Patroclusblossom - Patroclus Blossom

"I don't believe in 'not belonging,'" Adrien shouts over the music. "And I couldn't give two shits about protecting these. I've been losing leaves all night."

He grabs Muz's hand and makes him spin. Adrien grins watching him.

Muz stands back, leaning against the wall, watching the crowd surge with every beat, his eyes catching on the way everyone seems to lose themselves to the night. Adrien’s enthusiasm is infectious, like he’s riding the energy rather than standing outside it.

Muz considers it for a moment, glancing at the thick crowd. His instinct is to keep his distance, hang back where the air is clearer. That, and he's never enjoyed a crowd. The noise makes it hard on him to keep track of anything. But Adrien’s out there, on the edge too, and Muz figures what’s one more foot closer to the action? He pushes off the wall, making his way through the edges until he’s within earshot. 'You really think I belong in the middle of this circus?' he asks, raising an eyebrow but warming to the moment. 'Or you just need someone to guard those wings?' There’s a flicker of a grin, something easy, as if he’s in on the joke now instead of standing outside it.

Lucas listens with a proud smile. This is the Anastasia he became friends with. They keep each other grounded, especially when other people can't.

He kisses her forehead and squeezes her shoulder.

"You and me, no matter what. We're getting these people out of here."

He steps back and resumes his task.

"So anything I should know about this talk with Cam? Are we avoiding her now or inviting her over for game night?"

Anastasia straightens, taking in Lucas’s words like a lifeline, grounding herself with his steady presence. She lets out a deep breath, the weight of it settling her rather than weighing her down. It’s like his reminder is just what she needed, a glimpse of purpose cutting through the fog she’s been stumbling in for so long.

"You're right, you know." Her voice is level, though a slight crack reveals the intensity simmering just below the surface. She brushes a stray tear from her cheek, refusing to let herself go under. "We can’t let any of this break us. Not here, not now. There are too many people counting on us."

She takes a steadying breath, her gaze sharpening as it meets his. "We've been through hell and back, and I know neither of us wanted any of this. But we’re here. We’re still here." Her jaw sets with a resolve that’s familiar yet renewed.

"We have a duty, Lucas. To these people, to ourselves." Her voice is unwavering now, conviction returning to her tone. "Even if we don’t see a way out yet, giving up isn’t an option. Not for them, not for us."

Anastasia places a hand firmly on his shoulder, a determined gleam in her eyes. "We hold the line, like you said. Together." She offers him a small, grateful smile, a hint of her usual fire returning. "Whatever comes next, we face it head-on."

Adrien gives a dramatic sigh, like he's so put upon by the lack of candy.

"Fine," he says, sounding like a petulant teenager. "So long as there's at least one good-looking guy I can drool over, that should be enough."

He snickers.

Then he listens closely to El's explanation. His mind wonders what causes people to come over? What is the deciding factor? Who is deciding?

He nods in agreement. "That's all we can really ask for now, isn't it?"

He gives El a small smile. Then it turns mischievous.

"Besides, if I wanted glamorous, I'd be asking for a different job. You've got grease on your face, you know?"

El’s mouth curves into a smirk, their usual mix of dry humor and good-natured sarcasm creeping in.

"Eye candy, huh? You got some high standards already. I’ll see what I can do—though if you’re lookin’ for real candy, you’re probably outta luck unless you’re into stale peppermints."

They adjust their position slightly, wincing but masking it quickly with a chuckle. "As for how I got here, uh - I was on my way home from a work trip and the rest is history as for how I got this thing... long story, but let’s just say I tried to play hero and ultimately became the victim." El taps their leg lightly, the gesture casual despite the damage. "Didn’t really walk away from it—more like crawled, kicked a few times, and cursed until someone dragged me outta there."

Their gaze shifts, catching Adrien’s briefly with a flicker of warmth. "You know, kid, the Chop Shop ain’t glamorous, but it’s honest work. Keep your hands busy, and your head’ll catch up eventually." They shrug. "It’s not a bad place to land, all things considered."

where: town streets | when: midday | whom: open to all

Adrien groans as he slowly pushes the car down the street towards the Chop Shop.

He'd found this while doing a scavenging run with Muz yesterday, just to see what it's like. Everyone he'd talked to was busy today, so he'd worn his tank top, jeans, and sturdy boots today, got the car into neutral, and was slowly pushing it through town.

It had been fine for the first five minutes or so, but now he's mentally kicking himself for not just being patient and waiting for people to help him.

RAFAEL SILVA — Instagram (2024)

Tanner Buchanan | Behind The Blinds (2021)

One day you’ll laugh so much that you’ll forget you have scars. Benjamín Griss

RAFAEL SILVA — via Instagram (2024)

Lucas feels a slight ache in his chest as they walk hand in hand. He didn't realize how much he missed this. Walking with Rae. Being with Rae.

"Hey," he says, soft but firm. "You are important."

They turn a corner, and they can see their houses. Only a couple of other residents between them. It had been a little awkward at first after the breakup, but then they eased into comfortable. Being close was comforting.

"I know you can. I just want to help like I used to. Moving bodies around. I saw how many you still had to do. That will definitely take forever on your own."

for most of the walk he couldn't stop looking down at his hands, constantly making sure the blood hadn't returned. that it was just a figment of his imagination. sometimes rae wondered if it was the town or his own sanity slipping.

it's ok. it wasn't, but having lucas' hand in his helped quiet the constant urge to check. he spent the rest of the walk relatively fine.

“luc, i don’t want to keep you from more important things,” he protested. "and don't say what i know you're going to say. i can handle it on my own, today was just...tough."

Adrien laughs and pats Cherry back.

"Sounds fair. And thanks. So what's your type anyway?"

CHERRY'S EXPRESSION SCRUNCHES THE LONGER ADRIEN GOES ON . she tries to nod as she makes a mental list, but she has to blink as adrien groans . " what ? no !" cherry moves to put a hand on adrien's shoulder then, giving it a squeeze as she says, " you like what you like, okay ? nothin' cringe about that ." cherry nods decisively . " and if you want a nice, patient guy who looks like he gives good hugs i can look around for that for you ." a beat before she pats his shoulder to add a light, " m'not cuddling any of them to test that out though ." her grin is cheeky . " that's gonna be all you, okay ?"