Trails| Open

[Basil Zivaen]

His breathing was even as he ran the trails by the lake. There were quite a few that were ong enough to give him a good run. Basil hadn't been out of the greenhouse in a few days due to the fact that it hadbeen rather cold. Today was warmer though, pleasant enough that long pants and a sweater would do him fine as he ran. He could hear the sounds of the plants as they complained about the coming cold. The big freeze was not something they liked, when they had to go dormant for those few long months. They wanted the full sun of summer and not the pale winter imposter they were recieving. He shook his head and concentrated on spreading his consciousness among the plants.

Up on the path ahead someone sat, not moving, just sort of resting. Maybe they were out of breath? Basil rarely came across anyone else on this path, seeing as it was one of the lesser known ones. More like a der trail than a real running path really, which was exactly why he choose it. While the man liked to be around people and was sociable he preferred to be ale to think alone when he ran. He couldn't bear running with others after Sage hadleft. They had always run together, and running with another person no just seemed...wrong.

He slowed as he came nearer to the figure, wondering why they were out on this path.
" Are you well?" He asked, his voice a soft, gravelly rumble. He was concerned, and hoped this person wasn't hurt.

[Edward Scott]

No Edward was not well. He was far from well. He actually wanted to just fade away into the very ground he sat on. Drew was just not responding to anything and what was more, he'd not had any sex in weeks but it completely felt like years. It brought him to the though of how was Drew coping. The fact of the matter was that they were men and men didn't cope well without sex which meant that Drew would have to find someone on the side right? Damn. He needed a male touch. Edward's eyes snapped shut. There were loads of young boys who'd love to be with him?

He just had to pick one, pretend it was Drew and he'd not have this raging anger within him breaking his desire for studying and finishing his work on Meta-humans. Edward had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts as he did his morning jog to even notice that he'd gotten lost and by the time he had, he was so frustrated that all he could do was turn around in a complete circle then flop into a ball by the side of the trail. His heel kicked into one the ground as he growled lowly at the whole situation. This wasn't how their relationship was supposed to go.

Couldn't Drew be a bit of supportive of him with his research and stuff. This whole Meta thing was creating a whole different set of problems in their relationship. He wanted it to end. He just wanted everything to fade. He'd had enough problems in his life to have more added to it. This was absolutely insane. Why did he have to choose?! Edward jerked at the voice behind him. Soft. Gentle. Calming and he closed his eyes letting out a soft sigh before he shook his head in response. Not Okay. He was far from it. Edward slowly turned his head so he could look at the elder man and gave a soft smile.

"I think I lost my way. I might have choosen the wrong trail."
That was meant more figuratively then literally but he was too much of a man to admit that he was really having issues in his life. Instead he would cover it all up and pretend it didn't matter. The man was a little more then attractive and Edward noticed that he'd aged well. Edward's eyes glided along the older man's form. Regardless of how straight the man thought he was, Edward could bet a hundred he could get this male to allow him close.

Edward frowned. Was he that desparate that he would take on a perfect stranger? Edward glanced down at his leg before wrapping his hands around his ankle.
"This is really embarressing, but I fell earlier and I think it's merely sprained."
Oh God! Stop it! This guy probably had grandkids already but Edward had desires right now that he was struggling to keep under wraps.

[Basil Zivaen]

He started to walk closer, hearing the young mans sigh and watching the shake of his head. It seemed he was in some sort of trouble. Basil recognized him slightly, and tried to place where he had seem him. Maybe in town somewhere. Certainly not at Hammel. He had a certain college student feel to him, so Basil figured he was most likely a non-powered local. That would explain why he didn't really know the young man. Well, that could be remedied. Basil had lived in Pilot Ridge long enough to get to know most people and he could start the process anew for this person. It wasn't hard anyway.

" It is rather easy to get lost on the back trails if you don't know the way. I've been running these trails for quite a few years now." More than just quite a few. More like for all of time, or so it seemed. He pushed the thought aside and tried to just not think about how long he really had been here. Maybe too long. When the boy said something about possibly spraining his ankle Basil knelt down beside him to take a look. He knew a bit about sprained ankles seeing as over his lifetime he had had many himself. He was, however, completely unaware of what Edward was thinking. Basil dealt with plants, not people. Sure, he knew how to have a good conversation and enjoy the company of others, but plants...he understood plants.

" Let me take a look. I might have something with me that can help." He shrugged off the small bag he took when he went running and started to rummage around in it. The older man was sure he had an ace bandage in it somewhere, which would help some. Ice would be good though. Basil tried to think how far into the trail they were, wondering how long it would take if he were to try and help the young man limp back.

[Edward Scott]

Edward nodded when he was told about how easy it was to get lost on the trails. He hadn't gotten lost though. He knew if he pulled out his phone right then and flicked on sat nav, he'd find his way straight back to the lake and from there he'd find his way back to the main street that past by the lake and then he'd jog back home. His eyes fixed on the elder man. He had warm eyes so Edward was already halfway there. He was already winning the guy over. Edward could tell that the elder man had no idea what he had run into and he could only imagine how much fun it out be when the elder man just got close enough.

Edward watched him rummage though the bag for the bandage that was totally unneeded. At least there was no checking for inflamation or anything which was the first thing a Medically educated person would do. Check for inflamation, especially since Edward had mention that he THOUGHT it was a sprain. This was good. The male standing over him was perfectly clueless. Edward could easily get under his skin then and that was sorta a relief. Although Basil seemed to recognize him, he didn't recognize Basil. Drew was one for details.

Edward ignored them unless they'd prove of value to him personally. He basically had no interest in learning anything remotely to do with plants though he probably would give it a shot were that to help him with Basil's case of course. Edward held out his hand to Basil.
"I'm Edward. Can you just help me up? I'm in pain here. I just need some ice on it and I'm sure it will pass."
He wondered if the elder gentleman would take his hinting.

Come on. His house must not have been that far away from here or car at least. How far could a man of his age run anyway.

[Basil Zivaen]

Basil stopped moving things around. He had been so sure that e had ha th bandage, but then he remebered he had taken it out to wash it. One of the past times he had gone running it had rained and some of the things in his bag had gotten wet or een destroyed. The man closed the bag by pulling the drawstring, swinging it back over his shoulder. He hadn't come in his car, having run all the way from home. Even though he was older he as still in very good shappe, and could run for long periods of time. It was sort of like a hobby for him. Besies, it was usually quiet except for the bell and mews of the plants around him. If he wasnted to relax for a few hours why not run circles around the community.

Edward. That was his name. Basil stood and put out his hand.
" Yes, yes, up you go then. I don't have a car nearby but if you do I can take you home. If your ankle is sprained you'll probably have a hard time driving." Basil really didn't see what Edward was hinting at, or even get the hint at all. Of course, he sometimes missed these things, or dismissed the obvious.

[Edward Scott]

Edward smiled when he final got the elder man to stop searching. Yeah, just a little hint and he'd get the guy to take him somewhere appropriate but was it really appropriate to do this when he was down? Use an older man? This was simply a challenge for Edward and he knew it. Was he playing fair by doing this? This guy was only trying to help him. The fact of the matter remained. He needed human contact, badly so. No matter who had come to find him here in the cold, he'd have tried to seduce them and bed them. But a male?

Wasn't this what he considered cheating? Of course, Drew had not contacted him at all after that messy E-mail stating that Edward needed time to think about what was really important to him. After meeting the Meta girl it had become apparent what was important to him.... Metas. This book he was writing about Metas, that was important to him and how could Drew not understand that?! Edward's eyes narrowed in determination when he looked down at his 'sprained' ankle. Finally the older man held out his hand for Edward and Edward's eyes diverted to that hand.

Edward eagerly placed his hand in the elder man's and pulled himself up, making a good act at pretending to be in pain before he paused and scowled slightly at the words. He wiped that scowl away just as quickly and turned it into a look that would show disappointment.
"I didn't bring my car. I was hoping that your place was close by... I just need to rest it a bit. Maybe we could make it to YOUR place?"
Edward's hint was a bit more blatant.

Obviously this guy didn't have a clue about sex lives anymore. Maybe Edward could be good for him. Awaken his sexuality or something along those lines.
"Do you have a name or should I just refer to you as my hero?"
Edward lightly brushed a thumb across the back of the elder man's hand, smirking that confident smirk as he looked into the elder man's eyes. He then smoothed his hand up the guy's arm and to his shoulder.

"I think I could do with your support."
Edward leaned into the older guy hoping this wouldn't startle him. He knew he had to play it slow but he was looking for some form of interest, some twinkle of realization.

[Basil Zivaen]

Edward grabbed his arm, pulling himself up. Bbasil could tell he was in pain [or what he believed was pain], and felt bad that the young man had injured himself. And if he didn't have a car that might make things harder for him. Basil knew his house was probably closer than wherever Edward had to go, so he nodded in response.

" Well, it should take about fifteen minutes to walk there if you think you can hold out that long. Then we can have a look at your ankle yes? See how bad it is." Of course, Basil being as he was still didn't see the point Edward was getting at. He just didn't think that way and it was something that would never come to mind for him. He started walking along with Edward, down the way he had came to go back to his house.

" My names Basil Zivaen. Basil will do just fine." He said in response to being asked his name. He thought it was a little oddd that the young man had called hi a hero, but hey if that's what kids said these days then that was that. He didn't think of it as a sign of what Edward was actually thinking. Edward moved his arm over Basils shoulder, and Basil leaned in more thinking he needed more support. Only a moment later Edward said as much. Edward leaned in a little more, and Basil just hoped he would make it all the way back to the house. A thought passed through his mind, but it was too fast to even be called a thought and didn't really make any impact at all.

" Hold on. After we get over this next rise the trail is pretty flat all the way back to my house. I think you'll be okay after that."

[/justify]

[Edward Scott]

Edward had to admit that he was extremely relieved that Basil had finally caught on and they were busy making their way back home to Basil’s place. It was a good idea to shut up about it and just stay calm, pretend that nothing of this would happen and that it really didn’t matter much. At least he’d got Basil far enough to take him home.

”Basil. Like the herb. I’ll remember that. And the surname? Is it Italian? It sounds unique regardless.”
Edward spoke in a low calm voice as they started toward Basil’s home. Every now and then, he reminded himself to hop or skip or wince or moan to make his fake injury, believable to the point where Basil would have very little to no doubts that his injuries even existed.

This man was naïve. That was easy to see. Could Edward really do this? Edward’s grip on the man faltered until Basil told him to hold on. Edward flinched. Oh God. Oh God. Edward’s grip tightened on the man’s shoulder and finally he set his foot down completely. The limping stopped when they got to the hill and Edward came to a stop too.

”Basil? Do you have a wife and kids? ”
Edward asked as he stood steady and strong on both feet watching the elder man and waiting for it to dawn on Basil that he’d been faking it all along.

[Basil Zivaen]

His grip tightened on the mans shoulder for a moment. It was really quiet as they walked, but the old man wasn't sure what to say. It was in his nature to be quiet at times. He was just that way. But it took him off guard when Edward stopped limping and stood there, like he was perfectly fine. In fact, he didn't even looked pained anymore, standing on both feet. He looked extremely strong. Basil frowned slightly at this. He wasn't hurt? What was going on here?! Then Edward asked such a strange question. Wife and kids. At this point in time he had neither. In fact he hadn't thought about Sage in quite a while.

" I no longer have a wife, and I've never had any children." He didn't understand the question until he looked at Edward, trying to see what emotion was in his eyes. The look in him was easily recognizable. Inside he mentally cursed himself for not seeing what was happening. In his mind he reviewed all the things Edward had said, and the puzzle fit into place. He felt stupid for not seeing it before. But he had to find a way to diffuse this situation

" Why do you ask?" he inquired of Edward, slowly tensing his muscles in case he had to run.

[Edward Scott]

Edward felt the man tense underneath his grip and he gave a soft sigh of annoyance. Straight then? Damn how disappointing… Edward knew that Basil had finally caught on to what was going on. Not from the words but from the body language. Edward bit into his bottom lip for a moment before tightening his grip on Basil’s shoulder shaking his head and tsking.
”Oh no. don’t be frightened of me. I won’t rape you if you’re not interested. That sort of thing just doesn’t turn me on.”
Edward tilted his head at Basil a slightly more comforting smile on his features. It was a relief to hear that Basil didn’t have any children or any partner in his life.

Edward slowly turned his body to face Basil’s, very close to the other man, looking Basil straight in the eye.
”But if you were ever curious in your youth, if you were ever curious in your life rather, I could show you what you’ve been missing. I’m very good at what I do.”
Edward’s free hand slid up Basil’s side, slowly, lingering, his eyes following the hand before flicking up to make eye contact.

”If you’re not… I appreciate what you tried to do and I’m sorry if I overstepped the line or faked it. I’m… yearning for human company right now. You happened to be it…”
This was said in a more sincere toke and Edward’s fingers lightly caressed over the older man’s hand. Edward rarely had qualms about being honest. He said what he wanted and he’d come to the conclusion with Drew that if you asked, you usually got.

[Basil Zivaen]

For a second he wasn't sure what to do. The man was just so utterly suprised at this turn of events, so much that he couldn't really quite rationalize what was going on. He had been tricked quite thoroughly, really. And he wasn't so sure about what Edward was offering...or was he? Maybe he did. But there were a few factors stopping him. A few small things.... but once upon a time he had thought about, oh so long ago. So now that there was an option what would he do? He really, really really wasn't sure.

" I.....I...." he didn't know what to say to Edward. In truth the idea scared him quite a bit. There was the age diffrence, the morals of it all....the fact that really he would most likely have to be very drunk for anything to happen because he had been a romantic failure since Sage left him. The man just shook his head for a moment. Edward touched his hand softly, as if realizing his inner turmoil. Which while it was nice he it still felt strange.

" mhmm, maybe we can discuss this over a cup of tea? What do you say?" He was trying to get the point across that whil he was interested he just wasn't sure.

[Edward Scott]

Edward watched the internal struggle with an air of amusement to his features as Basil started stumbling across his own words. The corners of Edward's lips turned upward and his eyes softened as he watched Basil's struggle to speak. He'd been here before. These were the stutterings of a man interested and Edward was pleased at thet. At least there was some curiousity, some interest in what Edward was offering. Then again, Basil seemed like he spent most of his time alone. Edward would change that for him. Basil seemed like he was sugar sweet...

Edward was very much a bee drawn to sugary sweetness. Basil seemed.... well... innocent. Edward was already fond of that trait. The things that Edward could show Basil. The very things that Edward could do to turn Basil's head. Draw sighs and smiles from those stuttering lips. Edward stepped closer to the older man and blantantly fixed his eyes on those trembling lips giving Basil the confidence boost that Edward though he clearly needed. Edward was hanging on the elder man's lips, his words anticipation mounting. He had this.

He had Basil in the bag. Basil was his. Thank God. He needed this. He needed someone to care. Some new. Some one awkward. Someone older and wiser. Someone to cling to while the floor underneath him crumbled away and that someone, for right now, happened to be Basil. Edward smiled when the words eventually tumbled for Basil's lips and slowly he nodded.
"It's been a long time since I had a good cuppa or a jogging partner. I'm in luck today it seems."
Edward smirked and let his softened eyes meet Basil's.

Eyes that ensured Basil everything would be okay, that Edward knew what he was doing and that the way down would be one hell of a ride.
"Relax. Just relax. Let go. You won't fall. I promise. Let's go."
Edward started off jogging in the general direaction they had been heading before he'd giving up his little act and told Basil the truth. It felt like a hell of a weight off his shoulders now, he had to admit. Edward was under the impression that they were still going to Basil's house.

He really didn't think that Basil was that uncertain. Besides, once Edward got started on him there was no doubt those fears would wash away.