hopeless opus

“Probably the safest plan when you have nothing else to do around here, am I right?” Vic stroked the kittens back, watching her eat from her own plate. “Making rounds with food, and co-eating with the anxious ones… gotta change up the methods, keep them calm.”

“dogs don’t usually like me, ‘cause they sense...well, toxin.” they shrugged, taking another bite from their apple. “cats and birds ain’t too bothered; birds are too hardcore to be scared of me.” teddy almost ranted, shrugging as a final comment. “animals are easier to be around then people though, which i’m sure you get.”

“Anyone can talk to anything,” Theo answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He wasn’t totally foolish; he knew that the owls or any other animal he tried to converse with could understand everything he said. If he learned their mode of communication, however, their behavior, through patience and focus, interacting was almost- nay, definitely easier than interacting with people. “All it takes is an open mind.” He picked a piece of grass from the ground and twisted it between two fingers. “I’m fine. Always fine. Are you okay? Let’s get you un-stressed.”

teddy rolled their eyes at theo, the motion being dampened by the grin on their face, and rolled his head back against the wall. “you really are a loser, huh? you’re lucky you’re cute.” teddy mumbled, no malice in his tone. if this all got awkward, the host could just blame it on being too tired to realise what they were saying. “how do you plan on unstressing me, hotshot? oh -- and don’t think we ain’t gonna touch on the whole i’m fine thing later.”

“Maybe I should ask before hand, but I’m sure it will be fine. Owls understand what it’s like to be misunderstood, so they can be really accepting if you build trust.” The sentence could have worked very well for either boy, in parallel to owls, but it didn’t occur to Theo. His eyes widened in surprise, probably taking Teddy’s words out of what was intended, but he couldn’t help but feel as though he had just been identified as a source of nausea. He felt his own stomach churn uncomfortably, the thought of his presence actually worsening Teddy’s condition sitting like sizable stones of guilt inside him. “What can I do?” he asked, “to make things better for you. Or for us.”

“can you...talk to owls? is this a new thing? did i just not realise my boyfriend used to talk to owls?” teddy couldn’t help but chuckle, unable to tone down the adoring look on his face as he did so. teddy attempted to ignore the feeling that arose when hearing him say us, clearing his throat and shrugging in response. “‘m not so sure, having you around is...nice. familiarity and stuff, i guess.” teddy shrugged once again. “how’re you doing?”

“That’s simply silly.” Regardless of what clothes could say of wealth and despite that being the thing Sylvia actually cared about, clothes and looked revealed a lot more than simply status about someone. “There are some things poor people simply cannot understand. They are good for attention, I suppose.”

“Owls.” Theo moved closer yet, and turned his back to the cool wall and slid down it so that he was seated next to Teddy, beginning to observe the slippers, running his fingers over one or two torn spots where the white stuffing could be seen protruding. “Owlets, specifically, there’s a new nest of them, I’ve been keeping up with them, and I think they don’t so much mind my presence anymore. Obviously, they are most active at night, so that’s when I like to make my visits. Next time I go, I will be sure to invite you. I bet Cedric would be most pleased to see you, he’s the most outgoing.” The subject of owlets was strong in his mind, but not strong enough to remain fixed when Teddy mentioned his bad dreams, and so they were shunted aside by concern for the boy beside him. Theo wasn’t sure what to say at this point. He used to hate seeing Teddy have his bad dreams, but there was always something he could do about it. To come over and hold him, a sudden memory flashing into his mind that caused hurt to well up in his chest, hurt because it was no longer something feasible to do. “It’s never a matter of manning up,” Theo insisted skeptically, prioritizing the other’s worries over his own personal qualms. “That’s a sick excuse to use, by people who don’t want to have to help with and invest in another person’s issues.” He finally stopped picking at the cotton and looked over at Teddy, the shadowy face making facial features rather drastic. “You’re strong already, don’t discount that by expecting yourself to suddenly get over these night terrors.” He paused a moment before going on, “Is Toxin okay?”

there was something about theo’s ramblings that felt like a safety blanket being wrapped around him; the familiarity of the situation making everything seem a lot less chaotic despite all that had happened between the pair of them. “alright, i’ll come meet cedric but i doubt he’ll like toxin and i.” teddy shrugged it off, a lump invading his throat soon enough to silence him as theo spoke again. “we’re both...agitated. i don’t know how to make it stop, or calm us down.” he mumbled again, head in hands and fingers tangled in his hair this time. “i don’t know how..how to be vulnerable. my body and mind see you and want to be, because it’s normal...but it makes me feel nauseous. i can’t tell if the sweat is from the dreams or from you.” teddy couldn’t help but smile softly at that, his dramatics surprising him. “reckon my next nightmare will be about your stupid slippers.”

          ❝ So optimistic. ❞ Salem chided , looking at Teddy and sighing - in truth , he was the same way. There was a time where his kindness was given loosely , where he wasn’t afraid to spare a stray smile or a kind word because it made him feel good. And some still received that. But now , where he’d found himself taken advantage of one too many times , he was careful to NOT let himself be used again. And that’s where he thought acting more like someone he wasn’t would solve his problems ; but he knew the truth. Down to his core , he was a nice , SOFT boy. ❝ Y’know , at this rate , you hang with me so much that sometimes I wonder if my parents hired you. Wouldn’t put it past ‘em. ❞

“Any gossip? Hm - Oh! I kissed Helena! I don’t know what we are now, though.”

“no clue who that is but i assume they’re cute.” he shrugged, wiggling his brows at her. “was it like, a sexy kiss? or the kinda kiss your family give you on the cheek?”

“Teddy Brock, you do still surprise me.” Devyn leaned forward to hug them. “In all seriousness, thank you. You are a really good friend, for the record.”

after teddy reciprocated the hug, they kissed their best friend’s forehead, practically beaming that she liked the gifts. “so, what’s the hot gossip, pal? any lady drama? man drama? people drama? i need a bit of fun drama in my life.”

“Thank you,” Theo said as he approached closer, enough that he could flick off the flashlight which so obviously had irritated the boy. “They aren’t exactly tree-climbing footwear, so I’m afraid I tore them up pretty badly, but when I was getting ready I didn’t expect to climb any trees, so that’s why I didn’t pick something more suitable,” he explained casually, as if Teddy knew what the hell we was on about and what he had been doing practically all night. But Theo found himself not caring much for the raggedy wet slippers at the present, and his lips were tucked tight with concern as he looked over the shadowy form of his former boyfriend. “You don’t look like you’re living the dream. You look like the dream gave you a swirlie and kicked you outside.”

teddy couldn’t help but let out a huff of laughter, shaking their head at the other’s words. “why on earth are you climbing trees in the dark? and, most importantly, where was my invite?” they forced a small smile, bringing their knees up to their chest. “is that not what the dream is? my bad.” teddy rolled his eyes, leaning their head against the wall. “’member when i used to get bad dreams when we were together?” he finally said. “well, they only got worse once you...when you weren’t there.” teddy shrugged it off despite his voice cracking under his words. “’s not a big deal, i just gotta learn to man up or whatever.”

Odd hours were normal hours for Theo Hansen. Catching him out of bed anywhere between midnight and five a.m was no difficult feat, and it wasn’t like he was hard to spot. He usually had a flashlight out, a glow-stick around his neck, ensuring his safety in the way of vehicles, wandering around the woods or in the streets of town. Sometimes he had a purpose, other times not, though in this instance he was returning from his position perched in a tree watching a pair of owl chicks living their life blissfully. The energy was altogether different from what he saw when he was marching with slippers across the wet grass. Whatever bliss he had managed to extract from the owlets was soon disintegrated when he saw the dark form of someone leaned against the building. Theo paused in his tracks, contemplating going back to the owls. It would be safer that way, being up in a tree and much less accessible to harm. Flicking on his flashlight, he shone it at who he now saw, glistening with sweat and breathing heavily, was Teddy Brock. “Gracious,” he breathed. “Hello there, Teddy, are you all right?” 

teddy winced at the sudden light, holding their hands out in front of their eyes as they grumbled. blinking away the dots of white behind their eyes, teddy only frowned more when he saw who it was in front of him; the last person who he would want to see him like this. “living the dream, babe.” teddy mumbled, an awkward smile aimed toward their ex. “nice slippers, by the way. i forgot people wore those.” the slippers alone anchored him with fondness, at least, as his breathing had somewhat steadied. 

she had a meeting. she had a lot of them, at least twice monthly ; and in all the time she had been reporting to weapon x, tova had never had one out in the morning sun, or amidst the bustle of lunchtime. agent piece contacted her when she wanted to meet, and it was always under the cover of darkness - always at a non-distinct diner, always when the world was asleep beyond those push and pull doors. the whole thing had run a little later than usual, and tova was rushing to get back to her dorm, the unhappy feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach after every such liaison back in full force- the only thing even capable of stopping her when she was so focused being the very last person that she had expected to see out so late. “teddy?” her call soft, her steps slowing, tova closed the distance in very little time, “punk really never sleeps, huh?” 

teddy didn’t look up from their hands, sitting down against the wall, until they heard the familiar voice. looking up at the girl, teddy forced a weak smile and shrugged. “what can i say? it’s a hard job but someone has to do it.” the brunet smiled again before quirking a brow at the girl. “what’re you doing out this late?”

Another night of no sleep. Lana was used to it by now, but it didn’t make it any easier for her to deal with. Lana found day to day hard enough on it’s own, and lack of sleep just made it worse. She was sitting on the ground outside the dorms, bottle of some mystery alcohol in her hands as she took deep swigs every so often. That was when she heard some burst out the doors, her eyes darting up and her head tilting when she sees her brother.

“You look just as bad as me Ted, Nightmares again?”

teddy was hit with relief when they saw their sister sitting there, all up until the realisation that she was only there because, like him, sleep was not a kindness they often felt and with their sister they knew it was even harder. “that obvious?” he mumbled, sitting next to her. “what’re you doing up? you okay?”

“i thought you were a security risk.” the censors around campus had REGISTERED them as one, and it was clear enough just from the way that she was dressed - jacket pulled haphazardly over her pyjamas - she had rushed from her bed in order to check it out. she was none too pleased about where her worry and rushing had gotten her. “why are you out here so late?”

teddy was still trying to control their breathing when ramona came out, their breath haggard as they spoke. “i -- sorry... i had a bad dream.” teddy barely got out, ‘but i probably am a risk’ the boy wanted to add. “i’ll go inside in a minute..sorry for waking you.”

“Good is subjective. And I do not worry too much about Nick Fury. I am certain I could find a lawyer expensive enough to successfully argue I should have diplomatic immunity.” Sylvia shrugged. “Was the way I dress not evidence enough of that?”