IC Continuations

[fourlevels]

Comments

[nextlevel]

[ Yuuri assumes no, anyway. ]

... That's a lot to live up to.

[fourlevels]

More surprises to make, more of myself to give away ...

[ He curls into Yuuri, pressing his face against his collarbone. His voice is growing softer as well as muffled. ]

The shackle around my neck dragging me under the bright and dazzling waters. That was my nightmare.

[nextlevel]

[ He leans in, then, keeping his touch gentle. ]

You don't have to do that any more.

[fourlevels]

[ He lets out a soft sigh against Yuuri's skin, and his whole body relaxes with it, leaning more heavily against Yuuri. ]

You'll keep me from being dragged down?

[nextlevel]

You know I will. I'll be ... well, not an anchor, I guess. The opposite.

[fourlevels]

A buoy?

[nextlevel]

That doesn't seem very romantic. How about a lighthouse?

[fourlevels]

[ A quiet, tired chuckle. ]

I don't know, you could be one of those child floating vests.

[nextlevel]

That's even worse, Viktor.

[fourlevels]

I think it's cute.

[nextlevel]

Me with my arms around your neck, holding you up?

[fourlevels]

That can be romantic, right?

[nextlevel]

I guess ... but it sounds more like I'm choking you.

[fourlevels]

I'd rather die in your arms than drown by myself.

[nextlevel]

Viktor ...

[fourlevels]

Ah, don't listen to me. I'm still a bit drunk ...

[nextlevel]

That just means you're telling me instead of just thinking it.

[fourlevels]

[ That's a bit too complicated for him to parse at the moment, the horizontal position beginning to tug at the edges of his consciousness. ]

Huh?

[nextlevel]

[ A soft sigh. ]

I mean you're thinking it normally. But you don't tell me.

[fourlevels]

Isn't that how you are, too?

[nextlevel]

Well, yeah. About some things.

[fourlevels]

A lot of things ...

[nextlevel]

N-not like this!

[fourlevels]

No? What about retirement?

[ There's still a little hurt in that question, a trace of bitterness. They'd resolved that months ago now, but Viktor still was hurt by it. ]

[nextlevel]

... Ah. That ... that was different.