/ˈpəʊɪtri/

lucien carr. 21. new york. [member of the dane gang]

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse:

Harry’s hand shoots down to his pocket and for a minute he’s curious if Lucien swiped it. “No, it should be on the bar.”

He reminds himself, looking past his shoulder and seeing a caseless google phone, hanging out next to an empty shot glass.

“Why, did you need it?”

      ❝No, no --- just making sure that it’s somewhere safe,❞ he starts, shooting the other a hasty glance from the corner of his eye in order to affirm that he doesn’t seem too suspicious before ultimately deciding to simply throw in the towel and go for it. a hand is quick to shoot out and land on the small of harry’s back, before he’s forcefully beginning to shove, quick & rough until his friend is finally tumbling forward and into the pool. 

     there’s a laugh rumbling from the depths of his chest even before the telltale splash, eyes illuminated by the soft lights around the water (as well as a wild sort of excitement). 

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse:

His giggles sneak past his teeth,  surprising himself.

“Oh, I’ll drink to that.” Harry grabs the entire bottle and takes a quick sip, hardly even filling his mouth by the time he pulls it away from his lips. As Lucien passes by him Harry follows a few steps behind and stops to meet at his side.  The water temperature is warmer than the air, causing this mist. 

“It has to be.” 

He leans in, watching the water gently splash against the side of the pool and return back towards the center. The fog disperses, never passing his shoes  before it fades into the air.

       ❝I suppose you’re right,❞ lu concedes. despite his best intentions, he almost feels dizzy after having gazed at the ever-changing lights beneath the surface for too long (or, perhaps it’s just the alcohol taking effect). after taking an infinitesimal step away from the edge, lucien glances at harry. the ghost of a particularly innocent smile stretches quite fleetingly across his lips as he gives his friend a once-over. 

        when he finally breaks the second stretch of silence between them, it is to innocuously fold his hands behind his back and ask, ❝Say, is your phone in your pocket?❞

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse:

“Yes, to us.” He lightly taps the shot glass to Lucien’s with a clink. It’s already down his throat and he decides then to cut off for now, by pushing the glass away and off to the side. Steam rises off the water of the gently rippling pool, lit up by underwater lights. It would be nice if he actually brought clothing to swim with. When he looks back to Lucien he’s definitely enjoying that shot. A cheeky grin widens on Harry’s face and he licks away the dryness on his lips. 

“How’re you feeling?”

        ❝Better than I ever could while sober, that’s for sure.❞ he’s already reaching out to pour himself another drink as he speaks, but after downing the second shot, he drops the glass onto the counter with a sense of finality. ❝Jack saw some kind of romance in movement and travel, I see romance in alcoholism.❞ alright, that’s not completely true, but lucien finds some kind of humour in it all the same, judging by his subsequent bout of laughter.

        he’s noticed harry’s interest in the nearby pool, and now moves to step towards it, peering into the shallows as if he’s looking for signs of life beneath the surface. ❝Do you think it’s heated?❞

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse:

Harry understands why Lucien left. The house was too quiet after the holidays. Harry had business and put Julius to work until he parted to go with Jason to Mexico. Also his confrontation with Andrew almost cost him his life, Harry considers that it was quiet in an unconventional way. Then again, it usually is.

He couldn’t forget Lucien Carr. Never entirely. He’d forget maybe the curl of his lip or the way he rolled his eyes at Harry, but those were the easy things to let go of. 

He’s repulsively sentimental tonight, drinking alone in the kitchen. His phone shoots a twitter notification that Lucien just tweeted. He jumps upright in his chair and urgently smacks his phone’s keyboard and sends out a reply.

Are you home??? A few minutes pass. Yes, he is.

Harry straightens himself out in a hallway mirror, tucking in bits of his shirt that got free and he rubs his tired face. His eyes adjust at his own reflection instantly when he hears the door, shoes, and wheels traveling along hardwood floors.  He’s home. 

Harry stares back to the mirror. Why is my heart racing?  He leaves his section of the hallway and can see the back of Lucien’s jacket, his hair, and ears peeking through the blond locks. ‘Miss me?’  You know I did.

“Lucien.” 

        ❝Harry.❞ he releases the breath that he hadn’t even realised he was holding as he stands, heart thumping louder and louder in his chest with each moment that follows. the familiar face causes his chest to SWELL so magnificently that he almost fears his lungs may burst, and he steps around the luggage, past the couch, across the rug, until he’s only an inch or so away from his friend.

        slowly, slowly, lucien’s fingertips reach forward, before halting at the collar of harry’s shirt as if he’s struggling to figure out whether or not the encounter is real. it almost feels as if he’ll find himself in paris again if he blinks too hard; looks away for too long. he stays like this for a moment, finds peace in the small infinity of silence, before finally surging forward and hugging his friend with all of his strength. 

        he hadn’t quite gotten the chance to thank harry properly for the gift-- the end of christmas had signalled the beginning of his whirlwind efforts to book a plane ticket to paris, and although he’d made this particular trip alone, he’s still holding harry to the promise that they’ll travel there together some day.

        when he pulls away, it’s only so that he can look at his friend properly-- his arms remain firmly positioned atop harry’s shoulders, and his ghost of a chuckle dances across the space between them as he prepares to speak again. ❝Am I drunk, or have you ACTUALLY come to make yourself useful with these bags?❞ 

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse:

Harry glares hard into the back of Lucien’s head, ouch. He takes in the rooftop decor and finds it’s far too average for Harry’s tastes. However, the bottle Lucien’s reaching for makes Harry’s tongue go dry. 

“Please.” He stands side by side with Lucien at the poolside bar, listening to the fading music in the distance from partiers below their feet. The base travels up his soles, up his legs and through his torso. It finds itself in his chest thudding along, pumping the intoxicating rhythm through his veins. God, he’s drunk. 

“Just another and then I’ll be ready to deal with you.”

        ❝How romantic,❞ lucien comments drily, though the slight quirk of his lips makes it clear that harry’s humour has not been lost on him. a second instance of rummaging through the liquor stock reveals a sizeable bottle of vodka, and he extracts two shot glasses from beneath the counter before setting them down and pouring a generous amount of liquid into both of the containers. 

        after swiping one of the glasses, he leans forward once more and tilts it towards harry with a grin. ❝To us.❞

[lucienxcarr-blog]

        harry osborn may be a complete idiot, but he’s also one of the most generous people lucien has ever met in his entire LIFE. weeks, months, something that had seemed like an eternity had been spent in france not half a year after he’d left for the first time, and he’d been reluctant to return upon realising that his beloved parisian summer was quickly slipping from his grasp. new york awaited, though; and he’s missed the occupants of the penthouse more than he would have ever thought that he could. 

        he’s used to planes by now, and sleeps for the majority of his eight hour flight before finally touching down in jfk airport. he doesn’t expect anyone to be awake when he finally pushes his way through the doors and drops his bags to the ground with a thump (his load is lighter than it had been on the way to europe, as he’d left a few clothes and belongings at the apartment-- HIS apartment), but he sends out a coy tweet as he sinks onto the couch anyway, tells harry to help carry his bags into his room, plays hard to get with andrew.

        footsteps sound from behind him, and he pockets his phone with a muted yawn before finally tilting his head towards the source of the noise. with a bat of his eyelashes and a slow upturn of his lips, lucien is well and truly home. ❝Miss me?❞

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 נυℓιυs 』

[ with the feeling of their first meeting coming to an  end, julius takes a mental note of which page he is  on before closing the book. standing up, naked feet  to the ground, he feels relieved. in the beginning of  this he had felt himself compete with the intelligence  of this man (something about him had given julius  bad vibes) but now he realizes that it most likely  was nothing but a misunderstanding. maybe next  time they talk they’ll even be friendly. julius scoots  the chair back to its original place by the desk. the  cat, looking up at him curiously, receives a light  stroke as farewell. it lets him and might even linger,  but later it moves to lucien’s side. ]

I will. Thank you.

[ julius moves to the door and closes it after saying goodbye. lucien seems interesting, he has to admit. hopefully they’ll be able to build some kind of relationship. but that comes later. right now, julius has a book to finish. ]

[end.]

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 נυℓιυs 』

[ in the light from the christmas party julius  makes sure that lucien is aware of how  grateful he is by nodding, gaze lingering  on him when he walks back in. the warmth  is somehow different all of a sudden — it’s  more welcoming. it seeps into his skin like  tea makes your stomach blossom. it’s heavy  and drowsy and julius finds himself walking  slowly throughout the whole house, thumbing  through the pages. he recognizes almost every  word he reads and he’s a bit disappointed that  he couldn’t come up with a better gift for him.

oh, well. there’s always next time. ] [end.]

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 αη∂яεω ∂εтмεя 』

Dude, it’s from Star Wars –

[ but lucien is clearly uninterested in the nerdy disguise, so he rolls his eyes and places it back on the shelf. he’ll come back and try it out later – maybe even buy it. kylo ren would make a pretty cool costume for the party, right? shuffling toward the entrance instead, he mutters,  ]

Fine, let’s go home.

[ he passes him to open the door for him, grimacing but not startling when the automated screech rings out again. a half-smile soon returns to his lips again, however, as he nods his head at the starbucks cup clutched in lucien’s hand as they walk out of the store. ]

Just don’t let that drink get cold.

end

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 αη∂яεω ∂εтмεя 』

[ andrew’s fingers tighten around the cassette as he clutches it closer to escape lucien’s incoming grasp, shaking his head in response to his offer to take it back. it’s clear lu was joking just a second too late, and andrew relaxes thereafter with a relieved smile as he stares down at a gift which is already precious to him. lucien’s subsequent allegation that this might be the first gift he’s ever given anyone only makes the grin on andrew’s face and the light in his chest grow brighter. he feels special. ]

Well, seriously, thank you… it means a lot, to me.

[ licking lips that have cooled since his last sip of hot chocolate, he swallows nervously and slips the cassette into his coat pocket, only to swap it for a small flat box tied precisely with a ribbon. offering it over to his friend, he tells him: ]

I, uh… I have another gift for you.

[ he waits for lucien to open the box before he continues speaking, watching him lift the lid to reveal a small, golden charm shaped like the eiffel tower. a blush born of more than just the cold darkens his cheeks as he mumbles, ]

I actually got it in some dumb tourist shop in Paris… and, I know it’s kind of silly, but i thought you could put it on your keys, or on Arthur’s collar, or something… so you could like, have a part of your favorite place with you all the time, you know?

[ he can barely make eye contact with lucien throughout his ramble, feeling more and more embarrassed about it by the second. he’d thought it was such a good idea when he’d first bought it, but now, knowing that harry has already outshone him with something much more spectacular in the same vein, he can’t help but feel like his gift is insignificant and childish in comparison. staring into his hot cocoa, he mutters, ]

I know it’s not an apartment, but… I hope you like it anyway.

Andrew. 

[ although lucien’s tone is a little more than firm, his expression is strangely soft as he gazes at his friend, clutching the opened box tightly to his chest. it isn’t fair-- isn’t right-- that andrew thinks his gift isn’t as important as harry’s, and the very thought of it sends lu’s brows furrowing. ]

Were you not listening to my entire spiel about the thought being the most important thing about a gift? Look, you’ll-- you’ll likely never hear me say this again, but... You’ve given me so much already. New experiences, first times... This... This is perfect. Thank you.

[ he tucks the box into the pocket of his coat now, and reaches out to squeeze andrew’s arm in appreciation before allowing a small smirk to curl across his lips. ]

Arthur’s going to be the best-looking cat in New York, if I say so myself. We’ll have  to track him down and give him his new  accessory at some point today.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 נυℓιυs 』

[ as lucien doesn’t go into any detail of why phillip was so despised, julius finds it hard to see him as more than a ghost in his room. his comment about how he “wouldn’t have liked him either,” doesn’t really help. maybe he’s right. maybe he wouldn’t have liked him at all. maybe he would’ve snarled at him whenever he walked by. maybe they would’ve gotten into constant fights. maybe his skin would’ve crawled. perhaps he would’ve hated him with every ounce of his being. but, somehow, julius can’t bring himself to think that he would. lightly pulling at his fringe, he casts his gaze down to the open book again. phillip might’ve been an asshole, but maybe he had reason. if he really was another soldier, then is it not possible for julius to understand him? the guts, the blood, the act of killing and be killed in return—maybe the two would’ve understood each other on a level that no one else in this house could. it’s understandable that he wasn’t “much fun.” julius wasn’t like he is today before the war, either. these last few days he’s played off a lot of things. he’s joked and laughed unnecessarily loud, given people unwanted nicknames and gone through a roller coaster of emotions in a single conversation. he’s acting lighthearted, covering up the fact that he’s scared, so why wouldn’t phillip do  the same? running the tips of his hair back and forth over his lips, he looks up at lucien again. it’s a pity that he didn’t like him. hopefully phillip won’t taint the way he looks at julius, no matter how alike they look. ] I’m sorry about breaking into your room.

[ the apology is dismissed with an easy wave of lucien’s hand-- because really, he would have done the same (we wouldn’t want to put the idea of breaking into a library past him, would we?). ]

It’s fine.

[ a pause. ]

Maybe try knocking, next time.

[ it isn’t exactly said unkindly, though--  julius was likely lucky to have caught  lucien while arthur was in their presence (the cat does wonders to soothe his temper). ]

Let me know what you think of the book once you’ve finished it.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 נυℓιυs 』

[ julius dries a melted snowflake off of his nose as his gaze follows the tilt of lucien’s head, his blues landing on the lights that shift in different colors through the glass. at first he’s simply shocked. he hadn’t even thought that andrew remembered, even less that someone would actually get him a copy. also knowing that it’s actually in there, waiting for him, makes the corners of his mouth stretch until he’s grinning. ] Really? [ it’s one of the best presents today, no doubt. ] Thank you! [ automatically, his arms open and he flings them around the other, but he’s all of a sudden too excited to thumb through the pages to stay there for more than a second or two, wobbling to his feet. he hates to leave lucien alone, so he lingers on his way to the door, looking at him with newfound happiness turning him brighter than the city below. ] — Come inside with me.

[ lucien’s brows lift in surprise (and perhaps the slightest touch of disdain) at the sudden display of affection on julius’ part, and though his hands eventually lift, they never quite make contact with the doppelgänger’s back before he’s pulling away and moving to stand up. 

if he’d thought that the hug had been surprising, the offer to accompany julius back inside is even more so, and he deliberates for a moment before finally transferring his gifts back into the bag and standing up. 

and he smiles now, a small (but completely  genuine) upward twitch of his lips that accompanies the abnormal swelling of his heart as it pounds enthusiastically against his ribcage. ]

Alright. I’ll be there in a moment.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 αη∂яεω ∂εтмεя 』

Uh, Mountain Dew is great. You’re just too busy drinking alcohol to appreciate it.

[ andrew shakes his head disapprovingly but an amused smile persists on his lips as he adds in a mumble just loud enough for lucien to overhear: ]

Maybe that’s why you can’t tell anyone apart.

[ the next mask on the rack that catches his eye immediately catches his full interest as well. it’s a sleek black kylo ren mask from the newest star wars movie, complete with a label that touts its voice-changing capabilities. andrew’s lips pull into an even wider grin as he lifts it up takes a closer look at it. ]

Oh shit, look at this.

What is that?

[ lucien asks, brows raising in amusement as he sidles towards andrew to get a better view of the item. ]

Oh, don’t tell me that’s a mask. It’s the tackiest looking thing I’ve ever seen. 

[ he gives a playful roll of his eyes before taking a few steps away from his friend. with a jerk of his head, he motions back towards the entrance before speaking up once more, ]

Come on. I’m sure we can plan everything  once we’ve informed the household of our  plans-- for now, though, I’m late for a date  with my books.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 нarry oѕвorn 』

Harry nods, gulping his drink more without restraint and sets it down on tray. He stares towards the direction Lucien is looking off to and giggles as his drinking buddy pulls him along past a small crowd to the doors of an elevator.  “I’m up for that.” The lift button illuminates under his thumb and it opens the doors. They step together  inside, he looks over the whole panel  and presses for the roof. The doors shut without anyone bothering to follow them inside, most likely from his scowl to keep them away had they made eye contact.  It shifts under them and increases altitude, the floor number increases above the doors until it slightly jolts to a stop and flashes ROOF in a bright neon. He drags his tongue over his lip as the doors open up to a modern style patio with a bar and pool, sensor lights flicker on for the whole setup. It’s deserted, like it’s meant to be. Turning to Lucien, Harry says– “Nice, I can finally hear myself think.”

❝You, thinking? Must be a RARE occurrence.❞

[ though his tone is cutting, lucien’s expression is far from serious as he glides out of the elevator and steps onto the patio, bottle still clutched in his hand. the pool looks inviting enough, but considering he isn’t in the mood to get wet just yet, he ignores it-- for now. instead, he makes his way towards the bar, which appears to be fully stocked, much to his delight. ]

❝Well, what do we have here?❞

[ he hums, easily hopping over one side of the bar’s tabletop and landing on the other so that he may gain a better view of the drinks. after a moment, he turns back towards harry and props his elbows atop the counter so that he may lean  towards his friend with a playful, sly grin. ]

❝Want a drink, Osborn?❞

[lucienxcarr-blog]

『 нarry oѕвorn 』

Fuck, this is it. The room isn’t silent, it’s actually still stirring up and will be for the next two hours, but god he doesn’t understand why he’s fearing Lucien’s coming reaction. His expression while opening the box… okay, he doesn’t get it. Shit. How could he not?– Oh. He does! Here we go. “Paris. Harry you didn’t.” He absolutely did.

The tide comes in, it crashes over him washing out the worry built up past his shoulders. It’s Lucien’s arms, thin and tight around his neck squeezing him securely enough Harry excitedly returns the love.  They have their moment and he releases, yet he can still feel Lucien’s touch and his face moving closer to his own. Harry’s reactions are slow, his eyes are wide once Lucien’s lips press against his stubbly skin. “I should have bought you a whole island. Maybe then I would have gotten a bit of tongue action.” He giggles, bowing his head down to hide the blush growing on his cheeks.

❝Keep dreaming, Harry Osborn.❞

[ his smile doesn’t fade by an inch, however, and his fingers stay tangled at the nape of harry’s neck as he stands there, taking in the feeling of the box balanced precariously in his palm and the heat in his cheeks and his heart, thumping heavily against harry’s chest. merry fucking christmas. ]

❝You--❞

[ he breaks off, shaking his head slightly. ]

❝You didn’t need to do this, you know. I’m well aware of the fact that we aren’t exactly  best friends, or anything.❞ 

[ although they aren’t really far from it, their relationship has admittedly been ROCKY from the start. issue after issue had certainly driven their friendship into hell and back again, but they had, at least, fallen into a comfortable  state of... association. 

it’s still complicated, okay. ]

❝I almost feel underprepared with the sweater.❞

[osborncurse]

The place comes with so many amenities he loses track. He’s certain it’s the elevators to be the most convenient of all, due to the fact his  penthouse follows up a series of floors it’s just considerably less effort to just take the lift. The doors open and he’s lost in his phone mid-email while walking inside. He only slightly directs his vision to the panel in front of him to see his floor number already lit up. ‘Mr. Osborn I insist’– Who the hell do you think you are?  These emails can go straight into the junk folder. The elevator rises at a slow pace, which would raise more alarm if the system alerted him on maintenance issues, but there’s nothing yet. The floor numbers flash back and forth on a its LED screen and suddenly the whole elevator is silenced to a halt. Fuck, is he actually stuck or will it keep going? He finally looks up and makes eye contact, he’s not alone.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

[ if he’s being completely honest, lu hadn’t exactly noticed anyone else in the elevator, either-- he’d been sufficiently distracted by his twitter feed until the contraption had jerked to a halt and left him blinking in an almost dazed fashion beneath flickering lights. unfortunately, he notices harry’s somber stare around the same time that he realises how small the space that they’re in is, and he forces himself to avoid shrinking into a corner, to avoid making any sort of attempt to force the elevator to appear bigger as he locks eyes with his friend. 

he hates feeling confined, but it’s a weakness that he’ll just have to keep hidden for now. ] 

Harry.

[ just looking at the doppelganger almost makes him feel nervous-- how long had it been since they’d spoken? a lazy smile and the insouciant way that he slinks backwards and leans against the wall, however, causes his outward appearance to make a different kind of suggestion pertaining to his current mood. though his instincts call for him to reach for the rectangular pack in his coat, he only gets as far as the linings of his pocket before speaking up once more. ]

On a scale from one to ten, how much shit would I be in if I got caught smoking in here? Surely this must be a special circumstance.

[lucienxcarr-blog]

osborncurse :

Harry tilts his head up to the flakes fading down past his field of vision. He is cold, but Lucien’s presence is already warming him up. Sighing, he can’t believe it’s almost been a year. It makes his time here feel inadequate, he’s accomplished less this whole year compared to the months he’s had before this universe. Funny how one person can slow you down like that. “You’re right.” He turns to look at Lucien’s profile  and reaches up to the blond hair curling  around his ear, then he brushes it behind with a delicate touch. He moves his hand back with Lucien’s reaction, half grinning.

Think we’ll last another year without  trying to kill each other?

[ it’s hardly likely. then again, lucien has always liked to believe in the impossible. this kind of impossible is staring him right in the face with a smile and a hurriedly retracting hand, and so he takes it (quite literally), refusing to shy away despite the rather fast-paced rate at which harry had been pulling his hand away. once the limb is in his grasp, he squeezes lightly, small smile spreading across his lups in return. ]

Tut tut. I see that neither of us have learnt our lesson on unwarranted touching, even after a year.