It's a Beautiful Life

you were so preoccupied with whether or not you could that you forgot to stop and think about whether or not you should

how and more importantly

why

is this your fault somehow????????????????????

There’s a present waiting for you either at your home or at a friend’s, depending on whether you’re okay with sudden visitors to your home or you’d have to be invited to his place.

Looks like the wrapping paper is homemade, too: blue, decorated with stars.

It’s a flat box.

Open it?

♥yes  no It’s a picture made out of pastels. Someone put a lot of care into this. There’s a note, too.

dear flicker,

merry gyftmas! i can’t wait to spend time with you during today if you can make it; i hope, whatever happens, you have a good one!

your friend, tangerine

The wrapping paper alone was enough of a surprise for the twitchy skeleton monster. He could tell from both appearance and feel that it had been homemade, not simply store-bought or found. He looked at it critically, not because he was judging its artistic appeal-- he thought it rather pretty-- but because who would go through such effort? 

     Of course he opens it, though with some reluctance. Twitchy was used to destroying things, but here he was being uncharacteristically careful. He will probably keep the paper, maybe use it for a project of his own in the future. It seemed such a waste to just tear it apart and throw away, even if it was just paper.

     But if he had such high opinion of the wrapping paper, the content of which it contained was another story.

     Immediately, a smile was on his face. He recognized the drawing of what it was suppose to be, and he appreciated the colors very much. He didn’t need to read the note to know who it was from, though he’s never seen such drawings from his friend before. Regardless, he reads the note, giving a mild snort at the nickname but it has long ago lost it’s mocking edge. 

     Twitch turned to his feline-friend on the bed, and showed Kit the wonderful picture of him. Kit seemed to like it, too; he at least meowed and rubbed against it. Twitch pulled it away before he could bend it and chuckled, setting it on his nightstand for the time being. He wanted to get it framed. Maybe he’ll ask his dad for help.

Pale - Within Temptation

     He hated having him there. Twitch knew. He didn't need to catch the scathing looks. Didn't need to keep a constant look over his shoulder, or mind the distance. He didn't need to read the younger skeleton's mind or hear the cold remarks. He knew.

     He was so sure if given the chance, Plague would kill him. And he wouldn't blame him.

     Twitch had to grin to himself at the thought. Honestly, if the circumstances were different, he'd have given him the chance. Maybe not so easily, but he wouldn't have minded if he succeeded. In a way, he wouldn't now. And not because he wanted to die. Far from it. Didn't that just make it more appropriate?

     No. He had too much going for him now, and he'd like to think he's earned it, in a way. Perhaps for this very purpose. He earned it the same way he earned the youth's hatred. He didn't mind it. Not in the way that drove him to inaction or deep grief.

     It would be hypocritical of him, wouldn't it. He deserved the distrust, the anger, all of it. He never once was disillusioned about that. Did he regret it? Yes. Of course he did. He still wished that, somehow, he could reach to back then and changed what he did. It didn't matter what he had been thinking. What he had been feeling. To an extent, it didn't even matter if he'd been right and Plague would have become the person he himself despised with the very fiber of his being.

     Twitch could have made a difference. And he did. But not for the better.

     It would have been more merciful if he'd just killed him, perhaps. But he didn't. And now, he has to live with that. And he will.

     Plague hated him. But Twitch wasn't going away.

     There was a reason for that, too. He did wonder if keeping his distance would be better for Plague. But Plague... was all alone. There was no one. No one to confide in. To rely on. To even show his true face to, that needed to rely on a mask. Just like back then, and Twitch had mocked him for it.

     It was sad. And unfair, wasn't it. If he could, Twitch would give him something better than him.

     But for now, that was how it was. Twitch's life turned around only because he had people there to turn it for him. He remembered how hard he had fought them, because facing reality had been so terrifying. Facing himself had been terrifying. He couldn't do it alone.

     So. Here he was. Following nothing more than a certainty that it was the right thing to do. And not for himself. But the person he had wronged. If he could have even just the smallest bit of influence into the right direction, or ease the burden of fear or loneliness, he'd take it. This time, he won't run away.

     Plague hated him. And that was okay. In a way, it was like the hatred he'd given was coming back around. And with that thought, this was nothing. After all, Plague couldn't torment him the way he had to him. So what were scathing looks and harsh words?