𝕤𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣

caleb had just finished a show with his band, the show had gone well, it might've been their best one yet. he was on his way back to his dressing room when he bumped into his security guard with a face that he didn't know, they must be a fan. caleb stops, grinning at the stranger slightly, "hey. what's going on here?".

"An... honest misunderstanding?" convincing. "Look, I mean no disrespect at all, I just wanted to offer two things - one: if your drummer ever gets tired, I could definitely keep up. Wouldn't even have to pay me, I could be like, an on-call understudy." Has Erin had any experience as a drummer in a band? God no, but she prided herself in being a quick and adaptable learner. "Two: I've lived here for years, so I know the perfect place for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, deserts, pastries, and anything else you could think of."

she's used to patching up wounds. has spent the last decade covering up many of her own after dealing with the wrath of her father, who everyone else saw as an upstanding man. but this was different. they were someone she'd been explicitly told to stay far away from. yet, her compassion wins, just as it always does. steady hands conceal nerves that stir beneath the surface, gaze drifting across their features as she prepares everything she needs for their aid. but she doesn't dare make eye contact. " this might sting a little. " a lot. " do you want a rag to bite down on ? "

To say Leo was embarrassed was an understatement. The shame spread through his entire body for simply asking for help weighed heavier than any of the newly acquired bruises and cuts. He'd been in a fair share of fights, especially when alcohol was involved, but even Leo had to figure out how to swallow his pride enough to get his wound treated when shards of a broken bottle was the culprit. He was lucky the glass didn't ricochet right in his eye when it had shattered against the wall. "It's fine," he muttered, dismissing both her warning and the offer for a rag. "I know it's your job to be sweet and nurturing for the animals, right? But just - get it over with.. please".

"I... kind of told my manager to fuck off, and clocked out early - half an hour early, but still." For the remaining of her shift, she had been simply idling by her car, stalling in the hopes to prevent her roommates from asking any questions about getting home from work early. "In my defense, he kind of deserved it. I'm actually surprised I've made it this long without losing my cool. But uh ... probably should start applying for other jobs." She couldn't imagine the start of her next shift being pleasant after such a hostile exchange. "How'd your shift go? Any better, I hope?"

"You know death too don't you?" Violet could tell by the way she talked. "I am sorry."

"How'd they die?" Perhaps a bit too direct, but Dani never claimed to have any semblance of tact. If anything, it was a way to wave off the apologetic remark Violet made about getting morbid. "Doesn't everyone?" Dani replied, following the reflexive urge to brush off any attempts of compassion. With a gentle sigh, Dani leaned back with her arms crossed, gazing up at the ceiling. "Definitely don't know it as much as you seem to. Never came close to it or anything like that." A part of her was curious, but the risk of being too cliche prevented her from asking what it was like. "Do you believe in anything after?" the question slipped out, taking Dani a moment to even realize she spoke it out loud.

"I used the think that life was pointless." Violet muttered softly. "That living was something we were forced to do, but when you're in the verge of death or you see it first hand...life becomes meaningful. It's weird."

"Whether or not life has any inherent meaning or not, doesn't change the fact that everyone attaches more meaning to the dead." Losing her sister at such a young age proved as much - her whole life it felt like she was the ghost as everyone were searching signs for someone who had departed from their conceivable word ages ago. "It's like you don't even exist until you can be mourned." Dani spoke in a matter-a-fact tone. Perhaps buried deep there was a sense of longing behind the words. With a lifetime of crafting the sturdiest wall around her, she wasn't going to let that falter with merely a couple of drinks.

“FUCK!” sean screamed, still half-dressed in his gear as he slammed his locker door shut. they were so close to winning the game, a tense battle that was meant to prove the newest expansion team was worthy of its spot, and he had to fuck it all up. it was an accident, but it didn’t matter. not to the refs, not to his teammates, not to the fans, and not to his father. fuck, his father was going to be so mad at him. screw embarrassing his team, it was a much bigger sin to shame the st. juste name, and henri st. juste was not a forgiving man. before sean even realized it, unbidden tears had squeezed out and he angrily swiped them away with the backside of his wrist. if that wasn’t humiliating enough, of course the locker room door had to open to find him there crying like a little bitch. “what?!” sean yelled over his shoulder as he turned away from them, pretending that he was digging through his gear bag for something very important. “are you here to tell me how badly i fucked everything up? ‘cause i know. i fucking know.”

Seeing Sean like this may had been the first moment she could remember ever truly being frightened in his presence. Despite any urges of caution her friends offered, despite any other time his temper would shine through, she felt like there was something that suddenly reverted her back to the paralysis she'd feel anytime she witnessed her father's outbursts as she grew up. She visibly flinched as Sean snapped what, and even if she had the words to say, it was like the air was knocked out of her lungs and impeding her own ability to speak. "No - I'd never say that," she stammered out, still feeling her head foggy and as though she wasn't truly present in that very moment. "Sorry, I just- wanted to make sure you were okay." And what a terrific job she was doing. For someone who prided herself in always remaining calm, offering the perfect bit of advice each and every time, she was acting as though she had never been in the presence of someone feeling overwhelmed before.

Flynn nodded, still concerned but she felt better having heard it from Charlie herself. It hadn't been how she had expected to end her evening, scaring someone off their bike, especially someone she knew. She was just relieved that her toddler was with her grandparents so she hadn't had to try and wrangle her while making sure Charlie was alright. "Well, you're lucky you don't have a concussion but it might still be a good idea to adhere to concussion protocols." She suggested, knowing it might be overkill but she'd rather be safe than sorry. "Me? I'm okay. I've got the night shift tomorrow so I'm not starting til later in the evening."

"Right, we can just use your CT scanner in your living room," Charlie mumbled, a bit more bitter than intended. A sigh released as she finally got the courage to try to sit up. Squinting her eyes as she still found it difficult to focus on one particular thing as the room still was slowly turning on it's head. At least it didn't feel like she was on a scrambler at the nearest amusement park with how much everything had been spinning. Realization was starting to hit, the harsh truth that alcohol so often buffered. "I'm sorry..." she couldn't remember if she had apologized yet, but she doubt she did so as sincerely as those two words were. Even as the words were muffled by the pillow as she was lying on her side, there was a quiver to them that was impossible to overlook. "This shouldn't have been your problem tonight."

"i'm not going to pretend to understand what you're talking about."

"Wha- no, c'mon, it can't be that far fetched. You don't ever imagine the wind being like messages lost in translation? Like when you're underwater, and people above water are talking, and you're just hearing muffles. Like obviously it's not that, but it could be cool, right?" Avery was starting to sense that the more she was trying to explain, the more lost Kirby would potentially feel.

"you're not a bad person [ . . . ] . . . just a little lost."

"Yeah, and your brilliant words of wisdom that I've never heard before will make me found?" Bitter and sarcastic as ever, but Leo hadn't exactly expected a therapy session when he decided to decompress with a few drinks with coworkers after work. Perhaps he should have expected such when he decided to stick around for another round even as the last of his coworkers said their goodbyes.

"so . . . how is that my problem?"

"...I guess it's not, but I just thought you'd-" care, she finished the sentence in her head. For as long as they'd known each other, she assumed he'd know that for her to say anything other than 'everything's fine', it was dire. "Are you okay, though?" maybe the reason he couldn't even respond to her sarcastic quip about her brother was because he was too flooded with his own shit. Would at least soften the blow of him being so apathetic.

" no , no ... i heard you the first time. i just think that you're asking a fucking lot out of me , when i'd been honest with you from the beginning that this wasn't the direction that i was looking for us to go in. " vince sighs as he brings his hands up to his face , masking the groan that sounds from his throat while his hands drag down against his skin. this had turned complicated quicker than he'd anticipated , and if there was one thing in this world that vince struggled with the most , it was expressing his feelings. in ways that didn't involve a guitar or microphone , evidently. " i don't know what it is that you want from me here , truthfully. when we started this .. it was supposed to be fun , i thought that we were having fun ? why would you want to change that ? "

"...--Yeah, alright." Charlie mumbled after a pause, turning her head away with a clenched jaw. "Forget it, it doesn't even matter, stupid of me to even ask." Why did she even bother asking? It was like she was trying to shatter her own heart in one million pieces because he was right - from the very start, it was obvious he wasn't looking for anything serious, yet Charlie still ended up shaping her life around him like she always did. Ever so foolish and naive to think for a second his feelings shifted towards anything else. "But actually you know what? You're acting like I'm asking you to propose to me and take me on a cruise and hold each other under the stars or something like that - I just need to know if you care about me - like, at all." Not even asking him to feel or express love - but after all the time they spent together, albeit behind closed doors, he had to at least value her as a person to some extent? Why bother continuing the dance they were doing at all? "You can't even tell me that?"

Even with the excess liquor, Dani still could only offer an awkward smile as she shifted her position when she saw her ex outside of the club. It was just her luck - as soon as she stepped out, just another ghost of her past was there to haunt her. "Yeah, no that... fucking sucks." Was there anything else she should be saying? Part of her knew the polite thing would be to offer a listening ear. But on the other hand, Randi wasn't the only one who was trying to forget - and up until that point, it seemed as though Dani was finding that goal easier to achieve. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to go back just yet - Despite her stoic nature, the brick wall she surrounded herself with, she knew she'd spend the whole night worrying about Randi. As much as she'd try to deny it. "So uh- what's going on?"

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthe    second    it    left    his    mouth,    rylan    knew    it    was    the    wrong    way    to    start.    but    charlie    didn’t    flinch.    didn’t    back    down.    for    a    second,    he    was    taken    back,    but    that    quickly    ebbed    into    admiration.    it    was    better    than    silence,    better    than    this    distance    he    had    put    between    them.    ❝    do    you    think    this    was    easy    for    me    ?    ❞    his    words    are    pushed    passed    a    huff,    ❝    walking    away    from    you    ?    you    think    i    slept    soundly    after    that    ?    ❞    with    any    other    girl,    he    would    have,    but    no    one    have    carved    themselves    a    spot    in    his    chest    quite    the    same    way    she    had.    when    she    didn’t    reply    right    away,    he    continued.    ❝    i    didn’t    break    it    off    because    i    didn’t    feel    anything,    ❞    hues    darken,    ❝    i    did    it    because    i    had    to.    ❞    he    laughed    under    his    breath,    bitter    and    barely    there.    ❝    and    i    can’t    really    explain    more    than    that.    but    —    i    just    . . .   i    didn’t    want    you    to    think    i    left    because    you    didn’t    matter.    you    did.    you    do.    that’s    the    problem. ❞    perhaps    that    accounted    for    nothing,    and    the    words    would    die    pointless    on    their    way    out,    but    it    was    worth    saying.    if    only    to    kick    them    out    of    his    head.    maybe    it    would    make    this    distance    he    needed    to    keep    a    fraction    easier,    and    make    rylan    refrain    from    wanting    to    fight    every    guy    that    looks    her    way,    because    he    want    to    be    them.    able    to    have    her.

"Rylan, why are you even telling me this? I mean, is this supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn't - at all. Or is this just you trying to make yourself feel less guilty?" she finally asked, refusing to break eye contract even as she could finally feel the stinging of the tears threatening to surface. If there was one thing she'd like nothing more to change about herself it was that she wore her heart on her sleeve. Not by choice, and perhaps she was even envious of Rylan for being seemingly able to merely walk away from it all. From others, from himself, his emotions, everything. Whereas it felt like every second of every day, Charlie was one gust of wind away from crumbling into nothing more than dust. "You're saying this because you want me to know I mattered to you? Because you just wanted to protect me from what? Yourself?" A shaky exhale escaped as she only then shifted her gaze away, unable to stop herself from picking at her nails. "If you want to run away and shut me out, at least own up to it. At least follow through with that." Out of all of the empty promises, Charlie expected this one to be the most likely he could actually keep.