OTA

[pecked_by_birds]

The past month- Months?- Had been strange. One night he'd found himself compelled to go out, as though something was calling to him. A silent siren song that had coaxed him into his car  and out into the country.

Where had he gone? What had he done?

Those were the questions he had to ask himself when he woke up in the middle of Hyde park in a rumpled suit and a brand new body. ...Possibly brand new. Certainly new to him in that moment, since he couldn't recall much of anything from the past few weeks. His head was pounding, and he was in agony. 

A large bird sat upon him. A hawk, he thought absently- Or maybe not. He couldn't seem to focus on it. Not when his gaze was so strongly drawn to all the blood. ...His blood.

"No," he said softly, trying to chase it away with a weak wave of his hand. "I'm free, you can't- He can't," he insisted, right before the world went dark. ...Not that it mattered. It would heal, he would heal. He always did. How else could the punishment continue?

Comments

[goodfellow]

Robin's lips twitched, and then after a few seconds he burst into laughter.

[pecked_by_birds]

"It's not funny," the titan insisted- Though he couldn't hide a slight smile.

[goodfellow]

Robin's laughter faded into a little smirk. "I just think it was a good reaction to that," he said, and bit into a basil roll.

[pecked_by_birds]

The titan chuckled softly, digging into his own meal like a man who'd not seen food in days. ...Perhaps he hadn't. Eating was one of those things he often forgot about.

[goodfellow]

Robin ate as well, though at a more reasonable pace. He suddenly had the urge, utterly inexplicably, to tell Prometheus what had happened with Fin over New Year's. As if it mattered at all, as if he would care.

"You can stay here as long as you like," he said instead. "But you should probably get some trousers that fit better."

[pecked_by_birds]

"Oh, I still have a home, Robin. My flat remains above my shop," the titan assured him. "You're very kind to offer though."

[goodfellow]

"Sure, of course," Robin said, and drained the rest of his glass of wine. That was good. After all, who knew how long it could last, and Robin didn't live with people. "You'll still need new trousers."

[pecked_by_birds]

"Mmm," he replied, nodding a little. He likely had a set of clothes in storage that would suit this body just fine. Perhaps tomorrow he'd go digging about. ...Who knew, maybe he'd find evidence of what he'd been up to if he sniffed about enough.

[goodfellow]

Robin ate quietly for a moment and then asked, "Do you want me to take you home after we eat?" The question was neutral, but his voice was a bit quieter.

[pecked_by_birds]

"No," Prometheus said softly. "There is nothing I must do that can't wait until the morning. I'd like to stay the night, dove. If you'll have me."

[goodfellow]

"Of course," said Robin after a moment, and then, after finishing off his glass of wine, "Would you have come to me if I hadn't found you first?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"Not right away, no. I'd have feared you'd be cross. I would have come eventually though, I swear it," the titan promised.

[goodfellow]

"It's hard to be angry when I'm watching you heal from having your intestines pecked out," Robin said. But he knew what Prometheus meant.

He reached for the bottle of wine, an excuse not to look at him. "You could be gone again tomorrow. For who knows how long. Years."

[pecked_by_birds]

"And I know you hate that, but I can fight my nature no more than you can fight yours, puck," Prometheus sighed. "Know I am here now and glad for it, alright?"

[goodfellow]

"I do," Robin said, "and I am. But I want you to understand why I..." He finished pouring the wine and forced himself to look up at the man who told him he'd loved him a half hour before. "I can't let myself get too attached."

[pecked_by_birds]

"I know, puck. I know," Prometheus assured him. "I take no offence when you keep your distance."

[goodfellow]

"Am I?" Robin, who had had at least a bottle of wine by himself since Prometheus had arrived, stood up and crossed the short distance to him, pulling his chair out a little and putting his hands on either side of it as he looked down at him. "Am I keeping my distance, when I still have your damn painting hanging in my bedroom, and I find myself so disappointed in your absence that I spend New Year's Eve alone in my bed?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"Oh, Robin," Prometheus said softly. "I never want you to be alone just because I'm not here, dove. Never," the titan said gently, looking up at the puck and reaching out to stroke his cheek.

"You're not meant for solitude, pet."

[goodfellow]

Robin had surprised himself a bit by that outburst, and looked slightly embarrassed now as he dropped his eyes when Prometheus touched him.

"It wasn't just you," he mumbled. But then he let out a little snort and said, "But I don't think you're right about that. Pucks are practically built for solitude."

[pecked_by_birds]

"I'm not talking about pucks, I'm speaking only of you," Prometheus assured him.

[goodfellow]

"Then maybe I'm broken," Robin said, and pulled away from him, straightening up again.

But then he looked back at him, managed a quirk of his lips. "Don't worry. I promise I haven't been pining. I'm fine."

[pecked_by_birds]

Prometheus watched him, then reached for him, tugging him down onto his lap.

"You always are," he said, with a hint of admiration.

[goodfellow]

This was true. Robin wouldn't have lived this long if he weren't able to be.

He shifted a bit so that he was straddling Prometheus' lap, and took the opportunity to study his face. "You're very... angular," he said, and brought a hand up to run his thumb over the man's nose.

[pecked_by_birds]

"Am I? This body doesn't feel so strange. I feel as though I've worn variations of it in the past," the titan confessed.

[goodfellow]

Some are more variations than others," Robin said with a little smile. "Have you ever wondered how I think about you, in my head? Is it how you were when I saw you last, if only for a moment? How I saw you first?"