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Realistic or Modern Cities Never Sleep

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joshua jones






Listening and watching Graham with concern, Joshua listened intensely to what the man was saying. As he mentioned how Abby looked tense and anxious, he couldn’t help but turn that empathetic gaze from the male to the girl sitting on the bed next to him. She was looking a bit on edge, but then again, who wouldn’t being in a place like this? And when Graham brought his attention to him by gesturing, Joshua could feel himself tense up once more. He made sure he was standing straight, his arms were tightly crossed (like a good little schoolboy), and his eyes widened slightly as he turned his attention back to the man.

Uncomfortable… nervous… fear… Determination… Resignment.

Oh yeah, they were all there. There was no denying it. But it had all been sourced by the thought of Graham not liking him. Well, also partly sourced by the thought of his parents finding out what he had done, tracking him down and taking him out of school or something. The mere thought of his father’s disappointed brow and his mother’s heartbroken eyes were enough to make him want to drop everything and run back to the school to pretend none of this ever happened. But he had made his decision, and he was here. He was going to stay here too.

After a moment of silence, Graham’s words lingering heavily on their hearts and in their minds, Abigail spoke up; she began to speak about the star gazing they had done together (and if we were being quite honest, a green little man inside of Joshua was growing in size from the jealousy - when had they gone?). But she continued to speak about how Graham had inspired her during that time. How she admired his knowledge of space. As she continued to speak, Joshua could feel something boiling in the pit of his stomach. Words swirling around in the back of his mind, wanting to escape to explain his true thoughts and feelings. But was this the right time? Was it even the right thing to say?

As Abagail finished speaking, there was a brief silence. No, you don’t need to say anything Joshua thought to himself as he examined the atmosphere of the room. Things will be okay if you don’t say anything. You don’t need to say anything.

“I… uh…”

Why didn’t his mouth listen to his brain?

He could feel the heat radiating in his cheeks, spreading to his ears as his heart thumped violently in his chest. Shyly, he uncrossed his arms and began to sign as he spoke; his signs were both small and lacking confidence, like his words as he spoke. “I was… I mean… I thought it was cool… What you did at the Kingdom Hall…” he paused for a moment, trying to gather all the words he wanted to say and attempting to find a way to gather them into a sentence. There were so many thoughts and feelings running rampage in his brain that he didn’t know where to start. It was almost as if his mind had been a container filled with water, on the verge of bursting, and someone had finally created a hole for the water to escape. “The way you stood up for Max with just… such confidence. I don’t… I don’t think I could’ve ever done that. I don’t think I ever could, to be honest.” He turned to Max, offering an apologetic gaze before returning back to look at Graham “I find that confidence really admirable… Something I wish I could really have.”






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





/* ------ left side ------ */




/* ------ left side info ------ */
mood ...

location Emergency Room

outfit Sad cold boy

fun fact

tag floralmoon floralmoon qunqun qunqun weldherwings weldherwings


Max Berkowitz




/* ------ right side ------ */


Max just wasn’t able to keep up.
Yet again, Graham’s words went uninterpreted and flew right over Max’s head, literally falling on deaf ears.
Burning hot with embarrassment, he killed the urge to ask Abby or Josh for an explanation.
Oh, get a grip.
Don’t act entitled.
Just let it go.
You don’t need more of their attention.

Maybe they were right to withhold it from him. He didn’t deserve to know what it was that Graham said that they all thought he was too sensitive to handle. They were probably right about that, anyway… if they thought that he was better off not knowing, he had no choice but to believe them.

But even after swallowing the feeling of being a mere guest in the conversation rather than a true participant, Max couldn’t shake the thought of what it was that had been omitted from his understanding. Now Max was left silently trying to piece together his own narrative of what Graham said, which quickly began to spiral and became much darker and more disdainful than anything that had actually been said.

The next time anyone filled Max in about what was going on, Abby was talking about… space?

“It inspired me to do some research on space, I learned that the universe is observed to be 13.8 billion years old and has been expanding since its formation in the Big Bang."

“13.8 billion…” He repeated the colossal number, his fingers rebounding off the flat of his palm so many times that it seemed to cement how unbelievable it was. “Wow. Crazy.”
Max barely knew anything about space, stars, planets, and the universe. Even thinking about the massive expanse of it all seemed to cement in his mind how truly meaningless and infinitesimal his understanding of the world was. He was just an impossibly small fragment of a reality that he would never live long enough even to begin to understand.
And that, in and of itself, was terrifying to him, as someone who struggled with feelings of insignificance already.
The stars were pretty, though... he didn't have to be any kind of astronomer to appreciate that, or the way that the moon reflected off the oceans with its hazy glow. Maybe Max was a little silly and superficial for that, but he found it far more comforting than contemplating the truth.

Joshua spoke up then, for what felt like the first time since they’d arrived back in the room. Max turned around to give him his full attention.

“I was… I mean… I thought it was cool… What you did at the Kingdom Hall… The way you stood up for Max with just… such confidence. I don’t… I don’t think I could’ve ever done that. I don’t think I ever could, to be honest.”
As he finished, Josh gave Max a sorrowful look, as if to apologize for something left unsaid.
What could Josh possibly be apologizing for? He’d never been anything but kind and understanding to Max, just like his sister Mary…
It wasn’t their fault that Max was a stain on their faith.

Slowly, like he was reaching for forbidden contraband, Max reached out for Josh’s hand and shame-facedly laced their fingers together again.
There was a chance that Josh would pull away this time, that he would be too afraid to touch someone like Max, who was probably already driving a horrible wedge between Josh and his family by doing things like this.
Max wondered, for a moment, if mortal sins could be transferred through touch.
But Max was willing to take that chance. He needed this.

But what was it that Josh said back then?
“We’re not… meant to live like this world… We are not of this world, so shouldn’t live like we do… So, to be friends with anyone that doesn’t believe or follow Jehovah’s laws… it’s… It’s not really what… we do… I suppose.”
That. That was it.

Max shook his head, forcing a wavering smile. “No no, it’s okay. I mean, you guys were all great.” He reassured, trying not to delve too deep into the mortifying memories of breaking down in tears over scripture. “But… yeah, I owe you my thanks for that one, Graham. I still don’t know what it was you said, but it sure worked. Wait, are we… banned from that church now?”
Max hoped that he was.
There was no way anyone could ever pay him enough to return to that place.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

Ren should’ve known from the first marionette smile, should’ve known by the reins they held to maintain a controlled countenance;

Dante was a fickle thing.

He felt it, though, the rabbit-footed pulse skittering the rungs of their ribs. Molten and turbulent. There was no need for speculation when their tell-tale heart was devoid of lie, traitorous with virtue. Ren could bask in the small triumph— not that he’d bested some grand task or been particularly diligent to get here, but to be a male pioneer of uncharted skin, both familiar yet inventive, the very conqueror at the helm of revolutionising Dante.

He got an ego from it.

Whilst combing through a halo of curls, untamable by the lawyer’s usual neurotic habits and Ren’s magnanimous preening, it seemed he’d garnered a fragment of honesty for his time. Seeping truth between the stockade barriers Dante so precisely placed, the best mistake of their life or their worst, Ren pondered on whether to take it as a compliment.

He was an expert at making mistakes. Or in this case, being the mistake. A gilded birthright of causing problems, never before had he been labelled the best at something.

Ren decided not to linger on it, shuttering it away from his mind’s eye.

“You’re acting like you’re going to be put to death.” He’d been here before, not in the unrest of deciphering attraction— Ren had always been very sure of his own, but in the presence of those pathing their own way. “Family?” He could only guess it was a shortcoming of their own guardians. “Or—” panic settled, a subtle withdrawal of fingers from their hair. “Don’t say you’re married.”

He heard what Dante asked, smoothed in glossy persiflage and a smile— how are you feeling? —and was strong enough to resist the urge to smash a lamp over his head.

“Well,” he’d begin in a gloating tone, “I’m not having a terrible revelation.” It quieted in realisation he should give a fair response, a search and weighing of the correct word. Nothing too mean, nothing too fond; always finding his vocabulary lacking and mouth shackled silent. But the pair seemed determined to turn the moment cheap, desiring no real weight and the lull of driftwood tides.

A question of round two. The return of Dante’s urgency had a klepto’s hand pressed to the middle of their chest.

“Calm down buddy, take a breather.” If not for their own sake, then for Rens. “We’re doing that thing called relaxing.”

Or were, as with sly intention he moved closer to lace arms over their shoulders. “Unless,” lips drifted below their jaw, a half-shadow of intention before deciding otherwise. “You’re already wanting to make more mistakes?”

The best mistake, his mind dared upheave, promptly swatted back by the influence of schemes.

“Maybe,” fingers traced constellations to the nape of their neck, “after a Chicago style pizza,” yes, bribe the lawyer, “I’ll have the energy to keep up with you.”























now playing...







It Will Come Back



Hozier


































































♡coded by uxie♡

 







mallory hawke



  • .



The play had come to a halt, nobody knew exactly what to do at this point. You could say that it was more of an impromptu intermission, but even that would be a stretch for the situation that was at hand. It was at this point that Mallory's focus would switch to finding whoever the hell fucked up the play for her. She storms off in search of possible culprits when she comes upon a group of snickering people.

As she approaches them, she notices May, the girl who spit on her shoe at the rave. It had to have been her, ever since that night there was no way that there was a grudge being held against Mallory. Quickly coming up to her, she points a finger in her face, "I know it was you. What the actual fuck is your problem? You were in charge of the sound and then this happens?" Her hand gestures towards the stage.

Her face was shrouded with a look of anger, there was no other explanation for the mishap other than what she had just accused May of doing. There was a noticeable height difference between the two, with Mallory practically towering over May. With this in mind, she took a step closer to the girl in front of her, continuing, "This isn't the first time you fucked something up for me. You're getting real close to being on my shit list."






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 
​
















Ship In A Bottle



fin








Graham Byrne







There was a soft smile at Abi’s attempts to distract him. But she at least acknowledged that she didn’t actually want to be there. Why she decided to stay anyways, though, completely eluded him.

“Black holes… are nice…” He mumbled. So that it was very difficult to hear his absent-minded musings about nothing. “They… They… They’re what happens when a star dies… It collapses and swallows everything whole. Crushes everything down… Even the faintest bits of light. There’s no escaping them…”

And then Josh started talking about what he did in Kingdom Hall.

There was a terrifying, humorless laugh.

“Yeah. I’ll give you a little hint, lad.” Graham said. “People expect me to be boisterous and confident and loud, so I give them what they want. Fake it until you make it, that’s… That’s what that is.”

And then there was a pause. “Making a ruckus is rather fun though. When you decide you don’t really care.”

He laid his head down and watched them talk, not necessarily trying to interject. But, he wasn’t telling them actively to leave.

Perhaps this was just how Graham was when he wasn’t being what he thought people wanted him to be, surprisingly introspective and observant. Polite almost. A change, but not necessarily a bad one.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

Ren was following up, continuing to put hands in his hair and on his chest. And Dante was trying his best to not curl up and purr like a cat, at least put on an air of unaffected that he knew probably was getting nowhere fast.

Well, he could give Ren a couple victories here and there he supposed.

“You’re acting like you’re going to be put to death. Family?” The hands were removed from his scalp, and Dante tried to keep how much he missed the physical affection to just the smallest of head movements wondering where it had gone. “Or… Don’t say that you’re married.”

“Please.” Dante said with a snort, chasing the warmth in very small samples of clinginess that he truly hated himself for.

But the offer of a round two was turned down in favor for more cuddling. Something that surprised Dante, quite honestly. The softness of it all. Perhaps he was just more used to something more aggressive by nature.

Affection was… nice. This was nice. The anxieties in his chest were fluttering away that he wasn’t getting chased out of the room just yet.

“Unless… You’re already wanting to make more mistakes”

“Only the best.” He mumbled, the fast comebacks coming around to something surprisingly nice and placated despite their earlier edge. He was being wrapped around, being lost in the feeling of physical comfort. His insides turning slowly to a warm mush of pleasure that raced up and down his spine- Jesus Christ when did it get so bad. He didn’t remember it being so bad.

“This is a lot more affectionate than I thought you’d be.” Came the second moment of unfiltered honesty in the night. Nestled nicely in Ren’s embrace. “Thought you’d be a lot more aggressive with it all.”

“Maybe after a Chicago style pizza I’ll have the energy to keep up with you.” Elicited a small chuckle from him, Ren was ever the bargainer.

Now, Dante was starved for affection for most of his life, at the drop of a hat he was willing to give everything to the people he cared for in order to receive a drop of praise and care. And here was Ren, who was showering him in affectionate touch and showing remarkable care and allowing him to express something deep inside of him which most of the time he pretended did not exist lest he get killed for it.

However, Ren was not one of the people that he craved affection from.

“Deep dish pizza is an insult to pizza everywhere.” Dante mumbled after delivering a kiss on Ren’s nose. “Choose something else and maybe I’ll say yes.”























now playing...







Naked



FINNEAS





























































♡coded by uxie♡

 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

He couldn’t be lied to if he chose to believe nothing. A theory that fell short when their compliment, dishonesty, insult?— Ren still didn’t know, made its second appearance. Only the best, something the klepto would like nothing more than to move past, not think over. But akin to ensnarement by the gleam of a serpent with its apple, he’d draw closer to its pedestal label.

The Best.

“Sweet-talker.” A false complaint and empty accusation, tapping a finger on their nose in soft admonition. To pay a comment in kind or snap back, he decided neither. Weaving to their body as if to meld seams. It’s a spectacle, a man of composure keening to mercurial affections. A soft animal, warm and breathing, Ren’s very own placid placeholder to inherit warmth from.

The lawyer’s sentiment sapped that ease, catching Ren unexpectedly.

This is a lot more affectionate than I thought you’d be.

“... Is that a problem?” A stir between ribs, something crouched turning ready to snap jaws at anything that threatened his self-image. Perhaps he’d interpreted the lingering wrong, the reason behind their delayed departure.

“You aren’t complaining.” He meant it to spill serrated and defensive instead of blunt. A quick rebound of the topic. “But I can punch you in the throat if that’s what you’re into.” I’ll punch you in the throat if you keep talking about it, this affection. A version of himself he could recognize, an inky omen of trouble and nothing more; Ren didn’t want to be viewed as something infused saccharine or of tender origin.

They were only animals sharing wounds, their scarring, examining and recognising them on the other until their time together expired. Then they could bury the gentleness down, never see each other again, forget about their shared respite and the feeling of lighting hollows with company.

Warranting amusement, an ephemeral laugh met Ren’s negotiation. Without outright refusal, the klepto thought the arrangement had been successful. Another victory, black sea iris mirroring diamonds at the envisioned food. Magnified only by the endearing kiss pressed to his nose, Ren would bite down a smile before it took the opportunity to steal away to his face.

He’d won. He’d be getting Chicago Deep Dish—

An insult to pizza everywhere.

All pleasantries died on Ren’s face.

Spiteful, he rubbed his nose as if to clean the deceptive prior kiss. Maybe he did prefer when the lawyer lied about things.

“Dante, Handsome,” woo him with a pet name!— “Let’s be reasonable.” He was certain they could read every line of intent, sly hands moving to cradle the sides of their face with thumbs brushing against warm skin. “Deep-Dish has space for extra sauce and extra toppings. Come on Pizza Snob, it's almost like a pretty pot-pie.”

Ren couldn’t be completely uncooperative, as given the merit to choose was far better than nothing at all.

“Pasta.” He’d settle after long contemplation, sighing soft and nudging the slope of his nose against Dante's. “Everyone likes pasta.”























now playing...







It Will Come Back



Hozier


































































♡coded by uxie♡

 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

A surprising nerve and anxiety from his long-haired companion: being viewed as soft, weak. Dante was a bit taken aback at first.

“Is that a problem?” Aggressive, aggressive. Dante gave him a little peck somewhere between the lips and the cheek.

“No, not a problem…” He mumbled into Ren’s hands as he was being slowly wrapped around. The feeling of a mouse being encircled by a snake seemed to pop fresh into his mind and carefully waved off.

“You aren’t complaining.”

“The contrary.” Dante slurred, getting somewhat drunk on the warmth of physical touch and companionship. Leeching off body heat and the surety of someone being there that was letting him suck on the marrow of affection that he’d been starved of.

Ren was attempting to bargain with him about the pizza.

Dante wasn’t a fool. He knew when he was being played. An easy mark when Ren found the parts that he valued. Companionship, affection, physical touch. Purr.

Hands were on his face, and he knew that Ren thought he was a fool. A complacent, repressed fool that was easily swayed by the tantalizing forbidden fruit of lust.

Dante was a lot of things, admittedly heavily repressed and complacent. Easily swayed. But a fool was not one of them.

Simply put, he just didn’t really care about blowing some cash on his hookup. Ren seemed to enjoy it, and Dante got a little something out of giving anyways.

That didn’t stop his insides from quickly becoming liquid, butter and thick and slow as his brain shuttered to a stop with all of the very sudden physical affection.

Blank eyed stare met an attempt at convincing him that deep dish pizza was not god’s punishment for hubris against those that invented the dish. Ren had accidentally put a little bit too much behind the convincing and instead he was mush.

Ren quickly glossed over this failed attempt with a little nose rub which brought some kind of life back into Dante’s eyes.

“Pasta… The pasta room service only, no add-ons." Dante said, his head tilting as his eyes shifted from the innocent blue to their true murky changeable hazel. “Final offer. Deal?”

A harder bargain than before, but he was at least willing to pay for the room service.

Dante melted into the embrace.























now playing...







Naked



FINNEAS





























































♡coded by uxie♡

 







abigail hargreaves






Slowly but surely, the two boys behind her spoke up to encourage Graham on the accomplishment that he achieved while at bible study during the hurricane. Abigail smiled at them, glad that Josh had finally decided to speak up since the incident earlier in their visit. Without missing a beat, the man in the hospital bed immediately turns to Abigail and begins telling her a fact about black holes.

"That's the Graham I know." She thinks to herself, gazing at the smile that had appeared onto his face. It was nice to see him smile finally, and it did seem like it was a genuine smile too, making it all that more enjoyable to see. Chiming into the conversation, she starts signing along with her words, "I definitely don't think we're allowed back there, Max." A quiet laugh escapes her lips at the thought of even trying to go back to that place.

This seemed to be what the man needed all along, not for things to be focused on why he was here and how he was doing, but shifted towards things that he enjoyed. Whether it be space, or barging into churches, with this conversation change, it seemed as though the mood had changed as well. The girl no longer felt like she was trapped in her past while in the building, she was just spending time with her friends.

"Even if we aren't allowed back, I think you had the best ban ever. I'm sure everyone will be talking about the shirtless redhead who burst through the congregation doors." Her hands stop signing as they raise up to her mouth to cover the grin that had spread onto her cheeks. Even if the people at the church forget about it, this group of friends weren't going to forget it any time soon.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 







joshua jones






Were they connecting? Did Graham just say something that didn’t make him jump out of the window in embarrassment? Was the large brute actually being kind to him? A wave of relief fell over Joshua as he came to the realization that for once he had actually said something good. He offered the man a closed smile, the corner of his lips upturned as they pressed against each other. A familiar hand found its way to hold his own once again at this point; Joshua turned to look at the said hand before looking up to see the person who had taken hold of it. His smile deepened as he gazed up at Max, hoping it would offer some sort of additional support to the boy.

It was at Max’s question about being banned from the church that made Joshua pause for a moment, his mouth hanging as the words began to process through his mind. Oh, dear Jehovah, there was no way Graham would ever be allowed back. His parents would often compare every little sin to the man who had roamed the Kingdom Hall shirtless, roaring about having sex with another one of the male clergies. So, Joshua shook his head with a slight chuckle caught in his throat; honestly, the whole thing was quite hilarious when you thought about it.

“No…” he said, shaking his head, signing the word with one hand. Lifting up his other hand with Max’s own still attached, he began to sign once more, moving their hands in unison together. “My Dad… he… He tells us regularly that if we ever turn out like Graham then we will never reach Paradise in the afterlife. He often tells Mary that if she ever brings home a boy like that, he would kick him out of the house so quickly and send Mary to an all-girls school. So…” He turned towards Graham, his closed smile growing even wider and deeper. Among the religious trauma and the unorthodox, untraditional family values, Joshua was somehow finding the humor of it all. There was almost even a shimmer of joy sparkling in Joshua’s eyes as he spoke. “I think you did a pretty good job getting yourself banned from the Kingdom Hall”

What was this side of Joshua?

As he continued to speak what was actually on his mind, he could feel… Well, he could feel this thing bubbling up inside of his chest. It was warm and fuzzy, and it spread throughout his body the more he spoke his mind; the more he allowed the truth to come out. But even though he was allowing it all to flow out, there was still this deep fear that sat in the very pits of his soul. What if his parents found out he was speaking in such a way? Or even worse, what if Jehovah punished him for thinking and talking in such a way also? Truly, the thought of disrespecting his family was incredibly nerve-wracking and scarier than any horror film. But the thought of disappointing Jehovah, the one who was meant to love all His children no matter what, was enough to make him want to curl up and die. And all of this stemmed from the fear that had been placed in him by his parents, family, and those around him.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





/* ------ left side ------ */




/* ------ left side info ------ */
mood ...

location Emergency Room

outfit Sad cold boy

fun fact

tag floralmoon floralmoon qunqun qunqun weldherwings weldherwings


Max Berkowitz




/* ------ right side ------ */


Josh didn't pull away when Max took his hand again. He didn't even flinch or tense up. It was almost like Josh was alright with this, like he didn't mind the affection and the neediness, the greed for touch that Max was unable to stop himself from giving in to.
As he continued the conversation, Max's hand traveled with Josh's movement, along for the ride with the words. It was like nothing else he'd ever experienced. He felt himself turning a deeper shade of red, taking in the depth of Josh's gaze as the older boy granted him a beaming smile.

Josh had one of the best smiles Max had ever seen. Soft, genuine, a bit of a tilt to the side, both shy and welcoming at the same time. He tried his best to match it, but knew it must not have looked nearly as captivating. Max, with his standoffish aura, watery blue eyes, and lopsided expressions, couldn't emulate that same warmth that Josh had.

For a few seconds, he almost forgot he was still in the hospital room with Abby and Graham. He felt them looking at him and almost jumped back, cringing inwards a bit. "Oh… I'm sorry about all this." He said, using only his dominant left hand, pitchy shaking voice, and deeply apologetic expression to say the words. "I didn't mean for that whole situation to end up like that. Graham, if you ever want me to try to talk it out with them…"

Max still didn't know what Graham had said on his behalf that day in the kingdom hall, but apparently it had truly scandalized the parishioners if it resulted in all three of them getting banned from the premises. At the time that it happened, Max was far too grateful to be leaving that disaster to question it much, but now he'd been somewhat taken over by guilt that he inadvertently caused a man to get banned from an entire religion.
He hoped Josh's family wasn't being too hard on him…

"I'm just glad it's over." He admitted sheepishly. "I wish there was more I could do."




/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 
MOOD: Depressed

OUTFIT: Christian drug play costume

LOCATION: MJCHS courtyard
basics
MENTIONS:


INT:

Matt qunqun qunqun


tags
TL;DR:
tl;dr
Jenelle Kennedy
Let us be young, let us be wild
until the summer's over
Mr. Wright urged her to continue the conversation outside, which made Jenelle glance around nervously, as if Carol was going to jump out from the shadows of the dark hallway and reprimand her for thinking about leaving the building as the play was starting. Though when he impatiently continued on before she could answer, of course Jenny scurried after him. She wasn't even in the first act, after all, and the chance to gain the perspective of a real live adult male was too rare to pass up. As close as she was to her father, it wasn't like she could talk to him about this problem. She'd die of embrassment, not to mention shame if he ever learned his little girl was jumping into bed with boys at 16.

Her long grey skirt swishing as Jenny rushed to keep up with the tall fellow's long strides. Nearly swallowed up by the bountiful swathes of polka-dotted fabric, the unflattering tea length of the skirt paired with a floppy orange sweater making her look even more chubby and stout than she actually was. Good thing she was already having a crisis; at the very least it kept her from fretting about being seen on stage in this tragic get-up.

Having followed Mr. Wright out to the courtyard, Jenny shifted awkwardly in her maryjanes, still standing even as he took a seat. "What was it you wanted?" Her teacher asked, yet the red-haired girl just toyed with a curly tendril from her cascading updo of ringlets, unsure of how to answer.

"I--well, I like this boy," She suddenly blurted out, launching her into a cathartic release of verbal diarrhea. "We slept together! And it seemed like he liked me! Well, I thought he did anyway. But now he's being all weird and I think he's avoiding me and it's just like...ugh, I'm so embarrassed. Like..why would he do that?? What'd I do to make him not like me anymore??"

The words came out so fast they were barely intelligible, leaving the girl nearly hyperventilating by the time she paused to take a breath. "What do you think I should do?" Jenny asked with a sniffle, wiping away the hot tears that rolled down her cheeks despite her best efforts to suppress them.

code by valen t.
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    WHY WONT ANYONE HELP ME

















may gu



heavy metal high school girl












Language barriers. One of God's greatest injustices towards man. May felt like she was on an island by herself, with hundreds of boats circling around, but nobody docking to help her. Marooned.

Her hands tightened around the neck of her guitar. And suddenly she saw Mallory.

Right. She'd never gotten to apologize for what she did at the cave rave. It'd been a few weeks at this point, and she was long overdue. But May never got the chance, because suddenly Mallory was all up in her business. Towering over her by a few inches, May felt her heart drop into her shoes like a lead weight. Her Gibson Flying V hit the ground with a heavy thud, a sound that sent tremors up through her spine and down her nervous system.

She began to sign frantically.

"It wasn't me. I didn't do it. I didn't. I just came back here." She wasn't sure why Mallory didn't immediately go for the three snickering little gremlin kids that were gathered near the sound system. A vendetta, probably. Her heart pounded as she tried not to be angry at everyone off in their own little world.

May doesn't get angry. She doesn't know how it feels.

She took a step back, just barely missing stepping on the neck of her expensive guitar. Her hands were practically a blur.

"I swear to God it wasn't me, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Her fist rapidly went over her chest in a circular motion, repeating sorry sorry sorry in the hopes, the PRAYERS, that Mallory could understand and perhaps have mercy on her.

Her and her Flying V.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

He did not find himself easily here, in the callout of being affectionate. A bristling that only ebbed to the comfort of their response. Not a problem, the contrary of a complaint. Tension unspooling to the gentle kiss on his face, he’d turn his head to chase it.

A bower for Dante to settle, rendered boneless putty and peaceful. It was pleasant to lay mired, centred and sated and without outside conflict to plague the temporary distraction.

To retinas, Dante held unrelenting silence. Unmoved, strategically unresponsive with an expression to match, all rigidity smoothed to uncreased silk. Under the determination of gaining headway, the curve of their jaw melded to Ren’s palms and thumb pads grazing soft over the corner of their lips, Ren believed he was directing this conversation— acted like it too.

Half flirt and half demand, half meaning and half filler, stubborn silence met the pathetic haggling. Only at the graze of noses did reality knock at the edges of Dante’s attention.

The pasta room-service only, no add-ons.

The sound of it added a degree of opulence the conversation and setting did not quite entail. In a grand hotel that really wasn’t that grand, a pressing reminder that Ren never intended to stay in Joplin this long. With foresight he would’ve sought other accommodation that wasn’t smoke-strewn and overall despairing to stare at.

“No add-ons?” Spoken with the weight of a feather, the delicacy of one too. A movement to slide one leg over theirs in a hunt of intention. “Not even one?”

Dante would regret this.

Not because Ren was vengeful and evil and all things terrible (sometimes), but because the hotel food was questionable at best. He could let them learn the hard way, allowing protest to die on his lips in exchange for the pull of a faint smile.

“You have yourself a deal.”

Cigarette perfume wrapped Dante like a fur coat as Ren half untangled to reach over for the phone. He wondered, idly, if hotel rotini, core refrigerator cold and outside microwave hot, would go over well with a white-collar worker.

And was soon to find out, knock at the door signalling their service. With a nudge to his beloved wallet of the night to go fetch, Ren was loath to temporarily part ways. Reluctant to even leave olympian cloud sheets, he’d only sat up to welcome their return with the food. Even after two decades, he was still to find something completely unappealing in consumption, an indiscriminate trait he was unsure the lawyer shared.

“Wait– wait wait. Let me guess,” eyes like oil awaiting a fuse, watching to gauge the reaction. “An insult to pasta everywhere?”

“Or,” he’d spear and wave a food-laden fork near Dante’s mouth in mockery enticement, “does someone like hotel food?” All the likes of a feather to a cat.

Or the behaviour of repulsive honeymooners.























now playing...







It Will Come Back



Hozier


































































♡coded by uxie♡

 
Raevlyn
Darrow
Take me to space~
https:///www.raevlyn-darrow.com
/sugarinspace

Raven analyzed the situation in confusion before rubbing Oliver's head in some attempt at comfort, recognizing their own anxiety in the boy. Reminder: buy Ollie a present later. They made the mental note and committed it to memory, knowing it would come up some random time later, as was usual.
I know it was you. What the actual fuck is your problem? You were in charge of the sound and then this happens? The triggeringly angry voice easily caught their attention, eyes pinning on Mallory and May Gu as the blonde began accusing the mute student, something that seemed to make their vision go red as they rushed towards the two. Shoving their black wig out of their face, they grasped the girl's pale arm haphazardly, blue eyes hard and angry, and tugged.
"Hey, she said she didn't fucking do it, stop it and leave her alone." The strong Scottish student commanded in their most steady, venom-filled voice, fighting off the urge to punch the other students' rather annoying self. The shorter of the two, Raven stood up straight, attempting to make themself bigger in their chunky, platform boots.
coded by reveriee.
 
​
















Let's Fall in Love



FINNEAS








Graham Byrne







Graham laid his head back as people talked around him, a more distant approach to the same things that he usually did. Watched, analyzed, carefully observed, and then acted.

He smiled to himself, a rare smile that actually reached his eyes.

“How will I ever survive getting banned from a church that I accidentally stumbled into.” A good natured bit of snark that slipped out as Graham settled into dropping his confidence and his bluster for something more realistic. He did like a bit of banter, after all. He knew that that wasn’t an act.

Usually, though, he made the natural banter a bit more brainless, a little bit less sarcastic. More good-natured. But he supposed that he’d be given a little bit of leeway what with the near death situation that he’d just been in.

“I don’t need you to talk it out with them, lad.” A pause, considering his words. “I appreciate it, though. There’s a long list of people that hate me, and to be honest his church is at the very bottom of my priorities.”

He smiled just a little bit, perhaps a bit apologetically. “I’m sorry for ruining your night, though. I just really wanted to see all of the uptight fecks in there squirm at the idea of one of them being a queer. Paranoia and all that, finding the imposter among them.”

“It’s not the first church I’ve been banned from, and it definitely won’t be my last. That has to be in my top five ways I’ve gotten kicked out, though.” A pause as he seemed to try to recall a different time, perhaps a fun story to tell.

“... You’re lucky that I haven’t actually slept with anyone from your church, that’s all I’m gonna say.” More light ribbing, but it was better now.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 
















Apocalypse



Cigarettes After Sex








Matteo Wright



  • .




Matt watched passively as his student started welling up with tears and bawling while speaking frantically about… about…

Listen.

Here’s the thing.

Matt really didn’t care about high school drama. He really didn’t. In a list of regrets that he didn’t ever truly have a childhood or any of the experiences that people think are universal for Americans, he never had any of those.

It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad. It was just the truth. Matteo Allen Wright never had a prom. Never watched Disney movies. Never had a shitty middle school romance.

And one of the things he never had was high school boy drama. And quite honestly? Thank whatever god might’ve been up there that he never had to deal with this bullshit, because he couldn’t think of anything more dull to have to deal with than people’s feelings because they fucked the wrong guy and oh no now the player played them wow what a shocker who could’ve seen this coming.

Even more unfortunate to Jenelle, he had far more experience being on the other end of this interaction: being the one to fuck and flee. Leave the emotions and the heartbreak for someone else, not him.

So when she started blubbering about for advice Matt just barely held back a very scathing bit of critique that would’ve most likely destroyed her entire self-esteem:

Stop crying.

But that would’ve been too heartless and probably would’ve gotten him fired. So he successfully managed to shut the fuck up and not actually say something that he’d regret later.

“Well that sounds like that sucks.” Matt said flatly, not without sympathy, but definitely a much more direct approach than what was probably necessary as he blew out cigarette smoke. He pretended to take a couple of seconds to truly ponder the question and try to come up with reasonable advice that wasn’t just ‘Have you considered you got played’

“Have you tried forcing him to talk to you? Clear communication is usually the healthiest approach to situations like this.” Matt offered in ways of advice. Perhaps not the best, but it certainly was better than the other things he was thinking currently about her state as a fucking idiot who fell for a guy that was most definitely a player.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 
MOOD: Confused



OUTFIT: flowers!



LOCATION: Apartment
basics
MENTIONS:





INT:

Qwertycakes Qwertycakes
tags
TL;DR Sed fermentum tortor nulla, vel sodales nibh bibendum eu. Maecenas a lacus a libero blandit commodo. In lobortis aliquam urna, id tempor ex semper at
tl;dr
josephine kingston
The past is the past, today is today


"Babe, I really need to-" Jo trailed off, gesturing to the night stand, a soft smile spreading onto her face as she recieved her boyfriend's cuddles. "But wait what do you mean? Is something wrong?" She frowned, taking Alexei's hand into hers, rubbing it gently. It wasn't like him to ever be sad. Since she'd known him he'd been one of the most pleasant and cheerful people in the world, almost always confident and happy-go-lucky, in a way that made the fact that he looked so upset even more jarring and scary.

As he continued to explain he wasn't the guy he thought she was, Jo couldn't pay full attention. Her brain was far to preoccupied with examining all possibilities for what he could mean by his statement. But through all the potential what-ifs, it was abundantly clear what Alexei was trying to say. The thought made her physically ill, not to mention completely livid. How could he even look at her now? How could he lie to her about something like that? They lived together for crying out loud, they had a baby on the way. Did she even know him at this point?

Apparently, she didn't whatsoever. She'd always thought he was a devoted and loving boyfriend, even if they occasionally bickered over him being too chummy with other girls. Despite these past spats, she was still absolutely gutted at the realization that he was cheating on her. Was it all just a lie? Did he really think she was a perfect princess, or was he just buttering her up? Maybe he just got off on spoiling women, and his sidepiece was being treated the exact same way. Maybe all the sweet moments weren't as special or real as she thought they were if he'd begun cheating a mere two months in. Maybe she'd really always be competing with somebody else for the attention of those she loved.

Now all she could do was pray that they could somehow work through this, that he hadn't totally given up on them, and they could return to the gushy clingy couple they once were. She absolutely wasn't ready to let go of all the warmth and love their relationship brought, even if that meant she had to swallow her prides and find some way to convince him to commit only to her.

Still frowning, Jo looked up at Alexei. "Who is it?" She asked simply, her body nearly shaking in anticipation, yet in desperate need of answers. "Who's the other woman?"

code by valen t.
 







abigail hargreaves






The laughter of the people around her caused the girl to laugh herself, all anxiety that was prevalent when they first arrived had disappeared at this point. Graham had denied any possible forgiveness from the church that Josh had offered, stating that it was at the bottom of the list of people who disliked him.

To be honest, Abby wasn’t in the slightest worried about whether she was accepted amongst the congregation or not, she never planned on going back there anyways. Even with an invite from Joshua, it just didn’t seem very likely to attend after that one night.

The smile that was smeared on her face stayed there as she listened to Graham finish his statement towards Josh, “... You’re lucky that I haven’t actually slept with anyone from your church, that’s all I’m gonna say.”[/]

She shakes her head at the man, ”Yet.” Her right hand in a Y, scooping from beside her. A reiteration of what he had just said. Knowing Graham, there was a high chance he would someone end up banging someone who went to that church. And at this rate, it really could be anyone.

Thankfully with the topic change, the mood in the room had shifted as well, everyone seemed pretty light-hearted now, laughing along with each other. This was all that she wanted when the group got there, and though it may have taken a little while, they had finally gotten to where they should’ve been.

With one more look around at the group she was in, a thought ran through her mind, ”I’m so thankfully for these dorks.” There was no way she would have said it in the moment, but in the right situation, she definitely would make them aware of how she felt about them.

They were her closest friends in a while, although Max had been around longer than Graham and Joshua. Those two didn’t know half of what Max did, and that’s what made her just the slightest bit more appreciative of the timid boy.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

Despite the boneless dreamy state that Dante currently found himself in, he could still feel the razor sharp edge of the feather light tone that Ren had taken on. But he really couldn’t give a shit at the moment about potential ramifications to his thought process.

The ravioli seemed just a bit repulsive. Most definitely cold. Probably cooked in a microwave.

But Dante wasn’t a particularly generous fellow. And Ren had already gotten his way too expensive hot chocolate, he had to cut corners somewhere.

He blustered a lot about the proper way to have pizza and hot chocolate, but ultimately he believed in paying for what you got. If he was going to pay for a nice pizza, he might as well enjoy it. If he was going to pay for an incredibly expensive hot chocolate, it better be the fucking best hot chocolate on this goddamn earth.

This was bought out of convenience, laziness, and a willingness to see Ren’s bargaining skills in action. It wasn’t necessarily for taste or quality.

So when approached with a “Let me guess, an insult to pasta everywhere?” Dante looked Ren straight in the eyes.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to turn down free food. Picky picky.” A gentle tease brought along in congruence to him stabbing pasta with a fork and gently placing it into his mouth with the delicate nature of a proper delicacy.

An easy swallow as he stared Ren in the eyes, a tease at the end of a fork. He leaned forward and caught the fork in his mouth, slowly sliding off and taking the bite with him.

Stealing horribly.

“You’re the one that wanted to eat, right? Why don’t you eat more.” Dante said mildly, faking concern in a horribly gleeful way. The type of glee that comes from a challenge

Honestly, he was just waiting for the initiation of round two.























now playing...







Naked



FINNEAS





























































♡coded by uxie♡

 





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

Never quite satisfied with what he earned, Ren had a hunger that rent itself bladed. Hollowed with perpetual want, an ugly ravening that bit from adolescence and left rotting wounds. It could not be expunged from cartilage or muscle, scraped clean like animal fat from an animal hide, a disorienting dredge to confuse delineation of imposed limitations.

One can’t afford to waste when one can’t afford anything.

Ren didn’t have the heart to refuse even the most deplorable of meals.

“Hey,” the notion he didn’t want the pasta pinched him with need to bicker. “I’m not that picky, I let you take me on a date.” Conveniently choosing to overlook the fact he’d enforced the diner visit with not much opportunity to decline, to be inferred captious was a larger insult than anything else the lawyer could throw.

Ren’s idling was impatient, a tenterhook interval with eyes mapping the dainty mouthful they pared and placed. Straining to divine what their complaint would be, he anticipated a grimace, a twitch of the brow or hesitancy in swallowing. Dante delivered none. Looking ever content, the klepto was mildly annoyed to see him at ease.

Ren was suddenly not winning.

But Dante was far from finished with his exhausting antics. Drawing closer to take the bite from the fork in one hypnotic motion. Static lit itself over skin, plan of future rounds encroaching priority. Ren blinked, contemplating: perhaps the pasta wasn’t that important.

If not audience to their ego, he would have taken opportunity to steal the distance, lunge onto Dante like a cat to sirloin steak and get what he wanted. The provocation for sport had impatience bleeding through fractures. Taking the words in with a mindless eye narrow, a poor display at looking unbothered as he stabbed the fork into his food.

“Don’t act cute.” He’d warn, albeit fondly. “You’re the one that needs to eat more.”

Dante must be bored or deranged, the only reason Ren could find that explained why they were bothering to entertain and feed a stranger.

“See here, Toots.” Insouciant, a palm slid along the lawyer’s forearm to rest on their bicep. Staking claim over the skin with a lingering touch, an echo ever unwilling to depart. A click of tongue sounded against teeth in mocking replica of their earlier tsks. “You’re weakening.”

Evil. Evil excuse to hold arm.























now playing...







It Will Come Back



Hozier


































































♡coded by uxie♡

 






OCTOBER

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Today



Halloween!

🎃






Notes

HALLOWEEN PARTY
Leave some candy out for the trick-or-treaters

Shopping list
Costume
Candy
Lots of edibles







25 August 2013



:ghostr: Boys and girls of every age,
Would you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This our town of Halloween :ghostl:

October the 31st is heralded by the citizens of Joplin with celebration and glee and mischief galore. School has let out early for the afternoon, leaving the city's youth free to roam the streets unattended and commit misdemeanor crimes. But there's no age limit on foolish fun, is there now? Plenty of adults have thrown together parties and get-togethers with no more sophistication and class. Today's the day to bring out your raunchiest costume, buy up all the cheap drinks you can carry, and revel in the end of October like you were trying to die before November.

If partying's not your cup of worms, though, there's sure to be something a little safer and soberer going on downtown. A haunted house, perhaps? Maybe taking the little ones out trick-or-treating. Don't worry, they'll be safe-- no one's going to be giving away any drugs for free in this city. dear god.

Try not to find any ghosts, now...
Or you might become one.




Joplin News

Residents may notice an increase in police presence along the waterfront area due to recent drug raids and a rise in reports of gang-related violence






Joplin

55°



Cloudy
55 / 38 ° F




Breaking news


DNA Evidence Found Inconclusive
DNA evidence thought to be linked to a series of Washington murders fails to narrow down a suspect ... read more





marfgin:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Don't get stabbed!



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© weldherwings.

 
WARNING INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA WHICH LEADS TO SOME HOMOPHOBIC THINGS BEING WRITTEN DOWN YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED​





























SEPTEMBER 26TH.

Dante glanced down, mildly insulted, but also aware that Ren was coming up with excuses to start getting all touchy again.

A small smile tugged at his lips once more before he had the wherewithal to have it drop once more.

—-----------------------------------------------

So anyways, Dante had made a nice lil friend.

Friend.

Friend with benefits.

Reluctant fuck buddy.

Well, whatever the fuck THAT was, he’d gone back for more. He craved more. Whatever weird monster that Ren had unleashed, Dante couldn’t go back to… abstinence? Repression? Denial?

It was wrong. Whatever he was doing, it was wrong. But it was so good to give himself over to a rush of pleasure, right? Especially when he’d… worked… so fucking hard to get whatever they wanted. He deserved a little bit of something, right?

Oh fuck, he was a fucking sugar daddy wasn’t he?

He’d spent only a month in America and he was already becoming a degenerate who only lived for pleasure. His parents had warned him that this was going to happen.

He should’ve listened.

So here he was, on a night that was very rare that he might actually get a full night’s sleep, staring at his phone while he attempted to sleep.

As he laid in bed, he looked at Ren’s contact. Block and delete. Block and delete. It would be so easy to never hear from the fussy little golddigger again. He’d made sure to never take Ren anywhere close to where he was living or any of his haunts that didn’t pertain to their arrangement. Rarely in public.

It’d be so easy.

His thumb graced the block button. And he realized that he was holding his breath.

Ren would be so disappointed.

…. No this was the exact opposite of what he needed.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No. He didn’t.

No.

He couldn’t. He couldn’t do that.

The family was the only thing that mattered. The… the…

His family was the only thing that mattered, to hell with everything else. He couldn’t care about anyone other than that.

No.

Sorry, that didn’t happen.

Fiocchi men only cared about the family, the Fiocchi name. Living up to the standard. Doing anything and everything for family. They didn’t give a rats ass about anything else. Hell, he didn’t think his father cared all that much for his mother.

Even more, Dante wasn’t a person, he was only a tool to be wielded by the family. He didn’t matter as a person. He couldn’t be a person in the end of it all.

He stared at Ren’s contact, a stupid snapshot he’d taken quickly of the shitty hot chocolate that Ren had ordered as his profile picture. Instead of a name just a sparkles emoji.

It would’ve been so much easier if Ren was a girl. He could actually begin to imagine being a little bit open about the entire thing if that was so. Calling him his girl or fucktoy or anything other than the secrecy he had to shroud everything in.

The Russian mafia had to be stricter than his family, right? In his family, well, you’d get disowned for bringing around a man as a partner. It was disgusting. It was unnatural. It was vile. It was for the lower class, the commoners. The artists. Not for them, and certainly not for him. Him who had no purpose other than to serve his family. Than to be a backup if his older brother failed. To not bring complete shame towards the family by doings something scandalous like love a man.

It wasn’t him.

He was his family.

He was his duty to his family.

There was no room for anything else.

He laid his phone down across his chest in a petulant attempt at trying to stop being a stupid high schooler with a stupid crush.

What now? He had to face the fact that he'd spat in the traditions of his family. That he was something that his parents loathed more than anything else. That he couldn't live up to his parents standards.

And after that, he had to think about what this might mean for the mafia. The mafia controlled his life, he couldn't possibly imagine any emotional investment working out well for him. Not after... Not after... No. That was a liability. So that couldn't be what was happening. At all.

That was the wrench Ren threw in the plans. The Ren problem was multilayered. If Dante admitted that he might be a queer, that meant turning his back on his family. If he turned his back on his family, who even was he? Dante's entire existence was built to be a tool for his family. He was nothing without his family. The idea of his family disowning him, turning their back on him...

... And even if he was one of them, one of the queers, that meant only bad things in the mafia - for both him and Ren.

Dante couldn't accept this.

So he slept with a guy.

So he slept with a guy more than once.

This didn't mean anything.

This meant nothing.

Ren meant nothing.

Deleting and blocking him would just prove that he meant something to Dante, which he didn't.

Dante was not gay.

Dante was not attracted to men.

It was just... this was purely out of convenience.

Yeah.

Convenience.

Ren just happened to have incredibly low standards and was the first person to proposition to him after Dante was really pent up and considering Ren was the first person he'd met in this godawful country, of course Dante would go back for more. Ren was the only person to proposition to him, and he hadn't had the time to go out clubbing.

It was convenience. It wasn't attraction.

Ren meant nothing.

He meant nothing.

Which was good, because the mafia wouldn't go after the whore that Dante screwed on occasion out of convenience for the sake of expelling energy.

And he fully blamed Ren for not being prepared when people were suddenly breaking his door down and rushing into his room.























now playing...







Naked



FINNEAS





























































♡coded by uxie♡

 







joshua jones



  • .



Joshua Jones had… well, he had friends.

He didn’t dare to say it out loud, living in the constant fear that his parents would smite him and put him through extensive therapy at the Kingdom Hall or be shipped away for training. But call it what you wanted, there was no denying that the boy had managed to find two people whom he had been able to connect with for more than two minutes. It was a surreal experience to walk through the corridors of the school and have someone actively come to search for you. For someone to intentionally wave and make their way over to question you about your day. Someone to turn around to in your chair as you wait for the teacher to come into the class, and discuss trivial things. And people to finally sit with at lunchtime so he was no longer sitting in the cafeteria by himself or spending his lunch period hidden away in the library, studying. Over the month of September and October, he could just feel his heart start to grow in size; swelling with such pride to be around people who genuinely made him feel good.

If having friends felt like this - felt so good - then why did his parents spend so much time and energy forcing away these friendships?

It was like scales had fallen from his eyes, and Joshua was starting to see things in colour rather than black and white. Certain things his parents would say or do had him questioning them internally; something which he had never dared to have done in the past. He continued to follow their words, advice, and commands like an obedient son, but all the while spent his time daydreaming about what Max and Abigail were up to at that very moment. The lack of a mobile phone made it incredibly hard to have any sort of contact with them, and he had to sadly announce to them that he wasn’t allowed to give out the house phone number as you could imagine the show his parents would put on if they happened to answer the phone call. It limited his engagement time to strictly within school hours, much to his dismay.

But all of that was going to change.

They had been sitting in the cafeteria, taking their time with their food on their plates when Abby suggested to both the boys about attending a party for Halloween. That, in itself, opened up a whole side of Joshua’s childhood that he wasn’t sure Max or Abigail would’ve assumed about him. He explained to them how he had never been to a Halloween party for two reasons; the first being it was Halloween. A time for the wicked to walk amongst the living. His parents would say demons entered people's houses during these nights. And the other reason was that it was a party. As a Jehovah's Witness, they didn’t celebrate holidays or events that honor people who aren’t Jesus. That included Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mother's and Father’s day, birthdays, Halloween - and the list went on. In his whole eighteen years of being on this Earth, not once had anyone wished him a Happy Birthday nor present him with a gift.

It was at that very lunch table that Abigail convinced him that he just had to come to the Halloween party. He had told her that he didn’t have a costume, only ‘regular clothes’ and suits. She rebutted that, telling him to just bring a suit and she’d help him with everything else. Next, they had to think about some sort of lie to get him out of the house and away from his parent's prying eyes. After some research in the Watchtower newsletter that laid on his father’s desk at home, Joshua decided he would convince his parents that he was going to attend an all-boys, teenage bible study that night. It seemed to have worked as they were overjoyed that their son was actively engaged to please Jehovah.

It was the night of the Halloween party.

Mr and Mrs Jones were held up at the Kingdom Hall, catering to some outside guests. It left Joshua in charge of making dinner and ensuring his sisters were well-fed before he could leave the house. In the midst of washing the dishes after cooking dinner, Joshua was off in his own little world, daydreaming of the possible outcomes of what this party would be like. And, if anything, anxiety was beginning to riddle his gut. Was this really a good idea? Had he really thought this all through?

“So, uh… bible study, hey?”

He was brought back down to reality; Mary stood next to him, leaning against the countertop with her arms crossed and looking at Joshua with great curiosity.

“Y-... yeah?”

Oh, God. Did she know something?

“Ah, right. Bible study. Will… a certain… someone be there?”

Joshua glanced at her, confused. “A certain someone?”

“Starts with an ‘A’ and ends with a… ‘Bby’?”

He swallowed thickly, turning his attention back to the dishes in his hands. “No, it’s an all boys study” he sternly responded. Oh, he was still trying to get used to this whole lying thing; Mary could see right through him. Her eyes narrowed as if she could see the right through to his very core.

“Riiiiighhttt…” she trailed, looking off to the distance “So… No Abby tonight then… Such a shame. I think she’s really pretty. And smart. And like, totally cool too” By this point, Joshua had unintentionally stopped moving the sponge over the dirty plate in his hand, hoping to hear what Mary had to say about the other girl. “And, like… if we weren’t in the family that we were in, I would say she would be perfect girlfriend material.” Mary paused once more, turning to look at her brother with, for once in her life, a soft, kind smile on her face. “I see you guys at lunch together. Your face just… I dunno… just glows. You actually look happy for once in your life”

Joshua could feel his ears beginning to burn, creeping to his cheeks. There was no way he could deny that; he did feel happy around Abby (and Max).

Mary leaned forward, her voice coming down to a hushed tone. “Do you want me to go and pick something out for you to wear?”

He could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Of course, Mary could read him like a book. That and he was incredibly, painfully bad at lying. He turned to look at his sister and saw that on her face was a look of… well, was it caring? Was Mary Jones, for once in her whole damn life, actually being mindful of Joshua’s feelings and was looking for a way to help promote his happiness - even if it meant disobeying their parents? The look on her face confirmed it; she was ready to help him, like he had been ready to over for her so she could get up on that stage and perform her heart out. And so, he nodded. “A suit, please” he said in a soft, small voice.

“Suit? Right, on it.”

Mary ventured off toward Joshua’s bedroom as he continued to clean up the kitchen. This was it. Mary was in on this too. She was approving of it also. For some odd reason, it almost brought a sense of comfort knowing that he had someone looking out for him. Thank Jehovah it had been Mary for all of this, and not Alexandria. That girl had a track record of taking people down and curb stomping on them American History X style. Well, metaphorically speaking. Mary returned just as Joshua finished placing the last clean plate away; this time with a suit bag in hand.

“I picked out the black suit from Aaron’s wedding” she informed him, reaching out to hand it to him on its hanger. “And the bowtie from Matthew’s. I think you’ll be rather stunning.”

With the suit in his hand, Joshua paused - still in complete disbelief that his sister was actually helping him. His eyes traveled from the suit to his sister’s face before he managed to muster a “Thank you”; his voice, even though small, was filled with gratitude. Without any warning, Mary closed the gap between the pair of them and wrapped her arms around Joshua to embrace him. When was the last time Mary had given him a hug like this? Scratch that - when was the last time anyone in his family had embraced him? He had been so moved by his sister’s actions that he could feel his eyes beginning to water ever so slightly. Wrapping his arms around her figure in return, Joshua took a moment to melt into the hug.

With his pocket map in hand, Joshua finally made his way to Abby’s house. The girl had given him her address, to which he had to search for it on a handheld map he found in his brother’s old drawer in his bedroom. It was just one of those days where he was convinced having a mobile phone was a great investment. His suit bag hung over his fingers and over his shoulder, he ventured up the path to Abby’s front door.

Deep breath in… and out he had to remind himself; before he lifted his hand and knocked on the door. You can do this







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 







abigail hargreaves



  • .



Between school and friends, time had passed by quickly from the night that the group visited Graham in the hospital, Abigail thinks about that night a lot. The chaos from the school play and the stress from the visit took a toll on the girl, but that didn't stop her from persevering through the rest of her life. She really focused on her studies, as it was her senior year and graduation would be here before she knew it.

"Will Max be joining us for dinner?"

Her mother called from the kitchen towards the living room where the girl was hanging out, it had slipped her mind temporarily as to what day it was and the plans for the night. "Of course, mom. He should be here soon." Abigail's eyes focus back down toward her phone, scrolling through Tumblr again.

It was officially Halloween, school had let out early so that the students could enjoy the holiday. On Monday that had just passed though, Abigail had heard about a party that was happening on her street. It was at Mallory Hawke's house, which even though there were only about 3 houses that separated the girls, they had never met.

Thankfully this party was an open invite, so she proposed the idea of attending to Josh and Max, and with excitement building inside her, she almost exploded when the two boys agreed to go. To learn that Joshua had never actually celebrated Halloween, let alone ANY holiday, kind of saddened the girl, especially when he mentioned he never had a birthday party, which was something that would be remembered when it came time.

Her focus had shifted from her phone to a knock at the door, standing up, she goes to open it and reveals Max standing there, with a plate of cookies in hand. A smile spreads across her face as she invites him in, giving a swift Thank you sign as he began to step through the threshold of the door. Abigail calls out to her mom, as she guides the two of them into the kitchen where dinner was being finished.

The four of them all sat down and ate, having some back-and-forth conversation, having Abby fill in where her parents lacked in their sign language, so as to keep Max included. As hard as she tried to get her parents to learn the language, they had their struggles, but at least they were attempting to learn, this brought a smile to her face as she watched her father finger spell.

Gathering up all the dishes and placing them in the kitchen, Mary-Anne shooed the two teens to hang out while she cleaned up dinner, with a quick hug between her mother and herself, Abigail led Max towards the guest room. "This is where you can sleep after the party." Her fingers lingered in the Y shape at the end of her sentence.

The two sat down on the couch that was in the room, and Abigail grabbed out a photo album, showing off her younger years, which included things like dance, gymnastics, and even a few beauty pageants. Not many people got to see these photos, as she was a completely different person than she was 6 years ago. After showing a few silly photos, Abigail was cracking up, she didn't remember these pictures being taken, but was glad they were.

As the two were hanging out in the guest room, a knock came at the door, Abigail's dad, Daniel, got up from his seat on the couch to answer it. As he opened it, he revealed a boy standing there with a bagged suit in hand. "You must be Joshua. Abigail has told us all about you." He smiles at Josh, shaking his hand and inviting him in, "Max and Abby are in the guest room, I'll lead you to them."






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 
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