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[atypical_echo]

What it says on the Tin

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[heydrb]

[Give him a second, Mark. He's typing-deleting-typing for a second. Debating saying things as he's typing them and trying to rephrase them to sound more casual. Fuck, he hates overthinking every single thing.]

Maybe next time we can do a video call?

[Long shot? Definitely.
Asking for too much? Probably.]

[atypical_echo]

You sure you want that? Me in text is less charming. I'm probably easier to resist without audio, much less video.

[heydrb]

You can say no.
It's okay, if you don't want to.

[Damien hates how right he probably is, either way, though. It would be harder, but he just wants to see him... is that so bad?]

[atypical_echo]

I'll think about it. That's all I can promise.

[heydrb]

See, that wasn't so hard.

[atypical_echo]

You sure about that?

[heydrb]

I thought we established that you get to call the shots on this thing.
It shouldn't be that bad...?

[atypical_echo]

Alright then. We'll try it.

[heydrb]

Wait... are you sure?
That wasn't me trying to press for an answer, Mark.
You can think about it longer than 5mins.

[atypical_echo]

I'm trying to be sure. Please stop pressing me for wanting or not wanting. Please.

[heydrb]

Sorry.

[atypical_echo]

Get some sleep, Damien. Don't let me keep you up.

[heydrb]

[Fuck.]

Talk to you later, Mark.

[atypical_echo]

You know I look forward to it.

[heydrb]

[No, no, no. Don't do this to him, Mark. It aches.]

Really?

[atypical_echo]

[Yeah, go put some ice on it, cowboy.]

You're about the only one that talks to me regularly beyond Joanie and Caleb and Adam.

[heydrb]

What happened to the rest of them?
Wait.
Sorry.
Not my business.
That's shitty, though. Sorry I'm one of your only options for regular communication.



I don't think that sounds the way I meant it?
Just... nevermind.

[atypical_echo]

Chloe, Caleb and Adam are all off at school. Frank went to his family. Rose has her own life.

Don't be so shocked. Not everyone wants to linger around Repressed Trauma Boy

[heydrb]

Yeah, well, I do. And I guess that's the rub.
They can, but they don't.
I want to, but I can't.

[atypical_echo]

We'd be like a dry grassland and a spark. Consumed in spite of ourselves.

[heydrb]

From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.

[atypical_echo]

Yeah given I feel close to having perished twice, I say fuck the fire and stuff the ice.

[heydrb]

Who hasn’t almost died these days though.

[atypical_echo]

Dude, really?

[heydrb]

What?
You don’t hold a monopoly on near-death experiences. Not even on recent ones.
I’m still technically broken.