sektrjc
/ CB &&. SPECIFY + drop stuff while you're at it ( &&. do tag me in any interactions that might've slipped my notice )
sektrjc
sektrjc
/ slowly getting to replies here &&. on stiles ( sorry folks! life is busy :,D ) cb / drop in the meantime
dearprey
it’s taken care of already. i’m sorry—- who the hell are you?
dearprey
ben lifts his head slowly, like he’d been interrupted mid-thought rather than challenged. the look he gives the other is flat—- not unimpressed, not offended. just tired in a way that suggests irritation would take more energy than it’s worth. he glances once around the scene, cataloging details out of habit, then settles his attention back on stiles.
“ ask your boss, ” he speaks flatly, hands resting in the pockets of his coat. he glances past stiles to the edges of the scene—- the scuffed concrete, the smell in the air that doesn’t belong, the way the shadows sit wrong in the corners. his jaw tightens, subtle, like something clicks into place. “ this isn’t a normal crime scene, but i’m sure you already knew that. ”
sektrjc
━━━ 【 @dearprey 】 ،، ‘ madonna. what do you think, genius? ’ STILES SHOOTS THE MAN A ROYALLY UNIMPRESSED LOOK. admittedly, he hasn't shown the guy his badge, &&. he does look a bit too ragged for an agent ( . . . ) but hey — in his defense, he had a long shift. ‘ wanna tell me what you're doing in a secondary crime scene, buddy? ’
sektrjc
/ cb && spec !! &&. drop stuff while you're at it
eliquentfangs
/ AHHHH I LOVE THE TEEN WOLF RESURGENCE
fearyear
/ MY SHAYLA ??
sektrjc
/ ahem. . .
eadimidium
/ ur such a sweetie pie!!! <33 does this mean you’re possibly getting back into writing? ofc you’re busy which is totally understandable
sektrjc
/ cb &&. spec + drop !! sorry for the nonexistent replies ( will get back to everyone asap ); low muse &&. a busy schedule does not an active writer make
lacrymosas
are you here for someone?
eadimidium
julia had no business being this nervous in her own apartment. she moves around the kitchen with the kind of focus, usually reserved for combat, n͟o͟t͟ sautéing onions. every few seconds, she’d glance at the door like it might lunge at her. ridiculous. it’s just dinner. dinner she invited him to— dinner she has spent all day thinking about. casual? whatever.
her space is warm for once. soft lights and a candle that smells faintly like vanilla and something expensive she can’t pronounce. there’s music low enough to pretend she wasn’t trying too hard. she tells herself it’s hospitality, nothing more. friends don’t let friends starve. that’s it— except she keeps checking her reflection on the oven door when she passes. totally casual.
snow taps against the window harder now, wind howling through the new york streets like it’s offended by the idea of human comfort. the forecast hadn’t looked great but she ignored it because she wanted this. wanted him here again. somewhere safe. somewhere close.
sektrjc
━━━ 【 @eadimidium 】 ،، stiles waits until julia takes her seat before sets his bottle on the table, suppressing a chuckle as he swallows down the mouthful of beer. ‘ oh, no can do, ma'am; scouts' honor, ’ he jokes back, miming fishing out his badge &&. flashing it, before he promptly reaches for his fork and digs in. the sound of cutlery against porcelain is soothing in its normlacy. there's a short pause before a huge grin breaks on his face, almost comical. ‘ gordon ramsey has got / nothing / on you. damn, jules, this is terrific. seriously. though it could use a little more salt and pepper — ’ he adds at the end, playful. DEEP IN HIS CHEST, HE FEELS IT BLOOM — suddenly and without warning, a warmth so profound it nearly makes his throat tighten with emotion. he blinks and all of a sudden he's back in beacon hills, much younger and a hell of a lot more oblivious, sitting elbow-to-elbow with julia, drinking slushies that were probably too sugary to be fda-approved as they bantered about whatever happened in school that day. but then he blinks — and the memory is gone as swiftly as it arrived. now, the artificially coloured slushies are replaced by a glass of wine and a coors banquet, &&. instead of teasing julia about that " altercation " with greenberg ( stiles had no idea how that boy survived the day with his luck — or lacktherof, technically ), it's about her incredible cooking. and all the while, stiles grows silent, left wondering just when did the years pass by so fast.
eadimidium
julia busies herself with the oven, more for her hands than the garlic bread, the heat blooming against her knuckles when she checks it. when he mentions ben, she exhales through her nose, half a laugh. “ yeah, ” she says lightly, glancing back at him over her shoulder. “ ben’s .. intense the first time you meet him. and the second. ” she turns back to the oven because it’s easier than holding his gaze. easier than letting him see the soft part of her that still aches when he’s near. “ whatever happened, he’ll get over it. promise. ”
the kitchen light casts a warm, forgiving glow over the counter, over the simple spread she’s put together. nothing that demands to be remembered. and yet she finds herself wanting this moment to be gentle. two plates are collected from the cabinet before she serves the pasta on each of them. she spoons the sauce sliding thick and red against the porcelain. she adds a little more to his without thinking, then pauses—- notices, and pretends she meant to do that. the bread crackles softly when she cuts into it, the knife sawing through the crisp crust. the sound is sharp in the quiet. steam spills out as she separates the slices, the smell infiltrating her nostrils.
she brings the plates to the table one by one, setting his down first before she catches herself. the smallness of the choice lingers in her chest. julia sets the basket of bread between them. “ careful, it’s still hot, ” she comments before turning to head back into the kitchen. she returns with a bottle of red wine in one hand and a wine glass in the other. she twists the cork free with a soft pop and pours, watching the dark red bloom into the bowl of the glass. she sets the bottle down but keeps the glass in her hand. “ okay. time for the moment of truth. if it’s terrible, you’re legally obligated to lie, ” the joke lands soft, a smile forming across her lips as she lifts her glass to her lips.
sektrjc
━━━ 【 @eadimidium 】 ،، MY FAVOURITE, ACTUALLY. the corners of his lips quirk up at that, a smile in his eyes. no matter how much time passed, there were things he just couldn't find it within himself to forget; things like the texture of the steering wheels of his jeep or the smell of the cologne his dad had been using since stiles was eight — random details like scott's locker combination. like julia's favourite kind of pie. GUESS SOME THINGS NEVER GO AWAY. the glass of the beer bottle is cool to the touch, and stiles finds the sensation calming. grounds him, in a way. ‘ ben, huh? ’ he winces slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘ yeah, i don't think i made the best first impression. let's just say he caught me at a somewhat inopportune time. ’ despite julia's reassurances, he tries his best to assist without wreaking havoc in his wake ( all that special agent training had to pay off somehow ) &&. before long, the table is set. suffice to say, stiles couldn't remember the last time he had a meal like this, somewhere he knew he could let his guard down, sharing food with a familiar someone, talking and laughing about familiar things. perhaps he COULD remember a time when that happened, but the recollection is muddied by years' worth of memories he'd rather not bring to the spotlight. so he lets himself enjoy this instead, enjoy the simple of act of having dinner with an old friend ( . . . ) his friend — with julia.