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[ninefox]

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[ninefox]

"I'm afraid I missed that one," he admits.

[magician_king]

"Patrick. He- you'd have liked him, he made me get new pants."

He says, and then hitches a sob, because this is a ridiculous thing to be talking about.

[ninefox]

"He sounds kind and wise," Jedao affirms, leaning into the ridiculous.

[magician_king]

"He was."

He says, and nearly loses it again, then holds resolutely on.

"Talk to me?"

[ninefox]

Jedao gives him a warm squeeze of a hug.

"I'm so glad you were here for him, Quentin-shei," he murmurs, voice rough, into Quentin's hair.

[magician_king]

"You should send him to live with me a couple of years."

He says, again;

"If he wants that. He seems like he could use a little while with no pressure."

[ninefox]

"He'll want it," Jedao promises. "He just has to work around to it in his head a little bit. This week was a lot for him." Jedao's voice is dry and gentle at once.

[magician_king]

"It's going to be a really nice bookstore."

Quentin decides, committing to the plan in earnest at last.

[ninefox]

"Fuck," Jedao mutters, pulling Quentin closer again for a moment to drop a kiss into his hair, confess without meeting his eyes.

"I should just be happy for you, and relieved for him. But I'm so selfishly glad I'll have an excuse to see you again."

[magician_king]

"I love you."

He says, remembering.

"I always will."

[ninefox]

He remembers the boy talking to Quentin about it, but it's not the same. He holds Quentin tight for a moment, breathless and careful.

"I love you so much," he murmurs, nearly whispers. "You make me believe in better worlds."

[magician_king]

"And you make me believe in myself."

Which is just as precious.

"What have you got today? Can you stay awhile?"

[ninefox]

"A few more thank-yous that can all wait. Fives is going to be a complete mess about Tup, poor lamb." Both of them, really.

"But he'll want to be alone with the messages for a little while." He'll stay.

[magician_king]

"Okay, well, just a little while then."

He'll hang onto him greedily, settling comfortably into his arms.

[ninefox]

Jedao kisses his temple sweetly, just because he can.

"Would it be...weird if he joined us?" Jedao asks, not managing to come up with a better word for I don't understand why this isn't a team sport but I respect your comfort.

[magician_king]

"I'd be comfortable with that if he would be. I'm pretty much going to lie here in shock, so-"

It'd be nice.

[ninefox]

"You two can take care of each other when I have lunch duty," Jedao extrapolates, because he would skip if Quentin asked, but he shouldn't really. "And coming back I can be the one to fetch food this time." He doubts Fives really wants to deal with the barge public much more than Quentin does, right now.

[magician_king]

"So I wasn't hit this time, but do you guys both remember everything?"

He wonders, quietly.

"I talked to him too."

[ninefox]

"I do. I haven't spoken to Fives yet," he admits.

[magician_king]

"Call him and tell him to come."

Proposes Quentin, tipping over and resting down on Jedao's knee.

[ninefox]

Jedao pets him for a few breaths, feels warm with how much he loves Quentin's gentle, generous soul, The message is short and simple.

I'm at Quentin's. Come join us when you don't want to be alone.

I love you.

[callmefives]

It takes well over an hour before Fives answers, and when he does it's uncharacteristically in text.

dont want to ruin yor time nerkarta

i love you to

[ninefox]

Quentin had a rough time at the end of the flood, and I know you've got to be grieving. We're having a cuddle pile because we all need it. You can't ruin anything because we both feel safer and happier when you're there.

Thank you for taking care of my son. He didn't know how to say it, but you helped him a lot.

Come join us when you don't want to be alone.

[callmefives]

it didnt wurk i didnt du nething i culdnt get the admrl to let him sta or mukodz to relese him or him to evn want to sta hes gon bak nd hes alon witout evn ne bruthrs

And he's mostly defeating the purpose of text rather than voice, by being so wound up and miserable that he can't even bother with the most basic spell check, but he'd still rather this than Jedao hear his voice right now. And he'd rather focus on how he'd failed Jedao's boy than on the fact Tup's gone back to his death and, like Echo, all he has left of him is the messages he'd left behind for him on his communicator.

[ninefox]

[The failure to switch away from text is indeed telling; Jedao resists the urge to run down the stairs and drag him up in a hug.]

You made him think about a lot of things he hadn't let himself before. He wants to know who I really am now, and he wants to live with other vode. He just wasn't here long enough to admit it to himself.

When I've graduated, we're going to get him. And he'll be ready to choose to come with us then because you were honest and kind to him. That wasn't nothing. He gets so little of either that he just didn't know how to deal with it.

I know sometimes it's easier to hide when we're hurting. But I swear, you did good with him. You deserve comfort, and we want to be that for you. When you're ready.

Come join us when you don't want to be alone.