[TEA ROOM]

[starofchaos]

[Liquid stared up as the lights flickered back on, the mushroom in his hand still held to illuminate the kitchen he'd been about to enter. A raised eyebow was the only response they got before he entered. Absently, assuming he didn't need it any more, he put the mushroom to his mouth and bit into it. The bleep from his phone made him jump and he delved a hand into the pocket of his coat to pluck it out. The screen was lit up, the battery at 100%.]

...what the devil...?

[Shaking his head, he popped the phone back into his pocket and stepped into the room. To his surprise, he realised there was already tea there, laid out in many little cups on the table. Absently, he picked one up, studying it for a long moment. His paranoid mind said not to drink it, but it had been a while since he'd had a decent cup of tea. Absently, he sipped at it. Earl Grey. Interesting.]

(Tea room! Whatever tea you drink is going to have a different effect.

Cherry tea: Ever saw a blushing virgin right before being deflowered? The people that drink this tea will show you how it's done.
Darjeeling tea: Causes the drinker to suffer severe delusions. They might just start to think they're the Queen of England, or a tree, or any number of things. I suggest you take videos for posterity and blackmail.
Earl Grey tea: Drinkers of this tea can't tell anything but the truth.
English breakfast tea: Not only will the drinker be more arrogant, snobbish and better than you, but they will also voice it. Loudly. Narcissism is encouraged. So is slapping them back to their senses.
Mint tea: Completely flip your personality. Good is bad, bad is good, etc.
(Description and idea taken from Addictions

Feel free to threadhop!)

Comments

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

/I'm s-sorry.../

[He lightly cupped the other Raikov's cheek with one hand, affectionately.]

/Listen. You're beautiful, and if I wasn't attached I'd be on you in a heartbeat. But I have someone I love and... and I don't want to jeopardise that./

[moekov.livejournal.com]

[He didn't seem to understand, but he smiled at the compliment.]

/How does that jeopardise it...?/

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

...

/He wouldn't be happy if I slept with someone else./

[Even if he already had.]

/I love him. So I'm willing to refrain./

[Even if he'd hardly gotten any in six years and it was killing him sometimes.]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/Why not? Yevgeny sleeps with other people, and so do I, but we love each other~/
[He flopped against Twotone again.]

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

/I want to try to do things properly this time. A proper relationship... not whatever it was that Colonel and I had./

[He absently brought his hand up to stroke through the other Raikov's hair.]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/"A proper relationship"...? What's wrong with what Yevgeny and I have?/

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

/Nothing's "wrong" if you're happy with it... but proper relationships are supposed to be equal. You and your partner, entirely devoted to each other... not sleeping with anyone else, or doing anything that might hurt them./

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/I'm happy...when Yevgeny is around./

[Ivan seemed to struggle for a moment in thought, realizing something, but trying to suppress it. The tea prevented it.]
/He hurts me, but I don't mind./

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

.../He hurts you? Can you tell me more?/

[He absently rubs his arm.]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/Well.../
[He thought for a moment, staring over at the wall.]
/What do you want to know?/

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

/Well, what does he do?/

[Ivan is worried about you...]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

[Ivan fiddled with the veil on his hat idly, still smiling, though it seemed forced.]

/Sometimes he'll hit me, electrocute me.../
[His voice shrank.]

_{/Broken some things.../}

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

[The first two he can accept, but the last one makes him start.]

/He what? Broke some things? Like what?/

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/Usually just my arm! Or, uh...the fingers on my right hand so I couldn't masturbate. A few ribs...he broke my nose once, but then he never touched my face again./

[He laughed slightly, running his hands along his face.]

/So I could stay beautiful...~/

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

...

[Without warning, he tugged the other Raikov into his arms and embraced him tightly, burying his face in the other man's hair.]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

[Ivan squeaked in surprised, but didn't mind the hug; he even sank into it.]

/Huh? What is it? Did you change your mind~?/

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

[He lightly rubbed the man's back, closing his eyes with a light sigh.]

/...would it make you happy?/

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/Of course. That's what I always do to cheer myself up./

[Damn that tea. He jolted back suddenly, looking very nervous.]

/B-but I'm...upset...I am..because of Yevgeny?/
[He shook his head holding it in his hands.]

/He's he-helped me and he brought me to Gr-groznyj Grad, h-he's all I have. H-he'll never l-love me if I'm like this, right?/
[He looked back to Ivan.]

/I have to be beautiful and perfect, and not mind a-anything he does. S-so why...why.../

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

/Why what... Ivan?/

[He lightly caught the other Ivan's hands, drawing them away from his head and squeezing them in his own.]

/Sh... Ivan. You are beautiful. You are perfect. If he loves you, or even can love you, he'll love you as you are. That's what it means to love someone - that you accept them for who they are, not what they can be. He helped you for a reason, right? He must care for you, surely.../

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/Why...why am I.../
[He was crying, hard.]

/H-he...didn't help me...b-blackmail...blackmailed...me...I.../
[The tea wore off, and he went quiet.]

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

...

/Blackmailed?/

[Ivan is white as a sheet now. Slowly, he lifted a hand to brush the tears away. He didn't know what to say.]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

/I'm fine.../

[He wrapped his arms around Twotone, nuzzling his chest.]
/You think I'm beautiful...so...you must want to do things to me./

[He went in to kiss him.]

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

[Shock flickered over his face and he stilled, not even lifting a hand to push him away.]

...!

[Reluctantly, he returned the kiss, but broke it off soon enough.]

/Ivan.../

[What was wrong with the man? He was out of his mind... Or was it really so different? Wolf said Ivan had Stockholm's regarding Fear... there were some of the same symptoms there. But no, that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?]

[unwillinghelper.livejournal.com]

[Shock flickered over his face and he stilled, not even lifting a hand to push him away.]

...!

[Reluctantly, he returned the kiss, but broke it off soon enough.]

/Ivan.../

[What was wrong with the man? He was out of his mind... Or was it really so different? Wolf said Ivan had Stockholm's regarding Fear... there were some of the same symptoms there. But no, that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?]

[moekov.livejournal.com]

[Ivan seemed to be lost somewhere, covering up all the bad thoughts the tea had managed to stir up. He leaned in again, not a word, to kiss Twotone softly on the neck, hands working on his coat.]