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 Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 3:33 pm
Something small landed in his lap; Chance looked down and found one of the protein bars athletes usually chomped before heading out. Shrugging, he reached down and unwrapped it, munching as his eyes followed Ripley's movements - gloves, and his fair impatience to get outside and see whatever it was they were here to see.
"Got it," said Chance, his mouth full of protein bar, and he climbed (a little regretfully) out of his nice and warm sleeping bag, crawling around the tent to find where he'd tossed his gloves and his heavier coat and hat. It was large enough for the two of them to fit comfortably with a little extra space, and he sat cross-legged on his makeshift bed to get ready. Coat, hat, gloves, were put on, in that order, though Chance paused in the middle of wrapping his scarf to give Ripley a smile.
"As good as I can," he said lightly. "It was nice and warm, at least, thanks for letting me nap. I hope you weren't bored or anything," he added, shifting to put on his boots.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:27 pm
"I wasn't." He assured Chance. "I got supplies. Had a small nap. Here we are." He had been a rather busy boy, it seemed. "I'm glad you got some rest." The island was tough work, and sometimes you needed to take a vacation just to sleep. With his boots on, Ripley remained crouched in the vestibule for a moment or two, waiting for Chance to get ready as well. When it seemed that he was, he reached out to place a gloved hand over those curious, dark eyes of his.
"I hope you still trust me." He said softly, his free hand catching Chance's arm to guide him. With a few words of direction he lead the other man out of the tent and into the cold air. Ripley continued to guide them to the middle of their little clearing, resisting looking up until he was fairly sure their view wouldn't be obscured.
When they finally stopped he kept his hand against Chance's eyes, blocking his view for now; he looked up first to see if the sky was clear. And it was, it really was. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the whole canvas above them was splattered with the colours and lights of thousands - perhaps millions - of stars. Green tendrils were starting to crawl across the night sky, with hints of blues and purples in its wake.
With a soft gasp of awe, Ripley allowed his hand to slide from Chance's face.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:45 pm
He'd only just finished tying his boots when something - Ripley's hand, apparently - abruptly obscured his vision. Chance blinked in surprise, slowly completing the knot in his shoelaces, and then gave a little laugh, reaching up to pat the other man's hand.
"Is this the part where you kill me?" he asked jokingly, but obediently allowed himself to be guided, his hand reaching blindly out to grasp onto Ripley's upper arm so that he could steady himself. The snow was cold and the wind even more so, a biting chill that seemed to settle deep into his very bones. Still, his curiosity was insatiable at the current moment, and Chance kept the pace with relative eagerness.
He bumped into Ripley when the other stopped, stumbling a little.
"What - " Change began, but then the hand on his face fell away and the words died in his throat, along with any sarcastic remarks he had been going to make.
Stars - thousands of them - above his head, millions, billions, exploding this way and that with a trillion different colors all mingled together in a sight that he had never seen before. Chance sucked in a sharp, shaking breath, taking a step back, his eyes wide, his mouth open in pure, stunned fascination. The hand still holding onto Ripley's arm tightened, fingers curling in the sleeve of his coat.
For several minutes, Chance seemed at a complete and utter lack of words, both mesmerized and enthralled by what lay before him. And then -
"Holy ******** s**t."
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:06 pm
Holy ******** s**t was one way to put it. It was a perfect way, actually. The only one to come remotely close to the vastness of the sky above them, and the colours that poured into one another. It was breathtaking, and even Ripley had to pause to take in the overwhelming greatness around them. It was humbling, reminding him just how small they were, and just how vast the universe was.
"Welcome to Alaska." He uttered softly, his gaze on the stars. Time trudged on, but he wasn't sure how much of it had passed; it slipped away from him as he stared, his gaze finding a new colour with each and every slight shift in focus.
"I thought you'd like it." Finally he managed to tilt his head down to look at Chance instead, focusing on the way the other man lit up in awe.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:14 pm
He barely even heard what Ripley was saying - only the Alaska part even registered in his mind, and it was like a piece to a puzzle simply falling into place; an identity could now be determined as to where he was and why they were here, in the frigid cold. It put a name to the wondrous and magical scenery he was now being exposed to, and Chance could not even partly describe his feelings on the matter.
Another several minutes passed, and it wasn't until Ripley talked yet again that Chance was dragged out of his inner - and obvious - amazement to realize that he was being spoken to.
"Like it?" He repeated breathlessly, and managed to tear his eyes away from the stars above his head to stare in awe at the man beside him. "Are you ******** serious?"
And without warning, he reached out, clapped both hands on either side of Ripley's face, and pressed a firm and slightly lingering kiss smack dab on his cold mouth, the excitement practically radiating out of him. Then he let go and danced backwards, his eyes twinkling, his face flushed with pleasure.
"This," said Chance, staring upwards once more, "is <******** amazing and I <******** love it."
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:17 pm
Chance looked at him with complete awe, and all the white haired man could think was that he hadn't seen such an emotion on his face before. Amused was a constant, but actual, wide-eyed awe seemed delightfully alien. He was struck with the strange urge to simply watch him, though he had an inkling that it would be like watching a puppy play with a new toy. Just as mesmerizing, too.
The hands on his face put a quick end to that thought, and the lips against his halted any words of confusion before they could even form. It was a cold kiss, but Chance's raw enthusiasm overwhelmed the chill - and Ripley, too. He found himself returning the lingering kiss near the end, after his surprise had faded and the atmosphere stepped in. His hand brushed Chance's elbow, and slipped away as the kiss came to an end and the other man danced backwards, out of reach.
"I thought you'd <******** love it, then." Ripley corrected himself, his voice distant as he tried to figure out what just happened and why. It wasn't that he was adverse to it - he certainly wasn't - it was simply that somehow, he hadn't expected it in the slightest. Interesting. With a blink his expression faded back into his usual stoicism - or at least close to, as the ghost of a smile lingered.
"Where is your telescope?" He inquired, deciding that as interesting as it was, there were more important things to do than dwell. "I'll get it." Chance didn't look like he wanted to leave the sights any time soon; Ripley just imagined he would put himself to some use.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:34 pm
If Chance hadn't been so preoccupied with the stunning view above his head, he might have registered the fact that he'd rather liked kissing Ripley, and that it was a nice warmth in contrast to the cold that surrounded them - and that Ripley had eased into the kiss after a second, which meant that he wasn't put off by it (hopefully). And maybe he still would, in a few minutes, but for the timing being, Chance was still trying to wrap his mind around the sheer vastness of the stars.
"You thought right," said Chance breathlessly, his eyes once again skyward. He seemed unable to stand still, moving from one foot to the next, taking several steps to the left and then to the right, in a messy and complicated looking dance that was more just him attempting to to see every little possible detail. "I literally have no ******** words right now, holy s**t."
He managed to drag his gaze down to blink at the other, a bright smile blossoming across his pale face.
"It's in the big duffel, in the tent," he said excitedly, with more emotion in his voice than he usually ever had at any given time. "If we set it up, we might be able to see some of the constellations more clearly!"
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:19 pm
Ripley watched Chance's excited albeit messy dance, almost envying him for it. He was certain there was nothing in this world that could make him act like that, and there never had been. It was not a thing he dwelled on or even gave a passing thought to but this moment, when the ever-distant Chance was too in awe to stand still, he had no choice. The envy was there, bubbling briefly to the surface.
And then it fled, as those wide dark eyes pinned him once more, and that bright smile washed the rest of it away.
"That's the plan." Ripley chuckled softly in light of Chance's eagerness, and with that he moved to the tent, going through their meager possessions to find the duffel in question. He brought the whole thing out with him and grabbed one of the blankets on his way out.
"You'll have to tell me how to pull it together." When he returned to Chance, he laid the blanket down first in the snow, and then set the duffel bag on top of it. There wasn't much of a chance that he thought to bring the manual, after all.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:41 pm
By the time Ripley returned, Chance had already attempted to categorize several of the constellations, and a good majority of the snow had been worn down by the fact that he'd been pacing rapidly back and forth to see as much as he possibly could.
The sound of Ripley's voice was at least successful in dragging Chance out of the clouds and back down to earth. He skidded through the snow over to where the other man was standing, his breath visible in the cold night air, Chance's eyes alight with excitement.
"It's really ******** easy, one sec," he said eagerly, and unzipped the duffel, reverently taking out the pieces. "The stand just gets snapped together like this, and then the barrel gets set on top, it's just gotta be stable enough to stay in one piece."
It only took a few minutes to actually get everything in its proper place; clearly Chance was impatient to use it, but he also wanted to treat his beloved instrument with the respect it deserved. Once it was set up, Chance pushed his face against the lens and let out a whistle of ******** incredible," he breathed out, and twisted, reaching for Ripley to try and tug him forward. "Here, look, look, you can see all the lines, here - "
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:17 pm
Chance moved into his way, giving Ripley no other choice but to step back and let him do his thing. He watched the components be put back together, clicking and sliding into place. The information was filed away for future reference, and his gaze lifted to the sky once more, drawn to the trillions of colours and the glittering of lights one could only see here.
Chance was right, it was <******** incredible. He had never seen anything like it before, and doubted he would ever see anything even remotely similar again.
Something touched his arm, and grabbed a hold firm enough to pull him over, to the side where he caught his balance to find himself face to face with the lens. He was thankful that he caught himself before he crashed into it; that would have been a terrible end to this so far pleasant trip. He spared Chance an amused breath and a slightly relieved smile before he leaned in to see what all the fuss was ********>." He cursed quietly in awe, watching the way the colours danced even more vividly through the telescope. It was beautiful, and he had no other words to describe was he was seeing. When he leaned away, he immediately lifted his gaze to look towards the other man. "-I've never seen so many colours in my life."
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:34 pm
There was something to be said about being able to share this experience with another human being. Chance was exuberant enough about it on his own, after all, but this rush of endorphins and adrenaline never got old, could never be duplicated. Each time it was different, and each time it felt as though he was exploding from the inside out with his desire to know everything and anything he could about what lay ahead. Perhaps he couldn't put it all into words, but even so, there was something nice about being able to show Ripley the entire world above their heads.
Chance tugged the other man forward, shuffled him so that he was in front, hands on Ripley's shoulders. "To the right are some ******** amazing star clusters," he breathed, resting his chin on the top of Ripley's head in a somewhat childlike manner and staring in utter amazement along with him. "Some of them are brighter than the others, but some are just little teeny splashes, like stardust explosions."
He leaned back when Ripley twisted around, and Chance's face was flushed with the sheer thrill of it all.
"That's why it's so ******** amazing," he breathed, grabbing onto one of Ripley's wrists and swinging it back and forth; he seemed restless, unable to keep completely still, but there was a certain restraint anyway - ironically, it was like he wasn't certain if the extra touchy feely side of him would be appreciated when the other party was someone like Ripley.
"Great storms on the sun send gusts of charged solar particles hurtling across space," said Chance in a rush. "If Earth is in the path of the particle stream, our planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere react. When the charged particles from the sun strike atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, they excite those atoms, causing them to light up. What happens in an aurora is similar to what happens in the neon lights on business signs and s**t," Chance explained, grinning brightly. "Electricity is used to excite the atoms in the neon gas within the glass tubes of a neon sign. That’s why these signs give off their brilliant colors. The aurora works on the same principle – but just a helluva lot bigger."
Then he beamed, clearly thrilled to be able to share this knowledge.
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:33 pm
At Chance's insistence he turned the telescope slightly to the right, to look at the star clusters that had been labelled <******** amazing, and after staring at them, he could only agree. They were certainly that great, and then some. He may have looked longer than he thought necessary, because Chance's weight was on him and there was a small part of him that simply didn't want to move. It was like having a cat on your lap - you may be hungry, or you might have to pee, but damn if you don't stay still because cat.
Finally he did move, and when he looked back all he saw was the flush on Chance's face, making his near-sparkling excitement stand out even more.
He glanced down at the hand that gripped his wrist, but it was only a passing one. He swung his arm in time, feeling a little awkward at the contact but doing little to refuse it; it was nice, somehow. Different, definitely. It was only briefly reflected on though, as his attention went to listening to Chance as he explained the science behind the beauty.
"That's fascinating." He meant it, too. Stars were something he hadn't thought about beyond the usual dead suns thing. "You've done your homework, haven't you?" It was only a partial tease, but more in awe. "I've never seen you so excited before. It's cute."
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:00 pm
The cat analogy was probably relatively accurate; Chance would have moved away if Ripley had tried to push him off, but since he didn't (and so enthralled in his excitement as it was, he might not have actually noticed), and there was much to see, Chance just stayed where he was.
There was just too much to see and not nearly enough time, or nearly enough eyes.
A reddish pink flush had painted both of Chance's cheeks, staining his face in a stark contrast to his normally pale skin. His fingers flexed on Ripley's wrist, an involuntary movement, not too tight, just restless moving to keep his body occupied. He was still bouncing back on his heels a little on the uneven ground.
"I definitely have done my <******** homework," said Chance with a laugh, beaming at the other man. The cute comment made him flush a little more with laughter that echoed across the otherwise unoccupied camp grounds. It was dark and cold but it was also beautiful, and it was, in Chance's mind, perfect.
He reached for Ripley again, planting a second kiss on his lips, quick and excited and looking as though he wasn't quite aware of what he was doing.
"You have definitely, definitely repayed whatever ******** favor you wanted, times ten," said Chance breathlessly, blinking skyward. "In fact, I think I ******** owe you know, for real. "
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:29 pm
There was one thing that always enthralled Ripley, and that was to watch someone be genuinely happy. It was an alien feeling to him beyond the general rareness of it on the island itself, so he couldn't help but watch Chance seem to glow with it. That pale face darker, and yet brighter than it had ever been. Those dark eyes of his reflecting the impossible colours of the stars. It was as mesmerising as the night sky to him, and for a moment he wasn't sure where to look.
Hands gripped him again, and pulled him in for another kiss. It was just as distracted as the first and just as excited, and returned with the same amount of distant curiousity. Something shifted in the back of his mind - a sudden yearning for contact, his thoughts shifting to a third party who was not there with them; he shook the feeling away with a small shake of his head, and distracted himself further by pulling his toque down, back into its proper place.
"I think we're about even." He replied distantly as his thoughts traced back to the favour that got them there in the first place. The one day where Ripley didn't want to know what happened, or how, or where - simply that it did. When he spent his first uninterrupted twenty-four full hours of blissful silence. It may not have been as exciting as an Alaskan trip to see the stars, but to him it was pretty close.
"Thank you." He said again on the subject, for seemingly the hundredth time. This time, it was his turn to reach for Chance, to slide gloved hands against the sides of his face, to pull that skyward gaze down for only a moment, just long enough to plant a kiss against cold lips.
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:44 pm
His excitement was a stark contrast to everything he normally was; the mildness, the casual remarks, the laid-back attitude, it had all been erased within seconds. There was extremely little that could have caused Chance to react in such a way, and this sort of thing was one of them. There was something so incredible about standing beneath a blanket of stars; he felt both tiny and enormous all at once, spread everywhere and contained solely within himself, a contradiction in terms that Chance embraced.
"Nah, this is...this is way more than hardly anyone has done for me," he said, his voice sounding a little hoarse from the cold night air mingling with his eager tone. He was still holding onto Chance's wrist. "I got that telescope, I got this ******** fantastic view in front of me, what else do I really need right now?"
As if to answer his question, Chance felt Ripley pull his hand away, shifting; gloved hands touched his face, and then it was Chance's turn to be surprised, Chance's turn to be pulled down. The kiss didn't last very long, but the chill of his mouth was pleasantly warmed when Ripley leaned away.
For a few seconds Chance just stood there, face impassive, blinking as the adrenaline of the night shot through his veins in erratic gestures, trying to find an outlet; but then he curled a hand in the front of Ripley's coat and tugged, drawing him closer, fingers curving around his neck to tilt his face up, kiss him again, with a little more force this time, a little more eagerness, but still with some deliberate restraint.
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