Beach BBQ [Open]

[asharpertongue]

Levi's idea for a beach party had been a good one. After the past few weeks they both needed to blow off a little steam and Lara had taken to the idea like the proverbial siren to water, inviting all her employees and friends. Levi had put the word out at the police station and among his closer friends so between them a decent crowd was forming.

The tables lining the beach were piled high with food and drink, a DJ was already in full swing and people were drifting over to the large bonfire for warmth as the chill started to cut through the summer evening. A few of the Heart of Gold employees had brought their kids along for the festivities and a friend of Lara's was performing little glamours and tricks to keep them entertained. Large clusters of huge pillows were dotted about the beach just a little way from Levi's house and lanterns and firelight bathed the whole area in a warm glow.

Maybe Lara had taken it a little far but she liked to treat her friends and everyone could use a little R&R.

OOC: Levi and Lara's friends have been officially invited, but everyone else feel free to wander in at your leisure~.

Comments

[doublethepain]

His house isn't all too far from the beach, something he's suddenly so grateful for as he struggles to pull his pants back up his legs and shivers even after he pulls his sweater over his head. His teeth keep chattering and it's a little embarrassing that he's lived here practically his entire life and manages to be cold in the considerable warmth of the summer evenings. He's never been especially good at dealing with the cold, though, and the thought strikes him that come this winter, he'll have Joel beside him to keep him warm at night. He ducks his head to hide his smile before taking Joel's hands, cheeks flushing just slightly because it's such a small thing but knowing it to be true means the world to him.

He's never been able to look at someone and know that they have a definite place in his life, in his future, but whenever Spencer thinks about it now, Joel is always there. Joel's a permanent fixture, as far as Spencer is concerned, and it actually makes his heart flutter in his chest to briefly let himself consider what it would be like--what it will be like, he's sure of it--when he and Joel decide to take the next step, then the next and next until they're happily settled down together in the way Spencer never would have pictured for himself.

He presses a kiss to Joel's neck, welcoming the closeness with which they walk in stride together and letting himself forget the goosebumps that haven't quite gone away yet because the breeze keeps hitting him just so. He can't hide his smile this time when Joel says he'd fit, mostly because that seems to apply to everything between the two of them. The way their hands interlock, the way Joel slides so much more easily inside of him every time they're intimate, the way Spencer has just the right amount of space when he rests his head on Joel's shoulder--all of it just seems to prove that this couldn't be any other way, there couldn't be anyone else who'd be as perfect a match.

"Can't you just bring it with you to my place?" he asks, tone lightly teasing. "I'm sure your sister wouldn't mind losing the bath, just until we can make good use of it." He actually quite likes being in Joel's apartment, there's a warmth about it and it feels lived-in and familiar, though he suspects all of that is due to it belonging to Joel. Anywhere Joel is seems to feel like the right place to be as of late. "The next time Charlotte's out, we'll have to sneak in. The promise of anything that actually fits me is too good to pass up."

[just_another]

"I'll just stop by and carry it on my shoulders," Joel agrees with a laugh and although he knows he can't carry it by himself, the idea of installing something like that in Spencer's house, if that's something he wants, is a thing he's capable of. He's no good with his car and the fact that it still runs is something of a surprise most of the time, but he's always been good at repairs around the home. He's had to be, given how rarely his landlord actually does anything for the store. Over the years he's taught himself plumbing and wiring, he knows how to frame, drywall and tape a wall, he knows how to patch the foundation of his basement, though not all that well, given how much it flooded recently.

But he can do these things for Spencer, he realizes, if Spencer will let him. And it's not that he doesn't think Spencer is capable of doing things on his own, but he likes the idea of being able to help in that way. It seems more useful to do it for someone he loves this much than to just do it for himself.

"She's only here for another week before they go back home," he points out with a little smile. Whether or not she decides on moving back permanently still isn't something she's brought up, but Joel is waiting for the conversation, waiting for her to bring it up and ask him to talk to their parents for her. The truth is, he's both nervous and excited about the idea of having her close again. "Then we'll be able to use my place again as much as we want."

He shrugs a little after he's said it, squinting slightly in the dark. "I like being at your place, though, don't get me wrong. I- I like spending the night there. I think... I'd like being anywhere, so long as you're there."