Vax & Gilmore, Birthday-stravaganza
Jul. 30th, 2018 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainVax and Shaun laugh and frolic and dunk each other in the pool at Gilmore's birthday party.
Shaun Gilmore sank down into a deck chair near the karaoke machine with a tall glass of soda, liberally laced with whiskey, and sighed contentedly. A couple of power songs had really taken it out of him and he needed to sit down, but he wasn't quite ready to give up the karaoke spotlight just yet. The sun had disappeared behind the house some time ago but the stars weren't quite yet out, and it felt like a good, quiet time to take a breather. He'd even pulled his tank top back on, and fastened the rose gold necklace from Nolan to rest in the hollow between his collarbones.
Still, he flipped through the karaoke machine's electronic library, and keyed up the song he'd been looking for. Shaun turned the volume down so it wouldn't quite reach the rest of the party. Now that the shadows were growing long, he thought he might be able to lure in a certain handsome rogue.
The contemplative strains of a guitar began a familiar melody, and Shaun picked up in a voice somewhat lower and heavier than McCartney's: "Blackbird singing in the dead of night... Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise..."
Lurking in the shadows, Vax couldn't help but overhear the soft strains through the veil of darkness, and after a moment, they parted, allowing Gilmore the sight of Vax melding out of nothingness, appearing like a ghost in the night with a small, appreciative smile on his lips. He didn't sing, but as he paced toward the other teen, dark, shadowy wings began to take shape on his back, spreading out in both directions and arching up into the ocean breeze.
Would Shaun ever be able to catch sight of Vax without a little twinge in his heart? It didn't feel disloyal to Nolan; it didn't even really feel wistful or regretful. More like a spark of recognition of someone whom his heart would never quite release. ... maybe that was the booze talking.
He smiled at his friend's approach, and tucked his feet up so there was room for Vax (and his wings) on the deck chair with him. "Blackbird, fly," he sang softly, finishing up the song as the guitar and birdsong at the end of the recording faded away. Then he tilted the microphone away and greeted, "Hey there, gorgeous."
Vax straddled the end of the deck chair, letting the wings flow off the end and dip toward the pavement below. If they'd been real wings, they might have dragged the ground, but the shadow moved and melded to his will, allowing him the room he needed, and wanted. "Well, hello yourself. Was that for me?"
"Of course. Do I know any other blackbirds?" Shaun asked liltingly, making a swirling gesture with one hand. He had reclined back in his chair and set the mic down, and now possessed the air of a debauched prince on his throne. His smile was warm as ever, though. "I'm glad you came today. Thanks for getting all the other monsters out here, too. This has been a glorious day."
"You think we'd let you celebrate all alone?" Vax made a rude noise and scoffed. "You're one of us. Where you go, we go, and we always find reasons to party."
No, but Shaun thought that Nolan’s house could be kind of intimidating, and Vox Machina barely knew Shaun’s boyfriend at all. “It still means the world to me that you’re all here,” he promised with his lazy smile. “All my favorite people. Are you going to sing a duet with me, Vax’ildan?”
"Iiii don't really sing," Vax told him, clearly apologetic in his grimace. "Not unless I'm three sheets to the wind."
Shaun mimed immediately reaching toward the nearest bottle of alcohol (which was a good ten feet away). "How many more sheets can I get you?" But his grin was crooked and his eyes were positively twinkling with tease. Giving Vax shit -- and getting back just as good as he gave -- was the hallmark of their friendship after all.
Without even thinking about it, Vax started to lean in...before stopping himself. Right. Kissing didn't come with the flirting anymore. Fuck, it wasn't even flirting at this point - couldn't be. He shrugged instead and shook his head. "I'm trying to stay sober - keep an eye on the others, you know? Make sure Grog doesn't destroy Nolan's car or something shitty like that."
It felt so natural that Shaun almost leaned in, too, before seeing Vax catch himself like that. And then, he had the weirdest urge to apologize. He didn't mean to lead Vax on, or be confusing, or worse. Shaun sat himself back again, his smile twisting wryly around a hearty swig of his drink. If Vax seemed upset, he'd say something. For sure. "That's a hell of a sacrifice you're making on Nolan's behalf," he said warmly. "Don't worry too much. He put up everything valuable and locked the Vespa in the garage. I, uh, might have recommended that step."
Shaun was far from innocent under suspicion of potential destruction. He'd already proved that with deck-chair trebuchets earlier in the day.
"You've never seen Grog in a drunken stupor," Vax pointed out. "Whatever your precautions, I can promise you that they aren't enough."
"Then I'm especially grateful that you're on lookout," said Shaun sincerely. "Because I really like the Vespa." A beat after he said it, he had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "God, I'm getting spoiled. You'll cuff me upside the head if I ever start to get too full of myself, won't you?"
"Should I start now?" Vax smirked at him, eyes twinkling.
The Glorious Gilmore gave a much more dramatic sigh. "Is it that bad already? Have I got... Hamptons fever? Hallmarked by unbearable smugness and the perfect car to match all of my footwear? Dear god, Vax'ildan, if it's true you have to help me!" He put a hand to his forehead, and then one to Vax's, as if trying to gauge his own temperature.
Vax's smirk just continued to widen throughout the dramatic overture until he reached out and took Gilmore's hand...only to haul him into the nearest shadow and out the other end, right into the deepest part of the pool. "Your wish, my command, oh glorious one!"
Shaun barely had the chance to squawk in surprise and protest before he was plummeting into the water, with a flail of hands and feet and a very messy splash, much to the merriment of the other kids watching nearby. He thrashed underwater for a few seconds before surging up again, throwing his wet black hair back with a wordless shout. "You! You sneaky little... I am going to trounce you... where the hell are you?!" he demanded, breathless with laughter as he struggled to find where Vax had gone.
Said sneak stepped out of the shadows by the poolside, crouching at the edge with a wicked smile on his lips. "Trounce, eh?"
"Yes, you heard me, trounce!" Shaun exclaimed, laughing and fighting to swim toward the side of the pool as he splashed a great gout of water in Vax's direction.
Vax could have dodged, if he'd been standing, but crouched, he was more of a target. He managed to bring his hands up to deflect some of the water, but ended up soaked nonetheless. He ended up laughing in the face of it, watching Shaun throw himself in his direction. "You are the one who asked for a wake-up call! I was merely following orders!"
"Oh, the last refuge of the guilty!" cried Shaun, reaching the edge of the pool. He grinned up at Vax, his hair slicked back, water glittering in his goatee and laughter dancing in his eyes. Vax was quicker than he could ever be, he knew very well, but still he tried to snatch his friend's shirt and overbalance him into the pool.
Much to everyone's surprise (except for Vax, who'd let it happen), Shaun's fingers caught the material of his shirt and he was hauled head first into the water with a dramatic splash. When he came back up for air, dark hair slicked back along his neck and shoulders, his eyes glistened with amusement, a grin twitching at his lips. "This is the thanks I get for being an excellent friend."
For a second, Shaun was actively startled that had worked, until he realized that Vax had let him do it. He was laughing when Vax came back up, and reached out to pat his cheek wetly. "Thank you, Vax'ildan," he sing-songed playfully. "It's good to know I can always count on you to regulate my ego for me."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not," Vax grinned. "But either way, you're most welcome."
"Honey, half the time even I can't tell if I'm joking or not. It's the downside of being my being so gloriously fucking clever," Shaun laughed, and pulled himself up to the side of the pool. The tank top he'd been wearing was now translucent and clinging to him, as were his swim trunks, but Shaun had never been shy about showing himself off. And Vax had seen it all anyway.
Vax reached the edge and hauled himself up to sit next to him, dripping water, his sleeveless black t-shirt clinging to his chest, the black mesh swim shorts revealing almost everything but the black liner around more important parts. His dark hair slicked back behind his ears, so finely defined that he almost looked like an elf in the moonlight. "I hope you enjoyed the party tonight. You've done so much for all of us, you deserve to be happy."
Shaun hadn't surrendered the pleasure of simply looking at Vax, so he did, smiling softly. Vax was so pretty, so sharp and bright and keen, it was almost difficult to believe his power lay in shadows. "I've done so much?" he chuckled. "What, like waking you up too early with donuts? You lot made me part of your family." Shaun bumped Vax's shoulder gently with his own. "And tonight has been amazing. Thank you. I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate with anyone else."
"Best part's still to come," Vax smirked, nodding slightly in Nolan's direction.
Shaun followed Vax's nod, and when his gaze rested on Nolan, his face was transformed by a smile that seemed to scrunch all up in one corner. "Yeah," he sighed contentedly. "I am going to climb that man like a tree. Tonight, he gets whatever he wants. Not that that's unlike most nights."
"Yeah, well I hope he doesn't mind me stealing Percival off for much of the same," Vax hummed thoughtfully. He'd been thinking about that ever since their time in the hot tub, and whatever he had to do to find some private corner for the two of them, he would.
"Use the pool house," Shaun confided, leaning half a smidge closer and lowering his voice. "My supplies and shit are all over the place, but I can attest the furniture is thoroughly tested for comfort and support. As long as you don't mind making love to the scent of amber and vanilla. I got a little... enthusiastic the other day."
"Fuck, that sounds like heaven," Vax grinned.
"Consider it my gift to you on this, the day of the anniversary of my birth," laughed Shaun.
"Oh, we're talking gifts now are we?" Vax smiled, then faded into the darkness behind them, only to return a few moments later, crouching next to Gilmore with a little box in hand. It was simple - not even wrapped, just a silver rectangular case.
Honestly, Shaun hadn't expected presents. Especially not from Vax, whose pocket money, as far as Shaun knew, actually came from him. The idea that Vax would actually spend some of that money on him earned a sweet and lingering smile. Shaun accepted the box and peeked inside. "... whoa. Wow, these are perfect."
Immediately, even though the sun had faded away into night, he slid the purple-tinted sunglasses on, gave his damp hair a bit of a fluffing with one hand, and turned to Vax for approval, grinning. "Do these look as glorious on me as I think they do?"
With a perfectly straight face, Vax raised an eyebrow and replied, "You're damn right they do. I meant to give them to you earlier in the day, but it kind of got away from me."
Shaun tipped the sunglasses down so he could quirk a brow at Vax over the rims -- looking damn cute, and knowing it. He grinned. "Too busy having a good time, I hope. Thank you, Vax. In all sincerity... you assholes mean a lot to me. You, especially."
Vax's eyebrows lifted. "Boy, did you back the wrong pony."
"My portfolio can handle the speculation." Shaun pushed the glasses back up his nose, and then squeezed Vax's shoulder warmly. "And, hey, don't talk about my bestie that way."
"Bestie," Vax murmured with a smile, shooting Shaun a sideways look, even past the sunglasses. "You're right - that gorgeous bastard doesn't deserve my criticism."
"Much better," Shaun approved. "I agree completely. Does that gorgeous bastard want to come see if Grog left any of the cake before we dig in to the brownies?"
"Fuck yes," Vax grinned, pushing to his feet before offering a hand down to Shaun. "But I may just skip straight to the brownies."
Shaun Gilmore sank down into a deck chair near the karaoke machine with a tall glass of soda, liberally laced with whiskey, and sighed contentedly. A couple of power songs had really taken it out of him and he needed to sit down, but he wasn't quite ready to give up the karaoke spotlight just yet. The sun had disappeared behind the house some time ago but the stars weren't quite yet out, and it felt like a good, quiet time to take a breather. He'd even pulled his tank top back on, and fastened the rose gold necklace from Nolan to rest in the hollow between his collarbones.
Still, he flipped through the karaoke machine's electronic library, and keyed up the song he'd been looking for. Shaun turned the volume down so it wouldn't quite reach the rest of the party. Now that the shadows were growing long, he thought he might be able to lure in a certain handsome rogue.
The contemplative strains of a guitar began a familiar melody, and Shaun picked up in a voice somewhat lower and heavier than McCartney's: "Blackbird singing in the dead of night... Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise..."
Lurking in the shadows, Vax couldn't help but overhear the soft strains through the veil of darkness, and after a moment, they parted, allowing Gilmore the sight of Vax melding out of nothingness, appearing like a ghost in the night with a small, appreciative smile on his lips. He didn't sing, but as he paced toward the other teen, dark, shadowy wings began to take shape on his back, spreading out in both directions and arching up into the ocean breeze.
Would Shaun ever be able to catch sight of Vax without a little twinge in his heart? It didn't feel disloyal to Nolan; it didn't even really feel wistful or regretful. More like a spark of recognition of someone whom his heart would never quite release. ... maybe that was the booze talking.
He smiled at his friend's approach, and tucked his feet up so there was room for Vax (and his wings) on the deck chair with him. "Blackbird, fly," he sang softly, finishing up the song as the guitar and birdsong at the end of the recording faded away. Then he tilted the microphone away and greeted, "Hey there, gorgeous."
Vax straddled the end of the deck chair, letting the wings flow off the end and dip toward the pavement below. If they'd been real wings, they might have dragged the ground, but the shadow moved and melded to his will, allowing him the room he needed, and wanted. "Well, hello yourself. Was that for me?"
"Of course. Do I know any other blackbirds?" Shaun asked liltingly, making a swirling gesture with one hand. He had reclined back in his chair and set the mic down, and now possessed the air of a debauched prince on his throne. His smile was warm as ever, though. "I'm glad you came today. Thanks for getting all the other monsters out here, too. This has been a glorious day."
"You think we'd let you celebrate all alone?" Vax made a rude noise and scoffed. "You're one of us. Where you go, we go, and we always find reasons to party."
No, but Shaun thought that Nolan’s house could be kind of intimidating, and Vox Machina barely knew Shaun’s boyfriend at all. “It still means the world to me that you’re all here,” he promised with his lazy smile. “All my favorite people. Are you going to sing a duet with me, Vax’ildan?”
"Iiii don't really sing," Vax told him, clearly apologetic in his grimace. "Not unless I'm three sheets to the wind."
Shaun mimed immediately reaching toward the nearest bottle of alcohol (which was a good ten feet away). "How many more sheets can I get you?" But his grin was crooked and his eyes were positively twinkling with tease. Giving Vax shit -- and getting back just as good as he gave -- was the hallmark of their friendship after all.
Without even thinking about it, Vax started to lean in...before stopping himself. Right. Kissing didn't come with the flirting anymore. Fuck, it wasn't even flirting at this point - couldn't be. He shrugged instead and shook his head. "I'm trying to stay sober - keep an eye on the others, you know? Make sure Grog doesn't destroy Nolan's car or something shitty like that."
It felt so natural that Shaun almost leaned in, too, before seeing Vax catch himself like that. And then, he had the weirdest urge to apologize. He didn't mean to lead Vax on, or be confusing, or worse. Shaun sat himself back again, his smile twisting wryly around a hearty swig of his drink. If Vax seemed upset, he'd say something. For sure. "That's a hell of a sacrifice you're making on Nolan's behalf," he said warmly. "Don't worry too much. He put up everything valuable and locked the Vespa in the garage. I, uh, might have recommended that step."
Shaun was far from innocent under suspicion of potential destruction. He'd already proved that with deck-chair trebuchets earlier in the day.
"You've never seen Grog in a drunken stupor," Vax pointed out. "Whatever your precautions, I can promise you that they aren't enough."
"Then I'm especially grateful that you're on lookout," said Shaun sincerely. "Because I really like the Vespa." A beat after he said it, he had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "God, I'm getting spoiled. You'll cuff me upside the head if I ever start to get too full of myself, won't you?"
"Should I start now?" Vax smirked at him, eyes twinkling.
The Glorious Gilmore gave a much more dramatic sigh. "Is it that bad already? Have I got... Hamptons fever? Hallmarked by unbearable smugness and the perfect car to match all of my footwear? Dear god, Vax'ildan, if it's true you have to help me!" He put a hand to his forehead, and then one to Vax's, as if trying to gauge his own temperature.
Vax's smirk just continued to widen throughout the dramatic overture until he reached out and took Gilmore's hand...only to haul him into the nearest shadow and out the other end, right into the deepest part of the pool. "Your wish, my command, oh glorious one!"
Shaun barely had the chance to squawk in surprise and protest before he was plummeting into the water, with a flail of hands and feet and a very messy splash, much to the merriment of the other kids watching nearby. He thrashed underwater for a few seconds before surging up again, throwing his wet black hair back with a wordless shout. "You! You sneaky little... I am going to trounce you... where the hell are you?!" he demanded, breathless with laughter as he struggled to find where Vax had gone.
Said sneak stepped out of the shadows by the poolside, crouching at the edge with a wicked smile on his lips. "Trounce, eh?"
"Yes, you heard me, trounce!" Shaun exclaimed, laughing and fighting to swim toward the side of the pool as he splashed a great gout of water in Vax's direction.
Vax could have dodged, if he'd been standing, but crouched, he was more of a target. He managed to bring his hands up to deflect some of the water, but ended up soaked nonetheless. He ended up laughing in the face of it, watching Shaun throw himself in his direction. "You are the one who asked for a wake-up call! I was merely following orders!"
"Oh, the last refuge of the guilty!" cried Shaun, reaching the edge of the pool. He grinned up at Vax, his hair slicked back, water glittering in his goatee and laughter dancing in his eyes. Vax was quicker than he could ever be, he knew very well, but still he tried to snatch his friend's shirt and overbalance him into the pool.
Much to everyone's surprise (except for Vax, who'd let it happen), Shaun's fingers caught the material of his shirt and he was hauled head first into the water with a dramatic splash. When he came back up for air, dark hair slicked back along his neck and shoulders, his eyes glistened with amusement, a grin twitching at his lips. "This is the thanks I get for being an excellent friend."
For a second, Shaun was actively startled that had worked, until he realized that Vax had let him do it. He was laughing when Vax came back up, and reached out to pat his cheek wetly. "Thank you, Vax'ildan," he sing-songed playfully. "It's good to know I can always count on you to regulate my ego for me."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not," Vax grinned. "But either way, you're most welcome."
"Honey, half the time even I can't tell if I'm joking or not. It's the downside of being my being so gloriously fucking clever," Shaun laughed, and pulled himself up to the side of the pool. The tank top he'd been wearing was now translucent and clinging to him, as were his swim trunks, but Shaun had never been shy about showing himself off. And Vax had seen it all anyway.
Vax reached the edge and hauled himself up to sit next to him, dripping water, his sleeveless black t-shirt clinging to his chest, the black mesh swim shorts revealing almost everything but the black liner around more important parts. His dark hair slicked back behind his ears, so finely defined that he almost looked like an elf in the moonlight. "I hope you enjoyed the party tonight. You've done so much for all of us, you deserve to be happy."
Shaun hadn't surrendered the pleasure of simply looking at Vax, so he did, smiling softly. Vax was so pretty, so sharp and bright and keen, it was almost difficult to believe his power lay in shadows. "I've done so much?" he chuckled. "What, like waking you up too early with donuts? You lot made me part of your family." Shaun bumped Vax's shoulder gently with his own. "And tonight has been amazing. Thank you. I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate with anyone else."
"Best part's still to come," Vax smirked, nodding slightly in Nolan's direction.
Shaun followed Vax's nod, and when his gaze rested on Nolan, his face was transformed by a smile that seemed to scrunch all up in one corner. "Yeah," he sighed contentedly. "I am going to climb that man like a tree. Tonight, he gets whatever he wants. Not that that's unlike most nights."
"Yeah, well I hope he doesn't mind me stealing Percival off for much of the same," Vax hummed thoughtfully. He'd been thinking about that ever since their time in the hot tub, and whatever he had to do to find some private corner for the two of them, he would.
"Use the pool house," Shaun confided, leaning half a smidge closer and lowering his voice. "My supplies and shit are all over the place, but I can attest the furniture is thoroughly tested for comfort and support. As long as you don't mind making love to the scent of amber and vanilla. I got a little... enthusiastic the other day."
"Fuck, that sounds like heaven," Vax grinned.
"Consider it my gift to you on this, the day of the anniversary of my birth," laughed Shaun.
"Oh, we're talking gifts now are we?" Vax smiled, then faded into the darkness behind them, only to return a few moments later, crouching next to Gilmore with a little box in hand. It was simple - not even wrapped, just a silver rectangular case.
Honestly, Shaun hadn't expected presents. Especially not from Vax, whose pocket money, as far as Shaun knew, actually came from him. The idea that Vax would actually spend some of that money on him earned a sweet and lingering smile. Shaun accepted the box and peeked inside. "... whoa. Wow, these are perfect."
Immediately, even though the sun had faded away into night, he slid the purple-tinted sunglasses on, gave his damp hair a bit of a fluffing with one hand, and turned to Vax for approval, grinning. "Do these look as glorious on me as I think they do?"
With a perfectly straight face, Vax raised an eyebrow and replied, "You're damn right they do. I meant to give them to you earlier in the day, but it kind of got away from me."
Shaun tipped the sunglasses down so he could quirk a brow at Vax over the rims -- looking damn cute, and knowing it. He grinned. "Too busy having a good time, I hope. Thank you, Vax. In all sincerity... you assholes mean a lot to me. You, especially."
Vax's eyebrows lifted. "Boy, did you back the wrong pony."
"My portfolio can handle the speculation." Shaun pushed the glasses back up his nose, and then squeezed Vax's shoulder warmly. "And, hey, don't talk about my bestie that way."
"Bestie," Vax murmured with a smile, shooting Shaun a sideways look, even past the sunglasses. "You're right - that gorgeous bastard doesn't deserve my criticism."
"Much better," Shaun approved. "I agree completely. Does that gorgeous bastard want to come see if Grog left any of the cake before we dig in to the brownies?"
"Fuck yes," Vax grinned, pushing to his feet before offering a hand down to Shaun. "But I may just skip straight to the brownies."
