// HOLIDAY PARTY

[eluviomods]

WHO: EVERYONE!
WHERE: The Atrium
WHEN: December 24th
WHAT: Holiday party!
WARNINGS: None (but please mark if there is questionable content!)

// Jingle Mingle_ ➣ Sparkles and Spirits Late the night before, visitors will be asked to leave as the atrium is going to be closed for a few hours. It's completely blocked off from sight. In the morning, it will be open once again and the entire space is covered in a soft padding of snow. With more still falling! It's not entirely clear just where it's coming from or how they rigged it up to not even melt, but it's here. Throughout the day, the snow will keep falling though won't get any higher than one foot. Except for a designated area on the western side of the atrium. There characters will find copious amounts of snow to build forts or snowmen or wage an all out guerilla warfare snowball fight. Stationed throughout the atrium in various places out of the way are buffets and bars to provide everyone with delicious delectables and delightful drinks. These stations are constantly manned and refreshed so that nothing is ever empty or anyone is left wanting. Don't see a food you're dying to have? Ask and one of the workers will be happy to seek it out for you! Late morning to mid afternoon, there will be a gingerbread house contest. Everyone is encouraged to participate and show off their creative skill! All items needed will be provided to create your masterpiece. Various awards will be given out, including Best Use of Gumdrops. Once the magic hour begins, all the lights in the atrium will begin to flicker on. Twinkling lights in the trees and candied garden lights will mark the path appropriately called Candy Cane Lane, which is little more than a means to encourage a more romantic atmosphere with a walk around the atrium itself. ➣ Flannel and Frost Once night falls, the party is still going strong. More food is brought out and the drinks just don't stop flowing. Because what's a party without booze? On the east side of the atrium a large canopy is stationed with a dance floor beneath it just waiting for everyone to cut loose. A DJ will be playing all night with pulsing, hypnotic beats that not one booty can say no to. Invite someone to cut that rug or dance by yourself like no one's watching. It's time to cut loose! While walking through the atrium, be careful! There's enchanted mistletoe that will spring up anywhere at anytime and will trap anyone without restraint. (Did you think we wouldn't have this?) It hovers in the air with a soft green glow, encasing two passersby within an arm's length radius. Get those lips to puckering to get yourselves free! (A kiss anywhere counts, so don't fret!) Tucked away on the north side of the atrium is a large maze. It boasts to be the best activity for the holiday party, but those in charge could be a little biased. It's a mystery as to what goes on beyond the entrance and the only way anyone can find out is to just march right in. The rules of the maze are: 1.) No one goes in alone (max. 2 at a time) and 2.) If you feel too trapped or lost, take off the visor and the experience will be over. Upon entering, everyone will be given a visor and set loose inside. Each group will experience something different should they choose to go into the maze, so please go HERE for a customized maze trip! Everyone is free to stay as long as they wish, but around 3:00 in the morning, workers will begin dismantling things and ushering people out so they can clean. Once everyone is nestled all snug in their beds, they'll be visited by someone to get their holiday gifts! Happy Holidays!

Comments

[rumbling]

[ It's possible this can end awkwardly, too. In fact it has a high chance in doing just that. They're both ignoring the huge Mgalekgolo in the room. They can continue to ignore it and hope it goes away on its own, which seems to be working as best as it can for them right now. Ignorance is bliss.

Or so they say.

Maine is looking in the opposite direction when Wash begins to head off, just checking their surroundings, but his head snaps over quick enough when Wash cuts off like that. Already he's slipping into battlemode and is ready to mow down whatever is coming their way ( even though it's highly likely that nothing is actually coming their way; semantics ). But it's that green glowing bundle of leaves and Maine's gut gets all twisted up again. He'll blame it on the food again.

Before coming here, he really hadn't seen anything like it. Living in space, he didn't really get the chance to sit around and ponder the plantlife on various planets within the systems. But, since he's been at this ridiculous party for long enough, he's seen this shit around and knows what it does and what this means. So, he grunts in response—annoyed that they're now within some holiday clutches.

Not annoyed he's stuck with Wash, but annoyed in general.

We're trapped by it. Some party game.

He doesn't move because he's going to let Wash decide which way to go with it. Maine isn't going to force it because this has the potential to screw literally everything up. He won't be ( too ) offended if Wash wants help from an outside source.

Gotta kiss to get out. ]

[sixth]

[ Growing up in a single parent household with little money to go around and too many siblings to spend it on, Wash isn't quite as intimately acquainted with holiday parties. The holidays weren't lavish affairs in the household he'd called home and once he'd enlisted, there'd been too many other things to occupy his time with. Had he grown up on Earth, he would probably have recognized what was going on right away. As it is, he's a bit clueless.

Until Maine fills him in, anyway.

Wash stares at him, then at the plant, then lets his eyes slip back to Maine. Getting trapped by a plant that requires one to kiss another person to get away from it seems like a really fucking stupid game. But Maine isn't the sort of man who makes shit like this up, either. Not before Sigma and certainly not now. Unless it's a residual side-effect of sharing a mind with the AI, though Wash is hesitant to dwell on that possibility very long. ]

Kiss, huh?

[ His eyebrows rise as his mouth twitches. It's almost a smile—it's so silly—but Wash tries to squash it before it happens, knowing that he ought to be taking this more seriously than he is. And he would be, if it wasn't for the alcohol dulling his senses. ]

Shouldn't be hard, right? [ The smile almost gets away from him right about the time he realizes that kissing Maine now, after everything that's happened to them, is a Bad Idea. He blinks, then clears his throat awkwardly. ] Um, is that—Are you all right with that?

[rumbling]

[ It is a really fucking stupid game.

While he hadn't been actively seeking to keep the hell away from those things popping up from nowhere, he'd been keeping an idle eye to make sure he didn't get caught. Kissing anyone hasn't been a priority in a really long time ( it feels like ) and the last thing he wants to do is get trapped with someone like—

Well, someone like Wash. But for wholly different reasons than someone might initially think.

There was a time when Maine felt in control of himself, of his emotions, of his thoughts, of his feelings. Now he feels like some fucking jumbled-ass mess and can't figure out what goddamn way is up. He hates that. Though, he's not really surprised that once again Wash is at the center of this confusion. Not the first time that's happened.

Mentally he gives himself a shake to clear the cobwebs and he realizes he's been nearly boring a hole into Wash's forehead. Too intense. He needs to chill out. He takes a breath and lets his gaze slip to the side for a few beats. One shoulder lifts in a careless shrug as he gives a low rumble; It's just a kiss.

It doesn't have to mean anything. What's a freeing kiss between—well, they're not friends, exactly, but... something?

Maine steps closer, sure in his coming actions, but slow and obvious enough that if Wash isn't as comfortable as he's pretending with all this, he'll back off. His jaw works slightly; a fleeting muscle memory at the idea of saying something even though he can't. When they settle easily into each other's spaces like this, it's hard to remember why it's such a bad idea. ( He could almost hate himself for thinking that. ) Lifting a hand—all without really thinking about it—he curls it around Wash's neck, just under his jaw; the intention clear to tip his head a little.

This is fine. Just a quick, dry, meaningless kiss. Over and done in a second and this is just a memory waiting to be repressed. Should no protest come, Maine leans down enough to meet him and presses a kiss against Wash's lips, completely and utterly ignoring everything else around them. ]

[sixth]

[ Someone else, probably anyone else, would find Maine staring that intently at them unnerving. Possibly even threatening. Wash accepts it as a matter of course, recognizing that Maine's thinking things over and waiting patiently for him to come to a conclusion. Maine has never been threatening or unnerving to Wash. Just the Meta. Just Sigma.

But Wash has a bias toward AI a kilometer wide now. Perhaps that's to be expected.

The decision he reaches is equal parts surprising and not. Maine's pragmatic when he wants to be and he's right. It is just a kiss. There's nothing special about it. Especially when it's done under duress. But even knowing that doesn't prevent Wash from getting a weirdly jittery, anxious kind of feeling as Maine moves closer. It feels a little like his stomach's swooping around inside his abdomen like an overly large bird. Which is stupid and unnecessary and he's determined to ignore it.

He inches closer as Maine's hand settles against his neck, stepping in and angling his head back so he doesn't have to lean down too far. One hand rises to cup Maine's elbow in a gesture that's both stabilizing for Wash as he rises a little onto the balls of his feet and reassuring. Because it's fine. They're adults. This is stupid.

It's fine.

Wash closes his eyes, tells himself to relax and stop being stupid over this because it's fine. And doesn't flinch when he feels Maine's lips meet his. A quick, effortless, meaningless peck.

Until it isn't.

Hand tightening into an actual grip around Maine's elbow, Wash finds himself going up onto his toes, catching at Maine's shoulder with his other hand. Not the back of his neck. The neural implant is there and even in the heat of a moment, Wash isn't foolish enough to accidentally touch it. Not even when he isn't paying attention.

And then he's kissing him for real, like it's possible to erase years of loss and fighting and betrayal if he just kisses him hard enough. Like they can go back to what they were and have back everything they've lost if he just... It doesn't matter. He isn't thinking about it. Because he isn't thinking about anything at all. He's too caught up in the moment. ]

[rumbling]

[ This was a very real, very clear mistake.

Maine doesn't know who does it first, if it's Wash who leans up more and touches more, or if it's him who shifts closer and encircles his arm around Wash's waist to keep him there. It all seems to happen at once that it's kind of muddled. Maybe they did it at the same time, those long forgotten memories of the past coming back to haunt them in this confusing future. He'd be a fool if he didn't feel the intention of this kiss. Shit may have happened and shit may have changed, but Maine still isn't stupid. No matter how long or how deeply they may kiss one another, it's not going to change anything that's happened.

It's only going to make it entirely more real.

When Maine became so adept at ignoring himself he doesn't know, but feels himself doing it now. Much like the other night when he knew he should've left but didn't, he knows he should stop this and leave. Give them some kind of space to figure this all out. But he can't. It feels physically impossible. So, he doesn't. Foolishly, he doesn't.

His lips part just enough to take Wash's bottom one between his own, sucking it gently. His tongue traces over the seam of Wash's lips before delving inside. He tastes like alcohol and familiarity. The hand against Wash's back slides over to his side and his fingers dig in tighter, tighter as if he doesn't want to let go.

And maybe he doesn't.   ]

[sixth]

[ Wash isn't thinking. He's had years of thinking and it hasn't gotten him anywhere. It's embroiled him in conflict after conflict. It's put him in a position to lose friend after friend. The time for thinking is over.

Releasing Maine's elbow, he curls that arm around his waist, anchoring his fingers against his back by twisting them into his shirt. The other tightens against his neck. It's leverage Wash uses to press himself as close against Maine's chest as he can.

For a moment, Wash accepts the gentleness of the kiss. But it isn't enough. They aren't soft or gentle and maybe this is a reunion of sorts, but that too is as complicated as they are. He makes a low sound in his throat, half appreciation and half impatience. Then he's kissing him in earnest.

A sharp nip of his teeth against Maine's lower lip. A demanding press of his tongue as he pushes into Maine's mouth and claims old familiar territory. Probably he ought to calm down and keep it appropriate for public view but he doesn't care about that. After all the times he's found and lost Maine, he doesn't give a fuck who sees them. ]

[rumbling]

[ There was a time when Maine could claim he had excellent control over himself. He knew when to let everything loose. He knew when to keep it reeled in. He knew how to punch the hardest to kill some one. He knew how to give a companionable knock to a shoulder to a friend. He knew it all. Now, though... now he's not so sure. He's been trying to keep himself in check since he got here. Some days are better than others. Some days he doesn't leave his quarters because all he wants to do is tear someone apart limb from limb. At least he has sense enough to realize that's a bad thing? Progress or whatever.

But this? Maine is forgetting completely what control is and means. Wash fits himself up against him and it's just like that—shit congeals into something that makes a sliver of sense in the fucked up mess of his mind. Like a cool drink of water after being stranded in the fucking desert for a year. Dumb ass metaphor, but he doesn't give a shit.

Doesn't give a shit they're in public, either. Case in point: he doesn't stop when Wash comes at him harder. Maine makes a low, rumbly sound in the back of his throat that's equal parts wanting and needing. Without really thinking on it, he wraps both arms around Wash and lifts him up. It's an easy thing to shift his hands under his thighs, only disturbing the kiss for a fleeting moment. The mistletoe is gone and Maine walks freely away, not really knowing where to go, just that he wants to not be in the middle of everything.

There's a small cluster of trees nearby, so he goes there with all intents to set Wash down once he does. ( And he'll let Wash go if he wants that, no question. ) Except he winds up pushing his back against one of the studier trees to help balance his weight. Task completely Maine shifts his focus to mouthing at Wash's neck. Not quite hard enough to mark, but entirely flirting with the idea. ]

[sixth]

[ There's a point of no return with this and as long as they quit before they reach it, Wash will be able to dust himself off and walk away. Not without difficulty and a lot of soul-searching and sleepless nights. But he will be able to take a step back and think about it, really agonize over the possibilities, before acting on them. Unfortunately for such considerations, they don't sidle slowly up to that point. They shoot right over it when Maine makes that sound.

Because Wash knows exactly what it means. Sigma didn't ruin everything. He didn't burn away their past. And that's all Wash really needs to know.

Maine picks him up and he absolutely does not want to be let go. Immediately, he wraps his legs around Maine's waist, tightening them around him like a vise, and slips his arms around his neck. It isn't necessary to make it easier to carry him like this, Maine's far from a weak man, but Wash does it anyway. And he doesn't let go when his back hits that tree, just hangs on tighter in a silent challenge against the possibility.

Letting his head drop back and opening up his neck to Maine's ministrations, Wash closes his eyes and allows himself the luxury of a few seconds doing nothing save feeling the reality of Maine's warm mouth against his skin. Real. Present. Alive. He's lost count of how many dreams he's had like this, but when he opens his eyes, Maine's still there, a hot, solid weight against his body. ]

We—Quarters. [ His fingers flex against the back of Maine's shoulders, almost kneading, before they dig in. He's breathing too hard to speak in complete sentences and opts to use as few words as possible. ] Mine. Yours. Whichever's closer.

[ Because they're not done. They're far from done. And unless they want to do this right here in front of everyone, they're going to have to leave because Wash is damned well prepared to do it. ]