under red skies

He’d always had something of a penchant for the dramatics but only ever in the name of fun and so when the other man brought up the unsurprising piece of information, Ozan couldn’t help but clutch at his chest as though the news had shocked him. “That’s a complete revelation. I’d never have guessed.” There’s a grin on his face as he brings his own sarcasm to match Leo’s but there’s slight concern in his gaze as it flickers over the other man’s features. It was obvious he felt out of his depth and while he couldn’t relate himself, he still felt sympathetic. But he wasn’t quite sure what fell into the realms of what was allowed for their dynamic - he wasn’t sure if they were anything close to friends or that the nurse viewed him as anything but a workplace annoyance. If nothing else, he could attempt to play distraction. Shoulders rolled into a good natured shrug, not shame felt at Leo’s assessment. “It’s nice to celebrate and the atmosphere around here is pretty infectious.” Head shook at the next question, an easy chuckle leaving his lips before he replied. “Just high on life, as usual. I actually don’t really drink.”

💉

A surprised chuckle passed through his lips at the other’s sarcasm.  Up until this point, Oz had just been the picture of upbeat optimism and teasing flirtation, he hadn’t expected that sort of response. “I know, I hide it so well.” Leo shot back, deadpan, before the smile crept back onto his face.  Just a tiny one, though.  “Is it infectious or are you just easily excitable? -- Because so far I’m immune to it’s effects.”  Although he had to admit it was the tiniest bit more bearable since entering into the conversation.  It took his mind of how sweaty and gross and hot it was, and allowed him to focus in on one thing rather than the endless amounts of noise around them.  “So how did you manage to get separated from your friends if it’s not because you’ve been drunkenly stumbling through the day like everyone else?”

Oz: I'm not always a disaster, I'll prove it to you

Oz: you need to come over, I dOn't want to give you any extra work.

OZ: it's just a bleeding toe and a bump on the head, sure I'll live. i've had worse 😂

Leo: yeah well you should have thought of that before texting me

Leo: i may not have taken an oath but it's still my duty to make sure you're okay, so just text me the damn address durmaz

Recognition dawned on him as a grin spread over his features, hardly believing his luck that out of all the people in Eureka he might have turned to it was Leo he’d managed to snare into a conversation. He wasn’t exactly surprised to see him there but that was only because he had so little to go off that he wouldn’t have been able to call it either way. The other man was still so much of an enigma to him and Ozan was determined to capitalise on this time together away from the rink. His own brow raised in response, hum of mock consideration given before light words leave his lips full of teasing assumptions. “So this is what it takes to get you out then? Good to know.” The truth was he was dying to know any small detail about Leo’s personal life, wanting nothing more than to understand him better. Head shook and he allowed the grin on his features to take on a cockier edge. “Leave me? Nah I’m the life of their party. And maybe everyone else’s too, I think I actually left them and now, I can’t find them. But -” He drew the word out playfully, unable to resist falling into his usual habits with the other man. “-I did find you so that’s something.”

💉

“More like it takes a massive guilt trip from a friend,” he sighed, cursing Ava internally.  “I’m sure this will surprise you, but I’m not usually one for all...This.” he finished as he motioned around to all the hubbub, from the crowds of people to the rainbow balloon arch some feet away.  He thought saying it made him anxious was too strong of a statement.  But he certainly wasn’t comfortable.  There was just too much...everything. Noise, people, things going on.  It made him feel out of control, something he firmly hated. “But you obviously are,” he said with something of a sardonic smile, seeing how clearly the man was in his element.  The differences were staggering, Ozan decked out in pride colors, so obviously enjoying the day, while Leo stood there in his normal clothes, storm cloud gathering over his head.  He had never saw a more perfect picture of golden retriever and black cat.  Leo couldn’t help but snort sarcastically at the other man’s last words, “Are you drunk, Durmaz?”

Oz: I guess I'll have to start texting you for other reasons too then

Oz: well you've just told me that I should be fine so no emergency this time, right?

Oz: no, all toes are still attached. but I do know a guy that lost a finger to a skate.

Oz: I dropped a can on my foot though, could it be broken?

Oz: I do feel kind of lightheaded, I should sit down, right?

Leo: and what little I know about you i'll still probably just assume it's all emergencies

Leo: jesus christ

OZ: why have you always got to assume the worst?

OZ: ... but hypothetically if my toe was bleeding and it wouldn't stop at what point would I need to worry?

OZ: could I bleed out if it doesn't stop?

OZ: hypothetically

LEO: well, it could be because i gave you my number for emergencies

Leo: although I would hope you would know that if it was a real emergency you should be calling 911 and not texting me

Leo: but to answer your question, unless you have a blood clotting disorder or are on blood thinners, no you should be fine.

Leo: unless you like.....cut off your toes.

OZ: sorry to bother you but you're my only hope

OZ: I'd usually ask my roommate but he's not answering his texts but hypothetically how much blood can someone lose before it's bad?

OZ: like at what point is it too much?

❦

Crisis, if not entirely averted, then at least temporarily abated, Ivy couldn’t help but laugh at the thanks offered her way. “I prefer goddess, but you know what, I’ll take it,” she said with a grin. It was very big of her, she felt, to not make some kind of joke out of the ‘random citizen’ part ( had that been an intentional Incredibles reference? ) but she supposed there were much worse things she could’ve been called. Her eyes widened slightly at the litany of past disasters, ears snagging on one in particular before logic caught up; of course OJ meant orange juice in this context, and not the former NFL player better known for his crimes. She blinked, trying to refocus on the problem at hand. “Sounds like a perfect storm of … well, something, and something not good.” Rather than taking the whole thing over, when she wasn’t some kind of tech wiz, and didn’t even know the guy, she decided to simply ask, “Do you want help getting rid of the video, or—” Or would she be overstepping; was simply eliminating the sound for the moment enough?

💉

“Of course, my mistake,” Leo responded with a corresponding ‘of course’ gesture, for once being something of a normal and cordial human being, instead of blessing her with his normal grumpiness.  But she saved him from being arrested for publicly indecency or something along those lines, so it was truly the least he could do.  He would get beat up in prison very quickly, probably within the first hour after he told someone to fuck off.  “I would think all perfect storms are bad, you know, with the metaphorical or literal property damage,” Leo mused with a quirk of his brow, before returning to the problem at hand, “If you know how, you’re welcome to it,” he responded, pushing his laptop in her direction.  “I know I’m a bit of a luddite, but I think I did everything.”

Eureka Pride March || @eureka-starters​​

For someone who allowed himself to be lead by his emotions as much as he did, it was something of a miracle he didn’t end up in more difficult situations. Or perhaps the miracle was that he somehow managed get himself out of the ones that he did find himself in. It was no surprise that in his eagerness to celebrate pride he’d gotten swept up in the crowds and split off from his friends. The realisation had only hit him when he’d turned to make a joke and noticed that they were no where to be found. With the battery on his phone already running low (predictably he’d forgotten to charge it the night before) he tried to call, only to find himself battling with the noise around him. “No, I’m not by the fountain. Not the fountain.” Voice was raised as he tried to speak clearly enough that his message would carry. “I’m by the -” Before his location could be given the phone went day and he was greeted by a familiar black screen. But he’d never been one to feel much frustration or let himself feel defeated and so he instead chose to turn to the person nearest to him, easy grin on his features as he prepared to insert himself into their day. “Some turn out, right?”

💉

Goddamnit, Ava.  She had been the only reason he had decided to come the parade.  Her and her stupid little face with those big stupid eyes.  Leo had never been one to celebrate pride, mostly because he wasn’t really the type of person to enjoy any sort of massive, loud event.  But also, pride just wasn’t ever his scene.  He understood it’s purpose, and could even understand why some people loved it.  But as someone, who in one way or another, had always been out to his loved ones and those around him (when safe to do so), he had never felt that he personally needed pride.  Because he had always been proud.  But Ava had convinced him, said she needed a wingman, that she wanted to find herself a lady at pride.  Although, he’s now realizing that no sane person would want him as a wingman, and she had just been saying that to get him to come.  But now, as he waited on the bench, with several unanswered texts from him to her, he regretted coming. 

 It seemed as if he wasn’t the only person in a similar predicament, and though it took him a moment to recognize the voice, he got there eventually, and before his former and somewhat often patient turned to him.  Leo raised a brow in response, “Well it certainly got me out and about, so I guess you could call it that.”  he gestured to Oz’s phone.  “Your friends desert you too?”  To be honest, Leo wasn’t too surprised to see Oz at pride.  Even though he was a bit unsure of what the hockey player’s sexuality was before seeing him decked out in the colors of the pan flag, the positive energy of the event seemed to match his, so Leo would have been more surprised if he hadn’t been in attendance. 

A healthy work-life balance wasn’t always the easiest thing to achieve and initially it had eluded her when she was always too eager to pour her all into her shifts. After coming a little too close with burning out only months into her full time career, she’d quickly realised that it was something that she needed to work on. To begin with she’d framed it to herself as it meaning she could provide better care for her patients but eventually she had begun to do it for herself as much as she did it for them. So a somewhat firm line had been drawn between her work life and private life and despite all the friendships she had formed during her shift, very few of them actually lasted past the hospital doors. Some might have found it strange to feel so close to people who were still almost strangers to her but it was what worked for her and she still found herself valuing those colleagues as highly as she valued her friends.

But as much as she enjoyed the various dynamics in her life she knew that it was just as important to take time for herself too. At least once a week she grabbed whatever she was reading ( making sure that it was a novel and not a research paper ) and headed to a coffee shop. Usually the sounds of the other customers was just the background noise she needed but today a rather unexpected sound caught her ear. Brow raised as she looked up from her book subtly, not wanting her curiosity to cause embarrassment, a quick glance to see what was happening. Instantly she recognised the face and the face, expression shifting to one of gentle amusement. “I guess I finally know how you spend your time off from work.” They shared an easy respect and what she thought was an understanding, neither of them particularly forth coming when it came to their private life. “Though I don’t think that this is what I would have had my money on.” 

💉

“Will you shut the fuck up and help me?” Leo growled under his breath, not too concerned with his tone, knowing that Nura, despite their work-only friendship, understood and knew his demeanor and attitude well. “Please,” he added, knowing his mother would have kicked his ass if she had hear him.  Despite the two having been shoulder to shoulder in much more stressful situations than this, this one had Leo flustered.  While Leo was fine with people, and was always more than happy to tell them to fuck off, that didn’t mean he invited either, and the thought of having to explain over and over again to the pissy moms that frequented the coffee shop at this hour what was going on, made him want to tear his fucking hair out. 

“I clicked a bogus link, the screen is frozen and my power button has decided to give up the ghost.  If you can make it stop I will do your pre-intake patient screening paperwork for a month.” 

It took a lot to ever really rattle Ozan when despite his passion and lust for life, he’d never allowed them to make him anything but easy going. He took life as it came, adjusting to it as much as he could and letting his emotions steer him. So while he was almost certain that Leo’s way of conversing might have put others off, he’d always been able to let the words roll right on over him. He absorbed them only so he could get a better insight into the other man and so that he could shoot playful words right back. “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again - I’m more than happy to hold them to warm them up for you anytime.” Grin widened as he took his seat on the bench, ignoring the lightheadedness he felt during the motion. Partially out of stubbornness to admit he’d maybe been hurt more than he’d originally thought but mostly because he was having far too much fun to even begin contemplating that he might actually need treatment. “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for wishful thinking. One of these days you’re going to make my dreams come true.” The words were bold but it was far from unusual for him, always trying to get a smile from the other man. He’d always been one to persevere until he’d tried everything he could and he knew he still had a lot left in his arsenal when it came to the medic. “You say that now but there’s always a chance - especially when I’m involved.”  

💉

His chilled fingers finally managed to locate his small penlight in his med bag as he listened to Durmaz continue his endless quest to...Well, to what, Leo wasn’t sure.  He couldn’t tell if the man was one of the types who’s flirting and charming came to them as instinctively as breathing and thus made it their natural way of communicating, or if the man was legitimately trying to flirt with him.  For the hockey player’s sake, he hoped it was the former.  Someone as happy as him would quickly tire with Leo’s pessimism for, well, everything.  “Uh huh, and if you’re doing that, who’s going to make sure your brain didn’t get milly-rocked?” he questioned.  Leo knew concussion protocol required him to take him to a quieter place, but he wanted to rule out any major trauma and had already started to move the pen light in front of his eyes, checking to make sure his pupils reacted appropriately, as well as making sure there was no light aversion, as he replied to the man.  “Not sure whether to tell you if that’s your dream, you’re dreaming to big or too small,” he replied, finishing up with his pen light and tucking it away in his chest pocket.  “Now, c’mon, to the locker room with you.  If you’re lucky, I might even let you practice tomorrow,” he gestured to the doors along the back of the rink and offered an arm, wanting to finish the exam in a quieter place where Ozan could concentrate on the questions and Leo could concentrate on his patient without worrying about a stray puck to the head.  “And spare me the pride,” he started, referring to his arm,  “--because I know for a fact you must be light headed.”

WHERE: Cal’s WITH: Open

Only a handful of days had passed since Andy’s release and rather than venture out into the world and attempt to reconnect with it, he found himself sitting at the bar with an untouched bottle of beer in front of him. Of his collection of vices, alcohol had always reared its ugly head the loudest, and Andy had yet to figure out how to turn away from the noise. Picking at the frayed edge of the bottle’s label, the man eased out a long sigh and shook his head. Naturally, he recognized that the bottle nestled between his hands was the very thing that helped land him in his most recent predicament, but right now, he wanted to forget about all of that, or at least dull the sting of it. He rolled his shoulders, hoping to shrug off the weight of the still unsigned divorce papers tucked into the inside pocket of his jacket, and lifted his beer from the bartop. “Alright,” Andy drawled, finally breaking his silence as he turned to the person beside him, “What’re we drinkin’ to this fine afternoon?” He asked, boasting a small, yet roguish grin as he raised his bottle in a mock toast, “Your call.” 

💉

One of things Leo appreciated most about his lack of a 9-5 schedule, was the fact that most of the time when he went out, he was one of the lone few patrons.  It was his time for peace and quiet, when his job was a place of constant, frantic energy.  He didn’t have to talk with anybody other than the worker who he had to interact with to get what he needed.  It was his idea of paradise.  All that being said, he didn’t take too kindly when that slice of heaven was interrupted.  Between his clear vibe of ‘do not interact’ and the fact that other early afternoon patrons of the town’s dive bar tended to search for solitude themselves, Leo had thought himself safe from having to make any small talk.  But apparently, he had been wrong.  “Hmmm, well I was drinking to peace and quiet, but that seems to no longer be an option.” 

If there was one perk of Ivy’s oh-so-early morning starts, it was that she had the afternoons to herself. Of course, if she was going to accomplish anything ( besides a nap, of course, ) those oh-so-early morning wakeups meant that an afternoon coffee was a must. Waiting while the barista made her flat white, Ivy considered pulling out her phone and scrolling for a bit, but the shop was busy enough, even in the middle of the day, that she feared she might miss her name when called. Only the next thing she heard wasn’t her name, but something that wasn’t exactly safe for work, let alone such a public environment. She glanced towards the bathrooms, half expecting a very vocal quickie to be occurring there, but a fervent apology corrected her mistake. Maybe there was a quickie, and whatever had happened to the guy’s laptop, but she’d be surprised. 

Assessing the situation quickly, Ivy certainly wouldn’t have pegged the guy as a watcher of porn in public. He seemed genuinely apologetic, and not a little panicked by the technical difficulties, not like someone who’d been subtly getting their jollies in a crowded place, guilty to have been caught. Approaching the table, she dug through her purse for the old-school earbuds she carried there; the kind that plugged into a traditional headphone jack, and would, hopefully, offer a few moments of silence while the situation resolved. “Hi,” she said with a sympathetic smile, and held up the headphones. “I’m just gonna plug this in, okay? Then you can take a breath, and turn off the volume, or figure out how to close the window, or something.” She eyed the sides of the laptop, saw the tell-tale round port, and plugged in the headphones, holding the earbuds tightly in her other hand, lest the sound carry. “Better?”

💉

Leo was a cheap ass.  It was normally a moniker he wore with pride, always fixing things up to bring them back from the dead like a zombie from a grave, wearing items until they gave up the ghost, or more often, buying cheap shit that gave out quickly.  He knew, logically, he’d be better off buying an expensive, well made item, that he could have for awhile before it spluttered it’s last breath, but something about those large price tags always stopped him.  This all being said, his cheap bluetooth headphones that couldn’t hold a charge had died half an hour ago and he had no recourse to stop the pornographic sounds coming from his laptop.

His hand-me-down, decade old laptop, that is.  It had been his brother’s in college, then had been given to Leo during his own college years, and he had kept it around ever since, with endless amounts of shitty self-fixes and more than a few trips to the genius bar.  He blamed it and them for his current situation.  But his savior came in the form of a fellow patron, and while Leo was not a friendly person by nature, he couldn’t help but lavish compliments upon her for her help.  “You, random citizen, are a god among men.” He finished with a hefty sigh, eyes darting around the shop to see just how much attention his computer’s show had garnered.  “My headphones died, my mute key doesn’t work after the OJ incident of 2019, and the power button has chosen today of all days to resign.” he lamented, trying to further plead his case of being a victim of shitty tech and not a pervert. 

🖋

Music still brought up complicated emotions within her, constantly torn between her love for it and the memories that were now tied to it. Given her aptitude for making her whole life complicated under the guise of making decisions for the best, she had been finding more and more reasons to avoid the media altogether. But when she realised that a beloved album was missing from her collection and was nowhere to be found after practically turning her home inside out, she felt she had no choice but to venture to a record store in the hopes of replacing it. After all, at a certain point her only options would be to turn herself into a hermit or just get on with it. Knowing that she’d need some form of company to get through the trip she’d roped Leo in, finding his cynicism matched her jadedness perfectly. “If I was trying to punish you I’d take you somewhere more crowded with way more social interaction needed.” Smirk tugged at her lips, figuring the scenario she’d described would be something of a personal hell for him, she knew it would be for her. “I won’t be long, I just have the one to get. You found anything good?”

💉

“See that sounds more like a punishment for the people around me, and not me.” he batted back.  Sure, people had a tendency to annoy him, and he had the horrible ability to find something to be miffed about in any situation.  But with his tendency to voice these criticisms, he found he was often the less affected party.  He knew how to clear a room, that was for sure.  It wasn’t his fault people couldn’t handle being told they were being insufferable.  His family had try to cure him of that habit many times, but being unable to voice his opinion, regardless of if it came across rude, made Leo feel as if he was going to explode.  All that being said, there were a rare few people he could stand spending time with, and an even rarer few who he actually enjoyed their company.  Ava was one of the few, having unfortunately met over her mother’s death bed.  “Did I find anything good?” he repeated, before nodding to his arms, full with records.  He’d only be able to afford one, maybe two, but he still collected any and all he had been interested in, unable to choose just yet.  “This is all your fault.”

🏒

One moment he’d been about to score and the next he was flat on the ice after colliding into the opposition. Their heads had clashed during and that was enough for him to need to go off to get check over. The disappointment of having to come off only lessened by the knowledge of who’d end up doing his check up. Grin spread over his features as he was helped to his feet, arms lifting up in the air to show the crowd his was fine. After a moment on his feet he found his balance and began skating ahead of his teammates that were attempting to support him so he could lean up against the barrier. “Looks like you might need to get those healing hands of yours warmed up.” Amusement was clear in his tone, eyes already alight with mischief when from the very first moment he’d laid eyes on Leo he’d made it his mission to make him smile. For now the most he’d gotten out of him was a scoff that he’d chosen to take as laughter and a grimace that almost looked like a smile. But all that had done was make him all the more determined to win the other man over and he’d chosen to take it as progress. “Or -” He drew the word out, already having too much fun teasing the medic. “- if you’re not ready to take me some place quiet, just you and me, you could just let me back out there. I’m fine, I promise.” 

💉

He should have known after clocking the name and number on the jersey that it wouldn’t have been a simple check in.  As the man opened his mouth, Leo knew all hopes of doing a quick and painless concussion protocol were out the window.  “I’d have to have feeling in my hands to warm them up for you,” Leo shot back, once more wondering exactly why he had volunteered, especially as a man who was a lover of dry desert heat and despised the cold.  Leo wasn’t Mr. Congeniality to begin with, but sitting in the chilly ice rink had only served to dampen any remaining spirit.   “Just you and me,” he scoffed, repeating the player’s words, “You make it sound like I’m trying to take you back to my place and not a sweat and must filled locker room to make sure your brain didn’t slam into your skull too hard.”  He shook his head, while gesturing for him to put his ass on the bench while his numb-ass hands fumbled through his medical bag, attempting to fetch the proper items.  “There’s as much of a chance of me sending you back out there as there is me getting on that ice.  Which is to say, none.”