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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 21:29:22 GMT -5
It was a strange moment, or maybe it only seemed that way because it should have been strange. Either way, Dare settled beside Michael and watched him looking at his palm, wondered at the reflexive ticklish sensation against his palm. Dare knew his interest was hard to cultivate, or at least it was for anything outside the artistic sense. He fantacized about girls, thought about them at night when the pencils and pastels were put away, but this...this had sneaked up on him, and this was real.
Dare watched their hands a moment, thinking over Michael's words before responding with a simple, "Thank you." No deflection this time. He flexed his hand slightly, stretching somewhat restless fingers still smudged with shades of gray, orange, and brown, and his eyes rose to Michael's, just watching him watch.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 21:39:57 GMT -5
"See, this line, right here," Michael said, tracing a long line, "Tells how many times you'll be married, and how your love life will be. If it branches off, that's how many times you'll be married, and if it's a strong line, not broken, then you'll have a good love life." He glanced up at Dare, he had studied a few books about it, then looked back down. "And this one," he traced another line, "Is for money."
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 21:49:40 GMT -5
"Really," Dare said, the tone of his voice interested, though he hadn't bothered looking back down at his hand. His lips curved into a half-smile when his gaze caught Michael's again. "But I already know I'm going to be broke. And love very minute of it..." The compulsion was overpowering. Dare wondered how much of it was his own imagination and held himself back, though. He didn't want to scare off the most interesting person he'd met at Hogwarts. Still, he couldn't resist stretching his hand again, the motion a tiny relief.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 21:58:29 GMT -5
"Me too, I always wondered why my money line was so weak, since my family's so wealthy, now I know. I'm not getting a damn thing since I left the ranks." Michael grinned to himself, it didn't really bother him as much as it had in the beginning, he had wondered how he'd live. He had gotten over it, though, had figured out that he could find some way to get money. He could feel Dare's eyes on him, and it confused him, mostly because he wasn't uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, he was the most comfortable he had been in a while.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:07:44 GMT -5
Michael's grin was contagious, though Dare's own grin was somewhat lopsided. "You can jump ship to my family," he offered. "There's no inheritance, but we're close." Close. He was close enough to make out individual eyelashes now. Dare's artistic side was definitely peaked. Michael's eyes were so expressive, it was no wonder Dare was so fascinated. The rest was a side effect, though knowing that did nothing to diminish it.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:17:17 GMT -5
Michael could feel how close Dare was to him, close enough to where a strange feeling was spreading through his chest. Part of him was screaming to get up and leave, but there was a part that was taken in by the almost surreal knowledge that they were alone in the forest and said who would know if something happened? His finger slowed to almost a stop on Dare's palm, and his other hand loosened its grip.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:26:28 GMT -5
The tension in the air was thick enough to suffocate. It was the sudden slow of Michael's fingers that told Dare that Michael felt it, too. It was a risk, an incredible risk, a blinding risk, but the compulsion was too strong to ignore if it wasn't in his mind alone. Dare took the risk. He leaned, closing the brief distance between them to press his lips to Michael's, his hand lying placid in Michael's, every muscle tense in the split second of waiting for a reaction.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:38:27 GMT -5
Michael had been a half a second from getting up and leaving, but he was stopped, surprised by Dare's action. His breath caught and he had turned away before he had time to think. He immediately regretted it, even if he wasn't completely sure he wanted the kiss. "Dare..." he said as he looked back around, uncertainty in his eyes. What about Anna? No, she was long gone, no use worrying about her, right?
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:46:09 GMT -5
Dare's fringe fell into his face as his gaze dropped to their hands, then shifted out toward the safety of the grass. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." And still, the only regret he had was Michael's reflexive rejection. It was stupid; Michael had a girlfriend. But he'd felt it. It couldn't have been his imagination. "I'm sorry," he said again.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 22:55:08 GMT -5
"No, I just..." Michael looked away, although he didn't take his hands from Dare's. He wasn't sure, he didn't know if he wanted to try and kiss Dare or if he wanted to run. "I wasn't expecting...." he felt so awkward. Of course he had expected it, he had contemplated it, but he had spent so long telling Emilian that he didn't like guys, how could he just go back on it?
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 23:03:42 GMT -5
"I know," Dare said, his hand tensing, then flexing again to relieve the tension. He didn't retreat yet, though, not without Michael's retreat. He turned his head, looking at Michael through the veil of his fringe. Somehow, the compulsion hadn't entirely faded, though he tamped it down. "So what if you were expecting..." He phrased it as a hypothetical, but he knew it wasn't, not really.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 23:08:47 GMT -5
Michael waited a moment before looking back at Dare, thinking. "I don't know," was the honest answer. His hand tightened a little and his eyes trailed over Dare's face, settling on his lips for a minute, wondering. It was so strange, considering doing it, but the idea was compelling, something he wanted to try. He licked his lips, a nervous habit he had had for as long as he could remember, but in context it could be taken as more than purely a nervous gesture.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 2, 2008 23:22:44 GMT -5
I don't know was a far cry from some of the things Michael could have said. Dare's gaze flicked to Michael's mouth, then back up to his eyes. "We could find out," he said, the words low, almost hesitant. Dare didn't think of himself as gay; he was lost, though. He wasn't really sure where all this put him. He hated labels, and refused to label himself. Still, the curiosity was there--here--and he couldn't seem to help himself. "We could just...try it, see what happens." It was better than wondering, wasn't it?
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 3, 2008 8:37:40 GMT -5
Too many thoughts were running through Michael's mind to give a straight answer, all he could think was how long he had told Emilian that he'd never been with a guy. Had he been trying to convince himself as much as he had been trying to convince Emilian? He took a breath, "I need to think," he said, looking away again. He needed some time to think and sort things out.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jun 3, 2008 9:06:10 GMT -5
Dare looked away too, back to the grass at first, then out into the trees. He took a deep, bracing breath and let it out in a long rush, only then realizing his hand still lay in Michael's. He turned his head, bringing his gaze to where their hands lay. His own hand tensed, paused, then finally pulled back, the last momentary sweep of their skin a reminder of everything that hadn't happened. Dare looked down at his own hands now, looked at the lines Michael had pointed out. "You're not going to like, disappear on me, are you?" he asked. "I mean...I could understand, but I want to see you again, even if it's only, you know, drawing. Talking. Whatever." The words sounded a hell of a lot more casual than they were.
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