Late nights and coffee shops [open]

[second_son]

Demetri's only been back in the city for a day, but it feels like more. He's spent all of it in the makeshift town hall offices, getting the paperwork together for his proposal to the council the next night. The funding hadn't been easy to get, especially with the lack of strings that he had demanded. No oversight committee, no outside presence helping them dispense the grant money. Siren Cove business would stay just that, Siren Cove business.

There's more work to do, but he knows he should go home and get some sleep. But sleep is exactly what he doesn't want to do. With sleep comes dreams - nightmares more like it. Of all the things that have been happening in his town whilst he's been away, of everything that had happened in the months leading up to that. His brother being gone and the questions that had remained unanswered about Fabrice's attack.

He settles on setting up in a diner in the end. He has a beer at his elbow and a cooling plate of fries he's not really touched. Laptop open, he's playing with files without really making any changes or doing much work. It's a distraction more than anything, a reason to not go home.

Comments

[bachjones]

Now Bach had apologized to a few, and had made up with the rest, he felt lighter walking around town. Yes, he was looking for Cinderella and no, he wouldn't admit that to anyone. The stupid clawy bitch.

When he saw a familiar face (ass, hands, whatever), he walked back until he found the door of the place. Maybe he could apologize to Demetri (for whatever), maybe they'd stick to making out again.

"Good night, hard working gentleman."

[second_son]

It's a face he hasn't seen for a while, and one he's not sure how to approach when it comes down to it. The standard seems the safest, public Demetri, unconcerned except for the welfare of the city and his family. "Some of us do have to keep this city moving."

[bachjones]

"And you're really good at making things move, so I'm glad the city's in your hands."

He smiles, not up for any not-fun trouble. "Mind if I sit here? I won't play footsie nor bother you in any other way. Just want to watch."

[techwitch]

It had been his mother that had pointed the time out to Luke. The amount of time that had passed after he had started on reorganizing the financial calendar of Apples and Eve. It was his first job here, and not paying very well, but he was glad with the distraction.

Until he wasn't, because distraction meant forgetting to eat and a growling stomach was never a nice treat. His mother had offered him to make something, but he had waved it off.

This place was the only thing still open, and Luke was pretty surprised he wasn't the only one around. He looked like another Big Family family member, but maybe that was just because of the hair color.

He sat down in the booth behind him and looked at the menu.

[ofcatsandfate]

His aunt fleeing town has had many effects on his personal life, most notably, on his mother. Coming to the realization that her sister-in-law had been the one to kill her husband and her brother-in-law, had taken a toll on her. Sarah Coombs never was one for holing herself up in her room with a beer, yet every time Fabrice had been over to see her, that's exactly where he found her. To say he is worried is an understatement.

He's on his way to visit her when he finds himself inside one of the diners in town. Greasy, comfortingly bad diner food could definitely prove of assistance, both to him and his mother.

He makes his way over to the counter to order when he spots Demetri again. He can never resist the urge to stay away, especially once he catches sight of the other man's face, worn with stress as he nurses a beer and cold fries.

"Hey," he comes over to stand by him, resisting the urge to just slide in across the booth from him. "Are you alright?"

[second_son]

As a compliment, it's a good one, exactly the type that makes Demetri smile and feeds his ego. He is good at his job, even if it's not the job he'd choose without his father pushing him into it. "Watch me type? Go ahead, but I can tell you, you're in for a boring time."

[second_son]

There comes a point when Demetri is too tired to actually do any work, knowing that he'll likely just create a mess that he has to unravel in the morning. He snaps shut his laptop just as a man he only half-recognises walks in. That alone is strange for him, and he finds himself turning, smiling. "Do I know you?"

[second_son]

This sort of food is a weakness of Demetri's, of all the Thorntons. Never allowed in their house, they've always been drawn to it, the lure of the forbidden strong. Maybe that is part of why he has such a hard time in turning away from Fabrice. The other man is a Coombs, and a polar opposite to what his father wants for him.

Yet here he is, making himself smile, but shaking his head all the same. "Tired. Should probably give up an go home but-"

Demetri shrugs, not wanting to admit he can't sleep.

[bachjones]

"That sounds amazing. I mean, honestly Dem, the things I've been through the past week, it can't be boring enough. Maybe you could tell me about your taxes while you're at it or something, to make it even better."

He stretches for the waitress' attention. "Some almost white coffee, please? Yeah, I know it's been too long. I started sleeping at nights, sorry, sweetheart. You want anything to go with your dead fries, Demetri?"

[techwitch]

"Probably not, mister Th-"

Luke turns around. "I've been gone for a few years and last time I was close to one of the families was when they visited high school for some weird reason. But maybe I fixed your computer or television once?"

He offers a hand. "Mar- Luke Nimes. From the edge of town. I'm sorry to bother you, but your face is pretty omnipresent in the city hall."

[ofcatsandfate]

"Would you mind some company?" He asks softly, only more concerned after hearing the other man's words. Demetri sounds weary, to him, and Fabrice knows the feeling of that weariness well from his own experiences. "It looks like tough work."

"Or you could come over to my mother's with me," he suggests, with a small shrug. It's an offer that he wouldn't make to just anyone; he's protective of his mother, especially in the recent weeks, and to make such a suggestion requires a serious level of trust, which, he realizes, he's given to the other man ever since they've gotten to know each other. And it's an innocent request, too, nothing that would raise questions. Fabrice could always tell anyone who might ask that there's more on Violet Coombs he wants the mayor's office to be aware of.

"There's decent beer and I was going to bring home some more greasy food. And there's better lighting," he makes a crack at a joke, gesturing to one of the swinging lights overhead.

[second_son]

“That bad? Here I left and missed all the fun.” He raises a brow, actually curious at just how intense the week could have been. But he’s had a few crazy ones himself, especially recently. It’s never much fun, he knows that too damn well. It’s the reason he’s been out of town, trying to help sort things out for their town. “I’m working on a presentation for a grant program for community services.”

“Another beer, thanks,” he says to the woman, pushing the plate toward the edge of the table so she takes it away. “You sure you don’t want a drink.”

[second_son]

He catches the slips and smiles very nearly bashfully. It’s a fairly practiced look, people are never very keen on having their family name lorded over them, and nor should they be. He’s done it a lot. “Luke. Demetri,” he says, taking the hand. “But it seems that you already notice that.”

[second_son]

He shouldn’t, and he knows that he shouldn’t. Leaving a diner together late at night, heading to Fabrice’s mother’s house? It’s precisely the sort of thing that someone would want to snap a photo of and put on the front page of the Siren Cove paper in the morning. But it’s an offer that he can’t bring himself to refuse either, knowing just how secretive Fabrice is about his family.

“Sure.” Demetri closes his laptop, shoving it and the papers he has piled up into the bag. He throws a note down on the table, smiling at the waitress and hoping she appreciates the tip. “You order and I’ll pack up.”

[ofcatsandfate]

It's a risk, to offer such a proposition to the other man. But Fabrice trusts him, and he knows that his mother's home, near enough to his own, is secluded well away from prying eyes. He can't deny the excitement and relief that both run through him when Demetri accepts.

"Okay," he nods, before making his way over to the counter. He orders enough food for the three of them, making sure to include a few slices of the diner's signature pie for dessert. He returns with several bags in tow, offering a small smile, one especially bright at the edges, to Demetri.

"I know a way that's pretty secretive," he assures him. "An old hiking trail no one ever uses." He glances at Demetri's laptop and the work he's brought with him. "Do you need any help with that?"

[bachjones]

"A presentation for a grant program for community services."

Bach leans back. "Are you going to do it with all those pictures and graphs things in the background on your computer screen? No, I've had enough alcohol for the month. Guy named Coop had his birthday party. I was almost drunk by the end of the night."

[techwitch]

"Father works in the main building. I guess you are the poster child for the family. Literally." He shot him an awkward smile. "Sorry to remind you of that, in case you don't like it. Is the town really off so badly that you need to work at this time? Or have I bothered you during pleasure?"

[second_son]

“No, it’s all fine. I’ll sort it out later.” He has done a half-decent job of getting the papers together in the right order, snapping the bag shut and shouldering it. Demetri grins when he sees the bags. “I think I should be asking you. Are you feeding an army?”

[second_son]

“Right? Exciting stuff, isn’t it?” He nods and taps the mouse, pulling up a powerpoint that he keeps tweaking no matter how done he might be. “Graphs, charts and lots of information on the types of businesses and ventures we should support.Scintillating. You should come to the council meeting, you might learn a thing or two.”

“Almost drunk,” he says, raising a brow. “Is that really an accomplishment?”

[second_son]

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not something I can forget.” Really not, with his father looming over his shoulder most of the time. He likes to make sure Demetri gets as much as the media attention as possible, even if the job would be so much easier working behind the scenes. “No, it’s fine. Honestly. I have this presentation tomorrow and I should leave it alone, but I can’t. Perfectionist and workaholic.”

[ofcatsandfate]

"Alright, if you're sure," he nods towards the bag on the other man's shoulder. He ducks his head, letting out a small chuckle at the question. "Well, I just wanted to make sure I had enough food for all of us," he shrugs. "I get my bottomless stomach from my mother, she tells me. Wanted to make sure you'd have some too. You didn't seem to touch your fries, earlier."

He moves and holds the door open for them both, waiting for Demetri to walk through it before heading out into the night.

"It's this way," he gestures with a nod of his head to the left.

[techwitch]

"Never felt like disappearing?"

Luke loves his parents, but there have been plenty of times when he didn't want to be their star. "Perfectionism chokes out everything else, right? Although I'm not allowed to speak about it, tech at least has a clear goal and a clear finish. Everything else just ..can be worked on forever."

He frowned. "I'm probably making none of this any better, sorry man."

[bachjones]

"It sounds super fun. You could talk a man out of an erection with that subject, I'm sure." Bach yawns. "or into one, because people have the strangest kinks."

"That is an accomplishment, it's hard to get drunk."

[second_son]

"If I was trying to talk you into one, I don't think I'd be mentioning work," he says, having to laugh at the idea that anyone would find this kind of thing a turn on.

"Is it?" It's curious, and he likes knowing more about the things that make him curious. "Any reason, or just a cruel trick of fate?"

[second_son]

He had felt the urge, but it's not something he'd admit to a relative stranger. Especially not here in Siren Cove. "It's fine. Honestly, I'm used to it. It's a pretty good life. I love what I do, I have a good family, how could I complain?"