@agentwang asked : things you said when you thought i was asleep
THINGS SAID .
the movie in the background has been left ignored for awhile . mazzie is pressed against ivy’s back , one arm around her and the other dead asleep under the pillow his head rests on . ivy traces the scars on his hand , and though it’d usually send loud , searing shots through his head , it’s a comforting touch when it’s from her . the scars almost lose their burn , and it almost lulls him to sleep before she stops . her hand is still in his , but it’s grown limp , and her breathing becomes even .
mazzie nuzzles his face against the back of her neck and fights back the tears that threaten to spill by shutting his eyes tightly . he rubs his thumb on the back of her hand to ease his whirling mind , and he chews at the insides of his cheeks . the peace he’s felt curled up with her starts to pull away as thoughts flood in :
he shouldn’t be here . he shouldn’t be this close to her ; he never should have gotten so close . she’s told him she loves him and there’s no going back , now , and it’ll only hurt more when she’s taken from him in the future — and probably by his own doing . he can’t leave before it’s too late , either , because it’s been too late for too long . the word soulmate rings through his ears in her voice , and he can still see the sincerity in her eyes . it’s far too late and emotion bubbles up in the back of his throat until he can’t hold it back anymore .
“ i love you , too , ” he whispers , and even when she’s sleeping and with the hard push he gets from a flooded mind , it’s difficult to force out — not because he doesn’t mean it , but because he does .
“ and i’m so sorry . i wish i didn’t , so i could save you . i wish i wasn’t so selfish and could just leave . i love you and i’m so sorry . ”
SEND ONE FOR MY MUSE’S REACTION TO YOUR MUSE : ☠ , PUSHING THEM AGAINST A WALL .
tw : mentions of self - harm ( second to last para ) and notions towards self - destruction , alcohol / drunkenness
a drop of the whiskey dribbles down from the side of his mouth , but he quickly wipes it away with his free hand . he chugs down the rest of the bottle and slumps against the couch where he’s sat on the floor , sneering at the empty bottle . he throws it haphazardly to the side and reaches towards the half empty bottle on the coffee table , and he takes a few generous gulps , takes a breath , and chugs the rest . he looks into the bottle with one eye closed and huffs , slumping farther until his neck aches — but he doesn’t bother to move . there’s empty bottles scattered around him and he knows he doesn’t have anything else left , so he stays on the floor with a frown and a growl directed at the lack of liquor around him .
when he hears the door open , he perks up a little , reaching for his gun that isn’t there . he curses under his breath and stumbles to his feet , and doesn’t relax even as he recognizes the figure and the face . they only make him tense more , and he rubs his eyes and curses again . he can hear jace speaking , but he isn’t sure what he’s saying . all mazzie can think of is that he needs to get out , something he’s been thinking too much of as of late ( and especially around jace ) .
he can’t look at him . he can’t look at him and he doesn’t want to be around him — he doesn’t want to be around anyone , but especially jace , in his drunken state of mind — but he can’t kick him out . so he pats around his jeans and the jacket he’s wearing to make sure he has his wallet and his phone , and he starts moving for the door jace is still in the way of . he can hear jace asking him where he’s going , what the fuck is happening , and even mazzie’s muddled brain can hear the irritation in his voice . usually , mazzie wouldn’t say anything or do anything and let jace blow off his own steam , but the heat rolling off of jace only makes mazzie snarl at him .
“ i’m leavin’ , wha’s’it look like ? i’m gonna get away ‘n’ go to a bar ‘n’ . . . fuckin’ go . i won’t come back so jus’ leave it . ”
he’s not really sure what he’s saying , but he has a plan and it’s all he needs . he doesn’t need to tell jace because it shouldn’t matter to him , anyway . he tries to move around jace , jace’s words making his vision flash red despite being unable to comprehend a lot of it , and then he’s being pushed and his back is against the wall by the door . his hands fly up instinctively , slower than normal but grip no less strong . he gives jace an incredulous look , once half - lidded eyes now wide . his heart feels like it’s going to beat its way out of his chest , loud and thundering in his ears , and he’s sure the drunk blush has turned a deeper shade .
jace’s mouth is moving and his words are loud , asking him what the fucks’ wrong with him , and the rest mazzie can’t focus on because he’s zeroed in on the feel of jace’s arm in his own grip , how he’s leaning down and their faces are too close ; they’re too close and mazzie’s eyes watch jace’s angry lips , and when jace eases up a little from where he’s pressing mazzie into the wall , mazzie’s feet are to frozen to follow his brain’s commands telling them to move .
they stand there for far too long , mazzie’s trying to lift his gaze back up to jace’s eyes when they keep falling . jace’s grip loosens while mazzie’s tightens , and then there’s a blur of movement — mazzie’s hands moving up to jace’s face and pulling him in the rest of the way . it makes mazzie’s head spin more than it already has been , and when jace doesn’t move , mazzie’s drunk brain decides it’s the thumbs up to deepen the kiss .
and when jace kisses back , mazzie’s knees get weaker and his hands start to shake on the driver’s face , trailing back to his hair to dig desperately . it’s over in a split second and it makes his head whirl , the whole place spins and there’s suddenly too much space surrounding him , even with jace still gripping him by the sides of his jacket to keep him away . he doesn’t hear jace cursing at himself — or maybe he’s cursing mazzie — but he watches him fight himself and leave almost quicker than he came . mazzie watches and tears himself apart , too . he rubs at his eyes hard until he sees colorful dots against the dark , slides down the wall until he’s sitting on the floor . he keeps one hand over his face , because he doesn’t believe in God but even muddled like he is , he fills with shame and horror — not because of who it was or what he did , but why he did it and how it happened — and he doesn’t want anyone to see it on his face .
TW // he swears under his breath and the hand in his lap clenches into a fist , and nails dig into the scarred skin . it’s a familiar pain , turning the skin red to blue to purple and then falling just short of breaking through when he opens his fist , only to do it again , and again , and again until the nail finally breaks through and startles him . he’s too out of his mind to care about the blood under his nails or the fact he can’t stop digging . // TW END
he wakes up against the wall with a headache pounding away at his skull , and he knows immediately it’s from something more than just a hangover when he stares at his hand . it’s a reminder that makes him curse over and over , a long string of them following him as he gets up and trudges to the bathroom — and as he washes his hands in the sink , he finds himself wishing he could wash away his memories away along with the red swirling into the drain .
CARING FOR STUBBORN MUSES. for when the person you’re trying to care for insists they don’t need your help.
“at least let me clean the wound!”
“you’ll be even worse off if you don’t let me bandage this.”
“i really think you need to see a doctor.”
“i made you some soup, and i’m going to sit here until you eat it. i can wait.”
“your feelings matter too! i can’t help you if i don’t even know what’s making you upset!”
“..i’m here if you need anything, okay?”
“stop trying to push yourself! you can’t do this on your own!”
“listen, i know you don’t want to, but.. maybe you should rest for a while. you’re not going to get anywhere like this.”
“i’ll make you a deal: i’ll just get you some bandages, and nothing else, and you stop making a fuss over it.”
“how long has it last been since you slept?”
“have you even been taking your medicine?”
“i know you think you have to get through this by yourself, but you have people here to help you.”
“let me take care of you, for once.”
“you’re gonna hurt yourself even more if you do stupid things like that!”
“i hate to break it to you, but you’re not supposed to do any strenuous physical activity for the next couple weeks, and if i have to personally make sure you don’t every waking hour of the day then i’m fully prepared to do that.”
“it’s okay to cry in front of me, you know. you don’t have to carry this alone.”
“stop trying to act like you’re not bleeding out in front of me!! this is serious!”
“listen, asshole. i’m gonna carry you home whether you like it or not. you’re not in any condition to get there yourself.”
“oh my god, why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?!”
@thewatchdcg asked : 'what keeps you up at night?’ ofc
SOFT ANGST . tw : mentions of death & blood .
the question makes him furrow his brows , and he looks to thea through narrowed eyes with a tilt of his head . it’s not a threatening stare — the opposite , really . he hums and looks at her for a few moments , assessing her face and the way she moves as they walk , before he lifts his chin back up and turns his head away . he saw this coming from the moment they started their little walks , but he’s still a little surprised she’s asked NOW , after so many walks with her never asking questions about what he never wants to talk about .
he knows she deserves a real , good answer . she’s talked to him about her own demons in the night , and it’s only fair he tells her his .
it’s only fair he tells her about the only color he can see anymore ; it’s only fair he tells her about nightmares of brandishing the weapons that killed his father and his uncle alfie , and his own hands drenched in red — in THEIR red . it’s only fair he tells her that he sees her , too , staring up at him with glazed eyes , moving her blue mouth asking him why , why , why . he knows he should give her the answer she gave him : an honest one that she’s entrusted in him to keep .
but he can’t . he can’t tell her he’s afraid to close his eyes because of that color that’s grown too familiar , like a home plagued by misfortune . he can’t tell her that every time he looks in the mirror , he sees something entirely inhuman — something vile and bloody and so dark it can’t reflect even the tiniest ray of light . he can’t tell her , but there’s a part of him that wants to . he wants her to know just how unsafe it is to be around him , and how much more dangerous it is to get as close to him as she has . he wants her to stop texting him at midnight and going on walks while neither of them can sleep so he doesn’t have to stop it himself . he wants her to know that nothing good comes of knowing him for too long .
mazzie bites the inside of his cheek and fiddles with the insides of his pockets where his hands have been stuffed for the entirety of their walk . maybe , he thinks , he can tell her just a little bit of truth . it’s what she deserves , after all , and he can’t deny it , anymore : the fact that he cares about her enough to want her to stay away from him .
he gulps down the lump forming in the back of his throat , cheeks and tips of his ears burning because he knows he’s said too much . the urge to walk away hits him like a bus , but he’s always been a little too durable . he keeps walking beside her with his head down , usual frown creasing his brows . he kicks a rock on the sidewalk and shrugs his shoulders before he adds , “ and insomnia . insomnia sucks . ”
The ache in his lungs was unbearable. He needed to tell her… what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near.
SEND ‘ SAFE ’ TO LEARN ABOUT A MOMENT YOUR MUSE MADE MY MUSE FEEL SAFE .
when mazzie trudges to the kitchen for a water bottle , he doesn’t expect jace to be awake . he doesn’t expect the short side glance , either , or when jace gets up after what seems like a moment’s hesitation and grabs the keys to the car he’d taken to get to mazzie’s but pauses at the door . they stand and stare at each other for a second before refusing to meet each other’s eyes , a heaviness surrounding them that’s much more than awkward ; it’s knowing , perhaps , and maybe it scares them both a little bit , so they avoid looking at each other so they can pretend the knowing isn’t in their eyes .
mazzie’s sure he either woke jace up by talking in his sleep , or jace hadn’t yet gone to sleep , and he isn’t sure which scenario is better . the night terror left mazzie with shaky hands and sweat dripping from his brow , and he’s surprised he didn’t fall off the bed . he’s even more surprised that jace is still here , still paused at the door with keys in his hand . they’re both standing like they forget they’re human and not just a couple of ghosts stuck in time . the heavy air turns thicker until it starts to cave in their chests , and mazzie forgets to take a sip of water before he clears his throat to try and snap them out of that silent trance they’re more caught up in than either would ever like to admit . he lets out a cough , covering absentmindedly with his wrist , but it makes jace grab the door handle and turn .
mazzie turns around and takes a few careful sips , digging the palm of his free hand into each of his sunken eyes . he frowns when the breeze from the open door still hasn’t left , and he’s only made more confused when he sees jace leaning in the doorway . their mouths are kept shut by an invisible glue , but they meet each other’s eyes for a moment and jace gestures for mazzie to follow him with a tilt of his head . mazzie looks down at his nightly attire — boxer briefs and a hoodie a couple sizes too big for him — and then back up at jace with a raised brow . jace rolls his eyes and gestures again , and mazzie’s heart isn’t pounding so loudly anymore when he sees the twitch of a smile growing on jace’s face .
he’s slow to walk back to his room , the heaviness starting to weigh on him again when he stares at the blankets he’d wrestled to get out of too urgently . he shakes his head and slips on a pair of sweatpants , and takes slightly larger strides to get back to jace .
he’s a little surprised to see him still standing in the doorway , waiting so patiently without a single ounce of annoyance in his demeanor , in his eyes . he was half expecting to be left in the dust to try and fail to sleep again — and he wouldn’t have cared , because it’s something he’s gotten used to , with someone like jace — with someone who’s always running . he can’t deny it isn’t a pleasant surprise though , and one that relieves him . it relieves him so much , it lifts weight from his shoulders he didn’t think could be lifted so shortly after a night terror — not by jace .
he follows him to the car — a beat up red bmw 8 - series — and not a word is said between them as they climb in . mazzie’s sure the only reason he followed jace is because he’s just a little too tired to have not followed him . maybe it’s because he wanted to get out of the duplex , away from his room for awhile , too . he doesn’t trust himself , completely , to not fall back asleep , and that’s the last thing he wants to do at the moment .
however , as the car starts moving , he doesn’t entirely trust himself not to fall asleep now , either . his eyelids droop and his limbs are starting to feel heavy again , the spike of adrenaline he’d gotten after he nearly fell out of bed completely disappearing , by now . he watches the buildings go by and it almost lulls him to sleep until he can feel jace’s eyes on him , and jace turns the radio on loud enough that it makes mazzie’s head pound dully .
but it wakes him up just a little bit , and he sits up straighter . he tries to focus on the music , and the dull pounding in his head starts to subside . he feels a little sick , but he’s used to the feeling after waking up in a cold sweat . his head spins a little less when jace turns the music down and they come to a stop in a quiet , deserted area . mazzie isn’t sure how long it took to get there , but he doesn’t ask . he sits and keeps staring at the window , willing his hands to stop shaking but to no avail .
he waits until jace is out of the car to look at him . he climbs onto the hood of the car and scoots back until he can lay against the windshield with his hands behind his head . mazzie frowns a little , but he cautiously starts to shift . his hand hovers over the door handle for a few seconds before he finally opens it and steps out , forcing himself not to stumble on his weak legs . he closes the door and climbs onto the hood next to jace , but hunches forward and crosses his legs .
it’s a few silent minutes , nothing but the sounds of cicadas and a few rustles from animals in bushes , before jace sits up . they’re too close to each other , arm brushing arm and knee touching knee , but neither of them says a thing . jace tilts his head up and closes his eyes , and mazzie frowns at him again with a tilt of his head . when jace opens his eyes , cracks a smile and nudges him , mazzie can’t help but mirror the smile .
it’s a little cold out , and the air nips at his skin through his hoodie , but mazzie minds it even less than he usually does . his head tilts up , and his whole body relaxes . jace leans back on his elbows and nudges mazzie again with the toe of his shoe against his knee . his smile is a wannabe smirk , and it makes mazzie release a breathy laugh , one that jace quirks a brow to . mazzie shakes his head and draw his knees up to his chest , feeling a lot lighter than he has for a very long time .
he’s trying to hide it , like jace tries to hide everything , but the signs are clear as day : he looks flushed , his skin paler than his usual sunkissed bronze ; he has dark circles under his eyes , not too pronounced but dark enough for mazzie to notice ; and he hasn’t eaten but a single , small bite of the takeout they ordered almost forty - five minutes ago . mazzie doesn’t say anything , keeping his nose buried in a book he’s already read a thousand times before . if he says anything , it might push jace into leaving , and tonight is particularly chilly .
when jace’s leg starts to move , up and down in rapid succession , mazzie frowns and moves only his eyes to look at him . mazzie thought he’d seen his hands shaking before , but he wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t just jace being overdramatic , so he left it alone . he’s sure , now , however , and it makes the crease between his brows soften . he peers down at his own steady hands , vision unfocusing for a few moments , and then he slowly reaches out toward the end of the sofa where jace sits .
it’s just a brush of his fingers against jace’s hand — a warning , an is this okay ? — and when jace tenses , mazzie almost pulls away . but then jace relaxes again , and mazzie takes it as permission to slide his hand into his . they don’t look at each other , jace staring ahead at the television and mazzie’s eyes still glued to his book . mazzie doesn’t pull away until he can see jace’s free hand stop shaking from his peripheral — until his side starts to hurt from how he’s leaning over the chair he’s in . he gives the driver’s hand a firm squeeze before he finally puts his book down and stands , taking his hand from jace’s .
𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊, 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘. try as he might to play the stoic bastard, all monty has to do is wait — even his barely-there attempt to read his book lasts all of thirty seconds, and his route is diverted to the bed within moments of his release from the armchair. monty welcomes him with open arms, tugging him down by the front of his shirt for an open-mouthed, insistent kiss, and it isn’t long before that same shirt is tossed unceremoniously to the floor. they’ve been here before, and monty’s sure they’ll be here again; there’s a reason he keeps coming back, after all, and it sure as hell isn’t to watch mazzie pretend to read.
once it’s over, the quiet always feels so loud to monty. then again, he doesn’t mind it quite so much anymore — it’s peaceful, his legs tangled in mazzie’s sheets and his fingertips tracing idle shapes on the bare skin of his stomach. one finger slowly drifts toward a scar near mazzie’s hip, chin propped up on his forearm as he outlines it absentmindedly. “ this one, ” he mumbles, tapping it once and making sure he has mazzie’s attention before continuing. “ i know where you got it — for real this time. you had a rivalry with the local ice cream man. you tried to steal his stockpile of popsicles; he was merciless. ” he accompanies this statement with a serious nod. “ i’m surprised you made it out alive. ”
𝐻𝐼𝑆 𝐼𝑁𝑆𝑇𝐼𝑁𝐶𝑇𝑆 𝐴𝐿𝑊𝐴𝑌𝑆 𝑆𝐶𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝐻𝐼𝑀 when he’s around monty . most of them grip at his arms , shake him , and tell him to RUN AWAY — but the tinier pin - pricks that make his hair stand up , telling him to get closer , are somehow more unbearable , and he can only satiate them by doing what they tell him to do . the grip of the instinct to run doesn’t quite bruise until his eyes open up and monty touches a scar , and it heats up his skin like he’s been in the sun for too long ; it burns him up and it feels like the scars are reopening , growing blossoms instead of dripping blood .
mazzie’s cheeks are still pink when he opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling . he brings one arm up to curl around his head , absentmindedly playing with his own hair . the hand on his stomach is almost too warm , and the quiet always SEARS into his skin , a welcome burn . he licks over his lips and turns his head to face monty when he starts tracing the scar on his hip . the memory of how he got it is still , unfortunately , too vivid in his mind , but monty has that way of turning something that would usually make him frown and close himself off into something that makes him smile a little , makes him huff out a small laugh and makes him feel just a little lighter — impossibly warmer .
he hums and nods his head at him , and he has to force his smile to stop growing . mazzie runs his hands through his hair and moves to sit up against the headboard , bringing the sheets with him . he feels that ALL - TOO - FAMILIAR urge to pull monty close again , like he feels every time they have one of their escapades , but just like every other time , he resists , and closes his eyes again .
“ that’s definitely what happened , ” he answers , the ghost of a smile turning into a smirk . he opens his eyes again and turns towards monty , a mischievous sparkle in his eyes only few can bring out . “ i barely made it out with my life . those popsicles were his life and he was real mad — seething - bull - rage mad . ” the instinct to run is starting to bruise , now , pressing down on him harder and harder the more he speaks , the more he lets himself bask in the warmth monty always brings with him . he needs to get up and get dressed and GET OUT , but he reminds himself this is his room , and as much as his instincts want him to either run or kick monty out , the warmth keeps pulling him back and making him stay .