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 Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 2:14 pm
Prompt The Wishing Tree (1): In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn’t wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn’t so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
For him it was date night, a small text sent to his target, Myles, with a simple message be ready to go at 7 p.m. tonight. Wear something cute.. And his lovely target didn't need to respond, or bother with anything like a protest or any excuse for why they couldn't go. By now he knew he had no choice.
Derryl always got his way in the end.
But it was still going to be a good night. A nice little 'favor' called in to the Captain of their station had that damned Jeremy stationed on the far side of their district today. And even better, his destination, that cute little festival closer near the center of town, was in the complete opposite direction of their area.
Yes, nothing at all was going to ruin tonight, and he thought that very much to himself as he got to the front porch of Myle's apartment and knocked out a very obvious beat.
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Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 6:00 am
They were dating, they were in love, everything was perfect. They talked on the phone, they texted, they went out, Derryl was always coming to check on him or take him somewhere, or telling him to come visit him at the police station. That's what people did when they were in a relationship. It was nice.
And, Derryl was certainly on the nicer end of people Myles had gotten himself tangled up in.
It helped that Myles could construct any illusion, any delusion, and grasp for straws to see it as a reality. For example, if Derryl told him to wear something cute, it meant they were going somewhere fun. Fun meant he wanted to have a good time. That meant he was in a good mood and wanted to share it with Myles. That meant he liked him.
'Cute', however, was entirely subjective, so Myles had put on a pair of nice jeans, comfortable shoes, and a T-Shirt with a fat, starry eyed pug in a wide mouthed grin. His hair was tied up in a sloppy, twisted ponytail sort of thing, like he'd done his best to get it up and out of the way but forgotten about it in favor of something else. His habits were as eclectic as his fashion and he might have just gotten distracted with his accessories; he was wearing a number of small trinkets--little bracelets and necklaces, colorful and cute. He had the star charm he'd picked up earlier today dangling from a necklace.
"Derryl," he greeted, opening the door to let him in. "I just want you to know that I worked really hard to be on time today. I started getting ready at four." He had a habit of getting distracted and losing track of time; being late was not particularly uncommon for him and he was known to set several alarms to try and remind himself and still forget.
But this was important. He was tired of disappointing Derryl and didn't want to do anything to disrupt the evening. He wanted it to be perfect, so he had done everything in his power to do what he could. Still, he had no idea what Derryl had planned, so his options were limited--but he tried.
The house smelled of flowers and sweets and had a strange warmth about it; it didn't take much guessing to figure that Myles had been making candles again. He had a fold up table set up in the living room to give a little extra space; he must have had a good few dozen of them in cute little jars. An array of colors, organized by scent, waiting for labels and safe packaging.
"Are you ready to go? You can come in if you want, Jeremy's working." He paused and then brightened. "Oh! And I have something for you!"
He groped quickly for something sitting on the table--wrapped in shiny teal wrapping paper with more ribbons than it needed, curled and dangling. It wasn't difficult to tell it was a candle; Myles might have wrapped it with care but the shape was still obvious through the wrapping paper.
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Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 2:34 pm
Now... Derryl wasn't exactly a 'judgemental man when it came to style and fashion. People were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, whatever made them happy, so long as it didn't offend.
Myles... As cute as he was, his style clashed and burned his eyes, contrasting horribly with his own chosen 'date night' outfit of a half buttoned down shirt and slacks. His smile only slightly twitched when the door opened for him.
"Did you now?" Three damned hours and he looked like a child stepping out of a Claire's magazine... Gods help him and he headache that was forming across the bridge of his nose. No, he wasn't going to let it get to him. He messy look was.... charming. He'd think of it that way. "Well... Let me give you a hint as to where we're going... The Pug there on your shirt matches the theme very well."
Atleast the smells that surrounded him were pretty decent, and he wasn't the least bit surprised that there was a gift for him, but he didn't step further into the door. "If you are ready as well, we can go ahead and get going without needing to come in."
The gift was taken, and he held it up to his nose, that ever sweet smile coming to his lips. Alright, he'd let Myles think he did well today, though where'd he put a candle, he had no clue. Anywhere was within range of Riggs.
"It smells nice.... Thank you. I suppose now I'll have a nice little thought of you each time I pass it or burn it in my house, hmm?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:02 pm
Myles didn't detect any agitation or disappointment; he beamed when Derryl praised the candle. He seemed to glow at the the idea that Derryl would have to have a reason to think of him when he wasn't around. "I hope you only have nice thoughts of me."
He did one last check of himself--phone, keys, wallet, a quick pat down--before he seemed to decide that he was collected and ready to go.
"I'm ready," he assured, but glanced at his shirt one more time as he tried to decipher what the pug on his shirt had to do with where they were going. "Are we going to see Riggs?"
Riggs was not a pug, and he knew this, but Riggs was a dog, and Myles looked for any opportunity to visit him.
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Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:27 pm
"Of course. Only the sweetest thoughts of you." It wasn't exactly a lie, he didn't have anything bad to say about the boy. A little stupid, but that only made him cuter, and more easy to manipulate.
"Don't forget to lock the door." Derryl was already on his way back to the car, putting the candle on the back seat out of the way. While there wasn't a big chance he'd forget, he just might... He'd have to keep track of it otherwise Myles would be hurt, and that was certainly not on the schedule today.
"... No. If Riggs was to be a part of this, he'd already be here. Though I'm sure he misses you. You do know you can come over whenever you want to meet him... Try again. And hurry up, or we'll be late" It was a festival, there was not being late. But a little fire under his a** never hurt anyone.
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:42 pm
Myles might have forgotten to lock the door if he wasn't reminded; he had a tendency to forget the little things when he was excited. He lingered by the door, fumbling for a few seconds as the key settled in the lock; when he heard the click, he pocketed his keys and trailed after Derryl.
"Sorry," he apologized, hurrying into the car and buckling up quickly.
He looked down again and, after a few more seconds of thought, he hadn't come up with anything new. "Are we going to eat until we get fat? Are we going to get high? I think this pug looks a little high, now that you mention it," he said, poking at the dog's wrinkly cheeks as if doing so would unleash some other answer. "He's got stars in his eyes. Starstruck? I'm starstruck sitting next to you. I saw that article about you in the paper, I clipped it out. The interview you gave, for the Destiny City Tribune? It had your picture, too--have you seen it?"
It was easy for him to shift topics; he even seemed genuinely excited, albeit easily distracted.
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 2:58 pm
Derryl only rolled his eyes slightly this time. How awfully... Brainless. All these wrong guesses made it seem like Myles was living under a rock.
"No, No, and no.. But thank you, I suppose. It was just a goofy picture of a kid and me, but it's flattering that you knew it was me. If you ever want a better, more private photo, I'd be more than happy to take a few candid photos for you." He winked at his little companion before starting up the car and driving away. There was some charm to his density atleast. It kept things entertaining.
"I'll give you a hint. It has to do with Stars. So what in the city involves stars right now?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:47 am
Myles hesitated for only a few seconds, pondering this new clue. "The...Star...Festival?" he asked, and seemed then to immediately latch onto the idea. "--Do you celebrate festivals? Jeremy doesn't, he usually winds up working through all of them." The pay was usually too good to pass up, and Jeremy didn't know how to be anything but a workaholic.
"So I mostly go by myself. But--" he was nearly squirming in his seat as he twisted to look at Derryl. "Is that it?"
Hopeful, at least, but not so much that he might have been heartbroken if the answer was no. He was just happy to spend time with Derryl.
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:30 pm
"Ding ding ding! I knew my Myles was a smart boy." It was extremely hard not to let his words drip with too much sarcasm, but he made due. The sun was dipping further into the sky and with it, the city before them began to light up with its tacky fat-star shaped designs. Just the sort of thing his partner would like.
... There it was. In record time to, that hideous name attacked to a blight in his life mentioned. Though this time, he tried to ignore it.
"I do celebrate. I work them sometimes too, so I got off today to be with and spend time with you. I hope you like it. I heard there's a bunch of food and games and a tree where you can make wishes.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 1:13 pm
Myles offered a quick smile when Derryl called him smart, but his brows were knit with just enough concern that he might have been trying to decipher if that was any sarcasm he'd detected. Any concern passed quickly though, and the smile rapidly grew more genuine.
"You did?" he asked, excitement rapidly blossoming again. "I'm sure I'll like it! Especially if I get to spend it with you! I love food and games," he said, twisting to look out the window at all of the lights.
"...I love when the city does things like this. It's so cute. It makes it easy to forget all the bad stuff. What sort of job position do you have to apply for to be able to decorate? I want to hang those stars."
Myles, on a ladder, was asking for trouble; he was by far too clumsy to be standing on a ladder or doing anything with electrical wires, but it didn't stop him from dreaming--from admiring the decorations as they passed them.
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Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:56 am
"Yes, I did." Dealing with Myles was much like dealing with a puppy. Excited, bouncing, adorable, and perhaps a little annoying when there were other tasks to accomplish. Luckily enough for Myles, the only task was to be there for him today, and make sure he had fun. The closer they got, the sooner he could steal him away permanently from that b*****d brother of his.
"I believe it's a city council job. They hire contractors who do the upkeep. But honestly, you should stay on the ground. If you get too high up, I think you might outshine any stars you might try to hang up, and that would just ruin the festivities, wouldn't it?" Traffic was such a pain. They moved along at a snail's pace and while there wasn't any real reason to be in such a rush, it still bothered the hell out of him, and his foot bounced a little with his impatience.
... Atleast Myles was cute when he looked out the window like that.
"If you'd like, how about I decorate you one of these days for a holiday? I'll dress you up all nice, I promise."
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Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:58 pm
Myles paused and glanced away from the window to look at Derryl. A smile had crossed his face, different from his other smiles.
Sometimes, Myles forced a smile with the idea that if you tried hard enough, you could still be happy. Sometimes little things made Myles smile; he was typically easy to please.
Sometimes, someone said something heavy enough that it resonated with him. Something that brought him joy from a completely other plane. It was not the fleeting, instant gratification joy he typically felt: it was a deep, meaningful happiness that blossomed like a flower in his heart and took time to spread its warmth throughout his body.
If you get too high up, I think you might outshine any stars you might try to hang up.
The words repeated in his head for a moment longer and that strange, earnest smile lingered on his face. "That's really sweet," he said, finally, and while he didn't want to stop replaying Derryl's words in his head, he realized that he couldn't very well go on ignoring everything else the man had said just to keep hearing his favorite words so far.
"You could dress me up. You look very well put together. I think I like colors a little more than you." His energy was back and he was growing more excited again. "We could match. Or not. I trust you, I'd let you pick everything out if you wanted."
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Posted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:35 am
"Hmm... Is it? I was simply telling the truth, nothing more." Regardless if Derryl's words were actually true, it didn't matter.
What mattered was that this b*****d driving in front of him was getting on his goddamn nerves, and seeing Myles smile helped sooth the road rage that was quickly building up.
"Don't be so quick to give me such an offer, Myles. Although I know how to dress myself well, I'm not sure how well I'd handle dressing someone as cute as you are. The next thing you know, you'd be winning ugly sweater contests all across the globe, given my fashion tastes when it comes to colors. After all, if you like all the colors, why not wear them at once?" He was joking, and tried to make it very clear that he was. the last thing he wanted was to have Myles show up for their next date splattered with every color he could find.
He could just gag thinking about it.
But soon enough, they finally managed to arrive at the park, and settled in a space pretty close to the entrance.
Good. It would be inconvenient to walk too far.
"I hope you brought your appetite too. I heard they have Star-shaped pastries that are amazing here."
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:12 am
Myles didn't have the heart to tell Derryl that he'd tried to tone down his colors on their date nights. For the most part, at least. When he'd been younger he'd been prompted to choose his favorite color and was met with such a dilemma--that choosing any single color might make another color feel bad. He sympathized with yellow and orange, the least commonly chose 'favorite colors' and tried to wear them as often as he could as if that would make up for their lack of popularity.
It was rare that Myles didn't wear all colors of the rainbow in at least some way when dressing himself, but he'd smiled for Derryl, and laughed like he wasn't wearing rainbow colored toe socks right now.
"I've always got my appetite," Myles insisted, contrary to his thin, lanky body. He was eager to get out of the car; he reached to open the door, pulling the handle insistently. When it caught, he tried again, and twice more before he seemed to realize that he couldn't open his door. Instead, he just eagerly loomed close to it, waiting for Derryl to come to the other side and let him out.
He should have been used to it by now--and yet--every time he rode in the car, it was exactly the same.
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Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:28 pm
While Myles considered the colors and the splattering of shades he was used to wearing, Derryl’s mind wandered elsewhere. Perhaps colors of gold and black would look good against Myles’ skin, complementing his red hair and those pretty eyes... Yes, he’d have to remember that the robes he wished to use one day should be a mixture of that golden and black silk. After all, if he was to own the boy, he would make sure his pet was decorated exactly how he liked.
This wasn’t the first time Myles tried to bust through the car door right after barely coming to a stop. One day he was going to hurt himself doing that, Derryl figured, so it was best to simply prevent that from happening by making the boy wait. And it was a pleasant way to re-enforce who exactly was in control.
They would follow Derryl pace, and if the boy behaved, he’d be rewarded.
And this time, he took his time getting out of the car, easing on over to the door and opening it slowly for him, blocking him from standing up right away. .
“I’m sure you can eat everything in the stalls, but do be patient. You’ll end up choking on something if you force it all down without another though.” A step was taken back, before he offered a hand to Myles. “There’s plenty of time to see everything.”
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