damned if i do, bored if i don't.

ωнαт'¢нα ηєє∂, ∂σℓℓ?

No worries, babe, they’ll never find the body. // open to: veritas

Valerius felt the disturbance of energy before she ever saw anyone step foot in the otherwise empty lunch room. She was pretty apt at identifying the members of Veritas by their general energy signatures, or their “vibes” as Jaehyun had once called them, and right away Valeri could tell that something wasn’t quite right with whoever was about to round that corner. She peered over the pages of the novel she wasn’t able to focus on and greeted the newcomer with a nod, and the simplest “Hey, love.” 

Her eyes darted back to the pages in an attempt to mind her own fucking business, but the energy radiating off them in waves was thick. Something wasn’t quite right, and it didn’t exactly take an empath like herself to figure that out. Body language spoke volumes. Not necessarily as loud as vibes, but loud enough that she couldn’t just ignore it. A small sigh passed through her red-painted lips as she set her book down. 

“Babe, I say this with the utmost love in my heart. Really, I do. You look like a fuckin’ mess.” the demon spoke with a tone that left no room for argument as she gestured widely at the general vicinity of her company. “And your energies are all wrong. Out of whack. C’mon, spill. What’s wrong, doll?” 

Q’s head still hurt hours after the fact, still haunted with the echo of his own skull hitting his kitchen table. It was Quinn’s fault, and he’d stand by that statement— the shithead refused to take over, what else was he supposed to do? The dryad was a pain in the ass sometimes, but it had never gotten so bad that he actually allowed the body to be vacant for long enough to crumple to the floor. That was something new, and it was entirely the fault of some guy. Well. It was about more than just the guy— or perhaps not about the guy at all but rather the implication of what he took with him when he left. Q hated the fact that he was so in tune with Quinn’s emotions to understand that much. When had he become so empathetic?

The leader stepped into the lunch room, bee-lining for the fridge in order to simply grab a bottle of water and wash down some pain meds (which he’d snatched from the infirmary while Yunho was out— there was no reason to make his older brother worry, not when Quinn wouldn’t talk about it anyway) before returning to his office to shut himself in for the rest of the day as planned. He hadn’t exactly been paying attention to who was already occupying the space, so when Val’s voice broke the silence of the room, he nearly flinched. Why the fuck was he so jumpy? It was like Quinn was actually making an impression on him or something. Q spared his supposed friend an apathetic glance of acknowledgement as he reached into the fridge, relieved when she averted her eyes to mind her own business. He didn’t mind Val’s company, not really— even if she felt far too familiar and comfortable for his taste sometimes— but right now he just wanted to lock himself away for as long as he could possibly manage.

Pollux was grateful for the contact between the two, the way that Quinn pressed into his side soothing him because it meant the fae was close. “You don’t have to wake up early to text me,” Pollux chuckled, dropping his hand to gently wrap around his waist to pull him closer. He kept it there, noting the reaction Quinn had to the kiss to the top of his head. It was cute, but it was still… sad. Pollux hated how cooped up Quinn was. How he was never allowed out… maybe the fae didn’t want to come out, but he still would have liked for his…. boyfriend– he really should ask what they were– to be contained like a prisoner. Pollux was affectionate, after all. The little head kiss was only the beginning of what was to come, now that the two had made it very clear how they viewed their relationship. 

They neared closer to the counter, until they were next. He finally dropped his hand from his waist to grab his wallet. “One chocolate ice blended drink, two croissants, one of the chicken sandwiches, and–” he turned to Quinn, sending him a smile. “Anything else he wants,” he finished, getting his card out. He kept Quinn close to his side despite no longer touching him, reassuring him that it was okay, and at any moment, he would step in if Quinn got too nervous. 

“But I will if it’ll get you to eat a good breakfast,” Quinn reiterated, always in the business of making sure others took care of themselves. Q was up early most of the time anyway, he’d just need to find a way to take over long enough to send a quick text... that was easier said than done. Not that he hadn’t successfully managed to take over from Q before, but it wasn’t exactly easy— and then, of course, the headaches that came from that kind of forceful trade of consciousness were... well, not worth it in most cases. Come to think of it, maybe he’d just steal Pollux’s phone to put in a daily reminder. That might be easier.

Pollux clicked his tongue in mock offense. He wasn’t that offended. He knew that his look, combat boots, dark colors, typically a leather jacket– yeah, he didn’t look like he’d like sugary drinks. But he did. “Is it because how I look?” he teased the fae softly, nudging him gently. “I’ll have you know– you can’t just judge a book by its cover. I love sugary drinks and even candy, cake, pastries, the entirety of the bakery section of a food store!” He chuckled, biting his lip. “Lux is the one who prefers black coffee and stuff. Thinks I put junk into my body,” he murmured, rolling his eyes. He was grateful he could just bring up the demon that resided in his body. The other understood. The other knew what it was like. Not many people close to him knew about the demon, so it definitely was hard. 

Pollux’s eyes looked to the fae pouting, giving him a pout back, and wishing he could just kiss it away– he knew he couldn’t. Not right now at least. The two hadn’t even kissed before, and he definitely did not want the first to be in a crowded little cafe. “I haven’t thought about it. I had to wake up pretty early to do some paperwork before coming to see you, so I just haven’t had the time, really,” he explained softly, giving him a reassuring smile. He leaned down, pecking a kiss to the top of his head. “I promise I’ll get a sandwich. I’ll even get a croissant if you’d like, and you keep your half, okay?” He smiled, taking a step forward as they moved closer to the register to order. He kept Quinn close to him, naturally, just wanting him to feel comfort. He prayed he wasn’t being overbearing. The line was thankfully not that long. 

Quinn mirrored his date’s mock offended expression. “Like you’ve never assumed anything about me because of the way I look,” he shot back, though the statement was punctuated with a lighthearted smile. Truthfully, he didn’t mind people’s perception of him— wasn’t that why he dressed the way he did in the first place anyway? To be perceived a certain way? If he wanted people to see him as some kinda hardass, he’d be choosing from Q’s side of the closet every morning. The dryad simply hummed in response to his qualms about Lux, relating far too much. “Y’know, one of my sisters once told me that if it’s your favorite food then the calories don’t count— I like to live by that. Tell that to Lux next time he’s so mean about it.”

Yunho was used to visitors. Sometimes the assassins got hurt on a mission, or a sex worker had a client that got a little too rough. Sometimes Iseul cut her finger on a sharp edge, and sometimes people just wanted to hang out with the coolest member of Veritas. Someone who didn’t drop by, really ever, was his baby brother. Not that he didn’t see his brother around base often, it just so happened that Yunho frequented Q’s office rather than the other way around. 

Seeing his little brother walk through the door brought a smile to the pixie’s face, “Ahh, Q! Of course I’ve got time for you, buddy. What’s wrong?” the doctor slid a bookmark in his textbook and closed it, gently sliding it away from him to give his brother his undivided attention. It’s not like Q ever visited him out of boredom, so something’s gotta be up.

Yunho wasn’t an idiot. He might seem like one the vast majority of the time, but he was no fool. He knew what the demon did to the dryad’s body. He knew of the complex dance the two souls were intertwined in. He couldn’t condone what Q did to Quinn, and subsequently to himself, but if he hadn’t stopped after so many years together, the pixie didn’t think he was going to stop any time soon. It pained the doctor to see both of them in so much pain, though Q showed it much less than Quinn did. Still, his heart hurt for both of them whenever he saw a new scar blossom upon his brother’s skin.

Q’s eyes wandered around the scenery of the med bay, briefly wondering if the color on the walls had always been that ugly or if it had changed since the last time he’d stopped by. It was actually pretty likely that it had, given that the color much more suited his older brother’s tastes— it reminded him of his own penthouse apartment that had been decorated by Quinn. Quite ugly, by Q’s standards. Internally, the demon cringed at being called buddy, but just like with most instances, he reminded himself that this was his brother and he cared for him too much to throw a fit over a nickname. It was more than what most members of the gang could get away with when it came to Q.

We can be. Something in Pollux’s chest moved, and he was sure that was how the feeling of your heart fluttering felt. He had felt it before, with a beautiful Yi witch, and now… he was feeling it again with a cute little fae that was holding his hand. How was he still breathing? Explanation: he wasn’t. The wolf gave his hand a small squeeze, a sort of confirmation to solidify just what it meant. Affection. Love. It was like a weight was released off of the werewolf’s chest now that it was confirmed how the two were approaching each other. How the two were feeling about each other. He could breath easier now, which he did, reminding himself to actually breath. He was still nervous. He didn’t want this to all go to shit, and part of him prayed for Quinn to be okay throughout the day. He hated seeing the poor fae anxious. But alas, he’d do anything for him, so if it came down to it, he’d sacrifice their date to stay home. As long as he was around Quinn, the werewolf was happy. 

Pollux chuckled as he was tugged, following after the other. “I need sugar. I love those blended ice drinks with a lot of sugar,” he admitted with a hum, taking the lead and tugging Quinn out of the door. Thankfully, the street wasn’t to busy as they walked, and given the fact that the cafe wasn’t too far away, they made quick timing. They entered, a small line already at the cash register. But that was okay. He looked to Quinn, giving him a reassuring smile. “How are you doing?” he asked softly, wanting to make sure he wasn’t freaking out just by the walk to the cafe. “Do you want a sandwich or pastry too? I think I’m going to get maybe a sandwich and cookie. I haven’t exactly eaten yet today,” he spoke, glancing up to the menu. Ah. He needed his glasses. But of course he didn’t have them. He squinted.

“The sugary ones? Really?” Quinn asked almost incredulously, a soft chuckle punctuating the question— not because he was making fun of Pollux, no, but more because he simply hadn’t expected it. The werewolf gave off an air much like Q did, and unfortunately by experience, Quinn knew that Q had an uncanny ability to withstand tasting something horrific. Straight black coffee? Stone faced. Spicy noodles? Stone faced. That blood he licked from his hand one time to prove a point? Gross, and he had to reiterate later on that he was in fact a vegetarian, but still stone faced. But Quinn shouldn’t be surprised at this point about all of the little things that made Pollux very different from the demon who inhabited his own body. Despite his general demeanor, Pollux was gentle. Much like a chained up great dane who thought he was a lap dog. Briefly, Quinn wondered how many people other than himself had gotten to know this side of the werewolf. 

𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔰𝔢𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔬𝔫 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔫𝔞 𝔟𝔲𝔯𝔫

Familiar chords rang out from the old radio displayed in Quinn’s living room, the soothing voice of Ella Fitzgerald filling the moonlit apartment. He always tended to have the radio tuned into one vintage station or another, but there was something about this particular song that really took him back— to vivid memories of his adoptive parents dancing in their living room, true happiness existing in that damned house on such rare occasion. The Alvarezes weren’t good people, but they were in love. That much could be said at least. 

Subconsciously, the fae began to sing along with the lyrics under his breath. Was his age showing too much? Perhaps. But that was okay— Pollux hadn’t even noticed yet, his head buried in Quinn’s personal copy of one of the long list of novels he’d recommended him. Quinn’s eyes flicked toward the radio then back. Slowly, he folded the corner of the page he’d been reading in his own book, setting it gently on the coffee table as he lifted himself from the couch.

Only when Ella Fitzgerald’s voice became louder with the turn of a knob did Pollux lift his head, the fae making grabby hands in his direction.

Mornings weren’t Q’s thing. Yes, it was necessary for him to have the internal clock of a grandmother if he was to wake up early enough for work, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. And he especially didn’t have to be happy about the predicaments he’d been forced to wake up in more and more often lately. Fuck Quinn and his fucking need for affection. I let him get a cat, was that not enough for him?

The demon’s eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he didn’t recognize his surroundings. It was much too dark, nothing like Quinn’s pristine white walls and invasive greenery, where— oh. Pillows weren’t supposed to breathe. Q shot up immediately, knocking off the arm that had been draped over him in the process. They weren’t even in bed, they just fucking fell asleep on the couch, what— Glancing down, the demon found the groggy face of his host’s new favorite person as he shifted on the sofa, probably trying to resist all of the outside factors telling him to wake up. Q grimaced.

“Oh, fuck off,” he muttered, shoving the figure beside him onto the floor without a second thought. A thump cut through the early morning silence of the other’s penthouse as the demon dusted himself off like he was dirty just for having physical contact with another person for so long. A brief groan rang out, and Q glanced up to find a simple middle finger displayed in his direction, rather than the instant argument he was expecting to have started. 

Pollux watched the other, ready to take action if the other couldn’t reach the vase. He even attempted to move whenever the vase almost fell, even though he knew he wouldn’t be much help. He wasn’t that quick. It was his turn to blush as he was complimented. You always look cute, rung in his head, causing him to smile. Why had he waited so long to take this boy on a date? Pollux couldn’t figure it out. Maybe he just didn’t want to rush into things. After all, Pollux hadn’t exactly had many relationships. Lux made it hard, and now, with his position for the past five years, both of those things made it hard for Pollux to have a stable relationship. Again, though, he made time for Quinn. The werewolf genuinely didn’t want to mess this up, even if the dryad shared the body with someone undesirable. He couldn’t exactly judge, as he was in the same boat as well. “Thank you,” he finally replied, having lost himself in watching him get the new home for the flowers ready. He shifted on his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets for the moment.

“The plants should be jealous, those flowers are more special because they’re given with love,” Pollux hummed, moving closer to Quinn now that he was finished preparing the vase for the flowers. “Not that we’re in love–I mean…” he said quickly after, awkwardly, blushing. Really, Pollux didn’t know what he was. He was definitely fond of Quinn, that much was for sure, and he could see himself being in love with the fae one day. Was he already? Well, maybe. Maybe he was. He felt some type of way when he was around the dryad– had even been resisting the urge to kiss him lately. So, yeah, maybe he was. “We can be, I mean. But– I’m just going to shut up.” Yeah, shut up, you’re being stupid. Chill out. Lux could be heard, and if Pollux could have, he would have flipped off the demon.  “We can go,” Pollux reassured, moving closer to Quinn. He took his hand gently, pausing them for a second. He tilted the other’s chin up so he could look at him. “While we’re out, if you get anxious, just let me know, okay? We can come back. Cuddle up on the couch instead. Okay?” he smiled, giving his hand a small squeeze to reassure him.

With love. That sounded nice. There weren’t many things, as of late, that Quinn could say he received with love— no matter what type of love it referred to. Though really, when he looked back on his life, he couldn’t be sure that this was really something he was missing out on only as of late. At Pollux’s clarification, however, he turned wide eyes on the werewolf, an awkward breathy laugh escaping his lips. Though, he wasn’t sure whether that was due to the fact that he agreed or disagreed. He wouldn’t say it in those words exactly, not yet— because those specific words were a lot to commit to, something different and scary, and saying them out loud was to admit that something in his life had changed. And as positive of a change as it might be, change was never exactly something that the dryad welcomed with open arms. Pollux’s train of thought came to an end, though, with an abrupt shut up, pulling a bright laugh from the fae. “We can be,” he echoed softly, the smile refusing to leave his lips. 

Pollux watched the dryad’s touch bring the flowers alive. It only seemed to bring the butterflies alive in his stomach. Chill out. He heard in the back of his mind, and if he hadn’t been too focused on Quinn, or even around anyone, he would have scoffed. Of course Lux wanted to ruin the moment. At the offer of coming in, he nodded with a smile. “Of course,” he replied softly, waiting for the other to take a step back before he took a step into the familiar apartment. It wasn’t even near to the first time that Pollux had set foot in the dryad’s environment. After all, for four months, his apartment and Pollux’s penthouse was the only places that the two were allowed to go. The only places someone allowed Quinn to go. Which, Pollux didn’t mind Q. Hell, he understood demons having control of life to a certain extent. Just, Pollux thought the demon controlled Quinn a bit too much. But that was not a worry today. Today, Pollux was just grateful that the two were finally able to go on a proper date.

The werewolf’s eyes scanned, noticing the little features that he had grown to love, even spotting Tiger snoozing on the couch. “You look cute,” Pollux finally murmured, a blush creeping to his cheeks, and eyes falling back to the dryad. Gross. Lux could be heard. But it was the truth. The white sweater and colorblocked shorts really suited him. It matched his hair and really brought out the softness of his features. Features which Pollux had grown to love. He licked his lips, leaning against the counter. While the two had been hanging out more and more throughout the four months of knowing each other, this was still so new. He had made sure the clarify it was a date. That much was for certain. Given, he would have taken Quinn out even if it wasn’t a date, because the fae deserved to explore the world, but he was grateful for the other agreeing to a proper date. He had thought of the date so often since asking him. He had thought of going fancy, of taking him to a nice restaurant, dress up nicely. He had thought about even traveling to either the beach or something of the sort. But none of it seemed to fit for a first date. No– one day he would do everything with Quinn, Pollux knew it, but for now, a simple picnic and coffee date would suffice. 

Had this been the first time Pollux was seeing the inside of his place, Quinn might’ve had the conscience to be self conscious about it— the overgrown greenery taking up space in every corner and fuzzy knit blankets littering every surface sort of ruined the luxury apartment’s intended minimalist white aesthetic, after all. But Q had his own office behind a locked door at the end of the hallway, so the rest of the apartment essentially belonged to Quinn. He and Tiger were the only ones who lived there, so why bother to hide the things that made the duo happy? That was his motto at least. And Pollux had been over too many times to count by now, there was no longer any reason to apologize for the ‘mess’— he’d easily embraced the aesthetic, it seemed. The dryad made his way into the kitchen, standing on tiptoes to reach one of the little painted ceramic vases he kept on the top shelf. Though, why he ever put anything on the top shelf was a mystery to him— even if he thought he was ‘never gonna use it’, it only ended up causing a struggle later on. 

to: arsène

» you still mad at the terrors?

from: arsène

» Depends. Which incident are you referring to?

to: arsène

» all of them??? » is there more than one thing to be upset with them about right now?

from: arsène

» There is always something new to be upset with them about.

to: arsène

» ok well could you tone it down with the threats and death stares i need to host a meeting and nobody’s gonna come if they think you might chase them out of the inferno room

from: arsène

» No promises.

to: arsène

@qxmaneo​

Pollux was nervous. Pollux was never nervous nowadays. But he was now, his fingers fiddling together and working at the stem of the flowers he had as he walked down the street. It had been a while since something like this had come across his lap. That something being a date.  A proper date. One where the two didn’t simply sit and order food in and watch television. Pollux hadn’t had a date in years. With that gang, his dog, and a multitude of other excuses, Pollux simply hadn’t had the time. Until Quinn. 

The werewolf decided to make time when it came to Quinn. The cute little fae occupied his thoughts nowadays, and he really couldn’t help it. He had dyed his hair pink since they had been talking, and just the sight made Pollux swoon. It took some coaxing– gods it took some coaxing. After months of just hanging out at either of their places, Pollux finally convinced Quinn (and Q) to go on a proper date with him. It wasn’t anything fancy. It was a simple coffee date and picnic in the park. But it was a date, nevertheless. 

Combat boot cladded feet stopped in front of the door of the place he had been to plenty of times in the past four months. Pollux licked his lips before knocking, taking a step back for the door to open and hiding the four flowers behind his back. He shoved his hands into his pockets, waiting patiently for the door to open. When it did, the wolf smiled, face lighting up just at the sight of Quinn. “Hey,” he greeted softly. “These are for you,” he added softly, bringing out the four flowers. “Four for the amount of months we’ve known each other,” he explained with a blush. It sounded stupid now. He thought it had been cute. 

Don’t make me regret this. Words which Q had spoken at least five times that morning, each time with greater emphasis. Quinn wasn’t quite sure why he took offense to those words, seeing as Q truthfully had reason not to trust him outside of the apartment on his own. The last time he’d been out... well, that was when he’d met Pollux. A disaster, really, brought on by pent up social anxiety and panic— so maybe he shouldn’t be let out into the great unknown all alone, but that wouldn’t be an issue if he had friends. But no, Q wouldn’t let him have those, it was too dangerous. He had Yunho and Iseul, but the two older Alvarez siblings were always busy with Q’s business as well— but Quinn had Pollux. And he wouldn’t be going out alone today, he’d be going with Pollux. Q’s reasons for trusting the cute werewolf who’d walked into his life four months prior were entirely different from Quinn’s own, but he’d take what he could get from the demon at this point. If he was gonna let him step outside the door today, who was Quinn to argue?

The dryad checked and double checked his appearance in the mirror, channeling all of his nervous energy into second guessing the components of his outfit, trading embroidered denim shorts for the pastel colorblocked ones Yunho had gotten him for his birthday, a blue cardigan for an oversized white sweater, then back again. Then back again to the white sweater. What was it that people wore on dates?— because this was a date, Pollux had specified so, pulling the fae abruptly out of his ‘calm down, stupid, he doesn’t like you that way’ stupor. He did like him that way. The thought made Quinn smile. Will you fucking stop, you look just as bubblegum in this as you did in the other shit. Literally nothing has changed. Pick something and go. The words brought a pout to the faerie’s lips, looking himself in the eyes through the mirror just to be sure that Q got the full effect. The demon sighed somewhere in the back of his head. You look fine, just calm down and enjoy yourself for once. And don’t make me regret this. Somehow, that only deepened Quinn’s pout. “You’ve said that already, don’t you have anything else to contribute?” he muttered into the empty apartment. No? ...Actually, yeah— don’t do anything gross, I don’t wanna see that shit. And if you’re panicking again, for the love of Hell, just fucking go home. I feel like that all falls under the don’t make me regret this umbrella, but sometimes I need to spell things out for you, huh?