[Closed] @eidxiety ††

[winterbolt]

u get the small baby bird icon this time

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[lupusxylem]

[Yeah Ain maybe try to stop appearing so fruity if you don't want men to rizz you. Just a thought!

Wolfwood takes a step back onto the sidewalk so Ain has room to get into his car, watching and wondering if he'll keep his word and actually meet up like he says. After all, there's no way they could exchange numbers. The only number he has access to is the mansion's landline and uhhhhhhh no. No no. That's for the family's use only, and every call is monitored and tracked. He would have his ass beat.

This is fine, though. Better than he could have hoped for, especially since he didn't even think Ain would want to com eback here.]

I'll be there. Drive home safe.

[eidxiety]

[He's been eye-height with the titties this whole time, hard not to be passively fruity about that. Ain offers a smile, though, this one less fake than all his other ones that accompany his "teehees" and "hahas", and he proceeds to dust some stray glass off the seat — what Wolfwood didn't get earlier — before he gets in and sits down. He shuts the door, annnnnd of course they can still talk like this, he's missing a window, so he leans his head out of it as he futzs with the stick.]

You don't have to worry about me, haha. I'll be fine. You keep yourself safe here, okay~?

[And he pops his head back into the car and, whenever Wolfwood is out of the way, he'll drive off.

Okay. Time to tell mom a lot of lies.]

[lupusxylem]

[Unlike Ain, Wolfwood doesn't have anyone to lie to. If anything, the rest of his day just...is pretty boring. He goes back to monitoring the market for the remainder of the day, keeping an eye out for people causing trouble unnecessarily. Honestly, it seems like Ain invited it...there's nothing else going on otherwise.

It means he has plenty of time to think about him, even long after his work is done and he's driven back home. Nobody is any the wiser that he met a Boy today, a boy that just so happens to be wealthy and clueless from the Northern side of town.

It's fine. It's not...really that serious. It's not really anything, thinking on it. They're just meeting up as acquaintances. They don't even know each other well enough to say they're friends.

So why, then, does he find himself...worried when Monday rolls around that Ain won't show? That he'll ghost him, make a fool of him, leave him standing like an idiot in the park waiting for someone who will never come? Because that's where he is now, a smoldering cigarette clutched between his teeth as he leans against an oak tree, watching civilians pass him by.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain's weekend goes like this: He gets home and parks his car out front, intending to head back out again because of the car window. He comes inside (wearing the mask-veil, obviously) to tell his mom that a car speeding down the roadway kicked a large rock through his window, and she quite literally holds his head against her chest and puts her cheek on top of his head and wails about "my baby could've gotten hurt, don't you worry, godless miscreants will be dealt with". One of his brothers says there's a mechanic a few blocks down the road, take the car down there little brother, they ought to fix that up for you. "I'll do that," Ain says, but he spends another half hour having Lady Ishmael comb out his curls and worry about if he has glass in his clothing.

Then he leaves. He takes his car down. It'll be a few days, a window isn't a huge emergency for them, but they'll try to get it done faster for a member of the clergy, and can we have a prayer to bless our business as you go? And Ain agrees, holding onto the oil-stained hands of the mechanic and blessing the business. Then, he goes, and he walks home for those few blocks. By the time he gets back, his brothers are already asking if they can make the eggs he bought into a dish for lunch, and Ain agrees because, yeah, the point of going out was to get something to munch on. So they have lunch (they say grace before), then they have dinner later (more grace), then Ain idles away the evening with a Good Wholesome Book About A Woman Finding God's Embrace, one of those religious romance novels that contains nothing but chaste kisses on their wedding day and a journey of self-discovery. Somehow, it feels emptier than usual.

His brothers tease him about it. "Oh, Ain's reading his romance books again," and "when are you gonna bring home a pretty girl?" and "mom's been saying she's excited to be a grandmother", and somehow that's worse. Ain brushes it all off easily, as he normally does, but... urgh.

Sunday rolls around, and Sunday goes as expected. He attends mass. He sings in the choir. Prayer, confession, communion. It's the same rhythm he's been doing since he was a newborn. On the mafia front, there's no news. Nothing happening. It means service is easy, and Ain is thankful for it. When they wrap up for the day, he spends a while cleaning this (massive, enormous) megachurch and then heads back home with everyone, to laze away the day again on his books. He used to love getting riled up with his brothers and messing with each other about when each of them would get married, but that was when they were teenagers. Now it feels like a sense of foreboding responsibility, and Ain can't pinpoint why the thought makes him upset. Is it because he's twenty-three and owes his mom grandchildren? It's not like she can't wait, right? Almeric is the eldest and he doesn't have a wife, either.

He reads his empty books in his empty-feeling bedroom after that. The boxy TV in the den plays only Evangelical TV and the occasional world news story. So full of sin, the world is. So messed up. So colourless.

Monday, though, that's something to look forward to. Ain does his usual rounds around his section of town before heading southside. The mask gets shoved into the inner pocket of a green cardigan so that he can put it back on before he goes inside. He is... two and a half minutes later than he should be. It's 4:02 by the time he runs up to Wolfwood on the sidewalk, panting and out of breath.]

I'm— [wheeze,] —sorry, the taxi got stuck in traffic. Looks like I made it, though, haha...

[lupusxylem]

[Well since Wolfie so graciously put the idea in my head...the Wolfwood Ain is going to be meeting today looks a little different compared to the one he saw originally. Remember how I said the members of the Eye don't have uniforms necessarily, so long as they have a crucifix on their person somewhere? Well, Wolfwood is still following those rules. His cufflinks are still there...and his necklace has morphed into a choker with a cross pendant, but that's besides the point. He is leaning against that tree dressed in era appropriate attire basically to the point of being a stereotype within his own time period. Black jacket that hugs his waist yet is somehow a touch too large at the same time, a button-down because you'll take them from his cold, dead hands, and leather pants that leave nothing to the imagination. If you ever wondered if men had legs before, well...

And of course, he's smoking. He wasn't doing that when they first met either, a little trail of it drifting up into the treetops as Ain suddenly runs up to where he's been waiting this whole time. He makes a show of exhaling on an exaggerated sigh, pushing off the tree and tossing his head to get his hair out of his eyes. His shades hide the relief reflecting in them, because he was still thinking about the possibility that he might not show.]

Oh wow, you made me wait a whole two minutes? Here I thought you were standing me up.

[eidxiety]

[This looks like a jock and a nerd on a date, Jesus Christ. Yet, Ain remains oblivious to it, standing up straight once he catches his breath again, checking his watch. He's so sorrrrryyyyy—]

No, no! It's just the traffic being bad! I got out up the road and ran the rest of the way here because it was easier than waiting another block and being later than I am.

[The sky is already darkening, and that means the city is all lit up, lamp posts and string lights on some of the buildings to attract the eye, headlights of cars and the scent of ozone overlaying it all. It'll probably rain later tonight, Ain thinks.

...

And you know what else Ain thinks. Ain thinks... this man is a greaser. Straight up, there are greasers on this side of town, the only thing Wolfwood is missing is the slicked-back hair. He's wearing a fucking choker, and it may be a Choker Of The Lord, but Ain's eye is still drawn there anyway. Um. Sir. Sir, your whole everything is out. Ain's eyes roam a little lower before his gaze snaps back to Wolfwood's eyes, trying to see them past the sunglasses.

He was not Looking.]

...am I underdressed? I feel underdressed.

[lupusxylem]

You're a little under dressed.

[Wolfwood smirks, clapping a hand to Ain's shoulder. It only lasts for a second though before he releases him and puts his hand back into his pocket, nodding towards the sidewalk as he steps away from the tree.]

Nah, don't sweat it. I would've waited longer if I had to anyway.

[He wasn't afraid you wouldn't show up, haha, who cares if you didn't show up? It wouldn't have mattered to him, he doesn't give a shit-]

C'mon, the diner is just up the road from here, so we can walk. Did you enjoy your service yesterday? We had a baptism, so it ran kindof long.

[eidxiety]

[Baptism... reminds Ain of all the fathering he's not doing. Urgh.

He follows after Wolfwood, coming into step easily at his side. Walking is nice. It's still a little nippy (how people don't zip up fully is beyond him, and he's thinking just of the wind chill for once), but it's nice. Ain's hands go into his cardigan pockets to keep them warm for the time being.]

I would say it was less exciting than that. I'm mostly in the choir, but we didn't have any big events happen. The biggest thing that happened was my older brother making me get up on the pulleys and clean the windows after. It was a whole event.

["Which older brother" great question it was one of them, Ain has too many family members. Not weird, for a Catholic family. Pretty expected.]

I prefer to do work in the community garden. I like plants and raising them. I don't like having to clean fragile stained-glass windows because I feel like I'll mess it up.

[lupusxylem]

They made you clean the windows? Shouldn't the older brother be the one doing that?

[He doesn't even want to think about how long that probably took, either. He's at least driven through the north side, he's seen how ridiculously huge those chapels can be. And he thought their church was large.]

Or, like...I dunno. You guys are rich, you should have a butler or something to do that.

[lol lmao]

Gardening seems more your speed for sure.

[eidxiety]

That's what I said! Haha, but it's fine. I lived, didn't I?

[Maybe it's not Whoa Super Masculine to garden, but someone has to grow vegetables and fruits and stuff, and it sure isn't gonna be the older siblings. Ain likes his little garden besides; there's something nice in getting to tend plants and have them bear food for everybody else. It is also an excuse to eat his weight in strawberries during the springtime.]

A church butler seems a little improper, don't you think? Hiring someone to do a job you can do yourself and should do yourself because it's your faith feels sort of bad.

[lupusxylem]

I mean I guess, but you can't really do much about your faith if you fell and broke your neck up there, can you?

[He points out, stopping at the end of the sidewalk as they come up to a crosswalk. Just across the way is the diner in question on a street corner, with big glass windows that you can see into. They'll have a full view of the street from in there.]

But that's your family's business, not mine. I'm kinda supposed to be working today too, but.

[Wolfwood shrugs one shoulder, heading down the crosswalk as the light changes.]

I'm on break. I gotta eat too, yaknow?

[eidxiety]

Ohhh. You're playing hooky.

[Wolfwood looks like he works aaaaaaaaat... hm. A motorcycle shop. Or maybe he's just a pack-a-day smoker working at a convenience store. Or maybe he does gang stuff. He's dressed like a gangster. This side of town is full of gangsters. Oh, wait, but he said he supervised the markets, so he must have a business? Hm.

Wolfwood remains an enigma to Ain, who doesn't ask. He wants to see if he can guess, like it's a fun little game.]

I won't tell anybody~.

[The diner ahead looks cute, Ain thinks. It's all colourful and large, and he can see the red seats and chequered floors from here. There are string lights and flowers outside of it. It's warm and inviting and he'll probably try to eat a cheeseburger with a fork and he'll have to admit he's never had a milkshake before, but that's okay, he has no idea this is weird.

He's happy. He can't explain it, but he's just happy to be here, happy to poke his head in and hear songs he's never heard before on the jukebox. There's an entire section of the floor free of tables, where people are dancing. Not too many people because it is a Monday night, but... still.]

[lupusxylem]

Mmhhm, you could say that.

[He's supposed to be patrolling turf today, so technically he's still on the clock...but it's fine. He can keep an eye out for bullshit while he's in the diner, and it's not like much happens on a weekday. It's events like the outdoor market that you usually have to look out for. Ain is better off assuming Wolfwood has some kind of boring normal job instead of being part of the mafia, it's fiiine.

Into the diner they go, and...pretty much immediately, nearly everyone takes notice. Not of Ain, but of Wolfwood, who is a recognizable face as one of Chapel's head men. Everyone better be on their best behavior while Wolfwood is here...but as long as nobody in here plans on committing any crimes in front of him (that haven't been authorized), then it's fine! Nobody has anything to worry about.

But also: who the hell hasn't had a milkshake in their life before. What the fuck. Is Ain Okay.

Wolfwood picks a booth at the very back of the diner, tilting his head as he catches the song playing on the jukebox just as a waitress brings them two menus. He clicks his tongue, pushing a menu towards Ain as he gets up.]

I'm gonna change the music to something else. You can go ahead and look at what they got.

[eidxiety]

[My eternal rage that we can't do seven "What's New Pussycat" and one "It's Not Unusual" because those songs came out after the 50s—]

Oh? Do you not like this song?

[Wolfwood is already gone. Ain doesn't know this song anyway. It sounds funky. Something you'd groove to for sure.

He glances over the menu. Uhh... well, nothing's wrong with a bacon burger and fries and a chocolate shake, right? Or should he do strawberry? Oh, he kind of wants strawberry, actually. The picture on the menu shows sprinkles and a cherry on top of the whipped cream. It looks so kiddish. He wants seventy—

Whenever Wolfwood gets back, Ain eagerly points out the milkshakes like they're something New and Exciting and not the most popular drink of this era.]

These are sweet, right?

[help him please god someone help him]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood would have 100% done this-

With a quarter from his pocket, Wolfwood swaps to another tune on the jukebox, which gets even more people up on their feet pretty much right away. That wasn’t his aim, necessarily, but if they want to boogie that’s their prerogative. It’s something more upbeat anyway, which is what he’s after.

He returns to the booth and slides into it just in time for Ain to ask…]

…huh? Did you just ask if a milkshake is sweet? What kindof milkshakes are you drinkin’ up north?

[eidxiety]

[This is a lot more upbeat. Ain wiggles in his eat a bit, watching people dance off in the distance before his attention snaps back to Wolfwood.]

Um... none? Haha, is that odd? I've just never had one before... They're ice cream, right? They're not sour and strange?

[...]

Anyway, I think I'll try the bacon burger.

[Ain you say the most unhinged yet sad shit, you know that right]

[lupusxylem]

[No yeah that is genuinely THE saddest thing he’s ever heard in his life. His family is religious and all but he’s had a milkshake of all things.]

What ice cream is sour??

[Who is feeding him?????? Or, if he hasn’t had ice cream, who is lying to him-

The waitress returns to their table while Wolfwood is busy being extremely baffled, prompting him to make a snap decision when ordering.]

The diner’s signature burger for me. The one with the fried egg. And a strawberry milkshake for this one.

[eidxiety]

I'm not saying ice cream is sour! But you know how they make sour things with milk? [SOUR CREAM IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DRINK] That's why—

[Oh the waitress is here. And— Wolfwood read his mind on the drink, okay, sure, he supposes he was pointing at the strawberry one in the picture but still.]

And I'll take a bacon burger and fries. Thank you, miss.

[...okay she's gone. Ain kicks Wolfwood's shin under the table, playful, and props his chin up in his palm and his elbow on the table.]

How'd you know I didn't want vanilla, huh? [His tone is equally teasing. He definitely wants strawberry.]

[lupusxylem]

[The way Ain kicks his shin is unexpected, but not unwelcome. He curses softly, yet that smirk on his lips remains as he readjusts in his seat in the booth, chin propped up in his hand.]

You pointed right at it. And I saw you eyeballing the sprinkles. I’d be asking if you were four, but it’s sad enough you’ve never had one that I’m not questioning it.

[Seriously Ain what did your parents feed you-]

[eidxiety]

[If Wolfwood were not a man of rank here, people would be looking at them. Actually... people are, but in a way that's like "who's this little prep school guy with the greaser". Like, Wolfwood, a man of rank, has just Some Guy here and they're having dinner? Does this prep school guy do some back alley drug trades what the hell—

Anyway, Ain ate like, lobster and stuffed turkey (which apparently was rich people food?!) growing up, and mom was very much the type of person to insist on "cutting out the sugar to avoid her children getting hyperactive", which might explain why Ain has such a sweet tooth now that she can't exactly stop him.]

Huh? It's not childish to like things like sprinkles now, is it? [Don't test him he'll deploy the pout again.] You need to lighten up if you think that!

[lupusxylem]

Kinda, yeah.

[He’s still smirking, still looking at Ain like he’s less somebody he’s dealing drugs with and more somebody he’s just. Having dinner with? What the fuck.

Good news is, even if people see and think it’s weird, they’ll know better than to snitch to the boss. Not unless they want to end up in the river with cement shoes tomorrow, anyway…but it’s not like there’s enough evidence to really say what their meeting is about, anyway. Not enough for anyone to care.

They notice, but they look the other way. It’s fine.]

I think you’ll like it, if you like enough sugar to make your teeth rot that is.

[eidxiety]

The red fruits are my favourites. Strawberries, cherries, apples...

[In another 200 comments Ain will discover he can buy strawberry lipgloss and it's gonna be Over for Wolfwood.]

Things like that. I didn't eat a lot of sweets growing up, but my teeth are fine, I'll have you know. I like chocolate, too, but it's not as good as strawberries, therefore strawberry ice cream is superior to chocolate.

[Those are Ain's Food Opinions. He doesn't have many of them. He'll eat anything, really.]

[lupusxylem]

[“I like the red fruits” he says like an alien, and Wolfwood wonders if he was sheltered or if his parents were just super strict about candy or whatever. Some are.]

People eat strawberries with chocolate all the time, yaknow.

[You can have strawberries and make them both sweeter AND more unhealthy. Wow.]

You got fries with your burger too, right? There’s something I wanna show you when your shake comes out.

[Which isn’t long, since the milkshake comes before the food does. It reminds Wolfwood he didn’t order a drink because he was distracted, so he asks the waitress to add a soda to his order and just bring it with the food.]

[eidxiety]

[They're all red, what the fuck! He's just generalizing so you understand! Why are you mean! Anyway, he's a Northside kid, so... Both of those can be true.

The shake comes, and their food will be a few minutes or so after. Ain did not expect it to be this large, served in a big glass with a colorful paper straw that looks wider than your average one would be. He immediately goes for the cherry on top, biting it off the stem and chewing before he sets the stem on a napkin. Then he responds to Wolfwood.]

Sure, sure.

[What could fries and a shake have anything to do with each other........ Ain is stirring it around now, and then, out loud:]

Oh, it's thick! [dude]

[lupusxylem]

Yeah, they tend to do that.

[Shit. He’s…cute? He’s cute. Wolfwood wants to ruffle his hair and toy with that stupid braid. Ugh.

Stop it. Stop thinking that shit. That gets you nowhere fast, just thinking down miserable paths he can never follow-]

This place makes em’ the thickest in town. I hear they hand churn it every day.

[Honestly diners like these are known for their shakes. Almost everyone eating here has one, that or a soda in a glass bottle.]

Might not be able to drink it right away. Wait for it to melt a bit first.