[color=silver][right][sub]TIMESTAMP — Friday, July 23rd, 2021 | Mid-Afternoon || After [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5420914]Wrecking Ball[/url]
FT —[color=6495ed] Douglas “Glass” Chang[/color], [color=A1364E]Adora Diamondheart[/color][/sub][/right][/color]
[center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/metanoia][img]https://i.imgur.com/xVTeQoA.png[/img][/url]   [img]https://i.imgur.com/8k7hN13.png[/img]   [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/venus][img]https://i.imgur.com/UYERhF4.png[/img][/url]
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[color=darkgray][indent][indent]Almost like clockwork for nearly a decade, Douglas “Glass” Chang had gone to the Blue Hill Reservation for one reason and one reason only and that was to have some sort of lunch, dinner, or meal with Adora Diamondheart. It didn’t matter what was going on in Douglas’ life nor what responsibilities to the club he had. Everyone from those in the Howling Commandos Crew to the Table  understood that for a few hours (sometimes a whole day), the one called he would be out of reach.

This wasn’t just a tradition that meant the universe to him. Adora had been the one constant in his life whose last name wasn’t Chang or didn’t have the Fallen Angels patch. It goes all the way back to when he was a strapping younger, cockier, and generally full of himself version of Douglas Chang. Before he ever had the name Glass and before he embraced it, he was just Douglas Chang, but to Adora, he was always Dougie. He had always felt something for the native woman. Ever since he was younger, but when she lost her sister and he lost the closest thing he had to an older brother, a lot changed. For both of them.

Where Adora closed herself off, especially to any and all advances Douglas had always wanted to make but never found the right time. Either he was too involved in whatever shit he had at the time, be it with Phoebe always causing trouble or him losing his way from the path that Sensei Ramsay tried to set him on, it never seemed like the right time. Sure he did make passes at her, but it never landed because she could see what he later himself realized and that was how immature Douglas was. In a lot of ways, he was what took Leone Booker years to realize for himself and something that Scar was [i]still[/i] trying to improve upon.

But despite their mutual losses, over the years, the platonic love and the friendship they had before that never faded. Just about every week (unless they were going through shit too severe to let a lunch or supper date happen), for ten years, the two of them had always made time.

As he pulled up into the front entrance of Blue Hill, parking his blue [url=https://www.cycledrag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_7160-scaled.jpg]Kawasaki KZ1000[/url], he kicked the kickstand up, keeping a seated position on his bike. He took off the helmet, setting it on the center part of the front of the bike where the speedometer was. Douglas was wearing just a simple assortment of jeans and a white shirt with his Fallen Angels patch on his black leather jacket.

When he was ready, Douglas walked through the front gates. For years now, he had become well acquainted with just about everyone, especially the Lighthorsemen and Lighthorsewomen who often stood guard at the front entrance. He was essentially an honorary native at this point and had proven himself to be a friend. 

He didn’t have to walk far from the front gates to where Adora’s home was and yet, every time he came here, which was basically every week (unless something prevented him from doing so), it was always as beautiful as it had been the first night he spent here. 

He gave the front door a quick couple of knocks, leaning lightly against one of the support beams.

It wasn’t long before the door to the house in question opened and the [url=https://celebmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/lindsey-morgan-at-german-comic-con-munich-05-27-2017-1.jpg]]woman[/url] who owned it stepped out, sporting a plain white tank top, a pair of blue denim shorts and white Converse sneakers. Her visitor had just enough time to stand up straight and open his arms before she jumped straight into them, wrapping her own around his taller frame. Her giggles filled the air as the man lifted her up and spun her around, stopping only when they were both starting to get dizzy.

Once Adora had safely reached the ground, she took a few steps back to cross her arms in front of her chest, examine her guest’s choice in outfit and jokingly judge him for it as it was customary during all of their  meetings. [color=A1364E]“Denim jeans, boots and a black leather jacket in nearly 90-degree summer weather?”[/color] the Native woman teased the Angel with a mischievous grin on her face. [color=a1364e]“Who hurt you, Dougie?”[/color]

Cocking his head slightly to the left, Douglas gave his longtime friend and never-off, always-on crush a smile. [color=A1364E]“When you’re riding at 80 miles per hour and the wind is blowing in your face, on your arms, it’s really only like 70 degrees.”[/color] As much as he knew that was a cop out, this was how they always started things. It didn’t matter how hot it was outside nor how cold it was, they did this dance all of the time. He’d spin her around by grabbing her firm hips until just before they felt the vertigo kick in and she’d make a jab at his outfit.

Douglas had the tendency of being a rebel to Mother Nature. [color=6495ed]“For the record though--”[/color] In an act of showing just how pointless poking fun his outfit was (and in the process, he was simultaneously playing along), he took off his jacket one arm at a time, showing his well-defined biceps and forearms. When he was finished, he swung it over his left shoulder, almost smirking, knowing exactly what this little display was something Adora enjoyed. [color=6495ed]“This tank is the only thing really protecting my body from the high winds when I’m skillfully driving twenty miles over the speed limit.”[/color] And he said that with pride.

Adora rolled her eyes, shook her head and allowed her grin to morph into a smirk as she watched her guest make a spectacle out of removing his Fallen Angels leather jacket. Anyone with two eyes could see that Douglas Chang was an attractive man. He was tall, with a jawline chiseled to the gods, a smile that could melt Antarctica, and toned muscles all over his body that evidenced hours and dedication to martial arts and the gym. And it was no secret that the Native woman took any and all opportunities she had available to indulge in devouring Douglas’ handsome features with her sharp eyes. She’d never tell him that to his face, of course, even if he did know-- his big ego didn’t need any more feeding.

[color=A1364E]“[i]Only[/i] twenty miles over? You’re growing soft in your old age,”[/color] she teased again, effortlessly falling into the light-hearted banter that was a staple of their friendship. [color=A1364E]“Well, lucky for you, there aren’t any high winds inside the house to hurt your delicate skin: only a nice 70 degree weather to keep us cool and comfortable while we eat the fabulous lunch I’ve cooked for us.”[/color]

[color=6495ed]“Delicate skin?”[/color] Douglas laughed almost instinctively. He did [i]not[/i] have delicate skin. If anything, it was just sensitive to some things. [color=6495ed]“Only thing delicate around here is you when I lift you up.”[/color] He cocked a smirk. She knew she was light as a feather, or at least she was for someone who could wipe the floor with someone like Mr. Clean with little to no problem. Lifting the tiny Adora Diamondheart was a piece of cake in comparison.

Of course, he joked…for the most part. He always joked with her. She was the only person other than Phoebe that got to see this side of him. [color=6495ed]“Well what are we still waiting out here for?”[/color] He moved forward towards the door, jerking his head towards the inside of the house, urging her to follow. [color=6495ed]“I’m starving!”[/color]

[color=A1364E]“Since when do you ask for permission to come into my house?”[/color] Adora snapped back with a smirk of her own, hands on her hips. [color=A1364E]“You’re a big boy. Go on in. The door’s unlocked, and you have a key anyway. Nobody’s stopping you.”[/color]

[color=6495ed]"Big boy or not, my mom would never forgive me if I left my manners on the front porch with you."[/color] Douglas chuckled as he walked in Adora's home. 

It was true what she said. He never did need anyone's permission to go into her house, yet every single time, he waited for her consent. It's just how he was brought up. His mother Corinne was always so adamant about manners, which was almost hypocritical because she would be the first one to forget them in the heat of the moment. But if there was one thing Douglas never questioned was what she said. That woman, no matter how she felt about his father (and he’s heard a few choice words over the years), she loved her children. That much couldn’t be ignored. And if he simply dropped almost everything she ever drilled into his mind, well he’d never hear the end of it. 

As he walked in, he didn’t realize until a few steps in that he was holding Adora's hand. But at the same time, it wasn’t anything he hadn't done before. Whenever he’d come over and that was pretty frequently, they had always rided the line. There was always something between them and this was, honestly, an extension of the deep bond that was between them. 

Now in the kitchen, the aroma of what Adora was cooking hit him and while his senses were processing all of the intricate smells he was picking up on, his stomach had the same idea. While Adora was still next to him, part of her side against his, his stomach started to growl, some smells felt familiar, but he couldn’t place it. [color=6495ed]“Whatever you got brewing, think it’s safe to say my stomach approves.”[/color]

[color=A1364E]“It’s a special surprise that I know you’ll go crazy about,”[/color] the brunette mysteriously answered, offering Douglas an impish grin as they crossed the kitchen and arrived at the dining room. [color=A1364E]“Take a seat. I’ll bring everything right out.”[/color]

While her guest did as he was told, Adora began to deliver to the table an array of Douglas’ favorite dishes that she’d cooked for their lunch date: shrimp fried rice, summer rolls with peanut dipping sauce, smashed cucumber salad and crab rangoons. A chilled bottle of blueberry Warhorse Mead filled their glasses-- a perfect way to cool down during summer. And once the woman took a seat, the best friend duo wasted no time in filling up their plates and diving in.

In between bites of the classic (and not so classic) Chinese food, sips of mead and catching up with the latest happenings in their lives, Adora and Douglas had consumed a majority of the feast she had prepared. Lethargy was quick to claim them after their meal, and they moved the conversation from the dining table to the cozy sectional couch in the living room. The TV was soon turned on and tuned into Yellowstone (Sons of Anarchy being its precursor), following their long-standing tradition of watching a few episodes of the show after eating. As usual, the hostess had taken her shoes off and made a comfortable pillow out of her guest’s lap, while he had fallen back into the habit of running his fingers through her silky chocolate locks. Rather than allow herself to succumb into the arms of a nap like her body wanted her to, Adora began to mentally prepare herself for the conversation that was coming next. Now that they had eaten, caught up and were comfortable, it was time to finally get to the [i]real[/i] reason why she had asked Douglas to meet her today.

[color=A1364E]“Dougie?”[/color] Adora tentatively called out to her friend to get his attention, shifting around in his lap so that she would be lying face up, looking at him. [color=A1364E]“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”[/color]

Douglas had almost spaced out during the episode of Yellowstone they were watching, almost for a few minutes. His mind was drifting about how content he felt. He was thinking about how content he felt just relaxing with Adora. For years he had been doing the same thing with her like it was clockwork. He’d come over to her house, eat some meal, and watch a few hours of something that she put on. Some days it was a show they’ve both seen and adored or a movie that maybe he lost a bet to and was forced to watch (or she lost the bet and had to endure the mindless action flicks he consumed like they were candy). Whatever the case was, it was always like this: her using his lap as her pillow and either she fell asleep or he did, but it was one of the few times he could find an inner peace, no matter how temporary it was.

But something changed. When she propped up, even before she spoke, Douglas caught onto the noticeable shift in her demeanor. She went from being relaxed to almost sounding serious. [color=6495ed]“This sounds serious. Everything okay, Adora?”[/color] He asked, giving her all of his attention. He was curious and also proceeded with a certain amount of caution. Their peace time on the couch usually went without a hitch and he wasn’t the type who particularly enjoyed surprises, especially when it came from one of his best friends.

Rather than responding right away, the brunette inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. [color=A1364E]“You know how I said that last Tuesday I had a really deep conversation with Mordechai about living without regrets and taking chances on things even if they seem scary at first?”[/color] she began, shifting her eyes to her hands as she nervously began to fidget with chipping off the nail polish out of her fingernails.

Douglas recalled that conversation almost immediately. It was a rare day because for as long as he has known Adora, she didn’t seem to particularly run away from those kinds of conversations, especially when it came to her boys. Be it little Jonie, Creed, or Mordechai, all three of them who were also close to his heart as well, she always seemed a lot more emotional when they were in the conversation. So when she called on Tuesday, he could tell immediately. She had the same tone in her voice she did then as she did now and forced him to take it somewhat more seriously, giving her not only his attention but his investment. [color=6495ed]“Yeah, I remember. Why? What’s on your mind, Adora?”[/color]

The sun-kissed woman rose from her position in Glass' lap and stood up to face him. This was a topic she needed to address with the importance and respect it deserved. After all,  the consequences of this conversation could, without exaggeration, change the course of the rest of her life. [color=A1364E]“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but the conversation Tuesday made me certain it's what I want to do…”[/color] she trailed off, Inhaling and exhaling another deep breath before finally dropping the bomb. [color=A1364E]“Douglas, if you still want to, I'd like to give you and I a chance."[/color]

[color=6495ed]“Well that was unexpected,”[/color] Douglas mused aloud. His mouth wasn’t hanging down like some cartoon caricature of himself, but he most certainly didn’t expect her to say [i]that[/i]. For the 30-year old man, how he was feeling both as she was bluntly stating what she just said and the aftermath of that bombshell of a statement left him in a mix of elation, disbelief, and, as he sat there, digesting it, uncertainty. 

Uncertainty because for the longest time, Douglas Chang had pined after the woman standing in front of him. This radiant beauty whose soul was as natural to him as her tribe to his country was. He has been head over heels in infatuation with Adora Diamondheart since he was a teenager. Since he was a stupid, reckless, selfish little prick of a kid. Someone who only initially saw her as someone that was so incredibly hot and so down to earth that he wanted to make her his and that was a feeling that never truly went away. 

Uncertainty had always been the fork in their road because when he wanted her and when he wanted to be with her, tragedy befell their tight-knit family. She lost her sister and Douglas lost his uncle while at the same time, Creed and Jokes lost their everything. [color=6495ed]“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment, Adora. Or maybe you do.”[/color] His surprise was in his voice and on his face, but he laughed, and she laughed with him. Douglas would occasionally float the idea of [i]them[/i] as an item and always had for a decade. He never pushed too far because he understood that for a while, she was seldom ready to be in [i]that[/i] place. The place of mental stability. The place of being able to put love into another.

Douglas stood up, looking at Adora. He was still in disbelief. [color=6495ed]“Are you sure about this?”[/color] He had to ask because, as much as he was ready, he needed to have the reassurance to know that he wasn’t somehow unknowingly pushing her into this. Douglas had been ready for five years. Five years since he fixed what was wrong with him. Five years that took a soul-searching journey that opened him up to a lot of ugly truths about himself. For so long, he actually blamed himself for what happened with his parents. Like their marriage failing was something he did. Maybe that’s why he was such a bitter, angry teenager that not even Sensei Ramsay could get through. But in those five years, he understood it wasn’t anyone’s fault. His father refused to turn away Megan and his mother, Corinne, refused to take him back after Jason was born. At the end of the day, their family survived and carried on. When he made peace with that, Douglas thought about what [i]he[/i] wanted for his own life. He had been an angel for six years at that point but he wanted more for himself. Adora always represented that something more, but she never gave him the green light that she was ready. If this was it, then maybe, just maybe, he could finally start writing his own story and build a home with a strong foundation, one immune to twitches in the foundation and fire proof to that fiery Brady temper that flowed through his veins as well. 

The Native woman nodded. [color=A1364E]“I’m sure,”[/color] she reassured him, taking one of his hands and holding it with both of her own. [color=A1364E]“Before now, I didn’t feel like getting into a relationship with anyone would be a good idea. I had so much stuff going on after Tama’s death and then Mama’s that it would’ve been unfair to burden anyone else with all of my baggage. I wanted to make sure that, when I did decide I was ready to open up my heart, I could offer my partner the best version of myself. It took a lot longer than either of us would’ve imagined, but I think I’m finally at a place where I feel safe and mature enough to take some steps in the direction of my own happiness… Starting with the one person that I know I want to spend my life with and could never imagine it without: and that’s you.”[/color]

Douglas squeezed her hand back, giving Adora a small smile. [color=6495ed]“Don’t I know it. We both had our own stuff to work through and find ourselves again. Or in my case, find myself for the first time.”[/color] He gave a small chuckle. [color=6495ed]“You remember how I was when we first met. I was no better than Leone is now. Too cocky for my own good. Too abrasive for anyone’s comfort. And how you always used to describe me: too sour like the lemon I was back then.”[/color] Like everyone who had matured and become better people than who they were a decade ago, just the thought of who he was and how Adora had called him out on it made him cringe. [color=6495ed]“I would have put me in my place too. And I did. It took a lot of failed attempts, but eventually I became someone who wasn’t lost in his own darkness or drowning in his own failures.”[/color] 

He brought his free hand to gently cup her face, looking down into her enchanting eyes. [color=6495ed]“Hancock has a belief he loves to preach about how everyone and their love story is like an engine. You never know how to put one together until you learn the basics. Until you have the tools to tear it apart and put it back together; and when you’re done, you realize there’s one piece left but you can’t find it anywhere. A piece that you can’t seem to find anywhere. No matter how hard you look, how long you look for, and how far you go to find it, you can’t ever place it. It’s not until you’ve exhausted every option that it clicks. It’s been with you the whole time, but you didn’t have the perspective to see it when it was hiding in plain sight.”[/color] His heart was going at a rapid pace right now because he had [i]his[/i] missing piece right here. Her face was soft under the touch of his calloused hands. As his lips quivered, he leaned close, touching his forehead with her and whispered in a low, breathy tone, [color=6495ed]“You’re my missing piece. You’ve always been my missing piece, Adora Diamondheart.” [/color]

Overcome with emotion at Douglas’ words, tears of joy as bright as the precious stone she was named after were quick to fill Adora’s brown eyes. After the death of her sister when she was seventeen years old, life as she knew it came to a crashing halt. Tama Kraeter was like a mother to her, and the grief of her loss had sent the younger sister down a destructive path of self-hatred and self-sabotage. For a long time, she had lived under the idea that [i]she[/i] should’ve been the one to die; that she was nothing but a scared whore with so much baggage and nothing to offer that no man would ever want her, and that she didn’t deserve to be happy. It had taken years of self-reflection and therapy of sorts with the elders in her tribe to come to the realization that her previous choices didn’t define her, that she had the world to offer, that she [i]did[/i] deserve to be happy, and that the best way to honor her sister’s memory was to live without fear.

And through it all, Douglas had been there for her. From the moment they had met when they were teenagers, he had stood by her side through it all. He never judged her. He never saw her as something less than. He never made her feel bad about her choices. He knew who she was, what she did and where she came from, and it never changed the way he was with her. All Douglas ever did was see Adora for who she really was: the kind, loving, intelligent, protective and caring woman she hadn’t even seen in herself. For that and many other reasons, Adora loved him. He had always been the missing piece of her own life. 

Letting out a soft laugh, Adora felt Douglas’ thumbs wipe away the tears that had rolled down her cheeks. [color=A1364E]“So does that mean yes, orrrrr…”[/color] She trailed off with a playful smile, knowing exactly what Douglas’ answer was but wanting to hear it from him.

Instead of answering her, Douglas kissed her. He felt comfortable and certain enough that he could do it without disrespecting her, which was the one thing he never wanted to do. All this time he had these feelings for her - that overwhelming affection for her - Douglas always respected her boundaries. When he’d ask her out and she said no, he respected it. When he’d ask her out for coffee and she said she was busy, he respected it and didn’t push it past that. He always let it go until a few months or a year passed and brought it up again. Always in the past, he was the one to bring it up but she changed that tradition. So he was confident in pressing his lips against hers, feeling that she was all in just as he had been all in for nearly five years to the day, there weren’t any regrets.

And when the short act of kissing her was done, he pulled away, breaking it, and smiled. [color=6495ed]“That’s an absolutely.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]