BABY'S GOT A BLACK SOUL.

HAZEL: because food or just because ya like me that much?

HAZEL: okay, well in that case i'm kinda a saint for wakin' you up.

HAZEL: seven /months/, hon, i'm pullin' your leg. if i was openin' the shop and had already been for a swim at seven in the mornin' i think i'd need someone to force me to take a week off. or i'd need an exorcism.

HAZEL: i know, babe. plus, i just woke ya up. but we made it. that's somethin'.

ROXIE: Just because I like ya that much.

ROXIE: A bit... It needs to get done. [sigh]

ROXIE: ...

ROXIE: Oh... right. [snorts, laughs a little, still sounds rather dozy]

jae wet his lips and he leaned back against the bar, drink in hand and he looked over at roxi as she spoke and he offered a smile. “no i don’t think you have a shrill voice. it’s different than most around here.” he let out a chuckle at her words and nodded his head. “well it’s good you know you look good.” he looked down at himself. “maybe i will, i usually do look like a scruff, huh?” he laughed again unable to help himself. jae looked around and he shook his head speaking of woman he shrugged. “not to my knowledge, .” he breathed, he didn’t think there was anyway he hadn’t been paying attention. wetting his lips he took a drink and he nodded. “girlfriend, right. where is she?” he asked, wondering why she was standing with him and not with her girlfriend. though he was sure she’d said male date last time in the bar, he decided not to mention it. he finished off his drink and he looked down at her. “you want to go out to the dance floor with an old man?” he asked letting out a laugh. 

     hazel’s hands lift upwards to prove her innocence, surrendering. “lookin’ ain’t touchin’,” she says simply, understanding. they’re on the same page. it seemed smart, even; rushing into bed the moment they’re back in eachother’s lives wasn’t something either of them wanted to do, and hazel ( quite frankly ) could see it ending in disaster. that was once the farthest their relationship went ( or, at least that’s what they told themselves ) and allowing it to be a part of their relationship now they’re actually in a relationship is something that can’t be rushed. it’s wise. two months in, and hazel’s still content with it. she, herself, wouldn’t stop anything from ‘going too far’ at this point, like she would’ve in the beginning, but she isn’t bothered by the lack of sex. they’ll get there when they’re ready, and hazel’s perfectly happy making the most of everything else she had to live without before she could call roxie her girlfriend. though roxie’s gum-smacking should drive her up the wall, hazel’s learnt to tune it out over the years, and she simply smirks at roxie’s reflection in the mirror, before her expression melts into a dramatic, childish pout as the ball isn’t deemed a special enough occasion for the type of attire that roxie would be most comfortable in ( hazel would have no complaints, either ) but she knows it’d hardly be appropriate, especially as  roxie’s actually attending this shindig for work. “hey, dancin’ with you’s the only reason i’m goin’,” she protests playfully, the joking tone to her voice making it very clear that she knows that roxie knows that’s not true; she’s going because roxie asked, and it’s that simple. she’s proving again that her closeted status truly is a complex and nonsensical matter, especially as she’s not even taking the masks they’ll be wearing into consideration, but it hardly matters. she fully appreciates the understanding and consideration from roxie, on a more serious note, as it’s hardly like she’s used to her less-than-wonderful days being catered for. having not seen that being a human disaster has lead to her mascara smudging already, her eyebrows furrow briefly as roxie crouches to reach her level, but she can’t help but let out a laugh as she reveals why she’s joined her down here. because you’re a mess, hazel. “i only just did it ! how’s it smudged already ?” she protests rhetorically, but lets her eyes flutter to a close to let roxie clear the smudge away. she wouldn’t be able to answer if asked how she knows roxie’s leaning in to steal a kiss once she’s done, she just does, kissing her softly in return. her eyes only open as roxie pulls away, and she thanks her again for curling her hair as she flicks it behind it, letting it fall down her back and messing it up just a tad in the process, making the curls look a little less rigid and perfect, before spritzing perfume onto her wrist and absentmindedly rubbing her opposite one against the spot, before letting the bottle clink back into place on the dresser. “mm, you’ve got a job y’can have a drink at. you’re livin’ most people’s dream,” she says as she brings herself to her feet, knowing she’ll have to be careful in this dress until she’s got her shoes on; she’s fairly certain it was made for someone a little taller than herself. fingertips gently gliding up roxie’s arm as hazel looks up at her ( yes, up. those shoes are working wonders, as they often do ) she can’t help but wonder if they’ve got a little bit of time to kill, as apparently the soft but brief kiss to her lips moments ago wasn’t enough. “i haven’t even properly said hello to ya yet.”

jae smiled down at her, and he adjusted his own mask. he really hated these things and he looked down at roxi with a raised brow as she smirked. “yeah i recognised your voice first. my apologies.” he laughed and he rolled his eyes. “you do not have a shrill voice. actually it’s quite charming.” he winked and he looked around again, glancing at her as she fluffed her curled and he nodded. “i feel you on that, butit doesn’t mean you don’t look good all dressed formal.” his laugh was louder than he meant it to be. “well i’m glad to see that someone noticed that’s what i was going for. a younger look.” he joked and he took a drink and then watched some people dance, and others as they spoke amongst each other. “i came alone, i did drop my friends girlfriend off.” he scanned the crowd for sunny, spotting her and he pointed. “she’s over there but i’m sure her boyfriend should be here any minute.” he shrugged. he didn’t mind coming alone, he knew minseo was here somewhere too. “what about you? you come alone?” he asked looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. “not that there’s much fun in this thing. if i’m alone i can go home at some point.” he laughed. 

     “i hate you so much,” hazel mutters, perhaps sounding the least genuine she’s ever managed to sound. in fact, there’s a distinct level of fondness in her voice as she faffs around with the dress. so unfazed by being in her underwear around roxie, it doesn’t even cross her mind that it’s something to be registered until she catches roxie’s eyes on her, and she finds herself smirking. it’s hardly new for them, despite paths of a more sexual nature not being journeyed down since being in a relationship. even without that aspect, it’s not like either of them have been hiding; roxie even sat with her while she had a bath after, in her own words, shit hit the fan with dusty a few months back, and it’s hardly like hazel’s suddenly shy whenever they stay at eachother’s apartments. as smug as it makes her feel, she does need to get dressed, and she slips the dress over her head in a second attempt to put the damn thing on, and she fiddles with the skirt so it sits right, before holding up the top of the dress around the bust so roxie can zip her into it. once she does so, she outstretches her arms, wiggling her fingers, and resists the urge to start to spinning. as against this evening and this type of dress as she might usually be, she does feel pretty cute. “thanks, babe,” she says, before planting herself down in front of the dresser with a sigh, and not quite catching the already slightly smudged mascara in the corner of one eye. she decided against lipstick; she always makes a mess of it somehow, and she’d rather not end up with it on her teeth tonight. her eyes roll playfully after catching roxie looking back at her in the mirror, a slight smirk on her own lips, too, and it only grows as she expresses what she’d rather be wearing. form fitting and sexier. well, hazel wouldn’t argue with that. “yeah ? i think i’d like that too,” she teases, smirking at her in the mirror before playfully scrunching her nose up at her. she could argue that formal can still be sexy, and she could argue that roxie still looks sexy, but she’s pretty sure the latter goes without saying. as she’s about to protest to her paying if she wants anything else later, mouth opening to speak and all, roxie adds the no ifs, ands, or buts, and hazel shuts her mouth, simply responding with a glare that is 100% playful. it’s fair enough, as she knows that her girlfriend probably knows that she’s not overly keen on going, and she supposes she should start trying to put her hair in its place. however, roxie seems to have the same idea, and hazel can only offer her a grateful smile, shoulders relaxing a little as she gives a tiny, appreciative nod. she’s a godsend. “freakin’ exhausted, if i’m honest. i’ll be alright once i’m there,” she decides, not overly sure if it’s true. they’ll have fun though, either way, and if hazel’s head didn’t currently need to be still, she’d shake it in response to the curls not being exactly how hazel would do it herself. “as long as it’s curly, i’m happy,” she assures, knowing that roxie doesn’t even use a curler to achieve her own curled locks, so hazel’s happy with anything. especially as she’s more than likely to mess it up a little when they’re done anyway, just so she feels as much like herself as she can in a floor-length dress and shoes taller than god knows what. “you had an okay day, though ?”

jae was still looking at his drink. was it wrong that he would much rather be over by the bar than actually mingling with people? he was still trying to see if he could see sunny but he didn’t have much luck which made him wonder if maisy or minho or even noah had shown up but he wasn’t certain.  he looked at the sea of people and he wet his lips inwardly cringing because he despite working in a bar just wasn’t used to these types of things.  had he been a lawyer like he’d been pushed towards growing up jae wondered if he’d have been at big social gatherings like this had he actually done it. he turned his head again when the woman spoke and he raised an eyebrow and he laughed. “it’s the mask.” he pointed. “i told you i’m an old man and my eyesight’s getting really bad.” he teased and he smiled. “hello though, you look absolutely stunning.” it was the honest truth she did and jae gave a slight bow. “thank you very much.” he watched her gesturing to the table she was at and he nodded. “yeah actually if you don’t mind?” he asked lifting the drink to his lips to take a drink. 

     admittedly, hazel wouldn’t be attending tonight if it wouldn’t make roxie’s job that little bit easier; she’ll simply look like she’s there to have fun, instead of to do her job, though hazel’s sure that the former will also take place. although, she has to admit that she’s not exactly in the party mood, nor is a masquerade ball something she’d usually see herself attending, but when in rome. as roxie lets herself into the apartment upon her arrival, hazel is ( as her mother would say ) faffing around her room half naked trying to do eight things at once, and thanking the god she doesn’t believe in that roxie will be here to help zip her into her dress. her first attempt to get into it had been unsuccessful, leading to her discarding it on the bed. in fairness, it’s a nice dress – it’s not one that hazel feels entirely at home in, despite often feeling most comfortable in a dress, but she still feels like herself ( in princess form, maybe ) when zipped into the damn thing; it’s just a little ( a lot ) longer and a tad ( a hell of a lot ) more formal than she’s used to, and she doesn’t have hands coming out of her back. “i’m in the bedroom !” hazel calls as she hears roxie’s voice. she didn’t intend to be in her underwear when her girlfriend wandered her way into the room, but that’s very much the situation at hand either way, and at this current moment in time, hazel doesn’t give even half a rats’ ass. “hey,” she greets, voice a little softer as she catches roxie out the corner of her eye, her hand hovering over the curler sat atop the dresser to see if she kept it turned on, or turned it off while it wasn’t in use like a smart person. needless to say, the latter wasn’t the path she went down. “mmhm, could ya zip me into this dress ? it’s gonna be the death of me and my arms ain’t eight feet long like it wants ‘em to be,” she asks, moving to faff around with the dress laid out on the bed, smoothing out the red and orange fabrics of the skirt. what exactly the point of doing so is when she’s going to shoving it over her head in a matter of seconds, she has no idea, but there’s a too much to do, and she feels like she constantly has to be doing something. hearing that roxie has a little time, though, is much of a comfort, and it isn’t like the other woman seems to be in a rush to get out the door even if saying otherwise. letting her shoulders relax, she stands up a little straighter as her head finally lifts to look at roxie properly, and a slow grin begins to creep across her lips, eyes lighting up. well, damn. “jesus. you look beautiful,” though that’s nothing new, she still sounds rather amazed, and she allows herself a moment to let her eyes wander over roxie in all her formal glory. “you look so fuckin’ good. but yeah – yeah, i ate lunch late, so i’m good. runnin’ around like a chicken with its’ ass on fire, though, so it’s probably a good thing work was busy around lunch time and i didn’t get to eat for a while. i wouldn’t have had time, i don’t think. i dunno what i’m doin’ with my hair, so i’m just going with curlin’ it, but the back’s been a pain,” it’s her go-to when she’s not feeling her natural hair, or if it simply won’t cooperate, but at least her makeup is fully done and she wasn’t totally naked when roxie arrived. at least that’s something. 

     as the old saying goes, there’s no better pairing than smoke inhalation and concussion. the longer roxie’s revelation has been out there, the more hazel can begin to accept it, and even begin to appreciate it ( despite the dangers that come with it ) and she’s glad she was able to force the tears back in, and never allowed them to see the light of day. the tenseness is fading from the air, and hazel can’t quite figure out if it’s because the news is settling in, or if it’s settling in because things are less tense, but it doesn’t matter. either way, it allows her to smile as roxie confirms that the stuff of action movies isn’t her everyday life. “oh, yeah, ‘m real disappointed. i was hopin’ that made me a bond girl,” hazel jokes, words dripping in playful sarcasm — and a slight tinge of disgust that she can’t mask when it comes to the latter sentence, even in jest. she’s glad that roxie can see how learning of her real job has allowed things to fall into place, especially when there had been things that hazel had questioned, things that didn’t make sense to her, that are now crystal clear. an added bonus is the things she never even questioned, but now has the answers to anyway. it’s a funny old world they live in. with the events of today still lurking in her mind, and slowly beginning to have an affect on her, as hazel catches the way roxie smiles after pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, she nearly mumbles something that she can’t quite promise she’d mean. it nearly slips out. but perhaps in the way she’d casually say it to dusty ( all my love, aside ) or zane, and not in the way that roxie once said it to her. it’s be one way for things to go south right now, she’s sure of it, but the way roxie smiled as hazel pulled away, that warm, comfortable feeling still spreading through her after they kissed, it simply just wanted to dance off her tongue. naturally, and without thought. she’d glad it didn’t, but the fact it wanted to causes her to pause for the briefest of moments. it’s no different, she decides, it’s no different to saying it to a friend; it’s just been a long day, and she’s appreciative that roxie’s okay. it’s different to that because roxie means something more to her, and it’s finally official after all this time biting her tongue, keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself, and acting like every kiss and every touch meant nothing, but it still wouldn’t be being said in the way that it’d be taken. they’re together, she can’t just say things like that. it’s been a month; she doesn’t know anything anyway, even the thought of it sounds ridiculous. she can’t help but grin as roxie giggles again, before playfully pouting at her as if the feather-light flap to her arm could’ve possibly hurt her, and shifting again as roxie shuffles over to make room. hands still locked together, hazel settles down next to roxie for the time being. “i’ll probably have to go in a bit,” she mumbles, knowing she hadn’t been granted much time. she can’t see a clock, but she isn’t terrible at estimating a length of time thanks to work, and she knows theirs must be running out. for now, she can make the most of it, and she wiggles her hand free from roxie’s so she can put her arm around her. “yeah, it’s a bit of a shift,” she agrees when it comes to her getting used to it. that’s the thing about revealing a secret; someone else being in the know is always something that needs adjusting to, and hazel can understand that more than most. no more needing to lie, no more covering things up, having to accept that other people may bring it into conversation sometimes. hazel can understand that although roxie’s relieved that someone knows, it might need time to settle. “i’m still gonna need a while to let it sink in, too, i think. i’ll probably wake up tomorrow and need a second to know if that actually happened or it was just a smoke-infused dream i had, but i’ll get used to it,” she’s mostly kidding. “we’ll figure it out. i’m glad y’told me. and hey, if nothin’ else, it’s given me another reason to think you’re badass as hell. plus… i dunno, it’s good stuff. what you do. it’s somethin’ to be proud of,” despite the badass comment being said with a lighter air surrounding it, hazel softens as she continues, before nodding as roxie speaks on her father. that little innocent smile will be the death of her, and she can’t help but smile gently in return. he’s had enough heartbreak, and hazel understands. that’s fair enough. why worry him if it’s not necessary, especially when that family’s been through enough. when it comes to family, though, she’ll speak no further; she knows better than to ask about her brother. “’s fair enough, rox. y’have such a good heart, y’know that ?” she says, before rolling her eyes at herself, even though her expression is still soft. “— sorry, i’m mushy today. dusty learnt that one the hard way earlier, the poor guy. but hey, if ya ever need somethin’ drawn up to pass off as your own if he asks, i can probably draw somethin’ up. i’m good with secrets, and good with a pencil.” 

jae watched the woman walk off and he pursed his lips. he had no idea what had just happened and to be honest, had roxi not come in when she did things could have gotten worse. he laughed as roxi spoke and he nodded his head. “i’d be lost  without you, or dead, as she so threatened me.” he laughed again and he turned to look at the drinks once he’d poured himself one he back to her and nodded. “cosmopolitan coming right up.” he turned making the drink up and then he brought it back to her handing it over. “i was a little bored.” he chuckled. “of course. not doing anything else plus the bar’s.. pretty dead to be honest.” not that, that surprised him in the slightest. “what have you been up to since the last time i saw you?” he asked curiously.