Alina (collateralmagic) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2013-02-18 02:44:00

Entry tags:

Walk Off the Earth
"Are your eyes closed? They'd better be closed, mister!"

Karaoke with the team had been fun, of course, but it is Valentine's Day – and what Valentine's Day would be complete without sneaking off with your S.O. to some secluded location? And when a girl's got access to a teleporter, well, that's an awful lot of secluded to choose from.

Even with his eyes closed, Jon can undoubtedly tell they're at a beach. If the sea salt on the air didn't tell him, the sound of the waves breaking on the reef would. That's not the surprise.

Alina takes him by the hands and leads him midway down the narrow beach, the rocky sand crnching underfoot. Once she's decided that they're in a good spot, she releases his hands and slings off her backpack.

"Eyes still closed," she says, pulling out a handful of white glowsticks, snapping each of them in several places and tossing them onto the sand around them until she's satisfied with the level of illumination.

She feels good about this. She feels clever.

"Okay," she says. "Open your eyes and check out the sand and tell me where it looks like we are!"

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first_son
2013-02-18 01:54 pm UTC (link)

He keeps his eyes closed throughout, of course. No peeking allowed Not that it would have helped. He can definitely smell the sea air, and hear, well, everything. The local wildlife of all kinds, the shifts in the tide, the people for miles - not that there's a lot of them.

The red sand gets a glance, and he crouches down, examining for a moment, before he stands back up to look at her.

"I have no idea. I could fly up high enough to tell from the landmass, but I don't need to. Somewhere secluded, and really pretty - but not as pretty as you."

(Reply to this)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-02-19 08:57 am UTC (link)

"Aww, right back at you, mi querido," Alina says, stepping in for a kiss.

"Specifically, we're at Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay, in Maui. All of the appropriate coloring of the pink sand beaches in the Bahamas, none of the annoying hotel crowds." She grins. "No one seems to have decided to camp out here, and no one's likely to try and take the trail in the dark, so we've effectively got a private beach for the night. Plus, Google says this place has killer sunrises."

She skips backward a couple paces and spins around. "Also, there may or may not be an alien mothership parked somewhere nearby, depending on what rumors you listen to."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-02-19 03:32 pm UTC (link)
	That gets a bigger grin. "So we have total privacy, except for the impending alien invasion? How... us." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	collateralmagic 2013-02-20 09:39 am UTC (link)
	"I know, right?" Alina laughs. "I'd say it's a little too appropriate to be real, but I found it through Google instead of by weird coincidence, and I doubt Google is anyone's M.O." Her grin softens to something more gooey and affectionate. "Happy Valentine's Day." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-02-20 10:10 pm UTC (link)
	At the last bit, he leans in to kiss her. "Only your M.O., which makes it perfect. Happy Valentine's Day." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-04-03 02:29 am UTC (link)

"Fortunately, I don't use my mine for evil," Alina says, rising up on her toes to kiss him back. Her boots sink into the sand in the process though, so she doesn't actually gain any height. "Short walks on strange beaches and make-outs, maybe, but evil? No."

She takes a breath and peeks at him through her eyelashes. "On a semi-related note, I have finally convinced my family that the threatening you will just be embarrassing for everyone involved, so I can formally extend an invitation to meet them. If you'd like."

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	first_son 2013-04-03 02:54 am UTC (link)
	He digs his feet in a little, to even the scales some, kissing her a little more firmly before answering. "I'd love to meet your family." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	collateralmagic 2013-04-03 08:09 pm UTC (link)
	"Yay." Alina pushes her hair behind her ear. "I haven't told them much, since your secret identity is a bit more...involved than mine. They know I'm dating a teammate, but I haven't used your name. And my friends know I'm seeing a guy from out of state, but I've been putting them off too." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-04-03 08:15 pm UTC (link)
	"True, but they've kept your secret and been involved in your rescues. I'm ok telling anyone who knows your identity and what you do. We're... starting to get more serious, so its probably best that way." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-04-06 07:07 am UTC (link)

"Well yeah, but my parents met because they were both magical metas," Alina says. "My secret's never been a secret from them. Not that I'm saying that they can't keep a secret; I just mean they're not going to be offended if you want to sit on all the details of yours a little longer."

It's one thing for some ex-street kids to know that their daughter/niece is a super hero, being able to take a crack at Superman's actual secret identity is a whole 'nother ballgame.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-04-06 10:44 am UTC (link)
	"I trust you, and I really, really like you. They can handle magical secrets of the universe, and my family have usually been one of the first to push for trust among our community... I can continue the trend. You can tell your parents. Or we can, together." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-04-10 07:17 am UTC (link)

Alina watches him silently for a moment, then sighs and squares her shoulders. "Full disclosure, there's a family friend of ours who's telepathic and works for La Dama. She's not invited to this meet-up -- Probe, not La Dama, La Dama is obviously never invited -- and she's got a rule about not reading our minds. Probe again, but La Dama has promised not to ask her to break it, for whatever value you want to place on that."

She's been putting this off. Because she really, really likes Jon, and she's not sure how he's going to take this. Sharing his identity with his girlfriend's parents is one thing, but so few degrees of separation between them and a crime boss (even one who's as...reigned in as La Dama has gotten) is another thing entirely. Her life's not as squeaky-clean as she imagines his is.

She really, really likes him. And even if it makes this the worst Valentine's Day ever (because "it's not you, it's our enemies" is still them breaking up), she has to lay out every single one of the possible risks. If he's going to trust her, she's got to be worthy of it.

She adds, "Mistress Thirteen taught me some spells to mentally shield myself years ago, so even if Probe did break her rule, the team's identities aren't at risk of being compromised."

Her life may be messy and complicated, but she's not careless with those belonging to other people.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-04-10 08:52 pm UTC (link)
	He does have to think about that for a few seconds, quiet for that time. "My family's policy has always been towards trust. I believe in it... and I really like you. And really, I think your parents, at some point here, do need to know who you're dating. I'll take the risk, and I have no doubt my family would back the decision." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-04-20 07:07 am UTC (link)

Alina lets out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and laughs at herself a little, just to calm her jangling nerves. "I'm not hauling you over to meet my parents tonight, so you can definitely talk it over with your parents first. I know it's...it's messier than you were probably expecting, but I really like you too, so I'm glad it's "we can probably work something out" messy and not...too messy."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-04-20 12:22 pm UTC (link)
	He pulls her in close and kisses her. "No. Not probably. We can definitely work something out. I'll promise you that much. I'll talk to my family, but I think I know the answer." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-05-09 10:46 pm UTC (link)

Alina kisses back holding onto him to keep her balance. Then she grips more tightly with her fingers, staying in close to him, suddenly tense and wary.

"Jon," she murmurs quietly, not pulling away, "how long have we not been on the beach?"

The sound of waves has vanished, and the red sand has been replaced by dusty earth. The sky overhead is clear, and they are apparently still very, very alone.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-05-09 10:52 pm UTC (link)
	He keeps her held close and lifts off for a better look around, and to get out of reach of the most common likely threats. "I... am not quite sure. I was more than a little distracted. Was this magic, or something else?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-05-23 08:02 am UTC (link)

The view is gorgeous -- unlit desert stretching out below and starry sky curving above them -- and utterly devoid of anything that's obviously a threat. Never the less, Alina's holding on tightly enough that it would hurt if Jon wasn't as invulnerable as he is.

"I didn't cast any spells," she says, her voice quiet and her words tense. "Teleportation's not easy for me and it's even harder to do by accident." She licks her lips, trying to find any potential cause of this situation. "If it's magic, it wasn't mine."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-05-23 05:18 pm UTC (link)
	He's somehow very ok with her holding on tight. He extends telescopic vision and x-ray vision off in one direction after another. "I'm not seeing anything either." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	collateralmagic 2013-06-08 04:23 am UTC (link)
	"No compounds or anything like that?" As nothing continues to happen to them, Alina stops freaking out quite so much and starts sliding toward incredulity. "Oh my God, if there really is an alien mothership buried out at that beach, I am so sorry." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-06-08 04:30 am UTC (link)
	"Why? If there's an alien mothership buried out there, who better to find it?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	collateralmagic 2013-06-08 04:39 am UTC (link)
	"This was supposed to be Valentine's Day time, not alien mothership time!" Alina says, but she can't help but crack a smile and a helpless laugh. "Seriously, I use different colored pens for those on my calendar. The alien mothership was supposed to just be crazy naked hippie talk!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-06-08 04:56 am UTC (link)
	"I'm not seeing a mothership so far, but I can keep checking. As for what was planned... I knew what I was getting into dating you, regardless what the calendar says. And I don't regret it for a second." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-06-18 09:07 am UTC (link)

"No, I mean, the alien mothership that was supposed to be parked somewhere near Red Sand Beach," Alina says. "'cause if it's not magic, then that's my next best guess."

Her smile softens around the edges, her cheeks warming a little though it might not be visible in the light of the moon and stars. "Only you could say that and have it actually sound sincere, you know that, right?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-06-18 02:04 pm UTC (link)
	"Regardless what it is, sudden, spontaneous teleporting isn't nearly the weirdest thing that's happened to my family. And... well, it is sincere. You keep me on my toes, its never boring - and those are good things." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-06-20 07:24 am UTC (link)

"No, I suppose it couldn't be the weirdest thing, however it happened." There's a solid number of years there for far-weirder things to have happened.

Alina shakes her head. "I know it's sincere; I just meant that it's one of those things that ought to sound cheesy, but somehow it doesn't." A helpless little laugh bubbles out of her chest and she buries her face against his shoulder for a moment. "I don't even know how I lucked out into you liking me back. You're amazing."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2013-06-20 03:16 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm just me, but I'm glad you think so. You're the amazing one, coming into things with so much chaos, and managing to remain so grounded. You're not going to convince me that I'm not the lucky one here." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

collateralmagic
2013-06-25 08:36 am UTC (link)

She's bright red now, she can feel it in her cheeks, and she's so dizzily happy right now that she's almost willing to accept that there wasn't hostile intent behind their teleportation so that she can just kiss him stupid.

Almost.

"I suppose there's enough L-U-C-K going around for both of us right now," she says. "Do you have your phone on you? Mine was in the bag we left on the beach, and I want to make sure we didn't lose any time or anything."

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	first_son 2013-06-25 03:17 pm UTC (link)
	It may just be due to the fortunes of his family that he can take an awful lot of things in stride. "Phone, no. JLA comm, synced to the satellite, yes." he replies, checking their time zone and the local time off of it, provided its working. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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