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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 1:13 am
Poor Bjorn. Colin could see the way the bigger boy's mind trying to process things and shifting a bit; the world that had already shifted somewhat after the earlier attack and 'rescue' going absolutely sidewise. It was in his eyes, in the way his skin paled a bit in the soft light...the way the big hand at his back seemed to twitch.
"No..I don't, but I'm serious. And I have my own...magic that helps me fight those things too. It's not the same kind as the female senshi you met earlier, either. But we're fighting to protect the same thing."
He offered his friend a wan smile that shifted to concern and worry as Bjorn dropped to his knees before him. The blond leaned over, resting his hands lightly on those massive shoulders, stooped now with a defeat that Colin found...very strange considering that the only major changes to their shared world was the inclusion of his being a senshi. Granted, that was a rather large and somewhat mindboggling addition into their lives...but really, why was Bjorn slumped as thought he'd lost his best friend?
Colin heard those stilted, stunted words and understood: Bjorn actually thought that they couldn't be friends anymore! "Bjorn..." Not caring about personal space, boundaries of propriety or anything else, Colin all but threw himself onto his now-defeated friend, "I wouldn't have told you if we couldn't be friends!" His arms went around Bjorn as far as they could; another hug because even if the Swede wasn't totally listening to what he was saying, hopefully he'd get the picture with his hug-attack.
"We're not supposed to let people know our identities unless we're really close. If the...if our enemies found out who we really are..." His hair moved as he shook his head; having the Negaverse figure out his civilian identity was the last thing he wanted to happen. If it did, he'd have to 'disappear'...find a new identity or something. It wouldn't be safe for him, let alone for his family and friends.
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:06 am
It was a small, but welcome blessing. It didn’t change being told to do nothing , that he wasn’t capable of doing anything. It didn’t change that everything was strange, weird and very dangerous all of a sudden because he’d come to this hole of a school in a city that refused to admit it needed an exorcism and an intervention from higher powers to make it proper for…normal people to lead regular, boring lives. But the hug, the reassurance, did change the lost in the dark feeling to at least lost with someone by his side.
Not as equals, but at least as friends. He could still…talk to Colin. Some real war going on and Colin was someone who had a …sword of sorts. That could all be sorted out later, if ever. Talk of identities, enemies…it sounded all the more like rifts that were in place for good reason. He wasn’t angry about having been trying so hard to build bridges, identity and rapport with Colin...only to find they’d had less in common than he could ever imagine possible. It made those moments and small facets more precious.
“Riksgreve …“ A Count, high noble. No, there was not much in common after all. But kind word was gladly accepted; kind hand must be enough? He should be grateful. The last Colin needed was having to console someone like him, if he was out risking his life to save people. He should start showing some of that weregild he’d protested that they were all owed.
“I am glad. Just that much and I am glad.” He sighed, returning the hug solidly before letting the smaller boy have his small self back under his own control. “That can probably wait for later. Unless you expect need tonight. If there’s nothing for me, no use about learning what and who to be avoiding tonight.”
“It was late already and now I don’t think it is far until 2 in the morning. We should both be in bed, yes?” But he wasn’t sleepy. Tired, yes, but not sleepy. He didn’t want to sleep, or to dream. He didn’t want everything to shift again for at least a few hours. “I don’t think I will be getting up for my morning run. The ER said to rest anyway. It is a good excuse to stay in for the day.”
“Are you okay?” Sharing a secret of that magnitude…it was a thing of trust. Unsettling trust and opening of doors. "I will keep your secret. No matter what."
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:47 am
That last thing that the curly-haired dancer had wanted was to lose the friendship they shared; maybe they hadn't known each other for years and years, but most of the time it felt like he'd konwn Bjorn forever. He was just a really...good person that could be vulnerable despite his massive size and stature. Colin liked that about him - he also liked that the normally good-natured Swede would stand up against injustices whenever he could. Of course that would appeal to him - as Colin Hargrove or Sailor Aegir.
Colin didn't understand the Swedish word Bjorn spoke, it sounded like he was saying it to him and carried with it this odd feeling of separation that the dancer just did not like. Despite his status as a senshi (and one that was newly 'hatched' into his powers, basically) he didn't feel any better than 'normal' people, if anything he felt worse because he was weak and the Negaverse was so strong.
"Bjorn?" Paired with his off-kilter tone and strange words, being released from the hug brought a frown to Colin's face. Something was wrong now - he was kicking himself for saying anything but 'oh, haha, it's just really late and I'm still half asleep' then maybe he wouldn't have this strange dropping sensation in his stomach. Being a senshi better not take away his friendship with young master Guildson, or he'd be royally pissed. "What did that word mean?" Still looking rather unhappy, the smaller blond watched Bjorn, listening.
"I'm not sleepy anymore...and I think the real question is: are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in, but me being senshi doesn't change us. This. Um." Way to go Colin, keep flubbering and saying things to upset your favorite Tank. And, just because he felt it was needed, he spoke in low tones: "I know you won't. I trust you." Words that he didn't say followed that, along the lines of 'I like you.' because heaven forbid he say one more thing that alientated them from each other; a confession of crush would probably have sent the poor strongman-in-training into a very unmanly faint.
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:55 am
“It is a title: Count. A high man beneath a king or queen. ” A liege meant to have vassals and lands to protect as his own. One who answered to some other greater still as a hand of power. Colin wasn’t sleepy either, but would he want just peace for a while? Or did he want to keep talking? The question and odd rambling pointed to the latter.
“I’m alright. Out of sorts, but… if I just have some time to find even, it won’t be a problem. Just some time, and I can weather anything. Simple is not always so bad.” It was something his mother repeated to him often enough. She was never referring to sudden magical worlds opening around you like curtains pulled back from a movie screen to make it colour instead of black and white, but it must apply.
As for crushes, Björn was pretty clueless on delineating between close friendship and interest from others regarding himself. In this instance, Colin having any sort of interest for him like that was the furthest thing from his mind. Colin was a sailor sushi, saving lives, battling demons, living in constant danger… heroes looked to other heroes.
Kneeling there was better than standing, but whether or not Colin was sleepy, he was going to move to his mattress, and sitting leaned in the corner with a pillow for a backrest. What was left then? Practical concerns? “Will you have enough energy for dancing tomorrow?”
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:21 pm
His friend aiming such a title toward him was unnerving, it was also horribly wrong - Colin was more like a knight, but not quite. "Bjorn, that's not what I am." Maybe he should leave his friend alone, let his mind settle all that he'd learned and heard and seen settle in his mind, but Colin really wanted to 'fix' this. To impress upon the Swede that he didn't deserve any title(s) but the one that he already held: senshi. Soldier of Aegir, protector of the innocent, protector of his planet. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Well, this isn't going as well as I'd hoped. But, just so you know, I haven't been an active senshi for very long. I was a normal person not too long ago...and now I'm not - but I'm glad I'm able to protect the people I care about." Colin stayed on the floor a minute, head down; there was this rift there that hadn't been before, but he wasn't going to let it stay. Oh no. That was not the way Colin handled things. He was sure that what Bjorn said was true - that they'd go to sleep and in the morning things would be better, but he still waffled about going to sleep.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." A pause and then, "I'm more worried about you." He sighed and scooted back so he could lean against the edge of his bed, looking over at Bjorn in the soft light. "I guess I should let you sleep, huh?" Keeping his bruised friend awake, bad Colin! "Do you need to rebandage your chest or anything?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:14 pm
Colin was disappointed? Flat out denial and reproach. What was incorrect about it? What was to be reviled about being a Count? Well, the other wasn’t offering any explanations towards that. Just that it wasn’t so. Björn just sighed, shaking his head a little. There was no winning today; not with Talia, the hospital, or with Colin. He wanted to apologize for being so blatantly wrong, but what would be the point in dragging that out? It was already getting too down of atmosphere, and he wasn't about to grovel...he might not be useful to warriors in this sudden war, and may not like hearing that, but he wasn't going to act worthless just because he'd been corrected again. He wasn't good at thinking anyway, so it wasn't a surprise to be wrong.
Then Colin expressed more worry? “Colin, I cannot give clearer answer to questions you haven’t asked for your worry. I told you all there was to know about today, what the ER said, and that I will get over this shock. I do not think I missed anything? There is no need to worry about me.”
“As for bandages, I don’t think so. The nurses’ said the ice pack was only for a half hour, but the walk home was longer than that. I don’t think I will need it? “
This was some odd circle of concern and other emotions between them. Colin may be Riksgreve, but he didn’t giving off air of certainty and confidence. He seemed as off balance now as Björn felt. They were both young, he guessed. This was fresh ground to them both, secrets and new worlds. The considerable difference in the fury of the first sailor he’d met to Colin’s demeanor now was stark. Maybe Colin wasn’t much of a leader, but just a soldier. Colin’s own explanation that he was new to it confirmed it. So was Björn so far off the mark?
He found he wanted more input on it…but not from Colin. Someone maybe more qualified. But who? It wasn’t like he could just find magical warriors and ask them if they thought they were nobility. If they thought he was useful only as a resource to be protected, or could provide something else. They didn’t have time for that, certainly. If he did get the chance to, though, he’d try to ask one.
Their answers were getting short to each other, bordered on awkward…cold. Little to say, trying to make chitchat, and it sounded like some hurt on Colin’s side. He thought confusion must be palpable, laced with teenage angst. He made it a point to try to warm his voice, “I’m not…sleepy, so I’ll just sit up for a while. Just worn out, is all. The bruise is less trouble when I am sitting propped up anyway.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 12:17 am
Poor good-hearted boys, misunderstanding each other in that cycle that they'd fallen into. The smaller blond stared up at the ceiling, tracing the cracks for long silent moments; thinking the whole while that this weirdness between them just wasn't right and it wasn't Bjorn's fault. At all.
"The cracks on the ceiling over your bed look like a crocodile's head from here." Totally off the topic, but he wanted to get away from it, away from being a senshi and different. Maybe he shouldn't have been upset that the big Swede tried to put a title on him, it wasn't going to hurt anything was it? But inside, a little voice told Colin that Sailor Aegir shouldn't hold any such thing, not now and maybe not ever.
Colin dropped his head so he could look over at Bjorn; a soft smile spread across his face. "Sorry. I'm not doing this right...I just don't want to lose a friend like you. Not for a title and definitely not because I'm a senshi." Back when he lived at home and he'd gotten into a fight or spitting match with Miriam, his mother had told him that he just didn't know when to quit. It was true, he was apologizing for it. Questions he could have answered - though he had not been an 'awakened' senshi for long, he'd asked a lot of questions. He wouldn't have any idea about quite a bit of it, but maybe - if given the chance again - could have informed Bjorn. But he wasn't offering - it seemed that when he started talking about it, they drew apart.
Quietly he sat, watching Bjorn with half a smile touching his lips. In the low light with his hair unfettered, his roommate looked a bit like some of those guys on his mom's favorite novels; it was really attractive. Colin yawned and rubbed at one eye. Not sleepy but tired enough to fall back to sleep without too much trouble. "In this light, you look like a lion, did you know that?" Even with the brusing over where his starseed was; so much more precious even than his heart. Colin shifted until he was on all fours and crept closer to Bjorn's bed, to him. "Can I sit with you?" ta' SoH neH jIH... crept through his thoughts but not aloud; something Colin himself squished - now was not really the time.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:14 am
The interim of quiet was blessed, even if he did appreciate that Colin was there and still awake. A moment to just breathe, listen to the night sounds again. His eyes had adjusted to the dim, making the room’s Spartan architecture and age clear to see. It did not capture his attention, though. His gaze was not honed to anything, instead pensive and inwards as he reviewed the events of the last 24 hours again in his mind. Considered his own actions.
His ancestors would probably be disappointed. It was an idle thought, not really emotionally worrisome. He didn’t have that sort of angst to muster, and usually didn’t care to anyway.
Colin was staying awake too, from the sound of his breathing. His voice broke the quiet again, not harshly, but with a strange comment. Björn looked over after a moment, but the motion was slow incase Colin told him he wasn’t supposed to move while being looked at. It was a hold-over of bodybuilding shows or the few times he’d spent modeling for artists here or there. By the time his eyes were fully on Colin, the other boy had crossed the short floor space to his mattress and was at the edge like a cat. “I don’t think I’m the one who looks like a lion.”
He extended a hand, brushing lightly at some curls that framed Colin’s face. Björn didn’t have a halo of wild hair around his face and at his neck….his was just a falling fan of honey down his shoulders and back. Björn’s eyes weren’t glinting with secrets and intent, for mischief or worry of rejection he did not know.
“Sure…I do not mind.” His mouth finally turned up in a small smile again, softening the rest of the angles from stone. The hug attacks came to mind immediately, “It was nice to have a friend close, after today. “
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:46 am
The quiet had done a great deal to ease the atmosphere of the room; by the moment he was feeling better about things. He wasn't going to lose his friend - they just needed time to think about things and figure out just how all the new information fit into their lives. As a 'set' and singly. Colin was still adjusting, still getting used to the idea that Destiny City needed his help to protect it...that the Earth needed him and all the others to keep the Negaverse at bay. Derp had told him at least that much after giving him the transformation pen and communicator. She'd also said that she'd get another of the guardian kitties to explain more...later. Sweet little thing, but largely brainless.
Quite good of him, to have kept still to allow Colin to watch him. Nice guy, probably would have done his ancestors proud...if they'd understood the nuances of modern society rather than born in the wool viking warriors.
Bjorn's hand felt good, light as the touch was. Colin crawled the rest of the way onto Bjorn's bed, stopping so he was kneeling near his friend. Without asking, he reached out with a careful hand to touch the bruised flesh. "Maybe I am a lion. Do you feel like prey?" From where he knelt, some of Bjorn's hair tickled at his hands and knees. His friend kept his hair clean, neat...took excellent care of his appearance -- and he almost always smelled good. To him, at least.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:59 pm
It took a moment to process, but Björn arched one of his eyebrows at Colin. Was that a pass? It sure sounded like a somewhat cheesy, obvious sort of one. Then again, if it weren't obvious, he'd probably miss it. "Prey?"
"No, I'm not worried so much about lions as I am lap cats. Your paws would have to be pretty big to make me feel like prey."
Little pale hands, indeed. Colin looked normal on the mattress, in the room, around the school. He was proper size, a bit thin, and therefore looked delicate by comparison. It was a nice bonus to being a strongman - if you liked delicate little things, that meant anyone but yourself.
"Are you flirting with me?" He didn't want to risk any more misunderstanding, so Björn decided that even if it was about as unsmooth as he could get, he'd just ask outright.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:30 am
True that! It was cheesey, but hey cheese was sort of like bacon: it made things better! Okay, so it was a lame sort of pick-up, but give him a break! Teenagers aren't known for being overly intelligent in the dating arena, let alone a teen that's gotten a bit of a shock into wakefulness and subsequently given his Biggest Secret...well, you get the picture.
Bjorn's lap-cat comment got a little chuckle, maybe being a lap-cat would work better for him; his friend was right: there was absolutely not way that he could 'overpower' the Swede. Colin was just too small for it.
"I am. Does it bother you?" Without thinking about too much, he picked up some of the blond's hair, toying with it for a moment. Rejection wouldn't be too horribly painful, he was half expecting to be told that he should cut it out. If that happened, he told himself that he would just sit with his friend and not get butthurt about the rejection. A friend like Bjorn deserved at least that much - if he wasn't going to "dump" their friendship after knowing about his 'other life', then Colin wouldn't 'dump' him if he got a rejection.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:40 am
“I am not bothered by things that are flattering.” It was a little odd, considering the circumstances of both their lives, but it wasn’t out of reckoning. He’d heard things about dancers and actors from other guys, but they were usually rough and pretty rude. The same people almost never had anything polite to say about other people, but they sure knew how to fix things.
Nope. Neither right now. …Colin had answered his question a couple weeks ago regarding having a girlfriend or boyfriend in a way that was positive for both possibilities existing. He thought. Better to be clear. “You’d flirt with a guy? With me?”
And was it only flirting? He didn’t know. Emotional stress made simple things more appealing in ways little else could. It brought to mind old movies where people ended up kissing in the middle of stressful fights or while they were in danger. Thinking about it, he decided the idea of kissing Colin, whether it ever came to pass or not, wasn’t bad at all. The dancer was smart, physically attractive, and certainly a kind soul. Colin was probably less likely to complain about the goatee than his last girlfriend had. Those thoughts were a far cry from what he hoped to be sitting companionably together, shoulder to shoulder and hip to him in the golden dim.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:31 am
He smiled and shifted on his knees a bit to get more comfortable; he wouldn't stay this way for too much longer, it wasn't very comfortable to be kneeling like that when you weren't used to it. But certainly long enough to get his bruised friend to understand that yes, yes he was flirting with him.
"Yes, I would. To both." Colin had wanted to distract them both from the somber, strained mood that had settled on them just a few minutes ago; it seemed that he'd succeeded - no matter how odd the timing and situation were. "Is it hard to believe?" Why would the strongman-in-training find his attractiveness in question? Long blond hair, big muscles, a strong face, even now in high school - and he was kind. Girls had called him "sweet" because Bjorn was a lot like a puppy - a big puppy - always ready with a smile for others, always wanting to protect his 'people'...it was endearing.
Bjorn's mental picture of what would happen, both of them sitting, hip to hip, would happen; Colin wasn't going to sit infront of the Swede forever. Just long enough. For what? Possibly for him to mac on Mr. Tankington? Possibly because the Fates had decreed that he would sit like that for at least another few minutes? Only God knew.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:40 pm
“It isn’t usually men that are looking. Actually, not many men or women in general, since it has become fashion to weigh less than a hundred twenty and wear eyeliner...even for guys. “
Popular emo-bands with black-dyed hair teased out like they belonged in a cartoon, pants tight enough that it looked like they were being consumed by the wearer’s backside – these were the order of the day for ‘attractive’. Those who did look contextualized him as a human machine, one seeking perfection of form and body, which he did very much enjoy. But it wasn’t going to get him any dates.
Colin was staying put, and after a moment a clue-by-four attended Björn’s brain. This was the part he’d been thinking about a moment ago. Colin wanted to be kissed. Right? Why else would he be still paused there? Björn sat up from the wall corner, the pillow-backrest flopping back down to the bed as he moved. He carefully put the tips of his fingers at the corner of Colin’s jaw to announce intent, if the other boy wanted to back away.
Otherwise, he leaned in, angling slightly so as not to bump noses.
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:35 am
"That's their loss, not mine." Colin had, on occasion, worn guyliner - hell, he had some 'glamour shot' style photos in his portfolio (along with quite a few dynamic action poses) - but he wasn't going to say anything about that in their current conversation. Besides, he'd already offered to show 'em to Bjorn as soon as he could get his mother to send 'em up for him.
Just when Colin was about to give up (he hadn't wanted to push himself on his friend, in case the big Swede was against being somewhat intimate with him) Bjorn seemed to get it; that big hand reached out, touching his jaw. Even before Bjorn leaned in to kiss him, Colin looked like the cat that got the canary! But he was eager, too, leaning in for a kiss but knowing enough to angle his head a little too - bumping foreheads or noses wasn't something that Colin particularly enjoyed doing as a substitute for a kiss.
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