don't panic

fallon | 28

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"Oh I didn't even think about that, going to sleep tonight will be hard. I'll probably have to do something to tire myself out a lot before I can sleep. And you know the whole like time thing will be different because we're on the moon so night and day will be crazy...." Avery was spiraling down a hole thinking about it. Avery liked to sleep and if that was going to interrupted he would have to find some way to fix it. "I think you'll have to get used to them I mean you are practically a model with looks like that."

"I gotta keep my title so I'll really be hitting the gym hard." Avery said with a laugh flexing his arms to show off his biceps playfully. "Worst comes to worse I will have to challenge them to a duel to the death." Avery laughed as he helped Fallon plate his creation, the smell of cheese and sugar not exactly pleasant but he was certain it would be interesting. "If you don't like it I'll cook you something different no worries."

[attnfallon]

"It's okay - we can work together to tire each other out so we have a chance of falling asleep. Once I am able to get to sleep, I know it will be for at least twelve hours. I want to wake up in a haze," he smiled, shrugging, "It probably won't take us long to get acclimated to the constant night outside. It'll probably be nice to be able to look at the stars any time we want. " Fallon scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm hardly like a model, I think you fit that category quite nicely though."

"I support your efforts in remaining the hottest Avery, though, I don't think you have anything to worry about," he added, laughing when the other flexed in front of him, "I'll be rooting for you in the duel, though." Fallon had absolutely no reservations about trying the weird sandwich, he had definitely put worse in his mouth. "Wish me luck," he grinned at Avery before grabbing the grilled cheese and taking a bite. Fallon considered the different tastes he was experiencing for a moment before nodding in approval. "It's actually not that bad. Would you like to try it?"

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"All of it is like a dream, but when you are coming up everything is so surreal but it will be even more odd as waking up tomorrow I am sure. Still I know I said I was disappointed with how non-floaty things are but I have to say it again. Imagine being able to jump like 20 feet high." Avery leaned in and nudged the other playfully, "I like taking compliments. Though I think I can help train you to take them as well."

"I feel...ok. Free. A little out of water but like now we can do anything. Plus I'm the hottest guy name Avery on the whole planet." Avery laughed as he moved behind Fallon and put his arms under Fallon's. "Yeah you can flip it now. I'll help you." hand ran along Fallon's forearms. "Just like this. This is going to be a very interesting sandwich."

[attnfallon]

"I'm sure it will be too. That is - if I'm even able to get to sleep tonight. Everything here is just too exciting to think about relaxing right now, but maybe eating all of this food will help a bit," he smiled, "I'm not sure how, but I'm going to try to find a way to float around here just so you're able to experience it at least once." Fallon shrugged when Avery nudged him. "I can try my best to take compliments, but no promises."

"I think we're all a little bit out of our element, so at least you aren't alone in that. Absolutely, there wouldn't be any contest even if we ended up getting some more Averys here." Fallon looked back at him, smiling softly before turning his attention back to the task at hand. "I would cook a lot more if I always had this kind of help," he teased, "It is - but I'm excited to try it. Maybe it'll be a sweet and salty vibe?

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"When it comes to things like space I think people want an element of realism you know? So they can experience it themselves." When Fallon mentioned hot guys being a distraction, Avery had to blush just a little bit. The smirk did not go unnoticed. "Well then consider yourself lucky I suppose. Though I don't see how anyone could not give you compliments when they are just true statements."

"Yes and no. They will be fine without me, I haven't lived at home for awhile now, and I needed a fresh start you know?" Avery scratched the back of his head unsure if he should even describe why he was there in the first place. Though maybe that was for another time. "Cheddar it is." Avery took the cheese and layered it in the bread before placing it into the hot pan. Taking Fallon's hand in his own as he held the spatula. "Now wait till you smell toasting bread and flip it."

[attnfallon]

"That makes sense. I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like up here before I finally decided to take the trip. I'm glad that I'm here now, though. Even though I'm still getting used to things." Fallon noticed the other man blushing and couldn't help but smile softly at him. "I can dish out the compliments a lot better than I can take them. So, if you hang around me long enough, you're bound to get a bunch thrown at you."

"I don't think there's more of a fresh start than leaving the planet. How's it feeling so far?" Fallon figured that they all had specific reasons for leaving, some more serious than the other; but they were all in this together. That thought made him feel connected to the cohabitants. He watched closely as the other constructed the sandwich; happy that he would be able to help with making it in a small way. "Can I flip it now?" he asked, looking over at the other for confirmation.

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"Well it's not like you had first hand experience before now, so I mean this will just shape what you can write going forward. All the fun adventures we have can maybe make their way onto the big screen for us." Avery was sure that being in space would be something they could all take and use later on. "Oh come on you are a super cute guy I am sure plenty of people are falling all over themselves to do you favors all the time. What's one more admirer huh?"

"I think out of all of my siblings I am the one with the most practical skills. I mean I think I had to be, I took care of a lot of my little sibs when my parents were working." Avery wasn't wicked smart like some of his brothers, but he was practical if not a bit of an airhead. He could cook, he could sew, and do laundry. "Oh I can certainly achieve that I think. Come closer." Avery pulled Fallon in close so he could watch him. "Butter both sides of the bread while you heat up the man on medium heat. What kind of cheese do you like?"

[attnfallon]

"You're right. Hopefully, people will still like what I write even if it's more realistic than before. I don't have to worry about that now, though. I have all of the time in the world up here to start writing. The only real distraction is hot guys," Fallon said, smirking at the other man. "I would be very lucky to have an admirer as good-looking as you. Especially if you're going to keep giving me compliments."

"That's sweet that you were willing to take care of them. Was it hard to leave them back home? I'm an only child and don't talk to my parents, so it wasn't that big of a decision for me. It did mean I didn't have to learn a lot of skills myself, hence why I'm basically useless in the kitchen." Fallon was happy to be in closer proximity to Avery, even if it was just to watch him cook. He tried his best to make mental notes of the process but was sure he'd have to ask for help again later on. "Cheddar would definitely have to be my favorite."

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"Right? It's kinda surreal when you think about it, we are living the dream of so many people. We kind of have to make it worth it right? Pioneer and all that stuff." Avery knew he was lucky to get a chance like this and it was only because his family was well connected and he did have a pretty marketable skill. His teacher always said even when the world ends, people will have hair to cut, and dead people to bury. "Well you know I like playing with hair, it's not that big of a deal. Won't say no to hanging out though."

"I am good for both of those things. Also generally just snuggling. I give a mean scalp massage as well." Avery laughed as e went about looking through the fridge to find the things he would need to make a grilled cheese with gummy bears. "I am content to try what you picked out for sure but I am thinking maybe french fries and ice cream. You can watch me work and take notes so next time you feel hungry and I'm not around you can do it yourself."

[attnfallon]

"When I wrote my movies set in space, action and adventure always just happened. Now I'm realizing it's more likely that they would have had to create their own adventure - like us." Fallon had hoped being in Space would bring some inspiration for his latest film, but it was vastly different than how he imagined it to be. He actually preferred it this way, but he would have to get creative in his own life it he wanted any inspiration to come from this. "I'll keep that in mind. It'll definitely be a big deal to me, though."

"You seem like a man of many talents. Finding a good snuggler isn't that easy these days," he teased, flashing a playful smile at Avery. "I feel like all of this food is going to get us sick, but it'll be worth it." Fallon joined Avery as he was prepping all of the ingredients, waiting to watch him make their food. "Sounds good to me; I expect to be a gummy bear grilled cheese expert by the end of the night."

[attnfallon]

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"Oh maybe! I never thought of that, I bet there are a lot of firsts we can do on the moon that haven't been done before you know? That's just one of them- though I will have to do a lot of reading because I have never designed a skateboard before. Or any kind of board really." Avery was sure there was someone who could innovate new and fun things for them to do in the vacuum of space while keeping the general idea of safety in mind. "You wouldn't need to bribe me at all, I would be happy to do it for you. I like stuff like that. So just say the word and I can do it." Avery winked and threw up a thumbs up- it didn't hurt Fallon was handsome but he wouldn't say that out loud just yet.

"Well I never say no to hugs and I have been told I give excellent ones. Just one of my many skills you know." Avery laughed as he hopped the counter in order to grab the package of Oreos from Fallon. "What's a weird food combo you have always wanted to try but never have? Now is our chance to try them. Food bought by someone else's dime. Well I mean I guess we paid to be here but still. I am a decent cook. I'm relatively independent."

[attnfallon]

"As scary as the idea that we're actually in space is sometimes, realizing that we have all of those firsts ahead of us and so many adventures make it worthwhile," he said, though he was mostly trying to convince himself of this. "I brought one of my skateboards here, so you can ride it any time you need to for research purposes." Fallon felt lucky that not only did he find someone on the base who knew how to do hair, but he was nice enough to want to help him with his. Previously, Fallon had just figured he'd have to let his hair grow back to being boring while living in Space. "You're way too kind for offering, I promise I'll find some sort of way to pay you back," he added, blushing slightly when Avery winked.

"I'll keep that in mind. You're the person to come to if I need a hug or a haircut... or both," Fallon joked. He thought for a second at Avery's question. Fallon was a pretty adventurous eater but never was the one coming up with what he would be eating. "I would love to try gummy bears inside of a grilled cheese. I love them both separately and will pretend to love them together even if it's bad," he laughed, "What about you? I have no experience cooking whatsoever but make an excellent sous chef.

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"I think they should have like the kind of boot thingies that snowboards have that hold you on, and then like maybe some sort of tether on your body you know? There would have to be some sort of safety regulations." Avery loved to watch things like that, the incredible feats of athletes were always interesting to him, as they were things he could never do. Well not never but he'd never given it the time and effort. He was snapped from his thoughts when asked about his job though. "OH! I'm a barber. Well I can do color too. Technically. But all the sharp things I use in zero gravity sound dangerous."

"We are fast on the path to being just Moon Besties. Nothing brings people together like snacks." Avery dug through the cabinets and drawers humming the song Starships as he did. "Oh you have good taste Moon Fallon. Cool Ranch are the best, and it looks like there are the small snack bags right here!" He exclaimed as he tossed several bags at Fallon with a laugh. "So I think now I have to be your favorite person."

[attnfallon]

"I think you might be on to something. Maybe you'll be the universe's first space-skateboard designer! I would happily be your test subject as long as you don't let me float away." Even though Fallon brought his skateboard to ride through the halls sometimes, it wasn't the same as skating in the fresh air. Maybe skating outside of the base would feel more thrilling. "Are you really? I might have to convince you to touch up my hair when it needs it. Though it grows back jet black, so it's not easy," he said, smiling over at the other man, "You will have to let me know what the best way to bribe you for help is, for whenever I want to change the color."

"It's not every day you meet a fellow snack connoisseur. We're almost destined to be moon besties," Fallon stated, emphasizing the sentiment with a nod. He continued in his search before he heard Avery find his requested chips. "Amazing! I would give you a big hug, but we just met and that might derail us from finding the rest of the snacks," he said, smile widening, "You are definitely my favorite person after coming through on those." Fallon turned his attention back to searching once he remembered where he had seen the Oreos. Pulling them from the shelf, he held them up in victory. "Oreos!"

[fashnroll]

☆ EVAN MOCK wearing VIVIENNE WESTWOOD ☆

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

Avery smiled back at Fallon with that wide dopey smile he normally wore, just happy to be there honestly. He was searching for a new life and here it was, though space was far more daunting than he had imagined at least the people he was meeting were nice. "Oh that could be bad, but I think skateboarding in space would be super cool. You could do so many flips. Though I think it would make working super hard. All in all I am glad we have gravity." All in all things were a lot less spacey than he expected but his only frame of reference had been sci-fi movies and books.

"Moon Fallon, I guess that would make me a Moon Avery. I wonder what kind of snacks they have here. I hope they have Oreos. I love Oreos and I think Moon Avery will too." he said with a bright laugh as he began to open drawers and cabinets. "What do you like Fallon? I bet I can find at least one thing you like."

[attnfallon]

"I've always wanted to try zero gravity skateboarding, but I would have to take my skateboard to my feet so it wouldn't float away. Maybe if we ever get to leave the base, I'll try it out," he shrugged, unsure if he would actually build up the courage to do that. Fallon was pretty bold on earth, but the idea of floating into the unknown scared him more than he'd like to admit. "What are you doing for work that would be harder with gravity?"

"Moon Fallon and Moon Avery are off on their first Moon adventure. Nothing could be more adventurous than searching for snacks," Fallon laughed, turning to start looking through the cabinets again. "Hm, I thought I saw Oreos in here earlier, but I don't remember where. While I look for those, if you could find Doritos for me you'd be my new favorite person. I prefer Cool Ranch, but I'm not super picky."

[spirit-of-cinders-deactivated20]

"Oh you mean like here in this one spot? Like ten minutes because I was reading the ingredient list on this package and I don't really read very fast. But here as in the general sense of like space. Not long at like all like hours. Maybe less than hours. I thought we'd be more weightless, I was really excited to float." Avery said catching himself before he got too far off on another tangent. Still he offered out his hand the other after wiping it on his pants just in case it was sweaty. "Hi! I'm Avery it's nice to meet you. Do you want to hunt for snacks together? We can. I bet we can find some good stuff. I heard Snowballs never expire."

[attnfallon]

What Fallon lacked in his ability to pay attention, he made up for in patience. Mostly because he tended to tune in and out of conversations he wasn't mentally prepared for. While the other rambled on, he picked up a few key points. Ingredients, newly on the base, floating? Fallon figured that was the gist of it.

"I think that floating would be fun at first, but it could make a lot of things way more complicated. I have a pinched nerve in my side from a skateboarding accident and if it started acting up, I'd probably start spinning around uncontrollably in the air." Fallon smiled, shaking the other's hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Fallon. I'm definitely down for a snack hunting partner, but that means we can't stop until we find the best snack ever. You know, I've never tried a Snowball before but maybe they can be 'Moon Fallon's new favorite. I'm trying to try new things."

[fxrvernxw]

[sonsofjustice]

"Hey, you." Alexei stands tall, strong as he tightens a bolt on a weapon he was repairing. His upbringing had taught him a couple of valuable lessons, one being 'waste not, want not'. He wasn't as adept as an engineer in weapon repair and modification, but he'd learned how to MacGyver a thing or two in his time.

"That strong adhesive," He nods toward to the table nearby. "Bring it here, I need to keep the tension."

[attnfallon]

Lately, Fallon had been getting into the habit of walking into the wrong place at the wrong time. So when he saw a man handling a weapon in the room he walked into, he was very close to walking back out. Though, something made him the slightest bit intrigued, so against his better judgement - he decided to stay. That and the other man seemed to have already noticed his presence.

"Yes, sir," Fallon said, grabbing what he hoped to be the strong adhesive. "I was actually on my way to find a snack somewhere, but I'm more than happy to help out if I can. I desperately need something to occupy my time."

[unveiledvagabonds]

. . . OPEN STARTER

Lounging out in one of the more communal areas, his legs stretched out and propped up on two separate pieces of furniture while his arms hung loose behind the back of the seat he was barely sitting in, he stared up at the ceiling and found himself thinking aloud.

"I wonder if it's easier to get drunk out here-- like it is in an airplane, 'cause of the cabin pressure or whatever..." Unfortunately if you were holding onto the hope that his outward thoughts would be something profound or even existential then Blu was only ever going to disappoint.

A few sounds escaped him that almost sounded like whining-- almost-- as he continued to sprawl himself out as others milled around him and kept to their business; ignoring the lanky, restless individual as if he weren't even there.

Noted. Even in a confined space station if he wanted attention he'd have to quote, un-quote get his tits out.

He always did earn more when he bartended shirtless...

Forcing himself to sit up, swinging his legs and groaning as he lurched forward in his seat, he let out a tired breath. Looking up, someone had the unfortunate luck of making eye contact with them and just like that Blu was wiggling his finger at them; signaling for them to come join him.

"Hey, you. You look like you know shit-- you think it's easier to get drunk out here because of the pressure, or lack of, or whatever? Want to help me find out?"

In his defense? That was an eloquent introduction.

[attnfallon]

After spending the first few days nearly comatose in bed, Fallon decided to perk himself up by exploring his new living arrangements. He hadn’t realized how much the journey here would take out of him physically or emotionally, but he was sure he still looked a bit zombie-like even after all the rest he had gotten. To be honest, he really didn’t care what he looked like as long as he could get himself out of his funk. 

Walking down the halls, waving halfheartedly at people as they walked by, Fallon made a mental note that he would have to make some connections with these other men eventually. Was he in the headspace to do that today? Maybe. Was he going to make actually make an effort to do that today? Probably not.

Fallon found himself in some sort of common area, just trying to take everything in. There was much more commotion here than in his room and it was springing him back to life. He was so out of it, in fact, he didn’t even realize that someone else was talking to him at first. “Huh?” he said as he snapped out of it, focusing on the man talking to him, “That’s the first time in my life anyone’s told me I look like I know shit. It’s usually the opposite.” 

Fallon took a second to consider the other’s proposition, shrugging in agreement. He wasn’t quite sure he liked where his head was at right then anyways, so he might as well alter it. “Since you seem to be desperate enough to lie to me about looking smart, I’d be happy to help you with your experiment. You’ll have to lead the charge, though. I’ll act more as a quality control officer.”

[artfulfashion]

Evan Mock for Icon Italia 2022, photographed by Szilveszter Mako

[attnfallon]

@wreckedpetal

Fallon was glad that it didn’t seem like the other was startled too much by his presence - especially with how focused on his task he had been. “Hi,” he said back with a smile, figuring that an explanation of the situation was a good ice breaker. “I stumbled in here thinking that this was my room. Once I realized that it wasn’t and you were in the room, I thought it might be weird to try to sneak out. I didn’t want you to think I was some creep who breaks into rooms right off the bat.” 

He laughed softly at himself before continuing, “I’m Fallon by the way. I’m surprised you’re so settled in already – even just the thought of being in space has me all turned around.” Fallon hoped that he wasn’t disturbing the other man too much, but he was eager to make friends.

[anderskarlsson]

Lights flashing on control panel: dexterous hands and practiced fingers engaging the right functions, right protocols, at the right time. Complex pattern made routine, and the Captain's made yet another successful landing in this week's cycle. It's not rocket science, total dad joke of his. The crew prepares for disengaging and disembarking, entering the lunar base through the crew dock. Solid white jet bridge extends, locks with the ship, pressurizes. Yet another stellar landing, Captain. Out of this world. Heavy sigh, he's tired. Frequent, twenty four hour long missions, and he suddenly finds he's not a young man anymore.

The new arrivals should be disembarking soon, for many of them this being their first time out in space, in the cold final frontier. He's always amused to catch a glimpse in passing of the first timers' expressions. They don't tell you this at launch, but fear of the abyss is a rather common reaction. Under the Earth's sky, there's always a soft blue-to-orange glow to keep your heart calm and content. Out here... well, don't stare out the reinforced glass window too long. Sailor's wisdom.

He's still in uniform, arms crossed, staring out the docking terminal window at his ship. He remembers his jet fighter in his prime, and his pickup truck before that, too, and lastly, of horses back home. It's a linear upgrade, befitting age, prestige, and experience, but a man still longs for the basics sometimes. In contemplation of the empty sky, he'd nearly miss the fresh off the boat man that was approaching him, and presumed him to be lost. "Y'carry on, now. Processing's just down straight, can't miss it. Get yourself settled in." Well, don't be shy.

[attnfallon]

Feeling absolutely buzzy after the excitement of the flight and living in an unknown environment, Fallon wasn’t able to stay still upon arrival. He was able to get his belongings settled in his room, albeit not neatly, before the itch to start some exploring got too big to ignore. There were certainly mixed feelings involved now that he was actually in space. On one hand, this was something he had chosen for himself and figured he would have to make the best of it. Alternatively, everything about this situation was completely unknown and while Fallon was good at running away - he wasn’t good with change. 

Randomly wandering throughout the corridors was something that he wasn’t sure he was allowed to do, but he also wasn’t sure that there were many rules in place at all. Just as he was starting to feel like he might have been getting lost, seeing someone in uniform felt very reassuring. “I have all of the time in the world to get processing done, don’t I?” he asked, a smirk on his face, “What’ll they do, eject me to float away in space?” Fallon took a moment to consider that possibility before shaking off the thought. “I’m a bit too wound up to settle in right now – hence the exploring. Do you have any better suggestions about how to get my mind straight?”