maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

WHO: Matthew and some other people
WHERE: Various places in De Chima & Heropa
WHEN: Throughout September!
WHAT: Catch-all things! PM this journal if you'd like a specific starter. Matthew can hang out in Heropa as well as De Chima now!!
WARNINGS: N/A, will edit to add if necessary!

I. HEROPA, XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR IMPORTS, OPEN

[ Matthew doesn't get intimidated by new places easily, not because he's particularly bold or fearless--he is neither--but because he has no idea what it feels like to not belong somewhere and he's really too dumb to worry about it. He isn't nervous about his first day at a new school, just a bit sleepy from having to get up earlier to accomodate the extra travel time from one city to another, and pleased that he managed to navigate the Porter and then Heropa itself by himself.

So he's in his usual cheerful mood throughout the day, eager to learn and meet everyone and not end up accidentally sitting in on the wrong class, not that it'd be the end of the world if he did or anything (he knows from experience.)

When classes are finished for the day he decides to hang around for a little longer, for the purposes of exploration, poking his curly head into empty classrooms or classrooms that aren't empty and offering the person or persons inside a friendly wave and a-- ]

Hi, I'm Matthew! I just started today.

[ One might also catch him distractedly staring at sheet music in the music room, or following a butterfly outside on the grounds, or curiously checking out the books in the library. ]

II. DE CHIMA, CLOSED TO MINT

[ They ran into each other a few times at the park, and then Matthew began to almost expect her there. The last time he went, he even brought snacks.

Well. He brought a stale package of cookies from the house. Mint was not overly impressed.

Somehow that conversation ended with an agreement to meet up and bake cookies of their own, cookies that will surely be way better than the crummy store-bought ones and the baking and consuming of which will not result in property damage or food poisoning. Definitely.

He has her address and he shows up on time, ringing the bell and bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet as he waits to be let in. ]

III. DE CHIMA, THE MEADOWS, CLOSED TO NOAH

[ The day started off perfectly, so of course by the time Noah and Matthew finished goofing around in the kitchen, got lunch packed into a cooler, and decided on a spot for their picnic, it began to rain. More of a drizzle, really, hardly enough, in Matthew's opinion, to cut short their first official date.

He's ridiculously cheerful as he takes the blanket they brought out to sit on and tosses it over a low-hanging tree branch, stretching it out into a decent little tent. ]

If it gets bad we'll run to the barn, [ he promises, making some adjustments to the blanket before ducking inside the cozy little dry space himself. It's still a hot summer day in spite of the rain, and the humidity is doing crazy things to Matthew's hair, but he doesn't care. He scoots closer to his boyfriend and pops open the top of the cooler, as the rain whispers gently in the grass and the leaves above them. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It takes Noah a few moments to comprehend the change in Matthew's tone, and the horror behind it. Without speaking, he grabs his phone from his back pocket with one hand, and reaches over to lace his fingers through Matthew's with the other.

He punches out a short message: hey asshat text your brother

One breath. Two breaths.

Message failed to send. Retry?.]

Shi-

[No, no, okay. Keep it together. No freaking out in front of Matthew.]

Okay, alright. [What does he even say?] Do you have a signal?

Yeah, [ Matthew says quietly, holding Noah's hand and staring, staring at his phone.

His number isn't connecting. This is what happens.

That's what Adam said, when Gansey got Ported out.

This is what happens. ]

You tried too, right?

[ He's not thinking about their date anymore, and the rain no longer seems quite so calming and pleasant. ]

Mm-hmm.

[Noah shifts his phone between his fingers, his brow furrowing anxiously.]

But maybe it's not... [-that. He can't even say it.] Maybe he doesn't have service. We shouldn't worry yet.

[Coming from Noah, it's a crock of bullshit. He's the master of worrying. He practically makes it an Olympic sport. But it's a sport that Matthew doesn't need to participate in, not when they're trying so hard to have a peaceful, ordinary, teenage day. This was supposed to be a milestone that would make them smile in days to come, not a tragic anniversary to keep.]

Wanna head back to the house?

[ Matthew imagines going back to the house now, maybe running into Adam or Gansey and having to explain that they came back early because Ronan's phone isn't connecting. He remembers their faces when he woke up the first time, the way they looked at him and then at each other, completely bewildered. ]

Not really, [ he admits, squeezing Noah's hand. ] But-- [ His tone turns apologetic. ] If we stay here, you might have to help me get back.

[ And that's when he finally pulls his gaze away from the phone and looks at Noah, his expression somehow full of certainty and uncertainty at the same time.

This is what happens.

It's happening now. Noah says they shouldn't worry but Matthew can almost feel the dizzying pull of oblivion, like he's standing at the very edge of a pit and waiting for the breeze to carry him forward. Ronan's gone, and Matthew can't exist without him. There's really nothing they can do.

This is what happens, too. ]

Edited (I keep using the same icon sjdka;lf) 2016-10-15 02:19 (UTC)

[Panic pulls in Noah's chest, and his breath stutters. Something's wrong - something's horriblly, devastatingly wrong - and for a moment Noah can't figure out what. But then he searches Matthew's eyes, tests the waters behind them, and he knows. He knows that oblivion. It's been tearing at him since the moment his vision went dark in the forest, seeping into him like water. And now, feeling it in this beautiful, sweet dream of a boy...]

Matthew-

[It comes out weak, nearly lost to the breeze. The treetops are slowly growing visible through Noah's face, as horror and grief take hold.]

Don't go, please don't go.

[ Matthew's eyes grow rounder than usual when he sees what's happening. ]

Noah, you're--

[ Disappearing, but he doesn't want to say the word so he just tries to take Noah's face in his hands, a bit desperately, twisting around to face him better. ]

I--

[ He swallows, wishes for a moment he could pretend this isn't happening. ]

I don't think I can make it stop. It was like this before, and it's like this with mom--

[ He lowers his eyes suddenly and bites his lip. ]