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They've been busy the last two days, but that doesn't necessarily explain why they've been completely out of touch. Sturm may have mentioned that Teagan broke their phone and Glitch may have heard that Teagan's been picking up extra hedge patrols in order to cover for those who are guarding the VIP, and they spent last night alone with Sturm, who isn't really the type to sleep in the big snuggle pile.
So they've been -- distant. That might be something Glitch picks up on. It might be an accident, at this point. But they've not been around.
And now they're in Downtime, taking a nap. Sleeping for the first time in an age.
Glitch slowly leans into Downtime, half of him still in the real world, the other peering to see what's waiting for him past the threshold. Glitch's been distant too, whether by design or accident. He wasn't in the snuggle pile, and he hasn't been in the house much, out and about on his own business.
He's in his black jacket that he wears everywhere now, shades and sneakers on, and he's clutching something loosely wrapped in brown paper. Approaching the sleeping mirrorskin, he stops at the edge of the pillows to slowly crouch and set what he's holding aside, then sit and unlace his shoes. He doesn't try to disturb Teagan's sleep yet, but he watches them fondly.
The Mirrorskin rolls over in their sleep, fingers twitching, and then there's a moment where they pause, and the darkness over their broken-mirror eyes lifts. Glitch knows what it looks like when Teagan wakes up, after all of these years: where they twitch and move in their sleep, as soon as they wake up, they become perfectly still, as if they might be attacked.
When he notices Teagan stock still like that, the cycle of their moment shifting and then suddenly halting, he halts too, midway through taking his shoe off. Both hands on the white rubber of the sole, he slides it off slowly, then leans back, putting his hands out to the sides and behind him. "Teagan," he beeps, a bit hesitant in tone but not loud or combative, gentle. "Player Two. It's just me." He scrunches his eyebrows, and then reaches up to take his shades off, as if he forgot they were there. His pixellated eyes look into the facets of theirs, and the edges of his lips curl up in a tiny ghost of a smile.
"Hey," Teagan answers, half-asleep, and they flop their arm over their eyes, letting out a long, slow breath. Their face silvers a little, even under the touch of their arm. "How's your wife?" There's no tone at all in their voice -- it's as smooth and nothing as a mirror.
His smile is tight after that. When their arm goes over their eyes, he lets his shoulders slump a little and his chin drop. "I don't think she's still my wife," he beeps. "I gave her the ring back before we even went to Miami. She came to town because of the shit with Robin." There's a long silence, but he does look back at the mirrorskin.
"Mmm." Teagan's voice is quiet, and they don't move. "I don't remember the ring. I don't remember you ever wearing one." They curl up, pulling the blanket over themself with their other hand. "I don't know how you don't know."
He sighs. "Because the entire thing was ridiculous," he beeps, taking his jacket off and setting it aside. "Because Nathania proposed to me on a whim, the night before we all went to war and we both expected to die. Because we've never been exclusive," he beeps, slipping down into the pit but staying at the edge, propped up on his knees. "And neither has...anyone else I've ever loved."
"There's a difference between everything else and being married, Glitch," Teagan offers quietly. "Other than Nathania, have you ever been married?" They know the answer -- or at least think they do -- but they ask anyway, sitting up and pulling the blanket up around themself. They might be cold, or it might be a shield.
He doesn't approach further, and leans back to sit on his rear in the pit, flopping backwards inertly. Like he's trying to show he's not a threat. He knows the mirror's habits...and even though he doesn't share their skill in reading others, he can mirror the mirror. The mirror looks like it doesn't want him approaching, and he doesn't. "No."
"I have," Teagan replies, pulling their knees up to their chest and wrapping their arms around them. "Like, legally, for real, in front of a priest. And it's supposed to be the thing that goes before anything else. The thing that is first." They rest their chin on their knees. "If you're oathed to her, how can that not be in conflict with an oath to us? If she's first, how can we be first?" Their lips press into a thin line. "It's different, Glitch. In a way I can't explain to you if you don't... just understand it."
Glitch sucks in a deep breath, and lets it out. He's tense as well. "I'm not Oathed to her," he beeps. "We eloped. I...didn't want an Oath. We thought either one of us could die. It would've existed just to be broken. She understood, she's Winter." He crawls a step forward on the pillows, hesitantly.
"I never really liked the idea," he says, haltingly, as if confessing something shameful. "Of Marriage. I wanted her to be happy. I loved her. Putting...rules on it, names, restrictions...seemed...arbitrary. Wrong." He opens his mouth, but then just closes it again, quietly, watching. Careful not to say too much.
The Mirrorskin absently rubs their cheek with one hand, and their lips press into a thin line. "I see." Teagan's shoulders hunch a little bit, and it's not clear if what Glitch is saying is, you know, helping his case at all. Or hurting. Or just... existing.
He's quiet a long time. "Teagan," he murmurs. Step by step, he inches closer, looking wary but pressing forward anyway. "Nobody is...taking me away from you. I love you. I'm here. If...you're mad at me, say it." He stops in front of them, not intruding on their space or blanket yet. "I...don't want to hurt you more. I'll..." He stops short of saying something, shaking his head. "Please talk to me."
"I'm not mad at you," Teagan answers wearily, rubbing both of their hands over their face. "I genuinely don't know how I feel. I literally woke up from a nap to someone testing me 'I didn't know Glitch had a wife.' And she's perfectly nice, but -- " They flip their hands out. "She hasn't been here. We have."
He crosses the rest of the distance then, and if allowed, slips behind the mirrorskin and hugs them from behind, resting his chin on their shoulder. "You have," he murmurs. "We've been together for three years. Nathania has been living with another man...her primary, that entire time, and been totally happy. I owe her nothing. She owes me nothing. I'd never hold her back and she'd never do it to me." He sucks in a breath. "I could tell you all the other reasons you don't have to worry...all the ways I could never please her. How she said I could never give her everything she wanted," he says, no hint of resentment in his voice, just a growing intensity as he hugs the mirrorskin. "I could tell you all her secrets. Every single one of them I know and every one of my own. I'd do it, just to show you how much you mean to me."
"But I think...I should just try to remind you that you're more important to me than...anything. That you healed me, and helped me grow, in ways nobody else ever has. That I trust you more than anyone else. More than I ever will anyone else. God dammit, Teagan." He tenses against them a moment, then heaves out a sigh, pretending he didn't risk tearing up there. The mirror knows better. "You're everything to me. I love you."(edited)
The Mirrorskin just kind of ... deflates a little bit. "It's not ... about... me. It's -- " But it is, a little bit, inasmuch as Teagan is part of Direct Action. "It's just -- our motley is -- " Teagan takes in a deep breath and sort of leans back against Glitch after he curls in behind them. "There's nothing to me more than Direct Action is. And -- the idea that something existed that could be -- more -- " They're sort of having a hard time fucking coping with that idea, even after having been reassured that that's, you know. Not the case.
He guides them back to let them lay against him, practically in his small lap, doing his best to comfort Teagan the way they've always comforted him. "I'm going to slap whoever sent you that text," he murmurs. "I'm sorry. There's nothing like that. Nothing in this world I care about more than you and our family. I...still think I'm not good enough for it sometimes. For you or Direct Action. That you could all manage without me, if you had to. Not because anything's ever more important to me. It's just...fear, pain, whatever. Bullshit. Scars from...other places."
There's quiet, then, as the little Sprite trails off, looking down at Teagan to make sure they're alright. Making sure he doesn't just natter on. He's trying anything he can think of to help, to soothe, to explain or assure. "I...brought you a gift."
"Her face is very high up in the air, I'd like to see you reach," Teagan mumbles, pulling the blanket up over themself and curling back into him. They let out a long, slow breath. "That's very ... silly of you, at this point. To think that -- I mean." They just go quiet, listening to Glitch natter on, and leaning their head back against his shoulder. "I'd fall apart if you left, or anything happened to you. Dumbass." There's all the patient affection in the world in the single word dumbass.
"You did?"
"I jump really high," Glitch retorts. "It's really silly. Or stupid or dumb, whatever you like to call it. But..." He bumps his nose into their ear. "I know you were scared. It's okay. But if you really think anyone could take me away from you then you're the fucking dumbass. I would burn the world to ash to get you back."
He kisses them softly and then sits up. "But yes. I did." He gestures over to the loosely-wrapped billow of brown paper, sort of rolled into a large cone and tied with twine. "We can...get others to match it. I know everyone of us is important to you. But...I wanted to remind you just how much you mean...to me. Because only you can be my Teagan. My Player Two."
"I have hangups about -- " Marriage? At least now Glitch has at least a little perspective on why. They lean back against him, and snort when he says he can jump really high. "I guess," they answer. The tingle of his nose bumping against the back of their ear makes them snort, and then their face silver slightly when he continues. "I love you, too."
They push a little bit away from him and reach to pick up the billow of brown paper, pulling it over toward themself and unwrapping it. A little abashed, perhaps.
Glitch sits back and lets Teagan unwrap the gift. It's a bouquet...a very small one, with only two flowers bound together by their dethorned stems with red ribbons. One black rose, and one white, their petals resting against one another. "I uh," he beeps, glancing away and looking a bit abashed himself. "I hope it's not too sappy."
The Mirrorskin ducks their head forward slightly, and murmurs, "Not enough people are sappy with me." Their face has gone all silver, and they rest their nose against the pair of roses, knees pulled up to their chest.
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