U N D E R E S T I M A T E D.

“well ain’t you charming?” gabe chuckled, shaking his head as he rested back against the seat and looking the other over, “okay,” he breathed, sipping his drink as he looked archie over, “smartly dressed, little over dressed for this kinda place, for this town actually. you’re not from here… you’re bored, maybe even a little entitled, y’think you’re better than a whole lotta people…”

Archie dropped his gaze to his hands, smirking as he trailed a finger along the table’s lat surface while he listened to Gabriel’s assessment. It wasn’t false, he didn’t exactly have a poor lifestyle where his foster family was concerned and the clothes were another element to his facade. “Entitled, huh?” The man looked up in amusement, “And I thought coming to a bar for entertainment is what people did when they were bored so maybe I’m just following the status quo.” He paused a beat, “You’re just scratching the tip of the iceberg.”

jellybean looked the other over, stifling his amusement to the best of his ability but he continued to smile at the other, cocking his head to the side, “being a part of a gang isn’t like being a part of the mafia, exactly,” atlas laughed, leaning back in his chair, “what happened to finding you somebody?”

“It depends on your perception, I guess, but everyone’s so willing to compare you to those guys. The Wolves, I think they’re called?” Archie didn’t need to feign clueless when he knew exactly who the Devereaux’s were. He seemed more his style than the Serpents, but that didn’t mean he’d pick a side. “I can’t find somebody when I’m too focused on one handsome face in particular.”

she wasn’t surprised when the man she’d repeatedly noticed made his way towards her, nor did she offer a verbal answer as she extended her arm in his direction and placed the bottle in his hand, still dancing as if she were alone. finally, eli tossed her curls back and looked him over, “not dove.”

Archie wrapped his fingers around the bottle and didn’t stop to chit chat before taking a healthy swig, wiping his lower lip with a thumb. “Then will ‘Miss’ work or is that still too derogatory?” He downed another sip and held out the bottle to the woman, “I don’t want to intentionally offend when we’re just meeting. It’s horrible manners.”

Tate was unimpressed with his night so far, he was bored and looking for something better in the faces of the people around him. His eyes met with another man’s and he lingered there for a second, wondering if he was doing the same thing that Tate was. He smiled, politely, looking him up and down before turning his head to the person who still seemed to be talking, even though he’d made it very obvious he didn’t give a shit about anything he was saying.

He caught the sight of many people that night, mostly women chattering with their small group of friends as each dared the other to walk up and engage in a flirting match with a mysterious stranger standing alone in a corner. None were bold enough, Archie grew bored, and decided directing his attention towards a particular brunette male uninterested by the current conversation he had warranted a smile. Archibald ventured over to the pair, clapping Tate on the shoulder. “I hate to interrupt this little chat, but I need to borrow your handsome friend here for a moment.” Shooting a sarcastic grin, he led the man away and mumbled, “That guy was putting me to sleep from all the way over here.”

atlas glanced down as the man stepped closer, his lips pulling down at the sides, but his heart start to beat that bit faster. he was way out of practice with this shit, he’d almost forgotten how to flirt, not that he’d ever really been that much good at it. jellybean let out a small laugh, rolling his shoulders, “I do alright.”

“Just alright?” Archie’s lips stretched in a charming boyish grin with just the right amount of sinister to go unnoticed by a passing gaze. “I might be making assumptions here from a lot of those mob movies, but you had to do something more than simply alright to earn the leather jacket.” Nothing surprised him anymore. “Come on, why don’t you prove it to me?”

she didn’t care tonight, or any night really, but mostly tonight. she kept to herself, drinking whiskey out the bottle, dancing without paying attention to those around her. eli was sure she felt eyes on her, but each time she glanced in the direction she felt it was coming from, she didn’t notice anybody but a handsome guy who was seemingly alone too.

Archie wasn’t looking to kill anyone tonight, at least, that wasn’t exactly his intention, but there was nothing ever wrong with seeing how events unfolded. If he somehow ended it with his hands wrapped around a victim’s throat, so damn be it. Their eyes instantly locked on different occasions and a flame of interest sparked that was his internal indication to pursue. Flickering a smirk, Archibald pushed himself off the wall and nonchalantly sauntered over to the dancing brunette. “Do you have enough whiskey in that bottle for two, dove?”

“every student I have is stupidly inclined then, how do they expect to analyze anybody, help anybody if they can’t figure out that it’s p-s-y not p-h-y.” gabriel let out a sigh and tossed the paper in his hand onto the table, looking up at archie with a smirk, “yeah? how’s tha’?”

“I’ve come to a conclusion only a select few are not included in the category that are oh so stupidly inclined. You are shaping up to be one of them.” Archie rested an elbow along the back of his chair and lifted his shoulder in a shrug, “I want you to psychoanalyze me based on what you see and what you know so far. Feel free to ask questions.”

she gave into his touch, her frame curved and her head lolled, desire for this new stranger coursed through her and she didn’t fight the guidance to more private quarters. the door locked as heidi pushed her hair behind her ear, grinning when archie appeared before her, pushing her into the wall with a kiss that somehow managed to be both hungry and gentle — he was expert in his charm it would seem. heidi lifted a hand, cupping archie’s jaw, while the other began exploring, running down his frame, feeling him through his clothes. “you are going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

“disappointing,” heidi hummed, “a lot of things get in way of desires,” her body moved with him involuntarily, she didn’t need to concentrate, they were in sync, moving against each other and she had to admit that she liked how he pinned her in place. heidi’s chest heaved as he seemed to play her like a fiddle, her body betraying her as a soft moan escaped her lips from the tamest of touches. her head fell back, granting him access as her hand lifted, threading through his locks. “I am what you want today — nothing to stop you.”

atlas’ eyes drifted to the teeth that sunk into archie’s lower lip before looking away, glancing around the room. the truth was, jellybean had been here his whole life, he knew everybody and their shit, nobody around here was really all that appealing. “I like people who aren’t from here, something different — something new, you know?”

“uh—“ he laughed, gripping the back of his own neck, trying not to make the heat rising in his cheeks obvious, fuck, he was out of practice. “okay, sure, why not? what you got in mind?”

the way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine, but it was far from unpleasant. she took advantage of the dancing, moving as close to him as she could, “why is this?” heidi questioned, genuinely curious, looking up at him through her lashes. “mia,” she purred, “you are my type.”

“fuck no, surprised by how many people can’t spell psychology when they’re fuckin’ taking it,” he smirked. with the other’s statement, though, his smirk progressed to a chuckle, he used his foot to kick out the seat beside him, “happy t’help, keep me company, then.”

he had now changed his look from everyone else to her, hungry eyes looking her over like he could devour her on the spot and it made her heart skip a beat or two. her lips parted as she looked him over, “heidi,” she hummed, slipping her hand into his, “dance with me, we find you date. tell me your type – blonde? brunette? redhead?”

this guy was trouble, gabriel could sense it but it didn’t stop him from taking off his glasses and leaning back in his chair, offering him full attention as he spoke, “duty calls, an’ all that. what’s a guy like you doin’ on your own in a place like this.”

“Grading papers doesn’t seem particularly exciting.” Archie couldn’t help the observance side of him picking up on the papers scattered along the table. A professor? Oh, he was about to become teacher’s pet. “Haven’t found what I’m looking for just yet. Or maybe I already did.”