#bstrdson

Collie is trying so hard to keep it all together. His silence had always been his strength but now it could very well be his undoing. He was letting himself push down everything he was feeling in favor of comfort. He didn't have to tell anyone what was wrong with him and things could remain the same. It didn't make sense now, but at the time it had made all the sense in the world.

It made sense to bottle everything up and ignore the obvious signs that nothing was okay. Bottle up the nightmares. Bottle up the stress twitch. Bottle up the way he wanted to lash out and scream all the time. He pushed it down and down until it had just exploded. Poor Olson had gotten the worst of it, a right hook and a slew of profanities before Collie had fled.

Now he was here trying to stop the crying and push everything back down again but it felt impossible. The more he tried the worse he felt and it was killing him. He's crying in the corner of a room when Stebbins enters. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this. He's weak. He's a failure. He was a piece of fucking shit. Yet when he opens his mouth but no words come out so he shuts.

honestly, it's just as surprising to mapplethorpe that he was still standing. ( he can't help but blame his love for horror games and movies to have helped him in this scenario. ) he's fast, nimble as he navigates through the forest, assuming that maybe he might be the only one still alive after he had gotten separated from the others. ( the guilt he felt whenever he heard some of them scream in the distance and he kept on running like a coward. )

in the split second of seeing stebbins, he can't help but feel immense amount of fear until he's suddenly embraced. ( he can smell the copper on his shirt. ) he soft laugh leaves him, hesitant to be let go whenever he was so convinced he wouldn't see a living human again. ( just those terrifying creatures that you'd only see in a werewolf in london. )

his hands come up to rest on stebbins forearms, getting a good look at him. he looks---....bad. he looks so, so, so fucking bad. "stebbins--...? what happened to you?" his voice sounds a little more stern than he intended, the icy grasp of fear wrapping around his heart again. "stebbins--....?" his voice comes out more pleading whenever he seems to be in a lot of pain--...in his head.

@bstrdson says “Is that supposed to impress me?”

IT TAKES HIM A SOLID TEN SECONDS TO CONVINCE HIMSELF TO REV THE ENGINE ; the generally ostentatious Alfa roars once , then twice and Tommy silently wishes for a hole to open up underneath the car for the both of them to simply drop into . it's not gonna work . it's so stupid , there's no way in hell it'll work - and still here he is , bullied by a fifteen - year - old into making a complete tit out of himself . he revs the damn thing a third time , then shuts off the engine , leaving the Alfa parked just a little too close to one of the storage barracks they've errected near the check - points into the MAC - Z . in the shadows nearby sit Lucas and Dustin , waiting . steal something from storage ; that's the plan . Tommy hasn't listened to more of it than necessary .

and necessary means the one guy guarding the damn door needs to move .

when he does , Tommy's jaw nearly drops . what is with these kids and the sheer , dumb luck they seem to have ? he moves , casually gets out of the car as if he really just meant to park it there - and hears the question directed at him just in time . is that supposed to impress me ? yes , did it work ?

" huh? what ? " Tommy is doe - eyed innocence , looking the guy up and down for a moment . can't be older than he is , really . " I'm sorry , this isn't some no - parking zone I've missed , is it ? " he's gonna kill Dustin Henderson .

gods, his legs are so fucking tired. they ache. his curls hang in his face as he keeps treking forward. ( he signed up for this. can you fucking believe that? ) they talked about it all summer. they dangled prize money in from of their face as if they were all mules chasing after a dangling carrot. he's starting to feel like it's not even worth it anymore. ( but god, his mother woudl miss him whenever he was gone. )

he can't help but swallow thickly, midnight blue eyes becoming wet. ( he wants to go home. ) he tries to distract himself from the exhaustion and the pain---....his homesickness. he's been walking side by side with stebbins for quite sometime. without much thought, he decides to speak. he can't help but let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head as his thumbs latch within the straps of his backpack, huffing loudly through his nostrils. ( gods, he's trying so hard not to drop. )

"you could have fooled me," a laugh leaves him, shaking his head and blowing a stray curl from his face. "do you think we would have been friends?" the words come out before he can stop them. ( he's already mentioning himself in a past tense, god---... ) he'll hold out his hand, ringed fingers slightly swollen from the heat. "shake on it?"

- what your muse’s name is in mine’s phone : Ken Doll - what your muse’s picture is in mine’s phone

- what your muse’s ringtone is in mine’s phone : normal ringtone - my muse’s last text to your muse

"Like what?" Art asks, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. He can't help it. Seeing this side of Stebbins was... different. He was always so serious spouting out facts or brooding in his own world. Now he was joking and smiling it was nice to see.

So maybe it made Art's eyes sparkle and a smile form that just wouldn't leave. He couldn't help it he was just so happy to see his friend happy. He considered Stebbins a friend, he really did. "I'm not looking at you any special way." He was looking at him in a really different way. He wanted to keep looking at him in this different way. He liked whatever side of him this was so he's thrilled.

There is absolutely no doubt that Nadine would bother him over something as little as a squirrel. But this is not that, actually. Thankfully, he’d decided to listen before they had to drag him to one of the windows. By the time that they get there?

One of the members of Stebbins’ team is streaking across the campus. It’s obvious that the two of them aren’t the only ones who have noticed, and most of the student body is also looking.