closed starter: @nathanwalkerx location: nathan's place, panther valley.

Dean pursed his lips slightly, standing up a bit straighter then. "Well, a dying father does wonders for the psyche. Haven't you heard?" He found himself saying, a sarcastic grin tugging at his cheeks momentarily before glancing towards the coffee counter, where the barista was apparently and inconveniently backed up. He really wasn't in the mood to relay his entire sob story to Nate, of all people (of any people, really) but it was currently the hot-button topic of his life, wasn't it? And word had probably gotten around by now, anyway. "I -- of course I am. I'm guessing your kid is, too?" Straight men weren't into that sort of music, were they? He prayed that wasn't the case, he didn't think he couldn't handle that knowledge. "I just don't tend to by my athleisure from march tables." He gave a roll of his eyes, absentmindedly tapping his foot. "I am. Loose. I run. The loosest activity there is." Jesus, stop talking. "How very twenty-first century of you." Dean bit the inside of his cheek, attempting to suppress any hint of amusement. "Think about what? Letting you drag me to the gym and play trainer?" The idea was intriguing, he'd by lying if he said it wasn't, but as always Dean couldn't make anything easy for himself.

His gaze dropped towards Dean's grin, finding himself smile as he shook his head lightly - it wasn't necessarily in response to the sarcasm, but it as a whole. The compassionate side of Nate felt for him, as well as the knowing part of himself that kept his own feelings tucked away. Time and a place, however, and so his response there was pretty much it. "Yeah - yeah, she doesn't mind her, more into Taylor Swift though." which unfortunately - or maybe even fortunately, meant that Nate knew her songs word for word. Part and parcel, he figured. "Wouldn't expect you to." because the day Nate saw Dean walking around with a band shirt on, was the day he'd toy with the idea of a parallel universe. "Can think of looser." activities, that was. His return was quick, one that actually masked the smirk just willing to form. "Something like that - don't want you to force yourself though," he laughed, "If you'd rather read... Esquire, that's fine."

Anisa wasn't one to necessarily sway away from her traumas. While for most people, it might be uncomfortable, Anisa found it as normal as having a cup of coffee with a friend. It was simple facts. Why did facts need to be uncomfortable? She rarely ever spoke on them to indicate discomfort. "I would be afraid that she'd be on the right path with that." She commented, "You know, if you ever get that lucky, of course. Teen girls can be hell, I've been told." Although, she assumed it was a little different if said teen girls were actually loved by their parents. "But serious, fuck boys. Make sure she focuses on her studies. Make something out of herself. Own it like a damn badge of honor." She'd proceed to make herself another shot, glancing up at Nathan as he mentioned real questions to her. Shooting back the shot, she'd slam down the glass, and pierce the man with sharp eyes, "Shoot."

Nate waved briefly, as if brushing away that teenage mention, "Don't even want to think about it." In his mind he had at least seven years before he'd hit that territory - or he assumed he did, anyway. What did they say? Out of sight out of mind. He nodded lightly to acknowledge Anisa's advice, agreeing in everyway that he wanted his daughter to buckle down and focus on school, hoping that she'd take an entire different path to his own and actually get out of her hometown - be something more than Reno. "Okay.. okay so," his attention briefly went to the customer moving beside Anisa, one Nate proceeded to serve as he asked his question, "...is it true that redheads have to have more anesthesia than say..." he gestured between them both as he leaned against the bar top near her, "Us?" Nate had read it in an article, one he only briefly skimmed with that inner thought to ask Anisa about it.

Liam tilted his head and gave a small shrug. Maybe he was right, this wasn't exactly for him. It was absolutely for the better of humanity, however. At least, in Liam's eyes that was. He smirked, "I am into some kinky ass shit, but I don't think our broship will be able to withstand it." Liam lazily tossed back out of nothing more than a simple quirk.

Nate's gaze dropped towards the male inside the trunk, spying the widening of the guy's eyes, those failed attempts to actually speak through the duct tape across his mouth - words he no doubt assumed were help - ones that didn't even shake an ounce of sympathy from Nate, it went without saying that he personally thought this town would be better off without him in it. A pain in the ass was a severe understatement. "For this prick?" he returned; unsure why Liam would think he'd want to say anything directly towards Martin. Instead, he chose to focus on the bigger picture here, seeing that Liam was either going to make the guy look unrecognizable or simply just put him out of his misery - his assumption landed on the latter. "Tell me you haven't been seen shoving him in there?" it didn't matter to Nate that Liam was in an outlaw biker gang, or that he could look out for himself, all Nate saw was a kid making fucked up decisions and so the least he could do was actually make sure Liam was covering himself.

"The feelings mutual for Izzy. She's a sweetie." She assured with a smile, though it hadn't lasted, as her features twisted to keep from laughing. Which proved to be a difficult task. "I'm sorry. They look so adorable." Which she had already said--shouldn't she be better at hiding her amusement? "It takes time. Braids especially. I had to learn how to do it on myself as a kid before the era of YouTube tutorials. Don't ask, and don't remind me." A hand was held up as if to dismiss the thought before she continued, "but, I can give you some tricks of the trade to make it easier. If you're interested, that is." Some parents, much like Bianca herself, didn't appreciate the parenting tips everyone seemed to have at the ready. Even if it were just for a hairstyle. And considering Gigi was a happy and healthy little girl, surely she was doing some things correctly to have that result.

"Hey -- hey," he pointed his index playfully at her, feigning the defense within his voice, "We tried." he repeated again, his grin widening as he laughed because he knew he couldn't actually say anymore than they tried - or should it really be he did - what did they say? Work in progress. That's what it was; an excuse he'd use for an eternity he was sure. Nate only smirked lightly as Bianca waved her hand up, seeing that visual there as the blind leading the blind, even so, as she continued with her offer he nodded softly. "You would?" he asked before, "Be a life saver." literally. Not that Nate was ashamed of his attempts; he just knew it'd be nice to impress Izzy with something as simple as being able to tie her hair perfectly. The little things, right?

"Unfortunately for everyone, I'm not opposed to playing favorites. I actually greatly prefer it. And you and Brenda are definitely top of the list." He mused with a shit-eating grin as the glass before him was lifted to his lips. "Well," he began after a sip, setting the drink back down on the bar top. "This thing keeps happening where every win gets hit with a minor inconvenience after. So, for example, I won a major case this week. Great in retrospect. Let me tell you what happens directly following said win. My car starts making this vibrating sound, its like --rr rrr rr--" a hand lifted to imitate the vibrating sound, "so I take it to my buddy. Liam. Kinda a dick. Kinda funny though. Anyways, he then proceeds to call this beautiful Porsche a piece of shit. Can you believe that? So I won a case, and lost a car. You tell me, how good or bad does that sound? Kinda sounds as though it equated itself to a zero. Like BEDMAS. Your turn, how's the life of a heartthrob bar owner?"

"Makes me feel blessed," he placed a brief hand over his heart, playing along to the shit AP was spouting, "Truly." Nate's sarcasm remained teasing, settling he continued to listen to the other as he moved over a couple of stools down to serve another patron, eventually coming back towards his regular as his brows creased, amusement toying upon filling his features as he heard that car mimic - scratch that, the second the other moved his hand to express with the noise, Nate let out a chuckle. There was a brief thought of why do people in this city talk so fucking much, before he finally responded, "You know some people with a hard-on for the universe would call that karma," he figured that was obvious before, "Oh... bought one of those.." he began to swat the air with his hand, "Just keep batting that line away." considering he was living that heartthrob era — apparently. “You getting another Porsche then?”

featuring: alibek & nathan

Keeping himself to himself Nate tried to move around the two women without too much of a peep, wanting to seem practically invisible as he thought how fucking awkward it was - still, it was something he'd tell his sister, letting her know about the drama that had unfolded. Though what he hadn't expected, hell, even planned for was to be pulled directly into the commotion, and in that split second of him being so his eyes widened in more of a what the fuck manner than anything else - one that simmered instantly as he looked down towards the woman that had pulled him close, his arm coming naturally to rest around her waist to simply sell her point.

"How old is your little one? They may know each other from school, you know? Luci tends to be more shy than he's being right now." Gigi nodded lightly, not really giving himself much to blame for how Luciano had turned out. The universe had gifted him with such a great son and he knew that was probably how every parent felt, but Luciano was different. He was a soft kid, well-behaved, nice. He rarely ever had to discipline him because he was mostly quiet. Normally, he followed people's lead. The two of them weren't similar at all, outside of their looks. "Thanks. You too. Although I think you got your shit together earlier than I did. Which is good for you, for sure." He admitted, turning his head to look back at the man again instead of their children. "What do you do now, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Good to see him warm up then? She's six... looking at them I'd say probably." He chuckled lightly, Izzy generally came home from school chatting of this and that, throwing multiple names here there and everywhere, so Nate was sure the more he thought about it, the more she had mentioned the name Luci to him a number of times. "Yeah," he scratched the bridge of his nose, "Yeah I did." getting clean and kick starting his sobriety journey had, on reflection, been the best thing he could have done for himself, yet at the time? The struggle never felt worth it. Still, twelve years later and he was continuously trying to stay in his lane and not fall off track. "I-- uh, own a bar, The Orchard.." he let out a scoff, a thin smile appearing, knowing it was ridiculous an addict owning a bar, "Made a bet with myself, helps me feel in control, you know," he tapped his index off of the side of his head briefly, as if to indicate mentality, "Yourself?"

"Listen, the day your daughter punches me in the face over a game of Pretty Pretty Princess is the day we start to have bigger problems." Ramon laughed, honestly finding the visual incredibly amusing. "Right there with you buddy. Just ask all of my exes. We could form the world's saddest club." It was no secret that both he and Nate had some issues when it came to dating, commitment, but they were justified in their own respective ways. Probably. "Hm, okay, not really. But still." His tongue poked at the inside of his cheek, propping his elbow up on the pillow and resting the side of his head on his hand as he listened to his friend. "Asking her, like -- what, making fun of her?" The thought alone made his blood boil, and for someone like Ramy who hardly got angry, that was saying a lot. "What do you say when she asks?" He wondered aloud, knowing that he could have these types of tough conversations with his friend. They'd each been through a lot, helped one another get on the other side of it all -- hell, he still remembered the day Nate called him to tell him that Amelia had passed. His heart still ached thinking about it. "Don't know if there is a right thing. I mean, shit, the fact that you're even there for her is huge. " He remembered growing up without one a dad, those earlier years full of questions, a sense of emptiness that gnawed at his chest as he tried to understand. Of course, his mother always made it her mission to provide him with the love and care that he needed, enough to fill in for two parents, something he was grateful for as he got older. "You're doing the best you can, man."

Thinking of Izzy hitting out in a game of Pretty Pretty Princess had an instant burst of laughter pull from Nate as he rested his head back against the couch, gaze looking up towards the ceiling he grinned as he shook his head faintly. "Would score us brownie points though," forming the world's saddest club, "Be onto a winner there." He joked, Nate knew - or had convinced himself - that being in a relationship wasn't for him, that the fear of losing another person he loved was enough for him to close himself off from the entire idea, not to mention that Izzy was his entire focus and that wouldn't ever shift. "No -- no, trust me I was ready to trip over the little fucker, just asking a lot of why's." He had even gone into Izzy's school to make sure she wasn't being bullied. "The truth, usually, depends what she asks. She wanted to know why Lia had died - literally why did she have to, because it's not fair," he recalled, "I told her that if she had a choice she'd have been here forever.." he paused, swallowing, "She then told me she wanted her mom, so I just.. held her until she fell asleep." he wasn't sure if that was the right thing - hell, if he should have said or done more in that moment, he just hadn't wanted to shut down the way Izzy felt. He knew as difficult as it was for him, it was even harder for her to navigate. Looking over towards Ramy he nodded lightly, curving a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, "Don't think I've ever cried so much." he scoffed, letting out a chuckle before a remembrance moment clicked, "--Oh, got something for you.." he pushed himself up just to leave the room momentarily before coming back in with an envelope, tossing it over towards his friend as he sat back down. Inside was a wad of cash - tips Nate had earned and a little more than extra, he knew Ramy was shit with money his thinking here was that he could take the load off for a month or two so his friend could just be even shitter, "Thought you could use it for your mom."

Dallas let out a low hum, pretending to mull over his words fir a brief moment. Then a slow, knowing grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. There'd always been a spark in the air whenever he talked so casually about their past. All those half-watched movies and nights half-spent on the couch. Old habits die screaming, and Dallas wasn't about to fight it. Nate had that hold on her, the kind that clung to you whether you liked it or not, and she welcomed it all with open arms. "Might've missed the credits," She teased, letting her voice drop to a lazy drawl, "But I think we got all the endings we needed." The memory lit up in her mind: the stolen hours that started with a movie and ended with them in a tangle of sheets and tired smirks, both of them too caught up in the moment to question anything. She eyed him over the rim of her glass. "If I didn't know better, Nathan Walker, I'd think you were asking me out on a date." Something she wouldn't be mad about if he was. "So, dinner and a movie, then?" She let the suggestion hang there for a heartbeat before arching a brow. "But if my hands do decide to wander..."

Truthfully, that date label hadn't even crossed Nate's mind until Dallas had put it out there, still, he figured to call it what it was. "What can I say? Like to keep you sweet." he teases in return, following the mood they had set. One that had his attention span completely zone into that want of his to fast forward to the end of their night - an irrational thought that literally wondered if dinner and a movie was even needed. "...then I'll be a happy man," a grin curved onto his expressions, one that had him chuckling - more at himself as he became aware of how easy it was for him to fall into the patterns that seemed to sew themselves whenever they were in close proximity. Straightening himself he now rested his arm on the bar, giving access to brush his thumb against her forearm as opened his hand, palm facing upwards - a silent invitation for her to take it. "Just so I know - The Lost Boys," a movie that had come to mind, one he'd happily let roll to the credits without watching, "Interested?"

It was that same crooked grin he used to throw her way in high school, the one that always turned her knees to jelly. Damn if it didn’t still pack the same punch. Sure, he wasn’t the wild-eyed troublemaker she once nearly wore a hole through his jeans with, but that didn’t make him any less appealing. Dallas leaned her elbow on the table, picturing Nate as a theater kid and feeling that tug of admiration for how far he’d go just to wring a laugh out of his own kid. That was devotion she recognized, an unconditional kind of loyalty she swore she didn't need, even though she craved it like oxygen. "Dinner and movie? What kind of move are you trying to pull?" She watched him slide into the seat beside her, then turned to face him, chin in hand. Though, her smirk only widened. "I don’t think we’ve ever watched a movie together.” A small pause, then she added, “Not all the way through, anyway.”

"Guess we’ve had better things to do.” Sitting still for two hours seemed near enough impossible. “You know I never did find out how Gone Girl ends.” That was the one that stuck with Nate, he was sure they had tried watching it at least three times and each time it became drowned out background noise. Not that he was complaining, in fact, he’d see it as a win. “Not trying anything,” he laughed softly, circling back to her question as he mirrored Dallas, elbow propped on the table, his jaw resting against his hand. There was once a time he would have wanted to, a want to be there for her in a way that was just more than them getting together when she’d come back from New York - more than just for the weekend, and yet he never opened his mouth due to an assumed obvious fear of rejection, something that resulted in what they were now. Casual. Friends. An easy slotting place for Nate, one that he also comfortably stayed in because despite his unacknowledged love for her, convincing himself that he’d have never been good enough back then, was the easy way for him to accept that he just didn’t do it for her. Now? Now it was a distant memory because they were friends that had fun. Totally normal. “But if you can’t keep your hands to yourself,” he gave a slight one-sided shrug, “Not gonna tell you to wait.”

"Seems like it. But that is a great thing to be at that age in my opinion." It was almost funny just how different Gigi and Luciano were; the older member of the Ferrari family exuded being extroverted and open, while his son was more on the quiet side. That was, until he met someone that he simply liked. Izzy seemed to fall in that category immediately after meeting him. "Luci is seven. He's a good kid, or so people tell me." Gigi let his eyes fall on their two children as they jumped around the park, smiling. It was rare, for Gigi not to have something to say. He was good at keeping conversations going, actually, most times he was probably incredibly annoying with how fast he talked. "You do remember right? Like...from before? I feel like wiht both of us trying to forget all that stuff...I mean, look at us. Feels weird as hell, man."

Nate nodded in that silent agreement that yes, it was a good thing, especially when Izzy seemed to - understandable so - recoil when her mom died and so in every way in was nice to see her just be herself. "Good - means you're doing something right." A light smile curved briefly as his attention remained on their two kids, he felt he could speak for the both of them with that assumed knowledge of knowing that Gigi wanted to do right by his son - just as he did with his own daughter. It was weird, if anything, sitting here beside him with their toxic history and apparently knowing nothing about him - what was he now? A stranger? That category had stuck over the years with no attempt to even mend or make peace with that fact. "Yeah it does," he mentions, also confirming that yes he remembered - how would he forget? That was something that applied to every fucked up thing he did in his twenties; the only thing Nate was proud of in a weigh up of his entire existence was Izzy. "Good to see you turning your life around, though." he figured he'd start there, considering that was the most important detail for both of them.