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Victory Road IC Inbox
"Good morning, evening, afternoon- whatever time it is where you are when you're calling- this is Winston Zeddemore speaking. ...I've got other things to tend to at the moment, so just leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
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[As the boat comes up to the docks, he moves back down below the deck to the ferry's first floor, getting ready to disembark from the vessel at last.]
[His eyes light up seeing Peter on the docks, and Winston wants, more than anything, to call out to him- but his nerves strangle the words until they die in his throat. Heart wrenching with tension, every step he takes towards him makes his pulse thud throughout his body. Struggling to keep his breath steady, he tries to keep his cool, tries to board the docks calmly, tries to keep himself unobtrusive to the other passengers leaving ship, even though the anticipation of seeing Peter again is so overwhelming it feels like he might collapse on the spot.]
[And it's only been three days. Two of them, they were in contact.]
[He can't imagine what it must be like for him.]
[Winston suddenly stumbles, as his feet move faster without his forethought.]
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And eventually, he finds him.]
Winston.
[Softly, almost reverently, and way too quiet to be heard.]
Winston!
[Far, far louder, because unlike Winston, Venkman errs more on the side of too much noise instead of not enough.
Bond watches with idle curiosity as this scene plays out far below her- her idiot trainer charging into a crowd of tired and weary passengers.]
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[They lightly crash into each other, Winston's arms wrap around him the same way they have so many times before, holding Venkman in a familiar firm embrace.]
[His face finds a place resting comfortably in the crook of his neck, his breaths brush against Peter's skin, slowly shifting from short and shaky to deep and relieved.]
[...and he takes this chance to sneak a few subtle kisses in along Peter's neckline- a gesture that's imperceptible to onlookers, obscured by the way Winston's nestling his face deeper against his partner's collar. Doing even this much publicly feels like pressing his luck... but he's willing to take that risk right now.]
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And the breath on his neck, and the kisses- those definitely help with that, and he hums softly, before reaching up to gently tilt Winston's face up.
For a moment, Venkman just stares at him. And the genuine, open adoration on his face might come as a slight surprise, as it's a rare expression for him- at least, outside of the firehouse. Winston won't have much time to dwell on it, of course, as Venkman leans forward to press an open-mouthed kiss to his lips that's slightly more on the side of desperate than Winston's used to- aside from the occasional "oh fuck we almost died" post-bust kisses. Though much like Venkman's expression, those are usually reserved for when they're back in the firehouse. This clearly isn't the firehouse.
Venkman probably should've warned Winston of a few things first.]
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[...because he knows Venkman. He knows that, despite how much of a disaster he can be at times, Peter understands when to exercise self-control with his romantic urges- especially when it comes to Egon, Ray, and himself. He kind of has to- it's a sad fact of life Winston knows just as well. You have to learn to keep those parts of yourself hidden if you want to be safe. Like a kind of camouflage. It's a survival tactic you need to pick up at some point or another. It's inevitable.]
[But it... doesn't have to be. It shouldn't have to be. Maybe it isn't, here. Venkman's already spent eight long months here with two men he loves. With that experience already under his belt, Winston trusts him to know what he's doing with this kiss. To know if it's okay in this world.]
[And sure enough, they're not getting a reaction. Not any response that a man and woman kissing wouldn't be getting, at least. A few people looking over at them with mild curiosity at most, and the rest minding their own business. The rush of euphoria that washes over him learning this... is indescribable. He can kiss him and it's okay. He can get weak in the knees over this and it's okay. His hands can clumsily climb up Peter's back until they're grasping at his shoulderblades for dear life and it's okay.]
[Of course he still has to pull away just to catch his breath, ducking his head down again around Peter's neck, coming in for another round of kisses to it, this time not caring to hide that that's what he's doing.]
What doesn't this place have over New York? [He laughs out breathlessly, voice wavering while he presses a smile against Peter's skin.]
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And the hands on his shoulders tell him everything. That Winston, of course, solved yet another little mystery before half the evidence was laid about before him. The genius. The bastard. Venkman can feel Winston smiling against his lips, and he's grinning too.
Venkman makes a soft, disappointed noise when Winston pulls away, which is immediately cut off when he feels the kisses to his neck. He tilts his head up to give Winston better access.]
Well, for starters, there's no Janine. Whether or not that's a bad thing...
[Kidding, of course.]
There's also no Slimer, but that's definitely a good thing.
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That reminds me- [He moves to dig one palm into his pocket, taking out the Pokeball and turning it around in his fingers until he can see the button. His fingertip rests on top of it lightly, unsure if he should press it just yet.] I've mostly been keeping my pet in its ball while I was on board the ship... Should probably let it out again, but-
[He hesitantly squeezes Peter's hand.]
...you might want to keep your distance.
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[He squeezes his hand back, but rolls his eyes good-naturedly.]
There's at least a couple dozen Pokemon that've tried to beat the hell out of me, and most of 'em are owned by me, Ray, or Egon. About time you showed up and brought another one to the table.
... Man, you're gonna have to go through a lot of introductions. And you have a lot of catching up to do- I think the three of us have almost thirty per person.
[Venkman and Ray have thirty each, Egon trails behind at twenty-five.]
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[Again, he's reminded how much can happen in eight months without him. How people he cares about can get hurt when he's not there to do anything to prevent it.]
[For a moment, he feels grateful that time stops in all worlds outside of this one, so the city remains in a state of static safety without them. ...but if time continued flowing the same across dimensions... then when Peter and Ray were separated from him, he would've known. And Egon would be there with him- on the rescuing side of things, this time- being the one to figure out a plan to bring them both back and put it into action. None of them abandoned. None of them torn apart.]
[...he doesn't want to dwell on this train of thought. There's something to address, here.]
...she's not violent- but I'll admit she can be a little... disruptive, I guess. Pulling pranks. Knocking things over. Not sure how much of it had to do with being stuck on a boat for three days, or if it's just the way she is- but that isn't the issue I think you'd have with her-
[The corner of his mouth twists, as he casts his eyes down to the ball in his hand and mutters like he doesn't want to be heard.]
...I mean, it's got mud in the name...
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The dispersing crowd from the ship might as well not exist, now. All that matters is them.
... And the donkey Winston's about to unleash on the world. He grimaces.]
Ugh. Yeah, that's fair. Mud's still not as bad as slime, though- and both Egon and Ray have plenty of oozing ones. And I've learned to tolerate some things...
[A beat.]
I don't think I told you what my starter was yet. Or showed him to ya.
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I'll try not to add any more to the slime pile, then.
[...he purses his lips for a moment trying to mentally sort through all the messages Venkman sent on his way over to Pallet.]
...you did say you brought over a bunch of birds so you could get to me quicker, but I wouldn't know which one of them you started out with. If any.
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[He digs through his own pockets and pulls out one of his own containment units. While he was at the inn, he went ahead and swapped a few of the fliers out for different Pokemon, but Roach's Pokeball never left his side in the first place. Venkman prepares to click the release, but pauses.]
He's a big guy. And kinda creepy looking. Lotta legs.
[With that brief warning out of the way, he clicks the button, and the six-and-a-half foot tall isopod takes form from the ensuing flash of red light. The Golisopod rumbles softly as he stretches out all his limbs and rolls his neck[?], before peering curiously down at Winston. He takes a step closer to loom protectively over Venkman.]
He started out looking like a cat-sized cockroach.
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[He smacks his lips, letting his mouth hang open for a good few seconds before finally speaking.]
So.
Decidedly not a bird.
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[Roach continues to stare at Winston, rumbling softly from deep in his throat.]
... Anyway. This is Roach. He's a "Golisopod", and he's a big goddamn baby. [Upset chittering. Venkman rolls his eyes again.] You are. You used to crawl into my shirt when you were scared, and it'd freak me the hell out. [Grumbling and huffing.] And this- [Venkman overexaggeratedly gestures to Winston.] - is Winston. He's my other partner you hadn't met yet, 'nd I love him. So don't squish him. Be polite.
[... Watching Venkman have this conversation with a giant isopod is probably very surreal for Winston.]
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[Meanwhile, he goes to reach a hand back into his pocket, pulling the Pokeball out again. If Venkman can get this used to hanging around a bug bigger than himself, then hopefully Winston can at least test the waters with introducing him to his own starter.]
...well, while we're already getting acquainted-
[When he presses the button on the ball, the ray takes the shape of a mudbray. It on its feet between the two ghostbusters- announcing its presence with a loud, ungraceful honking noise.]
This is my mudbray, her name's Brooklyn. ...Brooklyn Supreme. Brookie, say hi to Peter.
[Brookie takes one look at Venkman. She snorts with her teeth bared in some sort of mocking grin, before turning her attention towards her owner, bowing her head down to his feet so she can attempt to untie his shoelaces with her teeth. ...Winston just sort of passively looks down at her with a tired smile as this is unfolding.]
Aw... look at that, Pete- she wants to learn how to untie knots.
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As for the Mudbray, Venkman watches her little introduction and knot untying demonstration with a slight frown, his eyebrows progressively going further and further up towards his hairline.
Flatly:]
Oh, no.
You've already let her get spoiled, haven't you.
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[Despite her owner's visible distress over Peter's observation- Supe herself remains entirely indifferent to this accusation and to Venkman's existence as a whole, now working on undoing the shoelaces on Winston's other shoe.]
Like... okay- so on the first day of the cruise, she might've pulled a tablecloth down so she could lick the hors d'oeuvres off the floor. But I didn't just let it slide! I helped the staff clean up when I was sure she was done eating- and from that point on I made the effort of taking the initiative to grab food for her whenever I went by the table, so she wouldn't have a reason to do it again.
...and then the next day, when she kept running around trying to sneak in front of anybody she saw walking down the hall- well, I thought she was just fooling around, but someone tripped over her and she laughed real hard about it. ...I don't think she knew how dangerous it is to do that, but it's not like I could let her loose on everybody else, so that's when I kept to only letting her out in my room, so then she'd only be tripping me and that's fine because I could expect it-
...but I still felt bad about closing her off in one room so I made sure to bring her more food to make up for- [His face falls, the problem starting to dawn on him now.]
...oh.
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Winston, you didn't just take a few pages outta Ray's book, you plagiarized the whole damn thing.
[He sighs, shaking his head. Roach peers curiously down at the little donkey as Venkman crosses his arms.]
It's fine. We've all got at least a couple Pokemon who're spoiled brats. Or just assholes in general. You just hit the lottery with getting one as your starter.
... You still got lucky, though, 'cause at least she's not a Psychic or Ghost-type.
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...we just met and the past few days were at sea. I was the one with the agency to make the decision to board the boat in the first place, and even then, I still got stressed out on the ride. I can't blame her for... for acting out a little, looking for some excitement.
Still... she won't get better if I Pavlov her into thinking she gets food for misbehaving. That's on me. But you never know, she could be a lot more relaxed in the right-
[Brook lets out another loud honk, grinning when Winston flinches at the noise.]
...circumstances.
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[He watches Brookie for a moment longer, before shaking his head. He uncrosses his arms and takes Winston's hands in his again, grinning.]
Hey- I can make fun of your shitty parenting later. I've got eight months to fill you in on, and I think that'd go a lot better in my room at the inn here, and not in the middle of foot traffic.
[A beat.]
Especially since I kinda feel like I'm gonna die if I don't get my hands on ya.
[There it is.]
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[Clumsily sliding one of his hands away, he quickly brings the ball out from his pocket again and calls Brookie back inside so he can be sure she's contained for the moment. ...both to prevent her from wreaking chaos while they walk through the crowd, and to keep her from overhearing anything Venkman would want to say to him when they finally have some alone time at the inn.]
...I take it that means you won't even spare me a minute to tie my shoes. [He gives a small, nervous smile as he interlocks his arm with Peter's like they're about to walk down the aisle together.] Well- go on and lead the way.
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[He leans over to kiss Winston on the cheek again. Roach, who has had a grand total of eight months to get used to Venkman- six of those with Venkman around his partners most of the time- makes a sound almost like a sigh. If he could roll his eyes, he would. Still, he chitters a good-natured farewell and just... Walks off in another direction.
Venkman really doesn't supervise his Pokemon.
Speaking of unsupervised Pokemon, Bond watches from the inn's rooftop as Venkman leads Winston along- similarly unphased. Like Roach, she decides her job here is done, and takes off to the outskirts of town. She'll probably be back later. Probably.
Venkman doesn't say much on the walk from the docks, though the grip on Winston's arm and the look on his face say enough. And when they get to the inn and he pulls out his key, the way he fumbles with it for a few seconds says enough. And when he gets the door open and tugs Winston in after him, kissing him again before the door can even close all the way- his hands gripping the back of Winston's head like a vice, like he still can't believe Winston's here- that says enough.
And when Venkman pulls away to catch his breath for a moment, and there's very clearly tears brimming in his eyes- maybe that says enough, too, or maybe it needs a little more light shed on it. Hard to say. Winston probably hasn't seen Venkman actually cry much- if ever- and even seeing a hint of him tearing up is a rare occurrence.]
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[It can wait.]
[Preoccupied by his elation at Peter's presence, a familiar sense of stability that's deeply welcome after how off-balance he's felt these past couple days... for a moment, Winston can believe that despite everything, he can still rely on Peter to be the same he's ever been.]
[Seeing that watery glint in his eyes stops that particular stint of cognitive dissonance dead in its tracks.]
[...he still hasn't been able to internalize the amount of time they've spent here. He's not sure he'll ever grasp it. But if Winston felt he should stop himself from trying to fix someone's troubles because they're beyond his understanding, he wouldn't have signed up to be a ghostbuster in the first place.]
[He kisses under Peter's eyes, silently acknowledging the tears in a way that also reinforces that it doesn't in any way diminish his feelings for him.]
Still hard to believe this is happening, huh? [He asks with a reserved tone, speaking the words in a way that reveals the intent behind the question isn't simply meant to reveal Venkman's thoughts, but to share his own.]
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... Yeah. Christ-
[Venkman's grip changes and his head drops to bury itself in the crook of Winston's neck, and for a long moment, he's quiet, trying to think. When he does speak again, it's disjointed, and he sounds a little choked up.]
... I knew you'd get here eventually. That we couldn't- we'd all be back together again. We'd have to. Remember that time we- we all risked our lives to drag Egon back from the Netherworld- come back with him or don't come back at all? Same for you. We could never really live here without you. Wouldn't really be living. But there was nothing we could do, here, to get to ya. Nothing except wait.
And we would've waited forever if we had to. But God, waiting is awful when you can't do anything to speed it up. Or even know when you'll find what you're waiting for.
[A slow, shuddering breath. The vice-like grip of Venkman's arms around Winston relaxes slightly.]
You're worth it. Always are.
[He presses a kiss to Winston's neck, and straightens up again to look him in the eye.]
Fuck, it's good to see you again. Feel you again.