Love Letters and Homecomings
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Riviera, Ein, or Ledah. This oneshot is Trinity Spark's 50th Reviewer Gift! Thanks for all your support on The Tainted!
I'm glad you finally sent your letter—I was starting to wonder if anything had happened (like some strange, beautiful new exchange student arriving and sweeping you off your feet. Silly jealous me, right?). No, the rain has not let up yet (it's been going for what feels like a month now), but unlike back home, it's just making everything look so green and beautiful. (Insert laughter and gloating here.) I'll send you pressed flowers if you like, in between these killer tests. Once I'm finally done with this crazy year, I must bring you back here so that you can see how amazing the land is.
Yes, I was surprised to hear about Malice and Cierra—I thought those two would never get anywhere, considering how they were still dancing circles around the subject when I left. Have you managed to get any sordid details yet?
Say hello to everyone for me.
---
I hate you and your nice green country. Even out here away from the main city, whenever it rains it's so gray. Pressed flowers would be nice, but they would probably be stolen by Cierra or Celina, so hold off on those until you get back.
As for sordid details, well, there aren't many to go around, but the newlyweds are still getting it on violently. They don't talk that much about it even when we nag them, they just sit around and look smug and say, "The sex IS great, thanks very much." (You'd better get back soon, or I am going to EXPLODE. I'm getting awfully tired of my "five boyfriends", and I MISS THE SEX. Pretend you're sick, steal away on a plane, and sleep over for a week or so. This is nothing that a ten-hour tryst won't fix right away…) You can't even pick on them about it.
In other news, Fia dumped her latest boyfriend (yes, another one bites the dust), and it looks like Serene is purposely trying to get thrown out of school, the way she acts. She cut homeroom every day for the past week and a half. Malice about blew a blood vessel about it. It was funny, but also a little worrisome.
Love you, love you, love you. Write me back fast.
---
Your insidious little plan is tempting, but you forget that I am a starving student with limited funds. Don't worry, there's only a month and a half left. When I get back, I promise you, I will keep you up all night, and you will not be able to sit down for a week.
I've been here long enough that the locals no longer sound funny, but normal, and catch myself occasionally imitating the way they talk on a lark. Don't worry, I'm not going to waltz in with an Irish accent… I just like to try it every now and then.
As for Malice and Cierra, I think they've caught on to the fact that you're living vicariously through their relationship due to my absence, and they're just refusing any details to torment you. You're very obvious when you're half-mad from sexual frustration, trust me.
You haven't written about Ness in a while. How is he doing? Is he still in the hospital, or have they let him go yet?
---
Ness is doing better, but he's still stuck in a hospital bed, bemoaning his boredom whenever one of us gets near him. He's happy you were concerned, though, and says to say hello for him. I'm beginning to understand why Celina doesn't let him out in the world so much, though; I don't think I've ever seen anybody quite so accident-prone.
You could be right about Malice and Cierra. They sure are mean about it, though.
Entrance exams are coming up, and our resident geniuses have struck again, so everyone in the house is in study mode, even Serene. Celina feeds us pizza every week to cheer us up, but it's dubious how long that will hold off either an outbreak of gloom or mob violence.
I miss you—I can't stand it. Forget finals, just come home now.
---
Sorry, but can't forget finals—without them there was no point in coming all the way out here. Plus if I leave now, I've just wasted the past several weeks of my life studying my ass off for them. So much for your latest sinister plot to get me to play hooky and wind up in bed with you for a week. (I promise, we don't have that much longer.)
Remind Celina that pizza may taste good, but it's loaded with things that are bad for you and you all shouldn't eat so much of it. You'll get sick, you mark my words.
Stay alive with limited explosions in your pants until I get home. Love you, love you, love you.
---
Har di har har, very funny. You just joke about it because you have the self-control to NOT explode in your pants.
While you study away in the Emerald Isles, the rest of us suffer through Malice's annual Exam Boot Camp. She's even worse than ever now, and menaces us poor laypeople with her T-square of doom at least six times per day. Cierra is a little less scary, but just as firm, and Rose and Seth certainly aren't helping matters by latching on to her every word. You'd think those two would've figured out by now that with their class rank, they've got nothing to worry about, but whatever.
Fia is back together with—you guessed it—Skyler, for the seventh time this year. The guy is really persistent, and as picky as Fia gets, I think she may actually be warming up to him. They go out every now and then, and I have it on the highest authority that he lends her his math notes.
As I'm sure you'll be happy to hear, Ness finally got back from the hospital, but is under strict orders to stay in bed as much as possible and not overstrain himself. Celina has shifted her attention to fussing over him, but still feeds us nonetheless. She has taken your advice about pizza, but has changed the cheap, good-tasting dinner of the week to ramen. I think she's purposely not getting it, but who am I to complain? Comfort food is always welcome at exam time.
Must get back to studying now, Malice is glaring at me.
---
May Malice always keep you on track when our affection gets in the way, dear.
Our finals are coming up in two weeks now, and I admit I'm starting to get nervous. The waters between Gaelic and Welsh get muddy under pressure.
Hang in there, I'm sure Exam Hell isn't as bad as it used to be since I'm not around to constantly nag you and withhold sexual favors until you finish your daily work. (Snerk.) Don't let Malice and Cierra run you too ragged. If they get overbearing, I suggest that you and the others ambush them with pillows and Lina's stuffed animal collection.
It is good to hear about Ness—aside from you, he's the one among your number who makes me worry the most. Give him my explicit orders to stay out of trouble until I get back.
Oh, and about the pants explosions—you have no idea.
Love you, miss you, all but pining for you—I'm glad I'll be back soon.
---
Pillows were a good idea—I got Serene, Lina, Seth, Ness, and Celina to agree on it, and we had the most epic soft thing fight in ages. Fia took pictures—when you get back we'll let you see them.
Finished half of the entrance exams so far, gasp wheeze faint. The long nights cramming are finally starting to take effect—I don't think I failed anything at all, although Serene keeps groaning that she's sure she bombed the exam to her second-pick school.
Of course, this means I'm starting to get weird cravings at the most bizarre times. Yesterday it was marshmallows, this morning it was peanut butter… and right now it's you. I want you so bad, it's driving me insane. I miss the way you taste.
Only a week and a half left. Hurry back, or my brain will be jelly by the time you come home, and it will take you hours and too many naughty things for me to write to salvage any of my mental capacity at all.
---
Down, boy.
Sorry I couldn't write back for so long—exam fever has taken full hold, and I don't have a spare second. Finished most of my finals (and they were hell), and now only Celtic Mythology and European History are left. I'm not worried about Myth, but History is going to be a killer. Pray for me, I'll need all the help I can get.
Try not to stress out too much. The end is in sight.
---
Praying as requested—hope it comes in handy.
All our exams are finally done, although you wouldn't know it from the way that Fia, Rose, and Seth are all stressing. I admit, I'm a little worried too, but I won't start freaking until a few days before results are posted, and that won't be until you get home, so you'll be there to distract me.
Serene is absolutely sure she failed everything, but I don't know. She flips out directly before and directly afterward, but she's always been really good at handling things under pressure. We'll see when we finally get the results.
Cierra's finals are starting in a few days, and she's unconcerned as ever. Malice is a nervous wreck (i.e., bitchy and spasmodic) though, so we're avoiding her until Cierra gets done. She may just be worried, but it's hard to feel sympathetic when she's throwing sharp objects at you.
Oh—and as I'm sure you won't be happy to hear, Ness is bedridden again and sick like nobody deserves. At first we thought he was relapsing, but when Celina called a doctor (she wants him home this time), the verdict was that he's gotten pneumonia. He's miserable when he's lucid, and when he's delirious we just get out of the room so Celina won't hurt us.
Hang in there—we need the modicum of sanity that will return to the house with you.
---
Poor Ness! TB, mono, and pneumonia all in the same six months?! Celina's right to fuss over him. Send the dear my best wishes.
And don't tell Celina this, but if he doesn't manage to finish his thesis in time, he can always look into being a professional invalid. (Hides behind heavy furniture until the danger passes.)
I believe I've managed to survive History. Just a few more days until the results get in, and I'll be on my way home—what a strange thought. It makes me happy, though—I finally get to see you and everyone after a whole year.
Don't bother to reply to this letter—by the time it gets here, I'll be sitting on a plane and fidgeting from sheer impatience and anxiety to get back with you.
---
Ein snuck another glance at his desk—or more properly, the tall pile of handwritten letters scattered haphazardly over it. With a defeated sigh, he set his book down and made a face. There was absolutely no way he'd be able to concentrate on anything at all, not tonight. Not when all he wanted to do was run around in hysterical impatience while counting down the seconds until Ledah was due to walk through the door.
He'd known he was going to have problems dealing when his boyfriend since forever had won a prestigious scholarship to study abroad for a year. He hadn't raised too much of a fuss because he'd known what a big deal it was to Ledah to take advantage of the offer, but… well, Ein's friends had often accused him of being clingy, and not having the supportive presence of the one he loved more than anything in the world… had been a little painful. Okay, that was basically a lie. It had been hell, pure and simple, and Ein was relieved that it was over.
Almost over. After all, Ledah wouldn't actually be home for another half hour or so.
"Hey, EIN! Stop moping and get your ass downstairs, will you?!"
With a long-suffering sigh, Ein got up and trudged out of his room, heading for the stairs. This was another reason he hadn't wanted Ledah to go to Dublin—now there was no one to defend him from the crazy people he lived with.
"What do you want?" he asked, emerging into the kitchen.
"As long as you're waiting, you might as well make yourself useful," Celina informed him, shifting the cardboard box overfilled with hors d'oeuvres in her arms to glare at him better. "Carry something, willya?"
"Fine, fine." Ein sighed and trailed after her into the living room. Celina was the closest thing in this house to a parental figure, and was in fact the only parental figure Ein had ever had. The party to celebrate Ledah's homecoming had been her idea, and despite the rather lackluster response from those among their number still worried about exams, she wasn't giving up.
"Besides, I'm going to be out for a while, so you need to start picking up slack. You're one of the only people in this house of screwballs I can trust to keep order without the application of T-squares, triangle rulers, or various other sharp and/or heavy objects. And anyway, I'm counting on you to look after Ness. He refuses to stay in his room, and everybody else is just going to get him riled up and not think at all about his health."
"He's been doing better, though," Ein said helplessly, reaching to pick up a box.
"Sure, he seems better, but his pneumonia will absolutely relapse unless he stays out of the cold and doesn't overexert himself. That second part is up to you to handle, you got it? Ness has a tendency of forgetting to watch out for that kind of thing when everyone around him is hyped up."
"Where are you going, anyway?"
"Me?" Celina raised her eyebrows and glanced back at him. "I am going to go seduce Ashcroft. You lot can party all you like here; I'm going to get some enjoyment myself."
Ein made a face. "I really didn't need to know that…"
Celina turned back to the task at hand. "Oh come on, as if you and Ledah aren't going to go slip off and have mad sex the minute no one's watching you once he gets here. Besides, when I get back, I'm bringing more food. You have nothing to complain about." She shook her head as she tromped down the hall; Ein followed her. "You aren't the only person in this house suffering from sex withdrawal, you know."
"I repeat: Too much information," Ein groaned. "When I say I really don't need to know, I really don't need to know. I do not want those mental images."
The two of them set their boxes on the kitchen table, along with several others that already lay there. Celina put her hands on her hips and glared into the adjoining room, where the other residents of the house were piled collectively onto the couches and chairs arranged around the TV. "Okay, kids, I'm going now. If you destroy the house before Ledah gets here, I'm gonna be pissed, you got it?"
Not waiting for an answer, she walked over to the edge of the nearest sofa, which was occupied by a frail-looking, pale-skinned young man with shaggy blonde hair and deep-set, knowing dark blue eyes. "You be careful, okay? None of this drunk partying crap that I'm sure these other crazy people are going to try to entice you into. Don't you dare forget that you're still sick. If you do and get yourself bedridden again, I am going to kill you."
"Of course," the boy said, covering a shallow cough. A patterned blanket was draped over his body, and a smooth gold-colored laptop was balanced on his knees. "You don't have to worry about me so much, you know…"
"As if," Celina retorted, and leaned down to hug him. "Remember, Ness, if you start feeling light-headed again, lie down right away. And if you—"
"I know, I know." Even so, Nessiah leaned into Celina's embrace with a sigh of surrender. "Go have fun with Ashcroft already. You can relax at least for a little while, don't forget."
Celina rolled her eyes at him and kissed the top of his head. "Whatever, kiddo. Just letting you know." Looking up, her arms still protectively around her sickly captive, she addressed the others. "You all know where the food and drinks are. If you absolutely can't keep your fun and games G-rated, get a room. You know where those are, too. I'm leaving now."
"'Bye," the majority of them replied as Celina gave Nessiah one last hug, straightened up, grabbed her jacket and wallet, and headed out the door.
Once she was gone, one of the sofa loungers stood up. "Ein, why don't the two of us set the table while we're waiting?"
"Okay. Sure, Fia."
The green-haired girl smiled at him as the two of them started unpacking the boxes; Ein smiled back. Fia had started living here when her parents had died so that her grandfather could set their affairs in order, and she'd decided to stay so as not to trouble him. She was one of the more responsible people living here, and she definitely needed a distraction as much as Ein did—she was worried to the point of insomnia about her entrance exams, although in Ein's opinion she didn't have to be. Fia was very intelligent.
"What d'you want to start off with, Ein?" Seth called from the sofa, where she sat against the armrest with her legs sprawled over Rose and Serene's laps. "Movies? Games? Wii? Food?"
"You guys can do whatever, I don't really care," Ein replied, setting a basket of plastic forks in the middle of the table.
"C'mon, Ein, we all know you need a distraction," Seth wheedled, picking up DVD and game boxes. "Look! Pirates! RENT! DDR!"
"…I'm really not in the mood," Ein said with a sigh, pushing his hair back. "Like I said, you guys can do whatever. I'd rather be up doing stuff than sitting around watching movies."
"There's no point in partying if one of the guests of honor, so to speak, isn't interested," Rose pointed out, annoyed. "Stop fussing, sit down, and get your mind off the clock. Ledah will be here sooner than you think. Honestly, you're worse than Celina."
"Yeah, Ein, come sit down and play with the Wii," Serene called, grinning wickedly.
Ein almost groaned aloud. Oh boy, here we go again.
"We've had this thing for over a month. It's just shameful that you've barely picked it up at all, you know? You're a Wii virgin! Ledah knows how to use a Wii. How embarrassing d'you think it'll be for him when he finds out his boyfriend won't have any idea how to play with his?"
Ein turned to Fia for sympathy; she just shrugged and went back to fixing the table.
"Hey, I've been wondering—since Ledah got his Wii in Ireland, I wonder if it's different from ours? Think an Irish Wii is bigger than a Japanese Wii, or what?"
No one else was willing to share sympathy, either. They were all listening to Serene and giggling.
"Not like size matters that much, of course, 'cause Ledah's amazing Wii skills will leave you senseless when he comes over to play with yours. Which you still won't touch. You know, playing with your Wii by yourself is supposed to be practice! Why won't you try?"
"Will you stop it with the Wii-as-sex euphemism?" Ein demanded, irritated. "I don't want to play, so I'm not gonna play!"
Serene stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine. I was just trying to get your mind off things. Be a party pooper, I don't care."
"Let's just play DDR instead," Lina suggested, jumping up. "Lina'll go get the pads!"
Ein pulled out one of the chairs and sat down with a sigh as his housemates all gathered around their PlayStation. Only he and Seth had lived under Celina's care for their entire lives; the others had all wandered here due to their own personal circumstances, good, bad, and strange. The common thread was that for all her quirks, Celina had taken them all in gladly when they'd needed a home. Now they were… well, if not family, then at least a community. A very insane community, but a lovable one nonetheless. That was the nice thing about these people: No matter what, they always tried to be there for you.
It got a little hard for Ein, though, without Ledah around—after all, now that Malice and Cierra were together, everyone had paired up: Serene and Lina, Seth and Rose, Malice and Cierra, and even Celina had her longtime friend-boyfriend-bedwarmer, Ashcroft. Fia was in high demand among the young men at school, so she was never short on significant others. Nessiah—the only odd one out—was almost always too ill to leave the house anyway, and he'd never shown much interest in romance. That left Ein painfully alone, which was never his favorite state of being.
It always brought back painful memories of the research facility where he'd been born.
Ein shuddered and shut out the thought with a shake of his head. Now was totally and completely not the time to go down that long and angst-ridden road yet again.
He sat and listened to the upbeat music, laughs, and cheers from the other room, then grimaced. If he went and joined everyone else, he'd just end up bringing everyone down, and he wouldn't be able to bear it if he did.
Which meant that all Ein could do was sit on his hands.
As he resigned himself bitterly to his fate, the doorbell rang.
Ein jolted up, electrified, and sprinted to the door, flinging it open, completely ignoring the commotion as everyone else shuffled around in the distance, turning off the game and getting up reluctantly. His heart shot straight up to the ceiling and his best, brightest idiot grin spread across his face at what he saw.
Standing breathless on the front steps with a suitcase on either side of him and an equally slap-happy smile on his face was the blonde, carmine-eyed, fair-featured, tall, and utterly breathtaking vision of loveliness named Ledah Rozwelli.
Ein let out a wordless cry and flung himself into Ledah's open arms, almost knocking the blonde off the steps altogether, alternately clinging tightly and desperately kissing every inch of open skin he could get to.
Applause, giggles, and the occasional wolf whistle heralded the arrival of everyone else behind him. Ein ignored them. For the moment, nothing else mattered. Ledah was finally here. Ein was whole again.
Finally pulling back out of need for air, Ein leaned his forehead against Ledah's, closing his eyes with a blissful sigh. "Okaeri."
Although he couldn't see it, Ein felt Ledah smile. "Tadaima."
:For Trinity Spark. Omodeto, and arigatou! I would be honored to have your continued support.:
Owari.