" bring me to life

             SHE TURNS AROUND, DISTRAUGHT IN HER EYES and she looks at the other. expecting something tragic to come from her lips, but instead – “ that was the most depressing movie i’ve ever seen in my life. “

“was it?” sebastian hardly became attached to movies, though he knew of the people who discovered it easy to get invested in them, so he wasn’t going to judge the woman for becoming emotional. “i barely paid attention. you’re not the only who came out soaked in tears though.” he admitted, jerking his thumb toward a bunch of sobbing teenagers behind him.

ethan could hear music thumping from inside the house and they had never felt so eager in their entire life. some obnoxious fuckboys throwing up a party was a blessing to them, they had this common tendency to not care about whoever the fuck barged into the room as long as they could liven the evening. that was good news, since they wanted to get alcohol tonight and they couldn’t be bothered to visit the run down bar near their apartment. “so i have no idea who’s holding up this party or —— these people at all. but should we just come in?” they asked the person next to them. 

sebastian wasn’t certain why he was out here. he definitely wasn’t the frat party type of guy so going in was out of the question. his client needed to take care of a few things inside and he was sacrificed outside with nothing much to do except stare at the delinquents getting drunk. well, he guessed things could’ve been worse but he seriously would rather stay in his garage at this point. taking a long puff of his smoke, he turned away when one of the teens came up to him. good, just what he needed. “no.” he drawled. “i’m just waiting for a friend.”

Serena glanced down to her White Russian, stirring the whipped cream in slowly to take the bite out of the vodka. She took a sip, her eyes scanning across the dimly lit bar. “It’s weird how it’s always the same here,” she murmured to the person next to her. “Not just here, I guess. Everywhere. People cram themselves into dark dive bars, drink until they get good and numb, and then try to pick up the first person who agrees to go home with them, thinking it’s somehow going to fill that void. It never does.” She finally turned to look at the person next to her, the ghost of a smile dancing over her lips. “I know, I’m being pessimistic, but as sad as it is, there’s something tragically beautiful about it, y’know?”

sebastian frankly was a little silent as he sat next to the woman. one, since he wasn’t good with communication and general and two she used to be all about that life. before meeting his husband, sebastian enjoyed the pleasures of one night stands and not knowing identities of those whom he had slept with. “i don’t think it’s that beautiful. it’s just life. a progress in which most individuals have to tack through before determining whether to choose settlement or a perpetual journey. it’s a part of growing up to a lot of people and a simple unremitten fragment for others to fulfill their need.” he said, shrugging. “that void however, will always be there.”

She had just been standing outside of her favorite cafe with a cigarette in her right hand when a teenage boy with his friends decided to make her the butt of his cruel joke. “Hey guys, watch this.” He said quietly, unbeknownst to Abby. Half a second later and it hit her, a large, mostly full cup of chocolate milkshake right upside her head. She gasped and turned around furiously to find the culprit, who was already laughing and running away with his group of tag along assholes. “Hey, FUCK YOU!” She screamed vehemently, feeling an awful lot like an old person pissed at kids for being on their lawn. Only her hair getting messed up with a milkshake along with her clothes, she would argue was on another level. “Eat a dick, you fucking dip shits!”

sebastian frowned at the scene. it honestly bothered him immature some of these american kids were. back home they would have gotten themselves a good beating or two from their parents for their behaviour alone but here? almost every single individual here was an ass. sebastian quickly stood up, sending the kids a death glare. he didn’t know what made them turn away. the yelling from the woman or his look but soon they scattered off to leave him there. “i wouldn’t bother with them. want to get cleaned up?” sebastian offered.

Chris had spent most of his shift at the club sitting in their half-naked Santa’s lap, mostly just enjoying the flirty conversation and getting to watch the other dancers. After a while, though, he decided that it was time for his smoke break - even though he hadn’t really done any work that was deserving of a break - and headed outside while pulling his faux fur coat on over the strappy outfit he wore. The blonde leaned against the brick wall, pulling his pack and lighter out from his coat pocket and lighting one. “Hi,” He called, eyeing the person approaching as they walked down the sidewalk, mostly looking for conversation due to boredom. “How’ve you been, boo?”

sebastian couldn’t remember the last time he had been to a club. years ago probably, back when he wasn’t as controlled as he was now. he didn’t know if checking out one would drive him to see the temptation and return to his old ways again but he hoped he wouldn’t. he just needed a quick break, not a rift to tear his family apart. they had trusted him enough to not make him allured to the sight of half naked bodies and drinks. sebastian lifted an eyebrow when whom he assumed was one of the dancers approach him. “i’ve been well. a little bit of headache.” sebastian admitted, the mechanic didn’t want to open up too much to a complete stranger. “you? aren’t you supposed to be working?”

She almost pirouetted the fact that she nearly didn’t make it to the boat- it wasn’t as though she’d lost her desire to relish some work-free entertainment or travel, didn’t mean she refused to have fun, but short upheavals from one place to another still often obscured her cognizance- which was pretty much the catalyst to her grimy ass dreams. Sam had begged to partake in the trip due to Andie, though, and she couldn’t just let the kid venture alone. “Nightmares.” She stayed silent at his command, shook her head in the process. “Actually, I was thinking maybe we could just take a walk. Or a jog.” It was her attempt to avoid talking about it, she wasn’t prepared. “Like the old times. What d’ya say?”

it wasn’t difficult to see her attempts at dodging. they might have worked on other people but not the ones who basically had seen her grow up and he was one of those. not to mention growing up in a really rough environment made it easy for sebastian to read people. he needed to that, so he could be aware of the best ways to survive. he would follow the woman for now, knowing he’d be able to get some more details eventually if he did. “sure.” he said, sipping the last bit of his coffee. “have you surveyed the area? i did, yesterday when we arrived.” he explained. “a lot of obstacles. you still up for it?” he asked.

“I think I’ve done my fair share of relaxing for the day.” Noor knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep now, not when she was feeling positively wound up. She would of course have to head indoors and check on her daughter soon enough, but sleeping seemed to be out of the question for now. The nervous energy was too intense. “At least the weather’s nice. I was getting quite tired of the New York winter.” 

sebastian shrugged his shoulders. typically he became a bit miffed when people didn’t obey to his suggestions, but he thought he could comprehend her reason. the whole cruise was a relaxation anyway. even he was beginning to grow bored by the amount of lounging he and his family had had. “fair enough.” the mechanic said while pocketing his hands. “it’ll get better once we’ve reached the bahamas if i remember it right. just make sure to apply a lot of sunscreen.” he said with a nod. “i’m sebastian.”

“I thought I felt something lumpy, but I decided to ignore it.” He said standing up. “Sorry, man.”

“be careful next time. i have important things there.” he said although said important things were actually just spare parts. “didn’t hear anything crack, did you?”

“Did you need something? I was really looking forward to the sunburn I’m gonna get from sleeping on the beach.”

“you’re kind of sleeping on my bag. could you move aside a little?”

Jason quirks an eyebrow. “Warm water sounds gross, m’dude.” It’s a pivotal burst of snide if he has to be honest. The stranger’s advice is possibly a good one but Jason is not the kind to just relent to what he’s been made abreast so easily. Who do you think he is, a five year old obedient child? Nevertheless hoping his retort is satisfactory enough for himself and mostly his ego, Jason proceeds bow his head in an ironical gesture. “But you’re probably right.”

He turns on his heel to pour himself a warmer glass. It’s hard not to gag in the process but it’s better to suck it all up than crumble infront of a suspicious stranger. Self image is way too important for the thirty four year old man.  He grabs a plate and turns back to the other individual. “You won’t mind me sitting there, will you?” He asked.

while sebastian was familiar with the people who liked to approach things with a certain attitude, he still discovered himself getting a bit occasionally annoyed by them. didn’t they know how difficult it was for some people to stay friendly? a lot demanded kindness but they messed it up when their pride or their partiality to sassy demanour got too much in the way. he could handle spunkiness here and there but when it came out of nowhere it would be enough to worsen his frowns. “you’re welcome.” he replied with a gruff tone.

sebastian would’ve just welcomed him but now he was no longer in a somewhat cordial mood. he only glanced up at the man but the grip on his coffee cup was tightening. how tempting it was to just spill the content to him. he closed his eyes and thought of his son’s face which seemed to be sufficient for a quick comfort. “yeah. sure. whatever.” he said, lowering his eyes again.

Noor kept looking around, her face remaining nearly emotionless despite the intense feelings of unease. There was no denying the vulnerability that came with being asleep, especially when you happened to doze off in a public space, surrounded by strangers. Having heard the question, she cleared her throat and shook her head. “Not really. Just the realization I probably shouldn’t sleep on a deck chair under the burning sun,” she explained before taking a deep breath, “or surrounded by people I don’t know. Not a great idea, is it?" 

“not exactly.” sebastian knew a lot of dangerous circumstances which is why most of the time the mechanic chose to be alert no matter how safe looking his surroundings seemed. there was no harm in being cautious, a lot of people carried cruel intentions and he had learned that the hard way way before he and his husband met. with a nod, sebastian stared ahead. he didn’t want to look like he had been staring at the young woman out of concern. “you should come back to your room. or go inside and find safer places to relax.” he suggested.

“Smooth advice, Sea Bass, but pretty sure I’ve already consumed- a little bit too much coffee.” She’d experienced one of those mussy eves again, one that involved fragments where the faded scars on her flesh had first commenced - nimble and arrant, a shockwave that rippled through her chest to jerk her eyes awake in the midst of chokeful grunts - and she hadn’t ceased to curse at herself ever since the first jolt. She knew she shouldn’t have come here, she wasn’t- fully prepared. The thrashed coffee mugs in her room had been a witness to the rotting nightmares. She’d at least been quick enough to tidy the mess though, pretend nothing ever happened. “Maybe tea would be nice. I’ll just go with tea.” Bitten lip, Heather ran her fingers through her hair and wandered over to the lavish selection of beverages. “Didn’t expect to see you here, though. Gotta admit.”

sebastian looked up from his cup, now his attention was fully diverted. he didn’t care much of others well beings but the young woman had been around him long enough as both a mentee and friend to earn his clocklike scrunity. he put his cup down and eyed her like a hawk. “didn’t expect to see you here either.” of course he didn’t mind her being around, it had been a long time since the last time they had spared and he was interested knowing what had been happening in her life. “i know that look. rough night?” sebastian had taught many people. he knew a few thngs that made his students tick and the heaviness in heather’s eyes spoke louder than her words. “sit down, heather.” he said, pulling a chair next to him.

Mornings used to pass by Cathy with ease, but ever since the incident with her hands, everything associated with it had become a challenge. Well everything was a challenge, but when you’re trying to do it while still half asleep it was even worse. On the plus side, she was in the Bahamas so it didn’t feel as bad as it usually did.

The breakfast area was largely unoccupied, aside from one other man. Cathy gave him a smile and paused as she picked up a plate. “I’ve never really liked coffee.” She admitted. “Not unless I add, like, a butt load of cream and sugar so I tend to avoid it.” She shrugged, still smiling. “How are you enjoying the trip so far?”

sebastian didn’t return the young woman’s smile, his mouth remained stoic though the harsh puckers on his face were a silent indication he wasn’t about to give her a difficult time with his commonly less than friendly behaviour. he didn’t recognise her from the cruise so either she was a native here or someone whom he hadn’t bothered to greet. the latter wouldn’t be too much of a surprise given how closed off sebastian was. “so the much lighter version of coffee.”

he folded his newspaper closed. sebastian figured he could at least have a conversation with one person but if more people were to barge in, he would jet off as soon as he could. “coffee’s better when it’s strong in my personal opinion. it’s when the caffeine really kicks in to boost your energy.” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “it’s fine. i prefer this over the cruise. too many people back then. yourself?”

Jason is still experiencing the leavings of last night’s inebriated stupor. He’s not good with handling his hangovers but hiding in his room doesn’t seem as appealing when he remembers this free time off isn’t going to stay forever.  He growls, he rolls, he stretches himself off his empty bed. He dearly hopes whoever’s out there isn’t about to make matters worse. The restaurant seems to be a decent starting point.

He lurks into the room. His steps are heavy and sluggish —- note to self, Jase. Never take continuous shots while you know you’re nothing but a fragile lightweight. He scours the room and is halfway through grabbing a thin slice of bread when a voice interrupts him. He contemplates on ignoring but knows it’ll do him no good. “Dunno how I’eel bout the coffee. M’ght just stick wit’ water. Or jus’ drownin’ m’self.”

sebastian averted his eyes to have a better look of the man, hangovers used to be apart of his routine back when he was still a lot less subdued by the hawkful eye of his spouse and now husband. he missed the feeling of being intoxicated but he knew better than to stroll back into that life. he was now married and had his own son who looked up to him, he couldn’t ever bring himself to disappoint his family.

“fair enough.” sebastian simply responded, his thin but coarse fingers dragging along the circle of his cup. he didn’t plan to push, he couldn’t careless of the a strangers mental state anyway. he was hoping the breakfast area could always remain this quiet. it was nice to be alone after that godawful hell he went through by suffering the cruise. “you should probably get something warm. it helps with the nausea.” he recommended.

The last few days before Noor’s much-needed break from work had been hectic and emotionally exhausting. It was simply the reality down at the ICU and she could usually push through until the opportunity to crash appeared. She had intended on getting some reading done, quite desperate to finish a book she had started weeks if not months ago, but her need for sleep turned out to be much greater. Curled up on a deck chair, Noor remained asleep for less than ten minutes, eventually practically jumping up. 

while his husband and son were fast asleep, sebastian thought it would be nice to get himself some fresh air. some of the places around here were too crowded for his tastes, but he was certain he could at least find one or two that would be tranquil enough for him to take a break. sebastian wandered over and fiddled with the pack of cigarette in his pocket, wondering if it would be rude to just have a smoke break there. he knew his husband would frown upon his action but the emotional pressure of this trip had made him itch for the stick. he barely noticed the woman close to him until she startled herself awake and sebastian abandoned his cigarette altogether. “bad dream?”