#written excerpts

[cabernet-and-calculations]

👁️‍🗨️

Visibility: Visible to anons and non-muses.

“You should do it to them too!”

The short kid in front of him spoke in a hushed but excited tone while wearing a wide smile, a few small leaves scattered in his hair and clothes.

He followed his gaze to look at the two kids that had just come running out from the back yard, one of them holding an almost comedic ally large branch and chasing the other.

“No. He’s going to hit me with that. You know he will,” He replied flatly, raising an eyebrow at the suggestion.

The other kid quickly shook his head. “He won’t and if he does, then I’ll jump in front of you!”

He did not believe him. After a moment of consideration though, he sighed and pointed at the nearby tree. “Go get me some of the leaves, I’ll pull them off. You have to get him over here though.”

The other kid grinned and nodded, glancing back at the other two still playing before darting away to start collecting some of the long leaves from the tree, bringing them back within a couple of minutes.

He took the small branches and began pulling each of the tiny dozens of leaves off, collecting them in his lap as the other boy watched closely. Finally, once he was on the last branch, the kid turned and took off, assumedly to go get the other two kids.

It didn’t take long for each of the three to come back, the short kid keeping his distance behind the other two and grinning widely as the two approached.

“Do you want to see something cool?” He asked as they approached, cupping his hands around the mass of confetti-like leaves so that neither of the kids could see.

“Did you catch something?” The kid with the branch asked, still holding the branch closely while leaning over to try and get a better look.

He nodded. “Do you want to see?”

The other kid started to lean in close as well as he feigned opening his hands just slightly — leaning back just slightly despite the protests from his back at the movement.

“What is-“

The kid with the branch was hardly able to get another word out as he spiked the handful of leaves at the two of them, cracking a small grin back as the other kid behind both of them jumped backwards.

His amusement was short lived, however, as the leafy branch the other kid was holding was abruptly swung, painlessly striking him in the face without any form of intervention from the short kid and his previous promise.

He could not say that wasn’t deserved.

[cabernet-and-calculations]

👁️‍🗨️

Visibility: Visible to anons and non-muses.

Content Warnings: Description of childhood illness

He felt tired. That wasn’t anything new for him — not since the last few months — but he would be damned if it wasn’t still how he felt. Tired and pained and annoyed and upset and all the other things that he had been warned would likely come.

He almost hated how accurate they had been.

Despite briefly considering falling back asleep but feeling the dryness in his mouth and throat, he took a moment to turn his head and look at the crack between the curtains and the window, seeing a small amount of light seeping through to signal sometime around mid-day.

He turned his head to the other side, figuring that if he was quick to eat at least a little bit and drink some water and take his medication, then he could probably get back to sleep and be awake and hopefully a little less tired by the time his mom was home.

Looking at the other side, however; he noticed an unfortunate fact.

The small bedside table that was usually filled with the necessary items and neatly tucked between his desk and bed was not beside his bed.

It took him a few moments to recognize that fact, even briefly reaching towards it, before the distance settled in. Judging by his empty desk chair being positioned close to it, it looked like someone had moved the table to pull the chair close and sit beside him, forgetting to move the arrangement back to how it was prior to leaving.

… At least they had left the bread, water, and medication despite their forgetfulness.

He stared at it quietly, his eyebrows furrowing lightly, as he tried to mentally push himself to get up and go get the items but… As the seconds passed and after a short-lived attempt to try and use the rail of the bed to pull himself in a sitting position so that he could lean over and just grab them he—…

Was not able to get more then slightly forwards before the sharpness and undulled pain in his back caused him to slowly adjust and let himself rest back into the bed.

He was thirsty but he could wait. … Someone would come check on him eventually. They didn’t usually leave him alone for long.

Quietly, he turned his attention to trying to fall asleep, swallowing his own spit in hopes that the dryness would just go away on its own.