desinber:
He’d left the house so many times, even within the last handful of months, but he hadn’t made it very far. The nights he didn’t spend in his childhood bed were spent on the beds, couches and even floors of strangers’ when he was too wasted to find his way back, something that wasn’t unusual, even less as time went on. He’d thought he was doing better. He’d thought, stupidly, that he wasn’t a complete lost cause, there for a moment. He faintly remembered at the festival, how he’d felt a sense of happiness and hope, how he could breathe again — a weight lifted. Now it was back, heavier than ever, and if he was being honest, he didn’t care to shake it off. He would rather it just crush him until there was nothing left, then maybe, maybe, this would all be over. For good this time.
Those thoughts were a bit too dark to share, at least to the girl that was standing in front of him. While he didn’t care about his own downward spiral, he didn’t want to bring anyone else down with him; Belva, especially. (And on Christmas of all days.) If you asked him, she was one of very few people who actually had a chance in this world, and one of even fewer that actually deserved it. It took all of his energy to pretend that anything about where he spent the day mattered, to even muster a halfway realistic smile. He didn’t need that energy, anyway. There was nothing else to use it for. “Alright. You got me.” Pushing the half empty bottle of gin underneath his chair with the back of his boot, as if her seeing it would matter at all, he gave in. “Where’s this change of scenery?”
.
The bottle of gin doesn’t escape Belva’s notice, but she won’t comment. She’s no stranger to those who lose themselves in the liquid contained within glass bottles, to pills and substances that were meant to provide an outlet but often left their users trapped. Perhaps she should say something, offer some type of support and advice, but her words have a tendency to come out wrong (especially when it means so much), and so she chooses to stick with what she can do. She can be there, act as a distraction or a confidant or whatever it is that her brother needs. Even if that relationship is still new, not nearly as solid as with Ace or Horatio, she treasures it all the same.
So, Belva holds out her hand, red sparkly fingernails outstretched towards him. “First, we’re going to get whatever take out you want. I’m still kinda new to a lot of it, so I’m trusting your taste here, okay?” There’s a tilt to her lips, an amused and teasing grin. “Then, we’re going to go back to the place I’m renting and...I don’t know, watch a movie? Maybe one of those super cheesy Christmas ones? Not Hallmark, though, I won’t torture you with those.” Blue eyes glance at him, as if seeking approval, still trying to navigate the new relationship between them.










