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 Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 5:42 pm
Quote: When the Fire Works (14) : Innovation is expected in Destiny City, so seasonal commodities are always expected to sell well. This year, the hot new summer item includes some chemically enhanced logs: carefully modified with environmental and health-safe chemicals, these logs are guaranteed to burn bright, burn long, and burn beautifully. It’s not just a pretty flame: each individual log has several rings that will light up like a sparkler when the flame hits. Larger logs will even pop off small, colorful fireworks for several hours while they burn. Though the lightshow is beautiful, it’s also calm. The logs have a pleasant, earthy smell, and unlike the sounds of normal fireworks, these simply sound like a crackling fire. There’s something curiously nostalgic about these fires; they are able to elicit a sort of childlike whimsy, if only you let them. If not, it’s still pretty. Mason felt like he was getting a bad grade in ‘Boyfriend’. He was screwing up the first relationship he’d ever had, and what for? For being a literal magical superhero - running around town, chasing fires (literally), fighting demon chickens… It felt absurd, and Mason was just…tired. He was in need of a break in a big way, and more to the point, he missed Khaz. Sure, they’d been texting, but it wasn’t the same as being in his presence. Sure, being in his presence presented its own struggles - how did people with non-magical partners, who didn’t know anything about the world happening right under their noses, manage it? It was too big a secret, and Mason knew he was going to have to dance around it all night long, keep himself from letting it bubble up. He needed to keep Khaz as far away from this whole mess as he could, just like how he did with Madeline. Sure, she knew already, but he needed to isolate her beyond that. He had to keep her, and Khaz, safe. But he forced himself to stay focused on the evening in front of him, which, if he did say so himself, was shaping up to be a perfect one. He’d gotten one of the fancy sparkler-log thingies, and failed at convincing his sister to pack a picnic basket for him, but succeeded at convincing his sister to teach him how to pack a picnic basket for himself. It was swinging under his arm as sunset approached the horizon of the reservoir; Mason kept his distance from the water. He would not allow Khaz to step one toe into that water, not after the sea monster that had basically used him as a chew toy. He couldn’t tell Khaz why he was suddenly aquaphobic, so he’d just have to keep him too distracted too ask about it. Yeah. He was going to distract the swimmer away from the water. A great plan, with zero percent potential for absolute failure. Super. Just when he had convinced himself that this was all a terrible idea and they should just brave Madeline and take the whole picnic-n-fireworks show to go, Mason spotted Khaz approaching. It still made his stomach turn itself over, like the organ had learned how to do a cartwheel when Mason wasn’t looking. That was his boyfriend. That was his boyfriend. At that moment, Mason didn’t know which he was more grateful for - awakening as a Page of Earth, or meeting Khaz, but he knew that he was so grateful to have something as exciting and intoxicating as his new magical world - without the novelty and thrill and grounding of his first relationship, he was reasonably certain that without it, he would just float away all the way into the magical world, with Mason completely subsumed by Blarney. “Hey!” Mason called, winding his way through the scattered crowd of people - mostly couples and families that had the same idea he did. “Happy Starfest!”
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 6:19 pm
(Note: We are responding with this RP to Prompt 14!) Mason wasn’t the only person earning a poor grade as a boyfriend.
Khaz had mostly been working on driver’s ed that summer. Sure, none of the cars on his asteroid were operational, but, if the weird restorative magic was anything to go by, that might be just a matter of time. And having a car to explore his asteroid would be great–if he could operate it safely. Hence the aggressive studying. Sure, the teenager would be driving unsupervised when off-world, but he could at least strive to get comfortable enough with the basics to not accidentally drive into an irreplaceable sacred obelisk. Or something.
But Starfest had begun, and Khaz honestly didn’t want to be stuck at home alternating between studying driver’s ed, doing summer homework, and training in the pool through the entire festival. So when he got the text from Mason asking if he wanted to go on a picnic dinner date to the reservoir, it honestly sounded like a lot of fun, though he was a little worried, given that the reservoir was a popular date night spot this time of year.
Eventually, he’d shot back his response, confirming he’d go. His mother and sister were headed to the festival, and Khaz had already begged off attending tonight, on account of hanging out with a friend tonight. He had simply failed to mention that it was a boyfriend. Yasmeen had smiled knowingly. Which kinda made him feel better about the whole affair of not being cis/het, and gratified to know that she was rooting for him. She’d been in the room when he got the text, and insisted that he go.
Which meant he’d spent time getting himself cleaned up, going for a relaxed look. Not as careful about staying cool, he opted for some nice, but sturdy, pants, a nice shirt with a shallow, but wide and curving v-neck with an appropriate wrap, as the reservoir wasn’t super duper warm even this time of year once the sun went down. Hair was combed back, very light on the makeup. Shoes. Right. The eternal question. Shrugging, Khaz picked sandals, and hurried out the door.
By the time he got to the reservoir, the beach already had a thin crowd of people coming out for a sunset picnic of their own. Mostly couples, by the looks of it, but with some families interspersed. But then he saw Mason. Waving as he made his way over, Khaz replied softly, almost huskily, “Happy Starfest, Mason.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2025 6:55 pm
Mason’s smile only widened - until he said his name, Mason had been ready to believe that maybe it was some sort of loneliness-based dream. But then he said his name, and all the butterflies sprung back into his belly like they’d never left. Aware that they were in public, and that Khaz wasn’t exactly waving a flag around, Mason caught him up in a tight hug, squeezing him close in greeting. “Missed you,” Mason murmured, low, just for him, and then he pulled away with a smile. “C’mon, let’s stake a out a good spot,” Mason said, linking his arm through Khaz’s in a way that could, arguably, be interpreted as platonic. “What’ve you been so busy with?” Mason knew what he had been so busy with - leaping from rooftops, dusting youma, demon chickens - but Khaz had been…quiet. Mason, whose natural state was decidedly unquiet, was doing his very best to be normal about that; to not be overbearing, or clingy, or annoying, or any of the other adjectives that he had told himself that it would be, if he texted and called and bothered the other boy as much as he’d wanted to over the past month. Maybe this was just how dating was. Mason had no idea - he’d never done it before. It was good, he’d decided, that he had magic stuff to distract him, or else he would be utterly obsessed with this boy, whose skin in the sunset light was positively glowing. “Just–we shouldn’t get too close to the water,” Mason added as they meandered into a somewhat more empty space. He glanced nervously at the water, praying that the sea monster that lurked down there had been scare away by his and Aruna’s attack - that it wouln’t pull a Jaws and ruin everyone’s holiday. That it wouldn’t force him to reveal his whole other world to Khaz, who was just - so sweet he could hardly stand it, and needed to be kept safe and far away from anything that even smelled like a youma, if Mason had anything to say about it.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2025 5:32 pm
Khaz shyly hugged his boyfriend back. “I missed you too,” he murmured just as softly, with a gentle smile playing about his lips. He took Mason’s arm and followed him as they wandered.
“Oh, not much, summer homework, staying in shape for the swim team, starting driver’s ed, so my mom has an extra driver in case of emergencies,” definitely not so that he could drive 1920s style cars powered by solar energy on an asteroid somewhere in the Solar System’s asteroid belt, nope nope nope, “the usual stuff a teenage boy with an absent-bordering-on-nonexsistent father would do. And you?”
Mason was a normal guy, living a normal life. Or, well, as normal as life ever got in Destiny City, which was still probably pretty weird. Like, comic book or anime levels of weird. Anyway, Mason would only worry about Khaz if he knew Khaz was a senshi. Plus, if the wrong people found out that Khaz was a senshi, that could spell danger for him, right? And for the people he loved. Yasmeen could probably protect herself in a fight, though Khaz was still worried about her getting in over her head. But the rest of the family? They weren’t equipped to protect themselves if he brought trouble home. Mason wouldn’t be able to protect himself. And that’s what the bad guys did, wasn’t it? Or at least the less honorable, or more ends-justify-the-means baddies did. Anyway, Khaz couldn’t bring trouble home, so, much as it might be fun to take Mason on a date to his asteroid, and drive around the Aberdonian landscape, Mason couldn’t know Khaz was a senshi.
And so, for the zillionth time in his life, Khaz swallowed a secret about himself he couldn’t reveal to the people he loved, for the sake of protecting what he had now.
Khaz shrugged. “That’s fine, I didn’t bring a swimsuit, anyway. Just because nobody’s had to wear bug spray to events on summer nights at the reservoir doesn’t mean I should go tempting fate.” He shuddered slightly. “Given some of the diseases those insects carry…no thank you, I’ll keep my clothes on in the evening at the reservoir.”
Looking around, Khaz gestured to where they were standing, near one of the firepits that dotted the beach, for people who wanted to use them to grill food at cookouts. “This spot looks unoccupied, how about here?” If no one else was colonizing this firepit, it would be something to lean against, and maybe use that as an excuse for a low-key cuddle. Khaz flushed slightly at the thought.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2025 8:53 pm
"Perfect spot," Mason said, kneeling to unpack the oversized beach-bag as he glanced right over the absent father bit; boy could he sing that song all too well, but Khaz didn't need to worry about that, or try to figure out what to say in response. Better for everyone if he just kept that to himself for now.
First came the blanket to sit on - firm, but still comfortable - and then the blanket to wrap around their shoulders, in case it got cold and they (hopefully) needed to snuggle. Y'know, for warmth. After the blankets came the meal, Tupperwared and wrapped and, for the drinks, a little cooler with ice to keep the water bottles and variety of sodas cool. After the food came the main event - the firework log.
This, he set directly in the firepit and gave Khaz a shy smile. "Figured we could have our own little show," he explained, a light blush crossing his cheeks. Just as long as nothing else from the wilds of Destiny City came and tried to put on a show of their own--Khaz could not know that he was a Knight. Everything he'd been doing for the past month or so had either been learning things or explaining things or sometimes both at once, and he wanted a night off. He also wanted to keep his boyfriend safe, and if Mason's personal experience was anything to go by, the second Khaz found out about the magical world, he'd start seeing it - participating in it - willfully or not. Once he knew, he couldn't un-know.
...But if they were to be proper partners - if they were in this for the long haul...surely Mason would have to tell him someday. He would just have to, wouldn't he? ...Maybe, like, on their wedding night. Or deathbed.
Mason shook his head to clear it. "Have you seen these go off yet? I haven't, they're supposed to be really cool." He grinned up at Khaz, heart an anxious hammer in his chest - please let Khaz like this and not think it's just the cheesiest thing in the world. Please oh please oh please.
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