maybe in the meantime [OPEN]

[HUXLEY JAMES ALLEN]

Well that sounds fine so I'll see ya sunshine

The park had to be one of the loveliest places in Manuka. The emerald green grass, the soft breeze, the sound of children laughing and shouting and playing, it all added to the atmosphere. Not to mention, the kid just loved to be outside. Huxley had always loved being outside, since as far back as he could remember. But recently, he found himself wondering if it was because he simply enjoyed the feeling of fresh air and sunshine or if it was because he was part animal. He had little mental debates like this all the time, unsure of whether this was a characteristic of his personality that he should appreciate or abhor.

It wasn’t like Huxley had anyone else to talk to about stuff like this other than himself anyway. He didn’t know anyone well enough to just sit down and have chats like that yet. Not to mention he’d have to go through the whole awkward phase of “are you a supernatural or not?” with someone before he could even start that chat. You needed to make sure all your bases were covered after all, because you couldn’t go on a rant about how you turned into a giant bird when your poor companion thought there were only humans on this earth. And the people he trusted enough to have such a personal chat with? They could never, ever know about the supernatural world.

Huxley would never tell his mom and Holden about this hidden part of the world. There was no need for them to know there were scary things out there. It was the one thing he could do for them. His mom didn’t need something else to worry about; she did enough of that and any more would probably cause her heart to give out. And Holden? He had practically spent his whole life watching out for Huxley. The poor guy never even had a childhood because of his younger brother. The least Huxley could do was not take away his security too. What kind of selfish person would Huxley be if he were to just dump all his problems on Holden like that? Guaranteed Holden would have reassured Huxley like h always did, but that was asking way too much.

Besides, Huxley was an adult and needed to take care of his own self. So the random debates in his head would never be verbalized and all would work out in the end. It was a skill he should learn anyway, how to hide his own worries and focus on other people. He had such a good role model to learn from, after all. Holden was a pro at it. Huxley could count only a handful of times that Holden had strayed from that. It was so very rare. And if Holden could do it, then so could Huxley. That was how most of the kid’s life had gone, realizing the golden qualities Holden had trying to imitate them to the best of his ability.

And at this point, it was more out of mind and not a problem. Maybe if Hux were to have an accidental shift in front of the wrong, the whole shifter thing would become an issue, but for now nothing of that sort had happened. Regardless of whether or not he liked being outside because of his shifter blood wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. What mattered was that Hux was in the park and he was reading. Because if being outside was his favorite place, then reading outside was his favorite hobby. Seriously, the kid almost always had a book in his face, but he really enjoyed sitting on the grass in the park to read.

He was rereading one of his favorites, Brave New World by his namesake (aka, Aldous Huxley). In fact, Aldous was probably one of Huxley’s favorite authors. Maybe it was because they shared a name, or maybe it was because he was just a really good author. Either way, it didn’t change his opinion. And you could tell how well loved the book was. It was beat up, meaning he took it just about everywhere with him. He usually did too, shoving it in his bag before going somewhere in case he’d have a moment to read. Annotations and thoughts were scrawled all over the pages, some in pencil and others in different colored pens. Favorite passages were highlighted and favorite sections dog-eared. You’d have to be blind to not realize how many times he had read the book. And right now, he couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather be doing.

Open for anyone. Come play with Huxley!

[BENJAMIN EDWARD RHYS]

i'm like a bird i sing from hurt

[/size][/color]

spread your wings and glide to me

Ohh spring. It was during times like this that Benjamin would shift and seclude himself in the most closed off forest that he knew and spend the whole day eating honey. Call him a pig if you had to, but nothing spending the days rolling around on the forest floor in the spring sunshine, stealing honey from beehives. Regardless of the stings that he received, it was a small sacrifice on his part to claw through the hives and gather up the honeycombs. It was a typical bear thing to do, but he was indeed a bear, and bears loved honey. Where were those days when he could trundle around and raid these things? Times like this seemed to be lost forever, as he could not paw through the woods without being under the risk of being attacked. Since the run-in with Kale, Bear had been more cautious than usual. Anything could happen, even in broad daylight such as this.

But the park of Manuka held no sign of danger when he strolled through it, enjoying the warmth. The prospect of indeed shifting into his bear form was very tempting, but he held the urge back, suppressing it. The bear in him was trying to get out to enjoy the warmth of the sun for itself too, but Benjamin wasn't having any of it, even going as far as to mentally telling it to put a sock in it. He could have almost sworn that it had roared back in reply, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Shrugging and not paying it too much mind, Bear continued strolling through the park, trying to find a patch of grass to his fancy so that he could lie down and perhaps take a nap.

The last few days had been an adventure for him. Bear had been wandering around the city, in an attempt to explore every nook and corner on his own. He would have dragged Sawyer along with him, but his older brother still had yet to realize who he was. Kinsley was busy doing her own thing. His older sister used to be an option for him to accompany him on his travels, but he was not sure on whether she could be trusted anymore. Kathryn was currently their father's right hand, and the latter's murder attempt on Sawyer was not something that Bear was willing to let go easily. And so, the boy found himself to be on own his own once again. There were people like Jude and Kentley he knew he could call up to hang out with him, but he didn't want to bother them on this lovely day. He knew full well that they would be more than willing, but Bear felt that such as a day like this was meant to be spent in your own personal way.

His foot came down on a soft patch of grass, and he stopped abruptly, liking what he felt. Tapping on the grass with his shoe to ensure himself that it did tickle his fancy, he plopped himself down and laid on his back, brown eyes gazing up into the blue sky. The puffy clouds that greeted him back glided lazily through the sea of azure, almost compelling him to fall asleep on the spot. Hearing the sounds of children laughing, he sat up and glanced around, taking in the sights of the park. His eyes soon fell on a familiar face, and a grin spread across his features when he recognized Huxley, who had his face buried in an old, battered book. Bear wasted no time in approaching him, going around the park so that he was standing behind the other male. Though they had only met once the other day while he was wandering around, he hardly knew the other shifter because Huxley was so, so quiet. However, his introverted personality had never stopped Bear from wanting to get to know him, and as Bear inched closer and closer to Huxley, he was prepared to give him a surprise. He was too engrossed in his book to notice him coming up behind him after all, or that was what Bear liked to think.

"Warrrrrghhhhh!" he roared. "Huxley!"

TAGS kel with huxley! WORDS

[/b] - NOTES HI [/div]

template created by NAGA for use on NIGHTMARE.[/center]

[HUXLEY JAMES ALLEN]

Well that sounds fine so I'll see ya sunshine

Huxley had a bad habit of being completely lost in his book when he started reading. Everything in his surroundings dropped away and it was just the shifter and his story. From the time Hux learned how to read chapter books, he had been like that. Once he got into a story, it was nearly impossible to pull him out of it until he either finished it or he got to a good stopping place. It was the worst with Brave New World. Huxley loved that novel more than anything and even if he had read it countless times, he still couldn’t put it down.

So when Huxley said he was reading, he really meant he was entirely immersed in the dystopian universe that Aldous Huxley had created. The shifter was completely deaf to the laugher going on around him, didn’t even notice the kids playing or the young couples walking along the park’s paths. He was just gone to this world. Huxley used to think that his mom would get frustrated when Hux was little because he never heard her call for him when he was reading. She used to tease him about needing his hearing checked. He had tried to not get so deeply involved in his books, but he couldn’t stop himself.

That meant that when Bear snuck up behind Huxley, he was entirely unaware of the other shifter’s presence. Honestly, Bear could’ve been ten times louder on his walk over and Hux still would’ve had no clue. He was that oblivious when he read that he couldn’t even tell when people were coming towards him. It made Huxley look really rude when people went to talk to him and he completely and unintentionally blew them off. Hux always felt awful after he realized what happened, but to get his attention, you really had to try and most people didn’t want to do that for fear of being disruptive.

Bear didn’t seem to have that hang up though, and that was a good thing. Huxley had read this book hundreds of times so he really didn’t need to read it this one more time. Besides, Huxley wanted to be more social and he told himself he should start trying to have conversations instead of burying himself in books. It still didn’t mean that Hux wasn’t scared out of his mind when he heard his name being shouted beside his year. “Holy hell!” he exclaimed, clearly startled. He had dropped his book when he was surprised and he glanced over to see who was there. He really should’ve known who it was, but Huxley still felt the need to check.

His face lit up with a smile when he realized who was behind him. Huxley had really only seen Bear one other time in a chance encounter. They had both run into each other during their wanderings around Manuka and talked for a little bit. By that, Hux meant Bear did most of the talking specifically because Huxley wasn’t very good with conversations, especially around new people. He could never think of what to say and only came up with responses later. The shifter could only imagine that he was rather boring when it came to conversations. Who really appreciated the mumbled “yeahs” and “uhuhs” which seemed to pretty much be the only things he could manage?

He did get better at talking to people once he got more comfortable around people, but it really depended on whether or not other people stuck around long enough to get to know him. He guessed Bear didn’t have a problem with him and his lack of conversational abilities since he was coming to talk to Huxley again. And that was good. Hux had genuinely liked Bear when they first met and he hoped this meant Bear would stick around long enough for the two of them to become friends. Huxley had a pretty good feeling about it, at least. “Hey, Bear,” he greeted, turning back to pick up his book and shove it in his backpack. “What are you up to on this fine spring day?”

Naga with Bear! | ENOUGH WORDS | THESE TWO ALREADY <3

[BENJAMIN EDWARD RHYS]

i'm like a bird i sing from hurt

[/size][/color]

spread your wings and glide to me

Bear was the kind of person that loved socializing, regardless of who the person was. Though he was a bit shy and occasionally a little socially awkward, he was a gigantic sweetheart nonetheless. He was the type that would talk to anyone and everyone, regardless of who they were and what their personality was like. When he had first met Huxley, the other boy had been quite a mess. It was obvious from the very beginning that the shifter was a huge introvert, and was not the kind that would happily initiate a conversation with just anyone...and who also loved throwing himself into the world of books. Bear had noticed that when he snuck up behind him. Huxley had been completely engrossed in it, and he was certain that if the world ended around him, he wouldn't have noticed. And he was right. He however, the bear thought wryly, would definitely notice if he pulled out a page from the book. Not that he was going to however, that would be too mean, and Bear didn't like being mean. It was just a thought.

Delighted laughter escaped from the younger boy's lips at his friend's shocked exclamation, only to grow louder when the battered book he was reading fell into the grass. "Easy there, Hux." he grinned. "It's just me." Of course it was just him, but he somehow felt the need to explain himself to his friend, even when Huxley's face lit up upon recognizing him. Though the two had only recently met during their wanderings, he had liked Hux immediately, even if he hadn't said much. There was something about the other shifter that he wanted to get to know about, and the more he did, the more his curiosity spiked. He didn't really show it, but somehow Bear knew that he was a good guy underneath all the layers of shyness. Call it a bear instinct if you must.

Smiling brightly, genuinely pleased to see his friend, Benjamin plopped himself down onto the grass next to Huxley. He was glad that he had now had someone to spend the day with, and though Huxley had been the last person he had expected to stumble into, it was still a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Letting out a happy, content sigh, he looked at his friend. The latter seemed pleased to see him as well, and knowing full well that it was unlikely that he was about to get shooed away anytime soon, Bear snugly settled down into the grass even more. He was tempted to just shift and communicate with Huxley via telepathy, but somehow, he had a feeling that he wasn't quite there just yet. All in good time he guessed.

"I was just wandering around," he smiled. "I didn't have anything else better to do." Bear said honestly, He grinned. "But now I do, now that you are here." The words may have sounded like a come on, and they would have been had they not been laced with humour. He wasn't homosexual by all means, but that didn't mean that he was a stranger to bromance. He was going to spend the afternoon with Huxley, and that was that. "What were you reading?" he asked curiously, nodding towards the backpack. Bear wasn't a bookworm, but Huxley had been so engrossed in that old, battered book. It had to be good or else it wouldn't have looked so well loved and read.

TAGS kel with huxley! WORDS

[/b] - NOTES HI [/div]

template created by NAGA for use on NIGHTMARE.[/center]

[HUXLEY JAMES ALLEN]

Well that sounds fine so I'll see ya sunshine

Bear was going to be a good thing in Huxley’s life. The shifter could already tell. Despite only knowing the fellow shifter for a little bit of time, Huxley could already feel himself getting more comfortable around Bear. At least comfortable enough to the point where Huxley felt like he could carry on a real conversation. Nothing deep, of course, but small talk and conversations that were a bit more personal than that? No problem. He found himself wanting to talk to Bear instead of shying away from the small talk that he normally attempted to avoid at all costs. He just couldn’t handle it and didn’t want to feel stupid around people.

Huxley found himself laughing along with the other shifter once he got over being startled by his friend. It really was funny, after all. The shifter had so overreacted that that was comical in its own right. Hux couldn’t help but laugh at his own ridiculousness. Plus, he had always found it hard to not laugh with other people, unless of course he was the butt of the joke. But in this case, he was not and it was hard to not be happy when Bear clearly was. Bear was the type of person who had an infectious good mood and there was no way Huxley could avoid it even if he had wanted to.

“Yeah, sorry about that overreaction,” Hux apologized, though he wasn’t sure it was needed. Still, he felt compelled to in case Bear felt guilty over giving him such a start. Bear definitely seemed like the type of person who would feel bad if what he had intended hadn’t come across as planned. Huxley definitely didn’t want Bear to feel like that if that was the case. He did like the young guy. He really did. And Huxley wasn’t about to try to scare him off because of something stupid like that. At least that didn’t seem like something that was going to happen though.

The shifter made himself more comfortable in the grass as his friend took a seat with him. It seemed like they were going to be here for a little while – which wasn’t a problem of course, since Huxley didn’t feel too much like moving yet – so there was no point in sitting uncomfortably. Hux found himself tipping his head back to feel the sun on his face and the warmth brought a small smile to his face. It had been awhile since Manuka had had weather that felt so much like this and since it was still only spring, Huxley hoped this was an indicator that the weather would be nice for the summer as well. He had always loved warmer weather as opposed to colder.

It didn’t take long for Bear to pull Huxley out of his musings over the weather. Again, it was a good thing. Social. The shifter needed to be social. He found himself smiling at Bear’s comments and laughing a little. Hux recognized that with the right connotation, the lines could’ve sounded flirty but he highly doubted that that was Bear’s intent. The other shifter was just joking and if Huxley had the confidence, he’d joke back. But Hux hadn’t quite reached that point yet so for now, all he could do was laugh along. And he didn’t have to worry about his awkwardness for too long. Bear had brought up a topic that Huxley would always be comfortable discussing. “Oh. Brave New World,” he answered, leaning forward to grab the book back out of his bag and handing it to Bear in case he was interested in it. “Written by my namesake. See?” Huxley asked, pointing to the author’s name.

Naga with Bear! | ENOUGH WORDS | THESE TWO ALREADY <3

[BENJAMIN EDWARD RHYS]

i'm like a bird i sing from hurt

[/size][/color]

spread your wings and glide to me

The shifter was already thinking of things to do to spice things up with Hux. Of course he would be more than content and happy enough to spend the whole day in the park snoozing and keeping the other lad company, but Bear wanted to have fun with him and put some entertainment into Hux's life. He could do with a bit of mischief, the younger boy noted. Oh he was ready to mess around a little, not too much that he would make the shifter completely awkward, but mischievous enough that the both of them were going to get shits and giggles from it, and a hell lotta fun for the day. But until he could come up with something super epic and awesome, he was going to keep his other wacky ideas to himself just in case Huxley thought him funny. He didn't want that!

Bear laughed. "Chill out, no harm done." he said easily. There was no need for Huxley to apologize because he had received a kick out of scaring him, albeit a guilty one, but he seemed to relax a bit more after that. Bear decided to leave it at that. His friend's reaction had been totally worth it though, and that memory was implanted in his head, vivid and as clear as white snow. Oh, he wasn't going to let Hux forget about this one too easily, but he had a feeling that his friend would find something to retaliate eventually. But until the, Bear was going to remind him occasionally, just in case the other shifter forget. It was all in good fun, and how he kept his bonds with his friends; reminding them of the good and fun times that had happened.

The boy was by all means not a bookworm because he never had the patience, and was usually too lazy to finish anything. He often feel asleep reading because he couldn't get into the story, and woke up confused as to what the heck happened. He never understood the fascination, but he guessed that they were entertaining, and you could imagine stuff by reading. "Sweet," Bear grinned. "Huxley reading a Huxley book. I should buy myself a book about bears, and then Bear could read himself a bear book." He laughed at the silliness of it. Despite knowing pretty much everything about bears considering he was one himself, it would be a fun read indeed.

"Say, Hux. I have a question," he suddenly said, looking very serious, or as serious as a grinning Bear could possibly get. He laid down on the grass and made himself even more comfortable among the green. "Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked. "This is not a come on by the way, I'm not gay." he added, just in case Huxley thought that it was such. It was a curious, honest question, but Bear did have ulterior motives. It was time for a bit of entertainment, what really, he didn't know. He was indeed waiting to find out though, and see where this new shift in conversation was going to take the both of them, This was going to be wicked.

TAGS kel with huxley! WORDS

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