Usually Alec is very, very careful with Credence, but he doesn't like the way these things are piling up now, and a few other things besides. Some of the annoyance lingers in his voice.
"Do you have a preference? Someplace else would be easiest, but -" He squints again. Christ. It reminds him a little of home and not in a good way. "We can make this work if you'd rather."
"I - I stayed with Quentin for a little while," he says, shrinking back
instinctively from Alec's audible irritation, not wanting to make work for
him. "I'll ask him if he doesn't mind."
There are a lot of sharp edges in Alec, some of which he's put there, some of which are leftovers where something else was sheared away. Credence is usually standoffish with him, but he's never withdrawn before, and it gets Alec's attention immediately.
He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a slow breath, and smooths himself back out as best he can.
"I don't mind," he says, honestly, maybe even a little earnestly. It's sloppy, to cut when he doesn't mean to. "But if that's what you want to do, then alright."
"...I'll ask him," Credence decides. "And if he has someone else staying
with him, or - I'll work out something else. Don't worry about me, sir.
Alec."
"No, I do, Credence," he says, very evenly. "I do worry, which is why I'm here. I'm not a good enough person to go around asking to help things I'm not willing to do."
He opens his mouth to try again, then shakes his head, backing off both literally and figuratively.
"I'm making this worse." Which is, quite frankly, unacceptable. "Look. If I go back upstairs, and come back in a little bit, will you let me start this over? This isn't -"
"I - I understand," Credence says, though on some level he still doesn't
really understand people wanting nice things for him without getting
anything out of it themselves. "If you want to come back, that's, um.
That's fine."
"Thank you," he says. "I'll - be by later." No matter what Quentin says, he decides, it'll be with supplies to make this room more viable until the supplies they need get here.
When he does, he'll find things have changed. The door is no longer the
barely-attached, ill-fitting attic door Credence showed up with, but neatly
fitted whitewashed wood, with a well-oiled handle and spyhole and an actual
lock. Clearly the Admiral is responsive to gentle (?) reminders.
He turns back up with a space heater in one hand and a roll of plastic sealing under one arm and his issues - various and sundry, known and unknown, all of it - stowed back under his bed at home and eyes the door critically. Satisfied, he sets the heater down and knocks again.
Credence is wearing one jumper, and has his cat cradled against his
chest. He steps back; the room is still at its bare bones (so to speak) but
the shape of the place is all there. A high ceiling with big picture
windows, a decent bed, some stacks of tiles and paint pots and fabrics. The
work Credence has yet to do.
There's also a fire burning in the grate, sort of: it's blue, and
definitely emanating heat, but is functioning without any visible fuel.
Despite Alec's careful focus, his smile takes a slightly different turn then, something much more genuinely satisfied although he hadn't really been faking before.
"Nice," he says, honestly, moving a little closer to investigate. "How hard is it to keep up?"
Alec nods - that's how anything gets done so he accepts it - and doesn't second guess the necessity of it either. Not with how this room was a little while ago.
"Could you do this somewhere else? If the temperature drops or there aren't enough heaters?"
"I know." He drops his hand, turns back to face Credence. "Besides to check on you, that's why I was here earlier. I have to plan for crises. It's like a nervous tic."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:06 am (UTC)"Do you have a preference? Someplace else would be easiest, but -" He squints again. Christ. It reminds him a little of home and not in a good way. "We can make this work if you'd rather."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:18 am (UTC)"I - I stayed with Quentin for a little while," he says, shrinking back instinctively from Alec's audible irritation, not wanting to make work for him. "I'll ask him if he doesn't mind."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:23 am (UTC)He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a slow breath, and smooths himself back out as best he can.
"I don't mind," he says, honestly, maybe even a little earnestly. It's sloppy, to cut when he doesn't mean to. "But if that's what you want to do, then alright."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:26 am (UTC)"...I'll ask him," Credence decides. "And if he has someone else staying with him, or - I'll work out something else. Don't worry about me, sir. Alec."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:45 am (UTC)He's not sure how to take that, and it shows.
"Then - I'll ask, if I need help."
that was supposed to be "help WITH things"
Date: 2018-01-10 09:51 am (UTC)"I'm making this worse." Which is, quite frankly, unacceptable. "Look. If I go back upstairs, and come back in a little bit, will you let me start this over? This isn't -"
What he wanted. "I just want you to be warm."
I guessed!
Date: 2018-01-10 09:57 am (UTC)"I - I understand," Credence says, though on some level he still doesn't really understand people wanting nice things for him without getting anything out of it themselves. "If you want to come back, that's, um. That's fine."
okay good
Date: 2018-01-10 10:02 am (UTC)"Thank you," he says. "I'll - be by later." No matter what Quentin says, he decides, it'll be with supplies to make this room more viable until the supplies they need get here.
also sorry if this counts as godmodding the admiral I can edit
Date: 2018-01-10 10:18 am (UTC)When he does, he'll find things have changed. The door is no longer the barely-attached, ill-fitting attic door Credence showed up with, but neatly fitted whitewashed wood, with a well-oiled handle and spyhole and an actual lock. Clearly the Admiral is responsive to gentle (?) reminders.
nope cleared it with the team
Date: 2018-01-10 02:48 pm (UTC)"It's Alec."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 04:23 pm (UTC)"Hello."
Credence is wearing one jumper, and has his cat cradled against his chest. He steps back; the room is still at its bare bones (so to speak) but the shape of the place is all there. A high ceiling with big picture windows, a decent bed, some stacks of tiles and paint pots and fabrics. The work Credence has yet to do.
There's also a fire burning in the grate, sort of: it's blue, and definitely emanating heat, but is functioning without any visible fuel.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 08:57 pm (UTC)"Hi. Someone got his act together looks like." He nods at the supplies and the fire. "Mind if I come in? Make sure it's what we asked for?"
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:00 pm (UTC)"No - I mean, I don't mind."
He steps back, inviting Alec to join him inside.
"I haven't seen anything missing."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:04 pm (UTC)"Good. Is that - not a wood fire."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-10 09:08 pm (UTC)"No. It's - I learned a spell for it," he admits. "It's warm but it won't burn."
He won't say he spent hour upon hour, teaching himself for Shiro's sake.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-11 02:42 pm (UTC)"Nice," he says, honestly, moving a little closer to investigate. "How hard is it to keep up?"
no subject
Date: 2018-01-11 03:10 pm (UTC)"I don't really have to think about it after it's done," he says. "I just don't know how long it's going to last."
It's been an hour so far, and it seems...fine.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-11 11:08 pm (UTC)"This is really good, Credence. I mean, I don't know anything about magic, but - you only talked about floating things, before."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 12:07 am (UTC)"This was - I practiced until I could do it," he says, perhaps understating the effort involved. "I needed to be able to."
Unlike making things float.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 12:14 am (UTC)"Could you do this somewhere else? If the temperature drops or there aren't enough heaters?"
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 08:12 am (UTC)"I - yeah, I guess so." He bites his lip. "If I get it wrong, though, there's some real fire, I don't - want anyone hurt by mistake."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 02:16 pm (UTC)"If things keep going like they are, even for a little while, it might be worse to have no options. That's why I'm asking."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 02:26 pm (UTC)Credence nods, understanding.
"I'll do as much as I can to help."
no subject
Date: 2018-01-12 02:43 pm (UTC)"I know." He drops his hand, turns back to face Credence. "Besides to check on you, that's why I was here earlier. I have to plan for crises. It's like a nervous tic."
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