#｡･ﾟﾟ･ filed under ⤳ damien basse ( interactions )

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"how do you know they're dry?" frowns a little, choosing the ignore the whole how do you know where i live? question. "you haven't even tried them." / @blcssom

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"no, uh, sorry. that's great." it isn't, actually, because despite the fact that the whole goal was to make their exes come back to them, damien was starting to think (hope) it wouldn't actually happen. but he can't say that, can he? so he forces a smile and nod. "means we're doing something right, yeah?" / @angeldcgs

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thumbs at their bottom lip, gaze zeroed in on their pout before he meets their gaze and smiles deviously. "i'm going to put that mouth of yours to good use." / @whileurmine liked for a starter!

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call him oblivious, but damien doesn't see any blatant signs of a desire for him to leave. at least, not yet. he might be imposing and naive and a bit of an idiot, but he isn't a creep. the second she tells him to leave, he's already halfway out the door. (hopes she doesn't, though. ask him to leave. it's rare he gets to spend this much time with such a pretty and kind person.) "oh, so you're gonna die on this hill then, huh?" teasing smile as he takes another swig. "alright, ms. smarty pants. what if you hadn't been there and the dude killed me? would i be properly assigned responsibility then?" light finally dims a little as he shrugs and looks towards the floor. "yeah, i might have done that. but only to thank you." as if that's any less disconcerning.

her eyebrows raise inherently as he closes the space between them, but there's not exactly anywhere for her to run to, even if she wanted to. and something about the way his gaze is so intent on her makes her want to, even if it's intermingled with an odd buzzing sensation in her chest that feels...... nice. "sometimes victims need to be blamed so that they can see the error of their ways. blame isn't always a bad thing: it's just assigning responsibility for something that happened and you were partially responsible." the same sort of logic that drives her colleagues and the few friends she manages to keep insane. "yeah, you were a little too pleased, if my memory recalls. the officer told me you spent half of the interview asking if he could give you my number."

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easy laugh as he takes a sip, moving to step closer. call it trauma bonding or whatever; damien thinks he just wants to be near her. "careful, gemma, or someone might think you're victim blaming." because, really, how was he to know? considering he'd walked a crosswalk at the sign of the go signal just fine every other time? "sure, sure. but then i wouldn't get the pleasure of having you save me." not a hint of irony.

unfortunately for her it does impress her, but gemma swallows any admiration as she reaches out for the bottle with a cool nod. "right, right.... and the fact that you were blasting music through your headphones and looking at your phone had nothing to do with it, i'm sure." granted, the man had run a red light, but expecting people to drive safely was far outside her expectations. "far be it from me to tell you how to live your life, but you could stand to pay a little more attention."

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"will do." another grateful smile, another passive aggressive gesture that is lost on him. or maybe it isn't lost, maybe he just chooses to ignore in all together. twists his tall frame to open her fridge, eyes squinting until he finds a beer. "you want one?" calls over his shoulder.

she trails behind him slowly ( as if she's the guest and he's leading the impromptu tour ), leaning into the doorway as he sets the gratitude baked goods on the stovetop. "in the fridge." she doesn't bother moving toward the fridge, instead gesturing the double-doors beside him. "help yourself: that seems to kinda be your thing."

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well, she isn't kicking him out, or calling the cops. decides to take that as a win, as permission, to find the kitchen himself. doesn't take very long, considering the size of the place, and he plops the pan down on her stovetop. "that'd be great, thanks!" easy and grateful smile. "you got any beer?"

she's not sure why it leaves her speechless that he takes back his offering and breezes past her into her home, but she's stuck in the doorway for a solid minute before she manages to close it and follow him into her apartment. "please, make yourself at home. can i get you something to drink?"

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he, of course, takes it as an invitation. "careful, it's still kind of hot." it isn't, but he needs an excuse to stick around. so he takes the pan back and squeezes past her frame. "if you want to show me the kitchen, i can set them down for you." still maintains that sunny disposition. "i would have brought some diamonds, but i gave away my last pair last week." teasing smirk, easy shrug.

begrudgingly, she takes the pan if only as a silent bid to get him to leave. judging by the way he's taking up the entire door frame, though, she's not sure she'll get her wish anytime soon. "i'll take them, but i can't promise they'll be eaten." as kind of an offer as she can convince herself to make. "and your form of repayment is.... baked goods?"

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doesn't bother trying to hide his triumphant smile. "great! because it really sucks having to drink alone." opens another bottle, this time with his teeth (is it a crime to try and show off to a pretty girl?), before handing it to her. scoffs, the first hint of annoyance crossing his features. "that car came out of nowhere, okay? i'm pretty sure dude ran a red light."

.........well. "yeah, i'll take one." perhaps it's the way he exudes warmth, or maybe it's the way his smile makes her chest seize, but gemma's defenses are slowly dropping as she comes to terms with the fact that there's no getting rid of him. "so are you always walking around with your head in the clouds like that, or did i catch you on a particularly spacey day?"

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"come on, you couldn't have been that surprised. he looked like he wanted to rip my head off at that party last weekend." and damien had reveled in that reaction, knowing lemon was the one under his arm, like some prehistoric caveman. now, the memory just leaves him feeling oddly cold. chuckles as he stares at the scuff on his sneakers, nodding once, then twice. "yeah, i guess we are." pauses for a moment, not quite wanting to know the answer, but understanding he has to ask the question. "so are we... i mean, do we call the operation off?"

"isn't it? i had to read the text, like, five times just to make sure i wasn't hallucinating..." that, and lemon kept expecting herself to feel the relief she should've felt once she received the news she'd been dreaming of, but it had still yet to come. even now, as she was telling her partner in crime, her enthusiasm felt forced. "i didn't expect it to work so soon... guess we're pretty good actors, huh?"

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somehow undeterred as he holds them out to her again. "okay, well, while i trust your gut," and he does, because she had the intuition to push him away before the car hit, "i still think you should reconsider." boyish and wide smile before shaking his head. "ah, but that's where you're wrong. you saved my life, and i can't rest until the debt is paid." only half-joking.

"it's just a gut feeling i have." almost as strong as the gut feeling that she should be calling the cops rather than entertaining her stalker's gift. "i told you the other day, it really wasn't a big deal: right place, right time and all that.... you don't need to thank me."