❨ dangerous waters / adrien & poppy. ❩

❨ dangerous waters / adrien & poppy. ❩ May 7, 2019 19:07:20 GMT -5

Post by sidney on May 7, 2019 19:07:20 GMT -5

It had been a rough few days, from that look on Whitney's face to the very frank conversation she'd had with Indigo, and now Malcom's new task of choosing three people to boot, Poppy was looking for relief. Specifically those high-powered jets she'd spotted a few weeks ago by the pool on one of her many tours of each and every nook and cranny of this new place. A place she had every intention of calling home one day. It had taken her far too long to find the hot tub in the first place, hidden a few levels beneath the mansion with the pool. Underground, to skirt the elements and swim year round, Malcom had told her when she'd asked, like that was better than being able to lay out in the sun. The estate was big enough for both, she'd wanted to argue back. I'll fix that when it's mine, she thought to herself instead.

But she'd been too busy, working with the people around her per his request, to find the time to get away and relax. She had a decision to make and though the names had came to her the instant Malcom had laid the rules out before them, the reality of them were giving her unfamiliar bouts of stress. Not like the adrenaline-fueled rigor Poppy's used to when she's working for what she wants no matter the cost, but more akin to dread this time, like the cost was perhaps too great.

Losing a friend.

It feels like a betrayal to herself to think such a thing, about someone else and how they would feel over her. If she lost, then that was it. There was nothing left, no other avenue she could walk where the prize at the end was money beyond compare and power beyond words. This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for her whole life. It was everything. And who were they? These people who'd made it their mission, for some unknown reason, to weasel their way into Poppy's life, making things much more difficult than they needed to be. They're distractions, she reminds herself. Almost daily at this point. Nothing more. Yet her eyes had welled up at the sight of Whitney after what she'd said. Poppy was positive it had broken her heart and the repercussions weren't as easy to stomach as she'd thought they'd be.

She had no idea guilt festers like an open wound.
She had no idea she even cared in the first place.

Speaking of distractions, she chuckles softly but it's muted by the roaring jets and rolling bubbles in the water where she sits now. Finally taking some time for herself, soaking in the candlelight. Under the sun would be better. Adrien enters through the changing room door and she has to laugh at the cosmos' idea of coincidence, or maybe it was fate. Poppy didn't believe in that sort of thing, though, that the universe had a plan for every one of us who lived in it, a certain path to travel along. He wasn't meant to be right here, right now. Adrien just had a knack for seeking Poppy out whenever she was alone and prone to making less than stellar decisions. Just a distraction, she repeats the mantra in her head as he approaches, with purpose right towards her. Nothing more, but her heart begins to race. Every damn time. What's wrong with you? Scolding herself doesn't help, though. Her cheeks go flush and she pats them with the back of her hand lightly, waving a bit to cool down her face and play off the incessant attraction she has to this stupid boy as a bit too much steam from the hot water instead.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Her eyes scan up his frame slowly but flick past his gaze to the clock hanging on the wall behind him. 1:30. "Definitely is," she tries to sound annoyed, tries to extend her claws and bear her teeth, but the truth is she's grateful for the company.

Grateful for the distraction.

"Well," she scoots over, further away from the stairs to make room, then looks up to him expectantly, "are you getting in or are you gonna just stand there and watch?"

❨ dangerous waters / adrien & poppy. ❩ May 8, 2019 10:46:36 GMT -5

Post by umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars] on May 8, 2019 10:46:36 GMT -5

Careful touch, careless whisper- it was body language that made a person. It said things when words failed, when they were full of lies and half-truths. A hand on the lower back, words softly spoken into the ear:

"Adam will forgive me."

He wouldn't. Of course he wouldn't. But leg pressed against leg and an eager smile was truth enough.

Adrien felt dizzy, wandering around the mansion after the conversation he'd had with Malcolm. His throat was scratchy from the yelling, his hands still shaking a bit from the adrenaline, his footsteps the slightest bit sluggish from the alcohol. He didn't bother going to his room and trying to sleep: he already knew what the outcome would be. He would lay there, for hours, overthinking, letting himself stew in his anger about being there, letting himself worry he wouldn't get to stay.

Indigo slept at any time he wasn't asked to be doing something else; he'd probably been in bed for hours now. He'd seen Blaine going back to the room well before midnight. But there was one person who, like him, had long since grown to appreciate the night as their only bit of freedom here in the mansion. Eight or so hours where they got to do what they wanted to do, be who they wanted to be.

He'd checked the courtyard first, just to see if she'd be out there watching the stars. She wasn't, so he checked the bar and found it empty as well. Violet's garden, the library, the kitchen, all empty. And then he remembered the hot tub and felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner.

He climbed down the stairs, came in through the changing room and stopped in the doorway when he saw her there, misty and warm, with her head tilted back in relaxation. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to notice him; she smiled at him when she finally did.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Her eyes flicked to the clock behind him while his own eyes rolled. He started walking toward her slowly, still afraid of scaring her away after all this time.

"Definitely is," she said, "well, are you getting in or are you gonna just stand there and watch?"

He looked back at the clock himself, just to remind himself it was past midnight, that it was technically a new day, that he had nothing to be ashamed of. He hadn't brought any swimming trunks down with him, so his boxer briefs would have to do. He kicked off his shoes, pulled his shirt over his head, and lost the pants.

He climbed in next to her, closing his eyes as the heat instantly began to relax the tense muscles in his shoulders and neck. He tilted his head back against the top of the hot tub for a moment, rolling to look over at Poppy when he was done.

They were never meant to have conversations. They were never meant to talk about how their days had gone, or have breakfast together. She was meant to go on and be successful, he was meant to get a job in the oilfield and try to feed his family. But here they were. There she was. So close he could reach out and touch her. So he did. He let his hand tuck a strand of hair behind Poppy's ear and he smiled a sleepy smile.

She was a hard shell with a soft center, a bleeding heart surrounded by gates of fire and brick. The glimpses of tenderness were few and far between, but Adrien had come to appreciate them as they came like shooting stars. Beautiful, but temporary.

"Guess your day sucked about as badly as mine, huh?" he asked, still not looking away. Being safe was, as it turned out, not as grand as he'd thought. After he'd tucked the hair behind her ear, his hand had fallen behind her. He kneaded her shoulder lightly with his thumb. She was safe. Indigo was safe. If he went home, at least they'd still be there.

"What would you say the worst possible outcome for tomorrow is?"