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 Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 1:13 pm
Paris positioned himself again as Chris made his way to the mound, his brow furrowed in concentration, paying a bit more attention this time than he had been before. He kept himself focused, forcing his mind not to wander and moon over Chris as he stood on the mound and went through his windup. He squinted his eyes just slightly, as if that would help him keep the ball in his sights, his hands instinctively tightening on the handle of the bat for a few seconds before he was able to force himself to relax.
He barely saw it. He almost didn't catch the moment the ball left Chris's hand, and then it was zooming passed him before he even realized it. Paris's eyes widened as it streaked by, hitting the ground behind him like many of the others had, but instead of gently rolling to the fence it ricocheted into it with a loud clang.
He hadn't even had the chance to swing.
"Holy hell," he muttered, glancing behind himself to find the ball among all the others. Its impact with the fence had sent it careening across the dirt and rolling in the direction of one of the dug outs. It didn't make it the entire way, but it moved enough for Paris to be impressed.
"How fast was that?" he asked, turning his head to look back over at Chris. He wondered if he'd even be able to hit it if he tried. Throwing that fast... he thought it must hurt quite a bit to be hit... maybe more than being hit with the bat... if it got the right spot... "I don't see why you don't just carry a bucket of balls around to chuck at monsters if you can throw like that," he said.
He began to wonder if he should be learning to pitch instead.
Paris took a couple of slow practice swings, trying to envision the path the ball had taken as it streaked toward him, but he found himself incapable of remembering. "Again? I want to actually try to hit it this time!"
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 2:44 pm
Chris let out a breath as the ball clanged against the fence, and tried not to be too proud of himself for the expression on Paris's face. What? It had been a while since baseball season... It was always amusing to see that look on someone's face. Although, it was never that surprised because batters are usually used to expecting something like that.
"Uh... probably not that fast. Maybe low nineties... I couldn't get a good footing," he explained, not thinking it was all that impressive. He knew he could get it faster, but not while wearing the shoes he had on. He did laugh when Paris suggested him carrying around a bucket of balls, though. "I'd end up ruining my arm if I kept throwing like that to fight monsters. I'm trying not to use that pitch as much as I usually do... I've been practicing my sinkers," he said, paused, and figured he should probably explain. "Uh, the idea is to make it look like it's going to be a fastball, but not ruin my arm. Right now my breaking ball is a curve, and I have a change-up paired to the fastball, but having another pitch will make things easier on me and hopefully less predictable for whoever I'm throwing against..."
Er... maybe that was too much information...?
"Uh, sure," he said, picking up another ball and getting back to the mound. He doubted Paris would be able to hit it, but he'd humor her. "Ready?" he asked, winding up again and releasing another fastball over the plate.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:41 pm
He had no idea what Chris was even talking about. The baseball terminology meant absolutely nothing to him. He assumed they were each different kinds of pitches, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how to throw a ball differently than just... throwing it. It wasn't like he could control where it went after it left his hand, though he supposed Chris could, being that he was a pitcher and he had to have some way of keeping the other team from hitting the ball all the time. However he did it, Paris didn't have a clue. He'd just take his word for it.
Regardless, he doubted he'd be able to hit any of Chris's pitches like this. Ninety miles an hour? That was much too fast! How was he even supposed to see it properly? Could he even swing his arms fast enough to catch up with it? How was that even possible?
He wasn't going to tell him to stop, though. Paris was nothing if not determined, though he realized the fruitlessness of his efforts the longer he stood at home plate. At the last second, he had an idea that he hoped would make up for his failure. As Chris released the ball, Paris swung as hard as he could. He had no idea where the ball even went, but that didn't matter. Imagining the look that would cross Chris's face, Paris allowed his momentum to spin him around, faked a stumble as he released the bat with a rather pitiful sounding cry, and then dropped to the ground where he proceed to roll around in the dirt by home plate, moaning and groaning in a pain he did not feel.
"It hit me!" he managed to shout out, trying his best to conceal his laughter, but it was difficult. Eventually, he was forced to roll over and present Chris with his back to hide the fact that his trembling was more from laughter than aching pain. "Ow ow ow! It hurts! I think it's broken! Ow, my arm!"
Okay, so maybe it was a little mean. Chris was such a nice guy, he would probably be devastated if he really had hit him, but Paris just couldn't help himself. He didn't even mind that his antics were getting dirt all over his clothes and in his hair. Soon he settled on a single position and pretended to curl in on himself, guarding his perfectly unblemished arm.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:15 pm
His eyes left the path of the ball only a moment (due to the momentum of his body and his lack of proper traction on his shoes) but apparently it was all it took.
Chris's eyes widened in horror, immediately dropping his glove and running over to where Paris was in pain on the ground. How did this happen, though?? He could have sworn that his pitch was far enough away from her so as not to hit her. What if she reached out too far?? She didn't know how far away was safe for swinging.
"Paris... Paris, let me see," he said, kneeling down onto the ground next to her. She obviously wasn't okay, so there was no point in asking. Well, now he felt like crap. His heart was going a fast as his pitch, and he was now worried that Paris was seriously injured.
"We need to get it on ice, okay? I need to see. It might need a splint, too... My car isn't that far away, I can take you to the hospital," he told her, reaching out to gingerly to place his hand along her back, hoping the touch was enough to comfort her. "I swear I thought it was far enough away from you... I shouldn't have done that..."
He would definitely think twice about pitching like that again. It's what he got for showing off.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:28 pm
It became even harder to contain his laughter when Chris rushed over to him, and by the time his boyfriend was kneeling at his side, hand on his back, Paris could no longer fake it anymore. He turned over onto his back to gaze up at Chris, laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes, unfurling himself so that his arm was no longer shielded and holding it up for Chris to see that it was just fine.
"You... that was... your face..." he gasped out. He was laughing so hard he could barely even breath. The utterly panicked look on Chris's face was absolutely priceless. He almost wished he had his camera on him at that moment so that he could preserve that expression for eternity. It was both sweet that he was so concerned, and absolutely hilarious.
"I'm fine," he said reassuringly, or as reassuringly as he could through his giggling and snickering. "I'm fine, you idiot," he repeated as he slowly began to calm down, lifting his perfectly good arm to wipe the tears from his eyes. "You should have seen your face. That was perfect. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. That was too funny. If you could have seen it..."
He reached up to sling his arms around Chris's neck, pulling him down while leaning up for a kiss at the same time. He grinned widely when he pulled back, though his arms remained in place. "Sorry," he apologized again, hoping he hadn't frightened him too badly. "I didn't mean... Well, no, that's not true. I meant to, but I didn't think of it until right at the last second, and then I just... God, you should have seen your face. It's good to know you care so much, I guess, even if it didn't come anywhere near me."
He paused to looked around, but he couldn't pick out which ball among the many that littered the backstop was the one that Chris had just thrown. "Actually, I have no idea where it went. I could barely even keep track of it. But I'm fine," he said a third time, just in case Chris didn't believe it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:38 pm
If Paris thought his original expression was horrified, Chris was sure that he looked even more so when she started laughing. Was she in that much pain??
Of course, once it was revealed that she was really okay, his expression relaxed, although still concerned and worried. A little awkward and embarrassed, even. He couldn't say he was a fan of being played for a fool. But she was laughing and showing him that she was okay... so that was good, right? Good that she wasn't really hurt.
It wasn't too great for his need to question everything he did, though. But that wasn't Paris's problem.
"Oh," he said, looking her over and letting her pull him down to the kiss, even if he didn't put much enthusiasm into it. He'd been terrified for her, so yeah, he was still kind of freaking out. But he really was glad she was okay.
"Good... I mean... Yeah, I guess it was pretty funny," he said, forcing a tiny smile on his face, even if his eyes gave away how he really felt. His worry and embarrassment overshadowing any faux amusement. Well... he now felt like an idiot. He'd been getting too cocky about his pitching, anyway. His ego needed to be brought down a few pegs.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:49 pm
Paris's smile never faltered, though he was incapable of pretending that he didn't notice Chris was far from amused. "Don't beat yourself up over it," he told him, seeing no reason for him to suddenly become so concerned. "I told you I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about. You didn't throw them nearly close enough to hit me. I couldn't even hit them, and if I thought they were coming too close, I could have ducked out of the way."
It had been hard to keep track of them once they were released from Chris's hand, yes, but he thought he could still tell if they were coming too close for comfort. Instinct would have told him to get down or jump back.
"Don't start stressing about it. I bet you've hit a batter during a game or something and they've been just fine. Granted, they wear arm braces and shin guards sometimes, don't they?"
Regardless, he didn't understand Chris's inability to take a joke. He supposed it had been a very mean thing to do, but at the same time... once he'd revealed himself to be okay, he'd expected Chris to be a little more amused about it, maybe wonder why he'd even believed him in the first place considering Paris didn't think he'd done his best at acting hurt.
He leaned up to kiss him again, before laying back on the ground, his arms still encircling Chris's neck. "You're cute," he said, moving one of his hands up to slide through Chris's hair. "You know, I think I like you, and I don't say that about a lot of people. I can't imagine anyone else would be that freaked out. But I suppose that's an obligation that comes with being my boyfriend, huh?" he teased, holding Chris's bangs out of his face.
"You're a very good boyfriend," he decided. "I'd say you're the best I've ever had, but you're the only real one I've ever had, so there's not much to compare you to."
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:42 pm
"Sorry," Chris apologized, not wanting to seem too upset about the possibility of Paris almost being hit. She was so tiny that he wouldn't have been surprised if a pitch like that had broken her arm. Either way, it definitely wouldn't have been pretty.
"I'm just glad I hadn't hit you." The guilt would have been horrible. So in the long run, he would rather live with being embarrassed.
He nodded about hitting a batter before, although he grimaced at the memories. "Yeah, well... I don't have much sympathy for those who step into them," he admitted, feeling like a mean person for thinking that, but it was the truth. It wasn't his fault if they wanted to take a walk that badly. "If it were me, I would wait for a change-up, at least," he mumbled to himself as Paris kissed him again and laid down. Chris put a hand on either side of her to support himself, blinking down at her and her compliments.
"I like you too... So fo course I'd be worried..." he said, lowering himself down just a bit to be able to kiss her forehead. "And thanks," he added with an awkward looking grin. "You're only my second girlfriend, so I haven't had much to compare to either, but I think you're a good girlfriend."
She was fun, she didn't pressure him, she didn't expect things from him. Sure, he didn't really like the practical joke she'd played on him, but worse things could have been done.
He leaned down again to kiss her nose and then a light peck on her lips before pulling back to raise his eyebrows at her. "I thought we were here to play baseball..." Unless they were just talking about, uh... figurative baseball... But he wasn't sure if she was ready to, uh... run the bases so to speak. At least she hadn't allowed past first so far.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:01 pm
"You're so eloquent," Paris teased. It was a sarcastic comment, but he didn't mean it spitefully. Sometimes he still sensed a bit of awkwardness in Chris, was all, and he wondered if or when it would ever go away. Chris could seem so confident and sure of himself, and then other times he could be so... inelegant, somewhat gawkish even. It was sort of cute, though it reminded Paris of gangly, pimple ridden fifteen year olds.
"We were playing baseball," he replied, leaning up for another kiss as soon as Chris pulled away, "but I don't see anything wrong with taking a break. This helmet is horribly uncomfortable to lay in, though."
He took one hand away from Chris to reach up and tug off the helmet, setting it aside and letting his head rest against the dirt, not very concerned about it getting in his hair. He was already sweaty and filthy.
"You're the only guy I know who'd be more concerned about baseball when he's got a pretty girl pinned on the ground," he commented, even if he wasn't pinned so much and laying there and pulling Chris over him. He raised his hand back up, sliding his fingers through Chris's bangs to pull them back. "You don't have to be a gentleman all the time, you know. If you want a kiss, take one. If you want to stare at me and think how lucky you are to have me, by all means..."
He continued to smile, but after a few minutes it grew smaller, softer, and his eyes lost a bit of their laughter and became somewhat shadowed. "It's nice... being treated like I'm worth something... not having to worry about someone wanting something from me, or thinking I'm a mistake..."
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:20 pm
Eloquent? Chris blinked at Paris's comment, wondering if his awkwardness was really that bad. He hadn't thought it was, but if he was getting comments like that... It wasn't his fault he was still growing out of his awkward high school years, still getting used to everything about being an adult. He was only turning nineteen in less than two weeks...
Wow, that soon, huh...?
Of course, he blinked again when Paris pointed out how she was pinned and he wasn't doing anything about it. Uh, was he supposed to be doing something? It didn't help that he had little recent practice with this... And he didn't want to make her uncomfortable in any way.
He didn't say anything, though, watching as her smile softened, his own expression softening and relaxing. She might be outwardly confident, but he felt that there were a lot of things that she wasn't happy about in her life. Or at least had had bad experiences. He could at least relate to her in that respect. Well, sort of. She wanted to feel like she was worth something and he wanted to feel like what he did was worth something to others.
Chris leaned down to kiss her again, keeping it tame even with her 'pinned to the ground', and pulled back after a few moments.
"I don't think you're a mistake," he said, shifting on one hand to lift his other and brush his fingers through her bangs. Eh, he probably should have wiped his hand off, first, since it was covered in dirt from the ground, but... she was already laying in the dirt.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:42 pm
The expression that settled on Paris's face at Chris's comment could almost be considered fond. "You're one of the rare few to have a pretty high opinion of me, then," he said. He kept one hand in Chris's hair and moved the other down to one of his arms, alternately sliding is gently up and down and softly kneading.
"I'm not as great of a person as you think I am," he told him, not sure why he was even saying it, except that he liked the idea that Chris might still like him even if he knew all the less pleasing things about him. "I drink even though I'm not old enough, I go to parties, not so much anymore, I guess, but I did before. Clubs, too, and I didn't date people so much as use them."
He wasn't sure how to consider his relationship with Chris. He thought it was what dating was supposed to be, but since Chris didn't know the entire truth about who he was dating, Paris wasn't sure if it even counted. It made him sad, in a way, to think that everything he did was fake, even when it seemed real.
"I'm not innocent," he went on, fingering the sleeve of Chris's shirt before sliding his hand up underneath it to rest against warm, bare skin. "I might not have dated a lot of guys before, but I've been with a lot. I just wanted to have fun, you know? I slept with my best friend's boyfriend once. They weren't dating then, but still... when he found out, I gloated about it. He was so upset and I just stood there gloating. 'He liked it,' I said. What kind of person says that sort of crap to their best friend?"
It had seemed well within his rights at the time, and he'd never looked back on it with much regret, at least not until now. He still didn't think it was his fault, but he could have reacted better, didn't have to stoop so low. Being with Chris, trying a normal relationship for a change, made him realize exactly how bad he'd been before. He felt somewhat like a cheap whore, and a horrible person to boot.
He didn't think he was getting any better, considering the secret he was keeping.
"I don't know what you see in me," he observed, before deciding that sounded much too mopey. The 'woe-is-me' thing was so passé. "Except that I'm astonishingly beautiful, and I have great legs," he added, trying to sound a little more cheerful and get off a topic that he doubted was anything but uncomfortable for Chris.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:07 pm
Chris frowned sadly as Paris spoke to him about things he hadn't known about her before. He did his best to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to give her a reason to clam up and stop talking to him.
Did he liked that she was telling him how she partied and went to clubs and used people? No, but he hadn't seen the negative effects from all that since he'd bene dating her. Sure, he'd seen her with the drink in her hand at the party they'd met at, but she couldn't have been out and partying that much since they'd been together, right? They were usually having dinner together or just spending time out in the park. She didn't have time to do all that.
And her using people...? He didn't mind spending money on her, but unless he was seriously being played for a fool, he hadn't noticed her using him all that much. She never asked for money or overstayed her welcome when they were together. It was really not something he'd been worried about.
Being told that she'd slept with someone had him a little surprised, if only because she'd been so intent on keeping things slow between them. But if she was looking for a different kind of relationship — one that actually meant something other than sex, then that was perfectly okay with him.
He stared down at her as she finished, tempted to agree that she was astonishingly beautiful and had great legs, but... that wasn't all there was to her.
Leaning down again, Chris placed another kiss on her lips, not liking seeing her like this.
"I don't care..." he said with a small shrug as he pulled back, not minding her touching him. "Your past doesn't really matter to me. Let's just move forward, okay? And there's a lot that I see in you. You're passionate, especially about dancing, you have a kind heart, you're gentle, you're good with kids," he listed out, not wanting her to feel like he didn't see more than beauty and legs. He hadn't been worried about her being ugly when he thought the ball had hit her, after all...
"I'm not that great either, you know. You just haven't seen me lose my temper," he said with a weak smile. "And I can be a total douche bag if I think people are being stupid."
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:39 pm
Paris tended to think pretty highly of himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't recognize his faults. He knew himself better than anyone. He'd accepted himself, or so he'd thought. He was self-centered and irresponsible, defensive and overly critical, he put other people down to make himself feel better, he used people for the fun of it, dropped people when they didn't give him what he wanted, paid more attention to his own issues than the other people in his life...
It wasn't hard for him to understand why some people didn't like him, but he generally didn't care. He was what he was, and he didn't feel as if he should change that to suit the tastes of others. If they couldn't appreciate him the way he was then they weren't worth his time. He wanted to be himself, saw no reason not to be, and it was refreshing to be able to do that, to have the freedom to say what he wanted, do what he wanted, be what he wanted, and not worry about being judged for it.
"Clearly we're made for one another," his tone turned joking again, his smile remaining fond. "You can be a douche and I can be a b***h. We can be that overbearing, conceited couple that everyone hates but they can't look away because we're so breathtakingly gorgeous together."
He laughed at his own comment. He doubted it would ever be like that because, one, no one even knew he was dating Chris, and two, he was sure his secret was going to ruin everything one day.
It had started off as a good bit of fun. Now he realized how stupid it was. He'd dug a hole so deep he didn't know how to climb out of it.
"It's sort of funny, being like this," he said. "I never thought I'd want to. I never even thought I could. I don't even know what you did, except that I've never felt as if I'm being judged when I'm with you." He paused to stare at him, his fingers slowly sliding through Chris's hair, watching the way the dark auburn strands fell into his face before brushing them away again. "And I~," he quietly sang, with no idea why he was even doing it, except that it so closely mirrored how he felt, "had a feeling that I belonged..."
If only they could be like this when Chris knew what he was... he thought it could be perfect.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 2:52 am
Everything Paris was telling him and every expression she was showing was convincing him more and more that she was just a really lonely person on the inside. She might do things that warrant the undivided attention, but really... it was just because she couldn't get the attention any other way.
Chris looked down at her as she spoke to him and quietly sang the lyrics to her favorite song. "And I had a feeling I could be someone..." he added, not wanting to discourage her from expressing herself in any way that she could. Paris seemed to reveal a lot of her emotions and feeling through the few times she'd sung for him. It might seem really sappy to some, but he thought it was bittersweet and almost haunting, for whatever reason.
He'd almost forgotten that they were on a baseball field, as focused on his girlfriend as he was, that he only glanced up when he heard a dog barking in the park beside them. Chris smiled and leaned down for one more kiss, before pulling back, helping her to sit up as well. Once sitting, though, he pulled her into his arms to hug tightly. Well, he thought it might be a bit more comfortable for her if he hadn't pinned her arms between them, but he wanted her to know that she was safe with him. No, he wouldn't judge her, or at least he would try his best not to. She hadn't done anything to make him want to, anyway.
"Just be yourself, okay...? You don't have to worry about what I think..." he said, wanting to reassure her. He didn't know what had triggered her emotional release, but whatever worked, right...?
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:20 am
Paris doubted what Chris said was true. Chris hardly even knew what he was talking about. Paris couldn't hide the truth from him forever, not with the way they went about things, and though he had no idea how Chris was going to react when he found out -- or figured it out on his own -- he had at least convinced himself that the consequences would not be good. What person in their right mind would let something like that slide? And considering Chris had already had issues with a relationship before...
Paris knew he was screwed, and could only continue guarding the truth until the moment came when he could no longer do so.
Either way, he let Chris help him up and laid his head on his shoulder as he was wrapped in a crushing hug, sighing contentedly as he nodded in response, his mouth forming a rueful smile. "I hope you don't regret saying that one day," was all he said. If the comment made Chris curious, he didn't notice. Paris decided not to look at the expression on his face.
He had no idea what he was even doing anything, except scrambling to keep things the way they were. He didn't know what worried him more, the thought of not being able to spend time with Chris like this, or the thought of losing his admittedly weak connection to Valhalla both in and out of their powered forms. He didn't enjoy the thought of either circumstance, but knew things couldn't be this easy forever.
The truth will out, and all that.
Eventually, they climbed back to their feet together and returned to their previous activity. Paris practiced a few more swings against Chris's slower, easier pitching instead of requesting another ball at full speed, and managed to get a couple more hits in before they called it quits. After that, they tossed one of the balls back and forth to one another aimlessly, until they could no longer stand the heat and decided to call it a day. Paris thought they'd been out long enough anyway. He might not be very good at the whole baseball thing, but at least he'd had moments of success.
If only he could always be as fortunate with everything else.
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