It Won't Heal

Unless You Let It

[twinklefangs]

[Mobile Link]

[undeadmagpie]

Mark Fischbach as Simon in Iron Lung, 2026.

[homewrcckers]

❛ now, you know if you close your eyes and you lie down, that usually helps. ❜ (From Damien)

"INTERESTING. REGARDLESS, I DO NOT SEE HOW THAT WOULD HELP ME. Revenge is a peculiar beast." Titus ached to prove himself. He ached to prove that he was not weak. HE ACHED to prove that he was as good as his father, or perhaps even better, and because he had been stopped from doing that? BECAUSE GRACE FUCKING LE DOMAS had stopped him? WELL. It was time to make someone pay and right now, said someone was her and her sister. "Have you ever hated someone so much you could not breath with it?"

/ @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Revenge...the word tasted like ash and old blood better left buried. He knew the shape of it all too well, the actor's smile as he took everything, the betrayal coiling tighter than any snare. Damien's eyes narrowed slightly, Titus' dangerous hunger mirroring Damien's own simmering resentment. Yet, his instincts as the former mayor, urged him to steady this before it spiralled. "I have known hatred that stole breath from my lungs, yes." He agreed, "Turns friends into ghosts, and justice into something unrecognisable." He stepped a fraction closer, shifting his weight more than making any kind of movement. "Tell me, then, what has this person done to earn such a beast in your chest? And more importantly, what do you intend to become once the revenge is taken? Pursuit often devours the hunter first, you know."

@homewrcckers

[fatherfigcres]

"yeah, i know. it does suck." she sighed, running a hand through her hair for a moment, because.. it did. just the thought that jennifer was here? just the thought that she would have to cross corners and run into her? it made her sick but it also made her.. was it a little thrilled? maybe. something like that. she honestly didn't know what was in her head. "i know i am broken. i was going places before everything happened. i was gonna go to college and yes, maybe my life would fucking suck, but i wouldn't have to worry about demons. you know? or people being eaten. jesus fucking christ." she ran a hand through her hair. "human, yeah. maybe that's always been my problem." needy nodded. "i do. fire and your company and a good chat sounds like a plan." @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Grey scratched the stubble on his jaw, movements rough and not exactly well co-ordinated, but he nodded as she spoke, clearly focussed more on her words than on not scraping his skin off. "College, huh? Fancy. I know you'd have crushed it too. I never read too good, but, demons putting a dent in your plans? That, I can understand." He gave a low, sheepish chuckle, "Was never my grand plan to be buildin' forts and huntin' bunnies, but," he shrugged. "Them's the breaks." He glanced off into the distance for a second, then back to Needy, eyes soft with a want to fix her problems, even if he didn't know how. He lifted a handful of dry sticks he had thrown in a corner and stacked them between them with the speed and ease of someone who'd done this every day for years now. He pulled out an old lighter from his pocket and quickly got a decent blaze going. "There. Nice and toasty." He rubbed his hands together before resting his elbows on his knees. "We can just sit of you want. Or...I dunno, you can tell me more about this mess if it helps get it out of your head. Your call."

@fatherfigcres

[ragdclls]

@twinklefangs - “Oh, I’ve talked to her…in my mind.”

"in your mind? but not in person?" emma questioned with a raise of her brow. "can i ask why not?" she was curious, of course. it was in her nature and well... she was nosey too. perhaps she'd inherited that from her mother. "is... is it nerves to speak to her or something else? also you can totally tell me to butt out. i know it's none of my business... i'm just curious and wanna help if i can." she admitted.

[twinklefangs]

"Yeah...just in my head." He repeated quietly, the smile on his face turning a bit sheepish. "I've walked past where she works loads of times. Smells great...and her voice sounds really kind when she's chatting with customers..." He bowed his head a little, feeling his cheeks warming. "I just...I freeze every time I get near the door. What if I say something dumb, or trip and make a total mess of myself, y'know? That's her space and..." he shook his head. "I'm not exactly the easiest person to be around. I don't want to make things weird or uncomfortable for her." His partially shifted ears twitched under the beanie he kept them hidden under, sensitive to the sounds of the street around them even while his mind was anywhere else. "It's mostly nerves, yeah. Big, stupid ones. I'm pretty terrible at talking to pretty girls...or...pretty much anyone. I don't want to be the reason someone's day gets worse."

@ragdclls

[ragdclls]

she giggled once more before shaking her head. "please, we both know that i think the opposite of ew when it comes to you. i happen to think that you are a rather handsome man." evie crinkled her nose up as she smiled, wanting nothing more than to be close to him. "what can i say? i like to spoil those i care about." she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "peanut butter it is." evie nodded as she set her bag down to grab the brownies for him. "these are probably my favourite out of the bunch and i think they'd sell pretty well in the bakery. i mean... brownies and peanut butter? if i do say so myself; it sounds awesome." she teased, handing them to him. "i hear that you and my mum are getting along pretty well lately... should i be concerned?" evie taunted. @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Grey's grin somehow got even bigger and dopier than before, his cheeks going a bit pink. "Handsome, huh? I don't deserve it, but, I'll take it and run with it." He took the brownies from her like they were made of solid gold, immediately taking a bit sniff to map out every intricacy of their scent. "Can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate. Going straight to the top of the 'do not share' list. And that's a pretty big list, you can trust me on that one." He broke a corner off and shoved it in his mouth, talking around it with zero regard for manners or dignity. "Mmmph-your mom? Yeah, she's....she's alright. A lot going on. Doesn't try to kill me quite so much now, so, I think that's progress, right?" he gave her a lopsided shrug, but the smile never faded. "Why? She been sayin' stuff about me? Should I be the one asking if I need to be concerned? If she got food poisoning, I did warn her about the sausages...my cooking is an acquired taste."

@ragdclls

[ragdclls]

@twinklefangs - ❛ come on, are you sure you can do that? ❜

evie shrugged her shoulders playfully. "maybe not but... are you gonna tell my mum?" she teased with a small chuckle. "you going to get me in trouble?" she was only messing with him, of course. evie was glad that jake was a part of her family. she liked him a lot. "don't worry, i'm not gonna do anything that would get any of us in trouble or anything. i'm just borrowing it so i can find out mum's size for this bracelet i saw the other day. i'm sorry, i didn't realise you were home or i wouldn't have just walked in."

[twinklefangs]

Jake paused, studying her for a moment, part of him wanted to scold her for putting more on his plate if Elaine noticed her things were turning up in the wrong places, but, he liked Evie. She was family, and he liked that she felt safe enough to tease him. That trust mattered more than he usually let on. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm not gonna rat you out. But, next time, knock. Or, at least make sure I'm not the one who catches you." His tone eased, "Just make sure it's right back where it was by the time she gets home, alright? And not just because we both know she'll blame me for it going missing."

@ragdclls

[fatherfigcres]

"i wasn't going anywhere. you're my friend. i'd never leave a friend." and she didn't have a lot of those, because she had been forced to grow up far too quickly and she had never had the chance to do any of this. maybe, now... maybe now, it was too late, but god, she wanted to think that it wasn't. she wanted to think that she could still make it, be one way or another, and even without her family here. what had she brought them but pain? maybe, it had been the fault of whatever it was that had been inside of her, but.. she had killed her grandmother. she didn't expect anyone to forget that. and what her father had to sacrifice for her? "i know what that's like. everything being so loud you can't hear anything of what really matters," perhaps, for reasons different than elias', but she felt it all the same. "you didn't. and you're not a jerk. i think i may have.. overreacted. hopefully, sharing some of this food may help make up for it?" she attempted.

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

"You really mean that?" He let out a shaky breath, tension easing from his shoulders, but, still there. "That we're friends, I mean. I keep worrying I'm gonna mess it up somehow, but....okay. Okay, good. And yeah...everything's always too loud, or too quiet, it's exhausting, right? Sometimes my head just spirals." He let a sheepish laugh slip out. "But, I'm okay now. And, you didn't overreact, I scared you first. So...truce?" His smile widened, nodding at the idea of sharing food. "What'd you get? Smells good from here."

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

"it is! it's what's fixed everything! how can you not know it? we saved the world with it!" was he close to losing his mind? yes, it was something like it, because.. no, not everyone knew what he and rocky had done, but it was supposed to have worked. to have given everyone a fighting chance and he couldn't ever admit or even let the chance that it hadn't been for anything be something true. no. it had to have been. "that's... lame. how.. they just disappeared? what was the cause? like.. why?" he didn't see it. he was a scientist, his head was and always had been towards science, but.. how? how could all the planets just disappear? "because there's not enough astrophage, dude! how can we go back to our real home without it? how?" @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Simon's face twitched faintly as 'lame', like the word itself offended him more than he wanted to admit. "Yeah, real fucking lame watching entire systems just vanish." He folded his arms tighter across his chest, more defensive than angry. "And nobody knew why, that was the whole point. Doesn't matter why, anyway. They're gone, so are all the people that were on them." He sighed sharply, forcing the air between his teeth. "You didn't save the world. COI probably just told you that to stop you going nuts." He shook his head immediately after, like he regretted saying it. "Sorry, that was cheap. But here, dead things stay dead."

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

"yeah, home, dude! i wanna go home and i've earned it, okay?" was he throwing a tantrum? yes, maybe a little bit, and.. right now, grace felt as if he had earned it. he had spent so long away from home. he had spent so long and he had found yet another home, and... now, he was conflicted. was his home wherever rocky was? he thought so. "it will be. my earth. not whatever this place is. my home. we saved it." and he was pacing, from one side to the other, as he attempted to tell himself that much. was it true? in this moment, he had no fucking idea. shit. "i'm not full of shit! the astrophage. it made it all better. i sent it down to earth, so.. it's fixed now. it is!" @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Simon just stared blankly at Grace for a moment, but eventually his expression pulled tight with something somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion. On better days, his insistence on nonsense would have really annoyed him, but today, it just made him tired. "Astrophage," he parroted bluntly. "Like that means anything." He stood up straight, wincing a little at old wounds. "They called it the Quiet Rapture because one day the stars and all the planets were there..." he swallowed, "And then they weren't. Earth and Mars included." The memory of watching it happen as a boy, knowing his mother was on Mars at the time took him for a moment, but he shook it off hard, scrubbing his hand over his face. "Earth's been gone for a long time, so, if you're telling the truth, then why are we both here? You don't think everyone else wants to go home?"

@fatherfigcres

[twinklefangs]

[homewrcckers]

❛ well… you look amazing. i mean, you-you've always… you always look amazing. ❜ (From Simon)

"You.. YOU REALLY THINK SO? I don't feel amazing, but .. that's really kind of you, SIMON." Emily looked down, color staining her cheeks just for a moment, as she did not UNDERSTAND why someone like him would WISH to be anywhere near her. It confused her, throughly and through, but she wasn't going to say anything against it. SHE DID NOT, AFTER ALL, WISH TO BE ALONE. And Simon was, in so many ways, PROVING TO BE THE COMPANY SHE DID NOT WISH TO LOSE. "It's just a new shirt. Nothing too big."

/ @twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Simon looked away the second she reacted the way she did, like he'd said something bigger than he'd meant to. Or, maybe, exactly as big as he'd meant to, and that was the problem. "Yeah, well...it's not the shirt." He muttered, awkward, but, trying to scrabble out of the hole he'd dug for himself. "I mean, it's part of it. It's...nice. Haven't seen 'new' clothes in....well..." he sighed uncomfortable. "You don't have to feel amazing for it to be true." He offered a small shrug. "Most people don't. Doesn't stop it from being there anyway." He looked at her again for a second before looking away, shrugging again as if none of this even mattered to him, "For what it's worth, I'm not just saying it to be nice. I'm not very good at lying about things like that."

@dancingthroughlcfe

[fatherfigcres]

❛ you can't do this! get back here! ❜ (From Elias Amiri)

"woah, dude! what the fuck? i told you that i was just going to get some food. relax!" katie may have been better, and she may have been more like herself now, but.. did she still flinch at loud noises? yes, she did, and she happened to think that was normal. after everything that he had been through? fuck it, if that wasn't making her lose her mind. she had never gotten the chance to age normally. she had gone from being eight to being... what she had been, when her dad had made the sacrifice he had and yes, that had taken a tool on her. of course it had. "and don't scare me like that again, okay?"

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Elias flinched hard at her words, his shoulders hunching up like he'd been the one yelled at. The hat he was wearing twitched as the wolf ears underneath them flattened against his hair. "I-I'm sorry," he said quickly, voice cracking as he took a hesitant step toward the sound of her. One hand stayed out in front of him, fingers curled like he was scared of walking into something, even though he knew the spot well. "I didn't mean to raise my voice, I just...I realised I couldn't hear you anymore and I thought-" he swallowed, embarrassment setting in now that even his explanation was weak. "Everything's kinda loud out here sometimes, but, it's almost worse when it gets quiet like that...I don't know where anything is. Or anyone. And I got scared you'd...I dunno, gone somewhere I couldn't follow. It's stupid, I know. You're allowed to get food, obviously." He bowed his head, laughing sheepishly only because he didn't know what else to do. "I'm really sorry I scared you. I hate that. I wasn't thinking. Are you...Are you okay? I didn't mean to be a jerk, honest."

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

❛ needy, what is going on? are you okay? ❜ (From Grey Lapinski)

"just the usual? i found my.. you know. that person that ruined my life? she's here and apparently so, she's not going to be leaving me alone anytime soon, so.. there is that." needy gave a sigh, running a hand through her hair, because.. yes, it had been stupid to think that jennifer was ever going to leave her alone. she wasn't. she was stuck now and that was that and she hated it, more than she had ever hated anything else. fuck. of course she did and also, a part of her was happy, because.. no, she hadn't wanted to be without her. "and is it horrible of me to say that i'm also a little happy that she is?"

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Grey scratched the back of his neck, getting a mutt-like satisfaction from digging his nails into his skin just a little further than truly necessary. However, he did his best to keep focussed on Needy, his dopey brown eyes all furrowed with worry. "...Shit, Needy. That sucks. Like, proper sucks." He shifted on his feet, boots chewing on the dirt. He wasn't great at talking, especially when feelings were involved, but, he tried anyway. "I get it, though. I mean, not the...but the whole 'ruined my life but I still got that stupid warm feeling', thing. It's messed up, right? Makes you feel like you're broken or somethin' for not just hating them clean." Grey gave a small, awkward shrug. No matter how much time had passed, he still had a soft spot for Bea. Despite everything, he supposed he always would. "Doesn't make you horrible. Just human, or...y'know, whatever. Bad analogy." He chuffed an uncomfortable laugh before trying to straighten things up. "You want me to stick around? I can make a fire, can just sit. Don't gotta talk more if you don't wanna."

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

❛ so, i wanted to get us some simple takeout, but, of course, i started obsessing over what you'd be in the mood for. ❜ (From Jake Green)

"that is awfully kind of you, son. i appreciate it." johnston gave a nod, as he glanced towards him again. what was he doing in here? in a way, he did not know, he just wanted to see his son and to make sure that he was doing alright. jake.. jake always was too hard on himself and maybe, he did get that, because he had been the exact same way. was this his fault? right now, he hoped it wasn't. of course he did, but.. still. right? there was still time to make things right, especially when he had been granted a second chance. especially when he wanted to be here, more than he had been before. "but anything goes. as i said, i just wanted to see you. how have you been doing?"

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

"I've been...holding it together. Same as always. City's still standing, people are scared, supplies are thin and every decision feels like I'm personally breaking what's left of us. But, I make them anyway. Thats what you do, right?" He looked up at Johnston, afraid that if he looked away too long, this illusion would shatter and leave him alone with the truth that he'd finally snapped. Jake crossed the small distance and set a plate in front of his father, motion careful, almost reverent. "I got your favourites. Or, what I remember them being. Didn't want to guess wrong." His voice dropped quieter, the sincerity bleeding through despite the guarded tension in his shoulders. "I don't know if this is real, dad. I don't know if I'm losing it. But, if this is all I get..." He shook his head. "I'm not wasting it asking stupid questions. Just...stay. Eat."

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

❛ i don't feel amazing. it's all a lie. ❜ (From Damien)

"that would make two of us. feeling amazing.. well, it's for people that haven't gone through hell and back." which, in that moment, he felt like it was him. what could andrew say? a part of him was still torn up and yet, he kept on going. wasn't that what he was? a fucking survivor? he liked to think so, even if he didn't have the single or the most faintest idea about how he was ever going to get back on his own two feet. he wanted to. he was trying to, but to this day, he still did not know how. "i take you have?"

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Damien let out a slow breath, adjusting his stance has he tried to keep a calm, quiet authority on things, despite his racing mind. "I suppose we both bear the marks of it, then." He agreed, "Hell has a way of stripping away the illusions, doesn't it? I...arrived here, not too long ago, nothing but questions and the weight of betrayals I can't quite seem to outrun." A fleck of bitterness surfaced in the back of his throat, but, he managed to swallow it down. "How long have we been adrift in this place?" He looked around for a moment, still unsettled by the bustling city he couldn't quite put the right name to. "If you'll allow me the question...what keeps you pressing on, when everything around us feels like a lie?"

@fatherfigcres

[fatherfigcres]

"jesus h. molly, will you relax? you're gonna break it!" grace was freaking out. why? he didn't even know, because his state of mind was freaking out and always had been, in a way. he didn't doubt that was going to keep on not changing. of course not. right? and right now, what he wanted was to get himself and rocky back home, before someone decided to look after his friend. to grab him. nope. that wasn't happening. he wasn't letting it. "the.. what, now? no, no. it was anything but quiet. and what kind of lame name is that? the quiet rapture? it was eating stars, dude! call it what it is!" shaking his head. "huh. so here's the thing. i'm not trying to bring anyone back. i wanna go home."

@twinklefangs

[twinklefangs]

Simon let out a short, breathless laugh, almost something between shock and offence. "Home. Right. Yeah. Great." Another nothing word that meant as many different things to every single person that it basically meant nothing at all. "It's not something you can just walk back into. Like it'll be waiting for you." He grit his teeth. "It's not, never has." He looked up at Ryland for the briefest moment before looking away again, deciding it wasn't worth the intensity after all. "And you keep saying you fixed it, but I'm still here and everything's still broken...so either you're full of shit, or..." He was so convinced of scenario one that he hadn't come up with a more graceful explanation yet. "Don't just stand there talking about going home like it's possible."

@fatherfigcres