turbo heaven 🌼 chrono

[outdistanced]

this boy's hair is so mystifying

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[outdistanced]

[ puffy won't be there the dead's things disappear with them. it's all laurence's now. ]

Uzbekistan? [ debatable if he knows what that is. ] I guess that would make sense - at least for some of them. It's hard to imagine the place with the diner would be heaven for anyone.

[ hmmm. he glances at chrono, curious. ]

If that were the case... what would it be for you?

[clockpunk]

[ that poor fish. at least it won't have to be witness to makeout crimes then i guess. ]

It's a country in central Asia. There was a spot out in the desert that had a strong link with Cray, so we went out there. With my dad. [ ugh. his stupid useless father. ] I guess that kind of mundane stuff's gotta be heaven for someone, right? Or maybe it got mixed in with other stuff that made it worse.

[ he gives laurence a warm, amused glance. ]

Ain't it obvious? Somewhere out in space. [ hmm. ] Maybe one of those futuristic space stations with a huge garden on top, and a dome lookin' out to the stars.

[outdistanced]

Ah. I shouldn't be surprised that's why you went. It's always about that with him, isn't it? [ your useless father, chrono. ] I was just thinking it was kind of weird? It's not mundane to me when I've never seen it before.

[ listen. it still makes him smile. ]

Figured it'd be something like that. [ hms and tries to picture that. ] I don't know about a space station, but that almost sounds like the Tower's Sky Dome. You still got room to run in those things, or what?

[clockpunk]

...it was the first time I'd seen him since he left, and he was all business. Like it hadn't been eight years. It was my fault we were even out there in the first place, but still. [ and he still hasn't come home to this day!! fucking useless. ] Mm, that's fair. But that's kind of it, right? Maybe it's really special to someone.

[ ah. that's a smile that brings a dusting of pink to his cheeks. embarrassing. ]

W-well, sure, don't see why not. This is a place I'm makin' up in my head. [ hmm. ] A track around, with a little pond in the middle. Trees and flowers. Nice and quiet, but the kind of place that could be lively as well. And the stars overhead, a proper colourful galaxy.

[outdistanced]

Why? Just because of your connection to it? Because that still sounds kind of messed up. [ this coming from a kid who never knew his family at all, but he does know about people wanting to use others for what sets them apart. ] Mm, I guess even places like that wouldn't exist if there wasn't someone who liked it out there somewhere. Weird that we have to deal with it, though.

[ especially now that it's been part of multiple murders? bad.

this is cute, though? chrono's own, personal heaven. of course it's about the stars. ]

It doesn't sound bad. [ really nice, actually. lying in the grass, stargazing... ] Would you even need stuff like telescopes there, if you're already in space? You could just look outside.

[clockpunk]

No, this time it was really on me. I made a stupid risk, trying to... to save Kazuma. I lost, and my Generation Zone burned up as a result. Those future possibilities - I needed them back to fight, so I needed to be able to connect with Dran again. That place was the best bet.

[ amending my half asleep math; *twelve years. i hate you rive shindou (me, aaya). piece of garbage father

he's still pink, ears hot as he continues to describe it. that perceived feeling, even though now he offers it willingly. ]

There would still be some. Really powerful ones, to see even further. Lookin' up would be easiest, though, and still pretty amazing. [ he glances away. ] None of that would matter without the right people, though. Eventually, that is. My friends from home, from here. And you.

[outdistanced]

It can do that? [ just burn up? the fuck? ] Still... that long and that's what he shows up for.

[ laurence may not know much about families but he is judging. ]

Could they see all the way to Cray?

[ does it work like that? for someone who likes to stargaze he doesn't actually know a ton about space beyond the basics. starting to wonder if he should learn, though... maybe he'll look into that, for after heaven, after dealing with iris and ven. ]

Then... [ hesitantly giving his hand a little squeeze. ] ...that just means we have to come visit, right? Doesn't sound too hard.

[ god he hopes it isn't. ]

[clockpunk]

...not usually. The risk-- we were fighting a deity. [ he exhales. this part sounds so wild, and is still too fresh, to be easy to talk about. ] Gyze. Cray's destruction deity - it tried silencing both worlds, because of that connection. On Earth it needed a host, and-- it wanted me, at first. It took Kazuma instead, when he stepped in to protect me. When I fought him... it, in his body, I used one of its own dragons against it. Those always carry that risk, power with sacrifice. When I lost, that's what happened.

[ so this possession stuff is also pretty unpleasantly close to home, too. please stop putting evil shit in his friend's bodies it's really exhausting.

he runs his thumb over laurence's in response, breathing out a laugh. ]

Why not? This is supposed to be my heaven, right? [ mm. ] Well... Yves said that he heard from God that we didn't have to go back to exactly when and where we came from, anyway, right? So it can't be that hard to move around again later instead. Especially not between you and me.

[outdistanced]

[ hold the fucking phone is this why he was so down to fight god last week. what the fuck! ]

A god? Wait, is that what you meant when you said... [ a fate worse than death. oh, no. that's... terrifyingly familiar, in this place. no wonder chrono's been as upset as he has. ] I'm sorry. That's... so fucked up. Was he okay?

[ kazuma. it sounded like he wasn't lost for real. so he should be okay, right? ahhhh he hopes so, for chrono's sake. ]

...Yeah. If it's your heaven, it can be what you want. [ ah, but the latter part... he nods, but laurence looks a little uncertain. ] I don't think I get how it works, but he did say something about other timelines. I really hope it's easier than it sounds.

[clockpunk]

[ yeah lmao ]

That's what it was. During that fight, it didn't quite have full control of him, yet. Needed to summon one more of its dragons to manifest completely. I thought if I stopped it-- that'd be it. [ but he lost!! idiot ] It took over after that. Used him to almost kill his own brother, nearly succeeded in everything. We did stop it, though. I got him back. But for a month, he was trapped in his own body like that.

[ and. well. that kind of thing never really leaves you, either. ]

Not like I get it either, but it's never stopped me before? [ a smile, small but determined. ] Timespace is what Gear Chronicle deals with. Each possibility becoming a reality. That's something we can always reach for.

[outdistanced]

An entire month. God, and here I thought just a week was bad. [ what a fucking nightmare!!! ] At least you got him back eventually.

[ he simply will not think about how the same kind of shit could be happening with iris right now. why is possession and mind control so common! wow! he hates it! ]

Hah. Right. [ your possibilities... ] And me being a Daphne, too... Guess you're right that it kind of makes us specially equipped for that kind of thing, huh?

[clockpunk]

Eventually. [ ... ] That's what we used to sever the connection. The result of defeating Gyze. Cray's other deity, Messiah - she's alright. Helped us through it. But she was damaged too, since her and Gyze are a whole two sides, same coin thing. Don't know what Cray's gonna do without her, if she fades.

[ messed up isn't it!! great!! possession is the worst why does it keep HAPPENING ]

Mhmm. Sure does. Weirder stuff's happened, so I've got confidence in us to work it out. Might need to make a trip to Seattle to make it easier, just in case.

[outdistanced]

Man, it's still really weird getting used to the idea of gods being real. [ just! as an aside! ] At least you had some help. But maybe it won't be that bad? No one said gods can't heal, too.

[ baseless hope because what the fuck does he know. it would just be nice if chrono had one less thing to worry about, maybe. ]

You think just coming to Seattle would be enough? Like this Uzbekistan place?

[clockpunk]

Oh, yeah. Even after knowin' about aliens, basically, gods were another step up. [ me, aaya, who knows exactly what happens: lmao. chrono, who has no idea: smiles gratefully, and nods. ] Yeah. I hope it'll be okay. We ended up okay, so it should be the same for them.

[ even hearing a little hope from someone else is helping. you're doing great sweetie ]

Couldn't hurt, right? It seemed to help before, and if we're dealing with every other kind of distance at least cuttin' out the physical one might make a difference.

[outdistanced]

...Still getting used to that one, too. [ everyone's worlds are so much bigger than his was ever supposed to be. he kinda leans on chrono a little more, like that could provide some reassurance. ] There's no reason they shouldn't be, right?

[ hah. ]

Guess not. Although... without any demiflora, I guess you wouldn't have a Tower there. [ hm. that is a weird feeling. ] It'd be worth a shot, though.

[clockpunk]

Even after everything, it's difficult to think of it that way. Since it doesn't really make a difference to most people.

[ but it was always that way.

the comforting pressure and the little bit of encouragement just makes him think ah, i want to kiss him, and the stupid unbidden thought flusters him so bad with how unexpected it is he just kind of turns away too fast and probably leaves laurence with a faceful of red hair. ]

Y-yeah. Even without it, it shouldn't make a difference. The- our worlds are similar enough, so... Gabriel described his as "a little to the left", and it's probably like that with us, too.

[outdistanced]

You're not most people, though. [ it makes a difference to him so clearly? that's all that matters here?

laurence definitely sputters at that. absolutely unaware of why this just happened at all. ]

H-Hey! Watch the hair, man.

[ brushes it out of his face? ]

Sounds like something they'd say. But... they do sound close enough for being, like. Decades apart somehow.

[clockpunk]

[ okay don't say stuff like that when he's already flustered, wow. ]

Sorry, sorry. Short hair's best, right? Haha.

[ christ. people are dead, shindou, get it together. he'll tilt his head down to get it out of laurence's face, at least. ]

Um, yeah. Theirs is similar to mine and Koharu-chan's. They'd seen a lot of the movies I picked. [ so maybe even more adjacent, but oh well. ] Time moves a little different everywhere, I think, so it shouldn't matter that much.

[outdistanced]

I was just teasing you about the frosting before, you know.

Mm. I haven't asked Gabriel much about where they're from... I kind of get the feeling they don't like to talk about it. Interesting that it's close to you guys, though.

[ also. squints at him. why did he turn away so fast anyway what is happening. ]

...You okay?

[clockpunk]

I know!

They seemed... okay? About it? To me. Simba bein' named like that helped figure it out, too, since that's a really famous movie lion. Still didn't say much, I guess.

[ wah just let him recover in peace!! god ]

Yes I'm fine just a really stupid thought took me offguard it's fine don't worry about it! [ said in one breath, hand covering his face. ] Not now!

[outdistanced]

Maybe asking about their world is different than asking about themselves...? [ weird. ] I don't think I know that movie, either. It's famous?

[ something to look up later, maybe.

but also if you can tease him in public for all of heaven to see then he should be allowed to in private? tilting his head a little to see chrono's face, if he can. ]

...Right. You sure you're good?

[clockpunk]

Easier to talk big than talk detail, maybe. Yeah, Lion King. We could watch it this week, if you want.

[ he can, it's not like he's actively moving away. just tilting his neck up a bit with the back of his knuckles pressed against his mouth, and still. red. muffled; ]

Wouldn't be doing that if you're worried about Taair walking in, is all I'm sayin'.

[outdistanced]

Well, they wouldn't be wrong about that. And yeah that'd be way better than all the "horror" movies Zuriel left. [ pauses, looking thoughtful. ] It's a date?

[ ...ah. he turns a little pink and looks away for a moment. ]

I... [ hm ] Well... Once wouldn't hurt...?

[clockpunk]

Eh. Ah. Yeah? [ fuck, it is a date, isn't it? yves was really onto that. miss you buddy this embarrassing flirting is for your shiplist airkiss

it's not helping unfluster him at all in any case. why'd you have to be so sweet to him!! it's a lot!! ]

That's- I mean... [ this was so much easier when he could being annoying about it. ] Only if you want... to...?

[outdistanced]

[ a date... yay. he's a little excited about it even if it's just a movie.

and oh how the tables have turned... laurence laughs quietly, amused. so this is how they feel when he gets flustered talking about this stuff in public, huh? it's a lot easier when it's just them.

he reaches for chrono's other hand, gently pulling it away from his face. ]

I do, yeah.