benditos ojos.

another apology almost left his lips when she attempts to reassure him but he keeps it in, instead taking a deep breath so his words won’t fail him. he quirks a smile and holds it for appearance while the champagne lowers itself back to the general height of his abdomen. when she mentions her occupation, joel opens his mouth, almost letting the “oh shit” slip through the verbal barrier, but her shuts his jaw before he can say anything. “ i should have recognized, i’m sorry. ” he chuckles and shakes his head. he spent time at the bar and he saw her work, but he never bumped into a bartender at a party before. a bartender not on the other side of the bar that was. “ touché. everyone should be able to enjoy the party though. ” he smiles and takes a tiny sip from the champagne that has grown flat and lukewarm already. he grimaces and- yes- it’s a good front to the flinch that runs through his body at her question. he knows he plays it off well and he snorts, looks down at his ensemble and opens his arms to his sides. it’s not showing off, but it feels like it. as soon as he’s sure she’s seen enough of his shoddy outfit his arms draw back into a fold over his chest. “ i’m supposed to be homeless. doesn’t take much effort. ” supposed to be sounds strange in his ears and he wants to correct himself and say he is homeless, that he’s just here for the free food. but she offers the food and his eyes lights up in equal joy and surprise. “ really? ” the smile grows from a polite gesture to a genuine grin as he plucks a finger sandwich from the plate. “ i’ll pretend you didn’t almost stumble to your death if you ignore me being a dick and walking into you. these are great by the way, you sure they’re out of them? ” he holds up the nibbled sandwich before chowing down, his stomach happy about the additional dinner. “ so, uh- ” why he decides to continue the conversation is beyond even joel himself, but he clears his throat and gestures towards her. “ i hope working was okay? i’d think these people tip since it’s a big party. lame if they didn’t. ”

“It’s okay. There are a good number of bartenders working tonight. People don’t focus on us anyways.” They recalled seeing him at the bar as well. He didn’t appear nearly as nervous as he did now, but they supposed that they didn’t really get a chance to talk to him. The couldn’t blame him for having been flustered for running into them though, Amber probably would have reacted the same. Everyone should be able to enjoy the party. “That’s true. Maybe I’ll have a glass in a few. The champagne here is really good. They really went for the fancy stuff.” Her eyebrows furrowed lightly upon hearing what he was dressed up as homeless. It seemed a little insensitive in her opinion. Maybe she was overreacting, but she felt like it was light of a situation that was anything but. Especially in Queens. Plenty of people were one pay check away from being thrown to the streets. He didn’t seem to be the type of person who would do it out of ill intent though. She was quiet as he showed his costume, contemplating wether she should actually voice her opinion. He didn’t seem to be the type of person who would dress like that out of ill intent though. Maybe she should just give him the benefit of the doubt. “Interesting costume choice.” Amber didn’t mean to sound so short, but that was the best thing she could say without getting too deep on the issue. Some people just didn’t know the gravity of the situation, so they assumed that was simply the case. Amber noticed his smile turn into something more real at the mention of food, something she didn’t exactly expect. Maybe he was a real foodie. If that was the case then they were glad they offered. His counter managed to earn a small laugh from Amber. She nodded her head in agreement. “Deal. Yeah, I’m afraid these are the last of them. In this table at least. Isn’t there another one in the game room? Would you like to check that out?” The attempt to continue conversation was appreciated. She still had a while until she had to go back to work, so hopefully this would help the time not feel so eternal. “Yeah. It’s okay. I definitely get more tips at the bar I work at. They pay me better by the hour here though so I guess I can’t complain.”  they shrugged before offering a smile at man. “How are you enjoying the party so far?”

“Not really, but I know my parents had a pretty big argument on what my name would be. Amber was the name of my grandma from my mother’s side. My dad wanted to name me after his grandmother too, and her name was Ximena, which is my middle name.  I honestly don’t know how they reached a final decision. They’re both really stubborn so I’m sure it took a while for either of them to budge. Maybe they just flipped a coin or something.”

To see that wonderful, beautiful smile again for what seemed like the first time in ages brought nothing but joy to the musician, happy to see her face just seconds after she spoke to him through the door. It had been a while, so his greeting might have been a bit much, but then again, Cyrek never slowed down for anyone or anything. He knew what pace he wanted to take life at and everyone just had to buckle in for that ride. The grin that plastered itself on his face wouldn’t wipe itself off- he was happy, and he had been happy, after what seemed like forever of misery. Bravo! The applause and the grin brought him to do a graceful bow and lift his arms as if he were just finishing a round in an ice-skating competition. That dream had been long blown away a few years ago, and surely they remembered when he was still on that track- he had just found a better outlet for all the passion and ambition squeezed into his lanky frame. The hug that followed was warm and welcoming as he buried his face into their shoulder, squeezing them tightly and lifting them off the ground for just a moment out of sheer joy. Though lean, he still had some muscles on him- he knew gymnastics, after all. “You smell nice,” he commented as he pulled away from them to take a better look at them, laughing when she threw in the addition of or food. That was a very Orion comment if he ever heard one, which reminded him… “Oh shit, my brother’s here in the city too, I should’ve brought him along. I’m sure you miss the little shit.” The term little shit was spoken with nothing but affection- the brothers could be night and day but at the end of that day, he would do anything for Orion’s well-being.

That aside, the way his face lit up made it terribly clear that he was over-the-moon that they were free for the evening so he could take her out for dinner. With Coraline helping him slowly but surely piece his financial situation together for the first time in his damn life, he actually had the money. Not much money, but money, now that the debt piling up on his credit card was gradually getting shoveled off. Who knew? Charming, as always. “You know me, I’m a real womanizer,” he teased, the grin softening to a sweet smile. There was a flickering expression on their face that indicated they wanted to say something- or many things- and he was sure he had a million questions to answer. Questions that, a few months ago, would have been difficult to answer and perhaps even met with completely being brushed aside. It was often in Cyrek’s nature to attempt to dismiss them and act indifferent, as if there were nothing wrong, remaining true to a poem tattooed on his ribs in Greek. However, this was Amber, and surely he could muster up the honesty for them. Laughing at the notion of growing taller, he lifted a hand and ran it through his spiked, hairsprayed hair and raised his eyes up as if the dumbass could see it from this point of view, replying cheekily, “I think it’s just my hair. I’m gonna need a fuckin’ trim soon. You like my newer ink?” Pointing out the little cross tattooed on his cheek just below his left eye, he was certain his cross count on his body was likely up to a four now. Though not insanely religious, he kept close to his family’s traditions and values. “I’m doin’ good! Real good. Now, anyway. I just moved back to Queens- with a certain someone who may or may not be my fiancée. I hope you’ll meet her at some point. Grab your shit so we can go get some grub, tell me how you are,” Cyrek enthused to them, bouncing on his heels.  

Amber didn’t remember the last time they smiled so hard. It was as if they had won the lottery or something. This was better than that though even though winning the lottery would really be a dream come true okay they have bills to pay.  What was money compared to the comfort of a close friend?  When he lifted them they immediately held onto him tighter, ( as if they hadn’t been already )and they laughed at the gesture. Amber forgot how strong Cyrek was sometimes. You smell nice. Amber responded with a chuckle in thanks. They were going to make a joke of sorts, though whatever response they were going to make was interrupted by the news that not only Cyrek was back in town, but so was his younger brother.  “Orion is back too?” Both Cyrek and Orion had a very special place in Amber’s heart. Not only were they protective of them, they also had a sense of admiration for the two brothers. Cyrek, who was so freely himself and Orion, who Amber was convinced was one of the most insightful human beings they had ever encountered.  “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll catch up with him soon. I’ll shoot him a text to hang out.” Amber made a mental note to do so tonight. 

New ink. Amber took a closer look at their friend’s face “I thought it was your eyeliner! It looks really good!” Only someone like Cyrek would be able to pull off a tattoo like that. Not only because he was pretty, but he also possessed a certain pizzaz that was unique.  Cyrek’s following words regarding their engagement made Amber widen their eyes. “No way.” Amber stood almost dumbfounded at the news. They knew that Cy would come back with a few surprises up his sleeve but they didn’t expect to hear that he got engaged. “Aw, Cy. That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you.” And they were. As long as Cyrek was happy, they would be as well.  “What’s her name? Where’d you meet her? Shit, you have a lot of to catch me up on. I just gotta grab my keys real quick, on sec-” With those words, Amber practically bolted back into their apartment. Not even 10 seconds later, they were back and closing their door before turning back to Cy. “Im good! You know, same old, same old. Nothing too exciting has happened, I’m afraid.” Amber felt like their life had hit a sort of plateau these past few years. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing as they were a fan of stability. However, that sort of lifestyle didn’t really leave much room for ‘adventures’ . Maybe that’s why they were so excited to hear any stories Cy had to offer. A part of her wished she was more spontaneous, but the chances of breaking their cautious nature were pretty slim.

“Oh, wow. New Orleans is a beautiful city. Do you miss it at all?” she asked. Amber seemed like a wonderful person and there was a part of Bennett that oddly wanted to be honest with her but she knew she couldn’t do that. She wanted to say ‘I’m not as nice as I seem,’ but she didn’t. “I’m from Rosemont, Pennsylvania.”

“It is.” Amber’s smile softened lightly at the mention of their hometown. “I do.” They admitted. Amber didn’t get homesick as often as they used to nowadays, but it still happened. They let out a small sigh, though it was immediately followed with a shrug of their shoulders.  Once finished, she placed the drink in front of the other. “I’ve never been there. Do you prefer Queens or do you wish you were back in Pennsylvania?”

Griffin didn’t notice Amber’s delay in answering him. He was too focused on trying to act like he was more sober than he actually was. “Oh,” Griffin turned his head slightly when he realized Amber had asked him a question. “Yeah, Italian. My family’s all Mediterranean.” His mouth fumbled over the long word a bit, but it was recognizable at least. “Fuentes… feisty. It works.” He chuckled softly, momentarily meeting Amber’s gaze. Griffin weaved ever so slightly back and forth as he walked, like a tired driver just barely managing to stay in their lane. He didn’t notice the look that the bouncers were giving them until one of them was standing right in front of Griffin. His brow furrowed and he glanced behind him. Was this guy talking to him? Griffin was used to VIP treatment, not being rejected before he’d even made it through the door. “Excuse me?” Griffin asked, face shifting from confusion to annoyance. “Do you know who I am?” The bouncer didn’t seem to give a fuck. “Go home. You’ve had more than enough, man.” “I’m not tryin’ to drink, I just want to go inside.” Griffin snapped back. He tried to walk around the bouncer and the man put out an arm and grabbed the front of Griffin’s shirt. The jolt was enough to disturb Griffin’s already tenuous balance and he stumbled and fell onto his knees as the bouncer released his shirt. The sharp pain in his knees didn’t help the spinning, or the growing discomfort in his gut. The other bouncer who was watching let out a soft laugh, but Griffin didn’t hear it. He was frantically trying to push himself back up onto his feet. He got to his feet and stumbled a few feet away to the nearest city trash bin and leaned over it, emptying his churning stomach. He finished quickly, but stayed there panting, and trying to collect himself. The laughing bouncer seemed to find this turn of events even funnier than Griffin’s fall, but the one who had confronted them turned to Amber with an annoyed look on his face. “Just go home. No club is going to let him in that wasted.”

Feisty. Not exactly a word they would use to describe themselves, but Amber they definitely didn’t mind it. They responded with a smile, though they doubted that Griffin caught it. It was a short lived moment anyways, since the smile quickly faltered as the bouncer spoke to them. Amber had seen this exact scenario play out plenty of times. Though it was often from behind the bar, looking out to see . This was the first time they actually were in the situation themselves and in all honesty, they were at a loss for what to do. The bouncer wasn’t necessarily being as aggressive as they had feared, but Amber still felt like he could have been gentler with the man, especially in his state. What managed to annoy Amber was how the other was just laughing at Griffin. They shot a glare at the him, before directing it to the bouncer that grabbed Griffin. “Got it.” The words weren’t vicious nor did they speak loudly, but her tone held a certain harshness that was uncommon for them. Their attention immediately shifted to Griffin, who was still leaning over the trash can. “Hey.” they placed a careful hand on his shoulder blade, their voice a noticeably softer than before. "How are you feeling?”

“Nice to officially meet you,” she chuckled. Aubrey bit her lip when Amber mentioned that she should stop by the bar–but hey, at least someone wasn’t calling her ‘kid’ for once. Maybe she was starting to look a bit older. “Yeah, um… I’m nineteen, actually… So while I would love to, I don’t think I can really stop by just yet.”

“Yeah. You too, babe.” Amber was actually glad to have finally met the younger girl. Amber found her to be quite endearing, almost reminding them of her younger sister.. “Really?” They probably should have known better, but it was a little hard to tell sometimes. She had a baby face, but her demeanor appeared mature enough to have Amber think she was at least out of her teenage years. “Yeah, not yet.” They responded with a chuckle. “My bar better be the first one you hit up when you turn 21 then.”

“Okay listen, seeing him at my door was almost surreal. I’m so glad he’s back. I don’t think I can even put into words how much I missed that amazing loser.  I can’t wait to catch up with him and hear all of the crazy shit I assumed he got into while he was away.  He’s one of my closest friends and… I don’t know. Queens feels a lot warmer now, if that make sense. It probably doesn’t, but that’s okay. It’s just really damn nice to have him back.”

“Are we talking full names? My father’s is Salvador Rey Fuentes and my mother’s is  Marla Grace Stuart. Powerful names for two powerful people, right?”

“Well, let me know if they ever reach a verdict, will you?” she joked. She smiled and said “Thank you. Good to know I’m talented at something,” she chuckled. She thought for a moment and then said “Can I please get a Moscow Mule?” As she watched them make her drink, she said “So tell me more about you. Are you from New York?”

“You’ll be the first one I notify.” They responded with a chuckle.  "Moscow Mule it is.” with that, they began to work on the drink. Amber raised an eyebrow when the other asked about them. Now there was something you didn’t see everyday. It wasn’t common for someone to ask the bartended to talk about themselves. If anything, it was usually the other way around. “ Born and raised in New Orleans, babe. Or The Big Easy as some like to call it. What about you? You seem far too nice to be from here.” 

She was glad when they finally seemed a little less concerned. After all, Aubrey hadn’t lied–Evelyn would flip if she knew her little sister was drinking. Even if she didn’t flip, at the very least, she’d probably freak out and worry that Aubrey was slipping again. And maybe she was but she couldn’t let her sister know that. Once she was back with the blanket, she noticed that they’d left some blanket for her so she took it. They were right, it was cold out. She passed them the bottle and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’re Amber?”

“That’s me. The one and only.” they responded with a playful grin. They muttered a soft thanks as they took the bottle of liquor in their hands. They examined it for a moment, before taking a small swig from it. “God, it’s been so long since I’ve drank this.” Though the taste was not exactly their cup of tea, it was definitely nostalgic. They took another sip before returning the bottle to the younger woman.  “Listen, you have to stop by my bar sometime. I’ll stir you up a real drink. On me, since I’m pretty sure you’ve just become my favorite neighbor.” 

closed starter for @amberfuentes

Cyrek hadn’t lived in New York City in a long, long time- specifically, Queens, beyond occasionally popping in. After bouncing around traveling, he’d come back after Alice’s death only to bond over perhaps the most tragic of events with- in his perspective- his closest friend. He and Amber had common ground there and they had been able to identify with that. And to be frank, after he had simply- and quietly- split right down the middle over it in spite of the front he put on for his family’s sake, he had been quite radio silent over the past year with his friends, let alone his family. Although Cyrek was always a busy man, it was unlike him to just disappear on his friends, the people he cared about, his loved ones that he always made time for- especially Amber. After all, they had a unique bond that he would refuse to give up for anything- he would do anything for them. The past few months, he had slowly but surely started to piece himself back together, aided further when he had met and fallen in love with Coraline. In learning Coraline’s deepest secrets of her identity and cosmetic change to escape her family, he opened up about his own dark sides and it released at least some of those demons. At the end of the day, it would never fully be mended without the comfort of someone who knew what it was like. The horrible beginnings, the aftermath, the destruction of the human self that came with the loss of someone so treasured. He and Amber, both being one of six kids in their families, were almost one and the same. Two sides of the same coin. Now that he found himself back in Queens and moved back in with the love of his life, his beloved fiancée, he decided he should pop over to Amber’s place and surprise them, without so much as a text. Spontaneous Cyrek, as always, only hoping he wouldn’t inconvenience them.

Finding himself at her door at last, double-checking the address to ensure that- in fact- yes, she still lived there, giving himself pause to put himself together. Rapping his knuckles on the door, he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The nature of their friendship hadn’t changed but he wouldn’t deny that his behavior when everything had spiraled downward was erratic and spontaneous at best- he didn’t do much for himself to keep them from worrying about him. Of course, he put on his typical dramatics when the door opened instead of a warm welcome- they were far too accustomed to each other and their strange ways to commit to anything else. A wide grin spread across his face, lifting a hand and striking a pose, twirling himself around a couple times in a well-practiced pirouette. Those ballet skills to help his skating when it had once been his lifelong dream never failed to come in handy. “Guess who’s back! It’s your favorite boy!” he gushed then, planting his feet back in place and drawing them into a hug without hesitation, sure that it would be wanted and welcome after some time had passed since their last visit. “I missed you! You got time for a dinner date with your favorite punk trash? I’d love to buy you dinner. Or even order takeout. I don’t fuckin’ care, I just missed you.” Releasing her and taking a step back, he gave her a once-over, raising his arms and practically beaming, denoting, “Look at you! Stunner, as always.”

“Coming!” they called, before making their way to the door. Being cautious as always ( It was New York after all ), they made sure to peek in the door’s peephole before opening it. “Cyrek?” their eyes widened at the familiar figure. Not even a second later, they opened the door to find that it was indeed their friend. Of course Cyrek wouldn’t offer a normal greeting. That would be too simple and the man was anything but that. It always amazed Amber how much of a natural performer he was. Even when he was twirling in jest, they couldn’t help but be impressed by his ability and talent. “Holy shit.” They chuckled as the other posed, shaking their head almost as if they couldn’t believe that he was there. They hadn’t seen each other for a while, with Cy having practically gone AWOL. Amber tried not to bug him too much since they had figured that all he needed was time. Time to process, time to mourn, just time to do whatever he felt he needed to.  This was a surprise, to say the least. A very pleasant one though. They   couldn’t help but offer a giant grin as they clapped. 

“Bravo!”  They immediately wrapped their arms around his frame, accepting the hug and the comfort that came with it. Amber wasn’t exactly known to be a touchy person. Not in the slightest. They were normally the type to keep to themselves However, when it came to friends and family the woman was nothing short of affectionate.   “Like I would I never say no to you. Or to food.” Even if they did have plans that night ( which they didn’t ), Amber knew that they would immediately drop them to catch up with Cy. Certain people tended to take priority for them and Cy was definitely high on that list.  Amber’s beamed up at their friend, though the compliment earned playful roll of their eyes. 
“Charming, as always.” They replied with a laugh. 
There had so many questions for him. Where had he been? How had been? Amber resisted the urge to bombard him with them. For now at least. They would get to them soon enough. All that mattered now was their friend was back. “Welcome back, Cy. It’s been a good minute since I’ve last seen you. Did you get taller?” They joked, taking a moment to look at him to see if anything had indeed changed about the man. Particularly in his demeanor. Cyrek could take care of himself, they knew that, but Amber would be lying if they said that his silence hadn’t worried them. “God, I missed you too. How are you?” 

“Gee, I don’t think I have a lot. Spitting loogeys on the ground is pretty gross. I don’t know why people do that. My biggest one? Being rude to people working jobs in customer service. Like, if you don’t tip your waiter, fuck you.”