chlosmovingcastle

[chlosmovingcastle]

The sound of his heart beating scares Zachary awake. He is cold and wet. The floor he is lying on is hard and bumpy, but he is alive. Fate's heart has a new life within his chest, and there are no animals to steal it away. Dorian is several feet away with his head in his hands. 

“What did I do” he mumbles through sobs. “Oh my god, what did I do?” 

“Dorian,” Zachary says quietly 

“I killed him. The heart didn't bring him back. Dear Jesus, I killed Zachary” Dorian's voice breaks

“Dorian!” Zachary says, louder this time so he can be heard over the crashing of the waves around them. 

Dorian's neck nearly snaps as he whips his head around. Several emotions go through his head, visible through his eyes, but fear prevails. 

“I killed you, how are you… I'm losing my mind!” Dorian's voice shakes before he breaks out into a cackle. “I've lost it!” He continues laughing until more tears shed from his eyes

“Fates Heart, Dorian! It worked!” Zachary beams, but Dorian looks at him like he has seen a ghost.

Zachary didn’t notice it at first glance, but now has he looked into the eyes of his lover, he saw that Dorian had changed. The radiant man he had known what felt like moments ago, had changed. His skin is paler, his body bonier. It was like his soul had aged a thousand years.

“It's been 7 days, Zachary, or, or” Dorian stutters “whoever you are. A whole week since I stabbed you! Fate would not have waited that long!” Dorian points to the weapon on the floor.

Between the two lovers lays a sword, the blade has a deep, wine-colored coating. At the hilt, you can see where Zachary's blood has congealed over time. 

“Why are you still here, then?” Zachary asks “If you had no hope, if you don't believe that Fate's heart would eventually work, why did you stay?” His voice booms in the empty cavern of the harbor. 

“I cannot leave. It is as simple as that. The rocks have fallen and blocked any way out, trust me I have tried.” Dorian says calmly.

Memories fill Zachary's head. The Harbor collapsed, and They fell into it. Where are the Keeper and Mirabel? Are they still alive? What about the outside world, has something happened there? Almost like he got slapped across the face, Zachary remembers Dorian is there. The man he has been in love with since he got wrapped up in this world. Since the day they first met. The party. The library. Their first meeting next to Patience and Fortitude where Zachary brought Dorian a paper rose and Dorian smiled at him. Oh, what Zachary would give to see that smile now. 

“I know should've told you long ago, but I love you, Dorian”

Silence consumed the Harbor, except for the ever-moving sea. Tears well in Zachary's eyes while Dorians are blank. Emotionless. It seems like all of Dorian is emotionless. He is a husk of the man that Zachary remembers. The soul that Zachary knows is no longer there. 

“It’ll pass” Dorian finally says with a sigh. ”Just like you should have.” 

[chlosmovingcastle]

[chlosmovingcastle]

“I just… don't get it, really” Zachary slurs, his words twisting before they even leave his lips. Zachary brings the crisp pint of beer the Innkeeper provided him to his lips once again as Dorian stares at him. Dorian. Handsome, Stone-cold Dorian. Zachary feels silly, frankly, over his feelings for the older man. In what world would Dorian ever feel the same about him?

But as silly as his feelings make him feel, Zachary cannot help but fall for Dorian. Slowly, like Alice falling into Wonderland. Everything Dorian does, every word he speaks... Zachary is utterly captivated by him.

“What don't you get?” Dorian asks after some silence. His voice is clear, almost sober, but the red tint on his cheeks proves otherwise. 

“I don't get how you haven't noticed yet,” Zachary sighs and chugs the rest of his beer. “We've known eachother, what, 6 months now? 6 months I've been in love with you, Dorian! I've loved you since the day we met. Your eyes! Your smile, fuck, your voice! You! Dorian! Yet you've never noticed. Not once” Zachary's voice breaks slightly as he lowers his eyes to his hands.

Dorian feels like he has been stabbed in the gut because he, admittedly, really had never noticed. Memories flood his head, little things like holding the door, increasing to the soft kisses Zachary would plant on Dorian's temples.  

“Zachary I-” Dorian starts before Zachary cuts him off,

“Don't.”

[chlosmovingcastle]

(ugly crying) i love my friends i love my friends i love my friends i love my friebds i love my fr

[chlosmovingcastle]

[chlosmovingcastle]

sometimes a comfort show isn’t a sitcom or a romance or even remotely lighthearted. sometimes a comfort show is a survival/horror series about girls doing cannibalism and cult activities in the wilderness to survive

[chlosmovingcastle]

Friends break up, friends get married Strangers get born, strangers get buried Trends change, rumors fly through new skies But I'm right where you left me

The ache in his chest weans Zachary awake, like a newborn baby fresh to the world. His head throbs and his limbs weigh heavy, pinning him down onto the hard ground. The ground? Why is he on the ground? The area surrounding Zachary is dark, the pale grey concrete turned a deep wine color. 

“Dorian?” Zachary croaks quietly

The silence is deafening and Zachary swears he could hear a pin drop. Where is Dorian? 

“Dorian?” Zachary says, louder this time in hopes that Dorian is only a few feet away, and maybe he didn't hear him the first time, but there is no response, and Zachary soon learns, there is no more Dorian. 

A sharp pain shoots through Zachary's chest as he attempts to sit up, and god, does Zachary regret it

“Oh my god” Zachary mumbles, tears filling his eyes at the sight

A mere 10 feet away from where he left a few moments ago, is Dorian.

At first, Zachary thinks him asleep. Just having a nap, waiting for Zachary to wake up. Until he sees the sword in his hand, blood-soaked to the handle, and the gaping hole in his chest.

“Dorian” Zachary collapses next to him, his head falling to meet Dorian's damp chest 

“Oh, Dorian, what happened?” Zachary barely manages the words before he realizes the gravity of his situation. 

He is alone, in the collapsed Harbor, and Dorian is dead. 

And Zachary isn't quite sure which is worse.

[chlosmovingcastle]

what’s wrong with me? - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 17 “love”

“3…2…1… Happy New Years!” the crowd yells as the silver ball drops. Couples kiss, smiling into each other's mouth. Kat sips her drink, then chugs it, and sets off to get a new one. Tears well in her eyes, but not enough for anyone to notice. Everyone is too busy dancing. laughing. loving.

What’s wrong with me? The quiet voice in the back of her head asks. She looks around her while she pours the watermelon vodka into her glass. Zachary and Dorian. Mirabel and The Keeper. Simon and Lenor. Why can’t I be that happy?

“Hey Kat! I haven’t seen you since last year,” Zachary drunkenly laughs, winking at the end. Kat laughs, rolling her eyes at the ‘since last year’ part.

“What’s wrong?” Zachary asks, the seriousness in his voice contrasting the setting. People chatting over loud music. Neon lights. A small disco ball hung from the ceiling fan.

“Nothing! It’s nothing” Kat says quickly, forcing a small smile that she knows Zachary can tell is fake, but she’s hoping he’s too drunk to catch.

“I know you’re lying. Here, follow me” Zachary pulls her towards the end of the hallway and into a bedroom. The two sit in a bay window overlooking the bright skyline of the city that never sleeps.

“Now. Be honest. What’s wrong?” Zachary asks, concern filling his brown eyes.

Almost as if a switch has flipped, Kat starts crying. Sobbing harder than Zachary has ever seen her, not that he’s seen her cry much. This is actually the first time, and Zachary has no idea what to do. Zachary rubs her back and Kat continues to cry.

“I’m sorry,” Kat says, breaking the silence.

“There’s nothing to-“ Zachary starts, before getting cut off by Kat

“I’m sorry I'm not like them. That you can’t introduce people to me and say that I have a partner. That it’s always just Kat. I’m sorry. I just don’t get it. Why can’t I be like everyone else?” Kat begins to cry again. Shock paints Zachary’s face. Be like everyone else?

“What do you mean, ‘be like everyone else’?” Zachary asks quietly

“You know what I mean, Z. I’m not like you and Dorian. I can’t love like you do. I’ve tried, god I’ve fucking tried” Kats voice cracks and Zachary has never felt such heartache.

“I don’t know how to love. What’s wrong with me?” Kat cries into Zachary’s shoulder. For a moment, he doesn’t know what to say. But he knows his friend needs him, so he has to say something.

“Nothing is wrong with you Kat. Nothing”

[chlosmovingcastle]

was it even worth it? - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 15 “present”

Dorian sits as the woman’s pen loudly scratches against paper. Every Thursday, Dorian makes his way from Brooklyn to Manhattan to visit Donna. The small office is decorated with various plants and furniture of rich jewel tones. It’s very comforting, Dorian thinks. One of the best therapists offices he’s been in, and he’s been in a lot.

“What's todays date?” Donna asks him quickly. “September 15, 2023” Dorian responds quietly. “Ah yes, Thanks Dorian. You sound tired, How have you been sleeping lately?”Dorian lets out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. “Not well, honestly. Every time I close my eyes I see him” Tears well in Dorians eyes at the thought. The man he loved, loves, dead on the ground, and he just left. He ran, like a coward, instead of fighting to save the man he loved.

Donna hums lightly and writes some more on the paper. “You’ve said in one of our first sessions that you regretted leaving that,” Donna pauses. When Dorian first came into her office talking about a Harbor under New York City that collapsed into nothingness, any proof it was long gone, Donna looked at Dorian like he had 3 heads. Dorian can tell she still has trouble wrapping her head around it. “Place. Do you still regret it?”

Does he still regret it? Yes. He does. He regrets leaving his lover, the man he wanted to marry, dead and alone. He regrets not fighting hard enough. He regrets not letting himself be happy. He regrets not expressing his feelings to Zachary sooner, so they would’ve had longer.

Dorian doesn’t realise the tears that are streaking his cheeks until Donna hands him a tissue. “I do,” he says, wiping his eyes. “I regret it. I gave my blood, sweat and tears to make it out of The Harbor alive, and I regret it”

Dorian feels bad admitting it. Something in him thinks he shouldn’t. He should be grateful he made it out. Zachary didn’t. Yet he still wishes he died that day. That the crumbling rocks would have crushed him, or that the Honey Sea would’ve risen and clogged his throat with the thick substance, leaving him to choke on the sweetness.

But that is not how Dorian's story ended. He wishes it was, but Fate did not let him die that day. It wasn’t his time yet. But surely Fate let him survive for another reason than to cry in therapy 7 years later, asking himself, was it even worth it?

[chlosmovingcastle]

sweet sorrows - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 11: “book”

The fireplace crackled and the smell of books filled the stale air of the small wooden lodge. Stacks of old paperbacks surrounded the chair, most long forgotten by the sleeping old man, who had fallen asleep hours ago, his mind deep in a reminiscing dream. “Zachary” The old man mumbled, fingers twitching against the soft leather of the title held closely against his heart. Dorian, as he aged, lost his love for literature. It reminded him of all the things he no longer had. A family, the thrill of adventure, a lover.

However, as his eyes wrinkled and his hair turned snowflake white, he began to read again. Not Oscar Wilde or any other fiction he would have enjoyed in his youth. He only read one book. Over and over and over, he reread the same book. Sweet Sorrows. It brought him an odd sense of comfort, reading about the man he lost all those years ago, the friends he had known a lifetime ago, The words on the pages bringing back memories of the adventures from his youth. Oh, what Dorian would give to be young again. To be in The Harbor, smelling the sweetness of the Honey Sea. To hear The Keepers bellowing laugh from far-away halls.

To be with Zachary again.

[chlosmovingcastle]

life and death - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 10: “sword”

He flips the sword over in his hand repeatedly. The deep maroon dripped from the blade down to the hilt, then slowly onto his hand. The warmth of the blood finally makes him realize what he has done. His mind swarmed, like bugs around a molding piece of fruit. He did it. He killed him. Dorian killed Zachary. But in this version of the story, though he does not know there is another, Dorian does not have Fate's Heart to save his lover. Nothing to bring him back, to replace the cold of death with the heat of life. Of love. “I'm so sorry” Dorian sobs, his chest heaving with every strangled sob. “Oh honey” His knees buckle and he strokes the cold forehead of his partner “I'm so fucking sorry” 

Dorian knows his apology will not bring back his partner. Will not take back the smooth kiss of death and draw his soul back into his body. Dorian also knows, deep down, that he will not be able to escape the fast-rising Honey Sea of The Harbor, either. He is trapped between life and death. A dream and a nightmare. Before he realizes what he is doing, eyes blurry from tears, Dorian plunges the long blade of the sword into his own chest. Zachary's blood mixing with his own. The searing pain in his sternum shocks him before his vision swirls and his body collapses alongside Zachary’s. “I love you” he gasps, using the last of his life to connect his hand to Zachary’s, lovers in both life and death.

[chlosmovingcastle]

Day 10: Sword

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He thought, at first, that it would go away.

When they were still there, under the world, it made sense. It was a story he was telling himself. Of course it would remain while they sailed the sea. He assumed, then, that it would fade with time, with distance. The story had ended. Reality would set in, and it would fade off of his chest like a dream.

It did not fade when they reached the new harbor. It did not fade when they found a room with both of their names on it and a double bed. It did not fade, and Zachary traced his fingers over it and whistled, and admitted shyly that he had looked for it, before.

It grew real under Zachary’s fingertips. The more he touched it, the more real it became.

Then, Zachary had wanted to see his mother. They found that they could open the doors, and Zachary had wanted to see her. Dorian had wanted to meet her since the moment she was first mentioned; the fortune teller who had raised his greatest love. So of course, they made plans.

This meant, of course, going above ground.

He did not tell Zachary of his private fear that the sword would disappear under the light of the sun. That the sun would wash all of the love he had bathed in under the world clean off of him and leave him burning under the weight of the harsh reality of his past- of who he is, up there.

He assumed, then, that it would probably be a bit much for Zachary.

He quietly searched for tattoo artists in the area. Just in case.

When they arrived, it was a frenzy of reunions and first meetings and so much love that Dorian was practically drowning in it. He has never known this before and it was all encompassing, overwhelming, and he didn’t really think to check.

But on their final night, in Zachary’s childhood bedroom on a too small mattress, Zachary pulled his shirt over his head and traced it with his fingertips.

The sword. His sword. Still there, under the stars. Still there, in the moonlight. Still there, as the sun peeked through the clouds.

He did not cry until they were back home. He curled up on the couch in just his boxers, wrapped himself up in a blanket, pressed his hand firmly against his chest, his sword, and cried.

It was real. It was all real.

The Starless Sea had left its mark on him. Had branded him its guardian, final and only at the end of the world.

It was a reminder of that place, that time. Allegra, with her meaningless swords on strings and eggs that should have been broken, but were not. The sword he had carried through winding tunnels and thrust through Zachary’s heart. The story, all that it was. Fortunes and fables, a man who dropped a sword into the ocean and a man melted down his sword into rings for his love and a woman who sliced off the head of the owl king in dreams.

He was marked as part of a story, that story, and it had been real. It would always be real.

It was the sword that Zachary had looked for, and the one he had found. It matches the key on his lover's chest, which had also remained under the light of day.

He cries until he comes back to himself. Back to a world where Zachary had joined him on the couch, wrapped himself around him, and had been holding him for some time. Where Zachary had a hand gently laid over his own.

He slipped his hand away and let Zachary’s fall gently over the sword. He traces it with his fingertips, as he has always done.

His fingers curve over the blade, and Dorian breathes into his touch. Steadies.

“To be a guardian is to be trusted,” he says.

“To be a guardian is to wear death on your chest.” Dorian returns to him. “To be a guardian is to be prepared to die, always.”

Zachary tilts his head, cups Dorian’s face in his hands. He wipes the tears from his cheeks, and presses a kiss to his forehead.

“They know what they serve. What they protect. They understand what they are, and that is all that matters.”

“I love you,” he says. “You are golden,” he says, “you are love itself.”

“Love’s child, actually, but you were close.” Zachary hides his smile against Dorian’s shoulder.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he says. “Dorian?” He says, “what is it that guardians protect?”

Dorian thinks for a moment. He covers Zachary’s hand with his own; pressing it against the sword on his chest. He thinks about guardians, and all that they are supposed to stand for, and he looks into Zachary’s eyes.

“Peace.” He says. “We guard peace.”

And Zachary nods.

The sword never fades.

[chlosmovingcastle]

the bees - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 3: “bee”

The Bees in the Harbor, you will notice, are always watching. Lurking in the corners of always, buzzing amongst themselves with the actions of the humans. As you walk through the labyrinth of rooms, they will follow closely behind, fulfilling their role as The Harbors guard dogs. They started when Time and Fate had their secret get togethers, wound together like a crochet hat in the dark of the night, when the Moon took a vacation, and the Parliament of Owls were away. They watched as security, helping the Lovers rendezvous in private, so when the years passed and Time & Fate moved to The Harbor in the form of Mirabel and The Keeper, The Bees followed suit.

Time and Fate always reconnected. Found each other, even in the weirdest of situations. Months, Years, Centuries could go by, and they’d always find eachother. Until they couldn’t.

Mirabel left The Harbor to replenish the diminishing stock of Doors. The Keeper knew she would be gone for long. Mirabel swore to him she’d be back, that she’d be safe. She stepped into the elevator on that cold Winter evening, and never looked back. For 15 Years, the Bees watched The Keeper. How he stared at the doors, waiting for her to enter through them, for Mirabel to run into his arms and hold him close to her. The days continued to pass and The Keeper lost hope, lost his trust in Fate. He saw boys enter and leave as men. He saw Zachary Ezra Rawlins enter and never leave. Lost to the depths, never to escape.

The Bees watched as The Keeper barely escaped the Harbor. They watched as the tears rolled down his face, the last of his soul lost to the core of the earth. They watched as his knees buckled, as he pulled at the long grey hair grown from his head, as his voice broke from the guttural screams that escaped his chest. They watched as The Keeper grew older, as he took his last breath, and whispered his final words.

“I love you Mirabel”

[chlosmovingcastle]

AHEM! STARLESS SEA FANS!

I HAVE AN INVITATION FOR YOU!!!!! please keep reading, god, if you love the starless sea enough that you're even seeing this we want YOU!!!! are you a long time starless sea fan who has never found anyone else who wants to talk about this book as much as you do? have you always wanted to write/see starless sea fanfic or fanart but didnt think there was a fandom? or have you just finished the starless sea like twenty minutes ago and have been scouring tumblr for anything you can find? WELL I'VE GOT THE PLACE FOR YOU!

WE HAVE A STARLESS SEA DISCORD SERVER!

LINK

reasons why you should join and why this server is the best:

we are all literally just obsessed with the starless sea

and the characters

we draw fanart and write fanfic and even have events with prompts to inspire you to do the same

we have a super cool minecraft server with the inn at the edge of the world and a cherry blossom forest around it with honey and candles and shit

we do storytime where we read to each other in vc from tss, fanfic, or other books and it happens all the time and its really lovely and soothing and fun

we have movie nights and movie afternoons and random impromptu movies but theres a movie every weekend

we have endless headcanons

and a whole channel dedicated to dorian hurt/comfort

i co-run it with @boogleboot who is just the coolest and if you havent met her youre missing out

and theres a bunch of other cool people there too who i love so much

we have a limericks only chat (for which i blame mod boogle its so fun you have to talk only in limericks there)

YOU LIKE THE STARLESS SEA. WE LIKE THE STARLESS SEA. COME JOIN

go click that link girl (gendy neuch). we're so excited to have you. see you in the harbour!!!!!

[chlosmovingcastle]

honeychild - @thehauntedair sobfest september day 2: “honey”

The storm came unexpectedly. First, the winds picked up. Warm and angry against their skin. Then the thick honey waves stirred, flowing up along the side of the boat, creating piques and valleys on the golden horizon. The waves moved the boat agonisingly slowly. The two watched as they were carried away from the shore, a balloon coming from the grip of a child and floating into the atmosphere.

It’s been weeks since Dorian and Lenor have seen any sign of land. Lenor was used to this. Used to the countless nights at sea, letting the wind in the sails take her wherever The Harbor decides. Lenor knows The Harbor will never hurt her. Never leave her without food and water for too long. So she trusts the Harbor, and is comfortable. Happy.

Dorian was not.

He was not used to loneliness. The unpredictability. The vast, never-ending nothingness. The harsh, raw fear in his heart. Usually, Zachary would be there to help him. To soothe his mind and wipe his tears. Kiss them away with soft pecks under his eyes, along his jaw. Zachary. Oh, poor Zachary. How Dorian missed him, his lover long left on the shore, a jagged hole left where his heart should be.

The thought of it alone made Dorian cry. Hot tears streaming out of his eyes, out of his soul. Oh how scared Zachary must be. Alone, cold and empty. His spilled maroon blood mixed with the gold of the Honey Sea.

Dorian should have done more. He shouldn’t have given up so easily. He should have tried harder. Fought Lenor, the storm and The Harbor. Hell, even God himself and taken Zachary with them. He could have saved him. Sobs rip through his chest. Dorian had it. He had Fate's heart, in the small wooden box. He could have saved him.

Oh the grief. How Dorian wishes, as tears roll down his cheeks, his body shaking with emotion, for him to hold Zachary one more time. To hold his Lover’s body to his own and listen to the lively rhythm of his heart beat, feel his chest rise and fall and look deep into the eyes of his lover.

But now Dorian is gone, and so is Zachary. His Honeychild, lost to the Honey Sea.

[chlosmovingcastle]

Thanks for giving me a chance ❤

[chlosmovingcastle]

for the @thehauntedair starless sea sweaterverse event!

✄┈┈┈┈

“Hello! Welcome, nice to… see you again” I say as Kat and her girlfriend enter Zachary and I’s shared apartment, “What are you wearing?” Kat is dressed as Santa, while her girlfriend has a Grinch onesie on. "It's fashion, Dorian. Thats what we're wearing. Fashion." Kat says, posing with a smile.

Every year since Zachary and I met, we've hosted some kind of ‘Friendsmas’, which he later explained to me is a ‘friend Christmas’. It started as a way for us to celebrate Christmas while in the Harbor, surrounded by Mirabel, The Keeper, and whichever cats felt like joining us, but over the years things have changed, so now it is just us, Kat, and her girlfriend, Van. “It's called Holiday cheer, dumbass” Kat replies with a smile. “Well, shall we get this party started?” 

We gather in the living room and start dividing up everyone’s gifts. Some for Kat, some for Van, some for both of them and vice versa. Every year Kat buys Zachary and me something matching as a gift for both of us. It kind of became a tradition for her, to see our reactions to some ridiculous thing that definitely should not have a matching counterpart. Every year, I dread that gift. “This year,” Kat says, sorting the gifts for Zachary and me into 2 different piles “I did something different! I didn't get you guys anything matching!”  

Thank. God.

Hours have passed, and we are finally down to the last few gifts. “Dorian, this” Kat says, pushing a poorly wrapped ball of paper towards me, “Is your last gift. From me at least. Well, Open it!” Kat says cheerily. There are only a few things Dorian thinks it could be, but over the years he has learned to expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to Kat. Slowly, I peel the Baby Yoda-covered wrapping paper mess away from the gift and... Oh god. What. The. Fuck

“Katrina Hawkins, what the fuck is this?” I ask Kat, holding up the sweater and turning it around for Zachary and Van to see.

“That's amazing!” Zachary cackles loudly, while Van and Kat stifle their giggles. 

“It's a sweater, silly! I saw it and thought it looked exactly like you two so I had to get it, and Zachary hates knitted sweaters but they fit your whole” Kat points at me, up and down “Vibe you've got going on so I got it for you!” 

“You're so right that's definitely us!” Zachary says, tears of laughter brimming in his eyes. “Im the Dragon and Dors the… Bear?” 

“If you like it so much you can have it” I throw the sweater at Zachary, “It's the worst thing I’ve ever seen. And I once walked in on The Keeper post-shower. Ugh,” I shiver. “It's actually dreadful! Horrendous! Unacceptable!” I say, adding a shitty Lemongraab impression to the end of the sentence, something I've unintentionally done ever since meeting Kat. “Where did you even find this? The 6th circle of hell?” 

“That doesn't matter! Stop being a sourpuss and try it on!” She says, taking the sweater from Zachary's lap and tossing it back to me.

“Absolutely not.” 

“Yes, you absolutely will. That sweater was 45 dollars!”

“You spent 45 dollars on this? It's horrific! I can't even tell what the white animal is supposed to be! And in what world would a Dragon and a Bear-Cat thing even be friends? And hold hands!” 

I realize while speaking, that I'm fighting a losing battle.

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll put it on. But I want the receipt.”

I look at myself in the bathroom mirror and can't help but let out a laugh. I will admit, I don't hate the sweater entirely. I mean it's awful, but it is a pretty color. Maybe if I wear it backwards it'll be better for everyday wear?

“Ready yourselves!” I call from behind the bathroom door. When I come out of the bathroom, Zachary, Van, and Kat are sitting in a semi-circle like a group of kindergarteners with their hands over their eyes. “Open your eyes in 3, 2, 1”

“That's absolutely incredible” Zachary laughs. 

“Oh my god” Van giggles

“What a strapping young lad! It fits you great!” Kat says with a smile. “Maybe since you clearly love it so much this is a good time to tell you I donthavethereceiptanymore” she says the last part quickly, hiding her face between her hands. 

Oh my god. I'm stuck with this sweater.

“I need another drink”