Holiday Inn, Limbo City, Friday Evening

[not_every_mage]

Anders had booked and paid for the room, ignoring the clerk's dirty look at the blood and muck on their clothes. They wouldn't be the only people caught in the day's devastation looking for someplace to sleep tonight

He'd silently followed Dante through the hotel halls to their room, and placed a quick order for pizza before he took off his boots and crashed out on the bed. The thousand bruises and scrapes of the battle stung his skin.

He should shower. He didn't want to move.

He turned to Dante, still registering faint surprise at the newly white hair. (He supposed they were lucky if that was the worst permanent change Dante saw.) Words failed him when it came to addressing the true horror of the day, but he should at least say something

"They said the pizza should be here in about half an hour," he said. "I'm actually impressed it's not longer, considering."


[OOC: For one, NFB.]

Comments

[not_every_mage]

"I don't feel like there's much I could say that would make you like me less, or the other way round," Anders said slowly. He sat on the toilet to tug off his socks. "Never had that with anybody before."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante's pants joined his shirt on the floor. "...Same here," he admitted. "It's..."

After a moment, he picked up his clothes and tossed them out of the bathroom, just to have something to do. "Probably the first time I realized I like you," he said slowly. "Kathy'd been egging you on to fuck me and you did and you looked at me like-- I don't know."

He didn't even know why the memory came to him now.

[not_every_mage]

"I thought you were so beautiful," Anders reminisced as he kicked his clothes out of the way to join Dante's. "I thought we were just having fun, but then the way you moved and looked at me -- there was too much there for a fling. The amazing part was realizing you felt the same way."

He hadn't expected feelings to come out of sex with Dante; he knew Dante's record, and they'd gone too long as casual friends on their good days. He supposed the thing it had turned into was, in part, another thing to thank Kathy for.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante checked the water for a second, too, and then stepped into the shower. It felt nice to have the water pounding down his aching muscles; made 'em less sore.

"I still got no clue how you can talk like that," he said. Maybe it was a character flaw, or something, not being able to be as open about this stuff as Anders was.

Actually, he was grateful for the water for another reason. He was pretty sure he'd developed a flush.

[not_every_mage]

"It's just words," Anders shrugged. He'd tilted his head back to let the water sluice through his hair. "Once I know how I feel, the words part has never been hard for me."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Funny, words are always how I get all tripped up." Dante touched Anders' side, sliding his hand down until it settled on Anders' hip. "But you manage all this shit that should sound corny but doesn't."

[not_every_mage]

"Thanks, I think," Anders said. He found the shampoo bottle, squirted some into his hands. "I don't know. I just don't worry about it sounding corny. I figure you'll roll your eyes at me if I get too mushy."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante laughed, reaching past Anders to snag some soap. "That's what you keep me around for," he said. "Keepin' you from floating off in a dreamy pile of mush."

[not_every_mage]

"That and the sex," Anders confirmed as he worked shampoo through his hair, swaying slightly in a way that brushed his body against Dante's. "I'm surprised you haven't figured out I'm using you by now."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Well, now I feel like shit," Dante said, scrubbing at his arm. "And here I thought we really had something."

His arm was bumping back up against Anders' side for entirely not-on-purpose reasons. (Sure.)

[not_every_mage]

Just like how Anders kept 'accidentally' rubbing his hips against Dante's?

"Everybody always thinks that," he said lightly. "It's not my fault I can't stop incredibly attractive people from throwing themselves at me."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Or maybe you're using some kinda evil magic," Dante said, reaching to steal the shampoo from him. "Asshole."

Okay, could he sell that kiss as accidental, too? Cause he'd just accidentally swayed in for one.

[not_every_mage]

The kiss might have been accidental, but the way Anders drew his fingers down Dante's back and around his waist as he returned it? That was deliberate.

"Now I know you're going to be all right," he noted smugly as he pulled away. "You called me an asshole before you kissed me."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante smiled at him across short distance between their lips. "I'm always all right," he said, slinking his arm around Anders' waist.

His expression sobered. "You're planning to stick around, right?"

[not_every_mage]

"Yes," Anders didn't even need to think about that. "Even if you aren't always all right, I'll be here."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Thanks," Dante said, mouth curving slightly. "...'m not that all right."

[not_every_mage]

"I noticed," Anders said, also smiling in a bittersweet way. "... but I think you will be."

Dante was strong that way.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I know I will be," Dante said, sliding his hand further up until his arm was slung more along Anders' shoulders than anything else. "But shitting hell."

The whole thing with Vergil was starting to hit, and he was grateful as hell to be here right now.

[not_every_mage]

"Shitting, fucking hell, even," Anders agreed firmly, and leaned toward Dante so they were in a kind of half-hug under the warm water spray. "it was that kind of day."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Let's just get this shower on the road," Dante mumbled, his voice weirdly hoarse.

Well. At least his face was already wet.

[not_every_mage]

Anders ran a thumb over Dante's cheek, half-smiling and half-wincing at both the moisture and the pun.

"Better than standing here until it gets cold," he agreed, and pulled back to offer Dante the shampoo as he retrieved a washcloth for himself.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante smiled, turning around for a second. Just to lather up his hair; not because he had anything to hide.

"Mind getting my back?"

[not_every_mage]

"Not in the least," Anders said, and rubbed his soapy hands over Dante's back in gratitude, smoothing down to the curve of his rump before tracing a fine line over his tattoo. "You're going to have to do mine next."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante sighed, relaxing some under Anders' hands. "You get your back all healed up too?" he asked.

He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back wave two.

[not_every_mage]

"Feels like it," Anders said, carefully tracing the lines of Rebellion as it curved along Date's spine. "Take a look while you're back there."