[ it's so.. strange. this person is almost like something out of downton abbey, or another period english drama, with his very prim blazer and his handkerchief and his frankly-amazing accent. it's so different from what sunny's used to, having grown up in redneck country in run-down farmhouses and trailer parks. even now, with the drastic way his life has changed in the last few years, it's still kind of a lot to process on top of everything else that's happened the last few days.

he still flinches in surprise when the other man reaches for him, but when he pauses before touching sunny, it's.. sort of nice? he's been so overwhelmed and overstimulated since waking up here, and he can't seem to come down from it, his skin feeling stretched wrong over his bones at times as the anxiety tries to claw its way up his spine and out through his veins.

sunny's always struggled with feeling wrong in his body. for a long time, it had been his gender he'd tried to understand-- then it had been the knowledge that something far, far too big for a human body had tried to force itself down into mortal shape, containing itself in the human experience, and that.. that's harder to make sense of.

some days, it's just.. like this, and it's nice to be able to tell this stranger 'no' if he wants to. instead, he nods, a flush warming his face as he uncurls his fingers for.. ben. his name is ben, and he's.. well. cute, isn't he? ] It's nice to meet you, [ he says with faintly giddy warmth, though it fades again into a small, troubled frown at the question. ] It was just.. there. Out on the sidewalk. I-- I'm sure I wasn't imagining it. The things I see aren't like that, they're-- they're-- [ a bewildered, frustrated pause. ] They're celestial. I guess. Not.. fairy tale.