Closed Starter: @krosxn​ Location: Katz’ Home

Penn Badgley on Entertainment Tonight, 2019

renfarber​:

She hadn’t realized how nervous she’d been until she saw him smile. This apartment was her, all over, just the essence of who she was splashed all over the walls. It was her, and it was Max, and so it mattered to Ren if Leo liked it. If he liked them. She didn’t know how to feel about that mattering to her, so… she just pushed it down with all the other feelings she had right now. They could come back out after some whiskey untangled them.

She dragged a chair over to the counter so she could reach the top shelf of the cabinet. She wasn’t entirely sure why she kept the liquor up here - it wasn’t as though Max could get into it at seven months old - but it was always good to make things like that hard to reach. For emergencies only. And this definitely counted. On her way down, Leo handed her one of Max’s toys, and she smirked. “Thank you.”

“Max is with my mom,” she said, getting ice out of the freezer. “I should text her, actually. She should probably keep him overnight.” Her eyes flicked up to him, knowing how he’d take that. She held up a finger. “Because we’re drinking. And we need to talk without a crying baby. You stay two feet away from me,” she smirked. She shouldn’t be joking about this, not when he had a wife, not when he had a baby with her best friend… it just… came so easily. 

She poured two drinks and passed one over, sitting at the table and sending a quick text to her mom. Seconds later, her phone beeped, and she rolled her eyes, texting again and then turning off her phone. 

“Mom says hi,” she smirked. Gloria had always loved Leo. Even now, after Ren had cried on her shoulder about the mess they were in. It was disloyal, honestly. But Ren supposed it was only fair, since she didn’t hate Leo either. She sighed, pulling her braids over one shoulder, and looking at Leo. “So… how’d you meet your wife?”

-

Leo’s brows immediately quirked up at Ren’s words, taking them just as suggestively as she assumed he would. He couldn’t help but break into a small laughter at the finger she had held up. He held his hands up and sat at the table at the furthest one from where she was currently. “Two feet it is.” He agreed though he did find it funny how she needed the physical distance from him. Like he had a pull. Though he felt the same way about her lips. 

He watched as she poured the drinks. His eyes admiring the caramel hue a bit too closely. It had been a minute since he was able to indulge. It was getting a lot harder to sneak away. His hand couldn’t help but tap on the counter till the drink was passed over to him. From there he had taken a well measured first sip while she was distracted with her phone.

“Tell Gloria, I said hey,” he smiled that shit eating grin that was just a permanent reaction to when his ego was stroked. Though that grin had immediately left his lips at the mention of his wife. His forehead wrinkled as he pulled his brows together, he laughed once before replying, “You don’t wanna talk about that.” He said openly refusing to answer. “We have other things to talk about.” He said quite solemnly as he brought his drink to his lips. 

krosxn​:

Katz just shook his head. “The fuck do you think it means, Leo? If it’s so functional, why didn’t you go home tonight? Why are you on my couch?” He didn’t mind taking care of Leo. He was one of his closest friends, for some reason, and honestly, it was easier than taking care of Oliver had been. He’d be fine in the morning. At least, whatever Leo Davis functioned on daily “fine”. 

-

Leo’s lips parted into a silent gasp, a bit dramatic over Katz’s direct questioning. Leo didn’t wanna think about that truth. “Next! I don’t wanna play this game.” Childishly, Leo slumped further down on the couch, and grunted. He lawled his head to the side to see Katz better again and in quieter voice, he answered, “You know why I’m here Katz. She’d hate me, hate seeing me. Seeing who I am.” He rambled, saying his truth cryptically but in a way it could be interpreted lighter than he truly meant it. 

YOU (2018- ) cr. Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble

Penn Badgley  as Joe Goldberg YOU | 1.05 Living With The Enemy

renfarber​:

She’d thought she’d be prepared for this. She’d thought that enough time had passed (what was it, almost a decade now?), and that she’d moved on, and she was over what had happened… but she wasn’t. She was smiling, looking at him now, because he looked so much like the boy she’d loved. She was smiling, but her heart had sunk, and her brain was so focused on his face that it forgot to remind her to breathe.

“No,” she said - too loudly for the quiet, echoing theatre, “no, please don’t go. It’s a good movie… I’ve heard. I haven’t seen it, but… that’s kind of the appeal.” Of course, she didn’t need to explain that to Leo. Anyone else on Earth, maybe, but this familiar-but-distant man, standing in shock ten feet from her, giving her almost the same expression he had the last time she’d seen him… he already knew. He knew her love of new things, new experiences, new places, new people. He’d loved that about her once. And it had hurt him in the end.

When she finally remembered how to move, she made her way toward him. Slowly, gingerly, like he were a wild animal or a broken bird, and might either attack or flee if she moved too suddenly. She would deserve both, she knew, even if it had been ten years. But selfishly, she just wanted to see him.

The lights went down, and the projector came on, and they were still standing, staring, closer now but still unsure of each other. “Will you stay?” Ren whispered.

-

Her loud protest to him leaving echoed tremendously. It stopped him in his slow attempt to leave. And quite honestly it warmed him up a bit. It was a good surprise to know that she wanted him to stay and enjoy the film. He hadn’t seen it either, but he couldn’t find himself to speak up as he was grew overwhelmed and overstimulated by everything. He was at a crossroads of what to do. He knew had this meeting been less than the decade that passed he’d already be out the door. Hell, maybe even popcorn in her hair.

Leo’s feet stepped back once she began her approach towards him. He had only stopped when he remembered his drink on the ground. He was stuck between making a mess or allowing her closer. He went with the latter. It did offer him a chance to look at her better. Her hair was in braids, he’d never seen it styled like that before. He also noticed her tattoo collection had grown. When his own collection had diminished.

But it was different now. He was different. He had love coming at him from multiple hearts. Love that he had desperately wanted from just one heart, years ago. Hers. Did he still feel that way now? With his heart strings being pull down by someone on his phone and with broken vows he pretended to keep with his wife? The lights turning down and glow of the hazy film lit the room. It shown upon her face in such a familiar way. He would usually stare at her in this light to watch her reaction when they shared this pastime. He blinked and answered her wordlessly, by sitting back down in his seat. His eyes never moved off of her. He just kept looking at her with an air of anticipation. It took him a bit too long to let it go and turn his head to the screen. He began to become too aware of his own breathing as he felt the side of body she was at heat up. He parted his lips to say something but quickly closed it to focus on the film. But just a moment later, he did once again.

PENN BADGLEY in The Paper Store (2016)

blakemadden​:

Blake thought her shock had been maximised when she’d come face to face with Leo out of nowhere, but it was nothing compared to how she felt when he grabbed her arm roughly. Eyes swivelling down to it she opened her mouth before closing it again, no words escaping. He was hurting her, it was actually fairly scary. “I’m…I’m not playing with you, stop it you’re hurting me.” The girl whimpered softly, her eyes wide. Obviously the man was panicking which objectively was understandable but that didn’t mean she was okay with the way he was going about it, at all. But there was nowhere she could go so in a moment of panic she just shook her head. “No, what? No of course it’s not yours. Why would I have not told you if it was yours.” For exactly this reason actually, but vindication wasn’t really the sensation she was feeling at the top of her list right now, even if she had been vindicated by this whole scenario. “It’s a baby, and it’s not yours so get off me.” She was trying to sound sure of herself, but it wasn’t really going to plan.

-

Hearing that it wasn’t his just caused another influx of questions to replace the previous ones. If that were true why was she hiding her pregnancy from him? Why not mention it? Why keep something so big in her life a secret? Had she planned to dissolve their relationship completely? these empty questions disappeared as he answer fell upon his ears. he had gotten the answer he wanted. it wasn’t his. and it wasn’t his problem. his secrets were still going to be safe from his wife. he could continue living his precious double life. Still his anger visibly blazed in him. how did he even had room to be jealous? his hand had tightened before it finally loosened. his eyes went down to her bicep and saw how his fingers left a white impression on her reddening skin. he stared unable to accept that he had just done that. he usually harmed inanimate objects, not people, especially not women. his eyes began to mirror her fear and he immediately backed away from her. His lips parted to apologize but couldn’t see that helping in the slightest. he stayed silent and looked away from her like a coward he really was.