i'm so in love with you, i just thought that you should know.

Scarlett sat on the coffee table in front of Alexandra, slowly nodding at the others words and actually listening to her."It's awful to meet you in such circumstances but I'm going to help, and so is my partner alright," Scarlett spoke soothingly, low between them as Officer Figueroa searched throughout the apartment without touching anything so not to mess with the evidence. She could see some of the damage very well, broken lamp and random items turned over, cupboards open and some of the foods spilled to the ground. With some luck Scarlett was sure that the criminals would be caught as they weren't very organized nor seemed to have been doing this for long. Many first time robbers made small mistakes that the Police took advantage of- like not wearing gloves or footage of the crime being committed by cameras that went unnoticed."I'm going to call in a team and they'll be scanning over your apartment for anything the others may have left behind, do you have anywhere else you could stay?" She asked, leaning forward and giving Lexi's hand a reassuring squeeze.

---

"I'm infuriated that I have to learn Calculus when I'm majoring in Art, what does the maclaurin series even have to do with photography" Ariel grumbled as he took a seat beside of Eric, two new text books that cost far more than Ariel would like to know sitting in front of them, both Calculus based and complete rubbish to Ariel. He had been in University for no longer than a month and he already felt like he was drowning in work way over his fuzzy head."Maybe I should drop out and go become a Policeman like you" Ariel said which was possibly the worst idea he has ever spoken. He was far to small and no where near as strong as he ought to be to become a policeman, he could barely remember his number sometimes let alone the miranda rights. There was a higher chance of Ariel finishing his English paper than there was of him chasing after a criminal rather than from one. Just last week week he heard a noise in his hallway while he was in bed and had called Eric at the crack of night to come over and search his apartment, turned out it had just been his small hedgehog had escaped his cage.

@ buchanan

Lexi sat down on the sofa or rather what had been left of the thrown pillow cushions, which was another thing she would have had to replace. Her whole entire apartment was a mess, and it would take more than a few hours for her to repair. "Just, please, catch these people. I have always slept with one eye open, locked all my doors, and made sure no one followed me home. I just.. can't understand how those guys got into my apartment. I've always done everything I could to protect myself. Even take those defense classes that only reiterate that pepper spray is the best option.." She explained with a mere sigh as her eyes moved down towards the coffee table for a moment. Looking back up at Officer Flores, Lexi gave a shake of the head, because her parents were over an hour away and her friends all had roommates. "No.. I don't, unfortunately. I'm not sure what to do." She concluded while the officer's attempted to comfort her. Giving a small smile, Lexi just figured that everything would work itself out. Maybe she could just use her savings to rent out a hotel for the night.

--

"Just because you are an art major, it doesn't mean that you're excused from passing Calculus." Eric attempted to reason with his troubled student and gestured to the problem before them. Explaining the problem once more, he felt as though it wasn't getting through to Ariel. At this point, Eric wasn't sure how else to explain the problem but wouldn't give up on his student. "You can't just drop out of college and expect to be a police officer. First off, most police officers are college graduates. Second off, we know that your true passion lies in art instead of police work. Third off, let's get back to this problem so that you can pass this class." Eric assigned the next problem for Ariel to do while he peered over his shoulder to watch for an mistakes. In all honesty, he couldn't imagine Ariel becoming an officer, especially since he was practically scared of his own shadow. He didn't want to be completely rude about it though.

Scarlett couldn't even find it within herself to give Lexi a small smile, the corner of her lips falling as she took in what Lexi was saying. It was one of the worst parts of the job, knowing that sometimes no matter how hard you try things don't always work out. No one was ever too safe, not a young lady with precautions and self defense, not even a cop. "Hey Alexandra, I get it, and I'm sorry this happened to you, no one is ever safe but it's good to hear you've taken precautions" She spoke softly, rubbing both her hands over her knees and letting out a tired sigh from a long day of work. "Well then perhaps a hotel would best suit you, would you prefer me to make the call?" There was just one hotel near by, the rest scattered more than twenty miles away which was a bit of a travel with the traffic going on tonight. Scarlett knew Alexandra could possibly be too shaken up to call up herself, and she was also used to calling in for victims, a small task she did without complaint. Officer Figueroa appeared back in the living room with them, quiet as he spoke over the phone for a unit to come by.

---

Sending a short glare over his shoulder Ariel refrained from sticking his to guess out at Eric and calling him a 'meanie' since of course Ariel was now an adult and adults in college don't do that, at least that's what he tells himself. Instead he turned back to the next problem and tried to work it over, he wasn't complete crap with Math, had a good understanding of it, just didn't enjoy it. "Your first, second, and thirds suck and so does Math" Ariel grumbled under his breath, scribbling the final answer before rolling the mechanical pencil to the edge of the paper, "Let's do something more fun, help me with my portfolio instead, all you got to do is lay around and look pretty" Ariel quipped, a smile tucking into his cheek where a small dimple made its appearance. It wasn't very hard to guess what Ariel loved to do, nor was it hard to guess what he loved to photograph the most. Lots of his projects and works had Eric in them as well as the majority of the Police departments workers but honestly, a large ungodly portion was Eric, from his teenage years to now. Ever since Ariel had a camera in his hands he's had Eric on his film rolls.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

"I understand that.. It's just that I never imagined that this would happen to me. At least I'm safe though, because of you and your team." She cracked a small smile since their arrival had saved her life. Moving onto to the topic of where to stay for the night, Alexandra merely gave a shrug of the shoulders because there didn't seem to be any other choice before proceeding to speak, "If you could, that would be great. Thank you, Officer Flores." Hopefully, the hotel had an open room considering that there was a huge football game tonight. If not, she was definitely in trouble. That was the least of her worries right now though. Just from Scarlett's expression, Lexi could tell that it had been a long day, which was understandable, and she didn't want to take any more of her time. "Long day, huh? I don't want to keep you from your rest." She stated, moving away from the topic at hand. Going from crime scene to crime scene probably wasn't anyone's idea of a perfect day. It took a brave soul to become a police officer.

--

Eric chuckled at Ariel's lack of a comeback, knowing that it was his way of admitting defeat. Their history dated way back to the time when Ariel first started high school and needed a babysitter; he was just starting college and needed the money. Eric practically viewed Ariel as the little brother that he never had and was able to read him like an open book. "Math may suck, but you still need to get a bachelor's degree." He reiterated while gesturing towards a different problem for the youth to try instead. It would be a lie to say that Eric didn't enjoy pushing Ariel around every now and then, but he always had his best intentions in mind. Eric leaned back in the chair slightly with an eyebrow raised to stress his point,"You can photograph me all you want. That math assessment that you have coming up may not be happy about it though." Knowing that Ariel loved photography, Eric was used to having camera shoved his face or whenever he wasn't paying attention.

Scarlett frowned as she took her phone from the pocket of her pants, raising a brow at the lady before her till she shook her head with a soft laugh,"No, no, don't say that, this is my job, I'd rather help people than sleep" Scarlett spoke with a shrug to the end of her sentence. She honestly loved helping people, loved saving them, loved being on the good side even though sometimes some cops took advantage of their status and gave the rest of them a bad name not that Scarlett was to point any fingers."Gimme just a second," She excused herself, moving from the table to the wall as she always felt uncomfortable talking on the phone in front of people, one of her little weird quirks that sometimes made her seem a little strange or like she had something to hide. Calling up the hotel Scarlett spoke softly into the phone, tapping her blunt nails on the wall before frowning and nodding, offering a goodbye before she walked back to Lexi and sat beside her this time,"Bad news, the hotel hasn't got any rooms to spare" Scarlett felt a little heavy in her skin as she told Lexi, knowing that it was best that the woman didn't stay around her apartment for multiple reasons but with no hotel or family members to stay with she would probably have to stay the night at the station."I don't think there's any other options but saying at the Station for the night, I mean" Scarlett shrugs,"If you feel comfortable you could stay at mines tonight and I could bring you to the station tomorrow" she offered, feeling like she just couldn't let Lexi stay at the Station for the night, or multiple nights, the station wasn't even a two star hotel.

---

Ariel rolled his eyes fondly at Eric, he felt that over the years the other hadn't very well loosened up as much as he would have hoped, and he still felt like Eric treated him like a kid, like he was still thirteen and rosy cheeked when in fact Ariel was much older and less rosy cheeked. "You sound like me dad" Ariel grumbled under his breath, ignoring the next problem Eric had pointed out for him to do. He felt like he should have taken up that girl in his Art History class offer and gone out for some coffee, especially now since he knew he was going to be stuck working over Calculus and having Eric subtly refer back to his next assessment. He would rather watch paint dry."Maybe this is enough for today yeah, I've already done the first three pages and none of my work is due till the twenty third"

@ buchanan

Alexandra nodded back to the officer and relaxed back onto the tattered couch while she watched her make the phone call. Tapping her foot against the side of the coffee table, she waited anxiously for the outcome of the request. "And the bad luck continues." She mumbled to herself with a pitiful laugh when Scarlett came back towards her to announce the verdict. Weighing out her options, Lexi only felt as though she would be a nuisance, but the idea of spending time in the police station probably sleeping on a metal bench wasn't so appealing either. "I really do appreciate the offer, but I don't want to impose, Officer Flores. After all your service, you should at least be able to go to sleep at night without having your work follow you home." Alexandra responded, wanting to make it clear that she shouldn't be obligated to take her back to her house. It would be nice to actually get some rest for once though; it would be reassuring to know that there was a police officer nearby. "Honestly, I.. I would love to take your offer." Lexi finally admitted with a sigh as she heard a crash from a few feet away coupled with an apology. Waving it off, she figured that it wasn't worth getting upset over a five dollar lamp that she had bought at a garage sale.

--

"I would prefer an older brother to a father. I'm not that old yet, Ariel." He defended before reaching over to ruffle his hair with a grin. Figuring that there was no point in pushing him further, Eric allowed him to get away with not finishing the next problem. He still had some time to get the work done, but he couldn't procrastinate or accidentally forget about the assignment. "Alright, alright, I'll let you off. Just don't forget to do it." Eric closed the notebook and placed the pencils right on top of it. "I am just giving a piece of advice when I say that deadlines come faster than you can imagine. So, keep track of your time and don't fall behind." He concluded then stood up to stretch his limbs since they had been at it for at least one hour.

"Pfft, you'd be doing Flores a favor if you stay at hers" Officer Figueroa murmurs with a snort, a soft voice to himself that could be heard by the other two by accident. Scarlett sent the other officer a glare behind Alexandra's back, resisting the urge to flipping him the bird while she was at it. It was undeniable that Alexandra was gorgeous, she had the pretty blue eyes and contrasting hair, someone you could pick out from a crowd rather easily. If Scarlett had meet her in any other situation she would have put on her most charming smirk and would have flirted rather straight forward, she didn't like dodging around and avoiding the main points. "Take my offer then, it wouldn't be a problem at all, I have a spare bedroom and unless you snore like a bear then I'm fine you wont be disturbing me" She said trying to make light of the situation. It wouldn't be the first time Scarlett invited or had over someone she worked with or a victim who didn't feel safe anywhere but with a cop, nor did she think it would be her last.

---

Running his slim fingers through the mess that he called his hair Ariel was just glad that he was done with Math for now. He wanted to flop onto his couch and watch 'Prison Break' on Netflix or perhaps 'The Avengers' for the fiftieth time just this year, fall asleep with the sound of his little pet burrowing in its bedding off to the side."You're like six years older than me, I've 'dated' guys nearly twice that" Ariel said with a laugh, unnervingly truthful and always open with Eric even when he probably shouldn't be considering the other was a cop and Ariel was just a year shy from being a legal adult. Getting up from his seat Ariel mimicked Eric's movements, stretching his arms and trying to appear like Eric by pressing up on his tippy toes although he was still a couple of inches below Eric's jaw.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

Glancing over at the officer that made the comment, Lexi furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion and turned her attention back to Officer Flores. It seemed as though it was a harmless joke between the two, so she merely let it slide. "I would hope that I don't snore like a bear. Although, I haven't had any previous roommates complain about my sleeping habits." She pointed out while trying to jog her memory for any contradictions. Luckily, it didn't seem like Scarlett believed that she was obligated to provide a victim with a temporary place to stay. Giving a small nod, Alexandra decided to take the offer before she withdrew it, standing up from her seat. "Okay, thanks. Let me just grab some stuff.. or whatever stuff is let of over, and I'll be all ready." The dark-haired girl flashed her a small then hopped over a pile of glass that had been the remains of a cup she had lying about. She moved into her room and cleared her throat to let the investigators know that she was taking some clothes for the road. With a sigh, she found that most of her wardrobe was on the ground in piles, and Lexi just grabbed whatever she could find. After a few moments, she was ready to go when she stuffed everything inside of a duffel bag. "I'm ready when you are, Officer." She announced with her arms crossed over her chest as she entered back into the living room.

--

"Well, if you give me a list of all those men you dated, I can put them in prison for having a relationship with a minor." Eric stated with a smile since Ariel was way too open with his love life sometimes. Even if he was six years older, Ariel made it seem as though it was more. Eric sometimes felt like a father whenever he was behind on the latest trends or gossip. "Nice try, Ariel, but you're still smaller than I am." He chuckled then turned to sit back down at the table, remembering the times when Ariel used to follow him around wanting to be like him. That was before he realized his true passion for art, and Eric was glad that he had. It seemed like Ariel was the happiest whenever he had his camera in his hand.

"We'll have to wait till the Unit gets here, you'll need to tell them what happened and any other details that could help them"? Scarlett informed her, smiling tiredly. She knew the other may just want to get out of here already, the proof of what happened-of the crime laying by her feet and pressed against the walls but there were procedures they had to go through, things they had to put on record or hold witness too before anything else could happen, and believe her, Scarlett wanted to be home as well, she missed the feel of her bed sheets and some hot food in her belly instead of donuts and junk from the corner bodegas that they had to patrol around. "It'll be fairly quick once the Unit is here, you could file in what has happened at mines and hand it in tomorrow as well" Scarlett stood from the couch and gave Alexandra a short nod before she stepped over to the other officer, speaking to him on the scene and what he could see with just his eyes, their voices hushed but not secretive. The door had been left open when they had first entered and so once the Unit arrived they stepped in guarded, greeting the officers quick with a friendly smile before a lady headed straight to Alexandra and a couple of people started to take pictures and mark the apartment.

---

"I'm pretty sure it isn't against the law to date a minor so don't go all cop, especially if I ever have a guy over" Ariel loves Eric, he really does but he really would prefer the other to not go trying to arrest any of the guys he's interested though Ariel was quite shit at picking guys and always picked the wrong ones his Mother used to tell him to stay away from. He couldn't help it, sometimes it felt nice to be wanted even if it was by someone horribly controlling and demanding like his ex. Ariel had managed to make sure none of them meet Eric, they would probably run for the hills as none of them were remarkable citizens. Getting back to his feet Ariel shrugged,"Yeah, well I still have one more year or so till I stop growing, maybe by then I'll be your height" he jokes, stepping into the small kitchen and opening he fridge, his stomach rumbling obnoxiously as he felt starved the entire day, going form class to class to home and then do work."While I grow, you shrink" he murmured offhandedly to himself, fading from the conversation as he searched for something that could be made quick and easy as that was the best way to eat for him.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

"Yeah, sure. There wasn't really much that I could see or hear because of the shower running, but I'll do my best." She explained since she wasn't really sure how she could help out. All she knew was that both suspects were male, but Alexandra had no clues to give about facial structure or build. Dropping her bag down onto the ground beside the couch, she sat back down and leaned back with a sigh. It was already close to midnight, and all Lexi wanted was to finally get some rest, especially after her longer shift at the restaurant. "Okay, will do then." Alexandra agreed, willing to fully cooperate with the police. As long as they found out who it was or maybe found out where her stuff was taken, she would be a happy camper. Almost dozing off on the couch, she heard new voices in the room and jolted awake to see that the unit had arrived. Alexandra automatically stood up and brushed off her clothes to greet them. "Yes, well what happened was.." She explained the whole situation in as much detail as she could, creating her statement for the police. When she finished up, Lexi gave out a sigh and glanced over at Officer Flores already wanting to leave.

--

Eric glanced over at Ariel knowing that he could figure out some way to incriminate them, considering that he had a particular taste for bad boys, "It is if you engage in sexual activity with a minor." Moving away from the topic, Eric didn't want to go that far into detail about Ariel's love life nor did he want him knowing about his. For the past few years, Eric had been struggling with his sexuality, which was something he hadn't even told his parents. He dated women for most of his life, but, during college, he started to date other men and enjoyed it. No one knew about this though, and Eric wanted to keep it that way. "Yeah, alright, you could tell yourself that. You get your growth spurt and maybe a few more inches, and that's about it, buddy." He responded back while following him into the kitchen, leaning against the doorway. The refrigerator of a college student was usually empty or pitifully scarce. "Why don't we go for something to eat? I'll pay, but you can't keep eating ramen noodles. That stuff isn't good for you."

As the hours ticked down Scarlett's hair got messier and messier, slipping from the bum on the back of her lead to her face and shoulders, tucking behind her ear to be a little presentable but it wasn't like it mattered much. She felt wear for worse and was glad that her shift had ended just a couple of minutes ago so once the unit came and Alexandra gave in her statement they could head on out and Scarlett could drink her much awaited tea and go for a shower. She figured Alexandra would be the same as having something so horrific as a break in happen could easily tear someone down. Finishing up her conversation with one of the other workers and Officer Figueroa, Scarlett turned to Alexandra and tilted her head to the door,"We can go now" she said, having been waiting longingly to say those words. "Are you hungry? We could stop by a drive thru or call in for some food, my fridge is pretty empty" Scarlett said honestly, working so many long hours a day she came home too tired to go food shopping and on her free days she mostly watched movies and ordered in.

---

"You don't really think I'd easily succumb to sexual activities? You taught me better than that" Ariel asked, faking a strained look. Although Ariel had fun dating older men and messing around, he wasn't interested in having sex at the moment and although he seemed like he was completely comfortable with himself an trusting of others he was not. The moment any of the men he was with tried to coerce him into sex, threaten, or force themselves he was out the bloody door. Taking a container of a sliced mango out of the fridge Ariel sent Eric a steady glare,"I'll have you know since we meet I've grown four inches okay," It wasn't much, especially since he had been just five feet when he had first meet Eric, but he was proud of those four inches."An I've ate ramen like twice okay, it's nasty anyways but I'm still taking you up on that offer" Ariel said with a big, cheeky grin on his face, never one to downturn food. He has so desperately missed his fathers home cooked meals and although he had some food in his fridge since his parents were adamant on food shopping for him every week there was nothing better than going out for food.

@ buchanan

Those words were the only ones that she had wanted to hear for hours, giving a nod before quickly following behind the police woman with the duffel bag. It seemed like the rest of the team would be in her apartment for the remainder of the night collecting evidence. Her brain was throbbing from the intense, descriptive questions that the man had asked her about the incident. It was hard remembering just how long the criminals had been inside of her apartment or what exactly they had taken in the act; some of the lines were blurred for the poor victim. "That sounds great, but you have to let me pay. You're giving me a place to sleep for the night. It's the least I could do." She attempted to reason with Scarlett, wanting her to believe there was no excuse not to accept it. Even though she was struggling to pay rent, Lexi could scrounge a few dollars here and there to spend money on one of the people who saved her life tonight. It was only the right thing to do. "Whatever you want, Officer, consider it on me." Lexi reiterated with a reassuring smile on her face.

--

Studying Ariel's face for a moment, he believed the youth and let the whole entire matter slide instead of pursing it further. As long as no man hurt him, that was all that Eric could ask for, because that would merit the guy a punch to the face. Plus, he had taught him all of the defense techniques that could get him out of almost any situation, which provided reassurance. "Congratulations, you have grown four inches." He lightly teased with a grin since his six foot height towered over Ariel's mere five feet four inches. Despite always claiming that he would catch up to Eric, Ariel eventually gave up the dream when junior year came around; he finally realized that the four inches had been his growth spurt. While Ariel was still growing, Eric secretly hoped that he would always have height over him though since it was amusing to tease the boy. "Okay, those mango slices are pretty sad, too. You can't seriously consider that a meal for a boy your age. Maybe that's why you didn't grow taller." He stated with an eyebrow raised since he practically devoured everything in sight when he was seventeen. College cafeteria food was definitely a step up from high school cafeteria food, but it was nothing compared to food form restaurants as well as home-cooked food.

Scarlett lead Alexandra out of her apartment while shaking her head, smiling to herself because she couldn't believe how the other was being so nice when it was Scarlett who would typically be the one offering food and going the extra mile to show kindness. "No it's fine" she said softly. She wouldn't take the other up on the offer, especially not in the situation they were in. Scarlett would feel better if she was the one to pay anyways, it always felt weird when someone would pay for her, unsettling. "I'll pay and maybe if there's next time around then you will" She didn't mean much by it, was something she said commonly actually though she used it as a pick up line more often than not and she never used it during her work hours unless it was towards her partner, Figueroa. Unlocking the cop car she had arrived in Scarlett turned the car on and instantly put the heater on as high as it could go, the cold air of late summer wasn't as soft and warm as she would have hoped it to be. "So, where do you want to go?"

---

"Congratulation you're an ass" Ariel grumbled as he ate another piece of mango, bitter an tart with a distinct snap with each bite and just the way he liked his fruit. As much as Ariel liked to think that he would grow a couple of inches or at least one but he knew better that he wasn't going to grow very much or at all in any point of the future which bugged him more than he would like to admit. "Okay, excuse you, these mangos slices are delicious and you're a bitter old man who spends quite a bit of his time hanging out with a seventeen year old" Opening the fridge Ariel placed the plastic bowl back into the fridge and nudged Eric in the side, feeling the others sturdy stomach and inwardly groaning because Eric is so thick and strong. "Gimme a moment, I need to change" He said before moving to his room, the apartment was small but much larger than any dorm and he lived alone which Ariel loved the most, he wouldn't do well in a place filled with other students. Quickly changing out of his home clothing he pulled on snug white, long sleeve and a pair of skinny jeans. "Where you gonna take me?" Ariel asked as he hopped on one leg, trying to tie his vans on.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

Alexandra wasn't too thrilled when Scarlett denied her the right to pay for their food since this was the only thing she could do to repay her. This was something that she felt like she needed to do. "No, it's not fine. Please, you have to let me do this." She iterated while readjusting the strap of her duffel bag. With a frustrated sigh, Lexi didn't seem to be breaking through to the officer, running her hand through her hair. "Fine, fine, but next time it's on me." She settled while stepping inside of the police car, settling her stuff onto the floor in front of her. Never being inside of a cop car before, luckily, she proceeded to look around at everything with curiosity. Lexi jumped at the sudden voice coming through on the radio to report that other police were doing their rounds. Rubbing her hands together in front of the heater, she gave a shrug of the shoulders since Lexi didn't go out too often because of work. "Wherever is fine. I'm not too picky when it comes to food." She said while looking down at all the various buttons and dials.

--

Eric chuckled at Ariel's bitterness, but he could agree that he was an ass sometimes. That was something that hadn't changed from high school. Well, that and the size of his ego. "Hey, I'm not the bitter one here." He pointed out with a crooked grin while Ariel nudged him with his elbow. It felt more like a light brush than anything. Moving out of Ariel's way, he relaxed in the tiny living room while Ariel went to go change into something else. Looking around the room, Eric still couldn't believe that he had convinced his mother to move out into his own apartment. The woman practically had a death grip around her son, but Ariel somehow convinced her to get him his own place to stay outside of the campus. "I was thinking, like, Burger King or something." He teased, knowing that Ariel hated that place with a burning passion. Pausing for a moment to receive a look, Eric shook his head and proceeded to answer seriously this time,"You can pick. I can take you wherever you want to go." It was the least he could do since it had been a while since the last time they went out together.

"I don't have to let you do pay, nor will I let you" Scarlett said, finished with the 'argument' and it was final that she was going to pay for their food tonight. She simply felt that she should be the one paying, as she had been the one to offer at first anyways. Settling in the seat Scarlett unbuttoned her top to the very bottom and pulled the hem of her tank top from being tucked beneath the hip line of her uniform pants. She always felt constricted in her work clothes, couldn't wait to arrive home and strip it all off and pull on a large shirt, though she knew she would have to wear some bottoms like joggers tonight since she had company and it wouldn't seem right to go about 'half naked'. "I'll take you to Veg and Bake, it's a great place to eat, ever been there?" she asked as she pulled her seat belt on and clapped it securely before checking her mirrors and pulling out of the street the car had been parked at. Scarlett was head over heels for Veg and Bake, ate there as often as she could and was well known by the workers for multiple reasons.

---

Ariel stood straight up and sent Eric a full glare filled with hatred and disdain. He hated burger king, hated all fast food restaurants but burger king was at the very disgusting top, he would not step food in such a restaurant ever again. It was vile. "Ha, ha you fuckface, let's go to Veg and Bake, I want their cinnamon apple latte" Ariel stashed his phone in his pocket and looked himself in the living room mirror, fixing up his hair that he had allowed to grow out farther than usual. Veg and Bake was hands down Ariel's favorite place to eat, it catered to his vegan life style and was delicious, he would work there but his mother would choke him as his parents had enough money to rent him this apartment and much more, he didn't need to do a thing but stay in school and stay alive. His mother wanted him not a mile away but he didn't want to travel far for school, and the building he lived in now is perfect for him, ten minutes to school, his mom said yes only because Eric lived close and the police station was just right around the corner. "Let's go, let's go, I'm gonna die"

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

Glancing over at the Officer, Lexi caught her just in time to view her unbuttoning her uniform, giving her access to something pleasant. She silently scolded herself for even looking at her inappropriately and immediately looked outside of the window while putting on her seat belt. Clearly, the view beside her was better but it wasn't right to do. "Veg and Bake? I haven't heard of it before, but I'm always up to try something new." Alexandra replied back with a small smile, anticipating what the food would be like. It was obvious from the name of the restaurant that it was going to be vegan, and Lexi was fully prepared to ditch meat in her dinner. Summoning the courage to look back over at Scarlett, she reminded herself to look at her face instead of elsewhere. "So, are you vegan, or is this just an awesome place you like going to on occasion?" She questioned, hoping that it wasn't offensive. Sometimes, Lexi wasn't the best at expressing herself through words. It even got her in trouble at some points when it came to previous relationships and jobs.

--

Eric broke out into a fit of laughter once more at Ariel's response, just knowing that he was getting on his nerves. "Now, now, that's no way to talk to someone who is paying for your dinner." He pointed out while fishing into his pocket to produce the keys to his car. Giving a nod of consent, Eric moved out of the apartment then down the stairs towards his car in the parking garage. It had been a while since he had been to Veg and Bake; Eric only went whenever Ariel requested it. His fellow coworkers would definitely make fun of him if they saw him at the local vegan restaurant, especially Figueroa. Figueroa was a douchebag to say the least. They would say that men ate meat instead of petty things like broccoli. Unlocking the car, he slid into the driver's seat then put on his seat belt, glancing over to check that Ariel had his on. Eric was pretty strict when it came to her who was able to sit in his car and the rules that he had. Seat belts were mandatory, unless the person wanted to walk.

Scarlett loved taking people to Vag and Bake,e specially new people since it was honestly a really good place to eat. Many people thought Vegans just ate tofu and other bland foods but in reality Vegan friendly foods were the best and packed with many different spices that helped boost the flavor. She hoped that Alexandra would enjoy the food, if not she would just take her someone else though. "Wasn't a Vegan when I first started going there but over time I started to cut out meat and other foods and became a Vegan so a bit of both honestly," Scarlett answered the question. She didn't feel offended or attacked, she actually felt glad that Alexandra asked, it lead for a nice short conversation and she liked the others curiosity. "If you don't find anything you like there's a pizzeria just around the corner I could take you too, just putting that out there, I know not all people want to 'eat like rabbits' as they say" She would have done that air quotation marks but her hands were wrapped tight around the wheel as she drove down the street.

---

"Ariel could stay mad at Eric but with the other laughing it was quite hard and best that he didn't, wouldn't work out anyways. He rarely got mad enough at Eric that he would ignore or blow off on him. Eric had to be his most favorite person ever hands down. Locking up one they left the apartment Ariel double checked to make sure the door was locked and that he had his items before he followed after Eric, behind a couple of steps as his legs weren't long enough to keep up with the other. Getting into the car Ariel automatically pulled his seat belt on as if it was nature to him, after four years doing things with Eric had been engraved into his mind, rarely has he ever forgotten what to do around Eric and when he has he would give an apology and fix it."You know the longer you stall here not driving me, the quicker I'm dying, do you really want to be pinned for the murder of a young boy? Do you?" Ariel asked, reaching over and managing to grab just where Eric's nipple was through his top with the childish grin he nearly always had on.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ buchanan

"That's pretty awesome. Maybe you could convert me, especially since I have high cholesterol." She light joked even though it was true. The doctor always droned on about how she needed to cut out more red meats and other products from her diet. It was too appetizing to actually let go of though; she tried to do anything that she could to get rid of them, but it wasn't working. "Rabbits are adorable though, so I'm not really sure how that could be considered a bad thing." Lexi mused while running her hand through the tangled mess called her hair. Holding back a yawn, she turned her head to view the scenery outside of the window. The lights blurred as they quickly moved past the other restaurants and stores. She was excited to see what this restaurant would have to offer since she had never been to a vegan one. Hopefully, she could be able to find something that she liked. Alexandra could see that the place was near and dear to Scarlett's heart as well.

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Eric winced when Ariel grabbed a hold of his nipple, giving a frown over in his direction. It really annoyed him whenever he did that, exploiting one of his few weakness that couldn't be helped. "Hands off of the driver, otherwise this car isn't going to move." He lightly warned while placing a hand over his wrist to remove it from his person. With that matter dealt with, Eric turned on the engine then backed out of the parking space to head over to Veg and Bake. Hopefully, the restaurant wouldn't be crowded like it had been the last time they went. Parking over in that area was horrible since it was restricted to just the street, not to mention the parking meters. "I bet you're already thinking about what you want to eat." He commented while glanced over at Ariel when he decelerated to a stop in front of a red light.

"Maybe I can, it's always good to convert people for a good cause" Scarlett bit her lip, slowly turning into the parking lot of the dinner like restaurant. She hasn't ever turned or attempted to change anyone's eating habits, even Figueroa's and god knows that man eats junk twenty four seven, but it would be nice if Alexandra's would change, especially with a health risk. Parking at the closest spot possible Scarlett turned off the car and grabbed her wallet from one of the compartments."Yeah, rabbit's are quite adorable, would love to have two or three, let them eat the dinner off my plate when I'm too full" She joked while opening the door and stepping out into the chill air, it wasn't as hot as the early morning but there was still enough of a breeze to cause an abrupt shudder. "Would you like to take it to mine, or are you awake enough to eat inside?" Scarlett asked as she walked around the car and placed her hand gently on the back of Alexandra's back,"Need to know for the parking meters"

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"Bet you wouldn't say that if I was a busty blonde" Ariel complained, pouting his lips as he tucked his hands between his thighs to keep them warm. "Or are you into petite red heads huh? When was the last time you even dated, all you do is work" Ariel started to picket, always having wondered who Eric would be into possibly. It's not like he had been introduced to any, if there were any, of Eric's past girlfriend or anyone. Sure he had spent the last four years of his life seeing Eric nearly everyday but they were always home and the few times they went out Ariel only meet a couple of police men and woman but never who Ariel could assume were lovers."And of course I am, I already know what I want to eat and drink," Ariel was as devoted to food as Eric was to his job, food was the first thing on his mind in the mornings. "Are you single? My cousin, Camilla, is single and she thinks you're cute" Camilla was gorgeous and just the same age as Eric, often coming for a visit and had meet Eric countless of times over the past four years.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX