designated baller.

“ umm… ” pip makes a face at the walking fossil. “ did i ask though? ” and then, he repeats slowly, enunciating every word because of old people and their hearing and all that, “ why. are. you. here. ”

lips stretch into a shit-eating grin, pleased to know theo knows the real reason he’s here: “ you know what they say: happy wife, happy life. ” he blows a kiss to theo, then slumps down onto the couch and sprawls his limbs all over it. “ can i ask you a question? would you say you’re, like, i dunno, valuable? ”

"Who needs Jesus when you're already a Saint?" A play on his surname; all saints. "I was on my way to nag my brother, but he'll murder me if I bring someone else." Short silence. "Hello to you too Pip. Do you want to play Dora the Explorer with me?"

“ yeah but first, we’re gonna get you a change of clothes. maybe a couple of fits to last you the week ‘cause i can’t let you start off the year like this. ”

“ yo, back the fuck up. ” a hard shove against max’s shoulders, stepping forward to square up to him. thanks to being the youngest laurence, pip has had a gun pointed at him only a handful of times in his life, with those who stood on the other side of the barrel never having earned his trust or respect in the first place. this move from max only proves that pip has always been right about him. “ the fuck is wrong with you? ” maybe he’s fed up of being treated like an idiot, raw mutton for the wolves to sink their teeth into and thrown around like a chew toy, as lee did on halloween. “ do you think that’s fuckin’ funny? ”

" nah, trust me. it sounds way worse when you say it. " a light-hearted, meaningless dig at val's accent. " and i ain't doin' all that, bro. but it's got you all over it and i'll support you in everythin' you do. "

" bleep! " bringing his fingers to his lips, he pretends to blow a whistle then hands out an imaginary yellow card to sevyn. " that's a violation, leave my boys alone. " tristan and rahi, he means. " does zendaya mean nothing to you? " once they reach the bar, he orders them a couple round of shots then turns to sevyn, propping an arm atop the bar and dropping his cheek into his palm. " but if you're into tall guys, why didn't you just say so? "

" alright so, listen carefully, this one here, " he traces the longest line with his finger, " is your line of luck. and the way it goes from here to here, means that you've got sick things en route to you, if ... hm ... " a pause, pretending to decipher the message. then a lift of the gaze, from palm to luis' eyes, lips curling into a smile, " if you give me your sister's number. "

Damien felt utterly naked. This was why he'd always prefer the safety of the dwellers' company; away from excessive greed, lust and betrayal. The stench of it lacked potency amongst the filth he'd grown accustomed to down in the dark and forgotten tunnels of the never sleeping city. But here, with so many strangers and without his cue stick, Damien felt almost defenseless; his sarcasm wasn't about to save him anytime soon. He gazed down at himself, taking a quick sniff. He'd cleaned up good today; not that he'd ever let himself smell remotely bad, but his clothes were passing. For a second there, he imagined himself at the MET, enjoying the art, but a quick look to his watch and his mood soured; it was too late. "Fuck me." He muttered to himself, finding himself unreasonably annoyed by the lingering festive vibe around him. Nagging his brother suddenly sounded like the best plan for the night. With that in mind, Damien did a 180 on his heels, ready to go, only to jump back at the sudden closeness of the person he'd almost bumped into in his hurry. "Jesus Christ! Sorry, I guess?"

suppressing a laugh, he pulls his features back into a serious expression and with a straight hand crosses damien. the father, the son, the holy spirit. " jesus christ forgives you, " he says with a nod. then, back to himself, one of the many with the overbearing festive spirit. " so, where are we going? "

pip gasps. " did you just say, a real gun? " with mock surprise, his mouth forms an 'o' shape. " ohhhh, i'm so scared. " then he breaks out of character and snickers at max. " nah, you've got two hands and feet. " there's no way in hell pip was going to help a blonde bastard with nothing good to say. " but i wanna know, 'bout what you said before, " he says, leaning against the car with his arms crossed, " how would that go? you threatenin' to pull the trigger on me, man? "