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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 1:44:47 GMT -5
Anthony admitted, he did need a bath. Though he had got kicked out of his apartment just that evening, it had been a long while since he had showered, to be honest. He shuffled his way towards the bathroom, taking everything in and nodding slowly. Anthony took in the aroma of the house: cheap cologne and wine. He preferred beer, but he liked wine, too. Actually, any alcoholic beverage was fine with him, which was a bit of a problem.
Anthony stepped into the small, but tidy, bathroom. Leaving the door cracked, he wasn't one for safety and he wasn't exactly used to privacy. He slipped his clothes off, throwing them across the floor. His ribs were protruding from his chest, he was obviously half starved. He stepped into the shower, turning the water on. He let the hot water run down his body and wash away some of the dirt and grime. He had trouble locating the bars of soap but found them in time. It was pretty simple: Lather, rinse, repeat, scrub, lather, rinse, etc.
-half an hour or so later-
He turned the water off reluctantly, he had enjoyed the shower. He stepped out, dripping water all over the tile flooring. He shrugged, he could clean it up later. He looked around the small room, trying to locate the towels. He found them hanging on a small metal rack, and took one, letting it slide easily from the rack. He dried himself quickly, shaking his head to dry his hair a bit. He wrapped the towel round his waist tightly. He smiled, feeling refreshed and sober.
Anthony stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. It was nice, small and cozy. He looked at the clothes Evan had set out for him. They looked a bit big, but they would do for now. He was about to slip off his towel, when he smelled some sort of food. He stopped, letting his hands drop to his side. Taking in the wonderful scent, he closed his eyes, thinking of fried chicken.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 2:10:21 GMT -5
Evan searched his refrigerator and fridge until he found some sort of microwaveable fried chicken he had bought a while back but had never cooked. He thought it would be good, since Ant loved fried chicken so much. Reading the instructions on how to cook it, he went over to the microwave and followed them. It was relatively simple. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels while he was waiting. Finally, the microwave beeped, and Evan walked back into the kitchen. Grabbing a small hand towel thing, he opened the microwave and took out the steaming plastic place/bowl thing the chicken had come it. It had turned out pretty well, it seemed.
He guessed that Ant was dressed by then. He thought that the shower had been off for at least ten minutes. But as he opened the door and walked in, focusing on not dropping the chicken and not burning himself, he didn't realize that Anthony was, in fact, not dressed. He looked up, eyebrows raising in surprise, then shrugged. At least he had a towel on. If he hadn't Evan would have turned and left, completely embarrassed. But he set the chicken on the dresser and just stood there, starting at Ant and not really knowing what the crap to do.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 2:22:19 GMT -5
Anthony's head spun around to the door as it slowly creaked open. He looked like a deer caught in headlights as he saw Evan enter the room. He blushed, Well, this is embarrassing. But he forgot almost completely that he was wearing only a small towel around his waist in front of his best friend whom he hadn't seen in years when he saw the fried chicken. His eyes lit up at the site of it and he licked his lips.
The he remembered how awkward it was in the room, even the dead silence was awkward. He took a step towards Evan so that they were but a foot apart. He cocked his head sideways, as if to kiss him. He was planning a swift game of Gay Chicken. He and Evan had often played this game when they were younger, it was quite childish, but they had never actually kissed before. One had always chickened out, crowning the other King of Gay Chicken and ultimately the superior one. This time, Anthony knew he wasn't going to back out.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 2:31:05 GMT -5
Evan smiled as he saw the happy expression on Ant's face, completely forgetting the awkwardness of the moment. He thought Ant was only going to step past him, but he didn't... Evan knew why in a flash. Gay Chicken. He loved that game and played with every guy who wouldn't freak out when Evan got within two feet of them. And that usually left... Ant. He shrugged again in his head, and knew one thing. He wasn't going to be chicken. He had chickened out last time, so many years ago, and he wasn't going to chicken out this time. No way.
He didn't know they were that close, because he had closed his eyes to make it seem more realistic. The more real you were, the more likely you were to freak out the other person and make them back down. And in public, it really freaked people out. But he felt his lips touch Ant's, and was confused for a second. But he didn't pull back. There was no way he was going to be Chicken this time. They had never gotten this far, though they had been close several times before. He guessed that Gay Chicken would continue to kissing if no one backed out before. He knew it wouldn't mean anything, it was just something crazy friends did. Well, crazy, insane friends.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 2:42:52 GMT -5
Anthony was surprised, it was normally Evan who was the one to back out, but this time, he didn't. Well, he wasn't going to stop there and give Evan the thrill of being King. He pinned against the wall with his arms. If anyone were to walk into the room at that moment, they would have believed it was a true kiss. Now what? Anthony didn't know what to do from there, it would've been awkward to kiss forever. So he french kissed him.
It was the weirdest thing he had ever done. He decided he didn't like the taste of guys' mouths.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 2:53:00 GMT -5
So neither was going to back out, eh? Evan's stubborn side got a hold of him, and he hardly move when Ant pinned against the wall. He, also, quickly decided that he didn't like the taste of guys' mouths, either. He had never doubted his sexuality, but this set it in stones. No, diamond. He only ever wanted to kiss girls. Never, EVER guys. He'd sooner die.
But still, he didn't chicken out. Mainly because he couldn't go anywhere for being pinned against the wall. Well, that was an excuse for his stubborn refusal to give in this time. Ant always joked about his being the one to usually chicken out, and he wasn't about to let that happen again right now. They had just met again, and Evan had learned to have a stiff back when he needed to through the years. It was a good thing he didn't have a roommate.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 3:13:55 GMT -5
Anthony backed away slowly, giving in. He was breathing heavily. "Well... " he said, scratching his head awkwardly. "That was... Yeah... " Anthony backed away slowly, snatching up the clothes. He backed into the bathroom, closing the door. He made sure to lock it this time. It was awkward, but it actually wasn't half bad. Maybe it was because Anthony had a slight crush on Evan, or because he had actually kissed girls who had a worse taste, he wasn't sure.
He slipped the towel loose from his waist, letting it hit the floor around him. He pulled the clothes on quickly, not really liking the fact of being naked in somewhere besides his own home. He looked into the mirror and noted how scrawny he looked in the clothes. Wow.
Anthony stepped out of the bathroom, it was still awkward. He had to pull his pants up when they nearly slid off. "You got a belt I could use?"
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 3:27:14 GMT -5
Evan pulled away at the same time as Ant, coughing in an embarassed fashion. He didn't really listen to what Ant said, just nodded and muttered under his breath, looking anywhere but at his friend. He felt the heat in his face - no doubt that his neck, cheeks, and ears were as scarlet as the ends of his hair. He turned his back, even as he heard the door to the bathroom shut and the lock click into place. He faced the wall, thinking Well, that was the dumbest thing you have ever done, no doubt about it! And no matter how many times he swollowe and cleared his throat, he couldn't get a horrible taste out of his mouth.
"Uh... Yeah..." he said, opening the door to the closet again and pulling out an extra belt. He didn't look at Ant as he handed it to him, still very embarassed. He took a step back and forced himself to look at Ant. With a serious expression, he said the second biggest thing he was thinking right then. "You taste like cigarettes and beer, man!" Spitting on his sleeve, he wiped it inside his mouth and on his tongue, trying unsucessfully to get rid of the taste.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 3:38:15 GMT -5
"Oh, yeah, sorry..." He took the belt from him, trying to make little eye contact. He slipped it through the belt loops, putting it on the tightest hole. Once he had put the belt on, he stared at his feet. He walked around Evan slowly, sitting down on his bed, still staring at his feet. Then he noticed something odd: he wasn't wearing shoes. He must have left them at his apartment- well, what used to be his apartment, when he was leaving... Too late to get them back now. "I don't have any shoes."
He fell backwards on the bed, spreading his arms wide. "Say, what about that fried chicken... ? It's gonna get cold if we don't eat it soon... " He smiled as he thought of fried chicken. He hadn't had it in years. Actually, he hadn't had a true meal in what had seemed forever, normally living off beer and the occasional turkey sandwich. He never learned how to cook, what with going to jail and such, but now he wished he had.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 3:49:25 GMT -5
Evan didn't say anything and just returned to his closet to search for shoes. He was wearing his black cowboy boots like usual, and he thought that those were the only shoes that he still owned. But he found a pair of flip flots in his closet. He muttered to himself as he examined them. "Now where the freak did these come from?..." Normally, he might have cursed, but he was trying to do better with his language now a days as well as his drug usage. He searched for another minute, and failed to find anything. Retreating, he dropped the flip flops at Ant's feet without a word and sat down as well.
He burst out laughing at Ant's words. He couldn't help it. He clutched his sides as he got two side stitches from laughing so hard. Tears stung his eyes. The words had just broken the silence and Evan was glad it had. Finally, he got himself under control and stood, going to get the chicken, his shoulders still shaking with surpressed laughter. "And sorry, those are all I have," he explained, gesturing to the flip flops. He sat back down on the bed and put the chicken between himself and Ant. "Never a word to anyone. It was a tie. Agreed?" He tried to be serious, and completely failed. He could hardly choke out the last word before he started laughing yet again.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 16:07:31 GMT -5
Anthony quickly realized how exhausted he was. He was always tired after taking a hot shower. He blindly searched for the fried chicken, finding it he grabbed a drum stick. He took a bite out of it, but before he had finished chewing it he fell asleep, knocked out by sudden weariness.
He fell into a dream, yes he literally fell into it. He landed with a thud, but where was he? He looked around, slowly getting to his feet. He was in some sort of Savanna. There were hyenas around him, all laughing madly. He back away slowly, only to hit a large Eucalyptus tree. "You're one of us now," they all seemed to be laughing at him. He quickly ran through a gap between them. They started chasing after him, laughing as they went. He tripped over something unseen, falling to the ground. He slowly transformed into one of them, laughing the same cruel laugh. "Help... The hyenas..." he whispered in his sleep, and a cold sweat began to run down his face.
He woke with a start. "Oh, just a dream," he swallowed. Then he laughed, but it was the same cruel laugh the hyenas had taunted him with.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 16:21:52 GMT -5
Evan watched with confused as Ant just seemingly passed out right there. Then he shrugged to himself. Peeling off a little of the skin on the chicken, he ate that then plucked out the meat it left open for the picking. He wasn't that hungry, so he didn't eat much, intending to put it in the refrigerator when he had eaten just a little, to be later warmed up, probably for Ant's breakfast. He started to stand, then he heard Ant mutter something about hyenas. Evan glanced back at his friend, even more confused. A nightmare? Probably.
Evan didn't laugh along with Ant. He couldn't surpress a shiver at that laughter. It was cruel sounding, and he didn't like it. But then he shrugged and smiled at Ant. "Well, ya gonna eat or you want me to put it in the fridge? It's almost midnight and you need some sleep... Good sleep, I mean."
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 16:35:50 GMT -5
Anthony shrugged. "I'm not that hungry... anymore." His mind was now far off, he couldn't help but wonder why this dream had freaked him out so much. One of them? He had had dreams similar to that one, but they always got more frightening. He knew what it was about: the talismans. He was still tired, but he was afraid to go back to sleep, he didn't want another dream, another sleepless night.
Anthony sat up, setting the almost untouched drum stick on the bed. "Do you have a spare tooth brush, per chance? Or any tooth brush?" He laughed that horrible laugh again, and it sent chills down his own spine. "Evan... ?" he asked hesitantly. "Do you have dreams about... animals?" He wiped the sweat off his brow.
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Post by Waddle on May 25, 2010 16:45:11 GMT -5
Evan tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace, and he knew it. "Yeah, I got a spare one, somewhere..." he trailed off, not following up with Ant's laugh once again. "Animals?" Sweat broke out along his back, sticking his shirt to his skin. What did Ant mean, 'animals'? Talismans? But, no... The coyote had said there weren't that many in the world. Ant couldn't be talking about talismans. The chances of them both having talismans must have been one to a thousand. Or none existent. Surely it was just a bad dream.
He knew he was just trying to protect Ant. Evan, himself, had gotten into a countless amount of fights with other talismans, some had come close to life and death situations in this town. He just didn't want Ant to face that as well. But, if Ant was a talisman... He was letting his mind go crazy with ideas, and he stopped it to try and say something. "Yeah... I guess so..." He shrugged helplessly.
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Post by Anty on May 25, 2010 17:14:35 GMT -5
Anthony blinked. "Oh. Okay," Evan must have thought him crazy. But maybe he was. He had never met anyone else who had heard of the talismans. Maybe it was all the alcohol? No, he had had the dreams when he was sober. "Evan? Do you think I'm crazy? Are the talismans all in my head?" Anthony rose from the bed, walking to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, then, scooping water into his hands, he splashed it onto his face, as if to wake himself from a dream back into reality.
Turning the faucet off, he looked into the mirror. What he saw wasn't himself, but rather a gaunt figure staring back at him, scarred by the past, metaphorically. But it was literal too, his nose was crooked from a bar fight with a man who was now his closest friend. His cheeks were sunken in and thin and his green eyes were sullen. He smiled into the mirror, and his teeth were stained and chipped, but he had no intention of fixing them, it added character, in his opinion. "Well, you're certainly not as beautiful as you used to be," he told himself quietly.
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