[IC] [Mask or Menace] Contact Post

[dendarii]

"This is Miles. Leave a message and I'll respond to you at my earliest convenience."

The line has gone silent; any messages sent to this name only return an error.

Comments

[overemotionally]

Exactly.

[He's glad this caught Miles' eye at least.]

[dendarii]

Well then. I think I could take you. Shall we set another wager?

[overemotionally]

Don't forget, I'm not hungover with a splitting headache. Your call though since I got the last one.

[dendarii]

Of course. It's no fun with no stakes.

[overemotionally]

Okay then. What'll they be?

[dendarii]

[ Miles hesitates. He's not sure wants to kiss Jim right now. Should he? Would it make him feel better? It'd certainly be distracting ... ]

You decide this time.

[overemotionally]

[Jim notices the hesitation and finds it odd, especially considering Miles hands off the decision to him right after. Jim doesn't even try to hide the mild confusion on his face when it falls to him. Time to feel around a bit.]

Winner picks something from that "list" I showed you.

[The one they never really got around to. Most of what he'd shown Miles would be feasible with him as he normally was, if not some modifications needed. The rest were just blatantly out of the question.]

[dendarii]

[ Well it gets him to flush a bit, pink darkening his cheekbones and ears. But he's hesitating again. God, he doesn't know what to do. ]

... I don't know.

[overemotionally]

[Damned if Miles didn't look good like that though.]

What's wrong?

[dendarii]

[ Miles hesitates. Clearly searching for a lie. But it's Jim, dammit ... And Miles feels bad enough for his previous lie to try trusting the other man. Just this once. ]

You can't tell anyone. I want your word.

[overemotionally]

[He waits.

And then the sudden shift in the atmosphere of the conversation is nearly palpable. He has no idea what his word meant to Miles, but he wasn't exactly surrounded by confidantes to blab to anyway. This definitely didn't feel like something to take lightly.]

...Okay. I won't. What is it?

[dendarii]

[ Not at all. Miles has practically gone rigid with tension, every muscle in his small body taut. This is probably a bad idea. This is such a bad idea ... He sucks in a breath, trying to steel himself. ]

I think I'm in love with Gregor.

[ The words come out smaller than he means them too. Half lovelorn, half apologetic. ]

[overemotionally]

[That...Well.

Jim had gotten the feeling that there was more going on than either of them was letting on. Between seeing the two of them together and Gregor's defensiveness the other day...and now that he thought about it, how horrified Miles had been when they'd first kissed and Gregor sensed them--all of it came together in his mind as crystal clear now that Miles said it out loud.

He sits back and folds his arms across his chest--a sign not of irritation, but that he was taking this conversation seriously.]

Okay...how long?

[And this, folks, was the reason he didn't get into relationships. Much less messy, and Jim just has to downgrade Miles from friend-with-benefits back down to friend...that is, unless Miles felt they couldn't be friends anymore. Jim had had that happen far too many times before. He was slowly mentally preparing himself for that possibility as he awaited Miles' answer. He can't help but think Miles might be the toughest one to let go if he did decide they couldn't be friends.]

[dendarii]

[ Jim, you dumbass, the fact that Miles is telling you this means he still thinks of you as a friend. Friends-with-benefits, though ... super up in the air. He stares ahead at the chess set for a moment, trying to phrase this correctly. ]

A few days. The second day I was taller.

[ So, after the last time they'd slept together, and before Miles was supposed to have called him to go over the lit. But recent. Very recent. For all that Miles had been making eyes at Gregor long before that ... ]

[overemotionally]

[He's totally taking this as a "maybe we shouldn't hang out as much anymore" discussion okay.]

That explains a lot.

...Wait, that's all?

[Jim totally saw the way you guys looked at each other.]

[dendarii]

[ Miles blinks at him for a moment. ]

What do you mean, "that's all"?

[overemotionally]

I thought there was something up between you two for longer than that.

[dendarii]

Of course not. That's just - normal for us.

[ A pause. ]

Admittedly the telepathy has drawn us closer.

[overemotionally]

[The look he gives Miles is skeptical at best, but then curious.]

Speaking of...you told him yet?

[dendarii]

Of course not. Why would I do something like that to him?

[overemotionally]

[Okay now Jim was confused.]

Like what to him? Tell him you love him? And for that matter, how are you even keeping it a secret if you're connected telepathically?

[dendarii]

Yes, Jim. Do you realize what kind of pressure that puts on a person? On him specifically? And god, I can't take him rejecting me.

[ He looks stricken and pale at the very thought. There's something he doesn't think he'd recover from. ]

I'm hiding it so far. Blocking it off.

[overemotionally]

[No, because I avoid these situations altogether

But he holds himself back from saying it out loud seeing just how upset Miles was by the thought.]

What makes you think Gregor would reject you? [By any indications Jim had seen, it looked like Gregor at least would be open to it.]

[dendarii]

He's with Kitty, first of all.

[ Which is ultimately Miles' biggest objection. No matter how Gregor may or may not feel - or how open he might be to the idea - he refuses to even entertain the possibility of ruining this for them. ]

[overemotionally]

Really?

[That was news to him. He runs a hand through his hair. You could not have picked a worse person to confide in about this, Miles.

Not to mention it was weird that even so, Jim had gotten that vibe from Gregor that there was something between them. He still refused to believe it could all be explained away their lord/liege-sworn relationship. There was no way.]

...Okay, "first of all". What's the rest of it?