c e l e s t i a l

leo tudor - 28 - prince of england

[lionhcartt]

lily qian - intro, musings, wc

[mckinleyxryan]

"We went last night actually on Valentines day." She liked that the Carnival was the day after so people could be together on the day. It was their first Valentines day together in twelve years and it was truly special. They shared laughs and love. Hero was everything to her and she loved every second they were reconnecting.

"Awe, thAts really cute, I lopve that for them ." Kinny didn't really have a happy childhood or happy memories of her parents. After her mother died, things got worse at home and that's were Hero came in to save her.

"Thank you, You are so kind. I will let you know." But hearing the rest of the words, her face turned a little red. "Oh my. I mean. I am hoping." But McKinley shook her off, she couldn't think about that right now.

[lionhcartt]

Lily's eyes widened before she smacked her head with the palm of her hand. "Oh fuck, you're right. I'm sorry, this week has been a bit of a blur." She shot her a sheepish smile before her eyes drifted down to her shoes. "I've kind of... blacked this whole week out if I'm being honest." She picked up a stray hoop before tossing it aimlessly onto one of the bottles.

A miss.

"It's my first Valentines day single, which honestly... I'm surprised I'm not sedated right now. I've been crashing out for a week." Lily winced at the thought. She let out a sigh before shaking her head of the memories before shooting McKinley a smile.

"But that's not important, I'm sure your man's gonna spoil you relentlessly. Pretty girl like you deserves it." Lily stretched her hands above her head with a sigh before immediately turning to the kid trying to sneak another ring in.

"Another five dollars if you want another go, kid." She chirped.

[rearguardx]

It stung, Willem wasn't going to lie, his lips freezing automatically in a smile, unwilling to let her see how much her sweet, innocent comment affected him. "Just a man with good sense, definitely no McDreamy." He spoke dryly ( wistfully ).

He watched her sip a bit more, quietly, gratified to see some color return to her pale cheeks. Willem winced internally when she mentioned detours, cursing himself for not considering the fact she'd want to avoid the clubhouse him, at all costs.

"No apologies between us, Lil." Another nickname fell from his mouth, unbidden. He couldn't seem to help himself, really. "And puh-lease, you know I'm the self-depreciating mess in this friendship." Willem's lips twisted in the ghost of a smile, the statement light in tone but heavy in unexplained truths.

[lionhcartt]

Lily prided herself in being observant... and oddly enough, even more so now. Her and Willem had never been truly close. She was familiar with him, fond of him even from the time she's spent around Hero with Willem in the vicinity... but she never really did notice the small things back then.

The way he seemed to hold himself in an almost shy, yet solid manner. The dryness in his tone partnered with the smile no longer as easy as before.

She never saw them before... but now she could see it in his eyes.

Blue.

"Have your eyes always been blue?" She blurted out before she could stop herself, only to have her eyes widen in embarrassment, cheeks flushing an unattractive red like a tomato, hands gripping the bottle tighter till the plastic crinkled under her grasp.

"S-Sorry... That was... dumb... You have nothing to be self-deprecating about, Will. You're brilliant!" She immediately said, trying to wave off her stumble as she cleared her throat, looking away immediately.

[grinningdevils]

"Now what do you think I'd be judgin' you for?" Dylan asks inquisitively as he approaches, beer in each hand. He'd originally intended to drink them both, but figures he should probably do the right thing and offer one to Lily, who he is starting to understand has accompanied him as a 'date'. At least, that's the general consensus with the rest of the people attending. Does Lily think it's a date? Should it be?

He extends one cup out to her while taking a swig from the other. "The fact that you're smokin' and chokin' or the fact that you're sittin' on the ground next to the dumpsters?"

[lionhcartt]

Lily felt the sides of her mouth tremble downwards before she swallowed thick and harsh, looking up to keep the tears at bay. "Both." She said with a bark of a laugh, standing up and reaching out to grab the extended cup of beer. "Thanks..." She took in a deep breath before taking a small sip.

She probably shouldn't be having alcohol. Could already hear Willem's disappointment ringing in her ears.

Sadly, recklessness and self deprecation trumped reason right now.

"You regretting being my date yet?" She snorted.

[rearguardx]

Bottled water and mints in hand, Willem eyed one booth laden with food and decided against it for now. Her stomach needed to settle first. Hydration and calmness was what he had to focus on now, Lily's needs, not the unpleasant knot of unidentifiable emotions twisting in his stomach.

( It was obviously because of him ), Willem felt his lips thin, his brow furrow despite himself.

Willem immediately schooled his expression the moment he heard, felt, her presence behind him. Turning, he offered her a tentative smile and the things he had in hand. "Here, drink up-" He instructed, falling into old habits but not minding it as much this time. "-slowly, small sips only. Sadly, we don't have access to an oral rehydration solution at the moment, but I have some tucked away in the clubhouse if you need some later."

[lionhcartt]

Lily turned her head, a small smile tugging at her lips as she accepted the bottle of water and mint with a grateful duck of her head.

"'Oral rehydration solution'?" She repeated, brow raised as she brought the bottle to her lips and took small, slow sips as instructed. She let out a sigh after, not realizing just how dehydrated she was. She wiped at her mouth before peeking up at him shyly. "... You sound like some fancy doctor on an overly drawn out sitcom." She teased lightly before pointing at his hair. "You even have the hair for it, McDreamy."

He really was unjustly handsome.

Yikes. Maybe not the most appropriate thought for a guy who was just helping her out. She really was starved for affection.

"Water is fine, I think... I also might not want to make any more detours." She didn't need any unwanted run-ins.

Her heart ached again.

"... Sorry you had to see me like this, Will." She couldn't help but say quietly. "And for taking you away from the Carnival. You didn't have to deal with this mess." She opened her arms and gestured to herself.

[mckinleyxryan]

It was honestly hard to find good people these days and this girl seemed nice. McKinley might have been a Crimson but most of her friends weren't. She preferred the company of the hospital coworkers like Avery. Then there were her two civilian roommates who she adored. "Perfect, I think we will too." She smiled softly at the other girl.

"Yeah it kinda does but I had a date night last night so it's okay. I'm just happy I was off from my hospital shift." She said as she rested against the countertop. It was still early into the evening so there weren't too many people around. "No thank you, my boyfriend and I ate before. Plus I'm saving room for some friend oreos"

[lionhcartt]

Lily couldn't help but smile. Even if the love gods seemed to absolutely loathe her right now... that didn't seem to stop her from melting over other people's.

"God, date night before Valentine's day really is the way to go." Lily smiled softly before unwrapping her power bar. "My parents do that. 'Cept they celebrate the whole week except for Valentine's day. My dad jokes that its to save on the surcharge but in reality, I think he knows it makes my mom happy to celebrate it beyond the holiday, y'know?" Lily grew up on that love.

She grew up on the love her and Val read in the romance novels they traded.

... She had held that kind of love for what she thought would be forever. Her eyes dimmed slightly before she shook her head and took a bite.

"Okay, but if you get hungry, I got a couple of snacks in my bag." She nodded before looking over to an incoming kid. "Though I guess it's a good idea to save your appetite if you got a man to treat you after this." Lily winked as she walked over to the kid and leant against the counter.

"Giving it a shot? 5 dollars." She smiled, handing him a few rings before turning to McKinley.

[hedcniist-deactivated20250720]

If there was at the very least, one good thing about today, it would be that she got to see her best friend. A beacon of light in the seemingly endless dark that had decided to eclipse her life. Someone who would wade the murky waters of her mind and always guide her home.

Valeria couldn't be more thankful.

Even when Lily decided to pop out like some kind of jumpscare from a horror film. " Jesus! " Her heart thumping away beneath her palm as she placed her hand over her chest. " I know I said I was sick of feeling sad, but I don't know if trading it with fear is quite what I had in mind. " Though the words were the most lighthearted she'd spoken in what felt like a lifetime.

" Happy love day, Lils. " A hand reaching out to squeeze her friends in reassurance. She hadn't been the only one going through the wringer lately.

Tears immediately welled in her eyes, and while she was sure she'd cried enough to dry her out for a lifetime, apparently happy tears were sourced from somewhere else. She flung her arms around her, careful to not crush the beautiful flowers as she hugged her tight.

" I love you. I'm gonna win you one of those stupidly big stuffies and then you'll have a me-sized teddy to cuddle. " Or she would pay someone to win it for her.

[lionhcartt]

Lily felt herself thaw even more as Valeria wrapped her arms around her, them now a tangle of limbs and hair and petals. It was everything. Almost enough to have Lily forget about all the sadness weighing her down. Ever since they were little, Val had managed to do that. She had taken her hand and allowed her to believe in the softness of love.

It made her want to protect that as much as possible. Especially with everything Val's been through recently.

"I love you." She replied, pulling away with a gentle smile before linking their arms and pulling her through the carnival.

"Well come on, I have about half an hour till my shift. Tell me about your day and I'll tell you about mine? Spoiler alert, I haven't had one mental breakdown since yesterday." She winked at her teasingly.

[rearguardx]

"Never." Willem vowed, almost too quickly that you'd think it was just an empty platitude, instead of it being the irrefutable truth that it was.

He took stock of her tear-stained face, her soft curls clinging to her sweat-dampened skin, and the slight smudge of her favorite lipstick and he winced internally. Knowing Lily as long as he did, he knew she couldn't stand being any measure of unkempt in public.

"Here, tell me if you like this plan-" Willem began, placing the ball in her court. "-I saw a clean public restroom nearby. I'll bring you over and while you freshen up, I'll grab a mint and a bottle of water." He smiled softly at her. "Sounds good, flower?"

[lionhcartt]

Flower.

She always loved when Willem called her that. A shared tenderness she never really told anyone she held onto throughout the years. The term of endearment had always made her smile... and now was not an exception. She lifted her face and offered him a shaky smile before sniffling unattractively, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve.

"I think that's a good idea." She croaked before allowing him to herd her to the bathroom. There, she realized just how terrible she looked. In the mirror stared back a ghost of herself, cheeks tracked with tears and mascara, lipstick smudged from her heaving.

She washed her face quickly before taking in deep breaths.

He doesn't care about you. He's happy. Stop loving someone who doesn't care.

She steeled her will before slowly walking back out in search of Willem, clean faced and pale.

[rearguardx]

Willem ignored her protests, focusing on slowing his own breaths, in hope she'd instinctively mirror him and do the same. He simultaneously attempted to gently steer her away from the garbage and every prying eye, ducking behind a row of booths to offer them some semblance of privacy.

Though outwardly he remained calm, his mind ran through the different scenarios that could have left her in such a state. His expression slowly darkened with every new idea thought, then immediately discarded.

One irrefutable truth ate at him however, though he loathed to voice it aloud - nothing no one else could shatter her composure as easily as it he did.

"We don't have to talk about it yet, if you don't want to-" Willem began, wondering bitterly if he was simply projecting his own habit of avoidance onto her. "-but please, try squeezing my hands as you take slower breaths." His callused thumbs gently, almost unwittingly, rubbed circles into her clammy skin.

[lionhcartt]

She squeezed her eyes shut as she took in ragged breaths, her chest constricting as she felt her knees buckle.

In... Out... In... Out...

That smile... She had thought she'd be on the receiving end of those smiles for the rest of her life. Now...

She let out a choked sob before forcing herself to open her eyes, wide and red-rimmed a she focused them on Willem's. Steady. He was steady as he talked her through it. She tried to listen. Did the best that she could, but it did take her a few minutes before finally she could follow the cadence of his breathing.

In... Out... In... Out...

A few more minutes pass before she began to slowly feel her fingers, could feel them flex against his hold as she felt her shoulders slump slightly. More silence before she takes in a shaky breath only to let out a soft self-deprecating laugh.

"Y-You must th-think I'm pathetic..." She didn't want to talk about it, tried to pass it off as a joke that couldn't help but fall flat.

[mckinleyxryan]

McKinley was getting a little nervous that her partner wouldn't show up, she did not want to be left here on her own. Not when she would struggle to find all the heart rings they would be throwing. The minutes ticked by as she helped a few customers, the spares being a lifesaver.

Hearing a girl come up, Kinny smiled. "Oh hello, I'm Mckinley." She said softly. She always had a sweetness to her. Until you got on her bad side. "It's okay, everyone has one of those days, I'm just glad you are here."

"Yes for sure, Just to get it out there, I'm visually impaired so I can't actually see where the rings are landing... Do you think you can collect them and I can do everything else."

[lionhcartt]

"McKinley." Lily repeated with a smile and a nod. "Good to meet you, McKinley. Yeah don't worry about it, you and I are gonna make a great team. You won't have to do everything else on your own either." She zipped her jacket up to the neck before gathering all of her hair into a messy pony and prepping everything needed for her side of the booth. "Just give me a shout too if you need anything and I'll be happy to do it."

Leaning against the booth's counter, she let out a sigh.

"I guess it kind of sucks to have to work on valentine's day but hey, at least we get first shift." Lily grabbed a snack from one of her tote bags before offering it first to McKinley. "Wanna split a power bar?"

[lionhcartt]

where: cupid's carnival who: @drkeminity

"5 bucks... Toss a couple of..." Lily looked down at the sand bags in her hands before lifting it up by the corners with a small wrinkle of her nose. "...Whatever these are and get a prize." She droned unenthusiastically as people passed their booth. She let out a bored sigh before her eyes flicked over to her peripheral where a familiar face caught her attention.

Her back straightened immediately, tucking some stray curls behind her ear as she shifted her disposition.

She can't have her soon to be boss think she's slacking.

"Heart toss! Join us over at the heart toss! Win that gigantic bear over there for that special someone- Oh! Victoria, I didn't see you there." She totally did, smile pasted on her face.

[rearguardx]

Willem wasn't sure if he was attuned to trouble, or simply to her. As fate would have it, Lily had rushed passed him, unseeing, her whole being focused on reaching the bin before she threw up. His next actions were driven by no conscious thought, just an overwhelming need to reach out and soothe.

Tangling her long curls in his fingers, Willem gently gathered her hair behind her nape, the calming noises that escaped his lips both wholly unfamiliar and painfully nostalgic at the exact same time. He performed a quick and impersonal exam - noting the rapid thrum of her pulse beneath his fingers, the cool sweat beaded on her skin, her harsh breaths in between each heave.

When he sensed she had emptied all that she could, Willem tilted her chin up carefully to look into her pupils - not constricted - and let out a silent sigh of relief. "Alright, flower. Focus on me. Breathe in for four counts, breathe out for six."

[lionhcartt]

She felt her hair gather at the nape of her neck, cool fingers against her throat to check the rapid beating of her pulse and the comforting weight of a hand on her back. Be vigilant, the ghost riders would always say, but their warning was now moot at this point.

She couldn't care less who this might be right now.

She let out another dry heave before trying to take more deep breaths, but the smell of the garbage and her sick just made her stomach turn even more.

... And the image of them... He looked so happy.

More tears pricked at her eyes as her breathing came in short gasps.

She felt her chin tilt up as her eyes slowly focused on Willem's face. Some form of relief flooded her. He must think she looked a mess.

"W-Will..." She croaked as she shook her head, hiccuping as she felt more tears pour.

"I-I-I c-ca-can't..."

[lionhcartt]

where: cupid's carnival who: @hedcniist

Before heading over to her shift, there was something important she needed to do.

"Special someone?" The florist asked as she handed over her credit card in exchange for a bouquet of Stargazers, smile tugging at her lips.

"The most special." She replied before dashing over to the carousel where they said they would meet. She was running a little late... but she hoped Val wouldn't mind. She had a very good reason.

She tip-toed to spy over people's heads in the search for her friend before lighting up at the sight of her.

She tucked the flowers behind her back before popping up in front of her.

"Happy love day, gorgeous!" She beamed, the first true smile she could manage in a while. "I swear, you're probably the only person I can say that to right now and mean it." She said with a playful roll of her eyes before presenting her with the flowers.

"I know Lilies might be a little on the nose, but they get to remind you of me, so figured we both win." She teased.

[lionhcartt]

where: cupid's carnival who: @rearguardx

She watches them leave and her heart sinks to her feet. She knew that it was inevitable, had been bracing herself for impact... but nothing ever really prepares you for when it actually happens.

You're going to move on. You're going to fall in love one day... and I'm going to watch.

Suddenly she felt so small, felt like the world around her was going fuzzy as static filled her ears, tears welling up in her eyes as her stomach turned.

Oh god... Oh god, it hurts.

She tried to take a deep breath but found that she couldn't. Could only gasp short breaths at a time as her head began to swim. Before she knew it, she was shoving her way past people and to the nearest trashcan, vomiting into the bin as her hands shakily held onto the sides.

Oh god... Oh god... I can't breathe...

She was all alone.

[lionhcartt]

where: cupid carnival (heart toss) who: @mckinleyxryan

She was late... and it was only kind of her fault, but nobody needed to know that. The wind bit at her cheeks as she ran through the carnival, carefully dodging carnival-goers and nearly running into a man with a too-large stuffed bear in his arms, shouting out a quick 'Sorry!' before bolting to the booth she had been assigned to.

Because of course she was assigned to a fucking Valentines day booth.

"I'm here!" She gasped as she stumbled into the booth, much to the disgruntled disappointment of their organizer.

"You're late." They grunted.

"Yes, but I'm here, so... I think we can just let it go and move on, yeah?" Lily beamed a saccharine sweet smile at the now fuming organizer before chuckling softly as she watched them go, attempting to flatten down her curls as she turned her flushed face to her booth buddy.

"Hey, I'm Lily." She said with a smile, quickly removing all her tote bags from her person before shoving them under the booth. "I really am sorry about being late, I just had the worst day." She blew a stray piece of hair away from her face before sticking out her hand for McKinley to shake.

"Happy to know I won't be alone for this though. Makes things so much more bearable."

[lionhcartt]

where: cupid's carnival who: @grinningdevils

Lily never smoked. Not even weed. It never sat well with her, never gave her the effect people craved... Yet there she was, next to the dumpsters, a cigarette in hand and a grimace on her face as she brought it to her lips, taking in a small inhale before immediately coughing up smoke. She stuck her tongue out at the taste and wrinkling her nose at the smell.

"God I hate this." She muttered before hesitating just a little before bringing it back to her lips to try again. Her eyes flickered to Dylan now walking up to her, flicking the cigarette away and shoving her hands in her pockets.

"You're judging me aren't you..."

[lionhcartt]

cupid's carnival

i fear she hates it here. this is her first valentines day single after a whole decade. she is going to be cold (literally. its brick out.) and grumpy with dylan ( @grinningdevils ) but will also be working the first shift at the heart toss.