sometimes the beast eats you

Eyes weighed down with grogginess, Will stood patiently as he waited for his coffee to be ready--fingers flicking through the manuscript in hand, though he wasn’t really...seeing, much less registering much of what he was reading. He’d been at it all night--rewriting and scrapping and rewriting again--each page marked violently with red pen--the ink was about ready to jump off the page as he mindlessly grabbed the newly-placed coffee and took a sip. That was not his coffee. Will froze for a moment, brows furrowed, before glancing ‘bout the Starbucks for anybody else waiting for a coffee--eyes landing on Felicity. “I think I grabbed yer’ coffee by mistake,” he moved besides her, tone apologetic, “Should’ve looked at the name first, but it’s one of those nights, y’know? If you’re real against accidental drink...drinking, I’ll buy ya a new one n’ everythin’.”

after the party, will had effectively cut himself off socially for the rest of the weekend; hell, half of the week too. it wasn’t that he was avoiding anybody, per say--but he needed to...think, to cope in his usual ways. and as usual--he finally makes his way out of his house, for the pure purpose of catching a bite to eat. his mind’s churning in it’s usual ways, distracting him, when he bumps into the blonde--his hand going to clasp her shoulder in a way that evokes déjà vu, “we’ve really gotta stop meetin’ like this, kaia.” he jokes, glancing down at her--though it’s almost inappropriate, now, the joke, knowing what they did, “but, ah--hell, how’ve ya been doin’?” though will knows they should probably...talk about what happened between them--he doesn’t really want to.

@williamcheart​

after being cooped up in his bedroom since the party, noah had taken it upon himself to properly shower and now he was going downstairs to eat something - or try to. though as he approaches the kitchen he notices his brother there and hesitates, remembering celeste told him that he might need time to come to terms with noah’s situation. “ hey, bro..” he looks over at him, grabbing a coffee mug and walking to fill it up. “ you good?”

the news had hit the eldest heart in a way he hadn’t felt in years--the only way to describe william was: spiraling. undoubtedly spiraling. he had locked himself away, as he did at times--writing madly and sleeping little, hushed arguments with the apparition of dinah that’d appear around his room; the result of his prescription and not-so-prescription concoction of pills. it’s one of those rare times during this period of...sulking, perhaps, that will’s emerged from his room, leaning against the counter of the kitchen with a piece of toast in one hand and a book in the other. he nearly jumps as noah speaks, eyes wild for a moment as he glances towards his brother before dimming down, “god--yeah, no, i’m...i’m fine. how are you, though? y’still feeling shitty?”

will: hey.

         family was everything to the heart siblings - so the fact that he’d kept this from will for so long - that he was still keeping this from the others, it broke him. he lowers his head as he hears his brother’s disbelief - wishing it was a joke indeed. “ i am, even ask mom..” he looks up, tears in his eyes at will’s request “ will..” he shakes his head, gulping the air in his throat that ached from throwing up, he goes to tell his brother that he didn’t want to see the sparse brunette locks that remained on his head, but knew he wouldn’t win - so he lifts it off. “ ‘m sorry.” 

for a moment, will thought he could feel his heart stop; before the ache bloomed throughout his chest, all too familiar with the situation at hand. he opens his mouth and nothing comes out, he shuts it. his mind is--swarming, now, thoughts breaking through the fog of all drugs he’d taken, of all the alcohol he drank. “noah,” will finally croaks out, practically choking on his words as he struggles to get them out, “i--how long? mom knows? why--why didn’t y’tell me? who else knows?” his questions spill out as his mind struggles to wrap itself around this fact. “c-christ--”

     “ see now it seems like you’re just looking for me to compliment you,” she teases, not finding the male boring in the slightest bit. drunken emerald hues catch him looking at her, and they are slow to travel back up to his face. thea would kill her for even thinking the things she was thinking right now - but she couldn’t seem to tear away. a small laugh leaves her lips as he moves his hand and she reaches to take hold of it, leading the way back into the frat house again where they were bombarded with drunken people and various smokes in the air which lessened a little as she leads him up the stairs to the nearest room on the left. the whole time, there is a mischievous grin on plump lips - mostly because kaia thrived on doing whatever she pleased - and she was sure nothing too bad would come of this. “ ‘m surprised this room was empty.” she smiles, closing the door behind them as the loud music thumps the walls.

“well, i sure won’t deny the sweet words of a pretty lady,” he responds, his southern accent peaking out from between words and eyes meeting hers. god, he hope he was reading this situation right--his eyes never leave her as she pulls him inside, slipping between groups of drunk college kids and...a goat? will shakes his head, chalking it up to one of his hallucinations as he follows kaia up the stairs, taking a larger gulp from his beer before entering the room after her. “better not get any unexpected visitors,” he places the beer on a desk before turning towards kaia, pressing her against the door as he moves to lock it, his now-free hand going to rest at her waist once more. though he knows somewhere deep down that it’s wrong to do this--his mind’s far too clouded to make any real judgement--will tilts her chin up, capturing her lips with his own.

          sure, noah had drunken a fair amount at the party, mixing liquors every hour - though there was no question that all of his mediations and treatments had made the effects of the alcohol all the more worse. he’d been sick many times despite only having had three treatments, and it never got easier. deciding that ‘ just fuck it, get drunk’ was a good idea was probably one of noah’s worse decisions. noah’s stomach lurches a little more as he hears his brother mention the drink he’d downed and noah shakes his head. “ i’ve cancer, will. ‘m sick” 

the smirk that had formed on will’s lips at noah quickly dies as noah’s words register in his head. no--he had to have misheard him, right? will shakes his head, a small scoff escaping his throat, “nah, that’s bullshit--y’ere fuckin’ with me and it’s fucked up, noah. y’ere not fuckin’ sick, y’can’t be.” there was no way noah--fucking, noah, his brother--could be sick. will would know, right? his eyes focus on noah’s hat and his heart’s practically beating out of his chest as he speaks, ”take the hat off, noah, don’t be fuckin’ with me--”

         “ i have,” she repeats, nodding her head and bottom lip becomes captive between her teeth. “ but sticking with you doesn’t sound so bad, i always did like your company.” she nods, grinning up in return and she catches his gaze on her lips so she watches him drink, too. her stomach flips a little as he touches her back but she leans into him some more, “ oh did it now?” her eyebrows raise, peachy-pink lips in a warm smile and her stomach is buzzing from the alcohol in her system. “ wanna head inside?” 

“i’m touched, really--it’s good to know i’m not as borin’ as i feel,” his eyes travel down her petite frame, his mind wandering for a moment before he forces himself to think in the present. god--what was he thinking? this is his sister’s best friend--and yet, even so... “much, much better--” his hand lingers on her body for a second more before he pulls away, “sounds good t’me, y’wanna lead the way, blondie?”

after he is helped upright, noah squints his gaze to attempt to stop the spinning and extends his hand out to lead his way outside with his brother to which he quickly abandons him for the side of the porch as he leans over and empties everything that was in his stomach, frame collapsing against the side of the porch and he avoids looking back at his brother. “ I fucked up, will…”

there’s a quick look of concern passing over will’s features as his brother hangs over the porch’s railing--though it washes away with a relaxed ease. it was just the alcohol, right? will shakes his head, scooting closer towards noah once he finished, hand on his back comfortingly, “ya, y’ere tellin’ me. shouldn’t have downed that drink. how much have you had tonight?” his tone is still teasing, unsuspecting of the real reason of his brother’s sickness.

         his stomach flips a little as his gaze focuses on his older brother but drunken lips are still smiling. a small nod of his head at the question and his head is spinning. “ can we…. outside?” he asks, stabilising himself by holding the side of a table, though he grabs a hold of one of the empty red cups, filling it up a quarter way with vodka and downing it - likely to regret that, but he figures it’s better to be drunk than sober right now. “ fuck,” he scrunches up his face, almost falling as he tries to walk but he grabs his brother’s arm. “ i’m a little drunk.” he laughs once

he takes note of his brother’s lack of balance, nodding immediately to his request, “yeah, ‘course, y’need some fresh air?” will takes a step back, eyebrows raised as his brother downs the vodka--though in the moment he chalks it up to noah just enjoying the party’s supply--right until noah stumbles, “fuck is right--” he notes, with only a small amount of amusement as he helps noah stand up right, “a lil’? let’s get ya outside, bud.” will starts towards the door, carefully, keeping a hand on his brother.

                     “good point, will.” it was true, though. she had been quite busy with every thing lately: from academics to her own personal life. she hadn’t had the time to actually look for him, and luckily, he wasn’t the type to hold it against her. sure, things happened last summer between them– but that was it. they talked it over like two normal adults who won’t waste each other’s time. “it’s always been me, heart. never would it be passed on someone else.” a light chuckle escaped from the red head’s lips. “how have you been, though? did the brooding and mysterious life snatched your heart away from the party?”

“though now that i’m thinkin’ about it, i’m sorta disappointed y’didn’t make a good will hunting joke somehow--” the eldest heart teased, taking a quick moment to nod towards the ‘bartender’ of the night; a signal to make a drink. his eyes shifted back towards the redhead, admittedly taking in the sight that celeste was. though it had been a hot minute since their last...interaction, of sorts, the feeling he got just looking at the woman remained; as if they were still both poolside on that hot sunny day. as she spoke, his eyes flicker back to hers, will letting out a small chuckle, “what will ucla do when you’re gone?” he joked, body grazing hers as he reached out to grab the drink that had been made for him, “oh, y’know me. i’m always brooding and mysterious, would i be me if i didn’t spend my night starin’ longingly outta the windows and and reminiscin’ ‘bout the good ol’ days?”

            her face felt hot from dancing and drinking so much, a wide grin etched onto innocent features as she walks outside and notes a tall figure which could only belong to the one and only will heart. she watches his lips as he speaks, more of a way to not miss the words but she keeps her gaze there longer before emerald hues are flickering back up to his. “ it’s not bad, i’ve kinda been partying alone.” she tilts her head, reaching up to pluck the beer from his hand and having a sip before handing it back, “ sorry.” she grins up at him, “ are you liking the party?” she moves in a little closer as a bunch of people nudge past them 

though the only source of light is coming from the window peering into the party inside, it dances across kaia’s features in a way that had will staring for longer than he intended, “y’have? that’s no way to party--i s’pose you’re gonna have to stick with me, then.” will grins back down at her, not able to help the way his eyes focus on her lips for the short moment she’s drinking his beer, “as long as y’ere not takin’ the last sip,” he teases, lifting the bottle to his lips soon after she hands it back, “ah, well--” as the crowd pushes back, he puts his hand on her waist nonchalantly, as if to keep her from being shoved around. “--not going to lie and say that the evening didn’t just get better.”

pandora had been flirting with a girl when she felt the arm on her shoulders and she was about to protest when she realized who it was. “you know i can never say no to a game of beer pong.” she grinned, taking a sip from her drink and watching the girl she’d been talking too walk off. “lead the way partner.”

his eyes trailed after the girl for a moment before he glanced back at pandora, “y’sure? i didn’t just ruin an opportunity for ya, or none, right?” even as he spoke, will was already leading her towards the beer pong table, taking a sip of the drink he already had in hand. 

he had been on the dj decks for about an hour now, many drinks downed at this stage and he was what some may call a drunken mess, he walks down to the party, vision blurry and he adjusts the hat on his head which was necessary for him to remain feeling normal given everything. “ woaah, hey.” he laughs a little as he bumps into someone, trying to work out if he knew them as his vision adjusts.

“woaah, hey, ya’self--” william begins, though a grin spreads easily over his features at the sight of his brother. he had always loved noah’s djing--despite it not being his, jam, per say--will was endlessly supportive; passion for anything was something the eldest heart could appreciate. “y’had enough to drink?” he jokes, patting noah’s brother before clasping his shoulder n giving it a teasing shake.

                   she wasn’t looking for anyone in particular the moment she arrived to this party. the booze was her only motivation for her to actually leave her room after days of hiding in it, ever since there had been more chaos that she chose to start even if she knew the consequences that would follow. with each clink of her red high heeled pumps, she walked over to the bar and ordered the strongest drink the bartender could make. all eyes were glued on her, since wherever celeste goes, the attention and spotlight follows. right when she turned around to check on the crowd, her hazel hues immediately caught the sight of an old flame approaching. “well, if it isn’t the one and only, william heart.” the greeting was genuine, along with the small smile that she offered. “i would say that i haven’t seen you around here much since last summer, but hey, you’re here and everything just got better.” @williamcheart

there was a small part of will that wondered what exactly he was doing at the party--not that he hadn’t wanted to go--but with each year that passed by, he was more and more aware that he was...well, getting older. though he’d only recently turned 25--he felt it, in a way--the need to have been successful by now. and he was, in a way--with a few poetry books out already and another in the works; but did his terms of success matter? or did it only matter what his father thought success was--which was, in their special case, taking after the family business. maybe that was why will had come to the party, to escape the thoughts that had begun to plague him--to be high in a setting where it was expected and not at all surprising. will had made his way towards the makeshift bar with the intent of accompanying his pill mixture with a drink to down it all--when a certain redhead had caught his attention. “in the flesh, or so it seems,” he replied as he approached, a smile finding its way onto his features, “i’ve been--around, somewhat. maybe you just haven’t looked hard enough.” the eyes on them were hard to ignore--powerhouse celeste and the tragic heart, how very. even so, his smile refused to falter, “really, now? last i recall, it’s you that makes parties what they are. you’ve gotta admit, you’re the star of every show.”

will’s mind had gone into autopilot as the night gone on--it wasn’t that he was having a bad time, he wasn’t--but he was a man constantly running on low fuel, asleep for only a few hours each night. that being said, the party was exhausting--and after having popped a few pills or so, all he wanted was to get some fresh air and recharge. he’d taken to the backyard, beer in hand, lost in his own mind until he realized he wasn’t alone. it took him a moment to compose himself before speaking, “y’likin’ the party so far?” will asked, casually, casting a glance towards the blonde with a small smile.

“ah--there y’are,” will stopped in his tracks as he nearly walked by the blonde, backpedaling just enough to wrap an arm around her shoulders, “been lookin’ for ya, pands--i’ve been challenged to beer pong n’ i needa pardner, if y’feel me?” he leaned close to her in order for his words to be heard above the music, eyes flickering ‘bout the room.