[EVENT] What a Catch (Poptart)

Zell · Aug 10, 2015

"Doesn't he?" Amphy agreed with a soft laugh, unable to look at its sewn red and white face without imagining the stuffed animal sitting behind a desk doing his taxes or something, always on time every year. It had the face of a determined, diligent man who didn't have kids yet, but he would rather adopt anyways.

At least, that's what the faun thought, looking at its face that was totally neutral and seemed to loll slightly on is just-under-perfectly-stuffed body.

Of course, Mr. Bearington's sheer size was an inconvenience. He was just about as tall as Amphy was, and even though holding him just under the arms and hefted slightly kept its legs from dragging on the ground, it obscured his sight something fierce to the point where he found himself walking off kilter towards Ardos to avoid the people and slightly jutting booths that his new inanimate friend's body was obscuring.

But he didn't even care! Ardos had won him a stuffed animal and easily dunked a douche bag into the water tank! That was like six movie tropes all hit in one fell swoop! This was promising to be a great day if they could keep this up.

Hearing Ardos call his name, he turned to him.

And the faun's heart stopped.

Hand holding... god, he wanted to. He'd gotten a taste of how rough even the skin you wouldn't expect was. The shoulder, the face, the arm--all scarred and rough. Shifting the bear slowly so he was holding it with one hand, he checked his other (not sweaty, good) before offering it to Ardos to hold. "I... uh, I would like that."

Letting his hand be taken, he would seem to shimmer as the sound of music became louder and angrier as they approached the band Amphy remembered from Ardos' shirts.

Poppy · Aug 19, 2015

Ardos took Amphy's hand into his own with his heart doing only minimal backflips in his chest. While he was usually a fan of fingerless gloves and inappropriate layers of clothing just so he could feel bundled up and secure, he kind of regretted not taking them off. He couldn't take them off now. He didn't want to seem desperate. He kept his eyes at the direction they were going, but he couldn't help rubbing Amphy's knuckle with his thumb.

What he could see on-stage was... unsavory.

There was a man with tight leather pants, thick eye makeup and spikes gyrating around the stage while screaming frantically. He would've assumed he was angry or in pain if it weren't for the fact that there were other minstrels dressed in like, clanging their instruments with neither flow nor rhythm.

Humans were so odd. He didn't want his mind jumping into 'torture festival' again... but.

Ardos made an unsure face. His eyebrows could not be more furrowed even if he tried.

"I am... uncertain of what is going on here, Amphy. Are you sure this is part of the music festival?"

Zell · Aug 25, 2015

Ardos's attention sent shivers up his spine and made him just feel all kinds of bubbly. It felt like his skin was tingling all over, like the tiny circles made by the drow's thumb over his knuckles left tiny flames against his skin. It was.... it made him happy, that's really the only emotion he had about it.

When they approached the stage, Amphy was... confused. He'd thought Ardos would like this, he....

The faun took a few quick, deep breaths before shoving his hands into his pockets and pulling out a crumpled up piece of paper. They were definitely in the right place if nothing else. "I... yeah, this is definitely.... we're in the right spot...." His voice was half drowned out by the sound of screaming and vigorous dissonant strumming that the performers were calling their "sound".

Finally he turned to Ardos. "I thought you would like this, you.... you have a shirt with their band name on it, the Screaming Grenadier shirt--"

He was really trying not to sound upset, but he was scared that he'd done something wrong. Should he have kept his mouth shut? Maybe he was just wearing the shirt to be weird and ironic? Was he just waaaaay too uncool to be doing this?

Amphy said something else, the shapes of his lips read 'sorry i thought--', but the loudness of the music drowned out the actual words.

Poppy · Aug 26, 2015

Ardos noticed the disappointment across Amphy's features and —

He couldn't help but laugh, really, not at Amphy's plight, but in pure, unbridled amusement. Endearment. He thought of all the times he'd sent Amphy bad gifts and felt embarrassment for days. Was this what it was like the other way around?

"I, um." Ardos covered his mouth with a fist to hide a chuckle. "I bought that shirt at the thrift store near our place. It was $5 in a bundle along with similar looking shirts." He had a very specific aesthetic to maintain. "I didn't realize they were a band. Are all texts on shirts indicative of human bands?"

Now he was embarrassed.

Amphy's words were drowned on by the Screaming Grenades' loud, well, screaming, but Ardos read his lips anyway, because it was Amphy. He paid attention to everything he said no matter how small, no matter how insignificant he thought his voice was. He leaned down to kiss his head softly to tell him that he never had to apologize around him. Ardos was often bad with words but this, he could do.

"It's one band," he said, blunter than he intended but the voice soft all the same. "There's some more down the street we could check out, if you're up for it." He waved the cotton candy stick. "We need more cotton candy anyway."

Zell · Aug 28, 2015

Amphy pressed his face into Mr. Bearington's fur, his face burning hot in terrible embarrassment as Ardos explained the shirt he'd been wearing. It turns out that it was more for aesthetic than to show his affiliation towards an actual band, and that thought made the faun absolutely miserable with.... well... misery. He'd screwed this up and maybe the drow thought he was a huge nerd and he wouldn't wanna talk to him anymore and then he would go back to eating by himself at lunch and-- and-- and--

The sound that Amphy was making sounded a lot like a car refusing to start as his mouth was turned down into a harsh frown, his face buried in his new stuffed animal's fur to hide the fact that he was definitely, unquestionably crying.

He turned a little from the red teddy in his grasp to look at Ardos, his eyes just beginning to get puffy. The faun snuffled--it was a gross, wet sound that was the furthest thing from cute, and he nodded.

Before they walked away he held out his hand. If he wasn't going to be left stranded in the middle of the music festival like in his absolute worst nightmares, then the day could only get better from here right? ....Right?

Poppy · Aug 28, 2015

Ardos took his hand, led Amphy out of the crowd and into a noodle stall with folds that would hide them from the eyes of the busy street. In this area, the wails of the earlier band was juxtaposed with the soft piano keys of the soft-voiced singer in the next stage. It didn't escape Ardos' notice that Amphy was crying. That set off alarms in his head, nagging him to fix this immediately. Did he do something wrong?

"You're crying," he said softly, smacking himself in the head for stating something obvious. Ardos was the opposite of soft and comforting. But he was trying. He lowered the teddy bear's face to look at Amphy, caressing his cheek with a finger. "I hope I didn't offend you. I often wish I'm better at adjusting to human society, but there are minutia that get lost in translation. I get lost on normal conventions."

He paused.

"I appreciate the gesture. So few people consider my feelings on matters. Thank you." He meant every word. He looked away for a moment, a small sheepish smile on his face. "I... er, this is..." He rubbed Amphy's knuckles in apology. "This is going very badly, isn't it? I'm sorry. I hoped to impress you today but my inexperience in... these matters... is showing. I knew I should've gotten you flowers, but the florist's was closed."

Zell · Sep 4, 2015

The faun couldn't really see where Ardos was leading him. He guessed that Ardos was taking him someplace private, away from the festival to talk to him. Would he be mean? Admittedly he couldn't really think of a time when the drow was mean to him without purpose and only for the sake of being mean, but there was a first time for everything, he thought as his heart thrummed painfully against his ribs.

Imagine his surprise when he smelled noodles instead.

Amphy blinked as Mr. Bearington's face was lowered and he looked at his companion who touched his cheek softly. Ardos' hand felt cool to his face, but his face was a mess of heat and tears.

"I-- no..." Amphy said, his voice cracking a little. "I just.... everything was going just how I hoped and then I ruined everything and I just--I thought--I thought you wouldn't wanna hang out with me and I--"

His voice trailed off into short, quick breaths as he scrubbed the tears from his cheeks.

The faun listened to Ardos and was quiet for a long moment before he took a big step forward and hugged him.

It was awkward at first, because Amphy's arm that held up his teddy was smushed between them, but after a moment he freed it and squeezed against the drow. It was comforting. And, after about a minute, it was awkward.

Slowly, he stepped back, catching the large bear that now looked kinda squished.

"I.... sorry."

Poppy · Sep 10, 2015

Ardos wasn't the best hug giver. He wasn't even on the running for most affectionate person out there. But he hugged him back. Of course he did. First as a brief, stiff, borderline awkward pat on the back, and when the stuffed animal fell, evolved into a tight embrace with his arms around his waist and his nose buried in his soft hat, partway curls, and then he felt it again. The almost painful ache in his chest that longed for him.

Ruined everything. How could Amphy ever ruin anything? There weren't enough words to describe how he adored this small kind-hearted boy who took his time to patch up the scrappiest of underdogs, looking for neither payment nor praise, with the biggest one he's helped being Ardos himself.

He had so many things he wanted to tell him. How he adored him, saw him brighter than the sun and all the stars in the galaxy, how he'd never ever conceivably do wrong in his eyes. But Ardos just. Wasn't. Articulate or earnest or expressive enough.

He wasn't enough.

"I will stay by your side as long as you want me there," he said softly. "You don't have to apologize to me."

He let his own emotions get the better of him as he cupped Amphy's face with both of his hands for a brief moment, caressing his cheek with his thumb. It would've been so easy to...

He slowly dropped his hands to his side. "We should move on." He tilted his head to the side, referring to the nearby band. The girl with the piano keys. "I like how that one sounds."

Zell · Sep 11, 2015

Honestly, Amphy couldn't tell that the hug was awkward. He was so busy clinging to Ardos and questing for closeness that it almost went right over his head that all he was getting in return were pats on the back and nothing more. It was enough that Ardos let the faun hug him at all. That was all Amphy really needed in this moment, and it didn't feel right to ask for any more than that.

At least, that's what he thought.

When he felt the hard planes of Ardos' arms wrap around his middle and pull the faun close, and the soft weight of his nose against his hat and just touching the beginnings of his hair, he realized that he wanted so much more. Well, not realized--he'd always known that he wanted more, he wanted kisses and hugs and cuddles and movies in their socks with a blanket covering them both, late night quiet whispers as they shared the same bed, not even sexually, just their pajama-clad legs tangled together and small pecks on noses and eyes--

He had it so, so bad. So bad it wasn't even funny. It couldn't be funny. It could only be desperate and sad.

The drow's words only made Amphios' feelings swell even more, to the point of bursting into a million pieces and showering the entire festival in stars, each one etched in hidden feelings, because he was fine just being this man's friend. honest.

Honest.

For a fleeting moment, as he looked at the elf's chiseled features and leaned against his hand, warm fingers and leather against his skin, he hoped that maybe there would be a lean-in, a soft pause, a light touch--

But there was nothing.

Amphy was fine with that.

Honest.

Taking a deep breath and holding Mr. Bearington tightly, he looked over towards the stall with the sound of piano keys and a soft voice singing. Apparently that was the sound he preferred. Amphy couldn't have been further from the right answer.

"Okay, lets go over there." Amphy held out his hand for Ardos, and walked over to the sound of the soft voice and tinkling piano notes.

Poppy · Oct 11, 2015

Ardos felt relieved, and a little bit braver, now that Amphy calmed down. Call his standards ridiculous, but he was still a bit giddy when he thought about how Amphy thought about him earlier. It made him a little hopeful, that was all. He didn't deserve him. But, god, he was willing to work so he could.

He led them both out of the noodle stall, nodding politely at the shopkeeper, and walked beside him, hand finding Amphy's own again until they had to pass by a huge group. He inched closer and wrapped an arm around his waist to lead him away. He didn't... want to move his hand again, really. He liked this a lot better.

The singer on-stage was absolutely ethereal on-stage, and even the crowd was more relaxed and almost pleasant. They were dancing to a slow song about hummingbirds and spring, and love in the spring. Ardos only knew what half of those words meant, but they made him all happy inside.

It was dark in this corner of the street, with only dim, light blue floodlighting slowly moving around to the beat of the song to illuminate the place. Ardos smiled at him in the dark and offered a hand, heart beating as loud as drums in his chest and thrumming in his ears.

"I'm not the best dancer... but do you want to try?"

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[EVENT] What a Catch (Poptart)

Zell

Well-Known Member

Poppy

Well-Known Member

Zell

Well-Known Member

Poppy

Well-Known Member

Zell

Well-Known Member

Poppy

Well-Known Member

Zell

Well-Known Member

Poppy

Well-Known Member

Zell

Well-Known Member

Poppy

Well-Known Member