#˖ ࣪ . ࿐ ୨୧ ˚ . 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒏. ft. teddy dizon

[grcdge]

 she  almost  chokes  on  the  luke-warm  coffee  drink  she  just  took  a  sip  of  as  he  comes  to  the  end  of  his  short  story  ,  immediately  manicured  hand  covering  her  lips  almost  as  if  she’s  embarrassed  that  she  got  caught  laughing  .      “  have  you  googled  the  band  ,  though  ?      maybe  you  actually  do  look  a  like  .  ��      her  eyebrows  slightly  raise  up  ,  arms  shrugging  as  she’s  trying  to  say  that  it’s  just  a  suggestion  .      “  i  don’t  think  i  have  ,  no  .      ⸺      and  not  to  sound  like  a  stuck  up  ,  but  you’d  have  to  live  under  a  rock  to  mistake  me  for  someone  else  .  ”

open to anyone, anywhere suitable / @2000sfmextras

"had someone ask for a selfie with me today. thought, wow, i'm kinda getting famous for real, huh? when i was walking away, though, i heard them telling their friends that oh my god, they just took a photo with some guy in a boy band who is definitely not me." he chuckles. "i guess i needed that to keep me humble." sighing, they ask, "have you been mistaken for someone else too or am i just that much of a flop?"

[grcdge]

 her  hand  slightly  raises  in  the  air  in  the  action  that  clearly  says  ‘  exactly  ’  ;  she  always  finds  a  common  ground  with  teddy  ,  despite  the  age  difference  between  them  .  in  a  way  ,  he  is  like  a  younger  brother  to  her  except  she  will  never  say  these  words  out  loud  ,  almost  as  if  they’re  forbidden  .  “  right  ?  like  ,  all  of  them  picked  up  some  collaborations  for  tonight  ⸺  at  least  pick  something  that  makes  sense  .  have  they  even  seen  met  gala  ?  not  following  the  theme  now  is  not  a  good  publicity  .  ”  she  takes  fashion  seriously  ,  especially  themed  events  and  right  now  ,  just  watching  everyone  in  the  same  dress  straight  out  of  zara’s  display  iis  making  her  skin  crawl  .

he readily agrees. "if this was some sort of party for broke people, i'd get it. but what excuse do the people here have for not dressing in something white? or, you know, something decent? you'd think they were being asked to solve climate change." they take a sip of their drink — a strawberry smash with amaretto and rum — and lean back in their seat, not making a big deal of the great cordelia deniran approaching them. he supposes his capacity for nonchalance is a key factor in the enduring strength of their friendship.

[grcdge]

the  last  thing  cordelia  wants  people  to  see  is  that  she  allows  herself  to  feel  any  positive  emotion  ⸺  even  around  them,  despite  knowing  she  can  just  be  with  teddy  ;  she  doesn’t  want  to  .  showing  emotions  is  allowing  people  to  see  she’s  just  as  vulnerable  as  everyone  else  and  she  might  allow  for  numerous  problematic  articles  but  this  is  one  thing  she  won’t  let  anyone  see  .  so  she  just  gives  them  a  glare  but  they  know  her  well  enough  to  read  between  the  lines  ;  she  found  him  funny  at  times  .  “  well  ,  i  guess  as  the  tiffany  &  co  heiress  ,  it  only  makes  sense  that  i  don’t  dip  the  party  in  full  to  smoke  weed  .  ”  and  additionally  ⸺  her  dad  looks  happy  and  she  is  there  for  him  first  ,  anything  else  second  .  but  she  won’t  let  anyone  hear  it  .  “  but  if  one  more  person  tries  to  start  a  conversation  with  me  ,  acting  like  i  knew  them  from  diapers  ,  i  might  consider  it  .  ”

"i actually just celebrated my 68th birthday recently. time flies, i know," he says. obviously very far from the truth, but he takes a moment to deliver the outrageous claim in a deadpan, serious-seeming manner. "i feel young, so that's how i maintain my youthful looks." a pause. "no, you've got me mixed up with somebody else. my character is named stefan gilbert." they yawn before stretching, head leaning against the wall on the opposite end. voice lowers slightly as he says something genuine for once. "honestly, i don't know. i feel like i have to stay. don't you?" that's what family means to them — a chore. a performance.

[grcdge]

 she  doesn’t  reply  to  anything  they  said  right  away  ,  after  all  she  wasn’t  the  one  who  disturbed  their  alone  time  .  and  yet  after  another  loud  sigh  ,  cordelia  forces  herself  to  open  her  eyes  to  look  at  her  company  .  the  truth  is  ,  teddy  didn’t  really  bother  her  .  actually  ⸺  sometimes  she  found  herself  fond  of  them  ,  as  fond  as  she  would  be  of  a  younger  sibling  .  “  okay  ?  why  ?  you’re  not  twelve  anymore  ,  ”  she  stops  mid  sentence  ,  allowing  herself  to  scan  them  almost  as  if  she’s  making  her  judgment  .  “  i  think  .  ”  and  just  like  that  ;  that  would  be  enough  of  paying  attention  from  her  as  she’s  back  to  partly  listening  to  what  he  says  ,  yet  not  really  caring  much  about  it  as  her  orbs  are  now  stuck  in  the  black  sky  ,  the  small  dots  of  stars  being  its  only  source  of  light  .  “  thanks  .  i  guess  i’m  a  fan  of  new  the  vampire  diaries  …  you’re  tyler  ,  right  ?  or  whatever  his  name  was  .  ”

the event reminded teddy of the world from which he came. i.e. a dull, hollow one full of shiny, useless things. they stepped out to get away from it all, not realizing that they'd stumble upon cordelia deniran in a sour mood. luckily for both of them, he's not sensitive. "i'm tired, but i can't leave yet," they explain simply. "i didn't think anyone else would be hiding here too." he says, "i'm a fan of the new gilmore girls, by the way." that might just exacerbate her mood, but like with most things, he doesn't really care.