equiuszahhak​:

They breathe out slowly through their nose, pushing it up into the crook of the other’s jaw, the thin veneer that held Legion together. And it would be for a few hours that the Zahhak would stay that way, on the precipice of consciousness.

When they time came, as it always did, the heir would stir, and hold Legion tightly. “I think it’s time I find somewhere to stay. For now.”

A few quiet, peaceful hours pass in companionable silence as the two sit together on the floor. Shadows shift as time ticks by, and Legion doesn’t stir until Equius does.

They shift the Heir in their arms, standing and lifting them up with them before gently placing them on their feet. “Go then. We will be with you, when you need Us again.” they say softly, starting to melt away into Equius’s shadow once more.

equiuszahhak​:

Equius dwells on their words, closing their eyes again and just leaning in to hug the avatar of the abyss. “Thank you.” To be with  Legion, Equius feels, is to be understood. Fleeting yet permanent, rotting but thriving. To purge, is to assimilate. A heavy sign, and the heir crawls into the other’s lap, cheek against their shoulder. “I’d just like to stay here, for a while.”

They welcome Equius into their lap, arms enveloping, brushing gentle sensation over their arms and back like many stroking hands. “We will remain here as long as you wish.” they said softly. A minute or an eternity, it made no difference. They would sit here with the heir in their arms until the nearest star expanded to consume their physical forms. 

equiuszahhak​:

Equius’s gaze is bleary, as their face is lifted to the others. Legion’s familiar white eyes come into focus, before the heir’s shut. Eats perk, just so, to the fathomless one’s words. True words, that would be mere tautology coming from anyone else. Equius lets them sink into their skin, the deepest parts of their flesh, that only a being like this could reach. Despair can cloud the of clearest lenses. Like a solvent, a fresh start, Legion’s fingertips clean the glass.

The heir, gently, slowly, leans in to press their lips into Legions, wondering if the mask will be soft, or hard this time. They hold there for a moment, eyes creaking only the slightest, head tilting. Lips part, foreheads comes together. “Soon. I just - need some time.” Whether it was irrelevant or not. To come to terms with, to cope, or to wallow. All paths, lead back to Legion.

Legion’s lips yield in the face of Equius’s despair, giving whatever comfort Equius can take from them without swallowing their sadness for them. 

Their brow is cool, their hands gentle as they brush through Equius’s hair. “Then take it, We will be with you always, and you with Us. Grieve, you have lost much, and even if to lose is to gain, mourning the wounds left behind is still important for you.”

equiuszahhak​:

Equius listens as the abyss speaks, the chill of their body leaving them numb, in the same way the vibrations do. It is not for lack of that compassion. Become one with it.

Essence seeps into the thin gossamer of reality separating the two, and the Heir can feel themself hold true to the title. Not in the way they’d hope - but to become nothing. To be, nothing.

“I thought I would know all the answers.” Equius shakes their head gently, “I thought to become, would be to understand.” Eyelids part just barely, they upturn the palms of their hands, Legion’s fingers held in place. “But I understand less-so. Just when I thought I’d found meaning, in anything, it was ripped from me. Again, and again. I - I am afraid of what comes next.” 

“I contemplate so very much. Some,times I feel it is all I do.” Equius’ nails lightly dig into Legion’s fingers, a small sigh. “Perhaps I should make it my home.”

They are so easy to sink into, welcoming like the groove in a favorite chair, or the inevitability of a coffin. “Your fear holds you back from the understanding you seek, Equius. You are beyond fear now, but you continue to cling to the familiar, to the mundane.You have transcended all of this, but you have yet to acknowledge your new state of being. You are no longer a ghost, Equius, but neither are you a troll, no more than We are.”

Their hands entwine too many fingers with Equius’s, more sliding through their hair and caressing their face, gently lifting it to look into Legion’s, now before them, eyes blank and expression seemingly impassive. “There is no rush to come to terms with what you are, Time is ultimately irrelevant, but the way you are perceiving time, perceiving everything, it is making you unhappy. When you are ready, We can help you to understand…” They offered gently, holding their gaze with utterly empty white eyes.