Ruby Rolled Her Eyes, But The Smirk On Her Lips Was Impossible To Hide. This Idiot.

Rory grinned, the kind of easy, lopsided smile that made his fans' knees feel unsteady. "Ember," he repeated like he was trying it out, rolling it over his tongue. "That’s a class name."

She still looked like she might either faint or bolt, and he found himself chuckling, not unkindly—just amused, endeared.

"Big fan, yeah?" he said teasingly, tilting his head slightly. "You sure? ‘Cause right now, you look like you’d rather be anywhere else than here."

He’d actually noticed her. Now he was looking at her. Ember felt the blood rush to her cheeks, warmth blossoming in her chest. Don't be ridiculous, Ember. He probably just thinks you're a weirdo staring at him.

She tried to speak, to conjure up the witty, intelligent greeting she’d practiced a thousand times in the mirror. Instead, a pathetic squeak escaped her lips. Ember cringed inwardly. Smooth, Ember. Real smooth.

Ember finally found her voice, though it was still shaky. "I...I just...I'm Ember. Big fan." The admission felt ridiculously inadequate, a laughable understatement of the devotion that consumed so much of her free time. She wanted to say more, anything to actually start a conversation but she was terrified of saying something even more stupid.

amoonlitmemory​:

Closed starter for @littledaydreamers​

“I’m sorry–” Niamh glanced down at the parchement unsure of what she was supposed to be looking at. “Are you sure this is meant for me? I– I don’t know what this is.” Having been self taught, she would never admit that when it came to reading her knowledge was only that of which she appeared familiar with. Yes, she could read words but that didn’t always mean she had a clear understanding of what things meant.

Tristan nodded affirmatively, a subtle gesture accompanied by a satisfying "Yep," the soft sound of the "p" popping. "Well," he continued, his voice filled with a hint of curiosity, "that's what it seems to be—a letter. If you'd like, I could read it aloud for you. The lighting in this room leaves much to be desired, but fortunately, I possess exceptional vision." With a compassionate gaze, he observed the writing before him, sensing the air of perplexity surrounding it. While illiteracy wasn't uncommon among the inhabitants of Nassau, Tristan understood the reluctance of many to acknowledge this fact openly.

Spencer gave a shrug not wanting to make a big deal out of the situation, he hated conflict and he'd had enough of it for one night. "What was I meant to do, say no?" He retorted not quite meeting Miguel's eyes, he could already tell he was pissed and he hadn't even told him the full story.

muse: miguel [ 30s, professional boxer ] open to: m only pls! plot: taken from here! your muse was recently dumped and kicked out of his boyfriend's apartment, forcing him to rely upon miguel for help. miguel and your muse being past exes is also an option!

"The fuck you mean he just kicked you out? And you let him?"

Text to King: He is not scrawny! But no, not him... not that it's any of your business. Text: As for whether I do this often... wouldn't you like to know ;)

Ruby blinked at her screen, her brain short-circuiting for a solid three seconds as the next text came through.

He did not just—

Her fingers twitched as she hovered over the message, like maybe if she stared at it long enough, it would disappear. But no. It was there.

She had expected teasing, maybe even some cocky remark, but this? She hadn’t thought he’d actually send something back. And yet, there it was. King, in all his smug, self-satisfied glory, clearly very pleased with himself.

A surprised laugh bubbled out of her before she could stop it. She hated to admit it, but the sheer audacity was kind of… impressive.

Text: Oh, you did NOT just send that. Text: You’re ridiculous.

She paused, fingers tapping against her phone as she debated her next move. Giving him a reaction was exactly what he wanted, but ignoring it would be just as bad. So, instead, she went with:

Text: But hey, points for confidence. And congrats on your erm...impressive package👀

text: ooo burn. i am scorned.

he couldn't help but chuckle at her words, finding this all very amusing and not what he had expected for the evening but there we go.

text: who was it for, huh? not that scrawny idiot i saw outside your door the other day is it? god help me if it is.

text: do you send these type of things often? or is this just a spontaneous decision, hmm?

he was curious to know if she did this often. not in a shaming her kind of way, there were just types of girls who were confident in doing so and others tended to be a bit more subdued.

text: (sends her a photo back of him in his underwear with a clear outline of something)

text: now we are even, no big deal.

Jude shrank into herself, a blush spreading across her cheeks after being caught hiding from him. She let out a small sigh as she pushed herself up off of the floor and met Z's gaze. "Aren't you angry? We're being used like pawns -- they know we don't like each other but the don't care. How are you being so calm about this?" The brunette asked her voice sharp as she let her emotions get the better of her after leaving them to bubble up in the silence. Jude paused, bringing her hand to her mouth as she tried to push her feelings back down. "I'm sorry. You're right, for once. I just... " She trailed off, her tone losing its edge. "Let's grab something to eat."

z paced the living room, the silence almost as oppressive as the forced situation they found themselves in. he wasn't sure what he had expected, but jude hiding away wasn't it. he took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair before heading towards the bedroom.

❛ jude, ❜ he called softly, leaning against the door frame, not wanting to startle her. ❛ i know this isn't what either of us wanted, but hiding isn't going to make it any easier. ❜ he hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. ❛ look, i get it. we’re different, & we don't have to like each other. but we're stuck in this together, at least for now. so, let's try to make the best of it. we don’t have to talk about anything serious. just… come out & eat something. you must be hungry. ❜ z sighed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a ton of bricks. ❛ i promise, i’m not here to make things harder for you. ❜

someone do an au with me like he’s a photographer and she is the model like a playful one that is always being cheeky and he’s just serious. she knows what she wants in life and he’s just lost in life since his girlfriend died 5 years ago and he doesn’t know what to do but she just a ball of sunshine and he was just instantly attracted to her but scared that he was going to forget about his dead gf and ends up loving her

Zach sighs, glancing at her with a flicker of something almost like... patience? Almost. He leans forward slightly, his expression flat but serious. "Alright, fine. I’ll give you one shot, just this once," he says, his tone a little more neutral than usual. "If you wanna talk, I won’t laugh, and I won’t use it against you. But you gotta know, it’s a one-time deal. After this conversation, I'm going back to not giving a hoot about your issues or problems. Deal?" He raises an eyebrow, challenging her to either take it or leave it.

there was something she didn't trust about the other offering her space to complain so she glares to him instead. his reaction only shows that he has no general interest in what she has to say. rolling her eyes she shakes her head. "of all people - i am not about to complain to you and tell you my problems. you'll just laugh or use it agaisnt me." she points out to him pulling her legs up to her chest letting herself go silent.

ofblcssxms​:

CLOSED STARTER || ft. @littledaydreamers​ || Elsie Newman

Injuries came hand in hand with the title of enforcer. Though, Ivan was usually the one inflicting the injuries and throwing the punches instead of having them thrown back at him. A cut eyebrow and busted lip was all the man had walked away with, though it was more than he was used to. The men he fought didn’t usually fight back. Hence, why he’d been taken off guard, and why the other had managed to get a few stray punches in. Heading back to base with his tail between his legs, Ivan immediately made a b-line for the medical corner. Blood dripped down his face, pouring from the cut above his eye. The other man had somehow managed to clock him with a pair of knuckle dusters, making Ivan’s face not so pretty to look at right now. “Elsie, get in here!” He shouted for his protege, hissing as he cleaned the wound with rubbing alcohol. Gritting his teeth, he then ushered the woman over, grabbing a suture set. “Try not to ruin my face even more, huh.” He joked, holding out the set toward her. 

It had been a long day. A long, boring day. Elsie had been stuck at the base for nearly forty-eight hours now. It was tedious, to say the least. She was used to coming and going as she pleased, never really one to fully follow the instructions she had been given, but she had pissed off one of her handlers after killing more people than they have instructed her to. Not to mention the fact she hadn’t killed them in the way that was ordered. In her defense, their way was too boring. If she was going to kill someone, she wanted to have some fun with it. When she heard her name being called, she immediately jumped up from her seat, enjoying the prospect of having something to occupy her time. Elsie followed the voice she suspected to be Ivan. A laugh erupted from her lips. “What the fuck happened to you?” She laughed once more. “I thought you were supposed to be good at this, no?” Elsie teased, raising a brow. To most, he would have seemed intimidating, maybe even scary, but the blonde was still yet to come across someone who stirred such feelings in her. Perhaps it was just the fact she had grown quite comfortable with the male. Plucking the suture kit from his hands, she placed it on the tray next to her as she picked up the suture needle and went to work on the cut. “I’m not sure that’s possible. It already looks pretty fucked up to me.” She tsked, her accent thick as she concentrated on the stitches. 

Rhiannon stood frozen in the middle of the road, her bare feet numb against the cold, slick asphalt. The rain poured down relentlessly, soaking her to the bone, but it didn’t seem to faze her. She shivered violently, her body trembling with the chill, but her gaze remained fixed on something distant, something far beyond the reach of the storm. Her clothes clung to her skin, dripping with water, but it was the bare feet that seemed most out of place, her toes curling against the icy ground, leaving behind smudges of wet footprints where she stood.

When she finally spoke, her voice was weak, barely audible over the roaring storm, but there was a coldness to it that seemed to cut through the rain. "I’m fine," she muttered, though the words were barely a whisper, strained with the effort of speaking. She didn’t acknowledge him, didn’t move even as her body continued to shake uncontrollably from the cold.

Her teeth chattered as she spoke again, her voice sharper this time. "You shouldn’t have stopped," she said, her tone distant, as if the words weren’t meant for him at all. "It’s not safe for you here." She let out a soft, breathy sigh, her feet shuffling slightly on the wet ground, but her gaze never wavered from the horizon.

closed starter for @littledaydreamers based on this

Rain was already spitting against the windshield, blurring the already indistinct lines of the two-lane highway. Lucas gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white. The weather report had been dire – flash flood warnings, potential hail the size of golf balls – and all Lucas wanted was to be home, safe and dry. He glanced in the rearview mirror, a habitual check even though he hadn’t seen another car for miles. Empty. Just the churning blackness behind them, reflecting the red glow of their own taillights.

A jolt of adrenaline shot through him as his eyes snapped back to the road. Someone. Standing right in the middle of the lane. Lucas slammed on the brakes, the tires screaming in protest against the slick asphalt. The car shuddered to a halt just inches from the figure.

Heart hammering against his ribs, Lucas shifted into park and killed the engine. The sudden silence was broken only by the increasing patter of rain against the roof and the frantic thumping of his own pulse. "Okay, okay, stay calm," he muttered. This was probably just some poor soul who's car had broken down, he reasoned.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment and got out of the car.

The figure was definitely human, though the darkness and the rain made it difficult to see clearly. They were facing away from the car, head tilted back, as if staring at something only they could see in the storm-wracked sky. Their clothes were damp and clinging to their frame, and a shiver wracked their body, but otherwise, they were motionless.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Lucas called out, cautiously approaching. The flashlight beam danced over the stranger's back. "I almost didn't see you. Are you hurt?"

Kai had barely exhaled the first lungful of smoke when he noticed the shift in her. She wasn’t saying anything, but the tension between them—it was different out here. Less noise, less space to hide behind. He could feel it now, the kind of crackling energy that hung between them. Not exactly anger anymore, but something hotter, more raw.

He wasn’t surprised when she snatched the cigarette from his hand, tossing it over her shoulder. The gesture was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He watched her, eyebrows raised, as her hands slipped around his neck and pulled him in. No hesitation. No words. Just action.

His breath caught, the urgency of the kiss catching him off guard for a moment, but he was quick to respond, his hands finding her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her back with the same intensity. She wasn’t just trying to shut him up—she was trying to erase whatever was left between them. It was the kind of kiss that made everything else feel irrelevant. The world was quiet now. All that mattered was the heat of their skin, the rush of breath, and the unmistakable thrum of whatever this was.

to say she couldn't pinpoint him was an understatement. the crazy way she just wanted to argue with him and feel the heat rise between them, sparks firing left right and center. she had never experienced anything like it. normally when a guy pissed her off it stayed just as that, she wouldn't engage in it unless she absolutely had to, but in this case she wanted to. the moment she stepped outside and let the chill rise goosebumps over her skin she felt less enclosed, and more free without the atmosphere surrounding them. just a few people smoking and chatting outside and the night sky brimming with stars above them.

pia wondered whether he would follow her but she had a sense that he would. whether he too wanted to be in denial about what was going on between them he could sense it just as much as her. not that you'd actually hear her utter those words outloud. when his figure shifted from the shadows into the light of the secluded area she felt rather smug, but it didn't show on her features. instead she watched him carefully as he lit his cigarette, remaining quiet as he took his first drag before she swiftly removed it from his hand. tossing it over her shoulder her hands worked to move around his own and behind the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss of complete urgency. anything to shut him up at this point.