I haven't been gone very long, but it feels like a lifetime

Conor Atwood 33 years old Tattoo artist The Cove - Carroll County

[conorxatwood]

have you seen ( Conor Atwood, he/him )? They look a lot like ( Matthew Daddario ). The ( 33 ) year old ( tattoo artist ) is so ( logical, calm, giving ) but I heard they can also be really ( standoffish, melancholy, cynical ). Can you believe they’ve been in town for ( two weeks after many years away )?! They live in the ( The Cove ) neighborhood and kind of remind me of ( towering redwoods, hot chocolate on a cold day, crashing waves, distant thunder ). If I was asked, I’d guess that they were ( most likely to succeed ) in their yearbook for the class of ( 2010 )

About Conor:

Name: Conor Owen Atwood Age: 33 years old Birthday: September 5 Sign: Virgo Handedness: ambidextrous Residence: The Cove Sexuality: gay Relationship status: single Occupation: tattoo artist

TW: car accident, death, child abandonment

Conor was born to a fairly well-known family in Carroll County. They weren't exceptionally rich or anything, but they were well-off, both of his parents being doctors. He also has an older sister.

In high school, Conor was a golden boy, good at most things while also kind and outgoing. He was well-liked overall, even by the groups that didn't typical take to the popular jock sorts - because there was much more to Conor than that.

While Carroll County is very much about football, Conor played soccer, but he was still well-respected for his skill on the field, even by people who thought they'd never be interested in soccer. Similarly, Conor was a good student and also skilled in art, though the scholarship he received was for soccer.

Conor's best friend was Evan, a star on the football field. Because of this, Evan was even more beloved in Carroll County. They were inseparable, always together. People often spoke of them in the same breath, thinking of them as a package deal. Their bond was admirable and envied.

Secretly though, Conor was in love with Evan. But Conor could never tell how Ethan felt. In their private moments, there was genuine affection and care...and possibly more. Conor would swear that there was something more there, something in the way Evan would look at him, but he could never bring himself to broach the subject - even after drunkenly making out more than once. He was scared to lose his friend.

Right before graduation, Conor and Evan were out. Conor was driving, but both teens were sober. There was something in the air that night, something that made Conor feel confident that things were about to change between them. Evan had never looked at him this way, with...well, with love. It was clear that night, even before he set his hand down on the center console between them in the car, his hand brushing against Conor's.

That simple touch was enough to electrify Conor, and he kept glancing over at Evan, both of them smiling, and then Evan started brushing his pinky finger against Conor's hand. Yes, things were going to change tonight, that much was certain as Conor found the courage to link their pinkies together.

Yes...things were about to change. One glance over at Evan was enough to miss the deer in the road soon enough where it would have made a difference. By the time Conor noticed, it was too late. He swerved to the side, hydroplaning on the wet road - of course that was the night of a rare rainstorm.

Everything happened so fast. One minute Conor was falling even more madly in love with his best friend, confident he felt the same way, and then the next his car was a mangled mess, wrapped around a large tree. Things changed indeed.

Although Conor was injured, he was the lucky one. Evan...was not as fortunate. At least Conor's last memory of Evan would be of the way he smiled at him. In the days since, the weeks and months and years, that has felt like both a blessing...and a curse.

Conor completely unraveled after this, which made sense to the residents of Carroll County, though they never knew the full extent of it. Conor never told anyone how he felt about Evan, not before or since.

The residents turned on Conor, whom they viewed as killing their beloved Evan. Even though Conor was not charged or held responsible, the court of public opinion found him guilty. And that plus losing Evan was too much to bear. So Conor left.

With no scholarship - the injury he'd sustained in the accident made sure of that - and with a broken heart, Conor left Carroll County, moving north. He hasn't been back since, and while he's seen his family outside of town, his relationship with his family has suffered, as have any lingering friendships.

For awhile, Conor drifted from job to job. While always a hard worker, nothing ever felt like a right fit. Actually nothing has felt right since losing Evan. Conor has become guarded and standoffish, not letting people in. However, it's a lonely existence, and it becoming harder to endure.

Wanting something more from his life, Conor decided to put his artistic skills to good use. He began an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist, and while it wasn't what he had in mind for his life, it felt right, or at least as right as anything could these days.

Just as he was finishing his apprenticeship, Conor received a call from Child Protective Services. His sister, facing her own troubles, disappeared with nothing but a note, leaving behind her young son. Although he had never had a real relationship with his nephew, Conor couldn't not step in. His parents had left Carroll County and now worked with Doctors Without Borders, leaving Conor as the only viable familial option for guardianship. And with so much of his nephew's life already in flux and falling apart, Conor couldn't bring himself to uproot the boy and take him from his home. He'd already lost so much, and Conor wasn't going to take one more thing from him. Conor knew what loss felt like.

So now Conor has returned to Carroll County even though he swore he never would, living in the same house he grew up in with his nephew. The house feels too big for just the two of them; perhaps that is one reason the chasm between them feels so wide.

Yes, Conor swore he'd never return to Carroll County, aware of his legacy, his infamy. He keeps to himself, unsure of how he's viewed these days, but not doubting there are at least some who still blame him for Evan's death. But no one could blame Conor as much as he blames himself.

Everything in Carroll County reminds Conor of what he's lost, but that's something he's just going to have to live with.

Wanted connections:

Former friends/classmates: Conor is a native of Carroll, so I would like more connections with people he went to school with

Friends/family of Evan: These would be people who still mourn Evan. While I would really like some who are antagonistic toward Conor and blame him, I also like the idea of someone who could bond with him over their loss

Friend/more than friend(?) from Northern California: Conor spent the last 14 years in Willow Creek, a town in Northern California, and he had some friends there. This could be someone he was close with strictly in a platonic way all the way up to there being romantic feelings involved or even a hookup. But they were never anything official

[angstfactory]

They knew it had to have been before Jack and Teddy got together, because those two men hadn't figured things out until after the carnival. But, they were relieved to hear that Jack and Conor hadn't done anything since then. Claudio wasn't sure how they would handle news about Jack cheating. They wanted to believe he wouldn't do something like that, especially not over something so basic like sex. Sex was fun, Conor said, and maybe so, but Teddy could provide that for Jack. No matter how fun, Claude couldn't see it being any reason to ruin a relationship over. More like an excuse to.

As they waited, Claudio ran through the conversation had between them so far. For them, this entire night ran a line close to bizarre. This wasn't something they did. To Jack or Teddy, or even Conor, maybe it came off perfectly normal and they were overthinking too much.

A car pulled into park before them and Claude barely moved a couple feet forward before Conor had come out, opening the door for them. "Oh, thank you," they smiled over the simple courteous act, for it had been unexpected, and something that softened Conor's character quite a bit in their eyes. Not everyone opened doors. And this wasn't exactly a situation where one should expect their door to be opened (was it?), yet he'd taken the trouble to anyway. It was oddly sweet. They sat, getting buckled, and cradled the bottle in their lap. Relieved some to hear the man liked their choice of drink for them tonight. Claudio looked down at the bottle, fingering over the label, as they went over their reasoning out loud, "Smirnoff has always been the easiest to go down for me.. I actually prefer the strawberry one, but I wasn't sure if you'd like a flavored one so original was the safest bet."

They hadn't thought anything of Conor's driving, until he brought it up. Now, Claudio smiled to themselves, as it reminded them of someone else who also drove the respectable speed limits and treated their cargo with care. "It's okay," they assured, not bothered about it. "I'd be pretty alarmed if I got into the car and you started flooring it. Let's definitely prioritize safety and comfort tonight." Two themes that were always fairly important in their life.

The compliment caught them off guard and immediately caused their face to flush. They didn't hear things like that very often. Their appearance in general had always been a touchy and complicated war within themselves, half the time not feeling at home in their own skin, let alone attractive. So whenever someone said something like that, it always settled in (at least for a little while) that maybe there wasn't anything wrong with them. "Thanks," the return came shy and quieter, but their gaze moved across to Conor and there was a tiny smile there fighting out. "You're very handsome too," Claude told him, though they thought Conor must know that. He seemed to carry himself with some confidence in that, at least. "And I like the tattoos.. Was that a sunflower?" Chewing on their bottom lip, their gaze lowered on the driver, towards the areas they recalled seeing the ink even though the cab of the car was too dark to see anything currently. Particularly the right hand, where they were certain they'd seen the sunflower before. "You're a tattoo artist, right?" they asked, thinking back over what little information Jack had shared about Conor. Claude relaxed back.

[conorxatwood]

Conor kept looking over at Claudio as he drove, smiling at him. He really meant what he said, that Claudio was cute (he was indeed cute as hell, and Conor didn’t kind telling them that). But he also liked making Claudio smile, liked how shy he seemed. Yeah, the most this might become was a friends with benefits situation given Conor’s feelings for Maverick (and confusing feelings for Jack too), but he liked Claudio and wanted to make him smile again. “That might sound like a total line, but it’s really true,” Conor promised. “I’m not just saying that to try and get you naked or something. I kind of have this rule when I’m flirting that I only say things I really believe.” As he said this, he grinned at Claudio because yes, he’d just made it clear that he definitely was flirting with them. But Conor was also constantly monitoring the situation to see just how comfortable Claudio was with that sort of this. “You don’t have to say that, but thank you," he replied when Claudio called him handsome. “That’s always nice to hear from someone extremely attractive.” Again, this was something Conor believed; he wasn’t just sweet talking Claudio. 

As they drove, Conor looked at his hand as it rested on the steering wheel. “Yeah, it’s my newest one,” he told Claudio. “I did it myself, and this one too.” He showed Claudio the lion on the inside of his bicep before adding, “Being ambidextrous comes in handy sometimes.” They kept driving, and Conor answered, “Yeah, that’s what I do. Do you have any? Do you want another, or maybe your first? I might know a guy.” He grinned as he said this, laughing a little. They had reached Conor’s home in The Cove now, and he parked his car and got out, opening Claudio’s door for them too. They walked inside, and once there Conor said, “Make yourself at home. Should I get something to mix this with?” He took the bottle of Smirnoff from Claudio, their fingers brushing against each other, Conor letting them linger a moment.

[angstfactory]

"The bathrooms at the carnival?" Their eyes widened, to hear this news. "When was this?" It was reflex, to press for more details, because their mind immediately went to Jack, yelling at them, for the kiss that happened with Teddy. He had been so upset, because he clearly felt things for the drag queen. But then... he was also running off into bathrooms with Conor to fool around in? Claude wasn't sure they would ever understand this kind of thing. "Actually, it's okay," they said then, looking down at the table, "I don't need to know." As Conor likened things to a buffet style of choice, their mouth twitched into a small smile. "It makes sense," they assured him. "And I appreciate you not thinking any less of me for how I feel on this kind of stuff.. Teddy and Jack were starting to make me feel someone was wrong with me because I wasn't out here, pulling random men into the bathrooms with me."

Claudio dealt with enough struggles with feeling wrong in general. This wasn't something they needed to add on top of it. Who cares if they didn't sleep around? Who did it honestly affect, but Claudio?

"Oh.. I'm sorry.." Whatever happened with Conor's first love, they could tell there was a lot to unpack just by the vague explanation itself. Sharing only enough to give context, but stopping before true details came out. Claude didn't press further. If Conor had wanted them to know, he would have said more. "Fifteen years is a long time," they remarked, but they understood how difficult it could be to move on from someone. "I hope that, with your second go-around here, that things work out this time," Claude told him, gently. Genuinely. Matters of the heart were no joke. They couldn't help to laugh as Conor explained this cabin had amenities and he wasn't some hermit forest man. "Okay, but, it still sounds like you were mostly self-sufficient. If a zombie outbreak occurs, or nuclear war, I know who I'm going to hang out with," they joked.

After a second's hesitation, Claudio nodded. "Okay." They agreed because Conor, thus far, had given a good impression of himself. The fact he said they could go, and still left the door open for Claudio or himself to hit the emergency stop at any time, was what really sold the deal. At least with that, they didn't feel any pressure to simply go along with anything to make anyone else happy. They finished their soda, and parted ways with Conor for a moment to go purchase a bottle of Smirnoff from the bar. Once in hand, they went outside and waited by the door, hugging it to their stomach and feeling the same jitters they did while waiting for Conor before. Was this insane? Maybe a little bit.

Hopefully they weren't about to leave with a serial killer. Those guys were also somehow charming and likable too, weren't they? They still had their knife! But, just in case, they sent Jack a message, to let him know they were leaving the bar with Conor.

[conorxatwood]

For a moment, Conor was confused. “Uh…during the carnival?” he answered, which came out like a question. But then he realized what Claudio was getting at, his eyes widening. “This was before he and Teddy made it official,” Conor explained. “We haven’t done anything like that since then.” He hoped he hadn’t just gotten Jack in trouble. Then again, Claudio didn’t seem like the type to gossip, but Conor recognized that he didn’t really know them. Laughing a little at Claudio’s response, Conor replied, “Hey, to each their own. There’s nothing wrong with pulling randoms into bathrooms, just like there’s nothing wrong with being more discerning or even being totally celibate. Sex is fun, but it’s not the only thing. There’s a lot more to being a person.” Though admittedly, for Conor at least, sex was pretty fun. But he’d meant what he said. 

Even though Claudio meant well, Conor didn’t know how to react to his sympathy. It made him feel strangely sad, and that might have been because it was out there now, someone new finding out even vaguely about what Conor had lost. Part of him thought about telling Claudio the whole story because he would likely find out eventually, but it would kill the mood, plus Conor just couldn’t bring himself to do it. So he just smiled and shrugged. “It was nice there,” he said. “I needed to come back for Sam, but I miss it.” Then he laughed at Claudio’s response, saying, “I could definitely help us survive, plus I still own the cabin and just rent it out now. If the zombies finally rise, we’ll all go there and live in a forested utopia away from the rest of the world.” Food would be hard to come by given Conor’s vegetarianism, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

So it seemed they were doing this. Conor was strangely excited, perhaps because he didn’t know what was going to happen. And yes, the idea that something might go down between the two of them did sound appealing; Claudio really was cute as hell. After getting the car, Conor pulled up to the front and saw Claudio there with the bottle. He quickly put his car in park and climbed out, hurrying over to open the door for the other. “Good choice,” Conor told Claudio, seeing the bottle. Once he was back in his car, Conor started to drive, and he said, “I drive kind of like a grandma,” and he really sort of did, never going over the speed limit. “Can’t be too safe, you know. I don’t live far though, just in The Cove.”  Of course, there were other reasons for his caution, but Conor didn’t voice these thoughts, even if they made him somber for a moment. Snapping out of it, he looked at Claudio and said, “You know…you’re so handsome. And this isn’t just a line to get into your pants. You really are.”

[thexcarrollxtimes]

Jack liked Conor, but it had just been the wrong time, right place for anything major to grow between them. A sad fact, and one he had been worried would ruin their budding friendship. But more and more relief washed over him the more Conor seemed to be okay with things, showing him just how right he had been about the feeling he'd had when he saw him at the carnival.

"I don't know about that," he chuckled, glancing out ahead of them as they walked, contemplating that exact what if. And the more he thought about it, the more he found he was actually okay with the idea of cohabiting with Teddy. "But it does sort of feel like we've already been together a while already," he agreed, so who knew? "I don't know though, what happens now," he went on. "I haven't, uh, relationships aren't really my thing. Not real ones anyway, so I'm kind of in unfamiliar territory and playing it by ear a little," he admitted truthfully with a gently playful grimace.

When Conor apologized for being in his head, Jack felt bad for just going on about him and Teddy and their newness. He should have been a better friend and noticed Conor wasn't as invested as he was. "Big brains tend to do that," he tried to lightly brush off his friend's - unease, anxiety, unsureness? "Anything you wish to put out into the universe?"

[conorxatwood]

There was still some awkwardness on Conor’s part as they walked toward the animal shelter, but he thought he was hiding it well. And it wasn’t anything Jack was doing. It was more that Conor just felt thrown off-balance, all of this coming as a bit of a surprise (but also not really). So yeah, he definitely had a lot going on up in his head right now. “Yeah, that’s a big step,” he agreed. “Even if this isn’t exactly like a brand new relationship, probably better not to rush into that.” Relationships were harder to undo once cohabitation was involved, so ideally that was something you would be sure of before doing. It was better to get your relationship settled first. “But still, maybe it’s something on the horizon,” Conor said, playfully bumping shoulder against Jack’s and smiling. 

“I’m not really one to ask for relationship advice,” Conor replied with a laugh. But then his smile faded, and - feeling vulnerable - he told Jack, “I’ve never had a real boyfriend, so I don’t really know how to do it.” It was a truth Conor knew he shouldn’t be embarrassed by, but he was. The animal shelter was in sight, but Conor paused, leaning against the wall of a nearby building with a troubled expression on his face. “I’m scared,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “I was in love once, and he died, so now I know how devastating it is to lose someone you care about.” He didn’t add that he knew how it felt to be responsible for that too. “So like, even when I’m happy with someone, I think about how the loss would feel,” Conor elaborated. “I even do that with you sometimes too.” He blushed slightly as he said this, and before it could get awkward, Conor walked the rest of the way to the animal shelter. 

Once inside, Conor made his way to the front desk, and he said, “Hello! Please take me to the cat who has been here the longest.” That was the one for Conor unless they didn’t vibe or something.  

[arizzonnaa]

open starter !!! where: amour fine dining.

agreeing to that dinner with her daddy and his fiancé was a whole-ass mistake. for real, especially since those two men had been keeping their little situationship on the low-down while her parents were still together—a mess that ended up costing her family every ounce of their pride and every damn dime they had. now, zenna was out here living straight-up pov-o, scraping by on a prayer just like her mama used to. maybe they were both just too stubborn and proud to accept anybody's crumbs, or maybe zenna just wanted to prove to both of those men that she didn't need a single thing from them. She could make it on her own, period. she snatched that cloth napkin, slammed it right on top of her plate, and stood up with pure, unbothered class—the kind of high-class elegance nobody in carroll had ever seen her pull off before. but as she tried to make her exit, her eyes welling up with tears, she ended up crashing straight into someone.

“ my bad, ” she choked out, her voice thick and cracking, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. “ i’m so sorry, i didn't mean to. ”

[conorxatwood]

Looking at his texts, Conor sighed. He was supposed to be meeting Sam here after his friend's mom dropped him off, but he'd just gotten a text saying he wouldn't be back tonight. Conor could have made him come home, but that didn't seem like the thing to do to win his nephew over. So he resolved himself to Sam being gone for long periods of time now that summer was here. If it went on too long, Conor would step in, but for now he would let it be. Still, he was hungry, and he looked up at the restaurant, deciding if this was a place he wanted to get takeout from. It seemed like too fancy of a place for that though, but maybe he should ask. Conor was thinking about that when the door slammed open, and suddenly he was on the sidewalk.

For a second, Conor didn't know what had happened, but he looked up and saw an unfamiliar woman standing there. He'd been about to apologize, but then she said it first as Conor got to his feet. "Me too," he replied. "That'll teach me to stand in front of doors." On his feet now, he brushed off his pants before looking at the woman and asking, "Is everything okay? You left in a hurry."

[angstfactory]

Claude supposed Conor was right. Meet cutes didn't have to be anything that occurred by mere chance, though they still suspected they normally would. "Even if it's not," they agreed about tonight likely not falling under those perimeters, "it doesn't make this meeting less than." They smiled.

Their brows lifted in surprise at Conor's confession. "Really?" Claude exaggerated a squint at the other man, as if suspicious, though it was all meant in jest, too. "I'm shocked. I thought you were going to be just like Jack and Teddy," they admitted. "And yeah, I know there's nothing wrong with all of that," Claudio's shoulders lifted into a shrug, "I mostly get concerned at the thought of them like, experiencing bad people, and what might happen to them if they chose the wrong stranger." Their eyes rolled to themselves, adding, "I guess that's why they think I'm so uptight." They thought those concerns were legitimate, though. Meeting some random could turn out any number of bad ways. Just because it hadn't happened yet, didn't mean it never would. At least Conor wasn't quite in that category tonight-- he was in that friend-of-a-friend spot, where at least there were people on both sides that knew each party, and knew the two were here tonight, meeting. Not quite strangers.

"Never?" Another look of surprise. Conor wasn't an ugly man, by any means. And he seemed nice enough? "Do you just.. not like to date or..?" They found themselves curious. "I've only had one myself," they shared, looking back down at their glass. "Way back in high school but, and this may make me sound pathetic, sometimes it still feels as fresh as ever. It took a long time to get over it," years, and honestly, there were times where Claudio worried maybe they still weren't, "and I've just.. never really tried since. But that experience kind of set the bar for everything else... And I don't know, there's not been anyone else really interested in me since? I don't say that to be all woe-is-me, because it's not like I was putting myself out there and going places to meet anyone like this so.." Claudio understood their lack of experience was more of their own doing. They had chosen to focus on career and family, and ran away from love because that first experience had taken so much. "What do you mean, lived in the forest? Like a lumberjack mountain man in a log cabin kind of thing?"

Conor's directness caused their face to flush a darker shade. They were wholly unused to this. Jack and Teddy could shock them with their blunt comments, too. Claude didn't quite know what to say, because nobody had ever asked them something so direct before. What do you want? What did they want? And then, how did they muster the courage to express that without feeling so vulnerable stupid? The morbid joke caused them to laugh under breath, breaking some of that tension. "Okay, I can't come to you if I need to hide a body... noted," Claudio teased back, taking another few seconds to consider the questions as they took a long, careful sip of the strawberry soda. Their eyes on Conor over the rim of the glass, silently taking him in. His vibe. Whether they felt they could trust him after only knowing him such a short span of time. They cared about Jack, though. If Jack vouched for Conor, then that carried weight. And thus far, Conor had been nothing but smiles and politeness, had even shared a couple of personal things about himself, too. If those weren't lies. "Honestly, I don't think I could eat anything right now.. my stomach is.." They made a gesture towards it, which felt in knots. Nervous. "I want... you to not think this isn't what I want, simply because I'm nervous," they finally said, slowly, as if they were choosing their words carefully. "I don't ever do this kind of thing.." That all was obvious by now, clearly. They'd only ever been with Ashton before, and could count on one hand the number of heavy pet sessions. And honestly, after coming fresh off the pain and humiliation of confessing feelings to someone who didn't care back, Claudio needed something.

They wanted to be wanted. They didn't care if it wasn't serious. Actually, a de-tanglement from confusion and feelings would be a nice reprieve for once. It could strictly be what Jack and Teddy said: something to make them feel better. A strange dose of medicine. "If I grab us a bottle, do you have somewhere we could go?" they asked then, firing back a direct question of their own. Answering, without answering, that they did want to go somewhere private and see where else the night would take them.

[conorxatwood]

“I don’t really know Teddy well, but I know Jack is…adventurous,” Conor replied, the affection he had for his friend evident in his voice. “I mean, the first time we met, he took me into the bathroom at the carnival, and we did things to each other you definitely shouldn’t be in a public place for. So he’s definitely…yeah, adventurous is the right word. I’m not really like that. Yeah, I went to that bathroom with Jack, and yeah, I’ve got other stories like that. But more often I’m just like…solitary. I guess I got used to it.” Yeah, Conor had friends here, some new, some old. But he was still used to spending a lot of time on his own. “It doesn’t make you uptight to be discerning when it comes to who you let into your pants. Not everyone wants a buffet. Some people want to order something nice off the menu.” Pausing, Conor thought about what he said and laughed. “Maybe comparing people to food isn’t the best thing, but I think you get what I mean, right?”

Shaking his head, Conor confirmed, “No, never.” Again he paused, not sure what he wanted to say. He decided on some vague version of his experience. “I was in love once,” he began. “Like deliriously in love. It…well, it ended just about as horribly as you can imagine, and I just didn’t want a relationship after that. There were guys who I think liked me, but…I didn’t let them inside.” There were a lot of reasons for that, such as guilt and feeling like he didn’t deserve that kind of happiness, feeling like he was betraying Evan, and so on, but Conor wasn’t going to share those with Claudio tonight. “I think I’m ready for that now, but it took almost 15 years,” he finished. Conor smiled at Claudio, reaching across the table to give his arm a little squeeze. “So I get it. Maybe we both just needed time to be ready. And it’s okay if you’re not yet,” he told the other. It was easier to talk about his time up north, and Conor laughed, nodding. “Yeah, I lived in a literal cabin in the woods. Split my own wood, grew a beard, wore a lot of flannel,” he told Claudio. “But it was a nice, modern cabin. I had internet and a hot tub, so…I don’t want you to think I was like some deep woods weirdo.”

Conor could tell that Claudio was thinking about his question, and he gave them time. It wasn’t always easy to answer even if it seemed like it should be. Laughing as well, he replied, “Unless it was a justified killing. I look at those on a case by case basis.” It was nice joking with Claudio, especially since they seemed a bit closed off when Conor had first gotten here. “I understand,” Conor said as Claudio tried to explain, and he did. “We don’t have to commit to anything. We can just play it by ear.” The last thing he wanted was for Claudio to feel pressured. “That sounds great, and yeah, we can go back to my place,” Conor replied. “Sam - that’s my nephew - is spending the night at a friend’s house.” He did that most weekends, which did admittedly bother Conor. “You get the bottle, and I’ll go get the car. How’s that sound?” he asked. 

[maverick-wh]

LOCATION: The City WHO: @conorxatwood The man looked over towards Conor and was beaming, the two were on an official date.  Only set back, Maverick still was not able to drive so Conor would be completely aware of the night the man planned for them.  At least, his leg was healed and he was walking away…silver linings.

“Not sure if you have ever done this, but I was thinking sunset at the Griffith Observatory, then we find some food truck f or dinner and maybe we can drive around Hollywood and Beverly Hills to sight see.  And end the evening sitting on the beach in Santa Monica, maybe go on the pier and grab some ice cream.”

[conorxatwood]

Conor had been nervous about this for days, and he wasn’t totally sure why. He’d known Maverick for most of his life, and he’d spent time alone with him before - some of it with his tongue in the man’s mouth. But there was something different about this. It would be their first real date (the wedding reception barely counted), just the two of them, no one else around to distract them. And Conor knew they could talk to each other too because they’d picked back up right where they left off when Conor came back to town. So why was he nervous? It was likely because Conor wanted this to go well, but there was a part of him scared because he had been thinking about Evan so much lately, and that complicated things. He couldn’t be thinking about his lost love while trying to figure out exactly how he felt about Maverick. 

Trying to push that all down into a box to deal with later, Conor looked over at Maverick as they walked. He hadn’t been totally sure what the man had in store for them, but when he heard, Conor smiled brightly. It was a reminder of how well his old friend still knew him. “You remembered,” he said, beaming. “You remembered I love astronomy. That sounds perfect, Mav. You put so much thought into this, and I’m going to make sure it’s the best damn date it can be. You deserve it.” He reached for Maverick’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so glad we’re doing this,” Conor said. They reached his car, and Conor opened it for him, saying, “Shall we?”

[angstfactory]

"Meet cute?" Their brows sank together in some confusion. "Meet cutes don't.. happen like this.." Meet cutes just happened, they weren't planned. And they had not come here expecting anything other than what Jack and Teddy had tried to set up for them, either. Claude went back over their words, trying to find the moment where they had given this Conor guy the wrong idea. They had merely meant they didn't want to help him cheat on someone.

To his credit, though, he admitted that what Teddy had claimed had some truth to it. Claude felt their shoulders relax, their eyes close briefly. At least they weren't going to be someone else's moment of clarity. "I know what this is," they said, toying with the edges of their glass of soda. "My friends want me to enter my ho phase," their head cocked to the side with a minor grimace over the term. "And think I'm too wound up, that I should get out there and just get laid, so I'll feel better." The fact they were already talking so bluntly to each other... Claudio wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing, but they'd rather it. No, they had no misconceptions about what meeting Conor here tonight was about.

"I already paid for it," but they offered a small smile of thanks to the offer. Claude cupped their hands around the soda, just because they needed something to do with them for now. Staring across at Conor. "I mean, you don't have to stay if you don't want to but.." their shoulders lifted into a shrug, because of course if Conor wasn't comfortable either, they'd understand that, too. "I don't want you to?" And they didn't, not really. Maybe Jack and Teddy were right? Maybe they were taking things too seriously. They didn't understand why Conor was there, if he already had some thoughts and feelings about someone that may or may not be developing into something more. They wished they could, as much as they wanted to understand how Asher could kiss so many people like it meant nothing... or how Jack and Teddy could sleep with anyone just for a release. Claudio wondered if this night would help explain any of that.

"Why don't you let me buy you a drink?"

[conorxatwood]

Smiling slightly, Conor countered, “Hey, meet cutes can still happen like this. It doesn’t have to be serendipitous to be a meet cute.” Though Conor could admit this didn’t exactly fit the idea of a traditional meet cute. “But yeah, this probably isn’t gonna be that.” Conor’s smile softened slightly as he said this, wondering if this was a good idea. They both knew what this was, but now he was feeling guilty. He didn’t want Claudio to think this was just got Conor’s benefit; he should have verified that Claudio was as eager for this to happen as Jack was. 

It did seem like Claudio was relaxing a little bit though, which helped Conor relax into the vibe as well. “Ho phase,” he repeated, grinning at the other. “I mean…that can be fun. Though that’s coming from someone who’s never had one of their own.” Figuring there was no point to dance around the topic given that they were both aware of what this set up was all about, Conor went on, “I mean, I’ve had sex with guys, perhaps even what you’d call ‘many.’ And it’s not been with boyfriends. I’ve uh…actually never had one of those. But I’ve never been one to like go out every weekend looking for a guy, not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just…well, believe it or not, but I can be fairly reclusive. I mean, I used to live in the forest up north before I came back here.” He was trying to help Claudio relax, but Conor decided to just be more direct. “Tell me, Claudio,” he said. “What do you want? Like…what do you want to happen tonight? Do you want to have dinner? Do you want to have sex? Some combination? There’s no wrong answer.” Then he paused before correcting, “Well…unless what you want is murder. We can’t do that.” He gave Claudio a stern look, as if that had been on his mind, and then he laughed. 

Claudio didn’t want to go, nor did he want Conor to leave, which was nice to hear. Smiling at the other, he said, “Well I’m down to stay if you’re sure. Like I said, we don’t have to have an agenda to follow. We can just see how it goes. Unless uh, you really want to take this somewhere privately now.” Conor would do that because Claudio was cute as hell, and he secretly agreed with Jack that they might need something to help loosen them up. “Not gonna say no to a drink,” Conor said. 

[thesada]

"Do I?" She gave Conor a little grin that was truly little more than the smallest upturn at the corner of her mouth, hardly enough to crease the marblesque curves of her face as she turned her attention more fully toward him. "A good feeling is it? You and I both." And she did. Between the utter failings of the Reynolds family in maintaining their own reputations, and the current mayor's constant extended absences. His reaction to the far less known news of her engagement, though, had that upturn of her lips growing just ever so slightly in amusement a his surprise. "Thank you." She accepted of his congratulations, "We didn't announce it outside of our friends and family." Which means Charles had because Sada didn't have any of either those things. "I think he'd laugh at the idea at first, but between you and I... yes, I do think he'd do exceptionally well once he put his mind to it. You'd be surprised, though he may express it through cars... that man has an artists eye."

[conorxatwood]

Nodding, Conor said, “I wouldn’t lie to you even though there would be no way for you to know. I’m a man of my word.” That had always been true, but then again, Conor and Sada hadn’t known each other very long. “Alright, so I realize you don’t know that yet,” Conor continued, “as I haven’t had to prove it. But - and I realize this might mean nothing - it really is true. And I really do think you’d be good at it.” When Sada said she had a good feeling too, Conor smiled. “I don’t know if you believe in that stuff, that people have those kinds of senses, but I do. If only I learned to listen to them more.” Sometimes he had, and things had gone great. But Conor remembered a time when the feeling he had was ominous, foreboding…frightening. And he remembered what had happened when he’d ignored it. 

Moving past that moment, Conor asked, “Is this like a situation where you have to kind of trick him into thinking it’s his idea? Like…you can’t just outright ask him, you have to make him offer?” Then Conor laughed, saying, “And here I am suggesting manipulation. But you know, sometimes men need a little nudge to get their heads out of their asses.”

[thexcarrollxtimes]

"I dunno. Migh' be good ta get it all ou'," he admitted as he stood up and checked out the finished product in the mirror. A smile tugged at his lips. It turned out great and looked just like he wanted. If things turned around for him and Penny, he couldn't wait to show her.

"My uncle used ta be my go-to for all'a tha', but he's been m.i.a. tha last nine years," he went on with a small, disappointed sigh, going back to Conor so he could do what he needed to get the tattoo done and covered. As much as Holden always wanted others in his life, social creature that he was, he always ended up alone. "But f'ya wanna be a vault for today, jus' remember ya asked for it," he joked with a small chuckle as he gently closed his jeans back up and let his shirt back down over his torso.

He took a seat back on the chair with another sigh, running a hand through his hair. Where exactly did he begin? He'd never told anyone the entire story before. It was just too hard. It still was. Even though he was sure he didn't love Autumn that way anymore, he still loved her and the hurt still stung. And he feared it always would, the scars she left far to deep to ever fully heal.

"Well, Auttie - Autumn n'I used ta be it," he started cautiously, scratching at the scruff on his chin. "I was ready ta spend tha rest'a my life with her. Had it all planned ou'. We'd run tha ranch together, have a bunch'a little ones runnin' around, even had my proposal all ready ta go ta ask for her hand ta make her my wife," he went on with a sad, half-hearted smirk.

He cleared his throat of the lump that always formed when he thought back to that time. How good everything had seemed. "N'Jesse n'I were best friends. More like brothers actually. Fucking inseparable," he pushed on through gently grit teeth as he pushed back the anger that always came when he though about what had happened with them. "All three'a us really. Since we were kids they were my only real friends. Or so I thought anyway. Once me n'Autumn started dating in middle school is when I think things really started to fall apart but I loved her n'everything was perfect ta me," he continued explaining with a small shrug, feigning interest in his fingers as he picked at them.

"In reality," he went on through a sigh. "...she fell for Jesse n'cheated with him after almost eight years together n'making me 'wait until our wedding night'," he quoted, the implication of Autumn losing her virginity in the process of cheating clear. "Fucked up as it is, she slept with Jesse while I waited like an idiot for our date that was gonna be my proposal," he admitted with an angry and sad huff. "And then she just....left," he added with obvious defeat, shrugging gently.

He had lost everything that day. His entire life had imploded. His heart shattered completely, nearly irreparable. And he never got a chance to ask her why. Why, if he wasn't who she wanted, did she keep coming back? Over, and over, and over. Leading him for years that things would change and go back to what he envisioned. Why she hadn't just said something sooner and let him go instead of sticking around and ruining his life?

"Me n'Jess obviously fought. Big time. N'I cut 'im outta my life up until a few days ago," he continued explaining, with a vague motion to the room over how harsh their tussle had been. He cleared his throat and shifted to feign a need to straighten his pant leg, his brow furrowing in saddened concentration as he willed the hurt that reared its head to once more bury itself away. "Autumn showed back up 'bout a year later n'strung me along for another decade 'fore she finally left n'disappeared on me for good," he added, shaking his head at how stupid he had been to keep believing her bullshit.

He left out all the nasty bits - his drinking, and whoring, and the blank spots in his memory, and the lonliness, and the stares, and the whispers, and the world watching the devastation his life suffered in the wake of Autumn's mess. He kept all those ugly parts of his life close to his chest, still unwilling to reveal just how much of a failure he'd turned in to once it all fell apart.

[conorxatwood]

Conor was about done with the tattoo as Holden told him his story, and he had to just sit back and take it all in. It was clear that the man had been through a lot, and Conor felt for him. He remembered Holden from school, and he knew the man now, and Conor knew he deserved better. Actually no one deserved to be treated like this. When Holden was finally done, Conor let out a heavy sigh, saying, “Shit. That was not what I expected at all, and honestly I feel a little ‘fuck you’ energy to them even though I know and like at least two of the people in your story, apart from you I mean.” It did change a bit how Conor saw them, but he was giving them the benefit of the doubt since none of this had been toward him. But he’d be cautious from now on.

“You’re a better man than I am,” Conor told Holden, leaning forward to finish the tattoo, adding the final touches. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive someone who broke my heart like that. I mean…it’s bad enough that people break hearts without meaning to. But when you do something like that, well…” Once more, Conor trailed off, setting the tattoo gun down now that he was finished. He was thinking about different ways hearts were broken; he was thinking about how his had been broken. 

For a moment, Conor hesitated, and then he said, “You know…I know what it’s like for someone to destroy you, whether or not they meant to. After Evan died, I was never the same. I’m still not. It’s like my life is split between the before and the after of the accident, almost like they belong to two different people. I guess they kind of do.” Conor was contemplative now, thinking about what he’d said, what he’d gone through. “So even though the situations were different, I know what it’s like to lose someone you love and what that does to you,” he continued. “I mean, I left town for 14 years, and I’m a disaster. I still kinda can’t believe they trust me with Sam.” Conor was being overly harsh with himself, but in his darkest moments, that was how he felt. Before he could become emotional though, he took a breath. “Sometimes it’s easier just to smile, even when you don’t mean it,” Conor said finally. “It’s easier if people can’t see how broken you are.”

Now that he was done, Conor took his glove off, and he gestured to the mirror on the wall behind them. “Well, how’s it look?” he asked Holden, heart still racing a little bit. 

[thesada]

Who: Open Where: Open

"The campaign is going surprisingly well." And it was, though there was amusingly little that she had to do with it. Between the new mayor having an affair with one of her strippers of his own accord, to the entire Reynolds family deciding now was the best time to implode, Sada had somehow found herself standing in a position of looking the best of the bunch. At least thus far. "Add planning a wedding now on top of it... I've been thinking of leaving all of that to Charles. It'd be interesting to see what sort of wedding he'd come up with."

[conorxatwood]

If someone were to ask Conor who he thought would be a good mayor in town, he probably wouldn't have thought of Sada. It wasn't that he didn't think she could do it or wouldn't be good at it, but given the fact that Conor was pretty sure she had some shady dealings operating out of Eden (not his business), she wouldn't automatically spring to mind. But when he heard that she was running, well...that felt right. She had proven to be adept at managing a large group of people, and she cared without letting that empathy get in her way or cloud her judgment; she could make the hard decisions when she needed to. So yes, Conor thought she would be great at it. "Well you have my vote," Conor told Sada. He was sitting at the bar in Eden's, taking another drink. "And I think you'll win. I have a good feeling." When he heard Sada's next comment, Conor paused, caught off-guard. "Let's pretend like I knew you were getting married and have said the appropriate congratulations things," he replied with a laugh. "Somehow I missed that. Do you think Charles would really do well at the planning?"

[angstfactory]

@conorxatwood

Claude felt a bit numb. That had to account for the listlessness of this past week. They hadn't danced. They hadn't hummed. They hadn't listened to any music. They hadn't played in their costumes. They hadn't recited their favorite quotes, or reread their comfort plays.

They'd gone to work stocking shelves at the grocery in the mornings, and shelves at the studio in the evening. They'd kept up with their texts. They'd had a cry session with Ashton, and a yell therapy with Jack. Now, they were here, at The Silver Bullet, waiting to be told by a third person in recent history that they just weren't their cup of tea.

Hadn't Teddy told them Conor was already seeing someone? Why, then, had Jack insisted they meet anyway?

Claudio sat forward, staring into the glass — just a strawberry soda, they weren't in the mood to drink though maybe they should be — and wondered when they had become the person to help everyone else realize who it was they actually wanted. Hint: not them. Why put themselves in this position anyway? It was at the point their friends felt sorry for them, enough to start plucking people out of thin air with the lovely advice to just get laid. Like that would cure everything.

Their frequent trips to the field with their telescope had been their source of comfort. Long hours by themselves, in the dead of night, focusing on celestial objects until they got tired, and laid out on the blanket to nap. Fresh air and night skies, their chosen medicine.

Their friends thought they were helping. They cared, they were concerned about him. That's why Claudio sat there tonight, ready for another reality check. Perhaps being a glutton for punishment. There was something so perversely satisfying, to prove one's self right. It sucked that it came at their own expense, though.

As they sensed someone approach, Claude lifted their gaze, their head barely turning in his direction. "Conor, right?" Might as well get this over with, so Jack wasn't disappointed in them. They shifted, their bum turning on the seat so they were facing this man straight on. "Claude," they introduced themselves by resting a hand in against their chest. "Not to be a dickhead, but.. are you seeing someone?" They asked, without preamble. "I've heard different things now and just, if you are, that's cool... But I'm not looking to be someone's.. you know, side piece, or whatever." Claude wasn't even sure what they were looking for anymore. Maybe nothing, in fact. Maybe their time for any of this had already come and gone before they'd been mature enough to give it any real chance. They cringed to themselves, already feeling guilty for Conor, having to deal with them in this state. "I'm sorry," Claude sank back some, tone more apologetic now, "it's been a week. I don't mean to take that out on you, coming out the gate here with assumptions."

[conorxatwood]

Conor didn't really know what to expect from this whole thing. He knew that Jack had told him Claudio was a nice person and that they needed to get laid, but there was a lot of information he was missing. Of course, Conor couldn't know that he was missing it; he thought he knew what he needed to know. And truthfully he wasn't looking for something serious, but a friend would be nice, plus...well, Conor was still a guy who liked sex, so he'd be cool if that friendship came with benefits, at least for now. Things with Maverick were still in their early stages, and he had made no commitment to monogamy, nor had he asked Maverick to. So the benefits were okay for now.

So with very little knowledge of the situation, Conor walked in and found Claudio sitting at a table. They were cute, definitely, and yeah...Conor could definitely see the benefits being a fun time. But he also wasn't here solely for that, nor was he going to push it if it didn't feel right. However, as he went to sit down, the vibe immediately felt off, so much that Conor hesitated. And then he heard what the other had to say, and yeah...this wasn't going to go the way that he had thought. Sitting down finally, Conor took a few seconds to consider what he wanted to say before he replied, "I think maybe we were not on the same page about this meet cute." He sighed, wishing he'd been more informed, or that Claudio had been because clearly he wasn't looking to get laid by some random guy. He needed to be clear though. "Kind of?" Conor answered uncertainly. "It's nothing official yet. We're just in the early stages. But...kind of, yeah." He paused, sighing again and shaking his head. "I thought you knew what this was," Conor told Claudio. "I...well, I'm sorry. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Hell, we don't have to do anything at all. Do you...do you want me to go?" He looked across the table at Claudio, adding, "And please, let me pay for your drink."

[behavingbadly]

the difference between their outfits was noticeable, though honestly, this is the case with anyone he stands beside. he dressed the same at work as well, it was just who he was. he loved black, there was no denying that. "conor," sonny started, mimicking his voice, but failing, causing him to giggle. "i am very familiar with the southern california heat, but also... i love black! you know this. you should be shielding me from the sun right now. what kind of friend are you?" he was joking, though the idea of an umbrella to block out the suns rays sounded divine right about now. he frowned a bit. he, in fact, didn't have a swimsuit. "i don't, but i can always get one around there if anything. i'm wearing briefs right now but i'm like, at least ninety eight percent sure people would notice." he couldn't do briefs at a public beach. maybe at a private pool at a friends house, but not even. he didn't think conor's swimsuit would fit him, because conor was taller than he was. he also didn't want to burden him. "i need an piña colada right now. or better yet, a slushie kind of deal! dude, that sounds so good right now. i wish we were closer to the club. i could get us free drinks." not that he cared to pay for drinks, but as a bartender, he knew the hacks and tricks and is at a point where he's positive no other bartender around can top the drinks he makes. he knew the measurements, the ways to make it heavily alcohol induced yet somehow still tasting like a fruit juice, the decoration aspect of it all, but for now, he would settle.

[conorxatwood]

Laughing, Conor said, “But it’s still black, Sonny. Black conducts heat.” He didn’t say this like he was lecturing the man, Conor was smiling, laughing a little too. “You could have a giant parasol and still be hot, though I guess maybe a bit less than you are now,” he added. At Sonny’s words, Conor rolled his eyes playfully, moving a bit to block as much of the sun as he could. “How’s this?” he asked, grinning at his friend. Sonny was definitely an interesting guy; you could never say he was boring. Conor wondered if Sonny knew how funny he was too. Laughing at the man’s comment, Conor replied, “Yeah, let’s not get kicked off the beach and just stick with swimsuits.” There were some people who might like to see Sonny in his wet briefs (and if he were being honest, Conor himself wouldn’t be against it), but not everyone would, and Conor liked this beach. “Let’s try my swimsuit.”

After Conor had retrieved his swimsuits from his car, he went back to Sonny, handing him the new one. “This one has a drawstring, so we should be able to make it work.” It was a colorful one with a loud pattern of blue, purple, and green, and Conor looked at it now, saying, “This felt less…like, in your face when I saw it at the store.” Maybe he’d let Sonny keep it if he liked it. “I’m sure we could find a slushie piña colada,” Conor agreed. “That does sound good except for the inevitable brain freeze.”

[maverick-wh]

Maverick couldn't help the smile that pulled at his mouth when Conor said it was going to happen more often. There was something about hearing that, something steady and uncomplicated, that eased a knot he had been carrying around for far too long. He stayed close for a moment after the kiss, his fingers absentmindedly brushing against Conor's arm while he looked at him. "That's a pretty bold promise," he teased softly, though the warmth in his eyes made it clear he wasn't complaining. "I think I can live with that." The faint blush hadn't completely left his cheeks, and for once he didn't seem interested in hiding it.

At the mention of breakfast, Maverick let out a quiet laugh and glanced toward the bedroom door before looking back at him. "Pancakes, French toast?" he repeated thoughtfully. "You really know how to spoil a guy." He shifted slightly beneath the blankets, the movement reminding him of the limitations that still came with the wheelchair waiting on the other side of the room. Even so, he found himself reluctant to move away from Conor. "Though if I'm being honest, I wasn't exactly rushing to get out of bed yet." He said with a sly smirk, looking over at Conor to gauge his reaction.

[conorxatwood]

It was so easy to settle into this rhythm with Maverick. It always had been, even when he’d first come back - hell, even back in high school. The two men had always just clicked, even when they hadn’t been excessively close. Everything just felt easy with him, and Conor was trying not to read too much into that yet while he was still trying to get his head around his feelings for the man (and for Jack as well). But yeah, it didn’t feel forced or rushed at all; it only felt right, and Conor knew that had to mean something. “I always keep my promises,” Conor replied, a smirk on his face, though a dark thought crossed him mind: that didn’t mean he would never hurt Maverick. He had no intention to, but he’d not had the intention to hurt Evan either. But it had still happened. When he thought about it that way, Conor wondered if Mickey were right. 

No, he wouldn’t think like that - he couldn’t abide a world where Mickey was right about this. But it was definitely a consideration. Pushing the worries right out of his mind (or at least to the back), Conor snuggled closer to Maverick and kissed the side of his neck, followed by his shoulder, nipping at it playfully. “I’m a man of few talents, but cooking breakfast is one of them,” he told Maverick, though Conor smiled at his response because he was feeling the same way. “Me either,” Conor replied, looking into Maverick’s eyes. Fuck, he was so into this guy, and he asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re hot as hell, Mav? Because if they haven’t, they should. You are, like for real.” The longer Conor looked into Maverick’s eyes, the more turned on he was becoming, and he leaned in and kissed Maverick again. His hand was resting on the man’s chest, and Conor rubbed it lightly before sliding down to his abs.

[thexcarrollxtimes]

A wide smile found its way to his face with the congratulations, relief washing over him. "Thanks," he told him through a sigh, trying one more sip of his coffee - ugh, no. "Um, yea, I think so," he told him, his brow furrowing in concentration as he sucked the remnants of his drink from his bottom lip. Joaquin wasn't very experienced in relationships. The very few he'd had ended horribly thanks to his inability to fully commit, and the only one he ever had made the jump with had been toxic. "No kissing for sure," he added with a small laugh and playful pout.

"I know. I'm sorry," he apologized, suddenly feeling terrible for cutting their growing situationship short. "But we can still be friends," he added, leaning into the playful nudge. "That's not off limits," he assured him. At least he didn't think so. Teddy knew Conor was his friend and hadn't said otherwise about the two hanging out. "And trust me. I'm much better at being a friend than a boyfriend," he teased himself truthfully.

[conorxatwood]

Conor had incredibly mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, he was so happy for Jack because he cared about the man a lot already. And if this made Jack happy, then Conor was happy for him. But…his feelings were complicated. Conor had long realized that the way he felt about Jack was something more than friendship. It wasn’t just the sex either, which was admittedly some of the best Conor had ever had. More than that, there was just something special between them, a special bond that had formed almost immediately. And despite how he also felt about Maverick - which was similarly as strong - that didn’t negate how he felt about Jack. If Jack told Conor he wanted to be his boyfriend, well…that would be a dilemma. In a perfect world, he could just date both of them. 

But Conor knew he probably needed to not even entertain that notion. Most people weren’t cool with open relationships. Hell, Conor didn’t even know how he himself felt about it yet. It seemed like something that would appeal to him, but how could he really know. So Conor decided to focus on the other good in this conversation: he and Jack were still friends. Conor felt like the more friends he had here, the more people to watch his back, the better. So he smiled brightly and said, “That’s awesome, Jack! I’m so happy for you.” And while he meant every word, Conor knew he had made the right chose to go slow with Maverick; his feelings were complex. “I’m going to miss the kissing though,” he told his friend, and while it came out sounding mostly like a joke, there was truth beneath the surface. 

“So what’s next for you two?” Conor asked as the two men walked out of Starbucks and headed down the street toward the animal shelter. “Like…you’ve kinda been together in a way, so are you gonna skip some steps and shack up together or something?” Conor was smiley and happy, genuinely, but he did have complicated feelings he was trying to work out, so he found himself sort of lost in thought as they walked together. Realizing it, he laughed shortly and tapped the side of his head, apologizing, “Sorry…got a lot going on up here today.” The animal shelter was in sight, which was a good thing: cats would be a good distraction. 

[quinnyhqs]

quinn isn't really rude to anyone and if she comes off that way, it was never in an actual rude kind of way. it was more of a friendly joking type of thing. no one was really blocking her sun, and honestly she didn't really care, she also didn't mind the company if they ended up actually sitting beside her on the beach. she looked up at him and smiled as she chuckled softly, "no you're good, just figured you could sit instead of just stand there." looking at her drink, then back at him with a sweet smile, "over there, by that booth." she leaned forward pointing to a booth that was selling boba drinks and smoothies, "it's very delicious if i do say so myself."

[conorxatwood]

Looking toward the booth, Conor replied, “Be right back,” giving the woman a playful grin and bounding off in the direction of the drinks. Luckily there was no line, so Conor ordered a drink of his own and then headed back to the woman. His towel was slung over his shoulder, so Conor laid it out in the sand and took his shirt off, his swim trunks already on, and then he sat down next to the stranger. “I missed living so close to the beach,” he told her. “I lived north of here for years, and while the beach wasn’t that far away, I still had to drive for a bit. Now I can walk there.” Realizing he hadn’t really explained, he told the woman, “I’m originally from here, but I’ve lived up in Willow Creek for nearly 15 years. It’s more…forest than beach I guess.” It was beautiful too though, and Conor missed it. “My name is Conor by the way,” he told the woman, smiling at her. 

[thexcarrollxtimes]

He cleared his throat and tried his best not to shift in the chair, but fuck he wished he hadn't word vomited about Penny and Jesse. Because it meant he may have to relive Autumn. "We were. Best friends actually," he started explaining, glancing down at Conor as he worked to feign interest in the tattoo. "But then we had a pretty bad falling out and didn' talk until jus' recently. So when all tha' went down, no, we weren' exaclty on good terms." And Holden wasn't entirely sure that, despite the two men now speaking again and mending their friendship, that Jesse was okay with the idea of Penny dating the heir to the Reynolds throne.

A somewhat knowing, but soft sigh escaped Holden. It was actually relieving to hear that Conor was offering a safe space for him to talk, to vent, but he also wasn't a hundred percent that it wouldn't taint Conor's view of the parties involved on some level - him included. "Well, s'kind'f a long story," he started cautiously. "Starts all tha way back in high school. Well, graduation, but close 'nough," he added with another sigh as he thought back to all the hurt and pain and bullshit he'd gone through when Auttie decided to.... He swallowed back the memory and went on. "You want tha cliff's notes version or tha whole spiel?"

[conorxatwood]

“So you were like, estranged or something when this all happened?” Conor questioned, making sure he had all the facts correct. “I guess friends fight sometimes,” he continued, “but I’m glad you worked it out. He seems like a cool guy.” Then Conor smiled, adding, “And so do you, for the record.” But he could see the uncertainty on Holden’s face, and Conor realized, “But you’re still not sure he’d be cool with you dating Penny, is that right? Like…maybe that’s a step too far?” Conor supposed he could understand that; just because they were friends didn’t necessarily mean that Jesse thought of Holden as relationship material. But if they were close, why wouldn’t he? Conor thought there was probably a lot more to this than there appeared to be on the surface. 

Even though Holden did seem relieved to hear Conor said that this was a safe space, it also seemed like he was still hesitating. “Look, you really don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Holden,” Conor reiterated. “But I meant it when I said that you could think of me as a safe space. I’m also like a vault, so you won’t have to worry about me repeating anything you tell me.” Being someone people could confide in and trust was something Conor prided himself on. As he finished up the tattoo, Conor answered, “You tell me as much or as little as you want to, okay? How about that?”