forget it.

 " you remember, “ her response came quickly after his, a smile spreading across her face at the fact he seemed to recognize her ; despite the fact their last encounter wasn’t longer than twenty minutes. with her gaze then suddenly landing on him pushing her money away, her lips puckered together in attempt to restrain an amused grin ; giving him a small shrug in return before sliding the bill back in her purse. “ you think that puts you dangerously close to the prostitution limit ? oh, honey, “ she chuckled, head slightly shaking in disbelief that he’d consider a simple twenty an opening. “ if you were a prostitute, i’d expect you to offer more than twenty bucks for your services, i mean… you definitely have the looks to be conceited and not go below a hundred for a simple bj, “ she continued with a small shrug, before leaning her elbows against the counter to lean herself down like a child waiting for a sugary sweet treat. “ but don’t worry, i’m not here for that. i am, however, wondering if you want to take a ride with me now that you’re technically off the clock, “ she asked, plump lips spreading into a wide, charming grin.

“Course I remember,” Leo assured her - as if he could forget. He had the inkling that Mia wasn’t someone people generally just forgot about. It wasn’t every day that he remembered a customer that came in just for some tulips, there and gone in a blink, “Got an elephant brain. Heard they’ve got pretty good memories.” A smirk played across his features at her compliment. In one moment, Leo was grinning, ready to toss back and forth nice sentiments until one of them grew bored of their game, but in the next his eyes were all but bugging out of his head when he hollered, “A hundred?” It earned him a startled look from someone casually walking past them, but Leo paid them no attention, “Jesus. Shouldn’t have told me that. Especially after gassing me up.,” Before she’d even finished her sentence, he was already standing up from the shitty lawn chair he’d been provided before his shift started, glancing at his watch all the while, “I’m not supposed to leave until my replacement gets here, but they’re late, so. Fuck ‘em. Let’s get outta here,” Acting out an over-exaggerated bow, Leo held his arm out towards Mia, a silent offering for her to loop her own through his if she wanted to, “Hear the Ferris wheel’s where it’s at for all your romantic needs, but I could be convinced to do bumper cars as long as there’s no annoying kids in front of us.”

With her spare hand, Philly smoothed out her skirt - white with a fur trim; like she’d supersized a Bratz dolls’ fit. She had glued the fur on herself - clumps of hot glue just barely noticeable underneath - a proud project. “You’re welcome,” she hadn’t minded Leo’s eyes on her - there’d been years of it from strangers, whether it was her body or the clothes she’d decorate it with. “Do you want to borrow them? I think you’d look grand.” attempting to bat away his hand from her cotton candy - she missed, lips forming a slight pout for a moment before returning to the often blank expression Philly wore, “You don’t know where that’s been.” His disbelief wasn’t surprising - she knew it was a questionable decision, a reasonable reaction to it - still, Philly rocked back on her heels, head tilting, “I told you I was waiting for an opportunity. This is one, isn’t it?” Curiosity had knocked her off the boat - maybe it was Leo’s own comfort in his sexuality and promiscuity that sparked it; or maybe it really was a suitable opportunity in her eyes. Either way, she tore away another piece of cotton candy, “Yes,” she said, without specifying whether it was towards kissing or biting the strangers - pausing for a moment, “If I feel like it. Depends on what color they’re wearing. Do you have a Sharpie?”

“What, the tights?” he asked, still taking them in. Her whole outfit, really. Leo had the urge to reach forward and attempt to remodel an area that had fur barely clinging on, hot glue chunk dangling off the edge of her skirt. In the end, he ended up leaving it - it was admittedly endearing, and when he finally ripped his gaze from her skirt to make eye contact, he was grinning widely, “Don’t think they’d fit me, to be honest. But we can try sometime, I like a challenge.” Leo wanted to make a quip back about her cotton candy, happily eating the chunk he’d torn without much care. However, Philly’s next words had him narrowing his eyes somewhat. Besides her petite stature, there wasn’t much about Philomena that screamed she was in need of protection, and Leo would be quick to claim that he was up in the running for being the least jealous guy he could think of. And yet, something didn’t sit right with him, attempting to shrug it off when he could feel a slight sneer appear on his face, “Whatever. You do you,” was all he said on the topic, grabbing the sharpie at the other end of the table that he’d used to make the faux smoking break poster and handed it towards Philly, “What about me, then? Would you kiss me or bite my tongue off?” While his outfit was far less DIY than Philly’s was, it was still quite a loud one. The rips in his jeans were obviously homemade, the tears oddly placed instead of immaculately torn with care that store-bought ones would be, including one that was dangerously close to showing off his entire crotch. His shirt was neon pink with two different purple shaded hearts inside each other, a cheap thrift store find he needed the day his shirt had been stolen while playing basketball back in Tallahassee, “What’s the Sharpie for? Don’t ruin my poster.”

“It’s okay,” he assured him with a short laugh, smile still present on his face as he spoke again. “I mean, kinda need the comedy. Everything’s been super fucking serious, so…” Shrugging, Zeke plucked out a pill for himself. He’d lost count of the amount he’d taken, but he was meant to do so as needed and with the aches beginning to creep up on him again, he’d decided he did. “Can’t decide if that scenario is better or worse,” he said, dry-swallowing his own pill and wincing slightly as it went down in a lump. “God. Fuck that guy. He’s a pussy. Anyway, not really sure why anyone would think that man walks on water, it’s –…” Trailing off when his eye started to twitch, as if his mind was sending him a signal to stop talking about it, he sighed. “Can you light it for me and not make a stupid comment about it?” he asked, placing the cigarette between his lips. “Probably. It’s been pretty barren in here, wouldn’t be shocked if my dad bought out the fucking tent and is just sending in the occasional actor to make it seem like I’m participating,” he mumbled. “Which is fair, I guess. Had a panic attack earlier because someone moved my chair and didn’t speak to me when I said something. Turned out to just be my dad and he was busy talking to someone, but it was a whole thing so I almost had to fight him away from me.”

“Comedy’s my middle name, so. Ever need a chuckle I’m your guy. I’d say I can be pretty fuckin’ funny, not to jerk my own dick or whatever,” as he spoke, Leo immediately began to pump his fist, action ending wth his fist opening. A lewd demonstration of him actually jerking off, catching the eyes of an elderly couple on the opposite end of the patio who were none too pleased, “Ah, jeez. Aren’t they supposed to be blind by now?” As if he couldn’t move fast enough, Leo scrambled to grab at the lighter that he’d unceremoniously all but tossed at Zeke, feeling suddenly stupid for not thinking to offer to light the smoke himself. He probably would’ve been a douche about it though, tack on an offer to feed Zeke his bottle too, but this was a rare moment Leo knew when to keep his mouth shut, “I wasn’t gonna make a comment. You make me sound like a giant fuckin’ cunt, Zeke. It hurts,” he mumbled, flame igniting and lighting the end of the other’s cigarette. Once Zeke confirmed he had doubts about Leo getting in trouble himself, he took the time to light his own smoke, flinching at the story Zeke recalled from earlier, “What’re those even like?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Maybe not the most sympathetic question, but Leo was nothing if not inquisitive, “I don’t think I’ve ever really, like. Had one. They sound super shitty, so. That, like, really sucks.”

Zeke just barely laughed, the kind of forced sound that escaped in the name of being polite. “My dad’s too old for that shit. Hopefully,” he mumbled, glancing up to Leo. “They’re back at a room in the hotel. I’m in another hotel in a fancy protection program,” he said, gesturing toward nearby officers that loitered simply to interfere if necessary. He knew he was trembling, but he couldn’t stop himself. “It’s weird,” Zeke started, eyes on Leo’s hand on his wrist. The gesture was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. “Feels like I’m talking slower and thinking slower. I don’t think I am, but… I don’t think I am,” he said, shaking his head. “Anyway. Sorry. Pill,” he said, placing it on the plastic table. “Anyway, it’s whatever. Been beat up before, so…” he trailed off, the glaringly obvious fact that he hadn’t been beat up like this before staring them both in the face. “You have a smoke?” he asked. “Think they pity me here, they probably won’t kick me off the patio.”

This felt unlike any other conversation Leo and Zeke had shared in the past. They were close, good friends in Leo’s mind, but they’d never really been all too serious or honest with their emotions. The most intense they’d been with each other was the last time Leo saw Zeke before the other’s world got flipped upside down, and even then they’d covered up any nervous energy with poorly timed jokes and kisses that made him feel 16 and shy again, “Sorry. Dunno why I - no time for jokes. Stored into the back of my mind, seriously,” he knows he’s not always the nicest, knows he can work on his empathy skills, so Leo does his best when he shakes his head over exaggeratedly, finally patting at the back of Zeke’s hand before clasping his own together and settling them in front of him on the table awkwardly, “No, you sound, like. Totally the exact same. Speed and everything. If you’re talking slower then... maybe the whole world’s moving in slo-mo. Ever thought of that?” Plucking the pill off the table, Leo didn’t really think twice before he was popping it into his mouth and swallowing it dry, “Yeah, same,” he mumbled, voice a bit hoarse from the action, “and I’ve never been - this is different. Did you hear Felix chewed up Lana over it? Apparently thinks Danny still walks on water or whatever, so. Trying to think of a way I could chop his dick off without going to jail for it,” As he spoke, Leo was already reaching into the breast pocket of his t-shirt, holding a smoke and lighter toward Zeke, “Think I can get away with it too? Feels a bit like when you take grandma’s car to the mall cause she’s got that wheelchair sticker, y’know? Access pass without the downside.”

Lifting her arms up either side of her, she let her head go slightly slack, mimicking Christ on the cross at his exclamation. “In the flesh,” she managed to breeze despite the fact she had to sniff, afterwards, probably looking completely ridiculous, tears on her cheeks as she impersonated a holy sacrifice. When she went limp again, she was briefly struck with the image of a penis deflating like a balloon pricked with a drawing pin. Her brain often worked in metaphors and random imagery, crudely cutting around her only to paste her into the role of whatever bounced into her skull that day. Oftentimes, it was like yanking on the lever of a slot machine and being awarded three different trains of thought by chance, all of them screeching along the rails together towards an impending collision. “Really? Feel like it’d be, like… scarily big. Two veins that furrow towards the tip like Spock’s eyebrows. Really, um… Really stern, and stuff. Balls all, like,” she drew off, knuckles pressed to her hips as her elbows went crooked, trying to replicate a sphere shape and failing. Swallowing again, Lana had been about to open her mouth, to say that it was fine, really, because she’d already texted Mercy to ask him to pick up, when suddenly he was nudging along the damp of her cheek, ridge of his knuckle marking a dry streak through the tear tracks. “Oh.” She let out a laugh like she’d been caught smuggling crayons down the front of her pants in kindergarten, sheepish and a little unsure. Embarrassment welled up inside her instantly, an angry red blister set to burst at the slightest poke. She hated crying in front of people. Hated crying at all, really. “Um,” Lana began, eyebrows pinching slightly at the way her voice wobbled. She cleared her throat. “God, gross. Blubbering like Mary after she just, like… ping ponged Jesus out of her vag.” Thumb cropping up, she gave a self conscious few swipes to rid any bleeds of mascara. “No, um… I mean, yeah, but… Can you, like, turn around, for a second? This is kind of embarrassing. Sorry, just… Feel like you’re watching me put in a tampon, or something.” Sucking in a breath, she attempted to focus on poking a crumpled daisy with the toe of her cowboy boot, red made far more stark against the pop of white. “Felix just, um… Just lost his shit at me over it, really. It was kind of fucked up.” A shaky swallow. “He’s friends with Danny, so I guess–… I guess he, like… Guess he thinks it’s all my fault,” she exhaled, tugging on her sleeve so she could gracelessly swipe her face clean. “Thinks we, like… Thinks we were in the wrong, not him. I don’t know. This is–… This is dumb, I think I just need a churro, maybe. Maybe I’m just hungry. Losing my shit because I haven’t gnashed one like a beaver, yet.”

If push came to shove, Leo figures he’d be able to spend every minute of every day talking to Lana about absolute nonsense. She was entertaining to a point where Leo was sometimes dumbfounded and impressed with the shit she came up with most of the time, willing to spend time with her more or less to pick her brain than anything else. He liked to think he had a good judge of character, growing a little attached to Lana in his own, private way. It made seeing her like this all the more difficult. Leo could’ve easily clung to her jokes and avoided the parts of the conversation that made her cry, but he still had some sick, morbid fascination with the story behind what really happened, “Oh - uh, yeah,” Leo was actually more than okay with shifting his body so he wasn’t so head-on with Lana, distracting himself momentarily with cutting up the lines on his phone. Working through emotions wasn’t something Leo had ever been good at on his own, let alone attempt to understand what the hell someone else was going through, “Didn’t mean to stare. If it makes you feel better you’re one of those girls that manage to look pretty even when they cry. Have you seen Jennifer Lawrence crying? The Loch Ness Monster quakes every time it happens,” Lifting the edge of his neon pink t-shirt, Leo used the bottom corner of a poorly etched purple heart to swipe across his nose, grossly wiping sweat off his face with a huff, “Felix?” he scoffed, sniffing once his shirt lowered again, “God, you shouldn’t listen to him. He’s, like, the biggest pussy I’ve ever met. Labia flapping left, right and centre whenever he enters the room. What’s he even know about the whole... thing. Lana,” Placing a hand over Lana’s knee, Leo leaned in a bit closer so that his words properly drilled home, lips pressed into a firm line, completely unimpressed with the news that Felix of all people felt the need to get involved, “his hair looks like a pineapple. And if we’re being completely honest here, I don’t think he knows where the clit is. Or what it even is. You’re seriously, like... totally above listening to a dumb fuck like that.” Returning to the blow scattered in neat lines across his phone, Leo tugged a dollar bill out of the front pocket of his jeans, nudging at Lana’s same knee with his elbow, “Never answered me. Want any? I’ll buy you a churro after. Actually, I’ll buy you three. So that I can eat the third one.”

“Not sure. I mean, I’m not your boss or anything,” she replied, legs swinging lazily as he platform sneakers brushed against the grass, disturbing the dirt. Glancing up to him as he stood, she widened her eyes theatrically. “Not quite tree status, but definitely a good cactus,” she said with a nod of her head. She didn’t have the chance to reply to him before he was moving to take the pill from her mouth, something no one would pay any mind to in a booth meant just for this. However, she didn’t really consider how desperate she’d come across, laughing at the thought when he pulled away. “You should consider doing this for a living. Lots of benefits,” she continued. “Never done it before,” Ruth finally admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “Had to share the wealth and the high. Couldn’t be the only one.” Ruth’s eyes narrowed at Leo, tilting her head. “You used to come here in the summer sometimes,” she stated. “My brother said he fought you.”

“A good cactus. Sounds like you’re talking directly to my dick. Cactus is what they’d call my movie instead of Teeth - that girl who had teeth in her conch and whatever?” Although the intimacy of the last few moments still lingered in the air, Leo still somehow managed to find a way to ramble about the most off-putting things he could think of. Still leaning in close, Leo’s brows furrowed at Ruth’s confession, though a small grin still remained. When he realized what she’d meant, Leo blinked once, letting out a gentle, “Huh,” before matching her shrug, “Long as you don’t start... I don’t know, seizing. Ever had a seizure before? Usually, you piss yourself. That’d be embarrassing,” As if that weren’t obvious, but Leo still tilted his head and raised his brows after his sentence, giving her a look that acted as punctuation for a few long moments, “Whatever. You’ll be fine, it’s fun,” Matching her narrowed eyes, Leo couldn’t help but be slightly stunned when she brought up a truthful fact about him he didn’t remember sharing, “Your brother?” he asked, trying to run through all the people he’d fought during his multiple stays at Livingstone, “What’s your last name?”

Zeke could feel Leo staring at him harder than he normally would, exhaling shakily as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yeah, well… Pretty much was,” he said. Zeke was a lot of talk, but he didn’t throw punches often. Sometimes he’d tried, but more times than not, he would get his ass kicked. He was used to it at this point and most of the time, Cas had to fight his battles when he wasn’t fighting him. “Nah, he’s… I think he went on a date with my mom or something. Romance isn’t dead,” he said, snorting as he rolled his eyes. “Lap it up, then,” he said with a smirk, shakily digging through the fanny pack he was forced to wear in his condition to retrieve the pills. “They’re hard to cut in half because they’re capsules or whatever,” he said. “But you can try.”

Leo flinched at the other’s reply to what was supposed to be a joke. He didn’t blame Zeke for hardly playing along, the mood dimming noticeably when Leo picked up on his tone. This was one of those moments where having some sort of filter or understanding of proper social cues would’ve really come in handy, “Oh, shit! Date night! Your old man’s ‘bout to get fuckin’ laid,” he drawled, grateful for the mild topic change, “How long’re they here for? Where’re they crashing? Your place? I hope they fuck in your bed.” Maybe a bit too far with the joke now, chewing at his thumbnail while he watched Zeke shakily rifle through his fanny pack. It was a moment of clouded worry that was the excuse for Leo’s next actions - bruises and cuts faded with time, he saw them on himself almost every other day, hardly even caused him to blink now - but the shaking, the reminder that Zeke wouldn’t be in top shape for however long, it was enough to make Leo reach across the table to grab at Zeke’s wrist just as he started to pull his hand out of the fanny pack, “I’m, like. I mean - this is fucked. And shitty. And... blegh. Whatever, I just wanted to say I’m actually super fucking sorry. About what happened.”

Lips twitching, it’s hard not to smile at the other’s insult, his eyes darting upwards as he swats a fly from the air before his face. “What so now I’m a pussy because I don’t want to kiss you?” A brightness to his step, Seth existed in states of bored anger and a boundless kind of energy that lit his eyes with mischief. “That’s prejudice on like so many levels, man.” Eyes lingered on Leo for a moment longer before following the line of his vision to the girl in the cotton candy booth, stare narrowing on the figure beside her. “Forreal? Shit, man, I thought that was her brother.” Although what kind of brother slid their hand into the back-pocket of a denim booty-short? A fucked up one, perhaps. Seth had clearly mistaken affection for something like the protective way he’d yank Mia close to his chest, or else Elodie, though he hadn’t seen her bare feet and mid-summer camisoles in years. “Reckon I could take him,” Seth remarked, lying through his teeth. “It’s not about size, man. It’s about pressure points. You get someone’s neck? Their wrists? Easy. That’s the first thing they teach you if you train as a Doorman.” Another odd job he’d stuck at two months before hanging up his shoes and moving on, fickle as the tides on a surfer’s ideal coast. “Man, you fucker, going for the Bud Light and not the Heineken. It’s fine. Didn’t want Heineken anyway.” The sip of his beer he took was pointed, stare fixed coldly on Leo before he split into half-baked laughter. “You look like Kylie Jenner.” It’s far from the truth, though Leo with his lips pursed is clownish yet somehow endearing. “You’re always jonesin’ for one, ya’ fockin’ drog addict–” Seth commented, attempting to imitate the Big Lez Show and then visibly cringing at the appearance of a college girl at his left — presumably Leo’s replacement. “Uh– not like, an actual drug addict. S’all good, my man. Woman.” A heel-turn had Seth bolting from the situation. It was wise to be out of there before the blonde could even comment, his free hand hooked around Leo’s elbow, tugging him towards the back of the tents where the smell of Churros wafted from a nearby stand. “Man, I am such a fuckin’ gimp sometimes. What the fuck was that?”

Grateful that the other merely responded to his quips with a fresh one of his own, Leo merely waved at Seth as if he couldn’t be bothered with him, even though he was glancing back up from his phone to deliver his words properly, “Yeah, just a bit. Bit of a pussy,” he explained, index and thumb pinched closer together to further visually demonstrate his words, “Jokes on you, don’t even really know what prejudice means. Spent more time ditching English class for McDonald’s soft serve than actually learning fancy shmancy terms. So tell me - how is that prejudice?” Leo’s leaning in close again then, elbow on the booth’s table in front of him and chin in the palm of his hand, saccharine pseudo-smile and raised brows feigning interest in the impromptu lesson he’d demanded. In the next moment, his eyebrows were furrowing at what he could only assume was a joke. There was no way the couple he’d pointed out could’ve been mistaken for a brother-sister duo, unless Seth was really that oblivious. That didn’t seem to be the case either, but what did Leo know? “What?” he scoffed, the more Seth drolled on and on the more lost Leo felt. Sometimes, conversations with the other boy had about 20 stopping points before they finally found their destination, and by then Leo usually ended up blinking as if he’d just been blinded by a sudden light, unsure of where to even start, “Pressure points?That’s a load of bullshit, I don’t believe in that stuff. That dude would crush you like... like a toothpick, my guy.” Merely shooting Seth a light thank you, voice purposely raised an octave or so to impersonate Kylie Jenner, he watched with interested eyes as the other stumbled for the second time during their conversation. It felt a bit better knowing that the joke that’d gotten an odd look flashed in Seth’s direction was at his expense - served him right, “Mama didn’t give him his morning bottle today -,” Leo started to explain, ready to toss Seth further into the grave he was digging himself, but before he could really carry on with the joke, he was being tugged away by the elbow, “Jesus - I got big clumsy feet, jackass, warn me next time,” he huffed, despite no heat behind the actual words. In fact, laughter was already spilling like excess dregs of milk lapped at haphazardly by a kitten to a saucer, shoving Seth by the shoulder once they were in the safety of the behind-the-scenes of the carnival, “Dude. What’s wrong with you? Foot in mouth syndrome or something? God, it’s a good thing you’re pretty or I’d, like. Seriously be worried about you. And your social life. Je-sus.”

“You seem to be having the time of your life, who knew kissing was so exhausting?” he questioned with no intention of getting an answer. He laughed. “Only 5? That’s the cheapest date I’ve ever had. In fact, no, that’s a lie. I once went on a date that cost me a pack of love hearts in kindergarten. We went to the sand box, super romantic.” Tommy picked up the sign to inspect it further, glancing at it like he was an art critic and this was the next Mona Lisa. “Well… I guess we know you don’t have a career in graphic design… Sorry…not sorry.”  Pressing his lips together in pursed manner, he placed it back onto the table. “Chapstick is a staple of mine, hope you like strawberry flavoured, delicious.“

“So you’re comparing me to a date you had in kindergarten that cost you a pack of candy mommy probably bought?” Maybe it should’ve brought offence in tail, but by the end of his sentence, Leo was chuckling at the thought. Plucking the sign from the other’s hands, the frown he forced onto his face was a bit pathetic. He was a bit high and more than a bit drunk, it was hard to even feign a bad mood at this point, “Shut up, it’s not like I was trying. Did it out of the goodness of my heart and shit. Feel like I’d get in trouble if I up and ditched, so. You’re welcome for the heads up,” he defended, carefully placing the sign back from where Tommy had grabbed it, “Strawberry? Shit, huh? Breaking boundaries and whatever. More of, like, a signature cherry flavour myself. The whole typical brand nonsense usually gets the job done, so y’know, but I’m all about trying new things. Pretty sure that’s what Lewis said to Clarke too when they had enough of spit-roasting Sacagawea. Took one for the team and just went to town on each other, gave her a break. Real thoughtful dudes.”

Balloon darts was a decidedly more difficult job than Philly was anticipating - not that she couldn’t have handled it, but after the terrible incident involving the gauged eyes of a stuffed animal prize and a crying child … she’d been decidedly moved to a position where she was less likely to emotionally scar the children. “You’re very cheap,” Philly noted upon walking up to the booth, a nod and a faint smile following suit - fingers pulling apart cotton candy to shove, gracelessly, into her mouth. It was more like she’d walk out of a clown house - rainbow striped tights running up her legs and triangles painted underneath her eyes; it was clownin’ time. “Oh - that’s me. I’ve been reassigned here.”

“Thanks,” Leo said blandly, despite the fact that he was grinning at the comment. Eyes trailing down Philly’s form, it felt like her entire outfit was a discombobulated mess, like every section of her belonged to a different cartoon character and they’d merely slapped each part onto her as an experiment, to see how it would turn out. Leaning forward, Leo pinched at the fabric right beside her knee, letting the material stretch somewhat before snapping back into place, formfitting along her legs, “Nice tights,” he snickered, still reaching into her space to pluck a piece of cotton candy and shove some into his mouth. Leo was lucky that cotton candy all but disintegrated within seconds of touching the tongue, had he been eating anything else he probably would’ve choked, “You’re replacing me? You. Seriously?” Leo hadn’t meant to sound mean, but merely a few days ago Philly was explaining to him how she’d never kissed anyone outside of the steamy peck she’d apparently shared with a frog at the tender age of - what was it? 14? 13? “And you plan on... actually kissing these people or? Just biting their tongues off and making them pay for it?”

it wasn’t until one of her friends pointed out the kissing booth ( and it’s hot maintenance ) that mia actually realized she recognized the guy as the one from the flower shop downtown a couple of weeks ago ; which not only explained her walk over, but the $20 she held in her hand as she reached the booth. sucking in her lips as she awaited for him to actually look up, her hand slowly reached forward to place her money on the table. “ what can i get for a twenty ? “ she asked in an awfully innocent tone, head moving to a side before a mention of a break came into a discussion. “ chapstick ? don’t think so, i only carry lipsticks for whenever i need a touch up and my lips are like… rarely dry, “ 

It took Leo a few moments before he could place the face to a name - or more or less a location, since he’d never actually gotten the name of the girl in front of him last time they were face to face, “Oh shit,” he blurted, before even noticing the $20 she was sliding towards him, “tulips.” Glancing down at where her hand was still pressed securely to the bill, Leo rose a brow, an amused grin appearing all the while, “Keep it,” he insisted, fingers brushing against Mia’s as he pushed the money back towards her, “feel like that’s way too generous. Plus I’m technically off the clock, so. Think $20 makes it dangerously close to prostitution. If you showed up five minutes ago guess it would’ve been legal prostitution, but. Anything you want now’s gonna have to be for free.”

“Ah, wonderful. Knew you’d find me,” Zeke said, sat up uncomfortably straight as he stirred a spoon around in his Sundae cup. “Know who brought me? My dad. Fucked. He actually came to town and he’s like – He’s still here. Waiting on my brother to get back,” he continued, exhaling as he tossed the cup on the table in front of him. “Anyway, I’m on like the most insane painkillers I’ve ever had. Feels like my brain’s melting. Want one?” @leofcwler

“It wasn’t that hard. You look like Hulk Hogan’s personalized punching bag,” Leo mumbled, leaning in closer to eye at a particularly nasty cut that still had stitches poking out of the healing skin above Zeke’s eyebrow, “Is he at the carnival now? Would love to meet the old crock, pick the brain of whoever the fuck raised you,” In an attempt to keep his hands busy instead of reaching forward to gently thumb at the swollen bruises and red, angry flesh on Zeke’s face, Leo grabbed at the sundae the other angrily tossed onto the table haphazardly, “Hey, careful, there’s still some hot fudge at the bottom. Wasteful asshole,” he chastised, lapping at the spoon’s tip where he managed to scrape more of the sugary topping from the edges, “Yeah, sure. Who doesn’t love a good brain melt? What are they? Can you, like, cut ‘em in half or something? Feel like I should be somewhat decent by the time the carnival’s done tonight, don’t want my family to think I’m off my rocker again.”

Until Leo had clocked him, Seth hadn’t even realised he’d moved in the direction of the booth at all. One moment, he saw the lad aimlessly scrolling, and the next was like waking up from a blacked-out fever dream, Seth stood inches from the booth with no recollection of walking there. “You what?” he muttered, pushing a hand through his hair, eyes darting about the other’s face for any sign that he was taking the piss. “Nah, nah– it’s cool, I’m not—” stomach twisting with embarrassment, awkward was a rare colour on the lad who always had an ace up his sleeve, a line at the back of his mouth, a smile on the tip of his tongue. “You’re a funny guy, Leo, but I’m not gonna’ kiss you,” Seth jumped in, almost too defensively. “Gotta keep my lips soft for the hot piece of ass in the candyfloss booth. Just wanted to see, uh, like what’s up with you? You want a beer? I double-parked and now neither of my hands are free.”

There were a few people that Leo had jotted down in the back of his mind, the group small but fun to mess with, and Seth stood out stark and contrasting, right dead in the center. Leo had already begun to snicker gently when the other stumbled over his words, brows rising as Seth attempted to push out the rejection, “Alright, pussy,” he replied with a shrug, smile still on his face as he turned back to his phone, assuming that was it. However, the mention of the hot piece of ass in the cotton candy booth piqued Leo’s interest again, neck straining as he leaned around Seth to properly glance over in the direction of where she would be at, still working away at the booth, all smiles and waves to the younger kids that came by, “Is that not her boyfriend working in there with her?” Leo asked, pointing out the boy stood beside the girl in question, hand tucked discreetly into the back pocket of her shorts that hardly left anything to the imagination as it was. Had they been standing right in front of the booth it wouldn’t have been noticeable, but from the side angle they were at, it was the first thing Leo saw, “Good luck, he kinda looks like if The Hulk and The Thing had a love child. Burly fucker, huh?” Finally glancing back at Seth, the childlike gasp of excitement at the mention of beer slipped past Leo’s lips on their own accord, fingers dancing for a second before reaching eagerly to grab at one, “Dude, you’re the best. I’ve been suffering over here. Absolutely McFreaking parched. One chick literally, like, suctioned all the moisture out of the entire carnival when we kissed an hour ago. Thought I looked a bit like that pipsqueak from Monsters Inc., y’know the one that gets his lips vacuum suctioned and all the sudden they’re ginormous?” he rambled on, making a momentary duck face to help jog Seth’s memory, “Think I’m okay, though. You got any plans? Think the person taking over’s gonna be here any second, want a line after? We gotta sneak to, like, the back area so my family doesn’t see but I’m jonesin’ for one.”

“I don’t have chapstick, sorry sweetheart,” Ruth replied, before climbing over the table that Leo sat behind, keeping her tennis skirt pressed to her thighs in an effort not to flash anyone in the process. “This is cute. Classy. I love legal prostitution,” she said cheerfully, plucking out a tiny Goofy-shaped orange tablet from the change purse that was hung on her wrist and gleefully showing it off. “Do I get out of a charge if I share?” she asked. 

He probably should’ve said something when Ruth climbed onto the table, knew he’d get in trouble if they were caught. Instead, his gaze lingered on where Ruth’s hand was pressed to her thigh in an effort to stay somewhat civilized and classy in public, smirk appearing at the sight, “Yeah, totally. Don’t even think they’d say anything if we just stripped here and went to town in front of everyone. Free show, if anything!” Letting out a pleased him at the tablet she showed off graciously, Leo leaned in automatically, “For you? Would’ve been free of charge anyway, but sharing is caring, so.”

@leofcwler

Romy had been hoping to ride the carousel at least, she was depressingly bored and wanted to amuse herself by flinging bits of popcorn at passersby while she was spinning on the tiger, but the line was far too long for her attention span. She’d decided instead to find a different ride, snaking through the crowd, managing to snag a wallet or two to add some bills to her growing roll, dropping the couple of empty wallets in her wake. She only stopped when she saw the short ride for the slingshot, bright smile on her lips when in the same moment she spotted Leo walking by. “C’mon, you’re riding this with me,” her hand reached out for his, tugging him along towards the end of the line.

Rubbing at his nose, complete lack of subtlety on display in his fucked-up state, Leo stumbled out of the open area that contained several porta-potties for the carnival-goers. He didn’t manage to make it very far, dragged off by Romy before he had really put two and two together, still buzzing with a fresh high as he followed her willingly, “You been to the porta-potties in this place? I’m surprised with how clean they are. Didn’t even snort up an ant or anything.” With practiced ease, Leo threw his arm around Romy’s shoulder, looking the perfect image of a couple on a date despite the fact that they hardly knew each other, at least sober that was, “Hope I don’t totally vom all over you. Wouldn’t really be a cute look, all I’ve eaten the last few hours is a fuck ton of cotton candy. Actually - maybe it’d come out all colourful then. Totally aesthetique!”

Perched on top of an unopened crate in the behind-the-scenes section of the carnival, a small cove away from the main hub of commotion, Lana thought she’d gotten away with it until she heard a shudder of infrastructure, shoes trampling up grass as someone slipped through the crack into the closed off space. Apparently, some of the carnival workers had taken to sneaking smokes in the spot when their shift wasn’t over, and someone must’ve been bursting for a leak, too, because a patch of grass west of her cowboy boot smelt vaguely like freshly streamed piss. Half an hour old, if she had to estimate. Not that she was a professional park ranger, on the matter. She wasn’t even sure why the thought crossed her mind, but it had her picturing herself as Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park before she snapped back to focus. “Whoa, hey,” she inhaled sharply, fingertips swiping at her cheeks before she flashed a billboard worthy smile. Even in the dim light, it was fairly obvious that she’d been crying. Once she recognised it was Leo, she felt the need to sit a little straighter, gently clear her throat. “Caught me. Just, like… Just tried to guzzle this magnum dong of a hot dog. Ate it really fast, felt like I was deep-throating Jason Momoa. Really… wild. Just thought I’d, um–..” Deciding it best to ditch the lie while she was ahead, Lana flipped the script in an attempt to divert the focus. “You having fun?” @leofcwler

In a last-ditch effort to desperately huff a few lines while his family wasn’t looking, Leo found himself stumbling behind a practically abandoned ride, the lack of hubbub promising as he patted as his pocket to check and see if the blow he still had was snug there. It was difficult to have any fun when his aunt and uncle were practically breathing down his neck a few booths over from where he’d been stationed, their flowers up for grabs to anyone who could beat the highest score in ski ball. He’d wanted to say something about how the prize was a bit lame, considering no one really wanted to cart around flowers for the rest of their night, but. He’d snuck away from them, when they thought he was months sober, so he kept his thoughts to himself, “Oh, Jesus,” he blurted when he rounded the corner and saw Lana perched on the top of a stack of crates, clutching at his chest, “you freaked me the fuck out. Whatcha doing back here?” Leo had no qualms about bringing out the coke in front of Lana, amused grin spreading across his face as she rambled one in typical Lana fashion, “Feel like Jason Momoa’s, like, got a total microdick or something going on. Wouldn’t that just be a real zinger?” he asked, pouring the powder onto his phone that he placed beside Lana, “Yeah, whatever. Guess so. Feel a bit like I’m being more babysat than anything. You want some?” Finally glancing at Lana properly for the first time since he’d come closer, Leo’s brows knitted together when he noticed how swollen and red her eyes were, reaching forward of his own accord to rub the knuckle of his index finger against a damp spot she’d missed in a rush to hide any evidence of tears, “You’re crying,” he said, no need to form the statement as a question when the answer was obvious, “Is this - Zeke texted me. Told me about what happened. Sorry, I... didn’t even put two and two together you must still be fucked up over it. Is that why?”