Topic: Partners in Crime (18+)

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 01:43 EST
Skinny Love: when two people love each other but are too shy to admit it but they still show it.

1.31.17 What Had Happened Was" (Edited from live play with Emmaline)

Today was no different than any other day he'd been in Rhy'Din: protests and exploring. He'd spent a good portion of the morning and early afternoon helping out Daphne and her friends with the protest, but somewhere around noon, he'd decided to take advantage of the free pizza and brought some to Grace's shop for everyone. After checking in with his mom, giving her updates on the protest and some of his usual Frankie antics of hitting on Grace's co-workers, he'd left...or might've been chased out by Isaac which had him cackling in that goblin-like way.

He'd started to head back to the protest, but lifting his chin skyward, the soft drops of snow landed on his face and hair, melting against his body heat. Georgia wasn't prone to snow, but he was familiar with it from the other business trips he'd taken with Leah in other areas. He'd always liked it, at least when it was the soft fluffy kind. And there wasn't much. Couldn't skateboard when there was snow on the ground! Not unless you're pulling something from Jackass, maybe. And it was that brief moment of getting distracted by snow that had his short attention span leaning away from the protest and into wandering.

Em' didn't have much use for snow. It was cold and wet and vaguely intimidating, like any unknown quantity, and because her experiences with it weren't at all like they showed you in the movies. There was no blanket of soft fluffy white, no piles of crisp powder to make desserts or snowmen from. No, in Atlanta" Snow meant snarled traffic, everything you wanted to do closing down, no chance in hell of making it onto a Marta train, and sheets of dangerous black ice. It meant being cooped up in your house with nothing to do but get on the internet, binge watch Netflix or play video games. And if the ice knocked the power out' There wasn't even that. There was a whole lot of sitting around, held captive with your family members, trying to remember what the hell you did with yourself in the days before the internet.

As the first flakes fell, Em's brow furrowed, her full lips curving downwards into a scowl. Fucking snow. She jammed her hands into her pockets, hunched her shoulders against the wind. Her gaze was trained exclusively on the ground in front of her, watching like a hawk for the sudden sneaky appearance of ice.

He'd already learned that not all things foreign was a bad thing. But he hoped this place didn't drown him in snow. He wasn't ready, dammit. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a loose grey tank top beneath his leather jacket. If he got wet...that was going to suck. Though for whatever reason, it had him digging out his pack of cigarettes, perhaps for the contrast of snow and fire.

His Vans kicked the loose dusting of snow over the cobblestones, leaving a lazy scuff of footprints that hinted at the dark stones through the prim white. The cigarette fixed to his lips, one hand cupped around the other holding the lighter as he fought the cheap Bic to come to life. A particular gust of wind caught him, extinguishing it and forced him to crinkle his nose and turn to the side. Blocking the breeze with his back, he managed to get that crackling cherry burning before tucking away the lighter. Glacier hues that seemed to fit the weather today scanned around where he stood, sure enough distracted by the simple fact of lighting a cigarette. What was I doing again?

But nothing could distract him as much as a glimpse of someone walking in his peripheral, and...from what he could tell...was a female. Of course he looked. A hunched figure, eyes downcast. He blinked, only catching a curve of a jawline, high cheekbones. Pale ebony skin that had him furrowing his brows. She seemed familiar, but from the undetermined view he'd managed to get of her, he didn't quite recognize her. That didn't mean he wasn't staring like a fool.

The girl's features were difficult to make out, just at present. She was looking down, for one thing, her face angled towards the cobblestones as she watched her step carefully. A black knit cap covered her head, long black microbraids trailing out from underneath it along her shoulders. Her stick-skinny frame was swallowed up in a heavy winter jacket, black with the kind of microfiber downy fill that added a good several inches to your body's circumference in every direction. Even so, the legs that appeared beneath it were clad in black skinny jeans, too, hinting at a slender outline underneath, and her feet were encased in thick-soled black sueded boots. Turning a corner onto a larger avenue, she walked with purpose, her posture somewhat defensive but only because of the weather. She looked like she must be in a terrible mood, the way she was scowling you could practically see the little cartoon storm clouds wreathing her head like a halo, but really she was just cold, her mind a million miles and maybe a parallel universe away.

The sharp scent of cigarette smoke drew her gaze, dark eyes flashing furtively as she sought the source. When she found it, she very nearly tripped over a cobblestone, her focus instantly drawn away from what she thought she'd seen to the whole....trying not to faceplant on the bricks thing. "Fuck!" Exclaimed the teenager as she caught her footing and then her balance, frowning at the brick like it had tripped her on purpose.

The image of memory contrasted in his head with the sight before him. But everyone was prone to change over time, and it'd been two years. Still, he didn't have enough proof to make a confirmation of his suspicions. He wasn't opposed particularly to making a fool of himself, but he really wasn't interested in making the 'oh, I thought you were someone else' conversation if he was wrong.

That terrible mood seeming to emanate off her didn't go unnoticed, and he tried to play it off like he wasn't just...staring at the fucking girl. But there was no way around it, he was. He wasn't trying to be a creep, but dammit if she didn't just seem so damn familiar.

He lifted that cigarette to his lips, brows dipping low on his forehead and threatened to disappear into the shadow of his eye sockets. He'd only caught a glimpse of the face that turned toward him, as briefly as it was. But between that, and the sight of her tripping -though catching herself- then the voice that rang out that matched his memories...His eyes looked like they were going to pop out of head. "Holy fucking ****balls.." He had a particular way with words.

Emotions clashing into one another, a tornado centered into a hurricane during a volcano eruption was...pretty accurate for the chaos in his head. And it was those clotted thoughts that had his long, scrawny legs walking in her direction. "...Em"..." There was a feeling like a punch to the gut that it was her, and if it was...damn it if they both hadn't changed. Hell, he'd probably grown half a foot since she'd seen him last. And aged a good five years physically in the past two.

Preoccupied with not falling, she had forgotten what it was that had made her stumble in the first place. She was examining what looked like a scuff on her boot, her frown carving ever deeper into her expression, when the memory came crashing back to her, borne on the wake of a colorful string of expletives that was achingly familiar.

Her gaze darted up again, up and then further up, as the face she expected to see wasn't where she'd remembered it last. Craning her neck, she found his eyes at last and her mouth fell open in surprise. He'd said her name, too, and whatever doubt she might have tried to rationalize evaporated the moment she realized that it was "Em", not "Um", that had left the not-so-stranger's mouth.

Swallowing roughly, she opened her mouth to speak and....nothing came out. Clearing her throat, she felt like someone had let an entire flock of butterflies - their wings tipped in broken glass - in her belly. "...Jesus you got tall."

It didn't take him long for that wide gait of his to close the distance, yet it seemed to take forever at the same time. Like those dreams where you kept walking along a corridor that seemed to just keep getting longer instead of shorter. But, alas, she did and he was staring at her like he'd just seen a ghost.

The swell of all those colliding emotions had him scratching at the back of his neck below the hairline, eyes casting to the ground as he nodded slowly with the beginning of a smirk that...didn't really feel genuine. "....Yeah, guess I did." Flicking those icy pools at her, he let his hand fall to his side. He'd pretty much forgotten the cigarette in his hand. "And your...hair...got long." Okay, even for him that was lame. Snickering at himself, he went to cross his arms and nicked himself with the cherry of his cigarette on the opposing wrist, only to spaz a bit with a flick of his hand to fling it to the snow dusted cobblestone. "Ah, fucking shit. So.." rubbing his wrist, he decided to just...come out with it. "Where the fuck have you been?" He winced at the way he said that, but she'd dropped off the face of the Earth two years ago with no notice.

A brief smile moved fleetingly over her mouth when he burned himself with that cigarette, the cigarette that had drawn her attention towards him in the first place. In a flash, she could see the first time they met in her mind's eye, the way he'd been busy staring at her —in a very different way than he was just now—lost his footing and ate it on the skateboard. She'd laughed then, but she couldn't quite bring herself to laugh now.

Paralyzed, Emmaline was so overwhelmed that she had no idea what to do. She wanted to cry and she also wanted to throw up. To hug him and to punch him. It left her standing there, staring dumbly, her eyes like twin chestnuts in her head, wide and unblinking.

His words cut right to the center of her. Sharp and precise, Em had no choice but to take the wound and let it bleed. It was the least of what she deserved for letting things fall apart the way they had. "I..." her voice failed her, and she forcibly dragged her eyes away from his, hoping maybe that would help her find her words.

"My fucking dad. He flipped out about you and went ballistic. Even more than the first time. He— he disconnected my phone, fuckin'....made up move across town." She was staring at a spot on the brick walls on the opposite side of the avenue, unseeing as her expression began to twist and it started to look like maybe the tears were winning. "I ...I snuck out like three times trying to find you. He moved us out of state."

He'd rubbed his wrist to dull the brief burning pain, but it was the least of his concern. What was a little burn" When it came to that first day he'd met her, it was bittersweet. Of course there was sentimental value for the fact it was their first meet...but the biting the curb part hadn't been his best moment. And sadly, not his worst.

His mixed emotions were eating at him, and now guilt swirled around them to the way he'd spat those words at her. But for so long, he'd felt left in the dust, left behind. He'd tried to find other ways to contact her, but came up with zilch. Which, considering his resources...was a rather impressive disappearance.

His sharp mouth cut into a frown seeing the way those words stung her, and he mentally chewed himself out. Regardless of the reasons, or his suspicions, that wasn't fair. Feasting on his bottom lip for a moment, he fell silent and simply let her explain. It seemed they couldn't quite meet each other's eyes, but that didn't really surprise him either.

His eyelids blacked out his vision as he let out a slow sigh. "...I had a feeling it was your dad. He's always fucking hated my guts," snickering, he slowly opened his eyes. "At least I hoped it was your dad.." He muttered, raising his arms to cross them over his chest with a creak of that leather jacket. He'd had suspicions that it had been her dad's doing, but he couldn't tell if it was intuition or denial. Her words confirmed his trust in her, but that didn't stop him from looking to her with a faint raise of his brows. "...You stuck out to look for me".." Only for his frown to grow deeper at the sight of glistening chestnuts. "Em...I.." He didn't really know what to say at that point, trailing off to abuse the hell out of his bottom lip with his teeth before he shook his head and uncrossed his arms to try to pull her into a hug. Two fucking years was a long time to not see your best friend who you used to see on an almost daily basis.

At least I hoped it was your dad. Something in the way he'd said it made her look up at him, and her gaze searched his face like she was checking it for accuracy, like she had to convince herself that what she was looking at was real. "He...I think he must have found out about..." Emma trailed off, her mouth twisting around the words she couldn't quite say. Her meaning, though, was heavily implied. Must have found out that we started sleeping together.

His crossed arms brought a sad sigh, and her mouth felt dry as a lump swelled in her throat. She was fighting actual tears when he asked her about the sneaking out. "Yeah," she muttered, her voice sounding strange as she struggled against its shaking. "I couldn't find your number and you weren't online and I just thought if I went to—-" The words tumbled from her lips in a rush about the same time he reached for her, and they were cut off by an anguished, half-strangled sob as her arms went around him in kind.

When she looked up at him, he didn't deny her of looking her in the eyes. Though they didn't stay there as he could feel that heated darkening of his real skin behind the illusion. Swallowing, that hand was back at it scratching his neck before rubbing it. "Yeah...he didn't like me before...finding out about.." Clearing his throat, his eyes were a bit all over the place. Not as if ashamed for have slept with her, but...well, he wasn't as smooth with the ladies as he made people think. And he probably wouldn't have been awkward with Em, but...there was a break of falling out of familiarity in two years.

He could hear the emotion in her voice when she spoke, and it was written in her eyes...her expressions...all of which he was watching and listening to closely. Almost as if he was still partially in denial that she was actually there. But the moment his arms had her locked into a hug, his head tilting and dipping to rest his cheek on the top of that hat. His jaw was tense, muscles jumping beneath as he closed his eyes. "I thought I was never going to see you again.." he muttered, fighting his own emotions though the thumping in his chest due to that effort could likely be heard considering where she was. She was most definitely real as the hug confirmed. Blinking his eyes open, his brows furrowed then as confusion struck him. "Speaking of...what the hell are you doing in Rhy'Din?.." This....was probably the very last place he'd ever expect to run into her.

It was that awkwardness that tore at her heart, the sense that she was looking at a stranger wearing too-familiar skin. Her face pressed into his chest still felt the same, even though he'd stretched out considerably since she saw him last. Though her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, moisture still seeped along the edges of her lashes.

Like a child she clung to him there on the street, her arms fitting into the space between his jacket and his body out of years-old instinct. She listened to his heart pound, sure that it only echoed her own, and she felt a little light-headed, which old made her squeeze him tighter, pull herself closer. And then he spoke, and the words were so absurd — and yet so perfectly accurate — that it broke the emotional spell, pulling a soft snicker from her lips. Feeling a little awkward herself, Em eased back from him, but only a little, like she was reluctant to let go of him and yet felt silly for being reluctant. Two years was a long time, and it wasn't like they were ever actually together. For all she knew he was together with somebody else.

"...Uh, yeah. Kinda fucked up, isn't it' Considering..." Em did separate herself then, much as she didn't want to, and as she took a step back, she pressed the heel of her hand to the outside corner of her eye, willing herself to quit crying. The teenager shook her head with a shrug. "...This is where work brought him, apparently."

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 02:26 EST
He didn't want to be awkward around her, but there was that sense of change around them both. Not necessarily a change of how he saw her, but...they were young and two years was time to grow up a little bit. Even if that little bit for him was simply...a little bit. And mostly in height. He seemed just as reluctant to let go of her, as if unwinding his arms would make her float away or her disappear all over again. Her squeezing tighter had him instinctively returning the favor, but eased up when she pulled back after snickering. No, they hadn't been together but there was that youthful bond of experiences shared and years of friendship that they'd been stuck to each other like glue. Leah used to tease him that she couldn't tell where he ended and Em stopped, that she'd need a pry bar to separate the two.

There was maybe a second of resistance when she pulled back, but he did let her go. "Hm?" Raising an angled brow at her, as he hadn't grasped what she was getting at while his arms lowered to his side. He blinked then, staring at her when she told him why she was in this place, this city. "...Wait...Your dad works here?" Glancing over his shoulders like he half expected her dad to bolt around the corner and start yelling at him or something. Snickering, when he pulled his icy orbs back to her, there was that lopsided smirk that he'd always had. That smirk that never settled correctly, always offset and crooked. "He'd be so pissed to know that I'm here. Probably accuse me of hunting you down or some shiz," he teased lightly, mostly just wanting her to stop crying. He never liked to see her cry.

"I know, right?" His attempt at making her laugh worked, and Em rolled her eyes in the way that only a teenager can, a dim smile surfacing. She'd let him go but she seemed to be regretting that decision now, and she caught the sleeve of his leather jacket, tugging on it lightly. "Fuck it's good to see you, Frankie. I—" she shook her head, shrugging. "I thought I'd lost you forever. What....wait. That's a good point, actually. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Seriously," he agreed, snickering himself with a shake of his head and that soft yet crooked smirk. He was a little bit fidgety, mostly because there were nothing in his hands. He wanted to go for another cigarette, but he held off. Only for his sleeve to be tugged on and was told that sentiment. It made his smirk ring more true as he reached out to tug on one of those thin braids like they were back in elementary school and they were on the playground or something. "It's good to see you too, Em." Dropping his hand, he did go for his cigarettes this time. Pulling the pack out of his jacket pocket, he glanced to her when she returned the favor of the question. He should've seen that one coming...because she had a point. Laughing a bit, flipped the lid to the pack of cigarettes and went about lighting one as he talked, slightly muffled when he spoke with the filter between his lips. "Same, kinda. Mom's working a security job here."

It was his smirk more than anything that did it, that expression she knew like the back of her hand, that proof positive that he was who he said he was and not some vivid hallucination wearing Frankie's face. Em' seemed reluctant to let go of his sleeve, but she did with a laugh when he tugged on her hair. "Hey!" she exclaimed in mock-indignation, slapping lightly at his hand.

"Yeah' 'Cause of this whole....pro human thing?" She caught herself chewing on the corner of her thumb right up against the nail and deliberately pulled her hand away, folding them behind her back as if to prevent herself from either chewing on her fingers or taking hold of him again. Her expression turned almost shy, then, and she looked away from him while he got his cigarette lit. "...Seems like this might be a better place for y'all anyway, less....having to hide?" She trailed off, and it was then that the forced nonchalance in her tone might have started to give her away. "I mean. Maybe the job will be....permanent?"

His smirk cut into a sharp grin then, and he very maturely poked his tongue out at her. So, there wasn't a whole lot that changed about him. Other than 'appearances', which was height and maybe a few more tattoos. Though when she swatted his hand, he scrunched his nose and swatted at that flapping hand right back.

Nodding, he inhaled deeply on the cigarette until his angular cheeks hollowed. "Yeah, remember Hex" Well, he apparently knows someone who's salon got smashed up in the process. So, K's lending out some people so it doesn't happen again." He shrugged a shoulder with a creak of leather, sucking more on that cigarette as he looked up to the soft dropping of snow still coming down as he scrunched his nose briefly. Her semi-question had him lowering his glacier gaze to her, shrugging again as he shifted his weight where he stood. "I don't know...I mean, the gang isn't going anywhere until this shit is settled. But, you know how Mom is.." He muttered, glancing his eyes to the side. Snickering, he raised his free hand to rub the side of his neck where the sparrow tattoo rested. "Never really thought I'd hope chaos didn't end, y'know" Gonna be shit if...when....if..." scrunching his face as he fought with what word to use. "...we have to go back to Georgia after all this." And go back to hiding"

It was about the answer she'd expected, but it still made her frown. "...Yeah, well. That means we got a little time to convince her, right?" She gave him a quick flash of a grin. Then she reached for his hand, catching his wrist in one hand and plucking the cigarette from his fingers with the other. Having effectively pilfered the cancer stick, she gave him an insolent grin and held it to her own lips, taking a drag. "Smoking is bad for you, you know," she said to him as she exhaled, all matter of factly. She did not immediately give it back, either.

That made him grin back, shaking his head. "Can always give her the devastating puppy look like we used to. That worked sometimes." He didn't stop her when she took the cigarette, though he made a face and teased her. "Mooch.." Only to snicker at her claim. "Yeah, what isn't these days, huh?" Rolling his eyes in that teenager way when she didn't give it back, he just fished out the pack again and plucked another stick out. "So, what are we going to do now?" Ticking his brows at her, he tucked the filter of that thing that was bad for him between his lips and struck the wheel of his lighter to light the end. "Got an agenda?"

There'd been a reason she was out in the snow, Em was absolutely sure of it. She just couldn't remember what it was right this second, not with her long lost best friend standing right there in front of her, having appeared magically before her eyes as if materialized there straight out of her imagination. She flipped in a middle finger when he called her a mooch, and grinned triumphantly when he pulled out another smoke.

"...Um. I...feel like I totally had a plan when I left the house" But....now I feel like I'm hanging out with you."

She wasn't the only one, either. Though, in all fairness, he'd been distracted by a million and one things today. But any plans that had come up" The fact that Em was now there blew any chance of him wanting to do original plans out of the water. Something you'd never find him complaining about. Being flipped the bird, he snickered. "Flatterer." Only to catch that triumphant grin that was clear she'd won in her thievery and returned the birdie favor with a crooked smirk.

Her rendition of the agenda had him giving her a wide smile that showed mostly teeth as if that was his plan when he'd asked her. "Damn straight you are. We've got a lot of time to make up for," he declared, giving a glance around with a crinkle of an angular nose. "Fuckin' snow. Mhn, I'm hungry....you hungry?" Ignoring the fact that he just had pizza maybe an hour ago.

He extended that middle finger right back at her, and Em let her brows rise, her teeth snapping at him playfully like she was threatening to bite him. She didn't, though, opting instead to tuck her free hand into the curve of his elbow while she smoked his cigarette with the other. The third drag made her cough, giving her away as someone who didn't really smoke, but she kept up with it gamely anyway, peering up at him with a soft grin.

"Yeah, we do," she agreed with a little bob of her head, and for a moment it almost seemed like she had a good idea how they should go about making up for it, but at the last second she chickened out, which was for the best considering that he was suggesting they get food not even a second later. Secretly relieved that she hadn't said what was on her mind, Emmaline nodded. "Food would be good, yeah. Whatcha hungry for?"

The teeth snapping at him had him shifting his fingers around to point at her with his index, raising his brows with warning like you know what?ll happen if you do. What was it that Taneth said" Teeth were meant for biting! That's right. But he didn't have to follow through with the threat as she tucked her hand around his elbow and he lowered his arm to tuck that hand into the front pocket of his jeans casually, though the action only tucked her hand against his side. When she started coughing, he gave her that crooked smile like she'd been caught or sold herself out, but he didn't say anything. Actually, screw that he did. "I heard those are bad for you, you know."

Nodding, he arched a brow at her when she seemed to have an idea but thought against it. He might've been thinking she was going to suggest skateboarding or something, but didn't because it was snowing. Because...well, he's kind of an idiot. But she agreed on the food and he tilted his head back as if he was thinking, which...probably looked like his brain was going to fry at the same time. "Mhn..." Luckily, he rarely got the urge to eat what his people did....so, that was off the damn menu. Well, kinda. Ahem. Moving on! "Anything with meat. Like....tacos...or burritos.." Squinting, he looked ahead. "Or Nacho Supreme Nachos." Because teenagers always went for the worst possible things for them. "....Or all of the above," flashing her a lopsided smirk. Yeah, he still ate...well, like a growing teenage boy! So, all the time.

Em did the extremely mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him when he threw her jest back at her. "Yeah, yeah," she said, ashing the cigarette without bringing it back to her lips, giving him a sidelong smirk. "You're bad for me too, or so I hear."

He slipped her hand into his pocket and she left it there, curling her fingers into the form fitting denim so that her knuckles were digging slightly into his hip. A cold gust of wind blew between the rows of buildings suddenly, and Emmaline stepped that much closer to him, using his new (to her...) height to shelter herself from it. She smirked again when he started listing off all the foods he wanted, giving a little shake of her head. "C'mon then, Garbage Disposal. I know where we should go."

He almost reached out and tried to grab her tongue until the opportunity escaped him when she spoke. Though he did warn her: "stick that tongue out again, I'm gonna get it." His brows swept upward, and he didn't explain exactly how. He laughed at her claim of him being bad for her, and he nodded in agreement. "That's what they say, huh?" The mirthful smirk rose at the corner of his mouth before he brought the filter of his cigarette to his lips to contort it.

His eyes ticked down to where her hand moved, and his sharp smirk grew a little warmer at the edges. Damn did he miss her. And it wasn't just because they'd been physical, he just....genuinely missed having her around. She was his best friend, and the only other person he'd really gotten close to besides...well, she knew he was a Mamma's Boy. Pulling his gaze in front of him instead of staring at her hand placement, he shifted a glance to the way she moved closer to fend off the wind like he was a personal human(ish) shield. Snickering, he didn't seem to mind. Taking another drag, he spread a broad grin in her direction at the nickname. "Accurate statement....do they have a shovel" I might need one." Before shifting his weight to nudge her a bit to get their asses moving. "Let's get the fuck out of the snow, yeah?" Though kept her close as if a gust of wind was going to blow her away.

"Gooooood call," said Em with a shiver, taking one final drag off the cigarette and then tossing it to the pavement, where she crushed it underfoot before allowing him to nudge her into movement. She tucked the hand that wasn't tangled up in his arm into her own jacket pocket to keep it warm, or warmish. She'd never yet managed to develop the habit of wearing gloves.

"So tell me everything," she said, brushing a couple of tiny braids away from her face as she angled them down the next block and to the right. "How long have you been in town" What do you think of this place" What have you been up to for the last two years" How's your mom' Do you have a girlfriend" Everything."

"I make those now and then," he declared, inhaling from his own cigarette a few times to finish it off. The tips of his fingers were like ice; illusions might've protected his grotesque appearance from view, but not against the cold. When it was finished, he rolled what little was left between his fingers until the cherry fell out and rolled the filter into a ball before flicking it away. Promptly shoving his hand into the front pocket of his jeans to match the other.

To her request, he arched a brow but he should've seen it coming. Of course she wanted to know what he'd been up to, just as he wanted to hear the same from her. Smirking, he cackled softly under his breath at the questions she sprang on him, his long gait slower to keep pace with her. "Only since Monday, actually. We just got here. It's alright. I mean, it's completely different than home. When K told me and Mom about it, we didn't really believe her. A place where humans knew about us and didn't start up a pitchfork riot?" Snickering, he shook his head. "Well, they didn't used to I guess.." Muttering that part before continuing. "I've actually been, uh...doing the whole protest thing they've got going on. Humility First." Strange for him, to get involved with something like that. But he was never really the type to take any shit. "Honestly...the same old shit. Traveling with Mom on jobs, or just...surviving in Georgia. Oh! I did start working at Elektra-Nude, though. Mostly just busing tables, but it's something," shrugging the shoulder opposing her. "She's doing good, she....hasn't changed at all in the past two years. Literally nothing has changed with her. She's still dancing at the club, doing jobs for K on the side. Though it's been significantly more boring these past couple years," with an added gentle nudge to her side, implying the lack of her had been cause of Atlanta's 'boring problem'. Though he did practically snort the next answer, shaking his head. "Nah, I don't got a girl. Aight, Ms. Twenty Fucking Questions. Your turn." Raising his brows at her expectantly. "All of that....but...change the last question to boyfriend." Squinting, he eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "....Or not?" There was a coy smirk that finished his words.

"You're participating in the protests?" Em was surprised, and maybe a little impressed. A smile notched into one corner of her mouth, bringing out a little dimple that lingered there in the center of her cheek. "That's awesome. I think...I mean ever since I knew about....everything else, I've thought it was pretty dumb that it had to be concealed." She made a face at him then, nudging his side. "...Except when you try to scare the shit out of me, that is."

Snickering quietly, she listened to his answers as she guided them around the corner and onto the next street. The place she had in mind was one of those diners that served practically everything - classic american food and also classic Italian and also Greek and also burritos and also nachos and also Russian, for some reason. Whatever Mister Garbage Disposal wanted could probably be had or made on the fly there, and it was relatively cheap, too. It was a couple of blocks away, still, but the walking made it less freezing. He bumped into her when he told her that things had been boring, and Em could only grin at that, infinitely more pleased than she wanted to let on. What she did outwardly, though, was to lean in and bite him on the arm. He was wearing that leather jacket, so she didn't exactly get any purchase, but hey, the principal was there. Even more pleased to learn that he didn't have a girlfriend, she was....even more careful not to show it. Smirking when he turned the questions back on her, the teenager took a deep breath and tried to start from the top. "Uh....let's see. We moved here like six months ago. I like it a lot because it's kind of lawless, and pretty much ever since I got here I've wished I could tell you about it because....people like you pretty much belong here, right' Um. We've moved around a lot, been doing the school thing. Mom's still dead annnnnd...." she drug the last question out dramatically, waggling her brows at him before she relented, "and no. I have neither a girlfriend nor a boyfriend."

The arm not occupied by hers pulled his hand out of his jeans pocket so he could rub the back of his neck, crinkling his nose. He wasn't ashamed, not by a long shot. But it was a new development that he was honestly still trying to wrap his head around. He'd never really gone through this length to stand up for something. Well, not something that didn't require a couple well placed throws of his fist. "Yeah, been showing up almost daily. The people there are pretty cool, and they're...y'know...pro non-humans. So, they've been cool about me since the get go. Don't really feel like I have to hide there." He smirked when she made the face at him, dropping his hand before he was nudged. Laughing softly, "but your reactions are always priceless." Boy did he wanna goblinface at her, but he'd wait until an opportune moment...when she wasn't expecting it.

He wasn't all that concerned where they were going, he was just glad to be around her again. So he followed her and took every turn she did, mostly just focusing on the conversation at hand. Between that and walking, he hardly noticed the cold anymore.

He wasn't expecting her to friggin' bite him, and though she didn't really make that well of a connection through the leather jacket, that didn't mean it didn't earn her retaliation! Growling softly at her, he lashed out in a reflex playful bite to her shoulder, ducking his hand and sinking teeth into....a puffy ass jacket that did absolutely nothing for him. He attempted an awkward gnawing on her shoulder while walking -which wasn't easy considering his height- at the same time before giving up and pouted. "...Damn you and your puffy jacket." Aw, no biting for the demon-goblin.

Straightening, he'd listen instead to her side of the story and there was a bit of an impish grin on his face when she mentioned how this place was 'lawless'. He seemed to enjoy that prospect a bit too much. But, considering he had MISCHIEF tattooed across his knuckles...it wasn't that surprising. Though he grumbled to himself softly, possibly cursing him and his mother's disbelief of this place. "....We did kinda know about this place...but we didn't believe what K told us about it.." Looking to the ground then before glancing over when she mentioned her mom, but he was used to that by now. Only to eye her a bit more intensely when she dragged on, raising his brows like they were damn gossip queens. Out with it, girl! When she said she wasn't with anyone, there was a knot in his stomach he hadn't noticed that suddenly relaxed and instead of grinning or playing on to how much that pleased him, he feigned a pout at her. "....Damn. Just when I was hoping to watch you lez out..." He rolled his eyes shut as his head tipped back. "Way to kill my hopes and dreams, Em." Even sighed dramatically!

Frankie got a mouthful of down when he tried to bite her shoulder, and Emmaline snickered, pushing at him lightly. She wasn't actually trying to dislodge him or anything, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. At this proximity, she could smell his shampoo, though, mingled with that scent that was distinctly Frankie, and one of the times that she shoved at his shoulder she more....held on to it than pushed it away.

Letting go when she realized what she was doing, Em' deliberately smoothed down her microbraids, swallowing once. "Well, it's probably good you didn't show up here awhile ago, 'cause then you wouldn't have been in Atlanta for me to meet," she said, and whenever she spoke of her hometown, her voice picked up a note of distinct Dirty South flavor that it had almost lost in the months since she'd left. It wasn't a southern accent, not really. It was the distinctly non-distinct Atlanta amalgam accent with a little bit of soul rhythm to it.

She grinned. "...Killing your hopes and dreams, huh' You been harboring fantasies about me you ain't told me about yet, Dixon?"

He'd been gnawing at the coat like a puppy chewing on a bone only to make grumbling noises at her in response to the pushing. There was no product in his hair today, so it was all shampoo and natural scent that stuck to those dark-brown-almost-black locks. Most of the time, he didn't need product. His hair was thick and trained enough that half the time, it would stay if he raked it back with his fingers. Though more times than not, it was just a mess like he'd woke up, ruffled it a bit and flopped it over. Which...might not be too far from the truth.

He felt her hold onto his shoulder and he looked at her with that yeah" kinda look. Somewhat oblivious while somewhat just waiting to see what was happening. That familiar accent that rang into the air had him shooting that half-cocked smirk that was as quick as a trigger. Cackling a bit when she asked him that, his dark and angled brows swept upward as he gave her a coy smirk. "My fantasies are between me and my dreams, toots." Most of his awkwardness had been washed away by their playful banter, almost almost like they'd never been separated. Though if they hadn't, they'd likely been tangled up by now. He snapped his teeth at her before continuing on, not a second later he was giving her a 'serious' expression. "....Unless you'd mack on a chick, I'd totally watch that shiz." Though that half-cocked smirk was toying at his lips, threatening to break his faux-serious expression.

Em snickered at his playful growling, half expecting him to drop the illusion on her right then and there. He didn't, though, and it was virtually all she could do to keep herself from leaning in and....

Tearing herself away from that thought with a quick shake of her head, the girl gave it a haughty toss, rounding one more corner before leading them into the neon-lit diner at last. "Is that so?" She asked him over her shoulder as she hauled the door open, holding it so he could catch it as she stepped through it. "...Never stopped you from telling me about 'em before..." Shaking her head at his comment on her 'macking' on a chick, Emma rolled her eyes. "Please. You should be so lucky."

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 02:47 EST
He considered it, but it might've been that expectation that had stopped him from doing so. ....Or the fact that if he dropped the illusion, those jagged teeth would've rent through that fabric easily with his gnawing. He'd save the goblin-facing for when he wasn't chewing on her.

It wasn't just her who's thought kept drifting, now that he was pulling out of his shock of seeing her again and falling into their usual banter and fooling around. The thought crossed his mind to just...go for it. But he didn't. Because even if things felt the same, he wasn't sure if after all this time passed, she'd even want that. "Yeeees, ma'am," he drawled teasingly, coy smirk given to her as he trailed after her, catching the door with a snap of his arm as he breached the entrance behind her. "...Hm. You've got a point there. But if I tell you mine, you have to tell me yours." Scrunching his nose at her as he set down his chips. Though he sighed, nodding along in agreement. "I should....I really should..."

Glacier hues scanned the inside of the diner, and it wasn't really bustling with people. Though he wasn't surprised considering recent events and the current protest going on. Regardless, he lifted his chin toward a booth that wasn't remotely surrounded by people. "Empty over there." The closest occupied table to that one was a couple that looked to be in their fifties. He suspected they wouldn't be rowdy and loud, giving them a chance to catch up and talk.

"So you admit it then," she quipped, tossing the words back at him over her shoulder as she led their way to a booth. Choosing one, she tucked herself into it, scooting all the way in against the wall as though she was expecting him to sit beside her instead of opposite. Mostly because she was, a fact she made clear when she pulled two laminated menus from the little metal stand towards the edge of the table and set them down side by side. In case he still had any doubts, she then tapped the menu twice with the palm of her outstretched hand. Sit here.

Em made a show of looking over the menu, studying its many pages like she didn't already have them memorized. Only when Frankie was situated did she peered at him - ever so nonchalantly- over its top. "You do have fantasies about me, then?" Her dark eyes flashed with mischievous challenge.

"I plead the fifth," he snickered. "That works here, right' If it doesn't, it does now." That ever-present smirk curled the corner of his mouth when she looked back at him. Long legs trailed after her, letting her choose the booth. It might've looked like he was going to go for the adjacent booth, but there was a look of amusement at the way she subtly -not so subtly- suggested his seat for him. Laughing under his breath, he played it off like he was totally going to sit there anyways, pressing his hands to the table as he folded his lanky frame into the booth beside her and picked up the menu. Where she had it memorized, he did not. He didn't have to play off looking at the menu, reading over the vast assortment of food from various cultures. Things that you wouldn't usually see in one area, this simple diner seemed to have it all. "Hm," he hummed, seeming pleased with her choice until he could feel her gaze burning a hole in the side of his head over her menu. He flicked his glacier hues sidelong at her, perking that angular brow at her curiously. Her question had him fighting a grin as he sighed through his nose and leaned back against the booth cushions. Seeming to be nonchalant as he looked at the menu though he could feel his blue-tinted skin burning beneath the illusion. "....I....have...had fantasies." Because best friends don't keep secrets from each other, right' "I might still.." Clearing his throat, oh boy his face was on fire, though the illusion kept him pale as ever.

Em's mouth twitched, the girl struggling to keep a straight face. Losing the fight, she broke away from looking at him, hiding her face in the pages of her menu — the Italian page was really interesting, okay"!—as a smile broke wide over her lips. Regaining her composure, she tried for more nonchalance as she arched her brows at him quizzically. "...'Might', huh' Just 'might'...?" Pressing him further if only to see how much more he might go. Studying his face for a long moment, she narrowed her eyes suddenly, suspicious. "...Hang on a minute..." she muttered under her breath as she lifted the closest hand, the backs of her fingers smoothing lightly over the edge of his jaw. "You're blushing!" She exclaimed when the heat of his cheek confirmed what its actual appearance didn't, a triumphant smirk spreading into place. "Oh my god that's adorable." Nevermind that the tips of her ears had also turned a rosy shade of pink at his admission.

His nose was practically pressed into the menu like every word on the page was the secrets on how to get to Atlantis. It could've been, alright' He was trying so hard to play it off like he usually did. "Yup. Might." Nodding his head a bit, his voice was a lot cooler than he felt, and of course the heat that was practically radiating off his face.

When she was quiet, he thought she was going to drop it but he should've known better. Considering she was staring at his face. "What?" He raised a brow, shifting his eyes on her until her hand came out to brush against his jaw just as it tensed. Muscle and bone shifting as he figured out what she was up to.Shit. She caught me. Her exclaim only confirmed it. And that boy denied to the very end. "I am not!" He exclaimed right back, scrunching his face in defiance. "It's hot in here, alright?" Because he'd blame it on his leather jacket. Though when she claimed it was 'adorable', he felt the heat spread to his neck and ears. Shifting his eyes over to her, they fell on those pink ears and it was his turn to call her out on it. "....You're blushing though.." Reaching out a hand to try to twiddle the top of that pink ear she had. Best friends were honest, but they were also kind of dicks.

"What' No way!" Exclaimed the girl out of staunch denial, pushing his hand away all indignantly. Even though...she totally was, and totally blushed all that much more deeply for being called out on it. "Shut up," she said lamely, trying to catch one of his hands in her own, ostensibly to prevent him from tweaking her ear again. Though...she hadn't exactly thought through what it was that she would do with that hand once she had it.

Successfully capturing that questing hand, maybe because he let her" She would just kind of....hold it there midair, her fingers wrapped around his. She was eyeing him all suspiciously, like she didn't quite trust him enough to let it go, like maybe she thought he was going to mount another assault. It didn't occur to her until maybe twenty seconds in that she was, you know. Holding his hand.

That goblin-like cackle spilled out as the tables were turned on her. "You so are." Though his hand being pushed away had him making a face at her, even if he was fighting a smirk. "...No." He spoke bluntly and defiantly as any teenager could when he was told to shut up. He was rebellious through and through.

His hand being caught was a good call, if only because...he would've gone for that second assault. Especially since calling her out on said blushing only made it worse. And no, he didn't stop her from capturing that hand. He had no reason to. While she eyed him suspiciously, his own icy blues held mountains of mischief. After all, it was tattooed on his damn fingers. He was slowly lowering the menu with the other hand like he was going to go for a secondary attack anyways, 'tells' plenty able to be seen until...well...After those seconds kept ticking past, it took him a while to realize that they were holding hands. That realization seemed to override any initial thought process on the ear assault as he just sorta...stared...at their hands. And he didn't quite remember when he'd curled his fingers around hers during those passing seconds, either. "I...uh..." By gods, that blush was going to end up bleeding through into the illusion soon.

Her dark eyes had gone just a little bit wide as she, too, looked down at their laced fingers and just kind of...stared for a long moment. It was startling because it felt natural, normal, because it had been so reflexive that she couldn't even have said which one of them had interlocked their digits like that. Because it hadn't immediately drawn her attention as a shocking, new thing when it happened. Frankie drew attention to it and Em didn't know what to do, feeling simultaneous urges to let him go and pretend like it wasn't happening at the same time. Paralyzed, she did nothing, which was basically the same as....not letting him go.

Just then the waiter came over. He seemed to know Emmaline, his face lighting up in a warm grin when he saw her. "Emma! How are you? And who is this?" The older man gestured expansively to Frankie with a broad smile. His gaze seemed to fall pointedly on their conjoined hands before lifting expectantly back up at them for an answer.

His eyes seemed glued to their laced fingers, widened until the whites could be seen surrounding those blue irises. He couldn't remember when the hell that had happened, or who had started it. Obviously, she had grabbed his hand first. But when had their fingers laced like that' And yes, it did feel naturally. Startlingly so. And still...he didn't pull them away. He was so damn awkward staring at it.

At least....until the waiter's voice found his ears. He hadn't noticed his approach, so the sudden words had him startling and jumping. The surprise had him briefly losing focus on the illusion and it shuddered like the ripples of a wave, hinting to the goblinoid figure beneath before he frantically put up those visual walls. His eyes looked too wide and his head snapped toward the waiter just as he dropped Em's hand. "Iwasn'tdoinganything.." He spoke fast and stared at the man, blinking. Oh. Not her father. Had he actually thought her dad had found them"....Maybe. "Who...what? Oh." Blinking as the words and questions finally registered in his mind and he shifted on the booth, clearing his throat and regaining composure. "I mean...sup?" Nailed it. His face was on fire under that illusion.

The waiter didn't seem to all that taken aback when the boy's face rippled and reformed right in front of him. His smile didn't waver, his gaze sliding back and forth between the two teenagers, waiting for one of them to answer. The boy's reaction made his smile even wider, though he managed not to laugh outright.

Frankie dropped her hand like it was on fire, and somehow that made it worse. Em tucked both hands in her lap, fingers curled in on themselves self consciously. She blushed fiercely, her face so hot it felt like it might burst into flames any minute now. She stared resolutely at the table in front of her. "...Uh. Henry, this is Frankie," she said, struggling to recover. "My best friend."

It took Frankie longer to recover from his awkwardness, which...the recovery from the awkwardness only added to the effect. He seemed to not be able to sit still, trying too hard to get comfortable or take a relaxed 'chill' seat. Finally, he just gave up and was avoiding eye contact with Henry. Though he kept glancing over to Em, and her awkwardness somehow managed to soothe his own. At least he wasn't the only one. He just sorta slumped down in the booth in a lazy posture and lifted his menu to hide his face a bit. There was no real recovery. He wasn't hiding! He was....reading...and making very important food choices. Being introduced, he tilted the menu to give the man an upnod. "Yeah, besties." Nodding in agreement before he lifted the menu to his face just as he rolled his eyes shut. Oh god I just said besties like a fucking dweeb. Kill me now. "So, uh...I take it you guys know each other.." No, idiot. He just knows her name and she knows his. Total strangers. He wasn't helping, just making it worse. "Excuse me while I just go under the table," he mumbled, seeming to be sliding further down his seat.

Emmaline shook her head and elbowed Frankie gently into the ribs. It wasn't hard or anything, just a little reminder. "Get it together, Dixon," she breathed. Clearing her throat, she reached for the water he'd brought and drank a large mouthful, willing herself to get it together, too. "Henry's just too nice to say he's sick of seeing me. I come here in the afternoons to do my homework and whatnot."

Henry stifled a laugh and shook his head, apparently finding the awkward teenagers adorable. "Nice to meet you, best friend Frankie," he intoned in a booming voice. "Welcome to our establishment." Em's comment made him laugh heartily, possibly more so than was strictly warranted on account of the fact that he was trying so hard not to laugh at the way they were asking. "Oh, that's preposterous," he said. "Em here is my favorite little regular. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine." After another moment or two of study, the man relented at last, dropping his hands. "Well. I'll give you two a moment to look over the menu, yes?" His smile was a suggestive one as he turned away to give them some privacy.

"Jesus, Frank." Em breathed when Henry went away at last.

He puffed his cheeks in response to the rib elbow, "Workin' on it, Braids," he grumbled at her. He was still slumped in that booth seat but he at least got it together enough to lower the menu. "Well, you can be a pain in the ass in his defense.." he teased, trying to lighten their awkwardness with his smart ass attitude and slick smirk. Looking up at the man, he nodded a touch. "Back at ya, Diner Henry." Since they were adding titles to their names and whatnot. When Henry spoke so highly of Em, he smirked over to her and was thankful the man didn't seem fazed to the shimmer of his illusion when he looked back. "Good to know. With a menu like this," lifting it to emphasize, "you'll have another regular out of me." Nodding, he gave the man a thumbs up in response to being given a minute. "Thanks, dude.." When they were alone, he let out a groan and the illusion of 'cool and collected' shattered when they were away from the stranger. "Shut uuuup," he whined, and....started to crawl under the table. Because with Em, he didn't have to hide his dweebishness. She knew who he really was. That awkward teenager that played the tough guy.

"Oh my god, seriously" Get back up here..." As self conscious as Em had been about her hands only moments ago, she snagged his jacket sleeve in her fingers and tugged, trying to pull him back up into the seat with her. "Who knows what they'll think you're doing down there..." The moment was a little bit surreal. They were cutting up like they always did, picking up where they'd left off like no time had passed at all. But time had passed, two years in fact, and it had wrought subtle changes in both of them. Frankie was taller, sure, but he was also considerably older, now, seeming physically much older than Em herself when she knew that wasn't true. He was hotter, too, if she was being completely honest with herself, and she kept catching herself looking at him. The girl knew she had also changed, but not nearly as dramatically, not by comparison.

"No," he muttered, only to grunt when she tugged on his sleeve and he looked up from where he'd slid halfway under the table. He was really too tall to get under that damn table without pulling some contortionist dynamics. But when she offered the second sentiment, that goblinesque (because that's now a word) rang out as he gave her that crooked smirk. "Wouldn't be the first time.." But he finally complied (mostly for the fact that he was having too much trouble getting under the thing) and squirmed his way back into his seat. "So much for that fantasy," he sighed, picking up the menu as he cut her another glance and smirk. Being a smart ass was often his defense mechanism for when he felt like an idiot. It saved him....sometimes. Or sometimes he'd just get smacked.

It was surreal, even he'd admit to that. They'd both changed, him even more drastically, even if it was an illusion. But he'd only changed the illusion to match the stature of his true body and face, turned it human. But she'd changed to, even in her subtle yet not-too-subtle ways. Her hair was long and braided now, she looked older, acted a bit older. He was fooling himself to think that he hadn't noticed the change in her appearances, and he had to stop himself from just gawking at her like an idiot. Stop himself from falling into old habits, more intimate habits the two had ventured into years ago. But the fact of the matter remained: they hadn't changed the way they acted together. And that had been something he'd been worried about. He already knew he'd missed her, but the impact of just how much hadn't been realized fully until now.

Twin brows arched high on her forehead at his comments, but she was better prepared for trading increasingly colorful barbs with him —even of a slightly risqu? nature - than she was for things like holding hands. It was too easy to fall back into old patterns, anyway. "That's a different kind of snack you're thinking of, darlin', but that can probably also be arranged if you're good."

There was mischief in dark eyes as she said it, but it was hard to know whether she was serious or bluffing. Really, the answer depended on how he reacted.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 03:05 EST
He'd almost, almost forgotten how damn quick she was. Retaliating with a quip herself, his own darkly angled brows shot upward as he felt that flush of color and heat rise -hidden by the illusion as always, unless she decided to be a little shit and touch his face again- when he looked over at her. His eyes were a bit wide, and he couldn't help but get that almost sly smirk as he glanced to the menu and sprawled his long legs over onto the adjacent booth. "So, tacos?" Catching his bottom lip, his brows stayed up as his tone and expression remained innocent but there was always that damn twinkle of mischief in his own glacier hues as he peered over to her.

She wasn't touching his face this time —after all the trouble that had gotten her into the time before! — but she could guess a little in the way his eyes moved, his jaw tensed. Grinning a little, her smirk only spread when he gave it back to her in kind, volunteering a menu choice for their supposed meal.

Her mouth twitching, Em shook her head, all nonchalance to meet his innocent tone. "For me" Nah. I mean, I'm not exactly that flexible, but you knock yourself out. I'm thinking..." She made a show of perusing the menu again. "I don't know. Something with a lot of meat."

Their back and forth had been one of his favorite things. She was quick, quicker than him half the damn time. He felt the corner of his mouth pull up into a smirk with her rebuttal and he briefly pulled the corners down as he nodded his head. Keeping up their little game, he glanced to the menu and kept his tone just as nonchalant. "Alright, alright. I'll have the tacos then. Burritos" Enchiladas?" Perking a brow at her, it was growing more and more difficult to fight that smirk. But he could never fight that twinkle in his eye.

Em fought hard to keep herself from snickering, swallowing down the laughter that bubbled up around her teeth. Her gaze flicked sidelong at him beside her, and she rolled her shoulders in what was supposed to be a nonchalant shrug. She had another smart ass, flirtatious response at the ready when she actually met his gaze though, and despite the playful twinkle there, Em just shook her head. "...I really fuckin' missed you, Frankie," she said softly, suddenly all serious again. Her face was upturned towards his as she said it, holding his gaze.

He kept it up for a bit, playing off innocent -as innocent as he could- as he waited for her quip right back. Her nonchalant shrug had him tilting and turning his head, a twitch at the corner of his mouth hinting at the smirk that was threatening his expression. When she gave him that look that was playful and he expected her to shoot some smart ass comment at him. But instead, she told he'd been missed. The change didn't seem to disappoint him, only softened a face full of angles and sharp features. The smirk he'd been fighting turned into a slow smile, a real one. Not that douchey half-smile that just made him look cocky. It eased the mischief in his icy eyes. "I missed you too, Em," giving the mutual sentiment before he snickered and shook his head, leaning a bit in attempt to hook his arm around her shoulders and if she didn't fight him, tug her into his side. Semi-playful, while semi-affection. The two had been attached to at the hip before the forced separation, and he honestly missed the contact.

There was a strange feeling of relief that came with being tucked under his arm like that. As soon as he'd draped it around her shoulders, she shifted her weight to lean into him, her body fitting snugly up against his. It was different than all the times before considering how much his body had changed, but it still felt a little like coming home.

And in some ways, it was actually better than before. He was considerably taller than her at this point, and that meant that she fit easily underneath his arm, tucking herself neatly into his side without having to bend or accommodate for his shoulder. She slipped the fingers of that hand between his back and the back of the booth, hooking them almost lazily around his lower back just below his waist and above his hips. Tipping her cheek against his chest, she found that her temple came to rest against the column of his throat. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, settling against him. She hadn't said a word.

Oh that poor girl. She was settled in all nice and tight, content...He had to admit it felt like home, probably more like home than he'd ever been otherwise. It was more comfortable now considering the changes, they'd sat there like that before but it had been more awkward when he was a shorter little bastard and they'd had to accommodate for it. But...that teenage boy impulse took over and he couldn't help it. The menu was propped up on the table, hiding the two practically from view. That twinkle of mischief came back and he did his best to keep it out of his voice when he spoke. "...Hey Em?" His head turning a bit as if trying to get her attention. If she looked up at him....he'd do that goddamn demon-goblin face at her. Tongue out, teeth all jagged and sharp with his mouth open. Nose scrunched, brows furrowed. Yup, right there in the booth. He'd drop that damn illusion and do the face. Friggin' prick.

It's moments like that that keep Frankie Dixon from getting laid.

Em had seen the face before, and really, she knew that it was coming sooner or later. She just wasn't expecting it right"now. The truth was that she didn't find his real features all that grotesque and horrifying anymore, or at least she hadn't when they'd been unceremoniously parted two years ago, but it had been two years since she'd actually seen it last, and, well, even when she was used to it, the sudden switch could be startling.

The teenager jumped, surprised, rapidly retracting her arm from around his frame. Putting it together in her mind, her mind hadn't yet had time to tell her body not to react when she smacked him in the side with the side of her closed fist. It wasn't a punch, and there wasn't much force to it, but it wasn't nearly so gentle as the way she'd elbowed him a few minutes ago, either. "Dammit, Frankie." She scowled at him. Not because the face repulsed her but for trying to scare her.

Such is the life of Frankie Dixon.

The illusion wasn't the only thing that had seemed to age in their time apart. His goblin-ish appearance had aged, too. Become more angular, more sharp in appearance. Those swirling fiery irises were brighter than they'd been when he was those couple years younger. He even kept those tattoos, showing the illusion was a hologram of them. He didn't fully take the illusion down, only partial and it was only there until she startled.

That goblin cackle sprang out as she jumped and startled, pressing a humanoid hand to his stomach. At least until her fist came around to smack him and he grunted, breaking into deep chuckles as he looked at her with the face of the illusion. He rubbed the spot she smacked with the opposing hand and gave her that lopsided grin. "Aw, come on. You know I had to do it eventually. It's tradition!" Settling back against the booth, he poked his tongue a tiny bit out of his mouth, biting down on it as the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. Rolling his wrist, he waved her and held his arm back out for her. "I won't do again, I promise....mhn, for today," he squinted a bit, his promise only lasting for the day, but she'd know Frankie kept his promises. He was still trying not to chuckle though. Which probably didn't help.

She noticed the differences once she'd recovered from the initial shock, even traced one fingertip over his chin just underneath that bluish bottom lip, noting how the shade had darkened. Em pulled away when he re-situated the illusion, though, shaking her head at him. "Yeah, yeah. It's not your face that's scary, Frankie," she chided him, still scowling. She didn't like thinking of her best friend as a glorified jump scare, even though it was funny.

He was opening his arms back up to her, and she eyed him highly suspiciously for several long seconds, trying to decide whether or not she could trust him. She knew she could, of course, but....enjoyed prolonging the moment, anyway. Eventually she relented, resettling against him. Naturally, once they were back in each other's arms and Frankie set the menu down, Henry the waiter would drift over. The smile on his face was a knowing one, one that said your secret's safe with me. The man clearly thought they'd been making out all this time.

Em had been the only one he trusted enough to drop the illusion in front of, considering she was human. Granted, it might not have been on purpose...But after she'd already seen it and still stuck around him, he found it pointless to hide what he was around her. Sure, he kept up the illusion most of the time. But he didn't try to pretend to be what he wasn't. Even if he would jump the shit out of her to remind her now and then. Snickering, he fought the temptation to snap his teeth at her finger. He'd never forgive himself if he actually bit and hurt her. He feigned a pout then, "not even a little bit' ....Damn," he sighed. "Going to have to finally invest in those Halloween costumes again." Shaking his head like he was just devastated by the news, his head lowered while it shook until he looked up through his brows with that crooked grin. Yeah, he digged it that she wasn't afraid of him.

With his arms open, he waited and was going to use that puppy dog look on her but didn't. She was playing the I don't trust you now! game and he played along with a soft pout. Just looking oh so very innocent. But there was a bit of a smile when she relented, his arm resting across her side when she settled against him.

He must more calm this time around when Henry came, the last had been a disaster because the man had caught him off guard during a very awkward moment. But that didn't stop that flare of heat that radiated from his face, snickering at the look the man gave him. He lifted one shoulder in a shrug, the one she wasn't leaning on, giving him that lopsided smirk like what can I say" Because it was Frankie. "Have we figured out what we're gonna get yet?" He raised a brow down at Em.

Truth be told, it had scared the shit out of her the first time, especially since it had been an accident. She'd asked to see it several times since then, gradually acclimating herself to the way he really looked as she had worked on wrapping her mind around the fact that all the fairy tales and horror stories were real. Not only were they real, but it turned out that her best friend was something out of a horror story. Geeky, goofy Frankie and opened her up to a whole new way of seeing the world.

It was just one of the things that had cemented a bond between them.

Emma's cheeks flushed under Henry's scrutiny, though she couldn't have said why and she didn't pull away from Frankie either. So the man thought they were making out. Well....if some punk hadn't pulled his little stunt, it was totally possible that they could have been. Guilty by inference, she shrugged nonchalantly, hooking her thumb into his belt on the opposite side of his body. "Thought you were having tacos" And a burrito for me." Oh, that grin.

Hell, the first time she'd walked in on him while the illusion was dropped....you'd think he'd been caught with his pants down instead. She'd jumped the shit out of him instead and there's nothing like a demon-goblin jumping nearly out of his skin and spazzing out. And yet, it was her asking to see it afterwards that had surprised him even more. Why the hell would you wanna see that" She'd made him feel better about it, considering he'd expected her to run away and avoid him after that. Maybe call the townsfolk, get together a mob. Pitchforks and torches" Okay, maybe not that far. But he didn't expect to see her again after that.

But she'd stayed, among many other things...And she'd been the first human to ever truly gain his trust. The only one, really. Save for his mother. He didn't even trust K as much as he trusted Em. He'll admit that that changed when she disappeared, but now he knew that it wasn't her that had ditched him. She'd been taken away.

There was a bit of a smirk when he glanced down his high cheekbones to see the flush on her face, only a fleeting glance but he licked the way it showed her freckles more. Those freckles on her nose and littering her cheekbones had possibly been one of his favorite things about her and he was glad she'd never grown out of them. And the poor sap didn't even realize he'd missed out on some face sucking action because he'd been a jerk. Though his face grew a bit warmer feeling her thumb hook into his belt and he let out a bit of a cackle to her suggestions. It brought him out of a smirk and into a full grin as he lifted his menu to hold it out to Henry with a sly grin. "You heard the lady. Tacos and burritos. Oh, and I'll take some Coke on the side. Y'know." Lifting his chin to the man. This is why adults don't like you around their daughters Frankie!

Em just shook her head, smiling at him indulgently. Her gaze went back to Henry then. "..Two cokes, please," she clarified politely, because this was one of her favorite places to hang out, after all, and she didn't want to get asked not to come back. Henry scribbled down their order and gave them both a magnanimous smile before he turned away, humming something about 'young love' under his breath.

Emma pretended she hadn't heard it.

When he was gone, Em found herself looking up at him again. "Y'know....on the one hand this being tall thing is convenient," she shrugged her shoulders where his arm was draped across them to indicate what she meant. "And on the other, my neck is totally going to start hurting here in a minute trying to look up at you. I need a fuckin' phone book or something."

He was smirking in that troublesome way when she was the polite, chuckling under his breath and behaved. If only for her sake. Though he did glance at the man's back when he walked away humming those lyrics under his own breath and Em wasn't the only one who pretended to not have heard it. It was best that way, or he was going to try to crawl under the table again. He reached for one of the glasses of water Henry had brought the last time, taking a sip before glancing down to where she was looking up at him. One of those brows arched as he peered down, lowering the glass as he eyed her questionably at the claim of him being tall was convenient. But he cackled some at the next line dished out at him. Setting the glass of water aside, he grinned down at her. "Or, y'know...you could just...not be so short," he teased. Because he could now. Even though she really wasn't that short. But he still decided to go ahead and slump a bit more in the lazy Frankie way so they were a tad more level. "Better?" Tugging on one of those microbraids, though kept it between his fingers to play with it a little bit. He was so used to that shoulder length hair, now it was longer and in tiny braids that actually felt kinda cool to play with. So he did. Deal with it.

"I am totally still growing, you ****er," she lashed back at him, though her tone was more amused than offended, "but you kinda have an unfair advantage, you know?" She poked him in the ribs with one extended finger, given that her other hand was all wrapped around behind him and tangled up in his belt. He slouched, and although it made his arm press a little more heavily into her shoulders, Em didn't seem to mind. It did ease the drastic angle she'd been craning her neck at, too.

"Little bit, yeah," the girl conceded, telling herself that this was all perfectly normal and commonplace. We're just friends...friends TOTALLY hang out like this when they're getting food at some random diner...right" The micro braids were woven from her real hair and not extensions. They were tightly braided from scalp to maybe three quarters of the way down, and from there the hair fell loose, unbraided. They weren't tied with rubber bands or anything, so although there were tiny stitches in place to prevent them from unraveling all at once, they would naturally unravel with time, more and more of the hair coming unbraided until she either got it done again or let it come undone completely. Generally, she wasn't a big fan of letting people touch them, but with Frankie she didn't seem to mind. "...Feel kinda weird, don't they?"

"Yeah, but 'til then you're still a shorty," he teased in that light and playful manner. His nose crinkled a bit with his words and his chest vibrated with the hum of laughter until her poke had him pretending she shot him. "Ngh, you got me." The dweeb tilted his head away from her and let his tongue loll for a moment before he picked his head back up and playfully snapped his teeth at her. "Yeah, you got me there," sighing. "Not everyone can be an awesome demon-goblin." Making a show of fixing his leather jacket at the front of one of the flaps before dropping the show. He let his head fall back against the booth cushion. He probably should've taken the jacket off, but now he didn't feel like moving to do so. He totally blamed her.

"Good," he grunted, mentally telling himself the same thing. That all this was normal, and though it was for them' It was still kind of strange for others that didn't get how close they were. Though even with that knowledge...was it....really normal" He tried not to think too hard on it. Or he was get twitchy and awkward about it.

He kept playing with those microbraids since she didn't object to it, feeling where the braids ended and the loose hair began. His fingers were gentle where he ran them along, feeling the tiny bumps of the microbraids then the smoother parts of her hair. "Yeah, they do. So used to seeing you with that short hair, kinda took me a minute to even realize it was you," he admitted, lifting one of the braids and making the loose ends flop around a bit before letting it fall into place among its comrades. "I dig it though. Suits you."

Their behavior was totally normal...for them. Which was to say...not at all normal for platonic friends. It wasn't any wonder that neither of them had ever really dated anybody else in the time they'd been hanging out together all the time — neither of them acted particularly available, much less interested, no matter what they thought. The physical affection, the sexual banter, the disappearing behind menus together....all of it looked for all the world like they were together.

Things didn't seem to have changed much, either.

Em smiled at his compliment. "Yeah' Thanks. I just wanted something different, you know? And it's super easy to keep up with, which is nice..." She trailed off, realizing all of a sudden that boys didn't particularly give a damn about hair maintenance. "Not that you give a shit about that part," she amended with a smirk. "Anyway, thanks."

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 03:49 EST
Sure, they'd never really even talked about commitment, or any form of relationship. But what teenagers their age would've" They were flames of their youth, enjoying the good times while they lasted and spent their time mostly in each other's company. He'd had many of his first real experiences with this girl, and when things took a lean toward more...mature...ratings...There was no real need for things like dating. Something that others of the crew had asked him about Emma. Why would I date someone" Em and I have fun together. Girlfriends tend to kinda suck. I'd rather have my best friend, thanks. And, y'know, there would've been that mess if he ever started dating someone. I'm not giving up this closeness with Em because some girl's got a problem with it. Screw 'em.

He nodded, only to laugh a bit when she went on about the maintenance part. Then assumed he didn't care. Which, he...didn't...really...But that didn't mean he didn't like to just talk about random shit with her. "I know what you mean," reaching up to ruffle that mess on his head. "This shit's a bitch to keep up with." No, it wasn't. It should've been. But...he was a lazy teenage boy. He questioned where Hex found the care to even tend to his. He stopped ruffling his hair and let his arm rest on the table, settling once more. "Besides," he grinned then, giving one of her braids a soft tug with his other hand. "If all else fails, these things could be weapons." Biting his bottom lip, he raised his brows with his expression reading yeah' yeah"

"Oh, I'm sure you do," came her sarcastic reply. "You're very into hair care and maintenance, obviously." Dripping with sarcasm, yes, but in a strangely affectionate way. He ruffled his hair and then she did it, too, reaching up with her free hand to snake slender fingers through choppy waves, basically flopping them over directly into his eyes.

"...Weapons" Do I even want to know what you mean by that?" She asked when he started playing with them again, especially given the way he was looking at her.

"I am, it's a very important part of my life," he kept it up, giving a serious nod to oppose her sarcastic tone. "Hours...so many hours.." he trailed off with a grunt when she started in with his hair, scrunching his face when it was flopped in his eyes as they squeezed shut. His bottom lip puffed out as he blew air up the length of his face to the choppy flop of dark brown hair, trying meagerly to get it out of his face until he gave up and smoothed it back with his spindly fingers. "Rude," he claimed, his tone a deep bass when he spoke that single word.

When she questioned him, he scraped his teeth over the bottom lip as he let it out, breaking into a cackle as he responded with a rather coy smirk. "Nope." And very maturely, he poked his tongue out at her.

Her brows each arched for the ceiling when he assured her that she definitely didn't want to know, piquing her interest exactly the way it was supposed to. Em wanted to deny him, to let it drop there like she didn't care what he was thinking, but Em was doing a pretty bad job of masking her feelings today, and the question spilled out anyway. "Well now I have to know what the hell you're talking about..." she insisted.

But then he stuck his tongue out her, and what else was there to do but stick her tongue out at him in kind" ...Super bad at not telegraphing today. It's a shame he was apparently rusty at picking up on it.

He was greatly amused with the way she just had to know what he was talking out, his lips contorting strangely around his poked out tongue only for her to match it with her own tongue poking out. They were super mature. Really. Especially when his head darted forward to try to get the very tip of her nose with his tongue to leave a little dot of saliva there. It would just be a tiny one!

He'd poke his tongue back into his mouth and give her that same lopsided smirk she'd always known. "Come on, you know.." Wiggling one of the braids a bit. "Just think of that terrible song." And then he started humming the damn tune to I Whip My Hair Back and Forth.Why, Frankie, why' His brows ticked at her, just to reach for his glass of water to get a sip from it. Wpssht!

Em just kinda stared at him for a long moment. She didn't even react to having her nose licked beyond pulling her own tongue back into her mouth with a little shake of her head. She was saved from saying anything by the approach of a different waiter, this one a food runner who had their plates in tow. He set down first her burrito and then his tacos, finally both of their sodas. He lingered for another second or two, making sure they had everything they needed. Emma ordered an extra side of sour cream and then sent him on his way, unless Frankie wanted anything first.

As the waiter moved off, she peeled her arm from around his waist, unhooking her fingers from his belt, and separated herself from his side by an inch or two. Then she set to unrolling her silverware and smoothing her napkin over her lap.

He raised a brow at her, feeling as he missed something super simple....and something Hex would be gut-punching him for. Which, he was relatively pleased to know that Hex wasn't here at the moment. "..What".." He squinted at her, but was cut off almost instantaneously by the waiter bringing their food. Shaking his head himself, he just gave the waiter a thumbs up. "I'm good, thanks."

As she untangled herself from him, he let his arm uncoil from her waist and squirmed his way into a better seating position. Tacos were too messy for eating while slumped like a couch potato. He had a feeling he'd already made a fool of himself, the last thing he wanted was to dump taco all over himself in the process. He reached for his glass and slid it closer, plucking off the paper to the straw. He seemed fine and content taking a sip of that highly carbonated drink until he sighed and shook his head. "Nah, this is naggin' the shit out of me now." Turning his head to look at her, he narrowed his eyes but it wasn't a glare. He was trying to figure her around. "I feel like I just had a dunce moment and missed something," his brows lifted in that stubborn teenager way.

Just the one" Emma shook her head, though. She was feeling self conscious and a little stupid, like she was the one who'd made a fool of herself. She used her knife and fork to cut a corner off her burrito, spearing the bite with the end of her fork and fitting it into her mouth. She was quiet as she chewed, setting the fork down with a little shrug of her shoulders. She reached for her soda, ripping the paper end off the straw as he had done and then pulling it from the wrapper and shoving it into her glass. The girl swallowed her food and then took a sip of her drink, and only when she'd run out of other things to do did she, somewhere between reluctant and nonchalant, meet his gaze. "Nothing."

Okay, so he was relatively sure he'd missed quite a bit. He was aware that a lot of shit went over his head, plenty of things that Hex would wanna beat his ass over. And it probably wouldn't have been much of an effect on him if it wasn't....Em...His eyes were side glancing at her, like staring but not quite so blatant with it as she seemed to just go for the burrito. She shrugged, he sighed. He knew he'd missed something....some things....at this point and it was driving him nuts that he didn't have the faintest clue what it was. When she finally met his gaze and said that final word, he frowned a bit and shook his head. "...Fine.." But there was that look in his eyes that meant he was only dropping it for now. It was about this time that he went about wriggling out of his leather jacket and settled in to eat his own meal. Minus the silverware. He wasn't going to eat tacos with a fork.

She took a deep breath and then exhaled it, going slow on both sides of it so as not to draw attention. The food on her plate was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world, and her gaze was determinedly fixed there. Spots of color doubtlessly flamed her burning cheeks, but Em resolutely ignored it, apparently under the definite impression that if she ignored it hard enough, it simply wasn't there.

For several minutes they ate in silence, but for the occasional scrape of her cutlery against her plate or the crunch of taco. Eventually, in a pause where she'd set the fork down again and finished more of her soda, she pushed her plate a little ways towards him. "Want some burrito?"

He had that furrowed-brow constipation face that he always had when he got confused, and he was staring ahead at the booth in front of him. It was clear he was thinking about something, and if you leaned toward him, you might smell his brain smoking. Maybe not that drastic, but he was thinking really really hard. He had that boy brain logic of okay, I screwed up but I don't know what I did. All the while, he was crunching away on that taco in his hands.

At some point, Frankie came back to Rhy'Din instead of staring off into space. Mostly about the time that he'd scarfed down his tacos because he was a bottomless pit. Or so it seemed. The pizza before hand at Grace's shop seemed to add onto it and that Garbage Disposal was getting a little bit pudgy at the belt. Leaning back against the booth, he sucked down some coke just as she asked about the burrito and he smirked a little bit. Letting go of the straw, he lifted his chin to her plate. "It's your job to go to town on the burrito, remember?" Attempting a playful nudge to the side of her leg with his own.

Frankie — pudgy' No way. His metabolism would surely burn off whatever extra eating he did — especially considering the rate at which he was growing. Em blinked, though, when she realized that he'd already finished all of his food: she was barely a third of the way through her burrito, and already it felt heavy and weighted down in her belly. The girl pushed her plate away with a dim smile. "...Sure." Frankie nudged her leg and she nudged him back, her knee pushed outwards against his thigh. "But I've had enough for now, and you're never done eating..."

Emmaline trailed off lamely with an awkward shrug of her shoulders. Things had gotten all weird and uncomfortable again, and that kinda sucked. She wanted her Frankie back, the other half of their own little encapsulated world, and she was suddenly realizing how foolish it was to have believed for even a moment that that version of him still existed. Two years was a long time to grow up and move on.

Yeah, let's face facts here. He'd be hungry again in an hour. Boy was quite literally a garbage disposal. That didn't stop him from lifting his shirt some to poke at the little bulge in his belly for a moment. For some reason -call it simple minded amusement- he found it funny. Snickering lightly, he shook his head. "Watchin' your girlish figure?" He teased, patting that bloated belly. "Me too." Bullshit. He smirked over at her when she called him out on never being done eating. "Fair call." But he still didn't go for the burrito at the moment.

The burrito weighed heavily in her belly but something else was weighing heavily in his. He sighed, shoving down his shirt and stayed slumped there like a lazy cow. His head rolled where it was rested against the booth cushion and he looked at her blatantly. "Aight, Em. What's goin' on' You've been too quiet, things are off.." He sighed, grunting as he sat up straight and turned a bit toward her. He nudged his own plate away so he could rest his forearm on the table to look at her point blank. Lifting his chin to her for emphasis, "since when do you not tell me what?s going on your head?" Or when I've been a dick...Or tell me off....Dammit, girl. Tell me SOMETHING here. "...I know it's been two years. But you can still talk to me." His 'cool guy' expression softened at the edges of angular features and he gave her that old Frankie look. "...Please?" The possibility that they'd grown apart over the couple years separated was like a cold fist to the gut.

The way she wrinkled her nose at him suggested that she didn't think her 'girlish figure' was in much better shape than his, really, but that wasn't why she wasn't eating, why the food had been dry and tasteless in her mouth. She reached for her soda and drank nearly all of what was left, trying to wipe the heavy cardboard paste feeling from her tongue. It only kinda worked.

The look he was giving her when he asked her - please! - to tell him what was on her mind, it was like a suckerpunch to the solar plexus. Em frowned, her brows furrowing, and all at once she could feel her resolve crumbling, the desire to protect herself and save some kind of face collapsing like a house of cards versus the potential to cause him further pain. Turning herself at an angle in the seat so that she was facing him a little more as well, Em took a deep breath, swallowed thickly, and gave him a little shrug. "I just feel ...dumb. I just kind of assumed that things would be just like they used to be when we saw each other again and....they aren't."

He'd wolfed down his food without tasting it much, with good reason. She wasn't alone in that factor. But he'd tried to pass it off as just...being a teenage boy.

He was watching her intently, hoping she would open up to him like she used to. That sinking pit in his stomach only deepened with her words and it was his turn to frown. He sighed slowly out of his nose, glancing to the napkin he was fidgeting with. She'd said exactly what he was worried about. "...Em, I want things to be the way they used to be. I didn't realize just how much I missed it until it was gone...and then seeing you again," he was a bit shifty and twitchy admitting it. But, boys weren't good at talking about things like this. His brows furrowed though, looking back to her after a long moment of staring at the table. "Can't things just go back to the way they were".." He felt awkward saying it, because yes. He was older. He'd changed some. But some things about him hadn't changed, like how he still saw her as his best friend. They'd shared so much together, and he didn't want to go back to the days when they were strangers.

Something deep in the pit of her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Frankie was really upset, suddenly; she could see it in the lines of his face, the way he tugged and tore at that napkin like he could shred it with his bare fingers. Which, honestly, he probably could, if he let himself. It hurt her to see him like that, and the instinct to soothe him was too powerful to ignore, no matter what it cost her . "Hey, Frankie," she said softly, trying to reassure him. "I'm still here. I'm still..." she pursed her lips, trying to accept what it was she was saying "...I'm still your best friend. I'm still me and I'm not going anywhere this time. I just..." She looked away from him, studying the splay of her folded fingers when they fidgeted restlessly in her lap. "I guess I thought you'd still want....everything else, too."

He was trying not to be, and he was internally gagging at the sudden vulnerability. But feeling like he was losing the one of the two people he trust in the world...it was hard not to be upset about it. And in all honesty, they were still technically kids. He wanted to shred the napkin up, consciously stopping himself from doing so. He wanted their friendship back, the way it was. But he didn't want it if she didn't, he didn't want to put her in a spot where she felt like she had to be around him for his sake. He was sort of avoiding eye contact at this point, like a bug squirming under a microscope as he dealt with thoughts that most guys just brush off and say nah, girl. It's fine. Don't worry about it. But...it's Em. It's not just 'some girl'. When she said his name, he grunted and hummed. "Mhn?" The way she said it...the way she...hesitated" He swallowed a wince and shook his head, raking his fingers through those tousled locks. "Em.." He started, but trailed off when the next thing she said floored him. He paused, hand in his hair and everything as he went still and just...looked at her. No, stared. And that's when it sunk in. He groaned, his forehead thunking against the table. "I'm such a fucking idiot," he laughed but it wasn't really in amusement. It was that awkward laugh. Maybe a little ironic. "Wait, wait, wait." Picking his head back up and holding his hands up. "...Did you...Do you..?" He furrowed his brows, not quite sure how to phrase it until he just started rubbing his face with his palms. "Em, I haven't tried anything 'cause I didn't think you'd want it. I mean," dropping his hands after one more swipe, he changed it then to rub the back of his neck. He was doing that awkward boy thing again, not quite looking at her and admitting real talk. "I thought after two years, I dunno...You wouldn't...want it' I didn't wanna just...try something...the first day seeing you again." And that goofy Frankie was at it again, "oh hey, it's great to see you again. Mind if I tongue your tonsils a bit"" He scrunched his face and holy hell was his face on fire, he was starting to wonder if it was going to show through the illusion at this point. "..That came out weirder than I wanted it to.."

She'd been bracing herself for his reaction - laughter, maybe, if he couldn't help it, but more likely some kind of awkwardly kind let down. Oh man, I'm sorry, it's just that it's been so long....But that isn't what Frankie did. Em watched him despite herself, despite the impulse to shut her eyes and wait for it, perplexed by his actions.

He let his head drop against the counter in front of them and her brows furrowed. What the hell was he doing" The dweeb was fidgeting so much that Emma had to fight the urge to grab each of his hands and hold them still in her own.

He started with a question, and Emmaline's brows rose in response. "...Do I?" Frankie said he didn't want to 'try something' on that first day that they'd reunited because it had been so long, exactly what it was that she was afraid of where he was concerned. The girl shook her head and just began to laugh.

It was quiet at first, a soft, almost voiceless sound that ultimately rose into a giggle, becoming ever stronger as he offered that colorful image. Just shaking her head again, Em did take one of his hands between both of hers, then, wrapping her delicate fingers around his much wider palm. "...So you're just kind of blind then." She said at last, letting out the breath she'd been holding. "Okay. I can live with that."

He felt like an idiot. That intuition that Hex would be kicking his ass in that moment was now clear on why. And at this point, he'd take the ass whoopin'. When Frankie thinks he should've caught on to something he didn't...that's pretty bad.

The rising laughter from her had him stopping after painting that picture and it was his turn to raise his brows at her. He opened his mouth to say something but her taking his hand had his lips pressing together again. He looked down to the hands that were curled around one of his, those spindly fingers folding over one of the daintier palms. Her assumption was pretty spot on and he breathed out laugh, nodding his head. "That might be an understatement of a century.." When she said she could live with it, those glacier hues lifted finally to look at her and he had a softer lopsided smirk than his usual one. "No one ever accused Frankie Dixon of being the smart guy.." His tone was teasing and playful, shaking his head with that light cackle.

But it was still Frankie...she should've seen it coming. He nudged one of her knees with his, that smirk turning into a grin as he shook his head. "Can't believe you thought....girl have you SEEN you? You're fuckin' smokin'!" Theeeere's Frankie.

Em cracked a smile when he chastised himself for not being smart. She squeezed his hand gently with her fingers. "...Still not being very smart, Dixon..." She said it under her breath, but the smile that carried those words was affectionate, the light in her dark eyes mostly reflecting amusement.

Frankie nudged her knee, and her smile spread wider. Pleased with the compliment, she freed up one of her hands, leaving the other tangled with his, and gently caught the side of his face with it to catch his attention.

Apparently she was going to have to be completely straightforward about this. "Oh my God, Frankie. **** kiss me already, would you? Jesus."

He wasn't smart, and after two years....he was nervous. What' Did she think that he'd been a smooth ladies man when she was gone" No. He'd tried to hit on girls and flopped like a fish. Walked into walls...tripped over curbs....tumbled over his own words...Any ounce of 'smooth' that he gave off was what he portrayed like the illusion that hid his goblinesque face. And what he'd learned from Hex....which...was really a bad idea to begin with. Don't learn how to get ladies from a spiteful incubus, Frankie. Don't do it. The squeeze to his hand was returned and there was a bit of a oh look on his face when he figured out he'd already done it again. "....I do that a lot don't I?" Just slap him, Em.

He blinked, looking at her when she moved her hand away from his -one of them at least- and caught the side of his face. He stared at her for a moment until her blunt words had him widening those icy blues. With her hand on his face, she'd be able to feel the heat flaring up beneath the illusion again, damn near full force too. "I...mhn," he'd just go ahead and cut himself off from his nervous rambling as he reached with his free hand to catch the back of her neck and curl his fingers there. Leaning forward, his lips would find hers...and...he might've been well out of practice here. But he tried, dammit.

Well...yeah, actually. She'd sort of assumed that once he was totally convinced that she was gone, maybe after a couple of months or so, he would start actually dating at least a couple of the girls from his little fan club. Frankie had been very cute even then, and he was significantly more attractive now. He'd been very comfortable with kissing, at least, by the time they were separated — they'd had lots of opportunities for practice, after all — and it just never occurred to her that it was even remotely possible that he hadn't even kissed anybody since.

Had she known, his reticence might have made more sense.

She could feel the flushed heat of his cheek underneath her fingertips even though she couldn't see it, and it made her feel a little better to know that, underneath the ruse, he was as affected by all of this as she. Em could feel his heartbeat where her pinkie curled into a tender spot on the underside of his jaw, and distantly she recognized that its pounding matched the staccato rhythm of her own.

Her eyes widened a little when he started to talk again fucking REALLY are you serious" and then she smiled when he caught himself. A little gasp left her lips when his hand curled around the back of her neck at last — **** finally — and their mouths met.

Emma closed her eyes. It was awkward at first, uncertain and anxious, but maybe it would be something like riding a bicycle - a thing you remembered how to do once you tried it again.

It had taken him a while to really have any interest in a girl after she disappeared. Mostly because he was grieving the loss of his best friend, and the confusion of the sudden break off between the two. He'd tried to hit on a couple girls after that, but it had been him to walk away first as it felt strange. Heyy...oh hey...mhn, nevermind..That was about the jist of it. He might've kissed a couple girls in those two years after he tried to move past the loss, but...it was Frankie. He got weird and they didn't get it. Nor was it something he really wanted to admit. What guy in their right mind would"

He knew she could feel it, but he tried to relax under the touch. His heartbeat was more reluctant to ease up than the blush was, however. Though he could almost feel the pulse of her fingers against his hand, but it was hard to tell who was the culprit; him or her. He liked to think she was just as nervous, that it wasn't just him being a dork.

Yes, he almost goofed again. But, he caught himself! He's...he's getting there. Slowly. It was awkward at first, it took him a moment to find her lips the right way. Another moment to find the right way to turn his head or what to do with his hands...until he realized that his hands were fine where they were. It was just like riding a bicycle and after the moment of his anxiety getting the better of him and making him fumble a bit, he calmed down and just...fell into it. His lips softened against the kiss, his head tilted slightly to the right to fit their lips more comfortably, the hand curled around the back of her neck shifted so his thumb could run over the curved edge of the jaw below her ear.

Okay, now Henry was probably laughing in that I knew it! kinda way.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 04:02 EST
Painfully awkward at first, Em was just about to break away and tell him to fucking breathe already when Frankie finally seemed to get it, and she breathed an inward sigh of relief as their positions relaxed at last. Scooting just a little bit closer to him on the bench, she had to lift one knee to keep it from jamming into his leg, and she let her thigh rest over the top of his to bring their bodies closer.

The trail of his thumb over her jaw brought a little shiver in response, that one hand sliding down from his face to cup the side of his neck and then the inner part of his shoulder.

When she broke from him at last, several long seconds later, Em lingered close still, opening her eyes with a little breathless laugh. "See, now, there's my Frankie."

If it wasn't obvious he was out of practice before....it might've been in that moment. But just like riding a bike, the handlebars stopped swerving and he found his pace before he managed to fall over. That sigh of relief from her was lost to him but there was a little curl of his lips when she scooted closer and he adjusted his leg to accommodate, or just tried to get closer.

His fingers slipped between those thin ropes the same moment her hands moved from his face to his neck. The pace of his heart rate and the heat from his face seemed to ease some though might've jumped a couple times because...well, he was a teenage boy that was kissing a girl. Blood flow might've switched to somewhere else.

When the kiss broke, he was just a little bit breathless and his soft laughter echoed hers. His eyes were slower on the draw of opening but that lopsided smirk was just a little bit more lazy and even a touch more sly. Her words sent a strange tingle down his spine before he brushed it off and looked toward the table then back. "You know....Mom won't be home from work in a while...wanna catch a movie?" Little shit.

It was at that moment that Henry, who may have been watching discretely from a safe vantage point nearby, interjected himself with a deliberately unsubtle - but not unkind- clearing of his throat. "Shall I bring you the check?" He asked ever so politely, and Em blushed profusely as she turned her face towards him, but she nodded. "Yes, please!" The girl managed to squeak out, collapsing against Frankie's chest in a fit of girlish giggles once the waiter had turned away again.

"...Busted..." She said in a low singsong, still snickering. "A...movie...sounds great."

The clearing of Henry's throat had him turning his head to the waiter, and for a moment he might've had that look like he'd been caught with his pants down but it passed just as quickly. He had a goofy grin on his face that said he wasn't sorry. Nodding his head, he was about to pipe up and say something when Em answered him and he cackled when she collapsed into him and fell into those giggles. "Thanks, man!" He called after Henry, his arm looping lazily around Em's waist.

"So busted," he laughed under his breath, "at least it's just Henry, eh?" Scoffing a bit at that, he flashed a grin when she agreed to the movie. Leaning his shoulder against the booth, it tilted his hips as he reached and grunted while fetching his wallet from his back pocket. Though seemed to be doing his best to not disturb her lean on him. When he pulled out the wallet, he set it on the table.

Em shifted with him as he reached for his wallet, maneuvering herself so that she was still wrapped in that one arm as he moved. At least it's just Henry ...she knew immediately what he really meant by that: At least it's not your dad. Likewise thankful for that small fact, the girl brushed the thought away, even lifted one hand to rap her knuckles lightly against the underside of the wooden table so that they wouldn't be jinxed.

Henry returned with the check, setting it at the far edge of the table closest to Frankie with that same knowing smile. "Stay out of trouble, you two..." he counseled in a paternal way, but his eyes twinkled with conspiracy, "or at least don't get caught."

Her rapping on the table had him laughing and mimicking the motion with his own knuckles. Because he wasn't taking any chances. He wasn't surprised that she'd caught on to his true meaning, not that he was hiding the fact. He just didn't want to say it out loud like mentioning her dad was going to have him suddenly showing him and reaming him out for being around his daughter.

That lopsided smirk rose when Henry placed the check next to him and he scooped it up almost immediately. So his Mama had raised him alright after all. Though he did pull a face when they were told to stay out of trouble and looked ready to object until the sentiment was mended. Cackling, he nodded. "He gets me," he muttered to Em, his own eyes glinting with that mischief that was only rightfully in his nature. "Thanks for the service, Henry. And, good to meet you and stuff." He'd pulled out a few bills, to cover their meals and leaving a good tip. "Keep the change," with a tip of his chin as he slid it over to him.

When Henry left, he gave Em's waist a bit of a squeeze. "Alright, let's get outta here," and seemed reluctant to let go before he untangled himself from her to slide out of the booth and put on his jacket as well as slide his wallet back in its respective spot.

The way he scrambled to swipe the check off the counter before Em could even open her mouth to say anything had the girl smiling. This was another thing that apparently hadn't changed, and instead of commenting on it, she just lifted her chin to kiss his cheek, murmuring a soft 'thank you' near his ear.

Once the tab was settled and Frankie was got up, Emma scooted over to the edge of the booth and rose to her feet, only to turn away from him. With her back to her friend, she bent at the waist, leaning across the booth with one hand balanced on the table's surface so she could retrieve her jacket with the outstretched other. Snagging the fabric with her fingertips, she tugged it closer until she could maneuver her balance to right herself, standing up straight once more. She turned back towards him while she put the jacket back on. "...Shit, it's snowing," said the girl, having only just remembered how mad she'd been at the weather a little while ago.

He was a demon-goblin and a spaz, but he was still a respectful Southern boy. He wasn't going to let her pay if he had something to say about it. He appreciated her not commenting on it, but that kiss to his cheek and murmured appreciation had heat rising under the illusion with the tick of a smirk, muttering her own 'welcome' short response.

Just as she got up, he'd managed to get one arm into the sleeve of his leather jacket, though he had to pause when she turned and bent like that. This....this is where he gets told he spent too much time with Hex...

Except he wasn't as smooth with it.

Leaning back, one arm in the sleeve of his jacket, he tilted his head like a puppy to look at her bent over position. Blatantly. It might look shameless when he did it from another perspective, but it wasn't totally intentional. He just...stared...for a moment. Girl butt.. And didn't quite remember when his teeth clamped down on his bottom lip, and was a bit slow on the draw when she was working her way into straightening. Like her backside had hypnotized him, he blinked and shook his head a bit at the realization that she'd turned around. "Snow....what?" Now that he was looking at her face while she was putting on her jacket. Oh. Right. He was supposed to be putting on his. He worked on that again, turning his eyes to the glass windows to peer outside while sliding his other arm into the sleeve.

It took her a couple of seconds to figure out why he wasn't responding, why he was staring at her like he'd been peering into the gates of heaven or something. A pretty pink stain splashed over her nose and down her cheeks when she put it together, a grin stealing across her mouth. Em nudged him in the stomach with the back of her hand — it wasn't really a smack or a push, just a press of contact, and shook her head. "...I will tell you to knock it off but it's too flattering," she laughed, pulling her jacket the rest of the way on and then reaching for her bag.

Once they were both situated and back outside, Em tucked that one hand into the crook of his elbow again, using the other to pull her hat a little lower on her forehead. "Where do you live, anyway?"

There was heat radiating from his face but it couldn't be seen when he knew he'd gotten caught and he played it off like he'd done it on purpose. His own grin spread when she nudged him and he shrugged his shoulders while settling his coat onto his slender frame. "Can you blame me".." Cackling a bit then. Oops...

Once they were outside, he was already digging into his pockets for his cigarettes. They'd just eaten and well, after that kiss, he really wanted one. Plucking one from the pack, he held it out to her as she found his elbow again, using his free hand to tuck his own cigarette between his lips to light it. His head turned in a direction, "down that way." His place was closer to Grace's shop -and his mom's work- than he'd care for at the moment, but he sure as hell wasn't going to hers! When or if she took a cigarette, he'd light it for her before tucking both away into his pocket. "So," he'd start, that sly smirk rising as his legs would start in the direction of his place. "Back to sneaking around, huh?" There was a glint of mischief in those glacier pools as they ticked over to her, his devious grin hinting that he didn't really mind either way.

"I can, sure," she teased him, stressing that she definitely had the ability, "...but I'll let you off easy." Her grin grew by degrees. "This time." Em considered it for a couple of seconds and then accepted a cigarette from the pack, which she slipped into her mouth a moment later. Leaning in when he lit it for her, she caught the slender stem in two fingers of the opposite hand almost immediately after a shallow inhale. Her white breath was a mix of smoke and cold condensation as she exhaled, snaking through the skinny cords of her braided hair on its way into the atmosphere. Following where he lead this time, she curled her fingers into the thick leather of his sleeve, considering an answer to his question.

The girl shrugged. "I mean, I guess so' I love the idea of seeing the look on his face when he realizes you're here, but....logic dictates that we put that off as long as possible." With a wry smile that wasn't particularly happy or humored, she brought the cigarette back to her lips for another drag. "That said, I ain't gonna let him fuckin'....move me all over hell's green acre over it again." There was a certain steel in her voice, like this was a thing she and her father had fought over repeatedly.

"It's the smolder, isn't it?" And he gave her a ridiculously overplayed 'smolder' look, eyes squinted, lips pursed with his brows raised. He was as ridiculous as ever. He dropped the act a moment later and furrowed his brows with his lips pulled into an 'o' shape when she told him this time. His own cigarette dangled from his lips until he caught it with a scissoring of his fingers, sucking air through his teeth when it was tugged away from them. The fingers of the arm she was holding shifted to tuck into his pocket to his knuckles, only pressing her hand to his side with the action taken. He snickered at the mention of her father's face, trying to imagine the look himself but shook his head to get that image out like an etch-a-sketch. "As much fun as it is to make your dad freak.." He scoffed, less amusement and mischief on his face then. Sure, it was fun to make the parents freak but it was Em that would get the backlash of the actions from the man. The thought of that made him scowl and give an agitated flick of the cigarette to expel any collected ash before he took another drag just as she let those thoughts be known in her steely tone. Glacier hues ticked over to her as he paused a bit, turning toward her as he plucked the cigarette away and tipped his chin to make sure the smoke blew away from her. When he looked to her again, there was that sly smirk on his face as his chin tucked to keep the gaze. "Hey...I ain't gonna let him steal you away again.."I don't wanna lose you twice, Em..

The 'smolder' look made her laugh, and she elbowed him lightly in the side. Because that's what you get for making her laugh, apparently. "Uh huh," she nod-nodded in reply. "Don't make me go get my frying pan."

Frankie stopped and turned towards her, so she stopped and turned towards him in kind, at something of an angle since her arm was still tucked into his. She held the cigarette out at arm's length away from and behind her body so that the smoke wouldn't curl into their eyes, her chin lifted expectantly to hear what he had to say. When he spoke, she gave him a pretty smile that said she believed him. Maybe it was the naivety of youth, or the usually-willfully-ignored certainty that he really could prevent such a thing, considering what he was, but she really did believe it. Not just that he meant it, but that he would actually see to it.

Without a word, the girl planted one hand in the center of his chest and then went up on her toes to plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth. It was a glancing contact, sweet and heartfelt but fleeting. "Good."

The light elbow to his side earned a grunt from him as he flashed a smirk to her but her words made him cackle. "Nnf. The things you can do with a frying pan." What that actually was remained a mystery.

That wide smile broke loose, the one that showed most of those pearly whites seeing that trust in her. He'd missed her smile, really. One of the real ones. Like him, she was more prone to a smirk and that hadn't seemed to change much about her.

Though the hand to his chest had him glancing down his cheeks at it, only for them to lift just as she pressed that fluttering kiss to the side of his mouth that brought on a softer smile. His chin lowered some as the smile remained, nodding as he didn't really know what else to say. He'd said his peace, she believed him. Did words really need to be said" He watched her for a moment with that lopsided grin that had formed back into his smirk before he nodded his head, "let's get to the house. Because fuck this snow." Pressing his arm to his side to draw her closer to him, he turned to start walking again just as he took another pull from his cigarette.

Ah, Frankie. Couldn't stop talking when he was probably better served to shut up and yet conspicuously quiet when it was perfectly fine to talk. Emma gave him a nod, settling back on her heels as she turned away from him again, but left her hand nestled in the crook of his arm.

Bringing the cigarette back to her lips once they'd resumed walking, the girl kept close to his side for the stroll, her gaze fixed largely on the concrete before her. She couldn't help it - she'd had it ingrained in her since birth that you had to watch for the sudden appearance of ice, lest it sneak up on you and break your face.

No one ever accused him of being smart or logical! But...back-assed could be one thing to accuse him of...

She was much more fixated on the ground than he was during their stroll, he was mostly just making sure he didn't lead them in the wrong direction. He'd been in Rhy'Din for less than a week so he hadn't completely memorized the streets and paths to take. But he knew where to go from certain points, signs or pictures on shops he recognized. The stroll wasn't all that quiet, and he'd smoked another cigarette on top of the one he finished along the way. But he didn't really feel the need to talk, it felt good just to have her around again, on his arm and walking like they'd done before. After about ten or so minutes, he lifted his chin while flicking the spent filter away. "The apartment's right there," he informed her, letting the filter smolder to nothing in the faint dusting of snow on the cobblestones they'd paved their pathway through.

Em had a slightly better handle on where they were headed, given that she'd been in town longer. She looked up periodically to orient herself - checking a street sign here, noting a landmark store or monument there - and then went back to watching her step carefully. She was content to maintain the silence between them, preoccupying herself with watching for ice to keep her mind from getting all wound up about....what kind of movie they were going to watch. She dragged on the cigarette from time to time until it was three-quarters gone and then she dropped it, crushing it underfoot so she was sure that the cherry was extinguished. When he offered her a second one, she politely shook her head.

Frankie announced their arrival and Em looked up at last, taking in the sight of the building. She glanced around a little and then finally back up at him with an approving grin. "Good neighborhood. Y'all picked well."

His attention was on the buildings now, making sure he'd pointed to the right one. He had, he was sure now that they'd edged closer to it. Smirking a bit, he shrugged to the sentiment. "K picked it. It's a close commute to the shop Mom's workin' at. Better than some of the places," he admitted before they'd reached the stairs that lead up to the front of the building. Instead of bounding up them with all the energy of a teenage boy, he took it as slow as she did....the Ice Watcher...When they'd make it up the short walk of a few stairs, he'd ease his arm from her grip to open the door for her and hold it open so she could get inside. And once they'd breached that doorway, he'd lead her around the stairs instead of up them. "First floor, too. Easier if they get a rushed call I guess," he noted, trailing down the hallway to the few doors scattered on both sides. "Number 4," he breathed, turning to the second door on the left and dug out his keys from his pocket to let them inside, which of course, he held the door for her before closing it.

The apartment itself was small, not cramped but cozy. There were two small bedrooms, the doorway leading right into the kitchen before branching to the living room. It looked like one room, the division of the sections were cut by a line from linoleum and carpet. There were a few things that made it homey, instead of bland like a hotel room. K liked to accommodate for their stays when they worked a job, give them a home to come to instead of just feeling like a business trip. It was a sweet gesture, but it just made it feel fake to him.

It was good that he didn't bound; either he'd have pulled her over or left her behind. And seeing as she was partially hanging onto him to keep herself from falling in case she did actually encounter any rogue ice patches, not leaving her behind was for the best. Em accompanied him up the front steps and into the hallway, letting the shifting of his side against the back of her hand guide her as he moved so she didn't slow him up anymore than she already was.

Looking around the apartment once they were inside, Emma caught herself peering at the little 'homey' details, comparing them to what she knew of Frankie's actual house back in Georgia. The girl frowned then, swallowing roughly — the abrupt reminder that his presence here in Rhydin was intended to be strictly temporary had a knot swelling in the back of her throat. She shifted her weight to stand more closely to him since the link of their arms had been dropped. "It's nice," she said finally. "Kinda ....sterile. But nice."

Temporary. That was an accurate depiction of the place. He hadn't minded it as much until he saw Em again, but as his eyes swept the place to the girl's words, it was like flashing red sign that had his jaw tensing a bit. Snickering, he forced a smirk on his face. "Been trying to work on that, but you know how Ma is. She likes a clean home." His hand swept over her arm, whether to comfort her or himself was a mystery before he turned a bit to take off his leather jacket. He broke away from her long enough to sling his jacket over the back of a kitchen chair, nodding to the fridge. "Want something to drink?" Another thing his mama taught him: hospitality.

Em laughed along with him, but to her mind it sounded hollow, echoing in her ears. "Yeah..." She shrugged out of her coat again when she saw him doing the same, peeling her arms out of it one at a time and then draping it over the same chair. Next to go was the knit cap she was wearing. It was virtually impossible to get 'hat hair' when your hair was in tightly woven braids, but the girl ran her fingers through them anyway, resettling their weight over her scalp to make sure they were hanging correctly. She dropped the hat on top of the coat and then rested her hands on her sides, each straddling the narrowest point before between her ribcage and the flare of her hips.

When he offered her a drink, Emma shrugged. "Sure. Water or whatever." A grin. "...Sweet tea if you got it."

After he'd asked, he walked over to the fridge and laughed a bit. "If I got it.." He muttered, shaking his head with a smirk. Turning toward the fridge, he perked a brow at her like you know who you're talking to, right" "Nah, we got Brisk.." He teased sarcastically, though the word felt dirty coming out of his mouth. Swinging open the door, he pulled out a plastic pitcher of home brewed sweet tea. He moved to the counter, setting aside the pitcher before retrieving two glasses from the cabinet above before swatting the door closed and poured them each a glass. After putting the pitcher back in the fridge, he picked up their glasses and brought hers to her, that sly smirk as...he probably should've already known that answer. "So, ain't got shit for movies that we brought with us. But there's Netflix," ha! Netflix and chill" "or we can see if there's something to order on cable." He nodded his head toward the living room for her to join, seeming to make himself comfortable on the couch after he snatched up the remote. Though the way he was relaxed into the cushion wasn't closed off, leaving plenty of options if she wanted to get close or if they were just going to be awkward teenagers now they were alone. Ha!

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 04:16 EST
Em arched a brow at him. Brisk" "I can't believe you just said that shit with a straight face," she scoffed, tossing her head haughtily. Iced tea snob' You bet. "For all I know you didn't have time to pack any..." She said to defend why she'd asked — it had honestly been an innocent question! Frankie came toward her with the tea and she took the glass that was offered, taking an experimental sip from it like she was going to be the ultimate judge of whether or not it was an acceptable offering. The girl squinted up at him and then broke into a grin. Apparently he passed.

Brows inched together in confusion when he announced that there were no movies, offering alternate entertainment choices instead. Her lips quirked in half a smile and she moved towards him, her gaze somewhat incredulous as she sat beside him, more against his side than not. "...Oh, you mean you actually wanted to watch a movie, huh?"

"I'm not going to lie, I think I felt some taco come back up," scrunching his nose as he teased her. Boys were gross. He knew she was a tea snob, and the display she put on had him smirking, raising his brows with a slight tilt to his head while he waited for his fate to be decided. When she squinted up at him, he acted like he was holding his breath, only to let it out when she grinned in the form of a few muttered words. "Phew, no frying pan." Settled on the couch, he turned on the television as she made her way over and started flipping through channels. His eyes kept glancing between her and the screen, raising a brow as he sipped from his own glass finally and peered over the rim of the cup. Her incredulous gaze had him fighting a smirk behind the glass, his head turning to look at her with his own incredulous gaze. "...What did you think I meant?" But dammit if his eyes weren't his tell, that glint of mischief that was there not a moment before he grinned. He shrugged one shoulder, "watch...or background sound. Either way, it's something." With a shift of his eyes in her direction, that smirk almost coy then.

"Yet," she faux-threatened him, drinking more of her tea with a deliberate glance back at the kitchen, like she was making sure she could put her hands on a frying pan if she needed to.

Snickering softly, she met his ever so innocent look with one of her own. "Oh, no. We can totally watch a movie and, you know, play checkers or...whatever...." She trailed off, grasping for equally unrealistic alternatives. "I wouldn't want to deprive you of some good"wholesome fun." With a nonchalant toss of her head, she crossed her legs all primly, tucking the fingers of her free hand neatly between her knees, as though to indicate that she definitely wouldn't be up to any funny business. No, she was the picture of proper decorum, that one.

"Ooooh shit," he muttered, feigning fear of that damn frying pan. There was an added glance to the kitchen then back at her like he believed she was gonna go for it.

He fought laughter there at her suggestion, his lips a thin line as he slowly nodded his head. "I'm sure we can find monopoly up in this bitch," even though the game would likely end with the frying pan. Monopoly had a way of bringing out violence between people at a higher rate than the streets of Detroit. "If all else fails, there's some paper around. Can always play tic-tac-toe. Kosher." With an added sniffle as he lifted his chin, the corner of his mouth twitching at the grin that was threatening. He almost succeeded were it not for her prim and proper display that had his shoulders shaking, chin tucking at the laughter he was hardly containing. Em' Proper decorum' Yeah, right. Finally, he snickered and glanced over to her. "That's as believable as saying Brisk makes good tea," oh god. He said those awful words. Though he'd made a scrunch of his nose at that statement this time. "Oh, look. A documentary on plants." And yes, he left it on that channel, leaning forward to toss the remote on the coffee table. Because that was interesting. Not-so-sneaky ****er.

"Monopoly' You just trynna start a fight, huh?" The more she spoke to Frankie, the more she sounded like herself the way she'd sounded at home: the blunting of her accent that had taken place since she'd moved was beginning to fall away. Em laughed, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head that sent tiny braids scattering over her shoulder.

She visibly cringed, looking scandalized. "That is blasphemy, Frankie Dixon, and you will go to Hell for saying it." This was an especially funny declaration considering who she was talking to, and she knew it, too. There was a sparkle of mirth in the otherwise calm depths of dark eyes, her lips twitching as she, too, fought the urge to smile and ultimately failed. Turning her gaze towards the television when he chucked the remote away, Emma pretended to be extremely interested. "Hey, 'round here" A documentary on plants could actually be fascinating.'Member where you are."

"Maybe I just like it when you're all riled up," he claimed, lifting his brows at her with a curl of a smirk. She was sounding more like herself by the moments passing and it made his smirk broaden into a grin. "You wanna fight 'bout it?" Drawling his own twang at her, cackling softly as he gave her a soft nudge to her arm. Bantering with Em had been one of his favorite things. Frankie might have his own list of 'favorite things'.

While she had that look like he'd slapped her, he just looked at her innocently until her accusation of going to Hell had him cackling. "I should probably say my Hail Mary's and go to confession for that one, huh?" His own twinkle of mischief laced with amusement was aimed right at her like a barrel of a gun as her failure of holding back a smile had him cracking his very own.

When he looked at the television, he had to press his lips together into a thin line to stop the bubble of a cackle threatening to escape. "Mhn, definitely. I'd always wondered what the difference was been the species of ferns," which was apparently what the documentary was explaining. He sighed, "Morgan Freeman would've made this thing so much better.." And like the cheesiest, most lame move he could come up with....he yawned super loud and long as he stretched his arms over his head, just to let his right arm lower and fall around her. "Man, where'd that come from?" He was not sneaky, and it was debatable on if he was even trying.

Emma raised her brows at him, a playful challenge in her eyes. Oh you wanna see 'riled up' do you? Her talk was all swagger as she responded to him, all brassy clap back and not really intended to be taken seriously. "Boy, it's been a minute since somebody kicked your ass, ain't it?" She said it like maybe that was a thing that needed fixing, but she didn't actually make a move at him or anything.

That cheesy move had her laughing again, calling him a "...goober," but it was a term of endearment, honest. She shifted her weight on the couch, redirecting herself to lean against him much as she had in the diner, only this time much more drastically so.

Challenge was met with challenge as he lifted his own brows at her. His head leaned back some in an oh hail nah sorta way as he fought a wide grin. "It's been more than a minute," he sighed in a feigned forlorned kinda way. "No one could kick my ass like you could," sniffling a bit before he gave her that lopsided smirk. And then his brows bounced, because he might be remembering pillow fights. So much destruction...

"You dig it," he claimed, laughing under his breath at the name she gave him. His arm curled around her waist, turning a bit against the cushions to give her more of a dip to curl up against. He took the moment to drink some more of his sweet tea while it was still cold, lowering his hand to prop it against the top of his thigh when he was done with it. He was quiet for a moment, staring at the television. Too quiet. Until...."This fucking documentary is so boring," he breathed, breaking out in a cackle.

"Clearly," agreed Em dryly. To her mind, Frankie had gotten wildly out of hand since she saw him last, all sassing her like that. Just ask her. His smile was adorable, though, and probably she was thinking of those same pillow fights, because rather than looking all tough and menacing, she just ended up grinning at him.

Settling against his chest, she balanced her glass of tea on the cushion just adjacent to his outer thigh. She had one arm draped loosely across his lap, and that was the hand she was kinda/sorta keeping the glass upright with. The other had dipped behind his back, her fingers curling into the hem of his shirt as she tried...very very hard to watch the documentary. He was right, though. This wasn't a Rhydin plants documentary, so none of them turned into anything else or ate anybody. Hell, none of them did anything at all. Lame. When he spoke, she lifted her chin to look up at him. "So whatcha wanna do instead?"

What did she expect' She hadn't been there to keep him in line, and the people he hung out with weren't all that great at doing so! There was Leah...but she could only catch him part of the time. He had Hex which....didn't do shit to keep him in line and might've just been a worse influence for him. K wasn't that great at it, considering she was another Hellion and refused to be a hypocrite.

He accommodated for her as she moved around to get comfortable. He didn't know much about Rhy'Din and its plants, but even without much knowledge of the otherworldly plantlife...it was still bland to watch. He lifted the glass to his lips for a slow sip of tea, eyes looking down angular cheekbones when she looked up at him and asked that question. You. That single thought had his face flaring with heat before he lowered the glass and cleared his throat. Okay, definitely too much time with the big guy. "Well...we could.." He started, shrugging the shoulder she wasn't laying on before giving her a bit of a smirk. "Pick up where we left off.." Reaching up to playfully tug one of those microbraids but was gentle with it.

Em wasn't a mind reader or anything, but she did know Frankie pretty well. She had a solid idea as to what had prompted that throat clearing even though he didn't say it, and she folded the hand that wasn't holding the tea glass up underneath her chin, propping it on his chest, to lift herself a little higher without moving away. The boy suggested a resumption of what they'd been doing before, and the smile that parted her lips seemed to say that the suggestion suited her just fine. "I mean, if you're sure you don't have a burning desire to learn about..." Emma glanced away, peering at the screen. She tried to read the technical name for the plant they were talking about in the program, and determined that it had entirely too many syllables to attempt. "—whatever the hell that is..."

He was working on keeping the awkwardness out of his movements and words, reminding himself that it was that bicycle again though he was relatively comfortable with the training wheels being taken off on portions of it. The way she propped herself had him chuckling, only to cackle at the strangely named plant that he should've had a burning desire to learn about. "Pretty sure I'll survive not knowing how..." He squinted at the name displayed on the screen. "....asplenum....scolo—....fuck that shit," he grunted, giving up on trying to pronounce that damn thing before his head tilted downward to try to catch her lips with his.

Frankie was apparently willing to try out the whole name, or....started to be, anyway, before he too gave up on all those syllables. Em giggled, was still giggling in fact when their mouths met, cutting off the sound with a sudden muted moan. The girl arched her back, lifting herself just a little ways off his chest to make the angle better, and those braids spilled over one shoulder, pooling like coils of rope on his torso. It was better this time, less awkward...except for the fact that she still had one hand tied up with the tea glass. Carefully, she stretched, trying to set it on the floor without disrupting what they were doing. This probably had disaster written all over it.

He tried, he really did. But the second name was pronounced something awful that wasn't worth the time to figure out. Besides, he had a knack for talking when he shouldn't be. That, too, was something he was working on again. Though her giggling against his mouth curled the side of his mouth which contorted the kiss until it was stifled by her muted moan. With the arch of her back, his arm around her waist shifted to the dip her spine made and...then she was stretching...Which really did have disaster written all over it. His mouth followed her stretching lean as he glanced over to what she was doing. Oh, tea...Right.. While she stretched, the idea of having both hands free seemed pretty good. Unfortunately, he was a teenage boy that had a girl against his mouth which had his brain going a little wonky. So as she stretched, he leaned forward to try to set his own glass on the coffee table. Which had her teetering at an angle that offset his balance...and would likely have them both toppling to the damn floor.

Yeah, floor imminent. She allllmost had the glass situated on the floor the way she wanted it, right up against the couch and off to the side so that — in theory, anyway— no one would kick it, when Frankie started leaning at a ninety degree angle to where she was balanced and, well....disaster.

Emmaline was twisted practically onto her side to begin with, one arm all the way outstretched and the other anchoring itself on his shoulder, and then he leaned forward and she lost her anchor. With a sudden twist and downwards rush, there was virtually no way the girl wasn't ending up on her back on the floor in the space between the couch and the coffee table. Her eyes flew open, the one free hand flailing....which totally probably also knocked her tea glass over. Oops.

For a non-human, it was relatively known that Frankie could be a clutz sometimes...mostly for not thinking some things through. This....this was one of those times. Thinking more about how his lips were locked instead of oh...probably shouldn't lean that way or the girl's going to fall off my lap! Oops indeed. The moment he felt her slipping, he yelped out a "****!" but down she went regardless of him trying to catch her. His strength was a notch or two above a human's but he was still awkward in that tall and lanky body. And....he didn't quite think about how to catch her. Safe to say, he slid off the cushion with one knee beside her knee, one hand propping in the nook between her head and shoulder and...the other hand was pinned between her butt and the floor. That other leg was half crouched over hers at an awkward angle and he looked down with his own wide glacier pools. "****, Em. You okay' I...um....didn't think that thro-oh ****." Because tea spilled onto the carpet. "That's going to be awkward explaining to mom later..." He mumbled, his face was so damn warm at that point, it could probably be a sufficient heating source for another planet. He reached out, supporting his weight on his knee to upright the glass that tipped over. Oops!

She'd landed on the carpet with a thud, and then suddenly there was a Frankie on top of her with his hand on her....oh, yeah. His hand is totally on her ass, isn't it' Well, it's not like she could exactly object to that now. Em just stared at him for several seconds, wide eyed and a little stunned, and then she just started laughing like an idiot. "....I....can't believe that just happened," she said, glad for the carpet that kept the spilled tea from coming anywhere near her hair, which was splayed out around her head in a Medusa-esque halo. She did not, however, attempt to dislodge the boy in any way. Or even move his hand. Instead, she curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and pulled him down towards her, kissing him again when their mouths were close enough to meet.

Yes, his hand was on her ass. Unintentional as it was, he totally played off like he'd done it on purpose. Wide eyes were met with wide eyes but when she laughed, he relaxed some from his goof-up and cackled himself. "Really' You can't believe it' You do remember who I am, right?" There was a crooked grin on his features as he didn't seem to be moving from where he was crouched over her, especially since she didn't make any move to push him away. Though there was a brief look of surprise when his shirt was grabbed and he was tugged down by it. A grunt escaped his lips until it was muffled by the collision of lips, stifling it and twisting it into a hum. Those icy pools were hidden by lids and long lashes as he tilted his head into the kiss, making sure to keep their lips pressed together as he maneuvered out of his strange crouch over her. Leaning on one elbow, he settled at an angle on his left hip on her right side to let his top leg drape between hers. At least the way the glass had spilled, he avoided the wet carpet (and seemed rather complacent leaving it there!) and didn't seem to be in any rush to move the hand that was under her butt.

In her mind, the move had been dead sexy. **** the tea, it said, and I don't give a damn about the carpet, either. Pulling him down like that into her, it was supposed to be smooth and seamless and arresting and hot, just like it was in the movies. But this wasn't a movie, and it didn't quite work out that way.

For one thing, this was Frankie she was dealing with, and although he knew her better than most, he wasn't privy to the cinematic reel in her head. And anyway, he'd already proven that he was kind of blind. For another thing, tugging someone's face down to yours by the shirt collar - especially at this angle - didn't exactly happen smoothly even when both people knew what was up. She pulled and he was surprised, didn't immediately understand, so for that split second he resisted, and in that same split second she'd lifted her head to meet him. The collision of mouths when it came was more forceful than was strictly anticipated, and Em's bottom lip got caught in the crossfire between his teeth and hers.

She didn't notice it right away beyond the sharp pinch of pain, because - hey, even if it wasn't all smooth and sexy, kissing was still kissing- and they did manage to get themselves sorted out pretty quickly. She shifted as he did to accommodate the way he'd stretched out at her side, her knees parting to let him slip that one leg between them. The one hand that was still all curled up in the fabric of his shirt hung there like she'd forgotten about it, the other hand had eased over the curve of his ribs. Losing track of virtually everything except the way his tongue felt in her mouth, it took her a couple of seconds to become aware of the familiar copper tang that was mixed up in Frankie.

...Blood.

The underside of the crested swell of her almost too-full lower lip had broken open against her bottom teeth.

What boy in their right mind would stop kissing a girl to say hold up, lemme clean the carpet first. An idiot one. Which....he was an idiot but...he had priorities. Sorry, Leah. Kissing Em won over Carpet Care. Frankie was difficult (nearly impossible) to plug into any form of movie situation that leaned toward smooth. It just....never quite worked out that way. It was like he was a personal spoof fail of all the movies.

The collision of mouths wasn't pulled off as smoothly as intended, and probably didn't help with all the moving and maneuvering made by The World's Most Clumsy Demon-Goblin. And though he managed to get himself settled, he might've been a bit lost in the kiss until..blood. He tasted it on his tongue and he grew still for a moment, his thoughts seeming to flood his mind like a dam had broken down.

****. Did I bite her" Did the illusion not hold" Did I hurt her" ****! I hurt her! Mhn....that actually tastes pretty good. Oh son of a bitch. Wait, no. ****. Ngh, goddammit..

And yet, he seemed to be having a difficult time pulling away from her. Mumbling awkwardly against her lips, though gently to not cause more damage...."..Is your lip okay".." Right. Because drawing attention to it seemed like the right thing to do.

Emma had put no great effort into pulling away from him, either. About the same time she became aware of the taste of blood, the edge of a tongue - she couldn't actually tell whether it was his or hers or some jumbled combination of both - rolled over the wound, lighting up the nerve ending that had been asleep at the wheel. Oh, right! That kind of hurts actually! Blood means hurts! the nerve seemed to catch on at last, but even then the discomfort wasn't so much that it would stop her.

Frankie pulled away enough to comment on it, though, and in the slight separation she realized that the injury had begun to swell, the way lips always do when they're broken. It made a fat lip even fatter, at least on that one side, and she ran her own tongue over it curiously. "...Yeah. I mean it hurts a little and it's getting kinda puffy, but I don't mi—-" Emma cut herself off then as the thought occurred to her, eyes flashing open to peer up at him. "Are you okay?" She knew he wasn't a vampire, but from what she'd learned of what he was, they had a thing for torn skin, didn't they' Something like that"

His kind weren't anywhere near vampires, really. They had more in common with ghouls. Flesheaters. Maneaters. Some were even considered cannibals, and considering him and Leah were somewhat human....Ahem. It wasn't until she asked him if he was okay that he realized he was staring at her moving lips as she spoke and he blinked, his face flaring with that heat that seemed to radiate. "Oh, um...Yeah. I'm fine. I.." Shaking his head a bit, he'd lifted his head more to look at her without really realizing it. "I mean, you taste good....I kinda licked it...but...Oh god whydidIjustsaythat?" He breathed, groaning as his eyes closed. Dude, you don't tell a chick that you liked licking her bloody lip. You just sounded like a mega creep. "....I ruined the moment again, didn't I?" Peeking out one shame stricken glacier pool at her, his expression scrunched a bit.

A giggle spilled from her mouth. It was somewhere between self-conscious and amused; there was something hot about the way he was staring and at the same time she felt a little bit like food. She was still grinning when he peered at her, all...checking to see how mad she was, and the truth was she wasn't mad at all. Just shaking her head, she leaned in and pressed her wounded mouth to his in a soft, mostly chaste kiss. "...Nah. This probably means I'm weird as ****, but ....I kinda like it that you like it?" His confession seemed to warrant one in kind.

Rakshasa give a whole new take to the I could just eat you up thing, don't they' Frankie didn't have the taste for flesh as much as Leah did, but maybe just a nibble...Or three...He tried not to think about how the taste of flesh and blood didn't repulse him however.

The giggle that came from her surprised him a bit. It still caught him off guard that...even knowing what he was...she hadn't run from him. She'd seen his ugly mug, knew somewhat about their habits. And yet, that strange human still hung around him. Still...oh, hello.The soft, even chaste kiss was welcomed as he returned it gently, brief as it was. Her words had him opening that second eye to look at her with a quirk of brow before his mouth spread into a smile. Not a lopsided cocky smirk like he usually had presented, but a warm smile. "Yeah, you are pretty weird to put up with my even weirder ****....But, I dig it.."

He leaned his head down slowly, trying to be as gentle as he could as he pressed a kiss to her bottom swollen lip. "Do you want some ice for it...or"...." He muttered, seeming reluctant to pull away from her at the moment, yet still open to getting up to go fetch her something cold for the swollen and abused lip.

Emma smiled against his mouth when he kissed her a second time, one hand lifting to cup his face. Her fingers were curled along the underside of his jaw, and when he pulled away just that little bit to ask her if she wanted anything for her busted lip, a tension suddenly came into those curled fingers, holding him to her, pulling him back. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, just enough that the tip of her nose nudged his in something of an "Eskimo" kiss. "Nope," she breathed, her lips smearing lightly over his as she spoke. "I want you to kiss it and make it better."

When her hand found his face, his own hand finally moved away from her ass to seek the slender dip of her waist. Whether it would stay there was a mystery, however. He laughed softly to the way she pulled him back, not complaining an ounce about her reluctance to let him move away. That 'something of an Eskimo kiss' had his lids hiding those glacier pools partially, a soft sigh leaving him before his mouth broke into a grin at her words, pecking a soft kiss against the smear of her lips. He looked about ready to say something, his lips parting a hairline before he decided to take some well-given advice and just shut up and kiss her. Though he was gentle, not wanting to damage her lip further. The hand connected to his propped elbow moved to push back those microbraids from her face, his thumb stroking over her forehead.

He can be taught. Emmaline smiled inwardly, her lips opening to his, inviting. The hand that had been cupping his face slipped up over his ear into his hair, the other hand coming to rest lightly on his shoulder. Her lashes fluttered closed, veiling herself from the world so she could focus on just kissing him, on the way his tongue felt as it moved against hers, the way his mouth tasted, traces of sweet tea and hints of blood.

She breathed through her nose, unwilling to let the kiss get interrupted again. Fingers tangling in the choppy waves of his hair, Em tugged lightly on the strands, only to release them again and trace her fingernails down the back of his neck. The other hand slid down from his shoulder over his arm and then underneath it, gathering up the fabric of his shirt in her fist somewhere along the back of his ribcage.

When she could stand it no longer, she broke from him, but made no real move to let him go or give him space. Dark eyes peeling open, she peered up at him with a little half smile. "We gonna....do this here, or like...get back up on the couch?"

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 04:22 EST
Like an old dog with new tricks, right' Except....not that old. The hand in his hair earned her a pleased hum, a squeeze to her waist where his hand had found purchase. "Mhn.." he breathed, tilting his head more into the kiss, peddling away on the bicycle he was finding himself back on top of. There was a swipe or two of his tongue to that lip, taking advantage of the fact that she seemed to like that he liked it.

He grunted at the light tug to his hair, a smirk contorting the kiss some as his hand found its way back to her ass. Of which...of course he groped it a bit. Though it didn't quite stay there as his hand slid along the length of her thigh, getting accustomed to her body all over again. The slight changes over the past couple years since they'd been entangled in each other. When she broke away, he seemed somewhat reluctant but complied, his eyes slow to open to present those glacier blues. Her half smile was met with that lopsided smirk, lazy in its nature. Her words had him cackling a bit, glancing to their position on the floor. "...Maybe the room for safe measure".." Letting her decide as he grunted and started working himself to his feet, standing up, he held his hands out to her, fingers wiggling to help her up.

The kissing thing had become more comfortable again, finally. It was still thrilling, of course, setting nearly all her nerve endings alight such that even her scalp tingled, and it made her feel all warm and squirmy inside in a way she really hadn't before. He mentioned moving to his room 'for safety's sake', and Em could feel her face flush as she dropped her chin in a nod. Yes. That nod said, her eyes tracking his movements as he stood. The girl cleared her throat, knowing she needed to give clear consent. "Good idea."

Lifting herself up on her elbows, the teenager sat up the rest of the way, folding her legs underneath her. She took his outstretched hands, using him for leverage and balance as she brought herself to her feet with his help. "Thanks, darlin'," she said, making a point to mind her manners as they stood face to face, their hands still interlocked. She broke eye contact only to glance over her shoulder. "Which one's yours?"

From that distance, she couldn't feel the heat radiating from his face once more. The drop of her chin was a mixed signal until she nodded, though he appreciated the verbal consent to clear up any possible confusion. Because...it's Frankie. The less confusion, the better.

"Welcome," he chuckled, his fingers curling around her hands as he'd hoisted her up. When she glanced over her shoulder, his eyes followed her gaze as he lifted his chin. Only to realize she wasn't looking at him and cleared his throat, voicing it instead, "the one on the right." And...he still neglected the tea spilled on the floor as he started to move around the coffee table though he had to release one of her hands to face forward. The klutz didn't need to bust his ass trying to walk backwards, that's for sure. They already had one accident! "Unless, you know, you wanna go for Monopoly," he teased, that lopsided smirk rising, possibly just talking so she couldn't hear the pounding in his chest.

She was feeling a little nervous again, her heart racing where it had climbed up into her throat. She wanted this, no question, but it had still been a while, and, well ....it was still a pretty novel experience. Em squeezed his hand, stepping around the fallen tea glass and over the wet spot on the carpet - haha- as they started towards his room. Whether she was reassuring him or herself, well, that was anybody's guess. Maybe both.

Frankie made his crack about the board game, and she arched her brows at him. Coming to a stop, she turned on her heel so that she was facing him again, and with more bravado than she really possessed, she slid her free hand down the front of his pants and gently squeezed. "I mean, if you would rather play checkers or something..."

He was feeling nervous, numerous thoughts swarming in his mind. It's been two years...I haven't really fooled around with anyone since...Oh god, I'm gonna suck. What if I suck" Shit. I'm totally gonna suck. Did that stop him from wanting it' Hell no. But there was still that insecurity at the back of his mind. Like a bicycle.. He tried to remind himself. Which was really stupid considering he was a teenage boy, he didn't expect to be a damn God in bed. Boy had a lot left to learn. So as they rounded the coffee table, avoiding the collateral of the sweet tea -at least the carpet wasn't white!- he returned the squeeze to her hand.

He'd made the crack in his nervous babble-mouthed state, but he wasn't quite expecting her to turn on him. In...yet...a somehow aggressively sexy way. When she stopped, so did he. When she spun, his brows lifted as his eyes fell on her. When her hand met the front of his pants and she squeezed" His eyes closed briefly as he caught his bottom lip, his expression riddled with surprise, so much surprise in fact that he couldn't even blush about it. "Jesus.." He muttered, his breathing seeming to pick up a bit as he looked at her, teeth catching his bottom lip to nearly abusive levels. His contorted smile considering he was biting his lip spread as he shook his head, finally letting go as his hand reached for her hip. "....**** those goddamn checkers," he groaned, the surprise grab seeming to have quite the effect on him as he gave a squeeze to her hip and tried to plant another kiss on her...which...was somewhat counterproductive as he nudged her gently in a guiding way toward the bedroom door. Her squeezing hand would likely be met with a bit of movement behind the fabric of his jeans.

The look on his face was priceless. For a moment or two those brilliant firework eyes of his showed through the pale blue illusion, snagging her attention even more than the muffled moan, the ragged breath, the way he reached for her. That smile of his was fucking adorable, though, and she moved into him as he pulled, meeting his mouth for that kiss.

————————————————————————— —

"..Was hoping...that was going to...last longer...sorry.." His ragged breathing gushed over the side of her neck as he muttered those words.

It was a little detail Em had forgotten until just that moment, his self consciousness, the way he hid his face from her like he was embarrassed. She remembered wondering, suddenly, if it was because he thought he'd make silly faces or because he was worried about the illusion slipping. Curious about it again, now, Emma didn't fight him on it, only curled her fingers into his hair, gently stroking his scalp until he was finished. She continued petting him in that way even after he went still, her own heart rate and uneven breath returning to normal by slow, gradual degrees. "It's okay, Frankie," she murmured, turning her head to press a light kiss at his temple. "We'll get better with more practice."

It was perhaps a combination of both, he remembered talking about his first time with Hex and that epiphany of oh god! What if I made a stupid face....OH GOD. What if I made a terrible goblin sex face"! ****. And after that, he had a tendency to hide his face when it came to his release. It was a strange little quirk he apparently hadn't fallen out of.

Still other than the heavy breathing in his chest, the fingers stroking his scalp contrasted in the way they soothed him and electrified his flesh all at once. A thin coating of sweat was rapidly cooling on his back and sent shivers down his spine that had him holding her closer. The hand on her ass sliding up to hold her a bit more comfortably as he enjoyed the moment of lying there afterwards. Her words had him chuckling a bit, nuzzling into the side of her neck softly. "More practice, huh' Ngh, you won't get any complaints from me," he muttered to her, sighing softly at the kiss pressed to his temple. His eyes closed, relaxing as his breathing had gone a bit steadier with each passing moment.

He gave a content sigh laying there with her until the beeping of his phone went off and made him grumble. "What the fuck is it now?" He huffed, pulling his head away from that comfy little nook of her neck, adjusting a bit to reach beside the bed to seek the pocket of his jeans that held his phone. A few grunts and swats, he managed to snag it and tug it out. Only to turn the phone display toward him and read the message spread out on the screen:

Leah: On my way home. Want anything"

"Shit! Mom's on her way."

Emmaline had let her eyes flutter closed, drifting contentedly with her head tipped back against his pillow and the heat of his body as a makeshift blanket to keep her warm.

The whole thing was a little bit overwhelming. She'd started this day just like any other of the last two years, on a mission to just keep her head down and get through the day, keeping to herself as much as possible. Instead, she found herself naked and freshly **** with Frankie, her Frankie, her best friend. Her...pretty much everything. She was content to be quiet with him, to just lay there with him in one another's arms, trying not to think too much beyond the intimacy of the moment.

All of that was shattered, though, when his phone went off. Emma found herself wondering where her phone was and whether her dad had messaged her to check in, yet, and she wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to what Frankie was doing —giving him as much privacy to check his messages as she could, considering — when she absorbed and processed what it was he was saying. "...Oh, shit. How long do we have?"

He was content to lay there with her as long as the moment lasted. While she was sore, that rubber wasn't feeling all that comfortable on him anymore. But he refused to let that ruin the moment. Because after two years and feeling a little lost without her, he had Em. Finally. His Em, his best friend. And he was reluctant to pull away from her.

At least...until that text had his heart pumping in a whole new way. Her question came to him but he didn't stop to think about it long. "I dunno, maybe ten minutes" Wait." He typed out a quick response to his mother. I'm hungry. "That should give us a few more minutes," he snickered, tossing aside his phone as he pressed one hand to the mattress for balance as he started to lift himself up. "..I wasn't too rough was I?" That concern for her that was a bit more intimate save for maybe one or two other people, that look of genuine care for her well-being instead of that teenage shrug it off...whatever they tended to respond with. And though he made it clear he was still listening, he did move off the bed to go to the trash can to rid himself of the used condom, making sure to swat a couple pieces of paper or trash to hide it.

"Hm?" Em started to rise once he'd extracted himself, and the slimy feel of the latex leaving her body was...definitely odd. She she'd pushed herself up on her hands into a sitting, and she winced a little as sensitive skin shifted against the sheets. That little sting clued her into what he was asking about, though, and the girl gave him a smile that was equal parts sheepish and guilty. "Oh, no. Definitely not. I....kinda like the way it hurts," she admitted, a pale blush staining the freckled mantle of her cheeks.

Shifting herself off the mattress, the teenager stood on legs that wobbled like a baby deer, threatening to buckle underneath her but caught a moment later. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, trying to get her act together.

What should I do' Oh, right. Getting dressed would be a good start, huh' Em skirted the edge of the bed, bending at the waist with one hand on the mattress for balance while she sorted through the tangle of their clothes with the other quickly, trying to identify her own jeans, her own shirt from the tangle. "So, um. How does Leah feel about me these days" Like....should I be looking for places to hide or windows to crawl out of, or..."

That sheepishly guilty look on her face had him softening a bit and giving her that lopsided smirk which only spread into a sheepish grin himself when she admitted to liking it. "So long as you enjoyed it...that's what matters.." He chuckled until he shook his head, looking over at her. His hand came out instinctively when she started wobbling, but eased back when she found her balance.

As she skirted around the edge, he made it to her side after he cleaned himself a bit. He crouched next to her, helping her sort through the mess as he held up her pants and shirt when he'd untangled them from his own. His glacier blues ticked up to her when she asked that and he shrugged. "I dunno, it's hard to really get into Mom's head. But she's always liked you. She was a little pissed when.." He trailed off, shaking his head as he didn't finish that sentence. What it looked like wasn't what it was, and he'd have to explain that to Leah later. "But I'm sure she'll be happy to have you back, too." He muttered that part, going for his own clothes as he started slipping himself into the fabric of his jeans.

Emma raked her hands through her braids, letting them spill around her shoulders. She took her clothes from him with a nod of thanks, setting them aside on the bed when she spied her underwear on the floor. Stepping into them, she hoisted the lacy garment up into position and then peeled her jeans up off the mattress. Trying to balance on one leg with limited success, it took her far longer than she felt like it should have to get her pants back on, but she managed it at last without falling on her ass, so that was something. And all the while, there was a little grin on her face at the ridiculousness of it all, the frantic scramble to get dressed before his mom got home.

She was listening to Frankie while she got herself together, and when he trailed off she supplied the rest of the sentence. "...when I disappeared on you. Yeah, I'm not surprised." Getting her pants buttoned up again, she cast about for her bra, trying to figure out where it had disappeared to. A soft laugh escaped her when he finished his thought. "Yeah, I hope so. Otherwise this is about to be really awkward..." They were running out of time, she was sure of it. Where the hell was her bra"

He nodded softly to respond to hers, was working himself into his jeans....when he remembered boxers would help first! "Dammit," he muttered, just to kick the fabric off again and slip into his boxers. There was a teetering moment where his foot got caught in the hole in the front of them but he caught himself on the mattress before faceplanting. Straightening again, he got it the second time and worked on his jeans again. Luckily, they were somewhat loose so it was a bit easier that time around.

There was a soft frown as he shook his head. "She didn't wanna believe it was you, either." She never liked Em's dad" Though that wasn't a surprise. What mother could like someone who judged their son so harshly' He laughed at her next claim though, hiking his jeans up his hips and made quick work of fastening them. "It's not going to be that awkward...well...maybe.." Snickering, he pointed out her bra which he assumed she was looking for before bending himself to pick it up. Holding it out to her where the strap was hooked on his index, he gave her that lopsided Frankie smirk. "Just like old times, huh?" How many times did they scramble about after fooling around to avoid their parents catching them"..

Emma just nodded, tucking her braids behind her ears. She appreciated his attempt to spare her feelings, but the fall out with his mama would be whatever it was. Taking the bra from his outstretched fingers, she leaned in a moment and planted a kiss in the center of his chest before turning away from him to begin the complicated gymnastics involved in getting a bra on correctly.

Soft laughter issued from her throat, and she glanced back at him over her shoulder as she worked the straps into place. "Yeah, just like old times. 'Cept this time we found both my bra and my panties before anybody showed up..." Which was a definite improvement over that one time her underwear had been buried in the twisted tangles of his sheets and they weren't found until three days later....Hanging out in the living room with his mom all....watching television and eating take out had been all kinds of awkward, trying to act cool while half expecting her underwear to come waltzing out of his bedroom on their own.

Pulling her shirt on last, Em fixed her hair one more time, then located her boots and caught them up in one hand. Her intention was to set them down next to the couch in the living room, suggesting that she'd taken them off while watching that ever so fascinating documentary on ferns. And speaking of that! "...Guess we should go see how the thing with the ferns ends, huh?"

It didn't take him long to slip into his t-shirt, a quick tug of fabric over his head and managing to get his arms through the right holes....okay, so it might've taken him a few seconds to get that right. He was disheveled from their rendezvous and the anxiety of his mom showing up. But not before she'd planted that kiss to his chest which brought a softer curve to the sides of his mouth.

He couldn't help but watch the way she went borderline contortionist to get that evil contraption on. He never really understood bras. Sure, he knew what they were for, but....wasn't there an easier way to do it without it being a prison"! Boob prisons. That's what he believed bras were. While he was curiously watching, his fingers raked and smoothed his hair...only to ruffle it to ruin the effort. What am I doing" If my hair ISN'T a mess, she's totally going to catch on" The perks of being a lazy teenage boy: messy hair. His eyes lifted to where she looked at him over her shoulder and he cackled to her words, nodding. "Oh, man. I'm just glad I found them before mom did laundry....Frankie! Why is there a girl's panties in your sheets" She woulda freaked." He scrunched his face, mimicking his mother's voice...terribly. Scoffing, he grinned and leaned to press a brush of a kiss to her shoulder before giving a glance around to see if anything else was out of place.

While she grabbed her boots, he left his in his room but kicked them closer to the door to leave them arrayed as if he'd just walked to the door and kicked them off like he normally did. He made a face at the mention of ferns, shaking his head. "Nah...we should change it...I think Ma would figure that one out.." Which...isn't hard. Frankie" Interested in a documentary on plantlife" Yeah, she'd catch onto it immediately. "Let's go out there though," scooping up his phone from the bed, he pressed the button to lighten the screen. "Probably like...five minutes before she's home...If that." Nodding his head to the door, he slipped his arm around her waist to attempt to herd her toward the door until..."....and come up with our story on how your lip got busted...and the tea on the carpet.." Shaking his head, he couldn't help but laugh. So much collateral"

Smoothing her shirt down a couple of times, Em nodded, taking a deep breath. The situation was as good as they could make it — both redressed, fully clothed, on their way to chill on the couch where they'd clearly been absorbed in watching...something....on the television. Something so riveting they'd knocked over a glass of sweet tea and ...uh....busted her lip somehow.

Em let him usher her into the living room, a little snicker spilling from her lips. She was more than a little nervous about seeing Leah again. She hadn't had time to be nervous about seeing Frankie — she'd been minding her own business, walking down the street, and then out of nowhere, poof! Frankie appeared. His mom had always been cool with her, friendly and inviting, but she was, after all, his mom, and Emma's dad had been **** to him. To both of them, really. And Emma herself had been gone, and that had to have been hard on Frankie. She wouldn't blame the woman for hating her on general principal.

So she was fidgety, restless. Dumping her boots on the floor, she dug in her bag for her phone, checked for messages —there were none, thankfully — and then dug deeper for a small travel bottle of roll on perfume. Twisting the cap off, she rolled some along the sides of her neck, the inside of each wrist, and down the center of her chest underneath her shirt. Em knew she reeked of sex and Frankie, and this wouldn't fix it but she was hoping it would be a little less obvious, at least' The scent was a sunny, warm fragrance, summer flowers and a little bit of citrus. It was a soft scent, surprisingly girly for somebody like Em but not too sweet or overpowering.

Dumping both back into her bag, she stalked into the kitchen, looking for towels or something to mop up the fallen tea with.

If anything, he'd come up with something outlandish yet...real enough that wouldn't be a surprise. Frankie was in the situation...so, clumsiness was to be expected.

Wild Frankies did have a way of popping up out of nowhere. Just avoid the tall grass or he'll use Scary Face on you. It's sometimes effective. He was a little nervous, too. He knew how much of a Mama Bear Leah could be and though she'd been upset at how it had affected Frankie, he didn't think she blamed Em for it. They both had their suspicions and knowledge of how her father saw them. Leah was used to it, often getting disapproving looks for being a burlesque dancer and allowing her son around that kind of life. But she didn't tolerate her son being judged for it. It was best to not think that what they were had something to do with it.

"I'll be right back," he muttered, his hand sliding away from her back once they'd made it to the living room. He went into the bathroom, spritzing some of his body spray on himself but not too much or it would just raise suspicion. He didn't last long in the bathroom, though he had paused to take a piss, and was coming out to find something on the television that looked like something they'd both be interested in. Funny how teenagers try to cover their tracks and go out of their way to do so, yet....often make it that much more obvious they've been up to something with the effort.

He glanced toward the kitchen where Em had gone, finally settling on some sitcom. He tossed the remote onto the coffee table, picking up the glass tipped over on the floor before bringing it to the sink. "It's a dark carpet at least, huh?" He teased, perhaps trying to calm the tension that was almost radiating from his friend. Though his own eyes kept glancing to the door as if waiting for Leah to come through it at any point.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-02-11 04:29 EST
Returning with a dish towel, she dropped it on the carpet and then folded herself into a crouch to blot it up. The tea had absorbed into the rug and dried out some in the length of time that they were gone, so there wasn't a whole lot to wipe up really, but at least she'd tried. Leaving it to absorb, the girl rose to her socked feet again, disappearing into the bathroom after him to use the facilities and clean herself up a little. Giggling anxiously to herself, the girl flushed and then washed her hands, drying them on a towel hanging on the rack before heading back into the living room.

Once she was there, really there was nothing more to do but....wait and try to focus on the sitcom. She dropped mostly gracefully into the couch cushions beside him, and for an awkward moment she didn't know whether to keep her distance or lay all over him the way she normally did. Maybe if we show her that we've picked up where we left off, she won't be as mad at me....Chewing on her lower lip, Em snickered at herself again and then scooted over closer to him, grabbing his wrist with one hand and lifting his arm so she could duck underneath it and tuck herself against his body.

Since there wasn't much left to blot up, and the towel was there to soak up the remnants, he wafted his hand at it almost dismissively. "Good enough." He clamped his mouth shut from saying what had popped into his mind. This place is temporary anyways. He shook his head slightly, washing his thoughts away.

While she was in the bathroom, he settled himself on the couch. It took him a moment to find a 'natural position', until he laughed awkwardly at himself and rolled his eyes. This is so dumb" And just...sunk into the cushion, finding his usual lazy-couch-position as one of his feet found the edge of the coffee table and he gave his shoulders a slight shimmy to push himself deeper into the cushions. He did his best to watch the sitcom, though he couldn't help glancing at the door periodically, that paranoid thought process of oh god, she's gonna know. Y'know, like most teens that are trying to hide something from their parents.

Thankful when Em moved back to the couch to join him, he cut her a sly half-cocked smile and might've considered the same thing. Sort of. It had gotten to a point in the past where Leah didn't blink an eye to see the two snuggled up on the couch watching a movie together, and sitting there rigid and awkward together would be worse. Pulled from those thoughts by her movement drawing her closer to him, his smile returned, spreading until he laughed a bit at the way she tugged at his wrist. Taking the hint -for once!- he moved his arm around her as she tucked herself in, curling his arm around her body as he settled into the cushions. Sighing softly, his eyes rolled shut for a moment in almost contentment until they snapped open and he blinked toward the front door.

It was about then that Leah came home, announcing her arrival by the thunk of bags hitting the door, the jingle of the knob until the door was shoved open with her shoulder. Grunting, "you know, Frankie. When you tell me you want food, I'd appreciate it, if you'd at least open the.." She trailed off. The petite woman paused as she made it into the kitchen, standing there with her arms full of take-out bags. From her stance in the kitchen, she could easily spy the couch, her son....with Emmaline under his arm. Those swirling emeralds blinked a few times, surprise and almost shock on her expression until she recovered quickly with a shake of her head that ruffled that short blonde hair. "Em, I'm sorry, hun. I wasn't expecting you'd be here," that soft musical voice of hers spilled into the room, matched with a warm honey smile that softened her features. Her brows lifted a bit, turning her gaze to Frankie with a blatant what?s going on here" expression.

Emma was just settling into him, beginning to breathe more easily, when she heard the noise on the other side of the door. A jolt of fear slipped down her spine, but she wrapped her arms more completely around him to steel her nerves. She kept her eyes riveted to the television until Leah was physically in the apartment, and then she turned slowly, turning to face the woman who was her best friend's mother.

Smiling shyly, she shook her head, dismissing the apology. "Hey, Mama D. It's been..." she glanced sidelong at Frankie, her smile growing by degrees. "It's been quite the day for surprises, yeah." Her dark eyes shifted back to Leah. "I had no idea y'all were in town. I was just....tryin' to go to the store and ...there he was."

He'd just settled himself when Leah popped in, though the feel of Em wrapping her arms more tightly around him had him instinctively locking onto her with that arm. "It's cool," he muttered to her, only to turn his glacier gaze to his mother when she came in. That slick smirk rose as he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Ma. It's a hard life bein' a body pillow," cutting her that shit-eating grin that was the familiar smart-ass-son smile. Though Em's words had him giving a bit of a softer smile then as he nodded. "Yeah, I would've asked...but I didn't think you'd mind Em coming over.." Giving Mama that look like he hoped he wasn't in trouble.

After the initial shock of the girl who'd gone missing on her son for two years dissipated, she relaxed the tension in her shoulders, giving her that familiar feel of Leah. Her melodic laughter spilled out as she cut her own smirk. "Mhn, I bet. He has a way of popping out of nowhere," giving her son a brief narrow of her eyes perhaps like you know what I'm talking about, young man. Until her eyes softened as she shook her head. "A little notice would've been nice, but no...I don't mind at all. It's good to see you again, Emmaline," warmth spreading in her small smile as she went right down to being Frankie's Mom. "You're staying for dinner, right?" No, the woman hadn't changed. Right down to her attitude, atmosphere, even her hair was still the same. There was no hint of a wrinkle (thought she swore up and down Frankie gave her grey hairs) on that flawless skin. "Lord knows I got enough," she muttered, moving over to the kitchen table to dump all the food onto with a rustle of bags before she nudged the kitchen door closed with a stretch of her foot.

On some level, Leah had to have known. She knew her son, hell, she knew Emma, too. Surely she had been able to tell when things had begun to change between them. More importantly, it was likely that she knew what even the teenagers themselves hadn't yet figured out.

Em, for her part, sat the rest of the way up, though she didn't move so far as to dislodge Frankie's arm around her. That was her anchor, keeping her from freaking herself out altogether. She gave the older woman a warm smile, though, even one of those rare, genuine laughs spilled from her throat when Leah narrowed her eyes at Frankie. Yeah, Em knew what she was talking about, too, had witnessed it first hand just a little while ago at the diner. "...He does, doesn't he" Just when you start to think you're safe..." Trailing off, the girl leaned back against Frankie again, drawing his arm more completely across her body, like a seat belt.

"Thanks, Mama D. It's nice to see you, too. You, at least, look exactly the way I remember you." She emphasized the first word, making a point to glance up at Frankie behind her in reference to how much he'd grown. "I...I would love to stay for dinner, thank you. I just....probably need to check in first." Her voice faltering there at the end, Em lowered her gaze then, looking down at her hands. Probably both Dixons thought it was because she had thought of her father, but really that was only part of it. Really, it wasn't until Leah mentioned staying for dinner that it had really occurred to her what was coming, that at some point in the evening she was going to have to ...go home.

The thought of leaving Frankie so soon after finding him again had a sudden lump swelling in her throat, and she swallowed roughly, trying to clear it. Clearing her throat almost inaudibly, she bent at the waist to snag her bag by one of its straps, dragging it closer. Fishing her phone out of the top of it, she sent a quick message to her dad.Getting dinner with some friends. A few seconds later, the phone chirped back a reply. Glad to hear it, babygirl. It's gonna be another late night I'm afraid. She gave a weak smile, nodding her confirmation to both of them. No worries, daddy. See you back at home later. Setting the phone back down, she ran her fingers over her braids. "All set. Thank you again for the invite. Sorry 'bout bargin' in on you like this all unannounced..."

Oh, Leah knew. She knows now. The downfalls of what her and Frankie were: a very sensitive nose. There were suspicions of course, suspicions that could be remedied by a simple hug to either her son or Em, but...some things she didn't want to be proven correct that way. Two years ago, Leah would make a big deal about it. Now" She knew Frankie was at an age that telling him not to do something, would only push him to do it more. Such were the ways of raising a rebellious teenager! Though, there would absolutely be a discussion later that night in hopes that they were at least being smart about it.

Instead of thinking about that, however, she focused on getting together the plates and setting out the food. Em's words had her laughing that musical chime, though. "Oh yes, I know that all too well." With a narrowed gaze over to her son. "I don't think I could change if I tried, sweetheart," with a soft smile. "Frankie on the other hand.." She sighed, "I swear he changes everytime I look at him." There was a soft pout to her bottom lip, the kind only a mother would get on the top of her son growing up...in this case, too fast. She worked on Frankie's plate, then her own, waiting for the okay for Em to fix her a plate. A glance of that green forest gaze to the girl and she returned the nod, setting the plate up. "Wonderful, and no need. You know I always buy more than is needed. And don't apologize," she smiled then, scooping up two plates of take-out chinese food and bringing it to the kids, holding it out. "It's just good to have ya around again, Em. Maybe someone can keep him in line," she smirked, reaching out to tug on Frankie's ear playfully when her hands were free, only to return to the kitchen then.

He feigned an innocent look to Em, brows raised as his shoulders shrugged. "I'd do no such thi-....okay, yeah.." He cackled a bit, giving that lopsided smirk. He looked between the two ladies, grinning. "You're never safe from the goblin face," though didn't do anything when his arm played seatbelt, he just strapped her in tight with it. "Hey, I'm a growing boy," he sniffled a bit, lifting his chin like he was proud of it.

While Em was figuring out the business with her father, he was eyeing the kitchen where he smelled the food coming from. He was such a glutton/garbage disposal. Though when Em gave the okay that she was staying, his smile spread. "Good," he muttered softly, doing that thing where one word meant a whole lot more than a simple syllable. Good, I don't want you to go home yet, his tone hinted as he gave her waist a bit of a squeeze.

Though when Mama Dixon brought in the food, he worked to sit up a little bit more, even if it wasn't much. "Thanks Ma," taking his own plate and setting it on his lap, keeping his arm around Em though loosened in case she wanted to move around. Though his mother's assumptions had him snickering. "Yeah, good luck to the both of ya," he grinned in that impish way that said they'd have their work cut out for them. At least until his ear was tugged on and he swatted lightly at her hand. "Moooom, stooop," he whined, right back to teenage Frankie.

Emma smiled fondly, listening to Leah talk about Frankie. It made her heart twinge on a small, secret level: you always pine for the thing you've never had, and Em had never had a mother. The only male influence in Frankie's life might have been Hex, but for a time there, the dominant female influence in Em's had been Leah. She accepted the plate with a sincere smile of thanks, loosening her death grip on Frankie so she could handle it correctly.

"It's good to be around again." She paused, frowning. The older woman had just told her not to apologize, but she couldn't help wanting to explain. "I....I never wanted to be away from you guys," she said quietly. "I'm sorry things worked out the way they did." Taking a deep breath, the girl squared her shoulders, brushed a handful of braids back over her shoulder. "But I'm here now, and I'll do my best to get him back into shape." Flashing Frankie a knowing grin then, she elbowed him in the side gently, affectionately.

Leah did her usual hospitality act, something she'd certainly picked up from the South even if she claimed home was actually Belgium. Most of her accent was gone, though. Leaving no hint of Georgia in her voice, but a tiny bit of Belgium on certain words. Balancing three glasses in her hands, two in her palms and another between her middle fingers in a tight grip. She set them on a table before crinkling her mousy nose and giving Frankie's shin a good swat to get his foot off the coffee table. "You know how I feel about that," she muttered, only to cut a softer look to Em, full of warmth and...understanding. She straightened and shook her head. "I didn't want to believe it was you, sweetheart...Sometimes parents do what they think is best for their child...even when it isn't," her eyes lowered to the floor, giving a brief and subtle glance to Frankie that was only noticeable if someone was watching her eyes. Getting rid of that look with a shake of her head, she went back to being the warm ray of sunshine as she cut Em a grin. "Well, hopefully you can" Lord knows he won't listen to me," she rolled her eyes and scoffed, turning back to kitchen to go fetch her plate. It had almost seemed like she hadn't noticed until her voice echoed from the kitchen. "So what happened to your lip" ....And the tea on the floor?" Picking up her plate, there was a knowing smirk that neither could see. "Another one of Frankie's famous clutz moments?" Yeah, RIGHT.

When Em loosened her grip on him, he squirmed a bit more to upright himself but took care of the plate on his lap. For once, he was successful. He grunted when his mother swatted him from the coffee table, his foot landing on the floor with a soft thud as he gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Ma," he muttered. Yeah, he knew she didn't like feet on the coffee table. Though there was a fond look cut over to Em as she explained herself, lowering his eyes to his plate for a moment, which resulted in him missing the look his mother gave him as fleeting as he was. He reached out and squeezed Em's forearm affectionately, reassuringly. Leave it to Mom. Why was I so worried about her being mad at Em.." It made him smile softly until Leah talked about how he wouldn't listen to her. "It's my job. If I listened, you'd think something was wrong with me. Or I was sick," he scoffed.

He'd just reached for an egg roll and bit down on it when his mother asked those questions and he shot Em a wide-eyed look....with grease running down his chin. "Oh, ****," he mumbled, swiping at his chin as he looked down at the mess he made. "Um....yeah....I....uh...." He started, chewing away. "Knocked over her glass....and..." Shit. Should've gotten the story straight before mom got home! Like they were both friggin' criminals and had to get their story straight for the cops.

Em nodded. She caught the look on Leah's face mostly because she was looking that way anyway, but she didn't entirely understand it. She wasn't a mom, though, and couldn't imagine Leah pulling Frankie away from something he cared about the way her father had. She swallowed roughly, giving the woman a brave smile, to thank her for understanding, for not being mad, for not wanting to protect Frankie from her the way her father wanted to protect her from Frankie. Her heart swelled in her chest, and if it weren't for the plate of Chinese in her lap, she probably would have jumped up to hug the older woman right there and then.

Leah posed her questions ever so casually, and Frankie....reacted like a guilty criminal. Em shook her head, elbowing him lightly in the side again. "....Uh." His stammering had more or less outed them anyway, so Em stuck with a version of the truth, being as honest as she could while still omitting certain key details. "...Well, the tea happened because we were chilling on the couch watching something on tv and I was kinda usin' him like a pillow —like I do— and....I went to reach for my tea and he went to reach for his in a different direction and....we both kinda fell off the couch. I accidentally cut my lip on my own teeth in the crossfire." Her face was stained pink as she explained.

Leah had pulled Frankie away from something....someone....and it was a decision that she had felt was right at one point. But whether it was really the right thing to do was something she'd questioned every single day since. There was no reason for her to protect Frankie from Em, sure. They were kids, and she saw the way they were together. She wasn't born yesterday! But, she already felt guilt from possibly making a mistake of keeping Frankie from someone, she wouldn't dream of tearing him away from his best friend. As his mother, her main goal is her son's happiness. And Em....she made him happy.

Frankie's stammering had her fighting her laughter, biting down on her bottom lip with a ****-eating grin that was no less than caught you. Though listening to their story had her nodding and wiping that look from her face as she came back to the living room with her own plate in hand. She sighed, playing along. "That....sounds about right," shaking her head. "You two....I swear. You're magnets for accidents together," she teased lightly, cutting the two a look as if she believed them. "After dinner, we'll have you ice it. Bring down some of the swelling, and rinse it with some sea salt in water. Don't want to get infected, hun." That motherly tone in her voice that was relatively difficult to argue with. She glanced over to Frankie, rolling her eyes. "You're so messy," putting her plate on the coffee table to get up yet again to go get paper towels. Which....she probably should've just gotten in the first place.

He wasn't all that good when it came to pressure. Especially when it came to his mother. It was like she could sniff out guilt, which....only made him more nervous. He grunted softly at the elbow to his side, giving her a I'm not good at this! look while chewing. Though Em came in and saved the day -or so he thought- like she usually did. There was a bit of a fond smile on his face that showed that they hadn't really changed all that much -at least not with each other- and that made him feel better. "I'm clumsy as hell, we all know this," he grumbled, as if embarrassed by it. "I....probably should've thought it through better....But I didn't..." Looking sheepish and like a puppy that peed on the floor. He glanced over to Em's blush and smiled a bit, though his mother's claim that he was messy had him on the defense. "It's greasy!" He held his fingers up, wiggling them as they shined with the grease from the chinese food. Not my fault!

To be fair, what Em had said was the actual truth. They had fallen off the couch together because of Frankie's clumsiness and she had cut her lip on her own teeth. The fact that she'd cut it because her face had collided with Frankie's teeth when they were kissing....sure, she hadn't actually mentioned that part, but she hadn't exactly feigned innocence, either! It counted, or so she thought.

The maternal tone of voice made her smile, and it wasn't to be argued with. She smiled a little, finally releasing her hold on Frankie's arm altogether so she could hold her plate in one hand and her chopsticks in the other, though she was still sitting far closer to the boy than you did with some guy you were just friends with. With a soft "yes, ma'am," Em crossed her legs so she could prop one elbow against her knee more comfortably, and....tried not to wince when the movement pinched certain....highly tender areas.

************ OOC: A huge thank you to Em's player for not only giving life to Frankie's best friend better than I ever could, but for writing this huge scene out with me <3 Can't wait for more to come!

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:15 EST
2.14.17 V-Day/D-Day



Em hadn't really thought about what day it was when she'd texted Frankie. Her dad was on assignment and would be out of Rhydin until the following day, or so he'd told her when he kissed the top of her head over coffee that morning. The neighbor, he'd said would be checking in on her at some point, a nice older lady with whom Em already had an agreement. She told Emma's dad that she'd checked on Em, Em fixed things around her apartment for her. She'd done it a dozen times without a hitch, never knowing how useful that particular arrangement would one day come to be.

Text to Fork: Dad's gone until tomorrow, whatcha doin"

It was twenty minutes later, and she was expecting him any minute now.



Though Frankie swore up and down that he didn't know what the day was, Leah had smothered him in a hug and told him 'Happy Valentines Day' before she'd gone to work. After brushing off the affection like any teenage boy would, he settled in for what he assumed was going to be another lame day at home. Sitting in his boxers, with a giant bowl of cereal and watching some lame show on television, he'd paused when he heard his phone go off.

Very nearly tripping over the coffee table —for the millionth time that week— and spilling his cereal everywhere, he managed to find it in his jeans from yesterday. After reading the text, he'd grinned sent a cheesy It depends. Is that your way of inviting me over"

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the modern day teenage Greaser was climbing the steps to the apartment building. Checking the address she'd texted him, he made it to the correct floor and muttered the numbers on the doors until he reached hers. Putting his phone away, he reached those MISC inked knuckles up to the wood and rapped softly on the door before taking a 'cool' lean on the door frame.



It was, in fact, her way of inviting him over, though she hadn't exactly known that until the moment he asked. There was a nervous fluttering in her belly which was, well, kind of stupid. It was just Frankie coming over, after all. And even though that probably meant things, the things it meant were starting to be more familiar again. But there it was anyway, making her check the way her braids fell and whether her mascara was done right half a dozen times before he arrived. She even considered changing clothes, almost did it, too, but at the last minute she was able to talk herself out of it. Instead, she sat resolutely on the couch, reading a book and refusing to look at her phone.

The sound of the knock startled her, and the girl snickered at herself accordingly. "One sec," she called, putting her book on the coffee table as she got up and headed for the door. Pulling it open after she'd checked the peephole and undid all three of the various security measures, the girl arched a brow at him, her smirk wry. "And just what are you selling" Pretty sure you're not a girl scout..."



Frankie looked the way he always did. Jeans that hung loose on narrow hips, t-shirt that was relatively plain beneath the leather jacket. His disheveled hair held in place by the natural gift of having thick hair that was trained by persistent fingers that pushed it back. That curve of a smirk rested on his face the moment she opened the door like he'd been preparing for it.

Her questions broadened the smirk into a grin as he rolled his shoulder over the door frame, looking down at himself. "Damn. I forgot my skirt today....And, I don't have cookies," he admitted with a sigh before bringing those glacier pools back up to her to match her wry smirk. "All I've got is me....Sorry, toots." He cackled softly, pulling out of his lean from the door frame.



"Mm." Em looked cute today. She was wearing a grey baby doll dress and black leggings that ended at mid-calf. The garment was big and blousey, which is exactly the way she liked it, swirling around her slight frame as she moved. The legs underneath were slim and shapely, and she leaned against the opposite door frame, folding her arms over her chest. Looking him up and down in a slow, appraising way, Emma smirked then, peeling herself off the door frame to grab a handful of his shirt. "You'll do," she said, tugging him closer.

Once they were inside and the door was closed behind him — the neighbor was cool, but probably had her limits— Em pulled him to her again. She hadn't let go of his shirt yet anyway, and so it wasn't much more to lift herself on her toes, pressing her mouth to his in a fleeting kiss of greeting. She released him a moment later, spinning away from him all casually, like no part of this was a big deal or serious, of course.

The apartment was a lot like Frankie's, honestly. Small and sparse, there were three bedrooms instead of two because one was an at home office for the private investigator. There was a living room with a television that the front door opened onto, leading straight back into a wall of windows overlooking the neighborhood. There was a balcony out there, too. Two rooms off to the left, a third room and the kitchen off to the right.



Appraising each other it seemed, he took in her appearance just as she took in his. She looked cute today, though he'd silently admit she usually did. Today, especially, however with the way the soft dull color only made the darker shades of her hair and eyes pop out more. The soft color of her skin a contrast to the dullness of the grey. He cackled lightly when she claimed 'he'd do' and let out a light grunt when he was tugged inside by his shirt, an action that only had him smirking — if not stumbling slightly before he caught himself with his hands on her waist. "I'll do, huh?" Better than not!

Glancing over his shoulder when she closed the door behind him, only to swivel his head back when she tugged at him again. Lowering his head to meet the greeting kiss, it stifled that half-cocked smirk on his lips as he seemed welcoming of the kiss. Released, his eyes ticked to the way the skirt twirled around her shapely legs, briefly catching his bottom lip between his teeth. She totally planned it that way.

Snickering, he shook his head as if to stop himself from staring at her legs as she walked in, he let his eyes sweep the place. It was a lot like his, but hers was nicer. More appealing to the eye. His place made him feel almost stifled, hers was more open: breathable. "Nice digs," he lifted his brows, moving after her as he removed his leather jacket with a roll of his shoulder. "Balcony, too," he noted. Which, with the way he was a smoker was probably a good thing. He doubted her dad would appreciate him smoking in the house.

When his jacket was off, he set it into a nearby chair and gave the t-shirt a brief pluck of his fingers as if to get it to stop clinging to him. "So, what you got in mind" Netflix and chill again?" He teased, flashing her a smirk before moving around to get a good look at the place.



"I was thinking we'd play Uno," she called nonchalantly over her shoulder at him. It felt a little decadent, a little naughty, and a lot like getting away with something. Frankie was in her house, and for the next several hours at least, they were alone. Netflix and chill wasn't such a terrible idea.

The living room had a couple of adornments. There was a wall of pictures — one of her parents on their wedding day, one of her mom very pregnant with her. Several of Em, or of Em and her father together. There were none of Em with her mom, because nobody had thought to take any in the handful of minutes that they'd been alive of the same time. On the opposite wall was a framed painting, an original artwork done by Emmaline's mother. Beyond that, it really wasn't all that different than Frankie's place — a little bit barren, a little bit anonymous.

Turning to face him, her brows arched. "You hungry, want anything to drink?"

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:18 EST
Her nonchalant quip made him grin, laughing softly under his breath. "Daring," he boasted, getting that same rush. There was that particular...forbidden....feel to the situation. That rebellious feel that most teenagers loved, of doing something they weren't supposed to. That smirk curled the corner of his mouth thinking about how her father would lose his mind to find out that the boy was there in his home.

He walked along the wall, looking at pictures he'd seen before. Some were new, and he always stopped to appreciate the framed painting her mother had done. Even if he'd seen it a handful of times, it had been a while since he'd looked at it.

When she turned to face him, he tilted his body and his eyes were slow to pull away from the painting to flicker over to her. "I ate before I got here," he admitted, "but I could go for some soda. Or a cold drink of water," he said lamely with a waggle of those dark brows at her, his tone hinting that he knew damn well how cheesy that line had been. And no, he wasn't taking it back.



Redirecting her steps towards the kitchen, she nodded. "We got coke, obviously." She said it like it was a foregone conclusion, and for her it probably was. There was no other dark colored soda out there when you grew up in the A. "Got some Fanta, too, that I had to order from the fuckin' internet because some asshole apparently disabled every Fanta fountain in town awhile back." Glancing back at him, she looked him over again as though she were deciding whether he was "worth" a Fanta. "...But I'll give you one anyway if you're good." Her smile smile briefly, crooked and goofy. "We got this fizzy apple stuff, too....whatcha want?"



Almost snorting to that, he cut her a smirk. "Obviously," as if there was no other possibility. He moved slowly toward the kitchen, finding space against the counter to lean himself against. "...Every Fanta fountain?" He raised a brow incredulously at the prospect. "What's the ass**** got against Fanta?" His brows threatened to dip low until he caught her looking him over and he couldn't help but grin like the Joker to her goofy smile. Given the final choice, he lifted his chin for a brief contemplation before resulting with, "coke. I'll let you keep your Fanta, and even still be 'good' for you." Lifting his brows, he was being generous today apparently. Pressing the heels of his hands against the counter in his lean, he slid down a little bit as the soles of his boots kept him from sliding further.



"Y'gonna be good anyway, huh' Is it my birthday?" Her banter was light, but Emmaline was pretty acutely aware of his presence in the kitchen with her. She peeled open the fridge, pulling two cans from their cardboard sleeves on the bottom shelf. A red one for him, a bright orange one for her. Stacking them both in one hand, she stood up straight again and pushed the door to the appliance closed, turning back towards him.

Frankie was only a couple of steps away, and Em took those couple of steps like she was going to get all up in his space again, but she veered off at the last second with a semi-flirtatious sidelong glance at him. Heading back out of the kitchen, she carried the two soda cans like a lure as she went to the next adjacent closed door — the one to her bedroom. At that door, she just threw a glance back at him over her shoulder, to see if he was following maybe, and then opened it to go inside.



No, it's Valentine's Day! No, he didn't know what day it was. Obviously. Snickering to her banter, he raised a brow to her. "Y'think if it was your birthday, I wouldn't have gotten my ass kicked for not showing up with those cookies?" His lips spread into a teasing grin until he tilted his head when she bent over as if out of instinct or habit, or both. Lifting his head much quicker this time than the last as he feigned innocence when she started toward him.

He straightened from his lean a bit, thinking she was going to be in space....only for her to veer off like a brat and lift him with that slow smirk curling. She totally got him with that one. "See how it is," he muttered with a lift of his chin, as if she was the biggest tease in the world. It...might've taken him a moment that the purpose was to lure him along and when it did, he got that oh right, I'm supposed to be doing something look before he pushed away from the counter.

Like a moth to a flame, he trailed after her like an obedient puppy —which he'd blame on her having his soda— before trailing her into the room. It took him a moment to realize she'd lead him into her room, raising a brow as he fought that grin and gave a sweeping look around to investigate the surroundings. Perhaps curious if it was as barren as the rest of the apartment.



Emma's bedroom was actually the least barren room in the apartment. She was finishing school online, so there was a desk with a laptop and half a dozen textbooks on it. Several bookshelves stuffed to overflowing with books on every subject imaginable, and also little figurines that were animals with skeleton faces. She had a couple of band posters, and, notably, on the mirror above the dresser, she had two pictures tucked into the crease seam. On the left side, one of her mother as a teenager. On the right side....a selfie with Frankie, taken two years ago at the skate park. In the picture, he's making a face and she's rolling her eyes, but it was the only one of them she'd had that was a hard copy picture, and she'd managed to hold onto it despite all the moves.

The bed was queen sized, and the sheets were girly-ish but not uncomfortably, prissily so. A dark purple comforter with sheets of a lighter shade of lavender, pillows in grey and black. It wasn't made, but it wasn't entirely disheveled either. There was one stuffed animal tangled up in it, an ancient looking stuffed dragon that was probably as old as she was, or older. Clothes spilled out of the closet and across a grey laundry hamper. There was also a low cabinet with a television and an xbox one, its shelves positively overflowing with video games.

Moving into the room, she stopped, offering him his soda at last. "He's supposed to be gone all day," she said by way of explanation, "but I feel weird hanging out in the living room."



As he took a couple steps into the room, investigating curiously as it had been a long time since he'd been in any room of hers. Years, even. Before she'd left, her father had reached the point where Frankie wasn't allowed in the house. Little did he truly know that the boy was a damn good climber. Or maybe he did...

Glacier pools swept over the room, smirking at what was personalized in the room. Between the games, the books, the figurines. By the time his eyes fell on those pictures, his sharp smirk had softened, possibly remember that day in grand detail. Even that dragon that she'd had since he could even remember. Probably longer even.

Turning those eyes onto her when she held out his soda, he took it and snickered. "I can get behind that," glancing over his shoulder toward the living room. "Should I grab my jacket just in case I have to fly out the window like a squirrel?" He teased lightly, moving over to those skeletal figurines and bending a bit to eye them more closely. "Where'd you get these?" Reaching out as if he was going to touch one, he retracted his hand not a moment later. Delicate things...Frankie didn't touch. He was too clumsy and accident prone.



It was a strange sensation, having Frankie in her room. More so, even, that when she'd been in his: maybe because his had looked so anonymous, where hers looked a lot like it did when she saw him last. She stood near the side of the bed, watching him as he studied her things, acclimating to this new 'first' that wasn't a first at all.

He joked about needing to crawl out the window, and though she laughed, inwardly she flinched. "Nah," she shook her head, hoping like hell that her voice sounded casual. "He went all the way off world. Ain't no way he's comin' back any time soon." Right' Here's hoping.

Grateful for the change of subject, Em moved towards him again, popping the metal tab on her drink with that telltale pop and fizz that just didn't sound like anything else. "They're called Furry Bones. I started collectin' 'em 'cause a' you, actually. I get 'em all over. In little stores, on ebay, whatever."



He didn't catch that inward flinch from her, his eyes just about everywhere in the room. He'd seen many of these things before, but it had been a while ago. "Off world, huh?" He wasn't all that sure about the transportation systems here. It wasn't like Atlanta or any of the other cities he'd visited. Even arriving here, him and the crew had used Kokabiel's flight.

When she moved over to him, he straightened and popped the tab of his own can. The sound of hers echoed with his own before he took a swig, that first burn from the rough carbonation of the coke. It was his favorite part. Like the first drag of a cigarette. "Furry Bones.." He repeated curiously, only to raise his brows and look at her when she said she started collecting them because of him. " 'Cause of me?" Shifting a glance to the figurines again, he supposed he could see it. "Whatever would make the relation?" Flashing her that mischievous grin for a moment before he reached out and gave her waist a small squeeze. "Funny lookin' little things, I'll tell ya that." But coming from Frankie, it was a good thing.



Her shoulders hiking up to her ears, Em shrugged self consciously. "Well, I mean, I..." Stammering around the embarrassment, her cheeks flushed suddenly, which naturally made it worse. The girl made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat, rolled her eyes, and....leaned into him when he reached for her to give her that squeeze anyway. She was looking decidedly, pointedly away from him when she explained. "I mean. They're cute, and the faces aren't what you expect from the bodies but it kinda works and is cute any—-never mind, shut up!" Emma nudged him with her elbow then like he'd actually said something or held her at gunpoint to explain, which of course he hadn't.



He looked at her when she started stammering, opening his mouth as if to tell her she didn't have to explain. But then she went and leaned into him, which made him pause. Hiking that brow up, the way she seemed to need to explain herself had him smiling warmly. It was cute, shut up. He had to roll his lips inward to stop himself from chuckling at the way she explained the dolls she started collecting because of him....Only to get an elbow that made him lift his hand that was holding the soda. "You got them 'cause they remind you how cute I am, alright! I get it!" He said, flashing her that sly smirk, or so he thought it was sly. It was probably just goofy and lopsided.



"Shut up," she repeated herself, wrinkling her nose in a way that was probably supposed to be off putting — or at least off put — but was decidedly adorable. "I missed you, okay' Damn." Turning deliberately away from him, Em went back to her bed, crawling onto the mattress and then scooting back across its surface until she was sitting up against the wall. The soda can was abandoned on the nightstand in transition. Only then, when she was relatively certain the flood of color in her cheeks had subsided, did she look up at him again. "So....what fascinating documentary you wanna watch this time?"

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:22 EST
Being told to shut up and her nose crinkle —which was much more adorable than it was off putting— was matched with his own nose crinkle. She pulled it off better though. It was when she said she missed him and turned away from him that he stood there like an idiot and blinked after her. It him a second before that warm grin spread on his face and he started to trail after her. He was quiet for a moment, setting his soda on the nightstand besides hers. Because, let's face it, it's only a matter of time before it got spilled staying in his hand. Turning his eyes on her at the documentary question, that slick smirk returned as he all but sprawled on the mattress next to her. "Do we need a documentary?" He raised his brow at her, "I was thinking maybe some classical music, or....oh." Squinting then. "A documentary on classical music." About then he flashed that shit-eating grin up to her.



Too busy recovering from her own painful awkwardness to notice the look on his face, Emmaline missed that pretty smile. By the time she was looking at him, he was already smirking, sprawling limblessly on the mattress beside her. The smirk was easier to take, anyway, pulling her out of that awkwardly emotional place, and she dropped one hand to the mattress to run her fingers through the thick waves of his hair with a gentle, playful tug. He mentioned a documentary on classical music, and although she knew he was kidding, that actually gave her an idea. "You trynna fall asleep on me" How 'bout classic rock instead?"



He had to admit it was a strange out of body experience. It was usually him that was painfully awkward. Luckily, he didn't make her dwell on it or call her out on it unless it was absolutely necessary. Which wasn't all that often. The hand through his hair made his lids get a bit heavy in a lazy way, not so much sleepy. But it probably didn't help considering what she asked him next. Cackling softly, he looked up at her with that crooked grin. "I would never.." Except that one time....and the other time" He used to have a habit of falling asleep on her, but in his defense she started playing with his hair! "Ooooh, classic rock" That might actually be a documentary worth watching. And not like.." lifting his fingers to make air quotes. "Watching. Sure you wanna go with that option?" Talk about a devilish grin.



The tug on a lock of his hair came more sharply this time. "Oh you wouldn't ever, would you? Never ever?" Skepticism in her tone, she smiled down at him anyway. Damn him for being so cute. Her fingertip traced down the center of his forehead to the tip of his nose, which she tweaked playfully before she moved her hand away. Getting up, she crawled to the far edge of the bed, leaning over it to snag the controller for her Xbox from where it had fallen to the floor. Settling back, she called out an 'Xbox-on!' to make the television come alive, and then navigated to Netflix using the controller.

Finding the documentary she wanted, she pushed play and then set the controller aside. "I found this the other day, it's a documentary on the only time Jimi Hendrix played Atlanta. Some festival in the late sixties. It's a great one to....'watch'." She help up both hands, making air quotes with them when she said the word watch.



He scrunched his face to the rougher tug, peering up at her before that grin returned. "No—..." He started, only to crinkle his nose and let out a small cackle. "Well....maybe..." He wasn't going to lie to her. He huffed and wiggled his nose around after she tweaked it, swiping his palm over it. Though there wasn't a whole lot to huff about when she crawled to the edge of the bed and he peered down, tilting his head a little to catch the view while he could. Biting his bottom lip a bit, he made that weird little contorted smile considering his lip was caught in the midst of her movements. When she settled back, he released his lip and pretended like he hadn't done it at all, glancing to the screen as she commanded the console to do what she wanted it to.

"Ngh, Hendrix. Dude's a fucking genius," shaking his head. "How he plays guitar left handed I'll never know," he almost snorted. Frankie couldn't play guitar the normal way, never mind backwards. Flashing a grin when he mimicked his air quotes and meaning, he let out a little cackle. "Oh yeah....I bet it is," lifting his head as he spoke, reaching behind his head as he picked up one of her pillows and tossed it over his head right at her back. He didn't hum it, it wasn't a blow hard enough to budge her. And when it was tossed, he settled back with that "innocent" smile on his face. Who me" Couldn't be.



Em had no idea she was being watched, and that was probably a good thing, considering. It was Frankie, so she hadn't really thought about leaning over the edge of the bed in those body-hugging leggings, the hem of her skirt lifting as she leaned forward and down. On the other hand, it was Frankie, so she probably should have. In any event, he got his little show for free, and he totally even got away with looking.

Happy Valentines Day, Frankie.

"I know, right?" Her reply was enthusiastic. "There's a lot of talking about boring political stuff, he was the first black musician to headline a festival that big, largest audience he ever played to, blah blah blah, but like...the music. It's got hours and hours of footage from the concert itself. And it's so wild, because like....you can tell he's blasted out of his mind, right' Like his eyes are barely open, he's stumbling around on stage, slurring all the words...and then he gets to a guitar solo and it's like he's just..." she shook her head, wide eyed with admiration. "Somebody else altogether. Like I'm not at all convinced any more that dude was human."

Realizing she'd sorta gotten carried away in her explanation, her smile turned sheepish. "Anyway, yeah. There's a lot of good music with no talking...." She trailed off coyly, and she might have even said something suggestive right then except that right at that exact moment, a pillow hit her square between the shoulder blades. Em blinked. "You did not."



Yeah.....she probably should have known. Because like it was established....it's Frankie. He accepted the Valentine's Day gift of a free show graciously, even though he totally didn't know that it was today. Nope. He was just loving that he got away with it for once.

He watched her with that goofy grin, listening to her go off about Jimi Hendrix. It was clear he didn't mind in the slightest, as he admired the musician and possibly envied his agile skill a bit. He listened to her talk, and not that kinda....I'm "listening" but I'm really just picturing you naked....Like you'd expect him to. Cackling a bit when she talked about Jimi stumbling around blitzed, he nodded. "Who wasn't at that point, right?" Snickering, he shook his head. "I dunno, guy with skill like that' I'm half convinced he sold his soul like that Robert Leroy Johnson fella."

Frankie had a habit of screwing the pooch for himself, and choosing some bad timing of throwing a pillow at her just when she was going to say something suggestive. Oops....But when she blinked and said he didn't....he agreed. "Didn't what?" He blinked, feigning oblivious innocence as he lifted his brows at her. "No clue what you're talking about." Uh huh, sure!



"For sure, it was the sixties." She nodded, relieved that he hadn't rolled his eyes or pantomimed a yawn. Em had a tendency to get really excited about random things, and she didn't always notice when she was being a dork and boring everybody. The fact that Frankie didn't make her feel stupid when she got carried away like that was one of the reasons he was her best friend.

Even if he was kind of a goober.

"...yeah, probably. If any musician ever did, it had to be Jimi. Like you look at him and he's so messed up that you can't even figure out how he's managed to stay upright, you know" But those hands. They're just....something else."

Em was feeling especially affectionate towards Frankie at just that moment, a surge of warmth flooding her belly that felt almost like butterflies, or might have if Em recognized what butterflies felt like. (If Em recognized what butterflies felt like, she might have known she'd had them for Frankie all along. Shhhh.) She wanted to kiss him, wanted to make out with him to all that amazing music, and....then he went and smacked her with a pillow.

Frankie, Frankie, Frankie.

Her dark eyes narrowing, you can see the impending retaliation in the line of her mouth even before she snakes one arm out, snagging the closest pillow and lifting it high overhead in a rainbow arch. She doesn't follow all the way through on that descent, though, releasing the pillow a few inches above his face so that it lands, unless he dodges, without the weighted momentum of her arm behind it.



She put up with all his weird shit, listened to him when he went off about things. Even if it was something he wasn't all that interested in, he'd do his best to listen. Or seem to be while just staring awkwardly at the excited expressions she made when talking about something she was enthusiastic about. Smile and nod! That's what he'd learned! To mock her for being excited about something she liked would just be a dick move.

"I mean, he stumbles around worse than Bob Marley." He snickered. "But...he's exceptionally easier to understand.." Crinkling his nose, he gave her a wry grin and couldn't help but tease her a little bit. Lifting his chin, "those hands huh?" Dancing his brows. C'mon, they were best friends. She should've seen that coming. "You fangirl about Jimi's hands?" Waggling his brows at her.

But would it be Frankie if he didn't screw himself over with his mouth' Nope! It wouldn't be....Chances were, neither of them knew what butterflies were. Frankie didn't. The goon probably just thought he was hungry or something stupid like that. Oh, my stomach feels weird, I must be hungry!

He grinned away at that impending pillow doom, unknowing that he screwed himself with that pillow toss. Glacier pools flicked to that snaking arm, narrowing on her in that challenging way just to see her lift her arms. His brows rose, instinct kicking in as his hands lifted in front of his face. Unnecessary it seemed as it wasn't a hard blow and it just rolled and shaped over his hands to still flop on his face. Snickering, he lifted it to peer out at her, the corner of his lips curling as he sat up. Holding the pillow, he looked about ready to toss it at her again but didn't follow through as he tossed it behind his head instead. In the same motion, he reached out to lock his arms around her and tug her back to mattress and him if she didn't fight him about it.



Those dark eyes narrowed further, her brows coming together. This was an offense more serious, even, than smacking her with a pillow. Her words came out in an abbreviated staccato. "You. Did not. Just insult. The. Man."

The Man, of course, was Bob Marley.

There probably would have been a full on pillow assault at that point, no more pulling her strikes or softening the blow, had he not wound his arms around and pulled her down against him. Where once upon a time they'd been something approximating evenly matched, the rapid growth streak that now had Frankie towering over her likewise robbed her of any chance in hell of matching his weight or his strength. The weight of his body coupled with gravity was a one-two punch she couldn't begin to overcome, and Em found herself somewhat gracelessly sprawled across his chest accordingly.

Well then.

Her braids were a tangle of serpentine coils spilling over his shoulder, and though she'd screwed up her face into a most disapproving look, the girl didn't actually do anything to resist him or dislodge herself from his chest. Frowning at him anyway, Em just shook her head. "Goober," she breathed, and then shifted a little, settling a little more comfortably atop him. "And fuck yeah I've got a thing for his hands. If you had hands like that I'd probably—" And that's exactly where she cut off. That's totally a complete sentence, right"

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:25 EST
To that you dun goofed expression, his own brows lifted as he shook his head. Retreat! Abort mission! Abort. Mission. "Who says I insulted him?" He snickered, which.....c'mon. Bob Marley is hard as hell to understand. The only person he could think of at the top of his head was Ozzy Osbourne!

Perhaps it was a good idea he'd decided to pull a tentacle monster move and latch onto her, else he probably would've been eating pillow feathers for the next week. ....Or worse.....Frying pan. He shuddered a bit at the thought and brushed it out of his mind.

With his arms wound around her —perhaps relieved the transition hadn't ended in injuries....yet— he lifted his brows to the disapproving look she was giving him. What' I didn't do nothin'! And he certainly didn't insult The Man! ....Intentionally, at least. He pulled his best puppy dog look when she frowned at him, right down to the eyes and pout until she spat that at him. That lip went right back in as his brows soared nearly to his hairline. "...You'd probably what?" It his turn to give her that look now. "Don't leave me hangin' like that, girl." Oh, now she's just fighting dirty. Dirty! Maybe he should've taken that pillow beating.



As promised, after several minutes of boring talk and clips of interviews with grizzled old white dudes who clearly used to be cool, with a couple of younger, modern black celebrities spouting opinions in between, you know, for authenticity, the documentary cut to footage of an earlier Jimi Hendrix concert. The white noise hum of droning voices replaced with the telltale wail of that legendary guitar, and maybe that helped put Emmaline back in the headspace to make out with Frankie instead of beating him senseless with a frying pan. She smiled then, giving him a little shake of her head.

The music was probably to blame for the way she indulged him, too, instead of torturing him further. "I mean, goddamn.Between hands like that an' your fuckin' tongue, I might never leave the house." Hey, look at that, Frankie. Two Valentines presents!



His selective hearing didn't really allow him to focus on the talking in the interviews, but when that guitar started sounding through the room, a sly smirk curled the edges of his mouth. "Now we're talking," he mumbled, perhaps intuitive in the fact that the threat of the frying pan was finally off the table.

He appreciated the lack of torture, flicking those glacier pools down to her as she indulged him. That smirk turned into a grin then, that light cackle sounding through his throat. "Probably a good thing I'm not a double threat, huh?" He snickered, giving her a feigned pout. "Poor you. You'll just have to survive with my tongue and not having magic hands," he teased her. "....So you'll only leave the house half the time right?" That smirk presenting itself once again as he gave one of the thin braids a soft tug.



"Probably," Em agreed readily, shifting her position some, just kinda....squirming around on him like he was a body pillow or a blanket. Making herself right at home, so to speak. Hey, that's what happens when you go and grow so much so fast that she's pretty sure she could turn him into a trampoline and it wouldn't faze him. "And I do have to eat every once in awhile, so....yeah. Good thing y'just got the one."

In her shifting position, she'd twisted herself so that she was still essentially laying flat out on top of him, but she could now see the television, too. He tugged on one of her braids and she reached back blindly with one of her hands, more or less pawing at his face until she found his cheek and patted it lightly. "...Depends whether you're already here or not." She smirked then, but he probably didn't see it.



A plethora of grunts came from her squirming around on him, his face scrunching as he hoped to avoid a stray elbow or knee in the process. He....probably wouldn't make a good trampoline, just saying! Let's not test that theory. As hilarious as the image may be. "You and me both," he snickered. "Mutual snack breaks would be necessary," he agreed, nodding his head with that statement as if setting terms.

Reaching up among her shifting, he tugged down some pillows to prop his head better to see over her. Not that he was really paying much attention to it, he was mostly just listening. He peered up at the hand coming for him, just to squeeze his eyes shut and snicker at her pawing at his face. "Almost....lower....to the left.." He muttered, teasing her. He scrunched his nose to the cheek pat, keeping himself from nipping at her fingers in the process. Her retort made him grin a bit, moving his hands to rest on her waist just below the curve of ribs as she used him a full body pillow. "....I can accept that," he cackled lightly.



Emma made....something of an attempt to follow his directions. Honestly, she really did try' It's just that when you're reaching above your head and sorta behind you, it becomes very easy to confuse your left and your right. Or maybe the girl was just bad at it to begin with. In any case, she very nearly stuck a little finger up his nose at least once before she actually managed to pat his cheek, doubtlessly snickering when it happened.

"Oh man, I love this song..." The girl enthused with a grin at the beginning notes of a more obscure instrumental piece that was mostly just Jimi lost in his guitar. She had gotten comfortable laying on him, her hands resting lightly over his where they wrapped her waist, but as that song began to play the girl was in motion again, turning to face him once more. There was more shifting and squirming, more avoiding errant elbows and knees, but when she was done she was laying on her belly facing him, practically nose to nose. Her grin lingered. "Hi."



Almost getting a finger to the nose had made him cackle a bit, though.....it might've been his fault for turning his head to almost make it go in there. Seriously, teenage boys were gross. But he'd been subtle -for once- and played it off like an accident. Goblins will be goblins!

"Oh yeah?" He smirked in response to her love for the tune that he didn't quite recognize yet, it was just Jimi being Jimi and he wasn't sure if it was actually a distinguished song piece....or him playing a solo and going wild. Either way, it was a work of art. He was still for the moment, watching Jimi play his guitar until she started squirming again.

Grunts and nose scrunches galore came into play as she wiggled around, his hands shifting around her waist as she moved to be belly to belly then nose to nose with him. His fingers splayed over her back and his own grin spread wide to hers. "...Hi." Those icy pools looked up at her as he reached up to brush a few stray braids over her shoulders where they'd fallen. "Comfortable now?" He smirked, giving his hips a bit of a wiggle under her.



"Almost," replied the girl with a playful grin. With her elbows planted into the pillows to either side of his head, Emma waggled her brows at him teasingly. There was good music playing and Frankie was being adorable underneath her and there was that telltale little wiggle of his hips and it maybe wasn't just a random Tuesday and....well. Normally, the girl would have said something smart ass, or just stared at him expectantly. Normally, she'd have waited to see if he'd figured it out yet. But right now wasn't exactly normal, and....she leaned forward suddenly, closing the distance between them, her mouth pressing to his.



"Almost, huh?" He arched a brow at her, amusement portrayed on his features as she seemed to be settling in. The amusement grew into a shit-eating grin when she waggled her brows at him. It wasn't normal, he was half expecting her to do all those things. And like an idiot, it probably would've taken him a minute as he babbled about something irrelevant to the moment or make a joke about Jimi's hands. Instead, they skipped that altogether with her pressing her mouth to his.

With lips pressed, he tilted his head to deepen it now that he'd taken those training wheels off the bicycle a while ago. His fingers slid away from her braids and found purchase in the small dip at her back to keep her there. What's that' Does that make three Valentines presents" He'd make sure to give hers soon enough.



There was something she really liked about the way Frankie's hands seemed to conform to the curve of her back perfectly. The way the little dimples there to either side of her spine seemed to be just the right size for his thumbs, the way the rest of his fingers seemed to splay just so across the back ridge of her pelvis. Maybe he had magic hands after all. Emma smiled into the kiss, both because of the way his hands felt and because she'd caught him before he'd managed to open his mouth and say something dumb.

Leaning into that kiss just a little bit more, she balanced herself on one elbow, using the opposite hand to cradle his jaw gently between her fingers.



For friends that called themselves 'casual', Frankie'd memorized those two dimples. The subtle things that he liked, things he never verbally spoke about other than with his hands. It might not be best to inform him of those magic hands, though. Don't need the kid's head to get big! His own lips contorted into a smile through the kiss, feeling the stretch of her own leaving a space just big enough for him to flick that tongue they'd spoken about earlier across her bottom lip before closing the space between them.

His lips followed hers as she shifted position slightly, refusing to let space get in between them just as he felt her fingers at his jawline. His own fingers pressed against the curve of her back, forming a further bond of their hips as his own lifted slightly to meet hers. An almost agonizingly slow gesture until one hand slid up the line of her spine to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers into the braids at the nape, leaving his thumb to brush the soft skin behind her ear.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:28 EST
Like wiping a smudge off a camera lens or putting on glasses for the first time, Emmaline couldn't, wouldn't have said that her world was just a little bit fuzzy until the moment it came sharply into focus. Frankie was back in her life, and in her bed, his mouth melding to hers like they tailor made for one another. They kissed the way they kissed when they'd perfected the art of kissing, back when they'd been too young and too nervous to explore a world beyond kissing. There was that added element, though, the way he gently pulled down on her hips even as he brought his own up against her, the way the gentle tug of his fingers in her braids made her shiver. And all the while, Jimi wailed on his guitar to one of her favorite melodies.

The moment was as precious as it was perfect. Which....probably meant Frankie was already overdue to ruin it.



Truer words couldn't be spoken in that moment, really. Or maybe it was a jinx.

His arms locked tightly around her to keep her pressed to his chest, and he likely thought he was a lot more sly or smooth than he actually was. His lips locked with hers, his legs subtly nudged to wiggle their way between hers. It was to get more comfortable, he'd swear it. Just....not on his Mama....

In the process of squirming his way to "get more comfortable", those big clunky boots of his kicked the controller right off the bed. That favorite melody of hers"....Was suddenly silenced by the impact of the controller hitting the floor and pressing one of the buttons.

Stilling to the sudden quiet in the room, one lone icy pool peeked up and glanced toward the television that was now on the menu screen. "....d'mmit.." he mumbled against her lips.

You had one job, Frankie...



Well, it could have been worse. There could have been televangelists or a blaring infomercial instead of silence.

She let him wiggle her knees apart, a dim smile painting her features as he did, like it was something that needed to be subtle, like it was something she didn't want him to do. There was the loud thunk of the controller hitting the floor, the even louder silence. Em's brows furrowed, and then the kiss broke, a snicker escaping her lips about the time he said dammit. "What did you do?" she asked, fighting valiantly to suppress the giggles and....ultimately losing.



That is also a very true statement to be made....Or that gratingly loud static...It could've been much much worse than silence.

The second icy glacier surfaced like the first when the kiss broke and she asked him that question. He looked a bit sheepish as he looked over to the menu screen over her shoulder then back at her. His face scrunched, shoulders lifted as he removed his hands from her back to add into the shrug. "I.....might've ....kicked the controller"....Offthebedanditmightbeonthemenuscreen." Scrunching his nose, he had that oopsie! look all over him.



Emmaline just stared at him for a long moment. And then she shook her head, and just kinda collapsed against his chest. All the tension went out of her frame, elbows sliding outwards as her shoulders caved, her face tilting so that she landed cheek-down against his shoulder. Her spine shivering with the effort of checking her snickering, the girl shook her head, grinning. "...Of course you did."

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, her fingers drawing little squares on his chest. She shook her head again, a barely perceptible impression of movement against his chest. "You're such a goober," she said, but if anything, her tone was overwhelmingly affectionate.



His brows rose as she stared down at him, giving her an almost doe-eyed look but a guy with an upside down cross tattooed on his cheek was nearly impossible to pull off anything 'innocent' with expressions. She's gonna fry pan me one of these days, I just know it. When she collapsed on him, he snickered and wrapped his arms around her again. "Do you really expect less at this point?" He mumbled sheepishly.

His eyes closed reflexively at the tracing on his chest, his chin tipping to nose into the braids behind her ear. Her affectionate retort had him laughing softly, a brush of heat to her ear as his fingers splayed over her back. "Yeah, what you gon' do about it?" He teased lightly, his arms tightening in something of a hug though it was questionable on if he was just bringing her closer.



"Well, no..." conceding the point with a little laugh as his arms slid around her once more, Em slipped her fingers into the space between his ribs and the mattress, burrowing until her hands nearly met in the middle, winding around him in kind. She really might smack him upside the head with a frying pan one of these days, but today is not that day.

He asked her what she would do about it, and Emma shrugged. "I don't fuckin' know. Probly kiss you some more?" He pulled her closer and she let him, her arms tightening around his ribs.



His spine arched slightly to give her the space to slide her arms beneath his back before settling when she did. He was thankful for the lack of frying pan today, really.

That Frankie grin -not the smirk, but the grin- curled his lips when she gave him that threat"...Promise" "I could live with that," he teased, but his tone was soft as a murmur. His fingers tracing over her back to feel the ridges of her spine before he nudged her forehead lightly with his nose.



"Think so?" Her tone was tough, but her eyes were not. Soft chocolate pools directed up at him from where she was laying on his chest. It was a surprisingly vulnerable moment, like the confession of it was much bigger than she'd initially intended. Frankie bumped her forehead with his nose and the girl grinned despite herself, eliminating any chance of appearing hard or tough. "....Good."



"Mhmmm," he hummed, grinning like the fool he was. Ice against warmth in that moment when their eyes met, the deep chocolate of hers and stark brightness of blue from his. Though even with the shock of cold the color hinted, they were much softer and warmer than at first glance. He caught the grin and couldn't help his own when she gave that single statement. Snickering lightly, he laid there with her a moment before his mouth ran away from him again. Peering down at her over the ridge of high cheekbones, that grin spread into near mischief. "So....you gon' gimme somma them lips or you gonna make me beg for it?" He teased halfheartedly, though the fingers that reached the curve of her jawbone below her ear to caress it was anything but joking.



"You are kinda cute when you beg..." Ventured Em tentatively, with that smile that said she was joking but only if he took it as a joke. She recognized the heat in those near colorless blues, hinting at something entirely unspoken, and freckled cheeks flushed with sudden fire in response. Damn how easily triggered her blush could be. She swallowed thickly, her stomach executing an artful arabesque behind its wall of muscle, and her chin dropped in a nod even as she lifted her face to his. "I .....suppose I can do that, though..." she whispered, and this time she was waiting for him to initiate, her mouth just inches from his.



"It's the puppy dog look I'd assume. Y'know, get down on my knees, pout, the whole shebang," he snickered, Em probably being the only one he'd joke about that with. Boy had a reputation to uphold after all, and she'd seen him in some pretty shameless moments. His eyes flicked to the soft speckles that dusted her cheekbones as they sprang more prominently with that flush of color, the curl of his sharp mouth softening. It was the nod that got him to stop staring at him, returning his eyes to hers when she lifted her face and gave him that nonchalant response, words that contrasted with the whisper. The way she stopped just inches from his, waiting for him to break the distance. He'd have to be an idiot to not get what they were just talking about though. Grinning briefly, his head lifted to close any space between their lips, fingers dusting over the span of her jawline before finding solace at the nape of her neck and tangling into those delicate braids. This time, there was just a bit more heat behind the kiss.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-18 23:42 EST
Some time later, Emma was laying face down with her belly on the mattress, the top half of her body draped across Frankie. Her braids were a tangled spill of black over his shoulder, the warm tone of her skin a sharp contrast to his ink-stained pallor. She had her hands tucked underneath his shoulder blades, her face pillowed in the hollow between his shoulder and his pectoral muscle. Her breath had only just come back to a normal rhythm, her heart beat finally slowed down enough that she felt like she could breathe.

Every time they were together, it got better, more familiar, less awkward. More of the distance that two years apart had carved between them fell away. Being with Frankie was more intense than she remembered, more serious, more....significant. Had it always been like this, and she just forgot' Had the time away, the growing up changed things" Em' couldn't be sure. What she did know for sure was that nothing in the world felt as normal, as natural, as right, as laying here with him like this. Right here, right now.

Kissing his chest, the girl sighed deeply, letting it out in a slow burst of breath that likely tickled his skin. Her fingers dug lightly into the backs of his arms as her grip on his body tightened, a half hug in their half-prone position. There was no music in the background as she hadn't bothered to re-start the documentary. In the silence, she was intimately aware of Frankie's heartbeat, and she nuzzled into it, affectionate. "Your heart's finally chilling out," she said it with a soft laugh, trying to inject a little levity into a situation that was threatening to turn super serious.



At that point, Frankie had that goofy half-dazed smile on his face. Somewhere in between a smirk and a genuine smile, with heavily lidded glacier pools that kept threatening to close on him. But, he'd promised not to fall asleep on her again. He planned to keep it. Remembering that, he forced his eyes to open wider, blinking a bit as his own breathing steadied into something close to normal.

There was definite improvement now than when they'd first reunited. It was more comfortable, more familiar, the awkwardness had dissipated as much as it could. But it was true that there were things that were just...more. It was different than before. Drastically' He couldn't say. But there was still a change. Whether it was the separation for such an extended period of time, the change in him when she was gone, the fact he had her back in his life now. He didn't know. But it wasn't a bad change....just different. And nothing he'd voice, that was for damn sure.

Where she laid on him, half-sprawled on the mattress and half on him, he laid flat on his back with that messy mop of hair that was now more of a tuft of obsidian poking up every which way. Her breath tickled his chest in a pleasing way that had his sharp mouth curling into a lazy smile while his fingers traced the lines of her ribs from where his forearm rested over the dip of her spine. The half hug and nuzzle had the other arm curling around her, almost sluggish as spindly fingers snaked into those tiny braids as if to keep her there. The note of his heartbeat had him snickering, giving a gentle and playful tug to one of those braids. "I'm not blaming you....but I'm totally blaming you," he teased her, the culprit of the rapid heart beat considering what they'd just done.



"I...will totally accept that blame, actually." A smile drifted over her lips, a soft laugh escaping her throat. It was strange to her how it was both perfectly surreal and perfectly normal to have Frankie in her bed, here in her father's house, surrounded by her own band posters and skeleton figurines. The press of his hands against her body felt nice, even the way his fingers drug along her ribs which made her squirm felt perfect, even though she tugged one hand out from underneath him to push those questing fingers away. "Heeeey, that tickles, cut it out!" She said sluggishly, not exactly committed to the rebuke, her eyes closing.

"Mm. You're all....comfy and warm," she proclaimed, nuzzling her cheekbone a little deeper into that hollow. "I'm probably not moving unless you've got a really good reason...."



"You should," he agreed with a weak nod of his head. "You should accept the blame and wear it proudly. Like a badge." He snickered. The rebellious teenager would likely agree with the sentiment, though for him it was that added I'm not supposed to be here feel that brought a dash of excitement into the situation....as if it needed it. He peered down at the apples of his cheekbones to her, almost devious yet still lazy in the curl of a smirk as his fingers found the curve of her waist instead. "Yeah?" His tone hinted a warning, a threat to tickle her that he didn't follow through with. The bluff was obvious when his fingers curled around her waist instead. He wasn't gonna be mean to her, not after that!

"Back atcha," he sighed, letting his own eyes close as he pushed the back of his head into the pillow to get more comfortable. His face scrunched as his head slowly shook from side to side, "I ain't got shit of a reason. So you..." He tapped his fingers over that curve of her waist before settling again. "You should totally stay right there." Why in the world would he want a stark naked Em to move" No, he was more than content to have her lying just where she was.

Keeping his eyes closed for a few moments....it was hard to tell if their luck ran out, or it had simply gone too well for the teens who had actually had a semi-non-disastrous day so far...

In the pile of clothing beside the bed, Frankie's phone started vibrating the pocket of his jeans. Dull, yet echoing among the fabric set on the floor. One glacier pool peered open and looked up at the ceiling, "that your phone or mine?" Lifting his head from the pillow, he craned his neck and scooted a little bit to the edge to reach a long and lanky arm over to swat at the clothes. "Ngh," he grunted with the effort, finally catching a belt loop of his jeans as he tugged them onto the bed, reluctant to move away from Em to get it. Instead, he just furrowed his brows as he dug out the phone vibrating in his pocket. Looking at the caller ID, he let out a groan. "Dammit, it's Mom," he groaned, letting his head fall back just as the phone's call cut. "...Shit." But it wasn't two seconds that the second call started vibrating the device.



With a happy grin lingering indolently on her features, Emmaline's breath had slowed way down, her body relaxing more completely against his. Her shoulders went slack, her fingers curling into his skin once more. The girl really was on the verge of falling asleep when....the phone rang.

Because of course it did.

Peeling one eye open, her brows furrowed, a scowl marring her face. The phone ringing right now, today, could only mean one thing: parents. Either her dad or his mom, whoever was making the electronic device rattle across the floor that way was unquestionably an authority figure of some type. "S'not mine," she announced, even though she didn't actually know, mostly because her father was supposed to be offworld and cell reception from there was spotty. Frankie moved underneath her and Em grumbled, but let him, his body shifting minimally underneath hers to reach it. She whined in a low tone as the effort to bend his arm enough to catch his pants by the belt loops lifted her higher off the mattress and set her down again with a bounce, disturbing her peaceful warm spot on his chest.

Frankie dragged the phone closer just as it stopped going off, and Em was relieved for maybe five seconds until it started ringing anew. This time both of her eyes opened. "...Shit, are we in trouble?"



"I know, I know," he whined along with her when she did, giving her an apologetic look that said he wasn't happy about moving about either. He'd been comfortable playing body pillow for Em. "Sorry," he'd grunted among all the movements as she protested more and more.

It wasn't until he was looking at the screen during the beginning of the Round 2 phone call, he scrunched his nose. "Ma doesn't usually call," he shook his head, neither confirming or denying them being in trouble. "But twice don't sound good," he sighed, swiping the green button to answer before pressing the phone to his ear. He let his head fall back with his eyes closed while he greeted Leah, "whaddup with the double call, Ma" S'going on....Ma, Mom," he grunted, popping those eyes open as Leah's voice could likely be heard between the silence of the room and Em's closeness. At least the tone, of which was stern and in strict parental mode for the moment. "What— I don't— Huh?" His face scrunched in that dumb way when something was going over his head. "Okay, okayyy. I'm," he paused, glancing over to Em. "I'm with Em. Her Dad's out of town," he told her, just for his brows to furrow with concern and he nodded....only to realize he was on the phone and needed to verbalize. "Yeah, fuck. Alright. Yeah, we'll be on our way."

Leah's firm voice could be heard distinctly over the phone, worry evident and on the brink of panic that she was barely keeping contained. "Now, Frankie."

And that's when he hung up, a look of confusion riddled over angular features and wrinkling the space between his brows.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-19 02:17 EST
Leah's voice came through in a tinny buzz of static. She couldn't make out the woman's words, but she could clearly hear the distress in it. The woman was barking orders like a little dictator, a thing Em had only ever seen her do when she was really worried about something. Her brows furrowing, the teenager lifted her head, bringing her hands together across Frankie's chest to give herself a perch. Her spine arched at a semi-dramatic angle, her braids spilled around her shoulders as she watched Frankie's face, trying to piece together the nature of the problem.

She distinctly heard the 'Now, Frankie' before the line disconnected. Had his mother found them out' Was she mad that they were ...together" It sounded like she wanted her son to come home immediately, but wait. Didn't Frankie say 'we' when he'd promised to be along shortly' Her expression was the picture of confusion and concern as the call ended, her dark eyes on his face. "What's going on?"

It wasn't much of a secret, at least not to Em, that Frankie was a bit of a Mama's Boy. In their situation and understanding, it was nearly impossible not to be. But even if he wasn't, hearing that barely contained panic in his mother's voice that was distinctly different than the dramatics of an overprotective mother....it unsettled him.

Looking to where Em was arched there, staring at him, he shook his head with that expression still on his face. "I....I don't know," he admitted. "Mom's freakin'. And not just in her normal Mamabear way," he snickered, but it didn't quite meet the marker. "She said something came on the radio and televisions. Somethin' city-wide that's supposed to be really bad. She wants us to get our asses to the apartment. Pronto," his sharp mouth curled into a frown as it was pretty clear he wasn't in the slightest sure what was going on.

Patting her side, he lifted up to prop himself on elbows to wait for her to let him up before he'd sit up himself. Raising a brow at her, he gave her a slightly defeated look. "....Even if it is her flippin' shit over nothin', is it worth Mama's rage?" He sighed, leaning to the side to collect their clothes over the edge of the mattress.



Frankie's mom was overprotective the same way her father was. Em had wondered more than once what it would be like if both of them had had spouses, people to raise their children with and alleviate some of those fears. But her best friend was telling her that this was something more, and even through the high pitched electronic whine of the cell phone's reception, even Emmaline had been able to tell that the note of distress in the woman's voice was real.

"Both of us?" Just to make sure she'd heard him correctly, Em sought confirmation, dragging herself upright. It was one thing for her to call her baby home immediately, but quite another if she was insisting that Emma come, too. The girl glanced out the window, half expecting to see Armageddon out there, but from this height, there was nothing. She sat the rest of the way up so that he could move, crossing her legs underneath her as she waited on him to retrieve their clothes. "Wait, it's on the radio?"

That, at least, was something she could confirm. While he leaned one way retrieving their discarded garments, Em leaned the other, turning the little clock radio on her night stand over to make the radio come on. It had only been on ten seconds when the special announcement that had spurred Leah's call came through, something about a confirmed rumor that there would be an attack on the non-humans of the city and to take shelter immediately. Her dark eyes went wide. "Oh.....oh shit."



He nodded his confirmation to her question. "Yeah, both of us. Ma asked if your Dad was home.." He flicked his eyes to her. "Had to tell her he wasn't. She insisted you come home with me," he told her. He couldn't help but be grateful for his mom's concern over his best friend, too. There was no way in Hell she'd be able to keep him pent up at home, with no knowing if Em was okay. And there was no damned way he was leaving her alone with that panic in Leah's voice. Whether she'd demanded it or not, he would've tried to convince Em to come home with him anyways. Nodding a second time, "yeah, s'what she said," about the radio business.

Untangling each other's clothing from the mass of fabric on the floor, he separated them to put Em's clothing on the bed for her quickly while she fiddled with the radio. Standing, he managed to slip on his boxers before the announcement blaring had him staring at the device with a strange expression. Non-humans" ....It was evident now why Leah had been nearly hysteric for Frankie to get his ass home. Instead of saying something, he was silent for a long moment, just focusing on getting dressed. His expression was nearly blank, tension in those stringy muscles sang his emotions for him that were mixed and hard to discern even for himself.

Finally speaking after he'd tugged his shirt over his head quickly, he raked his fingers through his hair. "Should pro'lly get going soon, before Ma sends Jae's sketchy ass to come get us," he muttered, tucking his phone into his pocket and turning to get his boots.



Listening in horror as the message repeated, it took Emmaline a moment or two to make herself move, to re-engage and get herself moving .Prompted by Frankie's admonition, Em nodded, raking her fingers through her braids, settling them behind her shoulders, trying to get herself together. "...are we sure it's even safe to go out there?" Her gaze strayed out the window again, but at least as she looked she was reaching for the pile of clothes he'd separated out for her.

Forgoing her panties, Em hooked and re-donned her bra first and then pulled the dress she'd been wearing down over her head. Standing, she reached for the leggings last, sweeping them off the mattress as she stuck first one foot in and then the other, shimmying a little to get the clingy fabric into place. Re-dressed, she cast a glance around her room helplessly. Should she pack anything" Weapons to defend herself, maybe, in case she and Frankie were separated, or worse, something happened to Fra—— Em cut herself off from that thought, shaking her head violently. "What should we take with us?"



His lips pulled into a frown, peering through the window but it didn't look like a whole lot was going on outside. "I don't know, the streets look nearly empty.." He muttered, brows furrowed. "This seems weird...you'd think som'n like that would cause some like....hysteria or some shit.." Shaking his head, he didn't understand any of this.

His palms smeared over his face, as if he could rub some sense of reality into his brain that way. It was beyond strange at this point. Sure, there'd been the protests, people had talked about a civil war brewing. But they'd been rumors. Assumptions. A full-on attack against non-humans, city-wide" He wasn't sure how long he'd stared at the afternoon sun streaking through the windows, like it was any other day. "What?" He blinked, shaking his head a bit when he belatedly realized Em had spoken.



"No," came the almost unsettling calm voice of Jae from the doorway. He was pristine, in a pinstripe suit that was a decadent shade of steel grey with orchid stripes, the same color tie set over a white button up shirt that was crisp and clean. His hair was always near perfect, combed elegantly in a wave to the side today and held in place by product. Black eyes that never met another's was peering at the cuticles of manicured fingers. "Perhaps a change of clothes if you must, but make it quick." Lifting those dark eyes to peer at the bridge of Frankie's nose then Em's, never making direct eye contact, his brows rose. "...Now would be lovely," he instructed the two teenagers.



The girl gave a quiet, high shriek when the strange voice sounded from her doorway, whirling in an instant towards it. She's grown up in the projects in inner city Atlanta, and though she was startled, the girl was nobody's victim. There was a fire of defiance on her eyes as she turned to face the intruder....and then she went slack again. "Oh. It's you. Damn, Jae. Don't sneak up on a girl in her own house that way!"

One hand was pressed flat to her chest, trying to coax her heart back down out of her throat. It was just Jae, and Jae was safe. She stared at him a few seconds longer, assuring herself that it really was who she thought it was, and then just to be sure — she looked to Frankie for confirmation. Satisfied that this was a 'safe' person after all, Em shook her head, raking her fingers through her hair once more. A change of clothes"

Jumping into action, the girl went directly to her closet, pulling out a small duffel bag. Moving quickly around her room, she pulled open drawers, fishing out some fresh underwear, a pair of pajama pants, a tee shirt, some jeans and a shirt. Stuffing them hurriedly into the bag with her deodorant and a couple of other quick essentials, Em snagged a hoodie down from the hook on her closet door. "Okay. I think that's everything, then."



Frankie jumped visibly, but was a bit more used to Jae's.....unusual entrances than Em was. "Sh**onacracker," he hissed between his teeth, shooting the Korean man a brief glare before shaking his head. "Seriously.." He muttered the vague sentiment to the girl's words, but couldn't ignore the impeccable timing of the man. At least he hadn't shown up while Em was getting dressed. But after the brief startle, it was pretty clear by Frankie's lax demeanor now that Jae was safe. At least to them.

He rolled his eyes, moving to the doorway that Jae was currently blocking. "Seriously, man. Ever hear of a door"...Or knocking?"



The man only responded with that brow raised and a glance to the fact he was, in fact, standing in the doorway. And just to prove a point, lifted his hand to knock the second knuckle of his middle finger to the door frame. A heartbeat later, he turned and drifted away from the doorway to let Frankie through.



Rolling his eyes with a groan, he slipped past the man to retrieve his jacket from where he'd left it in the living room. All the while, muttering under his breath.



Jae stood in between Frankie in the living room and Em in that same room with him. After a moment of being quiet, he soundlessly moved toward Em. His movements were non-threatening, though strange, as he slowly reached out to fix a couple braids of hers if she let him. Letting out a slow, steady sigh, he nodded. "If I may request one thing.." His Eastern dialect hinted faintly to amusement. "Perhaps some perfume." Giving her a knowing look, he lifted his finger to tap the side of his nose before casting a look to the muttering goblin boy in the living room. A brief smirk, almost contrasting to the sociopathic demeanor many strangers saw of the shady business man, he'd turn toward the door and start out of the room if there were no protests.

(To Be Continued....)

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-19 16:44 EST
(Continued..)

Rolling her eyes with a faint smile when Jae 'knocked' after the fact, Emma cast another glance around her room, trying to remember whether she was forgetting anything important. As such, she wasn't looking at him when the silent, sneaky Korean man crossed the room to her. She startled again, less violently this time, when his fingers touched her hair, and though she didn't jump this time, she did give him a scowl. "Seriously, dude, we need ta' put a bell on you."

He leaned in, making his quiet suggestion, and although he didn't look at her directly, she could still see what passed for a knowing smirk in the very corners of his mouth. She was thinking about being offended—did that goddamn Asian just tell me I stink"!—when it dawned on her what he was getting at. Oh! Oh. Lips pursing, she gave a nod, moving over to the bookshelf to snag a bottle of perfume from one of the higher shelves. It was purple glass with chrome accents, and she sprayed a little in her hair and a little more on her dress, plucking at the fabric to make it billow around her thighs, distributing the artificial scent.

Disguising the sex-smell on herself as best she could without ending up smelling like she'd been bathing in flowers, Emma realized she'd been about to rush off without....hiding any of the rest of the evidence. Sure, Leah's warning had been dire, and Jae's presence here seemed to reinforce that, but none of it would matter if her dad got home, realized there'd been a boy here and figured out who it might be. "Hey, Frankie?" She lifted her voice, calling him back into the room as she gathered up both abandoned soda cans, smoothed out the sheets. When the goblin boy returned, she tipped her head towards her trashcan. "Can you grab that' We need to throw it down the chute on our way out." Let her father come home and find a used condom in her trashcan. Better hope whatever was out there in the streets got her sooner than have to face that.



The Asian was telling her she stank in a different way. One that a particular Mama might pick up on if they weren't careful. An almost cynical chuckle rolled through his throat as he made his way to the door. "You can try to put a bell on me," the unspoken if you can catch me was hinted in his tone, teasing as it may have been.

Passing Frankie to stand by the front door, he snickered. "Fix your hair," he muttered, giving a tap to the side of his nose in that knowing way before he fell into that patient, waiting silence, taking up a lean against the wall beside the door while the teens got themselves ready.



"What?" He glanced to Jae, looking away not a moment later and clearing his throat. "Oh, right," he whistled awkwardly, raking his fingers through his hair. He didn't fix it too much, or it would be suspicious. But, there a particularly certain....messiness that was pretty obvious. "Thanks," he muttered, just to drop his hands when he heard Em call for him. "Yeah!" He called, making his way quickly to the door and breaching it.

Looking to the trashcan when she asked about it, he let out a slight cackle. Right, the condom. No leaving evidence behind. "Yeah, you got it," he snickered, walking over and tossing his leather jacket over his shoulder for safe keeping before picking up the trash. "Good call," he smirked a bit, looking at her with the bin in hand. "You ready?" Joking aside, there was a glimmer of concern to how she was taking this. It was one thing for things to go down, but Jae made it feel too real now. Jae's the best, I already know this. Mom sent the best to come get us. It's worse than I thought. He just hoped she was being cautious.



"Thanks," she said to Frankie as he grabbed the trash. After a moment's hesitation, she put the perfume bottle in her duffel bag, too, you know. Just in case. Stuffing her socked feet back into her shoes, she laced them up most of the way and smoothed her dress down one more time. "Okay....I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to get." Shouldering her bag, Em' snagged her purse on her way through the door into her living room, and she glanced around it once, wondering if there was anything she should do.

Redirecting herself to the kitchen, she pulled a piece of scrap paper and a pen out of one of the drawers and scrawled a quick note to her father. "Weird things going on in the city. Went to a friend's. Have my cell. Love you. —E." She left it in the middle of the dining room table where her father could easily see it if he came home from his trip early. And speaking of her cell, Em doubled back to her room to grab the charger for it, and then, finally, she was actually ready. "Okay. Let's do this, I guess."



With the trash bin in hand, Frankie trailed Em like smoke to the living room. "Alright, let's go before Jae starts getting antsy," he snickered, even though he wasn't so sure the man could get antsy. It was almost unnerving how calm Jae could be, from what he'd learned about the Korean.

While Em moved about writing a note for her father and snagged the final things she needed, Frankie went ahead to take care of the trash. It seemed too normal for the situation, but it was that little bit of normalcy that had kept his fingers from twitching too much. Was he unnerved by this" Of course. But he did his best not to let it show.

Once he was done, he waited by the door with Jae and nodded when Em said she was good to go. Taking a deep breath, he held out his hand to his best friend. "Stay close to me," he muttered, and he'd give her hand a tight squeeze if she took it.



Silent, calm and composed, Jae remained in his lean by the door until the teens finally made their way to the door. Shrugging away from the wall, he smoothed his palm over the front of his suit, looking down. "Everyone set?" He breathed the words, finally lifting his chin after a moment before his dark eyes scanned the apartment and nodded. "Let's get on the move, then." Turning away from them, he reached for the door and spoke as he opened it. "Both of you stay close to me. If there's trouble, stay out of the way but don't venture too far. If we get separated," he paused, taking a step out of the apartment with a look in both directions before the profile of his face could be seen with those dark eyes peering. "Get to the apartment as quickly as you can. Stay together. Keep moving. Don't stop for anything, or anyone." Don't play Hero. The silent words were there, almost coldly before he started down the hallway once they'd joined him.

Jae had taken lead, guiding them through the apartment building and through the front door with caution. Black, nearly soulless eyes scoured the street that wasn't as calm as it had been moments before. "Remember what I said," he told them, descending the steps to the street.

Some people were frantically collecting belongings to flee the city, some were in near hysterics over the broadcast. Whether it was rumored or not, many people heeded it accordingly. Men, children, women; beast and man; humans and non-humans alike were either locking themselves up in their homes, cluttering the streets to seek an escape or refuge, some of the degenerates were even sanctioning riots or raids to take the opportunity for the upcoming mayhem to sate their own greed or destruction.

At that point, Jae had retrieved the Glock 17 from the holster his fashionable suit had kept well hidden. "Safe measure," he'd muttered to the teens, seeing Frankie's wide eyes to the sight of the gun and a reassuring hand had been put on Em's shoulder. That same hand moved away as a form of barricade, a guiding limb that pressed to the backs of the teenagers. "Move," he instructed, keeping a steady grip on the butt of his firearm as his eyes moved to every possible face that could serve as a threat to the two under his responsibility.

The majority of the walk hadn't been too alarming with Jae leading them away from danger and even made a couple detours away from streets that seemed too busy. Too risky. Or were blocked off completely. It was starting to look like Armageddon at this point, but the Korean man was a steady rock. Frankie had held fast onto Em, glued to her hip and refusing more than a foot or two from his best friend, relying on Jae to know what he was doing through all of this.

It wasn't until they'd nearly reached the apartment, no more than a block away that a close call rose. A small gang of people, no more than four and all blocking their path to the street ahead.

"You all human, or non-humans?" One of them asked, a husky fellow who gave no hint to which side he was on from the near blank expression on his face. His arms were crossed over a wide chest, a show of a human (or non-human) wall.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-03-19 18:46 EST
The situation was surreal, and Emmaline was feeling strangely. She locked the door behind them as they left her apartment, and she wondered whether doing so was silly or not. Slipping her hand into Frankie's immediately afterwards, she mostly kept quiet as they navigated first the apartment complex and then the streets together as a unit. The gun didn't faze her in the slightest — her father carried one, and Em herself knew the basics because her dad firmly believed in responsible gun ownership. She was oddly grateful for the hand on her shoulder, the reassurance and strength that it afforded, and Frankie wouldn't have to work hard to stay at her side because she wasn't much interested in venturing away from him, either.

But even that was strange to her. Here Jae and Frankie were both being protective of her, seeking to shelter her from harm, and while she appreciated it — and generally warranted it, being the only human, and therefore the most fragile of them. But if the broadcast on the radio was to be believed, then, really, she was the safest of all three of them, the least likely to come to harm, the one who should have been trying to protect the other two. She knew without having to ask that neither of them would find any real merit in that thought, so she didn't voice it, just kept her head down and her hand in Frankie's as they walked.

The journey was a spiraling one, zigzagging across city blocks in what looked like a haphazard fashion. It wasn't the most direct route to Frankie's house by any means, but it was the one that avoided most of the chaos in the streets. There were people everywhere, of all descriptions, some yelling at one another, some moving in swift, urgent silence like the three of them. A glance down this or that street showed her people who were fighting, crowds assembling into mobs they claimed were for their own protection. A chill spilled down the back of her neck, her stomach unsettling, but Em kept her head down and kept walking.

She'd just begun to breathe more easily — begun to feel the relief that they'd made it to his place without incident — when they turned a final corner and found a wall of people between them and the door. People demanding to know their status, their species, their affiliation. Emma squared her shoulders, drawing herself up to her full height alongside Frankie. "What's it to you?"



Frankie's pulse was jumping in his wrists, rushing in his ears. Sure, he'd heeded Leah's warnings about keeping himself hidden on Earth so nothing like this would happen. Rhy'Din seemed different. But not today. Now, non-humans were in threat. And though it seemed more realistic that it was Jae and Frankie in far more danger than Em, there was that swelling worry that she was in danger just by her affiliation with him. And he wasn't taking any risks.

Glued to Em, he'd nodded along to Jae's instructions as he lead them through the city. Unnaturally quiet for the big mouthed teenager that more often than not would run it against the requests of sound mind, he focused on staying close to Em. He focused on his trust in Jae. And he focused on keeping that glamour up and not letting his nerves have that wall crashing down. Now was not the time for him to drop it, to show what he really was.

He did his best to stay calm up until they'd almost reached home. The apartment was down the road, within sight, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Go— the fuck," cut off at the knees by the gang stepping in their way, his hand clasped a bit firmer to Em's as he tried to tug her a bit behind his shoulder with instinctive protectiveness. Ironically, considering. "We just—" He started, only to get cut off again by a lift of Jae's hand trying to silence him before he got them into trouble. It....wasn't really out of line for him to do so. It's Frankie, after all.



"These children are none of your concern," he answered, perhaps not what they were seeking but from the cold expression on Jae's face, it was the best they were going to get. Stepping boldly in front of the teens, his brows rose as he looked to each member of the gang there.

Not making eye contact. Not yet.

"Are we going to have a problem here?" He sighed, bringing his soulless eyes up to the man seeming to lead the group, his stare heavy on the bridge of the man's nose as he tilted his wrist in warning. The fact that he had a gun, and the monotone coldness in his tone as well as the blank stare making it evident he wasn't in any qualm to avoid pulling the trigger.



The man who'd asked the original question shot a look to Em for her smart ass comment. "Didja not hear the broadcast?" He scoffed, shaking his head as if it was a dumb question. That look was shot to Frankie next when he started to speak, a brief scowl before it was locked onto Jae when he approached. "Yeah' What makes you think they're.." He started, just to peer down at the Glock in the Korean's hand, back and forth between the gun and the expression on the man's face.

His chin lifted, one nostril lifting in a defiant sniff that said he wasn't afraid. "What' You gon' shoot?" He snickered, unfolding his arms until one woman from the group, one that had been staring at the teenagers the entire time stepped forward and placed a hand on the big man's chest.

She whispered to him, hushed but easily heard by the trio just trying to making their way home. "They're just children, let it go," she hissed at him, her morals clear by the ferocity in her voice and expression. "I didn't sign up for that," she narrowed her eyes on him with a spared glance to the others. "....Are we really going to hurt a couple of kids" Human or not, this isn't right. And I'll take no part in harming innocent kids."

"Who say's they're inn—"

"They're fucking children," she jabbed the man's shoulder with the heel of her hand, a quick smack before she looked to Frankie and Em. A jerk of her head, she almost looked ashamed of the rest of them. "Go, if he makes a move.." She trailed off, pulling out a blade from a thigh holster as a warning look was given to the bigger man who scowled and put his hands up. "Fine," he growled, taking a step back.



Em stood her ground. It would have been better to keep her mouth shut, sure, but she was a girl who refused to cower. Whether their problem was with the color of her skin, her gender, her orientation, or any of a million other prejudices, Emmaline couldn't not hold her head high. She'd dealt with racism and sexism all her life, and she'd be damned if Frankie would be attacked for something he couldn't help any more than she could change her skin or plumbing, not while she could do anything about it.

Frankie nudged himself in front of her and she squeezed his hand gently. Jae stepped in front of them both and she breathed a little easier, but she didn't let it show. She kept her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, one hand laced in Frankie's and the other curled in a loose fist at her side. She had no weapons on her, but if there was going to be an altercation, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

But then the woman in the group took their side of things, arguing the big man down from his position of hostility and violence. Em watched intently, and though she didn't know exactly what it was that Jae could do, her instinct told her that the way he was looking at that man wasn't a good sign for him. He backed up at last, at the woman's insistence, and for the first time in several seconds, Emma exhaled. She squeezed Frankie's hand again, the only evidence of how nervous she'd been.



The squeeze to his hand was returned, fingers lacing more tightly through Em's as he was thankful for Jae being there. He did his best not to think of the what if he hadn't been scenario, focusing instead on the blessings they had.

Frankie let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding when they were told to go. Releasing Em's hand, if only to slide his arm around her waist instead, he kept her tucked into the curve of his body and inched around the group. "Ya heard the lady," he muttered, not wasting any potential opportunity to get Em outta there. He was still stiff and rigid, like an animal who's haunches were bristled from the threat but he held back any growl that might've wanted to come out. "Jae, c'mon," he hissed to the Korean man who was still staring intensely at the big man.

Like he wanted to kill him, and was searching for any reason to do so.



If he'd listened to the woman, you couldn't tell until Frankie's hiss had brought that blink-less stare over to the teens when they started moving. Nodding once, he glanced to the woman finally with a bow of his head. "Thank you," he said blankly, as if it was empty before he turned away from the man but kept the Glock in hand. He didn't spare any of the others a look as he reached his hand out to usher the teens away from the four members of the group that moved out of their way.

The bigger man was a bit more resistant, but after a couple more aggressive swats from the woman and a hushed what the fuck is WRONG with you?! he complied. Grumbling, he turned altogether and waved his hand to the others. "Come on, we've got more important things to do," he announced to the others who started after him.

Jae paused then, turning his head to settle that soulless stare onto another member of the group who had been silent but glaring at the trio. He'd been hesitant, if anything, to let the Korean leave. His body language said it all.

For the first time since the brief encounter, Jae locked eyes with the man. A smile that was far from friendly added youthful dips into his cheeks but the pleasantry didn't meet those cold, dead eyes.

Gone as quickly as it had been given, Jae continued to usher the teenagers toward the apartment building at a bit more brisk pace than before but remaining calm still. When they arrived, he didn't follow them inside. Instead, he stood at the base of the stairs leading up to the building, gesturing to the door with his hand. "Leah's waiting for you both inside," he told them, trusting them to manage a single stairwell on their own.

Leah Dixon

Date: 2017-03-19 21:09 EST
The boy beside her released her hand only to wrap an arm around her, and she moved into his side, hooking her newly freed fingers in one of his belt loops along the far hip. Her gaze never left the big man even as she let Frankie guide her around them and to the stairs, unwilling to turn her back on him even a little bit until she was sure that Jae stood between them. She faced forward only when she had to, her fingers tightening on that single strip of her (boy)friend's pants as they climbed the short set of stairs that led to the front door.

She glanced back over her shoulder once, just in time to catch the side of Jae's smile. She realized in that moment that she'd never seen him smile before, not like that, not more than the flickering wisps of amusement at some droll thing she or Frankie had said or done in his presence, and something about that overtly cheerful rictus made all the hair on her arms stand up on end. Suppressing the urge to shudder, Emma turned away from him then, wrapping her free hand around the door handle and pulling it open with a tug once they'd reached it. She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dim hallway, lifting her gaze to study the stairs for signs of life before they approached them. In a low voice, she said "...it looks clear?" Sounding more uncertain than she wanted to, the teenager scowled, swallowed, cleared her throat and tried again. "C'mon. 'Fore Leah has an aneurysm," she spoke again, affecting a bravado she didn't exactly feel.



The closer they reached the apartment, the easier Frankie could breathe. He'd completely missed Jae's pause, or the smile he'd given the man in the group. Something he'd be glad about later, or maybe not understand the caliber of. Instead, he focused on getting them to the building with the Korean's insistence and his own intense need to get off the streets with Em.

It wasn't until they were inside the building and his own glacier pools scanned the area that appeared to be clear. Nodding slowly, he still refused to let go of her. "Looks clear enough to me," he mumbled, glance to Em when she scowled and had to clear her throat. There was a squeeze to her waist then, a meager attempt to comfort or maybe that hey, I'm here gesture. She was tough, he knew that. But she didn't have to pretend around him.

Snickering, he nodded when she mentioned his mother. "Yeah, or she starts a fire from pacin' too much up there," he shook his head, starting for the stairs before pausing to glance at the door. "Hey, Jae—" He started, but just stared at the empty doorway. Jae was gone. "I don't even wanna know," he muttered, intuition telling him some things were better left not asked. Instead, he just put his hand on the railing while his booted feet climbed the steps alongside Em's. He was quiet for a moment before he looked at her, turning on the first landing to go for the second flight. "You okay?" He asked, his tone soft with a note of concern that he was doing his best to swallow down.



The higher they climbed, the closer to Frankie's apartment they got, the more the tension in her shoulders eased. Frankie pulled her close and she let him, tipping her head to lay her temple against the side of his chest in response. If his gesture said I'm here, hers said I know, and also I'm glad. It was a strange dichotomy in her thinking: for one thing, she was so very grateful that she wasn't going through this alone, holed up in her apartment by herself watching anxiously out the window. For another, though, she couldn't help but be aware that if Frankie weren't here, he'd be safe from all this and honestly, so would she. The worst that could happen is some band of thugs would harass her until they realized she was human, and then in theory they'd leave her alone, right'

Still. Given the options, she'd rather be here with Frankie, weathering this together. Em caught herself speculating, the what ifs —what if Frankie was in town for this, but Em hadn't crossed paths with him' Her stomach turned uneasily and she pushed that thought away. If he'd really become so reckless in her absence as to have it tattooed permanently on his body, maybe it was better than he felt so protective of her. Maybe his concern for her kept him here at her side and not out there taunting the humans. Frowning, Emma hadn't realized how savagely she was chewing on her lower lip until she tasted copper, and she forced herself to relinquish the abraded flesh from her teeth.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she let it out slowly, letting her shoulders sag even further.

They rounded the landing, and Frankie asked her if she was okay. Emma nodded automatically, but she glanced up at him anyway, and there was an obvious element of turmoil in her dark eyes. "Yeah. I mean...I kinda feel like I've been wandering around in Buckhead or Vinings, you know?" Frankie wouldn't, couldn't have known, a thing she didn't think about until after she'd said it. For all that he wasn't human, Frankie's facade skin was white, and that afforded him a measure of protection he may not have been aware of. "It's the whole....walking-while-black thing," she amended, expanding on what she'd said in an attempt to explain. "Black folks walkin' through neighborhoods like that get the cops called on 'em for "looking suspicious" just 'cause they ain't white, even if all you're doin' is trying to walk home." Young black men had ended up dead that way more than once.



The silent meaning of her head against his chest was comforting in a strange way, one he didn't bring to light but only snaked his arm tighter around her. His own what if thoughts were circling around Em. What if I hadn't come over today' What if I hadn't known about her dad being out of town" What if she'd dealt with this alone" Would she have been safer if I hadn't been with her" She's human, they probably would've left her alone. Would they really break into every apartment in the city to scour for non-humans" I doubt it. What if - what if - what if. His mind felt like a rubix cube, one that every turn only seemed to jumble it further instead of making any real progress. It only seemed to get worse when he thought about his own situation, one he seemed to focus on less. There was that pit of worry for his mother, but she had Jae and Isaac with her all day, and clearly Jae had at least made sure she got home okay. He was thankful for that.

It wasn't until he'd asked the question and she answered that he seemed to focus on the moment. The automatic nod had him eyeing her a bit more skeptically, just to see the mixture of emotions in those eyes that seemed to reflect his own contrasting gaze to hers. Her explanation had him frowning a bit, knowing what she was talking about. He didn't know personally about the skin color issue between humans, but race was race. He understood now. A part of him felt guilty for hiding under that glamour, faking it. But he only kept it for Leah's benefit.

The frown only deepened when she talked about the suspicion of black folk in those neighborhoods. "I mean, I guess I get some of that," he admitted. "I've had the cops called on me a few times, but I think it's the tats," he snickered. "I looked like trouble," he shrugged, but looked over to her. "Judgin' on color alone ain't right. I don't.." His brows furrowed, that muscle in his jaw ticking as his voice got a bit lower while they climbed. "I don't think I really understood until now what you went through," he paused at the top of the landing, "I'm..." His head lowered a bit, almost feeling guilty for thinking it or feeling it. She'd have been safer without me. "I'm glad you're here, Em." His tone hinted to a multitude of things.

For once though, he didn't groan or get discouraged by Leah's sudden appearance all but bursting out of the apartment door at the first hint that they were there. The admission had him feeling strange, starting to get awkward. He would've started babbling something stupid if she hadn't.



"Frankie, Em," she breathed in relief, her hand to her chest as that ferocity in her eyes softened at the sight of them. She broke the distance between them, a barely contained mess before her arms wrapped around them both. "You're safe," she gushed, giving them almost a crushing squeeze before releasing them with a hand on one cheek of each teenager. She wasted no time with looking them both over. "Are you okay' Nothing happened on the way did it' You didn't get hurt?" Each question was fired in one breath, those bright greens wider than they should be on her narrow features.



He wasn't the first white boy to tell her that he understood, of course, but he was the first she believed actually could understand it for real, given the ordeal they'd just been through. Even that wasn't much, wasn't anything compared to some of the things she'd seen out of the corners of her eyes on the long walk over here. Em nodded, her expression going soft as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry that you have reason to understand it now," she said softly, and as he lowered his head, she tipped hers against it, nuzzling his jaw with her temple. "I'm glad I'm here, too.."

That was all she got out — and thank god for it — before the door burst open, admitting Frankie's mom into the hallway. "We're okay, Miz D," she said with a smile she hoped was reassuring. Gesturing with her free hand, she indicated both she and Frankie. "See" All in one piece and everything." Moving into her embrace, she wrapped her free hand around the older woman in kind, her duffel bag slipping off her shoulder as she did so, landing in the crook of her elbow to swing lazily there, like a pendulum.



He didn't say anything to her apology for him understanding it now. He didn't really know what to say. His emotions were mixed, that bittersweet understanding. It was an eye opener, and he now understood both Em and his own mother who had been worried about this exact thing happening to them. He understood Em on a deeper level, and now he couldn't bring himself to say his mother was overreacting with her protectiveness. This was real, and it happened. "I'm sorry you had to deal with it at all," was what he said instead when he finally found the words, lids lowering a bit to the nuzzle issued before she spoke her sentiment and they were cut off by Mama Dixon.

He'd lifted his chin just in time to be swooped into a hug by his mother, with Em tucked into it like a group hug. Snickering, he shook his head. "Ma, we're fine," he promised her, nodding along in agreement to Em's claim they were in one piece. "Yeah, what she said," he cackled lightly, trying to ease his mother's worry that he could feel practically radiating off her.



Leah seemed to scour them for any hint of injury regardless of their words, but if they were hurt, she'd smell it. Letting out a relieved sigh, she let go of their cheeks and took a step back, gesturing with her arm and a flapping hand. "I believe you," she said, "come on inside. Isaac is with Grace and Mason right now, Jae.." Her brows furrowed, "where's Gunner?" She peered around them, but the look on Frankie's expression said it all. "....Never mind." She shook her head, moving around the teenagers to put a hand on each of their backs. "Inside, you two. Are you hungry' I can make dinner," but her tone said she'd understand if they didn't want to eat just yet. Shorter than both, she still had plenty of strength in that petite body as she ushered them inside. The woman, though relieved, was still on edge. She didn't like them in the open hallway.

Leah Dixon

Date: 2017-03-19 22:27 EST
Letting the woman usher her inside, Em cracked a smile. She, at least, appreciated the levity that Frankie was trying to re-inject into a situation gone tense and heavy. Now that the immediate danger was over, it was easier to laugh, to feel foolish, to scoff at all that 'unnecessary' concern. She walked towards the open door of their apartment, dropping the one arm so that the strap on her bag slid down her forearm into her open hand, which closed suddenly, snatching a hold on the bag before it could fall all the way to the floor.

She released her hold on Frankie only when she had to, when stepping through the door made it necessary. Even then, her fingers seemed reluctant to leave him, trailing along the belt loops of his pants to the near hip, arm outstretched behind her so that the fingers could dawdle there as long as possible before she stepped forward and broke contact.

Inside the Dixons' apartment, she bent at an angle to let her bag fall the rest of the way to the floor, and stepped out of her shoes once more. Pushing both a little to the side of the front doorway with her toes so they wouldn't be in anybody's way, she padded the rest of the way into the living room on socked feet. "Um....sure, Miz D. Some food would be great." It wasn't that she was hungry, or even that she thought she could eat right now. But she knew that she and Frankie hadn't eaten yet, not since he came over anyway, and it would give Leah something to focus all that nervous energy on.



The ushering of Leah had Frankie rolling his eyes, his back arching against the push to it. Now that they were home, and Em and Leah were clearly safe and there with him, it wasn't hard to him to fall into his antics. He let out a groan as the woman all but pushed him through the doorway, "Maaaaaaaaaa, calm doooown," he whined at her. But even with concern radiating off her, there was a bit of a smile on that small mouth of hers to Frankie's whining. "Don'tchu give me that lip," she retorted, giving Em a bit of a wink before they made it inside.

Once inside, Leah locked the door behind them. If Isaac showed, he'd knock or use his key. Jae didn't need to use friggin' doors apparently. Em's resistance to let go of Frankie seemed to be mutual as his arm slid away from her waist and replaced his mother's at her back when the order made it difficult for the smaller woman to reach. He nodded in agreement to Em's words, even if he wasn't all that sure if he wanted to eat right now. "Yeah, Ma. That sounds good," he gave his mother's shoulder a squeeze. I'm home now, chill. Leah gave him a sigh, then a smile mixed with a nod. "Yeah, honey, I know," she gave his side a pat before a nudge. "Go hang out with Em, I'll get cooking." Heading in different directions, Leah to the kitchen and Frankie trailing after Em to the living room where he settled into the couch and removed his jacket. "Now....I need a fucking cigarette," he sighed, the realization hitting him hard as he pulled out his pack of smokes. And for once, there was no Mama Dixon chewing him out about smoking in the house -or at all- tonight.



Honestly, the distraction of cooking had eased some of Leah's tension. It had issued that false reality that nothing crazy was going on in the streets, that it was just a normal night where Em was visiting Frankie and staying over for dinner. She could only really let herself hold onto the surrealism partially, not letting down her guard even as she moved about the kitchen to cook more than she probably needed. But it was a distraction. It was something to keep busy and focus on while the teens were close by in the living room.

Frankie hadn't stayed detached from Em's side for long, having given her the option of finding the inside of his arm again once they were settled in. At least until Leah had come in with their plates, which were practically mountains of food at that point. Frankie had ended up sandwiched between the two women, seeming glued to Em's hip still and Leah being that protective Mother Hen who practically radiated the aura of you'll have to get through me to get to them. Which was probably a threat and a half.

But after picking through his food, eating what his fluttering stomach could manage without making himself sick, he'd settled down and tried to distract the girls with reminiscing about Georgia. Bringing up things that had Leah groaning and rolling her eyes to, or trying to get Em to laugh at all the stupid things they'd done as kids. Hey, you remember that one time I tried to jump a fence....but my pants got stuck on the barbs on top and I just sorta dangled there until my pants tore....Then we had to walk around while I was just in my boxers" Yeah, that'd happened.

As for dangers, there didn't seem to be many in their apartment refuge. Frankie and Leah could hear what was going on in the streets, doing their best to ignore it though Leah might've heard more than even Frankie by the way she'd glance to the windows or the sliding glass door with a brief frown before tucking the look away.

It wasn't until Frankie had announced he had to be left alone for 'just ten seconds, Ma! I gotta piss, damn!' and was on his way out that he paused a few feet from the doorway. His expression contorted with something of confusion as he pressed his hand to his stomach. "Ma?" Leah managed to look in his direction just in time to see her son's mirage appearance ripple, threatening to break apart altogether. "Frankie....What's...Ngh," she grunted, feeling it as well but seemed to have a better grasp on it than he did. "What the hell's going on?"



Em was trying so hard to be cool, to act normal. This was just a night like any other, right' She was just hanging out with Frankie, shooting the shit, being teenagers. Because Frankie's mom totally usually let him smoke in the house. Because the two of them totally made a habit of hanging out in the living room with Mama D and whoever else had joined them. Because Frankie's face totally didn't tighten fractionally every time he heard something she couldn't. Totally normal. Yeah, right.

She'd spent the balance of the afternoon using her best friend like a body pillow again, laying across his ribs with her face pillowed on his chest, her arms wound loosely around his waist. When the food was finished and Leah came into the living room with plates, she'd sat up and moved to the edge of the couch, only to have Frankie follow suit and Leah settle into the couch cushions on his other side. Because that, too, was totally normal. Really.

Using her fork to push the heaping pile of food around the plate, Emma ate as much of it as she could, which wasn't as much as she might have hoped, given the tight knot of anxiety in her belly. It wasn't that it wasn't good, and she told Mama D as much, assuring her that everything was delicious, she was just feeling a little out of sorts. Setting the half-eaten plate on the coffee table, she'd settled back into her corner of the couch, watching Frankie and his mother both. She was listening to and even laughing at his back in the day stories, but more than that she was watching their facial expressions carefully, looking for the things that both of them were struggling to conceal from her. There were enough people in the streets below now that even Em could hear them, a muffled hum of noise that told her it was much louder out there than it seemed from up here. Several times she fought the urge to go over to the windows and look for herself, both because she didn't want to stress anyone else out and because she was worried about being seen.

Frankie got up to go to the bathroom, and she was almost succeeding at convincing herself that everything was actually going to be cool after all when he suddenly clutched his stomach. Alarm spreading from her dark eyes to her features, she watched the illusion falter and her gaze shot to Leah, who groaned almost immediately in kind. Brows furrowing in concern, Em got up then, giving in to the urge to go look out the windows. Her eyes widened at what she saw, rows after rows of people marching through the street. Every face she could see appeared to be in motion, singing or shouting or chanting something, but she couldn't make it out. Moving over to the sliding glass door, she flipped the latch with her thumb and pulled the door open less than an inch.

The droning chant came to her immediately, swelling over the noise of people screaming, over the crackle of fire and the ricochet report of gunfire. She slammed the door shut again, throwing the latch back in place, and engaged the burglar lock on the other side— a metal pole that would prevent the glass from being moved. If anybody came up that way, they'd have to shatter the glass to get through.

Whirling to check on Leah and Frankie, she searched each of their faces. "Are you guys okay' What are they chanting" Is that what?s....oh fuck, how do we stop it?"



Frankie's face was distorted with discomfort as the spell just made him feel off. He didn't quite know how to explain it. But it was a struggle to keep up the illusion, those fiery orbs began to dance and swirl in his irises, mottled through the glacier blue of the illusion. A strange combination of hot and cold as he shook his head like it could possibly get rid of the feeling. "I don't.." He was confused, somewhat dazed by the suddenness of it. "I feel weird," he admitted, looking to Em when she got up and moved to the glass door. "Em, don't," he shook his head, tension spreading as he didn't care much for her being close to the windows.

The sentiment was echoed by Leah as she forced herself to her feet, feeling drained but illusion of appearance for her was effortless. "Em, sweetie, please stay away from—" she paused, the sliding door opening as the chanting found her sensitive hearing and her brows furrowed deeply. "What is that?" She breathed, not recognizing the words or the language spoken. When Em whirled around, Leah was already on her way to the girl but seemed sluggish. Curling an arm around Em's shoulders, she tried to nudge the girl away from the door. "I don't know if we can stop it," she admitted. "I don't know what it is, but it's some kind of magic. I can feel it."

Frankie was more human than Leah, not feeling quite as drained but he certainly felt tired. "Ma, I don't know if I can keep it up," he scrunched his face, leaning against the wall.

Leah looked to Em, knowing already that she'd seen Frankie's true form. Turning that evergreen gaze on her son, she nodded to him. "Let it go, baby. It's okay," she spoke to him, holding out her hand for him with that matronly reassurance. "His illusion is slipping," she informed Em, trying to keep the teen girl from being surprised when it inevitably happened. Shaking her head, she swallowed and glanced to the door. "Whatever that spell is, it's draining..." But she forced her voice to stay strong, to swallow down her worry and panic for the kids. "Let's move to my room, there's no windows in there," she suggested, looking between the teenagers.

Leah Dixon

Date: 2017-03-20 01:11 EST
Worry etched into the lines of her face, her gaze went from Frankie to Leah and back. She could see him wavering, see the fire leaking through his eyes. His skin seemed to shimmer and ripple. She looked to Leah again as the woman's arm went around her, letting herself be lead away from the window. No such cracks appeared in the older woman's facade, but the poor thing looked absolutely exhausted. Her brows furrowed, and the girl shook her head.

"Guys, neither one of you need to maintain it for my sake. Seriously. Don't strain yourselves on my account." She moved out from under Leah's arm directly to Frankie, since he seemed more visibly stricken by whatever was going on out there, and she wound her arms tightly around him. "Frankie, honey, it's okay. Let's go with your mom, like she said." Gently, she pulled on him, trying to get him up off the wall, trying to direct him towards his mother's room.



If it wasn't anyone else but his own mother and his best friend, he would've tried harder to keep himself together. He did, to a much greater extent than he was feeling, for Em's sake. He didn't want her to panic. He wanted to be calm, collected. He envied Jae's ability to be that composed, but really, the spell just made him want to throw up. Which only seemed to get worse the more he tried to hold onto to his illusion, straining himself to keep it up. Those multi-colored swirling eyes looked to Leah when she told him to go ahead and drop it, then to Em when she broke away from Leah to get to him. "I," he started, just to shake his head when he had to swallow the hard lump in his throat.

Instead of speaking, he just nodded. His eyes closed as he felt Em's arms around him, his own hands settling on her shoulders loosely before slipping around her when she pulled him away from the wall. He started for the bedroom with Em's instruction, but had to pause as he teetered a bit where he stood but balanced himself out. "I can't hold it anymore," he whispered, that brief warning considering her closeness that had the rippling illusion faltering then dropping altogether in a fizzle of magic that dissipated like the crackling of fireworks. Not a usual effect, but what he assumed was the interference from the spell. What used to be the pale, tattooed greaser was still tattooed but now on grey/blue-tinted flesh. Inky black hair was now a fire-engine red with pointed ears; the hands around Em were more spindly and clawed.

He let out a shaky breath through darker hued lips, lids peeling back to reveal those swirling fiery orbs. There was a weak smile on his face, which really only accentuated the points of his teeth. "Am I still pretty?" He teased her lightheartedly, trying to lighten it in the only way he knew how before he took another breath. It felt a lot better without the strain of keeping up the illusion, and he glanced back to his mother who still kept hers up and was a heartbeat behind them.

She gave them a soft smile, her hands pressed lightly to their backs. "I'm right here," she promised them, slipping away to open her bedroom door before waving them inside. "I'll be fine," she said belatedly to Em, more reluctant to drop her illusion than her son but also kept it much more easily maintained.

Once they were inside the room, she closed the door behind them. The room was as spacious as any master bedroom in a smaller apartment, not too much so but it was comfortable. There was a large bed that was centered against the far wall, a vanity that was covered in various containers of makeup and hair products she'd actually bought from Grace's shop with her opinion in heart. On her nightstand was a frame with multiple segments for pictures. Leah holding Frankie as a baby after he'd been born; Leah, Frankie and Kokabiel, all making silly faces (of course Frankie's was the silliest); all the Elektra-Nude dancers (Leah included) huddled in their outfits and smiling in a group photo; and lastly, a picture of the three of them on Frankie's birthday before Em ended up disappearing. It was a copied picture, Frankie having the original. Frankie still had cake frosting on his face....and candles shoved up his nose with that goofy boyish grin.



"Hey," Emma coaxed him, her arms wrapped completely around him. He looked like he was going to throw up or pass out or both. She didn't want him to be self conscious about his current state, though, so what she said was, "So help me God I will kick your skinny ass if you puke on me, Dixon. Just let it go."

The illusion dropped in a much clumsier way than it normally did, it seemed to make a popping noise and a little sizzle sound she'd never noticed before, almost like the magic it took to hold it in place was being sucked away from him. Em's brows furrowed, but she coaxed him a couple of steps forward. When he opened his eyes again, hers were there to meet him, and she held his gaze unflinching. "Yes, actually," she answered his smart ass question, and where Frankie was trying to be funny, Em wasn't.

Maybe it was the fear, the extraordinary circumstances they found themselves under that made her forget or ignore Leah's presence. She paused, lifting her hands up from his waist to cup his face, his real face, between her fingers. Pulling him gently towards her, she pressed her lips to his darker ones, kissing him softly on the mouth. The kiss was relatively chaste — she wasn't shoving her tongue down his throat or anything, so maybe she hadn't forgotten about mom after all — and when she pulled back from him again, she gave him a soft smile. "You're beautiful, Frankie. Exactly as you are."

And then, then she remembered Leah, and she blushed crimson as she wound an arm around him once more, fixing herself to his side to help guide him into the bedroom. "Sorry, Mama D," she whispered self consciously, guiding one of Frankie's arms over her shoulders as she held onto him at the wrist and the waist, supporting as much of his weight as she could manage as they hobbled into the bedroom.

Once they were inside, she lifted her gaze, looking around the room. It made her smile to see that Leah put up pictures the same way she did, and she led Frankie to a seat. Once he was down in that seat safely, she moved away from him, rubbing at the side of her neck. Clearing her throat, she moved to examine the pictures, laughing when she found the one of the three of them. "Oh man, this is great."



"Nooo not the frying pan," he groaned, but his tone was teasing more than anything, there was even a bit of a weak smile on his face when he said it. "I won't puke," he shook his head. Yeah, he had no want to puke on her, either. He was awkward and clumsy, but that was....a whole new level he didn't want to test out.

Like earlier, how he'd listened to her and didn't give her crap about going on about Jimi, this was one of the many reasons why Em had become his best friend. In the face of something humanoid but far from human, what he called a 'demon-goblin', she faced him head on. She even went on to touch his face. She had him giving her a strange look that just looked goofy with that goblinoid face when she answered him seriously, but it was a look of surprise when she kissed him.

Wait, what?

The chaste kiss she'd pulled him into, he'd returned it of course, even if those eyes had widened and those fiery orbs had swirled a bit more feverishly. He'd made sure not to nick her with those pointy teeth, his hands still wrapped around her as he'd -sorry, Ma!- practically forgot his mother was standing there altogether. The soft smile when she pulled back had those peculiar eyes softening and his lids lowering some, his lips pulling into a smile of his own that...was hard to be particularly soft when it was filled with such sharp instruments. Between the kiss and her words, there was no hiding that flush of dark blue that spread over the tinted high angled cheeks without his illusion to mislead someone into thinking it wasn't there. Though her hands on his face would detect the warmth anyhow. "I....uh....hi," that deep rasp that was his true voice, a much more intense baritone with a touch of a growl that wasn't tainted by the audio illusion to muffle it.

Goblin or not, Frankie wasn't smooth.

It was Leah's giggle that had him looking at her, that flush of color deepening nearly to royal purple as he cleared his throat and looked down. He was utterly exhausted, but there was a particular smile he couldn't wipe off his face then. Holy shit, she kissed me in front of Mom. Yet, he wasn't upset in the least by it. But, it did stir something in that long, angled belly of his that was confusing to him now.

Leah was barely suppressing herself behind the press of fingers to her mouth, lips curled in and pinned by her teeth to keep the eruption of giggles at bay. There was the surface of surprise there, mostly the fact that Em had kissed Frankie in front of her. But her eyes said she knew something, perhaps had all along. Shaking her head when Em apologized, she lowered her hand and released her lips as her smile was one of sheer amusement. "No, no. It's fine," she chuckled, shaking her head like they were too much. If Leah could approve of any girl with her son, it was Em. "Come on, you two," she snickered, turning into the bedroom with a sigh. "What am I going to do with you?" She sighed, but she didn't sound upset by the show of affection. Even if there was that soft pout on her lips. My baby's growing up too fast. That was the only part that seemed to have the biggest impact on her.

Frankie was still blushing as Em maneuvered him into the room, though he did his best to keep his weight off her and walk on his own. He flapped his hand toward the bed, the only choice besides the vanity bench to sit on and seemed more appealing. When he was sat down, he let out a slight sigh of relief. "Thanks, Em," he gave her a soft smile, before letting out a grunt and just....flopping back into a sprawl, only to be joined by Leah on the bed but she sat on the far side of the bed, scooting on the mattress to stretch out her legs and prop herself against the wall the bed was pressed to. She smiled when Em discovered the pictures, that gentle fondness crossing her narrow features. "Isn't it, though' Remember that day like it was yesterday," she laughed softly. "Don't take any trip without that frame." And it was true. No matter where Leah and Frankie went, those four pictures were always on her nightstand.

Leah Dixon

Date: 2017-03-20 03:29 EST
Leah's reaction had both teens blushing. As she stood looking at the pictures, Emma's heart was pounding in her chest. She felt lightheaded, even a little bit faint, but it had nothing to do with the droning chant she almost thought she could still hear, although of course she was imagining it. What the hell came over me" She chided herself, almost wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole, right here, right now. I cannot believe I just did that. Oh my god" Leah didn't seem upset, but it wasn't really Leah she was worried about, either.

They were just friends, right' Sure the justifications and explanations got bent out of shape in a few places, stretched thin, but ultimately they held. Kinda. With duct tape. Sure, they slept together, but they were just friends.Sure, neither of them were seeing anybody else, but they were just friends. Sure, they'd chosen to spend the whole day together on Valentine's Day, but they were just friends. Right'

....Right'

Kissing him in front of his mother, though, was that something you did when you were".

...just friends"

Swallowing roughly, Em turned away from the pictures, moving back towards them on the bed. She looked at Leah, who looked the same as ever, and then she looked at Frankie, who...despite the dark hue of his natural skin, still managed to look pale. She was feeling self conscious but she was also worried about him, and the worry is ultimately what won. Em crossed the floor back towards him, taking a seat on the edge of the bed near his side. "How are you feeling?" She asked in a soft voice, looking across him at his mom. "Yeah' That's really sweet. I got a picture of us that I keep on my mirror wherever I go, too." More confessions, more blushing. It felt like all the blood in her body had rushed to her face.



Though Leah looked haggardly exhausted, she had wiped that knowing look from her face if only because Em seemed to be struggling with what she'd just done. To Leah, it wasn't so bad. She'd already seen the way Frankie and Em was together, she already knew -in the very least, suspected- that they were sleeping together. But instead of trying to prevent it and ultimately driving her rebellious son to do it, she'd only made sure he was safe with his decisions. It was the best the mother could do, and though it made her kinda sad and put a pit in her stomach, she had to let her boy grow up and hope she'd done enough to raise him with enough morals, common sense and taught him to be smart with it.

But on a woman's perspective, she understood what Em was dealing with. She'd kissed her best friend in front of his mother, and knowing Em as well as she hoped she did, it wasn't hard to tell the young woman was struggling with it and perhaps battering herself mentally about it.

So she didn't draw attention to what had just happened other than the uncontainable giggle fit immediately after. Now, she simply smiled when Em seemed to show her concern for Frankie, and talk about the pictures. "Yeah' I'm glad," she admitted, closing her eyes for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. Quiet a moment, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the door. "I'm going to go get us some water from the kitchen, I'll be back before you know it," she promised, giving Frankie a long look as if picking apart every bit of his appearance or seeking any hint of what was going on with him before moving out of the room.

Frankie was exhausted, easily noted by the heaviness of his lids but the nauseas feeling from straining himself with the illusion seemed to have dulled. His own thoughts were swarming over Em's kiss, and sure that was that bashfulness that it happened in front of his mother, but that was minor....secondary to the real question that kept flashing in his mind.

We've slept together plenty of times. We're best friends. We hang out, we were practically inseparable. But, that kiss didn't feel like....simple friendliness.

While Em was looking at the pictures, Frankie couldn't help but briefly bring those clawed fingers to his lips, a fleeting touch before he pulled his hand away when he realized what he was doing.

Man, you and Em have kissed a bazillion times now. What are you trippin' about'

...It felt different that time.

He wasn't sure if it was simply her worry over what was happening to him, or if it was her trying to make him feel better about being in his true form. But it wasn't just the different feeling from her when she'd kissed him.

He felt it.

Shaking his head, it took him a moment to realize Em had asked him a question. "Huh?" He dragged those heavily lidded swirling orbs up to her, noticing she'd sat down next to him. "Yeah," he tried to collect a weak smile for her where he laid sprawled on the bed. "Jus' tired. Don't feel like pukin' anymore, so ya safe," he promised. He paused when his mother said she was getting water and he gave her a worried look but didn't tell her what to do. He doubted they were going to barge into their apartment, but that didn't mean half his attention wasn't on listening to Leah's movements outside that door. Turning his eyes back to Em, he reached out to lightly poke her side with one of those bony, clawed fingers. "How you feeling, Em?" There was a bit more behind that question than simply checking on her health. The spell didn't seem to have affected her at all.

Leah Dixon

Date: 2017-03-20 03:29 EST
There was some part of her that wanted to flee, to go hide in the closet, to erase the last five minutes from the collective memory of the world. She cringed a little when Leah announced that she very suddenly absolutely had to go get them some water from the kitchen. While she appreciated the attempt at subtlety— a thin excuse for her absence — Em knew the departure for what it was and kind of wanted to die a little accordingly.

But she was worried about Frankie, so she stayed put with a quiet nod.

Once Leah left the room, Emma slid off the mattress, sinking to the floor beside the bed with her back against it. "Oh my Goooooood," the girl groaned, burying her face in her hands when her head dropped forward. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her fingers into her eyelids. Frankie asked her how she was feeling, and that made her laugh, because he was the one in distress. "Just....do me a favor and shoot me, okay?"



Leah had....tried....to be subtle. But Em had picked up on it. Oops. At least she wasn't as bad as Frankie. I'm going to go wash my hair! ....In the middle of Armageddon"

Em's sudden sliding off the mattress had the goblin's brows furrowing as he lifted his head to peer at the back of hers poking up over the edge. "Em...?" Just to be met with the groan, which only added further concern as he shifted to prop himself on his elbows. "What' What is it?" Worry was evident in his tone like it was some delayed response to the spell....the idiot wasn't catching the damned reason for it just yet. Pushing himself up to sit, he wasn't was graceful as her as his butt met the floor and those long legs spread out in front of him. "I'm....not going to do that' But if you'd tell me why you wanna shot...that'd be helpful," his brows remained furrowed, looking at her as she seemed to be having a meltdown. It was a heartbeat later that something clicked and he rubbed those gangly fingers over the back of his neck, looking at his lap. "...S'it 'bout the kiss?" His tone was soft, as soft as that raspy deep voice could be.



When Frankie slid to the floor beside her, Emma didn't even really think about what she was doing before she wound her arms around him again, slumping against his chest, pressing her face into his shirt. Poor thing was probably feeling weak as a kitten, relatively speaking, so exhausted he could hardly keep his eyes open, and there's a distraught girl leaning on him anyway. Sorry 'bout that, Frankie!

"I can't believe I did that in front of your mom," she groaned, her words muffled by the fabric of her shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll catch shit for that later...."



There was a bit of a grunt that came with her slumping against him, and he was glad there was a bed behind him to hold him up so he didn't just flop over. But he played it tough and pretended that he wasn't dog tired, winding his arms around her in kind. He was okay with being a weak leaning post, but not so okay with his confusion.

That confusion was cleared up when she groaned out her explanation and he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh through his nose. Snickering, he shook his head and dipped his head down to nose into the top of her head a bit. "I mean, I wasn't expectin' it.." He admitted sheepishly, a bit of color and warm flushing his cheeks when he did. "But, let's face it, Em...she was gonna find out eventually," he scoffed, shrugging. "And, I mean.." His brain was a bit foggy from the spell, making it hard to collect the right words. If there ever was such a thing for the awkward teen boy. "Between the 'rents, I'd rather Ma find out than..." Your dad, 'cause he'd probably kill me...."Y'know. Besides, she likes you. I know when my mom's mad, and...she's not mad."



"Find out ....what?" That's ultimately what it came down to, wasn't it' What was there to find out' That they kissed" That they had seen each other with their clothes off — that they had sex" If it was just that, they could take their scolding and go on about their lives, couldn't they' Sure, it might be a little embarrassing, but hormones were hormones. They could be explained, if not entirely understood.

But it wasn't hormones that had made her kiss him just then. It wasn't lust, or anything to do with lust. The words she'd said, they'd had nothing whatsoever to do with finding him physically attractive or liking the things he could do with his tongue. That had been real emotion, real concern, real love.

...For her so-called best friend.

Frankie didn't finish his thought about why it was better to be found out by his mother, but she knew where his mind had gone. Nodding, she pulled away from him, mostly sitting up although she was still slumped against the mattress. "Yeah, you're probably right," said the girl quietly. If it had happened in front of her dad, they'd be dealing with a whole lot more than embarrassment just now.

(To Be Continued...)

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:42 EST
(Continued...)

The question had him growing quiet for a moment. It was a good question, really. There was a bit of a frown on his mouth, in the midst of that dumb face he made when he thought too hard about something - which, ultimately, looked even more ridiculous with the glamour lifted. "I'm not so sure I have an answer for that," he muttered his admittance. "....But whatever it is, I'm not sorry about it.." He shifted a bit, almost fidgety under thoughts that were swarming in his head.

Looking over to her when she sat up, those swirling fiery orbs lingered there for a moment before he nodded himself. She knew what he was getting at. Quiet a few more heartbeats later, there was that slight air of awkward about him. But it had nothing to do with what had happened. Instead, it was what he was about to do.

It was simple, really. But to a teenage boy who didn't have a clue about this stuff, it was a big deal. It was strange, vulnerable, and it gave him that weird feeling he kept mistaking for being hungry.

His fingers were the first to move, a slight twitch before his hand was next to move. Sliding off his lap, it was slow to reach and he wasn't totally looking at her then. If she didn't pull away, the reaching hand would be seeking out hers.



Emma had closed her eyes, telling herself that she wasn't waited on bated breath for his response to her question. Telling herself, sure, but also lying through her teeth. When he said he didn't know, a tiny sigh escaped her lips, though she smiled. It was more or less the answer she'd expected, and it was a damn sight better than a dismissive you know, the sex stuff? so it definitely could have been worse.

But whatever it is, I'm not sorry about it. Peeling dark eyes open, she turned her face towards him. He wasn't looking at her, so she had a moment to really study his profile, the way you can only do when the other person hasn't figured out that you're looking yet. The seemingly unnatural shade of his skin made ever more grey by the effect of the spell on him, the protrusion of his razor sharp teeth along the line of his lips. This is the real Frankie, she thought to herself, reflecting on the fact that convention said she should have found it horrifying. She didn't.

His hand reached for her and hers was there to meet it, slim fingers sliding easily between their longer likes. Her attention strayed there, taking in the over long claws, and a dim smile touched her face. Her thumb swept gently, affectionately over the back of his hand. "You mean so much to me, Frankie," she confessed, her gaze resolutely on their twined digits.



He was oblivious for the most part to her staring at him, looking more at the wall on the opposite direction she was sitting next to him. He still didn't quite understand who she could look at him and not be scared of him, all logic telling him that it was a natural reaction. He was gruesome and horrific, and maybe not on Rhy'Din standards, but she was a human. In the least, he thought her human instincts would tell her to be. Run, it's a monster!

Instead, she'd hung around him, knowing what he really was. She'd been his best friend, though it didn't seem quite as simple anymore after that kiss. And instead of being shoved on the other side of the room, there she was. Sitting right next to him, and.....holding his gangly, clawed hand.

They didn't have to splay much to offer the room enough for her more slender digits to slip through. The thumb brushing the back of his hand had him letting out a relieved sigh until it caught slightly to her words. That forked tongue slithered over his bottom lip as he fought the curl of a smile that would give away the fluttering when she said them. He risked a glance her way, just to find her eyes glued to their intertwined fingers and soon found his there next. "Back atcha, Em," he whispered, and though the words didn't meet the marker, he hoped the sincerity in his tone would. He....wasn't so good with that 'word' thing.

Sliding down a bit until his shoulders were propped against the edge of the mattress, he leaned a bit Em's way. Whispering, he tried to lighten it a bit. "....Wonder if Ma's listening through the door," he teased, snickering before his own clawed thumb gingerly brushed over the back of her hand.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:44 EST
It wasn't much, no, but it was a whole lot more than nothing. The girl smiled thinly, gently squeezing his hand. Searching in vain for something to say, she just ended up nodding at him, even though he wasn't looking and neither was she. Award winning conversationalists, these two.

Frankie sank down against the mattress, and Em redirected herself to lay her head on his shoulder once more. It was in that position that she heard his conjecture, and suddenly Em was snickering, the tension of the previous moments evaporating. "Oh, probably. It doesn't take that long to get water bottles."



Em's head finding his shoulder, it became a leaning post for his own. His cheek nuzzled into the braids, the warmth that radiated from her scalp and that familiar scent that was a mixture of her own and the shampoo she used. The observation of time had him snickering, flicking those fiery orbs toward the door before they rolled away. "Nah, it doesn't. Not even if she took baby steps there and back," scoffing, he smirked a bit.



It wasn't even three heartbeats later that the woman in question opened that door. Her chin was held high as she came in with an armful of water bottles. "I was not listening, thank you..." she denied, though it only contradicted. Her glamour still held, the stubborn woman all but keeping it together with glue and duct tape at this point while she held the bottles with one arm to pass out a bottle each to the teenagers. "Here, it's nice and cold," she told them, leaning to ruffle her son's fire engine red hair before making her way to the vanity to line up the rest of the bottles.



"Of course not," Emmaline quipped back at Mama D, her face upturned in an affectionate smile though she didn't lift her head from Frankie's shoulder .Her free hand stretched up to take the offered water bottle, her chin dropped in a slanted nod of thanks. Setting it on the floor beside her, she eased a little bit closer to Frankie, more completely against him. "How are you two holding up?" She asked softly. Her hearing wasn't as good as theirs; in here she had no idea whether the people were still outside, whether they were still chanting.

"Mhm....sure," he narrowed his eyes up to his mother, but there was a smirk on his face that said he had little fucks to give if she had. Taking the bottle, "thanks, Ma," just to scrunch his face to the ruffle of his hair.

Em's scooting closer hand him adjusting the arm holding her hand a bit more comfortably, more or less moving them to her lap but didn't budge otherwise. The question, however, had him shrugging the opposing shoulder a bit. "Tired," he admitted. "....Might not be able to keep that promise of not falling asleep on you," he muttered softly, but his tone was more a tease. He peered over to his mother though, his expression an echo of Em's question. Silent inquiry if she was okay. She hadn't let go of her glamour like he did, and he couldn't even imagine the toll it was taking on her. But he knew better than to bitch at her about it. The frown said he didn't agree with the decision, however.



There was a smile to Em's quip, a glance reflected from the vanity mirror to the girl that said....okay, so she might've incidentally listened. A little bit. She'd blame it on her exquisite hearing, and not being a protective mother. The question, however, had her looking to the bottles she seemed suddenly interested in arranging. "I'm holding up," she said vaguely, sparing a smile over her shoulder but heard Frankie's tired qualm. "We don't know how long this is going to last, honey. You should sleep if you can, both of you. I'll keep an eye out," she told them, but caught the look Frankie had given her. The look on her expression told him to drop it, though his own might've said the same thing but in a different meaning.

Shaking her head, she sighed. "Screw it," she muttered, holding out her hand to her son. "I know ya got your cigarettes, fork 'em over," with a curl of her hand. She wasn't much of an indoor smoker, but she didn't care tonight. So regardless of the amused look on her son's face, she tugged one out of the pack when he handed them over and lit it with her own lighter before giving them back. Looking between Em and Frankie, she raised her brows. "....You didn't see me do this," she informed them, giving a brief point before heading toward the bed to enjoy the stress-relieving nicotine.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:45 EST
"Do what?" She queried back at the older woman, her expression the very picture of innocence. Managing not to crack a knowing grin even though she desperately wanted to, Em twisted the cap off her water bottle and snuggled ever closer to Frankie. "She's right," the teen said softly. "You should try to get some rest. We can curl up on the bed" Listen to some more Marley, maybe..."

This time, that little grin surfaced.

Sitting up then, Emmaline made a show of lifting herself up onto the mattress. She glanced around the room, frowning a little when she realized her purse was still in the living room. "I'm gonna....grab my purse right quick," she said, rising all the way to her feet then. "My ipod's in it," she went on to explain. "So we can listen to some music."

Her gaze moved to Mama D then, watching her curiously as she weighed it and then gave in, taking the cigarettes from Frankie. Then she couldn't help it, her mouth stretching into a wide grin of amusement. "...I'll be right back, y'all." She said with a laugh, heading for the door.





Snickering, he raised his free hand after surrendering the cigarettes when Mama lit up in the house. "I saw nothing," he agreed, smirking even as Em snuggled closer and he nuzzled more against scalp like he might just fall asleep on her. At least until she made that suggestion. "Ngh...." Like he might object but finally, "Marley and curling up sounds nice," he muttered, his own grin curling.

Leah was smirking to the feigned innocence and the denial of seeing her do a damn thing from the two teenagers, giving a firm nod as she sat on the edge of the bed and folded herself into a nook in front of a pillow. Patting the bed, she snickered. "Plenty'a room on this thing, two vote say rest," she teased her boy, only for there to be a brief moment of nose crinkles exchanged between them as Em moved to the mattress.

Frankie untangled himself from Em so she could, grunting almost in objection before sitting up on the floor. Both sets of eyes turned on her when she said she was going to get her purse, almost worried until it was Leah that nodded. "....Don't take as long as I did, alright, hon?" There was a bit of a knowing smirk on her face then, maybe a little bit of a confession before she took a deep inhale of that thieved cigarette.

Frankie huffed a bit, keeping his ears open as if leaving this one room Em was going to fall into a lake of lava or something ridiculous. He let out a grunt, his palms pressing to the edge of the mattress with a strange angle of his arms before he hoisted himself up. "I don't see why you don't drop it, Ma," he muttered, glancing over to her. "S'not like Em's going to care. You shouldn't either." He frowned at her, shaking his head. But his voice was tired, like they'd had this discussion a million times before.

"It's not about Em," she muttered, shaking her own head, that bob of blonde shivering in the process.

"You're asha-.." ...."Don't." The stern voice of Leah that was hushed, the ferocity in her eyes that said he better swallow that word. "I am not ashamed." That would mean being ashamed of Frankie, too. And she wouldn't hear that. Passing it off, she scrunched her nose. "You're still a handsome little devil, I'm.." Shaking her head, if people thought he was gruesome, her infliction was doubled. Maybe even tripled. "Just drop it, Frankie," she whispered. "Please?"

He watched his mother, having grown silent for a long moment to see that look in her eyes and he made a face like any boy would to his mother calling him handsome. "Demon-goblin," he corrected her terminology. But her plea to drop it had him sighing. "Fine.." But what he really meant was for now. Letting out a grunt, his arms sprawled out as he flopped back on the bed. "I can't believe you lit up in the house," he gasped, looking up at her with wide eyes and a dramatic gasp.

Her own eyes widened as she pointed those scissored fingers at him, "You. Saw. Nothing!" She squeaked, as she broke her own rules by taking another drag. Both Rakshasa fell into a fit of snickering, and simply waited for Em after that.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:46 EST
True to her word, Emmaline wasn't gone terribly wrong. The living room wasn't as perilous for her, of course, and she couldn't exactly hear the two Rakshasa once the door was closed. Moving over to the couch, she snagged her purse, lifting it up onto her shoulder, and then after a moment's hesitation, she moved across the eerily silent apartment to Frankie's room. Walking inside, she didn't turn on the overhead lights, instead using the light of her phone to guide herself to the dresser, where she opened drawers one after the other until she found a pair of pajama pants and a fresh tshirt. She was most of the way out of the room when she doubled back to grab an extra pillow.

Picking up the overnight bag she'd packed on her way back across the living room, Emma found herself drawn almost compulsively to the windows, peering furtively out the edge of the curtain. The minute she did, she wished she hadn't, squeezing her eyes shut against the violence being carried out in the street below. With a shudder, she let the curtain fall and rushed back across the living room to Leah's door, letting herself back inside. Closing it behind her, she leaned against it for a moment, as though convincing herself it was closed.





It was the rushed way Em had bolted into the room and closed the door that had both sets of eyes flicking to her in unison. Frankie frowned and worked himself to sit up instantly. "Em, you'kay' What's going on?" Leah was staring silently at her for a long moment before that motherly intuition kicked in. "....You didn't look outside, did you?" She whispered, finishing the cigarette with a quick drag and squished it carelessly between her fingers. It burned, but she'd regenerate quickly.

Brushing the ash off her fingers onto her pants, she patted the bed again. "Come on, guys," she whispered softly. "Let's just stay in here from now on." There was a pang of guilt that she'd even let Em go out there, wishing she'd gone to get it instead.

Frankie forced himself to his feet with a grunt, taking a couple wavering steps to Em while his mother talked, just to try to work the items out of the girl's hands and while Leah had that motherly intuition, he had 'best friend' intuition. He didn't know what she saw, or what startled her, but whatever it was, his arms were held out welcomingly.



Her gaze meeting Leah's, she gave an almost imperceptible nod. "I just...wanted to see if it had let up any," was her explanation, her shoulders rolling in a loose shrug. "Here," she said in a whisper to Frankie, starting towards him so that they met halfway across the distance. "I got you some pajamas." Taking a deep breath, she moved into his arms when he held them open, laying her head against his chest once more. Lingering there a moment or two, the girl squeezed him gently and then stepped back. "C'mon. Your mom's right. We should lay down."



Leah winced some, nodding. "I should've warned you about that," she spoke softly, shaking her head as she stood to her feet. She tugged the blankets back, focusing on readying the bed for the kids while Frankie cared for Em.

"Thanks," he muttered about the pajamas, wrapping his arms around her when she moved into them. Resting his cheek against the top of her head for a few moments, it lifted when she pulled back though he returned the squeeze before hand. Nodding, "yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He wasn't sure how much longer he could stay on his feet, and he didn't really want to go klutz mode and fall on her. Passing it off like he wasn't as tired as he was, he turned then to strip off his shirt carelessly and exchanged it for the new one Em had snagged for him. He had to sit down to change out his pants, but made quick work of it before crumpling his clothes messily and tossed them into his mother's hamper.

"Bed's all set, guys. Go ahead and lay down. I'm....going to be right back. I need to go to the bathroom," she informed them, swallowing hard as she brushed past Frankie. "Stay in here." Giving Em's shoulder a weak squeeze, she didn't wait for objections or protests before moving out of the room, even if she'd already said that they should stay in the room not moments before.

Glancing to his mother as she passed, he opened his mouth to call her on it but clamped it shut with a sharp gnash of jagged teeth when the door closed. Sighing, he shook his head and looked to Em, shrugging with no words to really say about it. Instead, he crawled over the bed and climbed under the covers, lightly worrying his bottom lip. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. "...Y'don't gotta talk about it, but...what?s going on out there, Em?" His brows furrowed, and he'd be lying if he didn't want to go see for himself. But something was telling him that he'd get one hell of a smack from his mother for trying.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:47 EST
Emma turned away as he changed into his pajamas, if only because Leah was still in the room. She busied herself with digging through her bag to locate her own sleep clothes, pulling out the over-sized she'd packed, but not the pajama pants. Fishing the iPod and a set of earbuds out of her purse next, she turned to sit on the edge of the bed, accepting the shoulder squeeze with a dim smile.

Only after Mama D had stepped back out into the hallway, the girl wiggled her way out of her dress, trading it for the t-shirt. Dropping the soft cloth over her head, she unhooked her bra and peeled it off before stuffing her hands through the sleeve holes. Declaring herself dressed for bed, She claimed the electronics in one hand and climbed up onto the mattress beside him.

Laying her iPod on his chest, she untangled the cord for the earbuds and plugged them in, handing one of them to him afterwards. Fitting the other into her own ear, she laid down more completely beside him, nuzzling her cheek into the hollow just underneath his collar bone, easing one arm across his belly. Settling there with a sigh, she lifted her shoulders. "It's bad," she said quietly. "People are hurting each other."





Laying under the covers, his mind was swarming with a million and one thoughts about the night until Em started climbing the mattress to get beside him. He didn't do anything when she put the iPod on his chest, playing the proper hold for it until she held out an earbud. Taking it, he fit the bud into his ear with a little bit of maneuvering to get it to stay in those long pointed ear.

Settling again, his arm slipped around her when her destination became clear, loosely draping around her shoulders as she snuggled on in. The answer was as expected, but it didn't make him feel any better about it. Frowning a bit, he sighed himself. "All of this is stupid," he muttered. "They're not accomplishing anything. Maybe Rhy'Din should've taken a note from Earth's history book," he crinkled his nose, the arm around her shoulders tightening a bit to hug her closer. "They talked about a civil war at the protests, but I didn't think they'd.." Shaking his head, he didn't finish that sentence. "..Let's just listen to The Man," he finished with instead.

Quiet for a few heartbeats, his clawed thumb brushed against her shoulder as he peered up at the ceiling. His voice a hushed whisper as he admitted, "..I'm glad you're here, Em." His reasons didn't come to light, but the words were laced with softness that spoke better than his words could.



After Leah had managed to escape that room, she'd rushed into the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her. Alone now, out of sight of the kids, she didn't have to pretend to be strong. The wear of the spell hung heavily on her shoulders as she closed those green pools and heaved a breath as her illusion dropped. Once a petite woman with delicate beauty, a gruesome monster stood in her place. Beyond the monstrosity of Frankie's partial heritage, she held more of the appearance of her race.

Swirling fiery orbs dulled by the spell's effects surfaced, flicking to the mirror before she turned her head away and squeezed them shut again. By Gods, please be over soon..

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-04-04 00:49 EST
"One of the reasons I loved this place was 'cause it was somewhere I thought you'd be safe," she agreed, her voice a hum that was partially muffled against his chest. Shaking her head softly, her eyes were tragedy wide as she pushed herself up on one hand again, lifting herself off his chest only enough to look down at him. Her braids spilled around her face, framing it something like a younger, darker skinned Medusa, and she bent down again, stretching her torso out as long as it would go so she could gently, carefully, quietly, kiss him on the mouth once more.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," whispering it against his lips, she settled down beside him again, burrowing in as close to him as she could, sealing up all the space between them. She fixed the earbud in her ear since it had pulled loose when she sat up to kiss him, and then, with a dim smile, she turned the sound up on the ipod a little more. The soft strains of Three Little Birds began to spill between them, binding them together, assuring them that Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright.

Letting her eyes slipped closed, she wrapped her arm more completely around him. "Your mom's really great," murmured a moment later. "I wish she'd just...." Em didn't finish that sentence. He knew what she wished Leah would do.





Frankie didn't know how to respond to that without sounding pessimistic. I don't think there's such a place, Em. Instead of voicing that thought, he remained silent and nuzzled his nose into the top of her head, nosing the warmth of her scalp and those tiny braids. He pulled his head away when she started moving, his swirling orbs like a candle's flame looked up at her until their mouths met. Disappearing behind lid and lash, the welcomed the kiss that was offered - though took care of those teeth.

The whisper against his lips brought a soft smile, the faintest curl of lips before she settled down. His arm locked around her shoulders, long and clawed fingers curling around the joint. The song playing and the volume being turned up had him smirking briefly out of her choice, but you wouldn't catch a complaint from him. It was almost reassuring, even if it was just a recorded song meant for millions, in the moment it was something they both needed.

His own eyes closed as the lyrics and soothing rhythm drifted in that lone ear, his hand moving to the arm that hugged around him to rest on her forearm. "She is," he agreed in a raspy whisper. The unfinished sentence had him sighing softly through his nose, quiet for a short heartbeat before, "me too, Em...me too."



(A huge thanks to Em's player for this tremendous scene. It may have taken a long time, but it was well worth it and I appreciate it!)

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:25 EST
6.4.17 School's Out!

After finding out through Em that today was her last day of school for the summer, Frankie had been a little bit ecstatic. What kind of trouble could the two partners in crime get into during the summer"

It almost felt like the old days, having never really gone to public school - or an official school to begin with. Though it had given the other girls something to chitter about when the boy in the leather jacket and slicked back hair was leaning against the boundary fence, smoking a cigarette and waiting for her once the final bell of the day had rung to dismiss them.

Sure enough, there he was again. Older, maybe, but the stance and actions were the same. Leaning on the fence that lined the schoolyard property, one heel of his sneaker was hiked up to press into it while the other kept him upright. Both hands were shoved knuckle-deep into his pockets while the cigarette was dangling from his lips, those icy blues squinted through the smoke as he looked around in wait.

No more than a couple minutes later, the dismissal bell rang in that deafening chime. Though there was a different feel of it today, less temporary and more along the lines of get the hell out of here! Last day! It's summer, gtfo!



It was maybe thirty seconds before the double door entrance to the was thrust open with enough force that both doors slammed into the concrete walls behind them with a metal clang, and vibrated a little on their frames as they swung back slowly. A veritable flood of teenagers poured through the opening amid victorious cheers and shared high-fives, some of the girls in particular nearly trampled under by the surging crowd when they stopped to give Frankie a once over.

Em wasn't among them.

She was in the third string, not about to compete with the throng and not enthused about getting crushed either, and she wasn't actually expecting Frankie, either. She'd hoped, sure, but her eyes still went a little wide, a smile of pleasant surprise catching the corners of her mouth and dragging them outwards. Crossing the gravel path to him, Emmaline killed the distance between them, that smile still lingering on her face. "Well hi there."



Those glacier pools were quick to snap to those doors, flooding teenagers like the Hoover Dam. He stayed in his spot, mostly because his position off to the side of their path kept him out of the dangers of being trampled. He gave a questionable raise of brow at the girls who stopped to look at him, at least until the crooked smirk rose. Friendly, but not quite inviting. Hey, you're cute and all, but you're not who I'm here for.

He'd considered texting Em about showing up, but decided to go with the surprise route. He thought it might've been a poor decision as he didn't see her face among the crowd, wondering if she'd made plans or wasn't there - at least until that surprised look and her smile caught his attention. That lopsided grin that was purely Frankie was shot back at her, shrugging away from the fence when she came closer. Meeting her along the way, he pinched the filter of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground to let it smolder to nothing on its own. "Hey yourself. Thought you could use an adventure to kick off the summer," he waggled his brows at her, his lopsided grin on full display as that twinkle of mischief only made his eyes get brighter. He looked downright impish in that moment.



That goofy ass smile of his seemed to open a channel directly to her center, making her feel all soft and melty inside. The surprise had been a good call — she would have texted him anyway, but this was much, much better. Em shook her head, her smile spreading into a grin quite despite herself, as she quickly made her way to meet him in the grass.

Both arms slid around him in a greeting hug, and there were probably more than a few raised eyebrows among the girls who were checking him out, but Em couldn't begin to care. The first tendrils of summer had worked their way into the air, the day was warm and sunny with fat fluffy clouds in the sky, and she was wearing a green sundress with black converse accordingly. Thin spaghetti straps held the dress on her coffee-with-milk frame, the skirt floating in tiered partitions around her thighs. Reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulders, she pretty much forced him to stoop to meet her, which was rewarded with a light kiss to his cheek. "I'm down. Whatcha got in mind?"



Ignoring the looks given once her arms snaked their way around him, his shoulders arched back a bit to get a look at that strappy dress she was wearing before he straightened with a smile that said he liked what he saw. He dressed as he normally did - a tee shirt that was plain but white this time to counteract the leather jacket that was absorbing the heat of the sun. Jeans that were a bit snug to his lanky frame, torn to shreds at the knees and converse of his own.

Stooping under her demanding gestures, he let out a slight cackle before his spindly fingers found her waist. "Mhn, maybe I shoulda picked you up after school more often if you're gonna greet me like that," he teased lightly, spreading his fingers over her back to ultimately press her closer to him. If there was any regard for the curious eyes, the jealous eyes, or the questionable eyes among the crowd, he wasn't letting on. "Well..." He considered it before his hands smoothed down to her lower back. "You kinda demolished my train of thought there for a minute.." He crinkled his nose a bit with a sway of his hips before he snickered. "But, I was thinkin' we could hit up this place I found in the Glen. While you were gettin' all smart 'n shit, I went for a hike," he smirked before that glint of mischief in his eye grew tenfold. "You got a bathin' suit?" Then he gave her a serious expression that said he was far from objecting to it. "...Do we need to bathin' suit shopping" I mean," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I can help you pick one out and give you a completely biased opinion," he was fighting that devilish smirk at this point.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:27 EST
The way he looked her over had Em rolling her eyes, but there was a smile still on her lips that said she didn't actually mind it, that if anything, she was quietly pleased. Easing her hold on his shoulders so he could stand up a little better and she could settle back on her heels, the girl let her hands slide down his chest to his waist, where they lingered, fingers tucking into the white folds of his shirt.

Emma listed to his idea, her chin upturned. The corners of her eyes crinkled as he swayed against her and she swayed back. "Bathing suit' What, in my backpack?" She snickered. "Uh huh. Sure. We can totally go bathing suit shopping. Or..." The teen pressed herself close again, tugging on his shirt a little so she could whisper in his ear. "Or do we really need bathing suits...?"



Now that he could straighten out of his strange stoop, his arms accommodated for the new placement of her hands. Adjusting his own to settle on her hips, especially when they swayed against him and he gave that estranged little smile through biting his bottom lip. His brows lifted then as he shrugged. "Hey, it's summer! You never know!" He cackled before she gave him the ultimatum of....bathing suit shopping....or"whut" Leaning forward with the prompting tug, her mouth going for his ear had his head lowering to give her easier access to do so. It wasn't until that whisper found his ears that his widened a touch and it wouldn't be hard for her to feel the heat rising up his neck that hinted to the illusion underneath flushing a particular color. In the end, Frankie was still Frankie.

Clearing his throat, she seemed to have completely caught him off guard by that request before he was nodding. "That one, I like that idea," he cackled lightly, his grin a mile wide to show those dull pearly whites.



Oh, Frankie. Em's cheeks were also feeling a little hot, suddenly, given the brazen things she'd said, but whatever self consciousness she might have been feeling was completely eliminated by the way he'd reacted. Giggling, the girl shook her head, tugging playfully on his shirt. "That one, huh' You like that one" You're sure?" She teased him lightly, a smile bringing up the corners of her mouth.

"...So where are we going swimming, hm?"



Her teasing seeking confirmation had his eyes wide and his head bobbing eagerly....until he realized what he was doing and he cleared his throat, and almost obviously forced himself to be cool. He....still had things to learn with Smooth 101. "Yeah, I dig it, I'm into it, mhmmmmm," he hummed, but he was trying not to grin like an idiot. He was somewhat successful in that venture.

And it was all shot to hell when she asked where, thus confirming her own thoughts and the fact she wasn't joking with him.

He could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks and neck, but that purely Frankie grin - not the smirk, grin -came out to play as he nodded his head vaguely in the direction of the Glen. "C'mon, I'll show ya. Found a bitchin' spot virtually....the in the middle of nowhere," he grinned to her, a moment before his arm was going for a swoop around her waist.



The smooth routine was even funnier than the blushing, but Emmaline found it strangely adorable—particularly when it was followed by that happy, dimpled grin. It was one of her favorite things about him—his cheesy attempt at being cool, the boyish smile that he sometimes fought so hard to hide. Reaching up, she snagged one of his snarled bedhead locks and gave it a light little tug, fighting a wide smile of her own.

Turning half away from him only to have his arm draped around her once more, and the smile got away from her after all. There were a few other teenagers loitering in the yard, waiting on their rides or knotted together in little clumps, making plans for the summer or at least the afternoon. One of two of them glanced their way periodically, and Em even smiled at one of them as they headed off campus together.



He had a long way to go, but....it was also Frankie. It's questionable if he'll ever get there. He may stay awkward and cheesy forever. The tug to his bedhead locks had him biting his lip through his smile, his nose crinkling playfully that said he was far from offended by it.

With one arm tucked around her waist and the other diving into his pocket for the pack of cigarettes tucked inside, he flashed that half-cocked smirk to those that peered their way. Fitting a filter between his teeth with one hand, his thumb aiding in the process to slide out a stick to get one out, he held the pack out to her in offering as they wandered off together.

The walk wasn't over exerting, in fact it was almost pleasant. It was warm, and at one point he'd peeled off the leather jacket when it got a little bit too warm for comfort to add to the bag that he'd already talked her into letting him carry - if it even took much convincing. It wasn't much of a hike as it was a leisurely stroll, with exception to the occasional fallen tree they had to climb over or steep hill they had to go down - at least not up! Following a blind trail like he had an internal GPS, he lead her further into the woods that was growing thicker.

Distantly, the sound of crashing water could be heard among the other forest sounds. The wind through the leaves, the various critters darting out of the teenagers ways. The thick lines of trees would end abruptly, almost at the point where it was questionable if they were getting anywhere, to the display of a small natural spring with a mediocre waterfall.

It wasn't anything over the top, or even extravagant. But it was nature at it's best, pure and clear water that trickled down a wall of rocks and splattered into a pond-sized pool of water. It was deeper than it looked, and when peering into the center, the clear water made it look like it was never going to end.

Grinning over at Em, he waggled his brows before lowering her bag and his jacket alike to the ground away from the threat of getting wet. "Whatchu think" Good find or good find?"

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:29 EST
She'd relinquished the bag only after exacting a promise from him that no harm would come to it. Not that there was anything of particular worth in its interior, but still. This was Frankie, and Frankie could be trusted to get up to absolutely anything under the right set of circumstances, or with the right impulse. The walk was a nice one, not too strenuous except in a few precarious places, and they spent it mostly talking about music and giving each other shit. Em had teased him pretty relentlessly about the jacket until he took it off, something along the lines of ain't you meltin' yet' No' How 'bout now" But then she gave him a wolf whistle and a waggle of her brows when the leather layer was finally shed.

The hill was steep, and she wondered briefly how much the walk back was going to suck, but all thoughts of that nature were erased when she saw the place he'd found. "Damn, Frankie," breathed Emma, clearly impressed. "This is gorgeous."



Frankie had a tendency to....incidentally break things. He had the grace and fluidity of a newborn deer. Still, he'd mostly succeeded in not harming it - even after an almost accident, when he pretended he was going to drop it to try to get rise out of her.....then almost actually did and fumbled it. Smooth like a brillo pad, this one. Her relentless teasing about the jacket might've been the culprit more than the heat to remove it, but he'd relented nonetheless. Just for the wolf whistle and brow waggle giving him prime opportunity to lay a tease on her. If you wanted me to strip down, you coulda just said so.

He'd also done a little show of turning around, undulating his hips with a little techno beatboxing....and promptly ran backwards into a tree to kill the upcoming strip tease he'd contemplated laying on her. Oops!

But at least he got something right when he brought Em to that natural spring, his smile wide when she seemed to approve of it and praised it's beauty. He scrunched his nose, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "It's aight," he downplayed it. "Pales in comparison to..." Throat cleared, eyes shifted to her then to the water. "Som'n else.." Awkward Frankie moments were awkward. He tried, though, dammit.



Emma was staring at the scenery, taking it all in. She was genuinely impressed with this initiative of his, both that he'd found the place and that he'd remembered his way to it so he could bring her. She was feeling very positive on the not so little skater punk just then, and maybe even glad she'd decided not to make a detour to pick up a swim suit.

Frankie might have gotten away with his blunder but for the way he cleared his throat, dragging her attention towards him. "aight compared to.....what?" She wanted to know, her brows raised expectantly.



He'd almost gotten away with it. But his own awkwardness betrayed him. He'd been staring intently at the subtle ripples of the water, almost trying to mentally will her to not have noticed the cheesy line he'd almost dropped on her. Alas, no luck. She looked, and even called him out and he flicked those glacier blues to her then to the water. Thank goodness for that illusion keeping up to hide the fact his face was on fire. That water was looking pretty damn good at the moment, but maybe the sizzle from the heat flaring on his cheeks would give it away! He almost brushed it off, tried to distract her or something else just as lame but those expectant brows had his hand raising to scratch at the side of his neck over the sparrow tattoo.

"Compared to....uh...y'know," he mumbled, the awkwardness almost radiating off him. "...You.."

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:31 EST
Emmaline was watching him intently, of course, and she was acutely aware that he was blushing even though she couldn't exactly see it through the facade. It was something in the way he stared at the water's surface, the awkward way his shoulders hunched.

The girl was chewing hard on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling at his discomfort, not letting up with the stern look until he'd confessed. When he did, Em tried to play it smooth, but...failed pretty spectacularly, blushing scarlet to the roots of her hair.



No he wasn't! ....Yes he was. His face was on fire. Especially when he glanced over sheepishly and spotted her blush. In a way it made him feel better that he wasn't the only one, but it also made him aware how totally cheesy that was. Want some wine with that cheese, man" No, but he'd take a beer about now. Clearing his throat, he let out a nervous laugh and reached out to nudge her hip. "Brought you here for swimmin', not just starin' at the water," he reminded her. "You still got it in ya to out-swim me, Mermaid?" He waggled his brows at her, reaching up and behind his head to work himself out of the white tee, tossing it to the ground to his right. Turning to face her, the idiot started walking backwards while he made progress on his belt and jeans, his impish grin splattered across his face.

Frankie and walking backwards....would this end well"



Frankie walking backwards. What's the worst that could happen" Haaaa. His re-direction almost worked, too, bringing the competitive, shit-talking side of her bubbling to the surface, but as cheesy as the line had been, Em was still pretty fucking flattered.

And anyway, she needed to avert the crisis that was unquestionably imminent. "Yeah, yeah. I'll swim circles around your skinny white ass," she retorted, unable to help herself despite the warmth in her belly. "C'mere, though."

She moved towards him, picking up her pace even as she beckoned him closer.



When things got too cheesy, bring out the sass! That worked.....right' At least as she dished out that comment on his skinny white ass, it had eased some of the fire that had taken residence on his face. "Yeah, alright Shark Week," he scoffed, like he was positive he'd be doing the same to her, even snapped his teeth in her direction with that boyish grin. "What?" He questioned when told to go to her. He didn't walk forward, but it did give him pause. Yes, Frankie. Stop walking backwards, it was for the best. His fingers still holding the unfastened flaps of his jeans, he arched a dark brow at her as curiosity laced his sharp features, his eyes trained on her approach and he took the final two steps finally at the cue of her beckoning.



"Shark week," Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'll show you Shark Week. Get over here, fool." Her beckoning became more insistent, though she was glad at least that he'd stopped that blind backwards stumble. The girl had visions of him going backwards over the ledge, busting his head open on the way down. Pretty sure it wouldn't kill him, all things considered, but still. That'd be one hell of a way to ruin the afternoon.

When he was close enough, Em slipped her fingers into the elastic of his boxers since her pants were already undone, pulling him the rest of the way into her. She tipped her head back, lifting her face to his, but he'd need to come the rest of the way to her given the height difference between them. "Kiss me," she urged him, the backs of her knuckles pressing into the skin of his lower belly.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:32 EST
His eyes widened with feigned fear when she said she'd show him Shark Week. "Anything but that!" His expression changed as he let out a bit of that goblin cackle. "Bossy," he puffed his cheeks out, but it was endearing, honest. He hadn't thought about cracking his skull open. It wouldn't kill him, no. His race, even being the half breed he was, made him rugged enough to withstand something like that. But it would surely ruin their afternoon. Concussions were still a thing for him, and he'd had them before. Not ideal for their lakeside adventure.

Closer thanks to her urging beckon, he drew closer still with a look down as she hooked onto his boxers and tugged him. He nearly stumbled forward but caught himself, his fingers leaving his jeans as the fabric stayed hugged to his hips for the moment. The grunt had left him from the tug, but his hands found her hips to make sure he didn't stumble into or onto her. The tip of her face was awfully close as it was, and he looked at her lips a second before she encouraged him with those two words. His lips pulled into a smile as he lifted those icy blues up to match her gaze. "Yes ma'am," he muttered, his tone saying he was more than pleased to do so before his head tipped downward to press his lips against hers.

He'd gotten out of his awkward bicycle phase with kissing Em over the past couple months of their reunion. A bit more confident. A bit more fluid, a lot more normal for them. His hands at her hips pulled her closer to him as his eyes closed, his head tilting into the kiss to deepen it.

It was an intimate moment, and he didn't even knock his teeth into hers or her lips. Awkwardness had abandoned him to the lip contact, even.

....And then his pants fell down to his ankles.



Frankie was getting much better at kissing again, that much was true. He was still super bad at knowing when to kiss, though, and Emma found she had to instruct him like this from time to time. She didn't really mind though, especially not right now when he'd gone out of his way to surprise her and then said something obnoxiously sweet besides. Kissing him was easier than trying to put into words what any of this meant.

She'd even take the 'ma'am'.

Her fingers had released their hold on his boxers, sliding first around his waist and then up his sides, skating over his ribs. She pressed herself up onto her toes to be closer to him, one hand sliding around his neck.

The moment was intense, and intimate. It might even have been romantic, but then suddenly there was the soft whump of his pants falling down all at once, and Em just kinda knew without looking what had happened. The kiss broke, and she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head with a little laugh. "...Wow." She snickered. "I mean, I was about to suggest you undress me, but I suppose that works, too..."



He was terrible when it came to the whole....timing, reading the moment, or just catching a damn hint thing. He was a lot more effective when you were blunt about it.

Goosebumps dusted over his arms and torso to the movements of her hands, his own finding her waist. The pressing of her body to his cued his arms to wrap around her to kill the distance between them - what little was left of it, anyways.

It was....all of that. At least until his pants decided to introduce themselves to the ground....and his ankles. One icy peeper opened to look around like did what I think just happen..." He'd chased her lips a second before clamping down on his bottom lip with his teeth, his hips shifting away from hers to look down as if he wasn't totally sure....Then, "that happened.." He noted, letting out a cackle before her comment was a sure fire way to get him to shut up, swivel his attention fully on her as his brows nearly touched his hairline. "You were" Well, dayum, I still can...clothes are....super overrated," he nodded. "It's like.....statistics or some'n." The idiot nodded his head eagerly. Statistics" Really'



"The fuck you know about statistics?" She asked with an incredulous scoff. Glancing down when he did to confirm that - yes, his pants really had fallen down - Emma laughed softly with a little shake of her head. The look on her face right then was somewhere in the neighborhood of And I fuck him on purpose, an interesting mix of amusement and affection in her eyes.

She raked one hand through her braids, pulling them back from her face. "Y'gonna get to it, or what?" The girl paused. "...Maybe finish taking your pants off first, though. We don't need you to trip and take us both down."

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:34 EST
"I.....I know a lot," he scoffed right back, but his was less convincing. "I know...." He was taking quite the long minute to think of what he really knew about statistics. "I know..." He squinted, glancing around in thought before he leaned toward her with a very valid point. "...They exist."

...Yes, he made the 'aliens' meme hand gesture at her.

And as little as he knew about statistics, he knew less about how to read her looks or he'd probably just make it worse. Yes, you do fuck me on purpose. Then make that stupid grin that would probably make her not want to do such a thing.

"Wait, now" Ri'now" Now, no-okay." He'd be dumb...er....than usual to not just clamp that gabber shut and just do it. His hands started to reach for her until the second suggestion had him pausing, looking down to the crumpled mass of jeans hovering around his ankles before he snickered. "I wouldn't!" He objected, just to look at her with a crinkle of his nose. "...Okay, I so would," he cackled lightly, his hands redirecting instead as he toed his boots off one by one and then he dangerously wobbled from leg to leg - with one almost fall - to pull his pants over each foot. "M'good! I got it," he grunted, now pants-free and trip-hazard-free. "Now c'mere." If she didn't stop him, he'd be reaching out to try to snag her hand and pull her into him.



Emma, of course, actually happened to have just completed a class on statistics, so she waited expectantly while Frankie searched his mind for some kind of answer, any answer. The totally valid, triumphant response he'd come up with at last had her dissolving into snickers again, looking away from him if only so he couldn't see the full weight of how much he made her smile.

When she had her expression mostly corralled back into place, the girl turned to look up at him again, just in to time to catch him almost falling over as he tried to pull his pants off. "Well, yeah," she said evenly, pointing out the obvious as she gestured towards the lake. "Y'don't expect me to go swimming in this, do you?" Her brows raised up at him as her hand retreated, gesturing her dress instead.

Her hand was still out when Frankie caught it, and she drew into him, coming closer as he'd requested.



It was common knowledge between them that Frankie had been home-schooled, kept safe from the disaster of his illusion dropping in a classroom with twenty other children that would cause mayhem over his appearance. Home-schooled or not, he always found a way to slack off from his schoolwork or find a way to weasel out of it. He liked to think he was street smart instead of book smart. Hex tried to beat it into his head that street smarts get you nowhere if you're an idiot. He....obviously hadn't listened.

He was still just'a grinning away like a fool to his proud answer. Nailed it. But it was her gesturing to the water and her dress that had him peering between both and she mentioned swimming. "Right, 'cause that's what people do at lakes. Swimming." He nodded, but he'd pulled her into him. "Wet clothes are terrible, so if you wanna strip down to nothin'....I'd be tooootally cool with that. M'just sayin'," he shook his head, shrugging his shoulder like it was no big deal. His smile was impossible to keep the mischief out of it, staying true to the tattoos on his knuckles as he looked at the dress. There were no zippers or fastenings to it, and....frankly, he didn't trust himself to try to pull it up over her head....There were about a million different ways for that to wrong, and a good number of them played in his head to the point that he bit back a shudder.

Going the safe route, the goblin's fingers brushed over collar bones in that usual Frankie awkwardness that was somewhere between tender and nervous. It didn't matter how many times he saw Em without her clothes on, it still made him feel hungry - he still didn't quite get that the 'hungry' feeling, were in fact butterflies. Interpretations....

Reaching the slender spaghetti straps of the dress, his thumbs curled around the thin fabric before he slid them down her narrow shoulders, looking her in the face as he caught his bottom lip in the midst of a smile.

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2017-11-12 06:35 EST
There was a nervous, fluttery thrill of anticipation in her belly as his hands skated her collarbones. Frankie, god love 'im, for all that his 'face' was an illusion, that mask was like a transparent windowpane on his thoughts. Em could actually see the gears turning in his head, watch him puzzle out all the ways that undressing her could go awry. She wanted to laugh, and she wanted to reassure him, and some little part of her squirmed self consciously and wanted to push him away and hide.

She ignored that last little part, her pulse thrumming in her ears as he finally got the nerve up to push the spaghetti straps down. Swallowing a sudden knot in her throat, Emma held his fixed gaze, and the splash of sunlight filtering in through the trees dappled her face as she looked up at him. "Go on then," the girl said thickly.



He was almost certain that the windowpane was only transparent to Em....and maybe - definitely - his mother. She knew him like the back of her hand, and even though they hadn't seen each other for years, she seemed to have never lost the hair-tugging ability to figure him out with wistful grace. Those glacier pools fixed on hers, his Adam's apple jumping with the hard swallow to her thick words as his fingers brushed over the soft skin of her arms with the movement of her straps. Looking at the way the broken pieces of sunlight that freckled her face, accentuating and illuminating parts while shadowing others, he couldn't help the dopey, lopsided smile that upturned the corners of his mouth.

With the straps off-shoulder, his fingers lined the thin fabric closer to her chest as he eased it down, fingers clumsily brushing over the soft skin of the youthful mounds. Sliding fingers around, brushing here - incidentally caressing there - he finally worked the top of the dress down to her slender waist before the angle and drapery of the fabric could easily flutter down from her body, over her hips and circled her ankles. Standing in front of her, his breath came out as shaky as it always did. The number of times he'd seen her, it was still the same as the first, and he wasn't sure if any amount of experience or confidence could change that. His smile broadened his long, bony fingers curled around the soft curve of her waist. "Can't say I never did nothin' for ya," he teased her lightly, but his awkwardness was written in his voice, his breath, even the sharp thumping of muscle against his rib cage.



When Frankie smiled like that, like it was Christmas morning and he'd just gotten everything he ever wanted, it was hard to want to deny him anything. Her chest squeezed and her stomach twisted, but it wasn't because she was nervous.

He put...just a little bit too much effort into easing her dress off and that made her smile, exhaling through her nose at his actions. "Very careful of you, Frankie, yes, you're very helpful," she said softly, but it wasn't an admonishment. Her eyes moved from his face if only because looking at him made her chest squeeze, swallowed and then looked back. "So, we...goin' swimming?"



"I am..." He muttered with a firm nod like he truly believed it. "I am helpful. The most helpful." He might've puffed out his chest in a proud way, like a strange rendition of a robin, but it didn't quite meet it's mark when she pointed out they were there for swimming. "Oh yeah..." He breathed, like he'd forgotten and cast a look in a forced way towards the water. "We should....probably do that," he cleared his throat, giving a slow nod before sending a glance her way. "Cause that's why I brought you here.....for swimmin'.." Yes, it was coming back to him now. He caught his bottom lip with his teeth, reluctantly pulling his hands away from her waist before he redirected the left one to snag her hand instead. His head nodded in the direction of the water before he turned to start that way, his feet following suit. "Let's go get our swim on," he boasted, before he started to tug her toward the water.

(To be continued...)

Frankie Dixon

Date: 2018-04-17 20:02 EST
"The most helpful, yes. I'll make a note of it," the girl murmured, only to clamp her lips closed when she caught herself babbling out of nervous habit. Emma was grateful when he turned away from her at last, and she took a breath to level herself —in theory, anyway, except that it slipped away from her again when he took her hand.

Twining her fingers into his, there was a hitch in her chest as she followed him to the water's edge, her skin crawling with anticipation. It was everything— the last day of school, being mostly naked with Frankie, being mostly naked with Frankie in broad daylight where literally anyone could suddenly walk up and see. Her skin prickled in goosebumps, and Em thought she would be grateful once they had the cover of water to conceal them.



Frankie's careful steps lead her toward the edge, almost too careful when there was a slope of the lake shoreline that spilled onto the dock. "Just a little bit...baby steps," he muttered to himself, with an almost stupidly concentrated look on his face. God, don't fall and take her down with you, man. You'll never live it down… His hand in hers was a reminder to watch his footing and what should've been maybe four normal steps....took the awkward teen double that and an extra shuffle onto the dock. "Got it!" He raised his fist in the air with a lopsided grin over his shoulder to Em. Really that little bit of a treacherous slope without accident was something to be proud of for him...

He let go of her hand, looking over his shoulder at Em, that impish grin spread over his face as he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Last one in...." he trailed off, sure she knew the rest....

Though maybe the last one in would've been the safe route as Frankie took off like a bat out of Hell with thumping steps across the dock. Shame there was a rope at the edge of that dock. Bigger shame he didn't see it in time as he reached the end....tried to jump, and instead got snagged on an elevated loop that hooked his foot just in time for his upward jump to force him forward. The slap of him practically flopping to the water wasn't a pleasant sound. Belly flop anyone"

...there had to be a higher power at work here.



"Oh no you didn't!" She exclaimed as she took off after him at a slightly less suicidal pace. Em was proud of him for navigating that rocky little hill without incident, her own steps carefully placed behind him with not a little bit of leaning on trees and other rocks to help her down. Rushing after him towards the dock, Emma saw the rope, but....Frankie. She should have known it wouldn't, couldn't last, and she'd only gotten half the sentence out, "Frankie! Watch out for the—-" when she saw it happen, time slowing down to a snail's crawl as she watched him leap, saw the way the rope would catch him, flinched when he pancaked flat into the water beneath. "—rope," she finished lamely as she slowed down, making her way down the dock to its edge.

She felt bad for the way she laughed, but she really couldn't help it. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds, but the instant replay was on endless loop in her mind and it played over and over, drawing breathless giggles from her every time. From the look on his face to the way he'd gone plank rigid moments before the impact, she kept picturing him as a cartoon character, a Wile E Coyote who's just discovered how his latest scheme is about to go dreadfully wrong. She could practically see the tiny Acme umbrella in one hand, and she laughed so hard it made her sides hurt.

Tears in her eyes, she stepped carefully over the rope and then off the dock, slipping into the water beside him, grateful not for the first time that her hair was in micro braids.



Oh, but he did. That lanky teen was bolting, then the yelp that came out of his mouth the moment he saw the water coming for him in a way he hadn't expected was cut off. He'd slapped the water in a way that made his chest and stomach sting, and he was thankful the dock wasn't an elevated one. He'd sank beneath the water before long limbs scrambled and pushed himself up to the surface.

His head broke the surface with a gasp for air, and luckily, the illusion cloaking his true form hid the fact that his face was a tomato from the epic fail. Though....he did question if the heat from his face would evaporate the entire lake, naturally exaggerating in his head. "Holy fuck, that was....I meant to do that," he lifted his chin from the water, but it was pretty obvious he hadn't. Treading the water, he peered over to the girl who'd managed to slip in by the time he'd surfaced, and....was obviously much smarter than he. But then....he noticed the way her eyes were teared up, and he knew. "You totally fuckin' laughed, didn'tcha"!" He cackled, his arm pushed out to send a wave of water at her. "Ngh, right in the heart, the.....the betrayal.." He rasped, choked, and hammed it up as he clutched his chest and let himself dip under the water like she'd killed him. Though he bobbed right back up with a sputtering of water out of his mouth. Air was a thing he needed..



His blush wouldn't evaporate the whole lake, probably, but Emmaline couldn't be sure that wasn't some steam rising off its surface...

"Are you alright?" She asked as she treaded water beside him, trying to keep herself afloat. He called her out, but she wasn't embarrassed. "Hell yes I laughed!" The girl exclaimed, wiping uselessly at the corner of her eye given that her hands her wet. Yeah, that hadn't exactly gone the way she saw it in her head, either. "Have you seen you? Y'just lucky I didn't have my phone out." The threat sounded cross, but it wasn't really.

And though she might have wanted video for herself" She definitely wouldn't have put it on the internet or anything.

Probably. Maybe.

Letting go of the dock, she ducked the wave he splashed in her direction and half-lunged at him, winding both arms around his neck. "Somehow I think you'll survive all that betrayal," she whispered, kissing his cheek.



That wasn't steam, okay' .....That was....some science thing he didn't understand. It was his worst subject, really.

"It's fine," he grunted, treading water regardless of the ache. "I wondered what it'd feel like if my ribs were in my spine," he cackled. "Not great, I'd say....but..." He didn't finish that thought, only puffed his cheeks out at her about laughing, just for his eyes to widen almost comically with a dramatized look of horror. "Y'wouldn't..." He breathed. "Goblin face at y'so....hard..." He enunciated that word with his eyes squeezed shut.

Oh, he'd get her back if she did. Totally.

The splash missed, but her lunge didn't as his eyes widened and those legs kicked away under the water to keep them both upright. He only bobbed once a little bit before the combination of arms and legs treading brought him up to catch that kiss and assurance. His smile grew lopsided and goofy as ever, a flicker before he forced it back with an obviously feigned serious expression. "I'unno...still feel kinna wounded.." He murmured, flicking his eyes toward her with the start of a pout. Just a tiny one..

Snickering at his comeback, Em rolled her eyes with a toss of her head. She was a little bit concerned that her braids would be irreparably damaged in the lake water, but it was really too late to do anything about it now. "Well I'm glad you cleared that up for the both of us," she said with that inflection in her voice that couldn't exactly be classified as an accent, but was still one hundred percent native born Atlanta. "You can goblin face at me all you want, boo," she went on, confidently. "I mean. I feel like some kinda monster-phile, but whatever. Your real face is ...not completely unfortunate-looking, either."

Emma grinned then, her smile affectionate. They weren't the most romantic words ever, but from her" It was practically a love sonnet. She nuzzled close to him, wrapping her legs around his skinny waist so that the job of keeping them afloat fell entirely on his shoulders. Her mouth was all but pressed against his ear. "Still wounded, huh' Should I get you a bandaid?"



Frankie was a boy who didn't think about damage to micro braids....though, it didn't matter to him what Em's hair looked like. "Wouldn't recommend it.." He snickered with a solemn shake of his head. But it was her sentiment that had him eyeing her like she'd lost her dayum mind. "Ya sure ya didn't smack y'head on the way in"....Some sorta concussion jumble ya brain?" He snorted, rolling his eyes with an amused smile. "Good to know it's not unfortunate looking," he gave her a coy smirk.

They weren't the most romantic, but the warm smile he'd returned to her said he'd understood what she'd said. Regardless of his smart ass remarks that didn't seem to have an Off switch. He let out a grunt when she wrapped herself around his lanky awkwardness, and it was probably a good thing they were in the water and deemed weightless by it. Though he did bob a little bit before he worked harder to keep their heads above water, legs kicking and arms rhythmically wading. It didn't help that she distracted him with her lips on his ear that sent a quake of shivers down his spine. He couldn't even blame it on the cool water.

His head tilted back some with the cackle that rang out, and his head turned to look at her. "I'unno....y'do pretty fuckin' good at stickin' to me. I think I like that better," he admitted, his head coming forward to press his mouth to hers clumsily in a sneak attack that....wasn't all that sneaky. She'd probably see it coming a mile away. He always had a look about him before he tried to kiss her. It was one part awkward, one part dopey.



Em shook her head almost impatiently at his self-deprecating humor. In a rare moment of complete seriousness, the girl who clung to him like a little snake pressed her forehead against his temple. Maybe it was something to do with what had happened over Valentines; maybe it was just that she knew what it was like to see your own skin in the mirror and wish it was something different. "No, Frankie," she said quietly. "I like you the way you are. "

His attempt at a smooth sneak attack broke the heaviness of the moment, but not its overall sentiment. Emmaline laughed, sure, but she didn't let go of him, and neither did she pull away. After a clumsy first attempt more involved with teeth and accidentally ingested lake water than actually kissing, her mouth eventually found his and pressed there, firmly.



Glacier blue eyes lifted up to her where she was pressed to his temple, the ultra-rare moments of seriousness radiating from her strong enough for even him to catch it. The opposite brow lifted questionably until she spoke, and it smoothed after that sentiment was shared. ....Though with this closeness, and her touching his face with her own, she'd find the rising of temperature. That little clue to a blush well hidden by illusion. "I like the way you are too, Em..." he muttered.

But then kissing was happening, after some....effort to get to that point. There was teeth and lake water, a grunt from Frankie and a small cackle before it was washed away by the feel of her lips to his. It only inflamed that heat in his face all the more, but one arm being used to keep them afloat wrapped around her to keep her close....at least until bobbing became dangerous of sinking and he returned it's arm to its job. "Ngh," he grunted against her mouth.



So making out while treading water in a lake was harder than it looked in the movies. This was a thing they were quickly learning firsthand, as they bobbed in the water together, losing track of themselves until they were almost entirely submerged and then struggling to the surface again. Relenting at last, Emma broke from Frankie, breaking the kiss, releasing him so he could keep himself afloat as she tipped herself onto her back.

There was something exhilarating about it, floating on her back in the sunshine. Her skin prickled in goosebumps to be this blatantly naked in public, this blatantly, unabashedly naked in public with Frankie. For a moment, the problems of the world seemed to melt away, the homework and the disapproving fathers and the racial tensions that impacted her, the species tensions that affected him. Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a sign of contentment, flapping her fingers in the water lightly in an attempt to take his hand.



There were a lot of things that looked easier in the movies....either he was certain that Hollywood had a way of fluffing romance (much like Saila fluffs...er...pillows..) or him and Em just couldn't figure out those smooth moves polished for the flicks. Considering making out in the water turned out to be more dangerous than anticipated and they had to break it of before they risked drowning! Okay, that was a little dramatic...but...was it really' At least for Frankie" Still, there was a soft pout on his mouth when she broke free of him and he reluctantly released her in turn. Just to appreciate the new view that almost made him bob under the water all over again.

Here, it was easy to forget the outside world. The expectations, the standards. The watchful eyes that they couldn't completely escape, no matter where they were. And Em's relaxed nature only seemed to ease him into the same state, like it was a feeling he could reach out and touch. Her flapping fingers brought that lopsided grin, and he reached out to catch her hand. Since full clinging seemed to make it difficult to stay head-above-water, he gave something else a try. With a gentle - and easy - guiding tug to turn her while she floated on top of the surface of the water, it was almost effortless for him to use the weightlessness the water afforded to move her about. Turning her with the guidance of joined hands, he switched it out with the opposing hand when she was turned with her head pointed to him like an arrow. His hand moved to hook beneath the arm of the other side to guide her back to him, a dip and shift of his shoulder tucked the slope beneath her head. It was easier to keep floating this way, with his legs kicking slowly to stay up. "So what we gonna do with a whole summer?" He grinned, turning his head to peer at her....and enjoying the new view down the slope of her body, the way the sunshine shimmered over the little pools of water caught in the definition and contours.



At first Emmaline didn't entirely understand what he was on about. Her forehead wrinkled, brows furrowing, as Frankie used the connection of their fingers to move her around in the water. She started to issue some kind of frying-pan based threat—something about what she'd do to him if he pushed her under without warning— when she finally figured out what he was doing. Once she was situated, half floating in the water as she had been, half laying on the 'monster's’ shoulder (monster goober, more like...), Em settled there reasonably comfortably, trying not to put too much thought into the view he was currently enjoying.

"I don't know. I wanna get back into skating, maybe." She tipped her head back, trying to look up at him. "Hang out with you."



No frying pan! "Chiiiill, chill," he cackled when she seemed more than concerned of his intent. His eyes flicked over to her from the appreciated view the new position afforded, his hands resting on her sides so she didn't float off from his shoulder with the gentle ripples of the lake. "Man, I've been itching to get my board out again....we should hit up one of the parks here soon." His lopsided smile broke loose to the mention of hanging out with him. "So....same ol' summers" Cause trouble, skate, hang out' M'down for that," he nodded firm and wiggled his fingers at her sides. "Summers have been shit without ya..." He sighed, "I mean....people generally suck at skating I realize....and they just don't know how to laugh and be worried at the same time when I bust my ass like you do.." He cackled out. "Ya always know how to get the right bit of both in there..." He grinned.



The way she snickered put ripples in the water around them. "Good answer, man." She bent the nearer arm back to splay the back of her hand against his belly, her fingers stretched wide as though to cover its surface. Rubbing the backs of her knuckles lightly over his lowest rib, her laughter faded into a smile that was both nostalgic and bitter sweet. "But I mean, you're not wrong. Life's been ...different, without you." It was clear from her tone that different was the opposite of good.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out again, turning her face into the sun as she closed her eyes. Silent for a long moment, she didn't open them when she finally spoke again. "This is nice, Frankie. I'm glad you brought me here."



"I thought ya'd dig it," he cackled out, just to squirm slightly under the water for the grace of her fingers on his belly. It didn't quite tickle under the water, but it could be passed as such. Really, it was the touch, as simple as it was that stirred that "hungry" feeling beneath her caressing knuckles. His hands smoothed over her sides, fingers curling over the gentle curves without putting much weight to keep her from sinking, his arms becoming something of an aiding support float for her back and shoulders. "Different....that's one way to put it.." He murmured, and from his own tone, he felt the same way.

While she faced the sun, his chin lowered to rest on her shoulder, feeling the sun heated skin barely cooled by the occasionally lapping lake water against his hotter skin. His eyes closed as he listened to her breathing, the gentle ripples on the water, the breeze through the bows of branches and leaves. And if he focused, both their heart beats. He sighed, content and relaxed for once in their isolated secret solace. His lids opened to icy slits, shifting sideways to peer at the side of her face. "I'm glad ya liked it, Em." Sweetly, and off-key for the troublemaker, he leaned his head closer to peck a kiss to her cheek before resting his chin to her shoulder, eyes closing that final milestone.