milliways_bar | (no subject)

"I don't know," he says, rubbing his eyes.

"Is there any sense that you can... push it down? Or that it would be controllable at all, if you knew what to do?"

He would demonstrate, but that doesn't seem like a very good idea just now.

"I don't think so," he says dubiously.

Lightbulb!

"Hey, maybe -- maybe the explosion is what happens if we're not together." This makes perfect sense. "We're supposed to stop it."

"That doesn't even--" he trails off. Something about Peter's failure to connect the most basic dots is rather worrying.

"Well. One way or another." Raguel's 'backup plan' actually involves killing Peter, but he doesn't have to know that.

Peter interprets this as encouragement.

And tries to kiss Raguel.

"Mngh!" Raguel says, and flinches away. He puts his hands on Peter's shoulders to keep him away, just in case. The kid is just so very persistent.

"Okay, first rule of being the Vengeance of God," he says forcefully, staring at Peter, "is that you do not kiss people.

Peter blinks, but he doesn't try to move closer.

"Why not?"

"Because that's how they get destroyed," he explains, relieved that Peter isn't fighting him.

"Er, sometimes. Best not to take chances. You don't want to explode, do you?"

"No," he says, but doubtfully, as though he's no longer entirely sure.

"But I think -- I think it might be worth it. Sometimes you have to take a chance, right?"

"No," he says patiently, "you can't ever take that chance."

Of course, sometimes people take chances of their own volition. Not much you can do about that.

"I mean, look. What if you were to kiss someone you cared about and realized too late that you couldn't stop it?"

Peter furrows his brow.

"Couldn't stop kissing them?"

This sounds okay to him.

Peter seems to be missing the point.

"Couldn't stop-- exploding, or whatever. And then they would be dead. Understand?"

He isn't shaking Peter yet, but it's a near thing.

After a moment, Peter frowns.

"That's kind of a logical leap." Hypocrisy: he's doing it right. "I'm probably gonna explode anyway. I mean, I might as well make the most of the time I have left."

"Well, ideally you don't die in the process, but seeing as you're human..."

Raguel has to admit that he does sort of have a point. After all, if Raguel hasn't learned to completely control it over six thousand years, it's unlikely Peter will do it the first time out.

"When did all this dreaming and painting happen, exactly?"

"Not too long ago." He thinks. "A few weeks, I guess? Why?"

"I just wondered if it was before or after we met. It's just that even before I knew exactly what I was doing I never took out a city block."

There is peering. It may be uncomfortable. Given Peter's condition, though... probably not.

Actually Peter kind of looks like he's enjoying it.

Anyway.

"Oh," he says, and frowns. "Wait. Yeah, it was -- it was before we met."

The day they met is very important.

"Oh. Oh, good." He sags a little with relief, closing his eyes momentarily.

"So it makes sense that it's not quite the same, then."

Peter deflates. Not with relief.

"Yeah," he says unhappily. "I guess it does. But..."

"You're still getting blown up, yeah," he says, still thinking.

"I don't know, is there anyone else who does that? 'Course, if there was, they're probably not around anymore."

Actually, he's trying to keep talking so that Peter doesn't have time to realize that kissing isn't against the rules anymore.

"I don't know," Peter says, and heaves a frustrated sigh. "Look, this isn't important right now. You're important. We need to figure this out."

Raguel levels a steady look at him, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, something's not right about this whole situation. This sort of obsession doesn't usually happen that fast, for one thing, and you're very determined. I don't suppose you've had anything strange to eat or drink lately, have you? Met any new people who gave you a bad feeling?"

That could be half of Milliways, assuming Peter has instincts that can be trusted.

"It didn't happen fast," Peter protests. "I've always been in love with you. My entire life, it's like I was just waiting -- and this is what I've been waiting for."

A beat.

Sullenly: "And no."

"Oh," he says, and is at a bit of a loss as to how to continue.

"Well, I still think that finding a way to keep this explosion - whatever it is - from happening is the first priority."

Because if not for that, he'd have been gone ten minutes ago. He's pretty sure he would, anyway.

"Well, yeah, obviously." It is so not obvious. "Me too."

Peter looks longingly at him.

"It's just -- you really don't think that there's a chance..." He breaks off. "We're connected."

"For your sake, I hope not. I don't even know why you would--"

He looks hard at Peter's forlorn expression, but inspiration is not forthcoming.

"Don't take it personally, Peter. I can't fall in love with anybody," he says at last, and takes a step back.

"Maybe I'd be more help just... not being here. For now."