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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:05 am
When Arias got a text that Nick wanted to patrol with him, he was immediately suspicious. Not necessarily at Nick--though Nick wasn't fully off his radar, per se. A few months ago, Nick had been threatening to join the Negaverse.
And he'd threatened to bring Newgrange with him.
While that time had long since passed, and Whisler seemed more levelheaded, the words sometimes still haunted Arias.
Not that he'd ever admit it. He was anxious to get the text, and tried to rationalize it that it was just Nick's way of trying to make up the other night to him--to spend more time with him.
So, he'd pushed away his thoughts and worries, and powered up. He arrived at the park, perfectly on time. He stayed keenly aware of his radar, not sure what to expect--and just hoping for the best. He tried to keep a straight face, tried to keep a relaxed posture.
He hadn't really been able to relax for a while now, and trying to do so while powered up was never a good idea. He had to stay alert; he couldn't afford messing up any more.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:14 am
Whisler was waiting at the park, right where he said he’d be, his glowing transcendance marks a sign that this couldn’t be some sort of ambush, even though he would have liked it to be, to be perfectly honest...but no. Not today, at least.
He gave a smile and stood when Newgrange drew closer and held out a hand to the squire. “Hey. How are you doing?”
It had only been a few days, and he had tried to text at least a little bit during that time, but...he got distracted a lot, he couldn’t help it.
“I missed you...I have a surprise for you tonight...I hope you’ll like it…”
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:15 am
A surprise? A smile grew on his face and Newgrange hoped it didn't look as unconvincing as it felt. "Oh?" he asked.
Right now, surprises weren't exactly high on his list of 'wants' but he wasn't in a position where he felt like he was comfortable even talking about that.
Please, no Negaverse. Please, no Chaos. Please, no fighting.
He kept the smile on his face and reached to take Whisler's hand. "What sort of surprise?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:04 pm
“That really depends...are you going to be able to take the day off tomorrow?” He already knew the answer was yes, that’s why he planned this for tonight. The next day was always Arias’s day off...so they could spend a good long time up on the mountain.
He had brought up wood the last time he was there, so now he could cook all of the frozen pizzas and other snacks he had brought up...so the oven he had made was nothing but some rocks and a few scraps of metal to cover it with...he had still made it, and it was quite neat...and it worked, which was the most important thing.
“Because...I fully intend for you not to go home tonight...and maybe not tomorrow night, either…”
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:04 pm
Newgrange kept the same smile on his face and hoped it didn't look questionable. There was obvious confusion on his face but he nodded slowly; Whisler knew his schedule, so Newgrange just nodded.
"I was going to run some errands tomorrow, but it's nothing I can't do later. I should text Carlee, just in case, but--I can just send her a message from my ring if I need to."
He still wasn't following; it didn't sound like there was anything nefarious planned, but Newgrange could feel his anxiety swelling.
He really didn't like secrets.
He didn't let his smile fall and asked carefully, curious but trying not to pry,"What are you planning?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:21 pm
Nick gave a warm smile, perhaps the warmest he had given since the argument the two had had a few nights before. He took Newgrange’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m taking you to my Wonder. I want you to finally see it. I’ve been working really hard to make it...someplace special, and it’s at a point that I really want you to see it.”
He drew the squire close and kissed the top of his head. “I love you...we can have a really good time up there, I know we can. But I mean...if you don’t want to see it, I completely understand and we can just go back to my place and snuggle, I’d be fine with either...I just want to spend some time with you.”
And he wanted to make up for treating Arias badly, that was a big factor in this decision too, not that he was going to admit it.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:26 pm
Oh, thank God.
It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest; Newgrange's stomach was still in knots, but knowing that Whisler's plan was to go to his Wonder and not, say, Negaspace, already made him feel significantly better.
His smile became just a little more real.
"No, no--your Wonder is fine. I'd love to see it."
Especially if Whisler had gone through any trouble to get him here and make sure his Wonder was taken care of. He didn't want to accidentally insult him by declining the offer--even if he was afraid of having so much time to annoy Whisler.
"I've never been powered up for so long before, is it hard?" he asked, still holding Whisler's hand.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:26 pm
“It’s not hard at all, darling. And we don’t have to stay powered up there, it doesn’t kick you out or anything if you go back to being Arias.” He was excited now, and he looked it. “I mean, when I decided to start fixing the place up, I was powered down for a good long chunk of it, so...it doesn’t matter!”
Gently he ran his hand up and down the squire’s back, enjoying the feel of his uniform on his skin. “It’s a hot spring...did you know that? You and I can take a nice long soak and just...let our troubles wash away...I really think we need this...time for just us. Away from everything. Away from everyone.”
Whisler rested his forehead against Newgrange’s and smiled. “Time to really...talk. Like you wanted.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:27 pm
Newgrange found himself nodding despite being extremely confident that he was going to try and keep the talking to a minimum. Unless they were things that Whisler wanted to talk about, because if he was guiding the conversation, Newgrange couldn't be pushing anything.
He hoped.
"I did not know that," he said earnestly--about powering down at a Wonder or about the Hot Springs. He'd never thought to power down on his Wonder, mostly because he didn't think his ancestor would appreciate it. Or anything. He hadn't been back in a while, fearing upsetting the male.
"I've never been to a hot spring either. I suppose it does sound nice to take a soak and relax...take a little time away from everything."
A day to destress did sound amazing...
If only he could get the knots and butterflies out, too. He was so worried about doing or saying the wrong thing; he tried not to analyze anything and wound up over analyzing everything. He was just going to try his hardest not to let Whisler know that.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:28 pm
Softly, Whisler whispered the words that would take them to his Wonder, and when they arrived, he took a step away, spreading his arms wide. “Um...welcome to Whisler! My little slice of paradise. If you want, we can go outside and make a snowman, I have quite a few jackets here, and blankets and even spare clothes!”
He let his powered form fizzle away, revealing Nick, smiling and looking at Arias almost like he used to. Like Arias was all he had ever wanted out of life.
“Feel free to take a look around...I mean, around here, like in this area. I haven’t really...explored much else, but...but it’s really nice in here, right? I have fluffy rugs and a bed...an air mattress at least, I was thinking perhaps someday you and I can work on getting a real mattress up here, if we both held it, I’m sure we could.”
He drew in a breath and looked almost a little apprehensive. “...What do you think...I mean, wait until we see outside, it’s beautiful, you’re beautiful.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:29 pm
Newgrange nodded, and though he took a few seconds longer than Whisler, he too slipped away from his Squire Uniform and back into Arias.
The look Nick had given him had made his stomach twist in a different direction. "Oh," he almost seemed embarrassed. "Stop. I didn't even think to get dressed into anything nice," he said, looking down at the outfit he was wearing. Nick was lucky Arias hadn't still been wearing the apron he'd been baking in.
He glanced around the room they were in, taking in all the details.
Whisler felt like it was a place people would want to visit. It wasn't uninviting, like his Wonder.
"It is nice here, though. It's beautiful. I'm happy to help if you're trying to get bigger things up here." He'd try, at least. His eyes didn't stop moving, trying to catch everything. "I'm really impressed with how good this place is looking. You've spent a lot of time trying to patch this place up, haven't you?"
He was nodding approvingly, clearly impressed at its condition.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:31 pm
“And you haven’t seen anything yet!” Nick was suddenly on the other side of the room, grabbing two very heavy looking jackets, as well as two hats and two sets of gloves. “Here, love. Put these on.”
He slipped into one of the outfits and looked puffy like a marshmallow man, but he looked warm at least. “I want to show you the best part of this place...or, one of the best parts, the hot spring is the best part, it really relaxes you after you’ve been outside.”
The blonde waited for Arias to put on the winter gear and led him outside, past the makeshift oven that was in a little nook just outside of the main room, a well ventilated nook, it was easily twenty degrees cooler in this space than it was in the hot spring room itself, and that was clearly due to the slits that were in the stone wall. But it worked well for the oven, he didn’t want the smoke to get trapped in his bedroom.
“Here’s my kitchen, and here…” He pushed open the large door that led to the outside. It was made of some sort of heavy crystal and he was thinking of trying to polish it up one day, but that was far down the road.
The view was incredible. Since Whisler was on the top of a mountain, you could see for miles and miles. Nothing but snow capped peaks as far as the eye could see. “T-ta da!” Nick was shivering, despite the winter clothing he had put on. If the kitchen was cold compared to the indoor room, this place was at well below freezing.
“It’s a beautiful view...and I also keep my food out here…” He pointed a gloved hand to a small box shaped pile of snow, almost an igloo, but there were things inside of it, frozen pizzas, hot dogs and some ice cream.
Life was great on Whisler.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:32 pm
Arias quickly put on the gear he'd been handed and followed Nick outside. He wasn't really a fan of the cold, but the chill in Destiny City had prepared him at least a little bit.
Even if he hadn't been prepared for the cold though, it would have been worth it to deal with it just to see the sight. When he looked across the horizon, he seemed absolutely stunned. He was too captivated by the beauty to register that the chill was creeping through the coat, through his muscles, through his bones.
He couldn't help but just look.
Whisler was beautiful; he could see why Nick had transcended. He wished he had that same love for his Wonder, but he couldn't imagine that Newgrange was housing any sight as beautiful as this.
He had heard Nick talking but it took a few seconds to process what he said. He barely managed to tear his gaze from the horizon to glance where Nick had gestured. A faint smile appeared on his face and he nodded.
"It seems like you've got everything figured out up here. It's really nice, Nick."
He shivered, now painfully aware of the cold; he drew the coat as close to himself as he could and tried to fend off the chill through willpower alone. Questions popped into his head but he dismissed them; he didn't want to know the answer if it meant bothering Nick.
He felt honored; he didn't want to ruin that.
...He wouldn't mind heating up, though.
"Would you be terribly offended if I asked if we could maybe move inside?" His teeth had begun to chatter; it was obvious he was trying to keep them still, but it was a battle he was losing. "Or somewhere just a little warmer? This wind is a little frigid."
He sounded apologetic, like it was his fault he was getting cold and ruining the mood.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:35 pm
Nick laughed, grabbing Arias’s hand and tugging him back inside. “Get out of that winter stuff and into my arms you goober.”
He tugged the male to the air mattress and pulled him into his arms, wrapping both of them in a thick, down quilt.
It was so nice and warm in the hot spring room, and the blanket felt wonderful against Nick’s cold skin. “Don’t you just...I love it here...but boy, Arias I’m glad you weren’t a Polaris knight, you’d freeze to death, and that would be very upsetting.”
He paused, thinking of Arias as a Polaris knight, frozen in his wonder with a big icicle hanging from his nose like in a cartoon. “Oh my god that would be so cute though.” He mused aloud. “Not you freezing to death! That would not be cute at all, but I was picturing you with like, a cartoon...Oh I can’t even explain it, but it was cute in my head.”
Nick pulled Arias’s hands into his own and held them tightly, trying to warm the male faster. “I’m...I’m really glad you liked it.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:36 pm
Arias' teeth were chattering violently but he still managed to laugh. Once they were out of the winter-wear, it was easy to snuggle up against Nick for warmth. He buried himself beneath the blanket, relishing the extra warmth it provided.
"I'll take you to my Wonder, someday. If my ancestor allows it, at least. We're still not really on the best of terms. But I'm happy that you like your Wonder, and that you don't have some angry ghost always trying to push you out of it. It's...really nice, how much you care about this place."
If he cared about it, maybe the next time someone tried to tempt him with Corruption he could remember that he'd lose this place--that it would perish without him.
It was too easy to relax in Nick's arms--too easy to forget that there were reasons he should be worried and should be careful and should be more mindful of what he was doing or saying, but...
It was too cold to deal with all of that; he was feeling exhausted just from fighting off the cold and dealing with his trembling body.
It was very good he had not been born a Polaris Knight--Nick was right. He'd have frozen to death.
"After I get a little more used to the temperature, I'm sure I'll like it more. The view is just beautiful. You could make a whole calendar out of just those peaks alone. But I guess that's only fitting, right?"
Nick had a taste for beautiful things--it only made sense that Whisler should be surrounded by them.
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