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[atypical_echo]

What it says on the Tin

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[heydrb]

[Fuck.

It's the only thought in his head when the message comes in. He can picture the look on his face, that mild-hyper tone in his voice when he gets excited about things.

Mark shouldn't be able to be this cute over a fucking text message.]

I didn't think about it...
I mostly try not
Nebraska was practically another lifetime.

[atypical_echo]

[Damn right that's the look on his face right now. It's adorable. You have to believe me.]

Yeah, so was life before the AM for me. Doesn't mean that all of it was bad.

[heydrb]

Yeah, I know.
It’s just the ones that stick out the most are the bad memories.

I know I wasn’t always miserable, but… it’s hard to remember what it felt like.

[atypical_echo]

Did you at least like horses?

[heydrb]

Yeah, I love them, they’re really fucking cool animals, man.
Chill as hell unless you give them a reason not to be.

[atypical_echo]

Well maybe that will be good for you too.

The ranch guy letting you stay there? Taking care of horses is a serious time sink, right? If so, getting a dog might be easier.

[heydrb]

Yeah, he's got a set of cabins for staff that's separate from the guest cabins. He said if I wanted a room, I had one.

It'll be better than the B&B I've been at. That shit's expensive.

[atypical_echo]

Damn that's pretty nice. I mean, don't let yourself get manipulated into never being able to leave, but sounds nice.

[heydrb]

I'm pretty sure it's not the Hotel California of ranches, but I'll be careful. Promise.

[atypical_echo]

Good. Oh, send me pictures of horses.

[heydrb]

I will.

[atypical_echo]

Thanks. As for me... I think I'm slowly adjusting. To being, you know. I might start looking for work again.

[heydrb]

Yeah?
That's great, Mark. You should.
You deserve something that'll make you happy.

[atypical_echo]

I don't know if I can find happiness. I might be a touch too broken.

[heydrb]

Something like it, then.
But I don't think you're too broken for happiness.

[atypical_echo]

Yeah, Joan tells me that too, but I don't really know.

[heydrb]

If you think that I can start over and figure out some kind of life for myself somewhere, why the hell wouldn’t you think you could?

[atypical_echo]

Because unlike you, I can't just walk away from all the things I've done and use that as a place to start from anew. I can't walk away from everyone else.

[heydrb]

You make it sound like it was easy for me. That any of this is.
It's not. It never is.
I've done this more times and in more places than I care to count. It's never a clean break from one chapter into the next.

Besides your sister, what's really keeping you in Boston?

[atypical_echo]

My friends. Sam.

[heydrb]

Sam could go with you and there’s like a million ways to keep in contact with people these days.

What good is that city to you after everything it’s taken from you and done to you?

[atypical_echo]

She can't. It's complicated.

And in the defense of Boston, most of my trauma was either in being kidnapped too Boston, or what you did. And I'm apparently keeping you?

[heydrb]

I guess that’s part of what makes you a better person than me.

This is the first time I haven’t just completely cut ties after I left a place.

[atypical_echo]

If you remember, you're also part of the traumas that happened to me in Boston.

I still don't get why you didn't cut ties. Might be easier.

[heydrb]

I know.
I left, like everyone wanted.

I really didn’t think you would answer when I text you that night, I was just drunk and lonely.

[How’s that for some honesty?]