Archive of Our Own

Mirage gulps and snaps his fingers. He stops walking in his tracks again, vision clouded for a moment by pixelations in the air.

"Tardiness is not one of my accepted attributes."

"I know, I know." Mirage straightens his tie again and his decoy mirrors the movement  with a look of sympathy. Mirage waves away the vision and walks forward again, trotting to catch up.

"She knows what you look like. I'd hazard a guess she's seen you at your most indecent."

Mirage glances at Caustic. "What, like changing my diaper? I've achieved greater indecency than that in my time." His smirk doesn't quite reach his eyes. "It's not just me she'll be seeing. It's... the package deal."

Caustic sighs and smooths his hair again. He won't admit the younger man's nerves are agitating his own. This is an unusual situation, all the variables of which are frustratingly just beyond his field of foresight.

As they reach their destination, Caustic adjusts his grip on the plant pot in his hand, spinning it a bit. Mirage clears his throat and rings the doorbell. He starts a low shaking "Oh..." in the back of his throat. "This was a bad idea."

Caustic scowls under his mask and sideways glances at Mirage, biting back an impatient retort. He clenches his jaw, blinks his eyes, and sighs again as footsteps approach the other side of the door.

Caustic snatches Mirage's hand in the last moment before the door opens and Mirage blanches. He stutters a greeting and his fingers jerk as Caustic squeezes.

"Hi, Mom."

Evelyn smiles graciously. "Inchworm," she croons lovingly. She addresses Caustic, "It's a pleasure to have finally made your aquaintence."

Caustic tilts his head and nods deeply, but his words are cut short by Mirage's incessant babbling.

"This is Cau- Mikhail. Um." The name feels foreign on Mirage's tongue and a drip of sweat pools at his temple as he catches Caustic's raised eyebrow out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah. Uh, anyway." He drops Caustic's hand and goes to hug his mom. She pats his back lovingly before turning to the older man again.

"Mikhail. I appreciate you taking the time away from your studies."

Caustic wipes Mirage's sweat off his palm on his silver-purple suit jacket before shaking her hand. "I assure you, the pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Witt." His deep voice tumbles over the words elegantly.

"Please, call me Evelyn."

"Very well. Evelyn, please accept this token." Caustic proffers the plant and Evelyn takes it with a wide smile.

"My goodness, Elliott look! It's beautiful!"

"Yeah, Mom." Mirage glances around and tugs on his collar a bit before opening his arms to feign a movement to corral the others. "You gonna make us stand outside here all night, or what?"

"Come along, Mikhail. Let me give you a tour." Evelyn places her hand on Caustic's back and guides him inside, cradling the potted plant close to her breast.

Mirage wrings his hands as he follows the other two around the small apartment. It's been furnished to appear more affluent than the neighborhood would suggest, but there's really no one else Mirage would spend his Apex Games winnings on. Except maybe himself.

"What do you think, Elliott? Right here?"

Mirage watches his mom place the pot gently on the coffee table and remove the plastic protective covering, allowing the reddish-purple and green leaves to bounce free. Caustic watches on proudly with his hands clasped in front of him. He can't parse the older man's expression when they lock eyes for a moment.

"That's perfect, Mom. What's for dinner?"

"Oh my, I hadn't even noticed the serration on these leaves. Did you design this?" Evelyn ignores Mirage's question and crouches to touch the plant gingerly.

"It seems you've been informed of my hobby."

"Briefly," Evelyn nods. "I want to know more. I think it's fantastic what you can do."

Mirage flops into a chair and bites his lip, watching the other two go back and forth nervously.

Caustic kneels and turns the plant, pointing out the beginning of a bud at the end of one of the larger stems. "I've genetically designed this specimen from a splice of Gaian Applasian Soot Weed and Tropical Grouse Rosebush. The resulting seedling was surprisingly sturdy, but only in the right climate. I will admit, it took me some time to nurture this color here. The Grouse Rosebush requires a lot of direct sunlight and warmth, but the Soot Weed strain wanted cold nights. It's a delicate balance."

"Oh, wonderful. So, you've given it to me to die?" Evelyn laughs.

Caustic blinks in surprise. Sarcasm has always been difficult for him to deal with in regards to casual, civilian conversations.

Mirage snorts and covers his eyes in secondhand embarassment.

Caustic rises and smooths his suit coat. "I assure you, I would not have gifted such a delicate species without having been absolutely certain it had reached this stage of stubborn maturity. Without killing this plant before now, I've more or less doomed you to an otherwordly stature of adaptability."

Evelyn stands and chuckles. "Just like the two of you, I'd say."

Caustic cocks his head. "I do not follow."

Evelyn takes his hand and beckons Mirage to the dining room. "Your feats in the Apex deathmatches are nothing short of otherworldly. I'm so very proud of my inchworm. In fact, seeing you two together now has certainly eased my future nighttime worries about him."

Caustic preens privately as he pulls out a chair at the table. Mirage pulls out a chair for Evelyn, but she declines.

"I haven't luxury of helpers in this home, sweetheart. I'll be right back."

Caustic immediately stands to his feet to object and his words are run over once again, but Mirage squeaks his intended sentiment. "Mom, you don't have to serve us. Let me get that for you, please."

Evelyn waves him away, refusing to yield, as she scurries to the kitchen.

"I can see her in you."

Mirage blushes at Caustic's hushed tone. "Yeah? Maybe I should get my hair done like that." He deflects in jest as is normal for him when he's nervous.

Caustic touches his hand from across the table after they both retake their seats. Mirage freezes, feeling caught out being the center of the scientist's affection in a place such as this. What if someone sees?

Caustic usually kills or at least severely maims anyone witness to his deeper emotions.

Except for Mirage. (So far.)

"This is... nice." Caustic mutters.

Mirage's screws into an expression of disbelief.

Caustic sees his reaction and scowls, pulling his hand away. He mumbles an addition to his statement stubbornly. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Have you... never met someone's parents before?" Mirage asks quietly. His surprise is genuine, the older man is quite the catch in his opinion.

"Don't patronize me."

Evelyn returns before Mirage can explain himself. His eyebrows pinch and he tastes foot as he feigns a smile for his mother. He leans back as she places a large tray in front of him.

"I hope you two like duck. It's the only thing I could get right!" Evelyn laughs nervously and it sounds exactly like Mirage.

Caustic smiles at the implication of her preparation efforts. "I'm sure it will be exquisite. Thank you."

"Can I get either of you a drink?"

Mirage stands again and places his hand on Evelyn's shoulder. "Seriously, Mom. Sit down. Let me get it."

Evelyn smiles abashedly. There's wine on the rack in the kitchen.

"Water is fine for me," Caustic interjects quickly. He slowly begins unclasping his respirator, conscious of the curious eyes watching him. He doesn't let it get to him.

"What struck you?" Evelyn asks quitely after Mirage steps away. "He's extraordinary, I know, but how did he catch your  eye? I'm very curious."

Caustic sets his mask down on the tablecloth and doesn't meet her intense, but friendly stare.

"Elliott is a good man. And smart. I believe he takes after you in terms of intellect. He's always surprised me with how well he keeps up when I talk about my work." Caustic grips a butterknife for comfort as he feels a flush curling up his neck. He carefully watches his plate as he continues. "I think he's one of the few genuinely kind and decent men I've ever met. I consider myself fortunate to be the center of his affections."

Mirage sweeps back in, his beet red complexion revealing he'd caught the end of Caustic's words. "Okay! We've got pinot noir for the lady, and fresh water for the gentleman."

Caustic clears his throat and scratches his beard, thankful that it hides the color in his own cheeks.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Evelyn is still staring at Caustic curiously, but now with an affectionate half smile. "Mikhail, would you please do the honors?" she asks, gesturing to the lidded tray.

Caustic stands as Mirage takes his seat with a glass of water for himself. He lifts the lid off the entree and grips the large knife set aside on the table with confidence. Using a fork to balance, he serves the three of them with efficiency and grace.

Mirage cracks a joke about how he himself would've burned the duck or something and Evelyn chuckles. Just before they dig in, she offers gratitude like an afterthought.

"Thank you, Richard."

Evelyn takes her first bite and hums. "Oh, I think this is my best yet."

Mirage drops his fork, but makes no move to pick it up after it clatters against his plate.

"Are you alright, honey?"

Caustic remains frozen, his own fork poised to pierce the soft meat. He's glancing between the two of them from under a furrowed brow, calculating the situation.

Why must human interaction present itself like such paradoxical equations all the time?

"Mom?" Mirage's voice sounds so small and afraid.

"Yes, dear?"

"Have you been taking your medications?"

Evelyn gives Caustic a sideways smirk. "Your father and I were just going to ask you the same thing."

Caustic stands abruptly and clenches his fists.

Mirage frowns heavily as he falls to kneel beside Evelyn's chair. "Mom, look at me. Do you remember where you are? This is Gaia. It's the year 2734." He takes her hands. "It's me, Elliott. I'm here with you."

Caustic leaves the room without another word. He hides in the bathroom, leaned over the sink and scowling at his reflection in the mirror.

He knew getting involved with someone would be complicated. It's always complicated. Humans are just little specimens he can't dissect in his laboratory. As soon as he thinks he understands one, another trumps his hypotheses. It's a moot game.

This relationship cannot be controlled with the right temperature and lighting. Balancing soil chemicals and atmospheric moisture won't help him now. And if it dies, he will have to take responsibility for that failure.

That inevitably failure.

"Inchworm..." Evelyn whispers. "You've grown so much."

"Yeah," Mirage croaks. "But I'm still here, Mom. I'm with you right now. We're having dinner." His throat feels tight and his eyes are burning.

He didn't want Caustic to see this.

Evelyn's gaze wanders across the dining table. "Oh, I love duck..."

"You made this, Mom. It turned out really good. Remember?"

"Of course I remember. I burnt the chicken and the fish. The duck is all that I could have served you."

Mirage retakes his seat with a sigh.

"Honey, we forgot the couscous medley. It's in the microwave, let me fetch it. Tell your boyfriend to come back, I want him to try it."

This wrenches a smile out of him. Mirage's hand is covering his mouth, but his eyes crinkle wetly. He rubs his face and clears his throat as Evelyn exits. "Yeah, I'll grab him."

Caustic returns in that moment, just standing in the walkway awkwardly. "Perhaps I should go."

"No," Mirage jumps to his feet. "Everything's fine now. She just had a moment. I'm so sorry, Caustic."

"Please do not apologize." Caustic grabs his mask to reapply to his face. "It is certainly not your fault. Either way, the verdict has come down, just as we expected. Too old. I cannot blame her." The respirator clicks and fresh air rushes to meet Caustic's tight chest.

Mirage scurries around the table and grabs Caustic's hand. "Don't say that, please. She doesn't think that at all. She likes you, I really think so. Sometimes she just... forgets some things."

"She mistook me for your deceased father," Caustic growls lowly.

Evelyn swoops back in with a small ceramic dish suddenly. "Mikhail, what did you think of the duck?" She spots his flighty stance and frowns. "Everything alright?"

Caustic glances at Mirage disapprovingly. The whites of his eyes show like he's an animal backed into the corner of his cage.

Mirage drop his hand and walks away. "He got a call. Something's come up, I guess." He falls back into his seat and clasps his hands in front of his mouth.

"Oh..."

Caustic watches her shoulders slump minutely. He clenches his teeth.

"Nothing someone else can't deal with," he offers.

Mirage looks up at him with surprise and smiles as Caustic removes his respirator again.

"Please," Caustics asks politely, nodding at the dish of couscous.

Evelyn serves him with delight and they all retake their seats, digging into the cooled duck. The three of them share this meal together with amity, the conversation flowing over the course of the night surprisingly easily.

Caustic finds himself relaxing fully, all the way back to his baseline. It feels nice. Mirage catches his eye after the three of them share a bought of laughter, and Caustic smiles warmly at him. He's glad he stayed.

The other man smiles back, thanking him privately with a small pinch between his eyebrows.

Perhaps not all relationships have to end badly. Maybe it's worth it to try, to hope.

A small bud in Caustic's heart begins to bloom that night without him even realizing it.