somethingbcrrowed

[somethingbcrrowed]

Striking green eyes lined in black flickered to find the source of the question and when they landed on someone legitimately attractive a small smile formed on his lips.

Usually that particular bar was a bit of a loss when it came to genuine 'hotties', but then, he was used to the guys walking around in 2019. Or at least he had been before he'd found that fucking briefcase... He turned to face the younger man properly as a hand with long slender fingers adorned with various rings and black-polished nails slid a Zippo lighter across the two feet of bartop between them. The dogtags that hung on a chain around his neck were barely visible beneath his shirt collar. "Sure do, but I'm gonna need it back. Sentimental value," he said, that small little smile still present and getting wider the longer he looked at the guy, not hiding the somewhat flirtatious nature of his gaze. "You got a name?" He asked as he proceeded to retrieve his own cigarette, the flash of a tattoo on either palm just visible as he lifted his cigarette pack from the bar and plucked a smoke from it.

[somethingbcrrowed]

forced proximity prompts

“i’ve never noticed how nice your voice sounds up close.”

“this might not be the best moment, but you smell really good.”

“here, let me hold onto you so we don’t get separated.”

“i’m really nervous.” “it’s okay. just focus on me, alright?”

“i promise i’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”

“i’m not sure if you’re aware, but your elbow is digging into my side.”

“we’re never telling anyone about this, understood?”

“i know you’re not a fan of close contact, but we don’t have much choice.”

“you’re not fine, you’re trembling. let me help you, please.”

[somethingbcrrowed]

❛ do you wish i was different? ❜ / from V

Klaus stared at V like an idiot for several seconds before the smoke from the cigarette dangling from between his lips began to burn his nose.

He blinked the prickling of tears away and drew in a long drag of smoke before he brought two fingers up to pluck the cigarette from his lips, exhaling in the opposite direction of where V was sitting but still keeping his eyes fixated on them.

His face was drawn in, almost frowning but not quite.

"No," he said, a weird uneasy feeling settling in his stomach even though he didn't really understand why. "I don't wish you were different, V. I love you the way you are, I just wish..." He paused, thumb flicking the butt of his cigarette, the ashes scattering in the summer night breeze. He lifted the cigarette to his lips, but before he took another drag of it he said in a rush, quiet voice, "I just wish we could get the fuck outta here..."

[somethingbcrrowed]

❛ you don’t have to keep me company, i’m fine by myself. ❜

(@v011d - always accepting!)

"Yeah? Well, I'm NOT, so-- y'know-- just-- scootch over a liiiiiitle bit and--"

There's the sound of rustling fabric and the creak of stairs beneath rubber soles, accompanied by the sound of a metal cap unscrewing. Then he appears at Lupin's side, sitting down on the wooden stair just beneath the one the other is on. He holds out a silver flask, uncapped already, inky lines along that palm saying HELLO. A silent greeting, because he was never good at the simple shit.

[somethingbcrrowed]

"You don’t have to keep me company; I’m fine by myself." (from @muse-gathering [Five])

(@muse-gathering - always accepting!)

There's a snort of laughter, followed by a smirk as Klaus drapes himself across the sofa next to the armchair Five is currently sulking in. He lets out a soft sigh as his eyes find his brother, taking in the state of him before looking up at the ceiling. It's easier to talk to Five when he doesn't have to actually make eye contact with him.

"See, the thing about telling lies is, if you want people to believe you, you gotta actually sound convincing."

There's a beat of silence, and Klaus looks at Five anyway, the smirk having become a somewhat concerned glance.

"Seriously, man. No bullshit... You okay?"

[somethingbcrrowed]

❛ what are you so afraid of? ❜ ( lila )

(@untilthcyrot - always accepting!)

"How long ya got?" Klaus asks, without humor or sarcasm, at least none that Lila would be able to detect anyway. There's a cigarette hanging from between his lips, the smoke coiling up into the air as he draws in a hit and lets it out through his nose.

He doesn't wait for an answer.

"Look, Li', it's just-- it's complicated. M'kay? I don't really wanna get into it all right now..." The word 'complicated' tastes bitter on his tongue but he says it anyway. He knows she'll see through the lie but it's still an impulse to tell it, a survival skill ingrained in him since childhood. Complicated he can handle... it's the vulnerability bullshit that scares the hell out of him. Thanks, Reg.

[somethingbcrrowed]

"Yer welcome, DOLLFACE," he says.

"Thanks fer not crushin' the BOYS…"

The comment is distracted, because he isn't looking at her anymore. His eyes are moving to the bottle that sits, still full, near his foot and it takes less time to decide to reach down and grab it than it had for him to decide what shirt to wear that day.

The QUESTION she asks takes him by surprise, and both eyebrows lift as she waggles hers, feeling an odd sort of cold shiver roll down his spine. Smoke coils from between his opened lips as he exhales slowly, mouth agape. Maybe he SHOULD be worried about bodily molestation after all.

"UHHHHH," he starts, like a fucking idiot, his intoxicated brain faltering and trying to figure out exactly what she means by LOOSER BOUNDARIES because she can't actually mean what he thinks she means. Can she?

He stares at her until she looks at him again, the word PRUDE causing sharp exhale that sounds a lot like 'YEAHRIGHT', followed by a chuckle. He averts his gaze, looking toward the doorway before his eyes find hers again. He suddenly feels waaaaaay more sober than he did a few seconds ago.

"F'all bets're off, then, uhhh… WHAT BOUNDARIES?"

❝ Thank you for the SUPPORT. ❞

She'd tip the bottle in his direction in salute, the cigarette that she'd somehow held onto dangling from the corner of her mouth. She reaches up to remove it then and exchanges it for the neck of the bottle. She'd tip it back, taking a pull before she tips it back down with a gasping breath. It was unnecessary to be this GREEDY but she's so close to the right amount of drunk that she knows this'll do her JUST RIGHT. 

She slips her cigarette back into her mouth, her ash on the carpet. Why? Convenience for short, pettiness for long. She'd take a long drag, eyeing him from her cross-legged sitting position, fully facing him now. He's HANDSOME. Every Hargreeves man was which would explain their lack of BRAIN POWER. Still, not a bad trade-off for her. 

❝ So, if all bets are off, I'm going to guess LOOSER BOUNDARIES, YEAH? ❞

She WAGGLES her eyebrows as she takes another long pull, turning her head to close her eyes and exhale deeply through her nose. It felt nice, the rush of smoke. She knows her sinuses would suffer but, for now, it scratched the right itch in her brain. She'd turn back to him, eyeing him with an arched brow.

❝ Go on. Don't be a PRUDE. ❞

[somethingbcrrowed]

"It’s pronounced ‘thank you’." (from @muse-gathering [Five])

(@muse-gathering - always accepting!)

There were two beats of silence interrupted only by the slow, singular blink of his eyes just after Five spoke before his face melted into an overly dramatic expression of contemplation and realization both.

"Oooohhhhh! See, I was always under the impression that it was pronounced phonetically, y'know? The way it's spelled? Eff, you, see, kay, why, oh, you. Fuuuuuck. Youuuuu." He let out a sigh and shook his head, leaning back in the chair as if Five had just taught him something groundbreaking. "Turns out there's WAY more to the English language than I realized, huh?"

[somethingbcrrowed]

"HA!"

The bark of a laugh is genuine, and the expression on his face doesn't only suggest amusement- it suggests agreement and complicity. Burning, burying, hacking up into little pieces and dissolving with some kind of highly acidic compound-- it was all the same to him, though the last one was really fucking gross and he'd probably talk her out of it if she were any kind of serious.

Which he knew she wasn't.

"Hey, man, get in fuckin' line, a'right?" He says with a smirk on his face as he takes a drag of the cigarette between his fingers. The smoke comes out as he speaks, through nose and mouth alike. "F'you get a SWING at 'im, so do I. S'only fair, I had t'grow up with the ba--- EYY, THE FUCK'RE YA DOIN' THERE DOLLFACE??"

The question comes out shaking with laughter as she comes at him like a cat on all fours, and he leans back far into the backcushion of the sofa as both eyebrows lift. If she were literally anyone else, he'd think she was trying to flirt with him or something, but as it was he was more concerned about bodily harm than he was bodily molestation.

Green eyes follow her grasping hand and he lets out another delighted laugh when he realizes why she's practically on top of him, head falling back as the laughter echoes through the room.

Long fingers curl around the waistband of her jeans at her lower back, gripping tightly even as the laughter increases tenfold at the sight of her flopping over his lap in search of more alcohol. "You-- HAAAhahahahaaaa--- you-- you could've just fuckin' asked me ta get-- ta get it fer ya--HAAHAHAHAA!"

The laughter turns nearly HYSTERICAL as the liquor sloshes up the neck of the bottle and gets revenge on her for nearly bellyflopping on his family jewels, releasing her jeans so she can sit back. He's breathless, and tears are forming in his eyes as she's waving her arm around in displeasure and complaining about her ARMPIT. It takes longer than it should for him to be able to gather himself and speak again.

"Hahahaaaa oh man… MAN, could ya imagine f'anyone else 'ad SEEN that? I'd be th' one gettin' KILLED. Not that, y'know, it'd matter much…" Silence, then more giggling as he lifted his cigarette to his lips and drew in another hit.

She blinks, long and LAZY before she sidles in closer. She'd whisper as if the walls in the room would cry her deepest secrets to the entire house. 

❝ I want to KILL YOUR BROTHER and you don't have to ask which one. ❞

She smiles, crawling over him to reach for another one of his bottles. She was far from serious but, liquor did tend to loosen lips. She fumbles, trying to reach but not wanting to risk her BALANCE. She'd turn to tap his shoulder. 

❝ Don't let me fall, yeah? ❞

And she's flopping over him fully, fingers wrapping around the neck of a bottle. She tugs it up with a little too much force and liquor cascades down her forearm as it's sloshed around. She'd sit back, shaking her now wet arm in the air and wrinkling her nose at the sensation crawling along her skin. 

❝ Oh FUCK ME, it's gone down my armpit! ❞

[somethingbcrrowed]

Klaus smirks around the butt of the cigarette dangling from his lips as she leans in, and an eyebrow quirks upward as the HELLO palm falls to the cushion between them. He hasn't forgotten the Zippo, to the contrary- the closer she is the more likely he'll be able to snatch it from her if she decides to keep it. Ben had given him that lighter when they were only thirteen and call him sentimental but it had survived two apocalypses, three bouts of time travel and the fucking Vietnam War.

There was no way in Hell he was losing it to his brother's girlfriend.

The tip of his cigarette pressed against the glowing end of Lila's, his own black-lined eyes fixating on hers almost like he was daring her to be the first to look away. Drawing in an exaggerated pull, cheeks hollowing inward, the end of his cigarette ignites vibrant crimson that sends smoke into his lungs and back out through his nostrils.

Despite his cigarette being lit, he remains where he is and wiggles the fingers of the hand laying HELLO palm up against the leathery cushion.

"So…" His other hand lifts from the back of the sofa and plucks the cigarette from between his lips as he draws in another deep hit, the smoke once again billowing through his nostrils and even still he remains leaning forward. "What's got ya so eager ta pass out'n ferget this night ever happened, hm? Y'know.. 'sides the obvious."

He'd wait for her to hand the lighter over but, with MENACE in her eyes, she'd lean in, wanting to use her own cigarette to light his. Klaus' wine hadn't been her only sauce tonight it would seem as mischief lines her face. 

She'd look up at him, dangling her cigarette to him in invite. She expected him to lean forward but, she assumes he's simply mapping the odds, right? She'd take a short PUFF, exhaling slowly through her nose. She had to keep it lit after all, Klaus had yet to take her up on her offer. 

[somethingbcrrowed]

"YOU--"

Green eyes narrow and fixate on her, head lifting from the back cushion of the sofa as she holds out her hand. There's a beat while she speaks before he reaches out to close the expanse of cushion between them, dropping the zippo in her upturned palm. His own palm flashes a GOODBYE as it retracts, and he hopes it isn't an omen as to the fate of his zippo.

"Keep it," he said, following it immediately with, "The cigarette, not the lighter. And, uh.. Guess charming's one word for it, yeah." He snorted out a chuckle, his voice wavering somewhere between amused and annoyed, a between-place that seemed to overtake him every time Lila was around.

He didn't hate the sensation, but it did make his scalp prickle sometimes.

"MOST people jus' call me an asshole 'r insane 'r BOTH…" He said with a smirk as he dug out another cigarette and put it between his lips. "Usually BOTH." Then he held out his hand and wiggled his fingers in anticipation of her handing back the zippo to him, his palm greeting her with a vibrant HELLO in bold ink.

❝ Are all you HARGREEVES MEN charmers? ❞

She takes another swig, emptying the bottle in long pulls before setting it down. She'd eye the cigarettes and wait for him to offer. When he DOESN'T, she reaches over and PLUCKS IT FROM HIS LIPS, slipping it between hers before holding her hand out for a LIGHT. 

❝ Come on. I'll START IT FOR YOU. ❞

[somethingbcrrowed]

( @handlcd continued from here.)

"A gem, huh? No, but.. I kinda like it. Gems're all sparklyyyy an' valuableeee an'-- ey!"

There's a grunt of mock-dissatisfaction when she takes the bottle of wine from him, immediately followed by a somewhat giddy chuckle. He's already more than half gone, and there are still two unopened bottles sitting on the floor beside him.

As she drinks he lays his head back against the leathery sofa, eyes gazing up at the ceiling as if it were a twinkling night sky as two fingers delved into the pocket of his jeans for his zippo and pack of cigarettes.

Fishing them out, he said, "Y'know, Li'... F'it makes ya feel any better.. I don't think yer crazy. At all."

He smiled a little, then immediately turned his gaze to his cigarette pack instead as he plucked one out and placed it between his lips to light it.

[somethingbcrrowed]

&. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

(  you  know  that  dynamic  of  the  emotionally  closed  off  one  &  the  kind  one  they  have  a  soft  spot  for?  yeah,  that’s  the  vibe.  )

said from the lone wolf.

❛ you think you know me, but the truth is, you don’t. ❜

❛ going home isn’t an option anymore. ❜

❛ i’m fine. there’s nothing for you to worry about. ❜ 

❛ do you wish i was different? ❜ 

❛ i just, i don’t want anything bad to happen to you. ❜ 

❛ you deserve better than what you’ve got. ❜

❛ i guess we both lost something we were fond of. ❜ 

❛ i’m not leaving you out here alone. ❜ 

❛ you don’t have to keep me company, i’m fine by myself. ❜ 

❛ coming here to see you is the only place i could go. ❜

❛ i’m afraid of losing you, okay? ❜ 

❛ i know you probably hate me right now, and i get it. ❜

❛ what is with your weird fascination with me? ❜ 

❛ yeah, you keep on telling yourself that bullshit. ❜ 

❛ i didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, i just have a lot on my plate. ❜ 

❛ you’re lucky you got away with only a scratch. ❜ 

❛ if i could be a different person, i promise you, i would be. ❜

❛ people like us don’t get to decide when we’re done. ❜

❛ i’ve never had anything good happen to me when i trusted others. ❜

❛ you won’t survive out there. they tear all good things apart. ❜

❛ i don’t know what’s the truth or what’s a lie anymore. ❜ 

❛ you got guts, i’ll give you that. ❜ 

❛ the more you know, the shorter your life will be. ❜ 

❛ for the first time in years, i felt something that i thought had been lost to me. ❜ 

❛ what you think you’re going through is nothing to what i have been through. ❜ 

said from the soft spot. 

❛ you’re not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ how is it that you’re never scared? ❜

❛ you think i’m weak because i’m not like you. ❜

❛ you wanted to be left alone, right? ❜ 

❛ how do you make the pain go away? ❜

❛ you shouldn’t smoke, you know. ❜

❛ destroy what is destroying you. ❜

❛ i hope you find the peace you’re searching for. ❜

❛ you know my door is always open to you. ❜

❛ i look at you and my heart breaks because all i see is loneliness. ❜

❛ you’re avoiding the subject and you know it. what are you hiding from me? ❜ 

❛ you’re not at war anymore, you can come home. ❜

❛ it feels like you’ve been avoiding me. ❜

❛ what are you so afraid of? ❜

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

❛ why do you care? you could have just walked away. ❜ 

❛ i know you. how else do you think i found you so easily? ❜

❛ if it was the other way around, would you have come back for me? ❜ 

❛ i just thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

❛ are you jealous? want me all to yourself, do you? ❜

❛ i knew you had a heart. ❜ 

❛ can you look at me? please? ❜

❛ i don’t think i’ve ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ if you won’t take care of yourself, then who will? ❜

❛ you have something beautiful inside of you. it’s hard for some people to tell, but it’s there. ❜

[somethingbcrrowed]

one, two, three one, two three DRINK one, two, three one, two, three DRINK one, two, three one, two, three DRINK

throw 'em back 'til i lose count

[somethingbcrrowed]

send 🚬 to share a cigarette with my muse!

[somethingbcrrowed]

the healing power of a recovering whumpee being able to say no. to tell someone to not touch them or stop touching them and be given their space, hands leaving their body even as they’re only there with the best intentions. to refuse to talk about something until they’re ready and being allowed their privacy. to be able to make their own decisions, have boundaries that are respected, protect themself. decide who touches them and when. who knows what and how. and having that honoured, over and over. reinforced that their body, their space, their choices belong to them.

whumpee breaking down in tears when it becomes emotionally overwhelming to say no and have their friends, the people who love them, listen. the way that being able to say no makes it feel safe as well to say yes - to let someone hold them, treat their injuries, comfort them, safe in the knowledge that if they want it to stop, it will stop. that the people caring for them will only continue as long as whatever is happening is wanted.

[somethingbcrrowed]

"Aah, well, y'knoooow- the uzhe. Screaming, crying, throwing up..." Klaus' breathless attempt at laughter sounds heavier than it had weeks ago, but the smile on his face is still obvious over the line.

"Nahhh, I'm fuckin' with ya. Haven't puked in weeks. Honestly, it's-- it's--" there's the sound of a man shouting and several orderlies talking all at once in the background, echoing through the hall. The man goes silent a moment later, and a beat passes before Klaus lets out a snort and speaks again.

"Hey, thanks, uh-- thanks for picking up man. I wasn't really sure if-- well, y'know." He chuckles breathlessly, then clears his throat. He sounds nervous, despite having no ulterior motivation for the call. "Uh, anyway, so how-- how've you been man?"

📞 Someone on the line for @somethingbcrrowed...

"Heyyy, bro." Diego's smile somehow sounds tense over the line. It's been weeks since they talked—doctor's recommendation. "How's rehab going?"