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 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:40 am
Beginning of August 2016
Although his car had been recovered from the impound lot after a rough weekend, Michael preferred the use of his motorcycle in the city, since it was easier to get around the sometimes narrow streets. He’d just finished dropping Peter off at the library where his younger brother insisted was important to his research, whatever that meant.
Michael never liked the fact that his brothers were involved in the war, especially a troublesome teenager like Peter, but he also figured it would be better to show and offer his support, instead of his brothers not asking him for help at all. That would be worse, he thought; if they didn’t even tell him when they needed something.
Between waiting for Peter to be done at the library, Michael wondered if it would be too much to stop by Caspian’s house to see how he was. There was still the question of if Caspian even wanted his sister knowing about him or not, so there was some hesitance in actually stopping by. He could always call or text Caspian to see how he was, of course. That would probably be better.
As luck would have it, Michael happened to catch sight of a familiar young man on a skateboard only a couple blocks away from where he lived. He supposed it wasn’t too surprising to see Caspian close to his house, but the strange fluttering in his stomach clearly indicated that he was happy to see him, regardless of how convenient it seemed.
“Staying out of trouble?” he called when he was close enough, decelerating his bike to a crawl and using his feet to keep it from tipping over as he slowly rolled along the street next to where Caspian was boarding. He pushed up his visor just to make sure Caspian knew it wasn’t some creepy guy following him. Although, Michael supposed an argument could be made…
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:40 am
He had had to explain himself to Cassie again, though Caspian had kept it as vague as humanly possible. It was not that he was trying to hide Michael, except that he was. There was no shame in his attempts at keeping Michael a secret; it was that he still wasn’t quite sure of what to call him, what exactly this new...quiet...tentative and fragile thing between them was. And he was not about to jump the gun and make it into anything it wasn’t.
Besides, it was no one’s business but their own.
Boarding was an ideal way for Caspian to keep his mind off of things that would ordinarily stress him out, and he was out now, dressed in a pair of blue shorts that was paired with a long-sleeved green shirt. Colorful, as always, and mostly covered, also as always, Caspian’s hair hung down around his heat-flushed face, and he was squinting slightly in the bright sunlight; he’d forgotten his sunglasses.
He was not paying attention to his surroundings, and didn’t notice the roar of a motorcycle until it idled next to him and a familiar voice wafted out to meet him. Caspian snapped his head up and nearly fell off the board, stumbling a little as his gaze went sideways to find the source.
“Do I ever?” Caspian asked airily, studiously ignoring the ridiculously happy fluttering in his stomach at the sight of Michael astride his bike. He grinned, however, and kicked the board up, tucking it under one arm as he ambled over to him, hands tucked into his pockets.
“Hey,” he said, eyes alight with pleasure in spite of his attempts at keeping it at bay. “What are you doing here? Do you still not have your car back?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:10 am
To him, it seemed as though Caspian had been lost in thought when he’d interrupted him, but either way he didn’t seem too upset. It was becoming more and more obvious every time their paths crossed that he liked seeing Caspian, whether he was out fighting youma or just on his skateboard. Staying out of trouble would be nice, though.
Close to the curb and out of the way of other drivers, Michael used his foot to set out the kickstand, and turned off the bike. Now that he’d run into Caspian, he wasn’t planning on riding away so quickly. He also lifted his hands to remove the helmet, and set it in front of him to lean on.
“No, I got my car back, I just didn’t feel like driving,” he shrugged, trying to fight back a smile. “Just dropped Peter off at the library for a while. Says he has some important things to research. I don’t question it. As long as he isn’t doing things like spray painting walls or doing drugs,” he half joked, giving Caspian a pointed look.
“What’re you up to? Just wanted to get outside for a bit?” he asked, feeling a little guilty that he’d interrupted him and his skateboarding. He tried to keep his eyes off Caspian’s legs, but it was so rare that he bothered showing any skin that he couldn’t really help it. At least he tried to make it look as though he was just looking at the board Caspian now had under his arm.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:44 am
Michael’s hair was a little tousled and mussed from the helmet, his face a little flushed from the heat of the day, which was relatively sweltering and sitting at around ninety. Caspian’s eyes flickered down his torso, to the leather jacket that sat a little too well on Michael’s muscular frame and the strong legs that framed the bike, and then back up again, Caspian feeling a little breathless.
This was stupid. He was stupid. It was just Michael, and in spite of the fact that Caspian had thought Michael good looking from their first meeting, he seemed somehow even more attractive now, and it was throwing him off. He swallowed hard against the dryness in his throat and said airily, waving his free hand, “Dunno what you’re talking about, there’s no one around here that spray paints walls.”
Caspian flashed a grin at Michael. “Yeah, I was bored. Cassie’s not home and taking a walk seemed kinda boring, so I figured I’d go boarding. It’s way too hot, though, so I keep stopping,” he added, with a disgusted look at the sky as though it might somehow realize its mistakes and grow cooler. “The humidity doesn’t make it any easier, it’s disgusting.”
He glanced back at Michael, trying not to reach out and run his fingers along the still unshaven edge of Michael’s jaw, Caspian’s head tilting to the side, sweat dampened hair falling against one reddened cheek.
“What are you doing out?” he asked. “Other than dropping kid brothers off at the library, that is.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 4:01 pm
He’d been trying to ignore the heat. It was sweltering, but he didn’t like taking risks that he couldn’t handle, so of course he was going to wear the proper protective gear that was advised for riding a motorcycle. Thankfully, Peter had been more interested in actually getting to the library than arguing about the mode of transportation, which Michael could have easily said for him to just hop on a bus.
“Uh huh,” he said, not bothering to hide the roll of his eyes when Caspian waved off his habit of spray painting things, but supposed there were worse things he could have been doing. “As long as you’re not getting caught. You better call your sister to bail you out of jail and not me,” he half joked, but then realized how serious he sounded and quickly shook his head to show that he wanted to amend his statement. “No, I’d rather you call me,” he said with a small frown, but it didn’t last long.
“Me?” he blinked, and then shrugged lightly again. “I just wanted to get out of the house. Probably was going to call you to see what you were up to if I hadn’t run into you now,” he confessed. He didn’t think it was that big of a deal though. But now that they had crossed paths, he was sure that Caspian would probably prefer to get out of the heat. And he would as well.
“You can borrow Peter’s helmet if you want to hop on and get ice cream or something with me,” he offered, nodding to the helmet that was hanging off the side of the back seat. He would have to unlock it for Caspian to take it and put it on, but for now it was just an offer. “Or I can walk, if you’d rather.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 4:53 pm
He laughed, even with the frown on Michael’s face, Caspian’s eyes flickering with amusement.
“I’m pretty sure if I called Cassie to get me out of jail, she’d tell me not to land myself in there in the first place,” he said with a grin. “And she’d just leave my a** there while she slept. But don’t worry, if I ever do get caught - which I won’t - you’d be first on my list.”
He wanted to reach out and smooth fingers along Michael’s creased brow, but restrained, and felt his heart swell with pleasure at the idea that Michael had been thinking of calling him. Caspian tried to keep the happiness off of his face and probably failed miserably at it, his eyes giving away what he was thinking as he smiled at him.
“I wanna ride,” he said instantly, because the bike was pretty damn awesome. “Gimme a sec.”
His backpack was lying a few feet away. Caspian went over to it, slid the board in - it stuck out at the top, the length of it too much for it - and then secured it carefully in place with a series of ties that indicated he carried it this way often. Once he was finished, he came back to Michael, looking eager.
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” he said, eyeing it with a mixture of curiosity and awe.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 5:20 pm
Michael just shook his head in exasperation when Caspian laughed, although he was really just trying to hide the fact that he was glad he would be the first called if ever needed. He didn’t want to encourage Caspian’s bad behavior that might end him in jail in the first place.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be an easy ride,” he promised, never wanting a passenger to feel like they were ever in danger while riding with him. He was supervigilant as it was, but even more so when he had someone else’s life in his hands. Especially when that someone happened to be his brother or Caspian.
By the time Caspian came back from collecting his bag, Michael had unlocked the helmet from the side of the bike, and was working on making sure the straps were adjusted correctly, handing it to Caspian to try on.
“Let me know if that feels loose at all,” he requested, still frowning a little, but only because he knew there was always a risk of getting hurt. “And you’ll have to hang onto me. Think you can handle that?” he asked, holding out his hand to help Caspian up onto the bike behind him once he was sure the helmet was secured on top of Caspian’s head.
“The foot rests are there,” he pointed, wanting to make sure Caspian was as prepared as possible for the ride, but still frowned a bit worriedly.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 6:36 am
He accepted the helmet and turned it over in his hands, feeling a little too excited about the prospect of riding. Caspian fitted it over his head - it was hot and a little stuffy, but not as bad as he would have thought. Caspian gave a shake of his head and said, in a somewhat muffled voice, “Nope, feels just fine to me.”
The extended hand and the question made his heart, stupidly, skip a beat, Caspian feeling a rush of warmth to his face that had nothing to do with the sweltering temperature. He wasn’t fourteen and ridiculously enamoured with anyone;; how could it be that Michael made him feel this way, all fluttery and nervous and excited and pleased all at once? It made him a little flustered.
“Yeah, I…” Caspian cleared his throat. “I think I can do that.”
He wrapped fingers around Michael’s and pulled himself up onto the bike behind him, settling comfortably and not thinking about the proximity this put him in in regards to Michael. Caspian hesitated, and then figured, because they were on the bike, and he might as well, then slid his arms around Michael’s lean waist, holding on securely, his chest pressing against Michael’s back.
“All set,” he said, fingers curling in Michael’s shirt.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:23 pm
Michael waited until he was sure that Caspian was on the back of the bike and holding on, before he lifted his own helmet to place back on his head, hooking the strap in place.
“Alright, just let me know if you want to get off. Hit me or something,” he suggested, knowing it would be difficult to talk or do anything once they were on the move and the roar of the motorcycle was drowning anything else out. After making sure Caspian wasn’t going to change his mind immediately, he turned the engine on and revved it to life. With the kickstand up, he eased back out into the street, making doubly sure that no one was going to run into them.
The ride wasn’t a long one, and definitely a lot faster than walking. Michael was sure to take the less busy streets whenever possible, and maybe took a longer route purposely because he happened to like the way Caspian’s arms around him and chest to his back felt.
It was a strange, but not bad, sensation, and he attributed it with the way Caspian was holding onto him. Maybe it was just because it was his first time on a motorcycle. It took a little time to get used to the strong vibrations of the motor, and the lean angles and acceleration and braking forces the motorcycle offered that cars didn’t. Or maybe it was the fact that his own senses were heightened, since riding a motorcycle required much more focus than other forms of transportation. The smell of everything around them was much different than a car or even a manual bike, and then there was the air that rushed passed over them.
Michael was sure it would be a bit overwhelming for someone’s first time, but hopefully it wasn’t a horrible experience overall.
He slowed the bike to a stop outside some small shops in the downtown area. They were a little more out of the way than the chain restaurants or cafes, which meant having a bike to get there made parking so much easier. It was nothing special, but a place he’s stopped by every now and then, usually with Peter who craved sweet things more than he did. Really, it was half cafe and half ice cream, which worked well for him.
“You alright?” he asked as he parked the bike and took his own helmet off, holding out his hand again to help Caspian off the back.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:09 am
Caspian had never ridden before, but now -
Now he knew why people liked to ride. It was loud, the wind rushing past, almost deafening, the roar of the bike mixing with it so that everything seemed to vibrate, even the very air. Caspian clung to Michael, his eyes wide as they sped down the streets, trying to take in everything without actually turning enough that he was in danger of falling off, his fingers tightening in Michael’s shirt, arms locked.
It was exhilarating - and almost a little disappointing when they rolled to a stop, Caspian feeling the rumble of the bike as the engine slowed. He didn’t really want to let go of Michael it was hard to convince himself that it was normal in this kind of situation, and with some reluctance, Caspian untangled his arms from around his waist and leaned back. He reached up and tugged the helmet off, his hair damp and tousled, cheeks flushed with heat and pleasure.
“That was awesome.” he said with a grin as he took Michael’s hand, levering himself off of the bike. “That was so cool. Do you ride often?”
He stood beside the bike and resisted, once more, the urge to reach out and twine arms around Michael. Caspian held out his helmet.
“Where are we, anyway? I’ve never been to this part of downtown.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:25 am
“Yeah, whenever I get the chance,” Michael said as he took off his own helmet before locking them down to the back seat of the motorcycle to retrieve later. “I take it to school unless the weather is bad. It’s what I often take when I head down to the docks. I only drove us there since it was a long ride and, well… we didn’t really know each other too well.” It was probably the closest thing he did to something that would be considered reckless, if Michael was honest with himself.
Aside from being a knight.
He looked up at the little hole-in-the-wall cafe, ice cream parlor combo with a small frown. It had a hand carved and painted sign that read BEANSTALK.
“Yeah, I don’t know if you remember a fire breaking out a few years ago in this district. Well, let’s just say it wasn’t caused by normal arsons, and ever since then people have been reluctant to head over in this direction. But I like it. It’s a family run store,” Michael explained as he reached up to remove his jacket now that he was no longer riding.
“Ugh… I feel soaked,” he groaned, looking down at himself in disgust. The jacket did well to protect him in case he got into an accident, but despite its relatively good ventilation, it was still a jacket and it was still summer. With how gross he felt, covered in sweat, he resisted any urges he might have had to reach out to give Caspian a hug or lean in for a kiss.
Instead, he reached to the door to usher Caspian inside. It was a quiet little place, long and narrow and filled with the aroma of coffee. The atmosphere was relatively subdued, although there was a menagerie of art along the walls. Place cards under the pieces listed the local artists and the prices in case anyone was interested in purchasing a piece. The entrance was where the counter was, and hand written on a large chalkboard was the menu. It looked like there was a small place set aside for live music or an open mic night or even karaoke, and in the very back, there were stairs that lead up to the next floor.
“What would you like? Rocky Road?” he guessed with a small grin, “Or something else? They have good cakes too. Or that’s what Peter says. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. If you want, we could sit upstairs. There’s more chairs and couches and things upstairs.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:34 am
”Next time, we should take your bike,” said Caspian, hoping it wasn’t presumptuous of him to assume that there would be a next time they went to the docks. The night on the boat had been...well, an emotional one, embarrassingly, for Caspian, but also a good one in general. He had loved the smell of salt water and the rush of wind in his hair, just as much as he had enjoyed spending time with Michael.
“I think I sorta remember a fire,” Caspian said, tugging at the neck of his shirt and trying not to melt as he stood there while Michael set his bike and helmets up. His gaze flickered to Michael, then hastily flickered away just as fast, heat creeping up his cheeks.
He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work. Were they...supposed to do things like hold hands or kiss hello or check each other out or make silly comments? Caspian’s old relationships were stale and unhelpful; he had no idea what to do about this, which felt far, far more significant than any other connection he’d had in the past with someone. It was...more intimate somehow. More meaningful.
Or maybe he was just entirely overthinking it, and everything was a hell of a lot more casual for Michael.
Caspian stepped inside, glancing around with interest and breathing in a relieved sigh at the cool air conditioning. It was kind of a dive, but those were the best kinds of places; and this one looked comfortable and easy, a relaxed feeling to the entire place that had him instantly at ease.
“Rocky road, hell yes,” he said with a grin. “I’m good for going upstairs, what are you gonna get then, Mr. No Sweet tooth?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:54 am
“Hey, hey, I still like coffee ice cream,” he said with a small laugh and a shake of his head as he pulled out his wallet. “Just not really a fan of too much sugar or chocolate. But some ice cream is usually pretty mild. And I like how you smell, too. Vanilla, or something.”
The words came out completely casual without him really thinking about it since he was next in line and needed to go ahead and place their orders. Of course, he got his favorite ice cream and Caspian got his. He didn’t even think about the implications of paying for both of them either, just that he had his wallet out and he wanted to, so that’s what happened.
“It was pretty rough, that fight,” he explained as he waited for Caspian to grab his ice cream from the counter and head up the stairs. “Sometimes it’s not always black and white who is wrong or right.” Some senshi were horrible, some negaverse officers were merely lost sheep, but unfortunately it wasn’t always obvious until it was too late and nothing could be done.
The upstairs was similar to the first, except there was a large window looking out on the street below. There were only a few people up there, enjoying their coffee or dessert or on their phones or computers, or even playing a game of checkers. Michael chose one of the comfortable looking couches near the window to sit down on.
There was a request for Caspian to join him on the couch on the tip of his tongue, but he held himself back knowing that Caspian probably wouldn’t want to with how hot it’s been, despite the air conditioner.
He hated feeling unsure of himself, but he couldn’t really help it when it came to Caspian.
“If you really want to, we can,” he circled back to Caspian’s comment on taking his bike the next time. “You won’t be able to take a nap if you’re tired, you know,” he pointed out, but figured Caspian already knew that.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:19 pm
”Sugar is an important part of a person’s daily diet,” Caspian deadpanned, mostly just to needle at Michael because he could. “Without sugar, I’d become a normal twenty year old who eats brussel sprouts for dinner every day.”
I like how you smell, too. Vanilla, or something.
Caspian nearly tripped over the table he was walking past, and managed to smack his hip into one of the chairs in his haste to keep walking as though everything was normal. His cheeks were stained red, mouth opening and shutting with a little snap, because how on earth was he supposed to reply to something like that? Every time he thought he had his bearings, Michael simply swept in and knocked them all out of order again.
He plucked his ice cream from the counter and followed Michael up the stairs, Caspian digging his spoon into the bowl and taking a bite. It was delicious, of course, and he let out a hum of pleasure at the taste, holding the spoon between his teeth as he came up the last step.
It was just as comfortable here as it was downstairs. Caspian liked the relaxed atmosphere, and he padded after Michael, sucking absently on his spoon as Michael chose a couch and eased onto it. Caspian sat in the squashy armchair across from him, which was close enough that he could prop his feet up on the edge of the couch beside Michael’s legs, which Caspian did so easily, reclining back.
“So the fire was a senshi thing,” he said slowly, tapping the spoon against his dish before taking a bite. It took him a moment to realize where the conversation had steered back to, and Caspian gave a little laugh.
“Yeah, but I’d get to ride the bike, which is awesome,” he pointed out.
If they had not shared...whatever it was that they had shared, Caspian might have said something along the lines of And I’d get to hug you the entire time, but he held it back, uncertain of where the line was. He ate another bite of ice cream and said, “Do you come over here often even if you don’t like sweet stuff?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 9:20 pm
Comfortable now and feeling a little less overheated, Michael took a bite of his ice cream as he watched Caspian make himself comfortable on the chair across from him. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, since before he met Caspian he would have never condoned placing feet on furniture, but he lifted his own to rest on the edge of Caspian’s chair. Being around Caspian made him feel… young and a little silly, although it was probably very difficult to tell with how he usually acted.
“Yeah, the fire was,” he nodded to let Caspian know he was right about his guess, crossing his legs at the ankle, although they were still against Caspian’s, stretched across the couch to the chair. “This area wasn’t damaged, but it was close enough to make it bad for business.” There were a lot of things that happened in the city that made him wonder how the city even continued to function, but it did.
“You can ride with me any time you want,” he offered, not really thinking it was that big of a deal. “We’ll have to get you an actual jacket to wear. And you shouldn’t be wearing shorts, either, but riding here wasn’t very long…” That, and he was being extra careful, but that should have been obvious.
“There are other things here, you know,” he laughed again, shaking his head and took another bite. He waited until he swallowed before continuing. “I usually just get coffee. And too much sugar is definitely bad for you,” he pointed at Caspian with his spoon. “Just for that, the next time you’re over, I’m making brussel sprouts. Actually, I’ll make them every time you’re over, if only to counteract how much sugar you’re consuming.”
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