#𐙚 ‧₊ int. eli and yago.

[harvies]

continued from here! @vicedmuses

eli doesn’t answer right away. he stares at the tree as his hands dangle loosely by his sides, fingers brushing against the frayed edges of his jeans. yago’s words hang in the air, filling the quiet space between them before he huffs out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “hey, cool it, tiger.” he mutters, giving the other a playful glare. he shifts his weight as he glances at the tree again, its crooked star and dim lights blinking like they’re trying their best. “maybe you’re right,” he says quietly, almost to himself. “maybe it’s time to stop letting him take this too.” his voice wavers for a moment before he clears his throat, pulling his shoulders back. “but no glittery tinsel,” he adds, pressing his lips into a thin line. “i mean it!” eli watches yago for a moment, feeling the warmth spread in his chest. “you don’t have to go all out, you know...” he says softly. “just you being here... it’s more than enough.” the words feel heavy, but they’re true, yago has always been there for him and it's something that he truly appreciates. and maybe... it's time to let go of his past and truly move on. eli's lips tug into a smile, “let's start with drinks first. i've got some champagne, would you like a glass? or... we could always go with the classic hot cocoa.”

[harvies]

eli rolls his eyes at the other playfully as he lets out a soft chuckle. “fine, i’ll admit it. you do have a way of turning disasters into something halfway decent.” he gestures toward the tree, his smile widening. “but this? this might be your biggest challenge yet.” he leans back against the counter, taking another sip of champagne before glancing at the other. “you know, you’ve got a lot of opinions about my love life... but i don’t think i’ve ever heard anything about yours.” eli's genuinely curious about the other. “you’re always ready to go off about my crappy ex or how i deserve better, but what about you? you’ve been awfully quiet on that front.”

eli tilts his head, an amused smirk on his lips. “come on, spill. i'm a hundred percent sure that someone as great as you has got to have admirers... what’s the deal?” he nudges yago lightly with his elbow, his grin widening. “don’t think you’re getting out of this conversation, by the way. you brought champagne into the mix — you’re stuck with me now.” he pauses for a second as he smiles fondly at the other, “seriously, though. you’ve been there for me through... everything. i guess i just realised i’ve never asked about you.”

why yes, he is impossible! yago is glad to know that his friend fully knows that. there's never any way around it with him and he's almost proud of that fact. "oh come on, you love me for it." he looks back at the tree one last time before turning around. then he walks over to eli as he gets the champagne ready and pats the man on the back when he finally reaches him. "it's going to be amazing. is there anything my hands haven't touched that hasn't turned to gold?" he raises his brows while pegging the question. then he leans back on one of the counters, crossing his arms over his chest. he knows that he needs to let eli be sappy a little bit, get it all out of his system, but he isn't going to let him start feeling sad for himself.

"that's because i'm the only one out of your friends that had proper taste. i always told you that they could kiss my fat ass if they didn't value you enough and look at where we are now." he drops his arms to his side and then picks up his flute once it's handed to him. "here's to us and the best that this tree has ever looked since you bought it." after they cling their glasses together, yago takes a quick sip. he knows that it's bad luck in some cultures not to sip directly after a cheers and he wants to make sure this place is filled with as much good luck as possible.

"yes, you dork, i'm going to help you with the tree." he laughs softly as he stands next to eli, looking over at the christmas tree. he'd do anything for his friend. including this. "if i leave it up to you, i'm afraid you're going to burn the thing down."

[harvies]

eli tilts his head a little as he watches yago in amusement, shaking his head softly. “you really are impossible,” he murmurs fondly before he steps toward the kitchen, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure the other's following. “champagne it is, then. let’s celebrate this... masterpiece,” he adds, nodding toward the tree with a scrunch of his nose. “or at least what it could be.” he reaches for the bottle that's tucked away on a shelf, the cool glass smooth against his fingers as he sets it on the counter. pulling out two glasses, he pauses for a moment as he looks down at them. the last time he’d done this ; popped open champagne, raised a toast — it had been for a life he thought was his forever. the memory feels bitter and it tugs at his heart, but he shakes it off on chooses to focus on yago instead.

“well,” eli says as he works the cork free with a soft pop, “you’re the only person who’s ever stuck around long enough to deal with all this,” he gestures vaguely at himself, at the room, at the heavy silence he’s carried for years. “i don’t think i’ve ever told you, but... it means a lot. you mean a lot to me.” he pours the champagne, the soft fizz filling the space between them, and hands yago a glass. he raises his own, “so, here’s to the first tree in years... and to you, for making sure it wasn’t just me staring at it alone.” his voice wavers slightly, but he pushes through, clinking their glasses together before taking a small sip.

eli leans against the counter, tilting his head toward the tree as his smile turns cheeky. “you're gonna... help me with the tree, right?”

for once in his life, yago actually shuts up. he makes sure that whatever realization eli reaches, he does so alone after he plants the seed. that way, he doesn't encroach too much and oversteps. "fine, fine. you didn't hear it from me then." he lifts his hands up as if he's giving up in defeat. although when he hears his friend say that he's right, it's almost as if there's an imaginary chip on his shoulder that weighs his body down a little bit. a small grin forms on his face, but it just keeps getting bigger and bigger as time passes. "tell you what. you stop letting him take all of the joy in your life even after he's gone and i'll make sure i don't go too overboard." just a couple of lights and ornaments. maybe... "thank you. you know that i'm always going to be around for you too, right? i'm never going to leave." yago almost wants to reassure eli of that. his grin turns into a genuine smile as he nods. finally, he turns away from the tree and focuses solely on his friend. "let's get those glasses. i'm more than fine with champagne if you are."