[se] baby this rain changes everything

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

Remi didn't know what it meant either, that Isla hadn't mentioned Varus to him. Did it mean they were nothing? A fling? Just a way to pass the time? Was she ashamed of him? Worried about Varus and Remi, sitting on opposites sides of the war as they were?  Had she been waiting to tell him, but then her infirmary had been burned to the ground? Or, did she just not want him to know?

"Stop." Tears sting the back of Remi's eyes, because whatever the reason for Isla's silence, it gnawed at something deep and precious inside of the alchemist's bones. She had been a literal part of him, and had been his dearest friend before and after. "Isla was a literal part of me, for nearly a year." He says in a low voice, his eyes trained on the ground, unwillingly to let them rise to see whatever it was Isla might see in Varus' face. "I love her more than nearly anyone else...and I do not need to be the demigod of death to kill anyone who harms her." Now his eyes do raise to Cal's, and cliched as the words are, the ascended would be an idiot not to believe Remi meant them with every fibre of his body.

Just when the tension seemed as though it would split Remi open to reveal the monster he was honed to be, instead, the alchemist softens, and runs a hand through his curls. "If you have any abilities stored in you..I can promise none are as strong as those I have." His fingers clenched at his side before releasing as Remi extends his arm to Cal. "Manticore. Kraken. Invisibility. Protection. Dream walking...Take one." If Isla had chosen someone other than Remi, whatever his feelings about it, it meant he wouldn't be around as much to watch over her. And with her infirmary in ruins, someone had to.

"Keep her safe."

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

It’s certainly the last thing he expects, but there’s something raw in Remi’s voice that has him stilling, stopping when asked, letting all the other words die on his tongue. They’re both left in the dark a bit and Varus doesn’t entirely know what a literal part means in this instance. But he does know that he likes Isla. A lot. And the last thing the Ascended wants to do is hurt her.

So his eyes meet the demigod of death’s, looks him right in the eye, stock still as Ascended were prone to being — all amusement faded for sheer seriousness and a hard set jaw. “The last thing I want to do is hurt her.” He vows quietly, hoping Remi might be able to see the honesty in his eyes. The jealousy over everything else can come later, because it was still fresh, still a shiny relationship just about as new as his arm to him.

But before Remi can become the demigod he is, the Lullaby softens and Varus visibly relaxes a fraction in the face of it, before the arm is outstretched, wrist offered and Varus’ gaze darts to it consideringly. The metal hand rises, giving the other man’s arm something to rest on, before his gaze lifts to the other man’s face. “I…” Well, this is awkward. “If you’re sure, Remi.” He pauses, scanning Remi’s face as though it might harbor the lie or the doubt within there that Varus wouldn’t be able to keep her safe.

“I will keep her safe, Remi. I promise.” It’s another vow. “I’m a soldier, I’ll protect her.” He scans the Lullaby carefully, his metal arm gentle and cold in the night against Remi’s skin. But provided he seeks what confirmation he seeks within Remi’s face, only then does Varus lift the arm to his lips, wrist up – fangs slipping into his skin to take only as much as he needs – not wanting to prolong the awkward process of this longer than he has to.

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

"This world has a way of taking away the things we want." Remi mutters, his mouth suddenly having gone quite dry as his cheeks flush. For the longest time Isla had been the only one who had ever bit him; both because of the sorts of emotions it entailed, but also because of who and what he was. Ludo certainly wouldn't be pleased that Remi was giving away his abilities in service of protecting his friend, but such was his commitment to keeping Isla safe. He could only hope Varus felt the same.

"I am."

The sensation is all too familiar, and though Remi keeps his teeth clamped together, he can't muffle the moans that push past his lips just the same. Heat swells in his veins as the rainwater that falls upon them seems to mimic fingertips trailing down his cheeks and arms, making him shiver with delight and arousal. The tension building low in his gut will soon make him feel sick and nauseous once Varus' parts from him, but for now, it has Remi reeling, his fingers wanting to reach out and drag the other man close.

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

The world does have a way of taking away the things they want. It also has a way of leaving you offline for a few centuries to arise to a new world, a new life, with little to nothing of the old left behind. But Remi is sure and the flush on the other man’s cheeks seems to suggest he knows what’s coming so it isn’t at all a surprise for either of them as Varus lifts the wrist to his lips, fangs sinking in when the confirmation is there.

Varus’ own cheeks flush with the rush of blood, the sensation that has a muffled sound leaving him as his lips remain pressed against Remi’s wrist. But, as he planned, he only takes as much as he needs and likely pulls away, even as his normal arm slips around Remi to support the demigod. He pulls away, a sprinkling of stark red blood along his lips, his metal thumb rising to cover the bite to staunch any bleeding as a light pink flush comes across his cheeks and neck.

“You alright?” He asks, breathlessly after a moment, his blue gaze focused intensely on Remi’s face – wondering if this complicated things between all of them.

At the very least, Remi was right. The power that thrums in the reservoir he has is huge and a part of the Ascended vibrates with the realization.

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

Remi doesn't need to be held, though in the first few seconds after Varus' lips part from his wrist, he absolutely wants to be. Perhaps that's why he jerks so abruptly away from the other man, wanting to mumble something about how it would take more than just a bite to pitch him off his feet, but instead just grunting some half-hearted agreement.

Pulling his arm toward his body and pressing at the small marks left on his skin with his thumb, Remi stares adamantly at the ground as his blood continues to rush hard and fast between his legs. He hates the sound of his own breathing, hates the pulse rushing in his ears. And now he's horny, confused, and standing in the street with a stranger who is clearly more-than-a-friend to Isla.

'Use it wisely.' He manages after a moment in a raspy voice, not knowing what else to say. Being bit absolutely did complicate things, or at least for someone like Remi. Both emotionally and on a divine Remi-wtf-are-you-doing level.

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

Rain plinks against his arm, against the ground in another quiet downpour that fits the exact feeling of this moment for Varus. It has to complicate things, doesn’t it? What’s he to tell Isla? ‘Oh yeah, I bit your best friend because he demanded that I protect you but it was in the middle of the night in the alley on the way to your house and I left him with a super awkward boner and kind of sort of dropped the ball that we’re dating and he didn’t know and I didn’t know that he didn’t know and– and– and–’

He takes a breath he doesn’t need, parting from Remi as quickly as the demigod pulls away, the Ascended reaching up to run a hand through soaked through hair, his other hand rising to wipe his mouth with the back of it, streaks of ruby red washing away with the sudden flush of rain. He almost wishes he can feel the coolness of it, if only to try and alleviate the tension within him. “Thanks, Remi.” He says quietly, gaze locking on the other man’s face. “I will.” When will he use it? He doesn’t know, he hopes he doesn’t need to use it right away.

For now, though, Isla’s house is still a fair distance away and he looks past the Lullaby down the street as if he might be able to see the green door boring holes into him. “Can I do… Anything for you?” He hates how unsteady and unsure his voice sounds in his ears, but his gaze slides back toward Remi with curiosity lingering within.

He supposes the consequences of letting him bite doesn’t fall on him at the very least. Whatever Ludo has to say about it is between it and its demigod.

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

Swallowing down an unhappy retort that has started to try and force its way past his lips, Remi instead just stiffly shakes his head. "I am fine. It.." His cheeks flush anew, and the urge to punch something makes his fingertips itch. "..is not my first time."

Conflicted and upset though he is, it doesn't seem right to just stalk off into the darkness. Varus hasn't done anything wrong after all, even if Remi's instincts are not so subtly suggesting that he has.

"I did not know there was anyone left. From the first war." It's terrible small talk, but with Remi's fledgling erection pressing unhappy against his pants as they walk toward a green door they both now know well, it's the first thing that comes to his mind that isn't trying to pry into Isla's life. "How nice that you have woken up just in time for another."

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

He wants to shift back into the easy banter, the playful retort of ‘oh hey, it isn’t my first rodeo either!’ but he doesn’t, instead just awkwardly shifting on his feet as he offers a short dip of his chin in a nod, before they’re walking again and he’s staring straight ahead, anywhere but Remi. He chews on his lower lip, a hard set to his jaw until the mention of the first war sparks up a different sort of feeling within him and he idly runs his normal hand over the wet, cool metal of his other arm.

“Mm, yeah. I seem to have good luck in that department.” He comments offhandedly, a jest at the expense of himself – falling from one war to another. He peers at the green door a moment too long, before he’s shifting the satchel on his shoulders again. “I got lost in a battle in King’s End. My arm got ripped to shreds and I woke up under a hedge in Queen’s Gambit. Thought it’d been a couple weeks, maybe a few months.” They both know how that ended up. “I got brought back here after and Isla removed the ruined arm for me.” And instead of getting a proper send-off, the arm had burned with the rest of the Infirmary.

Still, a playful smile crosses his face, a huff of a laugh. “Then I got a new one.” Shrugging idly, the metal arm glints with the light from the moon and the water from the rain.

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

Remi's eyes close softly, but only because the alchemist has willed them to. He wants to clench his teeth together and each and every utterance of the word Isla that passes Varus's lips. All he wants is to hear Isla's side of things that he might properly understand just what is happening, but instead, he's walking Isla's new...boyfriend? back to her house, where he'll presumably just...awkwardly wave and leave. "Maybe you should have her take off the other one too." The alchemist suggests. "That way history will not be able to repeat itself."

Looking at Isla's door, the wood of which looking sombre and uninviting in the moonlight (it looked perfectly ordinary, he was just projecting), makes Remi's cheeks flare an unhappy pink. "Well, it was..." Nice to meet you? It wasn't, though. Not entirely, but not not entirely, either. Remi found he liked Cal, and it wasn't so much that he was upset so much as he was confused. "...weird, to meet you. Like this, anyway."

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

Unfortunately, Varus doesn’t have many other stories to offer aside from those that do involve Isla. But he is perceptive enough to notice the way that Remi seems to try and avoid it and he picks up on it in a way that has him trying to filter through his thoughts for anything but. He doesn’t want this awkward moment to be their parting, but he isn’t sure what to say at this present moment aside from a huff of a laugh. “Yeah, maybe I should.” Two metal arms were better than one, right?

Sure, let’s go with that.

The door is there and yet Varus makes no move to enter it yet, instead, he lingers awkwardly by Remi, casting his gaze back toward the Lullaby and finding much of the same sentiments. “I mean… Wasn’t so bad if we just cut out the whole… Last half of it? Just pretend it was about puddles and boys that went missing.” Flashing a wide fanged grin Remi’s way. “Oh and the death song, can’t forget that.”

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

'All the best puddle-demons have two metal arms, so..' Remi replies with a bit of an awkward shrug. There really was no easy way to go from the beginnings of an easy friendship, to ascended boners, to walking someone to your bestfriend's house who you also sleep with on the regular.

' Definitely cannot forget that. All the more reason to have two metal arms—more death verses.' Varus's smile makes the heat in Remi's belly coil into something tight and green, leaving the alchemist only able to offer the ascended a guilty smile. "Sorry, about..." He shrugs. "Isla just means a lot to me, and...this was not how I was expecting my evening to go."

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

There’s a moment where he considers what kind of upgrade he might be able to get for the two metal arms that might suit some sort of water demon the most. The only thing that comes to mind, though, is probably rust-proofing. Which honestly sounds quite boring in comparison to everything else. So he snorts, offering another hum of laughter before shrugging lightly. “A puddle demon with two metal arms, where the puddles are…” His lips twist a fraction as his head tilts. “Lukewarm? No, that doesn’t work.” An amused smile is sent Remi’s way, trying to dive into the easiness of earlier. “I’ll work on it.”

As for the rest? The smile softens a fraction, the lines around his eyes smoothing out as he casts a nod and a slightly apologetic smile back. “Don’t be sorry.” He offers, meaning every word of it. “It wasn’t how I expected my evening to go either. But for what it’s worth? She cares a lot about you too.” He doesn’t know if it’ll help, but it is the one thing that Varus knows from his time with the doctor. “And even though war is approaching again and drawing lines, I’m glad you’re still looking out for her.”

VARUS

looking like that, you'll open some wounds

'No, it really doesn't.' Remi crinkles his nose with amusement that almost feels like a betrayal, but he shakes his head with a grin nonetheless.

Running the back of his knuckles across his forehead, Remi tries to hear the compliment for how soothing it is meant to be. "I have always been as clear as I can with the ascended about where I stand...especially given that I have been living part-time in the Greatwood, setting up defenses against the lot of you." The alchemist can only laugh dryly at this. "And I will continue to be as honest as I can." Raising his eyes to Cal's, the alchemist tries on a look of sincerity, no matter how much his eyes want to skirt away from the other man's. "If ever there comes a day you have to worry about me, I will let you know."

THE LULLABY

you were in the fallout and you lost some friends //

The grin on Remi’s face is enough that Varus feels marginally better about this entire ordeal. And at the very least? They were honest – most of it confusion between what both of them knew about one another. At the very least, he hopes that this parting is on good terms, and already the Ascended does feel better with the idea of Remi – no longer some faceless stranger, puppeted by Ludo, a threat to Isla.

So the look he gives Remi is understanding and absorbing, the commitment there and not at a cost to them unless Ludo stuck its fingers in it. For now, though, he focuses on the truth for what it is. There would be a warning, help from the inside of the opposing side. A move that Varus has to give Remi props for. It’s a hard line to walk, but he supposes Remi seems like he can handle it. And he has so far. “I hope I don’t have to worry about you, but I know Caido doesn’t typically make it that easy.” He flashes an apologetic smile. “So, until that day, I appreciate the honesty.” Taking a deep inhale, readjusting the satchel again as he steps toward the green door, moving to open it up and slip inside. “Have a good night, Remi. And thanks for the bite.” His head inclines toward the demigod, before he’s slipping into the door and closing it behind him.

VARUS