Joey looked over at Ziggy when the other laughed, raising an eyebrow at the other’s reaction when he called him cute. “What? People haven’t called you cute before? Because… I think it’s pretty obvious.” He said with a small nod, as he looked over at the other as he stretched out his arm and kept talking about photography – Joey did like taking pictures, after all, his phone was always full because of all of the pictures he would usually take. “I just like taking pictures of everything I see… The other day, I saw a duck that looked funny and I took like ten pictures of it. It was pretty cool though.” He said with a small chuckle, as he listened to what Ziggy had to say.

“Oh, the news… I get that. So, like the weather and things like that, right? I don’t usually watch the news because I don’t understand what they’re doing and it’s a lot of things to read… But I’m glad that you like it.” He said with a smile, before looking over at Ziggy as they started talking about the glee club. Just talking about it made Joey miss it, but he knew that he couldn’t go back since he had somehow graduated from high school. “Regionals? That’s pretty sad… But I think we were pretty good, I mean, we won Nationals two years in a row. And the other clubs were pretty good too. I just don’t miss the drama of it all, honestly. But it was fun.” Joey said as he clicked on one of the videos from their performances and showed it to Ziggy, before pointing at the screen. “See, that’s me.” He said with a smile, before nodding his head as he kept watching the video. “Can you sing? Because you kind of look like you could sing, but I could be wrong about that.”

.

Ziggy shook his head, once he knew Joey was looking back and would see it. “It’s not like it’s never happened. That’s just usually part of the before, rather than the… after.” He didn’t mind hearing it, but it felt like flattery. Schmoozing. It didn’t really make sense though - they’d both already gotten plenty of what they wanted in that regard. “Mm, yeah. I do that too. Ten pictures sounds like the perfect amount for a funny looking duck,” Ziggy mused, with a soft chuckle. Maybe Joey just really was that excited about everything.

Weather was a whole separate thing as far as Ziggy knew, but it was close enough. “Yeah… kind of like that. Honestly, I don’t watch it much either. More into the reading part,” he answered, propping himself up a little higher to get a better look at the video. “Winning Nationals twice in a row is only ‘pretty good’ to you?” Ziggy asked, incredulous. Admittedly, the number Joey’s group was performing in the footage was impressive. He’d never thought much of the group from his old school - but perhaps that had something to do with them never making it to Nationals. “I see you… wow. I always found the matching costumes kind of funny,” he admitted, resting back down against the mattress. “I can sing, yeah. Or at least, I think so… but I don’t think I’d pull off a performance like that.”

“Okay, okay, I believe you… Sorry, I won’t bring it up again. Plus, I think you’re too cute to actually kill someone…” He said with a small chuckle, as he got comfortable in the other’s arms - it felt weird to be held by someone that wasn’t Angel, and it seemed like every time Joey was about to forget him, he popped right into his head and it was all he could think about for a few seconds, but either way, he decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Joey wasn’t sure if this were to happen ever again, maybe he wouldn’t even see Ziggy that often after this, but now that they knew each other, they probably would.

“I wish I knew I could use a camera, but I don’t really get how it works… Plus, I’ pretty sure I would probably end up breaking it if I ever tried it, so I’ll stick with my phone.” Joey said with a small smile, nodding his head slowly at the thought of buying a camera just to break it. Joey usually wasn’t that clumsy, but he knew that he would probably forget it somewhere and sit on it, or even worse, he would end up washing it on the washing machine like he had done with his phone before. “Journalism… Do you write like, journals and things like that? I think that’s cool, but I don’t really like writing that much… So, yes, dance is definitely more exciting!” He said with a small chuckle. “Oh, I like music though… I used to be in glee club when I was in high school, it was pretty awesome. I think there’s some videos on Youtube if you ever want to watch it. But I think it was better live.” He said with a smile, before moving slightly to grab his phone from the other’s bedside table to show the other the videos.

.

Ziggy snorted, the sound half muffled by his pillow. “Cute? That’s a new one…” He wasn’t about to complain though; the less he gave off murderous vibes the better, probably. “I’ll take it, anyway--” he cut himself off, hiding his face in the pillowcase for a second to stifle a yawn. “You know… if you’re not super serious about photography, cameras are pretty easy. When you’re not trying to take a perfect shot, you literally just…” Ziggy stretched out the arm he’d laid over Joey, miming the press of a shutter button. “Then again, the hassle of smashing it might not be worth it,” he relented, wearing a teasing smile as his arm dropped down again.

Did Joey not know what journalism was? Ziggy liked to think he was adept when it came to reading people, even strangers, but they were rarely as straightforward as Joey. It felt like he literally voiced every single thought that popped into his head, so long as it was vaguely relevant to the conversation. Something about that threw him off, made him second-guess everything - if only in his own mind. “Kind of? It’s mostly about… current events. You know, the news?” He didn’t want to be condescending, but it was hard to tell what Joey didn’t know. At the mention of glee club, Ziggy found himself fascinated. “Oh, yeah… my high school had one of those. I was at couple of their performances, but they never really got past…” what were those competitions called again? “...the second one.” Close enough. “Were you guys the real deal?”

“I mean, knowing that you’re not a murderer is a good thing but it’s not enough… Unless you really are a murderer and you don’t want to tell me because it would make things kind of awkward. Plus, you would have killed me by now…” Joey said as his mind wandered off as he thought about the fact that going to bed with a stranger that he knew nothing about could have been kind of dangerous, but at least he had gotten lucky this time – besides, Ziggy worked at a bar, so that had to be a good thing, at least that’s what Joey thought.

Listening to him talk, Joey nodded his head slowly as he listened what the other had to say – it wasn’t a lot, but at least it was something. “Oh, that’s cool! I like taking pictures too, but I just use my phone and take pictures my friends… I don’t know how to use a camera, it’s too confusing.” Joey said as he thought about all of the times he tried to use a camera to take pictures – there were just too many buttons and he had given up from it pretty easily, but his phone was more than enough. “Really? That sounds like a fun, I have a lot of friends at NYU! What are you studying there?” He asked, smiling as he got comfortable when the other draped his arm over him. “What else do you do for fun?”He asked.

.

There it was again. It was starting to feel like a running joke, but Joey seemed to consider the idea a touch too genuinely for that to be the case. “Definitely not a murderer,” Ziggy reiterated, with a crooked grin. Coming from most people, he’d probably end up a little bothered by that word popping up over and over - but Joey just seemed harmless. He felt a little naive for assuming that, but they were already stuck sharing a bed for the night. Picking out things to second-guess wouldn’t do him any good.

Ziggy wasn’t sure what response he expected from Joey for the little information he gave, but it was nice to be met with earnest enthusiasm - if not a little surprising. “Yeah? I’m more of a camera guy,” he replied, relaxing against the pillow. “Nothing wrong with a phone though. You’ve got the option to carry around hundreds of pictures of whatever you want sitting right there in your pocket… might as well use it.” Hearing that Joey had friends in NYU was hardly a shock. Unlike Ziggy, he seemed like the type of person who could make himself at home in almost any social circle. Part of him had to wonder what that was like. “I’m studying journalism. It’s definitely not as exciting as dance, but I like it,” he answered, with a slight shrug that left him holding Joey closer to his chest. “And for fun? ...I like music. I mean-- everybody likes music, obviously. It’s all about hearing it live for me, though.”

“Oh, you’re right… I kind of forgot about that, sorry. It would have been cooler if you were a doctor, but bartenders are cool too.” Joey said with a small chuckle, as he nodded his head slowly at the other. “But I don’t know that much about you other than that your name is Ziggy and that you’re a bartender.” He said with a small frown, as he thought about it a little – now that he thought about it, he really didn’t know anything about the other and they were about to cuddle, so that was definitely weird.

As Ziggy talked, Joey raised an eyebrow as the other started talking, not saying much about his life. Letting out a sigh, Joey just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t mind if it’s not interesting, you can just talk about you… Like, what do you do for fun? And things like that.” He said with a small sigh, before nodding his head when Ziggy asked if he was a little spoon, getting himself comfortable in the other’s bed as he approached him even more. “Yeah, is it that obvious?” He asked, letting out a small chuckle. “C’mon, you have to talk about yourself a little. Then this will just be weird… Because we slept together and I don’t know anything about me and you know pretty much all of my life.”

.

It was a marvel that Joey could somehow forget that - but Ziggy was willing to take that as a compliment on everything that had gone down since they left the bar. Still, he supposed Joey had a point. “You mean, knowing I’m not a murderer isn’t enough for us to bond over?” he asked, deadpan, before he resigned with a sigh. It made sense. If Joey knew a lot of information about his life while Ziggy knew none in return, he knew he’d still have his back pressed up against the wall. “You make a fair point. Just-- get comfortable. We’ll go over the basics.”

What were the basics, again? Ziggy didn’t really know, even when he did share tidbits about himself, it wasn’t because he’d been directly asked for them. He mulled it over, shifting closer, until he was in position to drape an arm over Joey. “So… about me,” he began, still stalling for a little more time. “I… take a lot of pictures,” he confessed, although the layout of his room basically said that for him. “I’m doing the college thing too, but at NYU. I’m a junior.” That was something, right? In fact, it was three things. At least it was a start, even if it was a stilted one.

meadow: i mean he is a bernie bro

meadow: ugh flashback to the time that the store ran out of those "in this house we believe that love is love/science is real/etc" posters so he just made one of his own....

meadow: [picture]

meadow: tag yourself im either "weed should be legal" or "dick cheney can suck my dick cheney"

ZIGGY: As he should be

ZIGGY: oh my god

meadow: what pizzazz????????????????

meadow: [link]

meadow: i dont understand this

meadow: like hes a cool dad but ive never looked at him and been like. wow thats a cool GUY.

ZIGGY: You're too close to it. it's a conflict of interest

meadow: ziggy this man has a podcast where he reviews adventure time episodes

meadow: he is ginger

meadow: [picture]

meadow: this isnt anne bancroft in the graduate this is just a dad

ZIGGY: "JUST" a dad, she says

ZIGGY: The audacity. the disrespect

SAMMY: Yeah, didn't trust me to let you explore the unknown huh, I see how it is.

SAMMY: yeah

SAMMY: well i don't really know what you're considering right now to be honest, Ziggy.

SAMMY: i got to get the single out first!

ZIGGY: Oh, come on, don't tell me the first time you came up to NYC you didn't even look up where you'd be staying?

ZIGGY: I'm considering Ohio. as per your invite

where: cafe in new york

when: afternoon on april 27th

who: open

“Okay, I don’t know if this is, like, totally weird-” Braeburn prefaced, quietly hoping that her enthusiasm made up for any broken social norms regarding walking up to a stranger sitting in a coffee shop, “But I love your shirt, and I’m kind of curious about where you got it.”

Ziggy had never been talk-to-strangers type. Theoretically, it had to be a lot less dangerous to do so at college-age, but as he looked up at the girl interrupting his coffee-break he still found himself a little wary. “My-- shirt?” he echoed, pinching it between his fingers to get a look down at it. “Oh... this is, uh-- limited edition concert merch, I think. Years old.” Figuring that would be enough to cut the conversation short he turned back to his laptop, scanning over the headshot he was editing. 

meadow: maybe

meadow: do you even know what my dad looks like

ZIGGY: He's uhhhhh. ginger

For someone that Joey didn’t know that well, Ziggy seemed pretty smart – he seemed to know what he was talking about, so Joey was looking at him and nodding his head slowly as he took in every word he said – any advice would do Joey some good and hopefully it would help him move on from all of that was going on in his life. Joey wasn’t even sure if he would ever see Angel again or when he would see him again, but he knew that he needed to get over it, even if he still had feelings for him and probably would always have.

“Okay…” Joey said with a small sigh, as he looked at the ceiling again, before looking at Ziggy again with a small smile. “You’re like, really smart. Are you like, a doctor or something? Doctors are smart.” He said with a nod, before turning to his side as he got closer to the other – after all, the two were in bed and they were spending the night together, so Joey might as well make himself comfortable with the other. “I feel kind of bad that we’ve been talking about me all night… Do you want to talk about yourself? I can listen! I’m a good listener, I think, that’s what people usually tell me.” He said with a smile, as he let out a small yawn. “And maybe we can cuddle too… Just an idea.”

.

Ziggy couldn’t help laughing at that. “I’m-- I’m a bartender, Joey,” he replied, with an amused grin. “I was serving your drinks not too long ago.” Being a doctor sounded a nightmare, but it was flattering that a little improvised advice made Joey think he was capable of such a thing. He wasn’t usually quite as much of a pillow-talker, but Joey’s chatty energy was a little infectious.

But not quite that infectious. For a second, Ziggy got a little tense. What was he meant to say about himself? “Well-- I don’t have any ex drama for us to get into,” he began, with a slightly awkward huff of laughter. “Nothing I’ve got to say is going to be half as interesting.” Joey seemed tired, at least. He could get away with a little vague rambling by the time he crashed, probably. With that in mind, Ziggy shifted a little closer, deciding to take Joey’s idea on board. He propped himself up on his side by his elbow. “We can do that. What are you-- a little spoon guy? You kind of seem like a little spoon guy.”

“yup, i’m steph.” she answered through an airy laugh. zig hadn’t verbally said it, but she could see him mulling over the question in his eyes. has this girl been drastically overserved or is she a lightweight? hoping to provide him some clarity, she answered, “i’m just…sort of a lightweight and…” stephanie gestured with her hands, trying to find her way back to the point she had been making. “i don’t know, i appreciate your help though!” she told him, flashing a smile. “and i don’t mind waiting, you seem like good company, the vibes are always good here.” steph assured him profusely, hoping she wasn’t too big of a nuisance. 

grasping the cup with both hands, steph took a sip, and repeated her earlier sentiment, “thank you so much.” setting the water down, she watched him for a moment, trying to get a read on the situation. stephanie had never been a master at reading people though, in fact, she had a bad habit of overestimating their happiness and enthusiasm. if she weren’t wobbling in her chair, maybe she’d be more considerate of that fact and seek other help, but that obviously wasn’t the case. staring directly up at him, she figured why not break the ice and get to know each other beyond phoenix, “so how long have you worked here?”

.

Well, there was some relief. He wasn’t about to get fired for not realising he was getting Steph too wasted to make it home - then again, if she was self-aware enough to ask for somebody to help her get there, it probably wasn’t as bad as her swaying made it seem. He gave a lopsided grin at her explanation; he remembered when he was very much the same way. “You don’t have to justify it to me. The amount of people I have to carry out of here like I’m some kind of fireman… you wouldn’t believe it,” he joked, looking up from the bar. Steph seemed sweet, and friendly, if a little sheepish. “It’s no problem. Seriously-- I’d rather you ask than end up napping in the dumpster or something.”

Ziggy felt a little relief as he watched Steph take a drink. His experiences of dealing with drunk people spanned a wide spectrum, and the cooperative ones were always easier. The question came as a slight surprise; they had Phoenix in common, it made more sense to talk about her. “I’ve been here…” he paused, furrowing his brow. It hadn’t been long after his 19th birthday when he started. “About... two years, give or take? You theatre kids get wild enough to keep it interesting,” he joked, side-eyeing the stage. “You’re at NYADA, right? I can’t imagine seeing half of the regulars here at, like, 8am…”

ZIGGY: Well. if I did start dating it would have to be something memorable. like a dilf

ZIGGY: But I promise I'll try my hardest not to

meadow: i appreciate the effort

meadow: and i feel like starting your dating life with a dilf (which my dad isn't by the way, hes just a d, not the ilf) is riskyyyy

ZIGGY: yw

meadow: pls dont date my dad

meadow: i hate that this isnt the first time ive had to say this to an online friend

meadow: but pls dont

meadow: hes so emotionally unavailable

meadow: and hes also my dad

ZIGGY: Well. if I did start dating it would have to be something memorable. like a dilf

SAMMY: I'm trying to make it sound watered down, so when you actually come here - you are surprised by what you see - ya know?

SAMMY: Why is it so bad that I actually want to see you? But I mean, you can just tell me no. There are no hard feelings.

SAMMY: Lmao. Funny enough - that's why they are pushing me so hard to do promotional singles, so I can do one for one of the PS5 commercials. So that comes with a few PS5s and a huge contract aka moneyyy

ZIGGY: So I sort of ruined that by asking somebody else for a run-down?

ZIGGY: It's not bad. Just surprising, I guess

ZIGGY: Besides, if I wasn't even considering it, you'd know