Is that really you?

"You know that's what I say all the time, People like Us play an essential service, we create smiles." Obviously amused with herself at this, her nod though was confident in her point. "You'd think history would be kinder to sex workers, but nope. God forbid anyone like making money with their bodies." She'd honestly never understood the stigma, but she had weaponized it and extracted entertainment from it on more than one occasion. Then again, there weren't many occasions she wouldn't milk for money or entertainment. "If you're a saint does that make me the patron goddess of horny men?"

There weren’t a lot of people Leo felt comfortable talking about all of this with, but Naomi was one of them. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or anything, but he just didn’t usually get comfortable enough with someone to truly reminisce about some of his…well, sluttier stories, for lack of a better term. But Leo owned it when he did. Like Naomi, he didn’t understand the stigma. If everyone was a consenting adult, then who gave a fuck? “There should be prizes for exceptional services like what we provide people in need,” Leo said, grinning at his friend. “I mean, I got no recognition for helping this guy through a tough time. And let’s be honest, do you really think horny men need a patron goddess?” Suddenly an idea came to Leo, and he said - which seriousness that surprised even him - “You know, there should be an app for that. Like…an app for people going through a tough time who just need someone to come and really rock their world. And then they could rate you, and you’d get more lucrative offers the higher you’re rated.” This has started out as a joke, but now honestly Leo was thinking it might actually be a good idea. 

"I think the last time we saw each other was in high school," she replied, trying not to look at the man who had just been so aggressive towards her. When the waiter brought the tequila shots, she took one for herself and held the other toward her savior. "I admit, he's a real jerk," she admitted to the man. If he said something like that, it meant they were safe and the other asshole had left. "I'm Natalie, thank you for saving me," she introduced herself and raised her glass towards the man.

Once their drinks had arrived, Leo raised his glass in turn, clinking it against Natalie's. After taking a sip, Leo asked, "Do you have to deal with that shit a lot? I've only lived in town for a short time, so I'm not sure how much of a problem that is outside of the bar I work at."

A rough chuckle tried to break free. "I'll take Sleepin' Beauty 'cause I can' say I hate waking up ta yer kiss," he accepted as he tried to sit up in bed with a groan. He reached out and weakly wiped the tears from Leonidas' cheeks. "I feel like m'gonna be hurtin' for a good while once they unhook me," he told him truthfully, cupping his cheek momentarily before letting his touch slipped back to find Leonidas' hand. He chuckled gruffly, wincing softly at the tail end. "Sorry 'bout tha'. Ya should ge' another fourteen years outta me again f'these patch jobs hold up s'good as tha last ones," he darkly joked, giving his hand a weak squeeze.

When he pulled back this time, Leo just laughed, the surreality of the situation just growing by the second. He’d just kissed JP again - twice. “I’m gonna start calling you Aurora, or maybe Briar Rose,” Leo teased the man. “I think those are both her names somehow. Super real talk, but I don’t totally remember the lore. I’m gonna have to think about which one suits you more.” Right now Leo was leaning one way, but he’d have to test it out first. He smiled at JP’s touch, reaching out to brush his hand through his hair. “We better be getting a lot more than 14 years out of you, babe,” Leo remarked. “But I guess if you want to reenact Sleeping Beauty again, Briar, then I’ll just have to play Prince again. Obviously that’ll be easy for me though.” As he said this, Leo laughed, feeling a little delirious with relief. 

"Awww you never told me you did charity work. That sounds real kind of you, though the ones with something to forget usually do like to get fucked the hardest. I bet that was the easiest sainthood initiation there ever was." Despite how easy it was for her to catch Leo off guard, the pair of them were somewhat like peas in a pod, and he got her in a way a lot of people didn't. Sure he was a nicer person than she was in a general sense, but her understood her because next to his niceness was a bitch streak just like her. A book end opposite her, but the books in the middle were the same.

Leo definitely liked that he could let out his bitchy side with Diamond. Truthfully if he didn’t find a way to expel it regularly, it turned him into a bit of an asshole, and Leo preferred to just be quietly aloof. So really Diamond was providing an essential service to Carroll, at least to the people who interacted with him regularly. Maybe that was why they vibed so much. Smirking at his friend, Leo replied, “Oh trust me, that was exactly what he wanted and exactly what he needed. He left smiling, so I did my duty. Like I said, literal saint.” The truth was that Leo did actually feel good about that encounter not because the sex had been fantastic (though it had been). He was just glad to help someone through a hard time, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Leo knew what it was like to lose someone you really loved. “Definitely the easiest sainthood initiation, though trust that I worked hard during it,” Leo said, a cheeky grin on his face. 

"Please, you think I listen when half these guys try and tell me their sob back stories like I'll fuck them out of sympathy?" Her laughter was mirthful in it's amusement at the misconception of some of these pathetic men.

Leo laughed at Diamond's words, still somehow amazed and surprised at her bluntness. There were many things he could say about his friend, and one of them was that time with her was never boring. "I mean, if you did, you'd be fucking multiple guys a night because I bet they all do that, or most of them, whether or not it's true." Leo knew a lot of creeps would say whatever they needed to in order to get laid Was Leo any better? He never lied or manipulated people into bed, but he had ghosted more than one after the fact...more than several actually. "Fuck fact, but I've actually fucked a guy out of sympathy," Leo told Diamond. "I met him at a bar after a funeral. He was cute, and he was sad, and...well, he said I could make his night better, and how could I deny him that comfort? I'm a saint." Leo paused for a moment, and then he just laughed.

Who: Open

The day had been exceptionally difficult. First, a dispute with the publisher over her latest book, then a consultation on possible murder methods, and finally, another aggressive fan trying to arrange a date with her. Going to a bar and getting high was what Natalie needed most right now. Everything would have been going according to plan if it weren't for that one guy at the bar who didn't understand the word no.

Natalie quickly glanced around the bar, took three deep breaths, and moved toward a table where only one person was sitting. She risked getting a good shouting match, but this seemed like the best way to escape. "Sorry you waited so long for me. I tried to get here as quickly as I could," she said. And before the stranger could say anything, Nat stopped a waiter passing by the table. "Two double tequilas, please."

A few minutes later, Leo saw he was right to leave it when the woman approached his table. He'd seen this move before and had even been part of it, much like he was now. "Oh, hey," he said, unable to muster much inflection; this had caught him off-guard. But then he noticed the guy watching them, and Leo managed to smile, saying with more conviction, "Shit, how long has it been?" He looked past the woman to the man who was now glaring at him, and Leo held eye contact until the guy left. Once he was out of earshot, Leo said, "What an asshole."

Not sure why it would be nice to meet Russell but he took it anyway. "I'm guessing you want to join me for a burger?" Not that he minded having company from a handsome fella. "I don't see why the hell not.." Keeping things mutual. Still walking at his side and reaching his truck that was parked on the street. "C'mon. My treat." Already unlocking his truck motioning to get in. "Drive you home to if you want after."

They reached Russell’s truck, and Leo grinned, nodding. “I’d love a burger, yeah, but I’m mostly coming for the company,” he replied. “And maybe after you drop me off, you could come inside for a drink. Least I could do for you after buying me dinner.” There was more he could do though of course. Leo opened the door to the passenger side, climbing inside.

Walking in step with Russell now, Leo said, “It’s nice to meet you, Russell. I assume Rusty is off the table?” He liked how that sounded though. “You know, a burger sounds great right now,” Leo decided, and he meant it not just because Russell was handsome but also because he was suddenly very hungry for a veggie burger. 

The words drifted in and out. Quiet beeps were interjected between Leonidas' voice. A soft chill ran through him. His mouth tasted like bile and his chest ached dully, though the pain teetered on the edge of more, kept at bay by the drip of pain med from his i-v bag.

"Please wake up."

His fingers twitched against Leo's hand. His eyes started slowly opening. His hand gradually closed around Leo's as he woke up. He groaned softly as he tried painfully swallowing, his throat drier than the desert. He tried lifting his free hand to rub at his chest, only to have it restricted by the IV. He blinked a few times, his vision blurry, as he tried to process where he was as he slowly looked at the tubes and wires all around him before finally letting his gaze fall to Leo at his bedside.

You need to get it together, Leo thought, wiping his tears away with his free hand. JP didn't deserve for Leo to be losing his shit right now. JP needed his rest, he - fuck, did he just move his hand? Leo looked at him with wide eyes, and yeah, he definitely moved his hand. "JP?" Leo asked, breathless, watching as the man shifted slightly. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze, silent encouragement to keep moving it, to keep shifting, to keep coming back into the world. "JP, love, please wake up," Leo whispered softly, bending down close to his ear. "It's me, it's your Leo, your lion. I'm here with you. You're safe. You just have to wake up." He gave JP's hand another squeeze, and when he saw the man's eyes flutter open, fresh tears rolled down Leo's cheeks, this time with relief rather than despair. "Babe," Leo said, his voice cracking on that single word. The sound of his name on JP's lips was the most perfect sound Leo had ever heard, and he couldn't help himself: he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the man's lips. It wasn't passionate or deep, it was soft and tender, almost as if JP needed it to fully come back to the world. Laughing, Leo remarked, "This feels a little like Sleeping Beauty, doesn't it? Or Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, I guess, but I hate that movie, so we're going to go with the first one. I guess that makes you Aurora." Leo knew he was talking nonsense, he was just so relieved that JP was awake.

"Let me call the nurse," Leo said, pressing the nurse's call button, and then he leaned forward and kissed JP again, this time on the forehead. "How are you feeling, babe?" Leo asked. "You know, you scared the shit out of me. I'm going to give you a stern talking to when you've got your strength back."

Then going on about talking to a stranger about her problems. Almost breaking but not quite. "There's a rumor that my dad kissed my sister's best friend. Family fighting about stupid shit." On top of that one of her best friends left for rehab, just after her brother returned from it. Not fully able to process that they weren't both here and they both had similar issues dealing with it differently. "Last time I asked questions about something in this family, my dad told me to mind my own business. I love my dad but..he shuts me out."

As he listened to Saffron, Leo’s eyes widened. “Your best friend?” he asked, shocked. “Like someone your age?” As long as everyone was a consenting adult, who gave a shit about age gap romances, but Leo didn’t think he could have a thing with someone his daughter’s age if he were in Saffron’s dad’s shoes, at least not one of her friends. That felt…kinda gross. “Did you ask your friend about it?” Leo wondered. Then he knew was playing the part of the devil on Saffron’s shoulder when he said, “You know, there are other ways to find things out about the family. It’s called snooping around.”

A small smile on her cheek. "I'm sorry you gone though that, you probably hear that a hundred times, but I do mean that." Knowing a few friends who had come from a broken home, she understood. No family was perfect. "I'm trying to drink less. Alcoholics in my family but I have more control than they do." She joked. "I try to keep myself occupied these days. Tonight I just...needed a drink or two."

Waving his hand dismissively, Leo said, “None of that. It’s been 20 years since I had to worry about foster families.” He didn’t add that he was only 35, so he’d run away when he was 15. “All those years on my own taught me to take care of myself,” Leo went on, “but yeah…alcohol helps.” He’d been planning to make some sort of joke about being an amateur alcoholic, but after hearing Saffron’s comment, it didn’t feel like she was the audience for it. “You know, if it helps, you could tell a stranger what led you here tonight,” Leo told her. “Sometimes it’s easier than telling people you know.”