#paperrcages

    Goddammit. It’s always so uncomfortable standing across someone who’s a foot taller than you. Akachan knows he’s older than Eli, too. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his suit and tries to straighten up, but it doesn’t help much.

    Still, he gives him a half-personable nod and gestures lazily at the lobby of the hotel the Kodo-kai have bought out in the heart of Kapalua, Maui. It’s a front for a trafficking scheme, but the guy’s probably safe unless some clients start requesting huge ass dudes with little kid haircuts.

George was sick of this night club. He was sick of the photographers flashing bulbs right in his face and this grand dame actress girl who was old enough to be their mothers huddling them around her like ducklings just to be seen like that, with them each on one of her arms, fucking socialites. Crawling, all over the place. It was like one of the outer rings of hell was leaking right under them. And George was very drunk. He had already thrown a gin and tonic over one photographer, soaking his eye and dripping off his camera, and making Paul give him that look - that fucking big brother look, like some-fucking-one put him in charge while the teacher was away.

But at the minute Paul had turned to give a quote to some reporter, Ringo had turned to give an autograph to some admirer and the actress was looking away, so George’s eyes fell naturally to the lanky, weird looking bloke sitting quite spider-like in the corner who’d been making eyes at them for nearly an hour. Cutting little glances across or just staring at them like he was watching fucking sitcoms.

              He wants to give back a caustic response but the sensible part of his brain tells Eli that he’s in fact being a bastard, and that Nicky is just trying to help. ❝ Yeah, yeah, alright, sorry— ❞ Eli mutters, realizing that they’re trapped in the stairwell, surrounded by his crazy fans. ❝ Hey, switch shirts with me. You go out first, wearing my shirt, and maybe they’ll think that they made a mistake and they’ll go elsewhere. ❞

          NICK CAN’T STAND people sometimes. He wants to snap at the people who have practically chased them here like it’s fucking 28 Days Later or something, snarl at them that Eli is just as entitled to his personal life and his personal space the much as the next shlub down the street- but aggression isn’t what’s necessary right now.

Spirit does not fangirl. She just stares, eyes wider than they should be, with her mouth held open, dumbfounded--and this is close enough.

an early riser, ben is up quite a few hours before eli is. it’s a habit too ingrained in him now. on a good day, he can sleep in until nine, but his body propels him up and out of bed today as it always does at five thirty in the morning. even if his head is throbbing. god - he’s getting too old for this.

in fact, he’s already worked out, showered, and had his first cup of coffee by the time eli comes to - panicking.

          “that’s not usually the type of response i get.” he tells the young man quietly, “relax, kid. nothing happened. not that it would, hm?” he tells him, arching a brow. “d’you want some coffee? or maybe just some water?”

☢️- For a controversy or scandal they have been able to keep mostly under wraps