trouble

“Someone’s got to. Since my other family members don’t.” She glanced over at him with an arched brow. “Oh, finally. mom and dad bought their own sun. I’ve been telling them for years, we needed ur own. Glad they finally listened.” She teased, taking a deep breath. “But you’re right, it is quiet here. Honestly, I was going to just say hi but now I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere. Can I tell you the story about my client from hell?”

“mom has been giving you an allowance since we were five, isn’t this just like the same thing?” he questioned “why don’t you make me a nice custom piece and i’ll pay you a pretty penny” sam loved to tease mattie, it was something he had done most of his life. with them being so close in age the two of them usually never trailed far without the other. “of course they listen to you. it’s not like they have to pay for any of us anymore, they’ve got all the extra cash in the world.” he listened to her comment on how quiet it was there before turning his head quickly to look at her “don’t even think about taking this spot, it’s mine and nobody bothers me here. you’re only allowed here for the day” all of a sudden the older male sounded like he was a kid again, bargaining with his little sister and telling her not to bug him. when she mentioned a client from hell he was intrigued “oh yeah, i love horror stories. how bad on a scale from one to ten?”

ꜱᴀᴍᴜᴇʟ.

   with his jaw clenched, etienne wondered if perhaps he’d overstepped his boundaries. it was one thing to appear at the other’s apartment among company, and yet to have done so unannounced and ALONE - the once thought brilliant idea now quickly souring. and yet, so it seemed, the coaxed laughter from the older was enough to quell his brooding, at least for the time being.  “ sneaky ?  i’ve been told it’s one of my best attributes, “ the man quipped, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “ oh, well, “ he began, wracking his brain for anything of use - he’d been hoping the other hadn’t been paying too close attention to his fib, “ i wanted to check on the throwback nights down at movie magic, see what they’d be offering this month. “ the slight pause potentially giving him away, but he paid it no attention. eyes glancing down at the book in hand, etienne nodded, perhaps another time he’d have felt a bit unsettled - the sole purpose for his visit squandered so early on, but he didn’t allow for it, especially after not being turned away. “ from your collection to mine then, hm ? “ etienne hummed, his gaze rising to meet the other’s once more. “ i figure it suits you, i can only imagine the next time i’m here you’ll have even more towers of books scattered throughout the place. you’ll give PAGES AND PAGES a run for their money, i’m sure. “ his assertion bordering presumptuous, etienne offered a tight lipped smile - next time … he willed himself to not roll his eyes at his choice of words right then and there. “ right, “ the man laughed, somewhat apprehensively, as he moved to trail behind samuel. “ i should’ve given you a warning call, “ the man echoed, moving further into the apartment, “ allowed you a bit of time to clean up for me, “ etienne teased, bending slightly to set the book down on the nearest table top. if it was truly bad, etienne figured he would’ve found himself offering to help tidy the man’s place up for him, but it wasn’t necessarily what he’d envisioned when knocking on the door moments prior, nor what he assumed the other may have been expecting from him. “ yeah, a drink sounds lovely. thank you, whatever you’re having is perfect, “ he answered, taking a seat on the couch. with his fingers tapping absentmindedly against his thigh, etienne took a moment to steal a glance over his shoulder at the older, “ that rain, uh, sure came out of nowhere last night, “ the man babbled, a slight grimace washing over his features as he turned back around, willing himself to remain silent.

even though sam felt extremely nervous around etienne he wanted to be around him. some strange pull that he selfishly didn’t want to fight. “i’m curious to know other situations you have to be sneaky” the older male commented with a sheepish shrug. hearing his reasoning for being out and about sam played it off, he knew he was lying but maybe he’d bring it up some other time. nodding slowly sam looked over at etienne and grinned “well I hope to see you there then” that was the truth, sam enjoyed running into the other, it wasn’t often that it was just the two of them around but when it was it was always nice. “yeah, maybe one day you’ll end up having a section of books I’ve given you.” not to sound too hopeful “maybe I should buy a house just to build a library for myself, get all these good books off the floor” he was currently adding that to his master to-do list. “NEXT TIME you’ll have to call before you plan to stop by, I’ll make my place presentable, hell maybe I’ll even put a candle on to make it smell nice” sam moved towards his kitchen, biting his tongue for some of the things he had said. as etienne made himself comfortable, sam found a bottle of wine he had gotten from seb days ago and he opened it, pouring two glasses “oh I know, my window was open and it started pouring in. I’m hoping it rains again tonight, I always sleep better when I can hear the rain” he admitted as he made his way back over to the living room, handing the glass over and setting the opened bottle on the table before taking a seat next to him.

after sam had set down the pizza box, monroe flipped open the lid and picked up a slice. “thanks for the chow,” he murmured in between bites, raising the slice in his hand like a glass of champagne. “i would’ve been eating vegan - friendly popcorn for dinner if you hadn’t brought this.” not that vegan - friendly popcorn sounded like an unsavory meal to him, but it would’ve been nowhere near as filling as the pizza, he was certain. especially not after a few hits from the joint sam had brought along. he tossed his half - eaten slice back into the box and wiped his greasy hands on the front of his shorts, then took the joint with a small hum of gratitude and placed it between his lips. “it’s one thing to fool around a little during a movie, but if you’re gonna go any further then you’ve gotta at least move to a bathroom stall or the backseat of your car,” he commented.

“of course, of course. i was walking right by and it would have been rude if i didn’t stop and pick a pie up” he shrugged while reaching for another slice “i’ll let you save that popcorn for tomorrow night” the brunette chuckled as he enjoyed the pizza. his mother hated it, she swore he hate too much of it and it wasn’t healthy. “i should have you make that announcement before every show, maybe then they will finally stop” sam suggested “i’m hoping you’ve been better then that?” 

Mattie was told by their mom not to disturb her brother but it doesn’t stop her from heading out into the backyard. Tiptoeing towards the loungers, she didn’t understand how he could be laying out in the sun and actually asleep. As she moved closer to his seat, she doesn’t notice a lounger pulled out, stumbling as her foot caught on its leg, making a loud screeching noise. Her eyes rolled at his reaction, “Gosh, I tripped!” She responded, plopping down onto the lounger next to him, “Um, hello to you too, Sam. Don’t be rude.” She scoffed, kicking off her sandals, “I was dropping off a necklace mom ordered. What are you doing here? A different sun here?”

“watch where you’re going and that wouldn’t happen” he mumbled “i’m rude only when it comes to you” he teased, a small smile appearing on his lips “hi mattie, impeccable timing as per usual.” he looked over at his sister who had joined him, a confused look on his face “mom actually buys things from you? i had no idea” he shrugged as he reached over to the side table for a cigarette “now that none of us live here it’s quiet and i like that. it’s the last place anyone looks for me. also yes, the sun is completely different.” 

the side panel of his van was open, soft notes of waiting for the sun spilling out onto the beach as monroe sat with his bare feet in the sand. he turned his head at the sound of sam’s familiar voice and grinned when he spotted his dealer - turned - friend approaching with a pizza box in his arms and a slice already in his hand. “oh yeah ? fuck that guy.” monroe snorted and scoot over a bit so that sam could sit or set down the box if he wanted to. he pressed his palms to the carpeted floor of his van, leaning most of his weight on his arms and hands. “no shit ? ” monroe glanced at sam and lifted a brow. “well, it is horror movie season,” he reasoned with a shrug, “so, that probably wasn’t the last time that’s gonna happen before the theater switches out halloween and friday the 13th with the santa clause and frosty the snowman.”

“yeah, fuck him” sam replied with a laugh as he set the box down next to his friend. it usually wasn’t normal for sam to be friends with the people he did business with, in high school it was a little different, but now it was one of his rules. with monroe it was different, they actually hit it off pretty well and a couple smoke sessions later the two were the modern day cheech and chong. the brunette sat in the sand, his free hand grabbing a handful and dropping it back to the ground “don’t people have someplace better to do that shit? i mean it’s a movie theater for christ’s sake.” he took another drag and held it out for the taking “this is the the third couple this month” he mumbled with a laugh.

ꜱᴀᴍᴜᴇʟ.

   at the sight of sam stepping into full view, hovering above him, etienne cleared his throat, swiftly rising back to his previous standing position. “  just me - i hope that’s alright, “ the man drawled, his grip on the book loosening now that the two were face to face. “ thought it might be best to leave the kids at home for a change, “ etienne teased, rocking back on his heels. “ oh, yeah, sorry for just dropping by, i just - i wanted to return that book you loaned me the other day, “ the man explained, unsure whether or not he should simply pass the book off right then and there in the hallway. “ and i was in the area, y’know, so, “ he bluffed, his bottom lip catching between his teeth. at the other’s invitation, etienne nodded, perhaps a bit too quickly, mumbling a ‘ thank you ‘ as he sidestepped into sam’s apartment - his eyes darting around the entryway as he stepped further into the room. hearing the door shut behind him, etienne turned back around to face the older, “ i REALLY enjoyed this one - thanks for letting me borrow it. “ he enunciated, the corners of his mouth curving upwards to form a toothless smile as he extended the book out towards the other man. “ i hope ‘m not intruding, i just wanted to stop by … and thank my personal librarian. “ etienne grinned, raising his hand to scratch at his temple with his pointer finger. “ i’m glad i caught you while you were here. “

this was unexpected and he was caught off guard, awkwardness setting in quickly. fuck. the small joke etienne had managed to make brought a laugh out of sam’s mouth “i’m surprised you managed to slip away, you must be fairly sneaky.” instant regret “oh right, yeah” he nodded, looking down to see the book gripped in the other mans hand. “what were you doing in the area?” sam asked, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to catch him in a lie or if he was just curious about his day. a smirk growing on his face, finally tuning into a smile that he tried to hide. “yeah, you did?” eagerness in his voice peaking out slightly “you can keep it if you want.” he shrugged, he had a plethora of books and was always giving them away to make room for new ones. “personal librarian? I like that” the man acknowledged while pressing his lips together in a fine line “me too, I mean not that I had plans to go anywhere today. but I mean I also didn’t think I’d have a visitor.” he moved around the apartment, picking up things along the way “I would have made this place a little more presentable.” sam stopped and scratched his head, exhaling while looking over at etienne “sit, make yourself at home. you want a drink?”

( ic: timothee chalamet, twenty-six, cis male, he/him ) did you see SAMUEL ATWOOD walking down main street earlier?  you know who i’m talking about, they’re a MOVIE THEATER ATTENDANT / THE TOWN PLUG.  everybody in town says that they’re PASSIONATE & CHARMING, but have a tendency to be SPAZY & POSSESSIVE too.  SAM has been in town for 26 years.  c'mon, they’re always requesting DANKE SCHOEN by WAYNE NEWTON at karaoke nights.  well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! 

hey y’all i’m s! i go by she/her pronouns and hail from the cdt. (sorry for not being on sooner, unfortunately my car was stolen yesterday so it’s been a hell of a week already) 

below is a little bit about my boy sammy, i’ll have vada’s intro up soon! 

tw: drugs