- ̗̀ c o l d b l o o d e d-

often times jude found himself with an abundance of thoughts; memories, anger, pain all flooding in at once. but in this one blissful moment, his mind was on one thing, and one thing only. food. if he was honest he probably wouldn’t have been affected if he had to walk away with wren ( although later on he’d find himself too proud to admit he may miss him at least a little ). ‘ someone’s easy, ’ jude couldn’t help but comment with a grin, his hand ceasing it’s movements and resting flat on the table top. it was the next question however that had jude pausing, blinking once before a smirk was tugging at his lips. ‘ are you insinuating that there’s a BETTER time i should be getting high? in that case, i’d have to disagree. i think any time of the day is a perfectly reasonable time to smoke—wake and bake? kind of my thing. i mean, snorting a line at one in the afternoon is pretty frowned upon, you know? ’ a brief laugh was leaving him, keeping their gaze locked with wren’s for a few long seconds until the sudden realization hit him and he was forcing his eyes up and down the road. ‘ find us somewhere close and it’s on me man, i’ll trust the garbage disposal this time. ’

allison took her drink prepared for her from the counter– her face was a regular one at the bar, and questions about payment never arose either; she was the daughter of an actress and perhaps the biggest businessman and general benefactor in the area. she rarely bothered to introduce herself, though it was not rooted in arrogance and pride knowing she was generally known about whitby. it was merely to avoid the same small talk conversation each time she did. allison took a sip as she listened to the young man’s words and pondering the remark. “i mean, it is a great song. it’s just not great when the performer is drunk off their ass and stumbles off midway through to boot,” allison replied, conceding his point with a bemused smile at the thought while making her own. even in the dim light, she noticed something a little off about her company– although the brunette couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “single ladies comes on anytime a bachelorette party comes through, or some recently dumped poor girl comes by and tries to make herself feel better. if only it were that easy,” she sighed, eyebrows raised. manicured nails tapped the counter along to the beat of the song playing over the speakers. “sure as shit isn’t. what brings you here tonight?”

“ooh, yes that could be somethin’! i bet loads of people are into that.” she knwe they were joking, but the more she thought about her job at the shop the more she wanted to do anything but that. “we can come up with somethin’, i just gotta get a good idea and then we can go from there. i’m thinking something like ‘slut and the facon’ like from perks of being a wallflower – only better!”

a smile curved onto sofia’s lips as the male nodded at her offer, beginning to lead the way to her home, making sure the other was following. “ really ? never heard of that. but i guess we can try, there’s not much to lose now, anyway. ” she said with a small shrug. “ oh yeah, thank god. things could’ve been way worse. ”

“ y’know, it’s not very nice to nudge people out of the way when i’m clearly reaching for the tomatoes. “ huffs a sleep-deprived ellery. she was clutching a basket in the center of the produce aisle in the local grocery store, trying desperately to remember what groceries were needed at home. “ the recipe i’m making calls for a particular tomato, and you seem to be blocking it. “

it was another simple day, full of nothing but endless beach shots and a few joints. sure that was fairly mild for jude’s taste, but he liked to embrace the nice days. take his time when it came to his camera. and with lots of experimentation, he learned weed was what did the trick when he wanted the best results. it was during the walk back to his home that he heard his name, glossy reddening eyes immediately darting over. there was a split moment of anxiety, heart racing in result. that was until he realized who it was, and suddenly he felt LIGHT. everything in him softening, even a hint of a smile forming on his lips as he glanced both ways before making his way across the street and over to the table.  ‘ nah, i hate coffee, ’ jude was quick to respond, one hand instinctively gripping the camera wrapped around his neck, the other moving to rest against the table, fingers mindlessly tapping against the hard surface. so maybe that wasn’t the most polite way to decline a nice gesture, but jude wasn’t exactly the most polite person. then again, when it came to wren he found himself to be at least a little more thoughtful. ‘ i was thinking about grabbing something to eat, but then i couldn’t really decide on anything so i figured i might as well go home instead.. ’ voice trailing off as he was suddenly reminded of the munchies that plagued him back in the sand. teeth grazing his slightly chapped lower lip, his eyebrows knit together in thought before his gaze was suddenly lingering back up to find wren. ( so maybe he’d smoked a little more than he probably should have, but at least he felt good. ) ‘ if you have any suggestions, we could get something together? if uh, if you aren’t busy you know, or whatever. ’

there’s a giggle escaping the girl as she watches her friend stumble his way towards her, eyebrow quirking once he’s clumsily placed himself beside her. “hermes… i can see that. is he your idol, then? you think you’re as sly as him?” she teases, shoulder bumping against the male’s, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. she glances towards her sketchbook momentarily, lips pursed in thought before her attention is once again on him. “not that i’m very good, but i’m lacking muse for sketches of the beach. what if i drew you as hermes? that’d be sick.” 

there’s hardly time for sebastian to react to wren stealing his cigarette, and there’s a pout left on his lips as he watches the other male light it for him, then proceed to take a drag. “you’re such an ass. first drag’s always the best, you know that,” he mutters, eyes rolling as he takes the cigarette back. still, he doesn’t waste time bringing it to his own lips, inhaling, then slowly breathing the smoke out into the air around them. “you alright? seem a bit more jittery than usual.” 

wren’s staring is entirely lost on kit, whose focus was almost entirely on his fingers and making sure they were free of every last morsel of food. his snack wasn’t even that dirty but it’s a kit-ism that he’s sure his cuddle partner is used to by now. wren’s moving fast once kit speaks, already on his feet and in front of the smaller male, hands held out in offering. kit’s flush only worsens and although he wipes his hands on his thighs, he’s still somewhat paranoid that they’re dirty as he slides them into wren’s. “is there such a thing as a bad cuddle?” asks kit innocently (as though he has any other function, honestly), head canting to one side. ocean hued eyes blink upwards as he’s drawn to his feet, stood toe to toe with the other. they’re still holding hands – is he supposed to let go? surely, they won’t walk to his bedroom with both hands entangled in one another. kit doesn’t let go. “the answer is no! never!” his excitement manages to still come across as soft, or maybe that’s just the expression he chances up at wren, smile gone all crooked and eyes fond.

“please,” lilah said with a playful eye roll. “you can absolutely pull off stripping. people are totally into redheads and i can teach ya how to dance.” the longer she spent working at the coffee shop, the more seriously she considered other options for making money. “seriously, we could go into it together.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. When she heard the compliment she couldn’t help but blush. “Um thanks…y-you look great too…haven’t changed a bit.” She looked up at him and smiled. She used to love their height difference. She still does. 

“ … wren, ” wyatt says, adopting a tone that any person of ‘ authority ’ might. not to be condescending, of course not, but simply to let wren know he saw right through him. “ i’m doing my job, mate. and you should know better. if you, uh… need a place to crash tonight, you can stay at mine. just for tonight, though. i don’t really think this is safe, sleeping here, ” he hums, tone much, much softer than it had been mere moments before, and he gives him something of a smile. “ i’ll take you there now, if you want ? seba and jaxon should be there, but they won’t bother you. ”