Uber SSXuals

Uber SSXuals is a small blog dedicated to SSX fanart, gifs, fics, smut and any other thing we feel fit to reblog and gush over. Catered more towards art, this can somewhat double as some type of "FUCK YEAH SSX" but...i don't know. theres a lot of gay sex.

[gotyourgnarlyinmyawesome]

Expect The Unexpected

Summary: What seemed like any regular outing to a festival turned into a series of unexpected events. With Team Griff, you always expect the unexpected. Also, it's about time we spiced Moon's life up a little.

Val ran a hand through his hair “I wonder what Simmons has in store for us this time.”

Eve folded her arms across her chest “Ugh, probably another complaint, knowing him.” She huffed, already dreading whatever was awaiting them. Mac simply shrugged. The DJ couldn’t care less.

“What do you think he’ll moan about this time?” Skylar asked, turning his attention to Ty.

The Norwegian gave him a sheepish look “How am I supposed to know? We piss him off all the time.”

“Cheers.” Freya interjected.

“Let’s at least hear him out. It likely won’t take long.” Moon suggested in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Still a waste of my fucking time.” The redhead added.

--

“You’re late.” He growled.

Freya rolled her eyes. “Good evening to you too.” Griff pretended not to see that. “Sit down.” He simply ordered, gesturing towards the chairs placed in front of them. Ever so obedient, Moon did as she was told. The rest, not as much. He expected as such but it was worth a try nonetheless. “We don’t have all day, just say whatever it is we did wrong, we’ll apologize as per usual and go about our day.”

Griff sighed. “Believe it or not, I didn’t gather you all here to point out your mistakes.”

“What?” Skylar frowned in disbelief. That was unexpected.

Griff sighed again. “Yes, Aguilar, I’m sure this comes as a shock to you but I assure you it’s the truth.” He continued while resting both elbows on the table. He already regretted his decision. How he hadn’t fired any of them so far was honestly beyond him. They had caused him nothing but trouble… or money. “Actually, as much as I hate to do this, I am asking you for your input.”

“On what exactly?” Eve asked, squinting. “Fashion? Sense of humor? Optimism? Lord knows you could use it.”

“Trends.” Griff simply stated. “Please do not disappoint me for once.”

“What were you leaning towards?” Moon asked interestedly.

“Whatever it is the youth is into these days.” He replied. Griff didn’t bother with social media. He had a team to take care of that for him. Besides, he was so busy he simply didn’t have the time to keep up with it either way.

“The fuck? You’re the youth, you’re supposed to know. You and Moon are the youngest ones here.” Skylar objected, pointing at the pair of them.

“For crying out loud can’t any of you do as you’re asked? Just for once?” He threw his arms up in defeat. At this rate it was going to take all day.

“K-pop.” Moon suggested, a warm smile gracing her lips. “The genre has gained worldwide attention. Some of the biggest names have even made it to mainstream Western media.”

Finally, he thought. “Go on.”

“Adventure time!” Ty chimed in excitedly.

“Preferably something more engaging, Thorsen.”

“Tik tok.” Skylar added.

“Yes, I am familiar with tok tik, thank you very much. Anything else?”

“Fortnite?” Mac added, unsure of his answer. “Or was it Minecraft… No wait, it’s Roblox!”

“Saving the planet, as well as sustainability.” Moon added, providing examples such as straws, clothing and much more. Griff simply nodded in response while taking mental notes. Much to his surprise, they weren’t completely useless for a change. Unexpectedly, they had actually given him suggestions he could work with.

It was Sorian’s turn “Gay rights, diversity, inclusivity and alcohol. Oh, and cancel culture. Which totally doesn’t work by the way.”

Freya rested her hands on her hips “Drama channels.”

“Taking down the patriarchy.” Eve added.

“Enough! That’s enough. That will do.” Exasperated, he leaned back in his chair. “You’re all dismissed.”

That was it? Surely there was more to it. “Uh, not so fast. What do you need this for anyway?”

“For now, it doesn’t concern you. You’ll know when you need to know.” Freya wasn’t pleased with that answer which frankly, wasn’t an answer at all to begin with but that was all she’d squeeze out of him. Griff sighed. “Believe it or not, I care.”

At this, Skylar laughed out loud. “That’s a good one. Perhaps he does have a sense of humor, Eve.” The girl scoffed in response.

“Let’s just say it’s a surprise. From me, to you.” Team Griff looked at each other in disbelief. Griff waited for an answer but was met with silence instead. It was awkward, really. Moon, ever the mediator, eventually broke it. “We’re looking forward to it.”

--

“How nice of him to do this for us.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get your hopes up. This is Simmons we’re talking about.” It had been three weeks since Griff had gathered them in his office. They had tried to get him to spill the beans on numerous occasions but Griff didn’t budge. He didn’t even drop a hint. Eve and Freya even went as far as to break into his office and go through his computer. Their efforts proved fruitless. Whatever it was Griff had organized, it was a complete surprise and Freya hated surprises.

“Pack your essentials. I expect you to be ready at seven in the morning. Whoever fails to show up on time will be left behind.” was all he had told them the evening before.

“Don’t you think it’s kinda sus he wouldn’t give us any details, though? He just dumped us in a cab and that’s it.” Skylar yawned. The trip was going to be four hours according to the driver’s GPS.

“Rich bastard couldn’t even spare us a private jet. I mean, what the fuck are we even working for then?”

Sorian shrugged “Whatever, we have booze.” He was resting on Moon’s lap, which the girl didn’t mind one bit since she loved playing with his hair. Over time, they had grown quite close despite not having much in common. Amused at her friends’ antics, she chuckled.

“Seriously though, what part of him thought it was a good idea?” Freya turned to Moon, offering her a drink which she politely declined. “He couldn’t even bother to travel with us.”

“I’m excited to find out where we’re heading to.” Moon replied truthfully. Freya held her hands up in defeat “Afraid you’re the only one here.”

As soon as they had arrived at their destination it became evident that Griff’s so-called surprise was nothing more than a PR stunt in disguise. At face value the event looked like any other festival. Three stages, food trucks and tents… The whole shabang. Upon a closer look Griff had done everything in his power to cater to a younger, more impressionable audience. So much for caring. Yet Moon, for whatever reason, insisted on giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“Welcome to CULTURPOP!” he stated proudly, as if he had organized it all. Freya was willing to bet he saw an opportunity to make money, slapped their names on promotional posters and called it a day. When asked about the program, he told them “All in due time.” Great. When asked about their location, he ignored them. Also great.

“So basically we’re at your mercy. Fan-fucking-tastic.”

“Of course, Parker. You always are, I write your paychecks.” It took every fiber in Freya’s being not to flip him off right there and then. Ginger bastard.

Sorian, for one, was excited to let loose for a change. He knew he was going to regret it in the morning but fuck it, you only live once. This was a festival for crying out loud, what better excuse to party like there’s no tomorrow?

Griff however had other plans. “Where are you going?” he questioned, to which the blonde responded “To party, of course.” as if that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Griff laughed. Not on his watch.

He proceeded to usher them backstage with the promise of having a good time. Skylar scoffed. Griff’s definition of a good time was vastly different from his. “Now, we don’t want to make our guests wait, do we? Move it.” After being pushed onto the stage, Team Griff had started their day off by holding, in typical Griff fashion, a press conference. Of course the media was involved. Of course it all came down to exposure. Of course views, clicks and likes mattered more than what they wanted. Most members were understandably upset at the reveal but tried to make the best out of it nonetheless.

Until Sorian had decided otherwise. On the topic of hobbies, some clueless journalist had asked him about what he liked to do when he wasn’t snowboarding. “What a stupid question.” He retorted. “Seriously, do you even do your research beforehand?” In his defense, he had heard the question countless times before and his answer had always been the same. Fuck the media, he was going to give them a piece of his mind for a change, not some pre-cooked script their entourage had come up with. “Why don’t you ever ask me real shit like: if dinosaurs were still alive, what would they taste like or whatever.” Sorian wasn’t finished. “If you must know, darling, it’s sucking your daddy’s dick.”

Both Griff and Moon were horrified while Skylar was laughing his ass off.

“What are you standing there for?! Cut his microphone!” The American grit his teeth. The crew swiftly did as they were told. Griff then promptly made his way to the stage to avoid further casualties. He was going to murder him. He quickly thanked the press for coming, stated that Team Griff wasn’t responsible for any emotional damage and proceeded to kick his team off the stage. “Someday you’ll be the death of me.” He accused, to which Skylar responded he could only hope that was the case.

After that fiasco Griff had decided it would be best to give his team a break. Both Sky and Sorian considered this an open invitation to start drinking, much to Freya’s dismay. Griff on the other hand was on the phone discussing ways to minimize the damage Sorian had done. Much to his surprise, the majority of the attendees (he had the fanbase to thank for that) had sided with the blonde, stating how awful the paparazzi were and how they shouldn’t exist in the first place. Crisis averted? Frankly, Griff didn’t understand what was going on but that no longer mattered. This somehow turned in his favor and he was going to take full advantage of that. Looks like Sorian got to live another day.

Thus, the team had decided to attend the first performance of the day. This stage was much bigger and across to where the press conference had been held. It was a heavy metal band no one was familiar with except for Ty. Excited or downright clumsy, the Norwegian had slipped on spilled food (or vomit, no-one could tell the difference), hit someone on the back of the head with his elbow which in turn resulted in him accidentally starting a mosh pit.

Mac had lifted Eve in his arms in an attempt to keep her safe, only for Eve to be swept away by a stranger. The guy had somehow interpreted this as Eve wanting to crowd surf and who was he to turn down a beautiful girl’s wish? Mac’s stomach dropped when he noticed she was no longer in his grasp. She was going to kill him. Eve tried to wrestle her way out but to no avail, she was already making her way to the front. Mac stupidly ran after her, as if that made any difference at this point.

To top it all off, both Sky and Sorian were starting to get tipsy while both Freya and Moon were holding on for dear life. “Fucking hell, where is security when you need it!” the redhead yelled. They were on lunch break, by the looks of it.

It didn’t take long before Sky had thrown himself in the middle of the pit. It was now up to Val to retrieve him before he got hurt. Meanwhile, the poor bloke Ty had knocked the fuck out was getting trampled by the crowd. “Don’t just fucking stand there!” Freya screamed at no one in particular “Get the medics!”.

Griff already dreaded an incoming lawsuit but once again, much to his surprise, the victim turned out to be Norwegian… and a big fan of Ty at that. Battered and bruised, that did not stop the fan from asking Ty for a selfie, which he happily took. The fan was so grateful he almost burst into tears and with that, was brought to the nearest hospital. Another crisis averted. Was this the power of team Griff, he wondered? It couldn’t be. It was just a game of expecting the unexpected with them. It always was.

Anyways, Griff then decided it was time to move on to a meet and greet. What could go wrong with those, right? Well it didn’t take long for him to find out. By this time both Sorian and Skylar were getting pretty drunk. It was useless trying to give them water, they had rejected it at every occasion. “It’s a fucking festival.” Skylar growled. Freya had warned him they’d be more likely to comply if he just let them be but Griff ignored her as per usual. Well, be careful what you wish for. It was only a matter of time before they had started drawing all kinds of inappropriate things on their photos (while giggling, mind you) instead of actually signing them. Sorian almost went as far as to sign a baby but was luckily held back in time by Val.

While the Russian was distracted, two girls had started a cat fight over whoever got to take a selfie with him first. It seemed one of them had cut in line and decided to be petty about it. Griff quickly motioned security over before things truly started getting out of hand. He was used to this but his employees had yet to taste real stardom, naturally.

As both drunks were egging the girls on and chunks of hair were falling to the floor, one superfan adorned in Freya merch had taken the opportunity to sneak up to the redhead and declare his undying love for her and additionally, her rack. She calmly warned him to, in her words, “Get out of my space before I rearrange your face to look like a cherry pie.” and debated on whether or not she should throw him a stick, since he was slobbering all over her tits like a fucking dog. She finished off by telling him to “Make an Onlyfans, people are into dog play these days.” Give an inch and they take a mile, right? That didn’t scare the fan off in the slightest, since he only tried to get closer, claiming they were perfect for each other. Ty had to get in between and lord knows he was a terrible meat shield.

Finally, the guard body slammed the poor bastard and escorted both him and the girls from the scene. Griff gave them a signed picture of both Freya and Val respectively as compensation before heading back to the stage, reassuring the crowd that everything had been taken care of and that the meet and greet would resume as scheduled shortly. Skylar gagged. He despised the fact that Simmons was acting like the fucking hero after doing jack shit but this was Griff they were talking about. Such behavior was to be expected from him.

And so, Team Griff was dismissed for the time being because God forbid Griff would ever willingly share the spotlight with them. Their morning had been so...eventful they didn’t realize they were starving until the crew had asked them what they wanted for lunch. Probably against Griff’s wishes (or schedule, not that anyone cared) they went to explore the food stalls at the back by themselves, since those were stationed in a designated area reserved for staff only.... and it showed. Team Griff already regretted setting foot outside and contemplated on whether or not they should go back backstage. They then decided anything was better than seeing Simmons’ punchable face, waving about and posing like some fucking republican president.

Of course Griff wasn’t going to let them mingle with other artists unless he could supervise the whole thing. Of course Griff had done the bare minimum when it came to them (sparing no expenses, my ass). Of course the stalls were placed right across the port-a-loo’s, merely separated by event fencing. While it wasn’t as smelly as she thought it would be, it sure as hell no longer made Eve feel hungry. She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

“This area is all to ourselves?” Ty wondered.

“Yeah, right next to the fucking shits. How considerate.” How very considerate indeed. It summed up how Griff treated them according to Freya.

This gave Sorian an idea. He waddled over to where Skylar was standing and tugged at his sleeve. “See where those port-a-loo’s are?”

“Yeah?”

“I dare you to climb one and scare the shit out of whoever is inside.” Great thinking, since the victim was already on the toilet.

The blonde had Skylar’s attention. While their speech was slurred, they seemed to understand each other just fine “And what’s in it for meeeee?”

“A bottle of Mama Juanaaaaa?”

The Dominican grinned wickedly, oh how long it had been since he last drank that “Deal.”

--

“Where is Aguilar?” Griff demanded. He had finally bothered to show his face. "We are to resume the meet and greet this instant."

“Dead in a ditch.” Freya replied sarcastically as she took a bite from her sandwich. If only that were true, Griff thought. He’d be the first to arrange his funeral. “Ha! Maybe he did amount to something after all.” This time it was Freya who ignored him.

“I thought he had to pee?” Ty asked, confused. Come to think of it, both he and Sorian had been gone for a while, their food untouched. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” It didn’t take long for Freya to realize the two of them were probably up to no good. It was one thing to lose them at a festival, it was another when they were also shitfaced. Who knows, they might be on the other side of the country by now. Luckily and unexpectedly, she needn’t look far.

Mac was shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand (which was ironic since he was wearing a baseball cap backwards) and pointing towards the toilets with the other. “Yo, is that Skylar? My man!”

Both Griff and Freya spun their heads in the direction the DJ was pointing at. Indeed, there he was, standing on top of a port-a-loo in all his drunken glory. Moon gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

Griff’s blood was boiling. He just couldn’t catch a break, could he? One day, just one day where they’d all behave and do as they’re told. Was it really so much to ask for? It seemed like with them, everything was destined to turn to shit. Yet he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. They were his responsibility, whether he liked it or not. Oh, he was going to give Skylar far more than an earful. “My father will hear about this. Aguilar will be the death of me someday, you just wait. I will sue him from my grave.” Griff hissed as he stomped towards the toilets. Ty wasn't sure how Griff's father had anything to do with this. With no time to lose and their jobs on the line, Freya jumped into action with the rest of Team Griff following suit.

--

It seemed the Dominican had already drawn a crowd. They were all cheering and clapping like the fucking sheep they were. Griff thought it was pitiful and classless. He had to push his way to the front, not apologizing once for all the toes he had stepped on nor the drinks he had knocked over. His eyes were locked on Skylar. “Aguilar!” he bellowed, “Get down there this instant or I will yank you off myself! Insurance is not going to cover this!”

“Might need a ladder, not sure your short legs will get you far!” Skylar taunted. “Use your ego instead!”

“I’ll shove it right up where the sun doesn’t shine, alright!” The American retorted hotly. Sorian, who was now being carried by Val, thought that was rather kinky. Ty on the other hand could’ve sworn Griff was foaming at the mouth. Quite frankly, it scared him a little.

“Sky, please be careful. We don’t want you to get hurt!” Moon shouted out, concerned for her friend’s well-being. She was holding her hands in prayer. In Freya’s opinion she was being too kind once again.

"Sweetheart, let me handle this." Drunken Skylar wouldn’t relent unless you used brute force, Freya had learned this the hard way. She strode forward, pushing Griff aside. The American had lost his balance and landed sideways in the mud. Or shit, no-one could tell the difference. While Griff was yelling all sorts of profanities at Freya, the redhead was busying herself with Skylar instead.

“Get the fuck down there! If you break your legs you can crawl to the hospital yourself!” she'd break his arms on his way out for good measure. To be fair, she was just as irritated as Griff. Skylar had a talent for ruining her outings. This was no different, even if she had decided she was going to hate it from the start. Yet the Dominican knew how to make himself forgiven time and time again. She knew this was going to be no different. Freya sighed.

“Pfff, I’ll be fine! Don’t be a party pooper, Freya. Look!” He exclaimed, speech slurred, as he jumped over to another portable toilet. Team Griff collectively held their breaths.

“See? What could possibly happen?” He said perhaps a tad bit too soon. As fate would have it, the roof caved in and with it, Skylar. There was a scream, which they guessed came from Moon, then another, which came from inside the toilet itself. Task failed successfully? If Griff had to guess, it likely came from Aguilar… or at least he hoped that was the case. Yet again the American dreaded an incoming lawsuit. Now Skylar had definitely signed himself up for more than just an earful. The loo’s door swung open and out limping came Skylar. He was holding his fist up in the air, posing as if he were Freddy fucking Mercury. Once again the fans were cheering and clapping like fucking blockheads. Griff was flabbergasted. He was truly surrounded by idiots.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” He heard Freya screaming Aguilar’s ears off.

“I’m fine! Relax.” He groaned as he rubbed his left knee. He winced. She was going to beat him with his prosthetic. She retorted by saying she was perfectly calm and escorted him from the scene, grabbing him tightly by the arm. “You’re going in time-out.” she stated, then pointed at Sorian “You too.” the blonde dared not anger her further. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

A wardrobe change later, Griff was already threatening the press to hush up about their fuck-up. Lord knows how much this was going to cost him. For good measure, he had lawyered up (you can never be too sure when it involved his team). Yet again, much to Griff’s surprise Mac had recorded the whole thing and had uploaded it to tik tok. In a matter of seconds, the clip had gone viral with the majority siding with Skylar. They called him “a fucking legend” among other things. Upon seeing the amount of views and exposure the clip had gathered the American pulled a one-eighty and congratulated Skylar on a job well done. “That’s a wrap for now.”

“For now? You mean there’s more?” Eve complained.

“More? You’ve done the bare minimum, Shephard.” Truth be told Griff had two interviews scheduled for the evening but due to some unforeseen circumstances (thanks a lot, Aguilar) he had to cancel his plans. “Now go enjoy the main event before I change my mind.” they hadn’t exactly done anything to earn that privilege according to him but he had hoped that it would boost their motivation.

--

By the time the main event was about to start, both Sky and Sorian had started to sober up. Val and Mac had to fight tooth and nail to get them to drink water and they eventually managed it. They totally didn't force it down their throats to the point both had almost choked to death. Not that Sorian minded. In fact, it almost felt like he was into it.

Griff also realized, albeit way too late according to Freya, that it was perhaps for the best to move his team to a VIP area where they wouldn’t be mobbed by a horde of fans… or mugged… or groped. No more mosh pits this time. Needless to say, Team Griff’s day had been nothing short of boring and security had been nothing but utterly useless.

“So much for a fucking surprise.” Skylar complained. Little did the Dominican know that one of his fellow members, the one who managed to remain somewhat spared by today’s events, was about to have the biggest surprise of them all.

“Fortunately we get to see the main event.” Moon chimed in, ever the sunny disposition. Freya threw her arms up sarcastically “Surprise!”. Sorian opened his mouth to give his two cents about the event as well but was promptly interrupted by the announcer. At long last, the main act was about to hit the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, lovely people of CULTURPOP!, the main event you’ve all been waiting for: please give a warm welcome to international K-pop sensation N-SANE!"

The brunette gave Skylar a puzzled look. She had one hand wrapped around his arm and was holding her drink in the other. “Did you catch that?” He shook his head “Dude almost shoved his mic down his throat. I’d be surprised if anyone caught that.”

She giggled. Whatever it may have been, the crowd seemed excited and she was more than content with that. While pretty much everyone was cheering and clapping, team Griff included, the Belgian girl couldn’t help but notice the majority of women seemed particularly excited. If she had to guess, it was likely a male performer… and a popular one at that. Right she was. Seven young men took the stage, taking turns in introducing themselves in a language she was familiar with. Upon closer inspection, one particular individual stood out to her.

Her eyes widened in shock. Moon was clumsy, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she had dropped her drink. Sorian ran a hand through his hair. He needn't look who had done it. As a matter of fact, he was surprised it hadn't happened earlier. “I get it, they’re crazy hot but keep it in your pants, will ya? If I can, so can you. Your jaw is practically on the floor.” Moon tried to speak but no words came out.

Val, ever the gentleman, seemed to be the only one to notice something was off. He glanced down at her, grasping her shoulder tightly “Are you alright, dear? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Moon tightened her grip on Skylar’s sleeve to hide the fact that her hands were shaking. How her legs hadn’t given out at the revelation was beyond her. She didn’t know the song, nor the lyrics or the dance for that matter. What she did recognize was the face. She’d recognize it anywhere. There was no doubt in her mind.

“That’s my ex.” Was all she eventually managed to say.

Eve wasn’t sure if she heard her right. “Come again?! Where?!” She had practically shoved Skylar out of the way to have a look at the crowd below. She tried to follow Moon’s gaze but couldn’t make out who she was staring at “Well then?” she urged.

“Wait… so you’re not a virgin?” Sorian interjected.

“Sorian!” Freya glared at him.

“What? I’m just asking!” he shrugged “No offense, honey.” To be fair, Moon was so vanilla she might as well be.

Moon shook her head “None taken.”

She swallowed hard. A whirlwind of emotions attacked her at once. What were the odds? She knew they weren’t going to let this one go anytime soon. She had already said too much. Eve was staring at her impatiently. Shakily, she managed to lift a finger to point at the stage “The one who’s currently at the front, with the two-toned hair… His name is Park Tae-Min and he’s my ex.”

There was a moment of silence. Then it dawned on them. “Your ex is a fucking pop star?!” Team Griff yelled in unison.

“And you only told us now?!” Eve’s eyes widened in shock “Bitch, we have a lot to talk about.”

“I can explain.” The brunette stammered, holding both hands up in a defensive gesture.

“Sis, you better start speaking.”

“It’s a long story. I don’t know where to start...” Moon spoke softly.

“We have all day.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she wasn’t going to weasle her way out of this one. “Alright, let’s start from the beginning.” she sat down while her friends had formed a circle around her, hanging onto her every word. She started off by telling them how they had met in Davos, Switzerland, while on vacation with her parents. She had bumped into him by accident, which surprised no-one. She made sure to leave some details out, as she believed this was not her story to tell. They didn't need to know about how he had fled his country after a dispute with his parents nor how they had tried to force him into stardom. How they had abused him both verbally and physically, how they had hunted him down and forced him to return to South Korea… Or how they had threatened to hurt her if he didn't comply. In the end, it seemed they had gotten what they wanted.

However, she did explain that his parents did not approve of their relationship because she was a foreigner, despite Moon’s best efforts to learn what she could about their culture, language and social etiquette. She finished by saying his parents made sure there wouldn’t be any way for them to keep in touch. No matter what they tried, they were always a step ahead.

“I understand this all sounds incredibly unrealistic but I assure you it’s the truth. Here, let me show you.” To further prove her point, not that they didn’t believe her to begin with, she showed them a couple of archived pictures of them together. Even though he had a different haircut then, surely enough, it was him. Freya believed they seemed very happy… and madly in love. “He was my first love. After almost three years… We didn’t want to break up but we had no choice.”

“A series of unfortunate events.” Val sympathized. He hit the nail right on the head.

“Yes, precisely.” She nodded while fighting back tears. All this time she had hoped that despite what had happened, he was happy. That one day, they’d meet again… On their own terms. She didn’t want to cry in front of her friends but her emotions got the best of her. On the other hand, she trusted them and felt comfortable enough to show vulnerability. She was blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

“That’s fucked up, yo, I’m so sorry.” Mac pulled Eve closer who in turn asked “Do you still love him?”

"Let's just say that if it had been up to us, he would've been my last." She smiled faintly as she wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Eve knew there was more to it but she didn’t want to press her. She had been through enough. "I believe you all know who has my heart, despite my best efforts to hide that fact." She chuckled this time. “Perhaps in another lifetime Tae and I will be reunited.” It was a beautiful yet sad way to look at it. “Thank you for your support, truly. I am touched.”

"From a pop star to Simmons? Talk about a fucking downgrade." Freya knew all too well you didn't get to choose these things but even after almost a year of living together, she failed to see whatever it was Moon saw in that asshat.

Moon chuckled again "Ah, that is also quite the story." Freya gave her a warm smile in response. “Perhaps later. It would be rude not to pay attention to their performance. We’ve already missed a part.”

Val agreed “Indeed, it would be rude not to. An opportunity like this one only comes once in a lifetime.” He gave Moon a reassuring smile, which she returned. He felt for the girl. Right now, she could use the distraction to collect her thoughts.

--

Well, that didn’t quite go as she had hoped. Moon had sincerely tried her hardest to focus on the performance but she simply couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it the way she had hoped. Her eyes always seemed to fall back on him and when they didn’t, she’d stare at the void, memories once buried deep creeping back up. The more she tried to repress them, the more vivid they became. She remembered it all: his smile, his laugh, how he’d blink when hungry, how he’d frown when thinking, his touch… all of it. Every single thing she loved about him. It was painful.

Skylar was impressed. “They’re damn good performers, I’ll give them that. I can see why you like K-pop so mu-” Eve pushed him aside before he could finish. He was getting used to it at this point.

“Can I see the pictures again?! Pretty please?” Eve asked. Moon nodded as she drew her phone from her pocket. She opened her mouth to speak but was abruptly interrupted by a door slammed open. Both girls jumped in surprise.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you!" Oh no. "Where have you all been?! Not a single one of you even did so much as text me. Talk about loyalty. I need to be able to contact you all at all times. Understood?" He was angry for sure. Now was not the time. Eve quickly grabbed Moon's phone and shoved it in her pocket. If he wanted to see those pictures he would have to pry them from her perfectly manicured hands. Griff, unfazed, continued his rant. "Well? Explain yourselves!"

"Where the fuck else were we supposed to be? You locked us in here." Skylar objected. Griff dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“We were discussing the main event. It was quite the performance.” Val lied in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Miraculously, it worked. “Yes, speaking of which, I had a word with JetSet Entertainment and managed to get you all backstage. You can thank me later.”

Moon’s stomach dropped. She had made her peace with seeing him from afar. In fact, she believed it was for the best. There was no use in rehashing old wounds now, was there? “Pardon?” she asked meekly.

Griff raised his brow. “What’s the matter with you?” He asked.

How was she supposed to tell him? Team Griff looked at her in anticipation. The girl took a deep breath to calm her nerves before saying. “Well, the truth is-”

“Ah, but of course. You’re a big fan! You did tell me you liked K-pop on numerous occasions. See, I care. I remember.” Only Griff could interrupt someone else to pat himself on the back.

This was going to be a nightmare. Even she had no clue how to remain optimistic in this situation.

She couldn’t blame him. He had no clue, it wasn’t his fault. He was simply doing his job and if it had been any different it would’ve indeed been a once in a lifetime opportunity. One many, many fans were willing to sell their soul for being in Team Griff’s shoes. She was supposed to be grateful. “Yes, precisely.” She simply responded.

Griff cleared his throat. At least someone appreciated his efforts. He proceeded to explain how the meeting was going to be recorded and how they were expected to interact with the members.

“So basically you want us to merge two fanbases.” It was smart, but way too sneaky and manipulative to Skylar’s liking. Griff wasn’t at all impressed. “Will you look at that! The class clown understood the assignment for once.” Skylar was so ready to punch him in the face. Luckily, Val was quick enough to hold him back.

“We can’t do that.” Ty interfered.

“And why is that?” The American questioned.

Ty was at a loss for words. He looked at Freya, then at Moon, then back to Griff. He couldn’t just tell him what his fellow European had said. It didn’t feel right to him but then, what else was he supposed to say? Ty was a terrible liar and Freya knew this. The redhead waved her hand horizontally across her neck, urging Ty to shut the fuck up. “Well, what I’m trying to say is…”

“...Is that we don’t mean to disturb them. They’re probably exhausted and would like to rest.” Moon swooped in to his rescue.

“Yes, exactly that!” Griff seemed to buy it. Crisis avoided.

“Nonsense. Their management reached out to me with the proposal. We cannot refuse.”

Or not. “Understandable. How kind of them to make time for us.” Moon murmured, already mentally preparing herself for the worst.

Griff continued “I expect you all to be professional. This isn’t a fan meeting, it’s a creative collaboration. Now let’s go, time is money.”

--

Moon was not mentally prepared for this confrontation. She wanted to scream, or run, or both. ”Are you alright?” Val asked. She shook her head. A million thoughts were racing through her head. What was she going to say? What was he going to say? Did he know she was there? If so, how was he going to react? How was she going to react upon seeing him up close?

Eve realized this backstage looked vastly different from theirs. The hosts had spared no expenses to tend to the artists’ every need, unlike someone she knew. She glared at him, this was the kind of treatment she deserved and expected. She hesitated on whether or not she and Freya should make a run for it and explore the backstage by themselves but Griff was breathing down their necks. Sneaking away was going to be impossible.

“Your assignment is to record a segment together. This special will, once edited, be broadcasted on national South Korean tv, as well as uploaded to their youtube channel. It will also be part of their upcoming tour documentary. It’s a collaboration with Netflix so don’t disappoint me. We’re in charge of posts, tweets and reels.” None of them were paying attention to what he was saying but that didn’t stop Griff in the slightest. “Understood?”

“Sure, whatever.” Sorian responded.

Moon lifted her hand.

“This isn’t middle school. Speak.” He barked.

“Uhm, before we get started… is there a restroom nearby? I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience.” Griff wasn’t at all impressed. Why the hell was she shaking so much? For how long had she been holding it in?

He sighed. “Down the hall, be quick about it.” She thanked him and promptly left.

--

Truth be told, she didn’t exactly have to go. She simply needed a moment to come to her senses. Deep breaths, Moon. It’s going to be okay is what she told herself on repeat in an attempt to calm down. There was no way out, it was going to happen whether she liked it or not and she had to accept that. A part of her was thrilled to see him again after so long although she wished it had been under different circumstances. Perhaps she was asking for too much. Her heart was racing. She wanted to throw up… or was she about to faint? She was so preoccupied with what to say that she didn’t consider the possibility for Griff to find out about him being her ex.

Welp, it was too late now. “Wow, careful! Watch where you’re going.”

How typical of her to bump into someone. It happened so frequently it might as well be her signature move at this point. Well, she deserved it. That’s what you get when you’re not paying attention to where you’re going. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. I feel so bad, are you alright?”

There was a chuckle. Moon could have sworn she had heard it somewhere before. The mystery figure was holding onto her arm tightly, offering her the support she desperately needed to stay on her feet. “I’ll survive.” He joked “You okay? You hit your head pretty badly.” he asked with genuine concern as he pulled her up.

“I’m okay, thank you. I’m so sorry about that.” He assured her it was fine which didn’t stop her from apologizing profusely anyways. Finally, she looked up to face her companion and froze when she realized who it was. For a moment, time stood still. They were staring at each other, with their mouths slightly hung open, for what felt like an eternity. Could it be? A part of her knew very well who she was facing yet she failed to process the information.

Eventually, he spoke. “Uhm… Hey.”

She finally remembered to breathe. “Tae-Min.” she exhaled.

“So uh… How have you been?” He asked.

“I can’t believe it…” He couldn’t either. Was this really happening or was it just a dream? She didn’t give him much time to ponder over it as she pulled him close, burying her face in his chest. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt a warm liquid trickle down her cheeks. There was so much she wanted to say but words failed her. They say your first love holds a special place in your heart and it couldn’t have been more true.

“Hey, please don’t cry. It’s weird.” He patted her head awkwardly. Welp, whatever reaction she expected out of him, she hadn’t expected him to be so… cold? Indifferent? She knew he was rather stoic but still. This was awkward and it was about to get worse. Dare she say his reaction upset her? Did she even have the right to feel this way? Was she in the wrong?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She muttered as she broke the hug to wipe away her tears. He assured her that wasn’t the case. Judging by his tone, she wasn’t so sure but she’ll take his word for it.

“Are you safe? Are you okay? Your parents… There’s so much I want to ask, I don't even know where to begin.”

“Easy, easy.” He held both hands up in a defensive gesture. He told her no one had troubled him since they had parted. It wasn’t the truth but he assumed that was what she wanted to hear. She sighed a huge sigh of relief.

“I was so worried… I’m glad you’re okay.” She spoke truthfully. She hadn’t changed one bit, that much was clear.

There was an awkward silence. He shuffled uncomfortably. Compared to her, he didn’t quite know what to say. What does one say to an ex they accidentally ran into? “So uh…” he trailed off “What about you?”

She beamed at him. Moon explained what she had been up to ever since they had parted ways. How she had graduated, how she had joined SSX and why she was here now. He was happy for her. She seemed to have picked herself up and carried on “Good.”

“What have you been up to? Tell me all about you.” She had a fair idea but wanted to hear it from him. He hesitated, which she noticed. She lowered her head. Perhaps she was being too invasive. It had been years since they last spoke. She didn’t mean to be rude. It was none of her business after all. Yet here she was, making him feel awkward while all she wanted to do was make him feel more at ease.

“Have you seen the performance?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“When I came back, that’s what I was signed up for.” So his parents had gotten what they wanted… so what he had said earlier was a lie. She apologized. He wasn’t sure what for but knowing her it was probably because she sympathized with his situation.

“If you don’t mind me asking… Are you happy?” It came from a place of genuine concern. Truth was that he wasn’t but he had kind of made his peace with that. It was what it was.

“I love performing but I hate being an idol.” He, in turn, explained how he’d come to an agreement with his parents. It wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for but it was more than he had expected. “I’d do my part until my contract expires. After that, I’m finally free.” She could only hope they’d keep their word. He understood where she came from, he had his doubts as well but it wasn’t like he had a choice.

Moon couldn’t imagine what he had been through. If only she could’ve been there for him. If only she had tried harder. If only she had fought tooth and nail for him… Perhaps things would’ve been different. She blamed herself for his suffering, even if it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t his either.

There was so much more she wanted to elaborate on but unfortunately for them their reunion was cut short. “Moon!”

She yelped. Now she was really in trouble. “A word, if I may?” Griff was tapping his foot impatiently.

Crêpes. She quickly wiped the rest of her tears from her cheeks as she strode towards him “W-What can I do for you?” She stuttered. How long had he been standing there? Did he hear it all? What did he see? She could feel her palms getting sweaty already.

“When did you plan on telling me?” Welp, it’s official. She was royally screwed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t speak up earlier… This is hard for me to admit but-”

Griff interrupted her “What? What’s so hard about admitting to speaking Korean?”

Wait, what? “Pardon?” she blinked in confusion.

“Why didn’t you tell me you could speak Korean? How and why, you know? Can you imagine the possibilities?! The sponsors are going to gobble this up!” Apparently she had been speaking Korean this entire time.

“Oh… Well, I-” She was interrupted once more.

Griff seemed incredibly pleased with this discovery. “Nevermind that for now, it’s great! Ah, I see you’ve met their leader.” He motioned Tae-Min over. Just by this condescending gesture alone Tae-Min had already decided that he disliked him. “Do a skit together after the special, the fans will love it. Now let’s go, JetSet is waiting.”

--

Team Griff was exhausted. Recording the whole thing had taken them much longer than expected (more like, longer than they had hoped for) since Griff insisted on adding more segments. “The fans won’t know what hit them.” he claimed. The closing act had taken the longest. None of them, with the exception of Moon, spoke Korean so naturally their pronounciation was shit according to Griff (who knew fuck all about Korean himself).

“Can you sound more enthusiastic? Like you actually want to be here?” he complained. Skylar thought that was especially rich coming from him. He had asked Jin, one of the members, the translation for ‘asshole’ in Korean, to which Jin laughed out loud in amusement.

The relief when the producer had told them “That’s a wrap! Let’s take a breather.” was real. Finally they had a moment to themselves. Team Griff took this as an opportunity to get to know the members better, especially Tae-Min, as well as thank each other for their hard work since Griff wasn’t going to.

“Your boss does sound like a real pain in the ass.” Tae stated matter of factly.

“I like him.” Skylar grinned, “You and I will get along just fine.” Tae had no doubt about that. He was a bit of a trickster himself when he wanted to be.

“Agreed.” Sorian bit his lip. Now that he saw them up close he liked what he was seeing. “And this one is handsome too.”

Eve squealed excitedly “I ship it. You two make such a cute couple.” Moon was now a blushing mess thanks to her friends, which only worsened when Tae pulled her close. It confused her. Earlier he had been so distant… What made him change his mind? Was he finally feeling more at ease around her? Had she just been imagining things all along?

“Thank you, Eve! I think so too.” He offered the smaller girl his most charming smile. Oh, how Moon adored that smile. It made her swoon every time.

“Just wondering, have any of you ever punched him in the face?”

Moon gasped at the unexpected question, covering her mouth with both hands.

Skylar laughed, “We’ve lost count.” Tae expected no less if it meant having to work for him.

"Lost count of what exactly?" Great. Playtime was over.

"It's nothing important." Eve retorted, clearly annoyed with Griff butting into their conversation. Of course it wasn't since he wasn't part of it. That much was evident to Griff.

"Stating the obvious, Shephard." He dismissed her and turned to face Moon. “Perfect! You’re already paired up. Stand over there so we can do the skit. Parker, Aguilar, see to it.”

Freya rolled her eyes for what felt like the billionth time today. Did he ever think of anything else besides exposure? At this point he might as well breathe and consume it. She was willing to bet he found it more nutritious than actual food. “Sure, Freya! Thanks a lot for your hard work, Freya!” Reluctantly, both did as they were told but only because Moon was involved. Griff could go fuck himself for all they cared.

“Your parents…” Moon spoke in Korean just loud enough for Tae to hear, brow furrowed in worry. He understood what she was hinting at.

“They can’t hold this against us. This is work-related, we didn’t know.” They hadn’t arranged this meeting, higher-ups did. While this was true, Tae was certain his parents would find a way to blame this on him somehow. Even they couldn’t have predicted this. He could only hope they wouldn’t find out but his chances were slim. However, he couldn’t have her worry about that. She had to worry about herself first. While she understood, Tae wasn’t sure if he had convinced her. He still felt awkward about seeing her again unexpectedly. It wasn’t her fault, he simply didn’t like surprises. Rather, he liked to prepare beforehand.

While both Moon and Tae discussed what they wanted to do, Skylar offered to upload bits and pieces to his tik tok while Freya would send the rough material to their media department. It was a good idea. The redhead figured it would cover the majority of their socials. Even Griff should be pleased with it.

“What are we supposed to do in the meantime?” Ty asked.

Exasperated, Griff sighed. Lord help this poor soul. Perhaps comparing him to a labrador wasn’t so far-fetched after all. “You sign the jacket you’re wearing and put it up for auction on Ebay.”

“Really?”

“Of course not, you cretin. You pack your things and get your asses in the van. We’re leaving after this.” Perhaps Ty’s response would’ve entertained Griff if it wasn’t so pathetic. Can he even tie his own shoes? Wipe his own ass? Griff sighed again.

“I’m sorry about that, they’re usually more… competent.” Even Griff didn’t buy that. Tae simply pretended not to hear what he’d just said. He already disliked Griff so the way he talked about his team did not do him any favors. It reminded him of his trainee days. If this was the way he treated them in front of others, God knows what was going on behind the scenes. The thought of Moon under his rule did not sit well with him at all, even if he didn’t show it. The rest could fend for themselves, that much was clear. It didn’t seem like he had much influence over them anyways. Moon was another story entirely. Yet she didn’t seem miserable in the slightest.

Tae-Min squinted “They’re far better than I am.”

“What do you mean?” Griff asked, intrigued. He could smell money from miles away. Perhaps the description of a dog was a better fit for him, Skylar thought.

Tae shrugged “I know a thing or two about boarding. It is my first love besides, well…” He turned to face Moon, winked at her, then back to Griff. “Performing, of course.” It was a lie. Moon stared down at her feet, blushing. Griff was seeing too many dollar signs to notice any of his blatant flirting. Not that Griff knew anything about flirting to begin with. Even if he proclaimed to be a true ladies’ man he couldn’t keep a woman happy for a hot minute even if his life depended on it.

Freya had a bad feeling about this. She couldn’t quite tell what was going on but something felt off to her. Moon seemed upset while Tae-Min seemed pretty laid-back. Nonchalant even. Was this truly the person Moon was talking about earlier? Was this the reunion the Belgian girl had imagined? Did he simply not know how to act around her? Especially after so long?

“Interesting… Very interesting indeed. I could definitely use Asian representation on my team. I hereby invite you to join Team Griff.”

Amused and slightly troubled with his reasoning, Tae chuckled nervously. What kind of person names a team after themselves anyways? How ridiculous.

“It wasn’t a question.” Griff urged. Moon pursed her lips. She knew Tae well enough to know he wouldn’t appreciate his tone. The Korean had a tendency to be blunt, especially if people got under his skin. It was the one thing he was criticized for time and time again by management. As the leader, he had to remain professional at all times. As a performer, he had to be obedient and desirable. As much as he despised it, complying was better than being punished.

Tae kept his cool despite being irritated. “No can do, I’m afraid. Our contracts expire two years from now. Until then, I am obligated to stay with JetSet.”

“Give me a call in two years then.” Griff slipped him a business card, to which Tae responded that he’d think about it. Displeased, Griff excused himself to retrieve the rest of his team.

Skylar was glad to finally be rid of him. “Let’s get this over with. That way he’ll leave us alone.” He told the couple in an attempt to distract them. He could tell Moon wasn’t her usual cheery self. She probably sensed something was going on with the singer. Or was it?

Moon gently poked Tae’s arm. He jumped in surprise. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry about that. He tends to be quite invasive. Especially when he’s interested.”

“You can say that again.” Freya scoffed.

Tae-Min, once again, assured her everything was fine. “You’re right, let’s do this. Let’s give the fans something they’ll love.” The brunette agreed. The fans came first. If Griff’s goal was to bring the two fandoms together they were going to make it happen. Besides, if both companies had a good relationship this might open doors for future collaborations, especially if there was a demand for this type of content. This possibility consoled the brunette… One could only hope.

--

“Simmons will cream his pants when he sees the views on this. Give it an hour or so before it explodes.” Skylar gave the pair of them a thumbs up.

Freya pulled a disgusted face. “Speak of the devil, he just texted us to hurry up.” So now naturally she was going to take her sweet time just to spite him.

Moon understood this was Team Griff’s cue to leave, even if she didn’t want to. What if she never got to see him after this? It was a possibility, no, it was likely going to be the case if neither company kept in touch. Against all odds fate had brought them back together, was it really supposed to end this way? This thought deeply saddened the girl. She was staring at the floor, lip quivering, which Tae immediately picked up on.

He gently cupped her face and gave her a warm, reassuring smile, finally letting his guard down. “I may not be able to contact you for the time being…” He had decided that was what was best for her safety, which she understood. She didn’t want him to get in trouble and he didn’t want her to get hurt, especially because of him. “Give me two years, okay?” It was a promise. He had always regretted letting her go without putting up a fight. This time, if he could change the course of time at all, it was going to be different. He’d come back for her once he was free. “Can I have your phone for a second?”

She nodded and handed the device to him. Looks like Eve had slipped it back in her pocket earlier. “Of course.”

The password was still the same. While he dared not give her his number he did take the opportunity to snap a selfie. A picture of him, just for her. A picture no superfan will ever come close to obtaining. A reminder of his promise to her, a reminder that everything was going to be okay. Years ago she had been the one to tell him so. This time, it was his turn. He felt like she needed to hear it. She had taken their reunion way harder than he had by the looks of it.

He gave her phone back to her and told her to stay put while he went to retrieve something. She wasn’t sure what he was up to but did as she was told. Moments later, he had returned with another member. She believed his name was Gi-Hun. Moon couldn’t make out what he was holding until he had handed it to her. “Here.” He stated. “A souvenir of our reunion.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Tae! I will hold on to it tightly.” She exclaimed excitedly. He didn’t doubt her one bit. She was grateful for the goodie bag and insisted on giving him something in return. He assured her it wasn’t necessary.

“I hate to do this but we have to go. I’m sorry.” Freya hated being the bearer of bad news.

Tae nodded. “Can I ask you two for a favor?” The pop star was going to pay them back for their kindness somehow.

“What’s up?” Skylar asked as he put his phone away.

“Would you please look after her for me? I can tell she cares deeply for you all.” He didn’t trust Griff in the slightest, especially not when it came down to having her best interests at heart. He needn’t tell Skylar twice. To him, she was like the little sister he never had and he knew the feeling was mutual. Not to mention he couldn’t fucking stand Griff either.

“Of course.” Freya gave him her word. Ever since Moon had been part of team Griff she had somewhat taken the younger girl under her wing, whether she realized that or not. Team Griff had each other’s back. While it may not seem like it, they did look out for each other. They stood alone, together. Tae felt slightly less worried knowing she was in good hands.

--

“Everything alright? it took you a while.” Val questioned as Sorian was busying himself with his drink. Looks like he somehow managed to sneak in booze unbeknownst to Griff.

“Sorry, that’s on me. Thank you all for your patience.” Moon apologized as she fastened her seatbelt. Val noted she sounded somber. He let it slide.

Simmons arrived not even a minute later. “We’re leaving. You all better be ready because I’m not going back to retrieve your belongings.” And with that, he slammed the door of the van shut and barked at the driver to get a move on.

The drive back was incredibly awkward. It was quiet… way too quiet to Griff’s liking and it was driving him crazy. Judging by the way his team was acting, he suspected they knew something he didn’t. Why the hell was Aguilar rubbing Moon’s shoulders? Why were none of them being their usual loud selves? Why did Moon of all people look like she just witnessed the death of a puppy? What the hell was she holding? This wasn’t like them at all, especially not her. He didn’t recall ever seeing her not smiling. Except for that one time Aguilar had broken his nose at a halloween party. He hated being left in the dark, especially if it concerned him. “So…” he started off, turning to face Moon who was seated at the other window end. “How come you speak Korean anyways? I’ve been meaning to ask.”

She didn’t respond, which again wasn’t like her. She was simply staring out the window, lost in thought. Earlier Eve had asked her if she still loved him. Back then she was convinced they had both moved on. Now, she was not so sure.

He frowned and leaned over to pinch her in the arm. Dragged out of her stupor, she spun her head to face him. “Pardon? Sorry, I was lost in thought.” Clearly. “What can I do for you?”

“I need to know. The sponsors will love it.” Of course they would because numbers are all that matter to you anyways. Freya rolled her eyes.

Moon understood what he was hinting at. There was no use in hiding it any longer. He was going to find out eventually, by any means necessary if needed be. Now that she had the choice, she’d rather have him hear it directly from her. “My ex is South Korean.” she replied truthfully. Team Griff collectively held their breaths. “I wanted to be able to communicate with him in his native tongue.”

Silence. It would’ve made sense for her to learn the language since she was a fan and wanted to understand the lyrics or whatever but never in a million years did he expect this to come out of her mouth instead. Griff pursed his lips and averted his gaze from her. Usually she’d get a little flustered when he was staring at her. He suspected it was because she was intimidated by him. Who wouldn't be? This time however, he was the one to break eye contact first.

“I see.” He sounded bitter.

Skylar couldn’t help himself. “Jealous, Simmons?”

It seemed the Dominican had hit a nerve. “Mind your own damn business, Aguilar. The grown-ups are speaking.”

“Oh he totally is.” Skylar mused while plopping himself back in his seat.

“This conversation doesn’t concern you.” Griff reprimanded.

Skylar grimaced. “What the fuck? This doesn’t concern you either, though?!” Sky was right but Griff told him to shut his trap anyways.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He continued, ignoring the taller man. His tone was more stern this time. Moon was a little taken aback by his reaction but obliged nonetheless. “Oh, I’m sorry. It was never brought up. Besides, I didn’t think it was relevant.”

It was the truth. Damn her. “I’m your employer. Of course it is relevant, I need to know my employees’ history.”

This time, Eve butted in. “You need to chill.” she told him, waving a finger in his face. The American was having none of it. It didn’t take long for them to start hurling insults at each other and Freya coming to her best friend’s defense. “This isn’t a fucking interrogation.” She exclaimed while holding Freya back from scratching Griff’s face. “You’re acting like she committed a crime.”

Moon felt the tension rising and knew she had to do something before someone ended up in the hospital. Again. “Guys! I appreciate you all looking out for me but it’s quite alright.” Reluctantly, both Eve and Freya backed down, the latter watching Griff like a hawk.

Griff took a minute to compose himself then shamelessly continued his assault on the poor girl “So, this ex of yours, do I know him?”

No backing down now. “As a matter of fact, you do.”

Griff frowned. Now he was really confused. Moon knew he was smart enough to put two and two together but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall who he could’ve met that matched the description. Then again, Griff met so many people on a daily basis. “You seemed to like him.”

Still no response.

“So much so that you asked him to join Team Griff.” The look on Griff’s face was priceless. Suddenly, tonight’s events all made sense. This was bad. Out of all the members she was the only one that actually listened to him. A part of him knew damn well he had no control over the others, even if he’d never admit it. They simply did what they felt like. As for Moon, that was another story entirely. She never once complained or defied him. She trusted him and did everything in her power to make him happy.

Dare he even say she was essential to keeping this circus afloat? No, surely not. She was merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things, right? She wasn’t an actual friend, right?

No, that was irrelevant. He simply couldn’t afford to lose the one member he had a grip on, that’s all. This… Distraction was a nuisance to her commitment. Her devotion was to him and him alone and he would see to it one way or another. She made him money… a lot of money and he was going to milk every drop of it. No, he definitely couldn’t afford to lose control over her either. Not the one employee that took her job seriously. Perhaps he misheard.

He was in her face now “You’re joking.” She shook her head. She was dead serious. Perhaps a bit scared by his sudden outburst, as she clutched the goodie bag tightly to her chest, but definitely serious. Well shit, he hadn’t misheard.

Val had had enough. “Leave her alone, will you? Can’t you see that you’re scaring her?” Even Griff dared not question the now angry Russian. Moon silently thanked him for coming to her rescue. She owed him big time.

Reluctantly, Griff backed down. “Fine.” He whined “But this conversation is far from over.”

--

It’s been a week since the festival and Griff was at his wits’ end. The situation had bothered him more than he was willing to admit and Griff wasn’t exactly patient to begin with. He hated not being in control. He hated things not going the way he envisioned. He hated the fact that she had been listening to their songs all week and wearing the merch she had gotten her hands on. He hated the fact that he, whatever his name was, was in the picture. He had to get rid of him somehow… The faster, the better.

Since Ty was from up North, he was in dire need of Western European representation. She was loved by both her country and the States. Little girls looked up to her. Everything with her name and face on it sold like hot cakes. He couldn’t afford to lose the money she raked in, corporate was going to throw him to the wolves if he did.

He had retreated back to his office to come up with a plan but to no avail. Exasperated, frustrated and irritated beyond belief he decided that getting some fresh air might help get his creative juices flowing. As he made his way to the back, he couldn’t help but overhear some members of his team talking and giggling. Griff naturally decided that whatever they were discussing was his business and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“No way, dude. Pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza.” Of course their topic of conversation was boring and trivial. He didn’t expect them to discuss anything remotely intelligent. Just when Griff decided he had had enough of Aguilar’s opinion on food toppings he heard Shephard mention his name.

“Ah, yes. I did promise I would tell you, didn’t I?” Now it was Moon who was speaking. He’d recognize her accent right away.

Freya rubbed her hands together “Let’s hear the dirt on Simmons.” Griff Grimaced. Of course Parker was here too, poisoning Moon’s mind with her vile tongue like the snake she was. As far as he could tell, that was all of them. Either way, now that his name had been thrown around it definitely concerned him. Of all people, he didn’t expect Moon to be the one to talk behind his back but here she was, about to spill whatever it was she had on him. I knew I had to make them all sign an NDA upon hiring, he thought to himself. He was going to make her pay for this one way or another.

“Well, we’ve known each other since we were twelve. There was no one else remotely close to our age on the roster so we naturally gravitated towards each other. We had similar interests in gaming and sweets as well.” It made sense to Freya for them to get along, especially since they were only children. Griff however frowned in confusion. Where was she going with this?

Moon explained how they’d often go out boarding together and how they’d sneak out at night to stuff their faces with sweets from the local night shop. How they’d trade pokémon on their gameboys, how they’d build snowmen around the lodge and how they’d often fall asleep at the root of the gigantic pine tree and be found by staff in the morning.“I had such a wonderful time and can only hope he felt the same.” Griff wasn’t sure if he did. With time, the memories had faded. It was hard for him to remember how he felt. Still, what point was she trying to make?

She then explained how she was pulled from the roster due to an injury. Skylar knew what she was hinting at, as they both had bonded over leg injuries. Griff also knew this was about Allegra. Now he could see the picture of her lying unconscious in the snow very clearly. He shook his head, he’d rather not think about it. “Upon departure, he insisted on giving me his signature sweater as he believed it would bring me luck.” She chuckled, “I still have it.” This was true. Griff smiled the faintest of smiles as he recalled this particular memory. He had plopped himself on the floor now, the back of his head resting on the wall.

“While I was recovering at home, we kept in touch via MSN. We’d speak often, actually.” When the On Tour era started, they’d arranged to meet up, much against her parents’ wishes. She made sure to leave that out as it wasn’t relevant to the story. “While I wasn’t allowed to board, I did have the chance to spend time with him as well as show my support to the friends I had made two years prior. I made sure to wear the sweater he gave me.”

The more time they spent together, the more evident it became that she had come to like him. “It was just the two of us. I remember us sharing an infinity scarf and my hair somehow got caught in it. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I can’t explain what happened except for me realizing that, from then on, I liked him. A lot.”

This came as news to Griff. It now became clear to him that she wasn’t talking badly about him at all. Guess she got to live another day. Eve thought it was really sweet. She also recalled having seen her around, albeit from afar. Moon confirmed this. This was also brought up when Moon had joined forces with SSX to take Griff down. “I dared not tell him the way I felt. I was too afraid. Besides, I didn’t know if he felt the same. I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had.”

They had kept in touch after that as well. “By the age of sixteen we had arranged to meet at a snowboarding competition. He had invited me to come see him. I planned on confessing for a while but now I had the chance to do it in person. I really wanted to see him.” And so they did. They didn’t get to spend much time together but she cherished the times they did dearly. “He showed me a pine tree covered in lights and asked me if I thought it looked like the one we used to go to when we were twelve. Funnily enough, it did!” It was beautiful. He couldn’t have picked a more perfect setting. It’s as if the universe was trying to tell her something. “My heart was beating like crazy. I was so nervous. I don’t remember much except for us laughing and then… we were leaning in for a kiss.” It never came to be, as they were interrupted by what she assumed was his manager looking for him. “Maybe it was just my imagination.” She was blushing. Embarrassed, she lowered her head.

Eve took a sip of her drink. “Perhaps he does have a soft spot for you still, even if he’s too self-absorbed to realize it.” Griff had to admit he did treat her differently, whether he realized it or not. For starters, he called her by her first name. Second, he wasn’t as tense around her. They rarely hung out but when they did, he wasn’t on the verge of getting an aneurysm. Nah, he was hallucinating. Those were just intrusive thoughts, nothing more. This was so long ago, where was she getting with this? What was she trying to prove?

“I don’t know what happened after that. Over time, we’d talk less and less until he stopped responding completely. I have no ill will towards him at all for doing so. I understand he was incredibly busy. I wasn’t a priority and I respect that. I just couldn’t help but wonder if it was something I did or something I said.” It wasn’t but Griff would never admit this.

“Nah, he’s just a prick.” He expected no less from Parker.

Moon shook her head. “I tried reaching out to him on numerous occasions but to no avail. I didn’t want to bother him any further so I put it to rest.” Whatever it was, Moon believed he had his reasons and it was up to her to give him the space he needed. “I had to respect his decision. He was doing great and I was genuinely happy for him. I still am. He deserves nothing but the best.” Out of sight and out of mind. Over time she had moved on and focused on other things instead, such as her education and re-introduction to the joys of snowboarding: her first love. Two years later, she met Tae-Min. Her first true love.

Four years down the line she was recruited by Zoe to take on Griff’s challenge. Eve, Freya and Sky all knew this, as they were there in the flesh when it all went down. Griff was annoyed to seemingly be the only one who didn’t know what had happened behind the scenes. Then again, Griff didn’t particularly want to recall his humiliating defeat either. These simpletons his team consisted of were already embarrassing him enough.

“Oh, the look on Simmons’ face was priceless.” Skylar spoke in a mocking tone which Griff didn’t appreciate in the slightest. Of course that was ingrained in his memory instead of, I don’t know, proper work ethic.

“I hadn’t heard from him in weeks. Frankly, I was starting to get worried. However, I was also determined. I had given him the space he needed in the past… This time, I was going to put my foot down. I’m not one for confrontation but it was long overdue… necessary, even.” She believed it was rude and inconsiderate of her to force him, even if he had been the one to come to her at his own volition. “I was the one who had damaged our friendship so it was also my responsibility to fix it.”

That wasn’t exactly the way Freya, Eve or Skylar saw it but they let her continue. She knew it was going to take a while for him to trust her, he had said so himself. In fact, she didn’t know if he had grown to trust her at all. It had been almost a year since their face-off. It was true that Griff had asked Zoe (more like, demanded) to transfer her over to him so he could keep an eye on her. She was a traitor and more importantly, she was the bridge between him and SSX. Yet she never once spilled the beans on them. Still, she was reliable. Perhaps he did trust her. He didn't actually care for her, did he? She was nothing more than an employee, right? Yes, of course… duh. Makes perfect sense, Griff, he thought to himself.

“Ever since the transfer, we’ve been at his side.”

“Unfortunately.” Skylar sighed heavily. Both Eve and Freya chuckled. Moon simply smiled.

“The times Griff and I hang out are far and few between… but I cherish them all the same.” It reminded her of when they were younger… when times were simpler. Every once in a while he showed her a glimpse of his former self, the self she had fallen for once. Perhaps it wasn’t so far-fetched that she had fallen for him again. While she hadn’t forgotten Tae-Min and didn’t think it was possible for her to move on at all, over time it had gotten easier and she believed he had moved on as well. Especially since there was no way for them to contact each other. Not that they had a choice to begin with.

“One particular evening Griff and I were gaming.“ She had bought it on sale and he had asked her about it. She explained they had been struggling to clear a certain level. “Until we managed to do so.” Team work makes the dream work and this was no different. “We were so happy we both jumped up and started dancing.”

This sounded particularly funny to Skylar, as it was completely out of character for Griff.

“Then, out of nowhere, he hugged me tightly.” She hugged herself to demonstrate. “My heart jumped. It was so unexpected. It was at this moment that I realized I had fallen for him once again… and my feelings for him have only gotten stronger since. I’m in love with him and that’s the truth… But after what happened last week I’m not sure how to feel. It’s gotten complicated and I’ll need to think about it.”

This came as an even bigger shock to Griff. Moon was in love with him? Everything that had happened in the past year suddenly made perfect sense. Sure, she would’ve made the perfect daughter in law. She knew his parents and vice versa, she was rich and had a great reputation. She was adored by millions, his fans included. Come to think of it, it wasn’t the first time social media staff had brought this to his attention. They called it ‘shipping’ and explained how some fans couldn’t agree on whether to call them ‘Moffin’ or ‘Griffoon’. Frankly Griff didn’t understand what it meant at the time nor did he care to (then again, the fans enjoyed pairing all team members with each other). This was a different story however. In fact, it was perfect.

Griff smiled wickedly. Now that he had something he could work with, all he had to do was conjure a plan so she can forget all about the Korean boy and focus on lining his pockets instead. God himself had reached out to him to hand him exactly what he needed on a silver platter. God bless America.

[gotyourgnarlyinmyawesome]

Did Someone Order A Cherry Pie?

Summary: Griff gets punched in the face and he totally deserved it.

He had waited weeks to set his plan in motion. Well, the truth is, Griff wasn’t smart enough to come up with something decent. There were many things to consider and he was far too busy (more like, impatient) to deal with it all. So, in typical Griff fashion, he had paid someone to come up with it instead. The person in charge assured him it was foolproof. Griff threatened to bankrupt him if that wasn’t the case. Now all he had to do was put his best acting skills to good use. “Moon, a word, if I may?”

Finally, she was alone. Thank the heavens the others were downtown for whatever reason. Only Thorsen remained but he wasn’t a threat. Parker on the other hand would’ve noticed something was off right away, which he couldn’t afford, and God forbid he was around.

“Of course.” She looked up, placing her sketchbook down on the picnic table beside her. She had been drawing outside, seated on the edge of said table “What can I do for you?”

He took a step closer “I’d like to apologize for the way I behaved in the car. It wasn’t fair of me to lash out at you like that.”

Moon assured him there was nothing to apologize for. “I’m the one who should apologize. I was acting out of line.” The poor girl was making this far too easy for him. How naïve. It must be so tiring to always see the good in others.

Griff shook his head. “No, you did nothing wrong. This was all on me.” It wasn’t like him to apologize, let alone take accountability for his actions. He didn’t recall ever apologizing to any of them. Yet Moon did not seem to be alarmed when he did just that. “You see, the reason why I reacted the way I did was because… well, I was stressed. It was a lot to take in and a lot has happened that day.”

Moon nodded. It was a big event, she couldn’t even fathom how taxing it must have been for him to represent the lot of them. They had all been stressed, he needn’t tell her twice. “I understand. It was a lot of weight for us to carry. You did great.” If only he could hire her to praise him on a daily basis. The others could learn a thing or two from her. He took another step to close the gap between them. Now that he had a closer look at her face, it only now occurred to him how she looked at him: an expression filled with genuine adoration. If money and fame hadn’t clouded his judgement perhaps he would’ve realized that what he was doing was very, very wrong.

“Would you like to go get coffee? Just the two of us. It’s been a while.”

She beamed at him. “I would love that!” And so, they grabbed their coats and made their way downtown. Griff could only hope he wouldn’t come across his team but again, he wasn’t as smart as he believed to be. Already he was taking a huge risk. “So, I would like to talk to you about this soirée a week from now…”

--

“I can’t wear that!”

“And why the fuck not?” Eve demanded, hands resting on her hips. She gave the brunette an all-too-knowing ‘speak up’ look.

In Eve’s defense, the dress was drop dead gorgeous but also quite daring for Moon’s standards. Moon’s aunt had gifted it to her on graduation day, for when the time came she’d be able to wear it. Well, at long last, the occasion called for it. It was a white, asymmetric long sleeve one shoulder dress covered in sequins.

“Well… What if, you know…” She was almost too embarrassed to say it out loud “... My breast pops out?” Truly nothing slipped past her. She always thought of every possible thing that could happen. Granted, Eve wasn’t a fan of wardrobe malfunctions either but the doom thinking was getting old at this point.

“That’s what nipple guards and double-sided tape is for.”

“What an interesting concept.” The brunette seemed fascinated. Eve on the other hand wondered if she had been living under a rock.

“You’ve never heard of these?” Eve asked while raising her brow. The brunette shook her head. How had she survived without them all this time? Oh, right, she always wore things twice her size.

“Girl, you have a lot to learn.” Eve sighed as she shook her head.

Freya chimed in “You have a lovely figure, show it off.” She complimented as she was flipping through this week’s fashion magazine.

Now Sorian butted in. “And if your tit does pop out it will give those corporate fucks something to talk about. I bet that’s more action than they’ve had from their wives in twenty years.”

Eve laughed while Moon looked horrified. Freya glared at him. Sorian simply shrugged. Ever the protective figure, she threw her magazine on the blonde’s lap and turned her attention back to the girl. “It won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

Moon took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go with that one.”

Eve squealed in delight. She loved getting ready with the rest of the girls and additionally, whenever he felt like crashing, Sorian. “So, for hair and makeup, what were you thinking about?”

Moon asked if Eve was familiar with the ‘mermaid tear’ trend. Eve nodded. It was a good choice. As for hair, Moon was hesitating between three looks: the wet, slicked back look; straight and parted in the middle or the K-pop-inspired hairpin look.

Eve didn’t expect the girl to come forward with such a bold suggestion but now that she did, she was going to take advantage of that. It was about time she outed herself a little more. Freya on the other hand argued that the last look was more true to her personality. In the end they went for a compromise: the wet look, with a strip shape rhinestone pin placed right above the ear as finishing touch. Incredibly pleased with the final look, Moon thanked them and went to retrieve her makeup brushes. Bored with the stale gossip the magazine had to offer, Sorian accompanied her.

While Sorian was busying himself with the brunette, both Eve and Freya took this as an opportunity to get dressed. Eve had opted for a skin-tight plunging metallic mini dress with long sleeves. It was loud, it was fun and it was glamorous. She looked absolutely stunning and she knew it. For makeup, she had opted for a colorful cut crease. For hair, she wanted to rock her natural curls.

Freya on the other hand had opted for an elegant, pink pin-up dress. She too, liked to show off her curves and damn right she was. Who in their right mind wouldn’t when you had a rack like hers? For hair, she went full Jessica Rabbit. To compliment tonight’s style, she had picked a beautiful retro glam makeup.

Suddenly, Eve remembered Griff’s comment a week prior. “This isn’t a frat party so dress accordingly. Important people will attend this event.” He had told them. So naturally Eve had decided otherwise just to spite him. She was going to shake what her mama gave her, just like the song says, whether Griff liked it or not. Unlike him she wasn’t afraid of color (or fun).

--

As for Sorian, unlike Griff and Val, he wasn’t much of a suit guy. If he had to wear something fly however, you best believe he was going all out, Sorian style. So there he was at the bottom of the stairs, wearing jeans, while waiting for the others to come down.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” He heard Griff yell at him.

“What do you mean? I’m wearing Gucci. Be happy I didn’t go full ‘Old Town Road’ like Lil Nas X.” He retorted nonchalantly. Granted, his brightly-colored silk ruffle dress shirt was fancy as fuck but he didn’t expect Griff to understand it. Griff didn’t know what Nasex, a fucking nasal spray, had anything to do with this and he dared not question it.

“Get changed right this instant or so help me God.” Alas, it was already too late. He could hear the girls giggle upstairs and a door slamming shut behind them. They were ready.

“What’s up?” He heard behind him. Great, Aguilar looked like a clown too. This was going to be a nightmare once again. Why did he even bother to bring them along? At this rate he could cover every single act in Cirque Du Soleil with the way they were dressed.

“What the fuck are you two wearing? Didn’t any of you understand the brief?” Skylar was wearing a black suit vest with a white dress shirt underneath. The blue denim pants and brown dress shoes really tied his look together. To his credit, he looked the part. To Griff? Not as much.

Skylar’s companion, Mac, had actually given his outfit some thought. Skylar could only guess he had done it for Eve’s sake. The rapper was wearing a dark green velvet suit with a bowtie. He had opted for a golden chain and brand new sneakers to complete his look. In all honesty, even though he wasn’t pleased in the slightest, Griff had to let that one slide.

Skylar shrugged. “We do, we just don’t give a fuck.” The free drinks and hotties is where it was at, really. The Dominican knew all too well this event had nothing to do with them. Griff just trudged them along to showcase them like cattle on an annual fair. Whatever would make the sponsors happy, he guessed.

Finally, Thorsen had shown his face. “Are we ready to go?”

Griff pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He, too, looked absolutely horrendous. A white band jacket paired with a leopard top hat, really? Not to mention the graphic black metal band shirt he was wearing underneath. This was an event, not a rock concert. “Do you see Parker anywhere?” He asked the Norwegian.

Ty gave him a sheepish look. “No?”

“Then no, we’re not. Parker is late again. Always the same.” Griff complained.

“I heard that.” Freya snapped back as she made her way down with Eve. They hadn’t even left and already he was complaining. Freya huffed, this was going to be a long night. Griff gave the redhead a disgusted look. Needless to say, he didn’t approve of her attire either. Had they somehow conspired against him? It sure seemed like it. Ty, on the other hand, couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He thought she looked stunning. She always did.

Mac didn’t hesitate and went straight for Eve, pulling her closer. “You look hot, babe!” The girl giggled in response, running a hand through her thick curls. She knew she looked hot but always appreciated his compliments nonetheless.

There was one member missing. “Where is Moon?” Griff asked as he glanced at his watch, tapping his foot impatiently. The cab could arrive any minute now and they couldn’t afford to be late.

“Here!” She replied as she traipsed down the last steps, giving her friends an apologetic look. “My apologies, I’m not used to wearing heels. I didn’t want to tumble down the stairs.”

When Griff had finally bothered to look up, he didn’t quite know what to say. He was met with an unexpected sight for sure. His mouth hung slightly open but no words came out.

Freya and Eve high-fived each other. Their work was done here. A job well done in Freya’s opinion. Moon was no longer the wallflower of the bunch. She looked fantastic, even if she didn’t realize it. All the girl needed was a gentle push to come out of her shell. With newfound confidence, Moon beamed at him.

“You… look different.” Griff said stupidly. He had one job and blew it. Freya sighed. He was hopeless.

Moon wasn’t sure what he meant by that. She clutched her dress nervously as she glanced down at her feet, then back at him. Was the dress not formal enough? Did she look ridiculous in it? Granted, she knew they weren’t used to seeing her like this but still, this was a huge deal for her. “Is that a good or a bad thing?” She asked him.

At least someone understood the assignment. Of course it was a good thing. Wasn’t that obvious? His compliment was spot on. She should be grateful he was complimenting her at all. “Well, um…” He stammered, until Skylar came to his rescue.

“What Simmons is trying to say is that you look stunning, Moon.”

The girl blushed “Thank you, Sky. You’re far too kind. You look dashing yourself, as per usual.” Without further ado, Skylar offered the girl his arm, which she gladly took.

“We’re done here.” The Dominican stated as the group now made their way outside with Griff left behind. Skylar took the opportunity to turn to face him, lifting his index finger and thumb in the shape of an L on his forehead. Griff truly couldn’t say something nice about someone even if his life depended on it.

--

They had seated themselves at the bar. Well, most of them. Upon entry Val had been dragged off by a handful of women. This time however, Griff had provided them with a VIP area from the start, unlike some festival they had been part of a little while ago. Security on the other hand wasn’t necessary. This place reeked of ‘friends in high places’. They weren’t the kind to ask them for pictures, tug at their clothes nor declare their undying love for them. ‘Favors’ and business deals on the other hand weren’t off the table, if you catch my drift. The whole scene disgusted Skylar.

“Fuck this.” He announced before downing his drink and heading outside.

Freya didn’t blame him. This party was boring as fuck. The music was shit and the people were so fake it hurt to watch. She had lost count of the amount of pretentious laughs and two-faced personalities present in the room. At the end of the day, these rich, haughty fuckers were all the same. She was surprised none of the old sods had dropped dead while they were there.

Moon was visibly uncomfortable by older men ogling her like vultures hovering over their prey. Freya felt for the girl. Unlike her she wouldn’t flip them off or tell them to scoop out their eyeballs and toss them in the bin where they belonged. She also didn’t have someone to protect her and keep the creeps away, like Mac or Ty. Instead, she simply turned her attention to her friends and tried to make the best out of the situation. Bless her heart.

“Well, I don’t know about y’all but I wanna dance. Let’s go, babe.” Mac didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Freya grimaced. Dancing wasn’t her thing. At least not in public. Luckily, it wasn’t Ty’s either. Lord knows he had two left feet and she wasn’t particularly excited at the thought of having hers stepped on. “No thanks, you have fun.” She needn’t tell Eve twice. The redhead then turned her attention to Moon. “What about you, love?”

The girl smiled, eyes glittering like a child in a candy store. “Oh, I’d love to… But I’m not sure if now is a good time. He seems quite busy.”

Freya understood who she meant. He’d be dumb not to but this was Griff they were talking about after all. You know what they say, if you don’t expect anything at all you can’t possibly be disappointed, right? Perhaps this time he’d surprise her in a good way. Freya could only hope that was the case, for Moon’s sake. “It’s a party, isn’t it? You won’t know unless you try.”

Moon nodded. Freya was right. A little while ago the brunette wouldn’t have been able to gather the courage to ask something so… bold, for the lack of a better word. Over time, she hadn’t necessarily become more assertive but more comfortable in her own skin. She still had a long way to go, but Freya was proud of her nonetheless. Perhaps this was why Freya was so protective of her. She saw a lot of her younger self in the Belgian girl.

Moon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Right. You’re absolutely right.” There’s a Flemish saying that goes as follows: ‘gedachten op nul en ga ervoor.’ Which roughly translated to taking action before your thoughts and doubts got the better of you. Moon thought it was particularly fitting. “I’ll be right back.” She announced before taking her leave.

--

“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me. Mind if I borrow him for a minute?” Moon gave his companions her most charming smile. Seeing no issue with her request, they let her do as she pleased. “Be my guest, darling.” One told her. She thanked them and led the American away, holding him by the arm.

“What is it?” Griff asked, albeit not unfriendly.

Perfect timing, seeing as ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Elvis Presley just started playing. It was one of her favorite songs, if not her favorite slow. It was now or never. She wasn’t going to get another chance for a long, long time. “I was wondering if you would like to dance?” She asked.

“Not now, I’m busy.”

Her smile faded. Oh well, it was worth a shot. At least she gave it a try, that’s what she tried to tell herself. “I understand. My apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.” She reassured him. He nodded, then made his way back to his business associates. As Moon turned her heel, she could’ve sworn she heard them laugh. Maybe it was her imagination. If it wasn’t, she could only hope they weren’t making a mockery out of her and additionally, her request. Perhaps she was being rude. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass him in front of his friends.

“And?” Freya asked interestedly as Moon made her way back to them.

Moon smiled faintly. “He said, and I quote: ‘not now, I’m busy.’”

“Prick.” She huffed as she took a sip of her cocktail.

“Well, it wasn’t a no.” Ty interjected. Freya glared at him. His timing was always spot on.

“What? I’m not defending him or anything. I’m just saying.” He made a fair point but still. It was his loss, really. Fuck him, she could do so much better. He’s had his chance.

“It’s perfectly fine, honestly. I should’ve known better than to interrupt.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Freya asked. She couldn’t really tell what Moon was feeling but she didn’t seem defeated either. That was a good sign, at least.

Perhaps Sorian would like to dance, Moon thought as she scanned the room looking for him. It was always a good time with him. Upon a closer look however it seemed the blonde had company. He was on the other end of the bar, chatting away (more like, flirting) with a very pretty redhead male. Thus, not wanting to interrupt another person, she decided otherwise. “I’m going to get some fresh air, see what Sky is up to.”

Freya thought that was a good idea. It’s been a while since she’d seen his face. Lord knows what he was up to indeed. “Good call. You have fun, alright?” Freya didn’t feel like mingling with the business tycoons either. Dancing was one thing. Flaunting wealth was another thing entirely. Granted, perhaps she had passed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity (and a lot of money) but she was willing to take that risk. Anything beats the stench of fakeness. Besides, she was doing damn well on her own, thank you very much.

“I will.” The brunette promised, smiling.

--

“There you are! Are you alright?” He looked up to see Moon smiling down at him. He had no idea where she had found a blanket but there she was, holding one. “Mind if I sit?”

“Be my guest.” He replied as he motioned to the empty seat beside him.

“Aren’t you cold?” She asked him as she sat down, concerned. Granted, it was a little chilly outside but it could be worse. At least it wasn’t snowing.

“Nah, the booze keeps me warm.” He joked as he pulled out a bottle of whatever he had gotten his hands on. Moon giggled. It was rather full still. Over time Sky had started to drink less. That didn’t stop him from enjoying a drink from time to time however. Especially if it took the boredom of this fucking party away.

To answer her previous question, Skylar told her he was fine, it’s just that whatever was going on inside wasn’t his cup of tea. She understood. She too felt very out of place despite growing up in a privileged environment. “How’s you, though?” he asked.

“I’m alright, thank you for asking.” Here, in Skylar’s presence, she felt safe. She knew she could be herself. From up here, the view of the city down below was absolutely stunning. The lights, in contrast to the starry night sky, were oddly comforting. She understood why he’d rather hang out here. It was so quiet, so peaceful.

“Aren’t you bored out of your mind with these people? All they talk about is their expensive yachts and shit. Gross.”

“It’s certainly a topic of conversation among many. Perhaps they’ve exhausted every other one.” She chuckled. Her answers were always so calculated, the poor soul was far too kind for her own good. She was more tactful than he was, for sure. Skylar preferred a to-the-point-zero-bullshit approach, Moon spoke and acted according to an etiquette, even if she spoke truthfully. Skylar thought that must be exhausting as fuck but seeing her upbringing, it didn’t surprise him.

“Why do you think I nap so often?” She joked. Skylar laughed. The difference between them is that at some point, Skylar stopped giving a fuck while she cared too much. She should do the same, really. It’s freeing. Once in a while however, when she felt like it, she’d show this side of her: a more carefree, impish side to her. One day, he would teach her how to diss Simmons. That was a promise.

They had talked for what felt like hours while enjoying each other’s company, completely engrossed in their conversation. Why here of all places? Who knew. Did it really matter? Moon believed that was how some of the most treasured memories were created. Just talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Truly getting to know a person, their heart and soul. Skylar was someone she had clicked with from the start. They shared a lot of similarities despite having a different upbringing. Over time, she had grown fond of him. He truly was someone she’d do anything for, like a big brother she never had. This made her question something…

“I wonder why it wasn’t you… and if it ever could have been you.”

“Who knows what the fuck is going on in an alternate universe, am I right?” Skylar replied, giving her an if-you-know-what-I-mean look. Amused, Moon laughed. Who knew indeed.

It would make perfect sense. They had great chemistry and they’d make such a cute couple. She knew all too well both Eve and Freya would love to see it happen. However, Moon was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. The truth of the matter is, they didn’t have feelings for each other. She’d never deny that Sky was very attractive but it was what it was. Then why Griff of all people? Why was it Tae in the past? Love worked in weird ways.

Sorian didn’t give her the time to ponder over it. “Hey, hey.” He greeted them in a sing-song voice. Clearly he was having a great time. Or maybe he’s had a couple of drinks already. “Will you come dance with me? These people can’t fucking move. Pretty please?” He pouted.

Skylar declined his offer. Moon however, frowned in confusion. “What about the gentleman you were talking to earlier?” She asked.

“Ugh, he’s so boring. He refused to dress up as a café maid. Besides, he didn’t even know what pegging was, can you believe it?” In all honesty Moon didn’t know what it was either but knowing Sorian she dared not ask.

She turned her head to face Skylar. “Will you be alright?”

He assured her he was going to be fine. Anything was better than heading back inside and getting judged by these asshats.

Sorian reached out to her, implying that she had to take his hand. She did as she was told and followed the blonde back inside, leaving the blanket behind, just in case Skylar got cold.

--

“Where is Moon?” Griff asked.

“Well, that depends.” Freya replied as she put her drink down on the counter beside her. “What’s your business with her?”

Griff didn’t appreciate her attitude in the slightest. Who did she think she was? It was none of her damn business to begin with. “Forget I ever asked.” he spat. Freya was glad to be rid of him. That didn’t take her as long as she thought. Probably a personal record, if she was honest.

A couple of minutes later, he had found his way outside. Of course Aguilar was making a prime example out of himself again, bottle in hand and everything. Griff sighed. The Dominican was going to be his best bet, whether he liked it or not. “Where is Moon?” He asked him.

Skylar didn’t look up. For a moment he contemplated on whether or not he should lead him astray but he wasn’t in the mood for games. The sooner he got rid of him the better. So, instead, he simply told him “I don’t know.”

Great. How helpful. Griff was back to square one. Defeated and utterly exasperated, he headed back inside. He dared not ask Eve, who was now by Freya’s side. Both Mac and Ty were utterly useless so that wasn’t an option either. Val on the other hand just happened to enter his line of sight. Now that the Russian was alone Griff was going to have to seize the opportunity. He only had so long before he’d get swept away by women. “Have you seen Moon?” He asked him as he grabbed him by the upper arm.

The Russian, seemingly unaware of Griff’s presence at first, stopped dead in his tracks. “On the dancefloor, I think.” He simply told him. Griff was lucky, if it weren’t for him being his boss he dared not think of what he’d do to someone holding him back by the arm. Never cross a Russian spy’s boundaries. It was both bold and dumb. Griff dismissed him as he made his way to the dancefloor. How difficult was it to track down a girl in a flashy dress?

It didn’t take long for him to find Sorian. It was hard to miss him since he was about as colorful as a box of neon highlighter pens. He blamed whoever he had convinced to dance with him. Until he took a good look at his dance partner’s face. Griff almost choked on his own spit. He cursed inwardly. This was bad.

Panicked (and furious), he did what every regular person would do: demand answers. Who thinks before they act, right? “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He hissed as he pulled Moon away to get in Sorian’s face. Taken aback by his brusque action, she let out a small yelp.

Sorian on the other hand wasn’t impressed in the slightest. Irritated, yes, but impressed? Nah. “What does it look like we’re doing?” He replied curtly. Wasn’t it obvious? They were just having a great time. Jeez, he made it seem as if they had robbed a bank or something, Ivy and Harley style. Now that was a sexy concept, Sorian thought.

Moon on the other hand blinked in confusion. Did she do something wrong? Did she say something she wasn’t supposed to say? “Is everything alright?” She asked, concerned. Frankly, Sorian had no idea what he was talking about either but he did find his outburst endearing. Griff was such a hothead. He’d be lying if he claimed it didn’t turn him on a little.

“You.” He was waving his finger in her face now. “You asked me something earlier. What was it again? I’ve been looking all over for you, damnit.”

“Oh, W- Well...” She muttered. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for a dance.” So of all people she had come to Sorian. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Well, I’m here now. Let’s dance.”

Moon frowned. She was having a blast with Sorian. She didn’t want to ditch him on the spot. Besides, with the way Griff was acting, was it really okay? She wasn’t so sure. Sorian giggled.

Aggravated by Sorian’s reactions, Griff glared at him. “Do you think this is funny? What’s the big idea here, huh?”

“Please calm down. I’m not sure what’s going on but whatever it is, we can discuss it.” Moon suggested in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Griff was clearly fuming and she wanted to fix it. She needed to fix it since this was likely her doing. Besides, she could tell Sorian didn’t appreciate Griff’s comment in the slightest. She didn’t recall ever seeing the blonde mad but here they were. First time for everything?

“Shut up! I’m perfectly calm!” Griff retorted hotly. Moon flinched. Somehow she wasn’t convinced but she dared not talk back.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sorian asked, aggravated.

Griff couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was he really standing up for her? Against him? What the actual fuck? “Why are you of all people coming to her defense?!” he accused.

“Because she’s my friend?!” The blonde retorted as he hugged Moon close. Now Griff was really losing it. He had done everything in his power to keep the two separated. How was it that they got along? His plan was perfect, where did it go wrong?

“Friends?” Griff blinked in confusion. “Friends?! Since when?”

Moon looked crushed. “I- I don’t understand… Why wouldn’t we be?” She asked. Yes, they may not have much in common but their differences had brought them closer.

Sorian agreed, squinting. “Yeah, Simmons. Why wouldn’t we be? Opposites attract, babe.”

This was way worse than he ever imagined. Not once did he consider the possibility of them getting along, which was a huge mistake on his part. On talking terms? Sure. They were co-workers after all and they had been working together for a while now. Even so, they almost never hung out, so he just assumed friendship wasn’t an issue (more like, didn’t have to deal with keeping them apart). Shit. This made things way more complicated… Seems like his foolproof plan wasn’t so foolproof after all.

He was going to sue the shit out of Robert or whatever his name was. Griff shuffled uncomfortably. The damage had already been done, is there anything he can do to salvage it still? Once again he was back to square one and frankly, it annoyed him greatly. “You’re trying to ruin my reputation, aren’t you? This is why I can’t have nice things, huh? Figures.” The American accused.

Moon was desperately trying to puzzle the pieces together. What was going on? She didn’t have the chance to do so however. Before she knew it, she saw a fist flying. Then, there was a grunt. After that, Griff was on the floor, holding his jaw as he spat out what looked like a tooth. When it finally dawned on her, Sorian was on top of him.

From across the room, Freya heard a panicked scream. If she had to guess, one of the women had seen a rat crawl out of the kitchen. Sadly these places weren’t as clean as they pretended to be. When she turned her head to where the scream came from, she noticed a familiar figure trying to yank someone off another on the floor. “Please stop, both of you! This is not the answer!” She heard the girl plead. She sounded like she was on the verge of crying “Someone please help!”.

“Fuck.”

Without a second thought Freya rushed to the scene with the rest of Team Griff following suit. “Don’t just stand there, do something!” She yelled at no one in particular. Déjà vu much? She didn’t expect any of these rich bastards to dirty their hands for the likes of them but it was worth a try. If they were so busy gawking at them they might as well lend a hand. Moon was still desperately trying to yank Sorian off but to no avail. The blonde didn’t let go. At least she knew better than to get in between.

“What the fuck?! Are you serious?! Cut it out!” Freya barked as she pulled at one of Sorian’s arms. How the fuck was he so strong? What the fuck did Griff do to piss him off this badly? Team Griff had never seen him like this. Whatever had happened here, Griff definitely deserved it, although suckerpunching Simmons was usually Skylar’s job.

Luckily Val came to their rescue not long after. With one decisive pull he managed to yank Griff away by the shoulders, ripping Griff’s suit in the process. Oops. Oh well, his safety came first. Surely he understood? “Enough!” Val bellowed as he tossed the American aside like a ragdoll in an attempt to create distance.

Now that Sorian no longer had a grip on Griff (except for the tuft of hair in his balled fist), Moon, with the assistance of Freya, restrained Sorian by the abdomen, as if hugging him from behind, with Freya holding him back at the front, hand pushing against his chest. Ever the kind soul, Moon apologized profusely for having to take such drastic measures. It was for his own good. He needed to regain his senses.

Clearly he had underestimated the blonde. Five foot four power bottom, my ass. More like, five foot four fury. Humiliated, Griff resorted to verbal assault. “You’re fired!” Griff screeched. “How dare you put your filthy little hands on me, Griff Simmons! King of the mountain! My father will hear about this!”

Welp, if Griff had ever contemplated plastic surgery in the past, he definitely needed it now. Sorian was bleeding as well but Griff clearly got off worse. It was rather impressive, really.

“Did somebody order a cherry pie?” Mac joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Eve glared at him. Now was not the time. Embarrassed, the DJ lowered his head.

“That’s fine, honey. Tell your daddy I said hi.” The blonde taunted, biting his lower lip in anticipation. If Griff wasn’t currently restrained by Val he’d have no lips to bite on. He was shaking with anger. Flamboyant half breed, he thought.

In typical Skylar fashion, he was late to the party. Seemingly unaware of what went down, he addressed the crowd by asking them why the music was turned off. While most remained silent, a handful of women were either giggling with their phones pulled out. Skylar raised his brow. “What the fuck?” Great. Now Griff had another headache to concern himself with.

Eventually, his gaze fell on the trio that was Freya, Sorian and Moon. Then, on the other side, stood Val with Griff. “Someone punched Simmons and none of you told me? Damn, that’s cold.” Whoever re-arranged Griff’s face had done one hell of a job. “Who did this?” Skylar asked, grinning.

Of course Aguilar was utterly pleased with this discovery. Griff expected no less from him.

“Take one fucking guess.” Freya told him.

Welp, seeing as there was only one other bloodied figure in the room, it didn’t take long for Skylar to find out and boy, was he happy when he did. Oh my fucking God. This was gold. Skylar couldn’t believe he had missed out on Sorian going ham of all people. The Dominican laughed out loud while Griff groaned. Beat a man while he’s down, why won’t you?

At long last, one of the wealthy bastards, which Freya could only assume was the one who had organized the event, finally bothered to show his face. The man in question went straight for Griff, clearly concerned with his well-being. Typical. They wouldn’t even do so much as lift a fucking finger but when it came to the one percent everything else came after. Disgusting.

“This is outrageous! Leave the building at once, young man.” The chairman ordered. Moon understood Sorian had no choice in the matter. She believed they’d call the police otherwise, which wasn’t an option.

Freya realized this as well. “Let’s go. We’ve clearly overstayed our welcome.” She spat, finally letting go of Sorian. She could’ve verbally ended Griff’s career right there and then but Sorian came first.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Griff scoffed as he pointed at Moon “You’re siding with them, really?” Once again, Moon was on the verge of tears. This was never about picking sides. She couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. She already felt terrible for being unable to put a stop to their fight. She couldn’t leave Sorian alone. He needed medical attention, as did Griff.

The audacity was astounding. Freya couldn’t believe her ears. If she had a drink in hand she’d be sure to throw it at him. She gently placed her hand on Moon’s shoulder. This was not her burden to bear. She did nothing wrong. “Leave her out of this. You’ve done enough.” The redhead snapped back. “You should be ashamed of yourself. Your head is so far up your ass you can’t even hear the shit that comes out of your mouth.” Before turning her heel, she addressed the chairman one last time. “I assume your precious Republican insurance will cover this, yes?”

He didn’t respond.

“We’re done here.” She announced, escorting both Sorian and Moon out of the venue alongside the rest of Team Griff.

--

“Why do we work for him again?” Eve complained. “Seriously, has anything good ever come out of it?”

“Nope.” Freya replied as she took a sip from Skylar’s bottle.

“What the fuck is a Suzuki Jimny?” The Dominican asked.

“The fuck do I know? Google it.” Freya replied.

“I can’t. Reception is shit.”

“Great.” She sighed.

“We could always take the bus?” Ty offered.

“Ew, I’m not taking a fucking bus.” Eve retorted. Frankly, they were running out of options. It was already way past midnight and snow was starting to fall. While the lodge wasn’t that far away, going by foot was out of the question. Val couldn’t carry Sorian all the way home, it was far too dangerous with the black ice on the pavement.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to call an ambulance?” Moon asked.

“Fuck that.” Sorian interjected. He refused to go unless he’d get to wear a sexy nurse outfit, which wasn’t possible. She still believed it was the smartest thing to do but she couldn’t force him. His injuries would need to be checked at the lodge by SSX’s medics instead. They were used to it by now anyways.

“There’s a night shop across the street, why not ask for help regarding our ride?” Moon suggested instead, pointing at the shop in question. She, too, was holding on to Skylar.

“Good idea.” Well, it’s not like they had much else going for them. Freya was willing to try anything if it meant avoiding the upcoming snowstorm.

“Let’s split up. We’ll meet you back here.” Moon said as she took her leave with Eve, Skylar and Mac while the rest would wait for them on the other side. It shouldn’t take long and with a bit of luck, their Uber would stop by.

--

‘What the fuck is taking them so long? I’m freezing.” Freya hugged herself in an attempt to keep warm. While Ty (bless him) had draped his jacket over her shoulders to provide her with extra warmth, it didn’t change much if she wasn’t moving around. For how long had they been gone? Surely it mustn't have been longer than twenty minutes but it was still far too long to Freya’s liking. She had expected them to hop out of the store as fast as they had gone in.

Freya then decided she had had enough. Fuck it. “Stay here.” She ordered as she crossed the street after checking left and right for incoming cars. Head held high, she failed to see the slab of black ice down below. First, she heard a crack. Then, she was on the ground, a sharp pain spreading throughout her foot and up her leg towards her knee. Freya screamed in agony as she clutched her right ankle tightly. It was probably broken. Just her fucking luck. She didn’t know what hurt her more, her now swollen ankle or her dress getting all dirty.

“Freya, are you alright?!” Impeccable timing as always. Did she look alright to him? She knew Ty meant well but right now she wasn’t in the mood. She tried to speak but no words came out. All she managed to do was grunt and grit her teeth. The pain was so unbearable she honestly felt like she was about to pass out. So naturally, Ty being Ty, tried to lift her up. Freya let out another scream. It was impossible to put any weight on it. It was far too painful.

Meanwhile, Val was stuck with Sorian in his arms. Well shit. Freya clearly needed help but he just couldn’t leave the blonde behind now, could he? He was in no condition to fend for himself. What now?

“Hey, get away from her, you creep!”

“Yeah, didn’t your mama teach you not to hit women?”

“Hit women?” Ty frowned, confused. As fate would have it, three passerbys had heard the scream and decided to investigate. Much to Ty’s dismay, they had somehow interpreted this as him trying to assault her. Just his fucking luck. Even Ty had to admit the situation looked hella suspicious. He was holding her purse while she was on the floor, screaming. “I can explain.” He stammered, letting go of the purse and holding both arms up in defeat. “It’s not what it looks like, you see-”

Freya’s saviors didn’t give him the time to explain however, as one of them sent Ty flying with a fist to the nose. “Making up excuses, huh? That’s what they all say! People like you should be rotting in jail!”

“Scum of the earth! To Hell with you!” He heard another yell.

The third was busying himself with Freya instead, asking her if he should call emergency services. She shook her head. Right now, she wasn’t the one who needed it the most. Once again she tried to speak but she couldn’t quite catch her breath. The pain was too overwhelming. Freya cursed inwardly. How did things get fucked so quickly? She reached out to Ty, but to no avail. He was curled up on the ground, begging his assailants to stop.

“Let me fight!” The blonde yelled on the other end of the street, witnessing the whole ordeal. Sorian couldn’t just stand by either. He had already gotten in a fist fight tonight, why not another?

“Absolutely not!” The Russian warned as he tried to hold Sorian back while Ty was getting the beating of his life. Damnit, Val was wasting time. He should be out there helping for crying out loud. “Will you please comply?!” he growled. His plea fell on deaf ears, Sorian was having none of it.

“Yo, what the fuck is going on?!” Freya heard someone yell. The voice sounded strangely familiar. Mac? Then there was a scream. Was this Eve?

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” This was definitely Skylar. They sure had taken their sweet time. Did they not hear her scream earlier? Christ.

The stranger now turned his attention to Skylar “Are you defending this shithead or something? He was robbing the poor lady!”

Distraught at the absolute state of affairs, Moon pulled her hair. Robbing? This was clearly one big misunderstanding. “That’s her boyfriend!” She yelled, panicked at the state both of her friends were in.

--

“Well, it’s definitely broken.” Great. Exactly what she wanted to hear. “You got lucky, can’t say the same for your partner.”

Why not rub the salt in the wound while you’re at it, doctor? Surely that would make me feel so much better, she thought. “I’m filing a police complaint.” She simply stated instead.

“You’re starting to sound like Simmons.” Skylar chuckled. She knew it was a joke but right now she wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. If Freya could move she’d choke him with the cord of her infusion.

“Piss off.” She replied as she folded her arms across her chest. Needless to say, she didn’t exactly envision spending her night at the hospital but when did her outings ever end up the way she wanted? At the very least, she wasn’t alone. Ty was in the bed beside hers, gently squeezing her hand as he was throwing up while Mac was patting him on the back, encouraging him to let it all out. The doctor was right, the scoundrels hadn’t spared him.

Across the room was Sorian. He, too, could’ve been off worse. Aside from the black eye and bandaged hands, of course. While Moon was discussing follow up treatment with the medic in charge, Eve wanted to pay the cafeteria a visit. “Do you need anything?” She asked her best friend as she got up.

Freya smiled faintly. Anything to undo tonight’s events. “A spa day would be great.” She replied instead.

Eve playfully slapped Freya’s thigh. What a fantastic idea. “Deal.”

[ibemandapanda]

My oc Skylar and a prosthetic leg I saw and loved ❤

[ssxuality]

Skylar

[ibemandapanda]

I did a shitty little animation from a tiktok.

[ssxuality]

The boys Lodge. It was a shithole anyway....

[ssxuality]

SSX OC’s revival tour

SSX Tricky Remix

[[Canon characters to come later]]

@sailorwiggle @datbelgian @eatmypussyliketherussianfamine @aublivienne @damnitfeelsgoodtobeafangirl

[ssxuality]

5 Years Later

Skylar’s entire life including 5 years after SSX in 15 thousand words.

Jean-Baptiste Karr once wrote “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose". Skylar didn't speak a lick of French but knew it roughly translated to “the more things change the more they stayed the same.” He didn’t think that was entirely true and maybe Jean was a bit of a pessimist. Skylar had changed a whole lot, he changed his entire life for the better and desperately hoped nothing from the past stayed the same. The last five years he grew into himself and finally became comfortable. He learned how to deal with feeling things rather than drinking, smoking, and snorting them into a forgetful fit of confusion to deal with later on. He had felt the hard and solid foundation of rock bottom and slowly but surely climbed his way out of the hole he dug. He was at one point convinced his friends and family were the ones who gave him the shovel, enabling him and what not, but that was wrong, he did it all to himself. So yes, he changed and he was happy.

Skylar stared up into the stark oak rafters from his bed in his studio apartment. He needed to get up eventually and get ready for work. His feet hit the cold hardwood floor and he made his way into the bathroom. He would shower and brush his teeth but forego shaving. The constant 5 O’clock shadow was a hell of a lot easy to maintain than the chinstrap. He had also grown the sides of his head back out and re-dreaded them as soon as he could. Growing his sides out took a solid 2 years and one more to get everything the same long length from before. The dread hawk was cool for awhile but he’d rather have his full head of dreads. Maybe that in itself stayed the same even without the white locks.

He looked at the time, 12:30 pm. He needed to get going. He grabbed a Rockstar energy drink from the fridge and a banana throwing it in his backpack and headed out the door after grabbing his full face helmet. He bounded down the 3 flights of stairs, passed the mailboxes, and headed outside. It wasn’t freezing yet, even for NYC in January, but still cold enough that he wore a jacket over his hoodie. He started his bike and headed west on 47th. Thankfully Hells Kitchen wasn’t so constipated with traffic this time of day. It would be a 15 minute ride down 6th to the studio on the GSXR.

The bike was a little old, a 2008 model, but he had always admired it. It was gold and black and 1000cc’s. She rode like the wind. The Dodge Ram spun a bearing in the bottom end motor a few years ago and Skylar had her scrapped. It was a good truck and he got his money’s worth from it. He was able to have things like this now. One thing he was especially thankful for from SSX was the generous pay, bonuses, and sponsorships. He could afford things like his dream bike and a third floor studio apartment in Hell’s Kitchen and a wardrobe that absolutely did not misinterpret to the world that he was an alcoholic and potentially homeless.

But even with SSX’s money he still needed a job to maintain his sanity and bank account. He couldn't imagine just sitting at home all day and night. His alcoholism and drug abuse would’ve probably been fatal. So he got back in contact with Charlie Brooks, an old friend from high school in Mott Haven, Bronx. Then with some formal training, began working at Bang Bang Tattoo Studio. Skylar was a tattoo artist now.

Skylar parked his bike out front on the side walk and locked the trees to the handle bars. He pulled the helmet off and unlocked the front doors stepping in and switching all of the lights on. The place had the minimum décor and was mostly black and white with gray cement floors and stainless brushed half walls for each station. He walked over to his station and shoved his bag and helmet under the desk. He noticed scrap paper from last night sitting on the desktop.

He had worked well into the early morning last night and was still somewhat exhausted. His client was last minute and wanted the quote “Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose” tattooed on her shoulder blade so he did it for her. She had told him her whole life story while he did it and talked about how one change domino-ed into her changing her whole life, she just needed to want it. Skylar agreed.

So first big change, Skylar had a job now and became a tattoo artist. He was always a natural with color theory and tones and knew reds, blues, greens, and yellows made skin look realistic on paper. He had an undying love for coloring galaxies and skies. When he decided to finally pursue tattooing he took classes at the Bay Ridge Art Space just outside of Dyker Heights. His colors were on point but he need work on perspective and proportions. He apprenticed under Charlie for the next year practicing with henna on fruits then real ink on pig skin. His very first go at a tattoo on human skin was on himself. He drew a decorative arrow on the inside of his right forearm. And being left handed turned out to not be such a disadvantage. And if he was being completely honest, which was a new thing for him these days, the artwork of the late Serene Mubarak had in a way inspired him to pick up tattooing, especially considering he had once upon a time looked at her artwork everyday on the face a man he still sincerely missed.

But working for Charlie was a dream come true compared to when he worked at Pacheco’s under Nick Ricci, Nick was a fervent asshole that Skylar despised. He absolutely hated working as a mechanic. The pay was shit and he had to work double shifts and weekends just to get by. The only reason he got into it was because he couldn't survive as an apprentice at the time like he could now. Pacheco’s was also located on Courtlandt Ave. in the Bronx and walking home late at night was horrible. He had to constantly look over his shoulder and could almost feel eyes all over him like they knew he just got paid that day. Bang Bang was in the Lower East Side of Manhattan even thought Skylar thought they were technically in Lower Manhattan. Either way, the drive home was easier, not only because he had a vehicle now but also this was just a better area in general. Skylar also appreciated getting paid correctly and on time. Charlie did him no wrong and Skylar in return always did his best. Working hard rewarded him with a full book of clientele within two years, some of which were singers and actors and fellow athletes.

Skylar tossed the paper in the trashed and started wiping everything down with Viricide. He brought his spray bottle and wrapped them in new plastic and set out the packaged needles he would using for his 1.30pm appointment. He laid down a fresh hand towel and placed everything on that along with gloves and inks. Skylar grabbed his Rockstar and banana from his bag and tucked in before his client arrived. He heard the other artists meander in and begin set up on their stations. He also liked working with other people who were happy to be there. Misery loved company and Pacheco’s Auto in Melrose, Bronx.

So Skylar was working and so were his siblings. Colbie was still gracing the computer screens of nerds in basements across America and maybe even the world. At least that's what Brooklyn said, Skylar hasn't spoken to her since his mother died. He also said she won the All-Girl Performer of the Year for 2018 from AVN. Brooklyn said he congratulated her then immediately vomited. Apparently you had to do a tonne of work in order to even be considered for that award let alone win it. Skylar thought good for her, she found her place in the world. He was over judging her for being a porn star or how many men she slept with so long as she was safe. They may have not spoken but that was more her decision but he still loved her and wanted the best for her.

Brooklyn on the other hand was… actually doing pretty good for himself. His old dealer buddy Matt Hall from Ozone Park in Queens got him a job with PSEG reading meters on the outside of buildings. His route included Long Island, Amityville, and Lindenhurst. Sometimes he had to work overtime all the way out in Massapequa but Skylar told him to be thankful he had a job at all, especially with one that offer benefits and 401K. He also got an apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The Good Fork was right across the street and had pretty decent Korean food. They either ate there or F&M Cafe on the other side of Van Brunt when Skylar visited. But as functional as Brooklyn was, he was still selling and snorting occasionally on the side. He told his older brother that just because Skylar quit didn't mean he had to follow in his footsteps and yet he did for everything else. He thought he could ease back just like Skylar did but it wasn’t the same. Skylar quit coke all together. He would never stop trying to get him completely clean though, Brook was his last piece of family now.

Skylar thought maybe he should blame Brooklyn for his short lived stint on coke, provided that Brooklyn was his supplier and all, but that was his own decision. He was a grown ass adult who, at the time, couldn’t handle emotions and no one forced him to try it that very first time. He had always been one to experiment with a multitude of substances, with the exception of heroin, this one just happen to stick because of how good it made him feel in the moment and what it made him forget. He was good at staying high at a good cruising altitude. But that whole binge was over before it really began. He didn't have some mind blowing epiphany that swore him off of drugs and alcohol. He just looked in the mirror and didn't like the way it made him look or feel the next day. He also tried eating bacon and threw it up. That was that, no more coke. And while he was at it he decided to severely cut down his drinking. If he had to guess, he hadn't drank in over a month and hadn't gotten actually shithoused in even longer. He didn't crave it or constantly think about it either. He was doing pretty good and thought Brooklyn could do the same even with years and years of being smacked out on various drugs.

Skylar knew he was all Brooklyn had too. Their mother was dead, their sister was still out west, and their father had disappeared about 18 years ago now. Brook called him in the middle of last summer to tell him that Colbie had been searching around for their father, Ance Womack, and actually found him. Skylar hung up on him. His little brother took it upon himself to show up at his apartment and invite himself in to tell him all about it. He thought about pushing him off the fire escape, he probably wouldn’t die, but Skylar had just done 5 tattoo sessions back to back and just sat down. So Brooklyn sat down next to him and dived into the story with exhilaration.

Apparently Ance was living in Canada at the ripe age of 62 in a little town called Eagle Ridge just outside of Saskatoon. Skylar thought that if had been friends with Psymon he could get him to Jump Ance in a dark alley somewhere. Colbie didn’t get too much information because Ance’s wife kept fielding her calls so she never actually spoke to him. Through various sources she discovered that Ance was apparently Canadian to begin with and his mother was probably rolling in her grave as they spoke. Ance had been involved in some crazy drug haul over the boarder back in ‘86 that was stolen from the Cartels in New Mexico that, shockingly, went sideways. Him and 2 other guys were told to hide out in the Caribbean until things blew over. The Cartels invasion obviously lasted a little longer than previously thought and Ance jumped the second the coast was clear. He used his “family” from D.R. to get into the States with a compassion plea then disappeared in the middle of the night three days after arriving in Mott Haven, Bronx. He had never married Rosa and that was because he was already married with a son in Canada. So Skylar apparently had a half brother out there somewhere. Ance doesn't return Colbies calls and Skylar figured him and his wife don't want anyone to know about Ance’s “other family”. Skylar used to receive the ass end of a whooping from Ance just about every other day and never ever questioned his father. But hadn’t Rosa just once asked, “Ance, why are you here?” She may or may not have thought differently had she known; Skylar had no idea.

The bell to the front door rang and Skylar peeked over the half wall. His first appointment was here. Wendy, the receptionist pointed towards him and the woman smiled in his direction as he stood just outside his station. “Hey Sherry,” He greeted and shook her hand. She clasped her other hand around his, “Thank you so much for doing this, you have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he assured her.

He guided her in and closed the curtain for her privacy. He instructed her to remove her shirt and lay down on the lowered chair. This was a special Pro Bono job. Sherry had a double mastectomy three years ago and was now in remission. So today he would tattoo realistic nipples for her, free of charge. He tried to do as many “free corrective” jobs as his wallet would allow. He honestly enjoyed helping people and loved that he had the means to do so and didn't mind donating his ink and time 2 or 3 times a week. He remembered one particular client who had Vitiligo across his face and was desperate to cover it. Skylar did it even thought he thought his skin was pretty beautiful as is. He thought it kind of looked like a kaleidoscope of ethnicity or like an intricate mosaic painting. The man cried when he finished and hugged Skylar until neither of them could breath. That feeling was much more satisfying than a paycheck sometimes.

He had already pulled colors of hazel, sepia, and rich earth with complimenting highlights and undertones. He sat in his stool, tattoo machine in hand, and asked, “Ready?” She nodded smiling and he grabbed the Vaseline to start.

Skylar had thought about getting his own scars covered. He had dozens dating all the way back to his childhood courtesy of falls and trips and Ance. He was a walking disaster on the snowboarding circuit and breaking some body part every other month. He actually hasn't broken anything in three years being mostly sober and all. His doctor had told him he was about one leg break away from never walking again.

His worst scar was on his right shoulder blade from Ance. Skylar had gotten in a fight at school and was suspended for an entire week for instigating it. Ance was pissed that he fucked up again and Skylar ended up taking an old but sturdy wooden bat to the shoulder. Ance shattered the blade, fractured his clavicle, and dislocated his arm in one swing. He was ten and was in surgery for 5 hours. Rosa cried and Ance was even angrier having to pay the bill out of pocket. Illegal immigrants didn't get medical insurance Skylar figured. Another time Skylar had taken a baseball to the head and gotten a concussion playing baseball in Duarte Park on Calle Padre Billini. Ance was fuming he had to pay yet another hospital bill and in turn got smacked around for it. It was a vicious circle. Ance also pulled out his arsenal of gay slurs and Skylar could only laugh now saying “Look at me now Dad...”.

Ance was always extremely aggressive when it came to Skylar, like he hated him the most of the three kids. Skylar tried so hard to be on his best behavior out of fear of his father and his angry fist but trouble seemed to follow him no matter what.  He didn't understand why he Ance liked him the least until Colbie broke it down for him explaining that he looked different from the other two. Colbie and Brooklyn were dark skinned with dark brown hair and eyes. Skylar was light skinned with black hair and pale green eyes. She said he was “white-passing” and Ance was convinced Rosa cheated because of how drastically different he looked from his siblings. Skylar argued he had Ance’s big dumb nose and shitty tooth enamel and wasn't lucky enough to not be his biological son. He later learned he also inherited his fierce alcoholism.

Regardless, Ance’s beating instilled fear in all of them that followed them well into adulthood. Skylar had pretty much immediately hated any male bigger than him. This fear and anger directed towards the three siblings didn't make a difference to Rosa. She loved Ance no matter what he did and he could do no wrong in her eyes. She just blindly believed this was how children in America were punished. She was so in love with him that she tried to assimilate them to American culture right in Santo Domingo, D.R.

It also seemed like Ance had just hated his life in the Dominican Republic in general. Maybe he hated pretending to be in love with this woman who he kept knocking up every two years or so. Maybe he hated their little green house that was really a glorified shack with the corrugated tin roof and how loud it was when it rained. Or the gate on the porch that squeaked when the wind blew it open. Or maybe that they had to wash all their dishes by hand. Regardless, being stuck there in general probably had him permanently pissed off. Being that mad all the time would drove anyone to drinking and Ance was rarely seen without a Red Stripe in his hand. He didn’t love his kids but he sure did love Jamaican beer. He loved it so much so that Skylar had to rush a 6 year old Brooklyn to Padre Billini Hospital with a 105°F fever all the way across town on the handlebars of his bike in CD Colonial borrio because Ance was passed out on the couch and refused to wake up.

Its not like Ance ever tried to make things better for himself or, God forbid, them. They lived on Calle Pina in the borough of Ciudad Nueva, Santo Domingo. The district was considered the ghetto but it really wasn’t all that bad. Skylar wouldn’t know bad until they made it to Mott Haven in the Bronx. As kids, they would take a ten minute bike ride to Plaza Juan Baron and go fishing off the rocks in the Caribbean Sea. They used to play baseball with the neighborhood kids in Parque Cervantes until they were told to move and they had to occupy Duarte.

Art and music was integral to the community. Street art was colorful and vibrant and everywhere you turned. His mother loved hanging art from the flee market and playing music all day long. She would buy him paper and colored pencils and he would scribble out skies like fire and bursting nebula's. Maybe Ance hated that too. But Skylar learned the Merengue at age 7 with Colbie and was constantly stepping on her toes. She was a sweetheart then before molting into the colossal hell witch she was today.

He missed his mother’s cooking. She would make Sancocho, a 7 meat stew, every Sunday night. Skylar was convinced that was his reward for sitting through mass that morning. He remembers El Carneval de la Vega every year. They made paper mache mask of white faces and blue eyes with devilish-like expressions. He thought he might have seen Ance’s face on the bodies of his friends and neighbors at the parade, maybe his own too since Colbie mentioned it.

He could recall all of the traditions of his childhood that he didn't practice anymore and kind of wished he still did. Sunday morning mass at Our Lady of Las Mercedes was a must and rain or shine they went, Rosa insisted. They participated in the 9 days of mourning when Grandpa Aguilar died. The kids were little Angelitos every Christmas. Rosa made sure they didn't get the same sibling as the year before and they had to make a gift for that sibling for every week of December. 6 year old Skylar thought it was bullshit but 31 year old Skylar missed it severely. He really missed the fireworks on Christmas Day and hugging 5 year old Brooklyn when he cried. He thought maybe he should bring that up again soon.

He missed a lot of childhood memories like that but also a lot of the little things too. Like teaching Brooklyn to swim in the Caribbean Sea and diving in Rio Ozama looking for treasure. They never found any. His missed taking the 15 minute walk to the vendors on Indepencia Avenue who sold coconuts so Mom could make Jolao candy. Ance would eat those and then use the shells as ash trays because second hand smoke wasn't a thing to worry about when you had kids you didn't give a shit about. His Mom always like the vegetable and fruit stands on Calle Padre Billini but usually ended up at the Bodega on Monte Christi. They lived in squalor but made the best of it.

Ciudad could be great and culturally rich but sometimes it was bad too. It was named one of the most dangerous boroughs at the time. He had been warned to never dressed up and walk the streets alone but he never needed to worry about a thing like that considering he never owned anything nice to wear to begin with. Ance hoarded money, even Rosa’s part-time job money, so no one had nice things. They didn't even have a car. The kids had to bike to school everyday and Rosa had to take the bus to go grocery shopping. The only “vacation” they ever took was to the evacuation zone in Chirino when hurricane Debby hit in ‘94. The city had tonnes of stray dogs that just kept breeding over and over and beggers on every other corner but you never saw any street sleepers.

At least not at night. Skylar used to walk the parks with his friends and see people like vendors or business men and women sleeping on benches and against trees on their lunch breaks. Life was slower and more relaxed in Santo Domingo than New York City. NYC was fast paced and always in a hurry. And after the experience of all this life in the little green house on Calle Pina, Ance was still angry.

That being said, Skylar didn’t give a fuck about him or his other family.

At 13 Skylar was forced to learn English and was uprooted to Mott Haven in the Bronx. He was nervous and scared about moving to a-hole-nother country that spoke a completely different language than him and Ance told him to grow a pair. He only had to deal with the complaints of his three mistakes for three days when he went out for cigarettes and never came back.

They were still in the ghetto, so at least that was familiar to him. Rosa cried for 9 nine days like the drama queen he thought she was and then sought employment cleaning houses all the way in upscale boroughs like the Upper West Side and Park Slope. Colbie was able to get a job bagging groceries at Fine Fair at 15. Skylar realized now she really did take care of her two younger brothers pretty much her whole life and sacrificed a hell of a lot for them. He really did miss her and wanted to reach out but was petrified of rejection and just let her assume he was stubborn.

In Mott Haven, they lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment on the 5th floor that had no fucking elevator or central air conditioning. He was used to the heat but that motherfucker Ance promised A/C. The building was shabby and had poor ventilation. Ciudad was hot but they at least had a cross breeze in their old house. They got a window unit the following year though. Mom and Colbie shared a room and the boys shared the other. Brooklyn would cry all night because Ance never came home and Skylar was a shitty consultant because he couldn't relate. He hoped Ance was dead so there was no chance of him coming back. This was longest he’s gone without getting hit. The bugs, mold, leaky faucets, and early morning rattling pipes didn't make any of it better either but at least his father was gone.

The Bronx was a whole new world but the Aguilar clique was thrilled to learn that the community held an annual block party on the south side of St. Mary’s park. They threw themselves into the American music and art and food. He had a cheeseburger for the first time and never looked back. His mother found her place in the Promised Land Covenant Church every Sunday morning. The kids complained so damn much that they didn't have to go anymore. Ance used to threaten them to go so he could have the house to himself. Skylar was never religious but he wished that maybe he did go just so he had more time with his mother. He was also thankful for being accepted into P.S. 25. It was a Bilingual school that tutored him in English and could catch him up on the curriculum the other kids were learning at the same time. Once he hit high school he got made fun of for his immigration status and heavy accent and did his damnedest to lose it. He actually didn't receive his American citizenship until he was 20. He still had his dual citizenship's in D.R. and America.

Colbie left for California 3 years after arriving on her 18th birthday and Skylar was mad at her for it. He regretted it now because now he understood just how much she gave and lost for their sake. Skylar graduated high school and Brooklyn followed in his big sisters steps and dropped out. He got into heavy drugs and started dealing to make money which never came to fruition. He just spent it on more drugs. Skylar remembered a time when his mother was pregnant with Brooklyn and she asked him, “Do you want a brother or a sister?” Skylar said he wanted a dog and got Brooklyn instead. But nowadays he wasn’t so bad.

Then he met Raquel…

Skylar stretched the skin of Sherry’s chest one final time and laid down a sheer stroke of shading. He sat up and looked it over. He wouldn’t say it out loud but those were probably the most realistic looking nipples he’s inked to date. He smiled, “all done.”

He handed her a mirror and watched her examine his work. She smiled covering her mouth with her other hand, “Oh my Lord… it looks amazing!” she told him. She sat up and hugged him around the shoulders, “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome,” he told her gently patting her back and smiling to himself. She returned to her seat and he finished dressing the new ink with cellophane and tape. She dressed and he walked her to front of the studio.

“Are you sure I can’t pay you anything?” She stopped to ask again.

He smiled, “No, its OK I promise. If it makes you feel any better this was a complete and utter selfish act to only make myself feel better.” she laughed and thanked him for the umpteenth time and left with a new hop in her step.

Skylar turned back and walked to his station to clean and set up for his next guest.

Skylar cleared the desktop of ink containers and wiped it down with Viricide again. He couldn't believe he let himself think about Raquel. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about her and the nightmarish hell vortex that was their “relationship”.

Everything about her was a nightmare. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing and destroyed him. She lured him in then he opened himself up and he truly believed her when she said “I love you.” She was actually sweet and kind when he first met her and she always touched him gently, something he hadn't ever really truly felt. But soon her fingers turned to hot little irons that molded into angry steel fists. Her words sharp and harsh just to kick him when he was down. She was like the female Ance.

It started slowly, almost as soon as he officially asked her to be his girlfriend. It began with yelling and calling him names which he didn't really see as a red flag, he understood people got angry and said things they didn’t mean. He was desperate for that gentle touch. What fooled him was when she apologized. Looking back he saw how she manipulated the situation to make herself look like the victim. She blamed him for making her act that way and he would end up apologizing because he honestly believed that she loved him.

When they moved in together is when the hitting started. She would throw a tantrum and start smacking his arms and chest. He didn't know any better, he figured she couldn't hurt him and it didn’t at first. Then one night he had gone out to the bar with his friends, texting her first to let her know, after work and she lost her shit when he got home. That was the first time she balled her fist and caught him in the face. She never once said sorry. After some time she got creative and stabbed him with a key to the shitty one bedroom apartment they shared. It wasn’t too bad, he barely bled. His friends used to warn him of getting mugged on the street walking home late from work but he was more frightened of the criminal living in his home. She would hit, slap, and gaslight him all day and night and when she threatened him with a wooden bat he had a panic attack. The first and only he ever had.

Besides the abuse and the obvious fear of leaving her and being found, she also stole what little money he had. She worked as a nail stylist all the way in Soundview at New July Nails. They paid shit and people didn't find the place very relaxing with the train-bridge 40 feet outside the door. So lo and behold she didn't make much money. Raquel was the one who told him to go into mechanics because they couldn't afford his apprenticeship as a tattoo artist then.

She finally did leave after four agonizing years and it only cost him everything he owned. He remember walking home from work, and stopping to get beer. He became worried when his card was repeatedly declined. He rushed home to question Raquel when he discovered his apartment stripped of everything but the major kitchen appliances and the bathroom sink. She even took most of his clothes and avoided his calls for a while. He assumed the only reason he still had a mirror in the bathroom was because it was bolted to the wall. He later realized it was so she could sell his shit and reach Canada without any due process because they both knew he called the police but they ended up doing fuck all with the entire fiasco. He ended up having to sell his car for money to get by in the first couple of weeks she was gone.

That was rock bottom number one. He was broke and starving and actually had to ask Brooklyn for money. Not that he got any but he tried asking anyway. He didn't want to bother his mother, she had done enough for him and also hated Raquel to begin with so he didn't want to hear her Told-You-So’s. Plus she was busy funding Brooklyn’s entire life. With her gone he questioned why he even wanted her to begin with. Really analyzing it all brought him to the conclusion that he desperately sought validation through other peoples acceptance and praise of him. He had never received those things often and that's why he craved it so damn much. He was unintentionally working for her approval.

But he was left beside himself with his thoughts self destructive behaviors in his little empty apartment. Freya Parker had blown in NYC a few months later and stopped by. She saw the disarray that was his current life and ended up moving in with him. She honestly saved him. She helped him and validated him and he developed feelings for her. But he knew she wasn’t here for that. And she couldn’t stay long. He couldn't put that on her but he was still heartbroken when she left. Heartbroken, but able to carry on and finally buy a nice couch for the living room.

There was a knock on the wall to his station, “Yo,” came a voice from behind.

Skylar turned, “Hey.”

Frank, another artist who sat diagonal from him, said, “Can you give this guy a quick consult before your 4 O’clock gets here? My next appointment came early.” Skylar turned towards the front door and sure enough there was a man in his mid twenties shuffling about anxiously in the front lobby. “Sure,” he told and walked up the aisle.

Skylar pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie and got the guys attention, “Hi, can I help you?”

The man walked up to him, trespassing in his personal space, rather quickly. “Man you gotta help me, I’m so fucked!” he whispered. Skylar stepped back, “What’s wrong?”

The man sighed deeply, “So last night was my bachelor party and I got hammered. I ended up getting this girl’s name tattooed on my….. umm...” Skylar waited in kind for him to finish but then understood just where the tattoo was as the man looked down on himself tucking his hands into his pockets. “Oh...” was all Skylar could say.

“Yea, and this other girl is not my finance but… a stripper I met last night. So you can see why this is an emergency. I need this covered up today.”

Skylar leaned on the front counter; Wendy doing her best to not eavesdrop on their conversation. He could only answer, “I can’t do anything today, not on a brand new tattoo. It’ll look like ground beef by the time we’re done. It’s also especially not gunna’ be cheap-”

“I don’t care, I’ll pay whatever you want! I need this covered today.”

“You can’t wait a couple weeks?

“I can’t man, my wedding is tomorrow!” Now the man was frantic and Skylar couldn’t figure out a way around it.

“I’m sorry man, I can’t do it and no one else here will do it either. It’s just too soon. Just tell your finance you got kicked in nads too hard or something. Whats that called again?”

Wendy answered not even looking away from her computer, “Testicular torsion.”

Skylar nodded towards her, “Yea, that.”

The guy had his hands on his hips and turned to face the other direction obviously pissed off. But there was absolutely nothing he could do. “Fine,” the man said, “If I cant find any place to do it I guess I can say that.” He held his hand out to Skylar and he returned the gesture, “Thanks anyway.”

“Sure.” The guy left head down defeated. Skylar turned back around and decided he should start setting up for his next client.

Skylar has definitely had his fair share of What-the-Fuck moments and pranks. It was what he was pretty much known for in school and on the circuit. He remembered all the way back when he attended the Republic of Panama Elementary school in Ciudad Nueva. And coincidentally to this man’s situation, Skylar had drew a giant dick on the chalk board in second grade. Except it was in Elmers stick glue and nobody really saw it until the teacher tried to erase it and all the fuzzies got stuck to the glue. He had gotten three weeks detention and one hell of an ass whooping from Ance. His Abuela hated seeing bruises on them but with laxed laws and her frail body, there wasn’t much she could do except complain to Rosa but she didn’t want to get smacked around either. Looking back now he saw the red flags for how his mother sometimes put herself first.

The dick drawing was child's play. He kept most of his pranks under wraps in D.R. but once Ance was out of the picture he was relentless like any 14 year old boy would be. His teenage climax was stealing 50 baby Jesus’s from neighboring nativity scenes in Mott Haven and Melrose and then dumping them strategically on the front lawn of Kingdom Hall of Jahovahs Witnesses right off of Piccirilli Place. They never found out who had did it but they held a gathering the next weekend for people to come claim their baby Jesus’s. Rosa read about it in the Mott Haven Herald and side eyed him for a good week. Rosa would sometimes get a few good hits on her kids but after facing Ance she was but feather compared to stone.

SSX is where he really excelled in fucking shit up. His most prized victim was Griff Simmons. Griff was a bonafide asshole so it was about 98% deserved. Like when Skylar covered Griff’s room in the lodge in pictures of David Hasslehoff and then wrapped his entire office in wrapping paper that had little blue elephants on it. He had gotten into a prank war with him when Griff purchased his wingsuit and detailed it with his redheaded face on the back. The American flag was waving in the background and Griff was holding an American Bald Eagle and Skylar wanted to throw up on it then burn it and bury it in the back yard. Skylar, in retaliation, nailed all of Griff’s hotel bedroom furniture to the ceiling and for sure lost the security deposit. Griff sicked Sorian on him and Drunk Skylar was basically paraded about the city during his walk of shame home. He has since had the tattoo covered with an elegantly placed Batman insignia on his right ass cheek. The war all came to an abrupt end when Skylar removed the engine of his boss’s Porche and then proceeded to drop it off a third floor balcony.

To say Vaal Gorchakov was pissed would be a severe understatement. Skylar was literally dragged from his hotel bathroom mid-shower by Russia’s answer to Chuck Norris for a meeting to settle the shit with Griff. Neither of them were murdered but they weren't happy either. They just hated each other all the more. Skylar didn’t think he himself would’ve been so bad if he didn’t have encouraging friends and an even more encouraging liquor supply that didn’t seem to end.

At least the Halloween pot cake incident really wasn’t his fault. He did drunkenly vomit on Freya’s costume a few nights before but he got that dry cleaned for her and then threw her a new party where he only had a six pack of beer. Unfortunately Ty let Eddie bake the cake and Eddie being… himself, loaded it with pot. Skylar hid it from everyone at the bottom of the fridge but Griff found it and dug into it before the party even began. Skylar watched him spite-eat the cake he thought was for the party and didn’t stop him. So the night ended with Eddie high, naked, and hog tied and Griff blitzed and popping fuses in the laundry room because he thought it was funny. Sorian had actually eaten the cake too but he took that like he took everything; like a fucking champion.

The bells the studio door rang as a tall man with a military haircut strolled in. Skylar waved him over and he complied smiling brightly, the guy looked intimidating but he was a really sweet guy. “Hey Monty,” Skylar greeted shaking his hand. Monty was an Army Sergeant getting a very meaningful tattoo for his late friend and fellow comrade. The tattoo was of a dog tag with his friends information on it to be inked on his shoulder. Monty already had an impressive array of tattoos covering his body so he was a pro when it came to prepping. He had shaved and all.

Skylar sat his down and they quickly reviewed the art he drew up last week. Monty said everything looked good and he was ready to go so Skylar wasted no time in setting up and in. He held the hectograph up to his shoulder and properly positioned it. Monty ok’ed the spot and he pressed the transfer paper down. Carefully pulling the paper away, he saw the outline sit perfectly on this man’s defined and tanned shoulder ready to be inked. Skylar grabbed his Vasoline, tattoo machine, and ink and got started.

Skylar only had three tattoos but none of them were for friends. He was honestly afraid of putting someones named on his body and having them get up and leave. Then that beautiful ink would be nothing more than ugly pigmented scarring. Sure he could cover it up or just not have it at all to begin with. But he didn’t judge others based on tattoos unless it was a swastika or something of that nature.

He had a few friends around his area, there was Charlie and Frank from the studio, and a few other people hes gotten to know just from going out. But they weren’t his clique from SSX which was the entity that umbrella’ed both Team SSX and Team Griff. And they sure as hell weren’t Freya Parker. Of anyone, Freya was his real best friend, his rock, and no matter how much time passed between them he knew they would always be close. She saved him when he was ready to just give up. She swooped in like a superhero or a guardian angel and helped fit all of his broken, shattered pieces back together. Not to mention before Ty came along, they fucked like Olympic Gold Medalists. And although he caught feelings for her they did manage to keep it casual and he managed to keep that information to himself until right before SSX ended. But they were so close they worked it out.

He was actually really glad Freya was on Team Griff by the time he signed on. He had usually made friends easily but it was a much more comforting environment when the person you knew had somewhat of a pre-made clique for you. Eve Shepard and Ty Thorsen came with Freya like a buy one get two special and Mac Fraser inevitably came with Eve. He got on just fine with the guys right away. They had common interests, drank, and were his size. Moon came later and Skylar always compared her to the most innocent stuffed animal he could conjure; like a Teddy Bear or something.

He hasn’t spoken to any of them in some time and he understood people moved on and life got in the way and he never ever blamed them. Communication was a two way street. But he remembered all the amazing things they all did together. Racing and competing against each other was outstandingly fun and surprisingly no one had any bad mojo off the courses. They would congratulate each other on a race well done and ask things like “How did you get that kind of height on the Red Light track on Meru?” It was easy and it was a once in a lifetime relationship with these people.

They all loved going out and painting whatever city they were in stark red. He always enjoyed the bars Mac would DJ in. Club Milk in Denver had typical low lighting, rod iron bars lining the entrance, and weird geometric patterned walls but Mac played music that made it seem like the greatest hole in world. Eve would dance her heart out every night and the one time they brought Eddie he tried stripping on the bar that ran thru the cocktail tables. The next day, while the girls went out shopping, Mac Ty, and Skylar all dropped 200 ug’s of acid and went to the Pink Floyd Laser Light Show Spectacular at the Paramount Theatre on Broadway. He was impressed with himself being able to pronounce the title of the show when buying the tickets then watched himself watch the show. That was some crazy shit and Freya and Eve were not happy about it. Skylar didn’t have a significant other to get yelled at by.

Regardless of irresponsibility, they would always traverse new cities together. In Siberia they stayed at Otel’ Amurskiy. It was the most expensive hotel in Irkutsk, the rooms had gold and glass fixtures everywhere. While the girls would shop at some place spelled ‘Персона fashion’ the guys would hit up the Quicksilver store across town. After all shopping was said and done they had all met up at Dekabrist. Skylar loved that bar, it had 12 authentic Russian craft beers on tap and even Vaal came out to shoot the shit with them. One of his favorite memories in Fairbanks, Alaska was a tie between watching the Auroura Borealis or shotgunning beers in the Fairbanks Memorial hospital when Skylar broke his arm and Ty asked the Doctor to make his cast pink. That Ice museum on 2nd Ave. was pretty cool too, Mac dislocated his pinky finger going head first down the Ice Slide. He thought maybe he should reach out soon to everyone.

Freya, first and foremost, was utterly amazing and not just because of all the history they had together. He first met her on his 21st birthday in the Catskills base jumping. He threw her beer off of a cliff and bought her a new one that night. Then she followed him home and they banged one out. The only time they had a real fight was when he took on a dare from his brother to ride a closed course that incidentally had its first ever avalanche while doing so. She was scared for him and pissed off and he told her all about how she hurt him too. He mentioned that he loved her and she up and left him like Raquel was the exact opposite of what he had meant to say and ended up with a splitting headache when he received a well deserved slap to the face. Her womanly hysteria was at a solid level 9. It felt more like the hammer of God but he accepted it as proper punishment for what he said. Even after the shit he said to her they still made up.

That very same night he also fought Ty. Ty had only eavesdropped on a portion of his and Freyas conversation and just assumed Skylar was after his girl. Having no self confidence what so ever and personal scars from his brother snatching his past girlfriends, ended up confronting Skylar in the kitchen of the lodge. Skylar got sucker punched into the year 2002 when he learned how to fend for himself on the ghetto of Mott Haven and beat the shit out of Ty. He realized he released his pent up tension on poor Ty and later apologized after Ty said his own sorry’s for listening in and hitting him for it something he misinterpreted.

Ty wasn’t a bad guy and Skylar truly did enjoy his company. He never felt like a third wheel with Freya and Ty and liked hanging out with both of them. He didn't mind wasting time with people like them. He wasn’t sure what they were up to now but he was positive they were still together. They fought like crazy sometimes and Ty was constantly compared to a Golden Retriever but they found each other in a hopeless place and stuck it out to come out stronger together at the end of SSX.

Hanging out with Eve and Mac didn't make Skylar feel like a third wheel either. At one time they were basically one person. Last he heard Eve was living in Echo Park just outside of Los Angeles, became a professional dance choreographer, started a fortune 500 fashion line company, and pissed off a Kardashian. She bounced between Mac and Brooklyn for hot minute and Skylar wasn't sure which she was really truly into. Her and Mac fought like cats and dogs all the time and Brooklyn was just a drag in general to Skylar. He thought she would be much better off far away from his brother but she saw something in him Skylar just did not. Maybe she found something divine in just how mundane and ordinary Brooklyn really was.

That didn’t mean Mac was any less determined to win her back every single time and still buy pot off of Brooklyn whenever he blew through town. But Mac was doing pretty OK for himself to. DJing really did work out for him. He was doing huge events like celebrity receptions and was slated to DJ the Mtv Movie Awards this year.

Like the others he hadn’t heard from Moon in some time either. He thought she moved back to Pajottenland, Belgium living her life the best way she knew how. She was independent and was good and doing what she wanted while remaining so damn humble along the way. He remember always flirting with her and Moon returning the gestures but they never took each other seriously. They had actually bonded over their common interest of art. She would scribble down masterful line art and Skylar would color it in. She was now illustrating for magazines, wrestling, and investing her money in smart options like stock in Eve’s fashion company. He was just glad she was home with her friends Rik and Frank and not Griff considering Griff was enormous hunk of shit.

Dear Lord did Skylar hate Griff Simmons. He was a creep when they first met and Skylar later learned that Griff was the 12 year old snot that beat him out for a spot on SSX all those years ago. Griff had stalked him to a local hole in the wall bar after his shift at Pecheco’s and tried bribing him into joining his snowboarding team with a ludicrous amount of money that was actually Vaal’s money. He had no kind of official identification or contractual paperwork to prove himself otherwise so Skylar left him there, mouth agape that anyone would turn down Griff Simmons. The next day Griff stalked him back to Pacheco’s and finally convinced him to join. It was the only favor he ever did for him and Skylar was thankful for that and that alone.

Griff was an all around pile of shit kind of guy. He remember Griff bitching and moaning and then telling the team he really didn’t enjoy yelling at them. “This is the hardest part of my job,” he tried telling them trying to show his fucked up version of compunction. Skylar told him it was the only part of his job considering he never saw him do much of anything else. He also fucked around with Sorian and Moon at the same time and couldn’t commit to either. He hated how he played around with Moon like that, she deserved so much better. He would’ve felt sorry for Sorian had Sorian actually been any kind of upset at the situation. He mostly just wanted booze and a dick to sit on every now and then.

Sorian Ashley Floodwood was 5’4”, super vibrantly colorful, and a self proclaimed champion power bottom. Skylar wasn’t sure what he did exactly besides follow them to bars and drink his weight in appletini’s. Skylar enjoyed his antics none the less. He especially enjoyed hearing about his night out with Psymon and that Sean kid for the charity event they had. Instead of a nice dinner Sorian opted for the The Cave which was basically a giant trashcan that had a strip stage in it and poles to grind on for the strippers and patrons. Sorian had also found Skylar’s private dick pic blog and badgered him about a blow job for nth amount of months. He didn’t want Skylar to give him one, oh no, it was the other way around and Skylar politely declined every time. Sorian was a good friend but a terrible babysitter for Drunk Skylar. While Skylars drinking was out of control his friends mostly ushered him about in half-assed responsible ways but not Sorian. He would let Drunk Skylar do anything his little inebriated heart desired. Being a drunk groupie may have just been his only job and he was damn good at it. He might have moved back to Vegas.

Skylar definitely hadn't heard anything from Psymon Stark and Tane Mumea since his last day with the SSX circuit. He heard they split their time between Fiji and Canada though. He thought they would’ve been married by now but then again that wasn’t really Psymons style. If they did it was most likely a very private event and only happening at all for Tane’s sake. He wasn’t sure what Psymon did nowadays but he saw Tane in surfing magazines tearing up places like Tahiti, Costa Rica, and the Pacific Islands. People magazine said Tane had found a kitten in Papua New Guinea and Skylar couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Psymon being a stay at home cat mom while Tane won surf comp.’s all around the world.

Another loose friend he lost contact with was Eddie Wachowski. Freya said a while ago that he had finally gotten with Elise and it was the best night of his life. Elise later did an interview saying she was hammered, passed out half way through, and considered pressing charges. Skylar wasn’t sure why she didn't but he guessed she up and left so he couldn’t bother her. Eddie retaliated on his Twitter saying he was also drunk and didn't realize she was knocked out after Elise’s fans were calling for his head on a stake. Skylar thought if she was able to brush it under the rug then maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all, no matter how much of a fucking disaster Eddie is.

But also according to his Twitter, Eddie found solace in Crystal Springs, Nevada. He was apparently settled right outside of Area 51 and convinced one day he would get in. He owns and operates what Skylar can only describe as an overrated souvenir shop that gave tours of the fence just outside of Area 51 literally called “The Alien Research Center”. Skylar had mentioned Eddie in a tweet asking for a piece of the alien spaceship crash in Roswell of ‘47 if he ever got in.

Skylar didn’t really speak to anyone else on either team. He avoided Moby just like he avoided Psymon at first. They were  bigger and intimidating. Tane helped soften to the idea of Psymon not being a monster who punched anything that dared breath. He just never warmed up to Moby and Moby didn’t seem to care. He didn’t really speak to Zoe or Kaori either. The hung around the team only every so often and didn't really enjoy the night life like they did. The two did show up to different events and functions but only ever put in enough effort to please management and sponsors.

And Skylar never spoke to Alex; he never really wanted to. He didn't realize why until much later when he was sober enough to reflect on his time on the circuit. He was jealous of her. He was jealous of the way Vaal paid special attention to her. He didn't know if it was obvious to everyone else that he didn't like her her but he choked those feelings down and drown them in vodka so nobody even knew why he didn’t like her.

No one has heard from Vaal but Skylar was pretty sure he was still alive. Anything else honestly did not bare thinking about. He also assumed his brother Svarog would’ve reached out to him if anything had happened. Svarog played nice with most people but actually truly liked Skylar; he even bench pressed all 170 lbs. of him once. Nevertheless it might have been better that he’d lost contact with Vaal, or so he told himself. His feelings were becoming too serious to be just friends and neither of them wanted that. At least Skylar didn’t want that so long as Vaal didn’t either. Time apart quelled that and he felt like he was in good place to reconnect. Had he stayed he may have been emotionally fucked.

Speaking of getting fucked, the whole drunken hotel incident with Vaal broke the internet for a solid three weeks and then his mothers heart once the news made it back to the States. She called him to tell him how disappointed she was and that she couldn’t support him and his vile interactions with other men. From that day on she refused to speak to him again. And that was in fact the actual last time she ever spoke to him.

He also remembered that day ended with a ride down Mount. Vorassay in the Alps and Skylar passing out mid jump and falling to what should’ve been his death. He walked away with broken ribs and bruises and the night ended with a heart to heart with Tane. He was predictably forewarned Skylar to keep his emotions in check. A few months later he tried sending his mother a gift of 2 tickets to the Dominican Republic. She sent them back with absolutely no word, spoken or written. From her reaction alone he was too afraid to reach out to family in D.R. but his Abuela reconnected with him through Colbie with all the reassurance in the world. She thought Rosa was out of her mind. Skylar soon lost her to old age just after SSX ended.

In all he lost his father, lost his mother, then his grandmother, and then Colbie. Now he was stuck with Brooklyn. Brooklyn compared them to being two peas in a pod and Skylar thought Brook was more like dog shit that had already hardened on the bottom of his shoe. He’d never say it out loud but he would be crushed to lose him too. As much as he couldn’t stand him, he loved him too.

Even though his mother wasn’t speaking to him and hadn’t been for well over a year, it was still an agonizing loss. Especially how he lost her. It wasn’t a sickness he could have prepared for because that would’ve been too easy and God loved pissing in his face. Dane, his friend from Pacheco’s, lost his job there and ended up on the streets begging. He became so desperate he borrowed a gun and headed for his mothers new house in Park Slope in Brooklyn. He didn’t expect an angry Hispanic woman to rise from her bed in the middle of the night to investigate but she did and he ended up accidentally shooting her in the upstairs hallway. Skylar didn’t show a shred of emotion the entire two weeks he spent in New York and D.R. burying his mother. But once he got back to the lodge he did indeed cry, and threw a tantrum destroying his room and ended up in Vaal’s arms for consolation because Vaal was a good friend to him. Skylar didn’t think anything of the gesture beyond what it was at the time but he could still feel the embrace even now.

In all his mother’s demise led to Colbie not speaking to him now. Like she took his mothers place in forever punishing him. She blamed him for their mother’s loss all because he was once upon a time friends with Dane. Skylar ran his mouth and asked why she even cared so much considering she up and left them all behind like Ance did. She hung up on him and hasn’t spoken to him since and like previously mentioned, he was afraid of her rejection now but missed her dearly; porn star or not. He obviously had a habit of saying stupid shit and was, to this day, still working on it.

He didn’t blame her though. Colbie probably had had enough of his shit exclusively after the screaming match they had over her career choice when he first found out. After Brooklyn had found her first video by pure mistake he called crying about it. Skylar then made the mistake of telling his friends as Ty found the idea of looking up her videos ingenious and then showed them to everyone, including Skylar. That day ended in him screaming bloody murder and throwing Ty’s laptop into the lit fireplace and still refuses to this day to buy him a new one. That was just fucked up. He knew something was off the way Ty and Mac were giggling like 10 year old girls at a sleepover. But he realized now he was an asshole to his sister and this was her life, not his and she was the same person no matter what and at the end of the day he was the douchebag.

Skylar sat back to look over the dog tag now fully inked on Monty’s shoulder. He took so much pride in his work, perfectionist his Abuela would say, and it looked marvelous. “I think we’re good here,” he told Monty and passed him a hand mirror. He looked at himself and smiled fondly.

“It’s perfect,” he told Skylar, “Really, man…. it’s just how I pictured it.” Monty put the mirror down and turned to face him. Skylar laughed, “Literally just doing my job.” Monty snorted as he got up. Skylar escorted him up front and Wendy finished checking him out with final payment. He said good bye and returned to his station to clean up. He had 45 minutes before his 8pm client showed up. It was going to be a quick one.

As he wiped down the desktop as Wendy crept up behind him. “Hey Sky,” she stage whispered getting his attention, “Can you do a quick consultation for this girl up front?”

He agreed and followed her to the lobby where a young girl of no more than 18 stood patiently. Skylar greeted her, “How can I help?”

She smiled brightly pushing blonde hair from her face, “Hi, I’m Emma. I wanted to get a price on a tattoo.”

“What kind?” he asked.

“I want my boyfriend’s name tattooed on my chest here,” she pointed to spot right above her heart and Skylar groaned internally.

“Can I ask how long you’ve been together?”

“Sure, about 8 months now. This is my first serious relationship and it’s still perfect as the first day we met. I wanna’ show him how serious I am about him.”

“Are you sure you want someones name on you? That’s not an awful long time to get to know someone.”

“I’m positive.” Skylar could hear the waver in her voice.

Skylar was not a fan of tattooing names on other people, coincidentally he was just thinking of this today. That douchebag from earlier was a prime example, Monty was the exception. Like he said, he himself would never get someones name tattooed on him. What if this guy ended up cheating on her? Then she would have some assholes name on her skin until it got covered up. Sure she could get something tattooed over it or he give her the chance to not regret it at all.

He wanted to give her the chance to test-drive this tattoo idea of hers. “How about this,” he began, “go get a henna tattoo first, test it out, see how he reacts, and see if it something you still want next week. If it is, come back and we can discuss details ok?”

She thought it over for only a second. Emma smiled again, “That’s a good idea. I’ll do that, thanks.” He shook her hand and she saw herself out.

He turned back and Wendy spoke up from her seat at the reception desk, “Nice save.”

“Seriously….” He went back to his station to finishing prepping for his last client of the night.

Unfortunately wiping down and pulling out just black ink wasted no time at all so he sat and fucked around on his phone for a while. He google his sister and found her Instagram. He started following her and assumed she would never notice considering she had half a million followers already. He was also careful to make sure his brother never found his social media accounts. Brooklyn already harassed him enough in real life.

His 8pm, Sandra, arrived and Wendy walked her back. Skylar greeted her and she sat in the chair. He adjusted the arm rest of the side he would be working on. He grabbed the pre-drawn transfer paper and he placed it on her forearm with her guidance. She was a woman in her 50’s and had recently lost her husband of 30 years to prostate cancer. They were inking a love letter he had written her years and years ago so she could read it every day.

The letter said, “Sandy, you bring sunshine when I only see rain. You bring laughter when I only feel pain. I love you, Teddy.” Skylar thought love letters was extraordinarily romantic. He grabbed the machine and got started.

It was short, sweet, and right to the point. He didn’t charge Sandra much for it as it would take almost no time at all. And she knew how lucky she was, she said she was so incredibly fortunate to have found someone like her Teddy who made sure she knew she was loved every single day and Skylar envied her. He wanted so bad for so long someone to love him. He wanted a great love like that more than anything in the world. He hasn’t heard anyone tell him that they loved him like that since Raquel was around and she didn’t even mean it so maybe, sadly and pathetically, no one has ever said that to him and meant it like that. Skylar wanted someone to say that they loved him and mean it and couldn’t help but catch the reflected shine off of his serpent ring he still wore.

Raquel really did try to convince him that she loved him and he was desperate enough to believe her. He had deep embedded abandonment issues and she most certainly used that to her advantage. He didn’t realize it at the time but as the years passed he soon concluded that being with her was like suicide in slow motion. It was better she left on her own because Skylar didn't think he could’ve possibly gotten rid of her himself. A few years later she tried to wrangle him in her death like grip again but was thankfully warded off by Freya and her nonchalant way of causing a fucking scene. He hasn’t heard from her since. He didn’t exactly hope Raquel was dead but if she had come down with tetnis from stepping on a rusty nail he wouldn’t be very sad about it.

He may have loved Freya at one time but he knew she inevitably and wholeheartedly belonged to Ty now, and vice versa.  He did used to think about what their life would be like together. They would probably travel the world and fuck in every major city in every major country. He would keep her company so she never felt alone and she would tell him she loved him. But that never happened and probably never would. She only had eyes for Ty and they were great together and he assumed they were still as tight as ever.

It seemed like everyone he knew was in some kind of relationship. Even Brooklyn hooked up with Eve for a while. And no matter how hard he tried to talk Eve out of the alarming hurricane that was Brooklyn Aguilar, she stayed for a while. Brooklyn actually tried to clean up his act for her and was actually doing better but Eve was a woman who was purposeful and strong-willed and knew exactly what she wanted. If Brooklyn couldn’t comply, she couldn’t stay and Skylar rooted for her. Brook was a fucking mess on good days and she deserved so much better. He thought Mac was a good guy for her and they had been together for a long time, even with breaking up every other week. No matter who she chose in the end he knew her tenacious and unwavering determination would always keep her afloat.

Eve knew who she was and what she wanted unlike Griff Simmons. One of the thousands of reasons Skylar hated Griff was because he fucked around on his friends. He couldn’t decide between Sorian and Moon and it was fucking awful to watch. Moon had been head over heels for that redheaded slut of a manager and Sorian honestly just wanted bang one or two out everyday. What Skylar didn’t like what was his lack of commitment to either one because no one was in agreement with what he was doing. It was like he paraded Moon around as arm candy for the press while being a deviant in the night with Sorian like the little blonde twink was something to be shameful of. Griff was, and probably still is, a pile of flaming dog shit and didn't deserve either of them. Sorian and Moon were better off without him. Maybe Sorian was still fucking around with that Sean kid.

And of course Psymon and Tane were a fairytale; essentially the endgame. They met on the circuit and Psymon had to actually show more then 3 emotions a day in order to get Tane to even notice he was interested. Tane thought it was cute but said Psymon thought it was exhausting. But they finally did hook up and fell in love and had the perfect life together. Good for them. Skylar still wasn't a fan of Psymon and Psymon conversely didn’t like him either. He used to hold over Psymon’s head the fact that his boyfriend had a crush on him and Psymon would threaten to punch Skylar’s face inside out. Vaal used to have to intervene like the den mother he was and Psymon would melt the second he laid eyes on the Russian.

Skylar managed to stay single through it all even after fucking Elise who was habitually fucking Vaal who in turn fucked Skylar quite literally and emotionally. That set off a whole new path of confusion and self-discovery. That was how he differentiated infatuation and unrequited love. He also managed to bang Elise only twice even after he accidentally shoved his hand in a spinning fan blade the first time.

After some self evaluation he tried out a relationship with a guy named Mario but it fizzled out and really amounted to nothing. They ended on good terms but Skylar hasn’t heard from him in years. They weren’t ever really official anyway, they were only really “talking” anyway. He was a good guy and handsome, it just didn’t pan out the way either wanted. Apart of Skylar thought maybe he was just using Mario as a sort of rebound to try and forget about Vaal after Vaal showed no intention of being anything other than good friends and all that he felt. Shockingly… it didn’t work.

So he never had what Freya or Eve or even Vaal once had.

All he had at the time was fruitless and barren feelings for a guy and a piece of shit Dodge Ram in storage back in Hunts Point, Bronx. It was honestly unbelievable how Vaal could do no wrong in Skylars eyes, like how Rosa saw Ance. Vaal was literally a mob boss who chose when he went to jail if it served a purpose in his gain. Skylar had one time helped to literally dig a bullet out of his leg and looked at him like he’d hung the moon. So like the aforementioned, maybe it was better the season ended when it did. Skylar‘s emotions for one person were spiraling out and he really did need space to dowse that fire if nothing were to come of it less it would consume him. He hadn’t felt that strongly about someone since Raquel and Freya. He thought if he could be friends with Freya now, maybe he could be also with Vaal now that some time has passed. But it was different, he was blindsided by the feelings. With Raq and Freya he could feel the growth of attachment. Not with Vaal. It started as a crush and like one does, was crushed. Maybe Tane was right after all. But like always he kept all of this to himself.

Since moving to Hells Kitchen he did date a few women over the last five years but none of them really caught his eye to keep his interest. He hasn’t really dated any men, he just didn’t feel like it really but he knew he was bisexual and nowadays didn't really give a fuck who knew. Life was too short to care about petty shit like that anymore. So sometimes he fucked around with women and men for mere one night stands but even after each one he still couldn’t forget that loaded night in that hotel room. He didn't have a connection with these people like he did when Vaal showed actually unbridled emotion in front of him when Mrs. Mubarak gave him Serene’s old cell phone. Skylar was now, in only the last few months, realizing that maybe he just needed to be alone and learn to be beside himself first before being with anyone else.

Skylar sat back and looked over Sandra’s arm inspecting for anything out of place. He asked her to do the same but all she did was start crying. Skylar used to panic around crying women but had gotten somewhat used to it with his Pro Bono work. He smiled gently as she thanked him and he finished wrapping her arm up in cellophane and tape.

After walking her up front he headed back and cleaned everything off of his desk. It was finally closing time for him. He was thankful Charlie was pretty generous with pay so he didn't have to break his back with no more than 5 clients per day. That and this was a high end studio that had its artists charge a pretty penny for their talents. It also helped he still had an asinine amount of money saved up from SSX. He grabbed his helmet, bag, and jacket and said his goodbyes to the artists who weren’t currently wrist deep in ink and Wendy and walked out for the night.

He hopped on his bike and started down Broome Ave. towards home. 6th Avenue was usually crowded this time of night so his ride home would probably be about 20 minutes or so. He was coming up on 47th when he saw traffic was being diverted all the way to 51st. He sighed internally for what seemed like forever, he just wanted to go home. He was severely lost in his thought today and was just so mentally exhausted. He stopped at the light on 7th and looked ahead. Across the street and down the block was Times Square Church. He heard a beep from behind and realized the light was green.

Instead of turning left he followed ahead and parked on the sidewalk just outside the church. “The fuck am I doing?” he asked himself muffled by the helmet. He slid off the bike and locked his helmet to the seat not bothering to remove his bag. The church was open until 11pm so he decided to wander in.

He had never been religious but did his best to please his mother. Walking into this church was like being with his mom again, even it was an interdenominational church. She was devout, orthodox even. She did her best to push her agenda onto her children but she ended up with an awarded porn star, a confused bisexual spaz, and a crackhead with an astonishing work ethic.

He thought a lot about his mom today and maybe that's why he felt so compelled to walk inside. He stopped at the font and dipped his fore and middle fingers in then crossing himself. He walked the aisle and stared at the pulpit. He decided not to kneel and moves onto the votive candles. He slid a $10 bill into the donation box and lit one of the candles thinking of his Mom and hoping she finally found peace in the afterlife. Or whatever came after life. He’s also thankful the statue of Jesus on the cross isn’t right there front and center, it had always creeped him out since childhood.

He turned back and took a seat in the pew about 7 rows back totally alone and by himself and the room seemed so much bigger. He spoke quietly to himself, “Father of all, I pray to you for my mother and for all those we’ve lost. Grant unto them eternal rest. Let perpetual light shine upon them. May her soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” He also thanked God he remembered that one.

He looked up to the transept and nave before him studying the red carpet and mahogany pillars and fastidious little gold details. He mother would’ve compared this place to a Persian bathhouse and he laughed to himself. She may have been rough around the edges and serious when it came to her children but she could be a bit of a class clown and that's where Skylar got his sarcasm from. But he still thought all of her old wives tales were ridiculous. She told her children that the swing of a wedding ring on a string of hair would reveal a babies gender, spilling salt brought bad luck, and terrible things happened in 3’s. He remember his mother once telling Colbie that women pinched their cheeks for color and only whores wore rouge. Colbie practically crawled out of her skin at the fact her mother didn’t call it blush.

When he first started dating Raquel he brought her and two of her friends to his mothers house so he could slowly introduce her to his family because he knew Rosa could also be very critical of who her son was dating. When they left his mother straight up told him she hated his new girlfriend even though he didn't even introduce any of them as his new girlfriend. She knew it was Raquel too. He asked how she knew and she said she hated her the most and her Spanish was abysmal at best. He didn’t realize how right she was back then.

She wasn’t right all the time though. He remembered back in D.R. when Ance was hoarding money his mother tried to cut their hair once. She fumbled horribly with Brooklyn and ended up shaving his head. Skylar cried because he didn’t want her to cut his hair like that and that's how his dreadlocks were born. She fortunately knew how to dread from the Taino’s side of her family. He’s had these dreads since he was a child and honestly never even thought about a different hairstyle.

She definitely parented in an old school fashion. She didn’t play with them or pretend to be their friend. She let them make mistakes and learn from that; she never babied them. She never got involved in their petty arguments and never took sides. They were both wrong even with Skylar’s bullet proof defense of, “He hit back first!” She put up with a lot of shit when they were young. He remembered convincing a 4 year old Brooklyn to eat crayons and see if he pooped the rainbow and once sold one of Colbies bra’s to a school friend so he could buy a skateboard. Skylar and Brooklyn also broke the coffee table once fist fighting and his mother cried because they beat the shit out of each other and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. She might’ve even thrown every chancla she owned at them and nothing worked. He felt bad about that now.

He still felt so wronged by her when she disowned him and called him a faggot but he didn’t think she deserved to go like that or at all. He still missed her dearly and wished he could’ve had just one more conversation with her.

He wiped the tear from his eye and got up. He checked his watch; he managed to waste an entire 45 minutes in here thinking his sad thoughts and feeling sorry for himself. He walked back out thought the lobby and to his bike getting on and finally heading home.

He parked the bike in his usual spot on 47th locking up the bike and bring his helmet inside with him. He walked up the three floors to his apartment. Unlocking the door he stepped in and set his bag and helmet on the seat of the hall tree and hung up his coat. His flat had an open floor plan, besides the bathroom that was located behind the kitchen wall. He was adamant at first with the brick walls convinced he would paint them but ended up liking them just the way they were. He was never a neat freak but was a minimalist so his place was generally clean and uncluttered. He had brought this one girl home for a one night stand and she told she liked his ‘urban modern decor’. He said whatever, he just wanted to get laid and so did she so she didn't need to try and make awkward conversation with him.

Some might’ve been turned off by his bed and dressers being out in the open but he was the only one who lived here. He had big bay windows that overlooked the neighborhood. However, he was quick to cover them with blinds and curtains that accented his bedroom and dining area’s color schemes. Tane would be so fucking proud.

He sauntered into the kitchen and set the oven to 350°F. He didn’t even wait for the oven to preheat before he threw in the rest of the rotisserie chicken from last night. He sat up on the counter and pulled his phone out waiting the duration for the chicken to reheat.

He hadn’t eaten all day besides the banana and was getting a little lightheaded but this kind of thing actually didn’t happen that often anymore. Not like when he first started on Team Griff and SSX in general. He had been working really hard on self care since getting clean from his short stint with cocaine. He actually started with coke when alcohol wasn’t numbing him quite the same anymore. With every line he could hear Raquel tell him he was just too hard to love over and over again.

As previously mentioned, it thankfully didn't last long. And like he had thought much earlier today, he didn’t have some kind of stupendous awakening, he just hated the way he felt waking up and thought he looked even more like shit than usual. So he stopped and slowed down significantly with the drinking. Alcohol and weed were only occasional things to him now and he looked better too. He was able to keep on more weight now that he wasn't vomiting all the time. His throat and vocal cords were especially thankful for that but he was still pretty lean. He never quite made it back to his ‘Pre-Raquel leaving’ weight. Most people had to stop all together but he was lucky enough that he could just slow down. He used to be such an alcoholic that when alcohol did its taxes it claimed Skylar as a dependent. A few of friends had sent him a text the other day to meet a Rudy’s tonight, it being Friday and all, but he said maybe next time. Old Skylar would’ve jumped at the chance and would’ve been walking down 9th at this very moment.

But without mind numbing substances he had to learn how to actually deal with himself and all that he felt for the world and all the people in it. He needed to come to terms with himself too. He was now in a place where he found himself, true and whole, and understood the things he felt and how that kind of shit was perceived by others. Now he doesn’t need to not feel things, he was OK with having more then two functioning emotions. He was much happier being able to feel and understand rather than not feel at all.

So in all he definitely turned over a new leaf. He didn't think he was a whole new person but he felt better and felt like more people could really vibe with him now. He didn’t argue so much with people who weren’t Brooklyn anymore either. Frank had asked him once how he could stand to not argue with stupid people. Skylar said it was just easier to tell them “You’re right” and move on. Frank said that was irrational and dumb and Skylar told him he was right. This was much more satisfying then yelling and feuding.

The entire Team Griff experience changed him for sure. It was really bad before it got good and looking back he saw just how much he needed it. He might’ve gone back and done some things a little differently but the over all experience taught him much. He made new friends and learned even more about himself and even after learned to be comfortable being himself. Team Griff matured him for sure. He was young and inexperienced in the world and traveling with people from all over taught him a lifetime worth of lessons. In a way Team Griff caused him to hit rock bottom but he also figured that was the old Skylar trying to fight change. And that change turned out to be for the better.

So maybe Jean-Baptiste Karr wasn’t so wrong after all. His life had for sure changed but he was still the same person on the inside and still viewed the world from the same perspective. Things changed but Skylar was still Skylar.

He was happy, even he was alone. Sure he missed his team mates and the fans and the sport. He missed the adrenaline of storming tracks on mountains in places he would’ve never dreamed to travel to. He loved meeting people from different countries who cried about how they loved him and his athleticism. He loved his fans back, they really did push him forward on and off the track. He missed all of it everyday but he was happy to have had experienced it at all. And he made a silent vow to himself to be better with communication with his old friends and to try and reach out again soon.

Skylar’s phone chirped with the arrival of a new text message and he checked to see who it was from. The screens bright light contrasted to the dim setting of his kitchen as he looked at the screen.

He grinned as he read off the senders name and said to himself, “Well I’ll be damned, I was just thinking about you today...”

[ssxuality]

Uber SSXuals turned 4 today!

[ssxuality]

My Soul Hurts

There was an idea that Skylar had fallen in love with Freya when they had once lived together in NYC years ago but nothing was ever said until now in an argument between the two. There is no real title, this is just a drabble really but we both agreed our souls were very much in pain after running through all the details. 

Freya sat rather impatiently in the den of the lodge watching the TV intently. Channel 6 news was airing a piece on a recent avalanche that happened on a closed course. The teams were stationed in New Zealand in the city while construction continued on the summit of Aoraki, which meant the course was closed.

An avalanche was never too big of a deal, nobody usually paid any mind to it, but Freya had learned that her dear, but stupid, dreadlocked friend had gone onto the closed course, alone, on a dare. She wasn’t alone. Team Griff and some SSX members sat patiently waiting to see Skylar emerge from the other side. So far there was no sign of life.

Wet, dry, and sluff avalanches were nothing new to any member of either team so what made this so extraordinary was that this was a dry slab avalanche. Some referred to it as the White Death or Snow Torrent. It made up almost all avalanche deaths in North America. They all knew their facts and knew Skylar had stupidly taken his brothers dare proving he was no “bitch”. And had there been no construction redesigning the course, there would be no avalanche.

“He’s dead, I call dibs on his pention,” Psymon blurted as he relaxed back into his seat sipping on a beer.

Tane slapped at his chest from his seat on the arm of his chair, “That’s not funny Psy..”

“It’s probably true, does no one remember his first race in Patagonia? ... I know Elise does..”

The blonde flipped him off, “Fuck you...”

Psymon ignored her, “he barely made it out of that, and that was just powder.”

Before anyone else could add their two cents Freya was on her feet but not before kicking the coffee table over, “Shut the hell up! Nobody wants your god damn opinion you narcissistic  piss baby!”

She could hear the silence that lingered as she stormed out.

Roughly twenty minutes had passed and Eve was the only one to brave venturing into her room. Freya was sat on the edge of her bed watching the TV. Both she and Eve paid close attention the reporters and the scene the helicopters flew over looking for anything.

Eve’s phone chirped and she read the text, “Oh my God!”

Freya snapped back to her, “Oh my God what?!” Was this the call she had been dreading?

Eve flashed her phone to her, “Skylar's downstairs.”

Freya was on her feet and out the bedroom door within a second. She marched downstairs, her feet landing heavily letting everyone in the next room know she was present. Then she saw him sitting on the arm rest of the love seat. His jacket had been removed along with his beanie and gloves. His arms were blushing red from the cold and cut up from the ice. He had scratches across his face and an expression of grimace as Mac helped pull one of his boots off.

“How fucking dense are you?!” Freya shouted barging into the room.  She was overwhelmed after having a serious fear of losing him forever to now seeing him in the flesh once more.

Skylar leaned back lifting his leg for Mac to remove the other boot, “I couldn’t predict an avalanche happening.”

She came close to him invading his personal space, “It was closed for a fucking reason moron! Do you not fucking care? What if you seriously got hurt?”

Mac pulled the other boot off falling backwards on his rear end. Skylar answered her, “I would either be in the hospital or dead.”

He groaned standing already feeling sore from pushing himself so hard to out run the avalanche. He was in no mood to listen to Freya yell at him. All he wanted was to just lay down and take a nap. She obviously wasn’t having any of that as she was hot on his heels following after him.

“That’s not fucking funny!” She yelled.

He didn’t stop or look back heading up the stairs, “It wasn’t supposed to be... it’s the truth though..”

“Skylar!”

He reached the top landing of the stair case and headed toward his room.

“This isn’t a joke or an amazing dare, this is serious. What if you did die? What then?”

He opened his bedroom door and turned to face her in his doorway, “Then I would’ve died, but I didn’t! I just wanna’ lay down for a while.”

Her fists were on her hips ready to put up a fight to get her point across. “Yes, would have. And then what? Do you not realize how hurt we would’ve been knowing this entire thing was preventable? You do shit like this all the time and could give a shit less how it affects all of your friends. You don’t care if it hurts us!”

“Yes I do care, I care a lot. I care a lot about everybody here. I’m sorry ok? I couldn’t have predicted an avalanche on a course that’s never seen an avalanche!”

Freya laid both hands on his chest pushing him back. He stumbled into the door but stayed on his feet. Now he was angry. It was like his fights with Raquel except Freya was much more gentle with him, but the resemblance of the situation was close enough to him.

“Do you not understand when you go out there, act like a fucking fool and get seriously injured, it hurts us too? It hurts me to see you with broken bones and bleeding in a hospital bed!”

He stood up straight using his height as an intimidation tactic, “And you’ve never hurt me?”

“Absolutely not. How have I ever hurt you like you do to me?”

There was absolutely nothing that could have stopped him from blurting out such a long kept secret.

“I loved you Freya!”

They were silent. Her trying to register this new information and him knowing what he said was wrong and yet decided to just go ahead and make it ten times worse.

“ Like.. a lot... and then you just fucking left..” As if this statement alone wasn’t bad enough, he physically could not catch the words falling out of his mouth. “You up and fucking left just like Raquel!”

Her hands dropped to her sides, eyes wide and heavy breathing. He could see tears begin to flood her bright blue eyes. It was an expression he had never ever seen her wear. Her jaw tightened and her lips turned down, a single tear escaped falling down her pale cheek.

He was stunned seeing her unfold like this. He realized just how much he just hurt her feelings and wanted to immediately take back what he said and a apologize.

“Freya.... I-“

She slammed the palm of her hand as hard as she could across his already cut face. He yelled out in pain but she ignored him storming back down the hall.

Skylar stumbled into his room falling on the edge of his bed but ended up just sliding onto the floor in a sitting position.

Skylar held his face as Ty rushed to his doorway.

“What the hell is going on? What happened?”

Skylar muffled, “Jesus Hell... my face!”

“Did she slap you?”

“My fucking ear is ringing!”

Ty walked into the room lowering himself to his level and pulling his hands away. He sucked in a quick breath, “Did she slap you or punch you? With a heavy blunt object?”

“Is it bad?”

Before Ty could answer Mac walked in following the commotion from before.

Mac looked at them on the floor, “Dude, did you get hit by a car?”

“It looks a lot worse than it probably feels,“ Ty said.

“You’re both seriously the worst...”

Mac asked, “What happened?”

Skylar sighed, “Freya got really upset about the dare and yelled at me then I yelled back and said something pretty fucked up then she slapped me.”

Ty then asked, “Sooo.... I should probably find her right?”

The Dominican just nodded seriously wanting the just finally lay down and go to sleep.

Freya sat alone outside on an ice covered bench over-looking a frozen pond not even a quarter of a mile from the lodge. It was cold and bitter out but her career has toughened her up over the years towards these conditions. As tough as she was she could still feel her tears freezing.

She wasn’t sure what stunned her more, Skylar’s confession or his comparison to the woman she absolutely despised. She had only met this woman once after seeing the destruction that was Skylar’s life back in the Bronx she left in her wake, and to say the least she was not happy with Raquel. That night ended with a cat fight and possible lawsuit had Skylar not used his ‘alias’.

Freya couldn’t understand what could possibly make him say something like that when he knew how both of them felt about Raquel.

One more tear fell free thinking that maybe he really did love her at one point. She had left all she knew back home and moved in with him after a visit and seeing just how self destructive he was. He was broke and hungry and she felt sorry for him. It wasn’t often she let people into her life having feared one day they would leave her behind but somehow Skylar broke through that barrier and there she was dotting on him and putting all of his shattered pieces back together. Even now she felt like he wasn’t complete, like some of his pieces came loose and were lost somewhere along the way.

The idea that after all she had done for him and all of the moments they shared, maybe he really did fall in love with her for a time. She had made it clear that she wanted no relationship and he was a friend with great benefits. Maybe he was hoping she wouldn’t leave and would eventually change her mind? He had never once said a word to her.

She wiped her cheeks with the back of her gloves and stood up. She was done feeling sorry for herself. This was not her fault and she had been wronged. As mad as she was with Skylar, she didn’t want to lose him either. Recalling all of her memories with him softened her but she wanted to remain stern, she was the concrete wall to stop him, not the concrete floor to walk on. She just needed a breather herself. If she was going to talk it out she needed to remain calm. He wasn’t like Ty who would crumble the second her anger flared. Skylar always puts up a fight when pushed beyond his own sarcasm and it was unfortunately one of the only things him and his brother had in common; they were both impossibly stubborn. She realized now why they butted heads so often.

She turned back walking towards the lodge when she heard footsteps pounding in the snow from behind.

“Freya! Wait!”

She groaned, “Not now Ty!”

He finally caught up with her, “I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were ... were you crying?”

“Fuck. Off.”

He stopped her turning her by the shoulders to face him, “What happened? What did he say to you?”

She knew screaming at him would only make more problems for her later so she decided to remain as calm as possible. She took a deep breath, “I have to talk to Skylar. This is none of your concern, I’ll be just fine.”

She pecked him on the cheek and brushed his hand off of her and continued on her way. He didn’t follow, he knew Freya was a very determined young woman and was next to impossible to stop.

“Just be careful,” he called after her, “You guys don’t have a back up wing tech!”

Skylar sat in complete silence inside the storage shed swapping the bindings on his boards. He couldn’t sleep knowing Freya was this upset with him but he knew better than to go looking for her when she wanted to be alone and it wasn’t often she wanted that. He knew of her fear of being totally abandoned and left to herself after her confessing the loss of her mother and sister so Skylar knew to keep his distance.

He held the board still as his grip on the Phillips head screw driver tightened driving the screw into the wood. He had bought all new bindings and decided he might as well replace them now while he was so lost in thought. But he realized he was not alone as footsteps sounds outside the door and the old wooden door creaked open.

A gust of wind forced him to turn his head away as Freya let herself in.

“We need to talk,” she told him. The shed was not heated other than small space heater. He wore a black hooded thermal long sleeve shirt which made him look smaller against his baggy jeans. He looked like hell when he first arrived but had done well to put on some muscle while here but he was nowhere near where he used to be when she first met him.

He didn’t look at her right away. His eyes were trained on the floor and his heart rate sped up. He wanted to talk it out but hadn’t quite figured out what to say. He was embarrassed he admitted all of that to her. So he decided to start with the obvious.

“I’m sorry Freya...”

She wasn’t expecting him to soften so quickly.

He continued, “I didn’t mean it... I would never compare you to her, you’re so much better. I didn’t mean to be such an asshole. I’m just tired of always getting yelled at.”

“Well that’s what happens when you do stupid shit like this all the time. Did not a word of that rant get through to you?”

He still did not look at her. If he had ever felt like a child being scolded it was definitely now. “Yes. And I know I get carried away with drinking and pranks and dumb shit all the time, I just can’t help it sometimes. I’m sorry I had you so worried and I’m sorry I kicked you in your emotion balls.”

She couldn’t help but smile. This is why she could never stay mad at him, he knew how to make her smile.

She sat next to him wrapping her arm around his.

He finally looked at her, “I’m really sorry, I would never put you on par with her.”

“I forgive you...”

They sat in silence for only a moment before she asked, “Did you mean it?”

He was confused, “No! I already said I didn’t mean what I said-“

“You told me you loved me... did you mean it?”

He looked forward. He had hoped that part had gone undetected but he should’ve known better.

There was no point in holding back.

“Yea,” he told her, “I was really in love with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, I knew the situation when you moved in but our situation was pretty much all i ever wanted. You were perfect to me no matter what.”

She sighed, “And then I left?”

“No. Then you took an amazing job opportunity and continued on your way. We both knew that was the original plan, I just didn’t plan on catching any feelings like that. I felt really alone and depressed again.”

Freya shook her head, “I don’t understand why you would keep this to yourself. Why would you not tell me?”

“I did it to myself,” he shrugged, “I don’t know, I just thought the less you knew or anyone knew the less it would hurt and would eventually just go away.”

“You do that for every person you catch feelings for don’t you?”

“That’s often but maybe... yes..”

“Don’t you think that if you had said something, things might be different now?”

Before he could respond they jumped from a loud bang outside.

Freya groaned, “Fucking coyotes, they’re everywhere, let’s just go talk inside.”

He agreed turning off the space heater and leaving his tools for tomorrow morning. They walked out as he locked up the door and they turned to go inside, but not before picking up a wooden bat they used just in case a stray coyote decided to put up a fight while they worked out back.

After walking Freya back to her room Skylar decided to hit the kitchen in an attempt to make tea to help him sleep. He usual drinks of choice were beer, vodka, and water but none of those would help him now. He opened up the top cabinet for a mug and the Jasmine tea bags. He turned around to grab the kettle but was immediately stopped with a fist to the face.

Skylar fell back against the counter and felt hands holding him down. Finally he got a clear view of Ty winding up to hit him again. Skylar was in such an awkward position being held down and bent backwards on the counter while trying to pry his other hand from his throat he couldn’t stop the second punch to the face.

Skylar was thrown back into his mentality from the Bronx and getting into street fights from people trying to mug him. He resorted to fish hooking Ty in the mouth to catch him off guard. Ty loosened his grip on the other man’s throat just long enough for Skylar to have a chance to fight back.

Skylar instantly pushed him off and jumped on top of him knocking them both to the ground. Now it was Skylars turn to hold the other man down.

Skylar punched him once in the face, “Stop hitting my face!” he yelled.

He punched him again, “It’s-“

And again, “all-“

And again, “I-“

And again, “have-“

And once more, “left!”

Skylar never even notice two more people rush into the kitchen, and in an instant hands were on him and pulled him up with force. Mac and Brooklyn held him back from attacking Ty again. Once Skylar stopped trying to fight them, Mac rushed to Ty’s side helping him sit up.

“Get your fucking hands off me Brooklyn,” Skylar yelled pushing his brother away.

Mac shouted over all of them, “What the fuck is happening right now?! The fuck are you doing, man?”

Skylar pointed at Ty, “He hit me first!”

Ty was on the brink of tears, “I heard what you and Freya said to each other!”

Silence fell over everyone in the room and all the commotion came to a screeching halt.

“You told her you loved her and she said if you had said something sooner, things might be different. I thought we were friends! Friends don’t steal other friends girlfriends!”

Skylars eyes were wide in what looked like shock, “You are so unbelievably fucking stupid Ty,” but was actually anger. “First of all, that conversation wasn’t for you and had you heard the entire thing you’d know it happened FIVE YEARS AGO! She didn’t even know you fucking existed then!”

“Why did you have to say anything?” Ty asked. “Why couldn’t you just keep it to yourself? What if that’s the push she needed to leave me for you?”

“You’re an idiot,” Skylar told him, “If Freya wanted to leave you she would’ve done it by now. She’s too strong willed, she always knows exactly what she wants and she loves you too much to go. I know about how your brothers always stole your girlfriends but I’m not your brother and Freya isn’t going anywhere and you need work on trusting people and stop hitting my fucking face!”

Ty relaxed, “She said she loved me?”

“She always says it… dumbass..”

Mac pulled at the blondes arm, “Let’s go dude, before you get fucked up again.”

Skylar crossed his arms over his chest not saying anything as he watched them leave.

He leaned back against the counter and looked at his brother.

“What?” Brooklyn asked him.

“Make my tea…”

Brook felt bad for his big brother getting caught in an avalanche, then slapped by basically the hand of God, then just now attacked by one if his friends over some miscommunication.

“Fine…. douchebag…” Brooklyn turned back to counter to grab the mug and tea bag and as he turned back around Skylar decided to open the top cabinet door in his face.

[freyfromthea]

SKETCHY HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING YAS

for those of you who want their very own psymon here you go

i literally JUST made him and he’s a…trendsetter? not sure how that happened :/ he also doesn’t have a catchphrase so feel free to go nuts

enjoy!

[ssxuality]

It's For Charity Chp.7

Freya walked silently down the hall trying to push through her own personal problem with Ty. Right now she had to try and help a dear friend who had reluctantly not run off to avoid his date tonight. She knew this was hard for Skylar and she was going try her best to be by his side for as long as she could.

She knocked on his door before opening it. There he sat on the edge of his bed, dressed in an all-black suit minus the jacket, head in his hands. She sighed, “It’s time to go.”

After a few seconds of silence he lifted his head, “I thought I would be ready by now.”

“Is there anything that could’ve readily prepared you for this?”

He stood up, “I guess not.” He took one last glance into the mirror rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. His dreadlocks were braided back on top and hung loosely over his shoulders. His lively green eyes were an unusual shade of worry.

Freya walked up next to him touching his arm, “Everything’s going to be fine, ok?”

Freya walked him to the waiting limo outside. Stepping inside the vehicle he looked up to her one more time. He closed the door rolling down the window as she leaned in, “I know it’s hard, and it’s not going to get any easier. Just don’t let her see your scars.”

He nodded as the limo pulled off and she waved goodbye, for now.

~*~*~*~

Skylar sat silently at the table of one of the many lavish restaurants of the city. The lights were dimmed and candles were lit on every table. A very romantic setting for couples who actually wanted to be here together. His arms were crossed over his chest trying not to look panicked but as calm as possible.

On the ride here he tried to think of what exactly he would say to her. If it were up to him he wouldn’t say anything at all but he knew her and knew she was going to try and dig her way back into his life. At this point it was less of being afraid of her but more angered that she’d dare show her face again. Once the initial shock had passed he knew exactly what she wanted. It was no coincidence she would come crawling back once he came into money and that’s what upset him the most. These thoughts turned the clock back to when she left and replayed the damage she had done. He worked hard to overcome those obstacles of almost becoming homeless and fighting severe depression all on his own just for her to come in and trample all over him once more. He wanted to keep a front to keep her out as long as possible. He just didn’t know how long he would last until she broke through and he revealed just how much she actually did damage him.

He just happened to glance up when he saw Raquel open the door to the restaurant and walk inside. He looked away as his heart started to race. Seeing her from across the room shook him up but he knew once she made her way to the table he would have to toughen up, show no mercy. She cannot, by any circumstance be excused for what she had done.

He kept his eyes trained down and left, arms crossed, as she walked up to the table and the waiter pulled her chair out for her. She sat in a skin-tight strapless red cocktail dress, placed her arms on the table and waited for him to react. The waiter stood silently not exactly sure what to make of the two people before him.

The waiter asked quietly, “Can I uh.. get you both something drink?”

Skylar looked up at him, “Anything strong enough to make me forget tonight ever happened.”

He could almost feel her glare, just like old times.

The waiter was hesitant, “Uhh.. Ok and for you miss?”

“Duhart-Milon,” she said snapping her fingers, “quickly.” Her accent was as thick as it was a few years before.

The waiter wrote down their drink orders and scurried off.

Raquel looked him over finally saying, “You look different; lost a lot of weight.”

He leaned back in his chair keeping his eyes off of her trying to look as bored as possible but couldn’t keep his smart ass remarks to himself. “Well, this is what two years of starvation looks like.”

“I think your over exaggerating to be honest, pájaro.”

He immediately snapped his eyes to her. That was the affectionate nickname his mother had given to him and to hear it from her stung. “First of all, you can call me by my first name and second you have no idea how hard it was being left alone with fucking nothing.”

She put her hands up in defense, “Ok, I’m sorry. I do wanna’ talk about it, I think we can work it out.”

“I don’t. I already know there’s no getting through to you. You think leaving with everything was right for you and you didn’t give a shit what happened to me.”

Just then the waiter returned with a glass of wine for Raquel, leaving the bottle in an ice filled container. He then placed a glass of Bell’s scotch whiskey on the rocks in front of Skylar. The waiter held up the bottle of scotch and asked, “Would you want more for later?”

Skylar answered, “You might as well just leave that here.”

Raquel sighed, “I can’t believe I spent hours getting ready for this..”

“For what? You look like shit.” He laughed actually finding this funny; he honestly wasn’t expecting to have fun pissing her off. He guessed it was different now that he wouldn’t have to go home with her and face the consequences once out of the public view.

She then slammed her fist on the table glaring knives into him.

The waiter, feeling the extreme tension from the two, then asked in a shaky voice, “C-can I start you off with appetizers?”

Raquel asked her date, “Are you paying for this whole thing?”

He laughed sarcastically, “Heh, you know, I would but someone stole fifteen thousand dollars from me.”

“Seriously!”

“If I were paying your ass would sat at a McDonalds right now.”

She was grinding her teeth at this point but reluctantly looked at the menu, “We’ll have the fig and olive tapenade.”

As their waiter wrote that down and excused himself. Skylar scoffed, “Gross...”

“Sorry its not plantains. I’m pretty sure they don’t serve shit Dominican food here.”

He cocked his head, “That sounds a little racist, but then again I wasn’t expecting much from you.”

She closed her eyes taking a deep breath just trying to keep composed. “Ok, can we please just talk?”

“About what? About how you stole all of my money? About how you left me for dead? Or about why you’re trying to crawl back into my life? I can only assume it’s because you’re short on money again.”

“About us.”

He leaned forward, “There is no us, Raq! That relationship died the second you left with everything. You have no idea of what you did. It was literally life or death for me.”

The waiter returned with the appetizers and slowly and silently left the tray of food on the table and removed himself from the situation as quickly as possible. He figured he would return once their situation died down a little.

She sighed, “I’m trying my best to apologize. I know I was wrong and I know we can work it out-“

“No! Para folla bien do you honestly think I would consider take you back?” She could tell he was getting angry. She knew his struggle to fight his accent but it usually returned when he got angry and overly emotional and wasn’t concentrating on how he was speaking. He realized his mistake in English bowing his head to try and regain control he was quickly losing.

She leaned forward gripping the tables edges and squinting her deep brown eyes, “What other choice do you have Skylar?”

“What?”

She relaxed smiling mischievously, “Why do you think you have been single all this time?”

“What, are you spying on me?”

She leaned forward making her cleavage more obvious, “Did you honestly think it was because you have some kind of internal struggle? Like I scarred you enough to fend off possible suitors? You’re not afraid of falling into another relationship.”

He sat back. He knew that look in her eye. If there was one thing he couldn’t deny it was her amazing ability to manipulate people. She twisted words and latched onto people’s insecurities almost too efficiently.

“…no…”

“I’ll tell you why,” her facial expression softened as if to feel sorry for him, “It’s simply because you’re just too hard to love pájaro, just too hard. There is nobody else out there that will love you like I did… like I do.”

Skylar remained silent with a stone expression ignoring the nickname he asked her not to use. He knew what she was trying to do but he couldn’t help but take her words into consideration for just a second.

She noticed his hesitation and continued, “You just come with far too much baggage. Who else can help you cope with both of your parents gone? Yes, I heard about your mother. Your dead-beat siblings riding your ass for money? Who could possibly love you besides me? Who knows your history like me?”

Years ago her words would have picked him apart piece by isolated piece until he was nothing but a shell full a self-hate and regret and she would play the part of nursing him mentally back to health under her control. But since she’s been gone he’s seen her true colors and he knew she didn’t give a shit about him. She never did.

His sudden smile threw her off her game. “You’re wrong,” he told her, “there is someone out there for me. Whether they’ve been right in front of me this whole time or live 5,000 miles away, I’ll find them and it’ll be worth it. Wherever they may be, all I know is that it’s not you. You’re a she-devil heathen that crawled out of the fiery depths of Satan’s anus to try and use and destroy me and it’s not working. You’re a fucking joke.”

She sat back somewhat stunned having never heard him speak up for himself against her. She scoffed, “You’ll find out the hard way Skylar. You need me.”

Before Skylar could retort in anger, something completely unexpected happened, a bottle of wine was slammed onto the table, making both he and Raquel jump and turn to look to what they thought would be the waiter.

It wasn’t.

“Oh my god,” Skylar stated looking up, with his eyes wide.

Freya, as classy as ever, lifted the bottle of Rosé to her lips and took a deep gulp while gesturing the waiter from earlier over. “I told you to get me a seat, what is Simmons paying you monkeys for?”

“But- but Miss Parker!” The waiter stammered holding his hands out desperately, “H- How did you even find out where this was taking place!? Mr. Simmons assured there would be no troub-”

“Chair. Now.” Freya stated pointedly ignoring him and although he spluttered several things and never managed to get a word out, he did eventually wonder to another table and get her a chair, before escaping to the kitchens.

“What are you doing here!?” Skylar stated alarmed, she had said things were under control, he did not expect under control to be inserting herself into the situation. There were two reasons this was alarming, one, Ty still had whatever the hell it was planned and if she was here he wouldn’t be able to find her and two, he knew that there were many things Freya had always wanted to say to Raquel, and he knew it wasn’t going to go down well when it eventually happened.

“Yes,” Raquel’s eyes were narrowed as she looked at Freya and folded her arms across her chest, “what are you doing here?”

“Oh me?” Freya asked gesturing to herself, “well you see, when I found out Skylar had been forced to take you to dinner, I couldn’t just hang my friend out to dry, you were a pretty awful girlfriend and stole all of his belongings and his money; you took his clothes bitch, I mean seriously? What were you gonna do with his clothes? Anyway, he doesn’t really want to spend a second with you alone and to be honest I can’t think of anyone with sane mind who would.”

Skylar whispered more to himself, “Someone has clearly been angry binge drinking I see…”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Raquel retorted irritably.

Freya looked Raquel up and down and then gave Skylar a disapproving look, “honestly Skylar, when you said I was a better fuck than your ex I thought it was a compliment, it doesn’t mean as much when  it’s just stating cold hard fact.”

Skylar choked on his whiskey rubbing his face, but Freya wasn’t done. Raquel could only just get a word in before the redhead continued, “you-”

“But while we’re on the subject,” Freya paused to take another drink and shrugged, “Skylar doesn’t need you, hell I can’t think of anyone that would. Sorian desperate for the game wouldn’t need you, for anything. Do you see where Skylar is without you? He’s famous, he earns a ton of money in endorsement and sponsorship deals, he’s doing what he loves, he can fuck whoever he wants… in short he’s happy, and your contribution to that? Jack shit. So if I were you, I would take that sad saggy rack of yours and that cheap ass dress from JCPenney’s you obviously bought on sale and get the hell out of here.”

Raquel, for the first time since Skylar had known her seemed at a loss for words, since the metaphorical knife was already all the way in Freya shrugged and twisted it further, “and stop leaning forward to make your cleavage look more impressive, you aren’t fooling anyone with that push up bra.”

Raquel slammed both fists on the table bouncing in her seat, “Skylar! Who the fuck is this?!”

“Uhh… co-worker…”

Freya raised the bottle of scotch to her lips this time then intervened once more, “We also fucked on your bed!”

“Oh my God…,” Skylar was white knuckled gripping the edges of the table sitting up straight and looking about the room, “I need another bottle of scotch- waiter!”

Raquel was furious with her attention on the Dominican, “You whore! How could you?!”

As everyone in the restaurant looked at the scene currently unfolding Skylar ignored them replying, “Repeatedly punching me in the face and screaming ‘We’re done’ means something Raq. We broke up, that was that. I don’t really feel guilty anymore.”

“Shouldn’t have felt guilty in the first place,” Freya commented, “and shame on you for abandoning good dick.” Raquel had officially had enough and they were both in each others face.

Skylar felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket to see Ty had texted him requesting that he get Raquel out somehow so he could come in for his date with Freya. He could only assume Ty had followed her here. That sounded easier said than done considering the rapid rate this situation was spiraling downward into complete and utter mayhem.

His attention was pulled back in suddenly as Raquel was now sucking him back into the fight.

Raquel stood from her seat smacking the table with her hands to emphasize her point, “Why don’t you and la muy puta just fucking leave! You aren’t worth shit anymore, Sky!”

Skylar, offended at his friend being called a slut, stood up, “Well you’re a cheater, a felon, and you have fat thighs.”

Raquel grabbed her drink threw it in his face. As he spat out the aged wine and wiped his eyes she followed by throwing her fist across his face. He could feel the sting of the wine hitting open flesh from her rings.

 She had her hands on her hips and told him, “Wow, on top of being unwanted and too hard to love, you’re a complete piece of shit. Who would have thou-“

Freya had enough of this woman’s person in general and decided to take matters into her own by returning the favor of being punched but not before pouring herself a glass of wine and throwing it in the Latina woman’s face.

Raquel did not take it sitting down and threw herself at the russet haired woman. As the two women fell to the floor waiters and managers rushed them. Skylar cheered on Freya but they were pulled apart in a matter of seconds.

Freya felt strong hands lift her from the other woman on the ground, “Let go of me you cunt!”

“Freya!” Ty shouted.

She spun around in his arms surprised to see him, “Ty? What in the world are you doing here? Why aren’t you with your date?”

The general manager of the restaurant interrupted, “That’s it I’m calling the police,” he pointed angrily at Skylar, “You! Give me your name!”

Skylar looked at Freya as she shrugged then turned back to the man, “Griff Simmons.”

The man was short but had an obvious hot temper, “Well Mr. Simmons, you and these ladies stay put, I’m calling the police!”

Skylar played a suave smile and smoothly spoke, “There’s no need to call the police, look, I can explain every- Run!”

He quickly turned and began running for the front door, Ty and Freya right behind him.

They weaved in and out of tables, Skylar jumping across a two seater table, and made it to the front door and down the block. They assumed Raquel will be held and taken in. Not that they cared.

Once out of site they all slowed to a walk. Skylar looked back at Ty whose arm was slung around Freya’s shoulders and they all broke out in laughter.

Skylar stopped lifting his arm to hail a cab back home, “I’ll leave you two be. Enjoy your date,” he felt his face and the blood dripping from it, “ And thank you Freya for ruining mine, you’re a sweetheart.”

She laughed, “No problem.”

That brought Freya back to her previous question. She looked up to Ty, “Wait a minute.. Ty, what’s going on? Where’s your date?”

Ty laughed pushing blonde locks from his eyes, “I knew the woman that won the date with me. She’s an old friend. So to make it a short story I cheated and made it like she won so it wasn’t obvious and my plan was to take you out instead.”

As the cab pulled up Skylar opened the door with one foot in, “You’re gunna shit yourself when you hear the rest of the story.” He climbed in telling the driver where he wanted to go.

Freya turned her attention back to Ty, “You planned this all along? Is this why Eve really dressed me up?”

Her answer lay within his kiss and she didn’t hesitate to kiss back.

The red head stop mid kiss turning her attention to Skylar before he left. "Aren't you staying?" Freya asked as he rolled down the cab window, "We're meant to be going clubbing-"

"Lies." Skylar admitted, "I don't wanna be a third wheel. Have a good time."

He rolled the window back up and the cab drove off.

Once she let him go, realisation spread across his face and he scowled irritably, "Damn, I left your bouquet in the restaurant when I pulled you off Raquel. I'm sorry." he admitted.

"It's alright," she answered. "The fact you put thought into this alone is better than flowers... Although if I had known about all of this I wouldn't have tried so hard to start a fight, bitch split my lip open." she touched a finger delicately to her face and winced.

"We better hurry,” he told her, “We’ll be late for our reservations. We can stop at a drug store and get you cleaned up first.”

"Looks that bad huh?" she asked.

"She definitely came of worse," he answered with a small smile as they began to walk down the road.

The drug store was only around the corner from the restaurant Griff had prepared for Ty, and much nicer than where Skylar had been dumped. The waiter was even kind enough to offer Freya an ice cold damp napkin for her now swollen lip after she explained that she had a habit of not watching where she was going and had walked into a wall in the lodge while getting ready.

Instead of ordering appetizers right away, Ty dabbed lightly at her lip with disinfectant and once it settled, the waiter returned to take drink orders. Having already downed more than she should have in preparation for an angry altercation and a night our acting single, Freya opted for a diet coke not wanting to ruin whatever Ty had so thoughtfully prepared for her. "So," she started, flipping open her menu, "what exactly is the story to this?"

"Well it's not a big deal," he replied and then started to explain. At first she looked perplexed and then as his explanation got longer she looked surprised and then somewhat touched.  By the time he finished, a beer and her soft drink were placed in front of them and Freya felt quite stupid for how she's been feeling.

"I wanted to tell you," he rounded off by saying before taking a gulp of the Carlsberg in front of him, "but I knew Griff would expect something and then when Moon won, then Eve... Sorian, Kaori... It would have looked fixed."

"I know," Freya answered with a sigh, "you, Moby and Tane were the only ones who won outside of SSX... Well allegedly."

The waiter returned to take their orders, Ty wasted no time in asking for a rib-eye, completely missing out on appetizers in his excitement for a good steak that he didn't need to pay for, Freya ordered a shared platter of breads and dips for the both of them and a rack of lamb for herself. When he had departed again the Norwegian looked at her seriously and asked, "Did you really think I would ignore... Everything?" he knew she hated talking about it, and didn't really fancy bringing it up in public.

She sipped her drink thoughtfully before answering "yes, but that isn't your fault... Well now I know it isn't your fault."

"It was a stupid idea," he stated. "Griff and Zoe shouldn't have put us forward... You know maybe a charity calendar or something but not something so... Personal."

"Well Griff has got his comeuppance now that other restaurant thinks he caused trouble... It's a shame they knew who I was and I'm sure Raquel will drop Skylar in it somehow."

Their appetizer was placed in front of them and Ty shrugged as he reached forward for the walnut bread and the butter. "What are they going to do? Griff paid for everything as part of the SSX budget and you didn't cause any damage to the restaurant. Raquel could press charges I guess..."

"She threw the first punch," Freya answered dipping her flat bread in oil. "So that's out."

"Think Griff will be angry when he finds out?" Ty asked with a grin.

Pushing away the thought that for Skylar she owed him, Freya smiled, "can a duck swim?"

Their meal ended on a much better note than Skylar's and once they were full of Raspberry Pannacotta and Pie they left the restaurant and were surprised to find they were the first back and Skylar was still up watching TV.

"Good time?" he asked.

"Yes," Freya answered, "why are you still up?" she went and sat down next to him and Skylar shifted onto a bean bag so Ty could have his seat.

"Well it occurred to me," Skylar answered, "that although my date was probably quite amusing, it was probably no way near as hilarious as whatever Psymon is dealing with right now and soooooo... I figured it's only polite to wait and find out what he and Sorian have been up too this evening."

They sat patiently watching another 30 minutes of mindless midnight TV. But their waiting was not in vain as Psymon burst through the front door and slamming it shut.

Skylar spoke instantly, “Heeey buddy, how was-“

“Shut the hell up salad fingers!” Psymon yelled trying to get away from company as fast as possible.

Ty questioned, “Salad fingers?”

Freya shushed him, “It’s a stupid old animation series online now be quiet.”

As Psymon made his way for the stairs he was halted by Vaal’s presence who had apparently been home for a while.

“What’s all this noise?” He asked.

“I need to fucking get away from everyone.”

Vaal tried his best to calm him considering Tane had not yet returned. “Is this about your date with Sorian?”

Skylar rummaged his pockets for his phone, “I gotta record this shit..”

Before the Canadian could answer Sorian made his way in clearly intoxicated. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall seductively, “Psymon, you can’t tell me you didn’t have a good time at all tonight.”

“No I didn’t. I wouldn’t have had a good time with you alone let alone two of you.”

The group was confused. Vaal asked, “There was someone else with you?”

There was a knock on the solid oak door as it cracked open. “Is it safe to come in yet?” Sean asked.

The intimating Russian ordered him in and asked, “What the hell happened here?”

 “They!” Psymon pointed to the blonde duo, “basically tortured me for four hours straight. I get in the car with tweedle dee just to find out tweedle dumb was behind the partition fucking driving. And you wanna know where they fucking drove me to?”

Ty and Freya tried their hardest to contain their laughter as Skylar was almost squealing with excitement.

Vaal sighed, “I don’t know, tell me..”

Sorian still posing against the wall, for more himself to look sexually appealing and from falling to the floor, argued, “We went to the ever luxurious and high class ‘The Cave’.”

“The what?” Vaal asked.

Skylar finally lost it. His voice cracked as he yelled, “It’s a strip club!”

Sean interrupted the groups laughter, “Come on Psy, you can’t tell me you didn’t have just a little bit of fun.”

“Oh yes, lemme’ tell you. That’s just where I wanted to be, a room full of vagina’s, as if my boyfriend wasn’t a big enough fucking hint!”

Sorian countered, “It wasn’t just naked vag’s everywhere-“

“Oh yes,” Psymon shouted, “We can’t forget ‘The Cave’s’ celebrity appearance by yours fucking truly, which is also why we got fucking thrown out. Because offering random patrons jello shots off his bare ass just wasn’t enough”

Sorian petted his own face, “Someone had to show them how to grind a fucking pole. I thought I was very enticing.”

“As did I,” Sean agreed.

“Alright!” Vaal shouted. “That is enough. I can’t believe how often I play mother to you people. You two,” he pointed to the two drunk blondes, “Go to your rooms.. or room, or whatever your deal is, I’m not asking questions. Psymon, go upstairs and just wait for Tane. Do not make me come up there!”

Psymon was the first to leave as Sorian and Sean followed but heeded Vaal’s promise to make them sorry if they disobeyed.

“And Skylar,” the dreadlocked man looked up from his seat in the bean bag chair, “send me that.”

He typed in Vaal’s number and texted him the video laughing, “Not a problem.”

[eatmypussyliketherussianfamine]

i jumped on the ssx hairstyle bandwagon and cranked out 9 for eve. 

aka yung m0odswingz

[adamwarrencomics]

Back in 2009, I was very briefly involved with an in-development iteration of EA’s great snowboarding game SSX. I spent a week or two messing around with some (extremely) rough character designs for the game’s cast before the project went on hiatus for a while, prior to relaunching as the full-fledged “reboot” game SSX in 2012. (Side note: I had some promotional artwork included as unlockable content in the earlier game SSX3, which can be seen here: http://adamwarren.deviantart.com/gallery/25557130) Anyhoo: Here are the rough designs I worked up for SSX's Eddie, arguably best known as the kinda-sorta “mascot” character for the PS2's SSX: Tricky (voiced by David Arquette, if I recall correctly). Went in a different design direction, you’ll notice, with the last two pages of roughs; I was a bit surprised by how much fun I had messing around with this particular character.

[ssxuality]

It's for Charity Chapter 6

Skylar barely said anything on the ride home; Freya, Vaal and Brooklyn accompanied him, all of them wary of what he might do if left alone, given the state he was in. Brooklyn poured him an exceptionally strong drink of Vaal’s best whiskey the second they could set him down in a chair in his room, and he pointedly had placed it in a plastic cup wary of what Skylar had done to a glass one earlier.

Freya wasted no time once they were settled to march directly to Griff’s room and rap loudly on the door. He looked tired as he answered, and soon his face turned irritable as he realised who it was. “What the hell do you want?”

“We need to talk,” Freya stated scowling at him.

“About Ty’s date? No.” Griff snapped before trying to close the door.

Freya’s hand flew out and smacked it loudly, halting it in place and Griff jumped somewhat taken back at her ferocity, sure she was usually pissed off with him, but at the moment she looked like a caged lioness. “Not that,” she retorted furiously.

He went to retort, stumbling over words as she glared at him, “wha-”

“You and Zoe’s stupid game to drum up publicity we don’t fucking need was funny at first, but now it’s out of hand. I don’t care what goddamn contracts you’ve signed, but you cannot let Skylar go on that date tomorrow with that...” she struggled momentarily to find a word that best described Raquel and her fists clenched, “viperous cunt.”

Griff, who was well aware of how filthy Freya’s mouth could become when she was pissed off, frowned momentarily and studied her. Over the years they had gone from being friends to splitting their paths and ending up as rivals and at each other’s throats but even Griff could tell when she was pleading and although it was immensely satisfying she didn’t plead with anyone, let alone him.

He stopped, and stood up leaning against the doorframe, “how serious is this?”

“Griff, you have no clue, I know you hate him, hell I know he hates you, and to be honest he’ll kill me but if you can do anything right here he will owe you... which I may have to pay back, but-”

“The issue is that the contracts aren’t with me and Zoe, they’re contracts between two people, I can’t just tear it up, I spoke to her before we left tonight, that bitch sounds like she’d do more than sue.”

Freya growled, “next time you and Zoe have a stupid idea like this,” she prodded his chest angrily, “one that messes with everyone’s heads and personal issues, you take that shit up with all of us first.”

“Hey!” he snapped, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do anything,” he scowled at her before shifting his weight and looking uncomfortable. “You owe me Parker. Not him, I don’t want shit from him, but you will owe me big time for this.”

“Get on with it,” Freya insisted.

“I’ll email you the restaurant they’re going too, the times, all the details that Skylar won’t have, he just gets dropped off when he’s told. What you decide to do with that information, where you decide to go at the same time Skylar is on his date, is completely up to you. Of course when I find out I will be pissed off because where on earth would you get that information, but by then it might be too late for me to do anything.”

It hurt, but Freya nodded and answered stiffly, “thanks.”

“Like I said, you owe me,” and with that he slammed the door in her face.

Given how the rest of her day had gone, owing Griff was not entirely the worst thing that had happened to her in the space of twenty four hours.

“Is everything alright?” a familiar voice said from behind her, Freya could have groaned, it was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. She was tired, angry and hurt, and usually she found the voice comforting, but as the blonde from earlier flashed in her mind she scowled.

“Just cleaning stuff up,” she answered stiffly to Ty and began walking past him back to Skylar’s room. There was too much anger directed at Raquel for her to be bothered to be annoyed at Ty, he was too stupid to even contemplate what was bothering her anyway.

“Huh?” he asked as she strode up the corridor, he looked perplexed at her retreating back, “hey are you coming to bed? I need to tell you something.”

Freya turned back to him, “I’m going to bed after I’ve sorted Skylar out, in my room, alone.”

The Norwegian blinked, he wasn’t surprised but didn’t think she would be that angry, she hadn’t even listened to what he had to say.  “Please, it’s not-”

“I thought you would understand,” she snapped accusingly, unable to hold it in. She didn’t usually get sad, it was usually angrier, and although he was irritated at her for not listening to him and overreacting, he also knew why she was angry.

He swore lightly under his breath and retreated, defeated to his room. She was going to stay annoyed for a while, mostly at the whole situation but also at him. She’d regret it later once he was able to explain but for now he was best leaving her alone.

 She knew that she was only so angry because she had truthfully believed he of all people would comprehend why the situation was upsetting her without her having to tell him how she felt. But at the sight of him laughing and chatting so friendly with the girl who’d won him, she just shut her feelings down because it was easier than confronting him.

She swept back into Skylar’s room as though nothing had happened and felt all three pairs of eyes turn to her as she closed the door. “I got it covered,” she stated confidently.

“What are you talking about?” Skylar asked wearily, looking up as he ran a hand through his dreadlocks.

“Your date with the bitch, try not to worry about it so much,” she insisted.

“I still have to go!?” he whined.

“Yeah but I promise it won’t be so bad, just... trust me,” she offered with a weak smile.

Skylar groaned again and Vaal raised an eyebrow suspiciously, “and what of your problem?” he asked seriously. Freya guessed what he was getting at, Vaal was quite receptive, and he was also a good friend who happened to see right through her shields.

“It’s sorted too,” she lied. He didn’t look like he believed her because he could probably see through her lie, but then again he also didn’t press the matter realising that she didn’t want to talk about it, she was thankful for that.

~*~*~*~

“Tane!” Psymon yelled down the halls, in search of his significant other. “Seriously! Come out!”

Frustrated he continued to stomp his way down the hallway. He was currently trying to get as far away as possible from the blonde kid that won the date with him.

Other people generally enjoyed Sorian’s company when it came to going out and partying but Psymon found him to be no more than a nuisance. All night he had been chasing after him asking him all kinds of questions on what they were going to do on their date and where they were going and if Psymon gave a shit enough to buy him a mini liquor bottle bouquet.

Psymon growled in frustration. His hunt for Tane was coming up short and he desperately wanted to speak with him on the matter.

Psymon yelling at Sorian versus Tane speaking with him would make a world of a difference. All he honestly wanted was to hold up his end of the contract then go the hell home whether the kid had a ride back or not.

He growled in anger and stomped his foot.

“Psymon?” called the familiar voice. He spun around to see Tane come from around the corner. “What are you doing? People are making noise complaints.”

Ignoring him Psymon walked up to him grabbing his shoulders, “Seriously, you need to talk to the blonde kid and tell him to fuck off. Leave me alone for the rest of the day and act like a normal human being at dinner.”

“That’s kinda ironic...”

“Tane!”

Tane smiled brushing his hands from his body, “You’ll be ok. He’s not even bothering you right now, dude.”

“We’re talking about the kid that drank an entire bottle of tequila then laid out naked in the common room asking for hugs. This is the person we’re dealing with.”

Tane laid his hands on his lovers face, “I’ll talk to Sorian. But just remember who you’re coming home to.” He kissed him lightly before adding, “And if you stay on your best behaviour I promise to make it worth it, ok?”

Psymon sighed, “Fine.”

“Good, now no more complaining. Now I have to help Freya help Eve find something for tonight...”

~*~*~*~

That morning came slowly but surely for Skylar and he had not slept a wink all night. Even after the drinks his brother and Vaal were serving him to calm his nerves, sleep still did not come. He had debated on sleeping pills but couldn’t bring himself to move from the bed.

Now that morning had arrived he felt as though he should try his best to move on. This date was happening and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.

He rose slowly from the bed and walked into the bathroom for a very long and much needed shower.

The hot water rushed him. He closed his eyes trying anything to just escape any thought pertaining Raquel. Usually snowboarding would be his number one outlet but because of the scheduled dates that evening, Griff and Zoe didn’t want anyone leaving the building.

He leaned his head against the wall praying for some miracle to stop this date from happening.

Once finished with trying to drown his misery he ended the shower and got dressed to head downstairs.

After ignoring Griff trying to tell him about how his attitude better change by tonight, Skylar wondered into the common room. Vaal sat on the couch thumbing through his cell phone.

Skylar sat down next to him.

Vaal felt the extra weight next him and glanced over, “Good morning, here,” he said reaching for a bag on the coffee table, “This is for you.”

Skylar opened the paper bag and saw a bagel inside. He closed it back up handing it back, “No thanks.”

Vaal grabbed it but then tossed it back at his face, “I think you’ve mistaken that for an option.”

“Ow…” Skylar didn’t argue, he knew by now not to argue with him.

“What is it exactly that has you so afraid of this woman? What do you think she’s going to do?” The Russian asked.

“I’m not afraid of her per say, it’s just…. It took me such a long time to let go of that anger. I don’t want those feelings to come back; I don’t wanna’ revisit that time. The reason I drink so much now is because I did when she left and never really stopped. And what makes me even madder is I know she’s only back because she knows I have money now.”

“I can’t disagree, that was my impression of her return.”

Skylar took a bite out of the bagel, “I don’t wanna see her…”

Vaal watched him for a second. Being around him so much he could the difference in his moods just with body language. As of now he could clearly see how stressed he was. His dear friend came with baggage, a lot of it, and he had a habit of suppressing everything; much like himself come to think of it.

He turned to the dreadlocked man, “I think this might be good for you.”

His response was monotone, “What…”

“I think it will be good closure. She hurt you, crippled you financially and I think if you confront her after all these years it will take some of that pressure off of you.”

“I don’t know man, it’s just gunna’ end in an argument, I feel like I have almost too much to say to her.”

Vaal shifted himself on the couch to face him, “Then say it. Tell her like it is. You need this and she needs to see the damage that has been done.”

Skylar finished the bagel, “Yeah…. Maybe you’re right. I’m still convinced she cheated the tickets though.”

Vaal stood from the couch, “I’m sure she did. Let’s get a drink, you’re tense.”

Skylar stood up and followed him, Vaal was probably quite wary he was going to do a runner, and it was something he had considered several times. He had never been fussed about suffering consequences for his own actions, especially when it involved Griff so why not now? Vaal opened the kitchen door, and then paused, Skylar bumping into his back.

“Uhh...” Vaal stated, for once unsure of what to say, Skylar peered over his shoulder and rolled his eyes dramatically.

They often compared Ty to a dog, and now was no different, he was sat at the kitchen table, bent over and tracing the pattern of the gaudy tablecloth pathetically as his hat slipped dangerously close to his forgotten bowl of cereal, he looked like a lost puppy.

Vaal shot Skylar a look, Ty hadn’t moved at their presence and Skylar, despite his own misfortune pushed past Vaal, grabbed Ty’s hat has it slipped from his blonde head and jammed it forcefully on his head securely. “What,” the Dominican started as Ty barely moved, “is wrong with you?”

Vaal walked past and instead of taking two glasses, grabbed three from the cupboard, and then his bottle of malt whiskey before sitting down. It wasn’t even ten and the booze was out, it was going to be a long day.

Truthfully, Skylar didn’t even need to ask what was wrong with the Norwegian, he knew what was wrong with the Norwegian was probably stomping around angrily in Eve’s room bitching about him to anyone that would listen while she helped Eve and Moon out for their dates.

Ty didn’t respond and covered his face with said hat. “So how many times did she slam her door in your face this morning before you gave up?” Vaal asked knowingly, crossing his legs and taking a sip of his drink.

Ty held up four fingers and Skylar rubbed his temples wearily, “well you really didn’t look disappointed last night,” he added truthfully, “I mean you’re an idiot Ty, but you totally looked ecstatic, couple that with how you didn’t want her to cheat the competition and is it any wonder she’s furious?”

Ty groaned loudly and finally sat up, “I didn’t want her to cheat because then she’d ruin my plan!” he announced reaching over for the glass that was left to him and downing it.

Vaal and Skylar threw the other a look and the dread head frowned before asking in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“I already cheated,” Ty admitted.

Skylar choked on his drink; there were two things that were amazing with that confession. The first was that Ty; loyal and dependable, good hearted, honest and happy Ty, had cheated. The second was that Ty, who really did have the common sense and intelligence of a Golden Retriever, had actually had the foresight to come up with a plan to foil Griff and Zoe’s scheme. “You cheated? How did you cheat?”

“Well I bought all my own tickets,” Ty answered as though it was simple, “then Svarog and Nils helped with the rest.”

“Svarog?” Vaal’s interest suddenly picked up,, he had been silent until this point and looked at Ty suspiciously, “my brother?”

“Yeah,” Ty answered, “neither of them were going to help but then I said it was for Freya-”

“Help with that?” Vaal asked.

“Well they’re both in the army so they hacked the ticketing system so that anyone who bought a ticket for me, automatically had the name registered as Kristina Johannsen, I don’t think Griff or Zoe actually checked the names of who was buying, because neither of them said anything, and Kristina is my old school friend,, we had to make it look convincing.”

Skylar, never in a million years, thought he was going to listen to Ty explain an intricate plan with the words we had to make it look convincing at the end of the explanation. So for several minutes, he was silent, completely dumbfounded by the Golden Retriever’s intelligence. Vaal on the other hand, was unamused.

“Did Svarog not ask about me?” he enquired.

“He said you could do with getting laid,” Ty admitted, “so he didn’t want to help cheat for you, and Nils was just more interested in when there was going to be a girl auction, I couldn’t ask anyone in the lodge because it would incriminate others if I got found out, and no one would think Nils or Svarog would help.”

“No…. no, I’m done…. I’m going back to bed,” Skylar announced.

“Why? You need to help!” Ty insisted.

“I am convinced this is all a dream, Raquel isn’t really here and you aren’t Ty, you’re obviously some imposter because Ty is far too stupid to think of anything as intricate, intelligent and sneaky as this, goodbye.” He rose and Vaal’s voice echoed through the room.

“Sit!” he barked.

Skylar grumbled and sat down again. “What,” Vaal asked trying not to show his obvious irritation with his brother, “exactly was your plan now?”

There was a long drawn out pause before... “Oh... I never thought that far,” Ty answered.

“Oh thank god,” Skylar said, “I thought it was too good to be true, now we’re back to reality again, you are a moron, everything is fine.”

“Well, I’ve been stood up because Kristina cancelled our date because that was the plan. But Freya’s still pissed off and won’t listen, so how can I take her out if she doesn’t get ready or anything?”

  “I thought she was lying when she said she had sorted this,” Vaal answered, “I do believe she was telling the truth when she admitted she was sorting out your evening however,” he stated to Skylar.

“If Freya is angry though, the chances are that she’ll refuse to go out anyway,” Skylar stated, “I’ll sort Freya out.”

“How?” Ty asked disbelievingly.

“By telling Eve,” he answered as though it was obvious.

~*~*~*~

Skylar had to wait until Eve sent Freya off to find a specific pair of shoes before he could sneak in and explain to the black girl what was going on. Despite the fact that it was only any other date with Mac, Eve was treating it as something special and was going way over the top with her look. “What do you want?” Eve asked, “I’m having a meltdown here!” she cried hysterically.

“This is important!” Skylar insisted quickly before she started a tirade, “it’s about Freya!”

“Huh?” Eve blinked and flopped down on her bed, crossing her legs, “What about Freya?”

“You need to get her ready to go out,” Skylar answered, before explaining everything as quick as he could before Freya returned. Eve’s eyes widened the more of the story he let out and eventually she was sat astounded, her mouth agape.

Like him, she was only so shocked because of one thing, “he came up with that!?”

“Yeah, it’s incredible,” Skylar answered, “But she won’t talk to him-”

“Oh she’s been bitching about him all day,” Eve confirmed, looking at her bright purple fingernails and heaving a sigh, “well there’s nothing to it, I’ll get Freya ready so you better get out.”

The door slammed open and Freya came back in carrying a pair of black heels dotted with silver glitter, she looked surprised to see him but directed herself at Eve “these?”

“They’re the ones!” Eve bounced up cheerfully and forcefully smiled, pulling them out of Freya’s hands.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked, turning to Skylar, “you’re not still complaining about later right? Because I told you not to worry anymore about it.”

“What are you planning?” Skylar asked her.

“Nothing,” Freya replied, clearly trying to sound innocent.

Skylar scowled at her, but then Eve started pushing him from the room. “You need to get lost so I can finish getting ready,” and with that she kicked him out of the room and slammed the door in his face.

Freya sighed and sat back down on Eve’s bed, where she’d been rooted to the spot for the past two hours. She didn’t want to admit she was starting to get bored, thanks to her, Eve looked flawless over an hour ago, and there was really no reason to change her hair again. Her natural mass of curls were how Mac liked them best, she looked stunning and Mac was too gormless to notice if she changed anything anyway, although Freya would not admit that to Eve.

“You know,” Eve said tapping her chin and looking thoughtful, “why don’t you come with us.”

“I can’t do that,” Freya replied, “it’s a special date for you and Mac, besides there’s nothing more pathetic than looking like a third wheel on your best friend’s date.”

Eve sat down next to Freya and gave her a big hug, it was one of the things Freya loved most about her, no matter what she was feeling, Eve always knew, and she always knew exactly how to act about it. Freya wanted some sympathy and some comfort, and didn’t want anyone commenting on whys she was so upset, so that was what Eve did. “Well we are only going for a quick meal,” she lied, “then we’re meeting Tane and Psymon at a club, you know Psymon is going to last like ten minutes with Sorian, so let’s get you dressed up and ready for that.”

Freya looked at her, “you are?” she asked.

“Sure,” Eve nodded, “it won’t be the same without you.”

“Well,” Freya thought of what she had to do for Skylar, and then nodded, if her plan went well, she could prise Skylar away and they could both head to the club, she just wouldn’t have time to get changed between, so she would just have to crash Skylar’s date while looking fabulous. Given his company, that wasn’t such a bad idea... “Alright,” she answered in agreement.

Eve stood up, grabbed hold of Freya’s hand and then pulled her from the room, making her way down the corridor back to her own room. Once in there, Eve pushed Freya into the shower and started rummaging around Freya’s wardrobe for her best outfit.

Eve had been friends with Freya for a long enough time to know exactly what Freya needed to be wearing for when Ty dropped his bombshell on her. When Freya stepped out of the shower, she was running a towel through her curls and Eve turned around proudly.

“Right,” she stated and thrust a black low cut, square neck lined pencil dress with a shiny blue belt at her. “Definitely this,” she grinned before beginning a raid on her underwear draw.

Freya blinked confused, Eve knew her outfits back to front, and this dress she usually reserved when she was desperate, in fact she hadn’t worn it in over a year, “that’s my ‘fuck me’ dress, I can’t wear that.”

“Why not?” Eve paused and turned around, “way I see it the best thing you could do with is getting laid tonight, Ty’s going on a date Freya, why shouldn’t you look your best?”

Freya didn’t say anything, the thought had occurred to her, but since she didn’t really know what had happened and where they were right now she didn’t want to go that far... then again it was her best outfit, Ty wasn’t going to be around and Skylar’s need was more important, would it piss off Raquel? Definitely, “alright,” Freya answered.

Eve moved several articles of clothing out of the way and continuing hr search, her face suddenly lit up, “oh man, and most definitely these,” she held up Freya’s skimpiest matching underwear and matching lilac lacy push up bra with enthusiasm. “It’s your best underwear.”

Now Freya was just confused, Raquel didn’t need to see that much of her, “I can’t wear that, it’s my date night underwear,” she argued, “and I’m not going on a date remember, besides, the last thing I need in that dress with my rack is my push up bra.”

Eve waved it off as if it was nothing, “get dressed and I can do your hair.”

Freya sat silently as Eve did what she had to do, eventually Freya’s hairs were curled around her shoulders with the front parts held back out of her face with a couple of clips, her make-up was light, the more Raquel could see Freya was more attractive than she was naturally then the better.

Maybe it was a little over the top, but she didn’t really care, Raquel had it coming. “So, what exactly are you planning tonight then?” Eve asked once they were both ready, “I know that you’re planning something with Skylar.”

Freya sighed and fastened a pair of silver hoops into her ears, “I’m going to crash his date and tell Raquel where the fuck to take her psychotic ass. You’re all going to different restaurants but I managed to find out where Skylar is heading.”

“How’d you do that!?” Eve exclaimed, “Griff and Zoe went to great lengths to hide everything from us! Even we don’t know where we’re going! Guess they didn’t want us meeting up and trashing a place...” she looked away grumpily, before she could press matters any further, there was a rap at the door.

Freya stood up and pulled the door open, Mac was waiting outside with a bouquet of red roses, before Freya could utter a word; Eve pushed her out of the way and threw herself on him. Freya simply rolled her eyes as she called out Mac’s name lovingly.

“Yoooooo, you weren’t in your room so I figured you were here...” he trailed off, “Freya you get a date after all?” he asked looking confused.

“No I’m meeting up with you at the club later.”

Mac missed Eve’s look of alarm and went to ask about what club but Eve butted in first. “So we need to get going! We’re wasting the evening!” she sang audibly tugging on Mac’s ear lightly and pulling the roses from his arms. “Later Freya I’ll text you!”

With that she pulled Mac off and the door closed. Freya gave a small sigh and realised pitifully that Eve had been lying about the club, if it wasn’t for Skylar she would have ripped the clothes from her body and sunk back into bed, instead she simply grabbed her purse and left the room to go and make sure Skylar was alright before he left.

[adamwarrencomics]

Back in 2009, I was very briefly involved with an in-development iteration of EA’s great snowboarding game SSX. I spent a week or two messing around with some (extremely) rough character designs for the game’s cast before the project went on hiatus for a while, prior to relaunching as the full-fledged “reboot” game SSX in 2012. (Side note: I had some promotional artwork included as unlockable content in the earlier game SSX3, which can be seen here: http://adamwarren.deviantart.com/gallery/25557130)

So, here are some early designs for two more of the game’s characters, Zoe and Nate. The latter gets short shrift, alas, as my involvement in the project terminated just as I was starting his designs; oh, well.

[adamwarrencomics]

Back in 2009, I was very briefly involved with an in-development iteration of EA’s great snowboarding game SSX. I spent a week or two messing around with some (extremely) rough character designs for the game’s cast before the project went on hiatus for a while, prior to relaunching as the full-fledged “reboot” game SSX in 2012. (Side note: I had some promotional artwork included as unlockable content in the earlier game SSX3, which can be seen here: http://adamwarren.deviantart.com/gallery/25557130)

So, here are some early designs for two of the game’s male characters, Moby and Psymon. While I liked the way that Moby’s designs were progressing—in an Adewale-Akinnuoye-Agbaje-circa-Lost direction—I was hopelessly at sea with poor, wacky Psymon’s designs, which floundered about wildly without ever landing on anything that worked particularly well. (The unfortunate page marked “Psymon #3” displays this tragedy quite clearly, I think.) Alas, my involvement on the project ended before I managed to work out a viable look for Psymon; oh, well.

[ibemandapanda]

For future reference.

Tell me your top 3, number 1 being your fav :)