Rhys's breath hitches, and he draws back a little, planting his hand in the middle of Elijah's chest. He drops his head, not wanting the other man to see his eyes right now,
"Sorry. I'm not-- if we do that right now I'm pretty sure I'm gonna cry."
And you won't know how to deal with him and it'll just be awkward all over.
"...I don't mind," Elijah says, with a pause that suggests he's weighed the words but not simply invented them. "I know you're different to me, expressively speaking. But let's get this done, first."
"Right. Right. Probably easiest to do this right under the joint--"
He reaches across to dig his fingernails underneath part of his prosthetic's outer casing, just below the armpit. This part is easy. He's done it a million times before, for maintainance. A little pressure and it snaps off easily, revealing wires and cables. Rhys's hand lingers near them, tempted to just rip them out, but last time he did that it stang a little.
This time he doubts he'll feel a thing, but all the same...
He accepts them. Works the jaws of the wire cutters around the cables, and squeezes hard.
Some cut easy, others resist until he's squeezing white knuckled on the cutters. Once they're gone, he shifts his grasp to feel up under the remaining carapace.
"Ugh-- the are a couple of bolts and way more microfibre tendons in there, that'd be easier to cut off this top piece was off, but-- I am a genius who decided to point solder this in place."
His voice steadies as he talks through the problem. It's fine. Standard maintainance. Hardware issues.
"If you have an iron I could probably scrape the solder out from under the front myself, but I might need you to do the back for me?"
Although he does adjust the angle of the lighting, slightly, so he has the
best possible view of what he's doing before he gets to work. He's got
'painstaking but efficient' down to a fine art, with more delicate work
than this, and he's going to make it as painless as possible.
Getting the solder out isn't a fine detail job, just an annoyingly fiddly one, and right now nothing on the arm hurts at all. The way he described feeling with the prosthetic? Identifying pressure and heat and pain without experiencing them like he would on flesh? Right now they're just nothing. Total numbness. Like it's not even him.
He's quiet as Elijah works, just watching the other man, appreciatively.
Elijah hums quietly as he works, carefully working out the last few scraps
of solder, contenting himself that the job is done to its fullest before
even trying to move on.
"...Alright. Just hold steady while I finish removal."
Rhys does feel it. A sudden cascade of muscles unclenching and uncramping as the weight comes off him. Stored up hurt for the days he's spent over-adjusting.
He makes a sound in the back of his throat, then leans forward into the touch, to put his head on Elijah's shoulder. His arm around his waist.
It doesn't occur to him that he's still hiding his face from his boyfriend.
"Thanks. I-- literally couldn't have done that without you."
"What?" Rhys actually laughs, releases Elijah long enough to write his eyes, "No-- I'm crying because one of my best friends stabbed me in the arm, you dummy. I just-- you don't usually volunteer stuff like that and I wanted to check if something was wrong."
Elijah vaguely registers that Jedao is one of Rhys' best friends, which he
doesn't think he was aware of. Then again, he's still completely oblivious
to the fact that he was a partial contributor to the killing spree.
He sits down opposite him.
"It's been brought to my attention that we need to be more specific about
the...parameters of our arrangement."
Rhys nods, expression fully attentive. He doesn't look worried. It's the expression he wears whenever they're working on something together. Waiting to have enough information to make something work.
Elijah decides to fix his gaze two inches above Rhys' shoulder, because
it's easier than watching him for microexpressions. Baby steps.
"I suppose I hadn't fully acknowledged that when we agreed to open our
relationship, that we would be opening it to someone so...antithetical to
myself."
"It has," might as well rip off that band-aid, "but the same time I'm very
much aware that it shouldn't. I know the whole meaning of this is for
you to be fulfilled in ways I can't provide, and it makes perfect sense
that you would go to someone who has that sort of...energy."
"Nobody with any sense would say that," Elijah says crisply, and moves on.
"I can only assume I feel this way because this is one of the few
experiences I've invited myself into where I have some serious
shortcomings."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:15 pm (UTC)Elijah draws in a deep breath.
"Yes. I can help you with that."
Apparently apropos of nothing, he leans in and carefully brushes a kiss across his mouth.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:26 pm (UTC)"Sorry. I'm not-- if we do that right now I'm pretty sure I'm gonna cry."
And you won't know how to deal with him and it'll just be awkward all over.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 11:31 pm (UTC)He reaches across to dig his fingernails underneath part of his prosthetic's outer casing, just below the armpit. This part is easy. He's done it a million times before, for maintainance. A little pressure and it snaps off easily, revealing wires and cables. Rhys's hand lingers near them, tempted to just rip them out, but last time he did that it stang a little.
This time he doubts he'll feel a thing, but all the same...
"Um. You have wire cutters within reach?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 11:45 pm (UTC)"Yes."
He reaches out, opens a case.
"They're sterile."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:07 am (UTC)He accepts them. Works the jaws of the wire cutters around the cables, and squeezes hard.
Some cut easy, others resist until he's squeezing white knuckled on the cutters. Once they're gone, he shifts his grasp to feel up under the remaining carapace.
"Ugh-- the are a couple of bolts and way more microfibre tendons in there, that'd be easier to cut off this top piece was off, but-- I am a genius who decided to point solder this in place."
His voice steadies as he talks through the problem. It's fine. Standard maintainance. Hardware issues.
"If you have an iron I could probably scrape the solder out from under the front myself, but I might need you to do the back for me?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 07:40 am (UTC)"Let me do the whole thing," Elijah suggests, voice....surprisingly gentle. "I can see what I'm doing."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:31 pm (UTC)He drops his hand from under the carapace, setting it on the workbench beside him.
"Sure. Thank you." He shifts a little, "Is this an okay angle for you, or should I move?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:32 pm (UTC)"This is fine."
Although he does adjust the angle of the lighting, slightly, so he has the best possible view of what he's doing before he gets to work. He's got 'painstaking but efficient' down to a fine art, with more delicate work than this, and he's going to make it as painless as possible.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:54 pm (UTC)He's quiet as Elijah works, just watching the other man, appreciatively.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:58 pm (UTC)Elijah hums quietly as he works, carefully working out the last few scraps of solder, contenting himself that the job is done to its fullest before even trying to move on.
"...Alright. Just hold steady while I finish removal."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 01:13 pm (UTC)He braces himself a little, expecting to feel the pull as it's removed, even though he's felt nothing else of this.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 02:56 pm (UTC)Elijah sets down the arm carefully on his worksurface and then reaches out for his flesh-and-blood shoulder, carefully curling his fingers around him.
"All done," he says quietly.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 03:27 pm (UTC)He makes a sound in the back of his throat, then leans forward into the touch, to put his head on Elijah's shoulder. His arm around his waist.
It doesn't occur to him that he's still hiding his face from his boyfriend.
"Thanks. I-- literally couldn't have done that without you."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 03:29 pm (UTC)"You're welcome. I..."
He takes a moment.
"...I know I'm not...available to you in the ways that you need. But I want to be here for everything that I can offer."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:06 pm (UTC)Is Elijah saying a thing about their relationship?
And if so... why?
"You are here for me. And I feel the same way."
This mumbled into Elijah's neck, before he pushes back a little, eyes wet.
"Are you all right?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:13 pm (UTC)Elijah almost visibly steels himself.
"...Have I upset you?"
Already?
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:19 pm (UTC)He's balancing a few plates here.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:22 pm (UTC)"It's not that..."
Elijah vaguely registers that Jedao is one of Rhys' best friends, which he doesn't think he was aware of. Then again, he's still completely oblivious to the fact that he was a partial contributor to the killing spree.
He sits down opposite him.
"It's been brought to my attention that we need to be more specific about the...parameters of our arrangement."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:28 pm (UTC)"Go on?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:31 pm (UTC)Elijah decides to fix his gaze two inches above Rhys' shoulder, because it's easier than watching him for microexpressions. Baby steps.
"I suppose I hadn't fully acknowledged that when we agreed to open our relationship, that we would be opening it to someone so...antithetical to myself."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:38 pm (UTC)Rhys's face does fall a little bit, as this is where the conversation goes, but he starts focused.
"Is that-- I take it it's been bothering you?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:45 pm (UTC)"It has," might as well rip off that band-aid, "but the same time I'm very much aware that it shouldn't. I know the whole meaning of this is for you to be fulfilled in ways I can't provide, and it makes perfect sense that you would go to someone who has that sort of...energy."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:47 pm (UTC)Rhys points out, gently.
"Do you know why it's bothering you, or is it just a weird feeling?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:53 pm (UTC)"Nobody with any sense would say that," Elijah says crisply, and moves on. "I can only assume I feel this way because this is one of the few experiences I've invited myself into where I have some serious shortcomings."
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