CHASE BUCKLEY
Demon
Posts: 139
Age:
38
Occupation:
Detective
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Roxanne Braschi
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 27, 2024 18:43:01 GMT
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Post by CHASE BUCKLEY on Dec 5, 2022 15:48:22 GMT
It had taken a week to figure out who’d made the pie. It had appeared in the break room the morning after thanksgiving - golden crust, perfectly smooth pumpkin filling (who’d known about the freaking spices at that point, but damn), little bits of pastry turned into leaves scattered on the top. By the end of the afternoon there’d been nothing, but crumbs on a plate and a handful of guys letting out their belts. Now, if those crumbs had actually led him to the chef there wouldn’t have been seven days of fumbling around in the dark, trying to work it out. Instead it had been Eliot Ness versus Sherlock Holmes - one crack detective against another, who had a sneaky sideline in playing Wolfgang Puck on the weekends apparently.
Carnegie had denied it, like all the other guys had, but he’d seen the tupperware on the guys desk, the actual silverware set on a napkin next to it and Chase had blown the whole deception out of the water. The guy’s partners had tried to slide back in then, but had been ordered out of the room in a voice that sounded tight enough to snap. No witnesses left to it, just that quiet promise to make his great, great, great grandchild sorry for it if he ever said a word about it. Of course he wasn’t gonna leave it like that.
A deal. In return for silence, one small thing. Well, one pretty big thing - and it looked a thousand times better than Carnegie’s face had done when they’d shook on it.
The deceptions hadn’t exactly ended there either. Later he’d apologise, once it was over and done and hopefully she was too happy to threaten their great, great, great grandkids with his punishment. ’I’ll be home at six’ was a little more like backing through the apartment door at two, with the cake box balanced on top of the foil containers. Strict orders had been printed on top of the containers - to be followed to the letter. Like anybody’s name except his was gonna be mud if he made the food taste like crap. He’d throw a chef under the bus then, but Carnegie was big, and had enough pull on the Eastern seaboard to make his job here dicey if he really wanted to.
Chase shuffled through to the kitchen, setting the whole precarious stack down on the counter. He figured Roxxi might head here after she got out of classes, so that probably meant he had until maybe 5 to get everything set up. Maybe he was a little relieved that Mikey wasn’t there to see the streamers going up, or hear him cursing up a storm as he burned his wrist on the stove trying to get the char marks on the asparagus. Things had settled again after what had happened with the video and the girl trying to wreck Roxxi’s career, but still it felt like there were eggshells scattered through the apartment at times. Mikey working at the Diner made it easier all around. In time the eggshells would be swept away, same as the bread crumbs were and they’d raise their kids here - with their mom making their birthday cakes instead of some acquaintance their dad had practically blackmailed into it.
Wiping his hands off against the kitchen towel shoved into the hip of his jeans, Chase squinted at the instructions. The plates were to be warmed for the last five minutes - as the pot roasted rested. It was a hell of a lot easier when you were just grilling a steak or throwing something in the microwave. You got way less lectures with those too, the microwave just dinged instead of telling you not to let the meat dry out (for God’s sake! added in capitals in case he couldn’t read). The meat had to be nearly ready, if his detective skills had let him down on the timing this was gonna be carnage. Staring at the door, Cakes tried to weigh it up.
Was that the ding of the elevator? Yeah, yeah yeah. He bent, sticking the two plates in without chancing a trip to the ER this time. When the door opened he straightened up, casually reaching for the can of cream - none of that shop bought stuff. Carnegie had demonstrated how to use it - not so different to one of those foam guns his old man had used on construction jobs.
The grin had that mischievous edge to it when the door opened, the one his parents had learned to be wary of before it had flattered and faded, erased by what had happened to Mikey. ”You’re back early,” he crooned, like he wasn’t the one who was here hours earlier than planned. ”I was plannin’ on having the confetti flyin’ when you got here.” The cream squirted out, the rosette (Carnegie had carefully pointed out what they were when he’d closed the box on the cake) looking distinctly wonky compared to the rest. Chase snorted, that boxer’s nose wrinkling as he looked up. ”Happy birthday.” He set the can down, running his tongue over his upper lip as he stepped out from behind the counter, catching just a hint of the cream. Carnegie really was a freaking magician.
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ROXANNE BRASCHI
Chimera
psychic-skinwalker
Posts: 176
Age:
30
Occupation:
Professor at Whitmore College
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Chase Buckley
Played by:
Julia
Last seen May 17, 2024 19:45:21 GMT
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Post by ROXANNE BRASCHI on Dec 6, 2022 22:41:18 GMT
━ i don't know where i'm going, but i sure know where i've been ━ ROXXI TRIED NOT TO LET IT GO TO HER HEAD. HE SAID, ‘I’LL BE home at six,’ not ‘I’ll be at my place’ or ‘I’ll get back here at six.’ Did it matter? Maybe not, but she was new to this, and it was the first time she’d had to suffer through the hidden meaning of her boyfriend’s words. She knew he loved her, though━wanted a family with her━so why would it be so strange to refer to his apartment as ‘home’ as if it was hers, too? Perhaps because her apartment in Mystic Falls was the first time she’d had her own home, and this was terrifying━finding another place where she might be just as comfortable as the place she’d grown up.
But it didn’t matter if that wasn’t what he’d meant.
It helped to stress over that rather than her classes, though. Her students still had a few questionable moments; one or two brave kids made a snarky comment that got shut down━or sent straight to the Conduct Board. Roxxi wasn’t fucking around anymore. It wasn’t Emiliano, so she had no reason to fucking tremble over it. Even then, she should’ve stood up to the bastard, but Roxxi couldn’t deny she was relieved to find out he wasn’t behind it.
And Dio, Chase was so fucking good about it. Another reason she didn’t deserve him. She’d woken up this morning in his arms, nosing at his neck and mumbling something about Birthday Sex when he brought it up. It was sweet of him to say━and text her later in the day━but it was just one day. She’d never found her birthday all that important after leaving Italy, especially because she wasn’t really given one. The other girls got treated if they were “good,” but Emiliano’s favouritism towards his sons was proudly displayed. If it wasn’t Georgie, then it was any of Roxxi’s half-brothers━the mutts her mom pushed out after she married that pezzo di merda.
She wondered if her mother would think of her today. She really did consider texting Giorgia, but pushed the thought aside and carried on with her day. Tonight, she’d return to Chase’s apartment and maybe they’d go to dinner, or order in and sit on the couch with a movie, snuggling close with Roxxi’s toes tucked under his leg for warmth.
Finally, during her last class, Roxxi threw her hands up and grinned wide at the confused faces. She let them go half an hour early━mostly because she got to leave after, but also because none of them had ever made any of those shitty comments. They slipped out, bustling and chatting happily, and Roxxi was outta there as soon as the last ones left. From there, it was a mad dash home━ah, to Chase’s━where she hoped to shower and start getting ready so they didn’t have to leave dinner too late.
Rolling into the building, Roxxi felt real excitement creep in with each level that passed in the elevator. It wasn’t for her birthday, not really, just for the future━the one that undeniably included Chase. And their kids… whenever they had them. A future without the fucking Agnellis, one where they’d feel safe and happy every damn day they could be together. Today was just a taste of… was the pot roast?
Following her nose, Roxxi pushed open the door and found Chase, a smile━with a hint of confusion━pulling at her face. “Says you,” She mumbled, peeling off her coat, hanging it, and leaving her bag by the door. Roxxi slowed to stare at the streamers hanging, a deep pink working its way into her cheeks as she approached Chase. “You…” Did all this? For me? Roxxi couldn’t imagine why, but that was the reason she loved him so much━he was so good despite everything. So good because he had no idea who he was throwing this birthday celebration for.
“It smells so good.” Roxxi hummed, leaning in to kiss him once she was close enough, her arms sliding around his shoulders. “Have you been hiding these secret cooking skills from me?” She’d be the judge of whether or not it was actually edible, but it really did smell amazing.
“Thank you.” Beaming, she shifted her attention to the fancy can of cream, then the cake, and reached out to swipe some onto her finger. Roxxi slipped it past his lips, pressing the cream onto Chase’s tongue before leaning in and tasting it from his mouth. She pulled his lips apart with the same finger, and simultaneously kept their mouths tight against one another before slowly pulling away. “Mmm, I was right━tastes great. Are you going to put it on me next?” Roxxi grinned, slipping her hand from his face and down his arm, where she found just about the only thing that could have her hesitating right now.
She could sense the burn before she saw the small, red mark━it wasn’t so much smelling burnt flesh as it was being in tune with Chase’s body and (even minuscule) amounts of pain. “Oh, what happened, baby?” Roxxi cooed, bringing his wrist up to her lips. He really did do all this, didn’t he? She was impressed━especially if he’d only burned himself once. “Does it hurt? Did you run it under cold water?” She immediately began to fuss, though it seemed to only last a moment before Roxxi lowered his arm and kissed him again. It was a front, though━she was distracting Chase while she pulled any lingering pain from him. He didn’t deserve to feel any of it, especially on her behalf.
CHASE BUCKLEY |
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CHASE BUCKLEY
Demon
Posts: 139
Age:
38
Occupation:
Detective
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Roxanne Braschi
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 27, 2024 18:43:01 GMT
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Post by CHASE BUCKLEY on Dec 19, 2022 19:41:14 GMT
If Carnegie had caught the scents that usually rolled out of the kitchen when it was Roxxi in charge of it, and not him, he probably would’ve been in raptures. The guy looked like he ate nothing but dry protein powder and truffles, but that pie, and the food that had come out of each of the foil containers that afternoon proved that it wasn’t the case. Carnegie, like Roxxi was a real gourmet. This … this wasn’t a bad attempt at playing at one he’d figured as he’d carefully adjusted the asparagus the second time, rolling it with the tongs. It was one that was gonna be appreciated for the attempt that had been made – although if it did go wrong, there was always the Grill. A stack of burgers, laughing apologies, Roxxi curled up with her legs draped over his. Nah, he’d decided, he wasn’t gonna bring bad karma into all this shit by questioning whether or not he could pull it off. He was doing it. The table, small as it was, already set. Streamers hanging, rustling in the shift of air in the apartment as Roxxi pushed open the door. The scent of the pot roast had filled the apartment ten minutes after it had gone on, the meat and whatever magic Carnegie had sprinkled on it (that he’d been basting – was that even a thing? – it with while it had cooked) wafting out until his mouth had watered, and hopefully Roxxi’s was now. She was smiling at least, drawing that dopey grin out of him as she huffed over him getting there before her. Chase tipped his head, all guile as he tried to look like he knew what he was doing with that can of cream. ”I guess I did too,” he admitted, not rueful about it at all. He knew that moment was coming, the one that arrived with a flush working up Roxxi’s face. ”Me,” Chase echoed with a nod, maybe there was a little rue at that one, but he was still grinning when he hit the button on the can and the perfect cake suddenly wasn’t quite so perfect. Ah fuck, at least Carnegie wasn’t there to get apoplectic over it. Holding the can out of the way, Chase allowed a little more guile to work its way into his smile. His other hand found Roxxi’s waist, his lips catching one cheek as his nose bumped her cheekbone. ”Who knew I had a Michelin streak huh?” He hadn’t – didn’t – and that was gonna be painfully obvious as soon as he tried to serve up dinner. Memorising the real chef’s instructions on how it was all to be arranged was only gonna get him so far. Then he’d crumble, ah hell, he was already pretty close, letting out a little groan of pleasure as Roxxi swiped some of the cream that budded on the tip of the can and slipped it into his mouth. It was better than the usual stuff, maybe Carnegie was really on to something. Chase hummed low in his throat, fumbling the can aside as Roxxi worked his mouth open and kissed the taste of it out of his mouth. At this rate it was gonna be like the thank you dinner for fixing the sink, the work and the appetiser and main course put off for the … not tonight, or Carnegie would probably have a fit at a distance. Grinning, he licked the taste from his upper lip as Roxxi tried to steer them in that direction. ”After dinner, definitely. I’ve got plans for this…” He went to flap his hand towards the can, but Roxxi was there first. Fuck.Heat rose higher in his cheek than it really had in the burn, although the sting was back for just a second as Roxxi pressed her lips to it, cooing gently to him. He made a small sound in his throat, trailing his fingers down to Roxxi’s and squeezing it lightly as she kissed him again. ”I did,” Chase promised. Two seconds under water counted, right? It was nothing really, pushed to the back of his mind to fade away with all those other wounds, the least of them maybe, not even likely to scar. ”Nobody told me grilling asparagus was gonna be so hard. How the hell do you juggle all of this?” he asked with a chuckle ”How about you take a seat? Take a poke through that bag there while I try and get this out without another accident.” The present had drawn an approving hum out of the woman in the store, but it didn’t mean his stomach wasn’t in knots as he pecked a kiss on Roxxi’s lips and nudged her towards the table.
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ROXANNE BRASCHI
Chimera
psychic-skinwalker
Posts: 176
Age:
30
Occupation:
Professor at Whitmore College
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Chase Buckley
Played by:
Julia
Last seen May 17, 2024 19:45:21 GMT
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Post by ROXANNE BRASCHI on Jan 8, 2023 19:50:00 GMT
━ i don't know where i'm going, but i sure know where i've been ━ ROXXI WAS READY TO SLIP HER FINGERS INTO HIS WAISTBAND BY the time she had her tongue in his mouth. Screw the food (though she appreciated it); she could eat whenever. She wanted him now, though, maybe on the counter or across the table. Roxxi wasn’t picky.
She drew back with one of those fat lips between her teeth, letting it free itself in a slow scrape. But Roxxi’s mind flipped quickly to his burn, concern lighting up her features while passion took the backburner. She huffed and fretted, kissing the little red mark, then Chase again, feeling the slight pain of the burn light up her own wrist. It was fine, though━she’d survive it. In a way, Roxxi felt she deserved it; Chase did not.
“Mmm, practice.” Roxxi hummed against his lips, pulling back only long enough to catch his eyes as her free hand slipped down his chest, pressing into Chase’s abdomen as she went down and…
Groaning in feigned irritation, Roxxi smirked and slowly pulled away from him. “Fine.” She huffed as if gifts were the biggest inconvenience she’d ever experienced. One more quick peck and she turned, heading toward the table to plop herself down at it. “I don’t see why we have to wait until after dinner when we could eat it off of each other, but I assume this is supposed to be a classy meal. You know, in Japan, they pay a lot of money to eat sushi off of naked… oh,”
Roxxi pulled the top off the box, revealing the tiny red… necklace, she assumed, sitting atop its cushion. It was pretty, a triangle with diamond accents, and it almost looked like a dress. Or, rather, a woman wearing a dress. She plucked the small card from the box, eyes skimming the description. Her grin widened, and she laughed softly, dark eyes ticking up to Chase.
“Did you Google ‘presents for my Italian girlfriend’?” She asked with another chuckle, rising from the table to cross the kitchen and kiss him again. “It’s bellissima, beautiful; thank you.” Roxxi hummed, then turned back to the table to slip it out of the box and put it on herself.
Once it was resting on her chest, Roxxi turned to show Chase and beamed. “I’ll wear it tonight━even if it’s clearly too formal after you surprised me with dinner, leaving me to look like this,” She motioned to herself and her business attire, which was still fashionable, but screamed work to Roxxi. “Perhaps later I can model it… wearing just the necklace. And the whipped cream.” Trilling her tongue at Chase in a purr, Roxxi laughed again and sat, gathering the box and contents together to put them back in the bag. She kept the card for a moment, though, re-reading it aloud.
“... Embodies the quintessence of Italian femininity and beauty… even though I’m thirty now.” Roxxi puffed, frowning at the card. “Practically an old woman. I think I have a new wrinkle; I saw it this morning. Right here, between my eyebrows.” Roxxi lifted a hand and pointed it out for Chase, dark eyes finding him again. “I am the definition of an old maid. Unmarried, no children. Except most of them aren’t famous at their workplace for a s*x tape.” Her hand dropped to her lap as she smiled sadly up at Chase.
Thirty. She couldn’t believe it. It’d taken thirty years for her to lose her dad, break away from her evil uncle, build her career and finally find a long-term boyfriend… who only brought more complications.
CHASE BUCKLEY |
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CHASE BUCKLEY
Demon
Posts: 139
Age:
38
Occupation:
Detective
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Roxanne Braschi
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 27, 2024 18:43:01 GMT
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Post by CHASE BUCKLEY on Jan 22, 2023 18:11:22 GMT
Carnegie would blow a gasket if he knew the schedule had slipped and the food had ended up reheated. Chase was pretty sure it would still taste better than anything that’d ever been cooked by his hands in this kitchen, but it wouldn’t make any difference to the guy who’d written his timings down to the seconds. Even Carnegie would’ve crumbled on it if his cooking had been disturbed like this though. Surely.
Chase let out a small, needy sound as Roxxi dragged on his lower lip with that sharp nip of her teeth. Maybe if she hadn’t the burn woulda felt worse, but when you had a distraction those little hurts – and often with Roxxi, the big ones too – just melted away. Her lips brushed the burn, then his own again, metaphorical band-aids applied in a way that soothed them both. His nose wrinkled, lines fanning out from the thickened bridge as he hummed out amusement. ”I don’t think I’ll get much of that, not when I’ve got you takin’ care of me.” He wouldn’t have Carnegie as his pocket ace after this either, not when the guy was likely to snap and just dare him to let the secret out. Blackmail only got you so far with a guy kike that.
Maybe he was a little more susceptible, to the brush of Roxxi’s hand at least. Pressing against his chest, dropping lower until he was almost ready just to flip the stove off. It wouldn’t take long, not the first time around at least. The asparagus probably wouldn’t even have time to get cold, but … Naw. He wanted to do all of this properly, the food, the gift, that slow dance back to his room after. Stick to the schedule, even if it had her grumbling as she drew back. ”It’s gonna be more than fine.” he told her, his voice warm as he turned back to the stove. Roxxi was at the table at least, and probably wouldn’t huff half as much with dinner in front of her and the pendant around her neck.
The plates were a little hotter than he’d been planning, but they were juggled out of the stove without another burn. Carnegie had said the pot roast would be tender and he hadn’t been joking. The knife slid through the meat like butter, the centre perfectly pink still despite the little bobble of a delay. ”Baby, I’d eat Susie off of you any time, but this mighta got a little messy that way. You really wanna risk getting jus in your hair?” It woulda made for a hell of a meal, not that he was considering changing the plans now. Dark eyes glittered with warmth as he glanced aside and smiled. Yeah. He’d done good with that too – and without Carnegie’s help.
Carnelian was probably supposed to have some sort of meaning to it, like all those crystals they had in the touristy stores in New Orleans, but it had been the clerk telling him about the design being some sort of ancient roman thing that had sold him. The card probably said as much, he hadn’t checked though. Roxxi did now, scanning it before she beamed up at him, laughing. Heat rose back in his face. Chase shook his head, laughing back as she crossed to him for a kiss. ”Mighta been easier to shop if I’d done it through Google. It was in a store on the square, lookin’ pretty.” Like her. ”I’m glad ya like it,” he murmured. A kiss skimmed her temple before she pulled back to sit again and put it on.
Scooping the potatoes that had roasted beneath the meat onto her plate, Chase let out a low pffft. The asparagus spears were slippery, trying to wriggle out of the tongs, but they went alongside the potatoes on both plates and then he was turning back to the table. ”You look incredible, like you always … you’re gonna kill me before we even eat.” The laugh was a rumble in his chest, the vibrations rolling lower. She always killed him, in a million small ways, some cuts going deeper than others, but Roxxi always took the sting, turned it into a warmth that filled him.
”Please,” he chided. His own face was anything but beautiful, she loved it all the same though. Kisses had rained over every knot of reknit bone, every scar, every inch of flesh and skin gnarled by a life that shouldn’t have bene half as hard as the Agnellis had made it. The plate was set in front of her, his own across the table. Instead of sitting down right away with a buno appetite, Chase bent and pressed his lips to the spot where the wrinkle was meant to be, then her cheekbone, the corner of her mouth, her lips. ”You’re the definition of perfect for me. Forget the tape and being famous. Remember we’re gonna get our future, kids, marriage, everything they’ve got and we’re gonna be happy, ‘cause we love each other. Nothin’ is gonna change that.” He kissed her again, stamping that promise against those full lips.
Drawing back he settled in his seat, spreading the napkin out across his lap as though he was wearing anything but jeans and the sweatshirt he’d changed into when he’d gotten home. Nowhere near formal enough for the necklace maybe, perfect for a night celebrating at home though. ”Hopefully the meat’s not dry. I tried to follow the instructions, but … y’know …” He wasn’t cordon bleu trained and Carnegie’s orders only got him so far, all of the rest of this, that was him, and the belief that he could give Roxxi a night where she could forget all the rest of the stuff that still sat under her skin like a thorn, constantly pricking at her.
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ROXANNE BRASCHI
Chimera
psychic-skinwalker
Posts: 176
Age:
30
Occupation:
Professor at Whitmore College
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Chase Buckley
Played by:
Julia
Last seen May 17, 2024 19:45:21 GMT
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Post by ROXANNE BRASCHI on Feb 16, 2023 17:34:05 GMT
━ i don't know where i'm going, but i sure know where i've been ━ ROXXI WAS WILDLY IMPRESSED THAT HE’D MANAGED TO COOK all of this, but especially that he knew what “jus” was. Maybe she’d had a positive effect on him after all.
And his gift was… well, just another thing she’d have to be dazzled by. Honestly, that was nicer━the fact that he’d actually gone out and found something she might’ve wanted… or whatever the salesperson suggested. It was pretty━Roxxi liked it━it was just too dressy for tonight. But she’d wear it; it wasn’t as if they were going anywhere or having people over. Perhaps he’d even told Mikey to steer clear for the night.
She snickered lightly as she sat and gathered the present’s outsides together, dark eyes ticking up to him, a mischievous gleam in them. Yes, she’d likely kill him sometime soon, but not in the way he thought━hoped. But she’d ruin him if the truth of her entire background came out (and not just the ‘I’m Italian’ part). She wasn’t sure either of them would survive if Chase found out just how deep that heritage threaded, and how it was so intertwined with his.
That was shoved away for now as she focused on another tough truth to stomach: her age.
Dio, she was practically ancient! And look what she’d done with her life thus far. She was proud of what she’d achieved, of course, but she wondered if her father would truly be proud. Roxxi couldn’t decide for sure. She’d abandoned the evil that threatened to engulf her when it drowned her family, cutting it off like a dead limb, but she didn’t know how long it’d been since she’d actively tried to rid the world of another demon. Mystic Falls was plagued with evil, and yet, she’d done nothing to stop it.
Maybe that would have to be her resolution for the coming year. Though, nothing would forgive what she was doing to Chase, nor would it erase her past and the poor decisions she’d made throughout it.
He melted it all away. Perhaps his kiss wouldn’t cure what botox might fill in (not that she was considering it), but it smoothed the line when he made her smile. Roxxi beamed up at Chase before kissing him softly, her hands slipping up to curl around his arms. “I love you,” She whispered━because they didn’t say it nearly enough since the night he’d first admitted it. But it was in everything she did, in every word she spoke to him, and it was clear in Chase’s promises now. She smiled as she sat, finding nothing else to say━nothing that would mean anything. Everything had already been said, and her profession was just another guarantee; a promise. They would get it one day. They had to.
Roxxi didn’t even look at her plate until Chase was settled across from her, but it smelled damn good. Her gaze slid down to the full plate, widening slightly at how… un-Chase-like it seemed. For him, adding a bit of pepper to boxed macaroni and cheese would be an amazing culinary feat━but this? “Wow,” She hummed, in awe all over again. “No, I’m sure it’s perfect. It looks perfect.” Smiling, Roxxi cut off a piece of the roast, then skewered it, along with a potato and asparagus, on her fork, rubbed it in the jus, and ate it like she was savouring every second she had it on her tongue. And she was. There was definitely an obscene moan or two while she chewed.
She hadn’t expected this. Sure, it had looked good, but it tasted amazing, too? Roxxi had anticipated something slightly overcooked or even generic-tasting, but this tasted as though it was crafted by a master chef. There was a hint of thyme in the roast, and was that… lemon?
It was then that Roxxi remembered she’d eaten this before. William Carnegie, the detective… oh, that made sense. She’d met him on one of the many days when she’d gone to the station to share lunch with Chase. He was also something of a cook himself, and they’d traded recipes and Tupperware more than a few times.
Apparently, she still wasn’t wrong about the pepper on his macaroni and cheese━or maybe a sprig of parsley if he was feeling really crazy. “Hmm, what is that in the marinade?” Roxxi asked softly, trying to keep her sly smile at bay. “I taste the lemon, but the herb…” The lemon was easy enough to get; too easy. She wanted to watch him squirm.
“Did you see the recipe on a website somewhere? How did you decide on which to try?” She asked, chewing another piece and leaning back to wipe her mouth. Slowly, she began to grin wider at him.
“I love it… it tastes just as good as the last time William shared his pot roast recipe with me.” Roxxi smirked, staring at him with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. “When I used to bring you lunch, he recognized the smell of some of the seasonings, and I offered him a taste. It turned into a Tupperware-slash-lunch-swap. How much did you pay him for all this?” She raised a brow, still grinning, and then leaned in for another bite. Whether or not Chase fibbed about making it himself didn’t matter━it was a damn good dinner, and she would happily swallow it alongside his deception.
CHASE BUCKLEY |
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CHASE BUCKLEY
Demon
Posts: 139
Age:
38
Occupation:
Detective
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Roxanne Braschi
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 27, 2024 18:43:01 GMT
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Post by CHASE BUCKLEY on Mar 4, 2023 19:53:28 GMT
He might’ve looked like he had hams for hands and used them to break faces on a daily basis, but when he saw himself reflected in Roxxi’s eye, with that gleam brightening them, Chase could convince himself he was the guy that she saw. One capable of the sort of tenderness that looked like it was beyond him, the love that bubbled up warm as the jus in the pit of his stomach, threatening to boil over whenever she looked at him like that. She’d have denied it maybe, but she’d changed him, at least who he thought he was. Rewriting it until what he thought was spread out for his future was nothing like it should’ve been.
Jus. He was pouring freaking jus and buying jewellery and begging for tips on grilling asparagus from a guy who looked like he could do it with one hand tied behind his back – maybe that had been Carnegie’s trick to convincing Agent Washington to marry him, hopefully it hadn’t been the reason for their break up too. Little pigeon steps that’d led him to stepping out of what had seemed dark and damned to the light that shone out of Roxxi. Chase was pretty sure he could feel it radiating from her skin as he touched his lips to her forehead. A warmth to breathe in the same way he had the scent of dinner when he’d opened the stove door the first time to check on the meat. The smell of home, of love, of the life that they were gonna build together. In a few years maybe there’d be a handful of kids around the table, groaning over the show of affection between their parents – although at that point it’d probably be something closer to the burger and fries from their first date that graced the table. He curled his hand at the nape of her neck, his lips brushing hers as he returned the sentiment. ”I love you too.” He could’ve stayed there, letting the dinner go cold on the table as they stayed warm with how they felt about one another, but he could already hear Carnegie’s whine in the back of his head. The exact conditions the meal was meant to be served under had almost been met. If Carnegie had been here in the apartment, leading the entire process he’d have been bitching about everything little thing that he’d done wrong. The heat had been in too long, he’d burned the asparagus in spots, the jus was too thick. Carnegie wasn’t though, it was Roxxi’s reaction that was feeding his ego instead, leaving him grinning bashfully at her across the table. ”Pretty sure looks can be deceivin', but I’ll take the wow.” Chase gestured up at his own face, heat riding high on his cheeks as he reached for his own cutlery.
He wouldn’t have known perfection if it’d bitten him on the ass – not food wise at least, his perfection was sitting across the table from him, stacking up the food on her fork, eating it in a way that was so damn sensuous he almost swallowed his tongue – but the meat cut like butter as he sliced through it, not unlike the way it had when he he’d convinced Carnegie to let him sample it. Chase glanced down, eyes flicking up again and again as those sounds rolled out of her, making sure he wasn’t spreading his food over the table as he stacked his own fork. Yeah, yeah, it was damn good. The jus was syrupy, coating the meat and potatoes as he let out a groan of his own. Maybe you didn’t need to be a real gourmet like Carnegie, or even Roxxi, to manage something that tasted a hundred times better than boxed mac and cheese or a steak you’d just thrown straight on the grill without an ounce of doctoring. Chase smiled around his mouthful, that pride starting to spill out. ”I’m good,” he crowed, the humble side of him still glowing in his cheeks. Licking his upper lip, Chase made a low sound in his throat. Carnegie had listed everything carefully on the recipe that was now balled up and hidden carefully at the bottom of the kitchen trash. A bunch of stuff that’d come in little tubs or carefully folded envelopes of paper, stacked in the box as delicately as evidence. ”It’s … uh … thyme? Some sorta thyme. Kinda woody little thing. I chopped it up fine. It’s not stickin' in your teeth is it?” Carnegie had instructed him to place a couple of whole sprigs in and then mince another, making sure it was fine enough to almost melt into the meat when it cooked.
His fork moved slower this time, stirring the sliced tip of a spear of asparagus through the jus. Chase looked up, the smile fading slightly. Maybe he shoulda anticipated the questions, it wasn’t like he’d contributed much culinary wise before – toast or some oatmeal in the morning definitely didn’t count. ”I … uh … you know, there were some videos on …” He’d about to say social media, but it wasn’t like he was on that Instatok or whatever. He’d never even seen the point in Facebook. Mikey and his parents were the only people he’d been in regular contact with and old fashioned telephone calls were about as far as any of that went. He was the sort of technophobe Carnegie was meant to be but still …
Shit!
It was a good thing he hadn’t taken that mouthful, he woulda choked on it, or the asparagus would’ve dribbled back out of his mouth to hit the plate as he sat there gawping at her. William. She was on a first name basis with Carnegie, who, being a rat bastard, hadn’t chosen to share the fact that he’d been having some little cordon bleu affair with his girlfriend. Chase set his fork down with a clink on his plate. ”Baby…” he started. What kinda story could he honestly give here? Chase grimaced, groaning out a laugh as he covered the lower half of his face with his hand. ”Pay? Nah, it wasn’t that, and I’m glad it wasn’t now. I kinda … it was blackmail. I shoulda got more out of the deal considerin’ what he was hidin’. You were havin’ lunch dates with him while I was out on the job huh? Did I at least get close?” There was a twist in the pit of his stomach as he gestured at her plate. Carnegie was dead.
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ROXANNE BRASCHI
Chimera
psychic-skinwalker
Posts: 176
Age:
30
Occupation:
Professor at Whitmore College
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Chase Buckley
Played by:
Julia
Last seen May 17, 2024 19:45:21 GMT
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Post by ROXANNE BRASCHI on Apr 10, 2023 21:21:12 GMT
━ i don't know where i'm going, but i sure know where i've been ━ ROXXI NARROWED HER EYES SLIGHTLY AS SHE WATCHED CHASE fumble through some sort of answer. He was trying to come up with a lie, and she would’ve said Oh yeah? Some videos where? but she was already letting the rouse crumble, telling him directly about William in a voice that suggested it was no more than a simple, unrelated story. Her expression, however, said otherwise.
Caught red-handed. She was smirking, though, because this wasn’t the sort of deception someone could really get mad at. Not like anything she’d done.
And wasn’t it sad that she had so many things she couldn’t tell him, and yet he only lied to her when he was doing something for her? Trying to make her birthday special?
Roxxi ate another bite as she asked about payment, thoroughly enjoying all the emotions that crossed Chase’s features. He laughed finally, and seemed to allow everything else to deflate, causing Roxxi to laugh along with him. She ate another chunk of her meat, beaming happily across the table.
“Hey,” She scoffed, “It was just two foodies swapping recipes and lunch. He needed someone to test his Ribollita and make sure it was authentic.” Roxxi defended herself playfully, raising her brows, “But blackmail? Sounds interesting. That’s probably why he didn’t tell you.” She smirked again, leaning forward, elbows perched on the table. “What has he done?” Roxxi asked, a gossipy edge to her voice now before she forked and ate another piece, humming contently.
“It tastes…” She began, then trailed off and hummed in her throat, slowly standing. Roxxi slipped around the table and lowered sideways onto his lap, one arm around his shoulders. “... Squisito,” Roxxi purred, taking his fork and skewering him another bite. She raised the utensil and slowly pushed it past Chase’s gorgeously big lips, then slowly pulled the fork away to follow up with her own mouth. “Perhaps better than William’s, because I never had such good company, or dessert afterwards.” She hummed against his lips, then spread her kisses over his jaw and to his neck, letting him finish his bite while she did. “Two desserts.” Roxxi laughed softly, pulling away to glance up at the cake box he’d been decorating when she came in.
Leaning back to grin down at him, Roxxi wrapped her free hand around his bicep and squeezed softly. “Can we bring the whipped cream to the bedroom now?” Roxxi snickered, “We can have cake later. In bed. It’s my birthday, after all.” Roxxi smiled and kissed him again, slipping her hand up to the back of his head, brushing over the short hairs all the way up it. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips━so he knew she wasn’t just using him for sex. “This is all so amazing. Thank you for making me feel special, cucciolo, I love you. I’m so lucky to have you.” And she’d never forget it.
CHASE BUCKLEY | wrap here or w yours? 1. exquisite 2. puppy
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CHASE BUCKLEY
Demon
Posts: 139
Age:
38
Occupation:
Detective
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Roxanne Braschi
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 27, 2024 18:43:01 GMT
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Post by CHASE BUCKLEY on Apr 23, 2023 16:40:37 GMT
Carnegie was dead meat. There was some minute chance that the guy didn’t know who he was in a relationship with, but that would’ve made the man a shitty detective and that wasn’t Carnegie’s reputation. He’d known exactly how this was gonna play out and the son of a bitch hadn’t said a word.
Heat flared high on his cheekbones, right above the cover of the hand that was still covering his mouth as though he could hold back some of the truth with it clamped there. Even without that, Roxxi seemed to know exactly what he’d done, the smirk just proof of how big a kick she was getting out of his sudden mortification.
Dark brows hitched and Chase finally dropped his hands to the table, thick fingers that were entirely incapable of doing all of that cooking from scratch bracketing his plate. ”His Ribollita huh?” Amusement dripped from his lips at least. ”Do I get to test your Ribollita some time?” It sounded like the sort of double entendre that might’ve got any other guy’s back up, but he knew Roxxi, thought he knew Carnegie in that regard at least. The guy was still trailing Washington around like a puppy – a brick shithouse of a puppy who could quite easily have squirmed out of the blackmail attempt if he really wanted to. Now that should’ve been clue number one that he’d been had in all of this.
Chase hummed out his agreement, finally picking up his fork again. He was gonna find some way to get his payback later, but he wasn’t missing out on the feast he’d had at least a hand in pulling together. ”Payback’s a bitch,” he griped. He sighed, swiping another crispy little nugget of potato through the sauce – the jus (Carnegie probably wouldn’t have had trouble remembering that) – and popping it into his mouth. When he looked up from his plate, the smile was back, just a little smug around the edges. ”Some unnamed gourmet tried denying he had anythin’ to do with the stellar pumpkin pie that appeared on Thanksgivin’. Unfortunately for him there was a crack detective who figured it out … and offered to keep his mouth shut if he’d do him a solid and help with a little birthday meal. He probably knew you’d figure it out in a heartbeat.” Right now he was probably at his desk, rubbing his hands together gleefully as he waited for the fallout.
The guy couldn’t have predicted this though. Chase set his fork down as Roxxi stood. He leaned back from the table, his hands finding her waist as she settled in. Looking up at her, instead of at the fork, Chase parted his lips like a biddable child as Roxxi offered up a bit from his plate. Squisito, close enough to exquisite that he figured he was getting complimented. He puffed up at it, smiling into the kiss that punctuated it. ”Two, huh? I’m definitely a lucky man. Carnegie’s gonna have to find his own amazing company.” Tracing his tongue over his lower lip, chasing the taste of both Roxxi and the food, he followed her face and felt the heat again – definitely not in his cheeks this time.
He’d have stood up immediately, hands braced on Roxxi’s hips, at her waist, any way to anchor her in place as he hurried dinner along. Chase cleared his throat, trying to make sure he could ease words past that sudden pressure there. ”Anything the birthday girl wants. We’ve got all night to celebrate.” His hands worked their way from her waist to the solid curve of her ass, holding up as he worked his way to his feet, with Roxxi clinging on. ”I’m the lucky one. I love you, baby. I’m glad I could make your birthday special.” Fingers slid, encouraging her thighs to lock around him before he eased blindly towards the kitchen. Letting go of her with one hand for just a second, Chase flailed for the can of cream, offering it up to Roxxi before he backed up. It’d tasted amazing off of his own thumb, off of her … He practically purred as he turned them back towards his bedroom, his mouth already making a descent down the delicate line of her throat. He’d have to thank Carnegie for that part at least.
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