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 Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 2:51 pm
Class was canceled for today.
Kaelan had been studying for a week. He’d been anxious about everything; the perfectionist in him demanded that he make sure Jett knew how much he appreciated this offer. He’d finished early, but he’d stayed the entire testing period just to make sure that he hadn’t made any mistakes. He was the last to turn in his test. He felt confident about the answers, but it was easy to be nervous when a test was so much of his grade.
And then, when he got to his next class only moments later, there was a sign taped over the door.
It was the first time a teacher had ever canceled a class, and he’d stood around awkwardly for a few seconds. The lesson and a slideshow would be emailed out tonight instead. There wasn’t really any extra reason to stick around.
He was caught up on homework, he had no upcoming tests. He had two hours in his schedule that he hadn't planned for. He wanted to go visit Orien; he’d texted that he thought he did well on the test but after a moment of debate he did not tell him that his second class was canceled. It wasn’t that he wanted to be secretive! It’s just–he’d had an idea.
And old habits died hard because he passed the plasma donation center he used to go to and they were offering a bonus, and an hour and a half later he still had plenty of time before Orien was off. He’d have brought Orien lunch if he hadn’t sent him to work with a full lunchbox, and he knew Jett was in today so it wasn’t like he could even just go to keep him company. Well, he could have, but he didn’t want to annoy Jett or get in trouble for distracting Orien.
Kaelan had a few things he’d do when he was without Orien; sometimes he’d run errands or go shopping, sometimes he’d do schoolwork at the library. Sometimes he’d stop at the thrift stores and see if there was anything Jett might like. He had a better eye now for what was valuable enough to purchase, and while he wasn’t much of a gambler at all, they’d made a few dollars here and there by pawning it off on Jett.
Today, he was looking for some practical things. Some warmer clothes, since there was a chill in the air. He found a few sweaters, some comfortable pants. Better shoes. A completely orange bedspread that did not need to exist and was fifteen dollars because nobody in their right mind would want a–wait, why was it brand new? Oh, there were a few different colors, too. He could live without lime green. The red one was nice. The orange one was fifteen dollars. It was so obnoxious.
It had seven of eight decorative pillows, was that why it was so cheap? It still had the store sticker on it…And–
Oh, no.
Now he had a cart, and it was in the cart, and he had to do some quick budgeting in his head, and–well, he had fifty extra dollars today, so it was all practically free.
Extra free after he picked through a silverware bin and pulled out nearly two handfuls of sterling silver. He didn’t know how he was going to get up to their apartment but he was glad he had his backpack.
He spent eighty three dollars between the thrift store and the dollar store, which was enough to make him want to vomit. But fifty of it was free! And the silverware would pay for the rest. They’d needed a few things, anyway.
Kaelan was exhausted by the time he actually made it back but once he reached the apartment and was able to set down all of his bags, he was rejuvenated.
He was going to have to work quickly to surprise Orien, too.
Kaelan was organized and meticulous and not prone to splurging on silly things, but this was important. He hadn’t gotten to celebrate halloween in years, and he didn’t even know if Orien ever had.
He hadn’t stopped moving since he got home. The laundry was going to take the longest but he washed the bedspread and pillows first, even if they were new. He did some chores while those were running, and then set about decorating everything he could. He hung up a banner of cardboard bats, spread a pumpkin patterned cloth over their table. They didn’t have a lot of space but that meant a little bit went a long way. A few more paper bats for the walls, and some friendly looking ghosts. Some orange and black banners that said ‘Happy Halloween’ and had pumpkin cutouts. He made a spider web out of black yarn for the corner of the room. It was cute, whatever. He didn’t want to wake up to skulls and monsters but he wanted something fun and different for them. Even if it was just for a few weeks.
And, pumpkins. Maybe he went a little overboard with them, but the thrift store had a dozen lightweight, wooden pumpkins. They’d needed a quick clean but it had been worth it to lug them all home. He had a few by the bed, a few by the window, a few on the table. They must have been a few decades old and had a weathered sort of look but Kaelan liked to think that they’d spent many years making someone’s house a home.
He’d bought a lantern–black tin in the shape of a spooky house with an orange and black village inside. It was a snowglobe, or–he didn’t know what to call it when it wasn’t snow, but it sent metallic black bat confetti when you held down a button, and Kaelan couldn’t help that he’d been so enamored by the sparkle that he’d spent eight dollars on it. It was one splurge. And it was practical, it would make a cute night light!
The orange bedspread was the biggest change, but it was so thick. It would keep them warm, and they could find something else to do with all of the pillows. He just wanted Orien to see it.
And not think that he was silly and wasted a bunch of money on nothing.
He bought a candy bowl with cute little ghosts painted inside and figured that if nothing else, Orien couldn’t complain about the bag of candy he’d brought. It was a nice treat.
And, it was nearly time for him to get home from work, so Kaelan had to rush to get everything cleaned up. He’d made pizza for dinner–nothing fancy, just something warm and cheap, and they needed to use up the last of the sauce before it went bad. There wasn’t really a vegetable that went with pizza so he’d made a can of green beans too.
Pizza didn’t really need much attention but he busied himself by pacing around their small apartment and the kitchen. He’d been texting Orien and knew he was on his way, that he’d be up soon. He’d told him dinner would be ready, and he’d said he’d grabbed some groceries and a few things, but he hadn’t told him that this was what Orien was going to come home to.
He just hoped it wasn’t too much.
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2023 6:12 pm
Orien was so ready to be home. It had been a long day. Not a bad day, because Jett was always considerate about his… state… be it mental or physical. It was kind of annoying, but he also appreciated it more than he knew how to express. He wasn’t used to someone seemingly sincere about wanting to make sure he was okay.
He’d been texting Kaelan every so often, just to keep him up to date with what was going on. But it was more than that. It helped him keep track of what he was doing. Kaelan asking if he’d had lunch yet meant that he could eat before Jett could ask and think he was just… broken or something. More than he already knew, at least. And telling Kaelan where he was meant if he got turned around, he could figure out how to retrace his steps easier.
But finally, after seven flights of stairs, Orien managed to fumble his keys in the door and push it open.
For a moment, he thought he was in the wrong apartment and his heart practically jumped out of his chest. But--
“Kay, what’s all this?” he asked, because of course Kaelan wouldn’t hide if he heard the door being unlocked.
Everything was… so festive. He couldn’t stop the small smile from pulling at his lips. Just like he, after he shut and locked the door behind him, couldn’t stop himself from taking the few steps forward to wrap his arms around his boyfriend and pepper his face with kisses.
“When did you have time to do all this? Where-- what is that?” he barked out a laugh, spotting the bright orange bed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:23 pm
Kaelan’s ears were burning but Orien didn’t seem unhappy so he couldn’t help but smile, too. The tightness in his stomach loosened as he sank into Orien’s embrace. “I wanted to decorate! For Halloween. I got everything for cheap. And I got some things from the thrift store that we needed,” he said, like he had to justify everything.
“After my test, class was canceled, so I tried to run some errands and things just spiraled a little bit. I wanted to surprise you, when was the last time you celebrated Halloween? Go feel the bedsheets, I just washed them. They’re so soft. Guess how much I paid for them. They’re brand new, still had stickers and tags. Oh–I made pizza, it’s going to be done in a few minutes, so you can get comfortable and I’ll get it for us.”
For as much as he loved the kisses Orien gifted him, he had many of his own to give, too. It had been such a busy day already, he didn’t even know where to start.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:50 am
Oh… Kaelan was so cute when he got excited about things. He was talkative and bubbly and Orien didn’t have to see his ears to know they were probably bright red.
“You did such a good job,” he praised, because what else was he going to do? He hadn’t expected to come home to something like this, but if it was something that made Kaelan happy, then Orien would be happy as well. He knew very little when it came to decorating things, but he would admit that it all seemed fun and warm.
“I can’t believe you had time to do all this, even with a canceled class. And pizza too? I’m being spoiled.”
He didn’t want to let go of Kaelan, especially with how many kisses he knew he would probably get if he held him for a while, but he was told to go feel the bedsheets, so that was what he did. He released his boyfriend and took the very few steps needed to the bed so he could reach out and touch them.
“Wow, these are nice… what… twenty? More than that?” he guessed, but had no idea what the cost of sheets were, other than the ones he’d picked up second hand. But if these were brand new...
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 10:54 am
”Fifteen,” Kaelan answered, so excited that he almost couldn’t even wait for Orien to guess. “For the sheets, the comforter, the pillows. All of it. It only has to be orange for a little while, we can dye it if you hate the color. But it’ll be so warm. And it’s big, we won’t even have to fight over who gets the blanket.”
Like they’d even fight, anyway; Kaelan would just try to bury himself underneath Orien.
He’d been a little nervous before, he couldn’t help it, but Orien said he did a good job, so naturally he could only beam about it.
He followed Orien to the bed and took his hand. When he sat down on the edge, he tugged Orien with him and gave him a few more enthusiastic kisses.
“I almost got another one at the store, that one was a better color. But it was twenty five and I didn’t think I could carry everything home. I got a bunch of silverware. To clean up and sell.” They didn’t need more silverware, he was just trying to scrape a few more dollars together. “Oh, and I sold some plasma. I was very busy today. But everything here was basically free. I got orange juice, too.”
Okay, so he was a little all over the place, but he was just excited. “I missed you, though. I almost stopped by to see you but I thought Jett might get annoyed. Did you have a good day?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 5:46 pm
Like they’d even fight. Orien snorted at the thought. He would just lay on top of Kaelan. But his expression was still clearly that of surprise at the cost of everything.
“You’re really good at finding great deals, you know,” he let out a breath of forced disbelief. Because clearly there was nothing to be disbelieving about. Kaelan was good at so many things.
But the more Kaelan said what he did, the more… overwhelmed… Orien became. Maybe that wasn’t it. But his heart picked up some speed as he thought of all the things Kaelan had done, knowing very well that it was all with him in mind.
Because Kaelan, he suspected, didn’t live for himself. Which Orien understood, because Kaelan was his lifeline.
“I don’t know if Jett would have gotten annoyed. He’s hard for me to read sometimes. He hasn’t yelled at me for messing up anything, so… I don’t know,” he mumbled and sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to distract Kaelan if he was going to be busy doing other things, but also perfectly content if he wanted to come close for another embrace.
“Did you have any? Orange juice. You should keep your energy up. I don’t want to find out that you’ve passed out somewhere,” he warned, but there was more concern than scolding in his voice. “I missed you too. My day was fine. I’m… I don’t know. I’m seeing if I’d like to help with buying abandoned storage units, but there’s a lot to learn.”
Maybe not a lot for a normal person, but Orien already had difficulty doing things. He tried, but sometimes things just didn’t work out for him.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:46 pm
The oven hadn’t gone off yet so Kaelan intended to savor every last second he could. With Orien seated, he immediately scooted closer and nudged Orien’s foot with his own.
“That could be fun. Like a treasure hunt. I just got lucky at the thrift store. Jett says it’s a mixture of skill and luck, so today things just seem like they’re on my side. I had a whole cup of orange juice already, I’m feeling pretty good. We’ve been eating healthier so it hardly even took anything out of me.”
Later, he could show off the clothes he’d gotten them, but they were still in the dryer. The silverware wasn’t particularly interesting, they might as well have just been a handful of five dollar bills. Most other things of interest had already been conveyed over text messages.
For now, he was just interested in Orien.
“Do you want to take a notebook with you to jot things down?” Kaelan had a stash of them, for school and writing notes and keeping lists. “Having a list helps me break things down when I’m feeling overwhelmed.” Orien probably knew that, Kaelan was always making lists. “Is Jett going to take you out to see what it’s like?”
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 6:17 pm
“I could…” Orien made a face when Kaelan suggested he take a notebook with him. “I’ve tried making notes before, but if I don’t have a lot of time to write out details… well… sometimes I’ll look back and not know what I wrote.”
In theory, keeping a notebook with reminders was incredibly useful, and probably helped a lot of people. But with his memory not always being at its best, sometimes he struggled.
Kaelan made things better, though. So if he suggested it, then he would of course try his hardest to make it work.
He loved Kaelan above all else, so when he moved close to him again, he couldn’t help but reach out so he could pull him sideways into his lap. Then he could wrap one arm around his back and the other he left to rest on his knees as he held him close.
“I’ll try,” he agreed. If it helps you, I’m sure it will help me.” He didn’t know if it would, but… he wasn’t going to disappoint Kaelan if he could help it.
“Yeah, he’s gonna take me out on the next big auction. I’ve been learning the basics on how it works. And learning about the usual competition. Really, I think he should have you and your good luck there.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:42 am
“Oh, no. My luck will run out. I thought I spent it all already when I got you,” Kaelan said, and it was impossible to miss how much he was beaming as Orien held him. He looked up at him with nothing shy of adoration and delight.
“If not a notebook, maybe he would let you record his voice? If you bring it home I can write it out for you. I like organizing things.”
He twisted just a bit so he could relax more in Orien’s lap and look up at him without straining his neck.
“I hope you have fun when you go, I hope you love it.” He liked working wherever Jett put him but he hadn’t had anything exciting–and he liked it that way. He was happy to work in the back, or to do research.
“I’m really proud of you for taking the initiative, though. You think Jett will promote you if you work hard enough? Would you want that? I mean, making a career out of all of this.” He knew Orien had other jobs, bad jobs. Things no one would want to do. He didn’t count what someone did to survive as any sort of career.
He wanted Orien to thrive, wanted him to be respected. Wanted him to be happy and proud of himself.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2023 5:50 pm
“Oh, aren’t you a charmer,” he laughed, but was clearly smitten by Kaelan. And he could see the way he was looking at him, too. It took his breath away, and for a few moments he wondered if Kaelan was mistaking him for someone else, because how could he have gotten so lucky to have Kaelan in his life?
“I could ask him. That’s a good idea to record him,” Orien hummed, adjusting his hold so that Kaelan was sitting more comfortably in his lap. And Kaelan was so sweet to offer to help him. How could he refuse?
And how could he not just… shift a little more so that he could push Kaelan backwards from his lap and onto the bed so he could roll over top of him -- in what he hoped was not too uncomfortable of a position -- and kiss him silly?
It was better to distract than to let himself answer honestly. About how Jett would be smarter to not promote him, because once something happened to him -- be it his memory or his health -- Jett would just have to find a replacement.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2023 6:28 pm
Kaelan had such a good day already; tumbling backwards onto the bed and looking up at Orien above him was just perfect. While he laid there, he ran his hand atop the comforter, and even if it was bright orange, it was still so rich. It felt fancy.
He felt pampered as he laid there, smothered in kisses. He smiled into each of them and enthusiastically returned them.
Maybe a part of him had taken note of the fact that Orien had avoided some answers but it was easy to be distracted by the kisses.
He laughed into them, comfortably pinned between Orien and the bed.
“I love you so much,” he said after a moment. The oven was going to go off soon but he was enjoying every little second he could eke out before he had to get up. He gave the comforter one more pet before he wrapped his arms around Orien and pulled him close.
“Will you go trick or treating with me? I don’t care if we throw sheets over our head and cut out holes for eyes. I haven’t been in so long, I bet we could get away with it.” He had butterflies in his stomach because he knew it was such a silly request, but–
He couldn’t help it! It was tacky, it was ridiculous. He was embarrassed. He missed not having to worry about things. He wanted to do all the things they’d missed out on, he wanted to make up for lost time.
…He wanted to give Orien good memories that he could hold onto.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2023 6:37 pm
He kept himself propped on his elbow at least enough to prevent himself from crushing Kaelan entirely, but of course he allowed himself to be pulled close when Kaelan’s arms were around him. The bed was nice, after all. And of course the sheets were fancier than he was used to.
“Oh, I hope you’re not talking about these sheets. They’re nice! But we’ll definitely need a costume. I was always shooed away from houses because I didn’t have one. No one wants to give a dirty looking kid free candy,” he scoffed, but didn’t seem like he harbored any resentment. It was just how things were. He’d been upset at the time, but… those memories felt like they were a photograph that had been burned in places. Nothing was clear except the emotions he felt.
“What would you dress up as? I could think of a lot of things to dress you in, but I don’t think people would appreciate you in an apron and bow in your hair and nothing else as much as I would,” he teased.
“I love you too. Of course I’ll do anything with you. To you. Whatever you want.”
Especially because Kaelan made him feel more human, and not just a life form that was withering away under the cruelty of the world.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2023 7:28 pm
Kaelan flushed, but that was predictable. Even though he knew Orien, half the thing out of his mouth still stalled the gears in Kaelan’s brain.
“Well–”
He faltered, struggled for words, and then when he didn’t have anything coherent he just kissed Orien until a thought passed into his mind.
“I would wear that for you, I wouldn’t go into public wearing that. We would definitely get shooed away if I tried. And I don’t want to go to jail for some candy. I wouldn’t–well, I mean, I guess if we were just going trick or treating, I’d want to be someone who could blend in. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I don’t want any trouble, just candy. But even if we didn’t get any candy, I’d be happy to get to spend time with you. Thank you for indulging me. You make me so happy, Orien. And I am going to do everything I can to make you happy, too. Wait until you see the pizza. You’ll laugh.”
He looked like he was having a hard time not laughing already, but he was excited. It had been a long time since he felt so giddy and excited for things--like, maybe it was okay to think that things were moving in the right direction for him.
He was terrified to jinx it but he couldn't just be worried all the time. They had to enjoy life, too! He was going to do everything he could give Orien the best time of his life.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:38 pm
Oh, Orien absolutely beamed with delight when Kaelan said he would wear something so scandalous for him. Sure, not in public, but Orien was never actually serious about him wearing something like that in public.
“You just wait until I figure out how to make clothes in Mirrorspace,” he teased, leaning close so he could whisper in Kaelan’s ear. “There’s plenty of things I would like to see you wear… or not wear.”
The possibilities were endless. Oh, now he was getting too many thoughts in his head. Who needed memory when he could fill his mind with Kaelan?
“You make me happy. Indulging you is indulging myself. Oh, but you’ve worked so hard and have done such a good job with everything. How could I possibly laugh at something you’ve put your heart into?” he hummed, even as he sneakily reached down to settle his hand on the outside of Kaelan’s thigh, pulling it up against his hip--
Right when the timer went off.
For that he laughed. Because of course something would thwart him.
Reluctantly, he released Kaelan’s thigh so he could push himself up, offering a hand to help Kaelan up as well.
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:46 pm
Kaelan’s blood didn’t even have time to move out of his face and he wasn’t even sure why he was so dizzy while Orien spoke. It wasn’t the unpleasant sort of dizziness that accompanied sickness or anxiousness; he was just so giddy around him.
The oven saved him from getting lost in question and fantasy but even he laughed at the timing.
“Tonight,” he promised, partly an apology but mostly a certainty. He took Orien’s hand and pulled himself up. It happened a little too quickly and he felt a small wave of dizziness–real dizziness–but it faded quickly. He kissed Orien’s lips once more and held his hand as he tugged him to the oven.
“You say you won’t laugh now, but.”
He only needed one hand, it was just pizza. The green beans were still warm in the pot he’d cooked them in so he didn’t even bother to stir them. He opened the oven while he wore the mitt and pulled out–
A pizza, technically. It had crust, and sauce, and cheese. And a little face made out of pepperoni.
It was in the shape of a ghost–crude, but identifiable. Kaelan seemed delighted because, while it was no means a work of art, it had still come out cleanly enough that he’d have known what it was even if he hadn’t made it.
It was in his nature to be careful around Orien; he had so many unfortunate accidents that Kaelan wasn’t going to be responsible for any of them if he could help it; he set the hot pan atop the stove so Orien could see it without any risk of Kaelan hitting him with the pan.
“Ta-da! I would have made you cookies but I’ll save those for later, I spent enough today. Oh, and green beans. They’re healthy, so you have to eat some with your pizza.”
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