[zapdragon555]

It was nothing short of a damned miracle that Jadyr hadn't outright refused to come to this... whatever-it-was. And on a less good day--no, on an even moderately imperfect day, he absolutely would have refused. But the city was hot despite the season, and he itched in his clothes, and...

He was seeing Jonah again after so long of being away. That small thought alone made his chest do something tight and squeezing, and he cleared his throat to try to will it away, reaching for cigarettes that he didn't bring.

Well... he didn't have anything else to do but wait. The farm was strange, a thing that almost looked wrapped in fog. Maybe a cloud had gotten lost and stuck there. Jadyr snorted at his not-joke and sat down on a rock, chewing on the inside of his cheek and trying not to feel antsy. It had been... awhile, after all. He knew he felt the same, and... Jonah at least seemed to, when he'd answered the phone. Mostly, Jadyr just felt bad for having been gone for so long.

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 1]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Jonah had been ecstatic with the phone call this morning and was more than that with the van ride on the way over here. Tobias had patiently weaved through traffic at a somewhat sedate pace, while he was in the back seat chanting 'c'mon' at a whisper. Now, though, they were finally pulling up to the gate. Tobi was giving him a few last pointers before he got out of the van.

"Now, don't bother him with stuff like 'Where have you been' and shit. You know he can't tell you most of it, and do not make him repeat himself. Don't eat too many sweets, and if you slip, you have your phone in your pocket."

The driver punctuated each point with a wave of his finger, like an overprotective parent.

"And if you're going to do that in the snow, at least cover your willy."

Now Jonah was six shades of red beyond the cold. "Oh my god Tobias! No! I wasn't planning on... Jesus, do you have to say shit like that just as I'm getting out!?" He playfully slapped at the finger. "Get out of here. Go back and talk to Rayzer or whatever you were doing before you drove me here. You're going to embarrass me!"

He grimaced a bit, especially at Tobias' laughter, slipping out of the van once it pulled in.

"And above all!" Tobias called as he was about to close the door. "Don't do anything I would do!"

Jonah groaned. "Oh shut up already!" then shut the door in the other Lucain's face, turning around to finally face Jadyr. He lasted all of a minute, waving shyly at him, before he took off at a sprint, and threw his arms around the other man. "Looking hot, handsome. Especially considering it's freezing."

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 1]

[zapdragon555]

The appearance of the van was one familiarity that left a bitter-sour-sweet taste in Jadyr's mouth. Tobias. Jadyr gave a short wave and a warning glare to the silhouette of a driver in the van, then looked to Jonah's approaching form. He couldn't help it--instantly, all of him softened, and he met the hug halfway with a tight embrace around Jonah's middle. "Hey," he whispered, with all of the tenderness a single word could hold.

Jadyr still wasn't good at the whole saying stuff thing. Feelings stuff. He was never quite sure how to say the right things without an edge of derision attached. But he was getting better, and it showed in the way he pressed a kiss to the side of Jonah's head and murmured, "I missed you so much."

It was true. He missed a lot of his normal gang life, but he especially missed this. The space in which he was allowed to be gentle, the only space in which he could allow himself to be gentle. To punctuate the moment with a small edge of lightheartedness he ruffled up Jonah's hair from behind and stepped back with a kind of embarrassed smile. "Looks colder at this weird farm thing. Gotta be fake snow, though, right? Ain't cold enough to snow out here. S'probably... what... forty..."

He trailed off, eyeing the van. "Oi!" he snapped, swinging their connected selves a few degrees so that he could properly see it, and shake a fist at it. "Quit snoopin' and get out of here, Tobi!"

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 2]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"Fake snow or no, it's still snow." Jonah grinned at the ruffling of his hair and clasped his hands behind his back. If he didn't, he was liable to wrap his arms around Jadyr again, and not let go. He'd missed him - a lot. An awful lot. So he told him so. "Not a day's gone by that I haven't thought about you," he stated quietly. "Not a single day."

Tobias, from the van, laughed, and waved, starting to drive off - but not before he turned around, and leaned out the window to shout "Remember! Snow-sex is Best-sex!" Then, he tore out of the parking lot fast enough to leave skid-marks in the ice on the road.

Jonah was a few more shades of red. "Urgh!" he stated and buried his head in Jadyr's shoulder. "The nerve of him sometimes!" Even so, he didn't really want to leave Jadyr's shoulder. He didn't, for a good few minutes, before he finally pulled back, and heaved a pleasant sigh that fogged the air with his breath.

"Alright. Shall we? I've been looking forward to this all month." There was another of his grins, and he extended his hand downward, aiming to take Jadyr's if that was a thing he wanted to do. If not, he'd tuck that hand into his coat, and all would be well.

"I want to get a candy-cane. Maybe one of those flavored kinds." the young man mused, a somewhat wistful look on his face. "Yeah - a candy-cane, some of that peppermint hot chocolate, and a stroll in the not-snow. I think this is going to be a pretty awesome day, don't you? Oh..." His grin turned into a serene smile, and he leaned up to Jadyr's ear. "I've been clean for two months, Jad!" he whispered, excited. "And I feel amazing."

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 2]

[zapdragon555]

Jadyr's scowl towards Tobias was softened by Jonah's admittance that he'd missed him. Of course he had--Jadyr knew Jonah would, but hearing it said out loud made his heart ache in a wonderful way. Not that he'd mention it. "Ehh, let him go be an ass somewhere else," Jadyr muttered, waving a hand roughly in the direction of the retreating car. At the offered hand, Jadyr only hesitated for a second out of habit before reaching for it and clasping it tight.

"Yeah? I'll find you some peppermint hot chocolate," Jadyr chuckled, all a sudden feeling light. He'd forgotten how easy it was to simply be around Jonah, without having to put up a front of aggression or standoffishness. And here was more good news, already, his brows raising and eyes lighting up. He'd known Jonah was off drugs, or trying to be, but to hear it had gone so well put a genuine grin on his face. "Babe," he mumbled, affection spilling out of him as he threw an arm around Jonah again and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm proud of you. Seriously, that's a huge thing...  I'm getting you two hot cocoas. And a piece of cake. And I won't steal any of it," he added, trying to lighten his impulsive act of love with a joke. He opened his eyes as he detached from the hug, his face warming as his hand lightly brushed Jonah's cheek before walking forward once more. "Yeah. Today's gonna be a great day."

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 2]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Jonah's heart gave a happy little leap as he nestled himself as close as he dared to Jadyr, content and happy just to be by his side, with the kind of news that would make him smile like that. It had been literally too long since he'd seen that smile. It charmed him right down to his winter socks all over again, reminded him why he kept at this so much, and for so long, and worked so hard to better himself. He wanted to be the reason that pristine smile never faltered. He couldn't get tired of looking at it. Dragging his eyes away, he moved them back toward the main gate and marveled a moment at the dangling, blinking lights.

Being as he was under the influence of drugs the last couple of holidays, Jonah couldn't really remember any time he'd seen anything quite so festive and pretty. This was also, just the gate, which was a tantalizing proposition. The approval in Jadyr's eyes was worth even more than the promise of a slice of cake and two hot cocoas, but they didn't hurt his estimation of the day. His hand tightened in Jadyr's and coaxed forth a brighter smile of his own.

"How about we both get each other something? Tobias gave me a bit of coin - I could get you something cute and sweet." He laughed.

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 3]

[zapdragon555]

After a moment of feeling Jonah nestle up against him, Jadyr released his hand to draw an arm around the other man's shoulders.  A grin came easy to his face, born purely of Jonah's own happiness. This... this is what he missed. Making the other man feel light, and at ease--if he could trade in his current profession, he'd do just that for the rest of his life.

Ah... sappy. Jadyr blinked out of his thoughts at Jonah's suggestion. "Yeah? Don't treat him like a sugar daddy, now. He'll like that too much," Jadyr warned, but it was clear he was joking. Cute and sweet did not suit Jadyr, but he wanted both, especially if Jonah was buying it for him. He craned his neck to kiss Jonah's cheek, chuckling into the side of his head as they approached the great doors of the farm.

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 3]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Jonah snorted a bit, and rolled his eyes. "Sugar Daddy, huh? I mean, yeah, he gave me 100$. That's about it, though. ... Hey, if I was really going to treat him as a Sugar Daddy, you know what I'd ask for?" The little smirk he was given grew somewhat wicked. "I'd ask for a mansion. And then everyone would be able to live there. Even you." He leaned against Jadyr and gave a bit of a yawn, rubbing his arms. It was cold, and the cold tended to make him sleepy. He should run around - or at least move a bit more. Hence why he grabbed Jadyr's hand even tighter, and sprinted for the gates, before turning and shouting, "Can't catch me!" then running off, turning back to make sure Jadyr was following him before he continued the game with a laugh.

Eventually, he did have to stop running, but it was with great reluctance, and he scooped up a snowball as he slowed down to toss Jadyr's direction, a happy, carefree sort of look on his face, and snow in his hair. "Ugh. I need to get stronger! I want to be able to outrun you one of these days."

[Section 1: The Front Gate - 4]