Going Gets Tough

Intro/headcanons:

@phoenixpanics​

“Oh Phoenix,” Louise called out to the boy, her voice sweet as honey even though they both knew she was not sweet in the slightest. “I have a favor. And you don’t get to back out because, well, then you would have to owe me one. And you don’t want to owe me one. That’s basically like selling your soul.” She looked him up and down. “So you’re in, right?”

Phoenix had grown accustomed to this by now — not just from Louise, but many others in his life — where they only seemed to talk to him when they needed something. Phoenix wasn’t fooled by the sweet and innocent tone Louise tried to play off on him, giving her the knowing look he gave every single time. Though, she did have a point, he did not want to owe her one. “A-Alright, alright, can I at least know what the favor is first?”

Shock simply smirks in reply to his question, knowing he probably doesn’t want that answer. It had been clear as day that Phoenix had no interest in being here and would run out the door any second if he could - even if she didn’t know him so well it was still obvious. “Hiding from an ex?” she questions, understanding the trying to stay away from Hades part but not getting why he’d have to hide from an ex. Then again… this was Phoenix after all. “Really? Got something in mind?” The thought of trying to mess with Pierson wasn’t as appealing as potentially fucking with Barrel in some shape or form - that Shock would be down for any time.

Shock’s smirk is enough for Phoenix to know her answer. He knew he would make it clearly obvious when he didn’t want to be somewhere, especially after everything that had happened to him recently. He’d been in somewhat of a slump lately, so he never really wanted to be anywhere. He nodded his head, “Yeah. I-It’s kind of a long story.” In reality, he probably didn’t need to hide from Vanellope — surely she would be staying out of his way on her own. Still, he couldn’t stand to face her again after the winter festival. “Uh… Not yet,” he chuckled. Phoenix was never the brains of any operation, even he was aware of that. “But we could probably come up with something.”

@phoenixpanics

louise was so bored. parties like this were always so formal, complete duds, and she needed the event to get interesting before she pulled her hair out. sure, she could have just gone home to her mediocre siblings but that wasn't going to make her any less bored. so instead she sought out someone she could mold into the perfect form of trouble. there were plenty of people who could play the part but the moment she noticed the mess that was phoenix, she knew that was it. so walked over to him with her head held high, excited to find someone who could turn the entire night around. "are you busy? cancel your plans. i got something good."

Considering she was only here because Hades had insisted her boyfriend attend the masquerade, it’s no surprise to Shock when she sees Phoenix standing off by himself as well. Picking up another glass of champagne from one of the passing waiters, she makes her way over towards the boy and holds it out in offering. “Someone’s thrilled to be here,” she comments with a smirk - already knowing that, like his brother, Phoenix probably wasn’t attending the ball of his own free will. @phoenixpanics​

Phoenix hadn’t been the most exciting to be around recently — it seemed like every time he turned around, something was going wrong for him, and instead of trying to fix things, he’d sulk about it for hours on end. It didn’t help that Hades forced him to come to the masquerade, but at least he had Barrel to sulk with while he was there against his will. But with Barrel off talking to Sibella, he was left to sulk alone once again. Though, it seemed Shock came to save the day as she approached him with a glass of champagne in hand. “Is it that obvious?” Phoenix chuckled, noting the obvious sarcasm as he took the glass from her. “Thanks.. I’m just uh .. hiding over here to avoid Hades.... and my ex..” he admitted, taking a sip of the champagne he now held. “But uh ... What’s up with you? Did both our brothers ditch us or something?” He asked with a chuckle, realizing Barrel was no longer with him and Pierson was clearly not with Shock at the moment. “W-We can team up and get them back for ditching us, if you want.”

A slightly raised eyebrow is the only indication she gives away that she’s all intrigued as he tells the story, her expression remaining otherwise stony and a little judgmental. With the way he built it up she expected a little worse, though she’s not all that surprised that something like this would be eating at him. “Well it’s not the best decision you’ve ever made,” Gogo points out after he finishes the story, though she highly doubts he actually needed to hear that. “But it could be worse,” she adds in a feeble attempt to be more supportive. She’s supposed to be approaching this without judgement (something that’s admittedly a little harder than she actually thought) so with a heavy sigh she tries again. “Listen, you made a mistake. It’s probably not that big of a deal.” She doesn’t say it with her usual confidence, though, a sneaking feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her that she knows exactly who he’s talking about. “What do you wanna do about it?” she asks, prepared to cater her advice to whatever it is that Phoenix decides he wants to do.

Phoenix could feel Gogo’s judgement as he admitted what was bothering him, but it wasn’t very surprising. He knew Gogo well enough to know she was going to judge no matter what, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to help. Besides that, it did feel nice to get off his chest, judgement or not. “I don’t think any of my decisions are good decisions anymore..” He admitted as she pointed out his bad decision, his chin resting in the palms of his hands as he practically pouted at the thought. “Y-You think so?” He asked, unsure of how things could be any worse. Truthfully, this was the worst he’d felt about something in a long time. “I hope you’re right…” He trailed off, wanting to agree with Gogo but finding it difficult to do so. He sighed. “I don’t know… Move on, I guess? I-I don’t know how to, though..”

Hades held his hand against the back of Phoenix’s neck, guiding him across the ballroom and into the open bar. The idea was that he had to be as wasted as he could before rubbing shoulders with any and all influential patron around. That was the idea, except he couldn’t actually be wasted so tonight his cup will be filled with orange juice and only orange juice. Maybe they would believe he was chugging mimosas like he was an middle aged lady at brunch. Or maybe they’ll believe he was boosting his immune system with a healthy dose of vitamin C. 

“Now. Why are we here for, Fifi?” he asked, making sure the boy knew. @phoenixpanics​

Phoenix felt like a cat being held by its scruff as he was lead to the bar by his boss. He was already hesitant to go at first, as he had been with every recent island event since Halloween, although his recent confession to Vanellope at the winter festival felt like the cherry on top of why he hated attending these things now. Either he seemed to be cursed, or he just seemed to make horrible choices at every event that lead him to regret and disappointment, which he was still trying to decipher. Seeing Vanellope at the masquerade, beautiful as ever, only made him want to sulk at the event even more, or perhaps just leave altogether, but obviously Hades would not allow that. He cringed at the dreaded nickname, huffing a sigh and shrugging his shoulders. “Uhhhh.....” He’d been so caught up in his own crap, he was completely blanking on the point of Hades having him working while being here. Though, the sight of the bar did spike his interest, hoping he could at least drink while being on the job. “..... to get drunk?”

(↠ starter for @phoenixpanics​ )

    —- “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Uhhhh… Yes?” Phoenix answered hesitantly. He didn’t like the idea of ghosts, but yet he still believed them to be real. “D-Do you? Believe in ghosts?”

Bright pink bubblegum popping as she listens to Phoenix lead up to the story, she cocks her head to the side curiously. “I cannot relate to that impulse,” Gogo mutters under her breath, more to herself than anything. For as long as she can remember she’s been taking every secret or feeling she’s ever had, burying them down deep and refusing to access them. She doesn’t actually believe Phoenix to be capable of doing anything all that terrible, but the way he builds it up she prepares herself for something terrible, just in case it is just as bad as he’s making it out o be. “Your secret’s safe with me,” Gogo assures him, practically a closed vault when it comes to secrets. “So what did you do?” Raising an eyebrow, she waits for him to get straight to the point, seeing no point in drawing it out any longer. 

Phoenix knew that him and Gogo were two very different people, but it was nice to be able to get things off his chest to her every once and awhile. If he didn’t talk about things that were bothering and consuming him, well, he was known to crack under pressure eventually. Talking it out with a friend soothed the anxiety he held, but what was currently bothering him had him nervous of what Gogo’s reaction would be. He was practically buying time as he dragged on the conversation, holding off the inevitable of him admitting his wrongdoings. With a sigh, he looks down at his feet. “I.. I got super fucked up at the fall festival and slept with my ex’s best friend...” he trailed off, hesitating to meet Gogo’s gaze and see her reaction. “A-And I still love her, y’know, so it just feels wrong ..” He was never good at expressing his feelings, but after keeping this to himself for so long, it was nice to finally tell someone besides his brother and Barrel. “Her friend tried to tell me it was no big deal or whatever, but ... I feel like I really fucked up, you know?”

vanellope can’t stop herself from beaming with pride, her point proven. no one can resist her puppy dog eyes. it was her favorite way to get what she wanted. “ its not ” she says with a nod, “ but i didn’t make ralph and flynn take me ice skating for years not to be good at it. ” she points out, smile growing. his words make her chest warm and stomach flutter. maybe it’s the alcohol or the fact she knows he’d only do this with her but, she finds herself feeling warm and fuzzy all over. “ i know ” she says, taking his hands in hers. she slowly leads him away from the wall and giggles, “ don’t worry, if we fall I’ll help you up and we’ll just try again until you get it. ” vanellope holds onto him, slowly skating backwards as she guides him around the rink. “ you’re doing good! ”

“Alright, alright, I trust you,” Phoenix admits nervously, his hands not letting go of Vanellope’s as they begin to skate together. “How are you even doing this backwards?” He asked with a laugh, practically in shock on how that was even possible. He tries not to focus on anything but her, smiling as she smiled. It was a good feeling, being happy with her again, having fun and being so close to her … But as she continued to be friendly with him, encouraging him and helping him skate across the ice, the guiltier he began to feel. His secret felt like it was simmering inside him, like he was going to explode with the truth at any moment ... She doesn’t deserve this, he thinks to himself as he begins to feel his legs get shaky underneath him. “Oh-Oh god, I think we’re gonna fall, I-I can’t do this..”

as far as getting trapped in a blizzard went, this had to be on the low end of the scale. normally, he wouldn’t have minded being stuck with his brother and barrel, but neither of them were particularly cheery. not to mention they’d managed to be trapped in a tanning salon of all places. what the hell were they supposed to do with that? aside from the obvious. “are you two gonna pout the whole time or ya gonna snap out of the emo phase soon?” he asked, exhaling the smoke as he passed the joint to his right. @phoenixpanics​ @fckbernardo​

Phoenix was too wrapped up in the previous days’ events to even care about the blizzard that had trapped him, his brother and best friend in a tanning salon with nothing to do. He’d been moping around all day; it was a surprise he even came back to the festival, though it was only because his brother practically forced him to. He knew he was just trying to cheer him up, but he couldn’t get the scene of him confessing the truth to Vanellope out of his head, no matter how hard anyone tried to distract him. His brother’s voice broke him from his thoughts, giving him a sad, pouty stare as a joint was being offered to him. “It’s not my fault these festivals suck,” he grumbled, referring to both the fall festival and winter festival. After having terrible luck at both of these events, Phoenix concluded he should steer clear from the island festivals from now on. Though, he still took the joint from his brother, inhaling the smoke slowly as he tried to think of anything but his ex. Exhaling the smoke, he held the joint in Barrel’s direction. “I guess we’ll see if this helps..” @fckbernardo​

    —- edric couldn’t help but snicker. phoenix was the best to mess with, even if he wasn’t trying to mess with him directly. he took a deep breath, and when he exhaled watched the puff of breath and smiled again. “you seem stressed, you good?” he asked, eyebrows raising. “pretty good? they’re beautiful. c’mon man, let’s go see them,” he stated, removing his arm and walking forwards, expecting phoenix to follow.

“Uh .... stressed?” Phoenix repeated, as if his nervous demeanor wasn’t obvious. “ I-I guess you could say that,” he answered, trying to come off as chill, though that never seemed to work in his favor. “Alright,” he sighed, following beside Edric. “I-I’m just a little on edge, ‘cause of what happened at the fall festival..” he began to ramble nervously, “Y-You don’t think it could happen again, do you? Th-The disappearing thing, I mean..”

“I’m right about everything.” Everything might be a stretch, but she does have a strong track record. Gogo has always had strong opinions and willingly given advice out to people whether they listen or not, though she’s long since learned that most of the people in her life have a bad habit of doing whatever they want. “Tell your brother,” she adds with a chuckle, because if there’s one person that could do with listening to advice for once in his life, it’s Pierson. But at least having Phoenix on her side after this many years of friendship is a start. “You know I can’t promise that,” she shakes her head, well aware of her own bad habit of coming across as incredibly judgmental. “But I’ll try. So what’s up?”

Phoenix smiled, shaking his head. “You know he hates to listen to people who are right,” he answered, referring to his brother and making him listen to her. Phoenix would at least listen, though that didn’t mean he would follow the advice he was given. With a small sigh, Phoenix gave Gogo a look that was clearly a guilty one, trying to think of a way to word things without sounding like a complete fuck up. “Let’s just say .... I might’ve done something that might upset someone else,” he answered vaguely. It also didn’t help that he knew Gogo knew Vanellope, so he had a feeling she was definitely going to judge. “Well, no, it definitely will upset them... A-And I was told to just keep it a secret, but y’know how bad I am with secrets. I-I feel like I’m just gonna ... explode the longer I hold it in.”