how did he get here? wasn’t the whole point of becoming the big boss that you didn’t have to troop it out to wherethefuckever and pick up some poor soul stuck on the side of the road? yet, with three mechanics out sick and one tow truck driver on paternity leave, here he was driving to just outside of the city where he’d received a call for a pickup. it wasn’t hard to find the singular stranded vehicle and back up in front of the car. he hopped out, the gravel of the new jersey roads crackling underneath his work boots. “YO, you call for a tow? or are you just hanging out by the side of the road for shits & giggles?”
patience was hardly a trait that alessandro associated with himself and even if he did, it would have been negated forty five minutes ago when he stared down at the flat tire of his mercedes. he hires a new chauffeur and here he is a week later, car stranded on the side if the road and leaning against the hood with a look of pure agitation on his features. perhaps this was a sign that he should just return to italy where had actually had a damn license and could drive himself around. he sent off his chauffeur after he called for a tow — better he be gone from sight and done for the day before alessandro fires him for shit driving. flicking off dirt from the sleeve of his suit with a frown, he looks up at the sound of a voice and alessandro exhales. “oh, definitely. a favorite past time of mine is missing meetings and breathing in the polluted air of new jersey. glad you could finally join me.”
WALKING AROUND WITH PEE WASN’T what lennon thought would entail in her surgical residency. she thought that she’d see more time in the operating room rather than in the labs. her distraction causes her to become unaware of her surroundings, turning the sharp corner and ultimately bumping into a body. the sound of the cup dropping echoes the corridor, fingers immediately pinching at her scrubs to keep the damp cloth off her stomach. ❝ fuck me, ❞ she grumbled, frowning. ❝ now i smell like asparagus. ❞
THE DAY PETER ANTICIPATED AND THE DAY he was being presented with were on two opposite sides of the spectrum. not that he was to complain much since a slow day meant that people were healthy and didn’t require medical attention. also, the halls of the hospital weren’t bustling which made for easy navigation. peter had a surgery he had to prep for in the upcoming hour and was making his way toward the ward when he turns the corner and nearly collides with a body. a muttered curse escapes his lips and hazel hues snap up once he recognizes the voice to be lennon. ❝ on the bright side, at least it’s asparagus. not that having pee on you is desirable but, y’know — you could smell worse, is what i’m trying to say. ❞ peter muses, lips twitching up in a ghost of a grin.
i promise after this white devil i’m done spamming u all with my muses kjdfskj just bear with me and my inevitable ramblings in 3 ,, 2 . 1 yEET
ben barnes. cismale. he/him. — did you see { alessandro de luca }, i haven’t seen the { thirty-four } year old in a while! you know, they’re a { ceo of their own business }, and have been living in jersey city for { a year and a half }. some say they're { vain & censorious }, but i think they're { alluring & pragmatic }. regardless, i’m glad { alessandro } is here.
STATISTICS:
full name: alessandro giovanni de luca
nicknames: alesso or just alessandro
gender: cismale
sexuality: pansexual / panromantic
occupation: ceo of de luca estates
birthday: july 7th, 1984
hometown: cuneo, italy
hogwarts house: slytherin
HISTORY + TW: DEATH:
y’all .. just letting u before hand that i hate alesso and i want to fight him 10/10 of the time so there’s ur psa djksflds
but ur resident demon was born with the ultimate silver spoon in his mouth ,, not even it’s like . a $200 sterling silver hermès spoon so while it takes a bit for his ego to catch up to him , he’s fairly sufferable up until he’s around 21 years old so strap in for a bumpy ride guys !!
the de luca family has a long lineage of old money that they’re swIMMING in excess it’s ridiculous but it all started when good ol’ giuseppe opened his pride and joy hotel de luca estates and it all started there *wipes tear* capitalism and gentrification made them go a long way dfjndsl starting branches throughout italy before venturing to go international and now they have 300+ locations branching from europe and to now their first ever american location having been opened in manhattan a few months ago and now a los angeles location is in talks
alesso’s father luciano is a ruthless business man who most likely drinks the tears of his competitors when he puts them out of business dkjfdj but yeah he’s not the kindest and has hard opinions on things and was raised that way by his father and so he was going to pass the torch to alessandro ,, eXCEPT the saving grace was his mother mila
mila was uMmm . significantly younger than luciano by a handful of years and the marriage was more so luciano having no chill and thinking with his dick bc he visited berlin, germany where he sPOTTED her on the street just u know ,, walking to work like a normal person and he was like !!! hER !!! somehow he managed to get a date with mila and even more of a miracle ?? she fell in love w him and i guess he had a heart ?? #whoknowsfam
it was a typical guy picks pretty girl out of crowd and tbh it was probably his money that spoke most but secure ur purse mila !! but yeah i guess when luciano genuinely likes someone he can be decent idk ,, but yeah not long after mila falls pregnant with alessandro and when he’s born she believes him to have hung the stars in the sky and all that mushy stuff of what children do
mila tries to have alesso raised in a semblance of a normal life despite all the lavish n excess money and for the most part it works and luciano respects mila enough to abide by her requests so instead of shipping him off to switzerland fro boarding school , they enroll him in public schools and she raises him w manners n all that jazz
which ,, it works and alesso is a tiny gentleman ready to be poked n prodded into the next ceo of de luca enterprises and bc alesso only wants to make his parents proud he accepts his planned out future bc at least it’s better to know what his future consists of them getting to university and having a life crisis when he realizes he has no clue what he wants to do
with his wealth and privilege meant that growing up he was v popular among his classmates ,, given it also meant that he attracted leeches wherever he went who were only hanging around him for what they could get out of him whether it be money or free shit or if his parents let him throw a party so stemming from here he’s always been a bit distrusting
while he initially hated the extra attention and fanfare of his classmates bc he knew a lot of it was fake ,, over time he began to love it from how those close to him began to fall apart which i’ll get more into but he does a 180 and now kinda just lets himself be surrounded ppl who don’t really give a damn about him bc it may not be ideal company it’s better than being alone
it’s while he’s in ,, whatever the italian equivalent of high school is that he becomes sweethearts with the Love of His Life and it’d odd having someone he actually cares so fiercely about other than his parents and younger brother stefano ?? and he knows his money has no influence in their relationship and alesso genuinely feels happy for the first time ?? im emo about it .. just two italian boi’s in luv
but the turning point in alesso’s life is when university rolls around and he gets accepted into his first choice of cambridge in the u.k for business and bc his bf’s lives are pulling them in different directions , they try long distance but it doesn’t work out so the two break up despite alesso still v much adoring him
tw: light mention of death throw in the fact it’s in his junior year of uni and his mom suddenly passes away from a heart attack and these two incidents v much impact alesso and his emotional state ,, so that leaves him w his father who has irrefutable influence and things go downhill bc his dad really sinks his talons into alesso and the picture perfect son image of who’s gonna run the business ,, especially since his dad’s attention that was always on his mom and what she wanted so now that she’s gone he kinda goes into overdrive tw done
PERSONALITY:
so0o0o with all that happening,, alesso kinda transformed from a p chill guy to uhHhHh p much an ass lmao ,, with the main two support systems in his life gone and his dad’s v sucky influence ,, he’s hardly the boy he was as a teenager
he’s v much known in his home country of italy and europe for his playboy tendencies and big nights out ,, just v flamboyant and likes to show off his wealth with expensive designers w endless bespoke suits like hoe really lives in his three piece suits ,, and loves his car collection v much . lit has one for each day of the week and then some bc i hate him
growing up he was always flattered in terms of his appearance and did well w people of all genders ,, a big flirt and don’t get sucked into his eyes bc his lips drip honey but his words can bite so even now he doesn’t see himself settling down in the long term
def the type who doesn’t open up emotionally bc everything is so closed off and haRDLY considers anyone a close friend bc if u don’t let people in close then they can’t leave and disappoint u ,, so he lives a v sheltered life in terms of actual joy
he enjoys parties and flirting w whoever shows interest?? but it doesn’t really do anything for him ?? but it’s what his reputation is so he figures he might as well just play into it bc it;’s what he’s know for ,, even though he lowkey craves having people close , but bc of *~*past pain*~* he pushes away ppl the moment he feels himself getting attached
can be incredibly vain and use his looks to his advantage and for the most part can hold conversation nd be a bit chill but never fully has chill so im sorry for him
the main reason he’s in jersey city is bc he’s overseeing the new de luca estates manhattan location and just establishing a hq in manhattan bc he figures why not and has nothing better else to do .. plus he doesn’t fuck w the l.a heat so here he is !!
back at it again at krispy kreme y’all ,, muse #2 aka my soft son jamie who just minds his own business and drinks too much coffee so pls handle w caution
tom holland. cismale. he/him. — did you see { jameson sokolov }, i haven’t seen the { twenty-two } year old in a while! you know, they’re a { yoga instructor }, and have been living in jersey city for { twenty-two years }. some say they’re { facetious & impetuous }, but i think they’re { scintillating & charismatic }. regardless, i’m glad { jamie } is here.
john krasinski. cismale. he/him — did you see { peter davenport }, i haven’t seen the { thirty-seven } year old in a while! you know, they’re a { pediatrician }, and have been living in jersey city for { three years }. some say they’re { fastidious & blasé }, but i think they’re { steadfast & amicable }. regardless, i’m glad { peter } is here.
Declan rode his bike into town, the rumble of his Harley exciting him. He had a car back at his house, but the feeling of the open air surrounding him was one he could not live without. The loud vehicle carried on down the streets before he arrived outside of the grocery store. Finding a spot and parking close to the curb, so that others would think its a free spot before seeing the bike, Declan pulled off his helmet and hid it under the collapsible seat. “ Sorry for all the noise ,” he apologized to the on-looker, a devilish grin across his lips.
being able to run errands on the weekend proved to be more of a luxury than peter would have originally expected it to be. the constant will he or won’t he be called in at work lingered in the back of his mind and he’s surprised that he’s gone this long into sunday without being reached. he had dropped sofia off at one of her friends’ house and high tailed it to the nearest grocery store since their kitchen was beginning to grow metaphorical cobwebs with how empty it is. thankfully, he remebered to bring the list he scribbled up while sofia was putting her shoes on so it’ll be quicker than usual. peter was locking the doors to his mercedes when the noise of a motorcycle filled the space, having him turn toward the bike as the engine died and was replaced with the voice of the owner. ❝ you don’t sound all that sorry. ❞ peter quips, tone light and conversational before lips twitch up into a grin. ❝ is it a harley ?? that’s the only way you can really ride. ❞
“So it’s Sunday right. Well, I got woken up at 6 AM with a call from my boss demanding me that I get his morning coffee and I was like ‘it’s the weekend, dude. I don’t have to work.’ And he says ‘next time I hear attitude from you, I’m docking your pay. Doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, if I need something I’m calling you.’ So I drug my ass out of bed just to get him some damned coffee and the first thing out of his mouth when he sees me is that I’m not dressed in work appropriate attire,” Marley complained, looking down at what she was wearing, a pair of ratty black jeans and an old Rush tee-shirt. “Anyway, I haven’t had enough coffee today to deal with today.” She didn’t even know who she was talking to, just the general people in the area at whatever coffee shop she’d landed in this morning.
if danika were to be completely honest, she didn’t realize right away that the stranger venting her frustrations was speaking to her directly. which is slightly embarrassing since danika had forgotten her headphones at home and been listening along with mild intrigue as a result. certain parts faded out as her mind ended up going off on their own tangents and danika could only blink in response once the woman beside her finished speaking. there was a silence hanging in the air and danika felt a sudden urge to fill said silence. did she have to ?? who knows but her anxiety was telling her she had to. ❝ that’s completely horrible. ❞ danika supplies, cheeks undoubtedbly tinting pink at how lame she sounded but her expression molding into one of empathy regardless. ❝ he sounds like a jerk. if it’s any consolation prize, i remember reading an article the other day that apparently there's this new bill being written where your job isn’t allowed to call employees after work hours. so you’d have that to look forward to. ❞ she replies before deciding to slip her phone out of her pocket and google for the article. as chocolate hues searched the browser, they quickly glanced up at the girl and gave her a small grin. ❝ you sound like you could use a few extra shots of espresso in your coffee. ❞
“oh, i don’t know. i think i’ve noticed that the older i get, the more my patience seems to be … waning.” floyd offers something of a grimace as punctuation although it lacks the same commitment he finds himself vowing to each woman he’s made it down the aisle with, which is to say that his mouth seems to twist into something approaching a sheepishly amused curve. “it was easier when i was younger ––– marriage. relationships, you know.” he pauses for a beat, gaze shifting to the paired penguins in their habitat as they mill about. “when you reach a certain age i find it’s difficult not to feel like time’s starting to get away from you. every monday morning feels like a fire lit under your ass.”
❝that’s an ... interesting observation. ❞ theo supplies as blue hues move away from the waddling penguins and back to the man beside him. if there was one thing he wasn’t expecting, it was the deep turn of the conversation from when it initially began on a lighthearted note. not that theo is complaining considering hearing what this man has to say is proving to be insightful. as he listens, his eyes narrow, more so in thought than any sense of irritiation. what does it say about him that he’s tirty-five moving toward thrity-six without an engagement or marriafe under his belt ?? or a relationship that thrived enought that either were even a thought to cross his mind ?? which is not to say that one’s life purpose and biggest accomplishment is based solely on romantic relationships that prove to be successful. there are other things that theo finds joy in and though he’s content with where he is currently, he does feel loney at times. his lips tug down into a semblance of a frown and theo directs his gaze back over to the penguins. ❝ yeah, i get what you mean. ❞ theo mumbles as he leans forward against the metal railing sepperating them from the penguin exhibit. ❝ you sound like you have me beat in terms of a love life though. ❞ his tone is humorous, attempting to add some lightness to the heaviness of the conversation. ❝ though it’s fair to note we’re both standing here at this exhibit by ourselves. ❞
Levi was ready for the weekend to be over and to go back to work. He missed doing what he actually enjoyed. He always hated that weekends were days where he was supposed to be social and go out with friends. The only time that the weekends were fun is on Friday night when he had his weekly Dungeons and Dragons game. Other than that, weekends were absolute shit to him. Luckily, it was Sunday, so the weekend was almost over. Levi was hoping to go to the game store to buy some new dice, so he hopped on his bike and rode to the nearest one. After spending some time picking through the sets, he made his purchase and walked back outside, grabbing his bike, only to realize that someone had slashed the tire. “Just my luck,” he muttered, looking around to see if he could see just who might have done it. “Hey, do you, um, have something that, uh, could help repair my tire?”
if there was one thing that jamie found himself most grateful for about the wellness center, was that the owner, a devote catholic woman named johanna, believed sunday’s to be reserved for prayer and the rejuvenation of the soul or whatever. it was something along those lines and jamie knows he should probably remember considering he had a full on conversation with her when about it when he stopped by last month. but religion was uh — not something he particularly cared for or believed too much in so it generally went over his head. nevertheless, it was cool because it left jamie open to do whatever his heart pleased on sunday’s; the world was his oyster !! not that he ever had that big of plans but it was still refreshing to know he didn’t have any yoga sessions he had to plan his day around. which meant that he had times like now where he was able to wander off to his favorite coffee shop that he reserved for sunday’s. this was one further into town that jamie discovered on a day of aimless meandering of jersey city’s streets on a day off and while there was a coffee shop on the corner of his apartment building, it wasn’t the best but he settled for it during the week when time wasn't on his side and he had his job to get to. which makes the white chocolate mocha he gets at his favorite joint all the more enjoyable for numerous reasons. sipping his drink and scrolling through his twitter feed, jamie nearly misses the brunette boy approaching him. out of sheer reaction, his body jumps slightly and with a slight hiss, chocolate hues avert away from the brunette and where the hot drink jumped out of the container and onto his hand. ❝ shit. ❞ jamie curses abruptly, wiping off the drink before shooting him an apologetic glance. ❝ — sorry about that, man. and also the fact that you managed to ask the guy more inept when it comes to cars. i’d say heavy duty tape but i feel like that’ll set you up for failure. ❞ he chuckles and brings up his free hand to rub the nape of his neck. ❝ i can give you a ride to the nearest auto body shop if you want though. maybe find someone more knowledgeable. ❞ his motions are erratic as his free hand jerks over to his parked mercedes e-class by one of the street lamps.
“can you imagine the amount they must be spending on starbucks?” daisy looks incredulous –– scandalised even –– apparently unable to fathom justifying shelling out for more than her allotted two pumpkin spice lattes a week, let alone calling it a corporate expense. she doesn’t linger long on the thought; is onto the next before estella’s hardly been given the opportunity to respond. “do you think they get really good discounts? –– like, the baristas, i mean. how much money do you think they’re making off of their own employees? you know what, i bet it’s loads ‘cause if i had to stare caffeine withdrawal in the face for half the day i’d need a lot of coffee to make it through.” estella’s fleeting disappointment hasn’t gone unnoticed. in a second she’s up, her guest’s mug in hand and destined for a refill. “mr. monopoly always fucks me, you’ll be fine. i always end up debt-ridden or trying to hoard money for the blue squares and never landing on them.”
estella attempts to withhold her laughter and daisy’s words but fails almost immediately. head titled back and chocolate hues shining, she shakes her lightly before shooting an amused look over to daisy. ❝ they probably know the order and name by heart at this point. can you blame them though ?? starbucks is delicious. ❞ whether or not estella breaks bank on near daily coffee runs to starbucks is another conversation for a different day. mornings are rough and estella never claimed to be an early bird so her mobile pickup order to the closest starbucks branch to her house is the first stop of her day. there’s a chance she could be nearing caffeine addiction but estella digresses. ❝ i mean — have you ever tried dunkin’s coffee ?? it’s like training coffee for those who can’t handle strong brews. ❞ her musings come to an end when daisy speaks again and estella pauses to contemplate her words. ❝ i’d imagine so since it doesn’t seem that bad of a place to work. corporate wise considering customers more often that not treat customer service workers like shit. but i’d say that they most likely get at least twenty percent off. for morning customers in before nine, they for sure need their own fix. ❞ it’s been quite a bit since estella found herself playing monopoly, let alone be counting the money but she’s being optimistic in her money handling. she calls out a thank you to daisy when she gets up, empty mug in hand and heading to go refill it. ❝ debt-ridden and heading for bankruptcy. this is why the game of life is more up my alley. i get some square blue or pink kids and a car, and it doesn’t remind me so much of how much debt i’m in. ❞
there’s moments when she’s telling herself that it’s time to go. but after everything, they said they wanted to remain friends. sofia was an absolute joy and it was still letting georgia take out that nurturing and maternal vibes coursing through her body at this age. the only disappointing fact being that she wasn’t getting it in the form she wanted, where peter was her’s to come home to. where they could share their stories curled on the couch with a glass of wine. instead she stood in his kitchen, looking dreamily at the pictures sofia had picked out. some of which were georgia’s favorite. there were some lilies they both really liked. ones georgia loved seeing in intricate bouquets. maybe it wasn’t healthy that she, as a wedding planner, was taking her ex boyfriend’s niece out to work with her. the thought of him only came up a few times. not enough to completely distract her. she laughs quietly at his comment, watching him cut the vegetables. he looks like he’s meant to be here. he looks comfortable cooking dinner. this is the kind of pictures she liked. the kind of displays that triggered her domestic brain. sometimes, when she’s had a few too many glasses and finds herself in her empty bathtub, she asks why she wasn’t good enough for him. what was it that didn’t make her worthy of fighting for? but that was an all-too familiar story in georgia’s life and she tried not to linger on it too long. insecurities will kill you, and she knows that. “i don’t plan on stopping, so guess you wont need that day off, huh?” she gives him a smirk and looks back down at the papers she brought, her fingers tracing over a picture of an altar; beautifully decorated with flowers and tulle. oh the pitiful irony. “yeah, that’s exactly it.” she nods, looking up at him with a smile. “just with little magazine scraps everywhere, all the time.”
as he takes in georgia standing in his kitchen, he’s acutely aware of the slight disconnect between the two of them that is such a stark contrast to what they were only a couple months ago. it has a dull ache spread through his chest when she stood in that spot so easily when they were together and how things were so quick to change between them. peter can’t help but ponder if their relationship was set to fall apart from the beginning due to his demanding schedule and incapability to secure enough personal time to keep them afloat. he loved georgia — hell, a part of him still loves her but for as much as he tried to make it work, there were far too many moving pieces that refused to fit together despite his attempts. sofia was his main priority over all else since evelyn died. he tried his best fitting into the mold of a father despite only ever being viewed to sofia as uncle peter who she sees on holidays and every few months. it was tough for both of them; peter upturning his schedule at the hospital to work around his devotion to sofia and sofia adjusting to life without her parents. peter liked to view himself as a good multitasker since he managed to come out unscathed from med school but his relationship with georgia negated that belief. he wanted things to work between them and one day he wanted to have the picturesque white picket fence life, but with where he was now, it seemed like a distorted image that may only become clearer in the future. but that was what georgia wanted in the present and for as much as peter tried fitting into what she wished for, he fell short. they both were at different points in their lives and for as much as peter knows it’s better this way to let georgia find someone who’s willing to give her what she wants, it doesn’t hurt him any less seeing her in his place. peter just swallows the lump in his throat and pushes past any awkwardness to spare the both of them. ❝ you’ve already secured sofia in thinking you’re the cooler of us two so i’m already placing my bets on you. ❞ he replies with a laugh and shake of his head. peter averts his gaze from georgia and back to the peppers in front of him. ❝ she seems to really enjoy what you’re doing with her so i — thank you. it means a lot. ❞ there’s a silent pause. ❝ would you wanna stay for dinner ?? it’s almost done and i’m sure sofia would love to have you around for a little bit longer. ❞
MATTEO: dani that sounds sick af
MATTEO: hell yeah we should totally do that!!
MATTEO: funny how you think you’re gonna kick /my/ butt though 😋 i’ve never told you before but i’m actually the crowned KING of arizona’s swinging safari mini golf
MATTEO: the only one that’s going to be getting kicked into next week is you 🙃
DANIKA: !!!!!
DANIKA: i’m glad you think so bc the more i think about it the more excited i get
DANIKA: we have to coordinate and wear all white so we can glow with the lights
DANIKA: that and i’ll feel like big time rush in the worldwide video and that’s a goal
DANIKA: uMmmm ?? i’ve never told you but i’m QUEEN of mini golf in general sooo
DANIKA: just watch me whip out of protractor and stomp you down with my skills
“magellanic penguins mate for life, you know.” it’s something of a knowing glance cast towards his audience of one as they pause in front of the habitat and floyd, subtle as ever, has the shining eyes of someone that thinks they’ve just snuck a cookie out of the jar and gotten away with it. “me, personally –– i think if i had to choose, i’d say i relate more to emperor penguins. serial monogamists, you know. a little more my style.”
for most people a lunch break means a golden hour to free themselves from their work environment and recharge before heading back over to finish their day. theo finds himself falling into the small percentage of people who prefer staying within the borders of his workplace during said time. he eats quickly and uses his excess time to wander around. one of the perks of working at the bronx zoo meant that there was always somewhere to go when his imagination failed him. theo finds himself by the magellanic penguin habitat, watching them waddle out from their den in the name of lunch. blue hues flicker over to the man adjacent to him when he speaks and he chuckles. ❝ emperor penguins, huh ?? would you say your fidelity lasts a little longer than a year compared to them or it’s bags packing once janaury comes around ?? ❞ theo jokes, tone light and humorous as he turns his body toward the older man.
she’s caught him a little off-guard, that much is clear from his somewhat flustered reaction. perhaps her skills were RUSTIER than she had thought - she was normally such an old hand at picking out likely signatories. granted, the boy before her didn’t exactly fall into this category, which was more often than not filled with little old ladies. “ lovely! ” the delight in her voice is palpable ( it’s been a slow day. ) holding the clipboard out towards the boy, her smile doesn’t falter. “ i’m so sorry, ” she hastily adds, realising he was probably in the midst of something rather important. “ i didn’t mean to disturb you. i hope it’s no bother. ” her gaze flickers briefly to his phone, and then back again. “ don’t worry about it, your signature is plenty help. ” she adopts her best impression of her mother’s reassuring tone. “ the city council is a nightmare sometimes, honestly. i don’t know what goes through their heads. ”
after a handful of times of nearly being struck by oncoming traffic due to his own obliviousness and inability to tear his eyes away from work related emails, tony is starting to wonder if he should try to set a time limit of how often he can be on his phone throughout the day. or, y’know, maybe just put his phone away to spare himself from a jaywalking induced injury. but then again, he still had some student loans to pay so maybe the universe may do him a solid at some point. hearing the delight in her tone had tony look up from the clipboard once it was handed to him and gave the girl a smile. ❝ no, you’re totally fine. it’s just work and it’s like a ghost haunting me wherever i go. you finish one manuscript and more just multiple out of nowhere. ❞ tony reassures her with a quiet chuckle, using his free hand to shove his phone into his back pocke before picking up the pen to sign the petition. ❝ yeah, i get that. politics are usually a nightmare even at lower levels so i’m not surprised. ❞ he pauses and glances up at the blonde. ❝ how long have you been at this ?? ❞
he’s LATE — and this is not typical. usually, diego would be on time for the duo’s meet-ups at their chosen location—this time at a cocktail bar they frequent. he just arrived back to new york after attending london fashion week, and had a few tasks to finish back at vogue headquarters that took a bit longer than he estimated. the older male maneuvers his way in between tables to the bar. he spots estella, a smile appearing on his brims as he approaches the vacant stool beside her. all he HOPES is he isn’t too late because he will be hearing about it. diego lightly places his hand between the brunette’s shoulder blades to notify his presence as he sits down on the pleather seat and greets her with: ❛ hey, darling. ❜
if there was one thing that managed to surprise estella since she found herself working within the fashion industry, it was how her preconcieved belief of punctuality being key was cast to the side when there were large egos involved. with a name came a self imposed level of importance which was hard to ignore when said name carried a brand. as a result, estella began tacking on fifteen or twenty minutes to a designated meeting time so she didn’t dwell too much on tardiness. she’d only been sitting by the bar for about a half hour or so — perched on the stool with her legs crossed, entertaining conversation with the bartender and shutting sown attempts from others as she awaited diego’s arrival. she wasn’t too bothered by his lateness but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t mess with him a little bit. estella tenses momentarily from the touch to her back and is quick to relax when the familiar voice of diego filters through her ears. ❝ i’m honored you decided to finally grace me with your presence, diego. ❞ estella quips, chocolate hues flickering over to him with amusement lacing her teasing words. ❝ work keeping you late, mr. boss ?? ❞
“ hello ! i’m so sorry to disturb you, ” she smiles brightly, just the right amount of cheerful so as not to seem overbearing ( she’s a seasoned pro at signature collection. ) “ but would you like to sign this petition ? it’s to save the local animal shelter. ” her hand is still hovering uncertainly in front of her, even though the front door has now been opened. “ if the city council closes it, a lot of lovely, healthy animals will have to be put to sleep. ” she isn’t ENTIRELY convinced the person before her cares ( or is even listening ) but it’s worth a shot.
consider danika too wrapped into her own devices ( figurative and literal ) to notice the other girl only a few feet away. not that she’s doing anything off too high importance other than searching aimlessly on the asos app for a new pair of thigh high boots for the upcoming autumnal season. either way, danika can’t stop herself from jumping at the sudden voice, hand flying to her chest. an airy laugh fills the air between the two and danika smiles almost apologetically. ❝ i am so sorry. i’m not usually the courage the cowardly dog type. ❞ she supplies even if it’s not much of an explanation. though, danika visibly perks at the mention of animals in need of homes and feels her heart swell. ❝ hand it over right now, please !! i have a cute kitten named draco who i rescued when i first came here and i can’t imagine my life without him now. but maybe i’ll stop by so draco can have another furry friend. ❞
growing up with strict parents and lots of siblings meant that expressing yourself needed to be kept to the bare minimum, for the sake of everyone in the tiny house. where his brothers and sisters were outgoing, adam was quiet. while everyone was whining and bitching about anything, he was silent. he spent most of his time at home, looking from the outside in. he was never the problem child, he never made a fuss about not getting what he wanted and eventually, this led him to be as closed off as he could possibly be. adam wasn’t close to any of his siblings, much less his parents, who always bugged him about being too different. he didn’t know how that was going to translate into his adult life and now, almost thirty-six, he’s terrible at showing his feelings. apart from joking and a couple of hints, he has the hardest time opening up to someone – which lead him down a route of ruined friendships and relationships but it was never the case with theo. despite the contrast in their personalities, they complemented each other quite well. he was thankful to have found a friend like him, who helped him overcome the struggles of life and be better everyday. he never thought they would be anything more than good friends. until that night.
the promise of a movie marathon with a good bottle of merlot had been enough to make theo show up. truly, adam had invited him over to watch some sappy movies and spend some time with him, nothing out of the ordinary. however, as a bottle turned into two and the inhibitions began to lower, a shared bottle turned into shared kisses and eventually a shared couch. he remembered everything. he shouldn’t have felt so at ease with the whole situation, despite the alcohol. the fact that the next morning he woke up and was okay with finding a nude theo next to his own naked body, was enough to send him into a frenzy. what would his religious parents think of him? just the thought of them finding out he’d shared intimacy with another man made him want to throw up. blue searched green relentlessly, only finding rejection. he didn’t know what to say. what was he supposed to say? he resolved that he should do what he knew best: stay quiet. it wasn’t until he’d left that he reacted. his first instict had been to take a shower, scrubbing hard all the place adam’s skin had touched theo’s. the next one was to sob like a baby. had he lost his bestfriend? what did that night make him? it was something far too overwhelming to take in — after the shower, he made sure to delete all of the trace of the night from his apartment and then proceeded to ignore the other man for a month straight. he was itching to see him again, to talk and offer and explanation, but he couldn’t even explain what he was feeling to himself. disgust turned into longing. he knew that if he met up with theo, there was nothing he was going to be able to do, to stop himself. a month seemed enough time for him to gather himself and do something about it. he’d been the one to break the silence, inviting theo back into his home, under the excuse of needing to talk. however, once he was waiting for him, he didn’t know if they were going to talk about marnie or what had happened between them. he almost missed the knock on the door, his thought’s being far too loud. he forces himself to keep his eyes on theo’s face, attempting a smile of his own – of course, the blonde was way better than him at this whole pretending thing, so he simply let him in.
“you know me, i’m like a slug. i like to take my sweet time.” at least he’d attempted a joke. closing the door after them, he looks at theo briefly before going to the kitchen. “betty white wasn’t cutting it for me. i was missing your witty remarks.” his tone is far too endearing and he starts feeling uncomfortable right away. “want a drink?” they were gonna need it.
benevolent by nature and altruistic to a near fault, theo knows for a fact that it all stems back to the atmosphere of which he was brought up in. most kids in his class had one set of parents that came to their school choir recitals or picked them up after baseball practice, but theo was blessed enough to have four parental figures in his life and each as important as the other. he knew that some people weren’t as fortunate as him and lacked that family structure in their lives, and yet here he was with double. having grown with his mom and dad, and then with olivia and vincent, it could have easily felt overbearing but it never did. just a seemingly endless amount of love and support for him — something that still stands to this day with tuesday nights reserved for skype calls with his mom and dad, while thursday nights were set aside for olivia and vincent. his classmates went through phases of saying theo was odd for having two sets of his parents, to cool and then a flip of however they were feeling that day. theo never really minded it since it made sense for him and his family. not every kid who’s adopted gets to know their birth parents, let alone have them present in their lives when they’re growing up. sure, there was teenage angst that made the ride a bit bumpy at times and especially so when theo was being a little shit, but it was great and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. it was reassuring to know that even if he found himself in a rut with one parent, he had three others who were there for him with advice. his childhood was a loving one, full of laughter and sunshine from the san francisco beaches, and it transferred well on over to his disposition.
making friends was something that theo never thought too hard on or struggled with. he got on well with majority of his classmates; his position in the italian club didn’t do him too many favors other than a school trip to rome, but nevertheles, he was nice to anyone who crossed his path and it worked to his benefit. turns out if you’re attractive and spend most of your time tutoring those struggling, it gives a wide room for socializing among the different groups in school. theo looks back on high school fondly for the memories it gave him, but not much nostalgia that many who peaked senior year feel so strongly. but while theo had his fair share of friends, he never really considered any of them a best friend; someone who he could bullshit with for hours and talk the most inane things until three in the morning, but also could flip the switch to deep conversations where theo enstrusted them with the inner mechanations of his thoughts. not until he moved to jersey and met adam. he heard so much about what having a best friend was like and suddenly it clicked, like two puzzle pieces fianlly coming together after a grueling search for its counterpart. it’s a bit mushy but it’s true. a friendship is like a flame that needs to be tended to, and with enough care and persistence, it blossoms into a full on fire. except now it feels lile a bucket of water dowsed over them, sizzling out whatever their friendship was. wine has a funny way of loosening inhibitions as well as clothes, before any lingering traces of sobriety can kick in and hold you back. in their month apart theo wondered if he would have done the same — kissed and touched adam the same way if there wasn’t any alcohol involved. it often left a headache blooming in his temples, matching the one he felt that morning when he woke up, finding himself pressed up against adam on the couch and their actions of the night before sudeenly flooding his senses.
during their month of not talking, theo finds that distance does, in fact, make the heart grow fonder. he misses his best friend; misses the person he could send random pictures of the animals that come into the vet hospital at the zoo when their energies are back up to usual, misses the person who he could watch some bullshit movie with and provide obnoxious commentary over when the characters make ridiculous life choices. it’s a bit surreal finding himself in adam’s apartment again, hesitating outside the door as his mind flashes to the last time the two of them were inside alone together before stepping inside. his mouth dries as his gaze falls onto the couch but theo ignores it, fixating his gaze to wherever adam is while he hangs awkwardly by the doorway. ❝ slug, turtle, sloth. any slow moving animal, really. what’s your secret to not aging the time it takes you to go from the kitchen to your bedroom ?? ❞ theo muses, tone laced in humor despite how truly unsure of himself he is. ❝ is that blasphemy against betty white ?? but it’s a good ego boost to know you think i beat out betty. ❞ his feature soften when he picks out the endearment in adam’s tone but is quick to clear his throat and drop his gaze down to his shoes. ❝ just a glass of water would be fine. thanks. ❞
