A Thousand Clever Lines :: Sandra

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

It would have taken an act of some higher power to remove the bright and unwavering smile that was on Devin's face. He was a naturally happy person and smiled a lot, laughed a lot, and enjoyed life more often than not, but today was something incredibly special. Something he had never celebrated before. Birthdays were every year and Christmas was too (one of his favorite holidays), but you only got one one-year anniversary. Well, there were two but he wasn't married so that didn't count. He gripped Sandra's hand, winding his fingers between hers and pulling her close to him. It had been one year ago today that they had started dating. For someone like Devin that was a big deal and it excited him more than he could possibly express. Even though he was expressing it quite a bit with his smiling and endless babbling.

The day had been fun though! He decided to take her out for the entire day and just go and do, just the two of them. Plenty of walking around shops and eating (of course, why would they pass up food?), and just having fun. They were going to end their date day with a few circles around the ice skating rink and a bonfire--though of course that would not be complete without Devin falling over himself and hurting his wrist. So much for trying to catch himself! "It's not so bad though," He assured his girlfriend, gently moving it back and forth. There was a faint wince twitching under his eyes. "At least it's not broken? That would've been a bad way to end our date day." There was a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head, wincing again. He didn't want to let go of Sandra's hand though.

Now that the brief moment of terror was over and they finished their time at the rink, they were headed towards the future site of the bonfire. It was getting dark but Devin packed the essentials in a backpack: a couple of blankets, flashlights, and of course food. It was still cold, especially at night, so he wanted to be sure they could function. The day before he brought up the wood and other stuff to make the bonfire possible. "You excited about our bonfire?" He asked, obviously excited himself. It was evident by the tone of voice. "I just hope we don't set anything on fire. Not that a bonfire is illegal...at least I don't think it is. There was a fire pit thing there..." He was not quite sure now but it was a bit late to worry over it and second guess their little trip to the hiking trails. Using the flashlight already in his hand, Devin trailed off of the original route and through the trees towards a clearing. You could see the clear night sky as you passed through the trees; the stars were beautiful. He let go of Sandra's hand long enough to get the fire actually going--which took a starter log that he brought along in the bag and a lighter.

"And...the Earth has created...FIRE!" He exclaimed as the flames started to rise into the sky, laughing. Boy it sure was warm. Blanket in hand, he sat down and summoned for Sandra to join him, wrapping the blanket around both of them when she was close enough. "Let's just hope we don't need to summon your powers any time tonight. That would suck, huh?" Devin squeezed her shoulder affectionately and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I hope you've had a good day so far." Because his day had been pretty awesome.

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

For Sandra, there were good days, so-so days, and really freaking awesome days, and today was one of the last ones. The smile on her face was pretty much permanent, and she had pretty much bounced and skipped around all day. Generally her good days were the lazy ones, but the great ones were the busy kind of fun; today was one of those days with Devin. They'd been out together pretty much all day just going around and eating and doing stupid things -- the usual, really, except all in one day -- and then had headed to the skating rink. Outdoor would have been nice, but the weather was, while cold, unpredictable. Fortunately it wasn't that much on the whole for the day, but she didn't mind the inside at all, and it was with her ice skates and the same perpetual smile on her face that she left, hand in hand with her boyfriend of -- as of today -- a year. "Are you sure?" she asked, her smile faltering a little to almost become a frown as she looked at his wrist, then his face just to catch the tiny wince. "You fell on it pretty hard..." She sighed as if in mild exasperation, but it didn't even really work because she just wound up smiling again in a few seconds. "A very bad way. But are you sure you're okay? We don't have to go out to the trails, we can always head home and put some ice on that or something..." Home, of course, was either his house with his family, or Matthew's and her apartment, all of that was a lot longer than just 'home' (and besides which, they had spent quite enough time at each other's places to say that anyway).

However, it appeared he wanted to do no such thing, and in the end Sandra just sighed at him again, but smiled a little and kissed his cheek. Somehow that was to be expected when it came to Devin. "Say something if it gets bad later, okay?" The woods were probably not a good place to be in case of actual injury, but she wasn't sure if he'd just turned it or sprained it or anything else. The bonfire was a good distraction, though, and she was beaming again as she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" Truth be told, fire made her a bit nervous, but bonfires and campfires and what-not were too much fun to pass up, and they were no big deal -- she just wouldn't go sticking her limbs in there or anything, but she didn't think any people should do that anyway. "It'll be nice and warm, too. Oh oh and food!" she said excitedly, bouncing a little bit with each step. It wasn't like they hadn't been eating plenty already throughout the day, but they had a bag of things and this would be a nice way to end their one-year anniversary... plus, cuddling, not that cuddling wasn't what they typically did any other day anyway. The bonfire would be lovely, however. "I think it should be okay if there's a fire pit thing," she said softly, nodding. "And people probably camp there and stuff." Camping would be fun if it weren't so darn cold, she figured, but they had their jackets and blankets and they'd have the fire. Either way, even if it wasn't allowed, she didn't think it would be the type of thing they could be arrested for or anything like that unless they accidentally started a forest fire. Even then, she was a Water -- the chances of the fire getting totally out of control were rather unlikely.

She held onto a flashlight of her own with the hand that wasn't attached to Devin's, shining it through the trees to make sure they didn't walk into or trip on anything, but mostly she was watching the darkening sky. It was a clear night. That was good! It would kind of suck to be rained on. When they reached the clearing, she let her boyfriend wander off to start the fire, smiling brightly once she saw the flames starting to rise. Sandra giggled at his exclamation, coming closer and feeling the warmth immediately. Ooh, that was nice. She probably wouldn't even need her jacket a bit later -- not between the blankets, the fire, and shared body heat. She laughed a little harder as she came closer, sitting and ditching her jacket next to her in favour of the blanket. Yep, it was quite warm enough, even though the night was pretty cold itself. "Yeah, but I think we'll be okay. Fires kind of just go by themselves." She wrapped an arm around his waist and giggled softly -- just in a giggly mood, really -- at the kiss on her forehead. "I had a great day," she told him, leaning her head gently against his and closing her eyes. "Did you have fun today?"

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

Devin chuckled and nodded, not looking the least bit bothered as he did so. Sure it was uncomfortable and he would probably go home and dunk it in a bucket of ice, but he'd be damned if they ended their night that way. This was the last part of their date and he wasn't interested in missing out. "I'm sure, I'm sure," He waved it off. It was a pretty bad fall but nothing that spending time with his girlfriend couldn't cure. Sandy could distract him well enough. Devin kissed her temple. "Really, I'm okay! No need to go home yet. If it gets too bad, I'll let you know. I promise." He held up a hand as a sort of 'scouts' honor' sort of deal before putting it back down; the light from the flashlight was a bit erratic as he moved around. The cold air would probably help his wrist. Devin didn't want her worrying over him unnecessarily but at least she cared. That meant a lot to him. His aunt and sister cared too, of course, but they were family and usually family was supposed to care and worry. Sandra voluntarily cared. He wanted to express that in some way but continued to struggle offering up some sort of mushy speech.

He nodded in agreement, knowing that he would let her know. He was not very good at hiding discomfort for too long, or any amount of pain, really. His wrist wasn't in vast amounts of pain so it was easy enough to brush off with a smile. Avoiding putting weight on it would be a good idea too. It would prolong going home to wrap it up at least. Her excitement overflowed towards him, making the Earth feel even more excited. He was not fully aware that it made her nervous but figured that, no matter what, the fire would be contained so unless they decided to go leaping through the flames they would be safe. Safe was good. Devin's eyes lit up at the prospect of food, which was funny considering they ate pretty much all day. He still felt a bit full, actually, but that wasn't going to stop him from stuffing his face again. "Yay more food! I brought marshmallows, and hotdogs, and chips, and candy..." His eyes rose upward as he tried to think of all that he stuffed in the backpack, most of it being blankets and food. The hotdogs were in a lunchbox with a small ice pack inside--he blinked. "I totally forgot that I put the cold stuff in with an ice pack. I can use it for my wrist!" That was a relief and it was evident on his face. Now there was no chance of going home too early!

Sandra gave him a bit of reassurance, making him feel a bit better about the fire situation. "Yeah, yeah you're right. Everything will be okay!" He didn't want to get in trouble or anything and was probably more paranoid than he should be, but it was in his nature. He was not much of a law breaker and was not overly fond of getting in trouble. Jail scared him, and after that one experience with Nell he was not interested in dealing with it again. The warmth of the fire was welcoming, flames licking at the dark night sky as he tried to get comfortable. The ground wasn't exactly some elegant pillow of awesomeness but Devin could cope well enough. He was happy and eager to snuggle with Sandra. They did it all the time but he still loved it none the less. She made him so incredibly happy. "True. I have some extra wood just in case we decide to stay longer." Since he had an ice pack available he could use that if his wrist started to bother him more. Right now he was distracted by his girlfriend's presence, blue eyes focused on her beautiful face. The glow of the fire added a nice touch.

"Hm...good," Devin replied with a quiet voice, gentle and completely content with the world around him. He ran fingers through her hair and smiled to himself, good wrist supporting his weight. "It was the best day ever. I'm glad we were able to spend it together." A year. An entire year. That was a long time, and he hoped she would be around for even longer. He looked at her, her eyes closed as he brushed a thumb over her cheek. "You are so beautiful. Thanks for...y'know. Being with me. And...putting up with me." There were things he wanted to tell her but Devin found himself a bit tongue tied. How do you lead up to telling someone that you love them? He wanted to do this the right way. And the insecure part of him wondered, does she feel the same way?

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

Sandra nodded, trying to brush off her uncertainty. He seemed alright enough, if a little pained -- she hoped that he'd be able to drive alright later without hurting his wrist more too badly. If they got stuck in the woods or something then she certainly wouldn't be able to drive them back -- that was a disaster waiting to happen. "Okay, good, I trust you," she said, nodding and smiling a little as the flashlight's light followed his hand up into the air. Well, that wasn't very useful for walking in the dark. "Oh my god roasted marshmallows," she said, getting excited all over again at this prospect. "And good! Look at you being so prepared," she teased, laughing -- she was pretty sure he'd just wanted to keep the meat from, well, going bad, but ice packs were good for these little bits of trouble that her boyfriend always seemed capable of getting himself into. At the campsite, while he set up the fire, she dug through the backpack, trying not to mess everything up too badly, but quickly finding the lunchbox. He probably didn't need the ice pack just yet -- he seemed to be doing okay, at least -- but she set the box aside anyway. It was probably better to be prepared even for something little.

Though she didn't like fire itself when it was dangerous, this would be okay, Sandra decided. It was vicious Fire elementals themselves who freaked her out, more than anything else -- a bonfire would be okay. Plus, Devin was there, and except for random accidents like tripping down a flight of stairs, bad things did not typically happen with Devin around, in Sandra's experience... but that was a little biased. "Yep! Food and blankets and a bonfire and you'll be there and everything will be good," she agreed, smiling brightly and nodding. "Plus we're too cute for them to get mad at us." She wasn't sure who "they" were, but she doubted that forest police existed. Maybe there could be rangers or something or other. "And good! Plus I think we can probably find some dead wood somewhere," she said, looking around at the trees surrounding their little clearing. A branch or something must have fallen off at some point or another, and plus, most people probably didn't bring too much firewood by themselves if they ever went camping or anything like that.

She wouldn't mind staying a little bit longer at all, actually, and she didn't hesitate to lean into him once they were sitting. "Mhm," she mumbled, kissing his cheek and then pulling away, grinning widely and happily at first before it settled into a smaller, more contented smile. "Good" didn't even scratch the surface -- it was an awesome day. "Best day eveeer," she sang quietly, quoting a Spongebob episode and then giggling a little, but she just grinned when she looked at him. "Me too. It'd be really dumb if we couldn't spend it together," she pointed out, not liking the idea. Spending the whole day together had been a good touch, though. "Best year ever, too," she added after a second -- not that she categorized her years by the awesomeness of them, but the past twelve months had been pretty incredible. "I never have to put up with you, stop," she said, opening her eyes to look back at him, managing to be serious despite all the feelings. It was a happy day!"Seriously, don't, you're the most perfect ever." This was an argument they'd had before. She gave him a quizzical look, though, sensing there was something he wasn't saying. "Okay?" she asked firmly, taking one of his hands in hers.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

Trust was a vital part of any relationship, be it friend, family, or romantic interest, so for her to verbally reaffirm her trust made Devin feel warm inside. She was such a good person, someone he was glad to have in his life. Even if they had only remained friends their relationship still would have been cherished. However, he was happy that they took a different path. No one could make him feel the way he did. Sandra's exclamation of food was simply adorable and he could not help but laugh at her excitement. "I know right?! I brought them just for you. Well I mean...I'll enjoy them too of course." They enjoyed food together, it seemed. He liked that, having someone who could rival him in stomach space and enjoy a good, old fashioned eating contest. The girl had probably beaten him a few times in the past. He flashed her a smile when she praised his preparedness. It was not often Devin managed to stop and fully plan something out without forgetting one thing or another. Today any forgetfulness could have been blamed on his excitement and eagerness to enjoy time with his girlfriend.

"Everything will be awesome," He emphasized, lifting a hand into the air. So dramatic. He glanced over at her, wiggling his brows in agreement. They were pretty damn cute. "We'll just pout and bat our eyelashes and we would be set free." And no jail time. No jail was good. Devin was far too soft to be behind bars. He'd probably break down and start sobbing or something manly like that. He poked and prodded at the wood in the fire. "Yep! We're pretty well prepared, I think." On top of their little firewood stack they were in the middle of the woods. If they couldn't find fallen branches or wood somewhere then something would be terribly wrong.

He could have sworn his mind shut down at this point--the pain in his hand had been forgotten, though the access to his ice pack was easy, and the only thing he could seem to focus on was Sandra. The more he thought about it, it seemed so cliche, like something you would find in a romance movie. Time passed by so quickly, and at the same time Devin was not worried in the least. He felt confident that he had all the time in the world with her. "It would be pretty dumb, huh?" He said with a shake of the head. "I'm just glad school and work didn't get in the way. That's always nice." He didn't have to ask off, or deal with classes or homework. It felt good to have the day dedicated to themselves. There was a faint huff of a laugh that passed through his nose, a rumble of agreement in his throat. It was hard to find much to say.

His heart wanted to say everything that was on his mind but insecurity held him back. Her command did throw the boy off; he blinked and found her eyes, watching her. "Okay," Was all that could be managed, a bit of a whisper. He couldn't even bring himself to argue this time. "But still, thank you. I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather be with. You make me happier than anyone else possibly could..." By now the words were just coming at a bit of a ramble, the hand on her face trembling ever so slightly. "You're just...you're perfect for me. And I..." He swallowed, feeling the heavy lump of anxiety welling up in his throat. It was almost painful. Instead of saying what he wanted to say, the Earth graduate chickened out and said instead, "I'm really thankful for that." He swore he could hear someone sounding like Josh making chicken noises in his head.

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[/quote]

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

Sandra just laughed. "So for both of us, then," she said happily, but she was glad to be doing anything with him at all -- she had never been very picky about what. It had been like that even when they'd just been friends, too. Things were just funny like that. "Betcha can't beat me at Chubby Bunny." She giggled. Actually, she had pretty big, round, almost kiddish cheeks, but Devin... probably really would win. Then again, maybe it was better not to play Chubby Bunny... but Sandra had never been a champion of decision-making. Her decisions were generally to eat, sleep, and waste time in whatever other ways she found possible.

She wished that it were that easy to actually charm people, but Sandra was often past that point where she could be considered cute anymore. Most just looked at her as some small-ish teenager now -- not a cute kid. It was a travesty; she could have probably gotten away with anything had she been about five years old... Then again, she definitely wouldn't be in the woods starting a fire if she were that young. "No question. They'd be putty in our hands. They'd probably even bring us donuts or something," she said, thinking mostly of policemen and their donuts, though she had no idea where that entire thing had actually come from. [color=6699CC"It'd be dumb. If you had work today I'd come and sneak you out anyway,"

[/color] she said, smiling. He was a disc jockey, though -- that... would be difficult. People were bound to notice. "And school... School. Let's not talk about school." She didn't mind it, actually -- the college life was treating her decently well, even if she'd managed to fall asleep in a couple of classes thus far. It was a system that worked, though; her professors hadn't seemed to care as much as high school teachers, and she wasn't failing -- she was doing something right!

It was almost a little surprising that he didn't argue back for what was quite possibly the first time, but she didn't say so, not wanting to encourage him to do so. She just wanted the poor boy to have better self esteem. That wasn't such a bad thing, was it? She didn't know if the quiet answer was a good or bad thing, however, so she just nodded and replied, equally quietly, "Okay. Good." She squeezed his hand before letting him continue, her cheeks glowing faintly this time. "But you don't have to thank me! I mean, it's -- I mean I don't think there's even anyone else ever that I'd want to be with, so... I mean..." Sandra cleared her throat a little bit, drawing a complete blank on words and feeling honestly kind of terrible about it because Devin seemed to be expressing himself very well, and there she was struggling to form a half-articulate sentence. "I-I'm thankful, too." She just had a lot of feelings, alright. It was hard to explain. Instead she leaned closer against him yet and kissed him before withdrawing, one hand absently playing with his hair. She was thankful. There were a whole bunch of guys all over the Academy and Maple Hollow, but so far as Sandra was concerned, she had the best one as her boyfriend. At the moment, even so, something was... off. "Are you okay?" she asked softly after a second, sensing anxiety or... or something. She couldn't really say -- Sandra wasn't good at that.
[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

His eyebrows quickly perked up in challenge, the smirk saying 'bring it on'. "I betcha I can," He retorted playfully. "Though I have to admit you'd probably give me a good run for my money." His finger met her cheek affectionately, smiling at her. He was not heavy into competition by any means but it would probably be fun! They always made silly bets that usually resulted in both of them winning. He liked that they were so accommodating to one another. He loved it, in fact. There was a light chuckle in his throat as he nodded to her in agreement. "Donuts, yes! They will bring us all the sweets, and we'll be awesome." If only wooing people over were that easy. Then you could get away with whatever you wanted and nothing could stop you. Devin was not so sure that was a good thing, but luckily he and Sandra were harmless and their antics were more childish than anything else. At least they had fun. He frowned but understood. "Yeah, not a fan myself, obviously." School was not something he liked but tried his best anyway, for his aunt. Josh was a good inspiration too so that helped.

Sandra's quiet voice nearly matched his own, easing his nerves if only a little. His mind was buzzing and words were formulating but nothing made enough sense to put it all together. He managed one sentence or two, but then he choked. Oddly enough he felt bad for his girlfriend. She had to listen to the ramble and nonsense. The hand squeeze was soothing. It helped find a moment of clarity. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that..." God, he loved her. How could he not? The thought made his heart skip a beat, maybe two. "You're the only girl I want. Ever. And it's good to know you want me too." Most of his past relationships were shallow, meaningless. They usually wanted one thing and the left it at that. He'd been lied to, cheated on, left...and here Sandra was, as sturdy as ever. Unwavering. Solid. His mouth felt so incredibly dry as he parted his lips to speak, but she interrupted him with a kiss. He felt his brain short-circuit, as it always did. Devin felt his eyes slide shut shortly after she pulled away, leaning into her hand.

Loving someone was such a permanent thing. At least, it was supposed to be. Devin wasn't scared of the permanence, no, because he decided that the future--his future--had Sandra in it. He could see that a while ago, but never said anything for fear of her not feeling the same. The last thing he wanted to do was insult her but insecurities did not always draw from logic. It hardly ever did. Her voice drew him from his thoughts, causing him to exhale a bit louder than intended. "Never better. I promise." His fingers continued to play with her hair, the emotions flipping from one thing to the next, stomach churning with anxiety. If Sandra had said he looked anxious, she would have been spot on. For a moment he let the silence linger before biting at his lip and pulling her face closer again, almost within kissing distance. "I'll always be okay around you, because...well-- I..." Another lump swallowed. That sentence didn't even make sense to him, but it was already there. Come on, Thatcher. She's been with you this long. Allowing his next breath to escape through his nose, he said quietly, "I l-love you. I've...I've loved you for a long while. I was just scared that-- that maybe you wouldn't--" He watched her, keeping her face close, fingers lightly brushing the skin on her cheek. The words were there now, hanging between them, but he still lacked confidence.

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

She giggled and then stuck her tongue out at him when he touched her cheek. "You better be scared then," she said, pretenidng to put on a tough front, but Devin probably knew her well enough to know that she was one of the least tough people in the world. Seriously, she probably made puppies look frightening (and puppies were adorable, for the record). "We need to figure out how to do that, I want someone to bring me donuts," she whined, already planning a trip to Tim Hortons (or maybe even a splurge at Krispy Kreme or something) in the future. She and Devin were probably well-liked enough, but not to the point of getting out of trouble for lawbreaking... Bonfires were, however, not illegal as far as she knew. "Mhm. But we have to," she said, sighing and shaking her head. Sandra didn't mind school so much as she minded doing work in general. "That or start hitchhiking around the country busking for money." She couldn't play any musical instruments, though, so that was a problem. Maybe she could learn how to do magic tricks or something else as a street performance.

The day had suddenly gotten very serious -- still happy, but definitely more serious than the random fun of earlier -- and Sandra didn't know why, but she just wanted to be close to him. Well, she was already pretty close, but closer still; she had always cuddled up to most everyone pretty readily but right now, she would probably be content to just sit there for hours with him. Maybe they would talk -- but maybe not, either, if this were the case. She often had the compulsive desire to fill every silent moment with chatting, but there were exceptions like this very moment. She never minded talking to Devin at all, though, so his words made her smile hugely and blush again. "And you're the only guy! Ever. Ever," she repeated. There was a much smaller, but still present, smile on her face when she saw him close his eyes; her hand moved to his cheek for a second instead, letting him lean against her. "Okay, good," she mumbled when he said he was alright, nodding a bit but still looking at him with some uncertainty, not sure what was going on if there was nothing wrong. At least it didn't seem that there was anything actually wrong, though -- she had thought the day had been going pretty awesomely and would have been disappointed if he hadn't thought the same.

For a second she contemplated asking if he was sure that he was really okay, worried now about the silence that lapsed even though just moments ago she would have welcomed it. This was different! Before she had a chance to do so, however, he had pulled her face closer again, and she half-expected another kiss (which she wouldn't have minded in the least, thanks), but it never came -- instead, he seemed to be explaining. She stared into his eyes (it was hard to stare into anything else with their closeness now, but she never minded; he had the nicest eyes), feeling a lump in her throat for some reason as she waited, as if she were anticipating something that she wasn't... even entirely sure about. It was probably the entire atmosphere of the moment weighing on her, but -- then he actually said what he'd apparently been struggling to, and Sandra felt her breath actually catch a litlte bit. Almost immediately, though, the smile started spreading across her face. It took her a moment to answer. "No, I -- I love you too." She knew it was true before even having to say it, but actually voicing it aloud made it definite and certain. "Of course I do, don't be scared," she added, her voice gaining strength as she went along. Sandra kissed him again, then leaned her forehead against his. "Why scared?" she asked this time, after a brief pause, her voice just barely a breath. "You're perfect and I love you." That was it, really.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

"I'll bring you donuts," Devin offered instantly, smiling at her. He'd get up in the morning, stop at Timmies or Krispy Kreme and pick up a big box of them to take to her apartment. They could share with Matt if he was home, too. It took a while but he finally adjusted to the fact that his girlfriend had a protective older brother and no longer felt like hiding under the table every time his name was mentioned. "Hey, hey we could totally do something like that. It would be tough at first but we can manage." He nodded to confirm, though inside he knew the chances of them making a comfortable living on the road were very slim. His talents weren't exactly good for that. The idea was still exciting though, and wondered if maybe a few years from now, with a little money saved up, they could go and travel for a while. Who knew? It might be possible.

He hadn't meant to change the tone of their day so quickly--it went from bright and happy and full of laughter to something a bit more solemn and a little mushy. But hey, the guy couldn't help it around her. Not to mention his mind needed to expel all of the thoughts. It was making it hard to function otherwise. At least she was listening. Her affection was helping, too. He chuckled. "That's good to know." Devin was always an emotional person, allowing his heart to take him where he needed to go, but it was so difficult when everything was welling up and threatening to spill over. At least Sandra was patient and did not seem intent on rushing the conversation along. He could see the uncertainty on her face, but what was he to do? Every time he tried to say what he needed nothing seemed to come out or it didn't come out the right way. He felt like a bumbling idiot. Would she get annoyed at some point? God I hope not.

But after the words fell between them, heart racing and head pounding with anxiety, a wave of relief settled the storm raging inside. He blinked, watching her, swallowing hard. A shaky but visible smile formed on his lips. All of the fear was expelled in one large sigh, a chuckle lingering at the back of his throat. Saying anything would be useless at this point; he went from babbling needlessly to looking at Sandra with happiness and contentment. She loved him. He could not express how relieved he felt. He kissed her back, butterflies lighting on his stomach as they always did. That feeling never went away. The smile faded at the question; he pulled away from her just enough to look at her. "Because I can't lose you." Devin stated simply, voice finding a steadfast level he could handle. "I was scared that there was a chance you might not feel the same way and-- you know...I just.." And now he was fumbling again, but at least he wasn't whispering or rubbing the back of his head anxiously. After Autumn, he had been afraid to fall for anyone. He wouldn't bring up his ex now because that was just horrible timing and he knew it wouldn't do any good, but he knew that she was one of the reasons he doubted the one person he shouldn't have. He chuckled to himself. "But you do, and that's all that matters." Autumn was gone, and Sandra loved him. Life was great. Perfect, actually.

After giving her a longer kiss--a chance to show his happiness and affection--he pressed his lips to her forehead. He pulled back and looked at her for a moment. The smile returned. "You hungry? Those marshmallows are just waiting to be eaten!" Then he thought about it for a second and sighed. "And I forgot to bring something to cook them with. I guess we'll have to make our own roasting sticks." Dumbass. And he actually asked his aunt about borrowing the metal ones they used for camping, too! That would've saved them time. He did wonder...could he create sticks for them with his powers?

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

Sandra giggled and squeezed his hand as a means of thanks. "So sweet!" She grinned like a dork. "Sweet like donuts, even!" Jeez, that was a bad joke, but she didn't think she'd be faulted for that. Even if she was, well, that was okay too. "Or we could just go out for donuts, I guess." Sandra really wasn't picky about how things were done at all. Street performing, however, was probably a very bad way to make a living when neither of them were particularly accomplished with anything like that. "We'd have enough to eat, at least!" They could always just make a sign asking for food instead of money or something, but then there'd be that whole issue of where to, uh, sleep and stuff. 'Traveling the countryside, spreading the love of music, making money," she said as if in a dreamy way, but in all seriousness, Sandra... probably couldn't handle a life on the road, to be perfectly honest. She was too much of a homebody.

After a day of having stupid fun, it was actually kind of nice to just be able to sit back and relax and be close, even if the tone was a little bit more serious. It certainly wasn't a bad serious, though -- it was kind of peaceful, actually, and Sandra decided that she liked it. She smiled at his chuckle. God, he was so cute -- too adorable for words. Even when they were being quiet like now, he made her want to smile and bounce around all over the place -- she wouldn't, but it was the feeling! Once everything was out in the open, it seemed, and Devin relaxed, she started giggling a little bit at him -- more of a happy, silly giggle than actually laughing at anything in particular. She bit her lip a little when he stopped smiling and moved away a little, but then she shook her head. "Don't be scared," she repeated firmly, but her expression was fairly soft and she smoothed his hair from his face gently. "But I do," she affirmed. She did, and they both felt the same way, and she was pretty sure that nothing could go wrong. "Don't get scared anymore, okay? I think we'll be fine." She gave him a bright smile, feelings of happiness and everything kind of exploding inside of her. Sandra had never really given it much thought before, to be perfectly honest -- there were many people she cared about and loved in any number of ways, but Devin was... Devin was different, she realized. The thought was insane and poorly-articulated but it made her so happy.

She leaned into the kiss easily, hoping that it in some way conveyed all the ridiculous feelings. At one point, too, she realized, all these displays of affection had been weird and foreign to her -- she had never hesitated in hugging people (or falling asleep on people, even) but much further than that, things had been a bit out of reach. Sandra had never had a boyfriend before Devin, after all. It was a year now that they'd been together now, and Sandra had gotten very used to most of it, the same way she'd been getting used to all the cute little things about Devin that she'd never actually noticed before. She smiled and closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead, and the grin only grew when she opened her eyes again to find that he was smiling too. "Yes! We better not leave until we finish aaall the food, too," she sang with a laugh, kidding but not kidding at the same time. Mostly she just wanted an excuse to hang around for a bit instead of leaving too soon. She had warned Matthew beforehand that there was a possibility she might come home late -- he'd kind of side-eyed the heck out of her, but no matter! It was a victory if he hadn't tried to forbid her from going out... not that this would have stopped her from seeing Devin today or anything. This was too important. "Mm... hmmmm. That's okay! I'm sure we can find sticks around here," she said, laughing. Usually for camp and what-not she'd always just gone scavenging amongst the trees anyway. She took his hand again and stood, gesturing at the trees nearby. "Coming?" Sandra grinned, always up for random stupid fun when plans got derailed. If he could create sticks with his powers, of course, that would be handy.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

It was hard not to be afraid. Well, at first. There were so many responses she could have given him that he feared one of them would be something he did not want to hear. He couldn't argue it or beg but he hoped he wouldn't have to feel that urge. And he didn't. It was difficult for him to explain how relieved he felt without delving into the past and tonight was simply not a night for his relationship sob stories. It was about Sandra, and their happiness, and how bright the future looked. That was important. Her hand in his hair was settling, heart rate finding a decent pace once again. The stress was passing over him now. "Okay, I won't. I promise." No more fear or worry, especially now that he made a promise to Sandra that he wouldn't. She was the most important person in his life next to his aunt and sister. She was like family now. There was an urge to thank her again but he stopped. He felt like he didn't deserve her, like he was inadequate. Devin had done a lot of things he was not proud of, things that he couldn't bring himself to even discuss openly, and yet Sandra accepted who he was without much hesitation. If there was any, she didn't show it.

"Pfft, you know that won't be difficult for me!" Devin said cheerfully, giving her a brief Eskimo kiss before pulling back and looking at the fire. "Do you realize how much food we've eaten today? Like, enough for four or five people. We are so ridiculous," He laughed as he spoke, clearly amused by their ability to stock food like a camel stored water in its hump. Judith always needed to ensure she had enough for dinner when they were all at the house, knowing that between the three of them and Sandra the food would surely be gone. Leftovers were just a myth. Of course, he didn't mind though! He loved food and was not ashamed to admit it.

Instantly his hand gripped at hers as she stood, following suit shortly after. Luckily he had yet to need his wrist, which for a time had been completely forgotten. The emotions and feelings were an excellent distraction from the discomfort. "Of course I am," He willingly followed her, being sure to grab the flashlight in case. Maybe he could whip up a few sticks, but this would be more fun! A little stick hunt with Sandra. He liked taking in the little things and cherishing them. Swinging her arm back and forth dramatically, he started searching the ground at his feet. "Should we find ones that are already pointy? I might have my pocket knife in my bag but I can't remember if I took it out after my last trip..." Today went well and his confessions of love went way better than expected but he seemed to be forgetting a lot of important things. Ah well. That's what happened when your mind was bogged down with other thoughts and emotions. A couple of sticks later he led Sandra back to the fire. He examined his finding. "Not the best but it'll do. Oh god, we could have a stick battle. Like a sword fight but safer, and better."

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS

[SANDRA HARU CHANG]

Sandra smiled and nodded her approval once he said that he would no longer worry -- she didn't see any reason for him to worry, but then again, Sandra's world had been generally bright and happy and without too much heartbreak... or any at all actually, especially when it came to relationships. There had been a couple of boys she'd liked in the past, but there had been nothing really serious -- at all. Devin was the first to really become anything and it gave her all kinds of warm, fuzzy feelings inside. She giggled at the eskimo kiss, her mind going back to the entire day. Yeah, okay, there had been a lot of eating involved, between everything else -- but it had been a good day, the kind of day that Sandra enjoyed a lot, and she was glad that he'd seemed to have fun too.

"Pfft, maybe four or five normal people," she said, laughing a bit. Sandra just enjoyed food a lot, and had a sporadic eating schedule -- because her sleep schedule was also often so sporadic. "I'm gonna have to go pass out at home later." She sighed and shook her head at the ridiculousness, but seriously, she was probably going to crash for ages after today. She yawned a little and leaned her head against his shoulder, following his gaze into the fire -- which kind of hurt her eyes a little bit at first, but she was alright. "Unless Matthew makes me get up, I guess. Then... I dunno. Are you doing anything tomorrow?" A pretty healthy chunk of the time they spent together ended with napping anyway -- if he let her, she'd definitely just crawl out of bed the next morning and head over to Devin's to cuddle up to him and fall asleep again. She already slept too much -- eating all day probably meant she'd go into hibernation or something.

She hummed a little bit as they wandered a little bit into the trees -- it was pretty dark in there, and she was glad that he'd brought the flashlight. "Muh, it's so cold without the fire," she mumbled, feeling it as soon as they left the few feet right around the fire. She didn't turn back, though, figuring they could find these sticks first -- they did need to find something to eat with, since Sandra was definitely not sticking her fingers in any fire. No way. It probably wouldn't come to that anyway, but hey -- just in case. "Already pointy ones would be good! I guess the blunt ones would be good for marshmallows but if we have other stuff too..." Yeah, pointy would be good. "When was your last trip?" she asked curiously, glancing to look at him for a second before spotting a suitable-looking stick and reaching over to pick it up in her free hand. Once they had a good amount of these she followed him back, glad to be within reach of the fire's warmth again.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sandra had taken one of her sticks -- a blunt-ish one; she wasn't terrible enough to poke him with something sharp -- and gently nudged him in the chest with it. "En garde, you! No one can beat me!" she said, attempting a maniacal laugh and just breaking into giggles instead. God, she was a dork -- and she had no idea what made Devin want to deal with her, but she would never question it.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

WHAT IF...WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

born to become best friends and lovers

{ I WANT TO STAY RIGHT HERE IN THIS MOMENT WITH YOU }

Devin completely forgot that they weren't exactly normal in terms of their eating habits, or sleeping habits...or, well, anything really. They were in their own little circle it seemed. He liked it that way though, because being different wasn't a bad thing. He wanted people to like him and did grow paranoid on occasion but he also understood that there was no altering his personality. "...very true! They better be jealous of our awesomeness. Normal is boring. It was so yesterday." He almost flipped his hand down in some sort of flamboyant gesture but reminded himself that his wrist would probably be unappreciative of it. Stupid clumsiness. He had to admit that the one time Sandra accompanied him to the medical wing was a good memory despite the injury. His emotions and feelings towards her were so incredibly strong and ridiculous. He smiled. "Oh my god so will I. Such a busy, food filled day. But fun!" His arm instantly scooted closer to her as she leaned against him, keeping her close. Although sleep was sporadic at best on nights when video games were around, or when homework had to be done, his naps with Sandra were always dreamless and deep. A comfort.

"Let me check my schedule..." Devin wiggled his head back and forth as though processing his to-do list, which was non-existent. "Nope! Don't think so. You're always welcome to come over." She felt like family now and so the door was always open. Athena really admire Sandra too and asked after her whenever she wasn't around, something that he really appreciated. I found the best person for me. And not only that but someone his family loved too.

At the mention of being cold, he frowned and pulled her a little closer. It was definitely chillier out past the range of their fire and it didn't take long for him to start chattering. "Uh-h-huh..." He agreed between sharp little intakes of breath, the heat rising from his mouth and into the cold air. "Then we'll grab b-both kinds. Sharp and dull, and we'll just u-use whichever ones we want." That would save them from leaving the fire again. Next time he wandered away from the warmth was to find their way home after they stuffed their faces. Again. "It was a long time ago," His voice seemed a bit distant, but not necessarily sad. "I need to talk to Aunt Judith about going camping this summer over break or something. Maybe you can go if you aren't busy!" Summer was a while yet but plans could be made early. It would probably be for the best considering Judith had a job that would need notice of her vacation leave. He was drawn from his reverie when she poked him in the chest, blinking and glancing down at where the stick had been. The smile formed then as he chose a stick and held it out in front of him, taking a few steps back. "Are you sure about that? Because I've been trained in the art of stick fighting." He wiggled his eyebrows and tried to return the poke with a laugh. The day was ending pretty perfectly and Devin could not have been happier. Now it was just a matter of finishing off all of their food before heading home to crash.

i think this could be love,

I AM SERIOUS