037 » on and on we carry through the fear

[shiruyeh]

CALL ME OUT MEME.

♛ please refer to this list for canon muses and this list for original characters. ♛ "call" one of them out — you can do so by putting their name in the subject line of your post! ♛ this can be informal/formal/comment spam/crosscanon/shippy/smutty/whatever tickles your fancy! ♛ here are some prompts inspired by other memes! ❶ — texts from last night. ❷ — morning after. ❸ — drunk/drinking. ❹ — picture prompt. ❺ — insomnia. ❻ — sharing the same bed. ❼ — snow day. ❽ — sky gazing. ❾ — roadtrip.

Comments

[haillenarte]

[he cuts his sandwiches...! somehow, that's appealing, and francel has to suppress a smile at the sight. francel, too, will eat some slippery sandwiches and buttery croissants with knife and fork — but in this case, his egg salad sandwich will stay in shape if he bites through it, and he has no plans to be dainty with his eating, at least not during this late lunch.

francel does take up a fork, however, to claim a bite of cake.]

Oh! So he was the former roommate you talked about? Did he move out to open this store?

[valhourdin]

No...

[ Zephirin's gaze travels toward Janlenoux, just out of earshot but better equipped to talk about himself, if not for his shift. Briefly looking their way, Janlenoux flashes them a smile. If he picks up on Francel's curiosity, it clearly doesn't bother him. ]

It was at a friend's behest, but I don't doubt that the location is more convenient.

[ Zephirin occupies himself with chewing and swallowing a few bites of his food, allowing Francel to do the same and steal a moment with Janlenoux up close when the man in question stops by their table to set down a cup of cocoa beside Zephirin's macaroon. ]

[haillenarte]

Oh! Thank you —

[so francel says — then he pretends to cough, embarrassed, as the cocoa clearly isn't for him. is he trying to speak for zephirin, now...? shyly, he lowers his gaze, avoiding all eye contact with janlenoux despite his apparent interest.]

[valhourdin]

[ Positioned midway between Francel and Zephirin, the steaming cup could be meant for either of them, and Zephirin's hands stay on his side of the table. Still chewing, he doesn't speak with his mouth full, his thanks restricted to a nod as Francel abruptly feigns his coughing fit and withdraws into himself.

"Are you alright?" Janlenoux eyes Francel's profile. "Let me get you some water..." ]

Alternatively, I would appreciate your help, Francel.

[haillenarte]

N-No, I'm fine — eh? My help? What can I do?

[francel's attention swivels this way and that as he responds to janlenoux's comment, and then zephirin's. the boy's ears seem turned upward in surprise; unconsciously, he has raised both of his hands near his chin, so he vaguely resembles a startled rabbit on its hind legs.]

[valhourdin]

[ Zephirin rests his knife against his plate to gesture at the cup of cocoa. ]

In the event that I don't finish in time. It's better warm.

[ Before he turns away, Janlenoux chuckles, not unkindly. To Francel, undaunted by the boy's shyness, he says, "It's probably thanks to you that Zephirin found some time to come here at all. Can I count on your help to convince him to keep it up?" ]

[haillenarte]

Huh? Ah — okay?!

[still more perplexed than before, francel presses his knuckles against his neck in sheer panic.]

I-I'll try!

[valhourdin]

[ Yesterday's anxious rabbit makes a return; Francel's flustered state seems to escalate to the point of slightly alarming distress. Janlenoux, who may have misread their impromptu excursion, excuses himself and backs off. Zephirin regards Francel for too long a while. ]

...My schedule isn't your responsibility — neither is my order.

[haillenarte]

[now feeling that he's thoroughly made a fool of himself, francel lowers his head into his hands, pressing his palms against his heated cheeks. he shakes his head.]

I — f-forgive me, I just... sometimes I panic when people talk to me...

[taking a deep breath, the boy manages to find his nerves again, and shakes his head once more to dispel the last of his strange fright.]

I'm sorry... I didn't mean to imply otherwise...

[valhourdin]

[ Zephirin's fork joins his knife; lacing his fingers together, Zephirin leaves the remainder of his sandwich waiting for now, quiet to let Francel speak uninterrupted. When the boy's voice trails off, he shakes his head, too. ]

Then we should apologize for cornering you. We meant no harm.

[ It's safe to assume that Janlenoux's request wasn't entirely serious, only a well-meaning dig at Zephirin's habits. ]

[haillenarte]

No! No, I understand that. I'll... I'll get used to it, I promise. It's just, when I meet new people, I get really nervous, so I try to find out everything I can about someone before I talk to someone...

[he feels, distinctly, that he is just digging himself into a deeper hole. desperately, he grasps for some sort of justification for his neuroses.]

— I was kidnapped once when I was little, so, um...

[good job francel. good job. that's definitely a great conversation starter, right there.]

[valhourdin]

[ That piece of information brings a frown to Zephirin's face. One wonders whether Francel's jokes about being abducted and held for ransom aren't a coping mechanism of some sort to work through his childhood trauma...

And it might explain why he was afraid even to knock on Zephirin's door the previous day, particularly if any searches didn't turn up enough about Zephirin to calm his anxieties. ]

I see... I'll keep it in mind.

[ In Janlenoux's absence, Zephirin takes it upon himself to offer Francel some reassurance. ]

It's unlikely that you've offended Janlenoux.

[haillenarte]

[please don't keep it in mind, francel wants to say, almost with tears in his eyes, but it's much too late to backtrack now, and he just has to live with this, with zephirin knowing that he was kidnapped once. (he was, for a few hours, when he was eleven. ostensibly it was to be held for ransom, but the way his kidnappers had treated him made him extremely uncomfortable, and he was old enough then to know about things like pedophiles.)]

Oh, no, I didn't think so. He seemed really nice. Though I feel weird that I asked all those questions about him in front of him...

[valhourdin]

[ Little by little, Francel appears to calm down, albeit only from a small, frightened animal ready to bolt to a boy who probably prays for the ability to turn invisible. Zephirin elects not to treat him as though he is made of cracked glass — it would keep Francel steeped in his embarrassment and exacerbate it.

He could point out that Francel's questions were hardly the barrage that the boy imagines, but he merely picks his knife and fork back up. ]

There are worse questions to ask and remarks to make.

[ Janlenoux, in Zephirin's experience, attracts nosy glances and whispers at times. ]

Your interest was harmless, perhaps even flattering.

[haillenarte]

It was not my intent to be flattering...

[shaking his head, francel takes zephirin's cue and returns, also, to his cake. a mouthful of more cream than confection helps him steel his nerves, enough to be honest for a brief moment:]

I... I was only interested in knowing what kind of person you would choose to live with.

[valhourdin]

Not in knowing what kind of person would choose to live with me?

[ Subtly, humour touches the curve of Zephirin's mouth before he raises his fork and another bite of sandwich disappears between his lips. ]

Are you apartment hunting?

[ That isn't the reason behind Francel's curiosity, he thinks. ]

[haillenarte]

[suddenly, francel turns quite red indeed, and giggles nervously. zephirin has, somehow, neatly checkmated him, and made him laugh, at that. he isn't certain how he should respond.]

N-No, but... um... maybe I'm roommate-hunting?

[valhourdin]

[ Visibly surprised, intrigued, Zephirin lifts his eyes from his plate again. They take in Francel's flushed cheeks — for all he knows, the boy really has spontaneously decided to find a way to move out. ]

...And your verdict so far?

[haillenarte]

...I bet your closet is really organized!

[after that nonsensical guess, francel promptly crams a large forkful of cake in his mouth so that he can be spared the stress of saying anything more.]

[valhourdin]

[ Maybe Francel doesn't bring up Zephirin's closet with yesterday's conversation in mind, but it elicits a chuckle from Zephirin, hummed under his breath. Lowering his gaze, he gives Francel a chance to swallow his impressive mouthful of cake. ]

It should pass an inspection, but my roommates normally don't live in my closet.

[haillenarte]

[a similar hum from francel suggests that he is chuckling, too. what must janlenoux think, to see his stoic former roommate laughing so easily with a blond, baby-faced university student?]

Oh, that's not what I meant! But people really rent their closets, you know...

I just mean that you seem organized in general. Your desk space, for instance.

[valhourdin]

[ Surreptitiously, Janlenoux observes the pair every now and again. By the expression he wears, he is relieved to see Zephirin's unexpected date-or-friend no longer so jumpy.

Zephirin reaches for a napkin, his plate mostly cleared. ]

It saves time, I've found. [ Francel's assessment makes it sound remarkable. ] If you're serious about your search, we can discuss it.

[haillenarte]

[francel has finished most of his cake by now, but he is eating more slowly than zephirin, in general, and he has just started on his sandwich. all thoughts of professor de leusignac are mercifully far from his head.]

I'm afraid I'm only joking, though with all the room in my house, perhaps I should consider renting some closet space...

[the bakery door chimes jingle. francel's chair is facing the door, so he can watch the customers come and go; he watches the new visitor with interest. an unfairly handsome young man with rolanberry pink hair has just walked through the door; perhaps he reserved an order in advance, or else has poor janlenoux's number on speed dial for emergency macaroon demands, because janlenoux seems to produce a box of macaroons for him from seemingly nowhere.]

[valhourdin]

[ The new arrival closes the topic of closets and closet-sized rooms; Zephirin notices Francel's attention wander as his curiosity or possibly his nervousness around strangers to meet finds another target. Although Zephirin has his back to the door and doesn't turn his head over his shoulder, he recognizes Adelphel's distinctive voice. Whatever it is that Adelphel came to collect, he must want it urgently, or Janlenoux would no doubt have delivered it himself after his shift.

During the lull in conversation, Zephirin carefully cuts his macaroon in half. One half, he halves again.

At the counter, meanwhile, Janlenoux encourages Adelphel to open the box, watching him a little too hopefully. In a more fitting location, with a box whose contents aren't confectionery, and a less blasé reaction on Adelphel's part, the scene could be a proposal. ]

[haillenarte]

[though adelphel does not rejoice or burst into tears, he nevertheless pops a macaroon in his mouth and expresses some satisfaction — which is apparently as close to an acceptance of a proposal as poor janlenoux is going to get. francel cannot help but smile at the scene; something about adelphel's frosty demeanor is deeply amusing.

after a few moments, his attentions return to zephirin's plate. francel tilts his head curiously at the macaroon that has been cut into fourths, wondering what zephirin is up to.]