cfmckinncns​:

“  my  skin  is  flawless  ,  love  ,  but  i  appreciate  the  concern  .  ”  laughter  was  easy  around  jean-luc  ,  marlene  had  come  to  find  ,  and  they’d  decided  they  cared  for  it  a  great  deal  —  he  conducted  himself  in  a  way  the  blonde  found  both  familiar  (  after  all  ,  it  was  how  she  did  as  well  )  and  infinitely  refreshing  :  with  him  ,  only  the  present  seemed  to  matter  .  a  breath  of  fresh  air  ,  that’s  what  it  was  ,  and  her  grin  was  bright  of  their  face  as  they  moved  to  steal  their  cigarette  back  —  moving  to  take  a  sip  of  his  drink  just  to  see  what  it  was  .  "  i  would  say  you’re  outshining  me  but  i’ve  decided  we  compliment  each  other  .  .  .  we  could  take  over  the  world  ,  y'know  ?  our  beautiful  faces  ,  our  sunny  dispositions  ,  our  sex  appeal  ?  unrivaled  .  unmatched  .  "  taking  a  long  drag  of  her  cigarette  ,  marlene  could  only  giggle  as  it  was  passed  to  jean-luc  once  more  ,  moving  to  grab  her  drink  —  the  glass  moving  to  punctuate  her  words  .  "  but  it  seems  like  an  awful  lot  of  organization  so  i’ll  pass  .  "

“it is, though, and if I find out that you’ve been sacrificing virgins without me ....” he trailed off, the empty threat hanging in the air for less than it should’ve, followed too quickly by his own laughter once again. he was going to miss his tiny counterpart, that was for certain, but that was misery jean-luc was saving to milk another day in the not-too-distant future. today, today was like every other, it was for making the most of what you had in your reach right then and there, and alcohol was a very good place to start. “we could, if only our schedules would allow for it,” he said, shaking his head as he gave the blonde a long and dramatic sigh around the filter of the traveling cigarette. “and between you having to meet that train you swear you can’t miss, and my dedicated procrastination on my portfolio it seems this was the only day we had available to us, and that’s such short notice, mon trésor.” of course, jean-luc was sure it went without saying that the whole endeavor would be far too much effort, but to hear marlene say it anyways still left him nodding his agreement. “we need minions first, and then we can think about that more seriously. we can’t conquer the world without minions.”

Chris Noth in Sex and the City (1998-2004)

laurentlena​:

“Jacq did laugh when I told him I planned on an early night.” Léna smiled slightly, rather glad for JL’s cheer. “Here as in London, no. I really never wanted to– it was a joke, but I couldn’t actually explain that after I saw him pull out the ring.”

“ay, léna,” he tutted, giving the woman a sharp glance. it didn’t stay steely for long, though, softening less than a moment later. “you should have said you were homesick sooner, colombe, I hate it here. joke or not, I have seen that ring, so, even if it’s just for a few hours, we’re going home.”

axelroth​:

Of course he doesn’t say so, but Axel privately thinks that perhaps the reason Jean Luc doesn’t understand is because he himself loves attention. It’s not necessarily a bad quality, but it means they’re never going to see eye-to-eye. “It’s a me thing, I guess,” he replies. “Not everything is about the big break for me, Jean Luc. I love the Weird Sisters, and I think the music we make matters, and I do want it out there in the world but… I don’t want it to be at the cost of my soul, you know?”

He picks up his beer, taking a gulp before pressing on. “How come you care so much, anyway? Arion didn’t secretly make you our manager, did they?”

“that, actually .. I do understand, yes.” he smiled, then, a real one, not one of his tight, fake, french smiles, either. “personally, as an artist, that only makes me respect you more.” with a laugh, though, he tossed his curls off of his face. “hell, I guess what I really wanted to know was where you drew the line of separation. I know some people only create for their project, but, I don’t know, some people are always building a body of work, fluid and evolving, you know?” no matter the media, jean-luc felt that this was probably still true, or it had been in his experience.

“oh, no. you guys still have souls, I don’t. you should have a manager with a soul, definitely.” he cracked another grin, but jl shrugged. “I like to be invested in my friends’ art. I never want to interfere, only support, but, soulless to soulful, I also seek distraction and inspiration.”

cfmckinncns​:

꒰  🌻  ꒱     𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓   ﹕ @jean-luc-a-mess​

with  the  new  school  year  rapidly  approaching  and  time  ticking  by  far  too  quickly  ,  marlene  had  a  list  —  a  good  -  sized  ,  reasonably  doable  list  of  things  she  wanted  to  do  before  seventh  year  started  and  leaving  the  castle  became  .  .  .  not  impossible  ,  because  nothing  was  an  impossibility  for  the  blonde  ,  but  rather  mildly  difficult  and  possibly  dangerous  .  they’d  handle  those  moments  when  the  time  came  ,  but  for  now  ?  for  now  they  had  freedom  —  and  as  she  slid  into  the  empty  booth  with  her  drink  ,  a  cocktail  that  she  couldn’t  remember  anymore  ,  they  found  that  freedom  tasted  amazing  .  the  cigarette  was  lit  with  a  flourish  ,  head  bopping  to  the  music  as  she  took  a  sip  of  her  drink  ,  hand  (  and  cigarette  ,  which  almost  flew  right  out  )  waving  in  the  air  to  signal  her  date  .  "  we  need  to  stop  wearin’  the  same  things  out  ,  it’s  actually  a  problem  .  "​

"absolutely not, and I don’t want to hear that kind of negativity out of you. it’s bad for your skin.” he snickered at his own joke as he sauntered over, undaunted by things like school, or trains, or books, or structure, or motivation, or ideas.... which was why it had been so easy to convince him to come out – which was to say that it hadn’t been difficult at all. besides, jean-luc enjoyed how in sync they seemed to be. he reached for her hand as he came close, using his other to set his drink down, then pluck her cigarette away so he wouldn’t burn himself ..... and taking a drag a beat later as he pulled back and slid into the booth with her. “i’m gorgeous, you’re a vision – we stand out, we ought to. people deserve to see beauty in nature, not just in museums. for what it’s worth, I actually changed outfits last minute. this was my second choice. it’s like your vibe was calling out to me, showing me the bridges you’d burnt to light our way.”

But what you didn't hear was the real threat: "we'll bribe him to speak to you in French."

@hufflepuffkazimir @jessaminerosier @ainsley-jean

hufflepuffkazimir​:

          he  had  never  had  a  problem  with  showing  affection  when  it  mattered  and  of  course  it  mattered  with  jean - luc  ,   it  always  mattered  with  him  .   this  man  had  his  whole  heart  ,   his  whole  soul  and  it  was  important  that  even  if  kaz  felt  like  everything  was  a  struggle  ,   this  was  the  one  thing  that  wasn’t  difficult  .   he  wanted  to  stop  overthinking  everything  ,   go  back  to  the  normal  they  had  before  everything  got  messed  up  .   he  was  grieving  and  not  letting  anyone  help  him  through  everything  ,   even  the  people  he  loved  .   “ i  love  you  . ”   he’s  said  it  before  ,   but  it  always  feels  different  here  in  france  .   kaz  wants  things  to  feel  less  stagnant  between  them  ,   like  he’s  not  the  one  holding  them  back  because  sometimes  it  feels  like  he  is  .   kaz  hides  his  face  in  his  boyfriend’s  shoulder  after  the  kiss  to  his  brow  ,   muttering  something  there  and  shaking  his  head  .   of  course  jean - luc  was  the  only  person  on  the  planet  that  probably  knew  what  was  going  on  in  his  mind  most  of  the  time  .   he  pulled  back  far  enough  to  look  at  him  .   “ i  can  assure  you  i’m  always  thinking  of  you  . ”   he  spoke  softly  ,   wanting  the  words  to  only  be  shared  between  the  two  of  them  .   “ darling  you  couldn’t  pester  me  if  you  tried  .   unlike  everyone  else  ,   whenever  you  bother  me  ,   the  only  thing  i’m  concentrating  on  is  how  you’re  paying  attention  to  me  .   there’s  a  whole  world  out  there  ,   yet  when  you  look  at  me  ,   we’re  the  only  two  people  in  it  . ”   kaz  smiled  softly  ,   feeling  like  all  the  breath  got  knocked  from  his  lungs  just  from  staring  into  his  boyfriend’s  eyes  .   the  french  words  from  the  other’s  mouth  immediately  made  his  face  go  red  ,   even  without  understanding  them  .   “ you  know  you’re  not  supposed  to  speak  to  me  in  french  .   it  …   i  …   we  …  ”   he  couldn’t  get  the  words  out  of  his  mouth  ,   so  instead  he  just  pressed  his  lips  to  his  boyfriends  .   so  much  for  a  nice  little  outing  at  a  museum  because  kaz  was  only  seconds  from  apparating  the  two  of  them  back  home  .   all  it  would  take  was  one  more  push  .   he  broke  the  kiss  sooner  than  he  wanted  to  ,   but  kept  his  arms  tightly  wrapped  around  jean - luc  .   “ you  mean  it’s  not  a  chore  to  love  me  ?   when  i’m  so  guarded  and  won’t  tell  you  things  like  the  explaination  of  that  picture  i  have  or  why  i’m  adopted  ? ”   he  didn’t  know  how  anyone  could  stand  him  the  way  that  jean - luc  could  .   didn’t  know  how  anyone  would  be  able  to  handle  him  the  careful  way  that  jean - luc  always  did  .   kaz  knew  he’d  never  meet  another  person  like  his  boyfriend  ,   and  he  wasn’t  going  to  try  searching  either  .   “ jean - luc  ,   i’m  … ”   kaz  trailed  of  ,   words  stuck  in  his  throat  .   “ you  take  my  breath  away  and  any  hope  i  have  of  being  a  sane  ,   rational  human  being  .   promise  me  you’ll  keep  my  heart  safe  forever  and  i  promise  you that  i’ll  always  love  you  . ”   he  pressed  a  soft  kiss  to  jean - luc’s  lips  ,   different  than  the  last  kiss  .   “ do  you  want  to  be  young  and  stupid  with  me  ? ”   kaz’s  whispers  ,   squeezing  the  other’s  hand  softly  and  looking  into  his  eyes  knowing  that  this  was  the  only  thing  right  in  his  life  and  he  didn’t  want  to  lose  it  .   “ is  it  cliché  to  ask  you  to  marry  me  in  paris  ? ”   kaz  let  out  a  little  nervous  laugh  .   “ i  don’t  have  a  ring  …   i  just  love  you  . ”

if jean-luc was known for anything, it was his complaints, and they were always numerous. one arena, though, where there had been– probably to many people’s surprise (anyone who cared to notice anyway) – remarkably few complaints was when it came to kaz. had things changed in their time together? yes, of course they had, and in some incredibly unexpected ways .... but through it all jean-luc had never been made to feel insecure enough to act out, or up, or cause any more problems than what had already been laid on the table. and the reason for that, though there was no one there to see it because of the way the self-admittedly guarded man tended to push people out, and definitely had tried to push jl out, though, here he stubbornly remained, aiming what should have been an inappropriately large smile back at man before him, was how sincere he was with every word he said. the truth in everything kaz said was in his eyes, and his touch, always, and jean-luc never had reason to doubt him, whatever the other might have feared. and though he wants to tease the workaholic man he loves, and playfully call him a liar, and remind him that his mind is, in fact, frequently on work and not on him where it rightfully belongs, he chooses not to, because instead, he’s chosen to focus on the rest of what kaz is saying, and the way he’s pulling the words straight from jean-luc’s own heart, practically. it always felt wonderful to feel so understood, so the frenchman remained silent, basking in the affection and the sweetness. he moved, of course, ready and anticipating the man’s reaction to such public teasing, but still, jean-luc had no complaints, even when kaz pulled away, sliding his hands right back down into his boyfriend’s where they belonged, and just in time to squeeze them with reassurance. “I do a lot of things i’m not supposed to, cherí, and don’t do a lot of things i’m meant to. you know me, mon amour, chores are one of my least favorite things, and nothing about you is a chore, not a single thing. patience is not my strongest suit, but I do my best, because i love you for who you are. and those stories are important yes, but they are in the past, and while perspective might change, the stories themselves will not. you’ll tell them to me when you tell them to me, kaz, i’m not pushing, i’m not asking – i want to know, one day, to understand, but i’m not asking... and they won’t change anything. you know me, cherí, you have to know they’ll change nothing. because those stories are a part of what made you who you are today, and again, I love this man that you are very much. it matters, but it doesn’t matter. and for the record, I already know why you were adopted. you were adopted because your parents love you, and knew when they met you that they wanted to love you forever. just like i did.” but of course only kaz, truly, only kaz, could have topped a long winded ramble like that – and took jean-luc’s breath away as he accused the man of doing similar (and he hoped it was still true after his babble, because already, there were tears in his eyes, just from the look he was receiving alone, sensing, but not fully comprehending yet the emotional precipice they were really standing on, bless all of our hearts I hope you’re enjoying this read I know i am). but the first words he manages to form – “forever, yes.” – in answer to the most easily answered question – would he like to be young and stupid with kaz?? but the next question .. jean-luc didn’t have words. he didn’t have thoughts, even, not really. things had changed over the last several months, and in a lot of ways, that had really been like a roller coaster, or a blur, or somewhere in between, and some days, it seemed he barely remembered what all had happened along the way. what jean-luc did have, though, and in overwhelming abundance, was a surge of emotions; relief, love, reassurance, unadulterated joy, to name a few. and, what seemed a million years later, but was really less than a full minute, the crying man did finally find words, and more of them than expected .. though, still, none was anywhere even remotely near a complaint. “I would be crying a lot uglier if you asked me anywhere else, kazimir mac cionaoith. I don’t need rings, i have rings, I have everything I have ever wanted, and I always have. i don’t need more things, I don’t need any of that. I just need you, and it’s been like that since the moment i met you, kaz. you’re all I was missing. of course i want marry you, as if i’d ever say anything other than yes. I told you you were stuck with me, et maintenant tu es coincé avec moi pour toujours.” he paused with a grin, a chance to steal (happily) more kisses, then continued,  “and the next time bertito decides to get smart, and ask if I don’t have a boyfriend I could be bothering, i’ll be extra annoying when I tell him that I don’t. I have a fiancé”

chaosbagman​:

          otto  was  used  to  a  lot  of  people  knowing  who  they  were  but  it  was  usually  because  they  were  on  the  radio  not  because  of  dmitry  ,   so  this  was  a  little  different  .   “ dmitry  has  a  lot  of  friends  .   i  don’t  know  how  to  keep  track  of  all  the  people  that  he  knows  . ”   otto  loved  getting  to  know  people  .   “ yeah  ,   that’s  true  .   i  set  cereal  on  fire  once  and  now  i’m  not  trusted  at  all  , ”   they  pouted  .   it  was  a  funny  story  but  it  did  mean  they  weren’t  allowed  in  the  kitchen  alone  .   “ alright  coffee  first  . ”   otto  found  the  coffee  filters  and  started  making  coffee  for  the  two  of  them  as  soon  as  they  made  it  to  the  kitchen  .   “ nice  to  meet  you  too  .   and  i  want  to  know  more  about  you  .   seems  like  you  know  way  more  about  me  than  i  do  about  you  . ”   and  that  was  probably  not  true  .   otto  knew  some  people  ,   they  just  rarely  remembered  names  .   “ please  feel  free  to  ask  me  any  question  .   i  don’t  really  care  if  people  know  my  life  story  . ”   and  they  didn’t  think  it  was  that  interesting  .   “ keep  me  ?   why  wouldn’t  you  ?   i’m  a  treasure  . ”   they  looked  at  jean - luc  and  smiled  .   “ sometimes  it  depends  on  if  i  see  something  weird  in  the  muggle  world  or  read  a  book  or  just  am  interested  in  a  topic  here  and  wanna  know  what  ,   if  anything  ,   muggles  think  about  it  .   and  then  there’s  just  like  true  crime  stuff  that  sometimes  is  just  fun  to  think  about  .   i  always  liked  puzzles  growing  up  and  research  is  my  favorite  thing  . ”

“i’m the nosy, french bastard, the fabulous one, with the auror boyfriend. you won’t forget again, I promise. i’m memorable.” he grinned, and the smile grew as otto explained the reasoning behind the rule, bringing his hands together to clap only the tips of his fingers. “for what it’s worth, I shouldn’t be trusted either, but dmitry doesn’t need to know that. i blew up a brand new potions lab at beauxbatons, on accident, the very first week they let us use it. as long as we don’t set anything on fire that we can’t fix, he doesn’t have to know what we’ve been doing in there. so there’s something you know now, something fun, or a few things, I suppose. I don’t know that I know all that much more than you do, but maybe. I know we have a few things in common, but you can ask me anything, too, this will be fun.” alright, fine. maybe he had already decided he’d liked otto before he’d met them, but .. meeting them had certainly sealed it. oh, dmitry had no idea what a mistake he’d made, but jean-luc was thrilled to be making a new friend like otto. “you know what? you are. you are delightful. and so am i.” sure, he could’ve waited to see if otto agreed with him, but jl wasn’t going to take that chance. “ay, pues, you’re going love the puzzle that is jean-luc claudio allaire alvarez, then, my friend, because I am the quarter veela son of a disowned political powerhouse pureblood and a half-veela supermodel, raised above a very expensive, french, muggle bookshop. ask me anything, i’ve partied with warhol, I love weird.”

axelroth​:

“You’re being a bit mean,” Axel replies mildly, used to Jean Luc by now and not really minding. “Believe it or not, I like my quiet corner. I don’t really care whether or not people are looking at me - what matters is that they can hear me.” That’s the point of all this, isn’t it? He doesn’t make music for attention, he does it to add something to world.

blunt (or anything near it) honesty was fine when it came from the danes, but when the french did it .... jean-luc snorted, though it was really half a huff in his disappointment. “i’m not trying to be, I just don’t understand.” he raised his hands, palms down and parallel to the ground, pushing them downward to emphasize his lacking comprehension. “I understand on the level that you’re speaking as an artist, as a creator, where it’s just about putting it out into the world and letting it speak for itself and be found, and it’s organic, okay, yes, and I get that. it’s fucking beautiful, believe me. the part I don’t get is that you are also .... a musician ... in a band ... who is currently actively working on getting that big break ..... and you need visibility for that. so I guess what i’m missing is .. is this a for axel thing, or a get the weird sisters out there thing?”

arion-hirst​:

“Alright, I told you about my great grand mom, right?” The old woman had passed away early in the summer and he had spent the weekend cleaning up and emptying the house with his parents. It really wasn’t something to rejoice about, although there was one silver lining to be found. “She left mostly everything to my maman of course, but guess who is now the owner of her entire closet?” An index was slowly pointed toward his face. Most people would have groaned at the thought of only inheriting old clothes, but not Arion. They knew it was going to be a treasure hunt, and they wanted Jean-Luc to assist them in this quest. “There most likely won’t be any sequins or shimmering fabrics, but I’m sure it’ll be splendid.”

“you did, yes, i’m still very sorry,” he said, and if he softened some, he felt that was justified. loss was such a tender subject, and while he hadn’t dealt with it much himself, not firsthand anyway, he knew that it differed from person to person. arion seemed to move on quickly enough, though, so jl didn’t feel too guilty letting himself be swept up in that excitement. “then why are we still sitting here???” he asked, already incredibly excited once more. “forget sequins, she never needed them, i’m sure of it! the quality in those stitches must be phenomenal, the fabric alone ...” sight unseen, jean-luc was already day-dreaming, thinking of possibilities and options to rework anything even slightly lack-luster. “her entire closet?? I mean, that’s ... that’s the heart of her, anyways, in a way. how she carried herself, right? who she chose to be when she was out and about. did you find anything you loved yet? have you looked?”

bertoalvarez​:

          “ don’t  you  have  a  boyfriend  you  can  be  bothering  for  attention  ? ”   he  questioned  ,   a  grin  on  his  face  .   berto  knew  his  brother  would  be  annoying  no  matter  what  .   he  was  lucky  that  he  enjoyed  it  ,   even  if  he  pretended  he  didn’t  .   “ i  think  that  i’m  just  focusing  on  something  that’s  not  you  and  you’re  annoyed  at  me  .   i’m  looking  at  work  ,  jean - luc  .   you  know  that  thing  that  i  go  to  every  day  during  the  week  . ”   

“yes, and? I want to bother you.” he rolled his eyes, like this were the most obvious thing in the world – obviously jean-luc had options when it came to demanding attention, but he’d chosen norberto ... he should be so lucky. “yes, finally, you understand. that’s exactly what annoys me. you are working and we’re supposed to be focusing on me, not ... whatever that is. work, pft, you promised.” he hadn’t, but that was beside the point. jean-luc wasn’t dealing in logic today, only dramatics. “love me more.”

hufflepuffkazimir​:

          kaz  almost  protested  when  jean - luc  stopped  holding  his  hand  until  the  other  man’s  hands  looped  around  the  back  of  his  head  .   he  pulled  his  arms  around  his  boyfriend  ,   forcing  him  closer  .   merlin  at  least  this  hadn’t  gone  to  shit  unlike  most  of  the  other  stuff  in  his  life  .   “ you’ve  known  me  long  enough  to  know  that  i  don’t  really  do  the  whole  relaxing  thing  very  well  . ”   and  that  was  true  .   kaz  tended  to  worry  about  things  even  if  he  didn’t  have  to  worry  about  them  .   “ i  am  looking  at  art  right  now  , ”   kaz  protested  ,  his  eyes  directly  meeting  jean - luc’s  for  a  moment  before  he  closed  them  .   though  he  knew  the  other  man  was  right  .   he  was  going  to  appreciate  the  art  as  soon  as  he  got  in  the  museum  .   he  just  wanted  to  protest  because  he  didn’t  really  feel  like  he  deserved  to  be  happy  .   with  how  everything  in  the  world  was  ,   kaz  felt  like  it  was  too  much  to  be  happy  ,   especially  after  max  died  .   “ i  know  you  didn’t  .   i  just  want  you  to  know  that  again  .   i’m  going  to  frown  though  .   unfortunately  ,   my  contemplation  face  is  typically  frowning  .   so  i will be  frowning  . ”   he  was  kind  of  being  annoying  on  purpose  now  ,   but  jean - luc  would�� have  known  .   “ fortunately  or  unfortunately  ,    i  will  never  hate  you  ,   so  you  don’t  have  to  worry  about  that  love  ,   but  i  don’t  think  you  can  pester  me  .   i  already  know  what  would  happen  if  you  decided  to  drag  me  home  rather  than  letting  me  stare  at  art  . ”   he  raised  an  eyebrow  ,   challenging  jean - luc  to contradict  his  thought  .   kaz  hated  feeling  like  this  ,   the  heaviness  that  he  felt  and  the  guilt  he  felt  because  he  was  still  here  and  max  wasn’t  .   “ how  do  you  put  up  with  me ? ”   he  asked  .   he  couldn’t  be  a  good  boyfriend  when  he  was  so  guarded  .   kaz  hadn’t  even  told  jean - luc  about  his  birth  parents  . 

truly, jean-luc was incorrigible sometimes. he had no problem at all being pulled closer and closer, going willingly, always, and dropping kisses into kaz’s hair and onto his temples as he spoke. he didn’t care that there were people around, he didn’t care that they were on the street, he cared about enjoying a morning, a moment, a series of them, with kaz. “mmm, of course I have,” he agreed, though he knew it didn’t really sound that way; he’d never thought kaz was incapable of relaxing, the man just went about it differently, that was all. still, he was biting into his smile when his boyfriend spoke again, feeling the way it set his stomach’s butterflies on fire; kaz always called him the art, and jean-luc was pretty sure that if he ever stopped, he might just cry forever. though, he waited to reply until he had his attention again, still aiming that teasing smile at him. “i’m only teasing, querido. these forehead wrinkles are my favorite mystery ... all day, just .. what is he thinking about in there?” he let out a soft laugh, hoping it was still clear he was only teasing, as he leaned in to leave another kiss on that very same furrowed brow. “it’s fortunately, thank you, but now i’m disappointed. you don’t think I can pester you? here I thought i was very good at it. it’s alright though, because i wasn’t planning to pester you,” he said, dropping his lips to the man’s ear – just because kaz didn’t know what he was saying, didn’t mean he wouldn’t know it was filthy; it was all about intention. “je vais te faire souffrir. si près et pourtant si loin... aucune satisfaction” he let his teasing go pretty easily with the next question, though, distracted. “what do you mean? i don’t put up with you, cherí, i love you. you make yourself sound like a chore, as if you’re not everything i want. what are you talking about? why do you do that? you know I hate it, come here. put up with you, es locura. ”

@hufflepuffkazimir

@bertoalvarez​

“uh ... hello??” okay, yes, maybe he was being a touch dramatic, moving directly into his brother’s eyeline to recapture his attention. “me, pay attention to me. and you say i’m easily distracted – merde. what are you even looking at?”