#gigya

The look of realization crossing Revya's face couldn't even be weighted in gold. The sword - not his sword, this is some random sword the kid's been assigned - lowers from where it had been pointed at his throat, Revya's arm falling lax to his side. It's nice to know the village has been assigned sentries, and it makes sense the kid would be one of them, but it had been a little startling to find himself at sword point as soon as he'd finally made it here.

"Take a picture, it'll last you longer," he grins, a hand at his hip. His confidence is back full force and growing the longer Revya just stares at him. He doesn't say anything, just stands there, looking up like a deer caught in headlights.

Honestly, it makes Gig want to crack another joke, but he can't find any for once.

"You're alive," are the first words to leave Revya's chapped lips, tongue darting out to wet them. They sound like the kid doesn't believe it, and it's not like he can blame him.

"The indestructible Gig, in the flesh! That's what the 'indestructible' part stands for."

Revya lapses into another silence, fingers tightening and loosening around the hilt of his sword, and it shouldn't bother Gig as much as it does, that the kid is now using some random ass sword. His other, free hand comes up and reaches forward only to stop momentarily just shy of touching Gig's shoulder.

Revya hesitates.

Then, just the fingertips touch his bare skin, and the kid pulls away like he'd been scorched.

Another lapse of nothing.

Gig really wants to say something.

"It's really you," Revya breathes then, barely a whisper in the night air. "You're here. You're alive."

Gig actually snorts at that. "God, kid, you look like you're seein' a ghost. Told ya we're soulmates, you wouldn't be rid of me that easy."

He's completely not prepared for what Revya does next. The damned random sword clatters to the ground with a sound that probably wakes half the village and both of his hands come up and clutch Gig's biceps, nails digging into the skin and leaving behind red marks.

Gig can deny the feeling all he wants, but it's undeniable that he relishes in the mild pain shooting across his nerves. It's been so, so long since he'd felt such a thing. Sure, he'd felt Revya's pain and injuries, but now, feeling just a hundredth of it firsthand…

"Aww kid, you're cryin',"  Gig quips, watching as tears start to roll down Revya's cheeks. There's still that blank look in the kid's eyes and then Gig blanches. "You're… crying, kid."

Gig had seen countless people cry in his life (lives). It's never pretty, the raw pain clearly visible with each tear and sob. But he'd never seen Revya crying. Somehow, it's even worse.

The kid clutches at him, fingers shaking so hard Gig can feel it. Is he gonna fall? Gig's brows furrow on their own and he opts to grip Revya's wrists back, steadying him in case the kid really does decide to fall forward.

"Kid, you feeling okay? Revya?"

Revya chokes, no sound making it out past a broken something, something that might've been half his name. Revya's arms are at once around him whole, clutching him close like the kid thinks he might evaporate if he doesn't hold on tight enough.

"I missed you."

It's muttered into the crook of his neck, half-muffled by his shirt and then some, but to Gig it might as well have been shouted at the top of Revya's lungs.

"Aww-" He swallows, gaze falling down onto the mop of red hair, held up in that messy little ponytail Revya likes so much, and he feels tears prickling his own eyes. His chest feels tight with feelings, of all things. "I… missed you too, soulmate."

They stay like that for a minute, clutching each other as close as physically possible, but it doesn't feel close enough to either of them. How do two souls feel whole with different bodies separating them when they had used to share one, comfortable in each other's skin? Gig would give the world up to know exactly how Revya feels right now, because he doesn't know, doesn't know for sure, and it tears him apart inside.

Revya, at last, pulls away. There's tear streaks on his cheeks, catching what little light the night provides them, but aside from that, he doesn't even look like he'd been crying. Maybe if it were day, Gig could see the red lemming his eyes. Like this, he doesn't.

"You look good," Revya states, as if that were the most normal thing to say after That.

Gig snorts, "Course I look good, you're looking at the almighty Gig, after all! But you look good too, kid. Took on a bit of weight, finally."

He doesn't mean it as an insult, like he would have with, let's say, the Cow. And thankfully, Revya doesn't take it as one. He really did put on weight, his arms no longer looking like toothpicks. He doesn't look like a half-starved, world-saving kid anymore.

"You weren't here, so I could finally eat some of the hot pods." There's a grin on Revya's lips, lopsided and all too dorky. Gig is suddenly struck by the realization that he'd never seen Revya animate, haven't seen his face and expressions this close, or at all, really.

His chest squeezes with more feelings.

He doesn't know what to do, with the situation or with the feelings just piling further and further within his stomach, like some… butterfly bile. So he does what he does best. "Won't happen again, I can promise ya right now. Take me to the bakery right now."

"Gig, it's midnight."

"You telling me that your baker doesn't bake at night? I'll have to have a fucking word with him, then."

There it is again, that small smile tugging Revya's lips up. Why does Gig feel his own mirroring it?

"I have some saved for you."

"Oh no, kid, come on, rise and shine and all that shit!" Gig exclaims, his grin audible in his voice, and Revya thinks he's the only one aside from Danette who could ever be this cheerful this early in the morning. There has to be something Gig wants. "Come on, the hotpods ain't gonna eat themselves!"

Ah. Of course.

Revya groans when Gig yanks the blanket off of him, carelessly throwing it to the floor. Revya relents, sitting up blearily to rub at his eyes to try and get rid of the crust keeping them closed.

"Why're you calling me for hotpods?" Revya asks, blinking at Gig with those big crimson eyes of his still half lidded. "I thought all of them belonged to you?"

Gig's grin widens further if possible, eyes crinkled as he take a finger to his chin, appearing to be thinking. He can't deny that Revya looks adorable right now, and he's probably still too tired to process anything completely, so Gig decides not to waste precious time and energy on coming up with a bullshit answer. "They taste better when my soul mate is around."

Revya's lips curl up into a smile at the use of the nickname. They always do.

Maybe that's why Gig has never stopped using it, even though they no longer share a body. Revya's smiles aren't that rare (something he's thankful for the kid shouldn't have to be as serious as he had to before) but they sure are precious. And coupled with his hair splayed and sticking out everywhere, well. What's not to admire?

Gig catches himself, as he so often does when his thoughts wander a little too deep into the 'feelings' category. It happens all too often with Revya.

"Well, come on, what are ya waitin' for? I won't even let you have the one I was so generously going to let you have!" Gig threatens, but Revya knows he doesn't mean it. Gig has never actually refused to let him have any of his food if he ever wanted it, but Revya usually just took him. No one gets between Gig and his hotpods, after all.

"Hey, maybe your actual soulmate is a hotpod," Revya says as he drags himself up and at least changes his shirt, discarding the sleeping one to clean later before Gig can physically drag him out of his room.

Except he doesn't, he just stands there and he's no longer grinning, but instead frowning at Revya. "You're my soulmate," Gig says, putting the extra emphasis in there as if it wasn't enough to say otherwise. "Body sharing or not, you'll be my soul mate and soulmate forever. Now come the fuck on, before the fat cow wakes up and steals all my hotpods!"

Revya has to smile again, never ceasing to be amazed at the speed with which Gig can switch from joking to serious and right back. Though, whenever it comes to his dearest foods, he never jokes either, so maybe he's just been serious this whole time. Whatever, Revya blames it on his sleepiness that he isn't sure.

Gig allows him time to switch his pants as well this morning, though he does tap his foot impatiently while waiting. He gets an eyeful of Revya's legs and underpants, though, so it's now much of a loss to him. More like a gain, to be honest.

He does grab Revya's hand, however, like the boy hadn't grown up in this village, and leads him to the bakery where the sweet scents already waft through the air. Revya doesn't protest, only squeezes the fingers that hold his.

They might not be sharing a body anymore, but Gig is still pretty sure he knows what Revya is saying even without words. 'All the hotpods are yours,' which in Gig-speak is almost identical to 'I love you'.