(no subject)

[takecourage]

She spends a lot of time curled up on the couch, staring at nothing. She's swaddled in blankets, the AC cranked up so that she can wear one of Darlington's sweaters, swaddled in it, her hair scraped back from her face and Kirby sprawled half in her lap, her fingers pressed into his fur. She sleeps a lot. She wants to cry but she just feels hollowed out and brittle. Darlington is still here a lot. They talk. Gradually, it feels like they're working something out.

She just doesn't know what it is yet.

Mostly, she ignores texts, but when Caleb reaches out again, she finally cracks.

Come over, she texts. I'm at home.

Comments

[takecourage]

"Talk to me about something normal," she says, shifting on the couch so that she can slide her legs across his lap, keeping hold of his hand and bringing it to rest on her belly. "Have you seen that guy again? I feel really out of the loop."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Neil? Yeah, we're, we've been hanging out a lot." He blushes a little. "I actually, um. I told him about me? About my ability, I mean. And we're, um. We're kind of a thing, now."

[takecourage]

"Oh, that's good," she says, smiling a little more, snuggling in against him. "He looked cute in that selfie you sent me."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

Caleb smiles. "Yeah, he's... I got really nervous, 'cause he's so much like Adam? But... Dr. Fuller says I probably just have, like, a type, or whatever. So, I guess my type is, like, emo nerds, or something." He huffs a laugh, because he doesn't mean 'emo' as an insult, even though it often gets used like one.

[takecourage]

"It's good to know that you've got a type, man," says Alex, grinning. "I...don't think I've got one, to be honest. Just...Danny and then anyone else I can talk into fucking me. Apparently."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Hey," Caleb says sternly, but then changes tack. "You don't need a type. Not everyone has one, y'know?"

[takecourage]

"I think my type was wastes of oxygen before I got here," she says, wryly. "I was only with...one guy, but I had sex with a bunch of others." She wrinkles her nose. "Sorry. You don't need to know this."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"It's okay," he murmurs. "You don't have to apologize." He leans his cheek on her hair, then glances towards the door when someone buzzes to be let in. "Stay here, okay? Snuggle Kirby while I get the pizza."

[takecourage]

She does just that, curled up on the sofa with Kirby spilled across her legs, her fingers pushed into his fur as Caleb retrieves the food. Having Caleb here is helping; she doesn't feel quite so much like she's drowning in herself with him here.