forum Private RP with @Fraust

Started December 01, 2021 by @Rainy_day_artist_classic group

tune

I'm at work rn so if you're willing and able, you're welcome to start and I'll reply whenever I can

Ahh, okay, I can probably work something up :) just give me a bit

Sounds good ^^

(Hope this suffices- and no need to make them long, I just wanted to start like this :))

Melissa always hated the pitch blackness of an early morning, and today was not an exception. As she fumbled out of the house, pulling her jacket on as she stumbled through the front day. Bag in hand, and shoes half on her feet, she awkwardly made her way down the front steps of her house. Unable to drive, Melissa made her way to the bus stop, hoping the sun would come up soon. But the way the rain had been pouring lately, she doubted there would be much light for hours. The slick sidewalks kept her legs tense, and she managed to shuffle down the streets until she made it to the bus stop.
Alone, she quietly slipped onto the bench, bag beside her before pulling her knees to her chest. Adjusting her shoes to fit on her feet properly, she quietly hummed as she waited and tied the laces of her shoes with a slightly wandering mind.
At some point, her gaze became fixed on the only light source for what seemed to be the entire street. The lamp post overhead had caught her attention, bringing a form of peace she didn't really know how to explain.

(I'll put him back in his old house, similar Backstory)

After a typical morning screaming match with his father, Lucas tossed his bag over his shoulder and left the house frustrated, as usual. He consoled himself with knowing that he would at least get to see Melissa again, and focused on calming himself down before he saw her. He was wearing a simple, baggy blue turtleneck sweater that covered his arms, neck, and some of his hands paired with jeans that were held up only by his belt. Nothing he owned seemed to fit him, and often smelled like smoke and alcohol, so they presumably belonged to his father. He didn't have the money to buy himself new clothes, and his father wasn't going to buy him anything, so he just had to borrow his father's clothes to have anything that wasn't much too small.

He made it to the bus stop pretty early as well and spotted Melissa. Brightening a little, he headed over to her with a soft smile and a wave. "Morning, Mel… how are you?" He asked, keeping his voice quiet since he was sure she was still tired.

The eerie buzz of electricity that ran through the street seemed to be all that ran through her almost empty head, as she sat with her knees still to her chest. Slowly, though it came from a distance, the sound of footsteps joined the buzzing. If she hadn't been used to the scenario, she may have been more curious as to who it would be. But it was always the same thing.
She would look, not be able to see until the person was within a few feet of her, and even if was ever a threat, by then it would be too late to run. So she sat, and waited to hear the familiar voice of her, what she considered to be, her best friend.

And then, just as she predicted, he came into view. Managing to pull up a tired smile, she gave a halfhearted wave in return. "Hey," She called out, voice gravelly from not having spoken to anyone since the previous night. "I'm… I'm alright- how about you?" She inquired, clearing her throat of any leftover scratchiness. It was just as it had always been- which seemed to help relax her further, to the point of dropping her legs to the ground. The familiarity, well it was something she was rather grateful for.

Lucas pulled his bag off of his shoulders and sat beside Melissa with a soft sigh, setting his bag on the ground beside himself. He was definitely glad to see her rather than his father, and he still liked pretty tired and frustrated. "Mmnh… I'm fine, I suppose. My dad's being difficult again." He sighed again, rolling up the large sleeves of his sweater to where his hands were at least usable.

He sipped at a bottle of water, which he'd grabbed on his way out. He had to go to practice later and he didn't want to get too dehydrated. "I can't wait until I'm eighteen and I can move out. He's the worst."

"You know that offer still stands right?" Melissa hummed, running her thumb along the seam of her jacket. "If you need to move out, you can come stay with us. I mean, you wouldn't have your own room, but still. Even if you just need to crash for the night- you're seriously welcome to stay."
She hated to push something so much, but she also hated the idea that he would be suffering, and she didn't help him. So, her inner conflict raged on, as she continued to extend her offer, hoping it wasn't just an annoyance to him.
"I know things have been hard lately, so… yeah." Shrugging the rest of her sentence off, she shifted enough to face him. "But no pressure, of course. Just… putting the offer out there."

"I know, I know… I'm just trying to stick it out. I don't like the idea of leaving him alone there. He might hurt himself." Lucas laughed weakly and looked away. He hadn't given Melissa a ton of details about his situation, but she knew the gist of it. She knew that Claus had killed himself and that his father was an alcoholic now, but she only knew for sure that he was verbally abusive to Lucas. "Thanks for the offer, though… I might take it up if things get really bad, but… for now, I think I can handle it."

(I'm sorry for vanishing for a bit- got really busy for a bit there)

"I understand- but I also understand you have a tendency to hold out on me sometimes." Melissa clicked her tongue, adjusting herself to look at him. She gave a half-hearted smile, trying not to seem like she was scolding him. "Just don't forget I'm a friend. I want to help when I can. You can come talk to me when things aren't great."

(Np ^^)

Lucas smiled weakly, looking very tired and a bit pale. He'd been pushing himself past his limit for so long, but he'd convinced himself that he could handle it, so he wasn't going to ask for help until things were exceptionally bad for him. He didn't want to leave his father alone and lose him as well, regardless of how terrible he was to him. "I know, Mel… I appreciate it, really. I just don't want to leave him alone if I've got any other option, you know? I can handle it for now."

(Don't feel pressured to keep doing this with me, I just want to give you the option.)

"I mean I guess- but do you really think…" Melissa's thought ran dry, leaving her to stare at him for a moment. Sitting in the silence, her facial expression shifted, as well as her posture. She kept losing herself when she talked to him. She knew why, but she refused to accept it. She wasn't going to admit it- she wasn't admiring her best friend. This wasn't the time. They both had enough worries in life, she didn't need anything else. "Never mind- you ready for school?" Melissa hummed, flicking her gaze off of him back to the street once more. She knew the attempt to ignore her emotional response was futile, but it never stopped her from avoiding it when she could.

(Np! I'd be glad to continue this ^^)

Lucas offered a weak smile to Melissa. He was exhausted, and he looked it. Living with his father was draining all of his energy, not to mention heavily damaging his mental health, and yet he refused to leave. He couldn't bear the thought of potentially losing his father, no matter how horrible the man might be. He was so scared of the possibility that he might have no family. It was hard enough for him to lose his mother and Claus. "I'll be alright, Mel… and yeah, I'm looking forward to having some time away from home. It'll be nice to do baseball practice…"

A smile pulled at her lips, as she listened to his voice. She felt like things were normal. Even if it was only one fleeting moment, she felt as they were just talking. Nothing was wrong right now, and they were together. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but the peace that had come over her as she sat there was undeniable. Of course things weren't perfect- they hadn't been since they were young, but even then they were just oblivious to the problems of the world- but what mattered was that they were okay. They were together. That was the thing that mattered in the end. "Yeah- I admit, I've never cared for school, but it's always better to be away from the house." She continued to hum, now bouncing her legs mindlessly.

Lucas nodded a bit and yawned, toying with his hair to try and get it to behave. He normally put gel in it, but he hadn't had time to do so that morning, so it was sticking up simply due to its own natural fluffiness. He figured he'd try to properly fix it at some point, but considering it would only be under a helmet later anyway, he wasn't too concerned. "I'm sure it'll be fine today. We've got a couple classes together, anyway, so at least we won't be lonely." He smiled softly at Melissa.

And because he did it, she immediately followed. It had become a bad habit of hers, copying someone's mannerisms when she noticed them. She didn't know how to stop it though. So she copied him, twisting her hair around her index finger. "Yeah, at least it won't be miserable. Maybe we could hang out at lunch? Or after school? If you don't mind Laura joining us, of course. She's my ride home, because I'd rather not take the bus home alone. And she won't let me walk home after what happened to one of her friends last year." Melissa shrugged, not seeming to think much of it.

Lucas noticed Melissa mimicking him and chuckled softly to himself, keeping quiet so she wouldn't notice. "Yeah, we can hang out whenever. I've got practice after school, but other than that, I should be free." He shrugged and hummed softly, glancing down the street to see if the bus was coming. It wasn't. He looked up at Melissa's last comment and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I can walk you home if you'd like. It's the same direction anyway."

"Then I guess I might have to hang around practice, so we can hang out afterwards." Melissa smiled, looking over to him as she continued to fidget. "And you don't have to- I just wish Laura would realize I can handle myself. I'm not a child, I'm perfectly capable of walking home by myself. The bus is too crowded, if you don't have someone you actually like on it, y'know?" Thoughts trailing once again, Melissa stood from her seat, and began to slowly pace to keep warm.