chaosandcrimson - Tumblr blog

[chaosandcrimson]

Cornelia was watching him pace, quietly seething as she took in everything that Tanner was saying, methodically preparing her counterarguments for each thing he brought up. All of that got thrown out the window the moment he implied she didn't care about Yag. "How fucking dare you?" she shot back, anger flaring in her eyes as she took a step closer. "There is nobody that I care about more than Yag. My entire life revolves around how much I care about Yag. He is my first priority in everything. Every single thing I do, every single step I take, that is my first and sometimes only thought."

Hurt and frustration flashed across her face as she held his gaze. "I don't hate you, Tanner. I don't fucking care that you tease me. I don't want to take over the company. But goddamn, can you blame me for wanting one thing in my life that doesn't revolve around someone with the last name Drake?! And yeah, Yoel is protecting Ven. Gee, I fucking wonder why. If only I could relate to going to great lengths to protect family. Has it ever occurred to you that what happened weighs just as heavily on him as it does on us?" Sarcasm was practically dripping from her words, until she suddenly stopped, eyes widening when she recognised what that sounded like. Even she knew that talking about their secret with Yoel would have been crossing the line. "We didn't... We didn't talk about it. Of course we didn't talk about it. I would never do that to you or Yag. I'm just..." Cornelia let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed her hands over her face. "Why do you even care? Why does it matter to you who I choose to sleep with?"

"What's wrong with Yoel? Where do I even start with that," Tanner felt flabbergast. Was she seriously asking him that question? "Maybe the fact that his brother is the reason Yag -?" No matter how emotional he was, he couldn't say it. Wouldn't. That was a secret. That was the secret. "That he used to be my best friend? Layla set you up to this, didn't she? Of fucking course she did. She's close to the Waleys. She doesn't know what happened." Tanner didn't realize he had started pacing, holding the coffee she'd handed him as he did so. "It's not directly his fault, but he's still protecting Ventus after all this time. I thought you actually gave a shit about Yag. Maybe you got so bored of babysitting him you became numb to everything. There's better ways of getting out of the position you're in, you know." He finally stopped pacing to turn abruptly and face her, face pained and angry. "Why the fuck do you hate me so much? Because I tease you so much? Because I get to take over the company and you don't? You could have hooked up with anyone, Nelly, and you picked fucking Yoel???????????????"

[chaosandcrimson]

Their encounter was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Roxy was used to men complimenting her appearance and admiring how she moved her body, but they generally called her hot and sexy, not talented and pretty. She was even more used to them checking her out, and she had long since learned how to see it coming; if only to make sure that she put on a real show for them when they eyes wandered. And that was exactly what she did when Andros's gaze dropped, although she got the feeling that he was genuinely interested in what she was wearing, more so than what she might look like underneath it. "Yes, it does," she replied with a sultry smile, now facing him as she moved her body dangerously close to his. "Why? Do you like it, baby?"

Andros was taking note of different things, the outfit she had, the way she danced to the music. The current song was just instrumental he noted to himself. His eyebrows rose when it clicked what she was implying, hands stilling in their drumming when she moved close to his lap. "You're really talented and pretty so makes sense you're popular," he said. "Being popular mean you get to pick your outfit too then?" he asked, eyes flickering down her body before catching her gaze again.

[chaosandcrimson]

28!!! 🌟💫✨

Dove celebrating her birthday with friends 01/15/24

[chaosandcrimson]

"Hey, we've done more with less in the past," Minnie pointed out with a grin. "If we get all four of us together in a room, fuelled by the magic that is authentic Mexican food cooked with love and most importantly proper seasoning, we should be able to turn those tunes and lyrics into some baller songs." She pushed her off the wall and took in another deep breath of fresh air. "How about next weekend? We can pitch the idea to Remi and Indie and see if they're free. I'll have to check with Mick that we don't have any plans, but I think he'll be busy with Karma and Poppy, so we should be good."

"Right? I have a few that I've sort of started, but it's mostly just a tune or some lyrics that I thought sounded good; nothing really solid yet." Avi scoffed. "Hey, sometimes all you need is a good back beat - but yeah, the delicious food is the true star of our writing sessions. I'm pretty sure that the only time I can write anything coherent is if I'm eating your family's food."

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Minnie tried (and mostly failed) not to look too excited about getting to go home with Arachne that night; although the punchline to the other's joke almost caused her to do a spit take, shooting Arachne a mock-scandalised expression. "Why are you always so naughty, Arachne?" she quipped back, helping herself to a sizeable sip of her drink. "I mean, accurate, but still naughty." She glanced over her shoulder toward the dance floor before nodding, a flirtatious smirk on her lips as she slowly walked backwards into the crowd, keeping her eyes on the other as she moved her body to the music.

Arachne Kaltora

Arachne loved people like Minnie, who understood they were making poor decisions but were hopelessly starry-eyed over her anyway. "My only plan for later was finding someone to take home, so I think you'll slot in there nicely." She chuckled at a thought she had before externalizing it. "Though it'll be more me slotting into - you get it, you get it." That punchline was almost too obvious. Still funny, though. She laughed again, taking a sip of the new drink. "The night is still young, though. You wanna join me on the dance floor?"

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Whitney was quick to wrap herself around him when he lifted her out of the booth, pressing her face to the crook of his neck and pressing soft, gentle kisses to his skin. She barely had time to process what he said before he was laying with her on the bed and kissing her, and she kissed him back eagerly, intertwining their legs while trying and failing to remember another time in her life when she had ever felt this strongly about someone. Nothing and no one in her life before had ever felt so right that she couldn't even imagine second guessing it. "I really love you too, Loch," she mumbled, brushing her lips against his before kissing him again, and again, and again. "There's not a chance in hell I'm letting you go anywhere. You're stuck with me forever now."

"You should be proud of it," Loch said giving her a light squeeze around the waist as he held her. He'd been watching her face, he didn't think she suddenly look scared or anything. She chased storms for a living after all, but he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd become hesitant. Kissing her back, he chased after, a smile tugging at his lips at her words. Shivering when she ran her hands over him, a small grimace when her fingers trailed over the latest bruising.

"Really are something Whitney," he mumbled softly, brushing his lips along her jaw. Shifting out of the booth, he carried back towards the bed as he held her close. "I really love you, Whitney," he mumbled laying with her on the bed and kissing her. There was one time he could think of feeling similar, but it hadn't felt nearly as overwhelming as it did now. And he'd be damned if he was going to waste time building up to something he actually wanted right now. "Not planning on going anywhere, not unless you decide you wanna get rid of me."

[chaosandcrimson]

Cornelia had anticipated a reaction, but she was more than a little thrown off by how intense it was, pushing herself off his desk and turning to face him fully. At best, she had figured Tanner would be insufferably smug about her taking his advice. At worst, she had expected him to be a little grouchy about it being Yoel of all people. But he seemed genuinely upset, maybe even hurt, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was imagining that. "What's wrong with Yoel?" she challenged, setting her cup down onto the table and crossing her arms over her chest. "He's a nice guy and it's not his fault that we're in the position that we're in." She wasn't even sure what position she was referencing—if it was the situation with Yag, the events that had led to the dissolution of Tanner's friendship with Yoel, or the fact that because the two of them refused to talk about their relationship, they were now arguing about her sex life at the office.

It was rare for Tanner to be left speechless, and he was already gearing up to make fun of her for having a late night, but at the mention of Yoel, it felt like she'd just sucker punched him square in the jaw. "I - Yoel?" There wasn't even his usual glint of playfulness; just complete shock and disbelief on his face. "You - Yoel? Are you out of your fucking mind, Cornelia?" He wasn't sure what made him more upset - the fact that it was his ex best friend, the fact that said ex best friend's younger brother had been the reason for their shared secret, or that Cornelia had actually slept with someone who wasn't him. He didn't have any time to unpack that last one though. "What the fuck?"

[chaosandcrimson]

LOCATION: Irresistible Indulgence FOR: Jaiden West ( @cyberneticatoms )

Marisol felt slightly overwhelmed and very out of her depth as she listened to Jaiden's friend introduce the many, many pastries that she had brought out for them, served on a multi-tiered silver tray that looked like it cost more than her rent for a month. After Mel finished and disappeared into the back, she turned to look at Jaiden with a soft laugh and a smile on her face, nervously adjusting the floral dress that she had picked out especially for their meeting. "She's very energetic," she commented with a chuckle, picking up a cookie with what was apparently an edible flower baked into it. "But they seem really nice and super sweet. How long have the two of you been friends?"

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[chaosandcrimson]

Whitney released a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding when he cupped her face and kissed her. Relief washed over her as she kissed him back, resting her forehead against his when he pulled back to speak, leaning into the way he was softly stroking her jaw with his thumb. "It's not that long compared to how long I was using, but it's the longest I've been clean since I was a teenager, so I'm quite proud of it," she admitted, idly running her hand through Loch's hair. "Other than my job, my sobriety is the only thing I take seriously. Guess that's what happens when you spend your 30th birthday in rehab. It makes you pretty determined to never have to go back there."

She smiled to herself when she felt Loch press his face to her neck, glancing down at him curiously when he pulled back, holding his gaze as she listened to him. Perhaps she should have been alarmed by his confession, but she wasn't; honestly, she wasn't even that surprised. Before answering, she leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. "You're not going anywhere, mister," she mumbled as she brushed her lips against his. Dropping her gaze, she ran her hands down his bare chest, fingers brushing over each scar she could find. "I'll be honest, I figured you didn't get these from nowhere, you know. Your past doesn't scare me. Neither does your present."

Loch's brow furrowed when he felt her freeze, it wasn't exactly the reaction he'd been expecting while kissing her. At the look on her face, he pressed his thumb into her hip, rubbing it up and down. He was leaning closer when her tone changed, listening before his eyebrows rose. He briefly grimaced thinking on how much he actually drank on the regular, not to mention his other vices. Bringing his hand up to cup her face, he closed the gap to kiss her. "You might not mind, but probably best I don't," he mumbled softly, thumb brushing against her jaw, "We've been having fun today with no booze, no reason we can't keep it that way."

He tightened his arm around her pulling her closer to him, "5 years is a long time, between that and chasing down mother nature, really are something Whitney," he said pressing light kisses to her jaw. To anyone else it might not have felt like that long, but he was well aware of how long a day could really feel when you had nothing else to focus on. He hesitated briefly before pressing his face against her neck, she was braver than him with her honesty he thought idly. Biting back a sigh before he said, "Was in prison for 6 back across the pond," pulling back to meet her gaze, "Murder. And no I ain't got any regrets for that one. Pretty sure you can guess who'd actually be willing to hire me in this place." He kept his gaze on her when he added, "I ain't gonna hold it against ya if you want me to leave and not come back."

[chaosandcrimson]

PHOEBE DYNEVOR as EMILY MEYERS FAIR PLAY (2023) dir. Chloe Domont

[chaosandcrimson]

Karma wasn't far behind Poppy, downing the rest of her drink before scooping half the flan onto her spoon and shoving it in her mouth, gracefulness be damned. As she chewed, she tilted her head back and forth while contemplating his question. "Fuck it, let's go grab him now," she concluded, shovelling what remained of her dessert onto her spoon and sticking it in her mouth. She didn't even bother to take the spoon back out before getting to her feet, grinning around the silverware as she reached for Poppy's hand, then making a mad dash through the restaurant toward the kitchen.

Poppy Sarasa

"I don't know if we can chew through that full million debt, but if Mick does come, we might get close." Poppy quickly finished off her flan in a few large spoonfuls and took a swig of her drink. He was excited and impatient now at the promise of party-time with Karma and Mick. She tapped her hands rhythmically on the table, looking to the kitchen door where the server with the note was just entering. "Should we wait for a response or just go try to grab him now?"

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"Naturally, that's my standard rate," Karma replied with a grin, pulling her phone out and opening the holographic view that was far bigger than the screen. In the network of devices shown, she found Starla's tablet and dropped several files onto it, before dismissing the entire display. "Not gonna lie, you got me real curious about what you're looking into, 'cause I genuinely couldn't tell from the information you asked for."

Starla couldn't remember the last time she'd actually seen Karma. She was far more familiar with Neptune as he seemed less nocturnal than his sister, or maybe he just made more of an effort to be around during the actual business hours. "Do I ever not have my tablet?" She scoffed playfully, but immediately pulled it out. "Is the information tax you coming out with me?"

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Stevie laughed and playfully swatted at his hand when he pulled it back, although all that really did was make her heart skip a beat when her skin brushed up against his, sending what felt like jolts of electricity through her body that had nothing to do with the synthetic material that she was made of. At least if anyone asked about the flush on her cheeks she could blame it on the long day of travelling. "Ah, yes, Tex-Mex—the most American of American foods," she replied in a fond tone that indicated they had had this conversation before. "I blame you entirely for my addiction to nachos."

Onyx hummed, "Fair point," he agreed reaching over and lightly tapping his finger against her nose. Thinking it over for a second he hummed again in thought, "Could head towards one of the usuals but walk around first? See if anything new has popped up, but did miss good Tex-Mex."

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They watch as their hand moves to take and interlace fingers with the tapping one. The one with the tendency to malfunction and glitch like it was doing now. It's something she doesn't notice, the way he just sort of stops breathing for a moment. It's something he never notices no matter how many times Val or Gizmo has held their hand.

End

[chaosandcrimson]

MAIA REFICCO on INSTAGRAM

[chaosandcrimson]

Val rolled theirs eyes in return. "So what I'm hearing is that what's stylish on chickens is not stylish on human beings," she quipped back, throwing one last look at her bright and sparkly reflection before disappearing back into the changing room. They kept speaking to Damian through the curtain. "I'm the lead singer in the band, Clarke. People are already looking at me. Now I'm just gonna blind them as well."

"So sorry for forgetting about your yeehaw life," Damian rolled his eyes again. "I like those fluffy chickens. They have style regular chickens are jealous of." He had to admit, the brightness of it made it hard to look anywhere but at Val. "Hey, it's twenty and the price of that thing. No one will be able to look away from you, I think that's plenty worth it."