[Bruno does nothing to interrupt. He doesn't even try to fill the silence when Polnareff takes those few seconds to steady his breathing somewhat. Whatever words spill out and at whatever pace they happen to spill out is enough. He's watching Polnareff as he speaks so that when he does finally work up the courage to look up at him again, he's able to greet Polnareff with a gentle smile.]
Learning things? That sounds awful, [he teases gently, taking a little time to move a few stray strands of Polnareff's hair back into some semblance of place.] I can see why you loved him though. It sounds like he was a good man.
[Someone who matched Polnareff in his ideals and values, and also had enough of a sense of humor to give back to him as much as he dished out? Of course it was only a matter of time before Polnareff fell in love with someone like that.]
[Though really, Bruno isn't sure how he feels about that tense switch. He matches the past tense that Polnareff sticks to, but he's not sure if that's helpful for him or not. It's really hard to say because there are certainly merits for either. Keeping Abdul in the present tense keeps the hope that he'll come here someday alive. Putting him in the past tense, however, keeps the long-term outcome in mind. Bruno isn't one to judge about which is correct, so it's probably safest to just stick to whatever Polnareff puts out there.]
[There's more he wants to say about Abdul, and he will in a moment. But now that he's not crying, that seems important to establish. He cups his cheek, his thumb brushing against his skin softly.]
And it's not . . . it's not because I lost him, that I fell in love with you. I love you because you're you. You know that?
[Bruno's free hand comes up to cover the hand on his cheek, turning his head a little to press a kiss to his palm.]
I know. [He intertwines their fingers together loosely.] I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.
[Bruno doesn't think Polnareff would have settled for that. He certainly wouldn't have only let Bruno pull just far enough away that he'd have the space to breathe until it felt safe enough to be close.]
And it's okay if part of you still loves him.
[He doesn't believe that you meet people like that, fall in love, and then that's it. The love is gone the moment they are, it doesn't fade immediately into memory. Hell, even when large swaths of it become memory, there's probably always going to be a small piece of love reserved just for that person that no one else can touch. And that's okay with Bruno. He wants Polnareff to have that. He thinks he needs it.]
[He says it quickly, his heart leaping into his throat. The last thing, the very last thing, that he wants is for Bruno to think he has to share Polnareff in some way. That he in any way comes in second, or that he's somehow lesser, or-- god, or anything.
But . . . that's not what he's saying. He's not saying it's all right that Polnareff somehow prioritizes Abdul, or loves Bruno less. Just that it's all right that his heart is, in some minor way, torn in two.
He still feels guilty. But Polnareff swallows and scoots closer, pressing their foreheads together.]
[Bruno discards the half-attempt at denial. It's reflexive. It's concern for Bruno and Bruno's feelings. All well and good, but not the point and not the focus here and now. So, it's easy to discard. Bruno lets go of Polnareff's hand to hold his cheek instead. His other hand slips out of his hair to do the same to his other cheek.]
I love you.
[He murmurs it softly, thumbs stroking his cheekbones again and again slowly. While he would not want that to eclipse what Polnareff feels for Abdul, he does wish that it could be enough to soothe the pain and guilt he feels. Maybe not entirely, but at least some of it. That's simply unrealistic, however, and is far beyond anything that Bruno could ever do for him. In the end, the most Bruno can do is support Polnareff when he needs it and sit with him in these feelings so that he doesn't have to be with them alone. The harder parts are things that Polnareff will have to do for himself. It's the only way he'll heal.]
[Bruno shifts to kiss Polnareff's forehead before encouraging Polnareff to settle back down once more, Bruno's hand returning to Polnareff's hair once again.]
Tell me more about him?
[The good, bad, or whatever else in between, it really doesn't matter. Abdul just can't continue to be something that Polnareff feels like he can't talk about to Bruno. Not after nightmares like that.]
[He stares at him for a few seconds longer, eyes darting about his face, before nodding.]
He was a fortuneteller. A real one, I mean, not just one of those scam artists. He taught me a little . . . I could probably read your future for you. I, hah, I made a tarot deck for Lucy, when she first got here. It's just a pack of cards, but it works just as well as a real set.
[He slips a hand around Bruno's hips, pulling him in close. Slipping his fingers beneath his shirt, he traces his fingers against his skin, trying to think.]
We were the same age, or just about, and I think that set us apart a little. I mean, don't get me wrong, Kakyoin and Jotaro are my best friends, but I think . . . I don't know. It was easier for us to understand each other, just like it was easier for them sometimes. We'd compete a lot-- he was competitive as hell, even if he tried to pretend sometimes he was too mature for that. He always tried to act like that: mature, you know? Superior. I thought he was at least thirty the first time I met him, and then I asked and no, turns out he just really feels like he's gotta be in charge of all of us. Then again, it's not like Mr Joestar was all that put together. He was determined, but it was Abdul who'd make all the hotel arrangements or whatever.
Mm . . . that's a pretty accurate illustration Jotaro did me, you know. Him and Magician's Red both. He was one of those people who had a real presence, you know? He'd walk into a room and you'd know right away.
[Bruno runs his fingers through Polnareff's hair slowly as gentle encouragement while he speaks. Occasionally, a small smile appears, but never too wide because the ache created from love and longing is obvious in every word. Things like that ache deserve quiet respect.]
I'm glad you had someone like that with you.
[Because Polnareff needs that sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes he just needs someone to rein him back in. Whatever else Abdul may or may not have been, it's obvious that he helped keep Polnareff steady, most likely in the moments when he needed it most. Kakyoin likely tried, but he lacked the confidence and ultimately the maturity to do it in a way that Polnareff could respond to. It had to be Abdul.]
[He keeps sliding his fingers against his skin, his eyes flickering over his face. Talking about Abdul hurts. It'll probably always hurt, in the same way talking about Sherry always hurts. But that hurt comes with a wonderful warmth, something nostalgic and fond all at once.]
He taught me a little Arabic once. Numbers, and how to say basic stuff like hello and whatever . . . he let me teach him a bunch of French before telling me he knew it perfectly, because of course he did. It got easier to talk to him after that-- once I could do it in French, I mean. I think I started to understand him better. He wasn't as open as me, so it took me a while to understand him.
[It's gentle teasing though because it's one thing that Bruno wouldn't change about Polnareff for the world. It makes it easier to trust him, and to eventually reciprocate with some openness of your own. Bruno imagines Abdul figured that out for himself once he came to realize that it was genuine.]
I hope he broke it to you gently when he told you he could speak French fluently.
Are you kidding me? Of course he didn't. I was teaching him phrases, and I said something like, "Okay, you got that?" and he answered me in perfect French, all smooth and shit. Of course I did, I can speak French perfectly, I'm Mohammad Abdul and I can pronounce everything with a Parisian accent--
[His voice goes deep for that impression, his mouth scrunching up into what he imagines is a smugly superior expression. It collapses after a moment, and Polnareff huffs, snuggling closer to Bruno. His mood has lifted a fair bit, it seems, as he offers his boyfriend a pitiful look.]
All my friends are cruel.
[Are, present tense. Polnareff hesitates, draws in a breath-- and then shakes his head minutely. He won't change it.]
[Are is a hard word to miss in his sentence after all the was that had been floating around. But when Polnareff shakes his head, Bruno goes with his instinct to leave it be and continue to follow Polnareff's lead. It's okay, he thinks, for Abdul to not be so firmly rooted in the past. That sometimes he can be pulled into the present with the ones who are.]
You're just such an easy target that even the kind ones can't help themselves.
[Normally, a sentence like that would be a whine, joking and eager to be comforting. This time, though, it's a quiet murmur, and Polnareff noses against him.]
[He does, too. Bruno can be merciless in his teasing, but only to a limit. He knows precisely where the line is, and always stops far short of it. There's not a moment where Polnareff feel as if he can't trust Bruno, and that's remarkable.
He sighs again, shifting to push into Bruno's touch.]
Mm. Tell me something. Something . . . I don't know. That doesn't matter. Something stupid. Distract me?
[Something to distract him? Bruno's quiet a brief moment as he thinks of what might be sufficiently distracting that isn't going to lend itself to heavier discussion again. Nothing serious or important.]
Did you know that when an octopus moves one of its tentacles, it actually does most of the thinking in the tentacles for it rather than in its brain? If you were to cut off its connection to the brain, it'd still move like a regular tentacle all on its own.
[Thank God for facts about the ocean and the creatures in it. You can't more irrelevant to the previous topic of conversation or safer from hard topics than facts about octopuses. Especially when it has the potential to gross Polnareff out, which isn't very hard when it comes to sea creatures.]
[It's a less emphatic curse than it might usually be, but it's still sincere. Polnareff wrinkles his nose, pulling a face. Gross. That's most definitely a distracting fact, and Polnareff focuses on it as much as he can.]
And then what happens to it? It just-- what, wiggles around forever?
No, it's not like a starfish where it just grows another starfish. It'll die eventually. But if the octopus is caught by a predator, that can give it time to escape. It'll grow a new limb in a month or two, and be as good as new.
Or I'll just bully Jotaro into doing it. He'd definitely do it. He'd probably like it, because as much as he loves Kakyoin, the sea is definitely his first love.
[There. That settled, Polnareff pushes his fingers through Bruno's hair, smoothing it back from his face.]
That and a bunch of sexy shit, that's gonna be your big birthday, because I'll be honest, darling, I can't do any better than Bitches Brew.
[Listen, Bruno isn't going to argue about the importance of birthdays. Not with Polnareff. He knows how frustrated he gets when the others want to treat their birthdays like another day.]
[Bruno smiles a little, running his fingers through Polnareff's hair again a few times before he presses a kiss first to his forehead followed by one to his lips.]
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Learning things? That sounds awful, [he teases gently, taking a little time to move a few stray strands of Polnareff's hair back into some semblance of place.] I can see why you loved him though. It sounds like he was a good man.
[Someone who matched Polnareff in his ideals and values, and also had enough of a sense of humor to give back to him as much as he dished out? Of course it was only a matter of time before Polnareff fell in love with someone like that.]
[Though really, Bruno isn't sure how he feels about that tense switch. He matches the past tense that Polnareff sticks to, but he's not sure if that's helpful for him or not. It's really hard to say because there are certainly merits for either. Keeping Abdul in the present tense keeps the hope that he'll come here someday alive. Putting him in the past tense, however, keeps the long-term outcome in mind. Bruno isn't one to judge about which is correct, so it's probably safest to just stick to whatever Polnareff puts out there.]
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[There's more he wants to say about Abdul, and he will in a moment. But now that he's not crying, that seems important to establish. He cups his cheek, his thumb brushing against his skin softly.]
And it's not . . . it's not because I lost him, that I fell in love with you. I love you because you're you. You know that?
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I know. [He intertwines their fingers together loosely.] I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.
[Bruno doesn't think Polnareff would have settled for that. He certainly wouldn't have only let Bruno pull just far enough away that he'd have the space to breathe until it felt safe enough to be close.]
And it's okay if part of you still loves him.
[He doesn't believe that you meet people like that, fall in love, and then that's it. The love is gone the moment they are, it doesn't fade immediately into memory. Hell, even when large swaths of it become memory, there's probably always going to be a small piece of love reserved just for that person that no one else can touch. And that's okay with Bruno. He wants Polnareff to have that. He thinks he needs it.]
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[He says it quickly, his heart leaping into his throat. The last thing, the very last thing, that he wants is for Bruno to think he has to share Polnareff in some way. That he in any way comes in second, or that he's somehow lesser, or-- god, or anything.
But . . . that's not what he's saying. He's not saying it's all right that Polnareff somehow prioritizes Abdul, or loves Bruno less. Just that it's all right that his heart is, in some minor way, torn in two.
He still feels guilty. But Polnareff swallows and scoots closer, pressing their foreheads together.]
I love you.
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I love you.
[He murmurs it softly, thumbs stroking his cheekbones again and again slowly. While he would not want that to eclipse what Polnareff feels for Abdul, he does wish that it could be enough to soothe the pain and guilt he feels. Maybe not entirely, but at least some of it. That's simply unrealistic, however, and is far beyond anything that Bruno could ever do for him. In the end, the most Bruno can do is support Polnareff when he needs it and sit with him in these feelings so that he doesn't have to be with them alone. The harder parts are things that Polnareff will have to do for himself. It's the only way he'll heal.]
[Bruno shifts to kiss Polnareff's forehead before encouraging Polnareff to settle back down once more, Bruno's hand returning to Polnareff's hair once again.]
Tell me more about him?
[The good, bad, or whatever else in between, it really doesn't matter. Abdul just can't continue to be something that Polnareff feels like he can't talk about to Bruno. Not after nightmares like that.]
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He was a fortuneteller. A real one, I mean, not just one of those scam artists. He taught me a little . . . I could probably read your future for you. I, hah, I made a tarot deck for Lucy, when she first got here. It's just a pack of cards, but it works just as well as a real set.
[He slips a hand around Bruno's hips, pulling him in close. Slipping his fingers beneath his shirt, he traces his fingers against his skin, trying to think.]
We were the same age, or just about, and I think that set us apart a little. I mean, don't get me wrong, Kakyoin and Jotaro are my best friends, but I think . . . I don't know. It was easier for us to understand each other, just like it was easier for them sometimes. We'd compete a lot-- he was competitive as hell, even if he tried to pretend sometimes he was too mature for that. He always tried to act like that: mature, you know? Superior. I thought he was at least thirty the first time I met him, and then I asked and no, turns out he just really feels like he's gotta be in charge of all of us. Then again, it's not like Mr Joestar was all that put together. He was determined, but it was Abdul who'd make all the hotel arrangements or whatever.
Mm . . . that's a pretty accurate illustration Jotaro did me, you know. Him and Magician's Red both. He was one of those people who had a real presence, you know? He'd walk into a room and you'd know right away.
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I'm glad you had someone like that with you.
[Because Polnareff needs that sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes he just needs someone to rein him back in. Whatever else Abdul may or may not have been, it's obvious that he helped keep Polnareff steady, most likely in the moments when he needed it most. Kakyoin likely tried, but he lacked the confidence and ultimately the maturity to do it in a way that Polnareff could respond to. It had to be Abdul.]
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[He keeps sliding his fingers against his skin, his eyes flickering over his face. Talking about Abdul hurts. It'll probably always hurt, in the same way talking about Sherry always hurts. But that hurt comes with a wonderful warmth, something nostalgic and fond all at once.]
He taught me a little Arabic once. Numbers, and how to say basic stuff like hello and whatever . . . he let me teach him a bunch of French before telling me he knew it perfectly, because of course he did. It got easier to talk to him after that-- once I could do it in French, I mean. I think I started to understand him better. He wasn't as open as me, so it took me a while to understand him.
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[It's gentle teasing though because it's one thing that Bruno wouldn't change about Polnareff for the world. It makes it easier to trust him, and to eventually reciprocate with some openness of your own. Bruno imagines Abdul figured that out for himself once he came to realize that it was genuine.]
I hope he broke it to you gently when he told you he could speak French fluently.
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Are you kidding me? Of course he didn't. I was teaching him phrases, and I said something like, "Okay, you got that?" and he answered me in perfect French, all smooth and shit. Of course I did, I can speak French perfectly, I'm Mohammad Abdul and I can pronounce everything with a Parisian accent--
[His voice goes deep for that impression, his mouth scrunching up into what he imagines is a smugly superior expression. It collapses after a moment, and Polnareff huffs, snuggling closer to Bruno. His mood has lifted a fair bit, it seems, as he offers his boyfriend a pitiful look.]
All my friends are cruel.
[Are, present tense. Polnareff hesitates, draws in a breath-- and then shakes his head minutely. He won't change it.]
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You're just such an easy target that even the kind ones can't help themselves.
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[Normally, a sentence like that would be a whine, joking and eager to be comforting. This time, though, it's a quiet murmur, and Polnareff noses against him.]
You're my boyfriend, chéri, you gotta defend me.
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Of course, cicci. You know I always will.
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[He does, too. Bruno can be merciless in his teasing, but only to a limit. He knows precisely where the line is, and always stops far short of it. There's not a moment where Polnareff feel as if he can't trust Bruno, and that's remarkable.
He sighs again, shifting to push into Bruno's touch.]
Mm. Tell me something. Something . . . I don't know. That doesn't matter. Something stupid. Distract me?
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Did you know that when an octopus moves one of its tentacles, it actually does most of the thinking in the tentacles for it rather than in its brain? If you were to cut off its connection to the brain, it'd still move like a regular tentacle all on its own.
[Thank God for facts about the ocean and the creatures in it. You can't more irrelevant to the previous topic of conversation or safer from hard topics than facts about octopuses. Especially when it has the potential to gross Polnareff out, which isn't very hard when it comes to sea creatures.]
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[It's a less emphatic curse than it might usually be, but it's still sincere. Polnareff wrinkles his nose, pulling a face. Gross. That's most definitely a distracting fact, and Polnareff focuses on it as much as he can.]
And then what happens to it? It just-- what, wiggles around forever?
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No, it's not like a starfish where it just grows another starfish. It'll die eventually. But if the octopus is caught by a predator, that can give it time to escape. It'll grow a new limb in a month or two, and be as good as new.
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[A beat. He thinks about this for a long few moments, then pats Bruno's cheek fondly and adds:]
That's what I'm getting you for your next birthday.
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You'd have to touch it first to do that.
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[True love!]
Or I'll just bully Jotaro into doing it. He'd definitely do it. He'd probably like it, because as much as he loves Kakyoin, the sea is definitely his first love.
[There. That settled, Polnareff pushes his fingers through Bruno's hair, smoothing it back from his face.]
That and a bunch of sexy shit, that's gonna be your big birthday, because I'll be honest, darling, I can't do any better than Bitches Brew.
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You know I don't expect something like that every time you give me something, but I'm sure I'll love whatever you give me next year just as much.
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[He says it so firmly that it must be true.]
I'm not gonna top that for every gift, but birthday gifts have to be good. Especially for you.
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Especially for me?
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[He offers him half a smile, tired and quiet and sincere. On a night like tonight, his words mean more than they usually might as he says:]
You're the most important.
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I love you, too.