Who : Closed | @amoonlitmemory​ Where : Home When : September 1940 “My Leave Won’t Last Forever,

Kai watched her, amusement flickering behind his dark eyes as she tried—really tried—to act like she wasn’t enjoying this. But he saw it. The way she leaned into the fire just as much as he did. The way she kept engaging, even when she pretended to be over it.

His smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as she threw her little insult at him. Top three, huh? "Damn," he mused, tilting his head. "Only top three? Guess I’ll have to try harder."

His gaze flicked to her tattoos again as she mentioned her job. Careful placement. Now, that was interesting. He could respect it.

And then she hit him with that look—steady, unblinking, really seeing him.

Kai didn’t flinch from it. If anything, he met it head-on, letting the moment stretch, like a silent challenge. Then, just when he thought she was about to fire off another sharp remark, she threw him a curveball instead.

His brow lifted slightly, watching as she downed her drink and disappeared into the crowd. He could’ve stayed put. Could’ve let her walk off, called her bluff. But something about the way she looked back over her shoulder—waiting—had his feet moving before he even made the decision.

Kai weaved through the bodies in the bar, slipping past clusters of people until the heavy bass of the music dulled and the cooler night air hit his skin. The smoking area was quieter, less suffocating, and there she was, standing there like she hadn’t just surprised the hell out of him.

He stepped up beside her, hands slipping into the pockets of his leather jacket. A flick of his wrist and a cigarette was between his fingers, resting lazily against his lips as he fished out a lighter. "So," he said, voice lower now, less performative. "You always drag the ‘annoying, egotistical jerks’ outside for some one-on-one time, or am I just that special?" The smirk was still there, but his tone—just like the air between them—had shifted. He sparked the lighter and let the flame lick at the end of the cigarette. A slow inhale, the ember glowing, before he exhaled a ribbon of smoke into the night air.

despite his efforts to make things more amicable between them, pia was not buying it. the more he spoke in a way that seemed sincere the interesting thing was pia longed for their fiery comments once more. it was interesting that she had never been quite so rattled by someone before and yet kai made it all too easy. "what? are you saying i enjoy bickering with you?" she asked as her brow rose in a way that was prompted curiosity. "i mean out of all the annoying, egotistical jerks i have met in my life you are a shoo in for top three so congratulations, it's quite an honour." she turned her head a fraction to take another sip of the amber liquid as the ice clinked against her glass. "i don't think we are at a point where i am going to open up to you about what my artwork means. but no, none of them were because it looked cool. though i am careful with placement because of my job and things."

she turned back to look at him her gaze holding as their orbs almost penetrated an intense stare. "the pet name again?" she didn't show any signs of emotion with her tone of her expression she just looked at him, really taking him in. "you know what.. follow me.." she turned to grab her drink and downed the remained of the ice soothed liquid as she gestured to her friend she would be right back then wondered outside. though an absolute mission considering the sea of people socialising or dancing that she had to weave through in order to get the relief of fresh air. she waited a moment, turning to look over her shoulder for him to appear. the smoking area was much quieter she could hear herself think.

Jeyda’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t move to take the mail right away. His eyes, dark and unreadable, flicked from the envelopes to the woman standing before him—Aylin. 4B. Too many words, too much warmth. He wasn’t used to either.

A beat passed. Then another.

Finally, he reached out, taking the stack from her hand with deliberate slowness. The legal firm's gold lettering gleamed in the sunlight, but he didn’t bother looking at it. He already knew what was inside.

His voice, when he spoke, was low, rough from disuse. "Thanks." Nothing more. No welcome, no acknowledgement of her offer. Just that.

Jeyda turned the mail over once in his hand, then tucked it under his arm. His gaze settled on her, not quite meeting her eyes but near enough. Aylin was still watching him, waiting—for what, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t have anything else to give. Not pleasantries. Not reassurances. Definitely not friendship.

Closed starter for @littledaydreamers based on this:

"Excuse me! Are you… Mr Arslan?"

Aylin held out a small stack of mail, the afternoon sun catching the gold lettering on the return address of a legal firm. "I think I might have accidentally grabbed your mail. 4A, right? I’m so sorry! I was in a rush, trying to beat the heat… and honestly, these boxes are practically prehistoric. I'm Aylin, by the way. I live in 4B." She offered a tentative smile, one practiced for calming anxious brides and soothing stressed mothers-of-the-groom.

She took a closer look at the man in front of her. He was… imposing. Tall, broad shouldered but there was an intensity in his eyes, a haunted quality that sent a shiver of unexpected concern through her. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. He didn’t speak, didn't even acknowledge her. He just stared, his eyes fixed somewhere just past her shoulder.

“Look,” she continued, her voice softening. "I really am sorry. Here." She extended the mail again, pushing it gently towards him. “I'm sure you’re expecting these. Welcome to the building. I hope you… settle in okay.”

She hesitated, a sudden impulse tugging at her. Against every ounce of self-preservation, Aylin added, "If you need anything… anything at all… please don't hesitate to knock. I'm usually home, knee-deep in tulle and seating charts, but… I wouldn’t mind a break. Just let me know if there's something I can do." And then, she waited, holding her breath, wondering if she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.

excelxior​:

for @littledaydreamers​.

“ so i guess we’re lab partners huh? “ of course the teacher wanted to push them and match them with new people so they wouldn’t get too comfortable. “ eric. “ hand extending, “ let’s hope you know how to do this shit cause’ i don’t. “ 

Natalie chewed her lip as the other spoke. A year ago, she wouldn’t have cared who they had paired her up with. She’d never been one to shy away from conversing with new people, but a lot had happened in a year and now she was practically just a shell of what she used to be. “Natalie.” The blonde replied in a small voice as she hesitantly reached to shake his hand. “Actually, I don’t...” she replied, pausing awkwardly. “I, erm, I-I took a break for like a year and I’ve only just come back, so I’ve missed a lot.” Natalie explained, feeling bad that they had dumped the male with her. She tugged on the material on her cardigan, pulling it over her hands. It had been an uncomfortable day listening to people gossip about her as she walked by.

Winter rolled her eyes. "Does this mean you're kicking me out?" She asked, raising a brow not even bothering to explain herself.

"You realize that this is considered breaking and entering right? Just because you're my friend doesn't mean you can steal room cards and help yourself to a room for the night."

a plot where...

a rough around the edges, con artist girl is doing dirty work for her shitty boyfriend and they decide to target a rich, wealthy, cocky sort of young socialite male who feels like his life is a bit empty and redundant, and she may seem like she’s in this con artist game for the money (and she is, partly, because she grew up really poor and knows how it feels to starve) but she also has an unhealthy attachment to the boyfriend even though he treats her like crap and uses her to attract rich males, and then, on the night where she has dressed up and come up with a fake name and is about to make her move on the rich young man she realizes oh, he’s actually extremely attractive and cute and not like the other creepy old men she preys on? and oh, he’s actually extremely charismatic and witty and charming and kind of a dick, but not to her? and oh, now they’re kind of going out on multiple really amazing dates and spending tons of time together and she’s supposed to be digging for his deepest secrets and finding out numbers to his safes and stealing jewelry pieces he probably won’t miss and then one night, her wallet falls out of her bag and… OH, why is her name not the name that she said it was on her drivers license and why are his personal, private cartier bracelets engraved with his initials in there too and who the fuck is calling her phone ??????

Ruby rolled her eyes, but the smirk on her lips was impossible to hide. This idiot.

She shut the window behind him, arms still crossed as she turned to face him. “You’re telling me you just realized you’re scared of heights? Mid-air?” She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “You have zero self-preservation, King.”

But she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was standing right there in her room. His skin still chilled from the night air, his breathing a little uneven from the climb, his hair even more of a mess than usual—and that grin? That cocky, satisfied, damn near proud of himself grin? It was driving her crazy.

Her fingers absentmindedly played with the hem of her oversized tee as his gaze swept over her, lingering just enough to send heat straight to her stomach.

She raised a brow. “You scale a building, nearly plummet to your death, and that’s your first observation?”

His next words had her heart skipping a beat. Her breath caught for half a second before she recovered, tilting her head, challenging him. “Oh? And what exactly do you want to do to me, King?”

She took a slow step forward, closing some of the space between them, just to see if he’d back down. If he’d fumble. If this whole reckless, impulsive, sexy-as-hell stunt had left him speechless now that he was finally here.

there was every chance he could have absolutely lost his mind at this point. sure, some girls might find it flattering and almost romantic that he climbed (against his better judgement and fears) to her windowsill. what if she thought it was corny or she was content with the messages exchanged between them and him being there was too much? of course these thoughts entered his mind as he was hovered right by the edge of her blacked out window, where he could just seem very minimum streams of light where she must have had her lamp still on.

his hands were aching a little from the rough texture of the wood, much more from the gripping onto the tiling and with his adrenaline absolutely off the charts right now he waited, hoping she wasn't going to be long and would answer him.

he was almost trembling with the brisk contrast of the temperature outside compared to the comfort of his bedroom, but when she finally noticed him he grinned like a cheshire cat from ear to ear. "fancy seeing you here.." he joked, having a slight chuckle to himself as he gazed up at her.

once she ordered him to come inside before he hurt himself further he gripped his hand over the top of the frame and slipped himself through, minding his head as he stepped into her bedroom. "and to note i am actually scared of heights which i didn't really notice until i was trying to leap from the branches to your roof, which is very inconveniencing, they should have planned that better in placement exactly for this moment but hey!" he exhaled a shaky breath as he put his hands on his hips.

"cute tee." he gestured to the lack of fabric on her body at this point. "you really think you could text me and i wouldn't have an answer for you? especially when we are grazing the subject of what i want to do to you."

dxrlingdevils​:

“Okay, I take it back. I’m not the one that’s being overdramatic, it’s you.” She teased back, feeling a little lighter at their playful banter. Chewing her lip thoughtfully, she considered his question and contemplated her answer as the different places she had dreamed of passed through her thoughts. “What about Scotland? I’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands.” Of course this was just a dream and she knew that she wouldn’t be packing up and leaving any time soon. “I thought I was finally beginning to learn from the best and really learn about the industry, you know? Instead I’m running around playing baby sitter and fetching coffee.”

A laugh fell from his lips. “It seems we’ve been spending too much time together, you’re rubbing off on me.” He replied with a wink. “Scotland sounds great. I love the accent and I’ve always wanted to find Nessie the Loch Ness Monster.” Jesse agreed, going along with her fantasy. The male sighed, feeling for his friend. “That’s normal, though. It sucks, but it is normal. These jerks just take advantage, anything to make life easier for them. They’ll see your persistence though, and it’ll pay off. I know it will. You’re great at what you do. They just need to see that.” 

Oh. Oh shit.

Her heart stopped the second she saw the name above the message. That was not meant for him.

Ruby sat up so fast that she nearly knocked her phone out of her hands. Sleepy confusion turned into full-blown horror as she clicked back to the chat, praying she was hallucinating. Nope. There it was. Sent. Delivered. Read.

She slapped a hand over her mouth, as if that would somehow undo the fact that King—her neighbour King—had just seen that.

Her mind raced. Maybe he hadn’t actually looked at it yet? Maybe he’d just seen the notification and ignored it? But no, knowing him, he definitely opened it. Her stomach flipped at the thought.

Okay. Breathe. Fix this. Damage control.

Fingers shaking, she quickly typed out a message:

"OH MY GOD. King, that was NOT for you. I am SO sorry. Please just pretend you never saw that. Or delete it. Or—oh my god, this is humiliating."

She hesitated for half a second before sending it, then groaned, flopping back onto her bed and covering her face with both hands. Of all the people…

truth be told king had always had a thing for her. did he do anything about it? oh, absolutely not. he was the first one to be informed of her useless and irritating male partners she kept and yet he never tossed his hat in the ring. he'd made jokes about it because they had this thing between them, a sort of tension if you will that couldn't entirely be pin pointed. he liked it that way, ad he enjoyed being the one person to wind her up. on this evening in particular he was just about to text her as her light was still on quite early. they'd been neighbours long enough he could catch the glow in the corner of his eye even where he was sprawled out on his bed. it wasn't until his phone pinged and he realised it was her, he was a little surprised. could she read his mind? not really thinking anything of it he clicked on the picture half asleep before he realised the extend of what was on his screen. well. his evening took an interesting turn. @littledaydreamers

"I'm sure you would be the same if the situation was reversed." Zoe replied chewing her lip to keep the bashful smile from her face. "And who's to say I don't actually like this guy I met?" She asked matter-of-factly as she raised a brow.

"you're so dramatic," comment flows easily, laughter escaping his lips -- tongue darting out to dampen them. smirk growing upon noticing the redness growing on cheeks. "some guy at the club getting pictures like that? damn, can't imagine if what you'll send someone you actually like."

She sat there waiting for her phone to ping with King's reply, and with every passing second, her stomach hurt a little more. Had she scared him off? Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden knock on her window.

Her heart lurched in her chest as she whipped around, eyes wide, expecting—well, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting. But it definitely wasn’t King, crouched on her damn roof like some reckless idiot with a smug expression on his face.

She pulled on a long, baggy t-shirt to cover herself up and then rushed to the window, her pulse racing for so many reasons.

"What the fuck, King?!" she whisper-hissed, quickly unlocking the latch and yanking it open. "Are you actually insane?"

Up close, she could see the way his chest rose and fell a little faster than normal, the adrenaline probably still running through him from his stunt. His hair was tousled—more than usual—and the glow from her room cast shadows over his face, making him look even more unfairly good-looking than he had any right to be.

And then she realized.

He actually climbed up here. For her.

Her stomach flipped.

She crossed her arms, feigning irritation, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. "What on earth made you decide it was a good idea to scale my house? What if you fell, dumbass?"

She stepped back, making room for him. "Get inside before you break your neck."

Her voice was stern, but the way she looked up at him through her eyelashes, the way her body hummed from the tension between them? Yeah… She wasn’t that mad.

there was a large amount of time that passed, and in the back of his mind he was sure that ruby was panicking somewhat that he had ghosted her. the last thing he wanted was to make her feel insecure or even upset in anyway but he had a plan. now, he was pretty good at climbing, however scaling a building was an interesting one.

she had a tree outside her window so once he was to the top, and completely ignoring any gnawing doubt because it was actually quite high now he was there, now all he had to do was step to the edge of a branch (without it snapping under his weight) and hop onto the roof.

he managed to leap the other side, gripping tightly to the textured tiling. he leant to the side and knocked on her window with his closed fist. "ruby.." he almost shouted but he was trying to be quiet so they both wouldn't get caught.

this was actually the most he had done for a girl so this was saying something. it was actually quite the gesture. but he realised whilst messaging her that words couldn't really convey how he was feeling in the moment.