earned it.

"People who don’t know how to summarize have no dignity. Neither do people who needlessly drag on their messy lives. They who don’t know the beauty of simplification, of pruning away the unnecessary, die without ever comprehending the true meaning of life." THEODORE CARLSON. 32. cellist.

[teddycarlson]

What were you like as a kid growing up?

“It’s in the nickname,” he chuckles, “I was pretty fucking sweet. Like a teddy bear.”  

[teddycarlson]

MADELYN SOK.

–

“It’s like you’re asking me to punch you in the face.” She’d never actually follow up on that threat though. At least not for pretending to forget her dog’s name. There were a handful of scenarios that she could conjure where she might actually punch Teddy in the face, but they would also have to involve her being incredibly pissed off with him and that idea alone was incredibly far fetched.

Instead she opts for snatching the piece of pizza that he’s taken from the box, promptly taking a bite out of it. There’s no cheeky smile that accompanies it. Maddie knows that the act alone is enough of a signal to Teddy that he wouldn’t dare ever call her beloved pet that name. “Maybe you could call that cat Gremlin instead,” she offers, casting a glance at the cat that’s stationed herself just within eye range of her. “She has enough of a stink eye when she looks at me to warrant the name. How long have you had her for anyway?” 

-

Teddy snorts. It doesn’t feel like a concrete threat, and if it had been, Maddie would’ve punched him a long time ago — he’d certainly given her enough reasons to. He doesn’t strike her as someone who would exercise restraint, least of all with him. Still, the idea of being in Madelyn Sok’s good side gives him a bit of an ego boost, and unable to help himself, he returns her quip with one of his own. “Anywhere but the face, please. That’s kind of the money-maker.”  

The retort would’ve been duly accompanied with a smirk, but as Maddie coldly takes the slice off his hands, his lips instead form a scowl. Taking another slice from the box, he turns to correct himself, “Ah, right. Gromit. I remember now. So, does that make you Wallace?” He continues, quickly grabbing a bite before Maddie can commit another pizza theft in retaliation to his words. Head tilting to the side to meet the cat’s gaze, he shakes his head. “She’s a stray, actually. Was wandering around the Carlson estate until Holly asked me to get rid of it. Not in that way, but like, bring her back into an adoption center, or something. But I took her in instead,” he explains. With a shrug, he notes, “What can I say? I’ve got a huge heart.” 

[teddycarlson]

@viviscalloway​.

LOCATION: little bird books / avalon DATE AND TIME: april 11, sunday / morning

Teddy’s never been much of a reader. Whatever free time he has is devoted to reading sheet music, and practicing not long after. Yet work at the orchestra has hit a relative lull over the past few weeks, and consequently, he finds himself with far too much time on his hands. That morning, Teddy decides to haunt the local bookstore. There’s a quaintness to the establishment with which he is particularly fond, so he lurks, lingers by the bookshelves, hands sifting through the titles, some of which have begun to gather dust. 

Eventually, he finds a novel that sparks his interest. Some Chuck Palahniuk novel about a death cult, of all things. It’s telling that that had been the book Teddy chooses to tuck away under his arm the moment he’d finished reading the synopsis. He’s about to join the queue of customers by the register when he hears the chimes to the front door. Against the bookstore’s silence, his ears ring at the sudden noise — and even more so when he realizes he recognizes the person who’d walked in. “Shit,” he says, mumbling the curse word under his breath. Not exactly the best place to start, though given his relationship with the woman’s ex-husband, he supposes her opinion of him has long fallen into disrepute. Would there be merit in starting now? He supposes there’s no harm in trying. “Vivienne,” he greets, courteously, while approaches her vicinity, “I didn’t realize you were based in Catalina now.” 

[teddycarlson]

@bianchilena​.

LOCATION: bar at the atwater / ventura DATE AND TIME: april 10, saturday / evening

Teddy’s attended enough of these events on the island — whether it be a birthday party, an anniversary, a work mixer, a fundraiser — to the point of oversaturation. Without anything interesting by which to distinguish the event itself, they tend to blur for him.

Tonight is shaping out to be just as nondescript as the rest of his days. He’d been invited to the birthday party by one of the members of the orchestra, and in a rare display of submission, Teddy agreed to be their plus-one. It takes no longer than ten minutes to find himself unaccompanied, with his colleague nowhere in sight. Now bored out of his mind, and with no one familiar to talk with, he instead takes advantage of the open bar and hopes she would turn up over the course of the evening.

Still, it’s been an hour and his prospects are looking dim. So, two drink in and a champagne flute in hand, Teddy decides to make conversation. “Remind me, whose birthday is it again?” he asks absentmindedly, turning to the next person he could find. He certainly hopes he isn’t addressing the celebrant. But as he squints, narrows down the other’s features further, his eyes flicker with recognition. Certainly not the celebrant, but familiar all the same — “Milena?” A smile forms in his features. “Milena Bianchi? Fancy seeing you here.” 

[teddycarlson]

[bollywood-ishq]

The Lunchbox (2013)

[teddycarlson]

@madelynsok​​.

LOCATION: teddy’s apartment / ventura  DATE AND TIME: mar 27, saturday / dinnertime

“You know, I’ve still got to decide on a name for her,” Teddy says, pointing towards the cat sitting by kitchen entryway, a few yards away from the couch where he and Maddie now sat. He suspects that the cat fancies himself as a guard while she glares at the brunette, treating his visitor in the same degree as one would a suspect of a heinous crime. Teddy can’t resist the chuckle that escapes his lips. It’s all one classic miscalculation, and if the cat were all the better at detecting villainhood, she’d failed in her task a long time ago, the moment Teddy had let the little feline wander inside his apartment. 

“I think she’s clocked in on you being a dog person, though,” he says, before taking another slice of pizza from the box laid out perfectly symmetrically by the coffee table. “Say, what’s your dog’s name again?” Teddy knows Gromit’s name, of course. Still, he can’t resist articulating his lame pun: “Gremlin?” A poor attempt at wordplay, to be certain, though Teddy has never been much for words anyways.

[teddycarlson]

TERESA HAZEN​.

○

Slightly more than thirty years of life have taken her from east to west, far across the Atlantic ocean and back, yet there were few common denominators that have transcended both time and space. Teddy Carlson constitutes one of those. He’s right to note that their olden days haven’t always been so amiable. Had you asked Teresa twenty years ago, she may have even looked at you strange for suggesting one day they would find themselves in each other’s company without any squabbles  —  voluntarily so, at least.

“I almost feel a little nostalgic,” she answers him, legs folded underneath her as she makes herself comfortable on his sofa. “I’d offer to relive our high school days, but I don’t think I have as much bragging material right now.” She barely got out of bed that morning, and that would surely give him the upper hand in their petty, juvenile rivalry. For what it’s worth, she much prefers their current relationship anyway.

“Don’t even start,” she tells him, nose scrunching in exaggerated chagrin, “my mouth is watering already.” California has its perks, Teresa certainly takes Catalina’s sun over New York’s volatile weather conditions, but pizza? This side of the coast really did draw the short end of the stick in that regard. “I would almost say one slice would be worth flying over to New York for.” Almost being the key word in this context. Her fear of flying just outweighs the cravings for a New York slice.

-

Teddy snorts. Given their experiences since, the notion of his and Teresa’s petty high school rivalry is not only amusing, but embarrassing. It’s almost ironic how the further away he is from the memory, the more vivid they come back to him, many years later: how his nostrils had flared whenever Teresa had scored one, two points above him in a test; how his cheeks had reddened in fury whenever an achievement of hers would be announced over the PA system. Nevermind that the differences in their grade point average was negligible at best, and pedantic at worst — he’d still considered everything a competition. It’s simply the way he was built. 

Without the air of competition, though, they’d found themselves at a far better place. Over time, their tiny moments of solidarity had paved the way for a friendship, much as he loathed the term. “If it helps at all, I’m five years into the orchestra and I’m still barely above a rank and file player. That’s bound to score you a few gains,” he says, in a rare self-effacing moment, thinks Teresa could use a win. 

And, on the topic of scoring wins, Teddy takes the remote from the end of the table. “Well, as much as I’d love to call up a private jet or something and watch you bear a five-hour flight, I’m too lazy to, so as a consolation prize—” he holds out the remote to his old friend, tilting his head to the television screen as he does so, “—why don’t you decide what Netflix show we’ll be watching while we wait?”

[teddycarlson]

GABBY LIVINGSTON​.

It didn’t go unnoticed that the first thing that Teddy told her was the fact that she had been the one to call off the wedding and not him. Gabby silently analyzed the words, taking a sip of the drink that had been given to her and considered the words she wanted to say. Who was she to judge him? It was up to those two to decide how and what. The only thing that she could judge upon was the fact that the both of them had made her end up without an assignment. Instead of answering Teddy’s question, Gabby asked the man a question of her own. “Was she right? About you only doing it to please the families?” She asked him, her eyes focused on the man to seize his reaction to her question. Instead of giving him the time of answering it, she quickly added on some more. “Because if you do, then I would say that she actually saved you both. And I would say that you have been far from selfish. Or at least from where I’m standing. I don’t know anything about how your bond with your family is but I do know that if I had to do something like that just to please my family, I would because my family is everything to me.” Gabby knew that her family would never ask something like that of her. They were ready to give her the life she wanted and if that was unmarried then so be it. But if she had to imagine, then the brunette was pretty sure that she would do it as well.

-

One thing that had always struck him as irritating is for his question to be answered with another question. Thankfully, though, his irritation does not last for very long, because Gabby elaborates soon enough. She notes how the separation must have saved he and his ex-fiancée both, and while he cannot say he completely agrees, he nods along regardless, not quite willing to put up a fight when he is so dreadfully lightheaded. And Teddy cannot say he understands her subsequent spiel about family, either. Not while his own is hardly tailor-built for intimacy, let alone brimming with a desire to make sacrifices for each other’s sake. From what little he knows of the Livingstons, they do not seem to share the same aversion for affection intrinsic to his own family, especially if Gabby’s words are anything to go by. 

And because they both seem dead-set on practicing the Socratic method that night, he supplies her question with another question, “You really would do that? A lifetime of commitment, a lifetime of self-sacrifice, just to appease your family’s wishes?” And, in a rare bout of honesty, he too turns to elaborate, “Jo certainly wouldn’t have done it. Hell, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t have done it, either. Marriage is a pretty fucking antiquated ceremony, anyway.” He scoffs, before taking another chug of his drink. Treading back to lighter waters, he adds, “It’s a pity about the gifts, though. I’d have liked to keep the fine china.” 

[teddycarlson]

MATTHIAS CARLSON.​

⬗ 

 Any normal siblings would jump straight into an apology especially when Matthias was the one who’d left his brother high and dry. But apparently not him. He was half-expecting Teddy to agree to meeting out of politeness, considering they were never close growing up, or from what he remembered, anything in common either. Hell, what would they even talk about anyway? Sure, he’d forgotten because he was too busy looking after Florence, but it wasn’t like he ever owed anyone in their family any explanations. No one even knew his daughter was sick except for their mother, and he would prefer to keep it that way.

But Teddy had hardly gave him a moment’s notice before wedging himself through the door; an exasperated sigh fell from his lips, and a remark was hanging on the tip of his tongue regarding his brother’s manners, until he seemingly jumped to the chase first. His anger wasn’t unwarranted, but it was amusement that threatened to surface upon his feature, with a brow arched, daring him to continue until his attention was diverted to Florence again.

Preoccupied by the matter at hand, Matthias had forgotten that his daughter had awoke from her slumber by Teddy’s sudden visit. Uncle Teddy! The brunette jumped up from the couch, beaming and running over to give him a hug. “Easy, Flo,” He couldn’t help but warn cautiously, wary that her sudden surge of energy may backfire after her day of rest. His eyes narrowed slightly at his next question, and he almost wanted to counter with a question regarding his sudden interest when his daughter answered before he could. Daddy said we’re long overdue for a vacation! She turned to Matthias, as though to confirm her answer. He nodded, managing to muster a smile. “That’s right. But ten more minutes for you, then it’s bed time, okay? You can chat to Teddy another day.” As if he could sense his daughter’s incoming protest, he quickly added. “No but’s. You’ve had a long day.” As a stern look crossed his features, Florence pouted, before retreating back to the couch and mumbling what he could assume as insults towards him.

“I had some business to attend to over here.” He added simply with a shrug, when his daughter was out of earshot, as if that was sufficient enough to Teddy’s question as he moved towards the kitchen, before opening the fridge and examining the contents inside. “You want something to drink? Beer?”

-

In an instant, and before he could protest against the gesture, Florence welcomes his presence with a firm hug. It takes a while for his body to register it, let alone yield to the touch — but when it does, he embraces her with just the same intensity, crouching slightly to meet his niece’s smaller stature. As he wraps himself up in the embrace, Teddy notes amusedly that her sunny disposition is, without a doubt, in contrast to her father’s sour own. It is an irony not lost on him. That Matthias, who’d grown up with such glaring detachment and coldness, would bring up a child so drastically different, so warm. Come to think of it, he could say the same thing about Declan. Teddy supposes that’s what so great about the heart of the child: to be so trusting, innocent, carefree. In a way the siblings themselves never truly were. 

Expectedly, the embrace is cut short, at Matthias’s behest, to Florence’s disappointment. His niece puts up a little bit of a fight before she acquiesces to her father’s request, stalking away back to the couch with an air of juvenile petulance. It’s a harmless, almost petty, anger, not at all simmering as his had been, erupting only until —

And before he lands on the thought of his (no, their) late brother, Teddy halts his train of thought. No time for that slippery slope of guilt and shame and — dare he say it — vindication. Not when there are far more pressing issues at bay and Matthias is, and just as expectedly, dead-set on dancing around the discussion. Business to attend to? He almost wants to laugh, but then he pauses, thinks he ought to take advantage of the free drink first before launching into full-fledged mockery. 

“Beer would be fine,” he says, leaning against the kitchen countertop. Crossing his arms, he takes to surveying his brother, searching for whatever tiny smidge of weakness he could find to little avail. This is not new; he has never learned to read him. But there is one person far less opaque than the siblings were, so instead, he says, “You say you’re here on business, but Flo says you’re on vacation, and that’s why you guys are back.” A raise of an eyebrow. “Tell me, who am I supposed to listen to?” 

[teddycarlson]

MADELYN SOK.​

–

Sentimentality isn’t something that Maddie strives for. She keeps too many people at an arms length for that and burns bridges when she absolutely has to. Teddy however feels like simpler times. Those family dinners had only been enjoyable because of Teddy’s presence making them bearable. Just like it had then, their label as outcast in their families had been an unspoken knowledge between them that had ended up bringing them together. It warms her to see that his sentiments seem genuine still to this day. 

“Enemies, family - aren’t they the same?” She says it lightly enough but mostly because it was Teddy saying it. “If they are, then my sisters are relieved I decided to move here and put space between us.” Besides. If she knew what he was thinking, she’d agree. It certainly seemed like that some days when it came to her sisters. “There’s pep?” Her eyebrow arched but she knows that it’s clear to Teddy that she’s being sarcastic. “I couldn’t tell. I mean it’s permanent unless someone chases me off the island for not having enough pep. How does that work by the way? Is it like a three strikes and you’re out thing?”

-

Enemies, family - aren’t they the same? At once, Teddy feels the compulsion to agree wholeheartedly, to drop what pretense he has left right then and there, to confess just exactly what he has been up to while Maddie was gone. There are very people he trusts to be transparent with, but fortunately the compulsion dies out as soon as it had come. He knows he’ll tell Maddie the real circumstances of his brother’s passing eventually. But he decides to keep it to one surprise at a time. 

So, he rolls with their familiar banter. Teddy catches her sarcasm easily, and returns the quip with one of his own. “If there’s a three-strike limit I could’ve kicked you out on the basis of this conversation alone,” he says, letting out a chuckle, “but, nah. I think it’s more of an unspoken rule. How’s that saying go again?” Teddy presses his lips in feigned thought, though its corners are playing at a slight smile, “‘Don’t fuck up unto others as you do not want fuck ups be done unto you.’ See, Confucius gets it. But seriously, though—” He forces his eyes to look marginally softer, to better express the sincerity of his sentiment, “—if you’re staying long, you should come by my place sometime.” The offer sounds far too nice for his liking, and as if to balance it out, he adds, “and, naturally, I’m expecting the same invite to your place. That’s what people do, right?” 

[teddycarlson]

GEORGINA LIVINGSTON​.

☼

There’s a fragment of Georgina that wonders if her disclosure to Teddy was a wise one afterwards. It’s not like the woman broadcasted anything harmful or life-alerting to those who harbor the knowledge. It’s just the truth about the kind of woman she is and how her personality and intentions may be too good to be true. A heart that eats her whole and devours every piece of her being because the brunette believes if the act of kindness is spread thoroughly, it will melt the heart of those around her. Of course, the thought aloud may sound like she’s trying to be Santa Clause ─ or Mrs. Clause. But, her therapist understands where her point comes from. It’s not about seeking satisfaction, praise, or reassurance of that matter, but if someone has to do it, then why not Georgina? 

However, silence grips the pair in an unfamiliar comfort as hues fixture elsewhere, particularly on exquisite, detailed sandcastle in the mere distance ─ the seashells as a makeshift fence and gleam underneath the rays. It’s beautiful and a necessary distraction because she’s unaware of what to expect from Teddy’s statement. A part of her doesn’t doubt he understands, if anything, more people should be forthcoming in acknowledging the not-so-pretty sides of their being. Though, before she knows it, another question flung her way. “Um ─” Is what parts from the confines of her mouth, using this response to formulate a reason that might make sense.

Halting in her steps, a strand of beach-waved brunette locks that blew in her face finds security behind her ear. “Because someone has to do it, right? Someone has to be a rock when a tide wave comes into show.” A shrug rolling from her frail shoulders before clearing her throat. “I know that I don’t have to be a martyr because I’m no Mother Teresa, but I feel like if I could spread forth myself and kindness that it will impact something to someone.” God, those words slipping out of her mouth makes her sound foolish and like Geo lives in a dreamland of puppies, sunshine, and roses blossoming every weekend. Considering it’s far from the case because the mother teetered into the never-ending web twice in a short period, it’s challenging to put it into words without sounding like a lunatic.

So, a peal of scoff enters into the vast space around them before shaking her head. Lunatic, that’s what she sounds like one to get a stranger, who seems curious, on the justification her helping hands. “Along with the things I said earlier, the important thing was to fill the gaping hole in my chest that my former-husband created all of the years I was with him.” Which hadn’t been that many, but it’s beside the point. The way Tucker loved was spiteful because, over the years, he began to realize that he’ll never be number one, two, three, or even fourth place in Georgina’s life. She settled for him because it made sense given her last heartbreak, and the outcome was tumultuous. “It started off as a way to rebuild myself…. which turned into something I can’t live without, I suppose.”  

-

Because someone has to do it, right? In truth, Teddy’s uncertain what to make of her words, which, to him, gives off a peculiar combination of kindness and righteousness and self-sacrifice. To wade your way through life, thinking every action of yours ought to breed kindness, could ring as either incredibly profound or naive. He immediately discredits the latter, though — given that Georgina is older than he is, and as a result, has probably had her own share of tragedy. What those tragedies had been are unknown to him, however, and for the first time in his life, he curses himself for not keeping up with Catalina Island’s rumor mill.

Teddy doesn’t realize he’d gone quiet until Georgina breaks the silence, this time supplying an answer to his train of thought. He tracks the key words easily enough. Gaping hole. Former-husband. Rebuild myself. All spoken in past tense. Could signal either death or divorce, even though the difference laid only in the matter of syntax; both had signified the end of something regardless, didn’t they? Curiosity grips him in no small way. Yet, in a rare moment, no words come to him, glaringly unable to say anything helpful or worthwhile.  

Instead, Teddy settles on this: “Did you know Mother Teresa hated herself?” It’s then he realizes the weight of his words, and pressing his lips in deep thought, he continues, “she wanted her letters to be burned in the event of her death. But the Vatican didn’t care for those dying wishes, naturally, so they kept it, and turns out she was doubting her faith in all that time. Hell, she didn’t even think God existed.” He licks his lips. “I’m not saying it’s bad to take care of people, but shit, even you’ve got to draw your line, your limits...”

“Sorry, that was probably crass of me to say.” Teddy forces himself to tuck away his candidness. “It’s just not something I can see sustaining you for too long. Otherwise you just risk being emptied,” he lets out a stilted laugh, “shit, again, that was probably crass. Feel free to stop me, seriously.” As if to dismiss his thoughts altogether, he shakes his head and instead dons his best courteous smile. “That was a morbid entrance, but — I’m Theodore Carlson, by the way. Just call me Teddy.” Once more pausing in his tracks, he adds, “You’re Georgina Livingston, right?” 

[teddycarlson]

@teresahazen​.

LOCATION: teddy’s apartment / ventura DATE AND TIME: february 22, monday / evening 

“Yes, that’s two pizzas,” Teddy confirms, “yes, and two Cokes — thirty minutes? — God, yeah, sure, fine.” He continues, exasperated, at which point he hangs up and puts down the handset. 

Telephones. Who still used fucking telephones? Evidently him, having used the phone line that he’d sworn was already beginning to gather dust to order him and Teresa their customary pizza orders. Somehow, though, it feels fitting that he would only come to reuse it in the presence of such an old friend. In the last few months, he’s found himself teeming with nostalgia, and this time feels no different. 

Best (or worst?) yet, it might even be the most nostalgic portrait of all: him and his old friend, having telephoned in a pizza order, sitting in a tiny apartment. It could very well have been the picture of their college squalor had they only ten, twelve years younger, on the opposite side of the coast, and had spare change for subway fare in their pockets. 

“Just like the old days, huh?” he says, before slouching back on the couch, “well, certainly not high school days, but you get what I mean.” Chuckling, he takes the remote from the side table and begins idly scrolling through the collection of Netflix titles. “But, shit, would I kill for a New York-style pizza right now. The local pizza place just isn’t the same.”

[teddycarlson]

MATTHIAS CARLSON​.

special delivery for → @teddycarlson​​ location: matthias’ apartment / avalon time: wednesday, 8:30pm

It was no easy feat to witness one’s child in pain; but in the past few years, that became part of the routine in Matthias’ life. There was no guarantee whether he would wake up to a good or bad day, and unfortunately today was the latter. They’d been stuck inside all day, with him tending to his daughter’s needs and giving Florence the medication needed when needed. It wasn’t until towards the end of the day when there was a glimmer of light that returned to her eyes, an indication that she was feeling better. For the sake of moving her around, he’d made an exception for them to have dinner in front of the television. Mac and cheese, his daughter’s favourite dish no less, and he would even say that he finally mastered it, not like those packaged crap that people could purchase at the grocery store.

He ended up enduring Florence’s pick of television show — tonight being Full House, when Matt felt the weight of her head bumping into his torso, emerald hues fell to find her dozing off by the time the third episode begun. Making the mental note that he would eventually have to wake her up and get her ready for bed, he reached over for the remote and turned to ESPN instead, when the sound of knocking at the door caused him to jump up instantaneously, waking up his daughter at the same time. Sighing, he rubbed his temple as he wandered across the room, swinging the door open to find his half-brother standing on the opposite side. “Teddy,” His brows furrowed slightly, not quite liking the surprise visit, nor was this the right time for it. It wasn’t until now, when he was reminded that he off-handedly suggested to catch up, although making no attempt to follow through with his words. Shit. “What are you doing here?”

-

Teddy doesn’t fucking believe it. It’s one thing to be stood up on what would’ve been a lousy date regardless, and another to be stood up by no less than his brother whom he hasn’t seen in ages. He thinks the walk from the Atwater’s Bistro, where he’d spent a better part of an hour waiting for him to arrive, to Matthias’s newly-inducted Avalon home would clear his head. Yet all it does is keep the questions running, and by the time he’s arrived by his front door, he’s all but stomping in his feet and beset with no small amount of rage.

Had his absence been deliberate, another way for Matthias to one-up him? That type of behavior was their brother’s and their father’s. He doesn’t think his brother could be so crass as to emulate them. Yet time changes people, and if there’s another thing separating Teddy and him apart from their coast-to-coast distance, it’s their lack of communication in all these years. How morbidly funny would it be, Teddy thinks, if in Walt’s passing, his brother’s own inclination for cruelty had become activated like some gruesome line of succession.

He’s still operating in that same line of thought when Matthias opens the door, at which point he squeezes through the opening, barely giving his brother time to acclimate to his abrupt visit. At Matthias’s seemingly confounded question, his nose flares, his expression severe. 

“What am I doing here? What am I doing here?” He repeats, incredulous. “You know what, you’re such a fu—” 

Yet his words, and soon enough his anger, is cut off the moment Teddy turns his head towards the couch and finds two wide eyes peeking up at him curiously. “Flo!” Catching himself, he gives his niece with what he hopes looks like a warm smile. “Well, I hadn’t seen you in a while, huh? I didn’t know you were both coming.” He says, before turning back to the older Carlson, an eyebrow raised skeptically. “Well, what brought you guys here?” The question is posed to his niece as much as it is to his own brother, his anger quickly replaced by intrigue.

[teddycarlson]

LYDIA BECKETT​.

LOCATION — TEDDY’S PLACE. WHEN — FEBRUARY 21ST. MID AFTERNOON. CLOSED STARTER FOR TEDDY CARLSON.

Ever since Lydia had been told by Holly that the cat was a go, she didn’t know exactly who had been more excited between herself and Declan. The already excitable young boy had spent days trading ideas with his nanny about names, and what they should get the now former stray when they finally visited him, which prompted a long visit to the pet store, buying things Lydia had no idea a cat needed.

When it did finally happen a couple of weeks ago, she swore she had never seen Declan with a more lit up expression and an unfaltering smile as he played with the pet, his focused attention on the animal had inevitably left Lydia and Teddy to do their usual awkward dance around one another. For once, she had never gotten used to being around him, Declan had, on more than one occasion, been used as a buffer between them. If she didn’t know he was Holly’s brother-in-law, she’d guessed they’d been cut from the same imposing, impenetrable and intimidating mold.

Going over to his house usually had Lydia doing some prepping before hand. Giving them both excuses to say something to each other as Declan enjoyed the cat. This time around she had baked some cupcakes for a snack and took a quick detour to the coffee shop, grabbing some beverages for them. If anything, it could win her some points. She would definitely benefit of trying to please people less. As they arrived at Teddy’s home, Lydia sucked in a deep breath, parking the car and taking her time in taking Declan out and walking with him until they reached the front door. The blonde only knocked twice, but the little boy was far more impatient than that. ( @teddycarlson​ )

-

Teddy’s come to expect Declan’s visits. Better yet, he recognizes it’s him and his nanny, Lydia, before he even reaches the front door: the two spare knocks would almost immediately be followed by a rapping of knuckles that is admirable in its ferocity especially coming from a toddler’s hand. It isn’t like he gets much visitors these days, anyways, and their presence is hardly unwelcome. 

And, evidently, his cat doesn’t seem to mind the intrusion either. In fact she has similarly been so disposed to his nephew’s visits that the moment the knocks come, she meows incessantly, arrives at the door even before he does, and scratches the expensive hardwood in impatience. “Alright, alright,” he berates the little feline with a laugh before opening the door for the pair to enter. 

Declan gives him a rushed hug and an even rushed greeting — he could’ve sworn he had addressed him as Ted than Uncle Teddy, saving quite a few syllables — before he and the cat disappear to the guest bedroom he’d rearranged as a playroom. Which leaves him with the nanny, whom he greets with a slight smile, “Lydia, hi.” 

Small talk, to him usually comes easy. Reduced to just the two of them in his apartment, however, the atmosphere becomes far too close for comfort. “Is that for me?” He says, gesturing to the coffee tray, before eyeing the other bag that he assumes contains baked goods, “At least I hope so. You aren’t feeding him coffee, are you?” He adds, letting out a stiff laugh. 

[soyouwanttoplaytheflute]

[teddycarlson]

MADELYN SOK​.

–

“It could be code for that,” Maddie muses playing along with Teddy’s snark. One thing that she had always admired the man for was his ability to wield his snark like weapon and a subtle one at that. Her sisters were the queens of ice and snark but they seem more brutish with it when it comes to Teddy. She wonders if she said that to him if he’d take it as a compliment. Probably. True niceties were hardly on brand with their relationship. 

She finally shrugs as if she’s putting real thought to Teddy’s statement. “But who knows? You can think whatever you want because I know it’ll help you sleep better at night.” As if to punctuate her response, Maddie reaches out to pinch Teddy’s cheek teasingly. “You’ve clearly thought a lot about it enough which means that we should really be talking about how you’ve missed me.” Her hand retreats back to her side and her eyes are glittering with a laugh. “Consider me settling down here as my gift to you as you get on in your years. More time with me - who wouldn’t want that?”  

-

And perhaps the biggest testament to the strength of their friendship is that Teddy allows himself to be pinched in the cheek. He’d lost count of how many of his relatives would do a similar gesture, growing up, though in a manner certainly not as friendly. How chubby you are, they’d say. But once he’s learned to read between the lines, they had actually meant this: how different you are. 

Never Maddie, though. She’d been one of the few friendly faces, authentic than most, and snarkier than the rest, who not once had treated him in a patronizing way. He had been quick to return the favor, and they’d been in each other’s good graces ever since. “Yeah, sure, I missed you,” he says, rolling his eyes, injecting his voice with a sickly sweet tone. Teddy plays his words off as a joke, though he is certain she knows the sentiment is wholly genuine. “Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Maddie.” He can’t help but mirror her own words, his lips now stretching into a wide grin. 

“Who wouldn’t want more time with you... well, I would say your enemies,” he answers her question, before adding, “maybe your family?” There could be an argument there, though, about how both categories aren’t necessarily distinct from one another. “If it’s any consolation, my family doesn’t want to do anything with me, too.” He chuckles, before moving back to his slew of questions. “And this is a permanent thing? You aren’t gonna get scared away by this island’s... pep?”