Shaun & Nolan, New Year's Eve
Dec. 31st, 2018 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainNolan spirits Shaun away from the New Year's party just before midnight to celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss.
Dolce & Gabbana had worked well for Nolan last year, so call him superstitious, or sentimental, but Dolce & Gabbana it was again this year. The suit was shimmering bronze, with a floral pattern that was more discreet by far than last year, but that Nolan still definitely picked as a callback. He went without the vest, and paired the pants and jacket with a simple black shirt and a matching bronze tie. The outfit felt perfect for tonight, both like armor to get through another high school party, and a discreet callback to last year's, and how significant that night had ended up being.
And of course, Nolan wore Shaun's bracelet on his left wrist, hidden under the sleeve of the jacket. He rarely took it off, these days; only when he was afraid he might damage or lose it somehow.
The party went as well as it could be expected. Nolan and Shaun reconnected regularly, before the latter went off to dance again. Nolan fixed them both mocktails with the ingredients at hand. It was a high school party like every other, and Nolan didn't feel particularly at ease, but he talked with his friends, wished Tessa were here, and loved every time Shaun came back to him.
Just then, after a glance at his watch informed him that midnight was not too far off, Nolan looked around for his boyfriend again, hoping they could claim a little privacy for a moment that meant so much.
Shaun loved how Nolan looked tonight, whether he was up close sharing a warm moment, or gazing at him from across the dance floor. After a year full of parties and events, their standard operating procedure felt comfortable now. Shaun flitted away to dance and play with Molly or Lu or TJ, but always returned to Nolan's side to catch his breath and soak up the warmth and affection that seemed to radiate between the two of them whenever they were close together.
For most of the night he had eschewed the purple suit jacket in favor of the designer navy-and-lavender tee underneath, the better to move and dance, and because he tended to be pretty warm anyway. Shaun picked it back up, though, when the gentle vibration of his phone reminded him that midnight would be coming soon, and he had a very important date to keep. Down to the second, in fact. With his jacket slung over his shoulder, Shaun found his way back to Nolan, and reached to slip his hand into Nolan's the first moment that he was within reach. "Hey, there you are. Right on time."
"And there you are," Nolan replied, tangling his fingers with Shaun and giving his hand a small, hello squeeze. Shaun was always a sight for sore eyes, and he certainly was right now, eyes bright, hair a, well, glorious mess from dancing, and the natural way he made the simplest suit look like something right off of a runway. "At the risk of sounding desperate, let's get out of here?"
Nolan's palm against his, Nolan's fingers warm and certain laced with his own; some things in this world just felt right, and this was one of the rightest. Shaun had been pouring out his energy all night, showering his friends with love and sweeping some up for himself, everything loud and bright and colorful. The moment his hand was in Nolan's, though, he was grounded and centered. That touch could replenish everything he'd spent over the last few hours. "Behind the bleachers again?" he asked, with a quirked smile and humor in his eyes.
"Hmm, tempting," Nolan stated dryly, "but no." He tugged Shaun along, towards the hallway and the elevator that would take them to the dormitory floor. "Shinobi's not going to be back for a while," a certainty not just because his friend and roommate was having a grand time, but also because Nolan had asked him not to be, "so I was hoping to steal you for longer than a few minutes behind the bleachers."
They had shared one beautiful, but short kiss, last year. This time, Nolan didn't want to stop kissing Shaun for a good long time.
Shaun's steps quickened at this news, matching Nolan's eagerness to be away and somewhere private. Now that he knew how far they had to go, and in how little time, Shaun was very motivated to move. He did wish, a bit, that he would have gotten to see the confetti explosion he'd rigged for Shen... but only a bit. "Truly a generous soul, our Shinobi," Shaun confirmed, then looked up at Nolan with bright eyes. "Just... how long do we have?"
"Until I give him the all-clear?" Nolan offered, amused and appreciative of the sudden haste in Shaun's steps. He followed suit, of course, longer legs easily taking them towards the elevator, which was thankfully already on their floor. As the doors closed on them, Nolan drew Shaun close, and tangled his fingers in his hair. "I can't believe it's been a year," he said, quietly, for all that they were alone in the cabin. His eyes were full of wonder, and his lungs of love.
Shaun breathed a soft half-laugh, resting against Nolan’s side and looking into Nolan’s endlessly blue eyes. “A year ago I had no idea I would be falling in love with you,” he admitted. “Honestly, a year ago right now I wasn’t even sure you would let me kiss you. Or say yes if I asked.”
"A year ago, I never thought you might like me that way," Nolan replied dryly. And his dryness went up a notch as he added, "And I didn't think that anyone should." A curious thought came to him, as he looked into his boyfriend's warm, expressive brown eyes. "How much do you remember, of me telling you our story, the night of your birthday?"
For a moment, Shaun’s smile went misty, recalling what little he did of that night. “Some. The best parts, I think. Mostly I remember how good you felt next to me, and the sound of your voice.” It was a good memory, a lovely one, even though it wasn’t terribly clear.
Nolan watched Shaun's gaze go a little soft and distant as he recalled that night, admired the hue of his smile, and felt a swell of love in his lungs. Such love, for this beautiful man. More love than Nolan had known it was possible to feel; love like in the books, the plays, the movies. But before he could say anything, the elevator doors slid open. Still, for a beat, it was all Nolan could do to keep looking at Shaun, a small, loving smile playing on his lips.
But then he forced himself to draw Shaun out of the elevator, walking close to him, their fingers still tangled together. "It was a good night," he settled on, simply but very, very warmly.
Tonight, Shaun was completely sober, and he was very glad of it. He bumped gently against Nolan’s side, but kept his steps quick; he didn’t want to miss midnight. Just as they moved into the hall, Shaun thought he caught sight of his own dorm room’s door closing behind someone, but he wasn’t absolutely certain. Hmm. He might have to ask Molly about that in the morning.
Right now, though, Shaun had Nolan, and an empty private room before them, and one perfect kiss on his mind. One moment that his entire life had turned on, that had led him to a love so fierce and full that his heart nearly ached with it. “Every night with you is a good night,” said Shaun, his voice very soft so it wouldn’t carry down the hall.
Nolan looked over at Shaun at his words, even as they came to a stop in front of his room. He'd planned on opening it and letting them in, but he couldn't let that kind of statement simply rest, and no one was in the hallway, so he leaned in close and gave Shaun a first kiss. "I love you so much," he told him, quiet and genuine, words he had meant to keep for midnight, but did it matter? There wasn't a finite supply of them.
Nolan squeezed Shaun's hand, then let go of it to open the door.
“Love you,” Shaun echoed, just barely enough voice for Nolan to hear him, and no one else. He could say more, could speak endlessly about his feelings for Nolan, but they had a date to keep — one he hadn’t imagined he’d be keeping one year ago. With a quick, sparkling grin for his boyfriend, Shaun slid into Nolan’s room under his arm.
Nolan smiled at the celerity with which Shaun moved into the room, and happily followed after him, closing the door behind him. A command to his electronic assistant turned his bedlight on, and Nolan checked the time - three minutes to go. "This is going to seem out of the blue," he stated, moving towards his desk to open a drawer, "but if you were a gemstone, which one do you think you'd be?"
Nolan had no idea whether Shaun remembered this conversation, also had the night of his birthday party, to distract Shaun as Nolan got them up his gorgeous, passably dangerous stairs.
Shaun slung his jacket over the door handle on the back of Nolan’s door, and glanced up somewhat surprised that Nolan hadn’t immediately swept him up for another kiss, or pressed him against the door, or... something. No, Nolan had some other plan in mind, it seemed. Shaun’s attention pulled toward the drawer that Nolan had opened; what could be more interesting in there than he was?
“Which one...” he began, drifting toward Nolan’s side again, before he remembered something fuzzy and distant. Baked and good, he’d said, which had made him giggle helplessly. Shaun grinned suddenly at the memory. “I seem to remember claiming to be topaz, once upon a time?”
"I'm impressed by your memory," Nolan admitted, as he pulled a flat, rectangle box out of the drawer. "I... I know it's just the anniversary of our first kiss, but I still wanted to acknowledge it. And your stone ramblings were very cute," he added, soft-dry, as he stepped back to Shaun and handed him the white box. Inside, Shaun would find two pairs of cufflinks, one of them London Blue topaz, the other pink and green tourmaline. "Remember what you said my stone was?"
Shaun opened the lid of the box and gazed at the beautiful stones worked into exquisitely handmade cuff links inside, blinking hard in surprise. Immediately, he slid an arm around Nolan’s waist and drew close to him, hugging him close and secure. Tenderly, dark brown eyes turned up to Nolan full of gratitude and wonder. The rest of that conversation, he really didn’t remember, but the stones nestled in this box told him pretty clearly. “Nolan,” he breathed quietly. “They’re gorgeous. You didn’t... you are incredible.”
"You are," Nolan answered, without a hint of doubt or a second's hesitation. "I'm so grateful for you, and your presence in my life." He gave Shaun a small, quiet smile. "Also, your willingness to indulge my ridiculous gifts." Honestly, he would shower Shaun with gifts on a regular basis, if he thought Shaun would be okay with that.
Shaun couldn’t even scold Nolan for turning those words back around on him. It was enough that Nolan understood how he felt, that he believed Shaun’s feelings and love for him were real. He closed the lid on the box and wrapped his arms around Nolan to hold him as tight as he possibly could. “You’re the gift to me,” he mumbled softly, a little bit overwhelmed. Having expected kisses and touches and intimacy, Shaun hadn’t been ready for gifts and feelings, though now he didn’t know why he’d not seen this coming. This was Nolan through and through.
And ridiculous, too, Nolan only just stopped himself from dryly adding. He suspected that Shaun would berate him for deriding himself, regardless of the fact that it meant accepting Shaun's statement. How could Nolan not? It was certainly the way he felt about Shaun. So he hugged him back warmly, until his assistant started beeping, quietly but regularly, counting the seconds. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five," Nolan whispered, so Shaun would immediately know what it meant.
He pulled back as he grew quiet, counting down the rest of the seconds in silence, cupped Shaun's face, and kissed him softly, sweetly as they reached zero...
...and a confetti cannon popped, much smaller by far than the one Shaun had rigged up last year.
This, yes, this. Everything Shaun wanted, in one place, in one person, holding him and kissing him and loving him. Nolan’s kisses had felt right since the very first one, and there were so many in between that and this that Shaun had lost count. Long and complicated, brief and parting, slow and exploring, and so many more. Shaun kissed Nolan with a held breath, savoring that single moment like he could preserve it in crystal forever.
And then he heard a familiar little popping sound, and the flutter of paper in the air, and Shaun broke into a grin mid-kiss. “I love you,” he said, colored with a soft laugh of deepest affection, because he wanted those to be the first words Nolan heard this year.
But he was just a tiny bit ridiculous.
Confetti fluttered down on them, and Nolan, utterly shameless in his ridiculousness, in this moment, smiled back at Shaun. There was no room for shame, when Shaun was grinning at him, and loving him, and love was taking up so much space inside Nolan anyway. "I love you too," he answered, and blew a colorful little piece of paper aside when it fluttered down between them, so he could kiss Shaun again.
Bits of color stuck in Shaun's hair, drifting around the both of them, but he didn't care in the least. He met Nolan's kisses with parted lips this time, no less sweet, but no more innocent. If the rest of this year remained anything like its first minute, 2019 was shaping up to be Shaun's favorite year of all time.
Dolce & Gabbana had worked well for Nolan last year, so call him superstitious, or sentimental, but Dolce & Gabbana it was again this year. The suit was shimmering bronze, with a floral pattern that was more discreet by far than last year, but that Nolan still definitely picked as a callback. He went without the vest, and paired the pants and jacket with a simple black shirt and a matching bronze tie. The outfit felt perfect for tonight, both like armor to get through another high school party, and a discreet callback to last year's, and how significant that night had ended up being.
And of course, Nolan wore Shaun's bracelet on his left wrist, hidden under the sleeve of the jacket. He rarely took it off, these days; only when he was afraid he might damage or lose it somehow.
The party went as well as it could be expected. Nolan and Shaun reconnected regularly, before the latter went off to dance again. Nolan fixed them both mocktails with the ingredients at hand. It was a high school party like every other, and Nolan didn't feel particularly at ease, but he talked with his friends, wished Tessa were here, and loved every time Shaun came back to him.
Just then, after a glance at his watch informed him that midnight was not too far off, Nolan looked around for his boyfriend again, hoping they could claim a little privacy for a moment that meant so much.
Shaun loved how Nolan looked tonight, whether he was up close sharing a warm moment, or gazing at him from across the dance floor. After a year full of parties and events, their standard operating procedure felt comfortable now. Shaun flitted away to dance and play with Molly or Lu or TJ, but always returned to Nolan's side to catch his breath and soak up the warmth and affection that seemed to radiate between the two of them whenever they were close together.
For most of the night he had eschewed the purple suit jacket in favor of the designer navy-and-lavender tee underneath, the better to move and dance, and because he tended to be pretty warm anyway. Shaun picked it back up, though, when the gentle vibration of his phone reminded him that midnight would be coming soon, and he had a very important date to keep. Down to the second, in fact. With his jacket slung over his shoulder, Shaun found his way back to Nolan, and reached to slip his hand into Nolan's the first moment that he was within reach. "Hey, there you are. Right on time."
"And there you are," Nolan replied, tangling his fingers with Shaun and giving his hand a small, hello squeeze. Shaun was always a sight for sore eyes, and he certainly was right now, eyes bright, hair a, well, glorious mess from dancing, and the natural way he made the simplest suit look like something right off of a runway. "At the risk of sounding desperate, let's get out of here?"
Nolan's palm against his, Nolan's fingers warm and certain laced with his own; some things in this world just felt right, and this was one of the rightest. Shaun had been pouring out his energy all night, showering his friends with love and sweeping some up for himself, everything loud and bright and colorful. The moment his hand was in Nolan's, though, he was grounded and centered. That touch could replenish everything he'd spent over the last few hours. "Behind the bleachers again?" he asked, with a quirked smile and humor in his eyes.
"Hmm, tempting," Nolan stated dryly, "but no." He tugged Shaun along, towards the hallway and the elevator that would take them to the dormitory floor. "Shinobi's not going to be back for a while," a certainty not just because his friend and roommate was having a grand time, but also because Nolan had asked him not to be, "so I was hoping to steal you for longer than a few minutes behind the bleachers."
They had shared one beautiful, but short kiss, last year. This time, Nolan didn't want to stop kissing Shaun for a good long time.
Shaun's steps quickened at this news, matching Nolan's eagerness to be away and somewhere private. Now that he knew how far they had to go, and in how little time, Shaun was very motivated to move. He did wish, a bit, that he would have gotten to see the confetti explosion he'd rigged for Shen... but only a bit. "Truly a generous soul, our Shinobi," Shaun confirmed, then looked up at Nolan with bright eyes. "Just... how long do we have?"
"Until I give him the all-clear?" Nolan offered, amused and appreciative of the sudden haste in Shaun's steps. He followed suit, of course, longer legs easily taking them towards the elevator, which was thankfully already on their floor. As the doors closed on them, Nolan drew Shaun close, and tangled his fingers in his hair. "I can't believe it's been a year," he said, quietly, for all that they were alone in the cabin. His eyes were full of wonder, and his lungs of love.
Shaun breathed a soft half-laugh, resting against Nolan’s side and looking into Nolan’s endlessly blue eyes. “A year ago I had no idea I would be falling in love with you,” he admitted. “Honestly, a year ago right now I wasn’t even sure you would let me kiss you. Or say yes if I asked.”
"A year ago, I never thought you might like me that way," Nolan replied dryly. And his dryness went up a notch as he added, "And I didn't think that anyone should." A curious thought came to him, as he looked into his boyfriend's warm, expressive brown eyes. "How much do you remember, of me telling you our story, the night of your birthday?"
For a moment, Shaun’s smile went misty, recalling what little he did of that night. “Some. The best parts, I think. Mostly I remember how good you felt next to me, and the sound of your voice.” It was a good memory, a lovely one, even though it wasn’t terribly clear.
Nolan watched Shaun's gaze go a little soft and distant as he recalled that night, admired the hue of his smile, and felt a swell of love in his lungs. Such love, for this beautiful man. More love than Nolan had known it was possible to feel; love like in the books, the plays, the movies. But before he could say anything, the elevator doors slid open. Still, for a beat, it was all Nolan could do to keep looking at Shaun, a small, loving smile playing on his lips.
But then he forced himself to draw Shaun out of the elevator, walking close to him, their fingers still tangled together. "It was a good night," he settled on, simply but very, very warmly.
Tonight, Shaun was completely sober, and he was very glad of it. He bumped gently against Nolan’s side, but kept his steps quick; he didn’t want to miss midnight. Just as they moved into the hall, Shaun thought he caught sight of his own dorm room’s door closing behind someone, but he wasn’t absolutely certain. Hmm. He might have to ask Molly about that in the morning.
Right now, though, Shaun had Nolan, and an empty private room before them, and one perfect kiss on his mind. One moment that his entire life had turned on, that had led him to a love so fierce and full that his heart nearly ached with it. “Every night with you is a good night,” said Shaun, his voice very soft so it wouldn’t carry down the hall.
Nolan looked over at Shaun at his words, even as they came to a stop in front of his room. He'd planned on opening it and letting them in, but he couldn't let that kind of statement simply rest, and no one was in the hallway, so he leaned in close and gave Shaun a first kiss. "I love you so much," he told him, quiet and genuine, words he had meant to keep for midnight, but did it matter? There wasn't a finite supply of them.
Nolan squeezed Shaun's hand, then let go of it to open the door.
“Love you,” Shaun echoed, just barely enough voice for Nolan to hear him, and no one else. He could say more, could speak endlessly about his feelings for Nolan, but they had a date to keep — one he hadn’t imagined he’d be keeping one year ago. With a quick, sparkling grin for his boyfriend, Shaun slid into Nolan’s room under his arm.
Nolan smiled at the celerity with which Shaun moved into the room, and happily followed after him, closing the door behind him. A command to his electronic assistant turned his bedlight on, and Nolan checked the time - three minutes to go. "This is going to seem out of the blue," he stated, moving towards his desk to open a drawer, "but if you were a gemstone, which one do you think you'd be?"
Nolan had no idea whether Shaun remembered this conversation, also had the night of his birthday party, to distract Shaun as Nolan got them up his gorgeous, passably dangerous stairs.
Shaun slung his jacket over the door handle on the back of Nolan’s door, and glanced up somewhat surprised that Nolan hadn’t immediately swept him up for another kiss, or pressed him against the door, or... something. No, Nolan had some other plan in mind, it seemed. Shaun’s attention pulled toward the drawer that Nolan had opened; what could be more interesting in there than he was?
“Which one...” he began, drifting toward Nolan’s side again, before he remembered something fuzzy and distant. Baked and good, he’d said, which had made him giggle helplessly. Shaun grinned suddenly at the memory. “I seem to remember claiming to be topaz, once upon a time?”
"I'm impressed by your memory," Nolan admitted, as he pulled a flat, rectangle box out of the drawer. "I... I know it's just the anniversary of our first kiss, but I still wanted to acknowledge it. And your stone ramblings were very cute," he added, soft-dry, as he stepped back to Shaun and handed him the white box. Inside, Shaun would find two pairs of cufflinks, one of them London Blue topaz, the other pink and green tourmaline. "Remember what you said my stone was?"
Shaun opened the lid of the box and gazed at the beautiful stones worked into exquisitely handmade cuff links inside, blinking hard in surprise. Immediately, he slid an arm around Nolan’s waist and drew close to him, hugging him close and secure. Tenderly, dark brown eyes turned up to Nolan full of gratitude and wonder. The rest of that conversation, he really didn’t remember, but the stones nestled in this box told him pretty clearly. “Nolan,” he breathed quietly. “They’re gorgeous. You didn’t... you are incredible.”
"You are," Nolan answered, without a hint of doubt or a second's hesitation. "I'm so grateful for you, and your presence in my life." He gave Shaun a small, quiet smile. "Also, your willingness to indulge my ridiculous gifts." Honestly, he would shower Shaun with gifts on a regular basis, if he thought Shaun would be okay with that.
Shaun couldn’t even scold Nolan for turning those words back around on him. It was enough that Nolan understood how he felt, that he believed Shaun’s feelings and love for him were real. He closed the lid on the box and wrapped his arms around Nolan to hold him as tight as he possibly could. “You’re the gift to me,” he mumbled softly, a little bit overwhelmed. Having expected kisses and touches and intimacy, Shaun hadn’t been ready for gifts and feelings, though now he didn’t know why he’d not seen this coming. This was Nolan through and through.
And ridiculous, too, Nolan only just stopped himself from dryly adding. He suspected that Shaun would berate him for deriding himself, regardless of the fact that it meant accepting Shaun's statement. How could Nolan not? It was certainly the way he felt about Shaun. So he hugged him back warmly, until his assistant started beeping, quietly but regularly, counting the seconds. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five," Nolan whispered, so Shaun would immediately know what it meant.
He pulled back as he grew quiet, counting down the rest of the seconds in silence, cupped Shaun's face, and kissed him softly, sweetly as they reached zero...
...and a confetti cannon popped, much smaller by far than the one Shaun had rigged up last year.
This, yes, this. Everything Shaun wanted, in one place, in one person, holding him and kissing him and loving him. Nolan’s kisses had felt right since the very first one, and there were so many in between that and this that Shaun had lost count. Long and complicated, brief and parting, slow and exploring, and so many more. Shaun kissed Nolan with a held breath, savoring that single moment like he could preserve it in crystal forever.
And then he heard a familiar little popping sound, and the flutter of paper in the air, and Shaun broke into a grin mid-kiss. “I love you,” he said, colored with a soft laugh of deepest affection, because he wanted those to be the first words Nolan heard this year.
But he was just a tiny bit ridiculous.
Confetti fluttered down on them, and Nolan, utterly shameless in his ridiculousness, in this moment, smiled back at Shaun. There was no room for shame, when Shaun was grinning at him, and loving him, and love was taking up so much space inside Nolan anyway. "I love you too," he answered, and blew a colorful little piece of paper aside when it fluttered down between them, so he could kiss Shaun again.
Bits of color stuck in Shaun's hair, drifting around the both of them, but he didn't care in the least. He met Nolan's kisses with parted lips this time, no less sweet, but no more innocent. If the rest of this year remained anything like its first minute, 2019 was shaping up to be Shaun's favorite year of all time.
