Childhood sweethearts

"Mickey? Well nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand as a greeting. Kaden was a rather chill guy, not a lot could get a rise out of him, but he did like meeting new people. And when Deacon was in such a mood, it was easier having a conversation with drying paint than the mythical. He was a little surprised that the hybrid and the mythical knew each other, but he didn't pay it much attention as Serena came over.
He could see she was drunk. It maybe wasn't clear to those around them, but he could see it. "Sere, how bout I call you a car, hmm?" He said, reaching out to grap her wrist and pulling her to sit down next to him. He cared about her a lot, she was his closest friend at times, and she definitely had seen him drunk more than a couple dozen times. "Everyone this is Serena Joy, and she needs to go to bed soon before she starts trying to put together an outfit for me completely out of needles," he said, raising an eyebrow at the human, because it sounded like one of her crazy ideas. If she wasn't budging, then he would stand up, towering over her before he leaned down and scooped her up in his arms as if she was nothing more than a feather. "I gotta get her home ... Nice meeting you Micks, I'll probably see you around, yeah?" He said with a boyish grin before bidding the others goodbye already on the phone with one of his drivers.

[Frankie:] Come see me at the address
[Frankie:] I promise I'll behave
[Frankie sent a picture]

The picture was of her back in the dress she had worn tonight. She was looking out over the city engulfed in the night. She clearly hadn't taken that picture herself.

Frankie was standing on the balcony, a glass of whatever fancy wine she had been handed. She just looked out at the city, just feeling like she was at peace before she heard the sound of her phone taking a picture. Turning around she looked at the human who had a warm smile on his face, and she felt her cheeks get warm. "What are you doing?" she asked, chuckling slightly as she was feeling a bit more sober. She knew what Mickey had said, make Deacon jealous and he would have to show up. But she still wasn't sure about all of it. She wouldn't want him being around someone without her knowing.

"I'm sorry ... I just couldn't help myself; You look really beautiful in this light," he said, putting down the phone on a table inside before joining her on the balcony. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she didn't shy away, so he just saw it as something positive. "Tell me what you are thinking of, or maybe rather who?" he said which surprised the fenix, but she wasn't saying anything just yet. He could understand because why would she trust a stranger?
When Deacon arrived at the address he would be greeted by a man in a suit, taking him up the elevator until they reached the right floor. Once there he was told to head down the hallway until he reached floor 607, which was one of the fancier rooms this hotel had to offer. The door would be unlocked.

She wasn't sure what to reply. Thomaz seemed nice, but he just wasn't Deacon. Then it felt like someone was playing a prank on her, turning around to see the only person she really wanted to see ... But also get as far away from as possible. "Deac? What are you doing here?" She asked a bit confused. She hadn't texted him or anything, so why did he know where she was? "Do you have some sort of tracker on me?" She asked, shaking her head she went for the exit. She was so done, done with everything. But something held her back from leaving, and it wasn't Deacon taking her hand. It was Thomaz.

"Frankie, don't go," he said, trying to be calm, but he knew he had been the cause of this. He pulled Frankie back to him on the balcony before turning his gaze to Deacon. "You can't spend you life avoiding what you love," he whispered, looking from Frankie to Deacon with a somewhat sad expression. "Deac, you love her, right? Maybe even more than you did Eliza?" He asked bluntly, still having his arms around the fenix.

This was stupid, so stupid. Frankie's surprise wasnt expected but it wasnt really deterring Deacon. And her question made him roll his eyes, because it was simply too silly that she wasnt figuring up that they had been set up. He just looked away as Thomaz spoke to him, thinking for a bit before he felt his eyes get wetter but he really couldnt care about that now. Sucking up his pride he just looked up at Frankie. "No, I think I've finally found out what it is that I want," he said, knowing Frankie would understand what he was saying because that had been what had caused them to split in the first place. He just shook his head and shrugged. "Have a good evening," he said with a forced smile as he backed out of the frame and headed for the door. What the hell did Thomaz know anyway? He didnt know shit about Deacon or them, at least if you asked the mythical.

"Deac, please," she whispered, feeling like her whole was falling apart right in front of her eyes. No, he couldn't just leave. "Not without saying it was a lie," she said. She wouldn't accept that he loved her and yet didn't even fight for her.

"No, just let him leave like the coward he is," Thomaz shaking his head at the mythical. To think he had been his friend once was absurd. "Do you see it now, Frankie, he always does this - make a girl fall in love with him and then refuse to fight for what is his," he said, looking at Deacon. If looks could kill, then the mythical had dropped dead right now.
"It was exactly how he treated Eliza! He didn't even object, he just threw in the fucking towel, and let me clean up the mess you leave behind!" He yelled letting go of the fenix to grab on to Deacon by the back of his shirt, turning him around to make him look at her. "Am I going to find her in a bathtub too? Soaking in her own blood because she can't handle the broken heart she has left behind?" He asked, but it wasn't about Frankie so much as it was Eliza. "All you do is break people, use them, chew them and spit them out when you don't feel like putting in the work!"

Deacon was fully ready on leaving but then Thomaz spoke and he stopped for a second. Considering whether to defend himself or not, but seemingly choosing to keep retreating. But then the human mentioned Eliza and Deacon simply froze. He felt the grip and was turned around to look at Frankie, only that he couldnt really, not when Thomaz was speaking about Eliza. The words hit hard and Deacon had to clench his fists to the point where he felt the tightness around the knuckles. "You dont know shit!" he just yelled back, lashing out in the form of a fist towards the human without a second thought. He hadnt known what had happened to Eliza really after the betrothal had ended because his parents had told him to stay away. But he wasnt going to stand here and take Thomaz's shit because it wasnt like he hadnt tried, at least to the best ability of a young boy. "I loved Eliza. And I still do, but not like that anymore," he just said, feeling a few tears press on but he dried them away with the back of his hand. He still couldnt look at Frankie. "But he's right. I am a coward and you deserve better. So what's the point?" he just asked in defeat and threw his hands out like he didnt even know what to do.

The punch? Yeah he had probably deserved it, but he didn't care that his lip broke and he was bleeding slightly. It didn't matter, because no pain mattered any more. He would heal soon enough anyway, go back to how he was. But seeing Eliza back then, how lifeless she had been in that tub, it was a pain he could never forget. "You didn't love her then and you don't love her now," he said, straightening himself out as Deacon let go. "Eliza loved you, she loved you on a level where she thought that without you she couldn't even survive," he said, shaking his head. He didn't buy this insecure guy who just accepted defeat. "You weren't the one to pick up her pieces after you left; No, I did that! And I had to sit awake at night by her bed to make sure she didn't try off herself!" he yelled. He had so much anger and frustration in him, he hated Deacon for what he had done, he hated that the guy hadn't even reached out. "Frankie, trust me you're better without him - He's the scum of the earth and not worth even crying about."

Frankie just saw it all happen, how the mythical swung at the human and hitting him, and yet the human barely flinched. It was like she couldn't really function, not until Deacon asked her in that defeated tone. She stepped away from Thomaz, reaching out to cup Deacon's face. She hadn't even noticed that she was crying. "There's no real point," she said, in almost a whisper as the human stood still, staring at them. "I love you Deacon, and you are not a coward - You're strong and funny, and you take risks and make me feel good," she said, wiping away a few of his tears if he let her. Trying to look him in the eyes, she pulled a trying smile. "I'm fucked up myself, but being with you made me want to try and be a better me, and I - I just wanted you to know that I wasn't just fooling around. That had been her whole point in wanting to be exclusive. She wanted to show that she could change for the better, to make herself happy and that he was making her feel loved enough to trust him.
"I'm not Eliza; I won't harm myself or others if you won't be with me ... But we barely got to be together, and I just really wish I could have a bit more time even if it will end at some point," she argued. She knew better than to take the easy way out. Besides, Mickey would murder her if she tried killing herself. "I don't want you to bring yourself down, because you are worth so much more to me than you could ever imagine."

Thomaz had every right to be angry and yell, but Deacon was not going to stand here and argue about whether he had loved Eliza or not. It wasnt as black and white as Thomaz was putting it to be, even if Deacon wished it had just been like that. He of all should have known the weight that followed coming from a family of wealth and high standing, it was what had allowed Deacon and Eliza to get engaged as young as they did. He felt Frankie's hand on his face and he didnt move away from it.
Her words were so nice and he really wanted to just put it all behind them and give in. But Thomaz had ripped open a wound that Deacon wasnt sure would just close again anytime soon. "Frankie.. I'm not sure I'm in the right headspace to talk to right now," he said, lifting a hand to grab her wrist but rather than just pulling her hand off his face, he caressed her wrist with his thumb. He looked down and sniffled. "I need time, and I dont want you to wait for me," he said. It was probably not that surprising, really. He scoffed and pulled her in, even though it hadnt been his immediate thought to have her closer. "You're still my favorite person. So please come home," he mumbled, trying to not sound as desperate as he felt. But before she could answer, he was already just pulling her closer, burying his face down into her neck as he started crying. Something that he never really allowed himself to do, no matter how hard things had gotten but then again, he was hurting so badly all over it seemed and the alcohol didnt make it better.

Of course he wasn't in the right state of mind, but she just felt like she needed to reassure him. As he lifted his hand, she feared he would remove hers, but instead he seemed to just caress her wrist in almost a soothing way. It didn't take a genius to figure out how upset he was, and she just nodded at his need for time. She would wait until she couldn't and then that was that. What she hadn't expected was him pulling her closer, but she didn't move out of his embrace, rather it felt so good to be close to him again. She hadn't realized just how cold her body had been out here on the balcony, but having Deacon close reminded her.
Come home? A few tears escaped her eyes as he pulled her in, hiding away in her neck as she wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. She hadn't ever really seen him cry, had she? "I'll come home," she whispered, realizing just how hoarse her voice was from all of these emotions. "Everything's alright ... I got you, I got you," she hummed over and over as she tried to console him. She was hurting herself, she was even crying, but she just knew that it was going to be fine eventually. Even if Mickey's plan hadn't worked out as planned, it had given an outcome that Frankie thought was much better. Turning her head, she kissed Deacon's face gently, nuzzling her nose against his messy hair as she was just doing her best to be there for him as he had been there for her so many times.

Gritting his teeth, Thomaz saw how the two seemed to entangle themselves, but he was not going to stand around and look. He still didn't like what Deacon had done to Eliza nor what he seemingly lacked in doing for Frankie, but if the fenix wanted to throw away her life at some lackluster loser like Deacon, then she could do that. He didn't even say goodbye, just left the two in the room, but lucky for them it was already payed for.

Eliza had felt that scary feeling again when she had been dancing with Deacon. She thought she could handle it, but her heart was still too broken to even pretend anything. She had retreated to a more private place, sitting outside on the roof of the bar that wasn't really overpopulated right now. Just looking at her phone, pretending like she was busy, but she was honestly so alone right now. None of the people she really wanted to see had come. Of course she could understand that Gerard and Tessa had other obligations, but that didn't make it hurt less. And then there was Xalvador. That sweet guy who she still felt so lost about.
It was as if thinking of him made his name appear on her screen. Frowning she picked up, holding it to her ear. "Hi, Xal ... I'm up on the roof," she just said, hearing how loud the music was on his end. She shook her head as she tried repeating herself a couple of times, but ultimately she just sent him a text as well as a small description of how to get up where she was. Stirring her drink that was mostly ice at this point she hung up, hoping he would come. If not she was contemplating just jumping off the roof. It wasn't like she wanted to die, she just didn't like being alone, and she always found herself so lonely even when people were around. But Xalvador? He always made her feel more relaxed.

As he greeted her she stood up, feeling her face light up, but he didn't even give her a hug. A little surprised and saddened, she sat down, a light frown on her forehead as she just stared at her drink. She didn't even realize that he had complimented her hair. It was happening again. She blinked
a couple of times, feeling a light tremor run down her back as he started apologizing. "I was heading home anyways," she just said, feeling beside herself as she got up to leave. She just felt like nothing was right anymore, nothing was making any sense. She had missed Xalvador so much, practically talked about him to all her model friends over in Argentina, but he didn't care. Gerard had tried to warn her, he had said that the hybrid wasn't interested, but it was only now she seemed to realize. "There's an open bar so ... Just have some fun," she said, grabbing her small bag before she started to leave.