ᵘᶰᵈᵉʳ ᶜᵒᶰˢᵗʳᵘᶜᵗᶦᵒᶰ

     accepting ‘ thank you ’s was never something abel learned. something about the coupled words made his shoulder blades sink, right hip tilting inward so pull at the muscle enough for abel to feel it. especially when it was for something like this ; as easily as he was to swat away every kind word she said like buzzing flies, their relationship was mutualistic. abel had someone to keep him busy during odd hours of the day he wouldn’t be working and violeta had .. well, whatever it was she wanted to think she had. ( abel would give it to her regardless. ) two fingers barely begin tapping against her scalp to the tune of some top 40 song abel can’t quite remember the name of as his eyes flicker in the gestured direction. “ that’s nothing. i’ll carry that for you if it means getting you off your ass. ” 

      she deserved some fun, was all. something that she could latch onto whenever her lungs got a bit too tight or that ever-present idea of death pressed against her eardrums. his shoulders sag with a sigh, resolute. “ ─ if your dad really is gonna kill me, then i guess that’s all the more reason for me to do something better with the last day of my life than sit here and play with your hair. ” both hands are on her closest shoulder now, pushing once in hopes of coaxing her to sit up entirely. “ come on. ” a smile’s both illuminating his face and the spaces between his next sentence all the same. “ i’ll knock down the seventy to twenty, if you say yes. ” 

    “ that’s nothing for a little twig legged man like me, ” it’s natural of her to mock him in a high-pitched tone of voice aimed to emasculate him before her body finds itself reluctantly pushing itself up off of the mattress to sit in an upright position. hair is everywhere, certainly, but she can’t be bothered to care too much. and there’s nothing in her that actually wants to put up with the work of going outside but she’s not known for her skill in denying abel of anything he should want from her, normally. her face falls to a frown and she rolls her eyes toward him before head drops to the grown to locate her shoes. “ honestly, this feels like forced labor. ” the statement is mumbled through actions that negate it as violeta climbs out of bed and begins slipping her sneakers on. “ if someone would’ve just showed up to our intial plans to begin with ... ” the rest of the comment is lost amidst her tying the laces of her shoes and padding over to her oxygen tank.

      another smile’s folding his lips in lieu of a verbal reply and his head’s teetering back so the crown’s rested against the wall, and there’s a little less strain on hazel eyes when they flicker towards the ceiling. if he was more poetic, abel would think of how his heartbeat lulls in tune with a lullaby when he’s in her company ( like this, and even when they’re just bantering back and forth ) and time’s no longer palpable, hours melting away like seconds and dawn replacing dusk as soon as his eyes blink. but he isn’t, and even contemplating being so somehow makes him feel too much like a cheesy romantic, two fingers tapping once to her temple to act like a switch back to reality. “ fuck if you’re gonna get cancer perks from me. ” it’s a tell ─ the way the rhythm of his hand remains steady ; a punctuation mark all on its own because abel would rather pour salt into open flesh wounds than have to admit he’s doing anything ( even something as minimal as running a hand through her hair ) because he actually cares about her. 

        “ ─ don’t thank me. ” the second word twangs with an edge, like her suggestion had nearly been taken as an insult because his company’s never something abel wants to be misread as pity. he’d still be here with fingers in her hair and another hyperbolized anecdote on the tip of his tongue even if her health was full well and anyone that tried to say otherwise could easily earn themselves a swift punch to the gut. his smile trims an inch on either side for a second, maybe two, before it’s fully transitioned into a simper. the usual mist of humor gives his eyes a gleam, a practiced sigh exhaling through his nose. “ it’s gonna be fifty bucks for the night, and an extra twenty for this. ” his index finger loops a strand of her hair around itself in gesture before the flat of his fingertips rest against the side of her head. “ or, we can sneak out of the house like ballsy fifteen year olds and do something worthwhile. ” 

     “ what ? why not ?? someone does something nice for you, you say thank you. even if you’re dying. ” she won’t be robbed of her right to be polite, she thinks. not even if abel finds it wrong to be thanked for something as banal as giving her time time of day, because it’s special to her and not something that comes as easy as it does to everyone else. she can count on a single hand the ones that have stuck by her unceasingly ( including her parents ) and abel has yet to come off of the list. it’s quite a lot to ask of someone to carry around with them emotionally, she has to assume, to be a friend to someone that you’re not guaranteed to see the next waking day. “ seventy dollars ! you must still be high off of that shit you smoked earlier, ” she laughs, eyes remaining shut through the feel of his hand against her skin up until the invite comes about and she’s compelled to get a look at him. violeta’s quiet for a few moments, irises narrowing some in question as to whether or not the idea is genuine before her teeth momentarily catch her lesser lip in thought. 

The one word from the other woman’s lips instantaneously makes Lila’s stomach turn, a small ache and pang of guilt rushing into her chest and making her frown get a little bigger than it had been previously. Though it wasn’t really necessary for Lila to be as coarse as she had been Lila couldn’t help but knit her brow together when she watches the woman cross her arms, tongue swiping out to dampen her lips before another sigh slipped past them. “ Look, m’sorry, i just have a have a headache is all okay? Just tell me later when I can… fully appreciate it.. or something. “ She murmurs, fingers running through her hair.