" See, This Is The Reason I Shouldn't Be Trusted In Any Kitchen At All. Not Even My Own. " He's A Notoriously

" see, this is the reason i shouldn't be trusted in any kitchen at all. not even my own. " he's a notoriously bad cook. while some children with neglectful parents managed to fend for themselves that way, ace had always just throw together sloppy sandwiches, or ordered takeout when there was a smidge of extra cash. adulthood hasn't changed much there. he still cannot make a decent meal, nor even a half-decent one. but nervousness goes out the window when she mentions her apron, gaze softening when he moves to place it around his frame. heart warms when he glances down to see her name in print. " wait, i have be you for the night ? 'cause i gotta tell you, teddy, i don't know how to be perfect, " words come out light, then he realizes what he just said and clams up again. moves to distract himself, and potentially her too. narrowed eyes reading off the list and he's nodding as if he has any kind of clue. but he does something, thinks it's right. scoops flour into the measuring cup and empties it into the bowl, prouder than he should be. ace listens intently as she speaks, takes in the drama and tries to make sense of it. " okay, so rhodes went to the party with his friend and ditched him for a chick ? " he's about to potentially try and find some reason in it, when she continues. words leave him confused, but also in a way he gets it fully. can't imagine her making out with any of his friends either. in fact, he's almost certain he wouldn't like that at all. " okay, well that's a lie because if i know anything it's that i cannot flirt, and i never attempt it, so . . . ha, " he smiles proudly, though it may be somewhat of a lie because there's most definitely been times he's flirted with teddy. albeit pretty terribly. " but you have yourself a deal, lee. i won't make-out with your friends if you don't make-out with mine. shake on it ? " flour-covered hand is extended out towards her, stupid smile on his face.

"okay, well, there really shouldn't be open flame. and, the fact that you think there might be actually does have me a little worried... but still, we'll persist !" it was too late to turn back now. "i have an apron for you too ! it's actually my personal one, but i wore just a generic one so you could have mine," she tells him, pulling down a baby blue apron with flowers embroidered above her name ( THEODORA in all caps ). "i loosened it a little bit, so it should fit you just fine." with that, she places it around his neck and moves to his back to tie it. "well, now you really look like you belong ! you could be me for a day," she jokes.

teddy can't help but chuckle as ace inquires what her friend has done that warrants an i'm sorry cake. she begins moving what she has laid out, pushing cake pans out of the way and focusing on ingredients and mixing bowls. she pushes a mixing bowl and all the dry ingredients to her left, offering him an array of measuring cups. "you can start with the dry ingredients if you'd like. i've written measurements down on this whiteboard right here if you need to reference it," she points to the wall to their left. "as for what rhodes did," she begins, cracking a couple eggs into the bowl in front of her. "basically, he told his best friend he was going to get them more beer and then disappeared to make out with emma," she says, reaching for the oil. "was gone for over an hour. and, as much as i don't like the other guy, i can't blame him. i'd be pretty pissed off too. so, take this as a warning, i guess. you already ditched me at the party for ages to go flirt with strangers, but don't go making out with people. ESPECIALLY not my friends."

nova shrugs, elegance found in even a simple gesture. sometimes she isn't sure she even knows how to relax. " well, if i stay on top of it, i guess i don't have to worry about that. " dance was perhaps the biggest blessing in her life, and also a curse. never something she had much choice in, yet over the years it's become the one thing she can get completely and utterly lost in. when she's here, focused, driven, with apollo or dancing on her own, she's able to block all of the other thoughts out— at least for a little while. so though often she questions if it's truly what she wants to do with her life, there's no version of her that seems able to give it up. it's burned into her soul in a way. part of her integral makeup. " okay mr. humble, " she teases in return to his joke. maybe he doesn't see it, but she does. many people looking at him in awe, likely hoping for a chance to be in his orbit. " i think there's a few people in this town who wouldn't mind you being their leading man, but when it comes to the stage, you're all mine. " his next set of words fill her with a sense of relief. isn't sure she'd be able to work the same with anyone else. the idea is enough to fill her with dread. while they'd fallen into sync pretty quickly after a rocky start, the trust she had in him had strengthened by the year. it's not something she feels could be replicated. " well, if they do doubt us, we'll just have to prove them wrong. " and she's confident they will. because when they're out there, they're untouchable.

"how behind could you possible be?" if apollo and nova were honest with themselves, they were paying a hell of a lot for a storage locker-- which was pretty much what their apartment was. most of their time spent was here at the studio, either together or apart. it's what made their relationship so easy. they were so in tune and so alike where it mattered.

"it's a crowd pleaser-- a classic for a reason," he says as he meets her eyes. he knows this look all too well. he'd seen it just about twice a year for many years now. "you might be the only person in this town who wants me to be the leading man in anything," he jokes. not that he had many people who cared about what he had going on. besides, he also had rhodes who was sure to show up every night if apollo had the lead role. "you're a shoo-in for odette, though. so, i guess i don't really have a choice, do i?" it almost felt unnatural to be dancing with anyone else these days. not that many people wanted to be paired with apollo. he remembers his and nova's introduction all too well. YOU TWO ARE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH, SO WE'VE PAIRED YOU TOGETHER. their month of fighting turned into years of cohesion. "let's hope everyone is as confident in us as we are."

Eleonora Sevenard as Odette (Kazan Ballet 2022)

“I promise, money won’t fix all your problems.”

he's greatly amused, nodding his head in absolute agreement. " cake is good no matter what time of day it is. i mean, who even decided cake was a dessert ? breakfast, lunch, dinner— it's all just social construct. just another way to try and control us. " grin spreads, body dinking back into his seat like he's said something profound. " you know what else is great ? breakfast for dinner. i'm telling you, pancakes at night just hit different. you can't beat it. "

               fork  doesn’t  hesitate,  grip  tight  as  they  stab  into  the  moistened  layers  with  a  slight  huff;  creaminess  hitting  tastebuds  in  the  best  way  before  hues  look  towards  the  person  across  from  them.  “  —  and  if  eating  cake  is  wrong,  i  don’t  want  to  be  right.  ”  even  if  it  was  nine  thirty  in  the  morning.     +     @dreamerfms

to her surprise, he puts the cigarette away. an act which earns him a singular point in her in-mind rating system. " you know, i don't really like to tell people what to do, " a major lie, she loves it, " but you should really quit. are you aware of how much smoking can age a person ? hello, who wants premature wrinkles ? no one sane, that's who. " noa doesn't realize how she sounds sometimes. in her head she's saying it for his own benefit, unaware that it may come across rather rude. " oh, so you'd come in, we'd do an intensive questionnaire, then my brain does the rest. it knows a good match when it sees one. "

leon looks up from the cigarette on his lips that he's about to light, the other's reaction startling him. "okay," he shrugs and puts the cigarette back in the pack. "i smoke too much anyway," the blond confesses. if this woman wasn't talking shit and was an actual and real matchmaker, maybe it could be fun to try new things. "you're so very right," leon nods his head at the mention of attracting the wrong people. the music industry is pretty fucked up, you are either lucky or have to know how to set boundaries really well. the man is a mix of both. "how does it work tho?" he asks. "do i give you an interview or something?"