out there somewhere.

Dante Trainor. Oakvale High Senior. Drama Club techie, show choir backup singer, and basketball benchwarmer.

[nic-a-nac]

Yee-up. Tastes like beer alright….

Also, hello. I like you. You did a very good job in the play and your face is very cute.

[dante-trainor]

My fair Helena, you flatter me! Also, your face is cute and so is your everything else. 

[bearhuggerkrys]

It’s not bad, but dude, you gotta try one of Vic’s brownies

[dante-trainor]

Brownies? Sign me up, my dude! 

[conradmaddox]

Who knew, right? I got invited and I was like, I dunno, but… This is where it’s at.

Cheers. Hey, you know, you look a little less scrawny, man. Did you take my advice and get into protein shakes?

[dante-trainor]

I tried one of my mom’s. They taste like flavored chalk. So no. I guess this was just a really physical show!

[dante-trainor]

Theater kids know how to throw a -- a party, am I right? Like...Man, this is good beer.

[mutedmorgan]

I meant me, ya dork. You know I can’t dance! but fine. If you’re so self-conscious….

Should I be nervous? Is it weird? I’m excited though…

[dante-trainor]

Just follow my lead! You’ll do fine if you follow me and my sweet moves. I’ll be sure to go easy on you. 

You shouldn’t be. That doesn’t mean you (or I) won’t be, though. And it’s not weird, it’s -- It’ll be just right. Just how it was meant to be, I think. 

[everythingssowonderful]

“I’m sorry Lyd, I think it’s ever since his actions during Les Mis and I’m still not too clear on his involvement with your mom and well, you know. But if you like him obviously I want you to be happy so I’m rooting for you!”

“Oh with Dante? It’s so wonderful to be back on stage with him and this time we’re just friends so everything is easier.”

[lydiaesther]

“I can’t believe things aren’t weird with you two considering the story… And Morgan.”

[dante-trainor]

“Seriously! No bad blood at all. I mean, I get how that can be surprising, but really...It’s all really chill. And I’m thankful for that.” 

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

“Me too.” She smiled. Really, the play was an excuse to feel like she wasn’t a complete wreck. It was something that really did require thought and effort and learning her lines was the perfect excuse to get something done. It was also a safe environment where she could get used to people again, and spend time with Dante where they wouldn’t have to be completely alone. Not that most of their theater-related experiences had been great. Most of them had involved vomit, actually. Still, staying occupied made her feel a little less unhinged. And the way he was looking at her now, it made her feel a little less crazy. And at least if she was…he didn’t care. That’s honestly all she was looking for right now. “I like this a lot more than some stupid play.” Not that it didn’t go without saying so. Shakespeare didn’t have anything on the two of them. “But yeah, I know you would have.” She said, in this moment very content.

She was thinking something, but it just needed to be said. It was useless just floating around in her head. “This is weird, Dante.” She said with a small shrug, finally acknowledging it out loud. Putting it out there actually made her feel a bit better about the whole situation. Now that they had both truly admitted to their mutual attraction, Morgan was more aware of what this was. She loved him. That was the whole reason for what should be simple, ordinary reactions became so intense and sometimes painful whenever Dante was involved. But she was more aware of what it was now, truly, and insanely aware. “It’s not bad though, you know. It just is.” She smiled at him. “I’m alright with it.”

Morgan didn’t actually look at him after the kiss, she just kept moving. She could only imagine his face and actually did end up glancing back and saw him smirking somewhat. “I didn’t plan to do that.” She mumbled, still set on making it to the couch. When they were both there, she snuggled into him instinctively. In this moment, she was reminded of that one night. She had run as fast as she could in the pouring rain to his house. He gave her dry clothes to wear and she literally cried herself to sleep in his arms. Morgan didn’t really cry in front of anyone ever. He had been the exception. She felt okay being vulnerable with him. How could she not have figured out that she had loved him before right now? Maybe she truly was stupid.

She clicked through the options on Netflix and finally selected The Nightmare before Christmas from the list in front of her and didn’t ask if it was okay. The two of them usually liked the same things after a while. It was the trend. If one of them liked something at first, they talked about it obsessively until the other person at least had a general appreciation for the subject and ended up (occasionally against their will) liking whatever it was. That’s how this movie was. When Dante had heard she’d never seen it, he invited her over that week (It would have been that day, but her dad was never one to be okay with last minute plans) and they watched it together. They had been even been Jack and Sally for Halloween that year. “This one.” She mumbled through a yawn.

[dante-trainor]

“Obviously,” Dante cracked a particularly devilish smirk her direction, “,so do I.” he shook his head, still a little in disbelief of all of this. How could he have been such an idiot for all these years? How could he let himself chase the skirt of girls like Kelly Manning and dumb girls who only liked him in his basketball jersey when Morgan was right there? And she’d always been right there. Dante was just too stupid to realize it, and he was kicking himself for it now, staring down at her really pretty face and wanting to just melt because she meant everything to him. He felt himself let out a sigh, shaking his head, just staring at her. He probably looked insane. 

So insane that his smile didn’t even falter when she blurted that this whole thing was weird. In fact, he chuckled and felt himself blush. There was no denying it -- it was. Dante nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah!” he exclaimed, then softer, after she admitted that it was a nice kind of weird (at least that’s what he gathered from her words), he exhaled another “Yeah. So am I. I like that about us,” he shrugged, “We’re never normal.” And that wasn’t just limited to her -- Dante made rash decisions and thought he could fix everyone and everything. Sometimes his selflessness drove him mad, and when everyone in school turned on him for his “selfish” act when he’d kissed her...Well, that drove him nearly crazy. His intense desire to be liked sometimes got in the way of being a person rather than an idea of a person, but he never felt like he had to do that around Morgan. Around her, he was himself. 

Judging from Morgan’s apparent embarrassment over her impulse-kiss (that Dante thought was freaking adorable, God), he didn’t expect her to be so close to him on the couch, though he was totally inviting it. He was a little taken aback when she cuddled into him, but warmed up instantly. Dante wrapped an arm around her, nuzzling his chin into her hair, recreating a more intimate version of their old movie nights. Sure, they’d sat close to each other on the couch, maybe leaning against each other sometimes, save that day that Morgan came to him, wet from the rain, and he’d held her until she fell asleep. That day felt like such a distant memory, but also such a fond one. He wasn’t big on emotional vulnerability -- he didn’t handle it well, and knew that Morgan didn’t either. But that day, a wall came down between them, and he knew they were able to have a relationship with each other like they’d never had with anyone else.

Yes, they had been physically close before. But never like this. Dante had never felt comfortable nuzzling into her or playing with the strands of hair that poked out from the end of her braid. That was the kind of stuff he did with Clara. Back then, he’d had Morgan for the fun-best-friend stuff and Clara for the romantic-sexy-girlfriend stuff. Never in his life did he imagine he’d be able to have both -- and in Morgan, no less. 

Dante watched her shuffle through Netflix and smiled when she settled on The Nightmare Before Christmas. He did consider it ‘their’ movie, just never out loud -- quiet redhead with a crazy dad and her idealistic, compulsively heroic buddy? They were Jack and Sally, as far as he was concerned. “Hey, it’s our movie,” he muttered back, catching her contagious yawn. Dante made a move to hold her hand. “This one’s good.” Not that she’d asked, he just felt the need to let her know. This was good. Everything about this was good. 

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

Me? And you? And dancing? Dante Trainor you are a glutton for punishment.

But yeah. I guess that would be alright… because you want to. Together is alright, we can try that. 

It’s a resounding yes.

I resent the idea that I am a bad dancer -- I’m great, thank you very much. And I’ll prove it to you at prom. So watch out. Together it is, then. 

YES. I mean...Thanks. It ought to be fun. 

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

She had never seen Dante be this serious in her entire eighteen years. It was really strange, but it was all genuine. He was really making an effort to convey everything he was saying was real and that he meant every single word he said to her. And he loved her, he really did love her!  Wow, just thinking of that made everything easier to forget, if only for a while. She probably looked like a mess right now. Well, that wouldn’t be shocking. She was a mess right now. Morgan was just going to do her best to enjoy that and not overthink the future. That wasn’t generally something in her skillset, but getting the paranoid part of her brain to momentarily shut up would be amazing. She found herself yawning, which may have given off the wrong impression but she knew he wouldn’t be too upset. It was really late after all and she was constantly tired. At least it wasn’t a school night. “I was almost going to try and make you run lines with me.” She confessed lamely. “I didn’t really want to but…it’s been weird since that day and I was going to try to use it to get you to stay longer..” she laughed, feeling totally embarrassed. “So stupid.”

It was ridiculous to think that she wanted more. Not more attention, or validation, or anything like that. But, she did want to be close to him more, constantly having some sort of contact whatever that meant. It was super strange and she wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable with these foreign feelings. It was overwhelming, almost painful to think of not being near him right now. That was the most mortifying thing for Morgan. She had never been one of those girls to get all wrapped up and obsessed over a guy like that. It just wasn’t how she operated. But she did at this moment really want to kiss him again. And she just might but…not here. She was a little tired of standing here.  Maybe that was just general sluggishness. Morgan was actually a very lazy person. When he said she wanted to stay, that painful feeling disappeared and she beamed at him. “I guess I’ll keep you then.” She teased.

Morgan felt another wave of exhaustion pass over her and she yawned again quite loudly. “I don’t think I can stand anymore” she said matter-of-factly. “Movie or something…?” she askly, nodding towards the living room.  She turned to face him before moving towards the couch, and did something that surprised even her and pressed her lips to his, relatively quickly compared to the other kiss, but it still happened. Well…she hadn’t even planned that one. “Uh…yeah. Don’t hate me if I fall asleep?” was all she ended up saying, before taking his hand and looking down at the floor as the two of them finally moved from the hall. It was alright and everything, but it was still an awkward thing to get used to. Boy, did she feel like an idiot right now.

She’d yawned, and it had become Dante’s instinct to want to tell her to go lay down or eat something or...Something. He’d always had this protective nature over Morgan, but it was only heightened now that they weren’t just friends. But he didn’t want her thinking that he looked at her any differently, now, so rather than jump into protective-savior mode, he merely gave her yawn a look. But before he could ask if she was tired (which she was), Morgan mentioned that she almost made him run lines with her. A smile crept across his face, and Dante couldn’t help but laugh, finally, after being so serious for so long. “I would’ve done it!” he exclaimed through chuckles. “I would’ve sat here and recited Shakespeare with you mindlessly for hours...But...Honestly, I’m glad you didn’t.” Dante shook his head, smirking.

He could see how exhausted she was -- Probably not just from a long day, either. It seemed more like a long few months. Which he could relate to, at least a little bit. It had been a long few months for the both of them, topped off by this particular excruciatingly long day, no matter how joyous an occasion this was, it was mentally draining. Dante gave another chuckle at Morgan’s teasing, and was about to suggest that she go lay down -- He’d stay, of course -- when she yawned once more, but her words beat him to it. “Movie would be great.” Just like they used to. Obviously, some circumstances had changed, but just sitting on the couch with Morgan and watching a movie seemed so comfortable. 

Before he could offer to put some popcorn in the microwave or grab them something to drink, her lips were on his again, for a mere second or two this time, it seemed. Dante didn’t really even have time to process it while it was happening, but as soon as she pulled away, he felt the corner of his lips pull up into a smirk. Just...The fact that she initiated it, for some reason, made him happy -- Kind of proof that this was, indeed, a mutual thing. Morgan took him by the hand and led him to the living room, but Dante could tell that she might have been embarrassed by her action. “Hey,” Swiftly (as swiftly as he could, really), Dante took the arm that she had him by and placed it around her shoulder, now side-by-side with her, and still holding onto her hand. “I could never hate you.” he smirked, eyeing her for a second, and really wanted to kiss her again, maybe on the cheek this time, but decided against it. 

Dante took a seat on her couch as casually and comfortably as he could, reminiscent of the days when they would do this as “just friends”. He figured that might make this more comfortable for her...And maybe him, too. “So what’s Netflix got to offer that might or might not lull you to sleep?” And then, Dante caught himself yawning, as well. “...Or me. I guess I’m not immune.” He shrugged, a little irritated that he was so tired. Sure, it had been a mentally tiring day, but he kind of wanted to live in it for as long as possible. 

[keerps-blog]

[dante-trainor]

moodboard  → dante & morgan’s relationship as of late

[keerps-blog]

[dante-trainor]

moodboard → dante && being in love with morgan af

[dante-trainor]

averatrix:

Conrad brought a wireless speaker to work and now he’s blasting “Bad Blood” while cleaning.

He does not strike me as a T-Swift lover. 

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

He was rambling which didn’t really shock her. Heck, with Dante, she had been prone to rambling sometimes too. It was an odd moment between the two of them, but not out of character at all. It was comforting in this moment with all of these drastic circumstances, there were still things that didn’t change. There was a consistency that she could cling to with him and that was honestly one of the most important things right now. She wasn’t going to Harvard anymore, and honestly, she might never go there. As far as college, she always had a plan and a backup plan and a backup back up and now she wasn’t certain she was going to go in the fall. Not that she would tell Dante. She certainly wouldn’t tell him now. “Sorry.” She mumbled, almost going into another string of apologies. Instead, she stopped herself and smiled softly. “I think we’ve about covered that for now. “ She squeezed his hand lightly and realized just how much she liked holding it. It was really just…simple and nice.

She felt so small, nodding at him. Other girls would just probably kiss him themselves. They would have let this happen a long time ago or something like that. She had drawn it out forever, known this person for basically her entire life and didn’t acknowledge how she even felt until she was about to probably have to leave him for the longest stretch of time she’d ever known. Morgan didn’t even know if she was a good kisser, how to kiss him or anything like that. It was so unlike her to get help in anyway and having him have to take the lead was something that maybe she’d fight for anything else, but this was here and now and she couldn’t be more grateful. At least if she was a bad kisser she would still have her best friend. She didn’t really know if what she did had ruined a moment or whatever, but while she was thinking all these things, they suddenly came to a halt when he finally did kiss her.

Their lips touched and she felt happy. Not anxious at all. Morgan often mused about whether or not she actually would like kissing. She still wasn’t sure whether or not she liked kissing in general; she definitely, without a shred of doubt, liked kissing Dante. She liked it a whole lot. It ended all too quickly but honestly it was probably for the better. She sighed deeply, feeling a little light-headed like all of those damn stereotypes she usually wasn’t anything like. He kissed her on the forehead and she found herself smiling still. Upon his confession, she laughed a little too. “I had a hunch.” She mumbled still enjoying having him so close to her. “I guess it wasn’t….awful.”

It dawned on her how late it was. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing here like two fools, but she knew it was late when he’d come over in the first place.  Her dad wasn’t going to be back until the beginning of next week and very quickly she’d dropped her arms at her sides and blurted out her thoughts. “Do you want to maybe stay for a while tonight?” she asked, surprised at herself for saying that so suddenly. Understanding slowly the potential double meaning of her words, her face turned bright red and she began stuttering. “Oh my God, not like that…not…I mean.” She had to stop herself though she was completely mortified. She looked down at the floor, frowning slightly, feeling that she had made this just too awkward. “I just really didn’t be alone right now. For this long…” She’d been doing alright so far, but the isolation was scary to her and she was afraid she was going to get bad again. “I don’t want you to go.” She mumbled.

His decision to keep the kiss short and sweet was ultimately a good one, Dante figured, but still left him wanting more. He let the kiss to her forehead linger, and that helped, as they continued to embrace. To think that he’d come over just to deliver a book and maybe chat and then leave...Dante smirked to himself. Good things happen when you least expect it, he supposed. Admitting to Morgan that he’d stolen her script on purpose was a very “him” thing to do, considering he was a dork and knew it, and couldn’t be slick to save his life. 

Her mumbled response made him chuckle -- Of course she knew. Morgan always knew. She was so smart and perceptive, and...That’s one of the reasons why he loved her. Being able to freely think that, now, felt so nice. Dante couldn’t stop smiling. “I knew you might. You know me too well.” Shaking his head, Dante gave a sigh. He could’ve stayed here with her all night if he wasn’t so afraid of crossing boundaries. It was pretty late -- he’d finished his homework close to ten o’clock...And there was no telling how long they’d been in her foyer, considering since the moment he got there, everything kind of moved in a blur. (A good blur.)

When Morgan abruptly broke their embrace, Dante followed in suit, detaching his arms from her body, and listened to what she had to say. She’d...asked if he wanted to stay. Naturally, as a hormone-driven teenage boy, Dante’s mind went to embarrassing places, and his cheeks went bright red. Not that he wouldn’t be totally willing -- In fact, he was almost too willing. That’s what was embarrassing. “Oh! Um -- I...” Running a hand through his hair, Dante waited patiently for Morgan to clarify...He was not going to be the guy who made that assumption. (What with this whole “boundary” thing he was exercising.) Luckily, she elaborated and a sigh of relief tore through him, though he noticed that they were both pretty mortified by this weird sexual tension-type situation that they’d gone through. He wanted to laugh, to ease the tension, but Morgan’s face persuaded him to decide against it. 

She didn’t need his jokes right now, or all of the innuendos he wanted to make. He knew that. She just needed him...There. As she’d said, she simply didn’t want to be alone. And that was just fine with him. Dante inched toward her, tipped her chin up with one hand, and held hers in his other. He wanted to look her in the eye and ensure her that he wasn’t going anywhere. “Hey,” he said tenderly, “And I don’t want to go.” Dante shook his head, removing his hand from her chin, and held her other hand. “You’ve got me as long as you need me, for whatever you need me for. I love you, and it’s my understanding that that’s what people who love each other do.” He gave a shrug. That was all of what he could think to say at this moment, because that was all he felt. They could talk about their feelings some more, or just hang out like old times, or smooch some more; Dante would be glad to do all of those things, as long as they were with -- and for -- her. 

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

Right. Shakespeare’s tricky but we’ll figure it out. We’ve got time to figure this out. You know, together...

I like the sound of that. Together. Like, senior prom is a thing. And attending it together sounds like the best way, don’t you think? 

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Maybe I’m getting the hang of this play thing. 

O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?

Took me forever to realize that it was “eyne” and not “eye”. But I’ve got it now, and I’m glad you’ve got it too. I am very much looking forward to rehearsals now that we’ve both...got it. 

[adventurouslyafraid]

You’re it, you’re my person

(via westchindian)

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

She laughed softly. “I really didn’t. My sisters were absolutely no help. I had to figure it out all on my own.” Her expression sobered a bit because it was a pretty accurate description of her entire life. Morgan had learned at a young age that it would be much more advantageous to try and learn things and complete tasks on her own time. It had probably been better for her education in the long run. Her attention span was actually quite terrible and forcing herself onto specific tasks had been nothing short of miserable. Still, she managed to learn and get things done.

Morgan just stood there and listened to him apologize. The two of them were constantly apologizing, it seemed like. Still, she had something else to say, even though they had been saying sorry their entire lives. “I avoided you.” She said, looking mortified, insanely serious all of a sudden. “And it was stupid and I felt horrible the entire time.” The words were flowing freely now and she couldn’t stop them. She wasn’t entirely certain that she was making any sense at all. “Yeah, you were being an asshole, but I didn’t even try and do anything.” She looked back at him, sadness evident in her current expression. “I just didn’t want to screw anything up…make things worse. I felt like I was overstepping…” holding his hand, she has realized she slipped into a mumble. With her next words however, she found her voice and each word was stronger than the last. “I know I will probably have to hear you say sorry to me a million more times. But, that’s okay…because that will mean that you’re around. I might seem impossible and try and freeze you out but I will always, always forgive you no matter what.” Even against her stubbornness, if he was genuinely sorry, she would never be able to hold it against him.

When he blushed and nodded, affirming that he had said that he loved her she took note of how cute he was. Not that he hadn’t been attractive before, it had just been hard to really, really think that. She had grown up looking at his face. Morgan didn’t really have a concept of “attractive”, never thinking much on the matter of physicality. Skye was insanely beautiful, but that had been her heart too. She found herself blushing at the thought as well.

When she had spoken out verbally of her reciprocation, she was a bit mortified. Had she formed a coherent statement? Did she actually say words to Dante like she hoped she did or did just spout out random syllables? From his reaction, she was at least somewhat hopeful that she had said something that she had meant to. “Yeah, Really.” She said, even though it felt redundant and unnecessary.

Now the two of them together hasn’t been insanely articulate in this moment. Still, the things they were getting out were very necessary and very real. True, it hasn’t been some scene from a movie. It was just Morgan and Dante and they were standing in the hallway and not letting go of each other. Then he asked if he could kiss her and she didn’t know quite how she was going to respond. Most people would take that as a sign, but it was just how she worked. Morgan Calder never had an overwhelming desire for physical contact. She had never been filled with the sensation that she just had to kiss someone or she might die. And that was still how she was right now. That didn’t just change with a confession of love. But, she really was okay to kiss him, she even wanted to. The fact that he asked her first might be seen as “killing the mood” to any other person, but she was deeply appreciative of him for doing so. It made her in that moment comfortable enough to nod her head. “Yeah, yeah you can.” She mumbled, still blushing.

When Morgan’s tone went serious, Dante listened intently at every word. He kept wanting to interject -- tell her that she did nothing wrong and it was all his fault -- but he felt she just needed to get this off her chest. Even if he didn’t deserve an apology from her. “I’m sorry,” he muttered again, in reply to her comment about hearing him apologize a million times. Because it was true. He was so sorry for everything he’d put her through these past few months, emotionally and socially, and he’d say it a million times. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His words were persistent, but sweet as he gripped her hands tighter, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for what I did, I’m sorry that you have to apologize, I just...” he shook his head. He was glad she’d always forgive him, but disappointed in himself that it had to get to this point. “Thank you. For giving me another chance. I don’t think I’d ever regain my sanity if you didn’t.” 

Dante’s heart pounded in his chest as Morgan confirmed what he’d heard. It still didn’t seem real, but at the same time he felt incredibly real. Like he’d finally been true to himself, and to her, and...God, he wanted to kiss her. But he knew that they weren’t the type to spontaneously share a Nicholas Sparks-style kiss filled with pent-up passion and romance. Or whatever. With them, it took time. And Dante was okay with that. He watched Morgan’s face, really taking it in for the first time since Les Mis, and she was just as beautiful now as she was when he kissed her the first time. Yes, she looked different -- like she’d been through a lot since then, and she had. But she was just as beautiful. Dante brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and waited for her response. If she said no, fine, they’d go even slower. But he was really hoping she’d say yes. 

And she did. Dante gulped, fighting the urge to ask ‘Really?!’ again. He took in a shaky breath and leaned in, slowly, not wanting to rush anything or get too carried away with emotions. Because he would, and the last thing he wanted was to make Morgan uncomfortable right now. So his mouth moved in a slow crawl before capturing her lips in his very softly, delicately, simultaneously trying not to treat her like some fragile object but also making sure he took extra care with her. This was weird for the both of them, but he knew it had to be weirder for her somehow. Dante pressed their lips together with a sharp inhale. It felt...Wow. Very right. Like everything finally began to make sense. After a few moments, Dante pulled away and placed his lips on her forehead instead, wanting to maintain the contact but not overwhelm her (and well, honestly, not to overwhelm himself either). “Well.” he chuckled, murmuring into her hair. “...Now would be a good time to say that I took your script on purpose, huh?”