burningrescue | lio catch all

[Twisting back, now just worried about acting snappy at Galo too - actually a little chided. He doesn't want to take it out on Galo, of all people.]

You are too.

[Is it wrong to feel a little happy that Lio basically just said he was smart? (Emotionally intelligent, Galo, and only that). Everything is awful, but he's a little happy. Leaning in, touching their foreheads together.]

Aha. . . I'm not anywhere near his level. He figured out, like. That Gov Kray lied about saving me? [Maybe this isn't the time? But that was important.] He was nice about it, though. He was a really nice person.

[Galo is smart? Lio's said so multiple times at this point, and he believes it. Galo is smart in the ways that actually matter, in knowing people's hearts.

It's alright. It's important. Lio's face tightens at the mention of Kray, but waiting for him to continue.]

What do you mean?

The fire. . . He was just there when I ran out, and took credit.

[Phoenix also suspected Kray was the one who set the fire, but never got Galo that far.]

He was the type of person who'd figure something like that out, because he knew Kray is the kind of person who'd do that.

[Keeping his forehead pressed against Galo's, wrapping a hand around the back of his head to pull him in tighter.]

I'm sorry.

It's not important right now.

[Holding him tight, pushing back all of the weird feelings this conversation is stirring.]

It doesn't fucking matter what he did. I got you now. And you got me.

[Something about that steels him. Galo is right. They do have each other. Reaching to hold his face in his hands, nodding.]

I have you.

[Leaning in to kiss him.]

You sure do. We're gonna make it right somehow.

[Taking both of his hands instead, squeezing them tightly.]

Beau said . . . to look deep inside the heart. Blue and this house are tied somehow. I believe the house is the source of of whatever is causing this.

[Nodding. Squeezing his hands back.]

So if we find a way to break the house, maybe we can put it right.

Maybe we haven't found the heart yet.

[Leaning his forehead against Galo's. Tired.]

We will keep looking.

It's taking too long, though. We keep losing people . . .

I'm getting sick of it, you know? It's getting hard to keep saying to people it's going to turn out all right. Even though I know it will. It has to.

[Petting through his hair.]

We have to take it one step at a time.

[Then holding his face.]

. . . Galo, I had a thought. What if we are thinking of fire?

Fire?

[Ask him slow, like he's a dumb himbo too focused on getting his hair softly petted.]

[Okay, pausing in the hair petting.]

Or . . . firefighters. [Well, his face screws up at that, because he doesn't have that same knowledge, so it can't be that.] Something like that. That we both know. I've been thinking about it - I can't think of anything else we wouldn't notice.

Ah! That's really smart, Lio! Ask me some tough questions about fire, maybe, and I'll ask you some tough firefighting questions, and we'll see!

Okay - what was the first organized fire department in America?

[BLANK.]

I have no idea.

[God, okay, thinking of a fire fact . . . ]

Ah. Can you start a fire with ice?

It was the Union Fire Company, the volunteer fire department which was founded by Ben Franklin! Though the idea of volunteer fire fighters was something most countries had even before then. But it wasn't usually as organized, except in Japan!

[Just explaining this all to Lio even though it's clearly not relevant. Then, considering Lio's question.]

Oh! Yes, you can! But I don't think I knew that before!

Correct. You can make a, ah, lens. I've done it before, you know.

[Galo . . . . . . . . your irrelevant facts are cute. Kissing him, because he's kind of relieved that Galo seems to know the facts. Good enough for him. Pulling back long enough to spit out his own fact:]

Most flame is yellow because of soot. A blue flame usually appears near a purer source of flame - it is not burning impurities in the air.

Mm! That's right!

[Kissing him right back, in awe of how clever Lio is.]

You figured it out, Lio. I'm so glad.

[Going back to petting through his hair, staying leaning close against him - sighing out in relief.]

I just want you to be safe.

I'm going to be safe. And I'm gonna keep you safe, too. I keep telling you that!

[There's no bite to what he says, though.]

lio catch all

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