Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

‎(insert yap about the club party or whatever and how cable got dragged here by iTapeworm and nate and insert stupid reason wht mafioso is there leave this up to your imagination okay the point is they're at a party at a club or something except theres romantic music blasting or some shit, why? because i cannot thnik of another scenario ok sorry)
‎
‎The party was quite boring so far to say the least, all Caleb could do was sit at the bar, watch iTrapped and Ellernate dance in the sea of strangers and occasionally ordering some honey wine to drink.. He wanted to dance with someone too, just like how iTrapped and Ellernate are dancing together so gracefully—but he sadly couldn't, he had no one to dance with afterall...
‎
‎Caleb was lost in his own thoughts, fantasizing about being able to finally dance with someone someday, until...

‎[?] > "Caleb! I didn't think you would actually come! Guess iTrap and Nate succeeded in convincing ya eh?"

He didn't even had to turn around to know who it was, that voice definitely belonged to iBurning.. And if iBurning's here... That would mean Minish is also here—which to Caleb's credits, he was proven right as he turned his head around—his gaze landing on Minish giggling and whispering to iBurning as the other giggles back..
‎
‎Caleb couldn't stop himself as he grumbled something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like "Ah... Of course, what a great day to be the one single person in the damned friend group!", it was just barely above a whisper, not loud enough for anyone to hear over the music anyways.
‎
‎As Caleb glanced at iBurning's direction again, and she was already off to the dance floor with Minish.. Right, it's just Caleb at the bar alone, again. He decided not to bother watching those couples dance together, it would only serve to make him more envious of them anyways...
‎
‎So what better way was there to distract himself? Drinking! Drink 'em problems and envies away! So, he turned around to the bartender and ordered another glass of honey wine—his usual drink of choice, and his favorite alcoholic drink too..

Glass after glass, Caleb flushed them down his throat, sip after sip... The bitterness starts to taste sweet, disgustingly so.. Each movement of his throat drags him down under even more.. He was still mostly sober—well his speech is a bit slurred and his movements coordination is a little messed up, not like it mattered much anyways...  ' It's not like I'll be dancing with anyone anyways... I'm fucking single. What does it matter if I get hammered..? ' Caleb thought, reminding himself of the fact that he doesn't have a partner—it was the harsh truth afterall, whether he liked it or not...

Caleb wanted to blame someone, anyone at all, for the fact that he doesn't have a significant other even though he's already 31 years of age—but he knew that he had no one to blame other than himself. Afterall, it's not like nobody liked him, he had multiple people confess to him after Scripter had died, but he rejected them all, feeling that he doesn't really have feelings for any of them...

Wait... Had he ever had feelings for anyone other than Scripter..? It's only now that Caleb had realized, he had shut himself off ever since the day Scripter died, he'd built a wall around himself without even quite realizing it... Oh Scripter... No matter how much Caleb tried to convince himself that Scripter's death wasn't his fault, he couldn't dodge the feeling of guilt... And regret.. If he had fixed things himself, would Scripter still be alive..? If he hadn't just left, would he still be able to see Scripter's bright smile in person right now..? If he had took action... Would Scripter be dancing with him right now..?

Before Caleb had even realized, a tear had rolled down his cheeks... Did he just... Cry..? He stared at the sleeve of his jacket where the tear had fallen, staining the white fabric.. He took a deep breath and silently wiped his tear off with the back of his hand, putting on his usual poker face—acting as if nothing had happened, as if he's denying the fact that he hadn't moved on from Scripter's death yet...

He let out a humorless laugh as he tried to convince himself that he had gotten over Scripter's death, even though deep down he knows he hadn't... He's practically lying to himself, it's had been his way of coping with Scripter's death for a while now... He couldn't bring himself to face the truth, so he chose to order yet another glass of wine, he had already lost count how much he had drank at this point..

Caleb thought that maybe if he got drunk enough, he could find escape from reality.. Maybe if he drank just a bit more, he'll forget about everything, leaving his sorrow behind... Even if it's just a temporary escape, it's still better than nothing.. Isn't it..?

"At least I'll be free from my own emotions for a bit.." Caleb muttered to himself under his breath, sipping away his honey wine slowly, the bitterness hitting his tongue...

Chapter Text

Caleb might've drank way much more than the moderate amount of wine, wait, how much is the moderate amount of wine again..? He couldn't even remember that at this point.. His vision was blurry, he felt like he was seeing everything through a curtain of fog.. As he tried to move his hand, it felt light yet uncoordinated, out of sync with his brain, every movement of his felt delayed...

He felt lightweight as he rested his head on the bar counter which suddenly felt soft and plush—it felt so comforting, the music softened around the edge as everything started to fade into the background, blending together with the overlapping voices of people talking, making a soup of noise—it felt cozy, Caleb felt like he was laying on his plush bed instead of being at a party, he could've swore he felt his eyelids flutter shut for a bit..

As he forced his eyes open again, his vision was still blurry, but his gaze immediately landing on a robloxian Caleb had never seen before walking past the bar—clad in black, they wore a sleek waistcoat that hugged their figure alongside their silky looking dress shirt.. Those black slacks adorns their long, slender legs... The sound of their matte cap shoe clicking against the floor that somehow cut through the soup of noises in Caleb's mind... Their black fedora that sat on top of their silky looking black hair which frames their face so perfectly... A black long coat draped across their shoulders, oh.. Is that a rose on their fedora..? ' Hm... The color and redness of their rose contrasts their monotone fit, yet it suits them so nicely... ' Caleb thought to himself, if he wasn't so drunk, maybe he would've approached the stranger to compliment their fit..

And then.. The stranger turned on their heels, giving Caleb a glimpse of their face, causing Caleb's heart to skip a beat, even through the fog of his drunken state, he could see the stranger's face rather clearly... Their yellow skin looked so soft, the way those jet black side fringe contrast their skin—they looked ethereal...

Was it just the alcohol making them look so good..? Oh... And that silly looking smile they had on their face... Caleb's cheek suddenly felt warmer, and for a brief moment, it was as if he had forgotten how to breathe, it felt like his throat had just shut close.. This feeling was oddly familiar, he swore he'd experienced it before, but.. Where? When?

Oh.. Right, it felt like when Caleb had just first met Scripter.. Suddenly, realization hit Caleb like a truck, wait a moment, is he falling in love with someone again..? ' Nah.. It couldn't be... It must just be the alcohol.. I must've drank too much... ' Caleb tried to convince himself.. But was it really just as simple as just the alcohol..? Or did he actually fell in love with someone after all those years of shutting himself off emotionally..?

And once again, Caleb was lost in his own thoughts, only to be snapped out of it when he thought the stranger had just locked eye with him... It was just for a brief moment, but he could've swore he'd locked eyes.. Or was it just his mind making up things again..? Eventually, Caleb just brushed it off as a side effect of him drinking too much alcohol..

As he stared at nothing in particular, just zoning out into his own thoughts again, he didn't realize the fact that the stranger was approaching him, inching closer by the second.. He only noticed when the stranger was around 30 feet away from him... Caleb didn't turn his head, but his pupil snapped to the stranger's direction..

He wasn't sure if this was still his mind making up things or was the stranger actually walking towards him..? Or was the stranger walking towards somebody else..? It must be the latter, right? No way in hell Caleb had caught the stranger's attention, all Caleb had been doing was just staring and losing himself in his own thoughts... But as the stranger get closer, Caleb realizes.. This was no longer just his mind making up things, no.. This is real.. And there's no one else near Caleb that the stranger could be approaching... They clearly aren't heading for the bar either...

Oh god, now Caleb is panicking, his mind filled with questions and scenarios, what could the stranger possibly be approaching him for..? Was he too obvious with his staring..? Did he do something wrong..? Did the stranger notice that he had been staring at them..? Is he going to be beat up by the stranger..? Before long, Caleb was lost in his own sea of thoughts yet again, but this time not for long as the stranger's soft yet deep voice cut through his thoughts..

[?] > "Hello there.."

Those two words were enough to make Caleb's brain short circuit as he panics even more—although he did a good job hiding the fact that he's panicking... ' Oh great heavens.. They just talked to me.. Oh Telamon.. What do I do? What do I say..? Why'd they talk to me..? But he sounds so cute... No no no.. Wait I shouldn't be thinking about that... Right.. Right.. Just say hi back... Wait.. What if my speech is so slurred that it's incoherent-? What if nothing comes out at all- Whatever.. It's worth the shot... ' Caleb talked to himself in his mind, he gulped and inhaled through his nose, praying for the best and that his speech won't be too slurred..

[C] > "Hi..."

Chapter Text

As Mafioso talked to Caleb, he questioned himself.. Why did he talk to Caleb..? He didn't even knew them, not even their name or who they are, so why was his body seemingly moving by itself? Or was he just following his heart? He wasn't sure.. But now that the robloxian had said 'hi' back to him, he needed to think of something to say back—yet he couldn't think of anything, his mind just went blank, as if his sociable side had just ran away—his mind raced with thoughts, except there was none. The silence was awkward, and now Mafioso felt like he might as well as be better off if the ground had just opened up and swallowed him whole now.

[?] > "You look like you're drunk out of your mind,"

The words slipped out before Mafioso could even think twice, he didn't meant to say that at all, but he did. And damn him it came off sounding quite offensive, he mentally slapped himself as he panicked slightly attempting to say after that, he didn't want to make an enemy or get into a fight tonight—not that he couldn't fight or not afford to make an enemy, he just didn't want to ruin tonight, he wanted to enjoy it since he barely gets to attend parties after all due to his busy schedule..

[?] > "...Ahem."

Mafioso paused, thinking about what to say next as he tilted his head, hiss black eyes which were hidden beneath those intricate laces scanned the ivory-skinned robloxian's appearance thoroughly.

Caleb felt like he was being examined as if he was an item who's being judged for it's worth, and needless to say, he didn't liked the feeling. He was never the one who liked public spotlight or attention, he hated the feeling of being watched, he despised it, it made him feel like every movement and every action of his is being judged—as if every single tiny mistake he makes is scrutinized and used as a way to embarrass him.

That feeling made him feel like everything he do has to be perfect, that he has to live up to everybody's expectation of him, even if it didn't make sense or is unrealistic, which stresses him out a lot, and more often than not, gives him panic attack.. Caleb's mind was about to go into panic as he felt Mafioso's sharp gaze on him, but before his mind could spiral into another panic attack, the stranger spoke again.

[?] > "Um... Care for a dance..?"

Mafioso felt like he wanted to just oof himself at this point, he shut his eyes shut tight, ' REALLY?! Out of everything I could've said why'd I say that?! What a great way to 'save' your ass! You just told them they looked drunk out of their mind and now you asked them if they want to dance?! ' he practically screamed to himself in his mind, he's half expecting the robloxian to either look at him with a weirded out look, or maybe, just maybe, he hoped the robloxian was indeed drunk out of their mind and didn't hear him say that.

On the other hand, Caleb, was just confused as he stared up at the stranger, vision still slightly foggy, did he hear that right..? Did the stranger just asked to dance with him..? Surely he must've misheard right?

' Damn did they sounded cute when they stumbled over with that little 'um'... They sounded like they weren't sure whether they should say it out or if they should just walk away.. ' Caleb thought, his thoughts are getting off track, again. ' Wait.. No no... Focus Caleb, focus... Darnit.. '

But one thing Caleb had noticed as he thought about how cute the stranger sounded was that his heart rate is seemingly increasing, it definitely is increasing—he could feel his heartbeat fluttering clearly, and his chest felt tight.. Why? Why was his body reacting this way? Why was his heart rate picking up speed? Caleb's mind could've gone rambling questions at itself for another hour if he wanted to, but he had to focus on what's happening now first.. And since he didn't want to make himself look like a fool if he had just misheard things, he decided to ask the stranger first, just to make sure.

[C] > "Pardon..? Did you just ask me if I'd.. Care for a dance..?"

That, had caused Mafioso to snap open his eyes—well, not that the Caleb could see it happen anyways, Mafioso's eyes were hidden behind those black laces he wears on his face anyways... ' FUCK!  Of course he heard it! Great... I don't think I can lie my way out of this... Fuck... I'll just have to keep a calm face and play along then...' Those were the thoughts in Mafioso's mind as he took a silent inhale, still cursing to himself about how bad he'd screw up this time, but he kept himself calm on the outside.

[?] > "...Yes.. I did... So would you dance with me..?"

Well now Caleb would be lying if he said he's definitely not falling in love with the stranger, he definitely is. And he's falling hard too. He felt his cheeks getting warm again, but this time he was certain it wasn't the alcohol.. It was thanks to this attractive stranger... And in that moment, he asked himself, would this be him cheating on Scripter..? Well, Scripter may be dead, but Caleb had swore to be loyal to Scripter for his lifetime... As much as Caleb wanted to just say yes immediately, he couldn't just leave Scripter in the past, could he? So he hesitated as he thought back about the memories he's had with Scripter... Then he remembered—Scripter had told him multiple time, if they were to die someday and leave this earth early, they want Caleb to not dwell on their death for too long, they want Caleb to move on and be happy... And they don't want Caleb to remain alone for the rest of his life, Scripter had told Caleb multiple time that as much as it hurts them to say, they want Caleb to find a new partner if they were to ever die...

So surely, this is what Scripter would've wanted right..? For Caleb to be happy..? Caleb felt conflicted, a part of him still doesn't want to move on from Scripter, stills want to cling onto his dead partner, yet the other part of him knows that he'd be better off if he moved on, it would only hurt him more if he kept clinging onto someone who's already dead anyways... It would only hurt him more if he chose not to move on and keep grieving over Scripter's death, it would only hurt him more if he kept blaming himself for Scripter's death.. 

[C] > "...Sure... And oh, I don't think I've gotten your name yet? I'm Caleb by the way.."

Mafioso could tell the hint of hesitation in Caleb's voice, and although just a bit, there was also a hint of.. Sorrow..? As much as Mafioso was tempted to ask about it, he knew it'd be better not to. He barely knew Caleb—so it's probably not the brightest idea to overstep their boundaries.

[M] > "Right... I'm Mafioso... Um... Nice to know you, Caleb.."