woken up like an animal, teeth ready for sinking.

we'll get up up on the dance floor tonight. i've got two left feet and a bottle of red wine making me feel like the beat and the bass line are in my blood, both hands upon her waistline. get on up, baby, dance to the rhythm of the music. don't care what the dj chooses! get lost in the rhythm of me, place don't close until we wanna leave it.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

“Oh they won’t kill us… Today. It’d be too obvious, worrying about them killing you in a week or two.” He replied, making sure to sound like an over enthusiastic children’s tv presenter. “I’m not letting you pay for breakfast, I couldn’t sleep and needed something to do. And people need to eat.” It was the truth, he’d simply not told her why he had trouble sleeping – and that was something he was going to keep secret. He didn’t need to make her problem in working out their boundaries into their problems. “Besides, it’s all their fault really. They can’t kill us, if the problem would have been avoided if someone had let us stay with them for the night. We’re the victims here… Think they’ll buy that?”

“Oh, god, we’re going to have to be on our guard for the entire trip, aren’t we?” Camila’s face widened in horror as the realization dawned on her. She rolled her eyes at Scott as she grabbed for a bagel and took nearly a quarter of it in her mouth in one bite. She chewed her overeagerness as quickly as possible, but her mouth was still full as she replied, “You’re going to let me pay you, and you’re going to like it. I won’t take no for an answer. You’re right, though, plus, who would pay our share of the bill if we were murdered? We just have to wait until the trip’s over, and we’re home, then avoid them for the rest of time. Simple!” Mila laughed as she took another bite from her bagel, this one much more reasonably sized. Being with Scott was comfortable and easy, more than she thought it would be before she even realized they’d be stuck sharing a room. 

[scott-rogers]

Scott hadn’t known what to expect when he found out that Mila was also going on the roadtrip, what he truly didn’t expect was to end up pranking their friends with her. He hadn’t expected to end up sharing a room with her – and he truly hadn’t expected to realise that maybe he wasn’t as over her as he liked to tell himself. When it was just them in their room, it almost felt old times. It felt so much like old times, he was worried about crossing lines. After a restless night, he decided to give up on sleep and get dressed, grabbing the car keys and driving around until he found somewhere open for breakfast. Ordering some pancakes and waffles along with a coffee, he drove back to the hotel, walking into their room with the bag of food and the drink. “Morning.” He spoke, going over to the bedside unit to place the food down. “Figured we should fuel up before we have to deal with everyone’s less than happy moods when they wake up.”

[milasoto]

Unlike Scott, Camila quickly passed out, deep in sleep on the hotel bed even as Scott flitted in and out the room. However, the sunlight filtering through the blinds soon nudged at her senses, and she cracked open her eyes when Scott returned. “Hey,” she croaked groggily, rubbing at her heavy-lidded eyes to get a better look at him. “Fuck, we did do that, didn’t we? They’re gonna kill us.” She sat up with a laugh, blinking so she could take the scene in. “Scott, you didn’t need to get us breakfast. You better let me pay you back.”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

At the sound of her voice being so soft, he couldn’t be drawn back to the numerous nights he’d heard it before – before promptly mentally kicking himself. He couldn’t have those thoughts anymore, and he hadn’t for a while – not until that night. “You never need to say thanks. It was surprisingly fun.” ‘Fun’ always seemed to follow Mila, and while he may not always go along with – he couldn’t deny that things were always more interesting with her along. If for no other reason, than she always looked so excited when she was coming up with an idea. “And don’t worry, if it comes to it… I’ll just remind the others that they owe me for never getting them back for their pranks over the years, I was owed a pass.”

“You’re too good for us, Scott,” Camila said sleepily, not even lifting her head off the pillow. She was out with the lights, face down into the mountain of surprisingly soft pillows on the bed. ‘”If they try to get us back, we’ll just do something even worse. We’re partners in crime, I’m sure we can think of something.”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

“Half the mastermind? I think it was more… Sixty-forty your way.”  He joked, despite knowing that she seemed to be fading, so he made an effort to make his tone softer. He’d witnessed a tired Camila before and it wasn’t normally a good thing for everyone involved. Their friends were clearly already asleep, and that meant they were going to wake earlier than normal and they’d expect Scott and Camila to get up with them. Or their friends would all come to their room banging the door once they worked out what they’d done. “Sure, resting your eyes.” He mused softly, nudging her side gently. “Come on, I think we both know that look on your face means that you’re tired, we should probably try and get some sleep before we have to deal with an angry mob tomorrow morning. Or… technically just later since it’s past midnight.”  

“Like I said, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” Camila insisted kindly, knowing the mischief had been her invention. It was the least she could do considering Scott had played along the way he always did. “All right, all right, but only because they’re all probably going to wake up in a few hours, and then we won’t be able to sleep for the rest of the trip because we’re going to have to be on our guard.” Mila rolled over, so she could flip off the bedside lamp then looked back at Scott. “Thanks for tonight, Scott,” she said, her voice soft with fatigue...

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

“I think we’ve established that I’m that uncool friend, who’s only job is to make sure nobody does anything too crazy.” He replied deadpan, amusement written all over his face. He’d never had a problem when everyone else pointed out that he was a little more chilled out than everyone else, mostly because he knew there was no way he could argue with it – and he was perfectly comfortable with being the ‘boring’ one. In a way, he was sure that was why he and Camila had worked, they balanced each other out. “It would definitely have been a lot more dull without you… Although the others might not be so happy that we’re happy when they wake up.” He chuckled, noticing her leaning against the headboard, it may have been a while, but he liked to think he could still read her. “Do you want me to switch off the tv? We should probably try and get some sleep.”

Camila’s grinned out of both amusement and relief that Scott didn’t take offense at her teasing. She could always count on Scott to play along, something she’d always loved about him. “Well, don’t sell yourself too short. You were half the mastermind behind this plan,” Camila said, more quietly as the exhaustion seeped further through her expression and body. “You don’t have to unless you want to,” she said, desperately fighting her tired instinct. If she could choose one way to spend a night with Scott on this trip, this would have been it, and she hated to run the risk of facing reality come morning. However, her eyes betrayed her, fully shutting for a long moment before she said, “I’m just resting my eyes.”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

“Nervous Nelly?” He parroted, laughter evident in his tone. It wasn’t exactly the first time he’d heard it, but that did nothing to take away from the fact he still found it amusing. Glancing at her phone screen, a soft smile appeared on his face. “It looks like your version of cool.” He teased, before wondering if he was even allowed to that any more. When they’d been together, teasing about each other about their differences had been somewhat of a game, now? Now he wasn’t sure if it could come across as mean or judging. He still wasn’t sure what their new normal was, but for the first time, they seemed willing to work towards making everything seem normal again.

Chuckling at her comment, he gave a half-shrug. “You know them, they’re always trying to drag people out to things. The easiest way to get them off your case is just agree every so often. But agreeing to come on the road trip, did mean I got a few months off, from them constantly trying to drag me somewhere.”

“My version of cool is most people’s version of cool. Maybe you just aren’t cool,” Camila replied, a smile on her face, so Scott knew she teased. She hoped, of course, that she wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. She’d never been shy to add an, “But that’s why I love you,” or, “Which is my favorite thing about you,” but it was too out of place now, and her words didn’t have the same warm appreciation. “Yeah, I almost didn’t agree either. It was hard to get that time off, but I guess I finally earned my stripes at the office,” Mila said with a soft smile. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, and she couldn’t force out a grin, but she tried to stay awake a little longer, flopping back against the headboard, so she was sitting up again.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers‌:

As Camila spoke again, his gaze turned firmly onto her, seemingly forgetting the fact the television was still on. He wanted to tell himself his focus was only on her, because it would be rude not to pay attention when she was talking – but he knew there was more to it. There always was when it came to her.

“I’m in no way surprised that’s on your list again.” He teased, if there was one thing he knew for sure about her, it was that she’d never turn down an adventure – even if it was one she’d already been on. “Cool rope course? Do I even want to ask?” It wasn’t a secret that between the two of them, he was the more cautious one. He’d do as much research as he could, make sure that everything was completely safe – and then do the same checks all over again. “A busy office is a good thing, right?”

Smirking when she asked if he’d done anything crazy, he shrugged, leaning into the headboard. “You know me, I never stop doing something crazy.” He replied deadpan, before shaking his head. “Pretty much the same old stuff I normally do. Unless one of our friends drag me out somewhere. They might not be as hard to argue with as you, but they can still be pretty persuasive.”

“Don’t be such a Nervous Nelly,” Camila jokingly chastised in response to Scott’s own teasing trepidation. She reached for her phone on the side table, searching up the course. Once she found the website, Mila flashed her phone at Scott, showing off a multi-level and multi-challenge obstacle course through the sky. “Doesn’t it look cool? I know you’re always about safety, but we’ve done some other stuff like it.”

Camila looked back at Scott over her shoulder, watching him as he leaned against the headboard and talked about his recent adventures -- or rather the lack thereof. She wasn’t surprised or bored to hear the answer. That was just Scott’s endearing softness that she appreciated as much as she appreciated occasionally poking out of his comfort zone. “I can’t say I’m surprised either. Not in a bad way. Have they dragged you out to anything recently?”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

Sitting down beside Mila, Scott tried to remind himself that they were adults. They were capable of being civil with an ex, no matter how messy things had got when they broke up. There was also a part of him that simply wanted things to work out between them. He missed simply getting to talk to her. She wasn’t like anyone else he knew, and he liked that about her. He liked that she offered a completely different perspective as his own – he’d always thought their differences were why they worked so well together

“I’m a little surprised that’s the biggest news you’d have. I thought you’d have some amazing story about going skydiving or doing something equally as adventurous. I’m guessing that nobody is Marianne’s biggest fan right now?”

Camila flipped over, so she could look up at Scott as they talked. As engaging as the episode was, she’d seen it a million times, and the opportunity to finally hang out with Scott again was far more compelling.

“Well, it is on my list to go skydiving again. And I read about this cool ropes course in Nashville recently. But I’ve been taking it pretty easy waiting for this trip, and it’s been pretty busy at the office...which is something I never thought I’d say,” she said, laughing slightly. Camila had told Scott perhaps too many times how mundane her job could get.

“What about you, though?” she asked, sitting up to better meet his eye. “Do anything crazy lately?”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

Chuckling at her words, he shook his head. “No shame here. It might not be the best joke I’ve ever said, but I liked it.” He didn’t particularly like the joke, but keeping things light between them had worked so far, and he wasn’t about to change that. If they could make fun of themselves, then they could get through the night without anything crazy happening. Nodding at her choice, he smiled gently over at her. “Works for me.”

Turning his attention to the television, he stayed silent for a few minutes, before glancing over at her from the corner of his eyes. “So… Anything new with you?” He asked, a little hesitantly. As much as he wanted to know what was happening in her life, to know that she was happy – he wasn’t quite sure if he had the right to ask. But he reasoned that he had nothing to lose by asking her, it wasn’t like they could get any more distant.

Mila rolled her eyes (a bit melodramatically) at Scott’s defense of his own joke, but a smile still danced on her face, exposing her true feelings. Though Scott hardly intended his charm, Camila had never been able to resist it. He was soft, endearing, comfortable. When they fought it was difficult, even, to stay mad at him, and Camila secretly prided her ability to hold a grudge.

On the bed, Camila flopped on her stomach, gesturing for Scott to join her. He had his cot, but the vantage point was far less optimal than the one from the bed. It only made sense. Mila stared at the tv with her chin cupped in her hands and her feet swinging in the air behind her. She’d watched the show dozens of times, but it still engrossed her. She didn’t look at Scott until his question, but she quickly looked away.

Camila wondered if Scott knew about Matias. Of course all the friends did; Camila certainly didn’t want to hide anything from them or Scott. She just didn’t know if they’d told him. Certainly it was the newest news in her life, but Mila couldn’t bring herself to bring it up. They were getting along too well, and the tidbit would certainly ruin the ease with which they interacted.

“Hmmm,” Mila pretended to think before looking back over at Scott. “Not much, really. Marianne quit last week, didn’t even give her two weeks. Everyone at the office is losing their minds, so much drama.”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

Laughing at her idea to ‘cover their tracks’, he simply shrugged, looking over at her with a bright smile. “You can do that if you want… Then you’re the only person nothing happened, gets me off Scott-free.” He joked, knowing just how bad the joke was, but that was part of why he said it. Stupid jokes seemed to be what was getting them through everything.

Watching Mila as she scrolled through the channels, his eyes immediately looked over towards the tv at her question. “I think we should just pick whatever comedy comes up first – that way even if it’s not funny, we can make fun of the fact it tries to call itself a comedy.” It was the first thing he could think of, that would get him out of explaining he hadn’t even been looking at the screen.

Mila groaned, a bit dramatically as usual, at Scott’s horrible pun. “You had me for a second there. Your logic was good, but you ruined it with that horrible excuse for a joke. I hope you’re ashamed ‘cause you should be.” Bored with the channels, she looked over her shoulder at Scott to listen to his suggestion. She smiled at his logic and said, “You took the words right out of my mouth, Rogers.” True, she was going to suggest some sort of comedy, but she hadn’t put quite that much thought into something as simple as a movie. It was very Scott, though, and Mila appreciated it.

She settled for a moment on a Friends re-run, one of the only things showing at the hour. Mila looked over at Scott again, asking, “How’s this?”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

Chuckling at Mila’s words, he rooted in his pockets for the key to their room, before giving a one-shouldered shrug. “We got away with it… For now.” He amended with a smirk, finally finding the key, and opening the door, gesturing for her to get in first. “I think everyone else will know exactly what happened, when we’re the only ones nothing happened to.”

Though he was sure they could take whatever revenge their friends had planned. He also couldn’t bring himself to regret what they’d done, because it was the craziest thing he’d ever done – and it was nice every so often, to break out of the ‘nice’ box. Sitting down on the bed, he glanced over at her, knowing this was the part of the night that could get awkward quickly. “Do you want to watch a movie?” He suggested, before pointing over to the snacks they’d bought earlier. “We already have the snacks for it, might as well have a movie night.”

Mila smiled at Scott’s prediction as she walked into the room. “You’re right,” she said, flopping down on her bed, tossing a couple empty shaving cream bottles on the floor before teasing, “You better watch out, maybe I’ll have to get you in your sleep to cover our tracks.”

Though her heart and veins raced with adrenaline and glee, Mila figured it was probably time for bed. No doubt everyone would want to catch as many sites as possible, which required an early rise and shine (and shower). She was surprised, however, when Scott suggested a movie.

“Yeah!” she agreed happily, bouncing off the bed and grabbing the remote. She flitted through the channels, not spending much time on any single one. “See anything good?”

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

When she confirmed this was the last one, part of him couldn’t help but wonder what came next. The rest of the day had been easy, because they’d had something to focus on. Once they were finished with the prank, it would just be them, and he couldn’t help but hope, that they wouldn’t slip into their regularly scheduled awkwardness.

Nodding when she mentioned making this one count, he had to bite his lip to hide a chuckle as the clinked the bottles together. Moving as quickly as he could, he emptied the can, before moving back towards the door, waiting for her to look over. “Ready to go?” He mouthed, not wanting to risk even whispering.

Mila immersed herself fully in the mischief at hand, a near-evil grin across her features as she drizzled honey in their friend’s leg hair. Honestly, even Camila knew the intensity of the  punishment far breached the crime, but she loved to carry herself away. She convinced herself that she was here only for a good time and that being “stuck” with Scott played no part in the game.

Mila saw Scott’s movement in her peripheral vision and nodded at his mouthed question. She tossed a couple empty bottles quietly in their friends’ trash and padded out after Scott. Behind her, Mila shut the door before taking off excitedly down the hall, beckoning Scott to follow her frenzied suit.

She leaned against the wall near their own room and finally laughed to herself. “I can’t believe we got away with that,” she said, looking over to Scott with a grin.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

If there was one thing he’d learnt early on about Camila, it was not to get into an argument with her. In his experience, she didn’t give up easily – and unless you really cared about the subject, it was better to just let win, and he didn’t care too much if she thought he was wise beyond his years or not. It wasn’t a bad thing after all.

Watching as she smiled, he had to remind himself it was a little dangerous to focus on the sight. He’d always loved her smile, and just because things were good between them that day, didn’t mean things were magically sorted out between them. “How many more rooms do we have left after this one?” He whispered, realizing he was beginning to run out of supplies.

“Pretty sure this is the last one,” Camila replied quietly. Her brows furrowed as she rattled off the rooms they’d vandalized so far, a tiny smile poking through her lips as she remembered the highlights of each one.

“Better make this one count,” she said as she moved further into the room, shaking the remains of a bottle of a syrup down to the opening. Once she neared her sleeping friend, Camila caught Scott’s eye again, reaching her arm out, so they could clink bottles. She retracted with a smile, getting to work on her attack.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

“Wise beyond my years? I don’t know if I’d agree with you there.” He chuckled. At the very least, he’d never tried to be wiser than his years, he’d just always tried to put his best foot forward, especially around those people he cared for, and Mila was definitely one of those people. No matter what had happened between them, it hadn’t changed how much she meant to him, and he was sure nothing would. Sure, it may have hurt to be around her some times, but he’d never want anything bad to happen at her.

At her words, he reached over her slightly and pulled the handle down for her, before making a show of bowing slightly. “After you.”

"Whether it’s true or not, that’s the way you sound sometimes,” Camila insisted. As cliche as it sounded, Scott had always seemed like an old soul to Mila. Sure, his -isms contributed, but he seemed to float above the noise and buzz that most of their friends wrapped themselves in, and he was far more poised than a lot of them, too.

She smiled at Scott’s theatrics, meeting his eye with a bright glimmer in her own. “Thank you, sir,” Mila whispered, curtsying jokingly before she romped into the room and went to work.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

“I have my own –ism?” He quipped, trying his hardest to hold back the laugh threatening to come out – if only to keep the noise level down so none of their friends woke up just yet. That wouldn’t work out in their favour. Smiling softly when she mentioned returning the favour if he was right, he gave a simple shrug. “In that case, I guess I’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow.”

The more time he spent with Mila, the more he thought there might be some truth behind the fake it to you make it, way of life. After all, them pretending everything was normal between them, had led to what was their most civilised conversation in months. More than that, it had led to them actually having a good time together. “Do you need a hand with the door?” He asked softly.

“Oh, not just one,” Mila replied teasingly. “Dozens of them. Anything positive or wise beyond your years is a Scottism. It’s a good thing.” She smiled at their fresh breakfast plans, already ready to demolish some bacon. How long had it been since dinner? More than that, though, she was pleased their shenanigans made spending time together compelling enough to do it all again. It wasn’t until tonight that Mila realized just how much she missed Scott, with his -isms and smiles, always kind enough to play along and flexible enough to have a good time. And they always did, Mila and Scott. They always had a good time.

At Scott’s quiet question, Camila looked up over her shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, the key’s in, but I can’t quite get the handle,” she explained.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” He chuckled at her proverb comment. As much as he liked to keep a positive outlook on things, he knew that it simply rubbed some people the wrong way. Apparently it wasn’t ‘natural’ to keep as composed as he did when things were going bad. Which wasn’t entirely true, he wasn’t always quite so optimistic, he just kept any darker thoughts to himself. Sharing those wouldn’t do anything but bring other people down – which was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Going to the nearest room, he paused when she asked for help, taking a few seconds to look at the keys and then picked one out. “I’m pretty sure this is the one we need. If not… I’ll buy you breakfast tomorrow.”

“It’s a great thing; there’s nothing I love more than a good Scottism,” Mila reassured him honestly. Of course she found his sage, positive comments cheesy, but that was part of why she loved them. They were some of the truest expressions of Scott’s character, and she loved to hear him be so...himself. It was good to hear one again, since Camila wasn’t exactly as privy to them as before.

Camila’s eyes sparked at Scott’s pledge. She loved a good game of odds. “All right, I’ll take you on that. And if you’re right, then I’ll return the favor because now that you mentioned breakfast there is no way I can go without it.” Mila held her hand out for a shake as eager as her cheshire expression before she fished the key from her pocket and tackled the door.

[milasoto]

scott-rogers:

“If you have something nice to say, why not say it? The world needs some more kindness going around.” As much as it had been a joke, it was his general philosophy in life. There was enough people who put negative vibes out into the world, there needed to be some people who wouldn’t shy away, from saying something complimentary about someone else.

Pausing when she asked him who next, he shrugged thinking over his answer. He had pretty much been prepared to follow her lead, so it caught him a little off guard. “Jen and Peter? They’re the closest to where we are now.”

“That’s the most Scott Rogers proverb I’ve ever heard,” Camila commented, a teasing sparkle in her eyes. She did appreciate, and always had, though, his outlook. His warmth was refreshing, something he somehow managed to exude even silently, and it was one of the things that had attracted her to him when they first met.

“Strategic,” Mila nodded at his suggestion, starting for the nearby room--then she realized she didn’t remember which was theirs. She turned helplessly back to Scott and said, “Help.”