takemecn

[takemecn]

ianfm​:

“I don’t think Dolly’s the type to lead someone on,” Ian finished the sentence for Topher. “She didn’t lead me on at all when we got together,” he explained though the circumstance was much different now. Ian and Dolly’s love had been very innocent in the grand scheme of things but she’d made it clear very early on her interest in Ian. He didn’t know exactly what Dolly and Topher had gotten up to yet, nor was he going to ask as it wasn’t his business but if they were getting close than it would probably be any day now that Dolly would be asking to be more with Topher. “Still, the only way to get what you want is by going and asking for it,” Ian stated but at this point he felt like he sounded like a broken record on the subject. “You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Ian insisted. “I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help,” Ian stated. He really wasn’t good at relationship advice. More often than not he just wound up in the relationships that he did because someone else was the instigator. “I don’t think having experience would change any of your feelings though. It’s intimidating liking anybody,” Ian said in an attempt to be encouraging. He actually could speak to that with his own experience. Even though Ian had dated more people than Topher the insecure feelings surrounding liking someone never really got better.

“and i didn’t think she was either,” topher quickly clarified. “i just don’t know if she’s the kind of person to like, only want... this, i guess.” he wasn’t sure if he made sense, but topher, as insecure as ever, didn’t know if dolly was only interested in kissing him or if she wanted a relationship, much like topher did himself. their circumstances were different, but topher still appreciated having a friend who had such a personal insight into the girl that he was so enamoured with. topher wasn’t expecting ian to tell him all of dolly’s secrets, obviously, but he trusted ian as the best source who could push him in the right direction with the girl. “it’s just so scary to ask for it,” he admitted, and he laughed. it was embarrassing to tell ian, but he trusted ian as someone who had always been at least somewhat similar to him. “no, you’re plenty help, really,” he assured him. “i appreciate it,” he added. “i would have thought that having more experience would make it easier for me to know what to do though, you know?” maybe topher was wrong, though. 

#thread #ian

[takemecn]

even though bruising wasn't the worst that could happen to someone - nel knowing that all too well now that she had seen so many horrific results of the attacks, her own included - she still winced and gave mingyu a lightly sympathetic look due to the misfortune of it, not pitying him, but wanting to show him that she was human enough to recognize the bad luck. nowadays nel felt it important to prove her humanity more than ever. "i'd think a lot of 'em would try it, honestly," she thought of humanity once more, and the lack thereof she had experienced over the last two years. if people were selfish enough to take others' lives, then who would stop them from a lesser crime of trying to get a snack or a drink free of charge?

nel worried about their conversation getting a little too real as mingyu spoke about his father, though she didn't show it. "a learning moment would be a good line to use, but no," she didn't mean that it was a good thing that mingyu heard that from his father, she meant that it would be better than what her mother did say to her, saying it in such a way so that she could avoid actually disclosing the details of the tense and strained relationship she had with her mother. nel's mother, instead of throwing the learning opportunity line in her face, expected her daughter to already know everything - even when she had neglected to teach her the important lessons. "no harm in trying," nel laughed. "i think i'll drink just about anything, no exaggeration."

"Yeah, it's probably just going to bruise." Mingyu assured her with a small smile. Even if the action had hurt, he wasn't about to show weakness. It was embarrassing enough to get bested by a vending machine once. "You're probably right, it would be too easy to just grab stuff without paying. I don't know how many people would try it, though." He liked to think that the general population of Shrike wasn't made out of thieves, but then again, he knew that most of them wouldn't care of the mall lost any money. He personally also wouldn't care too much if the place burned to the ground, but he cared just enough to pay for things, even if it was just to be allowed to stay in the country.

"That sounds like my father," He mused, upon hearing how the other's mother would handle a situation. Growing up with strict parents hadn't been easy, especially not being the curious person he was. "Would she call it a learning moment, too?" He then wondered out loud, sure that he had heard those words too often any time he managed to get hurt. Mingyu briefly narrowed his eyes at the machine and then very reluctantly stepped away from it. Though he was sad about his coke, it wasn't worth either of them getting badly injured over. "Maybe I'll get better tips if I complain about it at the cafe." He grinned, only half serious. "Do you prefer juice or coffee or something?"

#thread #mingyu

[takemecn]

fearsless​:

though romy had been too tired to process much when aera arrived, hearing the news she had to share was too big for them to not have their mind immediately snap into coherency. they were with it now, with it and completely concerned. “go on,” he prompted, not meaning to sound impatient when aera paused in thought, but being unable to help himself as it was shocking news that romy wanted to know all of the details about as soon as possible. “oh shit, aera,” he muttered the second she described what romy knew was a description of a killer, the green rabbit. romy had to take a deep breath before he looked at the handkerchief. he stepped backwards, shaking his head as he breathed, and once again, he said “oh shit, aera,” this time with more desperation in his voice. he stepped back towards the kitchen counter, and as soon as he examined the handkerchief, there was part of him that wished he hadn’t. “fuck,” he ran his fingers over the stitching, and as soon as he did, he wished he hadn’t. “have you- i mean, you should probably tell the cops, right? or- fuck, i don’t know.” he shook his head, then putting his head in his hands because he had no idea what to do. the police had been as good as useless in the fight against the killers, but romy wasn’t sure who else to turn to.

it was so intense, talking of what she had gone through that day at the welcoming parade. aera had done a lot of thinking about it ever since the events had transpired, but she was realizing now as she was finally speaking aloud about it that she hadn’t been able to properly process the severity or the intensity of the traumatic experience. seeing the seriousness and the fear on romy’s face told aera a lot about what she might really feel and think about the entire thing. “i should probably tell... someone,” it was extremely disheartening for aera to realize in the moment that maybe the cops weren’t the right people to go to, considering how they had fared thus far in their investigation - but without them, who was she to turn to? “it’s...” she exhaled an enormous breath. “i haven’t known what to do; i wasn’t really hurt, so i haven’t really...” she shook her head purely because she was struggling to find words when her mind was buzzing with all of these intense realizations. “i think i’m only just now coming to realize what i went through. i might not have been hurt or attacked in the ways that they usually happen, but... this is bad, rom...” she trailed off, more afraid now than ever, though at the very same time she still felt an incredible sense of relief due to finally telling somebody. this burden was no longer hers and hers alone; it was nice to know that even while they were actively working to avoid the killers that tortured this town, aera wasn’t alone in it.

#thread #romy

[takemecn]

"as you should be," charlie nodded his head in agreement over keanu's name. charlie was a much more common name than the one keanu had been bestowed, but even so, they both felt like they belonged in their names adequately. while charlie had never been an academic, learning fun little facts such as the origin of tipping was something that greatly interested him - and particularly in the way that he had learnt it from such an attractive individual. he didn't have much more to say on the topic, but he was glad that keanu had shared their knowledge with him nonetheless. "well thanks for letting me know," he smiled. "that's super interesting," he voiced again. "maybe we can start a revolution here, get it back to the old ways," he suggested, though only half-heartedly; charlie didn't actually have any plans to work on the way tipping happened, not even when it would have been smartest to go back to how it was done originally. he laughed at the way keanu teased him. "honestly, with you in the crowd, i would have tried my hardest anyway," he flirted. "don't take my tip back now that you know that, though," he softened the flirting with a joke, not wanting to come on too strong like he so often was told he did.

"Thank you, I've always been quite fond of it," Keanu replied with a smile. They liked their name well enough and felt it suited them. It wasn't a terribly common name and they appreciated their parents for going out of the box. "Yeah, it really doesn't make much sense how it's done now," Keanu agreed with the statement. They had no problem letting their money talk and tipping in that way certainly would get their point across much better than waiting around until after a service to show appreciation for a job well done. Keanu didn't have much motive behind their gesture. Charlie was cute enough to give their number and want to grab a drink when the other had something more than Coke in his glass but really Keanu was just trying to show off and using their money was one of their go to ways to go about it. "You better not, I'm paying good money for this show now," Keanu teased as they took another sip of their rum & Coke. Maybe Keanu will actually stick around Angel's longer than a drink or two this evening to catch Charlie's performance.

#thread #keanu

[takemecn]

ianfm​:

Ian laughed. He hadn’t heard Topher’s stomach rumble but he found it funny that that was his body’s reaction to the conversation at hand. “I guess you’ll just have to come over sometime when I’m cooking some up,” Ian insisted. It’d been a while since he’d cooked for anyone but him and Bo but their table was always open to a good friend like Topher. “Yeah, Showtime’s been really good to him. I think he’s thinking about becoming a manager over there soon,” Ian explained. Bo’d been working their long enough that it only seemed right. “Mmhmm,” Ian replied before he looked at the carton of eggs still in his hands. “I should probably think about getting out of here soon though. I was only just stopping in for a few things but it was great to see you, Toph,” Ian said as he proceeded to put back the carton of eggs that had the broken shell in it in exchange for a better one now that he wasn’t startled from Topher’s surprise encounter. 

“i’d really appreciate that,” topher nodded with a smile, knowing that he’d really love an invite over for some food - though also knowing at the same time that he wouldn’t push for an actual invite over there. he needed to spend more time with friends for his own good; especially since his brother had moved away from home, topher had been lonelier than ever. unfortunately at the same time, topher had only grown into his anxiety, so to avoid being a burden, he’d wait until he got a concrete invitation from ian or bo. “oh yeah? that’s so great to hear,” topher remembered when bo first got his job at showtime, so to picture him as a manager felt like a full circle moment; if anyone deserved a promotion, it was the man who had been dedicated to enthusiastically upselling all the best flicks since he was a teenager. “oh yeah, totally,” he nodded again, having lost track of time in the conversation that had lasted much longer than intended - which was a good thing to topher, of course. “it’s always great to see you,” he took a step backwards, initiating the physical parting of their goodbye. “we’ll definitely catch up soon,” he suggested, though again, it would be topher who would wait for ian - or most likely his partner - to initiate the actual plan making to catch up again in the future.  

#thread #ian

[takemecn]

charlie's spirits were high, higher than they had been in a long time. not only were things looking up, with the last of the attacks getting further and further away from them, but summer was finally upon them, and summer was easily charlie's favorite time of the year. charlie was a bright and bubbly person; he loved excitement, adventure, and convincing his friends to agree to his plans of - harmless - mischief; all of those things were more achievable in summer, charlie typically found. the hot and generally fun-filled months finally being upon them was reason for great joy for charlie, though admittedly, one person in shrike heights had helped to pull that joy out of him for even longer than what the summer had lasted for so far.

reina, to charlie, felt like summer if it were a person. she radiated the same bright feelings of excitement, making charlie feel like he was a child once again, a child who was thrilled to be free from the gruelling school work and boring routine that he was subjected to for the rest of the year. her enthusiasm was a breath of fresh summer air, and for them to have connected as beautifully and as naturally as they had made charlie feel lucky, to say the very least. every day that their paths crossed felt like the peak of the most perfect summer, and for it to actually be that time of the year again only made it all the more better.

he was always excited to see reina, and it was no different as he spotted her out there by the lake. there was an added skip to his step as he closed the distance between them, and to hear her voice greeting him with such enthusiasm made his large grin double in smile. "howdy!" he greeted. "oh my god, for real?" the pitch of his voice shifted upwards with the very real excitement he felt. it wasn't often that he met somebody who agreed with his ideas and actually went through with making them a reality. "you are incredible- honest, and if i knew any stronger words i'd be using them, too," he laughed as he took the paper from her. "don't even worry about it, it just adds character," he dismissed the stains, but not before he felt his heart skip a beat over her honesty about why the tea ended up on the page. he tried to not think too far into it, trying to instead focus on her work - work that was growing his excitement to a level more intense than he had ever felt before, he thought.

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: love lake, late afternoon 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: @takemecn —— after finishing an eight hour shift at stitch by stitch, reina stopped by her apartment briefly so she could feed her beloved parakeets and pick up her yamaha western acoustic guitar — her most prized possession, just behind her inherited sewing machine that had a room of its own in her space. she was thrilled that it was no longer collecting dust in the corner of her bedroom, now serving a greater purpose as she had begun writing again. albeit, she only had the time while on lunch breaks or when business was especially slow in the middle of the week, but she treasured the time she was given nonetheless. she had come up with at least a dozen new songs ever since returning from her long-term stay in the commune, having spent most of her time there on a well-deserved rest following the attacks that occurred in january. needless to say she was glad to be back, and she was especially excited to see a friend and fellow creative soul. hurrying down to the shoreline, she kicked off her sandals and trotted up the boardwalk with her guitar case slung on her back and a smile written on her features. love lake was one of her favorite places in shrike, and, she found, was less intimidating to suggest as a hang out spot rather than the commune. plus it was gorgeous closing in on sunset. "charlie!" she exclaimed as if it were some grand reunion, which it was, sort of, as eight hours seemed to drag along whenever she had something as exhilarating as a musical to dedicate time to instead. "you won't believe this. i spent three hours perfecting a song last night. here," she handed over the neatly folded paper. "oh, don't mind the stain, i spilled my tea when you called to meet me." was that an embarrassing confession? reina didn't seem to pay any mind to it, simply excited that she had arrived on time — as if she were anything less than punctual in the first place. just because she fit the conventional mold of a hippie didn't mean she couldn't respect other's time.

#thread #reina

[takemecn]

"it's like you read my mind," dustin chuckled at the comment made about the name of the establishment. "in all honesty, i think you would be more popular than wastoid," dustin had spent many nights that rolled into early mornings at that establishment, though he of course hadn't in some time, since becoming sober. while he could have easily been wrong, as he hadn't returned to the club since moving past that stage of life, it made sense to him that late riser would have a much broader demographic - especially now. it felt insensitive to dustin, that people would choose to spend time tearing it up on the dancefloor with so much tragedy unfolding around them - though the more dustin thought about it, the more he realized that might be dead wrong; after all, it was the tragedy of his upbringing that led him to the club so frequently those years prior. "cream and sugar would be awesome, thanks," he nodded. "long... life," he answered, decorating the honesty with a laugh to tell apollo that he wasn't struggling too badly, even despite it. "oh, are you sure?" a lift in shrike heights wasn't necessarily a difficult task, with the town being so small, but in the current climate, to spend any extra time away from the safety of your own home wasn't something that went unappreciated. "if you need me to help out with anything as a way to repay you, i totally could," he offered, feeling sure that his skills from working at fiona's diner were still in him.

"well there's a reason we call this plate late riser and not early rise, so, waking up early to start your day is overrated," he joked but the name was there for a reason. one of the few things that still allowed zora to leave an imprint on this place. "i mean you should, we might be hotter than the wastoid club out here," he added with his own laugh. he loved the quiet though and since late riser wasn't actually at any risk of closing, these days were a lot easier. apollo hated being in the mall, anyone who knew him knew that but even he wasn't so full of himself that he couldn't admit that the diner was doing well. with the mall's backing it was easier to keep it afloat but it also meant the higher ups dropping in whenever they wanted and being a pain in his ass. you win some, you lose some, he guessed. "you got it, chief. cream? sugar? well take all the time you need. wouldn't want you driving or walking tired or anything," he added as he went to the freshly brewed pot of coffee and grabbed a cup. "long day? you know if you want to wait a little while I can give you a ride after i close up."

#thread #apollo

[takemecn]

ianfm​:

“Fair enough,” Ian said. He didn’t know if family planning was something talked about much amongst siblings but frankly Ian wasn’t that curious to ask any further questions. Being someone who didn’t plan to have any kids himself the topic didn’t hold his attention all that much. Stinky was as close to a child as Ian would ever get and the cat was easy enough to manage. Anything more difficult than feeding and the occasional scooping of poop wasn’t going to be in his cards. It was something he and his partner both agreed on and wasn’t a discussion that ever even really came up for the same sex couple. Adoption was an option, sure, but not one they were interested in. 

“I couldn’t imagine growing up with that many people. I’m not even used to being in a room with that many folks,” Ian explained. “Still I’m glad that you were able to have that time with him. He really appreciated your time too,” Ian went on. They were soon approaching the park Ian had made it a point to walk to just as his cigarette was dwindling down to nothing. “I know I’m not as chatty as him but I’m happy to hang out whenever if it ever gets too quiet,” Ian offered. Even though Ian was perfectly fine being on his own a lot of the time he could see where it would be weird for Dustin, especially after what he’d gone through. If hanging out like this was beneficial to him he was happy to fill the air. 

to be completely frank, dustin wouldn’t have known if family planning was something talked about much amongst siblings, either. despite the fact that dustin was close to his many siblings, his family dynamic was hardly a typical one. in particular, as he and the other eldest siblings of the family had had to step up into more of a parental rather than sibling like role in their growing up, it was hard to say what a sibling who was allowed to simply be a sibling would talk about with the rest of them. dustin was relatively happy to answer any questions ian had for him, but it was probably for the best that ian left the topic there with his ‘fair enough’. after the rough morning dustin had had, he didn’t want to risk darkening his mind and mood thinking about how he had been robbed of the typical sibling experience by his neglectful parents.

“it’s funny, the way that is,” he commented. “i couldn’t imagine being alone in a room growing up; when i first experienced being alone, later in life, i had absolutely no idea what to do with myself. it was so weird, how loud the quiet was for me,” he shared. “don’t get me wrong, i’ve definitely learnt to appreciate it,” he chuckled. “but yeah, i spend too much time with loneliness and i think i’ll go crazy. thankfully i don’t have to worry about that much, though,” between his siblings, zeke, and even those he can find in the apartment complex like bo, dustin could typically find someone to save him from loneliness if need be. “you might be surprised how much i just appreciate another warm body around,” dustin confessed after ian’s comment about not being as chatty as his partner. “though for the record, you’ve always been able to hold a conversation real well with me,” he wasn’t only just saying that to be nice, either. ian was quieter, yes, but he often had the most interesting comments in the building, dustin believed. 

#neglect cw #thread #ian

[takemecn]

"sorry," nel apologized, catching herself being far more pessimistic than desired or intended. it was a result of a hard life, the casual manner in which the depressing comment came out in; just because nel's mind was often so philosophical in such a negative manner, that didn't mean that everyone else wanted to hear it. "i'll try to not get too deep on you now," she promised. "yeah, i do need to get back out there and just go for it," she agreed. nel was a good skater, it wasn't actually likely that she'd mess up too much now that the weather allowed her to get back into the activity, but she worried regardless. coming from a home full of judgement, nel had found herself growing into more of an insecure person than she even realized. "fuck around and find out," she repeated before chuckling. "i like the attitude," she complimented him.

Danny scoffed at the comment, shaking his head. "That's a depressing suggestion," he replied, unwilling to agree. Maybe he was a pessimist, maybe he thought the universe generally had it out to get you, but he wouldn't stoop so low as to presume capitalism was just guaranteed. Also, he didn't get paid enough to wax poetic and dive into philosophy on his shift. That went beyond the bounds of his boss' expectation of professionalism and customer service.

He shrugged then at her joke, leaning back against the counter. "Sounds like you just need to get back on it. Ride, fuck it up a few times, figure it out." Sage advice there, Shaw. "Isn't that the whole point? Fuck around and find out?" When he started skating at, like, twelve, it was. "If you're gonna wipe out anyway, might as well make sure it's your fault so you can do something about it instead of shelling out for gear you don't actually need." He argued.

#thread #danny

[takemecn]

"i'm off to the side," charlie told him, pointing to indicate the far side, furthest away from them. "you can see the screen pretty good, it's not the worst spot, but it's also not the best spot. from the sounds of things i'd be willing to bet that you've found a better park," considering tj was quick to mention explicitly having a decent spot out there. "my car is still totally open for you, though, if you don't wanna risk me getting buttered popcorn all over your seats or whatever," he offered with a laugh in order to make sure it didn't sound like he was inviting himself into tj's car to watch the film.

praise was one of charlie's favorite things to receive - which might have been a good reason for why he went into performing as a career. to hear tj's praise filled him with glee, and the massive smile on his face was proof of just how much he liked the compliments. "thanks, man, yeah, it's not the easiest job in the world, but it's far from the hardest, and i really love it," he smiled. "it's hard to pick favorites because there's so many different kinds of shows to be in, and that i've been in, you know?" he began. "i definitely love the more fun shows, though, nothing too serious. especially now when the energy of a show is upbeat and the audience is laughing - god, it's just great."

"you shouldn't feel dumb, but i totally get ya," charlie nodded in agreeance, having experienced the same feelings before, especially when trying to study or when reading through textbooks for any other reason. "some people are just visual learners, too, it's not about their smarts, but about how they learn, you know what i mean?" he offered. tj was a great guy, and even if he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, charlie thought highly of him. "memorizing lines is way different to reading textbooks and stuff," he explained. "even just the way scripts are written, they're all broken up nice and easy, and i use so much highlighter and pen in my scripts to make it even easier."

TJ laughed as Charlie matched his enthusiasm and placated his shared jumpiness. "Hey, it's always better watchin' with friends anyway, so I might just take you up on that. Where're you parked? I managed to snag a pretty decent spot, if you wanna buddy system it." He remarked, slowly making his way out towards the parking lot.

TJ was glad Charlie met him at the same level. He wasn't a self-conscious person, having spent so much of his childhood trying to be the best at what he did with attention on him only growing as he got better, but he knew that he wasn't the most socially aware person out there. He'd put his foot in his mouth a few too many times over the years, and it was only thanks to some very gentle friends of his and his moms' kindness that he started to figure that out. So having someone not only meet him at his level of enthusiasm but also seem interested as well? It gave him a good feeling.

"That's sick, I'm super impressed. Knowing all those lines, and having to do it over and over again with a bunch of performances? I could never. Very cool. What've you been in? Like, what's your favorite show you've done?" TJ asked, engrossed in their conversation. He loved knowing people's passions, interests, hobbies. He'd spent so long in his own bubble, with his life beginning and ending with swimming, that he was left pretty empty after he had to leave competition. Hearing about what other people loved reminded him that there were countless things he could do instead, even if it wasn't the same. Just because one dream had died didn't mean everything was lost.

"I feel ya on the books. There's just too much on a page, and they all blur together. I feel dumb, but with, like, textbooks and stuff, I just need pictures to break it up. Without 'em, it's just like... I dunno, like a swirling cloud of lines that I can't focus on." He shrugged. It was hard to explain, but he figured Charlie got the gist at least. "But you've got all the lines to memorize, so you've at least got enough ability to do that. That's impressive too."

#thread #tj

[takemecn]

“uh huh, very serious, and very brainy,” dustin nodded his head, plastering his best fake sincere expression on his face as he supported his friend’s claims. in all seriousness, dustin thought that zeke was as serious as he needed to be when he needed to be, and that he was a lot smarter than he thought himself to be. right now, though, they were only joking around and having fun, so dustin wasn’t sharing those truths, despite believing in them completely. “they sound like complete squares, if you ask me. even jovie? man. i used to be super intimidated by her when we were younger, you know? but now i’m realizing that i had nothing to worry about,” he teased, not pushing boundaries by saying anything bad about zeke’s siblings per se - because dustin didn’t think badly of any of them - but roping them into the conversation nonetheless. “i don’t know if i’d wanna be a permanent fixture in your room. i think i could flex in the living room for you, if you really wanted, but i don’t wanna know what you get up to in your bedroom,” he teased. as zeke’s best friend, dustin actually did want to know what he got up to - always - but even in saying that, dustin was content with allowing zeke some privacy, too.

“yeah, that’s true,” dustin began, leaning into zeke’s joke. “it’s super hard to accommodate my massive brain, you know? you should see me in winter, i’m always absolutely floundering, trying to find a good winter hat that won’t rip putting it on. it’s super hard work, being as smart and as knowledgeable as i am,” he grinned. “good fries? hm, i’ll have to think on it,” having lived in shrike heights for so long, dustin knew pretty much all of the best places to eat - even despite the fact that he never had the money to do so, growing up - but it was still a hard decision to make. “no, trust me,” dustin said as he laughed. “it’s a good look, nowadays. like an effortless tuck, it makes all the difference, makes you look put together without looking square - trust me. plus, it’ll better show off your ass…ets. your assets,” he joked, laughing more. the hug was reciprocated easily, as affection always was between the two of them. he pulled away with a large smile on his face. when asked for the time, dustin brought his watch up closer to his face, only to feel his stomach drop. “oh man,” the disappointment was thick in his voice. “it’s busted,” he told zeke. “i don’t even know how this happened. man,” dustin’s watch was old, and more expensive than any he could afford on his own. it was one of his first nice things, a hand-me-down gift from his sponsor on an anniversary of sobriety, but now it had a crack in the glass, and the hands weren’t ticking along at all. “dude,” he had nothing else to say, disappointed.

"yes you know i'm a very serious and brainy man," he told him with a wiggle of his eyebrows. zeke joked about it because that was what he learned to do but his own intelligence had always been a soft spot. "exactly, my siblings all have work today. you believe that? honest workers. such losers," he teased both of them knowing he'd never actually feel that way about his siblings. like dustin, they were everything to him. "yeah basically. just stand in my room like a statue in a permanent flex. i feel like you'd enjoy that too much," he teased, though zeke genuinely believed that dustin could never get sick of him. it was often overwhelming to think about only if because zeke could only hope he had made dustin feel the same in return. life wasn't as terrible as it had been, even with the looming fear of the killers and zeke was just happy they were here. together, healthy (for the most part) and alive. that part never slipped his mind. it wasn't something he took for granted.

"no, no they make em my size, your size though? they gotta put two of those cups together," he said through his laughter, the riffing between them a constant. "uh anywhere that has fries? which is like everywhere but it's my only ask for this meal. really good french fries," he determined with a decisive nod as if he had given it some deep thought. "tuck it in?!" zeke's eyebrows raised but he trusted dustin so he did just that, tilting his head back and forth as he looked at it. "i feel like i still look like a square but i'll take your word for it. if i get bullied it's your fault," he teased and gave dustin a nudge as he looked at the two of them in the mirror. they were getting older, and that always blew zeke's mind. he couldn't believe he had a friend like dustin who was such a constant and he tried not to dwell on the idea of losing him but these days made it hard. he pulled dustin in for another hug without a word before ushering them out of his room. "we're heading out, love you!" zeke yelled out as they went out the front door, sure his grandmother would appreciate not having her show watching interrupted so he grabbed his keys and led dustin to his car which he had only gotten recently. it was a nice change from riding his bike everywhere. "hey what time is it? i wanna know who's spinning at shrike radio right now before i turn it on."

#sobriety cw #thread #zeke

[takemecn]

urdamage​:

                a large , amused smirk spread over duckie’s face at the way charlie teased him in return . already , he was showing signs of good banter , and that was something that was incredibly important to duckie . charlie might not have yet come across as the same type of charming and confident as duckie believed himself to be , but regardless , he certainly was attractive , and showing signs of it being more than just physical appeal . perhaps it wasn’t so bad that lou didn’t happen to be in tonight . “ thank you , ” he said again , walking through the door and into the warmth of their home with ease , taking a moment to look around , feeling himself quite surprised by the lavish and expensive looking home . “ so , charlie , ” he began , not one for awkward silences . “ how come i’ve never met you before now ? ” he asked curiously . “ in such a small town , i wouldn’t have thought that i’d have to come track you down to be able to put a face to your name , ” not that it had been duckie’s intention to track charlie down . “ not a big fan of come what may , or something ? ”

charlie shrugged his shoulders. he didn’t really know how to answer duckie’s question, because it wasn’t like he had ever intentionally dodged duckie’s presence; they must have just not spent too much time in the same places, maybe dinner theatre wasn’t duckie’s thing, and maybe lou was the only person that they had in common. “honestly, i have no idea,” he told him plainly. “i’m surprised, too,” especially because there wasn’t many people in town that lou properly befriended, especially not outside of their existing friend group that they shared with charlie. “oh, no,” charlie felt bashful speaking of the store, but that was only because he was talking to duckie, and not because he didn’t like come what may. “it’s just a bit awkward having a sibling work there, you know? i’ve been in there before, but only when lou doesn’t work- so i suppose that’s when you don’t work, too,” not unless he took on an extra shift, or made some schedule changes, but it seemed that that hadn’t yet happened in a way that had the two meeting before now. “i like come what may, though,” he admitted. 

#thread #duckie

[takemecn]

urdamage​:

               even if bo didn’t need to thank topher for all of his help , bo really did want to . he had always been such a dependent person , and when he was younger , it was quite easy for him to not think to show his appreciation in a way that properly translated to the other person . not everyone felt the gratefulness through the time spent together , and in his later years , bo had been trying his hardest to become more verbally expressive ; he was still working on it , clearly , but he didn’t think he was doing a bad job with it , not even through this difficult time . regardless of the fact , bo wasn’t going to make it a bigger deal than what it was when topher brushed it off - not until after he had some food in his belly , after he was feeling better . “ yeah , though i kind of worry about it … ” he started , though he wasn’t sure if he should continue . “ i don’t know , yeah , it is good that he’s getting some rest , even though i think it’s mostly just all the medication he’s on , ” bo sighed deeply ; it was hard to know that ian was in such awful condition that he required such things , but bo knew he had to let them all run their course before ian could get back to living his regular life - medication free . “ thanks , ” he appreciated that topher knew the importance of ian , and the care of ian , though he had never doubted it .

when topher answered his question in the way that he did , the first thing that bo did was frown ; he didn’t know how else to respond , because from the sounds of things , even despite his verbal response , it certainly seemed like topher did remember that time . but if he remembered the time that bo was recalling , why was he acting otherwise ? and why were his cheeks so deeply red ? suddenly it hit bo , and his hands came up to cover his mouth that opened in surprise . “ oh my god , toph , no i wasn’t talking about that time , ” he giggled , and while he didn’t mean to laugh at his friend’s expense , at least to laugh at all felt like such a wonderful thing . “ i’m sorry , oh my god , ” he kept laughing , shaking his head apologetically . “ totally different thing i was gonna say , totally different , ” he tried to bring his laughter to a close . “ i’m so sorry , ” he said again , and he paused to find his composure once more , sipping at his soda . “ oh my god , though , same table and everything - same blush on your face , too , ” he teased , though he hoped topher wouldn’t feel made fun of , as bo had no bad intentions at all . “ i had like , completely forgotten about that , ” he admitted .

“well of course you still worry,” topher felt bad, being able to see on bo’s face guilt, like he hadn’t been doing everything right for his partner the entire time ian had needed him for. “you’re a dedicated guy, bobby,” topher knew that not only as a friend of bo’s, but as someone who had been in a similar position to ian before, too - excluding the brutal attack from serial killers, obviously. “it might be the medication, but the medication works how it does for a reason, you know? it’s letting him get the rest he needs,” topher didn’t know everything about the topic, and he wasn’t sure on how much he should be saying to bo regardless, but he knew enough and he wanted to say enough to hopefully bring bo some peace of mind. “you’re taking good care of him, he won’t be like this forever,” he reminded his friend.

topher was already embarrassed, but the feeling grew tenfold when bo told him that he hadn’t been talking about the moment that topher assumed he had been. it was awful, that he had brought it up on his own accord so foolishly, but topher didn’t feel so bad as he saw how amused bo was over what he had done. in one of the worst times of bo’s life, to get him to laugh and to smile felt like a magnificent feat, even if it was at topher’s expense. “sorry,” topher shook his head, laughing. “shut up,” he laughed louder when bo pointed out that it was the same table, and that he wore the same blush. “i only thought, like, that’s the most memorable ‘that one time’ that we shared here, so like, i thought it was what you were talking about,” topher covered his face with his hands for a moment before pulling his hands back down in order to look at bo. “you forgot about it?” topher wasn’t offended, only surprised that someone could forget about a moment like that. “i haven’t forgotten,” he chuckled, supposing it was much easier to remember when bo was topher’s only sexual partner. “how do you do it?” he asked. “like, how can you just be so chill with someone who knows way too much?” 

#thread #bo

[takemecn]

as aera continued to pat cooper in greeting, listening to drew speak of him, she gently pretended to clamp her hands over the dog's ears - not really obscuring his hearing a single bit, only doing it for the joke. "shhh, he can hear you!" she protested, but she wasn't serious. as much as aera adored cooper, she knew that knowing a dog was greatly different to owning one; she didn't doubt that cooper could be a real handful at times, and she believed drew when he told her that he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. what aera also didn't doubt was that drew loved the dog, no matter how much mischief he might have gotten into.

"thankfully it's all work that i love to be good at, my heart is in it enough to not mind the chaos," she felt the same way about the chaos happening in her family, though she didn't feel the need to bring up such heaviness so soon. she loved her family more than anything, which was exactly why she didn't mind putting her all into helping them handle everything that they were going through in the aftermath of the attacks. it was comforting to know that drew felt the same about his work, that he loved it through the the busyness and intensity. "i bet," she nodded as he spoke of his experience being a vet in the army. aera didn't have any personal connection to the army, but she had heard enough from those who did to believe undoubtedly that it was intense. "so, what do you two have planned for the rest of the day?"

Drew thought Aera was giving Cooper far too much credit. He was supremely food-driven, unapologetic in his affection, and unaware that not everyone loved him immediately. It was a recipe for quite the interesting experience training him, even now a few years on. "He can be both a good boy, and a pain in the ass sometimes," he joked, winking as he nudged the dog he loved so much. He wouldn't change the nuisance for anything.

He was grateful for the friendship he found in Aera, punctuating his hug with a brief squeeze before pulling back. "Glad to hear you're weathering the chaos well. I'm sure it's not ideal." He sympathized. "Even if the busyness is cute at the same time." He laughed.

Drew settled into his stance, Cooper getting the message and laying down at his feet. "Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't have made it through vet school if I didn't love it." He replied honestly. He found so much joy in his work, genuine passion and drive, that work-life balance wasn't nearly as much of a concern as it would be in another profession. "Plus, I was a vet for the Army. That's being overworked." He added. You couldn't help but bring your work home with you when you lived on base or were deployed.

#thread #drew

[takemecn]

though he didn't know neptune's thoughts on the place, dustin didn't have the same opinion on america as the other; he had lived in shrike heights his entire life, a town in which he had found such cruelty even within his own family, and every time he strayed outside of his hometown, dustin had a knack for finding himself in more trouble. he was well aware of how inhumane the human species could be, and the attacks that were happening in shrike heights were even more proof of it. it was because of this cruelty, however, that dustin worked on constantly bettering himself, and worked on being a good person. there was too much pain and suffering in the world, the least dustin could do was play his part in preventing any more pain, and in helping those he met with the struggles they were already facing.

he wrinkled his face at the news of the tattoo, though a small smile was still on his face - it wasn't the end of the world, and he didn't want to make the other feel like it was, especially not when they were clearly having a hard time at the moment. "i'm sorry to hear it," even while the predicament wasn't one more sinister, dustin still wanted to do what he could to help. a crisis was still a crisis, no matter if it was an unfortunate tattoo or a dangerous killer in their presence. "hey, don't be embarrassed," dustin smiled wider, wanting to reassure them. "we've all made mistakes, and at least you've already planned your way out with a cover up," he suggested. "it's also good that you're wanting to take care of it, even if it didn't turn out so great," dustin continued with the encouragement. "how about i lead the way?" to perkin's, he meant.

Something that had stood out to the young man in the short time he'd been in America was how friendly everyone seemed. It made him homesick in an acute way, since that was what he new to be true of his home as well. Everyone was friendly and wll-intentioned. You could feel surrounded by family even in a big city. It had been the only thing to get him through the years whilst he felt like a black sheep amongst his biological family. "I'm alright," He said with a slight grimace. "I sort of fucked myself over and stick-n-poked me poor hand. It looks ugly, but I guess the main thing right now is the aftercare."

Since the person seemed so nice and accommodating, Neptune hadn't wanted to mislead them into thinking anything was seriously wrong. Though he had not been in Shrike very long, there were rumours of danger that had come to his attention. "I would get stuff from where I work but I don't want my coworkers to see this thing until it's healed enough for me to cover it up. Wee bit embarrassing now that I'm hearing myself say it out loud though."

#thread #neptune

[takemecn]

maullworkers​:

“i know, i know,” she told her as she cried. she knew that aera would always show up for her, just as she knew that aera would never expect any attention on herself while marina was still in the middle of the most intense moments of the aftermath of her attack - not even attention in the form of appreciation. despite having known that aera would tell her that there was no need to thank her, of course marina’s first thought was going to be to express her gratitude for her sister. after almost losing her life, and after almost watching their sibling lose theirs, too, there was an added layer of gratitude for all of her siblings, that was for sure. she almost wanted to thank aera again, but she refrained, both because she knew the conversation would only go around in circles, and because she felt her voice catch in her throat with a cry. 

all she could do was accept aera’s help. she was in no position to be rejecting help when she didn’t even feel human there in the bed, so heavily injured and medicated because of it. the crying very quickly began to hurt her wounded body, and that only encouraged her even more to let aera take control - not that she would have felt the need to reject help even without the added pain. “sorry,” she already knew before she said it that aera would dismiss the apology, but she had to say it anyway. “i don’t know why i’m still crying,” she could have figured it out if she cared to think about it, but there was no need to, and there were too many factors that caused her to cry to be able to single out just how much one thing made her so teary. “yeah, of course,” she agreed with aera, that she needed to drink some water, and she realised in that moment just how dry her mouth was. “crying so much i’m only gonna dehydrate myself more,” she was trying to lighten up a little, but the words came out sounding a lot more abysmal than intended. “sorry,” she said again, and one more time, she knew immediately that aera would tell her not to be, “do you mind if you help me with the cup? i’m all shaky, too.” she sniffed.

“you don’t need to apologize, mina, you have nothing to say sorry for,” aera did just as marina knew that she would, dismissing the apology - but not without understanding why her sister would be apologizing, despite the lack of a real need to. “your body and your mind have been through so much in the past twenty-four hours, mina,” she reminded her of the logic behind all of the feelings she must have been experiencing. “there’s been so much stress on both that it makes perfect sense to cry, even if you can’t exactly place what it is that you’re crying over. but it’s okay, to let it all out. it’s okay,” aera didn’t want her sister to worry herself over something that really didn’t matter in comparison to so much of the other stuff that she was now made to deal with. against all odds, at marina’s comment about dehydrating herself, aera laughed softly. she couldn’t believe that she was able to actually laugh in a moment like this, but marina’s charm and good sense of humor somehow still managed to shine through all of the pain and broken pieces of her. “that’s right,” she shook head head, affection in her expression. “of course i don’t mind, i’ve got it,” she shook her head, helping marina to hold the cup of water so that she could take a drink.

#thread #marina #hospital cw #injury cw #trauma cw

[takemecn]

nel winced as she watched him try to pull his arm out of the machine too quickly; even if he hadn't reacted in a way that alluded to pain, the action alone looked painful to nel. "are you alright?" she asked, glad to see that his arm didn't look too out of place, something that looked like could have easily happened with the way it got stuck for a moment. "i suppose they probably do that on purpose, huh? otherwise everyone would just reach up there and grab whatever they wanted," nel still thought that she'd do an okay job at getting her arm up there - and out of there, hopefully - but after watching mingyu's attempt, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to try for herself. "oh, no, my mom could explicitly tell me to do something, watch it go wrong, and still put the blame - and the bill - on me," she made a sound that was half a scoff, half a chuckle; if she didn't laugh about it, she would likely cry - and as her intentions were to make her company not feel bad for her in regards to her relationship with her mother, of course she put on the face of amusement. "i totally agree with you, though, that it's probably not the smartest idea," nel had already been injured enough over the past year, she didn't need to go hurting herself now too. "it's a total bummer about your drink, though. i'm totally down for grabbing something somewhere else- but don't worry, i won't make you pay. feels unfair considering you've already missed out on this one."

"You could? That would be hella cool." Mingyu eagerly responded, flinching slightly as he tried to retract his arm too fast and nearly got it stuck. "Jesus, this thing is a death trap." He hissed, using his other hand to free himself and rub his injured arm, certain that was going to result in a nasty bruise over the next couple of days. "I don't know if you should try anymore, I don't want to be responsible for anyone's medical bill." He added with a frown, though he still very much wanted the coke he paid for. "Unless you want to put it on your mother for encouraging you." The male tilted his head, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'll buy you a drink." He was quick to offer. "But not from this machine, we can get one at the food court. Get Juiced has some good shit."

#thread #mingyu