`Floating Lanterns -- Vogue.

[LASAIRFHIONA AOIFE COOPER]

The little drive to The Hide Out wasn't long, time-wise speaking. But it seemed a hell of a lot longer, because Sim had become broodier and broodier as they approached the part of town that The Hide Out was located. It was kind of upsetting her; the only reason he was so sour was because other guys got to see her naked. The entire fucking school had seen him naked, and been allowed to touch, yet she wasn't allowed to pose nude for a few hours at a time, just for some guy to draw her? She sighed softly as she turned into the little parking lot, turning off the car. When she looked at Sim, she laughed softly and touched his little pout.
“You're so cute when you're not getting your own way." She laughed more and leaned over, kissing his cheek, then lips, softly. “It's not half as bad as what both you, and my brother have done." She pouted a bit and sighed when he stayed quiet, before unlocking the doors. “Fine. Be pouty." She grumbled and grabbed her purse, getting out of the car and closing the door.

Not really waiting for him, she walked off to the entrance, feeling him following her. Her fingers looped into the door handle and she tugged it open, holding it open for him. Her other hand found his, and she lead him through the main lobby, which was covered in rich purples and gold colours. There was a man standing at the front desk on his computer, looking through schedules. Aoife strolled up and smiled at him, checking into her clocking time, before tugging Sim to room 5. That was always her room. Since her client wasn't there yet, she hopped back into the changing room, pulled on a robe, and stepped back out into the room, smiling at Sim.
“You okay?" She tilted her head and walked over, wrapping her arms around him. “Are you mad at me?" She looked up worriedly, tilting her head. "I'm sorry..."

[SIMEON DONALD O'MALLEY]

Simeon would have been lying if he said he was particularly thrilled to be headed to the Hide Out this particular moment. He’d never been there to begin with and going with his girlfriend to watch her model nude for some punk-ass wannabe artist with no future. Bitter? Yes, yes, perhaps a little, but he’d like to see any guy in his position think differently, he thought. So what if he was protective of his girl? Was that some sort of crime? Deep down, a part of him was certain that Aoife thought he was acting ridiculous, but that same petty part of him didn’t give much of a shit. He felt a little wrong about this.

He grunted, wanting to tell her that this had nothing to do with him or with Henry, but he remained silent, arms crossed, waiting a moment before he shoved the door open and left the car. Her footsteps weren’t hard to follow and his longer strides helped him catch up to her relatively quickly. His hands were shoved in his pockets, so he shoved the door with his shoulder, only removing his hand when she grabbed for it. No matter how dejected he felt, he couldn’t refuse her when she insisted on being that goddamned cute. Fuck it, he thought. No matter what, he just couldn’t win. He sighed as she tugged him down the hall and into one of the rooms. When she disappeared, his arms fell to his sides and his shoulders slumped forward; he felt irritatingly helpless in this situation. He knew he looked mopey when she reappeared, but his expression didn’t change when she approached him and wrapped herself around him. A sigh escaped him; he was done for.

“Furious,” he said unconvincingly, resting his forehead on the top of her head, burying his face in her hair. “Just can’t help but think how much I don’t want any of them to see you like this. Makes sense that I would want to keep you all to myself, right?” Smoothly, he slipped his hands under her robe, resting them casually on her backside as he leaned down to press a warm kiss to her throat. His teeth grazed the spot as he nipped her pale skin. Curse his insatiable drive. “When’s this client of yours gonna get here, anyway?” He asked, voice muffled against her neck as he progressed up toward her jaw. Carefully, he turned her around and pressed her into the wall, one arm braced firmly around her waist while the other grasped her thigh. “He really ought to hurry up,” he murmured before gently sucking on her earlobe, chuckling softly in the process.

[LASAIRFHIONA AOIFE COOPER]

Aoife gasped when his hands found the fold of her robe, gripping her backside slightly. Every time his lips pressed against her skin, she felt them ten times more sensitively than normal, because the room was cold. It hadn't been used yet today, so she needed to turn the heat on. Or Sim could just... Do this. She bit back a little moan and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Her fingers knotted into his hair and she let him drag her arms from each place on her skin, before he turned her around and... Dear gods, she was against the wall. Was he trying to speak to her? All she could hear was a low grumble in her ears, as her brain tried to pick it up. Why did he have to tease her so much? He was the one who wanted to not have sex, not her. She was all for taking him and throwing him down on the carpeted floor and banging until his back was burned from the thin fibres that would scrape him open easily; judging by the feel of his skin from last night.

Sighing softly as his lips and teeth grazed her earlobe, she closed her eyes and tried to find some part of the wall she could grip onto, finding onto little pieces of fabric that hung as curtains down from the ceiling. She loved her room; she had decorated it herself, and covered the platform she stood on with pillows, in case clients wanted her to lay down. The entire room just screamed Aoife.
"Soon." Was all she could manage to let escape from her mouth. They needed to stop this before Archer got here. After an extensive amount of time with the other boy, she had come to realize the fact that not only was he confused with his sexuality... He really didn't have any sexual experience. He was all talk and no fuck. Which was kind of cute in her own mind, but whatever. Back to the present situation. What the hell were they doing? She closed her eyes.

Jesus, she really just wanted to throw him down and screw around within an inch of her poor boyfriends life. He was so screwed when it came time to actually have sex. She would work him so raw... Unf. Her hips ground back against his involuntarily before his hands slid up the inside of her thigh, and...
"Sim!" She jumped a bit and whipped around, biting her lip. "Someone could walk in..." She blinked as he got closer again, pushing her with her back against the wall this time. God, he was so sexy.
"And I don't think I'd care..." She added quietly, blushing. "Though, they might..." She bit her lip. No, Archer would definitely mind.

((This totally just exploded. Feel free to type way less than me. Oh my jesus.))

[ARCHER DEAN HARRINGTON]

Simeon could feel the warmth of his own breath against Aoife’s skin. He knew this was a bad idea; she had a client coming, she’d said, and the guy was liable to walk in any second. The familiar aching in his bones returned, and although he knew he had to fight it, he found it impossible to let go of her. He let out a groan when she pushed against him, burying his face in her neck to keep the sound from being audible outside their room. The cool fabric of her robe slipped through his fingers as he finally removed his hand from her thigh, inhaling deeply to orient himself.
“You’re right, Eefs,” he murmured. “Already screwed up one job for you.” Slowly, he pulled her away from the wall, keeping her close regardless, and moved his hands to her waist. Gently, his forehead leaned up against hers and he kissed her nose. “I’m definitely not going to fuck this one up, too.”

Though it may have bothered him to some extent, walking in on such a scene certainly would not have prompted Archer Harrington to get his favorite model fired. He’d have to choose a new model then – and probably a new confidante, a task he certainly had no interest in being saddled with. He chose her because she was beautiful, of course, but he also found Aoife incredibly easy to speak with. Almost unknowingly, he’d spilled enough information to her during their sessions for her to be labeled one of his best friends without a doubt. There was no going back now. At least she remained discreet, to his knowledge. And she was understanding, almost unbelievably so. For one reason or another, his mind dwelled on this as he hurriedly paid for his session at the front before heading to room number five. Without thinking, he opened the door. The sight before him simply made him stare. The slightest flush rose in his cheeks as he gazed at Simeon O’Malley, the boy he recognized as the handsome son of Aphrodite, a year ahead of him and Aoife in school. His eyes then fell to his friend, his model. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat.
“Terribly sorry to interrupt,” he said quietly. “Aoife, you didn’t tell me we’d have a visitor today…” Considering that there were things he would have liked to discuss with her, this disappointed him just a little, but he tried not to let that show. It was hard to let anything show with a suspicious boyfriend, who by now had parted from Aoife, glaring at him and sizing him up.

[LASAIRFHIONA AOIFE COOPER]

Aoife smiled weakly and kissed Sim's cheek apologetically. She was about to correct him in terms of losing her job-that wasn't entirely his fault-when she heard another person clear their throat, and announce their arrival. Her eyes wandered to Archer and she smiled sweetly, shaking her head.
"That's okay, Archer. Technically you weren't interrupting if I was stopping it from happening." She hummed and hopped over, taking his coat for him. "I wasn't expecting Sim to come along, but he agreed to it when I asked. Kind of surprised me, but." She shrugged and looked over to Sim, giving him a look that said "back down," before looking back to Archer. "What can I do, really? He's my boyfriend. Putting his mind as ease is proving to be rather difficult." She hung Archer's coat up in the little closet by the door and walked back over to Sim.

Taking Sim's hand, she lead him over to the chairs and sat him down, patting his cheek.
"Be good." She kissed him softly and hopped up onto the little platform, sitting down on the cushions. When she faced Archer, she put her hands in her lap and tilted her head.
"So, what are we doing today?" She smiled brightly. Usually Archer had some really good pose ideas. And despite needed to hold them for hours at a time, she was happy to do them. Mostly because he gave good tips. But also because he was interesting, in his own little way. He had quirks and flaws and she loved to study every inch of his brain, despite what he told her, and what he didn't. She could tell he was a little upset by the fact that they couldn't talk as freely with Sim sitting there, but she gave him a look that told him they could talk later on, for sure.
"Any new ideas, or just old poses?"

[ARCHER DEAN HARRINGTON]

Despite Aoife’s expression, Simeon couldn’t help but feel immediately possessive. The moment she stepped away from him, he had to fight the impulse to pull her back, keep her pressed to him. Or, at the very least, stay between her and that other dude who apparently saw her naked a lot. He’d seen the guy around. Archer, right, that was his name; Sim’s eyes flickered in recognition when Aoife said his name. Frankly, Simeon hadn’t trusted him before today and he certainly didn’t trust him now, not when he knew he’d had those beady little eyes all over his girlfriend.
He grumbled something unintelligible as Eefs kissed him and walked toward the platform. Heavily, he sat in the chair, trying not to look at Archer, if only for her sake. He didn’t want to be good. He wanted to beat the snot out of the guy. But that would probably get him in some amount of trouble, both with her and with management…

Archer, on the other hand, felt awkward for much different reasons. First of all, because Simeon O’Malley looked about twice as big as he did. Second of all, because Aoife was apparently his girlfriend. He certainly wasn’t expecting this. Almost immediately, he discarded the idea of introducing the newer, slightly more provocative poses he’d prepared in his mind. Unfortunately, that left him with very few options. He frowned almost imperceptibly as he took a seat.
“Let’s just… Let’s just do number five, shall we?” He said, replacing the grimace with a charming smile as if someone had flipped a switch in his head. “I’m fond of that one. But you know that.” His eyes flickered almost nervously to Simeon for a moment, and Archer cleared his throat. “Pleased to see Valentine’s Day was good to you, Reena. Of course, I expected it to be, saucy, lovely thing that you are.”
Shit, that’s right, her boyfriend was in the room. D’oh. Fortunately, all Archer could feel so far was the almost tangible death glare boring into his back.

[LASAIRFHIONA AOIFE COOPER]

Aoife laughed softly at Archer and rolled her eyes. He was going to get his face beaten in by Sim if he kept doing what he was doing.
"Mmmmm. No flirting, Archer." She wagged her finger at him and stood up, brushing her robe off. "Hasn't worked in the past, won't work now. Especially since I worked my ass off for the past 3 years trying to get him," She gestured to Sim and grinned, before looking back at Archer. "To notice me. You know that, already." She kicked a pillow at him and grinned triumphantly when his pencil fell out of his hand, before pointing to his bag again.
"Pose five looks better in charcoal." After she said that, she untied her robe and tossed it to the hanger, watching it land, not perfectly, but at least attached to the hook. She had done better.

Now came the hard part. Sighing, she assumed the position and held it, letting her muscles tighten and do their work, of staying in place for a few hours. The position was pretty easy enough. It was like a yoga stretch, which she could do quite well. And it wouldn't take him as long as other clients took. Archer was a talented boy. The fact that he had to hit on every living thing without really knowing what he wanted was a little upsetting, because even Aoife could tell he liked men. And she definitely noticed that way his cheeks flushed when he saw Sim. She had wanted to shoot him a look that said, "he's mine," until she realized that Archer didn't even know he was into boys, most likely. Not like that, anyway. So, she had kept her mouth and eyes to herself, not giving him any warning. He couldn't help himself. Now she knew how Sim felt. Damn. Now she just felt horrible for taking him along.
"Have you started looking at colleges and universities when you finally finish school?" She asked absently, staring at the wall as he drew. "I think we'll be going to the same one, if you're taking art-stuff." She paused, thinking. She had never told Sim what she was going to be doing with her life.
Fuck.

[ARCHER DEAN HARRINGTON]

Don’t beat the shit out of him. Don’t beat the shit out of him. Aoife will be angry; don’t beat the shit out of him. Simeon had to repeat it over and over in his head to keep for lunging for the kid and socking him straight in the face. Archer was begging for it, little shit, and it never occurred to Sim that everything he said might have been an accident. The kid always seemed so damn cocky and confident, perhaps just enough to hit on a girl in front of her taller, much stronger boyfriend. Simeon felt like a lion coiled to strike, his blue eyes narrowed as he stared straight at the other boy. He’d better watch his ass. His hands curled into white-knuckled fists at his side before he lifted them to grip either side of his chair, as if to steady himself.
They talked regularly, too, it seemed. An angry red flush crept into Sim’s cheeks.

“I’m not—” Archer chuckled and rolled his eyes, electing not to finish what he was saying. So what if he naturally flirted? In all honesty, he’d never felt for Aoife that way. She was beautiful, yes, but he’d felt far too comfortable around her from the start to have romantic feelings for her. He hadn’t found a girl he liked for a while now, actually, which irritated him. But he was picky; he could afford to be, right? With a grunt, he picked up the charcoal and watched as she got in position.
“I think I’m going to Cornish, actually. If you went there, we’d take classes in the same building!” He grinned a little. “I’d adore a lunch buddy. It’s quite a good school. They have plenty of theater productions you could design for, too. It’d be fun!” Although he was pretty good at making friends, it would be nice to know somebody. You know. If he lived through today. Though his back was turned, he knew Sim’s eyes had only left him to briefly regard his nude girlfriend.
Anger sometimes even crushed the most potent libido, however.

[LASAIRFHIONA AOIFE COOPER]

Aoife laughed a bit and shifted ever-so-slightly, still holding her pose.
"Yeah, that's where I'm going as well. I still need to finish my sample pieces, though." She yawned and sighed softly, letting her eyes slide closed. She was pretty tired. Had she taken her medicine? Yes, she recalled the worried look on Sim's face in her mind and smiled weakly, letting her eyes open as she stared at the wall. She was all-too-aware of how much Sim was glaring at Archer, and also when he looked up at her. What was so horrible about this? Archer was into guys. Jesus Christ, Sim just needed to take a chill pill and relax. He'd get to touch later. None of her clients got to touch. Not even to adjust her position. She looked down to Archer's drawing, smiling.
"Look great so far." She complimented happily. "Then again, with a face like this, why wouldn't it?" She framed her face with her hands, before returning to the pose, laughing a bit.

For the next hour or so, she held two more poses, and spent the majority of the time laying down. Those seemed to be Archer's favourite poses. Which she didn't mind. If she hadn't been so fucking tense, she probably would have fallen asleep, just like every other time. Archer found her easier to draw when she was completely out like a light anyway. And she knew he wouldn't try to touch her; he wasn't like that.
"Almost done?" She yawned tiredly and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Fuck, she was tired. After this, she definitely just wanted to lay down and snuggle with Sim. Maybe get some naughty things in there. Her client tomorrow was female. Like Sim would care. He'd probably bitch about it until she told him that it was a girl... Why did she love him, again? Oh, right. He was Sim. He was her Sim, now.

[ARCHER DEAN HARRINGTON]

And now they were attending the same college. Simeon’s hands still clutched the bottom of the chair until his fingers ached and even after, his jaw clenched as his eyes, now nothing more than slits, remained fixed on the boy, watching his every move, suspicious and unwilling to let down his guard. Normally, he obviously would have been staring at his naked girlfriend, but he somehow felt he had to watch Archer’s every move instead, perhaps growl a few warnings in his ear. But he stayed seated, clenching his teeth together and keeping it at least somewhat together, although he felt certain Aoife knew exactly what he felt and probably would have been glaring at him, were she not otherwise engaged in posing. How she expected him to help it, he had no idea. She’d invited him in the first place. And Sim was starting to think it wasn’t a good idea to agree in the first place.

Archer, on the other hand, tried his hardest to ignore the other boy as he worked.
“They’ll be brilliant, as always,” he said with a grin. “Your work always is.” That sounded innocent enough, right? Probably not. He restrained a frown, wondering if Simeon coming along was going to be a normal thing now. That might be problematic. The other boy broke his focus, and not even in a good way. More like in a “fear of death” way.
An hour later, he finished up his third sketch and, finally, closed his sketchbook. When she spoke, he chuckled.
“Already closed the book—” He restrained the pet name he nearly added on to the end of the sentence. With her boyfriend here, it wouldn’t be such a good idea. “So we’re all done. Same time next week?” He smiled and stood, tucking the pad beneath his arm. With a thoughtful expression, he dug into his pocket and removed a few large bills, pushing them into her hand. “I’ll talk to you later, right?”