Close your eyes and take a taste (Draco! <333)

[Anonymous]

Alaric ignored the threat and just laughed, shaking his head, he long white braid dancing behind him, "Sure Remi. You know that wont stop me. You're just to cuddly."

Inside Remi's bright hair and Alaric's third eye, combined with their pilot status got the two a large number of stares. Most of the patrons tried to be subtle, but a few just stared outright. Alaric shifted slightly, uncomfortable with all the attention. Next time he was wearing a band aid over his extra eye and letting Remi take all the looks.

The tall alien kept his head down, wishing now that his hair had been down, so he could hide behind it. But the thought of the tasty, tasty food thrilled him quite a bit and made the trip more then worth it. As he skimmed over the menu, he got the trail end of Remi's thoughts and his head jerked up, cheeks flushed a darker blue, expression torn momentarily between embarrassment and amusement.

It quickly settled into amusement and his face split into a huge smile, "Why Remi. Such naughty thoughts to be thinking. And about your former candidate too. Tisk tisk." Still feeling playful, the alien leaned closer to Remi, voice soft, "And I do sometimes. If I forget myself in the moment. But not always. Now, going to tell me why you were wondering about that?"

Remi was saved from answering right then when the waitperson arrived, slender and as androgynous as Alaric was. Alaric spoke to him/her in his language, placing the order. Though the staff couldn't seem to not look at Alaric's extra eye, sneaking an occasional look at Remi.

Once they were gone, Alaric turned back to Remi, still highly amused, "I'll tell you when to close your eyes. Now, what about my question?"

[Anonymous]

Remi was looking down and away trying in vain to hide his blush when Alaric had said so clearly that he did claw up backs. While in the moment. Oh lord. Remi pushed his hand to his face and closed his eyes before dragging his fingers through his hair and listening to Alaric tell the order. The language was odd, mostly because he’d never heard it before, the writing was odd, they looked odd. Alaric and his heritage was just odd.  Remi lifted his head and gave a steady glare towards his ex-candidate.

The sunflower haired man leered for a moment than gave a nod. Alaric would tell him when to close his eyes, he could do that. The heat returned however when the alien asked him why he was thinking of ‘that’. His lips pursed and his pink eyes were hooded in a glare, Remi was not amused.  Far from amused. There was no way he was going to answer that question. No way.

“I think I’m sexually frustrated, Even though ...K..Ka..Ka-whatever-her-name-is was right there and probably would have flopped herself over a couch arm I didn’t go for it.” Remi shook his head, amazed with himself. “I’m twenty-eight... and I have the mentality of a fifty year old man. Barely ten years together and I’m ruined.” Izyasica had died shorty after Izzy had been born, around the last few years that Alaric was a candidate. When his wedding ring moved to his middle finger.

Only his candidate, who he had to see day in and day out would still be able to tolerate him of course. Though Remi was positive that if Alaric was anyone else, the sunflower haired pilot would currently be a lonely drunk. Well, more of a lonely drunk than he was.

“You know... I’d be a janitor rather than a Pilot any day.  Everyone is so fucked up it’s not funny.” He moved his hands to his lap and leaned against the chair, looking up levely at Alaric, his hair in his face, covering his scarred ears like they usually did, some of his scars peaked up out of his shirt from his chest and Remi looked around again.

“Anyway, your question. I’m probably thinking of weird things like that because,” Remi hold out a hand a flicked out a finger, “One, I’m not gay, and you’re not technically a man,” he flicked out another finger, “Two, you’re not technically a woman, so I don’t feel guilty,” and a third finger moved to rest with the other two, the finger with the moved wedding ring on it, “Three, you never leave me the freaking hell alone, which I secretly thank you for, so I guess you’re just...” Remi gave a simple shrug, “ The first person on my mind to think dirty thoughts about. Better than Ka-whats-her-name.”

Lame reasons, but the fae pilot couldn’t think of anything else. He didn’t even know if those were the real reasons. Worried about the food, he looked around for a moment before eyeing the table again. Remi was still kind of worried about just what they were going to eat and how weird it was going to be. For a race of hermaphrodites, Remi put the weird-food factor up fairly high.

He was hoping he would be disappointed and that it would be very normal food.

[Anonymous]

Alaric was quite enjoying Remi's blushes. He always got a perverse pleasure out of making his former mentor get all flustered and blush. He was always so grumpy normally. And it made Alaric's heart beat a little faster every time Remi thought about him sexually.

He knew it was a false hope, but he couldn't help it. He had been in love with Remi sense he was a candidate. He had fallen in love with Izyasica as well, though he had done his best to keep Remi from knowing that. Her death had hit him hard, though nowhere near as much as it had hit the fae.

"Yeah. We are a messed up bunch, aren't we?" The program tended to not breed the most emotionally healthy people.

What Remi said next made Alaric's jaw drop slightly, his eyes going wide as his brain frantically tried to process it. He needed Gabriel here! He would know what to do!

Or he was dreaming. Yes. That is exactly what it was. This was all some wonderful dream that would go away when he woke up. Remi hadn't confessed love to him or anything, but it gave him a lot more hope then he had ever had before.

And for the first time sense he had entered the program, Alaric didn't hate the fact that he was a hermaphrodite. Alaric managed to close his mouth, still not really sure what to say so settled on, "Wait....you mean you aren't grossed out at the idea of having sex with me?"

...that was not what I had wanted to say. Crap.

Alaric was saved for the moment, his pale white cheeks flushed a dark blue as he noticed the waitperson bringing over their food, "Um. Close your eyes. Foods arriving!"

[Anonymous]

He could nod and agree.

Emotionally correct Pilots were not. Remi found himself to be one of the few who were sound of mind and still had a healthy consciounce. One of the few pilots who didn’t think the violence got you respect from children. The blonde pilot figuered that was why so many of the pilots were so messed up, because the people who mentored them were messed up. An endless biting circle producing worse and worse pilots. Tainted. Messed up.

Remi was glad he could save at least one. Pastel eyes were level on Alarics face, his expression serious, on a completely different mental wavelength. While Alaric was having mental jitters about Remi’s possible feelings for him, Remi was looking at Alaric. If he’d had any other mentor, someone less accepting, his blue alien friend would be a test subject. Tear them down to build them up again.

Bull. Shit.

Break their spirits and build a fake one. A fake better one. Stupid. For a moment the Pilot regretted taking on Alaric, curious that if someone else had taken the young man he’d come out tougher, thicker, stronger. Been able to handle the taunts he got for being what he was.

Then he snapped out of it, decided that his train of thought was completely wrong for dinner. Then Alaric asked him the sex thing and Remi looked up and stared.

Did it?

Would he have been unnatural if he said no?

Unfortunately for Alaric, Remi could answer with his eyes closed. Carefully he placed his hands in his lap and closed his eyes, blocking out any mental skills he used subconciously to look at things using images from other peoples brains. Nothing. Total darkness.

“The idea of your body? No, that doesn’t creep me out. The idea that I’ve known you since you were a teenager and that I’m almost thirty now is odd. Stop growing, you make me feel short and younger than you. Tall bastard.”

Remi was careful not to breath in too deeply, just in case he would hate whatever it was. The blonde couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be if it smelt bad and he started gagging right there.

While he could be an ass, Remi would never be an ass for the plain joy of it.

[Anonymous]

Whatever Remi might feel, Alaric was grateful that Remi had been his mentor. The blond had taught him well and while Alaric might have some serious self-hatred issues, he didn't really think another mentor would have changed that. He probably would have just broken and ended up in TRIM.

And now thanks to Remi, there was another Pilot that didn't feel that pain and terror and violence was the way to get the candidates through the program. You couldn't be soft on the kids, but you didn't have to cross that line. You didn't have to destroy their souls.

Though none of that was what was racing through Alaric's brain. Remi staring at him was making him flustered. It just made him feel so very aware of how none human he looked. Remi's scarred ears peeking out of his hair just further reminded him of how ugly those oddities were to the human, or in this case fae, eye.

Remi's reply made Alaric's heart sink a little, the hope fading bit, though not entirely. He was glad the other Pilots eyes were closed as he wasn't able to keep the disappointment from his expression, "You aren't that much older then I am. It's really not that weird. And if my being taller makes you feel younger, isn't that a good thing?"

There wasn't really a scent, though Remi could hear a tray being set down and....a faint sound of movement. Then a bustle of activity as Alaric took the lid off the pot in the center of the table, dropping the two fat insects into the boiling oil with a hiss.

"You can open your eyes if you want. The food is cooking. Or you can wait until it's done."

[Anonymous]

Remi smirked and tilted his head to the side when Alaric gave his reply.  Remi wasn’t that much older than him. He supposed. The age difference wasn’t what really got him, it was the whole knowing Alaric since he was a kid. Teenager. A young man. Young woman? Remi gave up on trying to dicide which young-type of person Alaric was and instead rose an eyebrow at the sound of a hiss. “Did I hear something scream?” he joked before cracking an eye open and not looking at the pot of oil.

“Better yet,” Remi lift his eyebrows enough for them to be obscured by his messy yellow hair, “did I hear scuttling?” he was teasing, he’d been to deep inside of his own head to hear anything besides that loud scary hiss. Remi waved a finger at Alaric before continueing the previous conversation. “Being a full grown man with a daughter and a dead wife shouldn’t be feeling young. If anything, I should be grumpy, live by myself, my house should smell like moth balls and I should be a grumpy asshole.”

He paused for dramatic effect then laughed humourlessly, “Oh, wait, I am. And I do! How about that.” For a moment Remi eyed the container of oil and sighed, not quite sure he wanted to know what it was, so he closed his eyes again and rested his head on his hands. “I’m going to close my eyes again in case something jumps out of that pot.” He smiled and then began to tap his feet to a tuneless rhythm.

[Anonymous]

The smell coming from the pot was quite heavenly to Alaric, his mouth already watering. He could hardly wait to eat. And thankfully, it didn't take long for the food to cook. And he was doing his best to keep his hope alive.

"Oh, it doesn't really feel pain for long. It's already dead." Alaric lifted the lid slightly, checking on the food. Almost ready, but not quite. The scent made his tail dance behind him. He glanced back up at Remi, grinning at the fae, "And the scuttling just means they are fresh. Now stop worrying. You'll love it."

Remi's little speech got a disapproving look from the alien, his mouth thinning to line, "Remi..." He hated when his former mentor talked like that. Shaking his head slightly he reached over, lightly flicking Remi's forehead with his claws, "Don't talk like that. Your life isn't over."

He was never really sure what to say and the middle of the restaurant, when he was trying to have a good time with the other man, just didn't seem like the place to go into it. But the hurt, worried look didn't leave his face as he turned his attention back to the food, "It's almost done. Give it another minute. Then we can eat."

[Anonymous]

Remi wasn't quite sure what to make of the smell. Nothing he's ever had the pleasure of smelling before, and while it was unfamiliar, it didn't smell like cooking bug. Remi didn't know it was a giant bug and was probably very glad that Alaric let him close his eyes. Of course the flick to his forehead was uncalled for and Remi jerk back and yelled fairly loudly before covering his mouth and looking around. He muttered and waved politely to the people who ended up staring at him with a confused face and he rubbed his forehead.

"I was kidding about the scuttling." Remi muttered, looking at the pot worridly now. Scuttling. Meant a shelled creature, and Remi knew that crabs got boiled, but not in oil. hmm. Oh well, this was something new, the last time he tried something new was when he changed Izzy's diaper and nearly puked. Disgusting. There was a low chance of that happening today. The smell alone coming from Izzy had been nausiating, this wasn’t too bad.

Remi remused glaring at his Ex-candidate and then closed his eyes again and rested his head on his hand, the other under the table on his lap and his feet stretched out, bored and lightly hitting the instep of Alarics own foot across the table. “It smells... Different. Don’t tell me what it is until I’ve tried some and passed judgement. Okay? Okay.” He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes moving rapidly under his eyelids, “I know my life isn’t over.” He said quietly before offering his candidate a blind soft smile.

“It’s just hard to pick up the pieces of the broken glass and put it back together again. I’m missing quite a few shards.” Like his wife, and his daughter, friends, family. He hadn’t spoken much at all to anyone since his wife died, friends left him to his own misery. Remi was still amazed Alaric harassed him regularily.

[Anonymous]

Remi's yell made Alaric flush slightly as everyone turned to stare at them. He hadn't meant to startle him that much. He gave his ex-mentor a sheepish grin, "Didn't mean to scare you there RemRem."

Turning his attention back to the food, Alaric lifted the lid again, checking on the bugs. Perfect! Smiling wide enough to flash his fangs, the alien fished out the two fat fried bugs, plopping both down onto his plate. His clawed hand expertly found the cracks in the carapace pulling the meat free of the shell with a practiced ease.

"It's ready! Keep those eyes closed. Normally you dip the meat into the sauces, but your first bite should be plain." Alaric took the long chopsticks and snagged a bite sized piece for the other Pilot, reaching across the table to rest it against his lips, "It's still hot, so be careful."

Alaric gave another small sigh, his happy expression fading a little, his eyes sad, "I know Remi. It's hard to pick those shards up again. But you aren't alone. I am here to help you. And there is Izzy. She's beautiful Remi. And she has Izya's smile. You should go see her." The first time Alaric had seen her smile after going to see her after Izya's death, the Pilot had broken down in tears, rather startling the poor Izzy.

Alaric sighed again, wishing he was better at this. He didn't know what to say to help Remi, "Whatever happens, just know that I'm always here for you. I love you Rem. Very much. No matter what, you aren't alone, okay?"

[Anonymous]

RemRem. That was a new one. He quickly snapped an eye open to glare at Alaric and let it snap right back while Alaric opened the lid of the pot. Remi, or RemRem - - he was going to bark about that to his ex-candidate in moment - - sat silently and waited, it didn’t smell all that bad,, which could be only for the best. The Fae pilot could think of few things that smelt like shit and tasted food. Look horrible and taste good, yes, that had been Izyasica’s speciality. Foul looking things that tasted like heaven.

It wasn’t until he felt something rest against his lips that he opened his mouth and grabbed at the thing with his lips and tongue. The very first thought was that it was weird. An unusual taste, not horrible, not wonderful, plain and meaty. While he chewed on the hunk of flesh in his mouth, he listened to Alaric. His alien friend knew his parents and daughter better than he did, as much as it hurt him to admit it, he was glad that he wasn’t a major influence on Izzy.  She’s be a scary depressed little girl.

He swallowed the food in his mouth and kept his eyes closed, not too sure if he wanted to open his eyes just yet. It didn’t taste so amazing that if it turned out to be a nasty creature he wouldn’t turn to the side and retch. Remi didn’t reply, he just nodded and then licked his lips. “Okay, lets try it not-plain, and don’t call me Rem or RemRem.” His eyebrows drew downwards in a form of glaring without actually glaring and he sat silently, waiting, his mind reeling.

We should visit Izzy after we’re done lunch.

[Anonymous]

Izyasica had taught Alaric quite a bit about cooking when he had been Remi's mentor. He had been fond of her dishes and between her and Alaric's parents he was a pretty talented chef and baker. Though his dishes tended to look much more appetizing then Izyasica's ever did.

Beaming as Remi took his first bite, Alaric got another chunk ready. The bugs had the texture of crab, though not quite as rich. Alaric didn't really feel like crab came close to the wonderful taste of the bugs. He dipped this one into one of the sauces, savory with just the slightest hint of kick to it, "Okay. Try this one and tell me what you think?"

The two of them were getting more looks now. It was pretty rare for anyone of Alaric's race to be in a relationship with someone outside the race. They weren't particularly xenophobic, but few races handled their gender or polyamorous lifestyles well. And the two Pilots looked very much like they were on a date.

Careful not to drip any of the sauce, Alaric pressed the piece against Remi's lips, his hand twitching slightly as he heard the message from Remi. He blinked rapidly, jaw opened slightly. Then a huge smile spread over the alien's face.

Really Remilander? That would be really great. I haven't seen her in a little while. And I bet she would love to see you.

[Anonymous]

Remilander. Oi. He opened his mouth and pulled the piece of bug into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before keeping his arms on his lap, hands folded neatly on his lap, feet on the ground. Yes, Really.  She’ll probably take to seeing me better if I bring someone she likes. Remi smiled slightly and opened his eyes, and drew the back of his hand over his lips. He swallowed and eyed the pot before leering at Alaric.

“Okay, I ate two pieces. What did you feed me?”  He licked around his mouth to swallow all the left over chunks so he wouldn’t throw up if it turned out to be babies. Remi had nothing against Alaric or his race, but Babies were the worst thing he could think about eating. The Fae pilot moved his hair out of his face, careful that it covered his mutilated ears and obscured most of his face.

[Anonymous]

Remi...she doesn't hate you or anything. She's just not used to seeing you, that's all. Alaric shook his head, sighing slightly. He really wanted to make things good between Izzy and Remi. Alaric was really fond of the little girl, and it wasn't fair that she never get to see what a great guy her dad really was.

Even if Alaric seemed to be the only person who actually felt that way about Remi. The blond just snapped at everyone else and they gave up. Alaric was just stubborn.

Grinning at the Pilot as he opened his eyes, Alaric gestured to the bug sitting on his plate, "You had some of that. In sauce. Tasty, huh?"

The fact that Remi kept his ears hidden always made Alaric a little nervous. He had seen the scars, where Remi had carved the points off. Which reminded Alaric how large and pointy his own ears were.

[Anonymous]

A small smile towards Alaric and he moved his hands to his lap and looked down, lowering his head so it obscured his face. Thoughts if Izzy made his heart ache for the woman he couldn’t protect, the woman who made up half of her. The moment of self-pittying passed and Remi took a breath and played with the ring on his finger before looking up at what he ate and going slightly pale. Bugs. He ate bugs.

And oddly enough they didn’t taste that bad. After some thought, Remi decided to not freak out, they were like crabs anyway. In a shell. They just... Eugh, bugs. Pressing his lips closed, Remi let out a breath and shifting in his chair before leaning in and looking at it. “Surprisingly tasty.” A solemn nod and he licked his lips and moved his hair off of his face again.

“I’m full.” Remi gave Alaric an apologetic smile and put his hands back in his lap. Lifting his head and looking Alaric face on, his odd pastel pink eyes on Alarics eyes, taking in his face, how ethereal he looked, such a light shade of blue, his white hair. “Finish up your lunch and we can go visit Izzy. She’ll be excited when she sees you.”  Izzy was always so much more excited to see Alaric, when he called his mother bi-monlthy she’d relay how sad izzy was because she hadn’t see Alaric lately if he he could, would he please poke Alaric about visiting.

Of course he didn’t. It hurt to have his daughter love his friend more than her father. Remi was secretly very jealous of the relationship Alaric had with Izzy.

[Anonymous]

Watching Remi carefully, Alaric fretted over his reaction to the food. Humans, and Remi was close enough to human that Alaric counted him as one, didn't tend to like the idea of eating it. Alaric had grown up on the stuff and really didn't see the problem with it.

But the blond seemed alright with the food. Though he wasn't going to eat anymore. Which got a pouty frown Alaric, "Really? You don't want anymore?" He took bite for himself, dipping it into one of the sauces, "You hardly had any."

He savored the bite, the meat rich and perfectly cooked, the sauce sweet and savory. Amazing. He had missed this so much. Though the thought of visiting Izzy was enough to make him willing to rush, "Good point. I haven't been able to get away to see her recently."

Alaric adored Izzy. And his little Princess had him totally wrapped around her little finger. She reminded him a lot of Izya, and she was like the daughter he had always wanted. Even if he had any idea of how jealous it made Remi, he would have still visited her. She meant the world to him.