... so no head?

Lana was grateful when she saw Lucas, knowing him through Emilia and the fact that a friendly face was helping made it all less embarrassing over all. “I mean.. I can be clumsy Luke but you know I’m slightly more graceful than knocking over the majority of a display..” she pulled a faces laughing herself.  She picked up a couple more boxes and stood up, dusting herself off with one hand before putting them all of the hook, lucky for the help as it was now completely put away,

“I honestly haven’t ever come on a Saturday before so I have no judgement. I’m only here to pick up the latest Crystal City comic. But I think theres some Avengers game release this weekend.” holding up the comic in her hand shaking her head in disbelief. “Have you never been here before dude?” kinda shocked because she’d thought Lucas might have been into this kind of stuff.

“But do I really know that? Hmm...” He gave a thoughtful hum, clearly joking as he continued to smile at Lana. “As they say, the proof is in the pudding.” Lucas gave a dramatic juggle of the last couple items he’d scooped up, as if that proved his point, before chuckling lightly. He was only eighty percent sure that he’d even used that phrase correctly, but it still felt wildly satisfying to say.

“Ah, that would do it.” He nodded sagely, straightening up to stack the last couple card packs and boxes alongside the ones Lana had put away already. “If there’s even a rumor about some new Avengers thing, the whole internet implodes. -- I’ve never heard about Crystal City, though...” Lucas tipped his head, trying to get a better look at the comic’s front when Lana showed it off. He shrugged a little, no familiarity striking from the cover art. “Yeah, no, I’ve never been. I’m not really big into comics.” Or reading in general. “But I might’ve tried to swing by here sooner if I’d known they had board game stuff, too.” He nodded specifically to the display they’d just picked up, wondering for a moment what other gaming things they had mixed in with the Marvel and DC merch. Glancing back to Lana, his brows lifted a little, grin going cheeky. “I had no idea you were a comic nerd.”

“Yep… super hot” she said rocking on her heels. Shiloh looked down and let out a groan, taking a step towards him she pushes her bags into him for him to hold, “Come on” she said as she started with the treck back to her car. After a few steps she looked back to look at him, “Do you want to drink?” asking casually, more than she thought she’d be capable of.

He may have offered, but it was still a surprise to have the shopping bags thrust at him without much warning. “Op, yeah, okay --” Lucas snagged the handles, adjusting his grip before following after Shiloh in the direction of her car. He hung back only a half step behind, brow furrowed in an unfortunate squint from the sun overhead. “Uh, sure...?” He answered with a head tilt and tried to cover his questioning tone with a sloppy shrug. “What were you thinking?”

-

the two boys were more alike than they may have looked on the surface . the two of them both made some interesting piercing decisions in their younger years , they wasted days watching movies and playing video games , and they also had a sense of humour that meant any conversation felt like a high-stakes tennis match of quips and jokes at each other’s expense . “ well she’s not bright green and she’s a little bigger than a frog , but honestly who knows ?? you gotta meet legs at some point though – ezra hates him , and sometimes i pop him into the shower shelf next to all the shampoo and just wait for the carnage . it’s a marvel i still have a wife after everything i put that girl through , “ stepping back , he allowed his friend to interact with buffy as much as he saw fit . it took the responsibility away from jaden for a few minutes at least – as much as he loved balancing both an amphibian and a canine it was rather exhausting whenever his leg was kicking up a fuss . “ what are you doing out here anyway ?? no offence , but you’re sweating like niagara falls and not in a good way .. maybe stick to the air conditioned gyms from here on out , “ 

“Only a little bigger than a frog?” He repeated back, raising a single brow at his friend. “Dude, how giant is Legs then?” Lucas grinned and shook his head, dismissing the joke of a question while Jaden carried on. His attention dropped back to Buffy, scrubbing up the short hair along her back and making sure to scritch behind her ears every so often while still listening. He huffed a bit of a laugh, “Dude, even I would freak if I found a frog while showering. Totally a divorceable offense.” He was tempted to mention that an even bigger scare would be to lift the toilet lid and find any sort of amphibian just chilling in the bowl, but he didn’t want to give Jaden any ideas -- plus, there might’ve been some correlation between toilet water and animal cruelty, he had no clue. “I dunno if there’s a good way to be sweating like Niagara Falls...” Lucas was already counting on hopping directly into the shower by the time he made it back to Redcliff Street. He shrugged a little, giving Buffy’s head a few more pats before pulling himself to stand again. “I was feeling restless, y’know? Sorta antsy, so I thought I’d go for a run. I’m already on the cool-down now, at least.” Only because he’d cut his run in half. “I’m just kinda... still trying to actually cool down,” he chuckled.

Looking down she looked at all of her bags and made a laugh, one she tried to make normal but turned awkward. “Good… good” she said with a nod and almost forgetting he asked her something else. “Oh yeah, just running some errands and stuff” Shiloh said biting her bottom lip. The next moment she had no idea what to do next, just say okay bye? For some reason she liked standing here with him, “How have you been?” she asked not even thinking before she said it.

If he had any question about whether or not Shiloh was feeling as weird about their abrupt meeting as he was, her awkward bubble of a laugh cleared it right up. They were definitely on the same page. His head bobbed along a slow nod. “Good,” he both answered and echoed. “Just, y’know, trying to survive the summer and everything. It’s been crazy hot out lately.” Was that where they were at now -- discussing the weather? Lucas internally cringed as he finally let himself look away from Shiloh’s face, instead glancing to the multiple shopping bags that she was juggling. “D’you need any help with that?” He offered, gesturing out. “Like, getting out to your car or anything? That one there looks like it’s about to bust.”

Lana always did this.  Whenever she knew the newest instalment of Leo’s comic book was out she’d go and buy a copy - sure, she knew if she asked, he’d probably give her a copy but that wasn’t the point. She was feeding her friends success, and she was happy too. Daily Planet was busy, of course, it was the middle of a Saturday afternoon so it was buzzing with throngs of different people. The comic tucked under her arm, Lana was browsing some film memorabilia when she was nudged by a teen brushing past her quickly, knocking down a board game display. “Crap” she sighed and bend over to pick up the random things that had fallen on the floor. She saw a pair of feet leaning over one of the boards causing a shadow and she looked up sheepishly. “I promise this was an accident..” 

@slchat​

For a first-time visit to Daily Planet, it was turning out to be a whole lot more eventful than Lucas had expected. “Whoa,” uttered as he took a few skittering steps backwards, trying to avoid the avalanche of merchandise that toppled from a nearby shelf. Too curious to just continue on with his browsing, he turned at the end of the aisle to spot the culprit already in a rush to pick up the mess. Lucas snorted and easily returned her smile. “Well, I’d hope it was an accident.” He shrugged while stooping down to help. “Unless you really get your kicks from cleaning and organizing or something, I don’t think anyone can blame you for a little accidental bump.” Collecting a few boxes of what looked like dice and extra game pieces, he hung them back on their metal hooks while taking quick glance around. “It's majorly packed in here, though, is it always like that? I didn’t think it’d be so busy.”

“Y’should ride me sometime.. I’ll show you what a good dick looks like.” Callan offered with a mischievous grin, his eyes wondering up and down Lucas’ body for a second, before laughing along with his friend. “Advanced skills? Do you not use toys? Fucking hell.. You’ve got a lot to learn, dude.. But no, there was no-one to hook up with. I don’t think my dick has met my hand so many times in two weeks. You have to bust one out every day, right? Sometimes twice a day.” He shrugged and proceeded to walk over towards the cashier, deciding that both himself and Lucas were done with the shop. “I’am curious about all the bad dick you’ve had the unfortunate task of riding, though. That’s just hilarious.”

@lucasburke​

Shiloh was running around town all day; finding things for her parents, looking for decor for the studio, and trying to find the new bottle of tequila she wanted. Finally looking up she saw him. Of course when she looked like this and out of breath he was there. Her first plan was to turn around and run away, but she realized it was too late to run. Clearing her throat she tried to give him the politest smile possible, “hi” Shi said to Lucas.

No matter how many times they crossed paths, Lucas still never expected it. Even when mutual friends were involved, he managed to remain blissfully oblivious to the possibility that he could see Shiloh literally anywhere in Silver Lake. And this time around, it just so happened to be when he was mid-text argument with Connor, one of his roommates, about what proof of vodka was best to soak gummy bears in. The world worked in mysterious ways... Lucas glanced up from his phone to survey the shelves, but he nearly did a double take when he spotted her. “Uh,” he stalled out for a split second, unable to hide his surprise, “hey, Shi.” Phone slid into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie, he matched her smile and then forced it wider for good measure. “How’s it going? You look... busy.”

( ☆  𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏’ 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏  / open starter @slchat​

jaden was still getting used to his new prosthetic leg . it was something that he’d only had the privilege of for the last couple of months and , although for the most part he hobbled along fine , there were moments where he was rather clumsy and fell behind groups of friends – or in this case it was his dog . something else he relied on was going for long walks to clear his head , filling time in the hours that ezra was off at work and now having to satisfy their new puppy’s need for constant walks . with buffy ( their sandy colored pit bull ) tethered to a leash he struggled to keep up behind her , eyes on the dog , not realising that he was about to collide with another person until it was too late . “ shit , sorry . sorry . “ he chuckled , clearly a little dishevelled , overwhelmed , clutching the leash so their pet didn’t make a run for it , “ she’s pretty feisty whenever we let her out . a big pup like that needs a lot of exercise , “ 

“No problem.” Lucas didn’t even think before he spoke, words impersonal and automatic as he made to step around the other, more focused on regulating his short breaths. He had no clue why he thought it’d be fun to go for a run in the middle of August, but that foolish urge was officially squashed -- endurance training was not his friend. Too busy daydreaming about frozen Gatorade and A/C, it wasn’t until he glanced down at the wiggling canine that recognition struck. “Oh, jeez, hey.” Lucas stopped mid-step and lit up with a grin when he looked up to spot Jaden. “I didn’t expect to run into you today,” he started, as if that much wasn’t obvious by their literal collision. His attention was drawn right back to the excitable pit bull, already offering his hands out to her as he started to crouch without any worry. “And I’ve been dying to meet you. -- I’m gonna take a wild guess and say this is Buffy and not Legs, right?” Asked jokingly, glancing up at Jaden again.

“Honestly? Same.” In all honesty, Ophelia found people who didn’t weird. Not only they gave you the opportunity to buy something you’d actually like, but they didn’t expire for the longest time. You’d never know if you found a useful thing you needed. Some people thought it was an easy way to get a present, but she always appreciated them and a simple card more than elaborated gifts of no use. Laughing lightly at his words, the blonde smiled. “Ah, that sounds amazing though. I’d love one, maybe I’ll have my kid make me one. The process of making it sounds fun. My dad was so bad with gifts, so we always gave each other gift cards. It has the same sentimental value to me, though others don’t see it that way.” Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled. “See? That’s the spirit. I bet he’s going to love it. I know I would.” 

It was a little bit of a shock to find out that she had a child, mostly just because Lucas’ interactions with functioning adults who had their own families were few and far between, limited to bagging their groceries at Trader Joe’s. Some of his surprise probably showed on his face, eyebrows briefly jumping while he managed to bite his tongue and not actually blurt anything too moronic. “Yeah, I like that,” he continued to agree, head bobbing. “Gift cards are like a step above cash. Personal enough to know where you like to shop, but maybe not exactly what you want. Not that I’d ever turn down cash as gift, either, but... you know.” He chuckled a little before mirroring the blonde’s shrug. “Seriously, thanks for the tip. I don’t think I would’ve made that leap into thinking about music options unless you’d mentioned it. -- You’re not having any kind of book dilemma that I can pretend to help you out with as payback, are you?”

“Well done, man. Porn on the internet does exist but.. have you ever ridden a good dick? There’s nothing better then having a good toss while also playing with one of these bad boys.” Callan informed, slapping the silicone against the palm of his other hand. “Discreet? Come on man.. Do you really think I give a shit about buying a new dildo? I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks. Why should I? Everyone masturbates.. You can’t deny that.” He shrugged, before eyeing the toy in Lucas’ hand. A mischievous grin filled Callan’s expression as he thought for a moment, though before he could offer Lucas a playful whip, it seemed he’d already managed to hurt himself. Immediately, Callan had fallen into a state of laughter, amused by the situation. “Jeez, dude. You’d be fucking awful in the bedroom!” Callan laughed.

“How cold do you reckon the water is?” Tyler questioned pointing at the lake. It was a hot and hazy summers’ day and the sun’s rays bounced off the water but he’d spent enough summers fooling around by the lake to know that appearances could be deceptive. “I bet I can last longer in there than you can”

“It can’t be that cold...” Bearable, he would guess, but Lucas still didn’t look all that enthused about jumping in. There was something about the stillness of lakes that was just... too eerie. “Dude,” he scoffed jokingly, “I was a lifeguard for three years --” at a water park, “-- I could so outlast you.” Even as he grinned, though, his feet stayed firmly planted on the shoreline, arms crossed over his chest. “How ‘bout you go first and I’ll time you?” He suggested feebly. “Way more accurate that way.”

Happy birthday, dweeb. 

[Also enclosed is a $50 Gamestop giftcard]

LOCATION: Good Vibrations.

“I see your judgemental eyes, man.. But if you’d been stuck in some place for two weeks without a single dick in sight, the first thing you’d do is treat y’self to a brand new dildo.” Callan spoke with a smirk against his lips. “And besides, I deserve this beaut.” He’d only returned from his rehabilitation twenty four hours ago, now Heroin free. It felt amazing to be honest, though some things with Callan will never change. He continued to eye the selection displayed out in front of him, before still deciding on his first choice. “Right, I’m done. You getting anything or should I just pay?” 

“Dude, no judgement at all.” Except... maybe just a little. He eyed the toy in the other’s hands dubiously. “I’m just kinda amazed sex shops are still a thing. 'Cause, I mean, the internet exists?” Under no circumstance was Lucas about to admit that he knew what Bad Dragon was while standing beside an oddly classy display of personal massagers. He shrugged, idly twisting the tassels of the leather-handled toy he’d picked up somewhere between the door and now -- the less insertive, the less intimidating. “Wouldn’t it be way more convenient to just order this stuff online? Quick shipping, discreet... probably a wider selection, too.” Not that he was trying to knock local business. Lucas took a quick glance around to make sure no employees were lurking nearby before he snorted at Callan’s offer. “Nope, this is all you. I’m solid with my CVS condoms.” He made to give a cheesy thumbs up, but the movement had a strand of leather flicking up to snap against his chin. “Ow, fuck--” Lucas winced, knuckling his chin while dumping the flogger on a random shelf. “I’m gonna be a liability if we hang here too long.”

Thinking about it for a moment, Ophelia shrugged her shoulders. She always preferred getting people smaller gifts and throwing a gift card in the box, so they could choose what they liked to get themselves. “Then what about a book about baits?” She questioned, looking up to him. If he liked fishing, a book like that could be useful. “Ah.” The blonde let out when he went on to explain, “I see. Still. I personally always get people a gift card, it saves my time and energy. No one has complained so far.” Nodding her head, she moved her hand to brush a few hair away from her face. “Yeah… I love them. They can look good on your wall, not to mention, if it’s an old classic you can invest in getting a vinyl player. There are some really cute ones. So aesthetic.” 

Lucas was already nodding, another small shrug rolling through his shoulders. A book on bait or any sort of fishing tips might’ve been more useful than his first few picks, but there was a good chance that Taylor would’ve taken offense. He may not have been up-to-date with his brother’s current hobbies, but Lucas knew for sure no one wanted advice from their little sibling. “I love getting gift cards,” he enthused. “My family is pretty against them, though, or -- my mom is at least. We even did the whole ‘only homemade gifts’ thing for a while, too... It’d probably be pretty embarrassing if I tried to send my brother a macaroni self-portrait now.” It felt decided as he looked away from the rows of shelves to give the blonde a thankful smile. “I think I’m gonna go in the vinyl direction and try to find a shop that has something he likes. And if he doesn’t have a record player, I guess I’ve got Christmas covered, too,” he chuckled.

“Yo, have you checked Citizen?” Billie asked during their lunch break. She wasn’t an obsessive checker of what Dorian called the ‘Grindr of crime apps’, but every now and then she would. “Apparently there’s some guy with a machete about a block away? And he’s threatening people?”  She’d vaguely heard some sirens too, maybe that had something to do with it. 

“Nuh-uh,” said around a mouthful of a day-old Subway footlong that Lucas was now surgically taking apart, picking out the pickles as he went. If anything could break his focus, it was the mention of a machete-wielding man. “For real?” He looked at Billie like she’d made it up on the spot before glancing to the break room door. “D’you think he’d come here?” A pause, and then, “Is it messed up that I kinda want him to come here? I wonder if we’d actually get let off early...”