𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊'𝒎 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄

ara ekici ( 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖕𝖍𝖔𝖓𝖊 ) ＆ alex hightower ( 𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖘 ) ＆ zak park ( 𝖟𝖆𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖚𝖘 ) ＆ ravi virani ( 𝖆𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖊𝖕𝖎𝖚𝖘 )

[fallengcds]

* alexander hightower ╱ 𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐒 ✶

intro. stats. connections. 

* bahar lunara ekici ╱ 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 ✶

intro. stats. connections.

* zak park ╱ 𝐙𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐒 ✶

intro. stats. connections.

* ravinandan virani ╱ 𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐔𝐒 ✶

intro. stats. connections. 

[fallengcds]

patroclus.

parker had a hard time keeping his emotions in check. but really, what was he supposed to do, with a warm bundle of cuteness now pressed into his arms? he sank to the floor, not really caring that it was cold and the hallway was not the ideal place to do so. he just wanted to be a little puddle of parker and dog. “yeah but you’re kind of self-sufficient. like you won’t starve if i don’t feed you, you’ll just order food. this little man can’t…” not that parker would forget. the more likely scenario was that his entire life would start to revolve around the dog, which was only slightly less concerning. his social life was doomed. “i guess that’s true. you do require a lot of surveillance.” he did forget to grin at that, though, since his face was currently buried in puppy. “if it’s going to be us and the dog in the appartment still, then it would make sense for you to be involved too, right?” he thought out loud. it’d just be weird for the pet to be parker’s possession. you don’t keep a dog in a cage in your room. “we used to have a dog, back home. but i never had to actively take care of it, i was a kid.” he nodded. “puppy school sounds good. does that make you dad #2, then?”

alex ended up just hovering awkwardly standing next to parker, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans as his roommate sunk to the floor. he wasn’t really sure he was supposed to be jumping on in to whatever love fest was happening here right now. “ something tells me you’d cut off your right hand before you forgot to feed the dog, ” alex huffed dryly. “ seriously park, i’m not worried. ” the worry was really that parker would be overconcerned  — he could just hear it now. did we remember to feed the dog before we left ? did you take him for a walk ? how many treats do you think is really healthy ? the quest to be the best pet parent possible had probably already begun. but with a sigh, alex acquiesced. as was usual when it came to parker. " alright, alright. i guess i can try and keep an eye out on the little shit, ” he relented as he kneeled down to run a calloused hand over the soft fur of their newest family member. “ but don’t say i didn’t warn you. and hey, maybe he’ll even end up being the perfect partner to practice my football plays with. ” if his friend had any hope of banning roughhousing with the dog, it was probably already shot. alex and the pup would probably break something in the apartment within the week. leaning back on his heels, he hummed. “ of course i’m dad #2. i’m usually no less than number one at anything, but i’ll make an exception for you. unless you want to name him something stupid like fluffy, then i’m taking you to court for full parental rights ”

[fallengcds]

pan.

Contrary to popular belief, Shepherd was often very aware his friendly attitude threw people off - especially when living in New York, where everyone was just waiting to beat the crap out of you for looking at them the wrong way. But the way Shep saw it, wasn’t that exactly the reason he should keep such a good attitude and brighten people’s days? He had enough time to spend introspective and solemn in his life, but right after getting bonked in the head by a stranger wasn’t the right time for it. “Ehh, six to one, half-dozen to another,” Shepherd didn’t put much thought into the phrase as he offered his sketchbook up to the blonde. If the guy thought he was a little kooky, so be it. 

“Like I said, no worries,” This time though, he referenced the blonde’s comments on his drawings. After all, if Shepherd had any qualms about showing his work to people, he wouldn’t have gone into an artistic field, “Well, they’re just loose sketches. I draw up maps for the city by trade, you just caught me my day off,” It wasn’t exactly the most interesting profession to explain, Shep could practically predict someone’s eyes glazing over before it even happened. Stretching his arms along the top of the bench, the mapmaker offered a shrug to the stranger, “Perhaps some of us are, some aren’t, but everyone’s hiding something. In a sense, aren’t we all artists, getting ‘super cagey’, as it were, about the things we’d rather not share?”

* ✶

the idiom definitely sailed right over alex’s head, but by then his nose was shoved way too far into this guys sketchbook to really be question things. there was just times you weren’t an ass, and being up in somebody else’s personal business was one of them. he was being honest, though — he was impressed, even if the guy brushed them off as ‘just loose sketches’. more impressed, even, if they were something he could seemingly whip up out of thin air. art was one of the few talents that, begrudgingly, alex had to admit he didn’t posses. “ you make maps ? i didn't realize cartographers were still a thing in this day and age. ” he took a moment to reflect on his words. “ not in like, a rude way. i guess i figured they had computers to help do that these days. but it’s cool. unique. i haven’t heard that before ”

finally leaning away from the art, instead alex just moved to drop down onto the bench. he was intrigued despite himself, and the guy clearly had no qualms about conversation. “ doesn’t that just feel counter productive though, ” he countered with, picking up on a topic that the stranger probably hadn't even meant to put down. “ i mean, getting cagey about things. isn’t it just better to be open and honest about shit ? ” alex himself didn’t generally hold back on most things — you could fault him on any number of character flaws, but he was expressive about what he felt when he felt it. holding back wasn’t really in his wheelhouse. “ whether its the literal art or something else. clearly people make art because they love it, isn’t hiding it just more painful in the long run ? ”

[fallengcds]

patroclus.

it was just the gym, he repeated to himself. but it wasn’t parker who needed that reminder, because he was actually having a good time there without alex. no insanely fit and attractive roommate to distract him and potentially drop a weight on his foot or lose his balance on a treadmill, it was a good thing. but he couldn’t tell alex how he felt, let alone that his presence was a distraction. “that’s good. zeke’s more on your level anyway.” lanky, clumsy parker with his non-existent muscles would never be able to keep up with people who lifted at least double the amount. but any smugness he’d felt before just disappeared when alex ducked away from him, and the hurt was painted on his face, clear to see, plain as day. “i just get insecure,” he mumbled, not even sure if it was loud enough for alex to hear. 

“well, that’s fine. but i won’t always be here to save you from yourself,” he bit back, a tiny bit more aggressive than intended. well, aggressive on a parker-level, which meant that literally anyone but alex wouldn’t even find the hint of negativity in his tone. not that he could actually convince alex at all, because the scenario he brought up didn’t even work at all. if there was no sugar, his roommate would just order a replacement takeout dish. they delivered anything these days. he winced when alex called him his ‘better half’. language like that shouldn’t be used for best friends, at least, parker would never. just in his mind, always hidden. “yeah, but what are you gonna do when you’re with someone else? count on them to be as nice as me? specifically try to meet someone who likes grannies?” he’d probably say yes too. he grabbed the dropped spatula, putting it somewhere on the counter behind him so alex wouldn’t be able to reach it again. this was parker’s domain. “we mix the wet ingredients first. since we only need one egg, allow me to show you how the master does it,” he grinned, demonstrating the one thing he was good at. cooking was his thing, and though it wasn’t that hard, he felt proud about being able to crack an egg with one hand, not getting any shells in the bowl. “the recipe i follow starts with the wet ingredients, so you can…” he trailed off, pouring some milk in the bowl with the egg. “alright,” he nodded, their previous skirmish forgotten after the ingredients were in the bowl where they belonged. “you can mix it. with a whisk. and if you hit me again, i’m banning you to the living room.”

lips twisting minutely into the barest hint of a scowl, alex tried his best not to get too rankled up in response to parkers own aggression ( a tall task already considering he didn’t often try to stop getting fired up at all ). but it was first thing on a saturday morning er, afternoon, when the sun was only just lazily peering in their window, and they were trying to make pancakes, and it was parker. so he committed to the arduous task of keeping his mood from turning sour and grouchy. parker wasn’t allowed to be upset while he was looking all soft in his pajamas cooking breakfast. “ that’s fine. even when you’re not around i picture you telling me off when i’m being particularly rude anyway, ” he finally settled on, shoulders only slightly bunched at his neck as he ducked for dear cover in a cupboard to cool down. it was kind of true, though. whenever he was up to behavior he knew his friend would disprove of he could just hear parkers disappointed tone echoing in his mind. 

but parkers question had his head popping back out, any prickly bits of the conversation blinking away with ‘with someone else’. as if the thought of being somewhere without parker hadn’t even occurred to him. which honestly, it probably hadn’t. parker was kind of just a given in any scenario alex pictured himself in, past present or future. he’d given approximately 0 thought to the idea that maybe either of them might get partners and you know, not be living together one day. “ why would i need someone else when i already have you, ” he questioned back, in a tone of parker why are you being such an idiot and yet full of total genuine honesty. honestly. alex had half a mind to steal that spatula right back and smack him upside the head with it. but instead he made a big show of putting his hands behind his back, sighing dramatically and leaning back to watch how the master did it. he made sure to ooo and ahhh at all the appropriate moments, and by the end he had actually cracked a genuine smile. he couldn’t help it, parker seemed like he was truly enjoying it. dork. “ alright, alright, if you’re sure you trust me to do it without fucking it up. ” grabbing the bowl and sliding it towards himself, alex sparred a brief moment to consider he absolutely had never whisked something before. but it couldn’t be hard. “ enter: the masters slightly less talented and slightly less handsome apprentice. who will absolutely keep his hands to himself this time ” with that he started in on whisking far too aggressively than was probably warranted 

[fallengcds]

event003: floralia.

parker was glad he and alex didn’t arrive to the group alone and there was someone else to alleviate the ‘new kid’ pain. he was still just smiling awkwardly, sitting down and making sure to look at least a little bit normal. “thanks,” he muttered, listening in on the conversation. “do antihistamines not work for you?” he asked emme. thank god he never had to deal with a pollen allergy, as if things weren’t bad enough. “candy apple… i want one,” he half-whispered. “if there’s even space in my stomach after this picnic.”

if parker was smiling awkwardly, you could call what alex was doing scowling in surly silence as he seated himself behind his friend. he wasn’t really the type to attempt vague pleasantries, and for the most part he let parker carry the weight of trying to finagle their way into the group — they both knew if alex had it his way they wouldn’t even be here to begin with. “ awesome for 10 year olds, maybe, ” he still couldn’t help but tack on. he knew it was a carnival, of course, but he couldn’t help but have hoped for more than flowers and ribbons. “ i was kind of hoping to find at least something a little more ... adult. that didn’t involve throwing bean bags into a basket or sneezing into rose bushes ”

[fatassdeclanlynch]

Friendship in the Classical World - David Konstan // To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens // The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

[rodrickheffeley]

thinking about his hair <3

[fallengcds]

theseus.

at least the evening had been eventful. most nights at the club, people just came and went. some were drunk and made a fuss about not being allowed in without a valid form of identification, and jace wasn’t the hardest on the ones who at least looked old enough to get in. the ones who didn’t were usually the youngest, or tried to hide in the safety of a group. but this particular group had been quite aggressive, he had to admit, so there he was, in the emergency room. he’d insisted that it wasn’t a big deal, but his employer needed him back on the door tomorrow evening. so he went. reluctantly. “told you before,” he grunted, wincing in pain when he cradled his hand just the wrong way. “it’s jace. just jace.” then he managed to roll his eyes. “don’t lie to me, you don’t jump for joy every time i show up here. neither of us does.” would be kind of weird for a doctor to be happy to see a patient, especially one looking like jace did right now. “isn’t it obvious? got into a fight again. it’s literally my job.” okay, but overreacting when someone got a little too loud at the club entrance definitely wasn’t. but at least he had the satisfaction of being able to say he won. and the classic ‘you should see the other guy’. maybe ravi actually had earlier. but it felt good to be able to say that, even with his black eye, probably broken hand and dislocated shoulder. at least he had that, because his dignity was nowhere to be found tonight.

any temptation that ravi would have had to make some sort of correction, to maybe point out that’s not what it says on your file, jumps out of his head the second he sees jace wince and his autopilot doctor mode jumps in. his fingers reach out, gently cradling the injured limb, to assess the problem. a bad break versus a sprain could make all the difference in mobility going forward, and there was no need to make it any worse through stubbornness. “ you’re not supposed to jump for joy. it’s a hospital. i’ll jump for joy when you can go longer than a few months without coming through here, ” he manages to murmur in reply, eyes and attention still on the the hand. hm. his touch runs along each of the delicate bones of his patients fingers, trying to feel out the extent of the damage. ravi tries to cause as little pain as possible, has been told he has something of a golden touch, but there’s only so much he can do when he has to see how bad it is. “ what did you hit with this ? face ? shoulder ? pavement ? if you’re throwing a punch correctly, and i’m not going to do you the disservice of assuming you didn’t, it shouldn’t break your hand. ” dropping said hand for a moment, his own hand jumps up to cup near jace’s face, squinting at the colouring. “ although maybe you broke theirs, looking at this. what did they try and do rob the place ? ”

[fallengcds]

patroclus.

“i don’t control where the inspiration comes from,” he shrugged, but alex caught him. how was he going to explain himself? he didn’t exactly have a valid excuse, but ‘hey i can’t actually make a mural because it’d be kind of awkward to just have your face on a wall twenty times’ didn’t sound like normal behavior either. there was a reason alex had never seen his sketchbook, and hopefully never would. “… the things i draw aren’t fit to go on a wall.” that was vague enough without being a lie, and it would hopefully stop any future questions from alex. it was hard enough to keep things private, he didn’t need to have his friend prying without mercy at all times. they respected each other’s boundaries enough to know when to quit ━ and parker signalled his with pleading eyes and a pout. or, in a very severe case, he got snappy, but that didn’t happen very often, luckily. “you don’t invite me.” well, that was a vicious circle, wasn’t it? parker didn’t join alex because alex never asked, and alex knew he would decline, so he didn’t ask. but standing next to his very muscular and very intimidating roommate with the way he was? wouldn’t do his self-confidence much good. but he felt bad. so he put down the carton of milk he was holding to pour into the bowl of batter, and reached out to touch alex’ shoulder. “you know it’s not that. of course i like you.”

the classic it’s not you, it’s me thing. parker was starting to become a cliché, and he hated it. but what else could he say to ease alex’ obvious tension? not much, not without revealing everything. he just decided to drop the comment about the buckets of money, because the topic made him feel awkward as always. “well, if we ever need anything from them, it’s good to know they’re…” he was going to say nice again, but that clearly wasn’t working. “they’ll have our backs. like… what if we run out of milk for this batter? and you can’t have any pancakes? and since you’re probably not going to the store either, we’ll have to ask them. and i don’t think they’d be inclined to lend us some if we’re not nice.” he was basically talking crap now rambling endlessly, because his mind was working overtime. an oasis, that was exactly how he thought of their apartment too. so why, pray tell, did alex keep bringing other people in here? parker did it once, to help out harley. he was hesitant to bring friends here, afraid they might ruin the comfort of the space or, god forbid, comment on their dynamic. and for god’s sake, did he have to talk about his ass? because there was no way parker was going to be able to keep a straight face and also not look. he was trying very hard, but he was pretty sure his entire face was red now. “yeah━” he managed to choke out, having already retreated his hand to semi-steadily pour the stupid milk into the stupid bowl. “that’s good. i mean… you know i don’t mind making you food that much.” especially if he kept complimenting parker while he worked in the kitchen, or the way his eyes basically rolled back when he was enjoying his food. “hey! ouch. parker and alex and a spatula, i see. please put that away, you’re a menace. i’ll trust you with the chocolate chips, but the spatula has to be earned.”

as grouchy as he was about the whole topic, alex knew enough to drop it. he always dropped it, for better or for worse, never pursued the art topic. he wasn’t a total asshole. but he did wonder, some days, what would happen if he finally gave up and pushed, didn’t let parker dart off with his tail between his legs for once. it was just a sketchbook, how world ending could it possibly be. whatever. “ i don’t invite you because you always say no, ” he fired back petulantly instead, a topic he could actually push on without feeling bad. “ a mans ego can only take so much. ” once he had caught on to the fact his bestfriend was always going to shoot him down he’d stopped asking, because all it succeeded in doing was ruin his mood and make the atmosphere of the apartment awkward for the rest of the day. “ whatever. i just go with zeke now, ” he brushed off more flippantly than he felt, ducking the extended arm slightly. if parker was allowed to have topics he could be a weirdly touchy little shit about so could he.

he could just funnel his obvious displeasure into the neighbors. “ you’re fighting a losing battle here man, ” and alex could tell parker knew it too with the way he was rambling and grasping for straws. “ people are never going to find me friendly, or even remotely tolerable. and i honestly don’t care. ” fuck everyone else, it’s not like he needed them. and he truly didn’t care, it was one of his less ... desirable traits. why should he need to be involved in other peoples shit, that was their problem. besides,  “ that’s why i have you. the better half, the nicer one, the one that can go get a cup of sugar from dear old granny. ” for all that parker was anxious, he was a better people person than alex was ever going to be. all his own charm was superficial, put on to get what he wanted. parker was charming because he was just genuinely nice. it made alex hopelessly fond and roll his eyes at the same time. ugh. dropping the spatula as ordered — because he would actually like to get a taste of those pancake, thanks — he started to idly make patterns in the escaped flour on the counter. “ fine. if you’re so nice then, what’s the first step in this whole pancake thing, wise teacher. i’m supposed to be learning the forgotten art of mixing batter, if i recall. ”

[fallengcds]

psyche.​​

There were few things that Poppy enjoyed as much as being able to lean back in her big comfortable chair after a session. She did love her job but sometimes certain people could suck the whole life out of you after listening to their trauma. Still, she loved her job. Her eyes popped open as she heard someone enter her office but she relaxed as she realized it was just Ravi. A small laugh left her as Ravi began to talk about his own job. Poppy was always polite and she didn’t want to interrupt her friend’s own woes about his job so she tapped her pen on her tablet while she waited to speak. “You are the furthest thing from an awful credit to your profession, Ravi.” Poppy ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. “I wish I could say I can’t relate but the overbearing relatives thing really is what gets me too. Why send your kid to therapy if you want to dictate what we can talk about? It’s pointless!” She leaned forward in her chair slightly and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. “Don’t tell me you’re regretting all of your hard work that got you where you are? I might have to hit you with my notepad. Therapeutically, of course.” Poppy shot Ravi a bright smile.

ravi knew that was just the kind of thing one was obligated to say to such a rant, but he could still feel a pleased flush in his heart at her words. he respected poppy's opinion greatly, so hearing something like that was always nice, more so than the other hundred odd residents and nurses at the hospital that were always gushing about his supposed miracle hands. then it was just awkward. “ thank you for indulging me in my minor crisis of ego, ” he conceded with a crinkle of his eyes. “ and you make a mighty fine therapist as well, might i add. ” which he did mean quite sincerely. sitting up so he was seated more reasonably on the sofa as opposed to drapped across it, he sighed. “ you probably deal with it worse than i do, to be honest. at least i get the occasional oh my god doctor rivani, you’ve saved my sons life, how can i ever repay you ? sprinkled in for good measure to balance things out. but sometimes that’s almost worse ” he winced just thinking about the open adoration on some of their faces, clinging to his hand like he’d somehow raised the dead. he never knew what to do with himself. “ and no, no. i don’t think i’d ever regret becoming a doctor. but i don’t think i quite thought about all the other things that go along with it. i just wanted to help people. somehow i ended up arguing with egotistical thoracic surgeons along with it ” 

[fallengcds]

hades.

hadrian’s mind was hanging onto the word ‘fleeing’. he didn’t ever ask why she left home obviously it wasn’t a treasure but for some reason it seemed to be more than just the thrill of adventure. he huffed, smiling to himself a bit when she mentioned not being able to pick family. “it’s like you’ve met my brothers.” he chuckled, “not much to be joyous about. especially if you ask them about me.” it wasn’t always like this and they were closer as young boys but time and age changed all of that. they grew older and colder. never being there unless absolutely necessary and part of him preferred it this way. thinking about his family made him feel a bit uneasy and, of course, he took a drink. 

he chuckled again. he couldn’t help himself. it was a tad funny to see her so upset he wouldn’t tell her a thing. “i wouldn’t have been able to teach well with you in my class.” he said without thinking, maybe it was the drinks. but he was feeling far more bold than normal. “fine. what did you go to school for?”

* ✶

“ there’s more of you. ” she said without thinking, the first thing that popped up in mind. because ara hadn’t considered the fact he had brothers, plural. she, and likely the world, could probably barely handle one hadrian moreno. and that’s exactly how she was picturing them, to be honest, a fleet of identical suited up hadrians, a whole family of carbon copies. how horrifying. “ there’s multiple moreno men. oh god. ” her eyes flickered to the side briefly, as if they were just going to somehow jump from the shadows. “ do they all have your manners ? no, don’t answer that, that’s not my question. ” mirroring him, she took a long drink, because she was pretty sure this relavation warranted one. jesus. “ hm. i’ve never had siblings, so i can’t relate, but that sounds a bit sad. to have siblings and to not get along ” but maybe that was just coming from the perspective of growing up lonely.

his comment did have a flush rising to her face though, because what, and she floundered for her usual cool composure. was he — “ why, because you’d be just waiting for me to raise my hand and embarrass you in front of the whole class ? ” she tried to recover. clearing her throat, she shrugged slightly. “ correction. still in school. can only manage a few night classes, really. but for business. ” she raised a brow, as if daring him to challenge the choice.

[fallengcds]

pan.

At the surprise on the brunette’s face, Shepherd cracked a wide smile, despite the growing welt on his forehead. It seemed all the footballers were laughing in unison as the stranger approached, so the artist took it in stride, “No worries, dude!” If it sounded like he was sort of adopting that same bro-style of speaking as the group of football players, it’s because he was, unwittingly or not, “Don’t look too closely, you’ll turn to stone,” He winked when he noted how closely the guy was studying him, “For realsies, It’s totally good. If momma hadn’t dropped me on my head a handful of times before, I wouldn’t have my sparkling personality today.”

Shepherd probably wasn’t gonna explain it any further than that, always one to laugh it off and make a friend, rather than making a mountain out of a molehill. As the guy was peering at him though, the mapmaker definitely picked up his glances down at the notebook pages in the process, “Wanna see?” He offered with a smile, happy to move on and distract the fella, “Just a few doodles of you and your friends. Nothin’ special,” He flipped the book around so the guy could get a better look in the sunlight, “Unless, of course, you’d like to tell me it’s the most special thing you’ve ever seen. In which case, I’ll send it into the Met imminently.”

* ✶

alex relaxed marginally at the guys easy brush off, guilt soothed immediately. he wasn’t really looking for a fight in the park ( ... for once ) and he was thankful that this wasn’t going to turn into a whole thing — as it no doubt would have if the guy made a scene of it given alex’s easily flaring temper. he would be mad he was hit, alex would angerly insist it was an accident, not a good forecast. the odd turns of phrase did leave him blinking though, a little thrown by the immediate friendship and the casually joking manner from a man he’d just brained from across the field. “ ... right. glad you’re good then, though the frequent head trauma is maybe a little concerning. ”

but, rocking forward on his heels, alex shamelessly took the guys offer as an opening to check out the pages in more detail without the guilt of feeling nosy, dropping in a belated “ thanks. ” so maybe parkers frequent suspicious behavior about his notebook had left alex a little more inclined to snoop than the average person, sue him. he just wanted to know what all the fuss about a notebook was about. “ huh. these are actually pretty good, ” he admitted after a few moments. ( which had absolutely nothing to do with the fact he was one of the subjects, of course ) " although, i’m not going to lie. i’m probably not the most experienced art critic to be making those judgement calls. not much to compare it to. i thought artists were like, super cagey about their sketchbooks, anyway ”

[fallengcds]

patroclus.

he liked dogs. that wasn’t the issue. he also liked alex. that wasn’t the issue right now, but it was at basically every other point in his life. and now alex had brought him a dog. here, into the apartment. and if it wasn’t for the whole buying comment, parker would’ve thought this was a joke, or that the dog was here temporarily for dogsitting or a cuddle session, or something similar. but no. alex had bought a dog. “what?” he asked incredulously, eyes glazing over as the puppy was shoved into his arms. “but why?” he repeated, staring at the little bundle he was now holding. he was too shocked to register much more than a wiggling tail and sniffing nose. “my dog,” parker mumbled, slowly starting to pet the puppy. he was not going to cry. even though alex had gotten him a dog, thinking of his anxiety and hoping he was doing a good thing. parker was not going to burst into tears. “oh yeah, cuddling and the repetitive motion of stroking pets can help with anxiety, things like that,” he whispered, not even aware that his voice had become so soft. “no, no, i’m not allergic. but alex, are you sure i’m capable of taking care of a whole animal? like… you said our puppy, right? so that means you’ll help me? and how do we train it? does it have a name?”

parker sure looked and sounded a lot like he was going to cry, which usually was a fair indicator someone was upset, and not necessarily what alex was going for. the aim of the dog was actually to lead to less crying, ideally. he wasn’t really sure what the best move here was — alex was known to be insensitive at the best of times, emotional displays were not exactly his wheelhouse. he settled for as much casual reassurance as possible. “ well ... you’re good at looking after me, so. ” parker was already anal about checking on everything a million times over and making sure every item in the damn apartment was organized, as well as that alex was fed and not bleeding out after every bar fight, so it’s not like he was worried his roommate would forget to feed the thing or something. “ a dog should presumably be way easier to make sure he has his shit together. ” eat, sleep, go for walks, what else did it do ? at the probing for help, though, alex shifted uncomfortably a little. the plan hadn’t really been to get involved, just hand off the dog and be done with it. “ i mean, i can help if you want, ” he hedged. “ i’ve never really ... had a pet though. i’ll definitely pay for any puppy training classes or whatever, can’t have him shitting all over our carpet ” his experience with looking out for anything other than himself was rather limited, hence the reluctance. now parker he trusted to be capable — less so himself. “ as for the name, he doesn’t have one yet. that’s your call as dad #1 i guess ″

[fallengcds]

icarus.

was Harley a little out of his league? Definitely. But was he proud of actually accomplishing something with someone who’s been quite a bother around? Absolutely. It wasn’t very usual for him to be this assertive, or approaching people out of the blue, but he supposed he’s had enough of this guy’s shenanigans. He took a lot of pleasure from his reaction, however, so his smile remained, even after Zak replied.     There’s a feeling in the pit of his stomach that’s so familiar ; running from every conflict he’s ever been in, but right now, the keeper isn’t willing to give in yet, it would only bring joy to the other, so Harley fought against it. “No, you’re stuck with me for the day.” His smile turned a bit smug. “See how much care and effort goes into the care of these animals. Maybe that will change your mind about smoking around them.” of course, he couldn’t force Zak to do anything with him ; he could just walk away should he want to, but Harley hoped that perhaps a little voice in his head told him to do otherwise. “So, let’s go.” he reached for the other’s hand ━ an impulse decision once again ━ and got moving to the nearest bird, which happened to be the bald eagle. 

stuck with me for the day. damnit. how did this go so quickly from the zookeeper being the one stuck with zak to now him being trapped with the zookeeper ? when did he lose the upperhand ? he’d literally rather be anywhere else than chained to a stranger making polite chatter about the birds. including arrested. but then again, he really couldn’t afford to have something else on his record, especially when it could be easily avoided. zak’s raised hand falters where it’s raised pointing to the exit, face going through a complicated range of emotions as it falls back to his side. fuck. the force of the scowl he settles could rival only the other mans smug smile in intensity, and it would not be a stretch to say zak’s sulking. tour it is, then. “ oh boy. i sure can’t wait to learn about ... ” his eyes dart to the first sign he can see. “ ... the bald eagle. ” his voice is filled with the most hollow enthusiasm possible.

zak flinches slightly at the sudden motion towards his hand, even more petulant at the thought of close contact with any body, but he’s pretty much resigned to his fate. obliging, he wanders over in front of the metal wires, staring blankly inside for a few moments. the bald eagle stares back. or maybe it doesn’t, who the fuck knows. its a bird. “ ... it doesn’t do much, huh. ”

[fallengcds]

amphitrite​:

Exercising had been so ingrained into her childhood since as long as she could remember. She never thought twice about it. In the middle of doing cossack squats with a kettlebell, she kept her eyes on the mirror to focus until Ara’s revelation broke her out. “Quit?” she echoed, putting the bell down to turn her head, but smiled when she found the brunette plopped down. Abandoning her drill, she crawled over to sit beside Ara with her knees bent to one side, listening. “Mm,” she chuckled, having heard a similar spiel from her before. “Homicide?” That’s new. “Bigotón is back, is he?” She teased, using the little nickname she gave one of the men in the club Ara vents about from time to time. It was then she made herself more comfortable on the mat by joining the dancer and laying down. “I keep telling you, my bags are packed and ready to go. Vamos! Where are we going, mi amor? Greece? —Japón? We may be able to catch a sakura festival still,” she enthused, playing with the idea in her head for a few more beats. “You’d love it.” It seemed she couldn’t quite shake off her nomadic upbringing entirely, but…it was just talk. She was fine where she was. Just fine.

“ okay, not actually quit. that was a lie. a girl needs to eat. ” ara corrected promptly. it was just nice to imagine a world where she could simply ... stop doing something if she didn’t want to. and her job was great, it was, there was a lot of times she truly did enjoy performing ... except for all those times it wasn’t great. like when she was pretty sure the guy hadrian was talking to was most definitely not just some supplier for the bar. rolling her head to look at mia, she rolled her eyes. “ mhm. i think he’s trying to make up for the lack of hair on his head — or at least, real hair. compensation and all that. but i’m also pretty sure hadrian would turn a blind eye and cover for me if i shanked him, anyway. ” and it was honestly a little concerning how much truth there was to the statement. hadrian just gave her the vibe he could make a body disappear, which perhaps was not always the most comforting thing. but handy regardless. trying to let the tension slide away, ara let herself picture the two of them on some foreign beach for a moment, far far away from all their problems. never one to be particularly responsible, the idea of just dropping everything and running away on some adventurous vacation sounded ideal. “ god what i wouldn’t pay to see japan. to try out one of those onsens. but that’s the crux of the problem again isn’t it — pay. my rent is already threatening to suck the soul out of me without plane tickets on top of it ”

[fallengcds]

icarus.

ravi was perhaps one of Harley’s closest friends ; met through a simple doctor’s appointment, back when he was an intern at the doc’s office, they became friends instantly. Since then, he hasn’t missed their weekly catching up ( although, to be fair, these catching ups are often due to Harley’s clumsiness ). There doesn’t pass a week when the birdkeeper isn’t injured, and it doesn’t happen just because Ravi would come and do a house call, but because it … happens. Of course, the threshold is a little lower to call, but at least everything is attended to appropriately. And today doesn’t seem to be any different ; Harley got bitten by a bird today, nothing major, but he wanted to have it checked so it wouldn’t become infected. As the bell rung, Harley got up to put Billy in his cage and then headed to open the door. “Hi Rav, don’t worry, it’s nothing major this time. I just want to make sure it isn’t bad.” He offered his friend a bright smile, only indicating that he’s fine. “Thanks for coming over. How was your day?” He asked as he let the other in his apartment. 

“ nothing major, ” ravi parroted back at his friend, exasperated and hopelessly fond in equal measure. “ you could be holding your own guts in on the pavement and you would probably still insist that ‘ it’s totally fine. no need to worry about me ! ‘ ” not that ravi was one to talk, though, given that he pulled the exact same shit. do as i say and not as i do and all that. but as his eyes skimmed his friend and did a quick once over, habitually categorizing any injuries, harley really did seem for the most part okay and ravi allowed himself to relax slightly. “ honestly, how you find yourself more injured working with birds of all things over lions or tigers never ceases to amaze me. ” though he highly suspected harley would be able to injure himself working with just about anything, fish included. following his friend into the apartment, he took a moment to consider how honest he really wanted to be in response to that question. trauma dumping all the awful things he saw as a critical care physician onto people not trained to deal with that wasn’t usually a good call. “ same old, same old, ” he ended up settling on with what he hoped wasn’t too tired looking a smile. “ so full that i barely had time to hear myself think, but that just makes the day go faster so it’s not so bad. probably not as fun as working at the zoo, though. ”

[fallengcds]

patroclus.

parker was honestly having a boring day until alex came back home. he always tended to worry, even though he’d been told time and time again not to. he was probably at practice, or hanging out with friends, or pretending to do homework. he was definitely not dead in a ditch somewhere like his anxiety told him. definitely. yesterday was better ━ parker had hung out with shepherd for the most part, leaving alex to whatever suspicious thing he was up to and allowing his thoughts to focus on anything else. finally. but he really had to study today, and focus on all the work he ignored yesterday to basically just do nothing productive. his exams were next week, and between shepherd dragging him out of the loft to ‘take a break’, and his procrastinating tendencies, he hadn’t done much. it was a miracle he kept up with his reading at all this semester. mostly. so when alex came home, it was a sign to put down his work yet again. maybe for an afternoon on the couch? maybe he could even persuade alex to watch jeopardy. “hey! i’m in here!” he shouted back, immediately stretching and getting up from his desk to greet his friend. but when parker opened his door, alex looked worried, almost panicked. “what’s wrong?” parker asked, looking further into the hallway after a rather suspicious sound. “hey alex, why is there a puppy in our hallway?” he mumbled, walking up to the dog to pet it. “oh my god, you bought a dog? but why?”

alex could only watch helplessly as parker brushed past him out the door to kneel down next to the puppy sitting innocuously in the hallway outside their place. he tried to gauge his friends reaction — was that a good tone ? a horrified what the fuck have you done tone ? “ that may be. our puppy, ” he answered reluctantly. why was admitting it suddenly so embarrassing ? maybe because when you actually verbalize that you spur of the moment bought your best friend a puppy it put into perspective how weird that was. not that it wasn’t cute, though, all big blue eyes and fluffy brown fur and wiggling little butt. walking over, alex scooped the puppy up off the ground and into his arms before awkwardly holding him out towards parker like some kind of prize. “ okay, you kind of ruined the surprise by just coming on right out, but ... i got him ... for you. he’s your dog. ” he explained in stilting words. which granted, maybe needed some more explanation than that. “ i was at a bar a while back and this guy was telling about his cat, right ? but it was like, a therapy cat or something. i’m not really sure how that works. emotional support cat ? but apparently animals help with anxiety and stuff ? so i ... got you a dog. ” okay maybe this story about a random guy he met in a bar wasn’t lending the credibility he had hoped it was, but he was just being honest. he’d heard that pets could help with that kind of shit and he’d turned around and promptly bought a dog. open and shut. “ please tell me you’re not like, allergic. ”