It is about time to seek Ulysses.

open to : F / M / NB

Tethered to the spot by her green apron, Nancy couldn’t do anything more than look out the front window of Starbucks, watching as the start of a heated argument began to unfold. Her headset was askew, partially slid to rest around her neck and caught in her ratty hair, allowing her to hear every muffled shout that came from the pair circling each other in the parking lot. “Think they’re married?” She wondered aloud to whoever was closest, gaze never straying from the window – maybe it’d turn physical if she wished for it hard enough. The woman was fuming, screeching like a banshee while the man kept making wild gestures, Nancy’s attention repeatedly drawn back to the bulging tendon in his neck (that should not have been so hot). An amused huff flared Nancy’s nostrils before she threw her voice, going mockingly deep as she pretended to read the man’s lips, “C’mon, baby, I told ya – she’s just my cousin!” And to think she’d been planning to go out for a smoke during her break.

       ➢         The disruptive sound of the altercation outside had a thin line forming between Luca’s eyebrows as his dark hues continued to scan the middle pages of his newspaper open before him, though his eyes drifted over the top of it to view the equally awful sight to match the noise. It was more like a match of who could pierce the 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 eardrums in the surrounding vicinity than wits. “You know if they got insurance on these windows?” His index finger lifted from holding one side of the pages to motion to the front open window. “.... because if she starts screaming any higher, you’re 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 to need it. “ His eyes were then cast back on reading the text before him though it lasted for barely a minute before his eyelids came to a slow close and the older male took a slow inhale through his nose to signal the end of his attempts to read whilst this 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 was going on. The paper was closed, folded and placed upon the counter he was sat at, his digits instead curling around the mug of his americano as he watched for another minute before trailing his gaze back along to the blonde before him - the pair being the only ones in the place at this dead time. “One would almost think you’re 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 it.” 

            jesse   knows   himself.   his   tendency   to   over   think   things   was   something   that   felt  PRACTICAL   a   majority   of   the   time,   but   in   a   moment   like   this   it   was   dangerous.   he’s   hanging   onto   wyatt’s   every   word—   and   if   he   could   remember   exactly   WHO   he   was     talking   to,   the   smarter   part   of   jess   would   say   that,   that   was   a   bad   idea.   but   jesse   almost   couldn’t   help   himself.   wyatt   was   so   REAL   with   him   all   of   the   time   in   the   midst   of   fake   people   all   vying   for   the   same   five   minutes   of   fame.   it’s   always   a   little   bit   jarring   at   first,   takes   a   second   to   get   used   to   the   kind   of   man   that   wyatt   was,   but   jesse   never   stopped   admiring   him.   and,   really   now,   they’re   so   far   past   hating   eachother,   but   in   such   an   odd   middle   place   that   jesse   is   still   so   unsure   of   everything.   most   of   all,   what   he   actually   wanted   from   wyatt.   they   spoke   like   they   were   friends.   that   had   to   be   the   closest   word   for   it.   wyatt   had   come   to   see   him,   despite   not   even   settling   in.   he   could’ve   just   texted   me.   jesse’s   thinking   to     himself,   but   something   about   being   FOUND   felt ..   different.   god,   and   even   right   now   he’s   over   thinking   things,   a   beat   too   late   to   answer   the   other.     ‘  i   dunno,   i’m   not,   like,   the   kind   that    says   things   like   that,   you   know? ..   supposed   to   have   my   eye   on   the   prize.  ’    and,   seriously,   what   would   he   actually   do   if   he   got   his   wish?   he’d   wallow   about,   thinking   about   working   again.    ‘   — well,   you   should   get   settled   in   then.  ’    he   thought   it   sort   of   went   without   saying   that   he   was   happy   to   HELP,   whatever   that   meant.   it   seemed   like   tonight   jesse   was   feeling   a      teensy   bit   needy,   reaching   for   the   other’s   hand   again.    ‘    i’ll   just   lie   and   say   i   got   sick   or   something   ’  

        ➢         “𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 needs a break sometimes. If you don’t take breaks, it’s like you’re sealing your own fate with a burnout related 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍. The industry will still be going when you and me are both dead. Acting gigs will always be there when you get back.” That was, perhaps, the 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 mature thing to leave Wyatt’s lips in several months and he realised such when his gaze cast off back to the dwindling party for a moment and then returned to Jess. There wasn’t any more advice that he could give the other male because that was the truth of it all in Wy’s eyes. What’s the most a break would do in regards to negatively impacting his career? Though it wasn’t said outright and definitely not displayed in tone ( purposely so ), Wyatt was actually ... 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 that Jesse worked too much and the realisation had him rolling his eyes at himself. ‘ What am I, his fucking 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑? ‘ He mentally chastised himself, fingers flinching in the cool air from thinking about slipping into his back pocket and taking out a cigarette as a way to channel some of the frustration he was feeling from Jesse having this ridiculous 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 on him. It was so subtle and yet... it had Wyatt acting so out of character. He wasn’t quick to pick up on the unspoken tone of Jess offering to help him get settled again and pushed his lips into a thin line at the idea of Jess 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 him out of his hair. Passengers on the same train of thought, it also crossed the brunet’s mind that he should have just 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐃 him. Momentarily overwhelmed, he moved to reach into his back pocket for a smoke but instead, his fingers were latched onto by Jesse’s own slender digits - interlocking between his own. His gaze trailed down to his ring clad fingers holding onto the other’s, face falling 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐊 as his last defence against this grasp that Jess had on Wyatt entirely. “Yeah. Okay... Yeah.” He barely missed a beat before starting to take steps toward the car that waited for him from not too far of a distance, his thumb absent-mindedly roaming just once over the actor’s bony knuckles as a signal to follow suit.

               oh   my   god   he   hates   the   both   of   them.   in   the   droughts   between   phone   calls,   he’d   sometimes   scroll   through   julian’s   instagram   and   see   pictures   of   wyatt   which   made   him   smile.   it   was   funny   how   pictures   could   never   capture   the   absolute   CHAOS   that   came   with   julian   and   wyatt.   his   twin   sister   still   felt   like   a   stain   on   his   reputation,   but   at   least   they   were   speaking.   bickering,   but   speaking (   that   sort   of   came   with   jesse,   though)   ‘   christmas   is  IMPORTANT,   okay?   i   love   it,   it’s   the   best !   it’s   like   how   everyone   likes   halloween,   or,   whatever   holiday   you   like,   i   dunno..  ’   and   he’s   SO   smug,   getting   that   look   from   wyatt,   borderline   sinister   smile   etching   it’s   way   onto   his   face,   but   it’s   nearly   wiped   away   clean   as   wyatt   criticized   jesse’s   idea   of   fun.     ‘    fuck   off —   that’s   WHY   i’m   over   here,   away   from   it…   some   producer   was   SUPPOSED   to   be   showing   up,   like,   thirty   minutes   ago.   my   manager   wants   me   to   sweet   talk   him   so   i   can   get   an   audition   for   something …   m’starting   to   think   it   isn’t   worth   it   cause   the   guy   still   hasn’t   shown   his   face…   ’   he’s   snatching   the   blunt   back,   sucking   cool   air   through   his   teeth   as   a   breeze   passed   by,   free   hand   pulled   his   jacket   in   tighter.   the   cold   could   be   so   annoying,   jesse   wanted   to   go   HOME.    ‘  and,   like,   DON’T  fucking   tell   anyone   but   i   really   wanna   take   a   break,   like,   from   work…   dunno   what   my   uptight   ass   would   do   with   the   down   time   though,   isn’t   that   sad?   ’    he   doesn’t   like   how   pretty   wyatt   looks   right   now.    did   his   hair   grow?   or   was   jesse   trying   to   justify   their   time   apart   with   some   kind   of   difference?   wyatt   was   exactly   the   same   in   every   way.   ‘    but,   uh ..   if   there   was   a  BETTER   party   i   could   sneak   away   to   without   getting   killed   by   my   manager,   then   i’d   be   down.    ’

          ➢         Not that he even 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 it, but Wyatt couldn’t resist the eye roll that came with the image of Jesse waiting around for the possible sighting of some manager that might or might not be showing up that he was supposed to ‘sweet talk’. That was how the industry worked - no doubt about that, but it had always left a weird taste ( and frankly - secondhand 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓) whenever the male was faced with what people in showbiz had to do to stay relevant. That’s 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃! Wyatt could judge but what experience of his own did he have? He’d never had to work a job he needed to be good at or be in the right place for. Things were fed to him with the silver spoon he was born with upon his tongue so to judge anyone at all was ridiculous, though there he stood - shooting Jesse an obvious look of disapproval with his nose twisted up into a scrunch. “It’s his loss that he didn’t show, you know? He 𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 have gotten a few free blowjobs whilst he’s here too if there’s a particularly amazing lead role on the next Netflix original coming up.” Wyatt’s previous look formed a more amused one as the words left his lips - twisting into his signature smug grin before breaking into a smile altogether. “Who the fuck am I going to tell?” The insinuation alone was only fuelling the man’s amusement further as if he would go out of his way to smear Jesse’s career, though he assumed that Jesse meant Julian (if he hadn’t told her already). “I don’t know. Maybe with all that time you could look into going to 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 parties.” His well-kept brow quirked to punctuate the line before giving a brief shake of his head. “I landed not even an hour ago. My bags are still with my driver in the car back there and on top of that, I couldn’t sleep on the flight because my body 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 me. I’m not going to any party right now. I’m glad 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 one turned out to be lame so I don’t have to go in.” 

              even   if   that   presumptuous   tone   that   wyatt   so   often   had   was   like   TORTURE,   jesse   doesn’t   tune   him   out,   though   his   fingers   itch   at   the   thought   of   another   brag   coming   from   his   lips.   he’s   used   to   it,   he   HAS   to   be   at   this   point,   and   jess   still   wants   to   tell   him   to   shut   up,   but   that   smile.   ugh.   despite   his   ever   present   attraction   towards   the   other,   jesse   had   practically   wiped   his   phone   of   any   photographic   evidence   that   the   two   of   them   had   partied.   wyatt   wasn’t   his   boyfriend.   why   did   his   phone   screen   need   to   remind   him   of   that?   not   that   he   WANTED   wyatt   as   a   boyfriend…       ‘   for   ME !    ’    he’s   still   only   half   smiling,   voice   leaning    into   the   words   as   if   his   time   being   sought   out   by   wyatt   was   a   GIFT.   and   jesse   can   fake   it      all   he   wants   but   his   cheeks   burn   red   with   the   thought   that   wyatt   wanted   to   see   him.    ‘     you’re   right,   i   can’t   get   rid   of   you.   ’    he   sucks   his   teeth,   kicking   the   other   lightly   in   the   calf.   it’s   his   own   tiny   form   of   affection   without   overstepping   any   bounds.   jesse   still   had   his   head   on,   for   now.   ‘   and,   ugh—   don’t   even   bring   her   up,   d’you   know   she   was   fucking   drunk   as   hell   for   our   christmas   card?   i’m   STILL   pissed   about   that—   plus   she   ate   all   of   caramel   corn …   bitch.  ’    he   jests.   he   knows   wyatt—    enough   anyways   to   know   that …  any   sort   of   small   talk   would   lead   to   practically   nowhere,   but   what   were   they   supposed   to   talk   about?   he’ll   let   his   fingertips   pull   at   the   cuff   of   wyatt’s   sweatshirt, ‘    so,   what,   you   crashed   an   after   party   just    to   stand   here   and   smoke   with   me?   wyatt   that’s   so   CUTE  ’  

           ➢         Wy’s lips picked up into what could only be the smile of someone beaming with 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 as he heard of Julian’s antics which did, in fact, get a small and genuine laugh out of him though perhaps for less . . . respectable reasons. Julian and Wyatt had been friends for as long as the male could remember and that’s just how she always 𝐖𝐀𝐒 to him. He found amusement in her wrecking of the ongoing flow that was expected in a family as 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 as hers and the pair together were so reckless and incautious that he would always forget that good behaviour was - or used to be - anticipated of Julian. “That’s my fuckin’ 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋. I don’t blame her for being shitfaced if she’s got to deal with 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 uptight ass. Any other sibling in the world would have found that hilarious.” He was laughing quietly to himself again before even finishing his sentence at the idea of it, making a mental note to go visit his partying partner later who would find this one just as monotonous as he did. His dark orbs soon after dropped to the tugging at his cuff as Jesse gained his attention once more, though his eyes didn’t remain on the curly-headed boy for very long. They instead rolled so far back into Wyatt’s head that he was sure they’d unattach themselves from their retinas and 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋 out of their sockets. “ Actually, I was told that you were at a party. A 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘. That way if you were going to be as annoying as usual, I at least had plan B of going to the actual party. Y’know what 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 is?” Wy’s head motioned to the action (if one could call it that), hood dropping from his hair to the back of his neck with the motion. “Some of them must be what 17? 18? — That looks like 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄. What’re they drinking? Appwle jwuice?”  

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓: Mutual hate of each other.

𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎: Any.

           ➢             “Calm down — fucking hell.” Will seemed oddly 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐌 for the given situation at hand, but that was just him. Amused when amid people panicking. There was an entertained grin threatening his pink lips as he watched the other in his bed, his spine comfortably resting against the door frame with a fresh mug of coffee warming his hands. “We 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 sleep together.” He interrupted their floundering only to put them out of their evident 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐘 before taking a welcomed sip, though he wished he could let them suffer in it for just a moment more to watch the unfolding show of emotions. “You gave me one hell of a fuckin’ 𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐘 though. We were pretty smashed when we got back here so I don’t remember much, but… you passed out at some point so I put your ass to bed and I slept in the 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐓𝐔𝐁 for some reason. It’s not like I don’t have a couch, but hey… drunk me 𝐈𝐒𝐍'𝐓 very logical.” His dark eyes narrowed there somewhat, glancing over the other. “𝐎𝐁𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐘.”

                he   knew  that  voice.  tongue  in  cheek,  the  boy  tries  his  hardest  to  hide  how  his  lips  threatened  to  smile,  though  the  glimmering  in  his  eyes   ( a   new  trait  he’d  acquired  whenever  the  name   “ wyatt cameron ”  popped  up  on  his  phone )    made   his   excitement   all   too   obvious.   it   was    almost   like   his   opposite   had,   had   eyes   on   him   in   the   months   they   spent   apart.   like   every   time   wyatt   started   to   pass   through   jesse’s   mind,   there   on   his   phone   screen   would   be   his   name,   again.   while   on   the   phone   jess   tried   not   to   waste   a   moment.   his   voice   always   spoke   too   quickly   as   he   tried   to   squeeze   in   details   of   his   always   busy   life,   whether   wyatt   wanted    to   hear   it   or   not.   he missed wyatt.   it   was   disgusting,   ALL   something   he   didn’t   like   to   think   about,   but   there’s   this   giddiness   inside   of   him   from   being   in   front   of   the   real   deal.    ‘ maybe you DO, s’not like you’re decked out in versace .  ‘    not   that   jesse   would   be   able   to   notice   even   if   he   was.   he   was   blatantly   looking—   staring   at   the   other.   his   light   eyes   gleamed   in   the   direction   of   wyatt,   admiration   halfway   radiating   off   of   jesse,   even   if   his   expression   wouldn’t   fully   commit   to   it.    ‘ what are you even doing here?  ‘    the   question   comes   off   more   accusatory   than   he   intended   it   to.    ‘  this parties a little too tame even for me   ‘    he   punctuates   with   a   puff.     ‘ i can’t see you having ANY kind of fun here  ‘   his   fingertips   shake.   was   he   less   or   more   nervous?   the   fear   of   being   caught   smoking   was   really   nothing   in   comparison   to   being   caught   with   wyatt   cameron.   jesse   doesn’t   move   an   inch.     ‘ —besides, what was I supposed to say? fuck off or something?  ‘    there   was   this   horrible   urge   jesse   got   inside   of   him   whenever   wyatt   was   around.   an   inside   itch,   a   millisecond   thought   to   fix   himself,   was   his   hair   okay?   did   he   look   good?   surely   when   wyatt   had   approached   he   looked   something   near   gloomy,   pensive   maybe.   he   doesn’t   realize   he’s   raising   his   brows   slightly,      ‘  you know you coulda been anybody.  ‘  

        ➢             “Actually, I’ll have you know — my cab drivers 𝐃𝐎 usually wear Versace. Granted that they’re private cars, but still a 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 to be made.” Cockiness disguising the fact he was almost 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐃 to be back? 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 to be. “My neighbors would too if I had any, but I am — in fact — 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐇 enough to have my own space without neighbors.” He was walking the line and bordering into joking cockiness now, evident by the smile on his face that could, when inspected properly, show more amusement than smugness at this moment. The smile did falter however as Jesse asked the question in a way Wyatt quickly interpreted as 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐄, pushing his lips into a thin line as his eyes lifted to inspect what he could of the party from where the pair stood. “Wouldn’t be seen 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 in there.” The truthful statement was followed by a shrug. It looked dire. It would actually be less embarrassing to state the truth than pretend he came for that boring shit show, though Wy had no reason to lie in the first place. He wasn’t exactly 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 by his forwardness with Jesse. The young Woods was fun and easy to wind up plus he treated Wyatt... differently. He wouldn’t let him get away with too much without meeting Wyatt with some resistance. That in of itself became very fun for the usually spoiled heir; not to mention the unacknowledged soft spot he kept for the boy. His lock screen had been changed from that 𝐃𝐔𝐌𝐁 photo from the club they’d agreed on using, though the pair could be found when the code was put in and the home screen loaded. It was 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 but he couldn’t find it in him to change it either. “I came here for you, obviously. You 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 say fuck off, but you saying that has never really gotten rid of me before, has it?” One brow was quirked at his assured question, his hand raising from his pocket to pluck the blunt from between Jesse’s own slender fingertips like a flower from the ground and he placed it between his own lips. “I 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 have been someone with a nice little camera. I can see the headlines now! “Jesse Woods fell down same hole as 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐄 sister! One blunt: the gateway to it all!”