#alddn

                                                 “ do you trust me ? ” “ do you ? ”

it’s been too long since lonnie showed his ugly face, so long that jonathan foolishly forgot about his existence. he was with aladdin at the grocery store, two boys grabbing produce and condiments, discussing recipes for dinner and lunch next day.

when lonnie shows up at the end of the aisle, jonathan’s smile vanishes. blood is drained from his face and his hands start to shake, so he grips onto the handle of the shopping cart as hard as he can, planting his feet in preparation of conflict.

( yes, conflict – instead of the once pathetic one-sided beating. )

then, as though luck graced him with an invisible cloak, lonnie did not see him. his abusive father did not see him. There was no cold glance, dismissive grunt, hateful slur flung at him. still, jonathan felt exposed, merely because he dared to exist in the same space as lonnie, and that he chose to be.

frozen where he stands, breath held, he stills like a statue, blood drained from his face and neck. aladdin must have noticed. probably called his name several times, too. the warm clasp of hand on his shoulder startles him but briefly, and he swallowed his vigilance with a heavy gulp.

( is the ground shaking? or is it him? )

tormented by the thought of his family ( the fact that he abandoned his mother and brother, shamefully settling for luxurious peace in this world – agrabah and who knows what’s beyond the horizons – with companion from not only one but two souls ), jonathan trudges with a heart heavy as rock. he stands by the arched door, a small garden path leading him out of the palace, and there is aladdin behind him, arms wrapped tight around his middle, a quiet plea brushing helplessly against his shoulder.

genie has lost his powers, now coursing the world with freedom and love, and jonathan knows better than to rely on the tortured jinn for his own mortal fulfillment. still, he is stubborn enough to break hearts, aladdin’s and jasmine’s, with a parting sans farewell.

time is shapeless and unmeasurable, especially when stress marks dates instead of numbers. days melt into weeks and months confuse with years, many events jonathan thought were recent actually happened years ago, and the fresh changes from merely a month or so seemingly decade long.

that is the case with aladdin, the man who fell into the upside down, got chased by the demogorgon and crashed into castle byers and subsequently their lives. it took some time for the guest from agrabah to learn about hawkins and everything new, yet the man shows incredible adaptability and infinite generosity, both vital to how fast he settled, despite the strange customs and prejudices thrown his way. 

every morning, jonathan wakes up and there is aladdin, almost like he had always been there.

tonight they are watching Gremlins, a comedy horror about fluffy mogwai that spawn when in contact with water – exactly like cell vision, except this involves the entire creature with obviously different souls – and the spawns turn evil if fed after midnight.

the couch isn’t small, but it wasn’t made for four. jonathan sits by the edge, always preferring not to be surrounded. will and joyce take up the other end, and aladdin finds his spot in between the mother and the elder son, body leaning closer every passing minute.

when gizmo – the name main character billy gave him – starts singing, their knees bump into each other. “ ? ” jonathan glances over, blinking instead of asking. aladdin gives him a strained smile, then whispers, “ i miss abu. ”

naveens in it

I ’ M LAUGHING SO MUCH