well, that's not good

Poppy

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Mar 18, 2015
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When Dorian woke up that morning, it was, by every means, a perfectly normal day. Dorian had a habit of waking up earlier than Logan and Mia because of his daily routine — catching up with work and school, and his early morning exercise. As he got on his treadmill, a batch of freshly made waffles on the dining room table, the TV show he was half-watching ended to make way for the morning news.

It wasn't the usual heartwarming bits and fashion advertising. There was an important PSA: A virus was spreading around. Dorian unconsciously started walking faster as he memorized the symptoms on screen. He likely wouldn't have it, but Mia and Logan fell into several categories. Oh god! Did he make them sick because he went to that stupid party? Guilt weighed heavily in his chest. He got off the treadmill and took a quick shower, then dressed himself up in a shirt and jeans. He needed to go check up on them. He didn't want to wake up Mia this early, but Logan was going to be up soon, so he probably wouldn't mind it if he woke him up, right?

Dorian lurked outside his door for a bit, waiting for him to wake up. No signs of it. He breathed in. He slipped into his room, turning on the light.

"Logan?" He slipped on his bed, gently shaking his shoulders. "I just want to ask, are you feeling sick?"
 

Tom Marvolo Riddle

the dark lord
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Jul 19, 2015
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portland, oregon
mantacarlos.tumblr.com
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[tom=http://i.imgur.com/uVGY9jP.png, #fc9cff]Logan had strange dreams that night. Themed around more intimidating religious imagery, punishment for sins, burning on the cross… When he woke up, he could barely remember a thing. His heart still raced over the little details that remained, the tenseness in his body.

The scent of waffles was in the air, warmth surrounded him, and Logan remembered, as always, I'm safe. He glanced over to Dorian, who'd been shaking his shoulders and saying his name. A tiny smile graced the unicorn's lips, and he curled around to nuzzle his cheek to his boyfriend's hand. "Bonjour, bonjour," he giggled, yawning and sitting up. "G'morning!" He gave Dorian an affectionate kiss in greeting, cupping his face, and rubbed their noses together.

Though, as the earlier words caught up, Logan hummed and blinked slowly, draping himself on Dorian while doing so. "Um. Gosh, you sound worried, is something going on? I feel…" He stopped to really think about this. How did he feel? Different. Lighter, softer, and pining after the arts. He wished to sing, play piano, and cook beautifully. Most of all, he wanted to share it with his loved ones. Logan flushed. "T-thankful for what I have, actually. It's silly, but I'm oddly… free, today, out of the blue. Like some anger and damage was lifted. I don't understand why… Maybe everything's finally catching up with me."

"Oh! I'm rambling, I'm sorry, that's rude…" He squeaked and squished Dorian's cheeks a bit. "You're so nice to me, listening to such silly gushing, mon chéri! I guess my point is that I don't feel sick-- more like, the exact opposite!" Logan offered a big grin, proud of this. He'd been working so hard to be happy.[/tom]
 

Poppy

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Mar 18, 2015
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Dorian felt his face flush when Logan woke up like something out of a romance movie. That was, hmm. He couldn't help but feel a bit flustered with that. Dorian wrapped an arm around him and combed his hair back with his fingers, affectionate. "Good morning, bunny." He pressed a kiss to his head. "Love you."

As Logan talked about how he was feeling, Dorian rested his head on a pillow and rubbed his back reassuringly. So he wasn't sick. Wasn't that one of the sicknesses? He supposed Logan was very lucky that it developed like that for him, then, though he was nervous about how exactly the disease would mutate.

He looked Logan over, took his words to heart, and felt very happy and sad for him at the same time. He should inform him of what was going on. Right? It felt cruel, but he didn't want to keep Logan in the dark, just in case it mutated badly or got cured, or something. Dorian cupped Logan's cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, expressing nothing but fondness.

"I'm very happy you're happy, love. That's all I want. I came in here because..." He adjusted their positions so Dorian was sitting up against the bed frame, a hand wrapped around Logan. He pulled out his phone and showed him an article about The March Virus. "While I was doing my morning exercise, the news aired something about an epidemic going on that originated from the party I went to last week. I thought that it was possible I became a carrier and infected you and Mia. I haven't talked to Mia yet, she's still asleep, but I'm glad you're fine."

Should he specifically tell him that it was possible he had The Riddle Effect? Dorian thought — he'd wait for him to find out it himself. Who knows? Maybe he was wrong, and Logan was just having a really good day. He really, really hoped that was the case.

Back to his currently very fluffy bunny of a boyfriend. Dorian reached out to gently caress his cheek with his thumb. "S'been a while since we've been like this, huh? How've you been? You know... after everything going on with your life. Any updates?"
 

Tom Marvolo Riddle

the dark lord
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Jul 19, 2015
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portland, oregon
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[tom=http://i.imgur.com/uVGY9jP.png, #fc9cff]Logan bit at his lip, blushing, oddly shy. He looked at whatever Dorian did with very round eyes. Goodness, was he really dating this person? He pressed gently closer. "Je t'aime," he whispered in return. Shutting his eyes for a moment, Logan savored this clearheadedness and peace, a little in wonder of it.

It was hard to be anxious over whatever Dorian was about to tell him. Logan decided that whatever it was, he could handle it. Life was pretty good, and he had all of these wonderful people by his side. He kissed Dorian, stomach fluttery, and giggled again-- very schoolgirlish in how he was behaving, looking at his boyfriend, and holding himself. Part of him was embarrassed, because he probably had a bedhead, and wasn't cute enough yet! As soon as he had the chance, Logan was going to fuss over himself in the mirror.

He settled against Dorian again when they moved, comfy and rosy-cheeked. Logan took his phone to read the article. His eyebrows slowly raised while he did. The March Virus. "Oh my gosh! March is so cursed," Logan declared, with a tiny huff. "Last year, the tsunami, now this? Cursed. That's a fact. Darn." He frowned. "Well, if you or Mia picked it up, there's no way I haven't too. But I'm not sick, so maybe it's fine?"

"It's so ironic that it was spread at the disease awareness party, but… sounds like that's what whoever did it wanted. That really sucks for Caduceus, especially after what's already happened." Logan sighed. "Terrible luck. And I mean, I hope they can fix it, that'd definitely be the way to make up for this mess. If not…" He trailed off. If not, they might finally die out. Either way, something had to give. It'd be surreal to see what ended up happening. "I don't envy Olivia Goldberg."

Once giving his opinions on the matter, Logan scrolled down to check the strains. Nothing stood out, except-- The Riddle Effect made him pause, heart giving a weird lurch. He stared silently, then moved on, smiling and passing Dorian's phone back to him. Logan wiggled to wrap a leg around him and sink into his bed's cushiness, now grinning. He ruffled Dorian's hair up, in order to not be the only person who looked less that perfect, and pulled him down to pepper his face with kisses.

"It's been a whirlwind, and I think I'm getting tuckered out of that," Logan murmured, gazing at Dorian. "I woke up wanting to… be creative and spend time with people who matter. To not be as scattered." He cuddled his boyfriend, morning tinted with something similar to an afterglow. He inhaled, brows furrowing. "I don't know. It's weird, I-- I already said that, but I'm not sure how else to explain."

His mind drifted and he saw himself in negative, threatening scenes, being touched in the wrong ways. "Hold on, I don't want to be in pajamas anymore," Logan told Dorian, rolling from the bed. He dug through his closet, stripping (with a flustered glance thrown back at Dorian) before putting on a new outfit. He smoothed it out in front of the mirror. The pretty blue dress brought out his eyes, made them pop, and had adorable white dots. He brushed his hair and put on a bow.

Satisfied with this look, Logan went back to Dorian and curled up with him. "Let's hang out today!" he said, perky. "If Mia is sick, I'll help take care of her. Those waffles smell lovely, by the way, like I'm in heaven! Do you want to cook together? Homemade chicken soup is ten times as good!" Logan was aware he was acting like a hyper child, but that wasn't inaccurate, and he was feeling very feminine. The only reason he didn't wear his necklace was to avoid possible acne. Couldn't take any risks with every young girl's nightmare.[/tom]
 

Poppy

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Mar 18, 2015
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Dorian snuggled up to him and petted his hair as he read the article, giving his head a little kiss. "God, I know right? I'm still in debt over that tsunami business. At least there won't be too heavy property damage this time." At the mention of Dorian picking something up, he shook his head. "I can't pick it up because I don't have powers, but I'm possibly a carrier, yeah. You and Mia are more in danger than me."

Caduceus... Dorian nodded. They were just recovering from a fatal scandal. And now there was another going on? If the virus spread too badly, Dorian was of the opinion that they weren't going to recover from that anymore. "Right. CEOs can fuck up and be replaced, but this is more a company-sized affair." Dorian laughed as his hair was ruffled. Joke's on him! The bedhead look was great on him!

As Logan started talking about his state, Dorian's bright smile turned into a smaller one, then faltered. He studied Logan as he got up and changed, feeling a bit of anxiety lurch in his stomach. He hoped he'd get a little more out of him with his line of questioning, but no such luck. He justified it with being busy, but maybe Logan just didn't want to talk to him anymore? They were dating and living together. Some would take that as a sign they were getting closer. Were they? Was Logan avoiding him? Using him? Or was Dorian the one that never opened up in the first place?

Dorian smiled when Logan turned to look back at him, now cute and pretty in his dress. He held him when he curled up around him, expression pleasant but eyes thoughtful, thinking. He got genuinely surprised at the offer of hanging out. It seemed like every time he offered, Logan couldn't make it one way or another, so having him invite it made him beam in delight. He felt a little bitter, but a lot hopeful.

"I'd love to hang out, but are you sure? You don't have anything going on today?" He held Logan's hand and squeezed it. "I'd love to cook together! I'm not sure if Mia is sick, I haven't asked her yet, but she was at the party with me the other day. It's pretty likely she is. I don't have the ingredients for chicken noodle soup — actually, supplies are getting low, in general. Do you want to go get groceries first? Honestly, this virus thing is making me a little nervous, so I want enough stuff to get by if it turns into full on zombie apocalypse epidemic like the corn maze or something."
 

Tom Marvolo Riddle

the dark lord
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Jul 19, 2015
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portland, oregon
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[tom=http://i.imgur.com/uVGY9jP.png, #fc9cff]Logan nodded and squeezed back, bringing Dorian's hands up to kiss, even playfully nibbling at his fingertips. "I'm sure! Absolutely, positively, cherry on top, one hundred percent certain!" With the clouds in his mind parted, he felt a strong need to be at home. And the first home he'd been given was here, with Dorian. Before his father, the Grahams, or any other close relations came along, this was where he hid and breathed. The place he felt safe in.

"It's still pretty early," Logan hummed, checking the time on his own phone, booping the little bunny wallpaper and smiling. "We can probably manage a groceries trip before she misses us." He paused, then scrunched his nose up at the apocalypse note. "Oh no! It better not, I want peace and quiet. You know, once, when I was I don't know-- nine, ten? I was with some other kids and, unbeknownst to me, we were going to sneakily watch a zombie flick. It was off limits both from the maturity and the violence against undead thing. It made me cry, and… um, I told everyone's parents." By the end of this story, his cheeks were red, and he'd forgotten why he was telling Dorian something that ridiculous. He giggled and hid his face, nuzzling. "I like regular civilization."

He stayed with Dorian for a few minutes more, figuring they could afford that before getting up, enjoying this cozy body heat. Logan liked that they were near equal in height, because it was easy to kiss him. "I dunno if you've heard me singing in the shower," the unicorn murmured. "I've been practicing a lot, thinking it'll go well with playing the piano. I'd like to try preforming at local businesses, if I can. Would you want to go with me for that? I'll wait until whenever you're free, if so." He offered another shy smile, feeling mushy and softhearted.

Logan scooted off the bed, pulling shoes and socks on, and held his hands out to Dorian again so he could get up too. "Upsy daisy, darling! I've chattered a lot, come on, I want to hear about you too." He cupped Dorian's face, bright eyed and intent, fixing his hair. "We move while we talk, get that rude yucky apocalypse preparation going. I don't want it to happen, but if it does, we're going to be those assh--" he peeped, and corrected himself, "—jerks in the fancy building that can't be touched by whatever nasty stuff is going on below. Right? Yes?"[/tom]
 

Poppy

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Mar 18, 2015
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Oh no. That was bloody adorable. The fussy bunny behavior reminded him a lot of the days Logan went around and pretended to be his mysterious girlfriend, how it used to fluster him. He beamed and nodded. "Alright, you silly bunny." He petted his head and pressed a kiss there. "I believe you."

Day planned, then! They were going to hang out, though probably just in Dorian's apartment, considering the many sick people wandering around outside. That was fine. Before Jeanette was even a thing, they had their own versions of dates in his apartment, only this time they were doing it because of a possible apocalypse. What set the tone better than fearing for their own lives, right?

His smile grew brighter and brighter at the story. At the end, Dorian barked a laugh and poked him on the side. "You... told on them! You little tattletale! Oh my god. You know what, I'm not surprised. You're big on gossip now, it had to come from somewhere." He was teasing rather good-naturedly, of course.

They cuddled for a bit, and it was nice. Dorian pined at him so much it was crazy. He didn't know what to do with those feelings, too overwhelmed, heartbeat racing. Logan had been by his side for years, a constant factor in his life. Dorian didn't think about Logan as much when he wasn't around, but when he was, it felt like recovering a limb or a sense that he didn't realize was missing. He didn't hurt, but he became a lesser man for it. He took Logan's hand and laced their fingers together, enjoying the way his boyfriend's more delicate fingers spilled through the cracks. He smiled back at him, rubbing his nose against his head. "You know I never miss any of your performances. I'd love to, and I'll make sure to make time for you, like always. I don't think I'll end up as busy this month considering the virus, so the sooner the better."

Dorian let himself be pulled up, chuckling, but instead of doing anything productive, he immediately wrapped his arms around Logan again and breathed in his scent, sugary sweet like always. "Hell yeah, we're going to be those guys. We're way too rich and pretty to participate in weird zombie behavior like the rest of them."

He let go of Logan a bit reluctantly and focused on putting on his shoes, then topped his outfit off with a stylish and waterproof coat, just in case it rained. When he was done, he held Logan's hand and led him out of their place and into his car. He thought about what to tell him that would be exciting or interesting regarding himself, but nothing really came to mind. With other people, though, there was plenty, and maybe that'd be easier. He started the engine and hummed.

"Let's see. There's plenty of stuff going on. Mia's worried she's ruining our reputation by hanging out with us, and I had to reassure her that I don't give a shit. Mal bent a steel girder by the thighs and got two million views on YouTube in a week. Felix got married. Geez. Shay disappeared, and she apparently got murdered, so that's alarming. Katherine tried to argue with me that it would totally be healthier if she gave birth to an eight month old baby. Versa is, god, pregnant too? What the hell is with baby fever? Nim got into an accident, fell in a coma and is going around in a wheelchair." Dorian drove off. "Me... Uh, did you see that viral video of me on YouTube, escaping through a window? Super bad. Yikes."
 

Tom Marvolo Riddle

the dark lord
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Jul 19, 2015
1,892
portland, oregon
mantacarlos.tumblr.com
Pronouns
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[tom=http://i.imgur.com/uVGY9jP.png, #fc9cff]Logan missed this. His heart fluttered as shyly as it had early on in their dating, but with more security, now. He soaked happily in the glow of warmth and support, wondering on ways to show his gratitude further. Of course, his heartbeat jumped and started pounding in his ears once Dorian's arms were around him again. The unicorn was entirely a mix of flustered and aroused by Dorian's everything. How it felt to be held, having him breath in Logan's scent, the sentiments, it was a lot! He squirmed and pressed close.

Heat rose, and when his boyfriend moved back, Logan was similarly reluctant to let go-- holding onto his sleeve for a moment. Gosh! He was acting like a thirteen year old girl, and remembered having similar thoughts when new and clumsy with romance. That couldn't be blamed right now, though. Logan was being Logan. A dork. "We're rich and pretty together," he murmured, giggling quietly and taking Dorian's hand to hold. He grabbed a cute pink raincoat for the trip.

In the car, Logan rested his chin in a palm and gave Dorian low-key bedroom eyes, dreamy and heavy lidded, skin still buzzing. He listened intently, a loyal follower and doting lover at heart. "Aw, no, poor sweetheart… I'll talk to her too, remind her that there's plenty of material for rumors about me either way." They each had their share of bright but beaten down in them. "I saw Mal's video! It was super cool. Tough women are totally inspiring, right?" He sparkled a little more while excitable, grinning and spreading his aura thicker in the air. "Felix got married? Wow! I didn't think that would happen! But marriage does seem popular lately. Who'd he marry?"

However, the sparkles dimmed and Logan paled at the mention of Eroshay's murder. Violent, upsetting imagery flashed for a moment before Logan could shake it off. Guilt remained, and it was sickening. He sniffed once and nodded. "I heard. I hate that," he mumbled. "So awful. It isn't okay to hurt children, and I wish it'd stop already. We're s'posed to be evolved creatures, why does this exist anymore? Is there anything we can do at school to help kids be less at risk? I guess defense classes are going to be added to…"

He tried to keep it light by latching onto the other, amusing topics. "I keep wondering who caused the baby fever! I'll see a lady, look at her, and ask myself 'is her infant cute enough to have encouraged widespread envy and intrigue?'. It's basically a whole game, but I probably haven't found the real origin yet… Instead, I'm weirdly rating babies, and have no excuse." Logan puffed out both cheeks. "Ugh, Dorian, I'm telling you so many embarrassing stories today!"

"Versa is pregnant and Nimble got in a coma, then a wheelchair," Logan repeated, frowning over it. "That's terrible, I feel very sorry for him and… is this a happy or sad occasion for Versa? Sounds worrying, but I might be making undue assumptions. I… am I a horrible person if I'm relieved Mia's gotten away from their car crash, Dorian? Because I am. I wish it didn't have to be that way, that they didn't have to be that way."

Logan bit his lip and grinned, goofily lopsided at the last update. "I saw! First watch, I had a mini heart attack on your behalf. Second, I said to myself, 'is this a crush incident?'. Is it? Come on, you can tell me!"[/tom]
 

Poppy

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Mar 18, 2015
3,930
Dorian kept his eyes on the road, but he could feel Logan's eyes burning through him, making him flustered than he had any right to be. "Aw, sweetheart, come on. Neither of you are bad to me. People talk. Who cares?" Maybe a CEO and someone who profited from adoration should care about people's opinions, but Dorian never really saw popularity as a desirable thing. It was a tool to accomplish his goals. He saw himself as above gossip mongers, and because of that, their words hardly meant anything to him.

"Yeah, Mal's something else. You'd think she'd be super butch with her hardcore fitness regimen, but she's still pretty feminine, too. And Felix married Toby. He's one of our make-up artists, if you didn't know." At the mention of Shay, Dorian threw a quick glance at him and nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty awful. It was a rival gang member, I heard. I'm pretty pissed about it, but I'm not sure if I should interfere, since it's a Rosales affair. Still, the new Student Council President acknowledged there have been people missing, so he's giving self defense classes to students that want them. It's something students sorely need right now."

Then, Dorian laughed, thankful for the topic change. "I don't know! Last year was single ladies hooking up year. This year is babies. So many babies. At least they tend to be adults, so no teen pregnancy here. Well, so far." He grinned. "Really? Who's baby is the cutest so far?"

Dorian shook his head at the last part. "No, not really. Nim and Versa are... I don't think they're necessarily bad people, but they're not the brightest and they're really toxic. I still dislike that they threatened to beat me up several times if I hurt Mia. Funny how the tables turned and they're the ones that hurt Mia instead. You know, in the lodge, Versa was visibly avoiding me and whispering these things about me while I was there, acting like I was some sort of horrible person, right in front of my friends and acquaintances. I couldn't stand it at all. It's so childish. That's why I didn't let her around Mia — she's self-centered, guilt tripping, and Mia was relapsing, for god's sake."

After his mini rant, Dorian sighed and smiled, blushing a bit. "Y-yeah, it was a crush accident. I was, uh, at a social call with Valentine Crowther. It got... weird, but we ended up going out, so that was fun. Not sure if we're an item yet? But he's really. Hm. Attractive." He nodded. "What about you? Any other lovers I should know about? You've been rather busy after you got out of your step dad's house, I noticed!"

The grocery store wasn't far away, but Dorian felt a raindrop hit his nose. He looked up at the graying sky, frowned, and herded Logan inside. He hoped it was just a drizzle, but that seemed unlikely.

The entrance of the grocery store automatically opened and dinged. There was an announcement about a discount on werewolf-grade razors, space bug meat, and canned spinach. Dorian took a cart and pushed through the entrance. "We need... a week's worth of dairy and vegetables, two months worth of meat, and as many canned goods as possible. Maybe stuff like batteries, toiletries like soap and tissue paper, matches, survival stuff. Things like that. Go crazy."