there is always another au

[cagedinflesh]

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[cagedinflesh]

Give him that reaction he craves!!!

"No problem." At least he reacts well to her touch, leaning into it to rest his chin on her shoulder.

But he mumbles, "I don't want you to go." Maybe that's why he's particularly volatile tonight.

[gehennawind]

He stoops a bit to do it, naturally. And here they are, the truth from him, all talk of stockings and Henry laid aside. His chin is bony and there’s not much cushion on her either, but Paloma likes how they fit, how he drapes over like a morose blanket. Lets her feel like she’s keeping him upright.

But what can she say?

“What were you up to last week, before the gallery showing? What did you wanna do?”

[cagedinflesh]

He thinks about it for a while, but really can't come up with anything much... "Fight? And like, get fucked and fucked up." And that's about it. He doesn't have a lot going on.

[gehennawind]

Hmm.

“Ah,” hmm. More pieces of the puzzle fall into place. If the highlight of his days is, was, mindlessly screwing and brawling and getting high...

Paloma caresses his upper back in soothing circles, feeling so badly for the boy who throws himself into a lot of nothing and of whom nothing is expected. “Why’d you study art?”

[cagedinflesh]

"Well I wasn't gonna study accounting. I just kinda took some arts classes because it was something to do, like I'd be painting or reading anyway so... I didn't have the band then so I just fucking sat around alone while Jekyll was in class all day every day. So I went to his with him a few times but that was boring as hell." He might be more passionate about it more than he lets on but that'd be lame.

[gehennawind]

He’d paint and read regardless of the classes! Paloma seizes that buoyant lifeline, identifying them as the important aspects of his life aside from music and his twin.

“I’d bet money nothing holds your attention if you don’t give a crap in the first place,” she teases, tickling behind his ear. “The painting you gave me has too much of you in it. I see that now, Edward.”

[cagedinflesh]

He laughs through his nose, part for the tickle, part for the tease being entirely true. "What's that mean? Why too much?"

[gehennawind]

Paloma replaces her tickling fingers with the arch of her nose, glad for his having showered. The rest is only his smell, without weed or sweat choking it.

“Too much for me to think you don’t care what’s on the canvas. Can’t fool me.”

[cagedinflesh]

"I never said I didn't care about what I make!" He clings to her. Cake and Jekyll are waiting for them downstairs but he's having a nice moment of attention and affection? Maybe being open and honest isn't always so bad either.

Go see a psychiatrist, I hate the psychiatrist

[gehennawind]

It’s not dissimilar to a skinny underfed bear hanging onto her. What she imagines that's like.

“Very true.” No arguments there. If they just had more time they could fall into bed and lie there obliviously. No one left waiting or forgotten, only a foolish pair. She smiles a wobbly smile against his skin. “If you do end up missing me,” if, “please try painting then.”

[cagedinflesh]

"Obviously I'm going to miss you!" He does nod though. This boy has a lot of frustration and it inevitably comes out through violence, music or art. Maybe he'll cut down on the violence if he's focusing on art.

"You hungry?" He knows Jekyll's too polite to ask them to hurry up, he's definitely waiting around awkwardly.

[gehennawind]

Every movement they make can be felt in this lopsided embrace, and his nodding fills her with relief and hope for him. She’s known burnouts and self-destructive artists well before the first night Edward tried reaching up her dress. Don’t let him be one of them.

“Promise you’ll paint and we’ll go downstairs,” she presses.

[cagedinflesh]

"Yeah, I promise! ....Wait, what if I don't want to go and want to keep you here to myself instead?" Then maybe he doesn't promise!

[gehennawind]

She levels him a look more patient than he deserves, wise to his game but suspecting he’s at least half-serious. Paloma walks carefully backward and tugs him along by the hand.

“Theeeen... I’ll remind you that good boys share.” It sounds obscenely flirtatious now that she’s said it, dripping suggestion and implying a reward for ‘good boys’. A sexy reward. “But you already promised, sucker.”

[cagedinflesh]

"...I fuckin' guess so." He did go to the trouble of finding some relatively nice clothes to put on. He has an aversion to shirt buttons but the top few unbuttoned is fashionable! It'd be a shame to just stay in his room.

So he follows like a good dog.

[gehennawind]

She worries that they’re not fooling anyone as to the nature of their relationship. Platonic acquaintances don’t dash through the hall and downstairs hand in hand.

Meeting Jekyll again is a relief in that respect, yet loath to release Hyde— she touches Jekyll’s sleeve, smiling dizzyingly. “Um. Wardrobe malfunction. He saved me.”

[cagedinflesh]

Sure they are........ Well, anyway not many people are watching. With only the two of them they don't need as many servants as the house once held. "Oh, I'm glad!" That he helped, that is. Sometimes Edward's a good boy! "Shall we?" Both brothers are sure to have Paloma sit between them when they take tea and cake on a sofa. This is all very normal...

[gehennawind]

She gets to sip quality tea leaves sandwiched between handsome big-dicked men. Life could be worse. Less awkward, sure.

“So,” Paloma murmurs. Cake for dinner? Where’s the meat of the meal, pardon the expression? She slurps by accident and flushes.

“Henry, um, Harry is going to drive me to the airport. Sooo...?”

[cagedinflesh]

Edward's gone for beer rather than tea, so, not too much of a stretch to figure out he insisted on dessert first...

"So we've got lots of time for fun, huh?" He grins, hand on her knee while the proper brother sputters into his teacup.

[gehennawind]

She jumps out of her skin, blood rushing from head to toe.

“You have a lot of energy after earlier!” Ah. If only one could take words back.

[cagedinflesh]

"Sure, I've had time to recharge." Jekyll turns beet red, staring into his lap with wide eyes rather than look their way. Sure he saw the marks on her but he tried not to look or call attention to it! That would be rude, and like, really embarrassing? But here they are. Making him wonder where it happened, trying not to picture it.

[gehennawind]

Yeah, three guesses as to what went on and the first two don’t count. The real question is where and when. Earlier in the night, obviously, but before or after the phone call?

Paloma is gonna file a complaint. “This is still a freakin’ dinner table!” Glowering up into his too-pleased face over a cup of tea, she neatly smacks off his hand. “Even if we’re starting with... cake!”

[cagedinflesh]

"Actually this is just a coffee table, so whatever point you're trying to make doesn't much matter!"

"There's other people around, Edward..." Jekyll keeps his voice very low, looking over his shoulder nervously. Maybe no one in sight, and they probably have heard a thing or two by now anyway, but still! There's no door to close.

[gehennawind]

Paloma aggressively cuddles Jekyll’s side, hiding her extreme embarrassment. Dinnertime is for eating and not groping.

“Yeah Teddy,” she chimes in with nothing but helpful intentions. “Please?”

[cagedinflesh]

"I thought we were making the most of your time left..." He pouts a little, but still he moves in closer. Awfully insistent on it for someone who'd complained about being seen as only good for sex, huh, haha.....

"We are, we're spending quality time together!"