forum childhood friends to enemies to lovers with powers sprinkled in//oxo//closed

Started November 02, 2020 by @MusicElle-is-here

tune

"Alright, please give me a moment.", he chirped before heading over to the line. It appeared to go by pretty fast unlike the ones at the grocery store. Atticus normally drank long black since it was the one that his stepdad and mom would always buy. Personally he's more into espressos and loves whipped cream. He ordered two espresso con pannas hoping that it would be okay.

It was not long till Nova City realized they had a serial killer; the first one in over three decades. The police department had to call in federal agents to help them cause it was so bizarre from the start. Atticus begun to watch the case very carefully from afar. Four weeks ago, they gave the killer the nickname "Swinging Serial Killer" after figuring out the weapon used to kill was a scythe. Sadly that is the only thing those stupid feds and cops could ever get. When news about the fourth murder came up, he decided to get Adonais involved.

The dinging sound from the bell startled him. Impressive, he thought he'd have to wait for the drinks. Atticus picked them both up then proceeded to slowly walked over to the table. "This is a medium espresso con pannas with extra cream. I hope it's good.", he grinned while setting the cup down. He placed his down then sat down letting out a short yawn.

Silas took the drink gratefully, taking a cautious sip before realizing he actually did like it. He took another, longer sip before smiling at Atticus. “Yeah, it’s pretty good,” he said. He then noticed Atticus’s yawn. “Long night?”

It was hardly Silas’s place to talk on that, knowing he had his own eyebags and his normally warm light brown complexion was more pale from staying indoors most days. He definitely thought he looked like a ghost lately, and sometimes felt he was becoming one too. Maybe it would be better for everyone if he did, just becoming intangible forever like the phantom he was. Maybe that’d be his grand finale, after he’d taken down all of the heroes he deemed unworthy. It had a kind of grim circularity to it, in a way.

Silas cleared his mind again. No need to bring down the mood here with his unpleasant thoughts. God, can’t you pretend to be a decent person for twenty minutes? he berated himself, making sure he still had a smile on his face. He’d always been good at faking happy.

Anyway, he realized that Atticus might be having as much as a rough time sleeping as him. While Atticus definitely looked stronger and more confident, he also looked a bit worn out. It was hard to tell at first from his energetic attitude, but just underneath the surface Silas could see the tiredness Atticus was probably trying to hide.

"So so.", Atticus whispered giving a reassuring smile then proceeded to take a sip,"You look like you could use a shot of espresso too." The drink helped giving him an extra boost in energy; he's going to need every drop he can get just in case anything happens. Sleeping on his bad shoulder did not help with the stress from that night. All it has been is sitting behind his desk waiting for the emergency phone to go off. Sleeping would only mean a higher risk of missing a distress call. Looking back at it, he could have slept in another hour or so, but then he would've missed crossing paths with Silas.

Adjusting his sweater, he sat up straight in the seat. The wide grin on his face rested in contrast to the dimming light in his eyes. Enough about him though, Atticus has so many questions to ask. At the same time, he doesn't not knowing where to begin. It's not like he is interrogating his friend, what kind of random reunion would that be?

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine; I can handle it. My hands might be full with studying, swimming, training, and babysitting, but it won't make me exhausted." Hell, he can run around Nova City five times in a row yet you will still not find him collapsing from fatigue. Atticus stared out the window as he took another sip. He saw Silas grinning in the corner of his eye. It was hard to hold back a bigger smile that formed on his face."What've you been up to Silas? Are you still training too?"

Silas's mind raced for a good lie. He had been expecting this question, so it didn't catch him unprepared, but still. It really seemed like Atticus was keeping busy. It was just like to have fifty thousand things to do but still manage to take time out of his day for a friend. "Oh, not too much. I got my own apartment, which is nice, and as for training, I've taken a break. I'm kind of taking a gap year right now. I had kind of a rough breakup recently, so I've been trying to take some time for myself." That part, at least, wasn't entirely fiction. He had broken up with Sharktooth about a month or two before he started his official run as Phantom. Before that, he'd just been a boy who was practically a villain, not yet a fully fledged killer. In fact, he hadn't crossed paths with the other villain in weeks. He'd completely moved locations and gotten a new burner phone so Sharktooth couldn't contact him.

To avoid saying any more, Silas took another sip of coffee. The expresso was a bit rejuvenating, and he felt a bit more awake than he had in several days. "Other than that, I've been pretty okay," he finally added as a last statement. "It seems like you're keeping yourself busy. Classic Atticus." Silas let himself give the other boy another small smile, realizing that he hadn't truly given anyone a full smile in a very long time. This was still only a partial smile, but it was more than he'd really felt in months, and despite Silas's desire to not be here right now, the smile was real. He truly did enjoy spending time with Atticus. He'd almost forgotten what actually liking someone felt like. Whatever.

Leaning close to the table, he used his free hand taking a hold of Silas's hand. Atticus's bottom lip puffed out as he frowned. Breakups are tough to get through, even for a "hero" like himself. He wished he could've been there for Silas to comfort him or cheer him up. His friend seemed to be okay now, perhaps they can plan another get together sometime. "I'm sure you were better off without them, it's alright.", Atticus nodded while rubbing the top part of Silas's hand before letting go. Thank the spirits, Silas was doing okay.

He remembered how the two of them would always talk about being a superhero duo. After the accident, it seemed like the possibility of being one was making things brighter again. They were still younger then although they still are now. Atticus is not sure if that will ever happen. Understandable to take a year off, the training requirements are insane. What's even more crazier is how half of it wasn't a trouble to him. To pass the tests, you have to be mentally and emotionally fit too; that's why Nova City and all the others only have so many.

Atticus leaned back in the seat laughing at what Silas had said about him being busy. "Classic Atticus.", he chortled,"Well, what else would I do? I cannot lay back and waste what my parents given me."

Silas smiled ruefully, though he had gone a bit pink at the physical contact. An awful feeling was starting to trickle its way into his stomach. Guilt. Shit. He'd been so good about keeping himself numb that the notion of feeling everything again was terrifying. And seeing Atticus was making him feel things again. This was going to be a problem. But right now Silas had to concentrate on this conversation. He could come up with a solution later.

"You never were one to be able to sit idly by," he mused, leaning back in his chair as well. "Even as a kid, you had more energy than I ever did. It's good to see you're still just as driven. It's good to know you're doing all right too." All of that was the truth. Despite Silas's anger and even a tinge of resentment towards Atticus, he was glad that Atticus was doing well. Underneath all of the bad feelings, there was a well of good feelings. A well trapped underneath Silas's growing guilt. For the first time in a while, he had to struggle to keep his emotions in check.

Comfortably numb. Comfortably numb. That was his motto. That was how he lived now. Why was it so hard for him suddenly? His eyes stung with unshed tears. What the hell? He blinked them away quickly, glad none of them escaped. If Atticus had noticed the fast blinking Silas could just play it off as there being something in his eye. He focused back in on Atticus, taking another few sips of his drink. It helped drown out the feelings a little bit.

"True, your relaxation and quietness complimented my abundance of energy. You're the yin to my yang even after all these years we haven't seen each other." Atticus did not say anything else for the next few moments. Gazing around, he managed to see Silas blink multiple times in just a matter of seconds. Was something wrong? Asking whether or not he was okay might just end up with a vague response. Of course it is not any of his business per say, but Atticus was always concerned with what was on Silas's mind; it'd take days for him to open up.

He got up from his seat to get some napkins. Rushing over, he had to twist and turn to not pump into anyone. Worst thing that could happen is him having to pay for anything broken. Atticus pulled out twelve napkins then sat them down next to Silas's cup. Moments ago it appeared his friend needed them. Something could've been in his eye or maybe Atticus brought something up as they talked.

Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out a little notebook and a pen. He ripped a corner of a page off writing his number on it sliding the paper across the table. Not sure where to the conversation next, he found a way to maintain it in the future. "If the espresso is too much, I have a bottle of water. It's fine." , he stated while putting the small notepad away. Again Atticus had to adjust himself in the seat before sitting up against it again. A light shade of pink formed on his cheeks as he maintained a simple smile.

Silas blinked again, taken aback by the simple gesture of kindness. "Thank you," he said quietly. He searched his mind for a good lie, finding one that was true enough to be easy to say. "Things have just been kind of shitty since the breakup…I thought I was getting better but I guess I'm still not over it. And seeing you made me sad we never hang out anymore." He blinked quickly again, doing his best not to start crying. Despite his efforts, a tear still managed to escape. "Sorry…this is pathetic. We just saw each other for the first time in years and I'm crying." He gave a shaky laugh. "Guess I'm not as tough as I thought."

Silas took several more moments to compose himself, breathing out deeply before wiping his eyes. He took off his beanie and ran a hand through his messy hair before replacing the beanie again. Then he cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. I normally don't cry when I see my friends." He chuckled, trying to play it off.

"No don't be, I probably will end up doing the same soon. Real toughness is showing your true self and emotions. I know you, you have some power.", Atticus insisted,"It's always a pleasure to be with you, I do not mind helping if needed." He slowly leaned over to wipe the tear off forgetting about the napkins he had brought over. Picking one up, he shook his head dabbing it near the corner of his eyes.

An ache started to settle in his chest again. It was too ambiguous to figure out whether or not it's cause of his cheeks blushing or what. He tried to smooth it not trying to make a fuss. The bottle of tylenol sat in the plastic bag. Medication cannot help with this one. What is it now? Nothing seemed out of the blue besides the sounds of shots; oh. Now he felt bad he's going to have come up with a lie and run out of there. Seriously, Atticus has been waiting for the moment to reconnect with his friend only for it be interrupted because of something.

Pulling the cup of coffee to the edge of the table, he kept his eyes averted away. Suddenly his phone went off making loud vibrations. Atticus made the cup of coffee spill on his shoes as he shot up from the chair. Goddamnit. Not enough time for him to clean it up, this makes him feel so guilty right now. "Silas, I'm so sorry. My mom is having some sort of emergency at work; just, please, call me later. I hope I didn't bother you or cause any convenience. Stay safe! Bye!"

Atticus picked up his bag then darted over to the back of the building through the exit. The notification popped up revealing that it was a bank robbery down the street. Shutting it, he fully unzipped the bag becoming Adonais in a matter of seconds dashing off.

Silas watched him run off, frowning. He cleaned up the coffee, using the napkins to soak it up. Who’d have thought a villain could be so polite? He chuckled to himself, trying to calm the raging sea of emotions that was dying to break free. Was Atticus’s mom okay? That seemed like an awfully quick, deliberate exit. For what it was worth, Atticus seemed truly sorry. And he’d definitely been feeling something before Atticus had abruptly left. Okay, that was it. It he was going to feel something, it wasn’t going to be guilt or despair. No. He was going to go do something. Something fun.

After finishing up his coffee, Silas left the shop, looking around and then heading back to his lair. He quickly brainstormed a plan. No murder this time. That might be satisfying sometimes but not fun, ever. Well, one thing he could do was watch a movie. No guilt involved.

When he was younger, he’d always loved the Harry Potter movies. Maybe watching the first one would help him pretend that he wasn’t feeling the way he was. It was easy to get lost in the fiction like he’d always done. When he was reading a book or watching a movie, he could pretend he was someone else. He cried some more as he popped in the used DVD, letting all of the emotions out as Harry found out he was a wizard and went to Hogwarts. By the end of the movie, Silas was back to feeling numb. Just like he always did.

Everything within a mile radius of the bank was dead silent. Getting in through the entrance will be a pain noting how there's two men with guns there and news reporters hidden somewhere in the distance. Atticus patted the side of his mask while creeping over to the side. There stood two black vans with the back doors open. No one else is there, they all must be inside. Ambulance and police sirens were blaring giving him the perfect opportunity to flip the vans over having the sound drowned out. A bag of zip-ties fell out after tossing the second van over. He picked it up shoving it into his trench coat.

He jumped through a broken window rolling to hide behind a column. A child was hiding behind another one across from him having his little jade colored eyes stare up. One of the criminals stood there looking menacingly. Atticus got up sprinting behind the criminal slamming him down to the ground. Taking the gun, he shot another robber in the foot and a third in the knee. Catching the others' attentions, he chucked the gun in the leader's face. There had to twelve of them in total, wasn't long till each one of them was on the marble floor with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

Atticus stood there in the middle looking up at the security camera. Using his two arms, he crossed the left over the right making the sign for protect. He dragged each robber outside forcing them to kneel in front of everyone. One of them mumbled some curses asking who the hell he was. Quietly, Atticus whispered,"Adonais." Next he headed back in to make sure the boy was okay. The little child was sitting at the side of his mother who was unconscious. He picked up the mother leading the boy outside over to an ambulance. After that, he disappeared out of everyone's sight.

At home, all the feelings from before came back. The yawning and the warmth in his face returned as he flopped onto the sofa. Atticus still felt terrible for having to leave Silas like that. His stomach felt like butterflies were flying around thinking about his friend. Staring at his phone, he wondered if Silas would call him soon; he could only hope.

Silas had fallen asleep on the couch, having cried some of his emotions out he was exhausted. He woke up to see the news on the new hero, recognizing Adonais with a sneer. What a righteous little hero. Silas shook his head. He had bigger things to worry about right now. He went over to the wall he'd been using as a brainstorming wall, covered with posters, photographs, and many other things besides. He studied it, working on his plan some more. He started when he heard a thud. Someone had fallen–or jumped–from the roof. He turned towards the doorway, his fight or flight ready. There was more than enough evidence in here for it to be incriminating, but not enough for anyone to make any sort of guess as to his actual plan.

"So this is where you've been hiding." A familiar voice. It took him only a few moments to recognize the voice as belonging to his ex, Sharktooth. Or, as Silas had known him, Evan.

"What do you want, Evan?" Silas asked, the tiredness apparent in his voice and body language.

"I just wanted to pop in and check on you," Sharktooth said, walking into the space. It had once been an abandoned building, the kind of place that the occasional homeless person would hang out in, but Silas had been refurbishing the inside. He supposed it might be time to relocate, if Sharktooth could find him. But the other young man did know Silas better than anyone else did at the moment. Atticus might know who Silas used to be, but Evan knew just how messed up Silas was on the inside.

"Like hell you did," spat Silas. "Leave."

"Not yet," Evan mused, looking around at the cracked screen of Silas's old television and the ratty, moth-eaten couch. "I really like what you've done with the place." He smirked.

"Shut up, Evan. Seriously, leave me alone."

"I'm sorry if I came off as mean, I really am, but I'm concerned for you, Silas," Evan said, voice as smooth as butter. That should've tipped Silas off the first time they met, but he had been feeling reckless at that point, not caring about himself anymore at all. And he still didn't, if he was honest. He was just tired of having to deal with this bullshit.

"No, you're not. Stop trying to manipulate me. I said I was done, Evan, and I meant it. So leave me alone!"

"I just wanted to say sorry–"

"You just wanted to manipulate me into being with you again!" he yelled, frustrated. His face was red, tears threatening to spill for the second time that day. How could the stone-hearted killer turn into a hurt, scared boy so fast?

An hour had passed since the bank heist, the news finally had something else besides the Swinging Serial Killer to talk about. Sooner or later they should find out it is Phantom who is behind it. Out of all the many questions Atticus has, he wondered who is behind Phantom. Those bank robbers do not even match up to the level of vileness the villain possesses. Weird how the people found Adonais faster than Phantom. Users on Super Watch usually have a lot more information on villains than superheroes when it comes to first impressions.

Seeing himself on the television gave him a numb feeling. He did not really want to be recognized, hell, he has only been doing this for a year. A good amount of heroes do not get the media's attention till they're not rookies. It just felt weird seeing himself on the news watching him kick those guys' asses. In a way, it was like he was watching Adonais fight, not Atticus.

Atticus sighed as he got up from the sofa making his way to the kitchen. He hadn't eaten at all today and it's almost noon. There was a box of mini pizza bagels in the freezer, he'll just have that then some of that cereal from the grocery store. He put a tray of them in the oven then stared at his phone again. Something did not feel right again; he did not have a chest pain like when there's an actual stress call, it was completely different from that. Is Silas okay?

"No, I swear I don't," wheedled Evan, taking a few steps closer to Silas. "C'mon, imagine how much more powerful we could be together. We could do so much more than just kill a couple of the worst superheroes out there. Seriously, are you targeting the weak, stupid ones or something? You should take out a real hero like Iron Fist."

At the irony of that, Silas snapped to attention again. "Hah. You know that I was originally going to become a hero, so I know better than you that Iron Fist doesn't deserve his title." Luckily, Evan didn't know that Iron Fist was Silas's dad, but he had gotten scarily close to discovering it once. The good thing was that Evan was selfish enough not to really care about Silas's family.

"Perhaps," Evan supplied. "Is that it? You think you're being righteous? You consider yourself the grim reaper now, getting to decide which heroes die and which live? You really are pathetic. If you think you're doing the right thing, you're even more dumb than I thought."

"Get. The fuck. Out." Silas whispered, his tone becoming deadly. He was already feeling like his emotions had been put into washer and rung out, but everyone snapped at some point. "Get out right now or I'm going to fucking kill you."

Evan laughed awkwardly, putting his hands up. "Hey, hey. Calm down there, tiger. No need to overreact."

"Then leave," hissed Silas. "Leave right now."

After several moments of debating, Evan turned and walked towards the door, which was falling off of its hinges. Before he left, he turned towards Silas with a smirk. "I'll see you around, Phantom. You can't get rid of me that easily." Then he was gone, and for the second time that day, Silas collapsed on the couch.

He waited until he didn't think he would burst into tears at any second to call Atticus. He felt more or less stable, doing his best to remain numb. It was the only way to get through the mass of emotions churning in his gut. Quieting them, repressing them until he couldn't feel anything. He hadn't been ready for the one-two punch of seeing Atticus and Evan in the same day, but at least something about being with Atticus reminded Silas of the person he used to be. The person he would give anything to be again. Hopeful, wishful, and happy. At least, a lot more happy than he'd been since Charlie had died.

Silas called Atticus then, sitting curled up on his couch, looking like a mess. He sighed as the dial tone sounded, then spoke. "Hi, Atticus. It's Silas."

As he waited for the pizza bagels to be ready, he wandered around the apartment trying to shake the odd feeling off. It had enough room for him, his stepdad, and mom. The place gets very warm when you're walking in circles wearing a heavy black sweater. Oven timer lit up showing that there was only four minutes left.

Atticus walked out his room in a white tank top when he heard a knock at the door. It wasn't Silas, he's sure he didn't bring up that he moved to another apartment on the east side since they last met. Three minutes left on the timer. Exhaling, he ambled over only to see that no one was there; till something was tugging on his pants. It was only just Addy.

Addy, Adeline, is the daughter of Miss Hepburn, who happens to be Atticus's next door neighbor. Her mom works in emergency medicine so he is always stuck with the little one. He's been babysitting her since she could walk. She is a good kid for being five years old, always talking about heroes seemingly knowing more about them than he does.

"Your mom's on call?", he asked. Atticus stuck his head out to take a look around. On the side there was a small window to look out of. Faint sounds of cars and ambulances could be heard in the background.

The little stared down at the floor as she nodded. Her blond curls hid her sad face. "Something about bad guys.", she faltered. Must be the injuries from the bank heist. Thankfully there were no reported fatalities on site.

Timer dinged in the background saying there's a few seconds left till the food was done. Addy glanced up holding her arms out. Smiling, Atticus picked her up while covering her head. Sadly he's accidentally bumped her head against the top of the door more than once. He closed the door then the timer went off; so did his phone. Silas. Atticus turned off the timer and oven, then picked up his phone. The smile on his face grew wider realizing it was who he's expected. Addy wiggled out of his grasp rushing over to the sofa.

"Hey Silas!", he hummed,"What's going on? I'm sorry about leaving you so suddenly back there. You okay?"

"It's fine, no problem! How's your mom?" Silas responded, chipper as ever. Well, chipper enough to be convincing but not so chipper as to be suspicious. For all of his issues, Silas actually did hope Atticus's mom was all right. To distract himself from any dark thoughts, Silas turned on a television program in the background. Everything would be fine, or at least Silas would pretend it was. He was a master at pretending, having had lots of practice faking that he was okay since middle school. Even when he was happy, more or less, back when he and Atticus were friends, he still had to fake a smile too much of the time.

Silas laid back against the ratty old couch, something about the worn out cushions was both comforting and a sad reminder of what his life had come to. He didn't want to think about that, though. Atticus expected him to still be somewhat happy and to not be a hero killer with a falling-apart life and emotions.

Right, his mom. Earlier he got a text from her saying they were fine and hid in the classroom. It wasn't a call from her that made his phone set off in the cafe though. Atticus got a message from her while he was fighting the robbers; he only saw it when coming home. "She's fine, thanks. They put a lock-down order cause the university is close to that bank on the news; it got lifted just awhile ago."

Atticus took out the tray of pizza bagels setting them down at the table. He held the phone between his right ear and shoulder while going about. Addy was talking to herself making commentary on whatever was on the television. The metal cling sound from the tray made her jump over the sofa resulting in a large thud. With his opposite hand, he took the phone away from his ear to make a shush sound before putting it back in its previous place. She giggled while waddling over to grab paper plates.

Silas's voice sounded a little stuffy even though it was cheery. Did he catch a cold on the way home? Weather outside did start to get a bit chillier, but he ruled that out. Atticus figured they could talk about that later. "Wanna hang out sometime soon again?", he asked. He reached over stealing a pizza bagel from Addy's plate. She shouted,"No!" then proceeded to steal one from his.

“Sure,” Silas responded, nonchalant. Yes. Good. Hopefully Atticus didn’t notice that his nose was still a bit stuffy from his crying earlier. “Are with someone right now? I can call at a different time if it’s more convenient.” He could hear metal banging and a girl’s voice in the background. Was Atticus babysitting or something? It was like him to do that sort of thing.

It was this that made Silas think about how Atticus only cared now because they happened to run into each other. Part of what had driven him to his life of crime (he thought it was funny when people said things like that) was how he felt like a background character in the lives of others. They only cared when he was face to face with them. Maybe his manipulative ex boyfriend and equally manipulative parents weren’t the best examples, but even to his friends, Silas felt like a second choice. Evan’s right, you are pathetic, a voice in his head taunted. He closed his eyes, trying to block everything out. Maybe he shouldn’t hang out with Atticus. He’d rather not start crying in public again.

Atticus beamed hearing Silas say yes. He already was planning what they could. Where could they go next? The park? Sounds like a good place to meet up around the afternoon or so. Just as long as Silas is okay with walking or hanging out by the swings. He'll have to check with him on it though. Not to mention hopefully there won't be a lot of emergencies, surprises, and murders. Thinking about the murders can make his blood boil at any second.

"No no no, you're perfectly fine. I thought it was my day off but my neighbor is on call so I have to watch Addy till she comes back. Silas, you're good.", he assured,"Please don't worry, I love talking to you; I missed our talks so much. I feel very lucky to be able to call you." The little girl shot a glance at him when hearing her name. He just waved his hand motioning her to go do something else. She went into a room only to come back with a box of crayons and papers. The rest of the pizza bagels were gone, damn it.

Addy stood beside him trying to get the phone from out of his hand. Probably to just say hi or tell Silas something incredibly weird Atticus has done in the past. Atticus patted her head then went over to the sofa again. "Did you eat yet?"

“No, I haven’t had time,” Silas lied. The truth was that he’d been neglecting his health—mental and physical—for a while and it was getting worse. Not to mention his fight with Evan made any sort of appetite he had disappear. He chuckled. “You know how it is. Even when you don’t purposefully pile your schedule with tasks, there’s always something.”

Silas gazed blankly at the television screen. It was a good thing he snuck up on people as Phantom instead of facing them head on because his physical strength couldn’t handle a battle with one of the more competent ones. There just didn’t seem to be a reason for Silas to care anymore and despite Atticus’s reassurances, Silas didn’t really think talking to him was Atticus’s first choice of what to do with his evening. Silas was just worn out now—his emotions and ability to care slowly draining away. Yet another reason skipping meals and just generally neglecting self care helped him be numb.

It does not sound like Silas is doing good at all. Atticus might not know what the situation is, but he can find a way to cheer his friend up. He already passed asking questions about the rapid eye blinking and the stuffiness. Ignoring whatever elephant is in the room is not a good thing. To him, a friend should never do that. "Come over, I'll make you something. Do you still like macaroni and cheese or is there anything you want?" Pushing out questions made him feel weary; wasn't any help that his heart felt like it was struggling to stay a float.

He looked over at Addy who stared back at him with a puzzled look. Atticus was not worried about having Silas and Addy here at the same time; that would mean two of his favorite people are with him at the same time. Well, one of them being a troublemaker too. "Is it the cute one?", she whispered.

The what now? Pressing the phone harder against his ear, Atticus tried to covered his mouth while his eyes looked like they were about to pop out. His entire face turned a bright red in seconds. Where did she get that from? Oh he better have not heard that over the phone.

Silas blinked. Did the girl Atticus was with say “the cute one” or was he imagining it? Probably imagining it. Maybe what she really said was “the rude one,” because that made a lot more sense to him. He considered the thought of food before deciding it might not be a bad idea. He didn’t want to be a burden though. Of course, Atticus was offering…

“Macaroni and cheese is fine,” Silas decided. Coming over to spend time with Atticus wouldn’t be bad, would it? He did need a good distraction from the day’s events, and even Harry Potter could get old sometimes. Maybe Silas should take up reading again. He hadn’t read a novel cover to cover in months.

When? a voice in his head nagged him. Before you murder someone new or after? He ground his teeth. He wasn’t a good person. He knew that. But none of the people that he killed were good people either. Instead of voicing any of these thoughts, Silas remembered to ask, “So, where do you live now?”

Atticus still had a dumbfounded look as he hummed in response. In the past, he would bring up Silas only talking about memories here and there, but never does he recall calling him cute. Not that he's saying that Silas isn't cute. Of course he is! His friend is so adorable that he just wants to hug him. Strings inside his brain began to get all knotted up trying to figure out how to play it cool.

Biting his bottom lip, he didn't say anything for a few moments. Him and his family moved over here four years ago, but sometimes he struggles with remembering where they live. "Actually I live relatively close to Duke Street; just go up three blocks, turn right, and it's the white building. Third floor, apartment seven.", he clarified. Sitting up, he looked over to Addy for conformation. She nodded while holding up a drawing of a purple cat wearing a superhero cape. Atticus beamed giving a thumbs up.

Macaroni and cheese, easy. The only kind they have here is the boxed one where the noodles are shaped as cartoon characters. Those do not take forever to make like the homemade ones parents would make for school events. Atticus could probably come up with other things to eat, it's still lunchtime.

Silas nodded. “Got it, I’ll head over in a couple of minutes,” he said, looking around the room for what he would need. He went to put his shoes on and then looked in his dirty mirror, trying his best to look presentable. For some reason, he felt the need to impress Atticus. It was weird since Silas hadn’t cared too much about his appearance before. It was probably because it had been so long since the two of them had hung out.

He threw on a jacket as well, checking his reflection in the mirror again. His hair was as messy as always and he had a bit of acne on his cheeks, but he didn’t have the time or means to fix those other things right now.

"Great! I'll you soon, bye!", he beamed then hung up. A couple of minutes, that could mean anything really. Silas was always great at showing up to things quickly, it was fascinating how he could slip in and out of places without anyone noticing. Even for Atticus it would take him awhile to notice though he feels bad about that.

With no time to waste, Atticus got up from the sofa getting ready. Aside from all the crayons lying around, the place looked clean. He didn't worry much about anything else preparing food. Once he got the noodles in the pot, he sat over at the table.

Addy was sitting in the chair to the right. Her eyes were focused on the paper as she scribbled with a black crayon. Anytime Atticus tried to add something to the drawing, she would use her little hand to push his away. You'd think she was at a job trying to finish up some last minute business. Setting the crayon down, she hopped down from her seat putting the drawing up on the fridge. Then she poked Atticus in the knee before holding out her hand,"Come with me."

Not sure where this was going, he decided to follow after her into his room. She pointed at the closet and so he opened it. "What are we doing?", he asked,"Hide and seek?"

"No, we are going to make you look fabulous.", Addy affirmed as she began to search for something that was appealing to her.

"I thought I already was.", he said despite only wearing a tank top and some casual dress pants.

"Yeah, but this is the cute one we're talking about.", she pointed out,"You can't hug anyone looking like that."

After two minutes of throwing random shirts and such onto the bed, the five year old held up a flannel, a red cape, and some sunglasses. Whatever Addy says when it comes to fashion, is fashion. Atticus walked back to the kitchen wearing all those things, only keeping the sunglasses on the top of his head. Addy went back to coloring, giving a thumbs up of approval.