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 Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 8:49 pm
Caleb hadn’t realized that there would be an event going on at the Air and Space museum, he had the idea to go there after the end of one of his lessons, and when he found that there was a fair going on, at first he was kind of excited…at least until he realized that it was a Valentine’s Day fair.
The realization was almost enough to make him turn around and just head home, at least until he saw the sign for the balloon ride.
For a long moment, Caleb simply stared up at the small dot in the sky, and suddenly he realized that he really, really wanted to go up in the thing.
“I bet you can see the whole city from up there…”
The words were muttered softly, but he glanced around, his eyes lighting on a white haired male nearby. Slowly he made his way over. “That’s crazy, isn’t it? It’s so high. Want to go up with me?” He flashed a grin. “I don’t really want to go alone, it doesn’t seem like it would be much fun alone…besides, there’s a two person requirement…”
The brunette waggled his eyebrows. “And you’re the only person around, so. Please?”
He paused and cleared his throat. “I’m Caleb, by the way. Should have started with that, I suppose.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:58 pm
As with many things in life, Benji did not want to be here. Raleigh had talked him into going, waving an invitation around his face, something about a blind date or what not. The deal was that if he was going to go to this date thing, she would finally ask Peter out on a date. Yeah, sure, he had a crush on Peter, but it was more than obvious he was never going to get any further than best friends with him, so knowing that his gal-pal was going on a date with him seemed to push towards going out himself. Once he got here though... Ugh.
He had arrived away too early, dressed dorkily as always with a red bandana about his neck, and regretted it. The fair had only gotten itself rolling a few hours ago, and everyone who was here were in couples already. Made sense though, it was a Valentine's Day Fair after all... Blech..
There were some pretty outstanding things here so far though. They had a full blown Tunnel of Love (how they convinced the museum to do that, he had no damned idea), a small Ferris Wheel, and some other random rides all around. The most intense one it seemed though was a hecka high hot air balloon ride that seemed to hover way too high up above Destiny City for a few minutes before coming back down with a soft 'plop!' and going right back up again with a new couple.
Now that was some terrifying looking s**t, and as cool as it was, there was no way in hell Benji was going up there. Hell, he didn't even have a partner! So he stood there for a while, staring at it rise and fall and chowing down on a powered donut from the buffet. It was more than a little easy to zone out watching the steady movements of the balloon in the chilly but calm February air. So much so that when someone approached him, he nearly jumped out of his skin, head snapping down to look at the boy who started speaking to him.
"De f** eer uu?" Benji exclaimed through his mouthful of donut, swallowing and quickly wiping his face free of the powder that clung to him. While his face had been decently relaxed while zoning out, it immediately went to it's normal scowl as this stranger started... Wiggling his eyebrows... Geesh... This was one of those weirdos wasn't. The kinda people actually liked meeting new people.
"Like Hell I want to go up there with you! I don't have ******** death wish, thank you." Now that his mouth was cleared, he focused on his hands, wiping them carelessly on a napkin and turning his back towards the stranger while heading to a trash can.
"Besides, it's a couple thing, and I sure as hell and a couple with you."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 3:13 pm
Oh.
Caleb blinked, and a small frown creased his face. He hadn’t expected to be met with…such hostility. The other male was short, and he supposed that he took it for granted that he would be friendly, they were at a fair for goodness sakes. “Oh. Uh. Like I said. I’m Caleb. Who are you?” He followed the boy towards the trashcan, unwilling to just…cease and desist, even though it didn’t really seem like he would be getting his way with this one.
There had to be plenty of other people about…why didn’t he just go and ask one of them to join him.
“Nobody’s died yet. I’ve watched the balloon go up and down at least fifteen times now and there hasn’t been so much as an injury, unless you count the girl who tripped over the rope after getting out, but clearly that was her fault from walking the completely wrong direction after leaving…come on. We don’t have to be a couple. Hell, I don’t know who the ******** you are…I just want to go in the balloon.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. “Please.” Glancing away, Caleb let his attention wander once again, his two tone eyes following the balloon as it once again made its way up into the sky, sighing. “I just want…to see everything. We don’t even have to be near one another in the damn thing. You don’t have to talk to me again after this, and I swear I’ll never ask anything else of you, just…please. Do a favor for a stranger. A good deed. It’ll come back and things will go well for you, I’m sure. Karma and all that s**t.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 3:39 pm
"I'm the person who is going to kick your a** if you don't leave me the ******** alone." This time he muttered, wiping his mouth one last time and tossing his second napkin away. As much as he hated to admit it, he was right about the people not dying part. After all, he was sure that if someone had died, then the date night thing would have been called off and that would cause more than a few problems for more than a few people.
Ehhhhhhh... s**t. Had Ral been here, she'd jab him in the side, urging him one, saying 'ooh he's cute! do it!' and then giggling behind him the whole time until he gave in. Even if she wasn't here, he could feel her eyes on him, just knowing he'd get one hell of a glare if he backed away now, especially since he came to this goddamn event to make new friends... Ugh..
"Look, Collab or Collard or Chris, or whatever your name is. Ain't you got a lick of respect for someone saying they don't wanna go? People have fears, you know, and one of mine happens to be being up in that goddamn below and having it pops then shoot around all crazy like a balloon that was let go before someone tied it off. That's fair, right? So you're gonna have to give me more than just some ******** 'karma' s**t to get me to go up there. Got it?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 3:55 pm
Caleb rolled his eyes and finally just shrugged. “Fine. It’s Caleb. But fine. I’ll leave you alone, your assholieness.” He scoffed and shook his head. “You don’t need to be such a p***k about it. If you…you know what? Nevermind. It’s not worth it. I’ll find someone else to go up with me.”
His temper was up and for a moment he considered calling Xi-Wang to come to the fair and go up in the balloon with him, but the other boy was most likely still sleeping. Or whatever and it just…
It just wasn’t worth it.
He didn’t want to go up with him anyway.
Pausing, Caleb rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. “Fine. You know, I don’t have the energy to find anyone else. So what do you want. Money? How much will I have to give you to go up there with me? Twenty? Because, I really just. I don’t give a s**t.”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill, holding it out towards the white haired male, just looking a mixture of annoyed and tired.
If he had just gone to the museum, none of this crap would be happening. Or if he had just gone to the lab where she should have gone…then really none of this would be happening. With a sigh, Caleb shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m offering you money to get in a damn balloon. This is stupid.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:24 pm
"Damn straight the assholiness. The most a*****e of the assholes. And you don't need to be a little whiny s**t about it all." Alright... Maybe that had been a bit much. And honestly it had been quite some time since he was really this rude to anyone He blamed all these ushy gushy bullshit that surrounded him. With his own love life in shambles (or non-existent if he was honest with himself), jealousy was filling his chest which meant his mind was angry and snappy.
When Caleb seemed to finally give up, a part of him was disappointed. Fighting was no fun when someone else gave in so fast. Benji was just about to apologize and maybe concede the fight in favor of not being left alone when it seemed Caleb did it first. And by did he he meant he ******** pulled out a twenty and offered it to him.
"... What the ********? Just how lonely are you that you'd pay a stranger just for a ride... I'm not a ******** dollar store whore, you know." The offered dollar was smacked away, and he walked a little closer to him, pausing to size him up, then seeming to make a decision.
"Yeah, it is stupid, but I guess I got a weakness for stupid guys who seem to not think things through, so.. ******** it, come on. I'll go up in this ******** balloon, but I swear to god that if I die, I'm going to come back as a ghost and haunt you forever."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:36 pm
Caleb snorted. “Could have fooled me. You’re the one who was asking for compensation to go up into a hot air balloon.” The words were muttered and the brunette rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, though when it seemed like the other boy was finally consenting, he did manage to break into a smile.
A small smile, but a smile all the same.
“You’re not going to die. Nobody’s died yet and I doubt we’ll be the first. Besides, I’m sure that I could rescue the both of us if you died. Or if the balloon breaks free of the tether…or if it pops, or if you get so mouthy I just decide to throw you over the side.”
The smile grew slightly and Caleb inclined his head towards the waiting balloon. “Come on, chicken. It’s waiting for us. You going to prove to be as manly and tough as you talk?” The money was slipped back into his pocket and as he got on the balloon, he watched the white haired male, smirking and beckoning with a finger. “We’re waiting on you. Come on, Pookie.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:16 pm
While Benji was about to say something else snarky in regards to the whole whore thing, he allowed Caleb to get away with it. After all, seeing his smile seemed kinda worth the little jab. A smile he caused. It was a great feeling.
"Pfft, you, rescue me? Only if I knock you out first and used you to break my fall. That big ol' head of yours is just full of hot air, I'm sure. Plenty for me to just bounce right off of. Hehe, I feel safer already knowing you're gonna be in there with me." Now that the weird initial tension was broken between them, there was something else there, something more playful. Still irritating, but almost pleasantly so. It was hard to explain.
For the briefest of moments he ignored Caleb's comments, hesitating to get onto the goddamn balloon. His gut was telling him this was a horrible idea... Like, the kinda stupid idea that your parents would tell you not to do, but you did it anyway to be a little s**t and it just turned out god awful. Just as he was about to turn around and say ******** it, he was taunted, the boy beckoning him like he was some goddamn little puppy, and ********, he went right along with it, getting into the balloon, and shoving the other with his shoulder.
"Call me that again, and I swear to god I'll push you right out of here!"
... s**t.
The old man who was handling the balloon had shut the side of the basket behind him. Too late to back out now...
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:10 pm
Caleb grinned, his eyes glinting with excitement and just a hint of mischief. “Too late now, Pookie. We’re in it for the long run now, it seems.”
Moving right to the edge of the basket, the brunette looked over the side, grinning as the wind whipped through his hair, watching with fascination as the ground slowly fell away.
It was beautiful.
It wasn’t until they were all the way up that he remembered there was someone else in the basket with him, and even then the white haired teen only got half a glance, at least until Caleb saw his face.
“Hey…Pookie, you okay?”
There was concern in Caleb’s voice, and for a moment the guilt started to creep up. Hadn’t the other boy said he was afraid of heights? What if he got sick? If he threw up, Caleb would end up getting sick too and that would just be a mess.
Quietly the brunette reached over, placing a tentative hand on the other male’s shoulder. “You’re not going to die, I promise.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:34 pm
It was somewhere between the realization that they left the ground and the first tilt of the basket that Benji found himself frozen in place. There weren't many things in the world that scared so bad that he froze in place, but this was one of them. He was stuck in the middle of the basket, going up and up and up, beside a stranger who was kinda a d**k and with no way down.
If he powered into Chara right now, he'd survive a fall from here, he thought, and he instinctively reached into his pocket, not even thinking about the consequence of powering up in front of a civilian. To his horror, it wasn't there, left behind at home since it was supposed to be a date night and nothing else.
Panic was settled in deep at this point, and by the time Caleb reached over and touched his arm, he flinched, but dared not move further lest he shake the basket more than the wind already did.
"Ugh.... ********..." While he wasn't about to throw up, he could feel those tears of panic forming in his eyes, the feeling overwhelming enough that he didn't care if Caleb was a stranger, he put his arms around the taller man's middle and pressed his eyes into his shoulder. It wasn't the same as Peter, no, but it would have to do.
"I... I ******** hate you right now... Why the ******** would you make me do this when I said I was ******** afraid.. ******** you and your ******** sad face and your ******** twenty dollar bullshit... ******** you for making me want to try to get that karma or some bull s**t.. ********..." Again, he felt the wind shift the floating basket ever so slightly, and his fingers all but dug into the back of the other's clothes. Yup... He was going to die...
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:40 pm
“Woah, hey…” Caleb felt rather alarmed when suddenly arms were around him. He swallowed hard and wrapped one of his own around the other teen, letting the other reach a little higher, fingers instinctively going to run through the soft looking white hair.
…it didn’t only look soft.
It was soft.
“Sorry.” The word was a whisper and he almost leaned down to kiss the hair that he was still stroking but…no. That was stupid. He just felt protective. Guilty. There was no need to make things…weird.
“Hate me all you want…but I’m glad you came with me. This view is better than I could have expected. I’ll keep you safe, I promised…look, just open your eyes and look out…not down. The city is utterly beautiful…you’ll never see it this way again, Pookie.”
He wasn’t sure when the pet name had slid from an insult to a pet name…but since the other kid still hadn’t actually told him his name…he might just forever be Pookie. “I won’t let you get hurt. We’re going to be fine…come on, take a quick look around, I won’t let go of you. I promise.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:49 pm
A soft, thankful sound was made at the arm around him, and the other threading through his hair. He always did find comfort in that short of gesture, and for a moment, just a wee tiny moment, he forgot that he was about ten inches away from dying. Peter said the same thing at times, didn't he? That things would be okay, and that he'd be safe... ********, even Ptolemaeus said that at times and he knew damn well they never could. That almost guaranteed that this weirdo Caleb couldn't protect him either, but it was a nice enough gesture, and right now that was all that mattered.
Hearing himself be called Pookie again was enough for him to open his eye and look up, feeling himself wanting to curse again, but he didn't.
Instead he gazed past the boy, looking at the endless blue sky behind him, and the horizon beyond. The city looked so calm during the day in it's own city-ness, completely different than the terror that went on at night. And he was right, it was beautiful.
".... Thanks I guess... It is pretty cool..." Somehow he found his voice and muttered out loud, still not moving from where he was, in Caleb's arms and in that single spot the basket. Only then did it register in his head how ******** ridiculous this all was..
"I swear to ******** god, no one better find out about this..." Again, he muttered, this pulling a shaking hand away to rub at his eye, then used both to lift his eyepatch and move the tears away from that too. "I got a ******** reputation..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:57 pm
Caleb’s gaze hadn’t really left the boy’s face, even as he watched the white haired male finally gaze out of the balloon, taking in the view.
He watched as he wiped away tears, pulling his arms away, though Caleb found himself unable to remove his arm too…they were still in the air…he would still be afraid. Slowly, he drew the other male closer and finally did just lean down, kissing the top of his head. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to help it, but the hair was so soft and…
And the tears made him feel awful.
“I’m sorry I put you through this. I won’t tell anyone about it, I promise. I don’t break my promises, Pookie.” Gently he let the hand that had been on the male’s head drop a little to his face, using his thumb to wipe away whatever traces of tears were left. “Look, we’re heading back down now. You made it. We made it…not that you give a damn about me, but hey. I told you that you weren’t going to die, and I was right.”
He flashed a little grin and finally Caleb looked back out, wondering how much more he would have enjoyed this if he had just found another partner…and not got himself tangled up in this one eyed boy’s day. He would have been able to see more, that was for sure but…
…But it hadn’t been so bad.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 10:23 pm
... What?
Benji's eye went wide and he nearly pulled away when he felt Caleb's head press against the top of his own. It wasn't him resting his chin on this head, that he could tell, but... s**t he really hadn't kissed him, had he? This ******** stranger had the nerve to--- Another gentle sway and the feeling of the basket being reeled back in kept him close, resisting the urge to shove those protective arms away.
Then the hands came to his cheek and... ********, what was going on? You have one little freak out and now he had some ******** stranger comforting him? Tending to him and wiping the tear trails from his cheek. And he must have been just as crazy as Caleb was because he let him, even leaning into the touch for just a moment.
"Yeah... Alright, good, good.. Thanks..." His cheeks began to turn a rosy color, and he finally pulled away, resting bitchface returning as the ground seemed alot less far away than before. Soon they were on the ground, and... Well, things were feeling pretty awkward as he stood on the exit platform and waiting for Caleb to come out.
"Uh.... well.. That was something.. And, you know, my name is Benji, not Pookie... It was a really cool view, even if I thought that my face would meet the pavement." Even he couldn't help but crack a smile now that he was safe on the ground. Yeah... Alright, that wasn't all that bad.
"Caleb, right? Next time you do something like that, it might make things a little bit better if you don't be so pushy about going to do something. Compliments help too. Tell a boy he's cute or use a pick up line, that'll work better, I'm sure. And, you know, not suggesting he's a cheap whore for not wanting to go up in a balloon with a stranger."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 8:04 pm
Caleb seemed almost amused by the pink glow that came into the other boy’s cheeks, and when they finally were exiting the balloon, he laughed. “So, you do have a name, hm? I was really beginning to wonder. Benji, hm…”
His eyes glinted and he gave a small shrug. “I don’t know…I think that I like Pookie better. It fits you. You’re a cute little pookie.” Winking, Caleb laughed again. “Yeah, that’s my name. And, look, it wasn’t the fact that you’re you that I asked you up into the balloon with me, it was simply the fact that you were there. Right place at the right time. Nothing more than that.”
Turning to walk away, Caleb paused, glancing back to Benji. “Though…I have to admit…”
His voice grew softer and he almost seemed to be slightly embarrassed. “I had a good time…and I suppose I’m glad that it was you who came with me. Sure, I didn’t get to enjoy the view as much as I wanted but…you’re a good enough view that I suppose it doesn’t really matter.”
Damn he was laying it on thick. Perhaps it was the air from the festival, or just the residual anger that still clung to him over Xi-Wang but…for some reason…right now, he just wanted to flirt. And so he did. “Maybe you and I could hang out some time? On the ground, I mean.”
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