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It's weird, how wired anxiety can make a brain. Mearc's cleaning, because that feels like something he's in control of now, while waiting for Jack and Lux to arrive. It doesn't matter that his place is already clean, he's cleaning more, trying to make sure everything is perfect for them. The Thai food that he'd ordered is waiting in a bag on the table, and he even adjusts the position of the bag, as if it'll matter.
Frenetic energy is a bitch.
Lux conveniently arrives at the same time as Jack, pausing outside the building to give the doodley man a smooch before heading up to Mearc's apartment.
They've dressed sorta nicely, though still managing to look casual--a tank top made of shimmery material and very well fitted jeans that didn't even have any paint splatters on them, with high top sneakers. They flash a smile to Jack, then lift their hand to knock.
Jack's managed to grab a shower after his day on the picket line, and his hair is still a little damp. He's still dressed pretty casually, in tight black jeans and a patterned shirt under his ever-present leather jacket. He's got a bag slung over his shoulder, and he leans into Lux's kiss before following them, taking the opportunity to grab their butt playfully.
"Those pants look incredible on you, babe."
Mearc answers the door, and there's this moment when he just...stands there, drinking in the sight of the both of them, and all the tension drains from his posture, and his freckles turn red. "Come on in so I can just...hug on you two a moment?" He's wearing his usual cargo pants, paired with a flannel shirt that would make any lumberjack or butch proud, though on him it's a little too large, hanging off the shoulders awkwardly. Still, it's a button-down, and that's fancy by his standards.
"Thanks," Lux replies, preening. And with a little butt wiggle. Their smile broadens when the door opens, stepping in to kiss Mearc on the lips. The request for a hug is easily met, wrapping arms around the freckly one. "Is something wrong..? Or you just missed us?"
"Hey..." Jack steps into the apartment with a smile and wraps both of them in his arms.
And Mearc. he just folds into the Embrace, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I missed you both. Sorry."
"Hey, no. Don't be sorry. I'm just making sure." Lux places light, playful kisses all over Mearc's cheek and neck as they squeeze around him. "I really missed you too, Kitten."
"You don't have to apologize, seriously." Jack rests his head against Mearc's shoulder, giving it a soft kiss, and squeezes them both. "Missed you too. How've you been?"
"Stressed. When is that new?" He chuckles, and kisses Jack back on the forehead. "Dinner's ready in the kitchen. Whenever we feel like moving, that is."
"I'm in no hurry." Lux sighs softly. "I worry about you, you know. You work yourself so hard, babe."
"This's fine with me." Jack disengages just enough to set his bag down before wrapping his arms around Mearc again. "Anything we can do to help with your stress?"
"I don't know. I did manage a tiny bit of delegating last night. After, you know. Lashing out at our 'friend', Cordray. I asked the other vampires who were at the bar to help watch out for Alex. See, I can try not to take everything on."
"Hey, that's a start, right? How're you feeling about having to delegate?"
"Like..." He pauses, thinking. "Like it's still going to be my fault if something goes awry."
"It is a good step," Lux nods, rubbing a hand along his side. Though when Mearc replies, Lux lets out a soft sigh. "Aw, babe... You can't be responsible for every little bad thing that happens in the world..."
"'S true you don't wanna burn yourself out. Delegating something like that's absolutely the right thing to do. And I bet Alex'll appreciate that you're looking out for yourself, as well as her. You know?"
"Mmm. Maybe. Anyway, that's not the point of tonight." He pulls out of the hug, turning toward the kitchen. "Tonight is for us, right?"
"Sure as fuck is," Lux says, brightening excitedly. "I've been looking forward to spending time together, the three of us. And oh my god the food smells amazing." They pause long enough to slip their shoes off, then beeline for the food to take things out of the bag.
"I'm so fucking hungry, I didn't eat lunch today..." Jack gives Mearc a kiss on the cheek before taking his boots off and making his way toward the food as well. "I brought some beer, if either of you want any...?"
Mearc busies himself with laying out plates and locating the pad thai, the yellow curry and the red curry that neither he nor Jack will be indulging in. "I'm not sure if I'd pair beer with Thai food, personally."
"Hrrm... I'll try a beer." Lux plops into a seat, eyeing the spicy hellfood hungrily. They pull the red curry in first to sniff at. "Thank you for getting dinner, Kitten."
"Thai beer is definitely a thing. I think." Jack opens the yellow curry. "My love of curry and my hate of spicy shit is the worst combination sometimes. And yeah, thank you."
"You're welcome. I also picked up dessert, but that's a later thing." He sits down with the pad thai, digging in with chopsticks. "How have you two been?"
"I got to play sugar daddy yesterday, at IKEA. And uh..." Jack glances at Lux, a scribbly blush building on his cheeks. "We got to talking about me maybe moving into the Hollow more permanently."
Lux digs in hungrily, slurping down a couple bites of curry before answering, not seeming too bothered by the spicy, though they let out a low whistle after, licking their lips, then reach for the beer to sip from. "No where near as busy as you two, heh. Just sorta doing my own thing. Uh--" They pause, glancing towards Jack, then nods, looking a little flustered. "Uh, yeah. We decided to... give it a try? And Jack made me buy an actual bedframe."
Mearcstapa raises an eyebrow. "Huh. So you're moving in together?"
"If - it's something that doesn't with your idea of what...all of us are, it's...something we're gonna try, yeah." Jack grabs a beer and a spoon to eat the curry with.
Lux nods along with what Jack says, watching Mearcstapa as they take another bite of curry.
"I don't know what my idea of 'us' is yet. I'm just trying to be sure I have an understanding of what's going on with you. I..." He pauses, gesturing mid-air with his chopsticks. "...I guess what I'm hoping is just not to feel like I'm on the outside, even if you do?"
"I think it's gonna be like...extra important to make sure we all get time with each other. In the Hollow or not, 'cause I don't want you to feel like you're on the outside, either. 'Specially not between you two."
He uses those chopsticks to mime marking a tally mid-air.
Jack squints. "What's the..." he mimic's Mearc's gesture.
"No, no, babe--not at all." Lux shakes their head. "That's not at all what I want." They nod along with Jack. "Yeah. And it's not like you won't be welcome there. I was actually hoping you'd help us, if you have time, to sort of... get it all put together? And help with the furniture? Because I want a part of you there too, not just to help with the manual labor. We're going to have plenty of time together, the three of us, us alone, and you two alone. I want that."
They pause, watching the tally mark. "I'm... not sure what that means?"
"I've decided to give myself a point everytime Jack says 'want' tonight, in a way that makes it clear he knows what he does or doesn't want." He smirks.
Lux blink-blinks, then lets out a loud snort, hand lifting to cover their mouth. "Oh my god. Called out, Jack."
"Oh Christ -" Jack winces and takes a drink, his blush turning a little smudged. Different sorts of embarrassment have different sorts of mark-making on him, apparently.
He chuckles. "But. Yeah, I'm definitely going to be able to help. And I might still like one or both of you here, once in a while. Okay, honestly, I'm definitely going to want that."
"I'm totally cool with that," Lux says with a quick nod, then a fond look around. "I really like your place. And I'm looking forward to painting that wall and leaving my mark here. And I told Jack there's going to be plenty of nights I don't stay there, so I can be with you, and we'll be here together, too."
Mearc glances sidelong at Jack quietly, coming awfully close to direct eye contact, before his gaze darts back to his food.
Lux glances between them. "And nights you two are alone here, of course."
"I'm keeping my apartment at least until the lease is up. So there's gonna be other places to be, besides just the Hollow." Jack looks between the two of them, then at his food, his blush scribbly again. "We gotta talk about...you'n I at some point. More. I think, Mearcstapa. Yeah?"
"Yeah. We need to definitely...talk. We've discussed a date, but. Not really...the everything else. I don't feel like I know where I stand with you, and that's really, really scary to me."
Lux falls quiet for now, eating idly while looking between them, in case they wanna have that talk now.
"D'you...mind if we don't do that, tonight?" Jack's voice is quiet, and he flicks his gaze up to Mearc. "Feels like something we should do, just us. You know?"
"Alright, then." He nods slowly, though from the way his freckles are flickering, he's got feelings about it. Hell, the sound of his mantle has picked up audibly.
Lux considers Mearc for a moment. "I can step out for a few to give you some time alone. It's really not a problem."
"It's fine. It's not a big...it's fine." He clenches both chopsticks in one fist. "Tonight is for us."
"We can - if it's gonna fuck with you having a good time tonight - we can talk. Now. About it." Jack takes a breath, frowning a little now. "I really don't -" and here his face clears a little, just acknowledging what he's about to say, "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."
They reach over to rest a hand on Mearc's arm, squeezing gently. "It's okay, babe. We're not going anywhere, okay? Tonight's gonna be a good night, whether you two talk this over now or not."
"Sorry. I'm fine." His mantle quells again, for what that's worth. No spooky rustling for him. "I'm just...part of me always wants things pinned down neatly, with words. Lux, you've seen that before."
"Yeah." Lux nods. "I know, Kitten. And it's not always the most comfortable thing..." They look across to Jack. "I know it's not for you, either, and even if it's not something you can put neatly into words, I promise talking about things is rarely a bad thing. It's helped a lot."
"It's not that - I mean..." He grimaces. "...alright, yeah part of me doesn't wanna talk about shit. 'Cause it's fucking scary. But if it's gonna make you feel better I'd kinda rather get it over with. And not have...weirdness, between us." Jack takes a drink and runs distracted fingers through his hair.
"Jack, I like you. A lot. I worry about you, though, sometimes, and I don't know how that's going to affect the tenor of a potential relationship with you."
Lux pulls back their hand and offers Jack a warm encouraging look, but stay quiet.
Jack actually sets his beer completely aside."I mean I...I worry about you too, but I don't think we're talking about the same kinda worry, here." He huffs out a small laugh, and then takes a breath, steadying himself before he speaks. "An' I think you're fascinating, and attractive, and -" he breaks off for a second, scribbly lines dancing around his head, "hell, I want you to like me, and I kinda thought it was just because you're with Lux. But uh...like I said before. Waking up with your hands tangled in my hair was pretty damn special." He finishes speaking to his lap, rather than Mearc, but he does get all the words out.
"Jack. I do like you. I want to do terribly soft, tender kind things to you, just to watch how you react." His voice is low here, almost rumbling.
Lux blinks, then bites their lip, doing their best not to comment on that and give them the space to talk, but damn.
Mearc probably hasn't seen Jack dissolve into scribbles, the way Lux has. But his expression is almost impossible to discern now, given the way his animation is dancing around him, and he bites his lip as well, dipping his head.
"That's...that's pretty gay, Mearcstapa," is all he can think of to say. His voice is quiet, and maybe a little rough.
"Huh. Might be because I'm about as queer as a four-dollar bill. Or it might be because I think you haven't gotten enough of that treatment in your life, and I really, really want to."
Lux blinks, staring at Jack for a long second as he dissolves into scribbles. It's clear they're trying to work out how to feel about this, but... in the end, compersion wins out, and they nearly melt at the sight, smiling widely.
"Sounds like maybe it's both." Jack raises his head to crack a grin at Mearc, and reaches out to squeeze Lux's hand. "I eh...I mean that's...I wouldn't say no. To that. I maybe even...want you to do that. In the same way I wanna make you feel like you don't have'ta just be useful, to be wanted."
Mearc flashes bright red. "I...ouch. That's fair, but...ouch."
"You called me and my lack of soft and tender treatment out, I'm gonna call your needing to feel useful out." Jack grins at him, and catches Lux around the waist, giving them a kiss on the cheek to remind them that he hasn't forgotten about them.
Lux squeezes Jack's hand back, smiling warmly, though they give a little nudge to push him towards Mearc, playful but insistent.
Mearc watches the interplay quietly, waiting.
"Whaaat..." Jack whines at Lux. "I said...shit, right?"
"Yes, you did very good, now... hug or kiss him or something!" they reply with a huff.
"Lux!" Mearc lets out a warm, bright laugh.
"What? I'm not saying make out!"
"I feel like...anything we do now's gonna be awkward as fuck." Jack shakes his head, grinning.
"...Oh." Lux pouts now, shoulders slumping a bit. "Sorry."
Mearc, however, leans in now, and presses the softest, gentlest of kisses to Jack's shoulder, and then pulls away.
Jack's smile turns warm, and his cheeks bloom with a scribbly blush again. As Mearc pulls away, he runs a gentle hand against his head and hair.
Lux looks between them a moment, then buries their face into their hands, lights glowing and sparkling. "Uuuugggghhh. I can't take it."
"You're too cute."
"We have to make up for you having all the drop-dead gorgeous in the room somehow."
Jack plants another kiss on Lux's cheek. "I know you could give us a run for our money if you tried. Or even if you didn't, and just kept pouting like that." He squeezes them around the waist and picks up his beer again.
Lux huffs loudly, hands dropping. "I am gorgeous, but I think you two are forgetting that you're both incredibly handsome and beautiful and unique as well. I've never been as attracted to someone as I am both of you." They smile, a little lopsidedly. "Are you feeling better, Mearcstapa?" They lean into Jack a bit, reaching for their own spoon to continue eating.
"Yes, I am feeling better." He nods quietly, grabbing his chopsticks again, and quietly nabbing a piece of sweet potato from Jack's curry. As you do.
"Good. You're also gonna have to spend some time at the Hollow, 'cause Lux picked the bedframe with not just them in mind. And someone's gotta test it out with them." Jack playfully swats at Mearc stealing his food.
"What do you mean by that?" Blink-blink.
"Good." Lux smiles, then coughs around a bite of curry, swallowing. "Errmm... I uh... made sure the headboard had slats. For... ropes."
He gasps with delight. "Oh, that's perfect."
Jack grins and settles into his chair to finish his curry. "You'll have to tell me how it holds up to all that."
Their lights tinge towards orange, just for a flash while they clear their throat. "I thought you'd appreciate that. It seems pretty sturdy." They eye Jack, then roll their eyes playfully.
"I will...definitely make a point of giving it a full test." He nods a bit. "Meanwhile, if either or both of you are going to be hanging around here...I might, uh. I might need to decorate a little more. To make this place feel less...um. Stark?"
"I...may have something to help with that? I found a - it's kinda dumb, just one of IKEA's stock art pieces, but it made me think of you, 's in my bag..."
"You gotta help us figure out how the hell to get it into the Hollow, first." Lux grimaces. "Definitely didn't consider the idea of dragging up furniture when I anchored the door to the rooftop of a building." They brighten at the idea of getting to help decorate, bobbing their head. "I'd love to help with that! This week, I can get started painting, if you want? Oh! Oh Jack, show him!" They practically vibrate with excitement.
"...let me see?" He perks up, clearly kinda startled by the idea that there's art that would make someone think of him.
Jack cringes a little, like he's suddenly reconsidering because what if Mearc doesn't like it, but it's not like he can just...pretend it didn't happen. He downs the last of his beer and walks over to his bag.
It's maybe the size of two sheets of printer paper, not all that large, a graphic of an ornate padlock and key printed onto framed canvas. "It's...I mean I don't even know how accurate it is, but...'s a lock?"
"It's lovely!" His eyes light up. "I think...maybe I could put it on the wall in the living room? On the wall with the door. Either that or in my office, but I want to display this."
Lux beams as they watch the two, head tipping to the side fondly. "Maybe in your office, unless you want it in a place that guests can more easily see it."
"If - I can put it up for you too, if you wanna." He relaxes a little, when it's clear Mearc's actually into it. "Might make sense to put it in your office, keeps shit on theme. And it might clash with Lux's wall, when they paint it. If you care about that."
"True, there is that. Yeah, in the office, then. I don't think either of you have been in there, yet, huh?"
Lux considers a moment, then shakes their head. "No, I don't think so."
"I definitely haven't." Jack shakes his head.
"When we're done eating, then. Maybe before dessert." He nods, his attention returning to his pad thai (and swiping another morsel from Jack's curry).
"What is dessert?" Jack raises an eyebrow and grabs another beer. And goes to pull a noodle from Mearc's pad thai.
Lux is happy to scarf down more food, having mostly emptied the container of curry by now. They grab a second beer to sip down along with it.
"One quart of mango sorbet, three spoons."
"Oh fuck yes." Jack soaks the last of his curry up with some rice and sits back with a contented sigh.
"That sounds amazing. Especially after all the spice." Lux pushes away the container, then leans over to snatch a bit of food from each of their plates, since apparently that's a thing. "I'm going to be meeting with that Shiri woman soon. She was... pretty nice? In texts, anyway. Very apologetic, and seemed eager to set me at ease. We'll see how that translates to the actual meeting."
"Not a woman. They/them pronouns. Also, they were apparently at the protest at the Museum of Art."
"Oh--shit, sorry. I'll remember that." Lux bobs their head.
"That's who...sent someone to your apartment?" Jack's brow furrows.
Lux nods. "Yeah. They're wanting to hire me to do a mural. We're meeting somewhere public for dinner to discuss it."
"Meanwhile, I've resumed regular visits to Atalo's shop because it's the best place to meet vampires."
"Public is good." It seems to make him more comfortable with the whole thing. "Met any more, there? I met Guy the other night - Petra's boyfriend. An' his friend's the one who gave me a dance lesson, did Lux tell you about that?" He looks to Mearc.
"I didn't. Sounded really hot, though."
"Huh, I don't think I heard about that. Though I know Guy relatively well. He makes me feel less awkward by proximity."
"I stopped by a bar on the way home, and it happened to be jazz night. This guy - Henry - convinced me to let him teach me and Petra and Guy a few steps. He does competitions, apparently, he's damn good."
"Definitely want to hook up with him and have a dance off, sometime." Lux sneaks a bit more food from their plates to pop into their mouth.
"Lux, please tell me this isn't your only solid, nutrient-rich meal today..."
"I'd kill to watch you two dance. In a dance-off or just...together." He eyes Lux. "To be fair...it's also a little bit mine."
"...Ummm..." Lux glances away shiftily. TOPIC CHANGE. "Oh, by the way, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, Kitten."
Mearc siiiighs. "And you wonder why I might worry about you both..."
They whine. "Snacks are easier to carry around and cheaper..."
Jack gestures to Lux in agreement.
"You're both staying for breakfast in the morning." He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at Lux. "What else?"
"I'm not gonna complain about breakfast," they huff softly, then look to Mearcstapa. "Um, so... Aaron asked me out to dinner. I wanted to talk to you about it before anything--if it did--happened. I wasn't sure if that would be... uh... weird for you. You seem a little uncomfortable around him sometimes."
Mearc pauses, and his freckles are going green rather than red, so at least that's not an instinctive feeling thing. "I am sometimes uncomfortable around him, but that's not a function of him, insomuch as a function of the relationship I have with Judaism, or rather the lack thereof, which he seems to represent by virtue of being a rabbi."
Jack takes a drink as he watches the exchange, but doesn't speak.
Lux nods. "Yeah, I get that. But I understand if that would still be weird for you. But--just so you're clear on how I feel about him, it would be dinner to just... sort of feel things out? Like... I'm attracted to him, but I don't have feels beyond that. Pretty sure it's the same for him, too." A beat pause. "I wouldn't feel comfortable with him being, like... part of the polycule, like we are. I mean--even before you and Jack started catching feels. He's mortal, so... even if the date did turn out good, I'd have to keep him at a distance."
"You going on a date with him is not going to be weird for me, I don't think." Mearc tilts his head from one side to the other, still pretty green as he runs permutations. "Yeah, that's a thing that is between the pair of you. I don't feel threatened by him."
"Hopefully he's understanding of that, if it gets far enough to talk about that shit with him. 'Cause there's only so much pretending and avoiding the fact that there's some secrets you can't tell him that you can do."
"Cool. Then--I think I might... give it a try. No idea how it'll go, but--if nothing else, it'll be fun, hopefully." They sip at their beer. "Yeah, hopefully. I'll have to talk to him about secrets and boundaries. We'll see."
"Oh, also... Me and Teagan almost fucked. But--we decided it'd be a bad idea at the time, cause we'd had a really emotional talk so they thought I was too vulnerable and they would be taking advantage of me or whatever."
And that one makes his freckles go red. And he doesn't say anything.
"You're really just laying it all out tonight, huh." Jack gives Lux a smile. "You...good?" He eyes Mearc, his smile fading slightly.
"Yeah, fine. Teagan's wonderful, and it seems like half the Freehold is into them."
This is a blatant and obvious don't-worry-about-rolling lie. At least, the part where he says he's fine.
Lux blinks, caught off guard by that reaction. They frown at Mearc worriedly. "It... doesn't seem like you're fine?"
He sighs. "I...feel like I am absolutely the inferior choice when stacked up against any member of Direct Action, and on some level I suppose...I'm afraid you might fall head-first into their polycule and I might...lose you? They're all strong and cool and they fit together like LEGO and I just...of course you'd want someone like Teagan, that's really not all that surprising. And...if you want to, you should, it's my fear to work through, not your problem."
He is mumbling to his plate, rather than looking at Lux.
Lux continues to blink-blink, then frowns deeply, brows knitting. "Oh, Mearcstapa, no..." They slide out of their seat to take a knee beside him, reaching for his hands as they look up at him. "Teagan? It's just attraction. Lust. Yeah, they're amazing, all of Direct Action is amazing, but I love you. You are so, so very special to me. You chose me, even after... everything. There is no one in this world that could ever make me leave you."
Jack opens his mouth to say something after Mearc speaks, but closes it when Lux moves. He sits quietly, just watching the two of them, but he does blink in surprise at the L word.
Mearc closes his eyes, rubbing at one with the back of his hand. "And I will keep choosing you, every day, and every night. And Jack. And this...Lux, that's all I'm asking for, that this all counts, that it matters, and you aren't going to just...leave us because there's someone more awesome around the corner. Because there are a lot more awesome people around the corner. And I know you're going to keep sleeping with whoever catches your fancy. I get that, I'd be an awful person if I tried to limit you in any way. I know you need novelty to thrive."
"Kitten... If me sleeping with Teagan makes you even a little bit uncomfortable, then it's a non-issue. I won't do it. It's okay to say no, you know. Your feelings matter to me, and I never want to hurt you... Because you and Jack mean more to me than anyone in the whole world." They let out a soft huff. "And I take personal offense to you saying they're more awesome than you--or anyone is. No one comes close to my boyfriends."
"You're biased." Mearc lets out a strangled little laugh that's just this much better than a sob.
Jack reaches out, at the definitely-not-a-sob, to put a tentative hand on Mearc's arm. He opens his mouth to speak again, but comes up with nothing to say, and just...gives Mearc that little bit of tactile comfort.
"Fuck yes I am. But why do you think I have that bias? Cause I adore you, and I adore you because you're amazing." They push up to their feet and pull Mearc in against their chest to hug tightly, petting his hair. They look to Jack with a soft smile and a nod of offering to get in on the hug.
Mearc seizes Jack's arm as he's pulled into the hug, making the invitation even more explicit.
And so Jack slides around the table to make a Mearc sandwich, running his hands along his arms now. "S hard as it is for me to say what I want...both of you're amazing at being willing to listen to me. So of course Lux's gonna take your feelings seriously." He leans down to kiss the top of Mearc's head.
Lux leans in to kiss Jack softly on the lips, then looks down to Mearc, continuing to run fingers through his hair. "I take your feelings very seriously."
Mearc sighs. "More seriously than I do, sometimes."
""S what partners are for, I think."
"...I think we all have that in common, honestly. But it's kinda why we work together really well. We can watch out for each other."
"That, uh. Sounds like a relationship to nurture and to cherish."
"...Kinda does, doesn't it? It's like we're all invested in this, or something."
"I am gonna nurture and cherish the fuck out of you both." Lux smirks, squeezing, then pulls back to cup Mearc's cheek and lift his head a bit. "You believe me, right?"
He nods quietly, and his voice trembles a little as he speaks. "I love you both. So much that it overwhelms me."
Jack stiffens the smallest bit, but when you're a Mearc sandwich it's probably pretty easy to feel him shift. What's easier to see, for both of them, are the scribbles that run up and down his arms, the way goosebumps might, and the scribbles growing on his cheeks. He also looks...a little afraid. 'Cause that amount of feelings is scary.
And Mearc turns to Jack, and finally presses a gentle kiss on his lips. "You too."
Lux also blinks as Mearc uses the L-Word, caught off guard. They don't quite go... stiff, but they do freeze, looking towards Jack nervously, their lights pulsing and bright.
He's trembling now, even as he melts into the kiss just a little, and he can't seem to make eye contact with either of them when he pulls away. Scribbles of charcoal dance around his face now, making his feelings abundantly clear, but all he does is smile and shift again, unable to actually say anything about it.
Mearc steps out of the sandwich, grabbing spoons from a drawer. "Anyway, the sorbet's in the freezer, if one of you want to grab it." Clearly an attempt to avoid too much awkward.
Lux lets Mearc slip out of their arms, but their eyes remain on Jack, just... staring. Their lights shift into a pinker tone, skipping over orange entirely.
But they can't bring themself to say anything either.
They clear their throat and look away, turning to the table. "Sorbet sounds great. I'll put away the leftovers," they say softly, packing up the containers that still have food in them.
Jack's halfway to the freezer already, clearly relieved to have something to do. He plunks the sorbet on the table and grabs his beer. "We wanna eat this on the couch? Better for cuddling."
"Also, better for sharing, logistically. Also, am I the only one curious about how a beer-sorbet float would taste?"
"...That sounds kind of disgusting, but I want to try it." They carry the containers over to the fridge to tuck them away.
"That sounds disgusting. I'll absolutely try it. I bet it'd be delicious with like...coconut rum, or some sort of flavored vodka, though."
And Mearc grabs a trio of glasses. "Alright, let's try this, just so I can get the curiosity out."
"Yeah, let's see how this monstrosity ends up." Lux grins as they head over to the couch to plop down, the AWKWARD FEELS moment forgotten. Well. Probably not. But the feels are buried away.
Jack's feels are very much buried away, or tucked tightly into a little box with the lid closed and locked. Though the faintest sketch of a blush is still visible on his cheeks. "It's going to be foul." But he opens the sorbet and digs some out to put into each of the glasses.
Mearc grabs the beer to pour into each glass, humming quietly as he does.
Lux eyes the mixtures as the beer foams up, nose wrinkling. "You ever finish editing the video, Kitten? I'm excited to see how it turned out."
"I'm planning on posting it Wednesday to get back to my usual schedule."
"What's it on?" Jack eyes the glasses too. "I haven't had the time to dig up your channel yet, sorry."
"He did one about, like--how security is often laxer on higher floors and how to find blind points and stuff. I'm in it! He filmed me doing some parkour, to show how easy it can be to reach high windows if someone is skilled enough."
"Which some people certainly are. And then I showed Lux some tricks about latches for windows, tools for attacking them, and then how to fix them."
"So like...my shitty second-floor apartment." Jack wrinkles his nose. "That's got nothing on the windows."
Mearc turns to give Jack a smirk. "Want help with that sometime?"
"It was really fun!" Granted, Lux delights in any opportunity to be on camera... "You probably should have Mearc look at your apartment, Jack. Especially if you're going to be staying there sometimes still."
Mearc picks up one of the glasses, stirring at the contents with a spoon gently before taking a sip.
"I've got some basic security shit but I'm sure it's...well, probably pretty shit. Maybe better than nothing? I dunno." He watches Mearc drink, waiting for the reaction.
He licks his lips a couple times, trying to figure out if he likes it or not, and then takes another sip.
"That's...a thing."
Lux, meanwhile... takes a full gulp, foam smearing across their upper lip. They squint for a moment. "...Yeah, pretty gross..." But they still take another gulp... Cause who wastes sherbet???
"If the beer were a fruit sour, though. Like...I knew a passionfruit and lime tart ale back in the Chicago area that would actually work here."
"That would be pretty good," Lux agrees, taking another gulp, then shifts around so they're draped across the laps of Jack and Mearc. "Mmm. Better."
Jack takes a careful sip, grimaces, and takes another one. "Yeah, I could see a fruit beer working for this. Hand me a spoon?"
Mearc reaches for the spoons and passes one to Jack, and then rests his hand on Lux's scalp.
Lux bumps their head against Mearc's hand like an insistent puppy wanting pets, but is happy to scoop out their own bites. Though doing that while laying down results in... a little mess. They don't seem to mind.
"Thanks -" He scoops out the sorbet to eat, and then finishes off the beer. "I don't actually hate it, like this. With just a little of each on the other. All together it's...not worth trying again."
When he's done, he sets the glass on the floor (or the coffee table? is there a coffee table?) with a contented sigh and slowly runs a hand along Lux's thigh. His other arm drapes along the back of the couch, seeking out Mearc's shoulder or hair.
Mearc scritches gentle at Lux's scalp in neat little circles as he leans into Jack gently. Just...lots of touchness.
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