art thou feeling it, mr. krabs?

A faint flush crept across her cheeks when he tilted her chin, the teasing confidence in him, something she was getting quite used to, but still somehow caught her off guard in the moment. She rolled her eyes at his comment, though the smile that followed ruined any attempt at pretending she wasn't amused. ❝ Carry my coat? Wow. Setting the bar real high there, gargoyle man. ❞ She nudged him lightly with her hand, her grin softening as she looked up at him to catch the kiss. ❝ But... I do agree, where be those men lining up? ❞

Her gaze drifted back toward the fire for a moment, watching sparks float into the dark sky before she looked back at him. ❝ Honestly? It's been good. Weirdly great actually. ❞ She shrugged, a quiet laugh escaping her, leaning into him. ❝ Been here basically all day, seen a handful of friends, hung out with them. Won a cute little plush fox. ❞ Her fingers traced absentmindedly along his arm, a comfortable little habit she didn't even realize she was doing when his arm was around her. ❝ What about you, hmm? ❞ A playful spark returned to her eyes, though there was a softness there too.

He gave a comical glance down at himself. "Did I stop being a man somewhere on my way over here?" Grayson's hand tickled up her side, never quite seeming to keep his touch away now that she'd given the green lights he could.

"Just so you know," he started as he motioned for him to come on and follow. "This is a very private spot, so I am giving you exclusives on its locale," he explained of their destination as they walked. He still remembered the first time he'd come across the hill - because in reality that's all it was. A simple hill. A big one. But a hill nonetheless. And he had been aimlessly wandering, debating on whether or not the butterflies he'd started to feel for Theodore should be allowed to bloom or not when the glorious mound had come into view.

Surprisingly, this wasn't a spot they knew of. Or, they had never paid any attention to it. Carroll was small and mapped out like the back of their hand and yet, somehow, Jack had managed to find himself an oasis -- or, in this respect, a hill -- they only now realized was there. "It really is," they agreed, taking in the sight of Carroll from its top.

Eyes following his hands over the new little arch in her belly that housed their growing baby, Aggie couldn't help but be almost overwhelmed with the emotion of it. The three of them a family now as much as they would be when the little bundle finally manage to emerge out into the world. "You're going to make me spoiled." She warned softly, though her smile was enough to speak how much she was trying to enjoy it.

There was a certain smile of assurance that crossed his face then. "You will absolutely be cherished for the rest of my days, I promise you that, Agnes," he murmured, gently massaging her belly and staring at her with his heart in his eyes. Fitzroy couldn't even believe how lucky he was, that his life did not go down the path he'd been duty-bound for the past three decades.

"Because you are." She doubled down, grinning as he showered her in the endless amounts of physical affection that she'd grown used to and so loved, the scrape of his teeth lifting goosebumps along her arms.

closed starter for @angstfactory

"My hair? Well lucky for me I got wait too much'a that as it is. All this worryin' might be doin' me a favour thinnin' it out." She teased back with a chuckle, though she couldn't help but lift a hand to touch at her hair a little as if testing out if it felt any less thick than it had before. "I dunno, I s'pose that d'pends on if you manage'ta get this all fixed up for me this time. I gotta say, I am more'n more confident in ya as time goes on." He was good company for all she was giving him heck as he helped. Laid back and easy going, he reminded her a lot of some of her favourite men in her life, and she couldn't help but be endeared to him and his resemblance to her eldest brother.

now he was standing beneath her porch light, sun still clinging to his skin, the scent of the ocean on him like he had carried part of the beach all the way to her door. winnie watched, helplessly, as his tongue slipped out to wet his lips. he looked like he was searching for the right words and coming up short, which was strange enough on its own. guy always had words. usually too many of them, usually arranged in the most irritating order possible. then his gaze moved past her, into the house, and winnie’s brows drew together. what was he looking for?

the answer came too late. maybe he was checking to see if she was alone. maybe he was looking for signs that someone else had come with her, or that someone had hurt her worse than the red eyes and oversized shirt already suggested. then his brown eyes found hers again and when he finally spoke, something in winnie’s stomach tightened. he was checking on her. guy boucher, who criticized her paperwork and rearranged her bonfire logs and made her feel like a silly girl with a nameplate, had come to her house because he noticed she was gone.

then he stepped closer. not all the way inside. not enough to be improper. just enough to lean into the doorway, bringing himself down closer to her eye level, his voice dropping to match hers in the quiet. that low tenor, softened by his louisiana accent, seemed to wash over her skin before she could brace herself for it. winnie hated that she noticed. hated that even now, with her heart sitting broken in her chest, her body could still respond to the warmth of him. to the closeness. to the way his voice moved over her like a hand she had not given permission to want.

her face flushed then he asked what happened and whatever fragile thing she had been using to hold herself together began to crack. the hurt from earlier rose up again, thick and humiliating, pressing behind her eyes. winnie did not want to cry in front of guy. not the man who already thought she was careless and frivolous and unfit for half the responsibilities she carried around like costume jewelry, but he was there, and he was asking, and worse than that, he looked earnest like he actually wanted to know.

her lip trembled before she could stop it. she bit down on it quickly and looked away. “i’m an idiot.” the words came out small. she let go of the door handle to wipe under her eyes, and the door opened a little more between them, like even her house had betrayed her by making room for him. when she looked back at guy, her mouth pulled into a faint, wounded frown. she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to decide why she was telling him any of this. maybe because he had shown up. maybe because he had asked. maybe because she was tired of pretending she was only embarrassed when really she was devastated.

winnie took a shaky breath. “he didn’t...” she stopped, swallowing hard. “it turns out i was one of many.” saying it made her feel stupid all over again. “he only wanted to have fun,” she continued, voice thin with the effort of keeping it steady. “but he thinks i’m great.” she gave a small shrug, like maybe if she made it look casual enough, it would hurt less. it did not. “so there’s that.” her eyes shone as she looked at guy, all the brightness stripped from her face. “i’m just not someone people take seriously.”

A quiet frown creased his brow, thoughts immediately going to this Grayson she'd gone on about for days now. What had the man done? And what was Guy going to do about it?

She couldn't look away fast enough. Guy had already seen the frank hurt and upset written all over that expressive face of hers. Winnie always did feel everything turned up to an eleven, didn't she? Her feelings had never mattered more to him. An immediate need to combat her flat, unhappy statement boiled up. But he bit his tongue on it, aware that anything he might say could come off wrong. Disingenuous. Because hadn't he spent years now, saying things to make her feel so? Criticizing her every move, her lack of proper work ethic (at least, from his definition of it)?

He looked down at the ground, briefly, with the shame he felt. The guilt compiling in on him. Aware that he had contributed to Winnie's dejected state tonight, in making her feel less than. His hand came to rest against the doorframe, still leaning in against it as the door opened a bit wider. She'd have to push him out of the way just to shut it at this point.

Guy found himself suddenly conflicted. On the one hand, there was perverse satisfaction seeping through to learn this Grayson had let her down horrendously, and was likely quite firmly out of the picture. Good. On the other, it meant that Winnie stood before him picking up the pieces of her shattered... heart? Could it really have been that serious for her already, that she looked so devastated now? She'd been annoyingly chipper and bright around the office for days, nothing could have gotten her down, not even Guy's commentary. Now, it was night and day from before. She looked broken and withdrawn, ready to call it quits on everything.

"Isn't it better to find out now, before you got too invested?" His question came out slow and careful, as if the words were meant to tiptoe gently around her feelings because they were important. "He's just some guy," he dismissed this man with a shake of the head, his voice remaining low and for her ears only. "There's.. other men out there, Winnie.." Me, there's me. "And they.. they're going take you seriously." His eyes roamed over her again, taking her in, settling back on hers. His own words reverberated in his head and settled in heavy and unpleasant in his chest. There were other men out there, and they would come in to replace Grayson, and be serious about her, just as he said.

when he pointed out that she had not complained about something, winnie only shrugged. usually, she could find something to complain about easily enough. guy’s tendency to take over any project within a five-foot radius. the heat. the sand getting into her shoes. the fact that bonfire duty had somehow become her punishment for missing a meeting she had absolutely meant to care about, but tonight, she did actually want to get the task finished. any argument she started, guy would latch onto, and then they would be there for another thirty minutes while he explained the structural integrity of stacked logs like she had personally offended fire.

still, her brows lifted when he admitted he had put himself on bonfire duty because he did not trust anyone else to do it right. that part did not surprise her. what surprised her was that he had put her on it too. winnie was the last person she expected guy to trust with anything flammable, especially after the meeting incident. if he had really wanted to punish her, she assumed he would have assigned her to something dull and joyless, like trash bags or parking cones or standing near the portable toilets with a clipboard. instead, here they were. together. unfortunate.

she rolled her eyes when guy moved beside her and immediately started rearranging the wood again. without thinking, winnie reached out and caught his wrist, pulling his hand away from the stack with an exasperated sigh. “can you please crumble the newspaper or something?” she asked, looking up at him. “not rearrange the wood, because that has already been done. by me.” she meant to let go right away, but she did not. instead, her fingers stayed wrapped around his wrist as he mentioned his date, and winnie ignored the strange little twist in her chest that followed. it was not jealousy. obviously. she had no reason to be jealous. a doctor sounded very impressive, sure. probably good at being places on time and not accidentally romanticizing civic duty.

much better than a deputy mayor he could barely stand. the thought irritated her. why was she comparing herself to this woman? she was not interested in guy. was she? winnie realized, a little too late, that she was still holding his wrist. she dropped it suddenly, like his skin had burned her, but then she could still feel him there beside her. the warmth of him. or maybe that was only the summer heat. it was hard to tell with the air heavy and the bonfire pit between them and her pulse doing something deeply inconvenient.

her gaze caught his. for a second, neither of them moved. winnie’s face flushed, and a nervous feeling bubbled low in her stomach. she knew she should step back. make a joke. roll her eyes. do literally anything other than stand there looking at guy boucher like he was someone she had only just noticed, but she couldn’t quite make herself move. “if we divide the work,” she said finally, her voice coming out a little more breathless than she intended, “you can go see your doctor sooner, and i can see grayson.”

Since when did the two of them ever banter civilly, or share laughs? Let alone smile and stick their tongues out at each other? Since when did he chase her down the hallways, or lose rational thought just staring into her eyes?

Guy paused, because her fingers had wrapped themselves loosely about his wrist to prevent him from messing with the logs any further. A request made that he crumple the papers instead of redoing what she's already done. Just that simple touch inspired a lick of goosebumps down the length of his arm. It felt warm and tender, and his brain immediately wondered what that touch would feel like on other parts of him. Like his face, or chest. His head turned enough so he could see her, more than aware that she'd held onto him a shade longer than was necessary. He already missed it. "Fine." Relenting, he pulled the rolled newspaper from his pocket and tore a few sheets out, following her orders. Crumpling the pages and tossing them onto the pile.

Attempting to forget he could still feel the weight of her touch. Their gazes caught again. They kept doing that. Guy couldn't quite keep his own stare from seeking hers. Idle thoughts of this woman as sweet and endearing invading him. At least, until she muttered the name of her date.

Like her dislike for his accent and the smile she had to fight off when he purposefully slipped deeper into it. And how she no longer lingered on his sheets, having been forced to finally let housecleaning in to change them. And how well he slept when she was next to him. Or how she always went on about those silly rocks. He pulled out the moonstone he'd kept from his brother's hospital stay, eyeing it as he rolled it between his fingers. He chuckled sadly as he thought back to how ridiculous he'd thought it was when she'd explained its purpose.

His phone buzzed, indicating a text had come through, and he would have been lying if his heart didn't jump with the immediate hope that it was Lilith finally breaking their stretch of silence. He jumped up from the bed and hurried over to the coffee table where his phone lay. He sighed dejectedly when he saw it was just the lily being marked as delivered at Lilith's.

Then there was a knock at his door.

And holy shit if it wasn't Lilith herself. Grady's jaw almost went slack from shock. No way the flower had worked that quickly. Had they been on better terms, he would have commented on how cute she looked - her most attractive when she wasn't trying to look done-up. He stepped aside with ease as she headed inside the room, his stomach already tying itself in knots with the look she gave.

Her eyes narrowed. This man... was the most frustrating ass. Yet, as he backed away and leaned in against the wall opposite of her, she dug it. Him. The whole insolent and broody manner that said he wasn't simply going to listen and do what she wanted. That was sexy.

Of course Lilith wouldn't be attracted to someone who rolled over and simped for everything she said and did. The woman craved pushback. She liked fighting, because makeup sex was some of the best kind out there. But the whole point was they were supposed to make up! She was messy and any man that got involved with her, had to know how to handle that because she never made things easy.

Now that they were outside and mostly focused on each other and their conversation, Eric started putting the pieces together: she wanted casual, uncomplicated sex, and Grady wanted something more, because he saw something more in Lilith... And, whether she liked it or not, the actor understood that perfectly.

"Since when have I ever given the impression I want dates, flowers, or chocolates?" Her eyes rolled so hard, she thought they might roll right out of her head. "I do not date." And she didn't care about flowers or chocolates, either. She did marry for money, though.

she slid her bookmark into the pages of the novel, closing it with the cover down, so she could give them her full attention. she was tucked into the corner of one of the studio couches, quiet and easy to miss if someone was more focused on a bottle of water than the space around them. "surprise." her own voice was dry, still soft in the morning light. there weren't many words that needed to be exchanged to start a day slow as this one.

"I -- " Their hands came up to cup over the bottom half of their face, trying to wrap their mind about what was going on. "Let me... go put some clothes on.." Claudio said this faintly, giving her a confused glance, before he skedaddled back out of the room and up the stairs two steps at a time. Hattie had joined an exclusive few people to have seen Claude as naked as this before. The tu puedes shoulder tattoo and faint marks left from the few times their abuelita had gone too hard with the belt, not things typically on display ever.

"thank you!" they'd been so quick to accept her deal, ruth had barely had time to go for her own purse and offer to pay for the tart. sliding her half closer to her coffee, she looked almost apologetic for a beat, always willing to be the one who picked up the tab. "i could have gotten it."

Claude picked apart their tart pastry, peeling the flaky crust off of the top of it as if they were dissecting the piece. They had always been a tad bit strange, the way they ate. One of those people who preferred to eat from the least tasty to most tasty on the plate, or crusts-first. Fries before burgers, etc. They'd pick the meat off chicken bones rather than eat from the bones itself. Yes, in general, they were just a picker. It could take them a hot minute to finish a meal because of this.

"Yaaass, Claudio Rojas on the hoe train! And starting off strong with hitting on his taken ex Ashton Ryder! This is how you do it. Love you, Claudio I'm gunna be a big fan of you keep this up."

"You know, I never thought about it that way, the Whitlock-holmes' trying to make a play to destabilize the Reynolds family. They are rather close to Sada Vang, are they not? And with her political aspirations and close friendship with Susan Whitlock-Holmes... Would explain why Mickey Whitlock-Holmes is always hovering around Aspen Reynolds."

"Penny Hart, Grayson Kasnoff and Evie Fields walk into a bar-... Does sound like the start of a joke, though the punchline would be 'and slept with everyone there' or something. Everyone think Naomi Katz is the town bicycle, but at least she knows what she is. These three they to act like angels."