[Nightlight]

[seeagreatergood]

So things got awkward and Auggie moved his stuff back out of the Stark household into Milliways.

And he's been totally fine with it. Honestly. It's been kind of a relief not to have to keep such a close eye on himself the last three or four days. Milliways is kind of anxiety-inducing, but less anxiety inducing than living in a house with those two young men.

Of course, he misses the easy camaraderie. But it's not like this is the first time he valued safety over friendship.

Comments

[if_inconvenient]

"Your work and I are not in conflict."

[seeagreatergood]

"Insofar as you live in a different world, sure."

He takes a deep breath. "But if I can come to Milliways, there's no reason people from my world can't, too. Someone could come here and see me with you or Tony and decide you're a way to get to me. My bosses could come here and find out I lived with a couple of boys barely out of high school and terminate me. I could go back to my world and be killed in an op and you and Tony would never know where I'd gone."

[if_inconvenient]

"True on all counts, but it seems to me that the only one which would get measurably worse if we were also fucking you is the second one."

[seeagreatergood]

--Auggie cracks up.

"Well, when you put it like that."

[if_inconvenient]

He grins.

"And are your bosses the sort to care?"

[seeagreatergood]

Sobering: "Yeah. On a personal level, maybe not, but on a security level -- yes, they care about my relationships."

[if_inconvenient]

"Well. I will not stop being Sherlock Holmes for them. I cannot fail to notice things they likely would not want me knowing. But again, that is true even now."

[seeagreatergood]

"Yeah." A sigh. "But it's a lot easier for me to convince them that you're -- and that I'm not a security risk if we're just friends. Speaking from experience."

[if_inconvenient]

"Do you believe I am a security risk?"

[seeagreatergood]

". . . No. No more than a typical civilian in my world."

[if_inconvenient]

"I am not sure whether to be touched or insulted," he says dryly.

[seeagreatergood]

"If we were from the same world you'd be a huge security risk. Does that help?"

[if_inconvenient]

"Well, at least I know you are taking me seriously."

[seeagreatergood]

"I wouldn't want to fuck you if I didn't."

(It's the first time he's said that -- out loud, unprompted.)

[if_inconvenient]

He smiles. "I am glad to hear it."

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie blows out a breath. He said it; the world didn't end.

He still doesn't feel right about it, though.

[if_inconvenient]

"Why does it trouble you so?"

[seeagreatergood]

"I don't know. You're so young. I'm an adult, I'm supposed to know better, I'm not supposed to take advantage of you."

[if_inconvenient]

He snorts.

"You would hardly be taking advantage. I know precisely what I am doing."

[seeagreatergood]

"Who's this forty-five year old who's beating you?"

[if_inconvenient]

"If you want to know, I will tell you the whole story. You won't like parts of it. The important part is that we love him and he would not hurt us in any way we didn't want."

[seeagreatergood]

"Are you sure about that?"

[if_inconvenient]

"Yes. I don't trust him the way I trust you. He is not... he is not nice. But he can be very sweet, after a fashion, and I understand him well enough to know that he is safe."

[seeagreatergood]

Well that makes him feel great.

He smiles, very faintly. "I'm 'nice'?"

[if_inconvenient]

"By comparison, certainly. But also on your own merits."