#( * rps: ray vennett. )

[emmyvennett]

Ba-Na-Na Phone [March 9, 2021]

COMPLETE

Emerson lets out a small...breath as he makes his way up the stairs, still feeling...sweaty after the whole night run, great, as he makes his way over to the bathroom door, giving a quick knock on it. “...Can I come in?” He floats out, leaning against the wall beside the door as he waits for an answer.

Ray hears the knocking, drawing the floss out of his mouth as he holds it taut even still, “yeaaaaaah…” His brows moving briefly upwards as he sees Em, leaning to the right to make room for his beefy ass…

Emerson moves to open the door, sliding in beside Ray, just trying to… “First thing first, am I Overthinking everything right now…?” He asks Ray, his lips pushing just a bit to the side, looking over at him, just wanting to get a clear read on that, feeling like…he was possibly getting suckered into his own bullshit, when it Probably wasn’t necessary, but still…trusting Ray but not really trusting Himself in the moment, feeling like he was on the beginning of some sort of bullshit he didn’t need to be…

Ray turns towards Emmy, giving him a once over…lost a bit on where they were in the conversation as shit stood now…his left brow twitching up a bit, “…Are you?”

“I feel…a bit…in Doubt of myself, tonight, I guess…” Emerson admits as he rubs behind his neck, the words coming out a bit soft, quiet, a bit frustrated with himself that he still…felt that way, and that it was…probably dragging him down, and making him be annoying as all hell, shit… “…so maybe being a bit like…Worried about things that may not even be Things? But also think it is just good to talk sometimes, though also me thinking Too Much into it probably isn’t…helpful?” He ventures, looking at Ray to try and gauge where he was feeling, if he was being Too Much, or…

Ray’s eyes narrow as he tries to focus and follow the ping pong ping of jumbled generalizations and conflicting back and forth points…that weren’t amounting to much of anything, a wet soft sound coming from his lips as he presses them together for a beat, his hand resting on the side of the sink, “…Just say what you wanna Say…Em.”

Emerson feels his lips push to the side as he feels…the little stroke of guilt move through him as he folds his arms across his chest, “I just Love You, is all, and just…don’t want to be doing a bad job of not Showing it, or not giving you Enough…and I don’t know if I’m…actually doing a bad job or if I’m just…shitting on myself for no reason right now, but like…I just always want you to feel Loved, okay?” He offers with a little small…sniff, allergies, definitely, no big deal, “…sorry for being all over the place.”

Ray’s lips slowly curl upwards in spite of himself, “I love you too, crybaby.” His arm swinging upwards his palm softly rubbing along Em’s damp back, as he looks him dead on, repeating the word back to him, even as his lips tease a bit upwards, “Okay?”

“Okay,” Emerson affirms back, giving a quick rub of his sleeve to the little bit of…allergies that had escaped, Damn, spring really was here, wasn’t it, just already feeling…more centered, grounded, instead of just lost in the conflicting mess within his own head, even though has sure he was sweaty as hell, before letting out a small chuckle. “Sorry for the sweatiness, and also…Damn, at you being right again, shit really does run in the family, Big Baby is Heredetary…” He offers out before…the small strike of guilt from the last part of the text conversation moves over him, a small wish of a smile crossing his lips, another small little chuckle moving through him, even as he rubs behind his neck a bit.  “…and sorry for being like…totally embarrassing, too.”

Ray gives Em one last rub along the small of his back as he hears the Big Baby comment, without a Doubt…“What’d I say?” He hums out, his hand easily drifting downwards to lightly and playfully clap one of his cheek’s, “All good, Chik’s not in here to give you shit over it. Your secrets safe with me…” Leaning to the side to toss, or try to anyway, the floss in the trash figuring he had done his share.

A playful little chuckle moves through Emerson as he feels a bit better about the whole shit and how like…totally embarrassing that was, before moving to draw Ray into a kiss, it being a bit…minty fresh, the thought amusing him a bit as the corners of his lips curl upwards a bit, “I Love You,” he breathes out again in reminder, wanting to Say It, and if he wanted to Say It, he should Say It, “…and I could also definitely use a Shower,” he admits with a little chuckle, sure he had already subjected Ray to enough Sweaty Emmy, “…and also just like…thank you, for letting me be my embarrassing self and just…be there with me, by my side, though all This,” he feels the need to say, with just how…jumbled, his thoughts on that whole Shit sometimes got, even though when they were actually in the Moment, it always just felt…Right, Natural, Good, and Ray was probably Right, about the whole not needing to overthink the shit, but…sometimes it just Happened, Little Emmy Things, he guessed, even as he knows the kind of…yeah, behind it, Yeah.

A low hum of contentment passing through Ray as he opens his eyes again, still feeling the remnants of a spark across his lips from the kiss. “…I love you.” Ray lowly murmurs back, his brow hitching upwards as he looks over at the shower from his peripheral view, “I’m not stopping ya…” Ray teases a bit back, hearing the smattering of thanks he didn’t need in the slightest, “Mhm. Mhmmm. Mhmmm.” He nods a bit along with Em, taking hold of his face with his left hand and sinking into him once again, “All In.” He softly breathes out in recognition before drawing his shirt over his head and tossing it at Em’s face, already working his way out of his boxers, figuring he could get a jumpstart on washing his ass before Em’s sweaty swamp ass took up all the hot water…

“Same here,” Emerson breathes back in return after finally drawing back, a smile twitching happily on the corner of his lips, before letting out a snort as he feels the shirt hit his face, taking his own off, half considering throwing it right back butttt…nah, he decides, in his head, a distinctly Ray tone to the word as he tosses his own gross ass sweaty shirt to the ground, along with his running shorts and the rest of the shit, moving in to the shower as he moves to fully, wholly, deeply, envelop Ray into a kiss, as he feels the water cascade down around him, already feeling really nice after that long run.

— One Handsy and Flirty Showa Later —

Emerson relaxes back on the sheets of the bed, it just Hitting Different after a shower, ahhh, drawing Ray into him, as a curiosity moves through him. “You still down to…Sit through my embarrassing skills…?” He floats out there, a bit of a chuckle moving through him as he doesn’t quite wanna say Ittttttt…but Ray knew what he meanttttttt… “You won’t judge me for not being Next Level with that shit like you…?” He lightly teases as he playfully raises his eyebrow, a twitch of an amused little grin crossing his lips.

A lopsided touch of a smirk makes it appearance on the leftmost side of Ray’s mouth, hovering over Em as he sees the drop of water fall into his eye and the rapid blinking followed soon after, stifling his laugh as he draws down and kisses Em, slow and long…“…shut up…get outta your head.” His voice low, soft, even as he moves onto his side beside Em, raking his fingers through his still wet hair, the sensation relaxing him a smidge, “So…how do you wanna do…this…?”

Emerson lets out a laugh as he feels the water move into his eyeeee, whatta shittt, moving to get a little bit of water from his own hairrr and flick it, just so, back at Ray, sticking his tongue out as a warm laugh escapes him, before moving fully into the kiss, before rolling onto his side to look at Ray, a little sheepish half-smile tugging on his lips as he takes him in, “I just want to like…make you feel as fucking Good, as you make me feel, when you do the whole…y’know, so Damn Well…like…Fuck,” he tries to explain, as he lets out a little chuckle, feeling a little embarrassed at his awkward ass way of explaining it but also like, remembering how fucking Good it felt, and wanting to do That, “…but like I feel like when I do it, it’s not like…that fucking…mmm shit you do to me, that like…holy fuck, y’know?” He tries to explain, feeling his face redden just a little bit, the little sheepish smile remaining on his lips as he loosely moves his fingers through Ray’s still-wet scalp. “So I guess I just wanna know…what the most like…holy fuck kind of shit I could do for you would be, or like…how to raise my ass eating game to your level because…damnnnnnnn…” He playfully teases out at the end, a little chuckle moving through as the corners of his lips perk up.

Ray’s eyes cut to the side as his lips silently draw apart, a faint tweak briefly pushing forward from them as Em…goes further on…fucking hell, his brows crinkling as his lips open more to say…to say…“Heh.” The soft barely audible sound pushing out of his throat, the scratching along his scalp pulling his attention back to Em, a soft push of a incredulous snort coming out of him at the question (?) “I don’t—I don’t fucking know…Jesus.” The last word coming out in a touch of a whisper, his fingers scratching against the side of his neck, “…just do it.” He finds himself explaining, how else could he, his eyes drifting closed as his lips find…Em’s cheek (?) drifting a bit further to what he could only assume was…peeking a bit to…exactly, his neck…pressing a few kisses along his skin, still smelling the Irish spring, …festive.

“You’re so fucking…good at it, though,” Emerson softly murmurs back as he looks at Ray, gently trailing his fingers along his scalp as they move through his hair, even has he feels the kiss, his eyes gently flitting closed as he relaxes into the sensation, it just feeling nice, and so good,  “Like…you always know how to make me feel Good, fucking…like nothing Else, like…but also Safe and…Warm…and…like you know my body in a way I don’t even know, and just…I feel like I’m not as like…in tune…with that for you, and I…want to be, to give you what you give me?” He softly murmurs out, finding the need to kind of…say that, even as he feels himself relax into the kisses…

Ray softly swallows a bit feeling his lips push upwards even as his lips tighten a bit, breathing in instead of…yeah. A deep stirring within him at the words, underneath the top layer of…mmm…letting the breath softly pass through his nostrils, drawing himself back to look down at Em, raking his hair back so he didn’t need to get water boarded or some shit, his gaze closely following along with Em’s, “All right. So…kiss Me…”

Emerson gently takes in Ray as he moves to trail his hand down the side of his face, resting it there as he moves in closer to him, closing the gap between them as he draws him into a long, slow, sensual kiss, just…lingering in it, the feelings that came with it, the warmth, the love, feeling the need to just…Say It, again, in the moment, “Ik hou van jou. Oneindig,” (infinitely) he lowly, warmly breathes out against his ear as he draws back, before resting a few, delicate kisses in the space there, along his neck, downward, taking his time with each kiss as he moves downward, just wanting to show how much he loved Ray, all of him…

“Ik hou van jou.” Ray lovingly whispers back, as he lies back where Em had been before him, his arms stretching upwards and out as he takes in a breath, feeling the slight ticklish sensation against his skin, his head rubbing back along the pillow not quite getting It, closing his eyes as he feels a sense of relief as his fingers scratch at the Spot that had been calling to him, his palm resting onto his chest as he absentmindedly scratches his chest, trying to just…enjoy the shit for a change. His lips tweaking up gently as he feels the trail, his body further relaxing as mmm… a yawn airily overtakes him, oh shitttt, biting along his forearm as he blinks his eyes open, his palm rubbing roughly against his eyelid as he looks to Emmy, making a conscious, “Mmmmmm…” (?) trying to deepen it a little more? Feeling like it sounded too fake to start wanting to let him know, yeah, you know…the yawn having been a total fluke.

Emerson stops the kisses as he wonders if he was…being too drawn out with the whole thing (?), or if Ray was just tired, “Not good?” He asks, attentively looking up at him, wanting to…get the shit to be as good as it was when Ray did it for him, but also… “Or just…tired?”

“…nah. It’s Good.” Ray lowly mutters out, giving him a sleepy smile, trying to pluck what words to say, “…so…hot?” The right side of his face scrunching up, what the fuck…closing his eyes because he had no other choice in the beat of the moment, “…keep going.”

“No, that’s you…” Emerson lowly murmurs out against Ray’s skin, kissing lower, still with a delicacy and purpose to his movements but now adding in a bit more…heat, to it, a sensual…je ne sais quoi, little bit of spice to it, wanting to…make it a bit hot, in his own way, “…the shit you do drives me wild, makes me so…” He lowly breathes out in between the kisses, the last word almost coming to him but not…quite, the little back hinge of embarrassment over the whole thing kicking back to him, settling for just a lowly murmured, “…fuck,” as he continues to be explore, appreciate Ray’s body with that more…heated mm, to it all, as it picks up…

A soft push of air comes out of Ray’s nose as his hip tweaks a bit forward at the nips and shit, not having expected them…rubbing his head back a bit as he softly chuckles again trying to just take his own advice and get out of his own head, relax…new experiences, and all…his lips curling upwards as a gentle faint rumble moves through his stomach, “…so…fuck?” He repeats back, a bit of shit giving…a soft intake of breath rolling into him as his toes twist a bit on his left foot…

“Like….you know…” Emerson lowly murmurs in between the heated, je ne sais quooooi, kisses, hoping it was good and he was bringing the right…mmmmm…to it all, a bit of playfulness, even as he moves more sensually in his kisses, picking up into his tone, “…you’re not going to make me say It…are You…?” 

Ray reaches baccccck for the other pillow, wrapping his arm back around it hnhhhh, a low sigh coming out of him, as his lips curl a bit in silent amusement, giving a loose shake of his head, “…nahhhh…”

“Gooood….” Emerson lowly murmurs back, before looking up at Ray for confirmation, “…do you still want to do this?” He asks, before proceeding further, just wanting to make sure Ray was still down and feeling it, almost kind of…excited to try this out again, see if he could Do It the way Ray did and make him feeeeeel the way he did, mm….a little cock of a playfully mischievous tug forming on the edge of his lips…

Do What?” Ray chuckles a half-smirk slowly makes it debut, “just s’pose to lay here…yeah? Pull a couple of these…” Ray’s voice trailing off as he smushes his face tightly, then transitions into closing his eyes and letting his tongue lull out of his mouth, slowly drawing it back in as he makes a cacophonous noise a not quite parody of Em and the gist of what those porn stars sounded like the last time when they had skimmed a few of the especially corny ones…pumping his fist into the air….mnmnnnnnnnnnn.

“Let me eat your assssss…..” Emerson replies, the little half-grin spreading even as his tone lowers at the last word, a little flit of embarrassment still moving through him at Saying It in the middle of the playfulness, before a snort moves through him before bursting into a full on laughhhh, “Stopppppp….” He lets out in between laughsssss, before getting back to the whole What of it all, “…and like…how much of a ‘Top’ you want me to be…?” He floats out back as he feels the little flush of embarrassment again, hoping he wasn’t saying it too fucking awkwardly, but wanting to know if Ray wanted him to like…do a Full On Take Charge kind of thing, or just like…what he did for him, or like something Else entirely, wanting to give Ray the best experience he could, one that he would be really into…

“Eugh.” Ray’s tongue pushing out in playful disgust, his eyes warming a bit at the unchecked sound of Emmy’s laughter, a soft smack of his lips cutting through the air as he opens his mouth a bit…unsure, was this like some role play shit or something? Or did he forget this was his thing he wanted to do? “Uhhhh…how much do you wanna be?” His toes stretching and tapping a bit against the cool sheet…

A little chuckle moves from Emerson as his nose warmly crinkles a bit, the little half-grin cocking a bit upwards, before hearing the questionnn… “Noooo, what would be the most….hot for you?“ He asks, playfully rolling out the Word, wanting this to be about Ray and what He Wanted….

Ray snakes his arm out from underneath the pillow, sitting up as he looks at Em dead on, his hands softly tugging at his face, “You would. You make me so harrrrd…” His soft, serious words undercut by the amusement of the last one as he draws it ouuuut, plucking it back from what he Assumed Emmy had wanted to say before in his gush fest, if that part wasn’t wholly obvious to him, he’d just fucking say it. Pulling in even closer, his lips pressing onto Em’s alighting a fresh spark into him as his eyes drift closed, the sweetness of it holding true even as a hungriness grows within him…his hands naturally moving from his cheeks, along the back of his neck, his shoulder blades…

“Oh my godddd, how did you know what I was going to sayyyy…?” Emerson teases back with a punctuated gasp of Shock, a warm playfulness sparking into his eyes, even as the words make him feel a….mmmm, yeah, moving closer into Ray as he indulges in the kiss, deeply, a bit hungrily, pulling back to murmur, because he might as well Say It, fuck, “…you make me so fucking Hard…” He finishes the sentence in a low, breathy murmur, even as he feels the bit of embarrassment flush beneath the surface at Saying It that’s drowned out as he moves fully, deeply back into the kiss, wanting more, but… “Tell me how you Want Me…” He lowly murmurs out against Ray’s ear in a heated breath, not sure if they were still going with the original plan or Ray was going to go for it, cool with either really, but just…feeling that Want move through him, in the moment, mm…

A soft snicker lowly rolls out of Ray as his shoulder rises briefly upwards as the rustle of a whisper tickles his ear, “…yeah?” His lips curling up a bit in warm delight, “…what’re you gonna do about it?” He murmurs back, a beat passing before he wraps his arm around him, pulling him into a headlock and giving him a good noogie…for all that shit-talking he had been doing earlier…heh. His arm naturally moving back around him as he presses a soft kiss along his temple. “nah. but, really…you trying to….smash smash?” He asks seriously, tweaking his eyebrow upwards until a snort cuts out of him, a widespread innocently charmed grin alighting his face.

“….yeah,” Emerson warmly replies, a playful delighted grin flickering his lips before a laugh moves through him at the noogie, “…No fairrrrr…” He lets out at the sneak attack, trying to pull one of his own little moves to get out of it before he feels Ray release him from the headlock, a warm laugh moving through him again as he draws Ray back in closer to him, resting some kisses along his jaw, “Oh hell yeah…” He offers out, in a low, sensual, Serioussss tone….before a chuckle moves through him, his eyes brightening with a playfulness, “…or be smashed, totally cool with that, too…” He adds in, a half-grin crossing his lips, trying to gauge which way he was leaning, which way Ray seemed to be leaningggggg, hmhmhmmm….before resting a few kisses along Ray’s ear, before lowly murmuring, a breath away, “Sit your ass on my face…?” A playfully amused grin crossing his lips, a part of him still wanting to give it a go, and always good to do before a smash smash, sooo…even as he has to do a little internal snort at his own thoughts, but still…not feeling so embarrassed any more, he realizes, and just…feeling kind of good and natural, and adventurous…just a smidge.

A warm strike sizzles within Ray at the lowly spoken answer, only stoking his want even more…his brow quirking a bit at the mixed signal…coming in unexpectedly, a soft hm passing through him, he could do that. “Li—” He lowly starts off his words commingling into a chuckle of surprise, uhhh…huh. The rightmost corner of his lips tugging upwards, as he draws Emmy back down, his lips warming his own, as he pivots himself breaking the familiar warmth for a few beats as he straddles over Em’s face, his arms reaching out and settling along the bed frame as he tries to make it so it was what Em wanted without slapping his dick against his forehead, pffffft…the image causing a soft cough to rise out of him as he feels Em’s hands on his thighs, drawing him further downnnnn…

“C’mere, sit it your ass on my faceeeee….” He lowly, but playfully says this time as the whole line from that one song about sitting your ass on the throne strikes him in the moment and tickles him a bit, a grin curling onto his lips, moving to place his hands on Ray’s thighs to draw him down, downnnn, if he was suffocated by the ass, so be it, was like that one tweet said, right? It’s all loveee, mhmmm, just feeling…relaxed and kind of ?? good about it? As he just kind of…lets his tongue do the talking, do tongues not always do the talking, though? He internally muses with a flit of amusement, even as his tongue glideeees just so, doing his best to pay attention to how Ray was reacting and adjust accordinglyyyy… 

Ray closes his eyes just trying to get Into It, arching his back a bit as his hand closes around himself, blinking his eyes open for a beat so he could…the salvia drawing downnnn…and fuck. Letting go, and redirecting his focus on…shit. His fingers gently raking back through Em’s hair, disperse and disappear…yeah, that was the move. His lips curling upwards in quiet amusement as he feels Em’s hands push against his ass, like having two fucking thanksgivings in one house, kinda degree of separation of his ass…cheeks. Pfft. A barely audible snort escaping him, a hum, following shortly thereafter…ehh…this wasn’t so bad, he guessed kinda wei…different. Not his top thing. But, eh. He wasn’t complaining or anything, his fingers moving in deeper and grazing Em’s scalp hearing the sounds coming out of him, even now…seems like it was a Thing for him, a crooked half-smile pushing in the leftmost corner of his mouth. His hip twitching a bit to the side of its own accord as he deeeeply breathes in, riding it out for a little while longer, making his spit shot to where he had wanted it to go, this last time…his hand slowly gliding against himself, his wrist twisting just a touch…eh. Shit. His hand eventually finding its way ontop of Em’s for a beat before sliding down a some, his legs straddling alongside him, hovering overtop of him for a few beats, leaning down to kiss him…easily becoming lost in the otherworldly sensations it brought forward through him. God, he Loved Him. His thumb lightly swiping against the corner of his lip, “…you wanna…you know, now? Eh? …think I’m Good To Go…” He lowly informs him, with a bit of a tinge of a sheepish curl of a barely there smile.

Emerson’s little internal playful musings in the middle of the whole wonderful it’s all love Experience, could he call it by its name, it’s Actual Name, Dare He, even in the safe space of his mind? Eating….ass, he punctuates with a playful zesty mischeviousness as he eats that ass, eats that ass? Em, really? C’monnn…He playfully chides himself as he continues…until he feels Ray move, wondering if he had…fucked up somewhere? Maybe? The thought intrusively cutting in before he could wrestle with it only for it to fall by the wayside, fading into the back of his mind as it is dashed and scattered by the warmth, the love, the indescribable feeling as he feels Ray’s lips meet his, warmly, wholly, drawing into him, the corners of his lips naturally parking upwards, looking at Ray with a playful warmth before he years the you know, causing a light twinkle of mischief to spark into his eyes, “You know…?” He faux innocently teases out, teasing back to the question Ray had asked before, when he had made him Say It, say the words, the fabled, mystical words, Let Me Eat Your Asssss…..A little flush moving onto his face as a sheepishness weaves into the smile present onto his lips as he hears himself say the Words again, letting out a little bashful chuckle at himself and how Bold he Said It, shit, but also…amused? At himself, even though it was a little embarrassing, and he tried? Right? And that was Something, trying, not being afraid, hopefully doing something Good, the little sheepish half smile cocking onto his lips. “Was it good?” He asks, just to make sure, but this was a Safe Space? Right? A time to learn and grow and…Eat That Ass, the thought flickers into his mind as he tells hims to stopppppp It, Em, stoppppp, sometimes he needed to hear it his own damn self, he thinks with a playfully chiding glimmer of amusement swirling through his thoughts…

Ray’s gaze cuts to the side a smidge as he sucks the side of his cheek, the sound…palpable in the moment, squinting his eyes if but for a moment. Heh. He was…a little Shit. A stream of air pushing through his nose as he focuses back in on Em, his lips spreading apart about to say some shit of his own until the soft question disrupts it, Uh…huh. “For me? Yeah. Yeah, it was Good…” Ray warmly, breathily, murmurs back his fingers softly spreading against the edges of his lips, his gaze lingering on them. “Good…for you?”

“Is it…everything you hoped and dreamed it would be?” He teases with a bit of light, playfulness but also softness to his tone, playful, but with a bit of truth…underlying the playful veneer of the question, hoping that it was Better than Good, that it was what Ray wanted, just…wanting to make him feel the way Ray made him feel, a warmth swirling in his eyes as he looks at him, “I’m still not like…You level good, I think…” He truthfully says, sure he wasn’t like…Killing it or anything, but…he felt comfy? Doing it? He enjoyed it? And if Ray liked it, then…it was Good, right? Before the little bit of playful mischief curls back into his smile as he leans in, a breath away from Ray’s ear, playfully brlowing a stream of air before lowly asking, “Do what?” In the same way that Ray had asked before when he made him say  It, the It, the You Know What…

A half garbled chuckle pushes out of Ray, drawing his right leg back over as he settles onto his side, beside Em. A lopsided half-smile tugging the western most side of his mouth. “Shut uppppppp…” His voice coming out low and warm, leaning in closer to kiss along Emmy’s sternum. Soft. And slow. His head raising a bit at the question, his lips slowly curling upwards before the word even leaves his lips, “Me.”

“Noooo….” Emerson lowly, warmly teases back as the corners of his lips tug upwards as he feels the kiss, his fingers lightly grazing Ray’s scalp, “Not going to shut up….” He playfully reminds, giving his cheek a light little flick, a warm amusement moving through him at Ray’s response, along with a stiring of mmm, before, just wanting to double check, “Was it like good Good or do you need something more…?” He asks to make sure, wanting to make sure he’d be good and comfy, not going to take offense if so, he was no Pro at it or anything….

Ray squints his eyes, feeling the light lingering twinge of a sting against his cheek causing him to draw his head up, “I don’t need it, but I want…you.” Ray replies back a tenderness to his tone, his arm reaching across his chest, his thumb edging slowly across his cheek, “Put your dick in my ass?” He softly murmurs out, as he leans over further, his chest pressing against Em’s as he sucks in a bit of air, it pushing out of him almost instantly as he breaks out into a fit of laughter, his stomach tightening like hell, not having been able to hold it together after that. A softer chuckle cutting out of him as he presses his lips to the side of Em’s face. One. Two. Three times.

A warm softness easily moves onto Emerson’s lips as he hears the part about wanting Him, his fingers gently moving along Ray’s scalp before…a twitch of amusement moves through him in the moment as oh shit, it kind of registers, a small warm snort moving through him, “You Can have Me and Lube if you need it…” He teasingly offers out but also Reminds, Because like…he wasn’t a Pro and Ray didn’t have to be all Badass and like…you know, he was endowed…he guessed, a little sheepish awkwardness moving through him at the thought before he hears that Voiceeeeeee, a laugh erupting through him as well, “Stoppppp, I thought you hated Thatttt!” Emerson playfully reminds in between laughs, lightly giving Ray a nudgeeeee, because No Fair, before trying to give him that Look He Hateeeed, because it was only Fair for him to do it, Too. “Put my Dick…in Your…Ass?” He tries with his best sweet innocence before the whole character slips away just as fast as it came, the warm chuckles sputtering through before feeling the kisses, his lips twitching upwards, before drawing Ray into a deep, warm kiss, before drawing back, a breath away from his ear, lowly, but playfully, as a spark of mischief moves through him, whispering, “Say the Magic P Word…”

Ray keeps going tilting his head even as the warm afterglow of amusement resonates within him, feeling the nudges, his attention flickering upwards ….eugh. His fingers splaying over Em’s face, not That…shitttttt. Pffffft. His hand gravitating to the right side of his chin, tilting his head towards him. His eyes softly closing as an smile curves upwards as his lips meet his own, reveling in it until he feels the…mm. Hooking his leg over to the opposite side of Em, hovering over him, angling down kissing the side of his mouth, “Pie-Thag-Reeeeee-…Ummmmmm…theoryyyy…” He lowly murmurs out, in between slow kisses along his jaw.

A warm chuckle moves from Emerson as he moves Ray’s hand off his faceeeeee, playfully sticking his tongue out at him before meeting him fully in the kiss, a warm toothy half-grin cocking upwards on his lips in spite of it being the Wrong one, “The Other one…” He lowly murmurs out against Ray’s ear as he rests a few kisses nearby before adding, a warm flicker of teasing moving into his tone, “…and I think you mean the Pie-Thackorean Theoremmmm, Actuallly…” He punctuates in his best scholarly tone, even as it remains lowly spoken…

Ray’s lips part as he takes in a bit of air, a crossroads between a dying set of brakes and a moan pushing forcefully out of him. His head smacking down against Em’s chest as a deep thunderous eruption of laughter spills out of him, the intensity of the UuUUuuuh, too much even for him, the laughter soon dying out in a sputtering mess as he rolls his head a bit to the side, smacking his lips and a kiss besides Em’s nipple closest to him, letting a throaty hummmm rumble out of him, and against Em’s chest. Could it be….“…pumppppppkin?” He murmurs out, playfully biting his nipple…

Emerson hears the…not exactly sure what it was in the moment, but shit, laughter moving from him as well, lightly tapping his fingers in thought along Ray’s back as he lets out a contemplated hummmm…. “Close, and I can give you extra credit for that…” He murmurs out, before, trying to get his tone all sexy-like, deep, firm, like he was one of those badass Doms or some shit, or whatever they were calleddddd, “Say Please,” he commands, commanddddds, he thinks, the whole thing just seeming so ohmygoddddd coming from him, shit, fuckkkk… a smile cracking through the whole thing as laughter moves out of him at that whole Thing, shitttt, he could Not, a snort laugh cutting through as the laughter moves from him at how Unconvincing he was, but shittt, an amusement still moving through him at That and the Sound and the whole daddYyy kinda baby doll tone from before, a warm, deeply amused smile cracking through onto his lips…

Ray’s brows swiftly crease downwards as he hears Em speak, drawing his head back up…looking him over, catching the instant crack of a smile, his own slowly following suit…his lips smacking together as they parttttt…taking in a soft breath as he watches Em snort, so…sexy, hahaha. Ha. “So, are you saying you Don’t wanna take me on a first class trip to BoneTown…, Mister V? I stayed back from practice and everything…what the fucccck…” Ray remarks quickly back, what a fucking bummer. Gathering himself upright as he his gaze narrows…scanning the room forrrrr…“where is…my…banana hammock?” 

“Are you saying you won’t even say an itty bitty pleaseeee, even for me…?” He playfully remarks quickly back even putting justttttt a bit of that baby voice into the last few words as they trill offfff, just because Ray hated it, a playful bit of mischief moving through him as his lips perk upwards, a full grin blossoming before hearing Ray’s words, banana making him remember…oh..Ohhhh, not sure if he ever answered but…reaching over the best he could without disturbing Ray too much as he reaches to open the nightstand drawer, his hand searching for no…no…ahaaaaa…his eyes alighting as he pulls It out, the Iconic, the Legendary…a snort moving through him at this shit even Existing and being sold at the Good Ol’ Sex Shop Next Door, before presenting it in Full Infomercial megawatt dazzling smile style, his other hand circling around it enticingly to show off the Product, all yours for just 59.99 plus tax and shipping, “Can I interest you in a wonderful, delightfully Enticing banana lube instead?” He does in his best charismatic Salesman voice, feeling it was worth double checking if he did need it before that trip to the legendary place that was Bonetown, he’d have to pick up a souvenirrrr while he was there, but also because it was Definitely a Product Every American Should Have In Their House and Not Be Withouttt.…a little amused snort moving through him at the Infomercial Guy’s voice presenting the banana lube in full splendor in his thoughts…

The movement draws Ray’s attention from the piles on the floor…back over to Not Mister V…his elbow pushing down against the bed as he rests his chin onto his palm, watching the impromptu infomercial, was this…Sponsored? Drawing his other arm out, palm up, “Please, by all means…let me try a sample first?” His fingers playfully wiggling out a bit, waiting for the pump pump dump…

“Of course, sir, you’ll find this sample has some delectable notes of ba-na-nahhhh to it…” He speaks forward, perfectly punctuating the words just so, as part of the Demonstration, the Sale, giving an emphatic, generous first pump, to allow him to see the product, to take it in, in all of its glory, before giving the second, the follow up, the pump that truly demonstrated what this product entailed, allowing Ray to take it in…

A low chuckle rolls out of Ray, hearing the cheesy salesman voice Em was seeming to be rocking with for the time being, seeing the…well fuck. Careful to keep his curved just a bit until he closes it and glides it between Em’s thighs…really giving the thing it’s due diligence, wanting to make sure this shit Worked as good as Advertised, leaning in to kiss Em’s cheek, as his hand easily continues to move along…damn? Maybe this was some effective shit after all. His kisses trailing down…along Em’s neck. “…some Good shit…” His words lowly flow out of him. “What do you think…?”

Emerson feels a soft breath as he feels the, mm, due diligence, and attention, given to the product test, shit, feeling Ray’s lips on his cheek before he places his hand on his cheek to draw him in to meet his lips fully, Damn, was this a demonstration for the ages, he was just that good of a Salesman, right, “Some good ass shit…” He lowly agrees back, before a little twitch of warm amusement moves through him as he looks at Ray, a little Easy, warm half grin crossing his lips, “Not as good as You, but…what Can compete with that?” He teasingly, warmly offers out, before a playfully mischevious look crosses his eyes as he draws Ray in closer to plant a few kisses along his jaw, “But I think there’s still one last Test I need to do…” He lowly murmurs out against his ear with a little hum at the end of his words…

Ray’s hand slows a notch further, his attention tuning into the wetness of Em’s tongue against his own, the warmth of his breath…his…a slow curve of a smile appearing as he blinks his eyes open softly looking to Em and slidiiiing his hand up and….away. Looking down for a flit of a moment, a warmth creeping along the sides of his neck…his finger poking Em’s chest, leaning in a bit as the word floats out from between his lips, easily, warmly…“You.” His head tilting to the side indulging in the warm teasing kisses against his skin, the breathy words tickling his ear causing a tiny tweak along the corresponding corner of his lips, his interest was…Piqued. “…oh yeah?”

“Me?” Emerson softly breathes back as he hears the words, a little smile peeking onto the edges of his lips, his fingers moving gently through Ray’s hair as he takes him in, a soft warmth crinkling onto his features, a glow of affection swirling within his eyes, fuck, did he love him. “Nah, all you,” he murmurs back, with a playful, lightly teasing Ray-ness to the words, even as a sincerity remains in them, the smile peeking upwards on the right side of his lips, before drawing Ray in close again for the kisses, hearing his response to the lowly murmured words… “Yeah…” He replies in a warm, low breath, drawing Ray into a deep, full kiss before easing into him, to do the Full and True test of how well this product worked, he had to be Thorough, right? His motions beginning slowly, sensually — if he would indulge himself and let him use that word about himself, but still — attentively, perhaps was better, but maybe there was a bit of…sensual-ness to him, some latent within the core of his being, and fuck, did he love Ray, along with his…a little internal chuckle moving through him as he moves to grab It, once again, he wasn’t going to yield that anything could compete with the way that Ray did It, but also…he was having fun and feeling…mmm…damn good and he wanted Ray to feel the same way, the best he could, his lips pressing against Ray’s neck as he…mmm…as they connect together, body, heart, and soul...with a little bit of help from the Product in Question, of course.

- BA NA NA PHONE COMPLETE -

[emeryegen]

Whose Mom Is It Anyway? [May 12, 2021]

IN PROGRESS

- After the grad festivities and celebratory lunch -

Emery gives Siggy a quick hug and last bit of congratulations to her as she and Mari and their other friends set off to get ready for the Next Big Festivity, and hearing Siggy extend the invite, even as he hears the reply from Eber, along with the last bit of congratulations, holding his phone as he says his goodbyes to everyone, before turning back to Laura, offering his arm out to her, before catching sight of Ray and...Emerson, they were wanting to spend a bit of time with her, weren’t they? Something about their own graduation and getting ready for it...a pang of pride moving through him as he looks at his brother for a moment, but not for too long, not wanting to intrude on his space or minimize his choices, they were Valid...figuring he could let them have their moment while he had a little date with Dougie, but even still, the invite from Siggy sticking out in his mind, a momentary spark of mischief moving through his eyes, knowing that Eber would want them to raise hell, wouldn’t he? “Come with me to Part 2 of the Siggy and Mari festivities, Mom?” He asks in his usual deadpan tone, even as a flicker of a mischevious, yet warm, smile, ghosts the corners of his lips. “Let’s paint the town red together tonight.”

[jwprices]

TB: Two to Tango [November 2014]

IN PROGRESS

-Toward the end of fall semester of senior year - 

Worthington lets out a low hum as he moves his fingers through his hair, listening to Mister...Whomever speak, not quite sure if he was even worth the ire and outrage the parents of Charleroi continued to thrust upon him for partnering boys with one another for ballroom dance class, that paling in comparison to how utterly Dull he was, and frumpy really, Worthington observes as he catches sight of a Hole in the teacher’s wool-knit sweater, his eyes surreptitiously leading Blase’s gaze to see it too, What a Shame, only his propriety keeping him from yawning at how utterly dull this whole history of the...Tango, was it? was...that is until he hears the cue that it was time to Partner Up, moving out of his chair as he rests his hand onto Blaise’s shoulder, wordlessly shifting his gaze for him to follow towards whom his partner was to be that day, for something New, yes, walking with Blaise as he cuts into the space between Not So Tacky Thacky and Pretty Emerson to cut off that partnership at its Head, as Blaise moves beside Pretty Emerson, catching sight of Connie looking like he was going to Interject, mm, subtly holding his gaze for an extra beat so that he could take a moment to think about just what he had Found the other day, and what Mother would say, before a smile slides across his lips as Mr. Irrelevant comes to confirm if they had found Partners, affirming the fact with an amicable, respectful, (undeserved—it must be noted, as he internally gags) smile, before turning his attention towards Thackeray. “I’ll lead,” he smoothly, succinctly decides as he looks up at the mere inch that remained between them, mm, waiting just a beat to see if there would be any Challenge to that Decision...

Thackeray lets out a low laugh as he moves closer to Emmy whissssspering his joke about duckhahaha, feeling the nudge from Emmy telling him to try and Be Quiiiiet, tryyyyying even as he feels really thirsty, thiiiiirsty, kinda wondering if the stuff he had Founnnd, in The Fitz's room was...newww or, blinking his eyes some as he licks his lips and sucks on his bottom some hearing the bit about Partner's, moving his hand out for Emmy until he sees....uhh, the other guy, foofy guy, guybrush, nahh, uhhh...take him away, feeling a swirl of his lips twitching a bit to the side before he realizes Worthington was There, huh? mimicking his hand placement with a little goofy flourish, "Holé." He declares out to him, another little rumbling laugh coming out of him, briefly swallowing some to quench his thiiirst as his lips draw upwards as he hears the saucy beat kick in his mind drifting back to, his hand clapping against his pocket and pulling out two Werther's mmmmm, unwrapping them and popping them both into his mouth, giving them a little suck, mmmmmm sooo gooood, giving Ser Worthington the Fifteenth a little smileeee in oops, right right, tango, holy, holé...lifting his hands back up after putting the wrappers back into his pocket, the taste of the creaminess reaaaally doing it for him right now.

"A questa danza," Worthington smoothly rolls out with a light bit of flair, playfulness, perhaps? to his words in response to the Declaration, as he takes Thackeray's hand, the corners of his lips moving organically upwards from his amicable smile for a flit of a moment as he hears Not So Tacky Thacky's laugh, adjusting for the little missteps, no one was perfect, mm, his eyes meeting Thackeray's as he continues to guide him in the dance, even as his attention flits towards...how he was sucking on that candy...hmm...before his eyes flit oh-so-momentarily over towards Blaise and Pretty Emerson, watching the radiant smile Emerson was giving to Blaise as he...hmm, before leaning as he continues to lead in the dance to whisper the hmm...Le Scandal, piece of Information in Thackeray's Ear, the Observation, that Of Course, he couldn't say Publicly, it was Charleroi, but this was The Eberhard Sterling Vennett, Champion of Bisexuality, or what have you, his brother, so it certainly wouldn't be uncouth to Posit..."They make a good pair, don't they?" He offhandedly posits as he glances over towards them, guiding Thackeray's gaze with his own, discretely, of course, before meeting his once again eyes in full, noticing...a few little intricacies within, just...appreciation, really.

Thackeray slinks his body to the beat, sort...of? (Not at all) uhhhh, nearly stepping onto Worthington’s shoes until he sucks and swallows in a nice little rhythm of his own getting to the sweet caramel center of one piece, albeit, prematurely but it was haaaard to wait...until he happens to Do as he gets extra distracted following Worthington’s line of sight, the tacky caramel sticking and pulling between his teeth as he sees Emmy, telling it wasn’t Real, swallowing one of the pieces as he turns back to him, “shit, sorry...you can just buy new ones, no biggie...heheh...” He jokes with a warm tug upwards of his lips as his teeth making their debut slowly as a soft breath passes from his nostrils, his front teeth lightly, briefly, pressing down onto his bottom lip, “Maybe you should’ve picked Colin The Fourteeth, I suuuuck at this kinda stuff, two left feet, or something...” His head flopping back as he lets out the suuuuuck, with an extra emphatic emphasis.

Worthington lets out a little airy laugh at the joke, how Funny, how cute, he could in fact, buy a new pair, so no true loss there, even as he momentarily feels his lips flatten downwards as he sees the Scuff...letting out a small breath, it was Nothing, really, before a bit more of a chuckle rumbles through him at the mention of Colin, looking over at him and his hapless movements. “He’s Terrible, isn’t he?” He whispers, a devilish little grin momentarily peeking through onto his his before turning to Colin, giving him a warm smile, before letting out another soft chuckle. “Nonsense, you’re a Natural,” he offers, before casually steering his attention, along with Thackeray’s, towards Blaise and Emerson. “They really are, though. Look at that,” he floats as he hears a bit of a warm laugh move from Emerson, before focusing his gaze back on Thackeray.  “You should both come out with us this weekend to the Chateau. See what happens. It’s something rare for both of our friends to find something Special, that makes them happy...Right?” He offers, sliding a warm smile onto his lips as he exposes a bit his perfectly white teeth, before slowly panning his gaze back to where they were Really getting into this Tango thing, getting the compliments of even Mr. Irrelevant himself, oh wow...knowingly raising his eyebrow back to Not So Tacky Thacky as he gives him a little grin as he hears the teacher give them a little bit of applause, demonstrating the Certain Truth behind his words, absolutely...

“Ummmmm....can’t.” Thackeray hums out after a looooooooong beat, seeing him look down to his shoes, his eyes softly squinting as he tries To Focus, seeing the aw shit...his hand resting over his chest, and beaaaattting heart, “No, really, my bad....Do You like pie?” He asks until he hears the clapping moving to clap himself some, hehehehaha, sniffing some as he swallows some as he continues to suck down on the last, final, countdown candy, not wanting to give it up....looking over at Emerson and giving a courteous rolling arm bow, heheh, for his Stellarrrr performance.

“No?” Worthington airily hums out, before hearing the question about...Pie, of all things, hm, moving to give a quick little polite clap himself until he hears it Continue, could it Not, it wasn’t that Great, studying Emerson and Blaise for a few more beats anyway while all the attention was on Them, before turning to Thackeray, a little smile curling onto his lips. “Love it. We could get some...after class? And let Blaise and Emerson have some time to Themselves?” He floats out as he warms his smile, just a bit.

“Have some plansss...” He says, moving a finger onto his lips in secrecy, even though he knew not to really say too much of anything for honesssssst...hearing the question and the whole thing with trying to smush them together, feeling like it was a trick of a trick, or maybe...”Are you guys having a fight, or something...?”

“With Connie?” He posits, his gaze shifting towards his brother, watching him nearly knock over Chandler, stifling a laugh, before moving to just ever-so-much raise his eyebrow as a little smile dons his lips, floating the question back. “Are you and Emerson?” He innocently, casually inquires, before adding the final, most important piece, even as he adds it oh-so-innocuously. “Or Something...?”

“Lottie.” He replies back with a Twirl of his finger in the air, for the Difference, giving a little shake of his head and another laugh, his lips gently moving upwards as he rests his palm onto his shoulder, “You should get him a slice from Granny’s, no one can resist That.” He leans in a little bit closer to whisper, not sure what was up, but figuring it couldn’t do anything but Help, especially if there was a problem happening with them, or something, knowing it could be pretty shit to not have the person, your person, to talk to.

Lottie...his mind moves back over the memory of who he was talking about, knowing of her Well enough, who Didn't know of the Van Burhens in this town, really, before...taking in this little bit of information, Granny's, hm, he'd Remember that, before..."Thanks," he whispers back, giving Thackeray a little, genuine smile at the suggestion, before continuing on. "But Is everything all right with you and Emerson?" He inquires, giving Thackeray a sympathetic little look even as he takes in those little details of his eyes again, for...aesthetic observation, Obviously.

[ruehleia]

TB: One Hell of a Birthday [November 8, 2015]

In Progress

Rue’s eyes subtly flicker towards the proctor performing the last step check of his student ID, the subconscious apprehension he had come to be oh too familiar with when faced with people he was not settling in like pin-pricks in his stomach, even as he keeps his outward expression flat, neutral, aloof, even— for the sake of his friends, the word still feeling foreign in the neurons through which it was firing but still a foreign...Good, he recognizes once again as the tail line of his gaze subtly flickers past the proctor’s unholy Judgment of the ID picture — far more feminine in appearance than he would ever want to have represent himself, passed off internally as a Bad Day so that he would not have to wrestle with the fact that as it stood, the person in the picture and the person who was standing there today, the soft cheeked, long-lashed, pouty-lipped foreign entity whose face he had to wear, whose face he could not tear off, even as he tried to mold, shape, control, with each new hair color, each new bit and piece of a tattoo as he could save up for — towards Thackeray behind him, an initial hesitant, subltle flicker of a smile crossing his lips before resting, nestling there a moment, until his attention snaps back to the proctor in front of him, sliding the ID back with a “Happy Birthday, Ms. Rugova,” that sent a coldness down his spine and a white hot strike of embarrassment to flash, then burn in the pit of his chest, even as he keeps his outward expression utterly, almost militantly, neutral, aloof, Whatever, giving a nonchalant nod of his head as he takes the ID back, moving to rest his back against the wall outside of the classroom as he waits for his friends to finish turning in their exams, instinctively reaching down towards his sock for a cigarette only to find, unsurprisingly, that there were none, oh...tilting his hat down over his eyes as he waits.

[diaamantes]

The Litmus Test [December 3, 2018]

COMPLETED

Jasper moves into the dive bar with Jade, carrying his tin of cupcakes as he tries to find a table for them to sit at, sliding into an empty booth as he pops out one of his cupcakes, taking a generous bite, before looking at his sister. "What do you want?" He asks, figuring he could go grab the drinks from the bar for them, half entertaining the idea of ordering a whole bottle if they were already out.

Jade slides into the booth, aimlessly biting at the skin on the side of her finger, a delay in her responding as she moves to text Juno that she was here, a nervousness beatboxing in the pit of her stomach upon receiving the quick text in response, her gaze flicking back to her brother, as she gives him a wave. "Got it covered." She assures, offhandledly, giving a light swallow as she looks around the room, behind Jasper. "Just stay here, enjoy the ambiance, and...be thirsty." She tells him, a strike of recognition moving through her as she takes sight of Juno, moving through a couple of strangers, fast approaching them.

Juno moves into the bar, clutching the extra bottle and two minis to go that she had gotten and haphazardly wrapped in some newspaper and stuck a bow on top of, looking out for Jade and Rat Boy, catching sight of her girlfriend and the Rat King himself, a wide smile crossing her lips. "Check this genius wrapping job," she comments, holding up the wrapped bottle, before moving to order the other bottle, before she does a double take, realizing that the sulking emo figure in the booth was not, in fact the friendless Rat boy, but Jasper Muthafuckin' Rozinsky himself. "Wellllll, howdy do, pardner, fancy seeing you around here," she offers, moving to fire a few finger guns at Jasper, blowing off the smoke afterwards, before a bit of warmth swirls within her at the implication for why Jasper was there. "Soooooo, is cool if I give you a kiss outside of the bubble?" She whispers to Jade, stroking a faux beard as she does so, before noticing the cupcakes on the table out of the corner of her eye, noting that she'd have to steal one at some point.

Jade raises a concerned brow up at the haphazard "wrapping", "Perfect." She nods, finding it fitting given who it was for, sharing a look with her brother as she watches the reaction to the pair, a twitch moving across her lips as she hears the whisper, moving her gaze back onto Juno, leaning to give her a soft welcome kiss, sliding in to allow her to sit, sliding one of the mini's inconspicuously to Jasper as Juno does so.

Jasper takes in the package, mulling it over as he finishes off one of his cupcakes. "This for me?" He asks, taking in the eclectic wrapping job, before he observes the interaction between his sister and Juno, giving his sister a quick glance as he understands in the moment, gratefully taking one of the minis before one of the waitresses brings over the bottles of tequila and vodka that he ordered, moving to pour a shot of each for the three of them. "Na zdravie?" He offers, about to toast, before he notices the two former SBA members out of the corner of his eye, making their way over to their table.

Ray moves into the bar, shouldering past the three sheets to the winds asshats, his finger scratching against his cheek, as he yearns for a drink after the fucking day he had crushed, spotting the crazy ass girl, and...other people hadn't gotten a heads up about, little surprise moving through him as he moves to the table, just as a toast, was set to commence. "Perf timing, eh." He states, moving to pour himself and Emmy two of the same, sliding in first, to allow Emerson the out. "What're we celebrating?" He asks, offhandedly, throwing back the shot of vodka back.

A momentary twitch of a smile flashes onto Jade's lips as she takes in the start of the cheers from her brother, about to raise her glass before they're interrupted by the arrival of the other two boys, she seemed chained to by the cruel twist of Fundatory fate. "For you not bringing that death trap bag with you?" She offers, throwing her own shot back in kind, letting out an extended "ah" in response....Turning her attention to the blonde guy, holding up her hand, "No offense."

Emerson follows Ray into the bar, feeling utterly exhausted and not really wanting to be there, almost having gone home after the seemingly endless club meeting that day if not for the fact that he felt like he desperately needed a drink after the brutal day of classes and finals studying and the fact that he really didn't want to be alone that night with the sinking weight of everything swirling within him. Letting out a small sigh, he steels himself for the night with Juno, definitely not one of his favorite people by a longshot, before he catches sight of other people there, a mild discomfort moving through him at the whole situation, which he tries to subside by throwing back both of the shots after another, moving to replenish it and Ray's for whatever the hell cheers was going on. "None taken," he simply offers back to Jade, not sure what she was talking about and not really caring to,

"My duuuuuuuuudes!" Juno excitedly calls out, reaching over to give both Emerson and Ray high fives, before noticing that everyone else was drinking their shots, moving to do the same, before pouring herself a refill, before offering up her own glass. "To Snow and those bomb ass plaid pants he wore today, to Jasper for these fucking sweet cupcakes, anddddddd to my bomb ass smokin' hot girlfriend, Jadeeeeee!" Juno offers excitedly, a strike moving through her as she finally gets to say the words, before throwing the shot back, then the other, and moving to grab one of the cupcakes.

Jade exerts the bit of effort she had slated for such a moment, not to roll her eyes into the back of her skull like an extra from the Shining at the moment, as she takes in the other two assholes, in front of her moving to throw back her other shot, as she moves to refill them both, allowing Juno to make her toast, giving her a sideways look, catching the happiness emanating from her, a strike of softness moving through her as she catches the smile moving onto her lips, finding it woefully and completely endearing in the moment, moving to rest her hand on Juno's inner thigh, as a smile flashes onto her lips as she attempts to snatch a cupcake, unsure her hand would survive such a move, "Hear ye, hear ye." She adds, ringing an imaginary bell, throwing her shots consecutively back, glancing at her brother, moving to pour him a triple, "Počítané ako jedno, ak používate to isté sklo, že?" She offers, moving to do the same for her own, clinking it against his.

Jasper nods his head, moving to throw back the triple after he defends his cupcakes from his sister after Juno already managed to sneak one, wanting the two newcomers to understand that the cupcakes were not up for grabs, figuring he could sneak one to his sister later, once he had clinked his glass against his sister's in cheers. "Presne," he affirms, moving to pour her a triple in return.

Emerson downs his own shots, feeling them relax his body a bit in spite of the toll he felt from the stress of the day on it, giving his husband a quick sideways glance to see if he still wanted to stay, before he catches the brief bit of what seems almost like Slovenian, but a bit...off, yet still somewhat understandable, a bit of surprise moving through him, about to say something in Slovenian to test that theory, before realizing he...didn't really want to, moving to do the same and pour himself a triple, throwing it back before looking  over at his husband. "Is dit een geschenk voor jou? Artistiek, toch?" He lightly teases, whispering the words in Ray's ear, before sneaking a kiss.

Jade gives a light nod, as Jasper moves to replinish their drinks, grateful in spite of the severe burn nearly coming back up, figuring the sooner, they could get the fuck out here, the absolute better, throwing back the next shot, as she moves to withdraw her phone scrolling through the menu, for her soon to be paradise burgers, wanting to plan things for the timing Just Right.

Ray lets out a chuckle as he takes in the reasoning he was called here, raising his glass, throwing back the shots as he runs his hand through his hair, not finding a lot of surprise by the announcement, a smirk flashing onto his lips as he hears Emerson's words, moving into the kiss, "Jaloers?" He breathes against his husband's ear, moving to take a few more shots quietly, allowing them to seep within him, not quite relaxing him as much as he would wish for, but free shots nonetheless.

Jade watches out of the corner of her eye the two guys, drinking like fish out of water, helping her cause, so she pays little care to it, giving Juno's thigh a light squeeze, as she lightly slides it upwards. "About time to bring out the dancing burgs, right?" She whispers to her as she catches her finishing the shot she had, her hand, which was apparently rubbing against her cheek covering her lips from everyone else in the moment.

"Zo jaloers," Emeson breathes back, before looking over at the other two open bottles, recalling Juno's incentives for him to come. "Denk je dat we die kunnen pakken en vertrekken en misschien ... stoppen voor een pis op weg naar buiten?" He challenges, raising his eyebrow, a twitch of a mischievous smile moving across his lips, moving to take another triple as he can, letting it move through him.

Juno finishes off her stolen cupcake, watching the two men with a bit of amusement, a bit of a laugh escaping her lips. "Jesus fuck, my dudes,  you do not play around," she remarks, before her attention moves fully to her girlfriend as she feels the whispered words and the squeeze. "Bring in the dancing burgs," she affirms, drawing Jade into a kiss.

A wave of tingles flush through Jade as a soft hint of a smile crosses her lips as she's drawn into the kiss, wanting to stay in the moment, before she realizes she wasn't alone, withdrawing from the kiss, to turn her attention to her brother. "Chceš sa dostať na hamburgery, alebo si nájdeš vlastnú cestu?" She asks, soley of him, wanting his answer before she made her exit to stage left. "Juno je liečiť?" She adds, with a raise of her hand.

Jasper listens to his sister's offer, before turning his attention to the two other men, pointing his shot glass at them. "Jullie twee die blijven of gaan?" He asks casually.

Jade takes in the unknown language passing between her brother and the two people she couldn't bare to spend any more time with for the night, or she may as well literally implode, moving to whisper in Juno's ear, as the three men seem to start...something? "Let's gooooo. While the gettings goood."

Juno leans in as she hears Jade's whisper, taking in the encounter with a bit of curiosity. "Kindaaaaa wanna know the tea here," she admits, before a twitch of a smirk forms on her lips. "But kindaaaa wanna soak up the time with my smokin' hot girlfriend more."

Jade lets out a breath as she hears the beginning of Juno's words before her lips twitch a bit at her following ones, "Ding ding." She whispers, back, moving out of the booth, after Juno, lightly moving to take hold of her hand as they slide through the other patrons, ordering the Lyft with her other hand, pulling her into a kiss once they're outside, after firing off a quick "Veľa štastia," text to her brother, hopeful he'd use the cupcakes if he were in need, figuring she could check on him once she got back.

A hint of an amused smirk pulls onto Ray's lips as he hears his husband's offer, throwing back another shot as he does so. "Poznaš zakon, kajne? Najprej jih moram končati." [*I have to = We have to.] He reminds, pulling at his husband's jaw, planting a kiss onto his lips, moving to pour another one for them both, raising it up as he takes in the shuffling from across the table. "Leaving so soon? Damn." He says flatly, a hint of a smirk moving onto his lips at the shit, a brow raising, "So much for that rep, eh?" He states in the air, watching the two leave, turning a side glance to the last one remaining, giving a casual shrug in response to his question.

Emerson pauses after taking another shot, hearing Juno's commentary before watching them leave, as he takes in his husband's words, looking down at the shot. "One more, and then we go to the bathroom, or maybe even...somewhere more interesting?" Emerson offers lowly in Dutch, drawing Ray into a kiss, looking at the shot again, before moving to cheers with his husband, finishing it off, turning to glance at Jasper. "Does he think we...invited him to join us?" Emerson says, switching to Burmese, a twitch of annoyance moving through him at the other man obviously switching to Dutch to let them know that he had understood what he had wanted to whisper to Ray privately.

"Three." Ray counters back, clinking his glass as he throws it back, with little effort, blowing air through his lips. "After that one." He winks, taking in Emerson's words, and trail off, "Yeahhh?" He responds back, a flash of curiosity on where this other place was, before he takes in his husband's assessment, giving an uninterested shrug, not finding it to fucking matter if the other guy was stupid enough to think some stupid shit like that, pulling Emerson's jaw, away from whatever his name was, into him, as their lips meet once again.

A conflicted feeling moves through Emerson at Ray's reply, before he looks at him seriously. "Only one more, please?" He asks, settling on it, even though in the moment he felt like he could use three more and then some, before a smirk forms on Emerson's lips. "Yeahhhh," he purrs back, before he feels himself drawn into Ray, indulging in the kiss, figuring it didn't matter what the other guy thought. "Let me show you?" He offers, a smile crossing his lips as he interlaces his fingers with Ray’s, moving to get ready to leave.

Jasper takes in the interaction between the two men after he watches Jade and Juno walk away, feeling like he was glaringly third wheeling at that point, figuring he might as well leave, even though part of him didn't want to be alone. "See you," he says unceremoniously, giving them a two fingered salute as he moves to take the bottle with him, curious if Naf was done with whatever he had been busy with before, moving to text him.

Ray takes in the tone of Emerson's voice, despite the static, emanating through his thoughts, pouring a double final shot for them both. "One." He affirms, throwing it back, as he firmly takes hold of Emerson's hand. "By all means, lead the way." He winks, a hint of a smirk forming onto his lips, making sure to grab the shitty wrapped alcohol, intending to take another shot or two, from it when he got home if Emerson wasn't game. "Eh. Try the bar." He nods his head, to some horny looking motherfuckers, tilting his direction to the poor bastard there, before turning himself back to his husband, and this surprise.

[siggyvennett]

Bring on the Bullshit [August 7, 2019]

COMPLETE

Siggy focuses intently on the pins in front of her, lining up her throw as she draws the ball back, trying to get it just righttttt.....only for the ball to err slightly from its intended path, knocking over only one more pin, causing Siggy to let out a small groan. "Shit," she mutters out, letting Emerson and Ray step up for their turns, moving to sit down next to Mari as she takes a drink from her milkshake, looking down at her phone, where...the most useless DM she had ever received sat, causing her to furrow her brow. "Why did I do This and what did I expect?" She inquires while Ray was occupied with his roll, moving to show Mari the DM to the Guy from earlier with the bee emoji and a question mark, where all he had responded with was another bee emoji.

Emerson draws Ray into a kiss for luck, before drawing back to surprise him with a wet willie for extra luck, giving him a quick wink and light slap on the ass. "Knock 'em dead, jij sexy kleine shit," he says as he steps back to let his husband roll the ball, keeping an eye on him even as he turns his attention towards the girls. "Something up?" He asks, before seeing his own phone buzz on the table, leaving it alone for the moment, guessing it wasn't important.

Siggy jumps a bit as she sees Emerson come over, placing her phone face down as she looks at him. “Nothing, no worries, oh look! Ray just got a strike!” She announces, watching Emerson’s attention shift as he makes his way back over to Ray, doing some sort of...congratulatory something Them Thing that was their odd mix of flirting combined with shit giving, until she hears Emerson’s phone buzz again, a curiousity moving through her as she moves to grab it. “He needs to password protect his phone...” Siggy offers, before taking in the text from Octavio and the...notifications from Bee Guy, of all people. “What the...” She begins, before casting a glance over towards how happy Emerson and Ray looked, how at ease they seemed to be and just...enjoying the moment, causing Siggy to look down at the text from Octavio:

and then towards Mar. "Should we take care of this bullshit so they don't have to?" She whispers, not wanting them to hear.

Mari peeks over as she relaxes back into her seat, glancing at the weird, awkward ass DM, flashing Siggy a Look. "Tell him to show his di..." She trails off as Emerson swiftly moves in, plastering on a sweet smile as Siggy diverts him away about to move up to take her turn after Emerson until her attention is drawn to Emerson's notifications. "Tell him to fuck off, and delete it." She seriously nods back.

Siggy nods her head, moving to open up the message to reply to it, swiftly typing out a message:

before deleting it, moving to set the phone back on the table before she sees Emerson and Ray walking over. "Nice job, but...still going to get your ass kicked," she informs, trying to act Casual.

Ray disentangles himself from Emerson as he playfully pushes him, flopping back into his seat as he moves to snag a couple of cheese fries. "Take another look at the scoreboard and come back to us, eh." He snaps back, moving his head up towards the board before he feels the vibration in the back of his pocket, moving to slide it out and taking in the various messages and...the one from Emerson, staring at it for a few beats before catching sight of his phone still on the table, moving a soft smile onto his lips as he claps his hand onto Emerson's ass, "Go show em' how it's done, eh. If you want that prize..." He trails off, giving Emerson a teasing wink as he moves back into his seat, as he watches Emerson move up to take a ball. "It's a group chat, shitasses....d for effort."

"And I'll show you how it's done, too, can't stop Teaching, can I?" Emerson lowly and teasingly replies back, planting another good luck kiss on Ray's lips before giving him a light shoulder check, moving to take his turn.

Ray's words catch Siggy by surprise, moving to tentatively reach for the phone while Emerson was busy concentrating,  pulling it up, before seeing...It Was, in fact, a group chat. "Shit..." She says, putting the phone back where it had been, before looking at her brother. "I just...didn't want you having to deal with that bullshit, especially not when you jut got back, and you both seem so...happy," Siggy says, a small, warm smile forming on her lips as she says the last words, before looking at her brother. "What are you going to do about it? For what it's worth...I think you should just...let what happened happen, forget about him, and...have Emerson not worry about it, even though I kind of fucked that up on your end," Siggy offers, hoping that was Something even though it wasn't Perfect.

"Shit. Fuck." Mari mutters back, not having caught that with everything Else simataneously seeming to happen, hearing Siggy's words mirror her own, maybe even a bit Too Much. "Agreed. He had his chance to make things Right, why give him another one on His Terms, he's just probably looking to fuck shit up on your end. Selfish fuck..."

Ray slowly leans his head, from side to side as he cracks his neck a bit, feeling the snap release of pressure as he does so, the girls voices carrying over, a grin of the same ilk spreading along his lips as he hears the slamming of a chorus of pins. "Well, first things first, We're gonna smoke your asses. Devour these fries, maybe get a drink...Who knows, night's still young." He offers, before moving his gaze towards the girls, "Thanks though, for what it's worth, eh." He sincerely offers to the girls, moving an arm across Siggy's shoulders, squishing the pair along the side of him, before he lets out a chuckle at Emerson's goofy ass victory dance. "I'm learning so much..."

A smile moves across Siggy's lips as she hears her brother's words, moving her own arm across his shoulder, squeezing him in tight, before turning to look at Emerson in the middle of some silly dance. "We gotta get him in this squish pile too, andddddd....get a selfie to commemorate our impending victory, and just...this night together," Siggy replies with a smile, trying to wave Emerson over to join them.

Emerson finishes the signature move on his victory dance, before seeing the signal to come over, moving to squish in close to Mari. "You know, might as well just surrender now, buy us our victory dessert, quit while you're ahead after That beautiful strike," Emerson lightly replies to the girls, a grin forming on his lips.

Mari lets out a huff of breath as she feels the double ended squish happening, "...ughm..hateeeeee itttttt...." She groans out, even as her lips curve into a smile and a sputtering laugh moves out of her as Emerson piles in. "We die like mennnnnnnnnnn..."

"Exactlyyyy, we're still going to wipe the floor with your asses," Siggy replies, a smile twitching on her lips, happy to have a night of carefree fun with the most important people to her, her family.

COMPLETE

[lllucios]

A Long Night at Work [October 14, 2019]

IN PROGRESS

Orin moves to brew herself a cup of floral tea, letting it steep as she makes herself a cup of coffee, a bit tired physically but still...so energized from the poetry workshop that she and Ray had had with some of the local children as part of what Saxon had brought them in to do, it Feeling...so much more Real than what she used to do at the museum, the rest of her life feeling so much more Real, true, to herself, her feelings, her heart, her soul...a softness moving though her as she looks up at the full moon above her, before turning her attention to Ray as she brings him over the cup of coffee she had made for him, recalling that he wasn’t partial to tea, in one of the silly yet charming mugs Saxon had gotten for them when they had first moved in to their new office space, a collaborative, shared space for the two of them that Orin had already decorated with flowers and plants, happy that Ray seemed to subtly share the same affinity for them that she did. Placing the coffee on his desk, she places her hand lightly on the half of the notebooks from the workshop he was to look at to split the task of giving the kids feedback and encouragement for their next session, looking at him, an amicable and warm smile crossing her lips. “I can take these for you and you can head home, I don’t mind,” she offers, knowing that a different deadline was looming on the other side of work with Reagan requesting to see the manuscript of the poetry book he was writing with his husband, wanting to give him the chance to go home and immerse himself fully in that, before she hears a buzz from the front door, curious if Saxon had locked himself out, perhaps, knowing he was the only other one working late that night, a deadline of his own looming with Reagan’s requests for the next cycle of releases. “Did you order food?” She offers, assuming that was the only other thing it could be, at this hour.

Luci releases a final plume of smoke from his sobranie cigarette outside of the building where Emile worked, letting it carry into the night air above him, the full moon shining as it did above the city, the feeling of being back still foreign, yet familiar, moving to crush the cigarette under the heel of his boot, letting the ashes disperse onto the decrepit sidewalk, before tilting his hat down, heading inside the building as he presses the button for the floor he knew he needed. Glancing at his reflection in the elevator as it mechanically fulfills its tasks, he takes in what...who, perhaps, stared back at him, healthier...that was the word that Kiki had used, his clothes no longer swallowing him whole, his mind still...unsure if he was something or someOne, but whoever this Thing or this Who was was now wearing His cross necklace, heavy in its weight as his fingers move towards it, feeling the details on it as his gaze bores into Whoever in the mirror across from him...Whoever, he finally settles on, выбирает, Whoever, as the elevator dings, making his way towards the door as he rings the buzzer, moving to tilt his hat up a bit as he takes his phone out and focuses in on it and a message in particular as he waits.

Ray's gaze breaks from the latest sonnet as he sees the coffee placed in front of him, taking hold of it and taking a deep drink from it, regretting it as he feels it burn his tongue. "...fuck." He murmers out, inhaling a breath before shaking his head a bit at her offering, wanting to finish his part. Finding himself going for another...more cautious sip of the coffee this go around as he hears the buzzing, squinting one eye as he thinks if he had, before shaking his head standing from his seat to go check it out, cracking the door open a bit, a snort passing through him as he sees the kid, "You bring pie?"

Lucio watches as the door open, taking in the man before him, Ray, not Emile, he internally registers as he takes in the office behind them, before turning his gaze back to Ray's, simply turning his palm up. "No rain." He simply offers, before giving Ray a small, subtle nod of recognition, before he takes in the name at the reception desk, now different, figuring that Emile no longer worked there, before turning his attention back to Ray, moving to open his backpack as he finds his bag of moon cakes that he had brought back from Hong Kong, handing them to Ray, figuring he might as well have them if Emile was now gone. "月饼，" He offers, having picked up some of the language there just being there for those months after he had left Calypso, in addition to what Kiki had tried to teach him before he left, before figuring it was time as any to give him what he had specifically brought back for him. "Got a minute?" His tone still flat but with a..small bit of inflection, a question, to mirror the one Ray had asked.

Ray faux-solemnly shakes his head, not having invited him in, but whatever, even more dismay moving through him as he holds in his chuckle at the reason he had no pie, his hand just catching the cakes as he hears the question weighing them, "Not pie so...twenty seconds." He declares, leaning back on Cass....ia, was it? yeah, sounds right, her desk as he waits for the kid to use his time.

Lucio gives a nod of his head, moving to hand Ray a headphone, moving to pull up the track in particular on his phone, the idea for it spurred on by Mikhail, taking the sectors of his catalogued pieces of experience burned into his memory and transforming them, this one track in particular holding parts of Calypso, the other man in it, among other pieces commingled, a moment in particular an abstract, instrumental, hauntingly beautiful interpretation of that one line of poetry he had read in the office so long ago, taking the headphone of his own as he picks that marker in particular, finding a select 15 seconds of it. "Close your eyes," Lucio says, waiting for him to do so, his tone still flat before the music speaks in a way he never could, the evocation of it delicately weaved and juxtaposed against the experimental instrumentation he had crafted to speak not just through its sound, but as a moving picture, an experience in full, as what exists under the delicate silk-threads of sound plays out, a flit of a thought moving through him as to how it was coming alive before the other man's eyes as he uses the moment to to reach in his bag to find the small souvenir, a Lucky Cat, setting the cat on the table as he takes one of the sticky notes from the table, writing one last "=)" onto it, sticking it to the cat's paw, mentally calculating how long that had been. "I lived," he remarks, a small shrug accompanying the words, summing up his entire experience since he left the office of Calypso, recalling the last words he had said to Ray before leaving the office, of homage to Mikhail and his wishes for him that he had sent along the way, of...Something, of some...One, setting the cat on the table as he takes one of the sticky notes from the table, writing one last "=)" onto it, sticking it to the cat's paw, mentally calculating how long that had been. "Twenty seconds," he remarks, in conclusion, “дитя.”

[amityavila]

Dinner at Amity’s [January 14, 2019]

COMPLETE

- The same night as this prior conversation -

Amity moves to pull the fresh baked Fernet pie out of  the oven, a pleased smile crossing her lips as she takes it in, before she moves to offer her sister a playful nudge and grin as she sees her sister's own pie that she had crafted, proud that she had done so well on it. "You're going to put my pie to shame, Haze," she teases, moving to place both of the pies among the artfully arranged homecooked food that she and Hazel had prepared, wanting to make a bright and inviting display in spite of the small space in which she lived, hoping it would suffice and that her co-workers wouldn't be too put off by her place, it having been all she could afford, but she and her sister had tried to make the best of it through decorating it and making it their own. As she hears a knock on the door, Amity, looks over to Hazel. "Can you get it, Haze?" She inquires, realizing she hadn't set plates out, quickly moving to do that.

"Got it," Hazel affirms with a nod, a subtle smile gracing her lips as she takes in her own pie, not quite as good as her sisters, but something she was quite proud of nonetheless, before she moves to open the door, curiously taking in these two men her sister worked with. "I'm Hazel, Amity's sister," she says, about to move to allow them to come in, before she recalls these were business connections of her sister's, trying to recall the proper thing to do, awkwardly holding out her hand for them to shake.

Ray gives a tilt of his head as he takes in the unknown girl before him, "Ray, her boss." He offers back, the last bit more of a last minute add-on then anything else, handing her the bottle of vodka as she moves her hand out, breezing into the place, as he smells the sweet scents enticing him inside.

Lucio follows Ray into the apartment, having arrived not long after, moving to do the same with a bottle of Fernet he had picked up, before he catches whiff of the scent of it moving through the room, the smallest twitch of surprise moving through him at the fact that the woman had managed to find it, and bake it into a pie nonetheless.

Hazel observes the two bottles in her hands, a curiosity moving through them at the latter, wondering if Amity would let her drinking slide since it was a party after all, before an idea strikes her, moving to pull out some of the hand-made ceramic tea glasses she had crafted, all carefully decorated, before putting out two for each person, one from each liquor bottle, feeling like she could preempt any questions from her sister by making it into a bonding activity for the night and saying it was a way to make use of her art, before a sudden realization moves through her at the fact that the other man had never said his name, finding it a bit awkward to ask for it now, before turning her attention to Ray instead as she knew how to address him. "Ray, can you give the toast?" She asks, a smile crossing her lips as she inquires, eager to try the mysterious liquor that No Name had brought.

Ray takes in the apartment with a muted curiosity before his attention moves to the two teacups placed unceremoniously into his hands taking in the girl's request, his brow raising. "To the indescribable pleasure of high tea, indeed, hear hear." He announces, teasingly taking his inspiration from one hoity-toity herself, a swirl of amusement moving through him as he clinks his teacups together, moving to stretch back into a seat at the table taking a drink from the one that clearly had vodka inside of it.

Lucio studies Ray as he makes his toast with a muted wisp of curiosity, watching which shot he took before he looks at both of the cups before him, moving to take the vodka and slowly pour it into his fernet cup, closely observing the comingling of what should not be, before swiftly throwing it back, setting the used cup back on the table, before he moves to check his phone, raising an eyebrow at something. "A moment," he offers, moving to nimbly lighting a sobranie and take a drag as he begins talking in rapid fire Russian as he steps outside of Amity's apartment.

A surprised strike moves through Amity as she sees Lucio step outside after lighting a cigarette, beginning to protest, "you shouldn't..." before the door is closed before she can even finish, "...smoke in here," before she takes the cup of Fernet in her hand, looking down at it, a moment too long, before she realizes a bit of silence had begun to hang in the room, causing her to search for something to say. "Have you ever had this?" Amity offers with a small smile to Ray as she holds up the Fernet. "I tried baking with it, for the whole...surprise, but I've actually never had this to drink," she admits.

Hazel watches the guy head outside in a whole huff kinda thing, probably, his girlfriend maybe? Her gaze following him before Ammy launches into her Professional grade conversation, causing her to bounce a bit in her seat in anticipation until she just.... “Maybe you should check on him Ammy....?” She loosely floats out, her tone taking on a light trill at the end as she looks up at her sister with her big brown doe eyes, holding her gaze with a slight Concern (tm) laced within her own to really try to make Ammy feel like she should Go, until she hears Ammy excuse herself and close the door, causing her to reach one hand towards her phone while the other waverssss between the bottles, wondering if she could get away with ittttt, her curiosity getting the best of herrr, until she notices that Ray didn’t touch his Fermat...Fernayt? “Can I try this?” She inquires offhandedly, blinking her big doe eyes at him as she taps her fingers on the table next to her phoneee, ratatatatattt, drumming them for a bit before finally just deciding to Go For It, even as a bit of nerves heave through her chest, not wanting Ammy to come in and find outtttt....”You’re a writer and a lawyer, right, Rayyy?” She floats out even as her tone wavers off a bit at the end, beguiling the casual cool with which she was trying to deliver it, damn, before releasing a breath, the corners of her lips twitching a bit upwards and a bit down, before sliding him the email from someone who seemed Legit and Profesh, but...it didn’t seem real, talking about wanting to make an indie film off of the little book she had self-published with the help of her circle of friends on Tumblr that got kinda sorta popular There, but....”This is Totally a Scam, right?” The little half smile curling onto her lips in spite of the Duh she was feeling at the question, like it probs was, but...that little sparkle of hope just kept...blinking inside of her, like the one damn Christmas light that refused to go out after the whole rest of the string was dead and gone and it was basically Easter, anyway....

[connellyprice]

Plus Les Choses Changent...? [January 12, 2020]

IN PROGRESS

- The Night of Ksen’s Senior Art Show -

Connelly confidently strides into the venue, dressed in a clear plastic suit encircled with "connie” layered over it as it encircles the garment, and him, the hot orange neoprene speedo and  sharp heeled boots that made him tower over his already commendable height being the pops of Color and Coverage to the ensemble that showed off his well-sculpted body, the complementary shades with hot orange lenses covering his eyes, making his way in like it was a runway, taking in all the eyes on him even as he feels the little bit of something he snorted before to numb the whole...feeling, that came with digging back into shit that should have been allowed to rest, dredging up the people he cared about for some kind off...bullshit...not quite doing as much as it was supposed to, still feeling the white hot flash of anger, and...sadness, in the pit of his stomach, somewhere deep down under the radiance and confidence with which he made his way into the art venue, scanning his eyes for...this Girl who...was trying to fuck with him, in one of the last ways he really...could be fucked with any more, even as he...his eyes catching a panel of the comic on the wall, this...version of him, this fictional...bastardization of some of the best memories he had, that he still clung to dearly, somewhere in the pits of him that he didn’t let Show any more, that the public didn’t have a Right to, that he wanted to keep safe and sound, deep within him, where no one could Hurt it, but...there it fucking was, cheapened, diluted, and repackaged into something...he recognized but fell somewhere into uncanny valley that made him feel...eugh...almost wondering if he should make a quick stop to powder his nose in the bathroom but also half wondering why the hell he was even here, what possessed him to come here, even as he flashes a wink at the two women who had stopped to admire his outfit, keeping the firm split between “Connelly” and Himself to let everyone had what they wanted, continuing to radiate his energy and flair outwards even as inside, he half felt like he could...puke, blowing the women a quick kiss and waving goodbye before...his breath nearly catches in his throat as he sees...the whole veneer almost falling, for a moment as he...takes in these two people, who seemed so familiar and so...foreign all at once, almost...hauntingly so, was it really Them? as this...nervousness, he hadn’t felt in such a long time, a fucking long time, moves through him, as he...takes a swift, silent breath, when no one was looking, remembering that Thing, he used to say, what was it, about Little Connie...listen to Little Connie...and Little Connie...missed his best friends, and wanted ✨ Bad Bitch ✨ Connelly Eagan Price to Know That, smiling that dorky ass little smile up at him in the back corner of his mind while also giving him a rough clap on the shoulder, Don’t Screw This Up, Okay? The bright, cheerful laugh ringing in his ears as Little Connie flashes him a quick peace sign, yeah, yeah, a little softness crossing the edges of his radiant grin as he...makes his way over to the two of them, over at the snack table, snack table, oh my god, were there cheese cubes? He has to think with a hint of amusement under it all, even though he hadn’t had cheese in Years, knowing Little Connie would have gone HAM on free cheese cubes, moving to take one of the glasses of champagne from the table as he moves to easily, confidently, naturally slide into place beside the two men, casually, “So...the Economy,” he declares in his best regal air, almost like his father, wow, swirling the champagne around, feeling the little bit of dweeb spilling out from under the surface along with those damn nerves he had forgotten even existed for so long, before he...pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head as he...looks at them more fully, his whole little jokey joke shtick falling by the wayside as he just... “Ems and Thacks?” He asks, his voice coming out more...vulnerable, than he wanted it to, than he had ever heard in a while, a little bit of...Old Connie, Little Connie almost speaking Through him in the moment as his brow softly creases as he...just...feels a little bit of something, something of a feeling, moving in his heart that felt...weird..and good..and bad, all at the same time, feeling...both at home, and like an imposter, all rolled into one as he takes the two men in.

[kennicubri]

Poly Midnight Dinner [November 8, 2019]

IN PROGRESS

-11:56 P.M.-

Ksen sits on the couch as she lightly brushes Chik's fur, wanting him to look his best for the polyamorous lady and Freddie, smelling the recently delivered noodles from one of Emerson and Ray's favorite places waft through the air, making her feel hungry, but wanting to wait until the girls were there. "Do not eat any of the noodles early," she warns the boys, calling out towards the kitchen, before moving to scoop up Chik as she hears the knock at the door, opening it to see Freddie and the polyamorous lady, a smile crossing her lips. "I'm glad to see you again," she warmly says to Freddie, before looking at the Polyamorous Lady. "And it's so nice to meet you," she says with a soft grin, before holding Chik up. "This is Chik."

Emerson lets a small yawn as he lazily wraps his arm around Ray, before slumping his head down on his husband's shoulder finding it super cozy in the moment as he lightly nestles it there, another yawn escaping him, a bit worn down from school and work shit that day. "What is this whole thing again?" Emerson asks, not quite recalling from what Ray said earlier that day Why it had to be at 11:56 P.M., before opening one eye to look at the noodles. "Damn if those don't look good, though..."

Ray shrugs a bit as he feels Emerson collapse onto him, moving into the drawer for a fork as he cracks open the box, "Ksen being Ksen." He replies back, it being as simple as that as he slowly moves to slurp the noodles, a few by one, quietly closing the box back.

Emerson feels the shrug jostle him, moving to back off, moving off of Ray as he purses his lips a bit to the side, going to go find something in the fridge.

Minnie softly moves a few of Freddie's twists out of the way, softly pressing her lips along her neck after she leans to knock on the door. "Is it killllling you?" She lowly murmurs, a twitch of a smile crossing her lips as she plants another kiss, until she sees the door swing open, taking hold of Freddie's hand as she draws the girl into a hug, "Heyyyy," She says back, pulling back to take in the cat, lightly moving two fingers down the back of his head. "He's super cute." She agrees, making her way inside, tossing a look over to Freddie as she hears the little interaction.

Emerson lets out a small breath through his nostrils as he cracks open a pumpkin frap as he tries to re-center himself in the moment and not the...fatigue in his mind that was causing it to start pulling a bit of shit, before turning to look at Ray, their eyes meeting as he decides to just nip it in the bud, a soft concern knitting on his features. “Are you pissed at me for something?” He asks in lowly spoken Slovenian.

Freddie's lips lightly, briefly, cut upwards as she hears Minnie start her shit again, "I could be playing Death Stranding so...mmm..." She manages out, before the door opens and she sees....That weird girl, not being what she thought Minnie was alluding to at all, feeling the tug forward as she gives her a simple head nod, "Wassup?"

"What?" Ray cuts back, looking over to Em, "What're you talking about?"

Emerson lets out a small sigh as he looks at Ray with a softness to his expression. “I’m probably overthinking things, and I’m still not 100% Good right now,” he admits, still on a bit of a more down streak even after he had tried taking it easy after the whole book stress. “Being oversensitive about you not wanting me to be on my tired spidermonkey shit and...” He stops, unsure if he should say that Ksen being Ksen was a bit...exhausting with how he felt today, but leaving that be.

A smile forms on Ksen’s lips as she hears the compliment about Chik, before trying to recall if there were any Games for Freddie to play, furrowing her brow as she couldn’t remember if she had ever seen Emmy or Ray play a Game at their house. “I got lots of noodles,” she offers, gesturing towards the kitchen, before giving Freddie and the lady a soft smile. “Are you girlfriends?” She asks, wondering if Freddie had become a polyamorous cat parent since she had last seen her.

"Who said I wasn't?" Ray asks back, leaning his side along the counter as he opens his arms, "C'mon."

"Niceeee." Freddie remarks, looking around the place a bit, squinting her eyes as she tries to make out a picture, was that....the question throwing her off for thoughts for a second, giving an easy shrug, "We're just...."

"...Coolin' it." Minnie finishes off with a patented Freddieness to her tone, giving Freddie a bit of a shoulder shimmy of a nudge, "Oh yeah, Minnie." She rememebers, moving a hand over herself, trying to spur the dual intro.

Emerson moves to wrap his arms around Ray, just feeling like he needed it, taking comfort in it. “I'm just...Tired, of being, feeling...like this,” He lowly murmurs, in admittance, the exhaustion still permeating, heavy in his body, his mind...before giving Ray a soft kiss in thanks, wanting him to know how much it meant to him that he was there for him, before looking into his husband's eyes, letting out a small, soft breath. "I just...don't know if I can handle all This," he whispers, as he hears the voices as whatever Ksen 's...whatever of the night was was going on in the other room. "...right now, with how I feel," he vocalizes, wanting to be honest with the extra stress he felt emanating in him from Ksen's impromptu...Thing, before giving Ray a small tug of a smile, "...but I'll try my damndest," he affirms, giving his husband's hand a soft squeeze, not wanting to...fuck up the whole night for everyone else just because of the way he was feeling, even as the heaviness, fatigue still remains settled in his chest.

“Ksen,” she offers, giving a smile, unsure exactly what Coolin It meant, but figuring it was a Polyamourous thing she didn’t understand and shouldn’t intrude on, before noticing that Freddie was looking at her mural. “Do you like It?” She softly asks.

Ray's gaze pans over Emerson as he hears his words, sensing the...exhaustion in his voice, seeing it all over his face, feeling the tug on his hand, "...You sure? 'cause I'll kick everyone's ass out, just say the word."

Emerson gives Ray a small, tired smile as he interlaces their fingers, giving another small squeeze. "If it's important to you, I can do it," he reassures, knowing that if it was something Ray cared about in the slightest, he could push himself through how he was feeling, he Would, he punctuates in his mind, committing to finding a way to make it through.

Ray wraps an arm around Emerson, lightly rubbing along his back, pressing a soft kiss along the softly pulsating flesh of his neck, holding him in his arms for a few more prolonged beats. "Actually...kinda tired, now that I think about it, think you can warm the bed up for me and I'll grab the fatboy?"

Emerson closes his eyes, releasing a breath he didn't fully realize he was holding as he lets himself relax into the motions, slowly breathing in, out, in, out, one breath at a time, before a bit of a grateful smile twitches onto his lips as he looks at Ray. "Yeah," he affirms, moving to place a kiss on his cheek, before heading upstairs to the bedroom, shrugging out of his coat and his shoes, but...not feeling assed to do anything else in the moment, moving into the bed as he buries his face in the pillow, releasing a deep breath as he closes his eyes.

Ray's lips lightly, briefly, flutter upwards as he feels the kiss letting Emerson go, as he makes his over to where the girls were talking about the mural, his lips twitching again in a gentle...pride as he hears the one girl with the curly blue and pink hair enthuse over it, pulling Ksen to the side somewhat, "Gonna head up, keep it chill down here, yeah?" He tells her, cocking a thumb to the ceiling, figuring she could still do her little friend thing down here with Chik, and not have to head all the way back, if she wanted, just minus Them.

"Are you going to bed?" Ksen asks, looking up at Ray, even as she tightly holds Chik, before she watches as Chik reaches up to swat Ray's nose, causing a small laugh to move from her, in spite of herself.

"Yeah...fuck off." He nods, before feeling the swipe, rubbing his nose some as he flips Chik off, the asshat, moving into grab a box of noodles from the pile, along with a can of rootbeer, making short work of the steps catching sight of Zak mewing loudly at the door to the bedroom, kicking it open a bit with his foot, well, that made that easy he figures setting the stuff down on his little nightstand wannabe, cracking open the rootbeer and taking a deep drink letting out a satisfied ahhhh before setting it back down and grasping hold of perma Baby plopping him onto the bed as he rolls over, hooking a leg over Emerson, wrapping his arm around him as he rests his chin along his back. "When I said "warm it up", I meant the Whole bed, not just your side...ass..." He lowly murmurs against Emerson's ear.

"Don't be Mean," Ksen reminds, moving to place a soft kiss on Ray's cheek to wish him goodnight, before turning back to Minnie and Freddie. "Is it hard raising Cosmo?" Ksen asks, moving to lightly scratch behind Chik's ear.

Emerson rolls over a little bit as he feels Ray beside him, settling in beside him as he feels the comfort from his touch, keeping his eyes closed, still feeling a heaviness behind them. "That's what we have Zak for, isn't it?" He lowly offers back, even as a sleepiness moves into his tone, moving his foot a bit to indicate the rumbling he could feel at the edge of the bed that he could tell was a purring Big Baby.

A widespread grin forms onto Minnie's face, lighting it up in a warm glow as she looks over the mural, "I love it!" She corrects, extoling the je ne sais quoi of it as she asks whether she had done it until she hears the question, her lips poking out somewhat, "Mmm, not so much, his mama is doing a wonderful job of shaping him into a fine, upstanding, catizen." She seriously, hehe, declares, until she takes a look over at Freddie, sensing the Hangry, "Did I hear you right, you did sayyyy something about Noodles, didn't you?"

"Does he consider both of you his Mama?" Ksen asks, looking up at the two women curiously, before recalling everything she had gotten for the dinner. "I ordered all the noodles from one of the best places in town," she explains, leading them into the kitchen as she shows the wide array of noodles that were waiting there, whispering to Chik not to eat any of them.

Minnie's lips warmly pull into a smile as she hears Ksen's question, "I don't....know, actually? She's only seen him in pictures, he stays with Jesse and the fam...thank you, though. I'm excited to see what's up..." She finishes off on, looking over to see what noodles were more her style, reading the tops for the cruelty free...even as she sees Freddie waste no time in filling her plate, a soft chuckle rising out of her.

“He has a whole entire family?” Ksen replies back as she takes in Minne’s answer, moving to take a few things for her own plate after Freddie and Minnie had had a chance to take what they wanted.

“Of courrrrse, he’s a very loved Boy. Family all throughout, that love him to death.” Minnie grins, running a singular finger, to test the waters, along the back of the kitten’s head, “Sure the little guy here, gets It...”

Ksen softly strokes the top of Chik's head as she looks down at him after taking in Minnie's words.  "He mainly just has two dads," she explains softly, casting her head up towards the direction of the stairs, hoping Emmy and Ray were okay. "But I am like his...birth mother, if that makes sense."

[reaganward]

A Talk With Reagan [June 24, 2020]

IN PROGRESS

- 6:00 P.M., via Skype -

Reagan sits back in his chair, taking a measured sip from his coffee in the room that had been his office for the duration of his stay in London, neatly and precisely dressed for other meetings that he had had prior, moving to dial the number into the application....

Ray stretches out in his chair, his arms raising above his head as he lets out a breath waiting for this fucking to happen already, about to check his phone until he hears the sounds coming from his laptop, gliding his finger along the mousepad to, “Hey, what’s up?” He casually asks out, laying his forearm onto the desk.

“Has all been well?” Reagan amicably asks, taking Ray in. “Everything going smoothly with your work?”

“Oh yeah. Peaches. Freezer bunnies. Blue skies and warm clouds, sure.” Ray replies back, rubbing under his nose as he sniffs in, laying his arm across the other. “It’s fine, that’s what you wanted to talk about?”

Reagan keeps his expression neutral even as he takes in the minute details of the other man’s response, or lack there of, taking a small sip from his coffee cup. “More or less, just wanted to ensure you were doing well, though, perhaps, is there something you wanted to speak about?” He open-endedly offers.

“I’m doing...fine.” Ray reinforces back, his hands moving into the air a bit, as a smile cracks onto his lips, leaning back into his seat, giving a slight shake of his head as they rest against his abdomen. “Nah.”

“Just fine?” Reagan inquires as he hears the response, before amicably stating, “Is there anything Rotham-Ward, or I personally, could do to assist you during these times? I know it hasn’t been the ideal working situation,” he acknowledges.

"Long day. Sure you can empathize, sometimes fine is as good as it is at the end of those." Ray offers back, considering the question for a few beats, "...Nah. It's all good."

“That I Can,” Reagan acknowledges, taking a sip from his coffee, before allowing, “I assume Saxon has forwarded you the email that was sent to our office?”

"Mm. The E-mail, the email..." Ray lowly trails off, his eyes narrowing some in Thought, before moving to answer with a simple, "Yeah. What about it?”

“Not the most nuanced piece of writing, if I may say so,” Reagan acknowledges, with the faintest flit of humor to his tone, moving to take a sip from his coffee, before adding. “Though I suppose I must acknowledge that the protagonist of this story, albeit lack of nuance on the part of its author, whether fiction or nonfiction, has come far. It isn’t easy in the slightest,” he acknowledges to Ray, before taking another sip of his coffee.

A soft snort rumbles out of Ray feeling like that was true enough, even as a strike of...surprise, maybe...swirls through him at the unexpected...response, he guessed...he had been unknowingly anticipating...scratching at the side of his jaw a bit, “Sure you’re not reaching? Sounds almost like you got a secret second half, to the whole thing or something? Careful now, might think You sent the e-mail...”

A small little smile forms on Reagan’s lips as he hears Ray’s response, a little chuckle moving from him. “Perhaps I do,” he hums out, taking a measured sip of the coffee to let that conspiratorially hang in the air, “or perhaps I’ve just written in a similar genre, but I’m certain. It’s commendable, what this protagonist has done, and it’s challenging to continue to make steps forward, but it seems they’re continuing to do it. Rather unfortunate the author whose hands they’ve found themselves in...” He hums out, before floating out, “Have you ever thought about venturing into prose?”

[emmyvennett]

Emmy’s One Wish [January 15, 2021]

IN PROGRESS

- Morning -

Emerson feels the weight of not just one, but Both cats, and Ru, on his legs, as he wakes up...struggling with trying to move...without disturbing him...before slowly...realizing it was a lost cause, resigning himself to be a glorified animal pillow as he considers to himself if he could push the envelope a bit and let himself sleep in for an extra thirty minutes before class...huh...his fingers absentmindedly moving through his definitely total bedhead hair even as he feels the edge of his thumb connect against the edge of metal from the piercing M had done for him...huh...huh...his mind connecting what Day it was and what proximity it had to another important day as he realizes...the one gift he had never gotten... “Happy anniversary eve eve...” Emerson lowly, playfully whispers in Ray’s ear as he begins to stir, an electrically playful mischief moving through his eyes, “and I know just the Gift I want to celebrate this Definitely Legit Holiday that Today Is and Not One I Just Made Up Right Now...”

[brettberlin]

TB: Brett the Dog Boi & Con’s Doofy Ass [Fall of 2011]

- Emerson, Ray, and Connie’s Freshman Year -

IN PROGRESS RPS

Connie sits in math class, squintinggg at the thingies and sh..sh...it was his own Thoughts, he could say shit, shit, shiiiit, he realizes as his lips curl upwards, before trying to focus back on the Triangle, triangle...his eyes move upwards towards the clock, mmmmm, so close but so Far, turning his eyes back to Ms. Garfield and the Triangle, trying to focus in on what she was saying about the Pytha...py...Python Theorem? He thinks he hears, python making him think of Cobra Starship, causing him to hum a bit of the church of hot addiction to himself, starting to drum his pencil on his desk as he turns to sneak a Look over to Ems and Thacks, a glint of mischief moving into his eyes as he mouths the Chorus to them, HEY HEY HEY MY LIGHT IS ELECTR....WHACK! He nearly jumps out of his seat as he hears the ruler come down on his desk, seeing himself face to face with Ms. Garfield, a nervous, sheepish smile curling on his lips as he hears the bell ring, about to sliiiide right out of there, before she beckons him to her desk...Shiiiiit, holding up a finger to his friends to signal to wait for him, clapping his hands in Prayer and bowing his head, hoping they would pray for him in this moment....and one Scolding and discipline slip later, he’s outtttt, moving to hook his arms around the shoulders of his friends. “Guesssss whatttt...I have a surprise today...” He teases out, trying to contain it and keep an Air of Mystery, but feeling the excitement of it almost making it bust right outta his lips, keep the secret, Con, keep the Mystery...he reminds himself as his lips keep curing upwards and revealing the new gleaming metal in his mouth.

Worthington closes his books as class ends, allowing Connelly to have his Moment with the Teacher, moving his hands through his dark hair as his gaze hones in on Pretty Emerson and mmmm...Tacky Thacky, stopping the slight curvature from forming on his lips as the name floats through his mind, moving to take the boy’s Tom Ford sunglasses from where they were clipped onto his shirt, studying them for a few beats, before placing them on his head, his gaze never wavering from the other man’s. “Cute,” he succinctly decides, a little curl of a smile crossing his lips, giving him a clap on the shoulder, before giving Emerson his full greeting and adieu, moving to turn on his heel to join his own friends as he sees Connelly come out from his little Moment there with the teacher, mm.

Thackeray moves the wad of spearmint gum to the right side of his cheek, slowlllly chewing it as he crumbles the paper between his fingers, placing the ball on his left side for a few beats as his gaze catches sight of Connie...being Connie, a twinge of a smile threatening to appear until the abrupt slap on the desk takes his attention, annnnd Emmy's he realizes using the moment to flick the wet mound of paper at his cheek a silent wave of amusement moving through him as he takes in his Surpriseeee. The shrill sound of the bell, causing him to pack his things up as he sees Connie in the doghouse, giving him a nod and crossing of his fingers as he moves out of the classroom, popping a bubble as he waits for him, hoping he'd make it out alive until he sees Worthington, that name alone, wow...appear almost like a ghost, but not Quite, his brows pushing together in a bit of confusion...as he feels the sudden pull from Connie, still not quite sure What The Hell Even was that...

Connie sees his brother shoot him a Look as he sees that subtle meany smirk cross his lips, his brow knitting together as he sees him and his little friends probably going to talk crap, the thought making him upsetttt as he furrows his brow, but not knowing what to doooo, other than to pull Thacks into a tight hug, swaying with him for a few beats as he, in a playful Somberness, sings You Are So Beautiful To Me, before giving him a big ol’ gleaming metallic smile. “Sooo, anywayyy,” he picks back up after the Bullpoopy...”I have a new friend who wants to join us on our Great Woods Adventure today, iffff....that’s okay?” He airily floats as he playfully bats his eyes and shines his gleaming smile. “With you and you and Laura and Dwightttt?” He singsong offers, pointing to Thacks and Ems in turn.

Worthington half-listens to Blaise droning on about something or the other, immediately recognizing it as irrelevant, the gaze of his peripheral vision momentarily, subtly, shifting towards Connelly, Emerson, and...not so-Tacky Thacky, something Connie was saying in that always a bit too loud, certainly no indoor-voice tone of his, holding up his index finger to Blaise, a polite smile on his lips, before pivoting on his heel, the soles of his uniform-compliant yet custom Tom Ford shoes clicking against the marble school floor as he makes his way back over beside his brother, leaning on his shoulder as he looks up at him. “You have a Friend besides these two?” He floats out, innocently enough, waiting for a response, for Connelly to Enlighten him on this unseasonal Christmas Miracle.

Connie feels the sudden weightttttt on his shoulder, letting out a lil hufffff as he pushes his lips to the side as he sees Worthy there, didn’t he have something better to do, he was trying to do somethinggggg....”I will have you Know, I don’t Need any other friends, because these are the best....damn,” he slides in after looking both ways to make sure no Teachers were around, “Friends in the world,” He offers, pulling in Thacks, who was closest to him, into a lil half hug, because he was The Best, and he Loved Him and Ems, frick Worthy...before remembering...”But Yes, I Do have a friend and his name is Brett and he goes to Montrose, and he’a gonna come over to Thacks’s place if it’s all cool with him and Ems and Laura and Dwight and BV so There,” he definitely offers to Worthy, Frick Him and then Some for not Believing in his Power of Friendship, Goddd brothers were the Worst!

“Like the Australian Girlfriend?” Worthington floats out, wondering if Connelly’s friends had heard about That, “Maybe they’re friends...?” He offers out in a little hum, before Deciding...”I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt This Time, but only because you’ve had a Hard Day,” he so Graciously offers, before shifting his gaze to not-so Tacky Thacky. “Your place? That’s where this is happening? Lead the way, then.” He offers, a polite little amicable grin sliding across his lips.

[generationcrossing]

A Quick Catch Up [October 19, 2020]

IN PROGRESS

Marina makes her way through the library, her heels clacking against the carpet as she makes her way back from dropping off a few slices of her pie for the library staff, placing a long wispy lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear, her rouged-red lips pursing a bit as she sees a pencil fly across the floor like a projectile, moving to carefully squat down to pick it up, even as she holds the bag in her other hand, before she recognizes just Who was the likely source of the pencil... “Pencil tossing this early in the semester?” She inquires as she catches sight of her advisee, one Mr. Thackeray “Ray” Vennett, the rightmost corner off her lips edging upwards as she hands the pencil back, before taking out one of the remaining slices, offering it out to him. “Usually signals a need for Pie. Plus...” She begins, recalling that she still needed to have a check in with him about his post-grad plans anyway. “I’ve been meaning to chat with you. Is this a good time?”

[ruehleia]

TB: One Hell of a Night [ EARLY FALL SEMESTER 2015 ]

IN PROGRESS RPS

- Not Long After Thacky Found Out About OctEmmy -

Rue leans against the wall of the building that Thackeray's night class was in, releasing a plume of smoke from his cigarette as he closes his eyes, letting the crisp fall night air envelop him, finding a bit of peace in the moment after a long ass day of classes and work, feeling like his new-ish friend could use the same, especially with his whole aura, as...cringey as that word sounded to use, seeming a bit Off the last few days, and having had a spark of an idea come to him after hearing about something he thought his friend would enjoy, wanted to see if he couldn't do something...nice, special even for his friend, even if it was in this...kind of stupid way, he admits to himself, pretty sure that one of Thackeray's friends from his dorm he had met a few times was like...heir to some Ice Cream Company, or something like that, who could probably do a billion times ever, but...whatever, he figures, opening his eyes as he releases one last plume of smoke, quickly dropping the cigarette to the ground, grinding it under his heel and kicking it to the side with his sneakers, still not having smoked a cigarette in front of T yet, feeling like it Wasn't His Bag, before he moves to check his phone to see the response to his text, the tiniest peek of a smile crossing his lips as he runs his fingers through his hair that had become a shitty, yet...charming? with character? brown-to-blonde ombre, moving to craft his own little joke as he lets his friend know that he was outside.

Thackeray's jaw pops as he widely opens his mouth an easy yawn rolling out of him, causing his eyes to water a bit as he moves out of his seat, slinging bookbag over his shoulder and  rubbing the bottom of his palm onto his eye as he hears his phone ding, moving to file out of the room. Soon, lightly half hopping down the steps, moving to slap his hand along Rue's. "Didn't have anything better to do then, huh?" He questions, a light teasing swirling within his tone, in spite of how fatigued he felt.

Rue gives a return slap of his hand as he sees Thackeray come over towards him, before casually panning his gaze back to his phone, opening his calendar app as he pretends to check it. "I mean, I had this whole dinner with Ravi Wolff planned, but...hanging with you was my second choice, because, you know, Ravi Wolff," he offers, a bit of his mild clusterfuck of an accent coming through that had dulled a bit during his time in the states, but still had remnants of his time living in London, and before that, Kosovo, a bit of lightness moving into his tone as he turns back to look at T, the edges of his lips drawing upwards as a bit of amusement dances in his hazel eyes even as he tries to use his natural bitch face to his advantage to Sell the whole thing, before offering his hand out to slap once again, before his lips creep upward again a bit into a more full smile as a bit of his gap is exposed, as he thinks on his plans that he had in store. "One," he begins, holding up his index finger. "What would you say if I told you I found a noodle house you Hadn't tried yet?" He begins, thinking of the absolute rolodex of noodle joint knowledge that T seemed to be, before holding up a second finger. "And two, what if I told you I found something even better than noodles?" He offers, a bit of mischief twitching on his lips at those words.

"A damn shame..." Thackeray admits, giving a solemn shake of his head, as a peek of a smile crosses his lips, until he looks a bit taken a back at the two questions, sharply raising his left eyebrow at Rue, "...I'd say you're walking on thin ice..."

"Dare to walk some thin ice with me, then...see what's on the other side...if we make it?" Rue slowly offers, trying to inject a bit of mystery and suspense into his tone, raising his own eyebrow as he holds out his hand, turning his palm outward for T to slap, if he so chose, to seal the deal and begin the adventure.

"See, you're talking like you Already Know. And, you want me to walk blind? Gimmie a hint..." Ray declares, as he looks Rue over. "Doessss it start with a P?"

A brief flit of a smile momentarily forms on Rue’s lips as he hears the guess, “Maybe so...” He offers, stringing out the words to keep up the mysterious air. “Could be pizza, pasta, puppies, peppermint, pie....” He begins, counting off the options on his fingers, putting a subtle bit of extra emphasis on the latter, before giving a light, non-committal shrug. “Could be anything really.”

Thackeray lightly bumps his shoulder into Rue's as he hears the whole bit continue, shaking his head as a half smile forms onto his lips. "Pfffft. Whatevvvvver, let's go then."

“Fine, come on then, but keep up,” Rue offers, lightly returning the gesture, a small smile momentarily crossing his lips, before making his way with Thackeray to the closest subway stop on campus, riding it with him until they arrived at their stop, leading his friend out with him as they walk through the neighborhood not all that far from the school, but removed, off the beaten path, and bustling with an energy of people going about their lives within it, before he catches sight of the small, Mom and Pop Chinese restaurant, one of the places he had worked, small and cramped with only a few tables squished in and the most bare-bones decor, but some of the best damn noodles in the city if people were willing to look, in his opinion. Moving towards the counter, he rests his elbows on it as he looks up at his boss’s son, a few years younger than him and already towering over him like a tree, trying to string a bit of the Chinese he had picked up during his time there into an order of all the best for him and T, before turning to his friend. “I don’t think Pie is on the menu here, so...is that an automatic Disqualifier?” He inquires, turning to give Min a quick wave and thanks before taking a seat as they wait for the food.

Wen moves out from the kitchen, setting down the array of dishes that Min had told her that Rue had ordered, including...a few Surprises to substitute in for the things he hadn’t Quite nailed yet in placing the Order, like one of her favorite dishes that was super, duper spicy, a small bit of mischief swirling through her eyes as she begins setting the full spread down, before her eyes light up at the Thing Rue had done, her mind going back to what he had said when she was filling up the waters earlier. “I can’t have you disqualifying my mom’s restaurant just yet!” She enthusiastically says, a bright smile crossing her lips as he moves to go to the back to find the homemade pie, decorated with small, delicate flowers on the top that Wen really wished she could eat but were way too pretty, moving to set it down on the table in front of the boys, before moving to put a little sparkler candle in it, lighting it with a bit of flair. “Tag dahhh! Happy...birthday?” She ventures, looking at the man in front of her as she sees a small, warm smile momentarily cross Rue’s lips as a bright, rare chuckle comes out from his lips, causing her to do a small curtesy, a smile moving across her own, before looking at Rue’s friend. “You Have to share if you have leftovers, though, ‘kay?” She replies, before realizing she better get back to finishing up her homework so she could help her mom with the dishes.

Rue moves his hands to cover his lips a bit as he feels the warm chuckle begin to escape him at Wen’s display along with the Whole part of the Surprise being released early, thinking on everything behind it as he takes a small sip from his water. “Never heard more dangerous words,” he offers to Wen as he gives her a small wave, watching her playfully and faux-petulantly stick her tongue out at him, before turning to T. “...than asking a man to share his pie,” he finishes, a lightness moving through his tone as he thinks on his friend’s zealous love of the dessert, as a smile actually settles on his face, looking at his friend, an amusement and...happiness moving through him as he watches the sparkler candle alight in front of him as he takes in his reaction, hoping he had crafted something worthwhile in trying to put together all the little details into something kinda...special? for the start what he hoped he could make to be one hell of a night.

[diatarachis]

Fóllame si me odias. [December 21, 2017]

COMPLETE

Ray stands outside of the address Octavio had gave him, wearing one of Emerson's jackets - the very first one he had bought him, jet black, which seemed particularly fitting for how he was feeling in that moment - paired with a dark pair of ripped skinny jeans, and an old hoodie he had carelessly thrown together. The blinding sun, causing him to scrunch his face, deepening the exhaustion lines that had developed from the lack of sleep and continued highs he had been chasing, darkening his sharp and handsome features. He continues to deeply drag from his cigarette, focusing on the sensation it was bringing him, even as he makes his way to the apartment, he falls along the door frame, hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion, "Fuck." he mutters under his breath, he pulls another deep drag from his cigarette, rubbing his temple as he finishes it off, throwing it carelessly onto the floor, crushing it relentlessly under his heel. He digs into his pocket fishing out two small colorful pills, twirling one in his fingertips briefly, his gaze focused on it for a few contemplative moments prior to popping them both quickly into his mouth, swallowing them whole. He scrounges further into his pocket pulling out a small bag of white powder, shaking a generous amount onto the back of his hand, sniffing it, causing a bit of a head rush, he leans his back gripping the frame for some semblance of support. He kneads his head along the hard solid surface for a few brief moments, his thoughts flashing back to Emerson, he swallows hard, his lips quivering, closing his eyes, wanting to hold on to the moment, the memory of him, for as long as possible, yet forget it entirely, forget he even existed, that any of this was a reality. He shakes his head and the thoughts, his heart pumping and the tingle of skin, ensuring the familiar effects of the high were starting to kick in, he leans casually along the frame finally moving to roughly knock on the door and face whatever punishment he was deserved.

Octavio hears the knock on the door, getting up from the position he had been slouched in on the couch, wearing a Harvard Medicine shirt that Emerson had bought him when he had been accepted there, along with some sweatpants that he had haphazardly thrown on. His eyes were clouded with fatigue, dark circles marking the sleepless nights that had begun to become more frequent as the anniversary of Emerson's death. He lets out a deep sigh as a wave of sadness floods through him again, wishing more than anything that Emerson was still there, that none of this had happened, and he grits his teeth and clenches his fist, before letting his breath out slowly as he settled himself, briefly glancing at a picture sitting on his side table of him and Emerson at his graduation from Yale, both all smiles as Emerson hugged him tightly, before lightly touching it, lingering for a moment before walking to open the door. As he does, he sees Ray there, looking like a complete mess and likely high, and he briefly narrows his eyes at the sight. "You look like shit," he says flatly, before allowing the other man entry into the apartment and locking the door behind him. Noticing that Ray is unsteady, he leads him further into the apartment by grabbing his arm a bit roughly, moving him over to the couch and seating him down there, taking a moment to fully take in the other man and his current state, as well as what he was wearing, his eyes lingering on the jacket. "That's his, isn't it?" He states, his voice softening in spite of himself, before letting out another deep sigh. "Fucking hell," he says, shaking his head as the sadness creeps through him again, a weariness hitting him as he collapses into the chair opposite of Ray, resting his head in his hands as he bites the inside of his cheek hard, a tremor of the pain of loss surging through his body.

Ray's lips twist up into an amused smirk as he hears Octavio's comment on his appearance, "Heh. Yeah? Would say 'just for you' but meh. 'Fraid to break it to ya, bitch, you don't look much better. Beggers can't be choosers, eh." He responds, barely feeling the rough tug on his arm as he's plopped onto the couch. He settles into the seat, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table thoughtlessly knocking over the tasteful decor that was present there. He rummages into his jacket, Emerson's jacket, for a cigarette. After a few beats he finds the pack, drawing one out and lighting it in one smooth practiced motion, taking a deep inhale as he leans further back, his apple green eyes honing in on the other man across from him, taking him in, releasing a billow of smoke prior to a sickening laugh rolling out of him at his question, through his shoulders as he shrugs, taking another pull of his cigarette. "Eh. Who the fuck knows?" He answers slowly, tapping the ash onto floor, running his hand back through his hair, as he takes another drag, holding in the smoke, despite the discomfort growing within him the longer he did so, "You've got all the answers, don't you....cabrón." He draws the last word out, lacing the accent into the word, his smirk still tugging on his lips. "The fuck you asking me for." He harshly chuckles, his words having a slight edge to them, despite his casual demeanor. His gaze panning across the room, as he settles further back into the couch, a shock electrifying him as it unexpectedly falls onto the picture of Emerson, he grasps hold of it despite himself, craving to touch it, touch him. His angelic face lit up in happiness and delight as he wrapped his arms around Octavio, the pair of them looking blissfully ecstatic, a overwhelming wave of sadness washing over him, as he thinks back to last time he had seen Emerson, he squeezes the glass so tight he doesn't even feel the sensation that occurs once he breaks it, the feel of the glass cutting deeply through his palm not registering despite the sickening sound of it cutting into the air, mercilessly dragging him back into the memory of that fateful night, the guilt, the pain, the hurt, the heartbreak surging through him, shaking him to the core. He drops the shattered glass frame as he puts his head between his thighs, crushing the still lit cigarette into his palm as the air seemed to feel as if it was sharply stolen from his lungs in that moment, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.

Octavio shrugs at Ray's comment. "I'll say it then, whatever. Just for you." He attempts a small smirk but it falls flat, not quite able to to get the muscles to work that way, and so he gives up, leading Ray into the apartment and seating him on the couch, the sick, sad feeling coursing through him as he looks at the jacket, Ray's words not even registering him, nor the objects being strewn off the table, even registering through the sad exhaustion bleeding through his thoughts as he feels the memories of Emerson in that jacket, just how much the article of clothing had meant to him, the association that it had always carried for Emerson of his best friend - the man he loved, the thought cuts into Octavio's mind like a rusted knife making an unclean puncture wound - and all he can say is, "it was his favorite," in Spanish, his voice as dead and hollow as he felt in the moment. He then watches Ray grab the picture and break it, and he finds a short burst of panic drive him to make his way over to it, grabbing the picture from Ray and ensuring that it wasn't still damaged, his face scrunching up in pain as he looks down at Emerson's cheerful face once again as he bites down hard enough on his cheek to draw blood before he breathes out deeply again, this time audible as he tries to clear the pain out of him before he gently places the picture back on the table, accidentally stepping on some of the glass as he moves to do so, the sensation not phasing him whatsoever in the moment through the hollow exhaustion he feels. He turns to look at Ray curled up between his thighs, but thoughts on the sight barely phase him through the heaviness in his mind as his head starts to pound, the grief threatening to overtake him and eat him alive. He finds his feet carry him to his bedroom, finding that he was looking for hung across the back of his chair - a wool blanket of Emerson's with his initials etched into it that, when if Octavio closed his eyes, he still thought he could smell the cologne that the other man used to wear. In the moment, he does just that, breathing it in as he buries his face in it, a few stray tears falling on it in spite of himself, before he roughly wipes them away with his hand, glancing down at the desk at the pictures framed on it of him and Emerson together, the other man looking so happy, so alive, and his insides feel as if they are on fire and being ripped apart all at once, and he almost feels as if he's shaking trying to push down the emotions, and he wants to just collapse into his bed and let the world slip away from him, but he forces his feet to carry him back outside, before he throws the monogrammed blanket onto Ray, collapsing onto the couch beside him, his feet unable to move further to get back to his chair, and he buries his head in his hands, not quite able to stop himself from shaking as a tremor of grief overtakes his body.

Ray feels the room shift, as he struggles to regain control of his breathing, his body shaking as it's ravaged by the crushing onslaught of emotion. He doesn't even notice the blanket draped over him until he's able to drag himself up from his position attempting to reorient himself to the surroundings he found himself in, a well of anger rising within him as he takes note of the initialing on the blanket whirling it off of him, finding the weight it carried too heavy in the moment. He roughly shoves Octavio on the chest, whirling his closed fist back to crack him in the face, "This is what you fuckin brought me over here for?! To see this shit?! What is the some kind of sick game you're playing with me, you fucking bitch?!" He growls, gripping his shirt tightly in his cut hand, an adrenaline kicking up within him, numbing the pain of it in the moment. "He's dead! He's fucking....rotting in some fucking godforsaken shit hole, alone! Fucking! Alone! There should be four fucking graves and there's one!" He yells, pushing Octavio back and swiftly standing up, "You don't know shit. You think you do, you pretend in your fucked little head that you fuckin know. But you don't. You can't." He breathes roughly, his voice wobbling a bit throughout his words, his hand shaking with grief as he runs it through his hair, "I didn't come here for some fuckin' circle jerk kumbaya cry session. None of this bullshit matters. He's dead...nothing can change that. Nothing...nothing can fix it. None of this fuckin shit matters. He isn't here for it. So there is no fuckin' purpose to this fuckin existence." He venomously heaves the words into the air, his voice thick with emotion, as he clenches his fists and jaw.

Octavio feels the blow, or rather, doesn't feel it at all through the deep pain already coursing his body, in spite of the fact that the blow caused blood to pour from his nose down his face, making no effort to wipe it off until it got anywhere near his shirt, before he takes his forearm and haphazardly wipes it off, a bloody trail marking his arm. He listens to Ray's words, hearing the anger in them and the grip on his shirt but feeling only a numb fatigue until he hears Ray reference Emmerson, an anger flaring in him in the moment, gritting his teeth hard until he nearly grinds them down at Ray's final words, before he gets up from the couch and grabs Ray around his throat, forcefully dragging him into his bedroom while maintaining an iron grip on it, his breathing intense as anger swirls inside of him, but he doesn't speak until he's forcefully thrown Ray onto his desk chair, right in front of the pictures of Octavio and Emerson, with one of Emerson looking straight into the camera grinning brightly in the forefront, as Octavio haphazardly roots around in his desk, dumping the whole thing out all over the ground in frustration as he picks up what he was looking for - a bright red Swiss Army knife that had belonged to Emerson, complete with his initials engraved upon it, which Octavio twirls in his fingers, a deep strike of sadness flooding in to him to mix with the raw anger coursing through him in the moment. "You don't think that thought's ever crossed my mind?" Octavio says flatly, flicking some of  the components of the knife open before retracting them as he speaks. "You don't think there weren't moments where I wished the rest of you all had died so that he could live? Where I wanted every single other person who was in that care to die too? For every single person at that fucking party to be dead?" He lets out a hollow laugh before continuing, shaking his head and gritting his teeth down after, feeling those raw emotions circle him again. "Maybe I don't fucking know anything, but I know this. I asked Emerson not to go. To stay and ride out the storm with some hot cocoa, but no. He had to go to see his friends. Those same. Fucking. Friends. that he was tearing himself apart to make smile." He grits his teeth more this time as he balls his fist with the hand not holding the knife, digging his hand until his palm. "I hated all of you. So. Fucking. Much. For being alive when he wasn't, for making him feel a need to go to that party. That night? That fucking night in the hospital? Nothing would have given me more pleasure than seeing the three of you dead with him, just like you said." He lets out a deep sigh once again as he tries to steel himself once again in spite of the anger and grief flowing through him, but he ends up shaking in spite of himself, before he grips Ray's throat with his free hand and pulls his head up so that he could lock eyes with him as he spoke. "But then his sister gave me his journal. You know which one. And in spite of the shit he put himself through trying to make himself into someone who could support his friends, he loved you all. So fucking much. You could see it in the way he wrote about all of you, how much you all meant to him, and how proud he was of you. And you. Thackeray Vennett. You meant more to him than any other person in this goddamn fucking world, and and I wanted to fucking hate you, I fucking absolutely did, to blame you for him being gone, for taking him away from me forever, for you being the person he loved most in this world...but then I got my head out of my ass and realized what a selfish little bitch way that was to be. And I put my ass to work doing what would have made Emerson proud, to make sure he kept living through my memory, and tried my damnedest to find some small meaning in this hollow wasteland of existence that is the world without him." He bites down on his cheek hard as he shakes again, closing his eyes to look away for a moment as he reflexively grips Ray's throat tighter, wishing it was his own palm that he was digging his nails into but needing to grasp at something in the moment. He then lets out a deep sigh, before flicking open the knife part of the Swiss Army Knife, holding it up to his own throat, his voice thickening with raw emotion as his eyes briefly shift away from Ray's to look at the picture of Emerson, staring back at him. "How many times do you think I thought the same fucking thing?" He states roughly, gritting his teeth before pressing the knife further against his neck in reference to his words. "That there was no fucking purpose to living in a world where Emerson didn't get to? But that's weak. That's fucking weak, when the only tie Emerson still has on this world is through the people closest to him." He then takes the knife and presses it against Ray's throat just below his own hand, still gripping his neck tightly. "You want so badly to be punished for Emerson dying while you're still alive, and there were times where I've wanted you dead. We could get exactly what we both fucking want right now," he growls, pressing the knife a bit closer, before removing it. "But that's fucking selfish. So. fucking. selfish. And against everything Emerson fought his whole life for." He then takes the knife and places it in Ray's hands, putting the side with the "EHE" side up, forcefully moving his head to be face to face with the Emerson picture looking directly at the camera, it looking as if he was staring directly at both men in the moment. "You talk a big game about nothing fucking mattering, and there being no fucking purpose, so prove it. Fucking do it, do it with his own knife, while he's watching you, and prove just how much of a fuck you don't give. Because if you can't do that, then you're only half-assing it with how you're using him as an excuse to slowly self destruct." He then pauses, letting the weight of his words hang in the air, his body shaking as he looks at the other man, Thackeray Vennett, the Emerson's best friend, closest confident - soulmate, the word lingers in his head long enough that he has to physically shake his head to make it go away - before he continues. "But you're right. I'm just the boyfriend. Compared to you, I don't know shit. You have so much of him inside of you, years and years of fucking memories and details and moments that I'll never know, that the world will never know about Emerson, you're the biggest fucking piece of Emerson left in this world, and you know what? That's why I fucking couldn't hurt you, why I couldn't hate you. Because by existing, you're letting him still live through all those fucking memories you have with him that I don't and never will. Because hurting you is hurting Emerson, killing you is killing Emerson and I can't fucking watch him die again." Octavio closes his eyes, the deep emotional pain shooting through him as he tries to steady himself through it in spite of his shaking, as he loosens his grip on Ray's throat to remove his hand. "But you know what? If you really don't care any more, fucking do it. Kill what's left of Emerson in this goddamned shithole of a world. But don't be a fucking coward and do it right."

Ray struggles a bit as he’s dragged by his neck into the bedroom, coughing a bit as he’s thrown into the office chair. A chill crawling up his spine as he takes in the range of pictures filling the desk of Emerson, the sight causing his chest to heave as the pain surges within him, his breathing quickening as he struggles to meet Emerson’s eyes, the barrage of Octavio’s words washing over him. His palms pressed into his temples as the man continues on speaking words he had wished for himself, an anger and deep sadness intertwining within him as he’s pulled by Octavio, the mention of the journal, causing his jaw to lock, hot tears finally flowing from Ray at the mention of Emerson’s love, welcoming the sensation, finding it what he deserved as he notes the tip of the knife pressed against his neck, a well of anger surging through him as he hears the words. “Would you shut the fuck up?! Fuck you! You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about! Do you think that fucking does fuck all?! I am so fucking tired! Tired of everyone telling me how I am suppose to fucking feel! It’s all bullshit!” He screams back, his voice guttural as he throws the pictures off the desk, he pushes Octavio as hard as he can, taking the knife from him, “This fucking shrine you have for him?! It’s like you’re frozen in time or some shit, like you expect him to come strolling back in here any fucking minute now!” He runs his hand roughly through his hair, pacing wildly, ". .It’s fucked. He’s. Never. Coming. Back.” He hits his chest hard with each word, “These memories?! That you have such a fucking hard on for?! These ‘pieces of him’ just fucking make everything worse! They poison everything, just some cruel reminder of everything that got fucked…” He digs his palms onto his head as a particular strike of weariness and pain flares through him, “I’m paralyzed by them, it’s fucking hell! They just keep replaying on some sick fucking loop that I can’t ever escape from! The same fucking one-” He bends down to pick up the picture of Emerson staring directly at the camera, shoving it in Octavio’s face, “This! This is how you remember him, huh? Bright eyed. Megawatt smile. Happy. Blissful. Full of warmth! Of Life?! Right?” Ray growls, his gaze hard, his knuckles whitening from the force he was holding onto the picture, as he points the knife in Octavio’s face, “You wanna know what I see?! Huh? Every FUCKING time I close MY eyes?! His face, his beautiful face..Cut! Bloody! Broken! This twinkle, you see it, right?” He taps the knife hard against the photo at Emerson’s eyes, “Imagine those bright eyes dimming, watching that sparkle die out. Imagine having to watch that happen, being fucking helpless, seeing the color drain from his face, the absolute fear etched into it! Huh, fucking imagine that! Telling him everything would be fine! That you would make it out of it, together. Being so close to him…..yet not fucking quite close enough. Next thing you know, you’re awake in some shitty fluorescent bed and he’s fucking dead. Gone. How would you feel then, hm? Could you WATCH THAT?! Could you HANDLE that!? Could you live this fucking disillusioned lie that you're so content in!?” He questions, the rage seeping through him, “So, when you say that bullshit...that you can’t watch him die again….” Ray moves in on Octavio quickly slamming him against the wall, his eyes alight with fury, “That’s not your fucking memory! That’s NOT yours to claim! You weren’t there! You don’t know fuck that goes on in here!” He shouts, knocking hard along his temple, “You don’t get to fucking tell me how I deal with that! Who the fuck do you think you are?! You can’t imagine it, can’t handle it. Try watching him fucking die, over...and...over and fucking over again! Not being able to save him?! That being the only memory you fucking can access huh?! The rest so fucking disconnected, so unattainable they might as well be someone else's. Then! Fucking then! You can spew your self indulgent bullshit at me!” He reels back, moving away from him, “I fucking hate him, y’know. I do, I hate him, for leaving me. Not trusting me to tell me any of the shit he was going through. How he really felt.” He confesses, mostly to himself. “I hate me more though, for being so weak, too fucking stupid, oblivious, a mindless fucking sheep to help him, save him. Make his life easier, shoulder any of that. But, it's too late, that's all fucking worthless now.” He continues his face etched in grief, twirling the knife around, “I can’t bring him back, but I can do the next best thing. I can even the score, finish what I started-” He nods thoughtfully, turning back to Octavio, “No more half-assing, eh?” He lets out a hollow laugh, a sad wisp of a smirk on his lips as he swiftly moves the knife to slice along his throat.

Octavio finishes his words that he punctuates with the demonstration with the knife, watching the tears begin to fall from Ray before hearing the anger in his words, causing a stir of something inside of him from the other man’s reaction that feels otherwise muted from the deep fatigue and grief that he felt inside of him that nearly felt like it would consume him at any moment, until Ray takes the pictures and throws them off of the desk, an anger flashing inside of him, incensed by the other man’s words as he closes his eyes, everything Ray is saying dredging up flashes of the night where Emerson died, where he had saw the struggle of the hospital staff to save him as he sat in the chair beside him, the way that Emerson looked when they brought him into the hospital until the point where the staff had finally declared him dead, the sharp, mangled, panicked sounds from the other end of the phone that had suddenly begun just moments after he had called to check in on Emerson and they had been laughing about some silly joke they had together, Emersons’s screams – those screams, that had haunted his sleepless nights and left him shaking and sobbing in so much pain he wanted to rip his nails through his skull to put an end to, but that he also never wanted to stop, to serve as a never ending reminder of Emerson, how he had died, and how he had let him down. “You think that’s how I saw Emerson last?” Octavio begins speaking, both his eyes and his voice igniting with an anger that wasn’t present before, the violent imagery of the memories causing his head to throb and his body to shake, causing him to close his eyes and grit his teeth, trying to steady himself and out of flashing back into one of the memories. “Do you know why I have all of those pictures of Emerson like that? Do you?” He asks, his eyes flashing open once again as he locks eyes with Ray, a deep anger and hurt swirling through him as he moves to grasp Ray’s wrist connected to the knife held at his throat, gripping it with such a force that he felt any more would have snapped it, before he lets out a sick, humorless laugh. “Because every time I close my eyes, I see him on that hospital bed, his body mangled beyond recognition as these goddamn stupid doctors rip him open and try to save him, but they can’t, they fucking can’t, and he stops breathing and just gets cold and…” Octavio begins violently shaking, nearly fading back into the memory once again as hot tears start to fall down his cheeks, his jaw clenching as he moves the arm of the knife Ray is carrying up enough to trail it down his own to open a wound, the dull pain a feeble attempt to move him back to reality as the violent onslaught of memories being reawakened threatened to overtake him, as the fresh blood begins to trail down his face and down his neck, creating a deep red trail, before he steels himself to speak once again. “Because these are the only goddamned fucking things that keep my only memories of Emerson from being like…that,” he hisses, his final word taking on a punctured venom to it as he grits his teeth again, desperately trying not to bring back the images behind the word, nearly breaking the top off of one of his teeth in the process. “And the screams, the fucking screams from the other end of phone, as I could hear him screaming, crying for help, and I wasn’t there, I fucking wasn’t there, I was in my goddamned fucking house on the other end of the town and there was nothing, nothing, not a fucking goddamned thing I could do!” In his anger and frustration, he slams his free fist full force into the wall behind him, leaving a hole in the wall and his fist bloodied. “So don’t you fucking dare! Don’t you fucking dare give me that bullshit! How many fucking times do you think I’ve watched and heard him die? It never ends, it never fucking ends.” He closes his eyes, gritting his teeth once again, trembling a bit, before he hears Ray’s words and feels the forceful tug up of the wrist he still had clamped in his fist, a sudden wave of panic settling in as he could tell what Ray was going to, and before he could even process the action itself he grabs for the tip of the knife with his free hand, forcefully ripping it out of Ray’s hand as the blade cuts deeply into his own, the sensation bringing him both pain and that sick relief that he had slowly begun to stray away from, before folding the blade in and putting the knife in his pocket, before grabbing Ray and forcefully pinning him against the wall, his brown eyes flashing with anger and grief, and a moment of something else as he looked at the other man Emerson had loved, who was so different and yet, more similar than he had ever realized, the moment of adrenaline fading away as the realization began to wash over him as to what Ray had almost done. “Aún no,” he says lowly, his eye contact with the other man unwavering. “You said I could spew my self indulgent bullshit if I watched him die?” He begins with a hollow, sick laugh. “Well, here it fucking goes, because I’ll fucking never stop seeing it, I promise you that. And you know what? Part of me doesn’t want to, as a reminder. Of him, of his existence, of how I fucking failed him. Because it’s what I deserve.” Another sick laugh escapes his lips before he continues on. “You know what the biggest bullshit ever that anyone says is? That it gets better. Fucking absolute bullshit. It never really goes away, no matter what you do. You’re right, I don’t know what the fuck goes on in your head, but if it’s anything like mine, it’s like a constant replay of that night that you can’t ever fucking turn off, and all you can do is look for ways to cover the screen. But there are ways to do it, to stop it just enough to live, to mute all of that shit in your head so you can start accessing those other memories, and letting them dull the noise of everything else.” He pauses to look Ray over fully, taking the other man in, before letting out a deep sigh, trying once again to temper the emotions inside of him threatening to overtake him. “Déjame mostrarte esto, y cumpliré mi promesa,” he states, his eyes still locked with the other man, before raising his fist to give a full force strike to his face, not holding back, as affirmation to the words he was about to say. “Te traeré lo más cerca posible de la muerte, ya sea para aliviar el dolor o como castigo, mientras lo sientas necesario, tanto como lo necesites, para proporcionarte más dolor físico del que cualquier persona puede dar. usted, estoy seguro, si me deja mostrarle cómo puede aburrir lo que tiene en la cabeza. If that does not work, then…there is a better way, a quicker, more certain way, to end things, and if after we’ve tried, if you truly feel that is the only way to set things right, then I’ll administer it for you,” he says solemnly, but with conviction, knowing full well if he made that choice, that it would be the end for him as well, before taking note of both of their conditions, and the pounding still in his head and the residual physical reaction he was having from the flashbacks, before releasing his grip on the other man to pull a pack of pills out of his pocket. “But I can’t do it right tonight, so here’s the next best thing.” He pulls out a sleeping pill out of the bag, handing it to Ray. “Take this, and it’ll all go away for now. Whatever’s in your head, the fucking pain, the thoughts…all replaced by empty darkness. No dreams, no anything. And tomorrow, I will deliver on my promise.”

Ray struggles with Octavio, a flash of anger coursing through him as he wrestle the knife from him, pushing him and throwing a fist into his face prior to forcefully being pinned to the wall. "Now who's the fuckin coward, eh?" He chides, letting out a humorless laugh. "Fucking hypocrite." He manages in the tight grip, closing his eyes as he begins to hear Octavio recall his recollection of events a deep well of sadness overflowing through him as he hears the missing pieces of Emerson's final moments, wanting to claw his eyes, wanting him to stop speaking forever. Although, another part of him wished to know, needed to know despite, or perhaps, because of the pain it caused him, that it was something he deserved after his own failings, losing himself in the grief as he barely registers the angry in Octavio's voice or the immense damage done to the wall. His gaze finally falling onto the man as he hears mention of a solution, a way to have what he tried so hard to achieve, "Fuckin' bullshit." He huffs, barely registering his words until he surprisingly feels, the impact of the blow, the force bringing him a deep pain yet a sick sense of relief, a glimpse of clarity in the moment. Ray lulls his head back, wiping at his nose, the display of red, not fazing him, hearing that Octavio would end it for Ray he feels a sick sense of relief that it was something within his reach, his sights falling onto the pills as he hears the promise, a wisp of...hope moving through him as he takes the pill, swallowing it without a second thought. "Fine. Tomorrow." He repeats, his words coming out hollow, his body feeling extremely heavy in the moment as the events of the day especially seem to weigh on his already exhausted body. "Get the fuck off me already, you fuckin' behometh." He snarks, his words having less energy, less bite than usual.