me, you wouldn't recall [reality]

[Ember]

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A bout of coughing. That's what he got for his trouble. Though Revelyn figured his companion meant well, traversing Letha was not ideal for him, whether he was native to the land or not.

"Reality, why, pray tell, are we doing this again?

[/color]" Came the apparently disgruntled and somewhat raspy question from Revelyn. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Reality's hand, tugging the younger boy toward him. With any luck it had the intended effect and would catch the boy off balance enough to make him slide down the hill just as Revelyn himself slide on the ashen ground toward the hot springs.

Rev'd let go after the tugging so that if Reality didn't go tumbling with him, Reality at least wouldn't stop him from going down. Truthfully, Rev couldn't quite recall why he knew they existed, he hadn't lived within Letha in years, but there was something familiar, something comfortable... Well, aside from the coughing. Perhaps it wasn't memory from his childhood, perhaps it was merely something he'd overheard, or knowledge from studying maps, which he had in fact done. Either way, Revelyn liked to imagine it was his memories resurfacing from a life he'd almost lived.

As he tumbled head first into the hot springs, he could feel the ashes rise from his body, collecting on the surface as his body sank for the briefest moment. He resurfaced, his hair sending small strains of water cascading down his face as he looked around for Reality.

✘rev

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Of course Reality was concerned, the state of his friend coughing injected worry in him at every heave. Guilt also worked its way under the layers of his skin, he felt as if he were forcing Rev to do something that he truly didn't want to do. He had to be careful around Revelyn because it was too easy to fall into comfort and let the worry purse his lips. Instead, he focused on the wide grin of excitement that filled his cheeks as his eyes scoured the horizon for new, exciting scenery.

"Well," Reality had started to say, a wry smile transforming on his lips. It all got lost when he felt his body being pulled out of balance. A small cry of protest rose in his throat, though it diminished before it could really hit the air. In dazed amazement, he skidded down the side of the hill. Unlike his guard, he fell in the hot spring on his side. The heat shocked him as it enveloped him, for a few moments he struggled to break the surface. As soon as his feet were stable on the ground, he whipped himself around to look for Revelyn.

With a grumble, Reality crossed his arms, "Give a guy a warning, would yah?" A grin splashed across his lips, lighting his eyes, "Oh well! Time for punishment~" Laughter shot through his lips as he threw himself at Revelyn, trying to trap him in his arms. If this act had been successful, then Reality laughed into Revelyn's ear, before using him to lift himself a bit to look around at their surroundings.

His bright orange eyes took every single detail in with excitement. Being in a new land shot excitement through Reality, tingling his body with the possibilities of new people to meet. Granted, they weren't as important to him as actually seeing new sites, but who knows? "I just feel... I just feel as if my parents love me so much, enough to get you, that a part of your parents must miss you, right Rev?" A part of him wanted to press his lips to the top of Rev's head, near his forehead. This place looked comfortable, willing. It yanked on Reality's insides, but he forced himself to simply lay his chin on Rev's head for a moment before succumbing to his shortness and plopping back down in the water. "What was that for anyways?" Wicked, a grin flashed across his lips before twisting and turning into a wry smile with an eyebrow crawling up his forehead, "You just wanted to go skinny dipping with me, didn't you~?"

[Ember]

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"Yes, right, how silly of me,

[/color]" Revelyn gave a somber nod as if he accepted Reality's insistence upon a warning to be law. Truthfully, he did nothing of the sort. At the mention of punishment, Revelyn tried to appear stern.

"Hey, wait, don't you dar-rr-[/color]" He began. Rev couldn't get the threat out before Reality had him in his arms. Predictably, Revelyn didn't resist, as if Reality had some upperhand that prevented Rev from breaking free. At the laughter, Rev shivered, then growled in protest at the involuntary response to the feeling against his ear.

"Hummm,[/color]" Rev's answer was more of a low grumble than an actual word when Reality presented his logic. Real was such an incredibly kind friend at times... A flash of sadness crossed his features in response to Real's kindness and mention of love from his parents. That was all Rev allowed. After all, it was nothing to get upset about now. With a calm expression back in place, he watched Reality seem to shrink back to his normal size. Immediately a smug smirk settled on his lips. It slipped when Real suggested that he had an ulterior motive to pulling Reality into the hot springs so unceremoniously.

"No... That's not it...[/color]" Revelyn's voice was quiet. These were the moments where he'd fight a blush. Maybe he would enjoy that, but the idea of telling Reality that was mortifying no matter how confident Revelyn was.

"I was cold, alright? Why do you think we hang around here? It's definitely not for the suffocating ash or scenery.[/color]" Revelyn scoffed as if it were very obvious. In spite of this, his gaze trailed over the exposed sections of Reality's clothing, the parts not submerged in water. Revelyn himself had refused to leave the house in anything less than a sleeveless undershirt, a grey dress shirt, a red tie, and dress pants. At least his shoes were worn out dress shoes he didn't mind ruining. Still, even he had to admit that he struggled to dress in a 'fun' or even 'relaxed' manner when leaving the Hennigan home. But that was nothing new. People needed to take him seriously when he was watching over Reality.

✘rev

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Laughter spilled from Reality's lips, a grin flashing wide across his lips. His orange eyes focused on Rev's, "suuure~" The tease left through a curl of a smirk. More delicious laughter broke free from his lips as he stepped up to poke Rev's cheeks, as if daring him to allow a blush to stay there. A call of a bird took Reality's attention for a moment, his head snatching away to glance up at a hawk.

His laughter calmed as he turned his head to glance back at Rev, though the smirk remained. "Oh, sure, yeah. Don't worry, I totally believe you." The smirk on Reality's lips told otherwise; his hand patted Rev's shoulder as more laughter broke free from his lips.

Reality turned, waddling through the warmth swirls of the water. He headed towards the side of the hot spring, heaving himself out of it. As soon as his shoes brushed the warm rock, a shiver ran through him. "I-It's cold," the admission chattered when it left his lips. Another smirk lifted his lips as he found a large boulder suitable for his needs. "Alright, Rev! You get your wish," that was when Reality moved to free himself of his light jacket, lightly tossing it onto the boulder. He worked his shirt off next, moving smoothing, yet always being careful when he laid it on the boulder. Soon, he was raw in just his boxers, shivering.

Not even Reality had the guts to completely undress himself, but he was still having fun as he splashed back into the water, laughing. He moved his way back to Rev with more ease this time, there were no clothes restricting easy movement. He paused in front of Rev, reaching up to grab hold of his tie. "We have to let our clothes dry, right? No one wants chaffing." Now Reality had to duck his head down as the laughter was escaping through his teeth.

With stubborn movement, he tried to let Rev be free of his tie, then he moved onto the dress shirt. For a moment, Reality paused. This moment was quick, lasting a single second. Though, it was quick enough for Reality to feel the coming heat on his cheeks and the rise of his heart beat. To bury these, he gave Rev a light, playful shove as he went to run around him in the water. "Come on! Come on~!" He laughed delightfully, trying to push away the anxiety from moments from before.

[Ember]

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"Stoppit,

[/color]" Rev grumbled, his words blending into one as he was poked. Though his tone was harsh, the blush did linger, and so did a small smile. To conceal both, Rev tucked his chin toward his chest as if the water were more interesting than Reality. It wasn't. When Real spoke, Rev looked up, painfully attentive. He was supposed to be mad, but there he was, interested as ever.

"You should believe me. I'm totally responsible, I would never insinuate that you should remove your clothing, Reality.[/color]" It seemed that his words fell on deaf ears. He was really doing it. Reality was undressing. Instead of objecting, Revelyn watched without a single objection. It was a bit sad to see Reality shivering. Revelyn considered moving closer and tugging the younger male in and close to him. The imagery disappaited quickly when Reality slipped back into the water.

"Wha... I'll be fine. I couldn't possibly...[/color]" Rev mumbled shyly, his hands lifting to rest against Reality's chest, between his arms. He allowed Reality to completely remove his tie, seeming disinterested in keeping it from getting lost in the depths of the water. His attention was focused on Reality as Reality began working on his shirt. Unlike Reality, Rev was no longer blushing. One might expect being undressed by your best friend to be worthy of a blush, but ... The blush didn't come. He thought he saw red in his friend's expression. It was so distracting that he was caught off guard by the shove.

"H-hey![/color]" Revelyn finally found his voice-- one of surprise as he took a steadying step backwards. Tugging off his shirt, he squished it into a ball and tossed it toward the nearest edge before turning his attention back to Reality. Rev reached out to grab Reality once his shirt was off.

"Rea,[/color]" Rev gave another stern look as he tried to pull Reality toward himself. "No one's going to take me seriously without my shirt. You have to stay near and within sight now.[/color]"

✘rev

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His eyes followed Rev's movements, watching as he worked his shirt off. Of course, his cheeks were betraying him, but he kept a grin on his face as he fought it. Rev's previous words entered his mind, "Responsible, okay okay. I agree with that. You're responsible to a point that it's like you have a stick up your--" Instead of finishing his delightful sentence, he found himself bursting into laughter as Rev grabbed him.

Reality stumbled a bit as he was pulled towards Rev, a giggle left his lips as he fell against Rev. Suddenly breathless, he leaned against Rev and closed his eyes. His wet mop of hair rest on Rev's shoulder as his lungs filled with air, slowly calming the gasps of breaths. Another laugh left Reality as he moved to stand right in front of Rev, "You just don't want anyone else seeing me naked, do you~?" The tease left his lips, but Reality was fighting the urge to allow his eyes drop to Rev's chest.

To distract himself, he laughed and let out a whine, "No one is going to attack us while in the hot springs! And you're so kick-ass that you'll do fine! I promise." As mischievous as ever, Reality stepped closer to Rev, their bodies nearly flushed. His fingers hooked onto Rev's belt loops, hopefully, then gave a yank.

Just as forceful as before, Reality tried to remove Rev of his pants. He would laugh, really, but he was too busy fighting off a blush, instead he dove all the way under water to hide his blush as he tried to relieve Rev of his soggy clothing. When whether or not he had been successful, he broke the surface of the water again with laughter, turning his back on Rev to cool his blush. More laughter shot through him to the point he could barely stand, he eventually had to wander back to Rev, choosing to move behind him as he rested he used Rev to keep standing.

"It's a wonder," he whispered, a bit breathless, "How anyone can take you seriously, seeing how adorable you are~" Laughter left his lips as he gained his composure.

[Ember]

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Revelyn found it easy to glare at Reality after the comment about responsibility. He wanted to retort that one of them had to be, but the truth was, he thought Reality was completely capable of being responsible whether Rev was there or not. Which meant there really was no adequate rebuttal.

"You're such a riot,

[/color]" Revelyn rolled his eyes, holding tighter to Reality. When Reality seemed to relax against him, he found himself just thankful he wasn't purring contently. The urge was there, though Revelyn managed to be silent. Instinctively, Revelyn relaxed, letting the tension leave his body as his hands rested against Reality's bare skin.

"If you manage to find someone who treats you well and isn't a selfish moron, I'll approve of you taking your clothes off for them. You can have my blessing, but you better be sure of them.[/color]" Revelyn cautioned protectively as if it could hide just how intensely jealous he'd be if Reality did feel comfortable enough with anyone else. Then again, he knew he was intensely jealous by nature, especially when it came to Reality.

"Letha is a violent place,[/color]" Revelyn replied concisely, not bothering to take the argument any farther than that. He appreciated the compliment, he just couldn't bring himself to say so. Even if he had wanted to, he couldn't keep his attention on what Reality said while his pants were being tugged down. Now his face turned red. He began to mumble in what sounded like a grumpy tone as he kicked off his pants. Once they were off of his legs, he let Reality stay behind him.

"Adorable?[/color]" Rev echoed. "You seem capable of resisting my charm, so I must not be that adorable.[/color]"

✘rev

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Reality found himself being subdued, by Rev's words. His eyes dragged down and watched the ripples for the warm water. For once, he couldn't find it in himself to laugh and tease as he usually did, instead, he pushed his face into Rev's back, closing his eyes and thinking. To his parent's standards, he would be married off to another noble girl. If they found someone to marry him to. It was what his dad would prefer. His mother would rather him to just be happy and safe, though his father assures that if they stick to noble blood, he would be safer.

Reality doesn't care either way. Selfishly, he wants Rev by his side for the rest of his life. It wasn't truly his fault. Since he was four he had learned to depend on Rev. His arms wrapped around Rev's waist and quietly said, "The world is dangerous. That's why I need you." It was the warmth of the water, Reality told himself. It had to be.

"Who says," Reality muttered quietly, finding a weak smirk. "Who says I can resist it?" Laughter left his lips, but his hold tightened for a moment. "I might just be extremely good at hiding it.." Slowly, his arms dropped and Reality went to fish around for Rev's tie and his pants. When they were found, he crawled out from the hot spring and laid them out so they would dry, and he did the same with Rev's shirt.

More genuine laughter left him as he stood and motioned to himself, "It is quite amazing, how you can resist this." Laughing, he flipped his hair then jumped back into the water. "And also take into the fact," he said as he swam around in the warm water, "that children are called adorable all the time and no one wants to smex them up, right?" Then he laughed. "Not counting pedophiles."

[Ember]

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"It might seem that way now, but you'll see.

[/color]" Rev's voice was quiet when he responded. "I have to keep you safe, not steal you away. Besides, when we were kids, I always wanted to know what your children would be like- if they'd be as troublesome as you.[/color]" Tossing in the teasing at the end wasn't exactly how Rev usually responded, but he didn't like how serious things had gotten. Not that he should have been surprised: they were standing in the water in their boxers.

At any rate,Revelyn had long since given up any hope of Reality's parents seeing him as anything more than their son's guard. He'd been scared of them from the start, going so far as to hide behind Reality whenever they wanted to speak directly to Rev. If he could have ran away, stealing Reality with him, he would have done it from the start. Only, they were children then. As they grew older there were more and more reasons, such as Reality needed family, he was safer in his home, he couldn't abandon his life... Still, Revelyn would sometimes imagine the two of them in Letha together, hidden underground, safe from harm.

As his mind wandered, his fingertips danced along Reality's arms as if he couldn't bear to be touched by Reality without touching back. A genuine smile, albeit one that looked tired, crossed Revelyn's face as Reality tossed back the question. To have Reality let go was the very last thing Rev expected... Until Reality began gathering his clothes. Either this was an unkind prank that would leave him running around looking for his clothes in his boxers, or Reality was doing something Rev should have done, instead of getting distracted. Rev decided it was likely the latter, which was unfortunate.

"Thank you, Real.[/color]" Revelyn offered sincerely. His sincere expression was quickly replaced by a smirk at Reality's motion toward himself. Revelyn resisted the urge himself to say he couldn't. "There will be no smexing near you, Reality. I think swimming around in your boxers is enough freedom for one day.[/color]" Instead of swimming with Reality, Revelyn retreated to the edge, leaning against the side of the hot spring as he relaxed into the hot water. It really was nice to feel the warm water against his normally cold skin.

✘rev

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Laughter fell free from Reality's lips, "Ha ha ha." A smirk lifted his lips. "My children will be b.." His voice fell and died. To cover it up, he dived underneath the surface, holding his breath as he swam the length of the hot spring. His stomach was churning, a bit painfully. Children? Perhaps a couple of girls had caught his interest, he's found them cute. But children? He was only sixteen! He shouldn't be forced to think of something like that.

His lungs were burning before he broke through the surface and started a bought of coughing. With animation, he threw his arms around in the air, "Children!? Rev, please! I don't even know if I want children!" Before he could stop his fears, they spilled out into the open as the words shot through his mouth, "Don't you think it's better do just... leave it be than plague the world with more children that have to stay awake every night, hoping they'll wake up in the morning? Putting all their trust into one person to protect them?"

He caught himself, taking in a breath and giving a weak laugh, "I can't really stand to look at my parents when I come home with bruises, or a bloody nose. They remember the pain of losing Newt every time, and I feel guilty because... because I... I just don't really care." His head lowered in the shame of that. "I mean, I'm sad that they're sad, but... I never knew him, and I barely know my big brother either. I barely know my own family, I'm just a precious jewel they have to protect."

The heaviness of the subject was weighing on him, sitting on his chest and making it difficult to breathe. A joke. He needed a joke, a tease, a laugh, a grin, a smile, anything, to make it lighter. To ease the heavy air. So, he glanced around curiously with a grin, hoping the subject would be dropped when he said, "I wonder if there really is such a thing that if you fart enough, it will become a Jacuzzi. Or will it blow up? That's be pretty freaking scary."

That wasn't enough, he knew, so he continued laughing, grinning as he walked over to Rev, swiping his hand through the water to splash him, "Come on~ Lighten up, would you?" He lightly punched Rev's arm, which had as much force equal to the weight of a feather. "Have fun! We should play tag, like when we were kids. Then maybe we can go find a bar or something, or even just steal a bottle or two for us and find someplace to hang out. Dinner sounds good too." He ran his fingers through his wet hair, making it spike up, so he gave a silly face. "And ice cream. Ice cream sounds good. They might have strawberry ice cream~"