Too many cooks spoil the broth[Dom & Gwyn]

TW: vomiting

Just why hadn’t she taken that grocery bag with her to the bathroom? It could have saved her from having to walk back into the kitchen to get the painkillers and then go back to the bathroom to somewhat suffer in silence. Not that it would’ve immediately saved her from the onslaught that was her blooming headache. A part of her had expected –or rather hoped– the reflaring headache to come in waves, so that she could ride it out with painkillers for a couple more hours and finish dinner before she would be bound to Dominic’s bed with her only friend, a bucket. Instead of  it being somewhat gentle, her headache slammed into her like a high speed train. Hard and merciless. Even with her eyes closed and blocking out the light that came from the lamps in the bathroom, it felt like a dozen sledge hammers were aggressively trying to break her skull from the inside out. Softly whimpering because of the pain and eyes still closed, Gwyn kneeled and sat down on the cold bathroom floor. Even with the heat of the day, the bathroom was still quite chilly. That and in combination with the cold floor against the bare skin of her legs, it caused her body to shudder from the cold. Sitting down maybe wasn’t the best course of action since the shudder sent another wave of excruciating pain through her head. One painful enough to make the tears spring to her closed eyes.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. If it was this strong already, then she had little to no chance of chasing her headache at bay with painkillers. She could lightly subdue it, but not enough to manage the cooking and bickering with Dominic. Any smell would make her start hurting anytime soon and both the curry and the lentil soup were quite fragrant.

Grabbing the front of her shirt, she pulled it over her head. The idea being that the warmth of her own breath would warm up the air that was trapped in between her body and her shirt and that the warmer air would make sure she wasn’t so cold anymore. Sadly her plan backfired quite quickly, instead of getting the air in her shirt warmer, she caught a whiff of the lingering scent of her perfume on her shirt. Normally she loved that scent to bits, but now… One breath was enough for the nausea to make its appearance too. Her stomach started turning violently and even though Gwyn had eaten little during the day, anything that had been in her stomach threatened to make a reappearance. Deciding in the split of a second that she had to get to the toilet despite the migraine, Gwyn pulled her shirt down, opened her eyes and lurched for the toilet. She was glad she hadn’t waited another second because as soon as she reached the toilet the first wave of bile speeded its way up her oesophagus resulting in her throwing up. Tears once again sprung into her eyes when the foul and acidy taste assaulted her taste buds, causing her to hurl again. The pain of her headache also slammed into her, making the whole process even more miserable.

Gwyn hated vomiting with a passion and not only because of the taste and smell of it. Once she started her stomach would keep on heaving until all she hurled up was just slime, her stomach as good as empty but it would still try to continue. Not wanting to see the contents she just had vomited into the toilet, Gwyn closed her eyes again and blindly reached for the flusher but before she could push it and sent the contents on her stomach away a third wave of vomiting raced upwards. Coughing and gurgling, Gwyn tried to rid anything that stayed behind before flushing the toilet. The tears that previously had sprung to her eyes had started to roll down her cheeks. The saltiness of them stinging her cheeks and weakly Gwyn lifted a hand to swipe to moist away the best she could. A part of her knew she had to get up and rinse her mouth of the foul taste and stench, but she couldn’t command her body to get up and over to the sink. Instead, she leaned with her arm on the toilet seat and rested her head on that arm.

Another time she’d get horrified over the fact that she was leaning against a toilet seat that ten other people used, but at that moment she couldn’t find herself to care. Her legs she drew up underneath her, and placed her other arm over her eyes to shield the light even more. Taking deep breaths in through her nose, and out though her mouth she tried to somehow find the strength to get up. How did this escalate so fucking quick, the thought crawled though her head resulting in another painful sting. Even thinking to herself hurt like hell. She knew she kind of had to get out of the colder room, but she really could not fucking make herself get up. It was like her body had just decided to let her migraine win this round.

Fucking traitor, and as if that wasn’t enough already her cramps thought it was the perfect timing to start up too.
‘’Please…’’ Came out as the softest of whimpers, not even realising she had spoken the word not louder than a whisper. Was this her karma because she hadn’t been the best kind of person when she arrived at HQ last week, because if so then karma was getting back to her way too harsh.

What normally would be the soft sound of a door opening was now a brain splitting avalanche of noise, making Gwyn wince and let out a soft cry when the pain pierced through her again. Whoever just opened up the bathroom door and made that much noise was a real sadist to her at that moment. She wasn’t able to tell them that though, she wasn’t able to pretty much do anything. Neither could Gwyn imagine what she might have looked like to that person, but if she were quite honest she did not want to see herself in this shit of a state.
‘’Oh.’’ The person just said before their stomping footsteps retreated, leaving her behind but with the door open. At least just fucking close the door and let me suffer in peace, she thought through the pain in her head.

Dominic nodded along to Idés update on his lab work. He didn't look at him, his eyes focused on the cooking, but it was clear that he was listening. Because it was important knowledge and because he wanted to show interest in Idés that he in his more open moments would call his friend.
"'Promosing' sounds good," he said as well and although he didn't actually sound happy about it, he meant it. 'Promising' was better than most of the news they had received in the last week or so. But Dominic still had his reservations - promises could always be broken.
As mentioned before, Dominic didn't really understand what Idés was working on. Unstable Zeals and vessels barely made sense to him. But whatever the results would turn out to be, he would understand. And how to use them. Which was the most important part to Dominic.
Idés knew that, Dominic was sure, since he mentioned how they all would find it interesting, when he had something to show. And that was true - for now Dominic could only be interested in the abstract concept. He was looking forward to having actual objects to be interested in, when Idés had something to show them. That didn't make him rush the professor though. He had learned that a stressed out Idés only slowed down the process. Something he couldn't relate to, as he thought of himself as someone who worked better under pressure.
He did frown just a bit over Idés comment about not being able to work. Being worried that the Godia Warriors had interrupted his work again. But then again, Idés would have told him instantly if that had happened. It had to be something else.
"How come?" he asked. Simple and straight to the point. But he did let his concern show. Now that his anger was toned down, those kind of emotions were easier to show again.
However, he didn't get to hear the answer, before Sophia, one of their older refugees (in time spent at the HQ, not in age, as she was only a late teen), and not one of the refugees who had been in the couch, entered the kitchen.
"Dominic?" she asked, a bit hesitantly it seemed.
Dominic instantly stopped his cooking to turn his upper body towards her and look over his shoulder at her. "Yes, Sophia?" he asked in a tone that was a lot softer than the way he spoke to the EFA members, although still serious and strict. Some had joked before that it was his 'dad' voice, the voice he used towards refugees that he didn't want to accidently intimidate.
Hearing that tone of voice, Sophia gathered courage to tell Dominic about the issue. As she spoke, she grimaced to show her awkwardness about it all.
"Uhm, the new girl-"
"Gwyn," Dominic corrected her, now turning his whole body to face her, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, Gwyn. She's throwing up in the bathroom. I think she's sick."
"Fuck," Dominic murmured to himself because of course she was throwing up. Dominic mostly sound stressed and annoyed by the fact that he had to deal with that but he did actually worry as well. Why didn't she just take his offer and go lie in the bed? Then maybe she could have avoided this.
Also this was stressful - Dominic had to finish dinner while also dealing with this situation. Lucky for him, the refugees from the couch had been listening in on the conversation for a while now and now the boy spoke, raising his voice so they would be able to hear him properly: "We can finish up dinner, if you need it. The movie's almost done anyways."
Yes, okay, that would sort at least dinner out. He still had to deal with Gwyn then but at least he only had to deal with her.
"I would appreciate that," he said back to them, "The recipe is on the counter."
The refugees got up from the couch to walk towards the kitchen and Dominic looked at Sophia again.
"Thank you for telling me. We'll go help her," he said to her, meaning 'we' as in him and Idés. Because he assumed from the way Idés was even here right now that he would want to help out. As he walked out of the kitchen, he also looked back at Idés to make sure he did in fact follow him. So he did and the two men walked into the bathroom to see Gwyn hugging the toilet in one of the stalls, looking miserable. The - at least faint - smell of vomit also confirmed Sophia's sentence.
Dominic frowned at the sight. Usually he was sure what to do in this situation, but since it was Gwyn, it complicated things for him. He said to Idés, quietly out of respect for Gwyn's headache - and maybe with the hope that she didn't hear him as well: "I've told her she can have my bedroom until the migraine goes away. I think we should get her into the bed."
He didn't add the detail that he would of course sleep on the couch while she was in there. That was probably easy to figure out without having to mention it.

Everything felt a lot more normal with Dominic now that they were talking without Gwyn in the room. It was a relief to know that the man wasn’t actually angry with him anymore. Dominic wasn’t always the easiest person to read, but once you got to know him you started picking up on his clues. From the tone of his voice and the lessened tension in his body, he was clearly a bit more at ease now. For as long as Idés had known the man, he had had his own ways of showing that he cared, his stoic demeanor and closed off attitude were simply there for defense. Not a reflection of who the man actually was deep inside.

He was about to answer Dominic’s question when the teenager entered the room. He frowned deeply when she told them what was happening to Gwyn. She had seemed pretty much fine just a minute ago. But judging from Dominic’s expression it wasn’t surprising. When Gwyn had texted him asking for painkillers and tampons he had assumed it had just been for the cramping, but now the urgency seemed to make more sense. The refugees on the couch then offered to take over cooking so that Dominic and Idés could focus on helping Gwyn. The two headed for the bathroom, because of course Idés was coming along to help out his friend.

Idés grimaced at the scene before them. The putrid stench of vomit hung in the air and Gwyn laid miserably on the floor, holding the toilet. For not the first time, he felt a pang of guilt that she should have to go through this here, of all places. Here she was stripped from the bits of privacy she at least would have had back at her dorm. Of course, going into hiding wasn’t easy for anyone, he supposed and it was better that she was here where she was safe. But the situation was far from comfortable.

He looked at Dominic when he started speaking and nodded when he said he had been offering up his room to her. Which was extremely nice of him to do and further proof of the kind of selfless man he truly was. And it was probably the best place that she could be right now. But it didn’t seem that she was in any state to get up and walk anywhere herself. Which left the option that she would either have to lean on one of them or that Dominic would have to carry her. But they couldn’t very well just go and pick her up without her consent.

Idés knew what to do, though. There was a time it often happened that he would have to aid his younger siblings in a similar way whenever they were sick. And they often were. The house in Erast hadn’t been well insulated and it only really took one kid to catch the flu or a cold, before most of the house was infected. They all relied quite heavily on his older sister's paycheck too, and with their father being pretty much useless, it wasn’t uncommon that Idés would stay home to look after his siblings. Therefore it didn’t feel out of his element to help out in situations like this, he really had seen worse growing up. He approached her, crouching down beside her and placing a reassuring hand on her back.

“Hey Gwyn,” he said, his voice as low, soft and gentle as it could be so as to not agitate her migraine.  He didn’t bother asking how she felt, as the answer was very clearly that she felt bad.“If it’s alright with you we’re going to help you into bed, okay?” he started. They did still need to know if she was going to throw up again though, before she made a mess off the bed sheets. Both for her own and for Dominic’s sake. “Do you need to throw up again?”

Some time must have passed while Gwyn sat next to the toilet, still hanging on it, before the footsteps returned. She didn’t see who had come to watch the new girl being sick, as her eyes were closed and she couldn’t focus on anything with the migraine assaulting her senses. Shivers had started to run through her body as the cold of the bathroom seeped its icy claws into her, worsening the migraine every time her body tried to warm itself by shivering. Tears also still leaked from her closed eyes, keeping her cheeks wet and reddish.

In a far away distance, or so it seemed to her, she heard a voice. Not bothering to try to decipher whose voice it was she didn’t move her head towards the voice too. Not too long after the voice had spoken, a hand was gently set on her back. The warmth of that hand against her cold body made her whimper, wishing the warmth would just engulf her wholly so she could stop the shivering. Words were spoken to her and even though she couldn’t be bothered with identifying the voice before because it was too troublesome, this time she recognized the voice without trouble. Idés.

So it must have been his hand on her back too. It took Gwyn a couple more seconds to understand what he was asking her through the pain. Bed, yes. She really, really wanted to go to bed and bury herself in her comforter with the plush she had gotten from her grandmother in her arms. She wanted the warmth and comfort her bed provided during the first excruciating days. Weakly and possibly also barely, she nodded, the movement enough to send a stabbing pain through her skull which made her cry out softly. To his second question Gwyn tried to manage a verbal answer but her vocal cords didn’t want to cooperate either. She didn’t feel like throwing up this instant, as she had vomited out everything that was in her stomach already. Though the nausea was still lingering in the background, waiting for the perfect moment to surge forward and make her vomit up bile and acids. So Gwyn shook her head as best as she could. There was some more talking before Idés’ warm hand left her back and Gwyn honestly wanted to cry over the loss of the warmth before a pair of arms gently snaked around her, engulfing her in the warmth she had been craving just before. Letting go of the toilet and draping her arms on her lap, a little content sigh left her lips as she felt her body being pressed against the warmness of a chest.

Slowly, but steadily she felt herself being lifted up. A part of her was scared that due to the change in altitude her stomach would riot again, but surprisingly it remained calm, the nausea not worsening. With her right hand, she took a hold of the fabric of a shirt before she snuggled her face against the chest. A male woodsy scent engulfed her together with the warmth, both attributing to Gwyn wanting to just bury herself in it. Her content state was of short duration because once the person holding started walking, the migraine started flaring up once again. Whimpering because of the pain, tears of which she hadn’t noticed that they had stopped started flowing again, soaking the shirt underneath her. Please hurry, she wanted to ask them. She longed for the solitude of her room and comfort of her bed so badly that she’d almost beg on her knees if she was capable.

A door was opened and with a few more steps Gwyn felt herself being extracted from the bodily warmth and gently placed down what could only be a bed. A shiver, followed by another jab of pain, ran through her as she was being laid down and covered by a duvet. Bringing her knees to her chest and laying in a foetal position she hopefully could warm herself up. But the coldness that still lingered in her body and the loss of the warmth of a body made her teeth clatter, resulting in a drill getting at it on her skull. Through the pain, the clattering teeth she managed to utter a word.
‘’C-c-col-d.’’ As silent as the whisper of a ghost, the word passed over her lips and Gwyn hoped that someone had heard her and was going to chase away the coldness that plagued her.

He and Idés had thought the same thing, although they hadn't communicated it out loud to each other. There was no way Gwyn would be able to walk to Dominic's room. Dominic did think it would be easier to carry her than for her to lean on them as they helped her on the way, but he wasn't just going to grab her and lift her up. Both out of respect for her boundaries and because he knew he would never hear the end of her complaining the second her migraine was gone if she hadn't had wanted his help.
He stayed back while Idés sat down and talked to Gwyn. Speaking softly and gently to her in a way that Dominic wasn't sure he would be able to do. Maybe he would but he was pretty sure he was a big enough headache himself to Gwyn to even try to do so. So he simply kept his distance and observed as the man took care of Gwyn. Even though Gwyn still were caught up by her pain and nausea - which by the way seemed like awful state to be in - she relaxed a bit with Idés hand on her back. Yet again Dominic wondered what kind of relationship those two had with each other, but it was just for a brief moment, before he decided that that wasn't important right now.
Gwyn agreed to being helped to the bed and showed that she didn't need to vomit right now, though it was barely communication as the migraine took away her strength to verbalize. Worried by the fact of how quickly she had been hit by the migraine, Dominic furrowed his brow. That was all the worry he was going to show though. His worry couldn't help the situation so there was no need to show more of it anyways.

He and Idés didn't speak, but when Idés looked back at him it was with a clear request. Dominic hesitated for a moment, not being sure if it really was appropriate for him to carry her - she wouldn't even let him help her with her cooking - but then he sighed. He had to help her, she couldn't just stay here in front of the toilet. Then she must just get mad at him. At least by then she should be well enough for her to handle him biting back.
"Okay then," he mumbled, mostly to himself, before he took the few steps forwards to Gwyn and Idés. The man stood up, giving him enough space to pick her up. Now that he had decided to do so, he didn't hesitate to take his arms around her and lift her up. Luckily Dominic was quite strong, so even though Gwyn was too affected by her illness to cooperate actively, he could lift her up fairly smoothly. He made sure to do so gently, going slower than he normally would have to patience for. No reason for Gwyn to get worse and throw up over them both. Also he didn't want her to hurt more than she already did but if anyone asked, he would only say the other thing.
She felt weak in his arms and her skin was cold and sweaty. Dominic did actually feel sorry for her. As did he for every refugee who had to be sick on the run. As if being shunned by the world wasn't harsh enough; then they had to get sick and with that be reminded of their helplessness. Faith really was cruel like that.
After nodding to Idés as in saying 'I got her', they moved towards his bedroom to place her in the bed. Dominic made sure to hold her tightly to his chest, so she wouldn't feel to motion sick from his movements. As he walked, he felt something grabbing his shirt, and he looked down to see that it was Gwyn's hand, taking a hold of it. Right after that she snuggled her face into his chest, whimpering, with tears wetting the fabric.
Dominic recognized the feeling that arose in him as he, while taking slow steps towards the room, looked down at her. The warmth in his chest, the comfort of having his arms around her, the urge to never let go. The desire to protect. It all hit him right then and there as if it was his own personal, existential migraine. For just a brief moment before he even truly realized what he was feeling he let himself feel so, tightening his grip around her, almost hugging her into his chest. To reassure her that everything would be okay. And to let himself too for a brief moment believe the same.
But it truly was for a brief moment. Then reality hit him just as hard. That this was just a migraine, he helped her with. That they didn't even care for each other. That he had no responsibility to protect her and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to.
And that Idés was walking right next to him. Now, Dominic didn't know if it had even been visible how he had reacted but he still toughened up his motions, making sure to look straight ahead instead of at Gwyn or at Idés next to him.
"Could you open the door?" he asked him with a practical, serious tone, pretending that nothing had changed. Even though the warmth was still burning him from the other side of where Gwyn was grabbing his shirt.
They went inside the room. Even though Dominic didn't have that many belongings, his room somehow was still messy. Clothes laid on the floor, the top of his dresser was full of papers from different news outlets and his bed wasn't made. His room wasn't always this messy but he hadn't had the time nor the energy to clean it right now and frankly he didn't care.
Dominic headed straight for the bed. Carefully he laid Gwyn down in it and to his disappointment noticed how the warmth in his chest didn't disappear when he let go of her.  
She was freezing, so Dominic instantly grabbed his comforter and laid it over her, making sure it was she was covered with it well enough.
"Do you think she can handle painkillers now?" he asked Idés. At first he didn't look at him, as he was still helping Gwyn with the comforter. Then he looked back at him. "You brought her some, right?"
He tried his best to simply sound practical, as if they were talking about a mission and not a sick girl they were helping who was right there in front of them. When he was done with the comforter, he took a step away from the bed, straightening his back again. He should probably check Gwyn's temperature, but he didn't feel like touching her anymore than he had already done. Instead he immediately crossed his arms. As if he was hiding the warmth in his chest. Though it probably looked like nothing to Idés, Dominic felt like a fool. He was also grateful that it was Idés he was with and not Cadmus. Idés was a bit more oblivious whereas Cadmus would have felt the feeling instantly. At least for now Dominic could keep that to himself.

Idés followed Dominic into the bedroom and watched how gentle and careful he was placing her and tucking her into bed, wrapping the comforter around her when she complained about being cold. The moment felt weirdly intimate and for some reason it felt like an intrusion to be watching the interaction. So, he let his eyes wander around the room instead, which really was quite messy for Dominics standards. A testament to the amount of stress the man undoubtedly was under. With everything that was going on, it went without saying that the EFA’s leaders to-do list was ever growing. Idés made a mental note to ask if there was any kind of task he could take off Dominic’s shoulders for the time being.

Then Dominic spoke and Idés realized he had gotten lost in his thoughts for a while there. Dominic stood with his arms crossed, his usual tough facade back on. Gwyn’s tears had stained his shirt, Idés noticed. The poor girl.

He had asked if she could handle painkillers. He looked at the girl in the bed and considered. Then he nodded. If anything, the painkillers were probably going to knock her out which, it was probably best if she could sleep this off. Maybe they could help ease her upset stomach as well. “Yeah, two kinds. I’ll go get them.”

He exited the room and went into the kitchen, greeting the refugees who were finishing up dinner. When they asked how Gwyn was, he paused. “Well, uh. She’s definitely been better,” he said with a slight apologetic smile. These people were already in a stressful place and the situation between Dominic and Gwyn definitely didn’t help that. “She’ll be fine, she probably just needs some quality sleep.”

He grabbed the two packs from the grocery backs, then went to get a glass of water from the kitchen sink. He turned to return to the bedroom, before stopping. If she was going to be sick again, it would make a mess of Dominic’s room and that would only serve to stress the man more. So, he turned and grabbed a bucket from the cabinet underneath the sink as well, before bidding the men goodbye and returning to the bedroom.

He placed the bucket next to the bed and the water on the bedside table, before opening a pack of painkillers. He then sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on Gwyn’s shoulder to get her attention and so that he could assist her in taking the medication. “Hey Gwyn, I have some painkillers for you,” he spoke in the same gentle tone from before.

A light weight was placed on top of the blanket she had already curled herself under. There wasn’t an immediate change in temperature for her but she guessed that she’d –hopefully– warm up soon. She heard some muttering in the room, probably Idés and whoever the other person was but she wasn’t really listening to what they said. Instead Gwyn was focusing as well as she was able to not to shiver, wiggling her toes and rubbing her feet to warm them up.

Carefully moving, she pulled the duvet up to her nose, inhaling the same woodsy scent that she had smelled on the person who carried her. Even through her migraine she remembered there were only two people who had a room of their own and Dominic had offered her his room when her symptoms had started to flare up. It was simple math from that point on to guess she was in Dominic’s bed and that he had been the other voice and the one to carry her from the bathroom. He smells really good, the thought crossed her like a realisation. Even in the kitchen, when they had been standing quite close, she hadn’t smelled that woodsy scent. The second thing that she thought after that was that Dominic was really warm, comfortable even. If Gwyn was very honest with herself, she wouldn’t mind it if he held her more often. His arms had felt like the most comfortable cocoon of warmth and comfort, and she couldn’t even remember if she had ever felt that in the arms of her exes. The reality was, sadly, that he wasn’t at all fond of her so her chances of being held by him again were slim to none.

Even though she somewhat expected herself to be mortified by the fact that Dominic had seen her hanging on the toilet like that –and that he had to carry her, plus the fact that she had been crying on his shirt–, she didn’t feel anything like that. Gwyn felt thankful.

It seemed some time had passed before she heard something placed next to the bed she was laying in and her best guess was that it was a bucket for her to vomit in if she had to do so again. Not that she’d ever manage to reach the bathroom in this state. The door –wherever that might be– alone would be an immense challenge for her. A hand was placed on her shoulder, resulting in her slowly opening her eyes just a fraction. The light that came into the room wasn’t bright by any means but it still managed to cause her a stab of pain. So she closed them again, opting for listening instead of watching him.

One of them must have left for a short while to retrieve the bucket and the painkillers that Idés said that he had for her. A part of her really wanted the painkillers so she could fall asleep, another part of her was worried that if she took the painkillers and drank water with it –especially cold water– would upset her stomach again. Her desire to sleep and be oblivious for a while was stronger than her fear to vomit, so Gwyn nodded and slowly slid her hand out from underneath the duvet, feeling two pills being put onto her hand. Now came the most excruciating part: she’d have to somewhat sit up right to be able to drink water to flush away the painkillers.

Making the hand in which she now held the painkillers to a fist, she used her other hand to push her upper body up. Slowly and quite painfully she managed to lift herself up enough that she could prop her elbow underneath her for support before opening up her fist and taking the pills. Placing them both in her mouth she blindly reached out for the glass of water. When her fingers took a hold of the cold glass with water, she shivered again. Biting down hard on her lip because of the pain the shiver had caused her, she tasted the coppery taste of blood, making her aware that she had broken the skin on her lip with her biting. As quickly as she could manage without hurting herself even more, she brought the glass to her lips and took two sips to swallow the pills with.

She reached out with the glass, signalling she didn’t want any more water and when it had been taken from her hand Gwyn started carefully nestling herself in Dominic’s bed again. It did feel warmer now than it had a few minutes before, which she was glad about. In the hallway –or at least she assumed it was the hallway– a door opened and had been thrown shut quite loudly, making her wince. It also made her remember that she had asked Idés to bring her something against the noise.
‘’Dominic can I have the earbuds, please?’’ Is what she was trying to say, but she wasn’t sure if her voice and mouth had actually cooperated. It could just have sounded like she was talking gibberish. What she didn’t realise, though, was that she had said Dominic’s name instead of Ides’ when she asked for the earbuds.

Quicker than anticipated, in just a matter of minutes, Gwyn felt sleep tugging at her and gladly gave in to it. She couldn’t recall if Dominic and Idés had heard her request, or if they had gotten her the earbuds because before she knew it there was only comfortable darkness and no more pain.

Of course Dominic had rationally known that asking Idés to grab the pain killers would mean him leaving the room. Still he didn't realize it fully until he was suddenly standing in the room with just himself and Gwyn in his bed. Even though Gwyn probably didn't even notice his presence, Dominic felt like he was intruding, just standing there next to the bed, as she laid in pain. Especially since he still felt that burning in his chest, the urge to comfort her. An urge he did not act out on so instead he simply stood where he had been standing when Idés left the room, clearly uncomfortable.
Luckily Idés was back right away, bringing not only the painkillers but also a bucket. Idés really thought this through. Dominic hadn't even considered that Gwyn of course could and probably would throw up again. He would probably just had deal with cleaning his bed if that happened but a bucket was a much better alternative for both him and Gwyn.
Dominic really just let Idés deal with everything. He took great care of Gwyn, and Dominic thought that it was better that he backed off himself. He really wasn't Gwyn's favorite person and if he had been the one to be sick, he would have hated to be taken care of by a person he disliked. He would do her this favor of not helping her more than he had already done out of necessity - and of course only out of necessity.

Idés helped her with the pills, and Dominic watched as he did, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms as if he was actually helping out as a boss with just watching. It didn't seem to be easy for Gwyn to take the pills but eventually she did so, with the help of Idés. She lied down again and Idés got up. Dominic was about to suggest that they should leave her alone and let her sleep, but before he got to say anything, Gwyn spoke again. If one could call that speaking - she only managed to mumble one word. One name actually. Dominic, she said, before seemingly drifting off to sleep.
Dominic stared at her in surprise. Had he heard wrong? Why would she say his name like that? He didn't even know that she was aware he was in the room.
For some reason it felt awkward with Idés in the room to overhear it as well. After getting over his surprise, he quickly turned his attention towards his colleague. He cleared his throat, composing himself. As he caught his attention, he made a gesture towards the door, silently suggesting that they should leave the room.

He closed the door behind them as they had left the room. It still felt awkward at least to Dominic. All of these had been chaotic, and now that the chaos was done it even seemed silly to look back on it.
He shook his head to demonstrate this to Idés, before clapping his back as they walked towards the kitchen again.
"Thank you for helping out," he said to him, "I tried to help her earlier but she wouldn't let me."
He clearly was more relaxed now that the situation had been dealt with and Gwyn had been helped - and wasn't there to provoke him either. Relaxed might had been a too positive word though - he was more tired. With all the chaos gone, he now realized he had used all his energy on that. Oh well, he was used to that.
"Dinner's probably ready soon," he added, "You should stay and get something to eat. I'm sure it tastes fine, even with all the different cooks working on it."
Clearly, this was Dominic reaching a hand out to Idés. Maybe indirectly apologizing for being harsh on him earlier. And maybe a tiny part of him wanting to hang out with him without all the chaos, considering that last time they met was even more chaotic. But none of that would Dominic ever say aloud. This was the best it got.

Idés got up from the bed and walked towards his friend, turning when Gwyn mumbled something. His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to catch what she was saying. All he could hear was a muffled ‘Dominic’ and, well, that couldn’t be right. He must’ve misheard her. Then Dominic cleared his throat and Idés turned towards him. Idés placed his hands in his pockets and nodded when his friend gestured to the door and followed him out.

He turned to the man when he felt his hand on his back. Dominic thanked him and Idés returned the gesture with a crooked smile. “Of course.” Then Dominic told him how Gwyn had refused his help and Idés shrugged, rubbing his neck. “She’s a stubborn woman. That doesn’t surprise me,” he said jokingly. While working for him, he couldn’t deny there had been times where it had been easier to let her set the agenda. Her will was a strong one, after all. Something Dominic was definitely finding out himself right now. It did still worry him a bit that the two seemingly disliked each other so much, but at least the tension had left the headquarters now that Gwyn was in bed. That was a relief, at least.

Then Dominic offered him to stay for dinner and Idés did smile fully at that. Everything was still as it was, then, no hard feelings. And, well, Idés had been neglecting his meals lately, being too focused on his work to actually take the time to cook. Besides, there was something about eating alone, he never had been great at that. It made the offer a welcome one. Besides, it was a rare thing that he and Dominic had the chance to casually hang out, despite having known each other for years. A thing they had in common was that they both had a tendency to bury themselves in their work. It wasn’t uncommon that they only saw each other at meetings and then it would always just be right down to business. Now, he still had a lot of things he needed to finish up at the lab, since he hadn’t gotten much work done today at all. But this was Dominic reaching out and he couldn’t very well go and decline that. The work would have to wait till later. Idés nodded. “Sure,” he said. “I’d love to.”

Idés leaned against the wall by the kitchen, placing his hands back into his pockets. He watched as the refugees were setting the table and putting the finishing touches on what had probably been the most chaotic cooking session he had seen in a while. The EFA was more full than usual, but that was to be expected. Times were difficult, after all. Especially to the outcasts of society. He looked at Dominic, the man responsible for taking care of them all. A stressful job that Idés didn’t at all envy. It struck him that they should be making conversation, and, well, that he didn’t actually really know what to ask the man. There was plenty they could talk about in terms of the EFA, but they literally just had a meeting about that a few days ago. And he was interested about Dominic’s life, it was just that Idés wasn’t sure what the man really got up to when he wasn’t working. Idés rubbed his neck.

“So. How’s things?”

Idés defined Gwyn as a stubborn woman, and Dominic could only agree. Being stubborn himself, he knew instantly what he had to deal with. But Idés wasn't that stubborn himself, so Dominic was curious about whether Gwyn's stubbornness simply strong enough for it to affect everyone around her or if Idés had known her long enough - or close enough - to get to know her stubbornness. The man had mentioned something about her working as his lab assistant, but wouldn't that mean he was her boss? They seemed closer than that, friends, possibly more. Dominic considered asking Idés about it, but ended up with simply saying: "Hm." Which was both an agreement to his statement and an indirect disapproval. What didn't he approve of? Dominic couldn't even pinpoint that himself. He had probably just had enough of Gwyn for one night.

Idés agreed to stay for dinner, which Dominic appreciated. It would probably be good for both of them to spend time together that wasn't in a tense situation with Gwyn at the center of it. However, Idés wasn't really someone Dominic usually hang out with during his spare time. Not that he had any of that lately, or to be frank in general. At least before the crisis he could take some nights off or even a day if he was ahead of his work or if the EFA was in a slow period. But spare time was not his expertise and it seemed like it wasn't Idés' either. Maybe that was why they rarely interacted outside of work. Sometimes Dominic could even forget that Ides was one of his oldest relations. Even though they rarely talked personally, they shared more from their past than Dominic did with most. Not that they would ever bring that up. Dominic for sure wouldn't.

Another thing that Dominic didn't usually do - talk about his emotions. He didn't even really have time to stop and think about them. So when Idés asked him how things were, Dominic automatically linked the question to the EFA, not to himself. Though his way of answering could be connected to himself as well.
"Shitty." Brief and direct, but Dominic did at least smile as he said it, although the smile was bitter and forced. Then he relaxed his face and shrugged. "But we're managing. For now. I don't know what we're going to do, when the next wave of refugees arrive."
As he spoke, his eyes followed along, as more and more refugees arrived at the dinner table. Two folding chairs had been added at the end of the table to make sure there was a seat for everyone. The tension from before was gone, as the people were chitchatting with each other, all seemingly happy despite the circumstances, probably because food was ready. One of the refugees glanced at Dominic's chest as she passed him, and Dominic looked down to see the wet spot from Gwyn's tears. For fuck sake. Oh well, it would dry eventually and he wasn't going to disturb Gwyn - or himself - further by going into his room to change. He simply shook his head about it and made a gesture towards the table to tell Idés to sit down.
"And with you? You said you hadn't been able to work much today?"
Dominic played two different roles in asking that question. First of all he asked out of interest, trying to have an actual conversation with his acquaintance. Second of all he was worried about what could have distracted Idés from his work. He didn't have the expression of him as someone who would stop working out of his own will. But he would have said something by now if it was the Godia Warlock, Dominic was sure of that. He was more curious about what else it could have been then. Maybe it was even something ordinary and non-threating. That would be a nice alternative to what they'd been used to lately.

Idés nodded understandingly as Dominic explained the situation. The blunt answer didn’t really surprise him, since it was generally how the man communicated. The smile looked pretty tense which was to be expected too with the amount of stress he was under. It made Idés feel guilty for not being able to help out more than he did. If anything, he had only added to that workload by helping Gwyn out instead. Which, he really did owe Dominic for that. He once again reminded himself to ask if there was something, anything at all he could be doing to make things run just a bit more smoothly.

Idés followed his gaze to the refugees arriving for dinner. It was worrisome that they already were at full capacity. They would either have to find them a route of the country fast, or figure out a way to add more space to HQ. They were already one bed short, meaning that one person really did have to sleep on the couch. Which was Dominic, now that Gwyn was sick. That wasn’t ideal, as Dominic already had so much to see too and definitely needed his rest. Idés almost offered up his apartment for Dominic to use until the situation was dealt with, but didn’t as that would lead to some practical issues due to the distance between campus and HQ. Besides, he knew Dominic would likely decline the offer no matter what. He turned his attention back to the EFA leader once again, when he asked him about his day.

“Ah, it’s nothing serious,” Idés explained as the two moved to the dining table. “One of the literary students came by to do an interview for a research paper, and well, turns out we hung around the same group of people back in our teens.” Samuel and the gang. He didn’t say it out loud, but it laid between the lines if you looked for it, as that was the only people that Idés had really known back then. And Dominic had known Samuel too, as odd as that was to think about. He sat down next to him. “We’ve just been catching up. I’m not working on anything time sensitive, at least, so I’ll be able to catch up tomorrow.”

As the last refugees were beginning to get settled and dinner was about to be served, Idés wondered if Cadmus was home. He wouldn’t be surprised if the man had opted for staying out of the way from Gwyn and Dominic, as the two mixed together made for an extremely tense atmosphere. Something that was bound to agitate Cadmus’ abilities.

Most people had sat down now, only the refugee, Andy, were missing as he was finishing things up in the kitchen to serve to the others. Dominic and Idés had of course sat down next to each other to continue their conversation, but they weren't the only ones talking. Several overlapping conversations were taking place between different people and the air was filled with word and noise as it was to be expected when 10 people were gathered around a dinner table. Not in a disturbing way at all, actually it was a nice exchange from the former tense situation, Dominic now was used to being in. Just hearing casual table-talk instead of secrets, strategies and discussions. However, it was probably very good that Gwyn could stay in his room; with her migraine she would have sunken into the ground with pain by all the overlapping noise.  

Dominic had his focus on his conversation with Idés, keeping his eyes at him and turning upper body slightly towards him so both he and the others at the table knew that it was this conversation he was in. Other days he would try to invest in other conversations, hear about the other refugees to help them feel at home. But the other conversations seem to run smoothly, and he would rather focus his attention on his guest. Especially when he had just asked him a question where he was interested in hearing the answer.
It most certainly wasn't an answer he expected and that was obvious to the way he didn't react instantly. A simple ".. Oh" was all he said to begin with. "Interesting," he added, but as he said it, he looked away from Idés - his excuse being to correct his posture. He frowned while considering what Idés had just told him. Having only really Cassius as a friend from back when he was a teen, he wasn't used to anyone bringing up those years. Still, he knew instantly who Idés was talking about. The memories about them seemed faded though, more like a teenhood memory of a movie you had seen back then, not moments you had lived. But that's not why Dominic frowned. No, instead of nostalgia, a hint of paranoia hit him. Wasn't it a bit strange, that Idés would meet someone from his criminal past only a few days after being interrogated by the Godia Warriors? No, it must be a coincidence. The Godia Warrios didn't care for sneaky strategies like that. They didn't need tricks like that, having all the power and authority to do almost whatever they wanted.
Still, Dominic had to ask - as he turned to look at Idés again, the frown remaining: "And you remember them? The literary student?"
The question wasn't asked in a suspicious or paranoid way, more so confused. Which Dominic was as well - and that was the reason behind his paranoia. Dominic didn't like surprises and hated not having things under control, even things like information.

Right after asking the question, Andy arrived at the table with the last pot, loudly and proudly exclaiming: "Dinneeeer's ready!"
Immediately Dominic turned his body from left to right, raising his arm in the air towards Andy to gesture that he should lower his voice.
"Hey," he said, not to scold but to catch his attention, "Maybe lower the voice. Gwyn's down with a migraine."
"Oh shit, sorry," Andy said, already speaking in a lower voice, a bit lower than normal speaking voice to compensate for his yelling. He sat down and people started putting food on their plates.
Dominic lowered his arm again, rested it on the table, relaxing in his position. He let the others fill up their plates before taking a portion himself. He knew that there was food enough but he still wanted to prioritize the refugees.
"Besides," he said, shrugging, "We're all gathered already. No need to call someone to the table."
”Cadmus isn't home?" Paulina asked while sliding her plate back in front of her.
Dominic shook his head. "He had a job to do," he said. Which wasn't unusual. Sometimes he had to work at dinnertime. Without looking at Idés, Dominic cocked his head his way. "Idés will take his portion."
This was probably the most relaxed one could have heard Dominic talk these days. Most of it was a facade, as he really did work hard on the refugees not being intimated by him, but some of it also was because he couldn't help being affected by how casual the dinner table atmosphere was. It almost seemed like a cozy clubhouse if one could ignore the grey and dark interior of the HQ and if one could forget all the trauma every person at this table had with them.
The refugees started their own conversations again, some of those who knew Idés said hi to him, before talking to their friends again. Dominic turned to look at Idés again, leaning back in his chair. He had asked him a question before all the other things and he still wanted to hear the answer.

From the way Dominic reacted, Idés wondered if he had perhaps said something wrong, although he couldn’t really figure out what it was. Of course, it was also his experience that the EFA leader was notoriously hard to read. With all the positive qualities that Dominic possessed – which, no one could say he wasn’t a good leader – he always seemed tense when he and Idés interacted. Which was probably also one of the reasons the two of them weren’t closer despite having known each other for so long. It did at times make Idés wonder if Dominic was as hard to read to everyone or if this was just Idés’ own eccentricities. Idés had, after all, always had problems with picking up on subtext and what wasn’t plainly stated. Or, maybe it was just simply that Dominic didn’t like him all that much. Then, Dominic seemed confused when he asked him if he remembered Edita. Idés blinked in confusion at Dominics confusion. He didn’t get to answer his question, because at the same moment Andy announced the dinner was ready.

The crowded dining table reminded Idés of when he still lived with his family. While the overlapping voices and conversations definitely could be overwhelming at times, it also felt very nostalgic. He didn’t exactly miss the stress and lack of privacy that came with living with many people, but it still felt very familiar and homely to him. It was living alone that had felt alien to him at first. Still kind of did, even after two years. It reminded him that it was probably also time to visit his family soon. Something he had especially been struggling with finding the time to do since he started studying. So, his entire adult life, really.
Dominic instructed Andy to quiet down, since Gwyn was down with a migraine. Dominic definitely seemed way more relaxed now than he had at the meeting, or even just half an hour ago. Which was good. He hoped that this was closer to the norm, than the glimpses he had seen lately, because the man did really seem quite stressed these days. Which did of course make sense, but wasn’t a nice way to live a life either. Idés offered a smile and a “hey” to the crowd when Dominic informed them he would be taking Cadmus’ portion. He then grabbed some food himself, once everyone else had.

The refugees started returning to their conversations and Idés returned the greetings of the few people here who had met him. As he himself didn’t live at HQ it was limited how well he got to know the refugees, as the most they would see him would be at either meetings or when he came by to fix something. Which was a shame, because he found that a lot of them were very interesting people who just happened to be in a very unfortunate situation. Then, he noticed Dominic looking at him, expecting an answer to the question Idés had all but forgotten. What had they been talking about again? Oh right, Edita!
“Yeah, I remember her,” he nodded, pouring himself a glass of water. “Or, well, I didn’t at first. She just seemed familiar, and then I remembered her. If that makes sense.” He realized that it did maybe sound a bit odd. Or maybe it didn’t? Idés rubbed his neck. “We just grabbed a coffee together, nothing special.” Which really wasn't that weird. Or maybe it was?

For a second there, Idés seemed to have forgotten what they had been talking about. Which was fair, since there had been a lot of different input in the span of the few minutes between Dominic asked the question and now. Then again, it also showed how it wasn't something that worried Idés, or else his mind wouldn't have let go of it so easily. Which was probably a good sign - if it wasn't something that worried Idés, then it might not be something to worry about. Having known him for what must have been 10 years by now, Dominic knew that Idés wasn't someone to act a fool and mess up. The misstep and miscommunication regarding Gwyn was the only time he had ever fucked up concerning the EFA and even then - though it wasn't something Dominic could say aloud - it had been an understandable mistake. Dominic and him might not hang out a lot and Dominic might not be entirely sure what to talk to him about, but there was no denying that they had grown up together. That Idés had seen sides of Dominic that no one else but Cassius and him had seen. And that Idés had proven to be a man worthy of trust despite all the shit they had been through together. Dominic wasn't big on trusting people, but Idés had made it to the very short list of those he did trust.  
So when the professor said he remembered the student from his past - even with his own correction to that statement - Dominic believed him and believed in his lack of worry. Not that he would completely scratch it off his list of things to look out for, but really that list was so long, that this new point at the bottom of it wouldn't change much.

Dominic nodded, accepting Idés' answer. After that he stopped leaning back in his seat to grab his utensil and actually eat the dinner that he had been fighting over for the last half hour or so.
"So you had fun?" he asked, while putting the first bite on his fork. He then realized he might have assumed wrongly and added: "Or was it weird? I mean, since you're in a whole other place in your life now."
At least in the real world. He was still connected with the EFA after all - something Dominic only could be grateful for.
Dominic took in the first bite of the dinner. Almost immediately he had to shake his head.
"Of course she's actually good at cooking," he said, and even had to crack a smile at the irony. At least Gwyn wasn't here to get cocky over it.

Dominic seemed to accept his answer and not think it was weird, which made Idés worry less about whether the way he had spent his day had been appropriate or not.
“Yeah, it was nice to catch up,” Idés nodded, grabbing his utensils as well. He had had a really nice day, actually. Catching up with Edita had put him in a good mood. He didn’t even feel that bad about not prioritizing his research, surprisingly enough it had been a welcome interruption. It probably wouldn't be the last time the two of them hung out, Idés had enjoyed her company. “What have you been up to today?”

Then Dominic tasted the food and shook his head. He even smiled as he recognized Gwyn’s cooking skills. It was nice seeing the EFA leader actually smile, it was at times a rare sight. It made Idés smile too. “Of course she is,” he chuckled. It wasn’t surprising to him. In their work together, Gwyn had often been the sole reason Idés even got a solid meal in during his work day. She was naturally nurturing like that, a very kind person. One of the reasons he couldn’t bear the thought that something awful should happen to her. He frowned slightly at the thought. He had thanked Dominic in the meeting, but he didn't feel it was exactly sufficient considering how big this favor truly was. In fact, Idés had been thinking a lot about that meeting for the last two days.

“Thank you, again,” Idés then said. “For helping, I mean. And sorry I screwed it up at the meeting.” It wasn’t often that Idés acted irrationally like that, usually he stayed collected even if things got stressful. But the Godia Warriors seemed to strike a nerve he hadn’t realized was that sensitive to begin with. As a matter of fact, he was himself a little shocked at how he had acted. He had overreacted and he should have checked in with Dominic beforehand, he realized that now when all was said and done. But losing another person he cared about, the thought alone was unbearable. That was why he had acted as he did, as reckless as that had been.
He then also understood why her presence might be an extra stress-factor on top of everything else Dominic was already dealing with. Which would be an explanation for why Dominic and Gwyn budded heads to begin with. Idés hated the fact that he had added to the burden Dominic was already dealing with by bringing Gwyn to the EFA. Idés had never been the type to ask for much, let alone let his own issues be a hindrance to others.  He was, at his core, a fixer – someone who preferred to help rather than be helped. He hated that his action had technically caused the other man a great deal of stress, especially considering the abhorrent chemistry between him and Gwyn.
“I know you have a lot on your plate to begin with. But I really do appreciate it.”

Idés asked what Dominic had been up to today, and Dominic thought about it for a second. So much had happened just during the dinner cooking that he had remember what the day had been spent on.
"Had a meeting with our dockers." The ones who helped them with transferring refugees to Ydisia. Domininc was about to update Idés on that meeting, that pretty much had ended with them agreeing that it was too dangerous to transport any refugees across the sea right now, but he decided that that could wait until their next meeting instead. "And I've checked up on Fallonmore and Sanston." The other two EFA groups. "And I was actually in the middle of watching a movie, before chaos erupted."
A snort could be heard from Andy. Dominic raised his eyebrow at him, a gesture that could seem confrontational, especially when coming from Dominic, but at least his body language was relaxed enough to show that it was in good Spirit.
Andy shrugged. "I mean," he said, "You barely watched it." Mary Elisabeth snickered, those two clearly having gossiped about Dominic's distracted behavior during the movie. Did they mean about how he was on his phone or how he ended up being in the kitchen with Gwyn instead of with them? Dominic hoped for the first option.
"Okay, I was on the couch while a movie was playing," he said as a correction, not mentioning the Gwyn part. Besides, just being on the couch was better than what he had done for the last week. He gave himself credit for that.

Idés chuckled at Dominic's point about Gwyn being a good cook, seemingly unsurprised at her cooking skills. Maybe she had cooked for him before? Dominic didn't ask, but he did think about it.
Then he started thanking him. Not just thanking him, but apologizing. Dominic never knew what to do when people did that, not in such a genuine, open way. It was another thing when they apologized when he was angry, where he made them make up for their mistakes. Or when someone said a quick, casual thanks for a small gesture. Non-forced apologies and genuine, deep thanks though? Those just made Dominic feel awkward. As most talk about feelings did.
He had just put yet another bite of food in his mouth when Idés had begun. While chewing his food - very properly so he had time to process the change of subject - he gesticulated with his hand towards Idés in a unbothered manner, showing that Idés didn't have to thank him or say he was sorry. He didn't look at him while he did so, eye contact being too intimate for him in this situation.
He swallowed his food and right as he had done that he said: "It's fine." Which was his short, indirect begging that Idés stopped.
He then had processed it enough to lean back into his seat and say: "None of us were thinking with a clear head at that meeting."
That was his own way of recognizing that he was also at fault himself. He had exploded without hearing Idés out, possibly causing a ripple effect of anger. Not that he would ever admit that directly, not wanting to put focus on his anger issues. But at least he could so so indirectly.
"Besides," he said, looking at the man beside him with a faint smile, showing that he was still in a calm mood, "You've done so much for the EFA." He shrugged, trying to stay casual in his more intimate words. "It was about time we did something for you in return"
He leaned forward again to cut out another bite and to indicate that this part of the conversation was done. But then he decided to look back up at Idés. "Just.. don't bring over anymore students." It was mostly meant as a joke but really it was also serious. "We don't have anymore couches for them to crash on."

Idés listened to Dominic talk about his day. Or, his workday, to be more exact. It made sense, as the EFA-leader he always had a lot of work to be done. He did have time to watch a movie, though, which was nice that he had gotten a small chance to relax as well. Idés took a bite off his food as the refugee corrected him, that he had in fact not been watching the movie. Dominic then corrected himself, that he had instead just been present on the couch. Idés let out a small chuckle at that, it sounded on brand. It seemed they both needed to learn how to deal with time off.

Then Dominic seemed keen on avoiding the topic at first. It wasn’t surprising. He was, after all, a person who liked to keep emotions at a safe distance. It couldn’t be helped. Still it was nice to clear the air and get a definite confirmation that there was no lingering resentment, even if he dismissed the apology and gratitude. It was the best he could do and that was alright. There were no hard feelings and that was the most important part. Idés accepted it and took another bite of the food.

When Dominic leaned over to take another bite of his food, Idés thought it was the end of that conversation. But then Dominic looked up again, jokingly telling him not to bring over anymore students. Idés let out a laugh. “Argh, dammit,” he said, a smile on his face to show that he wasn’t being serious. “The Chess Club will be so disappointed.”

As awkward as it was, it was nice to be able to spend some time with Dominic in a non-work-related setting. He liked Dominic. As much as the two had what was mostly a friendly work-relation, they had known each other for so long that it felt like the most natural thing in the world to have Dominic in his life. It was the kind of relationship where while Idés couldn’t tell much for sure about Dominic’s background and life, he still felt he knew him well from what he had learned through years of working together. The kind of observations that came naturally over time. Without knowing the full story, he had come to know Dominic as a kind man with a tough facade through his actions alone. And he was sure Dominic had concluded things about Idés the same we Idés had about Dominic.

Idés took a bite off his food, deciding to move on from the previous topic. The air was cleared and that meant he wouldn’t worry about that anymore. He chewed as he tried to think of something to ask the man. He had noticed at one point that he seemed interested in sports, and so he asked: “There’s a game this week?” A shot in the dark, really, Idés wouldn’t know if there was or not. But there always was some kind of upcoming game, he thought.

Maybe it was because Dominic was letting go of some of his tension for the first time in over a week. Maybe it was because of the contrast between the awkward feeling talk and the lighthearted joke. Maybe it was because Idés genuinely was a funny man, probably the funnniest member of the EFA - not that that was a competition anyone really cared about. No matter the reason, Idés joke about the chess club made Dominic laugh, something he hadn't really done since the murder. It was a short gust of laughter that even seemed to surprise Dominic himself, since he had to stop trying to take a bite, but it was indeed a laughter.
"Oh man," he said, leaning back in his chair in a jokingly disappointed manner, "I didn't even think of The Chess Club."
His joke wasn't as smooth as Idés, he really was rusty in that regard. But it was nice. And casual. For at least a few seconds, before he transitioned back into his normal, relaxed yet non-smiling self and leaned forward again to take a bite of his food.

There was a period of no conversation between the two men. It was a tad awkward, as Dominic tried to think of what to talk about but couldn't think of anything, but it wasn't uncomfortable. When you had known someone for as long as those two had known each other, you start to become okay with just existing. Besides, there wasn't silence, even when they weren't talking; there were plenty of conversations across the table that they could listen to. Not anyone that Dominic felt like actively investing in, but it was nice to hear the refugees finding conversation topics that they could enjoy instead of worrying about. They were better than him in that regard.
Idés then found something to talk about - football. Which Dominic actually could talk quite a bit about, but he didn't think it was a topic to bring Idés into. They had never talked about football before, not just the two of them at least.

Since Dominic had food in his mouth, he started by just nodding to Idés' question. He then swallowed his food to say: "Actually yeah." He frowned ever so slightly while thinking about it. Not because of anything particular, frowning was just a part of his thinking-face. It was different than his angry or annoyed face though, as this frown was with slightly raised eyebrows and the rest of his face was relaxed. "World Cup actually. FC Ilomar's first game."
The World Cup had been going on for a few weeks now, but FC Ilomar had been allowed to enter the Cup later on. A few games had to be rescheduled for it do work out, but it had been done, so the team and the whole country supporting them had time to mourn. Now morning was over, and people could cheer on their national football team again.

"Friday night," he added, "Maybe I'll watch it, but I dunno." Who knew what could go wrong between now and then? Dominic probably wouldn't have time to spend a Friday night just relaxing. He shook his head a bit as an alternative to shrugging and looked down at his fork as he picked up some food from his plate. "Maybe if Cad's is up for it." He took a bite of his food, the frown still on his face, as he considered his options. He had completely forgotten about game, but now that he was reminded about it, he actually did want to watch it. Oh well, he would just have to wait and see if it would be possible to do so.

He turned his head towards Idés again.
"You don't watch football, do you?" He tried to not turn it into a question, more a fact, but still ended up saying it a hesitatingly. He really didn't know that much about Idés. He had no clue what his interests where other than Zeals and whatever else he worked with. To be honest, Dominic just assumed that Idés wouldn't be into sports and he assumed so because of the man's, well, nerdyness. But then again, Cadmus was a nerd as well, just a literary nerd, and he liked football. So who knew? Maybe Dominic had found a new football-buddy.

Dominic laughed and Idés smiled at that. How could he not? It was a rare sound and part of him felt proud for lifting Dominic’s Spirit, if just a little bit. He chuckled when Dominic played along as well, saying that he hadn’t even thought about the chess club. The last lingering tension from the emotionally honest talk had definitely disappeared now and Idés took another bite of his food. It was in fact very nice to eat dinner together like this, and it made Idés wonder why the two had never hung out more. Well, maybe it wasn’t much of a mystery, they were both busy people. And they had been worlds apart as teenagers. But Idés definitely wasn’t opposed to doing this another time.

Then Dominic confirmed that there indeed was a game! He wore his thinking-frown as he thought about it and said that he might watch it with Cadmus. Which definitely sounded like a good idea, the man needed some time off to just do something he enjoyed. “That sounds like fun,” Idés said, nodding. “I think you guys should do that.”

Then, the truth was exposed, as Idés didn’t know the first thing about football. He probably wouldn’t even be able to recount the rules or who the key players were. “Well,” he started. “One of my old roommates played on the school football team.” A roommate he may have hooked up with a couple of times. It had been a while since Idés had even thought about him. He was a marine biologist now, studying algae somewhere on Proton. “So I’ve seen the uni team play once or twice. Otherwise, no,” he spoke, a half-apologetic smile on his lips. “I’m not exactly the sporty type, I suppose.”

Idés took another bite off his food as he considered. Sports had never been his thing, P.E. probably having been the worst possible subject for him back in high school. He was known for being a smart guy, not a muscular guy. One could make a case for him being laughably weak, in fact. Considering his criminal career, that might come back to bite him in the ass one day. He decided not to linger on that thought, though, as he swallowed his food. “I’m glad that you guys are into it, though,” he said, really meaning it. Having hobbies and interests were very much a healthy thing, no matter what those interests were. It was a harmless thing too and there was a sense of unity in sports that Idés admired even if he didn’t fully understand the culture around it. He then added in a joking tone “then the nerds can have their chess-clubs in peace.”

‘I think you guys should to that’, Idés said to him, and Dominic nodded ever so slightly, considering it. “Maybe we should,” he said, agreeing to his statement, seeming more up for it now that Idés had encouraged him to do so. Maybe a proper night off work could be good. Not just for Cadmus and Dominic but for the refugees as well. It must be worrying to see that the EFA-members working day and night to keep them safe. It was a clear sign that they had something to be scared about. Maybe Dominic taking the night off could raise their Spirits a bit. Besides, he missed football. A day off to watch a game shouldn’t do that much damage, he supposed.

Just by Idés’ first ‘well’, Dominic knew that the man had not a single care for football. Then the professor went to mention his old roommate and Dominic cracked a smile over his effort in trying to link himself to the sport. It could seem as if he was teasing him a bit with the way he smiled at his attempt, but it was a genuine reaction of appreciation of Idés wanting to connect with him. Dominic didn’t feel the need for further connection himself. He already felt connected to him – through their shared pasts and their shared goals. He did, however, feel the need to hang out with Idés some more. But that was a stupid need – as if Dominic had any time to take off to hang out more with someone. He hadn’t even seen Cassius since the meeting, and he had only exchanged words in passing with Cadmus in the hall between their bedrooms and the kitchen. In reality, Idés and him would chat during dinner, then Idés would go home, and the two of them would see each other to the next EFA meeting, not a second before that. None of them had time for friends. Dominic didn’t even consider having time for them.

But Dominic enjoyed chatting with him this dinner. He could almost feel thankful that Gwyn had invited him over if he didn’t consider the circumstances in which she did so. When Idés then joked about the chess club yet again, Dominic laughed again. This time less abruptly and lower in volume, shaking his head at Idés great humor.

“Let’s make a deal then,” he then said, “I won’t force you to any football games and you won’t force me to any chess games.”
He looked at his friend with a faint smile. Before he let him answer, he added, casually, but genuinely: “But other than that, you’re free to come over for dinner anytime. Okay?”

Idés smiled at Dominic’s comment about not forcing each other to any football or chess games. It occurred to him that since chess was mostly about strategy and logic there was a chance Dominic might actually be quite good at it, if he gave it a shot. He understood what he meant, though. “Deal,” he said with a chuckle. Then he smiled again when Dominic said he was free to come over for dinner. “That also sounds like a deal.”

And he really did mean it – although, one thing was making that agreement, another thing was to remember to drop by. There was a reason they often went so long without seeing each other. It was way too easy for Idés to lose sense of time and place, usually the only times he dropped by the EFA headquarters was if he was needed or there was a meeting. But of course, with Gwyn here it wasn’t unthinkable that they needed him here again soon. Still, he hoped next time it wasn’t because of a crisis. He did actually enjoy the company of Dominic and he was a man that Idés respected very much and Gwyn was a good friend, so the thought of having to be the middleman between the two of them fighting didn’t seem too inviting. He would be if he had to. But he’d rather he didn’t have to.

The rest of the dinner was pleasant. The conversation flowed more easily now that the atmosphere was clear and eventually, the refugees joined in now that it felt more natural to do so. Quips and anecdotes were shared around the table, most of these people had some very interesting insights about the world. The darker parts about their stories, they tended to keep that for themselves. That was understandable. For a moment the world almost seemed normal at the headquarters, something as mundane as people meeting over a warm meal. The moment would soon pass and as another pair of refugees got started on the dishes – insisting that Idés did not help – it meant that the night had come to an end. Reality was waiting and both Idés and Dominic had important work to return to. Even though it was late now, Idés still had to finish some things up at the lab. It had been nice while it lasted, Idés thought as he put on his coat, turning to say goodbye to his friend.

“This was nice,” he said, with a smile, before correcting himself, with a slight chuckle. “Dinner, that is, not Gwyn’s migraine.” He rubbed his neck, it was time to leave. "See you around?" Did he offer Dominic a hug goodbye or was that too intimate? He opened his arms anyways, giving him the option if he wished to.

The rest of the dinner was nothing but pleasant in a way that wasn’t ordinary at the HQ. Not that the dinners weren’t pleasant usually, it might actually be some of the more pleasant times here, where the refugees as well as the EFA members could have a sense of normalcy despite it all. But with Idés here, there was a new energy, with his witty and intelligent humor and his way of engaging with the refugees. Sometimes during the dinner, it was suddenly clear to Dominic that Idés was a professor, just by the way he could ask questions to the refugees where he seemed interested but didn’t put them on the spot. That realization – that Idés’ life didn’t solely revolve around the EFA – stung Dominic slightly, a little twinge of envy, but he quickly pushed that feeling away to laugh at one of Idés’ jokes.

At the end of the evening, as he was walking Idés to the door, Dominic did feel a bit of reluctance to let the man leave. Simply because it had been such a pleasant time, and Dominic knew – both men knew – that real life was waiting for them as soon as that door would be closed between them. But real life couldn’t wait unfortunately, so Dominic of course didn’t ask Idés to stay. What would he even do if he did? Dominic was just going to help with the dishes and then go to the sleep – on the couch, he remembered. Oh, his poor back. He might not have thought that one through.
“Yeah, it was,” he said to Idés remark about the dinner, before laughing briefly over Idés’ clarification, raising his hand in a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture.
“For sure,” he said to Idés next comment, thinking that this would be the end of their interactions and that his friend now would wave goodbye and leave through the door.

But Idés had other ideas. He opened his arms, proposing a hug between the two men.
For a moment, Dominic felt like a deer caught in headlights. Panic flashed across his face for a split second. Had he and Idés ever hugged before? Maybe at parties when Dominic had been too drunk to remember it the next morning. Other than that, Dominic wasn’t even sure he and Idés had shook hands. They just never had that kind of friendship where physical touch was prevalent. But then again, Dominic didn’t really have that kind of friendship with anyone.

He decided to go for it, mostly due to how awkward it would be not to hug him. He tried to play it off with having the smile from before return to his lips, but it was a but more forced, and his movements were slightly stiff as he stepped forward to hug his friend. The hug was brief, though it was a full embrace, like a man would hug his brother. Dominic could probably have enjoyed it, but for now he was mostly focused on not seeming too tense. He patted Idés' back, trying not to linger too long, and then stepped back just a little too quickly.

He put his hands into his front pockets, rocking a bit front and back as to not stand still in his own awkwardness. “Take care,” he then said, as the final goodbye.

Idés knew it had been a mistake to initiate a hug when he saw the look on Dominics face. Hell, Idés himself wasn’t even sure why he had done so. It was just something friends did usually, but clearly he had misread that situation. He was just about to drop it and just say his goodbye, so he could take his leave and swallow the embarrassment. But then Dominic smiled strenuously and stepped forward to return the hug. Though the hug was brief and brotherly, it felt incredibly awkward. Idés usually liked physical affection and even though Dominic agreed to hug him, it still felt like an invasion of Dominic’s personal space. He returned the pat on Dominics back and almost felt relieved when the two once again separated.

Dominic looked incredibly awkward as he told Idés to take care, which made Idés cringe at his own social ineptitude. Idés rubbed his neck and nodded. “Yup,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “You too.” There was a beat of silence, a second that lasted entirely too long. Idés had never been gifted in terms of sociability. It had gotten better with age, but moments like these still occurred. And right now, Idés wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and pretend it hadn't happened at all. He didn't like that he had made the situation uncomfortable, especially since it had been such a pleasant evening otherwise.

Then Idés moved to open the front door, saying a final “see ya around.” Then he went out into the chilly spring evening, closing the door behind him. He cursed his own lack of social skills one last time before deciding to put it behind him and head back towards the university campus. He still had work to do, after all.