Slipping up behind him on a mutual break, Nathan lowers his voice. “Merry Christmas my fellow ho ho hoe. I don’t have an appointment for the next hour if you want to sneak into the sauna with me.”
"You know I do, handsome. What kinda ho ho hoe would I be to decline an offer like that? Just give me a sec and I'll be ready," Romeo promised, sneaking a quick kiss from his coworker.
(from Mateo) "I don't know how they expect me to choose favorites when I've only just started working here a short time ago myself, but if I was FORCED to pick men who I think about long after they're gone you'd certainly come to mind. Merry Christmas, from one ho to another."
"Merry Christmas, Doc! You're a very hard man to forget yourself. That body of yours 'll be forever in my dreams. I'll have to pay you a visit sometime soon. Refresh your memory and all." @mateoxrafael
"A little naughty, a little nice. Depends on the day, I think. But if you're talkin' about the list that old St. Nick keeps, I'm probably on the naughty side."
“Good job, bud,” his father smiled, one that actually reached his eyes, as he skated graceful circles around the rink. Nolan had wanted to play hockey as soon as he realized his father loved watching the game and the man had been all too happy to oblige when he asked him to teach him to skate. He couldn’t remember a moment when he’d been happier, he couldn’t remember a time when his dad had actually paid attention to him for so long. It was like he’d finally found the key, like he was finally good enough. He was on top of the world.
He heard a buzzing from the pocket of his dad’s nice jeans and the smile dropped from his face. Answering the phone, his attention fell away from Nolan just as quickly as it’d come, and before he knew it he was being tugged off the ice. They were leaving - a work thing, he’d been told.
He could still feel the chill from the ice rink long into the night.
&& Questionnarie
Where are you from? Did you ever want to leave? Why?
“I’m from Beacon Hills. I wanted to leave all the time and I did pack my backpack and run away a lot, but I never got out of the city limits. I didn’t know where I’d go so...I just went back to my parent’s house.”
Who was your family there? Did you have a close relationship with them?
“My family was me. My parents were there sometimes, but not enough to be family so...no, I didn’t have a close relationship with them. I didn’t want one and they didn’t want me, so it was a win-win, I guess.”
What was your favorite activity when you were a child? Why did you like it so much?
“I liked reading a lot, I still do. You can do it by yourself and escape far away from the mundanity of life without leaving your room. It’s amazing, it was amazing. I used to spend a lot of the time at the library, my nannys would bring me there if I asked them enough times and I’d work my way through the fiction section. I think I’ve read most all of what they have now.”
Who did you play with the most as a child? Or were you alone?
“I played most with Gabe, but I didn’t meet him until sixth grade. I wasn’t alone before then, I just didn’t have...friends. I had people I talked to.”
Who was the most influential person in your life? Did you love them?
“The most influential person in my life was Gabe. I did love him, I guess. Love is weird, no one really tells you exactly what it’s supposed to feel like without going all wishy-washy and acting like it’s all a fairy tale. I don’t even know if I know what love feels like, but if I had to guess then yes - I loved him.”
What was the most valuable lesson they ever taught you?
“The most valuable lesson he ever taught me was...um...you never really know all of someone. There are always some sneaky parts that people keep hidden until they can’t anymore.”
Are they still alive? Do you keep in contact with them? If they’re not alive, what has their death taught you?
“He was dead. I watched him die. But now he’s not and I don’t know if I ever want to see him again. His death made me feel alone, his death made me want to die, but it also taught me that nothing is permanent. No one is permanent. Not even if they say they’ll always be there.”
How often were you told “no” as a child? Did you ever listen?
“No one ever told me no. No one cared what I did, not even when I did things that should’ve been...punished.”
What’s your biggest regret from your childhood?
“I’ll always regret meeting Miss. Monroe. I wish I’d never spoken to her, I wish I’d never told her anything.”
What are you the most proud of from your childhood?
“I’m proud of the time I won the spelling bee and the short stories I used to write. I’m proud of teaching myself how to draw and I’m proud of myself for staying alive this long.”
“I’m not going...not today,” Kaleb objected, refusing to pull the covers away from his face to meet the eyes of the woman who had given him everything. It’d been three years since the incident, since the hunters had taken everything from him and left him with a pair of red eyes and a broken heart, but it never ceased to hurt - especially not near the anniversary of their death.
Navami gave a long-suffering sigh and sat down on the bed next to her son, for that was what he was - her smart, brave boy. “I know it hurts, my love, I know - but you cannot let it get in the way of your education. You’ve been cooped up at home for a week now, a change of scenery will do you good. Now up, I’ll make you a nice breakfast and drive you myself since you’ve already missed first period.”
&& Questionnaire
Where are you from? Did you ever want to leave? Why?
“I’m from Illinois. I was born in Shawnee National Park along with my brother and sisters and we were as off-the-grid as one can possibly be in the 21st century. I never wanted to leave, not as a child at least, but I did want to see the world. I’ve always had in interest in Human Geography and the variability of societal norms, it was only fitting I wanted a change of scenery every now and again.”
Who was your family there? Did you have a close relationship with them?
“Up until the age of twelve, my family consisted of my father, my mother, my sisters Kitty, Fawn and Raven, and my brother Wren. We were a pack and we spent most of our time together isolated from the rest of the world, so I like to think we were close, though I’d say I was closest to my sisters Kitty and Fawn. Wren and I butted heads often, most frequently over my father’s comments and a fear that he was the favorite - which he undoubtedly was.”
What was your favorite activity when you were a child? Why did you like it so much?
“As a child, my favorite activity was going to school. Most of my siblings didn’t like it much because it involved socializing with humans, but I always looked forward to it. I love learning, I still do, and there’s so much that the human race has compiled - so much that we now can build off of - I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it all. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time learning to read so it was a much slower process than I wanted it to be until I was placed with my foster parents.”
Who did you play with the most as a child? Or were you alone?
“I played most with Kitty and Fawn, mostly because I was tasked with keeping them out of trouble, but I did enjoy it. They’re some of the best memories I have of my life with the pack.”
Who was the most influential person in your life? Did you love them?
“The most influential person in my life was my mother - my foster mother, Navami. She was so patient with me and she never allowed me to feel sorry for myself or to slip behind in anything, even when the tragedy of losing my family was still fresh. I loved her very much.”
What was the most valuable lesson they ever taught you?
“The most valuable lesson she ever taught me was the power of knowledge.”
Are they still alive? Do you keep in contact with them? If they’re not alive, what has their death taught you?
“Unfortunately, she and her husband passed. Their death...I don’t think of it as a lesson, I don’t think death should ever be used as such.”
How often were you told “no” as a child? Did you ever listen?
“As a child, I was fairly well behaved and a quick learner so I didn’t hear the word no often. When I did, though, I didn’t heed it. I liked to think that when I stepped out of line it was for good reason, alas it most often wasn’t, for I was still a child.”
What’s your biggest regret from your childhood?
“My biggest regret is leaving my family behind while they died. I should’ve stayed, I should’ve tried to take them with me, but I didn’t. I didn’t even go back to see if the bodies were still there or to make sure the hunters didn’t take them away as trophies, but I wish I had. I wish I’d thought of them instead of my own survival.”
What are you the most proud of from your childhood?
“I’m most proud of my academic and extracurricular achievements.”
Likes: Cream Soda, The Color Orange, Audiobooks, Antagonizing, Cats, Combat Boots, Anything that gives him an adrenaline rush, Collecting (it’s highkey hoarding disguised as gathering merchandise for his business)
Dislikes: Authority Figures, Alcohol, Children, the Cold, Werewolf Pack Dynamics
Bad Habits: Impulsive Decisions, Purposefully Trying to Instigate Violence, Biting his Nails, Picky Eating
Secret Talent: He’s good at math. Not that he ever does anything with it, but he is remarkably proficient.
Hobbies: Pissing People Off, Listening to Audiobooks, Watching Medical Documentaries, Hiking, Cooking
