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 Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2015 10:57 am
As close as their schedules were, they weren't perfectly aligned. A difference in time zones meant there were a couple of hours where one was sleeping, and the other awake. Not a big deal, really, but now that the young mane wasn't half exhausted all the time he found himself needing less sleep. It meant Harper had dozed off before him, and as comfortable as he might have been laying with her, he just couldn't seem to. Not wanting to wake her up, Liam had slipped out of her bed and headed up towards the bathrooms on the first floor. He could take a nice warm shower. it'd kill some time, hopefully help make him drowsy, and then he wouldn't need to come morning. A solid plan, in his mind. So, quietly as he could, he slipped out of her room and closed the door quietly behind him. A small bundle under his arm consisting of a towel and a clean pair of short. He hadn't bothered with a shirt. It was late, he didn't figure he'd run into anyone.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 3:53 pm
Liam on his way out, and Austin on his way in: taking his time down the epically long hall that led to his room, still in full uniform and, idly, flipping a pen in the air in front of him. The glasses on his nose were still wrong, still Mimsy's, something he'd take care of once he had a day off island -- and the result was that he squinted at the approaching figure in teh dark and the dank and had absolutel yno idea who it was. This was even more than his usual just pretending. Not that he'd admit it. The humming cut out, at least, as they came close in the hall, his head tipped back just a little to peer more effectively down his nose toward Liam. Appraising.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 5:53 pm
Liam's eyes were working just fine, and he noticed Austin almost immediately as the blonde started walking towards him from the stairs at the far end of the hall. He didn't seem to recognize him, which could have been an act, but considering the unfamiliar glasses, it could have been the truth as well. Liam considered saying nothing. Just walking past him in a bid to avoid what could have been an uncomfortable conversation, but he caught the tip of his head and the look of pale eyes directed down at him. It was familiar. "Austin." He'd heard the other boy was here from Harper, and at the time that knowledge had come with obvious relief. There had been so many of them to start, and only a handful now. Finding any one of them was worth being happy over, as messed up as his history with Austin was, he had been happy to hear he was alright. That didn't mean he was in any hurry to see him. Especially not now, when things were working out so well with Harper.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 9:56 pm
Austin caught his pen -- paused -- half-turned to peer at Liam in a more focused way, to consider the man in these unfamiliar environs. Absently, he tapped it against the opposite palm, words coalescing behind his eyes, slowly working toward just the right comment -- "Well. They're just letting anyone in, aren't they?" It had that rumble behind it, the one that served as a warning. It wasn't exactly a joke. But if Liam got offended, he'd just roll his eyes and claim it had been.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:16 am
The urge to keep walking lingered, stronger now as Austin's focus narrowed down on him. He watched pale eyes warily as thoughts formed behind them, already knowing he wasn't likely to like whatever came out of the blonde's mouth. Prickling, with a slight cruel edge, but ambiguous enough to be flippant. The usual sort of comments the younger had come to expect. Getting bristly over it never accomplished anything, though he couldn't exactly help the initial tug of his lips in a frown before he caught himself. If he were a clever mind, the retort was simple, obvious, but Liam wasn't terribly clever. Instead he glanced back down the hall towards Harper's door before dark eyes turned back up. "Just visiting, for now." A cagey sort of answer. Anxiously he reached around with his free hand to scratch at one of the longer living tooth marks on his back. The mess was mostly healed, but a few of the deepest still itched.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:31 pm
Austin rumbled in reply, faint and amused, following Liam's gaze back down the hall -- and then pausing to consider. He was fairly sure this end of the hallway was quiet, possibly even empty, aside from a handful of people, and that door in particular belonged to -- "Oh, I see." It was casually mocking, letting the pen dance across the back of his fingers and into his palm, turning a cold sort of smile onto Liam. "Could it be? Young love, taking the little champion?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:42 pm
"I don't know." It came out quick, almost automatic, because Liam couldn't see a safe answer to that question. At the very least it was honest. He didn't know where things were going with Harper, only that he wanted to find out. Austin, clever and cold as he could be, could very easily throw a wrench in that. Honesty, maybe, was the safer course. He was a terrible liar under normal circumstances, Austin could see right through him. "I like her." He took a small step, half turning.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:51 pm
"Like or like like?" His tone was falsetto, teasing, and loud enough that it was probably annoying: not quite loud enough to be heard through the basement's prison-like doors, perhaps, but maybe it was. Maybe the point was to hover on that line, batting his eyelashes at Liam behind the ill-fitting glasses with a familiar sort of smile taking over his mouth. Not exactly nice.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 7:55 pm
Too loud!Liam flinched, free hand coming up as he made a desperate shushing sound and stepped stepped towards the taller boy. " You're going to wake her up!" In sharp contrast, Liam's voice got a lot softer, though still managed to hold onto that subtly panicked edge.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 7:52 pm
"WHAT'S THAT, LIAM?" His voice rose even as he asked the question: slowly building until it echoed down the hall, a wicked gleam in his eyes. That, at least, Harper would hear. But maybe she was sound enough asleep, now, that it wouldn't disturb her -- and it was harmless enough, for the moment, that it wouldn't draw her attention too much. Of course, how long that might last was up in the air. This was Austin after all.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:02 pm
Liam looked absolutely mortified for about half a second before he was advancing on the other boy, clasping a hand over his mouth and actually backing him into a wall. Though the later hadn't actually been intentional. "Austin, please stop." It was earnest, but surprisingly firm now, eyes stuck between pleading and anger for the handful of seconds he looked up at him before he was glancing back down the hall towards Harper's door.
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 5:04 pm
A second's glance away was really all it took for Austin to turn the tables -- grabbing Liam's wrist and twisting his arm up behind him with a shocking amount of strength. It didn't take him long to press Liam face against the wall, pinned there, his own attention flicking down toward Harper's door -- and then he paused, considering. Not bad, really. He shifted fingers around Liam's wrist. "Or what?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 5:48 pm
It was a completely shocking turn of events. Liam had always been the stronger of the two. Maybe not by much, but enough for it to matter. Now he couldn't have stopped Austin even if he'd been quick enough to react to what was happening. "Austin-" He tried to pull free, and found the hand holding his a hell of a lot stronger than it ever had been in the past. It had dark eyes widening as he looked back over his shoulder at the taller boy. "Or nothing. It wasn't a threat." What did Austin get so strong?
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:25 pm
"Uh huh, I bet." He only lingered like that one more moment before he let go, looking pleased as punch with himself -- as if that had been an achievement, instead of taking advantage of the power tossed his way to bully Liam around. Maybe Austin even saw that way. Instead, he ruffled Liam's hair, still leaning against the wall beside him. "She's out of your league anyway, I'd say."
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:55 pm
Liam turned immediately, back to the wall now, frowning up at Austin before he jerked away from the hand as the taller boy went to ruffle his hair. "I know that." He sounded indignant, bristly now, as he bent to pick up his towel, having dropped it when Austin had pinned him to the wall. "I know she is, but she likes me anyways." It came with a defiant narrowing of eyes.
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