For Your Entertainment

[maladgogo]

Boston over the last few months had been frigid, and most days it still was, but with Spring well on its way, occasionally the chill was interrupted by days in the 70s, a little breezy but otherwise comfortable and warm. Warmth meant pedestrians, and pedestrians meant the buskers crept out of hiding, looking for a quick buck or, more often, just to entertain people.

One case of the latter had taken up an open, empty space at one of the massive local parks, a small speaker setup settled to one side with a bottle of water on top of it. The owner of said setup was stretching, doing small moves to warm up his muscles, tying his hair up out of the way in movements that matched the intro of the song that was playing, subtle and intensely controlled. His first acts tended to be more visually downplayed, all grace and smooth turns, gyrations and rolls. The music he danced to tended toward the electronic variety, deep bass and slow beats, sometimes flowing into faster drum and bass that turned him upside-down, balanced on his hands, blurring, twisting motion that drew an occasional 'ooo' from the ground. A squeal here and there too as when he straightened up, he smiled at the first person he saw in the audience. His smile was radiant, lighting up the entirety of him almost, making a couple of young women fan themselves when he looked away.

Closer to evening, the real show began: Visual poi, with specialized LED rods on the ends of long ropes made streaks of light through the air around him, casting him in shadow or throwing him into sharp relief at intervals in time with the music. A lot of the crowd had turned over, some had left a handful of change or a few dollars in the case of the speaker that had been left out in case anyone felt like doing just that, but there had been one or two familiar faces. People from his classes, people that had watched him before, and sometimes, people that simply stood out. The pale boy perched nearby, for instance. He nearly blended in with the clean white stonework and the pale blue of the sky overhead, but closer to evening he stood out in the crowd, and occasionally, Guy had looked at him, a smile or a tilt of the head the only indication of any sort of interest. It wasn't any different than how he'd interacted with the rest of the crowd, but sometimes, people took all of that as impetus to talk to him.

He did enjoy making friends, and strove to make at least one every time he came out to perform.

Comments

[samahl]

The day was too nice to spend cooped up indoors. Cyril had some sketches he needed to work on for his classes and he wanted to take it outdoors to enjoy the warm day. He had chosen a park to go to and had taken his sketch pad and iPod.

He ended up not needing the iPod. It was by chance that he had chosen a bench by where Guy had set up to perform. Then, instead of working on his sketches for class he ended up sketching drawings of Guy's movements, trying to capture some of the movement of his performance on paper.

The performer was beautiful and his performance was wonderful. During a pause in it, the elf stood and came over to Guy's space. Cyril was pale and beautiful and he had a teal green tattoo on his face that was in a stylized tree. He grinned at Guy has we put a five in his case. Along with the bill, he had a folded up paper of one of the sketches that showed Guy performing.

"You were excellent," he said.

[maladgogo]

The money wouldn't have drawn his attention past a cursory glance, but the sketch, now, that was something he could appreciate. He paused and flipped his water bottle around in his hand, looking a bit bashful but grinning at Cyril. This close up, it was obvious that he was as least a foot taller than the elf, and when he held out a hand to shake, it was large, mostly soft except for the callouses in the web of his right thumb and forefinger from handling kitchen instruments, chains, rods, and other such things.

"Much obliged lil' brother," he said cheerfully. He was watching his language for the time being; a lot of the folks around here, especially the white folks coming from money, of which there were a lot, tended to be incredibly turned off by his mouth when it got away from him. Or at least they pretended to be. "Ain't seen you around before. Pretty sure I'd remember catchin' sight'a you, too. You new to the area?"

[samahl]

He nodded. "I'm afraid so," he admitted. "I got a scholarship to the university." He let his hand linger in Guy's for a moment, clearly enjoying the soft skin he felt there.

"I'd remember your face too. And your body."

[maladgogo]

"Must be damn smart, to be gettin' scholarships. You goin' to MassArt or UB?" Either way, quality elf right here. Quality elf that was very obviously hitting on him, too. He could deal with that.

Guy's arms cross over his chest, hips cocking in a relaxed sort of posture. the crowd was dispersing now that he was occupied elsewhere. All the better, since it would give them more time to get acquainted.

[samahl]

"UB," Cyril responded. "I'm not going just for art, so I'm afraid MassArt wouldn't have worked for me." His eyes easily trail over Guy's arms then, after a moment, he comes closer.

He offers his hand to shake. "I'm Cyril, and I'm about to ask you out to go get coffee."

[maladgogo]

"Yeah, gotta have ya core classes, I get that. Hope that's goin' well for ya then." He takes Cyril's hand briefly, giving it an easy squeeze.

The bluntness gets a soft laugh out of him. "Most folks just call me Gam, n' I'd love some coffee now it's due t' start dippin' back down." The air was starting to grow a little bit nippy now that the sun was on its way down, and soon he'd have to grab his sweater or else risk a cold. "Lead the way, 'f you got somewhere in mind."

[samahl]

Cyril shakes his a bit. "I'm afraid I'm making it up as I go, but we can find something."

Then, after a moment, "Did you need help packing up at all?" he asks, trying to be friendly. He can understand why Gam might not want him to touch his belongings though, considering it was his livelihood.

[maladgogo]

"Ain't nothin' wrong wit' makin' shit up as y' go. 's how I made it this far anyway," Gam offers with an easy grin, then glances down at his belongings. He knows better than to assume that just because this guy is small, that he'd be weak. So he glances around his setup, then starts packing things together. The money ends up tucked into the carrying case that holds his speakers, which is wheeled. He hands off the handle to Cyril, then gathers his jacket to pull on and zip halfway up, as well as the emptied bottles he's stacked off to one side as he's drained them.

"Hope you don't mind walkin'," he says as he nods off toward the edge of the park. There's a cafe there open late into the evening that they could stop by. "I ain't got wheels'a my own. Usually take the train to n' from school."

[samahl]

"I don't mind it at all," Cyril responds with a smile. "It helps to have beautiful company."

He shifts his own back to the side so that he can wheel the speakers easily.

[maladgogo]

He's used to walking in relative silence, listening to the city's sounds. It's peaceful enough, and more than once, it's kept him safe. But he's also used to walking by himself, knowing nobody here outside of his classmates, and even then, it's not like he spends much time with them that isn't school-related.

So he finds himself stealing glances over at Cyril.

"Where you comin' from?" he asks when they stop a moment at a recycling bin at the edge of the park.

[samahl]

"Not too far, actually," he admits. "I didn't want to be too far from my family."

[maladgogo]

He nods. "Man don't I know that feelin'. This the farthest I ever been from home."

At the cafe, he holds the door open for Cyril to pass before him, then heads for the counter. A tall americano would do him just fine, and keep him alert enough to keep an eye on the elf. Who already seems to have attracted a couple of other looks as well, now that he's paying attention to their surroundings a bit as he waits.

[samahl]

Cyril gets himself a warm tea and pays for both of them. He doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the looks just yet. He was far more interested in the man he was speaking to.

"Where are you from?" he asks. He can guess around the accent but he doesn't want to assume.

[maladgogo]

"South Carolina," he answers easily, heading toward a small booth that would afford them a little more privacy. "Though fam all came from Haiti wit' me, so y'know. Harder accent to be placin'." He smirks faintly at that, taking a slow swallow of his coffee then running the tip of his tongue over his upper lip.

[samahl]

"Mm," Cyril responds, mostly to give himself time to feel less distracted by that tongue. "Did you travel much?" he asks once he has the mind to think of another question.

[maladgogo]

"Not really. Ain't had much reason to, 'til this last summer. Just fine stayin' close t' home, makin' sure shit's took care of wit' mine. Gotta say though, 's good to be findin' somethin' ain't so familiar. Lot's'a nice lil' surprises out n' about here." He leans his elbows against the table in front of him, giving Cyril a sidelong glance and a smooth wink.

[samahl]

Cyril grins at the wink, pleased. "You're close to your family then?" he asks. "That's sweet."

[maladgogo]

"Family's everything I got. M' brother's the reason I even moved here t' begin with. He's the one what taught me the dancin' shit too.

"Bet he woulda liked you," he muses, looking over at Cyril with his chin on his hand. "Loves the pretty ones, 'specially real fine like you is."

[samahl]

Cyril tilts his head a bit at the compliment and it's done in such a way to show off the best angle of his face. "Would have?" he asks, a little concerned by the past tense.

[maladgogo]

The easy smile on his face makes it clear he's not referring to someone gone, just not local. "He ain't here, he's back home. Prob'ly woulda already had his time wit' you if you been around our neck'a the woods."

[samahl]

Cyril relaxes a bit because he honestly wouldn't know what he would do if he lost his brother. "I'm afraid I'm away from my own siblings too," he admits. "It's been strange."

[maladgogo]

"Heard y'all were real tight-knit wit' ya families. Damn brave to be wanderin' in the city on ya own like this. Could show you around, you feel like you want some'n t' get talkin' at. Show you where I get bunked down, shit like that."

[samahl]

He leans forward a bit, and grins a bit. "Are you worried for my safety?" he asks, pleased. "Looking to save me?"

[maladgogo]

He leans along with, his hand tucking up under his chin with his fingers tapping lightly against his neck. "Maybe. 's a big, dangerous world, lil' brother, not enough people out there'd rather hold ya hand than step on ya toes."

[samahl]

Cyril sips at his tea for a moment and then licks his upper lip for a moment in thought. "Why don't we start by you showing me your place?"

[maladgogo]

"Fine idea brother, just lemme know when you ready to roll out. Hope you don't mind takin' the bus."

Which is, as it turns out, his main mode of transportation around the city besides walking. He takes the train to school, but otherwise, he's on foot, or on public transit. He explains in brief that it's because he spends enough of his time intoxicated that the amount of DUI fines he'd have to pay would make ever getting a proper driver's license almost impossible, but that he also just doesn't much care to drive anyway. You don't get to pay as much attention to the minutiae of your surroundings behind the wheel, after all.

Like the small details of his apartment building. It's very nice, in a very nice neighborhood, and every other tenant that they pass on the way in and up the stairs is some variety of moneyed white human. So the two of them stick out in this neighborhood more than most.

Guy's apartment is large, dark, draped with batiks in fantastic colors, lit by fairy lights that come on as soon as he hits a switch, and where there should be furniture, there are a lot of cushions, a settee, and a lot of shelves loaded with various curiosities, from oddly-shaped bottles and jars full of various liquids, to knicknacks that would not look out of place on a thrift store's back counter. His tastes are mellow and eclectic, and on one wall there's a massive tank that, once he approaches and turns up a light over the top of it, actually contains a pair of tarantulas.

"Hope you don't mind creepycrawlies. Got me a surrogate sister back home what loves these lil' motherfuckers. Sent me pretty lil' Cobalt thang f' my birthday." He reaches his hand into the tank, and when it comes up again, a rather massive blue spider settled on the back. "Her name's Sissy. Wanna meet 'er?"

[samahl]

Cyril doesn't mind the bus ride at all. If anything he takes the chance to sit very close to Guy. When they get to the apartment, he seems pretty impressed with how everything looks and then ends up right near the tank.

"I don't mind them at all," he says, grinning. "Though I admit I'm much more likely to own a cat than one of them."

He examines Sissy but doesn't really look like he's eager to touch her. He's not scared so much as keeping a respectful distance at this point. "Any other pets?"

[maladgogo]

Most of the bus ride, Guy's arm had been resting across the back of the seat behind Cyril's head, as if the two were already together, or at least good friends.

"Ain't often someone wants to be gettin' up close wit' em. Ain't gonna be offended any more'n they will if you ain't about 'em," Guy assures him, taking his hesitance to actually touch the spider as the same general nerves most people have about his pets. "Just got my girls here, n' a tank'a live crickets n' some mice to be feedin' 'em with. Gotta keep 'em healthy, feed 'em the good shit. Ain't that right baby?" he coos at Sissy, bringing her up level with his face and making a little kissy noise when she raises a leg and waves it near his face. He's careful as he puts her back, then takes a moment to nudge a smaller black and white tarantula out of its hiding spot. "N' this one's Jazz. He shy, ain't much on comp'ny 'sides mine n' Sissy's. Did have a snake b'fore, lil' cinnamon ball python, but he stayin' with' my brother n' his big-ass boa.

"You hungry? he asks as he finally draws his hand out of the tank and heads to the kitchen to wash. "Got some shit frozen, some homemade in the fridge, got some edibles you get wantin' a comfy body high."

[samahl]

Cyril watches the spiders for a moment longer, curious about them now that there's a tank between him and them. Then he follows Guy to the kitchen.

"No," he says after a moment. Once Guy has dried his hands he closes the distance between them. "I was thinking I'd have something else in my mouth," he points out.

[maladgogo]

When he turns to find Cyril right there in his space, Guy's hands come to rest on the counter behind him as he leans back, head at a mild tilt.

"Can't see why it can't be both ways," he responds, a soft smirk tugging up the corner of his lips. He brings one hand up, tips his knuckle under Cyril's chin, and dips his head to steal a brief, teasing kiss. "Could eat you up, m'self, small n' sweet. Bet you melt on the tongue like confectioner's sugar."

[samahl]

"Let's find out if I do," Cyril offers. He reaches out and puts his hands on Guy's hips.

[maladgogo]

He gives a soft, amused hum and reaches down, running his hands down Cyril's sides then over his aass, picking him up as if he weighed absolutely nothing and switching their positions to seat the elf there on the counter in front of him. He takes another kiss when it's done then draws back with a grin. "Where you wanna go, lil' brother? ain't nowhere off-limits."

[samahl]

Cyril holds onto Guy as he's moved, and makes an amused sound as he's settled on the counter.

"Are you asking me what position I like?" he asks. "Or just if we're going to 'go all the way?'" He is teasing a bit now.

[maladgogo]

"Maybe a lil' of both, n' whether you'd prefer stayin' out here or movin' back t' the bedroom f' privacy." It wasn't like anyone would possibly walk in on them, but it was still better to offer. Some people just preferred their intimacy in a bedroom, even if it was just over-the-clothes.

[samahl]

Cyril moves his arms around Guy and grins at him, a little too pleased. "I'd like to see your bed," he says. "But that depends on what you want. If you're looking for something quick and fun, counter is probably better. If you'd rather ravish me for longer than that, I vote for the bed."

[maladgogo]

"Do plan on takin' my time," Guy replies, though there's a mischievous look on his face. "Or could do somethin' quick here, make our way back there, get you all buttered up. Long as you ain't got nowhere to be in the morning, could see how long you stay awake."

[samahl]

"Oh, a sleepover." He kisses Guy lightly. "Will there be breakfast in the morning?"

[maladgogo]

"Goes without sayin'." Of course he would feed Cyril in the morning. Not only was that only the decent thing to do, Guy genuinely enjoys cooking for people, regardless of how long they might be staying. And Cyril looks like the kind of guy that would appreciate that kind of thoughtfulness.

He settles in between Cyril's legs and dips his head down to give the side of his neck a teasing little kiss, then drag his lips up to the lobe of his ear. "Lookit you, bet you'd look real good all flushed n' spread out in silk."

[samahl]

Cyril hums happily and tilts his head a bit. "I'd love that," he said. "I'd love to see what I look like with you inside of me too."