M O N S T E R

Sometimes, when you think you've hit rock bottom, life hands you a shovel.

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Hesitantly, Josh reached over and gently took Chris’ free hand. He wasn’t sure why he did it; it wasn’t something he’d ever really done before, but it somehow felt like if he didn’t have a physical grip on his best friend, he’d disappear.

“I missed you, too. A lot.” He let go of his hand, not wanting to make this awkward, and wrapped his arms around his own small frame. “What about the others? Do they miss me too, or are they still pissed about the prank?”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris went very still as Josh took his hand. The only sign he’d registered the touch at all was that his jaw had fallen open, lips parted in silent surprise. This was surprisingly openly emotional, coming from Josh Bro-shington– especially coming from Josh now, who had been crying and begging Chris not to touch him just an hour ago. 

Chris didn’t question it, but when Josh pulled his hand away, Chris balled up his fingers into a soft fist and then let them go, trying to retain some of that warmth and sudden, unprompted affection.

“Oh, uh– they miss you too,” he said, still caught off-guard. Chris reminded himself to keep his eyes on the road. “I think nobody’s really pissed anymore, um… given that they all think you’re dead and they have bigger things to try to get over now. Jess was really messed up for a while, and Emily wouldn’t talk to me for the longest time, but I think everyone’s beginning to heal.”

Chris purposefully excluded Ashley and himself.

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

As Chris spoke, Josh cringed at the thought of what all his friends had been through. He didn't truly believe that most of them missed him, but there were more important things than that to discuss.

"I fucked up. I fucked up big time..." he mumbled. After a short moment, he looked back over at his best friend with a frown. "What about you? I mean, you were the one I was hardest on that night. How...how are you doing?"

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

When Chris hugged him, Josh’s smile widened, even when he pulled away quickly. In the last few seconds, his mood had completely flipped around, and he could say with absolute honesty that he hadn’t been this genuinely happy in an incredibly long time. He followed after Chris with the eagerness of a puppy scampering after its new master, and quickly got into the car, pulling off his hood.

“This is going to be awesome! Just like old times, right?” he asked, rolling down the window to let the fresh air in. “Just you, me, and junk food.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Josh’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Chris discovered he was grinning before he even knew it. He got into the driver’s seat, turning on the ignition and immediately reaching to turn the music down. A flush spread over his face at the volume; he must have left it on loud by accident. Josh absolutely didn’t need to hear his mom’s taste in operettas. “Yikes, sorry,” he muttered, and put on his seatbelt.

After all, he thought while sitting next to a man possessed with the spirit of the wendigo, safety first.

Chris pulled out of the driveway as fast as he could without actually going F&F speed, eager to get Josh away from there. He didn’t want to think about driving him home later– and the inevitable shouting match that would occur if either of the elder Washingtons were home. Instead, he focused on the now; flipping through his pre-set radio stations until giving up on the trashy pop earworms, and letting Josh decide what he wanted to listen to.

“Yeah, bro. Just you, me, and a lot of junk food. You gotta bulk up.” Chris grinned at Josh, leaning over to nudge at his side and driving one-handed for a bit. “I missed you so much.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Hesitantly, Josh reached over and gently took Chris' free hand. He wasn't sure why he did it; it wasn't something he'd ever really done before, but it somehow felt like if he didn't have a physical grip on his best friend, he'd disappear.

"I missed you, too. A lot." He let go of his hand, not wanting to make this awkward, and wrapped his arms around his own small frame. "What about the others? Do they miss me too, or are they still pissed about the prank?"

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Open Starter

[pxtricksjournxl-deactivated2016]

“Okay, got it” there’s no need for him to write the numbers down: the ability to remember formulas, series of numbers, and codes well is what got him into majoring in Chemistry in the first place. But he is a tad bit curious whether those numbers mean something or not. He always believes codes and passwords hold a deeper meaning.

And he’s about to voice that thought, more for the sake of conversation than anything else, when Josh’ voice reaches his ears again. Being the oldest in his group of friends had always made him feel like he’s supposed to protect the others. Not that he would act on that feeling, since it actually stresses him more than anything, the idea of having to take care of hormonal seniors and a college student, shudder. But the worry for his best friend, and the maternal instincts he seems to have developed over the years of making sure Chris doesn’t get himself killed… they make his eyes widen slightly and voice soften. “Why should it be bad? Being scared is okay, Josh. I’m pretty… terrified too, actually. Just make sure to take deep breaths, okay? I’m almost there, and I’m not going to hang up until I’ve reached your… palace or whatever you call your house”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Hearing his home described as a palace was almost enough to make him laugh. Such a word evoked thoughts of life, and grandeur, and excitement, and everything that his own home lacked. “Palace? Try prison,” he muttered bitterly, his voice wavering. “But that’s not important, just...promise me if anything goes wrong, you’ll bail. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself...”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris watched Josh take his first steps out of the house in months, and stood behind him– partially as a support, partially to follow him out of the house, and mostly to make sure he didn’t do anything like turn around and run back in. When Josh glanced over at him, he nodded, and no words seemed to fit the moment, so he stayed silent.

Josh stayed there, standing on his front doorstep, for a longer moment than Chris could handle. He stepped forward to do or say something, but just as he did, Josh turned around, a tear falling. He… thanked Chris. After all he’d been through, he thanked him.

Chris had listened to a lot of rants about Joshua Washington since his death, but he felt nothing but affection for his best friend right now. He stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Josh’s malnourished frame, unable to restrain himself any longer. Chris hardly waited for Josh to hug him back, just patting his back and withdrawing quickly. The worst thing he could imagine would be one of Josh’s neighbors seeing him and calling the cops… or no, wait. Calling the Washingtons. Because that would mean they were in on the entire scheme.

“Come on, bro,” Chris murmured, jerking his head towards his car. He pulled the front door shut behind them. “Let’s go get some pizza.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

When Chris hugged him, Josh’s smile widened, even when he pulled away quickly. In the last few seconds, his mood had completely flipped around, and he could say with absolute honesty that he hadn’t been this genuinely happy in an incredibly long time. He followed after Chris with the eagerness of a puppy scampering after its new master, and quickly got into the car, pulling off his hood.

“This is going to be awesome! Just like old times, right?” he asked, rolling down the window to let the fresh air in. “Just you, me, and junk food.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh stared at him, frozen in shock as he spoke. This certainly wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. The minute his best friend started crying, the guilt hit him like a freight train, and as he took a deep breath, his own vision beginning to cloud with tears. 

“Chris, I…I never thought…”

He stopped mid-sentence, unsure of how exactly to word what he wanted to say. He’d figured out that there had probably been a funeral, but it hadn’t occurred to him how that would affect his friends. He knew that his prank had traumatized everyone involved, but he didn’t think the trauma would be so lasting. And worst of all, his best friend was blaming it all on himself.

“Look, you…you shouldn’t talk like that, okay? It goes a lot deeper than you know, and I don’t think anything could’ve prevented what happened that night. I was way too far gone, and if a world-renowned therapist can’t help me, then nobody can.” He looked away again, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “And I…I’m so fucking sorry, man. For everything. Every little bit of it. I fucked up everybody’s lives because in my twisted mind, I thought you all had fucked up mine, and that is so far from okay, I…” He took a deep, shaky breath, unable to look Chris in the eye. “I thought if I somehow ‘avenged’ my sisters’ deaths, then everything would go back to normal. No more misery, no more anger, no more hallucinations, but it only made things worse for all of us… It’s no excuse, but…I just need you to know, I-I was broken beyond repair. Still am, but…not one bit of this is your fault, okay? And I don’t know how to make things better, but I need you to know that if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris didn’t struggle with his masculinity the same way he was sure Mike or Matt did, but he still had moments of doubt; moments like this, where he wanted to break down and hold Josh and feel like a boy again but he was forced to stand and pretend he wasn’t crying and wipe away his tears. He took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes, and sniffed a little.

Josh’s words didn’t help him feel any less guilty, but they did relieve a bit of the weight pressing down in his chest. The absolution of Chris’ sins was nice to hear, but what really helped Chris was Josh talking about his health. Prior to this, the only words Chris had heard out of Josh’s mouth talking about his mourning and mental state had been either jokes or insensitive comments, or sometimes both. It relaxed Chris more than Josh possibly could have known to hear him directly addressing his grief, mentioning his therapist positively, and maybe angling for the hopes of something better in the future. 

Chris wiped away another tear that was threatening to spill, blinking quickly. “It’s okay,” he said, throat a little hoarse. “I… don’t know how to make things better either, but it’s okay. We will. You are not broken beyond repair, bro. I wanna help you– with the hallucinations, with the Wendigo shit, with all of it. I’m so sorry, Josh. I’ll make all this up to you.”

The desire to hug Josh was almost insurmountable, but Chris set his jaw and steeled his expression. Instead, he reached behind him for the doorknob, and pulled the door open. Outside, the sun was beating down, Chris’ car was waiting in the driveway, and the Washingtons’ neighbours across the street had planted a crop of tulips that were just beginning to bloom. Chris wasn’t sure when the last time Josh had been outside was, but he held the door open. He patiently waited.

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh stared outside, motionless, his eyes widening. His heart started pounding faster and faster as the sunlight burst through the door. He hadn't left the house in so long. How much had the world changed while he was locked away? He figured it couldn't be too different -it had only been a few months, after all- but he was still terrified. How could he maneuver a world he wasn't at all familiar with?

He took a silent step forward, still thinking over all that was happening. So many things were changing so suddenly that he wasn't sure how to manage it all. Another step towards the door, and every logical part of him was screaming that he needed to turn back, but he'd never been one to listen to logic. Yet another step, and he looked over at Chris, still trying to figure out what to say to him. Two steps, and he was almost there. Two more, then another, and another, and he passed through the door, taking a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in months. Quickly, he felt a rush of relief; his newfound freedom washing over him like the gentle flow of a stream.

He closed his eyes, smiling softly and taking in all the sounds and smells of the outdoors. The world was even better than he remembered it.

Finally turning to Chris, he wiped one stray tear from his eye, and unsure of what else to say, he uncharacteristically spoke two simple, quiet words. No ranting, no drawn-out explanations, no jokes or lies or anything else unnecessary. Just the two words that he'd always beaten himself up for not saying often enough.

"Thank you."

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Open Starter

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh smiled softly, sitting down on his bed. After months of being told that he was too much trouble, and overhearing Bob telling Melinda that he’d probably be better off dead, to be told that he wasn’t a burden was like winning the lottery. “God, it’s been so long, I almost forgot what an amazing friend you are.” Glancing over towards the window, he let out a relaxed sigh. “I’ve missed you so much…”

[notahelplessbird-deactivated201]

“I’ve missed you too.” Sam murmured softly, her head tucked into her jacket’s hood. It was storming way harder than she had thought, safe inside her bedroom. She refused to turn back and grab an umbrella though. She didn’t want to put this off any longer than it already had been. “Damn right I’m an amazing friend.” She laughed, her voice catching, a betrayal of her emotions. “I mean… What else would I be for you? A loser friend, please?”  She may be verging on the edge of hysterical now, but she thought she was holding it together well. “Your window only opens from the outside right? It should be easy for me to get in then.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh's smile faded when he heard her voice catch, and it hit him how hard she was trying to keep it together. Still, he figured it wasn't the best time to mention it, and simply listened to the rest of what she said. "Yeah, climbing up here should be a breeze. Do you want me to try to find a blanket or a towel or something to dry off?"

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris stood there, slack-jawed, during Josh’s “explanation” of how the night apparently would have went down had he been there. Halfway through, Chris’ expression went from aptly horrified to furiously pensive, and his crossed arms and posture went from defensive to angry.

When Josh finished, Chris didn’t speak for a moment. The thing was, Josh was right. No matter how the cookie crumbled, Josh being there with them would have changed things irreparably, because Chris and the Wendigo hunter wouldn’t have gone out to look for him.

“The thing is,” he eventually said, words tersely and angrily cut down to the bare minimum– the opposite of Josh’s rant, “I can’t help but think that if I had avoided leaving you alone in the shed in the first place, then things would have been fine. Or maybe, if I’d bothered to talk to you more the year between the trips. If I’d been there for you then, maybe I wouldn’t have had to sit through your funeral, and maybe your parents wouldn’t have locked you up for months like a prisoner instead of their son.”

Chris took a shaky breath in, and to his surprise he found that the rage that had been slowly building during Josh’s rant had dissipated entirely, replaced just by the abstract, empty feeling of loss. “Things aren’t good the way they are now. My girlfriend has nightmares every second night. I can’t pass a construction site without being worried I’ll hear the noise from a saw. My best friend disappeared from my life without warning, because I left you alone to have to resort to cannibalism. And now you live in a cell instead of a home.”

With a distant shocked feeling, Chris realized the tears that had welled up in his eyes earlier had returned, and he distractedly reached up to wipe them away. They didn’t fog up his glasses, and he continued, “I don’t care how much worse things might have been. If I could travel back, I would take that risk, because I can’t live like this anymore.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh stared at him, frozen in shock as he spoke. This certainly wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. The minute his best friend started crying, the guilt hit him like a freight train, and as he took a deep breath, his own vision beginning to cloud with tears. 

“Chris, I...I never thought...”

He stopped mid-sentence, unsure of how exactly to word what he wanted to say. He’d figured out that there had probably been a funeral, but it hadn’t occurred to him how that would affect his friends. He knew that his prank had traumatized everyone involved, but he didn’t think the trauma would be so lasting. And worst of all, his best friend was blaming it all on himself.

“Look, you...you shouldn’t talk like that, okay? It goes a lot deeper than you know, and I don’t think anything could’ve prevented what happened that night. I was way too far gone, and if a world-renowned therapist can’t help me, then nobody can.” He looked away again, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “And I...I’m so fucking sorry, man. For everything. Every little bit of it. I fucked up everybody’s lives because in my twisted mind, I thought you all had fucked up mine, and that is so far from okay, I...” He took a deep, shaky breath, unable to look Chris in the eye. “I thought if I somehow ‘avenged’ my sisters’ deaths, then everything would go back to normal. No more misery, no more anger, no more hallucinations, but it only made things worse for all of us... It’s no excuse, but...I just need you to know, I-I was broken beyond repair. Still am, but...not one bit of this is your fault, okay? And I don’t know how to make things better, but I need you to know that if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh sighed, looking over at his best friend with a frown. He took a hesitant step forward, placing a hand on Chris’s shoulder. “Hey…y-you don’t have to apologize for that, man. It’s not your fault.”

He looked down at the ground, chewing his lip. This topic has been inevitable, but it had come up far sooner than he would have liked. “I fucking traumatized you that night. Sure, the Wendigos turned out to be worse, but that doesn’t make it okay. That prank was horrible, and you aren’t the bad guy for doing something about it. If anything, you probably helped everybody. If you all had to guard me once those fuckers showed up, I would’ve been too much of a burden, and you know it. Me being out of the picture made it so much easier for you all to survive.”

That thought was the most terrifying one of all. His friends could’ve died because of him. That was the thing that warranted guilt, not Chris tying him up. The way Josh saw it, that wasn’t bad at all. “Besides, what else could you have done? Let Mike beat me into a pulp?”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris looked up at the hand on his shoulder, and instantly felt a bolt of guilt. Josh was the one who’d been locked up for months, and here he was, comforting Chris? Chris reached up to Josh’s hand with the intention of pushing it off, and ended up just patting it solemnly as Josh talked.

He was surprised to hear his friend confess to how awful the prank had been, and a little vindicated by it, but all his agreement was cancelled out by what Josh said next. Chris frowned, and lowered his hand to his side.

“What else could we have done? Oh, I don’t know, we could have not tied you up like you were a rabid animal.” Chris shook his head. “I could have taken a step back from the situation and said ‘Hey Mike, actually, that’s my best friend, he’s upset and he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing, maybe let’s treat him like a human being who’s not well instead of a demon’. You literally told us you didn’t kill Jess, and we were both too angry to listen to you.” 

He took a shaky breath in, and crossed his arms around himself. “I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at myself. It… thank you for acknowledging what happened, but I don’t think you’re the bad guy either. As for the prank, and you dragging us down…”

Chris hesitated for a long moment. “Josh, I would rather you have stayed around the whole night scaring us all shitless and then revealed it was all a prank and come home with us the next morning. I would infinitely prefer that to what happened. And if you can’t clearly see that what happened is way worse because you weren’t in the picture, then you haven’t actually been listening to me when I talk about the butterfly effect, dude.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Pausing for a moment, Josh looked his best friend in the eye with an unreadable expression. Finally, after what felt like forever, he spoke.

"You want to talk butterfly effect, Chris? Alright, let's talk butterfly effect. I reveal to everyone that everything you'd been through that night was a prank. Mike, convinced that I killed Jess, punches me to the floor and starts taking me to the shed. You defend me, insisting that it's not my fault, but because he hasn't heard about the Wendigos yet, he doesn't believe you. Now, let's say that by some miracle, you somehow convince him to leave me alone, then we're suddenly all together with a group of people who are all rightfully pissed at me, and now Mike probably has a bone to pick with you, too. Then, there's a few options. Either we go to the cable car and leave, abandoning Emily, Jess, and Matt, which I doubt we would have done since at that point, I was the only one who had caused them trouble so far, and nobody thought there was an urgent reason to leave. So, we likely all head back to the lodge, again, with everyone pissed at me, and my mental state getting worse by the second. Now, I don't know the whole story of what I missed, but since Mike and Sam came for the cable car key with all that urgency, and Sam knew about what happened to Hannah, I know you all heard the truth about the Wendigos at some point, and based on that, it's a safe bet that at some point after arriving back at the lodge, everyone would find out about then in the new timeline, too. Then, we either would try to escape, try to find the others, or hide out in the lodge. First option, we probably get attacked, and in my crippled mental state, I flip out and get us all killed. Second option, same thing. Third option, we're all stuck in a room together with literal monsters outside and everyone still pissed. Sure, help comes in the morning, but since we were all safe and hidden away, the lodge would have stayed in tact, meaning the Wendigos would still be out there, I would be sent to either a mental institution or prison for who-knows-how-long, you probably would have had to make a choice between me and literally everybody else, and again, something still could have gone horribly wrong and left some or all of us dead. Me being there wouldn't have been a good thing, Chris, and you know it."

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Throughout most of his life, Josh had tried to act like he didn’t really care about much. If there was anything he’d learned from his years upon years of therapy, it was that if you showed too much concern, it usually came off as overprotective and off-putting. He was always more willing to open up to the people who were able to crack a joke here and there. And so, that was the persona he adopted, and for years, he was the goofy friend that people came to for advice when they were afraid to ask someone who ‘cared too much.’ What he was hiding was that under all the joking around, he cared more than anyone could have guessed. His sisters had been a big part of that. Sure, he was the one with the worst mental health, but both of the twins had their share of issues, and through them, he became a master at picking up when something was wrong. His big brother instinct would alway kick in the moment he realized that something was wrong, and this was one of those moments.

“Dude, are you alright?” he asked softly. “Your mood just completely shifted.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris hadn’t thought Josh would be able to pick up on the vibes, let alone call him out on them. He should have known better– despite being possessed by the spirit of a cannibalistic Native American legend, Josh was still himself, and he was still Chris’ best friend. Of course he’d know something was up; and it was actually kind of reassuring that he’d still care enough about Chris’ mental health to press the subject.

Chris tried to smooth down his jacket, looking away. He could be evasive here– anything other than face Josh as he owned up to what was really wrong.

“Yeah, uh, just. Pizza.” He hoped that was all that would be necessary, but the silence that hung between and around them was heavily weighted. Chris cleared his throat, and glanced up at the ceiling. “The last time you mentioned pizza, we– we had you tied up, and I just… the memory just came back.”

Chris’ voice was practically dripping with guilt, and he looked up at Josh for just a brief moment before letting go of his grip on the doorknob. “I didn’t mean to bring it up. I’m just… I’m sorry. We didn’t know what we were doing.” 

He looked down at his shoes.

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh sighed, looking over at his best friend with a frown. He took a hesitant step forward, placing a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Hey...y-you don't have to apologize for that, man. It's not your fault."

He looked down at the ground, chewing his lip. This topic has been inevitable, but it had come up far sooner than he would have liked. "I fucking traumatized you that night. Sure, the Wendigos turned out to be worse, but that doesn't make it okay. That prank was horrible, and you aren't the bad guy for doing something about it. If anything, you probably helped everybody. If you all had to guard me once those fuckers showed up, I would've been too much of a burden, and you know it. Me being out of the picture made it so much easier for you all to survive."

That thought was the most terrifying one of all. His friends could've died because of him. That was the thing that warranted guilt, not Chris tying him up. The way Josh saw it, that wasn't bad at all. "Besides, what else could you have done? Let Mike beat me into a pulp?"

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

“You know me. Take me anywhere that serves pizza, and I’ll be fucking ecstatic.” Josh smiled softly, catching up and nudging his best friend. “And for the record, I may be rich, but I would hate McDonald’s even if I was living on the street. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal anyway. Their food is awful, and more than that, clowns are freaking terrifying, and they won’t let you forget that Ronald McDonald bastard. They’ve got his face plastered everywhere, like it’s Disney World and he’s Mickey Mouse, only it’s a trashy fast-food restaurant instead of a theme park and someone who looks like a serial killer instead of a non-threatening cartoon animal. It’s not whimsical, it’s fucking creepy. And I mean, sure, I’ll admit that when my family used to go on long road trips, we’d eat there sometimes, and I’ll even agree that they’ve got okay breakfast stuff, but when it comes to lunch and dinner, I think I’d rather eat table scraps out of my parents’ garbage.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris had been friends with Josh for a very, very long time. As such, he was somewhat able to recognize the beginnings of a Washington Rant, patent pending. He led Josh to the stairs, and headed down them easily, slipping his shoes on and listening patiently. 

“All right, alright, you’re right,” he edged in when Josh stopped, or at least paused to take a breath. “My mistake. Clowns are pretty scary, I guess. We can go grab a pizza and chill out, and I can catch you up.” Pizza sounded great, and if there wasn’t the danger of Melinda and Bob returning, Chris would suggest that they just order it to eat in Josh’s mansion–

Almost the second he’d had the thought, Chris stopped still for a moment, caught in a horrible flashback. The last time Josh had asked him to order a pizza had been the last time Chris had seen him. Ever. He’d been tied up, like he was the threat on the mountain, and now… now he was the threat. Chris had basically done that to him by leaving him alone.

Chris swallowed, and forced himself to pull his other shoe on. “I parked in the driveway,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t betray his inner thoughts. “C’mon, bro.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Throughout most of his life, Josh had tried to act like he didn't really care about much. If there was anything he'd learned from his years upon years of therapy, it was that if you showed too much concern, it usually came off as overprotective and off-putting. He was always more willing to open up to the people who were able to crack a joke here and there. And so, that was the persona he adopted, and for years, he was the goofy friend that people came to for advice when they were afraid to ask someone who 'cared too much.' What he was hiding was that under all the joking around, he cared more than anyone could have guessed. His sisters had been a big part of that. Sure, he was the one with the worst mental health, but both of the twins had their share of issues, and through them, he became a master at picking up when something was wrong. His big brother instinct would alway kick in the moment he realized that something was wrong, and this was one of those moments.

"Dude, are you alright?" he asked softly. "Your mood just completely shifted."

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Open Starter

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh sighs, once again looking out at the raging storm. “I mean, you could check to see if any doors are unlocked, but I can’t come down to let you in. I’m kind of locked in on both ends. My parents only let me have free range of the place on special occasions.”

He sits down on his bed, leaning back against his pillow. “Maybe you can get in through the garage, though. If you punch in the code, it should open.”

[pxtricksjournxl-deactivated2016]

What exactly was going on in Casa Washington? Patrick was more than a little confused as to why Josh’ parents would be keeping him locked up that way. He knows Melinda and her wonderful and understanding and ugh husband enough to know that they’re not doing it to protect their son’s mental health. So, what is it then?

“Garage it is then. What’s the code?”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

“Zero, six, one, five,” Josh replies. “Once you get in, make sure you close it behind you so nobody notices. The door into the house from there should be unlocked, and you can just head up to my room.”

He takes a deep breath, thinking over what’s going on. There’s so much potential for something to go horribly wrong that the odds of both of them getting out physically and mentally unscathed are incredibly unlikely. On the other hand, it’s also possible that it’ll all be fine and that he’s just psyching himself out over nothing. Luckily, out of all his friends, Patrick is the one he’s always trusted the most with his feelings, and now seems like a good time to get it all off his back. “Is it bad that I’m kind of terrified right now? I mean, I know this is a good thing, but my heart is going like, a million miles an hour…”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh paused, looking at him motionlessly for a few moments in consideration before finally relenting and walking up to him. “Okay…but if anything goes catastrophically wrong, it’s on you.”

He pulled his hood over his head, letting out a sigh. “We don’t have to settle for McDonald’s, though. I mean, come on bro, have you ever seen Supersize Me? That shit’s disgusting.”

[chris-alis-blog]

“Yeah,” Chris agreed, and then thought about the statement and frowned a little. He tried to keep a positive face, but the idea of Josh eating someone and it being “on Chris” was not… the friendliest idea. Despite his concerns, Chris nodded determinedly, and then barrelled on, heading down the stairs and grabbing the shoes he’d politely left at the bottom.

“Well, well, look who’s a picky rich kid just like always,” Chris teased, grinning. “Fine. What drive-thru delight are you craving today, Joshua?”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

"You know me. Take me anywhere that serves pizza, and I'll be fucking ecstatic." Josh smiled softly, catching up and nudging his best friend. "And for the record, I may be rich, but I would hate McDonald's even if I was living on the street. I don't get why it's such a big deal anyway. Their food is awful, and more than that, clowns are freaking terrifying, and they won't let you forget that Ronald McDonald bastard. They've got his face plastered everywhere, like it's Disney World and he's Mickey Mouse, only it's a trashy fast-food restaurant instead of a theme park and someone who looks like a serial killer instead of a non-threatening cartoon animal. It's not whimsical, it's fucking creepy. And I mean, sure, I'll admit that when my family used to go on long road trips, we'd eat there sometimes, and I'll even agree that they've got okay breakfast stuff, but when it comes to lunch and dinner, I think I'd rather eat table scraps out of my parents' garbage."

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Open Starter

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

“Okay, good. Oh, and I almost forgot: the window doesn’t open from the inside, so you’re going to have to get it when you climb up. It’s a little tricky at first, but I don’t think it should be too much of a problem.”

Josh glanced out the window at the storm raging outside. Despite what he’d hoped, it showed no sign of clearing; if anything, it was getting worse. Maybe all this was too much to ask of his old friend… “I know it’ll be a pain in the ass with all this rain. If you want, I could probably find you like, a towel or something to dry off with.”

[pxtricksjournxl-deactivated2016]

It surely wouldn’t be fun to climb the Washington manor with this type of weather, but he’s done worse things for people who deserved less ( reason number one why he’s the way he is now ). Another glance out the car window, and Patrick has to frown.

“Hey, Josh?” he starts “Isn’t there, like, a back door you could let me through? Because I’m starting to think that I will die if I attempt to get through your window in this weather” The tone in his voice is apologetic, but he can’t really say that he feels a 100% sorry for the change of plan. Maybe, 85%, because he really isn’t the most physically fit man in at least a good… basically the entire city. Well, okay, maybe a tad bit more than Chris.

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh sighs, once again looking out at the raging storm. "I mean, you could check to see if any doors are unlocked, but I can't come down to let you in. I'm kind of locked in on both ends. My parents only let me have free range of the place on special occasions."

He sits down on his bed, leaning back against his pillow. "Maybe you can get in through the garage, though. If you punch in the code, it should open."

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[chris-alis-blog]

“It’s not weird,” Chris said, heading towards the grand staircase he’d come up. “I’d be nervous too, dude.” He hesitated, going through what had happened with the group, and tried to decide what to tell Josh first– that their friend group had practically dissolved? That he hadn’t talked to some of the others in months, or that it had affected them all so badly that when he talked to Ashley he kept a list of words not to use? He wasn’t sure if he should bring up his relationship either, given that Josh had been the catalyst for that but it hadn’t been pleasant.

While Chris mused, Josh rambled himself to pieces, and Chris pivoted on his feet to look at Josh. “No! Come on, bro. You’re going to fit in fine. If you want, I’ll lend you my shades or something, but you don’t have to hide.” Chris paused, thinking of the best way to try to get Josh to come out. “How about this… we go to somewhere with a drive-thru, like McD’s or something, and we can grab drinks and sit in the parking lot until you feel cool enough to head into somewhere. Or if you’re not down to do somewhere crowded today, then we could just stay there for a bit and I can drive you home after.”

Chris swallowed, and glanced down at the carpet. “Come on, Josh… I missed you. And besides, there’s some stuff I wanna catch you up on.” He looked back up at his friend and gave him a reassuring smile.

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh paused, looking at him motionlessly for a few moments in consideration before finally relenting and walking up to him. “Okay...but if anything goes catastrophically wrong, it’s on you.”

He pulled his hood over his head, letting out a sigh. “We don’t have to settle for McDonald’s, though. I mean, come on bro, have you ever seen Supersize Me? That shit’s disgusting.”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris tried not to let his expression cloud over at Josh’s lack of optimism, but he wasn’t entirely convinced he’d succeeded, a slight frown pulling at his mouth. It was due to no fault of Josh’s of course; Chris was just furious at his parents. What kind of father and mother had the lack of heart to lock their son up without letting him see the outside world? Even if they thought they had been doing what was best for Josh, their actions were downright abusive. Chris clearly remembered the look on Josh’s face when he’d first come in, and his eyebrows grew close together in displeasure at the thought.

“They’re not over,” Chris insisted, leading Josh through the door to his glorified cell. “If your parents lock you up for life, I’ll…” He struggled not to say something vicious that might set Josh off. “I will not let that happen, bro.”

Josh stared at him and it occurred to Chris for the first time since he’d gotten there to be self-conscious of his own appearance. He was currently in that awkward state between lanky and fit, where none of his muscles seemed to fill out his skin the way he wanted them to but he was definitely on his way somewhere. He had more meat on his bones than Josh did– and, wow, the meat metaphors would definitely have to be put to a stop. Chris coughed nervously and tried to straighten out his sweater, as he mused over an answer.

“Well…” He hesitated, shrugging. “That’s what best friends do. And you are my best friend, right?” Chris hardly waited for an answer, laughing to fill up the silence between them instead. “Besides, I’ll just prank you later

Chris winked at Josh, and then gestured for him to follow. “Let’s get going though, okay?”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh smiled softly, nodding and following him out. “Is it weird that I’m nervous? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m excited too, but it’s been so long... Did any big changes happen out there? Is there something I should prepare myself for? I mean, I know it’s only been a few months, but a lot can change in that time. Am I going to fit in okay? What if people start staring? I mean, I must look pretty weird, all skinny and unkempt, and of course there’s the threat of somebody recognizing us. And then, if that happens, I might start freaking out, and when I freak out, I lose control, and then I could risk going full Wendigo in the middle of a crowd of people, and there’s no possible way that could end well...” Anxiety started to set in, and his heart pounded in his chest. This was a risky move, to say the least, and the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. He stopped suddenly, taking a small step towards his bedroom. “Maybe we should just call this whole thing off...”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Open Starter

[notahelplessbird-deactivated201]

“Yeah. I want to. She said softly. “I’m afraid that if I hang up, you’ll disappear.” She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as she made her way to the sidewalk and struck out on the path that would take her to Josh’s house. “You’ve never been a burden to me. I’ve always been happy to talk to you and come see you whenever you needed it.” 

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh smiled softly, sitting down on his bed. After months of being told that he was too much trouble, and overhearing Bob telling Melinda that he’d probably be better off dead, to be told that he wasn’t a burden was like winning the lottery. “God, it’s been so long, I almost forgot what an amazing friend you are.” Glancing over towards the window, he let out a relaxed sigh. “I’ve missed you so much...”

[chris-alis-blog]

Reunion || Chris & Josh

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

Josh’s frown very quickly turned into a grin, and he eagerly took his friend’s outstretched hand, pulling himself to his feet. “Well, then what are we waiting for, Cochise? Let’s get out of here!” 

He quickly started leading him towards the door, grabbing a sweatshirt off of the top of the dresser without even stopping. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this. I mean, it’s been so long, and now I’m finally leaving this hellhole!” He let go of Chris’ hand, pulling on the sweatshirt as he walked. “This is going to be so weird. Just going back into society like nothing happened, I mean…maybe I’ll actually be able to feel like a normal person again…”

[chris-alis-blog]

Chris nodded at the name, a slow grin spreading over his face. He doubted that John Wayne’s horse had ever had to take him hostage, but… Cochise had evolved for them. He barely even heard it as a nerdy film reference anymore, just instantly recognizing it as an endearment for him, the same way his mom sometimes called him Christie.

(The same way Patrick sometimes called him Chrissy, he thought with a mental roll of his eyes.)

The fact that Josh was still ready to go on an adventure with Chris after months of being “dead” was incredibly reassuring, and Chris watched Josh get dressed with an affectionate smile. Maybe they’d finally be able to get back to some form of normalcy after this. “It’s not like anyone’s going to be able to tell the difference between you and society, bro,” Chris mused, heading over to open the door again. “We should be golden.”

[br0kenmlnd-blog]

“I hope you’re right…” Josh replied softly. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I never thought I’d be able to do something like this again. Even if my parents find out and lock me up for life, at least I’ll get a last hurrah, right? One last day to just have a good time, you know? I-I honestly believed those days were over…”

He paused briefly, just studying Chris’ features. All the time in isolation had almost made him forget what his friends looked like in person. He had plenty of pictures, but actually being there was so different in a way that he couldn’t even describe. He couldn’t figure out whether all the subtle changes he saw were in his head, or if Chris had been struggling as much as he had. “Look, I…I know I don’t usually get all mushy and shit, but this really means a lot, especially considering what I did to you on the mountain and all the Wendigo stuff and everything. I mean, you’d have every reason to run away, but instead, you’re treating me like…” his eyes drifted away, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “like a friend…”