Lee Jung Won's Story

Maxwell Parks grinned to himself as he hopped out of the passenger seat of a Mercedes Benz. The car was an odd sight to see on this side of town, but the boy himself wasn't. In fact, more often than not, he was usually seen getting in or out of something. He was grinning to himself happily, bobbing his head to some unheard song, running his hands through his messy blonde hair.

"Hey kid!"

The voice from inside the car stopped Max short. He arched an eyebrow, twisting around on his heals only to see the window slowly lowering. The man sitting inside, looking well put together in a business suit more expensive than his car, awkwardly held out a wad of white cotton. Max grinned--he was always loosing his shirts--and grabbed the material before jerking the muscle tee over his head.

With a 'Thanks, stud' and a wink, the car was gone as if it had never been there before. Max chuckled to himself, grabbing a lolipop from his back pocket and shoving strawberry goodness in his mouth. The streets of East St. Louis were almost completely silent. It was just barely six o'clock, most inhabitants of the town hadn't even woken up yet, much less ventured out into the world. The place survived on nightlife, never mind what was going on during the day.

With a skip in his step, Max ripped open the front doors to Lakeside, almost missing the abuse of weed and urine and dust and anything else that gathers in a piece of shit like that. After a year or so, the stench becomes something one can actually get used to.

He skipped the first floor because no one ever actually stayed there anyway. Ironically enough, it was just safer to be higher up. At least if the thing collapsed you wouldn't get crushed. Or drowned when it rained. Whatever it was, people risked the stairs over staying down there.

Max took them two at a time, knowing by now which ones were more likely to break under his weight. A few were already punctured in some places, but not completely gone. Yet, anyway.

The second floor was where the lobby was. About seven years ago some hotshot had come to the East Side and claimed he was going to clean it up. Lakeside had been his project, working on getting the building up to code. Somehow the lobby was the only thing that had survived the remodeling over the years. The lobby was right in the middle of the floor, a big room surrounded by couches and chairs and recliners. There was a little kitchen area off to the left, which was usually fairly stocked. There was a bar too, but it generally sat empty, with a decent sized tv on the counter that only played local channels. And a big table off to the right, which is where he found Lee.

The Asian man glanced up at Max from behind his hair before sighing heavily and going right back to his work. Never easily derailed, Max grinned around the lolipop in his mouth and crossed the room, pushing himself up on the table with ease and glancing at whatever it was that was holding Lee's attention. Something about cars blah blah. And a check sheet with all his tenets names on it. Lee stayed out of their business for the most part. Expect for one key factor: payment.

"Already working?" the man asked, his low voice laced with boredom and disinterest as he wrote something down. Max nodded, legs swinging, before pulling the lolipop out of his mouth. "How'd you know?" Lee looked up from his work, arched an eyebrow, and pointedly lowered his gaze onto Max's crotch. "Your pants are undone...bit early isn't it?"

Max tilted his head before sucking on his candy again, dropping down from the table to dig into his pocket and drop a few crumpled bills on the papers Lee was reading. The man's shoulders tensed in annoyance, but he didn't say anything. "Are you kidding me?" Max asked. "Five to six are my best hours. All those lovely pigs telling their wives they have to work late before coming home from the office. Besides, I gotta deadline to meet for rent anyway, don't I?"

Lee raised his eyes slowly, looking at the kid before him with a certain amount of dislike before glancing at the crumbled bills on the table. He sighed again and only lifted an eyebrow. Max chuckled. "Don't worry. They're clean. I swallowed."

The boy winked before popping his lolipop back in his mouth.

---

---

"Wake up Rose.." The Latina groaned softly and pulled the silk pillow closer, hiding deeper into the blankets. She could feel the rays of the morning sun kiss her shoulder. Celina wasn't ready to wake up up just yet. She had been up merely hours before the sun graced the earth with its presence. The other night she was stripping and it always tired her out. Then Calvin insisted that they get high in her apartment. Most of the early morning they were laughing and arguing about nonsense. Rose Marie vaguely remembers what had happened the night before, but she does remember the sex. It was almost impossible to forget sex with Calvin. The things he did forced you to remember and crawl back for more. That is why she agreed to get high and have sex with him last night. But she was slowly regretting it as Calvin tried to wake her up. He might have to work, but she didn't need to be conscious for a few more hours. "Rose Marie wake up and make me feel good this morning" his softy voice begged of her.

Quickly realizing that Calvin wasn't going to let the poor Latina girl sleep, she sat up and rubbed her tied eyes. As her vision cleared she got a good look at the man who she had just slept with for the second time this week. His hair was roughed up and we wore a signature smile that he often gives when he wants to have sex. The was nothing to cover his top half, as her eyes scanned down. His chest was chiseled was bare and without a scratch and his abs followed the same pattern. The man had put boxers on, but it wasn't enough to hide what lies beneath. The Latina's brown eyes met back up with Calvin's blue ones. "No. Soy cansado. she mumbled to him. He didn't understand anything she had just, but her accent must have turned him on. He had inched closer to her and kissed her nose, then her cheek, her jaw line, and stopped at her neck. "Calvin I said no. We were at it most of the night." the Latina sighed. Calvin pulled back and kissed her lips. "But I still want more Celina."

Celina shook her head and put a hand on his chest, pushing him farther away. "No. Maybe after work" she promised. The smiled never faded from his face. He kissed her once more before he crawled off her king sized bed. The Latina stared at the tall man as he gathered her clothes. Not one effort was made to removed herself from the bed. Calvin had gotten dressed and his fingers through his short shaggy hair. "I'll miss you beautiful" She laughed. "Just like you miss Robin, Casey, and Mia" Celina said, listing off girls at the bar he has taken home. A deep chuckle came from him and he leaned over to kiss the Latina's lips. "You're the only the one I keep coming back too" he said with a wink. Celina bit her bottom lip and pushed him away. He smirked and stood up heading toward the front door. "I left weed, vodka, and beer in your closet. I'll see you later tonight" The front door slammed shut and she collapsed on the bed. Her bed smelled like sex and weed, she would have to wash the bed sheets.

Her bright brown eyes gazed at the clock that occupied her night stand and groaned in frustration. It was around 7 in the morning. The Latina had only gotten a successful 3 hours of sleep and half of that was spent fighting off Calvin and his pervy fingers. After staring at the ceiling for a few moments, Celina forced herself out of the bed and dragged her naked body to the bathroom. The need to wash out the glitter from her job last night was great. She flipped on the light and saw that her makeup was mostly intact, but her hair was all over the place. Turning on the shower the Latina stepped in and took a long shower. She refused to leave until she was free of glitter and the stench of sex. Finally after what felt like hours of scrubbing she stepped out of the shower and walked back out to her room. Celina ran her fingers through her wet tangled hair and stood before her closet to make an outfit decision. Once she was satisfied with her choice of wardrobe she left her apartment. She needed breakfast. Vodka and weed weren't going to suffice.

Her feet were taking her straight to Max's room. Usually when she was in the need for breakfast, she would just bat her eyelashes and he would cook for her. Celina doesn't really remember how long the two have been friends, but over time they have grown close. The practically know everything about each other and then some. It is scary how close she was able to be without sex. In her mind it freaked her out a bit, but she hasn't really expressed that to Max. Knocking on his room door she waited for him to open. But he didn't. So she moved on. Her boots clacked down the steps as she waltzed into the lobby. There she saw the boy she was looking for and the owner, Lee. Her and Lee don't really talk. The respectful hello and the judgmental head nod from him was all they did. Her pearly white smile showed through as she made her way over to the boy who was sucking on a lollipop. "Buenos Dias. How are you this fine morning, Max?" she asked him.

---

---

"Luke.."

"Mommy?"

The shrill voice of her four and a half year old snapped her awake faster than ice water being thrown onto her. Her brown hues snapped open, instantly staring into the pair blues of her daughter. As the image of him faded into the morning, Olivia forced herself to smile and fight back the tears that threatened to spill over. It had been four years since his passing, and she still couldn't let go. "Mommy..." The impatient toddler gently shook her mother by the shoulders, poking her lip out into a pout. Olivia couldn't help but crack a genuine smile. "Let me guess, you're.." Life breathed back into the little tot, "Hungry!"

Olivia laughed and scooped the child into her arms gently rolling her over onto the empty space beside her on the bed. "Hungry? You're always hungry.." Olivia grinned at the child who grinned back, nodding. "Hungry" the little one repeated. Laughing, Olivia released her and forced herself to sit up on the bed. "Alright, I'm up. Go brush your teeth, I'll get started on breakfast." Olivia glanced at the digital clock on the beside table, grinning even more at the unGodly hour her child had woken her up at, Olivia walked over to her robe and slipped it on.

Breakfast... breakfast... right, Olivia thought to herself as she made her way to the kitchen of their flat. Upon opening the fridge she was a little disappointed. She needed to go grocery shopping. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Olivia let out a quiet sigh and straightened again. "How does the cafe sound, SamIam?" The shrill squeal from the bathroom was a yes. Laughing, Olivia abandoned the idea of cooking and made her way back to her bedroom to get dressed. Once she was satisfied with her outfit, which didn't take long, she walked over to Sam's room to find her daughter still in her pajamas, playing with a barbie in the floor. "Sam! You were supposed-- Oh, you little booger you..." With a sigh, Olivia set to helping dress the girl. Choosing an outfit was harder now that Sam was older, for each outfit that Olivia suggested- Sam would immediately refuse.

Eventually, Sam decided on her red polka-dot dress. Both finally dressed, Olivia led Sam out the front door. The smell of bacon filled the air immediately. Olivia had chosen the fourth floor because she didn't trust the elevator, or being too close to the ground. She thought about asking Indie and Nico if they wanted to come with them, but Sam was pulling her along to the stairs- apparently eager to go to the cafe. The two came down the stairs just as Max was saying something. Olivia didn't hear it, but Sam piped up; "Swallowed what, Maxie?" Olivia offered Lee and Max a sheepish smile as she came down the stairs the rest of the way, while Sam bolted across the lobby to Max with her arms wide open. Olivia came up slowly after, taking her time as she offered Lee and Max a smile. "Good morning! We were just heading to the cafe, if either of you would like to join! Samantha, don't cling too much. You might hurt him." It was then that she noticed the beautiful Latina, Celina, who was also standing there. She must have just missed something she had said, too, because the woman was smiling at Max. Feeling embarrassed because of Sam's rude behavior, Olivia looked to the woman and offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she offered gently, not really sure what she was apologizing for- aside from perhaps interrupting their conversation.

If there's one thing to be said about the Abbiati Mob Family, apart from its ruthless notoriety, it was that it was incredibly good at making certain aspects of its organization inconspicuous. Oh, Big Daddy Abbiati might go out every night to bask in the nightlife of whatever city he so happened to be visiting, and his higher-ups might be regular patrons at the classiest restaurants and strip clubs in Chicago and New York, but those working behind the scenes, the gears that kept the family functioning, were hidden safely away, out of prying eyes unless needed to make a public appearance. Which is why no one should be surprised that Martin Ross, the chief translator and reluctant head of many international deals for the Abbiati family, was one of the most safely tucked away, working in a small office in a nondescript building in East St. Louis. Even the office itself, with the exception of the large, black leather couch pressed against one wall, was unremarkable, but Martin didn't really mind. After all, he only came here to work, and the less distractions he had at his oak desk, translating and filing an infinite amount of papers from Big Daddy's many international deals and alliances, the better.

He was there now, in the same place he had been since seven at night the day before, hunched over his desk with a single-minded determination, eyes flickering over the papers before jotting down little notes around it. He'd hardly moved in those eleven hours, stopping once to have a late dinner and twice more for a bathroom and water break. Only when the clock hit six o' clock in the morning before continuing to tick carelessly on, did Martin finally look up, sitting up suddenly, pushing up his glasses to rub his tired eyes before stretching his arms, his back popping in protest.

"That didn't sound good, love." Ah, yes, the only other occupant of the room. If anyone needed extra proof that Big Daddy looked after his hardworking men and women, the enforcer camped out on the couch would be a prime example. Or he would be if Big Daddy Abbiati had actually assigned Jude to this job and the Irishman hadn't jumped at the opportunity insisting he was the only man for the job. In a way that was true- Jude most likely would have gotten rid of anything who'd been assigned until he was left the only viable option.

"It didn't feel good either," Martin admitted, standing up slowly despite his stiff joints' protests. Honestly, he was still young- when did he start feeling like an old man?

"Oh, poor baby," Jude cooed in his thick Irish lilt, slipping easily to his feet- the couch was certainly more comfortable than being hunched over a desk for hours on end- and striding over to the younger man with a wolfish smile. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Martin rolled his eyes Heavenwards, but didn't bother to dignify that little comment with a response. They made an odd picture, standing in the middle of that inconspicuous office, one a tall young man with wild curls who looked as if he'd forgotten to shave for the past few days(true) and, dressed in an oatmeal colored jumper and faded blue jeans, seemed as though he'd simply grabbed clothing from his closet before rushing to work(also very true). Jude, in contrast, was as spic and span as if he'd gotten dressed only moments before, not a hair out of place and not a single wrinkle on his charcoal Armani suit.

Jude let out a bright laugh, one Martin knew with some relief would not lead into any bloodshed for once. Well, probably- Jude did tend to get a bit bitey when he was feeling antsy, so the sooner they left the better. The elevator ride down to the bottom floor was blessedly silent apart from Jude humming a little tune Martin didn't care to place, pressed determinedly against Martin's side, and they reached the outside world with no real issues. The moment they stepped outside, a change took place over the two men- it was a minor one, but one nevertheless to be noticed. The small amount of space between them suddenly widened dramatically, Jude pulling away to walk nearly two feet beside Martin instead of pressing up against his body like a demanding cat. Neither so much as blinked at the behavior; after all, even the background men of the mob had to keep up appearances.

Martin, so used to his office's artificial light at this point, had to shield his eyes from the early morning sun that assaulted his vision. Jude simply slipped on a pair of designer sunglasses, leading Martin to their car. It was unspectacular, unremarkable, and therefore was absolutely perfect. Well, for Martin at least and, if Jude was being realistic he would agree, but apparently he wasn't today as they climbed into the car that was a color so neutral it didn't occur in nature, and took off into the early morning traffic.

"I'm just saying, an Aston Martin would be so much better," He said as he passed through a light just about to turn red. "I know you Americans love your little Mercedes, but, honestly m'love, it even has your name in it."

"You just want to be like James Bond," Martin accused, resting his face against the cool car window, watching the streets fly by in a blur. That was not, of course, because he was tired- Jude was really just driving that fast.

"Of course I want to be James Bond," Jude agreed with a devilish grin, "And that, by association, would make you my lovely Bond girl. Mmmm… What would your name be? I suppose Pussy Galore is out of the question. Maybe Pen-"

"If I agree to let you stop at that bakery you like for pastries will you drop it?" Martin interrupted abruptly, wondering for only a minute if he would survive jumping out of the car at these speeds. No, that was a stupid idea. Jude would just drag his bleeding body back into the car and keep chattering away merrily.

"For now, maybe. But this won't be the last you hear of this, Marty m'love," Jude hummed taking an abrupt left turn towards said bakery. Martin sighed. Of course it wouldn't be.

---

When they finally returned to Lakeside Apartments, Martin was carrying a box full of assorted pastries, a tired expression carved on his face- well, even more tired than usual if that was possible. Jude followed behind holding two reusable mugs full of tea that he kept stowed away in the car at all time in an effort to cut down on wasteful styrofoam or paper containers. He might be a psychotic murderer, but he wasn't a monster, after all. You have to think about the children's futures. As they trudged up and up the stairs- well, Martin trudged; Jude preferred to practically hop up them- the distance between the two men began to vanish again, which was fine. Here they weren't the Abbiati family's head translator and personal attack dog, but instead Martin, the nice, respectful man who was always tired and Jude, the Irish guy you should probably avoid but never actually do. Besides, with Jude even closer Martin was less likely to just topple over and crash where he fell.

To be honest, however, Martin had been hoping no one would be up right now. Almost all of the residents of Lakeside enjoyed an active nightlife, and it was so early in the morning there was no reason for any of them to be awake. As they made it to the second floor, Martin decided that the awful choices made by his neighbors just boggled his mind as it seemed that half of the apartment complex was gathered in the lobby area and the other half was probably wandering around their respective apartments. Oh, God, and they all seemed so awake and cheerful. Martin's typical half-smile plastered itself on his face.

"Ah, good morning- Max, fix your pants. It's too early for this." It was incredibly sad that this wasn't even the first time this month that he'd had to use those very words on Lakeside's second youngest tenant, and, as he was a realist, Martin was also incredibly sure that it would not be the last.

Jude snorted into his tea, too distracted by today's choice of Earl Gray with a splash of milk, waving at the assembled people milling about with Martin's cup, which anyone could clearly tell was his given the dog bone print covering it.

Lee was pretty sure that if the world he lived in didn't kill him, Max Parks would. The kid was a certain dash of annoying that made him check for gray hairs after every conversation they ever had. But he was nice enough. Didn't cause any trouble at least.

The man leaned back, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes before picking up the bills Max had dropped in front of him and smoothing them out. He was a little over his due rent, but then again he almost always was. Exact change was hard to come by with them.

Lee saw Max's excited wave before he noticed Vel, who was already up and on her way off to work, which probably meant the rest of the building would be milling around soon. Usually they weren't a morning bunch for one reason or another, but some of them had normal jobs. And some of them, like Max, would just be getting in.

As if proving his point, the sound of boots brought both of their attention to the steps where Celina was coming down stairs. He simply nodded at her in hello, bu Max – so much more social – grinned before pulling his lolipop out of his mouth just long enough to say, “Hey, Cel. You look nice. Love those boots.”

Before he could say anything else though, a new voice joined the group, and Max's attention was suddenly on the adorable little blonde bundle making her way into the boys arms. Lee shot Max a sharp look at the question that came out of Sam's mouth, but Max (surprisingly) managed to cover himself. “My gum, Sammy, can you imagine that?” he asked, swinging the girl around before cuddling her close. “You know, my mother once told me that if you swallowed gum, it would come out your belly button.” His eyes went wide in obvious fake fear.

Lee shook his head at Olivia, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and grumble something about the boy being a bad influence on her little girl. For one, it wasn't really his place and...he'd said it about a hundred times before since Olivia and Sam had called Lakeside home. His opinion on the subject wasn't doing much good. We were just heading to the cafe, if either of you would like to join!

“I'll go,” Lee offered, but Max was so wrapped up in the little girl that he didn't even seem to notice that Olivia spoke. Which wasn't surprising, really. He didn't notice Gim or Hei's arrival either. Lee just greeted both with a nod as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, putting away the money he had made for the day.

At least the next couple to arrive provided amusement. Martin and Jude, always a duo, came with a certain kind of package humor one couldn't quite find anywhere else. Both men looked somewhat tired, though Martin much more than Jude. Which wasn't unusual. Martin practically seemed to live in a state of tired.

"Ah, good morning- Max, fix your pants. It's too early for this.”

Jude snorted and Lee chuckled, while Max just looked up with wide eyes. Popping his lolipop back in his mouth, the boy moved Sam onto his back with practiced ease before buttoning his pants, all the while smiling sheepishly around his chosen treat.

Lee let the others talk around him as he focused on crossing out the tenets names who had already paid a months rent before leaving for breakfast. Even Max, usually so social, became distracted by his phone. He smiled at whatever text was there, but didn't reply or leave, so Lee knew it had probably been from Natasha.

Finally, the last person possible joined them all where they were gathered: Elias. Looking every bit like someone who belonged in New York or Paris than in the East Side slums. But Lee never said anything, at least nothing more than the judgmental eyebrow raise and the shake of his head. Elias paid his rent through, caused even less trouble than the rest of them, so he really couldn't complain that much.

What he could complain about was Max, who couldn't keep it in his pants on the job or off, and who found it way too easy to flirt with anything that walked in his path. Even if he did have a four year old on his back. The 'tsk, tsk' sound made Lee roll his eyes, knowing exactly what was coming, but it only brought Max's attention up onto the only male blonder than him. "I'd ask what you were doing, Maxxy, but I'm afraid I might have guessed it already."

Max smirked around his lolipop before pulling it out of his mouth with a definite [I]'pop'[/i'] and sent a wink Elias' way. “If you have the time, baby, I could show you...?”

---

---

“My gum, Sammy, can you imagine that?” Sam giggles, shaking her head at her friend."You shouldn't swallow gum, silly Maxxie!" “You know, my mother once told me that if you swallowed gum, it would come out your belly button.” Sam stops laughing, eyes growing wide as her little hands go to cover her mouth- clearly in shock. "Nu-uh! Mommy, is that true? Is that true, mommy? Weally?" Olivia's face remains serious and she nods gravely. Samantha lets out a little squeak, but before she can say anything more- people are coming to talk to Maxxie and she is moved onto this back.


Looking to Martin and Jude she offers them a smile and a wave back. Max, as always, is soaking up the spotlight of the room- but it's not long before Celina is trying to pull him off to speak privately. “If you have the time, baby, I could show you...?” Max says. Olivia stiffens, saying "Alright and on [/i]that[/i] note, we are going to get going. Come on, Sam," Olivia says gently as she walks behind Max to pick up her daughter, lowering her to the ground. Once Sam was on her feet, she slipped her hand into her mothers. "We're going to head out," Olivia announces to everyone who stands around. "Have to get her breakfast, then driving into town for school." Sam makes a face, and lets out a low whine. Olivia ignores her and turns to face Lee, "We can just meet you there if you have a few more things you need to do," she offers, turning to tug Sam out of the complex.

---

Across the street at the restaurant Olivia slides Sam into a booth. Across the restaraunt, which is mostly empty at this hour aside from really elderly people and the drunks who passed out there last night, Olivia catches sight of Vickie. If the women make eye contact, Olivia would wave in a friendly manner. Once breakfast was ordered, Olivia took a moment to check her cellphone.

No New Messages

She lets out a quiet sigh and pushes a bit of hair out of her face. "What's wrong, mommy?" "Nothing, baby girl, mommy's just a little tired. That's all." "Mommy, how come I don't have a daddy?" Olivia looks up from her phone, stuck. As if by the grace of God, their waitress materialized. "I'll have the Breakfast Sampler, and she will have the kid's pancakes, please ma'am," Olivia said sweetly. "Also, Lee will be joining us," she adds offhandedly. "I'll have coffee, please, and milk for her. I'm.. ah.. I'm not sure what Lee will have. Coffee, maybe?" She offers the waitress an apologetic smile before the woman scurries off.

The conga line of oddities apparently did not end with Jude and Martin but rather with the resident oddball, Elias, making his way into the lobby, drawing conclusions about what exactly Max had been up to despite the company. It takes quite a lot to be an oddball in the collection of freaks and weirdoes that is Lakeside Apartments, but Elias certainly fit the bill. He was the part of the picture that was out of place, the too-stylish young man who looked as if he'd only ever batted for the other team, but he wasn't as embroiled in sin and the darker side of life as the rest of the apartment's residents. Still, he fit in as easily as any of them did, another oddly shaped piece in a building full of oddities the likes of which the world had never seen collected in one place.

Martin, at Max's embarrassed compliance, merely raised as eyebrow, shifting the box of pastries in his arms. He wasn't one to comment on the lifestyles of others- Lord knows he wasn't in any place to criticize or offer advice- but, honestly, he wished that half of the people in the apartment realized that there was a child here. Well, three children, but he hesitated to use the term on Max or Celina given who exactly they were and what exactly they did. The best thing he could do was to make sure they didn't traumatize virgin ears and eyes, and even that was a full time job.

However, there were other in the people besides Max, although you wouldn't know it from the way he soaked up attention like a particularly eager sponge. Take for instance Olivia and her darling daughter still clinging to Max's back with all the skill and grip of a little monkey. Jude gave Olivia a pleasant smile of his own from around the lid of his cup, for once a complete innocent expression. Of all of the young ladies living(stuck) in Lakeside Apartments, Sammy and, by extension, Olivia were by far his favorites. It had to do more with his small but rigid moral code, a promise never to harm puppies in that Martin would never, ever forgive him, and to never harm children. Given the dangerous neighborhood Lakeside existed in, that last one had been more of a concern ever since Olivia found her way into the apartment complex. Or, rather, it had become a concern for those less than scrupulous individuals who might try anything when Jude was in town. Or out of town, really, because he would know.

Soon enough, everyone began to scatter from the lobby, and not a moment too soon given the PG-13 to R rating this new strain of conversation was leaning towards. As Olivia and Sam made for the exit, the mother ushering her pouting daughter out the door, Martin and Jude waved goodbye.

"Have a lovely day, and learn something interesting, my little dote," Jude cooed after them, considerably perkier than he had any right to be this early in the morning. Martin, however, was considerably less perky and once the two had left, the translator shuffled over to one of the beat-up but infinitely plush and comfortable sofas, plopping down gracelessly, too tired to attempt to make the hike up the stairs to his room.

"Poor little Marty, all tuckered out from a hard night's work," Jude teased, leaning over the back of said sofa. Martin half-heartedly glared up at the older man, lips pressed together. How on Earth he dealt with the other man day in and day out was a mystery to everyone, Martin included(not Jude, of course, who insisted that it was because he loved him too much to ever be too mad at him). That didn't, of course, keep Martin from being irritated with him. He'd never do anything drastic about it, of course, because he actually liked living, but it was the little victories he cherished, like the one he was about to score right now.

"Feel free to have any of these," Martin said with a tired smile after hearing Celina's request for food, opening the large box of pastries on the little side table next to his seat on the sofa. It was stuffed full of a variety of little breakfast delights exotic enough to be called French cuisine and just familiar enough to not worry a person with a less refined pallet that they'd accidentally find an escargot hidden within the flaky crust.

Jude's smile instantly vanished, replaced instead by a dark scowl. Oh, he didn't mind sharing his take-away breakfast with Hei and Gim, who he was immensely fond of given their profession, or even Elias, but…

"Honestly, Marty," He pouted with a hiss, leaning closer to the younger man who he could have sworn was actually smirking at him. "Are you trying to make me share our breakfast with the slapper and the poof?" It was, in a way, for the best that Jude tended to stray back to his Irish roots when it came to insults- slapper and poof sounded so much better than slut and fag. It wasn't that he particularly disliked either of them- no, wait, that was exactly it. Jude would be the first to admit that he could be something of a misogynist, and Celina fell in that category for "worthless woman" almost instantly. She wasn't a devoted single-mother and didn't have that dark intensity hidden beneath that he so adored in many women within the apartment building, like Willow or Hei; she was too perky, too fun and upbeat for his tastes, too bright for a man who'd been a part of the IRA since before he'd finished his schooling, and let's not even go into the fact that he'd been to her club more than once for business deals and had to see more of her than he particularly would have liked to. Max, on the other hand, was a little shit and he knew exactly what he did to get that title.

"Really, anyone who wants some, have at it. This is way too much for us," Martin said loudly, completely ignoring Jude as he fished out a chocolate croissant from the box for himself, taking a bite, and, well, wasn't that Heavenly?

Jude scowled again before, in a sudden and terrifying turn of events, it was replaced by a smile. It was that smile he wore when he stabbed the gangbanger last month in the eye, piercing his brain. It was the smile he wore when he set fire to that building last year. It was, of course, also the smile he wore when he wanted to harass Martin or, really, anyone. It was that kind of strange smile.

"I've got it," He said, picking up on the strain of conversation from the car as he pressed Martin's mug into his awaiting hand not filled with croissant. "Your Bond Girl name would be Gavin Goodhead. It's perfect, Marty, because you-" And he couldn't even finish that statement without giggling at the scowl Martin was giving him right then and there. Yes, there were many weirdoes in Lakeside Apartments and the Irishman and his reluctant partner were perhaps the weirdest ones.

Max frowned the moment Olivia was pulling Samantha off his back, muttering under his breath about how 'that comment was pretty innocent', but he let the two of them go without much complaint. He knew he'd likely see his favorite little girl later anyway.

“Be good at school, SamIam!” Max said as he squatted down to the kids level, peppering her face with little butterfly kisses. “It's important, alright?” He smoothed her hair down before kissing her nose and standing up again.

He waved goodbye to the girls while Lee just nodded, a silent promise to catch up with them soon. The moment they were gone, Max was spinning on his heals in almost a second, raising his eyebrows at Jude. “What does 'dote' mean? That better have been nice!”

Max had known both Martin and Jude since just after he'd moved into Lakeside, but he still knew absolutely nothing about Irish slang...and just pretty much assumed anything Jude said was an insult. More so if it was directed towards him. But before he could grill Jude for answers that would never come, Celina was calling for his attention.

"Before I forget and you are taken away by someone else, can you make me some breakfast por favor?"

He blinked for a moment, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth to chew on it while he thought. He loved cooking for Celina, even if he wasn't really good at it. She always seemed to like his food, too. Thing was...he was pretty sure he didn't have anything to actually eat.

Max bit off the rest of his lolipop before shrugging his shoulders. He was about to say he might have some cereal left over, but before he managed to open his mouth Martin was advertising their pastries. Max grinned, looking over his shoulder just in time to watch Jude's expression darken.

Looking at Celina again, Max shrugged and admitted, “It's probably better than anything I can drag up. Which would be dry cereal and strawberry lolipops.” And everyone knew Max didn't share anything strawberry flavored. Ever.

He bounced across the lobby, pausing only for a moment to let his fingers dance over carb loaded amazingness before plucking out a pastry. He plopped right down against Martin as close as he could get, snuggling into the older male's side without the least bit of hesitation. He was fairly calm for the moment, with the recent addition of food, but that was demolished the moment 'Gavin Goodhead' left Jude's mouth. He cracked up laughing so hard he actually choked on the bite he just took and had to sit up for a second, pounding his chest.

When he finally sat back down, Max tilted his head back enough on the couch to look up at the Irishman. "Hey Jude," he said, which was as much as a joke as it was a greeting. "What does poof mean?"

It was a term Jude had taken to calling him for awhile now, and Max still didn't know what it meant. He went between trying to yell the meaning out of Jude to asking politely and hoping the other male might just slip one day. So far, no such luck.

---

Lee ran his hand through his hair as the cafe door closed behind him. It's mostly empty this early in the morning, not even all of the lights were on. The only patron's were the really elderly and drunks still passed out from the night before.

He was used to this though...it was the kind of scene he actually preferred. A few people lived like him, waking up early, sleeping through the day, and staying up late again. He glanced around the room for a moment before catching Vickie's eye, nodding towards Olivia's table so that he could get her attention when she was free.

Everyone pretty much knew Lee didn't really deal with anyone but Vel, so the other workers there just pretty much avoided him. Lee didn't actually have people he really 'liked', but if there was a list Vel would probably be at the top of it. She didn't annoy the absolute shit out of him, at least.

“Hey girls,” he greeted as he slid across from Olivia, thumbing through a menu even though he got the same thing every single time.