vinny hadn’t meant to end up in the alley. one wrong turn, one too many thoughts he didn’t feel like having inside four walls, and suddenly he was out there with nothing but the dim glow of a flickering light and the lingering tension from that night still sitting heavy in his chest. bash. eddy. the way shit had spiraled faster than it should’ve. he was there, he heard it going down, he should’ve stepped in when he heard bash losing his fucking temper. vincent knew that sign, then it came from eddy too, and all he did was watch it happen like he was just hoping that some shit wouldn’t go down. like there wasn’t a fucking war happening right below their noses.

his jaw tightened as he dragged a hand down his face, pacing once like he was trying to shake it off, like that ever worked. it didn’t. it never did and he didn’t care how often people tried to tell him otherwise. the sound caught him off guard…small, sharp, and out of place. vincent stilled, head tilting slightly before the noise came again, softer this time, tucked somewhere near the row of garbage cans. “you’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath, already moving toward it despite himself. crouching down, he reached under the edge of the can, fingers brushing against soft fur before he carefully scooped the tiny thing up, holding it out in front of him like it had personally inconvenienced him. his eyes flicked up when he noticed someone nearby, expression unimpressed as ever. “is this little shit yours?”

Vinny didn’t do blind dates. Didn’t do setups, didn’t do favors like this—especially not the kind that involved tuxes, masks, and rooms full of people pretending to be something they weren’t. But his friend insisted, he owed him a favor, and apparently this was how it was getting paid. So here he was, leaning just enough into the role to pass, dark shirt pulled out of his dresser drawer at last minute, half of a mask sitting like an afterthought on his face as his eyes cut through the crowd instead of admiring it. He’d been given one detail to work with—purple, fairytale-looking dress—and when he finally spotted her, it was like the rest of the room faded out. For a second, he just watched. Took her in in a way he didn’t usually allow himself to. Then, pushing off from where he’d been lingering, he made his way over, steps steady, purposeful.

“Julieta?” he called, voice low but certain as he came to a stop in front of her. There was the faintest shift in his expression—something softer, almost amused—as his gaze settled fully on her. Up close, she was even more beautiful. Which suddenly made it enough to make him aware that maybe he should’ve given more of a shit about what he threw on tonight. His hand came up briefly, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve before dropping back to his side. “I’m Vincent,” he added, a small, crooked smile tugging at his mouth, “Vinny, if you will. I hope you’re not too disappointed—but looks like we’re stuck as each other’s dates for the evening.” There was a beat, his eyes flicking toward the bar before returning to her, that same edge of confidence settling back in place. “Shall we go get a drink?” he asked, extending his arm toward her.

anyone who knew tommy knew he wasn't much of a relationship type of guy. there were many reasons why, and he refused to dive into the specifics. sure, he found plenty of companions to keep his bed warm but only a few that actually lasted more than a week or two. when he dumped julieta (in a less than nice way), he didn't expect to see her again. he really didn't expect to see her in california at some random party. and he sure as fuck didn't expect to quite literally run into her and nearly spill his drink all over her. no, he wasn't drunk yet. he just had his eyes elsewhere and well--it was on him for being so distracted. his father would love to berate him about that. the thought alone made his face shut down, a frown settling between his brows. "what are you doing here?" she didn't strike him as the stalker type back then but you never really know...

MADDOX HAYES at RIFT VALLEY KICKOFF

attending with jules ( @xxblackmagicx ) as his date.

the beach had never really been vinny’s thing. it was too quiet at times. othertimes it felt too exposed to the world. even when it was packed with people, there wasn't enough noise out here to truly drown things out, which usually meant he avoided it altogether. besides, he couldn't drive cherry out here. what good did it do him? lately, sleep came in short bursts and his apartment felt too full of ghosts. he felt himself slipping, though into what he didn't know. somehow he’d ended up here, sitting near the edge where the tide rolled in just close enough to dampen the toes of his feet every now and then. the sky overhead was painted in dark blues and faded orange, the last stretch of sunset disappearing slowly behind the horizon while the ocean moved in restless waves beside him. and for the first time, the beach had managed to drown out the world for a moment.

a cigarette burned slowly between his fingers, forgotten more than smoked, his attention drifting somewhere far enough away that he almost looked peaceful for once. smalls, however, was the exact opposite of peaceful. his temporary kitten darted through the sand with clumsy little bursts of energy, attacking pieces of driftwood and digging at the sand like it was a personal enemy. every now and then vinny’s eyes would flick toward him, softly smirk at the little guy, then his gaze drifted back out toward the water again. but it was the tiny sharp hiss that pulled his attention back to the kitten. smalls had gone stiff a few feet away, puffing himself up dramatically at the sight of someone approaching down the shoreline. vinny glanced over his shoulder then, eyes landing on the figure before dropping briefly back to the kitten. "and they say i'm the one with the attitude problem."

vinny shakes his head, “don’t take it personal." he said, looking at the person who'd approached. “he’s all hiss and no bite. i’m starting to think that’s his way of saying hello or something.” almost on cue, smalls let out a tiny meow afterward and immediately lost interest, flopping onto his side in the sand like nothing had happened before going back to batting at a shell. vinny huffed softly through his nose at the sight, shaking his. he shifted slightly where he sat, one arm resting over his bent knee. “sit if you’d like,” vin offered after a moment, gesturing vaguely to the open stretch of sand beside him. “or don’t. just don’t mind the cat.”

even in a mask-filled sea of people, nico could pick out jules. it was interesting to him, but he just chalked it up to their good friendship. he meant to approach her much earlier in the evening but he didn’t want to interrupt her date, so he waited until there was a chance she would be free for a moment. he kept her in his line of sight whenever he could, weaving through conversations just enough to track where she was without making it obvious, though he doubted he needed to try that hard. personally he thought her date was crazy for leaving her alone at all, but he was thankful he had.

“hey,” nico greeted, grinning as he offered one of the two drinks he was holding out toward her. “need a drink?” he took a sip from his own before letting his gaze rest on her properly, fully taking in her outfit now that he was closer, like he was only just appreciating the details he’d caught in passing earlier. “you look lovely, jules, your date is crazy for leaving you alone for even a few seconds,” he added, letting out a warm laugh. a small pause followed as he glanced briefly around the room, half checking the crowd, half giving her space, before looking back to her. “you having a good time?”

the hallway was quieter than it should’ve been, with just the buzzing of the hallway lights to fill the silence. nico lingered just outside the door for a second longer than necessary, hands tucked into his pockets as his gaze drifted briefly down the corridor before settling back. he shifted his weight once, like he might change his mind, but didn’t—lifting his hand to knock instead, light but deliberate, then stepping back just enough to give space when the door opened. coming to jules’s house wasn’t an issue, in fact he visited often enough, it was just the strong quietness of the day that made him a bit uneasy.

he chalked it up to it just being a lazy day that even the universe felt like being still. “i hope you’re not busy tonight.” his voice came easy, when the door opened, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. he exhaled softly, feeling that silence begin to dim now that he was face to face with jules. “i know this is…very random of me, but—” a slight shrug followed, casual more than anything. “want to go dancing tonight? slow enough kind of night, figured we could cause some trouble on the dance floor.”