at the feet of untamed things

[amistillenough]

Barnaby is restless. At first, he thought it was maybe boredom, just a moment of not being able to focus on anything, but no. He can feel an itch to do something, anything, that has him moving.

He'd tried playing music, which didn't really get him anywhere. It felt good for a few minutes, but then it only seemed to build up the restlessness even more. So he put down his violin and traded it for pacing the length of the livingroom with a book in hand.

It also doesn't really help, but doing two things at once makes things settle a tiny bit more. He needs to do something though, something that makes him move and keeps his attention.

Putting down the book, he digs up some of the rope they keep around, running his fingers over it before he starts to tie and untie it until he finds himself doing a series of ties on himself. It's at least posing enough of a challenge to keep him occupied, which is all he wanted.

The thought of going to get Jeremy had crossed his mind, as had going to go talk to Birch to see if they would be a good distraction, but this would do for now. He can pivot to something else when it stops working.

Comments

[kinginred]

"Here or out there?" The stars he can make here are vibrantly more than their Earthly sky.

[amistillenough]

"Well," He says, running his hands over his love's sides. "I was thinking out there. We don't really have to go searching for a good view, and I was thinking that would be part of it, but here is also good." He looks up at him with a bright, pleased smile. "We can always do both."

[kinginred]

"I wanted to be sure because I'm pretty comfortable right now. I could give us a starry sky, but I know part of it would be to walk. Walking isn't the same in here," he says.

[amistillenough]

"Oh, I don't want to do it right now," he says with a laugh. "I'm too comfy to move that much. I just meant I want to do it at some point soon." Then he kisses him again, his hand tangling in his love's hair.

"I like stars though. We could do that for now and go walking later on."

[kinginred]

The light shifts to a soft darkness. Something where it is still somehow possible to see easily. Above the trees allow glittering stars to be seen.

He kisses his love's cheek. "How is that?"

[amistillenough]

He's beaming and nuzzlies at his beloved for a moment before answering. "Wonderful," he says with a little wriggle. "You know, I understand that your powers have been hard. You've gone though so much because of them, but they let us share things like this too, and I love that. I love all of you."

[kinginred]

"I love you too." He smiles down at his love before giving him a kiss.

[amistillenough]

He returns the kiss happily, then rocks them both from side to side. "You made me love stars a lot more than I used to," he says with a small laugh. "I see them and I think of you now. Which, right now, seems kind of funny considering where we are."

[kinginred]

He laughs in agreement. "Being associated with stars feels nice."

[amistillenough]

He pushes up to nudge their noses together. "You'd make a good star," he says. "You'd do good at being many things though." Then he flops back and giggles slightly. "Of course, we both know I'm really, really biased here, but I still think it's true."

[kinginred]

"So very, very biased," he says with a giggle and gives his love a kiss.

[amistillenough]

He happily returns the kiss and chases it with another. Everything in him feels so much more at peace now. He's full of joy and love instead of restless energy with nowhere to go. It feels like freedom to him, and it's wonderful.

Although he has technically been alive for a very long time, he knows that being with Jeremy has let him feel things he never has before. This experience has changed his entire life and made him want to keep this more than anything else. Love has become more important than fear, and he never thought he would feel that way before they met.

[kinginred]

"Deciding to follow you was the best thing I've done," he says and kisses his love's cheek and then his lips.

[amistillenough]

He smiles wide, then his expression shifts into something both excited and hopeful. There's a wriggle as he speaks and it's clear he's resisting the urge to do more than just that.

"So, do you think maybe, before we go back, I can be a cat and run around with you for a little while? You don't have to run with me if you don't want to, I'm happy to do it on my own, but maybe you'd want to do it with me?"

[kinginred]

He smiles wide and gives Barnaby a kiss. "I'd like that."

[amistillenough]

He all but bounces, then wraps his arms and legs around his love as he tries not to keep wriggling beneath him. "You really are amazing," he says. "I love you so much."

[kinginred]

He chuckles softly. "It seems simple to give you the things you want, because I love you." He gives him a kiss and then pushes himself up a little. "Should I let you up so you can change?"

[amistillenough]

He wraps his arms around him and pulls him back down. "In a second," he says before kissing him again, deep and full of a bright, passionate excitement.

Then he lets him go and allows him to get up. "I love you too," he adds. "More than I've ever loved anything."

[kinginred]

After he gets to his feet he reaches down to help his love up. It has the added benefit to allow him to bring him close for a kiss. "I love you more than anything, ever. Even if in my case that bar is extremely low."

[amistillenough]

"You know," he says after a moment to consider it. "I'm not sure mine's that much better." Then he smiles, kissing his love again. "But maybe that worked out well for us. Maybe we wouldn't have been open to the idea of staying with each other if things had been different."

[kinginred]

He squeezes Barnaby to him in a quick hug. "Surely you've loved someone before me."

[amistillenough]

"Not really," he says. "I never stayed anywhere long enough to love anyone the way I love you. I always had to move again before I could get the chance."

He gives his love a soft kiss. then nuzzles his cheek. "I'm glad you're the person I get to stay still with."

[kinginred]

"I think we established you haven't loved anyone like me," he says with a little chuckle. "I hope you had found some love, even if brief." He hugs his love.

[amistillenough]

"There are people I've liked before," he says. "I've met all kinds and some have been really lovely. Sometimes I met them and all I wanted to do was stay because I thought I could be happy there. I never could though. I did love them, i think, but that meant not staying because I didn't know what would happen to either of us if I did. I wanted to make sure people would be okay, but that meant that loving them also always meant going off again too. This is the first time I haven't had to do that."

[kinginred]

He smiles and gives his love another hug. "I'm glad you had some people you liked."