so * / 𝖙𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖉 !

THE   WAY   THAT   BECK   JUST   LOOKED   AT   HIM,   made   his   knees   weak,   still   completely   aghast   at   how   he’d   even   managed   to   capture   the   other’s   attention   in   any   sort   of   capacity,   still   certain   he   had   to   be   dreaming.   Though   the   two   of   them   couldn’t   be   more   opposite,   in   a   lot   of   ways,   Luca   wished   he   were   more   like   Beckett.   From   the   little   that   had   been   revealed,   though   for   some   weird   reason   he   felt   like   he   KNEW   the   other   better   than   he   actually   did,   Luca   found   himself   in   awe   from   the   other.   He   was   brave,   he   was   passionate,   he   noticed   things   other   and   god,   his   heart   was   so   fucking   beautiful.

Compliments   were   never   something   that   Luca   knew   how   to   accept,   seeing   as   they   weren’t   something   he   was   used   to   and   the   rare   moments   he   DID   receive   them,   they   took   him   completely   aback.   He   chewed   upon   his   bottom   lip,   giving   a   shrug   of   his   shoulders,   “I   mean…I   see   myself   in   the   mirror   every   morning.”   His   nose   was   too   big,   his   hair   was   never   tamed,   he   was   too   short   and   his   shoulders   were   too   hunched   over.   Every   time   he   looked   in   the   mirror   all   he   could   fixate   on   was   WHAT   was   wrong   with   him   and   would   could   be   improved.   This   toxic   thinking   was   drilled   into   him   from   the   many   years   of   bullying   from   grade   school   to   high   school.   See,   Luca   had   always   been   an   easy   target   due   to   his   naïve   heart   and   pacifist   ways   that   they’d   destructed   him   in   more   ways   than   he   let   on.  

But   then   Becket   was   looking   at   him   in   that   way   and   for   the   first   time   in   his   life   he   felt   seen,   he   felt…like   maybe   he   WAS   beautiful.   A   soft   giggle   escapes   from   pink   lips,   eyes   widening   as   he   gave   a   shake   of   his   head,   “Oh   come   on,   you   wouldn’t   actually   fight   over   bingo,   would   you?”   Eyes   glistening   with   amusement   as   they   awaited   on   the   male’s   answer,   finding   that   he   was   once   again   losing   himself   in   those   eyes.   “I   dunno…I   think   there   are   plenty   of   wrinkly   old   men   in   jail.   So   you   may   have   better   luck   there   than   the   retirement   home.”   God,   he   wanted   nothing   more   than   to   fucking   kiss   Beck   right   now   and   he   wasn’t   sure   if   it   was   just   due   to   their   close   proximity   or   due   to   something   else   entirely.

The   entire   ordeal   left   him   in   a   WHIRLWIND,   teeth   clenching   from   the   pain   but   he   doesn’t   dare   to   fucking   let   go   of   Beckett,   if   anything   he   tightens   his   grip   which   only   makes   the   pain   worse   but   there’s   no   way   he’s   letting   go,   a   part   of   him   afraid   that   if   he   does,   Beck   might   slip   through   his   fingertips.   Eyes   widen   when   the   tattoo   upon   the   taller’s   neck   is   unveiled,   the   tattoo   on   his   hip   felt   like   it   was   on   FUCKING   fire   and   he   could   feel   the   pain   Beck   felt   as   well,   desperate   to   do   what   he   could   to   soothe   it.   He   was   overwhelmed   with   a   plethora   of   emotions,   love,   sadness,   fear,   lust,   pain,   you   fucking   name   it   and   he   wasn’t   sure   which   was   from   who.   He   felt   bad   for   the   depressing   SADNESS   that   he   must   have   thrust   onto   his   soulmate.   Luca   was   still   in   shock,   mouth   gaping   open   as   he   blinked   a   couple   of   times,   hand   flying   to   the   tattoo   upon   his   hip,   “I’m…yeah.   I’m   just…woah.”   His   heart   was   slamming   against   his   ribcage   in   a   heated   frenzy   and   clearly   Luca   wasn’t   in   his   normal   state   of   mind   because   he   was   breathing   heavily   and   still   desperate   to   relieve   Beck’s   pain.  

Still   close   in   proximity,   Luca   swallowed   thickly,   closing   the   distance   between   them   even   further,   “I   just…can   I…try   something?”   He   croaked   out   in   a   breathless   whisper,   hands   going   up   to   grip   at   Beck’s   shoulders,   lifting   up   on   the   tips   of   his   toes,   his   nose   mere   inches   away   from   the   tattoo   that   had   now   changed   its   color.   His   tongue   darts   out   to   wet   his   lips,   thumb   reaching   to   brush   against   the   tatted   skin   and   Luca   felt   DRUNK   despite   the   fact   that   he   hadn’t   had   any   alcohol.   Breath   was   hot   against   the   other’s   skin   and   before   he   could   even   COMPREHEND   what   the   fuck   was   going   on   or   what   he   was   doing,   Luca   was   pressing   his   lips   against   the   tattoo,   with   a   soft   and   soothing   kiss,   hoping   it’d   do   SOMETHING   to   relieve   the   burning   pain   the   two   of   them   felt.

though beckett’s upbringing had been that of anger, loss, and despair, he always wondered what he would’ve been like if his father hadn’t treated him like hell. he wondered if him and luca would have been more similar had he been raised without fire in his eyes but ALAS , one word that luca was bothered and beck was ready to hunt down a gross old man , fueled by the anger of his father that would always live in his veins. sometimes , he wondered if his soulmate could feel his anger , his sadness when it was at his worst. soon , he would know that he had shared some vacant emotions with luca this entire time. as their conversations continue , he wonders if there was anyway he could show luca how beautiful he was. a small URGE wanted to kiss him , like somehow that would PROVE it. it was odd - beck didn’t experience crushes - and that’s not really what this was. in fact , he didn’t know what it was. some type of pull that he was having a hard time fighting. “ but you don’t see what I see , if you don’t think you’re beautiful. ” he counters. “ it’s subjective , i know , but god , you really are gorgeous. ” he’s not flirting , at this point - not INTENTIONALLY , at least. typically , anything like that would come out of his mouth with full intention. likely to someone at a club , trying to get something quick for the night. but luca ? he didn’t expect anything from him. “ i could make a list if you want. your EYES would be first. then that fucking smile , jesus. ” he has to stop himself , because where the FUCK was this coming from ? honestly , he hadn’t thought twice about anything that was coming out of his mouth , but here it poured , effortlessly. 

“ i would , one million percent , fight someone over bingo. i’m very competitive. ” he chuckles , a smile pulling across his face. a lot of people made beckett feel fake. he tried , HARD , to be a decent human - likable enough to not get punched. all he could see in himself sometimes when his father , nothing but anger flowing through his body. so he TIRED , attempted to subdue it , but often felt like he was playing up a fake persona. with luca , however , even when they first met , he felt CALM. like he was the water that suddenly put out the fire in his veins. he hadn’t met anyone that made him feel calm. plenty of people who fired him up more - fed his anger , or the worst sides of his personality. and sure , people who made him want to soften up , but never this. never an IMMEDIATE calming of his entire being. he didn’t feel fake whenever he talked to luca , and it was easier to feel like a person than a sad excuse for a RUNAWAY. “ so you want me to get into a bingo fight and go to jail ? i see where your priorities are. when i get into a fight with some old lady named ELEANOR because i beat her in bingo , i’ll make sure you’re the first one to know. and then i’ll write you so you can keep tabs on me.” it was nice , to be able to joke around and just RELAX. luca was important to him , even if he couldn’t figure out why.

it was within the legend that after soulmates met , you might feel SICK , and beck could finally understand why. everything felt HEAVY , overwhelming. he’s just standing there , nodding when luca shares that he’s okay. it’s clear that he’s overwhelmed too - he can FEEL it ? he wasn’t sure , but he KNEW. he feels waves and waves of different emotions , but he’s able to focus on one thing - luca. he wasn’t sure what this meant , he didn’t really care to think too much about it , but he knew his body wanted to be CLOSE and he could , at the very least , let that happen. this didn’t change beck as a person - he was still BECK , but now he had a SOULMATE , someone he shared a bond with. if he hadn’t already felt like luca was different , he was sure about it now. suddenly , he realizes it doesn’t matter what happens NEXT , but only what’s happening now. eyes follow luca’s gestures and guesses his mark must be on his hip. a free hand gently lifts the material there , wanting to SEE his matching mark before the color changed again after their first , initial touch ended. 

he NODS at the question , not really caring what the something was , because his head was still spinning. he feels and notices more than he thought he could in just a few moments. first , he loves that he’s got a few inches of luca , causing him to have to pull up on his toes to reach him. it’s like there’s a bubble around them - like they’re not in PUBLIC just discovering their bond. and he doesn’t care - they’re secluded enough , and the way luca’s lips feel against his skin is enough to completely blow any sense he had out of the water. there’s still pain , and EVERYONE emotion possible , but all he can think about is luca. and somehow , he knows he’s trying to to make the pain stop. soft fingers on luca’s chin turn his head , and he leans in , asking SILENT permission before meeting their lips. they both need it , he knows that. “the pain is going down.” he all but mumbles against luca’s lips , somehow feeling it necessary to say something. two minutes ago , they were joking about soulmates and old men , and now they were kissing in the middle of a grocery store. of the places for a first kiss , he didn’t think he’d want to share his ( with his soulmate , nonetheless ) in the middle of a fucking GROCERY store , but that didn’t stop him from kissing luca , at least until he felt like he could breathe without being as attached to him as possible. “ uhm. ” what the fuck was he supposed to say now ? “ so we’re ... holy fucking shit. ”

the bar wasn’t exactly the last place to find andy, but neither was it the last place to find drunks or people trying to get wasted. her focus was less on drinking that it was chatting with anybody at all – as per usual. her fingers drummed against the marble bar, eyes casting about the lively establishment. they were wide, taking in everything she could about the bar she’d really only just discovered. as for the man, she couldn’t quite recognize where she had seen him in the past two weeks. however, she knew that she had; perhaps he was the asshole who was understandably frustrated in the grocery line that first wednesday, or the crazy ass driver she had seen in an instant when she thought she might die riding her bike around town her first week. wherever she’d seen him before, the memory and context refused to resurface.  “ sorry, no that’s not what i was, ” her words trail off and her eyes narrow as though he might have something on his face, “ it doesn’t matter. you usually drink after you finish a shift, or when you’re not on the clock? what do you do, spend every waking hour here? ” the edges of her lips tip up, showcasing the ghost of a smile accompanied with her verbal, but playful digs. 

the words aren’t fully processing in his brain because he’s still trying to figure out if he’s supposed to be working or not. thankfully , the answer is no , he’s just a hot mess and couldn’t seem to keep his head on straight. finally , the words PROCESS and he can think again , though brain still fuzzy from the amount of drinking he’d done. “ i mean , not USUALLY. i drink from home but i wasn’t really feeling going home so i think i ... clocked out ? and then i started to drink. ” he explains , though he had no clue if he’s actually answering her question or not. hopefully , he was. “ i feel like i spent every waking out here but i LIKE it here and i’m only drunk sometimes , just don’t tell my boss. ” he was functional with just a few drinks under her belt , but his goal was numbing the emotions in his body , and he wasn’t doing a very good job at it. “ sorry - did you want a drink ? i can’t remember if i asked or if you -- asked or... whatever. ” he’s mumbling towards the end, trying to put his thoughts together. “ drink. yes , no ? ”

it was one of the many days ayana found herself wandering aimlessly around the small town of jericho. she was still in a bit of a funk after she hadn’t made any progress in her physical therapy session the day before but was trying to stay positive. unlike the previous weeks, ayana made it out of her apartment  ––––  out of her bed and was attempting to enjoy the day. clearing her throat as the person in front of her came to a sudden stop, her brow quirked as they turned, apologizing. “ you’re good, no harm done. ” stuffing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie, she made no attempts to squeeze past, listening to what they had to say. “ d’you just move here or are you just that bad with directions ? ” a small smile graced her lips as she looked up at the other. “ i’m actually headed towards the cafe, i can show you. ”

“before you say anything, yes — there’s a paint handprint on my boob.” cassie sighed heavily, reaching for the gin and tonic, downing a healthy mouthful. “and yes, technically, a third grader got to second base which, ironically, is the most action i’ve gotten in years.” it was a new level of pathetic for the blonde — and in response, her head dropped to the bar counter with a soft thump: a pitiful whine following moments later.

                  “ HEY – I GOT you. i mean, i was new here once, too… and believe me, i used to end up seeing everything b u t the one place i was actually heading towards. “, she explained, laughing softly as she shook her head at the thought. “ a day huh ? what brought you here ? “, the nosy brunette asked, lifting a brow as she smiled up at him. when he said he wanted to get some caffeine, trixie’s mind immediately went to the cafe nearby. “ how about i show you the way to a cafe just around the corner, and i’ll give you some tips and tricks on the way there ? “, the girl offered.

THERE   WAS   SOMETHING   THAT   WAS   UTTERLY   CAPTIVATING   about   the   male   before   him,   luring   him   in   and   making   Luca   desperate   to   learn   more.   His   own   blue   hues   don’t   even   dare   to   break   away   from   Beck’s   bright   gaze,   cheesily   losing   himself   in   the   other’s   eyes   that   couldn’t   seem   to   settle   on   ONE   specific   color.   He’s   unaware   that   he’s   smiling,   probably   like   a   lovesick   IDIOT   but   Beck   brought   that   out   without   even   trying.   He’d   be   lying   if   he   didn’t   admit   that   he’d   been   crushing   on   the   male   from   AFAR.   Luca   Abraham   was   the   sort   of   person   who   essentially   fell   in   love   a   million   times   a   day   but   there   was   something   that   was   different   about   his   connection   with   Beck,   inexplicable   and   even   if   the   two   of   them   were   painfully   oblivious,   their   bodies   seemed   to   be   more   hyperaware   than   their   consciousness,  drawing   toward   one   another   like   magnets   who   were   desperate   to   connect.   Once   again   his   cheeks   flare   up,   eyes   widening   as   he   blinks   a   couple   of   times,   “I   wasn’t…I’m   not,   I’m   not   gorgeous.”   Self   deprecation   was   unfortunately   something   he   was  all  too   well   versed   in,   a   hard   habit   to   break   and   something   he   was   working   on   with   his   therapist.   Progress   not   perfection   and   it   was   hard   to   break   away   from   the   self   hatred   he   harbored.   “Well   hey,   I   hear   retirement   housing   can   have   A   PRETTY   sweet   set   up.   I   mean…pudding   24/7   and   bingo   every   night.   Sounds   like   you’re   in   for   a   very   lavish   way   of   living.”   He   teased   with   a   chuckle,   finding   that   the   two   were   merely   inches   away   from   one   another   at   this   point,   looking   up   at   Beck   through   long   lashes,   studying   every   detailed   feature   that   he   could   upon   the   male’s   face.   “Agree   to   disagree   plus   I   don’t   know…I   don’t   want   someone   getting   hurt   over   me.”   Blue   orbs   flicker   down   to   the   hands   that   were   now   so   close   to   his   own,   concern   immediately   etching   onto   his   features,   “Looks   like   they   hurt…”   Luca   whispered,   reaching   up   to   softly   grab   at   the   male’s   battered   hands,   in   an   attempt   to   soothe   them,   wanting   to   take   the   pain   away.   He   yelps   the   moment   their   skin   makes   contact,   the   tattoo   upon   his   hip   ignites   as   if   it’d   been   in   slumber   for   the   past   twenty-two   years,   ignoring   the   pain   as   he   doesn’t   DARE   to   rip   his   hands   away   from   Beck.   Eyes   are   wide,   certain   that   this   was   all   just   a   DREAM,   his   chest   heaving   up   and   down,   in   a   state   of   shock,   “Oh   my   god…”

there’s a slight nudge in his head that’s urging him to TOUCH luca. brush his hair out of his face , gently glide his fingers over his cheek , SOMETHING ; but beckett ignoring the signals , shoving them to the back of his head. he wasn’t GOOD for someone like luca , sweet , innocent. for once , he didn’t want his destructive nature to infect someone so good. it was likely due to the fact that beck looked at luca and saw someone he could trust , someone he could talk to. he didn’t know if he urged to pull that closer , or push it away. of course , beck always went right for the latter when he felt any time of connection , but it was like his body wasn’t LETTING him. the few interactions they had felt like million , and in full truth , it was exhausting for beck to try and felt whatever his body was feeling around luca. he was too oblivious - perhaps too hard on himself to realize why. the idea of soulmates wasn’t forward in the boys mind. his parents relationship had dampened his view on love so heavily that he was considering the fact that he didn’t deserve a soulmate , so his soulmark stayed typically hidden by the hoodie of his jacket he had on constantly. had he just taken his jacket off around luca , the other would’ve easily seen the wilted rose that was doted on his neck. 

as luca declines the compliment , beck fights the urge to hold his face in his hands. “ wish you could see what i see. ” he speaks , simply , and he’s not really sure where it comes from. it’s not common of beck to give out compliments that weren’t with intention , but the only intention this had was so that the other would know what beck saw ; absolute beauty. “ i would PROBABLY go to jail because you know , anger issues and bingo don’t really go that well together. at least , not that i can assume. some old ladies gonna get bingo instead of me and it’ll be a full on BRAWL , and i can’t get my true dream of an older , completely wrinkled man if i’m in jail , can i ? ” he speaks completely seriously , though there a grin on his face as he does. from an outsiders perspective , they likely looked SMITTEN , or like they were going to kiss any second. perhaps BOTH , but he wasn’t sure. “ sometimes people need to get hurt so they know they can’t do that shit. ” it’s a mumble, not wanting the other to feel anymore for the situation then he does. 

when luca reaches for him , beck doesn’t think much of it. sure , they hadn’t touched yet , but because beck shoved the idea of soulmates so deep into his body , the way his neck suddenly feels like it’s on FIRE and the way he can suddenly feel the emotions that luca was feeling hits him hard , hands gripping luca’s like he’s afraid he’s going to fall over.  quickly , he shrugs his jacket off his shoulders just enough so luca can see the rose on his neck , that’s now a beautifully vibrant crimson due to their hands not leaving each other since the contact was made. it HURTS , not just on his neck but everywhere. he wonders what luca can feel , and his eyes search his apparent SOULMATES for any clue of how he’s doing - what he’s feeling. overwhelmed by emotions , and at this point he’s not sure WHOSE emotions they are , beck can barley find his words to speak. he wants to talk , he wants to say something , but his head it spinning. “ jesus fucking -- ” what are you supposed to say when your realize someones your soulmate ? the emotions , the pain , it’s A LOT , and beck finds himself urging the to the nearest wall , needing something to support his weight. “ are you -- you’re-- ” jesus beckett , TALK. “ are you okay ? ”

          it  was  a  relief  for  idris  to  see  his  younger  brother,  the  person  he  cared  most  in  the  world,  there.  in  a  city  where  he  didn’t  know  anything  or  anyone,  it  was  easy  for  him  to  feel  a bit  overwhelmed  ―  even  more  because  he  still  had  no  idea  of  what  had  brought  him  there.  it  was  only  after  arriving  in  jericho,  four  nights  ago,  that idris  had  realized  what  he  had  done  and  the  fact  that  he  didn’t  even  tried  to  tell  dox  what  he  was  doing.  the  older  man  hugged  his  brother  firmly,  finally  managing  to  feel  more  relaxed;  and  a  tiny  bit  guilty  at  the  same  time.  maddox  had  always  been  the  person  who  dealt  with  idris’  problems,  including  the  latest  one  involving  the  pills  the  nfl  player  was  still  taking  ―  and  now  this.    ❛  hey, dox.  ❜    he  answered  with  a  sigh,  before  looking  away  from  his  brother.    ❛  i…  don’t  know.  i  just  felt  like  i  had  to  get  here.  it  was  this  weird  pressure  on  the  back  of  my  head,  i…  i  just  don’t  know  for  real.  ❜    idris  was  being  honest  and  even  a  bit  ashamed  by  the  fact  that  he  just  left  everything  behind  to  go  to  a  small  town  for  a  reason  that  he  was  still  fighting  to  understand.     ❛  i  just  feel  i  have  to  be  here  for  at  least  a  while,  dox.  it  is  like  this  place  has  something  that  i’m  somehow  missing,  even  tho  i don’t  know  exactly  what  it  is.  but  i’m  glad  you’re  here…  and  i’m  sorry  for  making  you  drop  all your  things  to  follow  me.  ❜

willow had just said goodbye to her to her dance partner. he was staying to help teach a class but willow was just far too tired to even think about helping. she wrapped her scarf around her neck and was out the door. her new pointed shoes in her hand as she walked, it had somehow become a habit to have them out as part of her process of breaking them in. and before she would enter her apartment she would break the arch on the pavement. 

she was just swinging the pale pink shoes at a cross walk when they touched another. she looked up, offering a small apologetic smile. “sorry, they have a mind of their own sometimes,” she said moving them to the other hand.

“OKAY   don’t   rat   me   out,   we   all   know   how   NOSY   this   town   is   but…I   may   or   may   not   be   a   little   tipsy   right   now.”   Drinking   wasn’t   something   that   Danika   normally   partook   in,   which   was   something   a   lot   of   people   MOCKED   her   for.   Cheeks   were   blushed   pink   thanks   to   the   wine,   turning   to   face   the   other,   “Now   I   guess   the   question   is…whether   or   not   you’ll   JOIN   me   for   the   next   drink?  Come   on,   it’s   no   fun   drinking   alone.”

maddox laughs gently , a hand running through tousled curls effortlessly. “ oh , no. i don’t really drink that much , but i CAN make sure you get home okay. ” he drank occasionally , but he preferred being the designated driver. he wasn’t sure why , but he felt better making sure people who did drink god home okay. “ also , why is you being a little tipsy bad ?  just curious. ”