《 ★ Partner: Cherry ★ 》 - Blog Posts

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 ?"

Adrien clocks something odd in the way Cherry brushes off his offer but shrugs it off.

"I mean nice, really likes cuddles. Six-pack isn't necessary. A bonus but not necessary. And I guess willing to like be patient when I admit I'm new to stuff?"

Then he groans, blushing from embarrassment.

"I'm so cringe, aren't I?"

" OH, I'M — " CHERRY WAVES A HAND . " not really lookin' for anythin' right now, don't worry about me ." she tries really hard not to focus on the twist in her stomach, instead focusing on nudging adrien with her elbow . " but what about you, champ ? huh ? what's your type ?" a nod as she leans back to ask . "what am i lookin' for ?"

Adrien shakes his head with laughter. He'd had some drinks earlier, but he could've sworn he wasn't that drunk.

"I don't know, but I'll still accept the help. And same to you, ya? I can totally talk you up to some pretty girl. Or big buff girl. Whatever your preference is."

He giggles.

" OH, DAMN ." cherry nods with sympathy at his sigh, moving to pat him on the shoulder in a way that's at least intended to be comforting . it's only half awkward with her tipsiness . " well, maybe your guy will get stuck here tomorrow ? love works in mysterious ways ." cherry's expression twists as he continue, her brows furrowing . " what ? no, i'm not here, i'm at the motel . what gave you that idea ?" cherry's head tilts in her confusion even as she reaches behind her for her cup of jungle juice to waggle her brows mischievously . " i could still do the wing woman thing though ."

Adrien giggles.

"Okay. That's not too old. I guess i wouldn't mind that."

And then he sighs. "You'd think, but I haven't found anyone. It's so disappointing."

He looks at her with wide eyes. "Well, if you live here, you have to help me out. Be my wing-girl."

" OH NO, YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT ALONE ." cherry's face scrunches up at that thought as she shakes her head . " every two steps you can probably find someone less than straight around here . it's real nice . would kinda be really fun if it weren't for, you know . the motherfuckers trying to eat us ." cherry shrugs before she's brightening, tilting her head with a hum to say, " like, mid thirties, kinda ?" cherry's brows furrow before she's moving to give adrien a playful smack in the side . " what're ya talkin' about then ? colony house is like, the hub for free love ! you should be able to find some cute guy here for sure ." cherry blinks and remembers the question, quickly adds, " oh, and i'm at colony ."

"I can tell," Lucas stage whispers back.

He finally turns around.

"Alright, don't get in trouble. Have a good day."

HER BROW ARCHES AT THE WORDS . she watches him perform the act with her hip leaned against the doorframe and her arms crossed over her chest before saying, " i'll let you in on a secret, luc ." she shakes her head even as she leans in to almost lightly stage whisper, " i was never a fuckin' scout ."

Adrien's eyes nearly pop out of his head in excitement.

"Oh good! At least there's some more gay solidarity."

He laughs.

"I mean, it depends on how old you mean by old. And I'm here at the colony house, yeah. Where do you live?"

CHERRY BRIGHTENS AS SHE TAPS HER GLASS TO HIS . she takes a sip of what's definitely not water in solidarity before she's brightening a bit as he goes on . " oh shit, you're gay ?" cherry's gasp is one of drunken excitement as she smacks him lightly on the arm . " fuck, me too !" cherry nods sagely for a moment before she's adding, " also i'm honoured you think i know shit . appreciate that ." she pauses a moment to hum thoughtfully as she tilts her head and adds, " the guys i know who're into dudes are older than you though ... " she squints . " you like old ?" there's a beat before she adds, " also, where're shacked up ? here ?"

"I'll drink to that," he says, raising his glass to tap Cherry's, then sips some water.

"So I hope I'm not making bad assumptions right now," he says sheepishly, "but you give off the vibe that you know. What's the hook up scene here like? Mostly straight? There any gay or bi guys around here?"

Not that he's desperate for sex but since he's embracing himself more here, it's only fitting he check if he can.

" YOU'RE WELCOME ." cherry replies with a nod, although she truly wasn't expecting to be thanked . that said, she won't say no to it, beaming broad and warm at adrien's compliment . " oh, stop ." cherry replies as she gives him a playful shove to the shoulder . nonetheless she does flick her hair over her shoulder to lightly say, " i know . m'gonna age fuckin' great too ." she shrugs before moving to take another sip of her drink with a simple, " if we don't get fuckin' eaten in this place at least we're both gonna be hot in our old age ."

Lucas chuckles and shakes his head.

"You know that's not the scout sign, right?"

He raises three fingers up to demonstrate the salute as he takes a couple of steps backwards.

"Think Hunger Games without the kiss."

CHERRY CAN ONLY SHRUG IN RESPONSE TO LUCAS' WORDS . she almost feels bad, but how can she ? this wasn't the kinda place where you could be for everybody . this was the kind of place where you quite literally might get eaten alive if you didn't watch your own neck . she glances down at the hand he offers her, and after a brief scrunch of her expression she reaches down to shake it . " s'fine ." cherry shrugs ultimately, even as she raises her brows at his words . she's truly got no intention of taking anything from anybody, but she finds herself shrugging all the same because it's not like lucas needs to know that . " yeah, sure . you'll be the first to know ." cherry crosses her heart with a finger . " scout's honour ."

Lucas sighs.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish your team was part of the whole team too."

He offers a handshake as a formal apology.

"Sorry for wasting your time," he says. "If you hear anything about the missing stock, could you at least let me know who it was after you take it from them?"

CHERRY SIGHS JUST A LITTLE BIT . she gives lucas a look that's only half exasperated . " yeah, well ." the roll of cherry's eyes is halfhearted . " just cause i'm a trouble maker doesn't mean it's always me ." it just probably is, but somehow cherry doubts that now is the time to mention that . " and — i'm on a team ." the protest is accompanied by a lackluster shrug . " s'just ... mine ."

Adrien senses something shift once he mentions El, but Cherry moves right on past it, so he does too.

He blushes at all the compliments, rubbing the back of his neck. Getting called smart and handsome with equal validity? A nice ego boost.

"Thanks."

Then he looks her over with some surprised.

"Wait, really? I wouldn't have guessed anything older than like 25."

" RIGHT ? RIGHT ?" cherry replies emphatically as she pulls back from the hug . she huffs a bit . " you get it, adrien . a birthday's a big deal! especially round here, like i coulda fuckin' died before this one !" cherry is in the process of shaking her head in exasperation when she registers adrien's words, blinking in surprise as her heart sinks heavy and quick at the mention of el . " oh, shit . didn't know that ." a dry swallow before she's moving to compose herself, attempting to hide the expression with a firm pat to adrien's arm . " look at you ! you're smart and shit, huh ?" cherry has to arch her brows at the reply . she studies adrien in new light . " huh . you kinda look younger ." a shrug . " s'good thing though . means you're gonna age good ." she nods decisively before she's pointing to herself and adding, " m'thirty one today ."

Adrien hugs back, happily squeezing the girl. Then Adrien's smile drops slightly when he takes in her words.

"What? That's not right. It's your birthday. You should be hearing that all night."

Adrien giggles and shakes his hair after the ruffling.

"Thanks, and same to you, okay? You need anything, let me know. I'm gonna be working at the Chop Shop with El, so I'm good at that kind of stuff."

Adrien shrugs and chugs some more water.

"I'm 22. You?"

CHERRY HAS TO BLINK AT THE WORDS, ALMOST CAUGHT OFF GUARD . it only takes a beat for her to soften, probably a mix of the alcohol and the whole night that makes her pull the guy who's practically a stranger into a tight hug . " aww, adrien . thank you ." her heart contracts a little as she gives him a little squeeze, pulling back to pat him on the head . " y'know you're the only one to say that all night ?" she can't help but shake her head with a sniff . she ruffles his hair . " you're a good kid . you needa favour from me, you got it, okay ?" a pause for a second as she blinks and looks at him up and down in new light . " wait, how old are you actually ?"

"Right. I'm sorry. Really, I am."

He crosses his arms and leans against the wall opposite the door.

"We're all stressed out, and you're one of my regular trouble makers. I just needed to know that you're being a team player. At least a little bit."

He gives her a firm but hopeful look.

" ASK YOUR BUDDY !" cherry makes a vague gesture in addition to the words, her brow arching as she moves to lean her back against the door frame instead . " officer adam . he was here with me ." she shrugs and thoughtfully adds, " santi too for a bit ." an arch of her brows before she adds, " y'all have basically been swarmin' me ."

Lucas sighs as well.

"Yeah, I get it. Is there at least someone here to confirm you were here during the storm? I'll confirm with them, then cross you off my list for good."

He really isn't in the mood to fight with Cherry today. And he's only really doing this to get the shop keep off his back about this.

" CAUTIOUS ." cherry repeats, her brows raising at the words before she's ultimately sighing and dragging a hand down her face . she leans against the door frame for another few beats before she's rolling her eyes and saying, " look, it was a real stressful night, alright ? maybe someone was locked in lally's and just helped themself ! can you blame 'em ? everyone copes with stress differently, right !" there's no hesitation before cherry raises a finger to add, " and before you ask i was locked in here the whole time !" she points down to the motel .

Adrien nods in agreement, having not planned his costume until El mentioned people could. Then he blinks in surprise.

"It's your birthday? Happy birthday! Damn that's crazy."

He taps their glasses together in a toast.

"Sorry, since we're all focused on the Halloween stuff today. They should've made a cake for you or something."

" THANKS, ADRIEN ." cherry replies with an amused nod, her lips curling up into a grin . despite herself cherry can admit to being almost mildly endeared . it's hard to put her finger on why, but hey, she'll take it . " i mean, honestly i wasn't gonna bother until i found out other people were doing it ." cherry shrugs . " i love a party as much as the next girl but being the only one dressed up would be kinda sad no matter how hot i looked ." cherry sighs then before shrugging and playfully adding, " but it is my birthday so i had to do somethin', you know ."

Adrien laughs and nods in agreement.

"Your ass definitely looks good and you're rocking it."

He even salutes her before bursting into giggles.

"Yeah, it seems like it's hard to cobble together even basic costumes. I'm honestly surprised they even bother with the dress up part."

THE DESCRIPTION HAS CHERRY STARING FOR A BEAT OR TWO . " wow . okay ." cherry has to shake her head as if to clear it, her hands on her hips as she squints at him in disbelief . " the fuck ?" but before they can get further into it cherry is waving a hand dismissively as she says, " you know what ? the bullshit hollywood is doin' doesn't matter, i am a fuckin' soldier, thank you for askin' ." cherry gestures to her camo shorts with a pleased nod . " mostly because it was quick and easy and my ass looks good in these shorts ." she shrugs before adding, " i wanted to be a hooters girl but i couldn't find a lotta orange to be honest ."

Adrien hums, his smile turning to a pout as he realizes that yes, he's also going to miss movies, especially new ones.

But he shakes it off.

"I mean, it's fine. Rich guy takes poor guy to his mansion for the summer, poor guy schemes to get the family's money, people end up dying. Poor guy eats a girl out while she's on her period and slurps up cummy water from rich guy's bath. I personally would've preferred more guy-on-guy action, but it's not bad."

He gets his water and chugs half of it down.

"So, what are you supposed to be?"

He looks Cherry up and down, trying to figure it out.

ANOTHER BLINK . she's shaking her head even as her smile doesn't waver, amused as she brings her drink back to her lips to say, " i've got no idea what you're talkin' about to be honest ." she says brightly before she's gesturing to him with her drink . " but hey, sounds fun !" she shrugs before she admits, " kinda fuckin' miss the movies to be fair ." she brings her drink to her lips again, not even wincing at the taste of the moonshine but welcoming the burn of it down her throat before she's licking her lips and adding, " it any good ? like, what happens ?"

Adrien giggles.

"Maybe. You ever heard of Saltburn?"

He can't really know if Cherry has been here as long as him or way longer. He can accept that not everyone is going to understand, so making up what he is is alright.

"It's a movie, and there's a hot guy that wears angel wings for a party. Figures I could make a version of it for tonight."

SHE HAS TO BLINK IN SURPRISE AT THE INTRODUCTION, thrown off for just a minute before she's smiling back in amusement . " hi, adrien !" the greeting is slightly more enthusiastic considering the amount of liquor she's consumed in the small amount of time she's been here but that's neither here nor there . she leans in to offer him her hand to shake . " i'm cherry !" she blinks at him then, looking him over in amusement before she pokes at one of his wings . " you're a — what ? an angel ?"

where: colony house when: Halloween Night whom: @purgatored Cherry

Adrien stumbles up to what he assumes is the bar for the evening. He hasn't had a drop of liquor yet, having too much fun just being at a party.

He asks for water, then turns to someone else standing here.

"Hey," he greets, smile wide and excited. "I'm Adrien. Who are you?"

"A good point," he says, dropping his arms into a relaxed casual stance. "I guess we just wanna be 100% certain, you know? Doesn’t hurt being cautious."

He smiles warmly at her, hoping that maybe he can get her to drop her guard enough to at least let him look around.

WELL, WHEN HE PHRASES IT LIKE THAT SHE CAN KINDA SEE WHY SHE'S FIRST ON THE LIST . she crosses her arms she moves to lean on the doorframe, easily replying, " well, i'm not gonna tattle ." she huffs a bit, gesturing with a hand . " how do they even know the booze is really missin' ?" she tries with an arch of her brows . " maybe it's just lost !"

Lucas raises his hands and takes a step back.

"Okay, fine. Is there anyone else you can think of that would take advantage of the storm to pilfer booze?"

He decides giving her the benefit of the doubt is better than strong arming his way in. Everyone is still on edge since the storm.

" LUC, YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND GOING THROUGH A LADY'S THINGS !" cherry replies brows raised as her jaw drops in what's mostly a show . " that's an invasion of privacy !" her brow arches as she points a finger his way . " and i'm pretty sure you read a warrant for that ."

Lucas sighs and rubs his face.

"Okay, how about this: you let me search your place real quick. If I find those bottles, then I take you down, and we sort out your restitution. If I don't, then I leave you alone for the rest of the day?"

CHERRY'S EXPRESSION SCRUNCHES . she tries desperately to think of anyone who might've actually saw her behind the desk that day or anyone who will vouch for her, time be damned . " i mean, whoever the fuck was in the lobby that morning ? i don't know everyone's name, luke ." cherry huffs a bit in exasperation, throwing a hand up before she adds, " i only know yours cause of, y'know ." a shrug as she shifts her weight, letting her hip rest against the doorframe . " continued exposure ."

Lucas shuts the book so Cherry can't read his notes.

"Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts then? It would've been between 10:30–11."

Honestly, Lucas does have bigger fish to fry, but it's his job to help everyone feel safe. If someone is burglarizing other people, that will just make a bad situation worse.

He's not sure if Cherry is the actual culprit. She just has the most priors involving theft, and they did accuse her, so he has to be thorough.

CHERRY SIGHS AS SHE LEANS A HIP AGAINST THE DOORFRAME . her expression scrunches with it . " i mean, yeah, you prolly definitely got bigger fish to fry than me ." charlie would imagine so at least but what the hell does she know about being a cop ? all she's sure about is that someone will probably try to rope her into helping in some way today, and as reluctant as she usually was she knew she'd probably give in for at least a little bit . after all, they all got royally fucked by the storm . so when lucas shoots her an unimpressed look her expression only twists . " who the fuck said that ?" she moves as if to peer at his notebook . " i was workin' yesterday morning !"

"Trust me, Cher. There are much better things I'd rather do this morning."

They're still working on recovering from the storm. The only reason any of the sheriff's or deputies have gotten sleep is because the alternative is sleeping in their offices at night, and they all agree that that's almost as bad as facing one of the creatures in the middle of the night.

Lucas pulls out his note pad.

"Says here you stole some bottles from Lally's yesterday morning right before the town meeting."

He looks up and gives her an unimpressed expression.

STATUS : closed for @patroclusblossom ! LOCATION : the motel !

CHERRY BLINKS AT THE SIGHT OF HIM . once and then twice before her face scrunches in honest confusion . " the fuck did i do ?" cherry would say that the question was understandable all things considered . after all, she only ever really saw lucas for one reason and one reason only . but even know as cherry wracks her brain she can't imagine what he'd be bringing her in for . she tries to think back, trying to consider what she's done in the past few days that she might be getting caught out for now . she's coming up empty, but frankly, it's been a long couple of days . she can't be expected to remember all the shit she does . she's not a fuckin' computer . " i didn't do shit, luke ." a bewildered twist of her expression . " and haven't you got better things to do than hover over me ? aren't we in a crisis or whatever ?"