𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧.

andrej vårvik, twenty-nine, computer nerd. james reynolds, twenty-five, local dumbass.

[candydripping]

ABOUT THE MUSES!

ღ 𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐣 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐤.

Biography

Statistics & Wanted Connections

Muse & Visage

ღ 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬.

Biography

Statistics & Wanted Connections

Muse & Visage

[candydripping]

SHANE HINDS.

Shane shouldn’t have been surprised when he opened the door to find Andrej standing on the other side. He was pretty sure that showing up at Andrej’s miserable and craving company had thrown them into a weird sort of limbo state where they weren’t quite friends but no longer enemies. So, really, he only had himself to blame. Not that he completely hated having the other man around, he admitted to himself mostly unwillingly. 

“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine today? Did your heart grow two sizes while you were sleeping,” Shane teased, stepping aside so that Andrej could enter. “I’m guessing you’re planning to stay for a bit,” he continued, tutting at the mention of mistletoe. “I know you’re usually the grumpy one but are you aware that mistletoe’s actually a parasite? So, not really a big romantic gesture, but…” Shane shrugged, a slow smile creeping across his features, “I appreciate the gesture. Nice to know there’s still room for romance in your cold dead heart.” 

“Are you implying that I’m usually a grumpy asshole, babe?” Andrej responded with a small smirk on his lips. Until he was in a good mood, Andrej didn’t actually realise how rare it was for him to be this way. Which was probably a bit sad, but while he was actually happy he was going to enjoy it and spread it over to Shane too. Maybe if Shane remembered that he wasn’t always an asshole then he might actually start to like him again. Andrej could already sense those feelings creeping back in again and he desperately didn’t want to be attached to Shane again but it was beginning to feel like it was too late to go back. 

“Funny because people have called me a parasite too. Guess I have a lot in common with this stuff then. It’s a plastic one anyway, I stole it from work. Not sure why anyone would want to fight to get under mistletoe in a coffee shop but here we are.” He leaned in and gave Shane a playful kiss on his cheek before squeezing his shoulder and returning the smile. “I’ve recently come to the realisation that maybe romance isn’t dead after all and I’m just a cynic. I think I’ve been watching too many shit Christmas movies.” 

[candydripping]

ALECTO STERLING.

Who: @thetcsteofink​  Where: Ryhall’s Cranny When: Any day around the Christmas period 

It was definitely very brave of his mama trusting James of all people to head down to the shops to grab some last minute things. It wasn’t as though James was ENTIRELY unreliable, it was just that he got easily sidetracked or something wrong just accidentally happened even though James had no idea how. She probably just wanted James out of the house for a bit considering he had been under her feet CONSTANTLY since the break up with Teddy and honestly, James didn’t blame her considering he knew he could be a bit much as people often politely put it. The shop was only a five minute walk away from the Reynolds house and considering James hadn’t lost the shopping list on the way there, all was going well. 

At least it was, until he’d realised that the only remaining can of tomato soup left was on the very top shelf, right at the back. Though James was a fairly tall person, he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the back of the shelf, so without thinking it through, he found himself climbing up the shelf and reaching over . . . before slipping and tumbling down, his own shopping and several cans noisily crashing down too. 

“Oh fuck, oh fuck. It’s FINE, everything’s fine!” He looked around and suddenly noticed a face he hadn’t seen in a while -- for a very specific reason -- and he groaned. “Okay, maybe it’s not fine.” 

[candydripping]

AKSEL VÄRVIK.

Who: @shredmytapestry​  Where: Aksel’s apartment When: Christmas 

Throwing a box at his brother’s head at seven in the morning was decisively the best way to wake him up, Andrej had now determined. Though he’d never really given a fuck about Christmas, especially when they were kids growing up considering the only present their got from their parents was another bruise, he’d decided that maybe he’d made more of an effort this year. Mostly because he was actually in a better mood and wasn’t ready to jump off a cliff the way he had been the past few months. 

“Christmas still fucking sucks but I got you a present because I think you’re alright.” Andrej shrugged and then sat on the edge on Aksel’s bed, grinning as Aristotle leaped up and spread his giant body across the bed too. “Though I don’t know how I ended up being unfortunate enough to reach the ripe old age of thirty and having to wake up on Christmas morning with you. Really must have fucked with the universe to be landed with this fate.” 

[candydripping]

SHANE HINDS.

Who: @philcscphies​  Where: Shane’s apartment When: One of the days in that weird period between Christmas and New Year

"Merry Christmas, dickface.”

It was becoming some sort of a regular occurrence, showing up at Shane’s door entirely unwanted. Ever since Shane had come over to his a few weeks ago, Andrej found himself getting attached to the other again which was absolutely NOT a good idea. But Christmas was the time for love and forgiveness and all that vomit-worthy bullshit that Andrej usually dismissed until it worked to his advantage, so here he was. Plus Christmas had always reminded him of Shane, even after all these years, so it made sense coming here to put himself in a cheery mood. 

“Still think Christmas is a load of bullshit and just another excuse to force families in the same room to pretend that they like each other but I figured I would get into the Christmas spirit for once and bring over some mistletoe, which just so happens to be the best part of Christmas. Maybe if you’re lucky, it might accidentally end up over your head.” 

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej to all contacts

Silas: are you always this grumpy or is this a special birthday attitude?

Andrej: would say it's a special birthday attitude but that would be a lie

Andrej: not that it's something that should bother you of all people

Andrej: could make myself even moodier if this isn't doing it for you tho

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej & sebastian

Seb: do you want to know my biggest toxic trait?

Seb: finding ways to make ollie love me more somehow. you know how i know this, andrej? because the moment i read both of those things my brain instantly said "andrej could beat me up in a kinky way for 30 minutes around where ollie works to see if he notices."

Seb: none of that even makes sense lmao. stick a fork in me, andrej, i'm done.

Seb: but at the risk of you beating me up 30 times....HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU DRAMATIC YOUNG/OLD FART! imagine how i feel lol. are you doing anything exciting today?

Andrej: not really the best at relationships but something tells me that that's not the greatest way to get somebody to love you.... i think

Andrej: though he could be your knight in shining armour and save you from me so maybe you've got something here

Andrej: stfu i don't want your birthday wishes nor do i want to do anything at all ever

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej to all contacts

Elijah: i know parents are supposed to think their kids the best in the world and mine totally is but hes not really an artist

Elijah: hes more a con artist than an artist RIP me

Elijah: so.... whats the plan for the birthday? just gonna mope around? you know 30 isnt so bad. could be worse. you could be 16 again

Andrej: definitely a con artist but as the cool uncle, i will absolutely support him in every choice he makes no matter what

Andrej: the plan is to go to work, get pissed off at stupid people, go home, smoke weed and sleep :)

Andrej: maybe if i were 16 again then i could start all over

[candydripping]

text message // james & teddy

teddy: i was angry and lashing out, james. obviously i didn't mean what i said that night.

teddy: i was just baffled how i could believe someone was the love of my life and then suddenly they didn't want to marry me.

teddy: your decisions are your own but just because your parents divorced, doesn't mean we would. just because my parents are dead doesn't mean i'm gonna die too? it's bullshit.

James: actually i think you did mean it.

James: maybe i'm just shit scared because everything i thought was true and the perfect love i looked up to isn't even real

James: also that's a stupid analogy because we're all going to die

[candydripping]

text message // andrej & aksel

aksel: so i adopted a cat?? before you ask how, my somewhat therapist said it would be good for me...

aksel: anyway, i'm out buying cat food and stuff. does aristotle need anything while i'm here??

Andrej: congrats? you're a dad?

Andrej: if you're feeling nice, your rich ass could buy him a month's worth of food 👀

Andrej: wait.......... you have a therapist????

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej to all contacts

Elijah: i swear the older you get the weirder your kinks get

Elijah: but w/e youre into. guess noah and i will just throw away the card we made

Andrej: ......... wait i suppose i could accept a card from noah

Andrej: especially if he drew me again

Andrej: kid is going places....... maybe not quite an art school..... but places

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej & sebastian

Seb: well, hang on....what does a birthday beating consist of? it sounds festive and terrifying all at the same time, so i'm curious...

Andrej: involves me beating you 30 times, one for each year i've been on this hellhole planet duhhhh

Andrej: could do it in a kinky way instead if you're up for that 😏

[candydripping]

TEXT 📲 andrej to all contacts

Andrej: word of warning: nobody is allowed to acknowledge my birthday unless you want me to personally give you a birthday beating ok cool got it :)

[candydripping]

SHANE HINDS.

Andrej was being nice, Shane knew, but he was wrong. “I definitely don’t deserve to be offended,” he reiterated. “And I’m not nearly drunk enough to explain why.” Shane brought the mug to his lips and took a sip. Well, less a sip and more a gulp. He swiped the back of his hand against his mouth. He knew that Andrej couldn’t really understand what Shane meant, not without the backstory, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to share the full extend of his previous arrangement. It was so much easier to have everyone think that it was simply a typical engagement that had fallen apart, to have them believe that his fiancé had fallen out of love with him, rather than explaining that despite their rules and clear reminders that the relationship was a business arrangement, his ex had fallen in love. Then Shane had made the mistake of saying that being in love alone was the worse thing he could imagine and Tristan had realized that he was right. So now Shane was left, embarrassed and out of options. Shane’s gaze dropped to Andrej’s hand on his knee. “Yeah, why’s that? Why are you glad I’m here because honestly, I still haven’t decided if this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done or not.” 

Andrej tapped his thumb on the handle of his mug before lifting the bottle of whisky and putting it closer to Shane. Not that he was planning on forcing him to drink but honestly, it gave him an excuse to have more when the person he was drinking with did. Better than getting drunk alone. “Looks like you’ll have to just get drunk enough to explain then,” he commented with a raised eyebrow. “If it offers any comfort, I’ve probably done something ten times more fucked up than whatever happened, so I have no right to judge.” There were hundreds of stories Andrej could tell about fucked up situations he’d been in or things he’d done to purposefully fuck somebody over, just because he could. “I still like being around you, even after everything. Might have fucked everything up the first time but I feel like I’m getting a second chance at everything now and I’m just ... trying not to ruin everything this time.” 

[candydripping]

LYANNA BEHL.

who: anyone! @moorbrookestarters​​ where: seashakes​

lyanna didn’t go to the bar, ever. it was a recipe for disaster for a recovering alcoholic. so, thankfully seashakes was a milkshake and smoothie bar that played sports. it was the safest place as she sipped her strawberry shake. “YES!” lyanna shouted, clapping and turning to the first person next to her. whether supporting the same team, the opposing, or they just happened to be there beside her, she didn’t care. she threw her arms around them in a quick embrace and pulled away to clap again. mexico had just won the match. surely it meant they would go on to the knockout stage! though the woeful news found its way to her ears. mexico tied for second place and due to technicalities were out. lyanna’s smile and clasped hands stayed frozen as she looked up at the television hopefully as if it would deliver some completely different news or that it was a joke entirely. slowly, her features shifted, eyebrows furrowing and smile fading. “que bronca, no puede ser,” she whispered to herself. lyanna turned to the person she’d just hugged and let out a deep sigh and a sniffle. “what the fuck?!” she yelled, gesturing to the tv. “this is bullshit!”

It had been a grave mistake going to Seashakes today. All Andrej had wanted was a damn milkshake yet somehow he’d accidentally gotten caught up in a crowd of football fans. He hadn’t particularly cared about any of the games -- mostly out of pure bitterness that his own country didn’t qualify. As he sipped his drink, trying to keep to himself, he hadn’t been expecting anyone to hug him and he flinched, almost choking on his drink. For a moment he considered leaving and risking the cold to drink this outside but the game was almost over and he could last a few more minutes. “Claramente México no es lo suficientemente bueno,” Andrej commented with an eye roll, putting his straw back between his lips as he leaned back in his chair. “Skiing is clearly better anyway.”

[candydripping]

SHANE HINDS.

“I just have one of those personalities. I’m likeable,” Shane joked, though he was almost sure that it had fallen short considering the fact that neither his tone nor his expression matched the intended levity of the words. He’d told himself that he didn’t want to be there, but when Shane followed Andrej in, he knew that he’d been lying to himself. Despite their history, or maybe because of it, there was really no where else he could’ve gone. “I probably shouldn’t. Drink, I mean. It’ll only make me feel worse than I already do.” Shane glanced at the mug and, with a sigh, picked it up. What was one more bad decision he thought to himself as he joined Andrej on the couch. “So, I’m not engaged anymore,” he announced without any introduction. The words sounded so plain when stated like that. “My fiance leaves and I show up here. Stupid, right?” Shane coughed out a bitter sounding laugh. “The thing is, I shouldn’t even be offended. But I am. I’m offended.”

Seeing Shane inside his apartment felt slightly surreal because it was a situation that Andrej had conjured up in his head a few times but not one he’d actually expected to happen. “You’re right, take it from an expert,” Andrej replied with a snort as he lifted his mug. “But we drink anyway.” He hadn’t drunk all week and he’d been attempting not to but he figured he could make an exception tonight considering it had suddenly become a special evening. As Shane spoke, Andrej’s head suddenly shot up and a confused frown appeared on his lips. Though he didn’t know much about Shane’s relationship -- nor had he wanted to -- he was still surprised to hear it had ended. “That’s real fucking shit, babe.” Considering his own boyfriend had just packed up and gone only a few weeks ago, at least he did know how Shane felt. Without thinking, he reached out and put a hand on Shane’s knee, squeezing it. “You should be offended. A handsome man like you getting ditched by your fiance? You don’t deserve that.” His words were honest and his eyes met Shane’s as he gave him a sad smile. “I’m glad you came here, as selfish as that is.”

[candydripping]

AKSEL VÅRVIK.

‘i didn’t think that thing still worked in there.’ askel cracked a smile and nodded because oh boy, he’d love to have a stab at andrej’s brain. not that he’d ever trust himself to operate on his twin. he was incredibly careful with every brain he touched, but there was no world in which one of them existed with the other. even when they didn’t speak, aksel never wished death on him. ‘your brain is the one brain i’d probably never find my way out of.’ he smiled and pulled out his picture to show andrej the cadaver brain he’d worked on. ‘i know, right? and surgeons are known to be stoic and rude. it’s genuinely a perfect job for me.’ aksel pulled his phone back and filled andrej’s glass too. they were drinking fast, but if their blood was meant for anything, it was drinking. ‘you are a big fat nerd, ‘drej. what’re you going to do with computers, anyway? can you save twitter? everyone would love you for that. i bet even grayson would come back from the dead if you did that.’

“Mmm, just about. Though you’re just helping me lose more brain cells by feeding me all this whisky.” His words were teasing though as he was suddenly realising how NICE it was to actually get along with his brother. Maybe all those years ago, Andrej did everything he could to put his brother away but things were different now. Family wasn’t a word that contained any good meaning for Andrej but Aksel was all he had. He was the one solid thing Andrej had who, for some godforsaken reason, had stuck by his side despite everything. “When I die in the next few years, you have my full permission to do whatever the fuck you want to my brain,” he said with a wry smile. The fact that he was turning thirty soon was still something he had yet to come to terms with but he didn’t have any intentions of being around much longer than that. Who the fuck wanted to grow old? “I’ll be an engineer and get rich like your nerdy ass. Robots and machines are better than people anyway, I can actually understand them more. If the robot goes awry and lets you down, there’s a logical way to fix it. But that shit doesn’t work with humans.” He frowned and then moved his refilled glass to his lips again before swallowing. “Don’t. Don’t talk about him.”