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 Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:19 am
It wasn't unusual for Grayson to have strange dreams. He didn't think it was unusual for anyone to have strange dreams, really. Even so, he'd awoken that morning absolutely ravenous, and more than a little disturbed by the subject of his dream. Enough so that he even debated calling his parents for a quick chat, but dismissed the thought. While he knew they'd reassure him that he wasn't completely crazy for dreaming about eating Alease, he didn't really want to put that on their shoulders.
So, he'd hauled himself out of bed, gone groggily through the motions of getting ready as he polished off the bag of cheetos that he'd been saving for just such an instance. He got a few odd looks for taking a bag of chips into the showers, but he was used to getting odd looks. And, anyway, it wasn't like he stood under the stream of water and ate - he ate and then got in the shower. The cheetos were really just fuel to get him to the showers.
By the time he was presentable enough to be seen by humans, he was hungry again. Grayson himself wasn't too particular on what he looked like first thing in the morning, which was why his hair was still wet, albeit pulled into his habitual side pony, and he was dressed in a simple pair of dark jeans and a purple tee shirt with big white stars on it. Casual and comfortable, which were both very important to him.
Breakfast passed uneventfully, with Grayson's mind wandering to any number of topics. He had a few nice outfits, thanks to Fallon, so he didn't need to worry about dressing himself for prom or any events that might surround it. His homework... eh. He didn't need to do it quite yet. It could definitely wait a couple more weeks. He was doing the in-class work, anyway, so there was no point. Hell, he didn't even have a show for another week.
While that didn't mean he was going to scrimp on his practice, he didn't feel like practicing at that moment in time. He'd take a day off, maybe, or just do it later. Yeah, that sounded good.
God, he was so unmotivated. Strangely, he realized he wanted... company. Maybe that dream had unsettled him more than he thought.
Lips dragging down at the corners, seriously displeased by the thought of seeking said company himself, Grayson scratched his stomach and considered his options. He could run around and try to find someone - worst case scenario - or he could plant himself strategically, hoping to be found. Better scenario. Probably the scenario he was going to use.
Yeah, that sounded good.
Meandering over to a table usually used to advertise clubs or meetings, he sat down behind it, glancing about with a thoughtful look. This was right in the thick of things, so he'd hang out here for a bit, and if no one came by to talk to, well, he'd drag himself off and find someone. Probably.
For now, though, he'd just wait. Of course, being Grayson, waiting even five minutes led to him propping his chin up on his hands, and then crossing his arms on the table, and then leaning his face onto his hands...
Before he knew it, he was fast asleep, draped over the top of the table.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:46 pm
Grayson was slowly roused by a hand to his shoulder, jogging it. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty." A little more jogging. "Hey."
As his eyes opened a bit unwillingly, he was treated to the sight of a worried-looking Benny Benson looming over him, head cocked in bemusement, green eyes wide. "Hey, are you okay, Prom Date?" he said. "It's all right! I'm here now -- nobody put anything in your drink, did they?"
Only Benny would think that Grayson's nap was the result of somebody wanting to date-rape him. He slid into the chair next to his so-called 'prom date' and jogged at his shoulder again, as though to make sure that the other boy would Definitely Be Awake. Benny looked a little tired.
"You feeling okay? Want a drink? Want me to get you a drink? Want some coffee? Too bad I have no idea how to make a macchiato. What would you like, sweetheart?"
Benny: worried.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:50 pm
Waking up was a slow and confusing process for Grayson, and it always had been. Consequently, as he was roused from his nap, he did little but stare. Blearily. With a faint frown line etched between his eyebrows. What was going on? Why... why was he even awake?
Lifting a hand, he rubbed the heel of it against the corner of his eye, the world coming into slow focus as he did. It took him a few moments to realize that someone was speaking, longer to notice that they were speaking to him. This disturbed him a little, as anyone who knew him was well aware that it took him at least two minutes to become cognitively aware after any amount of sleep, so the only conclusion he could come to was that a stranger was jostling him.
Even so, he couldn't work up much effort to be alarmed.
Swinging his head toward the source of the voice, Grayson canted his head a bit, eyes narrowed in speculation. The voice sure sounded familiar. Come to think of it, those eyes looked familiar. The hair too.
It came to him all at once, and a pleased smile broke over his face. Eyes focusing, he said happily, "Hi, Benny." and leaned over, flopping against the other boy nearly bonelessly.
It wasn't graceful, but it was Grayson. "Didn't expect to see you. Where am I, anyway?"
No, he hadn't been drugged, but he might as well have been for all the knowledge he had about his current whereabouts.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:09 am
Benny let out a long, involved ummmm, though he seemed pleased that Grayson had chosen this moment to flop against him like an, err, narcoleptic maiden in need of assistance. He immediately made the smoove move to flop one arm around his shoulders: the little missus obviously needed a little affection. "You're on the first floor of the student amenities building," he informed him. "Sleeping on a table, which I'll have you know is the easiest way to get a crick in your neck!"
He stood up and guided the other boy to stand. "Come on. You need a coffee -- well, I need a coffee too. I had the most insane dream last night -- it was more of a nightmare. I mean, I dreamt the night before that too, but I dreamt I was doing laundry? And the night before then I dreamt that I had a biology essay due, but hey, I'm not even in biology! But last night -- I'm taking some Sleep Rite vitamins my mom gave me, you should have some. Can't be a tennis prodigy without vitamins. Can't be my little missus without vitamins either. Come on."
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:30 am
Gray was content enough to be lifted up and moved around, and as he was becoming more awake by the second, he was actually able to participate in reviving himself. He brushed at his shirt, expression much more alert than it had been, and glanced at Benny.
After a moment, his brow furrowed again. Benny seemed... stressed. Maybe tired. That wasn't right, was it? He couldn't recall Benny ever showing outward signs of, well, being mortal.
It was in Grayson's nature to comfort, and even though he didn't know the other boy all that well yet, he had the feeling something was up. As he listened, his eyebrows rose slowly, and he wondered what it meant that they'd both had nightmares the previous night.
Gray's had been rather graphic. Even thinking about it now made his stomach pitch a little, and he felt a little guilty. Of course nothing had really happened to Alease, but the dream had been quite vivid. The more pressing matter at the moment was listening to Benny, right? He clearly wanted to talk about his dream, and Gray was very good at listening.
When he spoke, it was in his usual calm, even tone. "Sorry to hear you had a nightmare. I had a bit of one, too, come to think of it."
He wasn't much one for coffee, but Gray sensed the important thing here would be to simply be there. Even if it wasn't a big deal, and he was reading too much into a simple thing - as he had been wont to do in the past - he'd wanted company, hadn't he? And here was company, in the form of Benson Beldon, also know as his prom date. As long as it didn't have chocolate in it anywhere, he figured he'd be fine. After all, he was a friend, and friends were there for each other, even if it sometimes meant doing things you didn't want to do.
"Why don't you tell me about yours while we walk?" In an easy, simple gesture, Gray grasped Benny's hand, glancing over with a smile. They could walk and talk, right? Right. "And we can worry about the vitamins and the coffee and things when we get there."
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:52 pm
"It was hell," Benny confided, though he seemed a little creeped out that anything could be hell for him -- that even his dreams would rebel and give him an inadequate time, as they never had done before. His green eyes looked out somewhere into the middle distance -- and he was still waving at people and giving the usual gracious Benny hellos as he escorted Gray out of the amenities building, hand-in-hand. Nobody gave them "queermos" looks, maybe because it was Benny. Nobody was surprised when Benny did anything.
And he didn't let go of Gray's hand. "I was just -- " he said, and faltered, though it was unusual. Then, staunchly, he finally said: "I was hungry."
And wouldn't say anything else.
"Woke up and made two protein shakes, seriously, I was at the whey like Miss Muffet." At his own joke, Benny laughed, apparently finding himself hilarious.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:04 pm
Grayson listened, because he was good at it, and because it was more productive than interrupting. To his way of thinking, when a thing was upsetting someone, they'd say what they needed to say about it and be done. That was how he usually handled things, anyway; it wasn't his style to pry, either, so even though the details given weren't really details at all, Gray simply nodded.
A nightmare, and he'd been hungry. Well, that sounded a lot like Gray's own dream, which was... just peculiar. Did people often have the same kinds of dreams at the same time? Maybe. There was probably some theory about it, like there were all sorts of theories about psychics and the sixth sense and magic. Possible, sure, but rarely really experienced. A fluke.
Then again, maybe humans just considered things aberrations to save their own sanity.
Gray liked being sane. So, he figured it was just a strange coincidence, and simply made a low hmmm noise. Weirder things had happened, right?
This kind of thinking, according to his parents, would one day bite him on the a**. He supposed that if it did, it did.
As they walked, Gray remained largely uncommitted to greeting much of anyone. That was Benny's style, and he figured that if anyone really wanted his attention, they would see it. Instead, he kept his gaze first on where they were headed, then on his walking partner.
It was a bit upsetting to see Benny, well, upset, even mildly. Still, he seemed ready enough to dismiss it, so Gray wouldn't push him. It would be better to distract him anyway, right? It had only been a bad dream, and it was better not to dwell on bad things if you didn't have to.
So, he said cheerfully, "I took cheetos into the shower with me this morning. I woke up really hungry too, for some reason. But, well, I didn't eat the cheetos in the shower.. just on the way."
With his free hand, he touched his stomach lightly, expression thoughtful. "I guess I didn't eat enough dinner last night. You're feeling all right now, though, aren't you? Not hungry or anything?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:22 am
"God, no," said Benny, still looking a little haunted. "I ate three packets of orange Tic-Tacs, two protein shakes and a banana. No." He walked him towards the dorm building, dining hall floor; went over to the coffee machine and -- still keeping one hand in Grayson's, obviously they were still in the stage where they only let go of each other's hands to die or to go to the bathroom -- started making some coffee. "What else did I eat. Huh. Oh, some peanut butter crackers? You want some? I still have some upstairs, sweetheart."
Benny proved himself fairly able to make coffee with one hand, though at times it seemed a little difficult and whenever Grayson even looked as though he was going to help he said, "No, I got this, I got this," and kept on going. That was Benny Beldon for you. "Ha ha, I'm glad you totally specified because I was about to be like, 'Man, you took cheetos into the shower? You ate cheetos in the shower? That's, like... a talent? I guess?'"
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:51 pm
Gray was amused that Benny seemed unwilling to relinquish the hold on his hand, but he didn't go out of his way to break the contact, either. It was simple and nice, and anyway, it had been a while since he'd enjoyed someone's company as thorough as he did Benny's.
Who would've known? If someone had walked up to Gray a week before and suggested he'd be walking around campus hand-in-hand with Benson Beldon, he would've just smiled at them in a bemused sort of way.
"Oh, no thanks. I had three fourths of a bag of cheetos and two breakfasts on top of that. I think I'm going to be stuffed until dinner."
He accepted his coffee with a smile, sniffing it. He'd always liked the smell of coffee more than the actual taste, but saw no reason to point this out, as Benny had been kind enough to prepare it for him. With one hand, even.
"Thanks. That's nice of you." In an absent gesture, he ran his thumb along the back of Benny's hand. "Oh, hey, I went shopping with Fallon. More like ran into her, actually. So, I have something decent to wear for prom and dinner."
Lips quirking into a grin, he added in an amused tone, "Can't be a little missus without dressing the part, right?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:02 pm
Benny was making his own coffee, one-handedly. The communal mugs weren't so bad. They weren't chipped all to hell; of course, it did end up that Benny was about to drink from World's Best Grandma! but it didn't seem to pinch at his ego any. "Glad you thought of that, definitely glad you thought of that," he said. "Ha ha, I bet you were worried about disappointing me, right? That's so cute, seriously."
He didn't wait for Grayson to confirm this. His coffee was done, so he took a sip, both of them hand-in-hand and leaning against the counter with their mugs. It really was a baffling change from last week, when they'd just been... Benson and Grayson, objects in motion but hardly coming close into each other's gravity. And then. "I already have a suit," he said breezily. "Can't be a Beldon without a suit! What colour's yours? Hope it's not black, matching blacks is hell, sweetheart. Don't want us to show up in unmatching shades of charcoal and jet."
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:30 pm
Grayson sipped his coffee with a contemplative air, not really enjoying the taste, but not disliking it, either. If left to it, Gray would rather drink milk or water than anything, but coffee was a nice change of pace now and again. It was probably just the pick-me-up he needed after his weird dream and the middle of the morning nap that he hadn't anticipated, anyway. In any event, he was enjoying himself.
Truth be told, he had gone shopping specifically so that he would have something to wear out with Benny, and so he merely bobbed his head in response to Benny's question, perfectly content to let the other boy continue the conversation. It wasn't a case of being understood, but in the end, he was still pleased that he didn't have to explain himself. Benny took care of most of that for him, and Gray was growing increasingly fond of him much more rapidly than he'd expected for that very reason.
To some men, the way to their heart was through their stomach. Ego. For Grayson?
Apparently, it was just indulging his laziness. And Benny wasn't even trying.
Eyes lifting to the ceiling, Gray tried to mentally recall what Fallon had picked out for him. "I've got this... gray colored suit. And a blue vest. Fallon said it would look good, so I trusted her. Is gray all right?"
He hoped so. The last thing Grayson wanted to do was go shopping again.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:23 am
"Gray's fine," he said, and then -- "Gray for Grayson. Epic."
Only Benny would, again, find that funny, but find that funny he did; he laughed as they drank their coffee. Benny had an oddly comforting aura to him, which was odd; it was just that you knew that no matter what happened, what dream you had, or anything that arose, Benny Beldon would probably always be Benny Beldon. "You can trust Fallon," he said blithely, "Fallon's OCD. So that's great!"
He added, "Only the best for my little missus," which was apparently OCD suit-buying, and leant forward and gave Grayson a kiss on the cheek that was redolent of instant coffee. Nothing loath, he went back to drinking his own.
"I have a match on Saturday. You'll come, right?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:11 pm
Gray's shoulders relaxed when it was confirmed he wouldn't have to go shopping again. It wasn't a terribly traumatic experience, per se, but it was time out of his day when he could be doing anything else. On top of that, he was clueless about fashion, and so nine times out of ten, simply bought whatever was on a mannequin, or hailed a sales associate. The latter circumstance tended to leave his wallet much lighter than he would like, but he supposed it was his own fault for being indecisive.
The quick cheek buss was unexpected but not unwelcome; he grinned, fast and bright. Though Gray wasn't someone who was prone to excessive public displays of affection, he didn't see anything wrong with them. Lord knew his parents weren't shy about letting the world know yes, they were a couple, not just a couple of dudes escorting a couple of younger dudes about. Though it embarrassed Tristan to no end when their fathers would kiss in public, Gray had never taken issue with it.
"Fallon suggested I cut my hair." He wrinkled his nose, still a bit displeased with the notion. "But that bit of advice aside, I think she did a good job picking things out for me."
Because they were leaning against the counter and apparently content to stay there, Gray crossed his legs at the ankles. His expression became thoughtful at the prospect of a match. Though he wasn't one who generally chose to go out and about on his free days, he found he would actually like to see Benny play. He'd never been to a tennis match, and he'd heard Benny was very, very good.
"I'm free on Saturday. Sure, I'll come." He closed his eyes, bringing the coffee up to his mouth for another sip. "Is there a dress code or anything?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:30 pm
"Nope," said Benny, "just wear whatever's most comfortable, you know, watching me win."
He gave a broad grin at that, still sipping at his coffee. Since both hands were busy, all he could do at passers-by was grin, call out, "Hey," and look as though he always spent his time hand-in-hand with Grayson drinking Nescafe Instant in the dining hall. Apparently Benny had more in common with Grayson's parents than Gray had thought: you know, the no sense of embarrassment.
"Don't cut your hair," he added, sounding distressed. "Seriously. I like your hair. I like how it's floofy? Don't cut your hair, your hair's... that of a fortunate son, like, no matter how much you play with fire I've never seen you frazzle your eyebrows off?" Beat. "You know I'd go see you... fire dance, right?"
Just in case Gray thought he wasn't totally devoted to his little missus.
"I'm totally devoted to my little missus."
Proof.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:07 pm
Gray laughed, shaking his head slightly as he recalled the time he actually had burnt off some hair. It had been quite the experience; he was still young and hadn't exactly had the authorization from his parents to be playing with fire, and he'd managed to light his hair on fire, among other things. If there was one thing he'd learned from those videos at school, it had been to stop, drop, and roll! so he'd at least saved his skin.
His waist-length hair had been gone, of course. These days, Gray didn't think it was very wise to let it grow much past the present length. Long hair was tedious to take care of, anyway; he'd much rather just pull it into a side pony and be done with it.
Besides, he thought with no small measure of pride, Benny liked his hair just fine.
"Thanks. I didn't plan on cutting it, but it's nice to know you like it." Leaning over, he bumped shoulders with Benny lightly. "And I did burn my hair off, once, when I was young. It used to be really long, waist-length."
He pursed his lips, debating telling Benny about the scar on his leg from one of his first practices with fire, but decided against it. If he wanted to know, he'd ask, right?
Though, the prospect of having Benny show up to one of his performances was a little exciting. He always liked having someone he knew in the audience. Alease came sometimes, but she hadn't been showing up lately. It was no big deal, really, but he enjoyed getting feedback from his friends.
"It'd be awesome if you came to a show one of these times. I'll definitely let you know - oh, hey, why don't we trade numbers?"
Setting his coffee mug aside, he dug around in his pocket until he grasped his cell phone. It was a small, a flip-phone, and badly scarred - but it worked. That was the important part to Gray.
Offering it, he said pleasantly, "Program your number in mine, and I'll do the same for you? Or I could just give you my number, whatever works."
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