✧ — peach iced tea.

[boba]

this post is so clean

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[oversea]

[ kitten really died before she could really live

thorns, meanwhile, goes back to staring out the window as he regrets every decision that brought them to this exact place. unlike elysium, thorns does not think dating around might make him move on because it takes him so long just to open up to someone to be friends.

maybe he need more... hobbies? he considers going for the modeling gig for real. ]

[transmit]

[ thorns modeling era real 🥹

this does mean the rest of the ride back can finally be spent in peace. elysium doesn't have to keep pretending kitten exists just to convince thorns he's moved on, and for once, he's actually hopeful he might be able to this time, in a different way from the denial he'd had after high school. everything's out in the open, they're still friends, life is good!!

i can timeskip it to the next weekend if there's nothing else. sniffle ]

[oversea]

[ tears up

that's fine, thorns just spends the week hating everything and messaging the modeling people to ask if they're still interested in him... they say yes... so that is now a thing. ]

[transmit]

[ is it fine.




on one random day of the week, thorns will come back to find alhaitham reading on the couch. elysium is nowhere in sight. okay. ]

[oversea]

[ okay.

this is awkward. but there's no reason to immediately jump to it being a romantic interest because elysium does actually have friends. thorns puts his stuff down and then goes to grab a drink from the fridge.

does not greet him. ]

[transmit]

[ that's fine; alhaitham is not the type to care. he continues flipping through the pages of his book without so much as being disturbed.

when elysium drops down beside him, he immediately sprawls across the rest of the couch, leaning into him and asking what he's reading. the vibe is friendly, easy. they end up talking about their classes—well, more accurately, elysium ends up talking at him about their classes, with alhaitham quietly listening even as the book remains open in his hands.

i'm dying and need this arc to end. i was going to have scien cameo but i am not strong enough? coughs up blood his questionable thorns adjacents ]

[oversea]

[ THIS ARC JUST STARTED

thorns is just. well. good for him? if it's a friend then that's nice and if it's a date then that is kind of fast but also nice... he supposed...





he will just try to quietly go to his room. ]

[transmit]

[ GOTTA GO FAST… neither of them disturb thorns on his way back to his room and it's only after that he finds out they literally have not said a single word to each other. okay. there's some chagrined comment about how he has zero social skills and isn't this kind of nostalgic…?

at some point during the evening there's a knock on thorns' door. it's elysium. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns opens the door and peeks out. ]

Yes?

[ did he forget to do one of his chores... ]

[transmit]

My— [ hmm. pauses. ] Alhaitham's having problems with his roommate. I've known him since our first year. Would you mind if he stayed with us for a bit?

I can cover two-thirds of the rent this month.

[oversea]

[ he notices the pause and wonders if it would be weird to call it out?

well. if they're dating then thorns would probably find out if he stays with them. ]

... Yeah, sure. Where is he going to stay?

[ the couch... elysium's room...? ]

[transmit]

Oh. That I haven't figured out yet.

[ there are only so many places he could sleep, so yes, it seems his room is under consideration… ]

I wanted to get your permission before extending the offer.

[oversea]

Mm. You have it.

[ ... ]

I'm going to be out for most of the day tomorrow. I might get back late.

[ if the two of them would like to be.... alone.....,,,, ]

[transmit]

[ okay. cool. elysium picks up what thorns is putting down and visibly brightens, clapping thorns' shoulder with his hand. he is such a bro? he is such a bro!

with that, he pads back to the couch, a conversation is had, and they both disappear for the next few hours. this is going great… ]

[oversea]

[




thorns goes back to the fridge, grabs like two beers, and returns to his room. he hates it here so bad. ]

[transmit]

[ NOT THORNS FALLING TO ALCOHOLISM

if it makes thorns feel any better, alhaitham ends up sleeping on their sofa bed. not only that? it'll be his first weekend in a long, long time where he isn't rudely awakened earlier than he should be.

but that is also because elysium drags alhaitham to do their monthly costco run instead. they come back with a normal haul and one chicken. wild. ]

[oversea]

[ he's going to kill elysium

at least, thorns won't be there. he ends up going to the modeling place to finalize some things. they don't want to do a shoot, but they do take some headshots and generic poses so that he can add them to a basic portfolio that he doesn't have, and then gives him the info for an actual shoot they want to have at a park at a later date.

he returns to the apartment wondering if he made a mistake but it's fine..... ]

[transmit]

[ he's done nothing except exactly what he said he was going to do.

meanwhile, thorns gets to contemplate the increased expendable income he can now funnel into his alcohol problem… wow.

the catch to all of this, of course, is that actively trying to date other people seriously diminishes the time he can spend with thorns between school, extracurriculars, and whatever else he gets up to but never mentions. it's such a far cry from kitten. a week in, he hasn't actually asked anyone out yet; he's testing the waters and going hmmm still on the high of believing he can get out of his years long rut.

the way they probably haven't acknowledged each other's existence. it's kind of funny witnessing two introverts from the sidelines. still, i guess thorns can have his nightmare scenario. he can eventually come home to them watching a documentary, elysium just

in this guy's lap???? okay. ]

[oversea]

[ okay.

thorns pauses when he sees this, like he is trying very hard to process what he's witnessing, and then he just makes a beeline for his room.

listen at least when elysium was pining he never got to witness thorns sitting on someone's lap. this is hell. he closes his door quietly behind him and decides to crawl into bed at 6pm because it's how he is coping. ]

[transmit]

[ okay if he caught thorns in someone's lap he would at least realise how little of a chance he has and eventually come to terms with it. maybe.

but what happens immediately after is elysium crawling out of his lap like, 'that was weird, let's never do that again,' while alhaitham only grunts in apparent agreement. the realisation hits: dating your friends is kind of hard, isn't it…

guy who has very little practical dating experience because he spent so much of his youth PINING with one or two casual flings just to see if they would fix him. they did not.

hmmmmmmmmmm

ten minutes later: ]

Do you want dinner?

[oversea]

[ he opens an eye when his voice vibrates and waits to see if it does it again. this is literally how he judges if it's someone from the wedding bothering him or not, how often they text in one go.

eventually, he grabs his phone. ]

I'll pass.

[ has he eaten? no. but he is not going back out there!!! ]

[transmit]

[ does thorns think he'll leave him alone that easily… ]

You already ate?

[oversea]

[ he considers lying, but then goes for something a little more true. ]

Not hungry.

[transmit]

Skipping meals isn't good for you. I'll order takeout and leave it in the fridge for you.

[ there's the sound of shuffling and people leaving the apartment… thorns is safe to emerge from his cave…

a few more minutes later: ]

I heard you took up the modeling job?

[oversea]

[ hmmm. well, he can't be surprised elysium found out when he was the one who introduced them.

he will sneak out of his room so he can shower. why is he sneaking in his own place. ]

Yeah.
Needed the money.