vingt-cinq.

[righteousindignation]

it was over breakfast one day when elijah broached the subject for the first time. of course, it was phrased as a joke, nothing more, and so easily brushed past. he took small bites, cyril true to his nature wolfed it all down. at least he thought it palatable was the way elijah justified it all to himself. he would never expect a compliment for making their food, the same way he never complimented cyril on how his blood tasted. it was, and it was entirely not the point.

cyril treated it with the same casual irreverence he did anything that didn't immediately interest him - blowing it off, and elijah tucked his "what? i don't really give a shit, elly" close to his chest.

the second time it was a little less joking, as they both cursed out the very idea of taxes in the most colorful language their country of origin could provide. still blasé, but thrown out as an idea, and cyril's affirmation was certainly a joke. but it went in the same place as the earlier comment, right before grumbling that british legal language was worse than anything he'd faced as a politician or the council, and that hell was full of the authors.

so really, when he slips a new form of paper into cyril's stack to work on, with his own signature and information on it, there really shouldn't have been the flat "what the FUCK" coming from the other room. wait three seconds, and there's the sound of cyril's boots thumping his way. elijah deliberately does not look up until cyril starts speaking.

"elly," he begins, voice strained, holding the pages up threateningly. "why the fuck is this in my to-do stack?"

"i'd assume it's something you're meant to take care of, cyril." looking back down to his records, he knows it's not the end of it.

"this is a fucking application. for civil partnership." the look on cyril's face would be hilariously confused if it wasn't also carrying the underlying vibe of explain before i tear this shit up.

"look." elijah throws down his pen. "we fit every criteria needed. it'd simplify legal bullshit. the local clans don't give a single shit - and trust me, i looked into it so it wouldn't be more trouble than it's worth."

"you went and asked people-"

"carefully. carefully! made it sound like my brother was in a pinch, and everyone knows i'd do anything for him, including ask the awkward questions. they don't know it's us."

"they will, if you file this shit!" his voice is rising, and he takes a step towards elijah. "why don't you just walk around screaming it to everyone?"

"keep it down," elijah hisses, rising to stand. "the neighbors don't need to know our fucking business-"

"they already know because you can't keep your mouth shut!"

"it's not like i asked you to marry me or something-"

"tell me what the difference is between this and that."

"a ring, usually. an actual proposal with a vow of love..." he snatches the form back before cyril's grip can wrinkle the paper too badly.

"without the ring, it's the same fucking thing." like a petulant child, cyril crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.

elijah sighs, straightening his posture. "all it means is that we live together and don't intend to change that any time soon. everything else it just legal and for our own sanity."

"and what if i want to change it soon?" the answer was practically expected from cyril.

"...do you?" the look on elijah's face was honest confusion. almost as though he was hurt by the idea. cyril's response was to scoff and look away instead of answering, leaving a long silence between them. eventually, elijah's features smoothed over and he held out the papers.

"just sign it, cyril. it's not that big a deal."

knocking elijah's hand to the side, cyril's scowl said enough - if it wasn't such a big deal, then being told no should be enough for the vampire - before he turned around and stalked away. "do you want a ring?" echoed behind him, with a cold "fuck YOU" telling elijah what he needed to know.

for five weeks the form lived on elijah's desk, elijah knowing cyril would just rip it up if he was given it again. until he woke up to find it completed. when questioned cyril gave some bullshit answer about tax breaks, and elijah decided not to press further. he still had to file the damn thing after all, before cyril went and changed his mind and ripped it up anyway.