strawberry wine.

Sometimes what feels weirdest about being in one place for so long, particularly Cider Point, is saying goodbye to a friend knowing it won’t actually be long until you see them again. It’s less of a goodbye, rather a see you later, because instead of jetting off somewhere else for months, he’s just going back to his new apartment to rest and recuperate before doing it all again tomorrow. Lucas included. Sometimes he still thinks the next time he’ll see him will be a whole new season, instead of the next day, the following week. “Boat.” He answers without hesitation. “Definitely better weather for a boat, and I’d like for us both to keep yapping, if you don’t mind.” Mateo grins, tugging his own coat tighter over his shoulders. He’s worked in every weather, but the cold still bites, unforgiving especially to his knee. “We can do jet skis another time. You know my schedule is wide open for shit like this. You just say the word.”

there weren't many people lucas openly enjoyed talking to, but if he had to pick some for who it was different, it definitely would be mateo. as one of the few people who actually listened to what he had to say, his friend had worked his way up in lucas' list of favourite people. which he definitely had. in his head; he forgot who was on it. he took people off and re-added others by every move he made. " boat it is, " the blonde grinned, always happy to be around someone who actually openly spoke their opinion. there weren't many of those, it had become too popular to be a people pleaser. " you're going to regret it once i start talking, but by the time we do we'll be all the way out there. " he pointed to the water, a smirk working its way up onto his face. " you'll think i'm so annoying and you won't have a way out, instead of jumping in ice cold water. " who was lucas if not someone who enjoyed teasing his friends ? " jet skis when the weather hates us a little less. i can't wait to race you. "

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: FIRE  STATION,  PENNY  LANE  ( @strvwberrywine  )

although the fact that most citizens who visited the fire station were extremely kind, lucas never knew how to deal with them. there were more sociable people in his squad who usually handled visits, but none seemed to care when he repeated for the third time that he could hear someone. too deep in conversation with each other. knowing he would feel bad if they were going to keep ignoring the guest he got up, moving towards her voice until he found her. " hello, " he greeted, the smile on his face more genuine than what people were used to from him. " i'm sorry if we kept you waiting for a while. are you o- " being just a guy who loved food, his eyes drifted off to the tray she was holding. " ... did you make those ? "

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" bold to assume i'd mind listening to you talk. " anything to kill the silence, he supposed. someone talking too much in this situation just didn't exist. and if it did, lucas could just zone out and smile and nod. he found out that he was good at pretending a long time ago. " who says i want to be a rom - com lead ? i don't even want to be a rom - com side character. " there was no room for romance in his life. there was too much going on to develop romantic feelings for anyone. though maybe that was just him gaslighting himself in the hopes it would get his mind away from any complicated feelings he might have. " how about i buy you the drink and listen to you talk ? i'm now dying to know what keeps you going. if i hold up for longer than ten minutes you're getting me the next round, though. " it felt like a fair compromise.

The Fish House was a staple in the Amarin household growing up — it was a cheap way to feed a lot of people ( and it didn't hurt that they received the friends and family discount ). Even so, Winnie picked at the last of her fries, a single eyebrow raising as she considered Lucas. "I'll give you the lobster roll. I'll even give you the sauce." Shaking her head, she pushed away the red basket and clapped the salt from her hands. "But Shirley's has the best fries. No question." Maybe she was biased, working there herself, but she meant it wholeheartedly. Especially considering she avoided Noah Cho the Fish House in the last couple years. "You'll see."

" i hate to give in so easily, but i'll let you have it. i have never tried fries at shirley's. " he wasn't big on fries, so he usually just ordered them in combination with fish. he preferred shirley's burgers without a side dish, but mostly because he would rather have an extra burger or chicken strips to go along with it. " shirley's is great, though. when i'm in more of a meat mood than a fish one, that is my go - to. " lucas realized it might seem like he was trying to please winnie, but he wasn't. food was too important for him to lie about. " what makes their fries better ? is it the spices, the way they are baked, or both ? "

Andreas lets out a soft laugh, more warm than teasing, shaking his head as he adjusts the shirt on the hanger. “Hey—blank slate isn’t boring. It just means you’re not… overdone.” He glances back at Lucas, eyes thoughtful for a second. “Gives you room. And from what you’ve told me? You’ve got plenty going on under the surface.” He snorts quietly at the mention of the shirts, lifting one brow. “Holes add character. The graphics, though?” A gentle shrug. “Those are a harder sell. Comfortable only gets you so far when the shirt’s screaming at people.” Still, there’s no real judgment in it—more amusement than anything else.

" definitely not overdone. more like .. underdone ? spotting me in clothes that have nothing to do with my fire department is a rare occurrence. you're witnessing history. " it wasn't really true, but more so than not. he didn't wear his work clothes outside of his shifts, but he didn't leave the house much either. guess staying at home for a year changed a lot about how someone went about life. " who doesn't like clothes with superhero graphics ? on mondays i'm superman and on fridays i'm batman, it's a great routine. helps me remember what day of the week we're on. " lucas had long figured he might be a bit of a problem to someone like andreas. the man that stood in front of him knew a lot about fashion and probably also knew that he was a bit of a hopeless case, but if that was true he was going to make sure to own it. " you've officially entered your project makeover host era. feels good ? " he couldn't help but still be curious, see if someone could talk some fashion into him. the last thing he wanted was to show up looking like shit for a date or another special event. " i don't even know my colours. do you think anything other than neutrals will fit me ? "

⚓ "fuck you." riley sticks up his middle finger up at lucas, smirking. the problem wasn't physically fighting people, more that he got into arguments a lot. it wasn't as if riley went out looking for them, he had to balanced the strange combination of being emotionally reserved to his family, then reactive towards everyone else. "i'm not explosive." he shrugs, "i just struggle to hold my tongue sometimes."

" fuck you too. " yet he couldn't help his smile. he liked the other guy, even when he pretended to be hard on him. at least he was a true friend, many couldn't say the same. " some people deserve to hear what's up, riley. speak your mind. just .. maybe don't make enemies in the process of doing that. " though maybe lucas was one to talk, he shielded his emotions like they were something precious. not everyone could admire that; it made it hard for people to like him. " or do. could be delicious. "