Bali H'ai, Friday Night: a beachside restaurant, then places more secluded

[needsaparrot]

It's Friday, which means no work and there's that trip up the mountain tonight. It's also Xander's anniversary, which means as cool as the volcano might be -- you'd hope -- the rest of Fandom can enjoy trekking up it in this decidedly not-cool weather without them.

"That was good," Xander says as the door closes behind them and they scuff out into the sand. "Different, but good."

[OOC: For the B-word-person, early posty for late worky, then SP for great... late worky.]

Comments

[needsaparrot]

"Hey, my taste has gotten a whole lot better since the days of mantis-people and soul-sucking mummies."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"So where do psychic cops fit on this scale of yours, then?" Bridge asks.

[needsaparrot]

"They don't."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I- hey- what?"

[needsaparrot]

"You pretty much stop measuring when you know what you want."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Bridge manages to look both sheepish and incredibly pleased at the same time at that.

[needsaparrot]

"Oh." He tugs Bridge down towards the waterline, out of sight of the nearest lights that aren't all the way across in Fandom. Smoother than falling on your ass, Harris. Think we can keep it up? ...Have we met me?

Xander shoves the hand that's not still holding Bridge's into his pocket. So far, so good. He'll worry about getting it out again without injuring himself or others in a minute. One thing at a time.

"So. Um."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Um?" Bridge tilts his head at Xander. "...Maybe we should go back to words of more than one syllable," he says, after a moment.

[needsaparrot]

Maybe I should do this by text message.

"I've got a thing for you."

Not quite words of more than one syllable, but possibly a slight improvement?

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I know," Bridge replies. "We were just talking about that."

[needsaparrot]

He'd facepalm, but both of his hands are otherwise occupied. "Not that kind of a thing. Well, actually exactly that kind of a thing but a thing thing, not a thing. ...Not dirty."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"You're sounding like me, there," Bridge observes.

[needsaparrot]

"The resemblance hasn't escaped me, yeah." Xander nods, almost looking intelligent. "Okay, so here's the thing--"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"It's an invisible thing?" replies a confused Bridge, since he sees no thing.

[needsaparrot]

"No, it's a thing in my pocket. So it's unvisible, I guess. But I mean the thing about the thing. The thing about the thing is, it's an only if you want it thing."

Xander's fingers tighten on the velvet bag in his pocket.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"If it's a thing from *you*, then I don't see why it'd be a thing I wouldn't want..." Bridge replies, still a little confused.

[needsaparrot]

"I don't know." Why does it seem like the surf that's lapping gently at his ankles is also roaring in his ears?

"I mean, you're only eighteen or three or nineteen or a hundred or whatever--" Once the words start rolling out of his mouth, it's like he is eighteen again, with the complete lack of an off-switch or speed-control. "--and you've got this whole career thing ahead of you and maybe it's too soon or something, but the thing is, my thing is, that for the first time in my life I do know what I want. Now, later, whenever, it's not gonna change."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"And what's that?" Bridge asks quietly.

[needsaparrot]

What do you know, Xander's hand isn't actually trapped in his pocket forever. He pulls it out, along with the thing it contains, and holds it out to Bridge.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Which wasn't something Bridge was expecting at all, because a bag like that is a this-contains-jewelry kind of bag, and aside from the dogtags, jewelry isn't really a typical present when it comes to the two of them.

He takes the bag in one hand, his other hand letting go of Xander's so he can actually pull open the drawstring. And pull out the ring attached to a chain that the bag contains.

The ring that looks awfully familiar. He frowns a bit, trying to place where he'd seen it (http://soldtoarmenians.livejournal.com/60825.html)- or one like it, anyway- before.

[needsaparrot]

"It used to be a lot smaller," Xander says helpfully. "And I now owe Isabel like, five million lattes."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"You-" and *then* it hits him, where he knows this from. The first time he'd been a kid for the weekend, the time when both of them had- the time they'd- Oh.

Oh.

"Is this- is your thing the thing that I think it is?" Bridge asks.

[needsaparrot]

And now the sound of the ocean's like a tidal wave, like he's under it and it's crashing on his head. "We can wait as long as you want, if you do. Want. Seems like you always had to wait for me to make up my mind; only fair I take a turn. But... " Breathe, dummy. There isn't really water in your lungs. "Yeah. You asked me once how I'd feel about being a Carson. That offer still open?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Bridge says emphatically. "Yes, yes, absolutely yes it's still open. And I *do* want. More than anything. Just... yes. Please."

[needsaparrot]

"So... that's my thing. Well, it's your thing, if you---" Give him a break; he's on a roll and his brains just got washed away in a freak imaginary tsunami accident. "--yes?"