Never Far From Home
Whenever I get stuck while writing, I listen to one of my Black Spider Dumpling playlists and everything manages to just work itself out. There's one playlist that I'm particularly fond of-- both in the way it makes me feel, the writing boost it gives me, and in how awesome the music is. I decided to share that playlist with you, dear flist! Probably only a few people if anyone will be interested in this, but below the cut you can download the .zip file of crazy awesome goodness and read through some little bits from my story that correspond with each song.
Inside the house they were safe, tucked into bed by the aunts, fed honey and oatmeal every morning and fat red strawberries at night. They were protected from nightmares by a special blue candle the aunts burned between their beds, and they were protected from loneliness by having each other just within reach. The aunts had turned the attic into one great big bedroom for them, with paper stars dancing from the ceiling and colorful oriental rugs tossed down on the floor to brighten up the dark wood. On clear nights the moon cast pale blue light through the warped glass windows, and when it rained the boys huddled together in one bed, protecting each other from the storm.
Right-click here to download.
001. Run Devil Run - Jenny Lewis : "Run, devil, run from love."
"I'm being careful, Baw. I took a bath in basil and I got a silver dime in my shoe, Lukie and Logan's got them too."
"Well, I made you this, too," Aunt Babette said, taking a little amber glass vial out of a fold of her dress. She twisted off the top, turning over the bottle to wet her fingers with the oil. Penny's nose twitched, and from the smell alone he could identify some of the herbs in the oil. Red pepper, grains of paradise, agrimony and vandal root...
"Run, Devil, Run?" Penny questioned, lifting his warm gold eyes to his Aunt's face. The ingredients were right for the oil, but Penny felt as if he would never know conjure as well as the Aunts did.
"Run, devil, run. Turn, evil, turn," Aunt Babette murmured, lifting her hand to Penny's face, drawing a cross on his forehead to anoint him with it. Penny wordlessly turned his hands palm-up, letting her bless him with the oil. "Run, devil, run from here."
002. I Won - The Sundays : "I have to pull the blankets up to cover my head, I have to pull the blankets right up. I don't know why it's hard to get to sleep in my house ."
They had a big old house on the outskirts of Picayune, off a dirt road heavy with trees and brambles. Half the house was covered with foot-a-night vines, creeping up to circle the spires and arches of the ornate antebellum architecture. The house was built of dark wood, nearly black in its murkiness, with stained glass on the windows and a sturdy iron fence all around. It always reminded Lukie of a bayou, with its black brackish water and thick green jungle of roots and sludge. It was something wild, constantly shifting and growing, alive and mysterious. It was home.
003. Ready For Love - Bad Company : "Now I'm on my feet again, better things are bound to happen. All my dues surely must be paid. Many miles and many tears, times were hard but now they're changing. You should know that I'm not afraid."
Penny felt Lukie's lips against his skin, softer than he'd expect them to be, softer still in comparison to that gentle scratch of stubble on his chin. Penny opened his eyes to watch him, the planes in his face sharp and handsome, his sleep-mussed brown hair even more endearing for its messiness. He reached out then, putting his hand behind Penny's head, pulling him closer until Penny had curled up right against him, head tucked under his chin, face pressed against his collar. Lukie's neck smelled like the Hoyt's, mingled with the familiar smell of his sweat and his skin. Penny breathed it in and rested his hand against Lukie's ribs, fingers curling into the soft fabric of his shirt, dark gray and worn with age.
"Just promise me," he whispered, as if Lukie making it a vow could somehow make it true. He knew words made no difference, but somehow the next two words that Lukie spoke were enough to soothe Penny into finally falling asleep.
"I promise."
004. Ruin Everything - Ghost Buffalo : "There's nothing here good for you. Everything, I'll ruin everything. Just you wait and see, you could never hold me."
Lukie always thought it was kind of like the whole world loved Penny, like every single object on the planet had some kind of thing for his adoptive brother. It was the only way to explain why Penny never woke up after playing in the woods covered in poison oak, while it seemed like Lukie only had to step foot outside to end up covered in itchy red bumps a few hours later. It was why Penny was never asked to pay his late fees at the library and why the lunch ladies always saved a chocolate milk for him. It was why every time Penny cracked an egg it had two round yellow yolks instead of one.
While the world loved Penny, Lukie was convinced it hated him. Lukie was just as unlucky as Penny was blessed, and it seemed like everywhere he turned he was getting stung by bees and nearly hit by cars. Penny braided a charm for him out of leathery vines and a pure white ribbon, tying it around his wrist to protect him and change his luck. It worked for a long time, giving Lukie luck near as good as Penny's, but when he went on a road trip to New Orleans to make use of that lucky streak the bracelet up and stopped working, and Lukie never had the heart to ask Penny to fix it.
005. Through - Edie : "Take me in your arms, straight to the stars, let's warm up this frozen heart."
He reached back to hook his hand around Lukie's upper arm, pulling his grip away from his jacket and then sliding his hand down to slip his fingers between Lukie's, clutching his hand instead. Penny's fingers were long and thin and a little rough from gardening, and Lukie got a familiar feeling that was strangely out of context. It felt like the same dizzy relief he got when he lit up a cigarette after going hours without, and Lukie realized that he had been craving the warm grip of Penny's hand for a while.
006. Wild Eyes - Sean Walsh : "Keep your messy hair and wild eyes. Everything takes time and I won't say goodbye."
The boys never had to comb their hair or be home by curfew, no one ever checked their report cards or told them they couldn't have cake for breakfast. Being wild and unruly was generally encouraged, every whim and curiosity indulged and nurtured by their caretakers. Inside the house the boys were encouraged to be as strange and mystical as they liked, but outside they were to lock up their hearts and never let anyone know their secrets.
007. In The Midnight - Langhorne Slim : "I heard a crow call, I heard a dog bark, I saw the snow fall and then you were in my arms."
"I'm Santa Claus, motherfucker. The Midnight Prowler!" Lukie fought against Penny's desperate attempts at escape, holding both of his wrists in one callused, powerful grip while the other danced down Penny's arm, tickling him. "The Red Ravage! If you been a good boy, I'll be coming down your chimney tonight--"
"Ah! Cut it out!" Penny shrieked, his voice going raspy and weak the moment he raised it above a murmur. He twisted under Lukie, though that only made their stomachs and hips rub together, a sweet sort of friction that Penny immediately froze to avoid. "Get off!"
"Alright, baby, let's see what Santa got in his sack for you," Lukie growled, a low little drawl that vibrated right down into Penny's chest, making his heart thud powerfully against his ribs. He felt Lukie lean in, his breath hot against Penny's throat like a sticky-wet summer wind. He felt Lukie's teeth drag against his jaw, felt them close on his earlobe and tug.
008. Constant Knot - City And Colour : "How did I end up this way? A constant knot in my gut tied with uncertainty and with lust. A classic case I suppose, a haunted man who can't out run his ghosts. They're in my skin and my bones. So stay the night, I promise I won't bite. 'Cause without you there I don't think I can close my eyes."
Sharing a bed with Penny was nothing new or strange for Lukie. So many nights they had crawled into each other's beds when they were little, and sometimes even all grown-up they'd cramp into one bed, tangled together like a knot. Lukie dragged the blankets over them both, shifting a little closer to Penny, nearly nose-to-nose with him on his side. Penny reached out, touching his warm hand to Lukie's cheek, stroking his thumb against Lukie's stubble as if the rough sandpaper feel of it somehow soothed him. Lukie brought his hand up too, cupping Penny's cheek, dotted with freckles like cinnamon in a bowl of cream.
Lukie remembered this. He remembered when they were very young, no older than toddlers, they would lie in bed facing each other like this. The aunts had taken away their pacifiers by then, but the boys had learned fast that their thumbs made for sufficient replacements. Those nights they would touch each other's faces like this, touch their thumbs to each others lips, and suck until they slept.
009. Between Days - Red House Painters : "When the sun goes down and night comes around, it makes the dead come alive for the long and lonely ride."
"Lukie," Penny called warningly, with a slow sort of dread in his voice. Logan heard it as his eyes fell on the very same thing Penny was watching.
"Sold it to the devil and my heart done turned to evil..."
The song was getting louder and more clear through the static, as if its source were getting closer to the car. Logan had a feeling it was. In the blackness between the trees he saw something moving, crawling across the ground, dressed in ragged white with tangled black hair hanging over her face. It was the same woman he saw climbing out of the ground in his dream, fingers caked with mud and movements animal and predatory. She dragged herself towards them, and through the open window Logan could swear he heard hissing like the warning blow of a snake.
"Lukie!" Penny shouted, catching the other boy's attention. He was at the back of the car, going through the trunk again, perhaps packing it up. Logan didn't know, and he didn't care.
"What?" Lukie said, slamming the hood of the trunk shut, making the car bounce slightly from the force.
"Lester get in the goddamn car!" Penny hollered.
010. Eggplant - Train : "Eggplant and caviar for you. Eggplant and caviar for you. Apple pie or apple seed, all the mouths that I must feed. Cold sheets or tumbleweeds, all the ones that I must need."
Penny was sitting beside him on the porch steps, just as sticky with watermelon as Lukie. The steamy summer heat flushed his pale cheeks with pink beneath his copper freckles, and his white-blonde curls were darkened at his temples, frizzy with sweat and heat. The shirt he was wearing was torn, the sleeves haphazardly ripped off and the collar stripped away. There were holes in the black fabric, and there was an orange grinning jack-o-lantern face printed on the chest. Penny didn't seem to realize or care that it was grossly out of season.
"Betcha I can spit a seed further'n you," Lukie said in his rough little Southern twang.
"Just 'cause you got a big mouth doesn't mean you can spit," Penny returned, his voice quiet and sweet even when he was trying to tease Lukie. Penny didn't know how to be mean, maybe that's why Lukie was mean enough for the both of them.
011. Float - Sean Walsh : "We'll lay a string between the things we love so dearly 'cause nothing is right and you have a feeling now. And when I'm gone you're shaking by the phone, even though I'm never far away from home."
"Penny? Wass' wrong?" he drawled, low and rough, squinting at the other boy in the dark. Even though he was confused, Lukie put his arms around Penny, shifting over a little to make more room for Penny in the bed.
"I just. I'm worried about you," Penny whispered, touching his hand to Lukie's cheek. Lukie's storm cloud eyes were hazy and tired, the pupil drowning out the cool silver-blue of his iris with shining black. Penny brushed his thumb across the skin of Lukie's face and felt rough stubble under his fingers, somehow comforting to him.
"Don't worry, Freckles. We're gonna be fine. Remember that time I fell off the roof? Didn't even break a bone. I'm unbreakable."
"I hate when you say that," Penny sighed, closing his eyes.
012. No One Knows My Name - Gillian Welch : "Ain’t one soul in the whole world knows my name. Just another baby born to a girl lost and lorn, ain’t one soul in the whole world knows my name."
Penny and Lukie had been raised together, adopted by the same family when they were still toddlers. Just a few months apart in age, they had been practically inseparable since the day they first laid eyes on each other nineteen years ago. Penny was adopted from an agency in Louisiana, and Lukie from a place in Tennessee. The aunts picked them special, they always said. That's what they called the ladies that adopted them-- Aunt Babette, Aunt Muriel, and Aunt Valentine. All three of them sisters and spinsters, they were the only family Lukie and Penny had ever known.
013. Seems Like Home To Me - Two Gallants : "Baby, let your light shine on me when I'm lost on the road. You know you can set me free, you could ease my load. Days get so dark that I can't hardly see and I've been gone so long, it seems like home to me. Baby, when I was young of age, I took you for my world. The oceans were your eyes, the pastures were your curves..."
Lukie was buzzed off of his victory in their wrestling match and still pumping with adrenaline, so staring at Penny didn't seem like a very bad idea, and neither did leaning in to touch his lips to his favorite freckle - one just a half inch below the corner of Penny's left eye, right on the apple of his cheek, which used to be shaped vaguely like a star when they were little kids but now had lost its shape. Penny's skin was warm and faintly sticky, and when Lukie pulled back and licked his chapped lips after the kiss he could taste the salt of his best friend's sweat on his mouth.
014. Pond Love - Mayday : "So when you step down, step right down on top of me. Don't hesitate, I can take your weight. I'll be here floating around. I'll be your lily pad, step down, step right down on me."
With his whole family's eyes on him, Penny lifted his chin, steeling his resolve. "I'm gonna help him figure this out," he said, leaving no room for argument now.
"And you?" Aunt Valentine said, looking significantly at Lukie, as if she expected him to be the voice of reason. Penny glanced towards him as well, watching the struggle behind his stormy eyes. Lukie's hands fell to rest on Penny's stomach, and he knew with the faith of a child that Lukie would not leave his side.
015. Lonely Is The Night - Billy Squier : "There's danger out tonight, the man is on the prowl. Get the dynamite, the boys are set to howl. Lonely is the night when you hear the voices call. Are you ready for a fight-- do you wanna take it all?"
"Let go! Let go, you-- crazy motherfucker!"
"Shh... God said I could... 'You will eat the fruit of the womb... the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you...'"
Before the man could say anything more, Penny's freed hand flew up and smacked hard against the side of his head, palm clapping over his ear. It at least stunned the man into loosening his grip a bit, enough for Penny to wrench his arm free. He quickly grabbed up the single unbroken egg off the floor and scrambled around the corner, sneakers squeaking against the tile as he stumbled for the door. He heard the man shouting behind him as he barreled out the door, colliding almost instantly with Lukie.
"What the fuck, Pen--"
Penny tripped off of the curb, stepping backwards into the parking lot, turning to face the door as the man yanked it open. "I know what you are. I know exactly what you are. Please, just a taste," he was saying, stammering and breathless, eyes glued to Penny.
"Oh hell no," Lukie snarled, and Penny knew exactly what was coming next. Lukie reached into the car, tugging open the glove compartment and taking out his Taurus, the grip of the gun set with dark carved wood, lovingly worn with age. He pointed it at the man, who turned fast and vanished into the shop just as quickly as he had come. It wouldn't shake Lukie off, though. He was already following with his finger on the trigger.
Inside the house they were safe, tucked into bed by the aunts, fed honey and oatmeal every morning and fat red strawberries at night. They were protected from nightmares by a special blue candle the aunts burned between their beds, and they were protected from loneliness by having each other just within reach. The aunts had turned the attic into one great big bedroom for them, with paper stars dancing from the ceiling and colorful oriental rugs tossed down on the floor to brighten up the dark wood. On clear nights the moon cast pale blue light through the warped glass windows, and when it rained the boys huddled together in one bed, protecting each other from the storm.
Right-click here to download.
001. Run Devil Run - Jenny Lewis : "Run, devil, run from love."
"I'm being careful, Baw. I took a bath in basil and I got a silver dime in my shoe, Lukie and Logan's got them too."
"Well, I made you this, too," Aunt Babette said, taking a little amber glass vial out of a fold of her dress. She twisted off the top, turning over the bottle to wet her fingers with the oil. Penny's nose twitched, and from the smell alone he could identify some of the herbs in the oil. Red pepper, grains of paradise, agrimony and vandal root...
"Run, Devil, Run?" Penny questioned, lifting his warm gold eyes to his Aunt's face. The ingredients were right for the oil, but Penny felt as if he would never know conjure as well as the Aunts did.
"Run, devil, run. Turn, evil, turn," Aunt Babette murmured, lifting her hand to Penny's face, drawing a cross on his forehead to anoint him with it. Penny wordlessly turned his hands palm-up, letting her bless him with the oil. "Run, devil, run from here."
002. I Won - The Sundays : "I have to pull the blankets up to cover my head, I have to pull the blankets right up. I don't know why it's hard to get to sleep in my house ."
They had a big old house on the outskirts of Picayune, off a dirt road heavy with trees and brambles. Half the house was covered with foot-a-night vines, creeping up to circle the spires and arches of the ornate antebellum architecture. The house was built of dark wood, nearly black in its murkiness, with stained glass on the windows and a sturdy iron fence all around. It always reminded Lukie of a bayou, with its black brackish water and thick green jungle of roots and sludge. It was something wild, constantly shifting and growing, alive and mysterious. It was home.
003. Ready For Love - Bad Company : "Now I'm on my feet again, better things are bound to happen. All my dues surely must be paid. Many miles and many tears, times were hard but now they're changing. You should know that I'm not afraid."
Penny felt Lukie's lips against his skin, softer than he'd expect them to be, softer still in comparison to that gentle scratch of stubble on his chin. Penny opened his eyes to watch him, the planes in his face sharp and handsome, his sleep-mussed brown hair even more endearing for its messiness. He reached out then, putting his hand behind Penny's head, pulling him closer until Penny had curled up right against him, head tucked under his chin, face pressed against his collar. Lukie's neck smelled like the Hoyt's, mingled with the familiar smell of his sweat and his skin. Penny breathed it in and rested his hand against Lukie's ribs, fingers curling into the soft fabric of his shirt, dark gray and worn with age.
"Just promise me," he whispered, as if Lukie making it a vow could somehow make it true. He knew words made no difference, but somehow the next two words that Lukie spoke were enough to soothe Penny into finally falling asleep.
"I promise."
004. Ruin Everything - Ghost Buffalo : "There's nothing here good for you. Everything, I'll ruin everything. Just you wait and see, you could never hold me."
Lukie always thought it was kind of like the whole world loved Penny, like every single object on the planet had some kind of thing for his adoptive brother. It was the only way to explain why Penny never woke up after playing in the woods covered in poison oak, while it seemed like Lukie only had to step foot outside to end up covered in itchy red bumps a few hours later. It was why Penny was never asked to pay his late fees at the library and why the lunch ladies always saved a chocolate milk for him. It was why every time Penny cracked an egg it had two round yellow yolks instead of one.
While the world loved Penny, Lukie was convinced it hated him. Lukie was just as unlucky as Penny was blessed, and it seemed like everywhere he turned he was getting stung by bees and nearly hit by cars. Penny braided a charm for him out of leathery vines and a pure white ribbon, tying it around his wrist to protect him and change his luck. It worked for a long time, giving Lukie luck near as good as Penny's, but when he went on a road trip to New Orleans to make use of that lucky streak the bracelet up and stopped working, and Lukie never had the heart to ask Penny to fix it.
005. Through - Edie : "Take me in your arms, straight to the stars, let's warm up this frozen heart."
He reached back to hook his hand around Lukie's upper arm, pulling his grip away from his jacket and then sliding his hand down to slip his fingers between Lukie's, clutching his hand instead. Penny's fingers were long and thin and a little rough from gardening, and Lukie got a familiar feeling that was strangely out of context. It felt like the same dizzy relief he got when he lit up a cigarette after going hours without, and Lukie realized that he had been craving the warm grip of Penny's hand for a while.
006. Wild Eyes - Sean Walsh : "Keep your messy hair and wild eyes. Everything takes time and I won't say goodbye."
The boys never had to comb their hair or be home by curfew, no one ever checked their report cards or told them they couldn't have cake for breakfast. Being wild and unruly was generally encouraged, every whim and curiosity indulged and nurtured by their caretakers. Inside the house the boys were encouraged to be as strange and mystical as they liked, but outside they were to lock up their hearts and never let anyone know their secrets.
007. In The Midnight - Langhorne Slim : "I heard a crow call, I heard a dog bark, I saw the snow fall and then you were in my arms."
"I'm Santa Claus, motherfucker. The Midnight Prowler!" Lukie fought against Penny's desperate attempts at escape, holding both of his wrists in one callused, powerful grip while the other danced down Penny's arm, tickling him. "The Red Ravage! If you been a good boy, I'll be coming down your chimney tonight--"
"Ah! Cut it out!" Penny shrieked, his voice going raspy and weak the moment he raised it above a murmur. He twisted under Lukie, though that only made their stomachs and hips rub together, a sweet sort of friction that Penny immediately froze to avoid. "Get off!"
"Alright, baby, let's see what Santa got in his sack for you," Lukie growled, a low little drawl that vibrated right down into Penny's chest, making his heart thud powerfully against his ribs. He felt Lukie lean in, his breath hot against Penny's throat like a sticky-wet summer wind. He felt Lukie's teeth drag against his jaw, felt them close on his earlobe and tug.
008. Constant Knot - City And Colour : "How did I end up this way? A constant knot in my gut tied with uncertainty and with lust. A classic case I suppose, a haunted man who can't out run his ghosts. They're in my skin and my bones. So stay the night, I promise I won't bite. 'Cause without you there I don't think I can close my eyes."
Sharing a bed with Penny was nothing new or strange for Lukie. So many nights they had crawled into each other's beds when they were little, and sometimes even all grown-up they'd cramp into one bed, tangled together like a knot. Lukie dragged the blankets over them both, shifting a little closer to Penny, nearly nose-to-nose with him on his side. Penny reached out, touching his warm hand to Lukie's cheek, stroking his thumb against Lukie's stubble as if the rough sandpaper feel of it somehow soothed him. Lukie brought his hand up too, cupping Penny's cheek, dotted with freckles like cinnamon in a bowl of cream.
Lukie remembered this. He remembered when they were very young, no older than toddlers, they would lie in bed facing each other like this. The aunts had taken away their pacifiers by then, but the boys had learned fast that their thumbs made for sufficient replacements. Those nights they would touch each other's faces like this, touch their thumbs to each others lips, and suck until they slept.
009. Between Days - Red House Painters : "When the sun goes down and night comes around, it makes the dead come alive for the long and lonely ride."
"Lukie," Penny called warningly, with a slow sort of dread in his voice. Logan heard it as his eyes fell on the very same thing Penny was watching.
"Sold it to the devil and my heart done turned to evil..."
The song was getting louder and more clear through the static, as if its source were getting closer to the car. Logan had a feeling it was. In the blackness between the trees he saw something moving, crawling across the ground, dressed in ragged white with tangled black hair hanging over her face. It was the same woman he saw climbing out of the ground in his dream, fingers caked with mud and movements animal and predatory. She dragged herself towards them, and through the open window Logan could swear he heard hissing like the warning blow of a snake.
"Lukie!" Penny shouted, catching the other boy's attention. He was at the back of the car, going through the trunk again, perhaps packing it up. Logan didn't know, and he didn't care.
"What?" Lukie said, slamming the hood of the trunk shut, making the car bounce slightly from the force.
"Lester get in the goddamn car!" Penny hollered.
010. Eggplant - Train : "Eggplant and caviar for you. Eggplant and caviar for you. Apple pie or apple seed, all the mouths that I must feed. Cold sheets or tumbleweeds, all the ones that I must need."
Penny was sitting beside him on the porch steps, just as sticky with watermelon as Lukie. The steamy summer heat flushed his pale cheeks with pink beneath his copper freckles, and his white-blonde curls were darkened at his temples, frizzy with sweat and heat. The shirt he was wearing was torn, the sleeves haphazardly ripped off and the collar stripped away. There were holes in the black fabric, and there was an orange grinning jack-o-lantern face printed on the chest. Penny didn't seem to realize or care that it was grossly out of season.
"Betcha I can spit a seed further'n you," Lukie said in his rough little Southern twang.
"Just 'cause you got a big mouth doesn't mean you can spit," Penny returned, his voice quiet and sweet even when he was trying to tease Lukie. Penny didn't know how to be mean, maybe that's why Lukie was mean enough for the both of them.
011. Float - Sean Walsh : "We'll lay a string between the things we love so dearly 'cause nothing is right and you have a feeling now. And when I'm gone you're shaking by the phone, even though I'm never far away from home."
"Penny? Wass' wrong?" he drawled, low and rough, squinting at the other boy in the dark. Even though he was confused, Lukie put his arms around Penny, shifting over a little to make more room for Penny in the bed.
"I just. I'm worried about you," Penny whispered, touching his hand to Lukie's cheek. Lukie's storm cloud eyes were hazy and tired, the pupil drowning out the cool silver-blue of his iris with shining black. Penny brushed his thumb across the skin of Lukie's face and felt rough stubble under his fingers, somehow comforting to him.
"Don't worry, Freckles. We're gonna be fine. Remember that time I fell off the roof? Didn't even break a bone. I'm unbreakable."
"I hate when you say that," Penny sighed, closing his eyes.
012. No One Knows My Name - Gillian Welch : "Ain’t one soul in the whole world knows my name. Just another baby born to a girl lost and lorn, ain’t one soul in the whole world knows my name."
Penny and Lukie had been raised together, adopted by the same family when they were still toddlers. Just a few months apart in age, they had been practically inseparable since the day they first laid eyes on each other nineteen years ago. Penny was adopted from an agency in Louisiana, and Lukie from a place in Tennessee. The aunts picked them special, they always said. That's what they called the ladies that adopted them-- Aunt Babette, Aunt Muriel, and Aunt Valentine. All three of them sisters and spinsters, they were the only family Lukie and Penny had ever known.
013. Seems Like Home To Me - Two Gallants : "Baby, let your light shine on me when I'm lost on the road. You know you can set me free, you could ease my load. Days get so dark that I can't hardly see and I've been gone so long, it seems like home to me. Baby, when I was young of age, I took you for my world. The oceans were your eyes, the pastures were your curves..."
Lukie was buzzed off of his victory in their wrestling match and still pumping with adrenaline, so staring at Penny didn't seem like a very bad idea, and neither did leaning in to touch his lips to his favorite freckle - one just a half inch below the corner of Penny's left eye, right on the apple of his cheek, which used to be shaped vaguely like a star when they were little kids but now had lost its shape. Penny's skin was warm and faintly sticky, and when Lukie pulled back and licked his chapped lips after the kiss he could taste the salt of his best friend's sweat on his mouth.
014. Pond Love - Mayday : "So when you step down, step right down on top of me. Don't hesitate, I can take your weight. I'll be here floating around. I'll be your lily pad, step down, step right down on me."
With his whole family's eyes on him, Penny lifted his chin, steeling his resolve. "I'm gonna help him figure this out," he said, leaving no room for argument now.
"And you?" Aunt Valentine said, looking significantly at Lukie, as if she expected him to be the voice of reason. Penny glanced towards him as well, watching the struggle behind his stormy eyes. Lukie's hands fell to rest on Penny's stomach, and he knew with the faith of a child that Lukie would not leave his side.
015. Lonely Is The Night - Billy Squier : "There's danger out tonight, the man is on the prowl. Get the dynamite, the boys are set to howl. Lonely is the night when you hear the voices call. Are you ready for a fight-- do you wanna take it all?"
"Let go! Let go, you-- crazy motherfucker!"
"Shh... God said I could... 'You will eat the fruit of the womb... the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you...'"
Before the man could say anything more, Penny's freed hand flew up and smacked hard against the side of his head, palm clapping over his ear. It at least stunned the man into loosening his grip a bit, enough for Penny to wrench his arm free. He quickly grabbed up the single unbroken egg off the floor and scrambled around the corner, sneakers squeaking against the tile as he stumbled for the door. He heard the man shouting behind him as he barreled out the door, colliding almost instantly with Lukie.
"What the fuck, Pen--"
Penny tripped off of the curb, stepping backwards into the parking lot, turning to face the door as the man yanked it open. "I know what you are. I know exactly what you are. Please, just a taste," he was saying, stammering and breathless, eyes glued to Penny.
"Oh hell no," Lukie snarled, and Penny knew exactly what was coming next. Lukie reached into the car, tugging open the glove compartment and taking out his Taurus, the grip of the gun set with dark carved wood, lovingly worn with age. He pointed it at the man, who turned fast and vanished into the shop just as quickly as he had come. It wouldn't shake Lukie off, though. He was already following with his finger on the trigger.