are u eatin' tho?

perseus ainsworth | 26 victor mcmann on xoxo

[percvss]

ESME.

esme knew it wasn’t fair to intentionally make percy jealous, especially considering their history of infidelity, but she couldn’t ignore the giddy flutter she felt in the pit of her stomach when he finally found her with someone else. the jealousy at least showed her he cared enough to fight for her. her gaze held his defiantly, as if daring him to blow up at her. she can’t help but roll her eyes at her lover, secretly reveling in his annoyance. now he knew how she felt any time she picked up a magazine and saw a picture of percy out with some other girl. “it was going great until you so rudely interrupted,” she teased. “y’know, if you’re just gonna abandon me, the least you could do is not act like a dickhead when you finally decide to return. we were just talking. am i not allowed to talk to guys other than you now?” her response was far from rational, but she hoped it’d at least get a rise out of him. “you’re so ridiculous.”

        “it’s a good thing you came with him then.” he responds as nonchalantly as he can, though the jealousy is thick in the air. it’s stupid really. the male knows that the more he reacted this way, the more pissed off esme got, but percy can’t fucking stand it that they were apart for less than an hour and he finds her latched onto her friend. if the roles were reversed, she’d have caught him with tv producers and directors. percy clenches his jaw, shaking his head some. “i didn’t abandon you.” he murmurs. “i’m not fucking stupid. you were not just talking to him.” perseus knows what esme looks like when she’s flirting -- he’s usually the one reveling in her attention when she is. “for fuck’s sake -- you think i wanted to talk to those people all night long? i like my job, esme.” it wasn’t helping that he was sitting upon news that he was up against someone from the studio for an upcoming role. percy wasn’t against kissing some sweet ass to get ahead, so if he had to schmooze, he would. of course, it would be too easy to just tell her that he cares and that it’ll hurt if she doesn’t reciprocate. that’s exactly why he tells her the opposite. “look, i don’t care who you talk to.. he wasn’t exactly fighting to stick around you anyway.”

[percvss]

NOEL.

Noel was off by herself for most of the gala. Her date had canceled on her last minute and she couldn’t find a replacement in time, so she was left flying solo. For her, that was the worst possible thing that could’ve happened. No one to laugh and do rounds with, not a soul with her to make fun of the other patrons, not even another body for her to sway to the music with. So that left her with a drink in her hand and a sour look on her face. That was until she saw her boyfriend for hire. Seeing a familiar face did help a little bit, but not much. The other person only perked her up enough to emit a smile out of her. “That honestly sounds god awful. I wonder what poor sucker has to be auctioned off..” She trailed off, seeing one of the very handsome and obviously slutty extras walk around. “I wonder how much.” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

        perseus hums in agreement, bringing his drink to his lips. “i’m sure they’ll make a psa that it’s all PG.. a day at an amusement park or something. anyways.. it’s not me -- sorry to disappoint. m’sure you’d have wanted to bid your little heart out, but.. have to put that dream to rest, noel..” he’s grinning as he teases the other, nudging her with his elbow for good measure. the male of course knew it was the opposite. percy has lost count to the number of times noel has bailed him out of being dateless -- his pr team loved her too. although it was kind of nice not having to ask her tonight. he figures it gave her an opportunity to go with someone she actually wanted to go with instead. “so.. who’re you here with?? i missed you out on the carpet. did you walk it with the rest of the xoxo cast and shit??”

[percvss]

DYLAN.

By this time of the night, Dylan was under the influence of many substances including six shots and the endless glasses of champagne being passed around throughout the night. The suggestion of offering up a date night on the auction block caused a loud laugh to erupt from his lips. “I mean, it may not be all that bad considering the attendees tonight. There are quite a few girls here that I would very much enjoy spending a night with – even if it was just dinner. Maybe we should bid on it just to fuck with whoever it is.”

        “not all that bad??” perseus repeats, eyebrows lifting. his gaze flickers around the room for a moment. sure the room was star studded tonight, even the plus ones were done up, but percy knew that those sort of things always had a way of turning out absolutely horribly. “chances are none of the girls worth spending any time with are going to be bidding money on you. and i’m not saying that to be a dick, but like.. think about it -- it’s gonna be some exec bidding for their fuckin’ daughter or something. a big fan.” he rolls his eyes. “if we really wanna fuck with them, we get someone else to bid for us.”

[percvss]

ESME.

♡ /  closed starter

despite her reluctance to agree to be his date, esme’s night with percy had actually begun on a high note. the press was eating up their grand return to the red carpet as a couple, and admittedly it did feel good to be shown off like a trophy he’d won back again. her mood was on a high, only to begin sinking the second he left her to talk business with some executives. at first she tried to stay positive— socializing with friends, grabbing a drink at the bar— but as time went on the loneliness crept in. all she wanted was to spend the night by percy’s side, ignoring everyone else just to get lost in each other. esme couldn’t help but fall back on old vices when she caught a glimpse of an old co-star, immediately going after him to strike up a conversation. they’d had a bit of a fling during filming, and rumor has it he still carried a flame for her. still, the starlet wanted to be good, and so all they did was harmlessly flirt for a few minutes, only to be interrupted by the very person she’d been wanting to see all night. “there you are, babe,” she greeted nonchalantly, barely sparing a glance to the man percy just scared away. “i was beginning to think you forgot about me.” //@percvss​

        perseus can’t catch a break, or his date. the male has been floating around from executive to executive, schmoozing with the directors, while the one person he wants to be spending this night with is no where to be found. it’s really no surprise that the night is turning out this way, percy was completely prepared for this -- the small talk and fake laughter come quite naturally to him, though he figured he’d be with esme at least through some of it. percy can’t even remember when he lost her, but it was sometime nearing the end of the red carpet and he’d been in the venue for a good chunk of time now. he excuses himself just in time for the lights to dim, the stage lighting up, and music fills the hall. perseus scans the room, searching for esme. he has to do a double take when he finally finds her tucked away with someone. his jaw clenches, brows furrowing into a harsh line as he approaches. once he makes eye contact with the other male, percy doesn’t have to say much for him to excuse himself. in fact, all he does is lift an eyebrow as his arm slides around esme’s waist and the male is fleeting. “clearly i’m not the one with the issue remembering -- how’s your date going??" his gaze flickers around the room quickly to make sure the guy was gone. “looked like you two were having a good time.”

[percvss]

BELLE.

Belle had never been too good at sucking up, if anything she just smiled and let people say what they wanted about her. Thankfully most of the bigger executives had been congratulating her, praising her current portrayal of Sabrina and everything the writers had decided to put her through. Her dress fully lit up she was having a ball, enjoying the Christmas part more than anything else. Feeling a shoulder against hers she looked up with a smile, “I did not hear that and now I’m really hoping that it wasn’t my publicist doing that for me. I’m awkward enough with people that I know.”

        perseus’ eyebrows lift, the corners of his mouth downturned, because that’s really not the response he ‘s expecting to hear. the female is smiling though and that in itself is reassuring that she’s just teasing. he scoffs softly, lifting his drink to his lips. “jesus, you think your publicist would possibly set that up for you?? well fuck, belle you need a new publicist.” he shakes his head, arms crossing over his chest. “you do know that they work for you, not the other way around.” he teases, “ehh, if it is you m’sure we can round up some of the others to out bid any unwanted suitors.”

[percvss]

DAPHNE.

          there’s hardly any moments alone at events like these. shaking hands with directors of other shows, endlessly thanking producers of her own, chatting with actors she only sees at these events. so she finds herself slightly relieved as percy bumps against her ( though the public, and even herself, years ago, might find that hilarious ) and joins her before someone else can. “really?” daphne’s nose scrunches at the news. she supposes there’s some safety in a studio gala, so at least they have a slight connection to the people placing bids tonight. some are producers, directors and other actors - simply to join in on the fun. but there were still too many guests and plus-ones in attendance for that to sound like a good idea. “no way. there’s only one type of person who would bid on that.” and those are probably the ones on the outskirts of their circles, the ones who are too eager at the chance to spot them among the party-goers. it takes a lot for daphne to trust people enough to let him see her life, even if it was just a dinner, it felt too personal. her idea of a gift for the auction was to have her assistant raid her extra closet ( there was so much free stuff in there anyway ) and collect any bags, shoes, or clothes she hadn’t seen her wear recently. “if i’m friends with them, i might have to throw some money in and save them from a horrible night.”

        he tips his glass to meet his lips and hums, nodding when daphne questions him. the pair are no stranger to weird rumours and while perseus has come to an indifference when things came out about himself, he loved to insert himself into the gossip of others. a soft chuckle barely makes it past his throat, finally shrugging. “well i mean who really knows, though.. could all just be here or say..” he adds on quickly. daphne is quite correct in her thought process. though it was a work event, meaning the attendees should technically be a large group of people that have only the best intentions, percy didn’t trust anyone in this industry, especially not the ones that stayed behind the scenes and many of those people were in attendance tonight. “i’m just wondering how someone had so little to offer they had to settle on a dinner date with themselves?? kind of tacky -- you don’t have to donate anything.” fingertips card through his hair, offering a slight smile to her, “you’ll be a hero. -- by the way, you’re looking stunning tonight, daph. didn’t see you out on the carpet. probably hear about that later..” there was no point now, as all the photographers weren’t actually allowed into the venue. percy ditched his publicist the moment the carpet was done.

[percvss]

        his phone has been buzzing all fucking night long. most of it was absolute rubbish -- but his manager’s name appears more than usual and almost as quickly as he unlocks his phone to read the message, his mood switches. fucking hell. it was a call back -- something the male was usually quite stoked about. there was always something tacked onto good news though, and tonight it was who the other actor reading for the same part was -- while he usually didn’t get that kind of information, it was someone from the studio so the news was leaked. asher price. percy slams the rest of his champagne. the itch in his throat told him it was time for something stronger and the tiny bag weighing heavy in his pocket was pushing him to disappear to the bathroom again for a while, but as he surveys the floor for the bar he sees a ridiculous dress and hideous white shorts and his lips purse. the male watches from afar for a few moments before discarding his empty glass with a waiter and sauntering over. perseus claps a hand on asher’s back, gripping shoulder some. “asher!! holy shit, think you forgot to wear something underneath this.” he grins at the other opposite asher, “this guy -- you really hit nightmare before christmas right on the head, man.” slipping in between the two he flags the bartender down and orders a drink. @ashertmz​

[percvss]

        once the bubbly starts to go around, perseus knows it’s time to slide away from all the talk and schmoozing to the big executives of the studio and maybe start to actually enjoy the gala. he knows there’s supposed to be some kind of auction tonight and perseus definitely had his assistant donate something, but to be frank he was getting bored and no performance or auction was going to liven things up in here. the male is half expecting to hear ‘this is halloween’ blast through the ballroom and he thinks that’ll be the perfect moment to dip out. he shifts into the space beside a familiar face, knocking his shoulder gently into theirs. “did you hear one of the actors at the studio is auctioning off a dinner date with them tonight??” percy hums, lifting his glass slowly to his lips. surely it might just be a dumb rumour. “can’t remember who told me.. i think i’d die before putting my life in the hands of the highest bidder. even if it is just dinner.” @studio3starters​

[percvss]

PERSEUS AINSWORTH attends studio three 2019 holiday gala in yves saint laurent

[percvss]

ESME.

every part of her knew this was foolish. she’d lost count of how many times they’d broken up only to wind up in each other’s arms again. it was a vicious cycle of all-consuming passion, jealousy, and heartbreak that esme couldn’t seem to break. how could she walk away when things were so sweet and they fit together so well? though the club was bustling around them, esme couldn’t help but feel as if it were just the two of them soaking in each other’s presence and making up for lost time. perseus had that effect on her, somehow able to outshine everyone around him so all she could focus on was his radiant presence. hearing that quiet swear he uttered only made her confidence swell, attempting to roll her hips again only to be held in place by a strong hand. a small grin slipped across her face, though she didn’t protest, knowing it was in both of their best interests to tone down the raunchy antics. before she knew it, he’d settled the bill and was urging her up off his lap. the girl complied, smoothing her skirt as she stood and casting a glance around them to make sure no one was watching. “someone’s eager,” she giggled, grasping his hand and giving it a playful squeeze. as they made their way to the back exit, esme stayed close, clocking the jealous looks of both men and women. once outside, she braced herself for camera flashes, only to find security had cleared the area out. now safely buckled up, esme leaned over the center console and pressed her lips to the side of his neck, pressing featherlight kisses against his flesh as one hand drifted up his thigh. “fuckin’ missed you,” she murmured. “drive fast, babe.”

        his security was given strict instruction to keep this outing low key. that made it sound like perseus was incapable of handling himself out, that his tendency to get out of hand was overpowering, but it was really less about him and more about fans and paparazzi swarming. all it took was one instagram story of him in the nightclub, one tweeted photograph, and suddenly the entrances were flooded with people trying to work their way to him. the male stretches his arm back along the passenger seat, inviting esme into his space, or as much as he could with the console in the way. percy’s head tilts some, smoothing his palm down her back as he groans low in his throat. fingertips press the start button, the lights in the dash illuminating his face. percy looks over at her, carding his fingers through her hair and taking a moment to tuck her hair behind her ear. in the moment of tenderness, his thumb ghosts across her cheek gently, head falling forward until it’s touching hers. “fuck, es.” he murmurs softly between them before capturing her lips in a fervent kiss. the male pulls at her bottom lip, only breaking their kiss for a moment. “why the fuck did we ever stop??” it’s a loaded question, one that perseus shouldn’t be so stupid to ask. he wasn’t actually looking for an answer though. they have to pull out of here and percy’s reminded when he here’s someone knock on the door to signal that he go. finally the male pulls out onto the street, foot heavy on the peddle. “you’re really testing my patience, baby.. god, if we get pulled over..--”

[percvss]

NOEL.

Noel held back her laughter as she heard the frustrated male swear, knowing that he truly didn’t want to have to ask for her help. “It’s alright sweetheart, I have no issue going with you to make sure you don’t pick out something God awful… Again.” She teased, thinking of the past few gifts he has shown her. She smiled softly and nodded in thanks at him holding the door open for her. “Well you should never come in with a specific preference of metals. You could find something truly beautiful, but won’t buy it because of preference.” She tapped her eyebrow as if to mime that he should think.

        “when have i ever picked out anything god awful??” perseus scoffs, eyes rolling some as he smiles politely at the associate eager to greet the pair. sure, the male often asked noel for her opinion with gifts in the past. he’s always found her easy to talk to, especially in the early mornings on set when percy barely wanted anything to do with anyone. much to his dismay, noel was usually quite helpful. “having a preference doesn’t mean shit. i’m not going to ignore the beauty in something just because i tend to go for what i know i like.. -- you don’t like gold??”

[percvss]

ESME.

even without looking, she can feel his eyes on her, knowing he could probably see right through her act. a professional pretender, even she couldn’t hide her true feelings from perseus— not after he’d learned to read her like a book. showing her true vulnerabilities had always been her greatest fear, and she happened to know he was a master manipulator capable of breaking her heart on a whim. still, she couldn’t stand to have his attention off her even for a second, grasping his chin and turning his head to look at her again. “out of all the people i could’ve run into tonight, i’m glad it’s you,” she told him, voice a low murmur as she leaned in and brushed her nose against his softly. if only they could stay this blissfully infatuated with each other forever. with them, things always started hot and heavy only to explode, their mutual yet unspoken jealousy undermining what could be a great relationship. esme could never get enough of feeling desired and adored, and anytime percy wasn’t giving her the attention she needed she’d seek it elsewhere, meanwhile harboring resentment towards him for doing the exact same thing. every time they’d spark things up, promising to keep it casual and fun, and every time esme would get too involved, leading to their eventual downfall. “i’m always good,” she giggled, swirling the ice cube around in her glass before downing its contents. their bodies were so close, percy obviously eager to feel her, and esme took it upon herself to place herself on his lap, her back pressed against his chest. “i’m sure no one will mind if we take it back home with us,” she assured, grasping said bottle and taking a swig directly from it. one hand grasping his knee for leverage, she subtly rolled her hips back against his covered length. “so.fucking. close.” again she rolled her hips, craning her neck to the side to watch his reaction.

        it was the small moments just like this, esme’s nose brushing gently against his own, that caused the room around him to move slow. perseus can’t help but feel impossibly close to her like this. those words held a significance in them that percy didn’t mean to take so personally. he really wasn’t supposed to, because that’s always where he fell into trouble with esme. they were just words.. and they didn’t mean anything. hell -- perseus knew exactly what to say to reel esme in, so it shouldn’t at all be shocking to him that she could do the same. still it was definitely hard to distinguish that being so intoxicated with her. he can see every remarkable detail on her face, his forehead resting gently against hers now. “me too..’ he murmurs the words so softly, they almost get lost in the thrum of the music. whether esme decides to believe it or not, it’s the most honest two words he’s spoken tonight. god, he’s missed her. as soon as her hips roll against his, he’s ready to get the fuck out of here. percy curses under his breath. a hand grasps her hip, surprisingly trying to halt her moving hips, though keeping her pressed against him. the male wasn’t opposed to public escapades, and neither was esme which was not a good combination. he flags down his waiter for his bill, swiping and signing quicker than he’s ever managed before. perseus pats her thigh, shifting some. “fuckin’ christ -- c’mon,” once she’s standing, he grabs the bottle of tequila and grabs her hand with his other, fingers interlocking with hers. the male leads her through the crowded club, keeping her tucked behind him as they maneuver to the private exit, his car ready and waiting for him.

[thebootydiaries]

[percvss]

TERRA.

terra rolled her eyes, she considered percy to be a close friend but the male was practically useless when it came to shopping. this wasn’t the first time she’d taken him shopping and he spent the entire time with his face buried in his cell phone. “okay, it’s a wedding dress,” she sighed, as she spun around to face percy, “i just wanted to try it on, i wasn’t actually planning to wear it,” she rolled her eyes, “i think it’s a charity gala or something,” she offered with a shrug as she removed a bright red dress from one of the racks. “i’m sure there’s probably a catalog that we can check,” she shrugged as she turned to face her friend. “what about this?”

        “terra.. why are you trying on shit you’re not actually going to wear??” percy practically pouts. he was under the impression this would be a quick endeavour and then they’d be out of here an onto the party, but this was taking forever. “a charity gala..” the male repeats, eyes narrowing at all the dresses still lined up and waiting for the female to go through. god, they’d be here all day. percy exhales a long sigh, his brows lifting as he shakes his head. “okay, maybe just wear the wedding dress.” he stops pushing through the dresses finally to look up from the rack, eyes landing on terra once again. he pauses, "oh..” perseus’ head tilts as he steps towards her, fingertips gently grazing atop of the fabric. “this is really beautiful.” he murmurs, a new tone of seriousness in his voice. “try it on.”

[percvss]

CELINE.

Celine sat on the concrete ground, a small coffee cup next to her and the script of the next episode of Locals. Out of all the roles she think she could book, a role in a sitcom wasn’t in the list. However, how could Celine turn down a starring role. Frowning down at the pages of the script, the young brunette let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she muttered quietly to herself.

        perseus has never been very good at minding his own business and this morning wasn’t any different. though he appears to be mindlessly scrolling through his phone, replying to a few messages, his gaze continues to flicker towards the other. he didn’t really care, nor did he want to get dragged into hearing about a potential sob story, but his curiosity always got the best of him. “the coffee isn’t going to help your nerves..” percy nods to the cup sat beside her. it was apparent she was getting ready to head to set and the only thing worse than nerves was the addition of caffeine. “-- you’re just going to be a shaky, wired mess. should drink water before you go in.” 

[percvss]

THEO.

                      𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐒 , 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 to wish he wasn’t the only one with a cold mother , incapable of love , or at least of what he thought love should look like . because to hear that the younger male’s mother was averse to sentimentality , the slightest  hint of apathy ,  it was enough to validate his distrust and antipathy towards his own mother . it often crossed his minds how some mothers could hold their child and think to themselves that they’d love that child forever , but not all mothers could love their children without a cost  — whether it be power over their decisions or their identity , so many conditions for what had been widely advertised as unconditional .   ❛❛   maybe , don’t get her anything at all . i mean ,  if she won’t care about something with meaning , i doubt she’d care for anything at all , ❜❜ theo could admit that it was probably the most unhelpful idea , slightly shrugging his shoulders . at least , he didn’t have to pretend to know fuck about what mothers wanted .

❛❛ and if you buy her something and she actually uses it , it’d just be because it’s pretty and it goes well with everything else she’s wearing . it won’t be because you got it for her .  so you know , don’t worry too much about it if she ain’t for sentimentality anyway . but , you can never go wrong with diamonds so just get that , move on .   ❜❜

        the suggestion is not exactly what perseus was hoping to hear from the other. honestly it was entirely the opposite of what he was hoping to hear. he really rather have no help at all than this. “get her nothing..” percy deadpans. he takes a moment to lift his arm, carding his fingers through his hair. while what the other is getting at resonates with him, it’s not even an option. not only is it just plain stupid to skip out on an opportunity to get in his mother’s good books, selfishly, he thinks it might actually hurt more to find out that she possibly doesn’t actually give a flying fuck about whether or not she receives anything from the male. he has always given her something. percy cannot admit that theo is right. it’s easy to say all that other shit, mainly because he doesn’t think it’s groundbreaking news to anyone when they meet the woman that she’s not really the sentimental type, but when theo begins to break it down even more so, that’s where he draws the line. the male blinks slowly, head shaking gently. “who the fuck even cares why she wears it?? doesn’t it just matter that she wears the damn thing?? you know you’re kind of shit at this..” diamonds and move on. he points out a pair of earrings with a matching necklace -- of course the associate has to bring them out for good show before perseus finally mumbles a quick “i’ll take them.” 

[percvss]

FARAH.

“oh my god, have you seen this?” farah asked, holding up her phone that had a gossip site up on it with a badly photoshopped photo of herself and prince harry. “apparently i’m his mistress,” she laughed and shook her head at the absurdity of what tabloids would post. “they said ‘an anonymous source reported that the two were seen canoodling on her recent trip to england,’” she laughed even more than before, “first off, who the fuck says canoodling? and second, i haven’t been to england in like a year. where do they get this shit?”

        perseus squints, leaning forward some to get a good look at whatever farah was cackling about. he brings his coffee to his lips, almost choking when he finally realizes who is in the photo. “holy shit -- since when are you papped out with fucking prince harry??” it’s practically the cherry on top to hear that the photo was an entire year old and was still going around. honestly percy wishes there was a photo of him that powerful. “so how long have you an harry been canoo -- wait..” percy grabs hold of the phone, studying the photo a moment longer. “this is bullshit -- you got me so excited!! who the hell photoshopped you with prince harry and why??”