YOU BRING OUT THE MAGIC IN ME >> [ISRAEL]

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Issy would have appreciated if he could be with Knox like this for a while. That no one would come by and disturb them and he could have Knox just like this for a while. But then again, he wanted to have Knox everywhere, in every place and every time. He never wanted the feeling he got as the Earth boy cupped his cheeks to go away, never wanted to stop tasting his lips. He didn't think he could ever have too much of a good thing, and this was a perfect thing, what he wanted for so long. What he'd ached for the moment Knox opened the door and he saw him and it was like everything came back to him. Like he had never been missing from Knox at all. After the worry and the hurt and all the bad feelings of guilt he got whenever he'd looked at her after meeting Knox again, he could finally hold him in his arms and it would be all right to do so. It would always be all right. And he didn't even care if Knox had no clue what he was doing, he would learn. Issy would teach him. What was important was that he could do this in general, that he could hold him in his arms and be in love with him.

In love? Could he categorize his feelings as such? Had he ever been in love before? For someone who spent a lot of energy in hooking his friends up, it felt like he never actually knew the feeling of true love. He certainly believed in it, didn't humor the cynics who liked to tell him that true love didn't exist. And he had girlfriends and boyfriends, he'd been around, but he knew what he felt whenever he looked at Knox or touched him was stronger than any of that. Was that it then? Was this love. I need to stop thinking. But he couldn't help it when his lips were pressed against the other boy's, when he was trying his best not to moan as he pressed his body against Knox's. He didn't want to do this too quickly, move too fast, not when he didn't know what Knox wanted. So this was just fine for now, and he would take what he could get.

Of course, it wasn't going to last forever, and soon he was breathing in branches and leaves and flailing around. It ended up being of no use. He was really in there, like he'd become a part of the hedges. He heard Knox call out, and his stomach clenched when he heard the concern in his voice. Not surprising that he was more worried about the other boy than he was himself. He wasn't even the one taken hostage. He called back out with his claim of a problem, but paused to try and think of a way out of this situation. It had to be Nell, and therefore it wasn't going to be easy. She had control over this, she was the labyrinth master after all, and if he tried to do anything he most likely would be pulled back in. Pretty much like that weird plant thing in the first Harry Potter movie. Maybe he should take his cues from that and stop moving altogether. But this was an Earth elemental...at least he hoped.

He heard Knox's question, and nodded his head before he realized that he would not be able to see the motion. Oh right. "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt or anything," he called out. "I mean, I don't think she will hurt me. You won't hurt me right, Nelly?" He called that louder than he had spoken before. Where was she, anyway? She had to be somewhere where she could have seen them making out. I need to have a talk with her later. The woman ruined his intimate moment with Knox. But he knew he could get back to that later. "Or...plant god?" He called that out right after, as if amending this if it really did turn out to be some kind of plant demon even, on the plane of earth for one night. That's what happened on All Hallows Eve, the spirits rose and roamed the earth? He wasn't terribly superstitious, but this time of month certainly got him thinking about that kind of thing.

"Maybe you can--"

Just as he started to talk, the branches started moving, carrying him with them and pushing him through the bush until he found himself stumbling out on the other side. Israel blinked at the hedge that rose up above him, and he looked around. A couple walked past him, chatting excitedly about how they believed they were close to the exit. Where am I? She had pushed him through the wall, but he had no idea as to where he had ended up, and that was the most concerning thing. "Knox, can you hear me?" he yelled out, not caring if he was being obnoxiously loud. This was a matter of him and his boy being reunited. "I'm on the other side of the hedge, can you find your way around?" He took a few steps, trying to find if he could see a route that would take him back, but he had a feeling the one he would opt for could lead him further away from Knox. Well fuck. They'd have to meet up again somehow, right?

costume

[KNOX CAESAR KETILL]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,4,true] ( YOU BRING OUT THE MAGIC IN ME ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - knox caesar ketill [bg=002211]

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1 1 6 3


( tag ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
starkeh && issy


( clothes ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
click for clothes


( commentary ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
Very little speech. Hope the thoughts and the actions are entertaining enough D8
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Erotic.

Knox was used to thinking of it as being connected to “bad” things, to “naughty” things, to things he shouldn’t be doing or thinking about for various reasons. “Erotic” had just always been a reason to blush, to turn away, to stop paying attention because it wasn’t his business any longer. His parents never used the word, though his mother had once disparaged a recently popular novel because it was “erotica” and failed to mimic good writing through that, so it wasn’t worthy of the acclaim it had received. Even then, she had made it sound like the mere fact that the book was “erotica” was a bad thing, and thereby only buried the connection deeper in the earth elemental’s mind. He hadn’t read the book because of that key word. He didn’t read “erotica.” It was why, among other reasons, he was more than a little clueless when it came to that general aspect. Of course, being clueless was bound to be a problem sooner or later, but then he hadn’t had to deal with it yet. Until now, he hadn’t ever been in an “erotic” situation.

But there was definitely something befitting that word about the way Issy pressed against him. It was enough that he barely noticed the branches digging into his back and hips, and definitely enough that he wouldn’t dream of complaining. He liked erotic, even if decency begged that he shouldn’t. There was very little decent about what they were doing, after all. At least they were still wearing clothes. That thought alone was a comfort for him. He was still wearing his clothes, regardless of the fact that he was wearing far less clothing than he usually would and far less than he was comfortable with. It didn’t help that he was wearing a skirt, either, which had been one of the factors that had elicited a blush and eye-roll when Raine had introduced him to the costume. Costume indeed. It didn’t suit him in any way or form. It was a costume because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t—a brave warrior who fought for his life, a criminal doomed to die under a lion’s claws. If he were mauled by anything, it would be the wind elemental currently playing with his mouth.

Well, not anymore, and the absence created a pit in his stomach for more than one reason. If “erotic” meant “naughty” and “bad,” then he was fine with not being good right now. It was like an epiphany had suddenly burst in his brain, exploded into realization. It just made sense. It felt like an out-of-body experience, too, as if he had suddenly taken a step away from the fear that appeared just as suddenly, just for that moment so he would be able to consider this. Extra-martial sex. Teenage pregnancy. Affairs. Cheating. People liked sex, and he finally understood why on more than just a theoretical or psychological level. It was pretty mind-blowing, if he happened to be honest with himself. He understood, and it was wickedly embarrassing that he was predicting how to extrapolate the sensations from now onto what they could be… and it was terrifying. He had so little control now… he could assume that the control would also decrease in his little extrapolation.

The anxiety made him even more fidgety as he kept running his hands over the vines and branches and leaves in front of him. If he could at least see Israel, this would be so much better, but he couldn’t, and that just made things worse. He pulled on the plant, but it refused to budge. Even with Israel’s reassurances, and the reminder that Nell wasn’t particularly violent (or so he was most desperately hoping). Earths weren’t generally violent. Most he knew were actually pretty pacifistic. The waters could get there when they were pranking or irritated. The fires had their tempers and the thunders… well, he just usually avoided them. He didn’t know enough about them to really make any sort of judgment (honestly, he didn’t know enough about any of the elements to make a proper judgment). All he knew was that he really hoped Nell wouldn’t hurt Israel and that…

His though process froze right there. Nell had… which meant… oh, god. She’d seen them. She’d been watching him. She knew. His cheeks turned redder than any tomatoes would ever be. Raine would certainly enjoy that, though he was glad she wasn’t around. It was bad enough that not only was she stealing his security blanket, she happened to have seen engaging in some rather… indecent behavior with that security blanket. Well, he’d be avoiding her for a little while. He didn’t even know what he would be saying to Israel after this night was over. How could he speak to anyone who wasn’t involved? It just didn’t feel like a fair question. It didn’t feel fair that Nell had to interfere at exactly that moment or right then. Well, he could try to counteract he abilities and pulls Israel back through to his side of the vines, but he had a feeling she’d be able to shrug off his attempts and disable them. Wonderful. He groaned softly and ran both hands up and into his hair. He had to do something. Anything. At least doing something would help him not get a panic attack.

He listened to Israel for a minute, leaning against the hedge that now separated them. Do something. Find your way around, but… “Wait,” he called to Israel as his mind began to work at the problem with which he was presented.

He looked up again, struck by something that was either entirely brilliant or absolutely stupid. Why not just… you know, climb over? It wasn’t that high… Maybe what… 8 feet? His stomach flipped, betraying how nervous even that idea made him. But he used his control over the element to pull a vine out of the hedge, stuck his foot into it, and pushed himself up. Pull n the vines, push with his feet, find a new footing. Pull, push, find. And then his head poked over the top along with his shoulders. He smiled down at Issy, wordless. Part of him felt that the height was enough to make him vomit if he opened his mouth, though that wasn’t entirely relevant. He continued climbing, support himself on the top of the hedge and relieved that I was relatively solid. Of course, one of his feet had to get stuck. He yanked on it, almost losing his balance. It stuck. It was probably Nell, having figured out what he was doing and trying to stop him. He yanked again, nonetheless—his foot came free—and he toppled over the edge of the hedge and towards the ground. He cried out in surprise as the grass came closer, reaching for it in an attempt to break his fall.

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[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Israel did as his friend said. Wait. But...friend? Is that what you called the person you had such intense feelings? It felt like all he could do while he waited was to contemplate that, what label to assign Knox. He couldn't put this relationship into a box, wrap it up and tape on a little sticker that defined what it meant to him. He could barely decipher his feelings, everything that went through his mind. He used to be good at this. He used to know exactly how he felt and when he felt it, which made him so helpful for the future. Self-aware and confident, it would be easy for him to take a microscope to another's relationship and find out what was right and wrong, what they were doing that might have been messing things up. But he didn't know what to do with this. Suddenly he was in middle school again, approaching a girl with a Valentine's Day card and a blush. And that had just been a little crush that ended up with him falling from a tree and her breaking up with him because she didn't like boys who did stupid stuff.

Unfortunately, Israel was made of stupid stuff. He usually didn't get self-conscious, but in time spent with Knox he'd realized that he would be nothing compared to the other boy. Things didn't process as easily for him as they did other people. When someone said something, he didn't catch on as quickly as he should. Usually he substituted that with blunt honesty. If someone called him out, he'd tell them it was rude. Luckily it never really happened, but it did bother him, and now it made him wonder if it would give Knox reason not to like him. Not to be with him. How many things would the Earth graduate discover before he realized that maybe Israel wasn't good enough for him. It sure as hell felt like the deeper he dug, the worst it got. You should be happy, you were just in a hot make-out session. A rational part of his brain argued with him. This was a hopeful thing. He just couldn't help this absurd nervousness, his childlike apprehension when first discovering a crush.

Knox broke him from his revelry as he ascended the bush and proceeded to fall. Issy's eyes widened, but he acted quickly. "Wind, wind go whoosh," he said while flailing his arms around as if that would help his element buffer the Earth graduate's fall. Luckily, though it could not be viewed, the winds that crossed each other rose up to meet Knox before he could fall very far. Israel breathed as he brought him down before the winds vanished from his control. He sighed as he raked a hand through his hair. Jesus Christ, never want to have that happen again. If Knox had broken anything... He was sure Nell would have done something, would have shifted a plant to catch him. It wouldn't be very good to have a party guest injured.

Issy knelt down and began inspecting for injuries, patting Knox's bare chest -- which he enjoyed very much -- and shoulders, before cupping his face and kissing him. "You are so lucky," he said breaking apart before pressing his lips against the graduate's again. Taking a breath he drew back and said, "You almost splatted against the ground! You're all right...right?" Without waiting for an answer, he kissed Knox again. He couldn't help it. As worried as he was, he just wanted to be with Knox forever. But he thought maybe he should cool it. Pour proverbial cold water over himself, think straight before he did anything stupid. Crazy. Like climbing over a bush. He grinned when he pulled apart. "You're so brave, you know that?" And innovative and wonderful and he just couldn't describe his feelings for this guy. He loved Knox far too much than he was comfortable with, and it made him nervous to think of that word in connection to the other male. What if it wasn't reciprocated? How much would it hurt?

A lot. He knew he needed this, he needed Knox. Ever since they were forced together by rich parents. Ever since he'd become the only friend he'd ever had in his childhood. Ever since he knew it was okay to feel that way toward another boy, even when society dictated otherwise. Ever since he knew what love was, and what it meant, he knew that it applied to Knox. But it was too much, too soon wasn't it? To go telling him about all this, pour his heart out as they sat there in the maze, people being separated and grabbed by rogue vines and branches. They weren't even in a relationship. But Israel wanted one. Boy, did he ever. It was all that was on his mind right now, being with Knox, being able to think of him as boyfriend and not just friend. The question was if Knox wanted that. It scared him to consider all the other answers but yes.

costume

oohhhh knoxy. <3 i actually liked this post...even though it's shorter. ><

[KNOX CAESAR KETILL]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,4,true] ( YOU BRING OUT THE MAGIC IN ME ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - knox caesar ketill [bg=002211]

[atrb=width,100] ( word count , )

[/font]
8 9 2


( tag ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
starkeh && issy


( clothes ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
click for clothes


( commentary ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
ISSY ASK YO’ QUESTION AND BE PREPARED FOR HIS ANSA I blame it being 10 past 3 am on Christmas Eve and me being high on plots
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Whatever he had expected as he fell, it was not that the wind would suddenly rush over his skin. Perhaps he should have, however. He knew that Israel was a wind elemental. He had no doubts that Israel would help him if he happened to be in some sort of trouble, as he happened to be now, as he fell. But he hadn’t expected the two to come together, probably because he so rarely thought to use his own abilities. They might have come in use now, but, quite frankly, he’d been too shocked to employ them in any sensible manner. The wind turned him onto his back, so now he was reaching for the sky and the clouds he couldn’t see, rather than the ground. He let his arms fall to his sides, eyes captured by the stars again, until his back touched the ground, Israel’s hands wandered over him, and he was suddenly being kissed again, another one of those silly, head-whirring kisses that made him forget someone might as well stumble upon them if they took the right (or rather, wrong) turn in the maze and that he would be incredibly embarrassed. But he still refused to stop those kisses, because he was getting rather fond of them.

He didn’t know why he had never kissed anyone before. It was a rather nice sensation.

Similarly, he liked listening to Israel speak, between those breath-stealing kisses, a task they accomplished despite their brevity, possibly in part because of the excitement still flushing through his system as his mind drifted back to the fall and returned to the present again. He liked Israel’s voice, too.

“Stupid,” he corrected softly, finding himself smiling up at Israel. There was something about his face that definitely made him smile. He just couldn’t help it, even when he was bashing himself and acknowledging the idiocy of his choice. “Not brave.” Everything about his little endeavor had been stupid. Falling from that height could have severely hurt him. If he had fallen in just the wrong manner, he could even have broken his neck. Even if not that, his arms, legs, or hips would certainly be possible, or maybe even just a strain. He’d gotten damned lucky that Issy had reacted so quickly. And he meant “damned” in every sense of the word, and most poignantly too, for he rarely cursed even in his thoughts. It was embarrassing to think he’d gotten quite that desperate to see Israel again as to climb over the wall than to think properly. Honestly, he didn’t want to think about that right now. He should have thought it through more carefully. Perhaps it had been born more of fear, because he was alone in an unfamiliar place and most certainly a breed of coward.

And yet, he was still smiling at Israel, even a bit foolishly. He wasn’t even trying to wipe that smile was from his face, just grinning so much that he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t help himself at all really, and he was on some sort of cloud 9 still, because he couldn’t even bother to try and stop himself. He was happy and he couldn’t think of really why he was this extraordinarily happy. He just was. “Yes,” he answered finally, realizing there had been a question in there before, regarding his well-being. He’d been most fortunate in his… his friend’s hasty reaction, which he much appreciated. “I am well.” And then he couldn’t help but shift attention to the face in front of him—which was acting as quite the temptation, and he was hoping that speech would prevent him from giving into the temptation—and said, “Thank you. I might have… bro-broken my n-neck…” That thought was quite uncomfortable to regard, and he lifted a hand that was fortunately working very well, to rub at the mentioned neck in ghostly relief that it was very well indeed. “If not for you,” he added then, and gave into temptation, and kissed the face that smiling at him.

When he tugged away again, only a short moment later, he could feel his cheeks heating as if he had a fever, for embarrassment. He was being so forward that he was tempted to accuse Raine of having added some alcohol to his drink after all, but he was really hoping that she hadn’t, because he wanted to trust her and didn’t want to attribute the warmth in his stomach to anything but affection. He did like Israel. He did incredibly. Maybe that adjective was solely from the spirit of the moment, from that feeling that someone knew his secret and liked him for it and actually took advantage of it. He wanted to feed that affection. He wanted it to grow, because he liked how it felt so far. He couldn’t imagine it feeling bad if he encouraged it in any matter. In fact, he imagined it to be feeling immensely better than it did currently. How could it not improve?

Well, there was always the chance of heartbreak—but he couldn’t imagine Israel breaking his heart.

Not because his heart wasn’t on the line, for it most certainly was, but because he had Israel on too high a pedestal to imagine he would do such a thing. It was faith.

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[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Maybe he was panicking a little too much for the situation. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was silly to be kissing him over and over as if the Earth graduate had almost drowned in ice cold waters, but their lips matched up so perfectly he just couldn't help doing it over and over, asking him these questions which Knox easily replied to. Issy thought that Knox was brave, did not deny even to himself how much he admired this boy. Even when he stumbled over his words, he was the most lovely voice he'd heard. And he was happy to hear from that voice that he was okay, he'd been scared that this night would end in a hospital visit. All he wanted was to have him to himself, now that he had him.

Even though he had sounded terribly stupid in doing so -- panic had him rambling, as if he could dictate the wind with his voice -- he also felt proud of himself. He wondered if Nell would have been quick enough to prevent anything worse, but was glad he didn't have to find out. Because he did it, he thought fast and brought him up. "I guess I'm your hero, huh," he said, breathless. Smiling. There may have even been a light blush on his cheeks, judging by the heat he felt in his face. And he was so happy, like he'd only pressed paused when the maze had gathered him into its walls and now it was resuming back to where it had begun.

Placing his hands on the sides of Knox's face, he was about to kiss him again before he drew away, thinking. Wondering. He didn't want this to be one night, this to be something they did on a whim and forgot about come the next day. An awkward unspoken between them. No, he wanted this to be on and on, he wanted to acknowledge that their lips pressed together, tongues wandering and exploring, was a real thing that they wouldn't simply ignore. And he knew how to make it that way. He just didn't know how to put it, not with Knox. If he was a virgin, he highly doubted that he'd been in a relationship before. Everything about him seemed so untouched, and it made the Wind student tread carefully, as if over fresh snow. Knox had all the power to break his heart. But he wouldn't give any clues to that. It would just make the other boy feel guilty, wouldn't it?

He reached down, grabbed Knox's hands. Rested his forehead against his. His smile flickered, like it didn't know if it wanted to stay. He was nervous. Israel Valentine was nervous. Why did Knox make him this way? The butterflies in his stomach flapped their wings so hard it was physically painful. "After we get out of here..." he started slowly, that blush still on his cheeks. Light but noticeable. "How about we go out sometime. You know...like a date." The word almost caught in his throat. He was afraid that Knox might be scared by that. This wasn't moving fast, though. Not at all. This was how it was supposed to go, this was how you showed interest, how he showed his interest. Along with the words, "Because...you know, I really like you. I've been liking you for a while." He shifted a bit, his fingers running over Knox's knuckles, both their hands cold from the weather. He didn't really feel it. He was warm all over and for so many reasons. His breath came shallow, the kisses having stole his energy.

For a split second, he wondered what he would do if Knox said no. Told him that he couldn't do a relationship, that he wouldn't. Maybe there was someone else out there, someone who looked at him and thought of him the way Issy did. Someone who Knox wanted in return. And he knew that would hurt him more than anything else in the world. How would he recover? He may have been over dramatic, but when he was feeling as strongly as he did, there was no other way to think of losing Knox other than it being heart-crushing. There were plenty of fish in the sea, but those fish didn't matter. He didn't see how they could matter when he had what he wanted -- what he needed -- right here, in front of him, lips red from the cold and the kissing. He'd taken a leap, now he needed to find out if the fall would kill him.

costume

[KNOX CAESAR KETILL]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,4,true] ( YOU BRING OUT THE MAGIC IN ME ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - knox caesar ketill [bg=002211]

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7 7 8


( tag ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
starkeh && issy


( clothes ,[/i] )[/size][/color]
click for clothes


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THAR IS YOUR ANSWER ISSYBOY. End here? :3
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He nodded to Israel, agreeing. Israel was a bit of a hero for him, currently. Of course, he wasn’t a superhero. He didn’t have super strength or super speed or the ability to fly (though Knox was curious if that last part wasn’t true). Yeah, he was capable of controlling the wind, and that was impressive. He deserved props for that, and Knox was all too happy to give them. Nonetheless, he wasn’t the sort of hero who risked his life to save those of others, as policemen and firefighters and soldiers did. The thing was that he didn’t have to be. Knox liked him as the elemental he was, who had helped him out when he fell from that wall of green. He should have been able to help himself, but he’d panicked. He’d panicked, and Israel had kept a cool head. That alone was admirable. And he still felt the need to verbalize it, because he was feeling a bit more confident than he usually was, so he added, “Yeah… you are,” and smiled at him again.

He couldn’t stop those smiles, tilting the corners of his lips up, splitting his lips to reveal his teeth, straight and white as he regarding the boy in front of him. It felt a little foolish, but there was no way he could stop himself, and he didn’t want to. Israel made him happy, so disproportionately happy to anyone else he had met, though Raine was close. But he wasn’t interested in Raine in the way he was interested in Israel, and that made him blush as well, starting to match Israel. He liked the wind’s blush, and even that confused him a little bit. It was just a discoloration of the cheeks. What was so special about it? Why did it make him happy to see it? Why did it make him feel warm? It didn’t make any sense, but it was true, and he ran his thumb across Israel’s cheek, watching the difference in color. His thumb was paler than Israel’s cheek, though a little red as well, because of the general chill in the air. He wasn’t noticing it, probably because Guru Pitka was warm and right next to him.

That thought deepened the blush, because he could almost hear Raine joking in his ear. He didn’t want to let his mind wander there. He wasn’t even quite sure where “there” was. The inexperience was getting to him, having him blush at Issy again as he tried to make his nervous stomach settled back int his abdomen rather than jumping about in his throat along with his adam’s apple and tonsils. Israel knew so much more than eh did about everything they were currently doing that he didn’t feel quite right about it. It wasn’t that Knox blamed him or viewed him poorly at all for having experience—no, it was just that he was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to meet his expectations or be good enough for him. It was all low self-esteem and anxiety over something he couldn’t really help. He couldn’t go back in time and get that experience. He wasn’t interested in doing so either. He was just staring at Israel and trying to come to terms with how nervous that disparage between their two levels made him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and mostly failed. When Israel grabbed his hands, that anxiety spiked again, and he focused in on his friend’s face, eyes wide and heart thundering in his chest. He would have looked elsewhere, were not the wind’s face so close to his, forehead brushing his. His stomach turned around and around, as if someone was trying to properly braid dough for a cake. He followed along, watching his eyes rather than his mouth. Get out of here—yes, he’d like that, very much. He wanted to go home. Going home sounded wonderful. And… and that second part sounded wonderful, too, now that he thought about it and tried his best to forget the nervousness. He grasped one of Issy’s hands and squeezed it gently, trying to reassure, trying to agree without really agreeing. But he knew those words were necessary, and he definitely didn’t mind saying them even with the pit in his belly. “I… I’d love to.” After a moment of hesitation, he tilted his head and kissed him briefly. “I… I like… you. As well.” He swallowed, watching his expression. His brain knew the response he’d receive, but his metaphorical heart was terrified of rejection nonetheless.

Maybe there were other fish in the see, but Knox wasn’t much for seafood.

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