Lux libertas

it wasn’t until naomi was standing right in front of ethan that she realized her pulse was racing and she could feel her heart pounding uncharacteristically. what the fuck was happening to her? her last relationship had been like a hurricane, magnetic and hard to part from but always leaving her wondering where she stood. despite her body’s reaction to his proximity, she couldn’t help but feel safe around him. it wasn’t like she needed him to protect her, or yell at random guys in clubs, but she was realizing that she wanted him around. 

it was like all the pretence between them had dropped for just a moment, her hand finding his.  “ is this the part where you try to sweep me off my feet or something equally as cheesy? ” it was a typical retort for naomi but there wasn’t as much weight behind the words as it usually was, her tone more breathless as he closed the space between them. 

There wasn’t much that scared Ethan. He could go toe to toe with burly blokes at a bar who were double his size and dodge rogue defenders as he whizzed passed him on the pitch. Spiders and heights sure as hell were no match for him either. But within the moments it took for Naomi to build up her resolve and find his hand, Ethan drew in a hurried breath, his palm giving in to the slightest of quivers. What the hell was going on? 

At her touch, Ethan finally exhaled masked by the playful scoff that immediately followed. His rules had always been rather simple: no strings, just sex and cheesy wasn’t really his style. But for one reason or another, Ethan rest his free hand on the small of her back anyway, pulling the other up towards his chest, his rugged build seeming to move of its own accord. They should have been butting heads, respecting the boundaries of their hook-up arrangement at the very least, and yet this is where they had landed themselves. Back at the house swaying back and forth in the middle of the kitchen as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Nah, I’m no knight in shining armor and you don’t need one anyway,” Ethan remembered the dance floor, an understated crooked smirk fading from fissures of his jawline. “But this is a good song.” 

surprisingly, apollo was probably just as excited about going to see a kangaroo and other native australian animals as ethan was. the car starts to move forward and the city starts moving past them in the windows. “ funny you should mention that, “ apollo replies, pulling out a flask from his back pocket and waving it in front of his friend’s face. he wasn’t sure how the uber driver would feel about the two of them drinking in the backseat, so he tried to keep it as hidden as possible. “ looks like the genie bottle isn’t going anywhere. “

Ethan wasn’t at all surprised that Apollo had brought along some booze for the ride. He shot him a satisfied look, smirking while his eyes darted from his buddy to his flask. As if this trip couldn’t get any better. “Hell no. Dude, you’re like a fuckin’ wizard.” Ethan nodded, helping himself to the ‘gentle bottle’ and taking a swig as discreetly as Ethanly possible. The ride went by rather quick, and naturally Ethan made friends with the uber driver getting all the inside info on the best spots in the city until they reached their destination. “Yo—yo we’re here.” Ethan gushed. He was a kid again, tapping Apollo repeatedly on the shoulder, face practically pressed up against the car window. “Let’s go!”

the  driver  speeds  away,  leaving  the  two  at  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  to  their  own  devices.  daphne  gives  the  athlete  a  once  over,  eyes  wide  with  intoxication  induced  adrenaline  before  running  towards  the  top  of  the  cliff.  they’re  quick  to  yank  articles  of  clothes  off  as  they  go.  clearly  in  competition  to  see  who  would  be  first.  all  rational  thought  abandoned.  had  this  been  planned  daphne  would  have  probably  brought  a  bathing  suit,  shown  less  skin.  but  they  had  gotten  past  the  capability  to  feel  awkward.  drunk  or  not,  there  would  be  no  funny  business,  that  much  was  for  certain.

daphne  peers  over  the  cliff,  the  harbour  wasn’t  too  far  down  but  if  it  had  not  been  for  ethan’s  offered  hand,  she  might  have  lost  her  resolve.  so  she  takes  it.  nodding  slowly  as  he  counted  down,  squeezing  his  fingers  in  anticipation.  her  smile  is  all  teeth.  “  three!  ”  she  shouts.  they  make  a  dash  toward  the  edge,  interlocked  hands  raised  in  the  air  as  they  free  fall.  deep  frigid  water  envelops  them  whole  and  they  land  in  opposite  directions.  underwater,  daphne  opens  her  eyes  to  inspect  her  surroundings.  she  spots  colonies  of  fish  meters  below  and  attempts  to  swim  deeper.  the  need  to  breath  soon  settles  in  so  she  kicks  her  legs  to  reach  the  surface.  when  she  does,  she  takes  a  long  drawn  out  breath,  blinking  away  droplets  of  water  from  her  eyelashes.  “  it’s  so  fucking  cold,  ”  daphne  exclaims,  teeth  chattering.  the  first  thing  she  notices  is  how  ethan’s  wet  hair  sticks  to  his  face  like  faux  bangs.  “  you  look  like  justin  b-b-bieber.  ”  she  says,  cackling  like  a  hyena,  splashing  water  in  his  direction.

once  her  body  adjusts  to  the  temperature  of  the  water  after  swimming  around  for  a  bit,  daphne  suddenly  comes  to  a  realization.  “  i  can’t  believe  i’m  in  the  same  water  that  nemo  swam  in.  it’s  only  fitting  i’m  here  with  you  seeing  as  we  watched  the  disney  and  pixar  movies  a  million  times  together.  ”  she  chuckles  softly,  smoothing  her  hair  down  as  she  recollects  the  distant  memory.  it  grows  quiet  for  a  brief  moment  before  she  speaks  again,  this  time,  her  tone  more  serious.  “  thank  you  for  coming  with  me,  eth,  and …  for  everything  you’ve  done  during  the  break.  i  never  properly  thanked  you  for  that  so  yeah.  we’re  not  gonna  hug  or  anything  though,  ”  she  adds  in  perfect  daphne  fashion.  that  was  as  saccharine  as  she  could  be  for  the  evening.  they  float  around,  belly  up,  eyes  trained  on  the  crimson  tinted  sky.  “  you  know  sometimes  i  wonder  where  we’d  be  if  the  show  never  existed.  most  of  the  time  i  hate  it  here  but  if  it  wasn’t  for  this,  i  wouldn’t  be  as  close  to  naomi  as  i  am  and  i  can’t  imagine  life  without  her.  we  sure  as  hell  wouldn’t  be  here,  either.  ”  she  doesn’t  know  why  she’s  brought  this  up,  only  that  whatever  they  drank  has  made  her  nostalgic  and  a  bit  contemplative.  “  we’ve  grown  a  lot,  haven’t  we  ?  ”

Ethan lived for this kind of shit. For the adrenaline that thrashed through his veins, for the heart stopping moments and whistle beating goals, the thrill of the chase and the rush of it all. He didn’t care that he was still recovering from an injury or that his entire PR team was probably somewhere off in the distance cringing and griping about how this one stunt could ruin his entire athletic career. God forbid he tweaked something and couldn’t play next season. But despite it all, Ethan lived in the present and latched on to Daphne’s hand shouting “Three!” at the same time as her. Bare feet pounded the dirt, barreling towards the ravine’s edge, and Ethan leaped pushing off from the earth with all the forced of a seasoned injured athlete.   He plunged into the harbor, cold water electrifying every one of his nerve endings igniting his need for more. It was invigorating and intoxicating, and at the same time it brought Ethan a temporary sense of solace that was often times difficult to find when filming a reality TV show. The peace was fleeting, and Ethan shot out of the water like a dolphin, pumping a fist and shaking out locks of his chestnut hair as he resurfaced and faced a chattering Daphne. The laugh that followed him was effortless, and Ethan kept the new look in place never one to shy away from the spotlight. “I’ll will jump right over into cold, cold water for youuuu.” Ethan belted out his best Justin Bieber impression in response. Albeit off key and wildly out of tune, it was an oddly appropriate song choice for the situation in more ways than one. 

“C’mon Daph, you don’t gotta thank me for shit. It’s the least I could do.” Ethan ran his fingers through his makeshift bangs pulling strands of his unruly hair behind him. “I mean I don’t think I ever really apologized for being a dick to you in high school, so how about we call it even, yeah?” He offered wading over towards Daphne, hazel irises reflecting his serenity. As they continued to swim around Ethan flipped over onto his back eyes flickering up towards the darkening skies taking it all in. It was at the mention of the show and Naomi that Ethan coughed a bit blaming it on getting water in his lungs. “Never really thought about it. I guess you’re right though. Kinda owe a lot to this mess…” The athlete trailed considering how much of an impact the show had made on him and his career. A smirk splayed across his features as he continued on, ever the child at heart. “But I don’t know about that.. you’re still kinda short without your heels on.”

naomi couldn’t help the quirk of her lips as he responded in partial spanish, though she hid it by looking out the window. she could recall more than a few nights curled up on her couch, his head in her lap as she corrected his speech, as patiently as she could manage, but always with laughter. he had even ordered dinner for them in her native tongue, each syllable carefully pronounced, and she could clearly remember the proud way he had beamed back at her after she had complimented him. 

but now, they were a far cry from that night but. even if the cab was filled with terse silence, she still wanted to be around him. there was something about his presence that filled her with a sense of calm and challenged her, all at the same time. she realized that he probably hadn’t understood her but the retort had her stop in her tracks for a moment, wrinkling her nose in confusion. a laugh almost threatened to escape the lips that had been tightly pressed together just a minute ago, but she stifled it and moved into the kitchen. she stepped out of her heels, grateful for the break, and busied herself with pouring a generous amount of liquor and juice into a nearby cup. “ why? even if i did want to dance with you, i wasn’t about to join the harem.” she turned, the sip seemingly ready to have her go to battle again. but her words weren’t as convincing as they were before, the steps she had taken towards him placing her right in front of him and her gaze locked on his. 

Ethan made his way into the kitchen behind Naomi stopping only to flick on some music having had enough silence for one night. He then eyed a bottle of tequila leftover from the pregame and reached for it, quick to throw back the liquor and allow himself one more shot of liquid courage before Naomi approached him and switched back over to English. It was a necessary precaution if she was going to keep coming at him in such a way—so completely, so uninhibited. 

Even in his naive tongue, Ethan still needed to use his context clues piecing together that joining a harem in this case definitely wasn’t a good thing contrary to what Ethan may have previously believed. But what the athlete lacked in brains, he always seemed to make up for in charm. And so he held Naomi’s gaze as she stood before him, transfixed by the sudden power just one look held over him. 

“Because,” he started, tightening the gap between them and substituting the bottle for his empty hand which he extended out towards Naomi for her to take with a sudden burst of clarity he could not explain. A debonair smirk worthy of the gentleman he tried to be dangled off his lips as all the possible quips a remark like hers could warrant retreated, and Ethan laid down his armor. “Maybe I would have done something like this instead.”

✘ closed starter for @ewoodx​

“ okay, dude, “ apollo started as he followed ethan outside the house to wait for the uber they had just called. knowing how much his friend had wanted to see a kangaroo when they all first got here, apollo had arranged for the two of them to visit a wildlife park on the outskirts of sydney to see some native australian animals. “ you’re finally getting your wish of seeing a kangaroo. any other wishes i can grant you before i go back into my genie bottle? “ apollo joked, chuckling, as the car pulled up and the two got into the backseat. 

Ever since Ethan had set foot in Australia, he had made it his sole mission to find a kangaroo. He hadn’t had much luck however, and his plan of randomly running into one of the street had turned out to be a complete and utter failure. So when Apollo set up the excursion, Ethan actually jumped at the chance, unable to pile into the back of the uber quick enough. “BRUH—” Ethan almost shouted, reflecting the genuine depth of his gratitude. “You’ve literally done enough, so put that genie bottle away...” Ethan teased right back as he settled into his seat and the car began to roll them forward. A smirk grew across his lips. “Unless its got booze in it.” 

ewoodx​:

if it had been anyone else, naomi would be back inside, washing her regret down with tequila and resolving to deal with all her bad decisions later. but there was something that had made her follow ethan, something more than just not liking the way they left things. she bit down on her lower lip in an effort not to ask him how his knee was. she was just worried about him not being able to play soccer and losing his career in the process. right? 

they looked at each other for a long moment, the air fraught with things they couldn’t seem to say. she wished she was softer or that it was easy for her to express the mess that was swirling around in her mind. just as she was about to open her mouth to say something to alleviate the tension, he spoke and her eyes rolled. truthfully, she didn’t even know why she was mad. it wasn’t like she wasn’t aggressive; lord knows she had gotten into her share of bar fights. but that stubbornness still lingered. maybe they were more alike than they thought.

her eyes scanned his face for a few more seconds before she flagged a cab down and slid onto the seat wordlessly, smoothing her skirt down on her legs as she looked back at him. “ vienes o no? ” when naomi got to a certain level of drunk, her first language seemed to come out in full force. she had taught ethan a few phrases for situations just like this. the rest of the ride passed in relative silence, her gaze trained out the window, forcing herself not to look over, and her fingers tapping against the leather seats restlessly in an effort not to reach out to him. “ vamos,” she tossed over her shoulder as they finally arrived. she breezed past him, her eyes lingering for just a little too long on his features before she turned. “ necesito un trago, diez quizás. ” 

It was infuriating, really, the way Naomi always seemed to challenge him and roll her eyes at him How she knew all the right buttons to push, and he always rose to the occasion without so much as a second thought. Even so, Ethan couldn’t get enough, and there was something about it that kept him wanting more. Tonight was no different, falling victim to foreign words and lingering glances. He scrambled into the cab without question both grateful to be off his knee and that she hadn’t completely blown him off. 

“Si, after you la reina,” Ethan tried, his limited Spanish was curt and rough, still carrying his American accent. The athlete had picked up a few words here and there while training with the team in Spain not to mention after spending more time with Naomi and living in Miami for the passed two years. Drunken nights out sometimes lead to botched conversations in addition to the invertible procurement of profanities which even Ethan wasn’t stupid enough to use while both of them were riding in silence too stubborn to make amends.

Typically, Ethan had a hard time keeping up when it came to understanding Spanish. It was usually too fast for him and the words and phrases never failed to blend together in his mind. As Naomi rattled off another sentence and Ethan emerged from the car, he met her gaze with a quirked brow. He would have bet any amount of money that she had said something about the tango— or was that a verb? “If you wanted to dance, you should have just said so before, Morales.” Ethan called after her raking his fingers through his hair as he made his way into the kitchen behind her.

the infamous morales temper rears its ugly head as her eyes blaze up into ethan’s, ready to fire back. until her jaw almost drops at his words, uncharacteristically speechless for once. “ yeah, well, go find her then. ” before other words can be exchanged between them and she can say something that she’s undoubtedly going to regret later, the bouncers are pulling him out of the club, despite her persistence in trying to letting him stay.“ mierda, ” she mutters to herself, along with a few other choice words as she makes her way outside and into the warm night air. 

she takes a deep breath before she saunters over to him, ignoring the comments being tossed her way and rolling her eyes just as she caught the tail end of ethan’s victory lap out of the club. naomi still isn’t sure what’s come over her. after all, she had been dancing with someone else too but there was something about the image of him with another girl that she just couldn’t shake. she wants to open her mouth and say something softer, maybe thank him for coming over to make sure that she’s alright. but of course, all the underlying emotion spills out instead.   “ should i go see if your fan club is still in there or will my presence suffice? ”

Ethan hadn’t made it far, posted up outside the nightclub as he waited for a cab to arrive to get him the hell out of there. He kicked up a foot to the wall, his arms folded tightly across his chest while his mind replayed all the things he didn’t mean and all the stupid antics he had pulled. Those damn hands taunted him worst of all, an image burned into his membrane that he had no right to dwell on. Besides, he was Ethan Wood after all, he didn’t let shit like this get to him. 

It wasn’t long before Ethan realized he was no longer alone and unexplained relief flooded him. Through a set of unexpected eyes, he peered over at Naomi, breath beginning to steady while his arms unfolded dropping back down to his sides. He didn’t think she’d follow him, and he wouldn’t have blamed her if she didn’t. This was a side even Ethan wasn’t particularly proud of either— too reckless, too impulsive — and every decent athlete knew it was unwise to expose their achilles heel. 

At her question, Ethan suppressed an eye roll pausing for a moment in an attempt to swallow his own damn pride. “Actually, fan club meets on Tuesdays,” He tried, quipping back instead of the apology he probably owed her. The banter was more their style anyway. Ethan then nodded towards an oncoming cab, bringing a calloused hand to the nape of his neck as he lifted broad shoulders into a haphazard shrug. “So how about we get out of here instead.”  

this wasn’t the first or last time that someone had put their hands on naomi at a club and at this point, it didn’t really phase her. she was more than capable of taking care of herself, and everyone who knew her was well aware that she wasn’t afraid to throw the first punch. the man in front of her was nothing more than a mere annoyance, and one that she thought she had taken care of. until suddenly, ethan was barrelling between them like he was seeing red. just as her former dance partner opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly stupid, naomi stepped out from behind ethan and levelled him with a glare and a hand gesture that suggested it was time for him to go. it was enough to make him scurry away and naomi found herself face to face with the very person she had been trying to make jealous all night. she willed her pulse to stop racing and faced him with a scoff, one hand planted firmly on her hip. “ i was handling that just fine, thank you very much. ” naomi knew she was being ridiculous but the thought of him and someone else imprinted in her mind only pushed her to continue. “ why do you even care anyways? i’m sure you’re busy with your little entourage. ”

Everything happened quickly; the shoves, the taunts, the familiar sensation of frustration that never failed to impair Ethan’s already poor judgement. He managed to swat a half-hearted fist that never landed in the bastard’s direction before Naomi took matters into her own hands and the bloke took off. “That’s right, get the hell out of here,” Ethan called after the Aussie before finally coming face to face with the one person who’s attention he had been seeking the entire night. It was then a jagged breath pierced his lungs, and Naomi delivered the real knockout. “Simple ‘thanks’ would have been enough.” Ethan jabbed back, still consumed by his frustrations.“Maybe she would have appreciated it.” He grumbled, swinging low this time. His jaw tightened as he exhaled through his nose preventing him from saying any else stupid, eyes brimming with all the words he should have said.

There wasn’t time to dwell on it as bouncers fled the scene and unknown hands reached for his backside. Ethan grumbled a few more frustrated comments as he was ushered out of the club, receiving a few nods of approval from onlookers and even a pat on the back before making his grand exit. Out in the Australian air, reality struck — weighing heavy on his chest—  and for one reason or another, he hoped wouldn’t be going back to the house alone. 

signing  on  for  the  show  seemed  to  be  the  greatest  thing  that  could  have  happened  for  the  pair.  a  chance  at  reconciliation  daphne  otherwise  would  have  vehemently  been  against.  but  sharing  space  with  ethan  during  the  summers  and  his  frequent  appearances  to  her  shared  apartment  with  naomi  was  a  recipe  for  forgiveness  that  he  proved  to  be  worthy  of.  they  slipped  into  this  almost  sibling  like  friendship  with  ease,  a  testament  to  all  the  years  they’ve  known  each  other.  with  time  they  came  to  realize  that  in  some  ways  they  were  more  alike  than  different  after  all.  daphne  pumps  her  fist  into  the  air  as  he  chugged  from  her  flask.  “  i  say  that’s  the  best  idea  you’ve  ever  had,  ”  she  replies  with  a  grin.  “  and  that  does  not  include  the  time  you  wanted  us  to  dress  up  like  britney  and  justin  a  la  2001  vmas  for  homecoming.  ”  she  maintains  a  straight  face  for  all  of  two  seconds  before  bursting  out  into  laughter  at  the  thought.  

they  enter  a  taxi  (  excitedly  called  on  by  daph  )  with  no  destination  in  mind  to  the  driver’s  displeasure.  they  drive  for  some  time  taking  in  the  sights,  waiting  for  their  adventure  to  come  to  them.  in  the  mean  time,  they  hop  from  bar  to  bar,  trying  a  slew  of  sydney’s  drink  of  the  day  and  very  much  gotten  past  their  threshold  of  tolerance.  as  they  nearly  collapse  back  inside  the  awaiting  cab,  daphne  brings  the  flask  to  her  lips,  only  to  be  left  with  nothing.  before  she  can  open  her  mouth  to  complain,  they  approach  a  rocky  path  surrounded  by  a  body  of  water  she  can  only  assume  is  the  sydney  harbor.  “  stop!  this  is  it  —  our  adventure.  ”  she  shouts,  causing  the  taxi  to  stop  abruptly.  she  turns  to  look  at  ethan  who  seems  to  have  gotten  the  same  idea.  “  are  you  thinking  what  i’m  thinking  ?  ”  she  hands  the  driver  the  cash  before  rushing  out,  pulling  ethan  with  her. 

Loud, boisterous chuckles escaped Ethan as homecoming memories that seemed like a lifetime away came back to him. Sure, Ethan may have been a shitty boyfriend at the time and he may have liked to credit this sport and all the discipline that came along with it for shaping him into the professional athlete– man?– he was today, but it was exes-friends like Daphne that, whether knowingly or not, taught him much more. Like never make out with the redhead in the janitor’s closet after prom and always tell her she looked gorgeous no matter what the weather was doing to her hair. “What can I say? Except you’re welcome,” Ethan expertly quoted Moana to stand by his decision, finally giving it the credit it deserved. Proud of himself, he puffed out his chest a bit after lowering Daphne to ground and their cab arrived. “Still have my cowboy hat, too.”

Following suit, Ethan piled into the taxi taking in the sights and the copious amounts alcohol as they bounced from place to place and bar to bar. At the exact moment Daphne shouted at the driver to pull over, Ethan shot her a deadpan expression, mouth agape as if she had just read his dunderheaded mind. It was a move straight from his own playbook, one he was sure would have pissed off a high school Daphne. Probably something about getting her hair wet. “Thought you’d never ask.” Ethan pumped another fist int he air as he followed Daphne towards the harbor’s edge, frat star mode fully activated.“Let’s fuckin’ go!”

Wasting no time, Ethan striped down to his boxers casually tossing his t-shirt and shorts to the ground not caring where the articles of clothing ended up. With whiskey and surmounting adrenaline coursing through his veins, he extended a hand like an olive branch to the brunette as he peered down at the water. “On three, yeah?” Ethan smirked wistfully at Daphne, an all too familiar boyish glint apparent in his eyes. “One..two..”

she couldn’t help but laugh, while simultaneously holding out her hands so he wouldn’t come much closer. “you say a little sweat, but i have vivid war flashbacks. i’ve for sure had enough sweaty hugs by you to last me a lifetime.” and certainly more than she had ever desired to endure. staying at a safe, out of reach, distance, she raised her eyebrows in scepticism at his words. "glad to see your ego has come to no harm ever since we last spoke, still in absolute top form.” bree felt immediately at ease again, being around ethan. it was that sense of familiarity you only had with people you grew up with. “alright, i’m following your lead,” she announced, while walking through the door into the next room. “i’m going to take a wild guess and say this must be the kitchen.” 

Ethan took the hint ( for now ) and he kept his extending arms at bay, a second wave of pride flooding him at Bree’s comment instead. “Somethings never change, babe.” He mused, straightening himself up as a shameless smirk snaked across his jawline. “Just like how wicked smart you are. Aye, kitchen’s in here.” Ethan motioned to the room they were in and then started to lead the way towards the appliances. “Best part, the fridge is always fully stocked with whatever the hell you want.” Wasting no time, he popped it open to prove his point and snagged them some beers. “For the road.” The athlete quipped lifting his shoulders into a playful shrug before titling his bottle towards Bree in a cheers to her arrival. “Welcome to the show.”

a laugh escaped bree’s lips as she realized it was ethan who had just walked in. of course she had known he would be here, still she felt a little surprised, which was silly of course. “i had almost started wondering when you would show your face, wood, i would hug you but you seem… gross, no offense.” she replied cheerfully, getting up from the couch she had taken a seat on. “i was only thinking about the tv because no better options were presenting themselves, i could be convinced by any nummer of other activities though.” returning the smirk, she gestured for him to take the lead. “i will let you take enjoyment in this reprisal of your white knight role but only because i could genuinely use a good tour guide.”

A smirk dangled off the corner of Ethan’s lips as he swaggered over toward Bree. It may have been a while since he last saw her, but he managed to slip back into their usual back and forth with ease. “C’mon, it’s just a little sweat, Bree.” He teased. There was something about being called out on his post workout glow that brought an odd sense of pride to the athlete, and he rose his arms up to beckon her forward, threatening to hug her anyway. “White knight? Nah— more of a devilishly handsome prince I’d say, but I guess I’ll take it.” He raised a brow at Bree, straightening up slightly before waving her along towards the kitchen with a cordial laugh. “This way.”

all apollo could do was sigh. ethan was right, none of the dumb feelings shit that comes with all of this is worth it. he stayed silent for a few minutes, just thinking over everything as he downed shot after shot. maybe everyone was right, maybe he did have a problem, but that wasn’t going to stop him right now. sober him was probably the worst person he could be right now, all things considered. “ are you … really suggesting a strip club right? do they even have strip clubs in australia? i feel like this place is too classy for them. – but that’s actually not a bad idea, maybe. i’dunno. but regardless, i’m gonna’ go along with it. “

“Dude—” Ethan scoffed, genuinely shocked by his buddy’s question. There had to be a gentleman’s club around here somewhere especially in a bustling city like Sydney. “We’re in Australia not on the fuckin’ moon,” He added too caught up to register that Apollo had actually agreed to his suggestion. As Ethan trailed into his next thought, he shook his head teasingly, his disbelief beginning to fade. “And they say you’re the smart one...” Finally, the athlete waved over the bartender to ask around and order one last round of shots before embarking on their journey. Once he got the info they needed, Ethan picked up the tab leaving their server a much too generous tip for all her help and a wink before throwing back his shot as he made a start for the door. “C’mon, let’s get the hell out of here.” 

location: the house, living room area. availability: open to anyone.

bree had arrived only a couple of hours ago when she found herself in the living room, still trying to get a grip on everything that was happening. at first she had considered coming into the house at a later point within the season to be to her disadvantage but now she had convinced herself that if only she could make enough of a first impression it might be quite the opposite. if only the producers had made a bit more of an effort for her introduction, as an event manager the brief and rather unspectacular manner she had gotten her start here had been almost painful. so many lost opportunities on their end. as she looked around, her gaze fell onto the tv, making her chuckle a little before looking to the person who had just entered the room. “i can’t explain to you why but for some reason the thought of being on tv while we’re watching tv is really absurd. it’s like tv-inception.” perhaps not the smartest thing that had ever come out of her mouth but that was after all rarely the most prominent quality of a reality-tv star. 

Ethan strode through the house, towel draped over his shoulder, half- drank water bottle in hand, on his way back from a workout. He had nearly made it to his bedroom, when he spotted a new, yet familiar face— one that seemed to take him way back. As with just about everything in the athlete’s life, especially recently, he wasn’t exactly sure how it happened. One minute he was grumbling about being dragged to another one of those uppity kook charity events, and the next his mother was offering him up to show the Donovan girl ‘of the same age’ around town. It seemed this summer wouldn’t be much different.“You know, there’s a whole ass country to explore and you want to watch TV.” Ethan teased, a smirk sprawling to edges of his jawline as he nodded his hello. “C’mon. Let me show you around,” he trailed, pausing for effect. “Again.”

*  𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑     /     @ewoodx​​​​    .

the  mere  thought  of  entertaining  a  friendship  with  ethan  was  something  daphne  never  fathomed  could  happen.  for  a  long  time  she  couldn’t  find  it  in  herself  to  forgive  him  for  his  high  school  antics  but  it  was  apparent  that  he  had  grown  a  lot  since  then.  they  quite  literally  grew  up  together  but  she  wouldn’t  have  gone  as  far  as  to  call  him  her  friend.  until  now,  that  is.  it  took  for  her  life  to  go  to  shit  for  them  to  truly  come  together.  if  there  was  one  thing  she  knew  she  could  count  on  was  that  he  wouldn’t  pester  her  for  details  and  he  never  did.  something  she  appreciated  more  than  she  could  ever  say.  he  offered  distraction  in  the  form  of  strip  clubs  and  a  rather  spontaneous  itinerary  that  never  failed  in  showing  her  a  good  time.  while  simultaneously  building  a  camaraderie  between  the  two.

daphne  digs  into  the  pocket  of  her  tweed  chanel  shorts  to  pull her  bedazzled  flask  free,  unclasping  it  unceremoniously  to  take  a  generous  sip.  sure  it  was  still  early  for  vodka  but  she  didn’t  care.  though  she  did  attempt  to  limit  her  frequent  alcohol  consumption  from  onlooking  cameras  at  the  behest  of  her  manager.  for  some  reason,  it  seemed  that  most  of  their  housemates  had  decided  this  season  to  be  sober  and  boring  so  when  she  spots  ethan  walking  toward  the  back  door  she  wastes  no  time  in  speeding  up  to  lightly  launch  herself  at  him  for  a  piggyback  ride.  daphne  lowers  her  head  to  be  in  his  view  adorning  a  toothy  grin.  “  i’m  bored.  let’s  do  somethin’  fun.  ”

If you had asked Ethan a couple of months ago that he’d be embarking on an Australian adventure with his high school ex girlfriend, he probably would have laughed it off — or better yet ducked and covered, not wanting to fall deeper onto Daphne’s bad side more than he already was. For such a tiny woman, she was kind of scary when she was pissed off, and Ethan unfortunately had the honor of knowing that first hand often times the cause of that frustration all those years back. But call it growing up or perhaps some semblance of maturity, times were different now. They had come a long way since the days of matching t-shirts and winning prom king and queen, and Ethan welcomed her presence with an infamous smirk that lit up his features and a playful wink worthy of his teenage self. Finally, she was speaking his language. 

Thanks to his quick athletic reflexes, Ethan caught the petite brunette as she launched herself onto his backside, automatically hooking his arms beneath her legs. He bobbled slightly to relieve some of the pressure from his recovering knee allowing the light throbbing to settle before making his way towards the door. It was nothing some alcohol couldn’t mask— or at least he figured so much anyway— and the athlete somehow managed to pluck the bedazzled flask from her. “Fuck yes, Daph!”  Ethan hollered as he pumped the flask into the air. He took a swig while already leading them out the door, all of Sydney waiting for them just beyond. “What do ya say we get the hell out of here and go into the city?”