killing lies

James E. Vincent. 29. (Traveling) Journalist for Philadelphia Press. Current resident of Los Angeles. When James isn’t writing about what’s in front of him, he is worrying about what isn’t.

[james-vincent-blog1]

trainwreck || elliot & james

[james-vincent-blog1]

elliot-robinson:

“I would really like that, actually.” Elliot couldn’t fight the smile on her face even if she wanted to. The idea of being able to show him around her old stomping grounds was exciting. Having moved to Los Angeles years ago was all about opportunity, and once it was all over, she had decided to stay. She had a hopeless fear of those around her thinking that she couldn’t make it on her own. That her ex-fiance was the one thing holding her up on her own two feet and she wasn’t able to make anything of herself. Going back home for some reason meant defeat and loss, something that Eliot wasn’t ready to come to terms with.

Elliot rolled her eyes, fighting the desire to slap his hand as a reminder of the idiotic thing he had done. “The last thing you need is a criminal record. I would absolutely bail you out of jail, that that doesn’t mean that I necessarily want to. She figured they were both pretty luckily. Together they had done some illegal things and they’d been lucky enough to have their fun and not pay any of the consequences, but even she knew that sort of thing didn’t last forever. Especially when one was out at bars trying to fight people over stupid things.

"The real question is how can you live without me.” she teased, as if she couldn’t ask herself the same question. As they had grown closer, Elliot had consistently ignored the thought of what things would be like when he was gone. It was nice to have met a friend and established such a good relationship with James, but Elliot failed to consider that his days would soon be numbered. She’d be alone all over again and the thought alone was enough to make her anxious and uneasy. Because she had ignored it for so long, she had been okay with it, but if they were to get any closer there was no telling how she would handle the inevitable.

“You’re right.” Elliot said quietly, gently slipping her hand from his. “How about I make us some coffee, get you all sobered up for sure. There’s ibuprofen there for you, by the way, in case you’ve got any pain.” Elliot offered, getting up from the table and working on busying herself with the coffee maker.

“I think it’d be fun,” he spoke, growing more fond of the idea as he spoke. James didn’t necessarily have a home in Philadelphia; it was where he grew up, and where his parents had raised him, but it was not the place where he would find permanent happiness. He hadn’t made any good memories in that city in years, not when he’d lived alone. All the memories he had in that city were with his family or Aylee. When he thought of home, James thought of the way he’d felt growing up, the invincibility that youth had given him, and the belief that he was capable of everything. If he could revisit that city again, maybe he could revive those feelings that had so easily driven him.

“I know. I can’t have a legitimate professional career with a criminal record,” he sighed, looking mildly disappointed. “I’m flattered that you would bail me out, though. Hopefully you’ll never have to.” James tried not to dwell on that possibility for very long. He could practically hear his parents’ tone, like he was a disobedient child, but they weren’t around to punish him anymore. He wondered how long his lack of self-control would continue.

James cocked an eyebrow, clearly amused by her question. “That’s a difficult question to answer. I’d be arrested, probably. With no bail money.” James leaned against the kitchen counter, considering a reality without her. It didn’t take him long to realize it wasn’t something he wished to consider, despite how soon it would become true. He’d be lying if he said he’d be content without her in his life, not after knowing her so personally. James smiled to himself, reminding himself how thankful he was to be friends with her. “What would I write about?”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to make it this time?” He asked, his mouth spreading into a grin. James graciously grabbed the painkiller bottle. “I’m still not convinced that you actually know how to make coffee the right way.” His eyes lingered on her a bit too long until he forced himself towards the balcony. He tugged the balcony door open, relieved once the air covered him. James paused, mesmerized by the skyline. Los Angeles was not home to him, but Elliot had somehow made it one. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, quickly popping it between his lips. “We should go out tomorrow.”

[james-vincent-blog1]

trainwreck || elliot & james

[james-vincent-blog1]

elliot-robinson:

“I miss New York this time of year. It’s not the same without the snow and the cold.” Elliot responded. She needed to make some sort of conversation, anything to move her off her own doings. She felt stupid, and she couldn’t shake that feeling. She was ashamed of the way she had acted when she should have been helping him. Instead she was focused on how it affected her. Eventually Elliot was going to admit that she was wrong for the way that she behaved, but she wasn’t ready to do that yet.

“I’m pretty sure somewhere in the small print of friendship, we should always be in the presence of each other’s bar fights. All of this really had me feeling a little betrayed. I don’t even get to see a grainy dark video of the fight or anything.” Elliot shook her head, carefully wrapping the gauze around his hand. Part of her wanted to wrap it just a little too tight as a reminder of the stupid choices that he made that night. “I got to say, I hope that this girl you were hitting on was stupidly hot or something to make all of this worth it.”

Elliot couldn’t help but to roll her eyes at his comment. But she did appreciate him making light of things. It helped shift the mood, and if it got them farther away from how she had acted on the ride over here. “Please don’t say things like that. Not under these circumstances.” Elliot warned him. Any other time she would have laughed, but this time she wasn’t exactly sure if she could take it as a joke. She trusted him, that would  never change. But she wasn’t sure if she could trust what he would do.

“Next bar fight though? I get to be there.” Elliot said, lips turning up in a smile. She didn’t want things to change between them. This all had seemed different from a regular argument that they would have, and she wasn’t willing to let it last and harm their relationship. As much as she wanted to be someone who would only watch out for themselves, she couldn’t. James was too important to her, and she needed him. “At least your face is doesn’t look bad.” Elliot teased, glancing down to notice she had yet to let go of him hand. “For the record, you’re right. We would make a great team.”

“We should take a trip to NY sometime. You can show me around a bit, and we can stop by Philly, too, if you want.” He smiled warmly at her. “I haven’t been to NYC at Christmas since I was a kid.” James nodded, dwelling on the last time he’d been. It was the first time his parents had allowed him and his sister travel alone. They’d gotten lost nearly a dozen times, but they were both far too stubborn to contact their parents. The thought temporarily kept his mind occupied, and he felt a sudden warmness, reminding him that he needed to reach out to her again.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be sure to send out an RSVP next time,” he teased her, involuntarily smiling. “But those types of situations tend to get very embarrassing very quickly, and I’d only want you there if I did well, y’know?” He explained.  “But I definitely need you there next time so I don’t try to knock a stranger’s teeth out. Bar fights are sexy, but criminal records aren’t.” James glanced down at his bandaged hand, silently grateful that he’d paid for his recklessness only with bruises.

“I was drunk; of course she was hot,”James cackled. When his laughter finally subsided, he sighed deeply. “I won the fight, but I didn’t get the girl. It wasn’t worth it.” At her words, James nodded slowly. He wanted to promise her that it wouldn’t happen again, but he honestly couldn’t be certain. James silently promised to try his best to get rid of whatever had pushed him over the edge, despite having no concrete idea of what it was. He hoped it could be solved by sharing more with her, maybe receiving therapy, and living more positively; he hoped the solution was simple.

Once Elliot mentioned his face, James began touching his face frantically as if he’d just woken up from reconstructive surgery. “Oh, thank God,” he joked, allowing himself to laugh at his own joke for too long. “How could I live?” James stroked her hand with his thumb. “I think we make a pretty good team already.”

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason scoffed a little as he pressed James against the wall harder. “You hardly did anything.” Mason breathed out as he stepped back, letting James go.  “Get the fuck out of my house.” Mason said as he reached for the whiskey glass James was drinking before he threw it to the left of James.

James’ eyes drilled into him. He squeezed from his grip, more than happy to comply to his request. James didn’t hesitate; once the glass crashed into the wall inches from him, he immediately turned, hurriedly moving towards the door. He flung it open, grateful to put as much space between them as possible.

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason’s head snapped to the side when Jame’s fist made contact with his nose. Mason reached up and felt his nose, he brought his hand to face, and saw the blood on his fingers. Mason laughed softly as he looked back at James. “A least the puppy knows how to bite back.” Mason said as he stepped forward again, he reached out and grabbed James’s arm before he turned him around and shoved James against the wall. 

James shook his hand once it made contact with Mason’s nose, immediately regretting his decision. He was momentarily distracted, and he didn’t realize Mason was so close to him until it was too late. He grimaced once he hit the wall. “Maybe you should reconsider the next time you plan on questioning what I’m capable of.”

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason stepped around the island fully. “I have emotions, just I tend to avoid love. Like I said, it’s a weakness.” Mason said as he moved his hand across the island slowly before he smirked softly. “Silk sheets, the bed is rather comfy. And of late, wrapped around Elliot. She does make it a lot easier to sleep.” 

A knot formed in his stomach. He squeezed his fists a bit too tightly, and they stung because he’d already made the same mistake. James’ eyes shut for momentarily, trying to detach himself from hearing Mason’s words, but it was no use; He swung his fist towards Mason’s jaw, deciding he wouldn’t be quite satisfied until he heard it crack. 

[james-vincent-blog1]

text  || elle

Elle: Sorry about that, bud.

Elle: But hey, good on you for being up for it. You're a champ.

James: Thanks for entertaining me.

[james-vincent-blog1]

text  || elle

Elle: I guess that's it for us then, huh?

Elle: Which probably means this is where I tell you that you have the wrong number.

James: I'm sort of relieved, honestly.

James: For the sake of my wallet.

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

“And she will be spoiled among other things.” Mason said as he shrugged before he laughed softly. “Love is a weakness, mate. But I guess you are just too dumb or blind too see that.” Mason said as he shook his head and scoffed a little. “Of course I don’t know her, I’ve meet her like twice.”

“Among other things, huh? That’s interesting,” he replied sarcastically, glancing around for Elliot as if she might pop up somewhere and explain that it was a joke. His eyebrows rose, realizing at how familiar those words sounded to him. James was nearly certain he’d said something similar in the past. “Well, I’d hate to be as emotionless as you. Jesus,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know how you sleep at night, honestly.”

[james-vincent-blog1]

trainwreck || elliot & james

[james-vincent-blog1]

elliot-robinson:

A tiny bit of a smile found it’s way onto her lips, nodding gently. She had told him that she was going to be impossible to shut up, but she was failing at that. She had expected their evening to go a lot differently, so everything she had originally told him was useless. She was normally always full of chatter, even to the point that she knew she was becoming too much. But now it had seemed useless. It was childish, but if she couldn’t say the right things, then why bother at all? It wasn’t great logical, but tense situations normally resulted in Elliot shutting down in some sort of way.

It felt good just to be home, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders the moment that she stepped into her apartment. If anything, it was like a renewal. She could try again, make some sort of attempt to make things right. Despite everything Elliot momentarily felt and mentally wrestled with, she knew she hadn’t done the same thing. And while her childish side wanted her to lock herself up in her room and not reappear until morning, but Elliot couldn’t bring herself to do that.

She slipped her jacket off, hanging it by the door after having locked up again. Spotting his coat on the sofa, she picked it up to hang it alongside hers, stopping when she noticed the stain on it. She sighed softly, shaking her head, still in disbelief of the mess that he had gotten himself into that night. Elliot’s gaze shifted as a result of his question, walking into the kitchen to help him. She rolled up his coat, setting it on the counter before grabbing the first aid kit from under the kitchen sink.

“Sit down,” she started, motioning over to the table as she peeled the plastic off the never used container of medical supplies, “I’ll fix you up.” she added, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Elliot went through the contents of the box, pulling out the things that she needed and setting them out on the table, pushing away the kit when she had taken out the things that she wanted. “The stain on your coat is dry, but I think that I can still take it out.” Elliot said, quickly deciding that she didn’t really want it to be silent between them.

James didn’t have to be reassured to know she would stay with him, not anymore. She had been the only concrete, certain aspect of his life those recent weeks. His job was currently up in the air, his well-being, his home, but not her; James was certain that if his life changed, she would remain in it, and he dwelled on that thought until it eased his stress. She would be there. Always.

He could remain lonely, and go back to the way things were. He could continue to trust only himself and no one else, but he doubted he could ever feel the same as he did then; he would never be able to replicate the way he’d felt with her. Even the mere idea of it made him feel sick to his stomach.

When she spoke, James’ eyebrows rose, but he did as he was told. He moved to the table a few seconds after she spoke. He offered her his hand, eyes watching her closely. His thoughts grew quiet for a moment. She mentioned the coat, but he was too distracted by her to focus too deeply on it. “I’m not too worried about it, honestly. I don’t really like the coat very much,” he laughed, glancing over at it. “It’s about too hot for it, anyway.”

He stretched his free hand, surprised at how stiff it was. “You should have been there, Elliot. It was really, really spectacular. I mean, I was drunk, so I’m probably exaggerating, but I thought I did pretty well.” James nodded, looking satisfied. “Maybe I should take up cagefighting. That would be great for this whole self-destruction thing; I could really speed the process up a bit,” he joked, leaning towards her. “And you could get the blood off my uniform. We’d make a great team.”

[dressed-likeanightmare]

Awkward but nice || Frankie and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

letshavealittle-moore:

Frankie smiled slightly. “I was interested in it, still I a,. I guess it’s just taking my longer to readjust to everything.” Frankie said as she looked at James and shrugged a little. “Yeah, I have had made quite a few people happy, I still get christmas from some of my clients. Some other clients, hate me because the wedding they planned out didn’t go right.”

James paused, trying to decipher what she was feeling. “I don’t think you can expect to please everyone in that business, though.” He nodded, trying to reassure himself. “And I’m sure you do your best. That’s all that matters.”

[james-vincent-blog1]

trainwreck || elliot & james

[james-vincent-blog1]

elliot-robinson:

Elliot cut herself off before a mean spirited laugh could escape her. For two reasons, she never expected anyone to take care of her. For the past couple of years she’d been lucky enough to only have to care about herself and no one else. She didn’t have to take anyone else’s feelings into consideration, and she was only watching out for herself. Elliot had spent so much of her earlier life taking care of other people, and putting herself on the wait list. It was an optimal situation, but it worked best for her at the time. But when it all went south, sending her into a pit of loneliness, Elliot picked herself up by doing one thing. Strictly caring about herself, her feelings, her appearance, and she did what she wanted when she wanted.

At least that was the routine until James had shown up in her life. She poured everything she had into him, time and time again. All because she missed taking care of someone. Yet this time it was different, Elliot didn’t have someone who built themselves up with what she gave, making it seem like a futile effort on her part when James was a bloodied mess. He was a reminder of why it seemed better to watch out for herself, but still, she just couldn’t stop.

She sighed quietly, grateful for the chiming bell signaling the arrival and opening of the elevator. However, the relief was actually short lived, reminding herself that she was still heading to the same place with the same person that had managed to ignite some sort of fire inside her. After the doors closed and floor was selected, she broke her silence only after they began to move. “I don’t need someone to take care of me, I can do that just fine. You know that.” she answered quietly, followed by a curt nod.

Elliot didn’t want to be this way with him, she didn’t want to appear angry and upset. Hell, this wasn’t even about her. It was about his own reckless behavior, and maybe she wasn’t even angry with him, but with that fact that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop him.

James crossed his arms over his chest. She would never need him like he needed her. After she spoke, he nodded, despite not being pleased with her response. He wanted her to need him, but James knew very well that she would exist happily without him if he disappeared. He tried not to dwell on that idea, and instead focused on the sound of the elevator chirping. James leaned against the back of the elevator, trying to keep his eyes off of her.

“I think this is the most time you’ve ever kept your mouth shut around me,” he joked, wanting to crack a smile. James wanted to avoid the silence; if her words weren’t occupying his mind, everything else would. He took a careful glance in her direction, needing a different reaction than the one she was currently giving him. Once the elevator opened, abandoning them down the hallway, his feet moved slowly. She obviously did not want him there. Those unwanted thoughts began bubbling in his mind, and he suddenly began thinking about the possibility of him moving out.

James, too, felt a sense of relief once they’d reached the door, as if he was momentarily afraid they would never actually reach it. Standing in silence, he eagerly waited for her to open the lock, feeling as if he might get sick if she didn’t do it fast enough. For the past two hours, he needed her attention so desperately, yet now all he wanted to do was separate himself from her. After all, he’d always been more stable independently.

Once he entered the apartment, James tugged off his coat, frowning once he realized he’d gotten blood on the sleeve. After draping it over the couch, he turned towards the kitchen sink. He ran his hands under the faucet, and took a moment to rub the dried blood from his knuckles. James watched the blood drip on the sink. “Do you have any bandages?” He asked, peering at her from the kitchen.

[james-vincent-blog1]

text  || open

Declan: he couldn't ignore me even if he tried, it worked out perfectly

Declan: he's so pretty when he's mad and he was so pissed

James: that's nice

James: i'm happy for you

James: and that wasn't sarcasm. just for clarification.

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason scoffed a little. “Did you ever think that she came here, so that she could be treated differently. I mean the way you are talking, it seems like you bow to her ever request.” Mason said as he watched the other male. “But then again, being some love sick puppy would do that.” Mason said as he dropped his hand and ran his fingers over the bench slowly. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be treated like a princess for once in her life.”

“Well, yeah. She came here to be treated differently; she likes to be spoiled.” It was obvious he had money, and James silently hoped that was the only thing maintaining her interest. James arched an eyebrow. “I would do a lot for her, yeah, but that’s not a weakness.” He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You don’t know her that well.”

[james-vincent-blog1]

text  || open

Declan: well it's all the advice you're getting

Declan: i just walked into the one, spilled coffee on him and ruined his suit but it's not a method i'd recommend

James: a suit ruined and a cup of coffee wasted

James: doesn't sound like a good method, no

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason laughed again as he stopped walking. “I would like to see you try and hurt me.” Mason said as he crossed his arms. “Oh trust me, I am a pretty decent human. But you know what they say about closed doors. You never know what goes on behind them.” Mason said with a shrug. 

James scoffed at his challenge, but there was very little keeping him from taking him up on that request. He wondered if Elliot cared about him; James wasn’t in good standings with her currently, and he didn’t think attacking her newest friend would help with that. “Maybe, but if you act even slightly like the way you are now with her, I’m going to assume you’re not treating her the way she deserves to be.” He shrugged. “It’s a fair assumption.”

[maddie-teller]

Strangers at the door || Mason and James

[james-vincent-blog1]

oncemore-down-the-rabbithole:

Mason finished the whiskey off and placed the glass to one side. “What word would that be.” Mason asked as he moved around the island a little.

“Heart,” he mumbled, “Because if you have any doubt that I didn’t mean it, you mustn’t have heard me,” James smirked. “You hurt her, I hurt you. That’s how this works.” Once he finished speaking, his face contorted in disgust. “I don’t give a shit about your sex life. i’m talking about being a decent human being.”

[james-vincent-blog1]

text  || open

Declan: that felt sarcastic, tone down the attitude babe

James: It was a legitimate, genuine response.