don't blame me for falling

writing blog for madlvve . all threads are privy only to my writing partners . please reach out via my main blog if you'd like to plot .

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   tatiana   .

––––––––––––IT WAS FUNNY how much of a routine this was. it was so routine that she was sure that he felt more familiar than the person she was trying to make remotely jealous. there had been too many random parties for this to be a coincidence, but she almost preferred his lips against hers at this point. she’s only partially hesitant to move away from his lips because, after all, they felt more comforting than much anything else in this party. and she swears she’s intoxicated on his kisses as opposed to the bit of alcohol she had earlier that night. but there’s satisfaction in his statement, leaving her to, maybe a little too excitedly, leave her to scrunch her nose, laughter at her lips.      ‘ god, i wish i could see that. ’      she was sure he disappeared into the crowd. but it also meant she could now focus on declan, after all, his lips were on her neck.    ‘ you know, we don’t have to be so public about this now that corey’s seen us…. ’    she’ll leave it up to him to interpret that.

at the thought of her ex, declan cast a glance over the redhead’s shoulder to just catch sight of the other male disappearing into the crowd and declan couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction. it was a feeling that always bubbled up inside of him — he felt like a gold medal winner whenever corey’s jealous glares landed upon him as he held onto his ex-girlfriend. “he’s gone now,” he muttered to tati. “but don’t worry, he got a good look at my hands on your ass.” his laugh ruffled her hair as his hands teasingly squeezed the fabric of her skirt. her next words stirred a low moan in his throat and he pulled his lips from her neck to look her in the eyes. “it’s like you read my mind.” declan cast a glance around the crowded party — he honestly had no idea whose house they were currently in, but he could only imagine they’d be able to find one deserted room in the large house, so he swiftly picked her up and wrapped her legs around his torso to carry her out of the living room. his instincts led him upstairs and the pair eventually crashed into a quiet room down the hall. “ah, alone at last,” he said as he let go of tati and pulled her close to him again.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   north   .

north anticipated this road trip more than anything — for an opportunity to have fun, spend time with her friends, and see all the world has to offer. through a unanimous vote, their first stop is anaheim, california — the home of angel stadium, warm beaches, and ( her personal favorite ) disneyland resort. overflowing with excitement, north practically bounces with every step before reaching the motel lobby. the space is sill but filled with an assortment of california souvenirs and knickknacks. “hm…” tone is distracted, hummed beneath her breath, attention just barely there though focus eventually shifts back. despite befriending madison, it’s evident the girl had a strong connection with the boy — her “best” friend’s ex. this will definitely start trouble between them because in madison’s eyes, it doesn’t take much nowadays for north to teeter towards uncharted territory. regardless, she couldn’t have asked for a better roomie. their failed relationship is the last thing on her mind; she grins up at callum, dimples emerging from cheeks, only leaning sideways to bump into him playfully. a signature north allen laughs falls pass brims. “you better not ! i need my beauty sleep.” once the door was unlocked, the brunette rushes into the room, unable to hide elation. she takes a moment to herself, brushing hair back from her face, dropping her duffel on the floor with a thud. glancing around, head is cocked while weight rolled onto one foot. and she looks at callum, eyebrows pinched together as if one’s deep in thought. pondering, even. “i’ll take the one by the bathroom. i won’t rob you of your precious view. this time.” as she speaks, north unpacks her things, placing them in the dressers provided. “so, watcha wanna do while the sun’s still out? though i really wanna go to disney, i’ll save that for a day all by itself.”

her dimpled grin only widens his own — as it always does, she’s always had that sort of power over him. “don’t worry, i give you full permission to smack me with a pillow if i do start snoring,” he teases. “can’t interrupt your beauty sleep.” not that she needs to rely on that, she could roll out of bed on two hours of sleep and callum would probably find the bags under her eyes beautiful. although, he supposes that he will actually be seeing her fresh out of bed for the next few days. sucking in a breath, callum tries not to think about that too much as they ride up to the room — but once they are alone, that becomes much more difficult. he watches as her brows knit together in thought and tries to not find it adorable, instead focusing his gaze on his bag as he tosses it onto the bed she assigns him and then falls down on the mattress beside it. “disney?” he asked, curiously quirking a brow at her words as his hands move behind him to prop him up as he leans back casually. “that’s honestly been the thing i’ve most been looking forward to about here, i’ve never been. but i do believe there’s a plan for a whole squad disney day, so better to save it so you can enjoy it in full.” with a smile picking up a corner of his lips, callum casts a glance out of the window. he could spy the bright lights of disney just over the skyline and his lips suddenly spread in an excited grin. “actually, downtown disney has totally free admission, why don’t we go grab a bite to eat and get a taste of disney while we’re at it?” reaching into his pocket, callum grabs his phone. “i’ll call an uber,” he says, not leaving her a chance to argue as his fingers tap at the screen.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   tatiana   .

––––––––––––––SHE’S GOT HER lips locked with the other against a wall at some random party. her and the other decided to come around to the party cause their exes were going to be there. it seemed to be a recurring action, they would go to parties and events where their exes were and hold each other a little too close, kiss each other a little too much, be too much to seem like just friends. but that was the point ! they were trying to make their exes jealous, make their exes want them back. that’s all it had seemed like, anyway.      ‘ you think they saw us ? ’     tati asked, looking up at the other through her lashes.

declan’s hands were eagerly wrapped around her waist as their lips clashed together and his breath was heavy. tati felt familiar under his grip as they fell into their usual routine — arrive at some random party in each other’s arms, flirt with and tease each other a little too much, and then eventually the tension grew unbearable between them and declan would find her in his grasp once again. when she pulled away from him, he felt himself almost let out a disappointed moan and his eyelids fluttered open to look at her. “oh, definitely,” he said, lips curling into a smirk as he pulled her closer against him. “that vein in corey’s neck looked like it was going to burst.” the male let out a low laugh and moved his lips to her neck, tracing fierce kisses against her skin.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   maddie   .

her dad was always speaking about the new arrival to town. i mean, how couldn’t he? people looked up at him and it was a small town after all. maddie had learned to deal with all the town’s expectations and being the chief’s daughter. her brother was in the corps as well and it was only logical for her to follow in the family’s footsteps as something in the same direction. as much as she had admired her two biggest role models in following their own passions, hers were in something completely different. she finally had passed the bar and signed on with a good clerkship - for a democratic judge, which was often looked upon as rare in town - but luckily not many people made a big deal out of it. sunday dinners were a tradition in the dawson family and her parents would probably disown her if she didn’t show up for them. she had absolutely no motivation in coming today - especially since she knew her dad invited over the new kid in town. bless his heart, but maddie was in no mood to socialise with yet another guy her dad thought would be good for her. as if she wasn’t capable to find herself a good guy to bring home. but as always in the dawson household, you agree with the head of the family and be polite as always. luckily for her she had mastered the art of doing so. wearing a white dress, she was already seated at the table - slowly chatting away with her mother and her older brother, mason. she knew she was meant to get up from her seat as the other extended his hand and so she did, gracefully returning the favour as she shook his hand. ‘’nice to finally meet you. he’s been chatting off our ears lately.’’ she figured it was the polite thing to admit he in fact had been talking about him, seeing how she could definitely see how it’s nerve wrecking to be somewhere completely new. her mom urged the new guest to sit down and urged her brother to pour some drinks for everyone. she shot her dad a look to say please stop talking to me and she fixated her attention back to him. she coughed softly before making eye contact, a slight smile hanging off her lips. ‘’so, has he been driving you crazy yet with all these boring town facts? feel free to be honest, we all know he has been. guess the town was overdue for a new arrival, especially someone completely new.’’

after shaking maddie’s hand, rafael looked to her brother, who introduced himself as mason, to shake his hand. a wholesome family environment was unfamiliar territory for rafael, having grown used to it just being him and his father for most of his life, but the warmth in the dawsons’ home welcomed him in and helped ease some of the anxiety that had built up leading to the dinner. the chief’s family certainly lived up to the expectations set by his consistent story telling, beautiful and kind. raf couldn’t help but laugh as maddie poked fun at her father — his active mouth certainly did have its own reputation, but raf was flattered that he had made it onto the chief’s radar. he took off his jacket and placed it in the chief’s offered hand before he sat down into the chair reserved for him. “crazy? oh no, it’s been quite... entertaining.” he laughed, accepting the glass of wine mason offered him then glancing between the chief and his daughter. “the whole move has been a huge adjustment, it’s been pretty rocky, but chief’s helped me settle in nicely.” he smiled and took a careful sip of his wine. almost immediately, the chief jumped in to say, “if my facts are boring, maddie, maybe you should show raf around. i’ve just been trying to help the boy, but if you think you know more about our lil’ town...” rafael wasted no time before shaking his head with a laugh. “i’m fine, sir, really. there’s a little bar just down the road from my apartment, that’s all the sightseeing i need,” he assured him.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   anastasia   .

@madlvve· b a s e d .

‘   i   hate   this   dress   .   ’   she   admitted   in   the   full   length   mirror   to   nobody   in   particular   ,   nose   scrunches   as   she   tilts   her   head   to   the   side   ,   staring   at   her   reflection   .   she   didn’t   do   dresses   that   fell   to   her   feet   and   trailed   along   the   floor   –––   not   only   did   she   find   them   hideous   ,   but   anastasia   was   much   too   clumsy   to   wear   such   a   thing   .   turning   to   carter   who   was   currently   laying   on   her   large   bed   ,   the   blonde   cleared   her   throat   in   order   to   receive   his   attention   .   ‘   what   do   you   think   ?   ’   she   asked   sincerely   once   he   had   finally   looked   up   .   ‘   it’s   awful   ,   right   ?   ’   interrupted   the   blonde   ,   before   the   male   even   had   a   chance   to   open   his   mouth   .      ‘   i   look   like   i   should   be   getting   married   .   .   .   god   ,   i   need   your   help   trying   to   find   another   dress   that   my   mother   will   approve   of   before   the   gala   on   saturday   .   ’   every   month   the   lewis   family   ,   mainly   anastasia’s   mother   ,   would   host   a   charity   gala   and   the   blonde   would   be   forced   into   a   dress   she   hated   and   end   up   customising   two   days   before   the   event   itself   .   the   femme   just   didn’t   understand   why   her   mother   wouldn’t   allow   her   to   purchase   something   herself   ,   apart   from   the   reasoning   of   having   to   match   with   her   sister   .   anastasia   had   even   previously   suggested   that   the   siblings   go   shopping   together   ,   however   that   was   a   ‘   no’      too   .   ‘   anyway   ,   are   you   sure   you   wanna   be   my   date   ?   it’s   gonna   be   really   boring   and   the   food   is   super   pretentious   too   .   ’

lounging on anastasia’s bed, carter absentmindedly plucked at the strings of his acoustic guitar, his head in the usual place it drifted off to when he picked up his guitar. it didn’t take much to bring him back to reality though — just the sound of anastasia’s voice directed towards him. blinking, carter looked up from his guitar and his eyes widened at the sight of her in the gown. he opened his mouth to answer her question just as she continued rambling on and he couldn’t help but laugh. setting his guitar down on the bed, carter pushed himself up from the mattress and closed the distance between them. “i think you look beautiful,” he muttered as one of his hands took hold of hers and twirled her around, the dress glittering under the light and drawing a smile on his lips. “what don’t you like about it?” the question was sincere, brows creasing as he looked her up and down. “we do have time to go shopping, but i really don’t think you need to...” drawing her closer to him, his other hand found her waisted and he swayed them back and forth. “i’ve already got a tie that matches great, we’ll be the best dressed ones there.” with a laugh, he twirled her around again so she faced the tall mirror and his arms wrapped around her in an embrace. “i’m actually excited for the whole thing, it’ll be far from boring with you.” with a smile, he nuzzled his nose through her hair until he could press a kiss along her jawline. he could tell she was trying to talk him out of the whole thing, but carter had been pretty set on it ever since she’d brought it up to him a few weeks earlier. “we can just pack some snacks in your purse,” he teased, winking at her in the mirror.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   @neverkissed​   .

a big move to the south had been daunting for rafael. under the referral of his former boss in provincetown he’d locked down a job as a firefighter in a small southern town, which had been the only driving force to the big move. he’d been hesitant to leave his father behind but he had long been aware that this career path came with sacrifices, and putting thousands of miles between him and his only family was just one of them. if he’d only known of the family he’d be walking into at the fire hall, maybe the move would have been a little less heart wrenching. within days of stepping foot into the fire hall, raf had felt his worries melt away as the team welcomed him with open arms. it’d been unexpected, but not unwelcome as he found a family bigger than he could have ever imagined with the men and women at the hall. even more unexpected had been his relationship with the chief, a man who reminded raf of his own father back home and tugged at his heartstrings. they grew close almost immediately, and now raf was walking to the chief’s house to attend a sunday dinner with his family. his stomach twisted with anxiety as he walked up towards the front porch, but he forced his hand up to ring the doorbell before he could hesitate. “raf!” the chief bellowed as he opened the door with a grin, a grin that rafael reflexively mirrored — the older man had that sort of contagious energy. “hey chief,” he greeted with a smile, following the man into his home. “thanks again for having me.” following the man, rafael walked into the large dining room and waved at those who waited for them — he recognized the chief’s wife from her occasional visits to the fire hall, but his eyes gravitated towards the younger girl at the table. “rafael, this is my daughter, maddie,” the chief explained, as if he’d been reading raf’s mind, who nodded and extended a hand towards the younger girl with a crooked smile. “good to finally meet you — now i can put a face to the girl chief always talks about.”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   @unhlys​   .

with her arms full of folders, bags, and her boss’ starbucks order, lux struggled towards her desk before dropping everything ( but the coffee ) on its surface with a heavy sigh. she spied the door to her boss’ office hanging slightly ajar and could hear the murmur of voices, which brought her lips down in a frown. lux knew ian’s daily schedule like the back of her hand and his first meeting of the day wasn’t for another hour. curiosity itched at her, but she remained at her desk — her boss was kind as could be but if there was one thing that annoyed him most, it was interruptions. so she sat down at her chair and began filing away the pile of folders she’d spent the previous night organizing, but was quickly interrupted by the intercom on her phone buzzing from ian’s office — “alexandra, dear, could you come in my office? there’s someone i’d like you to meet.” with catlike reflexes, she shot up from her desk and, after adjusting her blouse, walked into her boss’ office with heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “good morni—” she began, voice cutting off when her eyes landed upon the man who was sitting opposite her boss — he was beautiful. their eyes locked and lux felt her throat dry up, but her boss saved her from having to conjure up any sort of thought by speaking up. “alexandra, this is my son aaron. aaron, meet my lovely new assistant alexandra. she just started here a couple weeks ago, but she’s already turned my life around,” he boasted. his words drew lux’s lips up in a smile and she felt her cheeks heat. “hopefully in a good way,” she teased before looking back to the man — aaron. offering him her hand, she smiled. “pleasure to meet you.”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   @northallen​   .

callum had been looking forward to this trip for as long as he could remember, and ever since it’d been confirmed that north was coming along as well, he’d caught himself counting down the days. everyone seemed to know that he had eyes for the girl — except for north herself, which callum counted himself lucky for. all of his friends had been pushing him to “make a move” over the trip, but callum was content to just admire from afar — not only did his nerves often get the best of him, but he also didn’t wanna ruin her trip by making things awkward in any way. they were good friends, that’s all, although he often had to reassure himself whenever his brain wanted to think otherwise after any interaction between the two. but he was sure she saw him as nothing more than a friend — a friend who’d dated her friend just a year ago, but madison was a whole other story. the group’s anaheim trip was going to be fun, an escape from their normal lives back home, and callum was determined to not let his dumb crush get the best of him. except the universe apparently had different plans as one of callum’s friends shoved a key card into his hand and nodded between him and north. “say hello to your roomie for the week,” he said with a wink to callum, which north hopefully didn’t catch. unfortunately, callum knew there was no use in arguing against whatever scheme their friends had in mind, so he looked to north with a small smile. “don’t worry, i don’t snore,” he teased before picking up his duffel bag from the floor of the motel lobby and heading to the elevator. the trip to the room was fine as they were accompanied by everyone else who shared their floor, but as soon as callum unlocked the door and they stepped into their room, they were alone and callum’s throat tightened. moving across the room, he pulled open the curtains to allow the bright sun in. “well, at least we have a nice view,” he said with a look between the window and north before nodding to the two queen beds in the room. “ah, which bed do you want?”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   cristine   .

his easy smile relaxed cristine more and she found herself stepping back to allow the male space to look at her car. still curious though, she leaned forward a bit, trying to get a look at the engine. she didn’t realize how close she was to him until he lifted his head to look at her again and she jumped back a bit, clutching her hands in front of her. she understood enough of his terminology to know that probably wasn’t a good sign and she let out a heavy sigh, clearly frustrated by her recent string of bad luck. she comforted herself with the knowledge that something good was probably just around the corner, though– she would just have to wait for it to happen. his sound of pain caused cristine to jump, shaking her out of her thoughts briefly before taking a step towards the male again. “are you okay?” as he stood back up, cristine once again took a step back, her smile fading a bit at his question. “ahh– five…or six hours, maybe?” his initial question wasn’t too much to ask, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was curious to know more. she didn’t blame him, but she didn’t know if she was prepared to answer anything yet, or to even say it out loud. “i’m actually– really tired.” she added with a light smile, perhaps giving a slight indication that she didn’t really want to continue that particular line of conversation. “is there…a town close by?”

“ah yeah, ‘m fine,” he answered, barely paying attention to the burn on his finger. it was just another one of many injuries he got as a mechanic, his hands and arms were littered with little scars, many of which he could barely remember where they’d come from. her next response drew his brows up in surprise and he looked from the engine to the blonde. “damn, you’re a long way from home. nice day for a road trip,” he teased, pointedly looking up at the clouds forming in the sky above them. he could feel the storm winds brewing in the distance and he frowned before turning his attention back to her. “yeah, i can imagine you are.” he could tell she wasn’t keen on elaborating on her story any further, which dallas was fine with — the curiosity was like an itch needing scratching, but he wasn’t about to nag a stranger about her life story. so instead, he straightened up and unlatched the hood to let it fall closed. “my town is a few miles that way—” he nodded in the direction he’d been travelling. “i can tow you to my shop and check you into a hotel for the night.” with another glance to the sky, he frowned. “i think we’re minutes away from a storm, so c’mon.” with a wave for her to follow, he walked back to the shop truck and climbed into the cab, starting the engine so he could move the truck in front of her car and latch it up.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   matias   .

he grinned at the bow of her head. “tequila, hm? I like your style.” matias raised his brow as he reached for two frosted shot glasses. daniel had already disappeared out of sight, and matias decided that he would take it upon himself to make sure that the girl enjoyed herself regardless. he was the one that convinced her to tag along, after all. “allow me to pour you one.” it was obvious that the nightclub had made it their priority to cater to its VIP customers. the table was equipped with all the ingredients one may need. provided with lime, ice cubes, liquor, shot glasses and a range of cocktail ingredients, the booth looked nothing short of an alcoholic’s dream. “fuck it, I’ll have one too.” matias was not unaccustomed to the tequila ritual. he licked the side of his clenched fist and sprinkled salt on the wet spot while pushing one of two salt shakers in front of sofia. next, he poured a measure of two fingers in each shot glass. after he set the bottle of tequila down, he handed her one of the shots. he held up the strong liquor in his hand and smiled as he said, “cheers.” matias licked the salt off the back of his hand and shot the tequila down in one gulp, squeezing a slice of lemon into his mouth as a chaser. he grimaced as he placed the shot glass gently on the side of the table, somehow he’d never gotten used to the taste of tequila. he wiped his mouth as his eyes scanned the room, checking to see what the girl’s boyfriend was up to. when he looked over his shoulder, he watched in disgust as he found the young man gulping straight from a bottle of hennessy, his arm wrapped around a blonde girl’s shoulders. turning back to face sofia, he realized that he needed to think of some sort of distraction to ensure that she wouldn’t have to see the fuckery her boyfriend was getting himself into. “hey,” he started, “show me your dress.” he improvised as he took her hand and twirled her around two times, then pulling her to stand in his previous spot, - so that her body was turned away from her boyfriend -, in a fast, fluid movement. “I don’t mean no disrespect, but you look beautiful tonight. your boyfriend’s a lucky man.“

sofía had been ready to approach the bar and pour herself a shot, but when matias stepped in she felt a smile curl her lips. she couldn’t remember the last time daniel had prepared a drink for her, let alone tequila — he hated the liquor, usually preferring whiskey, and so it was never kept in their liquor cabinet at home. but sofía had fond memories with tequila, margaritas and shots shared with her cousins back home. so as matias poured the shots, she couldn’t help but feel an eagerness bubble up inside of her. shaking the salt onto her hand, she locked eyes with him and took the shot, easily swallowing the familiar sting. after biting down on a lime to chase, her grin was wide as she looked to matias. “ugh, that was amazing. i’m suddenly realizing how lame i’ve been, sitting at home with my red wine.” her eyes rolled with a giggle and she was about to scan the area too see what daniel was up to, a second nature instinct to her now, when matias surprised her by taking her hand and twirling her. years of dance let her glide through the twirl with ease, even in the high heels she donned. suddenly, any thought of daniel had fallen out of her mind as she came face-to-face with matias again and his words brought another wave of heat to her cheeks. “oh, thank you,” she said sheepishly. “i haven’t been out in ages, so i figured go big or stay home right?” she laughed. “you know, you clean up pretty well too.” her eyes assessed the male before her, his appearance now a stark difference from the matias she’d last seen at the gym. “hope your bruises start healing up well. if you need any more shots to numb the pain, i got you. call it payback for ruining your mojo.” her mind couldn’t help but flash back to the sight in the gym, matias all battered and bruised from her boyfriend’s fists. “y’know, it’s funny — back when we started dating, daniel was the one getting distracted by me coming in and then getting the lights knocked out of him. funny how things change.” it wasn’t that funny and sofía’s smile faltered slightly as evidence, but she shook herself out of the thought. now wasn’t the time for moping over the good ol’ days. looking back to matias with a forced grin, she gestured to the vip area they stood in. “so this is where you boys drag daniel every week? i can see its attraction, we’re living like drake up here.”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   matias   .

when matias arrived at the nightclub that evening, jay and his new girlfriend had already arrived. he greeted his friend and introduced himself to his new fling as he found himself a seat at their table. jay was the kind of guy that knew anyone and everyone, and he had been so kind to arrange VIP entrance for all of his friends that night, which came with the comfort of a private booth — including free drinks. matias immediately made use of the open bar and ordered himself two double whiskeys. he drank from the two glasses until his eyes watered and the strong drink burned the lining of his throat. “fuck,” he winced as he leaned back into the velvet sofa, allowing the alcoholic beverage to absorb into his bloodstream. about thirty minutes passed, and matias had grown bored of the mind-numbing conversation him and georgina, - one of his old flings -, were having when jay tapped him on the shoulder and notified him that daniel and sofia had walked into the spot. matias looked over his shoulder and nearly choked on his drink when he saw them emerging from the crowd. or should I say, when he saw her.  the boy couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering over sofia as they walked up to their table. up, down, up, down. the girl, who’s arm was hooked tightly into the crook of her boyfriend’s elbow, looked ravishingly beautiful in a dress that he’d never seen her wear before. the boy hated to be disrespectful but damn, he wondered why a girl like her put up with daniel’s bullshit. matias excused himself as he left georgina at their table and got up from his seat to greet the young couple. “what’s up, guys?” he greeted them as he pulled his gym parner into a tight embrace. “i’m glad you guys made it.” he gave sofia a warm smile as he gestured towards the various bottles of alcohol displayed on their table. “pick your poison, gatinha.”

the last time sofía had dressed up had been for a wedding the prior summer, so she relished in it all as she dolled herself up for a fun night out. there was obvious tension between herself and daniel as the pair got ready, but she let it roll off her shoulders — any problem daniel had was his problem, all sofía was intent on was making the most of her first night out in ages. when she’d finally stepped out of their bedroom, daniel’s eyes almost fallen out at the sight of the red dress that brandished all of her curves. she could tell he wanted to argue so she quickly led him out of the apartment to not give him a chance to — besides, he should be proud of how good she looked, with her glowing makeup and perfect curls, shouldn’t he? the question nagged at sofía, but she shrugged it away and just kept quiet during the cab ride to the club, which daniel made no argument over as he just stared at his phone the whole ride. when they made it to the club, sofía had to scramble out of the cab to keep up with her boyfriend as he made his way to the entrance. once she caught up with him inside, she looped her arm through his so she didn’t lose him in the crowd inside. she’d never been to this club before and she wasn’t keen on getting lost. when they approached the booth reserved just for their group, sofía felt a too-eager grin spread on her lips at the sight of the others — especially matias. “hey!” she greeted excitedly. she could feel his eyes on her and she couldn’t help but stand proudly. none of daniel’s friends had seen her this dressed up in a while and she was excited to flaunt it. as soon as matias gestured towards the liquor bottles, daniel slipped out of sofía’s grasp and made a beeline for the table, leaving her feel suddenly on her own, but her lashes fluttered at matias’ nickname. her portuguese was rusty, but her fluency in spanish offered a stronger understanding of the similar language and the compliment warmed her cheeks. “gracias,” she said with a bow of her head. “is there tequila?” her eyes moved to the table, trying to scan the labels and pick out her liquor of choice. “i could so use a shot after this week.”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   matias   .

matias looked from sofia to daniel and he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow at her response. her words seemed almost instinctive, as if she knew her boyfriend wouldn’t accept ‘yes’ for an answer. “you sure?” he asked her directly, but daniel awarded her no time to speak. “sofia doesn’t like nightclubs.” matias could feel his eyes burning on his skin. if looks could kill, he would be a dead man. he was sure daniel wasn’t fond of the idea of his girlfriend tagging along, but matias felt sorry about the way he continuously tried to hold sway over his girlfriend’s decisions. frankly, he thought she deserved better. when he met daniel’s glare, the young fighter could sense the desperation dripping from his friend’s pupils, silently begging him to cancel the invite. “i’m sure she can decide that for herself,” matias’ words pierced the air as daniel’s hands balled into fists, the vein in his neck popping out in frustration. the silence between them was almost uncomfortable as they stared at each other. matias, however, seemed unfazed by the boy’s threatening body language. “besides, I’m pretty sure jay is bringing his new girl around too. the more the merrier, right?” he added as he turned his eyes away from the hulk in the corner, shrugging his shoulders apathetically. unlike many others, he was seldom impressed by daniel’s intimidating tactics. if anything, he thought his efforts to appear hard made him look stupid. back home in alemão, stupid got you killed. matias got up from his chair and began to collect his belongings. he tossed everything into a black gym bag and threw it over his shoulder. he bent down to grab his hoodie and his water bottle, which he emptied over his clammy face. he stepped out of the ring and patted his friend on the shoulder. “thanks for the work-out, brother. i’ll see you tonight,” he greeted him before he turned to face sofia. he gave her a reassuring smile. “you should come.”

the tension between the two males laid thickly in the air, almost choking sofía. while she was often impressed with matias’ fearlessness with daniel, she also sometimes felt a fear and nervousness bubble up in her stomach. one day, she knew matias was going to push daniel a little too far and she wasn’t ready for that day. stepping into the confrontation, sofía looked between the males. “i-i’m fine really, i’ll just stay home,” she said, just as matias opened his mouth and mentioned jay’s date. her jaw went slack at the words  — their boys only night suddenly became very inviting to her. and she could tell that it had been the last thing daniel had wanted to let slip to her with the way his jaw tightened. watching matias collect his belongings, sofía felt her demeanour change. something about matias’ own defiance and reassuring smiles grew her own confidence. “oh, well if that’s the case, maybe i will tag along,” she said, a smile growing on her lips as her posture straightened. there was no way daniel could try to talk her out of it now, his intentions would be quite clear then. “don’t worry, baby, i won’t get plastered and embarrass you in front of your friends.” she turned her smile to matias and moved closer to daniel to let him move towards the exit. “we’ll see you tonight!” she said cheerfully before looking to her boyfriend. “c’mon, baby, we gotta get going. this hair isn’t going to do itself!” usually she spent daniel’s nights out alone in their apartment, cuddling their cat and binge-watching netflix with a glass of wine — she couldn’t really remember the last time she’d gone out. but she was excited now, a fun night out exactly what she needed after a back-breaking day of leaning over sinks and bleaching hair.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   matias   .

matias couldn’t help but notice the girl’s desperate efforts to be acknowledged by her boyfriend, who seemed to be more interested in the cuts on his hands and less interested in her. it was nothing matias hadn’t seen before. the only time daniel had shown the girl, - what seemed to be -, genuine affection in front of him was the day matias and her had first met. looking back on that evening, he realized that it was merely daniel’s way of marking his territory. he was possessive that way. matias glared at his partner. “there’s all the difference in the world between fighting with gloves on and fighting with your fists. once your boyfriend stops being a pussy and decides that he wants a real fight, I’ll massacre that snotty punk.” of course, matias’ taunting words instantly caught daniel’s attention, who let out a dry, humorless laugh. “you got me fucked up if you think I won’t beat the shit out of you, matias. you’re lucky I don’t knock you the fuck out right now.” matias’ eyes searched sofia’s and he couldn’t stop his lips from curling up into a humorized smile. it was too easy to get a rise out of him. “you definitely threw me off my game there. I’m good, ‘though,” he assured her. “I’ve had worse than a beating.” growing up in alemão—a rough rio de janeiro neighborhood that was cut off from the rest of the city by economic and cultural barriers, matias was no stranger to a world of violence. across his hands, arms, legs, and body, he bore no fewer than eight scars. the marks on his body displayed the visual signs of his dark past. he never spoke about his life in the favelas, but the horrifying images of life surrounded by drugs, violence and blood still haunted his memory. the medic wiped the blood off his face and moved on to bandage his bruised hands. “we goin’ to that new joint tonight?” matias asked daniel, who nodded eagerly. the two friends had made it a weekly tradition to go out in town on friday nights. a boys’ night out, so to speak. daniel never brought sofia along. instead, he would spend his time at the club chatting up other women as if he was a single man. matias thought he looked foolish romancing girls that weren’t half as attractive as the woman he had waiting on him at home, but he’d never made it a thing to talk to him about it. daniel would either cut him off or beat him up for getting in his business, anyway. there was no point. his eyes shot back to sofia. “you kickin’ it with us tonight?”

brows creased at daniel’s rising temper, his short fuse easily lit under even the smallest of circumstances. “relax, baby,” she hushed him, gently placing her hand on his forearm — which he shrugged off with a grumble. locking her eyes with matias, she softly mimicked his smile and rolled her eyes. luckily, matias was well aware of daniel’s short fuse — others may have actually taken daniel’s threat seriously and brought him outside, where they would quickly learn that daniel was mostly all bark and no actual bite. all daniel really had was a big mouth and a quick temper. but matias just seemed to find fun in pushing daniel’s buttons and sofía couldn’t help but find it impressive — and endearing. her lips pursed at his words, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what worse meant to him, from what she’d seen daniel had all but gone hulk on matias. she only knew bits and pieces of his story from whatever daniel had let slip to her, but she could feel the hardness formed by what could only have been a rough past — and see, the scars littering his body clearly visible under the sheen of his sweat. heart clenching, sofía tore her gaze from matias and looked to daniel upon the other’s question, but she then quickly looked away from his eager nodding. it was no secret what daniel got up to during his boys’ nights out but the couple certainly acted like it was. better to ignore it than cause a rise out of daniel. however, when matias aimed his next question towards her, sofía felt her eyes widen. “me?” she asked, unable to disguise her surprise. “oh no. i, uh, was just gonna hang out at home. ‘sides, it’s just a boys’ night, isn’t it? i’m good.” her laugh is weak and she can feel daniel’s gaze boring holes into her. he’s never dared to invite her out with him, she’d just get in the way of him and his flirting.

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   carter   .

picking up girls was second nature for carter, it was usually easy due to his good looks. he was attractive and knew how to carry himself, was probably one of very few males who actually put effort into how he dress, groomed himself, and continuously carried himself. his friends would often tease him about his lack of effort in the department of picking up girls but carter didn’t give a shit. he enjoyed every second of being people’s first choice. as the group of guys excitedly ordered and conversed with the brunette, carter sat quietly looking between the group and the waitress chuckling to himself. the male was very obviously observant of actions which typically added mysterious to his long list of personality traits. “um…” he trailed biting down on his lip, “you were gushing about..what was it? i just remember not liking the idea of the chocolate shake or ..the nachos neither.” he chuckled, “but i’d like a similar combo…” the male trailed pursing his lips as he eyed the other. “maybe fries with a vanilla shake? maybe also a…are the burgers any good here?” he asked, his attempt at keeping the other at the table longer as he played with the conversation.

chatting with strangers was like second nature to noah, her bubbly personality coming in handy in the restaurant industry. the different characters that stepped foot into the restaurant kept the girl on her toes and she was always excited to learn their story, and these boys particularly intrigued her. they were probably some of the restaurant’s most loyal recurring customers, coming in like clockwork every week, and all the other girls constantly gushed about how cute they were. and as he turned his gaze onto her, noah understood their giddiness. it wasn’t often that she fell prey to a boy’s charm, but she felt her stomach get fluttery at his deep tone. forcing herself to regain her composure, noah quirked her lips up in a small smile. “if i told ya they weren’t, i’d probably lose my job,” she teased. “we’re practically famous for our burgers.” pulling up her notepad, she scribbled down an order. “a burger with fries and a vanilla milkshake?” she presumed, a brow perking up as she looked to him. “you okay with all the groceries on it?”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   matias   .

“come on, matias. finish him. two more punches and he’s out.” matias leaned forward in his chair and spit out the blood that had seeped from the cuts in his jaw and into his mouth. his hair was sweaty and greasy, his lip was busted open and the skin around his rib cage colored a deep purple. fuck, he hated sparring daniel sometimes. he and daniel had been sparring partners for years and matias, who generally had no problem taking on the other boys at his gym, hated how quick the fucker was. “round five. finish it.“ the boy’s coach shouted after him as the sound of a bell announced the start of the final round, and he stepped back into the ring. he approached his opponent carefully and waited patiently for him to throw a punch. when daniel swung his arm towards his right jaw, matias lumbered in to strike him with a left jab. his opponent nearly lost his balance as he stumbled from left to right. “good work, matias. one more punch and it’s over.“ the referee gave them the green light and matias stepped in again. he feinted with his right and was ready to swing his final punch when he was distracted by the sound of a door opening. his eyes shot over to the entrance to find daniel’s girlfriend, sofia, walking in the door. her curls fell playfully down her shoulders like they always did, her smile soft and beautiful. for a split second, matias found himself distracted by her sudden appearance and before he knew it,  daniel punished him with a right cross that gave him a headache. his partner showed him no mercy as he continued to serve him punch for punch, until the referee announced that time was up. “fuck this shit. fuck.“ matias let out a grown as he took off his glove, throwing one of them frustratedly across the ring. “better luck next time, son.” his coach ordered him to sit down and get his lip patched up. the gym medic began to clean the bust in his lip and matias watched as his sparring partner walked up to greet his girlfriend. the boxer barely acknowledged her as she handed him his water bottle. he did not even bother to ask her how she was doing. matias pressed his lips together and cringed at the sight of it. “what’s up, sofia?“ he greeted the girl instead, trying to hold in his temper and appear unaffected by the fight. he smiled at her knowingly and joked, “did you and your boyfriend plan your entrance? a clever tactic, I’ll give you that.“

it worked out quite well that sofía’s salon was just a couple blocks away from daniel’s gym, the couple could often carpool on days that their schedules overlapped. although, a part of sofía was sure that daniel had made sure of their close proximity, seeing as he had been the one to find the stylist job posting for her — but she was still grateful for his help. which is why, after finishing up her last appointment a little early, sofía decided to skip over to the gym and surprise daniel with her early arrival. it was always exciting to watch him fight, albeit a little scary at times when he got a little too into it. she usually ended up patching him up after his fights got a little too rough, which was a common occurrence for daniel. as she walked into the large gym, she wasn’t surprised to see daniel in the ring with matias, but she was surprised when matias’ eyes found her and her stomach fluttered for a moment. his gaze had a weird way of doing that to her. she was about to raise her hand in a wave when daniel took advantage of matias’ momentary distraction and went right in for the win. sofía couldn’t help but let out a short gasp at daniel’s punches and she let out a breath of relief when the ref called the match. she quickly composed herself and made sure to focus her gaze on daniel as he moved out of the ring and approached her, without so much of a comment of her surprise appearance. she swallowed her disappointment and chastised herself for even slightly getting her hopes up. not exactly sure what to say to her boyfriend as he gulped down his water, she was grateful when matias’ voice sounded out across the gym. her eyes immediately looked to him and laughed, his smile relaying much more than his words could ever. “ah no, not planned. just a lucky charm — on daniel’s part at least.” her smile was sheepish and apologetic before her eyes flicked to daniel. “i got off work early, so i thought i’d surprise daniel.” her voice was annoyingly hopeful as she tried to pull some sort of reaction out of her boyfriend, who was far too distracted bandaging up his bruised knuckles. sighing, sofía looked back to matias. “i’m sorry though. they really should get rid of that bell on the door, i feel like i took you out of your zone.” her eyes carefully assessed his bruised features and her lips pursed at their grotesqueness. “god, even the world’s best concealer won’t be able to cover up those bruises. are you alright?”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   rocio   .

“a voluntary position?“ rocio repeats his words incredulously and sounds almost impressed. “director gordon must be fond of you. he doesn’t just allow anyone and everyone on his premises. especially not after what those lowlifes did to our set. pathetic.“ of course, rocio knew all about the three youngsters who had broken into the academy and vandalized the theater room over the weekend. her father’s eyes had turned red with anger whilst he read about a young criminal named derek on monday morning. rocio, however, was less talk and more business. she wasn’t too concerned with the chitter-chatter her classmates kept themselves busy with over lunch breaks. instead, she’d heard that one of the boys had been caught and convicted of vandalism and the young dancer simply assumed that was that. little did she know that the individual in front of her was the famous lowlife responsible for the crime. oh, how naive she could be. rocio lets out a humorless chuckle when the friendly stranger decides to nickname her ‘nutcracker’. “cute,” she giggles as she catches herself doubting whether he even knows the origins of the nutcracker’s story. “the nutcracker is a beautiful play, actually. very romantic. you should check it out sometime.” she grabs her water bottle and crawls off the floor. “I should probably take your advice and go ice my shit now.” she imitates his words. “see you around, janitor,” she adds with a small smile as she starts to hobble away from him. it doesn’t take long, however, for the stubborn young lady to stop dead in her track. she’s walking the wrong way. realizing that she has no option but to accept her defeat, she turns around to face the janitor once more. “that way…” she mumbles sheepishly as she limps past him again. “would you mind..?” she gestures towards the, seemingly endless, hallway in front of her, asking him for physical support. 

her first words only make him laugh, but the smile falters slightly upon her mention of the vandalism. swallowing, he purses his lips. lowlife. the word echoes through his mind — it’s not one he isn’t used to, he’s heard it shouted after him several times, but it feels different coming from her. how naive of him to fall for her charm, he should have just stuck to himself like he’d told himself he would. “yeah, real pathetic,” he says with a heavy sigh, straightening his posture and reaching for his broom. clearly, no one in this building actually gave a shit about anything but their little ballerina slippers. her talk of the nutcracker made him chuckle. “i’ll stick it on my watch list. it’s right up there with the notebook and fifty shades of grey.” his tone drips with sarcasm and he begins sweeping the broom again as she begins to hobble away. he can’t help but peek up at her and when she freezes in his tracks, he can only smirk as she sheepishly turns back around to him. her request for help surprises him, especially after she’d refused it earlier, but he can’t really just let her limp across the academy. shaking his head with a laugh, derek props the broom back up against the wall and steps towards her. the most sensical way of help would be to let her use him as a crutch, but that would still take far too long — derek’s sure the director would appreciate his helping an injured student, but he’s not keen on getting his hours extended because of negligence. so, derek instead sweeps the girl into his arms to cradle her and starts down the hall. “you’re gonna have to direct me,” he grunts. “this place is a damn maze to me.”

[madlvvewrites]

/   *   starring   :   carter   .

it wasn’t often carter was a dick, but when he was – he was the worst kind. pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, the group of guys stepped out of the car walking into their favorite restaurant. this was typically the place they preferred coming to after having a long night full of drinks and loads of weed. as the waitress gave them the option to sit in the booth, the raven-haired male followed his friends, placing an arm around his good friend niall as they joked about the blonde getting turned down. as they sat in the booth, carter sat on the edge looking as his friends all spoke about what they were interested in ordering. liam was the one to speak up, mentioning to carter how they waitress was exactly his tight. looking over his shoulder, carter contorted his nose up, “nah, i’m not really into small girls. she’s the height of my little cousin.” the male waved her off looking up at his friend with a smirk, “you can go for it.” he offered, the men quieting down as they heard footsteps approaching the table.

with a tray of waters balanced in her grasp, noah approached the table of men with a small smile and handed out the glasses to them. “how’re you guys doing tonight?” she asked sweetly, eyes surveying their faces before they landed upon the male closest to her. they were all attractive — she wasn’t afraid to admit that — and they all earned smiles and giggles from the waitresses whenever they came in, but she’d always found him the most intriguing with his dark features and mysterious aura. “fun night? it’s been real slow here, you guys have saved me from a boring last couple hours.” with a smirk, she tucked the tray under her arm and pulled a small notepad from the pocket of her apron. “what can i get you guys? chocolate shakes and loaded nachos are on special.” suddenly, most of the group called out their order and noah scribbled it all down, not trusting her memory with their large order. she could feel some of them flirting with her, but she just giggled and rolled her eyes at their sly smiles. finally, the only one left to order was the male sitting at the very edge of the booth and she turned her attention to him. “for yourself?”