𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐬 -

Cassius was now beginning to seem a lot looser and less uptight and James preferred him this way because he was FAR more interesting. Plus James could probably get him to talk about anything that he wanted to, though he wasn’t entirely sure if there was anything that James was interested in other than his mouth. Though he hadn’t been fully convinced at first that he wanted to sleep with Cassius, he was now completely sure of it because he could just tell that it was going to be good. As he stared at Cassius, he allowed another smirk to slip onto his lips except this one was softer and kinder. “I know you’re not going to tell anyone, babe. You’re a good boy, I know. You’ve learned your lesson now and you won’t get involved in other people’s businesses anymore now, will you?” His thumb traced the sharp edge of Cassius’ jaw and he moved in a little closer to him, if it were even possible to get closer to him right now. “No, I won’t get pissed off. If you do everything I say then I’ll be very happy.” Right now, he was feeling too drunk and high to really do much other than obsess over Cassius. He’d completed his mission and now he was just ready to get off. 

His fingers traced up and down Cassius’ arm as he stared at him, an eyebrow raising up at him. “Like what? I thought you’d want to be with me right now,” he said with a childish pout on his lips. “I want you right now, even if it’s just tonight. You’re hot and I’m hot and horny. It can just be a one time thing. Or I could just kick you out right now and find someone else, there’s thousands of people in this city who would want to be in your place.” Before Cassius could say anything else, James moved so he could climb onto his lap, a leg straddling either side of him. “But I don’t think leaving is what you want right now, is it?” he whispered onto Cassius’ ear. He liked being complimented and the smile on his lips showed that. Especially compliments on his beauty because he knew that was what got him what he wanted half of the time. Their faces were close enough right now and James was too impatient to hold onto the tension for any longer so he decided to close the gap between their lips and kissed him hard, moaning a little as he pulled closer to the other, his hands sliding up Cassius’ cheeks so he could hold his face. “Stop pretending you don’t want me right now.” 

Except he probably would continue to get involved in other people’s business. It was how one found out about the world, and also how he would know more than everyone else. He kept his ears pricked and ready for gossip, just so he knew who to watch out for and who to trust. But for the moment, he wanted to make James happy. The feeling was new, he figured it was more whatever flowed through his system now than anything else. “I promise, I’ll be careful from now on,” he answered, his head tilting with the movement of James’ thumb. “Good, I just want to make you happy.” Cassius was stubborn, which had been why he’d told himself several times that none of this was going to happen. Yet here he was, his shirt gone, his trousers tighter, his cheeks flushed, all on James’ couch. Perhaps he had only told himself it wouldn’t happen because he knew it would, which was embarrassing to say the least. “I do want you ...” The pouting worked on him, more than it should have. When James got in his lap, all he could do was grab onto his waist tightly. The idea of being kicked out made his heart sink, and the last thing he wanted right now was to feel down.

Learning things about Cassius like the fact that he liked cats wasn’t a good thing because he didn’t WANT to know anything about the man in front of him. He was supposed to be a stranger, just another body for him to discard when his use had been fulfilled. “I don’t need anyone else but her. She’s all I need.” James shrugged as he looked at his cat. It wasn’t even a lie, he didn’t need anyone else but her because she was his entire world and the only person who loved him unconditionally and always wanted him around. Maybe most of that was self-caused but he also knew how much his parents hated him too. As he looked at Cassius, he could tell that he was getting drunk too and though he knew that it shouldn’t have, it pleased him because at least he would be more malleable. Plus, the little added extra was also going to hit him hard soon enough. He took a sip from his drink, then paused, and grinned at Cassius. “Good. No straight people around here. That would please my parents far too much and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

James’ lips parted as Cassius spoke and a small smirk slipped onto them before he moved forward and put a hand onto Cassius’ cheek. “I don’t do promises. And if I do, there’s no guarantee I won’t break them. If you don’t piss me off then this will stay between us, understood?” His voice had gone darker so Cassius would know that this was a real threat. Why should James care what happened to Cassius if he got himself mixed up in things because he couldn’t mind his fucking business? All he had to do was sit there and be well-behaved and have a few drinks but he had to interfere. “Are you feeling a bit hot, babe? Let me help you with that.” He moved even closer and tugged off Cassius’ shirt to completely expose his chest before trailing his fingers down to his waistband. “I didn’t know what to expect from you tonight but so far, you’ve exceeded all expectations.” His grin grew even bigger as his hands caressed Cassius’ thighs. “Why do you think I put anything in your drink? Maybe you’ve just finally drank enough to get drunk.”

They clearly had something in common and Cassius wasn’t sure what to do with the information. Both of them preferred animals over people. He frowned slightly, but then nodded to show he agreed. “Yes, the unconditional love of a cat is much preferred to the judgement of others.” He was even more annoyed with being sat on this couch next to James, beginning to lose his sense of control. His lips felt slightly numb, and he reached up to touch at his lips before being blindsided by James’ hand on his cheek. His gaze slowly turned toward him, and he stared. Something about James’ low voice made goosebumps roll up the back of his neck. “I understand, I wasn’t going to tell anyone I -,” he swallowed, “I don’t really mind that you did what you did. I just mind that I was part of it without knowing.” What he wanted was protection from questioning. “If I do what you say ... you won’t get pissed off?” He hated it, having to do whatever James wanted, but the part of his brain that was enjoying it was far more alert than usual at the moment.

Right now, James couldn’t really tell if Cassius absolutely despised him or was a little intrigued by him but really, he just didn’t care. Especially because soon enough, Cassius would be all over him anyway. He’d already had a few drinks and come back to his apartment – two things he said wouldn’t be happening tonight, so it wouldn’t exactly be difficult for James to get him to do anything else. Then the night would be over and James could get rid of Cassius and they’d never have to see each other again outside of class. “Your abode could certainly use some freshening up,” he mocked in a childish voice before snorting. “I don’t care. It’s not like you’ll ever have to come back here ever again after this.” James had been expecting Newtie to hiss at Cassius and run away, the way she usually did whenever she was introduced to new people but to his astonishment, she actually let Cassius PET her and he was pretty sure he could even hear her purring. “Have you got catnip hidden on you or something?” he asked suspiciously as he watched the two of them. A stupid part of him wanted to be annoyed with Newtie for sucking up to Cassius of all people. Usually he trusted her judgement but clearly today was an off day. 

James’ eyes remained on Cassius, staring at every inch of his body as he undid the top button of his shirt, evidently loosening up with everything James had thrown into his system. He shrugged off his leather jacket and tossed it over a chair before moving to sit on his couch, nodding at Cassius to follow him. “Doesn’t bother me. As long as you’re not some asshole pretending to be straight and then fucking men in the dark like some dirty little secret. Might have to put you on my hitlist for that.” He smirked and lifted his glass to his lips. He was drinking much faster now but it wasn’t as though it were anything new to him considering he could very much hold his alcohol well now. “Sounds like your fucking problem. If you weren’t so cocky and didn’t go up to him then you wouldn’t be in this mess, would you? If it counts for anything, I’m not going to frame you for it unless you piss me off. Tonight you’ll just have to be a good boy for me, won’t you?” There was a sickeningly sweet smile on his face as he could just sense that he held all the power in the room and it was a good feeling, even if that made him an asshole. “I didn’t bring you to watch, I brought you as an alibi so I had a reason to be there. Not that anyone would dare question me. It’ll probably get blamed on one of his asshole friends.” Sometimes he planted poison on other people for fun but he hadn’t bothered tonight because his focus was now on the man in front of him. “Did you enjoy figuring it out?”

Why was he here? Cassius didn’t even need to go to the bar in the first place. He could have kept to himself and just lied and said he needed to do schoolwork, instead he’d gone. He was just curious about James and his lifestyle, a curiosity it seemed that could literally get him killed if he didn’t stay vigilant. “Right, this is a one time thing ...” He responded because he hoped if he said it then it would be true. Newtie was a sweet cat and he was almost annoyed that someone like James got to have her. Did he even deserve companionship after taking another person’s life? “No, I don’t. She just LIKES me. I’m good with cats, I want to have several, I just don’t have the space or time for it right now.” The journey to the couch wound up making him realise just how drunk he was. As soon as he went to move, the world tilted slightly, and he had to force himself to stand up straighter, trying to get his eyes to stop rolling around. Carefully he sat down beside James, staring at the glass in his hand for a moment before finishing off the liquid inside it. He didn’t have time to sit here and contemplate what he was doing anymore and this was the quickest way to get his brain to turn off. “I don’t know what I am, but I at least know it isn’t straight.”

People called James fucked up all the time but if only they knew HOW fucked up James was. In fact, Cassius was probably the first person to truly find out. Maybe his parents knew that their son was quite literally insane and maybe that was why they hated him so much but THEY were the ones who had driven him to insanity. “Oh darling, is fucked up not your type? Shame, because it’ll have to be tonight.” Maybe that made him even more insane but James didn’t even care to watch it sometimes. The thrill of doing it and getting away with it was enough for him. But more so, he just enjoyed running away and then searching the news the next day to see what had been reported and if there were any suspects. It was never him and it never would be. “Why not? Why CAN’T I get rid of people who are assholes? I’m a fucking POTTER, I can do whatever the fuck I want without any fucking consequences.” He laughed again at the sight of Cassius’ face. “Everything is just a game to me. Maybe tonight I don’t hate you. In fact, maybe you’ve even grown on me.” He knew that Cassius would follow him into the taxi – technically he’d been given some sort of ultimation but James had known all along that he’d be coming home with him tonight. No guy went on a date with him and didn’t end up in his bed at the end of the night. 

Luckily the taxi ride home was quick because James had reached the point in the night where he was becoming impatient and just wanted the things that he desired and right now, that was Cassius Wilkes. “Welcome to my abode.” Most of the time, his apartment wasn’t what people were expecting. In some ways, the place represented the real him with little bits and pieces from his life scattered around. The entire place was also a mess – unlike his parents’ house, he didn’t want a cleaner here, not wanting anyone around poking in his business. Plus he liked the mess anyway. The empty alcohol bottles scattered around probably weren’t a surprise, nor were the remnants of cocaine on the kitchen counter. As they entered, James heard a meow coming towards him and he grinned, picking up his kitty and kissing the top of her head. “Meet Newtie, she’s my baby angel but she’s also an asshole and hates everyone. It’s why we get along well.” He gently placed her down on the kitchen counter so she was at the right height for Cassius and then rummaged around, searching for glasses and more alcohol because they both evidently needed it. “Normally at this stage I would be dragging you for a good fuck and then kicking you out but …” He trailed off and shrugged, pushing over Cassius’ glass as he sipped at his own. “I figure you want to do boring shit like talking.” 

Apparently fucked up was his type considering this was one of the only dates he’d ever been on and it was with James of all people. He didn’t let James know this, he just shook his head at him, “No, I don’t really have a type at all. I’m more focused on anything else.” These words coming from James’ lips were all the ramblings of a man who was so high that he probably could barely feel anything, but Cassius had to take some of them as fact. He could get away with this, and he could do whatever he wanted to make Cassius shut up because he had the funds to do it. There was something absolutely terrifying in that. One person could destroy his whole life if they wanted. He had to destroy him first, or at least manipulate his way out, it was all he could see moving forward. “I’ve grown on you ... you did do all of this just to force me to be near you and to coerce me further.” Though, whether murder had been involved or not, he was genuinely going to go to James’ flat no matter what. He wanted to see it for himself. Yet when he got there, he grimaced slightly. God, he needed help, this place was a disaster. Of course he didn’t have the experience Cassius did, being whipped with a belt when so much as a can of soda was left out on the table rather than put in the recycling. “Your abode could certainly use some freshening up,” he murmured under his breath.

The adrenaline rush that James always got after doing this was better than all the fucking drugs he was on. If he could feel this way all of the time then he wouldn’t even NEED all of the shit that he used to make himself feel better. And somehow it was even more fun whenever he dragged somebody else into it, it just made the risk even more fun. James could see something in Cassius and though he didn’t quite know what, he just knew that Cassius wasn’t going to dob him in. Not that James worried if anyone would – his family had enough money to make any convictions just magically vanish, or he could just simply push the blame onto Cassius if he made any threats. He was practically bouncing on his feet as they left the bar and when Cassius grabbed his arm, a shit eating grin appeared on his face. “What do you THINK I did, babe?” They were so close that James could smell the whisky on his breath and he could see all the flecks in Cassius’ eyes. God, they were going to fuck so good and hard tonight when Cassius got over himself. Maybe he just needed more alcohol and James had plenty more in his own apartment. 

“Murder?” James tilted his head to one side and smiled innocently at him. “Who’s murdering people? That’s a terrible thing to do. Could go to prison for something like that.” The combination of cocaine and adrenaline in his system was making him feel like he was floating up in the air, above everyone else. He found himself laughing again as he stared at Cassius. “Do something to me? Technically no. Seemed like a fucking asshole and we have too many of those in the world already, don’t we? Somebody needs to do something about that. You’re really fucking gorgeous, aren’t you?” His words felt like they were blurring together or like his mouth was running quicker than his brain could manage. Grinning once more, he leaned forward and licked a stripe up Cassius’ cheek and pulled away. “Come on, we need to fucking move. Wouldn’t want to go down for murder or something, hm? I’m real fucking horny, too. I’m sure you could do something about that if you pulled your head out of your ass already.” He smirked and then flagged down a taxi, opening the door as it stopped. “You coming? Or are you still being a pussy?” 

Cassius was terrified, to say the least. Terrified of his entire life coming crashing down around him because he’d finally become what everyone said he would. That he would never actually be what he wanted because instead he’d be in prison for something terrible that James had done. He’d only really properly spoken with James for about twenty four hours and already the man had somehow ruined his future. He stared right into his eyes as he grabbed him, searching his enlarged pupils for any recognition or regret for what he’d done. Instead he could only see how pleased he was. “I knew you were fucked, I didn’t know how fucked,” he muttered, letting go of his arm a hand running through his hair in aggravation. “Yes, it is a terrible thing to do, which is why I can’t believe you just did it. You ... well you’re not even watching it - I thought that was what murderers did I -” Everything was confusing and coming at him too quickly, he had to focus on something, and it didn’t help that he was already tipsy, verging on being properly drunk. 

Sober James didn’t even exist anymore. He hadn’t seen the light of days for years and it didn’t bother him because inebriated James was far happier. At least he called this happiness because James didn’t want to admit how sad and fucked up he was. What was worse was that somehow Cassius appeared to see right through him and he just didn’t understand HOW. Probably because nobody had ever bothered to look close enough. “Why would I even WANT to know what it’s like to be sober? It’s fucking boring from what I remember.” Awful too, he felt like shit in the mornings until he’d had his fix, so evidently he was right about the way he was living being much better. “It’s complicated. I don’t hate the attention and sometimes I will do shit to create more of it. But it’s mostly for other purposes.” He shrugged. Usually the negative attention was to bring that negative attention onto his parents and his family name and to piss off his father and watch him desperately scramble to clear up his image again. Though it was proving to be fairly impossible these days considering everyone knew what a fuck up his eldest son was. “Hate myself? What makes you think that I hate myself?” His lips formed a frown and he remained quiet as Cassius knocked back the drink and stood. 

As Cassius went to the bar and stood beside the man James had been watching all night, a scowl appeared on his lips. If Cassius ruined everything just because he was a smartass, James was going to be pissed because this was the main reason he was out tonight. He didn’t even fucking CARE for Cassius that much. The entire time, he sat there with his arms folded over his chest, glaring over at Cassius until he finally came back with a drink in his hand. They needed to get the fuck out of this bar so James just needed to do what he came here for and LEAVE. “Fine. We can go back to mine,” he responded with a scowl still on his face. “Down that drink, we’re leaving in five minutes.” Standing up, he didn’t even bother to look back and Cassius and made his way to the bar, standing beside the man. He didn’t even give him a second glance and simply ordered himself a drink – the exact same as the obnoxious man was drinking. It was a simple trick, almost too fucking simple, but it worked when the victim was too drunk and self-centred to pay attention to anyone but themselves. When the drink arrived, he furtively looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then pulled out the tiny vial he’d been carrying around all night and tipped it into the drink. He swirled it around so it was mixed in then put the drink down next to the man before casually picking up his drink and turning away, heading back to Cassius as he knocked it back. “Come on, we’re leaving. NOW. We’re going back to mine.” 

Even though Cassius was currently drinking and allowing himself to become inebriated (which he rarely did), he was always one to say that control was what people needed in their lives. If he didn’t have it, he was afraid of what he would turn into. Letting things like drugs or alcohol take him away and release his inhibitions didn’t seem to be a good idea whenever his inhibitions were one of the few things keeping him sane. “I find it necessary to have control over my actions. Who is to say what I would allow to happen if I weren’t alert and aware? I don’t want know.” Cassius shook his head at James’ explanation. He didn’t understand it at all, he would rather have his face completely hidden from the world with only his name floating around. “Most people that hate themselves do everything that you’ve been doing. And if you actually liked yourself, maybe you’d stop fucking around with all of this nonsense.” 

Cassius had a point, not that James would ever admit that. He did have no idea who he was, though that wasn’t exactly a brand new revelation considering he’d never known who he was outside the rebellious disinterested rich boy act he put on most of the time. It was just easier to act like he didn’t care because then eventually he just didn’t. “You think I’m fucked up?” James raised an eyebrow at Cassius and then leaned back in his chair before a wicked grin appeared on his face. He knew perfectly well that he was fucked up and he didn’t try to pretend otherwise. The fact that he was sitting here high on cocaine, downing whisky until he was drunk, whilst scoping out a man he was about to poison really said it all. “I knew I was recognisable but I don’t exactly see myself as infamous.” Though now he thought about it, he supposed that was rather stupid considering everyone in this city knew the name POTTER. His father was one of the richest men in New York and James was his erratic and rebellious child who made headlines left, right and centre. “I don’t know why people care,” he said with a scowl on his face. Maybe he liked the attention but he still didn’t understand why he got it. “People treat me like I’m a fucking zoo animal sometimes, like they enjoy watching my fuck ups and my spirals. Why does anyone CARE that some rich boy is stumbling out of a club off his head at 6am for the fourth day in a row?” 

He watched as Cassius sipped at his drink, please that he was actually accepting the alcohol despite the fact that he’d insisted he wasn’t going to be drinking. The more he stared at Cassius, the more he noticed how attractive he actually was, and that just made him even more inclined to take him home. Sure, he was somewhat nerdy looking and there nothing much to gain from his personality, but he was tall had a good jawline and cheekbones and nice eyes and he was sure his hair would be soft once he took that awful gel out. His mind suddenly snapped out of the daydream and he focused back on Cassius, pulling a confused expression. “Think you wouldn’t notice what?” He frowned and then took a sip of his drink again before putting it down, keeping his eyes sharp on Cassius. “I’d like to think that I am pretty clever and good at hiding things,” he responded with a smirk on his face. “You should see the shit I hide from my father.” As well as everyone else. Nobody thought he was innocent but they also didn’t think he was capable of the things that he did. And he doubted Cassius would either. “What are you TALKING about? I don’t make people jealous, I’m James fucking Potter. I don’t care enough about any stupid boy to make them jealous.” 

They both knew he was, especially right now. Cassius stared at James’ grin for a moment, and he wondered why he even was here. Sure, James was somewhat attractive, but he was annoying, and he didn’t care for rules or structure. Cassius cared deeply about both of those things, even if he also tended to take the rules into his own hands. The difference was, no one knew. “I don’t think it, I know it. I wonder what you’re like sober, because something tells me even you don’t know what that’s like anymore.” At least they had something in common - wondering why people gave a single fuck about James did. “Why people care is beyond me. I have never had anyone look at anything I did and analyze it the way they analyze you. It must be exhausting being a vessel for everyone’s entertainment. But you also aren’t really doing anything to counteract it. If you cared that much, I would think you’d try to disappear from the view of the world. Like I said before, you clearly enjoy the attention as much as you despise it.” In a way, Cassius was even treating James like an animal right now, watching him and trying to piece him together. Learning about him up close.

Evidently Cassius didn’t understand James at all – not that James really expected him to considering they’d barely ever spoken and James had never given Cassius the time of day until this week. “By the time that happens, I’ll have probably overdosed or found some stupid rich man to marry. So who fucking cares? I would rather focus on what’s happening right now, rather than what could happen in however many years.” He wasn’t stupid – he knew one day his parents weren’t going to let him be a parasite for eternity but right now he was getting away with it and didn’t care that he was essentially being paid to shut the fuck up and do whatever he wanted in the background, as long as it didn’t disturb them. “I’m not trying to play ANYTHING. I’m just trying to be me.” Though wasn’t that a lie? He didn’t even know who he was, let alone how to be himself. If anything, he was trying to play the character of what he should be, just to cover up the fact that he had no idea who he was outside of this empty shell full of alcohol and cocaine. 

“You think everyone here knows me?” James raised an eyebrow and looked around. That wasn’t a thought that had come into his mind and now he had realised that he was going to have to be even more careful tonight if people would recognise him. “I’m pretty sure everyone around me either wants to fuck me or kill me. And either option, I’m good with.” James shrugged, a wicked grin on his face. “Trust me, by the end of this night, you’ll want to come home with me. Not drunk enough yet? Fine.” Without another word, James instantly stood up and turned, heading off to get more drinks. After a quick detour to the bathroom to give himself a bit of extra energy, he went the long way to the bar, noting his target and zoning in on the small details. He’d been watching him out of the corner of his eyes enough to know what he was drinking, how quickly he was drinking, who he was with. His task tonight would be easy enough. Finally, with two more strong drinks each in his hands, he headed back to Cassius and pushed his drinks towards him before taking a large sip of his own. “How high is your tolerance? I’ll keep buying you drinks until you’re ready to come with me.”

James’ life sounded like a sad one to him. Why anyone wanted to live that way was beyond his understanding. Cassius’ goals in life were to be at the top of it all, and that meant working hard. One day even his parents would be proud of him, enough so that they wouldn’t think of him as a waste of space. “Just trying to be yourself? Do you even know what that is? I barely do and I’m clearly not as fucked up as you are.” His words weren’t supposed to come off as angry, just factual. Someone actually knowing themselves while they were in university filling their bodies up with drugs and alcohol, partying every day, that didn’t seem like a person who knew who they were. Cassius looked at James dumbfounded as he gazed around them, clearly he thought himself far more aloof than he was. “People like you are hard to forget, I doubt you can really go anywhere more than a few times before others start recognising you. Maybe you think of that as a compliment, but I see it as a liability.” The idea was to be famous and rich, but have no one actually really know who he was.

James didn’t mind talking shit with Cassius for a few hours before he sent him on his merry way. It was easy for James to talk to people, despite how most of the people at this University he wouldn’t trust as far as he could throw. “I don’t really mind talking surface shit about them. Especially if I get to shit talk them. Maybe most people here don’t know me that well but everyone knows I don’t get along with my parents. They might try to paint us as the picture perfect family but everyone knows that isn’t true. People aren’t stupid and neither are they. Which is why they keep me in the picture to make sure I don’t stray too far.” James didn’t have high enough morals to care about his silence being bought. If it meant that he could do whatever he wanted, he would let his parents throw money at him to force him to behave when it actually mattered. 

Though most people didn’t realise, James just used people. Though he could be an asshole, he could also be charming and chatty and flirtatious because flicking a switch and becoming an entirely different person when he was bored and wanted the person to fuck off. “What makes you think that I like attention?” James asked with a wicked grin on his face, sitting back in his chair as he did. “A favour? The favour would be the honour of sharing my company. I’m perfectly aware that you could go out to a bar whenever you fancied it. Though I’m sure you wouldn’t choose here and would choose some boring place instead.” He glanced around the bar and his eyes drifted over to the table the man was sitting at for a split second before he turned back to his drink. They needed to be here long enough so that it didn’t look strange but not so long that he brought too much attention onto his presence here. Getting the balance right was all part of the game. “If you’d rather be alone, we can go back to mine after this drink.” 

Cassius regarded James for a moment while he spoke, his brows creasing slightly. “I don’t ... know how you are so nonchalant about it. They want you to be a poster child and you just keep fucking them over but what will you do once they DO cut you off? Once you reach a certain age they might give up on you for good. Then you’ll have to get someone else to give you all the money you need.” The drink in his hand was empty now, ice rattling against the glass. “You have an interesting image anyway. I can’t tell what you’re trying to play as. Wild bad boy maybe, but you don’t really seem that bad to me. Just annoying, which is far worse than doing things people may not agree with.”  

“How else would you describe this if you wouldn’t call it a date?” James asked with a raised eyebrow, lifting his drink to his lips so he could take another sip. “A meeting? Two people who vaguely dislike each other attending a soirée together?” He grinned, the same grin he often used when his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Though he thought Cassius was a bit dull, he wasn’t sure if he could say that he HATED him. More like tolerated him, which was how he felt around most people. Used them when he needed them and then discarded them whenever he was bored or no longer needed them. At least Cassius was voluntarily discarding himself. “They know it’ll shut me up if they let me use their money. They’re so worried about their image that they’d rather just allowed me to be a leech instead of putting shame and negative attention on the family by disowning me.” He shrugged as though it didn’t bother him, which he told himself it didn’t because as long as he had access to their unnecessarily large amount of riches, he didn’t give a fuck and would happily carry on doing whatever he felt like. 

James didn’t actually know the answer himself to Cassius’ question because why did he invite him? Mostly because he was just THERE and he’d been forced into his life anyway through their stupid project but he could have asked anyone yet he asked somebody he decided he disliked. “Fill myself up with alcohol and coke, obviously. What else were you expecting? I’m not exactly a mystery, even if people want me to be this mysterious rich boy who walks around in his leather jacket, smelling like money and bitterness.” He just wanted people to leave him alone most of the time and the attitude served its purpose well. “I also just invited you here because you were just there and we’d been forced together by fate. Also figured you’d come along if you got something out of it.” His fingers wrapped around his glass again and he tapped his rings on the glass, focusing on the sound it made. “Yes, I guess it is. I like loud and noisy places, they feel like the type of place I can fit in well.”

A date implied that they were seeking some sort of relationship, Cassius was seeking the opposite. He frowned at the other options, though, because they didn’t really sound correct either. “For now I will describe it as a case study,” he muttered, reaching for his drink and finishing the last bit of it. “And then they wonder why you do not want to do what they say. Parents are ... never what they are supposed to be.” Cassius was sure that James minded very much that they treated him the way they did, but there was little prying he could do without much information to go off of. “I would figure you to be the sort to shut down conversation about your parents. Why are you speaking about them so freely with me?” Maybe because it was easier to tell someone who didn’t really care or want to fix it. Cassius figured that if James told several people they would want to help him, but Cassius had little desire to try to help him out of his situation.

Of course Cassius was going to whine about his lateness even with a pre-warning, James had expected that the second he set up the date. He rolled his eyes at the predictability but didn’t bother to comment any further because frankly, he just didn’t care. It wasn’t as though Cassius would have to deal with it ever again. He was only there so James had an alibi tonight and also a reason to be here, he didn’t actually care much for his presence. Like he’d expected, Cassius did end up taking a sip of the drink and James grinned because it really was so easy. Maybe he could get him drunk too and drag him back to his apartment for a bit of fun. James often brought people back but they never got to stay until the morning. James preferred to kick them out or get rid of them by other means, depending on who they were. Though he knew that Cassius would be lucky tonight because his real victim was right in front of him. Cocky, rich, arrogant – in fact, he was probably similar to James, not that he’d ever admit that – but he represented everything James hated and he wanted him to go. 

“I do have an errand to run,” he responded, his lips turning up into a smirk. “I’ll do it later, I want to at least give my date some attention. It would be rude of me not to.” As he spoke, he leaned forward and brushed his fingers over Cassius’ arm. “Do you think I give a shit about what’s cheaper when my parents have millions for me to spend on whatever disgustingly expensive shit I want?” He rolled his eyes. Most of the time he just threw his parents’ money away just because he could. All the things he did only made a scratch into what they owned, so it wasn’t as though they noticed whenever he wasted away their money on booze and drugs and whatever else. “Why are you REALLY here, Cassius? Surely it can’t just be for my promise.” 

How this had turned into a date, Cassius wasn’t sure. He had never phrased it as such and even then he had never told James if he was into men at all. Slowly, he took another sip of the whiskey that had been supplied, it gave him something to do when he wasn’t talking. Deep down, he knew that James had probably planned that. “I do not remember this being a date. When did you decide that was what this was?” His gaze fell back onto James after surveying the room again. Just in time, of course, for him to see James’ fingers gliding over his arm. His lips thinned slightly as he recoiled, his arm sliding back to his side. “I am surprised they allow you to spend their money at all. Though if you were cut off, something tells me you would still just spend other people’s money rather than finding a way to earn your own.” James was lazy and arrogant, the sort of person that Cassius hated.

A bored sigh left his lips and he rolled his eyes at Cassius. “Parents are a dull conversation topic, what can I say?” He had much better things to talk about, though he wasn’t really sure what to talk about around Cassius. Coffee? Maybe he just needed to spike his drinks too to get him drunk and hope he was less boring with some alcohol inside of him. “Unhealthy addictions? If having fun means having unhealthy addictions, then the entire fucking university are addicts. Minus you.” Already he was becoming irritated by Cassius and was wondering if he’d regret the decision, but he just wanted to see what he was like when he loosened up and pulled that stick out of his ass. “I’m sure I can get you to do more than that. I’m told I’m very persuasive.” He leaned even closer to Cassius as he said that, his lips twisting into another grin. Manipulative was the word people tended to use but James liked to translate it differently. “Just be there and I’ll find you. Comprende?” 

✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽ . ✽

James wasn’t actually as late as he’d been expecting to be. Fourteen minutes late wasn’t bad for him, though he knew that Cassius would probably be irritated with his tardiness. Without asking Cassius, he ordered them both a glass of whiskey on ice, figuring that the other seemed like a whiskey enjoyer. And if he wasn’t? Then that meant more for James. He could see tonight’s target from their table – he was loud and cocky and always stood at the bar which meant James’ task would be a lot easier, so long as the barman wasn’t paying any attention. It was busy tonight – the bar was crowded with already tipsy people, so he very much doubted that anyone would be paying attention to James or his drinks. “I got you a drink. It’s good shit, you should try it.” It was hot in here, so he shrugged off his leather jacket and ran his fingers through his mop of curls to get them out of his face. “I’m surprised you came, though I know I’m pretty irresistible.” He smirked. “There are plenty of men – and women – who’d kill to be where you are right now.”

When he received the text with information, Cassius almost ignored it. He’d started a particularly interesting mystery novel and he was starting to get clues to the puzzle. Luckily for James, the idea of getting to no longer associate with him after this was more alluring than his book. Cassius had taken his time to pick out well pressed clothing, not a full suit, but nice trousers and a button up with a tie. On his wrist he wore an expensive watch that his parents had given him as a sign of their pride, which he only wore on special ocassions and he supposed this was one. The bar wasn’t one he would ever go to even if he decided to go to one. He tended to like places that were more historical and lowkey than a place people went to actually party. Cassius had calculated for James’ lateness and arrived ten minutes after the time he was told. Even then he had to stand around and wait. “I was even late for you and you still had the gull to be later?” He asked the other when he finally appeared. The loudness of the bar was already making him uneasy, he could never concentrate in places like this.

Though James actually liked half the things Cassius mentioned, he wasn’t about to agree with him, as petty as that was. Maybe he did also like exploring the city and going to various coffee shops and other places, Cassius didn’t need to know that too. “You know this just makes you sound like a recently retired old man?” he commented with an arched eyebrow. Cassius was right and after this class ended they probably never would see each other again, so James had to make the most of the time he had right now. He wasn’t really sure why he’d twisted the conversation to land on the topic of PARENTS considering he did anything he could to not think about his, yet no matter what, they always ended back at the forefront of his thoughts. “Frightening?” he scoffed, “I can’t fucking wait for the day they give up on me and finally realise that I’m never going to be what they want me to be. Sending me here is probably my final chance.” What was worse, was that he knew that even if he DID do well here, they would still find something to nitpick at. He’d quickly learned that as a child, and now as a young adult, he no longer saw the point in trying to impress people who never wanted to be proud of him. 

“Alright, fine.” A grin stretched over James’ face, though it wasn’t a friendly one. “If you come with me tonight, I will leave you alone. Other than for the project, we have to at least look like we worked on it together.” He rolled his eyes because the entire school probably knew that Cassius would be the one who did all the work. Nobody wanted to be lumped with James in a group project. In fact, most people didn’t want to be associated with him at all. Maybe once upon a time he’d been friendly but now he’d turned cold and cruel and untrusting towards everyone around him. “I have an errand to run tonight and need some company.” He reached over and grabbed Cassius’ phone, holding it up to his face to unlock it before flicking to his contacts and adding in his own number, picking the demonic emoji to sit beside his name. “I’ll text you the time and location later. Don’t bother being early because I won’t be.” 

James’ comments fell onto ears that had heard it all before. Cassius didn’t really care what James thought of him, so he just shrugged. “Better than being whatever you are.” How sending their child to a place with little to no rules or supervision sounded like a good idea to James’ parents Cassius wasn’t sure, but it also was not his place to try to gauge their intelligence. “It seems as though parents are a sore subject for you. I am not surprised. Usually it takes some sort of trauma to facilitate the growth of unhealthy addictions. I assume for you that means your parents have been the source of that trauma.” For Cassius, it was easier to pretend that everyone else had things worse than him. Whatever issues he had, at least he wasn’t completely miserable or searching for vices that could fuel him just a few more days.

The thing was, James didn’t even know WHAT actually entertained him. The drinking didn’t entertain him and the people especially didn’t entertain him as everyone he spoke to was as empty as he was. He just prefered the feeling of drunkenness than sobriety and always had done, ever since he broke into his father’s fancy alcohol cupboard as a teenager. “What entertains you then, Wilkes?” he asked as he rested his chin in his hand and leaned uncomfortably closer to the other. Breaking other’s personal space was always one way to fuck with them that generally worked and he had a sneakily feeling that it would be particularly easy to get under this man’s skin. Not that he even knew why Cassius was such a particular target but there was just something about him that made James want to make him squirm. “Why not? Are you too scared to put yourself out there and go? Scared of rejection? Or that people are only inviting you as a joke? Or maybe you’ll arrive there and everyone will look at you like you don’t belong?” As he spoke, his voice got lower and his smirk got darker.

Cassius preferred red. Like the colour of blood, the colour of pain and pleasure. That was something James could understand, not that he would ever give Cassius the satisfaction of admitting that. “Why would I ever work for anything when my parents give me everything I want just to make me shut the fuck up and stop embarrassing them?” Maybe they were the assholes but James could pull some strings too, especially at their ridiculous parties where James needed to be well-behaved and stop putting them to shame. The hell he experienced afterwards was always worth it. “If it’s factually incorrect, then why are humans SHRINKING, smartass? If we’re shrinking then our heads are shrinking, therefore our brains are too. Who’s the dumb one now?” It was already so fun fucking with Cassius. “But now I WANT to help. I’ll give you a proposition. You come out with me tonight and I’ll give you whatever you want. I’m good at giving people what they want.” 

Whatever Cassius said was going to bore James, obviously he knew this. Even as the other got close to him, he simply stayed put. He straightened, looking down his nose, eyes narrowed slightly. “I tend to read, or go and explore the city when I don’t have work to do. If I ever get the kitchen to myself I like to cook and try out new recipes. I recently went to a new coffee shop and tried a blend of espresso that I’d never heard of before. These are the sorts of things that entertain me.” Everyone was scared of rejection, and maybe to some degree Cassius had been afraid of all of those things. As soon as he stepped into a room, everyone would look at him, and he wouldn’t know what to do because he hadn’t ever been the center of attention. At the same time, he wasn’t sure they would even notice. He could look the part and blend in just like he had before. “So you are only inviting me as a joke?” He asked, raising a brow. “ I’m not afraid to go, I just don’t see the fun in it, personally.”

If his parents ACTUALLY thought that throwing him into some shitty university would mean that he’d actually become the perfectly pruned child they wanted him to become, then they were more deluded than James realised. He knew this was also just a way of getting him out of sight so they didn’t have to think about their little problem child until he caused enough trouble for them to have to step in again. “Why would you go to anything with me? Perhaps because I know how to have fun and you look like you don’t even know the DEFINITION of that word?” Though a part of him was curious about what Cassius would be like at a party. He was probably a lightweight and would vomit after just a SNIFF of alcohol, though he was so stoic that he could tolerate heaps of it before even showing signs of inebriation. “Have you ever even been to a party since arriving here? It’s an integral part of student life, Wilkes. Work hard, party harder.” Not that James had any involvement in the working part – all of his energy went straight into the booze and the drugs and the sex, the way it always had done. Being shipped off to university didn’t change that, much to his parents’ dismay. 

As the highlighter was shoved back in front of him, James smirked and picked it up before twiddling it between his fingers. “Oh darling, you shouldn’t have. For future reference, I prefer pink.” He shoved the pen behind his ear, allowing his messy curls to flop over it, before his focus went back on Cassius. “I don’t think the professors care when they get paid to shut the fuck up and allow me to pass every class.” It wasn’t exactly a SECRET that James’ parents paid big money for him to stay here, no matter what shit he pulled, but James didn’t care. “Actually having a big brain isn’t even important. We used to have bigger brains when we were cavemen, but human brains are like iPhones and just get smaller and better.” He gave Cassius a shiteating grin before pulling the highlighter back out again and tapping the other on the nose. “Want to know a secret? You can pull whatever shit you like and I’ll still be here. Mummy and Daddy dearest will pay anything they can to make sure that I’m anywhere but at home. You can’t get rid of me, Wilkes.” 

The idea of attending an event with James made him want to keel over and vomit. “I have plenty of fun in my own ways. Just because I don’t enjoy drinking until I black out like you do doesn’t mean I don’t have my own forms of entertainment.” They also both knew that Cassius looked like someone who knew the definition to every word, which was part of the problem so he didn’t mention it. “No, I have not been to a party. And before you ask as some sort of dig, I’ve been invited plenty, I just have chosen to not go.” In fact, some of the more talented individuals here seemed to take on drinking as a vice. Now that they were free they used their freedom to dull their senses. Cassius just was not the same. 

“Listen, I know we have that god awful project we have to do but I have other priorities to take care of tonight.” A cocky grin appeared on James’ face as he leaned over to Cassius’ side of the desk and stole a highlighter, flicking off the lid with his thumb and using it to colour in his nails as he spoke. “You’re more than welcome to come with me, but I don’t think it’s your …” He paused and then looked Cassius up and down before smirking, “… kind of scene. If you know what I mean.” 

James didn’t actually know MUCH about Cassius Wilkes from the few weeks they’d spent in this classroom together but he could just tell that he was not his kind of person. Maybe Cassius was attractive, if he tried, but other than that, James had zero interest in the man. He just seemed like the type of person who did all his assignments weeks before the deadline and had a precise bedtime of 9pm on the dot and probably enjoyed shit like early morning walks or sudoku. All the things that made James want to vomit. 

Once he’d finished colouring in his nails with the highlighter, he blew at them as though he was drying nail polish and then plonked the pen back down on Cassius’ notebook without the lid on it. “How about you get started on it and I just fill in the gaps? You seem like a control freak, so I’m sure you’d rather finish it all by yourself anyway.” 

When the other man leaned over toward him, he already could feel the distaste boiling inside of him. Quietly, he watched people like James Potter make an absolute fool of themselves. Cassius very much doubted that James was here for actual learning, though he had hoped that by coming to a university he would find more likeminded people. Instead he was stuck still with those who preferred going out to parties and wrecking their minds and organs just for a few moments of bliss that would eventually be forgotten with time. “Of course you are not going to work on the project, colour me surprised,” he rolled his eyes, making a disgusted face as his highlighter was used for coloring a nail. He had to keep note to throw it out later. “Why would I ever go to anything with you?”

Lukas had never cared about anything but the music. The music had always been his safe haven, someplace he could lock himself into when everything else around him was too loud and overwhelming. When he was a kid, he’d close his eyes and write and practice music in his head until he could get to an actual piano and now as an adult he did the same thing, except now he could get up at three in the morning and let his brain release everything it needed to on paper. “I just care about the music. It is why I am picky about who I work with because I do not want to work with people who do not appreciate the music as much as I do.” Lukas shrugged. Even the money didn’t matter because he’d inherited enough from his parents. He did this all because it was the only joy he had and the only thing he truly cared about. “You are a legend. Or at least you will be one day.” Anyone could see that Alexander would be up there one day with the infamous legends, forever ingrained into the music industry as an unforgettable icon. People would be listening to his music for decades, the way kids these days listened to music from the 70s and wished they were living in the prime of it all. 

He’d enjoyed the time he had alone with Alexander, showing him the pieces of unfinished music he’d written even though he was somewhat shy about showing anyone his unfinished and imperfect work. But with Alexander, it felt different, like he could be open and honest without being judged. When he got home that evening, he spent the entire night just laying in his bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking about nothing but Alexander. He was the type to obsess over things but never over people. How had this man gotten under his skin so quickly? All he wanted was for tomorrow to come so he’d see him again in their next writing session and the morning couldn’t come sooner. Even though he was exhausted from the lack of sleep he’d had, he still had some sort of feverish energy around him which was only heightened by the several cups of coffee he’d drunk until he was practically shaking. The night before, he’d dug out another book filled with songs he’d never finished and once they were finally alone for a moment, Lukas pulled it out of his bag and placed it into Alexander’s hands. “You can have anything in there that you like. I was never going to do anything with any of the pieces I had written in that book.”

When he left that night and returned to his empty house with his cat, he found that he actually had a mission. He sat on the floor of his living room with a bottle of wine and opened up his phone. Not long after, he was searching for any sort of statement about Lukas Varga. He wanted to know everything about him. Where he was from, how long he had been in the industry, the artists he had worked with, anything that the internet could provide. Yet it was all so scarce, as if people barely knew he existed. And quite frankly, Alexander did not understand that at all. How could someone who looked like Lukas and possessed his talent not have a massive following online? Alexander eventually found his private Instagram, which he immediately requested a follow to, but outside of that it was almost as if Lukas were not a producer or writer at all. Which honestly infuriated him, because he just wanted to look at pictures of him and figure out his life. He began to write down his frustrations as lyrics and wound up at the piano, most of his wine bottle drained. He kept playing one of the melodies from Lukas’ notebook to the words, and before he knew it, he already had a sample idea. Part of him was angry with himself that it was about Lukas, after all they had just met, but he couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t been attracted to him no matter how brief their meeting had been.