I Love To Be Free

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]

Between Alex, and his Dad, and college applications, on some days, Onyx felt like the only good thing he had going for him. Being with her was a reprieve from all the shitty and scary things that were happening to him, and doing this, planning what they were going to do and where he was going to take her had been an easy solution to not think about it all. Not to mention that he genuinely wanted to do something nice for her, treat her to a day out. They spent most of their time inside, cuddling and talking and just hanging out, but he knew Onyx. He knew that she would get restless and as much as they joked about him being boring, the last thing he wanted to do was bore her. He smiled when she gave him permission, taking the scarf he’d draped around her neck and tying it gently around the back of her head - tight enough that it wouldn’t fall off, but also loose enough so that it wouldn’t hurt. “Is that good? Can you see anything? How many fingers am I holding up?” he joked, wrapping an arm around her. Soon enough, they reached their destination. Dakota handed the driver a twenty for the ride, and stuffed the change he was given back into his pocket. He turned to Onyx, grabbing her hand again. “So, uh. I think I’ll just carry you to where we’re going. It’s not too far of a walk. That okay?” he asked.

With her sight now obstructed by the scarf Dakota had tied around her eyes Onyx turned herself back around so that she was sitting the proper way again. Her head automatically turning towards the sound of Dakota’s voice when he spoke up. “Would this be a bad time to tell you that I’ve had x-ray vision the entire time?” She questioned, mock serious before grinning in the general area where she assumed his face was. “Just kidding, but I wish though, wouldn’t that be awesome? I mean, except you’d probably have to weigh the good with the bad because I’m sure I’d see a lot of things I probably would wish that I didn’t.” Even though she couldn’t see anything that didn’t stop her eyes from staying open and wandering around behind the scarf as if she could actually see wherever he was taking the two of them. She tried to catalog every bump they went over or every stop and urn they made but eventually she just grew bored of that, giving up on trying to guess which route they were taking in hopes of cluing her in on their end destination. Her foot continuously tapped against the seat in front of her, excited jitters flowing through her as she was unable to sit still at all. When she felt the car stop for a final time as well as movement from Dakota beside her she assumed that they’d finally arrived and quickly sat up and slid herself forward in her seat. The touch of Dakota’s hand on hers had her turning her bead back in his general direction. “So we’re walking somewhere, well I don’t know that could literally be anywhere since I don’t get to use my feet can I at least have one teeny tiny practically minuscule hint as to what you’ve worked up in that head of yours?” She asked holding the had that held his as well as her free one out for him to maneuver her as he pleased for her surprise.

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]

#[ ;texts ]#[ texts ; zaki ]#[ ;zaki ]#:))

dakotagdi:

“Patience is a virtue,” he reminded her with a joking smile, squeezing her hand lightly in his own. “But you’re cute when you’re excited, so I’ll forgive you.” He pressed a quick kiss to her temple before being dragged into the elevator alongside her. When she wrapped her arms around him, Dakota looked down at her with a soft smile, reciprocating the action almost immediately - it was still a little weird, the constant touching and affection. He didn’t mind it, not at all, but it was still all fairly new. He tried to remind himself that even before all this, when they weren’t official, they were still fairly touchy. This was different, though. Holding her hand and wrapping his arms around her and kissing her all in public was all so new that sometimes it was easy to forget that he could. That she wouldn’t mind. He shrugged at her words. “Are you giving me dating advice?” he asked, chuckling lightly, but softening as she continued. Smiling into the kiss she gave him, giving her another before the elevator doors slid open, revealing the lobby of the building. Dakota untangled himself from Onyx just so that they could walk again, keeping his fingers interlocked with hers as he led them back out onto the street. Waving to the doorman, and hailing a cab. When one finally pulled up, he opened up the door for Onyx, letting her slide in before going to the open window to whisper to the driver their mystery location so that the girl in the backseat wouldn’t hear. When the driver nodded, Dakota too slid in next to her, smiling over at her. “Okay, so the blindfold should go on right about now. Do you want to do it, or should I tie it for you?”

When the two of them got into the taxi Onyx watched with eager and curious eyes as Dakota didn't immediately climb in after her. Instead taking the time to whisper something to their driver, presumably wherever the hell his surprise was taking place. This whole thing had Onyx all but vibrating in the seat as she waited for him to join her. She couldn't keep the excited smile off her face even if she tried, someone could probably walk up and punch her and that probably wouldn't change anything at all. Well that's an obvious exaggeration but the sentiment was still there. It was plain to see all the effort he was putting into this whole thing. And for her. He was basically doing all this just for her. In the back of her mind there was a small voice that's just wanted to him why. Like she really didn't see any rhyme or reason for him to go through all of this and carefully set up and plan and clearly put so much thought into for her. She didn't ask him any of that though, just watching him silently for a minute instead when he climbed into the car after her and the two were on their way. Her eyebrow rose when he brought up the blindfold and she looked at him with nothing but complete trust in her eyes as she turned so her back was facing towards him. "You can do it."

#Tag later

[ texts : zaki kitten ]

Zaki: Oh, haha! Don't do that again, Onyx that's mean :P

Zaki: Your passion is very admirable Onyx, but I'm afraid it might be a little misplaced

Zaki: :( I hope you know what you're doing... She's going to give me kale smoothies every day because of this.

Onyx: you're just so fun to mess with sometimes i can;t help myself

Onyx: says you

Onyx: hmm am i that evil to wish that kind of hell upon you? let me think...

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]

Dakota just nodded at her words, though he was curious what was going on in her head. Still, he figured it was best not to pry, and just grinned as she took his hand, following her out of the bedroom, and watching as she closed the door behind them. At her joke, Dakota just exhaled slowly, shaking his head before finally chuckling lightly. “Well, if you were a little more patient, I was gonna wait until we got into the cab,” he chuckled, taking the black scarf he’d worn on purpose to double as a blindfold off his own neck and draping it over hers. “But here you are, ruining the surprises.” He nudged her shoulder gently with his own as they got to the elevator. He pressed the button, and the doors parted. Dakota gestured for her to go first, and then followed her, pressing the button to take them back down to the lobby. “So, I want to make a disclaimer right now that I tried really hard to make this as not-lame as possible. But, if it backfires, I’m blaming it on how boring I am, and that’s something I can’t help, so you don’t get to make fun of me.” He was joking, mostly. He knew she’d make fun of him regardless, but if this all did end up being as lame as Dakota hoped it wasn’t, it would be embarrassing.

As the two walked hand in hand towards the elevator Onyx turned her head to give him a look. “Well that’s on you because when have you ever known me to have any kind of patience?” She pointed out to him and she pressed her weight onto the balls of her feet to rest her head on her shoulder for a minute. She did feel just the tiniest bit bad that she’d jumped the gun and ruined his little blindfold surprise but she couldn’t help it. Surprises were definitely something she absolutely loved, it was just the waiting that she absolutely hated. When the elevator doors opened at his insistence Onyx stepped in first, holding onto his hand to easily tug him towards her so that she could wrap her arms around his waist while the two of them waited to reach the bottom floor. Her head tilted towards his face, a soft and small smile touching at the corners of her lips as she tried to explain to her basically not to get her hopes up in case everything didn’t turn out the way he hoped or she anticipated. “I think for future reference, before the date even gets a chance to begin, you probably shouldn’t try to undersell it.” She told him as she tilted her head from side to side. “But if it backfires, I will of course make fun of you but I’ll also just go with the flow. You can always with enough effort take something bad and turn it into something good.” She leaned in to press a quick kiss against his lips before pulling back and giving him another smile.

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]

“Mm, I remember,” Dakota replied, recalling how she had, without hesitation, tackled him that night in the hotel, bringing them both crashing into the water. That night seemed so far away now, and Dakota supposed it was, but it sort of felt like a distant memory. A memory where Dakota could only dream that Onyx felt nearly a fraction of what he felt for her, the idea of actually having her the way he did now unthinkable. The smile that broke over her features felt like it was lighting a fire in his tummy, and Dakota couldn’t help but return it. “Really,” he responded in kind, her excitement only fueling his own. He was so relieved that she seemed to like his idea, though she didn’t actually know what they were really doing quite yet. He watched as she retreated into her room to change her clothes, tearing his eyes away as she stripped down. He knew, logically, that it was okay to look, that now more than ever she probably wanted him to. Still, it felt a little weird. At the question, however, he just shrugs. “Not one that counted,” he said. “I mean, maybe the movies? But like, we didn’t really acknowledge that it was anything other than two buddies hanging out, so I’m calling this our first date.” He didn’t mention the fact that she’d technically also gotten him off in the back of the theater, either. He smiled as she straightened up, reaching out his hand for hers. “Ready?” he asked.

When Dakota brought up the infamous movie not-date date not only the memory came back to her but also every single emotion she’d been feeling at that time as well. Her nose scrunched up as she remembered just how completely off and awkward she felt because she wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about him at the point. She was just on the cusp of being pushed out of her denial that she liked him into the crushing “oh shit” reality of it. Her mind was trying so hard to hold on for dear life of the whole idea of their friendship staying exactly the way it was and not changing at all that the whole evening was just a huge mess. “Yeah we should probably just not think about that day at all.” Her head shook for a second, earlier wince still lingering on her face. She took his offered hand eagerly in her own while she walked the two a little further out of the doorway so she could close it to keep Pistachio inside. She was too small and this apartment was like a fatal playground to her so whenever Onyx wasn’t around she made sure to keep her safely inside her room. “So are you gonna like restrain me or anything? Maybe blindfold me and tie some rope around my wrists to make this kidnapping a little more authentic or would that just ruin the whole romantic aspect of it for you? Kinky? Yes. Romantic? Actually I don’t know I bet someone out there would probably consider that romantic.”

#best 3 days of my life :')#[ ;zaki ]#[ texts ; zaki ]

[ texts : zaki kitten ]

Zaki: Really? Sorry... did I offend you?

Zaki: You were offended by his request to go running with him? You're funny :P

Zaki: Please don't :(

Onyx: babe i'm fucking with you :p

Onyx: this is something that is very near and dear to my heart

Onyx: the phone is ringing right now

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]

Dakota smiled widely as the door opened, not quite able to hold in the chuckle at her rush to do so. “Hey,” he mimicked, leaning in to press a short kiss to her lips in greeting. “Should I still be worried about those knives?” he asked jokingly. When he felt a scratching at his boots, he looked down and smiled at the sight of Pistachio, bending down to scratch behind her ears before scooping her up into his arms. He laughed slightly as she licked his face, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before looking up at Onyx as she asked her question. “Well, I did promise you that I would kidnap you one day, didn’t I?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, it’s more of a romantic, fun, surprise than a kidnapping, but still, you don’t have a choice, so.” He shrugged, pausing for a second. “Unless you already have plans, then we can do it another day, but the point I’m trying to make, is that we’ve been, you know, us for thirty-eight days now, and we haven’t been on an actual date, which is like, totally not okay.” He looked up at her, trying to gauge Onyx’s reaction to the idea. “And as much as I enjoy just spending the day cuddling and watching movies, and shit, I’ve kinda got a whole afternoon planned out. So, you should get dressed in something warm. You’re gonna need winter boots, for sure.”

Onyx let herself be distracted for a moment from his promise of a surprise when Dakota pressed a quick peck against her lips in greeting. Smile returning to her face. That was one of the little things she really loved when it came to this whole thing they were doing. The little kisses that say hello and goodbye or even just because. It wasn’t a big thing or some grad gesture like some of their other kisses turned out to be. It was simple and she could easily see it becoming second nature. “Nah, you know ‘m more of a brute force kind of girl, knives are just for flash and flair.” She joked with a small laugh, watching with eyes full of affection as he picked up Pistachio and gave he her own special greeting. When he brought up his “kidnapping” idea for a moment Onyx’s mind flashed back to that text conversation they had remembering that he did in fact promise her. She didn’t really think it would be something he would actually follow through with it. Having him show up at her door telling her that no he actually was going to had Onyx’s eyebrows raising as the smile on her face growing until it looks like it was just about to burst off of her face. “Really?” Excitement threaded through her voice as she all but bounced on the balls of her feet. She didn’t even wait for his answer before she headed back into her room and over to her dresser. Shedding off her shorts and t-shirt along the way and trading them for a pair of warm jeans and a longer sleeved shirt. Through her excitement she didn’t even have it in her to tease the fact that he’d apparently counted all the days since they’d made up but while she was shoving her feet into her boots she did pause for a second. “We’ve been on dates though, haven’t we?” She asked with a tilt to her head. It felt like they did things all the time together. Not that she was really in the know all things date like and what does and doesn’t qualify as a date, but she was sure some of the things they did had to qualify as a date. She stood up once her feet were firmly in her shoes, grabbing onto her jacket as she met him back at the door.

[ night changes: onyx & dakota ]