that to Kaiba at all--even though he wouldn't come right out and say that they've broken up--but the word 'boyfriend' rattles around in his head until he ends up pressing a hand to his mouth to keep from sobbing aloud in the dressing room he's still occupying. He does not respond back to Orion.]

Sob. Text; few hours later.

[bitemefightme]

[Orion actually looks at his phone again. He had expected something to come from Fai, after that. Another apology for the misfire perhaps. But... nothing. He figured, initially, that maybe Fai was just busy and would get back to him in a bit.

Now he has the underlying sense that he did something wrong.

A deep breath and he texts again.]

Are you okay?

[Simple, to the point, and leaves out his personal thoughts.]

[flowrite]

[After a few hours, Fai has made it back home from the mall and is... well, still not great. He probably should have gone over to see Jirou instead of coming home to wallow in sadness by himself. And hell, it's probably stupid to be this sad about a breakup after this long. It's already been almost two weeks, and they were only together for a few months, and--

Yeah, no. No amount of rationalization is making this better. And maybe it's not even all to do with Kaiba, because a lot of it is probably Fai's stupid issues rearing their ugly heads, mixing up with the breakup and the broken ribs and the monsters and every other horrible thing that's happened lately.

He notices the message on his phone but he doesn't answer it. Stuffs his phone under one of the pillows on the couch so it doesn't just lay there staring at him accusingly. And when he starts crying this time he hardly even notices the little storm cloud that forms over his head, or the tiny little thunderclap it lets out a minute later.]

[bitemefightme]

[Orion jolts up from his spot on the sofa.

Was that... A thunderclap he just heard? Through the wall? He can't tell. He starts tucking it away into the rational part of his brain as much as he can - It's probably not real and if he focuses hard enough, he can try to go back to sleep on the sofa.

Except, wait... That was Fai's side of the wall it came from. And the rationale quickly is replaced with dread. What if it's more Retrospec bullshit? Could Fai be hurt?

He doesn't let it get past that thought and he runs out of his apartment (tripping over a few piles of things along the way) and stumbles into the hallway. Quickly he pounds a hand on Fai's door.]

Fai, are you in there!?

[He clearly sounds worried and might be disturbing the neighbours.]

[flowrite]

[Fai doesn't like the idea of worrying any of his friends, but especially not Orion, who's had so much difficulty recently. He's also fully aware that ignoring his friends' concern only leads them to prod harder. It's so much easier in the long run to put a happy face on for a while and allay their fears, even though he really just wants to hide.

It's only when he grinds the tears away from his eyes and stands up that he notices the little storm cloud above his head. What on Earth...?

When Fai opens the door a crack, there's a little black thundercloud above his head, his shoulders are just slightly damp with the first light patter of rain, and it's very obvious that he's been crying even though he's smiling.]

I'm here. Is everything okay?

[bitemefightme]

[Orion looks Fai over, for as much as he can see.

Is that... a raincloud???

What the actual fuck?

No, nevermind. That's not what's important. ...Err, he thinks. It's the fact that Fai has clearly been crying.

He rests a hand on the doorframe and leans in closer.]

Clearly, it's not. Is this my fault? Did I do something to make you cry?

[flowrite]

No! No.

[Fai shakes his head quickly and scrubs at his face with one hand, trying to dry any tears that may still be lingering there. And of course, he's still smiling.]

It's not you, I promise. It's just... been a rough month. Two months. I felt bad about the text, and then my side was hurting, and-- [He attempts a little laugh] I guess I was just being kind of melodramatic. I'm sorry for worrying you.

[bitemefightme]

[Orion would have almost bought it, if it weren't for that melodramatic line. For some reason, that tells him that he's not being told the whole truth.

Wait, he's familiar with that defense mechanism - a wall. And while Orion prefers to put literal ones between himself and people, he knows that's what Fai's doing here. It's a wall, meant to keep him out. And Orion's not having it. If Fai wants him to go away, he'll have to say so himself.]

Bullshit. [It's said evenly, calmly.] You're not being melodramatic. There's a real problem. Now, you can let me in so we can talk about it, or you can shut this door in my face and I'll take the hint.

[Perhaps crass, but it's at least direct in giving Fai the choice to let him in or kick him out. And if Fai doesn't want him there, well... he's actually kind of hoping he will. Fai's always been there for him. But if Fai doesn't want him there, he'll accept it.]

[flowrite]

[It is indeed a wall--or maybe a mask. Either way, it's Fai's usual defense mechanism. Shut people out so they can't see the hurt, can't see what a mess and a waste he is. Only he's been failing at that more and more spectacularly lately. Maybe because he's got such good friends now... or maybe because he's so damn tired of pushing them away and losing them?

Eh. Now isn't the time to stop and psychoanalyze himself. He'd probably just start crying all over again if he did that anyway. Fai is quiet for a moment, maybe just long enough that one might start to suspect he's going to shut the door, and then he steps back. The door is still open, so Orion can push through if he likes.]

You really don't have to do this. You've got enough to deal with, and I've been bothering everyone so much lately....

[bitemefightme]

[Oh, good. Orion takes the liberty of seeing himself in, closing the door behind himself.

Also, really, Fai? Really? If you're a bother, what does that make him?]

You're not a bother.

[And if anybody thinks so, they can fight Orion.

He plops himself on the floor a short distance from Fai, folding his legs beneath him.]

Are you going to tell me what's wrong? [Or is this one of those 'I don't want to talk about it' things?]

[flowrite]

[Ignoring Orion's question--and the obvious topic of conversation at hand--for the moment, Fai moves over to offer his hands down to Orion.]

Come on, the sofa's more comfortable than the hard floor.

[Never mind the fact that hauling Orion up would probably hurt him. And never mind the fact that he's not answering the question.]

[bitemefightme]

[Orion looks at Fai's hands for a moment. Yea, he knows better, so he'll just push himself off the floor and take care of that part himself.

He also figures that, no, Fai won't tell him what's wrong. And Orion bites his cheek in thought, as if trying to put the pieces together himself.

Unfortunately, he's no good at detective work, so he doesn't have a clue what might be wrong. All he knows is that it started, probably, with his text message.]

Did you end up getting the lingerie?

[flowrite]

[Fai might have answered the question at some point, he's not really sure. He just knows that he can't have a friend sitting on the hard wood floor in his apartment when there are chairs available. Once Orion is up, Fai backs off, intending to head toward the kitchen to make some coffee. Can't stop being a good host.

The question, needless to say, catches him completely off guard.

Staring down at the floor, he shakes his head.]

No. I didn't. And I'm sorry you had to see that.

[bitemefightme]

[Okay, that's definitely a sad look there. And the message with the lingerie was happy.

........

Orion sighs as he sits on the sofa.]

So, it is my fault, then.

Look, if it makes you and your... boyfriend... happy. What I think and say should make no difference. It's no business of mine.

[flowrite]

[Shit, there it is again. That word.

Fai has to struggle not to simply sink into one of the chairs nearby and start sobbing all over again. If he were alone he probably would. But Orion's here, and he has to keep that mask on. Keep falling apart like this in front of people and someday soon no one will want to be around him at all anymore. He's already more trouble than he's worth, and he's not sure why anyone is even left at this point.

So he smiles, even though it's pretty obvious that he's pushing back tears.]

It's not your fault, I promise. I was buying it for me, as a pick-me-up. It wasn't for--

[He does stumble over this part a little.]

--it's just me. No 'plus one.' So it's really not that big of a deal.

[bitemefightme]

[Orion mulls over those words for a moment. No plus one. And the rage hits the surface. Orion grits his teeth to keep his composure.]

He broke up with you? [He's contemplating pretty hard putting his hands around Kaiba's neck.] Did he hurt you?

[flowrite]

No! [He's quick to clear that up, at least. He and Kaiba may not be together anymore, but Kaiba never hurt him.] He didn't hurt me, and... it was a mutual thing. We decided it wasn't working.

[Shit, now he's going to start crying again. Fai presses a hand to his mouth and moves suddenly, heading for the kitchen.]

I'll get you some coffee. Do you want anything to eat?

[He doesn't turn back to ask, just speaks as he's retreating. If he can get away fast enough maybe he won't end up crying in front of Orion. If he can steal a minute for himself he can work on putting his smile back on.]

[bitemefightme]

[Good! At least he won't have to kick Kaiba's ass for that shit.

But then Fai moves suddenly. Ah, shit. He probably shouldn't have been so quick to jump to the antagonist line. He gets up and follows Fai to the kitchen.]

No, I'm fine. Not hungry at all.

[He clenches his hands as he watches Fai, thoughts turning over in his head. He probably should feel more sympathy for Fai, right now. He's obviously hurting over the breakup. But Orion feels something else. Relief?

Does that make him a horrible person right now? As he closes the distance between them in the kitchen, making sure Fai can't up and run anywhere else.]

[flowrite]

[It's a good thing that Fai doesn't consider Orion a threat at all, because cornering him when he already feels lost and alone probably wouldn't be a good idea otherwise. As it is, it leaves him on edge, unable to escape somewhere to put his facade back on. He busies himself for a moment with the coffee pot, setting it to brew, and then--

Yep, he's lost. If he's not getting food together for Orion, what is he supposed to do with himself?

He ends up bracing a hand on the counter, the other pressed to his face again and his head bowed.]

I'm sorry. It's been two weeks, I don't know why I'm such a mess.

[bitemefightme]

[For a moment, Orion's breath stops, and he pauses altogether. The last thing Orion wants to do is make anything worse.

Looking at Fai, he seemed so helpless. It had been two weeks, and Fai hadn't said anything to him. Not that it bothered him too terribly much that Fai didn't open up to him, if it were only him. But Fai had this nasty habit of pretending to be all smiles all the time. And all he wanted to do was protect that smile. Not that he knew how. He couldn't even help himself from the grasps of his own mind. But Fai... Fai deserves better than that alone.

When he finds his breath again, he leans in, taking the hand on Fai's face as gently as he can, and leans closer into a kiss.

After their lips meet, he hesitates. Holding his breath again, waiting for a reaction. To see if he only made it worse.]

[flowrite]

[Again, if this were anyone Fai trusted less than Orion, he would be panicking right now. Cornered and then kissed? That could be really bad.

But... it's not. He trusts Orion, and suddenly everything leading up to this moment makes so much more sense. Orion bristling at Kaiba, over and over again. Orion trying to take care of Fai, even though Fai knows that it's Orion who needs the help more.

He doesn't really know what this is, whether there are actual feelings behind it or if Orion's just attracted to him, but Fai's so frazzled he's beyond caring. It feels good. It feels so good to feel wanted right now, even if it's only for how he looks. At least someone wants him.

So Fai hesitates as well, for just a moment, and then leans into the kiss. That this is a terrible, horrible, no good very bad idea only barely registers on his radar, and then is promptly shoved back down. He just... needs to feel like he's not alone. Maybe just for today. Is that so much to ask?]

[bitemefightme]

[When Fai leans into the kiss, Orion gently moves his hands to Fai's shoulders, giving a soft, reassuring squeeze. He'd rather wrap Fai in his arms, but he's still considering those broken ribs.

He deepens the kiss softly. Slowly. Making sure that Fai isn't uncomfortable at any point.

He brushes a hand up to Fai's face, caressing a thumb along his cheek as the hand gently tucks behind Fai's ear to hold the back of his head.]

[flowrite]

[Oh hell, Orion's a good kisser, too.

Fai lets out a little, unintentional whimper as the kiss deepens, leaning into the touch on his face as much as possible. It's always a treat when Orion is gentle and careful around him--which admittedly, Fai gets a lot more of that treatment than he's seen him give anyone else--but right now it's especially what he needs. Although after another moment he stops thinking so much about this being Orion, because that's entirely too much thought and this right here is pure instinct.

One of Fai's hands finds its way to Orion's hip, skimming along the waistband of his pants until it finds the opportunity to dip under the other man's shirt, seeking out warm skin. At the same time Fai seizes the opportunity to bite Orion's lower lip gently, just enough to tease.]

[bitemefightme]

[Okay, he wasn't expecting that. Not that it's the first time he's gotten hands on for the first night with someone. But Fai. Fai is different from that first time. Zelos was heat, and Fai is more like down feathers. Much softer and more comforting than the moody model. And feeling Fai's hand on his skin is all of that comfort, as though he didn't know he needed it until now.

With the invitation, he brushes his tongue along Fai's upper lip in response, moving his free hand lower to sweep under Fai's shirt and along the small of his back, palm against his spine as he pulls him closer.]

[flowrite]

[There's a sharp little intake of breath at the feel of a hand on his back and at being pulled closer to Orion. Fai responds by fisting one of his hands in Orion's shirt for stability, the kiss becoming more intense, more urgent on his part. The hand that was already trailing along Orion's side under the shirt pulls back around to the front, skimming up over Orion's abs.

And yeah, the kiss is starting to get intense enough that Fai's having a physical reaction to it. So the closer they get, the more Orion might be likely to notice.]