ofthxrns

[ofthxrns]

eyebrows raised at the mention of gummy bears. "gummy bears with ice cream?" lucas chuckled, clapping a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing the skin nervously. "i didn't realise i was hanging out with some kind of psychopath." he laughed again, then directed his gaze to the ice cream bar. "there's too much choice. i see the m&ms, hundreds and thousands, and all the sauces. how am i supposed to not get everything?" lucas was indecisive at the best of times, but this was ridiculous.

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME. Life was just long tv shows with commercial breaks --- and she enjoyed those breaks, like this one where she found herself giggling with delight. "I don't know about you but I want a mountain of gummy bears on mine." Her ice cream, she meant as they neared the ice cream bar. "What about you?"

[ofthxrns]

lucas gave a quick shake of his head as soon as she spoke, dismissing her apology. "you don't need to apologise, it's okay." the auburn haired young wolf offered another small, comforting, smile. "it doesn't matter anymore, i.. i'm more concerned about you. about.. what's going on with you." he sighed, frowning a little. he realised that they'd only known each other for a short amount of time, but that didn't stop him from wanting to help the girl. he didn't enjoy seeing anyone down in the dumps, much less someone that he cared about, like lizzie. besides.. he much preferred when she smiled.

Lizzie was trying so hard not to remember the events of the past few days yet all she could do was replay them over in her head. It did make her wonder how much she had changed the future. And then how much Hope had changed the future, it was pretty easy for her to keep wandering off with her thoughts. As the other spoke she finally snapped out of it. Letting out a sigh. ''Yeah...sorry, i've just not slept much these past few days so my minds all over the place. What were you saying?'' she offered a soft smile, at least he was one of the good things to come out of this whole thing. But she didn't want to get too attached because who knew when she'd have to just go.

[ofthxrns]

[ crying ] sender finds receiver crying @scotted

with knuckles bruised, coated in blood that wasn't his own, lucas sobbed. knees were pulled up against his chest, tear stained eyes looking down on the aftermath of his outburst. the young wolf didn't know what had happened but.. he just lost it. some guy was being a little too overbearing, and he was pushing every single one of lucas' buttons. he just snapped, punched him once, twice, then again and again until the other man's blood coated his hands. anger had never been an issue for the auburn haired young male, not until his transition. a familiar scent found his senses, and he quickly snapped his head up, seeing exactly who he needed to in that moment. "scott.." he gave another pained sob, then pushed himself up from his feet, damn near launching himself into the other male's grasp.

[ofthxrns]

no matter what was happening around them, there was a moment where lucas wanted nothing more than to make whatever she was feeling go away. his usual nervous exterior wasn't there, his shy nature had disappeared and the only thing on at the forefront was his concern for her. hands moved to her face, cupping her cheeks gently, a soft whisper telling her to breathe. he remembered something scott had taught him, that they could take pain away from a person. he wondered what would happen if he tried that on lizzie's panic. taking a breath, he figured he may as well try. he felt his own panic rise, and knew it was working. a smile, then a sigh of content as the feelings passed. the stammered question had lucas' nerves returning, but his hands remained firmly glued to her face. "i.. i'm not sure." thumb passed over the apple of her cheek. "are you alright?" there it was again, concern.

[GROUND]: during a moment of intense emotional stress, the sender gently takes the receiver's face in their hands to ground them until they're calmer again. ft. @ofthxrns

Lizzie was panicking in every way possible, her sister wasn't here, hope wasn't listening, how was she supposed to fix all of this on her own? It was eating at her, all of it and it was becoming hard to breathe. Everything was a blur, until she felt his hands cup her face. Everything seemed to stop, just for that moment. Her breath began to slow and become back to normal again her tear filled eyes finding his as she let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. ''H-how did you do that?'' she quizzed, he hadn't done much but the touch alone was enough to calm her in that moment and for that she was grateful.

[ofthxrns]

[ panic ] sender helps receiver through a panic attack ft. @blondegemini

it had been a while since lucas had felt as though he was losing control, but with the ever increasing reports of animal attacks, he was becoming more and more on edge. so, today was the day he finally lost it. panic wracked his entire body, his nerves were shot and he could barely contain his emotions, nor the signs of the wolf. fingers flexed, breath was haggard and his heartbeat rang in his ears. sweat settled on his brow, his chest aching as he tried to catch his breath. a small part of his training rang true in his mind, for only a split second. then, lucas was reaching out for the blonde's hand, needing something to ground himself. two fingers pressed to her wrist, eyes squeezing tightly shut as he began to count the beats of lizzie's heart. eyes flicked open for a moment, revealing golden hues to her, before he quickly shut them again, his grasp on her wrist tightening a little.

[ofthxrns]

he's a 10 but too adorable for his own good

nose wrinkles and cheeks tinge pink, proving their point.

[ofthxrns]

ft. @prctectrice

eyes flick right, then left, glistening with mischief. "are you thinking what i'm thinking?"

[ofthxrns]

ft. @wildmalia

"it's okay to lean on others for support occasionally, you know." lucas had been getting better at reading people, and he could tell that malia was going through something. he wanted to be there for her as she had for him.

[ofthxrns]

ft. @blondegemini

"you okay? caught you staring off into space again.." there was a slight frown of concern, followed by a soft, hopefully comforting, smile.

[ofthxrns]

hands raised defensively as the woman quipped in response. "oh, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to make assumptions." he then followed her gaze, humming softly. "what have you observed so far? anything juicy?" lucas asked, arching a brow as a slight smile crossed his face. @sirendancer

a small hum passed through the raven haired woman's lips, eyes shifting to find the source of the voice. "who say's i'm bored?" she challenged, an eyebrow raising at his suggestion. "maybe i'm just people watching." // @ofthxrns

[ofthxrns]

"i wouldn't say forced, that feels a little too strong. my mom loves immersing herself in town culture, and making sure that everyone knows who she is.." lucas chuckled, a hand then combing back through auburn locks. "and.. i just really like seeing her happy. she loves events like this, so me being super selfless and the best son ever, offered to help." he smiled. his smile only widened as she agreed to take a break, thankful that she agreed. if she hadn't, lucas would likely have just gone to grab her a coffee and a snack anyway. "coffee definitely works miracles, so i don't doubt that it'll make everything feel a little better. plus, you have me to help you out now. so, chill." the young wolf laughed. "c'mon." he gave her a light nudge, then began to lead her in the direction of the nearest food stand. "are you feeling something sweet or savoury?" @littlemissr3d

''Did your mom force you to do all this kind of stuff as well? don't get me wrong I love it i'll help her anyway I can but this has just drained me trying to make it the best possible event for her.'' A sigh passing her lips. She'd heard of the founding families in Mystic falls and how they were the main sources of the events. A smile lacing her lips as he placed the gifts down in a perfect manor even arranging them perfectly, it made Lydia happy that he was organised considering she'd had to fix everyone else's donations today. ''Oh and snack and a coffee sounds great. Hopefully that'll wake me up a little so I can finish sorting things out.''

[ofthxrns]

lucas laughed as jessica spoke, then wrinkled his nose a little, shrugging his shoulders. "eh, i hope so. my mom is amazing. making her proud would, well, it'd just be the best.." he chuckled, feeling a deep red blush then creep up onto his face, feeling a slight tinge of embarrassment settle in following his words. lucas noticed her fiddling with the fabric of her dress then smiled again. mustering the courage, he then spoke. "you uh.. you look.. really pretty.. by the way." he quickly averted his eyes, nerves flooding to the surface, wondering if perhaps the comment had been a little too forward. he was entirely new to this, to actually going out of his way to make friends. ever since the accident, he'd kept to himself, and pushed everyone else away. he didn't have any friends back home, but this time he'd promised his mom that he'd try. his smile widened as she spoke, agreeing to explore the mansion with him. "i know! i bet they have some super rare art or something stashed away. these folks look RICH RICH." lucas chuckled. then, without thinking, he grabbed jessica's hand and began to damn near drag her in the direction of the grand stair case. @wishfullynaive

it appeared they had more in common than she thought , their parents appeared high maintenance, but she would not change a thing. she knew her parents cared about her , but were more so these days with animal attacks on the rise , and their new knowledge on the supernatural beings that lurked the town. " it's nice that you are so close , i am sure she is very proud of you. " she smiled gleefully , playing with the fabric on her dress. she knew things were uncertain, but in truth , the new acquired knowledge had been pushed to the back of her mind , almost choosing not to think of it , hoping it would disappear. she smiled as he agreed, a excited nod given in return. " definitely , i'm intrigued to see what they have hidden in this place , it's H U G E , imagine what mysteries are hidden! "

[ofthxrns]

disappearing into the background all evening had been pretty easy for lucas. he'd taken the chance to explore the manor and the grounds. it was all incredible, yet he was still slightly taken aback by the grand spectacle. stepping up to the bar, lucas grabbed himself a coke, then turned to see the brunette. "you know, coming here wasn't mandatory, right?" the young wolf spoke, nose wrinkling a little. "you uh.. just look kinda bored is all." @sirendancer

the looks were unsurprising, she had been long accustomed to such things, but clad in black whilst surrounded by white and gold seemed poetically fitting. with a roll of her eyes she brought her glass to her lips, taking a large swig of the drink as someone announced yet another dance was starting.

[ofthxrns]

relief washes over lucas as scott agrees to help him. a smile, with softened eyes is offered in the other's direction. the reassuring words he gave had lucas' nerves slowly beginning to sink to the back of his mind. his anxiety seemed to drift away too, at least for now. lucas follows, allowing scott to take the lead and direct him away from prying eyes and ears. he shakes his head. "there's.. my half sister. luna. i didn't know that she was too but, i found out recently and.." pauses and scratches the back of his head awkwardly, sighing deeply. "not bitten, no.." lucas' brows furrowed, the nerves returning. "my dad.. he uh.. our family is.. cursed." he'd only found all this out recently, and he was pretty sure that even his mother had no idea what his father was - it's not like he could just go ask her, 'oh hey mom, did you know dad was a werewolf? guess what, i'm one too!'. @scotted

wolf stuff. scott's lips part in a soundless oh as lucas continues, heart squeezing sympathetically. remembers how awful it used to be, being young and new to it all and incredibly, horribly clueless. " yeah. wow, yeah, that's ... really rough. especially when you don't have any idea what you are before it happens. of course i can help. " he's been keeping his voice low, but glances around anyway, conscious of their environment. ends up stepping around the desk, hand remaining on lucas' shoulder even as he steers him toward the door. " let's talk. i'm guessing you don't know anyone else like us ? other than malia. or who might have turned you ? were you ever ... " hesitates to ask if he's been attacked, but ... " bitten ? "

[ofthxrns]

teeth captured his bottom lip, cheeks rouging as he met the gaze of the blonde, nerves rising. he tried to think of something other than the feeling of her lips against his but, it was proving difficult. especially when she looked so breathtaking. with his gaze focused on hers, he saw her eyes moved over him, taking in the sight of him all suited and booted. if his cheeks could darken, they did. fingers kept toying with the tip of his tie, something to keep his hands and mind focused on something other than the blonde. as she twirled, showing him the full look, lucas exhaled deeply, brows raising. "you're.. stunning." he spoke without thinking, then quickly coughed in hope of covering up the statement. a, slightly clammy, hand clapped to the back of his neck, and he rubbed the skin. "dance? oh- i uh.. i- wouldn't want to step on your toes. i've never really been much of a dancer." nose wrinkled, clammy hands being wiped on his suit jacket, a conscious sign that he at least wanted to try to dance, for her. how lucas had ended up in this situation, he had no idea. @blondegemini

Lizzie smiled as she heard the males voice, the familiar sound of it took her back to a few days ago when she kissed a stranger under the mistletoe. ''That's one way to put it, anyone who's able to pull this off either has too much time on their hands, too much money or both.'' she shrugged, her eyes looking him up and down. He looked very handsome all scrubbed up in his suit. A smile lacing her lips as he spoke, somehow his words made her nervous and she was unsure why she didn't like the feeling it was odd. ''Thank you..it was my mothers. I decided to pull it out of the woodworks for this evening.'' she gave him a little twirl. ''I'm glad you like it- you don't look too bad yourself in your suit.'' she paused for a moment thinking before holding her hand out. ''Can you dance? Lets dance?''

[ofthxrns]

listening as she speaks, lucas then slowly nods his head. he understands completely. his mother had tried so hard to be a crucial part of the mystic falls community, and she succeeded. but, that in turn meant that he had to at least try to be semi-present there too. it was easier when he was a child, he didn't really have a choice or struggle with such things as social anxiety. he cared less. when he lost his best friend, everyone's opinions changed of him anyway. he was seen as damaged, fragile. which of course he was but.. it was almost as though they would walk on egg shells when speaking to him. perhaps that's why begin in beacon hills felt so right. it was.. a fresh start. "ah, i don't mind so much. my mom loves these events, and seeing her happy is just the best." he chuckles, realising how corny that may sound. oblivious to the nerves that plagued the girl when faced by him, lucas continued to grow more comfortable around her with every passing word she spoke. "a walk? sure, of course. wanna explore the mansion with me?" the auburn haired young wolf asked with a smile. @wishfullynaive

in this moment , jessica could not help but stare , the world passing her for a moment. lips parted , a rather lost expression on her face before she realised she was staring. she exhaled, hoping to hide the evident blush on her face with a sheepish smile. she had not seen lucas much , but of what she had she had enjoyed his presence. she was doing her best to make friends , doing a poor attempt at such but with lucas , it felt simple , at ease , no expectations. she enjoyed the feeling he presented her with. " you and me both , events li this make my head go , i don't know , almost as if the social expectations become to much and i zone out. " she realised she was rambling again, shaking her head. her gaze moved to the mistletoe , fixating on it. she wants to kiss him , but it wouldn't be appropriate ( though this does not stop her gaze falling to his lips for a moment ). " mothers always have good intentions , but often, we get dragged into it , though , least you have escaped it all even for a little while. " she beamed , gnawing down on her bottom lip. " do you fancy joining me on a walk ? least we can avoid social expectations for a while. "

[ofthxrns]

as the redhead began to settle, apologising as she did, lucas quickly shook his head and gave her a slight, hopefully comforting, half smile. "no need to apologise honestly, i understand that feeling completely. back in mystic falls my mom was the same kinda deal as yours is here." well, not exactly the same. it wasn't like he was part of one of the founding families, so that didn't make them THAT important. though that certainly didn't stop his mother from trying to be. lucas could see the exhaustion written all over lydia's face, and his brows furrowed. he did as instructed and placed the armful of gifts in the sleigh, making sure to arrange them perfectly beside the rest. he then offered a gloved hand to lydia. "c'mon, you look like you could use a break. lets go get you a snack and a coffee." @littlemissr3d

Lydia hadn't realised she was going a thousand miles an hour and nobody else was. The stress of trying to make everything perfect was getting to her. She took a nice deep breath as he spoke trying to calm herself down. ''Sorry...'' she trailed off continuing to keep taking deep breaths. ''I didn't mean to go so fast, I sometimes forget not everyone can keep up. I'm fine honestly I just needed everything to be perfect for my mother.'' she gave a soft smile before plonking herself down on a nearby chair. ''You can put those over to the left, you've really pushed the boat out there's going to be some very happy kids.'