honest.

August Elliot Rhodes If you need someone to protect your ideas or draw up a contract, I'm your guy. If not, you can find me at the docks.

[august-elliot]

charlierhodes​:

Less than perfect? Are you hearing yourself? I might as well be doing nothing if it’s not perfect. I can’t just take any old thing, then I’ll be type-cast for the rest of my life!

At least you’ll finally be working on something instead of spending the rest of your life waiting for an opportunity that’ll never come.

[august-elliot]

skylarberry​:

And were your suspicions correct? They really are. Like, I have a few classic recipes I skate on by, but it’s nice to have something new to throw into the mix. Oh, well anything that’as pastry or pastry related, I’ll devour. I’m gonna hold you to that!

To answer your question, absolutely not. They were never correct. I’d always go with the one who did the most work, even though it didn’t end up being the most aesthetically pleasing. A few recipes, huh? Maybe for the holiday season, I’ll whip up something from a cooking show. If you so happen to make some around that time, we’ll switch and judge each other’s food. And by judge, I mean just enjoy. I’m a sucker for good food. Don’t worry, I’m gonna need an outsider’s opinion about the pastry anyway, so don’t go anywhere ‘cause I’ll need you to be my taste tester.

[august-elliot]

callmestevieevans​:

I mean, just make sure you don’t have anything else scheduled if you do that. Oh yeah? Why so tense and stubborn, man? I’m not that picky, if it’s called beer I’m good with it.

Meh, whatever else is on the agenda can wait. Honestly, just being back home feels weird to me. The town’s quiet, nothing like Boston. I think my brain needs to remember it isn’t so fast-paced out here. If you say so, though. I’ll just get some Guinness then.

[august-elliot]

callmestevieevans​:

True, some are a little more useful than others though too. It might help you out, just be careful too though. When it knocks you out, it really can knock you out for a while. Hey no worries man, but if it works then I’ll take you up on that! Hope it helps!

Hmm, if that’s the case, then I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to sleeping for 24 hours straight. My mind needs to recuperate, but it’s too stubborn to rest. What’s your poison? I’m gonna prepare for the aftermath of this forced hibernation whenever it happens. 

[august-elliot]

outanddj​:

Any guy that has to pay for an oil change is a little pathetic, if you ask me. 

But that’s probably bad for business.

Any average Joe could just look up a tutorial and do it themselves, but at least you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re far more competent than they’ll ever be.

Even though it’s annoying, it’s a bit of a win-win for you. You walk away knowing you’re better than them and they paid you for something a monkey could do. 

[august-elliot]

skylarberry​:

For sure. Oh I know, right? I mean, how can you fall asleep to something that’s gonna leave you hanging? I gotta admit, I have an addiction for the baking shows… but only around the holidays? I don’t even know what those are, but I’m always up for being a guinea pig when it comes to food.

Tell me about it. I spent the entire night wondering who’d get eliminated next. See, baking shows around the holidays are always helpful. The holiday season is extremely food-centric, so it helps to find inspiration and recipes then. I have no idea how to describe what choux is, but I think they’re what cream puffs are made of? If I ever manage to figure out how to make some, you’re definitely gonna be the first to try them.

[august-elliot]

outanddj​:

Y’know, if you try and explain shit to me at my shop, talking about how you could do all this work yourself, I should be able to charge you extra. Or toss you in the hole. 

They told you how to do your job, yet they still sought help from you. I love how people have a tendency to bite the hand that feeds them. It’s somewhat pathetic if you ask me.

[august-elliot]

don’t wanna be lonely //

WHO: august rhodes and mercy rose WHERE: mercy’s house WHEN: friday morning, 2:15 am || august 14, 2020

MERCY:

Mercy was always in control. And it would be a little more than a cliché to admit that sometimes, the illusion that she didn’t, made it easier to relax. Sure, she had most men around her finger, less because of her beauty, and more because she’d learned how through trial, error, and natural talent. 

But it was still nice. 

And she knew this meant nothing. She knew that his hands on her spelled out a want for touch, for a body, for warmth, for all the things she didn’t care to know.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t pretend. 

He was just a guy. And she was just a tiny bit broken. 

Her fingers curl around his, her smaller fingers slotting between them as she presses his hands tighter against her skin, guiding them along her sides, and then up. Fingers locked together as she pulls his palms up. 

Faking intimacy was part of the human experience, as far as Mercy was concerned, and she’s an expert at it, as her lips brush slowly against the curve of his open palms, and the pads of his fingers, her eyes never leaving his. 

Gathering them together, she holds them close to her chest, just shy of where they’d become a distraction, as she leans down closer to his lips, to the sweet smell of his cologne. 

She wondered if that smell would stay on her clothes or if she’d be able to fully forget this by morning. 

Mercy’s lips brush him with the sweetest pressure, letting her fingers untangle from his, brush down his wrists. Her words come out in a breath, soft, and lovely. “If I broke your heart,” She starts, letting the blunt edges of her nails sweep against the backs of his wrists. “Would you be able to get over me?” 

This wasn’t for him. 

This wasn’t about him.

And she knew that. And more importantly, he knew that. She could see the look in his eyes when he looked at her. And unfortunately for her, she knew what it looked like when someone wanted more for her — which inevitably meant from her. 

August doesn’t look at her like that in the few times they’ve met.

So she doesn’t think, or try to see anything else. That’s the exact reason August was here, with his hands on her and his clothes scattered across her floor. 

Because he was another night to her, and she was another night to him. 

It would be beautiful, if it wasn’t so meaningless.

AUGUST:

A self-proclaimed wordsmith, August prided himself on his impeccable ability to haphazardly string words together in such a way that conveyed whatever emotion he wanted. In his short history as a trial lawyer, it’s what helped him in the courtroom, oftentimes coming up with rebuttals on the spot in a swift attempt to sway the jury. It was a means of survival for him after his first and only heartbreak. It was the only way he could protect his shattered heart.

“Never, sweetheart,” he purred back in reply, his eyes locked on hers. “I could never get over you.”

In another world and in a different circumstance, perhaps he would’ve meant it. Maybe if he’d only allowed himself to heal and grow from the heartache, then maybe sincerity would flow from his lips in a never-ending symphony, the cadence of his promises would echo through the cavernous depths of her heart. And maybe in another time and space, he would’ve stood by his words. His words would’ve dripped with honesty, lathered in genuine love and care, his feelings would’ve been palpable. But the fact of the matter is that August, in all of his glory, has forgotten what it felt like to revel in truth. He’s lived behind a mask and sought comfort in its anonymity, there were times when he couldn’t even recognize his own face in the mirror. 

A nation called the concept kintsukuroi, meaning ‘golden beauty’; the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the broken parts with a lacquer coated in gold, making the shattered original beautiful in its own, brand new way. This was his new golden beauty; making up for the brokenness he felt and creating something as beautiful as a temporary connection. There was beauty here, and the beauty was laced between these empty promises he’d taught himself to make but never keep because beneath the gold dust was just a synthetic substance used to hold something together, even for just a moment.

August only ever made promises he never intended to keep. 

“Don’t go breaking my heart now,” he grabbed the hem of her blouse and pulled it off of her, kissing her hungrily as he tossed the garment towards the corner of the room. Pulling away from her momentarily, his eyes traveled from her clavicle, up her neck to her jaw, falling on her lips for a split-second before batting his baby blues up at her. “You wouldn’t think of doing that to me, right, sweetheart?”

If he saw it fit, he would surely keep going. If it meant reaching into her chest and pulling out those words himself, he would. The fact that she asked if he would ever get over her should she decide to break his heart triggered a thought in his subconscious because never in a million years did he ever want anyone to get close enough to him to even think about doing so. The name of the game was to pretend. Everything was for the sake of pretending and nothing else. 

And yes, in another life, August might’ve meant it. 

But this was reality. And he never meant a damn thing. 

Not anymore.

[august-elliot]

don’t wanna be lonely //

WHO: august rhodes and mercy rose WHERE: mercy’s house WHEN: friday morning, 2:15 am || august 14, 2020

MERCY:

There’s a softening that comes over her face, half practiced, half reflexive. In her mind, she’s still wholly in control. Even as her expression shows a sweetness that she has the potential to have. Warm green eyes, rosy cheeks, and the way she leans into August - it’s SACCHARINE sweet. It was almost funny, the way some reacted, the way she changed, and became exactly what they wanted her to be, until they found themselves in bed with the same girl once the moment passed and saw none of her sweetness.

But that wasn’t now, that was the future, and Mercy rarely planned that far. instead, she only plans the next moment, her fingers catching at the edge of his jacket, nudging at the fabric, trying to guide it over his shoulder, letting blunt nails graze against the skin.

She breathes out a slow, even breath against his lips, a hint of a smile on her own, before turning her head, and pressing a featherlight kiss to his thumb. She lets her lips linger for a moment before she whispers. “I will.”

The thing about their little game, one of many she’s sure they both played, with many, was that tonight, she was trying to forget. And men with strong shoulders, and mischievous smiles were the easiest cure for a racing mind. And that seems to be well understood, from the way he’s not questioning her, the way he is seamlessly fitting into a role he hadn’t even read the script for.

A role that was clear, and opposite, from the things she was running from. There was no pitying words for her, or brown eyes looking at her like she was an answer to a question (no matter how much she needed that). There was just here, and now, and the feeling of his hand against her neck and the promise that in the morning light, the only bitter taste on her lips would be her morning coffee.

The flickering reminder makes her push up into another kiss, one of her hands fisting in his shirt as she moved to take a few steps back towards the couch, pushing at his clothes with haphazard tugs and pulls. He could surely handle the rest.

AUGUST:

The act of forgetting was one of August’s favorite pastimes. It meant only dealing with the here and now, only focusing on whatever was in front of him (or on top of him or underneath him, however the night twisted), only caring about the next ten, twenty, maybe thirty minutes. A master of words, he was keen on saying whatever it took to get him from point A to point B, and if it meant telling sweet little white lies to get that perfect baby doll smile, then he had no qualms about it. For the sake of avoiding loneliness, he made many people his one and only, but just for one night at a time. 

“Needy now, are we?” he murmured softly in her ear as he noticed her hasty movements. He recognized these from his countless encounters, fingers tangled in the fabric of his shirt, desperate touches burn into his skin as the lust hits overdrive, and he couldn’t help but smirk smugly against her lips. In a few swift moments, he obliges and sheds his jacket before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling it up over his head to get rid of it too. “Is that better for you?” He asked deviously, already knowing the answer in his mind. 

Their answers were always the same. It was always a wordless, cheeky grin up at him, a teasing lick of the lips that just beckoned him even closer. His ego had grown almost aggressively in the years following his first and only heartbreak. What used to be home to a sweet smile and a caring heart suddenly turned into a hollow shell that housed the shadow of the monster he’d become. And what made him all the more monstrous was his lack of recognizance of the matter. 

August eased up against the couch and eased her on his lap, allowing his hands the chance to explore some brand new terrain. 

“Remember me now?”

[august-elliot]

ellahudson​:

Ella tried to keep her hands folded in her lap, her eyes kind of glanced around the diner before attempting to meet August’s. “Oh, that’s good. I feel better about, um, well the time it took me to run home and change.” She nodded at him, instinctively pulling her hands back up and resting an elbow on the table so she could lean her chin on top of her hand. So much guilt was running through her mind as she looked over at this guy who she’d been in love with, who she was sure she was still in love with, especially after seeing him up this close for the first time in so long. She tried not to think of those feelings though, knowing that the possibility of him feeling the same for her was probably slim to none, what with how she’d broken his heart. And even if that slim chance was there, who was to say it’d remain after she explained the reason for her breaking up with him so hastily over a phone call. She couldn’t imagine anyone would really take the news about having a daughter they didn’t know about because the mother kept it from them for so long all that well. And as much as she knew that was why she agreed to meet him here, to finally tell him that Alice was very much his daughter and to apologize for the break-up and keeping him in the dark for so long, Ella worried if this really was the time or place for this conversation. She licked her lips out of more nervousness, this time not looking across the table, but more glancing off toward the napkin holder. “Yeah, Gus…it’s really nice to see you too.” Looking back towards his face, she offered a small smile. No matter the guilt and the nerves, the fear of how this all may go, she really was happy to be seeing him again.

Though an entire decade had gone by, it still felt like yesterday when he first laid eyes on Ella. The crinkles in her smile were still the same, if not just a tad more prominent, the cadence of her voice still struck his heart as it did all those years ago. And though he didn’t realize it then, the slight discomfort in his chest made him aware of the breath he’d been holding in this whole time. In an attempt to slow the rate of his heartbeat and act natural, he slowly exhaled through his nose and remained awkwardly silent for a measure. As someone who was proud of his ability to improvise on the spot in a courtroom, he suddenly found it incredibly difficult to construct simple sentences. Part of it was due to fear of saying the wrong thing. What if he just started rambling about how life had been since college and what he’d been up to? What if he just went off on a tangent about how his heart had been broken since the last time he’d heard her voice? What if he just suddenly felt the urge to divulge every regret, every secret, every ounce of blame he had for her? While enough time had passed and his broken parts have since healed enough, there were still scars that remained; a reminder of what once was and what could’ve been. He attempted to remain level-headed and thought carefully before speaking. 

“So how’ve you been?” The question seemed simple enough, harmless enough to keep him even-keeled, with enough small talk to tide them over casually until they hit the nitty gritty but enough curiosity to keep the conversation going. “It’s been a quick minute.” A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. “How are you?”

[august-elliot]

charlierhodes​:

I know, it’s just, well, you know. I’ve been busy. And I’m not going to just take anything. It has to be perfect. And that just hasn’t come around yet.

Maybe settle for a shade less than perfect next time? Just to get your foot in the door again. 

[august-elliot]

callmestevieevans​:

That figures, there’s an app for everything and really it’s just playing sounds anyways. But yeah? Damn, well that’s not exactly optimal. Have you tried melatonin if you’re having real issues getting enough sleep?

There are some strange apps out there, but I guess there’s something for everyone nowadays. I haven’t tried melatonin, no, but I might have to look into it. If I get to trying it and I get some sleep, I owe you a twelve-pack.

[august-elliot]

ellahudson​:

Nervous was an understatement when it came to how Ella felt as she stood in front of her mirror, looking at herself in the third - no, fourth outfit that she’d tried on since getting home from work. Sure, she could have just worn the same clothes that had been on under her apron at work, but being at the diner even for a few hours…the smell of food clung to you like a moth to a flame. And Ella didn’t want to see August for the first time in ten years, smelling like a BLT. Especially after how she’d left things with him and the even more so given the news she was preparing herself to give him. She sighed and shook her head, burying her face in her hands as she had to talk herself out of cancelling the meet-up all together. Looking up at the mirror again, she nodded and spoke aloud to herself. “You can do this, Ella. You have to do this, not just for you, but also Alice.” And with that, she grabbed her car keys and headed back to the diner, hoping she hadn’t been keeping August waiting for too long. 

She’d settled on a simple pair of white shorts and a floral top, nothing too overboard, just her simple, go-to look. As she pulled into a parking spot, she couldn’t help but feel the drop in her stomach, almost like the feeling when you reach the top of a rollercoaster and you start plummeting toward the earth. Ella bit her lip as she got out and walked to the door, noticing for the first time now that as she reached to open it, her hands were shaking a little. She took a deep breath and as soon as she stepped inside, she saw his face. That same face that she missed and felt a pang in her chest and her heartbeat rising as she realized there was no backing out now. She mustered a smile and made her way to the booth he’d chosen, not sure if she was walking very slow or if it was just some weird sense of time slowing down in the moment. She wasted no time in sitting down, unsure how much longer her legs would stay steady and most definitely wanted to avoid some awkward hug or hand shake, not that she wouldn’t have wanted to hold him close once again. “Um, hi. I, uh… I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” Ella stammered out, mentally kicking herself for allowing her voice to sound so shaky.

“No, not at all,” August replied quietly, shaking his head with an awkward smile. “I just got here not too long ago, it’s okay.” 

There was still something about her that made his heart skip a beat. Of course, it could’ve been attributed to a number of things; the fact that she was his first love, first heartbreak, first concept of forever. It could’ve also been that idea that it’d been a little over ten years since the last time he’s seen her face or heard the sound of her voice. On his worst nights, the sound of the phone call echoed quietly in the background, causing his heartbeat to race. It could’ve been a terrible combination of all of those components, but he didn’t know. He just knew that this was happening. Ella was in front of him and they broke the ten year silence out of the blue because... perhaps that’s what was meant to be. Over the years, he’d gone over this conversation over and over again in his head, finding the right words to say, constructing the right questions to ask, bracing himself for impact. He’d come up with arguments and rebuttals, counterpoints and one-liners that expressed his disappointment, anger, feelings of betrayal. This very conversation used to live in the forefront of his mind and he’d play out every possible outcome every night. Insomnia was the cruel friend that had the audacity to continue to remind him of what could’ve been, and one would even think that ten years’ worth of analyzing the situation from every angle would fully prepare him enough to face the demon head on. But none of it ever prepared him for reality. In fact, as willing and desperate as he was to finally have this conversation, he never thought it’d come to fruition. 

“It’s nice to see you again,” he fidgeted with the watch on his wrist, finding it incredibly difficult to maintain eye contact. He swallowed the rest of the sentence, gulping it back down along with the potential volcanic eruption of emotions that bubbled inside. There was more to it though, something along the lines of complimenting her, maybe a comment about how he didn’t expect to meet up again. Fortunately, he refrained and left it at that. After all, it was too soon to gauge how it would turn out.

[august-elliot]

don’t wanna be lonely //

WHO: august rhodes and mercy rose WHERE: mercy’s house WHEN: friday morning, 2:15 am || august 14, 2020

MERCY:

Mercy isn’t intoxicated enough to not be responsible for her decisions. But she is stupid enough, to make mistakes regardless of that fact.

So when she hears the knock at her door, she doesn’t think before she gets up, haphazardly leaving her phone on the couch cushions. It’s little more than a glance at the mirror before she opens the door, fingers reaching to catch the slight smudge of lipstick on the edge of her lips.

“Come in already, it’s late and I don’t want my neighbors to think I’m a slut.” Her fingers catch the lapel of his jacket, tugging him just shy of roughly as she takes a few steps back into her apartment, her light eyes warm with a teasing that is fully for her benefit. She’s just shy of stumbling when she stops, letting her body stop August’s from moving any further with a soft, sweet impact.

“So.” She starts, looking up at him curiously. “If I did remember you..” Mercy trails off, letting her fingers move up from his lapels, pressing slightly into his chest. “I’d say it’d make sense to pick off where we left off, hmm?” One of her hand strays up, grazing along the side of his neck and tangling against his hairline.

If she ever actually called herself out on her bullshit, she’d admit she definitely had a type in guys. With girls, she found something to swoon over in almost each and every one she met. Girls, were beautiful, and there were few that she couldn’t find something beautiful about.

But guys? She preferred the ones with dark hair, and smiles that reminded her of Superman, or at the very least, some form of Hollywood glamour. Her preference was well tailored, and there was very few things a guy could do once she decided she wasn’t interested.

It’d be funny, if it wasn’t a little depressing, the way she could let go of a guy at a moment’s notice, and stay hung up on a single girl for an entire year.

But she didn’t call herself out, if anything, she spurred herself on a little too much for her own good.

And now, in her apartment, rather than the bar done up for the night, with only socks covering her feet, she has to press up on her toes to be in August’s eye line.

She realizes that’s definitely a part of her type too.

AUGUST:

A mischievous smirk tugs on the corners of his lips and his hand finds Mercy’s hip, his arm snaking around her waist in a swift movement to pull her close. Grateful for his one-track mind, August devoted all of his attention to the beauty before him, lusting after the ideas she’d planted in his mind the first night they’d met. 

“Unless you’d like me to reintroduce myself,” he murmured as he arched his brow playfully. “Since you’re so forgetful, it seems I should take it upon myself to jog your memory.”

This had become his specialty over the years. Casual conversation turned into suggestions turned into hasty plans and wandering eyes and travelling hands, he’d inadvertently turned it all into a game. What first started out as a distraction somehow became his favorite hobby. And as horrendous as that might’ve been to his past self, he couldn’t help but fall into this dirty habit of his. His tendency to disregard consequence had become somewhat of a thrill to him. After all, if someone who’d practically given him the world had the ability to shatter it in the span of one short phone call, then surely had the ability to make what he could of the shattered pieces. 

It was in his careless deeds that he learned that making the best of what he was left with was doing just this: settling for a split-second attraction because it meant never being vulnerable enough to care about whatever might happen next. To him, it was always clear that his actions would only ever lead to momentary bliss. And he was more than okay with that. 

Quite frankly, his type was anyone with a mysterious smile and a craving for a good time, and over the years, August’s motto had gone from, “The only person you should strive to be better than is the person you were yesterday,” to “I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” because he never saw the point in lingering if that meant being susceptible to heartbreak all over again.

“Come here,” he lifts her chin with two fingers, gazing down at her before placing a kiss on her lips. His voracious appetite was apparent and he took full advantage of such a serendipitous moment like this as his hand cradled the crook of her neck, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. He knew exactly what he was doing and he enjoyed having control. 

“Tell me when you start to remember.”

[august-elliot]

we’re just late //

Seven years. It’d been a solid seven years since the last time August had spent more than three days in his own hometown. Not by any fault of his-- well, perhaps that was subjective depending on the day and who you asked. His avoidance of Castlewood could’ve been attributed to a number of things: an escape from his family drama, a method to wean himself off of the dependency he had on his childhood memories, a means of shutting out the heartbreak that still lived within city limits. But dissatisfaction with who he’d be come brought him crawling back to the only place his heart had called home. Though he tried to shed himself of the small town boy image and attempted to encapsulate everything about being a hot shot lawyer with a chip on his shoulder, he couldn’t bring himself to fully encompass what that entailed. So he left the bustling city of Boston and suddenly found himself falling back into his place in Castlewood.

Arriving at the diner, he drew in a deep breath and made his way to the door, exhaling as he pulled it open. It’d been a while since he’d last seen her. August wondered if her eyes still looked the same, if her voice still carried the same cadence he’d come to love. He ruminated over a number of things, unable to collect his thoughts as anticipation remained pent up in the pit of his stomach. Sliding into one of the booths, he folds his hands on the table, foot tapping frantically in a fanfare of staccato notes, unsure of what to expect. From his periphery, he spotted her from afar and felt his heart leap up into his throat. 

[august-elliot]

don’t wanna be lonely //

WHO: august rhodes and mercy rose WHERE: mercy’s house WHEN: friday morning, 2:15 am || august 14, 2020

Being back home felt strange to August. After spending a solid number of years in a setting that was so foreign to this small town boy, having grown up in such a bustling city did a number on him. Not to mention the heartbreak he endured his sophomore year of college. 

Once upon a time, he was everything good in this world. Well-rounded, articulate, talented, he was a dream. His tendency to put others first were what set him apart from the rest of them; always wanting to make sure others had their fill before he did, ensuring everyone else was cared for, his selflessness was his top quality. And it’s not to say that he isn’t selfless anymore. If anything, that trait had grown exponentially. But through the years, through that heartache, he learned that it was okay to be selfish. He taught himself that prioritizing his own needs every now and then was absolutely okay. 

And it was in learning this lesson that he learned a few traits that he definitely could’ve done without. But given his rude awakening of how love worked sometimes, he couldn’t help but pick up some habits. 

He made a habit of learning a girl’s name long enough to not call her the wrong one, but made it a point to erase it from his memory as soon as the sun broke free from the darkness. Perhaps it was due to having one too many rebounds after the love of his life just ended things out the blue, but regardless of this behavior’s origin, he’d come to know the monsters that lurked in the dark by name. In fact, on his worst nights, he was among them too. 

So the night that one particularly intoxicated specimen at the bar got all touchy-feely at the right moment, August figured, why not? It’d been long enough for him to notice the tension that frustration created, causing him to furrow his brow and make rash decisions for the sake of temporary bliss. It wasn’t his fault. Between his lack of sleep and lack of satisfaction in this old yet new home of his, he couldn’t find the place for him to care enough about tomorrow. And although nothing happened the night they met, he knew he’d still give it a chance if the moment arose. 

And it did. Following a few quick texts and a change of clothes, he made his way to the address he’d been given. He left his phone in the glove compartment, knowing damn well he didn’t want to be bothered by anyone else. Tonight was just for him. Approaching the doorstep, he gave the door a couple of knocks and waited, eagerness building within him.

[august-elliot]

💬 contact: troubletone dude

mercy: you can probably keep my attention for another couple hours

august: I better get on it asap then.