Again, your girls and I will still see you as our superhero.
[Attached now is stillheartyoubro.jpg, a picture of them with a few of their college buddies at some themed party. Their arms around each other and beer mugs on their free hands, there's Craig in his baby faced, bell bottomed glory. King isn't one to poke fun when he's sporting that mullet like it was god's gift from heaven. They both have lived through rooftop hopping and things that probably are now considered misdemeanors, but how they survived the 80's is still a mystery to this day.
Even just looking at the picture has him remember that the song playing was John Cafferty's Hearts on Fire.]
Bro, they look like rocket jets on your legs.
Edited (It's a very important detail lmao ) 2017-08-28 07:23 (UTC)
( it's true. he did feel a little something for king back then. he feels it a lot more now, though. he finishes up what he was doing for work, then closes his laptop to gather up river and a few things to bring over to keep her occupied and hopefully not fussy. then, he's out the door and over to king's. because he's craig and polite, he does knock on the door before easing himself right on inside. )
It's just me. ( river blows a spit bubble and makes a wet sound. ) And River. Ready for the embarrassing walk down memory lane.
[King's already halfway down the stairs with an old box in his hands that already looks foreboding with how slightly beaten it is. He sets the box down in front of the couch and invites Craig to sit with him.]
Hey, bro. I haven't gone through all of it but from what I have seen, I think there's an equal amount of embarrassment to experience.
[He kneels slightly to address River:] River, do you think mullets are cool?
( this is either going to be really fun or really weird. maybe both. they got up to a lot of crazy stuff in college. sometimes, even craig can't align the guy he was then to who he is now. it's a little weird. kids change so much . . .
river gurgles happily at being addressed. craig can only hope she doesn't know what mullets mean. no daughter of his will have one!! )
Turning my own kid against me. ( craig sighs oh so dramatically as he sits on the couch. ) That's cold, bro.
Right, mullets are cool. [And River believes in him! Bless her kind, pure soul.
Also he's going to set some glasses with water down on the table too. They'll need this.]
Let's start with something easy. [He pulls out a couple of the photos he came across. With the way they're laid out, it's clear that they're from this same event.]
Remember when Radley [Bradley, but that was his nickname god the 80's was embarrassing] couldn't make it to the retreat so we threw money together to make a cardboard cutout of him? [There they were, taking the cardboard Radley water skiing. He didn't make it back.]
( he gets comfortable and situates river on his lap where she won't be in danger of knocking over those glasses of water onto these priceless memories or getting one of said memories and ripping it to shreds. she may have a kind and pure soul, but she's still a baby and gets into messes.
leaning over so he can get a better look, he does his best to recall that retreat. if he didn't earn that nickname so well, he'd probably remember a lot more about college . . . not that he was blackout drunk the entire time. but. there are some gaps throughout the years. this retreat has a few blank spaces in there. but, he does remember the cardboard cutout. )
Oh, man. ( he laughs. things were so weird and carefree back then. ) We tried so hard to keep him together. We just had a hand left by the end, didn't we?
That's what's going on in this photo here. [It looks like the morning after, or the afternoon after, with another mutual friend of theirs holding it up with one hand while their free one is offering a thumbs up...because that hand no longer had a thumb.]
Duct tape could have saved him but nonalcoholic resources were low. And if you hear a scream at some point, I might have come across an old cardboard hand somewhere in my attic. [He slides some more photos from the pile like he's dealing out cards. Maybe they should move onto something less potentially grisly - like this! King's eyes light up with interest.]
Oh...bro, someone actually caught the exact moment when we accidentally bumped each other's heads. [At yet another house party it seems. The work of art shows the exact moment of impact, immediately right after they had realized it was too late to prevent it and just had to deal with the inevitable knock. The faces they made...he couldn't remember the feeling but he did remember the laughter that followed.
( it's a laugh he gets to hear, because he's doing it again. partly, at the idea of king finding a decrepit old cardboard hand that probably doesn't even resemble what it once was. and, partly, because this is just nice, doing something like this. reminiscing about ~the good ol days~ isn't something he does often or gets much opportunity to do. everything is so busy, and no one knows him the way king does. it makes something warm curl through him over the silly (and probably stupid) fact that these stories he doesn't have to tell fresh. this man right here knows him, knows him so well. knows parts of stories that craig can't remember because he spent too much of it plastered.
he picks up the next picture and looks at it. a well of memories overflows inside of his mind. the laughter filled smile softens around the edges to something incredibly fond. )
I remember this. Right after, I spent about 20 minutes in the backyard talking to Tom about your eyes. Definitely the start down a slope I had no idea was there.
[King's cheeks warm up; first at the laugh and then at the idea that Craig had been interested in him for that long. He's had his own inclinations but never gave it much thought and dismissed it as a phase that only seem apparent when they both went off with their former spouses. Strange how things worked out. Things have difficult for them both, with the wide and lonely gap left behind by Alex's passing now filled with something new but also familiar too.
He leans against Craig while absentmindedly holding his finger up to get River's attention.]
My eyes, huh? Wonder if Tom remembers any of that. [And he looks up to remove his glasses, dangling them in front of River. If she wants to play with them, she's free to.
Without them on, King's grin just looks bigger.] These eyes are the reason why our toast always came out right. [That toaster they had just needed a good staredown every morning. Noon. Night.]
( craig assumed it was just a phase, too. that's why he never did anything back in school. close proximity likely added to everything. but, king's his best friend. objectively, he was able to look at him and think he was good looking back then. now, he just doesn't need any objectivity. it hadn't been a phase. the attraction has been real all this time.
river is immediately drawn to the glasses, and reaches for them with all the vigor that a baby can. craig's dad senses are tingling (as they always are), so he's able to move faster and get them before her. the last thing he wants is a pair of broken glasses. river isn't destructive, but she's just a baby. things happen. carefully, he sets them on the table while simultaneously redirecting river's attention to her stuffed toy. works like a charm. and, speaking of charm . . .
craig lifts a hand to cup king's cheek. his thumb moves in a gentle sweep under one of those eyes. he leans in to press a kiss against king's lips. soft and sweet. he tries not to think about how gut clenchingly romantic it is. probably get all flustered that way. )
Yeah. ( he pulls back, drops his hand, and a small almost smarmy little smirk is on his lips. ) Because, they sure weren't doing anything for your bio class.
[King appreciates the glasses rescue. Although when Amanda was a baby she hadn't broken...this specific pair - okay. Understandable. That gets him to smile into the kiss as he returns it with an equal amount of tenderness. When they pull away, he raises his scarred brow to feign offense. A classic gesture from the usual comedy routine known as Actual Real Life Situations.]
Whoa, whoa. [He's just going to...assault that smirk with a series of small pecks (while minding River, of course).] It should be a crime to have the only open bio class be at 7:00 AM. People like me tend to forget their glasses that early. [In a class that studied the science behind life, King was like a zombie and often functioned with maybe one gulp of coffee and a spoonful of cereal.
A thought that occurs to him has him leaning his head on Craig's shoulder.]
I think I've fallen asleep on your shoulder like this more than once. [The lab tables that doubled as lecture desks made it easier to do so. To say that he's "adjusting" his head is just another way to say that he's nuzzling.]
( craig smiles into those kisses and returns each one in kind. (river has no idea what's really going on and chews happily on her toy.) it's followed by a laugh, though. because, yeah. it was pretty rough to have a class like bio that early in the morning. now craig could do it, no problem. keg stand craig had a really hard time getting up in the morning for classes. so much time wasted snoozing in the back and borrowing notes from jenny and fitz.
he slides his arm around king, and shifts himself to an easier position to do this in. his hand rubs over king's shoulder and down his side. it could be said he's "adjusting" too, but he's really just tilting his head to rest on top of king's and nuzzling against his hair. )
No, you did. ( after a second, he turns a little more and presses a kiss against his head. ) Drooled on me a couple times, too.
[Craig's breath feels especially warm enough for King to fall asleep on him for reals for reals this time. He blinks himself away, snorting at the old memories of whenever the professor would call him out on it.]
I don't recall you minding that very much. [Dang, the hints had been there but they both had been either too drunk or too boneheaded to admit it. He slowly lifts his head and gives Craig another kiss on the lips before turning his attention back to the photos.]
Let's take this Road Down Memory Lane a step further and pick a photo out randomly. [So there's an equal opportunity for either of them to be embarrassed.] After you, bro.
( you know, in times like these craig feels really lucky. he doesn't like how things had to happen for both of them to get to this point. life isn't fair and puts people through the wringer. but, he's really glad they have each other now. could be that the time apart was something they needed. craig definitely needed to grow up. no question. if they'd gotten together back then . . . well, no point in spending too much time on those what ifs. they have a 'now' and that's what matters. so, JUST FOR A SECond, craig looks at king with all the affection of a lovestruck idiot.
being a good sport, craig reaches into the assortment of mystery lane horrors and harrowing haberdasheries to pull something free. and . . . he's actually not sure what's going on. craig is on the right, king is on the left, radley is in the middle. all three of them are squatting over an egg each? with a red solo cup covering their mouths and noses. )
Uhh . . . ( it's obviously at a party. there's people around laughing. a pool behind them. craig honestly looks perplexed. ) I so do not remember this at all, bro.
[Craig's love struck gaze is returned in kind, although King's smile falters into a nervous grin. Given how wide his eyes are now, he does in fact, remembers this picture. Oh no. What was the Chicken Dance became a routine that stole the show with the help of too many rounds of jagermeister. The Kings of the Cock Age; something he dares not say out loud to jog Craig's memory.
Sure, being able to call his bro "bro" in front of other people takes them both back to the old days but this...this is where nostalgia might not be for the better.]
Let's...
[He takes it from Craig's hand and motions to put it away although not before giving a good look at it. He deems it Incredibly Embarrassing Level 5000.] ...put that in the incinerate pile. [and sets it far off to the side, face down.]
The rest of the cul-de-sac must not know. [He looks at River as if her wholesomeness is a lifesaver.] Can you keep it a secret from the rest of the Dads, sweetie?
there must be something horrible behind that picture. craig is torn between wanting to press for more and just leaving it as is to never remember what's going on. some things just don't need to be remembered. unfortunately for craig, there's a lot of blank spaces from college. how he didn't die of alcohol poisoning at some point through his entire college career is something of a marvel.
meanwhile, during craig's internal discussion over deciding which way to go, river's eyes are wide as she blinks up at king. after a heartbeat, she blows not one but two spit bubbles. whatever that means.
craig looks over to where the picture is laying face down, then looks at king. he nudges with the back of his wrist against king's thigh. )
Cahn's take secrets to the grave. What do you remember?
( what is one more college age regret??? )
feel free to add to this because i am 100% making this up as i go along
[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.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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You know.
I might still have photos.
[He's as sentimental as they come. Of course he'd have some polaroids somewhere.]
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no.
you don't, actually. do you??
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[It only takes King 20 minutes.]
Can I just say that you're really important to me no matter what, bro?
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bro. are you serious right now?? do you actually have pictures??
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[Attached now is stillheartyoubro.jpg, a picture of them with a few of their college buddies at some themed party. Their arms around each other and beer mugs on their free hands, there's Craig in his baby faced, bell bottomed glory. King isn't one to poke fun when he's sporting that mullet like it was god's gift from heaven. They both have lived through rooftop hopping and things that probably are now considered misdemeanors, but how they survived the 80's is still a mystery to this day.
Even just looking at the picture has him remember that the song playing was John Cafferty's Hearts on Fire.]
Bro, they look like rocket jets on your legs.
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lol there's just . . . so much in this pic, bro. i remember right after this, we won the most epic beer pong championship.
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We were an unstoppable duo. Or at least, that was what it felt like. Thank god for pickle juice.
There's more in this box I got. Maybe when you're free, we can look through them and think back with visuals.
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you know what? that might be kinda fun. if you don't mind river tagging along, i could be there in 10.
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And yet you still liked him Craig lbr]River deserves to see the origin story of her biggest hero.
I'll see you soon, bro!
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It's just me. ( river blows a spit bubble and makes a wet sound. ) And River. Ready for the embarrassing walk down memory lane.
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Hey, bro. I haven't gone through all of it but from what I have seen, I think there's an equal amount of embarrassment to experience.
[He kneels slightly to address River:] River, do you think mullets are cool?
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river gurgles happily at being addressed. craig can only hope she doesn't know what mullets mean. no daughter of his will have one!! )
Turning my own kid against me. ( craig sighs oh so dramatically as he sits on the couch. ) That's cold, bro.
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Also he's going to set some glasses with water down on the table too. They'll need this.]
Let's start with something easy. [He pulls out a couple of the photos he came across. With the way they're laid out, it's clear that they're from this same event.]
Remember when Radley [Bradley, but that was his nickname god the 80's was embarrassing] couldn't make it to the retreat so we threw money together to make a cardboard cutout of him? [There they were, taking the cardboard Radley water skiing. He didn't make it back.]
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leaning over so he can get a better look, he does his best to recall that retreat. if he didn't earn that nickname so well, he'd probably remember a lot more about college . . . not that he was blackout drunk the entire time. but. there are some gaps throughout the years. this retreat has a few blank spaces in there. but, he does remember the cardboard cutout. )
Oh, man. ( he laughs. things were so weird and carefree back then. ) We tried so hard to keep him together. We just had a hand left by the end, didn't we?
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Duct tape could have saved him but nonalcoholic resources were low. And if you hear a scream at some point, I might have come across an old cardboard hand somewhere in my attic. [He slides some more photos from the pile like he's dealing out cards. Maybe they should move onto something less potentially grisly - like this! King's eyes light up with interest.]
Oh...bro, someone actually caught the exact moment when we accidentally bumped each other's heads. [At yet another house party it seems. The work of art shows the exact moment of impact, immediately right after they had realized it was too late to prevent it and just had to deal with the inevitable knock. The faces they made...he couldn't remember the feeling but he did remember the laughter that followed.
Craig always had a nice laugh.]
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he picks up the next picture and looks at it. a well of memories overflows inside of his mind. the laughter filled smile softens around the edges to something incredibly fond. )
I remember this. Right after, I spent about 20 minutes in the backyard talking to Tom about your eyes. Definitely the start down a slope I had no idea was there.
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He leans against Craig while absentmindedly holding his finger up to get River's attention.]
My eyes, huh? Wonder if Tom remembers any of that. [And he looks up to remove his glasses, dangling them in front of River. If she wants to play with them, she's free to.
Without them on, King's grin just looks bigger.] These eyes are the reason why our toast always came out right. [That toaster they had just needed a good staredown every morning. Noon. Night.]
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river is immediately drawn to the glasses, and reaches for them with all the vigor that a baby can. craig's dad senses are tingling (as they always are), so he's able to move faster and get them before her. the last thing he wants is a pair of broken glasses. river isn't destructive, but she's just a baby. things happen. carefully, he sets them on the table while simultaneously redirecting river's attention to her stuffed toy. works like a charm. and, speaking of charm . . .
craig lifts a hand to cup king's cheek. his thumb moves in a gentle sweep under one of those eyes. he leans in to press a kiss against king's lips. soft and sweet. he tries not to think about how gut clenchingly romantic it is. probably get all flustered that way. )
Yeah. ( he pulls back, drops his hand, and a small almost smarmy little smirk is on his lips. ) Because, they sure weren't doing anything for your bio class.
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Whoa, whoa. [He's just going to...assault that smirk with a series of small pecks (while minding River, of course).] It should be a crime to have the only open bio class be at 7:00 AM. People like me tend to forget their glasses that early. [In a class that studied the science behind life, King was like a zombie and often functioned with maybe one gulp of coffee and a spoonful of cereal.
A thought that occurs to him has him leaning his head on Craig's shoulder.]
I think I've fallen asleep on your shoulder like this more than once. [The lab tables that doubled as lecture desks made it easier to do so. To say that he's "adjusting" his head is just another way to say that he's nuzzling.]
Or did I dream all that?
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he slides his arm around king, and shifts himself to an easier position to do this in. his hand rubs over king's shoulder and down his side. it could be said he's "adjusting" too, but he's really just tilting his head to rest on top of king's and nuzzling against his hair. )
No, you did. ( after a second, he turns a little more and presses a kiss against his head. ) Drooled on me a couple times, too.
Major jet lag going on. :S
I don't recall you minding that very much. [Dang, the hints had been there but they both had been either too drunk or too boneheaded to admit it. He slowly lifts his head and gives Craig another kiss on the lips before turning his attention back to the photos.]
Let's take this Road Down Memory Lane a step further and pick a photo out randomly. [So there's an equal opportunity for either of them to be embarrassed.] After you, bro.
the WORST to fight against :(
being a good sport, craig reaches into the assortment of mystery lane horrors and harrowing haberdasheries to pull something free. and . . . he's actually not sure what's going on. craig is on the right, king is on the left, radley is in the middle. all three of them are squatting over an egg each? with a red solo cup covering their mouths and noses. )
Uhh . . . ( it's obviously at a party. there's people around laughing. a pool behind them. craig honestly looks perplexed. ) I so do not remember this at all, bro.
( his legacy. )
It's getting better tho :'>
Sure, being able to call his bro "bro" in front of other people takes them both back to the old days but this...this is where nostalgia might not be for the better.]
Let's...
[He takes it from Craig's hand and motions to put it away although not before giving a good look at it. He deems it Incredibly Embarrassing Level 5000.] ...put that in the incinerate pile. [and sets it far off to the side, face down.]
The rest of the cul-de-sac must not know. [He looks at River as if her wholesomeness is a lifesaver.] Can you keep it a secret from the rest of the Dads, sweetie?
that's good!
there must be something horrible behind that picture. craig is torn between wanting to press for more and just leaving it as is to never remember what's going on. some things just don't need to be remembered. unfortunately for craig, there's a lot of blank spaces from college. how he didn't die of alcohol poisoning at some point through his entire college career is something of a marvel.
meanwhile, during craig's internal discussion over deciding which way to go, river's eyes are wide as she blinks up at king. after a heartbeat, she blows not one but two spit bubbles. whatever that means.
craig looks over to where the picture is laying face down, then looks at king. he nudges with the back of his wrist against king's thigh. )
Cahn's take secrets to the grave. What do you remember?
( what is one more college age regret??? )
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"?
😏
omg dkmlaffda
😂
this is too sweet i am not worthy
💖
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That Asian bowl cut...I had it too /SOB
lmao i'm sorry to bring back memories
I haven't had short bangs since
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