"the boy with the tattoos on nearly every inch of his body is a narcissist and ignores everything that doesn't affect him? mm, didn't see it coming." he jests, of course, because for anyone to sit across from knox and let him get away with slander certainly isn't narcissistic. and there's no bigger narcissist than knox himself. 

he raises a brow. a momma's boy, then? knox very much can't relate. and his first thought is that's fuckin' weird, but he lets it slide because it might not be weird. that might be what 'normal' families are like. 

sheesh.

"ah, and we'll have so much of it, until we don't," he says. he picks up his glass and waits to clink against sam's. "to time, and to doing as fucking much as we can with what we're given."

samuel carter

☉

one brow goes up and he pauses on his way to his sip. for a moment there, it looks like the beautiful white tablecloth is about to get soaked in red wine, but sam recovers, thankfully, and the ritual of the toast is finished. it's plain on sam's face that he has no taste for it. knox doesn't drink very much wine either, but he's always fancied how he feels when getting wine-drunk. it's so much easier than liquor. 

knox shrugs his shoulders. "hell if i know. i nicked one of the company cards when i saw my sister dear the other day, thought i might as well have fun with it before she realizes what's happened." his lips quirk.

"i told you i wanted to take you to dinner. so i'll worry about the price tag and you worry about letting me wine you and dine you." and sixty-nine you. 

samuel carter

☉

"i'm on a date with someone who, for once, has me beat with sticking out like a sore thumb. of course i'm relaxed," he says. "i thrive with an audience and that's just what you get me." and with that, he tilts his head to the couple who'd been casting furtive glances at them this entire time. 

he can't blame them. of course boring, lesser peoples would be intrigued by the no-fucks-given attitude and demeanor of the boys at this restaurant.

sam's brow crumples, only slightly, and it's a look knox hasn't seen enough to know its exact nuances, but he looks a bit...displeased. he puts two and two together (or so he thinks) and comments, "you look like someone just pinched you. if you don't like the wine, you don't have to drink it. i won't be offended."

samuel carter

☉

well, here's to hoping his choice of food had hit the mark. the soup comes to the table and knox thanks marcy for having the kitchen split it for them. he looks over his steaming bowl (gods, it smells so good) at sam and appreciates his thoughts. he doesn't want to burst his bubble, but unfortunately knox does rely on his supply of jobs for his income now. 

he shifts in his seat. "don't do anything rash now. i'm a busy bee myself. i actually wanted to see you tonight 'cause i don't think i'll have time til' the party." he smiles apologetically. 

he almost snorts soup all over himself. "mt. pyre's what now?"

samuel carter

☉

his face changes, almost like he's reading something in front of him, and it's so fascinating knox actually shuts his trap instead of poking fun at him. so he really didn't copy and paste that definition when we were texting. he'd been impressed for a short time with sam's tech-savviness in that instance, but this makes a whole lot more sense. somehow. 

"gravedigger or head of a freaky harem; it's hot either way." he smiles, not because of his own words, but because sam is enjoying the food. 

he finally takes his own real sip and melts, just a little. it's one of his favorite dishes, and partly why he'd chosen the restaurant in the first place. "is your mom still in kanto then?" he asks. 

samuel carter

☉

he's never much worried about the future. but he's starting to realize that it's harder to live every day like it's your last, especially when you're wracking your brain, thinking when can i see you next? because it's about scheduling and planning and creating a future. 

and he's thinking about this as sam is telling him his own future, like some backwards oracle. and knox is finding it in him to think well, that's not ideal, because he prefers the future murky, prefers it able to change and shape and be shaped by the present. 

"mm, well not everyone's dying to stay on the mountain like you." a cheap shot? probably. but he wants to hear more of sam's laugh. 

he shrugs. "can't say i'm upset no one's piqued your interest. i'm very selfish. and i don't like sharing. where would i find myself if you had another one of you taking up more of your time?"

samuel carter

☉

he doesn't know whether sam's successor was meant to be his lover, or if the boy's mind just happens to be on their date now. "sounds like a them problem," knox says with a shrug. "because i think you're fantastic." people always have more to them than meets the eye. sure, on the surface sam is blunt, but that doesn't make him an asshole, or rude, or stupid. it makes him genuine. 

he takes a couple more sips of the soup, larger now that it's cooled significantly. "so you're saying i shouldn't act on impulse and try to ward away any potential successors just so i can keep you all to myself."

he rests his spoon against the bowl. it doesn't take much to fill his stomach and he wants to save what little room he has for more of their dinner. "do you believe in fate? starcrossed lovers and all that romantic shit?"

samuel carter

☉