[OPEN]

[justscribing]

WHO: (justscribing) & you!

WHAT: October Catch-All (open + closed)

WHERE: Poison garden, University, Around

WHEN: all through October

WARNINGS: TBA + marked in threads as necessary




OPEN PROMPT LINKS [UPDATED AS ADDED]

Poison Garden

University

Feel free to reach me by PM or plurk (monochromic) if you want to plot for something specific!

Comments

[justscribing]

["He'll always end up alone like this."

Alhaitham pulls his shoulder away, which does give Midnight more space.] I'm not stopping you.

["He's still sore over their fight."

"It's always about the same thing. Pitiful."

"Acting out over something he won't take for himself."]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight just scoots right past, then. None of these thoughts have anything to do with him. Not even that last one. Not even that one, even though he has a fair idea of what the subject might be.

...

A slight scoff escapes him.

Oh. Couldn't keep that one in.

Can't mind his own business.

He thinks he can do so much better.

He can't, is the thing. ]

Have a nice evening.

[ Midnight turns to go. None of his business. Seriously. ]

[justscribing]

[Alhaitham crosses his arms. He expects that to be it. He'd stagger his own escape to ensure it's alone. He doesn't comment on the flowers whispering around Midnight, but he does hear them. He listens. He'll remember.

He thinks he can do so much better.

Alhaitham stills. He knows, as the end of the thought settles in his mind. He knows why it unsettles him, knows that the thoughts are going to be ripped out and scattered upon the ground at his feet.

"It's hard to do worse!"

"He isn't doing anything at all. He never will."

"Kaveh will never want him."

"Kaveh still regrets him."

"He can't protect him. He can't keep him."

"He'll lose him again."]

[unrequite]

Put those headphones back on if you insist on staying here.

[ Terse advice. Midnight slows very slightly so it carries over all of this vile chatter. ]

Awful nonsense.

[ Go on. You've always hated a quitter.

Give him that motivational speech. Make him believe again.

And then they'll walk away. And the bruises will fade, like nothing ever happened. That's what he said, right? Father is always right.

At the last comment, Midnight's expression closes off very suddenly, then he turns and stalks away deeper into the garden. No more of that. ]

[justscribing]

[Alhaitham, halfway through his hand reaching up to his headphones, freezes. There's the immediate recoil inside: more than that Midnight still heard, lingering. He comments on it, breaks that tenuous, unspoken agreement to ignore it. Nosy.

"That guy acts like he knows anything about him."

"He makes sure nobody does."

"Being hard to read keeps away all those tedious people."]

I thought you were leaving? [His look is sharp. He does not move.] If you want to keep your secrets to yourself, you shouldn't comment on anyone else's.

[Because Alhaitham is not afraid to strike back.]

[unrequite]

[ No, he is leaving. Actually, after that last bit about his father, Midnight's just — he's done, man. He's followed by little giggles about how he runs, how he always runs, like he'll somehow outrun every awful decision he's ever made, but he does not, in fact, stop long enough to let Alhaitham actually reply to him.

You should tell him that the best way to avoid attention is to make absolutely certain that no one can accuse you of loneliness.

No comment about that. Midnight just leaves, does not bother to look back. ]

[justscribing]

[There is no response. Alhaitham's teeth grind with momentary dissatisfaction, and then he turns his headphones back on to escape through the other way. That makes the path to the poison garden shorter anyway.]