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[sub]An [@Ejected] & [@metanoia] Collaboration Post[/sub]
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[right][i] 9 Hours Ago — Main Courtyard[/i][/right]

[indent][indent][indent]For a few weeks now, Nicholas had familiarized himself with the San Agustin campus. He had done it when he had the first chance to and realized there were a few areas he felt most like himself. From day one, Nicholas had displayed a love for dramatics, so it only made sense that something in him felt at home at the arts buildings. But that wasn’t the only place he migrated to from time to time. The main courtyard, especially when it was dark out and the lights that dangled above were lit up and that small amount of light brought out the brick pathway.

And it was there, for days even, that Nicholas spent some nights just sitting, staring at the moon and stars. On these nights, even though sometimes Nicholas feels more at home in the auditorium or the art studio, he felt most at peace and could refresh himself, looking up at the night sky.

And sometimes, though obviously not always, Nicholas wasn’t alone. Sometimes, Dwayne Freeman was in the same area, too. 

In the beginning, Nicholas avoided him, well to be more accurate, he just kept to himself and enjoyed the view up. But, the longer and the more days that passed, Nicholas found himself looking horizontally instead of vertically, resulting in him occasionally taking a glance at wonder that was Dwayne. Nicholas had a bit of a high strung approach to who he liked in any way and who he didn’t. He was the definition of a materialistic person, but talking to Dwayne, regardless if it was just a simple acknowledgement or small talk, he intrigued him and eventually, Nicholas found himself engaging in full conversations and even intellectual conversations.

The night before the first day wasn’t any different except for Nicholas cutting out the middleman. It was beautiful and there was a gentle breeze making this night quite enjoyable, but Nicholas would be remiss if he didn’t prefer the sight of the creature of habit sitting in his usual spot. [color=steelblue]“You’re starting to become predictable, Freeman.”[/color] Nicholas approached him, wearing what appeared to be designer sweatpants and a silver and blue V-neck T-shirt. As the dark-haired boy took a seat next to Dwayne, relaxing his legs, allowing  his feet to roam freely in front of him and his hands digging into the soil of the dirt about half of a yard below where he sat. He glanced over at D and asked, [color=steelblue]“So what’s the plan tonight, hmm?”[/color]

[color=#751B27][b]"Is there something wrong with being predictable?"[/b][/color]

[color=steelblue]”No, I suppose there isn’t.”[/color]

Visiting the courtyard after sundown had become part of Dwayne Freeman's regular routine since arriving at the academy; there was something about being under the stars and moon that put him at ease. He'd sometimes spend hours on end just sitting on the same bench at the edge of the courtyard, staring up at the sky and thinking. His camera always hung like a prop around his neck, waiting to be used by its owner. This was the only time when Dwayne could truly be left alone with his thoughts, the only exception being Nicholas' occasional company. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't noticed the young man way before they'd officially met, but it wasn't like Dwayne to be the one to initiate conversation.

When Nicholas took a seat next to him, Dwayne crossed his legs at the ankle and placed his hands in the pockets of his black joggers to make sure he had enough room. [color=#751B27][b]"The plan is the same as always, I suppose,"[/b][/color] Dwayne responded to his question with a shrug. [color=#751B27][b]"Maybe I'll switch things up this time and actually get around to taking some pictures."[/b][/color]

[color=steelblue]”Oh? Is that so?”[/color] Nicholas asked, glancing down to Dwayne’s camera and then brought his neutral eyes up, moving them left to right as he looked at the lights that hung over them and the night sky that was so dark the stars made for a beautiful tapestry of magnificent stars. [color=steelblue]“It’s so clear out tonight. The best thing to take photos of,”[/color] he said, laughing shortly thereafter. [color=steelblue]“Well, second best thing.”[/color]

A hesitant smile appeared on Dwayne's lips as he took a quick glance at the boy who sat next to him and then back down at his own camera. [color=#751B27][b]"Yeah, you're definitely not wrong about that."[/b][/color]

Nicholas breathed out a low chuckle, eyes fixated on Dwayne’s form. He turned his body slightly more to the right, his left hand gripping deep into the moist soil to support his weight so he didn’t slip off the brick they both sat on. Facing him now, Nicholas was in a better position to take in the sights. 

The sky was majestic tonight and the lights above added a certain fluorescent hue to the brick pathway to give it a very Wizard of Oz feel to it. But neither of those sights held his interest long enough nor were so enticing as Dwayne was. Well, for the moment, anyway. And for the moment, Nicholas Salvador, with every inch of his body and every ounce of curiosity that was growing with every second, he focused hard on Dwayne Freeman. 

[color=steelblue]“Left or right?”[/color] He asked. 

In an instant, Dwayne grabbed hold of his camera and turned it on, his smile becoming more apparent as he did so. It was like he'd suddenly come to life; he'd angled his body so that he was facing Nicholas head on, and brought the Nikon up to his eye right before saying, [color=#751B27][b]"Either or would look fine... let's go with the right."[/b][/color] And as soon as he followed his direction, Dwayne adjusted his position, as well as the camera lens, and captured a couple of photos. When he was finished, he scooted a bit closer to Nicholas and showed him the results. [color=#751B27][b]"They came out pretty well, but it'll look a lot better when I edit the background a bit... what do you think?"[/b][/color]

[color=steelblue]“These are…”[/color] Nicholas was amazed. Not just because he always enjoyed looking at images of himself. He knew he had an uniquely-angled jawline that most either found repulsing or something to rival even models. So, that wasn’t what he couldn’t peel his eyes away from. It was how great they came out. With the limited light, even if the lights above provided enough, it was though Nicholas was staring at photos that had all the light to spare, which he knew spoke to Dwayne’s ability and his eye for making use of the best sides of his face. [color=steelblue]“It’s getting chilly out, wouldn’t you agree? If you aren’t against the idea, you could show me how you do that in your room.”[/color] Nicholas was usually a lot more subtle, but at this point, he was confident that he and Dwayne wanted the same thing.

Dwayne readily agreed, and after making sure his camera was shut off, he stood from his spot on the brick and began leading the way. It didn't take them too long to reach their destination; Dwayne shut the door behind them and tossed his camera and keys on his desk once inside. Dwayne's bedroom was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the lamp that sat on his nightstand, but it was clear to see that his room was just as neat and organized as his person. 

[color=steelblue]“I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you,”[/color] Nicholas commented, chuckling mostly to himself. As he made himself comfortable on Dwayne’s bed, laying on his side and longways. His right arm was bent in an obtuse angle and his palm supported his head. This position caused his wavy, dark hair to flip itself over to one side. He watched Dwayne with a watchful, curious eye. [color=steelblue]“The bed has a nice bounce to it. I can imagine you’ve had some great sleepful nights.”[/color] Nicholas excelled at small talk. It was one of his many passions — well, so long as the person he was conversing with kept his attention long enough to reach this stage of the act of engagement.

[color=#751B27][b]"Hm, I suppose you'd be right,"[/b][/color] Dwayne responded as he climbed into the spot next to the other boy, mirroring his position on the bed. Unlike Nicholas, Dwayne wasn't too fond of small talk. Sure, he'd usually go along for the sake of being pleasant, but at the end of the day, he was the type of guy who much preferred to cut to the chase. [color=#751B27][b]"But I haven't really been doing a whole lot of sleeping since I've been here."[/b][/color]

[color=steelblue]“No, I suppose you don’t.”[/color] Nicholas smiled at Dwayne, taking a moment to let silence fill the air before leaning halfway up. [color=steelblue]“And I don’t suppose you think [i]tonight[/i] will be any different,”[/color] he laughed slowly, leaning closer to Dwayne. Nicholas knew what he wanted to happen but he didn’t want to force it on Dwayne. But that didn’t mean he was gonna be [i]too[/i] subtle, so he had his hand on Dwayne’s shirt, smirking at him.

As Nicholas drew closer, Dwayne could feel his heartbeat quickening. [color=#751B27][b]"Right... again."[/b][/color] The young man said with a smirk of his own. And after only a moment's hesitation, the young man finally closed the space between the two of them, and hungrily found Nicholas' lips with his own. 

That caught him by surprise, but Nicholas welcomed it. The nights they had spent in the courtyard, sitting on the bricks, staring up at the night sky and talking, or even on some nights, they had only enjoyed the silent magnificence of Mother Nature. Nicholas had wanted to kiss him, but he wasn’t one to force that sort of thing on someone so reserved, so comfortable in their own space. That wasn’t the kind of person Nicholas was. As forward as he was, he respected boundaries when they needed to be respected.

But now, intertwined with Dwayne in ways he had dreamt about, deep in a longing kiss that lasted longer than any breath either of them probably could muster, Nicholas tore his lips away, Dwayne having left him literally breathless. [color=steelblue]“And he’s a brilliant kisser, as well.”[/color] Nicholas smirked, drying his wet lips. He took a moment to catch his breath and went for seconds, though this time his arms grasped around D’s surprisingly muscular back, leaning back as Dwayne himself would be enticed forward. [color=steelblue]“Now, let’s see if we can make up for lost time, yeah?”[/color] 
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As the early morning rays shone through the blinders of Dwayne’s room, it would immediately give way to how still so clean it was. Clothes were scattered about: Nicholas’ shirt covered Dwayne’s laptop, Dwayne's shirt was at the edge of his bed, socks and shoes were across the room, and pants on the floor, near where two heads lay close to each other.

Nicholas groaned, arm around Dwayne’s neck and his steely eyes slowly opened, immediately finding discomfort in how bright the sun was. White blankets and a thinner sheet made of cotton fabric covered Nicholas and Dwayne from the waist down, both topless, both assumingly without clothes, and one of them smiling while the other slept, peaceful and with minimal noise. 

[color=steelblue]“So much for not having a sleepless night,”[/color] Nicholas quietly mused, chuckling to himself as his phone vibrated on Dwayne’s nightstand. He unlocked his phone and immediately went to his messages, ignoring the time for right now. He noticed it was a text from his sister. [color=steelblue]“She’s up early,”[/color] Nicholas mused. He smiled until he realized the time. [color=steelblue]“Ah, well that makes sense.”[/color] 

Immediately, he rose from the bed, trying not to wake up the sleeping beauty next to him, but Dwayne’s arm had been over Nicholas’ chest. So when he got up, the momentum carried and he heard the young man start to come out of his slumber. [color=steelblue]“My apologies,”[/color] Nicholas said, reaching down for his shorts and pants. [color=steelblue]“Didn’t realize how late it was. Classes begin in an hour.”[/color] Nicholas had his shirt halfway on. [color=steelblue]“But, you were amazing last night.”[/color] The boy shot him a wink.

As Dwayne stirred awake from what was probably the best sleep he'd gotten in the past couple of months, he couldn't help but shield his eyes from the sudden brightness that filled his bedroom. He then sat upright in bed as he let his eyes adjust, and it was after then that he simply watched Nicholas pull on the rest of his clothing. [color=#751B27][b]"Don't worry about it, it's all good,"[/b][/color] Dwayne said, realizing how long they'd been asleep. While he didn't have a class as early as Nicholas evidently did, he was planning on taking an early morning trip to the gym. [color=#751B27][b]"And you were amazing too,"[/b][/color] Dwayne said, flashing the boy a half-smile as he momentarily thought back to just a few hours before. [i]Really amazing.[/i]

Of course Nicholas knew he was. He did nothing to hide that particular fact, but hearing it from someone so reserved like Dwayne Freeman was refreshing and it humbled him. It was strange for him to think it but so many times, at least he felt it, Nicholas could remember the feeling of being arrogant and conceited. That and the times he felt weak at the knees with Francesca, Dwayne was different in the sense someone like him thought he was amazing. And that in itself was a remarkable thing for him.

[color=steelblue]“Well, you have my number. We should definitely hang out more often, Freeman.”[/color] Before he left, Nicholas placed a knee on Dwayne’s bed and reached to kiss him on his lips, savoring it for a few, extended moments. 

Nicholas left Dwayne with quite the impression. If he was being truthful with himself, Freeman also made an impression on him. Looks were deceiving. There was no way Nicholas could have expected such a night owl be capable of...flexible feats that he experienced last night. It was...refreshing and for someone to be so confident but also so tender brought a warm smile to the boy’s face, maybe even blushing.

Shaking it off, Nicholas was in the cafeteria and there he saw his darling twin, sitting all by her lonesome, on her phone like she always had been when she was alone. [color=steelblue]“They say these things will kill us. Death by lazy memes, isn’t it?”[/color] Nicholas laughed, taking a seat opposite of her. He had a fruit bowl and a chocolate milk, clearly the breakfast of champions. [color=steelblue]“So what’s this I read about a dream?”[/color][/indent][/indent][/indent][/color]