rose colored boy.

clarence mccarthy, 27, awareness training & combat.

[clarencemccarthy]

anyways on this the day of clowns u lose a clown pls feel free 2 add me on d*scord @ gremlin fed after midnight#9805 or follow my main brunamarquezine 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofanya​:

– “WELL, I’VE GOT TIME,” SHE SAYS, comes out a bit softer than intended though maybe that’s just a side effect of the way anya generally speaks. though she does have to wonder what it will be like at the end of march when they supposedly ‘break up’ – it will be strange to go back to infrequently talking after she’s sort of gotten used to him. but she wouldn’t go so far to as to say she’d miss him. “ you’ve got to be kidding, ” she laughs, “ i don’t think anyone would ever go so far as to call me intimidating. i don’t buy that at all. ” even the boy she’s supposedly dating doesn’t have any feelings for her, so she thinks he’d be inclined to agree. “ someone not liking you ? that’s VERY hard to picture, ” a bit of sarcasm. “ sam just…cares about me. i’m sure once he sees how things are between us – or how we’re pretending things are, ” she clarifies, “ he’ll change his mind. i can’t picture sam really not liking someone. ” the proximity between them has inadvertently lessened as she’s leaned in, gotten more invested in the conversation. honestly, anya is hardly aware. “ now you’re asking questions,” she observes, “ they’ve just always looked out for me, made sure i had things, wanted me to be safe…i had a really hard time as a teenager and i made mistakes that were difficult on them, ” she can’t bear to go into detail, and there are some things clarence is better off not knowing, his opinion of her is already low enough. “ so, who would i be if i turned my back on them for their mistakes ? ” she’s just about quoting her mother verbatim there. “ that’s all. ” 

he isn’t sure what it was, but the prompt of time only brought the agreement’s end date to mind, and he cleared his throat. “only a few more weeks,” he reminds her, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, a tinge awkward. “and then you’ll be free of me again.” it wasn’t exactly that he’d be sad to call it off — he was nearly graduated, they weren’t even really friends, but he hadn’t hated it as much as he had thought he would. anya was good company, at times, even. “maybe not in a traditional sense, but you really think your prim and proper act doesn’t scare people off?” he asked, shaking his head with a chuckle. he snorts at her dry tone, pulling a face. “clearly.” it isn’t exactly jealousy, concern would be his choice in word, but he thought maybe this was wouldn’t have the greatest impact on her relationships. “i don’t know, he seems to just want you happy, so i’m sure he’ll come around for the next few weeks, right?” clarence hums, thoughtful at the way she chose to frame it. “maybe better off?” the suggestion was borderline projecting, but he knew firsthand how difficult family could be. “maybe it’s not the same, i don’t know, but providing doesn’t necessarily make a family.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofcecilia​.

        “ AND DO YOU LIKE HER ? ”   she’s quick to jump back into the questioning, annoyed he had called her out on her relationship with her sister.   “ what exactly do you like about her ? ”

“would we be dating if i didn’t like her?” stating it in this way as if she were ridiculous for thinking so, despite obvious differences. “she’s kind, good head on her shoulders. got a surprising bit of strength to her, too. and she’s clearly got a sense of humor.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

levimadden​:

He stops when he hears his name called out, spotting Clarence. He gives him a nod in greeting and moves to sit next to time. “Oh, that’s one serious debate,” he jokes, chuckling lightly. “Technically yeah, it’s an open-faced sandwich. Who’s got you thinking of this?”

clancy heaves a sigh, deeper than really necessary. “et tu?” moving to make more space for the other, he shakes his head. “roommate debate. but the thing is, would you consider a tostada a sandwich then? i feel like open face should be a line, you know?” 

[clarencemccarthy]

jjamppong.

                ❝ clarence , you can’t just abandon your child !  i thought you were better than that .   what would his mother , aka your baby mama , think ?? ❞   sure she could drop the act but what fun was that ?  especially when he seemed so defensive .   ❝ no-no-no-no-no ! i didn’t call you that !  the hypothetical people did !  i would never .  didn’t you see me almost barf ??  i almost died ! ❞     as expected , his joke went completely over her head as she excitedly nodded along with is idea .   ❝ oh my god , you’re so right !  i should ask sam what he thinks of that , that could help him a lot . ❞     ahead of time ?  that was a big kid question so , of course , she had no answer .   ❝ uhh , nothing i can think of .  just don’t hold back if you drop it and just let me know how it runs and stuff .  you’re be best , by the way .  wish my dad was as cool as you . ❞

if there was a camera here, clarence would be staring into it like he was on the office with the act. “for the record, there is no baby mama here. if anything, al’s the weird neighbor kid.” he had know idea how al had kiki so willing to go along with this bit. it seemed beneath her. “okay, well, never use that word around me again then, i guess? gross.” the term itself set his teeth on edge and he hated the idea that al could be perpetuating this for him, when he isn’t even actually a dad. and, as he suspected, the sarcasm went right past kiki and she agreed instead, which was, frankly, probably more likely than he should’ve guessed. “probably, i don’t know. could at least give you both something more to do?” he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. he looked at it with some suspicion, frowning at kiki for a pause, ignoring her remark about his nonexistent parent status. “it’s not going to explode on me?”

[clarencemccarthy]

banggkang.

he was too busy ordering to say anything about clancy’s comment, so he finished up with the very nice, underpaid worker and drove up to pay. as they waited in the second window, al turned to clarence, “first of all, how dare you. not everyone can be a giant, ancient willow.” he paused only to take their food and wish the employee a good day. “second, being not massive keeps me humble and cute. i’m eating your food now, too.”

“would you stop comparing me to trees? it’s weird, dude. i’m not even that tall,” he says, as if he wasn’t literally six foot six feet tall, annoyed with the lack of sleep already. “like hell you are,” he grumbles, gesturing to the clock like the grumpy old man he is to point out the late hour. “you dragged me out of bed at 3 am for mcdicks, you’re not eating my food. you’re barely humble as it is.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

“levi,” clarence called from his place on the couch, poking his head up to flag down the other student. “settle a debate for me, yeah? serious answer, first instinct, whatever you want to go off of is fine here. would you consider pizza a sandwich?” 

with @levimadden​ !

[clarencemccarthy]

ofanya​:

– “OR MAYBE YOU’VE JUST YET TO SHOW THEM TO ME,” she challenges back, because it is easier to slip back into their back and forth than anything else. it’s becoming a comfort zone for her, the more time they spend together. “ huh, ” anya furrows her brow, “ well, that’s provided that there would be people who would want to date me – which, i suppose there were more of them when i had a larger bank account. ” prior to last summer, anya had never assumed that she would have the luxury of marrying for love when she grew up anyhow, that there would always be a certain expectation about power and connections. the casiraghis did not make choices ruled by feeling. the mention of sam brings a smile to her lips, eyes lighting up, “ i knew he must have asked you about me, ” her tone is eager for more detail as she leans forward. “ he mentioned you to me, too. though i don’t think he likes you much – yet, ” she’s tactful to add, “ he’ll come around. ” though she finds it hilarious. anya can feel him looking at her, dares to meet his expression but hers is earnest – she just wants to understand him a little better, she can’t help herself. a tiny smile : “ yeah. ” anything having to do with family is usually challenging. “ and you think their limit could be me ? ” both flattering and insulting at the same time, “ that makes sense. my family is…similar, but they just want what’s best for me. they’ve done a lot for me, so it’s hard for me to accept the fact that i might never make them happy. ” 

"yeah, that’s definitely possible. they’re buried pretty deep.” he grins, more than comfortable with switching back to poking fun at himself. it feels more relaxed now, being able to joke with anya as opposed to at her expense. “that’s always the case with money, though. maybe you just intimidate the type of person who’d be into you.” it’s a half joke — intimidating was not the right word for her exactly, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she simply wasn’t giving herself enough credit or was underestimating the interest others had shown. he scoffs at the notion that sam will warm up, noting anya’s grin anyways before giving one of his own. “i’m not too sure about that.” he pauses, trying to figure out how to explain the vibe he got from sam and coming up with nothing more than it just seemed a little fake. “i’m not sure what he thinks, but i don’t think he likes me much.” clancy shrugged, not wanting exactly to frame it like that — it wasn’t wrong, but it also wouldn’t help her much, he didn’t think. her wording gave him pause and he lifted his eyebrows, a question clearly in mind, some doubt behind the look. “what do you define as “a lot” in this context?” 

[clarencemccarthy]

hazelstjude​.

when the man walked closer to him, he realized how tall he was, and his eyes widened a bit as he looked up. “yes. the only scarf i own is the one i’m wearing.” he holds out the scarf. “this one matches your jacket though.”

he hummed, as if in thought, eying the scarf doubtfully before taking it to inspect it closer. “so it does. maybe just a weird coincidence?” 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofcecilia​.

        “ ABOUT YOU. ”   her words are sharp, pointed. just because she knows anya and her don’t get along all that much doesn’t mean cecilia won’t pretend otherwise. if anybody asks, she has no problems with her sister.   “ old enough to not have to be in college ?   she is twenty-one, you know. ”   she’s guessing he’s, like, thirty. blame the height.   “ how long have you two been dating ? ”

clarence nodded, trying unsuccessfully to keep a knowing expression from his face. “i wouldn’t expect you to, y’know.” it wasn’t going to be much of a consolation, he knew. “for some, yeah. i took some time in between.” he chose to ignore the remark about anya’s own age — that was one of the bigger faults in their plan. “not too long, just about a month.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

banggkang​.

although he still really wanted to do those somersaults, al behaved like a good child all the way to his car. it was the feeling that papa was at a moments notice from smacking him that kept him in check. once buckled in, because safety is the first key, al drove them out to the nearest mcdonalds and ordered himself two pikachu six-piece nugget happy meals with sprites, a deluxe breakfast with orange juice and a sausage-cheese mcgriddle. “and for you king?” he asked clancy. 

“you’re a foot tall, how do you eat so much?” he wondered aloud, quietly from the passenger seat as al gave their order to the speaker box. “deluxe big breakfast, two bacon egg and cheese biscuits, and a decaf coffee.” clarence spoke slowly enough that he could parrot it back to the clerk. “i can’t believe you dragged my ass out of bed for a pikachu kids meal. add two apple pies, too.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

samuelsongs​.

The more Sam heard from him, the more he realized that he really couldn’t get a clear read on the guy at all. But maybe that was just his personality– that Anya supposedly fell for? “Milk chocolate,” he answered, a pleased smile on his face. Sam was easily endeared to help Clarence in his Valentine’s Day efforts, if only because it meant that it would make Anya’s experience better, and if she was happier for it, then of course he’d be happy to lend information. “Don’t take the wrong way, but, you don’t seem like the most romantic fella out there. Do you, uh… need a hand at all? You do have a plan, right?” God help him.

he nodded slowly, as if in thought, but noted sam’s satisfied look, pleased himself that he seemed to do something right at least. “well, i knew it was obvious, but i didn’t think it was that bad.” his concern seemed very real and clarence realized he would probably have to actually have a plan, not just surprise her with the chocolate, at least for appearances. she had said as much, but it hadn’t seemed likely that anyone would care until then. part of him wondered what sam’s investment in it was, if he was really just looking out for a friend or if there was a deeper motive, but he hummed, looking at him in confusion instead of asking. “chocolate and flowers isn’t a plan, is it?” 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofanya​.

– “MAYBE ONE OR TWO,” IS ALL SHE’LL ADMIT WITH A COY SMILE, “ i’ve yet to see them. ” though he’s cheered her up considerably right now, if anything, because about ten minutes ago she’d felt like she was on the verge of tears after being berated by his mother. now she feels…fine. honestly, keeping up the pretense of pretending to like him is becoming much easier than she expected. “ um, both ? ” she winces, “ though i doubt that neither are very surprising. ” considering the answer itself hadn’t been obvious. she breathes a tiny sigh of relief when he agrees, a smile crossing her lips, “ not that long. long enough to try the food, say hi to people, ” she says, because the food is always really good at the ppc events. she won’t mention dancing or she’s certain he won’t show. “ okay, ” she settles onto his bed a little more, pausing before she looks up to meet his eyes. “ what happened with your parents ? i mean…why do you want to piss them off so much ? ” so much that you’d go through this whole charade with me. 

“at some point, it’s gotta be willful ignorance, you know,” he pointed out with a cheshire grin, pushing where he knew there were buttons to keep her more relaxed, as much as she felt she could be, at least. he nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful briefly before the usual lazy smile returned. “you not dating is a bit, actually. i would’ve thought that was the right thing, provided they were from a good family.” the wavering didn’t last long and he finally nodded his agreement, resigning himself to at least a brief time at the event. at least there would be food, and at least he was less likely to be interrogated if she were there too. “if sam has more questions, that’s on you, though.” he lifted his hands in a mock defensive way, dropping them back into his lap. he shifted with some discomfort at her question, eyes narrowing as he studied her, wondering why she cared what he was doing it for, so long as she got what she wanted from it. “going right for a hard one, huh?” he chuckles, picking at the dried skin on his hands absently as he thought about how exactly to answer that without having to give her too much. “long story short, they have a lot of expectations for the family that i don’t meet. i guess i’m curious where their limit is.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofcecilia​.

       “ I WOULD TELL YOU WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT YOU, but she hasn’t said anything to me. ”   it’s said almost accusingly, as if cecilia and anya get together every week to chat, rather than the reality of brief awkward conversations. eyebrows shoot up at clarence’s admittance, for once surprised when it comes to anything related to her sister.   “ how old are you ? ”    he looks, like, old. 

“about me or in general?” the sarcasm bleeds through, though still goodnatured enough. anya hadn’t said much, but he knew enough to know they didn’t speak regularly enough for cecilia to know. he can tell she’s surprised but her question takes him off guard and something about the way she says it makes him feel like he ought to be offended. “old enough.” 

[clarencemccarthy]

hazelstjude​:

@gallagherstart​

picking up a scarf off of the ground, hazel looked around for its possible owner. there was only one other person close by, so he walked over to them. “did you lose this on purpose because it’s too itchy?” it’s what he would do. 

it wasn’t that it was itchy — frankly, it was just ugly. he hadn’t noticed he had dropped it, honestly, but he didn’t particularly want it back, either. he squinted at the fabric like he had never seen it before and shook his head. “not mine, man, i don’t know what to tell you. you sure it’s not yours?” 

[clarencemccarthy]

ofanya​.

– HE SEEMS TO NOT NOTICE HER INCREDULOUS REACTION, because three still seems like quite a lot, but she supposes that it makes sense. “ i’m just surprised you found that many people willing to meet your family, ” because it’s not like she’s jealous. anya’s strangely relieved to watch the grin return to his features, feeling remarkably light at his observation. “ i can’t say that it’s something i’m really used to, but… ” she can’t help but smile, “ yeah, it’s really nice. ” she really likes that clarence doesn’t seem to expect anything from her like other people do, it makes it easier to talk to him, and she’ll even slouch a little uncharacteristically as she sits back against his bedframe. the moment is sort of peaceful. “ we don’t HAVE to go, ” she pauses, wondering if this will take some convincing. “ but i want to…please ? ” a doe-eyed glance in his direction, hoping he’ll relent. “ oh, ” his perspective is strange to her, “ so, can i ask you anything ? or do i not count ? ” 

if he didn’t know better, he almost would’ve thought that was a joke — but more likely, anya really is just clowning him. “i do have some redeemable qualities, anya. it shouldn’t be that hard to believe,” he snorts, glad that she at least seemed to be relaxing. a lie as big as theirs was stressful inherently, but the longer it went, the less difficult it became to keep up. “not many relationships or just not great at relaxing?” he asks, genuinely curious. he could appreciate the lack of pressure though, aside from the questions he had received. he was getting pretty good at deflecting them, though. he makes a face at her, considering the brunch for a couple of quiet moments. “for how long?” he returns finally, at least willing to compromise. it does seem like it would be weird for her to go without him, and he didn’t necessarily want to ruin her experience. “you can ask.” whether or not he answered would be another story, though.

[clarencemccarthy]

ofcecilia​.

       “ WHY WOULD IT BE A TRICK ? ”   she doesn’t give him an inch, naturally. in fact, her eyebrows raise as if she’s offended at the notion. cecilia is offended he tells her to ask anya herself, unable to answer a basic question. finally she says,   “ are you two… dating ? ”   it’s said as if dating’s a dirty word.

“why would you ask me what anya’s said about you?” he asks, rhetorically, with an uncertain chuckle. “it’s not my place to discuss.” clarence exhales through his nose, slowly. this was sort of the point, but it did unnerve him to be asked so directly, or for it to have reached cecilia so soon. “we are, yeah. why do you ask?”