* SOFT / DECAY *

[gasclines]

cloud.

— HUMORED, CLOUD BELLOWED OUT A LAUGH, the sound of her amusement bouncing off the walls of the room that suddenly didn’t feel as stuffy as it did ten minutes ago. with a hand pressed at the center of her chest, she heaves out a sigh of relief, her head lulling to the side to glance over at her friend. “the day my dad proposes to you is the day he finds bigfoot,” a dramatic pause for effect, the brunette watches her friend with glistening eyes. “and even then it wouldn’t happen cos he’ll try wining and dining the poor thing just to get his hands on the mothman.” cackling at her father’s wackiness, cloud pushes herself up and takes hold of the infamous bong from freshman year. the prize of all prizes, truly. 

“bobble bitch has to fit those big ideas somewhere, yanno? its definitely not its ass, thats forsure.” shooting the doll (and romy) a teasing wink, she places the bong on the table and grabs the grinder sitting pretty on the table, twisting the little container open and immediately getting to work. “work. capitalism. just yuck. i want my homie back.” her tongue sticks out to illustrate her disgust, fingers pinching the weed once she was done grinding and carefully packing it into the bowl. “eh, i’m not much of a plushie kinda girl.” cloud responds tentatively, handing the bong back to romy for greens. “but, uh.. m’not gonna lie.. shits been a little weird since i found out i have a whole ass brother in wisconsin. i know my dad’s trying to make up for not telling me about it but goddamn, its just.. i don’t know. so fucking weird.” 

and for the most part, she was massively unhappy about the news; her mother’s betrayal, her father’s silence, her little brother’s hope— but what else could she do about the entire situation other than wallow in annoyance and regift all of the i’m sorry i love you gifts? she winced in apology, her wide and bright smile suddenly going taut and embarrassed. “god, i’m already trauma dumping and we haven’t even sparked up yet. my bad, dude.”

                                    ROMY LISTENS INTENTLY , letting out a loud snort at cloud’s words . “ hey , who said i’m not totally down for a threeway with daddy forrester and big foot , hm ? throw mothman in there too , actually . i have three holes for a reason , ” she smirked , delighting in the image her words conjured up in her head . “ my god , that’s like , some freak virgin’s hentai dream . ‘ young coed gets railed by creepypasta core monsters and their nerdy frankenstein creator : the halloween special . ’ might fuck around and make one , actually . i need the pay out . would you be willing to wear a big foot costume ? be honest . ” she allows cloud to pluck the bong from her hands , scooting herself onto the bed and watching cloud work .

                                    “ we should totally call into the shop and pretend her grandma died or something , get her out of the confines of that dreadful nine to five life she succumbed to . ” romy herself had a job , of course , but the leniency of the moon valley amusement park wasn’t something she would consider conventional . most days she was rewarded for simply not showing up hungover . she sat up as cloud finished up , honoring her with the first hit of the night . she wiggled her fingers happily as she reached for it , closing them around the neck of the bong , still listening intently as cloud spoke of the most recent development in their days of our lives : moon valley edition episode . she hummed in acknowledgement , smoke filling her lungs and burning her throat , cough scraping the walls of her esophagus as she let the smoke flow out from between her lips , waving off cloud’s words and handing back the bong .

                                    “ what am i if not the perfect soundboard for reflecting on your traumas ? ” she teases , though she knows somewhat what her friend was currently going through , with her own mother keeping her secrets from romy . that her father left and never even knew of her , that he had a whole family where romy’s presence was like a garish neon orange splotch on an otherwise simple painting of a basket of fruit . that the only time she was even considered as anything more than one of his beer and cocaine blurred mistakes was when he needed her kidney after his own son wasn’t compatible . she shook her head to derail that train before it swallowed her whole , still far too sober to deal with the fresh , raw wound . staring up at the ceiling , she blindly reaches for cloud’s fingers , giving them a slight squeeze . “ you and i are so tethered it’s kind of insane . like you’re definitely a soulmate , or a twin flame . or a cosmic connection . i don’t know the difference , but you’re one of them for sure . anyway , if he’s trying to buy your love back you should subliminally suggest that he send you an in-n-out gift card , i would suck a dick for some animal fries right about now . ”

[gasclines]

callie.

She didn’t think of herself as a party girl. No, Mia really preferred keeping to herself, keeping to her books, enjoying the company of close friends rather than a room full of strangers. But her girlfriend was desperate to go to the bonfire at the old quarry, she wanted to impress the boy that she was obsessing over. A pretty stone-faced jock who barely spoke more than two sentences at a time to her, Mia disapproved but… she was at least happy, and if she didn’t go her friend would’ve gone on her own, and that just wouldn’t have been good. So here she was, nursing the same warn frothy beer that reminded her of her uncle’s breath and listening to the screams and shouts of glee from the rest of the drunken student body of her high school… all but one unfamiliar face at least. She thought of herself as a empath, someone in tune with others emotions, someone who could pick up on things, and this boy seemed to be enjoying himself about as much as she was, he was someone new, someone interesting, and the longer she stared the more she felt her body moving it’s way towards him until she was plopped down beside him, a pretty sheepish smile spreading across her features when he gave her a confused one in return.

“Hi,” Mia’s voice was soft and airy, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear as she offered a tiny shrug, “You seem like you don’t really belong with this crowd,” the tone was playful, hoping her assumption wouldn’t offend, but the more she gazed the more she doubted it would, he seemed tense but calm, his smile soft and reaching his eyes, making her stomach turn and chest tighten, “I’m Mia.”

                                     The girl that had taken the spot beside him seemed kind enough . She had warm eyes and a welcoming smile , features soft and open even if he could see the nervous twitch of her fingers . She wasn’t scared as far as he could tell , though , so she either didn’t recognize him or she didn’t have the sense to be wary of him . Shocking , he thinks , as that was something he tended to share with Klaus . It was as though their powers set off alarm bells in people , awaking their survival instinct , as though something about them was wrong , dangerous . Viktor had tried once to explain it , though he quickly bit his tongue at Ben’s saddened eyes . Klaus however , thought it was a load of bullshit . He wasn’t any more dangerous than a mildly well trained soldier , if that , and he trusted wholeheartedly ( stupidly , thankfully ) that Ben would never let the eldritch monster loose on someone innocent . If someone felt fear around him , well , maybe they deserved to . 

                                    ( Ben disagreed , but Klaus was a stubborn bastard when he wanted to be , and the thought of something being wrong with Ben ? Well , he refused to even entertain the idea , and Little Girl God help anyone that tried to argue with him about it , including Ben himself . )

                                     The girl , Mia , as she had introduced herself ,  gave him a smile so warm , her gaze so gentle that it almost hurt to look at . It reminded him of the look Grace often gave them , though her programming never quite allowed her to seem so human , lest they forget that she wasn’t in fact their mother . It should concern him , he thinks , that the sight of that look coming from someone with a pulse made him itch beneath his skin . He rests a hand on his stomach warily , though he does his best to return the warmth in his own careful smile . He thinks it works because she relaxes more against the couch . “ Is it that obvious ? ” He tries for something between casual and playful , hoping he comes across as such . All the training didn’t leave much room for anything even remotely resembling adequate socialization . Klaus and Allison tended to handle all of that , Ben content to stay in the background . “ It’s more my brother’s scene but he’s wandered off , ” he says with a glance up the tower . “ This isn’t your scene either , I’m guessing ? ” It didn’t seem like it would be , but what did Ben know ?

[gasclines]

                                      Romy had been browsing the aisle , deciding between peach rings or gummy worms or both along with a six pack of cheer beer when she heard the harsh ding of the bell above the door . She almost didn’t look over until the person spoke , offering the cashier a quick hello . She recognized that voice pretty instantly , as it had been the one she’d spent the last week with . Romy found herself smiling at the sound of it , biting her inner cheek quickly to quell the rising warmth in her chest before she turned , eyes flitting about the store in search of her new friend . It took all but two seconds , considering she was walking towards Romy , playful smirk on her lips . “ You’re stalking me now ? Kinda hot . I’ll warn you now , though , I’m not wearing any panties for you to steal . ”

[gasclines]

                                When John Boy had told Klaus that there was going to be a party out by the reservoir he didn’t even have to think about accepting the invitation . That week’s mausoleum trip was still fresh in his mind , the ghosts not only haunting him during waking hours , but every time he closed his eyes as well . He doesn’t think he’s slept more than an hour since coming back that Wednesday night , dirt and grime and blood clinging to his clothes and skin . The weed wasn’t cutting it . Beneath his jacket there was still angry red scratches , some scabbed over , caused by both him and the ghosts . The tips of his fingers were tender and raw , nails bitten down to the nub . The cold of the mausoleum had yet to leave him , chilling him down to the marrow of his bones ever since the first time his darling father had locked him in , aged eight . At this point he thinks that Reginald wasn’t even expecting progress , the crypt was just his sick and twisted form of punishment for Klaus’s continuous refusal to cooperate with training . Whatever , once he got his hand on something stronger it would all go away . He’d said as much to Ben and his worried eyes , bottom lip bitten red and bloody as he always did when he knew Klaus was desperate for anything to just shut them up .

                                  He’d at least relaxed when Klaus had walked up to Vaughn , heard the name valium which , honestly , wasn’t the worst thing Klaus had ever taken . His first OD was fresh on both their minds , white powder Klaus thought had been coke turning out to be fentanyl . ( He thinks he died and met God , but here he was alive and kicking , so it must’ve been one hell of a high ) . Still , while not happy , per say , Ben was definitely fine letting Klaus wander , confident enough that a couple of valiums wouldn’t send him into a full body shut down , so Klaus climbed up the reservoir , it’s rusty ladder creaking beneath his chucks with every precarious step . 

                                    Once safely on its landing , Klaus paused . He thought he’d be alone but someone was already there , small and blonde and seated at the edge of the landing with her legs dangling , joint between her fingers . His eyes narrowed , head tilting . There were no obvious signs of injury , but Klaus knew better than to think that meant that whoever this was was alive . He’d made that mistake too many times . The slight breeze rustled her hair , though , and he could see the soft shiver from it travel down her spine , cheeks and nose flushed pink . Alive . Good . He let out a small sigh of relief and dropped himself down a foot or so away , sliding his legs over the edge and glancing through the railing , eyes searching for his brother on instinct . “ They look like ants from up here , ” he mutters , finding Ben in the crowd and nodding to himself , shoulders relaxing . “ Think if I shout for them to play TLC they would ? Kind of itching to hear Waterfalls . ”

[gasclines]

                                Ben really had no idea why he had come to this stupid party . It wasn’t like Klaus had actively asked him to come along , but his brother was an idiot at the best of times . A Klaus craving a fix was downright stupid , so he followed , ever the silent shadow ( Klaus would beg to differ , he said Ben was actually quite naggy , like a mother hen ) . Only the worst of Klaus’s dealers weren’t here , just some college kid with access to his mother’s valium and a willingness to fork over six of them for the twenty bucks in pocket change Klaus had scrounged up from slipping silently into their sibling’s rooms ( not Five’s , no one had been in there since he’d run away , even Klaus could respect that ) and searching for loose bills given to them by grateful citizens . Now , Ben was sat on a dingy couch that smelled vaguely of beer , weed , and sweat , watching as Klaus climbed up the reservoir’s rusty ladder and relaxing as soon as he saw Klaus’s legs disappear over the small railing , feet firmly on the grate surrounding the tank . His head fell back , a deep sigh escaping him as he listened to the music , recognizing it as some old classic 80′s band Luther probably had a vinyl of . If he focused enough , the chatter fell away and he was back home in his bed , book in hand as One’s music filled the house .

                                  The illusion shattered however , when he felt a dip in the couch beside him and barely held back a grimace . He really hoped it wasn’t a couple , that would be extremely annoying . He opens one eye in a squint , head turning towards the stranger disturbing his peace , sitting up when his eyes met the sharp blue of of the blonde’s beside him and giving a slight , confused smile . “ Uhm ... hi ? ”

[gasclines]

                              her head had been buzzing for days since she heard the news . she didn’t know how to feel about rodney wilcott as a person , let alone what to feel at the news of his death . a death she could’ve possibly prevented , as was constantly screamed to her over staticky phone lines by her step mother . ( was she , though ? could you call someone like that any version of a mother ? could romy even call rodney her father ? for as far as she knew , he was simply the man that had knocked up her mother , no matter how desperately romy had dreamed of a life with him . of pastel painted houses and white picket fences and run , skip , hopping into his arms after an excruciating day of third grade maths . ) she went about her day a zombie to the world around her , eyes devoid of their usual mirth , lips a line instead of their constant chesire curve . people spoke to her and it was as though she were underwater , or a character in charlie brown’s christmas special . a simple child , an adult speaking to her sounding like a sad horn . words were just letters strung together , sounds that went in one ear and out the other , her heart thumping slowly and loudly , so loud that she thinks maybe they could hear it on the strip in las vegas . would a patron confuse her heartbeat for the ticking of a spinning fortune wheel and bet on red ? would they curse her when they lost the way rodney’s wife has cursed her since his death ?

                                 she’d thought about going to to the funeral , she really had . she’d looked in the bin at moon valley’s only decent thrift shop before the dresses were put on racks to be picked through . she’d looked at dark fabrics , felt lace and satin and cotton between her fingers , debating the appropriateness of wearing a knee length dress compared to her aversion to anything that looked like she was going down to the local church to ask forgiveness for sins she would only commit again and again until the apologies became another habit on the tip of her tongue . ‘ i’m sorry father , i’m sorry , i’m sorry , ’ . what good would words do her now ? now that rodney was gone , kidney’s rotted , maggots feasting on his remains the way they’ve been nibbling at her brain until she feels like she wants to tear into her scalp and pick them out from the crevices .

                                   the silence of her trailer was deafening , the clink of her utensils against her plates as she washed dishes loud and ringing , slamming into her temples like a hammer . a steady rhythm unlike the thump of her erratic heart . slow for a beat , fast for three , slow again , fast again . her breaths couldn’t keep up , her mind hazy and dizzy from it . she almost didn’t notice the pounding on her front door . she almost thought it was just the final beats of her heart , too tired to keep going , to guilty to keep her alive . it was only when she heard the call of her name that she realized her body wasn’t slowly shutting down  . ( unfortunate , she thinks . moon valley would’ve thrown a bitchin’ funeral . ) she drops the plate she’d been scrubbing for the last five minutes back into the dirty sink water and shuts off the faucet , making her way to the door and opening it without checking the other side . 

                                  breath hitching , eyes widening , chipped varnished nails pressing hard enough into the door that she could feel the telltale bend of them backwards like the scrape of her knees and elbows after wiping out on her skateboard . “ ellie ? ” @mnsoons​

[strvwberryblcnde]

👫 ford nd bradley

send a 👫 and I’ll write four headcanons i have about our muses’ relationship.

i feel like they have a recurring theme of rooftops.... they’re always hanging out on them historically in threads bt i also feel like they have a couple of different things they do on rooftops. obviously a staple is drinking an atrocious amt n smoking until their throats r hoarse with it bt. i feel like once bradley invited him to a rooftop in college n when he arrived she just had a duffel bag w a bunch of watermelons in. how had she lugged them all up there i honestly dnt know. n it would be a weird cathartic thing in a way of just. hurling them off n watching them splat on the pavement a few stories below. inevitably once bradley said smthn rly alarming bt she’d say it in her nonchalant way like. sometimes i picture it as my skull when it cracks open. all tht gutted fruit kind of looks like brain if u stare long enough. if u know what brain looks like. know what i mean? n she’d look at him n smoke n do a small smile like tht wasn’t the most horrific thing to say in a casual conversation..... Just Bradley Things <3 bt then also maybe this wld evolve into a fun thing where she brings a sharpie n they draw someone they kno tht pisses them off on the watermelon to give it a face before they toss it. she probably drew elias once n before she threw it she was like She Slept In My Bed! Sh-sh-sh-sh-she Slept In My Bed! pretending to remix him crying at the party tht time before lobbing it n laughing when it exploded into mulch. mayb once it hit a car windshield of a professor n the alarm started blaring n they were like. shit. n had to run away. bradley wld laugh as they ran she finds chaos amusing

i dnt think they’ve ever kissed tht i can recall???? n in a way bradley is probably kind of thankful fr tht. it’s like when ur a kid n u shut ur eyes like somehow that means the monster won’t b there bc u can’t see it. her eyes r very much shut to the concept of ever actually indulging tht want bc it just is clearly.................. a doomed possibility tht she knows shd be let go. black balloon by the kills playing in the bkground. even if they were in a situation where they got told to kiss as a dare or smthn like that i feel like bradley wld deflect from the dare being given n start roasting a random npc tht had given her the dare just fr the sake of shifting the focal point of conversation n avoiding it. it’s jst a bit like giving a crumb to a starving person n expecting them to nt want to eat more. it’s better to have nothing at all than to get a taste of something bt know u’ll never be allowed to feel full. he’s destined to get married n have bebes with vee n bradley knows this n knows she’s destined fr........ something else shall we say! reminds me of the new girl nick n jess scene where he doesn’t wna kiss her on the dare n she’s like why not let’s jst do it n he blurts out NOT LIKE THIS!!!!! n she’s like huh.... except the roles r reversed n bradley wldn’t say tht it’s just. the sentiment. it’s a nice daydream every so often when she’s drunk enough to nt be able to ignore it bt that’s what it’ll have to remain <3

ok so building from tht one time when she vanished fr a month to mexico n didn’t even contact anyone except fr ford in the form of rly weird concerning postcards when... she was unravelling a little mentally..... they were mostly incoherent n just saying random choppy sentences that didn’t quite cooperate with one another n just.... making strange jokes n doing little drawings n whatever..... bt i feel like there was one that was the least nonsensical of them all tht bradley never sent to him bt she just kept it fr herself n the front was a beach at night where nothing was rly visible except fr the moon in the water n everything was almost jet black. n on the back she just wrote “i don’t want to be scared any more.” bradley hates being vulnerable w her emotions so much n any admission of a bad feeling she categorises in her brain as stupid n childish bc of her dad’s brainwashing so idk if she wld ever share this w him n..... she’d usually expect herself to erase the evidence n rip this up into pieces n throw it away bt she just can’t bring herself to. she doesn’t know why. in a way it feels like the only physical manifestation of the trust she has in ford tht she’s ever been able to put her hands on n hold. n even if it makes her feel small tht isn’t something she can bring herself to get rid of. subconsciously she doesn’t wna give up on the idea tht someone is still capable of reaching her like tht

lastly. idk if u remember tht one time she lived in a loft n she ws rly depressed n she just let a bunch of randoms come in n party in her place all the time n she ended up w so many strangers jst.... squatting in her place n partying 24/7 she’d hv to lock herself in her bathroom if she wanted to b alone fr a minute to breathe in her own place... she jst was not doing well.... which was made most evident by the fact she splashed a bunch of black paint of her white brick wall n painted out a rly messy weird scrawled lump of a Thing with holes for eyes and teeth. it kind of looked like a wolf bt nothing Of This Realm. if we’re being real it ws meant to be her dad n how he’s always with her no matter where she is jst Looming. she was just.... Not Okay to say the least bt. i feel like one time she wld have greeted ford if he came over n she’d just b in her rage against the machine tank n no pants smoking lking so run down.... someone get her a banana bag iv..... some vitamins.... please im begging..... n anyway i jst feel like if he saw that on her wall n saw all the people there he’d evict them for her bc she was at a point where she honestly didn’t care abt anything so wouldn’t even think to do it herself n maybe he’d come back w white paint n go over it once she’d finally let herself crash enough off 45987425 drugs to get a few hrs of sleep..... jst like...... them being there fr each other is always thru indirect acts i feel rather than actual acknowledged words n. sighs. i can just see this being the conclusion to tht whole destructive narrative or at least an attempt to rectify it. again bradley hates being vulnerable bt she wld just rly briefly be like. thanks. nt even looking him in the face n then just change subjects like she hadn’t said it. ask if he wanted to go to a dive bar n shove ppl over in mosh pits so they gt stampeded like mufasa fr the thrill

[gasclines]

winter.

“you know if you’d pick your shit up you’d probs get laid more,” winter muttered as she kicked the huge pile of clothes romy had laid out on the floor to the side, head shaking, “like seriously how the fuck does anyone come in here and not instantly run away in fear at the small of your three-day-old fucking, microwave lasagna sitting out still?” she gestured to her little kitchen counter, “i’m pretty sure it’s got mold in it.”  the blonde sighed head shaking as she moved over to the fridge to grab herself a drink, nose wrinkling at the lack of contents inside it, “rom seriously where is your food?” she groaned as she reached in, finding a half-empty bottle of water and deciding on it, looking over at the brunette as she lounged across her couch lazily, clearly not caring about all the things winter was currently bitching about, “you’re an absolute mess.” she muttered, unscrewing the cap and moving to take a swig of the water, or at least… what she originally thought was water only to be met with the burning taste of vodka. @gasclines​

                                  𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 , feet kicked up onto one armrest , head propped against the other . the position was uncomfortable at best , the hard wood no longer softened by layers of fluff after so many years . the edge dug into the back of her neck and the cushions were pretty much flat by now , but she’d long since learned to ignore its imperfections . just as she’d learned to tune out the persistent ache in her neck from her position , she’d learned to tune out winter lyle’s incessant whining . instead of fully listening , she lifted one leg up against the back of the couch , studying the yellowing bruise on her shin , a wonderful keepsake given to her by some bratty kid on vacation with his parents . he was angry that they’d been cheap and opted for the ten dollar each entry of moon valley amusement park over disneyland just a state over . she wished she hadn’t been in her mascot suit , instead holding a tray of five dollar nachos to dump on his head .

                                  she caught the end of winter’s rant , something about molding lasagna that romy had left sitting out . she could admit that she wasn’t the cleanliest person when it came to the trailer . often times she only came in to change and sleep before leaving for whatever was on the agenda that day , but she wasn’t an animal , and she knew that lasagna had only been there since that morning when she had gotten the munchies .

                                  “ jesus fuck princess, what are you ? the fda ? ” she laughs , motioning towards the lasagna . “ i bought that last night when i got off work , you freak . if that doesn’t suit your fancy , there’s a lovely eatery outside called the dumpster , ” she says as she watches winter scavenge through the sad contents of her fridge like a greedy little raccoon , choosing not to warn her when she picked up the half empty water bottle . she bit the inside of her cheek as winter took a hearty swig , promptly spitting it into the sink once she felt the burn of vodka down her throat , causing romy to cackle , clapping her hands like a child winning the giant alien at the park . she wiped her eyes , exaggerating tears as her friend rounded on her with a glare , holding her hands up in fake surrender . “ hey , you’re the one wasting my vodka , i should be the angry one here , ” she points out , pushing herself to stand . “ anyway , if you’re done bitching , i was gonna ask if you wanted to go to the diner . i’m craving french toast , and it’s tourist season , ramona is breaking out the green and silver powered sugar . pretty sure she just grinds up sprinkles , but whatever . little joys . ”

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