[He's not even calling from some far-off, back room - the place is literally all one big space, with the makeshift oven in the back and a scattering of chairs up front. The yelling is just for laughs, as Mike looks up from the counter and waves. True to his word, tomato sauce is pretty much everywhere, making the scene look a bit like something from a vampire movie.
Man, remember movies?]
I added more sugar, this time. Taste it.
[He sticks out a wooden spoon, splattering more sauce onto the floor.]
[Will huffs out a laugh, nudging the door behind him with one foot and side-stepping the chairs to lean over the counter. He arches both eyebrows at Mike, then licks at the spoon cautiously.
Then he looks genuinely surprised.] Woahhhh, you were right. [He'd firmly expressed his belief that, since tomato sauce is savory, there's no sugar in it. But he's now a believer.] It tastes exactly like the stuff back in Deerington.
[Micycle Wheels, we both know Will is not the rabid one in this relationship, how dare you. Will gasps, covering his nose with a gloved hand and looking deeply offended.]
Pioneers made ice cream? Like, on the Oregon Trail? [Sure, why not.] Are you gonna do ice cream here? Or any kind of dessert?
Like beef jerky? Gross. [Will, of course, assumes every word is the gospel truth. He could look it up, but that would mean he doubts Mike's endless wisdom. And he would never.
Then he pauses, absently looking down at the sauce-splattered counter and dragging a finger through it.] Who...would you wanna hire?
[There's like three seconds where Will doesn't get the joke and looks bewildered and perturbed. But then it lands, and he breaks into a laugh, rolling his eyes and reaching out to shove lightly at Mike's shoulder.]
Stop that. I'm being serious! Like, if you don't...y'know, if this is your thing, I don't wanna...I dunno. [Another shove. He's not blushing, shut up.<]
[He's trying to be annoyed, wow, stop grinning like the literal sun. It just makes Will sort of snortlaugh, the sound trailing off, his ears turning bright red.] Okay. Okay, cool. Cause I -- want to help. Definitely.
-- oh, I uh. Got you something too. [He stuffs a hand in one pocket, then frowns.] You gotta promise not to think it's weird, though.
[That gets a snort of a laugh, then Will digs out a long leather cord -- cause leather is Cool and Manly -- with a very small chunk of bloodstone on it.] It's -- from a papercut, I didn't get like...weird about it.
[Because giving your boyfriend jewels made out of blood isn't weird.] I just. I saved it cause it's valuable and stuff, but I thought...I know it makes people more powerful and...I dunno.
[First of all, Mike wishes he'd thought of the papercut thing, because he was absolutely weird about his and Will would have disapproved. Second of all, shut right up because he loves it.]
Only if by weird you mean awesome. [He grins as he lifts it gently from Will's hand, admiring the iridescent stone.] I'm never taking it off.
[It can go right next to his other leather bracelet, the one woven with the bisexual flag colors. Maybe he can collect a whole wrist's worth of bracelets from Will.]
[Are they at the weird blood ritual stage of their relationship? Probably.
Will's anxious grin fades into a bright, genuine one, the nervous tension leaving his shoulders. He lets Mike admire the stone for a moment, then reaches to help fasten it onto the other boy's wrist.] It's supposed to like...help with stuff? I dunno.
[He keeps his head bowed, gloved hands carefully tying the leather cord.] It makes me feel better, like...it'll make you safer, even if I'm not with you. Or something.
Will rolls his eyes, then reaches out, sliding his hand into Mike's sauce-splattered one and squeezing gently.] Hey, um. Even with...everything, I'm...still happy we're here. Together.
[For a moment, Mike's expression is one of gentle, quiet surprise. It isn't that he doubts Will's feelings, not after so many years of laced hands and earnest, late-night whispers. But even now, with their lives and hearts so entwined, the words catch him off guard. And deep down in his stomach, he's not entirely sure it's in a good way.
Will shouldn't want to be here, not because of him. But then, they made this choice together. They sat in the blanket fort and mulled over the antlers and decided that their own world was no longer right for them. They were puzzle pieces dropped into the wrong box, and no amount of trips to the counselor's office or encouraging words from Will's mom was going to change that.
They're where they belong, now, for better or for worse.]
Me too. [He presses their palms together, and smiles wider at the gross, squishing sound the tomato sauce makes. Boys will be boys.] There's no one else I'd rather be here with.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deadboywalking
no subject
Date: 2022-03-02 02:30 pm (UTC)there's tomato sauce everywhere
looks a little like a crime scene, don't panic
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Date: 2022-03-04 04:31 am (UTC)[Will's going to come bounding into the pizza place within like ten minutes, new scarf and gloves and his hair all mussy and just BELLOW:] MIKE~!?
[You are the only two people in the building you absolute dumbass.]
text > action
Date: 2022-03-04 03:41 pm (UTC)[He's not even calling from some far-off, back room - the place is literally all one big space, with the makeshift oven in the back and a scattering of chairs up front. The yelling is just for laughs, as Mike looks up from the counter and waves. True to his word, tomato sauce is pretty much everywhere, making the scene look a bit like something from a vampire movie.
Man, remember movies?]
I added more sugar, this time. Taste it.
[He sticks out a wooden spoon, splattering more sauce onto the floor.]
action
Date: 2022-03-06 12:51 am (UTC)Then he looks genuinely surprised.] Woahhhh, you were right. [He'd firmly expressed his belief that, since tomato sauce is savory, there's no sugar in it. But he's now a believer.] It tastes exactly like the stuff back in Deerington.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-07 09:36 pm (UTC)[IQ off the charts right now.]
no subject
Date: 2022-03-08 02:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-08 04:00 pm (UTC)Yeah. I read it in a book about, like, pioneers or something. [It absolutely was not about pioneers.] It makes the ice colder so the milk freezes.
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Date: 2022-03-09 03:44 am (UTC)Pioneers made ice cream? Like, on the Oregon Trail? [Sure, why not.] Are you gonna do ice cream here? Or any kind of dessert?
no subject
Date: 2022-03-09 02:40 pm (UTC)[He could be a history professor with deep knowledge like this.]
And I don't know, cooking all the pizza alone is gonna be hard enough. I guess I should get a staff, or something.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-10 02:57 am (UTC)Then he pauses, absently looking down at the sauce-splattered counter and dragging a finger through it.] Who...would you wanna hire?
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Date: 2022-03-10 01:36 pm (UTC)Well, I was thinking about maybe hiring Marshmallow. Or Frodo. [Hmmmmm.] Or some random dude off the street.
[He leans closer, barely holding back a teasing grin.]
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Date: 2022-03-13 05:52 am (UTC)Stop that. I'm being serious! Like, if you don't...y'know, if this is your thing, I don't wanna...I dunno. [Another shove. He's not blushing, shut up.<]
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Date: 2022-03-15 02:01 pm (UTC)As if I'd ask literally anyone else to help before I asked you. C'mon, man.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-16 03:12 am (UTC)-- oh, I uh. Got you something too. [He stuffs a hand in one pocket, then frowns.] You gotta promise not to think it's weird, though.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-16 03:33 pm (UTC)[A challenge for his birthday coming up.]
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Date: 2022-03-20 03:44 am (UTC)[Because giving your boyfriend jewels made out of blood isn't weird.] I just. I saved it cause it's valuable and stuff, but I thought...I know it makes people more powerful and...I dunno.
I told you it was weird.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-21 05:18 am (UTC)Only if by weird you mean awesome. [He grins as he lifts it gently from Will's hand, admiring the iridescent stone.] I'm never taking it off.
[It can go right next to his other leather bracelet, the one woven with the bisexual flag colors. Maybe he can collect a whole wrist's worth of bracelets from Will.]
no subject
Date: 2022-03-24 03:26 am (UTC)Will's anxious grin fades into a bright, genuine one, the nervous tension leaving his shoulders. He lets Mike admire the stone for a moment, then reaches to help fasten it onto the other boy's wrist.] It's supposed to like...help with stuff? I dunno.
[He keeps his head bowed, gloved hands carefully tying the leather cord.] It makes me feel better, like...it'll make you safer, even if I'm not with you. Or something.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-30 02:34 pm (UTC)Like I'd ever do anything unsafe. [A pause, as he admires his little Boyfriend Bracelet Set™.] ... On purpose.
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Date: 2022-04-04 03:28 am (UTC)Will rolls his eyes, then reaches out, sliding his hand into Mike's sauce-splattered one and squeezing gently.] Hey, um. Even with...everything, I'm...still happy we're here. Together.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-12 03:41 pm (UTC)Will shouldn't want to be here, not because of him. But then, they made this choice together. They sat in the blanket fort and mulled over the antlers and decided that their own world was no longer right for them. They were puzzle pieces dropped into the wrong box, and no amount of trips to the counselor's office or encouraging words from Will's mom was going to change that.
They're where they belong, now, for better or for worse.]
Me too. [He presses their palms together, and smiles wider at the gross, squishing sound the tomato sauce makes. Boys will be boys.] There's no one else I'd rather be here with.
[. . .]
Not even Orlando Bloom.