I got the bribe, you got the hugs

Date · start of April
Time · 9 pm
Place · Mono’s residence, moonlight falls king quarters
Weather · a drizzle and grey skies.

It wasn’t like Mono and Evelina wasn’t friends and couldn’t be alone without Cecilia being there. But it rarely happened, actually she couldn’t remember when they had last just been them without anyone else. There had been the dinner with Cecilia and Lucas, where they had made dessert together but again, they were doing something where they were meeting up with their mutual friend. So now she had gotten the idea that she would surprise him with something nice, okay so she had her selfish reasons. After Cecilia had found love again with Lucas, one of her friends had died so she wanted to help the family. So, Evelina had started getting the feeling that she was intruding with her own problems. She knew that her best friend always had time for her, but one thing was Cecilia wanting to have time for her, and not really having it.

Evelina took a deep breath and closed the car door after grabbing the bags filled with Chinese food, snacks and wine. She found the right floor and got in, when she finally got to the right apartment she started knocking “Hey Mono! Let me in, I’ve bribe with me, and I need a hug” she laughed and finally stooped hammering small hand against the door. Her tongue licked her lips, please be home, please be home. Maybe she should have texted or called him. Oh well, if he wasn’t there, she could always just wait out front of his door, there was food enough to keep her company.

Outfit + looks + pet

Not expecting any visitors today, he sat on the couch, his cat on his lap, purring by the attention he gave him, by the soft cuddling. His eyes were glued to the screen, watching a horror movie, as the killer was just about to stab the poor protagonist, it knocked on his door. In pure terror, he let out a weak yelp, almost dropping the cat, who did not appreciate its human´s weird behavior. In annoyance, he jumped down from Mono´s lap, just in time for Mono to get up as well. By now the human had heard the familiar voice of Eve, making his heart slowly calm down again.
“God damnit Eve,” he mumbled to himself with a chuckle.
Eve did not wait for more than seconds, before the door was opened in front of her, a smiling Mono standing behind it.
“The bribe better be good, I thought you were a serial killer,” he told her and stepped aside to let her in. She would quickly get the hint by what he meant, when she would hear the classic horror scream come from the TV. “and what was it more? You needed a huuuuuug?”
Barely letting her get inside, he placed her arms around her in a bear hug, before taking a step back. “Make yourself at home! You want anything to drink?” while asking this he was slowly making his way into the kitchen.

The smile widened even more, as he opened the door and told her the bribe better be good. “It’s me in the person, that should be more than bribe enough, shouldn’t it?” he was watching horror? Score! She had always been the biggest sucker for those movies, which wasn’t that great having to underage kids running around at home. She really needed to see something else, then a movie that started with a lamp jumping on a capitalised I.
She folded her arms around him with all the bags in her hand, and for just a moment she let herself indulge in the warm embrace from Mono. After her meeting Dino, she could feel how this calmness she always had around her was just getting more intensified than normal.
“I’ve got wine, Chinese food, B&B, and Snacks – but if you have something else to offer, I will never say no” She laughed, closing the door and walked into the kitchen after him to put the bags on the counter, she saw how cat came towards her. “Aw, hey Ramsey – how are you today my beaut?” she asked and kneeled down to start stroking her.

The fact that she was here was bribe enough. It was only once again Eve there would be able to say things like that and get away with it. He lovingly chuckled and shook his head.
as she described everything, she had with her, he decided that they didn´t need anything from the kitchen, expect maybe glasses for the wine.
“Okay, I´m get some wine glasses then,” He said. But just before that, he went into the bedroom to get his favorite dark blue robe on.
Meanwhile, Ramsay, the spoiled cat, tip toed his way over to Eve, while he loudly complained about Mono dropping him. He curled himself around her legs, snuggling his face up against them, while continuing complaining.
“Give her some space Ramsay,” Mono said with a chuckle, having two wine glasses in each hand. Here he sat down on the couch and placed them on the coffee table. “So Eve, what do I owe the pleasure?” Eagerly he started to grab some of the Chinese food. It was his favorite! “Not to mention why you brought my favorite food… do you have some bad news to tell me?” with a smirk, he looked over at her and tilted his head.

”Who’s the best kitty ever?” she mumbled, and started stroking the already purring cat, it had so much personality so how could you not love it? She looked up as he came out again now with a robe around him, “Aw, taking away my show? What else am I going to watch when you a wearing that?” she teased with sparkling eyes, well it was still a running joke that she had called him a Greek statue to Cecilia first time she had met him. They would never let her that down, well how could they blame her? Anyone with eyes could see he was a looker.
But what matters what was underneath, and with that she was even more confused. For her it was more a matter of principle, this was her best friend, but before that it had been her new friend’s best friend. That wasn’t something you went after. Just made a bloody mess of things.

“What! How could you even suggest that?” she laughed and walked over to coffee table and sat down beside him, taken her own box with Chinese and some chopsticks.
“I just wanted to see my good friend, is that such a weird thing?” she bit her lips and put some food in her mouth. Okay that wasn’t really correct “okay, so, maybe I needed some advice” she mumbled, and started pouring some wine in both glasses and gave him one. “So, my ex wants to try again” she mumbled, already knowing what he would say.

Ramsay purred by Eve calling him the best kitty ever. He well knew he was that. He was such a spoiled cat with a big personality.
her complain about him putting on a robe, made him chuckle, as he teasingly opened it again, as if he was about to do a striptease. Quickly he stopped and shook his head.
“Awh, don´t worry, I can do this instead, then you can look at that,” he said and leaned over to grab his headband. Here he styled his hair in the fluffy fashion with pushing the headband back, so reminded of a hobo on the run. “There! Better?” he spread his arms out in a TADA. Both Eve and Cece always made fun of him when he styled his hair in that fashion. Even calling him a lazy bun.

Juuuuust as suspected, she had something to discuss with him, or rather something to tell him. And to Mono that wasn´t pleasing news. He raised an eyebrow and quickly pointed his fork at her.
“Nah ah Eve, you are way to good for that asshole and you know that!”
It was no secret who Eve´s ex was. No way she was giving that man another chance. “Give him what he deserves. And that is a stone cold: Fuck off asshole.”

She started laughing and shook her head “Well, you still look very handsome, a bum but a handsome bum” she confessed and started eating some of the food, as she waited for him to tell her that she just leave her ex hanging. She knew that would be the best course of action. But they had so much history and she couldn’t just dismiss that, could she?
A weak smile formed on her lips as he told her that she should tell him to fuck off.

She took a big sip from her wine and made a small annoying sound from her mouth “I know” she started and kept eating a little more before explaining why she was still thinking about it “it’s just, why not? He was the love of my life, we have two children together, and... it’s not like anyone else wants me” she tried to push the memory down of Dion and her together in bed. So, it wasn’t true, some people did want to be with her, but that had been one guy. And then a small summer fling with Daisy just after she had split from Garret.
But then? Nothing, no one wanted a mother of two, work alcoholic that also ate and drank way to. much. She sighed and put her feet under Mono’s thighs as she kept eating.

A handsome bum. He took that as a compliment. But not without a little laughter.
“Why thank you!” he said and chuckled.

It was clear to him as daylight that Eve was unsure of what to do. He sighed and looked at her softly. The second she placed her feet under his thighs, he chuckled and leaned back, slurping noodles down. “He was the love of your life… but he is a jerk and there are people wanting you Eve!” His intense blue eye looked into hers. “You are beautiful, funny, clever and you´re an amazing mother!” He pointed at her with his fork. “So, don´t you dare talk bad about my best friend and don´t you dare get that douche back back into your life.”
As a loud scream came from the TV screen, he jumped up, laughed lowly, and placed the noodles back on the coffee table. “It will all be okay Eve… and remember, you always have me and Cece.”
softly he caressed her knees and quickly removed his hand again.

Small wrinkles started appearing on her nose, as he kept showering her with sweet words. She was like that cat meme, that would look away shyly asking people to stop complimenting it. Then slowly look back and ask for more. It wasn’t often that she got told so many things about her, and it wasn’t because she really wanted them, well that was a lie. Who wouldn’t want to get a lot of compliments? She started laughing as he said that she wasn’t allowed to talk bad about his best friend. “Right sorry!” she put her hands up defending herself, but the smile on her lips was a clear indication that she appreciated it.
She started laughing when he jumped because of the scream from the tv. “I swear for a hunter that hunts monsters for a living, always jumping when someone is screaming, doesn’t really sell this badass image your supposed to have” she said with a snicker and shook her head.
She sighed as he told her that she would always have him and Ce. That was true, but Ce was stretched thin. She didn’t even have the quality time she deserved with Lucas. She might not like the idea on how he had left and might not have been the nicest person when they had meet for dinner. But she wasn’t so cold hearted that she didn’t understand why Cecilia wanted him back and give him a second chance. As long as he made Cecilia happy, then Lucas was good enough in her book.
“Maybe I’m also just a mess, I did something that I have never done before” she mumbled and drank some more wine and looked back at him. Took a deep breath “So, I went to a party… and ended up in bed with a stranger, and after – I ran out while he was getting me water” she took a pillow and placed in front of her head and pressed down “I’m so mortified Mono!” she half laughed.

Almost in saying, really, without even saying a word, he looked at her, one eyebrow high raised and head tilted. “Excuse me, my badass image, has nothing to do with me jumping by a horror movie´s scream… I am still a badass hunter.” With that last statement, he swallowed up a noodle, to then smile satisfied at his own belief. He snickered and smiled softly at her. Petting Ramsey´s head as he jumped up in his lap.
From talking about an ex, to Eve now telling him what she had been doing at a party. Something he had never expected from eve!
Not the whole being with a stranger thing, but more to the fact that she ran away again!
He chuckled softly and padded her back softly.
“Awh, Dear Eve, was he that bad that you had to run away from him?” he lowly and teasingly asked. “come on Eve, having one-night stands is perfectly normal… the whole running away thing though… that is new!” He could not help by laughing a bit by the thought of the guy just standing there… all confused on where Eve had disappeared to.

“To be fair I’ve never seen you in action, so rightfully I wouldn’t know you were a badass hunter, based on what I know” she laughed, and hit him back only to bit thrown under the buss by something she had told him herself. Aw, dear Eve, was he that bad you had to run away from him?. She huffed and flipped him off before she a little aggressively pulled her glass towards her and took a couple of sips before putting it down on the table again.
“Well! It wasn’t like I was thinking!” she started out pulling a slight annoyed face, before she turned into a fit of laughter “Alright, running away might not have been the best idea” she mumbled and took a deep breath. This felt nice, just sitting there and talking about stuff like normal people. No policework, no newly teleported archangel or other insane things that had happened over such a small period of time. She felt bad for Cecilia always having everything thrown against her, expecting her to withstand the pure force of a hurricane against her small body. But just like reed she just bended in the storming wind and stood up proud again with the worst was done.
“I just, he had this power over him, where I almost couldn’t control myself, which was – so weird” she said with a slight huff and started eating herself.

Curiously he listened to what she had to tell about her little party adventure. He must have been one hell of a guy if he was able to make Evelina lose control.
“I could imagine… It´s weird when some people just have this… this sort of power, as if you do not care about time or place, there is only the two of you,” he said while having the tip of the glass resting against his lips. He suddenly realized his words, which made him chuckle awkwardly and shrug, placing the glass back on the table. “Or so I heard. So uhm… are you going to see him again? Or was he a onetime thing?”
without any judgement to find in his eyes, he gazed at her, waiting curiously for her answer. That was if she had an answer of if she was still not sure of what to do.

She nodded slowly it was weird. But it wasn’t that what everyone was searching for? That one person that when they looked in your eyes you forgot everything thing that was around. She had thought she had that with Garret, she knew she had felt it with Daisy. But with Dion, she took in a deep breath as she let her mind wander back to the night everything had happened.
“Well, its only beautiful if it happens naturally and not something that is manufactured by a power” she said with a sad smile, because she couldn’t even get herself to believe that it had all been because of him inducing happiness, lust or the feeling of falling in love.
She looked up as he asked if it was a one-time thing and she slowly nodded “Oh, ehm” she said with a slight hesitation being a little thrown off by his question because she didn’t want to, but some place her mind or heart, or something third told her it wouldn’t be the last time she saw Dion. “His kind of a hard man to get ahold off, or I imagine he is, always at the next party or mostly likely throwing the next party, so no, just a one-time thing for sure” she said with a smile and put her box with food down after she had emptied it and grabbed the next box and opened it up. “Kung Pao Chicken get in my belly” she laughed and started eating after a while she looked up “besides, I don’t have time with trying to figure out what the hell to do with my ex-husband, being there for you and Cecilia when you eventually fuck something up and need moral support” she said with a slight sarcastic smile and winked at Mono.

It was only beautiful if it happened naturally. To that, he couldn´t agree more. To force love upon someone was just not natural. He saw her sad smile and tilted his head. to comfort her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled lovingly at her. after a few seconds, he removed the hand and now listened as he talked about the Cassanova, clearly not sure in her mind where she had him and where he stood.
"Oh... is he a player?" he bluntly asked. If he was, then Mono´s advice would defiantly be to stay away, even though players could be intriguing people. "I mean... if he is... I would already advise you to be careful."
Her Kung pao chicken comment, made him laugh and just like her, took a bite of his own food. it was after all his favorite kind. The next comment made him laugh even laughter. "Awh come on, you can´t blame me and Cece for not having time for some looooooooove. I mean, Cece clearly finds time for it." He teasingly winked at her. "So don´t use that excuse."

Is he a player? When Mono asked her that she looked towards him with a noddle hanging out of her mouth. A small laughter left her by that question, could you even define Dion as a player? She wasn’t sure, to be fair they didn’t talk that much. Other than him wanting to make sure that people got from him what they needed, a night where they could let go.
Advise her to be careful. A big smile started to form over her lips “And here I thought I was the big sister here in the relationship, and now it seems like you have taken over the big brother role” she said and shook her head a little. There was no doubt that both Cecilia and Mono had filled the role of the siblings she had always wished she had gotten.
“Would you stop it, you little tease” she laughed back and poked him with the back side of her chopstick.

“And to come back to your question, I wouldn’t say that he is a player, just that he doesn’t settle down, or at least that’s the vibe I’m getting off of him” she licked her lips to make sure that they weren’t lathered with sauce. “To be fair, we didn’t talk very much – but he made me food!” she laughed and put away the Chinese box. Everyone knew making food for Evelina was a sure way to her heart.