nothing personal

Once again, Remi hid the blush on her cheeks by burying her face in the crook of her palms. “I was a perfectly good slide buddy, you would’ve been lucky to be my playdate,” she said, her words muffled by her hands. Her parents really hadn’t done her every favors back then and had made it very easy for the other kids to come up with insults. She chuckled, peeking between her fingers and fully removing them when he assured her she didn’t look as awkward now as she did then. “Alright, no need to stroke my ego. Not terrible to look at is pretty much the only compliment I can handle.” She almost added that anything more might cause a sneeze, but knew that would only egg him on. This might’ve technically been a fake date, but she did want to spare herself as much embarrassment as possible. “You had curly hair? Damn, I bet that was adorable. It does make me feel slightly better to know that we were both cursed with frizzy hair. Was that what you meant when you said you’ve always been stuck in your brother’s shadow?” She had a twin brother who was perfect at everything he did, so she understood what it was like to be practically invisible in your sibling’s presence. “No, I guess it wouldn’t be fair. Tell me about her?” The brunette was curious to hear what exactly his type was and what had been the final straw with her. They both seemed to be on a sharing streak, so now was the time to get her questions out of the way. Well, some of them. “Isn’t that what you meant when you said you got with girls who were just looking for a ‘really’ good time?” She asked him with a playful grin. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who went home with a different girl every night, but she was still getting to know him and she couldn’t pretend to know the inner workings of his relationships. “Oh, shut up,” she said with a laugh, tempted to flick him right in the middle of the forehead. Thankfully, the waitress appeared with their food and saved him. “Starving. You gotta at least try the pickles.”

“Not with those braces you wouldn’t have been,” Leo said, shaking his head to sell his point. However, given his lighthearted tone, he was only joking. Truth be told, he could have done with a few more friends growing up. “It’s barely even a compliment” He added, and it made him wonder what would happen if he paid her a true compliment and not just a statement of fact. In order to avoid any sneezing, Leo decided it was left best to another time. “Yeah, I did have curly hair” Leo nodded, almost as if he was remembering himself and regret sank in since he probably shouldn’t have told her that. “I still do kinda, it’s just tamed by a lot of product” he grinned, if only because it was mostly true. “My brother liked attention –– he’d jump off swings, start fights, talk back to teachers –– I mostly blended into the background” In reality, he and his brother just had two very opposing personalities and Michael’s tended to shine a lot brighter than his own. Letting out a scoff when Remi asked him to tell her about his ex, Leo almost considered leaving but figured honesty was the backbone of friendship and perhaps if Remi understood his past relationship then she’d leave his love life alone. “She noticed me” Not many people did that, especially when Micahel was also around, “I don’t know, she’s a free-spirit, like me. We both liked chasing a feeling and somewhere down the line, she left. Lied about a lot of shit and we never worked it out” he shrugged. Of course, there were a lot of details he chose to leave out but for the most part, it was accurate. “I don’t sleep with every girl looking for a good time” In fact, Leo tended to be quite picky. Did he make out with girls for the sake of feeling whole again? Sure. “I ain’t trying a pickle. I’m happy with my fries.”

WHO: @leoxemerson​

WHERE: vibe

“I know you like looking like the toughest of guys around the block, and you keep my girl Remi under her toes, but I know of a place that you could look even more tougher than you do already,” Georgie teased the male as she leaned on the wall by his side, sipping on her beer as the music blasting inside of the place could still be heard, even with the doors closed. “And I have an uniform that I am sure would make you look like a real catch to the ladies,” and keep some of the creepers away. Georgie teased the idea once more, joking about him being her private security at her store, even though she clearly didn’t need one. Not when Rupert still insisted on hanging around scaring all the creepers away – as he liked to point out.

Leo stood outside of Vibe like he always did –– arms crossed over his chest, a hard expression plastered across his features and eyes straight ahead. Even as Georgie spoke, his movements didn’t falter despite the fact that he nearly grinned at her words. “Prison? Because been there done that, don’t plan on going back” Leo said with a shrug. As she continued though, Leo momentarily looked her way with a faint smile of amusement, “I don’t need help becoming a catch for ladies, do you and Remi really think I can’t score my own dates?” He asked with the raise of his brow, “Also, not really big on uniforms so it’s gonna be a tough sale but I’m listening.”

The blonde, of course, feigned surprise when the word came out of his mouth but, she had some vague memories of picking up a few packs of weed here and there. Obviously, she’d been too smashed to remember ever having had an encounter with Leo at Vibe, and entering his contact into her cell phone. Riva cleared her throat daintily before she paused, after a moment, she continued, “I suppose we’ve met before?” She posed lightly before she added, “I uh– I killed my neighbor’s plant. I’m looking for something that could replace it, and I just need something to help me relax.”

Was it unusual for people to call him and have a very vague familiarity with who he actually was? Yes. Probably a lot more common than he preferred but given the lifestyle he chose, it was part of the gig. “Yeah, I suppose we have,” Leo said with a grin unbeknownst to Riva. It didn’t take too long to truly remember the woman since unlike a lot of other people who showed up at vibe drunk out of their minds or on something, Leo was usually fairly sober due to work. “I’d say you need a lot of somethin’s to help you relax” he added, “But yeah, sure I can help you out with the plant. Give me an address and I’ll drop by with the good.”

It was no surprise to see Leo strolling into his studio — Tony and he went way back, having been friends since their days in Brooklyn; he’d done a couple of tattoos on him, Leo was a most gracious plug…it’d blossomed into an unexpected friendship for Tony. He returned the greeting with a similar nod before settling down on to the stool before Leo. “I think you’re ready, too, man,” he huffed with a feeble grin. His friend’s tense mannerisms weren’t lost on Tony, but he decided to remain quiet and avoid any prying. As was customary, he went ahead with prep work, pulled on black nitrile gloves and began assembling needles and the machine as he began, “All the time, man.” In all honesty, Leo’s question unanticipatedly blindsided him and he found that his voice came off much more emotive than he’d hoped — there was a real poignancy to the way he had come off. He immediately thought of his parents. “The only thing keepin’ me here is this damned studio. Business is good, y’know…” he confessed, “otherwise I woulda gotten outta this fuckin’ Candyland town long time ago…”

Reaching over to the side table, Tony snatched a rumpled carton of cigarettes and slid one out with the corner of his lips. Extending his hand out toward Leo, he asked, “Smoke?” Patting down either side of his pants for his tattered Zippo lighter, he fished the piece of metal out of his pocket and lit up before he held his hand out with the lighter as well. “What’s your excuse?”

Truth be told, Tony being in Devinstone seemed to be the anchor he needed these days. Like a reminder that this wasn’t his home and he didn’t owe the people there anything. However, given his stay was extended it seemed fitting to visit an old friend and perhaps add a little more ink to his canvas. Reaching into his pocket, Leo tried to straighten out the crumpled piece of paper that held the logo of one of the pubs he’d been frequenting the last few months –– a simple crown design with two swords down the center. “Well, business is about to get a hell of a lot better since turns out I’ll be sticking around for the rest of the year” Leo wasn’t quite sure if he was happy about it or not yet but he was glad to know he had at least one familiar face around to come to when he needed to. 

When Tony offered a cigarette, Leo took the liberty of pulling one out and popping it between his lips. He couldn’t turn down a smoke, that much was certain. He took the lighter and lit up his cigarette before returning it. “Business” Leo answered the question rather simply with a chuckle. It was always business that had him all over the place. “So is there anything worth sticking around here for anyway? Can’t say I’ve been mingling with the locals as much as I should.”

Leo taking in that picture was enough to cause a little itch in her nose area, almost pulling a sneeze out of her. Thankfully, the picture itself seemed to be embarrassment enough for her today. “It’s cute? I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you who’s willing to lie to preserve whatever’s left of my dignity,” she said with a chuckle, pulling the phone away from him as quickly as it was presented to him. “It’s hard and yet I somehow managed it. What did you look like at that age? Please tell me you’d already mastered the Grease haircut by age 10.” Remi flashed him an understanding smile, even though his dating issues weren’t ones she could relate to at all. “Maybe you should join a dating app with me then. There’s a ‘looking for a serious relationship’ option on there,” she said playfully, knowing that may not be what he was looking for either. “Seriously, though, maybe you should just stop sleeping with girls right away and like… takes things slowly. I don’t know, I’m no expert on dating.” With a laugh, she tucked her hands back on her lap and left his hair alone for now. It was too perfect to mess up anyways. “I don’t either, so thank you for seeing past all the awkwardness,” she told him with a shrug. Narrowing her eyes at him when he brought up the pictures again, she pulled her phone closer to her chest. “No way. What would you even do with it? Blackmail?”

“C’mon, I ain’t joking. It’s cute. I mean would eight year old me wanna take brace face down the slide? Absolutely not.” He said with a smirk, still only messing with her a little. Besides, he couldn’t judge children too harshly, especially when Remi was a cute kid and a very attractive woman now. “Besides, puberty caught up with you, and you’re not terrible to look at right now” That much had been true since he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her despite the fact he tried to look away each time he caught himself lingering a bit too long. “I wish but no. I was a curly-haired kid, I don’t know, I didn’t get picked on a lot since my brother was kind of a bully back in the day” he said, laughing at the thought of it now since their roles seemed to reverse over the years. Now it was Leo who blindly defended his brother when he needed to. “I’m not looking for anything right now” Leo clarified, “Truth be told, I’m still trying to get over an ex. It doesn’t seem fair to go around dating someone when my mind’s on another person” That seemed like a dick move and as much as Leo often fit the bill, he wasn’t a complete asshole. At least not when it came to people’s feelings. “What makes you think I sleep with girls right away?” He asked with the raise of his brow. It wasn’t usually the case. When he had that itch it got scratched but most of the time he chose to focus on business and ignore pleasure. “I’d look at it whenever I have a bad day and know things could be worse –– I could be this kid with braces and frizzy hair” he grinned, still teasing her. He was sure she was about to reach over and slap the amused look off his face if the waitress hadn’t returned to bring their food. Picking at his fries, Leo stared down the massive amount of food and shook his head, “Hope you’re hungry.”

“You’ll regret that real quick,” she said playfully, pulling out her phone and scrolling through her pictures for a few seconds before sliding it his way with a picture from elementary school open. It was bad, to say the least. He clearly thought she was exaggerating, so she watched him carefully as he took in the picture. “So? Still think I was dateable back then?” She could admit that she’d grown into her looks (and her ears, thank god), but she would be seriously delusional to think she could’ve won any pageants back then. “You don’t? What kind of women do you usually attract? My curiosity is piqued now.” There seemed to be a story behind his words, but she wasn’t going to push unless he volunteered the information himself. If he wanted to share, she was certain that he would. Remi hid her face in the palms of her hands, trying very hard to hide the blush on her cheeks when he questioned the sneezing. “Yeah, I sneeze and if you keep this up you might just get to see it for yourself,” she warned, although that might be a bit enticing to him. “We’ll see what you say when I can’t stop sneezing and people start looking at us weird.” Her eyes drifted up to his hair before she burst out laughing. She wasn’t that surprised to hear he used products in all honesty. No one’s hair defied gravity the way his did without a little bit of outside help. “I want to touch it so badly now, I have to warn you.” After the hair confession, she really didn’t expect such a truthful confession. She frowned slightly as he described himself, not really recognizing the man she had gotten to know. “Well, I won’t pretend I know you all that well, it’s not like we’re best friends or anything, but I’ve felt pretty comfortable around you since day one and I’m not the most sociable person,” she told him, averting her gaze. This kind of conversation made her profoundly uncomfortable and that was yet another reason she was undateable. “What I’m saying is I don’t find you hard to be around.”

Leaning over to take a better look at the photo on Remi’s phone, Leo couldn't help the grin that soon began to lift his features. Truth be told, he did think that Remi was exaggerating but it as clear that she wasn’t. However, despite the braces, he still stood by the fact that it was a cute photo. “Alright, yeah, I can see how that’s embarrassing but, c’mon, it’s cute” He defended, “It’s hard not to be cute when you’re that age” he shrugged his shoulders as if that was a good enough defense. Remi’s question had him chuckling to himself almost immediately. What kind of women did he attract? All the wrong ones apparently. “I don’t know, girls who are looking for a really good time” Not a relationship, not a date, not anything really other than the fun that came with hanging around someone like him for a night. “I don’t know, might need to keep it up since I’m kinda skeptical still,” he said, giving her a playful glare as he stayed silent for a few seconds in anticipation of a sneeze. However, when she failed to sneeze, he decided to move on. “You touch my hair and I’ll kill you, now stop,” He said, backing away as much as he could in the booth before laughter gave way. “Thanks,” Leo said quietly, it was more of a compliment that she probably thought, at least to him. “I don’t usually make friends wherever I go” he admitted with a sigh, which was why he was so surprised that he seemed to make at least one –– her. “But since I’m sticking around longer than expected, it’s nice to have someone I can make fun of for their embarrassing school pictures. Honestly, you gotta send that to me, it’s too good” he teased with a smirk.

The blonde hesitated for a moment, not immediately recognizing his voice but, with a little jog of her memory, she recognized the voice and she felt a little more at ease knowing who she was talking to and why he was in her contacts list, of course, the doorman of Vibe would be in her contacts, duh. At first, Riva hadn’t put two and two together when she’d responded to his question, “Well, I just happened to come across you in my contacts, I was curious as to how you got there.” She smiled, it was apparent in her tone, “But, we obviously met at Vibe, since that’s what you’re saved under here: Leo (VIBE). I don’t know.” She was getting more agitated, both with herself and recalling the monstrous day she’d had to deal with.

Truth be told, Leo had a growing list of names when it came to people at Vibe who were interested in more than just dancing and alcohol. Most he forwarded to his dealers in Devinstone but considering how boring tonight was, he decided to take the call. “If we met at Vibe then I think what you’re looking for are drugs” Leo clarified, smirking to himself since he was finding the conversation a little amusing. “So what’s your poison?” He asked, figuring she must have called because she needed a hook-up on something or another.

who: @leoxemerson​

when: monday night

what: closed starter

After another weekend spent at Vibe, the blonde had been nursing a hangover for the most part of Sunday, and had arrived at school on the Monday morning wearing her oversized sunglasses and carrying the largest thermos of coffee she could find. The day, for Riva, had descended into its usual madness, with parents questioning test scores, homework having not been assigned, an abundance of detentions and a handful of expulsions, all she wanted to do by the end of the day was go home and really relax. 

The plant her neighbor had grown in their greenhouse hadn’t survived the days he’d been gone from Devinstone, and that was partly Riva’s fault for not remembering to check in on it; what was it, a baby?! So, she found she was down weed and her neighbor was down a plant, as she scrolled the contacts in her cell phone -she’d contemplated giving Abraham a call to see if he had anything that could be passed off as weed- when she came across a name she did not recall inputting. 

Riva gave the number a call and waited on baited breath, she had not yet had enough wine for it to be considered a good idea to call an unknown LEO (VIBE). She assumed she would know his face and possibly his voice when he answered the call, “Leo? Hi, I’m sorry to bother you…” She quickly blurted as the call connected.

Despite being fairly new to Devinstone, Leo had already begun to adopt a routine. Most nights were spent working at vibe where he was able to let some of his dime bag boys into up some sales. Most mornings were spent at the docks to arrange shipment plans with business partners. Tonight, Leo found himself on a rare day off at his apartment. His idea of relaxing included watching the news over a glass of tequila and tortilla chips. Just when he was about to grab himself a refill, his phone rang. Not recognizing the number right away, Leo was hesitant to answer the call, but eventually, he managed to put a face to the name and picked up, “It’s alright. You need somethin’ from me?” He asked, his tone neutral. That’s usually how his calls went for the most part. People needed one thing or another and he supplied it. It was more of a transaction than it was a friendly conversation, that much was certain.

Despite being in Devinstone for quite a while now, Leo still hadn’t found his footing. Truth be told, he was only expected to stay a few months and confirm a supplier for his brother but now that business was booming he was directed to staying longer and making Devinstone another one of their hubs of activity. Of course, Leo was disappointed by this news since he just wanted to go back home to Brooklyn, but never one to complain, Leo took his brother’s orders with grace. Thankfully, he could find a little bit of Brooklyn here ––– like Tony’s tattoo shop. Leo had waltzed inside with a sigh before greeting his old friend with a nod, “I think I’m ready for some more ink” He began with a heavy sigh. Another long shift at Vibe would be expected tonight but for now, he was looking to let off some steam, in this case, he wanted a new tattoo to grace his skin with the others. Taking a seat in one of the chairs, Leo rubbed his temple, “I don’t know how the fuck you’ve managed to stick around this town, I’m missin’ New York right about now” He sighed, “Don’t you ever miss home?”

“Is that what does it for you? Shall I get the elementary school pictures then? You’re in for a treat,” she said with a laugh, not at all intending to show him anything from that period of her life. She was kidding, but it had truly been a terrible, terrible time. There was no way that little girl could hold a conversation with a guy, let alone date one. Even in high school, she looked a little awkward. She only really blossomed in her twenty and it was far too late for her by then. “Of course you haven’t. I’ve seen how women flock to you at Vibe, I’m sure that happens everywhere you go. The world is your dating app.” It was about more than his looks too, he just kind of oozed confidence in a way that she was nowhere near mastering. This entire evening was a testament to how charming he was. She was on a ‘date’ and hadn’t stuttered or stared at him awkwardly once. “Oh god. Talking about them is definitely a first date faux pas, but… sometimes when I get really nervous I start sneezing. I can’t tell you why, but it happens every time, without fail. I also snort when I’m laughing too hard, I’m always cold and haven’t met a flight of stairs I haven’t fallen down in. And now that you understand why I’m undateable, feel free to make me feel better by telling me all about your weird quirks.”

“Yeah, totally,” Leo said sarcastically with a smirk. He truly doubted those photos would be all that embarrassing. Truth be told, they were probably more adorable than she realized. Besides, it was hard to be completely hard to look at in elementary school, that much Leo was sure of. That and Remi never seemed to give herself enough credit, it wasn’t outrageous to think she was doing the same when it came to her looks. Leo shook his head with modesty at Remi’s next comment. While Leo knew he wasn’t terrible to look at, dating was very different than attraction. “I don’t seem to be attracting the right kind of women, unfortunately,” Hookups were easy to find, but Leo had never really been interested in something so meaningless. He had always been far too sentimental for his own good, the fact that he was still hung up on his ex who not only lied to him but also left him high and dry two years ago, was a testament to that. “You sneeze?” he repeated since it sounded too ridiculous to be true. Letting out a soft laugh, Leo shook his head at her, “None of that screams undateable to me” And it didn’t. It had to be something else. He’d figure it out sooner or later. Sitting there, Leo tried to think for a moment. What were some of his weird quirks? “That’s a hard one to answer since obviously, I don’t think any of my quirks are weird. But alright, fine... I use way too many hair products. Probably more than you and the entire staff at Vibe do” he grinned, “And...” He paused before coming to a stark realization, “You know people tell me I’m difficult to read. Difficult to get to know. I’ve spent the last almost fifteen years being my brother’s shadow. Protecting him, making sure things go his way. I guess my worst quirk is being a hammer –– no emotions, no sentimentality, no sense of morality. Just a hammer that defends and hits” Leo shrugged his shoulders, “I think that makes me undateable a lot of the time. You can’t invest in someone you don’t know.” However, Remi was someone he let in, at least a little. She managed to see sides of him that many people didn’t. 

“I don’t really know. I really should be more comfortable in social situations given my job, but here we are. I was an awkward kid and got into dating pretty late in the game. Seriously, I had frizzy hair, braces, and really thick glasses,” she told him with a grin. There was probably more behind her uneasiness when it came to dating and social situations in general, but it mostly came down to inexperience. “Also, knowing I’m shit at it doesn’t exactly put my mind at ease. Just so you know, by my standards, this is actually going well.” Most likely due to the fact that Leo was her friend and she felt comfortable enough around him. “99% looks, 1% terrible jokes.” Remi nodded in agreement. Feet were really gross. Usually stinky and almost always dirty. “Couldn’t agree more. I think most people agree actually and I would think that’s why they need to meet people on apps and then surprise their dates with their gross kinks.” The brunette hadn’t answered quite as seriously as he did and she found herself a little surprised by his honesty. “Well, I may be the most awkward person you’ve ever met, but I’m definitely not a liar. I would’ve hidden all my weird quirks a lot better if I were. Supermodel good looks, though? Check.”

“Frizzy hair and braces –– hot” Leo said sarcastically. Truthfully, he couldn’t imagine this version of Remi even if he tried. It was as clear as day that she was an attractive girl despite her awkward tendencies. Leo didn’t consider himself an expert at dating either. He dated a lot when he was younger but nothing real had ever come of it. The one relationship that had meant something to him had blown up in his face in the most terrible way. It left him far more guarded than he had ever been, hence going on this fake date with Remi instead of going on real ones with prospective women. There were plenty of opportunities, too, but Leo had never jumped at the shot. “I’ve never used any of those apps so I wouldn’t really know” He admitted with a shrug. He liked meeting people the old fashioned way. Because he was a natural observer, meeting people in person proved the best option so he could weigh the pros and cons. “I don’t know, what other weird quirks do you have?”

flaws/strengths - bold which applies to your character

His question didn’t help the nervosity any, all the opposite. Was he making her nervous or was the general situation making her nervous? Even she couldn’t really tell at this point. “Shut up, dating makes me nervous,” she muttered, focusing her gaze on the napkin in front of her that she started folding into tiny pieces. “I’d be nervous if I were sitting in front of a plant probably, so you can imagine how I feel when I’m with attractive men.” Remi opened her mouth, about to give him her security number when she realized he was kidding and that even if he wasn’t, that wasn’t something she could actually share with him. “I never knew you were such a comedian. You’ve got real talent.” She gave his actual question some thoughts, trying to figure out which moment has been the worst during her plethora of shitty dates. “Alright, this one guy showed up twenty minutes late, which was pretty bad to begin with, and then spilled the coffee I’d been drinking while I was waiting on my sketchbook. Also, there was this Tinder guy that complimented my feet a second into the date,” she said with a cringe, shaking her head at the memories that were flooding back to her. The waitress came back then, putting the food in front of them. “Your turn.” 

“Yeah, I can see that dating makes you nervous...” If only because it was so blatantly obvious in her every move, “But why?” he asked, still trying to figure it out himself. Dating was supposed to make people feel like something good was coming their way, at least that’s how Leo had always thought. Plus he thought she’d calm down just a bit considering this wasn’t some sort of blind date, they were both already friends and had known each other for a while. “Thanks, told you I ain’t all looks” He grinned. Waiting for her to answer his question, Leo reached over to take a sip from his soda as Remi went on, “Lotta foot fetish guys on those apps, personally, I don’t get it. Feet are pretty gross” He shrugged his shoulders. Leo didn’t have to think very long when the question was turned around on him and answered quite seamlessly “Anyone who lies to me is a huge red flag” It seemed obvious and probably not as humorous as her answer but it was the truth. “Be upfront and honest with me, that’s all I really need in a girl... you know, aside from the supermodel good looks” he said with a smirk.