#marlborcs

[emotionlcss]

﹝ closed starter ⇾ @marlborcs from xx ﹞

tanner wasn't even entirely sure that he'd needed the reassurance, but it was nice that she had given it to him so easily. thankfully, she hadn't seemed to press him any farther and took what he said with a grain of salt. a small smile worked over his features as he returned the kiss. ❝ i know, just had to ask. ❞ even if he wasn't entirely sure as of why. ❝ just haven't really been this serious about someone. ❞ 

[catastrophicxfailure]

closed for ✵ @marlborcs

setting ✵ unexpected valentine’s day proposal, could be real or fake or for a variety of reasons!

muse ✵ maggie ruiz, thirty-two, publishing house editor.

“Wh- what do you think you’re doing?” Eyes wide as they darted around them, knowing what the person opposite them was doing would inevitably grab the attention of the couples around them.

[twistedthings]

Why would he admit something so damning? Something he thought obvious to those that witnessed him. Brody played into the image most viewed him as, the dumb hot head that wanted to do nothing but fight, drink and fuck. It wasn't far off outside of the dumb thing, he'd always been smarter than what people imagined him to be, even teachers had thought less of him. So he worked that image to the best angle he could for himself, it kept people at a distance for the most part and he didn't have to worry about getting too attached, everyone saw how he acted or worse, knew about how much of a lowlife his father was they'd give up on Brody sooner rather than later.

If he could chill the fuck out for one night, it likely would be for Claire. Just looking at her now as she tilted her head at him and expressed how unsurprised she was at the fact he was an idiot who sought out fights more often than not. It made him grin even though he tried not to. "Don't threaten me with a good time, now," he said, pulling at the collar of his shirt as if to suggest she put a leash and collar on him now. After shifting a fraction closer to her on his feet Brody put his hands up in the air as if in surrender. "Fine, fine... I'll stop adding to your shitty week, I'm sorry." He said finally, blue eyes moving over her features before his hands dropped slowly to his sides. "C'mon, I have a joint to smoke, maybe it'd take the edge off your uh... stress too?" He offered, catching her gaze and giving a crooked, half apologetic and challenging smirk.

Claire gave him a look of exasperation and took a deep breath before folding her arms across her chest. "Of course you do. It doesn't surprise me in the least bit at this point," she murmured and bit into her lower lip. She looked back at the other guy and watched as he ranted to his friend and maybe he did need a good swift punch to his jaw, but she wasn't going to say that out loud to Brody who would look for any excuse to do such a thing. The petite brunette glanced up at her ex and tipped her head to the side, "Can you behave yourself for the rest of the night or do I have to put a leash on you?" She asked, quirking a brow at him. Again, probably something he wouldn't say no to if it meant he could irritate her somehow. Some way. She rubbed at her temples and breathed in deep again. "I just wanted to throw a good party after a really shitty week, so please...for me, behave."

[unityfound]

closed starter for @marlborcs continued from here.

he fights back the urge to flinch, aware he doesn't need to be on guard around her. throughout his life, he'd trusted and been betrayed and it had left him quite the shell of his former self. he would die before the same could be said for his sons. "i know, i do..i do know that." he smiles then, almost shyly, turning his hand over and squeezing her's reassuringly. "i've just...i've met a lot of people who've taken advantage of me, of the fact i have...things, people that make me vulnerable. i know you're nothing like them, though, i do...i'm just so used to - being treated one way. it's a lot to get used to...as nice as this is...to know that i'm finally being treated the way i...i think i do deserve, you know?"

[heroexxs]

as the two of them went to go sit down, he couldn't help but shift in his seat a bit, especially when his mother sat next to her. he knew they had to be on their a-game, at least until dinner was over. "shouldn't be too hard, right? some might say i'm pretty adorable." he teased in hopes to get some sort of laugh out of her. the kiss caught him off guard a bit, but he leaned in and wrapped an arm around the back of her chair, keeping her close to him. his whole family was around the table, but thankfully the attention wasn't always on them. his parents would ask a couple questions or two, but their main focus was on his sister which was what he really wanted. "i don't know if i told you this already, but you look good." he said with a small shrug and a smile as he caught her eyes. with how close his paretns were to the two of them, he was sure he could say just about anything and not get a reaction so they wouldn't blow their cover.

when he said she was going to hate him a little bit more, she furrowed her brow. as he explained, her mouth fell open and she turned to him, "how do you keep fucking forgetting these things, bri? christ," she whispered and finished off her drink in record time before asking for a refill. "you know i'm not gonna let you sleep on the fucking floor." they started walking around again to say hi to the rest of the family before they found their seats and she sat down, crossing her legs. she smoothed her hands over the skirt of her dress and she squirmed a little bit. she sipped from her drink and smiled as brion's mother sat beside her and she sighed. "now we have to keep our mouths shut and act like the cutest couple because your mom just sat next to me." she rubbed her forehead and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, "that didn't bother you, did it?" she asked him before sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest.

[unityfound]

long overdue closed starter for @marlborcs

"i might be going to hell." cue a grimace, before he lets out a deep breath, as if struggling to emit his confession. "yesterday, a girl in my class came to me crying. i asked why and she said because another girl had told her that her picture looked ugly. it did in fact look ugly. i had to hold back the laughter. i think it's time i change professions..."

[unityfound]

long overdue closed little starter for @marlborcs

"please do not judge the wrapping, i tried my best. i'm just better with my hands in other departments." a pause, as he thinks (and subsequently overthinks) the remark. "that sounded dirty, but i honestly meant carpentry...and fighting." he nods to clarify, a sweet little smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

[sickhearteda]

"i know we've gone over this countless of times but it is what it is. ." he's trailing off as her phone is being shoved his way, shaking his head. "i'm not doing that, i don't even wanna talk about this anymore. whatever is done in the dark always comes to the light or whatever the fuck that saying is."

"cole, i have a business. i have a brand, that's why my phone is always going off. and i do fucking talk to you. do you think i'm cheating? i don't want anyone but you. i've told you that countless times because this has been brought up countless times. if you're so worried, here..." she unlocked her phone and pushed it over to him.

[soulsuckrrs]

Dark eyes tracked the woman as she almost begrudgingly moved over to where Sidian sat. Sidian didn't really move when she sat down, just shifted his head to look at her briefly before nodding to the bartender that he would cover all of her drinks. He twirled the liquor in his glass before taking a slow sip, savoring the burn but also using it to bite back the multitude of snarky comments that fluttered through his head but they would shatter his image or reclusive hermit who preferred his botany shop and greenhouse over anything else. His tall frame was straight despite how he leaned against the bar with one arm while the other dangled loosely off the edge of the wooden surface.

"Hmm, it's been so long since I've been stabbed," out of all the things be could have decided to comment on first it naturally had to be the most dangerous, or at least the immediately dangerous thing. Sidian arched a brow, licking his lips to hide the slight twitch of his lips as he took another contemplative sip of his drink. "I come out every spring from my prolonged hibernation," he tilted his head and finished off what was left in his glass before sliding it to the edge and motioning to the bartender for another glass. "-- just to remind the kiddies I'm still around."

@marlborcs

She was enjoying her peace. Circe never knew peace for long, so when she looked up from her book and her nearly empty glass of whiskey to see him sitting there, her jaw clenched. It was when their eyes met that she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She inhaled sharply and slipped the book into her bag and she downed the rest of her drink before heading up to the bar for another - but this time it was a double. He had nodded at her - he had smirked at her - she wanted to rip him to shreds. But she was going to be civil. Her coven was nothing if not...well, fuck that, they were not peaceful. They raised hell in every way possible.

With a deep breath, she slid into the barstool beside him and rested her chin in her hand, "You're a sight for sore eyes...and I mean that in the...most painful way possible," Circe murmured and nodded at the bartender before sipping from her glass. "I thought you didn't come to this part of town. Or...really, come out of your home at all. I should stab you right now. But I'm trying this new thing where I'm kind. I just drink and fuck and treat people with kindness. Not rip their spinal cords from their bodies." She downed her drink and asked for another, not bothering to even say she'd pay for this. "All of mine are on his tab," the blonde rasped and plastered on a smile when she looked back to Sidian.

[twistedthings]

Keeping his temper in check always had been a challenge for Brody, he had so much of it that he tried his best to filter it out through his second method of income. Fighting was something he'd picked out of necessity, bullies and punks on the football team felt it more than entertaining to pick on the kid whose mother was mauled while he slept not too far away in a tent. Brody didn't remember anything from the night and the worst part was that he more than often fought off his own father after the whole thing. To say he was overprotective for the people he chose and cared about was an understatement. Nothing could have prepared Brody for the true state Maritza was in. All he could do was stand there and listen to her stammer over what happened and caress against her back so lightly he wasn't even aware that was what he'd been doing until she pulled away.

Something feral and disgusting churned in his gut, gnawing away at the lining of his stomach before nothing but acid crawled throughout his body and up his throat. His blue eyes took on a dull tint as he listened and watched Maritza, trying to process what she was saying to him and not let his rage, his protective anger get the better of him as she explained the worst case scenario to him. He choked on his emotions and focused on just watching and listening to Maritza, it was all he could do to keep from going back into that damn apartment and fucking murder that rapist piece of shit. As Maritza emptied her stomach Brody almost did the same, instead he stood there tense and almost in shock, really fighting the strong urge to go back there for David.

Brody wasn't sure what emotions he felt outside of rage, this was a new kind of rage though. Typically he was always explosive, loud and violent as he had exhibited only a few minutes ago but now... now, it was a silence sort of rage, one that had melted into his body with that acidic feeling and Brody knew he'd be back for David. If the cops didn't haul that mother fucker to prison, Brody would be back. He shook his head, still standing in one spot as Maritza got into his car and the pain she winced from finally made him move. He took a few steps forward and stopped at the passenger's side holding onto the top of the car door as he tried to find words that made sense at a time like this but nothing did so he listened to her imploring words and shut the door, moving around to the other side to get into the drivers seat.

He started the engine but sat there for a minute or two, his brow furrowed and he seemed to snap out of his silent, cold rage of shock to turn towards Maritza, gently squeezing her fingers back, his blue eyes were sharp and full of emotions he didn't know how to express verbally. He tried to speak again, say any of the many things that crossed his fucking mind but nothing came out. This was likely the only time he'd been this silent for such a long time, his muscles reacted for him as she released his hand and he started to pull away, driving towards the hospital. Brody knew he had to fucking say something but there was so much running through his head, he sighed and brushed his hand over his hair before he offered it to Maritza again, his eyes on the road but wanting to know he'd hold her hand if she wanted.

"You're not gonna lose me, babe, I'm not going anywhere because I fucking love you too," Brody said, his tone soft and almost distant but as he stopped at a red light he glanced over at Maritza, taking in the sight of her so beaten and broken, it made emotions choke in his throat and he tried to clear it. There really wasn't anything else to say, he'd never been very elegant with his words let alone ones that would help anyone through any sort of trauma or emotional event let alone this one. So he just drove, the more distance he put between them and David the more Brody wanted to fucking kill the man but his desire to be there for Maritza surprisingly overturned his rage and the primal urge to hurt that man more than he had hurt Maritza. Brody realized that it was entirely because he did love her, as a friend for certain but more than that, he loved her. "I'm here, Mars. I'm here..." It was all he could think to say.

@marlborcs

She was always taught to be respectful to men, even if they treated her like shit. Her father beat the everloving fuck out of her mother and she still had to watch and wait and let it happen. She got slapped around plenty, but he was smart and never left behind a mark for anyone to see. Her mother rarely left the house, so it didn't matter if he left them on her or not, so when David came into her life, she thought nothing of it the pinches and slaps and then later there were punches and kicks and slamming into objects and walls. Now? Tonight? It had gotten so much worse. David was under the impression that she and Brody were having an affair behind his back and he lost his fucking mind. She was not safe by any means and the damage done to her now, showed it. If Brody hadn't been called, she wasn't sure she'd still be there.

"B...if I hadn't gotten away to call you? I don't think I would still be alive. He was so fucking enraged and he did...he did so many things to me. He thinks you and I are together," she gasped, looking up at him. "I don't know how he got that fucking idea in his head..." She did have feelings for Brody, but she had never said a word about it. He kept telling her this wasn't her fault, but she still thought it was and she couldn't shake the nausea. She rushed away from him and leaned over before vomiting by one of the other cars. She choked out the vomit because she was in so much pain and she wrapped her arm around her midsection again.

The moment he brought up going to the hospital once she was back by his side and leaning into him again, she inhaled sharply. "They'll..." Maritza covered her face with trembling hands and she shook her head. "...they'll have to d-do a rape kit." She gasped and was suddenly sick all over again. Once she looked up at him, "Don't go in there." She knew that newest bit of information was going to change things exponentially. "H-He forced me down. Said I would f-forget all about you. That he could make me forget. I screamed and kicked and punched and he hit me so hard he knocked me out. When I woke up, I was so sore. There was blood and everything. They'll get him for that, too." Maritza took a deep breath and she closed her eyes.

"I just wanna get as far away from here as possible. Please. I need to." She gripped onto her bag and climbed into his car, flinching when she tried to get comfortable in her seat. The dress she wore was torn and she tried to tug on it to make it look longer. She knew he was furious...enraged. So fucking pissed. "Brody, please get in the car. I wanna get to the hospital and if you go in there you'll kill him. I can't lose you..." She rasped, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please don't make me lose you, B. I need you more than I've ever needed anyone or anything before in my life." He was her best friend, really. Yes, she was in love with him, but that was another matter entirely. She took a deep breath and sighed with relief when he got into the car beside her.

When the car was started, she reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it as tightly as she could. "I love you, B," she whispered and dropped her trembling hands into her lap after she buckled in. She swallowed the lump in her throat and she took a deep breath once she closed her eyes. The car began to move and she felt like her head was full of static. Or shocks. There were little shocks of electricity happening in her head, in her brain. "You're the only person I have left. I mean... I have like Jessica and Vanessa and Renee and the girls, but...you're the only one that fucking matters so much to me and maybe that's what got that idea in his head."

[heroexxs]

sofia could feel her cheeks go a bit red at her comment about looking out for her, but she tried her best not to read into anything too much. she just assumed she was being nice. "well i'll have to follow you guys for sure. that's pretty nice though that you want to help her out." she said with a smile. when she asked about her family, she ran a hand through her hair and leaned back against her seat. "yeah, i've got a brother and my parents, but that's about it. they're not huge into the whole soccer thing." sofia said with a shrug. "they think there's an expiration date on everything and i just haven't hit it yet. i've heard it at least a million times." she said with another chuckle and another shrug. "how about you? parents and siblings? besides the girls here of course."

"oh, god, you don't have to do that. whatever i was paid for tonight was plenty." she smiled gently and shrugged before fixing her outfit. "i'll spare you the embarrassing details, honestly." eden sat up a little more and she beamed, "i am. for social media management. i thought i could help val, honestly. i love how much she mothers us and it could bring in more business," she said and bit into her lower lip. "soccer, huh? i watch it sometimes. i'm always willing to watch, so i'll make sure to look out for you." she winked at sofia and nodded her head, "yeah, basically. i mean, i go out with the girls on nights out. like i said, we're all family. most of us don't actually have families or we've been cast out from them for our line of work or we have them and that's why we're working...to make enough money to take care of them. -- do you have a family? parents and siblings?" she asked and ran her fingers through her hair.

[emotionlcss]

her teasing wasn't anything new to him, something that tanner had not only grown used it, but had really grown fond of, even if that wasn't something he'd always told her. ❝ guess i do like, like you. ❞ tanner chuckled, his arms wrapping around her as he welcomed her against his lap. ❝ probably gonna give me cooties or something and i'll regret it though. ❞ he easily teased right back before returning each and every kiss. ❝ i dont have any bodies for you to hide though, so you don't have to worry about that. but it's good to know that you're here for the ride. ❞  

"are you sayin' you like me, like me, baby?" she teased him and shifted to climb into his lap. she ran her hand over his head and scratched her nails against the back of his neck. "that's good, because i've never really been this serious about someone before, either. it's just kind of hitting me now, but i was being serious when i said i'd do anything for you. even if i have to hide a gun or a body," she murmured and rested her forehead against his before catching his lips in another kiss.

[sickhearteda]

"-- crazy? what the fuck? you're shady."

"and i think you're crazy, so."

[twistedthings]

Brody did not expect Claire to be so lenient on him, gods knew how little he thought of himself but that was mostly formed by the berating of his abusive father most of his life. The way the weed was filtering through his mind and system, aided by the calming effect Claire always had on him Brody was only slightly surprised as Claire made true to her words and climbed into his lap as if he hadn't been ready to throw down with some stranger mere twenty minutes ago.

The smoke hazed the room and Brody hummed a slight chuckle in approval of the contact and her teasing, shifting his body only slightly against the couch to be in a better position to comfortably accommodate Claire. His one hand brushed against her back in a light caress, eyes sweeping over her in an all too familiar manner as he watched her smoke and speak, easily getting lost in her and the aura of them together.

"Mhmm, only the best for you baby," he said with a soft and breathy laugh, passing off the joint one more time before he nuzzled his nose lightly against her neck, lips brushing against her warm skin as he did indeed take advantage of their position and the fact she gave him permission to do so. When he pulled back, reluctantly so, Claire kissed the corner of his mouth and if at all possible Brody stilled further, eyes watching Claire for a moment and wanting nothing more than to close that distance between their mouths for a real kiss. "-- you're welcome," he said instead, swallowing and offering a small but intimate smile. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" Eh, so his stoned mouth had less of a filter than his normal brain.

"I hate you and your dick jokes," she laughed and ran her hands over her face before he was sitting down beside her. "Of course you wouldn't mind, you pervert," Claire teased him and she watched him take a few hits from the joint before he was handing it over to her. She took it between two of her fingers and placed it between her pretty lips and took a slow hit. The petite brunette closed her eyes as she held the smoke in her lungs and then blew it towards the ceiling. "Please feel free to take advantage of me..." Claire laughed and she shook her head before taking another slow hit and handing it over to him once more. She ran her fingers through her hair and shifted to lean into Brody's side.

Claire hummed and closed her eyes again, letting the drug muddle with her mind. She rested her head on his shoulder and took the joint once he was finished and took a few more hits. A sigh escaped her and she bit into her lip before moving to climb into his lap. She wiggled a little bit and wrinkled up her nose, "This is good shit..." Claire said and giggled before covering her mouth. The way her powers were even subdued, affected her, too. She was the calmest she'd ever been before. With a sigh, she looked around and smiled gently at him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'm glad you came tonight, even if you're a pain in the ass," Claire teased him and brushed her fingertips against the back of his neck.