Wipe The Dirt Off

[edmundprince]

[Text]: Hey, I know it's rather late, and this might be something you hate. But I can't help but be straight and ask you out on a date. - Riley The (shitty) Poet.

Text: That would be great, you can pick me up at eight. Don’t be late. x

[edmundprince]

"Well, flattery will get you everywhere." Poor Riley is far worse at hiding his nerves than Ed is, but he does have the advantage of looking really cute whatever he happens to be doing. And Ed really isn’t sure he can take having thoughts containing the word ‘cute’. This is getting out of hand way too fast, and he thinks it’s time for a diversion. "Hm? What? Sorry, I’m having a little trouble focussing… this suit is very distracting on you," He murmurs, moving in close.

[riley-deluca]

"I do try." Riley murmured, offering a sheepish smile as he waited for the blonde to take his hand patiently. He just wanted to get into the car as quickly as possible, that way he could maybe calm down and not end up with sweat patches on his shirt. Just as he thought that, he was pulled closer to the Prince, eyes going wide as he felt Ed's lips oh so close. "I...we...well thanks but...we have to go soon...I have a booking."

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

So fresh and so clean

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

Maybe it had been a cocky thing to say, but the man before him was clearly hiding his sexuality whether he wanted to admit it or not. Jakob hadn’t meant anything by his quote other than to encourage the man not to hide. Jakob had hidden who he was his entire life, he knew how it could eat away at you. The anger, however, rolled in waves off Riley and Jakob shrunk back a little, his mouth falling open as Riley spilled Jakob and Ed’s secret. He wanted to lurch at him and throw a hand over his mouth, tackle him out of the hallway and get him to shut up about it. But as good of shape as Jakob was in, he knew that he’d probably get shoved to the ground before making any progress. There was no denying the accusations, not with the way Jakob’s face still showed his complete shock and the blush that adorned his cheeks. How could this driver know? He was pretty sure Ed wasn’t in the habit of sharing his cross dressing with just anyone…so did that mean that Ed and Riley were that good of friends, or maybe something more? Had Ed told Riley how Jakob had freaked out? Had Jakob let on too much? Did Ed somehow figure out who he was? He couldn’t process any of it, and chose to keep his mouth closed, only inviting the man into his room.

Once he had a shirt on, he closed the door and stood in front of it before jerking his head to get the man to look away while he pulled on a pair of sweats from the floor. Clothed, he felt a little more in control. He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance in a physical fight, but mentally, he knew he could run this man over. He considered the man’s demands, trying to make his face calm and smooth. “I”m not playing any game Mr. De Luca. I am here because I am Charles lawyer, that is all.” he repeated, words fading to the back ground as Riley continued. “OH…jealous are we? I thought you were straight? You know, just because he wears girls clothes doesn’t make him a girl.” It was a weird thing to say, seeing Jakob had been telling himself over and over the exact opposite to make himself feel less weird about the whole thing. “But, seeing that I don’t exactly appreciate the fact that you know my private affairs, let me ask you this…how exactly did you come across this information? I have to assume straight from Edmund as he doesn’t seem the type to spread this type of thing around. Which means you two must be close…lovers?”

[riley-deluca]

Riley gave the lawyer a scowl before snorting and turning his back  to the man, not even remotely interested in seeing what was behind that towel now. Anyway, he had Ed, he didn't care for some cocky smartass douche who seemed just like the time to take advantage. He turned around at the words, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes in disbelief. "So is there any reason why being Charles' lawyer requires you to bring Ed dresses?" His eyes went wide at the next line of Jakob's accusations, the rough football player in him not taking any more shit and lurching forward, hand curling into the tshirt the other man wore. "I know exactly what Ed is, don't you talk like you know anything."

He released Jakob though his face stayed close, nostrils flaring with irritation. He could feel the judgement coming off in waves from the man. It was the time of assumptions he'd lived with all his life and he was sick of it, sick of every labelling him, who he was. Either it was nerd or jock, gay or straight. Why couldn't he just be Riley De Luca? "It's none of your damn business where I got it from. Me and Ed are...friends, why do you care? Why do you keep asking questions?!" 

[edmundprince]

[Text]: Hey, I know it's rather late, and this might be something you hate. But I can't help but be straight and ask you out on a date. - Riley The (shitty) Poet.

Text: That would be great, you can pick me up at eight. Don’t be late. x

[edmundprince]

This is a bad idea. Ed isn’t entirely sure what had possessed him to say yes to this date, but now it’s creeping up on him at an alarming pace and he’s starting to freak out. He can’t do this. It’s too functional; it’s admitting to himself that he likes Riley more than he had ever planned on. And damn it all if he can’t find anything to wear that doesn’t make him look like a tattooed scarecrow.

After a long, exhausting battle with his wardrobe, Ed eventually settles on a pair of slim, dark grey suit pants and a loose black shirt. His hair is down and soft and keeps flopping into his eyes, but its light colour compared with those of his clothes creates a nice contrast. “Well, I suppose you’ll do…” He murmers at his reflection in the mirror.

What feels like seconds later, the doorbell rings, and Ed delays a moment before heading to answer it, nervous butterflies beating at the walls of his stomach. He feels like he might throw up, but instead he opens the door, leaning against the frame so he can rake his gaze appreciatively over Riley. He looks desperately handsome and it isn’t fair. “You clean up nicely.”

[riley-deluca]

Riley's eyes darted over Ed immediately, appreciating every inch of the man. It didn't matter that the clothes sagged or any other small quirks, it all looked...perfect to him. He gave a nervous laugh at the blonde's comment, adjusting his shirt idly before shrugging. "You clean up even better." 

He paused a moment before offering his hand out, giving the Prince a smile and trying to be more confident than he felt. When was the last time he dated? Especially with a guy...in public. Maybe he should of worn an adult diaper. "S-Sh...shall we go?"

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

So fresh and so clean

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

"Sorry. It’s just..people look at me and assume" Jakob scratched the back of his head, shrugging of the other man’s huff.

Jakob pulled a face, “Well sorry for trying to be polite. You shouldn’t put yourself down to strangers Riley, it’s not becoming of a man like yourself. You seem an alright guy, got a good job, look decent, clearly you are trustworthy or you wouldn’t be in this house…” Jakob stepped back a step as the man drew closer, after Charles, Jakob had a hard time trusting anyone that insisted on getting that close to him. He wasn’t a fighter. “I”m a lawyer, it’s sort of required of me. I don’t mean to seem pretentious, just using words as they should be used. I doubt you would complain if Poe. or Theroux were standing here.”

Jakob cocked an eyebrow, looking at the man who was clearly staring at him only moments ago, “You know what they say; ’ it is necessary sometimes to lie to others, it is always despicable to lie to oneself.’..But claim whatever you want, doesn’t effect me one way or another.”

Jakob gnawed on his lip a little, negotiations were not new to him, but rarely did they have such personal stakes for him.  He suddenly had a better insight to his clients feelings and wondered how many times he’d been fairly insensitive about negotiating the terms of another man’s life. “What is it that you would like Riley?” he asked, trying to seem confident, though it was a little difficult standing in just a towel in the hallway. “Uh, before you say, would you mind if we just stepped into my room? I feel a little exposed out here…” Without waiting he slipped past Riley and into the doorway of his bed room, tucking his towel securely before pulling on a thin cotton t-shirt. “Well?”

[riley-deluca]

"For someone who works for a criminal family..you sure do make alot of positive assumptions about the men who live here." It wasn't that Riley didn't appreciate the comments, he did, which is why he hated it. Jakob had unknowing stepped into territory that the driver believed to be his even though it wasn't really and the former football player just couldn't be nice about it. "...Well I love Poe...but I suppose that fair." He conceded, blushing a little as he looked at the ground, feeling outsmarted and completely dumb. It was just bringing back all the thoughts about how much out of his depth he was to think he could still make something of his life.

 At the next words, the driver gets angry though, his shoulders squared and face tight. "I think you should learn to not judge a book by it's cover. I'm not the man who buys dresses for other men." He wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them, knowing that Ed would be furious that he shared the fact he knew, but the affront to his manhood was too great and old habits too engrained.

He gave a nod and followed Jakob wordless to the room. It wasn't that he normal did this sort of thing, in fact it had all been spur of the moment and as they walked he desperately tried to come up with something. In the end he turned his gaze away from the lawyer, not wanting to give the man the benefit of more ogling and crossing his arms. He was a big man and when he wanted to, he could look quite intimidating. "I don't know what game you're playing, why you're here or whatever. It's beyond my paygrade." His hard eyes flickered over to Jakob, mouth tight. "But you leave Ed out of this. He's not your tool or plaything, if you hurt him, I will come after you. I want you to leave him alone." 

[riley-deluca]

Princess and the Tramp || Cat & Riley

[catarina-tsarina-blog]

"Riley. Right." She didn’t smile back, still too agitated and glancing down at her phone every few moments. She sighed out a little, her brows creasing as the window wound down - honestly, why did they always think that they had to talk? Nor did she want to tell him why she was going, for fear that Charles would kill her nephew, if he thought he’d get in the way of Catarina’s inheritance. "My friend is ill… Socialites do not fare well on benders." 

[riley-deluca]

As they came to a traffic light, Riley turned his head a little towards the now open gap between them, not sure what to say. Sorry was too pitying and he couldn't really pretend to understand what sort of life she led. He was just the driver and she was the princess. "...that is unpleasant news." he finally replied lamely, drumming his fingers against the wheel.

It didn't take too long for them to arrive by the hospital, Riley parking his car close to the entrance before offering a smile. "I'll be right here Miss Gerdevitch, though hurry, the paparazzi are quick to react."

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

So fresh and so clean

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

"Am I?" Jakob asked a little surprised anyone bothered to speak about him, thought if they were, it was probably just complaints about his presence. "Yes, I suppose it does." Jakob agreed, turning his head away slightly as Riley’s eyes wandered over his features. He hated this part. The examining eyes and the inevitable questions about how he was related to the Prince family, and then all the lies he had to tell. "I’m not a Prince." he muttered at Riley’s probing eyes.

"Nice to meet you Mr. De Luca, my apologies, i didn’t mean to imply that you were..anything less than a stand up gentleman." he tried to recover, feeling that this man already didn’t like him, though he’d been ogling him only moments ago. It wasn’t that Jakob needed the man to like him per-se, but he hardly needed enemies of any type in the house right not. Not with the added pressure from his father to hurry things up. As a test, he showed a little more skin than necessary as he adjusted his towel, just trying to gather some information. "Flirting? No, no, sorry, I"m not…I don’t like…not that I care if you…straight as they come, I’m afraid sir." he finally managed, smiling, knowing at least one thing about his new acquaintance now.

"Can I ask you something?…what..what exactly are people saying about me?"

[riley-deluca]

"I never said you were, my jump to conclusions." Riley rebuffed, crossing his arms and flickering his gaze away with a huff. While the thought had crossed his mind, it irked him how much the man was just assuming. It was the know-it-all type that he had to deal with all the time in highschool and he was more than done with that shit. 

At the term of address Jakob used, the driver snorted, shaking his head in sheer amusement. He'd not been called Mr. anything in years. "It's just Riley, I'm not some eighty year old man and I'm not a 'stand up gentlemen' I'm just not a thief is all." He took a few steps closer to the man, smirking with a raised brow. "You may not be a Prince but you talk like them, a proper refined type of fella." 

He was slipping into old habit, horned over time from years of pretending to be a jock and one of the lands. The next words he heard made him freeze for a moment though, thoughts flickering to Ed before he let out a laugh. "I'm not gay, it was a joke, cool your jets, you're as jumpy as Bambi."

"...You wanna know, you gotta give me something in return."

[edmundprince]

[Text]: Hey, I know it's rather late, and this might be something you hate. But I can't help but be straight and ask you out on a date. - Riley The (shitty) Poet.

Text: That would be great, you can pick me up at eight. Don’t be late. x

[riley-deluca]

Riley wiped his nervous palms against his pants leg as he made his way to Ed's place. The man had texted the address after they agreed on the date and he had to admit he was shredding bricks. It wasn't the best date plan in the world and the restaurant wasn't particular five star - more three, but still, the driver had done the best he could.

 He straightened his best suit that he'd worn and touched up his slicked back hair before pressing the doorbell to the Prince's place, waiting eagerly with a smile as the man appeared.

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

So fresh and so clean

[illcomeifconvenient]

Jakob pulled the towel tighter around his waist, the man’s stare making him feel oddly uncomfortable, especially after the horrible misstep with Ed. The shower had been scorching hot in an effort to physically burn the memory of the stirring feelings his cross-dressing cousin had caused him. “Umm, I live here…well..kinda. Jakob Fitzroy..” he extended his hand to the man, his towel slipping a little down one hip as he did. “Charles has..umm..invited me to stay here while we work on a few things, I’m his lawyer.” Jakob looked the man over. He really needed to get out of the basement more, he didn’t remember this man at all, but he certainly didn’t’ have the ayre of a Prince. Which was a relief, considering the way the man stared. “And…for security purposes, who exactly are you and why are you here? You’re clearly not a Prince, unless a distant cousin, so you must be staff…not a maid or butler though..soo…something outside?” he managed before bringing his hand back to unwrap his towel slightly, wrapping it tightly again once adjusted.

[riley-deluca]

All it took was for the name for Riley to stop staring and give a small laugh, shaking his head at the coincidence of it all. "So you're the lawyer everyone is harping on about." He grumbled, scoffing his toe against the ground as he thought about Ed and how this man had hung out with him in the basement. The green gremlin not quite having disappeared yeah. "I heard already...everyone around here know, gossip spreads fast." He took a step closer, his head cocked to the side a little as he studied the lawyer's face. It looked oddly similar to Charles.

"I'm Riley De Luca." He said simply, with plain honestly as his eyes locked with Jakob's blues.

"I drive around here, not that you have to point out the fact I don't look like the Princes around here." Though you do. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms a little as he watched the man fiddle with the towel. "Are you trying to flash me or is that just your way of flirting?"

[riley-deluca]

Princess and the Tramp || Cat & Riley

[catarina-tsarina-blog]

Her dark eyes fixed on him and she glared, standing stock still. Had he just yawned? She was rushing to the hospital as soon as she could to make sure that her nephew and his mother, the only parts of Dmitri that were left, were still alive, she did not need cheek from the staff."I will do as I like, and I must get to hospital. I will show you respect if you show it to me." She paused, after sliding into the seat. "What is your name?"

[riley-deluca]

Riley caught her glare and ducked his head down, clearing his throat in preparation for a verbal insult that the other guards said she was famous for. But, she was surprising soft toned. "...That's fair." He replied softly, turning to close the door as she sat in the seat and pausing to glance at her with a small smile. "You can call me Riley, miss."

He moved around into the driver's seat, turning down the window between the two of them so they could speak, if the Princess wished to before starting it up and heading towards the hospital.

"So urr...why are we going to the hospital?" 

[jakob-fitzroy-blog-blog]

So fresh and so clean

"Oh! SOrry! I didn’t think anyone was home…just got out of the shower" Jakob quickly tried to apologize to whoever it was that was standing just around the corner. He could see a shadow, but no body and he hoped against hope that it wasn’t Charles seeing him trying to make his way back down to his room without proper clothes, only a towel at his waist.

[riley-deluca]

For a moment Riley can't move. He's stuck frozen on the spot as his mouth hung open and his eyes looked up the toned man up and down. Was humanity just trying to throw his gayness in his face right now by throwing ridiculously attractive men at him all the time? After a moment he managed to take a breath and straighten his expression, looking up to meet the stranger's eyes.

"I can see that..." he grumbled, trying really hard not to stare too much. "Ur...I...I think I'm meant to ask you what exactly you're doing here. You know, for er..security and things." 

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

"Eh, their loss, my gain." Sometimes he’s glad he’s never had to deal with a situation like that- he’s so effeminate that everyone just guesses he’s gay without him even saying anything. But then again, that femininity also led to plenty of black eyes, and Ed can’t decide if it’s entirely worth it. 

"Now, whoever told you that size matters? Besides, it’s a nice place. It actually feels like somebody lives here." His own apartment is a cold tomb by comparison- a very expensive tomb, but a tomb nevertheless. Riley’s apartment hits the happy medium between being overcrowded with stuff and having personality. It’s a home. As he arranges himself more comfortably on the couch, he snorts a laugh, "Rugged." Still, he curls up like a cat, his head laying against Riley’s shoulder with the familiar weight of the other man’s arm around his waist. "Hey, Knight’s Tale," Ed murmurs, pointing lazily at the TV.

[riley-deluca]

"I'm glad you like it, you're free to come around whenever." Riley chimed, hoping the blonde might make good on his offer. most of his nights were spent alone and a little company wouldn't hurt for sure. Solitude wasn't what it was cracked up to be. Still he was also curious what Ed's apartment looked like, imagining it to be extremely expensive and large. 

"Well...pretty then. A pretty boy." The driver smirked, his arms around the Prince and resting his hands in front of the both of them as he stared on at the tv. He stopped flicking through when Ed spoke, raising a brow. "Oh? Is it good? I've never seen it really." He set down the remote, leaning his head down and nuzzling into Ed's neck, pressing small soft kisses their idly. 

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

"Yeah, well, I don’t do that shit any more. I stopped singing when my voice broke… and I used to play instruments too, but now I’ve forgotten how." Ed can’t help but grow wistful when he thinks of the grand piano standing in his parents’ home, grown dusty and tuneless with disuse. Lifting their intertwined hands so he can brush the barest of kisses over Riley’s knuckles, he lets out a quiet laugh. "That they do. I bet you were a right teen heartthrob though. Who could resist that face?"

Ed allows Riley to pull him to his feet, quickly turning in the driver’s embrace so he can put his arms around his neck. “You really love your nephew, don’t you? Perhaps you ought to ask your sister to see him more… He could probably use someone like you in his life.” He sighs, pretending that having to stay here with Riley will be a major inconvenience. “Well, I suppose I could stay… I don’t really feel like taking the subway home at this time of night anyway.” Ed starts walking them backwards in the direction of the couch, “Shut up, I’m not soft.” Though he is right now, and he’s painfully aware of it. His guard is slipping.

[riley-deluca]

"Well if you ever remember how to one day...I'd love to hear it." Riley whispered softly into Ed's ear, smiling softly as the man kissed the back of his hand, a tender gesture that he was getting use to seeing and enjoying it. "Me?...maybe, but it was mostly girls that I wasn't that into to." It felt odd to admit these things openly but he saw little need hiding it in front of Ed, despite the fact one of those girls he'd nearly married.

He leaned into the arms around his neck, placing his gently at the Prince's hips and smiling at the man's assessment. He wished he could see Will more, it was up to his ex though and she wasn't all that lenient. "I think I'll do that...didn't quite realise how much I missed him till he was here." His eyes grew concerned at Ed's sigh, hoping he wasn't being too pushy or forward though a smile peaked through anyway. "I'm glad, I know it's not as big as your apartment but...I like it here." He followed behind, taking the seat on the couch and pulling Ed into his lap before reaching for the remote and leaning back into the sofa. "Okay, you're not soft. You're a rugged handsome broody Prince." He chuckled, leaning up and kissing the blonde on the cheek as he flicked through the channels for something good.

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

"Alas, I was a theatre kid for most of high school because they let me wear make-up when we had a performance. I played Anthony in Sweeney Todd, and I swear that crooning after some girl called Johanna was the gayest I’ve ever felt." Knowing its value to Riley, Ed’s careful when he puts the book back in its place. "Well, I guess you can be both. A nerd with muscles isn’t hurting anybody, least of all me. At least you got to hang around with all those guys in their tight football pants."

It’s nice like this, just warm and comfortable, and Ed’s pretty sure he could join baby Will and fall asleep right here, leaning against Riley’s body. “Lord, I can barely cope when my mother starts screeching, let alone a baby. That’ll be an adventure…” He goes to voice his doubts regarding whether or not being held by him will be beneficial to the baby’s health when it registers exactly what Riley had said. “Tomorrow? Am I staying the night?” He asks. The comment causes two pink spots of blush to appear on Ed’s cheeks, and he gives the driver a light shove. It’s kind of a weird thing to say about someone else’s baby… “Don’t start getting broody on me, sporto. My hips are not child-bearing.”

[riley-deluca]

"Oh?...I would of liked to see you perform, though then again, I think you'd of made a better Johanna than Anthony." He gave a small laugh, taking Ed's hand and tangling their fingers together playfully, just smiling as he continued to look at his son. "Yeah, I could of been but people like stereotypes. The pants...were very much a perk." He chuckled, remembering how many times he forced himself not to ogle too much at his fellow players.

"It's not so bad...I guess if you love something enough, you overlook the flaws and struggles." He murmured gently, starting to shift and stand up, pulling Ed up with him. At the question, he paused, giving a sheepish smile and shrugging. "Well, if you want to. I would like it...you don't have to of course - it was just a thought." Riley can't help smirking at the sight of Ed being the one blushing for once, letting out a small laugh when he stumbled back from the shove. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just nice to see you so...soft." It was a lie, he did mean it like that. Not that he was asking for a relationship but if there was the prospect of one ever between them - Will would be a part of it.

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

"I like that one, but I don’t really know any of the others. I could quite happily recite the entirety of The Raven to you right now though- either that or the opening to Romeo and Juliet." AKA the worst Shakespeare play known to man. Ed did not like English class in high school. "Awww, you’re such a nerd," He teases.

Ed lets out a soft, contented sigh, leaning back into Riley’s body until he’s close enough to respond to the kiss at his temple to one of his own against the other man’s jaw. “I don’t doubt it. Does he even have teeth?” He asks, trying to see past the spit bubble formed between the sleeping baby’s lips. “Anyway, I’m not scared of him. Babies are just a bit… squishy. I don’t want to hurt him by accident and make you freak out.” He does reach his slim hand further through the bars and carefully stroke Will’s dark brown hair, before returning back to safety.

[riley-deluca]

"Ho, well, I'm impressed. I'll admit...I'm not very good at mesmerising." Riley liked this, just talking, not sex involved. Getting to know each other, slowly and getting more comfortable. Even in between the lies. He gave a laugh at the tease, shrugging with a blush. "I was always a nerd, but then they found out I could throw a ball pretty far and that was the end of that."

His arms snaked around Ed's shoulder, holding the man to him comfortably as they watched his baby boy drift off to sleep, the kiss on his jaw making him sigh happily. "I think he's going through his teething period right now in fact, which means alot of crying when he wakes up." He felt like he was going to melt, his heart thumping hard and chest warm at the sight of the man he liked a little too much touching the boy he'd give his life for."You'll never hurt him, I'm pretty sure of that. Maybe tomorrow you can even hold him." He reached and turned Ed's gaze towards him tenderly, stroking the man's cheek. "You look...perfect when you look at him you know. It's pretty..well I...I..think he makes you look even more handsome."

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

He does spot the book, smaller than the others and a dark shade of green. Ed picks it off the shelf and peruses the blurb as he recites, “Vainly I had sought to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - for the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore - nameless here for evermore.” He had learnt The Raven for one of his classes in high school, though he’s pretty unfamiliar with any of Poe’s other work. He doesn’t think anything else about the crib- people can be strange.

"William DeLuca… No dad then?" Ed guesses in an equally quiet voice, his gaze flickering from Riley to the sleeping baby. He’s never seen the other man like this before, as if he and this tiny baby are the only two people in the whole universe. He supposes Riley wants kids… he seems like a family man. Ed squats down next to the crib and peeks at Will through the wooden bars, carefully reaching out to pet his chubby arm with a single outstretched finger, as though he’s afraid the baby might break. "I can see the family resemblance," He murmurs, "He even has hair like yours."

[riley-deluca]

Riley's eyes grew wide at the recital of one of his favourites, turning to Ed and throwing the man a broad smile. "You like Poe? It's my favourite book...my mum got it for me in high school and I've had it ever since. I use to sneak off and read it under the bleaches after practice."

At the mention of the father, he gave a sad smile. William did have a father, a man who loved other men and who his mother couldn't stand to know if she knew the truth. "No, his dad...broke up with his mother before he was born." It was partly true, him and his ex broke up just before William popped out into the world, it didn't mean that they didn't get back together immediately after though, Riley desperate to be apart of his son's life. 

The sight of Ed touching his boy makes him smile fondly, kneeling down beside the Prince and softly stroking the man's hair. "Yeah...everyone says he looks like me." He murmured by the blonde's ear, kissing the man's temple. "He won't bite you know, he's a calm one...a tough boy."

[riley-deluca]

Just A Few More || Starter

[edmundprince]

Ed finds that he likes Riley’s apartment, and is already making plans to deposit himself on the squashy couch and never move again. But first, the books. He wanders up to the shelves and runs his fingertip over their spines, his head tilted to one side so he can read the titles, trying to determine which look the most worn-out and therefore most-loved. “It’s a nice place,” He says absently. In fact, Ed thinks he likes it better than his own home. It’s warm here.

"You’re prepared," He comments, nodding in the direction of the crib. It’s a little strange, considering Riley doesn’t see his nephew a lot. Actually, come to think of it, Ed hasn’t even seen the kid yet- or at least anything other than the back of his head. "So, what’s his name?" He asks, trying to peek over the driver’s shoulder at the baby. He’s quite curious about the whole thing. Ed doesn’t think he knows anyone with actual real-life children.

[riley-deluca]

Riley glanced behind him as he saw Ed touch his books with a smile. Somewhere in there is an Edger Allen Poe collection, his favourite book ever, but he doubted the blonde would notice. "Thanks...I try with what little I have." He turned to place his son in the crib, stiffening at the words from the Prince. "Urm...yeah well, we kinda planned this for a while and she said he had to sleep in a crib so I bought one. My sister's kinda...particular." He bit his lip, hoping the reasoning would work as he set Will down in the cot, smiling as the little boy tossed and whined gently before settling to sleep. 

"William...William De Luca." he whispered softly, his eyes full of pride and love, more than he'd ever shown in front of Ed as he pulled the blanket over his son who looked so much like him, moving aside a little to let Ed see. He was fearful that the man might jump to conclusion but he didn't want to be too suspicious either.

[alfieprince]

"Alas, there’s no— escape except for— in a body bag. I don’t think— even Batman himself— could— get past Charlie’s men." That’s the problem with mob life. It’s like a bad stink that follows you wherever you go. He brushes off Riley’s apparent shock by making a joke and shrugging his shoulders idly, "Asshole’s so— self-involved, never— tells people about— me. But yes, I am he. The Tyrion— Lannister of the Prince— household."

Jesus, I hope this guy can lie better to everyone else or there’ll be a witch hunt by the end of the week… “Sure, friends. In any case, he seems— to like you— a lot, judging by— how often he calls you— a dick. And I’m— not being funny, but not— a lot of people— would have saved— Ed from that stuff.” Alfie shrugs again, “What can I— say, I’m an— artist, I know pretty when— I see it.”

"I bet— you’re plenty smart. Usually it’s money— that’s the— problem… not saying that’s— the case with you, but the— education system really— fucks a lot of— people over." He frowns, thinking he might be getting a little presumptuous for a first conversation and hoping Riley doesn’t mind. "Writing’s cool though. What— do you write?"

[riley-deluca]

"Ah, so we shall forever be shallow, oh god, what will we do with ourselves!" Riley threw up his hands and stared at the ceiling, as if in prayer before falling into a fit of laughter, pure happiness in his face. He had to say, he felt alot easier around Alfie, but that was likely because the man didn't quite carry the sexy, confident mannerisms of his brother, the type of that turned heads without effort and made Riley feel like he had something to prove. "Tyrion Lannister? So you kick ass and slap stupid kids? Oh, I feel like I'm in the presence of badass royalty." He offers and easy smile with a friendly wink. He'd had friends maimed and hurt from playing football, he'd certainly never judge someone for it, or treat them any different.

"That so? I guess when he yells that he hates me, he means that he loves me really."  He scratched the back of his neck with a softer laugh, eyes becoming thoughtful. If Alfie said it, maybe it was true and Ed did like him. Not that he'd ever ask or the man would admit it, a frustrating situation if there ever was one. "Eh, I just try to be a decent person and...Ed is a...well I appreciate his company, I wouldn't want to see anything happen him."

At the mention of money, he gave a small snort and nodded his head, rubbing his eyes. "You have no idea Al, I'm so broke I don't think I'll be having dinner tonight. Let alone afford proper classes." He closed the bonnet of the car he'd be working on, getting a cloth from the table beside him and wiping his face down. "I do poetry mainly." He murmured, turning to the blonde with a sheepish smile. "Not that I'm very good, I write some short stories too."