criminal tranquilo

Pacifica had at least done her research before this. Tito, after all, was fairly open on the internet so it gave her a lot to work with. She knew his face, knew about his flirtation with Greg, knew the way he enjoyed teasing and flirting across the internet. And of course, she knew that he adored Ollie or neither of them would be here. 

All of which meant when he showed up next to her table with that charming smug grin, she wasn’t actually surprised so she could pretend to be surprised. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”

But she made sure to take a sip of the white mocha before he could make some crack about taking it back. 

“Nice to meet you in person Tito. Since you seemed so excited by the idea, I’m glad we could make our schedules work.” 

Unlike Pacifica, Tito hadn’t done any research on the other. Mainly because he was entirely too lazy to do so but also because he wanted to form a fair opinion on her. If only for Ollie’s sake. But she seemed fun from the few interactions they’d had via twitter. Maybe not the most quick witted but she had zingers when she wanted to. Kept them on their toes.

Which is exactly what she did as she immediately took a sip of her drink after accepting it. Maybe she was a mind-reader. Which... could be a bad thing and a good thing. 

“Course I was eager. Ain’t like our little Ollie talks about a lot of girls,” he grinned as he took his seat. It wasn’t a lie either. He couldn’t recall many times where Ollie had spoken about a girl. Or maybe that was because it wasn’t ever out in the open or where he could tease the girl he was talking about. Either way... This was fun and he was going to enjoy getting to know the kid’s little girlfriend.

SNEAKING IN || GRITTO

Gregory honestly hadn’t expected Tito to say anything. He seemed upset in a way that might’ve just led to him being upset until he wore himself out and fell asleep against him. Which would have been fine. Gregory would have done his best to comfort him until he could have gotten to that point. 

However instead Tito did finally speak - drawing a concerned furrow of Gregory’s brow as he listened to the chopped words that he spoke. Games? People. Dodger. Torture. Not a lot to go off of honestly - but it sounded like a nightmare as Tito had said and..obviously not a very good one. Which was fair. What nightmares were good ones. Gregory had nightmares quite often these days, and he wasn’t particularly fond of any of them at this rate. Still, he frowned and let his hand run through Tito’s hair another time or two before he spoke. 

“…a nightmare? You–… You had a nightmare about something happening to.. To Dodger?” 

Slowly, so very slowly, Tito could feel himself calming down enough so that he could string his thoughts together. His mind was still running a mile a minute, replaying every bad thing that had happened. Forcing himself to watch Dodger fight his way through those horrible games, saying goodbye to him every time after when he was whisked away to the Capitol to be whored out to various sponsors, when his friends were taken to compete in those games. The worry gnawed at him, the fear that his time would come overwhelming him every year. 

But he wasn’t there anymore. Everything around him reminded him of that. Greg’s hands in his hair, the subtle smell of him surrounding Tito, the warmth of his breath and his skin, the gentle hum of his fish tanks. It wasn’t that strange world and he wasn’t in danger here. He was safe. Safe with his boyfriend.

He nodded gently with another shuddered breath before slowly pulling his face from Greg’s neck. 

notmuchofatail​:

There was no response aside from the shake of Tito’s head - and Gregory felt his brows furrow even further. His fingers curled into Tito’s hair, giving a gentle tug before he ran them through his dyed locks gently, trying to comfort him in any way he could when it didn’t seem possible. 

He’d never seen the other man this worked up. Not after everything that had happened last fall, not after any Swynlake disaster… Though - why would he? It wasn’t like he expected Tito to come to him for things like this. Not when he had a huge family he was obviously incredibly close with. So he wondered why he hadn’t gone to Dodger… Not that..he minded that Tito was here. He didn’t, of course… But Dodger might have at least known how to make this better where Gregory just felt…. helpless. Unsure what the other man needed when he couldn’t even figure out what had happened. 

“…Tito… s’okay.” Was it? He didn’t know. He hoped so - but how was he supposed to assure him without lying to him? Comfort him without knowing the truth? “…I got you.. s’okay. M’here.” He mumbled softly, pressing a kiss to the man’s head as he tried to wrap his arms around him a little tighter. despite the still coursing static-like charge that Tito was still giving off. 

He…wouldn’t shock him, right? 

“…We’re okay… you’re safe..” 

Tito couldn’t go to Dodger with this. Not when it involved Dodger so intently. And if he was this upset about it then Dodger was probably worse than him. Their parents needed to focus on Dodger, making sure he was okay. They didn’t need to worry about him. And Dodger didn’t need to worry. Tito just needed to pull himself together for his brother. So he could be there for him.

Coming to Greg only made sense. It was... almost instinct. Like how he would usually go to Dodger’s room when something happened. Or slip out onto the roof.

He was quiet for a few more seconds, trying his hardest to relax into Greg’s words and his touch. It was everything that normally calmed him down. How many times had his father done this exact same thing after a nightmare or after something traumatic happened? Slowly he could feel himself calming down, the electric crackle inside also dimming as he sniffled against Greg’s neck.

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shockingly-tito​:

Sneaking In || GRITTO

He’d honestly gone to bed early that day - exhausted from an early shift at the shop that had turn into a whole ordeal (have you ever chased a dramatic Husky around the shop when they slip their halter??) . So Gregory had long since been fast asleep and comfortable sleeping through the night (a rarity for him, honestly) - free of any dreams or unpleasant thoughts. 

It actually wasn’t even the weight in his bed or the pressure against his neck that had woken him up that morning either. It was the squeaking of his rats and the soft greeting boof from Tucker- curious about the intruder in their room at this time of day. Though it was easy to stir awake after the fact - when he realized there was a warmth nestled up beside him and a mild tingle at the back of his neck. 

“…Tito..?” He mumbled after a few moments,  hand reaching out to gently run through the man’s hair as if to confirm it was actually him before he shifted gently to pull the other closer with a soft frown. He seemed… upset. If it wasn’t for the slight shake in his body - Gregory would have known from the current that was causing his hair to stand on end alone. 

“..S’wrong?” 

There was so much wrong. Greg’s gentle curious question only confirmed it as he gave yet another shaky breath. He needed to, somehow, reign in his emotions. If not for his own good then for the sake of Greg. Tito had seen himself shock the people he cared about most. It was why he worked so hard to keep himself under control, even when his emotions got the best of him. But this? This was something entirely different.

He’d seen his brother almost die. Had watched as Rita had died. It was gruesome and he hated every minute of it. Even if he’d never known Rita in that sick world, just knowing that she’d died and having to wake up with that knowledge had been near crippling. And Dodger... He could remember how he thought that maybe it would have been better if Dodger had died in those games. Not because he hated his brother by any means but rather because then he wouldn’t have had to parade around like some Capital pet. Whored out to the masses just because he’d won some bullshit game meant to keep them all in line. To remind them that they were poor and had little chances of ever making it out unless they won those stupid games.

But how was he supposed to say that? To get all that out in a coherent sentence? Let alone, how did he expect Greg to understand it? Or want to carry that weight around?

Tito had woken with a start, his eyes flying open as his heart pounded against his chest. Frantically looking around he saw that he was in his room, everything was just how he’d left it when he’d fallen asleep the night before. He was even in the same blue boxers he’d fallen asleep in. Absolutely everything was as it should have been. But it still felt wrong. Felt... off.

Was he going to step out of his bedroom and be back in that strange world? Was he going to have to watch more people kill just for a chance to live? Was Dodger going to be in the next room? 

Panic settled in his bones and the all familiar spark surged beneath his skin. He needed to get out. Before someone came to check on him, before he hurt someone.

Quickly scribbling a note for Einstein and the others, Tito put on some sweats and a shirt and slipped out the window. He just needed time. To come down from whatever happened in that dream, from whatever was happening from him. His magic crackled and popped as he ran from roof to roof. There was no real destination in mind. He just... needed to get out of his head.

Eventually his steps took him to a familiar house. He stared up at where he knew Greg’s window was and contemplated what to do for a long moment. It wasn’t uncommon for him to sneak in that window on nights when he was restless. Nights like tonight when sleeping wasn’t anywhere close on his mind. But he knew what had happened to Greg in that dream. That he’d died during one of the games. Was that why he wasn’t in this one? Or was he elsewhere in it? Somewhere where Tito wouldn’t have known him?

Finally deciding on a course of action, he climbed up the trellis by Greg’s room and slipped through the unlocked window with ease. As he expected, Greg was sleeping and looked unbothered by any nightmares or strange dreams. He looked peaceful, even. It was only a few more seconds before he moved to what he considered his side of the bed and slipped in. Easily he curled against Greg, face pressing tightly into his neck as he tried to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall.

Table for Two || OPEN

Omg omg, it was TITO! 

He was even better looking up close. It was like, staring straight at a One Direction Poster. 

Ignoring that though, this was actually an extremely good opportunity for Pip to get to the bottom of the whole Gregory x Tito situation. He was pretty sure they were dating, but had yet to REALLY get a confirmation as they were doing the whole flirty thing on Twitter, the same flirty thing they’d been doing for months. But, like, they had gone to prom together, right? And been seen otherwise? This could be a whole casual ‘talking’ or ‘hanging out’ situation but…

Exactly why he needed to prod. 

“Oh, you mean Hatter’s? Yeah, way more accessible to the caffeine-crazed masses. [name redacted] barely ever shows itself to tourists anyway. So like, I’m rarely bored but god, my feet are killing me!” Now to transition… 

“If only my boyfriend could come see me during my break,” added Pip with a little sigh. 

Tito supposed he was right. He’d never been to [name redacted] but he had heard of it’s elusiveness. And to be honest? He liked a place that was always in the same spot and easy to find way better than some elite place that only showed itself to certain people. (He absolutely wasn’t bitter that as of yet he hadn’t been lucky enough to be one of those people). “I’m not caffeine crazed but I seriously enjoy this place more than a Starbucks or some shit. Just tastes better.”

And it was the truth. There was something about how stuff was made here that made it even better than the stuff back home. Which took a lot for him to admit considering he was very much a proud New Yorker.

♥ 316 likes

Clean up crew || Open

Hera looked between the box and the boy, and then huffed a quiet sigh. She didn’t like to appear put out if he was needing help (she was the supervisor in this whole affair, which meant fielding questions and pointing people in the right direction, of course), though she did so hate to be disturbed when she was in the middle of something. The box seemed like a collection of props and who-knew-what that could be put away for use again, if the theme should ever come up again, which was good; Hera had been asking for that for a while, now.

“Alright, just set that box down on the table, please. Just there.” Hera gestured. She was going to have to help look for the jacket, apparently, so she set down the bag that was in her hands (carefully – it was full of rubbish, and she didn’t want it to spill everywhere), and dusted them off on her skirt. “The lost and found is just this way – what does the jacket look like, exactly?”

It was easy for Tito to do as told. Especially when the voice was firm and sounded just a little exasperated. It was a way of speaking Einstein got with him when he was doing entirely too much. AKA a tone of voice he heard often enough to know not to waste this woman’s time.

Still, he shrugged as he sat the box down on the table. 

♥ 214 likes

Back 2 Good || GRITTO

“…Yeah good thing.” He responded with a gentle huff and a fond roll of his eyes. Gregory certainly didn’t mind though. Tito was… well he was there for him when he needed someone the most - and really he was never going to repay him for that. Never going to repay him, or Lach, or Mr. Moon. 

But it was Tito who stayed in the hospital with him. For days… It was Tito that seemed not to give up on him despite Gregory doing his best to push him away (a bad habit, he knew). Somehow, the man was persistent in a way Gregory could never understand… but days like this, he tended to be grateful for it. 

Turning a bit when Tito tugged him close once more, Gregory’s brow’s furrowed - gently knitting across his forehead as his hand squeezed gently down on Tito’s own. “Uhm…” Came the uncertain slip of his voice, before he met Tito’s gaze once more and tugged his lip ring gently between his teeth. “…I uh–.. Y-…yeah. Uhm.. yeah. Yeah,…’course.” 

Dodger liked to ask Tito what it was about Greg that kept Tito coming back. What was it about Gregory Eeyore that won Tito over so easily when he was so afraid of monogamy and all that it entailed? Tito didn’t know how to tell Dodger that it was because Dodger was happy and in a relationship. That part of Dodger had pushed him towards Greg without even realizing it was what he was doing. Mainly because he had zero desire to think anything of that again. Both of them had seemingly moved on. There was nothing left to explore.

And Tito didn’t want to. Not when Greg was slowly opening up to him, letting him see more than what everyone else got to see. It made the slightly younger man more appealing to Tito. Made him realize that this wasn’t just some weird rebound to get over someone that was never going to want him back. Instead it was genuine, it was.... It was better than what he was used to.

Even if there were times that Tito was hurt more than anything because Greg liked to push him away, it only took a little bit before Tito was worming his way back into Greg’s life because he wanted to be there. He enjoyed those quiet moments with him. Enjoyed those moments where Greg made his brain move just a bit slower than it normally did. Enjoyed that he got to do things like this. Just.... hang out in a dog park and tease each other gently.