Advent Calendar 2015: Day 23
So... close...
Today was a bad day for me. Exchanged some words with a client that got my blood boiling. Have been feeling on edge all week, partially from work and partially from the holidays. I don't like Christmas because it makes me feel super down but today it really did a number on me. Tomorrow I only work a half day and then I don't go back until January and I'm SO happy about that.
I just need some down time and to have the holidays over. I'm not dreading them, even though there's a baby and a stranger (the baby's grandmother on the mom's side is being flown in by my cousin as a surprise to his wife because it's baby's first Christmas), but I'll be happy when it's, like, Sunday.
At this very moment I'm in the frame of mind that reading shitty stuff on twitter makes me super anxious and want to cry but happy stories make me want to cry and basically I just want to cry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I need sleep and downtime, just gotta make it through! Maybe I'll stare at some pictures of puppies to help me along, LOL.
No one claimed today's Advent day so I'm posting the fullmoon_ficlet I wrote for last week's challenge, #151 Fresh Start.
If you're brave enough to say goodbye (life will reward you with a new hello)
Derek, G, 830-ish words
Derek drove back to his apartment within the speed limit and didn’t worry once that something weird, dangerous or otherwise supernatural was going to run out in front of him or attack him. He stopped at red lights and stop signs. Waved at his neighbor. Got his mail. Walked up the three flights of stairs to his door.
He put his groceries away and cracked a beer as he sat on his comfortable and neutral colored couch. He put on the game. Didn’t matter which one, he got to watch them all.
"Excuse me? Can you tell me where I can find canned peaches?"
Derek looked up without blinking at the mundanity of the question and smiled warmly at the young mother who was asking. She smiled back and he directed her to an aisle a couple over from where they were. She thanked him and pushed her cart away with her kid blowing bubbles with his spit at her.
Derek finished his shopping and meandered off to the checkout where the cashier, Helen, greeted him by name. They made small talk and waved him out the door with a, "see you next week!"
Derek drove back to his apartment within the speed limit and didn't worry once that something weird, dangerous or otherwise supernatural was going to run out in front of him or attack him. He stopped at red lights and stop signs. Waved at his neighbor. Got his mail. Walked up the three flights of stairs to his door.
He put his groceries away and cracked a beer as he sat on his comfortable and neutral colored couch. He put on the game. Didn't matter which one, he got to watch them all.
He hadn't seen Braeden in months. Being on the hunt with her was different and exciting and even fun for a while. But it was what she did. It was what she would always do and Derek could be in danger in Beacon Hills without staying in a new motel every night that drove his senses crazy with the different smells and sounds.
She vowed she would never take a contract placed on him or give him up and that she'd keep his location secret from everyone. At the time it was what he wanted. And needed, honestly.
A fresh start is what Derek wanted, once he shed himself of the guilt and fear from the first time he retuned to Beacon Hills, and that's what he got. He was content in this small corner of New Mexico. He was safe, welcome and ...
That was it, really. He was welcome because no one in town knew who or what he was and he was safe for the same reason. He didn't truly trust anyone but he was friendly enough and the thought of everyone back home knowing he had it in him for an extended period of time made him smile.
The worst thing that happened to him in months was when he helped his landlord get rid of some skunks in the storage shed and he got sprayed. Took days to get the smell off of him, and he couldn't sit down on anything for fear of the door getting into the furniture and then he'd be tortured for weeks.
The sun set and Derek made dinner. He washed his dishes. He went for a run, as a human and wearing clothes. He came home, showered, and got ready for bed. He set his alarm for the next day even though he had nothing to do.
Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and-
"...where the tarragon is?"
Derek blinked. "Excuse me?"
An older lady was looking up at him bemusedly and repeated her question. "Do you know where the tarragon is?"
Derek looked around and tried to remember the layout of the store. He didn't use tarragon but knew it was an herb. But where the hell were they kept? He rarely cooked with any because he preferred his flavors from the food itself.
"I'm sorry, I don't know," he finally replied, feeling a bit lost. The lady patted his arm in a motherly way and left in search of an employee.
Derek put his basket down in the aisle and left the store. He drove back to his apartment directly, pushing the speed limit enough to feel familiar.
He packed his two suitcases with only what he could pack. Left a note for the landlord and left her whatever was left in his place on top of the damage deposit.
He made it back to Beacon Hills by 8am the next day.
Pulling up to the McCall house was the most nervous Derek felt in what seemed like forever. It was the most he'd felt period in what seemed like forever.
Content didn't mean happy.
Friendly didn't mean fulfilled.
Safe didn't mean living.
He knocked on the door and listened as the conversation inside stopped and Scott walked to the door. There was a pause inside without Scott bothering to see who was waiting for him.
He swung the door open and grinned at Derek widely, like they hadn't missed a second. Behind him in the doorway to the living room Stiles, Malia, Lydia and Liam's heads all poked around with varying looks of approval and curiosity.
"Here for a visit?" Scott asked, stepping aside as an invitation for Derek.
Derek shook his head. "Here for a fresh start."
He took the first step inside.
Today was a bad day for me. Exchanged some words with a client that got my blood boiling. Have been feeling on edge all week, partially from work and partially from the holidays. I don't like Christmas because it makes me feel super down but today it really did a number on me. Tomorrow I only work a half day and then I don't go back until January and I'm SO happy about that.
I just need some down time and to have the holidays over. I'm not dreading them, even though there's a baby and a stranger (the baby's grandmother on the mom's side is being flown in by my cousin as a surprise to his wife because it's baby's first Christmas), but I'll be happy when it's, like, Sunday.
At this very moment I'm in the frame of mind that reading shitty stuff on twitter makes me super anxious and want to cry but happy stories make me want to cry and basically I just want to cry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I need sleep and downtime, just gotta make it through! Maybe I'll stare at some pictures of puppies to help me along, LOL.
No one claimed today's Advent day so I'm posting the fullmoon_ficlet I wrote for last week's challenge, #151 Fresh Start.
If you're brave enough to say goodbye (life will reward you with a new hello)
Derek, G, 830-ish words
Derek drove back to his apartment within the speed limit and didn’t worry once that something weird, dangerous or otherwise supernatural was going to run out in front of him or attack him. He stopped at red lights and stop signs. Waved at his neighbor. Got his mail. Walked up the three flights of stairs to his door.
He put his groceries away and cracked a beer as he sat on his comfortable and neutral colored couch. He put on the game. Didn’t matter which one, he got to watch them all.
"Excuse me? Can you tell me where I can find canned peaches?"
Derek looked up without blinking at the mundanity of the question and smiled warmly at the young mother who was asking. She smiled back and he directed her to an aisle a couple over from where they were. She thanked him and pushed her cart away with her kid blowing bubbles with his spit at her.
Derek finished his shopping and meandered off to the checkout where the cashier, Helen, greeted him by name. They made small talk and waved him out the door with a, "see you next week!"
Derek drove back to his apartment within the speed limit and didn't worry once that something weird, dangerous or otherwise supernatural was going to run out in front of him or attack him. He stopped at red lights and stop signs. Waved at his neighbor. Got his mail. Walked up the three flights of stairs to his door.
He put his groceries away and cracked a beer as he sat on his comfortable and neutral colored couch. He put on the game. Didn't matter which one, he got to watch them all.
He hadn't seen Braeden in months. Being on the hunt with her was different and exciting and even fun for a while. But it was what she did. It was what she would always do and Derek could be in danger in Beacon Hills without staying in a new motel every night that drove his senses crazy with the different smells and sounds.
She vowed she would never take a contract placed on him or give him up and that she'd keep his location secret from everyone. At the time it was what he wanted. And needed, honestly.
A fresh start is what Derek wanted, once he shed himself of the guilt and fear from the first time he retuned to Beacon Hills, and that's what he got. He was content in this small corner of New Mexico. He was safe, welcome and ...
That was it, really. He was welcome because no one in town knew who or what he was and he was safe for the same reason. He didn't truly trust anyone but he was friendly enough and the thought of everyone back home knowing he had it in him for an extended period of time made him smile.
The worst thing that happened to him in months was when he helped his landlord get rid of some skunks in the storage shed and he got sprayed. Took days to get the smell off of him, and he couldn't sit down on anything for fear of the door getting into the furniture and then he'd be tortured for weeks.
The sun set and Derek made dinner. He washed his dishes. He went for a run, as a human and wearing clothes. He came home, showered, and got ready for bed. He set his alarm for the next day even though he had nothing to do.
Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and-
"...where the tarragon is?"
Derek blinked. "Excuse me?"
An older lady was looking up at him bemusedly and repeated her question. "Do you know where the tarragon is?"
Derek looked around and tried to remember the layout of the store. He didn't use tarragon but knew it was an herb. But where the hell were they kept? He rarely cooked with any because he preferred his flavors from the food itself.
"I'm sorry, I don't know," he finally replied, feeling a bit lost. The lady patted his arm in a motherly way and left in search of an employee.
Derek put his basket down in the aisle and left the store. He drove back to his apartment directly, pushing the speed limit enough to feel familiar.
He packed his two suitcases with only what he could pack. Left a note for the landlord and left her whatever was left in his place on top of the damage deposit.
He made it back to Beacon Hills by 8am the next day.
Pulling up to the McCall house was the most nervous Derek felt in what seemed like forever. It was the most he'd felt period in what seemed like forever.
Content didn't mean happy.
Friendly didn't mean fulfilled.
Safe didn't mean living.
He knocked on the door and listened as the conversation inside stopped and Scott walked to the door. There was a pause inside without Scott bothering to see who was waiting for him.
He swung the door open and grinned at Derek widely, like they hadn't missed a second. Behind him in the doorway to the living room Stiles, Malia, Lydia and Liam's heads all poked around with varying looks of approval and curiosity.
"Here for a visit?" Scott asked, stepping aside as an invitation for Derek.
Derek shook his head. "Here for a fresh start."
He took the first step inside.