He looks surprised, and then for a half-second something like pain crosses his face. For the past two years, he's been struggling with the notion that he's stolen this life—UnVeiled and part of an active, vital resistance—from Leo. Out of the two of them, Leo was the twin who would have joined the Dislinked and who would have reasonably gotten a lap dance. Luke feels like a bad actor, uneasy in the role of someone a good-looking young man would think to rope into something fun.
The half-second of discomfort passes as he shifts his focus to a topic he can more easily address. "I was worried, actually, a little bit," he replies honestly. "Thought maybe you might have felt awkward or pressured into it. But I guess I'm projecting." He places his hand on Archie's shoulder, something like a pat. "It was a good lap dance, from what I saw. So I guess you weren't feeling awkward at all."
Archie flashed him a bright smile. "Yeah, between you and Mav." He thought it was an obvious choice, but maybe it was only obvious to him. "You're hot, and I know you. She is attractive, and I know her. Better than someone I don't know." Immediately as he finished talking, his brother's words not to fuck his roommate came into his head. It caused a hint of colour to hit his cheeks.
"Thanks for looking out, though," he said with sincerity. He did appreciate it. "It could have been really awkward, but luckily it wasn't."
Luke does not miss the slight hint of scarlet at Archie's cheeks that coincides with 'hot.' Again he feels momentarily perplexed, and then momentarily guilty, and then he feels as if he's being asked to balance too many things at once: Leo's memory; what ought to be proper decorum aboard Mnemosyne; the spectre of Kit's brotherly concern (which Luke is certain looms over Archie in perpetuity); the path of behavior that would be most fair and kind toward Archie; and, most perplexing of all, what Luke wants. He never thinks about what he wants. Actually, he hates to think about what he wants.
Luke frowns a little, feeling his face grow slightly hot with its own hint of color. "You don't need to thank me," he says. "I want to look out for you." He means it, but for some reason, this truthful admission feels especially awkward. "You're hot, too. Although that's separate from wanting to look out for you. Just wanted you to know."
Archie was half tempted to say that Luke really didn't have to look out for him; he was fine. Though, as he felt he was still finding his footing on the ship, sometimes having extra people looking out wasn't so bad. "You want to?" Archie did feel a bit of something that the fact Luke wanted to. It felt nice, but also made him want to ask why. It was also a distraction from the embarrassment he felt from just outright announcing his roommate was hot.
"Oh," he said with a big grin. His face lit up when he heard that he was hot, too. "Thank you." He couldn't get rid of the grin on his face. He saw Luke's own hint of colour in his cheeks. Kit's words of wisdom were taking a back seat for a moment.
"I do want to," Luke replies. Though it occurs to him now that even the most well-intentioned solicitousness could register to someone as an imposition. Suppose Archie is the independent type, and doesn't want a worrywart like Luke hovering over him, telling him not to sprain his tailbone while giving a lap dance. Much to think about.
"And you don't need to thank me or anything. It wasn't intended as a compliment, just a sort of observation." Luke makes a face. "Though it wasn't intended as uncomplimentary, either. Um. You know."
"Okay," Archie replied. "I don't mind, by the way." He felt he should clarify, even if he did sort of have conditions. "Just don't hover overprotectively or whatever." Archie was okay on his own, but he was not going to turn down support.
"Oh," Archie furrowed his brow. Not a compliment but also not an uncompliment. He thought he understood, but he wasn't sure. "So just an objective observation with no subtext?" Archie's voice rose as if that was a question when he wasn't even sure if it was a question.
"Right." Luke does a little salute, half-meaning it, and smiles. "No hovering."
And—
"Oh, gosh." Luke rubs at his eyes with his hand, slightly redder now. "Don't ask me about subtext. I really don't know anything about it. It was an objective observation, how about that?"
Seeing Luke get redder, he didn't know whether it was cute or if he should be worried that he was making some sort of error. "Got it. Just objective observation. No underlying desire to snog me or anything." The comment came with an awkward laugh. "I should just shut up now." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
“No, you’re fine,” Luke says. His face is now an incendiary red. “Please don’t shut up. It’s just—I just—”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, which does absolutely nothing for the state of his face, but makes him feel a little better.
“Do you know planks of wood?” He cracks open one eye to stare at Archie. “How they’re just sort of, like, there? That’s how I try to be. Planks of wood don’t have a subtext, or underlying desires, or overlying desires. They’re there, they serve a purpose, that’s it.”
Archie was still feeling a lot like he should be shutting up before he dug himself deeper into his embarassment and apparently even Luke by how red his roommate was. Though as Luke started talking about being a plank of wood and just being there and serving a purpose, Archie furrowed his brow. "You are more than just a plank of wood, Luke. You are a person with thoughts and feelings."
Archie's mouth hung open for a moment. He closed it after a moment. "I..." Archie had started, but then it just faded away. "I get that feelings are a lot, but it is nice that we can have them. Isn't it?" Archie knew he was going directly against what Luke had said; he wasn't forgetting it or ignoring it.
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Archie & Luke
He looks surprised, and then for a half-second something like pain crosses his face. For the past two years, he's been struggling with the notion that he's stolen this life—UnVeiled and part of an active, vital resistance—from Leo. Out of the two of them, Leo was the twin who would have joined the Dislinked and who would have reasonably gotten a lap dance. Luke feels like a bad actor, uneasy in the role of someone a good-looking young man would think to rope into something fun.
The half-second of discomfort passes as he shifts his focus to a topic he can more easily address. "I was worried, actually, a little bit," he replies honestly. "Thought maybe you might have felt awkward or pressured into it. But I guess I'm projecting." He places his hand on Archie's shoulder, something like a pat. "It was a good lap dance, from what I saw. So I guess you weren't feeling awkward at all."
Archie & Luke
"Thanks for looking out, though," he said with sincerity. He did appreciate it. "It could have been really awkward, but luckily it wasn't."
Archie & Luke
Luke frowns a little, feeling his face grow slightly hot with its own hint of color. "You don't need to thank me," he says. "I want to look out for you." He means it, but for some reason, this truthful admission feels especially awkward. "You're hot, too. Although that's separate from wanting to look out for you. Just wanted you to know."
Archie & Luke
"Oh," he said with a big grin. His face lit up when he heard that he was hot, too. "Thank you." He couldn't get rid of the grin on his face. He saw Luke's own hint of colour in his cheeks. Kit's words of wisdom were taking a back seat for a moment.
Archie & Luke
"And you don't need to thank me or anything. It wasn't intended as a compliment, just a sort of observation." Luke makes a face. "Though it wasn't intended as uncomplimentary, either. Um. You know."
Well then.
Archie & Luke
"Oh," Archie furrowed his brow. Not a compliment but also not an uncompliment. He thought he understood, but he wasn't sure. "So just an objective observation with no subtext?" Archie's voice rose as if that was a question when he wasn't even sure if it was a question.
Archie & Luke
And—
"Oh, gosh." Luke rubs at his eyes with his hand, slightly redder now. "Don't ask me about subtext. I really don't know anything about it. It was an objective observation, how about that?"
Archie & Luke
Archie & Luke
He pinches the bridge of his nose, which does absolutely nothing for the state of his face, but makes him feel a little better.
“Do you know planks of wood?” He cracks open one eye to stare at Archie. “How they’re just sort of, like, there? That’s how I try to be. Planks of wood don’t have a subtext, or underlying desires, or overlying desires. They’re there, they serve a purpose, that’s it.”
Archie & Luke
Archie & Luke
Archie & Luke