a loud snort of laughter fills the space between them as winston lifts his own bottle to his lips. ‘’do i fuckin' look like i carry around bricks for a living?" said only after the bottle touches the bar again. “come on, man, it's obviously fuckin' callouses from a guitar. be so fucking for real with me.” and maybe, just maybe, they were onto something about the stress. not that he actually believes his palm is what gave that away. still, at the mention of his love line, he leans in, all of his attention funnelled into whatever the fuck is about to leave leo's mouth. but…it doesn't sound promising. or very real. unfortunately, winston's drunk enough to walk that line. so he rips his palm out of the other's hand, uses it to lightly smack their shoulder, and rolls his eyes. “you're so full of shit, you're stinking up the whole bar, dude.” but there's a pause as brown eyes flicker over over his friend, hovering right where a third eye would be if they existed. “but, uh — gun to your head…does it really look frail?”
There was a very small handful of people that Leo was ever willing to throw a bone to, but Winston seemed to weasel his way into a tiny corner on a shelf that was their psyche. Watching his expression teeter from amicable and teasing, to something a bit more genuine - curiosity, maybe, or an actual worry that their love life was in shambles. As if Leo were the one to comfort him, or better yet, offer up useful anecdotes about how their soulmate was just around the corner if he just kept his head up for a bit longer. “I don’t need threatening, Winnie - it’s frail. Look,” they insisted, tapping at Winston’s wrist until he got the hint, raised his palm again and watched where Leo pointed, “see - there? No, you have to look closer -,” Waiting until he leaned in almost comically close to his hand, Leo smacked upwards and at his knuckles, watching as Winston all but slapped himself in the face after concentrating so intensely. “Christ - that was so easy it almost wasn’t funny.” Almost. They still laughed openly in the other’s face before sobering enough to brush at Winston’s shoulders, like they could physically sweep off the terrible reading and following attack. “Relax, dude. It’s not a frail love line, just shallow - means you’re a sensitive Sally, which is a bit of a twist. Can you quote the entirety of The Notebook? I bet you could. Very adorable of you. And you’re, like, a handsome young stallion and what not - just use the line about having aching, tough, calloused guitar hands and everyone will be all - ‘Oh, shucks, there’s Winston again, that sexy guy with the frail love line, but he’s so swoon worthy I don’t even care about that!’”
"you've got to be kidding me." grace snatches her hand back in an instant. she doesn't even know why she agreed to this nonsense in the first place. something about feeling like the odd one out with her girls— but she had been right. all this star sign, palm reading stuff is just plain baloney! no one had ever said grace is bad in bed, the opposite actually, if she does say so herself, and she definitely hadn't been rejected recently. she hadn't exactly been accepted either, but she's working on it! the thought leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. what did this idiot know about her... she couldn't exactly call it a relationship, but close enough. they don't even know what they're looking at! "my hands are perfectly soft!" she bites her tongue not to push too far, swing her believability the other way. "I work in radio. if anything, my lips should be chapped, but they're also perfect soft and plump. not that you'd ever find out, the way you're going!" maybe she'd have entertained it once, before their mouth opened and all this spilled out. she likes them pretty, not so much talkative. unless they're smart, but maybe that's just owen. "it doesn't happen to the best of us, trust me." she does feel like she's missing out, though, holding out for a man who might not want forever with her after everything. but that's not for them to find out. "for this bullshit reading, I should pour the tequila over you."
Throughout the entirety of Grace’s rant, Leo’s brows rise - not because they’re stunned, even in the slightest, but because they’re frankly impressed. They don’t bother attempting to hide the smirk on their face, the cat that got the cream, as her cheeks tinted an appealing red throughout her outburst. Maybe Leo hit a little too close to home. Whenever he pulled out the somewhat risky party trick, they usually garnered two reactions; people who simply didn’t care, rolling their eyes because Leo couldn’t be further from the truth, and those who reacted like Grace. And maybe they were completely off base - maybe this was just her. Leo had known of her in passing, always avoiding any worthwhile interaction because the juxtaposition of their personalities was almost laughable. He really, really wished he’d given her the time of day earlier. “Yeah, I noticed. About your lips - kinda distracting, but it makes the yapping easier to digest,” They said offhandedly, smirk turning into something fond in their amusement, leaning lazily against the bartop and resting their chin in their own now upturned palm. “Can I be honest? Just between us girls? You’re sorta diggin’ yourself into a hole here. But it’s your lucky day - I really couldn’t give less of a fuck about your love life temper tantrum. It’s actually kinda doing somethin’ for me. Spill tequila on me if you want, whatever tickles your fancy, brightens your skies, blah blah blah.” There was probably something to be said about the way Leo went belly up the second a pretty woman was mean to him, but that was a worry for another day. In the present, he held his hand out towards Grace again - cautious as someone coaxing a rabid dog forward while distantly worrying it might jump forward and bite you, “Lemme try again. Maybe I was totally off, dunno - it’s happened before. Even geniuses have their bad days.”
Greer did not believe in any of this frufru magic bullshit whatsoever. Did she believe in something bigger than herself? Yes. Did she think that auras and horoscopes dictated the outcomes of her life? No. At the end of the day, she made choices consistently throughout the day. Those choices either resulted in something good or something bad. It was a very simple way to view life. She wasn't here to muck anyone's yum, but she could not fathom the type of person who would truly seek this out and find it to be true. Yet, here she was. Sitting in the Taproom eyeing Leo, humored by whatever it was he was attempting to scam future people in the midst of their vulnerabilities. Did she co-sign? Absolutely not, but she was curious what he would spew at her.
"I worked out. Calluses from weights," she explains for the hands. At the mention of her romantic life, she all but kicked him in the shin underneath the table. "Seriously?" she says, pulling her hands back. "I wouldn't pay you a damn penny. You're gonna need to find the highly intoxicated folks to get them to fall for your terrible trick, babe." He definitely would if he stayed around here long enough. "I think you owe me a tequila shot for sitting through that. It's a fair consolation prize, and you know it."
Humming, as if Greer had adorned them with sage advice, Leo nodded slowly at her sincere response. It was interesting, at least. She gave away nothing in her features, but spoke with ease. Most didn’t take him seriously, and it was clear that Greer didn’t either, but she still conversed with Leo as an equal. For a moment, they didn’t know what to do with it, bypassing the explanation behind her rough palms and meandering somewhere far more comfortable. “Fuckin’ hell, John Cena, go easy with your happy feet there,” They scoffed, even though she’d barely grazed at his shin in her protestation towards what was, admittedly, a rather shitty reading. Leo knew how to do one properly, if not forced to learn all about it from an aunt that meant well and tried her best when court-mandated therapy and rehab had done nil to tame the atrocity that was Leo at their worst. But despite Greer giving them zilch to work with, that was almost more than what they needed. They could probably commune with the dead in front of her and she’d barely raise a brow in appreciation. However, it was a comfort to know they spoke the similar language that was alcohol - so, for once, Leo did what they were told and replenished their empty shot glasses, “I feel like I’ve been conned a bit. I’m out here doing charity work for your romantic endeavours, just to be beaten to a pulp and swindled of everything I own. I’m shillin’ out the last of my golden dubloons for you here.” Leo had a running tab at the vintage bar since he could legally drink - this was far from anything new. “I didn’t actually hit a nerve, did I? Are you, like, a total prude or something? Gotta admit that’d be… totally disappointing. Not what I expected, sorta thing.”
"You asshole, as if I'd watch that trash. Luke and Noah till I die, baby!" Tabby shot back, rolling her eyes. Soap operas were fun and silly in small doses, but ever since As the World Turns started shipped Luke with that doctor, she'd stopped watching. But Leo always knew how to get under her skin. He knew enough about her, from being with her when she was barely an adult and seeing her become one, that he could get digs into her better than anyone. She watched him quietly as he kissed her knuckles, the familiar spark of bittersweet affection filling her chest. She squeezed his hand and then pulled away, starting the car and driving away. Tabby knew it was pathetic, to keep answering his calls and cleaning up his messes. It wasn't good for either of them in the long run, of that she was sure. But Leo was such a fundamental part of her, that toxic as he was, she still cared. Would probably always care. If nothing else, she'd feel bad if he ended up dead in a ditch. The relationship was passionate and long running, despite ending years ago. And Tabby would rather cling to someone she knew than be vulnerable with someone else. "No, not tonight, I cant. I have a bunch of stuff to do in the morning. You're so damn lucky I don't have clinic tomorrow, or it'd be you getting neutered instead of a Labrador. I mean for fuck's sake, Leo! A house party? You're not - no, no I'm not going to nag you. I'm driving you home and then driving myself home and that's it." She said, with a tone of finality. She was almost 30, she was not about to have ill-advised, tipsy sex with her ex boyfriend.
It didn’t take long for Tabby to spiral into her usual scolding when it came to Leo’s wellbeing - if anything, they were impressed she managed to reel herself in. A usually difficult task, purposely making it so at every chance they got. Distantly, Leo recognized that it was meant to be nice that she cared so much, worried about them even now, all these years later, because they seemingly couldn’t let good enough go - conceptualizing it was something else completely. Probably because they weren’t an accomplished veterinarian, or even someone who measured accomplishments with any sort of normalcy. “Oookay,” Leo dragged out, attempting to be discreet in just how amusing they found the entire situation, and of course, failing flawlessly. “I asked if you were gonna stay the night, not partake in the Russian Sleep Experiment. Not only would I let you sleep, but you’d even be allowed to leave early if you needed to. I don’t believe in Stockholm Syndrome, come ‘n’ go as you fuckin’ please, Tabs.” He wanted a cigarette. Leo knew he couldn’t get away with smoking one in her car - mostly from previous trial and error - but they still placed one between their teeth, if anything to somewhat soothe the craving. Patting absent mindedly at their pocket and feeling the shape of their lighter through worn corduroy, taunting them. “Y’might try going to a party, shock the system with some fun every once in a while. Unless this,” he gestured to the interior of her car, “is your idea of fun. Then I’m just plain honoured.”
“thought i might find you here…” shreya approaches the counter, an almost cautious smile on her face. she's been back for nearly two months now, knew leo was around, but hasn't seen them. maybe she's been subconsciously avoiding him, with nico around too maybe the thought of facing so much of her past so quickly was a little daunting. she'll tell them it's because she's been busy, but busy with what exactly? she doesn't have much detail to share. shreya rests her palms on the counter, leaning forward as she hums, “you're still so much taller than me, damn. i was hoping i'd gain at least a few inches before i saw you next.” it's been too long, she thinks but doesn't say. she doesn't want to push, which is uncharacteristic of her typical behavior, but things have been so weird lately and she doesn't want to make it weirder if she can help it.
The tinny speaker above Leo’s head drones on, despite the slight whinging quality. It’d been offkey for almost two years now, something they’d been saying they’d fix for ages, but Leo’s grown fond of the slight distortion. Occasionally, it does a reasonable job of making whatever song they play off their Spotify contort until it knocks them out of reality for long enough that they can push through the dull end of a shift. But there was nothing that could warp their surroundings to the degree necessary to cause Leo not to double take, very obviously, at Shreya slowly approaching the cash register they were manning in lieu of doing actual work. “What the fuck,” They blurted, followed by a rather stagnant, “hi.” Leo knew that Shreya had been back for a while now - long enough that it was glaringly clear that they were all but avoiding each other. It wasn’t a conscious decision on Leo’s end, but it hit them like a ton of bricks all the same when they realized it’s what they’d been doing. Of course they knew she was back - living in Cider Point meant knowing everyone’s business whether you wanted to or not. And yet, they were still uncharacteristically startled at facing her again. The moment passed by quickly, Leo swiping their expression clean of any damning evidence that showed they were anything but peachy fucking keen at seeing her again, “What, did you expect to be the first person to start going through a growth spurt post puberty? That’d be impressive, even for you.” Things wouldn’t be weird, because Leo didn’t do weird - he was an expert at keeping things as simplistic as possible. As if to prove a point to absolutely no one, Leo sat on the edge of the front counter before kicking his legs over, making his way to the other side so that he could pull Shreya into a tight hug. “Took you long enough to come say hi. I think you’ve actually shrunk. Heard that happens with old age - that’s how long it’s been. You’re already withering away.”
as much as the girl likes to be around other people she doesn't always want to talk to them. usually her doberman ducky gives her 'scray dog privileges' but he is a whore and loves attention from everyone when he's not actively training. throughout their afternoon walk brynn had done well deterring him from body checking other park patrons and she had gotten good at that since not everyone loves dogs and even some that do don't like big ones. her winning streak came to its timely end though when ducky caught her off guard while checking her phone and bolted up to the closest person he could, jumping up on his hind legs to put his feet on their arms and giving them a big lick on their chin. the second she noticed she quickly got him off but that didn't stop her from scolding him, " are you serious right now? dude, i will sell you. " brynn spoke looking down at the dog before turning her attention to his victim, " i am so sorry, are you okay? "
“Alright, little lady, let’s go home. I’m fuckin’ starved,” If Leo was hungry, they were sure that Mitzie was famished, but if she was, she didn’t show it. Instead, she stretched out from the patch of grass she’d been strewn on lazily, giving them a resounding mewl of agreement, before unsheathing her claws and crawling up Leo’s side until she perched in her designated spot on their shoulder. She was small for a British Shorthair, but carried herself like she was as tall as Leo himself - so neither of them startled all too much when suddenly faced with the affectionate dog desperate to show his love in the slobberiest way possible. “Jesus - fuckin’ hell, big guy, take me to dinner first,” Leo snorted, returning Ducky’s excitement with enthusiastic scratching at his flank. Still, they couldn’t let anything go without hamming up the situation for their own entertainment, humming low under their breath after Brynn asked if they were okay. “He almost gave Mitzie a heart attack, here.” Clearly untrue, as she leaned dangerously far off of Leo’s shoulder to sniff at Ducky’s own snout, “Think he scratched me, too. My pockets are feelin’ pretty empty right now - might have to sue for emotional damage.” He huffed, cricking his neck as if pretending to listen to something Mitzie was whispering in his ear, “She said she wants to send you to the guillotine. We’ll be taking the dog, now. What’s his name?”
alessia looked down as he commandeered her hand with the kind of confidence usually reserved for surgeons and scam artists. she allowed it with amused patience, one perfectly shaped brow arching higher with every increasingly outrageous conclusion. when the verdict about her love life and bedroom abilities arrived, she let the silence stretch just long enough to become intentional. then, with impeccable composure, she withdrew her hand from their grasp. "i have to admire the efficiency," she said, inspecting her palm as though checking for lasting damage. “you managed to insult my emotional availability, my romantic history, and my sexual prowess in under a minute.” the corner of her mouth curved into something dangerously entertained. “that's either a remarkable gift, or you've had far too much tequila.” her gaze flicked to the mostly empty shot glass in front of leo before settling back on them. “i'm leaning toward the second.” she rested an elbow against the worn wood of the bar, posture effortlessly elegant despite the laid-back chaos around them. the taproom buzzed with the familiar soundtrack of clinking glasses, old rock playing just a touch too quietly, and conversations bleeding into one another like they'd been happening every friday since 1969. she let the thought linger for another beat before nudging leo's abandoned reading back toward them with a faint tilt of her head. "so tell me," she mused, “how exactly does this work?” her tone carried the easy curiosity of someone who already suspected the answer but wanted to hear the performance anyway. “do you actually know what any of those lines mean, or do you just throw out increasingly specific accusations until someone flinches?” a quiet smile threatened the corners of her mouth. “it's a clever strategy, if it's the latter. people are remarkably willing to fill in the blanks themselves.”
The silence that passed between them might’ve made anyone else uncomfortable, but Leo basked in it. He didn’t hold himself with the same surefire elegance - there was confidence in his posture, sure, menial in his ability to be uncaring enough that carelessness read as certainty. But Alessia was all grace and poise - her silence felt like a test, and Leo wanted to pass. They must’ve, or at least they took it as so, when she finally responded. Cool and casual, but firing back at them in such a way that Leo almost startled in their sudden delight, tossing their head back with a genuine cackle. “Yeah, for sure - it’s, like, my niche, and I got a two for one insult deal goin’ on tonight. But, y’know me. Total lush. All that tequila in the system, makes me extra generous. The third one’s on the house.” She wasn’t wrong - Leo made a habit of glancing at the bottom of a bottle once he’d started for the night. Indulgent to a fault when it came to their liquor, but they hadn’t been a lightweight since they were 14. Truthfully, they were just merely obnoxious, but if she wanted to blame it on the booze, Leo was game. Humming in thought, they pondered over her line of questioning. Whether they should toe at the edge of honesty, enough that he could come across as earnest, or if they should continue spewing bullshit, just because they could. But they could do that with anyone - and did, regularly. So instead, they leaned forward - they hadn’t even realized they’d matched her pose, elbow finding itself beside hers against the bartop until they straightened again - and waved at her until she took the hint, bestowing him with her hand once more, “Yeah, well - it’s really all one big gimmick. Some people are easier to pick apart from the others, but no one’s really that special. Everyone’s fears are all the same fuckin’ thing. Not hard to hit the nail on the head most of the time. But,” Tracing across her right palm, Leo gestured to the creased line that started to the left and almost coasted all the way to the webbed lining between thumb and forefinger, “you’ve actually got one hell of a love line. Long as fuck - usually means you’re devoted, but sometimes it, like, bites you on the ass, I guess. Usually disappointed and shit 'cause no one else will put themselves out there like you do. You seem like a tough cookie though, and what the fuck do I know? M’just tryna find the magic words that’ll earn me another shot.”
Her face immediately twisted into a look of offense and she felt the urge to snatch her hand away at their words. "Excuse you, my palm is not rough." A jab at them was momentarily swallowed down. No lines crossed enough to make a scene just yet. "I think you should be more worried about what you think you're seeing with your regular eyes." She huffed, already regretting entertaining whatever this was. The night would've been better spent at Grand Royale with her girls. Her eyes narrowed as they continued to spew more offensive comments. This time María did rip her hand away, "Are you out of your mind? I'm not buying you shots for projecting whatever is wrong with you onto me." Their words may have dug under her skin more than she should've let them. Mostly because well, her love life was a bit of a mess at the moment considering she was tangled up in a fake marriage. But no one else, especially not them, needed to know that. "I'll have you know my love life is very happy and fulfilling." She quickly pivoted, "Also, it's not even like you did a good job at pretending to be any good at this! You just threw out a bunch of vague assumptions and hoped one would stick!" It was five dollars, she really could pay and be done with them, but at this point she didn't want to give them a single ounce of satisfaction.
Despite the attitude being tossed their way, a grin creeped upon Leo’s features. Slow and smarmy, like they were being beckoned forward by a siren’s call instead of being told off for their brazen observations. Of which none were real, of course - but this was Leo’s version of enrichment time. A dog being riled up after its owner specifically instructed a sitter to do no such thing. If Leo was good at anything, it was frustrating anyone in a particularly short span of time, and every time it made something fizz inside of his gut like a shaken up pop bottle. “Right - my bad. You seem very happy. I was just momentarily blinded by the vein bulging on your forehead,” They snickered, reaching forward to tap at an inconsequential spot above Maria’s eyebrow. Of which there were no veins, bulging or not, but Leo wanted to see her reaction to being told so nonetheless, “Are you this happy with said… lover of yours,” The pet name would usually cause Leo to pull a face akin to the reaction someone might have while chomping into a lemon, but now it dripped out of their mouth like honey. Crooning, clearly teasing her. All the same, leaning in closer, eyes darting across her face like they could actually conjure anything about her out of thin air. She was hard to read - it excited him all the more. “Who said I was good at this? I’d like the jury to note that I never once claimed to have any skill on the subject. I just wanted to talk to you.” Still, they relented - slightly. Making himself comfortable in her space while giving the bartender a small wave, gesturing to refill their shot glass and motioning to grab one for Maria as well. “If you’re bursting at the seams with fulfilment then how come you’re all… that.” Again, their hand came up to motion generally at her face, “Flustered. What’s got your knickers in a twist? My therapy sessions cost a bit more, but I can turn a blind eye if you tug at my heartstrings enough.”
Tabby wondered perhaps if she'd spend the rest of her life, waiting for people in her car at ridiculous hours. There was that time with Jason about a month ago, and now Leo. She knew, she knew, that it wasn't a good idea to answer his texts. All of her friends said it wasn't healthy and it was prolonging what should have been a neat split. But regardless of how poorly he treated her at times, Tabby still cared about her ex. She didn't want anything truly awful to happen to him. He needed a mature influence in his life, and if that had to be her, she was willing to do it. Or maybe she enjoyed being needed and being bossy. She kept avoiding the topic of their relationship with her therapist, but that was only because there were more important things to discuss. Her weird, slightly toxic ex-boyfriend was small potatoes. Tabby glanced out her window and saw Leo approach her car from the house party, walking a little slowly. She decided to lay on the horn for fun and revenge. "Alright Puppy, in you go. I'd like to get you home so I can try to preserve some of my sleep schedule. There's water there, drink it slowly.”
The honk from Tabby’s car gave Leo the same start that Daisy Buchanan must have felt every night, when she saw that green light at the end of her dock. Almost mindless in their surety that it’d come - which was mean, probably. Leo was mean in the way they continued to rely on Tabby despite having no right to. There were no stakes between them anymore, except for the ones they created every time they needed a familiar face. One that Leo would bet money on in how she would always come to clean up their messes - both physical and the intangible ones that sat heavier on their chest than anything that carried real weight. “Hey,” He spoke the greeting like it was a chore to do so, molasses coating his tongue and making the word stick to dead air. His other leg wasn’t even in the car yet - Leo was too busy taking their time glancing over her features, gaze darting towards where she gestured to the water bottle. Like it’d come to life and bite him right in the face just because she dared show him a bit of kindness. Even though they’d called for it. Distantly, Leo had always wanted to ask her when she’d hit her limit with them, but a part of him wanted to coax that bitter end out of her himself. A primal punishment for taking advantage of the fact that she was simply just a better person than he’d ever be. It almost fascinated him - a trial run into the intricacies of what it was to be a human being. “Apologies, meemaw. I hope I didn’t catch you mid episode of Young and the Restless, the guilt’ll keep me up for fuckin’ days!” Despite their teasing, Leo still reached across the console - to originally sip at the water she’d brought for them, always so damn caring - and instead bypassed it to grasp at her hand, bringing it to his mouth to press a grateful kiss to her knuckles. This was par for the course, this emotional tug of war that never seemed to have a winner - ongoing and tiresome now, but Leo was nothing if not stubborn in his mindset. “Alright,” they huffed, finally tugging the passenger door closed, “all my limbs are in the moving vehicle. Beam me up, Scotty.” And then, casually, like the answer didn’t matter, “Y’gonna stay the night tonight?”
Even though the night was relatively young, Leo had to squeeze one eye shut to rid themself of their double vision and get a proper look at the upturned palm they were clutching onto. Hunched over at an uncomfortable angle, they shook their head with a tsk, a dramatic disapproval at what they were seeing, "Woof. Do you walk around carryin' bricks for fun, or somethin'? Your palms totally rough - I think that means you're stressed or whatever, but my third eye's not fully open yet so, like, gimme a second here. I'm tryna work some magic." They weren't particularly subtle in their scoping, nose wrinkling as they tried to pick up on something to work with. Their aunt was into this kind of holistic crap - she'd taught them everything she knew, and it wasn't much. But Leo was good at thinking on their feet, suddenly pointing at one of the random faded lines on their counterparts hand and running away with whatever came to mind first, "Love line's lookin' a little frail. If you're shit in bed you can tell me, I won't even tell that many people. Unless you just got rejected or something - don't sweat it, happens to the best of us. Like, not me, but someone else who's the best, probably. Or - shit relationship? Good relationship gone boring? Never had a relationship? They're overrated, you're definitely not missin' out. Okay, that'll be five bucks, but I take payments in shots, too. Tequila, preferably."
🎶 location: leo's home.
🙍♂️ with: leo fowler, @f4llaparts.
he walks into the house like he owns it — liberty's tags jingling against her leash that was dropped to the floor as soon as they'd both entered without knowing (who raised him??) . he's looking for leo. leo is .. something else. personally, rory isn't quite sure how to feel about them. on one hand, it's not like they've never shown him anything but kindness. sunshine and party streamers wrapped up in their veins, rory is certain that if life of the party was in a dictionary, leo fowler's photo would be the definition. on the other; there's always been something off about their conversations, something he can't quite put his finger on. it makes him nervous. uneasy, like he's the new kid in an established friendgroup. finds leo in the kitchen – liberty sniffing at his feet with wags of her tail, rory's own grin appearing. “hi. wanna see a video of me chopping wood?”
Even though smoking was prohibited in the Fowler household, a cigarette dangled between Leo’s lips as they fiddled uselessly with the settings of the janky air conditioning unit attached to the sun room window. It’d been leaking profusely for days now, enough that the shoddy wooden floorboards his uncle had installed himself - which was beyond obvious, the flooring already a surefire ticket to receiving a splinter - began to lift haphazardly. But Leo was kind to the multitude of plants that decorated the entirety of their humble abode, cracking every other window open, even leaving the backdoor connected to their garden strewn open for the bees to flutter in and their cat Mitzie to mosey out. Still, she was more of a flirt than her owner, making quick work of striding back in to wrap her tail around Rory’s ankle once she heard the familiar voice - Leo didn’t startle when he noticed the two golden retrievers that’d made themselves so at home, seemingly finding it appropriate to enter on their own. “Still not a vampire, I see. Bummer,” They sighed, merely teasing Rory for his sudden appearance without an invitation, “Y’know, you’re kind of a serial killer's wet dream, dude. You don’t even need luring with candy or anything, you just - walk right into people’s places now, talking about your wood. You practically do all the hard work.” Coming to a proper stand from their hunkered position, Leo stretched out with a groan - all long-limbed and freckled frame, fingertips nearly grazing the ceiling, before plucking the smoke from out of their mouth and extinguishing it in their forgotten beer that was more hot foam than cold beverage by now. “Rory, genuinely nothing would tickle me pink more than seeing your Paul Bunyan cosplay. I’m actually getting all sorts of tingly just thinking about it. But,” They extended the wrench in hand out towards Rory, “if you can work an axe, you can work a wrench. I’ve been trying to loosen this one bolt for, like, practically an hour now. The rest came off easy but this one’s tighter than a nun on Christmas. Give it the ol’ college try, I need a break so I can giggle and kick my feet at your manliness.”
do you hear FIT N FULL BY SAMIA playing? oh, that must be LEO FOWLER breezing by. i don’t know if you recognize them, but they look like HARRIS DICKINSON to me. i heard that THEY have been in town for TWENTY-NINE YEARS ON AND OFF, which is crazy considering they are TWENTY-NINE years old. yeah, they live over on OCEAN AVENUE, and i heard that they work as a FLORIST ( OUT OF TOWN ). i love that they remind me of THE CHEER YOU HEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARTY THAT SIGNIFIES SOMETHING DISASTROUS IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, ROLLING OUT OF BED TO GO TO WORK AFTER TWO HOURS OF SHODDY SLEEP, THE FAMILIES BLACK SHEEP, HAVING THE WORLDS MOST CHAOTIC ASSORTMENT OF CLOTHES IMAGINABLE (STOLEN FROM GOODWILL), & MIXING VODKA WITH PEDIALYTE TO HYDRATE WHILE DEHYDRATING , but … ugh, their playlist is so weird. why is I SAW YOU in the queue?
stats.
name: leopold kristoff fowler.
nickname: leo.
age: twenty-nine.
gender identity: demi man.
pronouns: they/he.
sexuality: bisexual.
birthday: november 12th, 1996.
star sign: scorpio.
myer-briggs: entp.
occupation: florist.
place of birth: tallahassee, florida.
last played on spotify: nasty dog by sir mix-a-lot.
general disposition: reckless and carefree.
background.
triggers; cheating tw, drugs tw, overdose tw, addiction tw, death tw, grief tw, mental health tw.
born to a southern former pageant girl and son of a business savant who was thrust into old money at birth, leo was literally the last thing their parents were expecting in a child frankly
he’s the middle of 5 other boys, their mom desperately wanted a girl and it just wasn’t happening, their dad eventually was like please. i can’t do this. NO MORE!!!!!!!
cheating tw; right after the 5th kid their dad ended up cheating with his assistant and pretty much immediately set off back to new york after their mom kicked him out and leo still laughs about the shit show that was their parents’ separation
they were pretty much a horrendous child, always tossed back and forth from tallahassee to manhattan - if his mom couldn’t handle him anymore she’d ship him off until his dad couldn’t handle him anymore etc.
got expelled from a bunch of schools for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one was setting off fireworks in the washroom of their school, so now they have a warrant out for their arrest in florida and never ended up actually graduating high school
he spent all of his summers and holidays in cider point, living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin finn who he was closer with than his own brothers
overdose/drugs; they had a really bad overdose when they were 18 and instead of their dad attempting to support them or get them rehab he pretty much said leo needed to move out asap and he just didn’t know what to do with them anymore
his aunt and uncle came to his rescue and let him stay with them permanently in cider point
overdose/drugs/mental health/death/grief; unfortunately finn eventually passed from an overdose of his own 3 years ago, which led leo into a bit of a depressive spiral that he tries to ignore all the time now with partying etc, he knew there was a problem with the bad habits he almost encouraged with his cousin but didn't realize it'd gotten That bad and carries immense guilt with him. but his aunt and uncle still care for him best they can</3
details.
has the most barbarically thick southern accent one has ever heard
actually has a bit of an online following. some call it pretty privilege they call it the hustle (just does stupid shit online that gains a lot of traction also they’re pretty)
their dad/uncle & aunt are all originally from amsterdam so they speak dutch fluently (ish, when they all get mad at them and start talking too fast he’s always like can y'all SLOW DOWN DAMN!!!!!!)
got kicked out of their moms once for shaving one of their little brother’s heads in his sleep when they got into a fight
and then in turn got kicked out of their dads like a month later for hiding their pet snake in their dad’s flavour of the week’s purse knowing she was deathly afraid
mental health; suffers from manic depressive episodes and is supposed to take mood stabilizers to help with them but. and well.
has never taken anything seriously in their life ever for one moment, everything is a joke and they’re just a giant walking meme like the most easy going Weirdo
drugs/addiction; relies heavily on whatever party favours they can get their hands on, it's gotten to the point where they don't really know how to regulate on their own/without it but they don't have time to worry about all that right now.
social to an aggravating degree, truly does not care what people think about them
IS A GOOD FRIEND to clarify but they can be so mean for no reason. they just simply don’t know how to emote properly</3
but that being said they are also loyal to a fault and love really deeply when they do care about someone and are fiercely protective. it's gotten them into trouble a Multitude of Times
sleeps around a lot just for funsies. they don’t know how to connect a lot of the time with people emotionally Unless they’re hooking up
just says what's on their mind even though it gets them into trouble more often than not and doesn’t care about the consequences
genuinely just an imbecile. it's just the truth. bless their heart but wow are they Not The Brightest.
works at their aunt and uncle’s flower shop just on the edge of town and even though they are potentially the worst employee to ever exist (they could work on their customer service) they actually love their job a lot
connections.
exes - on good or bad terms, they’re not a Terrible Partner but they definitely have been unfaithful in the past and don’t particularly do well with monogamy so
friends - they frequented cider point often even before moving there permanently and would have known people through their cousin as well
finn’s ex at the time of his passing - leo was always super close with them but now their relationship is clearly tarnished and its never been the same
hook ups/fwbs - would have Quite A Lot
enemies - they would also have a lot of these because of their Motor Mouth :zany_face:
summer fling - someone they were particularly close with as teens/growing up when he came to visit cider point, leo eventually pushed them away to preserve their friendship because he Knows His Ways but there will always be tension
i also believe in the beauty of chemistry and seeing where the road takes us
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