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 Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:50 pm
Never before had he felt so happy to feel the warm wash of Lopezite’s aura flowing over him, and after letting the lingering strangeness from being teleported fade, he turned towards the male and just…
Embraced him. “Sorry to bother you. Thought it would be a good idea to work on sneak attacks. And it was a good idea, until the a*****e showed just how hard he could punch.”
Alpersite kept his face carefully hidden in the soft folds of the male’s cape and let his powered side fade, swallowing and looking up. “He got me right in the face. I don’t think he knocked any teeth out, but I’m pretty sure my mouth’s cut open inside, there was a lot of blood...I still taste it...and I think my eye’s going to be a great shiner.”
He fell quiet for a moment. “...When. Do you think I’ll be worthy to become a captain? When will...you have enough faith in me to...see that I get a promotion? Since that time in the Rift...I’ve been trying so hard to get stronger. So I won’t keep worrying you. When...will I be ready?”
It was stupid to ask outright like this. In the professional would, a person didn’t just go begging for a promotion...but...this was Lopezite...surely he wouldn’t fault Jacob’s questions. At least.
Jacob hoped that he wouldn’t.
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 6:12 am
Lopezite immediately looked worried; he was in Negaspace, trying to organize his office a little better. He rarely used it, but he thought--they’d given him the space, shouldn't he make use of it? It was a boring process, and no matter what he’d done, he hadn’t been able to find anything he liked yet. So he had empty furniture spaced around a fairly empty room.
Alpersite’s message on the tablet had been far more interesting, and he had been almost desperate for a distraction when it came through.
He had teleported to Destiny City, and then immediately summoned Alpersite to him.
Lopezite’s office was completely forgotten--now, he was more concerned with the fact that he hadn’t been there with him.
“You’re not a bother,” he immediately began, and just kept his arms wrapped around him. “I’m glad you called me. Come, let me see the damage. Pull your face out of my cape, let me get you cleaned up. I can take you home. Or you can stay with me tonight. I can’t believe you’re injured and worried about a promotion. You work so hard.”
He stroked his back. “I have faith in you. You’ve been working hard, I’ve noticed. I just don’t want you to push yourself too hard and get put in a position where you aren’t safe. But...let me talk to someone. I’ll speak to a General King. But let’s not worry about that for now--I want to make sure you’re okay. Show me your eye, your mouth.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 7:23 pm
With a sigh that sounded rather long suffering, Alpersite drew away and looked up at Lopezite, trying to give a grin, but failing slightly. “...I’ll stay with you, if that’s cool. You know I always like staying with you.” And the dogs. It would be nice to have them flopping all around the two of them.
“...You’re serious about talking to a General King? You’ll put me up for a promotion? I...I want to make you look good too, you know. I want them to notice you. I don’t think there’s a better General out there.” He hesitated and drew in a breath, giving a wary smile. “Besides. I can ask you out if I’m a captain. It won’t be so...strange, yeah? You won’t be looked down at for dating a crappy lieutenant. And I’ll be able to really protect you too, don’t you think?”
Maybe it was just the throbbing in his face, but...it seemed as good a time as any to just…
Throw all that out into the open.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:49 am
Lopezite smiled, a polite grin, but there was worry in his eyes. He seemed to need a few seconds to take everything in, and when he did he just reached his hand to Jacob’s cheek. Gently, he brushed his thumb across his cheekbone and seemed to be trying to assess the damage even while thinking about how to respond.
“I’ve never looked down on you. I wouldn’t care what anyone thought if you were a Lieutenant forever. As long as they didn’t think it wasn’t your choice to be with me. I don’t need anyone to notice me. But I think you getting a promotion would be good for you.”
His hand moved to Jacob’s chin and he gently tilted it up so he could get a better look at his face.
“And you’re clearly working hard for it. I’ll talk to them soon. Not tonight, I’m going to take you home and get some ice. But, really. You don’t have to wait to ask me out. I’ll say yes.”
Which was big for him, even if he didn’t talk about it often. There was a hole in his heart where someone else used to be, and moving on after she disappeared hadn't been easy. Even now, he wondered if one day she’d just step out of the mirror, ready to try and pick things up again.
...But he couldn’t live in the past forever, and it wasn’t any better to live in a dream.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:59 pm
Jacob gave a little laugh, taking in the male’s words until he got to the part about asking him out, and Lopezite’s answer cut off his very breathing for a moment. “...Oh. You’re serious? We...can date? That’s not like...bad form?” He hadn’t expected a yes, hadn’t expected any more than a laugh and maybe a mild reprimand but...being told…
“s**t, I can really. You’d really be my boyfriend? Because, I...Yeah. I’d like that a lot.” More than he cared to admit, actually.
Spitting again and wincing at the taste of blood that still filled his mouth, Jacob smiled slightly. “...But...let’s go to your place. I would really love to rinse out my mouth...and maybe drink something. Water, hopefully.” He laughed after a moment. “...I haven’t been punched in the face for so long. I forgot how much it sucked. That guy had a great arm, let me tell you. I whacked him pretty good though, maybe he’ll get some sort of mark. A black eye for a black eye sounds good to me.”
Oh god. He had a boyfriend. Even though his face hurt, all he wanted to do was grin stupidly.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:16 pm
“I wouldn’t tease you about something like that,” Lopezite said, giving him a little bit of a look. They weren’t too far from home, and there wasn’t any energy signature he could pick up nearby. He shifted from his powered form, back into the civilian clothes he’d been wearing before he’d come out tonight.
“I’m proud of you for fighting so hard. Try to stop smiling, I don’t want you to hurt yourself. It would be irresponsible for me--as your General, and your boyfriend--to let you do something to hurt yourself. I don’t know if it’s bad form,” he admitted, “So don’t go bragging about it. But you’re the one who asked me, and I’m sure you didn’t do it just because you thought it would earn you brownie points. I’m glad to hear that you want to look into more responsibilities, you’ve been working hard and it’s shown. I’m proud of you. And, I suppose, one day you’ll be a General too, and then there’s no reason why it should be any sort of issue, don’t you think?”
He gently smoothed Jacob’s hair back, grimacing just slightly at the damage, before he wrapped his arm around him and began to lead him home. “Come on, before someone sees you like this…”
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:23 pm
“I suppose that’s true.” About the teasing, and the being a General one day...they were both good thoughts, and Jacob gave a little grin. “...I can brag if I want to. I did ask you, and you did say yes so...why wouldn’t I brag? You think I’m good enough to date, and I think that’s worth a little bragging.”
Maybe...after his promotion though. And maybe...not to anyone who was powered...perhaps just to his office buddies. Not that they weren’t already joking about it after the lunch dates he and Samir still did often.
Jacob walked with him, taking a moment to rest his head against the other male’s shoulder before reaching to take his hand, grinning slightly, and then wincing. “Hm...The only one that it would bother me to have see me like this is you, but yeah. Let’s go. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can see your dogs!”
And get cleaned up. And cuddle. And.
It just sounded like the perfect evening.
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