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"This is the audio log of Communications Officer Doug Eiffel of the-- previously of the U.S.S Hephaestus, leave a message and I'll see if I can bear to drag myself away from whatever utterly engaging task I must be doing to not notice my comms--"

BZZZZZZZ

Action | Text | Voice | Video

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"It's a classic story," he says cheerfully, turning the screen away from Gonou so he can open it up without immediately spoiling it. "Boy meets metaphorical dog, boy tries to keep dog a secret from small-town Americana who'd lose their freakin' minds if they saw their kid playing with something dangerous like that, the military gets involved, it's a whole thing. I think you'll like it!"

He turns the screen back around, mostly so Gonou can see it properly, and it's immediately obvious that he's picked an animated feature as he hops carefully back onto the bed so he's not crushing Gonou's legs.

"Oh, it's one of the drawn ones," Gonou says, intrigued, and curls his legs up a little to give Eiffel room on the bed.

More quietly, he adds, "Thank you for visiting. It, ah. It's a relief to see you're up and around."

Aww, but he was enjoying the contact. Still, he takes the extra space to lean back on his hands, gently stretching the tender stitches on his stomach as he tries very hard not to wince.

"Oh, yeah, this wasn't gonna keep me down long. I don't do well being strapped to a bed for my own wellbeing," he chuckles easily.

"Who does?" Gonou shifts again, hesitating for a moment -- but, well, it's a small screen; it only makes sense to arrange himself so that their shoulders are touching.

(And while he may struggle to express his feelings aloud, he doesn't mind leaning against his friend a little, to express regret and affection silently.)

"One version of you came here from the future, too, didn't he," he adds, quietly.

Eiffel immediately leans back against Gonou's shoulder, in easy solidarity and warmth.

Though some of that energy fades down a little, when Gonou brings up his future self, and he lifts a hand to scrub his hair back.

"...yeah. That was... uh. Kind of a weird look at what's gonna happen to me when I go back, huh."

"If anyone wants to do brain surgery on you," Gonou says, false-stuffy until he has to cough and loses the haughty tone, "you should definitely say no.

"Do you have to go back...?"

From everything he's heard, he certainly doesn't think that Eiffel's space station had been taking very good care of him at all.

He shifts so he can lift his hand and rub Gonou's back when his voice breaks. Yes he knows the ache is in his throat but that's not the point.

"I kinda do," he says quietly. "I wanted to, anyway. I dunno, maybe if I stick around here long enough to get another deal, I'll figure out how to change the game plan the world's got in store for me."

Though of course, that hinges on him sticking around long enough to even graduate one Inmate, so he's probably gonna be here for a while.

He can't help but wonder if that was what Jacobi had refused to tell him, about their fight. His lips press thin for a moment, and he lets himself settle against Eiffel's shoulder again, doesn't object to the hand rubbing his back.

"Don't go back unless you do come up with a way to change it," he says, and then, trying to lighten the mood a little, "I understood everything that man said. He really wasn't you."

That gets a short snicker.

"Well, good to know that folks not being able to grok my talk is a feature, not a bug."

And since he's a little bit shorter, and sitting in a slouch anyway because his tummy hurts, he's going to let himself slump down a little more. Just so he can rest his head on Gonou's shoulder.

"Of course it's a feature," Gonou says firmly. "I like you the way you are. Anyway, I understand at least a few more references than I used to."

He glances down at Eiffel, and adds, a little dubious, "Is that comfortable?" He does, after all, have a fairly wiry build. His shoulder isn't soft.

"You can't make me leave without a warrant," he retorts immediately, and yes Gonou might be a bit bony but Eiffel's also snuggling in tighter and wrapping the arm on his back fully around his chest.

"Oh, well, in that case--" he squints at the screen-- "I won't make you move for eighty-one minutes."

He settles in. Apart from a few questions about military technology (often in the form, 'Is that real?') he'll watch in intrigued silence, and maybe even very slightly lean on Eiffel, too.

By the end of the movie, he's drooping, though, eyes half-closed.

It's funny how good Eiffel is at staying still when he actually chooses to. Movie time is about the only time he makes the effort, because his considerably erratic focus finally has something to cling to. So he's quite cosy and solid against Gonou's skinny form.

He always gets a bit teary when the climax hits, though, so he not-very-discreetly gives his eyes a quick wipe as the credits roll - and only then realises that Gonou is practically falling asleep on him. And he's not sure whether to point it out in case Gonou starts waking up.

It takes until the credits stop rolling before Gonou shakes himself back to wakefulness, and glances over at Eiffel, embarrassed.

"Did I--" fall asleep? He clears his throat, then actually coughs, and disentangles himself as he sits up a bit straighter. "Ah... thank you. For visiting."

Eiffel's response is a soft smile. "Hey, it's not like you didn't warn me it was gonna turn into a slumber party if we weren't careful." He sticks a leg out rather than get up, and tugs the chair closer - the way he does so definitely suggesting he could have at any time and chose not to. "And I'm good to stick around if you just wanna get your beauty sleep on with some background noise."

"I won't -- keep you," Gonou says, with another half-stifled cough, and flashes Eiffel a wry little grin.

"But. I do appreciate the company. I'll... see you later?"

"No problemo." The cuts on his face sting a bit when he grins wider but damnit he's happy his friend is okay.

He nudges the chair out of his way as he stands up, and pauses. "Oh, right-" He angles it back towards Gonou. "I couldn't actually decide what I wanted to watch right away so there's like, twenty movies on this? You can just drop it off when you're feeling better, if you wanna."

"Ah-- thank you," Gonou murmurs, and looks up at him, softening into a real smile. "I'll do that."

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