STARRY EYES

“You’re much better than that. And it’s okay to be petty. That’s my middle name,” the Hungarian gave a small smile as she ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah that’s not a bad grocery trip. It’s the whole massive trip that isn’t fun. Never deciding on what you want to get or planning things ahead. Not the greatest, but I’m not that great with relationships.” It was a hard thing to realize, but she became numb to that thought. “Oh, yeah. I get that. I actually buy a small one from a grocery store, then get the Costco size and just fill up the small bottle. Makes it much easier. I do that with a lot of things, actually. Then you’re saving money and it’s not overwhelming. But, I’ll pretend to be with you, only if you buy me a drink or coffee.”

“I used to tell people my middle name was ‘Danger.’ I think it must’ve been somethin’ I heard on TV, you know? I don’t have a middle name. And if I did, it’d be something like Buster or Hank.” Buzz shrugged his shoulders and offered a shake of his head. “They say the best revenge is livin’ well, though, right? Just gotta wait around for that to happen! I’m gonna be rich and super famous.” He smiled a little more brightly but seemed  genuinely optimistic by the sentiment. “We didn’t live together or nothing, so you know, we were mostly just buyin’ our own things. But I’m not so good at ‘em either either. Relationships, I mean. Lord knows I have enough, but they just don’t really ever pan out. Bad luck,” he continued with a sigh. It made him feel low sometimes. “That’s smart! I never thought of that. I just tip over the whole big Costco one every time and spill it everywhere.” Buzz now appeared sincerely enthused by these new possibilities. He laughed. “I mean, you don’t gotta. I feel better about it already. I’ll buy you a drink, though, if you wanted. Because that’ll me feel even more better too.”

“I just feel like I look up at everyone’s nose. It’s not something I like to look at in all honesty. You’re really tall. Just donate some of your height to me. I could use it,” she smiled over at him. Giving a small tilt of the head when he spoke about the money, Cami rubbed her lips. “We do a lot. I mean, I was in the system as a child. so I went into this field because I’ve been in the kids’ footsteps. I understand and not a lot of the other social workers do.” Thinking for a moment, she furrowed her brows. She didn’t really think of that situation. “Honestly, with how I live by myself with a dog, if I summon something decent, then it would be nice to have a roommate. And you don’t have to buy them furniture.” That’s one way to go at it. “Honestly, I don’t know, but it’s pretty, so I carry it with me. And calming to look at. Like how people like stress balls or stare at weird calming videos, I look at the crystal and move it and it calms me. I would be lost without a planner, but at the same time, I hate having one because It’s more I have to carry. And I carry enough as it is.”

“You know, I would if I could,” Buzz laughed heartily, giving a nod. “I’m tryna’ be a runway model, and I’ve got too much height. Six-foot-two is pushing it. Six-foot-four? Forget it. S’why I couldn’t be a gymnast either. I can flip alright, sure. But hang me from a parallel bar, and my feet touch the ground.” He grimaced, features softening as he listened.. He smiled. “That’s pretty cool, I think. You probably help a lotta kids every day. You’re like a superhero. And I mean, I don’t know a lot about it, but...when you’re a kid, havin’ someone who understands you is a big thing.” He didn’t think he himself had ever really had one. Still, turning his thoughts back to the whole Ouija situation, he clicked his tongue. “But it’s never nothing decent. Like, none of those movies are about a nice roommate ghost,” he laughed. “He’d cheat you on the rent. And eat all your food. Oh, and leave his dishes in the sink all weekend.” Imagining this, Buzz huffed with mock sourness. “I don’t really get those ASMR videos. There’s this lady online who, like, scratches her nails along the table. And it makes me feel like something’s clawing around my walls. Gives me nightmares,” he sighed, resting his chin in an open hand. “I carry everything. Chap-stick, comb, lotion, tissues, compact, concealer...Just no planner. Expect the unexpected I guess since I never write anything down. I’m basically a walkin’ drug-store. The secret is just having a giant bag all the time.”

Brows furrowed as she tried to understood what he said, eyes widening when she realized it. “I swear I could just write a book on the stupid things I say. Which I don’t think is a good thing,” Running a hand through her hair, she nodded. “Yeah it was a hit. Which I forgot the word hit for that small moment and said pound instead. Some hits are good, though. This was a good hit, but it was a little rougher than normal so I was just asking how he was. Apparently he’s good enough to laugh at me, so there’s that.”

“I mean, I used to know this guy who wanted to write a ‘book of quotes.’ Whatever that means. And I asked him. I said, ‘Oh, so you’d wanna, like, find different quotes from people and put ‘em all together.’ And he said, ‘No, I’d make up my own quotes.’ That’s pretty weird, right? Who would wanna read that?” Going off on this tangent, Buzz gave a shrug, features falling into a smile. “Well, I’m glad he’s okay, I guess. I forget words for things all the time. It helps to, like, wave your hand around like this. It gives you a moment to think.” Demonstrating, he flicked a palm through the air, as if searching for some missing phrase. But he tended to talk with his whole body anyway. “I’ve heard of hits that end whole careers. He’s pretty lucky, huh? What do I know, though? I was a cheerleader, not an athlete.” 

Felix laughed, wondering whether he should explain that wearing a rubber suit would not make a person bounce, but eventually he decided against it. There was no harm in letting Buzz believe that, and if he continued to correct him it would feel a little too harsh for him to be comfortable. Smile fading as he listened to his friend talk about losing something he had worked incredibly hard for, he felt a pang of sympathy. He could understand that feeling, could understand the disappointment of achievements not being recognised. “I’m sorry, man. Hey, fuck moustache guy! You’re a thousand times better than he is.” Grinning again, he couldn’t help the rush of affection he felt in response to the admission. It was true. Buzz was as far from that as he could possibly imagine. “You don’t need to tell me that.” He insisted. “I know you, Buzz. I know you aren’t that person.” Holding the bag of fruit out when he saw him reach over, he offered him a lazy shrug. “I gave up on chasing breaks before I even really started.” It wasn’t something he talked about very often, people tended to look down on him for his lack of direction, but he trusted his current company. 

“Okay but if somebody sat on a grape, but immediate response would not be to eat the fucking grape.” He laughed easily, shaking his head. “You don’t need to get me chips, honestly. We can get some chips together, how about that?” Shooting him a look at the mention of holding his core, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Will you fuck off? I already told you I’m not doing any exercise. I’m severely allergic.” Popping another banana chip into his mouth, he raised his eyebrows flirtatiously. “If you’re trying to tell me I’m hot, you don’t need to be so awkward about it.” He teased, falling silent again as Buzz told him about his parents. It was interesting to hear stories from people, but it could also be sad. Family was complicated, after all. “You’re not dumb, Buzz.” He insisted, his voice gentle as he willed him to believe it. “Ha! Your parents wouldn’t love me because I would refuse to wear the Elf hat. That highkey sounds adorable though, I won’t lie.” 

Wrinkling his nose at the mention of being sent camping, he couldn’t help feeling a little grateful that his parents never chased him to join them. He was sure they were disappointed when he failed to show up weekend after weekend, but not once had they attempted to force him into it. Not now that he was legal and could make his own choices. Watching with open amusement as Buzz made himself laugh, he reached out to nudge him with his foot. “I sat on this ball and that was enough, okay? And you’re not gonna fucking drown, don’t be so dramatic.” Reaching up to stretch his back and his arms when his friend told him he was finished with his workout, his eyes were shining with mischief. “Good, because watching you exhaust yourself is exhausting.” 

“Yeah! Fuck mustache guy!” Buzz repeated triumphantly, breaking into a fit of genuine laughter at that. He tended not to swear, a remnant of his Protestant childhood, but he seemed now to find some amusing power in the word. Still, he wrinkled up his nose. “You know, I think I might have fucked mustache guy. Or someone who sorta looked like him anyway.” He sighed very deeply, stretching his arms over his head and rolling his neck, chasing away a muscle ache. He spoke up again in a whisper. “And I was a thousand times better at that too.” Looking up, he managed to offer a softer smile. “Thank you.” He said this earnestly because Felix was one of the rare friends he felt saw him, beyond the hair dye and the clothing and biceps. “But I’m always chasing breaks. That’s why we don’t annoy each other. It balances out or something.” He hummed. “Maybe you could teach me about plants some time or something. Mine always wither away, and I feel like an evil flower killer.”

He grinned cheekily. “Okay, we can get chips together. Nachos. Because then you can put vegetables on ‘em, and I can pretend I’m stickin’ to my diet, huh?” He stuck his tongue out. “Fine. Fine. I hear you. I’ll leave you be.” He pursed his lips, grinning mischievously and finishing up his exercises on his own. “Of course you’re handsome, man,” he replied plainly through reps. “You got a real moody dark-haired movie guy sorta look. Like, maybe you win the Oscar for being sad and livin’ in Europe. It’s a good look.” He hummed at this, content with the obscure metaphor. Still, despite any troubles he had at home, it did not make him feel badly to discuss his parents. All things considered, he was fortunate, he knew. “I just got a head for different things is all. Just not...you know, math. Or money. Or plants, apparently. They wanted me to settle down, have kids, work with my hands, all that. But I’m a fashion guy.” He wrinkled up his nose. “They’d still like you, though. I like you. You’re one of the good ones. And you’d be the guest, so you wouldn’t have to wear the elf hat if you didn’t wanna. But I’d pester you into wearin’ the elf hat.” 

He stretched once more, the motion rolling through him. “I’m the most dramatic person I know,” he added at last. And clamoring to his feet, Buzz blew a raspberry. “Life’s hard, bucko. Come on. Lemme get dressed and all. The water pressure’s better here than at my place too. Can you believe that? Someone flushes a toilet down the block, and I’m outta luck. It’s awful.” He shook his head, flashing his teeth as they made their way toward the locker rooms. “And for the record, you ain’t dumb neither. We just do our own things. People don’t always get it, but that’s on them, I figure.”

Just a simple trip to the grocery store turned into some odd mission that this man had. Confusion filled her face as she watched him, raising her brows in thought. “It’s kind of creepy you’re doing this, if I’m being honest. Just go and talk to her.” Maybe this was why she preferred hooking up. Too many strings to make it anything more than that. Watching him react. Tori gave a small sigh as she watched him turn to face her. “You do know that real couples aren’t laughing all cutely in a grocery store. It’s normally a battle over who is getting what and why they aren’t getting something. Really one of the more stressful parts of a relationship.”

Buzz sighed, wrinkling up his nose. Taking a breath, he gave a pause as if to center himself, eyes closing as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He sniffed. “You’re right. I don’t wanna, like, stare her down or nothing. I’m better than that. I’m just pretty sour about the whole thing,” he replied, wrinkling up his nose in defeat. Milling about, he began to rearrange the cereal he had messed before glancing back up at her. “I mean, I’ve had plenty of good trips to the grocery store. It helps when you wanna, like, cook something specific. Know exactly what you need. I guess me and Marta used to bicker over coupons sometimes, now that I think of it.” He hummed distantly. “I like buying bulk things, but no, that’s too much mouthwash.”

Sometimes Florian cracked jokes or did things that he thought was funny or would make people laugh and it later turned out that was far from the truth. Right now was one of those times, and as Buzz led him towards the exit, Florian couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He’d triggered some of his tics by letting himself go like that and even as they walked, his head twitched to the side a bit and he whistled a few more times. Once they stopped fully he stopped to lightly tap both of his palms against his cheeks twice before getting himself as back under control as he could manage right now. He couldn’t proimse he wouldn’t start up again, but the need to tic had left him for the moment. “Why mean? I quite literally can’t help it,” he smiled, “I probably should have warned you before I hauled off and did that, but I do have tourette’s, all of those things are tics…except calling her a bitch, I slipped that one in on my own. So, if she asks you about it, you both have a boyfriend, and you got to flip her off, and call her a bitch scott free.”

“Oh, not you. I mean, I’m the one who roped you into it. I was talkin’ about me. It ain’t really right to try to hurt someone ‘cause they hurt you, right? That makes the whole world blind or something.” While Buzz seemed now to have gotten his expressions mixed up, he did appear genuinely remorseful for the whole display. He sighed, allowing his features to fall into a soft, although somewhat mirthless, smile. “It’s okay. I...uh, I’m sorry. I understand. I hope I didn’t make you feel bad or nothing. I appreciate you playin’ along with a weird stranger for only a minute, though. Even if maybe I shouldn’t have started the game in the first place.” Buzz shrugged his shoulders, still smiling. “Ah, well, we don’t really talk no more, so, she probably won’t ask,” he replied, managing a laugh at that. “I just wanted to make her feel a little jealous. Like she’s missin’ out or something, you know?” He wrinkled up his nose. “I’m sorry. I try not to ‘cuss. I wasn’t ever allowed to, and so, I still don’t. That’s sort of lame right? Shit. Fuck.” If nothing else, trying out the swear words lifted his spirits, sending him into a genuine fit of heartier laughter. Finally, he extended a hand. “My name is Buzz. Well, it’s actually Boyd, but no one calls me that.”

“So you wanna do it before you get all big and famous?” He arched an eyebrow, forming a genuine smile as well. Buzz always seemed to amuse Colin and he couldn’t help but feel happy. “That is true. I can’t believe she would lie to you and yeah, like, who wouldn’t want to date you, you know? You seem like a great guy. Right, spaghetti which I hope you’re serious about because I could eat.” He told the other man. As soon as they were talking to Buzz’s ex, the man felt awkward and felt his cheeks heating up. “Hi Marta. Yeah, this guy really has to eat after our days.” He playfully pat the other’s stomach before shaking his head, trying to really sell it for the other. Soon they were in another aisle and away from the other, which did comfort Colin because he was getting seriously nervous there. “Whew. I think we really sold it. It was an honor being your fake boyfriend. Now I hope you will get me some real spaghetti. I’ll even cook it.”

“Well, that’s a given. I’m gonna be, like, the top reality star some day. They’re gonna give me the little blue check on Twitter and everything. But that means I got to keep the brand intact.” Saying this, he sort of motioned up and down at his own body. As Colin complimented him, however, he beamed. “Well...it’s a long story. To be honest, I’m, like, 93-percent sure I was a backup. And I mean, I can handle breakups, but we were together, like, seven months at that point. Have enough respect to do it in-person, right?” He huffed. “You’re a great guy. That’s what we are. We’re just two great guys, and we’re totally gonna have spaghetti.” He laughed. And even after the whole interaction was over, Buzz was hanging on him, apparently rather enthused with how it had gone. Taking a step back, he placed his hands on Colin’s shoulders. “Thank you. For playin’ along, I mean. I don’t really feel any better about the whole thing, but she was totally jealous,” he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “You were a good fake boyfriend. If bein’ a model, nurse, influencer don’t work out, you’ve got a career on TV.” He grinned. “I can’t do a lot of cooking, but I can boil pasta. So I can help.” 

Arching an eyebrow at Buzz, Colin just shook his head. “I mean, tattoos are really good.” He then zipped his lips shut. As the other told him about how she had told him she moved to another country, he couldn’t help but feel like it was getting more interesting to hear him speak. “That is awful. I wouldn’t go over there unless you want confrontation or..closure?” He arched an eyebrow. “Wait wha-“ he then began to laugh and said, “Wow babe, you’re the funniest guy ever. You always know how to make me laugh.”

“Yeah, but when you’re famous, then you can’t go out in disguise because everyone’ll still recognize it. It’s basically TMZ bait,” Buzz replied with some nonchalance, knitting his brow. He sighed deeply, wrinkling up his nose. “Oh, I don’t need no closure. No one ever gets closure, and she don’t owe me nothing. I just want her to see what she’s missin’ out on, s’all. Come on. We’re just two handsome dudes doin’ our shopping together. We’re gonna cook later and be cute about it, and she’s gonna hate that we’re not making her any spaghetti.” With this, he took Colin by the arm, gently leading him along and letting out a laugh of his own. “You always know how to make me laugh, darling,” he cooed. “Oh! Hey, Marta. I almost didn’t recognize you there. Did you just get back? You’re probably pretty jet-lagged. Time difference. Australia and everything, you know. Have you met Colin? Colin, this is Marta. Marta, this is Colin. We’re just...you know, grabbing groceries.” The woman made an effort to be polite, muttering hellos, but she was evidently somewhat embarrassed at having run into Buzz like this. “Well, we won’t bother you or nothing. We gotta eat dinner, and this one has a night shift. Saving lives every day, I tell you. I’m proud of him. Good seein’ you, though. Get home safe. I hope you can catch some Z’s on the plane.” Humming, he led Colin triumphantly away, disappearing down the condiment aisle at his side. “Oh, we got her. We totally got her.”

The grocery store had never been this interesting before, both upon arrival and whilst in the store. He found himself in the cereal aisle with another man he had never met before, but that man was on a mission. “Well, I do have to see who you’re talking about,” he mumbled but managed to duck down anyway. It was extra hilarious because he had no idea who this man was, but that kind of made it better. “Yes, you should, but I have an even better idea. Whatever I do, just roll with it.” Florian grabbed the stranger’s hand and pulled him out of the aisle while laughing. As they approached the woman, he took a deep breath and relaxed a little bit. Almost immediately, his shoulders scrunched slightly and he flipped her off with both fingers, “bitch,” he muttered. Only one of which was a tic. Of course, this caused him to exaggerate the flipping off by shaking his hands slightly and ‘sexy whistling’ at her. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled a minute later, “I have tourette’s, I didn’t mean to.”

“Her name’s Marta. We were datin’ for a while, and then, I don’t know, out of nowhere, she decides she’s movin’ to Australia. I mean, clearly not.” Buzz sighed, evidently ready to dive into the whole, tragic story. In truth, however, he and Marta did not have very much in common at all. And through the time they had been together, even he had the sense he was a pawn in some game she had been playing elsewhere. Nevertheless, when Florian took his hand, he allowed himself to be tugged gingerly toward the front. And trying to play along, he gave a laugh of his own, as if the pair of them were sharing some private joke. However, what came next seemed to take him by surprise. He cleared his throat. “Oh...uh, yeah, he didn’t mean to. It’s not his fault. Oh, hey, Marta. I didn’t know you still shopped here. Well, we just finished our shopping, so....Good luck gettin’ home. Have a safe flight.” This was a less triumphant display than he had perhaps intended, but either way, he was already smugly leading Florian toward the exit (with no bags in hand). Either way, the exchange left his ex standing suitably wide-eyed. As soon as they were outside, though, Buzz gave a long sigh. “Well, I feel kind of bad about it now. That was mean of me.” 

Aaron’s driver was more of a necessity than a luxury, he’d been arrested four times and charged with DUI’s, and in 2007 spent 48 days in jail in 2007.  He was still a very high-functioning alcoholic, though he wouldn’t admit it, but since he’d taken custody of his granddaughter, he couldn’t risk getting in trouble again, so he never drove anymore, but it did look fancy and he was okay with that.  When he arrived at the address the younger man had given him, he was glad to see he recognized Buzz when he got there.  He’d had a general idea of who he’d been talking to, but he wasn’t totally sure until he saw him in person and was glad to see he’d been thinking of the right person. 

Once he was settled into the backseat with him, Aaron moved to shake his hand, but pulled back when he remembered the cold he had brewing, “Buzz, it’s good to see you again.  I’m looking forward to getting to know you a little better, but first I want to hear all about this restaurant you’d taking us to.” 

Buzz had opted to give Aaron his real address, partly because he needed the time to get ready and partly because he had abruptly gotten it into his head that honesty was the best policy. For no real reason, of course, but Buzz was like that, subject to whims that came and went. When it pulled up, he climbed into the vehicle with a smile, bringing with him a cloud of pungent cologne.

“Hey there! You too. I see you on TV sometimes, and I do think I remember meetin’ you now,” he droned on, allowing his eyes to scan the car’s interior. He leaned forward to properly greet the driver, shaking his hand too, before turning back to Aaron. “Ah, well, it’s pretty good. I’ve been there a few times. It’s, like, organic global cuisine, I guess. At least that’s what the sign says. But they got all sorts of things. It’s called Vida. Do you like beets? I never liked beets, but then one time I got beets there, and they were pretty good beets. It’s beet season right now, you know. But berry season’s just about over, which is a shame, because they make a killer smoothie.”

“On today’s episode of ‘What did Vienna Say” I accidentally said that one of the players pounded the other against the wall. And I didn’t realize it until the player laughed at me and asked if I should think that sentence over. My face turned red and I had to walk away so I can face palm myself,” she sighed as she shook her head. “Please tell me I’m not the only one that said something weird today.” @chicagcstart​

“On today’s episode of ‘What did Buzz Say,’ I told someone the world would be a better place if we used keys to open things instead of lock ‘em. And then I thought about it, like, for real, you know? And well...that was sorta dumb.” He sighed deeply before flashing a smile. “Hey, I knew what you meant! He, like, knocked into him, yeah? I think that’s a perfectly okay way to say that. Besides, that sounds like a foul to me, so technically, they were in the wrong from the beginning.” He laughed.

@chicagcstart​

For James, most of his days were the same routine. Get up, get dressed, eat if he remembered to, and then either go out for a walk or to a coffee shop that was nearby. And today, his need for coffee seemed to outweigh his need for some fresh air. James had thought it was one of his better days, he could clearly see the route to the coffee shop that was around the corner from his apartment, and knew he knew how to get there. Or at least he thought. It was only a few minutes into his walk that he felt himself blank and he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He knew that he was headed to a coffee shop but which one or how to get there- well, that was all lost on him now. A look of confusion washed over his features, his brow furrowing, still trying to rack his brain of how to get where he was going. Forgetting that he was stopped in the middle of a busy sidewalk. It was finally someone bumping into him that drew James out of his thoughts and he turned to face them. “I’m so sorry!” He apologized, realizing he was probably blocking the flow of traffic. “Are you alright?”

@chicagcstart​

“Oh! I’m sorry! Are you all right?” Buzz had been carrying on his own way, headphones resting firmly over his ears as he made his morning journey through the bustling Chicago streets. He almost seemed to dance as he walked, sneakers bouncing along to the private score of whatever grand cinematic sequence he was now painting in his mind. However, the collision shook him quickly back to reality, and he tugged the things from his head, music still blaring through them around his neck. “I wasn’t watching. I’m sorry!” He flashed a genuinely apologetic smile. “You lost, man? I know this place like the back of my hand. I can get you where you’re going, for sure.” This was only partly true; Buzz found himself lost more often than not. “But maybe we ought to move to the side so we don’t get stepped on, hm?”

Victoria’s eyes widened in disbelief, taking a moment to register what she’d just heard. “Seriously? That’s certainly impressive. Doesn’t it hurt? You know, putting one’s body weight onto one arm? I can’t even begin to know how to do that, so I’ll leave it to you.” Nodding, the woman tilted her head slight as she watched the other speak. “People put almonds in cupcakes? I’m not judging, but I haven’t heard of that combination before. Look at me learning all these new things today!” She shook her head, a grimace forming across her face at the thought of that sickly flavor she loathed so much. “I agree. I think the cookies balance it out, but it’s still not my first choice. Ugh… I never thought the mysteries of chocolate would be such an intriguing subject.”

“Eh, I’m pretty strong. Plus, it’s more about bein’ able to get the gravity right on your shoulder than actual strength.” Saying this, he patted the side of his arm, but what he was not saying was that he could only hold the position for about two seconds before having to roll out. “I used to be a pretty decent gymnast. I’m way too tall, you know, to actually be one, but I was a cheerleader. So I could flip and stuff, and I got a pretty good grasp of my center of balance.” Continuing the demonstration, he brought his hands to his core with a laugh. “I think they were in France or something, so maybe it was, like, a fancy cake or a scone or a crumpet or whatever. I dunno. I was young, so I thought it was a little cupcake.” He grinned. “Oh, there’s lots of things people never think about that we should. Like, does the refrigerator light really go off when we close the door? Do we know? Do we really know?” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Felix laughed, unable to help himself. “Yeah, dude. You could fucking make a mould of your body out of rubber and it would bounce just like anything else.” The image was definitely a strange one, but he had said far stranger things. Grinning when Buzz told him he had thrown his phone, he was curious to know why. Nobody threw something so difficult to replace without good reason. “Oh, shit. You did? Why?” He may as well ask. If his friend didn’t want to tell him then he didn’t have to. “Yeah, I’m offering.” He confirmed, shaking the bag he was holding out. “They’re passable. Nowhere near greasy enough for my tastebuds to be happy though.” Listening with an amused smile playing at his lips, Buzz never failed to surprise him. He knew a lot of people would write him off as a fitness freak who only ever cared about a decent workout. But he had a lot of strong opinions on subjects he had never really considered. “Yeah, maybe banana bread isn’t the best. But I’d take it over raisins fucking any day. They are!” He answered the question on whether they were dried grapes. “Fuck knows who decided to dry out a grape and eat it.” 

Shifting slightly on his makeshift seat when Buzz reached out to smack his palm against the ball, he was so sure he was going to fall but it held steady. “Hey- can we maybe not try and push me over?” He teased. “Stop trying to get me to exercise, I told you it’s not gonna fucking happen.” Shaking his head and popping another banana chip into his mouth, from where he was sitting, Buzz looked the opposite of lazy. “You’re doing more than I am.” He pointed out. “Ha! We are the babies.” It was a good thing and a bad thing, being the youngest. He would be lying if he said going unnoticed didn’t come with perks. “Wait, too much attention? “ He was hesitant to ask what kind, surely it had to be bad if it had caused him to run away from home. “Shit, maybe we can trade families.” He joked, sighing quietly to himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he wondered what it was like to be a part of a smaller family, a family that had time for him. 

“Hey, if they stick you in one of the commercials, you probably get in for free.” He pointed out. “Keep doing those fucking push ups, man.” Laughing at the idea of willingly going camping, he shook his head. “No fucking way. Felix Winter doesn’t do camping. Felix Winter waits for his parents to do camping so that he can sneak into the house and actually have fun.” Wrinkling his nose at the thought of anything swimming up it, he grinned, genuinely excited by the prospect. He only ever really swam with Indi and he knew they would get a kick out of a dramatic water exit. “I am so down! As if I would ever let you drown.” 

Buzz gave a severe grimace. “Oh, no, I don’t do rubber suits. I mean, I know some people are into that kind of thing, but not me. Nope. It just feels sorta sweaty. And it probably hurts to, like, try to get it off. But maybe that’s part of it.” Pausing, he seemed to consider this more thoroughly, staring into the distance as a shiver rolled through him. At the question, however, Buzz perked up. His features falling, he offered a soft shake of his head. “I...uh, I spent, like a ton of money trying to win this contest. And I didn’t. They gave it to some other guy with a stupid mustache, and I just didn’t wanna look at it,” he admitted bashfully, trailing off. “After I did it, though, I decided I didn’t wanna be phone throwin’ guy, so I never threw it again. I’m not an angry sorta dude, you know? It sounds sorta dumb, I guess, but I just...I’d been trying, like, real hard to break into this modelin’ thing. And I can’t catch a break. Ugh.” These words hung heavily on him for only a moment before his usual more chipper demeanor was returning. Moving over, he popped a piece of dried fruit into his mouth, and it seemed to lift his spirits. “Maybe someone sat on a grape or something by accident way back when in the olden days,” he continued, munching along. “I’ll get you some chips later, okay?”

He laughed. “You gotta hold your core, Felix! It’s all about strength in your middle! Hold in your abs!” He huffed playfully, sticking out his tongue. “You’re good at other things I’m not. Plus, you got good hair.” Buzz said this definitely, giving a succinct nod. “I got good hair too, but...well, we’re not talking about me.” He smirked with some mischief. Still, as his friend continued, Buzz allowed a sigh to roll through him. “I mean, yeah. Don’t get me wrong. I had good folks. I love ‘em. But they always sorta wanted me to be what they wanted instead of just bein’ Buzz, you know what I mean? My dad wanted me to work for him all the rest of my life. I think they thought I was dumb or something. And, you know, maybe I am. I don’t always get things. But...I got ideas. About stuff.” Nevertheless, he seemed now to have lost the plot, but even then, the smile he offered was sympathetic. “Mine would love you. You can come for Christmas. You gotta wear the elf hat, though. We all have to wear the elf hat. You wear the hat, and you put a present under the tree. That’s really the whole thing.”

He gave a shake of his head, breaking into a laugh. “Buzz Prescott don’t do camping either. Buzz Prescott gets sent campin’ against his will because wah, wah, only your sisters can do the fun beauty pageant dance lessons.” Saying this made him laugh harder, until he was lying on the mat in a fit of giggles. “I dunno, man. I’m pretty big. You ain’t even done anythin’ with that ball yet. You gonna be able to hold my weight if I go under?” He was being playful. “I think I’m done, though. I’m gross.” 

“I don’t mind my heels too much. I’m short, so wearing heels gives me some extra height so I’m not looking up people’s noses. I’ve had some pairs that made me think I was going to lose a toe. It was so painful. I don’t really have many designer brands though. Social workers don’t make that kind of money,” she shrugged softly. She really had to save money if she wanted to get something more expensive. “I don’t know much about them. I mean, if you don’t touch them, it shouldn’t be bad. Some of them I’ve seen are just gorgeous. Using them as decoration shouldn’t be terrible.” Hearing the question, the petite brunette pulled it out. “It’s to help with grounding yourself and it helps with stress. Which I get a lot of with work.” A smile formed as she slowly pulled out her own planner, rubbing her lips. “In my defense, it’s the only way I know who I checked in on and who I still need to visit. I normally wouldn’t care to have one, but ti’s helped me keep up with my monthly visits.”

“I ain’t ever really worn heels. I mean, I’m pretty tall already, so being, like, super giant might be sorta fun, you know?” Buzz, who already towered at nearly six-foot-five, laughed heartily at this, imagining getting to stomp around and stare down at everyone. “They ought to pay you all more, I think. You do important things,” he continued more seriously. “I just bag up groceries.” Wrinkling up his nose, though, he gave a distant shrug. “But what if, like, you came home drunk one day and bumped into it, huh? And then you accidentally summoned up something bad?” His eyes widened, but leaning forward, he smiled more softly. “That’s pretty. Does it really help?” He hummed, as if now considering seriously going to find one for himself. He offered another laugh. “Ah, well, then you use the planner. Maybe it’s just me then. You have serious places to go, though. That’s important. I don’t go nowhere, so I just end up not usin’ it. S’one of those self-fulfilling prophesies.” 

Felix laughed, at the broken logic but also at how accidentally dirty the question had sounded. Maybe only to his ears, but he wasn’t about to apologise for having a sense of humour. “I really think it has more to do with the material than the shape.” He said, glancing down at the packet in his hands. “Dried fruit.” He admitted, wrinkling his nose. “It’s a sad state of affairs when fucking fruit is the most appealing thing on the menu. Why? You wanna try a piece?” He listened to Buzz talk about a friend who only ate banana chips, considering what a miserable existence that must be. “I mean, have you ever had banana chips in the frosting of cupcakes? That can work.” He admitted. “But banana chips on their own? No, thank you.” 

Watching quietly, allowing a few beats of silence to pass, he couldn’t help admiring the strength of his friend. He didn’t understand working out, but he could admit when somebody’s dedication to health was impressive. “I think you could pull off a ski coat.” He agreed. “Though you really want to hide all of your hard work under a big ass coat?” He pushed away from the machine he was still sitting on, wandering across the room so that he could kick a large inflatable ball towards where Buzz was doing… whatever the hell he was doing. “You aren’t taking advantage, I promise.” He insisted, carefully sitting on the ball so that he wouldn’t lose his balance and topple over. “Someone may as well benefit from this shit, it’s expensive enough. Mum and Dad only come here a few times a month, it all seems crazy pointless to me.” He grinned at the mention of blaming his sisters, eyes shining with mischief. “I don’t even need to blame them, that’s the joke. It’s like I don’t exist most of the time. Only son and youngest child… y’know?” 

Nodding as he continued to eat his dried fruit, he realised he actually did understand. He had never been the kind of person to pick a fight either, even when he knew somebody might be in the wrong. “It’s good of you to leave her alone, honestly… kind of paid off now that you have this place, huh?” Laughing at Buzz wondering whether he would sink if he tried to swim high, he had to admit he had definitely nearly drifted to the bottom of the pool on a few occasions. “That’s why you never do it alone.” He countered. “They do have a pool here, but you don’t wanna swim here, dude. My family go on these lame ass camping trips every weekend, which means I get the house to myself, including the pool. You’re welcome to come over sometime.” 

“Wait, so would, like, a rubber square bounce? One time, I threw my phone super hard, and it bounced off the sofa and made a dent in the wall. So I guess so, huh?” Buzz said this somewhat glumly, but looking up, he flashed a bright smile. “Maybe? You offering? How does it taste?” He craned his neck in search of a better view of the bag. “Fruit’s good for you, you know. And it’s better than that weird organic food substitute stuff.” He hummed a little at that, wrinkling up his nose. “Between you and me, though, I’m not really into banana anything. Not even banana bread. It’s just rotten bananas and...crust.” He grimaced. “I like chocolate raisins, though. I think it’s the same thing. Like, you mix the gross thing with the good thing, and it makes it better! No one actually likes plain raisins; anyone that says they do is lying. Wait. Raisins are just dried grapes, yeah?” He now regarded Felix’s snack suspiciously.

Considering the coat, however, Buzz clicked his tongue. “It’s cold. I’m from the South; I’m not used to it,” he answered matter-of-factly, watching as Felix took a seat beside him. He stuck out a hand to gently slap the ball. “You can use that for exercises, you know. Like, you can do a plank and put your feet up on it.” He raised a quizzical eyebrow, still playfully trying to get his friend to join in on the workout. Finishing up his own set, though, he curled up on the mat, looking up at Felix as he tucked his knees under his arms. “I mean, if I was payin’ for here, I’d come every day. I’ve been lazy. Really,” he replied before giving a sympathetic smile. “But we’re the babies. We get away with things. But I think my folks paid too much attention to me. That’s why I ran away. You ever needa run away, you can run away to my house.”

He laughed. “Sure did! And if I come enough, they’ll stick me in one of the commercials and everything. So we just gotta do more push-ups.” Saying this, he rolled over into formation with a grunt, lifting himself up and down. “Oh, okay! For a minute I thought you were gonna invite me to go camping swimming. Like in a lake. No, sir. Those amoeba things swim up your nose. I read about it online somewhere. And I got lost in the woods once as a Boy Scout,” he continued through his motions. “I’d like that, though. I have this great new swimsuit. Purple stripes. I can teach you how to do the water exit. You know, like when you break the surface and toss your hair back?” He snickered at this, rolling over to try to demonstrate. “It works better with a splash. But I’ll trade you photo-shoot lessons if you don’t let me drown.”