#chat:michael

[samtwinduke]

who: sam & @michaelndarling where: the lost boys' house

Lately, things tended to be a bit uncomfortable between Sam and Michael--more than he would've liked it to be. He had no one to blame but himself, and the fact that he'd found Colette on social media, for the tension between the two. In truth, Sam really just missed his friend, though it seemed like the youngest Darling had little interest in becoming as close as they'd once been. Sam understood, but, now that a year had passed since their relationship had changed, he hoped that maybe things could be different, for the better.

"You must be excited John's back," he said in greeting, clutching the red solo cup in his hand a bit tighter as he approached Michael. "Is he staying with your parents and Wendy, at home? Or, did he just find a place of his own?" It was simple small talk, but it was the most Sam could handle for now, until he saw just how comfortable the other boy was with him. "I haven't seen you around, uh, at school, lately, otherwise I would've said hi. So, I'm glad you came tonight."

[lostgirlwendy]

who: wendy & @michaelndarling where: the darling house

The idea of moving out of her childhood home was, of course, one that Wendy had thought about for a long time. It had always seemed like a distant goal, some ways away, tucked in the back of her mind for whenever she'd found herself a husband (at the time, the boy who she'd pictured it with was not the one she was currently dating). But, becoming a proper adult meant that things changed, and it was the arrival of her middle brother back home that had her thinking about moving on. John would be the perfect roommate, for all intents and purposes: Wendy knew he would keep after himself, and they would get along as well as any two people could.

Before telling her parents officially, though, there was one person she wanted to consult with before making her final decision: the brother who had been her roommate for the better part of the years when John had been gone. With a soft knock on his open door as a courtesy, Wendy leaned against the doorframe with a small smile. "Do you have a minute? I'm not here to talk about a book, I promise. I wanted to ask for your thoughts on something," she prefaced, hoping she wasn't about to worry him.

[joyyyfullll]

who: joy & @michaelndarling where: echo isle public library

It had been in the university library that Joy had met one of her now closest friends, a boy who had been studying alone a few too many days for her liking. After insisting they become study buddies, Joy and Michael Darling had formed a friendship that lasted beyond graduation, for which she was thankful. It was nice to have someone outside of her roommates to hang out with, even if she did have to venture back to the library every so often just to spend time with him. Joy didn't mind the quiet ambience: it was nice to simply stroll through the stacks sometimes in search of a book for pleasure, or a self-help one that would give her some good quotes to use during one of her speeches.

"You're not in your usual spot," Joy pointed out in a whisper as she found her friend at a table, dropping her bag a touch too loud on the seat beside her. "I need to program this spin class that I'm taking over tomorrow. This girl is sick, and she usually has music way more explicit than I usually use, so that's what her riders are going to expect, so, I have no idea what to do," she complained as she slid out her laptop. "Also, have you seen the new librarian? He must be someone who just graduated, or something. The guy with the glasses. So cute, right?"

[ccogsworth]

Dear god, he thought, just how scared had he made this poor boy? Michael never had to defend himself against his job, or himself as a person, but here he was, nearly scared straight before Claude like he’d done something wrong. Perhaps it was a sign to loosen up a bit—not all the way, never; that would be against the standards he’d set for himself and the restaurant way back when Adam had given him this position. And he certainly didn’t want to be seen as a friend to his subordinates. But, he supposed, there could be a time and place for things becoming a bit more personal than he had previously allowed.

“Your siblings are dating?” Claude echoed, leaning forward in his seat. He’d never meant to set up such a close crossover amongst his employees, but it was a good thing it didn’t seem to bother Michael too much. In fact, it was almost perfect, if he did have interest in the other boy. “How peculiar—did you just figure this out today? Your sister … she has a boyfriend, yes? A quite tall one? I feel like I remember them coming in here one time to dine.” A lovely girl, from what he could remember, and her boyfriend awestruck at the level of cuisine the restaurant served. “Unless, of course, they’re no longer together, then, my apologies.”

It was strange, hearing Claude call himself a gossip and apologizing to Michael instead of the other way around. Of all the possibly hobbies he could have guessed for his boss to have, indulging in some silly workplace secrets and rumors certainly wasn’t one of them. He would have thought the man to be more of a bird watcher or something along those lines, finding gossip and potential scandals to be below him. But maybe he just didn’t know the older man as well as he thought he did - at least not on any sort of personal level. Perhaps what Michael and the rest of the employees saw wasn’t all there was to the man.

“No, no, you’re fine. I just… I really love this job and take it seriously, I just didn’t want to give you any impression otherwise,” he promises, slowly starting to relax a bit as it becomes clear he’s not actually in any trouble here. “I think you should hire Berlioz again, for the guests and the sake of just having him around. We ended up having a lot more in common than I would have thought - and I mean beyond just the fact that our siblings are dating. Which is still kind of weird, seeing John with an actual girlfriend. One he’s telling us about now, at least.” It was more personal information than he’d ever let slip to his boss, but nothing incriminating by any means - simply the type of stuff he’d talk about with any friend or even acquaintance he knew.

[hshmimi]

he rolled his eyes fondly. “i highly doubt anyone would be skimming that much. besides, the defense ministers are the only ones i do trust. they were always more loyal to me than my father.” he sighed. “as appealing as the idea of absolute monarchy is, i can’t give up on democracy entirely, the people might get fussy.” he looked over the binder in his hands again, “i just need to find a couple million to cut in the budget. i don’t think people will tolerate higher taxes right now. what do you think? should i stop letting american companies use me as a tax loophole?”

“Well...” Mimi drummed her fingers against the spine of the folder. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to drag Michael into...Whatever this mess was. --Then again, he owed her one, after the whole ‘confessing to killing his father’ thing...Plus it really could be a good opportunity for Ireland.(It was a good opportunity for her, too, but, with Michael, at least, that was a secondary concern.) “I might know someone who can get you a good deal - a very good deal - on equipment and arms...” @mchaeleicn​

[stilesstillinski-dc]

Closed starter for Michael @cullingtheherd

“I recognize that you have reached a decision, but given that it is a stupid ass decision I have elected to ignore it”

[lostgirlwendy]

It was a good thing that her youngest brother knew her so well, as she wasn't sure who she'd turn to if he hadn't found her when she'd come inside. Though it was sometimes an annoyance to live with someone who knew her inside and out, Wendy surely wouldn't have admitted to what had happened outside on the balcony if Michael hadn't practically forced it out of her. It was even better that he admittedly had no other commitments, either, as what she was about to tell him might take quite a while.

Wendy gave her brother's hand a light squeeze as he guided them toward a table, thankful that they could find a spot away from listening ears. Her eyes widened immediately at what Michael had assumed about Phil, shaking her head insistently. "No, no, my goodness, not even close. Phil's been nothing but wonderful. In fact, I think he's been too fantastic, I can't seem to find a flaw." She sucked in a breath as she gave her date a glance from across the room. "It's ... Peter, Michael. I--we went outside, Phil and I, and I saw Peter out there, so I went to say hello, and I don't know what came over me, perhaps the punch. I told him ... I think I love him, but it's just so complicated, with Phil, since he--Peter asked me to forget about him." Wendy brought her hands to her face, overwhelmed. "I think I've made a terrible mess."

The younger of the two merely snorted. The idea of him not having any time for his sister when Wendy was in this kind of state was ridiculous. Even if there was something else he meant to do, Michael would’ve dropped it without a second thought because there was no way he was about to leave his sister without finding out what had her so bothered. “Think I wouldn’t make any time for you?” Michael asked, pretending to look offended at Wendy while exaggerating his eyes by enlarging them  in hopes that it could gain a small chuckle out of her. “Sure, I might not have all the time in the world utterly free, but you know I’ll squeeze in time for you even if I didn’t have any. Good thing I do though!” 

He didn’t wait for her response. Instead, taking his sisters hand and moving the both of them towards an empty table a bit away from the crowd where they then took a seat. Michael then waited until Wendy was completely settled, not wanting to bombard her with questions even when she was the one who said she had an update to tell him. But once she was, his mouth opened. “What’s the update, Wends?” Michael immediately asked, looking at her with curiosity and concern. “You were so happy before we got here and even earlier too— did something happened between you and your tall tree of a date?” Though he didn’t feel like her date was the issue as from what he recalled about the guy, he seemed nice enough for his sister. But even so, Michael didn’t want to scrap the possibilities if he was, which is why his eyes widened for real when a new thought came to mind. "He didn’t hurt you or anything, right?" 

[awild-soul]

wraithedd​:

 the  wolf  is  drunk.  not  stumbling,  belligerent,  levels  of  drunk,  but  drunk  nonetheless.  living  above  big  t’s  were  the  faces  were  pretty  and  the  drinks  were  cheap  will  do  that  to  you.  but  never  in  his  short  time  of  living  here  has  he  ever  witnessed  a  person  through  his  own  glossy  eyes  grab  a  bottle  from  behind  the  bar  and  then  have  it  scurried  off  by  someone  else  thirty  seconds  later.  ❝  that  was  impressive.  ❞  he  comments,  leaning  on  an  elbow  on  a  sticky  bar  to  face  the  vodka  thief.  ❝  —  but  that’s  probably  karma  for  stealing  things  that  aren’t  yours.  ❞ 

“I live to impress,” Xylia gave a less-than-humble shrug of her shoulders, her gaze drifting up and down the inebriated stranger. Finally, someone interesting. “I didn’t steal it, I just moved it. He stole it,” she pointed out the semantics, the other patron could’ve left money on the bar or something, she was merely helping a fellow out. “Besides, can you blame me? No one’s been able to get service for ages, if they don’t want people to steal, they should get a bartender who spends more time pouring drinks than he does trying to get his whistle wet.”

[lostgirlwendy]

who: wendy & @othrdarlinboyy​ where: the darling house

So much had happened for the eldest and youngest Darling siblings the night of the lost boys’ party that Wendy had been entirely avoiding discussing with her brother. She was terrified, truly, of speaking to him about things other than telling him to go to bed on time and how to ask for help at the bank. It wasn’t that they didn’t have mature conversations, there just wasn’t really an occasion for them, most of the time. Wendy had especially strayed from telling Michael anything about her feelings for Peter; all that he’d known must have been whatever couldn’t be hidden by her terrible attempts at lightly flirting when she had more than one glass of wine in her.

After deciding to sit with her book and have a casual drink to herself, Wendy was feeling just as truthful now as she was the night of the party itself. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the wine, or the romance running through her veins from her book that brought her to lightly knock on her youngest brother’s door as she saw the light spilling out into the carpet of the hallway. “You’re still up?” she asked, gently opening the door to see Michael in bed. “Let me guess, can’t reach the end of a level?” Wendy immediately noticed the controller in his hand as she made her way to the side of his bed, taking half a seat. “I kept trying to just reach the end of a chapter, but I couldn’t stop, and then I accidentally hit the end of the whole book.”

[berlifamille]

All talk of music went out the window at the mention of his sister and her new boyfriend. Berlioz knew little of the new boy in her life, though he’d heard from her that he was apparently nicer than anyone else she’d ever dated, which he supposed was all that mattered. “You’re joking. Well, then, it’s an even bigger honor to meet you. Marie talks so highly of your brother, I’m sure you are no doubt the same.” At least, if she forced them all to hang out, he would have a friend amongst the siblings to keep him from itching to play the keyboard the whole time, in the same way he was when they were with the Tramps.

Luckily for Berlioz, his mother had little influence on what he did nowadays. She was so far removed from their lives that he could get away with nearly anything, really. It was only his own discipline that kept him going, still headed toward the goal of being in charge of his own orchestra one day. “Well, if you did drop out, what is it you’d want to do?” he asked, in case the other boy had an answer. There were plenty of people who didn’t know what they wanted to do at their age. “Are your parents paying for school? Wouldn’t they be glad to be finished paying for it?” Berlioz questioned rhetorically, letting out a small laugh.

“Really? Wow. That’s - that’s awesome. The music was really good, I don’t know much about orchestras or anything like that, and I didn’t really have anything else to compare it too - but it sounded great to me,” he compliments in a bit of a rush, feeling somewhat embarrassed for having admitted that the only reason he’d bothered going to the show the other boy had likely worked so hard on was for a few pop stars cast in the lead role. But hey, it meant two tickets sold for just him alone at least - and Michael was certain he hadn’t been the only one to show up simply for the stars. At the mention of Berlioz’s sister, his eyes lit up ever so slightly. “I do know her, actually. We haven’t officially met yet - but she’s kinda dating my brother, John.” Small world it was, him running into and meeting one of Marie’s brothers before the actual girl herself. Though, in truth, he hadn’t been in any real rush to meet her - not with the slight riff between John and himself going on.

At the way Berlioz so easily accepted the fact and even encouraged his prioritizing the job at the restaurant over his school, he couldn’t help but grin a bit. It was rare to find anyone nowadays that didn’t think university was the most important thing a young person could and should do. And perhaps maybe in the future Michael would regret not putting more time and effort into his studies, but in his current point of life it just seemed like a waste more than anything else. “If only my parents could see it that way,” he quips, shaking his head a bit. There was something about the boy, who was practically a stranger, that made it feel so easy to admit to things he continuously held so close to his chest. “That makes sense. In honesty, I didn’t want to do school either. Still don’t, really, hence the lack of declared major. I’m only doing it because it’s kind of what all my family expects me to do.” He pauses for a moment, debating if he’s already said too much as it is before deciding fuck it. “If it were up to me, really, I would have already dropped out by now. I’m still kind of considering it, actually.” This was the first time he’s told anyone about his potential plan to leave school, and maybe it was a mistake admitting that to someone who could potentially end up running into his brother and spilling it all - but regardless of that possibility, it felt good finally admitting to someone just how little interest he had in getting his degree.

[lucifermalak]

michaelmalak replied to your post“I heard you cried too. - I.A.”

                         michaelmalak replied to your post:                                 I heard you cried too. - I.A.                                         

    I heard that, too.

Well I heard you were a great guy, so obviously, you can't believe everything you hear

[samtwinduke]

Not a single part of Sam had anticipated anything more than simply talking happening, though it apparently wasn’t entirely off the table with the mention of Michael’s roommate being gone. He should’ve expected this much: if he hadn’t lived so close to campus in the boys’ house, or been perfectly content there, he probably would’ve been living in one of the dorms, too. It just so happened he didn’t have any parents to escape, any freedom he was hoping to seek. It was much better living with his closest friends for next to nothing. 

“No, it’s—I know how she can get,” he sighed. For as much as Michael shouldn’t have said what he had, Sam knew his ex-girlfriend had probably provoked him to the point of snapping. It was one of her best talents, getting Sam to the edge and daring him to jump, to be the one to finally break things off. No matter how close he’d come, he’d never gotten there, and now, he never would. “She has such high standards for people, y’know? They’re impossible. And, then, she pokes and prods you under pressure and still expects perfection.” 

He was venting now, and he couldn’t imagine Michael really wanted to hear all of it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on about it, it’s just—I feel like she wanted me to get frustrated with her tonight, or something. Like she was looking for ways to get me pissed off, and … I couldn’t do it anymore. So, I’m glad I found you.”

All he could do was give a little nod, forcing a smile to play it off like it wasn’t as big of a deal as it actually was. “We’ll get through it,” he promises, knowing that much at least to be true. For all it sucks knowing how long his brother had lied to him and Wendy, Michael knew he wasn’t capable of staying mad at the older boy for long. He just needed some time to adjust and come to terms with the truth - that they maybe weren’t as close as he had always liked to think and pride themselves on being. “We did, though I didn’t want to be too big of a burden and keep her from Phil for too long.” Hence why he had been wandering around the ballroom by himself with no real aim when he’d ran into the other boy.

Another nod in agreement at the sentiment that it was better to avoid the lost boys’ house and whoever may be returning there once the night was through. “My roommate’s gone for the break anyway,” he finally admits, figuring it was better to say it now than wait for Sam to find out when they arrive at his empty dorm and think Michael had tricked him into being alone again. Because that was not the case, not at all. Yes, he wants to be alone with the other boy and do the sort of things they used to share together before a certain Tramp girl had come into their lives – but he’d never want to make Sam feel as if he were being pressured or manipulated in any way into anything at all.

As they walked towards the campus, which thankfully wasn’t too far, the last subject Michael would have ever expected to be used to fill the silent void was the fiasco of what had happened at Halloween. Though they had never talked about it beyond that night, he had assumed that was simply because it was in the past - what else was there to say really, anyway? Michael had messed up. Colette had messed up. And Sam was stuck in the middle of it all. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of conversation topics to be had. “You don’t have to apologize,” he promises, genuinely meaning it and not just trying to make the other boy feel better. “It was hardly your fault at all. I’m the one that’s sorry for well, everything. For saying those things to her, for dragging you into the middle of it again. You don’t deserve that.”

[lostgirlwendy]

continued from here for @othrdarlinboyy​

Sometimes, with a heavy emphasis on the rarity that the word implied, Wendy could only shake her head and sigh at her brothers, this seeming to be one of them. She could tell that the youngest was up to something, something possibly no good, with the way he was quick to try and fault John while he was nowhere in sight. “You invited a girl?” she repeated, to be sure that she wasn’t mistaken. “In a romantic way? And she came?” It wasn’t the most incredulous idea, but Wendy still wasn’t quite used to the thought of her younger siblings being ready to date. “Not that I’m surprised about that, in a bad way! No, this is a good surprise!” she assured him, placing an instinctive hand on his arm. “Have you talked to her since she’s gotten here? Do you have, dare I ask, a plan when you do?” Wendy raised a brow and scrunched her face, almost afraid of his answer. Though she loved Michael more than anything, at times she wanted nothing more than to pause his seemingly always racing mind that always was hatching some sort of idea.

[lostgirlwendy]

"There's never a bad time for ice cream." - Michael

Wendy nearly rolled her eyes at her brother and his suggestion, shaking her head insistently. She already had so much stress over getting the pizza that Cubby had requested for everyone that a food that melted seemed like the worst idea she could possibly think of. "I'll offer you a compromise," she agreed hesitantly, narrowing her eyes a bit at her brother as she considered giving him an alternative. "Just think of how many people are going to want to take your ice cream if we get it, right? You know, drunk people always want the first snack they see," Wendy pointed out, a preface to her idea. "What if we wait until everyone leaves--everyone but the Lost Boys, Tink, and I, that is--and then we can go and pick some up? That way, you won't have to worry about a stranger stealing your ice cream, and it won't be melted since we won't be having it delivered. I'll just drive us to Beaches and Cream and we can pick it up?" @othrdarlinboyy

[lucifermalak]

Hey Seb

How are you doing? I think we should have a nice talk, don't you?

[joyyyfullll]

If there was anyone she trusted to know whether her crush had a secret girlfriend or not, it was definitely his brother, who claimed that this wasn't the case. It was with a sigh of relief that Joy dramatically accepted the information, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. "Thank goodness. That's so cute, though, that you guys are so close, even though he was away for a while." Meanwhile, Joy had no secrets she hadn't told her housemates, though it remained to be seen whether they had things they kept from her. She liked to think they were close enough that there wouldn't be anything the other girls wouldn't tell her, just like she wouldn't keep anything from them, either.

Joy's jaw all but dropped to the table as Michael revealed he'd been seeing someone, and how it'd ended so tragically for him. Of course she wished she could've been there to cheer him up in the moment, but she didn't take any offense that he hadn't told her--it must've crushed her when it happened. "Oh, my god, what? Michael, I'm so sorry," she gushed, reaching to give one of his hands a comforting squeeze. "It sounds like you both deserve so much better. I would say he deserves you, but I don't even know if that's true, because you should have someone who would put you above anyone else, especially a terrible girlfriend of theirs. How long ago was this? You know, if you ever need someone to come out with you in search of a new guy to crush on, or to take your mind off of it, I'm here."

Tilting his head a bit at the same time that he raised his shoulder in a shrug, Michael couldn’t deny that she was right. It certainly was far easier for him to talk to the boy because they were related. If it weren’t for the shared blood that coursed through their systems, he was pretty sure neither of his siblings would really want anything to do with him. He was so different from both John and Wendy, that it was clear the biggest and strongest thing that bonded them together was the simple fact that they were family. Without that tie… well, he wasn’t sure how he’d fit in with them both. “Super secret girlfriend doesn’t really seem like John’s speed,” he agrees at least with that point. “We kind of tell each other everything, there aren’t really any secrets between the three of us.” Or at least, that was what he truly believed to be the truth at this exact moment in time.

For a moment he debates just brushing it off, lying and saying that he was fine and just perpetually single and lonely. That he was ready to simply accept his fate of being whatever the boy version of an old maid was. But that was only partially the truth - it left out a huge chunk of why exactly he felt like such complete and utter shit when it came to the romance department. And he was, in all honesty, just getting tired of lying and holding back the entire truth. “I mean, not anymore it’s not. I… I thought I was seeing this guy a while back ago - but it wasn’t actually anything like I thought it was at all. And now he has a girlfriend. Who’s horrible and treats him like shit and is constantly dumping him for the stupidest of reasons. And it’s just… it’s been a bit of a shitty year for me, romantically, I guess.” It was a very simplified version of what had happened between the two boys, but Michael felt better finally getting at least something off his chest. Maybe it would help, talking about this to someone other than just his siblings.