𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧.

OPTICS FLITTED FROM ONE CHARACTER to the next as cameron rattled them off one by one . a hand slides down his face as his coworker mentions that the man could potentially be a savage . should the bumbling ape figure out  cameron was the cause of the commotion -- & simply by association , lukas --  they were in trouble . “ a riveting tale ... could you , in the future , stick to pranking your own gang instead of adding fuel to an already burning fire ? ” the war , if it even was defined as such , was on the forefront of lukas’s mind whenever another mentioned the opposing organization . “ while i agree that it would be amusing , ” lukas turned to cameron with a deep frown as he admonished the younger . “ i’m really going to tell petran you need a babysitter . i guarantee it will not be me . ”

KINDNESS ISN’T A VIRTUE -- that is , lukas never considered it one until he stood , mouth agape at the scene of the mansion on fire . he’s vaguely familiar with why this whole war started , but he doesn’t really care for much ( after all , what good would caring do ? ) . but this plan -- maybe he’s too new or he’s kept his head down low -- but he didn’t know it would actually occur . his mind flits to a few that he actually cares of , but he saw the lights of sharps were on & decided to make his way over , trudging through the snow & away from the smoke that clouded a good portion of the sky . when the bell tolls to announce his arrival & dante remarks bitterly to him , the german raises his hands in surrender . “ i came to see if you were here , ” he nods in a greeting , closing the door & shutting out the cold winter air . “ stroke of luck , but i was right . was about to text you to see if you wanted to pop over for a drink , if you weren’t busy ... ” he doesn’t want to say that he wanted to take his mind off of the current events in valdez , but he hoped it was clear enough .  

“ ALL RAMPANT IN VALDEZ , I’M SURE . ” it’s far too early to be listening to her banter , but here he is , leaning on his door with a lopsided grin that one could say he was almost happy to see her . he won't admit it , but he's thankful for the strange friendlines americans had , even if it meant showing up on his doorstep , insisting him to get ready to go eat & that he was the one who was going to pay ( a notion he assumed was going to occur anyways ) . “ my peers are rubbing off on me . not my fault the general iq in this town is below average , ” he shrugs in response , as if it was a sufficient answer . instead of arguing with the femme , he heeds her command , wordlessly leaving her in favor of heading to his bedroom . he emerges a few minutes later , with pants & a puffy parka , focused on tugging on leather gloves as asks the question that’d been on his mind since she mentioned it  ─ “ what on earth is a waffle house ? ”

A HAUGHTY SMIRK GRACES the bavarian’s refined features , perched on a chair in the tattoo parlor ; while he holds no interest in the dingy establishment , the artist was something that did hold his interest . a gentle hum reverberates within in the male’s throat , cerulean orbs continuing to skim the page . “ continue making dumb decisions, then . it’s ... amusing . ” the commotion over the piece of artwork seemed a bit senseless , but then again lukas didn’t know what it was like to work for his own keep ; the silver spoon that’s been stuck in his mouth since birth has morphed into something of a permanent fixture . eyes lift to meet the other , taking one palm & resting his elbow on his thigh , letting his head fall into his hand . “ as much as i’d love to fill your infantile brain with the likes of camus , ” the book is held up slightly higher by one hand to illustrate his point , to show the title , la chute .  “ i’m actually here because i have a few questions . ” shoulders lift in his typical insouciant manner , hues studying the man before him . it wasn’t sage who had anything to worry about , but lukas didn’t want that bit to be given away just yet . “ more of a business visit if anything . ”

HIS PHONE PINGS AGAIN , aggressively this time -- reminding the male he had somewhere to be . he looks at the source of the noise , then at winnie , then back to his sock , which he decided maybe he should put it on in order to be somewhat proper . “ ah , you’re ... not . ” he’s kicking himself at how awkward he sounds , & how he’s permitting her in his home , in his life , & letting her crush his feelings between her fingertips like one would to a pomegranate seed . he takes the black sock and unfurls it as he lifts his leg , slipping it on with ease ( & he wondered where that ease was a minute prior , when he was hopping around like a madman ) . “ really . i was kind of hoping to see you tonight . ” deft fingers tug the remainder of his sock up before he puts it down , a hand reaching for the nape of his neck . brows raise in surprise at her statement , & even more so at her question . “ well , you’ve only expressed interest in me when you’re drunk , or high , or ... ” there was the understood yes as an answer to her question . he really couldn’t believe it , but a part of him was relieved at the fact that he was the one she sought out , not the others . “ would you want to come with me ? ” he asks suddenly , words tumbling out of his lips before he could even register them in his brain to debate if it was a good idea ; & they hung there , & he didn’t know what to say after that . “ i only have a request if you do want to , ” he cuts in quickly , before she even has a chance to respond . he gestures to the bottle in her hands . “ you can leave that here . you’ll ... have something to look forward to when we come back . ” he throws her a lopsided grin to sweeten the deal , but then realizes that he did just offer that they’d be coming back , & considering the tension-filled encounters they’ve had his mouth dries slightly . ( well , he reasons , maybe they could watch a movie or something --  asking her to come back didn’t have to have explicit meanings . & if she really wanted to get drunk he’d much rather have her sleep in the guest room opposed to going back out into the cold ) . 

HER HATRED OF HIM IS AMUSING , in the sense that it annoyed him to no end but he also didn’t mind it all too much , which were the typical characteristics for something to be amusing for the bavarian . “ charming . do you insult everyone who attempts to be nice to you ? ” he doesn’t bite , not even a little , because right now he thinks that for one second if they can get along then maybe they weren’t as bad as the other thought . when monday came , he’d go back to critiquing her work & hearing her ever-present remarks about his behavior , but for now , he was okay with not being at her throat — although the sentiment didn’t seem to be shared .  “ even if it is home for these poor souls , it isn’t a warm & welcoming one . ” not like he knew what that felt like . “ eh .  my ego’s not that bad . these balls of gas remind me of ... ” he trails off , words quieting in his mouth . “ home . ” but not home in the sense of a physical place , more of the feeling of his young mother’s arms wrapped around his boyish frame as she whispered secrets of the stars into his ears . the feeling of home had died the second she did — but he’d never let his fellow hacker know that .

LUKAS WAS A SMART MAN . there was no denying either part of that statement ; yes , the amsberg heir was every adjective one could use to describe intelligence , but he was also a man , & his ability to be lusted away by women & then feel sorrow afterwards when they showed little true interest was arguably one of his bigger flaws . enter a vixen with the most gorgeous hair he’d ever seen who didn’t seem to care so much about him as what he could give her , & he was in trouble . “ you’re not interrupting anything . ” he spoke cooly , shaking his head at the notion that she was . he’s not exactly happy with her , per say , considering that all the lovely things she would whisper to him ended up being flat lies as she was wrapped , almost in the next instant , in the arms of other men . not like he cared . no , he didn’t care at all , & he definitely didn’t care about how self-conscious she got on his doorstep or how she walked in to his abode looking so out of place . he remembers the one sock in his hand & closes the door , raising his brows at the use of his real name . it wasn’t baby or sweetheart or darling , it was just his name & he looked at the sock in his hand , mouth going slightly slack , as he realized that if she wanted to lead him to bed ( which seemed to be her only real intention ) she could really do without the pet names . when she holds up the bottle for him to prove her innocence , a twinge of regret tugs at him , but deft fingers beckon her to give him the unopened bottle . “ that’s not much of a plan , ” he remarks , head tilting as he watched her . “ i do . they’re mad at me for being late , but ... still waiting on me . ” was this the part where he was supposed to invite her ? he still can’t really believe she showed up here on her own accord . “ win , besides bringing the alcohol .. you’re not under anything , are you ? ”