Our conversations are like minefields [Toori]

[Jenny]

Jaxon waved his hand dismissively at the comment about the guns not being loaded. If his mouth hadn't been completely full of food--as he had been shoveling pancakes in- he would have told Toori that he was a trained professional and that there would be no real threat even if the guns were loaded.. Not that he would hand Toori a loaded gun. He imagined the sight, and was torn between amusement and intrigue; decided that maybe he would hand Toori a loaded gun just to see him freak out. It would be risky, but what was safe and fun?

Having swallowed down the huge mouthful of food, Jaxon returned to the topic at hand. "Really?" he asked eagerly, feeling himself get more excited at the prospect of getting some new weapons. If the price was knocked down, Jaxon could get a good few. "That sounds great," Jaxon said with a rare burst of sincere enthusiasm. He took a smaller bite of the pancakes and a sip of coffee. "I've been thinking, new machine pistol. Have you ever fired a gun?" he asked, smirking a bit. He couldn't imagine that.

[chelle]

Toori couldn't help but smile at Jaxon's excitement, wondering if that was the same way he looked when he talked about mechanical things. When Jaxon mentioned firing a gun Toori's expression immediately turned sour, and he sighed before answering.

"A couple of time, but not-- Just to make sure it was working. I didn't like it," he said, turning his frown back down to his plate. He didn't say that he'd made Mr. Bensis test most of the weapons, and the only ones he'd shot for testing purposes had been either old-fashioned or nonlethal, stun guns and the like. "I'm not a big fan of weapons."

[Jenny]

Jaxon's smirk only grew as Toori's expression soured. He certainly hadn't expected Toori to be  interested in weapons or guns, but the frown on his face.. Jaxon could guess that the blond disliked them altogether. And Toori's words only confirmed that, effectively distracting him from the meal altogether and causing him to put down his fork for the first time. "Why?" he asked, trying to think of a reason why Toori would dislike them. "Well, aside from them being dangerous. Which isn't really a big deal," he added dismissively. "They're really interesting, especially when you consider all the modifications. I've seen some really interesting bullet work in Aedolis; you can get explosive ammo, even bullets with spinning razors that can open once they hit the target. Those do some serious damage--" Jaxon paused, realizing he was rambling somewhat. And they were eating. Most people didn't like to think about having a razor-edged bullet lodged in one of their extremities while eating.

Defeated, Jaxon went back to eating. "I just mean, don't take it at face value. It's more than just a pistol!"

[chelle]

Toori's eyebrows went up at Jaxon's passionate defense of weaponry; he was halfway between horror and amusement when Jax described obscenely violent bullets. Explosive ammo. Razor-edged bullets. Just hearing those descriptions had Toori tensing, violent and bloody images running through his mind and suddenly he didn't have much of an appetite.

"I don't see how you can describe razor-edged bullets and go on about dangerous things not being a big deal," Toori said, a slight edge to his voice that he swallowed back with effort, "I mean," he continued, slightly less tense now, "I can appreciate guns from a mechanical point of view. Just don't expect me to shoot any."

[Jenny]

Jaxon laughed a little as Toori pointed out the plain contradiction in his words... Everything he'd described was very dangerous, yet he was also claiming that the danger wasn't a big deal. It didn't need to be said that Jaxon had a subpar understanding of danger and fear. The fact of the matter was that Jaxon was very accustomed to the everyday danger of being a space pirate. The possibility of injury or death had never struck him as something to worry over; fear was absent in his mind. When he had just arrived on Cancer and become part of the gang, he was thrown into some terrible situations, come close to losing his life multiple times a day, but had been so desensitized then that he hadn't cared about the possibility of dying. A few times, he had wished he would die. Now things weren't like that, but Jaxon had never learned the fear of danger and he wouldn't.

"I might have to make you shoot a gun," Jaxon decided with a laugh, taking a few bites of his food. Toori would probably kill him if he handed him a loaded gun, though. "But mechanics are good too. I'll show you how to take apart a few of my guns and put them back together. I've got it down to a science." 

[chelle]

Toori rolled his eyes, taking a last bite of his pancakes before pushing the plate away from him.

"You'll make me shoot a gun when hell freezes over," he said, and the glare he sent Jaxon was almost a challenge as he stood and started to clean up. He made his way over to the stove, clearing away the dishes he'd used and taking them over to the sink, rinsing them meticulously.

He knew that telling Jaxon he wouldn't do something was the perfect thing to say to make him annoyingly persistent on making that exact thing happen, but still. Lying outright wasn't in Toori's nature. He wasn't really that against learning to shoot a gun, after all, if he was ever going to end up on a pirate ship he'd probably have to learn. It was just that he had a completely rational fear of being killed by one of said weapons. Toori knew better than most how easily things could malfunction, wires could cross or circuits could overload and the very thing you're using to defend yourself explodes in your hand.

[Jenny]

Jaxon raised his eyebrows in mock surprise at Toori's dramatic claim, prepared to tease him though he couldn't manage to come up with anything witty enough and just ended up laughing. Toori's words, in all their ridiculousness and comical value, only made Jaxon want to toss a loaded machine gun at him-- though he wouldn't actually do that. He decided, stubbornly of course, that he would make Toori shoot a gun at some point. When it was appropriate. In Toori's house? Not very appropriate.

As Toori began clearing the table, Jaxon picked up his own plate and carried it to the sink. He would have offered his help, but Toori seemed so focused on getting everything cleaned as thoroughly as possible that he decided not to bother. Instead he placed the plate down and leaned against the counter beside him. "You don't trust me?" he teased playfully. "I wouldn't let you get hurt."

[chelle]

When Jaxon asked if Toori trusted him, Toori stopped what he was doing, putting down a plate to turn and give Jaxon his most deadpan stare. For a moment, he just stared, his face utterly serious, then he sighed and shook his head, turning back to the sink.

"Of course I don't trust you. And of course you would let me get hurt," Toori said, the ghost of a smile around his lips while he spoke. That wasn't necessarily true, he did trust Jaxon-- to a point. He did not trust Jaxon with a gun in his hand. Or at least, he didn't trust that being in the same room as Jaxon and a gun wouldn't result in some form of injury.

"I think in the name of my own well-being, I shouldn't be around you when you're around guns," Toori said snootily, still smiling slightly as he looked resolutely down into the sink and not at Jaxon.

[Jenny]

Jaxon stared back at Toori expectantly, pretending that he was waiting impatiently for the other to say he trusted him. Of course, he knew Toori better than that, and whether or not the blond really did trust him, he would never say it that easily. So, the staring was really only a matter of waiting for a snarky comment. And it came just as expected. When Toori asserted that he did not trust him and that he would let Toori get hurt, Jaxon played along and gaped dramatically. "Not true!" he disagreed, shaking his head. In the back of his mind, he knew it really wasn't true, games aside. He wouldn't let Toori get hurt. It sort-of came with the package of being friends with Jaxon; he had a tendency to be overprotective. Toori was no exception to that rule. If anything, he would have to deal with much more mothering from Jaxon than anyone else. Jaxon didn't have any other younger friends, or friends who weren't involved in gangs. In other words, Jaxon viewed Toori as the one who actually needed the protecting.

"I resent your distrust," he whined childishly, running his hand under the water for a second before playfully flicking some droplets at Toori with a grin.

[chelle]

Jaxon gaped at him dramatically, and it suddenly got a lot harder to force his smile. Even though Jaxon was playing at being dramatically hurt, Toori knew it was a game and knew it meant that really, Jaxon didn't question his trust. That Jaxon knew how often Toori refused things that were actually true. It was comforting, and another way this friendship was different from any Toori'd had before; Jaxon seemed to understand Toori's curious opposite-language. Toori knew he did it, knew he probably shouldn't, knew the reason that nobody wanted to be his friend before Jaxon was precisely because he was so contrary. But Jaxon hadn't been like all of those people. He'd taken Toori's attitude as something of a challenge, and maybe Jaxon didn't really understand it yet but he was trying and that meant the world to Toori.

"Resent it all you want," Toori said, startling a moment later when he was sprayed with cold water, "Hey!" he cried, ducking out of the line of fire (or water, as the case may be). In retaliation Toori scooped up a palmful of water and tossed it into Jaxon's face

[Jenny]

Jaxon couldn't help but burst out laughing at Toori's absolutely startled expression, his amusement only growing as the blond cried out and ducked to avoid the water. Being so entertained by it, he hardly saw it coming when Toori filled his hand with water and tossed it at his face. For a moment he stopped laughing to gape at Toori, uttering a shocked "How dare you!" but Jaxon couldn't hold the expression for long before he laughed again, wiping the water off his face. He was just content to fool around like this. He felt completely carefree around Toori, which was something new for him. Even if he feigned that he took nothing seriously, even if he made a joke of everything and teased everyone, usually Jaxon's mind was on more serious matters, or it was all a front to make him seem happier than he was. With Toori, he was happy.

He reached forward and placed his hand in the steady stream of water from the faucet before waving his hand to splash water on Toori's shirt. Jaxon then proceeded to scurry across the room to save himself from what he knew was coming.

[chelle]

"Okay, that is it!" Toori said, after water streaked down the front of his shirt, putting his hands on his hips and watching as Jaxon ran away, the coward. After a moment he sprung into action, tearing off after Jaxon. He caught up to him at the foot of the stairs, throwing his arms around Jaxon's middle and twisting, following him down to the floor. Then Toori rolled, and ended up sitting on Jaxon's chest, flushed and grinning.

"I should drown you," he said, glaring down at Jaxon, and realizing too late that they had been in a similar situation yesterday, and that had resulted in Jaxon leaving the house for hours. Toori felt a little burst of awkward embarrassment, but no panic, or at least not yet. He didn't want to get up suddenly, either, and make the situation any more awkward, so he did his best to pretend he hadn't remembered yesterday.

[Jenny]

Jaxon scrambled out of the kitchen, trying his best not to laugh as he ran from Toori, as he didn't want to incur the other's wrath any more than he already had. He made it to the foot of the stairs before Toori caught up with him, and he was half-expecting to turn and find the blond with a mug full of water, ready to pour it on him. Yet as he turned he was surprised to instead feel arms around his waist, pulling him back and effectively taking the breath out of him as he reached for the banister but ultimately failed to keep himself upright. Before he knew it, Jaxon was on the floor, laughing and looking up at Toori who was seated on his chest. He felt something stirring deep in his belly, and he was more than grateful for the distraction when Toori spoke.

At the drowning comment, Jaxon laughed harder, a little breathlessly. "Drown me? In the sink? Because I don't think it's big enough. Maybe we should take this to the shower," he teased, intentionally suggestive though clearly more playfully than anything else. With that, Jaxon  pushed himself up and grabbed Toori, flipping them over so that the blond was face-down and Jaxon was pressed against him, pinning him to the floor and holding his arm to his back. "I think you forget that I know how to fight," he said, grinning victoriously at the swift change in position. Though, even as he pinned Toori down, Jaxon only twisted his arm back loosely, certainly not enough to hurt and easy to overthrow.

[chelle]

Toori had just opened his mouth to retort when Jaxon grabbed him, and he let out a surprised yelp instead. He wasn't sure why he was so surprised; he knew Jaxon was the better fighter and surprise could only go so far. Jaxon flipped him easily and pinned him, holding one of Toori's arms behind his back. Toori's face was pressed into the floor and Jaxon was weighing him down, but really, Jaxon wasn't any bigger than Toori was. Toori swore under his breath as he struggled against Jaxon, bucking and trying to knock him off balance. He was caught up in this game; in wrestling with Jax, and not thinking about anything else. If he had been thinking about anything else there probably would have been a repeat of yesterday's freak out, but thankfully this wrestling was less intimate.

Toori managed to get his arm out of Jaxon's grasp and used it to push himself up, back into Jaxon and then spinning around, slipping out from under Jaxon and turning on him again. He pounced again, knocking Jaxon back but not pinning him, just knocking him back enough to get a good grip on Jaxon's shirt. Toori yanked up the shirt and lowered his head, his mouth hovering over the tender skin of Jaxon's belly for a bare second before he pressed his lips down and blew a loud, wet raspberry just above Jaxon's navel.

[Jenny]

Jaxon grinned widely as Toori struggled beneath him, refusing to acknowledge where his body pressed against the other's and the way it was making him feel, but focusing solely on the adrenaline rush of wrestling with Toori and the fun they were having. It was all just good-natured fun, he convinced himself, in spite of the disagreement of his heart and stomach.

When Toori finally managed to shrug him off successfully, Jaxon was too caught off-guard to hold his own and was knocked back. He was hardly expecting it when Toori pulled his shirt up and blew a raspberry on his stomach, and after staring for a moment made a loud sound of indignance. "Toori!" he squealed in disbelief, before grabbing his arm and licking a long stripe down his forearm in equally immature retaliation.

[chelle]

"Gross!" Toori cried when he felt Jaxon's tongue on his arm, yanking it back but too late, for it was now covered in Jaxon's saliva. He reached forward, wiping his arm across Jaxon's cheek and neck in an effort to wipe off the spit. Then he sprang up, laughing, and bolted up the stairs before Jaxon could react.

He felt a little ridiculous, running around and screaming and laughing like a four year old, having fun in a way he couldn't remember having. He didn't actually remember having fun like this as a kid; maybe that's why it was so much fun. It still felt like the first time. And Jaxon... Well, Toori was starting to learn that he could have fun doing anything with Jaxon.

[chelle]

[ oops ]

[Jenny]

Jaxon made an agonized sound in complaint, hurriedly wiping the moisture off his neck and cheek. He was entirely prepared to give Toori the noogie of his life in retaliation, but he was much too slow and Toori was already dashing away and laughing. Jaxon, in spite of his disgust was still incredibly amused and he grinned as he pushed himself up and hurried after Toori, running up the stairs.

It seemed that Toori was making a beeline for his bedroom, but Jaxon caught him before he could get there, grabbing him by the shoulders and pressing him to the wall in the hallway. He panted, trying to catch his breath as he looked at Toori. Their proximity threw him, making him forget exactly what his plan was, having Toori pinned to the wall. He figured the only way to remedy the awkwardness of the situation now was to make some snide comment. And that he did. "You're gross." Okay, maybe not snide-- more like immature.

[chelle]

Toori was well on his way to his bedroom, planning to hurl himself inside and lock Jaxon out, but he didn't quite make it. Toori gasped and with a thump his back was against the wall, two hands strong on his shoulders and Jaxon, Jaxon's eyes and Jaxon's face so close. There's a moment where Jaxon doesn't do anything, just looks, and Toori curiously notices, not for the first time, that Jaxon's eyes are very blue.

Then Jaxon speaks, and shatters the strange calm of that moment. Toori makes a face at Jaxon's snipe, realizes how childish and ridiculous they're being, and bursts out laughing. It's all too much, Jaxon's face serious as he tells Toori he's gross, and Toori blowing a raspberry on Jaxon's stomach not too long ago, it's all too silly and Toori just laughs. He can't remember the last time he laughed as much as he'd been laughing these last two days, and he thinks that maybe he hadn't laughed at all until Jaxon waltzed into his life.

Eventually, Toori stops laughing, sagging back into the wall and panting.

"You sure showed me," Toori said, grinning widely up at Jaxon.

[Jenny]

When Toori started laughing in his face, Jaxon frowned, but upon realizing how absolutely childish he was being- throwing Toori's insult back in his face- he soon joined in as well. He let his hands fall from Toori's shoulders as he laughed, somewhere in the recesses of his mind wondering why he had never yet had a friend that made him feel the way Toori did. He'd had so much fun since he'd come to Tynova- fun he hadn't even expected to have with anyone, ever, let alone in Tynova and doing the silly things they had been up to. But then, Toori was always surprising him.

As their laughter subsided, Jaxon smiled at Toori fondly. "I think we showed each other," he said with amusement, as his gaze fell to Toori's still-wet shirt. He huffed out a little laugh, letting himself lean against the wall next to Toori. "I think a shower would do us good," he concluded. "Still wanna drown me?"