#◖ fatedtragedy ; XIOMARA ◗

[kittywriites]

closed ;; @fatedtragedy​​ — based on these tags & THAT ONE POST where muse a wakes up to find muse b covered in blood but it’s not theirs bc whoops they’re a murderer and they got interrupted !!!

It wasn’t unusual for River to wake up and find Xiomara’s side of the bed empty — she liked going on late night walks, exclusively alone, and he’d long since gotten used to that. What was unusual, however, was shuffling into the kitchen to find her standing at the kitchen sink, covered in what looked remarkably like – “Is that blood?!” He was fully awake and at her side instantly, eyes frantically searching for the source. There was so much. “What the hell happened?! Are you okay?!” One hand grasped her red splattered face as the other went about a gentle but frantic search for an open wound down the front of her body. “Baby, what the fuck happened?”

[lovecharged]

continued from: here. for: @fatedtragedy made on: beta.

"look, if i was going to stalk you -- which i'm not, i'd be better at not getting caught. however, i was attempting to make my presence very clear. hence you catching me, and the actual stalker getting away unscathed, because they were good at it -- well, good at not getting noticed by you, at least." even he can tell what it sounds like, and he kicks himself for it. last time he ever does a good deed, it only ever caused him more trouble than it was worth. "i'm not stalking you!"

[dcymcres]

normally she would take the offer of a friend and throw it back in the stranger's face. her usual answer would be a negative one, and she'd turn on her heel and walk away. tui could've done so now, yet she stood in place, black booties unmoved. ❝and you think that I could be that friend? I can hardly even stand having acquaintances half the time.❞ it might've taken some time to deliberate on with herself. tui had to respect her own peace after all. ❝the most I can give you right now is a maybe, nothing more or less.❞

xiomara gotten used to unwanted attention. it's helped her build somewhat of a backbone when it came to people's opinion on her and her family. she's well aware that no matter what she does, some people will always assume she's just like her parents. it's why she tries to stick to first names for a reason, especially when she visits her hometown. "i could say the same to you." she points out, faint smile lingering on her features. "i didn't approach you because i'm some crime fanatic, though. just thought you could use a friend. i know i could."

[flthys]

he's got cheap beer in his system, and that mixes with his short tempter never bodes well. flynn's always been the possessive type, considering he knows how men look at xiomara and how touchy his friends could be, so it's no surprise that mix of it all has him fuming. "you think i give a fuck?" he doesn't mean it, yet he still exhales a frustrated exhale. flynn instantly steps sideways, blocks her from leaving the room and shaking is head, letting out a laugh. "fuck you, xio. i'm not an idiot. i saw the way you were giggly all at him. batting your so called innocent eyes. fuck, why do you do this? you're not leaving until you apologize."

with everything she knows about flynn, she should've known this is how her night would go. one drunken trip caused her to grab onto his friend at the wrong time. the grip on her arm causes the woman to wince, attempting to yank her arm away. "flynn, you're hurting me." she whispers, words slurring in the slightest. she stumbles once she's shoved into the room, glaring up at him. "you are being so damn dramatic. you begged me to come with you and now you're mad that i wanted to socialize with your friends?" xiomara shakes her head, walking towards the door. "move. i'm going home."

[springbreezc]

he should have left it all alone. sent one text to warn her about the graffiti and left it at that, but abel had never been able to exert much self-control. how could he cut off contact with someone that was so engaging? they knew so little about each other, yet the conversation that they did have was so effortless. like the kind of connection that abel had been craving for so long. her response had him guffawing in the locker room, earning more than a couple stares that he shrugged off.

[text]: y'know, i have always attracted danger so maybe i'm just being naive but...i'm willing to roll the dice on you. [text]: i think i'd like to meet you anyway. we could properly introduce ourselves to each other then.

it wasn’t like xiomara to be texting some stranger that only had her number because some asshole decided to write her name in the men’s bathroom at the bar she went to once. but, as stupid as it sounded in her head, she already kinda liked this guy. he was funny and, obviously, he had morals considering he was the one who scratched her number out so no one could contact her. she should be studying for the big exam she had tomorrow but, she was much more interested in texting him.

[text]: why would you want to do that?? you don’t even know my name or what i look like. and, i don’t know yours. [text]: yeah well, how do you know that i’m not??

[springbreezc]

fatedtragedy​:  

fingers intertwine in front of her, a slight sparkle forming in her eyes as she looks up at him. truth be told, she didn’t have any expectations for him. she didn’t allow herself to keep her hopes high or low for him, not wanting to disappoint herself. but, she couldn’t lie, she was impressed. a laugh leaves her lips, unable to stop the smile from forming on her lips. “i’m not that short.” though, anyone who knows her might disagree. her gaze flickers to the game behind him and back up at him, shoulders shrugging. “what were you playing?”

“are you sure about that?” his hand flew downward in a salute position, going from his head to hers as if to emphasize the difference between them that at least had to be a full foot. his laugh joined hers to create a melodious sound, genuine joy filling him to the brim. abel couldn’t believe she was really in front of him. “oh, i was just playing some pingball.” he shrugged, gesturing to the fast break basketball game he’d been playing. “that’s only a one player game. we should do something that we can play together, like air hockey or one of the co-op games.” they had plenty to choose from, an array of machine surrounding them. 

[dcymcres]

okay, so it might've been a rude way to respond, but tui couldn't take any chances with people these days. more and more were suddenly finding out so much about her (thanks social network sites for the unwarranted publicity) and the ways she'd been closing off contact was limited to none. nobody wanted to listen, but it was thanks to her hardened demeanor that kept everyone off-put. her name did ring familiar bells. did they have classes together? ❝tui. tui carter. and I'm sure you've known about my face and name for a minute.❞

if anyone could understand being so defensive, it was xiomara. she knew better than anyone else how frustrating it was to be judged for your parents actions. like, she was some psycho just because her parents were insane. so, despite knowing exactly who the other woman was, she decides to keep it to herself. "oh, sorry. i just thought i saw you somewhere. you must just have one of those faces. i'm xiomara, by the way."

[springbreezc]

his shoulders shook with laughter, not bothering to cover his mouth and unfazed by the sideeyes given by those around him. excitement flooded his entire being, and he got dressed in such a hurry that his shirt went on inside out. abel couldn't believe that this was happening, had wondered if maybe mara had preferred the anonymity. fortunately for her, he was no longer in college, so any rumors wouldn't have reached him. her name didn't ring any bells on its own. all that he honed in on was the fact that she wanted to meet.

[text]: hahahaha no need to apologize! it's a totally valid assumption [text]: esp bc it's an accurate one [text]: my parents were biblically inspired [text]: do you got a favorite spot around town?

if xiomara’s being honest with herself, she has a reason why she’s been avoiding bringing up the idea of meeting up in person. she was enjoying talking to him everyday, without him knowing who she really was or anything about her past. she knew when they met, it was only a matter of time until someone around her campus mentioned it or maybe one of his own friends heard the rumors. turns out changing her last name didn’t do much for escaping her parents. she just desperately didn’t want him to see her any differently. 

[text]: like cain and abel? [text]: sorry, i swear i’m not crazy religious or anything. my parents were and it’s the first thing that came to mind. [text]: i like it tho. [text:] okay. i’d kinda like that too. / @springbreezc.

[springbreezc]

fatedtragedy​:

there’s a laugh that leaves xiomara at his teasing message, hand covering her mouth to muffle the sound before she got any glances from anyone in the library. lips press together for a moment, unable to calm her nerves. though, she doesn’t think they’re bad nerves this time around. maybe someone close to butterflies.

[text]: hmmm, definitely not.  [text]: but, yeah. that sounds cool. we can do that. 

abel text mara back in the affirmative and after they set up a time to meet, he skipped his way to his car and rode on an adrenaline high until friday finally arrived. he got to the arcade early, as he thought a true gentleman should. though an hour beforehand was maybe a little overzealous of him, turning all of the cash in his wallet into quarters and busying himself with pinball machines while he waited. every time his phone vibrated in his pocket, he was quick to check his notifications, disappointed each time it wasn’t mara announcing that she was on her way or had arrived.  

[springbreezc]

fatedtragedy​:

 xiomara’s can feel her hands get sweaty and her heartbeat pick up, nervousness washing over her entire body. she shouldn’t be this nervous, she’s been talking to him for weeks. but, something was extremely different about texting and meeting him in person. however, it was a risk that she was willing to take. the corners of her lips twitch into the smile, gnawing on the inside of her cheek.

[text]: no, not really.  [text]: i go to college and i kinda never leave campus. [text]: you can pick. i trust you to not brutally murder me or something.

[text]: so what you're saying is that you DON'T want to meet in a poorly lit alleyway? 😜 [text]: how about the arcade bar on main? [text]: are you free friday night?

some place fun but lowkey. and very public because despite abel's jokes, he did understand the need for them to feel each other out first. he had some marginal degree of tact and he wasn't about to ask mara to meet him somewhere that it would just be the two of them. he wanted her to feel safe, secure. in case she had never been, he dropped a pin for the location, a goofy grin etched onto his face as he left the gym.

[springbreezc]

once a person was in his life, no matter how minimally, abel attempted to keep them. it was like back when he was a kid and he would bring home every stray animal. like it was coded into his very being. his father had always warned that people were not animals, and some could not be tamed nor should they be kept. but he'd never been much of a good listener. he chose to believe in people, no matter how frequently he had been disappointed in the past. mara seemed harmless, somehow precious, an endearing smile curling onto his mouth and a giddiness vibrating through him.

[text]: if there's a line between them, i'm the rare person that straddles between both of them. [text]: xiomara. that's a cute name. [text]: hi, mara. i'm abel. 😁 [text]: i'd really like to officially meet you. / @fatedtragedy

[springbreezc]

fatedtragedy​:

all day, xiomara’s nerves were at an all time high. she shouldn’t be nervous, she knows this. they’ve been texting for weeks and talking to him was one of the easier things she’s ever had to do in her life. but, meeting him in person felt different. what if he decided that he didn’t like her? or, what if this was all a prank? negative thoughts clouded her mind all day, up until the point she arrived and the realization that she hadn’t texted him all day settled in. mara glanced around, eyes squinting at the male at the pinball machine. she remembers him mentioning liking that. she approaches him, tapping his shoulder and inhaling a breath. “are you abel? i’m xiomara. mara.”

he whirled around at the touch, a reflex, his heart rate skyrocketing for a beat before he's breaking out into a large smile. the game he'd been planning couldn't pause, but he didn't care. she's here. it's euphoric, that adrenaline that rushed through him at this first meeting. "mara, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." essentially giving the affirmative on who he was. "y'know, you're shorter than i imagined you." not that he'd had anything to go on. in his mind, she had been a bit generic, almost like a blob of a person. the real mara was anything but cookie-cutter. he didn't know what to do with himself, bouncing in place. he wanted to hug her, yet didn't want to overwhelm her, and shaking her hand felt too formal. so he merely gestured around them. "so...what do you want to play first?"