03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
Mikey exhalled a breath and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He was here for a friendly hike so why did he feel simultaneously like he was about to take an exam and like he was some sort of ravenous predator. It was like a year without a date had reset his brain to being a giddy teenager. Not that he was all that older or more mature now… He reached for his phone from the center console and checked the text he had sent Brooks for like the 20th time to make sure he had sent the right address. Feeling bold this morning he'd also sent "OMW to our date " Now he was sitting in his jeep at the meet up location feeling like an idiot. What if Brooks got weirded out and he was waiting for no one right now? What if Brooks had only really been humoring him last night in the first place ? He typed a message and tried several emojis before giving up on the idea and sending "Here"
He had packed a little cooler bag and was really hoping the weather stayed nice. It wasn't too long of a hike up to the spot he was thinking of but if ever there waa a hike he didn't want cut short by rain it was this one.
Post by Brooks Sterling on May 17, 2023 16:09:00 GMT
Brooks had had a restless night, struggling to fall asleep as a hundred thoughts, worries, fears, and questions ran through his head. More than that though was a feeling of excitement, not unlike a kid waiting for Christmas morning. All through the day he found himself distracted as he tried to push through some homework but finally gave him a few hours before he supposed to meet with Mikey.
His bedroom ended up a complete disaster as he had already tried a dozen different outfits trying to find the perfect one that was good for hiking as well as looking good on him. He had never been quite sure what there hike was intended to be until he got the text from Mikey that told him that it was, indeed, date. It made his heart pound with the thrill of it...and then with anxiety as he wondered if maybe Mikey was just tossing out a joke. He was so flustered that he had forgot to reply to that particular message.
He double checked that he had all that he needed and stared in the mirror for a long time scrutinizing his outfit choice. He had finally opted for a pair of grey shorts with hiking boots, a dark blue tee that hugged around his biceps in the best kind of way, and a light grey baseball hat that had the silhouette of some pine trees with a cut out section in the middle in the shape of bigfoot It seems appropriate for a hike. He wore a small backpack that had a water pouch in it and in which he packed in a light jacket in case it was colder at the top than he had expected.
He got in his car and plugged in the address into the GPS. He was halfway there when he got the second text from Mikey that he was on his way and it was then that he realized he had never replied to the last message. Damn!
He shot back a quick one-handed text that took him a bit longer than normal as he had to keep looking from the road to his phone. He knew he shouldn't text and drive but the urge to reply back immediately was impossible to ignore.
"ETA 5 min. Can't eair." he texted back before proofreading.
"Wait. Can't wait." he tried again.
Four and a half minutes later he pulled his car up next to Mikey's Jeep, the man looking rugged and unfairly attractive sitting up on it the way that he was. "Nice ride," Brooks said with a grin. The Jeep was much better than his old, little black Honda. He closed the car door and locked it as he tossed his keys into the small backpack and pulled it on over his shoulders. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
The relief of getting Brooks' text was soon replaced with butterflies. He did his best to play it cool while he waited, double checking his pack and checking his hair in the door mirror. He grinned when Brooks pulled into the space and stepped out. The man was filling out a pair of shorts and hiking boots better than he ever had. There was something about the combo that was unnecessarily attractive to him considering it was just activity appropriate clothing. Maybe it was just because Brooks himself was so attractive. Mikey too had some heavy hiking boots on and a cap but he always worried that he came across more 'boy scout' rather than outdoor enthusiast. "Mechanics benefits" he replied with a chuckle "nice hat!" since the only reason he had a car was how cheaply his dad had been able to buy and fix it up for. It was reliable but certainly not new. "Nah, just got here." He added doing one more check of his pack and then slipping it onto his shoulders. "Looks like good weather tonight so it should be an easy hike." The trail itself was not too tricky but it was a mountain trail so there was still quite a bit of incline. "Right well, the sun won't wait for us." He clapped Brooks on the shoulder and began leading him toward the trail. Mikey was excited to get on the trail but more excited and nervous to get one on one time with Brooks. He took Brooks to one of the less used trails so even though it was a weekend it was likely they might not see anyone else on the trail.
He adjusted his cap as they started up the trail " oh yeah I don't remember if I asked, what's your major? "
last edited May 18, 2023 19:36:49 GMT by Mikey Royce
Post by Brooks Sterling on May 19, 2023 14:57:07 GMT
Ah, a mechanic. That was...hot. Brooks couldn't help but imagine him working under the hood of a car, his hands marked with grease, and sturdy, stained clothes sitting on his frame just right. Maybe he'd have to go and visit him at work sometime. Maybe he'd make up something wrong with his car. Or at least go get an oil change or something.
At Mikey's returned compliment about his hat he offered a smile and tapped the brim. "Seemed particularly hike appropriate," he said before looking up at the sky at the mention of good weather. That was good at least, they wouldn't have to be trekking through mud and rain. "I like it easy," he commented before his ears flushed with how it came out. "I mean, I like it hard too." Dammit! He cleared his throat. "I'm game for any kind of hike," he attempted to recover.
Feeling like the world's biggest idiot he followed Mikey to the trailhead. He moved with the confidence of someone who knew what they were doing and if Brooks had had any worries about the safety of this hike then he would have been reassured by Mikey's body language alone. As they moved up the trail, still wide enough they could walk side by side, Brooks was glad for an easy topic of conversation. "Music theory and composition," he replied. "My dad thinks it's a useless major and would have rather me gone into accounting or something," he added with a shrug. There were very few things in his life that his father did agree with. "I also work as a horse trainer at Nico Vanderson's equestrian center. What about you?"
If he was flushing over saying a bit of an innuendo then Mikey wondered just how flustered Brooks could get if he got the guy to say how he really liked it. He certainly planned to test the waters today but he let it slide with an easy laugh.
Mikey did move with purpose up the trail. He had been up to this look out a ton of times so he hardly had to look where he was going as they walked. Music made sense. He found himself frequently surprised by the breadth of options offered by what he had thought was a small local college. A short laugh left his mouth as he replied "My dad would have preferred I didn't bother with college at all. Especially since my first choices were geology or mathematics. He wanted me to take over the shop instead." He was glad Brooks hadn't given up on the idea. He was glad Brooks was here. Also he like the music Brooks band played. "Huh, I didn't even know we had an equestrian center. So you're like what a cowboy?" He mimed finger guns with a grin. He knew there were people who kept horses in town but had never thought about where. He knew that wasn't actually brooks job but it was a tempting image that matched Brooks accent a little too well.
The thought of Brooks saddled up confidently riding a horse, a cowboy hat tilted on his head and sweat glistening on his (for some reason) shirtless chest came to mind easily. "Maybe I should stop by sometime." Not that he knew anything about caring for or riding horses.
Post by Brooks Sterling on May 23, 2023 15:44:50 GMT
Both geology and mathematics sounded like good educational goals that would lead to good job opportunities so it seemed surprising to Brooks that Mikey's father didn't even want him to go to college. Though when he said it was because he wanted him to take over the shop, it made more sense. "So what is it that you hope to do when you finish school?" he asked. He was a firm believer in following your own path and not letting your parents dictate your whole life but he knew that others didn't necessarily feel the same.
He chuckled a little when the man compared him to a cowboy. "All my life, good sir," he replied, purposely making his southern accent thicker than it had been before. "I've been around horses since I was young, it was a natural fit and an easy way for make money while I work on my degree." He too had been surprised that the community college had as much to offer as it did. He guessed part of it was that without a proper university they had more effort, time, and money to put into the community college and also that about half of his classes were online, taught by teachers who didn't even live in the state, let alone in Sweetwater itself.
His heart jumped as Mikey suggested stopping by the equestrian center and he gave a little half smile as he nodded. "Any time. I'd be happy to show you around," he replied.
Mikey certainly would have described his time out of state as 'educational' for sure but not because of the degrees. He had entered as a geological sciences major and skated through his classes. The material came to him pretty naturally but it was the extracurriculars that were the real learning experience.
He sighed "oh…I dunno. I guess I used to just want to get out and see anything that isn't here…but I got up to enough trouble for a lifetime in like two semesters, like a speedrun…so let's just say that's on the back burner now." He felt a little bittersweet about it. Sometimes he did wonder what he might have ended up doing if he had stayed there but coming back to Sweetwater was probably a good decision. He could still get a degree here for cheaper and it was helping him ease out of his more thrill seeking tendencies. Brooks playing up his accent was a whole other level of charming. It was interesting to know that Brooks lived up to the sort of rugged country vibe he gave off. Or maybe it was a vibe of capableness. Like he was good with his hands. Mikey had always been told that he looked like a pampered city kid rather than a mechanic. He'd just never been able to fill out the overalls or look tough. Sporty sure but not in an intimidating way. He had come around to liking it that way though. Mikey had come to know he had his own type of appeal.
He spared Brooks a joke about 'saving the horse and riding the cowboy' since he had decided to take it slow on the flirting. Also because the incline was getting steeper and he thought a direct hit might cause brooks to fall down the mountain. Instead he settled for "great, maybe you can teach me how to ride. I'd love to see how you handle a set of reigns. "
In a tone that was almost an innuendo but erred on the side of playful. He then asked a few casual things about taking care of horses like does brooks shoe the horses and who normally rides them. Making idle chatter as they made the trek up the winding incline He also asked what it was like working for the Vandersons. They had….sort of an interesting reputation in town. Not that he would have said they were the worst or even the weirdest. Somehow they got on the topic of where they lived in town. He felt a little awkward saying that he'd moved back in but it wouldn't have made sense to spend money on an apartment. He asked what the north arbor was like as far as apartments went.
Then he went on to tell Brooks some stories about the frat like house he rented a room in for a while. Including one in which his roommates concocted a bizarre drinking game which revolved around each person trying to widen a hole in a wall by punching it without anyone else noticing. The person who got caught had to drink and if not everyone else would drink. At some point the hole was just wide enough for someone to fit through so in a very drunken bet someone dared him to try to fit through the hole and climb to the other side. So he'd broken the number one cave exploring safety rule for the second time in his life and gone head first. Only to find that the hole was just a tad too small and he couldn't get his second shoulder through but he had over committed and couldn't pull his second shoulder free either, making it impossible to get out. So he got stuck immediately.
As they rounded the final bend he added "So there I am mostly naked. My ass in the hall, with drunk idiots on both ends trying to problem solve. They tried yanking me out, they tried pushing, they were having way too much fun so by the time someone had the bright idea to call for help I was covered in every oil, lotion and lube in the house. " he shook his head. On paper it all sounded like the start to a great porno but in reality it was one of the stupidest things he'd done drunk and while it was funny to him now it had been pretty humiliating at the time. "So then who should show up to help but the hottest volunteer fire fighter of all time. He saws out a chunk of vertical stud out of the drywall like it's nothing. You would think we would have sobered up from all of that but….we convinced the firefighter to take a shot since he made the hole bigger."
Just was he was finishing off his story they reached the lookout and he found a good spot to camp down.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Jun 6, 2023 15:29:42 GMT
Brooks enjoyed their casual conversation. He talked about his work and that most of the people riding the horses were either potential buyers to the ones for sale or the kids wealthy enough to afford the expensive lessons that were offered. His work was mostly directly with the horses, training the young ones to turn out to be perfectly well behaved and respectable so that his boss could sell them for even more. He could never 'break' a horse of course, but guided them lovingly towards better choices. Or so he liked so say.
He explained that the Vandersons were alright, though certainly a family that thought very highly of themselves and surely would have preferred to hire someone of a higher status than himself, if only someone else had the skill.
He had no complaints about the apartments he lived in minus a few stingy neighbors who had ensured they couldn't do any band practice at home. He supposed that made sense in an apartment complex versus a house. He didn't find Mikey's living arrangement to be disappointing by any means, and in fact, had praised him for using the opportunity to save some money.
If Brooks had still had doubts that Mikey was into guys, they were pretty much gone by the time he had finished his story. Brooks was an excellent listener. Laughing and cringing at appropriate moments. "Sounds like you're a fun guy to have a party," he said with a grin. "So what happened with the firefighter? Did he stay after he took the shot?" he asked, a little pink coloring his cheeks.
It was then that they reached the lookout and Brooks was momentarily distracted. "Wow," he breathed, staring out at the view in front of them. "This is...wow."
"Mikey offered Brooks only a playful smile at the question "story for another time maybe." He looked over to watch brooks take in the view. It was one of his personal favorites and he had been all over these mountains. He also liked that the chances of them being bothered up here was low. "Yeah." He set his pack down and stretched. The view down into the mountains and the lake made everything feel small. That's partially what mikey liked about it so much. He could always count on the serene view to help him get the space to think. "It's great right?" He added moving to look out at the view next to brooks. " Like all your worries are down at the bottom of the mountain." He turned and had a quick look around for a good spot to camp down in. He cleared a patch of the ground by kicking aside some branches and rocks. He took an outdoor blanket clipped to his pack and unfurled it. He shook it sort of haphazardly before laying it out. It wasn't much but it would give them a comfortable place to chill while they watched the sun set. He kicked his boots off and plopped down. With a grin he patted the blanket and reached for his pack to fish for a can of beer. He had brought the insulated bag so it was mostly full of ice and beer.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Jun 20, 2023 15:13:49 GMT
Brooks loved the sentiment, that all his worries could rest down there at the bottom of the mountain. The thought made him feel...free. More so than he had in a long time. Yes, he had certainly felt a sense of freedom when he had left home and moved to Sweetwater to escape his family but he had still held on to so many of his worries and was constantly fighting against the ideas that had filled his head since he was a child. He imagined all those parts of himself down at the bottom of the valley, so far away. Maybe up here he could actually let go and just...be.
He had been momentarily lost in his thoughts but was shaken from them at the sound of the blanket being unfurled. He turned to see Mikey sit down, pat the spot next to him, and offer him a beer. Brooks easily allowed a smile to curl up his lips as he moved towards the incredibly handsome man and kicked off his boots before moving onto the blanket to sit next to him and took the beer.
He popped it open and then moved it towards Mikey in a toast. "To leaving our worries at the bottom of the mountain," he said with a wink.
Mikey's grin widened as Brooks settled next to him and raised his can for a toast. The wink causing his heart to flutter in a familliar way. This guy really had too much charm for his own good. Mikey eagerly cracked a can for himself and raised it out to clink brook's oustreatched can. " no worries up here only good vibes and even better company". He honestly couldn't believe he was sitting up here, with a guy this much his type, secluded off the path in the mountain, about to watch a romantic sunset, with a big pile of beer. So far brooks had been receptive enough to his flirting...up until now Mikey had been testing the waters more subtly than usual. He had been worried about misjuding the situation again, being in town had him hanging onto the trauma of the first guy that was 'his type'. The sweet way that Brooks had been responding however had encouraged him to leave some of that behind. He was too looking forward to seeing more reactions to be anxious about rejection. Though he did feel just a little guilty, like a spider setting a trap. It was of course true that he did just want to get to know Brooks better but he would be lying if he said he had chose this location hoping for a bit more. He chugged a bit of his beer and looked out at the horizon. " So tell me something cowboy, this doesn't seem like your usual rodeo." He eyed Brooks with a mischevious look " Or am I wrong and you have 'watched the sunset'~ with other guys before?" He decided on a direct attack. He had been meaning to wait until Brooks had drank one or two to help him calm down before being too direct. The combo of Brooks eager smile and the feeling of heat radiating from the other man's closeness made it difficult to find a different topic. He casually punctuated his question with a swig from the beer playing off the question as just small talk and not the start of crossing the border form flirtaious banter to open teasing. Mikey had already come to feel that fidning out if a man his type was insteredt was hardly even half the battle. Wether he was act on it or chicken out was another matter and from there was still the game of finding out what was new and what was too much.
It certainly wasn't his first rodeo, though for many reasons the majority of Mikey's 'experience' certainly had not happened in Sweetwater. There was only one person that really came to mind and though they were still here Mikey had subtly delayed running into them as much as possible. Not even he was too sure why. It was a bit complicated.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Aug 15, 2023 16:31:40 GMT
It continued to be easier and easier to let down his guard as they sat together. Mikey's company, while intimidating in many ways, was also not as challenging at Brooks had feared leading up to today. He was easy to talk to, beautiful to look at, and someone who Brooks felt he might be able to be more of himself than he usually did.
He took a few swallows of his drink and was about to raise the can to his lips once more when Mikey asked his question. His lips had curled into a smile at the 'cowboy/rodeo' start of the question but faltered a bit at the followup, catching onto the meaning of his words. He cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening a bit, and his teeth pulling at his bottom lip briefly as he lowered the can to rest on his thigh.
"No, you're right. I've been curious about 'watching the sunset' with a guy for a while now but I've-" he cleared his throat again and looked from his knees over to Mikey, a bit of sheepish expression on his face. "I've never actually had the opportunity before. Is that weird?" he asked, not wanting to make it a big deal or put any undo pressure on the handsome guy beside.
He watched Brooks ears redden with maybe a bit more satisfaction than the situation called for. He hadn’t been sure if Brooks was inexperienced or just courteous by nature. The confirmation that Brooks hadn't dated men before was unsurprising. He'd met all sorts of people in the city, some twice their age who were only just exploring the idea. "It's not weird...It's exciting." If anything he felt in retrospect that the number of dates and experiences he had crammed into two years was much weirder. In a way bumping into Brooks by fate and having the chance be a first anything felt like a huge privilege. It was...sweet. In a way that most of his relationships had never been. He wondered vaguely if other people had felt that way about himself. " There was a time when I thought I might be the only gay guy in this entire town. I didn't really get the opportunity until I went to college either." Well aside from a certain artist but that felt like something very different. He wouldn't have called that a normal first anything. "It's sort of refreshing, I was worried you might say you weren't gay." He subtly leaned in to brush their shoulders together with another mischievous grin" I'd be happy to..offer the opportunity, if you like..... just talking is also fine." He had a thing for the broad shouldered traditional looking types but they also tended to be a land mine of locked closets. It was encouraging that Brooks had not only actually come of the date but that he wasn't brushing these sorts of questions off. He too didn't want to pressure Brooks but it was hard not to let his mind wander. The sun was just starting to lay colors of pinky gold as it moved lower towards the horizon. Mikey couldn't help being more focused on if he could get the same shades of pink and red to linger across Brooks face. Or perhaps to see how far down the blush could go. He took another glug of beer and looked back out at the horizon. The colors of the sunset were indeed beautiful, you could even see a few stars already peeking through due to the low light pollution. Even so Mikey had been more interested in Brooks from the start.
Post by Brooks Sterling on Sept 14, 2023 3:29:28 GMT
Not weird. Exciting. It made the feeling in his stomach flutter. He'd much rather be seen as exciting than boring at least. "I felt a lot the same back home, like I was the only one," he commented before taking another swallow of his drink. There were occasions when he felt a little homesick or his missed his family but for the most part coming to Sweetwater had been so thrilling and freeing that it was hard to want to go back, even for a visit.
He chuckled a little when Mikey expressed his worry that he might be straight and shook his head. "Well at least you can cross that worry off your list. Definitely gay." It had just never felt right with a girl. He never felt the same kind of titillating thrill that he felt right now, a thrill that increased when Mikey brushed their shoulders together.
That blush definitely deepened at the next comment and the heat made him wonder if there was any part of his skin that hadn't turned a shade of pink or red. He knew what he wanted and Mikey seemed to want the same, so why was it so hard to say out loud? He stared at the sunset without really seeing it. There was a vague notion of recognizing that it was beautiful, especially with this view, but his mind was too focused on other things to truly appreciate it.
He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck as he focused on getting out the words as he looked away from the sunset and back to Mikey. "I-" without thinking about it his gaze dropped to Mikey's full lips before meeting his eyes again. "I'd like that. Very much," he told him, heart racing faster than it had with the exertion of the hike.
Then a few more words tumbled from his lips, unable to help himself. "And I'm sorry in advance that I don't know what I'm doing," he said very quickly, blending all the words together so that they flowed from one to other without any space between them. "Just...bop me on the nose if I'm being obnoxious," he added with a little chuckle to try to lighten the nerves he felt.
There was something melting about the way that Brooks blushed and the hesitant warmth in his voice. It meant a lot to Mikey to hear Brooks openly state that not only did he not mind being with a man but that he preferred it. He had spent a lot of his short adventure into debauchery chasing men that pretended not to be interested. Who required some sort of alibi to have anything resembling a relationship. There were exceptions of course but he couldn't deny that there was something about the earnest and clumsy way that Brooks showed affection made him feel safe. not boring in the way that most people used the word safe to write off a guy. Safe in that it almost made him feel like for the first time in a while he felt like he might be able to let someone peek behind the curtain.
He set his mostly empty beer aside and in one easy motion climbed into Brooks lap. His expression playful as he replied " I'll keep it mind " with a small chuckle of his own. Mikey had been with experienced partners before and that had been thrilling.
but there was a palpable fun in knowing that it was so fresh for Brooks. The way that even a little bit of flirting flustered him. It made Mikey want to test the boundaries knowing that it was a first for him made even this almost chaste act seem lewd. He wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders and leaned in such that their lips were just shy of touching "what would you like to try first?~" he asked teasing a little. He had plenty of ideas but there was a bit of a game in giving Brooks the chance to name something out loud or to make the first move so to speak.
last edited Dec 2, 2023 7:43:19 GMT by Mikey Royce