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+---- Thread: whiskey, smoke and aces high (/showthread.php?tid=5405)
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-16-2021
[say]"People make things up about you? Oh, do tell. What do they say? Or are you going to make me go out and buy those stupid magazines to read the gossip columns?"[/say] Ronin grins, suddenly aware of how close he's gotten to the other man and stepping back a fraction. It doesn't make it any less awkward, but it does make him feel a bit better. [say]"Oh wait, do those magazines even exist any more? Am I going to get texted a link to a blog?"[/say]
He can't help the teasing, all the while surreptitiously watching the way Remi moves as he reaches up to look for mugs. Ronin sees the empty cupboards staring back at them, raising his eyebrows to see the fancy copper cups as their replacement, and he moves around to peer at the last of the coffee as it filters through. [say]"I think I would have already finished my coffee by the time it takes you to make it."[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-16-2021
[say]"What is this, 10 years ago? It's all on the internet."[/say] Remi chuckles. [say]"I think I even have two fake Instagram accounts. That's how you know I'm legit."[/say] Because nothing says success like someone else pretending to be you, these days. Ronin steps back, and Remi is glad that the back of his head hides his frown of uncertainty he feels tugging at the corner of his lips. [say]"There you go."[/say] Nodding that Ronin has finally caught up to the 21st century, Remi glances over his shoulder. [say]"You aren't secretly really old are you? Maybe you had to rush home last night so you didn't turn back into a pumpkin."[/say]
The cups are not intended for this, but Remi is going for it. Maybe if things go well he can suggest an Ikea date and the teasing can continue. [say]"I know you think that's an insult, but I'll take slow and well-done over fast and cringy any day."[/say] Which, given how their first met, was absolutely not true. [say]'That said, if you gulp this, I will hit you."[/say] So saying Remi finally pours the coffee, serving it black.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-16-2021
[say]"Old people don't turn into pumpkins, they become bitter, racist alcholics who judge their families and vote for the far-right,"[/say] Ronin counters easily from where he's still half leaning over to examine the dribble of coffee through the filter. [say]"Which is to say no, I'm not that old. I'm twenty-eight though, so I guess I could turn into an avocado."[/say] That's all the rage for his generation, right?
The smile he flashes up at Remi is positively filthy at the clear innuendo he gets from the other man's remarks, but he clears his throat to cover it up as if catching himself in the act, straightening up once more so their coffee can be served. It's black (that's fine) and there's no sign of anything to sweeten it up (oh god) but Ronin is a big boy. He'll deal.
[say]"I'll do my best not to - I've been hit enough for the past couple of days."[/say] He gestures to his bruised face. [say]"So are you going to tell me these lies people say about you, or are you really going to make me look you up?"[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-16-2021
[say]'Sort of sounds like the exact thing an old person would say."[/say] Remi returns, brows raised and lips pursed in a sideways slant. [say]"Aww, 28. Your whole life ahead of you."[/say] He adds with a dramatic wince like the wizened 29-year-old he is. [say]"Yeah, what's that about? A good vegetable—fruit?—but it's like a thing now."[/say] He shakes his head, mumbling something about plants grown from avocado seeds.
Glancing at Ronin, his eyes taking in the still slightly fat lip and the bruising on his jaw, and represses a chuckle. [say]"Probably for the best. I can't imagine the beauty sleep you'd need to compensate if you got hit again."[/say] It's as filthy a lie as what he's just said. Remi isn't turned on by violence or gore, but gods if it doesn't kindle something in his belly to see the red of Ronin's lips offset by the purple flowering up his jawline. Not...that he's noticing.
Turning so that he might lean against the counter—the dog is back on the couch and he hasn't got a dining table, leaving the kitchen, bathroom, or bed available to them—he offers the mechanic an unamused roll of his eyes. [say]"You are very hard on my ego, I will have you know. Didn't know my name, don't like my band, don't know any of the gossip about me."[/say] Huffing, he savours a sip of his coffee, wondering what things he might say about himself. [say]"People are very concerned with whether or not my hair is naturally curly or not. That I am estranged from my family. That on days I sing I only speak in Italian, and that I have been communing with spirits beneath the full moon."[/say] Shrugging, his expression grows mischievous. [say]"Three of those are true. Can you guess which one isn't?"[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-16-2021
[say]"Is it? How reassuring. I was under the impression I had wasted it."[/say] Ronin smirks, leaning against the counter with his coffee beside the other man, raising it to his lips to inhale the scent of it. Smells like coffee he wants to say, but it would just be for the purpose of being a shit. It smells good, and it does make what he's been putting in his body tantamount to drinking soil. [say]"I don't know,"[/say] he says about the avocados, [say]"any excuse to put something on toast I guess."[/say]
Scoffing at the idea of getting much sleep at all, especially the beauty kind, he can only shrug his shoulders. [say]"Well then, I better not gulp this coffee. Or can we just agree not to hit me in the face?"[/say] he suggests, still not quite trusting himself to take a sip of his drink without burning his tongue out of his mouth.
[say]"Well I do apologise. You had to ask my name, you never asked whether I was even in a band or if there was any gossip about me, so I think it's safe to say that your ego will recover."[/say] He smirks, glancing sidelong at Remi to raise an eyebrow at the three-truths-one-lie game they are suddenly playing.
[say]"I can't see you speaking only Italian on the days you sing. You like to talk too much, and there wouldn't be as many people to speak to,"[/say] he decides eventually.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-16-2021
[say]"Spoken like a true Brit."[/say] Remi counters with a roll of his eyes, subtly suggesting that the UK had something to do with the avocado-on-toast phenomenon. Who knows, they might have. [say]'We can definitely agree on that. I am not much of a fighter, especially not against someone who was in the Army."[/say] His eyes very much want to emphasize that statement by raking them down Ronin's body, but he manages. Just.
[say]"Well of course I didn't. If you were in a band I would have had your number already from the People-In-Bands group chat."[/say] Remi returns, and honestly? There probably was such a chat, he just wasn't famous enough for it yet.
Holding up both hands and gesturing around his apartment, he does his best to look both flabbergasted and offended. [say]"Ti farò sapere che non sto parlando a me stesso, ma canto a me stesso. E Amadeus laggiù è bilingue, e la maggior parte delle conversazioni in cui ho fatto finta di preoccuparmi di ciò che un ventenne pensa della mia musica."[/say] And like any Italian being dramatic, Remi's voice speeds up to nearly incomprehensible levels by the time he's finished speaking, at which point he pulls in a breath and adds: [say]"Yeah, you guessed it. That is the lie."[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-16-2021
[say]"I'm not a Brit, I'm an Irish National,"[/say] Ronin informs Remi haughtily, though in all honesty as an ex-forces mechanic living in NYC, does it fucking matter? [say]"Either way though, it's probably a correct assessment."[/say] Still, his eyes light up a bit as Bandcamp references his time in the army, a hand fluttering to his chest. [say]"How kind of you to remember. And to not hit me in the face."[/say]
The People-in-Bands group chat has him scoffing, and he's just about to take an experimental sip of this magic coffee he's been made when suddenly motor-mouth really is rattling off Italian at an impressive speed, and Ronin raises his eyebrows with a thoroughly blank look on his face. [say]"Ceart go leor,"[/say] he says eventually, a whisper of two can play at that game in his expression.
[say]"If that's the only lie then they're not really gossiping so much as being mistaken,"[/say] he points out with a grin. [say]"How are your full moon spirits, anyway?"[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-17-2021
Remi holds up a hand and pretends to look contrite. [say]"Well, whatever you are then."[/say] If pressed, Remi would go with tall, dark, and handsome, and just leave it at that; UK Politics were rarely something he gave much thought to, unless it was a category on Jeopardy.
Whatever it was Hallway just said has the musician smirking with a good deal more boyish delight than he would have expected. [say]"Something stuck in your throat? Go on, drink your coffee then."[/say] He says of whatever it was Ronin said. It was probably something like, "Two more beers" or "No I haven't got any STIs" in Gaelic, if Remi had to guess.
[say]"That's the only lie in that bunch."[/say] Remi corrects with a bemused shake of his head. [say]"The other lies are things about my family, my drug habits, who I am dating. My favourite are the tattoo conspiracy theories, though."[/say] Those at least, were amusing. With a sly half-wink, Remi grins. [say]"They mean spirits as in...ghosts and whatnot. However, what you were drinking last night? I made that with my aunt. And I do let it sit on my windowsill, so.."[/say] He waves one hand with a flourish. [say]"It's technically not untrue."[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-17-2021
Whatever he is and whatever he's said is something that Ronin is keen to revisit, but as he (sassily) complies with the request to drink his coffee, he promptly forgets what it was they were discussing. How dare it taste so good, even without sugar. His silence will give it away most of all, he thinks, because as much as he's mocked Bandcamp for being talktative, both men have a penchant for chattiness. Eventually, he raises blue eyes to Remi's face.
[say]"Well,"[/say] he mutters, as if he's bitter about it, [say]"I'm a fucking convert. You think you can teach me how to make this? Like... again, but slower, like I'm stupid?"[/say] Not because he is, but because he wants to remember it if possible. It's while sipping again at the coffee (not gulping, Remi, just savouring) that he listens to the musician speak more about his lies and truths.
[say]"Tattoo conspiracy theories?"[/say] he asks with a smirk - really, what Ronin wants to ask is who are you dating but he absolutely decides against it. [say]"Oh, you have family in the city?"[/say] Because unless Remi is taking random trips to Italy to brew alcohol with his aunt, it can only seem plausible.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-17-2021
Holding his breath slightly as Ronin takes a sip—if he hates it, all of this will have been for nothing and he'll absolutely have to kick the man and his shitty tastebuds out of his apartment—he exhales a snort of relief and amusement both, nodding. [say]"Sure, but..later."[/say] Why not say the thing that ruined the night just a few hours before? [say]"And by later, I do mean later. I only want one cup right now."[/say] He adds quickly, because as much as it's a joke, he does not want Ronin to rush off.
[say]"Yeah. There was a whole Reddit thread once about how I tattoo each ex's name on me and then cover it up when we break up."[/say] He shrugs. [say]"It's a whole thing. Some pretty decent photoshop, though."[/say] Pausing, Rem's smile falters slightly as he shakes his head. [say]"No, no one here. Well, no one I am related to."[/say] His dimples appear for just a second before disappearing again. [say]"My parents are both dead."[/say] He adds softly, raising his coffee to his lips and taking a long, slow sip.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-17-2021
Raising his eyebrows over the rim of his cup as Remi says later, the smirk on Ronin's face is nonetheless very visible, dancing in his eyes as he looks the other man up and down. He lowers the coffee and exhales a soft breath, simultaneously energised and relaxed, and fuck if he doesn't secretly think that Bandcamp has drugged the stuff. Even if he has, Ronin doesn't really fucking care - that's how good it is.
[say]"A Reddit thread?"[/say] He grins. [say]"Listen, I just caught a glimpse of all those tats, and if that's true, I've gotta wonder what's happened in your life to get you so many exes."[/say] Seriously, who does that? Even so, maybe Ronin will go peeking later. Maybe.
Then down goes the mood, nosediving into something sad and serious, and the mechanic runs his tongue along the top of his teeth. [say]"I'm sorry to hear that,"[/say] he says, because that's what you're supposed to say. [say]"Your aunt, then... She more of a family friend?"[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-17-2021
Remi blushes into his cup, desperately seeking out a reason for him to turn around, or, better yet, bury himself in his freezer. [say]"I...I just.."[/say] He stammers, swallowing hard and not able to meet Hallway's eyes for even a second. [say]"..it isn't true."[/say] Remi manages at last, running his fingers across his eyes that he might offer himself a good silent scolding. There are so many cooler ways he could have answered; maybe he keeps his ex's essence on his skin; maybe he's really a killer; maybe he gives such good dick that they all leave him in search of Nirvana. Instead, he went for the truth, but had to be awkward about it. That was Remi in a nutshell, though.
[say]"Thanks."[/say] Because that's what you say. [say]"Yeah, like a...second mother, who isn't trying to be one, sort of thing."[/say] He says with a nod, wondering if either of them are going to be able to nudge things back on track. [say]"How about you? Does the wandering Samurai have family here?"[/say] No, they were all horribly murdered just last week; that's what Remi is expecting, based on their excellent track record so far.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-17-2021
[say]"Far be it for me to be sad that it's not,"[/say] Ronin says, almost feeling as though he needs to rescue the other man from himself. Quite how Bandcamp walks this line between snobbish, egotistical and complete awkward dork is beyond him, but fuck if it's not (somehow) an attractive combination. He'd likely find it tedious in someone else, but not this man. Not this time. All the women he's ever given his number to will likely be sharpening their knives (is what he'd say, if he had any thought whatsoever that they even remember him).
[say]"A second mother who helps you make gin,"[/say] he remarks, sounding mildly impressed by that. And maybe they could have turned this thing around, but ugh, now the headlights are shone back into his own eyes, and Ronin cringes. [say]"Nah,"[/say] he says. [say]"I made it that way on purpose, truth be told. My Ma and Pa are still in Ireland. I got an older brother too - or had one, I should say. He's been MIA for years now. Reckon he died, but you wouldn't say that around my mother."[/say] No, her precious Bastian lives on.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-17-2021
[say]"Oh?"[/say] They say if you're going through hell to just keep on going, but not Remi. No, Remi has decided to stop and peruse the gift shop, apparently. Putting down his coffee cup (read: what's to come is vaguely premeditated), he steels himself before raising his eyes to Hallway's. [say]"And why is that?"[/say] He wonders, one of his brows raising (too soon he'll realize that in the eyebrow-expression game, he's woefully mismatched here). [say]"Because you said you hadn't really done this before, but you kissed me last night, and now here we are making the worst small talk imaginable while you're wearing my clothes instead of just taking your jacket and leaving."[/say] Though his eyes narrow, darkening slightly for the lack of light, it's only out of confusion rather than frustration. Or well, only sexual frustration.
[say]"I don't want to...push you, if this is you figuring yourself out, but I'd just as soon not blue ball us both for the second time, so.."[/say] Taking a step closer, ignoring dead-brothers and families for the time being, Remi straightens. [say]"..you can either put your coffee cup down and let me kiss you while we're both sober, or..."[/say] Well, he hadn't really thought up the or yet. Talking about where they wanted to be buried, maybe.