8631/Boardwalk - Take Two

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Boardwalk - Take Two
Date of Scene: 10 November 2021
Location: Boardwalk - St Martin's Island
Synopsis: Terry and Gar get to reminiscing. And skinny dipping (well, at least one of them)
Cast of Characters: Terry O'Neil, Gar Logan




Terry O'Neil has posed:
The south beach at Saint Martin's Island in early November isn't exactly a popular hangout spot. The sun and the warmth are gone, and so are most beach-goers, except for a solitary Cheshire Cat, apparently. The sun has gone down and the temperature is dropping, but it's not /too/ bothersome for someone covered in fur.

About ten minutes ago, he had sent Gar a photo of the last few moments of the sunset, taken in such a way as to show the fishing pier and give Gar an exact idea of where the Cheshire cat was. No words were sent, though. He was curious to see how long it would take the shapeshifter. Besides, it gave him the chance to build a little sand castle before the rest of the light vanished.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan didn't respond, but he got the text and the photo, so finding Vorpal wasn't that difficult. Neither was getting over there. Just a short flight was all it took. The question was how he'd arrive.

The answer became simple upon seeing the cat below, playing in the sand. Circling as a bird, upon lowering he turned into a typical housefly and buzzed his way closer, seeking to land atop an ear. "Boy, this has to be like one giant litterbox to you, huh?" comes his voice from very close.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal turns around, looking over his shoulder.

"Gar!"

Pause. No Gar.

He frowns. Then he looks over his other shoulder. And then at the sand, in case he had decided to be a crab or something. And then, he is simply puzzled.

"... since when did you learn how to become invisible? Have you been conspiring with Raven?"


Gar Logan has posed:
The little green fly snickers, unable to help it after the reaction that follows. He lands atop the other ear after Vorpal's begun to look this way and that. How long can he make the charade last?

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he teases. "Maybe she decided to make me her apprentice. The answer's closer than you think," the Garfly suggests.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal crosses his arms and smirks. "Very cute, Logan. You know it's bad manners to sneak up on your boyfriend like that without having a present to surprise him with?"

Closer than he thought? Oh. His voice /did/ sound close, and his hearing is very sensitive.

The Cheshire cat's smirk widens and he reaches over with his hand to /flick/ at his own ear, to dislodge Gar. "You know, if you wanted a friendly ear, all you needed to do was ask!"

Gar Logan has posed:
"What do you mean? Just me alone isn't enough of a present for you?" Gar asks, and he scuttles along that ear, thinking he's got it all figured out.

That is, until a single flick of a very large finger sends him careening off through the air with a very un-fly-like "Heeeeyyyyy!! Nooot coooooollll!!"

He tumbles out of that form and lands head over heels in the sand with a grunt, arranging himself to sit up from there and squint at the cat. "I'll have you know I'm pretty fly for a green guy."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
And immediately, there is a blur of orange and red, as Terry leaps across the short distance as Gar sits up. It's a pounce. Very much a pounce. Of course, Gar can shape-shift out of the pounce if he wants to, but where's the fun in that?

"Gaaaaar!" he says, as he opens his arms. He's going to go for the full tackle and roll thing, which is fun when it's sand you're talking about. Not so fun when it's the tower floor. Learned that from hard experience.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan gets that look in his eyes like his life might be flashing before them as the catboy zips up close and goes into that leap. Time seems to shift into slow motion, leaving him with the opportunity to see every little detail of the pounce: the arms out, fingers stretched forward, body elongating, tail trailing behind, and that expression.

"Thaaaaatt'sss mmmmyyyyy nnnaaaammmeeee! Doooonnn'ttt wwweeeaaarrr iiitttt oooouuuutttt!" he says, the words themselves sounding slow to him, but in truth coming out more like one single, multisyllable thing before contact is made and both tumble. "Ooof!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry laughs and wraps his arms around Gar, trying to settle the tumble so that he's on top and Gar's back is against the sand.

"You had the gall to sneak up on me! I rather think you should be punished." He lets an impish smile flash, his red mane tumbling down, lightly lit by the last rays of the sun, "Yes. I think I ought to teach you better manners. Sentence first, judgement later! What shall be the shape of your punishment?" he says, playfully reaching over to mess up Gar's hair with a hand.

Gar Logan has posed:
On his back, Gar feels the sand sort of compact beneath him in places, spread elsewhere in others. He grapples, putting up a token 'fight' of resistance, but it's more playful than not. He doesn't mind the closeness, to say the least.

"You're the one who invited it, with that picture and not even paying attention and stuff!" he accuses, squinting at the sun behind Vorpal's head that's still bright enough before it's disappeared beneath the horizon. "And my manners are impeccable. You're the one who's part cat," implying felines have bad manners as a matter of fact.

Then he scoffs, "A punishment? I can think of a few things, but maybe something round, a couple feet or so across, covered in sauce, cheese, and a whole bunch of toppings." He retaliates by going for the ears with both hands.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
A purr escapes Terry's throat as Gar gropes for his ears, but he is still pretending to weigh his sentence. "Sauce, cheese and toppings? Well, I've never tried using /that/ on it, but there's a first time for everything..." He grins and leans forward, touching his nose to Gar's and teasing him enough without quite kissing him.

"You brat."

Gar Logan has posed:
"And the crust. Can't forget the crust," Gar clarifies, reminds, getting one ear between fingers enough to lightly pinch, then rub at the spot. He puffs out a breath at the touching of noses, lowering his voice. "You cat," is his response.

Then he adds, "Did you see Kian's reaction to me comparing him to a budgie? That was pretty funny."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry laughs, "Oh yes, that was some fluff-feathered outrage! I laughed so hard- so I guess we're /both/ sleeping on the couch tonight." He glances up at the ocean, and grins. "Not like we haven't done that before. After all, we're at the place where it all sorta started. Remember?"

He leans in and places a kiss on Gar's lips, reaching with his hands to playfully pin the green Titan's wrists against the sand. Often, when he does this, it's a prelude to a devious tickling, grabbing both wrists with one hand and darting the free hand to carry out the awful did. This time, though, there are no tickles, just a kiss.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan maneuvers a foot and leg to help fend off the tickling if such a thing is coming. He knows the game by now.

"I keep telling him, and you for that matter, I have my own room at the Tower, and my own bed at the apartment. It's not like I have to sleep on anyone's couch. That doesn't really work for a threat." And he does know where they are, his eyes shifting toward the water. "Why do you think I'm not over there right now? Have you ever heard of a sand monster?" Knowing /their/ luck sometimes...

He lets the kiss just be, returning it briefly before adding, "You should probably chill with the glitter, though. Vic wasn't too happy about his Roomba Army getting messed up from it."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"It's okay," Terry mutters, "I am figuring out how to make it vanish. It won't be long now. I think I need to find someone who is good with magic who can teach me some things... not Raven. Decidedly not Raven."

Tht's one thing everyone can agree upon, at least. He lets go of the wrists, to trail his thumbs down Gar's forearms. He gets a wistful look, and adds "So... it's been a year and some brief change so far. You have come a long way from the Gar I met back then. You were so afraid..." One hand moves over to stroke the back of his hand across Gar's right cheek. "Now look at you. You have grown so much in a year. I'm proud of you."

Gar Logan has posed:
"I don't get it, though. Of all the things..glitter? Couldn't it have been, like, buttered popcorn?" Gar laments, like he's about to toss up his hands in exasperation. Instead, they twitch a little from the sensation of the thumbs rubbing along them. "I still don't see her a whole lot," he murmurs. "Maybe it's safer that way. She barely tolerates like three quarters of us." That, it actually seems to pain him in some way.

He's quick to get off the topic, if only for a short time. "Dude, you've come a long way too. I can't even remember the last time you got shot. That's /not/ an invitation for it, either." The cheek gets a brief lean toward, his own hands draped over the shoulders.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry laughs, "Well, I think I am done with getting shot. I no longer have a lead defficiency." He rolls off Gar and decides to lie down on the sand next to him instead, hugging him close. Sure, they're getting sand on their clothes. And his fur. But that's not important.

"It's been a real privilege being this close to you for this time. Especially when I think of a year back, when I had no idea how to tell you- how to say anythig. You felt so out of reach, even when you were sleeping on my own couch and I was carrying you around because of your wound."

He chuckles, "I really should say that was my bad. But is it bad that I am not /too/ sorry about it because of everything that came from it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan gives Vorpal an exaggerated roll of the eyes after shifting positions to make it easier to lie there and be close and talk and all that. "Sometimes people do stupid, dumbass things that have unexpectedly good results. You happen to fall into that category more than others do. Maybe it's just the luck you have."

He has to add, "But maybe I also had to be open to things and be ready to let someone get closer to me in spite of the danger. I still worry, but not all the time. Just most of the time, now. The more you don't get shot, the better that gets."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry smiles softly, leaning into Gar and nuzzling the side of his neck. "And what things /are/ you open to now? This is your chance to throw me out the window if you're already tired of me after a year."

He says this playfully, but there is always a slight trepidation in the voice when discussing things such as these. Some old habits die hard. But in order to distract Gar from what he might hear in his voice, he slides his hand under the Titan's shirt, to rest his palm flat directly on his chest.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Don't even," Gar says, more quietly than not. "You know we're past that point. As for the question, you're just gonna have to find out at some point." Nope, he isn't giving that away so easily, in large part because he doesn't have an answer ready to dish out.

Instead, he reacts to the hand under the shirt by shifting his to give the ears a good kneading. "Let's get out of here soon, before people start to stare."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"No fair. I'm supposed to be the tease here..." he purrs, and leans into the kneading, before sliding away out of reach from Gar's hands.

"Okay! But before we do- I have one last thing! You know. To prove that the past is conquered..." he glances around. With the sun now dipped below the horizon, things are darkening fast. If anyone wants to stare, they will soon need night vision goggles

Gar Logan has posed:
"Oh, cat doesn't like it when the boots are on the other feet, does he?" Gar retorts, beginning to sit up after Vorpal moves following the initial reaction. "No swimming, if that's what you're about to say. I'm thinking about food."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"What? What are you, chicken?" Terry grins, getting up quickly to his feet. "Care Diem, Gar- just a little dip to laugh in the face of fate. What are the odds of a turtle monster being there /twice/?" With a quick flip, he throws his shirt at Gar and starts jogging towards the water in his shorts, "Did turning twenty make you old and forget what fun is?" he teases.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan reminds, "Sometimes. Remember, I'm everything." Though he gets to his feet, he does not follow over to the water. He isn't going to be that easy to convince. "I swear, if you get a chunk bitten out of your leg, the first thing I'm gonna say is 'I told you so.' I've learned not to laugh at fate." The shirt is caught, but he crosses his arms with it in hand.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh, you're going to be /that/ difficult, then?" he calls out. He gives Gar's crossed arms a mischievous looks, and within a few seconds, he has slid out of his short, remaining in his underwear. The shorts fly at Gar, too, and the cat walks over to the water until his ankles are submerged. He shivers, but the game is on.

"Come on! It'll be just a dip!"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Dude, it's almost winter. The water is cold! You're gonna get soaked, then you're gonna want to shake it off on me and I know this because that's exactly what I'd do," Gar says, spreading his arms apart in time for the shorts to land draped over one. Nice toss.

He points. "Look! You're already doing that!" he says of the shivering, though he's come a few steps closer. "Why do you want to go swimming?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Because we can! Live for the day, Gar!"

And that's when the /underwear/ lands on Gar's extended arm. Nice toss indeed.

There is a splash, and Terry's figure swimming into the water. Whether it is cold or not, he does not let out even a yelp, because pride is a thing. "The water is delicious!" he calls out once he is covered up to his chest. It is sad with the mad exilaration that is often used to mask shivering.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan quickly drops it all, raising a finger as he opens his mouth to say something before cutting himself off, if at first. "You're gonna catch your death, you dummy! How many lives is that gonna leave you with?" he calls out, but now he's watching more closely because there's a part of him that is already preparing to dive in and get the cat out if he shows any signs of the cold water making things worse too rapidly.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Then come keep me warm!" comes the insouciant response, floating over the waves, delivered with enough panache to deny that no, he is not in fact cold, nor shivering, and he is absolutely having the greatest time ever.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan snaps fingers and points at the sands. "Nobody's keeping you warm in there. Now you come out and we can talk about going somewhere else to warm up. Here kitty!" Yeah, that always works on cats, doesn't it?

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Gar wins. Gar always wins. And it shouldn't surprise anyone.

"Fine!" that's Terry's voice coming right next to Gar, as a Rabbit Hole opens up and the Cheshire Cat wraps his arms around the green teen. Cold arms, covered in wet, cold fur. He is also completely naked, but Gar's proximity is enough to keep him decent. It's a good thing the sun has gone down and the world is now in twilight. "Let's go so you can keep me warm!"

And a Rabbit Hole opens to send them both tumbling back onto the bed, back into the apartment. And later, much later that night, Terry might posit that, when all was said and done, it was he who had won after all.