[Video]

[whatwas]

[If there's one thing Adstringendum is good at, it's yanking people around. Where Horst had been laughing and giddy the night before, he's...well, not now.]

Mina was sent home. I'm sure those of you who knew here are aware, but....

[But he personally checked everywhere she could possibly have gone. Just in case. Hope springs eternal, they say.

As he shuts off the feed, there's the faint sound of something German-sounding. Or maybe it was just static.]

[A few hours later: Private Video to Raven]

Are you awake?

Comments

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

We'll decide when I see how good you are.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

Didn't you already?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[that almost gets a sputter. He manages to turn it into a laugh]

And I thought you wished to forget!

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

[He totally wins that one, Horst. Admit it.]

But it got you to laugh, didn't it?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

Which makes you something of a miracle worker. I'll give you double or nothing if you make this vodka bottle full again.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

I can have some ready when you come over.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

Expect me right after sundown.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

I'll leave the door opened.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[He laughs softly]

It only took seven months, but you're finally letting me in your home routinely. We've made progress.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

Guess I'm just... going soft.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

We could always fix that. [No conversation is complete without innuendo.]

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

Is that what this is going to be then? [He has to ask. He doesn't want to, but he has to.]

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[Horst is quiet a moment, because he has no idea how to answer.]

It depends.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

On?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

On what we want.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

[He's silent for a long, long moment. For the longest time, he had thought what he wanted was Rei. But it had ended badly, crashed and burned spectacularly. He wasn't sure he could jump into something else right away.]

Guess we'll find out when you get here.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[And Horst...well, his relationship just barely ended, not that he was any sort of honorable boyfriend while it had lasted.

His frown is skeptical.]

You'd prefer to discuss it in person?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

[That's the other issue, Horst. He'd expect you to be faithful. He's pretty sure you couldn't handle that.]

Wouldn't you?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

It might complicate things, Cloud. [How much 'talking' do you think will get done if neither of them wants to talk about it?]

I can't do something like what Mina wanted. Not right now. But I'm open to...other things.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

What other things?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

Being the way we are, with the option of more.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

You mean have sex without making a commitment.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

You don't have to make it sound like that.

[But yes.]

There isn't much I wouldn't do for you already, Cloud. Surely you knew that.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

[He takes a deep breath, wishing for the millionth time that that night had never happened.

And realized that he still didn't regret it.]

I broke up with Rei.

[And that is the closest thing to a yes you're ever going to get.]

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[That takes him by surprise.]

...I'm sorry.

[And he'd normally leave it at that, let Cloud explain if he wished. But he doesn't know when they broke up, so the timing--just a few days after Horst and Cloud had some fairly rowdy sex--makes him feel even more guilty than he already did.]

It wasn't because of what we did, was it?