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Darkseeker
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Avery slowly walked out of the water, almost sad to go. It was nicer than usual, and he was enjoying the milder weather. He made his way back to the end of the path, taking his sweet time, letting the sun start to dry his damp hair. "The less clothes, the better," he explained, then looked down, a blush crossing his cheeks. "It's better when the wind isn't whipping things around in your face." Trying to distract himself from the unrealised meaning behind his words, he pulled off his dress shirt, already soaked and seethrough from the water, dropping it by his pile. After a second, he couldn't take the mess, and knelt in the sand, carefully folding his shirt, and settling it on top of his shoes. "This should be fine," Avery decided. "Usually we jumped in swim suits, but I don't want to walk all the way back to Windemere." Instead, he walked back up the steep path, heading back to where he'd gone the day before. The view was much better today, Avery thought, glancing at the waves, and turning to Aspen. "How do you want to go? One at a time? Or together?" |
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Neutral
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Aspen followed behind the prince, hesitant to leave the warm water. It was a nice day and the water felt great. As soon as he reached the shore, he was greeted by the chill of the wind against his wet skin and clothes. "The less clothes, the better." Aspen blushed heavily at the statement, his gaze briefly studying the prince's body body as he took off his dress shirt He quickly looked away before the prince began speaking again. He followed Prince Avery's words though and took off his button shirt and then his tank top. He tried his best to hide his blush but the crimson color on his cheeks seemed to deepen more as he became shirtless. He normally preferred to keep his body covered, preferring modesty. It was even more embarrassing--the idea of being shirtless in front of the prince. He grew silent, letting Avery just talk and listening to what he said He followed the path from before. As he walked, he couldn't help but let his gaze wonder down his back, studying every curve of a muscle on the prince. "I think it's best we jump together, I haven't been cliff diving before," He spoke quietly, almost too quiet to be heard,"It sounds fun though. I've just been...busy." |
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Darkseeker
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Avery listened, nodding. "I understand, I think. Not quite in the same way of course. I would assume that the reason you've been busy would be keeping a job and supporting yourself. I haven't been to the Island in years, partialy because...because of Em, but also because I've been preoocupied. Having the weight of a kingdom on you is a huge amount of pressure, and I've been busy with that." Avery shook his head, clearing the deeper thoughts, and the painful thoughts of Emily away from the front of his mind. "Anyways. For jumping, there's a couple rules Em made. No chickening out. If you're up here, you have to jump. Secondly, if two people are jumping at the same time, you hold hands until you hit the water. Thirdly, always be looking out for the other person. Ready?" Avery held out his hand, stepping closer to the edge of the cliff. |
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Neutral
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The prince thought he had been busy because of his job and financial struggling. That was only the partial truth. He had been busy before he even decided to leave his family and start the business. He didn't want to dwell on that too long and was relieved when the prince went back to the rules of jumping. They sounded like good enough rules. It would be annoying to be all the way up here only to have your partner chicken out. Everything seemed good until the holding hands part. That one made his stomach flip over and once again, he had to remind his heart that it was just handholding and didn't mean anything. "Ready?" Aspen looked down at Prince Avery's oustretched hand. He was more nervous about holding the other man's hand than the cliff diving itself. Giving a nod, he took his hand, instantly noticing how much smoother it was than his own. He stepped to the edge of the cliff. "Ready," He gave the prince a small smile. |
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Darkseeker
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Avery hesitated for a second, adjusting his grip on the other man's hands. He was used to holding hands that were smaller than his. Emily's hands were delicate and slender, and Robbie's were just smaller since he was younger. "Alright. On three." He counted down, and jumped, still holding Aspen's hand. The wind buffeted his face, his hair ruffled by the wind. His face was pure ecstasy. It had been a long time since he'd felt so free. Cliff diving had always been one of his favorite activities. When he was falling, it was easy to forget all the pressure, and anything else on his mind. As the water grew closer, Avery started to pay attention to the distance. A moment later, he adjusted himself, letting go of Aspen's hand, falling with a small splash into the waves. He surfaced a moment later, taking a deep breath, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The skin above his heart fluttered since he was breathing so heavily, and he ran a hand through his blonde hair, grounding himself. |
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Neutral
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Aspen's hold was gentle, letting the prince readjust. He tried to focus on something different other than the feeling of Prince Avery's hand in his. When he started counting, Aspen got ready to jump. He wasn't sure what it would feel like to cliff dive, he was mentally prepared for anything. He jumped and it felt like he was gliding through the air. For a moment, time stood still. He felt free and almost birdlike. He felt like he could do anything and for once, all the stress and burdens he had faced seem to fade away. He barely had time to take a breath and remove his hand from the older boy's before he was super merged into the water. He took a moment to just recollect himself before swimming to the top of the water. He resurfaced a little bit later than the prince, popping up extremely close to the him. He took deep breaths, his heart pounding in his chest from excitement. He caught his breath, running a hand through his wet hair. "That was amazing!" He turned to meet Avery's gaze once he had caught his breath enough to speak. He was so excited he hadn't noticed how close he was to the prince. |
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Darkseeker
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Avery brushed a hand over his cheeks, hiding his tears with the water on the rest of him, forcing a grin. "Yeah. We used to do it for hours and hours, just to feel the thrill of flying, if only for a little bit. Em could do the most amazing tricks when she jumped. She liked to do somersaults and flips, and then she'd end with a swan dive. Robbie and I made her teach us," Avery murmured, trying to keep the focus off of himself. "Robbie knew other tricks too. I'm sure he'd show you if-when he comes back."
Avery turned slightly away, and then found a small, real smile. "It's been a very long time since I've jumped. Do you want to go again?" |
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Neutral
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He listened to the prince, detecting that his voice sounded different. He frowned a little, wondering what was going on. Normally people wouldn't sound upset after cliff diving. He knew that he was talking a lot about Emily and Robbie. The guy must be missing the both of them. Perhaps cliff-diving was reminding him of the memories the three of them used to have. When the prince asked him if he wanted to jump again, he hesitated. He was debating on whether or not he should say something.
"Hey," He briefly brushed his hand against the blonde haired man's own underneath the water. He didn't want to pry but he also didn't want the prince feeling as if he needed to be happy and continue to hang out together if he wasn't feeling well,"Is everything okay, Avery? If it's not, we can always go back to the mansion." |
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Darkseeker
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Avery took a deep, shuddering breath. "No, it's fine, it's just...that was the first time I jumped without her. We always went together, it was one of her favorite things to do. I hate knowing that she'll never do it again." His shoulders dropped, and he wrapped his arms around himself for comfort. He'd come to lean on himself for comfort, never wanting to burden anyone with his problems. Plus, he'd had to be there for Robbie, in case his younger brother was struggling with something. "I'd love to jump again." |
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Neutral
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He listened, watching how the prince changed.He wrapped his arms around himself and his shoulders seemed to drop. Aspen hated seeing him like this. He was hurting, even if he was trying to hide it. Without putting much thought into it, Aspen wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders in a gentle but short lasting hug. He was self-conscious about touches and being careful. He didn't want to upset the prince. Some people weren't that affectionate. He heard the prince say he wanted to jump again and gave a nod. "I would love to jump again then as well," If Avery wanted to jump, so did he. As long as he was up for it.
Aspen wasn't trying to take memories away from this place or force Avery to move on. He could be sad and grieve for Emily for as long as he wanted. If jumping with him was hurting the prince, he would step back. He didn't want to push him too far. "Together or separate?" He asked, referring to how they were going to jump. It was now the blonde hair boy's turn to decide. |
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Fall 
Day 
Heavy Rain
