[Closed] @eidxiety ††

[winterbolt]

u get the small baby bird icon this time

Comments

[eidxiety]

[Mmmm the hair ruffles get him good man. He giggles every time it happens, too. And then insists he's not a kid despite that.

God, though. This place is super cute. Ain finds himself (kiddishly) skipping along the black and white tiles, the white tiles are lava, but honestly the black ones are so tiny it's difficult to actually avoid the white ones. Oh well. He's having fun.]

Is it... self-serve? [He's looking at the things on the back wall, where the people are. The ice cream dispenser things. Y'know. The things.] We just get whatever we want, huh?

[lupusxylem]

[Why are you baby. Why are you so cute. Stop it-

Wolfwood nods to the employees behind the counter, holding up his fingers to indicate "two". Then, he looks back towards Ain.]

Sure is. They price it by weight, so you can get as much as you think you'll eat and they'll charge you accordingly.

[This. May be a dangerous thing to be telling Ain in particular-]

[eidxiety]

[The man is 23 and was not allowed to be a child. They had fucking nativity toys and stuff, not actual real toys. He's going to play the floor is fucking lava for as long as he can, at least until he has a cup in his hand and is set loose.

He. Does not know where to start. It looks like there are a lot of fruit flavours, ranging from normal strawberry to sort of strange like kiwi, and Ain isn't sure what kind of concoction he's going to make, but after observing others for a spell... he figures out he can just mix and match whatever. They can't stop him. They literally cannot tell him what to do. So!

Instead of being normal, Ain mixes orange, strawberry, and kiwi into one cup. There's this colourful mishmash of swirled frozen yogurt together, and that's when he figures out there's a toppings bar goodbye he's slapping chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and M&Ms all over this. This is too much. This is teeth rotting. This is gross. Ain's going to love every goddamn second of it.

It's also just under a dollar (apparently an $8 item was about $0.67 back in the 50s, insane), which is probably more than anyone should be paying, but hey.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood watches from some distance away, amused, as Ain just goes fucking feral with the frozen yogurt like he's never had the opportunity to make his own dessert before. Like...was he raised? Properly? Who hurt you, Ain.

Even if his mixture of flavors and toppings is a bit eclectic, Wolfwood isn't going to stop him (he WILL tease him for it, though), instead just smirking as he follows after him to make his own cup. He doesn't go for the fruity flavors himself, instead getting a mixture of chocolate and butter pecan. It's normal, it's boring, but it's what he likes. He'll also grab some slivered almonds to put on top too before they head up to the counter to pay.

This time before Ain can grab his wallet, though, Wolfwood places five quarters on the countertop to pay for both of theirs combined. He doesn't make mention of it, instead just raising a brow as he looks down at Ain with his prize.]

You gonna eat all of that?

[eidxiety]

[:0

Ain is taking his to the table now, since Wolfwood just paid. That was nice.]

I owe you for next time, [he says, casually, taking a seat and crossing his legs bro you're gay,] and yeah, I told you before that I have a black hole for a stomach, right? Haha!

[He loves to eat :)]

Yours is pretty plain. [No, Ain, his is normal.] For some reason, I thought you'd be more of a triple chocolate kind of guy!

[That's STILL NORMAL, AIN]

[lupusxylem]

Plain? Compared to yours, maybe.

[He huffs as he follows Ain to a table, sliding into the booth across from him. Next time, huh? He'll just have to not think too hard about how that definitely-throwaway comment makes him feel, given the way his heart thuds behind his ribs like it does.

Wolfwood will not be crossing his legs, though he does notice the way Ain is as he digs his spoon into his cup.]

Might as well get more than one flavor, yeah? Especially at these prices.

[eidxiety]

[Ain like "we're friends hanging out" oh buddy. Oh baby. It's about to be worse for you. He's got no idea he's accidentally dating this guy. How is he supposed to know? No one told him that man-to-man romance looks the same as man-to-woman romance! This is so difficult!

Anyway, he's shovelling his face already. There is a dumpster in this man's stomach.]

I don't get to go to places like this! Haha, I have to try everything I can. Within reason, of course. I'm trying not to make something gross.

[Ain, you put chocolate chips into kiwi froyo.]

[lupusxylem]

Coulda fooled me.

[But again, since Ain has never had this before…he will allow it without too much excessive teasing. …to an extent, anyway.]

I know I said people eat chocolate on strawberries all the time, but don’t you think putting it on kiwi is a little much?

[He gestures to Ain with his spoon as he says this, literally watching out of the corner of his eye as a child walks past them with a cup that looks alarmingly similar to what Ain ended up with.]

[eidxiety]

Maybe? Haha, it's still good!

[The childishness of the situation goes completely over his head. Like yeah, he's having chocolate on kiwi. He's also having white chocolate on kiwi, and M&Ms on kiwi, and kiwi on strawberry and orange. He's unstoppable. This froyo has melted into a neon puddle of crime and Ain shows no signs of making better choices.

He looks happy. Stupidly happy, even, grinning around the plastic spoon in his mouth and kicking Wolfwood in the shins like he did at the diner.]

I think someone should lighten up. Try some of mine!

[lupusxylem]

Some of yours?

[Wolfwood eyes Ain for a moment, wondering…pondering.

He takes another scoop of his own froyo, and before Ain can question it, he’s offering the bite to him on his own spoon.]

Fine. But only if you try some of mine, first.

[eidxiety]

[.....ooooh this feels like it's a little bit not what Ain meant? But also he rolled a 6 so lmao the boy is oblivious to how this is going to look. He gleefully leans forward and takes the offered bite, entirely missing how someone at a booth across the small shop looks at them in an almost Offended way. They probably can't say shit because, well, Mafia and all, but they sure do seem unhappy with this display.

Ain kicks his feet under the table, swallows, and chirps,]

It's good! Maybe I misjudged your tastes after all.

[He'll follow suit, then, scooping his own treat onto the spoon and holding it out. This man has never heard of an indirect kiss in his life.]

Here!

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood doesn't notice the nasty look they're getting, but if he did, he would just be trying to ignore it anyway. They aren't doing anything Untoward other than sharing some frozen yogurt, you can fuck off very much thanks-

Meanwhile, he feels like this is subtle enough that he isn't dragging Ain into something he doesn't want to do publicly. Just sharing an indirect kiss between bros nbd!!!

Without missing a beat, Wolfwood leans in and takes a bite from Ain's spoon, feeding him and getting fed in return. He makes sure to lick his lips as he sits back.]

...pretty sweet. But not bad.

[eidxiety]

Haha, see! I know good food.

[You know how to over-sweeten food is what you know. Either way, he's back to eating his own frozen yogurt now, keeping to himself, no one's sharing any indirect kisses and dying about that factoid...

Until Ain dips his spoon into Wolfwood's cup and steals another bite, giggling around his spoon. He has done Nothing Wrong.]

I'll take you to eat at a good restaurant some time, since I owe you now.

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood chokes on his froyo. Briefly. Probably not long enough to be a concern but YOU KNOW-]

Take- me? Where, exactly?

[Like there ain't no WAY he's taking someone like him Northside, he'd get devoured by the rich bitches up there...or arrested on sight. Or harassed by the clergy.

But does Ain even know of anywhere else to go?]

[eidxiety]

[Haha. Lol. Lmao.]

Well— there's lots of places we could go! [...yeah he was thinking of telling Wolfwood to come Northside. If Wolfwood was worried about Ain thinking he's in the mafia, he shouldn't be, because Ain has gaslit himself into thinking that Wolfwood actually isn't. You're just a fake mafia-boy so they don't murder you. He gets it.] There's— oh, there's a nice place in midtown, [you know, where the economic divide is less obvious,] you know, near that bus stop you took me to last week. It's seafood.

[Read: It's expensive. Ain was a lobster-raised kid.]

You like seafood, don't you?

[lupusxylem]

[There's a 10% chance he could swing it. If he removed all of his gang insignias and dressed a bit differently...maybe wore a hood or a face mask while he's at it. He's pretty sure that if he didn't lay extremely low though, Ishmael and her ilk would find him. And if they found him alone up there? There's nothing anyone Southside could do for him. They could arrest him or have him jailed or god knows what else, for whatever reasons they pleased. She has the monopoly on everything up there, enough of a stranglehold to do "what is best" for the town.

He just has no idea how close to all of that Ain actually is, personally.

But when Ain says midtown, Wolfwood relaxes a little. Okay, that...that might be better. Maybe.]

Ye...yeah, I do. And I remember.

[He sighs, looking down into his slightly-melty cup.

Does. Ain not realize what he's doing? Like...normal friends, much less guy friends, don't meet up to go to dinners. Sure, maybe on rare occasion, but...

Wolfwood's blushing. Fiercely.]

I'd like that, sometime. Yeah.

[eidxiety]

[Ain has no idea what he's doing. He's so deeply in the closet. He doesn't even know he's in it. He knows he's been having weird dreams, but they don't stop him from wanting to spend time around Wolfwood, because he knows it was just a temporary lapse in judgement. His unconscious brain just made stuff up. That happens.

He's never had friends. He understands that friends go out to lunch together. Dinner has different connotations, but don't work friends meet up after work to grab a bite? Then again, dinner at a little diner like the one from last week is different than dinner at a 4-star restaurant. The latter has connotations. Connotations, which Ain is missing entirely. This is all extremely innocent to him.

So. Why is Wolfwood blushing? Is it because that one person is being rude to— oh they've left. Oh, okay.]

Some time... next week, maybe? Haha, sorry, I'm just trying to plan ahead.

[He's polished off his yogurt by now. It's gone, down the hatch. Now he's just waiting a bit until they head out.]

[lupusxylem]

[This!! Is a date...another date. A fancier one.

Jesus Christ.

Wolfwood takes a couple more bites of yogurt to avoid answering for a moment, mostly because he's pretty sure he'll stumble all over his words when he does.]

Sure, yeah...that'll be fine. I guess we could meet up at the park again? Like before.

[Like the last two times, in fact.]

If...you ain't busy, that is.

[eidxiety]

I'm usually not busy in the evenings. Really, I just go home and read after work. Listen — if you run me by that bus stop again when we're done for the night, I'll point out where the restaurant is. It's near a lake, you know, for that fake east coast feeling.

[The best feeling: eating expensive Maine lobster while sitting next to a lake where the most basic of basic fish live, like bluegill and all that. So fancy.]

It has outdoor seating. It's a lot nicer during the summer, but maybe the weather will be nice?

[This just gets more datelike the longer he goes on, leaning back against his seat. It's not a date to Ain! (It's a date if you have eyes, though.)]

[lupusxylem]

[Ooooh my god it's getting bougier by the second-

Just as Ain is getting comfortable, Wolfwood is starting to stand up. He's not sure how much more of this he can hear before his brain starts racing to unwanted places. At least...unwanted while Ain is sitting right fucking there.]

We'll drive by on the way. C'mon, there's one more place I wanna take you before I let you go for the day.

[He for sure needs it, he thinks as he waves Ain on after him. As they pass, that woman with her child very pointedly has him look the other way.]

[eidxiety]

[Oh no, Gay People™.

Ain doesn't notice. They head outside, throwing their cups away as they go, and he stretches his arms over his head and stands up on his tiptoes and lets out that mmmmmmmmmmmm of a good, full-body stretch. Back to the bike, he takes it, and he yet again has the internal conundrum of "where sit" because no, he hasn't forgotten how it felt to have Wolfwood pressed against him.

He must be touch-starved. That's what it has to be. There's nothing else it could be.

Ain decides in the end to sit up front again, because the opportunity to have his hands feel abs is not going to be good for him (his jealousy, obviously, there's nothing else happening).]

Do I get to know? Or is it a surprise?

[lupusxylem]

It's a surprise, let's say. You'll know when we get there.

[He's honestly kindof worried Ain might freak out and demand to be taken back to the bus stop, which he'd understand. He just needs to go someplace a little more...open than a public froyo place.

Also don't mind him staring at Ain as he stretches like that, because the very bottom edge of his top came up enough for him to see his belly. Just barely. Oh my god he has freckles. Oh my god-

It. Does not help that Ain plops himself down in front of Wolfwood, which is dangerous considering the swerves his brain is taking right now. He's thankful that he has to focus on getting his bike unchained and getting his helmet on, because it means he can't be thinking about Other Things. Like that slip of bare skin he's pretty sure Ain would pass out knowing he flashed just now.

Don't think about it don't think about it don't pop a boner don't-

Wolfwood huffs as he drives off quickly from the curb, headed for their next destination. It's not terribly late in the day yet, so they won't have to worry about the place being too busy as they drive the few blocks over to where it sits on a corner. It's lit up inside and people are filtering in and out...either Ain will have no idea what this is, or he'll recognize it instantly from his mother's tales of them being beds of sin and villany.

It is a tavern. A bar. Not a Gay bar, and not even one of the rougher bars Wolfwood might go to. Honestly there probably could be kids here, just not on a weekday usually.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain has no idea about any of this, heyo.

He plops down. Plops the helmet on, makes sure it's secure. Leans against Wolfwood at every stoplight again, totally unconsciously, getting used to the balancing act he has to do on the bike the entire time. People leave them alone. People go about their business, not really sparing them much of a passing glance. They get to a certain side of town and Ain's blood goes cold looking at the tavern.

Yeah, that's a bed of sin and villainy and degeneracy and everyone who drinks at one of these is going to Hell, definitely—

But it seems so... normal. It seems so normal, Ain's impressed how normal it seems. Why is it so normal? There are supposed to be topless women and pantsless men, drunks getting in fights in the streets, murderers, polygamists... Why doesn't he see any of that here? Is it because it's too early in the evening?

Wolfwood is right, because had he not physically brought Ain here, Ain would've been like "no take me home" immediately. He's staring at the building with a lot of nervous hesitation as he takes off the helmet and passes it over, and then he twists around to look at Wolfwood and whispers,]

No one is going to be topless when we walk in, right?

[Honey.......]

[lupusxylem]

[...yeah that's about what he expected.]

Nah. If there were, they'd probably get arrested for public indecency.

[This isn't that kind of bar, Ain. Those DO exist, but...baby steps. The only thing you'll get here are overpriced drinks, bar nuts, and chicken wings. Those are probably sinful too, somehow.

He watches as Ain waffles on the sidewalk, though, and places a hand between his shoulders.]

We don't have to go in if you don't wanna. But it's really nothing much, trust me. If anything it's probably calmer right now than the diner was.

[It's why they're here now, and not when everyone's stopping by after work.]

[eidxiety]

Oh, I'm not trying to be rude! I just... [He's from a very conservative family.] ...I've never been to one of these places, and all I've heard are negative things.

I want to go in. You brought me here, after all.

[The audience "awws" and stuff. Ain's going in, though, he's just... y'know, he's following in Wolfwood's footsteps. You go first. He's right behind you.]