Sweeter than the First Time [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

Hello, dreamers of Manhattan. The Rift knows that things have been kind of rough, lately. The last dream didn't go as well as it had hoped. Consider this an apology of sorts, and a hearkening back to the good times you've shared.

It's a grand old (and potentially familiar) cabin house that the dreamers will find themselves wandering. The furniture is plentiful and comfortable, the floors are strewn with cushions and blankets, and there are cheerful fires burning in the grates. It seems a little odd that the house still manages to be on the chilly side despite looking so warm, yet it is.

Oh, well. You'll just have to find another dreamer or two and spoon up and fall asleep like little baby cats get cozy. It shouldn't be difficult; most of the dreamers (excepting those with strong telepathic defenses or deeply ingrained cuddle-averse personalities) will find themselves feeling friendlier than usual, along with an almost overwhelming desire to snuggle up to someone. How convenient that the house seems designed for that very purpose!

And if some of the cushions are Hello Kitty themed, well, that's just coincidence.


[OOC: Standard dream party rules apply. Characters will be affected by the dream-whammy to whatever degree makes the most sense for them, and will remember or forget the events of the dream at the player's discretion. Backtag into infinity.]

Comments

[powerdealer]

Seth doesn't know exactly when Gabriel showed up in Manhattan, but he's decently sure it was while Seth was locked up and blocked off from the Dreaming, so that explains why it's not familiar to him. But he's not going to mention that, because this dream is quite pleasant and he's rather just enjoy it for once.

"Yeah, me too," he answers. "Only good ones I've had lately have been regular non-shared ones, which is kinda unusual." And he's just going to sling an arm around Gabe's shoulders, because it's just more practical and comfy the way they're sitting. And it's very easy to be a bit more tactile with Gabe than with other people. Or Seth might just be underestimating how much the dream is affecting him.

[has_a_horn]

Hey, more cuddling. He could get used to this. "I haven't done much dreaming at all lately. I'm glad I caught this one instead of...what was it, giant cats?" That doesn't sound like a good time.

"What happens in your good dreams? Ohh, lemme guess." He smiles, not actually wanting to guess, but definitely wanting to joke around. "Everything is made of waffles and I'm there. Naked."

[powerdealer]

"Honestly, the cats wasn't even the worst - we woke up wrapped as gifts," he says with distaste. Seth only really had a very brief interaction with any of the giant cats: getting carried into the basement. But the whole gift-wrapping thing was really bad on his claustrophobia. But that's probably more of a personal problem.

Listening to Gabe make inappropriate jokes is a lot more fun than focusing on bad dreams, though. Seth gives a small snort in response. It's a lot easier to joke around this stuff when Daniel's not around.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Don't forget the whipped cream. On both you and the waffles," he jokes back. Well, someone is occasionally naked in them, but it's not Gabe. And there's generally no waffle-based surroundings.

[has_a_horn]

"I would never forget the whipped cream. And I'm offended that you would think so," he answers back jokingly. "maraschino cherries too. Ask Johnny if you want confirmation." He chuckles, "Actually, don't ask Johnny. He'd deny it and then your fantasies would be ruined. Catastrophe."

[powerdealer]

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I can take your word for it," he replies with amusement. He quickly dismisses the mental image of Gabe plus Johnny plus whipped cream. Not really something his mind would come up with on his own, but still mildly distracting once it's been brought up.

"Though honestly, I think I've ended up with a pretty low standard for what qualifies as a good dream. At this point any time I don't get horribly murdered can be counted as win," he answers, only partly joking. Which, you know, not much to be done about it. As long as he's not horribly murdered in the waking world, he can probably deal with it.

[has_a_horn]

He frowns briefly, then sighs and rests his head against Seth's. What he said reminds him of how often Johnny has told him he's died in dreams. Knowing Johnny, there are many more times that's he hasn't yet told him about. He's uncomfortable knowing that this torture is happening to his friends and, short of some pretty extreme measures, he can't do anything about it.

He snorts a short laugh. "I'll get you a nightlight."

[powerdealer]

"I already have one, but thanks," he answers with a smile. Another left-over from the base. It's not so much that he's scared of the dark (although he is pretty uncomfortable not knowing what's around him), but they always kept the light on in his cell, so he just got used to it.

"What've you been up to lately, then? Traumatised any more people via giant lizards?" he asks jokingly, eager to get the subject back to something more befitting the comfortable atmosphere of the dream.

[has_a_horn]

"You have someone in mind?" He chuckles, then shakes his head minutely, "No. Can't go repeating myself, can I? I'll have to come up with something new." He lifts up a blanket-covered hand, gesturing vaguely. "Haven't been up to much. I should surprise you with breakfast more. I keep waiting to see more of the hunky archaeologist."

He smiles, happily. "Johnny's been taking up a lot of my time. In a good way." He pauses a moment and nuzzles his nose down into Seth's shoulder. "I think you might've been right. Yknow, telling him I love him. It was the right choice."

[powerdealer]

It's probably a good thing Seth doesn't easily blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, because if he did then his response to Gabe hoping to see the 'hunky archaeologist' for breakfast would be 'I wish'. As it is he just lets out a small snort.

"Yeah?" he answers, twisting his head a little to look at Gabe with a small smile. "That's good. Communication, and all that." Not that Seth is in a great place to give advice on that. He's not particularly good at it himself. But supposedly honesty is an important ingredient to a healthy relationship. And he'd like Gabe and Johnny to be happy and healthy.

[has_a_horn]

"Yeah." He lifts his head enough that he can smile back at Seth. "I was probably over-thinking it." He chuckles. "Johnny got me drunk and it came out. I'll have to tell him again, later. As romantic as all that slurring must've been."

He dips his head a little, looking down at his own hands, and his smile softens. "He's come a long way. I don't ask, and he doesn't say much, but I know he's been through a shitstorm. A monumental shitstorm." He huffs out a laugh. When he invited Johnny to live with him, he hadn't planned for more than helping him out, and maybe some sex once Johnny realized he wanted that. He hadn't planned for Johnny to make such an impact on him too- to help him as much as he has. "I'm just glad I can make him happy."

He plops is head back down on Seth's shoulder. "I'm getting sentimental in my old age. Better do something to fix my reputation quick. You like strip clubs?" He chuckles. "Strippers and booze for everyone."

[powerdealer]

Seth nods thoughtfully at Johnny having been through a shitstorm. Based on the glimpses Seth's gotten of Johnny's past, stuff he's seen or stuff Johnny's actually mentioned, and the effects it's had on his psyche, a monumental shitstorm is probably an apt description. Not to mention all the fucked up shit with his power, which Seth has rather intimate familiarity with. Seth can hardly blame him for not wanting to talk about it.

Gabriel's come a long way too, Seth thinks. He's not sure how much of it is Gabe growing as a person and how much is merely him opening up, but the Gabe cuddled up to him now is certainly a very different one than the one who sheltered him only to threaten to break his neck. Seth definitely prefers the sentimental version.

"Never actually been to one," he answers. There were a few in London, but certainly none near Thamesmead, and Seth never really sought them out. They don't particularly appeal to him, maybe because he's too private about that sort of thing. And hey, speaking of that sort of thing. Gabe had offered a friendly ear on the subject.

"So, uh," he starts, feeling suddenly a bit awkward. "About what we talked about a month ago? I've been thinking about it a lot, and, um.. I'm bi, I guess." Well, there's that. And if his ears have taken on a reddish tint and he seems to be looking more at the fireplace than Gabe, that's purely a coincidence.

[has_a_horn]

"So we can go to the Penthouse and Buffboyzz." He snorts a laugh and pulls away so that he can lift his hand and ruffle it through Seth's hair. He's happy that Seth's figured this out for himself.

"So, this revelation have anything to do with a hunky archaeologist?" He nudges him a little, a friendly jab. There's really no way that it doesn't have something to do with Daniel; he just wants to know a little more about it.

[powerdealer]

Is Buffboyzz really a thing? He's not sure how Gabe does it, but it's like he can hear the double z's. And he hadn't expected Gabe to make a big deal of the admission, but he still feels a little relieved.

"Yeah.." he answers slowly, reaching up to fix his hair a little. He had already started to come to terms with it even before Daniel arrived, largely thanks to Johnny, but it had been his feelings for Daniel that had really solidified it. Idle thoughts and fancies is one thing, could just be a wandering imagination and curiosity, but it's difficult to ignore the ridiculous crush he has on said hunky archaeologist.

"It's uh," he says, unsure how to start, and unable to not feel embarrassed. "I mean, you've seen him. And he's just so nice, and just, intensely caring. And clever. And brave, and like, ridiculously selfless." Seth could probably list adjectives for a while, and most of them feel like the opposite of what he himself is. "And then every time he smiles, I just want to make out with him," he finishes, not looking at Gabe. It's perhaps a little obvious that he's been bottling this up.