Gilded ;;

Rusted s t r i n g s on an acoustic Martin guitar, sunlight reflecting blond hair creating a misleading halo, pack of cigarettes emptied on the carpet floor, devilish smirks and genuine grins, washed out t-shirts and f a d e d jeans, a wild and uncontrollable flame, voice wrapped in velvet and chocolates, eyes green like tiny leaves sprouting from a twig

[leongrant-blog1]

my activity’s been slow but i promise to get back into things once i get fully rested <3

[thelainformant]

Hogwarts AU Ask Prompts

Please keep all threads set in the magical Hogwarts AU! Include as many magical elements as possible, and be creative! Remember, none of this will be canon, so go wild. Please reblog this post if you wish to participate, and make sure you try and send as many as you receive! 

Boggart: Our muses just experienced a fright.

Dementor: Our muses have shared a kiss.

Hedwig: One of our muses has lost their familiar. 

Horcrux: One of our muses must decide who their heart belongs to.

Howler: Our muses have gotten into serious trouble.

Lumos: Our muses are trapped wandless in the dark.

Nimbus 2000: One of our muses has received an amazing present from the other.

Patronus: Our muses must cast a patronus to protect each other.

Remembrall: The happiest moment our muses experienced together.

Sherbert lemon: One of our muses must guess the other muse’s password.

Snitch: Our muses work together closely to reach an end goal.

Sorting Hat: After being separated, our muses are reunited.

Thestral: One of our muses has just been brought back to life.

Womping Willow: One of our muses has greatly upset the other muse.

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

Kitty huffed, “You threw it away when you just left. ” She replied her voice was shaking as she did, “People grow and change and you missed two years of it Leon.” Kitty swallowed painfully the closer her got to her, her breath was trapped, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away. Kitty bit her bottom lip when he used an old pet name she hadn’t heard in two years. She wasn’t aware she was leaning closer until he pulled back and the coolness in their distance sobered her. Kitty exhaled a shaky breath her hands running absently through her curls she couldn’t tear her eyes away even as the rumble fo the road beneath them vibrated her seat. After a beat, Kitty looked towards the road. “Yea, we’ll see.” She repeated and sat silently with her hands folded in her lap.

“We’ll see,” he repeated. When things have finally calmed down, he felt that there was more room for casual conversation. “So how are things with you?” he said, not taking his eyes off the road. She was such an overpowering presence. Any room she’d walk in, people will be constantly drawn to her. “Or am I not allowed to ask that anymore?” He thought for a moment. “By the way, have you had lunch? Because I’m starving.” There was a place on the way that they could stop by to eat, and honestly, regardless whether Kitty was starving or not, he’d still pull over to eat. 

Choosing the nearest place to eat, he turned off the engine. Truthfully, he was just trying to prolong his time with Kitty. “I hope you eat fast food. Would hate to eat in front of someone who is just watching,” he lightly teased. He hadn’t thought it to be this easy to fall back into rhythm with Kitty, to throw light banters at her.

[leongrant-blog1]

poppylowe:

She was controlling herself, she had too. There was no way she could make a scene in the place she got a majority of her money. So she breathed four times, in through the nose and out through the mouth until she didn’t think she was going to cry. “You know, if you wanted to hurt my feelings you could have just emailed me Leo. Because it seems like you’re mad and you can be mad, I would be mad. But don’t be passive aggressive, it’s never been your thing. Be honest with me… it’s well… it’s me.” She had to keep reminding herself to breathe, and that was not an easy thing to do when your bestfriend, ex boyfriend and Leo Grant all happened to be the same person and be sitting right in front of you.

And wow, I’ve been uhm… well I’ve been.. okay. Things are going great actually. I’m playing here a couple nights a week and I work here a majority of the time and then I’m a maid for some freelance work. I’m making it work. That’s the important thing right?” She couldn’t lie to him, not even now. So instead so opted for the truth, no she wasn’t a star but she was happier than she had been and that’s what she had wanted the most. “Sorry, you were probably asking to just be polite and here I am with my mouth that never closes. In a moment of panic and awkwardness , Poppy waved over her coworker in the most polite but urgent way as possible before looking back at Leon. “I’m going to order some coffee, would you like some too? Same order I’m assuming but I guess things can change? They do that sometimes.” 

“I do want to hurt your feelings.” His heart clenched at the childhood nickname. Only Poppy ever called him that. Leo, like the lion, she said. And she was Pup, because she was like a puppy that followed him around everywhere. And as the fierce lion, he would always protect her. It was endearingly idiotic, but they were merely kids. “But...I guess what I really want to know is if everything worked out for you. Were you happy that you left someone behind, knowing full well that he was willing to give up everything for you?” He believed that hearing her answers would give him some sort of peace. He desperately hoped it would. Perhaps he was just tired of being angry. In those two years that he had been going around the world, he often thought of Poppy. And in those two years, he partly understood why she had to do what she did.

Something within him cracked at Poppy’s awkward tendencies. Even after all these years, she was still the same awkward creature who he had first fallen in love with. He repressed a grin from coming out. Clearing his throat, he noticed something that brought his attention. “You’re not in college?” he asked, belatedly realizing that the question might send out the wrong message that he cared. But he did. “Sure. I don’t drink coffee that much anymore, anyway.” Americano was always his go-to coffee though. All coffee shops could never go wrong with it.

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

“Fuck please what, Leon?” Kitty spat out through tears she couldn’t believe this was her life right now and she idly wondered if she called Reese, or Ji nee right now if they would come out and get her, take her away from this suffocating feeling. Kitty shuddered a breath when he leaned closer. “Don’t-” She said put she didn’t pull away she shook her head. “You’re here now? Is that supposed to fix everything?” Kitty tilted her head, the contrast of his gentle touch felt out of place with her wild beating heart; “Take responsibility? There is nothing to take responsibility for. You left, and I moved on.” Kitty pointed out and as true as that was her heart still ached. “Well, go on, Leon how do you plan to make amends?”

“It is,” he said so with such confidence that he himself didn’t even know where it came from. “I can fix this. We can fix this.” He gave her a sad grin. “You can’t just throw away ten years of knowing each other, Kitty, even those two years. I know you.” 

He wanted to so badly taste those rosebud lips which he has been deprived of for two years. But he couldn’t do it. He shouldn’t do it. He wanted something else for her. He wanted to respect her, and not merely use her for his sexual needs. “That doesn’t mean that I’ve moved on.” He continued to lean in, and when he was just a mere hair’s breadth from her lips, he stopped and whispered, “You just have to wait and see, little kitten.” And with that, he let her go abruptly, looking calm and collected, but his pulse was going out of control and he felt like his heart was going to burst. He started to drive, his palms sweaty and his head swirling.

[leongrant-blog1]

jesseandrewsx:

DJing was an electronic career now. Everything was done on technology and nothing like where DJing came from. Disc jockeys were no longer synonymous with DJs because they had nothing to do with discs anymore. Jesse loved them though. The sound was smooth and very soothing and he never had enough records at home. When he heard the playful name, he turned around. A slow grin came over his lips and he put down the record he was looking at. 

It was one he thought Bella would like. They were going to be stuck on seventeen hour flight together and they would probably need music to fill some of the silences. He hadn’t seen Leon in years though, and that took precedence. He turned to give him a hug. “Shit, man, long time no see.”

Leon gave the other guy a tight hug. “I’d be lying if I said that it’s good to be back. But hey, no other city compares to LA. At least, for me.” He gave Jesse a warm and playful grin. Jesse was one of the few people that he wasn’t a complete rude asshole to, and he deeply respected the DJ’s work. Jesse had done some wonderful remixes of his own songs. “Record stores are still your thing, huh?” He looked over at the record Jesse was perusing. “What’s it for?”

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

“You loved me?” Kitty asked incredulity and anger lacing her tone. She shook her head and turned to face him. Kitty laced her fingers through the fabric of his shirt, her lips shook, and her hands trembled in the effort not to shake him. “When you love someone you don’t fucking leave them for two years.” Kitty took love very seriously; it was the thing that fueled most of her actions. Her love for her friends, for her lovers? It was a delicate line for all she was concerned, and she loved them all, and she knew she’d never leave them without a word let alone for two years. “You didn’t even give me a chance, and now you’re coming at me with this bull sh-” Kitty sighed and she pushed against him letting go of his shirt. “You’re not going to make me feel like the ass hole for wanting your affection. Who knows if we’d made it, or if I’d broke your heart but right now?” Kitty posed the question and looked him dead in the eye, “You’re breaking my heart.”

“Fuck please just—“ he choked, hating that things were like this. That he was making her cry. That he was breaking her heart. Leon knew he had crossed the line, was incredibly selfish, was incredibly stupid. He knew he should let this go. Let her go so she wouldn’t have to suffer. But he was stubborn, and he wanted to patch things between them. He just couldn’t bear the thought of not having Kitty in his life. Sure, he was away from her for two years, but he didn’t last long enough to be gone for forever. 

“But I’m here now. And I’m not afraid anymore.” He grasped her hands before she could completely pull away, rubbing slow circles on the inside of her wrists. He held out a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, slowly moving down across her face until he was caressing her neck, hoping that she wouldn’t pull away. “I’m here to take responsibility for what I’ve done. Every single shit. If you’d just let me...” He started to lean in, but paused and gave her a soft look. Before, he’d just go for it without any warning, without a moment’s notice. But things were different now, and he wanted her to be the one to decide this time around. He just wanted to kiss her, and that was all.

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

“Yea- I agreed.” She stressed the final word with a pointed look. “Consent is a continuation not definite I could change my mind if you upset me too much and I might. I haven’t decided if I’d rather sit with you in caves or jump out of your car just yet.” Kitty rolled her eyes and leaned over the seat batting her lashes up at him dramatically, “I still love you- so much that I want you to take me right now.” She was being sarcastic, what was love when she couldn’t untangle him from Bryce or Gabe? Sighing Kitty shook her head, same Leon. “For me?”

 Kitty couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled past her lips. “Two years later and what? You expected me to be waiting for you?” She couldn’t believe the audacity of what he was saying, she sunk into her seat and pressed her palms into her eyes to keep from crying from how upset he had made her. “I’m not something to just pick up again when you’re lonely and tired of the groupies. I’m a real person with real feelings, and you left me!” She shouted not caring if she was loud or seemed irrational. 

“You left me without a single damned word, so you don’t get to be sad scorned ex-” Kitty looked him up and down, “ex what? What even was I to you? Someone, to fuck between gigs, when you got tired of pressing some groupie into a hotel mattress give Kitty a call? She’ll fluff your ego make you feel good about yourself?” Kitty felt hot tears roll down her cheek, so she looked away pressing her head against the window. “You don’t get to be the victim.”

“I won’t let you walk back ten miles even if you wanted to,” he stated. “We’re already here so it’s stupid that you are even trying to change your mind.” Leon frankly wanted to hit himself in the head, if Kitty doesn’t get there first, for yet again not being able to control his abrasive tendencies. He quickly took the words back. “I didn’t mean that. You’re not stupid.”

Upon the sudden outrage that Kitty was displaying, which he used to be used to (now it gave him a slight heart attack, although he’d never admit to it), he stepped on the break pedal, momentum making their bodies move back and forth briskly. They were quite literally in the middle of the road, although their car was the only one present. “Kitty. Kitty,” he repeated, trying to make her look at him. “Look at me, please?” Please was a word he didn’t know how to use, but for Kitty, he would learn it.

He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for something he has never done before—admit that he was at fault. “I’m sorry,” he started, “You have to believe me when I say that I’m sorry. You know how impulsive I can get…” He looked away from her, trying to put into words what he couldn’t admit. “I was scared, okay? Of what we could be. Could’ve been. Whatever.” He paused. “I was…in love with you and I didn’t want to be. I didn’t want you to be the one to break my heart. So I broke mine.” Leon knew he could never have Kitty for himself, and the thought that she’d some day replace him for someone else while they would still be together frightened him to death.

[leongrant-blog1]

kaiowns:

   Looking up from the bag of sweets, Kai’s eyes met with Leon’s, unsure anymore if this was a familiar face or the opposite. As recent events had led the Irishman more and more towards the belly of a bottle, he’d tried to fix his craving for alcohol with other things - ice cream, authentic ramen, today it was a 2 lbs bag of assorted candies. “Sorry, mate?” Kai mumbled over the lolly sticking from his mouth, wrongly assuming Leon’s disappointment was directed at Kai himself. Even at the best of times, the singer could be very self-absorbed. 

Realizing that Kai misunderstood the whole situation, he clarified the dilemma he was having. “Not you, man,” he shook his head, amusedly. “The candy store. There used to be a bar here,” he said, feeling dejected. Leon looked over the seemingly heavy bag of candies that he was holding. “So, aren’t you going to share any of that?”

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

Kitty narrowed her eyes when he spoke her full name- “Oh fuck you.” She breathed and rolled her eyes; she didn’t trust anything Leon was saying, any sentiment that fell from his lips just seemed like a lie. He’s lonely, needs a warm body until he figures it out; Kitty mused and shifted uncomfortably. Kitty turned on her heel and followed him to the living embodiment of nostalgia; his car, “Why didn’t you buy a new one?” She didn’t look at him when she questioned him, just stood in front of the open door looking inside like peering into her past. “God knows you’ve got the money.” She replied quietly before sliding into the passenger seat. Kitty pulled on her seat belt and immediately begun playing with the radio until something by Kai Owens began to fill up the car with his accent. It made her feel like she had a friend in the car with them, she didn’t feel so vulnerable with the familiar sounds. Kitty sighed and pushed her head into the headrest, her hair bunching in messy waves at the crown of her head. “I forgot how far away the caves were.” She spoke after a couple of songs ended. Fuck; why did I agree to this. She sighed, “Did you lose my number or something after you left?”

He shrugged. “I don’t need a new one,” he said before shutting the door. Leon wasn’t really materialistic. Funnily enough, he was sentimental about things and find it hard to replace them or throw them away. The amount of stuff he had in his home was already a testament. And gifts to her that were never sent, just lying around his room.

Tapping his hand to the beat of Kai Owens’ song—very catchy, he had to admit—he scoffed at Kitty. “You agreed to this,” he said, hiding the fact that he was glad that she actually agreed to it. Even after all this time, she still gave him chances that he didn’t deserve. “You know you still love me, that’s why you simply can’t resist,” he added, feeling like himself again—the haughty, conceited but charming Leon.

Forty minutes into the drive, no words were exchanged between them. The silence wasn’t for lack of trying—he simply didn’t know what to say. And so he felt relieved that she was willing to break the ice first. “Do you think I’m stupid?” he asked, his tone light, but his next words were serious. “I deleted it. I tried to erase every trace of you.” He exhaled deeply. “I just can’t understand how you can move on so easily. I came back for you, you know.” And there came the accusatory words, laced with a hint of regret for ever trying to put some part of the blame on her.

[leongrant-blog1]

Exclusive pool parties weren’t something that Leon said no to. He loved it, in fact. It was a good excuse to party in broad daylight. So it wasn’t a surprise that he already went to one within the week that he got back in LA. Flirting with some random girl whose name he could care less about, he got distracted by the sudden splash of water, presumably coming from the pool that no one actually swims in. Rushing toward the side of the pool where a crowd was gathering, he realized that someone was on the verge of drowning, either being too drunk to swim or truly not knowing how, or even both. Why was no one coming to the rescue? Sighing inwardly, he went to the front of the crowd and dived into the pool, grabbing the girl with a shock of platinum blonde hair. He got them out in no second, and when he set her down, he checked for her breath and pulse. “Hey, you alright?” he asked, kneeling over her body, pushing his dripping blonde hair back.

@babellaby

[leongrant-blog1]

to do

Starters

Arkin

Bay

Grayson 

Bryce

Lacey

Ji Nee 

Angeline 

Replies:

Tasha

Jett

Channing

Kitty

[leongrant-blog1]

gabriel-ingraham:

It had all happened so fast that Gabriel didn’t even have time to process the situation. As the other stood up, he went to move to the machine only to be taken off guard by the other’s fist. Ear ringing and jaw aching, he leapt from the floor straight towards the other. He wasn’t sure what his intention was but he was being driven by straight adrenaline and anger, punching the other back with as much force as possible. Before he could do anything else, he felt himself being pushed back and watched an intervening group of bodybuilders try to separate the two. Finally mustering up the energy to speak, hand on his jaw, he exploded. “Dude what the fuck? I’ll really fucking kill you.” He was more confused than anything because he had no idea who this guy was and he was wishing that he wasn’t being restrained right now. It had caused a scene in the gym, people looking over. He was expecting management from the gym to intervene any minute now but it was as clear as day: he was assaulted. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he spat out again, still trying to push past the random guys who chose to deescalate the situation. 

“You deserved that, you asshole,” he exclaimed, not minding the fact that he was probably the bigger jerk out of the two of them in this situation. He felt his face starting to throb and, oddly enough, felt a small twinge of respect for the punch that he received from a guy five years his junior. “I’m Leon. And if you ever hurt her again in any way, you will be sorry.” Leon wasn’t much of a gossip monger, but he knew enough of what had happened between Gabriel and Kitty. Someone just needed to wake this boy up, and Leon simply decided to be the one to do it. He looked around at the nosy faces trying to figure out what was going on. “Show’s over!” he called, and immediately they started minding their own businesses, except for the ones restraining Gabriel and Leon. He used to have a reputation of getting into fights, and damage control from his record label would always try to mitigate it. This wouldn’t be any different. It took a while for him to calm down into a temperament that wasn’t about to throw surprise punches at anyone, all the while locked in an intense glaring battle with the younger guy. He shrugged off the strangers, gave Gabriel another look, and walked past him to arrange and collect his stuff. 

[leongrant-blog1]

gabriel-ingraham:

@leongrant

Gabriel hated coming to the gym at this hour for one reason - how packed it was. Almost every machine was in use and he couldn’t take a brief water break without being bumped into by another person. And he thought this was an exclusive gym. Approaching a stranger slowly, he offered the friendliest smile that he could manage while drenched in sweat. “Are you done with the pec dec?” he asked, nodding towards the weight machine that the other was sat at. As he noticed the other’s features more, he realized that he’d definitely seen him somewhere before. If not the gym then he was definitely a model or something. “If not mind if I work between your sets? I’ve been slacking on chest and triceps,” he added casually, hoping the other would comply.

”Yeah, sure,” he replied while still having not looked at the person, wiping sweat from his face with a towel. He actually felt sympathetic, more than usual, and has been in the other guy’s situation before. “You can work between…” Leon drifted off as he looked up and saw the face of the stranger. He furrowed his eyebrows at him, feeling like he knew the guy from somewhere. “You…” Then he had a sudden realization. “You,” he stated dramatically. Here was the guy who played a major factor in the decision that spawned a thousand years of regret, despite him not even knowing about Leon. He wasn’t feeling all too sympathetic now. Before he knew it, his hand was throbbing and the other guy was on the floor.

[leongrant-blog1]

poppylowe:

It was almost like no time had passed at all. Somewhere right near his smile lines was still the 9 year old boy that Poppy had built sandcastles with, still the 16 year old she fell in love with…He would always be those people. She was foolish for ever thinking that simply packing a bag would have changed any of that. It was a childish hope, that saving herself would have made him fade away. “It was an old one.. I wrote it a long time ago. You should know that.” She felt naked and exposed, like he had stripped her of all of her armor. 

Poppy tried to give him a kind smile, some kind of peace offering. There was no point in pretending like there wasn’t some tension between them, the faint feeling of old heartbreak that never fully healed. “Yeah this place is perfect for never being noticed. You want to talk…with me? I’d understand if you didn’t Leo.” She tried to conceal the hurt puppy look that must of been on her face, but guilt was pumping through her just as much as her blood was. “The table in the corner okay?” Ten years without him, and she still wanted to reach out, still wanted to console him like she had done so long ago. But when you leave someone in the middle of the night, you lose that privilege. So she settled for standing next to him and walking towards the back. 

He stood there for a while, actually considering just slipping away behind her back. And he should..but he didn’t. Poppy was almost a myth to him, and it felt strange remembering how they used to spend most of their time together.  Now, they were virtually strangers. Although she smashed his heart into a million little pieces, he couldn’t simply ignore years of friendship. He honored that at the very least. She made life bearable when they were young, when things were such a struggle, only for her to take what little happiness he had away in the blink of an eye. She had so much power over him and she probably didn’t know it.

He was aware he had hurt her, well-nigh called the place she was performing trash. She doubtless wasn’t aware of how much he had changed, how crass and harsh his words could be. He sat before her, casually leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. He looked at ease, almost as if he was bored. “The only reason I’m talking to you now is because we were friends. I could care less about why you had to leave,” he lied. “Wait, I do know why you did what you did. I also understand. And I’m not that selfish to get mad at you.” He lied again. He was that selfish. But truth of the matter was, he did miss her. More than he should have. “So, how are things with you?” he asked, coolly. He was good at making an act, but he wasn’t so sure about keeping them.

[leongrant-blog1]

larsonjett:

Jett had to paused mid-step as he caught sight of a strangely familiar face, rubbing at his tired eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real. “Leon?” Jett couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Leon in person, let alone talked to him, but a slow smile grew on his face, “So y’haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. Who’da thought.”

“You know you’re only charming because of your accent, right?” Leon gave the other guy a hug and a thump in the back, truly glad to see one of the nicer people in Hollywood. They’ve been through some tough times together, although Leon wasn’t privy to Jett’s full story. But they both needed an anchor, and he held some sort of fondness for the guy. Leon knew when to give out kindness to those who deserved it. “Out shopping?”

[leongrant-blog1]

catsmeow-kitty:

“Well I haven’t thought of you at all.” Kitty lied, and she wasn’t sure why. There had been a time where she’d share her feelings with him in the form of fortunes from Chinese takeout and in pressed flowers between the pages of her favorite passages, but now? Kitty wasn’t as eager to make herself vulnerable around him, but watching the cock-sure attitude he had melted away stirred something in Kitty, she almost preferred the fake emotions, they were easier to digest, easier to accept the loss of something that wasn’t real then this man before her now. Kitty placed a hand on his chest if she weren’t careful she’d have fallen into an old habit, an old love? Kitty swallowed hard; she couldn’t think of her feelings for him regarding absolutes, there was never an absolute with him. He and she were almost, and maybe, the in-between real and shallow, for Kitty it had always leaned heavily on the real. “Fine.” Kitty pulled her hand back to check her nails, a nervous habit, “The Caves.” She hadn’t been in years; it was strange how before someone a spot was just a spot, but after them it was memories. Adjusting her bag Kitty pulled away from him, his touch stirred something in Kitty that she wasn’t ready to feel not when she was still angry. “Do you have a car or do I need to drive?”

He knew she was lying. He hoped she was lying. Because it stabbed him in the chest at the thought of her completely forgetting about him. Who was he kidding? This was Kitty. Kitty who bled emotions and gave far more than she could. It was both her strength...and her weakness. “You’re lying, Catalina,” he said with a quiet conviction. He has always loved saying her full name, in ways that he knew could make her weak. 

He felt a surge of happiness at Kitty’s agreement, which made him realized that he hasn’t been this happy in a long, long while. Ever since he left her, in fact. And now it felt like the storm was over after years of rain beating down on him, and the sun has finally found him. Trying to ignore the slight twinge at Kitty’s rejection to his touch, he cleared his throat. “I’ll drive, of course,” he stated, his tone light and teasing. He almost grabbed her hand—old habits die hard—but he resisted the urge and commanded his own hands to stay still. He started walking towards his car, parked just by the corner of the restaurant. Oh, shit.

His car, which he hasn’t replaced in six years, was a white 1967 Chevrolet Impala. Definitely outdated and unhip, but still of tremendous value to him. And definitely where he and Kitty spent most of their time together, foggy windows and restrained moans. God, he felt like a hormonal teenager. Acting like the surge of not entirely unwelcome memories wasn’t affecting him, he opened the passenger door for her. Their sea caves was located at the Leo Carillo State Beach, roughly an hour and a half drive. With her. Inside this cramped space of a rectangle. He was starting to regret his life decisions.