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Crafty
The knock on the door startled Ephram a little. His dad had taken Delia out for some Christmas and Chanukah shopping and he was deeply engrossed in his newest manga. Scowling a little, Ephram opened the door and said gruffly, “What do you want?”
“Hello to you, too.” Bright said as he pushed his way inside. He was carrying several bags and Ephram sighed. This was probably going to take a while.
He and Bright were getting along a lot better lately, but Ephram was busy. And seeing Bright just reminded of the dream he’d had the night before. He hadn’t told anyone that his dreams as of late had changed. Instead of Amy or female celebrities, they’d been starring Bright. And that one time Clark from Smallville, but that was just a freak occurrence.
At least that was what he’d convinced himself while he was shoving his sheets into the washing machine later that morning.
He didn’t know what all the dreams about Bright meant, but he was pretty sure it meant he was a little bit gay.
“What’s going on?” Ephram asked.
Bright grinned at him. “Okay. So you know Amy is still going through a hard time. I want to put this album together for her of past Christmases with Grandpa, with Colin, with all the happier times. I need your help. I’m not good at this stuff.”
“Why me?”
“Who else am I going to ask?”
“Okay, true. But, what makes you think I’ll want to help?”
Bright faltered a little before he sat down and started pulling things from his bags - a box of pictures, a large cellophane-wrapped album, a few loose pictures. He spread them out on the coffee table in front of the couch. There were more boxes of pictures in the other bags. “Because. You want Amy to be happy and you have nothing else to do, except read your silly comic books.”
“It’s manga, not comic….oh, nevermind.” Ephram crossed his legs and sank to the floor, opposite Bright. “What do you want me to do?” Maybe if he didn’t have to sit next to him, he could think about Bright less.
Grinning because he’d won, Bright opened the box of pictures and started separating them into little piles. “Well, I’m going to try to organize these and you could maybe take these little things and put the pictures into the album with them?” He held out a little package of black photo corners.
Ephram took the package and grabbed the album, starting to unwrap it. They were mostly silent as they worked. Bright seemed to be concentrating on the pictures and Ephram was more than happy to not have to make small talk. And it wasn’t awkward or anything. As the afternoon wore on, Ephram realized how comfortable he was with Bright.
~*~
There were tons of pictures of Amy when she was little, holding up Barbie dolls and slippers and pajamas that she’d received as gifts. Piles of Christmas wrapping paper always surrounded her. Little stacks of photos, one for each year, like their parents had spent just as much on gifts as they did on photo developing, were covering the table.
He could chart the progression in his mind of her ages. There were pigtails and gaps in her teeth where she’d lost them as a little girl of probably about six. There were the pictures of a couple years later where Amy was a little older – she had buckteeth instead of gaps -- and rather than dolls, there were pink outfits and board games. Ephram smiled as he worked.
Bright was in some of them. He was always making weird faces and posing for the camera, pushing his way into the pictures, rather than waiting his turn. Ephram was sure there were more boxes in the Abbot attic full of pictures of Bright with his Christmas gifts -- probably action figures and random sporting equipment that gave way to clothing, CD players and Game Boys.
And with every pile, there was the final picture in the series. Bright and Amy both sitting cross-legged in front of a brightly lit tree with lots of gifts around them. Both of them holding one thing up and grinning for the camera.
Sometimes there was a younger looking Mrs. Abbot in them, or a smiling man that Ephram didn’t recognize, sitting with Edna. Dr. Abbot was nowhere to be found. He probably took all the pictures.
Though he’d never admit it, Ephram was actually enjoying seeing the small glimpses into the Abbot life. He didn’t remember a time when his own was like that.
For as long as he could remember, his dad was never around. Working, or rushing off for a sick patient. ‘Illness never takes a holiday,’ his mom would say with a tight smile.
Ephram knew his mom had always taken care of all of the holiday pictures and their subsequent album placement. The year before, his dad had taken a bunch of digital pictures and they were probably stored somewhere on the computer, or a memory disk somewhere, never to be looked at again. He thought of the albums in their own attic that his mother had lovingly put together to chronicle the years of his and Delia’s existence.
He knew his father tried, but it was never the same. It would never be the same. A little sad, Ephram looked up to find Bright staring at him.
“Dude, what are you looking at?”
“Just the look on your face. You were kind of far away there.”
“I was just thinking. You should try it sometime,” he said half-heartedly.
Bright smiled and they went back to their pictures.
~*~
Ephram realized it was late in the afternoon. Delia and Andy would probably be back any minute with either take-out food of some kind or plans to go back out for dinner. Ephram glanced up at the clock before sitting back and stretching his arms over his head. He felt his shirt ruck up a little bit, exposing the skin of his stomach, but he didn’t stop until he felt his back crack a few times.
He relaxed a little, tugging his shirt down as he tilted his head to both sides. He’d been sitting on the floor for a while and he really needed to move. When he opened his eyes, Bright was staring at him. He scowled a little bit and when he moved to stand up, Bright shook his head and looked back at the pictures in his hand. “Want a soda or water or something?”
Bright nodded absently, and tugged one of the pictures in his hand out to hand to Ephram. “This is my Grandpa. You know, my dad’s dad? He was really special.” He smiled again as he looked at more of the pictures in his hand.
Ephram sat next to Bright on the couch, figuring it wouldn’t hurt for a few seconds, and looked at the picture closely. He could tell some of the features that Bright and the man in the photo shared. It may have been the mouth or maybe the eyes. He handed the picture back and nodded, but he didn’t know what to say. He knew that the man had died and then Edna had married Irv, and there was probably something more there, a reason that maybe Bright and Edna didn’t get along, but he wasn’t going to ask or anything.
“Did you want that drink?”
Bright nodded and Ephram got up to go to the fridge. He pulled a couple of cans of Coke from the back where it was the most cold.
Ephram sat back down next to Bright on the couch and set both sodas in front of them, being careful not to get them too close to any photos. Bright looked over at him for a second and then back at the pictures. At least the stacks were getting smaller. Ephram figured they didn’t have much left to do.
“We’re almost done, right?”
Bright nodded. “I’m pretty much done with the sorting. I think we just have to put these last ones in.”
“Cool. What are we doing after?”
Shrugging, Bright smiled slowly. “You mean like a date? We’ve talked about this before, Ephram.”
Ephram slugged Bright, even as he blushed slightly, and sighed, exasperated. “You’re a dork. I still haven’t seen the new Matrix movie, and I hate going alone. My dad won’t let me take Delia.”
Bright made a face. “I heard that it sucked big time.”
“Yeah, me too. But I want to at least see how it ends, you know?”
“I totally get you. We can finish this tomorrow. If you’re hungry, we can stop.” Bright was smiling now.
“That works for me.” Ephram surveyed the table. “But how are we going to keep these in order? I don’t want to wait for you to sort them again.”
“I don’t know. Um…”
“I know. Envelopes. Each stack goes into its own envelope, you can label them and then there’s no mess.”
“Awesome, dude.”
They cleaned up and put things back into the bags that Bright had brought. After setting them inside Ephram’s room and leaving a short note for his dad, Ephram grabbed his jacket and then locked the door behind them. Most people didn’t do that in Everwood, but Ephram had weird issues from New York, and still did no matter what anyone said.
And this wasn’t a date. Even if he wanted it to be.
~*~
Bright drove. It made sense – Ephram’s car, at best, had spotty heating, and it was cold. Ephram probably sat closer than he had to, but he didn’t care. Besides, Bright was warm.
“Ephram, dude. Are you trying to snuggle with me?”
“Shut up. No. I’m cold.”
“Skinny little thing. You need to put some meat on your bones.”
“Who talks like that? I’m not too skinny. I’m just cold.”
Bright reached over and turned the heat a little higher. “It’s okay. I don’t mind snuggling.”
Ephram gave him a look before settling a little closer, and he ignored the little smile Bright had when he turned to look at him. It couldn’t mean anything.
~*~
They went through the McDonald’s drive-through. And despite Ephram’s protests, Bright paid for the whole thing.
“Fine, I’m buying the popcorn. This isn’t a date,” Ephram grumbled.
“That’s fine. But I want Twizzlers and Junior Mints, too.”
“You’re like a fucking bottomless pit.”
Bright grinned and shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.
“That’s just disgusting,” Ephram said as he pulled a couple of fries from his own container.
“Whatever, dude. I like fries.”
“I got that.”
They ate on the way to the theater. They weren’t quite done eating when they got there, so they sat in Bright’s truck and finished. He left it running, the heater blasting away.
“Did you see the other two Matrix movies?”
Bright gave Ephram a look like he had two heads. “Duh. Of course. I went with…I went with Colin for the first one. But I think I went with some of the guys over the summer for Reloaded. That second one kind of blew.”
“Yeah. The first one was the best. I hate it when they screw with good movies.”
Bright nodded and shook his container of fries. “I’m finished. How about you?”
“I’m good.”
Bright turned off the truck and they wadded up their trash. They tossed it in one of the trashcans as they made their way down the street to the box office. The next showing of The Matrix: Revolutions wasn’t much of a wait, so they each bought their own ticket after a look from Ephram and then made their way inside to the snack bar.
It wasn’t really crowded. Even though the kids were on vacation from school, it was close enough to dinnertime that almost everyone was elsewhere.
“Cool! If we get the bucket of popcorn, we can get refills!” Bright pointed at one of the signs hung behind the snack bar.
Ephram rolled his eyes. But when they got to the counter, he ordered one anyway. “One extra-large popcorn, two large Cokes. What else did you want, Bottomless-Pit, I mean, Bright?”
“Twizzlers. And Junior Mints,” Bright said eagerly.
Ephram rolled his eyes. “Right. Okay and I want the peanut butter M-n-Ms.”
“That will be twenty dollars and fifty cents.” Ephram handed over his dad’s credit card. His dad was good for some things.
Ephram loaded down his arms with all the candy and one of the drinks, while Bright took the other Coke and grabbed the popcorn. There wasn’t a line, and the theater was already seating, so they made their way inside and found seats towards the back.
He didn’t want to sit in the *last* row, because that had meanings that he just didn’t want to think about. And this wasn’t a date. Even though he’d – okay, his dad – had just paid for movies and a huge amount of food for Bright.
Bright grinned at him and started shoveling popcorn into his mouth. “Jesus, Bright, is there anything you won’t shove in there?”
Oh. That sounded really bad. Bright burst out laughing and practically choked on the amount of food in his mouth. He ended up coughing, which completely distracted him from the amazing blush that had spread across Ephram’s face.
“No,” he wheezed. “That was so funny. And the look on your face was great.”
“Shut up. That’s not what I meant.” He grabbed a handful of popcorn and put one piece into his mouth at a time, and stared dutifully at the ads on the screen. Their fingers kept brushing in the tub. And Ephram was trying really hard to not pay attention to the way Bright kept sucking the butter off of his fingers.
By the time the lights dimmed and the pre-views started, most of the popcorn was gone. Bright had moved onto his box of Junior mints, noisily shaking them into his mouth straight from the box. Thankfully, there weren’t many people to give them looks or shush them. Ephram just glared at Bright.
The movie started and Ephram stared, engrossed, at the screen. Bright leaned over and whispered, “He looks good.”
“What?” Ephram whispered back.
“Neo. Keanu. Dude.”
Ephram turned and looked at Bright, who was still staring at the screen. “Did you just tell me that Keanu looks good? You don’t mean Trinity?”
Bright tilted his head and grinned. “Well, sure, she’s hot too, but… Keanu. I don’t know what it is.”
Ephram wasn’t sure how to answer. He agreed, but it could be some elaborate trick or something. “I…Shh. We’ll talk about it after the movie. But, yeah.”
Bright grinned at him again and turned back to the movie. Ephram was completely surprised. He really had no idea what to say. Bright was cuter anyway.
~*~
It turned out that the movie did suck, quite a bit, as a matter of fact. When the credits started to roll, Ephram looked over at Bright. “That was a little disappointing.”
“That sucked. A lot. Why did they do that? That was so stupid.”
Bright stood up and Ephram collected their trash. The boxes, cups, popcorn bucket…he crushed them the best he could and stood, following Bright out of the theater. He tossed the refuse into the can near the exit and they walked towards Bright’s truck.
Ephram pulled his jacket a little tighter around him and shivered as he stepped into the cold air. “Jesus,” he breathed. The wind was strong. He really hated Colorado. Even if it did have its redeeming qualities.
He climbed into Bright’s truck and waited for the heater to start up. Stupid weather. He looked at Bright, and for a full second contemplated how warm it would be if he burrowed close and Bright wrapped his arms around him. He shook his head and tried to stop his teeth from chattering while he warmed up.
“You could try snuggling again.”
“Shut up, I wasn’t doing that.”
“I told you I didn’t mind.”
“Whatever.”
The interior light blinked out just as the heater turned to warm. Ephram wasn’t paying attention as Bright put the truck into gear and backed out of the spot. And he really wasn’t paying attention when a hand reached out and yanked him closer. And wrapped around him.
Bright was snuggling with *him*. There was definite cuddling.
At first, Ephram tried to pull away, but after a few seconds, relaxed into him and smiled to himself. This could be good.
It wasn’t far to Ephram’s house. Bright kept his arm around Ephram the entire time. When he got to the Brown’s he stopped and took his arm from around Ephram to put the truck into park.
“You know, Keanu isn’t the only guy I find good looking.”
Bright was practically whispering. Ephram turned slightly to look at him and smiled. “Me, either.”
“Yeah?”
Ephram nodded. He took a deep breath and leaned in to press his lips to Bright’s for a very brief kiss. It was a little weird. He’d never actually kissed a guy before.
Bright pulled back immediately. “What…okay. Okay.”
“I thought…”
“No. I…you just surprised me.”
“Sorry,” Ephram whispered. He really wanted to kiss him again.
Bright didn’t answer him. He stared at Ephram for a few seconds before he leaned in and kissed him properly. His mouth opened and his tongue darted out. Ephram let out a noise of surprise, but it was so good, he melted into it.
God, God, God! He was kissing Bright. Bright was kissing him. And he was starting to get hard. Shit. Ephram had to get out of the truck before one of them freaked out. And it would probably be him.
Ephram pulled back and jumped across the seat. The porch light came on conveniently at that point and he groped for the door handle. “I have to go in.”
The look on Bright’s face was a mixture of surprise and lust. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. More than okay. I just…” He scooted across the seat and kissed Bright again quickly before practically leaping from the cab of the truck. “I’ll see you tomorrow? So we can finish the album?”
Bright nodded. The interior light flooded them as Ephram got the door open and he ran up the walk. Just before he let his front door close, he turned to look at the truck and waved.
When he was safely inside, Ephram leaned against the door. He still couldn’t believe he’d just been on a date with Bright, had kissed Bright. And there were plans for tomorrow. Grinning, he made his way up the stairs. For some reason, he chose not to panic. Much.
~*~
Ephram was excited when he woke up the next day. He’d successfully avoided his father when he’d gotten home the night before. And Bright was coming over. Maybe he could talk him into making out. Maybe this time with a little groping involved. He grinned to himself while he brushed his teeth.
It was surprisingly hard to brush one’s teeth while grinning. Who knew?
“Good morning,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. Delia was eating cereal and his dad was reading the newspaper. Ephram poured himself a cup of coffee and, after sweetening and lightening it, sipped it slowly. At the table, he fished the section with the comics out of the pile of paper and sat down to read.
He didn’t notice the look his dad and Delia exchanged. “You’re in an awfully good mood.”
Ephram looked up. “Am I? Oh, I guess I am,” he said before going pack to his black and white panels.
“What’s this all about?”
“Maybe I’ve just been infused with the holiday spirit.”
“Sure, Ephram. Do you buy that Delia?”
“No way. I think it’s a pod person.”
“I am inclined to agree with you.”
Ephram ignored the both of them. He kept glancing between the paper and his watch. He wondered what time Bright would be over. And how he could get rid of his dad and sister between now and then.
~*~
He’d gotten lucky. Well, not *that* lucky. But his dad had gone into the office and Delia was playing at the neighbor’s. But he still had no idea what time Bright would be there.
By noon, he was starting to panic. Maybe Bright had thought it over and decided that the whole kissing thing, and not-date had been a mistake. Maybe he wasn’t going to show up at all. Maybe he was just going to send his mom over to collect the album stuff.
He changed the channels on the television without focusing long enough on one to actually decipher what was on the screen. He tossed the remote down on the table in disgust and tried to pick up the manga he’d been engrossed in the day before.
He realized he’d read the same page about five times before he set that down, too. Ephram was going to have to call Bright. See what time he was going to be there. Maybe they could order a pizza. He checked his watch, noting the time at just after one and decided that it was the perfect time to call.
Ephram dialed the number from memory, carefully blocking out the fact that he’d memorized it when he’d been obsessed with Bright’s sister. He worried suddenly that maybe Amy would pick up the phone. Or Dr. Abbot. Or anyone that wasn’t Bright, really. Or he’d get a machine. Shit.
Someone answered after only two of rings.
“Hello?”
“Bright?” He was relieved for a second until he thought that maybe it wasn’t Bright.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, thank God. It’s Ephram,” he said thankfully.
“Hey, Ephram.” His voice softened and Ephram smiled.
“Hi. I was just wondering…uh…when are you coming over?”
“Oh, you want me to come over?”
“I thought… the album? You said, last night…I thought…” Ephram really wasn’t good at this. Maybe he’d dreamed the whole thing.
He got laughter. Laughter from a so not funny Bright. “I’m messing with you. I was actually just picking up the phone to call you. Is now good?”
“Yes,” he breathed. “My…uh…my dad is at work and my sister isn’t here.”
“So, you have me all alone, then?” His voice was suddenly really deep and husky. Sexy.
“Uh…yeah.” Ephram struggled to keep talking. “I, uh… could order a pizza. My dad is buying.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
Grinning, Ephram clutched the earpiece tighter to his face. “Great. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Ephram wondered briefly if it was another date. He didn’t care. He hadn’t asked what kind of pizza to get, but decided that a cheese and a pepperoni would be perfect. If he planned it right, both Bright and the pizza would arrive at the same time.
And he had no idea how it was going to be. It was probably going to be awkward – Ephram had no idea what to say. Did he get to hold Bright’s hand? Did he get to kiss him whenever he wanted? Did Bright want to act the same at school and in front of parents and keep their – like? extreme like? curiosity? – whatever it was to themselves? Only touching in private?
Ephram had so many questions. But he really liked Bright. He really hoped he didn’t fuck this up.
At the first knock on the door, Ephram jumped up. He yanked the door open, but, unfortunately, it was just the pizza guy. He handed over his dad’s credit card, signed his name and set the pizza on the table in the kitchen. He pulled paper plates from the cupboard and set them next to the boxes. Napkins! He forgot napkins. After a run to grab them, he sat down at the table and stared at the door.
It was like he could make it work just by thinking about it. Someone knocked just as he was willing Bright to show up. He decided to use his powers for evil. Concentrating on the door, he tried to make it open, but after a few seconds, realized how silly he was being and jumped up to answer it.
Bright stood there, grinning. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Ephram said, grinning back. He stepped back, letting Bright inside and motioning towards the table. “Pizza’s here. When we’re done, we can go up to my room and work on the album.”
Bright sat down and laughed slightly. “By ‘work on the album’ do you mean, ‘make out on your bed’? Cuz either way, really…” He had used his fingers to make air quotes. Air. Quotes.
For a second, Ephram just gaped, before he shook his head and grinned back. “I don’t know if I can make out with someone who uses air quotes.”
“Oh, come on! I’m really good, I promise.”
“Well, it will be a huge sacrifice, but if you can *prove* to me how good you are…we’ll see.” He opened the boxes and picked up two pieces of the cheese for himself, before he sat down in the chair next to Bright.
Bright took a couple of the pepperoni slices and started eating. Ephram tried not to watch.
~*~
Ephram condensed the pizza down to one box and shoved it into the fridge. Bright was playing with the hem of his shirt – some team jersey that Ephram didn’t recognize – as he glanced around. “Nervous?” Ephram asked.
“No. Just…anxious,” he answered with a smile.
“Right. Come on.” Ephram led Bright up the stairs to his bedroom and opened the door. In some fit of cleanliness, he’d cleaned it yesterday morning, and he’d even made his bed earlier so it was practically spotless. The bags with the album stuff stood by the door.
Ephram sat down on his bed and smoothed out the comforter next to him and then patted it for Bright to sit down. He felt like a complete dork.
“I’ve never really… I mean. Uh…I’ve…” Ephram trailed off when Bright sat down next to him and covered his hand with one of his own.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything. We could work on the album. Or watch a movie or something.”
“No. That’s not what I mean. I want to make out… It’s just kind of weird to start, you know? I mean, do I kiss you? Do you kiss me? Do I just –“
He was cut off when Bright leaned over to press their lips together. “Well, first, you can stop thinking about it.”
Ephram stared at him for a second before lunging towards Bright and kissing him again. It started out light, both of them tentative, a little scared. It was slow to deepen. Bright opened his mouth first, prodding against Ephram’s lower lip until he let him inside. Then, their tongues twisted together as they really started to get into it. Hands soon roamed across clothed chests and backs, and it wasn’t long until Ephram had to drag his mouth from Bright’s, breathless.
At some point, Bright had slid his arms around Ephram, who had wrapped his hands in Bright’s shirt, holding him close. Smiling a little, Bright pulled Ephram back to him and kissed him again. Less awkward this time, but just as hot.
Before Ephram realized it, they were both stretched out on his bed and there seemed to be hands everywhere. Not that he was complaining. Bright’s hands slid down his back, resting at his waist as they kissed. They seemed to hover there for a second until Bright pulled back and looked right at Ephram and then they slid down to his ass.
Ephram couldn’t help it. He moaned and let Bright pull him closer. His own dick was hard and when he was dragged closer, he got to feel how hard Bright was, too. Jesus. Tingling shot through him and he was breathing entirely too heavy. It felt like he might pass out.
He pulled back again, this time, taking in gulps of air. “Wait…wait.”
Immediately, Bright let go and started to move away. “I’m sorry…what did I…are you okay?”
“Yes. Don’t pull away. I just…don’t worry I’m fine.”
Bright scooted back closer and smiled. “Am I too much man for you?”
Ephram rolled his eyes. “You’re such a dork.”
“I know. But did I at least make up for the whole air quotes thing?”
“No. I think you should kiss me some more.” He grinned.
Bright leaned closer and started a trail of kisses from Ephram’s jaw, back towards his ear. Little, open-mouthed, hot kisses, that left Ephram arching into Bright. A hard thigh insinuated itself between Ephram’s legs and that was so much better. Oh, God. It was like, the most perfect thing ever.
He couldn’t hold back the groan. “Bright, Jesus.”
“I love the way you say my name,” Bright whispered in Ephram’s ear.
It sent a shiver through Ephram and then he felt a tongue licking across his ear lobe and he jumped. “Fuck. If you keep doing that thing with your leg, I’m going to…”
“Going to what?” Bright was still at his ear. His hot breath and little whimpers were making Ephram crazy. “Am I going to make you come, Ephram? Do you want me to?”
“God. Bright…I…I don’t know. No. Wait, yes. Please?”
“Yes or no? Maybe I should stop until you make up your mind.”
“No! Just like that. So close, Bright.”
Bright’s hand slid closer to Ephram’s crotch. He could feel it travel across his hips, down his thigh, and around to carefully, gently cup against his cock, and he couldn’t help groaning loudly.
It was a really good thing that his dad wasn’t home.
He bucked into it, holding onto Bright’s shoulders as he whispered words that he couldn’t understand. He was coming, fuck…coming for *Bright* -- and, God, he felt like his whole body was ripping apart into tiny pieces. Something shot through him and faintly, he felt Bright grind against him.
When Ephram finally opened his eyes, he found Bright grinning over at him. They were still lying side-by-side on Ephram’s bed, but now the blankets and pillows were all askew and Bright’s hair was a complete mess.
Ephram grinned and slid his hand down Bright’s cheek. “Are you okay? I mean…did you? Do I need to…?”
“Yes. I’m good. God, you’re so hot, Ephram. I think you’re going to kill me.”
Leaning in for a quick kiss, Ephram smiled when he pulled back. “It’s okay. I think this is going to be fun.”
“Me, too,” Bright agreed. He snuggled closer and made a quick glance to the clock. “What time does your dad come home?”
Ephram tilted his head, twisting to look at the clock himself. “Don’t worry, it’s only a little after two. He won’t be home until like four, at the earliest.”
“Good,” Bright breathed as he leaned in for another kiss.
[ main l rps l fps ]
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