#sebastianint

[gloriouswhispers]

sebastian and max hotel bar

sebastian leaves the meeting with his jacket still buttoned and an expression that suggests the last hour has made him want to walk directly into traffic. the event space refresh is moving along, technically, though if one more person says intentionality about a carpet sample, he may have to make peace with becoming roadkill after all. he should go back to the office. there are emails waiting, calls to return, and a document open on his laptop that he has been heroically ignoring since half ten. then he spots max at the bar, and the laugh slips out before sebastian can really help it. responsibility can survive another ten minutes without him. probably.

'christ, it's that time of year already?' he says, diverting with immediate ease, coming to a stop beside the ranstrom cousin already grinning. 'i wasn't planning on seeing you in new york until at least christmas.' max is easier trouble, sebastian thinks. he has no awful little talent for making him feel examined, just the pleasant suggestion that whatever he is meant to be doing can be delayed in favour of something worse. sebastian glances him over, amused. 'i didn't know you were staying here. thought bunny mentioned something about a new apartment?' his hand is already reaching for his phone, because apparently he is that predictable. 'let me sort the suite out for you. i'm guessing someone downstairs put you somewhere tragic.' @secrettyrant

[gloriouswhispers]

sebastian and imogen rhodes club

sebastian knows the moment he's fucked it. not immediately, admittedly. in the moment itself, it was easy enough to correct. casual, harmless and barely worth thinking about. 'girlfriend's a bit strong.' he had said with a laugh, drink balanced loose in one hand while the conversation moved around them. worse still, he hadn't even offered an alternative. not a she's my date or anything remotely useful to save himself with afterwards. he simply corrected it and moved on, which in hindsight now feels a little bit like watching himself step on a landmine in slow motion.

because now imogen is outside and she didn't even storm there dramatically, which somehow makes it considerably worse. he notices her absence about ten minutes too late, catching sight of her through the open terrace doors beyond the blur of people and candlelight. right. brilliant. when he steps outside himself, the door shuts behind him with a muffled thud. people move loosely across the terrace in twos and threes, half drunk conversations drifting through cigarette smoke and the occasional burst of laughter. sebastian reaches into his coat pocket for his own cigarette, mostly just to give himself something to do with his hands. he taps one loose and glances to imogen briefly before lighting it.

he doesn't immediately mention it. obviously. instead he leans back lightly against the railing beside her, all relaxed posture and practiced composure, smoke drifting slowly between them. '...are you hiding from me specifically?' he asks after a second, voice light and conversational. 'or from everyone in there?' @dxrkenedheights