OOM: Another visit

[latino_menace]

Ramon's a bit nervous about this visit. Not only because of the conversation with Dworkin, but the 'little visitor' that had been promised in the last letter. Still, he gets to see Random again and that's worth anything.

So, here he his. Late at night, tired but happy with anticipation. He can't keep his mind off the Trump in his pocket.

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[latino_menace]

It does. And he takes the time too, to remind himself that feeding a baby is easy and nothing to panic about and he really is acting stupidly about the child, he thinks. Not about him being here, but about the flinching when being near him. He resolves to get over himself as Martin hoovers down the milk in record time.

Right. He remembers something about winding them after eating. He also remembers the joys of projectile vomit when said activity occurs. There is hesitation - then he just sighs again, holds him to his shoulder and starts rubbing over his back.

'I want you to know Random,' he says in a conversational tone, 'that if he throws up on my only clean T-shirt, I am not going to be impressed.'

So there.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Mmmm."

Random not-so-surreptitiously finds the camera again. And snap snap snap between bites of food. Too pretty a sight for words.

"It's not been a problem."

[latino_menace]

Ramon glares at him again but his heart isn't in it.

'Bastard.' Martin is refusing to cooperate, so he keeps going. 'I'll have to take some of the two of you together.'

And Random's dinner is eyed for a moment, then he laughs. 'He obviusly gets his hoovering skills from you. Hungry are you?'

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Starving, and you can, if you like. But you have no idea how perfect you two look, and not a chance I'm letting go of that."

He takes a few more photos before setting the camera down and settling in to use two hands to eat.

"I need to eat more anyways... but he might, mightn't he? We look alike. It's nice."

He values the connection.

[latino_menace]

'Well, I think you're biased. Love us both, of course you're going to think we look good together.'

Martin burps finally, sans vomit luckily. He considers holding on to him, then decides he won't be safe from more photos and anyway, he doesn't want to be stuck holding him when changing time comes round.

So, baby in the crib. Ramon flops back onto the bed and steals some of the remaining food. 'Yeah, you look alike. It'll be strange when he's a bit older, I think.'

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"No. It won't be. It'll be perfect."

He pushes the plate towards Ramon.

"You'll see. Short but perfect. Gonna need a lot of film. Now. Tell me what's been happening?"

[latino_menace]

'Yeah.'

He'll reserve judgement on 'perfect' until the time. But it doesn't seem so bad right now. Maybe it's the good food - whatever Random doesn't want is quickly polished off and then he leans back on the bed and lights another smoke.

'What's been happening? I've been trying to persuade Arithon not to deliberately make himself a target, which is like talking to a brick wall. Talking to people from my world and trying to work out how to fix things. Keeping an eye on cursed people and trying to find more, which is more difficult than it sounds. And the rest of time, either being bored or missing you or trying to find time to sleep. So.'

He'll be so glad when this is over.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Dworkin. My... grandfather."

He hesitates on the word.

Because holyfuckingshit.

But holds his tongue. Baby in the room, after all. Baby who, apparently, needs to be changed. Random moves away to do so, with a look at Ramon to tell him to go ahead.

[latino_menace]

'Ah. Yeah, Dworkin. Crazy old bastard.'

He's trying not to let on how much the conversation bothered him. And not looking at the changing going on, although he does wrinkle his nose at the smell.

'Well, he was adamant about who he is in relation to you. Strange guy.'

Doesn't know where to begin really.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"What worried you the most?"

That's a pretty damned good place to start.

"You got my letter about us kissing in the bar? He might have seen that."

[latino_menace]

'Yeah I did. And no, that doesn't bother me.' He smirks. 'He descended on me and called me an in-law. Hell of an introduction.'

Not an altogether unwelcome one though. People talking as though he and Random are married amuses him greatly.

'No, he just...had some things to say. I don't know.'

He trails off lamely because he doesn't want to be the one to tell Random that fuck, he might end up like Dworkin one day. He's not sure he believes it himself. Certainly doesn't want to.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"If it bothered you, then he was lying."

He says it blandly, before folding the diaper and niftily tucking it into a completely seperate shadow. One with a garbage heap. Before beginning to re-dress Martin.

"Simple as that. What did he say?"

[latino_menace]

'Why do you think that? Mightn't the truth bother me?'

He doesn't understand Random's logic on that one.

'He didn't seem like he was lying.'

Avoiding the details, avoiding the details, lalala...

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Please, lover. Do you think he couldn't have if he didn't want to?"

He comes to sit back next to Ramon, Martin comfortably settled.

"You wouldn't know. Now tell me, and I'll inform you if it's patently ridiculous."

[latino_menace]

He tries to put his arms round him and just forget about it.

'Do we have to talk about it?'

He's been trying not to think about it at all. Because obviously that'll make it go away.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Oviously. I was going to push in the letter, but I figured I'd wait till now to see if it was still bothering you."

An arm around him is nice, comforting, familiar.

"So... we do. Or I'll worry, and you know it."

[latino_menace]

'Yeah.'

He sighs and leans back against the pillows.

'He made fun of our relationship. He said you should have taught me to hide things better.'

Which, of course, is nowhere near the real problem. But it still bothers him all the same.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"There will always be people making fun of our relationship. You know the type, the lonely bastards who only wish they could know what this..." he leans up, kissing him softly "...feels like. It's nothing, baby."

They both know it.

"As for teaching you to hide it better, I could if you wanted me to, but there's never been a need."

[latino_menace]

Ramon smiles and strokes his hair idly.

'Yeah, well. He made me sound like a moony-eyed teenage girl and I don't like that.'

Well, he wouldn't.

'I don't want you to teach me to hide it. I've got nothing to hide and I'm not ashamed of this.'

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Well, there you go."

He smiles back, though faintly.

"Now. Quit beating around the proverbial bush, kay?"

[latino_menace]

He gives in. Doesn't he always? It's not without hesitation though, not without having to force it out of himself.

'He...implied that you'd end up like him.'

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Which means?"


He rather thinks he knows, but best to hear it said, perhaps.

[latino_menace]

He hates this. What if it's never occured to Random before and now he's going to worry him with something the old man could have been lying about.

So it's a quiet mutter when he replies, 'That you'd get too old and forget who you are. You know....lose yourself and go insane like he is.'

And I wont be around to remind you of what you are.

[underwater-owl.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

He reaches out a hand, taking Ramon's.

"Well. Can I tell you something about time, baby? You need to understand this. For as long as you're going to be with me... you're really still thinking in terms of years.

But my oldest brother is more than twice my age. That's the oldest living. Finndo would be more. Oberon was at least that again before he started having offspring. His father before him would have been the same. That makes the man about ten times my age- this is the roughest of rough guesses, you know. And this is the Dworkin that created the trumps. He's been dabbling so heavily in magic it's a miracle he can see straight at all."

In his humble oppinion.

"Time, Ramon, is long. All that aside, I've already burried brothers. Oberon had siblings too, hear tell. They've all fallen. I can't imagine Dworkin as alone either. Odds are, I'll find something worth dying for that needs me."

[latino_menace]

'...what?'

It had been making sense, until that last part.

'What are you talking about, 'something worth dying for'?'