[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“Paris François Labelle. You can’t get anymore French than that.” Lucille joked. “Y'know, Luci May has a nice ring to it.” She admitted. ‘Only when he says it though.’ She thought.

Standing in her apartment, she looked around. “Hey, an apartment is an apartment really. We’re lucky to even have apartments in this city.” Lucille told him. She grinned, “Well, thank you. I put so much hard work into it.” She told him. Sitting down on the couch, she gentured Kitsune to come near her. “Hey there, girl…” The redhead greeted before petting her and kissing her on the head. The dog than layed down next to her and looked at Paris, “You can sit if you want.”

“There was something I wanted to show you as well.” Lucille metioned as she reached over to the end table next the couch and grabbed a framed picture. “Remember this?” Lucille asked as she handed Paris the picture of the two.

[paris-labelle-blog]

“Oh, so now it sounds good to you? Maybe it’s because you’re not hearing your mother’s voice saying it this time around.”

Raising his brows and giving a soft nod, Paris stated in agreement, “True, very true. This place is so damn expensive. Well, New York in general I feel like.” Quietly the man carefully plopped down onto her couch on the other side of Kitsune, resting his arms over the back of the furniture piece. It’d been a long, long week so far and he was constantly tired. If it weren’t for caffeine and drugs, he probably wouldn’t have been able to keep up.

“Hm?” Sitting a little more upright, the scruffy male gently took the framed photograph into his palms and gave it a quick look-over. Though, after a few seconds, he finally realized why she was showing it to him. “Holy— You still have this thing?” He exclaimed, glancing over to Lucille with a dorky smile. “Oh my god... I remember when we took that photo, too.” He was surprised that she still even recalled him, let alone kept any memorabilia of the old times.

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“I can tell.” Lucille grinned. “Well, whatever your middle name is, I’m sure it suits you, Paris.” She assured him. She ruffled his hair a bit, “It’s not generic at all, when the sun hits it, it’s really beautiful.” Lucille told him.

The redhead looked at Paris and smiled, “C'mon, then.” She told him as she grabbed his hand and lead him outside. The sun was still in the sky, bright as ever. Crossing the street with Paris to tow, she decided that walking would be better. Letting go of his hand, she led the way to her building. It wasn’t too far. After walking for a while, they reached her buidling in Clinton Hill. “Ta-Da! C'mon.”

She gentured to him as she unlocked the door and walked into the small lobby. She closed the door and led him upstairs to her apartment. “And are we here.” Lucille walked to the door and she already heard Kitsune pawing at the door, “I’m comin’ girl.” Unlocking the door, she opened it and Kitsune started to jump up and down. “Down, girl. Go to the couch.” She ordered and the dog followed. “Welcome to Casa de Owens.” Lucille told Paris as she walked in.

It was a small apartment, but it was perfect for her. She didn’t need a large place at all. She walked into the living room and walked up the small flight of stairs that connected to her bed upstairs. She threw her bag on her bed and walked back down. “Your apartment must be bigger, huh?” Lucille asked.

[paris-labelle-blog]

“François,” he told her with a smile, “It’s François.” Moving along with a small scoff, the young man didn’t even bother to fix his hair. He just left it messy as she made it that way. “Thanks, Luci May.”

Paris didn’t mind being dragged along a little bit, if it was her that was dragging him. In fact, he was almost disappointed when she let go— but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, he told himself in his mind. It was actually his first time in Clinton Hill, despite having lived in Brooklyn for at least a year now. Of course, he’d driven through the area a few times but never truly paid attention to his surroundings.

Happily he entered her apartment and immediately went towards the couch where her pretty dog sat, letting her sniff at his palms before he scratched behind her ears. “Yeah, it is,” he admitted with a small chuckle. “I probably don’t need a big place, but...” Not even bothering to complete his sentence, the Frenchman shrugged his shoulders and gazed up at Lucille. “You’ve got a nice place, regardless of size.”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“An ‘F’, huh? It’s France, huh? Paris France Labelle. How French.” Lucille joked. “It’s my hair, huh? My hair is the sunshine. It’s bright enough.” She grinned. Maybe he was worth in tearing down the wall.

Lucille was sure of her feelings now. She was crushing and she didn’t know how to go about it. She needed to act normal and not her awkward self. “Oh, hmm. We walk and hang out at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Or maybe we can hang out at my apartment? You can finally meet Kitsune.” She suggested. She didn’t want to seem like she was suggesting something like sex. Because it wasn’t like that. Lucille didn’t know what to do on a date. But, this wasn’t a date. It sure felt like one, kinda.

[paris-labelle-blog]

He laughed out loud, slightly moving his head back. “No, no. Not France. You’re very close. But I bet that’s what my mother would have named me if she thought of it sooner. My family is very patriotic.” He nodded in agreement, smiling from ear to ear. “It definitely is. Then there’s my hair, all brown and generic.”

Oh, no. He wouldn’t even dream of that. Not when Paris had just gotten the chance to get to know her once again and vice versa. No, fortunately, Paris had the brains to know not to fuck up relationships with something selfish like a sex drive. The only thing on his mind was spending some quality time. He needed some sort of human interaction after so much time being a workaholic. Speaking in a nonchalant tone, “It’s up to you. I’m cool with whatever you want.” 

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“Well, I’m going to have to do to digging, huh?” Lucille joked. “I will know your middle name.” She assured him. Lucille knew that she couldn’t always building walls up. She needed to at least let people in. And she’s done that with just a few people. Maybe Paris was one of them? The wall started to crumble. “You know, I really can’t be the Ice Queen if I’m always nice to this. I’m more of a Sunshine Princess.” She blinked, “That was horrible, forget it.” She laughed.

He broke her. This man was able to do that in a matter of seconds. He has indeed changed though the years. Lucille finsihed the last of her coffee and almost didn’t hear what Paris had asked. “W-Wha? Oh, work.” Lucille took out her iPhone and checked the time. “Umm, I mean. Not really. Unless you need somewhere you need to be.” She replied as she stood up and threw away the empty coffee cup.

[paris-labelle-blog]

“I’ll give you a hint,” he teased, flashing his pearly whites as he did so, “It starts with an F.” Paris was a little different than Lucille in the sense that he’d never put up any walls to anyone, excepting for those who he felt betrayed or annoyed him. Besides, it was key to be sociable and likable when one worked in his sort of industry. “No, no, made perfect sense. You’re just a ray of sunshine.”

Indeed he’d changed quite a bit, but he hoped that it wasn’t a bad change. Admittedly, the young man had his own crush on the other when they met back in his uni days. But he was too shy, too afraid to make any real moves then. But, as already established, Paris was a much different man than the one he used to be nearly eight years ago.

“No, I’ve got the day off. I was hoping, actually, if you’d like to do something else? You know, take a walk, see a movie, just hang out...” Shrugging his shoulders, the man tried his best not to seem like he was begging. He didn’t want their time together to end. “...Something like that?”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“He was a great comedian.” Lucille said noding her head. She shot him a playful look, “You do and oh my god, Labelle you’re dead.” She laughed. She didn’t want this moment to end. She wanted time to stop and let her have this moment forever. “And the Ice Queen’s cold heart grew warmer.” She simply said, before laughing.

While she waited for Paris’ response, she took a sip of her coffee once more. She set her coffee down on the table and rested her head on her hand. Hearing him say those words, she blushed even more. She melted. Lucille Owens was caught off-guard and for once in a VERY long time, crushing. “…O-Oh.” Lucille simply said as she looked down. Looking back up at Paris, she blushed. She was speechless, she didn’t know how to go about it.

[paris-labelle-blog]

“Well it’s a good thing you don’t know my middle name. You have no defenses against me that way.” Paris smiled, feeling the same as Lucille. She was always good company to keep. Not only that, but for some reason, she made him feel like he had to be good for her. Not only in personality, but in his actions and downright horrible habits. He could have gotten drunk and showed up to her workplace all fucked up, but he chose not to. “I will say, though, Ice Queen is a much cooler title than Cafe King.”

Whether she openly admitted it or not, Paris knew. In her voice, her expression, the lack of response... It was obvious that he’d done just what he wanted to do. In a content euphoria, the man in leather finished the lasts of his drink and stood to throw it away, stretching out his arms as he sighed. “You don’t have to go back to work, do you?”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[lucille--owens-blog]

“Katt Williams is pretty funny also. But, I think that Robin Williams was the best.” Lucille replied. The redhead laughed and looked at him, “Well, now you know. You better not start middle naming me for fun. Calling me late at late whispering, ‘Luci Mayyyy.’ I’ll flip out.” She joked. She took another sip of her hot coffee. “Y'know, I’ll show you the proof. And by proof, I’ll draw on the iciles.”

“Alright, King Cafe.” Lucille laughed. She took a sip of her coffee once more and looked out the window. She watched the busy sidewalks and roads for a moment before returning to reality. After another sip, she looked from her cup, and stared at Paris, who was staring right at her. “W-What?” Her face turned red and it wasn’t from the hot drink. “Do I have anything on my face?” She asked, still red.

[paris-labelle-blog]

“I can actually agree with you on that. He’s amazing in everything, no questions asked.” Paris shook his index finger as a gesture while he spoke. “Aw, shucks. Now I have to start middle naming you!” He exclaimed, laughing in a cheesy, mischievous manner. “Please, Luci, you have no cold heart. I see right through you.”

Putting his hand back on the table, he began to quietly tap his fingers against it’s surface, inhaling a deep breath of warm cafe air. “Yes, actually—” Paris admitted with a certain smoothness to his voice, staying calm and gentle. “You have these... these gorgeous blue-green eyes and a cute, reddish nose. So I apologize for staring, but you’re a work of art and I can’t really help but admire the view.”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[paris-labelle-blog]

lucille--owens

“Yeah? Man, I’ll have a killer act. I’ll be the next George Carlin. He was a funny son-of-a-bitch.” Lucille joked before sticking out her tounge at him. “Well, that’s good! Please don’t. I don’t need people middle naming me.”

“It’s to melt my cold heart, Paris. Dork.” Lucille told him, laughing. Once they got their drinks, they moved to the lonely table in the back and Lucille sat down. “That does sound good.” The young woman replied. She took off her glasses and put in them back in the glasses case. Putting the case in her bag, she then looked up at Paris to see him not wearing his glasses. “There’s your eyes.” Lucille simply said, before carefully taking a sip of her drink. It was burning hot, but it was amazing. Perfect for a day like today. “You are right, this is good.”

“George Carlin, huh? I personally am a Katt Williams sort of guy.” Scrunching his nose up in return, listening to everything she said with much intent. “I don’t think I even knew your middle name until you said it just now. But, don’t worry, your middle name is safe with me.”

Paris just sipped at his drink, which was freezing in comparison to her hot one, and grinned. “I’ll believe that when you give hard proof,” he began, snickering partially in between words, “I want to see the icicles coming off your heart when you give me the x-ray.”

“What’d I tell you? I’m the expert. You can call me King Cafe.” he stated jokingly, putting an elbow on the edge of the table top and resting his chin atop his fist. He did this a lot whenever he was observing or thinking of something in full. For a moment he didn’t speak, anything he heard simply flying past his train of thought. He could only sit there and stare at the painted lady across the way.

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[paris-labelle-blog]

lucille--owens

“I thought Paris Labelle was your name. I’ve been lied to this entire time. How rude.” Lucille jokingly said, after gasping. The redhead rose an eyebrow at Paris, “What would make you think that you’re allowed to call me that? Just don’t add my middle name in the mix. I would think that something is wrong.” She joked. Her mother would always add her middle name whenever Lucille did something wrong or something. “Don’t be like, ‘Lucille May Owens, you’ve got explaining to do.”

She blushed, “Well, thanks Paris.” The young woman did her best to hide her blush. Lucille took a moment a think about it, “Hmm, hot please.” She smiled at Paris and looked around the cafe. Examining the room for a place to sit. There was a table in the far corner and Lucille pointed it out to Paris. “We can sit there. What do you think?”

Rolling his eyes and laughing a bit, “Real funny. You should think of a new career being a comedian.” His sarcasm was meant to be a joke, of course, grinning at Lucille helplessly. “I’m not gonna be an annoying mom, if that’s what you’re saying.”

Pursing his lips a little and nodding, he stated, “Hm. Hot. Seems fitting.” and gave absolutely no context afterwards. Hastily he went up to the young woman at the cash register and took their order, Paris handing over the cash before returning to his company’s side. “Good idea.” Once grabbing their drinks, he moved on over towards the lonesome table in the corner and sat down. “Got you a chocolate mocha thingy. I always forget the fancy titles but either way, it’s good.” Once settled in his seat he removed his sunglasses and let them hang from the collar of his shirt.

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[paris-labelle-blog]

lucille--owens

“Okay, Mr. Cafe Expert. I’ll take your word for it.” Lucille replied. The only places that she really went to was the cafe next to her apartment and Maggie’s bakery and that was really it. She needed to expand her shopping really. She was never one to step into a unfamiliar business and shop. She usually went with a friend who would tell her about it.

“Well, I think so. It looks good on you.” Lucille told the taller one. She stared at the menu thinking about what she wanted. She shurgged her shoulders, “True. But, you’ve never seen me wear glasses, I don’t think.” She looked up at him and fixed them just a slight. “I don’t mind wearing these every once in a while. I think they look good.” Lucille boasted. They both walked to the counter. She bit her lip, “Y'know, Paris. You’re the expert. Order something for me. Surprise me.” She grinned.

“Yep, that’s my name. Don’t wear it out.” Unlike the voice actress, he was an extremely experimental person. And he took too many risks, if you asked anyone who was close to him. But, he liked to think of it as a good trait. You don’t know until you try it, right?

“Thanks, Luci. If I’m allowed to call you that again.” Tilting his head a little off to the side and closely examining the redhead’s features, he was hardly paying attention to her glasses frames. Only her pleasant face. “I’ve seen them now and I can still vouch for you on the appearance side of things.” Following along towards the counter, Paris already knew what he wanted the moment he walked in. “I don’t wanna surprise you too much,” he said, taking out some cash from his wallet, “At least tell me whether you want something hot or cold.”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

[paris-labelle-blog]

lucille--owens

Lucille noticed that Paris was wearing the same rounded-glasses from yesterday. The same glasses that Lucille had found Paris wearing one day at Uni. And he would wear them all the time. It’s not that Lucille’s minded, but she liked his eyes. “Oh, that actually sounds good.” She replied, before heading to one of the seats next to Jack to grab her bag, who nuged her. “Get some, Luci.” He whispered to her. Lucille shot him a look, “Shut your month, Jack.” She replied, playfully hitting him with her bag.

With her bag in hand, she walked back towards Paris and lead him out of the studio. “Jack likes to make jokes.” The redhead laughed as they both made their way out of the building. Exiting the building, the sun shone down brightly. “It feels great to get out of the studio once and while, y'know?” She said as they made their way to the cafe. “Normally, I usually eat at the cafe that my work has.”

Lucille looked at Paris as they walked, “You know, your wardrobe is like seriously fancy. I know I said that yesterday, but damn. Didn’t know that you also dressed like that on your days off.” She commented. She felt out of place next to him. She threw on jeans, a grey loose shirt, along with a black cardigan before she left that morning. Reaching the cafe, they walked in the cafe. “Oh geez.” The young woman grabbed a glasses case of out her bag and took out a pair of black glasses. “I can not see the menu to save my life.” She looked at Paris, “Don’t comment on them. People say I should get contacts, but ehh. I don’t know.”

He had his reasons for it, though for the most part, he just really like those freaking glasses. Paris, on the other hand, didn’t like his eyes too much. He hated looking at himself in the mirror. They looked too much like his father’s.

Letting out a chuckle, he walked calmly beside Lucille, unable to wipe the dumb smile off his face. “I think you’ll like this place. I go to a plethora of places, since I’m always running let and right. So, I think I’m like a cafe expert at this point.” He joked.

Paris only dressed normally when he was at home. Otherwise, he dressed to the nines. That day he decided to wear a more casual outfit than his previous day’s suit— plain black jeans, a simple grey tee, his leather jacket with tons of zippers, and some crimson suede chelsea boots. “Okay, it’s not that fancy... I don’t think.”  Standing close beside the shorter of the two, the man simply shook his hand in a dismissive manner. “You forget I used to wear glasses, too, back in uni. Only difference is you look with and without the glasses.”

[lucille--owens-blog]

an unlikely pair || lucille&&paris

Lucille waved at Jack and Toby from inside the booth, the two men who usually control the soundboard. “There’s some really bad feedback coming from the headset.” She told them, before walking out of the booth and handing them the headdet. “Sorry about, Luci. Here’s an extra one.” Jack handed her the new one and she went back into the recording booth. She plugged in the headset and put it on. Giving them a thumbs-up, “Awesome guys.”

Lucille looked at the script that was in front of her and reviewed her notes that she had made. “You just about ready, Luci?” Mark asked through the microphone. “I’m ready when you are.” Lucille answered. “Awesome. Let me pull up the scene.” Lucille looked forward to the tv screen that was in the booth. It was showed a frame of the scene that she was doing.

She fixed the headphones on her head, before cuing that she was ready. Lucille watched the screen carefully for her lines. “We pray for hope, embrace curses and protect you from the dark. We are magical girls. We traded our souls for our powers and a destiny of battle. A destiny which ends in oblivion. For the only way to escape our despair is to vanish from this world. The end will come for all of us. So we continue our fight and wait for the Law of Cycles to lead us away. In this broken world, doomed to repeat its tragedies and hatred, I dreamed of someone I knew and saw her familiar smile again.“ She recited.

While she was recording, she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye, "I had a dream, and it scared me.” She looked down at the script real quick and back at the screen, “In my dream, you went some place far away. And, it was so far I wasn’t gonna able to see you again. And everyone forgot about you.” Lucille started to fake cry for the next line, “…No one remembered you except for me! I was the only one in the world who could! It was so, so mean… It’s sad. And, no one understood how I felt! I started to think all my memories of you…were just things I made up. I thought I was grave crazy…!”

Lucille tilted her head to the side, “I should add more emotion to that one.” Lucille looked outside the booth window and waved at Paris. She took the headphone off and exited the recording booth, “Thank you, thank very much.” The rehead smiled. She looked at Paris, "I hope you didn’t have any problems finding the place.” Lucille looked at Mark and Jack, “I’ll be back later, okay guys?” Looking back at Paris, she grinned, “Where to?”

[paris-labelle-blog]

Holding the fridge door open and blankly staring at it, Paris realized just how unhealthy he really was. The inside of his fridge was sparkling clean, looking brand new, when in reality he’d had it for almost a year now. It only looked so clean because he never put any food in it. All that was there was a six pack of Dos Equis, a bottle of vodka, some carrots and left over Chinese take out from a few nights ago. 

He’d never truly recognized his habits as a bad thing, or something to be diagnosed. He thought he was just having fun, that was all. But in reality, the poor soul was a drunk. Alcoholism, drugs, fighting... It consumed a vast majority of his life. Many people underestimated him because of his choice of career. People would think, ‘he’s in the fashion industry, he has a lot of girl friends, he’s so bubbly, he must have it easy, he must be weak.’ There were endless assumptions made based on only one fact. Not that life was too hard for him, but it certainly was no cake walk.

There was a rushing urge to down all his beer and then head back out into the streets again. But, there was an angelic little voice in his mind telling him, ‘you said you wouldn’t.’ Paris nodded lightly, closed the fridge, and quickly got dressed before he left.

Sometime in the midst of Lucille recited her lines, the fancily dressed man had stepped inside and gave those known as Jack and Toby an acknowledging nod. Quietly he sat in the corner and watched his old friend work her magic. A tiny smile came up across his face, happy to see Lucille was enjoying her work.

As soon as she stepped out the booth Paris stood to his feet, lightly brushing off the black leather jacket he wore. “No, the lady at the front desk was very clear about where I should go,” he replied, his face glowing up. Once again, he had on those same old rounded glasses. He always wore them, whether they went along with what he was wearing or not. And it’d been that way ever since he first got his hands on them back in his sophomore year of uni. They were a bit of a mystery, but then again, no one ever asked.

“There’s this great place a few blocks down called Portfolio Café,” Paris began, giving a little shrug, “It’s kinda small and cozy. I personally like it. They make a hell of a latte, too.”

[paris-labelle-blog]

paris ✉ luci

luci: alright, sounds like you have yourself a deal, mr. labelle. i'll tell serena at the front desk to show you the way to where i record.

luci: she is and i love her so much!

paris: great. i'll see you soon, ms.owens.

paris: i wanna meet her someday!

[paris-labelle-blog]

paris ✉ luci

luci: beer isn't a great choice for waking up, paris!

luci: that's good! i'm actually in the studio for a bit, recording a lines for a few episodes.

luci: she does! and she's a lazy dog who i spoil rotten.

paris: ok i'll tell you what.

paris: i won't touch the beer but only if i can go visit you at the studio.

paris: i need something to do today. besides, i owe you a coffee don't i?

paris: i bet she's a cute, lazy, spoiled dog though!

[paris-labelle-blog]

morning sickness.

[paris-labelle-blog]

paris ✉ luci

luci: oh, geez. that's not good. make sure you drink some coffee, ok?

luci: hey, just don't stress yourself out too much. i would stress myself out too much over work to the point where i wouldn't eat or even socialize.

luci: i will! she loves being scratched behind the ears.

paris: all i've got in the fridge is beer.

paris: alright, will do. my boss let me have the day off, thankfully.

paris: i figured she would!

[paris-labelle-blog]

paris ✉ luci

luci: me? or my witty jokes?

luci: damn, that sucks. you really sacrifice a lot to even get noticed in the fashion world, huh?

luci: i am with kitsune. we both had dinner and we're watching stand-up comedies on netflix.

paris: so i passed out at work last night and nobody woke me up or anything.

paris: so yes, there's a lot of sacrifice. call me jesus 'cause i'm dying and resurrecting myself everyday for this shit.

paris: but hey, tell kitsune i said hi and scratch behind her ears for me please?

[paris-labelle-blog]

paris ✉ luci

luci: who?

luci: kidding, i wasn't expecting you text me that soon.

luci: what's up?

paris: well i think it's safe to say i missed you.

paris: ugh i'm stuck in the office all night.

paris: you?