slumber: what's one thing that helps you fall asleep when it feels impossible?
“A therapist in college told me once that if I was laying awake for more than twenty minutes it wasn’t going to happen and that I needed to change my environment. For a while, I tried reading, which I guess is a more traditional approach, but I realized that my mother was right about eating before going to bed. When I was in France I lived above a bakery so it was easy to stay stocked up with buttery cookies. Since I’ve been back, I’ve taken up late-night baking, and I have to say, there’s nothing that’ll put you to sleep quite like a warm chocolate chip cookie.”
「 ❝ 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐒 to get to the center of a tootsie pop, ” pru announces proudly, full lips stained with glossy cherry pigment from her supposedly scientific endeavor. “ there is my grand accomplishment of the day, thank you very much. ”
“That is some finding,” Mike begins to stroke his chin, as if deep in thought, “I have to ask what method you used to find this, and if – if you don’t mind – I can be in touch with some of my friends in publishing about this, um, revolutionary revelation.”
“Welcome to the party.” The bar’s dead. It’s kept spirited only by the usual drunks and their graveyard of beer bottles, but Tommy mimes preoccupation like a professional. He distracts himself with the critical task of rearranging pint glasses, methodically wiping the counters. It’s a few more hours until dinner, so he can only bide his time. His gaze barely flits away from his work, his tone fragrant with soft sarcasm, “–What’ll it be? The usual?”
“Really is some party you got goin’ here, Tommy,” Michael chuckles as he sits down at the bar, impressed by the other’s ability to keep himself busy – a task Michael is all too familiar with. “The usual is soundin’ pretty good right about now, I must admit. Business is booming, huh? Just waiting for the dinner rush?”
◜ ⁘ chris evans, cismale, thirty-three. → have you met michael owens? he is a journalist that has lived in philadelphia for fifteen years. i heard they’re also a sagittarius with a knack for being bright & personable, but can also be quite spacey & faithless. he always makes me think of film cameras and golden retrievers, and you can always catch play something country by brooks and dunn from their window.
hey, coco again here !! still nineteen and in pst. i’ll be honest i was a little less prepared with mike here than i was with ri, but you can still find some information about him here, though it is very likely not as helpful.
the basics:
full name: michael william owens jr.
nicknames: mike ( mostly ), junior
pronouns: he/him/his
age: thirty-three
birthday: december 12, 1984
zodiac sign: sagittarius
birthplace: hartford, ct
parents: michael william owens sr., julia eleanor owens (née barry)
siblings: julian (b. 1982), nicholas † (b. 1983), daniel (b. 1985)
children: n/a
pets: you know he totally wants like a big dog but travels too much for that to be possible
occupation: journalist
relationship status: single ( ex-fiancé’d ?? )
sexuality: heterosexual
the backstory:
mike was one of four brothers born in four years in hartford, ct, and that went exactly about how you would expect it to. the boys all played football and lacrosse and baseball together, it was a very traditionally masculine household. also a very traditional sort of connecticut household as well, where they all wore matching christmas sweaters in their holiday card sort of thing.
michael was diagnosed with adhd when he was eight, but learned to handle it pretty quickly and did well despite that ( though he does have a rather extreme tendency to misplace things ).
of his brothers, michael was closest to nicholas ( nick ), who was a year older than him. they didn’t really talk much ( see again: traditionally masculine ), but there was some sort of bond there, some kind of pain that they shared.
[ suicide tw, death tw ] during michael’s senior year of high school, right as he was taking the step and applying to colleges, nick was found dead in his dorm room with a bullet in his head and a note addressed to michael ( will get more into this at a later date ).
michael finished his senior year and did what was expected of him, starting college at his dream school, the university of pennsylvania, that fall, where he went on to study journalism. in the years after nicholas died, michael changed almost entirely, from the sporty, outgoing kid that he was to someone who rarely left his room and spoke to anyone. the pain that had existed before, that only his brother knew about, was growing, and michael lost himself in it.
finally, in his junior year of college, his oldest brother julian showed up, freshly graduated, and practically dragged mike to counseling. through therapy, he started to get better, slowly. by the time he graduated, he was his bright, outgoing self again, though the pain stayed in a different way. he began to get more anxious and insecure.
michael was working at a bar in the years after college and was working as a freelance journalist. as he began to make more money with his writing, he stopped working at the bar, and around the same time, he met someone. for a while, they were really happy. they got engaged.
he had put himself up for a position covering european politics, his specialty, at the new york times. it was his dream job and a long shot, and much to his surprise, he got it. he didn’t want to lose his fiancée, though, but they talked about it and agreed it was too big of an opportunity for him not to go, and that they would do long-distance. and so he went.
unfortunately, one of michael’s talents is getting in his own way. he is, in many ways, still that anxious kid, and while he was abroad, he convinced himself that he didn’t deserve her and that she deserved someone who was present in every way, and so they ended it. of course it isn’t what he wanted, but he convinced himself that it’s what made the most sense.
after being away for some years, michael’s funding was pulled, and so he’s back in philly, in a new apartment and a new neighborhood. luckily the times is still keeping him on as an editor, but with the cuts happening in print, michael is beginning to think he might have to go work at a bar again. but that’s probably because he is ( once again ) too much in his head.
so that’s mike !! he is really a very sweet and soft boy and very well-liked, so connections would be great and are encouraged !! much love xo coco
