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 Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:50 am
Quote: Event Prompt 3 of ??? As it grows closer to Halloween, you find your sleep to be practically non-existent. If you’re lucky, you manage to get 1-3 hours of rest at best and the nightmares grow worse, almost to the point where the memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. You can’t seem to satisfy your ever-growing hunger and any meat you manage to scarf down ends up being more raw than not. Your skin starts to itch, any scratching causes sores over your body or hair loss at your scalp. What skin hasn't been scratched is turning a sickly pale, almost green shade. Maybe you've caught some sort of virus or bug that's going around?
With the fall season came a surge of new smells, flavors and colors at The Sugar Cube and Daniel McKay embraced the change with open arms. While he loved everything he did at the little shop and the sweets they served year 'round, holiday time was always some of his favorite weeks out of the year. Cookies came in various shapes and decorations, teas and drinks had new spices and pumpkin flavors added - it was simply exciting to see all of the happy faces show up at his counter, their eagerness contagious for the cheerful manager.
It just so happened, unfortunately, that in his eagerness Daniel had managed to overextend himself, baking far too many cookies than what was needed for the display case. Typically, he liked to donate any extras to the local shelters but this time, he just so happened to save one of the boxes and kept it aside, making one additional stop before he headed home after work.
Tristan and Fiona had always been incredibly kind to the blonde and he wanted to make sure they both knew how much he appreciated that kindness. And, naturally, what better way was there for a cafe owner to express that appreciation than by bringing by happy little pumpkin cookies to his two closest friends???
Excited to see their reactions, he hurried his way out of his old car, making his way up the walkway towards Fiona's front door. The wind was picking up and his nose was red from the chill, his jacket abandoned back in the passenger seat of his car. He wouldn't take but a minute or two (unless invited inside, of course), so he didn't see the need to bundle up all over again.
Finding the doorbell, he pressed the center of the small button and took a step back, straightening up his shoulders as both hands clutched tightly to the box of cookies.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 11:45 am
The lack of sleep had left him irritable and the persisting nightmares that haunted his waking conscious had left him downright exhausted. Sleep was something that kept slipping through his fingers and he'd spent the last eight hours trying to get any amount of sleep.
He managed approximately fifty-four minutes of sleep at best and he felt no more rested than when he'd first laid down.
And he was itchy, like annoyingly so and Tristan couldn't help but scratch blunt nails along his arms when he finally gave up on trying to get any sleep and padded out to the kitchen.
Fiona wasn't home, she wouldn't be for at least an hour but he was hungry and it was time to rummage through the fridge.
There wasn't anything that felt like it could satisfy his cravings and when the doorbell rang, he slammed the fridge shut irritably.
"What--" He snapped when he yanked the door open. "Do you want."
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 8:11 am
As he heard the doorbell turning, his smile brightened significantly in preparation. It didn't matter if it was Fiona or Tris who answered, both individuals deserving the most cheerful greeting he could muster with the remaining energy he had after a long day's work.
At seeing the tall brunette with a particularly scruffy face, his heart did a small leap in its chest and his smile might have grown even wider, to the point where the sides of his face ached from the sheer width of it all.
The tone he was received in, however, made the gigantic smile falter slightly.
"Trick or treat!"
The playful comment was joined by his hands extending out the box of cookies. "I wanted to stop by and give these to you and Fi, we had some extras at the cafe and I didn't want them to go to waste."
Seeing the unusually gloomy expression on the older boy's face, he added quickly, "I hope that's okay?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:39 am
Normally Tristan's mood would improve from seeing one of his favorite people. Normally he would smile at the person on the other side of the door, but this wasn't normal and the scowl on his face seemed to deepen.
He didn't take the cookies nor did he open the door to let the blonde inside. Instead, he _glared_ at the offering before he shifted and blunt nails were dragging along his arm, scratching excessively to relieve an itch that wouldn't calm down.
"Sure," he grunted, eventually abandoning the door, leaving it half open, before he returned to the kitchen to rummage through the freezer again.
His stomach growled and it served to worsen his mood. "Why isn't there anything--" He was grumbling to himself, having forgotten that he had company.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 7:26 am
The look he offered him was harsh enough for Daniel to feel the need to shirk back, instinctively lowering his head as if scared of offending the taller boy. He'd never seen the brunette looking so cross before - had he done something wrong, to have irritated him so badly? But wouldn't Tristan have told him before now, if he'd been upset with the younger man?
"Tris? You feelin' okay, buddy?"
Green eyes watched as the grump because to scratch at his skin, as if he'd developed the chicken pox from simply standing outside in the cold night's air. He didn't exactly invite Danny in but the blonde assumed the invitation was unspoken as he'd abandoned the door wide open on his trek towards the fridge.
"Are you hungry?" Eyeing the open freezer, Danny took a moment to try to seize the opportunity in front of him, to maybe cheer up his best friend from this particularly gloomy mood. "Do you want me to order something?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:04 pm
Tristan's head had been in the freezer when Danny addressed him and he jerked back, green eyes narrowing at the well meaning blonde. "I'm fine," he snapped, attention returning to the contents of a freezer that housed nothing that appealed to him. His stomach growled again and his scratching had gone from his arm to his neck, the skin turning an angry red from the way his blunt nails scraped.
The rest of him...well he'd started to look a little greenish.
The door was shut with a slam and he turned on socked heels to glare at his dear friend. "Isn't the answer obvious?" He snapped, mouth splitting into an uncharacteristic sneer.
Tristan stepped forward, his height giving him a looming opportunity. "I'm ******** starving." The curse fell out of his mouth before he could think twice about it, the surliness and bad mood clearly effecting him in a very palpable way. "There's nothing in this stupid fridge that is even remotely edible."
That was incorrect, but he had a hankering for some red meat and that was something Fiona didn't exactly keep around the house often. Normally it wasn't a problem, Tristan could and would eat anything that was presented to him. He rarely, if ever, had food-based cravings and yet-- he was about ready to strangle someone in the name of getting some raw, red meat in his stomach.
He didn't know where the hankering was coming from, simply that he had it.
"There's no meat in this place."
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:13 pm
The snap caused the blonde boy to visibly flinch back, unused to being talked to in such a manner by his dearest companion. Sure, Tris seemed a little rough around the edges - maybe he was putting on a brave front and was under the weather, just trying to make it seem like he was fine to keep people from worrying?
His follow-up comments had Danny almost cringing by the tone, the use of foul language surprising the younger man. It wasn't like Tristan to be so cross, even when he looked exhausted. Had....Had he done something to upset the older boy?
"I-I can run us through a drive-thru real q-quick, if you want?"
He almost held back the offer of taking the brunette out, especially with the almost hostile way he was talking. Still, this was Tris he was talking to... maybe Danny himself was just feeling a bit tired from a hard day's work and was overthinking things. Tris wouldn't be outright mean to anyone, that's just not how he worked.
"Or I can order something from UberEats, if you don't want to leave the house."
He was a bad friend, really, to think so poorly of his best friend when he wasn't feeling well!
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:19 pm
It was like Tristan was oblivious to his bad mood or the way it was effecting his friend. Danny's visible flinching went unnoticed, or uncommented on if he had noticed, and instead Tristan's attention was back to rummaging for something to eat.
The pantry door was slammed shut and a scowling expression was thrown the blonde's way.
"You should make yourself useful," Tris snapped, shoulders hunched over and he was scratching at his skin again. It had turned an ugly green color where it hadn't been scratched raw.
Some of it was even scratched so badly that he'd started bleeding and yet he didn't seem to notice. "Figure ******** something out yourself, or do I have to do everything?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:37 pm
It was like being slapped in the face, the words stung with a resounding effect on poor Daniel's psyche. Here was the boy he trusted more than anyone else, who'd always supported him with his quiet strength and kindness and he was...he'd called him useless?
"R-Right, sorry."
The box of cookies was quickly deposited on a nearby counter top as Danny scrambled to try to dig in his pocket for his cell phone. Hands behaved like they'd forgotten how to function, fingers clumsily moving to try to unlock the screen and find the internet browser page. Wrong letter after wrong letter got punched in and deleted, the young man working hard to try to ignore the fact he'd just received a stinging insult from one of the most important people in his life.
It was okay -- Tris was just cranky, right? Too many questions, it obviously was a mistake on his part to ask so many questions and poke the bear even further. He could fix this. He'd fix it and Tris would be happier. He just needed to find a place to order from and get him the food he was craving, maybe that would make him feel better and it would prove that Danny could be useful at something after all.
The closest restaurant was a mile or two away and seemed to deliver for a minimal fee. Perfect.
"I can have Haverty's d-delivered here in twenty minutes, if you can wait that lo--Tris, your arm."
Green eyes went wide as he looked up. He'd been trying to gauge the older boy for his response but his gaze had fallen on the fresh wound dripping from the brunette's arm. His phone was set aside with the cookie box as he moved to find the closest kitchen towel.
"You're bleeding everywhere - c'mon, stop scratching. Please?"
Grabbing the first one he saw, he approached the testy man without a second thought, his intention to wrap up the wound clear.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:11 pm
Were this any other day or Tristan in any other mood, Danny's concern would have been welcomed with a strained smile and the insistence that he was fine. Unfortunately, however, the brunet was in the most surly and un-Tristan like mood to ever be seen and when his friend got too close he jerked back, something akin to a snarl on his face.
"Don't. Touch. Me." The snap was punctuated with Tristan immediately jerking backward, like he was offended that the blond had even tried. He did, for the moment, halt in his scratching if only because he was holding his arm away from his concerned companion.
"It's fine. I'm fine." His jaw clenched. "You should go."
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:53 pm
He should have expected the snarl, he should have guessed the attempt at tending the wound would have been dismissed. Danny had acted on impulse at the first sight of blood and Tristan Lestrange was reeling back as if the blonde boy was a leper, intending to infect him.
But he hadn't expected the snarl, green eyes growing even wider at the distorted expression he'd never seen before on the older man's face. It startled him enough to drop the towel right there, taking his cue to back up in return, adding distance between the two.
Being told to leave was both a punishment and a relief because Daniel McKay wasn't sure how much more he could handle of Tristan's sudden attitude change.
Feet turned to make their way to the door, only making it about halfway there before he realized he'd left his phone behind. He was almost hesitant to go back --- but he was already there, it would just take a second, right?
Reaching over to the table, he attempted to snatch the phone as quickly as possible. The sudden jerk sent the box of cookies tumbling over the edge, the hand holding the phone dropping it as he tried to save the box, instead, from certain demise.
But, of course, Danny's nerves proved frayed at the moment and fumbling hands failed to catch the box, watching in horror as the container burst open and cookies went flying in all directions. Crumbled and ruined, they looked very much how he felt at that very moment.
Eyes refused to look up to see Tristan's reaction - surely it wasn't a good one, judging by all of his other comments - so he tried to look around for the dropped phone. Not seeing it anywhere on the floor or around the table, he quickly made the decision that lingering around any longer in search for it would only cost him more of his pride (in addition to whatever other humiliating comments could be interjected in his direction). Rising up, he mumbled a hurried apology while trying to keep his face away from the older boy's as he spun around and made a beeline for the door.
It wasn't until he fastened his seatbelt in his old Honda that he dared to look up -- but there was no one at the door calling him back, apologizing profusely for poor behavior.
Leave it to you to mess it all up, Danny boy. It was only a matter of time.
Closing his eyes, he counted to ten quietly in his head before turning the key in the ignition, shifting the gear out of park and quickly pulling out of Fiona's driveway, forcing himself to ignore the large home fading off into the distance in his rear view mirror.
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