Ace Chuckles, Shaking His Head As He Leans Back, Running A Hand Through His Hair. " Self-duplication

ace chuckles, shaking his head as he leans back, running a hand through his hair. " self-duplication ? now that one is dangerous, " he responds, squinting playfully at her. " what if you end up losing track of which one of you is the real one ? next thing you know, you've got a room full of super villains all fighting to be the main super villain ? totally gives the hero of the story an advantage. self-duplication ? may as well call it self-sabotage if you ask me. fun though. "

"damn, remind me not to go after the last pack of sour gummies." she teased, shaking her head and pulling her legs up into her chair. "holy fuck, reality manipulation is brutal." the redhead grinned. "you've really thought about all of this. i think it would be so cool to be able to self duplicate.. like picture this... you're a hero and suddenly you're up against the super villain and now its like you're in a fun maze and you dont know who the actual villain is."

                " climbing out the window would be obvious, and i fear would only make matters worse in this case. i do that, she shows up at my door. i've done a good job of keeping her out of my space, i want to keep it that way. " because it finally feels like she can breathe, think for herself, figure out her own life plan. " she gets something spilled on her and has to sit there looking anything less than perfect ? she's out of my hair until the next time she passes through town. " there's a relief in being told she doesn't sound crazy, a sigh quietly escaping. already she can feel a familiar tenseness wash over her. can't wait to get the entire thing over and done with.

                “  climbing  out  the  window  wouldn’t  help  but  spilling  some  wine  on  someone  would  do  the  trick  ?  ”  growing  up  in  a  well  known  family,  elena  knew  enough  about  appearances,  however  the  de  lucas  were  vastly  different  than  most  families  —  supporting  their  children  no  matter  what.  allowing  elena  to  wear  a  crop  top  and  ripped  jeans  to  a  nice  establishment  because  they  were  feeling  confident,  or  going  to  a  family  reunion  in  a  stained  t-shirt  and  shorts  for  comfort;  never  having  to  worry  entirely  about  the  opinions  of  others.  “  no,  you  don’t  sound  crazy,  it’s  just  a  different  hierarchy  of  avoidance  that  we  have.  ”  they  state  with  a  chuckle.

he's quick to feign insult, hand coming up to his chest as though wounded. but the smile on his face that refuses to shift betrays the act. " low-grade, huh ? and here i was thinking i had a fallback career once i get too old to compete. guess i'd better find a new hobby fast. do my vocals fair any better than my comedy ? " no, the answer is most definitely not. but it had never stopped him from belting out songs in the car with her beside him, or getting up on stage at karaoke night to preform what likely to everyone else, was a cheesy duet. to them, it was fun. sometimes he thinks the most fun he's ever had was the time he spent with celeste. truly the most relaxed version of himself, the result of growing so comfortable with someone you didn't see the need to be anything other than yourself. when the food is passed to him, he looks down and smiles. comfort felt instantly. " i didn't clear my schedule for the food, " he states, glancing up, " this is just a bonus. " he begins to eat, enjoying every mouthful. " i'll take you out, " nods, tries to conceal the way he wants to beam. though he still fully plans to cook for her another time too. effort made should be reciprocated. he lifts his plate and without much thought, makes his way to her. and again, he doesn't think as he leans down to press a kiss to her cheek, an act he'd done a hundred times before, though granted then she was his girlfriend. " thank you, " he reiterates, wants her to know he's grateful she took the time. when he pulls back, he clears his throat. sudden realization that perhaps he shouldn't have done that. but friends could kiss their friends on the cheek, right ? he moves past her, cleans off his plate. isn't long before he's coming back behind her, careful now to leave a small distance as he attempts to read her. " movie ? we both know we'll talk through it anyway. may as well be comfy doing it. "

celeste lingers in the moment between her question and his answer, heat beat hitching in anticipation. it was normal to want your friends to miss you, wasn't it ? she assured herself that it was, smile growing at his 'always,' chest warming as she chose to ignore all of their previous implications of the word. "exactly," she hums in agreeance, "if it weren't for me you'd never have a chance at being a low grade comedian !" laughter had always been the basis of their friendship, something letty cherished deeply. if there was ever a time she needed to unwind, forget herself, and have a laugh, she knew she could always turn to kyro ( even if most of his offerings were corny dad jokes ). there wasn't a world where celeste could imagine herself giving that aspect up, her comfort personified. "no need to thank me," she waves him off, "i have to cook a feast, otherwise what would you be clearing your busy, busy schedule for ?" the meal she's made is simple enough, beef bulgogi with brown rice, and cabbage leaves on the side. she takes her time divvying up the portions, being sure to give kyro less rice and more beef. her brow arches, pushing his plate across the counter to him. "in the spirit of being fair," she's smirking, not backing away from his presence and noting the ways he's finding time to spend with her. "i guess you could cook me dinner. unless you were offering to take me out ?" she hears how it sounds right away, diverting herself by picking at her food. "you know i'll never say no to a free meal," cleaning it up, she nods beyond the kitchen. "couch, or table ? we feeling movie or chatty tonight ?"

she knows it's true, almost feels bad questioning it at all. he has no reason to lie to her, isn't the type to make empty reassurances. but sometimes she needs it. not often, not always with words, but sometimes. over the years there'd been a lot of growth within her, a lot of hiding behind a perfectly curated confident disguise. but beneath the surface was still a girl who'd spent so many years of her life being told that if she didn't almost destroy herself trying to be the best, she could easily be replaced. it's why she doesn't know half efforts, doesn't know how to partake in something without leaving a tiny little piece of her soul in it. and maybe that's the reason she feels so vastly incomplete. but he looks at her and it's like he sees her, really truly sees her. nova thinks he might just be the only person who ever has. how do you not cling to that ? " they won't get the chance to, " she insists, as if it's known fact. if he's forced to retire first she isn't sure what it'll mean for her, but it certainly won't be paired dancing. " i don't trust anyone else, " and she doesn't just mean in the world of ballet, but that she keeps to herself, " i only trust you. " he full names her and her smile grows, soft laughter sounded. but it threatens to catch in her throat when he leans in close, and she couldn't tare her gaze away even if she wanted to. " oh, you're full naming me now ? it must be serious, " she teases, and she dares for a moment to leans in further, let her forehead press against his for a few fleeting moments. it's supposed to be a playful move, but she feels betrayed by the way her heart rattles in her chest like a bird trapped in a cage, desperate to be set free. but again, it's pushed down. forces herself to keep her eyes on his despite the split second temptation to glance down to his lips. " i believe you, and i promise i'll never doubt you again. " with the words out, she pulls back. not too much but enough to ease some of the tension that she's convinced is only felt by her. " and what version of you do i get then if not the beast ? " there's a brief pause. " because you're stuck with me long past then. "

apollo rolls his eyes as nova seems to dismiss his comment. he knows her well enough to know she struggles with her confidence and the relationships she builds, but he'd hope that by now, she'd know him well enough to know he doesn't say things he doesn't mean. one thing apollo was really good at was KEEPING HIS MOUTH SHUT, so the idea that he'd lie, even to make her feel better, was almost insulting. he waves it off with his hand. "don't start that-- when have i ever told you something i didn't fully believe? in fact, some have called me too honest." perhaps he had enough arrogance for the two of them, because the next words to leave his lips are: "oh, i know. god bless the man who tries to take my spot next to you on stage." it's not even his fault. this many years in, he's seen nova attempt to dance with different partners, and it's never worked out. whether she'd like to admit it or not, she clearly found it EASIER to be with him as well.

"novella campbell," he starts, leaning in so their foreheads are mere inches apart. he makes sure he's looking into her eyes before speaking. "my life is EASIER because you are in it, and you'd really be pulling the rug out from under me if you left it." at the end of the day, nova was the only person outside of his family who really knew what was going on within his family. apollo didn't even want it that way, but when his mother came to surprise him at a performance, there was no avoiding the subject. nova had recognized her immediately for who she was-- song na-ri, esteemed dancer of her time and not the mother of apollo fairbanks. just the look on nova's face when she'd connected the dots was etched into apollo's memory. he felt he had no choice but to come clean. now, he can't imagine nova leaving his life. he had been open with her, and she had made it easy. she listened, she seemed to understand, and she didn't judge. why test the universe by admitting it again when he'd already hit the jackpot of responses? "you hear me? this beast is yours until his retirement."

she's dreamed about it since she was a young girl, a love so meant to be no one could possibly deny it. knows it's rare for people to find it, but she's witnessed it first-hand in the form of her parents, and so it's no wonder she's embarked on a career path that helps push people together. " maybe, " she shrugs, an air of elegance in everything she does, wonder reflected in her eyes. " but at least for the time being i'm helping others on their own path to happily ever after. speaking of, wedding season is coming to an end and do you know what that means ? more clients for me. no one desires love more than when they've just been to a wedding. " noa nods, making a mental note of which shade to order the other pj's in. " pink is a great colour on you. it really compliments your complexion. but i need you to only be semi-exclusive with it, because green, especially of the emerald variety, is so your colour. the contrast of your hair, your eyes ? glowing. " as soon as her best friends pinky is externed, her grin grows. maybe she was almost thirty, but pinky promises were sacred regardless of age. " i promise. we're like the infinity symbol, you know ? no matter what we always meet in the middle. "

poppy grins brightly at noa. their friendship is something she would never be able to duplicate or replace. they really took the term platonic soulmates and ran with it. "noa, i feel like he's closer than you think, but i will happily spend my lifetime with you." the redhead, closes her eyes, letting the other work her skincare magic. "i think i want oyster.. i love a good pink. which reminds me that i need to get a new set of pink scrubs. i had a kiddo the other day compliment my only pair and decided i need to exclusively wear the pink ones." she hummed, biting down on her lip. "i pinky promise not to let anything come between us and our friendship.. no boys, no job, no nothin.. we wont break this, yeah?" she hummed, opening her eyes to look at the other and stick out her pinky. "no matter how mad we get about anythin... no matter if we get in an argument.. we'll always come back to each other."

               it probably is bullshit. sometimes he thinks he was made to be forever self-sabotaging. a fatal-flaw inside of him. " i was minding my business, some people just don't know how to grow the fuck up, " he states, no attempt to be quiet about it. it seemed even after almost a decade, there were still people from high school who thought the past was a joke. kai holds back a wince as they place the ice-pack to his lip, shrugs. " yeah, " kai let's out a chuckle, " if my sisters taught me anything in life, it's how to hit people where it really hurts. " when he glances at elena, his expression barely changes, but there's a spark of thanks behind his gaze. " you don't have to do that, you know . . . it's just a busted lip, no real harm. i'm good. "

               “  do  you  ?  because  i  think  that’s  bullshit  with  the  amount  of  times  i’m  finding  you  in  a  predicament  like  this.  ”  they  state,  swatting  the  hand  away  before  putting  ice  back  on  the  busted  lip.  “  did  you  at  least  get  one  good  hit  in  ?  ”