Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 21, 2024 8:57:14 GMT -8
Raein considered what kind of eye shadow he wanted as he let Wooram make the rainbow. He wasn't used to wearing makeup, it was foreign feeling and kind of itchy, but not in a bad or concerning way, just unfamiliar. He sat as still as possible, diverting his eyes as he realized how close and, more importantly, how gorgeous Wooram was.
As Wooram finished the rainbow on his cheek, he gave the makeup palettes another look. "I think I'm more partial to the pastel, they're pretty colors." He said honestly. It wasn't even because they'd be less noticeable, he genuinely liked the colors on the palette and wanted to have them.
He was still nervous about the whole day, but Wooram's excitement was rubbing off on him, and he was really starting to look forward to the day ahead.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 21, 2024 17:18:44 GMT -8
Wooram nodded at Raein's request and said, "I think that the pastels would look nice against your skin anyhow."
He finished up the flag and nodded his approval, moving to working on the eye shadow. He softly told Raein to close his eyes while he worked, and he felt a little bit bad that he took a moment to just appreciate how pretty Raein was. He used a little bit of the bolder colors right by the edge of the eye to sort of mimic the role of eye liner, and then blended them up into the pastels, creating a rainbow gradient from center to outer edge of the eye.
Once he was happy with it, he stepped back and considered Raein's face. He said, "You can open your eyes now."
Then he swallowed a little bit and added, "You look really good. You should go check it in the mirror to make sure you like it."
He added, "We're on the early end, but the little festival thing was supposed to get rolling pretty early, and I don't mind going and getting set up ahead of time."
He was nervous, but he was also excited to go see a smaller parade, and also to get to go with Raein. He went ahead and put on his own lip gloss, considering if offering some to Raein would be too much, and decided that it probably would be. He didn't want to terrify his poor roommate.
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 22, 2024 9:15:46 GMT -8
Raein sat patiently as Wooram put on the eye makeup. It was kind of weird getting makeup put on, but not bad. He went to the bathroom mirror and looked at the person looking back at him. The eye makeup looked professional to him, and the flag was a nice touch. "I love it." He breathed, not even sure if Wooram heard him. This felt like the start of something new, like he was finally coming into himself. His heart ached a bit for the teenage him that had yearned for this chance to be open and out and most importantly, not afraid.
He shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled to Wooram, "We can explore a bit until it's time for the parade. I've never been to Snohomish anyway, so it could fun."
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 22, 2024 12:54:36 GMT -8
Wooram smiled to himself hearing Raein's quiet comment from the bathroom. When Raein returned to the main room, Wooram couldn't help letting a little, "So pretty," slip out in Korean. It wasn't loud, but he blushed a little and busied himself with gathering his things, knowing full well that Raein probably heard him.
He made sure that he had all of the things he would need on a given day tucked in his bag, including back up sunscreen, and a water bottle. He asked, "Is there anything you need to grab? I've got a spare water bottle in my bag, and I don't mind sharing water, but if there's something small, you can tuck it in with my stuff. I might ask you to hold it for a little bit though."
He was nearly bouncing as he went to get his shoes with their rainbow laces on, moment of awkwardness fading fairly quickly for him.
[OOC: feel free to puppet Wooram into Raein's car and on their way towards Snohomish.]
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 22, 2024 19:24:41 GMT -8
Raein considered what they may need for the day, but couldn't think of anything. "No, I think an extra water bottle is all..." He said, though clearly not quite sure what they'd need for the day.
He pulled out shoes he didn't wear as often, a pair of high top Pride Converse that he bought while still living in Olympia, but only had worn just enough for them to be broken in. He got them on and led the way out to the car, waiting until they were both buckled in and ready before moving. He set the course for downtown Snohomish at Wooram's directions, and guessed they'd find parking where they found parking. He let music play softly, not really sure what to chat about, so he shared fun or silly things that his students did that week.
They eventually found parking in a lot of a law firm that was closed on weekends, and there were no signs forbidding parking on weekends. "Alright, not too far from the main street." Raein said with a nod, turning off the car and getting out. He waited for Wooram and looked at the direction of Main Street. "Where to first, do you think? I'm not really hungry, but I wouldn't mind more caffeine." He asked Wooram.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 23, 2024 9:45:22 GMT -8
Wooram smiled at Raein's shoes and said softly, "Those are great shoes, you should wear them more often, and they really complete the outfit."
He was content to trade student stories on the car ride, occasionally mentioning to Raein a student from his class that Raein should watch out for the next year. It was a nice side effect of living with another teacher, though they didn't talk shop all the time.
Wooram hadn't ever been to Snohomish before, but he'd looked at the map and read up all the details on Snohomish Pride over the days leading up to this, so he had ideas. He said, "There's a little festival with booths and stuff that's supposed to already be running. I think that the vendors list had a coffee truck on there, and then a bunch of cool stuff. Since we're early for finding spots to sit and watch the parade or stand and watch the parade, we could go wander it and get a drink."
Not really thinking about it, and used to casual touch among friends because his friend group from high school was like that, and it was what he'd grown up with, Wooram took Raein's hand to lead the way over towards where the little festival was. He realized what he was doing just enough seconds after he'd done it that it felt like withdrawing his hand would be more awkward, and he was suddenly on high alert of paying attention to Raein's reactions. If Raein didn't flinch or pull away though, he figured that he'd just go with it. While that hadn't been the intent of the gesture, he decided that if Raein saw it as flirting he was OK with that outcome as long as it didn't make Raein uncomfortable.
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 23, 2024 18:59:26 GMT -8
"That sounds good." Raein replied simply in response to Wooram's suggestion. Raein felt like his mind kind of stopped when Wooram grabbed his hand, but he liked it. There were a lot of people on the main road today, but it wasn't even half as overwhelming as even just going to downtown Seattle on a non-event day had been. And he was happy for the touch, it was simultaneously grounding and making him feel like he was floating in the clouds. He wondered if Wooram did this with everyone, or if he liked him. He supposed he'd be okay with the latter; Wooram was attractive and Raein enjoyed spending time with him and living with him. He did have to resist the urge to pull his hand back as they approached the more crowded area, a habit from growing up, but instead, he kept his hand there and gave Wooram's hand a quick squeeze.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 24, 2024 12:39:48 GMT -8
Wooram was relieved when Raein didn't flail away from his hand, in fact kept letting him lead the way with their joined hands. He couldn't swallow down the surprised grin that bubbled up when Raein squeezed his hand as they went into a more crowded area, squeezing back gently and turning to look at Raein just a little bit more fully, a slightly searching look on his face behind the smile. He wasn't going to say anything just yet, but he was happy and relieved that Raein didn't seem to mind, maybe even liked holding his hand.
He looked at the area where the booths spread out before them, and saw a little ways past where they were what looked like a few food trucks of some sort or another. He pointed them out to Raein and said, "We can stroll through without stopping at the booths selling things but like look at things and see if there's anything that we're going to want to stop back at, and head for the area where it looks like the food trucks are because I bet your caffeine is over there."
Wooram was not confident that he'd be able to find anything to eat, but he'd packed some emergency snacks in his bag if he needed them. He was a little bit wide eyed looking around, but the different vendors had all sorts of things, just basically all of them themed to be queer in some way or another. He asked Raein softly, leaning in pretty close to be able to speak easily without yelling, "Seeing anything of interest to you?"
Wooram had already seen half a dozen potential T-shirts of interest, ones that he knew that he could wear to school.
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 25, 2024 17:57:46 GMT -8
Raein was actually enjoying the touch from Wooram, because in the thralls of the crowd it was a bit overwhelming, and he welcomed the familiar presence.
"A few t-shirts, and a couple crafts, I'd definitely like to explore it more as we get the chance." He replied, glad when the food stalls started showing up. He found a boba tea stand and pulled Wooram towards it, "Do you see anything you like over here?" He asked, pointing out the boba tea.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 27, 2024 15:46:30 GMT -8
Wooram nodded and said, "There's a bunch of shirts and possibly a few pins and maybe something that I'd use as a classroom poster that I already kind of want. I think that I'll want to walk through the whole little market at least once first before making any decisions."
Wooram gave the boba tea stand that Raein dragged them to serious consideration. They had a honey ginger tea green tea, and he'd have to ask a few questions to see if it was safe, but they also had a plain jasmine green tea, and if he got that unsweetened, it should definitely be safe. He told Raein, "It's got stuff that I could order. One thing for sure, and one that I'm more interested in but that I'd have to ask about."
He remembered meeting for the first time over boba tea, and it made him a little bit fond. He looked over at Raein, a soft expression on his face, and wondered if Raein associated him with that moment at all.
He said, "Once we get our tea, and a snack for you if you're getting one, we can wander through and make a plan about what we might want, then we can go find somewhere to watch the parade, and then after the parade, we can come back and buy ourselves a few things. Sound like a plan?"
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Sept 28, 2024 14:07:59 GMT -8
Raein noticed Wooram's face change but couldn't quite identify it right away, until they were closer to the front of the boba tea line and he remembered their first meeting being at a boba place. He looked away, focusing intently on the menu, though not processing it. He realized Wooram was speaking to him about halfway through what the other man was saying, and looked back at him and nodding. "Yeah, that sounds great." He said simply.
Somehow, this felt like a date. Maybe the hand holding, maybe it was the doing something specifically queer, maybe it was the atmosphere and overall jovial feel of the day, maybe it was bringing up a good memory by sheer accident, but Raein was almost tempted to ask if Wooram felt like it was a date. He was still afraid of confessing, but somehow asking for a date wasn't as frightening of a concept. He decided to blame the queer-friendly and upbeat atmosphere for that feeling.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Sept 30, 2024 14:41:28 GMT -8
The line was moving pretty fast, and they were able to get to the front and make their orders. Wooram was pleased to be able to ask his questions and order the honey ginger green tea.
Once their orders came out, Wooram reached out to take Raein's hand again, this time with a little bit more intentionally, lacing his fingers through Raein's and saying, "Let's go look around."
He watched Raein's reaction this time, wondering what he would find there. He hadn't asked Raein to go to Pride with him because he wanted to ask him out, not that the thought had never crossed his mind in the past, but now that it was turning out this way, and with the way Raein had reacted to their conversation the night before, it was on Wooram's mind. He didn't want to push Raein though, not too hard. It felt nice to hold his hand though, it was something Wooram wanted to do more of.
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Oct 2, 2024 8:51:48 GMT -8
Raein ordered an peach milk tea, happy when they got their order and the drink was delicious. He was a bit surprised when Wooram's hand found his again, feeling a bit shy, only able to nod and sip his drink at Wooram's suggestion to look around. For a second, he wondered just how many people around looked at them and thought they were a couple. And for once, he found that he didn't care if they did. He was getting more and more comfortable here, even with the crowd of people. Wooram had accurately assessed it would be much less stressful than Seattle Pride, which Raein swore he'd go to one day, but he needed probably at least a few more years before he'd be comfortable in that big of a crowd. He was still getting used to the elementary, middle, and high school being separate schools, let alone just how many students he had in an average class period. "This is fun..." He finally got out, giving Wooram a smile.
|
|
5th Grade Teacher.
Gay.
Single.
07/04/1996.
28.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Wooram Mok on Oct 7, 2024 15:54:07 GMT -8
As they wandered through the selling area, Wooram pointed out a few booths that had things he was interested in, glad that it was both actively having people around engaged and excited about Pride while not being too busy. It was nice to have his hand tangled with Raein's, and he was honestly pleasantly surprised that Raein was sticking with holding hands.
When Raein told him that it was fun, he looked up affectionately at his roommate, a big smile blooming on his face, and he gave Raein's hand a small squeeze. He said, "I'm glad, I'm having fun too."
They had gotten back to near the parade route starting area, and he said, "Want to go see if we can find a good spot to watch from? I don't want to get too far down the parade route since we were planning to come back to buy things after, but I don't want to be right at the very beginning either."
|
|
Middle School ESL/Korean I Teacher.
Homosexual.
Single.
06/29/1998.
26.
Tiger (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Raven Raein Kong on Oct 9, 2024 8:55:44 GMT -8
Raein returned the smile to Wooram, finally feeling like he was in his element, and able to relax. He followed Wooram as they wandered towards the parade route, looking at what options they had for seating. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." He agreed. He pointed out nearby a cafe that had available outdoor seating within view of the parade route. "Why don't we sit here? I can get a little something from the cafe so we're actually paying customers taking up their seating. I can grab you something, too, if you'd like." He offered, then motioned to his half finished boba tea. "Though I'm still working on this, I don't mind having two beverages. It's a bit warm anyway."
|
|
