𝖌 𝖊 𝖙 / 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃

happy to have an excuse to leave for a bit, seb happily follows behind troy, the two weaving through the crowd until they were in a relatively open space and seb felt like he could breathe again. “thanks, man,” he mumbled appreciatively, patting his pockets and sighing when he came out empty for his lighter. “you mind lighting it up, too ? clearly i wasn’t prepared when i got dragged out of my apartment.”

– “ALRIGHT, YOU’RE CALLING MY BLUFF,” she laughs, “you’re not supposed to insist on my demise. usually people can hold out until at least week two of our friendship. i’m paige, by the way.” paige shrugs, “what can i say? you call it luck, i call it survival. try not to sound so disappointed, okay?” 

     “mm—i am quite fond of grimy troy, though. you’re still as cute as a bug, as always.” dolly can’t say why it brings her so much joy to squish the rugged man’s cheeks as if they belong to some chubby baby instead, but it does. hearing him laugh and seeing his baby blues light up never fails to make her stomach go straight into acrobatics mode. “right. it’s not as if you’re a little predictable or anything. spiritual connection is the only explanation, you’re one thousand percent correct, bub.” despite the sarcasm lacing her tone, each word she speaks is heavy with affection for her current company and just because she simply can’t help herself, she’s squeezing in closer to press another kiss to his lips. for every forward step troy takes, dolly’s taking two strides backwards to keep up, following his lead without a single trace of protest. “oh yeah? i look forward to hearing all of ‘em, then.”

“thanks, mate!” he calls back trying to make his way closer to the man. “could use a drink and a smoke. what kind of smoke you talking? cigs or that green goddess?” he joked finally making his way over to the man. 

the little huff that escapes his lips is not unwarranted. r.j had been working on the exact same elixir for the past three hours but it’s still decidedly NOT turning out the way he had planned. the scent was off, the colour wasn’t attractive and he still felt as though he was missing something. however his mind shifts as soon as the little bell chimes to alert him that someone’s walking into the store. r.j decidedly abandons his little test area to go around to the front to greet them. “hi there, did you need anything specific or are you just browsing?” he asks casually, the same line almost every time to a new customer. 

it was a typical night out for harley. she went out with a couple of friends, but she always somehow breaks off from the group and ends up roaming around the club by herself to find some trouble. through the loud music she heard a familiar voice. her head turned slightly to find troy asking her a question. with harley having an opening shift the next morning she decided to pass on the drink. ‘ some fresh air would be amazing. ’, she replied to troy. 

     “yeah, but he brought it upon himself for being such a shit ball. surely you of all people can relate to that.” as always, dolly thinks she’s being funny and she lifts both hands to gently cup each side of his face. she’s not really thinking about how dirty her hands will be but she’s not too concerned about that in the first place. “how did i know you were gonna say exactly that? i saw it coming, word for word, right here,” she laughs as she taps an index finger against her forehead, “i swear i read your mind, dude. it was a full ass sixth sense moment. fuckin’ bananas.” hands still pressed to his face, dolly begins to tap her fingers gently against his skin, like fingernails to a desk when she’s in deep contemplation. “i can’t imagine you’ll get much story-telling done in the shower.”

– “WELL, IF I CAN GIVE YOU A GOOD STORY, then i’ve done my job,” she says with a mini-salute, joking around, “so just let me know if you want me to stand back between those doors or what?” she leans back against the railing, nodding, “you just gotta go for it. if you think for a second you’re not going to make it, you won’t.” 

“Ah, I see. You know, I can’t really blame him. It’s a terrible habit. I wish I didn’t do it, but here we are.” He shrugged. Luckily it wasn’t like he smoked too terribly often– he had maybe one or two a day, but for some reason going without them just wasn’t in his willpower. “Sure,” He nodded, handing the other man his lighter, stepping out of the building so they could smoke. 

"there’s always quitting but hey, i don’t think i’d make it through the day without punching someone in the face if i did that.” the mechanic comments freely, smoke now dangling between his lips with a nonchalant shrug of his broad shoulders. the day troy quits smoking and drinking is the day he finds out he’s having kids, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon. “thanks bud. i haven’t seen you around... you new?” he chimes, nodding his head once as a sign of gratitude before proceeding to light up his cigarette. 

it was no secret that seb hated going out, but he felt like he was constantly finding himself tangled between sweaty & uncoordinated bodies due to the insistence of his friends. at the option of getting fresh air, he jumped at the opportunity, “let’s go outside. i need to get out of here for a bit and i could definitely use a cig.”

      for someone who gets it, he’s not being very understanding. she’s tired, there’s no lie there, but maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration just to try and avoid awkwardness. lola would definitely rather be anywhere but here. ‘ yeah, she lives…i can’t remember which floor, actually, ‘ she shrugged. it really didn’t matter at all. ‘ thanks, though. it’s been good. maybe one day i can actually quit waitressing and do music full time, even. ‘ she doubted it, but hey, anything was possible. ‘ anyway, uh - ‘ she nods towards the elevator, wondering if she could just walk away without making things any worse. 

“i’m sure you will. keep up what you’re doing and i’m sure something will come your way.” troy doesn’t give two shits about which floor this girl lives that lola is talking about, though what he does care about is why she’s so eager to part ways. as much as troy deep down is a good guy and only wants the best for people, he likes to stir the pot when he shouldn’t and he cannot let go of the fact there is something just... off about being around lola as of lately. pressing his lips firmly together in thought for a brief second, he observes the woman before his eyes squint just slightly. he has to ask. “have i... done something?”

“i mean,” she began shouting before adding, “i’m good with both. just get me a drink and i’ll meet you outside.” olivia was gone. sure, it wasn’t anything new, but she was down for the count. letting him order her another drink, she stumbled outside, already smoking a cigarette before he could join her.

          he’s determined, she’ll give him that. lola was trying to make a swift exit without being too rude, but it seemed like troy didn’t want to let her. as if that didn’t just make her more uncomfortable. ‘ yeah, exhausted really. you know how it is, ‘ she shrugged. he probably didn’t - had he ever spent a night on his feet, running around after orders and drinks and the annoying requests of customers? probably not. ‘ i’m good - just busy. work and all, plus i’ve had a few gigs, and briana - she’s a fashion designer, do you know her? - asked me to do some modelling for her, ‘ she rambled, hoping it explained her absence without bringing his roommate into it. ‘ but hey - no rest for the wicked, right? ‘ 

although the lobby is properly heated, there’s a slight chill in the air and it raises goosebumps upon his skin. “yeah, i get you.” he nods in understanding; he definitely knows the feeling of being exhausted, though from various other reasons. “that name rings a bell but i think if i saw her face then it would probably all click. but that’s good, that’s really good.” deep down troy is still a little suspicious, yet with the things she’s rambling on with it definitely would explain most of the reason for her disappearance. “no, that’s right. i’m glad that you’ve had a few gigs though.”

“Don’t worry,” Skylar said, stuffing his box of cigarettes into his back pocket. He’d gotten one out as he was on his way out of the building, but had noticed someone looking at him with disapproval. “I wasn’t going to light it inside. Nasty habit though, I wouldn’t recommend.” He assured the person, fishing a lighter out of the small pocket on the front of his flannel. 

“he’s a dick, don’t worry about him.” troy teases his mate that’s walking away, still giving the other lad the look of disapproval. “he scolds me all the time for my smoking habit so take it as water off a duck’s back.” with a snicker, he pulls out his own packet of smokes from the back pocket of his jeans and gives a head gesture towards the lighter. “mind if if i borrow it?”

– “IF A BONE ISN’T BROKEN, IT’S NO BIG DEAL,” she says like it’s her mantra. and it might as well be. she laughs at his comment, allowing him to help her up. “no shit, that would’ve been fucking gross,” paige agrees, “like one of those hydraulic press videos, but less efficient. it’s a lucky thing i’m so slick, huh?”

“ it’s not like you’re always making me mad, though. you’re a little annoying? yes, but it’s all good, i’m used to it. ”  xavier manages to come both teasing and endearing in a sentence and that’s how he mostly feels about troy. after all, he’s become his best friend over the years.  “ what the fuck, dude? i’m never bringing a car over there. did you wash your hands? god. ”  he looks visibly disgusted, a grimace on his features.  “ i kinda have to, you live here. ”  he points out, easy smile on his lips as he places the glasses on the table so troy can pour the whiskey in.  “ back to the nudes. it’s fine to get them but it’s not find to jack off on your work place. that’s just… wicked. ”