she's a lady

The carnival lights cascaded over Fox’s body causing a silhouette of red and blue hues to emit from him. Still his figure was dark, shadowy. The only light that cut through the darkness of the night was the light of the cigarette in his hand. Cold, dark eyes scanned the ground before him as Fox looked at the people passing. He took notice of them, calculating who he deemed worthy of his attention. one by one people passed him and he continued to watch that is until he felt a presence near him and a pair of eyes on him. Not that Fox wasn’t used to eyes on him. The luxury (and downfall if he was being honest) of being a Jones. “Didn’t mommy and daddy teach you not to talk to strangers let alone stare at them?” he commented, a flurry of smoke leaving his lips as he looked straight forward not even acknowledging the person beside him. Why should he? They approached him when clearly he wanted to remain unapproachable until he decided he was ready to speak to someone. 

Finding a dark place wasn’t outside of Cat’s wheelhouse. She seemed to be a creature of the night like her namesake, yet she wasn’t sure what she was hunting for. If she knew, she thought her life would be much easier than it ever had been. Somehow, it was like she always chose the same places Fox was. She knew that he wasn’t magnetized to her, but she always felt some kind of pull toward him. “I didn’t know we were strangers, Jones.” she says easily, “and I didn’t think anyone owned this spot, but I can go.”

Paul’s eyes crinkled with a sly grin - the small collection of plastic body parts in the girl’s hands may have been partially responsible.  “I like the way you think.  But have you seen these prices lately?  I ain’t paying that much if I’m only using half of what they give me.”  He sighed again.  “Which at this point just leaves me at the mercy of the thrift store.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about.” She says easily, though the problem with talking with her hands is that she’s waving her prosthetics a little too wildly, “half of my costume is from the thrift store. They just don’t sell this kind of stuff there. It’s... zombie pageant queen, essentially.”

-

“Oh yeah?” he grinned.  " Is it the curls, or the dreamy eyes? Maybe its my fantastic sense of humor or my amazing taste in women?” he questioned, teasing Cat as he smiled down. She wasn’t as tall as him which he adored, the feeling of standing over her like he was her protector made something inside his chest warm up.

Marcus smiled at her words, feeling like it was a prompt. An invitation to be more reckless, affectionate, to show her exactly how he was feeling. And he was feeling, in fact he was feeling a lot of confusing emotions. Desire being one of the most strongest at that moment, but a deep rooted passion inside of his heart and the terrifying feeling of realization and the fear of the rejection that came with it.

“I mean we could play board games? Maybe scrabble” he joked, with one of his goofy lopsided grins. In a quick swift motion he placed his arms under her thighs and hoisted her up, pressing her against his waist. “Or I could make out with you? Your call Princess.”

--

Cat slapped his arm playfully, knowing she couldn’t admit to Marcus what she was feeling. This thing between then wasn’t supposed to be effecting her, but it had. She had been wearing the happiness on her sleeve; Sawyer had noticed the smiles, the late nights, and even more. What could she even say to Marcus that would make him understand that everything he did ended up taking her breath away?

“At least you finally admitted I’m amazing.” She says brazenly, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting out a small squeal as he picks her up. Giggling softly, she nuzzles her nose against his cheek. “I think the last option is the best, given our current position...”

_

Marcus felt dizzy with delight as Cat kissed him, he always wanted to be respectful and careful with her. He never wanted to add pressure or make her feel as if she had to be with him, Marcus would do everything on her terms. Any amount of time Cat would give him he would lap up like a dog to peanut butter and say thank you, and these secret meetings felt like his lifeline. 

Being around Cat instantly brought Marcus’ cold and what felt like it was a dead heart back to life. Her fingers on his skin, her body against his, it sent shockwaves through his entire nervous system. Every hair was standing up and his chest was almost aching with the feeling of his heart beating against it. He wanted so desperately to be with her always. 

“Thank you– I showered today maybe that makes me cute.” he smiled, closing the space between them as his hands rest comfortably on her hips. His breath was heavy and shaky as he stared into her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about you all day– all night–.. I couldn’t wait to see you.”

--

Cat had never been interested in being vulnerable, but when Fox made her feel like they couldn’t be anything, it was like something in her broke. She finally had felt something in relation to romance, and it wasn’t like she imagined it would be.

But this? Being with Marcus pushed her expectations over her head. She didn’t realize that this was what it was like being with someone that had mutual respect and adoration for you, even if she did force him into making this a secret. She didn’t like the idea of it, but she also hated the idea of Sawyer making a big deal out of it. Plus, she wanted to keep him to herself, even if it was for a little longer than expected.

“I think a little more than a shower makes you cute.” She admits quietly, relishing the feeling of him being close to her. “I’m here now.” She quips, trying not to show how much his words actually effect her. “And now that I’m here... what are you going to do about it?”

Marcus kept his hood up and his head down as he moved toward the usual meeting place, glancing back over his shoulder every couple of minutes to ensure no one he knew, or that knew him was lurking around. He hated this, the sneaking and lying, the hiding away like it was something to ashamed of– more than anything in the world he wanted to shout his feelings from the rooftops… but Cat didn’t want that and god, he would do anything for her. His boots barely tipped the ground as he continued down the worn down path towards her, like her beauty was a star guiding him through the trees. Once he saw the slim figure and long dark hair he dropped his hood and began to smile. 

“Cat..” his voice was quiet enough to be heard but not loud enough to startle her. He approached her with a soft smile, the kind he kept for her and her only. “Delbaram..” he whispered, reaching her and extending a hand out to cup her face. “You look beautiful…” @laurenchadwell​

There was something about a secret meeting that felt almost forbidden, but what Cat had done wasn’t anything like that. Sure, she had upset some people. She had made Fox jealous, and she was keeping another secret from her brother, but the problem was starting to run deeper than superficial feelings.

Turning her head at the familiar voice, she can’t help the color that comes to her cheeks as he speaks. Moving closer to him almost out of instinct, she leans into his hand affectionately, unsure if she should be showing him how much he affects her; she can’t help it. She leans in to kiss him instead.

Paul refused to leave his costume to the last minute this year.  He wandered up and down the aisles of the pop-up Halloween store, examining accessories, props, and pre-packaged costumes with an unusually scrutinizing gaze.

“Okay, why–”  He sighed.  “Why are the ‘Sexy’ Halloween costumes only for women?  Like, yeah, I get why, but I’m just saying, there’s a huge untapped market.  Like, at least a sexy firefighter!  I mean, that’s right there just up for grabs.  But what do we get?”  He snatched the nearest costume on the rack and brandished it to the poor soul next to him.  “Inflatable sumo wrestler.”

“You’re not looking in the right section.” Cat replies, holding a pack of prosthetics in her hand. “I believe sexy firefighter is underneath regular firefighter. You just leave the top open and slather yourself in baby oil. Get creative.”

Maybe Oliver could have tried to look a bit more normal by slowly getting down from the tree, but the urgency of seeing if his phone was okay caused instinct to kick in. Besides, he always landed on his feet, so it made jumping down from the heights he climbed just another part of the appeal. “Huh?” Oliver asked. “Oh, yeah, I do this all the time. I love climbing, and it helps that I’m pretty good at landing on my feet. I could teach you sometime, you know,” he offered with a grin.

Not only was she surprised that he had made it down in once piece, but by the way he seemed so nonchalant about jumping almost a full two stories and landing on his feet. Scoffing gently at his suggestion, she looks to him again like he may be insane. “You really think I would land that gracefully?” she asks, “I think I’d panic halfway up the tree and give up.”

the dream had changed, so he might be with his family again, he mused silently in the afternoon sun at a crosswalk. thackery fears the day of his death. for his mother, rest her soul, must have been so disappointed in how he’d lived. thackery was far too lost in the nerves of being reuinited with his family on this day. he misteps into the road. a loud blaring horn intrudes him out of these longing thoughts, he grabs back at her hand to bring them both back once more onto the sidewalk. ❝ i am fine,❞ he nods, as the air and dust settle back, the driver was swearing at him, driving on and shaking his head to thackery’s stuttering apology. ❝i don’t know what came over me then, i had no sight of it.❞ the feline in him hates cars strongly, eternal, not etetnal, parked ones would make him skittish for a long time. he’s coiled inward, trembling mildly and checking out their surroundings. ❝ i must thank you, you saved me there.❞

Lauren had always scared easily, so she found herself still holding onto his hand even after the moment passed, not moving because he seemed to be as shaken as he was. “It wasn’t a problem.” she replies gently, keeping his hand tight in her own, “...do you need coffee, tea, anything to take the edge off? It was kind of a close call...”

⇕ = holding their hand

She was in a rush, as usual, but Lauren had always been the kind of girl to look both ways before she crossed the street. Apparently, the man in front of her wasn’t and seeing something was coming his way, she grabs his hand instinctively, tugging him as the car in question slams on their horn. “Are you okay?” She asks, “I mean... I hope?”  

Oliver had been so surrounded by the thick leaves of the tree he hadn’t even noticed Lauren was down on one of the nearby benches until after he heard her shocked voice. He stood effortlessly with an easy grin before bending to pick up his phone. “Oh, hey,” he replied in a smooth exhale, as if it were completely normal for him to be appearing out of a tree. “Not much - mostly hoping my phone’s alright.” Honestly, he was dreading the moment of truth, the phone still face-down in his hand. “Are you alright?”

--

Lauren had always had a flair for theatrics, but she didn’t think Oliver of all people was going to fall out of a tree before her. Trying to shake some of the residual shock away at his question, she nods easily, “I’m fine... how are you fine?” She asks, looking from the tree to the ground, the drop significant, “I would’ve broken something...”

The heat of the day made the tree Oliver sat in the perfect escape. He was far above the heat that radiated from the pavement and surrounded by shade with a cool breeze that passed through the branches to cool the beads of sweat that formed on the back of his neck. Oliver had discovered from a pretty young age that he could climb better than most, and had used it to his advantage soon thereafter. Today, like many days, it was an escape, at least until his phone slipped from his hands and landed with a concerning sound on the ground below. “Dammit!” Oliver called, hopping down to inspect the damage, not realizing someone had been close by when he descended. 

@laurenchadwell​

Reading was becoming a new escape for Lauren. After spending so long waiting for school to start back up, she was falling deliciously back into the habit of reading that she long craved. Even reading academically was something exciting for her, getting her thinking more. So, it didn’t come as a surprise that she nearly leapt off the bench when she heard something fall, but even more as someone appeared to essentially fall out of the tree. “Oh my god... Oliver?” She tries not to shout, as she dramatically clutches her heart, “what are you doing?!”

“Why don’t you ever answer your fucking phone? I didn’t do anything to you. All I’ve ever done is what you asked, and you can’t even call me back once? It’s bullshit!” Vitani didn’t feel the eyes on her until after she’d watched her phone screen shatter against the wall she’d thrown it at. Trying to regain enough composure to seem at least a little sane, she turned to glare at whoever had caught the end of her voicemail. “Can I help you?”

Lauren’s eyes had widened at the girl’s harsh words on the other side of the phone, and she flinched when she had carelessly thrown the device at the wall, making it utterly useless and killing any effectiveness it may have had for the person on the other end. “Oh... no?” She replies, unsure of what to say to the girl before her. “Whoever that was for... they probably deserved it... do you need a coffee?”

❝oh , hello , miss lady, ma'am, ❞ ethan takes off his red baseball cap in her presence the way you would royalty. the hackysack he’d been kicking outside her door for the better part of an hour lands in his palm. he genuinely didn’t expect her to be there at this time of day. ❝ i’m sorry if i disturbed you.❞ ／ @laurenchadwell

Lauren’s face heating at the greeting, she tries not to meet the boy’s eye, knowing she doesn’t look her best, had a bag full of trash in her hand, and she hadn’t even known he was there, let alone be disturbed by him, though it was curious what he was doing in the hallway of all things. “Oh... you’re fine.” She musters out, “Don’t be sorry... it’s kind of a public space, I guess...”