outdistanced | turbo heaven 🌼 chrono

[ the list really is never-ending. it feels like there's always something new that he wants to try with chrono - it's almost unnerving, for a guy who spent his whole life refusing to think outside of his tower. but he's always been good at drawing laurence out of his comfort zone, hasn't he? he just has a way of making it feel a little less intimidating.

and what is it about that smile that makes him feel so warm, anyway? a little breathless, too, but he returns the kiss without a trace of hesitation. ]

Me, too. [ holding him a little closer as he relaxes. ] I don't remember ever being this happy before.

[ maybe a long, long time ago, before the weight of tower society had settled on his shoulders. back when he was just a kid, too excited about the world and what they could do or see, entranced by all the world's possibilities. but those memories are too long past for him to fully recall, only fragments of a better time, and now... this moment is crystalline clear, and much easier to hold onto. maybe the possibilities before them now aren't quite so limitless as he used to imagine, but it's more than he thought there'd be before arriving here. heaven - and chrono, really - has expanded his world so much already. ]

[ there were only a few benefits to being as straightforward as chrono tended to be. if one of them happened to be making the scale of the world a bit less frightening, then that eas one he would be forever grateful for. it had been similar for him, once - the sudden scope of possibilities almost too wide to fathom after living a limited life for so long. not quite the same as laurence's, as he'd been luckier in the past few years, but... even now, he still made new discoveries.

like how he can't recall ever being as comfortable as this, despite being on a bed not quite made for two teenage boys to cuddle on, despite needing a shower, despite how his body ached slightly. that only means there were somehow ways to feel even better. his legs shift a little, an ankle loosely locking with one of laurence's.

it takes him a moment to even be able to find words again, after the weight of that statement. the smile won't leave his face, arms drawing in to cling a little more, head tucking almost shyly against laurence's shoulder and neck to muffle his voice a little. words he'd been meaning to say for a while, though they didn't seem to quite carry the full intent now. still... he wanted to say them. ]

...I really, really like you, Laurence.

[ cuddles like this probably would be more comfortable after a shower, but the last thing he wants is to leave chrono's side. with how limited their time is now, laurence wants to savor every moment, even if it means being a little sweaty and gross together. they can make up for it later... maybe in the morning, or after whatever judgment day brings, if they have it in them by then. regardless, every point of contact, no matter how small, is an extra bit of comfort before their time here ends, and it's more than he's ever felt before.

yet, somehow, after everything, with chrono burrowing into his shoulder, hearing those words still manages to surprise him. it didn't feel necessary, before, having them said out loud kind of makes him want to hear it again? and that surprises him, too, how easily he'd come to trust this guy he didn't even know eight weeks ago, when he could never even bring himself to trust anyone he'd known for his entire life before, but laurence is once again so, so tempted to give up that life for him. amazing how one person can change everything, he thinks, breathing out a laugh. ]

Good, because I wasn't sure after everything. [ joking, lightly, as he wraps his other arm around chrono, holding him close while he still can. ] ...You know I feel the same way, right?

[ it's hard to say, still. but it's there, in the warmth of his emotions, glowing with affection. ]

[ he's vaguely aware that he's slipping into that fraction of conscious space between alert and asleep where everything seems more raw and honest, where he gets more than a little sappy. that laugh makes him mirror it, nuzzling against laurence's neck a little, like how he'd done almost the second they'd got in the room. ]

I know. [ with a matching surge of affection. ] Even if I couldn't feel it, I'd know.

[ that trust goes both ways, after all. even if it had taken time to sort out his feelings - he kind of wishes he'd been a bit quicker to do so, but the timing was never right - there'd been a sense of understanding between them since that very first conversation. chrono makes a quiet, pleased sound as he melts in the full embrace... ahhh, he really loved this feeling, with laurence's arms around him. it's hard to tell what he's going to miss the most in their time apart, but just simply being able to feel his presence right next to him might be the biggest one. he's not going to say something stupid about how much he'll miss him, but his heart aches just a little under everything at the thought. ]

Sleepy?

[ a faint sense of relief bubbles up at that reply. someday he'll find the courage to put what he's feeling into words - by the time they meet again, maybe, hopefully - but for now, he's content with what they have. a night to themselves, bodies entangled and lost in each other's emotions. it's more than enough for laurence, for now, if he tries not to think about the void it's going to leave when he goes home to the tower.

so he won't think about that, but focus instead on the feeling of chrono in his arms, thumbs tracing circles on the bare skin of his back. he leans his head back into the pillow, eyes closing on an exhale. ]

Mm, yeah. It's been a long day. [ a soft, thoughtful sound. ] Good one, though.

[ the motions on his back are like a sedative, acting quickly to suppress the last of his energy and lull his thoughts away from sad futures and into cozy presents. with one last light tap of his forehead against laurence's temple, muscles suddenly too weak to push up enough to do it properly, chrono shifts just slightly away to better share the pillows and be comfortable enough for either of them to not wake up with any different, less pleasing aches. ]

Pretty confident we've had the best day out of anyone here. [ absolutely baseless claim, but... hey, no one else got to ride a dragon, at least. probably. ] Wears a guy out, huh.

[ they'd been cooking this afternoon, apparently. felt like an age ago, between the excitement of the party and the... intensity, of their afterparty. but he was so, so happy. happy to have experienced it all, to be drifting to sleep in this embrace, to be waking up later still within it, hopefully. chrono's eyes slip shut - not quite overtaken by drowsiness yet, but not far off. ]

You're comfy.

[ laurence can't help but laugh at that, because even if it is baseless, he absolutely agrees. surely it was a great day for everyone, but they're allowed to have a bias. not everyone here has someone they'd want to spend the night with or wake up to, anyway, and isn't that something to treasure while they can? ]

Yeah, but in a good way.

[ like after a long, satisfying run that makes him feel like collapsing after while his muscles sing with the exertion. it's a similar kind of feeling here, layered with the affection and joy of sharing it with someone else, in a way that no one else may ever know. (he hopes? the alternative isn't something he wants to consider.)

with chrono settled, he loosens his hold just enough so they can both shift comfortably if they need to, without quite letting go. ]

So're you. [ after a moment, he adds sleepily, ] Could probably use a bigger bed next time, though.

Definitely a good way.

[ lying together like this he can't see laurence laugh, and even the sound of it is a little drowsily muffled by now, but he can feel the reverberation of it through where he's draped over his chest clear as anything. another sensation he'd like to feel more of, in the future, for a long time. when they meet again, with more opportunities to just spend time together in peace like this.

on that note. a bigger bed, huh... chrono breathes a puff of a laugh, a bare incline of an agreeing nod to his head. it was cozy like this, after the kind of trial run last sunday, but nevertheless toeing the line of cramped. his bed back home wasn't much better, time for an upgrade...? well, maybe they could get their own place sometime... that'd be nice... ah, he's getting ahead of himself. dreams that were already lined up for the night, apparently. ]

Mhmm. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

[ there he goes, thinking too much again. but laurence is a little too sleepy to be cognizant of it; all that's on his mind right now is how much he doesn't want to leave this spot, soaking up all these good feelings with the guy he likes too much to put into words. what happens after they leave - if they really do meet again - is too alien a concept for him to even consider, anyway. ]

Something else to look forward to, huh. [ never really had that before, aside from a race or two. ] Good. Can't wait.

Me too.

[ it's okay. this kind of overthinking isn't bad at all, the conceptualising of more pleasant things. plans that might someday be possibilities. a future he truly desires, even. a gentle current to lead him out to the sea of dreams for the night.

so his arm shifts, a light squeeze around laurence's chest with the very last of his energy. the tiniest awareness of how their emotions settle into each other, how fond he feels. it'll be a good night's sleep. the best he's had here. ]

G'night, Laurence.

[ somehow, even as tired and half-asleep as he is, the gesture and accompanying fondness still make his ears flush a little pink. he's really not used to such open affection - but it's comforting nonetheless, especially now. he kind of doesn't want to let go, so he squeezes a little in turn with a soft exhale. ]

Night, Chrono.

[ mumbled, halfway gone already, he shifts just enough to nuzzle into chrono's hair. it feels nice, falling asleep here - maybe it'll be just as nice to wake up next to him, come morning. ]

turbo heaven 🌼 chrono

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