sortinghat_logs | Backdated to December 25th

The area is a wide open space with the small ranch nestled not too far from an expanse of forest. The snowfall has left everything white and glistening, the house is decorated with evergreen and earthy decorations, even the stables are festive with large wreathes on the doors. The place felt old but loved and well lived in, even before entering the house.

Tavros answers the door, eyes widening but not as brightly as his smile. "Gamzee! Hey! Come... come on inside!" He steps aside, purposely moving more stiffly than he really needs to for benefit of the muggle family in the house. Christmas was always one of his most favorite holidays, but this year was already the best.

Gamzee comes in, and then pulls Tavros in for a huge hug, the paper bag with the presents in it rustling as it's partially squashed up against the smaller boy's back. He smells like smoke and pine and cinnamon, and his head tinkles as he moves. "Merry Christmas, Tavbro! Damn, I thought I'd never be getting here!"

Tav get's swept up off his legs but he doesn't give a single fuck about it. He clings to his friend, as much for a hug as it is for support. The whole house smells of cooking food. Ham, Turkey, and an array of other things. Bella Nitram cooks for an army whether there's an army to feed or not. "Merry Christmas, Gamzee! I'm glad, that you made it here okay."

Gamzee bumps forheads with Tavros after setting him down, grinning like a loon, then pulls back to unzip his hoody - it's warm in here! Underneath is a light up Christmas sweater that's actually kind of creepy, and that Gamzee loves completely unironically. Light up sweaters are so cool.

"Wouldn't miss this shindig for all the dope in Mexico," he announces, then lifts his head to sniff at the air. "Woah, what is making all those fine, stomach rumbling smells?"

That sweater sure is.. festive!

Tav is a bit more subdued, wearing a dark green buttonup over a shirt he thought was amusing and holiday appropriate. "Ma's been, uh... cooking for days is what. She's probably, going to try and send some of it home with you. She always does that."

Once he's steady again he offers to take Gamzee's hoodie to hang in the hall closet. There's a small group gathered, close family and ranch folk that are just as good as. "There are snacks set out, if you're hungry now."

Gamzee strips off the purple and hands it over. "I ain't never gonna be turning down your mam's cooking," he says cheerfully, and Gamzee is one of those adolescent boys who is pretty much constantly eating when given the chance, fueling his ever increasing height.

"What do you want me to do with these?" he adds, lifting the bag of presents.

"We can, uh... put them under the tree, for now. And put your bag in my room. Or, uh... in the spare room. If you would rather that, instead." Tav's ma actually wishes he would eat more like Gamzee. In her mind, he's always been way too skinny.

He starts down the hall towards the family room where a couple people are gathered and the tree is set up next to the fireplace, walking like he can't really bend his knees that well. It's closer to how he was when he first was learning to use the braces.

Edited 2013-01-06 09:31 (UTC)

Gamzee smiles at the strangers, though he sticks pretty close to Tavros, confused by the way he's walking. It never occurs to him that there might be something to hide from anyone. He sets several brightly wrapped packages under the tree, though he saves his main gift to Tavros back - it's something he wants to give him outside, where he can use it, and later on.

"I'm staying in your room, ain't I?" he asks. "I mean, if you want me in another room, that's cool, but I don't snore or nothing. How come you be getting your walk on all funny?"

"Oh yes! Of course, if you want to. The fun would be greatly increased, I think, if you stayed with me. I just, uh... wasn't sure if staying with me, would make Shinra upset." So he leads Gamzee around the hall to the stairs, more excited now that the other boy wants to stay with him. Giddy almost, which is a silly way to feel, so he tries to ignore it, or at least the possible reasons for it.

He stops at the bottom of the stairs, glancing around to see if anyone was looking before heading up as he normally would, knees bending just fine, and he replies in a bit more of a whisper. "Everyone else here, are muggles and uh... to them I, probably shouldn't be able to walk at all. So I don't want to push it, too much."

"Why would he be caring? He knows we're bros, and it ain't like we're gonna be all busting out with the sloppy makeouts or nothing," Gamzee says with a grin. There was a time when he'd be dreaming of doing just that, but he's been coming to terms with the knowledge that Tavros just isn't into him like that, and besides, their wicked cool broship is way more important to him. Who else can he get his ill beats on with? Who else makes him totally forget all the bad shit in the world?

He glances back as they head up the stairs, blinking, then nods slowly. "Oh, yeah, okay. Is it all the rest of your family and shit?"

"Haha, yeah. That would be... kind of silly, I guess." There was a time when the thought of doing something like that scared the living crap out of him, especially with Gamzee. Probably because he'd wanted to actually do that with Gamzee. He just hadn't been ready or able to accept that sort of thing about himself. He's not sure how ready he is now, but at least it's not something he's completely denying anymore.

Now he just... can't see his worth as a romantic partner. What scares him the most is being a disappointment, that if someone bothers to try they'll find out how pathetic he is. There's a reason he'd attempted to court who he did. Deep down he knew from the start that he never had a chance. A fake hope doesn't hurt as bad when it's lost because it isn't really there to begin with.

"Yeah, and uh... some people that work here, for my mom. They are like family too. None of them, know anything about anything." He grins up at Gamzee as he heads into his room. Scantily clad fairies and flying beasts still litter his walls, Pokemon paraphernalia all over the place. "Last thing I need, is someone alerting the news, of some miracle cure."

Really, with all the half-naked fairy girls everywhere, it's no wonder Gamzee has it firmly in his head that Tavros is straight. He likes those pretty little winged women now, though, because they're unfailingly remind him of his friend. And they'd inspired his Christmas gift this year, after all.

"Oh, damn, no, because then they'd all be taking you to motherfuckin' secret government labs, like in the movies!" Gamzee exclaims, looking genuinely worried for a moment, but then he settles into another of his mellow grins. "It's easier for me, 'cause everyone's got it up in their pans that I'm just shithive maggots. Ain't no one at home who ever believes half the shit what comes out of my chute, anyway."

He sets his rucksack down on the floor, and then a thought occurs to him, and he glances up at Tavros, biting the inside of his lower lip. "Are they gonna be around all day? And ... outside and shit?"

He does like girls! Liking girls has never not been a thing that is, and that's what confused him the most about everything. Along the way there's been guys that started to catch his eye and it scared him. It had seemed like such a huge and life changing thing with consequences he hadn't wanted to deal with. Still doesn't, honestly, but he might try for the right person.

Tavros flops backwards onto the bed and stretches, a bone popping here and there. "Nah. They'll, uh.. probably go after desert, I think. And it's too cold, to hang around outside." He pushes up on his elbows to look over at Gamzee again. "Why?"

Gamzee grins at him, sly and a little secretive.

"'Cause of your main Christmas present. It's magic, but I ain't wanting to get you in any trouble. And we should probably go outside for it ... maybe the roof?" he muses. "You'll see later, anyway."

He perks up at that, smile growing excited. "We could do that or, uh... maybe go, in the stable. I did want, to show you the horses."

Tavros chews at his lower lip a moment, then rolls over and pulls himself to the other end of the bed so he can reach over and pull up a large and lumpily wrapped present. "I, uh... hid this one here, because it is also a magic present, that I made for you. But I think, that it is safe to open in here. That is, if you want to."

The older boy brightens, looking interested and excited as he peers at the package. "Right now? Hell yeah! I mean, if that's cool with you, bro!"

He wriggles himself to the edge of the bed so he could sit up again, then stands up and heads back over to Gamzee to offer up the present. It's about the length of Gamzee's torso if not more, and squishy, even through the paper. "It is, more than cool. I guess I am, really bad at waiting, when I have a present to give."

"It's so damn big," Gamzee comments, as he drops to the floor cross-legged and starts to unwrap it eagerly, peeling the paper off, and then holding the soft, white thing up as it's revealed, turning it this way and that as he examines it.

"It's a motherfuckin' sea goat!" he exclaims in delight as it hits him, and he wraps his arms around it, giving it an experimental squeeze and then grinning as the way the squishy, plush thing fits in his arms. He leaps to his feet and pulls Tavros into an engulfing hug, the goat squashed between their bodies. "I can't believe you had the making of it, that's so cool!"

The moment the sea goat gets hugged it comes to life and starts nuzzling Gamzee back, rubbing it's snout under his chin and pawing with it's hooves, tail wagging happily back and fourth. Tavros laughs as he's pulled into it, and he clings to his friend as much for balance as he does just because he's happy.

"Mam taught me, how to sew and knit and things, when I first got hurt. So I, uh... had something to do, while I got used to only sitting."

Gamzee makes a loud, startled honking sound when the sea goat actually starts to move, which dissolves into surprised but obviously pleased laughter.

"And you made this little motherfucker alive! If that ain't the most bitchtits of all Christmas miracles, I don't know what is," he declares, rubbing his cheek against the plush animal, then nuzzling at Tavros's cheek for good measure, grinning like a loon. "Damn, this is like the best present a brother ever done got!"

Now Tavros is blushing all the way up out his ears, but he stays where he is. It's warm here. "I'm glad, that you like it. I was worried, you'd think it was lame because it's a doll."

"There is pretty much no way in all the kinds of ways there be, that I would ever think this bro is lame," Gamzee says solemnly, shifting so that one long arm stays wrapped around Tavros's shoulders, while the other cuddles the sea goat. "Anyway, it ain't no doll, this fucker is my capricornicus!"

"You don't seem to, uh... like going home so much. So I though I could make him, so it wouldn't seem so bad. Tinkerbull, helped me a lot when I needed a friend so I, uh... yeah." And this would be one of the many reasons why people think Tavros is younger than he is half the time.

Well, Gamzee personally thinks it's amazingly sweet that Tavros not only noticed that he gets lonely at home, but thought to make him something for it. "Yeah, and that way, when I'm being all at home and missing my bros, I can give this little motherfucker a hug and he'll remind me of you, and that I'll see you again soonest!"

He tends to pay more attention to the needs of everyone important to him than he does himself most of the time. There's part of him that still wants to be a hero with great confidence and bravado, but even the bravest of heroes start somewhere. Not that he really considers giving someone a doll to make them feel less lonely all that heroic. Not so much a great champion of the people. "There's still something for you, under the tree too."

"Oh, bro, you didn't have to do that, too," Gamzee says, surprised, but then he grins. "Thanks! I got a few things for you, too, so I guess it be the fair kinda thing."

He moves over to his rucksack, still keeping the sea goat tucked up against his side, and rummages in the bag, eventually pulling out a small package. It's wrapped in Christmas paper, but Gamzee has gone in with Sharpie, and drawn clown faces on all the reindeer and Santas that decorate the festive wrap. Inside is a small bottle containing a potion that looks a little bit like liquid sunlight, rich and gold and thick, like cough syrup. He holds the package out to Tavros, smiling. "This is the big one, though."

Tavros takes the gift with gentle fingers, eyes curiously wide as he takes in the additions to the paper. He starts to open it, then stops and looks back up at Gamzee. "Should I, uh... open it now? Or did you want me to wait. I mean... if this is the one, you wanted to be outside for."

"You kinda should probably be outside to use it," Gamzee explains, "But you can open it now, if you're wanting to."

He bites his lip, then starts carefully pulling apart the paper do it doesn't rip too much. Gamzee drew on it so that makes it special? He sets the paper aside and holds up the potion jar, eyes focusing on the liquid inside. He's decent at potions, but he doesn't recognize this one. "Woaah! What's it do?"

Gamzee grins, biting his lower lip. He'd considered not telling, but really, Tavros kind of had to have some warning, so he could prepare. "Gives you wings, bro. Gets your sweet ass all up and skyward!"

He looks up at Gamzee again, eyes going almost comically wide as his mouth drops open in surprise. His voice is quiet, like he couldn't believe it. "... Really?"

Gamzee nodded, face lighting up as he explained. "I found this old recipe what was in a book for another assignment in Potions? And it was this whole thing on how to be getting your transfig on without actually doing transfig, like changes you can keep in a bottle. And there was one for flying. Some of the shit what goes into it is really dear and rare, so I dunno that I can be making another one for a long time, but I thought if I was gonna make it once, you should be the one to try this motherfucker out!"

Dear and rare? What did he even do to make this?

There's a moment that Tavros actually looks like he might cry. He doesn't have very many friends and the thought that anyone would go through so much trouble just for him is mind boggling and he legitimately doesn't know what to do with the things he's feeling.

So he ends up closing the distance between them and hugging his best friend tightly, "Th-thank you."

Gamzee blinks, starting to get worried when it seems like Tavros might cry - did he make a bad call on this? But Tavros has so many fairy pictures, and he loves Peter Pan, he thought-

And then he's getting hugged and everything's okay again, so he wraps his arms securely around the smaller boy, chuckling. "Hey, I figure you'd be the one all appreciating it most, so it's what you deserve, you know?"

All he'd ever wanted was to fly, and the first time he flew on a broom he actually did cry a little bit. Which of course he got made fun of foor because everyone thought he was scared. Far from it though.

This is different. If the potion works it'll be like flying how he dreamed of flying and it makes his heart swell with all sorts of confusing feelings. "Deserve, is a big word. But, uh... I will definitely appreciate it. Love, I think, is the more appropriate term to use, in this case."

"Well, damn, guess I hit the motherfuckin' bull's eye, then," Gamzee declares happily, then kisses Tavros on the top of his mohawked head. "You can use it whenever you want, it don't have to be today, but I guess you can be seeing why I was wondering if them normal folks was gonna be sticking around."

Haha. Bull.

"Well I, uh... want you there with me, when I do it. If that's okay?" He has his best friend and he's going to get to fly, he can't remember the last time he felt this happy and content with life. "You're staying, a few days, right? If we can't go out tonight, we can take the horses tomorrow."

"Yeah, cool!" Gamzee agrees, flying pretty high himself. This is going to be like the best Christmas ever, and Tavros likes his present! It was totally worth all the work he put into it, and it's going to be motherfucking amazing to see him fly. "I guess it wouldn't be too good to go flapping around in the dark, anyway. There'd be, like, bats and shit."

"I think being able to see, would probably be a good idea yeah." Tavros moves away a few steps so he can put the potion in a safe place inside one of his dresser drawers. "Now I can't wait, for it to be tomorrow. "

"That was supposed to be all happening last night," Gamzee teases. "Was for me, 'cause I knew I'd be coming here! I brought my mp3 player, too, if you want to be all listening to some sweet rhymes I done sucked right off them ether waves. Maybe we can be doing that later?"

It's one of Gamzee favorite things ever, to lie side by side with Tavros, with one earbud in his ear and one in his friend's, so they can share music.

"That sounds like, a really awesome and amazing idea. That I will also be looking forward to." He grins and steps closer again, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It will be dinner soon. Ma and I, made enough for an army so... I hope you're hungry."

"Damn, you know the way right up into a motherfucker's pump biscuit!" Gamzee enthused. "You did some of that cookin' what's tickling my smell ducts so fine?"

"Yeah. I've been cooking with Ma since I was small." He grins and starts to head back downstairs. "It's just a lot easier now, that I can walk again."

"That's pretty cool, that you got a mam what teaches you that stuff," Gamzee said, with a hint of sadness in his voice that was gone half a second later, as he trots down the stairs after Tavros. "You got to be telling me which ones you had your prongs in, so I can eat doubles of them!"

He starts hobbling again once he gets downstairs where the other people are. They're starting to pull up seats around the dinner table, so they're just in time. "Haha, you should eat doubles, of the things you like the most. Not because of who made them."

Gamzee laughs, following close behind Tavros and resting his arms on the smaller boy's shoulders, matching his pace to his friend's. "Yeah, but brother, the things what you got your mitts on are made with love, right? And that be making everything taste wicked fine, and makes little Christmas miracles bubble up in my food sack! So they'll be the most delicious!"

Which all makes perfect sense to Gamzee, even if it sounds like idealistic nonsense to anyone else.

Backdated to December 25th

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... I totally read that at first as 'a boner popping here and there'. XD

Of course you did. }:P

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