thenearshore | Sleepover!

Entry tags:

Sleepover!

Who: Forrest, all of his teenage CR, and CR of that CR
What: Giant sleepover log
When: The night of June 21
Where: Lakshmi's temple
Warnings: Cuteness overload

[Forrest has never had a sleepover before, so he's pretty excited to host one at his temple. He sends out invitations ahead of time to everyone he can think of, letting them know to bring pajamas, snacks, and even a friend or two if they want. He's clad in a frilly pink nightgown with ribbons and bows for the occasion, and he's temporarily converted Lakshmi's audience chamber into a space where the guests can all party and sleep. It was already mostly full of pillows to begin with, so all he had to do was move some more in and set up some tables for snacks and things. One of the tables conspicuously contains all of his beauty supplies, because like hell is Forrest hosting a slumber party without makeovers. Anyone who shows even the slightest bit of interest will get their makeup, hair, or nails done. Soft music and the scent of lotus blossoms drift through the air, creating the perfect atmosphere for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves.]

((OOC: If you've got a teenager that Forrest has talked to more than once, assume he invited them. Friends of friends are totally welcome as well. Everyone can feel free to put up their own toplevels, and everybody tag everybody and mingle to your heart's content!))

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[She nods, pleased with the combination of fashion and feet that was a bit more on the nose than 'getting your feet wet'.]

I'll go with that one then. Design, I'm thinking a star on top, but as for a color...

[Then she stands to the side of the chair, and without even asking this time, brushes aside some of those unruly bangs that came out while he'd been painting her toenails.

She's looking into his eyes, trying to determine what color they are.]

Oh, that sounds cute! It's all yours, then.

[Forrest beams back at her, playfully wiggling his toes. Once she looks into his eyes, though, he immediately quiets down. Steadying his breath, he stares back into hers, momentarily getting lost in those beautiful eyes.

All of a sudden, and more than ever, he wants to move forward to close the gap between their lips. He doesn't, but his head does tilt forward just slightly in reaction to the thought.

...His eyes are light blue, by the way.]

[Kairi can't read minds, but she does linger looking into Forrest's eyes and trying to decide whether they're a true blue or a sky blue or pastel blue... and ends up catching his slight head motion, but doesn't know what to make of it either. She's never been kissed, and only vaguely recalls how it might feel to be kissed on the cheek or forehead by a doting relative, so it doesn't enter into her mind. Instead she mistakes it for him wanting to say something and thinking better of it. For the moment, she considers all of this simply a reflection of his embarrassment at her turning the tables on him again, but nothing more. Hence her smile leaning more towards appreciation and respect for a now-dear friend. Surely this is something that he's not experienced - coming to terms with his own preference for aesthetics being one thing, but someone else doing the same for him in return... or perhaps doing it but absolutely no judgements... she can imagine all kinds of things, but focuses on those things and assigns those emotions to the rising warmth in her heart.

As she'd said before, very different from anyone else she knew, and - she's convinced - anyone she'd ever known in life either.]

Hmm... I wanted to use the color of your eyes, but if I'm also going to use a gold like your hair then I don't think they'll look quite right.

[She moves to sit with her toes facing the ceiling - so they'll dry properly - and look at the colors he'd gathered, then plucks out a tiffany box blue.]

This should do the trick. Before that...

[Kairi shifts sideways - so that she can put her legs out straight, but twist to face Forrest himself. She gently touches his feet first, just a light hold without any water.] Are you ticklish too? [She asks while brushing her thumbs over both of his ankles.]

Oh, so that's what you were planning.

[Forrest's smile turns to one of relief. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, and he'd almost lost his composure and gone for a kiss. He's left with a vague sense of longing, but he knows that probably wouldn't have gone well after her reaction to his little tease earlier. But while he's distracted thinking about all of that, her fingers are on his feet, causing him to twitch suddenly.]

A-ah...! Kairi!

Of course! I had to get inspiration from somewhere.

[She wasn't even really trying to tickle him, but now that she knows-]

Ah ha! I knew it!

[She shifts her hand to hold both of his feet by the heel, lifting just a little as she attempts to not topple over from the awkward position, but she does drag her hands down under his arch too, until she comes to a rest with her fingers gently pressing between his toes. They can't fully fit of course, but just a gentle wedge. Anyone else she might wonder how sweaty or dirty they are, but not him.]

[Forrest's toes twitch as Kairi runs her fingers up the middle of his arch, and he holds his hands over his mouth trying not to burst out laughing.]

K-Kairi, please...! Ah!

[Once she gets between his toes, though, it's a completely lost cause. The skin there is soft and sensitive, and his feet immediately jerk out of her grip as he loses his composure.]

N-not my toes! Ahaha...!

[Having got her revenge, Kairi pulls her hands away to hold them up - literally showing them so he'll see she's done with that purposeful tickling.]

There, got you back.

[And she takes two of her fingers to her mouth, kisses them, and pretends to draw a borderline from one side of his legs to the other, just above the ankle.]

This area is now under my protection and can't be tickled - just massaged and then toes painted. Alright?

I suppose I deserved that.

[Forrest smiles down at her as he catches his breath. His eyes widen for a moment as she presses her fingers to her mouth, for a moment expecting her to mimic what he did earlier. But when he sees her draw the pretend borderline, he can't help but laugh softly.]

Then I really can sit back and relax. I can't think of any protection I'd trust more.

Only a little bit. [And she gives him a wink too.]

Thanks for trusting me, Forrest.

[She reaches for a towel that was probably intended for some kind of facial mask, since it's sitting in a warm water bath, but she borrows it anyway to wrap it around the first of Forrest's feet.]

Since you're even more ticklish than me... maybe this will work better?

[And she gently starts to push the washcloth against his skin but doesn't rub it back and forth, just small circles, so that maybe it won't tickle so much.]

Mm... it's very warm and soft.

[Forrest hums happily as she gets started, toes uncurling as he enjoys a little pampering of his own. It's already very relaxing for him, even though his feet aren't half as knotted up as Kairi's were.]

I don't mind you using your hands, though... it should be fine if you press hard enough.

[He'd actually prefer it at this point. He can't get the thought of Kairi touching him tenderly like that out of his head. The boy's got a crush, and he's got it bad.]

[He's getting her to enjoy traditionally 'girly' things that a tomboy didn't spend as much time on growing up, so he's doing something right.]

Hmm... a little test first, then.

[She takes his other foot, without the washcloth on it, and tries to knead the top of his foot while her fingers are of course wrapped around the ball of his foot too. She mimics some of the movements Forrest did to her, all the while with her head raised to see how that feels.]

[Just like she got him to enjoy splashing around in the waves. They balance one another nicely.]

...Hee!

[Forrest's toes twitch again as she places her hands on his soles, accompanied by an adorable little squeak. Once she gets going, though, it doesn't take long for him to get used to it and relax.]

Ooh... yes, that feels wonderful.

[A very fond smile just breaks wide across her face when he makes that noise. Oh no, she wants to hear it again already. She keeps her hands shifting slowly, but pressing against the skin as requested, while she watches his expressions.]

I don't think I've ever heard you laugh this much. You're really having fun tonight, aren't you?

[Even at the beach, even doing his hair, she just didn't get the impression it was the same thing. Maybe he'd been enjoying himself, but she can tell something's changed. She just thinks it has to do with feeling comfortable around so many people to indulge this love of aesthetics that he's cultivated, not just her especially.]

That makes me happy too...

[She lowers her head to look at what she's doing again, but the smile is still there. She's moving the warm washcloth to just drape on the foot she's finished massaging while she starts on the other one, this time without the washcloth in the way.]

That maybe you found a friend or two just as excited about this stuff as you are.

I am! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in, but this party has been absolutely wonderful.

[The aesthetics are a big part of it, but he really is enjoying getting to spend time with her the most.]

I'm happy we're getting to know each other better, too. That part has been the most enjoyable of all.

[He doesn't mind throwing that out there. The sentiment seems harmless enough.]

[Kairi doesn't look up, but her touches do get a little gentler - too gentle for a proper massage - when he mentions her specifically.]

I don't know why me, though - I'm the one who isn't as good at all of this.

[She looks up and over at Ouka, and Aya, and Hajime... even Lance and Sora, then finally Yuto.]

I was telling someone earlier who wasn't really comfortable with the idea of being here... sometimes you don't do things because they're your favorite thing. Sometimes you do them because they're another person's favorite thing.

[She pulls the washcloth away and waits for a bit of air drying to take place, looking up at him again with a quizzical expression.]

I'd never do all of this on my own - but I can tell how much you enjoy it, so... I was hoping someone better than me would show up and you two could bond over that.

[It's the truth, too. Without her memories it's a little difficult to remember any of the times she would have spent with girls or boys her own age - she can only assume that people hang out together while doing their favorite hobbies. She does enjoy this moment, but she can definitely tell it's because it's with him - her friend - and not because of wanting her nails to look nice.]

[Forrest giggles again - both at the light touch and at Kairi's response.]

It doesn't matter to me how good you are at it. It's because I know this isn't something you usually do, but you're sharing it with me anyway. That's what makes it special to me. I let my hair down for you, and you're putting your best foot forward for me.

[His expression is soft and adoring when she looks back up at him. He really wouldn't trade the experience he's had tonight, with her, for anything - or anyone - else.]

I'm sure I'll make new friends tonight too, but I think this is what I'll remember the most when I think back on my first slumber party.

[Without really thinking about it, he briefly and affectionately curls his toes around her fingers before she pulls her hands away.]

[She turns back to face him at those words - using their phrases like that. It's exactly how she'd imagined them being used, just not back to back like that. It's suddenly hard to look him in the eyes. She focuses on his feet, but even that has a similar effect when she remembers their first embarrassed fumble of the evening with their positions reversed. She absently pushes some stray hairs behind her ear, knowing full well that with hair as short as hers, it won't last long.

She's just... really glad he took it the way she meant it. That to her, this was a significant part of friendship, recognizing each of your #1 activities might not be exactly the same... and doing them anyway. Because you care. She's once again left without proper words to respond with and her heart skips a beat at that realization. Speechless twice in one hour. That does make it a pretty memorable situation for her too.]

... I think I feel the same way.

[She smiles as she says it, because it's not a lie, but the words... they have such a truthful superficial meaning, but underneath of that is a happiness that's going to stick with her, she can tell. She tries to just slowly nod as if to reinforce what she just said and then manages to tear her eyes away, back down to the nail paint.

By the time she's got one hand back under one of his feet, he's curling them a little and the blush won't go away. She just tries to work through it, trying to be as careful as she can and yet ending up with messy lines anyway. She's just so... anxious, she thinks that's the feeling. Her one hand is shaking a little.]

Sorry, I'll try to clean... that up...

[And she visually hunts for the plastic or wooden tools that have a wedge shape at the end of a chopstick like shape she saw some of the other girls with.]

[Forrest catches her sudden quiet nervousness, and the parallels to the incident earlier in the evening don't escape him either. At first he thought that he might have managed to offend or frighten her with that little move, but watching her reaction this time with their positions reversed, he allows himself to dare to hope that it might be something more akin to affectionate embarrassment. The very thought makes his own heart skip a beat as he looks down at her, watching her push those lovely locks away from her face.

She's so beautiful, he thinks to himself as he watches her work, unable to look away and certainly unable to hide the broad smile on his face.]

Ah... oh, no, that was my fault.

[He hadn't even noticed that his toes had curled around her fingers like that, and now he's feeling sheepish all over again. But rather than awkward this time, the sensation is one of warmth as he watches her scramble to fix her mistake. Smiling down at her, he hands her the tool she's looking for.]

It's all right. I'm sure I'll love it, however it turns out.

[Because she's the one doing the painting.]

[Kairi's gaze finally sweeps over to where his hand is holding the tool and she manages to raise her head again. No wonder he'd had such trouble with this before, she thinks. The angle of looking up like that can accentuate so many things you don't notice looking at someone straight on. That's what she thinks, anyway. She's still a little pink in the cheeks as she takes in the sight of his hair falling over his shoulders and the way it looks different on him compared to a girl, the contrast with his hat, the way he's smiling...

Finally she smiles back because it's just contagious and takes the tool, careful not to get herself stabbed in the palm by it, even if it's duller than some of the tools on hand today. Because of how much care she's taking though, her fingers do lay over his for several moments as she takes it out of his hand.]

Thanks, Forrest.

[For so many things tonight.]

[Everything about tonight has been so special to Forrest, and it's all tied back to Kairi. The amazing turnout, new friendships forged, hobbies shared... and of course, stolen glances, blushing cheeks, and tender little brushes of their fingertips like the one they'd just shared. And once she's done painting his toes, they both have a concrete memento of the time they shared together in the form of cute nail art. He smiles down at them as he idly waves his feet back and forth, air drying them a bit.]

Thank you so much, Kairi. Tonight has been wonderful.

[And now, standing carefully so as not to spoil the polish, he leans in for a hug. The last tender gesture of the night, but hopefully the first of many to come. That's a hope he holds deep in his heart. Perhaps someday he'll tell her how he feels, but for now, this is more than enough.]

[Kairi stands up when he does, but she doesn't expect to get pulled into a hug. She's unsteady on her feet just because she doesn't want to step on the toes she just finished painting, but she wraps her arms around his back to steady herself and ends up just returning the hug by leaning her head against his shoulder. They're basically the same height so it works out.

She breathes out a sigh of relief at that. She'd worried something might have made contact off-limits now with how things turned out, but no... he'd been honest with her. He'd really had a good time, apparently. And Kairi values getting to hug her friends so much. She can't deny they got closer tonight, having only been peripheral in each other's lives until the few chance encounters turned into purposeful meetings to have fun together, and now all of this.]

You're welcome, Forrest. And thank you too. For a shinki... everything tonight means so much to me.

[And so does he.]

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Sleepover!

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Wrap~