blackboxwarning

bianca smiled. she always liked to hear when she was right and this time wasn't any different. "i hate parents like that. it's like," she huffed, throwing her hands up, "what's the point in having a kid when you don't care about what they've got going on?" she, herself, wasn't sure if she wanted to be a mom but even if she was, she knew she'd care for her kid more than that. she'd show them off proudly, that's for sure. "you just have to be those kids' cheerleaders. they need more teachers like you."

bianca lifted her shoulders up into a shrug, a laugh escaping her lips. "well, even if we do look ridiculous, at least we look ridiculous together." and on top of that, she was having fun. she liked thesr sorts of moments where things weren't so serious since most of the time, they were. at least for her and her job. "speaking of all this dancing, do you remember the cupid shuffle? i totally remember doing it during middle school. i don't know that i can still remember it though."

Luana let out a frustrated scoff, her annoyance clear in her expression. "Oh, so it's the 'I'm protecting you' spiel again?" she retorted. "Do you really think I'm some fragile little flower who can't handle dangerous situations? Give me some credit, Dante." She crossed her arms defensively, not backing down. "I'm far from fragile, and I can take care of myself." The thought of him trying to shield her from his world, as if she was some helpless bystander, annoyed her deeply. “I’m not asking you throw me into the crossfire, darling. I just…want to know what’s going on. Let me help you. Please.”

a long sigh managed to escape his lips and he tilted his head back against his office chair, eyes staring up at the ceiling. "luana, i don't want your world intertwined with mine," he sat up, "but if you must know, i'm dealing with a traitor. one of my own. i've got him locked up and i'm trying to decide what to do with him. it's hard when he's worked for me as long as he has but-" he pursed his lips, "i can't let him cross me the way he wanted to."

she definitely didn't listen to the words come out of his mouth but back when they were married, that was one of the things he liked about her. now? he just wanted to move on from his subject but elisa wasn't letting it go. dante clenched his jaw and looked away from her, keeping his mouth clamped shut as she went on. "when she apologizes, i'll consider talking to her. she lied to me. i don't like being lied to."

dante was more than aware of the fact that he could rely on krish to get things taken care of. that's why he kept him around. "that's why we're going to keep things as low key as possible. the last thing we need is for someone to have a heal stroke and draw unnecessary attention to everyone." they had done harder jobs and even so, they needed to make sure that everything was place out just right. "i knew i could rely on you. i have no doubt in my mind about that." he replied, a smile resting on his lips.

Sahana reached for the folder, her fingers briefly touching the papers as she pulled them back across the desk, and honestly she should have expected this cold shoulder treatment but it still stung more than she'd anticipated. "Yeah, that's all," she said. "Unless you want to apologize, there's nothing I need from you." She should have kept that to herself, but you know what, he was in the wrong here. Why should she dim her light for someone who was clearly stubborn?

his eyes shot up from his folder as she spoke, eyes narrowing at her words. "i don't have anything to apologize for." he responded, leaning back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "i would like an apology though. i still can't believe you hid it from me. you know all i've ever wanted is for you to be happy."

a bitter laugh left dante's lips. "you know, you talk a lot of fucking shit for someone whose life is on the line." and that was the truth. he further approached gavin, slowly circling him until he made one swift movement with his leg to kick his legs out from under him. "squeamish? i've killed men with my bare hands. unfortunately, you're just not worth the trouble. in fact, you're not worth much at all. i don't know why i ever hired you in the first place. say your final prayers. your days are numbered."

unfortunately, he was right. that was the truth. not everyone wanted to do what they could to take the onyx circuit down and he was living proof that the families were going to start turning against each other. "i suppose you're right. i think that a lot of us have our hearts in the right places. at the end of the day, i just want things to go back to being normal."

closed starter : @blackbcxwarning !!

millie always looked at the door each time the bell rang and she greeted each person with a smile. her regulars were genuinely people she looked forward to seeing - dane included. she laughed at his words, "actually, i just restocked them. they're fresh." she informed the man as she made her way toward the counter. "how many are you wanting today?" she had plenty for the afternoon and she wouldn't mind sending him out with a dozen, if that's exactly what he wanted. "i'll even throw in a glass of hot chocolate, unless you'd prefer something a little more refreshing?"

Justin had learned over the years that hospital cafeterias were more rudimentary than what one would expect of a place that charged people into debt. Lukewarm coffee, sandwiches with the structural integrity of wet cardboard and 'soup of the day' that lasted for weeks made up the meals that were supposed to keep the Junction's finest physicians fed enough to keep working. So when Arielle breezed in occasionally with two lunches--one for her husband, and one for him too--Justin didn't ask questions. He simply accepted his portion with the gratefulness of a man saved from certain starvation.

good days were the days that arielle found herself at the hospital. that's when she made her husband lunch and brought it by to ensure that he would actually eat. after a couple of times of stopping by and hanging out with his colleague, she started bringing him lunch too. she knew that the hospital food wasn't all that enjoyable so she did what she could to take care of them both.

The clock on the wall blinked an hour that felt more like a threat than a measurement of time. Justin emerged from the ER looking like a ghost, his lab coat slung over one arm, his scrubs stained and hair flattened in the shape of a surgical cap. His bones were screaming for sleep, but his mind was alive. With excuses.

jade wasn't exactly stoked by the fact that justin had avoided their last couple of sessions. after all, the woman had been more than accommodating. her last appointment typically wasn't after 4pm but she liked to think that helping out a fellow doctor was the least that she could do. as she noticed he hadn't showed, once again, she hauled herself over to the hospital to confront the man about his missed appointments.

The Flats were quiet in the late hours, save for the buzz of a flickering hallway light and the distant pounding of bass leaking from someone's apartment downstairs. Justin had just made it back from a shift that bled past midnight, his coat folded neatly over his arm, his dress shirt clean but rumpled in a way that betrayed just how long it'd been sitting in his locker at work. Forgotten and abandoned for three sets of mangled scrubs.

it wasn't the first time that he'd ran into the man in next to him or the first time the two of them managed small talk. it was usually around this time due to ulysses' schedule and the fact that he spent more time working than he did at his place but he wouldn't change a thing. he loved how his life turned out.

"I don't know," Sahana said, sounding a bit testy. "All I know is, my love life is not for him to nitpick over." She took a sip of her drink, trying to push down the frustration that had been building for weeks now—Dante acting like he had some say in who she chose to be with was getting old fast. Yeah, she got that he felt protective or whatever, but she wasn't some kid anymore who needed his approval for every decision she made. "But you're absolutely right about having each other and our partners. At least we're not dealing with this crap alone, and honestly that makes all the difference right now."

giovanna nodded her head, "you've got that right." and a part of her knew where she was coming from. while grant wasn't technically nitpicking over her love life, he was still upset with her over a decision she'd made - just like dante had done to sahana. "you've got that right. it definitely makes a difference when you don't have to face it alone. i'm sorry you're going through all of that. hopefully, he ends up coming around though."