𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.ᐟ
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

— ☠︎︎
⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧.
(ɴᴏ ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ. ɴꜱꜰᴡ. ꜱᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ.)

Draag keeps making him. He keeps getting out. Nobody’s winning, and he’s having the time of his life.

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

< see the light, and rocks, and rocks, waiting for the number that makes him nobody.

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

It starts with the light.

Just the hallway bulb, buzzing like always — then it isn’t. It’s brighter. White. Too white, pressing down on him from directly above, and Bert squints up at it and his stomach drops straight through the floor.

𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭. >

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

< left in his head worth stealing, and still his whole body is screaming 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 —

𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯.

He slides down the wall. Pulls his knees up. Presses his face into them so he can’t >

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

< 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

Putting the cigarette between his lips, Bert lights it with the match, then tosses it to the side. He takes the first drag, making sure its properly lit, before holding it out for them.

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

"See? You're catching on already," Bert says, the smile spreading across his lips.

A flash hit.
𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦. 𝘚𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. >

[‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎𝕲rand 𝕯𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝖂ay.‎ ‎ ‎ ‎♛ @GRANDICTATORWAY]

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫. The words have a strange echo in their mind. They don't know who he is, they don't even know his name, but what he's saying doesn't sound so odd.

It actually feels... 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓. They don't remember having this conversation before with him — or any, >

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

"Yeah," Bert responded instantly, that brilliant smile finding his lips. "Fuck yeah."

He paused, looked up at Frank, still holding on to his hand. Bert liked this. Didn't think about it too much.

"This one's not my favourite, though."

[𝕱.𝕿.𝖂. @ftwzip]

One of Frank's eyebrows instantly arched at the slight caress against his wrist. For a moment, he thought about pulling away, taking a step back. But nothing happened. He just stood there, enjoying the mild warmth of a stranger's fingertips.
Just like he always used to do. >

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

"Shit. I'm sorry, @GRANDICTATORWAY. Can we start over?"

He dug into his pocket and came up with a crushed cigarette and a cheap match- but it's a peace offering he knows they both understand. He thinks. Probably.

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

Except you did.

[‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎𝕲rand 𝕯𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝖂ay.‎ ‎ ‎ ‎♛ @GRANDICTATORWAY]

I fucking didn't.

Stay away.

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

@ftwzip "I remember," he started, reaching for one of Frank's hands and turning it over to reveal the tattoos on the inside of his wrist. So pretty. His fingers traced the design, a smile on his lips. "These."

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

Hey @ftwzip - you still got that packet of smokes you keep underneath your pillow?

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

< one cheap match, and the proudest expression in all of Draag.

“Brought you something.” He held it out between two fingers, grinning like a kid. “So you can’t kick me out yet. New friends get at least one smoke. That’s also a rule.”

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

“Hi!” He was already through the door before he’d decided to be. It was open. Didn’t count as breaking in if it was open — that was a rule, probably. He’d check. He wouldn’t check.

“Okay, don’t freak out.” He held both hands up, like that made it better, then >

[𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙈𝙀.ᐟ @DRAAGPROBLEM]

He sat on the edge of his bed, hunched forward, one arm wrapped loosely around his ribs. The bruises had darkened overnight, spreading beneath his clothes in ugly shades of purple and yellow. His split lip had started to heal, but every time he forgot and moved his mouth too >

[𝙈𝘾𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙉. @carnischaos]

< he leaned forward on his knees, because he could never stay still.

“God, look at you,” he said, and he meant it nicely this time, or meant it the only way he knew how. “You look like shit. You look 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵.”

He dug into his pocket and came up with a crushed cigarette, >