kagehimxra

[kagehimxra]

jieunparks​:

open starter : @nightreststarters​​

location : royal cove yacht club .

“Well, you dress up nicely.” Her smile only growing wider as she gave them a once over—dress up events always being her weakness. “I didn’t think you had it in you. With an outfit like this, I wish you put in more effort day to day.” It was a compliment coming from her and once given, her attention directed toward the sea of people that crowded the main room. “Do you think they’re going to raise enough for all those businesses?”

.

The remark caused his eyebrows to lift, a sign of amusement as he tipped the champagne flute for a sip, the bubbles dancing on his tongue. Slow and barely there in its movements, Kage’s head shook from side to side. “And here I thought I was put together. Out of curiosity, is it that they’re thrifted or is it the lack of color?” He lowered his glass down towards his waist, looking to her before briefly casting his gaze over her shoulder, at the gala beyond. “I’m sure they will. Inevitably, someone is going to want to play hero. I wouldn’t be surprise if there’s some big, last minute donation. Someone to say the day.”

[kagehimxra]

rxbysxllivan​:

closed \ @kagehimxra location : royal cove yacht club

“There you are,” she smiled, finally catching sight of the man she’d been looking for all night. “Leaving me to the counter by myself? You’ve got more trust in me than I thought you did,” she joked, shaking her head. “It’s good to see you.” They hadn’t seen him since prior to the fires—it’d be a lie if they said they hadn’t been worried. “How’ve you been?”

.

“That or maybe I recognize that it’s the slow season; can’t imagine there were many customers, especially with everything else to consider,” he said, approaching slowly. “Thank you, though. I’ll need to pay you overtime as compensation. Maybe you can take some days for yourself?” he offered, a piece of his boss persona slipping away, allowing the caring friend, if you could call it that, to step forward. “Been keeping myself busy. Been a lot of back and forth with the hospital.”

[kagehimxra]

hey guys sorry if i smiled last night. i was happy

[kagehimxra]

dearclem​:

it’s her turn to still, the use of her government name widening her eyes. her father being the only one who has ever used it, always so angry and the memories are nearly enough to make her flinch instinctively, except she’s present enough that she catches the difference in tone. she wants to argue with him, to demand an apology because she thinks he’s earned one from himself. as far as clem is concerned, he’s nothing short of the best. whether it’s for her or only meant in a general sense, she’ll always be his strongest advocate, but he’s finally providing her with an answer and she doesn’t dare interrupt.

her eyes widen a second time, soon darting around within her peripheral as if looking for a candid camera. she doesn’t know who he’s talking about, nor does she understand what he’s saying, even after he’s reached out for her. it’s something she’s wanted, of course, more than anything, but clem never gets what she wants. nervous laughter slips, spilling into the small space between them, and she has to step away. a now empty hand raises as she fights a smile, ❝ wait, wait, wait. time out. are you saying we feel similar? ❞ a brief pause as she runs through kage’s response again, her smile widening enough to make her cheeks begin to ache, ❝ oh no. kage, that.. that makes me really happy! ❞ but if her past has taught her anything, it’s that happiness is dangerous. isn’t it?

.

It’s when she steps away, maybe not far but further, that Kage can feel his heart at the edge of a cliff-face, teetering on destruction. He waits for it. He’d asked for it even, given her that chance of an out to say no, to shove him away and all this, that kiss. So he’s riddled when he looks at her and sees that wide smile of hers. And his shoulders drop at her interpretation, because now he wonders if he hadn’t been quite so clear. And, fuck, if it didn’t take him everything just to say that. 

“We’ve always been similar, Clem.” The hands on her hips shift, readjusting their grip on her form, suggesting in the way they naturally want to urge her closer. “You...” his jaw tightens, thinking even back to the moment he met her. Her affinity for the macabre. The love they shared for horror, both inked into their skin in devotion. Poe. Their animals. The list forever went on with every second he earned with her. “I never stood a chance with you,” he breathed, meaning it differently then. Not in the self-deprecating sort of way. More of a sense of fate. “Sometimes I wonder where the hell you came from. What you’re doing with me. Most of the time... I’ve just been in awe. Clem, it’s not just similar.” He shook his head, his hands moved up to her waist before running down again, holding her. “I think I waited for that kiss since the day I met you.” Today had broken him.

[kagehimxra]

drpduncanfms​:

–

paisley’s eyes have been focused on the television as the game plays, not because she knew how the mechanics go, but it was because she was trying to understand it all, until she was interrupted by the man who was sat beside her. “we’re always ready for such thing, kage. and with a phone close by while we do the first aid treatment, i don’t thing there’s anything to worry about.” she explains in response, then follows his gaze towards the men almost fighting over beer. “that’s definitely going to be a lecture.”

.

“Worry would be a strong word,” he said, eyeing the men just a stone’s throw away with a looke of distaste. It wasn’t so much a moment of wishing any ill-will, more so an honest reflection that if something happened, he likely would not care, nor blink. Not for them. “They won’t listen. My guess at least.” Who knows, they could surprise him. Some things were lately. “I’d save your breath. You’re off the clock anyways. Assuming,” he eyed her drink, “not on call?”

[kagehimxra]

jacoboh​:

Unlike his friend, Jake had always loved sports, eyes intently watching the game above before glancing at Kage. “I’m surprised you showed. I would’ve thought you of all people would skip out on tonight,” he let out with a chuckle, taking a sip of his own newly refilled drink. “Hopes and dreams, yeah. I guess that’s one way to put it. Sports are really just about bringing people together, 90% of the guys on these teams will graduate and return to normal lives.”

.

He lulled his head from side to side, an acknowledgement that this was far from his scene and that, he too, hadn’t envisioned himself there that evening. And yet. “I’d promised Clem I would stop by, keep her company for a bit. Really I don’t plan to say all that much longer.” He looked at the game clock then, though he had been quick to pick up that ten minutes there did not mean ten minutes for him. “I’m sure it goes along way with networking, business or otherwise. Someone always ends up a gym teacher though.”

[kagehimxra]

dearclem​:

her elbow rests on the table, her chin finding a home within her palm with her body positioned towards the other. clem doesn’t care what’s happening in the world around them, instead preferring the piece of happiness she’s carved out with him in their corner. her smile grows and she has to fight the urge to hide it, ❝ y'know, surprisingly enough, i’d agree. ❞ gaze moves downcast to watch a fingertip trace the lines of some of his visible ink. ❝ but, then again, i’d much rather have the ability to curl up when we watch stuff like that. without interruption. ❞

.

“I don’t know,” Kage hummed, donning something in-between a smirk and smile as his eyelids dipped a hair, lulled by the sensation of her fingertip trailing his skin, the featherlight touch causing an ache for more. “You keep touching me like that... everything out in the open now, not sure I have the resolve not to take an intermission.” His nose touches lightly against her ear before he draws back, his deep, dark eyes taking her in. Fuck, she was beautiful. 

[kagehimxra]

LOCATION: rhee’s, nearing the end of the first game CLOSED: @dearclem​

He’d managed to find his way to a more quiet spot— quiet, of course, being subjective given that the crowd was pretty much everywhere. The roar and the cheers never quite seemed to dissipate. Yet, Kage had found a better focus than all the noise, with his hand now settled above Clem’s knee, palm pressed against the exposed skin of her thigh. With his lips poised near her ear, he smiled as he huffed. “Be a lot more fun if they had Evil Dead or Monster Brawl playing.”

[kagehimxra]

LOCATION: rhee’s, towards the end of the first game CLOSED: @drpduncanfms​

Kage didn’t care at all for basketball. He was smart enough to pick up on when things were looking good for the supposed ‘home team’, despite the distance between Nightrest and Texas being clear over a thousand miles. “Does the ER have an over-under on alcohol poisoning for the night?” he asked, his gaze directing away from a couple of guys racing to finish a fresh pint of beer to the doctor occupying a space beside him.

[kagehimxra]

LOCATION: rhee’s, during the first game CLOSED: @lanyphillips​

As Kage, along with so many, awaited the bartender’s attention, he could not help but glimpse at the eldest Phillips, at his intense care for the game playing out on the television screen. A shift next to him, drew his attention down. He blinked at the sight of the other’s sibling, even laughed inward. “Is he always like this?” Kage asked, opting for small talk as it seemed the bartender had fixated on the other end, perhaps minutes away from finding it their way.

[kagehimxra]

LOCATION: rhee’s, early in the night CLOSED: @jacoboh​

Kage scratched his temple, already feeling it start to throb as the crowd cheered, the noise level not getting any quieter than when he first stepped through the doors. “Definitely second guessing why I bothered showing up,” he grumbled, his eyes shifting down towards the drink in front of him, realizing that while it was full now, it wouldn’t be for long. “All their hopes on the line over... what? A ball?”

[kagehimxra]

dearclem​:

the silence that stretches between them has her smile fading, the jesting expression disappearing all together when there’s no change in his own. the sense of seriousness bothers clem, even if it’s something she understands. part of the reason she’s so focused on him is because it distracts her from her own vulnerability—and, given her track record, she doesn’t want to be the one who makes anything more real than it already is. she’ll ruin it, just as she ruins everything, because she’s someone who never seems to understand what she means to people.

clem fights the urge to roll her eyes at his response, instead taking a slow breath through her nose before releasing it in a huff. ❝ kage, ❞ his name rolls from her tongue with as much patience as she can muster, which hasn’t been very much since he’s arrived. an oddity, given her usual constitution. ❝ if you don’t want to tell me, then please just say that. ❞ forcing him to do something is never something she wants, even if it means not getting what she’s been asking for. ❝ stop making it sound like you’re doing me a solid by giving me outs i’ve never once asked for because it’s pissin’ me the heck off. ❞ another step forward of her own, gaze moving downcast to her fingers as they reach out to pinch the fabric covering his stomach, soon giving it a gentle tug. when her eyes lift, shyness softens her voice, ❝ plus, if i really thought we were that fragile, i wouldn’t have asked you the first time. ❞

.

With the reaching touch of her fingers, the fabric of his shirt clutched into her hand, Kage’s eyes fell shut. “Kaeo,” he warned, using her given name as his last breath of warning, feeling like a man losing his grip, seconds away from going under with a keen, burning knowledge that he would never surface. Not with the way his skin warmed in her presence. Not with the way his hands ached remaining at his side, always drawn to reach for her, to connect because she has always been that one.. the one that just always understood. Fit. Got him. His favorite.

He wet his lips and sighed before slowly opening his eyes, his gaze slowly trailing up from her collarbone, to her chin, to her lips, before gracing her eyes. “I can’t apologize for thinking that you can do better than me.” He tiptoed a speck closer, his gaze dropping again, finding it easier to speak when it wasn’t under her gaze, his weakness for how she looked at him then heightened beyond recognition. “But I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t want this. Intelligent, driven, compassionate, painstakingly beautiful.” The hands at his side no longer remained stilled, finding her hips out of pure need for contact. Soon then, his forehead bowed until it met Clem’s. His heart beat thrashed in his chest, more fearful now than it had been for any of the flames that evening. “I think... I think it’s always been you.” In small, barely there movements, his hand shook from side to side as his hand tightened on her. “How could it not?”

[kagehimxra]

dearclem​:

still knelt, she keeps her attention focused on the other while a hand smooths the fur along kramer’s spine. she contemplates keeping up the routine of speaking to his animals, thinking it may be easier, but decides she’s still feeling a little bold. what’s the worst that can happen? ❝ you? scared? ❞ she isn’t sure she believes it, evident in the way her head tilts. ❝ of what and for why? ❞ a beat before she notices dao finally coming to say hello and she stands to let them mingle, taking a step closer, hands resting on her hips. ❝ and when are you gonna let me in on this answer, hm? being in the dark isn’t much fun. ❞ at least, not in this instance. her obsessive need to know everything fighting against his cryptic response is nearly enough to drive her up the wall, but she offers a smile and teases, ❝ it’s not often you admit you’re wrong either, meaning it’s important i have all the deets of this momentous occasion to record in my diary later, so c'mon.. share. ❞

.

Kage cast his eyes away for a moment, his jaw clenching as it was becoming more and more evident that he was not escaping this conversation without an answer she could bite into, something of substance, something direct. His whole self paused. It was the very same pause that had forced that text: if you wanted all of me, clem, i’d have to start questioning your sanity as well as your taste. Because what was he supposed to say? How much more could he crack his chest open, allow his heart to just sit out there vulnerable. Her teasing, prodding words did not change the expression on his face, even as he looked at her then, witnessing the very sort of smile that he fell for. Because he did. It was just saying it aloud.

Finally, with a step forward, he reduced the space between them again. Not quite so much as before but enough so that when he fixed his gaze on her, she would be close enough to witness the raw sentiment, the glimmer of worry that swam in his brown eyes. “If I say it, there’s no going back. I need you to know that.”

[kagehimxra]

drewyao​:

drew: nah i don’t think so because something tells me you did. you gots big “and STAY off my lawn, ya tiny bastards!!! 😠” energy drew: are you saying people who have breakfast without coffee are cavemen? oooooooooh i’m telling on u drew: you don’t need to say it bro i already know. i can FEEL it 😌

kage: well they should stay off my lawn. it’s private property and frankly i don’t want them there. hence the reason i’ve got a fence and gate. kage: it would be my first assumption about them. kage: at the very least i don’t look at them favorably. clearly they’ve got questionable taste otherwise. kage: okay then.

[kagehimxra]

dearclem​:

there’s a strange emptiness, felt both on and inside her person, when he inevitably pulls away. she only offers a nod in response at first, not quite trusting her voice until she clears her throat, ❝  yeah.. yeah, you should do that.  ❞  her hands move to the edge of the table she’s still sitting on and she grips it, her knuckles turning white in an attempt to keep from reaching out to him again. regardless of whatever was going on between the pair, it’d be rude to both the animals and her neighbors if they left them outside for much longer. she waits until the door is shut before sliding off her perch, her hands soon moving to hide the grin that stretches from ear-to-ear as if someone were there to witness it. lifting onto her tip toes, she takes a moment to tap them excitedly, alternating between each foot. clem doesn’t give herself long to react, soon remembering the spilt vase. upon flicking the lights to their full brightness, she works to quickly clean the mess, the sound of each second ticking by slowly beginning to chip away at the bliss brought forth by the moment——because that is all it was, right? a moment ignited by the fires spread across town? maybe kage was looking for a distraction and she was just convenient?

no, she shakes her head to rid herself of the thought. the why doesn’t matter, not right now. all that does is that they’re all together, and they’re safe. fur babies included. she tosses the wet paper towels into the garbage, moving towards the front door just in time to greet them inside.  ❝  sorry to keep you two waiting,  ❞  she offers the apology to both animals, ❝ it was all kage’s fault, dao can vouch for me. ❞ her eyes slowly trail up to their human and she adds,  ❝  all because he didn’t want to answer my question.. seriously, can you believe this guy? ❞

.

After Kage has passed through the threshold of her front door, only then does he allow himself to smile more than just faintly. His hand even draws up to his face, the pads of his fingers lightly touching against his lips, as if evidencing what lingered of their kiss, as if ensuring it had all been real. Kramer’s barks call him back to the moment and soon it’s a series of pulling the car door handle, letting the larger beast free, unbuckling the other in their small crate. Then it’s footsteps back up to her place, matched with a heartbeat that would have rivaled the likes of Poe’s stashed beneath a floorboard. Thump. Thump. Thump. Despite setting foot there just minutes before, Kage knew with his reentrance he was coming into unfamiliar territory. The line of their friendship had forever been blurred.

Thankfully, a dog did wonders to cut through the potential tension, the threat of an awkward silence, as Kramer bounded towards Clem, giddy at the sight of her. With the door clicked and locked shut behind him, Kage moved to set Mits down, releasing her from the carrier as he listened to Clem speak not to him but to them. He drew up slowly, acquiring every inch of his height as he stood in place, allowing the sphynx to brush itself against his ankles as Clem peered up at him. Kage couldn’t help but notice the tinge of red her lips had taken. “Or maybe he was scared of the answer,” he said, uncharacteristically open, even if it was from a distance. Offered as maybe, not quite a truth— but she would know, wouldn’t she? Of course she’d know. “For the record, he liked being wrong... for once.”

[kagehimxra]

huund. graphite

[kagehimxra]

drewyao​:

drew: WeLcOmE tO aDuLtHoOd DrEw 😒 take it back i didn’t ask for this drew: but since you’re brewing coffee AND cooking me eggs, yeah ig that’s fair drew: noooooo no i don’t think so??? it’s most definitely a need dude but you’re wrong this time because i said so 😌 drew: now wait a sec. UNFORTUNATELY???????? WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT drew: and why are you saying it like you have no choice in the matter drew: https://media.tenor.com/yxfh2Ant_mUAAAAM/me-you-can-say-it.gif

kage: none of us do. it’s a tragic reality. kage: what’s coffee without breakfast? i’m not a caveman, drew. kage: yes, very sound logic 😒 kage: ... kage: well now i’m not going to say it