i'm a sleepwalker ., LEO !

[FRANCESCA JOSHLYNN PAQUIN]

'pih! pih!' that was a constant chorus ringing around frankie's mind. her little brother's voice cheerfully chirping that word in an attempt to say 'fish'. she had made the mistake of winning the young child a fish at one of the stands to appease his howling and crying. everyone had been staring at her like she was hurting the poor child! frankie would never dream of hurting either of the tiny twins. she clutched the small plastic bag in her hands, holding on for dear life. with the other hand, she shoved her little brother's stroller around. "yes, i have the fish, caleb. he's alright. look," she momentarily raised the fish into the air to show her little brother. the small, gold carp was swimming in circles, trying to find a way out of it's plastic confines. lowering the baggy back by her side, she began to push the cart toward some picnic tables. letting it rest along side one of the tables, frankie sat down and leaned forward toward her little brother. it felt like her legs were being pulled and tugged on with all the walking she had done today. being able to sit herself down on a surface felt amazing. she placed the fish on the table momentarily so that she could get up and retrieve some ice cream from a nearby stand.

of course, caleb started chanting 'pih!' cheerfully again, sometimes mixed with the occasional 'peas?' ignoring the tot's statements, she instead walked up to the stand, keeping her eyes locked on her sibling as she did so. her little sister had been sent with a family friend. between the two siblings, carrie was the lesser of two evils. caleb was the real troublemaker between the two. as she got up to the stand, she asked for a vanilla ice cream with a spoon. once she paid and received for it, frankie bounded back to her brother. the child was already wailing in anger. he was not getting his 'pih', and he was alone. there was going to be a bitch fit sooner or later. skimming the ice cream with the edge of the spoon. frankie slowly fed the small bit of ice cream to her brother, and he smacked his lips a few times, taking in the taste.

she could be doing something better. francesca really loved her siblings, but she wanted to do something else. hang out with friends! go on rides! frankie normally hated the rides. now that she couldn't even get on one, she wanted to ride them all. anything was more fun than feeding a crying child and sweating under the blazing, yellow sun. she was going to be red as a tomato by the time she would go home. she pulled the bag over into her lap and then gave caleb another spoonful of the ice cream. he shook at the cold sensation momentarily. frankie was going to have to figure out what to do next with the child. she was planning on trying to win him an over-stuffed plush. something that he could squeeze close to his fragile, small body. brushing back wet and sweaty bangs that were basically glued to her forehead, frankie let out a heavy sigh again.

[ ewh. this is crap. sorry. i suck with starting threads / posts xD ]

[LEO WILLIAM HAWTHORNE]

Leo never took the time to appreciate the small things in life. It was partly the reason he was never happy. He hardly noticed anything around him, as he was more so focused on the chaos. He never noticed the way a bird sang in the morning, pitchy and irritating. He never noticed the stinging burn of a coffee cup held the wrong way, or the loud, banging wind against a screen door. He was air-headed, a bit of a miserable mess in the attic, and this came off as shallow. Leo just didn't have the capacity to sort things out, nor did he have the patience. So he just didn't. Leo very much lived in the moment, which left little need for trying. He was lazy in this way, and he really didn't give a fuck about much. You didn't like him? Fuck you. You liked him? Fuck you. You thought he was a total asshole prick who deserved to die? Fuck you. Liam honestly couldn't give less of a shit about anyone but himself, and this was how he based the thought of loving someone. There was simply no way to it, no direction, no true reasoning. It made no sense for him to love her, and he still did. This was frustrating. It bothered him to no end, and haunting images of her pretty face loomed on the edges of his life frequently. Leo could pretend he didn't care about everything else, but he simply couldn't bring himself to stage apathy towards the one good thing in his life he let slip away.

But he was a fool, so it made sense.

Presently, he strolled the grounds of the carnival that had set up Miami. It was somewhat annoying, the loud atmosphere and choking scent of kettle corn. Still, he had nothing better to do with his life than to sit at home and smoke. He had purchased some cotton candy and now chewed on it without much else thought in his head than Francesca. She was what he thought about most of the time, if he wasn't thinking about how badly he wanted a cigarette or what asshole remark to say next. Unlike most moronic douche bags, Leo wasn't fake about his personality. His father had assured this, setting it all in stone for the young boy. Beatings and alcohol were commonly two things that drove a child mad, and this was the similar affect on Leo. He turned cold-blooded; stony and invincible. He didn't care anymore. Frankie took this invincibility away. She made him laugh and smile and care. She made him tangible. While he loathed it, he loved it more. Then he went and fucked it up. Truthfully, it didn't really surprise him. He understood himself well enough to know that things like this happened daily. Without realizing it, he had stepped into an area where there were wooden picnic tables spread throughout the grass. There sat, to his moderate surprise, a rather exhausted looking Francesca Paquin. Leo half-smirked, the left corner of his mouth higher than the right. It was a curios smirk, mischievous and devilish; something to warn you of what was next. Leo sauntered up to her, his dancer gait smooth. “You look like shit.” he stated, taking another bite of his cotton candy.

five hundred fifty-four words , outfit here , hope this will do. (:

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[FRANCESCA JOSHLYNN PAQUIN]

Most people would understand that speaking to Frankie was a bad idea. She was a bitch. At least to get her more haters than friends, and some of the friends were faker than Pamela Anderson's breasts. As she wiped the sticky, cold, and sweet substance off of Caleb's face with a napkin, a voice rang clear in the air. One that she had come to known over a course of time. If this was a different scenario, his voice would probably come soothing and she would have responded in a positive manner. The situation was far different and his voice alone could only be compared to shit… just like the way she currently looked. Francesca swiftly scowled in his direction, "That would have really hurt, Leo… if I gave two shits about anything you said," Frankie kept her eyes locked on him, heavy with agitation. He was a handsome guy and she was sure many women ( and men ) threw themselves at him. Francesca was one of those girls, once upon a time. One of the few that got caught into his trap that consisted of the contours of his face. Those gorgeous eyes that not even the most articulate and careful of artists could capture in their quick brush strokes. Her hardened gaze then softened as she turned back to Caleb to feed him. The ice cream was beginning to melt and slowly drip from each spoonful, falling down to the burning pavement below.

She slowly dribbled the napkin across the tot's pink skin, pulling back after a few seconds. He stared at her with lazy eyes and then peered over at the male that had spoke to her, his curious mind prodding to figure out who it was. She switched her position around so that her body was pointed toward him. What had he come to talk with her about today? The last she had heard from him was when they broke up. If Frankie had her own way, he would have stayed far away. Deep down, below that stuff you called epidermis, and organs, below the bones and even muscle rested her heart. Something that was often preoccupied by Leo himself. She was not in puppy love, nor in any kind of love. But she cared about him. Frankie would never reveal that to any person that asked her about it. She could never truly stop thinking about Leo. When she had been with him, things were a lot different. She was still anorexic, but she was not as obsessive over her weight or her body. She felt as if there was something worthwhile in her life that did not demand too much of her at the start. He never cried to be fed like her little siblings, and he made her laugh. Quite a lot, really.

Frankie parted her lips and allowed her drabble to begin to fill the air, "Is there a reason you're hassling me about my appearance?" she finally dared to ask, quirking an eyebrow. She would say she could care less about his statement; whether it was playful or serious. In the end, it hurt. It didn't matter in which context or what way he used it. Francesca was a little sensitive about her appearance. The corner of her lips were turned down too far and her nose was too thin. No matter what, she still felt fat. But she was not going to cry about that kind of shit. Francesca was not a baby and she had learned to grow a bit of a thick skin. The eighteen year old may have been counted as one of the 'popular' girls in the high school, but that did not mean she didn't get her own share of insults. Her stupidity would be picked at, her appearance, all of it. The girl could easily bounce it all off as if she were a trampoline. But this was Leo. His opinion did matter to her.

Damn, she was going to wind up going home early just to get a deserving, quick, but lasting high. Pushing around her little brother and listening to him bawl, and running into her ex on the same day was stressful for her.

[LEO WILLIAM HAWTHORNE]

Disinterest was his best weapon. It always had been, and probably always would be. Babbling on about something that didn't benefit him was a sure way to irritate him. Most of the time, Leo just wanted people to shut the fuck up. That was what set Frankie a part from the crowd of zombies. She actually had things to say that Leo wanted to hear. They were alike in many fashions, as she tended to lean on things that benefited her only. Leo broke down when he was with her. He was still the same snarky asshole, but the change was visible. He actually acknowledged that he had a heart when he was with Frankie. He didn't know if he loved her, but he actually cared about her, and he fucked that up.

“That would have really hurt, Leo... if I gave two shits about anything you said,” she retorted. After a few moments of glaring, which Leo just smirked at, she turned back to the kid she had with her. Leo remembered that she had siblings to take care of, and he also remembered hating it.

“Mmm, still a bitch. I always admired that,” said Leo half-sarcastically, taking another bite of his dwindling cotton candy.

Leo's mind warped him to the night they met. It was at a beach party, and he had gone into some brush to roll a joint when she found him there. The rest was simple. She captured him in a permanent interest. That would never die. Not even if she broke his heart.

“Is there any reason you're hassling me about my appearance?” she asked. Leo's smirk grew. She was fueling the fire that sparked subtly beneath the start of their conversation.

They hadn't been on speaking terms, to put it lightly. Not since they broke up. It was strange – they never called it quits. They just went their separate ways. IT appeared as if they couldn't grasp the steps to understanding each other. Leo knew it was probably mostly his fault. He blamed himself more than anyone for what happened. His habits were all he knew. They were engraved in his mind, and they were natural instinct. He would admit to screwing everything over completely, but he had heard it before in the back of his mind; a voice telling him that she could have been a little more understanding of where he came from and what kind of person he was. She knew who he was; what he was. She accepted that when they decided to give dating a try. That was another thing that went unspoken. They began dating, but they never really had the means to make it official. They just were.

It was funny, the way things worked with the pair.

“Who said I needed a reason?” he answered, finishing the sticky treat and throwing the stick in the trash. He walked up closer, ignoring the gaze of her little brother. “You're the self-conscious one. Just thought I'd help out,” he smiled.

five hundred nine words , outfit here , short post.

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[FRANCESCA JOSHLYNN PAQUIN]

Leo had always known how to grind Francesca's gears. A part of that was actually amusing. Leo wasn't afraid to speak his mind, and he actually challenged her. That was a trait that she actually didn't like all too well in most people. Leo warped that and made it fun, somehow. She stared up at him underneath short, black lashes and held her breath momentarily, "Of course I'm still a bitch," her eyebrows furrowed. There were few things you could count on when it came to Frankie -- one of those being that she would always remain a bitch and try to only do things to benefit herself.

Growing up, her parents were always far too busy to pay any attention to her. Their timing with having children was way off, and it left Frankie with being babysat by all these nannies… strangers, really. They would come in and out, and she would sometimes have a new one within a year or two. Frankie had learned to basically take care of herself after a certain age. She would always wake up, waddle past her parents' bedroom, and grab a bowl of cereal to start. Before her bus would come, she would go to sort an outfit out to wear to school, and then quickly walk herself out. Of course, her parents would usually be up by then, and keep an eye on her as they would prepare for the grueling and drab day ahead. Frankie had always made sure she always got what she needed in the end.

His comment on her own self confidence caused her to flinch and bite back a snotty remark. It was always hard for her to swallow the fact that people knew what spots they could inflict to deal the most damage. Frankie scrunched up her nose and pursed her lips in an unenthusiastic manner, "Self conscious? Where the hell would you get that?" Frankie had no idea what she was supposed to say. Instead, she decided to just play stupid. Her eyes scanned over his body and she bit down on her lip as she did so.

Should she bother trying to be civil and actually have a conversation? It would be the best thing that she had done today. But she couldn't stand Leo. She just had to weigh out the pros and cons. Maybe it would be more amusing to keep him around so that she would be able to bitch and piss at someone. Wasn't Leo just a lucky man? Francesca wiped some excess sweat from her now sticky and damp forehead. "Why the hell are you even here? Aren't there places you should be, instead of wasting my damn precious time?" Frankie scowled, deciding that the civil route wasn't exactly her favorite. He could probably amuse her right now. Leo tended to have just as sharp a tongue as Frankie did.

[ omg this is crap. i'm so sorry, lacey! D; ]

[LEO WILLIAM HAWTHORNE]

Leo had no direction. The way his life had gone thus far had trained him into belief that there was no such thing. You had to make your own luck, and to do this, you had to make most decisions on the spot. Everything, then, was not disappointing. Plans were not ruined, and hopes were not destroyed. It was safe this way. He was intangible. Every time he dared to feel something, he would repeat it in his head. Safety before anything else. He had to look out for himself, because nobody else would or ever had. He wouldn't even let himself believe that Frankie could look out for him, and he deeply cared for her. Maybe even loved her, if he knew what that was. This was what drove him to his actions the night everything went to hell, just like he knew it would. Leo was incapable of being happy – that was just how it went.

“Of course I'm still a bitch,” she retorted with the same look on her face that Leo had grown to know and love. He loved it, because through everything, you could still see that she really did care. Through all the bullshit and the drama and the irritation, you could tell she had a heart. Leo wasn't sure that he himself did, and so she captivated him.

“Self-conscious? Where the hell would you get that?” she asked unconvincingly. Leo gave a sad smirk.

“You and I both know better than that, love,” he took a cigarette out and lit it with his Zippo. “I used to know you, rememba'?” he took a drag, willing himself to forget her habit of lip biting. He held the pack out to her, the lid open. "Care for a smoke?

He did know her. He used to know her. They used to share each other's pain. They were two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, as a certain favorite band of Leo's had put it. That was their song. Yet another unspoken thing about their relationship. But that was just the thing – things didn't have to be spoken about with them. They just were, because they were connected. At least that's what Leo thought, despite his denial and pride. If he had been a man, if he had the guts to tell her what he really felt, or if he even had the sense to end their tired sharade, he would have. The day was long, however, and so was his ignorance. There was no redemption for Leo Hawthorne, and there probably never would be. He just wasn't worthy of any sort of justification. He had no justification. He didn't bother with excuses. They made him weak. He at least owned up to his wrongdoings.

“What kind of bloody' question is that?” Leo retorted when she asked why he was there. “Christ!”

He took another drag, blowing the smoke another direction. Even he believed in curbing the doom of the next generation.

“But you know.. havin' a bit of fun, I suppose,” he almost wanted to tell her that he was sorry. That he was a bastard. A lowlife that never deserved her in the first place. That he needed her. But this all stopped at one thought that crossed his mind: it wouldn't change a damn thing.

“So how's your bony ass been, ay? Miss me?” he smirked.

five hundred seventy-three words , outfit here , this took so long! apologies.

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[FRANCESCA JOSHLYNN PAQUIN]

Frankie reached over and tugged at her brother's stroller until it rest closer to her knees. Caleb was becoming increasingly discouraged with the idea that all attention was no longer focused on him. Instead, it was the rather willowy man that was capturing her interest. 'i used to know you, rememba'; that damn accent got captured her in a chokehold every single time. She peered at him through green eyes, finally parting her lips to speak, "or so you thought. How do you know i haven't changed?" she scoffed. While not as hostile as she had been seconds ago, it was the only proper answer she could come up with. Francesca was as stubborn as a bull. No one would ever hear her admitting to liking anyone, and she would refuse to believe that she was wrong. In this situation, she refused to believe that one of the people she didn't want to be around knew so much about her.

Frankie wanted to believe that she was complicated -- that her mind had so many twists and turns that she was never able to be figured out. That she was complicated, frustrating, and also mysterious. Most people could figure her out in no time. She was like an open book. That alone was her biggest weakness. Manipulation was easy if you knew Francesca well enough.

When he offered up a smoke, she grabbed one of the cancer sticks with a quick nod. What was a few more years off of her life? She held the cigarette between a tight lipped smirk, "May I have a light?" she asked. The statement was ripped apart and garbled with the way the cigarette was placed so tightly between her lips. The gesture she made pointing toward the white object was clue enough about what she was asking for. She grabbed the cup with melting ice cream, the spoon gently swimming in the sticky, sweet mixture. God, she could only imagine the torrent of calories and fat that swam around in the concoction. Nonetheless, her little brother loved it. Feeding him a spoonful, she repeated the actions of cleaning off his face.

Her eyes flickered toward him again and then locked in a gaze. She had remembered always becoming excited over seeing him, "Same as usual. Partying, watching the twins. Um… nothing's really changed," she shrugged. Frankie omitted the more random things out. The scandalous and somewhat heated make-out session that she had with one of her classmates that she had despised. She could at least blame that on the drugs, however. When she was high, she always became so much more touchy-feely. Frankie was surprised that she had not somehow had sex by now with the way that her actions would alter. The drugs had quite an effect on her. She was more prone to do things she normally wouldn't, like flirting with random men that she found pleasing to the eye.

She gently twirled the spoon in the soppy ice cream, trying to get her mind over this. She could be a bitch. In fact, she wanted to be one. Anything to keep Leo away. She wanted to believe that time could basically heal anything, but she still had yet to get over Leo. This reunion only proved this further. She wanted to answer him honestly about missing him. She wanted to nod her head in reply. That would be a trace of weakness. Frankie was going to keep her guard up, "Also -- no, i did not miss you in the least. And how many people have you got around to dating and hooking up with since i'm out of the picture? The more proper question should probably be if you've managed to catch crabs yet, or not," there. She had her swagger back. Frankie could merely smile triumphantly to herself at this thought. Her question was far from the one she wanted to ask. She wanted to know if he actually missed her, while being serious about it. Now that she seen him, she was wondering if she ever crossed his mind. Those were the questions that she knew better than to interrogate him on.

[LEO WILLIAM HAWTHORNE]

Leo laughed, a tinge of malice in the sound as he tousled the back of his head. He fed his fingers through the bleached mess of hair before dropping his right hand and inserting it into his pocket. His left hand was already occupied with his cigarette “'Sif you could change, love,” he took another drag, letting the smoke harbor a place in his lungs. He contemplated her proposal. Francesca Paquin would always be the insecure little girl that Leo had grown attached to by pure accident. Nothing more, possibly nothing less. The point was that as sad as he should have been about her pathetic protest, he would always convince himself to lack the know-how to care. He just wasn't someone who sat on situations like this and mulled them over. He instead selfishly wondered why he was even in them, because he so often grew tired of the worn, repeated way things went for him. The eighteen-year-old knew the world was a piece of shit roller coaster that broke down the minute you got used to the ups and downs.

Leo held the fire to her cigarette, lighting the end and watching her inhale the toxins. The cigarette was held between her thin lips as she wiped the sugary substance from her brother's mouth. Leo hated kids. He hated them almost as much as he hated everything else in the world. Whenever he saw a screaming baby and its mother, he felt compelled to scream at them himself. The world was overpopulated, why the hell would anyone have kids? That was his logic behind it. He never had a sibling to take care of. Just himself and his mum, and that had gone downhill quickly. Leo never stopped to wonder why he hated the way he did. He always just placed blame on the fact that his life had been shit thus far, and that was that. There was nothing he could do to change it, and you better believe that he was going to live exactly how he wanted to. Alcohol, dancing, painting, and cigarettes.

“Mm, really?” he flicked his cigarette, then sucked in more smoke. “Haven't seen you around, actually. Did I tell you I got a job?” he smirked, her eyes flicking up to his, locking in a gaze.

Those eyes were beautiful doors, so easily opened and shallow. Her soul was right behind them. All you had to do was reach and twist the knob.

“Also – no, I did not miss you in the least. And how many people have you got around to dating and hooking up with since I'm out of the picture? The more proper question should probably be if you've managed to catch crabs yet or not.”

Leo threw his head back and laughed. It was a hardy, throaty laugh. The kind that scared you, due to its absolute genuine tone.

“I'm sorry,” he said, taking another drag and forcing himself to subdue the laughter. “That was a good one, honest,” said Leo, blowing smoke up to the sky. He laughed, shaking his head. “Didn't mess me in the least... Crabs...” he repeated her, continuing to chuckle through the words.

He was never one to take an insult with spite. Leo preferred to laugh in someone's face, or spit on their glory. It was a lot more amusing, and a hell of a lot less painful than scrapping. Still, Leo managed to get himself involved in violence at least every other party he attended.

His face suddenly grew serious.

“But honestly, I dunno. A few dozen, maybe,” he smiled then, glancing up at her sideways and taking one last drag before flicking the cancer stick and grinding it into the ground. “Nobody, Frankie. I haven't dated anyone. Never was one for commitment,” he stuck his free hand in his pocket. He looked down, speaking quieter. “Guess you knew that already,”

The truth about it was, Leo Hawthorne could barely think for himself. How was he supposed to think about another person? He skipped on details, such as emotion and passion. The only person who brought any of that out in him had been Frankie. He knew very well that he was going to fuck that one up, and he did, just like he knew he would. If he thought of anything in advance, it was to determine how long it would take him to completely screw things over for himself. He was curious as to how long he could last. That was different in his relationship with Frankie, too. He didn't count the days down until something bad would happen. He actually enjoyed her company, and thought it might even last longer than it did. Alas, he was a lost soul, and lost souls did not do well without their habits to back them. Without their habits, routine or not, they were as alive as a wilting flower in a garden that hadn't been watered in a few weeks. Leo's habit was not only screwing his life up and torturing himself to shun ideals, but also a certain thing he took for granted. Sex was for amusement to him, not for love. And truthfully, he was rather frightened of the possibility that Frankie may grow bored with him, because he certainly was never bored with her.

“How bout' you, then? Still a virgin?”

nine hundred five words , outfit here , finally got leo muse back.

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[FRANCESCA JOSHLYNN PAQUIN]

Frankie had done so well with erasing him from the back of her mind. After tonight, she would once again become a victim of her own thoughts. When they had dated, she knew that he was no good for her, and she was no good for him. But maybe that's what made everything so amazing. Unlike herself, Leo had a brilliant mind. It did not take Francesca long at all to understand what he did and didn't like in a person, but he was always interesting. There was always something new about him. Something that kept him fresh and left her on her toes. He was not a pushover and he understood the world so much better than many people. She had never been one for being negative at all times, but he just had a way of making things seem easier to understand. He was never one to sugarcoat and make things seem sweeter than they really were. Drawing smoke from the cigarette, she pulled the deathstick from her lips and blew the foggy smoke out quietly. She was never one to really be a chain smoker, but it was a great alternative to weed when she just needed to occupy her mind and alleviate stress.

The word 'job' caught her attention, "… who the hell would ever hire you? crack heads?" she commented, knowing that the insult would not even cause him to flinch. This was a game for her. He was fun to pick at because he never took anything too seriously. He spat the venom right back. There were times she wanted to smack him, but he was the only one that put up with her bitchy antics. "where do you work?" she finally asked, completing the question with a smirk.

She chewed on her lip; the cigarette was held out to the left of her. Of course he laughed at her vague insult toward him. It was not new news that he slept around, and he had definitely heard worse. She hadn't, however. The fact that he could just go on and screw anything that would spread their legs was so odd to her. Frankie was a virgin, however. Maybe that's what made everything sexual seem so odd to her. Frankie snorted at his next question. As she drew a puff from the cigarette, she nodded. If there was something that was well known about her, it was her virginity. Some would call her a prude.

"Of course I am, Leo. See, that's one of the things that was different about me, right? I flat out refuse the idea of becoming someone's toy for a night. I have standards and no guys have ever really matched up to them enough for me to consider the idea. I have nearly slept with someone, sure. But in the end, I didn't… if i could ever be proud of anything about myself -- it would be the fact that I am a virgin," Frankie stated, her voice rather cold and serious. She could often become defensive on this subject when she needed to; even when there was nothing to even defend. Her gaze momentarily intensified and she kept her eyes locked until her little brother once again caught her attention. She would have loved to keep staring -- attempting to figure him out and see if she could find all the answers she was actually looking for.

Once Francesca gave her little brother the last spoonful, she leaned toward Leo. Her hand raised and quickly messed up the tresses of his blonde hair. The corners of her lips lifted up in a satisfied smirk and then she sat back, "I mean, tell me Leo… does it feel good to know that every person that you screw doesn't even care about you? When you could have spent the night with someone that actually makes you happy?" her head began to cock to the side curiously. These thoughts were pressing at her. She felt as if the answers were obvious. But she wanted to hear his argument. Hear why it was so amazing to go out and screw as many people as he could. She wanted to hear an answer that actually put up some kind of an argument. Something other than the fact that 'it felt good'.

Francesca just wanted to hear a legitimate reason that would make her think. Leo had to be the person that could straight up give her an answer, and hopefully a good one. She always thought that maybe it had to do with people not having to get attached with sex. The thought that people could pursue a purely physical 'relationship' ( if you could even call it that. ) was just… odd. There had to be something there, even if it was minimal.

[LEO WILLIAM HAWTHORNE]

Leo wasn't a patient person in the least. He had not the patience for himself, and in turn had no patience for the world. It was logical, even if Leo ran off of lack of imagination and logic. He sort of just existed in his own little Leo universe. It was precious, really. He thought he was pretty damn adorable. His was the only opinion that mattered, anyway, so it must be true. He smiled to himself, more of a malicious smirk in place, and lit another cigarette with his Zippo. When he introduced himself as a chain-smoker, he wasn't kidding. Leo went through more smoke than a chimney during Winter in Aspen, California. This posed somewhat of a threat to his new job, but Leo did what he had to. He managed to curb himself just for a little bit, until his break when he could smoke three in a row.

“Who the hell would ever hire you?” Frankie retorted.

She hadn't been paying much attention to him until now. It peeved him a little, but he mostly laughed at her ignorance. That was a common trait they shared, only Leo wasn't pretending. “Crack heads?” she added, slightly joking.

Not really, Leo thought to himself, giving his own smirk when she asked whereabouts.

“Probably. But I'm teaching dance now. Fancy that, ay?” Leo blew smoke in her face, still standing above her about three feet away. “You should give Caleb here some lessons, yeah. Might do 'im some good,”

As Frankie chewed on her lip, Leo went back to the thought that they had distanced themselves from each other completely. Though he was never one for depth, he did understand the concept of being cut off. He had learned the hard way that it actually was quite painful when that someone cutting you off was a someone you cared about. It pissed him off more than anything when he first figured it out; why there was a massive black hole in his stomach, sucking everything in from the inside out. He worked out for hours, angry with himself. He punched walls, he smoked eight packs every day for three days, then went back down to three or four after he had cooled down. It took some time, however, and even to this day, after all was not said but certainly done (or so it appeared) Leo was still annoyed by the fact. He always figured he just didn't have any heart left, but Frankie managed to reveal a secret to him about his own self.

This also pissed him off.

Leo kept a smirk present, continuing to work on the aging cigarette as she gave a small speech about her precious virginity. That was what had ruined their relationship. She truly misunderstood Leo if she thought he had changed just because of her. It was true, she happened to be the only living human being on Earth that could break down some of his major barriers. Still yet, Leo was still Leo. The same dirty, whore, British chain smoker that he always was. He didn't know anything else, and his habits would never change. Not for a while, at least.

He clapped sarcastically as she stared right into him – or through him. “That was bloody fucking brilliant, really.” he said, the cigarette twitching in his lips as he spoke. He took it between his fingers and rolled it around for a moment. “So, uh.. how long did you rehearse that one?”

He thought that was enough. He was going to comment on how her standards were obviously complete bullshit, considering the circumstances, but he thought that the clapping was a nice touch. Leo often praised himself for his wit. He wasn't the brightest when it came to profound, lovely things, but he was an expert in gore and clever retorts. He inhaled more smoke, blowing it away this time. He would have blown it against the wind, but the summer air was stuffy and still. Leo suddenly longed for the beach and a pleasant bottle of Corrs in the ice-filled cooler. Frankie continued to stare at him after tending her brother, and this broke him from his fantasty (or future) in a rather disturbing way. He frowned.

“I mean, tell me Leo.. does it feel good o know that every person that you screw doesn't even care about you?” she inquired, trying that “let's try to break Leo in” shit again. He almost rolled his eyes, but took a drag of his cigarette instead. “When you could spend the night with someone that actually made you happy?”

Leo looked serious for a moment, imagined his face looked contemplative, and then smirked and looked her in the eye. “Naaaaaaaaah,” he smiled. “Shaggin's got no strings attached, love,” his smile faded a tad with the next part. “None-a that 'broken heart' bullshit,” Leo let his smile grow again, flicking his cigarette to the ground and grinding it in like the last. He felt compelled to grab another out of the box, but decided against it for the moment being. He inserted both hands in his pockets and shrugged.

The truth was, Leo had no feeling towards anything. It sometimes concerned him. Frankie was one of the only things he had ever cared about in his lifetime. Screwing that up, even if it was anticipated, probably shattered what heart he had left in him.

“Besides,” he looked at the sky, cloudless and an angry shade of blue. “I have nothing to offer to anyone. You of all people know that.”

He took the package of cigarettes out of his pocket, picking another one out and lighting it.

nine hundred sixty words , outfit here , ohhhhh leo. diggin frankie's new sig!

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