[King purses his lips while staring at River without really looking at her. If only he had as much as Craig did that day so that today, he would be as blissfully clueless too. God, what should he do?
1. Tell Craig the truth. 2. Make up something else.
King already has spun five "alternative faces" in his mind but all of them were either too plausible (and thus deemed too normal for King's initial reaction) or too outlandish that it might lead to a false lead to a non-existent police investigation.
>1. Tell Craig the truth.
...dammit, he can't lie to Craig. He can pretend to not stare at his ass whenever the latter stretches to touch his toes. He can pretend to keep his gaze forward without taking a peek at Craig's abs when he offers to clean his glasses with his shirt. But he can't lie to him.]
Alright. [He sits back upright and scratches the back of his head as he converts memories into words.] Well...
[Loud music was a given and louder, drunk people was inevitable. Admittedly, King couldn't exactly remember what the occasion was but he did remember the music being a mix of corny and what was cool (which is now the new corny). He vividly remembers announcing that the Chicken Dance was his song and the three of them synchronized into a improvised routine of clucking and and clapping. Someone, he can't recall who, had the awesome idea of putting an egg under the each of them to help them get into character better.
The story doesn't seems too bad so far, right? Still, he looks at Craig to see if any of this has jogged his memory before he decides to continue.]
( at first, there's no reaction. craig looks like a confused puppy. his head tilted to the side with genuine confusion in his eyes. there's a lot about parties in college he doesn't remember. every once in a while a college buddy will post something online that sometimes makes craig want to crawl under a rock. it takes a few seconds. but, this becomes one of those times.
recognition physically jolts him into a flinch backward. pink flushes his cheeks, and he can't meet king's eyes for a second. winds up looking at river and that seems inappropriate. she's too innocent for these stories. craig winds up staring at the floor. )
Oh . . . my god. ( safe to say he remembers at least some of it. ) I dont--
( he groans and rubs a hand over his face as he slumps back against the couch. )
We should probably burn that. Then burn the ashes. Then bury that.
( there's not a lot in craig's past that he'd get embarrassed about. this is one of those times. )
How were we invited to every party? I don't how that happened. ( he does know. they were fun and brought the party with them. ) At least social media wasn't a thing back then. Or my-- ( he quickly covers river's ears ) dick would be everywhere.
( he sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. it sticks out all over. ) Now I get why Jeff had that chicken song playing the last time I saw him.
[It's almost surreal to see Craig so genuinely horrified, given that between the two of them, he was the bigger risk taker. If things hadn't changed, if they hadn't grown up, they probably would be laughing at this now. Maybe when they're nearly about the kick the bucket they can think back on that and laugh, but right now they're young enough remember and old enough to feel ashamed. It really is great to see Craig changed for the better but the guy he calls his bro is still the same...which is why King is somewhat ashamed for him too.
Not that he has much of a leg to stand on himself. For a while, his name had been associated with that incident because it literally contained his name.]
I'm going to need to send Jeff a peace offering to ensure that he doesn't talk. You know, for the children.
[That is partially a joke but still true. Even Amanda doesn't know about that and she never will!!
King reaches over to attempt to straighten out Craig's hair - which quickly just turns to him petting his hair before leaving his hand to rest at the back of his head.]
I don't think it'll get worse than that. How about we let River pick one out? [He looks at her, bless her pure soul. Are they being judged by those big, big eyes?]
( he appreciates how his younger self had no fear. he was stupid -- a lot -- but, genuinely meant well. usually? what he meant by making a little crown and kingly cape for his dick back then to be the king of said cock age . . . well. honestly, who the fuck knows. craig resolves right then and there to just kill anyone who remembers this particular party. it's a pact. everyone must meet their demise. this story must never be retold. he's going to have to start with king. he's here. craig loves him, but this has to be done!! for the greater good! or, something like that.
except, king starts petting him and craig kind of melts a little. smiles gently at king (as all previous thoughts of crazy murder subside) he is a useless, weak man. head pets. what're you gonna do? it calms him a little, and the blush begins to recede. honestly, he's probably not going to speak to jeff for a long time now. but, whatever. moving on. )
If it gets worse than that, I'm going to a hypnotist to have these memories buried.
( he shifts so river can get a hand on something. praying the whole time to anyone who might be listening that there's no odd, naked pic in here. her little fingers grip hard at the corner, wrinkling one with a giggle of pure joy. craig hums lowly and gently extracts it from her, but keeps it within eye sight so no screaming suddenly happens. his fingers make the attempt to smooth out the corner. craig gets a good look at this one and immediately his expression softens. spring break, junior year. a whole group of them got a house on the beach. this picture is . . . well, it's so normal compared to the last one. it's just the two of them on the boardwalk with their arms thrown around each other, big smiles, and bigger shades. after a few seconds, he hands it over to king. )
OH GOD WHAT IF RIVER GOES FOR A NAKED PIC OR SOMETHING BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN BEER GOGGLES KEPT THEM FROM NOTICING FLASHING CAMERAS HE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH -
And as he waits for Craig's reaction, he's able to hold himself back from fisting his hair. A huge wave of relief hits him when he notices Craig's expression is the opposite of the last one. He looks over to the photo while also moving that same hand down for River to grab a hold of. Please, hold him after that initial scare.
Soon his face warms up at the image too. It's a nice one that he already wants to see framed.]
That is a good one.
[He looks at the image carefully again. Their hair is slightly damp (so King's then-mullet looks relatively subdued) so that probably meant...]
That was when I gave surfing a go for the first time and the ocean almost decided to eat me. [Okay, that was an exaggeration. One wave happened to have been a little stronger than the previous ones which left him tumbling around in what felt like a salty washing machine. Scariest three seconds of his life until he surfaced to see the guy that he would find himself kissing in the future.
The wipeout didn't do his mild fear of the deep water any favors, but the photo and the memories associated with it are anything but sour. There was a lot of laughter that weekend.]
( river does grab a hold of king's hand. and, much to craig's relief she doesn't put it in her mouth and get it all baby drooly. she's content to just squeeze two fingers and use her baby drool powers for something more exciting. like spit bubbles. it's fine.
craig's eyes linger on the picture, and he knows he'll be asking for a copy of that. and, he also knows he'll be digging around in his things packed away to find old pictures of his own. as crazy as college had been -- both the good and bad kind -- he's glad he was able to have that time with king.
he leans his head back against the couch, and doesn't hide the laugh that comes out. they all wiped out pretty hard that weekend. and, after trying so hard to be impressive. craig let's his hand drift over to rest against king's thigh. he rubs softly for a few seconds then gives a little squeeze. )
[Even if River does end up doing that, King doesn't mind. He remembers when Amanda would do the same when she was a baby. River strikes him as being less aggressive about that kind of thing but kids can be surprising. It never gets old.]
I know, bro. [He puts his free hand over Craig's and gives that a squeeze too. There's tenderness even in his smirk.]
Not that I'm looking to almost drown again but getting CPR from you would've been hot.
( leave it to king. a burst of laughter comes out that craig can't try to muffle. it's warm and happy. it feels like a lifetime to him since that's happened. he turns his hand over under king's so he can slot their fingers together with relative ease. this feels so good and right. )
That probably would've made me question even more how I felt about you back then.
( how different would things be now if he'd acted on anything? he just doesn't know.
what he does know, though, is that it wasn't just proximity. and, there's something heartening about that. king's always been someone special to him. now craig can do a little more about that. )
[King smiles and lets out a laugh himself. Craig's laughter is music to his ears. No horn solo needed (although he can provide one).]
Really? [He glances at one of the pictures poking out and removes his hand away from Craig (sorry bro, but he can't get baby drool on this one!) to pick it up. He snorts. It's another photo of the two of them, with King on Craig's back playing chicken with another pair too. He flashes the photo at him.]
Even with hair like this? [With the way how the sunset looked in the background, his mullet was practically beaming. He'd say he looks majestic but bites down his mirthful smirk because he wants Craig to admit it first.]
craig laughs again looking at that picture. inside he's mourning the loss of king's hand, but he'll be able to get over it. be strong, craig cahn. he nudges king with his knee. )
Well, eventually I might've suggested a haircut...
( he's n e v e r going to admit that mullet was majestic. it's one thing he wasn't sad to see go. not that craig can say much. for almost his entire school life from elementary to high, he had a wicked bowl cut. it haunts him to this day.
he gets his hand on king's shoulder and gives him a small squeeze before rubbing there a little bit. )
[King flashes a mirthful grin. There probably was the chance of him agreeing to it because Craig would've been the one to suggest it. But...young King was pretty proud of that hair. Young and stupid King.]
We can probably put a whole album together with these. [He starts to organize it somewhat by group photos...and photos just the two of them. There's a good amount, especially since they were kinda known for sticking together.]
( king had other accomplishments to be proud of back then. sometimes craig used to think what would happen if he stuck gum in that ratty mullet. then, he felt guilty about that. eventually, he stopped and it didn't matter. he has to say, though, he likes king's look much better now.
he laughs a little as he resettles back on the couch. touching and sweet romance time has passed for right now. it'll come back later. river settles more comfortably against him, too. )
Dude, I think you mean brobum.
( classic. considering there's a lot of butts in those pix. and his own stash somewhere back at his house. )
I'm sure I've got a bunch more at home, too. It'll be nice to have.
I like your brobum. [That...came out faster than it probably should have, which earns a snerk-turned-laughter from King as he settles to lean back against the couch, his shoulder meeting Craig's.]
We should do this. Putting this together and letting our girls see that once upon a time, their dads were cool. [And not just in the "sure thing dad" nice way that they are legally obligated to say in front of other adults!]
( craig lets out a small burst of laughter. can't be helped. )
Yeah, I know.
( what?! he doesn't know!! he's seen how king looks at him!! craig isn't blind. no matter how often his girls might think he is and can't tell the difference between them. craig sees all. )
You know what? We were cool. ( they went to way too many parties to not be considered cool, in the big definition of the word. ) We still are!
( craig. )
I mean, a little. ( he sighs as he tips his head back to rest against the couch. ) Probably not at all. I'd never let my girls do half the things I did. Ever.
[There's (arguably) no horn tooting lamer than the sounds of two dads reaffirming that they are cool.]
The definition of what is cool has changed, hasn't it? [Like, mullets. Or saying "I'm down for that" has either seemingly replaced "I'm up for it."] Your girls will grow up to be cool but in the way that isn't...[King gestures not-so-vaguely in the direction of the photo that will soon be turned to ash.
He takes off his glasses and shifts on the couch a bit. His vision's blurrier than he remembers it. God.]]
Is it weird that I want to call Amanda to remind her to clean her dorm? Thinking back, I almost wished mom and dad had nagged me more about that kind of thing. [Whether he would've listened or not is moot now. Their dorm was a total "guy dorm" with a few touches from Oscar the Grouch.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feel free to add to this because i am 100% making this up as i go along
1. Tell Craig the truth.
2. Make up something else.
King already has spun five "alternative faces" in his mind but all of them were either too plausible (and thus deemed too normal for King's initial reaction) or too outlandish that it might lead to a false lead to a non-existent police investigation.
>1. Tell Craig the truth.
...dammit, he can't lie to Craig. He can pretend to not stare at his ass whenever the latter stretches to touch his toes. He can pretend to keep his gaze forward without taking a peek at Craig's abs when he offers to clean his glasses with his shirt. But he can't lie to him.]
Alright. [He sits back upright and scratches the back of his head as he converts memories into words.] Well...
[Loud music was a given and louder, drunk people was inevitable. Admittedly, King couldn't exactly remember what the occasion was but he did remember the music being a mix of corny and what was cool (which is now the new corny). He vividly remembers announcing that the Chicken Dance was his song and the three of them synchronized into a improvised routine of clucking and and clapping. Someone, he can't recall who, had the awesome idea of putting an egg under the each of them to help them get into character better.
The story doesn't seems too bad so far, right? Still, he looks at Craig to see if any of this has jogged his memory before he decides to continue.]
..."Kings of the Cock Age"?
😏
recognition physically jolts him into a flinch backward. pink flushes his cheeks, and he can't meet king's eyes for a second. winds up looking at river and that seems inappropriate. she's too innocent for these stories. craig winds up staring at the floor. )
Oh . . . my god. ( safe to say he remembers at least some of it. ) I dont--
( he groans and rubs a hand over his face as he slumps back against the couch. )
We should probably burn that. Then burn the ashes. Then bury that.
( there's not a lot in craig's past that he'd get embarrassed about. this is one of those times. )
How were we invited to every party? I don't how that happened. ( he does know. they were fun and brought the party with them. ) At least social media wasn't a thing back then. Or my-- ( he quickly covers river's ears ) dick would be everywhere.
( he sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. it sticks out all over. ) Now I get why Jeff had that chicken song playing the last time I saw him.
omg dkmlaffda
Not that he has much of a leg to stand on himself. For a while, his name had been associated with that incident because it literally contained his name.]
I'm going to need to send Jeff a peace offering to ensure that he doesn't talk. You know, for the children.
[That is partially a joke but still true. Even Amanda doesn't know about that and she never will!!
King reaches over to attempt to straighten out Craig's hair - which quickly just turns to him petting his hair before leaving his hand to rest at the back of his head.]
I don't think it'll get worse than that. How about we let River pick one out? [He looks at her, bless her pure soul. Are they being judged by those big, big eyes?]
😂
except, king starts petting him and craig kind of melts a little. smiles gently at king (as all previous thoughts of crazy murder subside) he is a useless, weak man. head pets. what're you gonna do? it calms him a little, and the blush begins to recede. honestly, he's probably not going to speak to jeff for a long time now. but, whatever. moving on. )
If it gets worse than that, I'm going to a hypnotist to have these memories buried.
( he shifts so river can get a hand on something. praying the whole time to anyone who might be listening that there's no odd, naked pic in here. her little fingers grip hard at the corner, wrinkling one with a giggle of pure joy. craig hums lowly and gently extracts it from her, but keeps it within eye sight so no screaming suddenly happens. his fingers make the attempt to smooth out the corner. craig gets a good look at this one and immediately his expression softens. spring break, junior year. a whole group of them got a house on the beach. this picture is . . . well, it's so normal compared to the last one. it's just the two of them on the boardwalk with their arms thrown around each other, big smiles, and bigger shades. after a few seconds, he hands it over to king. )
She picked a good one.
this is too sweet i am not worthy
OH GOD WHAT IF RIVER GOES FOR A NAKED PIC OR SOMETHING BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN BEER GOGGLES KEPT THEM FROM NOTICING FLASHING CAMERAS HE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH -
And as he waits for Craig's reaction, he's able to hold himself back from fisting his hair. A huge wave of relief hits him when he notices Craig's expression is the opposite of the last one. He looks over to the photo while also moving that same hand down for River to grab a hold of. Please, hold him after that initial scare.
Soon his face warms up at the image too. It's a nice one that he already wants to see framed.]
That is a good one.
[He looks at the image carefully again. Their hair is slightly damp (so King's then-mullet looks relatively subdued) so that probably meant...]
That was when I gave surfing a go for the first time and the ocean almost decided to eat me. [Okay, that was an exaggeration. One wave happened to have been a little stronger than the previous ones which left him tumbling around in what felt like a salty washing machine. Scariest three seconds of his life until he surfaced to see the guy that he would find himself kissing in the future.
The wipeout didn't do his mild fear of the deep water any favors, but the photo and the memories associated with it are anything but sour. There was a lot of laughter that weekend.]
💖
craig's eyes linger on the picture, and he knows he'll be asking for a copy of that. and, he also knows he'll be digging around in his things packed away to find old pictures of his own. as crazy as college had been -- both the good and bad kind -- he's glad he was able to have that time with king.
he leans his head back against the couch, and doesn't hide the laugh that comes out. they all wiped out pretty hard that weekend. and, after trying so hard to be impressive. craig let's his hand drift over to rest against king's thigh. he rubs softly for a few seconds then gives a little squeeze. )
Bro, I wouldn't have let anything happen to you.
no subject
I know, bro. [He puts his free hand over Craig's and gives that a squeeze too. There's tenderness even in his smirk.]
Not that I'm looking to almost drown again but getting CPR from you would've been hot.
no subject
That probably would've made me question even more how I felt about you back then.
( how different would things be now if he'd acted on anything? he just doesn't know.
what he does know, though, is that it wasn't just proximity. and, there's something heartening about that. king's always been someone special to him. now craig can do a little more about that. )
no subject
Really? [He glances at one of the pictures poking out and removes his hand away from Craig (sorry bro, but he can't get baby drool on this one!) to pick it up. He snorts. It's another photo of the two of them, with King on Craig's back playing chicken with another pair too. He flashes the photo at him.]
Even with hair like this? [With the way how the sunset looked in the background, his mullet was practically beaming. He'd say he looks majestic but bites down his mirthful smirk because he wants Craig to admit it first.]
no subject
craig laughs again looking at that picture. inside he's mourning the loss of king's hand, but he'll be able to get over it. be strong, craig cahn. he nudges king with his knee. )
Well, eventually I might've suggested a haircut...
( he's n e v e r going to admit that mullet was majestic. it's one thing he wasn't sad to see go. not that craig can say much. for almost his entire school life from elementary to high, he had a wicked bowl cut. it haunts him to this day.
he gets his hand on king's shoulder and gives him a small squeeze before rubbing there a little bit. )
But, yeah. Yeah.
That Asian bowl cut...I had it too /SOB
We can probably put a whole album together with these. [He starts to organize it somewhat by group photos...and photos just the two of them. There's a good amount, especially since they were kinda known for sticking together.]
A bro album. Broalbum.
lmao i'm sorry to bring back memories
he laughs a little as he resettles back on the couch. touching and sweet romance time has passed for right now. it'll come back later. river settles more comfortably against him, too. )
Dude, I think you mean brobum.
( classic. considering there's a lot of butts in those pix. and his own stash somewhere back at his house. )
I'm sure I've got a bunch more at home, too. It'll be nice to have.
I haven't had short bangs since
We should do this. Putting this together and letting our girls see that once upon a time, their dads were cool. [And not just in the "sure thing dad" nice way that they are legally obligated to say in front of other adults!]
...we...were.
no subject
Yeah, I know.
( what?! he doesn't know!! he's seen how king looks at him!! craig isn't blind. no matter how often his girls might think he is and can't tell the difference between them. craig sees all. )
You know what? We were cool. ( they went to way too many parties to not be considered cool, in the big definition of the word. ) We still are!
( craig. )
I mean, a little. ( he sighs as he tips his head back to rest against the couch. ) Probably not at all. I'd never let my girls do half the things I did. Ever.
no subject
The definition of what is cool has changed, hasn't it? [Like, mullets. Or saying "I'm down for that" has either seemingly replaced "I'm up for it."] Your girls will grow up to be cool but in the way that isn't...[King gestures not-so-vaguely in the direction of the photo that will soon be turned to ash.
He takes off his glasses and shifts on the couch a bit. His vision's blurrier than he remembers it. God.]]
Is it weird that I want to call Amanda to remind her to clean her dorm? Thinking back, I almost wished mom and dad had nagged me more about that kind of thing. [Whether he would've listened or not is moot now. Their dorm was a total "guy dorm" with a few touches from Oscar the Grouch.]