Fxck Off

Milo Spade Useful guy to know

[xjust-milo]

alessiakcne‌:

Ivy pushed open the door and blinked sleepily over at the two. She waddled a few steps over with surprising grace for a toddler of her small age and Alessia smiled at the sight, pinching the end of the blunt before handing it over to Milo. She passed on the bottle of water and hopped down from the table. “I know we didn’t wake you up, kiddo, because you sleep heavier than an old man. So, what’s up with you, huh? Huh?” Aless was smiling as she walked over and the child quickly turned tail to run back into the backroom. 

“Hey!” Aless jogged over immediately and there was the sound of a small giggle coming from Ivy as she disappeared back into the room. The pitter patter of quick feet and the sliding of something off a table was followed by a squeal as suddenly the walking of little feet seized. Aless appeared from the backroom with Ivy wriggling in her arms and carrying a notepad in her hands.

“Someone… is a kleptomaniac with a bit of insomnia tonight,” she said with a huff of amusement, walking back over to Milo. “I bet you my favorite knife this one is going to start getting real sleep cranky in T minus 10 minutes… but look at this.” Alessia chuckled and tried to gently pry the notebook out of the little toddler’s hands. When she wouldn’t immediately let go, her aunt relented and let her have it for the moment. "My mom would have been terrified to find out this one takes after me more than my sister. I think she’s just stolen one of Cas’… notebooks or something.” 

“Want to show Milo? Hmmmm? Maybe you’ll let him take it so we can both pry into our Alpha’s boring business? Mmm?” 

Milo shared the grin as Ivy made her presence known but dutifully took Alessia’s leftovers and put them away while she jogged after the toddler. If he was a better person, he’d probably get up and go after them too but one adult was plenty, wasn’t it? His muscles were a bit busy - slowly letting go still - so, it was going to take something pretty major to get him to move at all for the next little bit. Though, maybe Ivy counted as something major as Alessia came back with her arms more than a little full.

A thin eyebrow rose at the toddler who looked genuinely pleased as hell with themselves and the notebook she’d nicked. Alessia’s words were mostly registering but he wasn’t entirely sure if or what he was supposed to say to something like that. Was her Mom dead? Milo couldn’t keep track but his eyes did narrow in on the notebook. Was it Cas’? Wait, she’d mentioned a bet. “I’m not betting against a cranky toddler.” Milo said dryly. But he did covet that knife…just a little. “But, hey there, little one. Whatcha got?”

Milo didn’t exactly feel like prying anywhere. Cas’ business was his own. Milo was only concerned with keeping him breathing and maybe a little focused on his wellbeing too - but whatever else he did with his time and what not, that was all his business. But he did want Ivy to get some sleep and maybe not raise that notebook up to her mouth so he reached out to close loose fingers on it and make eye contact with a tiny human. “May I see it? Pretty please?”

[xjust-milo]

keirankilleen‌:

The library was quiet and still, empty of all other wolves. Keiran liked the room when it was like this the most, without another wolf to have to explain himself to, or worse, a human that he had to avoid. Just books surrounding him, just holding knowledge and stories to carry him away. Keiran had read almost all of them, front cover to back cover, save the subjects that didn’t interest him. 

Science, especially medical science, was one of those that didn’t interest him. Too many fears there. Every time he opened one of them, to a diagram of a human body, skin stripped back, or a lengthy explanation in cold dispassionate terms of a procedure, he would quake. He could handle books about animal husbandry, hell, those were well thumbed through by him, yet take that into a human context? He couldn’t look or read for any amount of time.

Today, he was rereading the Iliad—in the passages of Patroclus and Achilles. His musings on friendship, on love, (of Nathan) were interrupted by the door opening and closing. The wolf who came in smelled of cigarette smoke, walked with a slight limp, but would have been recognizable even without those telltale markers. Milo, Beta for the Spades. Speaking of Patroclus and Achilles… “Yes, I’m fine, as well as one can be here. You?” The question out of Milo’s mouth next startled him. 

“Science books? What for?” Regardless, he pointed to the top shelf of the section, one of the few places high enough for the younger wolfs to not grab and crinkle the newest book’s pages. They had just received a few in the last shipment, though Keiran couldn’t bear to look at them himself. “Picking up a new speciality?”

Fine as one well can be here was one way of putting it, wasn’t it? Milo had to smirk a little at that and give a little shrug as the question was turned back to him. He was fine, too. Always fine. Though, his smirk widened as Keiran questioned further, amusement briefly reaching his eyes. “One generally looks for books to read.” Milo drawled teasingly. “Unless the clubs have another use for them?” Milo’s eyes followed where Keiran pointed and it was only years of practice that kept his sigh internal. Of course it was way up there. The universe couldn’t ever cut him a break, could it? The amusement flared up again as Keiran teased about a new speciality and this is why Milo didn’t hate getting into conversations with him. More often than not, he was smiling on the inside.

“Maybe I am.” Milo quipped as he gingerly pushed himself back up to his feet. “Or maybe I need it for reference for my current speciality.” Milo wasn’t exactly proud - he didn't have shit to his name to be proud of - but it still stung sometimes to reveal his ignorance. Even if Keiran was well-versed in the many ways that Milo could be an idiot. “Doc wants a tattoo of something science-y and I didn’t know what the fuck she was talking about so she said she’d put a book in here for me.” Milo peered at the shelf, teeth idly worrying his bottom lip as he skimmed the book spines. “Guess I should have asked more questions but I was a little...distracted.” Concussed, whatever. Same thing.

“Do you have any suggestions?” Milo asked, finally just selecting one, that he could maybe sort of kind of reach by stretching a hell of a lot more than any part of his body wanted him to and then jumping. Ha. Success. He dropped himself back into his chair, throwing up his left leg up onto an unused one to belatedly rest his knee before taking out a small sketchpad and pencil out of his pocket and beginning to flick through the book. “She said something about….adams or some three-lettered thing. I don’t know. Something’s gotta make a decent tat though, right?”

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

It was almost frustrating, the way he so easily insulted himself. Perhaps that was a problem for another time. Besides, it wasn’t as if Piper herself was the patron saint of emotional stability or self-pride. She couldn’t rightly scold someone else without being a hypocrite. Then again, it wasn’t as if Milo knew just how deep her own self-hatred ran. She had heard it all her life, fake it until you make it. She could fake it with the best of them. The only person who had seen the true depth of all of it was Kolya, even the wolves that had seen flashes hadn’t seen the worst of her. But she bit her tongue, literally, hard enough that she tasted blood, in order to stop any kind of argument from coming out. She couldn’t force him to see that it took some kind of brilliance to be as talented as he was with art, or that he clearly knew how to handle himself in a rather savvy way, street smarts could never be discredited in life. Instead, she simply swallowed the words and let the thought fester.

Another time. 

Something about the whole thing pulled a weary smile out of her. Extremely weary, but it lingered there for a moment as she chewed on her bottom lip, eyes darting down. She was close to taking a step back, a couple of steps back, when the sound of footsteps froze her in place, caused her heart to pick up speed just a bit. Eyes darted around, looking for the company, and she was caught off guard and stumbled when, instead of finding another wolf there, ready to tear her head off, Milo was grabbing her arm and giving it a tug, and she was following without question, hand coming up to grab the one on her arm to steady herself. 

She almost made a comment about the cigarette. Hell, she almost asked for one before the one he’d lit was presented to her, and she took it hesitantly, watching it burn for a moment. She hated how quickly her eyes tears up at the kind gesture, and the weight of the moment, and she forced herself to swallow as she considered the thing before she pulled it between her lips and took a long drag from it.

As she blew the smoke out, eyes lifted toward the sky. “I’m sorry, Clarence.” The words were soft, more to herself than anything else. “I’m sorry I never got the chance to see your cool treehouse, or to show you the way a microscope works.” She closed her eyes for a moment, pulled in a shaky breath, head shaking a bit as she pulled another drag off the cigarette, let the smoke blow out through her nose. “I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” Trailing off, she offered the cigarette back to Milo, in case he wanted to finish it off. “Doesn’t seem right, does it? He had his whole life ahead of him. He was going to do great things, that kid. Smart as a whip, full of life, full of energy. He told me I was pretty once, like his mom had been.” She laughed, a kind of choked sound as she shook her head. “I thought it was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.” 

Milo hadn’t exactly intended her to smoke it but he was kind of reluctantly impressed that she did. Part of him had been braced for the Health Lecture that cigarettes had often pulled from the medical staff he bribed for them before he learned how to grow and roll his own and it was a bit of a shock to not get it now. He hadn’t meant to make her eyes water again though - in fact, he’d been aiming for the exact opposite - but maybe sometimes, people just needed to cry. Maybe he should encourage her to stop holding back but he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with a crying adult. Children you could hold and rock and sing to but you couldn’t do that with an adult, could you?

The fact her first words were an apology didn’t surprise Milo in the least, but he did his best to not listen and let her do her thing before the cigarette was being offered back. He figured that was a good signal to tune back in, so he took it carefully, popping it into his mouth before chancing a glance over at her. She still looked…watery and miserable, so he ran through the short list of things that made him feel better. Most of them he’d never suggest or do with her, but he did like being physically close to Cas when he was sad. Maybe that would help her too? The choked sound was as much as he could take before he had to act, so he just said a soft ‘come here’ before gently pulling her closer to him and sliding an arm around her shoulders. It wasn’t quite a hug because he was a little antsy about getting her behind some securely locked doors but it was hopefully close enough.

“It’s not right. Or fair.” Milo agreed before opening and closing his mouth a few times. Part of him wanted to point out that none of their lives were, and that she should stop romanticizing it all in her head because really - no, he wasn’t going to do great things. He was either going to live hard and die young or fall in line and grow slowly embittered, defeated, and miserable. Really the only two options here. And honestly, it was far preferable that he got the first. “But it’s probably better to focus on what he was able to do rather than what he wasn’t.” Or something. Milo had no fucking idea what to say. No word was going to make this any better - not for the dead kid, not for them, and not for the kids still here. 

Oh, god. The kids. “The other kids are going to be scared.” Milo said softly. “Could you do your weekly appointments with them somewhere else for a few weeks? At the school…or we can sterilize part of the cafeteria or our pack common room or something?” Milo’d find a way to be there. Fear was something he understood all too well, but Piper…”Just - don’t take their fear to heart, ok? It’s the guards they’re afraid of and your building is full of them.” They likely would associate her with them for a day or two but she’d win them back over. Milo was certain of it.

He also should have probably confirmed the pretty comment but it didn’t feel like the right time. There’d be opportunities in the coming weeks to revisit her thoughts about herself and all of that but for now, he couldn’t stop his brain from trying to come up with plans to keep the kids safe and how to comfort them. If he didn’t hate the idea of having them all in one place, he’d suggest a sleep-over movie night in one of the bigger areas but he didn’t want them to be sitting ducks for the fucking guards who were probably not done with their hunting season just yet. “What do your people do?” Milo asked suddenly. “When something like this happens and kids are affected…what do you do for them?” Maybe the wolf way wasn’t always the best way. They could nudge chins up and remind them they were strong and safe and loved but…that never banished the demons that waited in the dark when Milo’s eyes were closed, even now. Maybe the humans had a better plan.

[xjust-milo]

noelosway‌:

Through gritted teeth, Noel addressed their Beta. “To be fair, who isn’t really itching for a fight around here?” Guards and wolves alike, Blackbriar seemed to house an enormous population of people willing to throw themselves into the fray, Spades especially. Not that Noel could blame them. After all, if given the chance for a fight, they were one of the first in line. If it served a purpose, at least.

They knew their pack was supposed to be family, but Noel didn’t want to be here. They still had a pack out there somewhere. They knew it was naive to believe that, but they had to hope. In the meantime, Noel tried to love the family they were taken into, but some members made it hard to accept this new life. The least they could do was throw themselves into the education of the pups and if Milo wanted to critique them, then so be it.

Talk about itching for a fight.

“Sometimes, yes. I find around here, a lot of us forget what it is to be what we are. Chanting a mantra has been proven to help center you.” Noel listed their head to the side, a sly smile creeping along their face. “Perhaps you might find some use in that practice.”

“Hearts. Most Clubs. Prissy Diamonds that don’t want to muss their outfit…should I go on?” Milo replied dryly with a small head tilt. Really, it mostly just running into guards or other Spades that’d likely land someone with an unexpected black eye. But regardless, he fell quiet and really listened to the answer that they provided his question. Though, to his disappointment, it just brought up more questions he didn’t feel he could ask such as … did children need centering? He wasn’t entirely sure what that word even meant but he was feeling a little out of his depth and didn’t want to dive into a conversation he couldn’t hold his own in. Not with them.

Milo was finding it harder and harder to find ins to connect with the newer members of their pack, as it was. Or well, the newer wolves in general, if he was being honest. He had tried to remember how it was when he was first arrived but it was mostly a blur now with a few constants that stuck out. Of course, nothing that was proving useful now as he tried to find some common ground between them. “Think I’m a little beyond what chanting can help with.” Milo said finally. “But I was going to see about a late lunch. Are you hungry?”

It wasn’t the smoothest transition but Milo also didn’t want to stand outside having this conversation for much longer. Blackbriar’s eyes were everywhere and he was a little surprised that they hadn’t descended on the school yet. "I would like to hear more about your…methods and such in a less open place, if you’ve got the time.” He added, shoving his hands in his pockets and resisting the urge to dig a cigarette out just to kill some of the awkwardness running through his body. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the conversation but it’d probably be easier to talk to them if he understand where they were coming from.

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

“You’re an idiot.” The words were out before Piper could censor them, maybe from the overflow of emotion, maybe because she simply wasn’t thinking at all, but the words were out, and she simply pressed on with the thought now that it was in the air, let it flow out of her in probably too many words. “People would miss you. They would miss you.” Her head jerked toward where the other wolves were lingering around, far enough away, but still close enough that it was clear who she was indicating. “I would miss you. And you don’t get to stand here and pretend that you don’t matter, but I do. That’s bullshit and I won’t have it.” Her words got choked at the end, and she had to bite down hard on her tongue to stop herself from saying anything else. Maybe she was talking too much, maybe she was spilling out too much feeling simply because the stress of the day and the strain of the situation was making it hard to hold any kind of professionalism that she normally prided herself on. 

But she couldn’t quite help herself when she added. “I’m sorry for calling you an idiot. I– You’re not an idiot.”

For a moment, she quiet felt almost nice, something that just settled, and her thumb lightly ran across his cheekbone before he pulled back and her arms fell almost uselessly to her side. Head shaking a bit, she offered a bit of a shrug of her shoulders. “I can… I can improvise. Doesn’t help much against a gun, but…” Her eyes moved away from him for a moment, toward the guard towers, wondering just how many of them were there, watching, laughing, making asses of themselves. Part of her wanted to take a trip there before she headed back to her room. “I could maybe throw a decent enough punch if I had to. I can’t make any kind of promises, either, though.” 

It took a moment too long to really realize they’d still been connected, the sudden chill as he took a step back the only indication, and she folded her hands into her pockets, pulled her jacket a little more tightly around her despite the warm summer air. “I–” Yeah, it was probably better not to argue, to just go. It didn’t really mean that she wanted to. “Next week. I’ll… I’ll see you next week.” A pause, and she added, “I better see you next week. In one piece.”

For the third time, she startled a laugh out of him and he had to give her some credit. Maybe she did know him more than he’d thought she did. He was definitely an idiot. But then she immediately revealed her naïvety as she tried to argue that the wolves would miss him. Ha. No. Most of those wolves would line right up with the guards to put him down. It was about then that he realized she must think he was…good. Like a care-about-others, be-helpful, kind of good. Milo was not. And he needed to find a way to break that to her as soon as possible. Especially as she started saying she would miss him and that it was bullshit to think that he didn’t matter when she did but that was just…facts. He was a mutt. He was going to live and die right here. Likely sooner than later and having made nothing of himself. His name was never gonna be on some fancy papers, or hang up on a wall to announce he went to a fancy school, or be tied to some fancy government program - she mattered in all the ways he never would. He was important to exactly one person here. But his argument died as her voice cracked and he had to fight the impulse to raise a hand to her cheek, or do…something to comfort the crack.

But then he had to smile again and lift a shoulder as she apologized. “Nawh, you were right the first time. I am a massive idiot.” He admitted easily.

His shoulders even inched down slightly when she decided she could improvise and if need be, throw a decent punch. “Good. Don’t hesitate.” None of that fucking meant to die bullshit. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he decided to swallow it as he followed her gaze to the guard tower and then back. His traitorous mouth turned up again as she threw out a ‘no promises’ too and he had to admit she had spirit. Luckily, he didn’t have to admit or acknowledge how that spirit affected him. Instead, he just nodded. Yeah. Next week. 

Except…neither of them moved. 

And this time his smirk was entirely playful as he shrugged, mirroring her stance and putting his hands in his pockets. It was no way a preventative measure to keep from reaching out again, nope. “No promises.” He quipped before sobering up again. There was actually a really good chance he’d be in one piece on the outside and multiple pieces on the inside when he saw her next. Cas had been close to this poor kid and the only way Milo knew to protect Cas from himself was to throw his body in-between him and the people he actually wanted to fight. And he hadn’t missed Jamie walking around with a bandaged hand which meant he’d come knocking before long too.

Maybe it was better to not say anything.

Milo caught the sound of approaching footsteps and instinctively stepped closer, one hand coming out of his pocket to grab for her arm with the intent to start pulling her towards the med center. “Change of plans. Walking you home first.” Cas could fend for himself until Milo made it back - Piper might be able to throw a decent punch - it was a no brainer. He should have just done it to begin with. And maybe he should use the walk to break to her the kind of wolf he really was but … maybe the night was hard enough. Maybe that could wait until the next time he saw her and for tonight, he could pretend he was the kind of person who hugged and touched and had people think he was more than the scum of the earth for just…a little bit longer.

Getting an idea, he reached into his pocket briefly, pulling out a tin and shaking out a cigarette and his lighter. Tucking the tin back, he put the cigarette in his mouth to light it before flipping it cherry-side up and holding it out for her to take. “It’s not quite a candle. But…it’s the best I can do right now.” Should he say something else? What did you say with vigil candles? Milo’d never paid attention before and words all seemed awkward and wrong right now, so he just stayed quiet, giving her a moment to...feel or do whatever she’d set out tonight to do. 

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

Piper blinked at the question. What did she need? She should have been the one asking that question. Something stabbed in her stomach, a familiar feeling of guilt. As he went on, that feeling only grew. Was it selfish for Piper to be here? Probably. Shame and guilt combined at that thought. The idea that she was going to start seeing a lot more traffic through her office made that feeling worse. Someone like her had been the cause of this, and was going to be the cause of many more things that she couldn’t seem to stop. What good was she even doing if she couldn’t protect an innocent child? She had thought that she was less of a danger to the wolves here, despite her position, but she couldn’t even keep one child safe, what could she do for an entire reservation.

Head shaking a bit, she tried to clear the selfish and bitter thoughts from her mind, listening carefully as Milo doled out instructions. Don’t get blitzed. Easier said than done, if Piper were being completely honest. But he wasn’t exactly wrong. Between herself and Kolya, they had to be smart enough to come up with something. Anything. Hopefully. Letting out a soft sigh, she shook her head a bit more firmly. Searched for something to answer his question. What did she need?

The answer was obvious when she thought about it for a moment, and she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him into a hug. He probably hated hugs, and she might have respected that any other time, but he had asked what she needed. After a moment, she let out a soft sigh. “Just be careful. Please. Be careful.” She bit back more of those tears that wanted to come up, pulled back and rested her hands against his cheeks. “Don’t disappear.”

God, he shouldn’t have even thought it. What was that thing about … thinking something and then making it happen? Jinxing. He’d jinxed it. Still, he just sighed and allowed the arms around his neck - even going so far as to fold his own around her waist to hopefully give her whatever it was she got out of this. Maybe it felt a little nice/grounding/comforting but whatever. Good luck trying to get him to admit it out loud. He was careful to not pull back until she did and he didn’t go far though his brow pinched at the six words. Be careful? Him? Had she met him? It wasn’t much a word in his vocabulary and what would she care if he wasn’t? Maybe…maybe she just didn’t want to patch him up again. it was a lot of work sometimes.

But this all felt…

Milo didn’t have a word for it but it was touching wounds he’d thought were long scarred over. His eyes met hers as her hands cupped his face and he realized a belated second later that he hadn’t even wanted to flinch. What the fuck was she doing to him? “I can’t make any promises.” He admitted quietly. “Guards and I have a long shitty history and I’d - honestly, rather it be me than anybody else in my pack.” Biting his lip as he thought made him miss the way he swayed a little more into her touch. “I’m no great loss. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ve survived this long. But you are - so you…be careful.” The words were odd on his tongue. It wasn’t something he said out loud often. “Use that brain. Stay alert. And I’ll - check in next week with you, ok?”

For reasons he didn’t quite understand, Milo found he didn’t want to pull away yet. No, he wanted closer, but what the fuck? He tried to recall the last time anyone’d touched him like this but only drew blanks. So, giving in, he lingered for a brief minute longer, allowing himself to feel the heavy sorrow and exhaustion of the day before exhaling and pulling out of her touch. “Tell me you know how to use a weapon. Or a coffee mug. Syringe. Scalpel. Anything, I’m not picky.” God, he didn’t need to add more people to worry about - his hands were full with his alpha and reckless packmates but apparently he wasn’t getting any say in any of this. Including the fact that he hadn’t let her go yet and fuck. Dropping his arms, he took a step back, shaking his head slightly and trying to figure out if he should apologize or something for the … whatever the fuck this was. “Um.” What was happening to him? “Go. I’ll…go light your candle.” I’ll go light your candle, what the fuck.

[xjust-milo]

alessiakcne‌:

I do not need help. Alessia grinned at the statement as she grabbed his lighter to lit up her quickly ready blunt. “Whatever you say, boss man.” It was precisely that kind of attitude that made it all the more easy not to regret keeping her venture from the other night to herself. She had no idea which exact guard had decided to fuck with her fellow Spade but finding out at least where Milo had been beaten up narrowed down a list of them posted around the area at the time. All five of them would have quickly learned the merciless stench of selenium and tellurium compounds stolen from the lab. They were also probably mourning the loss of many of their possessions. She had no idea if Milo or Cas had ever found out but, in the end, Aless didn’t care. No one fucked with her people and getting to have fun with a little mayhem would also make it worth whatever lecture she got about not being more low-key. She’d argue at least they didn’t get hospitalized like they deserved.

Aless took a deep, practiced drag of the blunt between her fingers. “You don’t? Shit. Where the hell have you been getting some?” She scoffed in amusement and looked over at Milo, taking a second drag as she did. Her mind felt a bit swirly now but her muscles were relaxed and it felt perfect after a long day.

However, some movement reaching her werewolf hearing from the backroom and she focused her ears on the sound. Head turning away from Milo she stared at the mostly closed backroom door when she heard little feet touch the ground. “Shit… Ivy!” Aless called, tone accusatory. The footsteps faltered. “I know you’re up, little rogue. Get in here.” She listened carefully, hoping the curious one year old was gonna push the door open and come in instead of mischievously grabbing at random things. She’d been careful to leave everything dangerous completely out of her reach but Ivy was an expert in finding things. The toddler still didn’t know how to say a word but she learned how to walk 2 months ago and It’d been a struggle for her caretakers ever since. So Aless quickly took what she assumed would be, tragically, last drag and looked back at Milo. “You haven’t hid any other stuff back there, have you?”

Whatever you say. If only Milo could believe she meant the words. Instead, the smoke left his mouth in more a sigh than he meant to give in her presence but too late now. He knew her better by now than to think that’d be the end of it, so he just waited for the questions he was going to purposefully not answer just to further irritate her. It probably shouldn’t be as fun as it was to rile each other up, but they’d likely not be Spades if it weren’t. “Pretty sure if I wanted you to know, you would.” Milo pointed out with as much disinterest as noting a passing cloud. His limbs were beginning to finally lose some of the tension that had been locked in them for weeks now and he tried to make a mental note to smuggle the tin back to Cas before he got in Trouble for not sharing.

His eyes turned towards the back as small sounds of movement filtered through the shop and almost felt the passive mask crack. He’d vowed as a child to never father his own, half out of fear of what happened to children who lost their parents and half out of fear of somehow passing his own fuckedupness into an innocent child. So it’d taken him by surprise just how quickly and deeply he’d gotten attached to the little wolves. Milo’d never considered himself nurturing or comforting by any means but they had a way of dragging the softest bits of all of them out, whether they liked it or not.

Reluctantly, he followed Alessia’s lead, taking another long drag before pinching the blunt out and carefully tucking it back into the tin and slipping it into a buttoned pocket. “What kind of stuff are you looking for?” He asked though he was mostly distracted by watching for the toddler and allowing the smallest of smiles to pull on his lips at her appearance. “Salut, Miss Ivy.” Somehow, the sharpest parts of both himself and their reality seemed to fade away in her presence and he had to resist the urge to sit on the floor and coax her interest onto him. Had he been like that as a child? She seemed so fascinated by everything and he couldn’t help but wonder when they’d each lost that and become so jaded instead. Was there a way to shield her from shouldering the same fate? Shaking the deep thoughts off, he reached for a bottle of water to chase the taste of smoke out of his mouth before offering it towards Alessia.

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

Piper huffed out a soft laugh. “Milo, if I’m meant to die, I’m going to die no matter how many IQ points I have. At present, I’m useful, but the moment they find someone more useful, I’ll be like a Nokia 8600. Fun to look at and reminisce about, but completely obsolete. When my higher-ups have decided that I’ve outlived my usefulness, I can only hope they’ll let me retire on my terms instead of on theirs.” She offered another small shrug of her shoulders, hands folding into her pockets. It wasn’t as if she was unaware of how easy it would be to take her out. The only thing that she could hope for was that she remained useful for long enough. Long enough for what, she still wasn’t quite sure. But long enough. 

She didn’t want to bring up the moment with the guard, simply because it had been a brazen display of power on her part, and she was embarrassed by it. She didn’t necessarily enjoy throwing her weight around, especially not around her patients. The fact of the matter was, she would never speak to a wolf the way she could often be found speaking to the guards, she wouldn’t even speak to her worst interns the way she spoke to the guards. But she absolutely hated the way they held themselves, they way they treated everyone around them. She liked the friendly little reminder that she had power over them, but she didn’t enjoy it in front of others. 

Instead, she focused on her tattoo history, let out a short laugh, almost a bark of one, before quickly slapping her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. “It’s the symbol for Pi and it’s on my left buttcheek. Long story short, I lost a bet. I would show you, but… well, the word inappropriate immediately springs to mind.” An eyebrow lifted as he went on, nodding along. Japanese ink. Interesting. She would definitely be doing a bit of research later, but– A thought struck her and she couldn’t quite help it when she leaned over, offered him a little nudge of her shoulder. “For your business, I can be picky and make sure you’ve always got a good quality ink. For starters, it reduces the risk of someone coming to me with an infected piece, and on top of that, a master artist deserves the best tools for his craft.”

An eyebrow lifted, and Piper shook her head, badge at her hip reaching up to swipe the pad so that she could push the door open. “I think it’s rather presumptuous of you to think you’re better than me at trouble when you haven’t even seen me get into it.” She offered, stepping out into the cooling night air, pulling in a breath. It was enough to help clear her head just a bit. “And to think that I’d let you get away with walking yourself all the way back to your housing when your knee could give out at any moment. I’m getting you at least to the courtyard.” A pause, though, as she considered him. “But if you’d like to do so in silence, I’m fine with that.”

Meant to die. Did she believe in all that? Destiny and fate and all that stupid bullshit that meant that somehow, each of them before ever having done anything to maybe justify it - had been selected to live out this shittyass existence? Sure, if every wolf was a Spade with a past as heavy and bloody as his - maybe he’d buy it. It’d be fitting. But he couldn’t imagine that the babies here somehow had earned such a fate in the womb, or the Hearts or dutiful Clubs - it just didn’t make any sense to him but that’d be a conversation for a time when he was as drunk as she was.

Especially once she rendered him actually speechless. She had a tattoo on her ass? Her? Milo had no idea what the symbol for pie was but he genuinely couldn’t believe it. An incredulous puff of laughter finally broke his shock and he just shook his head as the laugh settled into an amused smile. “You are…nothing like I assumed.” Milo said finally. “And I’m going to ask for that story the next time I see you.” Someone bet her to get a tattoo on her ass and she did. Milo couldn’t wrap his head around it but the nudge had him glancing back up at her and his smile dimming as he tried to figure out what her angle was. Sure, it’d decrease the risk of infection but the rest of it - just….what. “I-“ He was tempted to stop walking and demand an answer but she’d swiped her badge at that point and maybe it’d be better to just…pretend none of that happened.

She had a point, though. Milo hadn’t seen her in actual trouble but the troubling part was that he didn’t want to. It wasn’t a feeling that got tugged on for very many. In fact, he was pretty sure there were about two grown men and a handful of small children on that list…and now her. “Fine. Courtyard.” Milo agreed, deliberately ignoring the bit about his knee potentially giving out. He’d be fine. Mind over matter and all that. It’d gotten him this far. “No. I don’t…I don’t mind your talking.” In fact, he had a question of his own. But he waited until they’d gotten some distance from the med center before asking it. “What do you want?” Milo began. “In exchange for the good ink for the others.” There was always a price and he preferred his deals to be made upfront. Surprises were not his thing. “I’m not easily dissuaded, so don’t get shy or anything, I’m not here to judge, I just…would rather know up front.”

[xjust-milo]

@kolyaivanovx

For just a very small moment, Milo let his eyes close as he focused on drawing in a slow inhale. One of his more terrible habits involved trailing some of the guards he knew preferred to work solo as they often set things down that say, a wolf with fairly quick reflexes, could snatch and sell later. Occasionally, this led him into some sticky situations but if he was being honest with himself, that was likely half the draw. Today, may have involved going through a door or two he wasn’t entirely certain he could get back out of but the mark he was tailing was so goddamn forgetful that Milo couldn’t resist.

His pockets were a bit heavier than they had been when he left this morning, and likely had enough to get him through the next few weeks, but Milo also wasn’t exactly eager to go back to the packhouse just yet. Tensions were still high so it was easier than ever to end up in a fight for looking, breathing, or existing in the “wrong” way and a part of him felt like he hadn’t had a minute to just stop and unclench for weeks. Now probably wasn’t exactly the right time but it was quiet and dark and the first opportunity to present itself - Milo’d be a fool not to take it.

So, he did.

He watched the guard go then just sank down against the wall as he let his head fall back to rest against the cool surface. Just a minute. He’d rest a minute, scope out the room he’d been inadvertently led into and then make his way back.

—-

The snap of a light switch startled him awake and he immediately reached for the closest object to swing once his eyes cleared and he could see again but it was just Kolya - who thankfully hadn’t yet noticed his hiding spot. Milo thought about staying put and waiting to see if Kolya caught him or not, but it’d probably be a better cover to use Kolya to get out. So, he stretched up before stepping out, shoving hands in his pockets and adopting a faux-causal lean against the closest wall as he watched Kolya get whatever he came for and get around to noticing him. He knew he looked rough, but he also knew Kolya was used to it, and it was frankly a bit of a relief to encounter a doc who wasn’t very likely to hug him over it. “Hey, stranger.”

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

Piper wasn’t quite sure what happened in the intermediary, as the moment the wolf had come at her, she’d closed her eyes to prepare for the shock, but when they snapped open again, it was Milo grabbing her elbow and dragging her. For a moment, a bolt of fear ran through her. How easy was it for the guards to make a body disappear, surely the wolves would know the best ways to make a body disappear as well. But she scolded herself immediately for that, if nothing else, because Milo would at least keep her alive long enough to get the ink that she’d ordered for him. 

Then again, he could always get it from Kolya. 

But then Milo was speaking, and she forced herself to focus on the words. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that she was going to be facing more hostilities than usual for a while. She didn’t think that the wolves were in the wrong for that, necessarily. She had simply wanted to pay her own respects to Clarence, tonight. It had nothing to do with humans and werewolves. It was a child. She almost said as much, but her voice caught in her throat as a lump formed. The realization that Milo, in spite of whatever he might be feeling, was trying to help her. That was something to examine another time. She had to blink, to try and force back some of those tears that wanted to get free, the whole thing catching up to her all at once, and when she found her voice again, it came out weak, almost broken. “Milo–” Closing her eyes, she blew out a breath of her own. “Will you– will you light a candle for me? Please?” She wondered vaguely if it was wickedly unprofessional to allow a patient, one that wasn’t even hers, really, to hear the way her voice cracked.

Fuck. Milo didn’t do this. This was Heart territory. Didn’t she know it was basically a Spade pack rule that you did not talk about your feelings. And even prior to that - Milo’d never really learned the vocabulary or even societal norms about what to do when someone was so clearly hurting. He was so far out of his comfort zone that he wasn’t even sure he’d make it back. “Doc.” He returned quietly before glancing around them for any suspicious about-to-attack shadows as he kept his fists loosely curled and body ready for action.

Something buried very very deep twisted as her stuttered question came out and he was blaming that for why he gave a small nod. “Ok. I’ll light a candle.” His eyes moved to clock where Cas was and if there was any danger present before turning back to the clearly distraught woman. “Look.” He paused briefly and against all of his instincts found himself softening slightly and switching directions. “What do you need right now?” He asked quietly instead. “Because we are going to need you, Doc. Shit is going to get ugly real fast here. More of us are going to end up in your office in the coming weeks than you’re ever experienced. More of us are going to be put in the ground or disappear. So, how do I get you from here to where you need to be?” 

Milo was about this close to even offering her a goddamn hug, despite how badly he wanted to reach out and shake her. “You have to understand that this ain’t new, Doc. It’s the first time it’s happening for you but honestly, if you want to light a candle, you should get one that never goes out and keep it in your office for all the blood and lost lives that haunt this place.” Stepping closer, he lowered his voice and pushed the limit of what he thought he really could say. “I need you to not get blitzed tonight. For the next couple nights. Whatever it’ll take - ask. Because you and Kolya are our only allies and the only defense between them and us, so use your combined talents and figure out a way to make this never happen again. Please.” If nothing else, at least they’d be ready for the influx of injured wolves and guards that was inevitably heading their way.

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

Piper did not belong here. Standing on the outskirts of the vigil, she did her best to stay out of sight, away from the wolves as they mourned, likely seething and ready to take a pot shot at any human they might have come across. She might have been less threatening than most of the guards, but Piper wasn’t stupid enough to know that she wouldn’t actually be welcome at this vigil.

But Clarence had been one of her patients, such an excited and adventurous child, always had something to say. He had even invited her out to see his tree house on several occasions. Part of Piper wished she had taken the boy up on the offer sooner. It would have been far better circumstances. And for what it was worth, it was a very nice tree house.

 She had demanded the name of the guard, and gotten no-where. Told that he would be properly handled. She didn’t exactly believe it, or care for it, but outside of stomping her foot and throwing a fit, two things she simply wouldn’t do, it had been a dead end. Even so, she wanted to pay her respects, from a distance. It’s why she rested against the trunk of a tree several feet away from the rest, wearing the darkest clothing she owned to blend in with the night, and even saying a silent prayer for the soul of the lost little boy.

It would be just her luck that she was spotted, but she didn’t flinch as the wolf came at her, fully prepared for, at the very least, a verbal lashing. 

Vigils were definitely not his thing, but in the spirit of trying to make sure nobody else died especially his alpha, he was here - with a girl on his hip. A girl that was getting increasingly closer to that thing in his chest that was supposed to be broken as it was now impossible to not see bits of himself in her. He knew what it was to grow up without parents, to be a child burying your only friends, to see the worst that the world had to offer - but god, he didn’t want her to turn out like him. So, he let himself grow a little softer, to offer affection and reassurances and always always the promise of safety - all the things he never had. They would never let anything happen to her, especially not now. Milo wouldn’t put his life on the line for every member of his pack but his alpha and the young ones - absolutely.

Which is why when he spotted a familiar shock of blonde, he immediately shoved the child at his alpha, pointed out another distraction, and excused himself to go take care of it. Truly, if he’d known being a beta required so much managing - he might have just gone for alpha himself and got himself a beta to do it all. Shit. But he quickly stepped in-between a wolf and the doc, giving a small shake of his head and a firm ‘not now’ before spinning around and reaching for her elbow. “You cannot be here right now.” Milo hissed. “Do you really not have one single brain cell up there in that genius brain of yours that is dedicated to self-preservation? Honestly.”

Towing her away from the wolves, he was half-way determined to march her all the way to the med center but he couldn’t stomach leaving Cas that long. Not tonight. “Nearly every wolf in this park wants to get their hands on a human. Name, face, title - it’s not going to matter, not for the next few weeks. So, for fuck’s sake try to not die.” Milo knew she had feelings. She probably saw the child once a week since she got here but this was not for her. Didn’t she realize that she was blood in the water and there sharks all around? Blowing out an exhale, he let go of her arm and took a step back. “Just turn and run, alright? Get a door between us and you and be careful for the next few weeks. Ok? Go!”

[xjust-milo]

alessiakcne‌:

Alessia let out a loud, dramatic groan, casting her face upward and rolling her eyes. “You’re so fucking boring, Mai Tai.” She looked back down, extending her arms. “Would it kill you to have a little bit of fun?” She let her arms fall loosely back down, completing a gesture of complete exasperation. Nose then wriggled in distaste that there was a possibility no one but a bunch of kids would be guarding valuable shit in Diamonds. Suddenly the excitement of the plan dwindled away. Alessia didn’t fight children. The Diamonds were either being crafty or completely stupid to not bother with actual organization and defensive strategy in their pack. She was willing to bet on stupidity.

She watched with a sigh as Milo moved away but her interest was piqued as a familiar scent reached her nostrils the moment he begun to take something out. Her lips had curled up before he’d even offered. “I take it all back. You crafty son of a bitch,” she teased as she practically skipped her way over to him. If there was one thing that wasn’t her nieces, Atlas or Orion that could chill Aless out a little it was a nice blunt. It was quite rare she indulged in them. She didn’t want to give Rose any ideas but Rose wasn’t there at the moment, so…

Alessia hopped onto the bench and extended her hand to be given a bit of what he had so she could roll it herself. “So how’s the face? I actually think that gash right there-” She gestured to one side of her own forehead, mirroring his own healing wound. “– Might actually heal up nice enough to make a good scar… Maybe someone will find it hot.”

“Maybe…” She smirked, a glint of friendly, teasing mischief in her eyes. “You’ll even get laid and finally smile for once.” She knew next to nothing personal about her Beta since he was just so aggressively introverted. It was pure easy observation that made her notice how Milo’s sharp edges softened around the Alpha in a way it didn’t seem to with anyone else. Pure empathetic instinct that made her wonder if that just made him the epitome of platonic soulmate or if maybe it was a bit more interesting than that. Alessia was hoping for the latter. She liked the idea. It also made for far better teasing material and would definitely be worth finding another casual booty call before the sameness got inevitably boring.

Milo’d been called a hell of a lot throughout his lifetime so boring rolled off almost without his notice. Especially because he was damn certain his beta duties didn’t include being the on-demand pack entertainer and so, he was under no obligations to make Alessia less bored. She’d have to buck up and do it all on her own, like a big girl. “Probably.” He deadpanned, though it really wasn’t a joke. If his injuries didn’t kill him first, Cas would for voluntarily sparring when injured. For once, in his stupid life, he was actively trying to do the right thing to protect himself and she was sighing like it was the biggest inconvenience she’d come across all day. Figures.

But predictably, his little stash turned her mood right around, so he passed off the tin and some paper before sitting back in the chair and lighting his own. His eyes found hers briefly as she asked about his face but he didn’t answer, waiting to see what twisted road she was going to take it down and…there it was. Granted, pot kettle and all because scars could be hot - but there was just something sad about the patchwork their skins had all become because of Science - not honor, or duty, or just good plain ol anarchy. He hated to think that the guards got to leave one more reminder on his skin and was almost tempted to give Peter credit just to deny the guards anything but he couldn’t truly rewrite history.

“It’s fine.” He said flatly but it was too little too late to stop her so he just glanced towards the door, silently wishing that literally anybody walked through the doors now to spare him this conversation but as per usual, the gods ignored his prayers. “I fail to see how the two relate.” Milo settled on, bringing the blunt back up to inhale from and raise an eyebrow. He didn’t have an issue getting laid. What he didn’t understand, was how that was supposed to suddenly turn him into a Heart and why she of all people would want that? Although, maybe…maybe one day he would go around for a full 24 hours giddy and cheerful and earnest - just to fuck with her. The thought made him smile inwardly but for now, he just blew out a slow exhale and waited patiently for the brightest areas of pain to fade before a terrible idea struck and his eyes widened slightly. “Do not get ideas and starting sending people my way. I do not need help.”

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

Piper reached up, lightly tapped a finger against her temple before dropping it to tap the tip of her nose, universal hand gestures that she hoped translated over, and her smile had twisted into a little more of a devious smirk. “Clever girl, indeed. If I’m going to have a bogus genius IQ, might as well occasionally use it to my advantage.” There was something absolutely beautiful about Milo’s laugh. It was so… genuine. It was something so real and shocking that for a moment, Piper was genuinely transfixed on him, watching this thing bubble out of him, watching the way it lit up his features and brightened his entire being just for a moment. She might have called it breathtaking, if she were in a more flowery mood. Might have genuinely called the man beautiful in that moment. And truly, it was quite a shame that more people didn’t see this from him. But perhaps that was even more reason to treasure it.

“If you want the truth, that’s what interns were for when I was an intern, but I think my interns are here to keep an eye on myself and my closest associate to make sure that we’re doing our job properly.” Shoulder lifting in a shrug, Piper couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit. She never really got to pick her own interns, which was a shame. She would love to pick bright young minds that still had compassion. Instead, cherry-picked biggots were often handed to her and she was forced to deal with them in her own way. It was, if she was being honest, a lot more fun to boss them around and watch those bright young faces scrunch in annoyance and anger when she told them off. Perhaps she shouldn’t take such pleasure in that. “I’ve no doubt that if the order came through, or if they were even a bit smarter, my interns would poison my morning coffee and remove me from my position.” And with a casual shrug, she pulled the door open.

Before Piper even had a chance to think about Milo’s question, she felt a rough hand land on her shoulder, and her eyes closed against the annoyance for a moment before she turned to face the offender. The guard was one of the big, stupid ones. Bad hair, bad teeth, and a shitty southern accent that she had once been so sure was just an exaggeration in movies. “Miss Piper, I’ll take the mutt.” An eyebrow lifted for a moment, and Piper watched as the man’s hand made to grab for Milo. Piper, even drunk, was just a little faster and grabbed his wrist.

“Mr. Banks. First of all, you’re to address me as Dr. Wright. I believe we’ve been over this before. And you’ll do no such thing. I’ll be escorting my patient back to his pack house, and you’ll be dragging your knuckles out of my medical center and back to your dorm unless you’ve some major medical emergency that needs attention.” She watched the stupid man open his mouth to speak and her grip tightened slightly, nails digging into his skin. “I believe that was the end of the conversation. I definitely didn’t leave any room for argument. Get your broke ass out of my face.” 

Another second passed before Piper released the guards wrist, waving him away without another word and lightly pressing a hand to the small of Milo’s back to move him away from the man. After a quick breath in and then out, she pulled that smile back on. “I think I’d be okay with bigger. My first tattoo was small, but I wouldn’t mind something flashy, a real statement. I can order ink for you if you can give me an idea of what kind of ink I’m ordering. I imagine it’s quite different from pen ink.”

She had a genius IQ and she was here? Milo’d always thought those kind of people got snatched up…well by dubious government agencies. Guess that did happen. Regardless, he had to smirk slightly when she disclosed that she believed the interns to be snitches more than anything and if they were, they were doing a fairly shitty job of it. But Milo wasn’t going to complain. Alliances with the scientists were among the only things that made this stupid cage bearable. Though, he frowned slightly as she shrugged of how easy it would be to kill her and just…no. “Maybe use some of that genius IQ to safeguard yourself the best you can, then.” Milo pointed out dryly. “Or I can teach you basic survival skills. We’d start with don’t let anyone near your drinks.” Honestly.

But then she’d pulled the door open and Milo wished he felt some measure of surprise to find a guard ready and waiting there for him. Still, his body tensed, dropping into a ready stance with fists clenched as he saw a hand coming for him - sure, it might be inevitable that he’d be tossed in a cell, but he’d make damn sure he took as many of them with him as possible - except a small pale hand shot out snatching the wrist right out of the air and his eyebrow lifted as the guard got a verbal lashing from the doc. He really hadn’t expected that to work and was still gearing for a fight but he seemed to judge Milo not worth the trouble as he made no further move towards him - even as Piper got his feet moving again and he tried to keep a normal gait speed - eager to get out of there before she brought up tattoos again.

Where they just…not gonna talk about what just happened? His gaze moved to her briefly before checking over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being tailed. They weren’t. But he couldn’t quite get himself to relax either - probably wouldn’t until he was safely behind a locked door or two of the pack house. “Your first tattoo? How did that not come up? Where is it? What is it?” Milo was grateful for the distraction as his body was loudly making it known just how much it was against moving but it had no choice. Moving was required to get home. “I mean, yeah but pen ink works too - it’s how some prison tats are done. But it’s just tattoo ink. For you, you can be picky and look for some of the good ones, I don’t know what’s come out recently or what the big names are now, but Japanese ink has always been high quality.”

Milo paused briefly to catch his breath, once they reached the entrance. “You can leave me at here. I’ll be fine.” While she seemed to have control over a single guard - he could imagine all too well what might happen if a group of them were to find her stumbling back drunk and alone. And he might not care about much but even he didn’t want her to suffer after going above and beyond for him tonight. Plus, he wanted the ink. “But uh…thanks, for the doctoring and the chat. Try and leave the trouble for me to get into, yeah? I’m much better at it.”

[alessiakcne-deactivated20190820]

♤ THE SPADES ; a moodboard

(ง'̀-‘́)ง (1/?)

[xjust-milo]

xxpiperwright‌:

“It’s not fun, but it’s not about being fun.” Piper offered a shrug of her own, stretching her back a bit before letting herself settle in her chair once more. “It’s about bending over a table in tight pants and impressing drunk college boys when you make a trick shot, because it’s all about making the correct calculations. And if you get good enough, it’s about making money by hustling those same drunk college boys.” Piper offered a soft huff of a laugh, head shaking a bit, but she leaned in just a little bit closer, lowering her voice as if she had some grand secret to tell the man, looking for all the world like a cat that had eaten a canary. “Well, I know why I’m obsessed with balls, but I don’t think it’s quite the same for everyone.”

Leaning back, she let out a true giggle, hand snapping up to cover her mouth, to muffle the sound behind it. The adrenaline that had spiked when she’d found out about the fight had gotten her most of the way through this little impromptu visit without making too much of an ass of herself, but it was wearing off quickly now, leaving a drunken, tired haze behind it. Her brain was floating in alcohol again, and reminding her just how unfit she was to be treating patients at the moment. She almost felt bad for Milo for being stuck with her. “I’ll drop it off in the morning.” She said, finally, when her giggles had gotten under control. 

After she had tossed the bandages over, she started searching through the cabinets again, softly swearing when she realized there wasn’t much there in the way of painkillers. A little stop on the way to the door, then, to make sure that he got something to help manage the pain as he went. She wasn’t foolish enough to think he might just not take them, but it was better to offer, and for him to have them, than not. Turning to face him again after a moment, she took just a couple of steps closer, hand outstretched just in case he needed the support as he put weight on his leg, but he seemed to have a handle on it.

At his next question, Piper blinked a bit, head tilting. She should take vitals. Should probably take blood. But she didn’t quite trust herself with a needle right now, and honestly? She wanted to say fuck it. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Unless there’ve been some extreme changes in your diet or something in the past week, I doubt any numbers will be that much different. It’s just a matter of fudging a little paperwork. And honestly, what else are interns for?”

If it’s not about being fun - then why was it called a game? Milo’s head hurt entirely too much for this but he also couldn’t bring himself to end the conversation because it was mildly fascinating. It was a mating call, of sorts? A mating call with a scam - oh. Milo was in. He had to learn this game. “Oh.” He said softly. “I get it. Clever girl.” Milo’d done the same with fighting - he was smaller than your average wolf, and had been even smaller as a child, but no less lethal. Part of his apathy was stemmed from the knowledge that you could use other’s assumptions about you to your advantage, if you cultivated them right. Part of him really was just numb to the world and people’s many never-ending needs. Except well…may not this one. Her leaning in and the words shared was so far beyond anything Milo ever expected to hear from a scientist that for a moment he didn't even know what to do before he laughed. Genuinely.

“Touche, doc.” Milo had to give her that one and still couldn’t quite wipe the smile off his face as she continued to giggle. How was she in this field, doing what she did, when he could almost see the goodness radiating off of her. She was the type of person he adamantly tried to avoid because her light would just illuminate every part of him that’d gone dark. But even he hadn’t expected this - the light banter, the freely given knowledge, a job offer - maybe he should get concussions more often if this was the sort of outcome he got for it.

He was further surprised when he looked up and found her hand outstretched as if to help him get to feet and this really did feel like a completely differently world he’d woken up too. Especially when she decided that it was fine and she had no desire to take his blood or vitals barring any major changes in his diet. No, it was pretty much just booze and smoke and whatever was around when he realized he hadn’t eaten but he should probably not tell her that. “I…don’t know. Is that what interns are for?” Milo was admittedly more than a little impressed that she somehow made him feel curious instead of stupid whenever she said something he didn’t recognize but maybe that was the concussion too. But he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth or whatever that stupid saying was. No tests meant get the fuck out now before she changed her mind.

Shuffling slightly, he took one careful step, then another, but it seemed his knee would likely hold - it was very much not happy about it but Milo’d deal. He made it slowly to the woman’s side and felt an uncharacteristic pull to say something else. To share his surprise that the two most unlikely people on the whole compound could have an actually enjoyable fifteen minute visit but…it passed. Instead, he just lightly touched her arm in a silent thanks before nodding at her collar. “After I look at the book, I’ll sketch up some options and I’ll bring ‘em when I come to get checked out next week. Do you prefer something small or something large enough to reach your shoulder?” There were actually a lot more questions Milo should ask but his brain was working on about 20% and there’d be time enough during the walk to remember them, especially considering he was moving at a snail’s pace and was maybe…slightly…on edge each time he caught the sound of a door opening, footfalls, or unexpected voices.

[xjust-milo]

alessiakcne‌:

Oh, Milo. Alessia had despised him upon very first meeting due to his annoyingly apathetic nature and position as Beta. Joining the Spades and slowly getting to know Milo had fortunately diminished the dislike and replaced it with light and partially affectionate annoyance, but annoyance nonetheless. She took pride in pushing his buttons and getting reactions out of him so it was no doubt that he felt the same way. Despite it all, however, he was her Beta and pack mate. The girls also really liked him. She’d protect Milo and defend him no matter what but it didn’t mean she’d be good enough to show the appropriate amount of respect at every meeting they had.

She certainly didn’t. “Sounds like I have a fun plan for tomorrow then, thank you, Mai Tai.” Mai Tai. A tropical, colorful and fun drink seemed the most hilariously ironic nickname for Milo a few weeks ago and by now it had stuck with her. “I got stuff from a guard shipment two nights ago but otherwise... the most exciting thing going on is the scene the Diamonds are going to have to endure tomorrow when I find out what dumbass decided I didn’t monopolize thievery in this place.”

“And you know what? Rose is actually playing with some of the kids inside the dorm common room before their bed times but Ivy is here. She’s just passed out in the backroom so… it looks like you’re stuck with me. Which is awesome because I’ve been kinda itching for a good spar or something, y’know? It’s a slow night and I want to play with some of the guard’s police baton things. What do you say?” Aless asked playfully, circling Milo with a smirk on her lips. “High and mighty Beta of Spades can’t turn down a little rough and tumble, can he?” 

Alessia was one of the many thorns in his side and unluckily for him, a far more persistent one than the rest. Though, admittedly, they seemed to have settled somewhat in a barb-filled tentative truce of sorts. She just seemed to possess a unique talent for getting under his skin that blew past defenses that had held for nearly twenty years. He hated it as much as he was curious about it because nothing about her barbs should be different than assholes he heard day in and day out but somehow it was. And it was going to continue to fester and bother him until he figured it out.

But that wouldn’t be today.

His eyes shut briefly at the nick name, irritation quickly running up his spine to settle into a throbbing headache. He’d hoped he was past that now but, no apparently not. He wasn’t sure if she expected a reaction to that little declaration of hers, but he didn’t have the energy or fucks to give it. If she wanted to single-handedly go after the Diamonds tomorrow, so be it. It wasn’t his fucking blood. And the girls would be well looked after - they were the only thing that could transcend pack politics and they’d want for nothing. But Alessia wasn’t done -because why would she be? The universe never let Milo off that easy and he just blew out a sigh as she starting prodding at him to fight.

On any other night, he’d have jumped at the chance, police baton and all, but not this night. “I’m regrettably not high…” Though, there was an idea before he went back. “Nor all that mighty right now. So, yeah, the Beta can turn down a little rough and tumble because I don’t actually want Cas to get grey hairs.” He was gorgeous the way he was and Milo’d likely never hear the end of it if he was directly responsible for outward signs of aging. “Some of us had a rough fucking night and the last thing I want is you coming at me with a baton right now.” His eyes rolled before glancing back over the shop and trying to remember if he got what he came for. Fuck concussions. He couldn’t recall what had brought him down here but he hoped the sketchbook and pencils were enough. “Save it for the Diamonds. Chances are you’re just gonna have the head girl and some young pups guarding it. You’re welcome.”

High. Right. He was doing that. Moving towards the desk, he dropped into the chair and dug around in the false bottom of the lower drawer before digging out a tin and quickly rolling himself what he wanted before pausing and raising an eyebrow at Alessia. “You want one to calm some that aggression or you good?”

[theqveenofthornsarchive]

“I walk into the fire always, and come out more alive.”

— Anaïs Nin, from a letter quoted in The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Volume IV (1944-1947)