we will climb the side of alpentine.

                   ♡     stupid. he almost laughs between tears- but only the softest sob breaks through. ❝ at least we’re talking.. ❞ he knows the answer is no. or— maybe? he wants to wait and see. perhaps some cracks would be filed out with feather’s forgiveness. and after that night leo had tried to never even paused for a second to let the loss consume him. it was in smaller moments, only when fulfilling real needs like hunger or sleep that he’d ever even thought about feathers, until that no longer was enough. and he’d seeped into every moment of his day, walked leo down the path to get to here. maybe he’d always wanted haewon to be the one to crack him open. ❝ stop. ❞ cause what the fuck did that even mean? he wants to ask. he’s nearly finished, out for the count— k.o.ed, an exhausted breath is all that’s left of him. stop digging, it hurts. there’s no negative space, lack of a resting point for his mind or body, swimming in a sea he’d never seen before. he finds it hard to imagine anything existed outside of this hotel room, that beyond the seemingly suffocating walls there would be only white and only a door to return back to this moment and get killed all over again. there was definitely not ‘happy.’ ❝ no one has that, why would i deserve to— ❞ too honest, his heart sinks. tears slow only from the feeling that he was empty; that eyes would only ache more if given in to the feelings he’d always protected himself from. he wants it, he desperately wants to feel that real happiness, but this room felt like the opposite. it’s like a promise now, that never touch you again- ‘cause when all he wants is to be held, he stays away. a seat against cushions, resting weary and palms clutching softness. it would have been so easy to get what he wanted before. even a sliver of honesty and would he have been alone all of this time? sure, surrounded but still alone? he knows he’s done this on purpose, hurt both of them on purpose. pushed feathers away so long ago so he could avoid dealing with these demons.. ❝ ..don’t look at me.. ❞ 

“no, no i’m serious.” jiyu’s lips pulled into a brief pout before she couldn’t help but laugh at miao’s antics. “not everything that comes out of your mouth is bullshit, you know?”

still groggy from sleep, oz slid from the bed and moved like he was going to assist saylor with the packing, entirely caught up in just following his lead. it wasn’t until the bag was only a couple feet from him did he turn about, the thought of finishing getting ready seemingly more important. “did you do that at my place too?” oz asked, quieter now, eyes flashing between yanking his shoe over his heel and the other man thrifting the alcohol. shoes and laced secured, he went to the other bag to close it up. “i’m really bankin’ on you havin’ some plan here because i’ve never done this before.” oz, bag in hand, was beside saylor now, his own head tilted towards the door like he’d be able to hear the minute details.

now the suggestive implications got their attention, face swinging around to eye kurious. the hand holding their yellow swatch curled around the paper while shooting out to connect with his chest in a flurry of emotion. all was said and done before they even thought about it. naturally, their gaze flashed around to see if anyone was close enough to either hear the comment or care about the hit. “i’m not afraid to hurt you more in public,” aeggie threatened back. with all said and done on the topic, there was still a smile playing on their features when kuri moved the pair over to the blues. stoic and serious might be aeggie’s default but messing around with kuri had always been welcome. the color suggested was considered genuinely before aeggie urged the gesture a few swatches over. “i’m not against a little more muted version of turquoise.. such as this one… sunglasses aren’t needed for turquoise but i’m not sure we can find much in the way of decorations to match the bright one.”

one had to wonder if this was something that could constitute as a walk of shame. not even half an hour ago had dusty left the house that he was once more schlepping back up the path to. but it was late, keys were long lost, and making the ride home just to stand at the door and hope someone was awake to answer didn’t sound any more appealing than returning to the scene of his previous wrongdoing. mothy would just have to get over it. the name calling and accusations that had slipped from his lips certainly weren’t the worst he’d done by a long shot ⁠— hell, might not have even been the worst he’d done this month. “moth,” he called out over to the window, knuckles rapping on the door. “open up.”

// for @xuanmo​ ‘s mothy

literally being slapped awake had been a bit overkill if anyone was to ask oz; the shaking would have gotten the job done in another moment or two. his hand automatically came up to rub at his face in an attempt to sooth it. “guests have to look at this mug, y’know?” he complained, hearing but not really understanding what saylor was talking about. it was one of those things that oz needed to wait for his brain to process it. “yeah…. oh.. are we sure it’s not housekeeping?” he asked, his actions giving away that even he didn’t believe that. he was out of bed not a full second later and yanking a shirt on. 

open to: anyone. plot: we’ve been seeing each other behind the backs of my strict parents and you decide to show up at one of their galas. muse: emmaline crawford. twenty years old. heiress and communications major. 

WHILE BOUNDARIES WEREN’T NECESSARILY something emmaline had found important in her past relationships, they were crucial when it came to maintaining the favor of her parents. if they had found out that she was having rendezvous with someone they deemed undesirable in their eyes, they would purposefully go out of their way to keep her from them. she was old enough to make her own decisions and yet she had to play by her parents’ stupid rules if she expected to maintain the rather generous allowance they provided her with. she was dependent on them, whether she liked it or not. so when she caught the sight of a familiar face amongst the crowd at her parents’ annual garden party, she immediately felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. they shouldn’t have been here. her jaw subtly clenched as she made sure her parents weren’t in sight before she made her way up to them, latching onto their wrist and roughly leading them away from any prying eyes. “what the hell are you doing here? we have one rule: you don’t come around to my house. so what’s up?”

the assessment of the type of the music that came on the radio had soon pausing and reflecting on what he, himself, had heard. he’d only partially gotten into the thought before interrupting his own self by speaking, “you could listen to npr. isn’t that people talking for most of the time? it’s like a podcast but it’s not fun. just news. you might like that.” the suggestion, while seemingly innocent coming from soon, was indeed a jab at ed. it had no true base; not when soon was actively seeking out ed’s time and attention these days. their position of soon leaning on the other left his mouth dangerously close to ed’s ear when he started laughing. “puppy? i haven’t been called that one before.”

                    she’s still too busy pretending that she’s having a grand old time swaying to the music with the soft clinking of cutlery and glasses in the background, much like most people here are doing, to really disapprove and reprove him for his attitude. the vampire manages to give him a look, though, to show that she doesn’t find his humor ( if that’s what it’s supposed to be ) all that funny. on a normal day, she might’ve appreciated it, would’ve even laughed along had she not needed to protect him. but she understood why responded the way he did. she figured it was some sort of coping mechanism.

she spots in place perfectly, a woman of grace and elegance when he spins her, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little taken aback by the sudden pull, only noticing why he’d done so when he talks under his breath. she gives the couple the side-eye before returning her attention to the male, picking up on the sound of his heart. he must be more afraid than he looks. “i don’t mean to alarm you but we’re looking at around three guys that have you as their target. if they’re after your family as well, there could be more of them.” hands slide down his front in attempt to look as if she was simply fixing his jacket, leaning in to whisper. “we need to get out of here. preferably with the rest of your family, if we can find them.”

he shrugs, graceful in the moment, a move that seems to fit in with the dance, and it really does feel like a split second of camaraderie in spite of everything. being scolded with just a glance — as though she’s a disappointed mother. the temptation to laugh bubbles up again that he just manages to suppress, knowing that it will come off more facetious than anything. if only it were someone else at risk of dying.