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creaturewithakeyboard · 13 days

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It took them three car trips, but eventually Mitch and Jayden were carrying the final batches of boxes to the apartment.

“Thanks for this,” Mitch said sheepishly. He had known Jayden for a while, but they felt like a stranger now. Familiar yet unfamiliar, like a renovated childhood home. He couldn’t help but worry they harbored a secret hatred for him, even after they said it was all in the past.

“Of course!” Jayden nudged him with a playful smile on their face. “We’re buddies. You sure you’re okay with sleeping on the couch? If you want you can take my room—”“

“No no no, it’s okay, really. I’m made for the couch anyway.”

Jayden laughed. They laughed a little too loudly, but Mitch didn’t mind. “Alright, but if you change your mind let me know, ‘kay?”

Jayden tried to push open the door with their elbow, but it didn’t nudge. Mitch swallowed. Did someone lock the door? Oh shit. He forgot about the other housemates.

Jayden knocked the door with the side of their head. It would’ve made Mitch laugh if he wasn’t feel insanely nervous. “Hey! Can someone get this for us?” There were footsteps and the sound of a door unlocking before it swung open.

There was a tall guy wearing jogging pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sleeveless hoodie. The sleeves couldn’t hide his subtle muscle. Mitch briefly wondered the point of wearing both a sleeveless hoodie and long-sleeved shirt. The man had buzzed blonde hair and dark piercing eyes. He looked annoyed, but the kind of annoyed that makes you wonder if that’s just his face. Even with the buzz cut and the scary eyes, Mitch thought he had a bit of a cute face and nose.

The blonde guy nodded at Mitch. “Hey. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Mitch smiled in polite confusion. “Do I know—?”

Wait. Hold on. He knew this voice, even if it was deeper and louder. And he knew this guy.

“Kyle?”

He was a sweet and shy boy in middle school. His shaggy hair covered his eyes and he always wore that baggy sweater. He was tall and lanky back then, and he held himself as if he didn’t know what to do with all that height. His voice was soft but if you managed to make him laugh it was dorky and loud. He was embarrassed by that but Mitch made sure to tell more jokes when he was around. It was a shame that they stopped talking after the incident.

“You look… different,” Mitch managed to say. He could feel his ears burning up and prayed that neither Jayden nor Kyle would notice.

Kyle scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, uh…” Out of the corner of his eye, Mitch saw Jayden shoot a be nice and behave glare at Kyle. “…You too, I guess.”

Puberty does wonders, Mitch thought.

Jayden pushed past Kyle and set down their stack of boxes by the couch. “Kylio, did you just get back from your run?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Jayden made an exaggerated face of disappointment. Kyle did not seem amused. “Bummer. I was gonna ask you to help us out with the last boxes.”

“I need to rest, Jayden,” Kyle said. He looked at them and then he looked at Mitch. “…But I guess I can make you two lunch.”

“That’d be nice,” Mitch said.

“Thanks man, you’re the best!” Jayden tapped Kyle lightly on the shoulder, and he responded by ruffling their hair. The two shared a sibling-like bond that Mitch was honestly jealous of. Jayden bounded out the door and Mitch was soon to follow.

“Mitch.”

His heart fluttered a little at the sound of his name, but he couldn’t tell if it was a crush or a fear. He looked back at Kyle and decided it was a little bit of both. Maybe mostly fear. “Y-yeah?”

Kyle stared at him for a moment, carefully considering his words. Finally, he said, “Don’t fuck this up.”

Mitch gulped. Audibly.

“Is Mitch here yet?” A voice came from the hallway. It sounded familiar, but Mitch didn’t know where he heard it before. A woman emerged from the hall, and if Kyle made his heart flutter, she made it stop.

When she saw Mitch she leaned against the wall and some sort of sly smile crept onto her face. Her dark curly hair was tied into a high ponytail, but a few strands fell around her face. She was wearing a pink spaghetti-strap shirt and blue shorts. It was a warm summer day, after all. Her shirt was a little short, just enough so that you could see a bit of her tummy. As she walked toward Mitch, her eyes became more wide and playful.

“Hey Cheyenne,” he croaked out. He tried not to think about how his voice cracked.

“Hey Mitch. It’ll be nice to have you around again.”

In middle school she was loud, proud, and confident. Anyone could see that she was the life of the party. It was the kind of energy that you either loved or hated, and Mitch loved it. She was the class clown and teacher’s favorite in one. He was drawn in when he first met her. She was the one who introduced him to Jayden and Kyle. He would feel so comfortable and yet so giddy around her, and he felt that way now.

“Do you need help with the boxes?” Cheyenne asked. Mitch nodded meekly. As the two of them left the apartment, Kyle walked to the kitchen to get to work.

“So, how have you been?” Mitch asked.

“Good. Really good, actually. Yesterday I went to the park and a dog ran up to me and started licking my face.” She giggled and the sound made Mitch feel bubbly inside. “Her owner apologized, but I didn’t mind at all. I wish we could get a dog.”

“Why don’t you guys have one? I think Jayden would love a dog.”

Cheyenne sighed. “You’d think so, but Kyle says none of us would have the time or knowledge to take care of it properly. Combined with rent he just says it’s not worth it.”

“Oh…” Mitch twiddled his thumbs. “Well, if I’m living with you, we’d have plenty of money for rent, and I know how to take care of a dog. I had a few growing up.”

“Really?” Cheyenne’s face brightened.

“The apartment has to be pet-friendly of course…”

Cheyenne laughed again. “Dude, one of our neighbors has like 5 cats. I think we’d be fine.”

They got to Jayden’s car but the car doors were locked and Jayden was nowhere to be found.

“Man, all my stuff is in there…”

“GUYS!”

Mitch and Cheyenne turned around to see Jayden running at them, two ice cream cones in their hands and two more tucked into their arms. It didn’t seem very practical, but Jayden didn’t ever seem very practical.

“Jay, what is this?” Cheyenne asked, a smile on her face.

“The ice cream truck was here,” Jayden responded, out of breath. “Couldn’t let him get away.”

Mitch chuckled to himself. Maybe Kyle and Cheyenne changed a lot, but it seemed Jayden was still their silly idiotic self. Never taking themself seriously and looking for the small joys in life. They only got bigger and their hair got shorter.

Cheyenne plucked a strawberry ice cream cone from Jayden’s arm. “You freak,” she said, laughing.

“Mitch, you still like chocolate peanut butter ice cream?” He nodded, and they handed him the ice cream in their left hand. What a wonderful cold delight on such a hot day of carrying boxes around.

Wait.

“How are we going to carry the boxes if we’re eating ice cream?”

Jayden seemed to have a rare moment of clarity. “Oh. I don’t think I thought this through.”

“Oh my god,” Cheyenne said, rolling her eyes. The gesture was exasperated but friendly.

“Well, I guess it’s time for a break!” They nodded to themself and transferred a rocky road ice cream cone from their arm to their hand. “I should give this to Kyle then. Don’t want him to be left out.”

“…Isn’t Kyle making lunch?” Cheyenne asked.

Oh my god.

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Jayden looked at the ice cream cones in their hands. “Do you think it’s too late to cancel?”

Jayden and Cheyenne looked at each other for a moment, and then broke out into a dash, as if that was some secret code for absolutely book it right now. “Wait up!” Mitch ran after them but carefully watched his ice cream as he went. Jayden paid money for this, he better not drop it.

When Mitch caught up, Jayden had pushed the unlocked door open with their ass. “KYLE! STOP!”

He was already placing a plate of chicken fried rice on the table. He looked up, understandably confused. “What—? Why do you have ice cream?”

Jayden groaned. “Ugh, how did you make lunch so fast?”

Kyle crossed his arms. “Did you immediately forget that you asked me to make lunch before getting ice cream?”

“They heard the ice cream truck,” Mitch offered. “Jayden’s an opportunist.”

“You bet I am!” Jayden gave him the nudge of approval. Mitch felt warm inside and out.

“Let’s eat this ice cream fast, before the food gets cold,” Cheyenne said.

“We’ll get brain freeze!” Jayden complained.

Kyle pinched his nose bridge. “The consequences of your actions. The divine punishment from god. Brain freeze or cold chicken.” His tone was sarcastic. Mitch could hardly believe he was the same Kyle from 7th grade.

“We could put the ice cream in the freezer. Keep them upright with empty toilet paper rolls,” Mitch said.

“That’s… not a bad idea,” Kyle said. Mitch felt that bubbly feeling in his stomach again. “But where would we find four empty toilet paper rolls?”

“Oh, I have some!” Jayden exclaimed. Kyle, Cheyenne, and Mitch all gave them strange looks. “What? I need them for my art projects.”

Soon the ice cream cones were safely preserved in the freezer and the four of them were eating chicken fried rice around the table. Sitting with his old friends as they bantered and laughed gave Mitch a nostalgic feeling.

Jayden laughed smugly. “Some divine punishment. I never face the consequences of my actions.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Whatever you say.”

Mitch hissed through his teeth. “Oh boy. Hubris. Be careful or you’ll end up on an odyssey.”

Kyle laughed. It was that dorky and loud laugh from his youth but it was richer and deeper and Mitch thought he felt a heart palpitation.

Jayden looked up at the ceiling, as if toward the heavens. “My bad big G! I didn’t mean it!” This elicited giggles and chuckles from Kyle, Cheyenne, and Mitch.

“We all do things we don’t mean sometimes,” Cheyenne said. She didn’t seem to be talking about Jayden’s joke. “Sometimes we think it’s our only choice.” She definitely wasn’t talking about Jayden’s joke.

“Sometimes it hurts people,” Kyle said. But he didn’t sound upset.

“And sometimes we can change.”

Mitch cleared his throat. “Look, I’m sorry about—”

“Is this about 8th grade?” Jayden asked. Props to them for being direct, I guess. “Didn’t we talk about it and say we’d all give him a second chance since he was forced to be a dick and now it’s in the past?”

Kyle sighed. “Yes, Jayden. We were getting there.”

“You were beating around the bush or whatever,” Jayden responded, rolling their eyes.

Mitch smiled. Somehow Jayden’s comment lightened the atmosphere. “I’m sorry about… what I did. It was a major dick move on my part and it hurt you. I get it if you still hate me but I appreciate you guys letting me back into your lives.” He would never admit he rehearsed that.

Kyle sighed again. It seemed he sighed a lot now. “None of us hate you, Mitch. We were mad but we also missed you.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I’m just happy you’re back.”

In that moment Mitch’s chest felt warm and full. Here he was, eating lunch with his old friends in their apartment that he’s moving into. And here they were, laughing and joking and apologizing like old times. I’ll be right at home here.

#my writing #my fictional writing #trinket #oc: jjh #oc: kyle #oc: cheyenne #oc: mitch #does mitch have a crush on everyone?#maybe maybe not. he’s silly like that #wrote half of this at 2am btw

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creaturewithakeyboard · 16 days

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"It's getting in the carpet."

What the fuck.

"Oh! Sorry!" Beau set down the severed head on the table. "Hold on. I'll get it out." They rushed to the kitchen, humming happily as they soaked a towel with water and dish soap.

Cynthia has had some weird partners before but this was a new low. Or was it a high? She never had someone kill a person for her before.

This is crazy and you know it. There's that nagging voice in her skull that came whenever Beau did illegal things like this.

She watched as Beau sat down and started scrubbing the carpet, still humming to themself. Dried blood stained their fingers and their clothes. Fresh blood still dripped from their hair. Cynthia watched as a drop of blood fell onto Beau's hand, and she watched as they brought it to their mouth and licked it up.

God, she could kiss them.

You're crazy. This is hopeless.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"We're having it for dinner, of course!" Beau laughed proudly. The head lay on the table with a permanent terrified stare. No doubt Beau let him suffer. That head was attached to a once-living person and will soon be in Cynthia's stomach.

Doesn't the thought make you sick?

Cynthia got off the couch and sat on the floor next to Beau. She cupped their face in her hands, and they instinctively leaned into it. They stared at Cynthia through half-lidded eyes, probably thinking a million thoughts. She'd never understand their mind.

The dagger in your boot. They don't know about it. You could kill them right now and end it.

"What is it, my dear?" Beau asked.

It wouldn't be too difficult. It was a move she'd done so many times before. Beau was looking so deep into her eyes that they would never see her hand in her boot and the dagger slashing their neck, taking care to reach their carotid artery. No more death. No more bloodshed. Hell, maybe she could rejoin the navy. She'd worked her entire life to join the navy.

So she did it.

She pulled Beau forward and kissed them. She could taste the blood on their lips.

We're so fucked.

"I love you," she said, "but you have to stop doing this."

Beau nodded. "Of course. Anything for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They both knew Beau would break that promise again. And they both knew that Cynthia wouldn't do anything about it.

“What do you mean why did I do this? I did it because I love you.” Your girlfriend said confusedly as if she wasn’t clutching the severed head of another human in her hand.

#holy shit this is perfect for beau and cynthia lmao #pebble #writing prompts #my fictional writing #oc: beau #oc: cynthia #not a place of honor #tw: blood #tw: death #my favorite fucked up personal blorbos

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creaturewithakeyboard · 17 days

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Jayden awoke to the sound of sizzling bacon and gentle laughter, just outside the hallway. They found themself curled up snugly under their blanket, the sunlight shining through the window and onto their face. They didn’t want to leave their comfortable position. But my god, the bacon smelled so good.

Groggily, they got out of bed, stretching their arms as they did so. They glanced at their mirror full of sticky notes and reminders. The amount was nearly overwhelming, and they decided to worry about those things another time.

They straightened their shirt and their shorts and walked out the door to see their friends sitting at the table, engaging in idle conversation. Kyle, Jayden’s childhood friend and essentially brother, was in the kitchen, wearing an apron that read DON’T kiss the chef. It was probably the first and last time he'd wear that apron.

Cheyenne was the first to notice Jayden. “Jayjay! You’re awake!” Her tightly curled hair was free in its natural state, like a black cloud behind her head.

“Morning guys!” Jayden replied cheerfully. They walked behind Sidney, their significant other, and gave them a hug.

“Hi sweetie,” Sidney said, turning to give Jayden a kiss. The two had gone through this routine many times, but it never failed to make Jayden blush profusely.

Mitch, sitting across the table, laughed in a way that was both chiding and playful. “You guys are disgustingly sweet.” Despite his words, his face said I’m happy for you.

“Jayden, help me out, would you?” Kyle called from the kitchen. Jayden gave Sidney a kiss back and walked into the kitchen with a pep in their step. “Put those pancakes on the table, please.”

“Yes, sir!” Jayden said, grabbing the plate of pancakes. They looked sideways at Kyle as he fried the bacon, humming happily. With practiced movements, he tilted the pan and watched as the bacon darkened. Bubbling blisters and burn marks were on his hand.

What? Red skin wrapped around his fingers. When he turned his hand over, Jayden could see boils all over his palm. As Jayden stared, the burns began dancing up his arm, reaching his shoulders, making his arm a sickening, bubbly red.

“Kyle, what happened to your…”

“Hm?” Kyle looked at Jayden, his face calm and nonchalant. “Oh, this?” He chuckled. “Don’t you remember? You did this.”

“That looks bad, man,” Jayden said, ignoring his reply. “I think you need a doctor or something.”

“He didn’t need a doctor,” Cheyenne said. Jayden looked up to see that Cheyenne’s pink tank top and shorts were replaced with black clothes and a cloak. Her hair now fell in dreadlocks around her shoulders. Scars and claw marks covered her face. “He needed you to stop being so fucking selfish.”

“Shut up, Cheyenne,” Jayden snapped back. They weren’t sure where that anger came from. They turned back to Kyle, who was now pressing ice against his boils. “No, stop, that’ll make it worse—“ They grabbed his other arm to pull him away.

“Don’t touch me.” Kyle’s head snapped around with unnatural speed. “That’s how this all started. I don’t need your help.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sidney said, eyes downcast, not looking at anything really. “The pain will stop soon enough.” They began to hug themself.

“Don’t talk like that!” Mitch shouted. He got up, ran to the kitchen, and grabbed Jayden by the shoulders. “You can fix this, right? Jay, you gotta fix this—“

“C-calm down, alright? I-I don’t know how… Is it getting hot in here?”

Smoke billowed from no source in particular. The fire alarm began blaring. Sweat dripped down Jayden’s forehead. Mitch’s skin was melting and falling onto the floor like hot wax. “Jay, fix it, PLEASE!” he cried. Kyle was shouting in agony. Cheyenne was coughing between swears. Sidney’s knees were to their chest and they hid their face.

Jayden could feel their breath quickening. It was too loud, too hot, everything was going wrong and it was happening again, so they did the only thing they could. They ran out the door and started running. They could hear their friends shouting behind them and they kept running. They kept running. They kept running until they could run no longer.

Jesse sat upright in their bed. Their eyes darted around wildly. The night was silent and cool, and there was no fire. They could see their gun by their bedside. The windows provided ventilation and the door was slightly ajar.

They fell backwards into their bed with a heavy sigh. It didn’t matter how long ago it was. It didn’t matter if the others were rotting inside them. Jayden, and Hikaru… Even if they served their purpose, their corpses were decomposing in Jesse’s bones and rotting their mind.

Every night they still called out to those two. “Hey, assholes,” Jesse whispered. They knew those words fell on deaf ears. “Stop giving me nightmares. I told ya, it wasn’t our fault. It was theirs. If you had fuckin’ listened to me, left ‘em like I said…” They sighed again. “I miss you lot. I hate you but it’s lonely. Please wake up.”

There was a sound in the hallway and Jesse bolted up again. A jostle. A thud. Their hand went to their pistol and they got up, slowly creaking the door open.

Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Doors were left open. The bathroom light was on and flickering, but it was empty. There were footsteps and crinkling sounds coming from the living room.

Jesse jumped out from the hallway, gun primed and aimed. One figure sitting on the couch flinched, but the other stood calmly by the table. Jesse flipped on a switch, and their eyes widened in surprise. “What the fuck? How are you…”

“Hi Jesse!” Jayden said, limbs stiff and eyebrows furrowed nervously. “Can you put the gun away?”

Jesse set the gun down on the table, in a daze. “How are you… You shouldn’t be…”

“We’re dreaming, Jester,” Hikaru said. Their eyes were concealed with a blindfold, but Jesse could imagine them rolling in their sockets.

“Oh, yeah, I knew that,” Jesse replied, scratching their chin, embarrassed. “An’ I thought I told you, it’s Jesse now.”

“Apologies, Jesse.” Hikaru bowed their head slightly. “May I ask, what were you dreaming about?”

Jesse scoffed. “Oh come on Hikaru, I know you were there.”

Jayden shook their head. “Nah, we all had our own dreams tonight.” They shoved a chip into their mouth. Jesse could see crumbs on their chin and shirt. Whatever. At least they were enjoying themself. “I dreamt about being a fly.” They smiled slightly, as if recalling their dream. “That thing where they rub their hands is so fun.”

"What thing?" Jesse asked.

"You know, the..." Jayden started rubbing their hands together. "You know?"

"No. I don't know."

"What? Really?" They frowned, and then turned to Hikaru. "What did you dream about, Ru?"

“I didn’t dream,” they responded. "I don't dream much anymore." They raised their head to Jesse. “Jes?”

“I don’t really wanna—“

A fire alarm began to blare.

Jayden yelped and tensed up. Smoke filled Jesse’s lungs. In a moment they were drenched with sweat.

“We need— We need to get out— We need—“ Jayden said this between coughs and wheezes as they started to climb up and over the back of the sofa.

“Where the hell is it coming from?” Jesse shouted, coughing as well. They ran to the kitchen, but found that the walls were melting. “Who’s fucking doing this?”

“It’s not real,” Hikaru said. They hadn’t moved from their relaxed leaning position.

“IT FEELS PRETTY FUCKIN’ REAL!”

“It’s not like you to panic like this, Jesse.”

Jesse stomped out of the kitchen, standing in front of Hikaru, face to face. “I’m tired of you, ya know that? When the hell did you become so fucking smug?”

Hikaru reached up and lowered their blindfold ever so slightly. Their yellow eyes, the ones that all three of them shared, clearly meant to intimidate. “You’re being confrontational again. It’s not a good look, and it's not productive.”

“Well I oughta—“

“Not again... No..." Jesse and Hikaru turned to see Jayden sitting on the floor, hands over their head and curled into a ball. Jesse couldn't hear their sobs but their shoulders were shaking with every breath.

Hikaru kneeled down next to Jayden. “Jayden, I need you to calm down—“

“They need you to shut the hell up,” Jesse snapped. They picked up Jayden, cradling them with a surprising gentleness in their arms. “Help me break this door.”

Hikaru crossed their arms. “It’s not real, Jesse. We can't get hurt here.”

“I said, help me break this door!”

Hikaru sighed exasperatedly, but Hikaru and Jesse kicked the door. Once. Twice. Thrice. Finally the door fell down and the three rushed outside, smoke billowing out the front door. Jesse sat Jayden down on the ground.

“Are you okay?” Hikaru asked Jayden. Jayden looked away. “Jayden?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” they muttered.

“There was nothing to be afraid of,” Hikaru said.

“That was fucked,” Jesse said. “I’m not doin’ that again.”

“For the last time, it wasn’t real.”

“Felt real. It was real to me. And to Jayden.”

Hikaru sighed but said nothing.

“--you okay?”

Jayden, Jesse, and Hikaru all woke up on the couch. Sidney towered over them, a concerned look on their face. “You were mumbling in your sleep.”

“Oh… sorry… Had a nightmare.”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Sidney said, stroking JJH’s hair. “Who’s nightmare was it?”

“Jesse’s. And then all of ours.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“No. Not really.”

Sidney lay back down and wrapped their arms around JJH. “That’s okay. Just know you’re safe, okay? I’ve got you, all of you.”

Some part of JJH felt warm when they said that. “Thanks Sidney.” The sun was just beginning to rise, and in the early morning light they could see bottles of alcohol on the coffee table. Their friends were strewn around the floor. Kyle was on a pillow and blanket on the floor, but despite this, his sleep seemed very peaceful. His once buzzed hair now fell past his shoulders in fluffy locs. Mitch leaned against the couch by JJH’s stomach, snoring loudly. He still wore socks in his sleep. Cheyenne sat on the armchair next to the couch, dozing peacefully. The scars on her face moved as she breathed.

"Sidney, do you want bacon and pancakes for breakfast?"

#my writing #my fictional writing #gem #not a place of honor #tw: fire #oc: jjh #oc: kyle #oc: mitch #oc: cheyenne #oc: sidney

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creaturewithakeyboard · 17 days

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It was a barn. It was just a barn. A small and humble building held by creaking wooden bones and rusted nails. It was going to fall apart any day now. It was waiting for a crack in those bones, an earthquake, a falling tree, anything that would take it. That would be a while, for it was a sturdy barn. It was a barn with fading red paint. It was supposed to be repainted soon, but that was always put off. The bright and fresh red would be a mockery of what it once was. It was a quiet barn. It was quieter than it had ever been. There had been hurried footsteps and laughter in that barn. There had been crying in that barn. So much laughter. And so many tears. But it was just a barn. Just a barn.

A famous prompt: Describe a barn as seen by a man whose son has just been killed in a war. Do not mention the son, or war, or death. Do not mention the man who does the seeing.

#my writing #writing prompts #pebble

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creaturewithakeyboard · 18 days

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“You… You stabbed me.”

Beau’s words were quiet and shaky. Their face contorted in ways that Cynthia had never seen before. Their eyebrows creased their forehead, but their mouth stretched into a pained smile. Dirt and grime and blood covered them. Sweaty hair stuck to their face. It was perhaps the most vulnerable Cynthia had ever seen them. She couldn’t tell if the expressions were genuine or feigned.

“Of course I fucking stabbed you,” Cynthia snapped back sharply. Her hand gently cradled Beau’s head. She could feel the blood leaking onto her palm. “You’re not a good person, Beau.” She stroked their hair gently, playing with the strands between her fingers.

Beau chuckled lightly, a slight wheeze in their laughter. “Hm,” they hummed. “I can’t disagree with you there.”

Cynthia cupped Beau’s face with her other hand. Beau instinctively leaned into it, as they had hundreds of times before. “Are you mad at me?”

“Of course not. I’ll always love you,” Beau whispered. Cynthia hoped those were the most genuine words they’ve spoken. Cynthia knew that wouldn’t have been a high bar.

“You’ve said otherwise before,” she replied.

“I mean it this time.”

“You’ve said that too.”

Beau stared at her, a million thoughts behind those eyes. Maybe their emotionless mind was struggling to process and express true affection. Maybe they were grasping for a new lie. Maybe they were reflecting on their horrible life. Whatever they were thinking, they didn’t tell Cynthia.

“I’ll always love you too,” she said.

Beau laughed again in disbelief. “Come on, Cynthia. I know you hate me.”

Cynthia shook her head. “I love you, Beau.”

Beau’s face went dark in deep consideration and an unreadable emotion. “Even after I do this?” they asked quietly.

“After you do what?”

There was a sharp pain in Cynthia’s abdomen. The broken glass bottle that was lodged into Beau’s chest was now thrust into her stomach with Beau’s bloodied hands, and pulled back out. The two of them were covered in blood, some of it their own, the other’s, and those of strangers. Beau brought their hand to their mouth and licked one of their fingers. Perhaps it was done out of habit, but something about this particular gesture felt strangely intimate. It urged Cynthia to do the same.

Beau laughed again, the wheezes more prominent this time. Their voice was even more raspy. “I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“You rubbed off on me.” Cynthia groaned. The blood loss combined with her earlier injuries was starting to get to her. She gently lowered Beau’s head to the ground and lay down next to them. The rough ground was not kind on her back. “Doesn’t it make sense that we die by each other’s hands?”

Beau hummed in agreement as they reached out to intertwine fingers with Cynthia. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

#my writing #my fictional writing #not a place of honor #pebble #tw: blood #tw: death #oc: cynthia #oc: beau #400 words

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creaturewithakeyboard · 18 days

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It was 3 in the morning, I reckon. I was dreamin’ about who knows what when some sort of loud sound woke me up. The lights from neon signs came through my window and shined on my eyes. They made shadows on the ceiling lookin’ like the monsters I used to think were lurkin’ in my room. My bed felt a little too light. “Robert?” I called out. I heard no response.

I groaned and got outta bed. I would’ve turned the light on, but my room was dimly lit enough, and I still wanted to go to sleep later. The door was slightly ajar. I must’ve left it open when I went to bed. “Robert?” I said again. No response. What the hell.

I figured he was in the kitchen, so I went there first. I checked all the cabinets and drawers, even the ones on top of the counter, even though I didn’t think he could get up there. Then I checked the bathroom, ‘cause sometimes he likes to sit in the bathtub or chew the toilet paper. But he wasn’t there either. I went to the living room because maybe I missed him when I got out. I was checking under the couch and behind the TV as if he’d fit there. While I was lookin’, I shivered. “Is there a draft in here?” I muttered. And then I saw that the front door was left ajar. Aw nuts.

I grabbed my keys before goin’ outside and closing the door. “Robbie?” I s’posed he was somewhere nearby, or he at least knew his way around. I took him out here all the time. Sure enough, I heard a bark.

“Robbie!” It sounded like it was coming from the alleyway, so I ran there. I saw my German shepard, barking and cautiously sniffing something, or someone.

She turned away from me, her dirty white robes spread out on the ground. She had long brown hair that was tangled and matted. I could almost see wings sprouting out of her back, maybe 2, or maybe 4, or maybe 6, or maybe it was just a trick of the eyes. She was cryin’ softly, mumbling to herself.

Robert went by my side and started wagging his tail. His focus completely shifted from the crying person to me. Mine didn’t. I kneeled down to pet him, but I was still starin’ at her. “Hey there,” I said.

She looked back at me and I caught a glimpse of her eye. She turned away. “Leave me be.”

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Go back to bed. I don’t need your help.”

“Alright then.” I didn’t go back to bed. What should I have done? I wanted to help her out, but people around here didn’t know or trust each other at all. She didn’t seem okay. She looked hurt. I saw a gash on her arm. “That’s gonna keep bleedin’. Mind if I help?”

She seemed to consider this for a moment. Then I heard a sniffle, and she said, “Go ahead.”

I ripped off a piece of my shirt and approached her. I saw her body stiffen up, but she stretched out her arm. I wrapped the fabric around her wound. The blood stains just made the red plaid redder. “That’ll stop the bleeding for now, but we hafta clean it. I have a sink at my place, and some food, if you’d like.”

Again she mulled over this idea in her mind. I could see her cautious eyes tryna size me up. They were different colors, but I couldn’t tell what the colors were. Were they blue, green, or brown? Sometimes they seemed to be all three. She stood up with wobbly legs, and almost lost balance. I jumped up to catch her but she stabilized herself. “Take me there.”

Soon enough we were sitting at my table, one of her hands resting on the table, the other shoveling beans into her mouth with a spoon. I was dabbing her wound with a wet towel and Robbie sat on the couch, incessantly squeaking his toy.

I could hear her gulping down the beans with hardly any chewing. “Easy there, I have plenty to spare.” She didn’t slow down.

“Is that your dog?” she asked, looking back at the couch, mouth full of beans.

“You betcha.” I couldn’t help but smile. “When I moved here he was a stray that kept followin’ me ‘round. So I took ‘im to the vet and brought him home.”

“You seem to welcome strangers with ease.” She didn’t say it with admiration, but she didn’t say it with disgust neither.

“I s’pose I do.” I stood up. “I’m gonna need to stitch this. Lemme grab my kit.”

I went to the bathroom, opened the mirror, and pushed aside meds and trinkets to find the first aid kit. When I came back, Robert was sitting by the girl, getting his head pat. “He likes it when you scratch behind his ears,” I said, and she turned toward me. She turned back to Robbie and scratched his ear, and he started wagging his tail and whining happily.

I opened the kit and she looked at me again. Both she and Robbie tilted their heads, and I quietly smiled to myself. “Will that hurt?” she asked.

“Probably. But it would hurt more to leave it open.” I sat down and thread the string through the needle. She watched intently as my hand came closer to her arm. “It might be better if you look away.”

When I first pierced her skin she let out a hiss of pain, but made no other sound. Robbie put his head on her lap like he knew she needed comfort. “So, what’s your name?” I asked.

“It’sâ€¦ Sara.”

“That’s a pretty name,” I said. “Mine’s Daisy, and that’s Robbie.” I pierced her skin a second time, and this time she didn’t make a sound, but I saw her tense up. “Are you from ‘round here, Sara?”

“No, I wasâ€¦ kicked out.”

“In this state?” I looked her up and down and I could see scratches and bruises all over her face and body. “Why, if I may ask?”

“You may not.”

I nodded my head. “Understandable.” I knew when I was prodding too far, so I went back to working quietly.

“You said you moved here,” Sara said. “Where are you from?”

“Good ol’ Mississippi,” I said. “I grew up there, but I figured I’d move to the big city to find work, and just for a change of pace.” I laughed a little. “Now I’m a dog daycare worker by day and waitress by night. I dunno if I got much success but it’s nice.”

“Dog daycare?”

“It’s like, if people can’t take care of their dogs durin’ the day, they give ‘em to us and we take care of them. Or maybe they just want their dogs to meet other dogs. It’s fun though, I get to see so many different dogs every day. And Robbie likes it there too.”

“Hmm.” Sara was lookin’ at Robert, and I was wonderin’ if she would’ve liked to work at the daycare. I could imagine her surrounded by dogs and puppies jumping up and lickin’ her face.

I closed up the wound and cut the thread with a small pair of scissors. “There we go! All better.”

“Thank you,” Sara said.

“Should I work on your wings next?”

Her eyes widened. “My what?”

The longer she was sitting here the more clear her wings became. She had three pairs on her back covered in white feathers and dirt. They looked pretty beat up. I didn’t know if she could fly but she definitely wouldn’t be able to now.

She stood up with a start. “You could see them the whole time?” she asked, her voice rising.

“Well, yeah.” I scratched the back of my head. “Should I have said something earlier?”

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You knew I wasn’t normal and you still helped me?”

“Of course.”

She stared at me with an indescribable expression. I couldn’t tell if she was glad, or disappointed, or angry, or just surprised. Finally, she said, “I need to go.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?” I asked. She didn’t respond, she just whirled around and strutted out the door.

“Hol’ on, Sara—”” I rushed out the door to chase her. As she walked, her appearance seemed to shift subtly. Every time I blinked it looked like she changed a bit, or for a moment she’d be covered in eyes, or like she was made of pure light.

“Thank you for helping me Daisy, truly.” She turned back at me. “But I really must be going. Staying here would hurt the both of us.” Before I coulda responded, she wrapped her wings ‘round herself, compressed into an infinitely small point, an’ just vanished.

“What the…”

Robert came up by my side, looking ‘round curiously. He yawned and whined. “Yeah, I s’pose it’s time for bed, huh boy? I went back to my apartment and back to my bed. Robert snuggled up next to me, and I was startin’ to wonder if I was dreaming or hallucinating. I was too tired to care though.

In the morning there was a white feather on my windowsill.

#my writing #my fictional writing #trinket #not a place of honor #tw: blood #oc: daisy #1.5k words

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