Yes, B****! Work! [closed RP for confidant_v & Joyabe]

[Joyabe]

Well then, Ray thought as he glanced at the message that just screamed gratitude, Leo was certainly back. Scarlet, however, wasn't. Standing at the back of the studio, he watched as the director, and more so the producers, got more and more nervous the further they got from the call time. Hell, at some point they even shouted at one of the poor PAs to go and find her. That actually made Ray a tiny bit guilty... not that he should feel guilty. He offered to help. That poor, verbally abused PA was on Leo's conscious. If he had one, that is. And yet, as the minutes ticked by, some form of guilt insisted to sneak into his heart. What if Leo wasn't alright after all? What if he had a mental breakdown, took it out on Scarlet and now they were locked in her room with the door glued shut with some eyelash glue? They would have to break the door open. And he didn't have that much makeup remover with him! Plus, what the hell would they find inside?

 

Luckily, just as his mind was trying to conjure up some very creative, yet not very reasonable, images, Scarlet walked into the room, changing the atmosphere in it immediately as she did. Actually, more than seeing her safe and free of any sign of ill-fitting foundation, her face was the thing that made Ray relax the most. That mug was beat. He had to give credit where it was due and, well... yeah, Leo certainly knew what he was doing. And there were no wonky eyelashes to be seen so he assumed he didn't use up his supply of glue either, which was good.

 

But... why was she alone? Where was Leo? Oh god, was he plotting his revenge? Or maybe he already had a plan and he was using the fact Ray was on set to somehow sabotage him? All of his pallets were in Jackson's room... and some of them were discontinued! Oh, he's going to kill him if anything happens to his precious makeup. If Leo dares break any of the pans, he's going to put glitters in all the vents in Scarlet's room and...

 

Looking at Scarlet in confusion, it took Ray a moment to realize she was talking to him, and another to realize just what it was she was saying. Take it easy on him? Acting like a school girl? Have she met Leo? Or was he actually still going on about that whole crush thing, pretending like he was actually feeling anything but hatred towards Ray (which he still didn't know what he did to deserve... even though he clearly helped fan the flames once they started).

 

"You know how to handle these types of situations, right?”

 

Wrong. So very much wrong. Well, sure, he assumed if it was a normal person he could probably handle a crush. He was there like once or twice (or more) in the past, and usually he knew how to let them down gently. The fact people usually only liked him without really knowing him was certainly helpful... it seemed to help them get over it quite quickly. But it wasn't a normal person they were talking about there. Not to mention, he was still having a very hard time believing the person in question really was, in fact, infatuated with him.

 

But... the fact he wasn't on set was still a little alarming. As he watched Scarlet join Jackson, not before she provided some mafia level threats, he kept on contemplating what it is he should do. There was probably nothing wrong with Leo. It was probably all just an act. He was probably his usual bitchy self. Ah... but this so different version of him he saw earlier kept popping into his mind. The more vulnerable, silent, face completely clashing with his hair color looking Leo. What if something really was wrong with him and it was all his fault?

 

Stupid annoying conscience.

 

Leaving the studio, and after making a quick stop at Jackson's trailer just to make sure his setting powder wasn't being poisoned, Ray quickly made his way to Scarlet's dressing room. He still wasn't sure about this, but, well, he was already there. Knocking on the door before he could regret the decision, he then proceeded to talk to the person he presumed to be inside. "Leo?" he asked, not without hesitation "are you in there?" he paused for a second "are you okay?"

[confidant_v]

Why was this happening? Why was Leo’s heart pounding? Why were his perfectly soft, manicured hands sweating? Why was he sitting in his client’s chair, hiding from that angelic being whose smile was enough to make Leo wax poetic to the nearest mediocre junior stylist?

 

He didn’t know. All he knew was that this was unacceptable. First of all, Ray was an arrogant son of a beotch who wasn’t even aware of this fatal trait. Secondly, Leo was busy! He had an entire superstar to take care of. It was his responsibility to make sure that Scarlet’s beauty ascended Nirvana and blessed all who looked upon it.

 

Mind you, he achieved that every time his brushes touched her already flawless face, but he needed to make sure his precious work was consistent. He couldn’t have another breakdown. He had to keep himself together! This was his job and the last thing he wanted was to make a bad impression all because he was starting to see just how much of a darling Ray was.

 

It crossed his mind to call his brother. He was the only person who had the ability to bring Leo down from a ten to a four. His phone was already out and open when a knock and a gentle, concerned voice came floating through the door.

 

Certainly Ray wasn’t that concerned. Surely he didn’t feel the need to actually check on Leo. No… No that wasn’t possible. No one cared about Leo like that. Hell, no one cared about people’s feelings like that at all. Not even Ray. His kindness was fake; it had to be. Ray was nothing but a faker. Just a goddamn faker who happened to have a talent for making a face look BEAT.

 

After taking a deep breath Leo made his way to the door and threw it open, trying not to gasp at the man before him. Was Ray always this pretty? No, no, not at all. This was a new thing. He wasn’t this pretty an hour ago. No, not at all. Nope. He definitely got prettier on purpose just to make Leo react.

 

What an asshole!!

 

“What do you want?” Leo finally asked after staring at this Adonis for a bit longer than was comfortable.

 

Oh god… the most horrid thought just crossed Leo’s mind. Fear etched in his face and he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing Ray’s shoulders. “Did something happen to Scarlet? Did she fall and ruin her makeup? Are her eyes clashing with her outfit? Is she too shiny?” Leo never doubted his work EVER, but why the hell else would Ray be here? To laugh at him, that’s why! To rub it in Leo’s contoured, divinity highlighted face! Dammit, Leo should have gone to set! Poor Scarlet needed him and he wasn’t there to take care of her and fix her makeup or gossip with her or whatever else she may have wanted! He was… Hiding. Hiding away. And for what? Some man? Some man who managed to pierce the first layer of armor surrounding Leo’s little pink heart? Well, there were plenty more layers to dig through and Leo wouldn’t go down so easily.

 

…….

 

Fuck, why was Leo such a mess?

[Joyabe]

Standing outside of Scarlet's dressing room waiting for a response, any response, Ray couldn't help but wonder what the hell was Leo doing. He had such a certain image of him set in mind that he couldn't possibly handle this very much different, stuttering, not showing up to set Leo. No, no, Leo was a classic bitchy, high maintenance, overly-confident, self centered in a way only Millennials could be, loudly gay idiot. This whole thing had to be an act, right? Leo had some weird master plan that he just hadn't figure out yet (lord knows Ray couldn't understand the logic behind anything he did).

 

Although, as the seconds passed by and no response came he began to worry just a little. But he shouldn't worry. Ugh, but he does. Why should he though? Was there anything Leo did that earned him the right to cost Ray the Botox treatments ten years down the road? No, he did not. Oh... maybe it was because he showed him some vulnerability? Maybe it was because Ray couldn't help but feel just a little bit bad for him? For having to hide who he was just because he was ashamed of it, even if he had no reason to. For having all this disgusting backlash only because he confessed to having interests that were a little wider than the latest Jeffry Star makeup line?

 

Damn it. He didn't like it. Not Leo- he didn't like the feelings. Why did he have to had those damn it?! Maybe the Botox wouldn't have to wait so long. Maybe if he won't be able to emote he would care less as well. Sort of fake it till you make it...

 

Shaking his head to get him out of the strange path his mind was leading him down, he nearly visibly flinched back at the door being violently thrown open. Oh look- Leo was back. And boy, was he back. The long, silent glare wasn't exactly intimidating (also because Leo's aura was somehow not exactly intimidating which was weird because clearly he knows how to scare the living shit out of people and... wait, not the point there), but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. In all fairness, Ray didn't really know anybody that enjoyed being stared at. Except for maybe Jackson. The blunt, ever so polite question was also a sign to Leo being back. And here he was, getting all worried over nothing, letting his over-active imagination run wild, making him feel guilty.

 

He honestly considered saying nothing and just going back to set when a very noticeable change occurred in Leo's features. Freezing in place at the alarming sight, Ray stared in... hell, he didn't know what he felt towards this strange and very sudden chance of mood. Was he really this terrified by the thought he fucked up Scarlet's makeup? And more importantly- was Leo actually capable of believing he fucked up? Now that was new.

 

Eyebrows raising high on his forehead as if they were drawn on by a baby drag queen, Ray slowly turned his head away from Leo's face to his hand clawing at his shoulder. Clearly, there was something seriously wrong with Leo. Grabbing onto Leo's hands he released them from the grip they had on him only to push him back into the room and into the makeup chair. He was so worried he didn't even stop to gloat at this little reverse of roles. "Relax. I just saw it from very up close, and her makeup is perfect" he rolled his eyes before they moved on to scanning Leo's face, not without a hint of worry in his'. "Besides, I left Eri-... one of the juniors to keep an eye on them" Ray seriously doubted Leo bothered to learn the names of any of the junior artist, much so less happen to know the name of the girl he just left in charge "if there will be an emergency they would call us."

 

The more urgent matter was whatever crisis Leo was going through right now. He wasn't sure why, but Ray felt like he was somehow responsible. Like he was the one to blame. "Seriously... are you okay?" he asked as he placed both hands on the makeup chairs' armrests before having the chance to think about what the hell he was doing which also happened to include unintentionally trapping Leo in it "you're acting hella' weird today".

[confidant_v]

He was acting hella weird today. Leo didn’t even know was wrong with himself. Sure, he enjoyed playing up the dramatics and overreacting and screaming about ships or the newest Rhianna lipstick dropping or hell, he’d even be happy to scream about sports if it seemed entertaining enough. But this… Something was wrong with him and he had no idea what it was. It was effecting his work, his confidence, and worst of all Ray was seeing all of it unfold right before his angelic eyes. It was embarrassing, yet regardless of how embarrassing it was Leo couldn’t pull his damn self together.

 

Not with Ray so close.

 

“Back the fuck up,” Leo said coldly before pushing Ray’s arms away from him so he could get out of the tiny little confines of the makeup chair. If he were being honest with himself he didn’t mean to sound so aggressive. His normally chaotic emotions were in far more turmoil than usual and he couldn’t even pinpoint why. Now he was pushing away the only person who seemed to care about the fact that wasn’t acting his normal self--hell the only person to even notice he wasn’t acting his normal self. What would Leo’s brother, Erik, say right about now?

 

Something about how the world is difficult so the best thing to do is eat chocolate and be kind to others.

 

One was those things was far more fun and ten times easier than the other.

 

“I have chocolate… I-if you want… Some chocolate….”

 

The FUCK was wrong with Leo??? First of all what the hell just came stumbling out of his mouth, and why the hell would he offer his precious chocolate to anyone?? Not even Scarlet was privy to his chocolate stash. Obviously there was some kind of disconnect between what was going on his mind and what was falling out of his mouth, and he needed to fix that connection quick before Ray sent him to the insane asylum.

 

Which didn’t sound so bad at this point.

 

“Alright, look.” Leo reached into his backpack, grabbed what was sure enough a Hershey’s bar, and bashed it on the vanity to break it into bite-sized pieces. “First and foremost you can’t have my chocolate,” he said taking a bite of one of the tiny pieces. “Secondly, I’m fine. I’m more than fine. I’m great. Never been better. Let’s just say that I’m PMSing or that I’m having an off day. I’m allowed a day where things don’t always seem to work, right?”

 

Leo had been so thrown by Ray’s concern, his adorableness, his little nerd reference, his everything that he had almost completely lost himself. Perhaps there was a reason why people were drawn to this guy. Or maybe Leo had just fallen in with the masses, become a sheep, and would soon throw himself at this gorgeous excuse of a man like everyone else.

 

Oh no. Leo was not like everyone else. Fuck that shit.

 

He grabbed his chocolate bar along with some of his makeup tools and headed out of the dressing room. “Don’t worry about me. Focus more on Jackson. He needs you more than I do, right?” With another bite of his damaged chocolate bar, Leo hurried out to the room, though he didn’t get far. He found himself sticking his head in to acknowledge Ray one more time. Damn his brother’s voice that continuously ran through his head.

 

“Thanks for checking on me though. You don’t have to, okay? Just leave it. But… Thanks.” Then Leo was gone for real. He couldn’t leave Scarlet alone for too long after all.

[Joyabe]

On most days, Ray liked chocolate as much as the next guy. Okay, maybe he loved chocolate a little more than the average person. Not that he dared accepting what could equally be a peace offering or a Snow White situation (and come on, chocolate is so much more tempting than an apple!). Not that he had a chance to do it, even if he wanted to. Leo seemed to be switching personalities faster than displays at shops come November first- only he was doing it the other way around, with Christmas Leo quickly replaced by Hallow-Leo.Ray was so not keeping up.

 

In fact, he was so behind that he didn't really manage to gather a comprehensible response to... well, to any of the things Leo was saying really.

 

And that was very, very unusual for Ray. After all, much of Ray's social survival skills revolved around his ability to understand others. This was his thing. And Leo just marched through the door in his designer boots and walked all over his thing. It was almost as if someone just blocked one of his senses- in a way, Ray felt blinded. But there was something else there that was bothering him- he just wasn't able to put his finger on it. Luckily though, Leo returned to poke his head through the door again and point to the obvious answer.

 

Leo was absolutely, a hundred percent right. Ray had absolutely no reason to check on Leo. He shouldn't have cared about him in the slightest- in fact, Leo did pretty much everything to justify Ray not even looking in his direction for the rest of eternity. And yet, he continued coming back. Yes, Ray couldn't understand Leo at all, and it seemed to be the exact same thing that just didn't allow him to leave him alone. Him, who was so busy keeping everyone, especially those he perceived as problematic, at arm's length, was actively, willingly and maybe even forcefully going back to the most problematic and obnoxious one of them all.

 

Astonished by the new, very likely masochistic side he discovered in himself, Ray staggered back to set in a daze. He was so preoccupied by this discovery as well as the gratefulness over not having his head bashed in with a Hershey's bar that he nearly bumped into Erica, the girl he asked to keep an eye over Scarlet and Jackson.

 

"Oh, hey" he said, trying to snap out of his newfound obsession with Leo "thanks for filling in. Was everything okay?" Considering the fact Jackson was talking to his agent at the moment and seemed completely at ease, the positive response he received was not surprising. "No problems at all" Erica beamed at him "they just finished the take, you didn't miss anything." Although there was nothing in her words to make Ray suspicious, something about her voice, like she was hiding something, caused him to finally give Erica his full attention. The way she was twiddling with her hair, twisting the pastel purple ends around her finger again and again, as well as the look on her face that made it clear she was deliberating whether or not to say something suddenly had him very much on edge.

 

He was in this situation before, and now was not the time nor the place for a confession. He was trying to find a way to defuse the situation, but before he could come up with something Erica spoke again. "Um, so I was thinking..." Quick! Should he say his aunt his sick? His dog is missing? His brother ate his homework? "Actually, I was also talking about this with some of the other juniors". Wait, Ray's excuse making session was stopped in its tracks, that did not sound like it was going in the direction of a confession. Like, at all.

 

"Well, because we wrap up early today we wondered if you would mind giving a demo or something. You know, a lot of us really look up to you and we don't really get the chance to learn from you since we work separately" Erica plowed through what it was she wanted to say "so if it's not too much trouble, we wondered, you know... would you?"

 

Well, he was wrong. That was certainly not a love confession. Actually, that was a whole new experience. Had he given classes and demos in the past? Absolutely. But never as spontaneously. Truth was he was already a little exhausted from that day. All he wanted was to finish it, go back home, get into bed and watch two (or like, eight) episodes of something really bad. But he couldn't do that. Ray was never great at saying no. He was supposed to be a nice guy. He was nice (well, he was other things as well, but those were not for the world to see).

 

With a small exhale, Ray gave Erica a gentle smile "I believe that's doable" he winked, seeing her light up in response. "Let's do it in the extras' makeup room after shooting is done?" he asked, receiving an enthusiastic nod in return "great! We're trying to see if we can bring Leo along as well, so just come when you guys are done. Thank you so much!" she said before turning around and heading straight towards the other makeup artist in question.

 

Oh crap. Like, all different kinds of it. First and foremost, Ray didn't have to chance to warn Erica before she ran off into the nuclear bomb of a sunset that was Leo. Secondly, excuse you but he did not want to spend god knows how much time with Leo after he just discovered his strange influence over him! But it was all too late, seeing Erica was by Leo's side in a matter of seconds.

 

"Leo?" she asked with a smile, oblivious of the wrath she might bring upon herself "My name is Erica Brown, I'm one of the junior artists. I was wondering... Ray is giving us this demo after shooting today and," she glanced back at the terrified Ray who did his best to keep his expression from showing he was "well, we... I'm actually a really big fan. Do you think maybe you could come as well and, you know, show us a few things?" she asked sweetly, looking up to Leo almost as if she was holding her breath waiting for his reply.

[confidant_v]

This girl was either stupid or brave… Or both. Did she not know how much of a bitch Leo was? Did she not know that nearly all of the junior artists were terrified of him and would rather swallow Urban Decay’s entire line of lipstick than spend even two minutes in a room with him? Did she not know that the junior artists wouldn’t want to hear anything he had to say, especially after he screamed at that girl… What was her name? Brittany? Nina? Josephina? Well, her name definitely started with a letter of the alphabet. That, Leo knew for sure.

 

With Scarlet preoccupied with harassing Jackson (Leo wasn’t the only one with a crush, but wasn’t Jackson married…?) Leo had time to speak to this girl and come up with some response for her that wouldn’t crush her, but would help her understand the predicament she was putting herself in.

 

“Erica, right?” Leo asked, pulling out another chocolate bar from seemingly nowhere. As much as he tried to keep up his bitchy attitude, he couldn’t. Not in front of this girl. Her bravery or stupidity was endearing and on top of that she was a fan. Leo loved his fans, and he wouldn’t do anything to break their adorable little hearts. “My brother’s name is Erik so let me just say I’m a bit fond of your name.” Oh, wasn’t her smile precious. “But I don’t know if you know this… The junior artists don’t like me. Like at all. I think they’d sooner jump off of this building than spend even one moment in a room with me.”

 

“Well, if they all did that then new junior artists would replace them and hopefully the next set will understand that they don’t have to like someone to learn from them.”

 

Oh…

 

Oh…

 

Oh…

 

“We need more people like you in the world, Erica.”

 

She shrugged, gave a little giggle, and possibly a little jig? Well, whatever, Leo was just happy to see that he wasn’t the most hated thing in this place by at least one person. That being said, Leo didn’t want to go. He was fine teaching people, but these artists didn’t want to learn from him. Honestly they would probably rather learn from….

 

“Will Ray be there?”

 

Erica nodded her head quickly. “Yep! I’ve already asked him and he said yes.”

 

“He doesn’t seem the type to say no honestly.”

 

“I was thinking you could give us advice on glam makeup since that’s your thing and he could show us his thing. I’m not exactly sure what his thing is; he seems to be all over the board with makeup. But I’d just love learning from him nonetheless.”

 

“Hmmm….” Leo was in a predicament. Did he submit to this darling girl who was a huge fan of him and give this little presentation of make up alongside Ray….

 

Sure why not?

 

“I’ll do it, starlight. How could I say no? But If everyone leaves when I show up there that’s on you.”

 

“There’ll be at least one person there! Thanks so much, Leo!”

 

Sweet Erica skipped away, leaving Leo on his own. Of course, his eye caught Ray’s and in that instant Leo felt like his normal self. His usual sinister smirk formed on his face as he looked Ray up and down. He winked at the other then called out, “see you at the end of the day, starlight!”

 

Oh this was gonna be fun.

[Joyabe]

Ray could feel chills running down his spine and the hairs at the back of his neck stand at the bad omen of a look Leo gave him. His first instinct was to grab the nearest bag of salt- you know, for safety. He should have said no. He so should have said no. But, well, it was way too late for that now. Backing out would just mean he would once again give Leo the power to affect him- the exact same thing he swore he wouldn't do.

 

He would not allow himself be shaken because of Leo. He was a professional.

 

So instead of doing what he really wanted to do- rot in his bed for the rest of the day with a giant tub of cookie dough ice cream, he smiled and waved back at Leo before going to yank Jackson away from Scarlet. 'It's fine' he reminded himself as he worked on his makeup. It was nothing out of the usual. Leo was just a normal person, and he already decided he was going to treat him just like he would any other colleague- from a safe distance... Which in Leo's case just happened to be a little bigger.

 

Like it always does when you need it not to, time seemed to move especially fast, and in no time Ray found himself in the extras' makeup room, laying down the last of his pallets. He very intentionally avoided Leo for the entire day, even coming in to their improvised classroom as late as he dared, just to avoid unwanted conversations.

 

The excited murmur coming from the ten or so junior artists that slowly filled the chairs surrounding him in a semi-circle actually managed to sooth his nerves just a little. In a sense, they were in his territory. Ray might have been a no one on the internet, but he was definitely a someone in this crowd.

 

Right now, he had an audience. It was showtime.

 

Taking in one last deep breath, Ray turned around to face the room, gathering all of the sweetness and charisma he could find in himself. He was more than happy to see the room quieting down even before the first word left his lips. "Alright" he smiled at his small audience "first of all I just want to say thank you all for coming here and inviting us. The most important thing you can do as makeup artists is always keep learning, so I already know we have a great group in here". Oh the smiles and twinkling eyes from the juniors were everything he needed. It was so easy to please others when he showed only what they wanted to see.

 

"Because we're such a small and intimate group here, and because you guys know what you're doing, I wanted to try something a little different. You know, something else than just talking techniques" he continued as he leaned back against the table "Problem is, it's really important to me that all of you guys would be able to see. Since we don't have a model" Ray now turned his face to look at Leo, his smile not budging in the slightest "Leo, would you mind? I promise not to give you one of those failing ANTM makeovers" he added a wink, causing a few of the juniors to laugh. As hard to believe as it was, he really didn't have any ill intentions. He honestly wanted to teach the juniors properly, and, well, if he could also keep an eye on Leo while doing so... he saw no harm in that.

[confidant_v]

Work carried on as usual after the brave Erica asked Leo to join their little soirée. Scarlet was happy to see her precious makeup artist back to his normal self, and frankly Leo was happy to see that he was no longer shook because of the lovely, beautiful man who really didn’t deserve as much attention as Leo was giving him. In fact, the day went on so well that Leo decided he would show up to the masterclass or whatever they were calling it early if only to give the junior artists time to digest the fact that they would be spending a few hours with him.

 

Sure enough when he walked into the room the tension was so thick that no amount of cover-up could hide it. If it bothered Leo no one noticed, and Erica was kind enough to greet him and speak with him while the other junior artists got over their shock. Leo was hardly keeping track of the time, but eventually Ray showed up. The jerk had been ignoring Leo--as if he could hide from Leo’s sharp eye. How cute. There were no greetings between them. Leo simply leaned against the wall in front of the room; Ray also stood in front of everyone and decided he wanted to act like a professor introducing his students to the first day of class….? Ew. Worse the junior artists were eating it up, save for Erica. She didn’t have the same look of disgust as Leo, but it seemed she wasn’t interested in little pleasantries especially ones that were as fake as this. She was a smart girl with good instincts… Someone Leo could appreciate.

 

At some point in his introduction, Leo began coughing if only to get him to stop with the annoying “hello how are you don’t worry about my murderous smile I’m actually happy to be here” act. He continued coughing, the junior artists all looking at him as if he were the nastiest thing on earth (and let’s be real Leo knows exactly how to be NASTY). Eventually he took a swig of water, smiled at Ray, and waited until he finished with his silly introduction.

 

Who knew that introduction would involve Ray asking Leo to be a model? Initially Leo simply raised his eyebrow at his companion and he even had the decency to chuckle while he waited for Ray to tell him he was joking. Turns out Ray wasn’t joking… he was damn serious. Whoa… Leo hesitantly walked to the chair. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ray’s skills. He knew the man knew how to make a face look beat. Rather, Leo wondered what Ray was up to… What was he playing at? Well, two could play that game.

 

“You can do my face, doll, but I get to do yours in return. Otherwise you’re not touching my face with one of your Wal-Mart brand brushes.” Some of the junior stylists scoffed and someone even had the nerve to whisper “what a jerk” under his breath where he apparently kept a megaphone. However, Leo didn’t care what they had to say. They didn’t understand his and Ray’s relationship.

 

Relationship…? Oh… Did they have a bond now? A connection? A… Something?

 

Hopefully Ray can hide Leo’s red cheeks with some foundation….

[Joyabe]

Ray couldn't say he didn't see the backlash coming. He was kinda setting himself up for it when he asked Leo to model for him... in fact, he was a little relieved Leo didn't put up a real fight. That could have gotten really ugly really fast. And they were giving a makeup class, mind you.

 

"I wouldn't dare" he kept the diplomatic smile on his face as he gestured Leo to take a sit in front of their impromptu class "Only the best for you Leo" he winked at him. Why on earth was he trying to act as if everything between them was nothing but a friendly banter? It had absolutely nothing to do with the new and very strange feeling of reluctance that settled in his stomach when he saw the juniors' reaction to Leo. He only did it to keep the peace. He only did it to maintain his own image. This had nothing to do with the irrational need to defend Leo (which he did not have, thank you very much).

 

"Now, what I wanted to talk about today is what I think is the real secret to being a makeup artist" Ray talked to the room as he began applying a first and very basic layer of foundation to Leo's face. "You see, knowing how to execute different types of looks and using different techniques in important. Clearly this is the... well, foundation" his chuckle was echoed by some of the others in the room "to what we do. But" he put down the makeup sponge he was holding once he was happy with the result "It's not enough."

 

Standing next to Leo so that the entire class would be able to see his face, Ray placed one of his hands on the back of his chair. "The real challenge, once you have those mastered, is learning how to match the makeup to the client. This is actually a great example for it" he added, gesturing to Leo. "When you look at Leo, what do you see?"

 

"The hair" one of the artists Ray didn't know, a guy with shoulder-length black hair and glasses he was certain were fake smirked. A few quiet giggles followed that comment, letting Ray know exactly who were the people that would only make it so far.

 

Not that he would tell it to their faces of course.

 

"That's true" he smiled at them patiently, running his hand through Leo's hair and brushing it away from his face while he talked about it "if I'll try something too orange I might venture into Oompa Loopma territory. But it's more than just hair color or undertones. See, for example" he gently grabbed Leo's chin so he could tilt his head from side to side, allowing the entire class to look at his face as the light hit it from different angles "This is a very defined face as is. The features are sharp and present, so it would be much easier going along with them than trying to create something new. It also means this is a face that can carry a bold look. But there's even more" Ray finally let go of Leo's face before reaching to grab a pallete and a brush.

 

"In this specific case, we also have a personality that goes along with the face. If I were to create a very soft, fluffy look on Leo... well, he wouldn't be Leo. A face like this gives us the opportunity to really go out" Ray grabbed Leo's chin again, but this time tilted his head up so he would look at him "He can take it."

 

And then, he really got to work. For a while, Ray placed, sharpened, blended, defined and highlighted Leo's face, all while providing the necessary explanations and trying to narrate his thinking process. It was the first time he got to take such a close look at Leo, and maybe it was because the makeup artist in him took charge, but Ray found himself engrossed in that face. It was unique, and very much like he explained seemed like it would not yield to anything he would do. All of Leo's features had a strong presence, but Ray found it unexpectedly easy to go along with them.

 

Before he noticed, he was actually having fun doing Leo's makeup.

 

When he was finally done, Ray took a step back to look at the end result. Leo was now wearing a dramatic smoky eye, painted in shades of deep purples and plums, and topped with dark, dramatic brows. Even the blush Ray chose had an irregular purple-ish undertone, and around it Leo's cheekbones were sharply contoured, and highlighted enough to blind a person. To finish off the look, Ray perfectly lined and filled in Leo's lips with a dark, borderline-black shade of plum matte lipstick.

 

With a small satisfied smile, Ray walked around Leo, ignoring the murmurs that started to come from the juniors. Grabbing a small hand mirror, he leaned over Leo's shoulder putting it to his face. "So?" he quietly spoke at his ear "What do you think?"

[confidant_v]

The Reaction

 

 

 

“When you look at Leo what do you see?”

 

“The hair.”

 

Ugh, these artists were so juvenile. Frankly, Leo liked to think he was one of the tamer divas out there. If these idiots couldn’t handle him, then they couldn’t handle this industry. Just when Leo opened his mouth to snap back at the junior stylist (because he’d be damned if he let someone get away with talking about his beautiful green locks) Ray stepped in and took care of the situation before it even became a situation. His diplomatic nature just saved that stylist, but Leo planned to keep an ear out for anymore comments from that guy. He believed this one was the same guy who called him a jerk…. Well, at least it seemed that Ray wouldn’t stand for any insults being thrown about.

 

How nice of him. Nevermind Ray’s little flirts with Leo when he sat down in the chair. It took everything for Leo to calm the butterflies in their stomach. On top of that Leo may have possibly purred like the sassy cat he was when Ray messed with his hair. He didn’t expect it, but he also didn’t hate it??? Perhaps they really did have some sort of connection, or at the very least an understanding. Well… Better not to get wrapped up in those kinds of things. These feelings were nothing. Just excitement at the thought of having someone to banter with. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

So then why did it hurt so good when Ray went on and on about Leo’s perfectly defined face. That smooth, serene voice carried on with compliments, and it nearly drove Leo mad. And… Oh god… When Ray tilted his chin up and their eyes met Leo had to pray to every god of makeup and drag to keep himself from whimpering. His eyelids almost drooped and he swallowed hard as Ray’s smile took him to another dimension. This whole thing was becoming way too intimate and yet Leo didn’t have it in him to pull himself away. He loved that Ray so easily spotted the best features about his face, how he wanted to work with them, and more importantly… He didn’t want to change them. Ray wanted to give Leo a look that represented him. He didn’t want Leo to change at all…

 

Oh Ray…

 

No, no, no, stop. The last thing Leo needed to do was sigh Ray’s name in his head. The risk of it falling from his soon to be painted lips was too high. He needed to get back in the game, but it was so hard when Ray was so enthralled with his face. All of a sudden Ray was in a mode that Leo had never seen before. He was focused, staring intently at every portion of Leo’s face, smiling, and talking, and making him even more beautiful than he already was. And that smile… That genuine smile that Ray never seemed to show….

 

And before Leo knew it, it was over. It was so nice being so close to Ray. It was nice for Leo to allow himself to show some vulnerability. In doing so he got to see a different side of Ray. He didn’t want it to end. He almost begged Ray to keep going. To keep touching him, to keep smiling at him, to keep staring at him.

 

Too intimate… STOP. STOP. Leo mentally screamed at himself, but oh god when Ray whispered in his ear it was like they were the only two in the room.

 

But they weren’t. And they needed to remember that. But that didn’t mean Leo couldn’t be flirty.

 

He turned his head so his breath would gently glide against Ray’s cheek. It certainly wasn’t Leo’s fault that the other decided to get so close to him. They were close enough that Leo was able to nuzzle Ray’s cheek, and he most certainly did. He could only hope Ray would begin screaming to himself as much as Leo had.

 

“You actually do a good glam makeup. I didn’t think that was your type, but you did it well. I’d say you’re even comparable to me. Perhaps I’ll post this on my Instagram.”

 

With that said and done, Leo stood up and allowed the junior stylists to marvel at his newly done face. But now it was Leo’s turn….

 

 

The Rendez-Vous (with Ray's Face)

 

 

“Sit down, my friend.” Once again, Leo grabbed Ray by his arm and pushed him into the makeup chair. The action had seem to become a habit with him…

 

Just as Ray had done with him, Leo began putting foundation on the other’s face while explaining to the junior artists what he was about to do. “So since Ray did us the favor of doing a glam makeup, I’ll give you all something a little different. Remember Ray saying that you should try to fit the face and personality of the client. Well, we’ll do that here. So let’s see what exactly we’re working with.”

 

Leo traced his long, thin fingers along the other’s cheeks, trying to feel where the skin naturally dipped and curved. What a perfect face. It was almost as perfect as Scarlet’s--or dare Leo say that it indeed WAS more perfect that Scarlet’s. Not that he’d ever tell her that. The difference between the two was something that most people in the beauty industry had trouble appreciating. Ray’s beauty was far more subtle than most. Without even trying, his face had the ability to make others look twice at him.

 

He was like a beauty ninja!

 

As Leo’s fingers continued tracing Ray’s face, even running along his lips, he knew what exactly he would do with him. “So with Ray’s face we’re going to want to do something more natural, something more--”

 

“I didn’t think you were capable of natural looks.”

 

There was that idiot again, spouting his little jabs at Leo, and FOR WHAT?? What the hell had Leo done to him? If it had been that girl he had screamed at yesterday--Jessica or Frankie or Lala or whatever the hell her name was--Leo probably would have understood her anger. He still would have kicked her ass, but he would have at least understood. This guy was being an asshole for no reason. In fact, he was only being an asshole because he knew Leo was. Well, if he wanted competition then he sure got it.

 

“I’m capable of everything,” Leo said with no sign of his confidence wavering just because someone was heckling him. He slowly moved closer to the man, watching with grim satisfaction as the other’s nervousness increased with each step the small makeup artist made. Leo knew exactly how to strike fear in someone’s heart, and this man was an easy target. “I can do every look imaginable. Obviously, you can’t since it seemed my hair distracted you earlier. I’d love to see you try to do a look on someone with oddly colored hair. Did you know that you needed to take that into consideration? Ray knew. Most of the people in here probably know. Did you know that if you put orange makeup on someone with green hair they’d look weird? Did you know that not every color works together? Do you even know basic color theory or do you just slap eyeshadow and blush on someone’s face and hope for the best? I’m sorry, but this class is for people who have at minimum a basic understanding of makeup, so if you can’t even spell the word I suggest you leave. There’s the door.”

 

Even though no one in this room seemed to like Leo, they were all grateful for the chance to witness his wicked sass. Nearly all of them were giggling or just flat out laughing at the heckler who had decided to stay put. Honestly, he was probably too nervous to get up even after suffering his embarrassment. These junior artists were savage; seemed there was no real loyalty among them considering none of them stood up for the guy. That or they hated this man more than they hated Leo.

 

Well, either way there was work to be done.

 

“So, as I was saying,” Leo began again as if nothing had interrupted him in the first place. “Ray has a naturally strong jawline so it’ll be easy to follow it when we begin contouring and highlighting. The thing with him, though, is that he doesn’t need a lot of it. His face is already cut like marble and his natural skin tone lends itself well to pretty and delicate neutrals. However, as Ray said earlier, we don’t want to do something that’s out of character for the client. Ray is a kind guy. He’s pretty quiet and doesn’t get into trouble, but… well…” Leo bent in front of the other, his eyes burning right into Ray’s as if he were staring into the depths of his airbrushed soul. “There’s a dragon hiding in there that he just doesn’t want us to see. Thankfully, art has the power to bring out everyone’s true self.”

 

Leo immediately set to work, snatching up his favorite neutral yet devilish palette (Juvia’s Place Warrior 1 Gold/Neutral Eyeshadow Palette yas bitch) to help him get the job done. As he worked he kept talking to the little nobodies who were intently watching him. As a Youtuber he was an expert at working and talking at the same time, so he easily explained to the artists what he was doing as he did it. “Ray’s eyes naturally pop as do his pretty plump lips, so you don’t want to take away his natural beauty by overloading his face with color. However, we also want to remind the world that he’s a badass bitch and he’s ready to shove his stilettos up your narrow ass--I’m just kidding he probably doesn’t own stilettos--but he’ll still make you cry like a punk if you mess with him, and we need to show that. That’s where these subtle yet gaudy shadows come in.” Leo broke away from Ray for just a moment to give the artists a close up look to his palette. In the mix of light, medium, and dark browns were gold colors with a slight shimmer to them. Subtle… yet gaudy.

 

“These are the types of colors that will compliment a natural look. You won’t look boring, but you also won’t look like you tried too hard with your colors. You can do something similar with highlighter, though with that it’s more about the amount you put on.”

 

The more Leo spoke the more it seemed the junior artists were warming up to him. Not that he noticed. All he cared about was making that beautiful face in front of him 10/10 flawless… Not that it wasn’t already.

 

“You barely need any contour,” Leo whispered mostly to himself as he ran his brushes along Ray’s pretty skin. “Honestly, there’s so little your face needs.” He pulled out a light brown shiny lipstick, again showing it to the artists before applying it. “His lips are perfect. You can do a darker brown but for this look today I want to keep it as light as possible. I want his eyes to do most of the talking. But also keep in mind that some faces just don’t need as much as others. Ray’s skin tone is works well on it’s own, his eyes are bright, his face already has a built-in contour. All he really needs is a little pop here and there.”

 

With the lipstick applied, Leo was done. He handed Ray the same mirror he was given and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. It was fun playing role reversal. “So.. What do you think? I tried to keep you your normal, calm self, but I wanted just a bit of that dragon in you to come through.” At the end of it, Leo had only done a minimal amount of contour and highlight. Just enough to add a bit of shine and to further deepen those already cut cheeks. The real story was in his eyes. A small cateye complimented Ray’s already winged shaped eyes, and the light hues that surrounded them played into Ray’s lovely skin tone. Only the shimmering gold that sparkled at the ends of his eyes and seemed to glitter softly into the highlighter gave any sort of diva-ish appearance here. Last but not least his lips were a soft, coffee with cream color. It was nothing too extraordinary and yet Leo thought the minimalist look made Ray look like a god.

 

He could only hope Ray felt the same.

 

 

 

The Results

 

This was far more fun than Leo had expected it to be. His face looked amazing; Ray’s face looked amazing; the junior artists were all delighted and excited. There would be plenty of time for a Q&A session later. Right now, Leo had a few more important things to take care of.

 

“This is totally going on Insta!” He yelled before jumping into Ray’s lap and taking a selfie of himself with the shocked man. He cackled loudly, and this time it seemed the junior artists were laughing with him, not at him. “Let’s take another one, Ray. This time don’t look like such a dope. Smile for the camera, starlight!” He took another one of him and Ray, and as much as he wanted more (for his personal collection but Ray didn’t need to know that) he jumped off of the other’s lap and stood in front of the juniors.

 

“Everyone get in! You too, Ray. Let’s see how many of us can fit!” Everyone gathered behind Leo to try and get into his photo. Even the jerk from before tried to force his way to the front. Hell, even he knew the value of being seen on Leo’s social media. Once everyone was ready Leo held his phone high above him (damn he forgot his fucking selfie stick) and posed as beautifully as he always did when in front of the camera.

 

“Everyone say ‘starlight!’”

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joyabe]

What was Ray so nervous about? Why did he ever fear this little master class so much? Right now, standing over Leo's shoulder and waiting for his reply, Ray was the most relaxed he'd been in a long time. It was fine. It was fun. Everything was just-

 

Freezing in surprise when Leo nuzzled him, Ray's eyes widened in surprise. The touch itself was enough to startle him, but the electricity it seemed to spark from where they touched sent him into a complete state of shock. Just what the hell was that?!

 

He was too shocked to really pay any attention to the compliments Leo was paying him, much less so to object when he was, yet again, pushed into the chair. It was just when Leo started working on his face when Ray fully came to grasp the situation. Oh god. OH GOD. What did he just drag himself into?

 

Ray mentally braced himself for anything that might come. Leo would probably bombard him with insults. He would probably go on and on about every existing and fictional flaw in his face. He said he wanted to do something different than beauty makeup- does that mean he would try and make him ugly? And more importantly- would he try make this a permanent change? And why, for the name of everything that's holly, why on earth did he enjoy his fingers tracing and gliding along his face?

 

What snapped Ray from yet another internal panic attack was the comment from their lovable hipster friend. Surely this guy had a death wish. Ray considered yelling to him to run for the hills or grabbing Leo before he could try and shove one of his Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow pencils down his throat (or up some other body part), but he didn't have the chance. Instead, he found himself completely shocked, turned mesmerized turned more than amused by Leo's response. By the end of his little bitch slapping interlude, Ray actually had to look away and bite his lip to hold himself back from laughing out loud. That guy sure got what he deserved.

 

By the time he managed to calm himself down enough so he was positive he wouldn't embarrassingly snort in front of the abused artist, Leo was right in his face. If there was any trace of that earlier amusement even hiding in his body, the look Leo gave him surely evaporated it. What... what was that look? He never saw it before. He couldn't point out to what it was. It was just... something else all together.

 

Sitting in silent awe, Ray listened as if he were the last of the students in the room as Leo went on to explain the makeup he was doing. It was an interesting experience seeing YouTube Leo up close and personal. It was an even more interesting experience seeing Leo shower him with compliments. Who was that Leo and where the hell did he come from? Ray kept looking for any sign that he was faking it, any hint to point to Leo flipping out and start spewing insults again. But there were none. Nada. Gornisht.

 

By the time Leo was done with his makeup, Ray was, as much as the rest of the room, completely captivated and under his spell.

 

When Leo handed him that mirror, it was curiosity that led Ray more than fear. More than anything, he wanted to know how the other saw him. Most of the other times when people did his makeup, they always went either very dramatic or very sweet. Leo did neither. Not without a hint of surprise, Ray took in the look Leo gave him. It was soft, yet not weak, and it almost had that sense of vulnerability to it- something most people either didn't see or didn't want to see in Ray.

 

With a small smile tugging at his lips, Ray finally pulled his eyes away from the mirror to look at Leo. "I didn't think you were capable of natural looks" he quoted their favorite student, murmuring the words so only Leo would be able to hear them. He wasn't as cruel as to say it loud enough for the others to hear.

 

And the emotional rollercoaster that was Leo didn't seem to stop there. Switching to surprise faster than Cher changed wigs, Ray instinctively circled his arms around Leo as he jumped into his lap. That surprise didn't last long though, as looking up at Leo's face Ray's own expression lightened up. How could anybody not smile in face of such pure joy?

 

Ray wasn't sure when, how or why he was conditioned to react to Leo the way he just did, but right now he was having so much fun he didn't even care. Obediently posing first only with Leo and then with the rest of the group, for once Ray didn't mind he was being kept back by the juniors' question. He didn't mind he was still in the studio and not back home- in fact, he didn't even think about it. He was actually having fun.

 

That sentiment changed a little when Vincent, his favorite smartypants student, reached him. Ugh, now it had a name.

 

"So, I was thinking that like, the silent film influence you had in this makeup you just did was so smart" Ray nodded, focusing more attention that he cared to admit on not letting his very fake smile slip away. 'It was Gothic you dimwit' Ray mentally grumbled as he only half-listened to Vincent go on and on about whatever it was he wanted to say. He knew this type- this guy was overflowing with confidence and looking to make connections to advance himself. He hated this type.

 

"Anyway" the tone Vincent was using let Ray know his attention was called "We're going to this club downtown to hang for a little. How about you'll come with us?"

 

How about no. Well, that was what Ray wanted to say, but he couldn't. Instead, he went for a more gentle version. "I don't know Vince..."

 

"I'ts actually Vincent." Ugh. "And come on, it would be fun!" Why on earth did this guy just threw his arm around his shoulder like they were the bestest of buddies? "It must be boring hanging out with the old crew all the time".

 

It took all the willpower in him and then some for Ray not to push, punch, slap, roll his eyes at or shake Vincent. In fact, if he had to know, Ray hated clubbing. Too many people, not enough room, no thank you.

 

Ugh, but they had other juniors around them. And they all heard Vincent. And with the way they all looked at him, it was obvious they all wanted Ray to say yes.

 

As he scanned the room, torn between trying to find a way out and trying to find a bug repellent to spray Vincent, who was still sticking to him, with, his eyes landed on a certain green haired fellow makeup artist. A slow, somewhat evil smile spread across his lips.

 

"Sure Vinny" the words were out of his mouth before he could realize what he was saying "In fact, why not make it a group outing?" he asked loudly enough for the entire room to hear before catching Leo's gaze, holding it in his' "Is my beautiful work of art coming with us as well?"

 

Ray was pretty sure he could feel Vincent recoil next to him. If he had to go, he was going to make this as hard as possible for his buddy Vincent. Besides, aside from the obvious additional satisfaction Ray found in an uncomfortable Vincent, things would probably be more fun with Leo there- even if it was only to give the juniors someone else to focus on... Or at least that's what he told himself as he waited for what he hoped would be a positive reply.

[confidant_v]

Well, isn’t Ray cheeky? Leo smirked at his little comment about his ability to do natural looks, rolling his eyes at the sarcastic humor Ray just presented him. This was the kind of Ray that Leo liked. The kind that was petty and silly and liked to bite back with his own special venom that was such a beautiful kind of toxic that Leo found himself craving it the longer he spent with the man. Funny… He thought back to when they first met and they were insulting each other’s makeups. Leo had given Ray that eyebrow pencil and he was sure that he sealed their hatred for each other with that pencil. That felt like ten years ago especially considering the way they were acting towards each other now. Was it really only yesterday they were ready to shove makeup remover wipes down each other’s throats?

 

Well, there wasn’t too much time to ponder on it. As soon as the selfie was taken the junior artists all crowded around Ray, particularly the hipster loser nobody wannabe sorry excuse for a makeup artist boy-person-thing. He sure was trying hard. While Leo stepped to the side to upload the pics he had just taken to his instagram, he listened to the conversation said hipster was forcing on poor Ray. At some point the hipster said his name, but it immediately fell from Leo’s mind and was replaced with static and white noise. There was no room in Leo’s brain for such unimportant information.

 

What was more fascinating was why Ray was putting up with this guy. Why didn’t he tell him to go away? Why did he just let him put his arm around him as if they were friends? Why didn’t he correct him on the type of makeup he had put on Leo--it was obviously Gothic HELLO! Why didn’t he shove him away and tell him to kiss someone else’s ass?

 

Why did he put up with this shit?

 

Sure, Leo could understand people being polite and nice in their jobs. It wasn’t his style, but he knew why people didn’t always speak the first thing that came to their minds. This, though… This was taking it too far. It was disgusting. Sad even. Perhaps that was why Ray so quickly invited Leo out to the club with them. A few things were obvious here.

 

Ray clearly didn’t want to to go the club for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the people he had to go with, or maybe he didn’t like the club, or maybe he had secretly gotten kicked out because his attempt at drag did not go over well with the clubbers and they refused to ever let him back in again. Either way, he didn’t want to go.

He was definitely trying to make Hipster Glasses (because that was this guy’s new name) uncomfortable by inviting Leo. Even though he was clearly being used, Leo appreciated the nastiness behind the gesture.

And maybe… Just maybe Ray was asking for help. Maybe this was one of those situations where a phone call telling him his goldfish had been rushed to the hospital would be great just so he could get away from Hipster Glasses. Since Ray’s goldfish (who’s to say he DOESN’T own a goldfish because he certainly does in Leo’s head) is probably okay, the closest person who could help him was Leo.

 

Well… Leo was anything if not a savior.

 

“You’re going with that guy?” Leo asked, slowly catwalking his way over to Ray and Hipster Glasses (yes, catwalking because every floor is a catwalk for Leo to slink upon). “Hell no, I don’t want to go clubbing with him. Why would I go clubbing with someone who thinks that Gothic makeup is inspired by silent films.”

 

One of the junior artists, Erica probably, snorted and laughed, which only fueled Leo’s egotistical bashing of this annoying man. “Also, can you back up some? Some people like their personal space, okay.” Leo forced himself between Ray and Hipster Glasses. No, he wasn’t feeling possessive or overprotective. Not at all. There was no reason for Leo to not want this ugly man touching hisRay. Not that Ray was his or anything, no no. It wasn’t like that. Leo was just saving Ray is all. That’s all!

 

That’s all….

 

“Look, I know you think you’re all high and mighty, but--”

 

“I am high and mighty,” Leo spat, not budging from his position in front of Ray. Leo may have been petit, but he could knock down drag out like a trucker if need be. He was even more dangerous than truckers really. He had nails. Sharp ones. Currently painted a deep maroon… You know. To hide his victims’ bloodstains. “And you’re a gross frog who doesn’t even realize that green is a color. You need to go back to school, and you need to step back.” Hipster Glasses looked terrified, but Leo commended him for not stepping back. It was a stupid decision, but Leo always liked bravery in the face of pure, unadulterated danger. Just when this guy had made his deathwish another junior artist stepped up and seemed to settle everything.

 

“Let’s all go to the club! Come on, everyone! Drinks on Vincent!”

 

Oh thank goodness for Erica. Leo would buy her chocolate one day, but not before he killed Hipster Glasses. Everyone headed for the door, and Leo glanced at Ray, locked arms with him and followed after the crowd. His mood was already improving. Leo was like a lightswitch, on and off in a matter of seconds. However, he wasn’t exactly doing what he was he told. As they all made their way downtown, walking down the street, passed other people dressed to party until 5:00 AM, Leo made a quick stop. “We’ll catch up in about an hour! Don’t worry, I won’t keep Ray to myself!”

 

Obviously he would and based on the faces of the junior artists they were all back to hating him for stealing their favorite person, but they didn’t dare fight it. They carried on while Leo popped into a small shop with Ray still on his arm. A confectionary shop filled with small candies, cakes, and of course… Confections. It was a cute shop. White walls covered in pink cupcake pictures and candies and inspirational messages, little white tables each with a flower in a glass vase on it, and of course delicious looking confections, candies, and cakes, all of which looked like luxury sweets.

 

Too bad Leo had a way of ruining cute things.

 

“So…” he started as he walked up to the counter, pretending like he was interested in the sweets behind the glass. He briefly glanced around for an employee, but they all must have been in the back since the front of was empty. “Why didn’t you just say no? Why did you let that guy bother you so much? He’s so… Gross and stupid. Why don’t you just be mean every once in a while? It won’t kill you.”

 

Leo truly was interested in whatever answer Ray presented to him, but they could discuss this over hot chocolate and cake… if an employee ever showed up. “HELLO??” Leo screamed, slamming his hand on the counter over and over again. “Can we get some service here?? Or is this a self-serve place because I’ll come around that counter and snatch up all those candies!!”

 

Almost immediately a woman came stomping from the back, her long black hair with purple highlights swaying behind her. She wasn’t young… but not old either. Probably early forties. Nevertheless, she was beautiful and obviously took care of herself. However, her lovely features were twisted in frustration as she stared at Leo like she was going to bite his face off.

 

“I wouldn’t serve you if you were the last goddamn diva in all of the universe. Now get the hell out before I knock out every single one of your already crooked ass teeth.”

 

The two stared at once another for a moment before Leo chuckled, leaned over the counter and hugged the woman. “Hello, mommy~” he said sweetly.

 

“Ugh, you’re such an asshole.” Leo’s apparent mother hugged him tightly with a wide smile on her face. “I know I didn’t raise you to be so nasty.” When she broke away she looked at Ray curiously, as if it were a shock to see someone willingly within two feet of Leo.

 

“And who’s this?” She directed the question at Ray, not Leo. “Let me just apologize in advance for however Leo bribed you to spend time with him. He’s a good kid. Just a bitch sometimes.”

[Joyabe]

Oh boy. Ray got so distracted by the new Leo he discovered in the last few hours, that for a moment he forgot about the old Leo. But that bitch was back in the house.

 

Not without a hint of guilt (although admittedly it was softened by his very certain feelings towards the latter), Ray watched Leo’s brilliant, unapologetic read of Vincent. Even though a small part of him enjoyed the show (more due to Leo’s high and mighty-ness and less thanks to Vincent being shut down but he is so not going to dwell on that), he figured he should probably stop Leo before he actually bashes Vincent’s head in.

 

"Leo..." Ray placed a warning hand on Leo’s shoulder. He didn’t mean for things to take such a turn, and certainly didn’t want Leo to demolish his newfound affection among the juniors (why though?). Fortunately, Erica stepped in to save the day.

 

With a small sigh of relief, Ray took a step back, letting go of Leo’s shoulder. Maybe he should have just gone quietly, he thought as he was dragged away by Leo (he was used to it by now, plus that way there was less of a chance Leo would try gauging Vincent’s eyes out with a Bobby pin). That was also part of the reason he didn’t object when Leo snatched him away from the rest of the group- it might give him some time to cool off, not to mention Ray didn’t really feel like risking causing another scene. “We’ll be there soon!” He promised with a smile as he was hauled off towards the unknown.

 

Shortly, Ray found out the unknown wasn’t actually all that scary. But Leo sure was.

 

He was trying to think of a way to answer the other’s question, even went as far as opening his mouth to speak, when Leo apparently reached the limit of his patience- which was about as limited as Tarte Cosmetics holiday collection.

 

“Leo!” Ray was now clearly scolding, pulling Leo’s arm to stop him and/or prepare to run for their lives in case the owner had a shotgun.

 

But of course, it was Leo they were talking about- obviously there had to be a surprise. This one was on a whole new level though.

 

Mommy?

 

Ray found himself yet again blinking in surprise. It wasn’t just about who Leo’s mom was, where she worked or how young she looked. It was about him having one. Ray actually had to remind himself Leo wasn’t some twisted Powerpuff girl, formed in a lab out of lipgloss, eyeliner and a whole lot of sass. That was the real shocker of the evening.

 

Not that he could say any of this when said mother began talking to him.

 

“There’s nothing to apologize for” Ray immediately recovered, pulling out his usual laugh and smile. Good thing he was a (self) trained actor. “I’m Ray, I’m...” Leo’s friend? The guy he regularly pushes into chairs? The one that texted him about his ass? “I’m working with Leo” he added a fresh smile for good measure.

 

"And you're choosing to spend your free time with him as well?" Leo's mom seemed to have almost the same amount of sass and sarcasm as her son, minus the assholery. Ray liked her immediately. "In that case he's buying. Go take a seat and I'll bring you a few things" she pointed at the many empty tables before turning back to the sweets.

 

Correction. Ray loved her.

 

Placing a hand on the other's back (what? he wasn't sure he wouldn't turn around, pull out a paint spray can and vandalize the display. He wouldn't put it past him), Ray ushered Leo to one of the tables before sitting down himself.

 

"Your mom seems nice" he noted "She's also right you know."

 

With a sigh, Ray leaned back in his chair. "Look," he opened "I know you do things differently, but I'm not the same. Most people can't really get away with what you're doing. You're... special" he shrugged. "It's not a bad thing, I mean you being you is the reason you're so successful" why and what was he rambling on about instead of just telling Leo being an asshole was not the civilized way to handle things?

 

"I think sometimes sucking it up is the better option when you look at the bigger picture. And even if I'm not going to be best friends with most of the juniors, I was there once- I was literally them a few years ago. And trust me when I say you need to be a very certain way to succeed within the system. Me being nice to them wouldn't help those that won't make it in the first place, but if it can help those who can it's worth it." Right from their first meeting, this was the point Ray was trying to get across to Leo. It was much easier to do without being a jerk now that Leo seemed to soften up a little.

 

"Listen," Ray leaned forward with a soft smile "I don't like that Vincent dude more than you do. But I can't punish the rest of the group just because of him. I promised I'll drop by later, and I will." He just hoped the club wouldn't be too packed when he would. Getting in and out as fast as possible would be the best case scenario. "Now I'm not saying you have to come as well, but I think it would be nice. Some of those guys really look up to you... Plus, I wouldn't mind having you around. Apparently you're an excellent bodyguard" he added jokingly.

[confidant_v]

Leo knew his mother would take to Ray. Even though they’d only spoken three sentences to each other, he could tell that she liked him. She was a good judge of character. Had she not liked him Leo would have to rethink his growing affection towards the other man. Not that he had affection for the other. No, no not all. Well… at least out loud he wouldn’t say he felt even just a small tinge of tenderness for Ray. Not out loud…

 

But moms can read minds. She admired Ray’s smile, knowing that smile had stolen what little heart her son had. Not to mention dare she say Ray… Liked Leo? Maybe not “like liked” Leo but just the fact he was here with him made her want to throw her arms around Ray and ask if she could adopt him.

 

Then came the hard blow.

 

“I’m… I’m working with Leo.”

 

Oh dear. Mom did not miss how her little boy’s heavily painted face fell. She didn’t miss how his tiny heart tumbled straight to the floor and seeped between the titles never to be seen again. She didn’t miss how he put his bitchy face back on and steeled himself as if he were going into battle, something he did far more than she was comfortable with. Goddammit Ray.

 

However, Veronica, affectionately known as Ronnie, was more sophisticated and diplomatic than her reactive son. She smiled at Ray, nodded her head, and sent them on their way as she picked out which sweets she’d give them.

 

Leo, though, was a mess of emotions. Sure, he wanted Ray to tell his mom they were friends, but he knew he shouldn’t expect it, but he still wanted it! He wanted Ray to say those words and open the door for Leo to say we’re more than makeup rivals and co-workers! I have a friend! I have an entire someone who actually wants to spend time with me! Not that Leo deserved it. He knew he didn’t. But then why did Ray so affectionately put his hand on his back to guide him to a table? Or maybe it wasn’t affectionate? Maybe he was just… Helping him? Again, he wouldn’t speak such things out loud. He wouldn’t admit that he didn’t deserve even a second of Ray’s time, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want it. He also wouldn’t admit that he wanted it. In fact he would just live in complete denial, divorced from any sense of reality. That seemed the best course of action. Fuck reality!

 

Unfortunately, reality seemed to be hitting him in the face more than he wanted. There were only certain things he liked hitting him in the face and this most certainly wasn’t it. Ray hit him with the truth of the industry. That he had to fake it like this in order to… To what? To help out the juniors? To continue thriving? He was already thriving. He was already sought after as one of the best in the industry. People wanted him, and honestly if it weren’t for Leo getting hired as Scarlet’s makeup artist they might have had Ray do it considering all of her complex and interesting looks.

 

Even so, Leo could kind of sort of maybe understand his desire to help people who are in the same position he was in once. Ray was a genuinely good person. He may have hid one or two sides of himself, but who didn’t?

 

“I just think…” Leo shook his head, pausing as his mom brought over two cakes with three varieties of candy on the side. The cakes were large enough for one person to enjoy, but also perfect if anyone wanted to share. The candies were small, but so full of filling that it would coat the entire mouth and send the lucky person who ate it to heaven. They were each glazed a different color: one red, one blue, one purple and decorated with beautiful chocolate lines and swirls. They were the picture of perfection.

 

“Enjoy, boys. Also, my name is Veronica," she told Ray, extending her hand to him. "Call me Ronnie.” She shook his hand firmly, confidently. It was clear where Leo got his confidence from. “Although…” Ronnie tilted her head at her son, grabbing his face by the chin and lifting it so she could observe him. She then did the same to Ray, examining each of their faces like they were specimen under a microscope. “Leo, this isn’t your signature style,” she said to her son, squinting her eyes at his beautifully done face. “But this is.” She smiled at Ray as she pointed to his face, winking at him while turning away. “You could learn something from this guy, Leo, if he’s the one who did your makeup. Your’s is shit compared to his.”

 

“Yeah, well this cake is shit.”

 

“Then don’t eat it, bitch.”

 

“I have to eat it so you can stay in business, bitch.”

 

“Call your mom a bitch again and I’ll post your ugliest pictures on Instagram and tear you down, bitch.”

 

Leo instantly shut up, casting his eyes down at his (obviously delicious) cake like a child who just got his gay little ass beat by his mother (oh he did though). Instead he took a picture of his sweets and posted them on instagram before looking back at Ray. “Ignore her. Anyway…. I see that you want to be nice, but you know you don’t have to just subject yourself to things you hate. Like that stupid guy with the glasses. It’s not mean to say ‘no, I don’t want to go clubbing.’ And if you don’t want to punish the other juniors just tell them you’ll hang out with them later. Why put yourself through this shit? You don’t have to be a bitch like me, but you can at least stand up for yourself.” Leo was about to continue on his tirade but there was something he needed to witness first. “Eat your cake so I can see what you look like when you orgasm.” He laughed loudly as he took a bite of his own cake, relishing in the perfect sweet chocolate, the creamy filling, the thick icing. God, his mom was talented.

 

“I’m not paying for this!” He shouted at her, knowing that she was eavesdropping on the entire conversation. His arrogance was returned with a middle finger, which he laughed off. He’d pay her later. Or not. After all, he shouldn’t have to pay. Well, no matter. There were more important things to handle.

 

“Oh, I’m fucking going.” Leo picked up right where he left off, as if he never turned the conversation to sex with cake. “Someone’s gotta protect you from yourself.” Leo rolled his eyes. He liked the thought of being Ray’s protector. Honestly, it felt great making Vincent back off of him. “Tell those idiots I’m your date tonight. You can dance with whoever you want, Ray, but remember who you’re coming home with.”

[Joyabe]

Was it strange for Ray to find the back-and-forth banter between Leo and his mother entertaining to the point of being on the verge of laughing (and very unattractively so) at the Harts' antics for the second time in hours? Well, if it was, slap a weird goatee on him and call him Doctor. Ronnie somehow incredibly reminded Ray of his older sister- whom he adored, so it wasn't so hard to understand the root of his affection towards her. And as for Leo... Well, he couldn't remember the last time (if it even existed) he had this much fun with a co-worker. And with Leo of all people. Who the fuck could have guessed.

 

He should have known this couldn't last long.

 

"Why put yourself through this shit?"

 

That erased Ray's good mood like a freaking eye pencil not set with powder. He couldn't answer this question honestly- not to mention he did not think Ronnie would keep the place open long enough for him to explain everything. 'It's just complicated okay?!' he wanted to snap on Leo. But even he knew this wasn't fair to do at all. In his own spiky, blunt way, Leo was trying to help, and Ray would be damned if he would be the man to crush those sprouts of kindness coming from the grand high bitch herself.

 

And what was is with the sudden change of topic that made him unable to follow? What cake had to do with any of it?! Cake was not going to make things better, Ray thought, absentmindedly lifting his fork to dig into the desert in front of him before bringing it into his mouth.

 

Okay, maybe the cake made it a little better.

 

And maybe, just maybe, seeing Leo enjoy sweets so much helped a little more. Damn him and his infectious joy expressing face! That goddamned beautiful face was a hazard if Ray had ever seen one.

 

Rolling his eyes right back at Leo and adding a little snort, Ray picked up one of the small chocolates. Gently holding the round ball between his fingers he practically shoved it into Leo's mouth.

 

"Shut up, stop being a bitch to your mother, and listen. First of all," he looked Leo seriously dead in the eye "We both know that at the end of the night you'll be the one dancing on the bar in your neon underwear and I'll be the one hauling your drunk ass back home. Second..." Ray's tone soften as did his expression, the overly righteous one he was wearing slipping off "I know it might sound weird, but standing up for yourself isn't always the best way to stand up for yourself."

 

How could he possibly explain this without sounding like a complete lunatic? Obviously, Leo was right. But thing was, this wasn't just about going clubbing, or saying no just the one time. It was so much more complicated than that. Saying no could easily send him down a slippery slide, at the end of which he'll be probably left unemployed, friendless and all in all with the reputation of a complete ass- and not the good kind.

 

Just being around Leo (when they weren't at each other's throats, that is), showed Ray how easily his facade could slip if only he allowed himself a little leeway. And sure, Leo was probably a safe crowd for that, seeing the little bitch Ray had in him couldn't possibly compare to the one Leo was housing. But even now Ray was still on edge- there was so much more than being a little bitchy that he wanted to keep to himself. Those nasty parts of him were not for the world to see- very much like the dirty makeup brushes he had back home.

 

"Anyway, going clubbing isn't such a big deal" Ray shrugged, trying to bring the unpleasant conversation topic to a close "This week was stressful" stress that was largely thanks to his unexpected new friend "I could use a drink... Or five."

 

Taking another bite of his cake, Ray sighed loudly. "This is so good" his own mother would smack him for talking with his mouth full "Do you think your mom would look for a replacement when she'll finally get tired of you?"

 

Although he could probably continue eating the night away, and even though he preferred to do just that, the crush from the sugar would probably kill him. Plus, he really wanted to get the whole club thing over with- early in, early out meant less people and more breathable air. "We should go" Ray barely finished texting one of the juniors he had the number of to ask for the club's name when he got it. No way he could use that excuse for not going- clearly the juniors were still very much eager for Leo and him to show up.

 

Leaving a bill on the table in case Leo really decided to be a bitch, Ray got up and waved to Ronnie. "Thanks, it was amazing! I'm definitely coming again" he then turned to Leo "Alright Kardashian. Let's go fucking party."

[confidant_v]

“Shut up, stop being a bitch to your mother, and listen.”

 

If Leo bothered to hide his surprise at being spoken to like that he did a poor job. Very rarely did people ever try to put him in his place. Those who did were never heard from again. Leo would haunt them in their mirrors until they were driven insane or ran off to live in the woods with no plumbing or Sephora for miles. At least that’s what the legend said. Either way, what was more surprising was that Leo did indeed shut up. He stopped being bitchy to his mother. And more importantly, the hardest thing for him to do, was listen. He managed though. Perhaps it was because Ray was the first person to knock him on his ass or perhaps it was because he actually cared about what Ray had to say. He gave the other his undivided attention, which was something pretty much no one at all had ever received.

 

Unless they were like… RuPaul or John Maclean or something.

"I know it might sound weird, but standing up for yourself isn't always the best way to stand up for yourself."

 

Leo raised his perfectly penciled eyebrow as he slowly licked his fork clean (attempt at possible seduction #1). “You’re standing up to me, but you can’t stand up to Hipster Glasses?” He’d leave it at that. Most people would shove Hipster Glasses in a dumpster with zero guilt, zero regret, and perhaps even zero memory of even doing it, but standing up to Leo… Literally no one did that. Leo didn’t think himself particularly scary, but people sure acted like he was a monster.

 

Not Ray though. Ray treated him like an equal. He bantered back and forth with him, wasn’t afraid to call him out, hell he even seemed to enjoy it. So what made him so brave around Leo, but a fucking coward around the juniors? Leo would never understand. He wanted to tell Ray that he would never understand and that he hated the way he acted around the juniors and that he hated how much he hid himself and why could he not just fucking open up and show this ugly, beatless world that he was the queen of goddamn divas and he would choke his enemies with glitter bombs if they dared showed their greasy faces to him.

 

Well, maybe Ray wasn’t that flamboyant, but DAMMIT MAYBE HE WAS AND LEO DIDN’T KNOW BECAUSE HE HID HIS TRUE SELF THE JERK.

 

But of course said jerk had a way of showing his suave sass any chance he got.

 

"Do you think your mom would look for a replacement when she'll finally get tired of you?"

 

“YES!” Ronnie screamed from the behind the counter where she wasn’t even looking up from decorating her cakes. “YES, I WOULD HAPPILY FIND A REPLACEMENT! Take him! Goddamn take him already and come live with me, Ray. You’re always welcome by, dear. The other one with the ugly green hair is banned; by the way please choose a better hair color for him, Ray. I’m so sick of that atrocious, horrifying, sickly, vomit-inducing, vegan, nasty--”

 

“MOM!”

 

“Green. Thanks, Ray.”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Leo left with Ray though not before snatching the bill he left on the table. Like hell he’d let Ray pay for his dessert. Like hell he’d pay for his mom’s dessert! Well, he’d pay her later, but Ray didn’t need to know that.

 

“I think you and I are better as Paris and Nicole. I’m Paris by the way because you make such a good sidekick, Ray. If you want I’ll take you on some makeup tours as my apprentice.” With a laugh, something between a genuine giggle and mocking giggle, Leo linked arms with Ray while the other led the way to whatever club they were going to (he’d already forgotten).

 

“Want to be in my instagram story?” Leo didn’t hesitate to pull out his phone and start recording, talking to his followers as if he were in front of them in a large, sparkly pink theater. He seemed to have no trouble navigating the busy streets with his eyes focused on his phone. He was a professional after all.

 

“So I’m with my…” Oh snap he was about to friend. Hell no. If Ray didn’t see him as a friend, then why would Leo express even the possibility that he maybe could want to tread that dangerous line with him? “Co-worker... right now. Isn’t he pretty? I did his makeup and he did mine. Who’s is better? Go ahead and comment!” He laughed as his followers answered his question with extreme prejudice. Not that Leo cared about their opinions. He just wanted them to think he did. He loved both of their makeups, but the name of the game was making his followers feel special on the occasion. This was one such occasion.

 

He managed to ramble on like all instagramers/youtubers out there. He talked about his surroundings, the amazing cake he’d just eaten, his fun little contest with Ray. Everything was out there. This continued on until they reached the club. He finally put his phone away and walked in with Ray still on his arm. It was as if he hadn’t just spent the entirety of their walk chatting with invisible strangers. Now that they were here though, it was time to party.

 

Leo dragged Ray to the bar without even bothering to find the juniors. If he were honest he didn’t quite remember what they looked like…. (He's quite the forgetful type isn't he?) Once there he greeted the attractive bartender, winked at him even though he was obviously straight (ugh) and ordered two shots. “No need to go easy on them, sweetie. Make them good ones.” Was Leo trying to get Ray drunk? Maaaaaaaaybe. Did Leo intend to pace himself when usually he’d drink himself into a coma? Maaaaaaaaaybe. Did Leo hope to see a drunk Ray even though they were technically on a work outing? Did he hope to take care of a drunk Ray and get him to really reveal why the hell he was so bent on treating people like they could control every aspect of his life? Maaaaaaaaaybe.

 

Did Leo want to have fun with Ray? Yes. Yes he did.

 

“Cheers, my love. Drink up.”

[Joyabe]

By the time they left for the club, Ray could say that he was, beyond a doubt, completely head over heels for Ronnie. And Leo wasn't so bad himself either. While he didn't bother replying the the whole Paris and Nicole comment, Ray couldn't hide a clearly amused smile when he pictured Leo in Simple Life-like scenarios... Like Leo on a farm feeding chickens. Or Leo in a field trying to drive a tractor. Or worse- Leo trying to babysit. Somehow Ray had the feeling that kids weren't one of Leo's favorite hobbies.

 

Similarly, Ray made no comment objecting to being on Leo's Instagram story. He didn't really care as it was, and even if he did it's not like he really had a choice. He was smart enough to know he should chose his battles. Instead, he focused on navigating their way through the somewhat busy streets, making sure they wouldn't get lost (even if a small part of him hoped they would) and that Leo wouldn't walk head first into something... Like another person or a street lamp.

 

That worry, however, seemed to be baseless, since Leo looked like he had an extra eye or an operator talking to him through an earpiece telling him where to go. That left Ray with all the time in the world (or at least the few minutes it took them to get from Ronie's shop to the club) to start stressing the fuck out. It was still relatively early, so he at least hoped the club wouldn't be extremely packed. He could probably handle it, given the right amount of drinks... But it didn't mean he still wasn't freaking out just a little. After all, in it's nature anxiety is never rational. Yet, none of this inner panic showed on his face. After all, Ray was a veteran, and the cool night air was helping him keep a leveled head. At most, he might have seemed a little distant.

 

Throughout their short stroll towards the club, Ray didn't really pay too much attention to whatever it was Leo was taking to his fans about... Although the co-workers comment did seem to hit somewhere close to a nerve. Which was strange, because they were co-workers. He just defined them as co-workers less than an hour ago. Then why the hell did he find this definition coming from Leo... Offensive? Hurtful? Ray couldn't really find the right word for the childish feeling that seemed to taunt him, but he didn't have too much time to mull over it either. Soon enough they were leaving the blissful clear air behind in favor of the loud, hot and very colorful (though blissfully not too full) club.

 

Ray had zero objections to the bar being their first stop. He also might have enjoyed having Leo's undivided attention once again, now that the phone was put away and the fans gave him back his new and surprising source of entertainment.

 

"Please don't make me come drag your twerking ass off this poor guy when you're one too many drinks in" Ray shook his head at Leo's blunt flirting. There it was again, the familiar ting of... Jealousy? Possessiveness? Whatever it was he felt when Leo turned his attention from him to his fans. This was a little different, though just as unappropriated. He needed to stop it. Like, now.

 

"Cheers babe" Ray answered in his best Leo impression before downing his shot. Yes, yes alcohol was definitely the right call. As soon as it hit his blood stream, Ray felt a little bit better.

 

As he placed his empty glass down, Ray's eyes landed on two girls across the bar. They were clearly whispering about something (or, well, club version of whispering) while constantly glancing in their direction. There weren't really too many options- either they were into them, which was the less likely of the two given they basically marched in with Leo hanging on Ray's arm, or they were Leo's fans.

 

Ugh, he forgot that unlike him, Leo actually had thousands of people that recognized his face in the real world and even outside of the industry.

 

"Alright," Ray leaned forward, speaking into Leo's ear over the loud music "Now that we have you sedated enough so you'll be just a little less bitchy let's go find the others." Without waiting for an answer, Ray grabbed Leo's hand and pulled him after him. It was a good thing he couldn't see his face, because with how shocked he was by himself, something must have been showing. Being possessive was old news for Ray, but being possessive over Leo?

 

Where did that come from?

 

Luckily, he managed to erase whatever was on his face quickly, because finding the juniors didn't take long at all.

 

And thank the heavens they got a table.

 

"You made it!" a somewhat tipsy Erica jumped from her seat when she spotted them, hurrying toward them and pulling them back to the table in case they would get lost on those few feet. Much to Ray's dismay, when they got there Leo was pulled into the empty sit next to Erica, while he was pushed into the empty sit in between their favorite student and one of the artist who's name he couldn't remember. Lana? Lauren? Linda?

 

A little less to his dismay, almost as soon as he sat down a clear drink (he assumed it was a Vodka-Soda unless someone was trying to give him alcohol poisoning) was shoved into his hand. Taking a sip, Ray watched Leo get immediately verbally tackled by Erica and the artist sitting next to her. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if the possible fans from earlier would find him.

 

Turning his attention back to the people next to him, Ray had a very easy choice in the small space he was cramped into- with Vincent on one side, it was a no-brainer to turn to... ah....

 

"Laura, right?" Oh thank god for his memory making a comeback "You were assisting on a magazine shoot I did a few months ago right?"

 

Receiving an enthusiastic nod in return, Ray focused as much attention as he managed on Laura, who started talking to him about said shared shoot. Although he was making good progress through his drink, Ray was still sober enough to be able to nod, answer and laugh in the right places. With a little bit of luck, he would be able to burn most of the minimal accepted time he had to stay in some meaningless chitchat- preferably not with Vincent.

[confidant_v]

That alcohol must have already taken effect because Ray didn’t hesitate to begin acting strange. Normally Leo was the one dragging Ray around, but this time Ray seemed to want Leo away from the bar. Or perhaps away from the bartender? Was sweet Ray perhaps… Jealous? Oh this was too good. Oh this was too good. Leo cackled to himself as he let Ray lead him wherever he wanted. “You think I’ll stop acting bitchy because I’ve had a drink? Sweetie, you need to rethink that.” Was it even possible for Leo to not be bitchy?

 

Yes. Yes, it was. In fact, Ray would get a full taste of what a genuinely kind Leo looked like in just a few moments. First they had to settle into the table with the juniors. Leo was happy to sit next to Ray. He wanted to drive the other crazy by touching his knee or his hand or kissing his cheek. It would have been fun to see how Ray reacted to such affection, but the juniors seemed to like splitting them up. At least Leo got lucky and wound up next to Erica and…. Sandra? Elizabeth? Why the hell did the juniors not wear nametags AT ALL TIMES?

 

Ray was unfortunate enough to find himself next to Hipster Glasses. That’s some bad luck right there. Leo felt so bad for Ray that he couldn’t even find it in himself to laugh. Thankfully that girl was there, but from Hipster Glasses’ excited look it was only a matter of time before he dominated Ray’s conversation and time. Leo was already thinking of escape plans for Ray (like hell he’d leave his new friend/mostly co-worker in this situation) when two girls shuffled up to the table, clearly nervous and wanting to speak to Leo.

 

“Um… You’re Leo, right? Leo Hart?”

 

Sorry, Ray. The fans needed him.

 

“That’s right! Hello, starlights!” Calling his fans by his signature name for them instantly calmed the girls. Their smiles grew as did their comfort levels.

 

“I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!” One of the girls looked like she was about to start crying. “Leo, you have no idea how much your tutorials and videos have helped me.”

 

“Oh, sweetie, it’s nothing!”

 

“No, it’s not nothing. I really… I don’t know. I guess I just… I never really felt beautiful, you know. With or without makeup. I was just so plain and unattractive, but then I began watching your videos. You’re so funny and even though you’re so good at beauty you don’t take it seriously. You just have fun and you don’t care about what people think and… I guess I just wanted to be like that. So I did. I worked to gain more confidence in myself, to just have fun with my appearance and stop caring about what people thought of me, and now I’m just… Happier. You’ve really helped me, Leo.”

 

Leo may have been a bitch, but even he found a few tears threatening his mascara that Ray so perfectly applied.

 

“That makes me so happy to hear, starlight.” Leo’s voice was barely heard over the loud music, but he could hardly bring himself to scream as loudly as he needed to. The story touched his heart, and he found it difficult to even register what was happening. He’d actually managed to change a life? He’d actually managed to bring someone the confidence to feel beautiful and amazing?

 

“Can I give you a hug?” he asked with a laugh, already standing to embrace the young woman. He’d treasure this moment forever.

 

Not that others would.

 

“He’s so fake, isn’t he? I don’t see how a two-faced guy like him even has fans.” Hipster Glasses leaned over to Ray and whisper-shouted in his ear. Perhaps he thought talking shit about a Youtube star was something that could put him on the cool list? Or perhaps he thought that Ray felt how most people felt about Leo. Either way, he seemed proud of himself for apparently calling Leo out.

 

Not that Leo noticed. He didn’t hear anything over the roar of the music and his chat with his fans. He gave them some advice after they asked for it, telling one girl to bring the line of her contour up just ever so slightly and recommending that the other girl try just one shade lighter of foundation.

 

“As you know I have an eyeshadow palette in the works. It’s nearly done. Should be released in about a month or so. Well, Jolie,” (he’d taken the time out to ask the girls their names and even remember them!), “I’d love for you to be a tester when the palette is in its final stages. Both of you.”

 

Those girls screams were loud enough to silence almost the entire club. Leo laughed, but was enthusiastic when they both (obviously) agreed.

 

“I’ll also give you both a palette for free when it’s released. Thank you so much for supporting me and sharing your story with me. It truly means a lot.”

 

With one last hug, Leo sat back at the booth, although he asked Laura (Laura, right?) if he could steal her seat so he could sit next to Ray. He instantly locked arms with the other man, and the feeling of satisfaction that came over him was euphoric. He was so… Happy. His smile was true, perfect… So genuine. He couldn’t remember a time he’d been so happy, and he wanted to share this with Ray.

 

“I don’t even have words,” he shouted, wishing they were outside so he could share this wonderful moment with Ray in private. “I just… I don’t know. I’m so glad to know that I helped someone. That I truly helped someone…” He drifted off, feeling that the atmosphere of the club didn’t fit his serene mood or his desire to be alone with Ray. He wanted to spend this moment with him in the same way a husband wanted to share his new promotion with his wife. He wanted to just curl up next to Ray, rest his head on his shoulder, and bask in this realization that he was truly making a difference. He wanted to celebrate with Ray. To hold his hand. To cry happy tears into his jacket. To hold him close as pride and joy swelled in his tiny heart. To maybe run his hands down his chest and--

 

Oh maybe this is where the daydream should end.

 

“You’ll help me, won’t you?” Leo’s euphoria was gone as quickly as it had come. He blurted the words out without any thought, staring into Ray’s eyes with the seriousness of Tyra Banks when it was time for a bitch to get eliminated. “My palette can’t be anything less than perfect.” Leo wasn’t even sure if Ray had known that he had a palette in the making (he announced it on Youtube and Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and his blog and probably the local newspaper and maybe even a newspaper in Japan because why not like three months ago!!) He had done it all himself and the palette was nearly complete, but his fans needed perfection. Now more than ever, Leo couldn’t let them down.

 

“You’ll help me build the rest of it, right?” He wasn’t too prideful to ask someone as skillful as Ray to help with his palette. Well he was until about ten minutes ago. Like hell he needed help with it, but you know… A second opinion couldn’t really hurt.

[Joyabe]

If Ray thought for even a second he managed to dodge those Leo fans, soon enough he discovered just how wrong he was. Luck would be that cruel as to put him next to Vincent while Leo got to meet his fans. Well, okay, if he was being completely fair and honest he did got to hang out with the closest thing he had to fans as well. Being makeup artist famous wasn't as intense as being YouTube famous, but Ray was pretty much as close as it gets. After all, he did sit in a table where all the people knew him, while he knew only a few.

 

Leo's fans, however, brought with them an unexpected surprise. Watching Leo with them provided Ray with a fascinating human interaction to observe. Would you look at that- he got not one, not two, but three birds with one stone. And he didn't even have to throw it!

 

First of all, it gave Ray something interesting to focus on. Even though he did it from the corner of his eye (he didn't want to be rude to Laura okay she was a nice girl), watching Leo interact with his fans was something completely new, and it proved itself to be no less entertaining than talking to the man himself. Second, this whole other thing to concentrate on also allowed Ray to distract himself from where he was and how mildly uncomfortable he was still feeling. But maybe the most important thing was the fact it allowed Ray to discover a completely new side to Leo.

 

Well, not completely new- he did get glimpses of it in the other's behavior towards him. But seeing Leo being so nice to strangers- that was very, very different.

 

Granted, he couldn't really hear anything Leo was saying, but the looks on his and the girls' faces made it clear beyond any reasonable doubt Leo was not pulling his usual ultimate bitch act. And he even hugged one of the girls. He hugged her. It's not like Leo wasn't a touchy type, considering even when they were fighting he was touching Ray nonstop. But Leo was willingly and proactively hugging a stranger. And not, like, to break their ribs or strangle them or stick a 'kick me' sign on their back.

 

That... that was actually kind of sweet. Maybe it even directed a not so small hair dryer at Ray's already defrosting feelings towards Leo. He wasn't even mad about Leo putting up a whole front he hid behind when in reality he was actually a nice guy- the exact thing he just scolded Ray about doing, mind you. It was refreshing seeing Leo being so nice and genuine. It made Ray want to see more of it.

 

Trust Vincent to ruin his moment.

 

Even over the loud music, it was clear Ray was inhaling the biggest inhale in the history of inhales. Drinking always made him tired, and right now Vincent was adding on to it, making him exhausted. That guy could really use some self awareness.

 

"Sorry, I didn't get that" Ray turned around for exactly one second with the driest, most bored smile before turning back to Laura without even bothering to wait for a reply. It was a little scary that by the looks of it Vincent didn't get the message at all, but Ray didn't really feel like making a double take to check.

 

Propping his elbow on the back of the sofa and resting his head against his hand, Ray returned most of his attention back to the conversation he was having with Laura, now only occasionally glancing in Leo's direction. She really was a nice girl, and after she calmed down a little and realized Ray was an actual person he was even having a little fun talking to her.

 

"So you really didn't date the model from that shoot afterwards?" Laura sounded a little skeptical.

 

"Hell no." Ray laughed "Do you not remember the tantrum she threw over the hairdresser not having the hairspray she likes?"

 

"She was nice to you though. Like, really nice."

 

"That did not mean I was going to go out with her."

 

"Yeah, but-" Ray didn't get to hear the rest of this sentence since their guest star returned from his little meet and great and asked Laura to change seats, to which she agreed. She really was nice, although Ray didn't think about her for much longer. He had a very happy Leo on his hands right now.

 

Actually, to be more accurate, he had a very happy Leo on his arm. "Is that so?" Ray smiled softly at the other's admission of being happy over helping others. Happy Leo was cute. Happy, speechless Leo was very cute. And Ray might have been a just little buzzed.

 

Shifting a little, Ray slid his arm out of Leo's only to stop when his hand reached his counterpart's. He wasn't sure if it was the drinks or Leo, but Ray felt surprisingly relaxed. "Sure, I'll help you" he squeezed Leo's hand looking right back at him. The palette was news for him, but he couldn't possibly find it within himself to say no to Leo- not when he was being so serious and spike-less. "Although" Ray added with a laugh "You're starting to accumulate quite a debt. Being on your video, helping with the palette... I'm going to remember all of those" he winked at Leo before letting go of his hand.

 

Turning to the low table, Ray grabbed the nearest liquor bottle and poured two shots, handing one to Leo. "To your new palette" he raised his own glass "Let's show Kyle what selling out fast really is" he added, one corner of his mouth pulling up to form a smirk before he downed his drink.

 

"You know" he started talking again after settling down "It's kind of unfair. We were all drinking when you were just talking over there... You need to start catching up. It's not fair to get your friends drunk just so you could take embarrassing videos to blackmail them with later." Okay, so Ray wasn't drunk yet. He was feeling the alcohol, but he was still not at drunk. He wouldn't mind continue drinking with Leo... Although he would have preferred doing it somewhere more quiet. Combined with his hectic schedule, the alcohol was making him tired and the club was starting to be a little too much.

 

His now not as overly carefully calculating brain was still contemplating the idea of doing just that, when they were interrupted. Again.

 

Some other fans must have heard the screams of the previous ones, because a new, smiling and more confident group of girls was standing right in front of them. One of them was holding a very expensive looking bottle of tequila and some glasses. Well, this one would probably be over more quickly.

 

"Leo?" the one who seemed like the leader of the group didn't hesitate when she talked to him "Hey, we're all huge fans. We would love having a drink with you." Well, not like there was much Ray could do except releasing Leo to his fans. Besides, after seeing how happy he was after the previous encounter, he really didn't feel like he could or wanted to prevent this. The only thing he could do was wait again.

 

Leaning his head back against his seat, he turned it the other way and HOLY FUCKING JESUS.

 

He forgot Vincent was there. And also, apparently, very drunk.

 

"You know" he was close enough to Ray's face for him to confirm beyond reasonable doubt he really was drunk. Anyone who's breath smelled so much like vodka was. "I really don't get what everyone sees in him".

 

"Well Vince," Ray was trying to find the best way out. This guy really had no grasp of the concept of personal space "It may not be your style, but-"

 

"I mean, really" Ray had to fight the instinct to headbutt Vincent, who suddenly leaned and was now inches away from his face, studying it intently "Even this look! You still look like you. It's really... Simple" he made a disgusted face that Ray could only hope to return "So what's so fucking special about him?"

 

"Vincent" Ray sighed, closing his eyes only if to not see Vincent's face from so up close for just a moment. "Listen..." he stopped for a moment. How could he explain this? How could he tell someone he was an idiot without actually calling him an idiot? Usually Ray was so good at this, but he was tired. His brain was just refusing to work.

[confidant_v]

Someone had once told Leo (perhaps it was mom or his brother, but it was most likely his dog because his dog was just so fucking wise) tiny gestures were what showed that a person cared. When Leo’s mother left gloves out for him because it was cold outside; that was love. When Erik made sure there was food in the fridge so Leo wouldn’t starve or simply live on a diet of cheese balls; that was care. When Champa (Leo’s best friend and pet dog of five years) curled up next to him when he was sad or sick; that was affection.

 

And Ray releasing Leo’s arm to hold his hand… There was so much tenderness in that action that it almost knocked all of the breath out of Leo. He stared at their entwined hands, trying his best to hold in a not-so appropriate sound as warmth traveled from his fingertips up his arm. What the hell was Ray trying to do to him? Was he trying to drive him insane? Did he wish to see Leo squirm like a Japanese school girl? FOR THE LOVE OF JEFFREE STAR COSMETICS WHAT DO YOU WANT RAY???

 

And why did it seem to physically harm Leo when he let go? In fact, who even gave him permission to let go? Who said that Ray was allowed to grab Leo’s hand, fill Leo full of rainbow colored butterflies, and then let him go? Had Ray not went for that bottle of alcohol Leo would have grabbed his hand right back and forced him to hold it for at least the next couple hundred years if not more. For the first time in ages, Leo didn’t actually want alcohol. He wanted to be in his right mind and talk to Ray like… Like a goddamn human being. He wanted to talk all about his palette (because he could tell Ray had no clue he even had one; the boy lives under a rock) and he wanted to ask Ray what his favorite colors were, what his favorite products were, what his favorite food was… He just wanted to know him.

 

But hey, he was pleased that Ray wanted to celebrate him. They toasted and Leo laughed at Ray’s little tease of him. “You catch on quick. Perhaps I already have something to blackmail you with though, and you don’t even know it.” A little spark of excitement grew in him at the thought of spending the rest of the night with Ray, celebrating and drinking and having fun… When it was interrupted.

 

More fans? Normally Leo was ecstatic to meet fans, but this was just… A nuisance. Still, he couldn’t turn them away. He couldn’t say no to their request. He had to keep his fans happy after all.

 

Perhaps… Perhaps Leo understood a little bit of what Ray went through.

 

“Hello, starlights!” He stood, already missing Ray’s warmth beside him. “Oh my, this looks incredible. Are you sure you want to share it with me?” They all laughed and began walking away, though Leo cast one look back at Ray. How could he tell these girls that he really didn’t want to spend time with them? How could he explain that he was trying to get to know Ray and that he wanted to see him and that he wanted to just… Be with Ray?

 

He couldn’t. He simply couldn’t.

 

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed to Ray, but as he stared after him saw… that man. Fucking goddamn stupid Vincent. Lord knows what he was saying to poor Ray, and god Ray just looked so… Tired. So done. Leo didn’t so much as pity Ray… It was more that he wanted to take care of him. He didn’t want him to be so exhausted. He didn’t want him to be stuck talking to Vincent and then go home alone and tired and aggravated. No… Leo wouldn’t have that all.

 

“Starlights,” Leo called the girls he was following. “Do you ladies want to do me a favor?”

 

***

 

Vincent was kissing so much ass that his breath surely smelled of it. Somehow he thought that Ray was so enthralled with everything he had to say. In his delusional mind he thought Ray was just so fascinated with every word that came out of his mouth. He imagined that Ray would even allow him to observe how he did Jackson’s makeup. God, he knew he was in. And on top of that, the two of them could happily talk shit about that damn Leo. Vincent wanted to knock him down a few notches, and he knew Ray wanted to do just the same. Together, they would be a makeup duo that could take over West Hollywood, the world, and along the way they could figure out a way to remove of all Leo’s social medias from existence.

 

Just when Vincent was going to go over the problems with James Charles’ latest eyeshadow palette, something… Odd happened.

 

“Raaaaaaay! Ray Deora, is that you?” The same girls who dragged Leo away had come back and were fangirling all over Ray. The lead girl, a young woman with long brown hair and a skimpy little green dress, plopped down beside Ray and snuggled close to him. “Leo told us that was you! We had no idea! You never show your face on social media so how would anyone know it’s you?” She laughed as she stared at Ray, winking at him in hopes that he understand to just follow along. Honestly, though he probably just thought she was flirting but... Oh well.

 

“As much as we want to spend time with Leo, we thought we’d ask you to come along as well! You’re so knowledgeable! Come on!” The girl began pulling Ray moreso towards the door than to a table. While they distracted Ray, Leo came back to the table, looked down at Vincent with an expression that would send Cruella DeVille crying to her mother, and winked at him. Like hell Leo would leave Ray to be bothered by this kind of man. Boy. Child. Fucker.

 

It didn’t take long for him to catch up to the girls and Ray outside of the club. Once outside, Leo hugged each of his fans, thanking them for their help. “Ray, you owe these girls like ten Urban Decay lipsticks because they just saved you from that stupid four-eyes!” It hadn’t been hard to recruit these ladies. All Leo had to do was tell them that Ray was a good friend of his, and that honestly, he had a bit of a crush on him. After the girls' squealing settled down, Leo asked them to snatch him away from Vincent who was hanging all over him. The Leo followers didn’t hesitate to accept a favor from their idol, and Leo… Well, Leo didn’t even have to get his hands dirty.

 

“I’m going to take him home, girls. DM me later on insta and I’ll give you guys a shoutout! Thanks so much!”

 

After a few more hugs and thank yous the girls went back into the club, and Leo was able to focus his attention on Ray. “You’re such an old man. You had like three drinks and you’re already exhausted. No wonder you don’t go out! You just fall asleep!” Leo was teasing, but he did wonder why Ray looked as tired as he did. “Do you want me to take you home?” Leo asked, sounding a bit more serious. “Or you can come to my place and play video games with me. If you’re not scared of losing that is.”

[Joyabe]

How much did a person need to drink to pass out? Can you make a shank out of a plastic straw? Is teleportation really a thing reserved only for science fiction?

 

These were the questions that went through Ray's mind as Vincent went on and on and on.

 

His inner Mr. Grinch sure was rearing his green, ugly head about how a certain green, not so ugly head left him alone with the most obnoxious person on the planet while he went to get drunk.

 

But then again, if it was Leo in his place he might have actually tried stabbing Vincent, so him taking one for the team might have been for the better. Still, he would have rather talked to literally anyone other than Vincent. Maybe Laura again, or Erica, or really any other person around the table.

 

Well, it seemed like Ray had a fairy godmother listening somewhere.

 

“Raaaaaaay! Ray Deora, is that you?”

 

Yes, yes it was. But who the fuck was she?

 

After a moment of suspicious examining, Ray realized he was dealing with the Leo superfans. But what did they have to do with him? There was no way they knew who he was- not because he "never showed his face on social media", but because... Well, because he wasn't famous.

 

Leo was one thing, dominating YouTube and Instagram and reaching audiences of all ages from all over the world. Ray, on the other hand, was a somebody only within the industry. And these girls were definitely not from it. Now, if people from outside of the industry flirted with him it was because of how he looked, not because of who he was. Things were just not adding up.

 

That is, until Leo's name was mentioned.

 

Oh. Ray didn't know how or why, but he was sure Leo was somehow behind this. But with the Leo-ettes pulling him away from Vincent and towards the door there was no way he was going to object. He would rather lay down on a table and have Leo and his fans do body shots off him for the rest of the night than spending one more minute with Vincent.

 

Once he was outside, Ray instantly felt better. He didn't realize how poorly he was breathing or how tense he felt. When Leo showed up, just like Ray suspected he would, there was nothing but gratitude towards him. He still rolled his eyes at the other's little tease though.

 

"You do not get to call me out after gossiping like an old lady for the entire night" Ray lifted a finger and an eyebrow "And then you even have the nerve to try and get me to play games with secret gamer Leo Hart when I have a handicap? No way." This time, it was Ray's turn to link arms with Leo "As much as I'm curious about the Leo lair, I think it's going to have to wait."

 

Although he was not ready for the humiliation of being crushed by Leo, or worse have him discover that he was not willing to play horror games, not even if you paid him, Ray still didn't want the night to end. He still had questions to ask, he was having fun, and he did promise to help Leo with his palette, didn't he? He couldn't possibly go back on his word. He had an obligation now.

 

Pulling Leo into a cab and giving the driver the address, it wasn't fifteen minutes before they arrived at Ray's favorite bar. Unlike the club, it was quite, a walking distance from his apartment, and he came there often enough to know the staff so free drinks. All in all, it was his go-to spot.

 

The dark wooden door that led to the place was nothing out of the ordinary, as was the room behind it. In fact, it was a small, dark room, most of which was filled by the bar itself and a few more tables that were scattered in the remaining space. But this front wasn't the real charm of the place.

 

Confidently pulling Leo after him like only a person very familiar with the place could, Ray crossed the room and opened a small glass door hidden in the shadows. This was the reason Ray loved this place so much.

 

Behind the bar, a quiet yard provided the real attraction. Low tables and benches were randomly grouped under large cypress tress that supported lines of lights that stretched and crossed each other over the yard. The music that played in the background was quiet enough to allow people to talk to each other, while also encapsulated them in the feeling of being somewhere outside of the real world. Combined with the night's sky that stretched above him, Ray often found himself feeling like he was in another place altogether.

 

Choosing a corner table, Ray only let go of Leo when they were finally seated. Almost immediately, two menus were placed in front of them together with two shot glasses filled with a golden liquid, before the waitress disappeared back into the trees, and presumably the bar.

 

"So," finally Ray felt he could speak properly without shouting "Since a vodka scented make out session with Vincent is out of the question now... Tell me more about this palette." Actually, and even though he didn't even know about it up until half an hour earlier, Ray was genuinely interested. He never even thought about creating his own cosmetics- he was happy enough to use those of others. But he couldn't say he didn't find the idea fascinating- finding the right formula, choosing the exact right shades, and then the most balanced combination...

 

"Where are you standing? Do you have a manufacturer you're happy with? Did you think about a theme for the palette? Did you chose shades? Or names?"

 

Ray wasn't even sure where to begin, when suddenly the realization he might have just dragged Leo completely unwillingly to a bar to talk about work way past working hours hit. Yeah, his brain was definitely slower when he drank.

 

"Or, er, well," Ray's eyebrows pushed together and upwards, the same way they always did when he felt apologetic "Maybe you prefer talking about it another time. We can always get smashed and you can tell me about that one time you got high and tried poll dancing on a cactus in palm springs."

[confidant_v]

Leo wasn’t too upset when the invitation to his home was rejected. In fact, he was elated that Ray wanted to keep spending time with him away from the juniors and the loud, colorful, energetic, chaotic club. He didn’t even put up a fight when Ray stuck him in a cab and took him to some unknown address. Normally, he’d be punching him in his arm, demanding that he reveal whatever secret location they were going to, but no… There was no reason to be so defensive. Leo was completely relaxed as he leaned against Ray, simply enjoying his presence while looking out the window as if he were a tourist going on a joyride.

 

Perhaps that was Ray’s secret power. People were automatically drawn to him for some reason, and Leo didn’t seem to be an exception. Rather, Ray did something that forced him to stop being the personality that everyone had come to know and understand. Leo always thought of himself as this bitchy, mean, glamorous, high-maintenance bitch, and let’s be real he was indeed all of these things, but maybe there was more to him that even he didn’t know. Maybe he liked calm nights out on the town. Maybe he liked spending his time with only one person rather than surrounding himself with other youtube stars and people who followed him like he was a cult leader.

 

Some soul-searching was in order, but that would have to wait until like next year because Leo was just too fucking busy to find whatever soul was hiding underneath all that foundation.

 

Besides, how could he focus on that when Ray took him somewhere that he’d never been before? If there was something Leo loved it was going to new places and experiencing new things. He was excited when he stepped out of the cab, but at the same time he was mildly underwhelmed. This looked like a place old people went and Leo really didn’t want to be caught dead in a place like this. It looked so dull… Yet, for whatever reason he trusted Ray. Why he was so easily putting his trust Ray (such as showing Ray his mom’s shop so soon into their “friendship,” or asking him to help him with his palette, or even allowing him to do his makeup)??? Leo just blindly put his trust in Ray and knew from the bottom of his icy heart that this amazing, talented, beautiful person wouldn’t let him down.

 

And he most certainly didn’t.

 

“What the hell?” Leo laughed as Ray weaved him through the halls and took through the looking glass to a very special and serene Wonderland. “Of course, you would come to a place like this. Count on Ray to be classy AF.” But no, for real, after seeing this place Ray was indeed classy AF. Leo would have never thought to come to somewhere so... Nice. Hell, he didn’t even know a place like this existed. Erik probably did, but Erik was classy. LIKE RAY! Maybe the two of them would get along, but you know what Leo didn’t really want to introduce Ray to his brother because what if Ray began to fall in love with Erik? WHAT IF RAY BEGAN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ERIK???

 

He’d definitely have to kill them both, but that was so much hassle so better not to introduce them just yet.

 

Leo continued gawking at this magical place until the waitress show up and offered them menus. “Two vodka martinis please,” Leo said without even looking at them. “And put them on his tab.” Leo smirked as he nudged Ray and handed him the money he had left at the confection shop. “Why the hell are you trying to pay my mother? The least she can do is give me and my friends free candy and cake when I show up.” Oh… There was that word again. Friend. He let it slip so easily this time. It was because of the alcohol, no doubt. He still wanted to punish Ray for not calling them friends before, but here was calling them friends. Ugh… Well too late to go back on it. Hopefully Ray was tipsy enough that he would miss it. With that pushed to the back of his mind, Leo knocked back the drink that had already been placed in front of him. With his prequel to the vodka martini out of the way, he could focus more on Ray. And focus he would. After all, Ray was good eye candy.

 

Better than his mom’s chocolates even.

 

Rolling his eyes at the comment about Victor… Vinny… Brian….? Whoever Hipster Glasses was, Leo instead turned his attention to something he just loved talking about. “You know, you’d know all about my palette if you followed me on social media. In fact, why don’t you follow me? You’re not into instagram makeup artists like me? You think we're shallow and don't have any real talent?” Leo was baiting him, but Ray was a sassy ass motherfucker as it was. Whatever Leo dished Ray could handle it and vise versa. “By the way, I demand you follow me on social media. Like right now. NOOOOOOOOOW.”

 

Maybe he was getting a little drunk… And the vodka martini that appeared in front of him didn’t help the situation. He took a sip of it before pulling out his phone and scooting his chair closer to Ray’s. He was prepared to answer his questions when Ray suddenly backtracked, changing the subject or maybe just losing confidence…?

 

“Look, all evidence of me pole dancing with that cactus is erased and if you bring it up again you’ll be erased too.” Leo snickered, wondering why he was even humoring such a stupid thing. But Ray was like that. He was fun and silly and he just… He understood Leo! Who the hell could put that on their CV?

 

“Of course I want to talk about my palette. Unless you’re not interested, and you are most certainly interested so… Shut up.” With that Leo began flipping through his phone to show off some of the colors he had already chosen.

 

“So the name of the palette is Starlight. That’s what my fans are called so I wanted to dedicate this first palette of mine to them. All of the colors are named after something space related. So we have color names like Supernova, Orion, Diamond Dust, Milky Way, stuff like that. Oh here are two of my favorite colors.” He flipped through his phone and showed Ray a glittering pale white. “This is Astromantic. And this….” He flipped to another, which was a pure, creamy black matte. “Is Astrosexy.”

 

Leo giggled at his own cleverness. God, he was so proud of this palette, but that’s not to say that he wasn’t concerned about a few things. “So the palette is supposed to look like the phases of the moon. So I have dark blacks that fade to pure whites, but I have two colors that stand out, Blood Moon and Blue Moon, which you can guess what colors those are. My problem is that I’m having trouble getting those perfect transition shades. They can’t be too different, but they still have to stand out. Also I wonder if having those two bright colors, red and blue, will look weird in a palette that is mostly dark and light. I mean I have a maroon color for one of my transitions, but.. I don’t know.”

 

Leo’s tone had turned serious, but it always did when he thought about the success of his palette. This was his first time putting himself out there like this, and he just wanted it to work out exactly how he dreamed it. “Instagramers always put out palettes, but they don’t always succeed. Just because you wear makeup well doesn’t mean you can create it. But I think I can. I think I have what it takes to make a great palette. I just… I don’t know.” He rubbed his eye like a child, mostly cause it was itchy, but also because he couldn’t think of anything else to do with his hands. His nerves were coming in as he talked about his palette, and it took everything in him to remain chill and not let those nerves show.

 

Too bad he smeared his makeup in his attempt to keep his hands busy.

 

“Fuck,” he muttered as he looked down at the mascara that had transferred to his hand. “Your setting spray is shit, Ray.” He didn't even want to think about what his face looked like now.

 

Oh well. He didn’t actually care. It would just fit his drunk appearance even more. He was more focused on getting himself back to his normal, carefree self. “You know, if you do a good job helping me I think there may be a spot for me to name one of my colors Cosmic Rays.” Leo winked and again giggled as he took another sip of his martini. This alcohol couldn’t hit his system fast enough.

[Joyabe]

Once they were out of the stuffy, noisy club, Ray had no problems whatsoever listening to Leo. He found himself enthralled over his clear excitement when he first shared his secret hideout with him. He was content over Leo taking charge and ordering their drinks without even asking- because they were the only ones there, and no fans or aspiring makeup artist could demand their attention. The whole scene about social media following passed with nothing but a held back chuckle that threatened to appear again when Leo so effortlessly replied to his whole cactus poll dancing idiotic joke.

 

No, all Ray did was quietly drink his martini (he figured the shot could probably wait considering he was already a little tipsy) like the judgy motherfucker he was. Only this time he wasn't judgy at all.

 

He even gave up about the whole paying Ronnie thing thanks to that one little word Leo finally and graciously agreed to let out. It was nothing special though- Ray just liked being liked. There was nothing wrong about it, was there? It was more important with Leo just because he was a more difficult crowd, is all. A crowd that Ray found himself happy to be the crowd of and silently listen and watch as Leo went from genuine to sassy to serious to frustrated to amused to who knows what.

 

Okay, maybe he was a show more than he was a crowd. And damn right Ray wanted those first row tickets.

 

This show only became interactive when Leo decided to go ahead and destroy all of Ray's hard work. Surprisingly, he wasn't' mad at all. Obviously makeup had a short expiration date as is, but he wasn't even thinking about it. He was much more concerned with how frustrated Leo seemed.

 

"You see?" Ray sighed, putting one hand on each of Leo's face as he turned it to him "That's why I don't follow you on Instagram. You just go ahead and ruin my beautiful face." As he talked, he ran his thumbs under and around Leo's ruined makeup in an attempt to make the mess he made seem a bit more intentional "No amount of Urban Decay setting spray could handle you. At least you managed to keep this part intact." He added as he moved one thumb to Leo's lower lip.

 

In realty though, Ray couldn't be really upset with Leo. His sudden mood swings, and especially the latest and clearly drunk one were strangely endearing. The fact he smiled throughout his entire scolding of the other probably gave that fact away.

 

Truth was, he wanted to help Leo. He didn't want to see him so worried about his palette, so worried about the success of something he was so passionate about. He would never believed it if someone told him that just a few days ago, but Ray didn't want to see him worried at all. He went over the things Leo told him, the colors he showed him the problem he faced... The only problem was, Ray's not exactly sober mind had a bit of a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. And unfortunately for Leo's face, the spark of an idea ignited in Ray's brain just as it was held captive in his hands- the exact place where it remained hostage while he tried to figure out the details.

 

"Wait here" Ray finally let go of Leo, standing up abruptly when things finally clicked. Disappearing into the bar, he returned only a moment later armed with a few napkins and a pen.

 

"So hear me out" he was now completely focused, sketching across one of the napkins "What if you divide the colors into three groups?" Ray painted a semi-circle of fourteen small circles "You start with hots on top, going from black to maroon. Then you cut it here with a shimmery gold" Ray circled the fifth circle. "Then the middle part can be the more vibrant colors, going from the red, through purple to the blue. You finish it with a shimmery silver to match the gold" Ray circled the tenth circle. "And then you finish with the cold, light ones until you get to the whites. I mean, you could also divide it into monochromes and colors" he took another napkin, this time painting two semi-circles facing one another.

 

Taking both napkins and placing them in front of Leo, Ray leaned in to look at his own suggestions over his shoulder. In a way, they were just as new to him and he was still debating himself whether they were good or not. This allowed him to comfortably ignore just how comfortable he seemed to be with his knee touching Leo's and his head nearly resting on his shoulder.

 

"God I really want to run home and grab some makeup wipes" he mumbled absentmindedly seeing the other's face this up close "You'll probably look better without this mess on."

[confidant_v]

Why did Ray keep touching him so affectionately and tenderly and gently? Leo leaned into his touch when his fingers so effortlessly glided over his face in what would probably be a failed attempt to fix the ruined makeup. The makeup was the last thing on Leo’s mind. Rather, he was thinking about how soft Ray’s hands were and also how warm they were. Like oddly warm. Like sitting by a fire in a cozy log cabin curled in a blanket with your soulmate kind of warm.

 

That could have also been the alcohol running through his bloodstream, but Leo preferred to think that it was just Ray and nothing else. Of course that didn’t mean the alcohol wasn’t taking effect. Leo was already transitioning to a state where he was bolder, braver, and more stupid. If that was even possible….

 

“I can ruin it if you want me to.” Leo smiled as he ran the back of his hand across his lips, perfectly smearing his lovely lipstick to one side of his face. “Now it looks intentional, right? Or do I look like I’ve just been dumped? Or maybe I look like I’ve just been fucked really hard? Which do you think?” He laughed loudly, fully aware that it was really the alcohol talking but also not caring at all. It was a nice place to be, but perhaps Ray didn’t want to see this side of Leo. Not that it was that much different from regular Leo. It was just Leo x2 was all… Which was quite a lot.

 

Thankfully Ray and his judgmental self (because Ray certainly wasn’t fooling anyone; the man was so judgy he could have been a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and they both knew it) started talking about Leo’s palette. He even drew a diagram for the still drinking Leo. Unfortunately, Leo couldn’t really understand what he was saying. Perhaps this wasn’t the right time to talk about work. As Ray spoke, Leo tilted his head like a confused puppy, stared at the napkin and started giggling.

 

“I don’t… I don’t really know what the hell you’re talking about.” He laughed again, turned his head and placed a kiss on Ray’s cheek. What the hell else was he supposed to do with their faces so close? Not that Leo was entirely aware of the action, but the part of him that was aware was screaming and crying and begging the not-so aware part to stop. “Not that what you’re talking about is bad. I just can’t understand it. Let’s talk about this later. I’d rather talk about… Hmm… You. Or me. No, no. Let’s talk about you.”

 

Leo wasn’t expecting much. Ray wasn’t someone who liked to share his… Anything it seemed. Why the hell was he so private? What was he hiding? Was he a spy? Or a murderer? Perhaps he was actually James Charles in disguise and he was secretly recording him and was trying to ruin everything Leo had worked so hard for.

 

Nah, he was probably a murderer.

 

“So tell me about your past boyfriends, Ray. I know you’ve had a few and I refuse to accept anything other than the truth. Were they anything like me? Is that why you’ve been flirting with me so much lately?” Leo smiled as he nudged Ray, his fingers trailing down his arm to eventually hold his hand. “Is that why you held my hand earlier? Do I remind you of one of your long lost loves? But honestly, I don’t think anyone you date could compare to me. I’m the most exciting person in your life, right?” Again, the small part of Leo that wasn’t drunk was screaming and crying and imagining exactly how he was ruining any sort of friendship with Ray, but the drunk part of him… Oh the drunk part was so happy.

 

So. So happy.

[Joyabe]

Ray always thought the shortest thing about Leo (asides from his Instagram stories) was his temper. Apparently he was wrong- it was his attention span. Or, well, his drunken attention span at least.

 

Although he let out an exasperated sigh when his ingenious ideas were practically ignored, Ray didn't think much about it when he wrapped his arm around Leo's waist after he kissed him. Somehow it didn't feel like a weird gesture. It was just... Leo. And his reaction to it felt almost unnaturally natural. It was just comfortable. It was right.

 

Had he been a little more sober, Ray might have been capable of compulsively obsessing over what he was doing and thinking, but drunk Ray was way too quick to switch moods. Now he was his own emotional rollercoaster. He was also a little more mean.

 

Basically, drunk Ray was a muted Leo.

 

When Leo finally decided, after prolonged and labored deliberation, who he wanted to talk about, Ray let go of him and let out another sigh. It wasn't frustration though, at least not in the most part. Propping his elbow on his knee, Ray rested his chin in his palm, looking at Leo with what could only be described as a look of helpless acceptance.

 

He wasn't surprised that Leo assumed he had a long list of ex lovers. Part of the image most people held of him was that of being boyfriend material. However, most people didn't really bother asking him about it. It was always actions based on assumptions- either asking about his current partner assuming he had one, or trying to become it assuming he didn't. The only people that really bothered questioning him were his family, and even they learned to give up by now.

 

"I don't really do the whole boyfriend thing" Ray reached out to take Leo's mostly empty glass from him, placing it next to his half full one "If anyone, you remind me a little of my ex-girlfriend." They did only last four months, but it was one of the longer relationships Ray had ever been in. In his defense, both her and Leo were blunt, a little overly confidant and independent. Plus, he didn't really have a long list to compare Leo to.

 

"You are very exciting" Ray continued, although this confirmation was accompanied by a smile that seemed maybe a little patronizing. Kind of like what you'd use to praise a child for something not really worth praising, only to not hurt their feelings. It was possibly softened a little by the fact Ray suddenly found himself fascinated by Leo's hair and just had to reach out and play with one of the strands framing his face.

 

After a moment of silently staring at Leo's face Ray decided to continue staring, only less quietly. "Was I flirting?" The change in his smile made it obvious mean Ray was now out "I thought I was only reciprocating." The small, still aware part of Ray's mind was biting its nails and climbing the walls in worry over the stupid things he was doing. He knew better than that. He knew that once he let his mask chip he could never really put it back together- the cracks would forever remain visible. But apparently Ray was a little more drunk than he thought, because the vodka controlled majority of his brain was telling the responsible part to shut the fuck up because this is what it wanted to do right now so he will and there's nothing it can do about it.

 

Letting go of that strand of hair, Ray let his finger slide down the side of Leo's face, caressing it from his temple down his cheek and to his jaw. Ray's finger continued wandering down Leo's neck and then back up, stopping under his chin and lifting his face to him "Do you want me to flirt with you?" he asked quietly, almost purring the words.

 

Staring down at Leo, Ray couldn't deny he was getting a kick from the whole thing. Right from the start there seemed to be sparks of something between them, and he most certainly preferred that kind over the pure hate from the beginning. Was there this small part of him that wanted Leo to say yes? Maybe. Was it there simply because Ray was seeking excitement? Probably not. Did he really want to think about it deeply right now? Absolutely no. Letting the drunk part of him take control and ignoring the red lights that kept flashing in his head was so much easier. There was no danger in some light, harmless flirtation, right? Leo more than proved he could hold his own. This was just the same as their usual back-and-forth banter... Right?