cadenlucca

[cadenlucca]

harperkent​:

“Hold up, you saw Rihanna?” Whatever depressive moment that she was going through had disappeared, now replacement with complete awe and jealous. “I’m surprised, didn’t take you for much of a music guy.” Didn’t think he liked the music she was in, I mean come on, it was Harper who put him on Megan! Dude was seriously lacking. “Yes that’s her, come on now, you’re acting as if she’s some random person.” To be fair she was a random person to Caden. “I would love that actually, thank you. And politics of course, I don’t have what it takes to enter the fashion world.” And she was fine with that. 

        YEP, HER REACTION IS EXACTLY WHY HE SAID IT. caden flashes her a crooked smile.   “ a few years back, yeah. what the hell is that supposed to mean ?   who isn’t into music ? ”   whether he’s ever heard of the artist or not, caden’s the type of person who will go to nearly any concert if he’s been invited there. except country music — country music sucks.   “ i think i’ve had a conversation with her, like, once. and it was after rafa punched me. ”   as if caden didn’t start it.   “ do you know if they still talk ?   must be awkward, since he has a girlfriend now. ”   as if caden can literally talk.   “ aw c’mon, you could definitely be in the fashion world if you wanted. but washington is better off with someone like you in the white house, or whatever you plan on doing. y’know i have a few contacts at the capital, because of my dad, if you ever need anything. ”   caden’s not a politics guy, finding most of them disingenuous after his father, but he trusts in harper, and the future she stands for.

[cadenlucca]

harperkent​:

He was smiling, she was trying. She felt foolish standing there, emotions out of controls and thoughts elsewhere. It felt like she was purposely trying to ruin the mood which was not the case. Harper was just… feeling things that she shouldn’t be feeling. Or thinking about, ever. Thoughts and feelings would only get you hurt and crying in the girls bathroom to a bunch of strangers, and Harper was not about that life. Not when Beyoncé was in the same building as her. A mental slap to her face, she was matching his smile the best that she could. “Okay, yeah, Beyoncé being here is what we deserve,” she said. “This definitely beats buying her concert tickets.” A beat. “And it’s good to see you too.” Which was true, it was good to see him again. It was always nice to see and talk to Caden. “Got into grad school in New York with VG, we’re rooming together.”

        “ I WONDER HOW SHE’LL COMPARE TO RIHANNA, ”   he muses aloud, perhaps because he likes name dropping just a little bit. before tonight, the rihanna concert was definitely the coolest one he’d ever been to -- especially where his seats were. anyway.   “ vg ? ”   his eyebrows furrow for a moment.   “ she’s the little blonde french girl, right ? ”   he wonders if she knows rafa has a girlfriend now.   “ but that’s cool. if you need a list of cool bars or restaurants to check out, let me know. you going for politics or fashion ? ”

[cadenlucca]

cadenlucca​:

        BASIC IS JUST BASIC, caden thinks, but lets it go.   “ no, ”   he laughs, shaking his head.   “ i just mean weddings as a kid and weddings once you’re old enough to drink are an entirely different story. weddings where you’re old enough to meet people, too. ”   two of caden’s favorite past times :   booze and hookups.   “ i feel like anyone would, it’s not like the wedding’s in kansas. ”   it’s new york !   who wouldn’t want a reason to go out there ?   for a moment he almost offers levi’s services, because he’s sure madden loves a good wedding as much as he does, but it’s a good thing he didn’t. when she mentions when the wedding is caden scowls, because of COURSE it’s the same weekend as his birthday.   “ that’s our birthday weekend, ”   he makes a face.   “ well, that sucks. i’m guessing you won’t even be staying in dc the 13th, either. ”   that’s already one less person who will be around for levi and caden’s birthday rager, but it’s fine. family’s probably more important  ( not that caden would know ) .   why you’d attempt to call caden sane to begin with is your first mistake. rationally he should know there’s no way she’s laughing about  ‘ periods and shit, ’  especially because what part of their conversation made her start thinking about periods to begin with ?   but almost as soon as he asks himself that, caden realizes he doesn’t want to know the answer to that. he makes another face ;   she’s won this round.   “ alright, fine. though i’d like to think i’m hilarious, ”   he points out. naturally. they make their way back to the ballroom, and already he can see noah’s familiar red hair over by the bar, which works out because of the empty cup in his hand already.   “ well, enjoy your date with the princess, ”   he smirks slightly, though there’s a small pang of sadness in his chest when he realizes this is probably goodbye for the rest of the year.   “ and, uh, have a good summer. ”

“oh, that makes more sense,” she laughed. “i wasn’t really a kid at that other wedding, but it was too small for me to steal drinks. no one to meet, either.” elliot shrugged, because as much as she would like to have someone with her to make forrest’s wedding more enjoyable, the idea of her friends being around her family made her nervous. “the 13th is my last night, but i probably shouldn’t stay out late. being hungover at my brother’s wedding doesn’t seem fun.” maybe she would see caden before then, but she wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good idea. “you’re alright.” she was certain that he knew she really did find him hilarious and she grinned up at him. why she finds him so funny is beyond me, but she does. it wasn’t easy to make her laugh as much as he could, and the fact that it was always fun to be around him was one of her favorite things about their friendship. elliot was pretty sure that he thought she was hilarious too, and she took great pride in that. it took her a second to understand that he was talking about suzume, and she wasn’t sure if she fully understood his tone. maybe he really meant it, but she couldn’t tell. she looked around for the other girl, but it was hard for her to see through the crowd at this angle. elliot looked back up at caden, trying to smile through the wave of sadness that had just crashed down on her. part of her sadness came from the fact that she wouldn’t see him for three months, and part of it was because she knew things would never be quite like this again. most of the time she hated that she felt this way, that she had any feelings for him whatsoever. but sometimes, when he flashed her a genuine smile, or when they were making each other laugh, she didn’t mind so much. she hoped that she wouldn’t feel that way in three months, but she thought she might miss the feeling, too. “yeah, you too.” she gave him a half-hearted wave and walked away to find her date as she tried to ignore the sharp pain in her chest.

[cadenlucca]

thrill-cfthechase​:

“yeah, i’m pretty sure her name is jenny, but i think basic is okay.” elliot thought he could be sort of judgmental when it came to names - one of the first things he’d said to her that actually pissed her off was that brandi sounded like a hooker name (or something like that, i’m not putting in the effort to go look and she wouldn’t remember it that well anyway), and rehashing that right now didn’t sound fun to her. “what do you mean?” she laughed, genuinely confused. “should i not say i’ve been to a wedding if i didn’t drink at it?” that couldn’t be what he meant, but it was her best guess. “no, harlowe is busy that weekend, and i guess i could ask someone else, but, like, who really wants to go all the way to new york for the wedding of someone they don’t even know?” all she could really offer a guest was an open bar, though i suppose that’s not nothing. “assuming your birthday is still mid-august,” she really can’t be expected to remember which day exactly, “it’ll probably be the weekend of my brother’s wedding. i’m in d.c. until the 13th, his wedding is the next day.” she’d have to start thinking about what to get him - stealing something wouldn’t be possible, and also wouldn’t be funny a second time. she could always get him nothing, but she liked to think she was a better friend than that, so she had a lot of brainstorming to do. i don’t understand how any sane person could find women in suits not hot?? “a bit of both. i do whatever google maps says, but i’ll take different little detours.” she couldn’t understand why he was laughing and it made her smile, but also helped end her own laughter. “you strike me as the kind of guy who doesn’t like hearing about periods and shit like that, so trust me, you wouldn’t find this funny.” she actually had been laughing about something kass said, or really a whole conversation they’d had. the one where kass suggested that elliot confess her feelings to him seemed pretty funny right about now. and caden did strike her as that kind of guy, so there was only a tiny lie in there. elliot smiled back at him, but she really was going to have to try to not miss him too much, and that was her main problem. “yeah, okay. i won’t be.” she wasn’t sure whether or not she meant that. 

        BASIC IS JUST BASIC, caden thinks, but lets it go.   “ no, ”   he laughs, shaking his head.   “ i just mean weddings as a kid and weddings once you’re old enough to drink are an entirely different story. weddings where you’re old enough to meet people, too. ”   two of caden’s favorite past times :   booze and hookups.   “ i feel like anyone would, it’s not like the wedding’s in kansas. ”   it’s new york !   who wouldn’t want a reason to go out there ?   for a moment he almost offers levi’s services, because he’s sure madden loves a good wedding as much as he does, but it’s a good thing he didn’t. when she mentions when the wedding is caden scowls, because of COURSE it’s the same weekend as his birthday.   “ that’s our birthday weekend, ”   he makes a face.   “ well, that sucks. i’m guessing you won’t even be staying in dc the 13th, either. ”   that’s already one less person who will be around for levi and caden’s birthday rager, but it’s fine. family’s probably more important  ( not that caden would know ) .   why you’d attempt to call caden sane to begin with is your first mistake. rationally he should know there’s no way she’s laughing about  ‘ periods and shit, ’  especially because what part of their conversation made her start thinking about periods to begin with ?   but almost as soon as he asks himself that, caden realizes he doesn’t want to know the answer to that. he makes another face ;   she’s won this round.   “ alright, fine. though i’d like to think i’m hilarious, ”   he points out. naturally. they make their way back to the ballroom, and already he can see noah’s familiar red hair over by the bar, which works out because of the empty cup in his hand already.   “ well, enjoy your date with the princess, ”   he smirks slightly, though there’s a small pang of sadness in his chest when he realizes this is probably goodbye for the rest of the year.   “ and, uh, have a good summer. ”

[cadenlucca]

thrill-cfthechase​:

“i think i remember some of it, or at least the beginning.” no one had ever asked her to recite it while drunk, so she wasn’t totally sure. elliot was sort of expecting him to be annoyed, and wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard him say something like ‘my bad.’ it felt strange for him to agree with something she said so quickly. “yes, like gump,” she laughed. “i really don’t know why my mom named him that. like, i think usually siblings have names that, well maybe they don’t go together, but at least they sound good together. but i don’t think ours do.” and it wasn’t like she could ask her mom why. she liked her name, and that was good enough for her. “i’ve only been to one other, but i’m hoping this will be fun. at least i can drink now.” which wasn’t exactly a a healthy attitude for her to have, but that probably surprises no one. “yeah, i’ll have like a week left before next semester starts and i’ll just hang around there.” she wasn’t really sure what she would do in new york, but she liked visiting there so she figured she’d have a nice enough time. “i could probably wear either, but i’m gonna wear a dress. august is too hot for suits, but now that you mention it, i would look great in a tux.” although to be fair, she thought she would look great in anything, and i don’t disagree. “sometimes i take spruce places in bags, but he doesn’t like that any more than the carrier.” he was a very picky boy. “i go a slightly different way every time, but i am good at just, like, coping with being in the car for that long.” she was going to tell him how far reno was from vegas, but then he kept talking, and by the time she had processed his words, she had started laughing. her hand flew to her mouth and she tried to stifle it, but she just couldn’t. of course. of fucking course. she would drive across the country all alone, and he would drive across the country with the girl he loved. something about that was hilarious. she was trying to think of a good excuse for why she found this funny, but nothing was coming to mind. “i don’t, i just- i’m just a little drunk, and i remembered something that kass said. just girl stuff, you wouldn’t find it funny.” elliot would miss him, but she wouldn’t miss this feeling. too bad she won’t get to. “yeah, we should. i should really find suzume.” she sighed and turned towards the entrance, taking one step before turning back to him. “caden-” she opened her mouth to speak and paused before any words could come out. there were a thousand things she wanted to say to him, but her pride was too big a pill to swallow. even if she’d managed to choke it down, there was nothing she could say that didn’t have the potential to end their friendship, and he was far too important to her for her to let that happen. all she could really do was sigh and offer up a flimsy smile. “have a good summer.” he had known what she was thinking enough times that a part of her had started to believe that he could read her mind, and she hoped he could read it now. “try not to miss me too much.” 

        THE FIRST QUESTION THAT POPS INTO HIS HEAD is wondering if elliot’s mom had named her, but that seems like a question so personal that even caden doesn’t want to touch. he knows elliot would tell him if he asked -- they have that kind of relationship -- but on their last night of gallagher, maybe they shouldn’t talk about dead moms.   “ eh, it keeps it interesting, ”   he shrugs his shoulders.   “ it’s better than being named... what’s the girl in that movie ?   jenny ?   that’s just basic. ”   elliot’s a name that suits her, although it’s hard to not think that when there’s been no alternative.   “ oh yeah, if you can’t drink at a wedding, it shouldn’t count. ”   caden can’t remember the last time he had done a wedding sober ;   when he was twelve, maybe ?   even at his older cousin’s wedding when he was sixteen he had gotten trashed off of drinks stolen at the bar. when you’re a certain level of rich, nobody asks for your ID.   “ you bringing anyone ? ”   he asks, assuming it wouldn’t be suzume, but maybe a friend of hers. maybe it is suzume, actually. caden enjoys weddings more when he goes stag.   “ that’s dope, i love new york. oh, madden and i are probably doing another birthday rager this year, though sticking to dc since he’s going to be working. if you’re around that weekend you should come. ”   she’d be invited anyway, but better for her to keep that weekend open now if she wants. caden and levi always know how to throw a great party. the idea of elliot in a tux makes him wrinkle his nose, because he doesn’t get the appeal of women in suits, because he’s a... you know...  ( sexist idiot ) .   “ you go a different way to keep it interesting, or to save time in the drive ? ”   he asks, still thinking about his own road trip. the laughter that spills from elliot’s lips comes out of nowhere, and his head tilts back a bit as he looks at her, waiting for an explanation.   “ what ? ”   he laughs too, because caden hates being left out of something !   “ aw c’mon, now you gotta tell me. ”   let’s be real, kass sutton probably isn’t very funny anyway. when he’s not met with an immediate response caden makes a face, but starts towards the ballroom once more. he looks over at her when she says his name, eyebrows raised, but she must be really drunk because after a pause he realizes she must’ve forgotten what she was going to say. he flashes her a toothy grin.   “ i should be saying the same to you, ”   he chuckles.   “ but seriously, don’t be a stranger. ”

[cadenlucca]

thrill-cfthechase​:

“oh,” elliot laughed. she didn’t usually see him get drunk drunk, and she supposed he was just good at hiding it. better then she was, apparently, but while she had had a decent amount to drink, this was probably before she did shots. “z y x w v u t…” and then she was laughing again, too hard to get more letters out. “i memorized the alphabet backwards a long time ago, just in case.” she wasn’t sure what that said about her. “no, no i don’t really,” she insisted, gently pushing his shoulder (elliot’s version of gentle, so perhaps not very). “technically i didn’t start turning people into punching bags until, like, 2002.” but that was just semantics, and she was just a bit of an asshole. i’m literally just talking about her feelings!! she has no way of knowing!! other than the money thing. and i just want to reiterate on the dash that she isn’t going to ghost him this summer. she won’t reach out to him, but if he texts her, she’ll still text back, and probably be way too happy about it. the cleanse could never work. “yeah, forrest is getting married.” she smiled, genuinely excited for him. “literally the day after my internship ends, and i have to drive all the way to new york, but i think it’ll be good. i’m a bridesmaid, or i guess technically a groomsmaid, so i’ll have to stand there. but i don’t think that’ll be too bad.” it ended up being mostly good. mostly. “oh, yeah, you know. athletic equipment and secondhand clothes. trinkets that are probably garbage. the real fancy stuff.” she liked her belongings and they meant a lot to her, and while she wouldn’t normally openly admit that they weren’t particularly nice things, it wasn’t hard for people to guess that. “yeah, they have. i don’t understand what kind of monster would put their dog inside a suitcase. spruce doesn’t even like his carrier, so i don’t force him to be in there if it’s not one hundred percent necessary.” the little dog didn’t particularly love the long drive, but he liked all the new smells. “this will be the fifth.” her drive back to virginia in five weeks would be the sixth and last time, and she was pretty happy about that. she didn’t terribly mind them, but they weren’t something she ever actually wanted to do. “not really. i’ve stopped at the grand canyon, which i’ve told you about.” that was where she thought she saw ghost children. “and i’ve stopped at my aunt’s place in reno. places that aren’t too far out of the way.” but that was the drive to santa rosa, the one to seattle was further north and nowhere near either of those destinations. “usually i just look up pretty fields and decent restaurants within fifteen minutes of the highway. there isn’t much else that seems safe for me to do when i’m in the middle of nowhere all by myself.” she didn’t get nervous, but she also wasn’t trying to tempt fate. 

        “ YOU MEMORIZED IT ? ”   he laughs at the amount of effort she’s put into that.   “ so when you’re drunk, do you still remember it though ?   i feel like if you’re really trashed, there’s no way you remember that. ”   although it’s no secret elliot’s smarter than caden.  her push causes him to be pushed away for a moment, snorting at the strength the small girl has in her shoulder alone.   “ okay, my bad. ”  caden doesn’t care about semantics, sorry elliot. he’ll definitely text her once and awhile over the summer, because they are friends and it would be rude not to.   “ your brother’s name is forrest ? ”   he lets out a laugh,   “ like forrest gump ? ”   sorry, that’s not relevant. caden clears his throat.   “ that’s fun, though. i love a good wedding. ”   hasn’t actually been to one in ages, and was a little offended when he wasn’t invited to be noah’s date to aylin’s dad’s wedding. it’s fine.   “ are you gonna stay in new york afterwards ? ”   he asks, not sure when exactly her internship ends in comparison to the semester starting.   “ as a groomsmaid, do you wear a dress or a tux ? ”   important questions. shaking his head as she explains her things, caden decides it’s probably best if he doesn’t comment on them.   “ yeah, lucy doesn’t love hers either. she’s really good in the car anyway, so doesn’t really need it. i rather just throw her in a bag. ”   she’s small enough and doesn’t mind being transported like groceries.   “ five times, holy shit. you have to be a pro by the drive by now. ”   it’s a little sad, only because after doing the drive four times already, on the fifth it must not be anything special. caden’s always wanted to do a full tour of america drive, so he’s been looking really forward to his. he remembers her mentioning the grand canyon, which is already on his list, but the rest of them don’t hold much interest for him.   “ how far is reno from vegas again ?   noah and i are going on a cross country road trip this summer -- well, i don’t know if it’s cross country per say. we’re still figuring out where we wanna stop. ”   i’m so sorry elliot. speaking of noah, he should probably start looking for her again.   “ we should probably get back inside, ”   he sighs, knowing he’s going to miss the cool virginia night, and he’ll miss being able to talk like this with elliot all summer. 

[cadenlucca]

levimadden​:

“It’s fine, I knew that already. Not that it helps.” Every time he sees her, it’s like a wound ripped open again, a wound that never actually healed. “I won’t.” Now that’s a big ass lie, because they’ve already kissed, confessed their feelings to each other. Except, despite the feeling that they just broke up (when they weren’t even dating), he doesn’t regret this. And now he’s sitting here, ordering a glass of straight vodka, because that’s what that moment needs. Levi isn’t on planning on telling Caden any of this. “Long enough? You’re still in your honeymoon phase. She’s bound to find out you’re boring.”

       “ JUST SAY THE WORD AND I’LL WINGMAN YOU TONIGHT, ”   he offers with a small smirk,  ( mostly )  kidding. not because caden doesn’t want it, but because he knows levi will probably be too in his feels to take him up on it.   “ dude, it’ll be six months next month. how is that still the honeymoon phase ? ”   not that he knows anything about how long relationships are supposed to last.

[cadenlucca]

rowanendsley​:

“i do,” she tells him, nodding her head. “it’s an apartment in north greenwich. definitely a step up from a gallagher dormitory.” cora had helped her find a few places, mainly because she couldn’t ask dimitri for help, given that he lived in dc. “you say that as if i will never be back to america,” she teased. “but the fourth of july was my father’s favorite holiday. it wouldn’t be too much to stay.” 

       “ NOT EXACTLY HARD TO DO, ”   he laughs, and for a moment caden feels bitter that so many of his friends are graduating this year, and in september he’ll be stuck returning to the same school with the same four-to-a-room dorms. caden’s going to be turning twenty-five this year ;   some of his friends are proposing to their girlfriends. and here’s caden, living in a dorm still.   “ you gotta stay for it, then, ”   he tells her, nodding his head.   “ what did you and your dad used to do for the fourth ? ”

[cadenlucca]

harperkent​:

“But you also deserve something.” It was quiet, what she said, quiet and rushed. As if she didn’t want him to hear it. As if she didn’t want to bring up how it wasn’t just her who went through a lot but also Caden. They both lost someone important to them, so they both deserved something. Too bad she couldn’t give him anything, what would you even give a guy who almost had everything? Harper didn’t know. “I’m heading home for a bit before going back to D.C. But by the end of July, I’m moving out and heading to New York.” 

        CADEN THROWS HIS HANDS TO THE SIDE, motioning to the party around them.   “ what, you mean like beyonce ? ”   he smiles, because really, he’s in no room to complain.   “ plus i got to see you again, which is always nice. it’s good to see you, ”   caden adds, in case that wasn’t clear. never did he expect gallagher to let the georgetown students back on campus, but he hadn’t realized how much he truly missed her until she was coercing him into taking pictures of her.   “ no shit ?   that’s awesome, i love new york. what’ll you be doing ? ”

[cadenlucca]

bcketts​:

– ALLIE SMILES WEAKLY IN RESPONSE TO CADEN’S ADVICE. “ i’m not sure that’s such a good idea, i mean…we don’t have the best track record for just saying hi, ” allie admits, because she’s sure caden is aware of how d.c. went down. “ besides, it is his big night. i wouldn’t want to keep him away from all of you guys, but…you can tell him i said congratulations. ” graduating from gallagher is a pretty big achievement, though she’s sure it was no sweat for levi. she’s still thinking about him traversing the world, saving hostages…probably in a suit, too, handsome as ever. she wishes it was easier to daydream about without feeling so out of place in his life. “ okay, good. i’m glad, ” allie smiles slightly, though she can’t imagine that imogen WON’T be affected by seeing caden tonight, and she’s the person who will talk about it with her in the aftermath. it’s hard not to be protective of her after they’ve both lost so much. “ oh, awesome ! ” allie’s smile is genuine, she’s not one to harp on people in a healthy relationship, even if she has her reservations about caden. “ how did you meet ? ” she loves a good love story. 

        CADEN FINDS IT HARD TO BELIEVE that they’ll be able to dodge each other for the entire night without at least saying hi, but he won’t burst allie’s bubble, even if his disagreement is clear on his face when he nods.   “ whatever you say, ”   he says, thinking that levi deserves someone who’d actually give him the time of day. there’s a certain irony that comes with allie being protective of imogen, and caden being protective of levi. the blonde’s question makes him chuckle for a moment, because he’s never actually been asked about their story before.   “ ah, we were friends for a long time. well, since my first year at gallagher. ”   y’know, last year.   “ we’ve been dating since december. ”   definitely will not tell imogen’s best friend that their story technically started in the summer. 

[cadenlucca]

noahwxrd​:

“Potato potahto, Lucca,” she argues, and will not clarify any further because she thinks that argument is strong enough on its own! And she reaches to touch the necklace. “Just friends,” she repeats, making a face like he’s right. She’s only teasing him at this point, just because his reaction is funny, especially when he just admitted that they weren’t just friends back then. “Try to find? You don’t know where they are?” Her jaw drops, she looks like the Pikachu meme. “Caden! Those are one of the most important things in our Disney trip. Anyway, we’re getting new ones, too. Like a souvenir of sorts, you know. Of course! That goes without saying.” She moves her fingers gently in his hair as she talks. “I will make another one! My skills in videomaking are, like, much better now.” They are still the exact same. “I’m excited for our trip.” She leans up and presses her lips to his. Excited is an understatement. She still watches that video every now and then. Last summer had been one of the most memorable times in her entire life and those memories had been shared with Caden. “Maybe I’ll let you appear a few minutes or something,” she teases. “Do you mean you don’t like sober Noah?” Another Pikachu meme face. She laughs when he pulls away and she reaches for him again wrapping her arms around his waist and looking at him like he’s the only thing in this world. “If we miss Beyonce, it might be the end of our relationship, Caden. Just sayin’,” she jokes. With that, she takes his hand, intertwining their fingers together and giving his hand a gentle squeeze and moving to walk out of the room back to the ballroom.

        CADEN MAKES A FACE RIGHT BACK AT HER, childish and stupid, because at this point the status of their relationship last summer is thankfully something they can laugh about. nobody would’ve been laughing back in october.   “ they’re important, but not important enough to wear again ?   okay, ”   he scoffs, though it’s clear he’s just playing.   “ i’m picking them out this time around, though. i don’t want anything too girly like last time. ”   last time they had been to disney it had been for her birthday, so he had let her walk all over him with whatever she wanted. this time... just kidding, he’ll still let her walk all over him.   “ i’m excited too, ”   caden smiles at her, and it doesn’t matter if she means disney or the road trip, because he’s looking forward to both. with how much time they spend together, it’ll probbaly be weirder when they’re separated, while he’s out in new york with levi.   “ you’re so dramatic, you know that’s not what i meant, ”   he rolls his eyes, bringing his fingers to the bottom of her chin so he can close her pikachu jaw drop.   “ i couldn’t agree more. ”   noah’s not the only one looking forward to seeing beyonce -- even caden as taste. 

[cadenlucca]

rubymeriwether​:

Against all odds, a weak semblance of a laugh escapes her, and she wonders how he can be so casual about it. But then he says family, and her heart squeezes in her chest, frown pressed tight together to keep from crying as she nods in return to him. “Yeah,” Ruby answers quietly, voice hoarse. “We’re family.” She tries to take a steady breath, though it’s hard. She remembers that she hadn’t told him everything— hell, she’d barely talked to him in the last month and she’d tried to play off what had happened in D.C. like it was no big deal. Now she has to explain both what she hadn’t before, and how wrong she’d been. “Last time… in D.C., there was this man who attacked me and Ophelia and P.J., he tried to take her, and I was… I was so convinced it was about Ophelia, I mean he went for her, he grabbed her,” Ruby explained with growing frustration, needing him to understand that she hadn’t just been blind. But that intensity leaves her just a quickly to remember where she’d fit the pieces together incorrectly. “But I was wrong. It was a mistake. A-And yesterday, I was in Roseville and he came back for me, and I—” Her words hitched for a second, and she has to take another breath. “…He killed Hughes. And he shot Grayson. And I had his gun in my hands and I… I was going to kill him,” Ruby said weakly, but with no room for error in her voice, clear and absolute even in its fragility. She wears a faraway expression that hardly budges as she recollects the memory and the feeling of it all, though her eyes sting. “I thought things could be so simple… I thought you could just choose to be a good person, and that was it. You do the work, you do the right thing, and you just choose good.” Ruby’s vision blurs. “And then I thought this man was going to take away the only the only boy I’ve ever loved, and right or wrong didn’t matter anymore, and I put my finger on the trigger, and I swear to god, Caden… I was going to kill him.” Silently, as her head shakes slightly, small tears fall from her lower lashes and she finally looks back to him again. “And then I couldn’t even do that.”

        HE OFFERS HER A SMALL SMILE WHEN SHE CALLS THEM FAMILY, reaching out to push some hair lightly out of her face. caden’s not surprised to hear that whatever this is is linked to when she had been attacked a few weeks back, but it does make his whole body stiffen as he listens to her explain everything. eyebrows push together when she talks about the murder of hughes, because caden has no idea who that is. he tries to meet her eye, to silently bring any sort of comfort to her, but it’s chilling the way she looks right past him, stuck in her memory. all he wants to do is pull her in for another hug, where he doesn’t have to worry about her getting hurt or having to struggle with morality with a weapon in her hands. it’s more than caden had ever had to worry about, because while he had played a part in the murder of cecil lefebvre, it had never been his intention :   get in a few punches, a few bruises, and leave the man there to rot in prison for the rest of his life. but he knows now the weight that hangs heavy on his heart from what had happened instead, so caden’s biggest takeaway from ruby’s story is how GRATEFUL he is that she hadn’t pulled the trigger.   “ you know you’re a good person, ”   he tells her, shoulder brushing against hers a little playfully. if ruby meriwether isn’t a good person, god help the rest of humanity.   “ honestly, ruby, it would’ve been easier to kill the bastard. the fact that you wouldn’t, ”   not couldn’t, because ruby knows how to shoot a gun,   “ says a lot. ”   if caden had been in her shoes, he would’ve killed the guy, no question. whether he regretted it later would remain to be seen.   “ he’s in jail now ? ”   he asks, because of course he wants to focus on ruby’s safety out of everything.   “ are you still in danger ? ” 

[cadenlucca]

Sean Teale via Instagram on his birthday.

[cadenlucca]

thrill-cfthechase​:

“you’re not that drunk, you can’t think of an example because they don’t exist.” at least, he didn’t seem that drunk. “well-” now that he mentioned it, a part of elliot was curious as to what caden crying looked like. but she didn’t actually want him to feel bad, that much was true. “i mean, yeah, i guess not.” she shrugged as if she weren’t sure, but quickly followed it with a smile. “i wouldn’t say i beat most of them up, but they did get punched.” okay, maybe a few got beaten up. she was glad that he seemed in support of it, and then she remembered the cecil tape and beating up people who deserved it definitely seemed like something he would get behind. “yeah, it’s… it’s good.” she smiled back at him, and though she knew it was practically nothing to him, it meant everything to her. elliot wasn’t sure of how to let that go. “yeah, of course.” she appreciated the thought, but she knew she wouldn’t be calling or texting him to bitch about her dad. she wouldn’t call or text at all. she couldn’t, if only for her own sanity. she needed to cleanse caden lucca from her system and pray that when they came back in august and she saw his stupid smirk again that it wouldn’t make her feel this way anymore. “yeah, with them, and my sister-in-law.” not all of her friends listened to her closely and she appreciated that he really did. she was more open with him than she was with most people, and he seemed to understand that. she wasn’t sure how open with her he was, but he seemed to trust her, and that was something. “well, yeah, it would be easier. but i can’t fit all my worldly possessions on a plane.” she smiled, aware that he knew full well that her possessions were far from worldly. elliot almost asked him about what he was doing for the summer but remembered that it would involve noah and decided to keep her mouth shut. she didn’t know that the two of them were going on a cross country road trip, and i really hope that if she finds out it’s when she’s in a better place mentally. “plus spruce has never been on a plane, and i have a feeling he would hate it.” to be fair, spruce hated most things. “it’s not that bad, i’m used to it.” elliot wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. she had spent the latter half of her childhood all alone, and sometimes she still felt that way. she would definitely feel somewhat alone next year with so few friends left at gallagher, but she’d be fine.

       “ SURE I AM. you don’t know how much i’ve had to drink. don’t ask me to recite the alphabet backwards, because i wouldn’t be able to do it. too drunk. ”   unfortunately for elliot, caden is a beautiful crier. at least, he thinks so. he thinks he’s beautiful no matter what he does.   “ you guess that you don’t want to see me cry ? ”   he takes a dramatic huff of air, glancing away and looking at the sky, as if tears were going to spring any moment. maybe he IS a little too drunk right now.   “ it’s fine, i’m fine. ”   dramatic ass. naturally, it doesn’t like long, and caden laughs.   “ elliot chase, turning people into punching bags since the 90s. ”   he wouldn’t expect anything less from her. if you say one more time that elliot thinks it means nothing to him i swear to god zee. honestly, caden’s never been very good at keeping in touch with people over the summer ;   much of his life has been very  ‘ out of sight, out of mind. ’  ( maybe he learned that from his father. )  but this summer will really be the first time since enrolling in gallagher that he won’t see most of his gallagher friends for longer than a month, and there’s nothing like spending time with the same people non-stop for nearly two years for the alternative to sound pretty crazy. he’ll at least try to make an effort with elliot when he can -- maybe invite her to levi’s hamptons house if she’s in the area when they are  ( she won’t be ) -- but if she’s not going to answer him... that’s another story.   “ right. are you gonna get to see your other brother this summer ? ”   he asks, because he remembers she has two, not a soccer team’s amount.   “ do you have a lot of worldly possessions ? ”   caden chuckles, though if they can all fit in her car, that’s already a no to him.   “ alright, fair. i don’t think i’d ever subject lucy to having to fly. haven’t dogs suffocated to death from being stored with the suitcases ? ”   there’s no way he’d ever let lucy out of his sight, but unfortunately she’s a little too big to fit in a small carry-on.   “ how many times have you done the drive ?   do you have usual stops you take ? ”   since he’s currently been looking for stops to make on his road trip with noah.

[cadenlucca]

rubymeriwether​:

Ruby still can’t bring herself to look at him, guilt holding her down, and she feels like the child she’s always feared she is for choosing to stay hidden in an embrace she doesn’t deserve. “You can’t— You can’t just forgive me like that, Caden,” she hiccups. “I was awful to you. I was supposed to be your friend,” Ruby says between the tears, and a part of this refusal to accept it is due to what she knows about herself now. “I missed you too,” she mumbles, and the words make her slowly lift her head up to him, because he needs to know that she means it. “I was…” she starts, staring up at him with wavering eyes, trying to pull at the memory from last night like it can be distilled into once sentence, like it isn’t the worst thing she’s felt in her whole life. And it all comes wrapped in fear and trauma and helplessness and the horrifying certainty that in that moment, Ruby had made a choice she’d thought she never could. Her breath stills slightly, sobs quieting as she gathers the strength to speak again. “…I almost killed someone yesterday,” Ruby whispers finally, the words barely audible, eyes filled with trembling trepidation to tell him the truth. All that time she’d spent turning a cold shoulder, angry with him for treating her like she was naive, like she didn’t know how the world really worked. And now here she stands, terrified of the way he might look at her, like she’s the disappointment now, like she’s exactly the person she’d made him apologize for becoming. But Caden hadn’t held that knife, and despite what had ended up happening, she’d meant to pull that trigger.

        “ ALRIGHT, YOU WEREN’T THAT BAD, ”   he smirks slightly, trying to make light of the situation.   “ i mean, for you it was pretty surprising. but as far as temper tantrums go, that was a three at best. ”   if she’s looking for him to show the slightest annoyance towards her in order to move on, they’re going to be here awhile.   “ hey, we’re family, ”   caden reminds her, when she finally looks up and he can meet her eye.   “ i don’t know much about the whole sibling thing, but i imagine you and your sisters must fight and say some things you wish you could take back, right ?   it’s like that. you have nothing to be sorry for. ”   what he DOESN’T expect is her admission, so quiet that it takes caden a moment to realize what exactly she had said.   “ what ? ”   there’s disbelief in his tone, before his eyes cloud over with worry.   “ are you alright ?   who hurt you ? ”   it’s then that he realizes she’s come here alone, without her tall, blonde shadow. caden looks around the orchard anxiously, wondering if someone’s watching them without him knowing. 

[cadenlucca]

harperkent​:

“No,” she said quickly. “I’ll take it, it’s just–” It felt weird, getting so much money from Caden which was so dumb to her. She always received money from Levi and Rafa gave her money for a plane ticket to France– this shouldn’t be any different. Just this time, it came more from the heart than the other two. Which probably made her feel like crap. She could spend time thinking about why, pouring and musing over each and every thought, but she didn’t have time for that. Nor did she want to. Why potentially hurt yourself with thoughts that will make you feel like shit later? It wasn’t worth it, not one bit. “Thank you, Caden, really,” Harper finally said, bringing the card close to her chest. “I don’t think I deserve it but thanks either way.” 

        CADEN OFFERS HER A SMILE AS HE GLANCES DOWN AT HER, pleased that she wasn’t going to fight him on it.   “ please, it’s the least you deserve, ”   he shakes his head. need he remind her about last year ?   “ what’s your plan for after graduation ?   are you staying in dc ? ”   part of him wonders if he’ll see her again after tonight ;   things might have gotten a little awkward after the last time they had seen each other  ( especially considering he got a girlfriend not long after that ) . 

[cadenlucca]

riaflicke​:

“And by then, hopefully, I’ll be six feet under. I don’t know what your point is.” Jaw set and she smacked his shoulder, “Rude. You should be talking, Caden. We’re basically the same age.” If she remembered their earlier conversations well enough, or maybe she was telling herself what she wanted to hear. “And you look old too.” Hmph. “Okay, fine, I’ll ask her and report back.” Ria rolled her eyes, he should have known that Levi was the last person on earth that she wanted to hear about. “Wow, these are some big words, I’m so proud…” And he wasn’t wrong. Clearly she’d let her guard down with him more than she noticed. “Oh, definitely. Definitely. You could tell me you were into guys and it wouldn’t be a surprise.” Need she remind him of the number of times he asked about Alex? “Chilling where?” Curious if she wanted it to be on her list of places to visit. “Floating around, you know? Nowhere in particular. No home base.”

        “ I’M NOT THE ONE TRYING TO BE AN INFLUENCER, ”   he shrugs.   “ and besides, we’re talking about appearance, not age. ”   he might look older than his actual age, but caden doesn’t really think it’s a bad thing. when the time comes for him to be old, he’ll probably be a silver fox.   “ whatever you say, ”   caden says, unfazed.   “ please don’t, i don’t actually care about cori’s sex life. ”   he doesn’t actually care about whether ria thinks he looks gay or not, he realizes, because it’s an answer he doesn’t like.   “ i think it’s just because i’m hot, actually. some people mistake knowing how to dress for being... you know. ”   he’ll just keep digging his grave.   “ uh, i think new york with madden ?   haven’t fully figured it out yet. usually we go to his place in the hamptons. ”   he can understand a summer with no home base -- caden invented it -- which means he also gets why she’d do that.   “ got any dope trips planned ? ”