this shit way too formal

"i mean... you can try your hardest to force me to move. depends on the degree as to which you can stand the sight of my face.” he matched her smile, somewhat awkwardly, uncharacteristic for the man as a whole but more normal for his encounters with regina. observing the flush of colour that spread across her face, he took a moment to consider the events that had led them from a functional relationship to this. “i’d offer to take a look but you know i can’t actually even remember the last time i read something for fun. i’ll be the first to grab a copy of your book the day you release it though” his smile widened slightly, while their relationship may be over, there was nothing that pleased ezra more than the though of the people in his life achieving their goals. “believe me, i barely dealt with him. had a quick look at the kid’s leg while i passed them, just in case, but there’s not much a surgeon can do for a fainting teenager.”

"i mean yeah... specific enough i guess?” he chuckled lightly “maybe just send them to me so i can make them pretend to faint and see if the profile matches? i feel like i’d struggle to recognise the kid if they hadn’t lost consciousness.” he adjusted in his seat slightly before sipping slowly on his drink once more, taking the opportunity to begin to relax. a regular at maggie’s, both for the drinks and for the fact that he knew he’d always see a friend or two, walking two steps into the establishment was usually enough to relieve ezra after an overnight shift. “well that’s great to hear. most people in their early or mid-twenties are out here struggling to look after themselves and you’re out here running sleep-overs.”

"you know what... he probably did. with how high-strung the guy was, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was the first time he had met the kid. or any child for that matter.” he stirred the steaming drink in front of him, thoughts on the day ahead of him “fair point, i reckon people get less able to take care of themselves in their teens and then eventually in your twenties it comes back to you, although i don’t think that’s the case for some people until much later.” ezra paused for a second to rub at his eyes once more, slightly struggling to adjust to the lighting in maggie’s, far more natural than he had become accustomed to. “anyway, how’s work going?”

“i’m just glad he didn’t faint on the way there or something. at least he had the courtesy to do it when surrounded by professionals and people who could y’know, catch him.” he raised his eyebrows, he hadn’t been the one to catch the teen thank goodness, although he had been in that exact position before, sometimes with men much taller than him, after all, he wasn’t the tallest man in augusta by far. “woah, people do that? break up in las deux? that’s... so weird to me. aren’t break ups bad enough without witnesses” he considered that perhaps every break up now would have witnesses, thanks to the cameras that followed them.

“i always sit in this spot, you should know that” ezra stated with a slightly pointed tone, observing the girl who sat across the table from him. with the cameras and close proximity that most people in augusta shared, it was difficult for ezra not to run into an ex or two on a regular occasion. although he tended to avoid any interactions for the sake of awkwardness or conflict, it was a different story with regina, due to the terms that their relationship ended on. he knew his absentmindedness in their relationship had left to its deterioration, and the guilt from this combined with the foundation of their relationship caused him to work harder when it came to his interactions with regina. “i can move if you really want me to.” he cut himself off, pausing to take a sip before changing the subject. “how’s the book going?” 

"honestly? probably the latter. i don’t blame the guy to be fair. i wouldn’t want to have to sit around and wait for the parents to get home, knowing that when they do they’re going to be greeted with their kid in a worse state than the one they left them in.” slouching back in the chair slightly, he stirred his drink before taking a sip, welcoming the heat and caffeine after the long day.  “sam... steven... simon? something starting with an s. believe me, if it had been ameria in there i probably wouldn’t have been so amused. how is ameria though?” ezra’s eyes flickered around maggie’s briefly for any sign of bea’s daughter. he nurtured a soft spot for the girl; it was hard not to, especially with how hard her mother worked for her future.

ruffling his hair lightly, he adjusted his position as emory did too, increasingly aware of his hunched posture, natural after the fast-paced hours on his feet. “man... sometimes i can barely look after myself. i’m fine with the whole problem-solving thing at work. “ he waved his fingers absentmindedly as he struggled to find a way to explain his thoughts. “like... bring me in something with a solution and its fine but with kids there’s so much going on at once i just... it’s not something i can understand.” even as a teenager, ezra avoided the babysitting route that most of his friends had taken as their first job, instead slugging through hours at his fathers company, printing plans and digging through filing cabinets. “ceo-sit.” ezra chuckled lightly. “that’s a good one. how is work at the moment?”

fiddling absentmindedly with the glasses in his hand, ezra considered jason’s remark for a second “you’d probably be surprised by how many people come through the door with just minor injuries and how many wait until the last possible second before walking through the doors.” ezra was probably the latter of the two, although his medical training had turned him into somewhat of a hypochondriac, he often explained things away on lack of sleep and too much caffeine. "honestly i think being a teenager is hard enough, you probably don’t need doctors laughing at your misfortune. although that didn’t really stop anybody from finding it entertaining, i guess at least he was passed out so couldn’t tell?” he reasoned, slightly amused still by the memory.

ezra placed his hand gently on the blonde’s back, interrupting her mid-rant. “calm down josette.” a playful lilt in his voice “running errands? let’s get this sorted” he shot a quick grin at the sales assistant who was now watching timidly, and reached for one of the bags that josette seemed to be struggling with. he had been on his way past the establishment when he caught a glimpse of the familiar figure in the window and had ventured inside to greet her, catching her in a moment of frustration. “also... for future reference, strangling someone is kind of against the law. i don’t want to have to come and bail you out because you launched at someone who gave you last season gucci by accident.”

ezra spencer taylor: “to save time, let’s assume i’m always right”

“man.. i swear i didn’t do anything. i mean, that’s not quite true, but i was on call and i just didn’t have the time to well... check the engine i guess. and then it made this sound and next thing i know i’m stranded with-” he gestured briefly at the smoke billowing out of the car. “this happening. and yeah i did actually. reece’s puffs driving school have an 100% first time pass rate.” ezra grinned at the tone of annoyance in roxie’s voice, tapping lightly on the window. “so, any guesses when i’ll get this baby back on the road?”

settling into the chair in the familiar setting of maggie’s, ezra wearily removed his glasses. eyes strained following the long night shift; a common occurrence that never really got easier, especially when combined with the harsh lights of the general hospital “so.” he added two sugars into the cappuccino that the coffee shop was famous for, currently far too hot to drink to the man’s dismay. “this guy. like... nineteen? came in with this kid he’s babysitting. she’s absolutely fine, a minor scrape, and he, well... i swear, i’ve never seen anybody so scared before. literally shaking, poor guy. looks at me and just faints. ended up with the kid taking care of him.” ezra shook his head absentmindedly “somehow i don’t think babysitting is his calling in life.”

“two hours?” ezra pinched the bridge of his nose, half in disbelief and half as an attempt to wake himself up, something the latte in his hand was struggling to do so far. “amateur. the rush of you get when you hit the milestone of two days without sleep is truly something else” he teased, a smile playing loosely on his lips.