𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐍.

𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘 ━ ❝ (𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵) 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. ❞

[diresang]

           𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 && 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 ⋆            𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 ⋆ 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀 ⋆ 𝟮𝟱 ⋆ 𝗲𝘀𝘁 ⋆            𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 ⋆ 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ⋆ 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 ⋆ 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 ⋆            𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 ⋆

[diresang]

me and my bff got matching joestar tattoos!!

[diresang]

            ❝ how could it ? ❞ tamtey mused as she stalked towards where he was settled. her hands brushed against the flora as she passed, shifting into a low crouch as she reached so’lek, crawling slowly the rest of the way. it had been somewhat worrying to not find so’lek at his camp initially— but after bukowski, she’d learned his hunting areas & meditation spots.

            ❝ you’ve been isolating. how long will you be moping around this time, so’lek ? ❞ she asked, whether it was simply a jab or a genuine concern ? hard to tell, might be both. either way she sat down next to him, legs crossing & hand coming to rest against his chest guard.

            ❝ there’s no need for you to bare burden alone. ❞

[tangledfate]

“It is not a burden for you to bear at all.” The words came out clipped and short as he brushed her hand away. Frustration bubbling up inside him and boiling over in a way that has him hissing in irritation at himself. Breathe in. Breathe out. Try again. She was well intentioned after all, he should reward that. Could reward that.

“It is alright. I am used to it–being alone.” Well, he wasn’t making this any better was he? He wasn’t bad with people, but he wasn’t good with them either.

“I will stop moping when I am ready to do so.”

[diresang]

            ❝ there’s that look again. ❞ her brow furrowed in slight frustration. but she couldn’t be entirely mad, she knew how so’lek was— there was just something maddening about not being able to help. at least in a way she knew.

            ❝ you aren’t alone, so’lek. not anymore. ❞ tamtey reminded, but didn’t push, simply let her words sink between them. she couldn’t force him to speak, she knew that much.

with the sarentu, it was soft touches & gentle words. this ? this was new. the habit of touching didn’t entirely escape, fingers brushing against his bicep before her hand was drawn entirely. her gaze shifted to the forest around them, her head tilted slightly in his direction.

            ❝ is this a regular spot of yours ? it’s beautiful. ❞

[poisonedspider]

“What was that? Did I just hear a whimper?” (from husk :3) from @diresang

"What? No! I....no!" He huffed, cheeks puffed out a little bit in defiance, though eyes shimmered with the smallest bits of embarrassment. It was always a weird feeling, being shy in any sort of sexual situation. This was, after all, his entire life's work. But with Husk, everything was different. He didn't have to put on the porn star act. He just got the rare opportunity to be unapologetically himself.

And apparently experiencing things as himself made him a lot more sensitive than he would have ever thought. Because every single little touch from Husk, no matter how gentle, felt like his veins had been replaced by lava. In a way that he felt enveloped in warmth and he didn't want it to end. Fuck, they had hardly even begun, and yet Angel was whimpering. He felt pathetic.

"Shut th' fuck up! This ain't funny!" He crossed upper arms over his chest, turning his face away from the other. He wasn't truly mad, but he still struggled immensely with vulnerability. Especially in situations like this. He had been vulnerable before, with Valentino. Thought that he had found home in that man's arms. Learning to trust again, having to train his mind that Husk was not Val, it was a challenge. One that often took mental gymnastics.

"It wasn't no whimper. It was...Nuggets. It was totally Nuggets." Nodding firmly, as if that were his final answer. He didn't even know if his pet was in the room at this point or if he had gone to wander the hotel while his daddy was occupied, but he sure hoped he was so he wouldn't feel even more like a complete idiot.

[diresang]

husk’s ears flicked, grin spreading slow & wicked as he took in the way angel folded in on himself━ arms crossed, face turned away, excuses already lined up & shaky as hell.

            ❝ uh-huh, ❞ he drawled, tone lazy & knowing. ❝ nuggets. sure. funny how the pig’s got your voice now. ❞

he didn’t push closer. didn’t touch. just let the moment sit there between them, warm & charged, like he knew exactly how much angel was feeling without needing to prove it.

            ❝ hey, ❞ husk added, voice dropping a notch━ still teasing, but softer around the edges. ❝ ain’t laughin’ at you. just . . . surprised, s’all. ❞

his tail gave a small, amused flick behind him. his hands finally started to move, claws dragging gently over his thighs.

            ❝ you don’t gotta put on a show with me, kid. ❞ a pause, then a crooked smile. ❝ & you sure as hell don’t gotta blame the pig every time you make a noise. ❞

[tangledfate]

@diresang asked: that look should come with a warning. -tamtey @ so'lek

Truth be told he’d been lost in his thoughts. Wandering corridors of memory in absent recollection of something that seemed wholly unimportant as she found him where he’d hidden away. How did she always know where to find him? Perhaps he needed to start putting more effort into hiding from her.

A roll of his eyes, he forces down a grin and schools his features into his best rendition of stoicism. Couldn’t let her know he found her amusing–though the idea of her looking for him and not being able to find him while he went on with his day was wholly amusing. With all that had happened thus far, would not being able to find him cause her distress? He doesn’t find that thought so amusing.

"And yet it does not seem to have deterred you.”

[diresang]

            ❝ how could it ? ❞ tamtey mused as she stalked towards where he was settled. her hands brushed against the flora as she passed, shifting into a low crouch as she reached so’lek, crawling slowly the rest of the way. it had been somewhat worrying to not find so’lek at his camp initially— but after bukowski, she’d learned his hunting areas & meditation spots.

            ❝ you’ve been isolating. how long will you be moping around this time, so’lek ? ❞ she asked, whether it was simply a jab or a genuine concern ? hard to tell, might be both. either way she sat down next to him, legs crossing & hand coming to rest against his chest guard.

            ❝ there’s no need for you to bare burden alone. ❞

[egokilled]

          “If it was perfection,” Vox said, equally amused and unwilling to give his archnemesis any ground, “we wouldn’t have invented anything after it.  But because society declared it decidedly imperfect, we kept going.  I get the denial over being washed up, though.  I mean, not on a personal level, of course, but logically…”  After all, Vox could never be washed up if he stayed on top of all the changes Hell experienced, if he could control those changes.

          Alastor’s disinterest stung a little, although Vox would not say as much, but he wished the man would react.  Anger would be better than boredom; a bad reaction would always trump no reaction at all.

          “I don’t have a past issue.  Without history, how would we measure how far we’ve come?  No, I love the past as a concept…”  His claws crackled, and his smile turned into half a sneer.  “…so long as it consents to stay dead.”

[diresang]

alastor’s smile did not falter━ but something sharper gleamed behind it, like a blade catching stage light.

            ❝ invented, ❞ he echoed lightly, savoring the word as though it were quaint. ❝ such an optimistic way to describe replacing charm with convenience. ❞

he leaned his weight subtly against his staff, posture relaxed, indulgent━ every inch the picture of someone enjoying a radio play more than the speaker himself.

            ❝ denial implies struggle, my dear vox. ❞ his head tilted, eyes narrowing with theatrical curiosity. ❝ i assure you, i have never once struggled with irrelevance. ❞

the crackle of vox’s claws earned a pleased hum from him, the sound low & almost fond. ❝ ahhh, there it is━ ❞ he said, sing-song, ❝ the insistence that history behave itself. sit quietly. stay buried. never speak unless permitted. ❞

his grin widened, impossibly calm.

            ❝ how very . . . you. ❞ alastor straightened then, smile still fixed but voice dropping into something smoother, more deliberate.

            ❝ you claim to love the past, yet you spend an awful lot of energy trying to outpace it. chasing relevance like a program update━ always terrified the next one will render you obsolete. ❞

a beat. static almost seemed to hum in the silence.

            ❝ me ? ❞ he chuckled. ❝ i don’t need the past to stay dead. it already knows its place. ❞ his eyes flicked over vox once, slow & assessing. ❝ after all━ ❞ alastor finished pleasantly, ❝ ghosts only haunt those who are afraid of being remembered. ❞

[discoinfernos]

Angel was no stranger to a bender, or the consequences that came with it. usually he was the one being cleaned up after, though he'd looked after Cherri plenty in the time they'd known each other. but he'd never seen Husk in such bad shape. he hadn't even known the old bar cat could reach that point ; surely his veins were full of more liquor than blood at this point in his afterlife.

so it had been concern that overtook him when one of the casino employees dropped Husk off at the hotel in the wee hours of the night. it was lucky that Angel had only just got home from a late shoot and was the only person in the lobby at the time. it took no small effort to wrestle the half-conscious man to his room, where Angel had looked after him the rest of the night.

sure, he probably could have left Husk alone after making sure he was safely in bed, but . . . it hadn't felt right. if he was this bad off, he'd hope someone would look after him. Husk was overheated from the alcohol, barely coherent, half-aware. so Angel stayed, and soothed his fever with a damp cloth, and kept watch over him.

a small, tired smile spread across Angel's face as Husk's eyes blinked open.

          ❛❛ mornin', sleepin' beauty, ❜❜ he said softly, a teasing lilt to his voice but mindful of his volume. ❛❛ welcome back t' the land a' the livin'. ❜❜

he readjusted the cloth on Husk's forehead, an ironic chuckle leaving him at Husk's question. ❛❛ what's it look like I'm doin', pussycat? makin' sure ya didn't choke in ya sleep, mostly. ya got stewed t' the gills last night, huh? ❜❜

[diresang]

husk squinted up at him, the light in the room feeling like it was personally out to get him. he groaned low in his throat, ears flattening as angel talked, every word landing like a hammer behind his eyes.

            ❝ christ . . . ❞ he muttered, swallowing thickly. ❝ you always this chatty, or is this just my punishment ? ❞

his gaze drifted back to the cloth on his forehead, then to angel’s face—really looked this time. the teasing grin. the tired edges around it. the fact he was still here.

that . . . took a second to process.

            ❝ casino . . . dragged me back, huh ? ❞ husk huffed softly, more breath than laugh. ❝ figures. ❞ his voice dropped, quieter, less gruff. ❝ didn’t peg you for the babysittin’ type. ❞

one clawed hand twitched like he meant to swat the cloth away, but he stopped himself halfway, letting it rest instead. a beat passed.

            ❝ . . . thanks. ❞ the word came out rough, almost stubborn, like it tasted unfamiliar. ❝ for, uh━ ❞ he gestured vaguely with two fingers, ❝ makin’ sure i didn’t die like an idiot. ❞

his eyes slid back to angel, half-lidded but sincere.

            ❝ don’t get used to it, kid, ❞ husk added, the corner of his mouth twitching. ❝ i’m a nightmare patient. ❞

[tangledfate]

She touted that she didn’t need him to defend her–that nothing was going to happen to her–but something in his gut churned at the words. Like she was tempting a fate neither of them wanted to find out the outcome of.

The hands she’d abandoned now skated up her back to pull her closer, his forehead finding hers as he offered the best grin he could. Claws down her spine just to make her shiver before he resigned to give her the answer she wanted–as if there had ever been another.

“Like ya even hafta ask, yer stuck with me, beautiful.”

[diresang]

kimi’s smile softened even more at that━ at the way his worry lingered despite her teasing, at the way his hands found her like they always would. she let herself be pulled in, forehead resting against his, eyes fluttering shut as his claws traced her spine and sent that familiar shiver through her.

for all her confidence, for all the bravado she carried so easily, this━ this was the part she never mocked. the steadiness. the staying.

a quiet breath slipped from her, something fond and warm.

            ❝ see ? ❞ she murmured, thumb brushing his cheek in a slow, affectionate sweep. ❝ that’s all i needed to hear. ❞

her nose nudged lightly against his, playful but gentle, grounding. ❝ i don’t need saving, ❞ kimi added softly, eyes opening just enough to meet his. ❝ but i like knowing you’re here anyway. ❞

she leaned in just a little closer, presence firm & sure.

            ❝ side by side’s more my style. ❞

[tangledfate]

[ I ain’t got anywhere else I’d rather be. ]

Dark eyes snapped to him then, considered him shrewdly before her tail unhitched from his. Chair scraping on tile as she pushed back from the table, her fingers trailed the table as hooves clicked on the floor–a slow circling towards him. Like some sort of predator focusing on prey rather than someone she loved.

One hand slipping from the table to his jaw, she tilted it up to inspect him–manipulating it gently this way and that. Quietly noting a few new nicks, scratches and scars; memorizing him and–hopefully–unnerving him.

Hand slipping to the back of his chair, she forced it to turn–and him along with it–towards her. Then she moved closer. Knee found the seat between his legs and pressed her weight there as her other hand found his jaw again. Forcing his chin up again and leaning in; might’ve kissed him but stopped short, watching him and his reactions closely.

She thought about kissing him–what would he do if she did? Brushed her lips against his and sighed softly before forcing herself back. Eased away from him and out of reach as she softly offered a compromise.

“Ya c’n stay in th’ guest room.” Not in her room. Not with her. But she didn’t have it in her to tell him to leave and mean it.

[diresang]

striker went still the moment her tail slipped away.

not stiff━ just . . . alert. like every instinct he had was waiting for the other boot to drop.

his eyes tracked her as she stood, chair scraping back, hooves clicking slow & deliberate around him. predator’s pace. he swallowed, jaw tightening, breath shallow but steady. he didn’t stop her when her hand caught his face━ didn’t flinch when she tilted his head this way & that. if she wanted to see the damage, he’d let her. he’d earned every mark.

the chair turning under her grip pulled a quiet huff from him, surprised more than anything. then she was there━ knee between his legs, weight real, unavoidable. his tail stilled, spade hovering just shy of hers again, unsure now where it was allowed to exist.

her hand under his jaw forced his chin up, & his eyes locked on hers. dark, searching. testing him.

he didn’t kiss her when she leaned in. didn’t chase when her lips brushed his. just breathed her in, eyes half-lidded, like moving an inch closer would snap something fragile clean in two.

when she finally pulled back, out of reach, he stayed where he was. didn’t move. didn’t argue.

striker let out a slow breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. his shoulders eased━ not in relief exactly, but acceptance. that was more than he deserved.

            ❝ . . . yeah. ❞ his voice was low, rough, but steady. ❝ that’s fair. ❞

he nodded once, sharp and final, like sealing a deal he had no intention of breaking. ❝ i’ll take it. ❞ a pause━ then quieter, honest in a way he didn’t usually allow.

his eyes lifted to hers again, something restrained & careful behind them.

            ❝ i won’t mess this up. ❞

[diresang]

            ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ✉︎ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ⌯⌲ @tangledfate asked ❝ "John? Is something wrong?" { from Nora to Hancock } ❞

            ❝ hm ? ❞ came the absent-minded response, gaze shifting to nora rather than the night sky he had been previously focused on. his head tilted slightly, one hand loose across the balcony's railing & the other lowering the cigarette from his lips. he took a moment, seeming to debate on his words before he finally spoke.

            ❝ nah, i'm . . . just thinking. nothing for you to worry your pretty head about, babe. ❞ john hummed out, head tilting in her direction. he pushed himself to stand up straight instead.

            ❝ it's late, ❞ he avoided her question easily, ❝ shouldn't you be headed to bed ? ❞

[diresang]

i had that urge.... to maybe purge and restart........ so if you do not get a reply from me in the next two weeks or so & it is a thread you'd like to continue PLEAAASE let me know

[diresang]

hey guys i'm not actually dead i've just been in a BIG mood to make edits and all my artistic energy has been going there instead........ i got two of my projects done so hopefully i will be able to write something soon. anyways here is one of the edits :)

[rxgnofiglia]

Molly nodded in agreement to his observation. Oh, yes, Molly knew all that very well! She was unable to hold back a chuckle, though ... Hell, she had a family full of con-artists with fancy suits. It's why she was so keen onto him, though. He didn't seem like the type she knew.

As he looked at her with that familiar suspicion in his eyes -- an somber spark lying beneath it -- she felt her smile grow. Her gaze remained upon his, waiting patiently for him to speak, the question that was hanging on his lips.

Another chuckle then, her eyes moving downward toward her glass as she'd polish it off rather quickly. "You'a all people should know very well 'bout how looks can be deceivin'," she'd muse as she'd return her attention to him fully.

A moment's pause before Molly continued, playful smile upon her lips and amusement in her gaze. "What do I talk like ta' you, then?"

[diresang]

viktor let out a low huff through his nose at her chuckle. yeah. that tracked. folks who’d grown up around real cons always recognized the difference faster than anyone else. it was part of what made her interest sit wrong in his gut━ not bad, just . . . pointed.

he watched her finish her drink, yet she didn't move, like she wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere else. that, more than the words, made his head tilt in interest. most people either wanted something or wanted out. patience was rarer.

her comment earned a crooked smirk. ❝ trust me, ❞ he muttered, smoke curling from his lips as he exhaled, ❝ i’m painfully aware. ❞ looks had lied to him more times than he could count━ about people, about himself. he rolled the cigarette between his fingers, eyes narrowing just a touch as she turned the question back on him.

he considered it longer than he probably should have. the stage lights were dim now, the room quieter, the kind of lull where honesty could sneak in if you weren’t careful.

            ❝ like someone . . . curious, ❞ he said finally. not accusatory. not flattering. just observed. ❝ but not greedy. you ain’t got that look people get when they’re hopin’ for a trick they can pocket. ❞

his gaze lifted to meet hers again, steady, searching. ❝ you listen, ❞ he added, almost as an afterthought. ❝ most don’t. ❞

he took another drag, then flicked ash into the tray, shoulders easing back into their usual guarded slouch. ❝ so i’ll ask again━ just to be fair. ❞ a pause. a faint, challenging curl of his mouth. ❝ you here for the magic . . . or the man pullin’ it off ? ❞

[arachn0philia]

"Yeah, yeah, I ain't anythin' BUT classy."

Snickers from the spider demon, WELL aware that his reputation preceded him. Shot glass clinking against Husk's, he threw it back, and gave the emptied glass a healthy tap against the bar as he got to his feet. "I'll meet'cha there. Classy takes a lil' extra time, kitty~"

[diresang]

husk’s grin only widened at that━ slow, knowing, tail giving another lazy flick behind him. yeah. he’d walked right into that one, & they both knew it. angel always did like to push, & husk always pretended he didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as he did. that was the game.

            ❝ uh-huh, ❞ he rumbled, watching the way angel tossed the shot back like it was nothing. show-off. the clink of glass & the tap on the bar made husk’s ears twitch, attention locked on him as the spider stood.

classy takes a lil’ extra time.

husk snorted into his own glass, knocking it back before setting it aside. he pushed himself upright, wings shifting behind him. ❝don’t take too long, ❞ he called after him, voice lazy but edged with promise. ❝ reputation or not, i ain’t known for my patience. ❞

as angel walked off, husk’s grin softened just a hair━ still sharp, still amused, but warmer than he’d ever admit out loud.

tonight was gonna be trouble. & for once, husk was lookin’ forward to it.

[fatemastered]

@diresang : smile. you're ruining the mood.

Verosika prefers doing photoshoots like this, without all the distractions of others around them, when it's just her, Val, and the camera. It lets them both be more honest about their work, and she's found her photos capture the true her like this when she feels truly comfortable.

At his comment, Verosika arches an eyebrow, giving Val a look. "You want me smiling on the cover of the album?" she says. "Baby, it's called Skull-Shaped Heartbreak." But maybe she's scowling too much. She tends to when she thinks of Blitzo. She takes a breath and relaxes her face a little bit. "We talking a smirk or a smile?"

[diresang]

valentino clicked his tongue softly, more amused than annoyed, eyes never leaving the camera’s little red light. he could admit he liked shoots like this━ quiet, controlled, just the right amount of intimacy. it was just him, the subject, and the image they were building together. comfortable enough to drop the act, sharp enough to keep the edge.

he caught the eyebrow raise & smirked back, unbothered. ❝ baby, ❞ he drawled, ❝ i want contrast. ❞ his fingers adjusted the camera angle by a hair.

at the album title, he let out a quiet chuckle. ❝ skull-shaped, yeah. still a heart. ❞ his gaze flicked over her face, cataloguing the tension she carried. it was no secret how that little imp made her feel, so he wasn't surprised by the sight.

he watched her breathe, watched the scowl ease just enough.

            ❝ not a pageant smile, ❞ valentino clarified. ❝ don’t sell it cheap. ❞ he tilted his head, considering. ❝ a smirk says you survived it. a smile says you’re already over it. ❞

he lifted the camera, framing her just right. ❝ so, give me the one that lies a little. ❞

[egokilled]

▌  sᴜʙᴛɪᴛʟᴇs  ᴏɴ  ◎  @diresang  ∷  ‷  " STOP IT! STOP! STOP! STOP STOP! SHUT UP! " (from angel okay im done)  ‷  ⟿  kingdom hearts , accepting .  ▐

          Vox stared blankly while Angel Dust had his little outburst, waited until the other was reduced to heavy panting and tears that threatened to spill over those long eyelashes.  And then, he shrugged, utterly unmoved.  He had gotten used to scenes like this when they both lived in Vee Tower, and the best you could do for it was ignore it.

          (Very much like master, like slave, in that regard.)

          “I haven’t done anything,” he said before flashing a big, fake grin.  “I’m a good boy now.”  Ha—as if.

          He walked over to the couch and sat down, crossing one leg over the other at the knee.  “You’re just mad because I’m right about you.  As usual.  You predictable slut.”

[diresang]

angel’s fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeves, nails biting down as vox smiled that fake, polished grin. good boy now. the words twisted in his gut, sour & wrong, scraping against memories he didn’t want surfacing right now.

then vox sat━ relaxed, casual, in control. like angel wasn’t shaking apart right in front of him. angel's face shifted into a grimace. he didn't have to deal with this shit.

but the word slut landed hard, right where it always did. not because it was new, but because it wasn’t. because it fit too easily into the shape people kept carving out for him.

finally, angel laughed. sharp, breathless, not amused in the slightest. the only noise he could manage out after his previous sobbing. his shoulders were tight, his chest aching like he’d swallowed broken glass. he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand & straightened up anyway. habit. survival.

            ❝ i━ i don't know what the fuck your plan here is but━ you need to fucking leave, vox. ❞

[poisonedspider]

Well, shit. Trance completely broken. The world definitely still felt fuzzy, his body felt hot, but that had been something he couldn't promise. He had absolutely tensed in the older's lap, staring up at the ceiling as Valentino buried his face into Angel's neck, the spider relieved that he couldn't be seen at that point.

His breath let out a small hitch as his body was forced back into action, trying to not let his sin of lust cloud his mind more than it already had. When he had asked the question, he had expected Valentino to give some sort of sexual response, considering the current situation. Fuck, Angel would even do some kinks he hated if it got him what he wanted.

He had not expected the hotel to be what was brought up. Hands pressed against the other's broad chest, still trying to be sweet, trying to play the chess game right so he didn't get backhanded across the room. "Awww c'mon, daddy. Ah'm here like, every day. Just 'cause ah' don't sleep here don't mean ah' ain't around." Which wasn't a lie, either. Valentino tended to constantly call him into the work and take advantage of their contract.

A hand moved to cup the other's face before he could say anything, looking at him and tilting his head. "We can spend more time togetha', if that's what yeh' want. Outside th' studio. Doin' things like we used t'."

[diresang]

valentino felt the tension through him anyway. felt the hands on his chest, careful, placating. that sweetness angel always slipped into when he was afraid of making the wrong move. valentino didn’t mind that. fear made people predictable.

he let angel cup his face, let himself be looked at, eyes half-lidded & patient. when angel talked about spending more time together, outside the studio, like they used to— valentino smiled.

it was indulgent. almost fond. sickly sweet, the façade underneath almost undetectable.

            ❝ see ? ❞ he murmured, leaning into the touch just enough to sell it. ❝ that’s all i’m asking for, baby. ❞ his grip around angel shifted, instead wrapping his arms sweetly around his waist, the kisses turning into a gentle nuzzle. he could be nice, he could be placating.

but he didn’t say move back in. didn’t have to. the suggestion simply hung there, heavy & unspoken, waiting for angel to pick it up himself. that was always better.