[ Something’s gone wrong. It’s in Enri’s posture, in some quality of the boy’s slackness against Darius. It’s in the tensions that prickle through Enri’s reactions, and it’s in the way he feels a little absent beneath Darius’s touch. The way he doesn’t acknowledge Rin’s address (which could be the alcohol, but Enri’s despondence here feels more particular).
He’s unanchored.
He’s worried.
A short while ago - before Rin spoke (for fuck’s sake, Renault, would it kill you to speak in more precise terms for a few of your minutes on this wretched earth?) - Enri had seemed at ease enough. Muddled in speech, yes - that’s the fault of the drink Darius has just finished - but he’d been engaging with Rin, and he’d seemed almost pleased with himself. Said ’I’m good,’ and Darius had very nearly melted. Said ’I’m good’ and ’Good Puppy’ and drew an enamored smile from Darius, who had responded in kind, of course he had.
But. Somewhere between ’Good Puppy’ and Rin’s offer, pieces began to fall apart for Enri. Something missed its mark or something wasn’t said or something took root in the wrong way, and Darius was reaching for Enri, rubbing the boy’s shoulder, his neck, when Rin made their offer and flitted off with Sen. And Darius is reaching to wrap Enri closer when the boy turns around, his smile vanished, his words wretched.
The poor boy.
Darius’s poor Puppy, who wanted this to go well, who seems to think he’s brought about some sort of ruin, as if there’s any fault to lay upon him here at all.
Darius draws one arm around Enri’s shoulders, moves the other hand to the back of Enri’s head as Darius leans down, sets his head against Enri’s own, kisses Enri’s hair, Enri’s temple, humming a sound like assurance, humming to let Enri know Daddy’s here, Daddy’s here, Puppy, it’s all right.
It aches him to see the boy like this. It rends his fucking heart to know that Enri feels unwelcome, that Enri feels somehow wrong, to hear Enri sounding so damnably lost. (He thinks he said something wrong. Poor Puppy. Poor Enri. Fuck.) Darius wraps his arm tighter, caresses Enri’s hair, kisses him again. ]
My Love.
My Enri.
My clever Puppy.
Listen to me, Love—
[ There another kiss for Enri, and Darius nudges his head against the boy’s, nuzzles, and breathes, breathes steady, even. Presses Enri’s head to his heart, to the name engraved, and again, again, runs fingers through Enri’s hair. ]
You’ve done nothing wrong.
You haven’t fucked up anything at all. I’ve been watching you all this time; I’m always watching you, listening for you. And you’ve been perfectly courteous. You rose to my defense in flawless terms, with generosity.
You’ve made me proud.
Enri, you’re doing so well.
[ If anyone holds fault here, it’s Darius, for choosing such a strong drink, for not better preparing Enri before coming, for not having had words with Rin beforehand. Fuck’s name, could the little incendiary have been more cryptic? Could they not have tried a little harder to welcome Enri, as is his right?
Well. To their credit— To their credit, Rin’s been playing remarkably tolerant. That they’d lingered after what they took as an insult, that they made some attempt at amiability while sitting through their discomfort isn’t without meaning. It also isn’t any meaning that Enri has the context to trace. Which Darius should have given the boy.
(…Fuck, Sen’s going to have Darius’s hide after this. There’s fucking that to look forward to, wonderful, that’s wonderful.
Whatever. A problem for whenever it rears up. And after all of this, it’d be not the worst idea to bring over some kind of thank you gift (bribe) for Sen and Rin.
And for Enri… Darius intends to make it up and more than make it up to the boy.)
He nuzzles against Enri’s hair. Shifts to find Enri’s temple and kiss gently, lingering before drawing back just enough to find Enri’s eyes, still keeping near the boy, caress suggesting Darius isn’t leaving, Darius isn’t going anywhere. ]
no subject
He’s unanchored.
He’s worried.
A short while ago - before Rin spoke (for fuck’s sake, Renault, would it kill you to speak in more precise terms for a few of your minutes on this wretched earth?) - Enri had seemed at ease enough. Muddled in speech, yes - that’s the fault of the drink Darius has just finished - but he’d been engaging with Rin, and he’d seemed almost pleased with himself. Said ’I’m good,’ and Darius had very nearly melted. Said ’I’m good’ and ’Good Puppy’ and drew an enamored smile from Darius, who had responded in kind, of course he had.
But. Somewhere between ’Good Puppy’ and Rin’s offer, pieces began to fall apart for Enri. Something missed its mark or something wasn’t said or something took root in the wrong way, and Darius was reaching for Enri, rubbing the boy’s shoulder, his neck, when Rin made their offer and flitted off with Sen. And Darius is reaching to wrap Enri closer when the boy turns around, his smile vanished, his words wretched.
The poor boy.
Darius’s poor Puppy, who wanted this to go well, who seems to think he’s brought about some sort of ruin, as if there’s any fault to lay upon him here at all.
Darius draws one arm around Enri’s shoulders, moves the other hand to the back of Enri’s head as Darius leans down, sets his head against Enri’s own, kisses Enri’s hair, Enri’s temple, humming a sound like assurance, humming to let Enri know Daddy’s here, Daddy’s here, Puppy, it’s all right.
It aches him to see the boy like this. It rends his fucking heart to know that Enri feels unwelcome, that Enri feels somehow wrong, to hear Enri sounding so damnably lost. (He thinks he said something wrong. Poor Puppy. Poor Enri. Fuck.) Darius wraps his arm tighter, caresses Enri’s hair, kisses him again. ]
My Love.
My Enri.
My clever Puppy.
Listen to me, Love—
[ There another kiss for Enri, and Darius nudges his head against the boy’s, nuzzles, and breathes, breathes steady, even. Presses Enri’s head to his heart, to the name engraved, and again, again, runs fingers through Enri’s hair. ]
You’ve done nothing wrong.
You haven’t fucked up anything at all. I’ve been watching you all this time; I’m always watching you, listening for you. And you’ve been perfectly courteous. You rose to my defense in flawless terms, with generosity.
You’ve made me proud.
Enri, you’re doing so well.
[ If anyone holds fault here, it’s Darius, for choosing such a strong drink, for not better preparing Enri before coming, for not having had words with Rin beforehand. Fuck’s name, could the little incendiary have been more cryptic? Could they not have tried a little harder to welcome Enri, as is his right?
Well. To their credit— To their credit, Rin’s been playing remarkably tolerant. That they’d lingered after what they took as an insult, that they made some attempt at amiability while sitting through their discomfort isn’t without meaning. It also isn’t any meaning that Enri has the context to trace. Which Darius should have given the boy.
(…Fuck, Sen’s going to have Darius’s hide after this. There’s fucking that to look forward to, wonderful, that’s wonderful.
Whatever. A problem for whenever it rears up. And after all of this, it’d be not the worst idea to bring over some kind of thank you gift (bribe) for Sen and Rin.
And for Enri… Darius intends to make it up and more than make it up to the boy.)
He nuzzles against Enri’s hair. Shifts to find Enri’s temple and kiss gently, lingering before drawing back just enough to find Enri’s eyes, still keeping near the boy, caress suggesting Darius isn’t leaving, Darius isn’t going anywhere. ]
Tell me.
Tell me what’s wrong, Love.
Daddy’s here. I’m here with you.