[closed]

[flamberge]

Who: Kratos Aurion  (flamberge), Lloyd Irving (idealistic)
When: 11/7
Where: The shopping district
What: After an awkward encounter, father and son run into the other. For more awkward.
Warnings: none probably.

[Some people say looks can kill. Kratos' look, however, goes way beyond that. His glare could unwind the very fabric of time and space. Maybe if that actually happened, he could undo what transpired the prior few days. The behavior he'd displayed... Deplorable. Unsightly. Just plan wrong, really. Being happy is one thing. Being happy to the point of hugging strangers is another.

He'd KISSED several people, for pete's sake!

The scowl deepens at the very thought. Some poor passerbyer notices the terrifying expression and promptly runs the other way. Good. Please run away from him and stay away from. The last few days involved enough physical contact to last a lifetime. Enough smiling to last it, as well. His face might not be able to handle anymore. A hand gets brought up to his jaw in a quick attempt to massage those sore muscles. Smiling so much and so intensely hurts. Literally.

While in the midst of trying to crack his poor jaw, something red catches the corner of his eye. It's a familiar redness, one that brings out both joy and panic. Kratos stops in his tracks. Lloyd. Some of the sourness on his face fades, getting replaced by a frown. So. What now? Does he face the boy or run away like a coward and deal with this another day? A braver soul would pick the former. Kratos, however, never claimed to be brave. Facing Lloyd now means facing everything that happened. Not now. Not today. With a hope that his presence had gone unnoticed, the man attempts to flee like the coward he is.]

Comments

[idealistic]

Because I missed you, you jerk!

[ a couple of tears fall before he even notices, and it's only then that he brings a hand up to roughly wipe them away. dammit. he isn't supposed to be crying, he's supposed to be asking him "why?" why is Kratos playing dumb? why is he constantly claiming that Lloyd shouldn't know? and more importantly: why does he choose to do it now, when Lloyd had pretty much accepted that he would never see his father again for as long as he lived?

a part of Lloyd, the one that's still together, tells him that it's probably not his fault. there is a chance that Kratos is hiding something from him, or it could be that CERES did something to him to make him forget that Lloyd knew about their relationship already. if that was the case, what else did he forget? did he forget about how he survived being freed from Origin's seal, or how Mithos had fallen by his hand and the worlds were reunited? did he forget about Yggdrasill? and did he forget about Lloyd's current "condition"?

he doesn't voice those questions, though. his heart takes precedence over his mind, and he's far too angry at Kratos to think rationally. ]

I-I get it, okay? I know why you had to go back to Derris-Kharlan, I know how important it was! I was still taking care of what I had to do back home and I was fine with it!

[ he's still rubbing at his eyes, trying to catch the tears before they fall. everything he bottled up for the last year and a half: all the heartache, all the confessions and admittances to Colette when she asked if he was okay, all the hesitant pauses before adding "…hi, Dad" to his mother's grave-- it rushes out all at once and Lloyd is nigh powerless to stop it. ]

But it's been almost two years! I missed you, I thought I would never see you again! And now you're here saying I shouldn't know that you're my dad and--!

[ a sob escapes before he can finish that sentence. all he wanted was his father back. that's all he wanted. ]

[flamberge]

[any chance of getting through this conversation with relative indifference shatters. kratos' eyes widen and his chest tightens at the sight of those tears falling. there's actual tears now. if that isn't enough, what lloyd says confuses him for so many reasons, but the most confusing aspect is being missed.

not even the most cynical, self-loathing part of him can deny those words and the implication behind them, the implication that lloyd actually cares. it's so difficult to wrap his mind around the idea. no one in their right mind could care for a father as horrid as he, or so he thought. for some reason, his son misses him to point of crying due to not having seen him for two years. ...two years? no, they had seen the other minutes earlier. more of CERES' screw up, no doubt.

much as kratos wants to instantly steer the conversation to discussing the two year comment, he can't. his mouth opens and closes several times but words fail to come out. the urge to comfort lloyd conflicts with the desire to get to the bottom of things. the struggle continues for a few moments more before one finally wins out.]

I...I'm sorry, Lloyd, I really don't remember any of that.

[any of the former harshness has melted away into an overly gentle, if somber tone. it isn't super comforting, but it's the best kratos can do right now. ugh, how he wishes he did remember. whatever CERES did, they'll pay for it. the lack of memory is one thing; making lloyd cry as a result is another.]

[idealistic]

Then quit acting like it never happened!

[ maybe if Lloyd were in a proper state of mind, he would be reeling at the rare instance of Kratos apologizing. it's not that it was the first time he's heard him do so because it certainly wasn't, but even after not seeing him for so long, Lloyd remembers that getting an "i'm sorry" out of the man was like pulling teeth. even if he had reason for staying quiet 99% of the time (which he understands but never quite agreed with), it was still really damn frustrating.

at the same time, maybe he could also realize that Kratos was claiming that he never remembered it, not that he claims it never happened. Lloyd's not one to put words in people's mouths, but dammit Kratos sure was insisting on making it seem that way.

it is comforting, though. hearing this tone of voice from Kratos, even if it wasn't as comforting as it could be, was enough to quell some of Lloyd's upset-- although he did have to will himself to not cry harder. there he is. there is the Kratos that he knew, the one that he could proudly call his father. he knew he was never gone; he was just hiding behind that stupid shield that he seemed to like putting up. it's enough to help him calm down despite how much his chest hurt when his father spoke, and with a final sniffle, he wipes off the last of his tears.

jeez, how embarrassing… even if it was in front of his father-- actually, it's because it was in front of his father (and god knows how many other people) that it was so embarrassing. he can feel his cheeks burn as he musters the will to ask what's probably the smartest question he's asked thus far. ]

But… fine. What do you remember?

[flamberge]

[no words come from kratos' end until lloyd settles down. not only is talking while calm better but he just lacked any idea of what to say. both tears and the words accompanying them render the man effectively speechless. all that's transpired ought to have made it clear that his behavior isn't an act. then again, his track record does make it a possibility

waiting results in being asked a good question, one far easier to answer than its predecessor. the kindness in his voice is no long present upon speaking and all his shields are back in place. for the most part. no one could be fully composed in this situation, not even a 4000 year old angel.]

The last thing I recall is Phaidra asking that I escort The Chosen to your father's [pause] to Dirk's house.

[a request he'd accepted, oddly enough. that poor girl's suffering was partially his fault so accepting a request so simple felt only right. dirk may lack the knowledge to help but he had planned to help push their search in the right direction before returning to yggdrasill's side and probably make more people suffer

like he's making lloyd suffer right now. best father in the world right here.]