My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

“No,
they’re not as good as the other things I hunt. I prefer not to eat
anything that has hooves in fact,” He smiled and shrugged it off, “I
find little times in the day to do what I want, aside from practice and
college.. I prefer at night,”

He sipped at the bubbling drink in his hand, “Anyways, enough about
me… Tell me about yourself, surely you have to have something you love
doing too. Something that you just can’t help but love, no matter what people think of it.”

Okay… Carlos didn’t want to judge Skip for that, but here he was – silently judging. That was just such a waste of food… what even was the point if he wasn’t going to eat it?

“Well, uh, you know that I am a scientist. I love doing science,” Carlos said. He then smiled. “But I’m also a part-time band manager for the Literal Rock Band. We have an understanding between us since they need a manager and I want to study them.”

Though as Carlos talked on for a short while, Skip was clearly unamused and not at all entertained by what he had to say. Thanks to obvious yawns and coverings with his hand, as he yawned once Carlos got a beautiful glimpse of a pair of pearly white fangs.

“M’ tired..” Muttered the acrobat, “I know we just got here but do you think you could take me home?”

Carlos paused in the middle of slurping his pizza soup, a long line of cheese dangling from his mouth. The fangs weren’t what stopped him though – a lot of people had fangs in Night Vale – it was the question.

“Uh, really?” he asked as he used his fingers to break the cheese string connecting him to the bowl. “You not hungry? Or has it just been a long day?”

Carlos was feeling a little self-conscious. Skip seemed interested in his work earlier in the evening, but now Carlos wondered if he’d heard a thing he said. Of course though he wasn’t going to bring it up – that would be rude in a first meeting.

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

“No,
they’re not as good as the other things I hunt. I prefer not to eat
anything that has hooves in fact,” He smiled and shrugged it off, “I
find little times in the day to do what I want, aside from practice and
college.. I prefer at night,”

He sipped at the bubbling drink in his hand, “Anyways, enough about
me… Tell me about yourself, surely you have to have something you love
doing too. Something that you just can’t help but love, no matter what people think of it.”

Okay… Carlos didn’t want to judge Skip for that, but here he was – silently judging. That was just such a waste of food… what even was the point if he wasn’t going to eat it?

“Well, uh, you know that I am a scientist. I love doing science,” Carlos said. He then smiled. “But I’m also a part-time band manager for the Literal Rock Band. We have an understanding between us since they need a manager and I want to study them.”

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

yourfavoritecharacterjustdied:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

His heart thudded, geez, can’t a guy take a hint?

“Meat lovers for me,” Skip replied simply, eyes now half lidded and
even slightly narrowed, though his expression soured his hand failed to
retreat. He repeated his order to the winged waitress, who nodded with a
perky smile and scribbled it down on a pad in her claws. As Carlos
placed his order, Skip stared the scientist down like a prey in his
hands.

“Losing sure does suck doesn’t it? I meant you can really win or lose
in science, you can only learn.. But for me and my group, there is only
winning.” Pause. “It is hunt or be hunted, isn’t it?”

Carlos shrugged slightly. “Well, I don’t think so,” he said. “Sure, there are sometimes things in this world that will be after you, but it’s not always.” He looked over at Skip with a small confused frown. “What, uh… what brought up the whole ‘losing’ angle?” he asked. “I feel like I’ve missed something in our conversation to bring that up…”

“Nothing much,” He smiled, looking over Carlos’ physique and slowly coming to a rather opportune conclusion, as his friends chatted and allowed the aura in the room to have some kind of buzz, his mind was focused on the way Carlos moved and his breathing, he tuned in to his heart and listened carefully to each heavy thud.

“I guess just that now we can order things to be consumed, we used to hunt for everything and stalk it for days before being able to make a move,” Skip tapped his slender fingers along the table, curling them around a cold drink and sipping it briefly. “I still love to hunt though,”

This surprised Carlos. “You hunt?” he asked. “That’s pretty interesting! How do you find the time to do that with your work? It must be a bit difficult, traveling all over… What do you usually go after?”

People.

“Oh, you know. Deer, elk, caribou.. Those sorts of creatures.” He lied with a smile on his lips, leaning back in his seat as the dinner arrived. However he didn’t even touch his own order, instead allowing his peers to feast like ravenous wolves on it.

“I love the chase.” Skip added, glancing to the starving dancers before himself and smirking, “Though, I must admit it is quite enjoyable when I capture them and they don’t even know what hit them.”

Carlos started to frown very slightly. “Do you, uh… eat the deer?” Carlos asked. He hoped so. Yes, he was aware that the question sounded like he was hoping not, but in actuality he just wanted to know because he wasn’t a fan of game hunting at all. And the mention of caribou… that’s a bit out of the way for food hunting in his opinion.

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

yourfavoritecharacterjustdied:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

His heart thudded, geez, can’t a guy take a hint?

“Meat lovers for me,” Skip replied simply, eyes now half lidded and
even slightly narrowed, though his expression soured his hand failed to
retreat. He repeated his order to the winged waitress, who nodded with a
perky smile and scribbled it down on a pad in her claws. As Carlos
placed his order, Skip stared the scientist down like a prey in his
hands.

“Losing sure does suck doesn’t it? I meant you can really win or lose
in science, you can only learn.. But for me and my group, there is only
winning.” Pause. “It is hunt or be hunted, isn’t it?”

Carlos shrugged slightly. “Well, I don’t think so,” he said. “Sure, there are sometimes things in this world that will be after you, but it’s not always.” He looked over at Skip with a small confused frown. “What, uh… what brought up the whole ‘losing’ angle?” he asked. “I feel like I’ve missed something in our conversation to bring that up…”

“Nothing much,” He smiled, looking over Carlos’ physique and slowly coming to a rather opportune conclusion, as his friends chatted and allowed the aura in the room to have some kind of buzz, his mind was focused on the way Carlos moved and his breathing, he tuned in to his heart and listened carefully to each heavy thud.

“I guess just that now we can order things to be consumed, we used to hunt for everything and stalk it for days before being able to make a move,” Skip tapped his slender fingers along the table, curling them around a cold drink and sipping it briefly. “I still love to hunt though,”

This surprised Carlos. “You hunt?” he asked. “That’s pretty interesting! How do you find the time to do that with your work? It must be a bit difficult, traveling all over… What do you usually go after?”

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

His heart thudded, geez, can’t a guy take a hint?

“Meat lovers for me,” Skip replied simply, eyes now half lidded and
even slightly narrowed, though his expression soured his hand failed to
retreat. He repeated his order to the winged waitress, who nodded with a
perky smile and scribbled it down on a pad in her claws. As Carlos
placed his order, Skip stared the scientist down like a prey in his
hands.

“Losing sure does suck doesn’t it? I meant you can really win or lose
in science, you can only learn.. But for me and my group, there is only
winning.” Pause. “It is hunt or be hunted, isn’t it?”

Carlos shrugged slightly. “Well, I don’t think so,” he said. “Sure, there are sometimes things in this world that will be after you, but it’s not always.” He looked over at Skip with a small confused frown. “What, uh… what brought up the whole ‘losing’ angle?” he asked. “I feel like I’ve missed something in our conversation to bring that up…”

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

yourfavoritecharacterjustdied:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

The
acrobat huffed a tired and unforgiving huff from his taut chest and
impossible to breathe with lungs, letting his head fall into his hands
as he glared out the window. “Fine, lets get the pizza.”

“I just wanted to talk with you- about your science man things, don’t
you know? I want to know all about it,” His gentle voice cooed, leaning
into Carlos’ shoulder.

“Oh!” Carlos said. He perked up a bit at the mention of talking about science. “Well, certainly! We can still discuss all about that. You know, I’m working on so many projects and I would love to tell you about them!”

The leaning on his shoulder was kind of weird, and Carlos actually couldn’t allow it for long since he was still driving and needed to shift. When that point came he gently shook his shoulder to free his arm to work the gear shift.

Again, Skip rolled his eyes and sneered faintly at the scientist being so strange about some physical affection. Who doesn’t like to be touched?

When they arrived at Big Rico’s, they were welcomed with open arms from the other acrobats that had come in a cluster. They were all so dramatically different looking from each other, it was almost like some kind of zoo.

Carlos smiled politely as they entered the restaurant. He waited for Skip to introduce him. He was also thinking about what kind of pizza he wanted: did he want to spend the extra money on a gluten-free pizza, or just get a standard slice which sometimes consisted of a bowl of red sauce and toppings or a big greasy ball of cheese?

Skip carried himself like a god, and was quickly greeted by his peers who all wore beautiful and uninhibited smiles as he threw his arm over Carlos’ shoulders and tugged him in with a laugh. “Everyone- Carlos. Carlos..” He chuckled warmly, “Everyone.”

Next he shoved Carlos into a booth along with four choice friends of his own, leaving the runts to entertain themselves. The way the team acted was extremely similar to a high school setting, the cool kids and the rest.

Carlos was barely able to wave before he was ushered away to the booth. Carlos kept smiling as he was sat down. He wondered how young all these people were. He wasn’t exactly an old man, no, but the cliquish actions were pretty interesting to him. And by ‘interesting’ he meant a bit strange.

The young acrobats only seemed to range from fifteen to thirty, it wasn’t exactly much to base anything on as Skip hadn’t given his age yet but was quick to order a chocolate malt. He played with the curiy straw, placing it at his lips before moving it away and then staring up at Carlos’ lips hoping that Carlos would perk up.

Growl. A groan from his stomach, “You look so good tonight Carlos, I could just eat you!” He cheered, grabbing his arm and then his thigh.

Carlos blinked at Skip and laughed. “Well, let’s try some pizza instead,” he suggested. “I’m thinking of getting a simple cheese and red sauce pizza served in a bowl… what about you?”

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

yourfavoritecharacterjustdied:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

The
acrobat huffed a tired and unforgiving huff from his taut chest and
impossible to breathe with lungs, letting his head fall into his hands
as he glared out the window. “Fine, lets get the pizza.”

“I just wanted to talk with you- about your science man things, don’t
you know? I want to know all about it,” His gentle voice cooed, leaning
into Carlos’ shoulder.

“Oh!” Carlos said. He perked up a bit at the mention of talking about science. “Well, certainly! We can still discuss all about that. You know, I’m working on so many projects and I would love to tell you about them!”

The leaning on his shoulder was kind of weird, and Carlos actually couldn’t allow it for long since he was still driving and needed to shift. When that point came he gently shook his shoulder to free his arm to work the gear shift.

Again, Skip rolled his eyes and sneered faintly at the scientist being so strange about some physical affection. Who doesn’t like to be touched?

When they arrived at Big Rico’s, they were welcomed with open arms from the other acrobats that had come in a cluster. They were all so dramatically different looking from each other, it was almost like some kind of zoo.

Carlos smiled politely as they entered the restaurant. He waited for Skip to introduce him. He was also thinking about what kind of pizza he wanted: did he want to spend the extra money on a gluten-free pizza, or just get a standard slice which sometimes consisted of a bowl of red sauce and toppings or a big greasy ball of cheese?

Skip carried himself like a god, and was quickly greeted by his peers who all wore beautiful and uninhibited smiles as he threw his arm over Carlos’ shoulders and tugged him in with a laugh. “Everyone- Carlos. Carlos..” He chuckled warmly, “Everyone.”

Next he shoved Carlos into a booth along with four choice friends of his own, leaving the runts to entertain themselves. The way the team acted was extremely similar to a high school setting, the cool kids and the rest.

Carlos was barely able to wave before he was ushered away to the booth. Carlos kept smiling as he was sat down. He wondered how young all these people were. He wasn’t exactly an old man, no, but the cliquish actions were pretty interesting to him. And by ‘interesting’ he meant a bit strange.

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

The
acrobat huffed a tired and unforgiving huff from his taut chest and
impossible to breathe with lungs, letting his head fall into his hands
as he glared out the window. “Fine, lets get the pizza.”

“I just wanted to talk with you- about your science man things, don’t
you know? I want to know all about it,” His gentle voice cooed, leaning
into Carlos’ shoulder.

“Oh!” Carlos said. He perked up a bit at the mention of talking about science. “Well, certainly! We can still discuss all about that. You know, I’m working on so many projects and I would love to tell you about them!”

The leaning on his shoulder was kind of weird, and Carlos actually couldn’t allow it for long since he was still driving and needed to shift. When that point came he gently shook his shoulder to free his arm to work the gear shift.

Again, Skip rolled his eyes and sneered faintly at the scientist being so strange about some physical affection. Who doesn’t like to be touched?

When they arrived at Big Rico’s, they were welcomed with open arms from the other acrobats that had come in a cluster. They were all so dramatically different looking from each other, it was almost like some kind of zoo.

Carlos smiled politely as they entered the restaurant. He waited for Skip to introduce him. He was also thinking about what kind of pizza he wanted: did he want to spend the extra money on a gluten-free pizza, or just get a standard slice which sometimes consisted of a bowl of red sauce and toppings or a big greasy ball of cheese?

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

The
acrobat huffed a tired and unforgiving huff from his taut chest and
impossible to breathe with lungs, letting his head fall into his hands
as he glared out the window. “Fine, lets get the pizza.”

“I just wanted to talk with you- about your science man things, don’t
you know? I want to know all about it,” His gentle voice cooed, leaning
into Carlos’ shoulder.

“Oh!” Carlos said. He perked up a bit at the mention of talking about science. “Well, certainly! We can still discuss all about that. You know, I’m working on so many projects and I would love to tell you about them!”

The leaning on his shoulder was kind of weird, and Carlos actually couldn’t allow it for long since he was still driving and needed to shift. When that point came he gently shook his shoulder to free his arm to work the gear shift.

My Fingers Slipped @partyplanningforsuckers The heat only seemed to be packed in at the circus, with the hundreds of citizens that had swarmed like ants and the intense rides that seemed to have a life of their own. The smell of sugary cotton candy and popcorn was enough to lure anyone who had just come from a days work, the circus was the place to be. With a circle of sand and tigers, along with swinging trapeze and double jointed dancers, the main stage was selling ticket for such a view.

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers:

the-perfect-scientist:

partyplanningforsuckers

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos hadn’t been to a circus in years – not since he was little. But there had been a raffle at work and Carlos had won a coupon for a free ticket. He kinda hoped that his brother and/or his dad were in town so he could invite them to go with him.

Carlos made his way to the ticket office that was set up, standing in the line with his coupon as he looked at everything around him. Some things were different than what he remembered or imagined a circus to be like, but not everything could be a dated cliche trope he supposed.

Once at the ticket office he smiled and offered the coupon. “Hey… this any good?” he asked in a joking manner.

@partyplanningforsuckers

Skip
picked up some of the equipment and blushed as it’s cold surfacing gave
him chills, he didn’t understand what any of these things did. Was he
supposed to?

“I think it’s very smart of you, like you never set down a pencil..
Like you can just never stop, almost like Science controls you..”

Carlos smiles slightly and put his finger in front of his own mouth in a shushing gesture. “Pencils are illegal,” he reminded gently. “But I understand and sort of agree with your sentiments. Science is a very big part of my life, and I’m almost always thinking about it.”

His face paled a bit at his wording, a quick hand to his mouth before pulling it away and whispering with a gentle and worried voice. “I-I’m sorry, I’m new in town.” He excused, looking over Carlos once more.

It took all the courage in his pounding heart to muster up the courage to add, “I think it’s very important for someone to be so dedicated to what they love, I work every day of my life to be perfect for the crowd. You do too, and that’s admirable.” He cooed soothingly, a hand trailing up Carlos’s shirt and feeling over the fabric.

Carlos just nodded. “Yeah… There’s no point in disliking my work, or I wouldn’t be doing it,” Carlos said. “Anyway… let’s get rolling.” He reached over and pulled on his seatbelt. “Seatbelts are in fashion, so go ahead and wear it.”

Skip huffed angrily at his failed romantics, but instead of fussing over it he simply grabbed the seatbelt dramatically and tugged it over his body, clicking it taut and crossing his arms.

Prude.

“Carlos-“ He began again, looking over at the driver and sighing deeply, “I don’t know if I can go out in front of all those people, maybe you and I can just grab a burger or something?” He pulled his shoulders towards the window, his voice in a whimpering manner as he gazed to the stars and waited with an internal smirk.

Carlos was confused. “Uh… what? But I meant it – I hadn’t had my mandated pizza slice yet. I don’t know how the laws are with visitors, but I think you should have some too just to be safe. What’s… what’s wrong with eating in front of your team mates?” Was it because he wasn’t… feeling well? “If you’d rather do this another day then that’s okay… if you need to take a break…”

“No, I mean I just.. Well I eat with them every week you see, it gets boring and you sure don’t seem boring.” He added in, a soothing tone in his voice as if something hypnotic lingered behind it in a menace. “Maybe I could get to know you better! I sure would be interested in it.. “ Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder and purred. “Don’t you wanna get to know me?”

He was beginning to feel that- Hunger.

“Well, uh… there’s still time for that,” Carlos said, though an uncertain tone started to creep into his voice. “Um, but SSP are serious business, and I’d rather not deal with them over the mandated pizza. Today’s my last day for the week to get one.”