(no subject)
Pallidula Rigida Nudula
Epilogue: Restart
Author: Mushroom
Rating: R
To tea_drinker, who has always supported me all the way. I love you very much, dear. And the art is for the brilliant minnow_53.
Blood dripped from Seth’s forehead. He glanced at his sister, who was fast asleep on the chilly grass, her wide eyes left open. This is not pain, he thought. He looked at the sunset and it seemed to descend so slowly that he wanted to shout.
This is.
***
The bus arrived, its purple paint covered with random bloodstains and rust. The sky was a lackluster gray, and the air was still thick with the scent of ashes and molten tissue. There were no walls now; they crumbled to the ground, exposing the ruin that was left of Liberty City to the unsuspecting world.
Ironically, it seemed rather peaceful.
Seth and Chesca never looked back. Instead, they smiled and waved joyfully as soon as the bus halted in front of them. A woman in her mid-thirties wore a fresh and jolly face as she greeted them, though her voice was quite hoarse. “Sorry I was late guys, was in a bit of a fix yesterday. The whole moody thing broke down, and I had to take a detour; heard there was a bloodbath in Charles Town and stuff, so I had to pick up more people.” She recognized Chesca and winked at her. “Been waiting long?”
Chesca grimaced. “Purple is such a horrid color, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, uhhhh…Molly Anne. Thank you very much for coming.” said Seth nonchalantly as he squinted to read the I.D. pinned on the driver’s blouse. He helped Chesca along the aisle and she sat beside a girl with a heavily disfigured face (she didn’t seem to mind, and continued to write busily on what seemed like a journal). Seth chose the seat near the driver while Rainbow hopped in after them.
And they were off. Seth and Chesca did not offer a last glance at what was once their home, but they still remembered the odor of despair, and it troubled them a bit.
“Hullo, I’m Chesca.” Seth’s little sister announced to the other passengers: the girl and a basket of kittens.
“Regina Jade,” the girl smiled, smearing her cherry lipstick off with her sleeves as she nibbled on a cookie. “I’m the one from Charles Town. These kitties just came from Bloomsfield; god, the whole damn place got smashed by a tornado. You should’ve seen it; ‘twas really cool.”
“I’m sure it was. Random destruction sounds very nice.” Chesca said conversationally.
Soon the two girls had a fun and long chat, giggling as they told tales of their previous stays in modern places. Seth smiled as he listened to their laughter, but his eyes watched the sights by the window.
“So you and your lover are a gloomy couple?” asked a tight-lipped Regina Jade to Seth after hearing Chesca explain something while showing their ‘family picture’. He nodded, still in deep thought and unsure of what to answer.
“Well, fuck you. That’s the usual ‘beautiful people are actually lonely inside’ shit, right? What about the ugly people who are actually lonely inside? Nothing left for them at all, nothing can save them.”
“What she’s saying is that you should cheer up, Seth. Because you’re so handsome.” His sister teased.
They passed by several burning cities, riots, storms. Screams and pleas for help rang unique through gun shots and explosions, and Seth would cover his sister’s ears as Molly Anne drove through all the chaos, occasionally accepting a few loners sitting on benches similar to their waiting place. Soon the bus had six passengers, all bruised and broken but full of hope, and the bus driver talked and whistled and sang for the duration of their travel. Seth would play his guitar when he felt like it, and everyone would sing along to the same old tunes. Chesca would beam at him.
It seemed endless, the voices of pain. Seth tried not to remember, tried not to blend those words in his thoughts until it reached one note, one melody, one singing voice. He strummed harder, even when his fingers ached.
“What is R Town like?” Seth asked around the seventh midnight, when the shouting around them grew louder and more distinct. He found it difficult to sleep with such noise.
“Huh? What’re you talking about?” said the driver, still her cheerful self amidst the confusion.
“You know, where we’re head-“
“Oh, Cockaigne. Well, it’s a really quiet place, except for the occasional bratty kids here and there. It’s the perfect place for misunderstood people, because people try to understand even if it’s hard to.”
“But I thought-R Town-oh, whatever.” Seth laughed despite himself. The driver probably mentioned ‘Our Town’, and Chesca thought it was…oh, it didn’t matter at all anymore. A perfect place was what Seth wanted for such a long time, and the name did not affect his desire to go there. The simplicity of it all bothered him for a few seconds, but he shrugged his negativity off.
Cockaigne finally came into view and everyone grew silent at once as they admired the scenery and the little houses and lush gardens. A group of red-faced kids in bikes rushed past them, and Rainbow barked happily, glad to see a familiar sight. The bus stopped by a waiting shed and everyone slowly filed out after giving out handshakes and goodbyes. Regina Jade gave both Seth and Chesca tight hugs before running off to the other side of the street.
“Shall we proceed?” Chesca took Seth’s hand. “With Rainbow, too.”
He squeezed her hand lovingly. “I’ve always wanted a pet.”
They entered the gate of a two-story house that was painted a wonderful blue and a light shade of peach (and it was just like in his dreams), and knocked on the wooden door gently.
“Come in.”
Seth opened the door and a lovely smell of baked muffins wafted through the door. Chesca immediately flopped on the couch and examined her new dwelling with an air of curiosity, while Seth gazed silently at someone who was leaning on the kitchen counter, naked except for a pair of jeans and a "Kiss the Cook" apron. Their eyes met and they grinned shyly at each other, just like their first encounter, and as soon as Seth recovered his senses he walked over to him and followed the instructions written on his apron; and he discovered why.
“You went ahead without telling me.”
“Yes, sorry. I’m glad you realized it anyway, or else you could’ve…oh god, I miss you. I miss you so much. But I knew you’d come.”
“What happened?”
Julian sighed and faced the other man, placing warm palms softly on his neck. Seth noticed there was a faint color of rose on Julian’s cheeks, and possibly a few freckles. His white hair was surprisingly tanned on the roots, but his forehead had a thick scar. “There was this…this really frenzied revolt on the street in front of our shop. They began trespassing in huge numbers, breaking all our wares and the glass windows, stealing things, beating everyone they could lay their hands on. They spotted me quickly and said I was such an eyesore and wanted to get rid of me, and that’s when I wished everyone was blind, because I didn’t want them to see me, and I still wanted to see you again, and I promised, oh god Seth I’m sorry-”
Seth did not wait for him to finish his story. They began kissing languorously, and when Julian started moaning erotically (the apron was suddenly several meters away from the scene) Chesca skipped outside, but not before saying, “Stop initiating sex while I’m around. Not that it’s disgusting, but it reveals too much about your relationship. Keep it low, if you do love me. I’ll go out to mingle with strangers.”
“Sorry Ches!” Julian called out before the door closed, and they kissed again and again until the muffins grew cold and unappreciated.
“Okay, now tell me something about the girl you hugged earlier,” Julian teased with a pout when they paused to come up for air.
“She thinks I’m handsome.”
“Oh?” The pale boy tried to look blasé, but failed miserably.
“Do you think I’m handsome?”
“When I’m drunk with your kisses, yes.”
Both laughed.
“So…do you like R-Cockaigne?” Seth whispered in the younger boy’s ear.
He grinned. “You didn’t even comment on my furnishing skills.”
“Show me the bedroom first, and then I’ll give my verdict.”
They chuckled and went up the stairs, stumbling a few times like drunken teenagers in desperate love, and hurled themselves towards the bed while fighting for the blanket.
Surprisingly, they decided to just lie still in each other’s arms. Seth was so happy he started to have a headache, so Julian slowly massaged his temples with smooth, sensual strokes, and sang beautifully while he did his work.
“Julian.”
“Mmmm?” He stopped moving his hands and kissed Seth’s forehead.
“Thank you for waiting with me.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for the best wait of my life.”
“It wasn’t such a tiring job after all, isn’t it? Waiting. As long as this is what happens in the end; I’m glad I never gave up.”
Julian only smiled. “I think we’ve always been here. Even while we were waiting for the bus. It’s more of a feeling.”
Before Seth could reply with an inquisitive tone, the pale boy sucked on his bleeding lip. “Sleep. Tomorrow I’ll show you this really fascinating garden I discovered behind our neighbor’s house. It’s really beautiful; I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time exploring.”
“I believe you,” was all Seth could say.
He carefully got up in the middle of the night while Julian slept naked beside him, flushed and spent (Seth finally managed to coerce him in making good use of their new bedroom). Chesca’s singing could be heard beyond the wall again, and it was home.
He opened the window and breathed deeply. This is living.
Seth crawled back to bed and slept for the longest time. Meanwhile, the quiet air entered through the window and smoothened the wrinkles on his forehead.
THE END
Epilogue: Restart
Author: Mushroom
Rating: R
To tea_drinker, who has always supported me all the way. I love you very much, dear. And the art is for the brilliant minnow_53.
Blood dripped from Seth’s forehead. He glanced at his sister, who was fast asleep on the chilly grass, her wide eyes left open. This is not pain, he thought. He looked at the sunset and it seemed to descend so slowly that he wanted to shout.
This is.
***
The bus arrived, its purple paint covered with random bloodstains and rust. The sky was a lackluster gray, and the air was still thick with the scent of ashes and molten tissue. There were no walls now; they crumbled to the ground, exposing the ruin that was left of Liberty City to the unsuspecting world.
Ironically, it seemed rather peaceful.
Seth and Chesca never looked back. Instead, they smiled and waved joyfully as soon as the bus halted in front of them. A woman in her mid-thirties wore a fresh and jolly face as she greeted them, though her voice was quite hoarse. “Sorry I was late guys, was in a bit of a fix yesterday. The whole moody thing broke down, and I had to take a detour; heard there was a bloodbath in Charles Town and stuff, so I had to pick up more people.” She recognized Chesca and winked at her. “Been waiting long?”
Chesca grimaced. “Purple is such a horrid color, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, uhhhh…Molly Anne. Thank you very much for coming.” said Seth nonchalantly as he squinted to read the I.D. pinned on the driver’s blouse. He helped Chesca along the aisle and she sat beside a girl with a heavily disfigured face (she didn’t seem to mind, and continued to write busily on what seemed like a journal). Seth chose the seat near the driver while Rainbow hopped in after them.
And they were off. Seth and Chesca did not offer a last glance at what was once their home, but they still remembered the odor of despair, and it troubled them a bit.
“Hullo, I’m Chesca.” Seth’s little sister announced to the other passengers: the girl and a basket of kittens.
“Regina Jade,” the girl smiled, smearing her cherry lipstick off with her sleeves as she nibbled on a cookie. “I’m the one from Charles Town. These kitties just came from Bloomsfield; god, the whole damn place got smashed by a tornado. You should’ve seen it; ‘twas really cool.”
“I’m sure it was. Random destruction sounds very nice.” Chesca said conversationally.
Soon the two girls had a fun and long chat, giggling as they told tales of their previous stays in modern places. Seth smiled as he listened to their laughter, but his eyes watched the sights by the window.
“So you and your lover are a gloomy couple?” asked a tight-lipped Regina Jade to Seth after hearing Chesca explain something while showing their ‘family picture’. He nodded, still in deep thought and unsure of what to answer.
“Well, fuck you. That’s the usual ‘beautiful people are actually lonely inside’ shit, right? What about the ugly people who are actually lonely inside? Nothing left for them at all, nothing can save them.”
“What she’s saying is that you should cheer up, Seth. Because you’re so handsome.” His sister teased.
They passed by several burning cities, riots, storms. Screams and pleas for help rang unique through gun shots and explosions, and Seth would cover his sister’s ears as Molly Anne drove through all the chaos, occasionally accepting a few loners sitting on benches similar to their waiting place. Soon the bus had six passengers, all bruised and broken but full of hope, and the bus driver talked and whistled and sang for the duration of their travel. Seth would play his guitar when he felt like it, and everyone would sing along to the same old tunes. Chesca would beam at him.
It seemed endless, the voices of pain. Seth tried not to remember, tried not to blend those words in his thoughts until it reached one note, one melody, one singing voice. He strummed harder, even when his fingers ached.
“What is R Town like?” Seth asked around the seventh midnight, when the shouting around them grew louder and more distinct. He found it difficult to sleep with such noise.
“Huh? What’re you talking about?” said the driver, still her cheerful self amidst the confusion.
“You know, where we’re head-“
“Oh, Cockaigne. Well, it’s a really quiet place, except for the occasional bratty kids here and there. It’s the perfect place for misunderstood people, because people try to understand even if it’s hard to.”
“But I thought-R Town-oh, whatever.” Seth laughed despite himself. The driver probably mentioned ‘Our Town’, and Chesca thought it was…oh, it didn’t matter at all anymore. A perfect place was what Seth wanted for such a long time, and the name did not affect his desire to go there. The simplicity of it all bothered him for a few seconds, but he shrugged his negativity off.
Cockaigne finally came into view and everyone grew silent at once as they admired the scenery and the little houses and lush gardens. A group of red-faced kids in bikes rushed past them, and Rainbow barked happily, glad to see a familiar sight. The bus stopped by a waiting shed and everyone slowly filed out after giving out handshakes and goodbyes. Regina Jade gave both Seth and Chesca tight hugs before running off to the other side of the street.
“Shall we proceed?” Chesca took Seth’s hand. “With Rainbow, too.”
He squeezed her hand lovingly. “I’ve always wanted a pet.”
They entered the gate of a two-story house that was painted a wonderful blue and a light shade of peach (and it was just like in his dreams), and knocked on the wooden door gently.
“Come in.”
Seth opened the door and a lovely smell of baked muffins wafted through the door. Chesca immediately flopped on the couch and examined her new dwelling with an air of curiosity, while Seth gazed silently at someone who was leaning on the kitchen counter, naked except for a pair of jeans and a "Kiss the Cook" apron. Their eyes met and they grinned shyly at each other, just like their first encounter, and as soon as Seth recovered his senses he walked over to him and followed the instructions written on his apron; and he discovered why.
“You went ahead without telling me.”
“Yes, sorry. I’m glad you realized it anyway, or else you could’ve…oh god, I miss you. I miss you so much. But I knew you’d come.”
“What happened?”
Julian sighed and faced the other man, placing warm palms softly on his neck. Seth noticed there was a faint color of rose on Julian’s cheeks, and possibly a few freckles. His white hair was surprisingly tanned on the roots, but his forehead had a thick scar. “There was this…this really frenzied revolt on the street in front of our shop. They began trespassing in huge numbers, breaking all our wares and the glass windows, stealing things, beating everyone they could lay their hands on. They spotted me quickly and said I was such an eyesore and wanted to get rid of me, and that’s when I wished everyone was blind, because I didn’t want them to see me, and I still wanted to see you again, and I promised, oh god Seth I’m sorry-”
Seth did not wait for him to finish his story. They began kissing languorously, and when Julian started moaning erotically (the apron was suddenly several meters away from the scene) Chesca skipped outside, but not before saying, “Stop initiating sex while I’m around. Not that it’s disgusting, but it reveals too much about your relationship. Keep it low, if you do love me. I’ll go out to mingle with strangers.”
“Sorry Ches!” Julian called out before the door closed, and they kissed again and again until the muffins grew cold and unappreciated.
“Okay, now tell me something about the girl you hugged earlier,” Julian teased with a pout when they paused to come up for air.
“She thinks I’m handsome.”
“Oh?” The pale boy tried to look blasé, but failed miserably.
“Do you think I’m handsome?”
“When I’m drunk with your kisses, yes.”
Both laughed.
“So…do you like R-Cockaigne?” Seth whispered in the younger boy’s ear.
He grinned. “You didn’t even comment on my furnishing skills.”
“Show me the bedroom first, and then I’ll give my verdict.”
They chuckled and went up the stairs, stumbling a few times like drunken teenagers in desperate love, and hurled themselves towards the bed while fighting for the blanket.
Surprisingly, they decided to just lie still in each other’s arms. Seth was so happy he started to have a headache, so Julian slowly massaged his temples with smooth, sensual strokes, and sang beautifully while he did his work.
“Julian.”
“Mmmm?” He stopped moving his hands and kissed Seth’s forehead.
“Thank you for waiting with me.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for the best wait of my life.”
“It wasn’t such a tiring job after all, isn’t it? Waiting. As long as this is what happens in the end; I’m glad I never gave up.”
Julian only smiled. “I think we’ve always been here. Even while we were waiting for the bus. It’s more of a feeling.”
Before Seth could reply with an inquisitive tone, the pale boy sucked on his bleeding lip. “Sleep. Tomorrow I’ll show you this really fascinating garden I discovered behind our neighbor’s house. It’s really beautiful; I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time exploring.”
“I believe you,” was all Seth could say.
He carefully got up in the middle of the night while Julian slept naked beside him, flushed and spent (Seth finally managed to coerce him in making good use of their new bedroom). Chesca’s singing could be heard beyond the wall again, and it was home.
He opened the window and breathed deeply. This is living.
Seth crawled back to bed and slept for the longest time. Meanwhile, the quiet air entered through the window and smoothened the wrinkles on his forehead.
THE END