DIVINE APATHY

        A    SHARP    HISS    IS    his    only    warning    before    she    is    jerking    back    in    pain    and    shoving    him    in    the    sternum    with    her    uninjured    foot  .    mal    is    met    with    resistance  ,    the    broad    strength    of    his    chest    solid    enough    that    she    can’t    straighten    her    leg    or    drive    him    away    from    her    with    the    push  ,    but    the    heel    of    her    boot    digs    into    his    right    pectoral  .    it    brings    her    only    mild    pleasure  ,    but    not    nearly    as    much    as    the    low    of    his    voice  ,    the    concern    lacing    his    words    beneath    the    aggravation  .    ❝    i    don’t    remember    laughing  .    ❞    in    contrast    to    her    attack  ,    her    fingers    brush    his    knuckles    sweetly  .    ❝    you’re    not    really    mad  ,    are    you  ?    you    weren’t    around    to    hoist    me    up    there    and    i    didn’t    want    to    wait    for    you  .    ❞

THERE IS A SYMPHONY BURSTING IN HIS MOUTH  .          it sounds like pinkblackgold  ,     like           some kind of a voided sunset  ,        some kind of amalgamation of mal and her skin and her sharp mouth and her hands  .       her blistered heart and those thin ankles  .        the way he could press his mouth to her collarbone and taste her heartbeat  .     backbeat  .

the sound of her heart is violent red  .     eli’s never seen the color on paper  ,     before  ,     and           he thinks there must be some poetry to how she makes him see shades that don’t even exist  .            there must be some poetry to the way his own chest beats grey  ,     rhythmic and bland  ,    but it looks almost soft to touch when she’s around  .     some kind of poetry  ,     he thinks  .

elias also thinks it’s so fucking lame  ,     and        she’d pull him to pieces if she knew  .        ‘    shut up  .     it’s not poetry  ,     they’re temporary lyrics  .     it just helps with the beat  .    ’

the curl of his fingers finds her sketchpad    ;       an eye for an eye  .     he tugs  .        ‘    what’re you working on  ,     brat    ?    ’

‘     IT WAS LIKE THIS WHEN I GOT HERE  .          s e r i o u s l y    .     ’

‘    I’LL KILL YOU  .    ’        IT COMES HEATLESS  ,      bored  .     it comes like elias usually does    —    monotonous  .     it’s what he likes  .     doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous  .       eli flicks the pencil over  ,     wipes the corner of his mouth  .     his cheek is paper  -  creased  .       ‘   fuck  .    ’        a mutter  ,     a glance at his phone  .        ‘    what  ,     you work here    ?    i bought a coffee  ,     if i want to sleep on a wooden table  ,      i paid for the right  .    ’

‘    DID IT    ?    I HAD NO IDEA  .    ’        DROLL DREAMER   /    where is your emotion    ?    where does it rest   ?   eli here is sarcastic at best  ,     emotionless at worst  .     know where to look  ,     though  ,     and his cheek     twitch  -  jumps at hidden humor  .    he pushes the sugary trash back in joy’s direction  .        ‘    i need a favor  .    ’

‘    DO YOU THINK HE CRASHED HIS CAR      on         p u r p o s e     ?    ’

‘    THIS IS A JOKE TO YOU  .    ’        A RARITY   /    FIRE  ,    FIRE    !     eli is a careful tightening of his fists into the soft of the ace bandage  ,        the wrap shrinking in terrified submittal  .       there is concern in the heart of a boy made of stone     /     who would’ve thought    ?       *   NOT ME  ,     SAYS I  .     I FEEL NOTHING  .        ‘   you could’ve really gotten hurt  .     fuck  ,     mal  .    ’        he is no knight in shining armor even as he kneels before her  ,     even as he cups the swell of her ankle between his      now  -  gentle hands  .     he is careful of the swelling  ,     but      he touches the arch of her foot softly  ,      test how far her pain goes  .        ‘    what were you thinking    ?    ’

he went back at 3 am to find her but she was gone. he tried not to think about it.

the next day, spoon was sitting right where he’d found her the night before, but she approached him carrying a. shiny spoon. she dropped it at his feet and went on with her day lmao he was like “are you a fucking bird” but she didn’t answer, unfortunately 

anyway she just kept bringing him spoons and eventually following him home? she wouldn’t leave him alone? she would sit at the back of his house where his window faced, and she was smart enough not to meow from the one time his dad came out to scare her away. spoon was the first thing that actually tried to stay? she just kept bringing him shiny spoons—sometimes some tinsel, too, but mostly spoons. she likes the shine.

anyway pt 2 it turns out she was stealing them from the local diner and eli fell in love with her