lightn' aint got nothing on me

Gaston: Be creative!!! How did you even get into the program if you are not creative? Tsk tsk.

Gaston: 😧😠 Sure they do! If I do, they MUST. Do not disrespect me in this way.

Terence: you dont gotta be creative if you know how to really drive man

Terence: how did you get in the eprogram if you rely on flyers

“Believe what you want,” she jokes back, happy that the sap was somewhat coming to end. Tink wasn’t really one to get sentimental, but, at the same time, it felt nice right now, in this moment. Maybe her and Terence had grown closer than she thought. “Oh, you’re strong enough to handle it, right?” Raising her eyebrows, the blonde raises herself up on her toes for a moment before letting herself move back downward and resting her heels on the floor. “Yeah…” The next response trails off. Now that the feeling between them was getting a little more tense, Tink keeps her hands clasped behind her as they were moments before and she can’t help but rock and forth on her feet. “We can sit.” She follows him and gets comfortable for a moment. Looking at Terence, Tink listens. “Well…” The girl doesn’t know quite where to start. “I definitely don’t think it wasn’t anything. In fact, I think… I think a lot of things between us have been leading up to that.”

“Of course I’m strong enough, this things aren’t just for show y’know,” Even as he lifted his arms up, flexing in order to show his muscles, Terence felt stupid about it. But there was no turning back now – he was starting to feel like that should just be his life motto. Shuffling in his seat Terence tried – and failed – to get comfortable as he felt Tink staring at him while he talked. Maybe sitting hadn’t been his smartest choice, now he just felt more awkward and his fidgeting was going to become even more obvious then it had been. Putting his hands between his knees, he looks up at her, raising an eyebrow a little at her words, a small smile on his lips. That was a relief at least. “Yeah, yeah I do to.” He swallows, looking down for a moment before looking back up at her, his eyes searching her face for something, something that he doesn’t know. “I –” Terence starts, pauses before ploughing on before he can stop himself. “I like you Tink, like really really like you. And I very much liked kissing you.”

Gaston: Yes!!!

Gaston: You need to have a method to keep myself distinct from other, more irrelevant, people.

Gaston: Did you keep the flier??? Use that!

Terence: and how would i do that????

Terence: i didn't. sorry. i didn't think it was improtant

Terence: plus

Gaston: Gaston who?

Gaston: GASTON WHO?

Gaston: We have met before!

Gaston: With your helmet, young boy!

Gaston: Do you not remember? How ridiculous! It cannot be!

Terence: oh

Terence: gaston with the flyers

Terence: sorry. i know a lot of people

All that Tink could think to do in this moment was smile and look at the ground. She could feel the red blush heat up her cheeks, but the amused embarrassment stopped her from being able to do much else. How do you even accept compliments? All that the girl wanted to do was punch the boy in the bicep. One of these times she was going to give him a damn bruise. “Well, gee, thanks,” Tink eventually jokes, having to stop herself from actually acting on her thoughts. At least they were switching away from making her feel good about herself now; there was only so much the girl could handle of that. “You’re pretty perfect and amazing yourself, you know,” Tink responds, now moving to the next topic. “I did not! You clearly don’t have a well-functioning brain, you liar.” She laughs, but then things get a little tense in the room. The way Terence speaks out loud the word ‘kiss’ makes Tink’s heart… feel things. And then her eyebrows are scrunching up on her forehead right after. “What? Regret it? What? No, of course not. Why would I regret it? It was… great, actually.” Just like that, the blush was back again and Tink wanted to slap herself.

“Aw shucks, you’re just saying that to be nice,” Terence grinned at her, waving his hand in front of him as if he was trying to hit something out of the air. Of course her next words totally contradict his own and he can’t help but let out a small laugh at it. “Hey! That’s an awfully mean thing to say,” he tries to put a sad look on his face but can feel it falling as the air around them seems to change. Terence feels relief flood him at her words – making him realise just how worried he had been about the kiss – and suddenly the whole situation doesn’t seem quite so bad. “Right, good, yeah. It um it was great.” He patted the side of his legs awkwardly, trying to think of something else to say, because they did need to talk about it. About them. If their even was a them. He frowned, how did you even approach a situation like this. Looking at Tink, he tiled his head to the side slightly before pointing to the little sitting area by the window, “Should we maybe sit? And talk properly. If there is something to talk about I mean. Unless you think it wasn’t anything.” Great, now he was just rambling. 

Gaston: I think your phone is broken.

Gaston: You're not responding to my messages.

Gaston: The great Gaston deserves a response!

[...]

Gaston: Hello?

Gaston: You're phone is definitely broken!!!

Terence: Soz was napping

Terence: whats up?

Terence: aslo

“Yes!” Tink smiled, gently pushing his hand away when he poked her. “Well, about being perfect and amazing. Thinking highly of myself only comes at certain times. Like when I’m not sober.” It was poised as a joke, but there was much truth to her statement; Tink really didn’t think highly of herself when she didn’t have alcohol coursing through her and making her mind a haze. “What do you mean? That incident where you got us lost?” she jokes, poking the boy back in the same place. Tink laughs, shaking her head back and forth gently, smile on her face. “We’re getting off track,” the girl says next, laughter still in her voice, though it fades a little as she mentions why she came here in the first place. “I came here to talk about… about what happened before. The kiss. We need to talk about that.” It’s not like the blonde to be this straight-forward, but with Terence, she’s able to be less inhibitory toward herself.

“Well that’s stupid,” he said before he could stop himself, the words just tumbling out of his mouth, “You’re pretty perfect and amazing when you’re sober as well and you shouldn’t think otherwise.” There went his chance to playing this whole situation off as cool and casual, he thought, his brows furrowing slightly as he hoped she believed the sincerity in his voice. “Hey! That was totally your fault, you’re the one who wanted to go into the woods,” Though it was that long ago, Terence couldn’t be sure it wasn’t his fault they got lost, not that he was going to let Tink now that of course. His grin falters a little at her next words and he blows out a breath, he had been half hoping they wouldn’t have to talk about it, but he should have known by now that nothing was ever that simple with this blonde. “Right, right, the– the kiss.” Terence nodded, eyes glancing around the room before settling back on her, a small smile on his lips. “Do you um, do you regret it?”

Although the majority of the population would probably agree with his statement, Tink wasn’t one to think she deserved good things. In fact, most days she assumed the exact opposite; bad things were what should be coming her way. In the blonde’s mind, she wasn’t anything close to a good person, but didn’t even know where to begin to potentially change. The only thing she knew was that she wanted the pain to stop. And alcohol did exactly that, so sticking to what she knew was much, much easier. A smile and ease greets her as they’re joking about him now. “A better evil plan? I don’t think that’s possible. You’ll need me, your perfect, amazing sidekick, for that. I’m the best at plans.”

“Oh, perfect and amazing are you?” Terence raised an eyebrow at her with a grin, poking her shoulder lightly, “Someone thinks mighty highly of themselves it seems.” At the blondes next words he couldn’t help but let out a laugh, shaking his head at the thought of her being good at plans. “Please! You’re terrible at plans! Do we need to revisit the camping incident?” Though Terence knew, that no matter how stupid her plan might be he would go along with it, even against his better judgement. “I’m clearly the evil genius in this room thank you very much!”

He chuckled, a huff coming out of his nose. He wandered behind the wall of young people crowding the doors, waiting for the countdown. “My long legs have been advantage for me in the past, yes. I don’t know if that works here though. I’m not kicking anyone around I hope.”

Terence grinned at him, “What? Don’t tell me you’re against kicking little kids around!” He really hoped that the joking tone on his voice came across, the last thing he wanted was for his guy to think he went around yeeting kids across the room. “Long legs means you can move across the room quickly though, that’s a good skill to have.”

💙 for a hug that won’t be remembered

It had been a spontaneous decision to start drinking. One spurred on by a bad day and a need to vent, so they had picked up Tink and found themselves a bar that didn’t look twice at some dodge ID’s. In retrospect, Terence knew he should have stopped drinking three drinks ago, but now he had started it seemed only right to carry on. Slurring his words, Terence turned to Zarina with a wide smile, putting his elbow on the table and leaning his head heavily on his hand. “‘s glad we’re friends,” he managed to get out, his eyes blinking slowly at her with a dopey smile. “Come ‘ere!” As far as Terence could remember (which wasn’t much given his current levels of intoxication) himself and Zarina had never hugged, and that seemed perfectly outrageous to him right now. So without waiting for her to stop him, he leaned forward, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her still sitting form, patting her back gently. “’riends.”

💨 catch my muse in a lie

Tink had lied to him, and Terence knew it. He just couldn’t prove it yet. But he knew, deep in his soul, that his little could-be-something-more blonde friend had lied right to his face. And he was hurt. He thought they were closer then that, he thought they told each other the truth, no matter how bad it might be. Sitting across from her in one of the compounds common rooms, Terence furrowed his brow slightly, tilting his head to the side as he watched her stand up, saying something about getting a drink. That was when he saw it. Pushed down the side of the cushion on the chair were she probably thought he wouldn’t spot it, the colourful wrapper of his kit-kat bar. “I knew it!” He shouted, startling a few people sitting near by as he jumped to his feet, pointing at the chair as he started at Tink in disappointment. “I knew you ate my kit-kit! I can’t believe you thought you’d get away with it!”

“I love it,” Tink mumbles into his chest, trying her best to reach upward. Being so damn short was annoying, especially now. At least when the blonde lets go she can see his face better. “It’s really nice, I’m…,” she pauses, looking down at pushing back some hair behind her ear, then scratching at the back of her neck. “I’m not used to nice.” Tink looks back up at the boy, feeling her face become just the tiniest bit hot. “You did this on purpose,” she smiles, punching him hard in the upper arm. “Just to embarrass. That’s why you did this. To make me look stupid. Well, damn, I figured out your whole secret, evil plan. Sorry, dude, guess you’re screwed now,” Tink laughs.

Of all the reactions she could have, Terence hadn’t been expecting this one. Not that he was about to complain about it, he loved a good hug. Her next words made him frown a little as he looks down at her, “You should be, you deserve good things, Tink.” The punch to his arm brought him back to the moment and who he was talking too and a startled laugh burst out of him. “Hey! Here I was thinking I’d been all sneaky and cleaver! I can’t believe you figured me out so quickly!” Terence shook his head in mock sadness at her. “Guess I’ll have to figure out a better evil plan.”

Chris thought for a moment, looking at the heavy plastic gun he furrowed his brow. He wasn’t too sure about its mechanics as wasn’t too sure how he’d move with all the gear on him. “I am athletic. I am fast and good at reacting. I have not practiced shooting things much in the past. What about you? Do you have a history with this stuff?”

Terence nodded at him at he talked, pursing his lips a little in thought. Maybe they needed to plan out a strategy? “I mean, does Call of Duty count as practice?” He shrugged, something that was a little harder now due to the equipment on his body. “I’ve done some laser tagging in my past, but I’m no way a pro. But we’ve got the height advantage on some of these dudes.”

With a roll of her eyes, the girl recognizes the truth in his statement. “I guess that’s true. Either way, it was a damn good time and we should go back there to do that again. This time, both of us wearing a good pair of cloth to slide around in.” She smiles, jokingly rubbing the spot he poked on her and is now led into the hotel room. For whatever reason, the idea of the door closing starts a tinge of nerves in her. She’d never been alone in a boy’s room before, especially not one that she’d just kissed however long ago. Taking the box in her hands and slowing unwrapping it, Tink realizes just exactly what this thing was and any feeling of being nervous washes away. Instead it’s replaced by a feeling of surprise and pure happiness in her heart. “Oh my God, dude…” Initially, the girl sets down the gift itself on a nearby bed and then takes the ‘hot chocolate’ set out to look at, but her words are more in reference to the picture frame of them at the camping event from the summer. “I can’t believe you did this.” She evens tears up a bit, looking up at the ceiling to blink away tears. Tink sets down the frame very carefully and then looks over at the boy. “Wow, fuck you, you’re awesome.” She runs in for a hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly. The sheer kindness of a gesture like this isn’t something she’d experienced in a long time and she almost doesn’t know what to do with all of it.

Biting his lip, Terence tries not to watch her too intently as she opens his gift. It had taken him a long time to find something that seemed appropriate for the occasion and their... relationship. Even thinking the word felt odd; ever since their slightly drunken kiss Terence wasn’t sure what they were. Friends? Of course. Something more? He had no idea. Which is why he’d finally settled on hot chocolate and a nice framed photo. “You really like them?” He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at her. The speed in which she hugs him makes Terence rock back slightly on his feet before his arms wrap around her in response. “Oh,” he breaths out, the height difference between them suddenly becoming more apparent then he’d ever realised. “It’s really not much, just I don’t know...thought you might like it,” he says, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. 

He wasn’t quite sure what to expect as they were only given an address but Chris was fortunate that his date was just as unsure and even more fortunate that they could just have fun with an action packed activity. Chris had just worn a button up shirt over some jeans himself but the children who ran around the lobby did make him feel rather stuffy as well. Not to mention the fact he was spending the day with someone much younger than him as well. 

“I’ve never played this before but, hey, at least we can pretend we are…like action heroes or something. In nice suits?” He hadn’t ever recalled seeing Terence around before but he was relieved at his kindness. Chris had been busy worried he would end up with someone he didn’t get along with at all.

When he was younger Terence had gone through a phase where he had wanted to dress up as a secret service agent at every available opportunity, so this felt a bit like a childhood dream coming true. Dressed in a suit and getting to shoot at things. But he wasn’t about to tell Chris that – he wanted to at least seem semi cool tonight. 

“Just a couple of James Bonds ganging up on some kids,” he grinned at Chris as he finished fastening the vest on. “Is your aim any good? Because it would be really embarrassing if we lost.” Embarrassing, but probably deserved if the two of them didn’t win. 

Accepting the vests and guns from the guy behind the counter with a smile, Terence handing one set to his date for the evening as they moved out of the queue to get ready. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little overdressed for a game of laser tag,” he said with a laugh as he shrugged the target vest on over his jacket.