“I don’t know, maybe because I genuinely don’t enjoy contact with people? I was alone for most of my life as well and I like it.” Lucien sighed, trying to wrap his head around why the other didn’t understand. Why would he want people around when the majority of his contact with people was his father hurting him? “People are risks, no matter how nice they seem. Someone can be nice and kill you horribly. I’d rather not risk it.”

he  recalls  those  days  on  the  isle  :  when  his  life  had  consisted  of  keeping  his  head  down  ,  searching  for  the  next  meal  and  slaving  on  for  hours  in  hell hall  ...  his  mother  had  seen  to  it  that  he  was  secluded  (  reliant  on  only   her  !  )  and  it  had  been  incredibly  sad  existance. ❛   i’m  sorry  you  feel  that  way  ,  lucien  ...  but things  ARE  different  here.  some  of  us  are  trying  to  turn  our  lives  around  ,  you  know  ,  and  we’re  not  all  that  bad.   ❜  a  hesitant  shrug  ,  feeling  suddenly  awkward  and  overtly  unwanted  :  bothersome  as  ever.  ❛   i’ll    -    uh  ...  i’ll  leave  you  ALONE  now  ,  don’t  worry.   ❜  

        ❝ EASY ? nothing is easy.❞ pitch-lacquered nails DIG into palms until skin breaks and CRIMSON beads in crescent moons. her FISTED hands shake SLIGHTLY at her sides when she TURNS her gaze to his. ❝ i’ve tried EVERYTHING !❞ she hasn’t. but it’s EASIER to believe that she has when she’s so UPSET.

there  is  a  temptation to  reach  out  to  the  fae  ,  clutch  trembling  hands  and  hold  them  firm  ...  though  he  draws  it  from  experience  that  touch  may  not  SOOTHE mal  in  the  way  it  did  him.  ❛  okay.  but  this  time  you  have  me  !  you  have  jay  and  evie  and  you  know  what  a  great  team  we  make  together.  we  can  do  this.  we  will.   ❜  

never apologize darling! your mental health is ultimately most important

     ‘    no,     i’m fine,     carlos.    ‘      voice was friendly and warm,     eyes soft as he took in the other,    with the same blown awe as someone talking in a masterpiece    -     but the other had always been handsome,    and this just made everything so much worse    (    and so,     so much better,     and ben’s mind was truly torn    ).    ‘     i was just wondering if you were cold,    since…     ‘     words hang heavy with implication in the air between them,      before breaks the anticipation.     ‘     you’re wearing my sweater.    ‘

boy  is  OBLIVIOUS  to  the  fond  gaze  ,  for  when  around  ben  ,  he  only  has  the  brain  capacity  to  think  about  ben   ---    ben  ,  and  his  warmth  and  kindness  ,  and  his  security  ,  his  patience. and  his  sweaters  :  those  ,  too.  his  lips  (  already  absentmindedly  upturned  )  stretch  and  muffle  a  frivolous  chuckle.  ❛   oh  ,  am  i  ?   ❜  mocha  hues  dip  ,  vaguely  mock  surprise.  ❛   i  hadn’t  realised  ...  you  can’t  have  it  back  now  ,  though  ;  then  i  WOULD  be  cold.    ❜      

    ‘    there’s usually food    -    we just order in pizzas,    something quick,    but we could get something else if you wanted.    ‘    though he was certainly being teased about the sleepover,     he had no doubt that carlos meant it in good will    -    and he wanted to make sure that carlos was comfortable enough to come over,    so he’d order a thousand of whatever carlos wanted if it helped even a little.     SLEEPOVERS were practically a rite of passage   ;    it wouldn’t be fair to leave the other excluded.    ‘    you’re not on the isle anymore,    you could have sleepovers every night if you wanted.    ‘

❛  I MEAN     ---     pizza is great !  ❜  upon his arrival in auradon mere months ago , he had overindulged on anything and everything  :  it was an entirely new experience , not only dining when he wanted to , but on things that had never made their way onto the isle before ! within the first few weeks , he had made himself ill more than once ... though pizza , it seemed , he would not tire of. ❛  really ?  ❜  soft hues are alight with excitement at such a prospect , perhaps taking the suggestion much further to heart than intended. ❛  i    ---    we can do that ? ... whenever we want to ?  ❜