#crealba

“Alba-san, this would be your 4th day without sleep, and frankly it’s a little worrying you’ve lost all track of time. That’s really bad you know? What if you end up sleeping for a thousand years like me?”

There's a beat where Alba processes that, then his eyes close, and his head almost falls to his desk. Crea darts forward cradling the brunet's face between his hands turning him to face him. Slowly without obvious focus Alba's eyes open, takes in Crea; "Crea's really unfairly cute." Crea can feel his face heating up from Alba's sleepy warm voice complimenting him. "Not out loud I hope."

Crea feels the grin spreading across his face, at Alba's mumbled embarrassment., even as he nods just to tease the boy a bit. “I think Alba-kun’s cute to, but you’d look better without those bags under your eyes, so to bed!” So saying Crea gently pulls Alba to his feet by his gloved hands. There's not even any resistance despite Alba's protests. Still, he turns back to his papers mumbling broken protests. Will need to start over. So close. Need, need I need to save them. Not this time.

Gently taking Alba by the shoulders he turns him away from the papers, and towards the door, and pushes, slightly, gently. The boy beneath his hands stumbles slightly and, keeps turning back. Crea remembers a similar situation, with a similar person, and how he failed to stop him. “You know Alba-kun you really remind me of Uncle Rchimedes, how wrapped up in research you can get, and how stubborn.”

Even Crea knows it's a low blow. Comparing the gentle hard-working Alba with the person who destroyed everything, and everyone he claimed to love. Who Alba came to love. The truth of it assuages Crea's guilt slightly, as he pushes his friend towards his room. It's not enough. When Alba simply stands swaying in the middle of his bedroom Crea takes it upon himself to remove his gloves, and then moves for his belts. He quietly reminds himself to tease Shi-tan about how he stripped Alba later. For now, though he needs to say something, Alba's been even quieter since they left his study. He begins quietly as he rises to take off the signature red vest. "You have a lot he doesn't though, you have me and Shi-tan, and Ruki-chan to look after you. And all the people at the castle, and you're super strong, mentally. You'll be just fine Alba-kun we'll take care of you right." This time. "Neither of you knows how to take care of yourselves, you're both just too sweet, and focused on others after all."

Alba seems to tune in a bit, as his brown eyes sharpen briefly. Very briefly, Crea even has time to sit Alba gently on his bed, and start taking off his boots before anything comes out of his mouth. "Sorry Crea."

"Hm? 'Bout what?" Not for taking care of him, Crea hopes. After everything Alba had done for him, and Shi-tan, there was nothing Crea wouldn't do for the handsome, wonderful, heroic boy in front of him. And him for them Crea knows, and can hear at the edge of his hearing as Alba begins wobbling upwards words, and numbers that barely register as such in Crea's brain spilling out at a rapid pace. He'll never get to sleep like this. Well, the first step to sleeping is laying in bed, so Crea rushes up and, pushes Alba back down. For good measure Crea falls flat on him, arms locking around his prey's shoulders.

"Ow."

“Hehe, sorry Alba-kun but you were mumbling complex numbers, and stuff, so I thought if I left you wouldn’t even sleep." Crea kicks off his own boots and, gets comfortable next to the boy captured in his arms. Crea remembers times when Shion refused to sleep to, brain too revved up to accept that nap time was now. Petting him seemed to work well, and he was way more prickly than Alba.

"Need to write them down, asses, need to make sure they don't work one-by-one."

"Really? That's amazing." Crea quietly whispers an interruption, hand already working in Alba's hair. He remembers to shower, but not sleep? Alba is weird. Oops, better keep talking. "I couldn't do that, even if I tried I bet."

"Of course you could, Ros would be better than either of us, though." So simple, like it's obvious that Crea could keep up, could do anything. But Shion is still so special to Alba.

But.

“True, Shi-tan probably wouldn’t even need to check, but that’s why he’s no good you know?” This, as much as anything else Crea has done or said shuts Alba up. A slow blink, as confusion shuts down his brain. “Shi-tan’s a total genius, so he can say ‘that’s impossible’ without ever really thinking about it too hard. He’s amazing ‘cause he can everything great, but it was Alba-kun who saved us, exactly ‘cause you can’t do that.” Crea was falling too deep, he was even starting to feel sleepy himself, as he pulled Alba against his chest, hand still working his hair, voice low, soft, and calming. “Shi-tan knows his limits, so when he decides he can’t do something, he moves on without trying again, so he gives up too easy, Alba-kun doesn’t, which lets him save people his way, but means we need to take super good care of him even when he's being stubborn and, running himself into the ground. Especially then. After all, we all..." with a glance down Crea confirms the even breathing, and closed eyes means Alba is asleep before speaking his exact mind. "I love the wonderful Alba-kun very much.”

 Alba was not much surprised to learn he had little to no strength to resist Crea’s gentle pull as he hoisted him to his feet even if he had the mind to. Which he should, he was so close. The numbers were right there, in his head he had to get them down or he’d lose it all, and have to start over; he’d be fine, he just had to-. 

The world spun as Alba was turned to face away from his research. It was a testament to how tired he was that Alba could barely keep pace with Crea’s slow gentle pushes, stumbling out of the room he’d made his study in his house towards the nearby bedroom. “You know Alba-kun you really remind me of Uncle Rchimedes, how wrapped up in research you can get, and how stubborn.”

The comparison speared Alba through the gut, and killed what little resistance he could bring to bear. Then time skipped, and his vest and belts were gone as Crea gently finished whatever oddly quiet nonsense he’d been spewing. “...too sweet, and focused on others after all.” Oh, maybe he’d been reassuring him after that last comment. Not nonsense; sorry Crea. 

“Hm? ‘Bout what?” In the time it took Alba to form that coherent thought, he had been set on his bed, and Crea had stooped down to help him take off his boots looking up at Alba with wide, bright blue eyes, Such a nice kid. Which he was, regardless of what his physical form suggested. There had to be a way to fix that to. 

A new body, or a way to regress Crea’s body back to his previous self, something to let Crea actually live those missing years, and adjust properly. He was delving into Time magic anyway, if he could just see what he looked like he could- New calculations sprang to Alba’s mind, new ideas, theories, and workarounds. He could totally-

Get pushed onto the bed and have Crea collapse on him. Ow. “Hehe, sorry Alba-kun but you were mumbling complex numbers, and stuff, so I thought if I left you wouldn’t even sleep.” A mind to mouth filter would be great. Of course the best way to get that would be to sleep, but that actually seems quite far away with the numbers swirling in his brain. So many possibilities, he would have to go through and asses their viability one by one-.

“Really? That’s amazing.” Numbers temporarily banished Alba focused on Crea’s face near his, hands gently carding through his brown hair. “I couldn’t do that, even if I tried I bet.”

“Of course you could, Ros would be better than either of us though.”

“True, Shi-tan probably wouldn’t even need to check, but that’s why he’s no good you know?” Alba could only blink in confusion the sheer ‘what’ numbing his brain further, lulling him further as Crea rambled on. “Shi-tan’s a total genius, so he can say ‘that’s impossible’ without ever really thinking about it too hard. He’s amazing ‘cause he can everything great, but it was Alba-kun who saved us, exactly ‘cause you can’t do that.”

Oh dear, Crea was making sense, he was clearly so tired he’d fallen into an advance state of delirium. Alba really hoped he kept that thought internal. Crea kept talking even as pulled Alba slightly closer, so he probably had. “Shi-tan knows his limits, so when he decides he can’t do something, he moves on without trying again, so he gives up too easy, Alba-kun doesn’t, which lets him save people his way, but means we need to take super good care of him...”

Crea was definitely still talking, but it all became jumbled nonsense as Alba’s eyes closed and sleep finally took him.  

---

Alba was awoken when he tumbled out of bed headfirst onto the floor. He rose groaning, and looked out the window. The sun was fairly high, maybe about one? Yawning he considered his options for food. Make something himself? No. He could just pop over to the castle, and pick up leftovers from their last meal. Yes that sounded good. He would need to pick some up for Crea to.

Speaking of, Alba turned to find Crea sprawled out, arms and legs taking up the majority of the bed. Which would be why he, Alba, had fallen out: because Crea’s wild night sprawling had kicked him out. 

Even without the state of delirium brought on by lack of sleep Alba still found Crea exceptionally cute. Blue hair bled into black in complex spirals at the tips, the barest hint of the black at the back present in a wave curling around the nape of his neck. Unlike Ros Crea’s hand, and skin retained a certain smoothness, and glowed under the light pouring in from the window his shirt hitched up from-

‘...pervert; watching people sleep.’

Red faced Alba quickly pulled the covers over Crea to allow him to sleep a little longer. Not peacefully of course, the quiet from last night had been a fluke obviously if the loud snoring of now was any indication. For now he would go fetch food; lots of good food where he could put his head back on straight. Admiring Ros’ objective handsomeness was one thing; Crea was, like, 14 tops! No matter how nice he was, or how cute, or how physically old, his mentality, his experience, was what counted.

Just before teleporting out an unfortunate thought popped into Alba’s head: ‘who else could be staring at Crea, and did Crea understand why he would be getting that attention? Could he trust Ros to explain? ....No definitely not. Oh. That would not be fun.

---

Brown eyes slowly open, cringing in the reintroduced sunlight, and was unsurprised to behold black unkempt hair, and matching clothes. Unsure of how conscious a decision any of it is Alba holds his breath, and just admires the man in front of him. His broad shoulders, and well-toned arms laid bare in his short sleeves. His rugged face, relaxed and illuminated in the soft light of dawn easing the faint lines of stress, and the more recent, more wondrous ones from laughter, and smiles. The faint slit of red hinting at his unusual, but occasionally gentle red eyes. 

Wait. Alba’s still rebooting brain, a bit....distracted, didn’t read the warning signal in time and he was suddenly introduced to the part of Ros’ anatomy Alba knew almost too intimately: his fist. 

“The heck was that!?” Demanded Alba from the floor.

“That’s what I should be asking isn’t it you pervert; watching someone sleep?”

“That-” Alba turned red with no defense, and thus decided to deflect. “Who dragged who into bed!?”

“You dragged me; you were passed out in the middle of the hall, so I moved you to bed, but you clung like a little baby. Did you confuse me for your stupid bear Mr. Pervert.?”

“Don’t make fun of Kumachi! I-I mean me! Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I was so desperate to save you from the voi-” The place between dimensions. Timelines. Where Elf’s friend might be. Elf, who had still be alive when he left, according to Ros. Elf, who he hadn’t actually seen die, maybe, just maybe he could still save the tiny tanned genius moron. Maybe sleep was good for him after all. 

With eyes alight Alba made for the door, he would need to find a stable way to the Sea of Time, to find someone who’s name he didn’t know, a way to view outside it in time. No, between dimensions; he needed to ensure Elf’s time was safe to after all. 

“Hey Hero.” Alba blinked, and turned back to face Ros already halfway out the door. He looked anxious, worried. “You were so slow just now, sure you shouldn’t get some more much-needed beauty rest? To at least pass for average?”

Brows furrowed in confusion from the orange clad brunet at the person standing before him, smiling so cheekily and content from where he stood leaning against the doorframe. Right in his way. Even though he was trying to leave the room. Alba could only be silent for a few moments as if hoping his staring was a silent insinuation for the boy before him with dual-toned hair to move--

But he didn't.

He just smiled right back, smiling that cheerful cute dumb smile at him.

"... Crea? When are you going to move, I need to get past." Alba finally spoke up, huffing almost childishly as his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hehehe-- Sorry, Alba-kun!! But I'm the door troll, and you need to pay to get past me!"

Really? What in the world kind of game was this guy playing today? It seemed to be something different every time, but Alba came to learn that it was something childish or embarrassing half the time. (Which one it was this time, he'd have to find out, he guessed.)

"Er-- pay what, exactly?"

Beryl hues blinked, a childish glint in Crea's eyes as a hand lifted, his index finger tapping his own lips that were tugged up into a pleasant smile. "You have to pay me with a kiss!"

Cheeks soon heated up at the words, taking a step back away from the older at the demand. "What!?" Alba shouted. "But that's-- Crea, that's ridiculous!"

"Noooo kiss, noooo exit ♪"

Of course being the person he was, Alba tried anyway. The younger stepped forward to try and walk under Crea's arm, but before he could do so said male's arm moved lower to stop him. He even dared to kneel lower, but just like before, Crea followed and prevented him from moving. Hazel pools stared back into cheerful blue, looking away soon enough as gloved hands toyed with the end of his shirt.

"Just... One, right?"

"Mm! Just one!" Crea confirmed. "Buuuuut if you want back in you gotta give another one~"

He was so embarrassing. Unbearably embarrassing.

But Alba still liked him far too much to complain.

So in the end he gave in, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss against Crea's lips who gladly returned the gesture, leaning into the connection with a pleasant hum.

"A-Are you happy now?" Alba stammered, trying to ignore the flush growing on his face.

Crea tapped his chin in mock thought, humming for a moment as his gaze went to the ceiling. "Mmmm-- The toll's been paid! You can go through now!" Crea chirped, grinning happily soon after.

"You're impossible."