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 Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 3:38 pm
till i had you
Somehow he stumbles back to the hotel with Thorne, giddy and high off of adrenaline, unsure of what lays ahead. His hand is connected with Thorne's tightly and he refuses to let go of it, fingers laced tightly with Thorne's. They draw a few looks as they tumble through the lobby, soaking wet and leaving water everywhere, but eventually Chris gets them into the elevator and into their room, the door closing behind them with a soft click.
"You should shower," He says softly, realizing how wet they exactly are. He doesn't want to let go of Thorne's hand, afraid this is a dream that'll fade away once he does, but he doesn't want Thorne to get sick either.
[wc: 119]
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 3:57 pm
till i had you
Thorne has never had an adrenaline high like this. He's done some stupid s**t, like free-handing his way up cliffs, jumping from the tops of them into the ocean below. But he's never tasted a flavor of terror and giddiness quite like Chris, and he can only stumble with him up to the hotel room, clinging like a lunatic, his expression a huff and stumble of laughter.
"I should shower?" He retorts, looking at Chris, "Have you seen you?"
He gives a shiver, his breath coming out in a soft hiss of breath and sound. He only unwinds from Chris long enough to pull his soaking shirt over his head and toss it onto the tile of the bathroom. Reaching out, Thorne tugs at the hem of Chris's own shirt. Teasing, questioning.
"I'm not the only one that needs a shower," he says, a feral grin on his lips. ( total word count: 8,386 words149+338+311+229+399+428+557+615+782+317+595+653+174+206+165+315+250+222+127+122+141+147+125+223+258+298+240 )
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 10:54 pm
till i had you
"No," Chris says honestly and the fact makes him giggle a little, hysterical, because of course he hasn't seen himself. This whole night is hysterical, adrenaline, something Chris can't comprehend and he's not sure if he'll ever come down from this high. He looks at Thorne and feels like his heart could burst, feels like that he's gotten something so incredibly precious and for once he doesn't feel like he'll ruin it.
The giggling stop when Thorne strips himself of his shirt, breath taken away just watching him. He's seen Thorne shirtless before, hell he's been shirtless at the same time as him, but this is something slightly new. Another edge to it, another layer, one that he hadn't allowed himself to have before but could be his now.
"Okay," Chris says, a little shyly, but with his own smile. He shucks off Thorne's jacket and beanie, taking the moment to strip himself of his own shirt and leave it on the growing pile of clothing.
"Now you, go on. Take a shower first."
[wc: 174]
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 11:19 pm
till i had you
Thorne laughs and smiles at Chris, open and warm and there is so much want in him to reclaim the months they'd lost in arguments and secrecy. But he knows that will come with time. Being impatient is a terrible thing though, and it claws at his belly with ease. It paws at him, a hungry, whiny beast in his chest, and Thorne has to swallow it down because he's still afraid if he touches Chris too much, this will become a dream again and shatter. It will break and fall apart.
Thorne sighs out once Chris strips, and his eyes are greedy and hungry as they rove over the other. As he reaches out, tentative, and thumbs away a droplet of rain that runs against the flat plane of Chris's chest. He traces his hands down to the others hips and thumbs over the soft flesh there, pressing into the gentle divots. He wants it, all of it.
"Hm," he hums, and leans forward, kissing Chris again on the mouth, gentle and soft. "Bossy as ever," he murmurs. "You should have known better than to openly admit to loving a ruffian like me."
With a devious, single motion, Thorne bends and hooks his arms around Chris's legs, hauling the other up half-way over his shoulder and walking into the bathroom.
"And anyways," he adds, setting him down in the large, marbled shower, "It's faster this way, and I distinctly recall you telling me that you've admired me in the shower before." His hand pulls at the knobs until a hot spray comes down against them, and Thorne snickers and shakes his hair out like a dog, reaching up to brush it back from his eyes to look at Chris.
His expression softens then, gentle, wondering.
"Still sure?" he cannot help asking, because he is as shy as Chris. He is as curious, he is just as afraid.
But he trusts, and trusts, and if that means falling with no end in sight, then he'll do that too.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:09 am
till i had you
He flushes at Thorne's laugh, at the happiness between them. It was good, it was really good, this was something Chris was so fortunate to have. He wanted more than just this he wanted months, years, and the want ached in him. But he could wait, he was good at waiting. He was good at keeping time and letting them go slow and steady, good at letting them reclaim all that was lost. They could do it. They would do it.
Chris shudders at Thorne's touch on his bare skin, biting his lip as he looks at Thorne. At the hand he has there, at the way it was roaming, the path it was taking. Touch has never felt this sensual before and he doesn't know how to feel about it except exhilarated, on the edge of it being too much.
"You love me for it anyways," Chris sighs back into his mouth, smiles softly. He's close to questioning Thorne, wondering what he means by ruffian when Thorne is anything but when his question is answered for him, in a smooth motion that ends in flailing limbs.
"Wai-" He sputters, quickly wrapping his arms around Thorne's neck. The damage is already done though and he's up quickly, his height not working in his favor for once since Thorne is close to it and has a similar advantage. He's so startled by it he barely registers where they're going, where they are until they're in the shower and the water is actually hitting him.
"Thorne!" He whines, displeased. "Just because I have doesn't mean do this. We're still in pants too." The last part of that is sulky, like a kid who isn't getting their way. He didn't think this would happen and he doesn't know what to do, honestly.
His own expression softens at Thorne's expression, at the hot spray and their closeness and he smiles.
"Of course," He says, honestly, openly. He'd fight for it a million times over, if it meant that.
[wc: 332]
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:20 am
till i had you
Thorne wants to spend his life mapping Chris's smile, his laugh and his expressions, everything that makes him what he is. He has never been in love before like this - he has never been in love before in a way that makes him so desperate to stay. He wants Chris in every way, from their languid nights together simply laying together to the cats they share and the plants they cultivate, the static silence in the car as they drive nowhere, nowhere, with each other as northern stars to guide.
He would do anything for this sort of love, Thorne thinks. He would run through every life for it, for that smile. That kindness. That trust.
He can only laugh as he takes them to the shower, the warmth burning away any cold that had crawled and slept along the curve of his spine when they'd run home to the hotel in the rain, splashing and collecting mud along the way. He shakes his head again and looks down at Chris, a wolfish grin on his face that softens and softens until it is something else entirely.
He does not have to hide this anymore.
Of all the things, he does not have to hide that he loves Chris any longer.
"Well," he says, and reaches forward, tugging at Chris's belt loops, "I could always fix that." But he only winds his arms around Chris's neck instead, noses him gently and turns his eyes up to the other, fingers threading apart the knots and tangles left in Chris's hair with gentle ease as steam billows around them and billows up, clouding the glass panels and the mirrors on the far wall.
"I love you for everything," Thorne says earnestly, returning to the earlier declaration, "I've wanted to say that for so long. I've wanted to tell you for so long."
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:00 pm
till i had you
The shower's warmth and Thorne's arms are enough to push away any last chill he had when they had run back to the hotel, hands clasped together tight against the rain and mud and everything they had splashed through in their journey. He runs his fingers through his bangs, longer than usual and starting to get in this eyes, pushes them to the back. He wants to be able to look at Thorne, wants to be able to see everything.
He's allowed to openly stare now, to openly appreciate everything and it's a blessing, as easy as breathing. It had always been anxiety inducing before, trying to hide that he loved Thorne in every look, always been a challenge to make sure that he wasn't being too obvious. But here and now he's allowed and he loves it shamelessly, loves this with every fiber of his being.
"Could you now?" Chris asks, the words easy and free, out of his mouth before he realizes it. "I'd like to see you try," He teases but he leans into Thorne's touch readily instead, smiles softly at the delicacy being given to him. His own hands reach up to Thorne's hair to mirror the action, relishing the feel of everything.
"I love you too," Chris replies, shy, sweet, "I wanted to tell you too, I wanted to tell you too so much."
[wc: 228]
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:12 pm
till i had you
Thorne hums a soft melody against Chris, drawing his fingers again and again through the others hair. There's so many things he wants to do, but as he winds down, he realizes that this is real. That it's shaky and terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, but it is not fading. It is not disappearing even as he presses his hands to Chris and laughs a little, drinking the sight in beneath the steam and the haze.
With ease, Thorne leans forward and steals another kiss, licking a droplet upwards over Chris's neck before he finds his mouth, teeth grazing gently before he says, "Only if you trust me," and gives another teasing tug at the belt loops of Chris's pants, hands wandering closer to his naval, a finger sliding beneath the fabric in the barest hint of a tease.
But there is something wonderful and open and raw in his gaze as he leans back to look at the blond, humming a gentle soft song in the base of his throat.
"Then tell me again, and again, and again," he dares softly, "Because I'll do the same. First I'll make up for lost time - and then - "
He presses Chris back against the wall of the shower, nosing his neck and jaw gently before leaning in for another kiss.
"And then we'll go from there."
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:39 pm
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
Thorne decides, on whim, that Wren deserves to meet the guy he's been pining over and whining to her over for at least a month. She owns a house right along the waterfront of Seattle, a beautiful urban thing surrounded by green even though it's smack dab right in the middle of the city, and Thorne stands on the porch of it with Chris and says, "I'm sorry - "
Right before Wren opens the door.
With all five feet of her, Wren does not occupy a whole lot of space, her wavy brown hair pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head, nose wrinkled a little bit and a bright splash of color glowing from her blue, blue eyes. Still, she somehow manages to look down her nose at Thorne.
"It's been forever!" She whines suddenly, and throws her arms around him. Thorne barks a startled laugh and bends to wrap his arms around her. They sway back and forth together for a pace before unwinding again, and Wren grins at them both. "Chris, right?" She says to him, "It's nice to finally meet you. I've been hearing about you for a straight two months."
She clears her throat and looks over her shoulder.
The sound of dogs and cats and rustling things comes from inside. But before anyone can say another word, a ruffled looking man steps out into the light to join them, his hair auburn against the dark tan of his skin. He looks sea-touched and wild in a different way than Thorne. A clever fox, not a wolf.
"Wait a second - " Thorne says, but Necalli only says, "Am I the good cop or the bad one tonight?"
Wren folds her arms over her chest and stares up at Chris, eyes winking with vicious delight.
"I'll be generous and let you choose," Wren says. She raises her brows at Thorne. "Oh come on, aren't you the one always saying let's have some fun?"
"Hello," Necalli says with a grin at Chris. "Don't worry, I am the lesser of four evils. The other two preoccupied with each other and the small one too tiny to be a physical danger to anyone without her heels on."
"I can still kick your a**," Wren says dangerously.
Thorne sends a frantic look to Chris.
It says - she could kick my a** too.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:41 pm
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
When Thorne tells Chris he wants him to meet Wren, he agrees. He's curious on who she is and well, he wants to meet the people Thorne cares about. Wants to learn what he can about Thorne that he doesn't know, wants to dig deeper into his life when it's offered. However, agreeing doesn't mean he's not incredibly nervous and he stands on the porch feeling like he's about to sweat through everything he owns.
He shoots Thorne a look of alarm at the apology but then the door opens and Thorne doesn't even get to finish his sentence, much less have Chris ask any questions, because there she is. For all of five seconds, Chris thinks of Hyejin, his own small sister. But then it's gone in an instant because she's wrapped her arms around Thorne and it's a cute reunion, something that makes him happy and his heart ache all at the same time.
"Yes," He smiles, greeting Wren. He arches an eyebrow, looks at Thorne. "Two months huh? You could've sped that up you know, I would've enjoyed the news earlier myself, you dork." He gently bumps Thorne in the shoulder, a soft tease and links a questioning pinky around Thorne's hand.
He looks to Wren to maybe say something else, ask how she is, but then another person joins the fray and Chris is surprised, unsure what to do. He stares at the two of them, looking between the two with surprise and caution, unwilling to step in.
"Hello," He offers back cautiously when greeted, brows furrowing together. He looks at Thorne, a question, but all he gets in reply is the idea that Wren could totally kick his a** and well, Chris is ********. That's all there is to it, really.
[wc: 295]
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:50 pm
i can make the bad guys good for a weekend
Thorne only leans closer to Chris when Necalli makes an appearance as well, his clever fox-like eyes skimming the two of them with veiled intrigue. He winds their hands together, unabashed, and lets their shoulders press together for heat. Wren grins at them both and hooks her hands in Necalli's belt loops, tugging the taller man backwards into the house ahead of them.
The worst is yet to come.
But Thorne only turns and presses a kiss to Chris's cheek, gentle and reminding him that he's there. He knows Wren is a storm front sometimes, and Necalli is the most terrifying thing new people have to go through among their group. He knows, but believes Chris can handle this. Because Thorne loves him and Thorne thinks that Wren isn't that bad, and Necalli can't go that hardcore, especially with the kitchen smelling as good as it does.
"Don't worry," he murmurs, "They'll love you. Necalli is just a terror on his own, but once you get used to his smile, he's usually the sort of sneak liquor into the punch and nothing more."
He just prays Adrastos isn't home.
Mixing him and Necalli together is like mixing kerosene and a lighter.
He tugs him gently into the house, slides the door shut behind them. There's only a few minutes of silence before they're both accosted by two large labradoodles and a smaller mutt with wiry hair, all of them stuffing their noses to Thorne for treats and Chris because well - he was new.
The interior is homey and glows with the orange and red of halloween decorations and fall place mats. Wren calls from the kitchen.
"Hey, you two tall lovebirds! Come over here and tell me what to spike your drinks with before Necalli gets there first."
Necalli himself grins at them and gestures them further in. There's something devious in his look though. Something even Thorne isn't aware of yet because he is innocent, and trusts his friends. He says, "Come on, I need your help with something - " and drags Thorne off before another word can be spoken between Chris and him.
Which leaves the only other person in the room with him Wren.
She looks positively dangerous with her hungry eyes and sly little smile.
"Wow," she says, "You've got it just as bad as him. Have you seen yourself in a mirror? Come keep me company while I peel potatoes."
She holds one up for him to see and adds, "So, when did you know you were in love with him?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:42 am
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
Chris squeezes Thorne's hand when they wind together, taking strength from it and the heat that comes from Thorne's contact. He's still nervous, still a little worried, but maybe he could do this with Thorne at his side. He watches Wren drag the other into the house, leaving Chris and Thorne on the porch and he takes a careful breath, enjoys this quiet bit of calm while it lasts. It feels like he's not going to get much else, at least not soon and he wants to take advantage of it.
Despite his nerves he smiles at the kiss Thorne presses to his cheek, takes comfort in the simple action of affection. Everything is a bit much right now, new people and a new place and a very desperate urge to prove himself but Thorne is a steady constant and Chris will be alright.
"Are you sure?" He asks, still a little uncertain, "They both look like they want to eat me alive. Probably could each on their own, nevermind their powers combined. Not to mention, you took so long to tell me you loved me, who's to say they won't follow suit?" The last part is a gentle tease more than anything and he reaches up a hand to tug at Thorne's bangs, smiles softly.
He follows Thorne into the house easily, lets Thorne handle most of everything while he looks at where he is. He has what feels like a heartbeat before the dogs appear and he laughs, tries to pet them all. Millie and Bergie have trained him well but this is a whole new experience and he's not entirely sure what he's doing yet. When he feels like he's focused enough he looks around, smiles at the decoration. It looks like fall and Halloween and is as endearing as it is homey and he loves it already.
Chris jolts a little at Wren's call but follows it easily, trusting Thorne will be behind him, that he wouldn't be left alone in a house with people he only really knew of. There's a moment where they're all there, where Chris feels like he's getting a handle on the situation but then Thorne is tugged away (and Chris is glad it's Thorne and not him) and it's just him and Wren in the kitchen. Wren, who could definitely kick his a** and probably would, he knows, and suddenly he's nervous all over again.
For a full, long minute, Chris is suddenly and painfully aware that her and Hyejin should never, ever under any circumstances be allowed to meet.
"Okay," Chris says easily, trying to appear more confident than he feels. "You know, I feel like I'm going to get that a lot, oddly enough." He looks at the potato in her hand, feels his own itching in wanting something to do, to keep him busy instead of feeling awkward. "I can help you, if you'd like."
He blinks for a second, processing the question, then flushes slightly, unsure what to say. It was a good question, one he hadn't even thought of himself and he thought about it. Because the feeling itself had always been slow and creeping, worming its way into his actions and reactions with Thorne as time had gone on, but the realization was much faster. A lot less subtle and more like a kick to a face, a cruel thought since he had thought he wouldn't ever have had this. "I think something in me knew after the trip to New York," He says softly, considerate. "But I didn't actually know until the big fight, until I realized what I could lose."
[wc: 606]
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:32 pm
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
Wren snorts, watching Chris fidget around. This is what moms should be for, but Thorne doesn't have a mom. He has a mom friend. Wren pulls out an extra peeler and dumps the giant bowl of washed potatoes on the island counter between them with a smile, her nimble fingers going to work on the first one. From the smell of things already cooking, dinner is going to be something good. A number of appetizers are already laid out for picking at, as well as a platter of beautifully decorated sugar cookies that have already been stolen from.
"It's the way you look at each other," Wren points out helpfully, "And anyways, I have particularly sharp eyes. You have no idea how long I've been watching some idiots chase each others tails. I didn't even have to see Thorne these two months to know that he was head over heels for you." She pauses, pointing the peeler at him with a with a wicked smile. "However, being a mom friend, I have certain responsibilities over these assholes."
Wren moved onto the next potato. There was a bladed efficiency with which she worked. She stood like a dancer. She looked like she could cut someone apart with those blue, blue eyes. But her smile was mild and warm. Upstairs, Thorne and Necalli thumped around, their voices echoing down in laughter and a half-blown argument, the dogs barking every once in awhile.
"Props to you for figuring it out like that," Wren replies with a laugh as she looks him over, eyes calculating. "I think some part of Thorne knew that he was in love with you during New York. His texts were very telling. But man - that big argument." Wren blows a raspberry. "You made him come undone. I thought he was going to douse himself in gasoline when he called me after it happened."
She finishes another potato and this should be the part where any sane person would realize that the amount of people this is going to feed isn't four - it's -
The front door swings open and bangs shut. The dogs go crazy. Upstairs, Thorne's voice rises with distinct terror -
"You said it was only going to be you two!"
Everything else is muffled as a man comes into the living room, shucking off a double-breasted overcoat to reveal a sharp three piece suit and an even sharper set of storm-grey eyes. He's taller even than Chris, his black hair sharply pulled into a business-like manner, a piercing set of rubies on his ears.
"Good evening," he says. "I've heard you've started dating the incompetent one, and as acting liaison to - " his eyes cut to Wren, who looks positively pleased with his appearance, "interested parties, I'd like to ask a few questions."
He pauses, twists his wrists at the dogs. They sit at his feet obedient, tongues wagging, tails furious as they pound the floor. With every inch of him, he seems to command the space of the kitchen, the living room, and the ******** front door too.
"First and foremost," he says, stepping across the threshold, "Is this a serious relationship or not?"
Upstairs, in a distinctly argumentative tone, Thorne says, "You'd better get away from that landing before I make you."
Necalli's voice is jovial.
"Make me."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 9:48 pm
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
Chris takes up the potatoes gratefully, eyeing Wren with the thought that she was most definitely a kind of mom friend. It reminded him of her, of her soft laugh and soft angles and it hurt, this decade of an echo, but it was softened somehow by just being here. It felt better, instead of like death. He starts peeling, practice from cooking for him and Thorne keeping him nimble and able to keep up with Wren.
"I'm glad we're that easy to read," Chris says dryly, but he doesn't mean anything by it. "I don't think I'll be able to stop that though, it's... like a dream I guess." He's soft, thoughtful in his words, enjoying Wren's company. He can see why Thorne likes her and he likes her too, even if he's nervous. He gives her a nervous grin - and a slight part of him congratulates himself on knowing she was the mom friend - "So you're the one that kept Thorne alive before I found him then. I'm grateful for that."
He keeps peeling, his eyes darting to the appetizers. Another time, maybe when he was done with the potatoes, since he felt more nerves than hunger. But it was getting easier now, like he could breathe. He steals another glance at Wren, listens to Thorne and Necalli thumping around, and just knows that this is a good place. He's glad that Thorne found it, that he was part of it.
"I don't feel very smart for coming to it like that," He admits, sheepish, feeling like he should've caught on earlier. He sinks a little into himself at the argument, a startled bark of a laugh coming out of him at the comment. "I think my sister would probably say the same about me with how I reacted. I thought she'd fly over from Korea with all the pity I was being given." He's silent for a moment, still peeling, before, "I guess we kind of realized at the same time then. Aren't we idiotic?"
His second potato is deposited into its place and he frowns, wondering exactly why the amount of food for so few people. He didn't eat that much and Thorne ate the average, as far as he could tell, but even accounting for that it was a lot. Chris is still trying to puzzle it out when a number of things happen and that's when everything becomes crystal clear.
His first hint is Thorne's voice rising in terror, then the sound of a door opening and closing. The person that appears is - impressive is the first word Chris can think. He cuts a sharp figure and Chris is surprised to find that someone, for once, stands taller than him. His surprise however is mostly overwhelmed by a slight fear and terror, his hands pausing on his peeling. If he had been startled more, he would have probably cut himself, but he's stopped in time.
Any sense of comfort he had earlier is gone, mostly overcome by nerves all over again and now a distinct sense of intimidation, if the dogs are anything to go by. He takes a glance at Wren, but she is clearly not on his side here and Thorne is apparently being blocked upstairs.
He is on his own and he is so, so very ********," He says quite intelligently, still baffled by this, still very, very uncomfortable. It takes him a long minute to answer but then he replies, "Yes, but if Thorne doesn't want it to be, I won't force him into it." He's nervous just thinking about it, about how much he wants Thorne. He thinks Thorne thinks the same but they are still new and still haven't talked much, just trying to get beyond the fact they've liked each other for so long.
He hopes that it's the right answer.
[wc: 644]
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:06 pm
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend
"Adrastos, dear friend," Necalli says from somewhere very far above them and not at all in sight, "I do so love the sound of your baritone in the evening to lull me to sleep. Welcome back."
The man - Adrastos, looks like he should be cut from marble and hung in the city library for how broad his shoulders are and how absolutely terrifying he can make himself out to be. If Wren had been standing next to him, it would have been like comparing a child to an adult who'd never learned to stop growing. She easily finishes another potato as he sits there, judgment come down from the heavens in physical form, and then throws one at his head.
"You're scaring my guest," she says.
"I was under the impression I was here for a task like that," Adrastos says and the potato goes sailing back but Wren ducks and it lands in the sink with a loud thunk. "Heaven knows you didn't invite me here to sing and light a fire in your backyard again and talk the police down for every illegal thing you do in this city."
Wren pressed her lips together in a ho-hum sort of manner, as though she were considering it. "We're not tying anyone to chairs this time," she said very strictly. Adrastos looked unimpressed. In fact, he looked so unreadable, drawn to his full height and looming like Death or the epitome of all things terrifying that came down to smite the rest of the waking world, that it was entirely possible he'd been under the assumption that they would be tying someone to a chair tonight.
"I can't help that Necalli's taste in men and women are lax," he replies dryly, and turns his eyes to Chris. There's a sharp appraisal going on there that foregoes Wren's cheerful attitude.
"No," Adrastos says finally, "He wants it to be. He's incompetent and slow, but he wouldn't entertain you if he didn't want something serious. However, being incompetent means he's prone to cutting himself on people he shouldn't touch." Adrastos looks down at the dogs and gives a low whistle. They spring up happily, unleashed, and go to stuff their noses somewhere else. While he does that, Wren steals a sugar cookie and somehow manages to eat it gracefully, wearing an apron with big bold letters that says 'KISS THE CHEF!'
Adrastos steps forward and the difference in height somehow feels more than it actually is.
"I want to know how serious you are about this relationship."
"Oh come on, Adrastos, he's head over heels, you can tell by that lovestruck expression in his eyes that you used to use on our idiot sunshine all the time," Wren says, but she sounds highly amused by this turn of events (even though she had been the one to mastermind it all, just to get more time to cook while grilling the new boy.) To Chris she adds, "I'm sure he's gone through his no one could love this thing five hundred times to you, right? But if you were able to drag him this far out of his shell, you must have convinced him you really do love him somehow."
She pointed a spoon at Adrastos. "Impressive credentials already, yeah?"
"Convincing and meaning are two different things in their entirety," Adrastos reflected back, "Isn't that what you dragged me here to determine?"
"Maybe," Wren said, finishing the sugar cookie, and adding, "Pessimist."
"Optimist."
"a**."
"You would know, wouldn't you?"
Adrastos doesn't have to cross his arms to look imposing.
"So," he says to Chris, "Tell me about yourself. What does Thorne see in you that I should?"
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