BARTENDER - THISTLE

[wooliefrand]

WHO: THISTLE + CUSTOMERS
WHERE: THISTLE BARN
WHEN: BARTENDER GAME

[ Your barn has a new???? (temporary???) addition! One of the outside walls now has a cabinet of various drinks, all of which sits behind what appears to be an L-shaped bar counter, complete with a sink, ice box, and glass cabinet on the inner side, and stools for customers(?) on the outer side.

Posted on the wall is a recipe book, and above it, a big chalkboard listing the various drinks from said recipe book.

Tied to the drinks cabinet are a number of ribbons in your barn's color. Wonder what those are for. ]

OOC RULES | RECIPE BOOK | MAIN GAME POST

Comments

[literal_trainwreck]

[... a little]

I envy you.

I suppose I must have all along.

[survivaltricks]

[for some reason, Lupin still has the ribbon tucked in his hands, wound around his fingers. he grips it tightly, knuckles white]

I've known that for a while now.

[. . . but he supposes it isn't so easy for someone to realize it themselves, though]

I shouldn't have. . . [mmm] I wasn't. . . trying to throw it into your face.

[literal_trainwreck]

I know that. You're nothing if not well-meaning.

[some light passive-aggression there, but no real bite]

[survivaltricks]

[hah. . . his lips twitch a bit, and he tugs the ribbon taught between his hands]

[. . .]

Can I show you something?

[literal_trainwreck]

Why not.

[holds out his hand in case he needs to take the other end of the ribbon]

[survivaltricks]

[a tiny little smile as Loki predicts what he wanted to do, and he places the ribbon into his hand, while tying the other end around his own wrist again]

[literal_trainwreck]

[takes his end and does the same]

[survivaltricks]

[the rush of emotion that bursts to life the moment the empathy bond is established is-- well. . . it's a lot]

[but it's different, from the gentle and comfortable familial love Lupin felt when he was thinking about Leblanc. whatever it is. . . it's energetic and wild, crackling like a firework. it's the thrill of competition, and the excitement of experiencing both victory and loss. it's the appreciation of having someone at his side, constantly pushing him past his limits, forcing him to be something greater than what he was before]

[it's a staunch refusal to lose, no matter what. a desire to prove himself-- but not to prove that he is better. . . just to prove that he is a worthy rival. someone who can stand up to any challenge given to him, no matter what]

[. . .]

[and while those emotions are the strongest, underneath their ferocity is something a little gentler. the acknowledgement that despite the excitement of the back-and-forth, that there is a desire for a genuine connection. the nature of that desire is a bit. . . muddled, but it's. . . fond. it's a little affectionate, even if that affection is laced with "but also, I'll kick your ass if I have to."]

[literal_trainwreck]

[it isn't calming for Loki, exactly; those aren't calm emotions, after all. But it's centering. Stabilizing. This is something real, something comprehensible, something for him.]

[he doesn't need to return the favor and share, nor does he need to grab Lupin's hand to do it. Possibly he will regret these actions later. But emboldened by this powerful desire to not lose, that's what he wants to do in this moment. So he does it.]

[All those feelings of rivalry resonate. Loki's urge to win is a bit more desperate, tied to some frantic insecurity, but that only makes it all the sweeter when he does. And there is a distinct note of admiration for the one person who can keep up with him. Who, win or lose, is absolutely fucking beautiful in motion.]

[It's not all good. Scars of envy, healing but still very present; spikes of frustration; clouds of confusion. But especially in this moment, those things seem trivial.]

[Amidst it all is a pulsing undercurrent of WANT, WANT, WANT. What does he want? That's unclear even to Loki himself. But whatever it is, there's no stopping it.]

1/2

[survivaltricks]

[jesus christ]

[he truly has no idea what to do with any of that]

[but the most surprising thing of all is, perhaps, the hand that suddenly grasps at his own, grip tight and warm and completely unexpected. the surprise is felt on his end of the bond, a jolt like electricity that cuts through everything else. his gaze flickers from a random point on the wall to those fingers holding his own, expression slack]

[survivaltricks]

[but he's the one who opened this up, so. . . he has to own up to it, right? with a breathless huff, he slumps against the wall a bit more, shifting his own hand so he's grasping Loki's just as tightly in return]

[the surprise fades, and the undercurrent of affection becomes a little stronger, edged with a sense of contentment-- right. this is how things should be, or whatever that means. there's a flicker of exasperation too, but it's not bad!]

You're a mess.

[OH THAT'S RUDE]

But I don't mind it.

[literal_trainwreck]

I could've told you that.

[seeking out that contentment. clinging to it. something that's right, even if nothing else is.]

[survivaltricks]

[he can do that; the more they sit like this, the more Lupin eases into that contentment himself, allowing it to become the primary emotion felt on his end of the bond. he slumps until he's resting his shoulder against Loki's, still staring straight ahead]

Don't be ashamed of it.

You might be a mess, but at least you're real.

[literal_trainwreck]

[this slice of acceptance might not be the powerful feelings that Lupin has for Leblanc, but it's good all the same]

Mm. Whatever bullshit is going on around us, you're still you.

[survivaltricks]

[it's very good! it's good and it's Loki's, because the point of this was to prove that there's a place in Lupin's life into which only he fits. the shape of that place is still evolving the more they get to know each other without any walls between them, but it's there!!]

[and in its own way, it's special]

Yeah. Always.

[that's for certain]

You're okay?

[literal_trainwreck]

[lets out a breath and nods]

I'll be fine.

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

Do you wanna stay here for a bit longer before we head back?

[. . . the contentment turns a little selfish, and a little wanting, but not in a bad way. it's the kind of selfishness someone feels when they aren't ready to part ways with someone else yet]

[literal_trainwreck]

[now that's something he can empathize with. maybe too much?]

For a bit.

[survivaltricks]

["too much" isn't a thought crossing Lupin's mind at the moment]

All right. Cool.

[it's fine they can sit here in silence while holding hands after an intensely emotionally intimate moment]

[very hetero]

[literal_trainwreck]

[#JustRivalThings]

[survivaltricks]

[JUST RIVAL THINGS]

[after a long moment of silence (the bond is perfectly comfortable now; he could probably remove it, but he isn't doing so), Lupin finally speaks]

I'm kind of surprised you were so willing to do this.

[literal_trainwreck]

The rest of you seemed to be playing along. I thought I'd go with the flow.

Foolish.

[survivaltricks]

[a pang of guilt, though it's very mild]

I guess I got caught up in the barista aspect of it all.

[. . . it reminded him of Leblanc]

[literal_trainwreck]

[a twinge of shame]

It isn't on your shoulders. I overestimated myself. That's all.

[survivaltricks]

[the emotionally equivalent of a huff, whatever that is]

I feel like we could go back-and-forth about this all day and accomplish absolutely nothing.