Cress had loved and cherished every new experience since she had landed on Earth a few years ago. In the beginning of their travels together, it had been fairly easy for Thorne to come up with new things to show her. Mountains and forests, cliffs and beaches. Then rainforests, waterfalls and meadows. Big metropolitan cities with bright skylines, and cozy villages with ancient buildings, and lively marketplaces. For Cress, everything was new, and for Thorne, it was like he saw everything for the first time too with Cress at his side. Even mundane things like concerts and watching movies were not a waste of time and money like they felt when he dated other girls.
And so it came that Cress and Thorne's plan for the day included watching a game of baseball. Thorne's favorite team, the L.A. Comets, were playing, and since it wasn't an important game but just a friendly match, it had been fairly easy for Thorne to get some last-minute tickets. Not the best seats, but they didn't mind.
Cress even got a baseball cap with their logo which she wore backwards. Thorne didn't want one (it would ruin his hair, he had told her) but wore a blue jersey with the team's faded logo on it. It must have been the least stylish thing Cress had ever seen him wear. Not that it would damage his "natural good looks"—as he would probably remind her—but his jersey and his leather jacket must have been the only things with sentimental value he owned from the time before he was a wanted criminal. She made a note to ask him about it later but for now, Cress just wanted to enjoy her first game of baseball.
They had just finished singing the national anthem after which a few nearby-seated fans had complimented Cress on her voice. She was still blushing by the time they got seated. Thorne smiled proudly as if it were him who got all those compliments.
"I forgot a few words," Cress confessed under breath, so only Thorne could hear.
"Me too," he mouthed back. Although having pledged and sung his way through his school years and major events, Thorne knew the words by heart. He had actually been too distracted by Cress's lovely voice to focus completely on the lines, but she didn't need to know that.
The game was about to start, but Cress was distracted by the roaring fans around them who tried to initiate a popular chant for their team (at least Cress supposed it was popular by the way most chimed in), and the food vendors selling everything from hot dogs to popcorn. Her stomach growled at the sight.
Cress looked up at the monitor where some player or another was shown but the names didn't mean much to her. In the first two years after they started their big world tour, Cress had attempted to research every single place and activity. She had looked up maps and facts and trivia about every single place and although the maps had come in handy (since Thorne, for all of his many talents, didn't have the best sense of direction), most of the other information were superfluous. Interesting, but not worth the time she spent on her portscreen.
Right now, Cress was more concerned with deciding between all those different foods. Hot dogs, pizza slices, peanuts and a variety of sweet treats. Thorne had already waved several vendors to their seats, and bought a few things from everyone. He knew how much Cress liked to sample everything. He also ordered a beer for himself. As always, Cress took a sip from his bottle but was glad to get a green apple slushie instead.
"Sure you got enough?" Thorne pointed with a grin at all the different boxes and plates she had stacked around herself and on her lap.
"Yep. But I could be persuaded to share with you."
Thorne gasped, as if in awe by her selfless offer. "Oh, how gracious of you."
"Always," she said with a wink. "That's part of my charm." Thorne chuckled but then focused on the game, only stopping to sip on his beer.
Cress happily munched on her hot dog. And some fries. And a corn dog. Offering Thorne a few bites as well, which he happily ate from her hands. It didn't take long before her fingers were sticky with grease and ketchup. His remained clean. Typical.
"You want me to explain the game?"
"Nah, I'm good." At the skeptical look he gave her, she cried, "I am."
"Sure. You don't even follow the game. You probably don't even know the score, I bet." Cress tried to sneak a peek at the monitor but Thorne quickly placed his hands over her eyes. "Uh-uh. No cheating."
"I know that this game has everything a good baseball game needs," she said confidently.
"Which would be?" He took his hands from her eyes and looked at her amused.
"Players."
"You don't say?"
"And those sticks they're carrying."
"Bats."
"Bats, right. And since it's baseball, what would it be without ... bases and a ball?" She grinned at him and he laughed at the mischievous glint in her eyes.
He nudged her with his elbow. "Nice try, Miss Darnel." Then he hugged her close to his side and, after looking at her shiny lips, decided to kiss her temple instead. After living in dusty lava tubes and a sterile satellite for most of her life, Cress didn't mind stains or a few specks of dirt
Thorne on the other hand... he loved Cress, no doubt about it. He became a hero for her. But that didn't mean Thorne had to kiss or touch her sticky lips or hands. He had once made the mistake of kissing Cress's hand only to find out afterwards that she had used the very same hands to milk one of Scarlet's cows before proceeding to carry a sick chicken around. No, Cress's temple was the much cleaner option. She seemed happy all the same.
"We're behind, by the way. The team, I mean," he told her, pointing to the current score displayed on the monitor.
"Aww." Those poor guys. All this running around and - wait? Were they even playing? A star-shaped mascot was running and dancing on the field and when Cress looked around, she saw people getting up."Is the game already over?"
Thorne laughed. It was her favorite sound, Thorne's deep, rough laugh that held no malice. It never made her feel like a fool but like they just shared a joke. She saw a few girls turning their heads to look for the source of that laugh but shrugged when they saw his arm around her. Cress shook her head. Thorne didn't even need to try to get girls to notice him. She hugged herself a bit closer to him. Just enough to give those girls the right idea, but they already seemed to have found someone else to swoon over. Good.
"It's just the seventh-inning stretch, darling. Won't be much longer though."
Cress shrugged. "Okay." As if to make her point, she waved a churro around. "I got everything I need."
"We should update our activity feed, don't you think? Let the others know what we're up to right now."
Thorne loved posting about their travels. Cress also liked to revisit the pictures they took afterwards, but generally didn't follow her feed too much. After a life that she lived almost exclusively via netdramas and newsfeeds, Cress loved that she didn't have to anymore. She only replied if their friends posted something, which rarely happened. But Thorne loved to update his activity feed and interact with their many fans. After the revolution, many wanted to know more about what the key players were up to and Thorne was more than willing to post about their adventures and share their best photos.
Thorne held the portscreen so they would both show in the picture. Cress made sure to swallow the last piece of her churro before she smiled into the camera. Thorne would undoubtedly check if they both looked good in it before posting. He nodded and since he didn't take another photo, it meant that it was already posted.
"Play Ball. Not the most unique tagline for sure but it will tell people where we are." They heard a ping from his portscreen and Thorne proceeded to open a message. He was expecting the first loyal fans commenting, not a video feed from, "Scarlet! Bonjour, ma chère," he said with an exaggerated French accent, not in the least bothered by the simultaneous groans of Scarlet and Cress. "What can I do for you?"
"Thorne! This is disgusting. All this food can't be healthy for Cress. Remember the time she got sick after that all-you-can-eat buffet in Chicago?"
Thorne couldn't help but grimace at that memory. "Please don't remind me."
Cress looked around her at the copious amount of empty boxes, paper plates and napkins, some of them still showing the last remains of a hot dog bun, some fries and peanuts. Nothing had remained of the churro, the corn dog, or the pretzel. She shrugged, not in the least perturbed. This was nothing on what she'd had in Chicago.
"But Scarlet, we're at a baseball game. And it's the duty of every lawful citizen of the American Republic to consume their sport with as much junk food as possible."
"You can't just feed her junk food all day. I refuse to believe that there is no fresh, healthy food to be found in the American Republic somewhere, despite its reputation."
"Hey, I resent that. Just today, we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast."
Cress heard Scarlet groan again, louder this time. "Please, give her at least something green today, Thorne."
"Already a step ahead of you, my dear." He pointed his portscreen towards Cress, so Scarlet could see for herself. "Show her, Cress."
Cress duly obliged and held up her indeed very green beverage for Scarlet to see with a triumphant smile.
"A slushie does NOT count!" Scarlet cried, exasperated.
"But Scarlet, look." Cress stuck out her tongue. "Ma 'ongue i' geen."
"Beautiful, darling," Thorne said, and Cress knew then he had probably taken a picture of her. "See, Scarlet? I take good care of my girl."
"You! I expect both of you within the next week. I'll get some vitamins into you to make up for your horrendous diet." With that, Scarlet disappeared from the portscreen.
Cress wiped her fingers clean, full and happy. A game of baseball had been a wonderful idea, indeed. Not she had seen all that much of the actual game, but still.
"A visit to the Benoit farm, free food and we don't even have to lift a finger to get it? Sounds good. Anything we need to—" Thorne's eyes flickered as if he had just noticed something interesting. Before Cress could turn around to see what it was, Thorne's lips were already on hers. Instead of being surprised, Cress instantly responded. She closed her eyes and got lost in the kiss.
His spontaneous kisses didn't leave her squeaking and immobile like they had in the weeks following the revolution, but she still felt the rush of excitement nonetheless. His smooth lips caressed hers, as sure as always with a touch of barely restrained passion simmering beneath. The chants, the crowd, the whole stadium vanished and the only thing Cress could focus on was Thorne's lips coaxing hers, his tongue coaxing hers, sending shudders up and down her body despite the growing warmth within her. While his arms slowly released her, his lips lingered on hers for just a touch longer. Pressing a short, sweet kiss to her lips, once, twice, before leaning back.
Cress opened her eyes, still a bit dazed. "That was—"
"Positively disgusting," Thorne said, wiping his lips with his thumb and taking a sip of his beer.
"Excuse me?!" How could he say that? The last less-than-flattering thing he had said to her had been about her long, tangled mess of her when he saw her for the first time. Since then, he had been full of nothing but compliments for her. Cress squeezed her lips together, just in case although why exactly, she didn't know.
"Cress, you taste like ketchup, peanuts and apples. Not the best combo, believe me."
"And you ... you tasted like beer. That was disgusting too."
"I didn't hear you complaining before." He bit his lips in that sexy way only he knew and comically wiggled his eyebrows at her.
And just like that, she had to laugh. She still threw a napkin at him for good measure, hoping it was one with copious amounts of ketchup, peanuts and green apple slushie on it. When that didn't work, she launched at him, and while he managed to keep her hands away from him, she still managed to slobber some "positively disgusting" kisses on his chin and cheeks.
"Ewww, Cress," Thorne cried, but she could hear the chuckle he tried to hide while he wiggled away from her. "Stop it."
"Do you give?"
"Aces, yes." He didn't even try to save his pride!
"Who is the captain?"
It was a game between them, getting the other one to admit who the true captain of the Rampion was. Usually, Cress had no problem leaving that title to Thorne (and he had earned it from Cinder and President Vargas already when he leased the Rampion) and still called him that. But from time to time it was good to take his massive ego down a notch.
"You are. Captain Crescent Moon Darnel. Captain of the endless sky and my heart. Now stop kissing me!"
"Stop kissing you? Are those the words of the famous Cadet Thorne? Master of love and "connoisseur" of women?" She looked at him with a mock expression of surprise but released him.
He lost no time wiping at his face.
"Positively disgusting and positively evil. Probably the most Lunar thing you ever did." Thorne made sure to say the last part so quietly that only Cress could hear it. New alliance or not, regular people were still wary about Lunars. It would take more than a few years until prejudices on both sides would cease to be.
When he looked at Cress though, instead of a light-hearted grin, she glanced sadly at the fingers of his right hand. The two cyborg fingers there were by now indistinguishable from the rest. Unlike Scarlet, who never got a cyborg replacement to begin with, or Cinder, who still sported her titanium hand, Thorne had decided to get a skin graft. Why not take advantage of the technology they had? They looked and worked just like his other fingers, if lacking the authentic feel, so even Thorne often forgot that they weren't real.
Making sure to use his cyborg fingers, he tweaked Cress's nose before she would, once more, feel guilty about it. "Aside from secretly eating up my favorite ice cream, that is. You still owe me a whole pint of peanut butter brownie, don't forget."
Cress beamed at him once more. "That was my ice cream, and," she added when he tried to object, "I'm the captain today and the captain is always right."
He would have to remember that line. "Is that so?"
"Yep."
"In that case, you won't get the surprise I have for you."
"Surprise?" Cress faltered for a bit. She did love surprises, after all.
"Oh yes," he said, knowing fully well that Cress would hardly be able to resist such an offer. "Just for you. In exchange for my title and the ice cream, that is. Deal?"
Cress looked at him suspiciously and the way she wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips was cuter than should be possible. Thorne resisted the urge to kiss her again, with or without the apple-peanut-ketchup taste. Thorne could see the way she debated with herself and leaned confidently back in his seat.
"A surprise for me? And you're not lying?"
Thorne gasped at her, clutching his chest as if he were wounded. "Lying? Me? To you? Cress, I'm offended that you would even entertain that idea that I, Captain Carswell Thorne, the most amazing, charming and handsome boyfriend ever, would lie to his lady." For good measure, he sighed loudly and shook his head. "My love, have I ever lied to you?"
Cress considered this for a few seconds. "Okay, deal...Captain." She only hoped the surprise would make up for the ice cream. If not, she would just eat it herself...again.
"Good." Thorne nodded. "Look, the game's started again."
And it had. This time, Cress made sure to pay more attention and was soon just as excited as the roaring crowd around her. She clapped and booed alongside Thorne although it was clear from the score that it was unlikely the L.A. Comets would be able to catch up.
It didn't matter though, Cress still enjoyed herself. Admittedly, she was a bit dejected when their team eventually lost to their opponents. She still kept on her blue baseball cap. The L.A. comets were now her team too, defeated or not.
She glanced at Thorne and hoped he wasn't too disappointed. She knew how much Thorne liked to win. "I'm sorry your team lost."
Thorne looked at her but instead of being disappointed, he seemed downright cheerful. "Ah, don't worry about it. They're not a great team. Haven't won anything in years."
"Aww," Cress couldn't help it, but this loyalty to his team, even if they didn't share his unfailing streak of luck, was endearing. "But you still came and cheered for them."
"Sure did. Old habits die hard," Thorne told her. but before Cress could ask for how long he had been a fan, Thorne's portscreen pinged. When Thorne's good mood increased even more, Cress tried to sneak a peak at the comm. Maybe some comments on their pic? Instead, the comm read CONGRATULATIONS in bright, glaring colors.
"Congratulations for what?" Cress asked.
Thorne thought about not telling her but then again, why should he hide anything from his girlfriend? "Look for yourself."
Tentatively, Cress took his portscreen and opened the comm. The glaring CONGRATULATIONS burst into streams of confetti that fluttered around the display. After they disappeared, a text popped up that was obviously automatically generated.
Recipient ID #0082688359
Subject: You've won (bet number 13-659-XTL-AD-7)
Dear Mr Thorne,
congratulations on your excellent bet on today's game L.A. Comets vs Seattle Cirrus. The bet you've placed amounts to a total winnings of 546 univs. The money has already been transferred to your account. We hope you'll return soon for more sport bets.
The rest of the comm suggested some more games in the next couples of days, but Cress didn't read any further. She could only stare at Thorne, her mouth wide open in disbelief. "You...placed a bet against your own team?!"
Thorne shrugged. "I might be a loyal fan but I'm a businessman first. No chance I would ever set my money on the L.A. Comets after they managed to kick out every player that might have secured us the championship in the last twenty years." After one glance at her pouty face, he added, "Don't look at me like that. Sports betting is a most noble tradition and has nothing to do with playing favorites." Although sports betting was a bit riskier than his usual game of Royals, with a bit of strategy (and his infamous luck) Thorne usually knew how to place a good bet. And the 546 univs he'd just won proved his point.
It still didn't feel right in Cress's opinion, but then again, what else did she expect from Thorne? "Is that the surprise you told me about? Because let me tell you, you winning money by betting against your own team somehow doesn't surprise me."
"You're cute. Have I told you that? I feel it's been awhile."
"Apparently you were too busy being disgusted by my kisses," she retorted. She noticed that the stadium was almost empty by now but she and Thorne were usually the last to leave. They both didn't like having to squeeze themselves through the crowds but rather waited until they had enough room to move. "Now, is the bet the surprise you told me about?"
"Well, someone is impatient. But no, this wasn't the surprise. Let's go and then I can treat my girl—with the money I just won from betting against my own team," he added with a wink.
Cress gathered her belongings and the boxes and napkins she had used but was glad when Thorne offered to take them to the trash. Instead, she looked into her bag for a bubblegum—after all, she did want to kiss Thorne at some point today and by now, even she didn't like the taste that the fast food had left in her mouth. Getting fresh meals on the Benoit Farm sounded perfect right now. She would ask Thorne if they could buy a fruit salad on the way home.
Thorne held out his hand for Cress, glad that they weren't sticky anymore, and led her up the stairs. People were still gathered in the hall, some waiting for friends, others mingling in among the booths that sold merchandise. And as sure as the stars in the sky, Cress steered them towards the booths. This was going according to Thorne's plan, he noted while he let Cress happily browse the stalls. She paid for a jersey that would surely be too big for her. Thorne had the faint idea she only did that because she felt bad that he had betted against his team and wanted to give something back. If only the money for an overpriced jersey.
Cress led him to the booth that showed the best moments from the game as holographs, alongside the usual players' portraits. Most of the moments were caught in a loop and emitted from a small device one could buy. Pitchers throwing the ball over and over again, batters hitting the ball right on, and then…
"That's us! Thorne, look, it's us! We're kissing!" Cress squeaked excitedly, causing several people to turn into their direction. Cress didn't care but pointed at a holograph that emitted a miniature version of them, locked in a passionate kiss. Every detail was captured, from Cress's blonde braids that showed from underneath her blue baseball cap, the faded colors of Thorne's jersey and… "Thorne, are you…checking yourself out in the camera?"
"What?" But there it was, plain as day. One second, holograph-Thorne was leaning passionately into the kiss, the next one of his eyes open as if searching for something, and then holograph-Thorne winked into the direction of the camera. Oh. "Nah, must be a fluke. But stars, we're on the kiss cam, Cress, can you believe it? Isn't that a great surprise, just like I promised? Let's buy it. Let's buy a few, actually," he quickly added with a nervous laugh.
"If you want, you can put the holograph on stand-by, miss," the vendor offered. "See, you can just arrange so it will only show one fraction of the feed or you can adjust it and it only shows the seconds you want." With a pointed look at Thorne, he handed Cress the device.
But she shook her head. "This is perfect, thank you. I wouldn't have it any other way." And she didn't. There he was, her Thorne - just as much in love with himself as he was with her. Well, almost as much as with her. "We'll take one." Before she could, Thorne held out his wrist, so the vendor could swipe his portscreen across it and get his payment. He then handed her the small device, the feed still playing and casting a myriad of colors over her face.
Cress held the device carefully in her hands, the kiss replaying over and over in front of her. "Thank you," she said, but Thorne wasn't sure if she meant him or the vendor. In any case, Thorne thanked him too and steered Cress towards the exit. She fit comfortably under his arm but still didn't take her eyes away from the holograph.
"So...did you enjoy the game?" Thorne asked.
While Thorne had no plans to regularly go to the games (they traveled too much for that anyway), he still hoped that she hadn't been bored too much. Thorne had promised himself to show Cress the world, but by now it became a bit harder to find things that were new and interesting to her. "I mean, we don't have to come back or anything, but was it okay that we went today?"
Cress considered this. She would be lying if she said that she cared more for baseball now, or any sport, than before. But the food had been excellent, and the singing and the shouting and the overall excitement of the people around her had been fun.
But the kiss cam had been her favorite. Cress had obviously known about them, back when she had been stuck in her satellite—even dreamed of being caught on one. If only she had been more prepared for it. Then she could have worn a cute jersey, like the one she just bought, and maybe could have smiled at the camera too.
And Cress had learned, if she wanted something, she had to make it work.
"Sure. Is there a game next week, too?"
"You want to go again?" Thorne couldn't hide his surprise. "You actually liked it?"
"Yes. You know, this time I didn't really focus on the game but next time I will. Maybe learn the rules. Oh, and I haven't tried all the food yet. So, can we go again?"
Thorne considered it. "Well, Scarlet invited us for next week but maybe the week after."
She finally turned off the holograph and stored it in her bag. "Sounds good. After all, I do want to see our team winning." And maybe get featured on the kiss cam once more.
"Ha, good luck with that." Thorne laughed and added, "If you're waiting for them to win, you might as well attend the games for the next twenty years, too. And even then they would need every bit of luck they can get."
Cress hugged herself closer to him as they made their way to their podship. "What a good thing then that they have Captain Carswell Thorne as their biggest fan."