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 Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:13 pm
He let out a snorting laugh, unable to help himself.
"Caspian You'll-Never-Know-My-Middle-Name Lyons, that's me," he said with a grin. "I forgot I hadn't said it yet, but it's hardly king-like. But I do like the idea of being a Narnian king, I mean," he added, stroking his chin dramatically even though Michael couldn't see him.
He didn't recognize the name Olga, which in and of itself was not a particularly common name - nor did he remember anyone with white and black hair. Caspian made a mental note, however, to remember it for later, just in case he ran into her.
"She has before," he answered with a snort. "When she wants to tell me things. Or when she just wants to bother me."
In spite of this, there was a note of affection in his voice; for all his complaining, Cassie was still his twin sister, and their bond was something he couldn't ever get rid of, nor would he have wanted to. They had grown up together, after all, and for a while she was all he had known.
Caspian's eyes flickered down to his currently less-than-tidy clothing.
"Uh," he said, "No, I'm...totally nice and dry."
It was very obvious that this was a blatant lie. Caspian gave a little cough.
"I was gonna change, but I'd rather talk to you first."
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Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:34 pm
“Is that because it’s embarrassing, or because you’re being purposefully stubborn?” Michael asked, a faint air of amusement in his voice. “You know my full name, Your Majesty,” he reminded him, although he hoped Caspian realized he was just teasing him and didn’t expect him to tell him.
“That sounds nice. I mean, yeah I’m sure it’s annoying at times, but she seems to care about you, otherwise she wouldn’t bother, right?” he said, leaning back to lay on the bed, his hand behind his head for support. “Peter was only four when I entered the Academy, so I never really got the opportunity to live with him until now. Chris and I got along well enough. He’s seven years younger than me, though, so there was always that gap while growing up. Dad was always busy with work and came around when he could, but mom was good with us.”
Michael didn’t know why he suddenly had the desire to share things about his life with Caspian, if only because he… for the sake of sounding repetitive… was trying. And that included trying to be comfortable talking to him, as requested. Hopefully it wasn’t too much that Caspian felt bored, though.
“Get dress... you can put your phone on speaker, can’t you? Or are you afraid of waking your family up? You live with them still, don’t you?” he asked, thinking he remembered Caspian mentioning something about not wanting to wake his sister previously. “Were you going to shower, too? You could always just call me back when you’re done,” he suggested. Michael opened his mouth to say something along the lines of If you want…, but managed to clamp his mouth shut before he could.
“I wish you’d take care of yourself a little better…” he frowned, although he realized it really wasn’t any of his business on what Caspian did. “It would make me feel better, anyway…”
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:51 pm
"If my name is Caspian, how ridiculous do you think my middle name is?" he said airily, but he was smiling at the nickname. That was a nice change; he decided he liked it very much. "Yes, I most certainly do, Michael John Gallo, but that's because you gave it willing to me. Mine will remain a secret, unless you can guess it."
Caspian tried to do some quick math in his head. If Peter was four when Michael had entered the Academy, and he was...what had he said, fifteen? now, then that meant there was an eleven year gap. Assuming that Michael had entered the Academy at eighteen, that meant that there was a fourteen year difference in their ages...which made Michael...at least 29.
So that meant there was a good nine or ten years between them already, possibly more, if all of Caspian's calculations were correct. He slumped down a little in his seat, trying hard not to overthink this, and said, "Yeah, I live with my sister, our mom does her own thing 'cause she trusts us and she's super cool. I like being with Cassie, as much as she pesters me, 'cause it means there's someone else to do the dishes."
Caspian opened his mouth and then shut it again. The faint tinge of pink that had started on his cheeks earlier grew slightly more in color, galling him.
"Fineeeeee," he said, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling, but there was a slight grin on his face. "I'll change and get cleaned up so I can stop dripping on the carpet."
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 4:17 pm
“Please. Your name isn’t ridiculous,” Michael promised, turning his head to look across his room at the bookshelf for inspiration of what Caspian’s middle name could possibly be. “Alright, if you want to be like that,” he half joked. “Is it ‘Aslan’?” Michael grinned as he asked, having no idea what Caspian’s middle name would be, but figured he’d go for something fitting.
“And your sister is okay with you sneaking out and hanging out with questionable people, like myself?” he wondered, although Caspian’s relatively good mood helped ease Michael into a better mood as well. He could at least hear the smile in Caspian’s voice, which was always nice.
“What about your girlfriend?” he asked before he could stop himself, suddenly realizing he had no idea if Caspian was even seeing someone or not. Michael tried not to think of the teasing gestures and playful remarks as flirting with any real interest, since he’s been known to do the same, but for some reason he was already feeling anxious about Caspian’s answer. He didn’t know why.
“Doesn’t she wonder who you’re talking to all the time?” he continued to probe, nonchalant, and with some regret. He was still in a decent mood, but he knew he would feel guilty if he was distracting Caspian from hanging out with his other friends and family and whoever else he might rather spend time with.
He shook his head and forced a grin, knowing Caspian should be able to hear it when he spoke, “Are you going to call me back or put me on speaker? And make sure you dry your hair.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:45 pm
He snorted with laughter, unable to contain it.
"It's not Aslan,' said Caspian with a grin. "But it is from a book series, I'll at least give you that much of a hint. As for whether Cassie is okay with me going out...well..." He gave a shrug of his shoulders. "We've always been super chill. As long as I let her know where I am and how she can reach me, she's good, and vice versa. Our mom was the same way."
Maybe that was part of the reason he was the way he was. Their mother had been supportive and caring from the start, relaxed and yet firm when it came to her children. Caspian was reckless and a mischief maker, but his mother had never been the type of parent to limit her child, only to make sure that he knew the consequences of his actions and how to be careful when he needed to.
What about your girlfriend?
The question caught him off guard. Caspian toyed with one of the bracelets he'd discarded, turning it over in his fingers, his stomach doing that weird fluttery thing again, which he ignored.
"Haven't got a girlfriend," he said lightly. "Or a boyfriend," he added, for clarification's sake - his teasing comments had been just that - teasing - but, well, now at least things were in the open. Caspian had never been one to hide his preferences before, and he wasn't about to start now. "I haven't really been around enough hot people, I guess," he deadpannd, fighting a smile.
He liked hearing the smile in Michael's voice because it meant he wasn't scowling - and he also liked that he'd started to notice things like that. Caspian rolled his eyes.
"I'll call you back, but what if I don't want to dry my hair..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:08 pm
“Damn,” he snorted in amusement, still grinning softly. “Alright, a book series then. That’ll give me something to think about,” he mused to himself. “Better than something super traditional like Michael John, at least.”
He found that he enjoyed hearing about Caspian’s family, or at least his sister and his mother, but Michael was also cautious about prying too much. There were things Michael wouldn’t want to share, at least not yet, and he felt like Caspian should be the one to tell him about things when he was ready.
But was it really Caspian who needed to be given that space? Not as much as he realized he needed the space, himself.
Michael wasn’t entirely sure what the strange, anxious feeling was that ate at him when Caspian responded about his girlfriend, or boyfriend, situation. This unexpected friendship drew emotions that Michael had buried for years, including a sense of camaraderie and affection and loyalty he hadn’t felt in a long time.
It unnerved him.
He didn’t know if he was ready, but he promised Caspian he would try, and he wanted to keep his word.
“We’ll have to get you around some hot people, then,” he commented right back. “But as your mentor, I would at least like a say. Your magazine cutout model types usually only care about themselves. And I wouldn’t want anyone to take advantage of someone so trusting as you,” he concluded, although the playful tone had seeped out by that point and left him with something more serious and honest.
“Dry your hair,” he ordered, his tone not really leaving room for arguments.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:04 pm
"I told you, I like Michael as a name, if I recall," said Caspian, tapping a finger to his cheek thoughtfully. "Of course, I also recall a needle being stuck in my back and a lot of booze, so I mean, that could just be a figment of my imagination."
He let out another somewhat inelegant snort, but it was softer, Caspian's fingers still toying with the bracelet. It was made of beads and rope - a gift from his mother the year before and one that he only ever took off to shower. The strange fluttery feeling in his stomach had not yet abated.
The comment that he would have normally made was bitten back and swallowed, because somehow he could not quite bring himself to say it. "Are you telling me I can't have Ryan Reynolds or Mila Kunis, then?" Caspian deadpanned instead, but there was a smile on his face that ebbed into his voice. The expression softened, a steady drip of wet hair sliding coldly down the back of his neck.
"You look out for me," he said, his tone still holding a teasing note to it, but it was also serious and appreciative in a way that was clear. "Don't worry. If I ever find time to find a partner, I'll make sure you approve them beforehand."
He did not want to hang up the phone yet. Caspian said, in a pretend sort of whine, "But Miiiiichaeeeelllllll..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:16 pm
Michael’s eyes rose to the ceiling as he easily recalled how he’d thought the best option was to ply Caspian with as much alcohol as possible so he could treat his wounds without having to bring him to the hospital. Thankfully, everything seemed to heal up just fine. Or fine enough. It was lucky that Caspian was a senshi, otherwise he was sure that he wouldn’t have healed as well as he had.
“Doesn’t mean it’s not traditional or generic,” he said casually. He remembered Caspian saying that, of course, but there was nothing special about it. At least Caspian’s mother thought of something unique for him. It happened to fit him very well, Michael thought.
“Of course I’ll have to approve them beforehand,” he agreed, but at this point he could tell that Caspian was stalling. He knew, because he felt as though he was stalling, too. It was a weird feeling and he wasn’t sure what to think about it.
“Call me back after you’ve dried your hair,” he insisted. “Talk to you soon, okay?” he said, shaking his head as he forced himself to pull the phone away from his ear to disconnect. He couldn’t help but smile, a small laugh escaping at Caspian’s whining, but of course he couldn’t do it when he could still hear him; it would only encourage him to whine more.
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