heat waves.

↪ brief introduction to ceyhun kartal.

BASICS

full name: ceyhun eren kartal. nickname(s): jay. age: twenty-nine. date of birth: 27 march 1993. zodiac sign: aries. place of birth: san francisco, california, united states. ethnicity: turkish. nationality: american. gender: demiboy. sexual orientation: pansexual. romantic orientation: panromantic. religion: islam— jay tries as best he can to practice islam in the way he was taught by his parents from a young age but he’s far more relaxed in his religious expression than his parents or grandparents. education: bachelors in secondary education & history ( double major ) from providence peak university, credential allowing him to teach in colorado. occupation: high school us history teacher. language(s) spoken: english, turkish ( primarily ).  accent: he doesn’t consider himself to have a discernible accent but he does have a ‘west coast’ american accent.

The fact that he hadn’t seen Leila in quite a while was something Jay was willing to chalk up to the fact that he had a tendency to fixate on one thing in his life to the point where everything else became difficult to balance. It wasn’t something he was proud of but it wasn’t something he could avoid entirely, even if he’d made great strides since he was a child to be more present even with his fixations in the forefront of his mind. He’d invited Leila out for coffee half as an apology for being a subpar friend and half because he genuinely missed her-- they still hadn’t gone on their date and he was tempted to just ask her if coffee together could count-- it seemed like a low-risk option and he was still mulling that over as he stood up from the table to greet her with a broad smile. “Hey, stranger,” Jay said brightly, stepping towards Leila with a raised eyebrow. “Can I give you a hug? Or are my hug privileges revoked until I make up for how long it’s been since I’ve seen you?” He asked with a sheepish smile.

In spite of the fact that he’d lived in Providence Peak for most of his life there always seemed to be businesses in town he’d either never found his way into or made a mental note to visit and promptly found himself distracted by life. Devine & Co. was one such business that he hadn’t visited simply because he had a difficult time remembering to do things that weren’t altogether necessary if he was juggling loads in his life-- he could thank ADHD for that, he imagined. He wasn’t even sure it’d be a fruitful visit as he stepped into the shop with wide, curious eyes-- He hoped, briefly, that they wouldn’t laugh him out of the shop altogether when he explained what he wanted but the man behind the counter looked friendly enough and Jay smiled at him as he approached the counter. “Hey! How’s it goin’, man? Uh, I have... maybe a weird question? I’m doing a lesson on the occult and other witchy sorts of things and I was wondering if you had anything I could show my students or that might make like, an interesting thing to include? It’s totally cool if not-- I wasn’t sure if it was a long shot to come bug you guys about this.”

Admittedly Jay was concerned he was hovering; that he was being annoying in some capacity given how often he’d found an excuse to walk the block between his house and Asli’s simply to check up on her. He hadn’t phrased it in so many words-- not yet, anyway-- but he’d known Asli for quite some time now and he wasn’t so lacking in self-awareness as to assume that she couldn’t connect the dots on her own. For every second of self-doubt he’d nursed in the last couple of weeks, however, he was encouraged by the fact that Asli was his best friend and she was hurting— it was a no-brainer as far as Jay was concerned to stretch himself in every way imaginable to take care of her and he was determined to do that to the best of his ability. At the moment that meant that he was taking food and books and anything he could drum up that might earn a smile from his friend just to make it clear that she had someone on her side even when she was dealing with what he could only imagine was a deeply painful moment in her life. He crouched to fish the spare key out from its hiding place under a potted plant on the porch, stepping into the house quietly. “Hey, As!” He called, eyebrows furrowing. “You in your room, Tatlım?”

.

“I’ll hold you to it the next time we run into one another.” Aksel commented, “Tho I bet I have stickers in my purse. Hold on-” She said while digging into the overstuffed bag and pulling out price stickers with the Vinyl countdown logo printed on them, “Not gold stars, but I’d say they count as stickers, oh and-” She spoke, digging out another sticker, “A fruit sticker from an apple I had yesterday. Honey crisp.” She said, sticking the sticker gently to his shoulder. “Not a gold star, but it’s good.” Aksel nodded, “Yup. I have five siblings. I’m the second oldest. Then I have a sister, a nineteen-year-old brother, and twin sisters fifteen.” Aksel admired the photo of him and his daughter with a warm smile, “Oh I know the type. Esra and Pasha will either be world leaders or take it over.” She looked up curiously, “So are you married or? I’m sorry if that’s invasive you don’t have to answer. She’s a cute kid.”

The curiosity in Jay’s expression morphed in an instant into genuine glee as Aksel pressed the sticker onto his shoulder and a bright laugh accompanied the slightly lopsided smile he flashed in her direction. “I’m honored,” He said teasingly. “I love honey crisp apples so, y’know, could do worse than being a walking ad for them for a little while. Until the sticker falls off, anyway.” Dark eyes danced with mirth as he tilted his head at an arguably awkward angle to look at the sticker as best he could, another low laugh catching in the back of his throat before he returned his attention to Aksel. “Five?” His eyebrows rose in time with a low whistle. “That must’ve been fun. I think the three of us were too much of a handful for my parents to even think about having more kids after my little brother was born,” Jay admitted with a chuckle, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Oh good-- I’m glad it’s not just Ellie,” He joked, shaking his head easily as Aksel seemed to backtrack on her line of questions. “I don’t mind. Seriously-- I would’ve said something if it bothered me and I’m pretty much an open book. Sort of one of my mixed qualities,” He said lightly. “I was married. My ex and I got a divorce about... a year and a half ago, more or less. I think it’s closer to two now but I don’t really have the dates memorized or anything. What about you? You married?”

“Hmmmm… We’ll see about that…” By Allah, she needs to stop watching true crime and shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. “Who knows? Those just might be the last words you say to me and the last words I ever hear. There’s a chance that you play by your own rules, hm?” Oh yeah, she needs to go home. Pronto. Clearing her throat, she nodded at his words. “That’d be great. It’s not that I don’t like parties or anything. This certain one just lost its appeal.” At first, it’d be fun. She spent a good portion of it with Bash and for awhile, she held no complaints. Then that girl had to show up and now, her mood was jacked. She wasn’t going to allow her night to be completely ruined, though. No, she was still going to find some fun and mischief. She just wasn’t going to do it here. Taking his phone, she muttered out a thanks before typing in the number she’s learned by heart. Before, it slightly confused and frustrated her remembering it. Yet now, she found it to be a blessing. Before she pressed the call button, she looked up at the man, eyebrows raised in amusement and a small smile growing. “I’m Nazli,” she said once he was done. “And sure, I wouldn’t mind you joining me. I’ve decided I’m going to trust you in not being a serial killer. At least, until my ride gets here. Deal?”

The laugh that rolled through him was equal parts disbelief and genuine amusement as he looked at Nazli curiously, “Okay, I seriously have to know— how much time do you spend watching the ID channel and stuff? I definitely don’t think you’re wrong to be like, wary but this is seriously incredible.” He was genuinely curious to hear whatever answer she wanted to give him but he found it equally funny that of all people in town it was the dorky high school history teacher that someone would look at and see danger in. He nodded after a moment, “Yeah, I get that. You don’t have to explain— sometimes that just happens, right? At any rate, it sucks to be somewhere you don’t want to be any longer than you have to be so if I can help then I’m happy to give it a shot.” He waited with his hands in his pockets as Nazli called whoever she needed to-- his buzz was wearing off blessedly quickly but he still wasn’t comfortable driving when he’d had anything at all to drink and he wasn’t about to risk getting into trouble after a night at the bar. “Yes, ma’am,” Jay said somberly, his expression serious until the moment he chose to raise his hand to his forehead in a half-assed salute and a grin broke out over his face. “You mind if we wait outside? It’s getting kinda stuffy in here and I need a breather before I take myself home,” He said, glancing away simply to try and judge the quickest path to the exit before he returned his gaze to Nazli.

Thierry laughed along with the other male. “Then you are the perfect person to help me make a choice. That’s some luck to run into someone who is actually Turkish.” The cop grinned with amusement. “I’ve had baklava before, but I’ve had it at Greek bakeries. I wasn’t aware that it’s also a Turkish dessert too. I think I want to try something I’ve never had before. I’m sure the Baklava here is incredible, but I’m looking for a new flavor experience,” Thierry teased with a playful smirk.

"You’d be surprised, honestly— I’ve made a ton of Turkish friends growing up here and I never would’ve guessed they’d end up in Colorado of all places, y’know? I’m from California, originally and it wasn’t even close if I make that comparison.” Jay grinned in return, pleased that he’d run into someone who just seemed excited to try something new-- it was refreshing in a way he couldn’t explain. “’A new flavor experience’,” He repeated with a hum, studying the menu for a moment before he glanced at Thierry. “Are you a cake person? Like, in general? If you are I’d go for the revani. Or tulumba if you already know you like churros? ‘Cause they’re basically the Turkish version and they’re amazing. Does that help?”

***

If he had to pick, he’d always play good cop. It was easier when he and Aslihan were parenting together in the same general area, but when Alex stayed over at his place for days at a time, it was inevitable that he had to play the role of bad cop. It was a role that always made him feel guilty, but he learned quickly that if he didn’t put his foot down, he’d be taking orders left and right and that wasn’t okay. “For today, yeah. I’ll let her mother handle saying no. I don’t know how anyone does it though. When I tell her no, sometimes she gets this super sad look in her eyes and it makes me feel like the jerk.” Which, in turn, usually left him meeting her in the middle and her getting her way. “Kids are great, but I get it. I took Alex to a class at the library a few weeks ago and I think she used me for some kind of show and tell project. I had to answer questions for half an hour from a bunch of five year olds.” Surprisingly, he hadn’t even minded it all that much. “They load it down with sugar, huh?” At Jay’s question, he stood a little taller and rolled his eyes with a grin. “It’s just over there. You guys wanna check it out?”

“Believe me, man, I’ve got almost ten years of experience and it never gets any easier. Paige is way better at it than I am which isn’t a super high bar but she’s definitely just... got a better handle on it,” Jay explained with a shrug. He’d gotten better at it as Ellie had gotten older and he was especially adept at managing when he felt compelled to negotiate with his daughter versus outright denying her something when it just wasn’t feasible but he understood where Atlas was coming from on a level he doubted people could ever understand if they weren’t parents themselves. Ellie perked up at the mention of her mother and nodded deeply, “Mom’s way better at saying ‘no’. Dad tries but usually if he says no I can ask Nana and she’ll do it.” The little girl’s eyes were bright with mischief as she spoke and Jay stared at her for a moment before he laughed outright and smiled at Atlas, “So apparently my mom is just spoiling the heck out of her when I’m not looking. I don’t think I’m winning here, dude.” He paused to imagine what a gaggle of five-year-olds could possibly want to ask Atlas and it was enough to make him grin broadly, “I’m so curious-- what did they ask you? Kids are so funny it’s absolutely wild to hear the kind of stuff they think about.” He nudged Ellie in the direction of the petting zoo with strict instructions not to run off unless she saw Asli and Alex. “Absolutely. Here’s hoping we don’t end up with both of the girls trying to con us into building them a petting zoo of their own.”

—

She leaned her head against his bicep as they walked, hand sliding down his forearm and slipping into his hand as she let out a chuckle. “Please, you know if I didn’t want to come then my ass would be at home in bed in my old Guns n’ Roses shirt.” Which was the truth, Rüya rarely did anything she didn’t want to do, something she knew he’d learned about her shortly into their friendship. But she’d wanted to spend some time with him, so she’d dragged her ass out of bed. “Funny, it’s usually a few hours with you in bed that gets me motivated.” She teased with a smirk, head tilting back to look up at him. The blonde had never been great at forming actual meaningful relationships with people, at least not ones with healthy boundaries and mutual respect, but somehow Jay had become the exception. Someone she could have a good time in and out of the bedroom. If she thought about it for too long she’d begin to worry and probably find some way to sabotage the relationship, but luckily Rüya had never been one to spend too much time contemplating. “Coffee. Definitely coffee. Otherwise you might be carrying me around while I snore.” Nodding her head with a chuckle, she moved closer to look at the taste list with him. “Then we can do the Sweet Spot. Did you know my best friend owns the place?”

“That’s a good look on you, though,” Jay quipped in return, smiling crookedly down at Rüya as her fingers twined with his. It felt unreasonably intimate— something as small as holding hands— which was more than a little hilarious to him considering they slept together fairly regularly but Jay had always been a little off-kilter in most areas of his life and he’d known from the time he was about sixteen that romance and relationships and physical affection in general was just another area to add to the list. He snorted outright at her next comment, shaking his head as his snort grew into a full on laugh, “Yeah, well, there’s plenty of time for that to happen too so I wouldn’t rule it out yet. Maybe if you’re really good.” He joked, squeezing her hand briefly. Not for the first time he wondered if his easy affection was too much— if it was as clear to Rüya as it was to him that he spent most of their time together teetering between looking at her as strictly a friend or strictly a lover even if their relationship was an extremely comfortable in-between of the two. He’d overthink it until he found a way to screw it up if he gave himself enough room and that had been enough motivation for him to shove any further thought of it away as far as it could go-- they were friends first and that was far more important to him. “If it makes you feel any better you’re pretty adorable when you’re sleeping but I dunno if I can like, piggyback you around all day. We should probably be safe and not test it,” He said with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow at Rüya's next comment. “Am I not your best friend? I’m hurt, babe,” Jay joked, “That’s awesome, though! Do I know them, do you think?”

—

Rüya had thought about bailing, having gotten in at an ungodly hour after closing the bar up once Coyote Ugly Night had finally come to a close, she was about 90% sure the sun was coming up once she’d finally climbed beneath the blankets and passed out. In truth, had it been anyone else but Jay, she probably would have sent a half assed excuse about being too tired or too hungover before climbing back beneath her duvet and sleeping for a few more hours. But Jay was different, something the blonde hadn’t quite expected when the pair struck up their friendship, but she wasn’t complaining. She couldn’t really, not with the promise of good food and good company. “One-day only boyfriend, sounds like my kind of relationship.” She mused with a grin, gently bumping her shoulder against his arm as she walked next to him. “But I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. And hungry.” As if on cue, her stomach gave a little rumble and she placed her hand over it with a laugh. “Honestly? So am I. I almost bailed and went back to sleep, but I figured I’d grace you with my presence. Help make your day.” She teased, linking her arm through his. “Plus, there’s gonna be food. So really, how could I say no?” 

“You could have said ‘no’ if you really wanted to sleep, babe,” Jay replied, a frown tugging at the edges of his mouth for a split second before he shook his head. “But I figured if a few hours with me couldn’t get you out of bed then the food was definitely gonna do the trick.” He teased back, huffing out a laugh when she slipped her arm through his. Rüya, in addition to being one of his best friends, was also the only person he’d ever done anything like their friends with benefits situation with. He could never remember if he’d told her that before or if she’d figured it out herself in the early stages of their relationship but he was fairly proud of himself for maintaining it in a way they were both happy with given how easily he found himself half in love with all of his friends; a curse, he’d joked to his brother the last time they’d talked about it, but not something he could change. He liked to think all of his friends were more than worth being half in love with anyway. “Where d’you wanna start when we get in there? Sweet Spot or coffee so you don’t just straight up pass out on me?” He asked curiously, plucking one of the taste test lists from a display near the door as they stepped through it. “Or another option? I just love sweets so that’s where I wanna start in my little dessert loving heart.”

.

“I’ll take a gold star rain check.” She amended, implying they’d eventually run into one another again. After all, it was Providence Peak, and while it wasn’t terribly small, it was small enough that there was no way to go a lifetime without crossing paths with a local more than once. Aksel gestured to her side, “I’ll never say no to company. I spent my teens sharing a room with my sisters, but I’d still rather be with people than be on my own. I think it makes things a little more enjoyable.” She answered, walking a little more slowly with no where in mind to go- “I didn’t know you had a kid, how old?”

“Oh, you will, huh? I guess I’m gonna have to start carrying a little strip of them in my wallet or something,” He replied playfully. It was more than a little dorky but he was a dork as a person and he’d never been the sort to shy away from the prospect of seeing people around-- especially when he was fairly convinced he could put that sort of thing out into the universe and have it happen. “You too, huh? Brothers on my end and I’m a twin so I think we were pretty much glued together until we turned eighteen,” Jay explained. It was the way his mother had always described them, at any rate, and it usually made him laugh too hard to question it one way or another but as a family they’d always been close. He smiled brightly, reaching into his pocket for his phone to show Aksel his lock-screen - a photo of him and Ellie grinning at the camera on her ninth birthday. “She’ll be ten in September and she’s one of those kids that’s like, ten going on twenty-seven, y’know? Too smart for her own good.”

She glanced up at him and raised her brow. ‘I can give you a hand with that.’ Yeah, she’s heard that one before. Her eyes gazed over him. Sure, he seemed harmless enough… Yet after traveling the world as many times as she has the past couple of years, she knows better than to put blind faith in anyone. Not every single person you meet has your best interest at heart. “Bighorn Hills,” she mused. “I plan to go far out in Bighorn Hills. Unless by pure coincidence you’re going out there as well… thank you but I should have it covered. I just need to call my… my friend.” He had a nice smile and his tone sounded genuine. But Nazli wasn’t going to risk it. Grabbing her phone, however, her eyes widened. No matter how many times she tried, her phone’s screen remained black. How had she not realized that it was dead? “Great…” The remark came out as a grumble beneath her breath. Taking one in before releasing it, she looked back at the guy. “Look, if you promise me you’re not some secret serial killer and if I give you money for gas, would you be willing to take me home? I just… I just really want to be there right now. This party lost its appeal.”

“I’m... definitely not a serial killer,” Jay said, his lips twitching into something between a bemused smile and an outright frown. “I don’t think a serial killer would like, outright admit to that if you asked them, right? That’s not the point,” he paused, shaking his head before he looked at the beer in his hand and set it down on the bar with a nod towards the bartender. “I probably shouldn’t be driving yet but I can at least make sure you get an Uber or something? My phone’s charged and you can use it to call your ride if you want to. Seriously. I hate being stuck at parties so I can definitely empathize.” He fished his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, unlocking it quickly before he offered it to Nazli. “If nothing else I’m down to wait outside with you until you get picked up-- unless you tell me otherwise, obviously. I’m not gonna be a dick about it if you want me to leave you alone. I’m Jay, by the way-- I should’ve lead with that when I bumped into you.”

This night was… interesting. At first, it’d been fun and she saw Bash. Then Thea came up to her and ever since then, she’s completely lost her buzz and felt as if she was in a state of limbo. She tried to sip on another drink yet it felt as if she was drinking dirt and ash. She didn’t want to be here anymore; She wanted to be home. Nazli had been heading back out to the front, trying not to get crush by the crowd as she headed out. The brunette’s mind was spinning, her heart beating rapidly, and she felt as if she was about to lose her mind. She was getting closer and closer to leaving when suddenly, she ran into someone. “Lanet olsun!” she muttered, looking up at the stranger. Brows furrowing, her hand raised to rub her forehead and she chuckled softly at his words. “Hey, you’re all good. Annnnd…” Glancing down, her eyes scanned over herself before looking back at Jay. “Nope, no spills on me. All good. Don’t worry about that drink, I was planning on heading out anyways. Just need to call my ride and then I’ll be on my way.”

The sound of the Turkish exclamation was enough to give him pause— a split second that he spent mentally translating it before his smile widened again. He considered what he wanted to say for much longer than he arguably needed to but Jay had a talent for sticking his foot in his mouth when he was stone cold sober and he couldn’t imagine that it was something that improved after he’d been drinking. “I can give you a hand with that? Getting out of here, I mean,” He said earnestly. “I just mean like, I’m bigger than you are, obviously— I can get through the crowd a little easier? That sounds... really dumb, actually, now that I’m sitting here realizing I said it out loud.” He huffed out a breath and tried to plow through the embarrassment that was making his face turn a shade of red he was fairly sure wasn’t all that noticeable in the dim light of the bar; he hoped it wasn’t, at any rate. “My friends sorta ditched me so I was thinking about heading out myself-- I could wait with you until your ride gets here? I... swear I’m not trying to be weird. I think that’s a natural skill-- just trying to be helpful.” He explained, probably over-explained, if he was being honest with himself but that was something he had a talent for. 

***

From dad of none, to dad of two, he still wasn’t sure how he did it most days. They were both handfuls in their own ways, but being a father had come naturally to him. That, and he had the best support system the world could offer. With Maggie strapped to his chest, he bobbed and weaved through the sea of moving people, eager to bump into his other daughter who was hanging out with her mother for the day. “Hey Mr. Mom,” he called back, smirk wide as the baby laughed at hearing the sound of his voice. She was easy to amuse, but he knew such easiness wouldn’t last forever. “She is. If I had to guess, she’s at the petting zoo right now trying to convince her mother to buy her every farm animal there. Which is where I’m hoping she’ll be the one to say no.” It’d be a team effort, but he’d never been good at playing bad cop and saying no to Alex was an impossible task. “We could walk over if you wanted? Looks like you could use an adult friend right about now. Plus, if anyone is gonna find her, I’m your best shot. It’s a win-win, right, kiddo?” Ellie seemed up for it. “You guys had any lemonade yet? There’s some popcorn too.”

The nickname and Maggie’s laughter were enough to make Jay smile outright-- a low laugh of his own coming easily as he stepped closer to Atlas and made sure he had a hand on Ellie’s shoulder lest his nine-year-old sprint off into the distance again. She was usually fairly well-behaved but she loved anything to do with animals and it was probably the most difficult time he had with her whenever they went out to events in town that had animals anywhere in the vicinity. “You’re the good cop today, huh?” He joked, grinning. He tried to imagine Asli turning Alex down if she asked for a lamb but he was guessing she’d manage one way or another in spite of how adorable Alex was. Jay’s smile turned sheepish, “God, dude, you have no idea. I love kids but I don’t know how many more times I can have a conversation with someone who’s not at least twenty-five today.” Ellie’s pout in return was enough to make Jay laugh again as he patted his daughter’s head, “You’re an exception, monkey.” He glanced at Atlas, “We’ve definitely tried the lemonade. I think that’s like, eighty percent of this one’s energy right now. Can you see the petting zoo from here, mountain man?”

status: closed - @jaykartal·

location: the sweet spot food truck

Thierry looked over the menu hanging on the side of the food truck, trying to figure out what to pick from the delicious options. He didn’t know much about Turkish foods and desserts. The only reason he had found himself at this particular food truck was because he was hoping to run into it’s owner again. He had met Verda a few weeks ago at an art gallery showing while he was out on a terrible blind date. She mentioned owning the Turkish bakery and Thierry had been curious to check it out ever since. “Uh, excuse me,” The cop caught the attention of another customer glancing over the menu. “Do you know much about Turkish baked goods? I could use a little help trying to figure out what to order.”

In spite of the fact that he’d grown up in a proudly Turkish-American family-- Jay rarely had regular access to Turkish food in general when he had a craving for it. At least, that had been the case over the last few years— he’d been delighted when the Sweet Spot opened and he could satisfy a craving that soothed his sweet tooth and any homesickness he might’ve been feeling if he hadn’t spent time with his extended family in a while. Ellie had been begging him for baklava for days and that was how he’d wound up in line at the food truck, studying the menu to decide whether there was anything else he wanted to grab while he was there. He glanced at Thierry with a smile, “More than the average person, probably— I’m Turkish so I think my grandma would strangle me if I didn’t remember anything she used to make for us.” Jay explained, chuckling. “You can’t go wrong with baklava, honestly. That’s what I’m here for. Have you had that before?”

Inviting Rüya out to brunch on Sunday was perhaps the most clearly couple-y thing they’d done in quite a while and Jay had been nervous to even ask— he tried to avoid those things most of the time but the moment he’d realized he was stressing over nothing he’d calmed down a bit. He could spend a day screwing around in the city getting day-drunk with one of his best friends without having to overanalyze every other word that came out of his mouth. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease her about it a little throughout the day— they wouldn’t be friends if he couldn’t. “So,” Jay said brightly as they approached the Jade Palace, “You ready to be my brunch date for the day? I’m an excellent one-day only boyfriend,” He joked, grinning down at Rüya as they settled into a small line that had formed at the entrance. “I’m surprised you’re functioning right now so I’m feeling pretty flattered you got out of bed for little ol’ me.”