#driftse

tires  spit  gravel  as  he  pulls  in  a  little  fast,  the  house  unchanged  from  the  day  he  left  it.  windows  were  sealed,  paint  dulled  by  years  that  had  passed  without  him,  and  there  was  already  a  woman  waiting  on  the  front  lawn.  shit,  he  exhales  to  himself,  his  chest  tightening  because  he  was  late,  but  in  his  defense  he  didn't  want  to  be  here  at  all.  he  was  halfway  out  of  the  car,  apology  already  forming,  when  the  angle  of  her  face  caught  his  attention  and  made  him  pause.  the  clock  suddenly  dialed  back  until  he  was  seventeen  again  with  grass  stains  on  his  jeans  and  his  father's  voice  in  his  head.  he  recognized  her  not  as  the  talented  art  dealer  his  attorney  had  promised,  but  as  liz  from  a  few  houses  down.  older  now,  but  standing  where  she  once  hovered  with  a  sweating  glass  of  lemonade.  "  my  flight  was  delayed.  "  his  hand  stalled  midair,  his  name  lodged  in  his  throat.  did  he  really  need  to  introduce  himself?  "  i  got  here  as  quickly  as  i  could.  " / @driftse

he'd come home hours earlier, sick of the night before it had even really began. angel could have as much fun as the next person, but sometimes being the only sober one when everyone else was so far gone, felt more like a chore than anything else. he looks up when he hears the front door, catches sight of her in the bathroom mirror a few moments later. " didn't think you'd be coming back alone. where's syv ? " \ @driftse

"got anything to eat around here ? i'm hungry ."

chin is cupped in his hand as the glare of the computer screen has him squinting his eyes , his inability to sleep leading him to do the one thing that'll never let him rest : work . gaze lifts from where it's trailing when he hears footsteps approaching , leaning back in his chair as he looks to yaime . ❝ what are you doing up ? ❞ asks , arms automatically opening for her .

          "  at  no  point  did  you  think  to  yourself  ,  damn  this  is  probably  a  bad  fucking  idea  ?  "

"whatever you're going to ask , the answer is no ."

"i don't need you to fight for me ."

“don’t you understand that i can’t talk to you because it hurts ?"