(11:06:16) Dean Pierce's eye twitched subtly. "THERE'S NO NUTS IN THESE." The words sunk in a few seconds after he'd snapped back. "Give me a break, man. I'm just eating!" His nostrils flared and he tensed as the other approached. He hugged the box of cookies. "I will. But I'm takin' one last one. I barely had any! 'An don't you dare take one, man. they're M I N E. I 'aint sharin'. I'm savin' them fer later..." His shoulders rose, making him look like a cat with its back arched. "I just need one last cookie."
(11:12:37) Will Hadote wondered why Dean was talking about nuts, before- right, he'd just mentioned him going nuts. "I'm not taking any! And no, you're not, you're- Jesus, look at yourself in the mirror!" The words stung, for some reason, when he said them, maybe because he'd in the throes of addiction looked in the mirror a few times and saw... things he didn't want to see. "Take one last one, then give 'em up." He ventured closer. "I'm gonna put the rest someplace else so you'll have them for later."
(11:19:47) Dean Pierce turned his head to look at his reflection in the kitchen window. He looked like a slob, but all he could think of was how much food he could now lick off himself. Combined together, there were probably enough crumbs and icing to form a whole donut, or at the very least, a cookie. "I-It was dark. That's why I made a mess..." He took a step away from Slick, but this brought him against the wall, and he thankfully didn't book it or lash out after cornering himself. Slick's stern, but kind dad-instructions were followed. He reluctantly grabbed a final cookie, pinning it between his teeth, before he offered the box to Slick. It helped that there was an openess to let him finish them later, as opposed to being told he was dumping them in the trash. Still, his fingers released one by one with some difficulty, in an almost cartoonish manner. "O-okay. Okay."
(11:24:13) Will Hadote wasn't buying that one bit. "No! You made a mess 'cause you're not acting like yourself." He took the box of cookies, then went to the fridge and pantry to get everything else he'd bought the other day. The two remaining donuts, the peanut brittle, rest of the chocolate that Chloe hadn't eaten, the other stuff... and the pie. "Just gonna put these away." He started to head towards the hallway again.
(11:27:27) Dean Pierce inhaled sharply. "It's just baked goods!" he snapped back. "It's not like I shot up heroin again. It's fuckin' cookies, man. Just cookies! Calm down." He wiped his cheek and started licking his hand clean. "Wait. Where are ya goin' with those? Where ya puttin' them?" he followed behind at a brisk pace. "You know...you know, we could just FINISH them. That way there's none left to tempt us with. Right? Riiight?"
(11:35:01) Will Hadote stopped abruptly in the doorway when Dean mentioned heroin. And not -just- mentioned it, but said that he'd done it. "What?
(11:35:05) Will|Hadote: agh, enter lol[]
(11:35:37) Dean Pierce: [EAT IT. EAT THE ENTER BUTTON.]
(11:42:15) Will Hadote stopped abruptly in the doorway when Dean mentioned heroin. And not -just- mentioned it, but said that he'd done it. "What?" Too many questions, too much anger and panic filled his head, that all he felt he could do was complete the task at hand. Putting this damn shit somewhere else. To finishing them off right now, "No! You don't get to say that shit to me! You think this is funny, right? You think this is fucking fine, just 'cause you're fucking addicted to motherfucking cookies that it's okay? That it makes it better?" He marched straight out the back door for the little patio area, where there was a woodburning stove. He tossed everything in, boxes and pie and all, though the latter was a little harder. He was pissed right now, though, and that helped with the temptation. "It fucking doesn't! 'cause for one, what the fuck happens when you run out of this shit? Then what'll you do? God fucking dammit, I can't believe you did that crap, after everything you know I've >>
(11:42:54) Will Hadote >> been through, and after all that shit with Sergei! You used to deal, man, you know what that shit does to you! And what it did to me!"
(11:50:06) Dean Pierce Oh, the irony. Yesterday, Slick had been insulted Dean compared the cookies to an addiction. And here he was, treating them as one. "THEY'RE JUST FUCKIN' COOKIES." He followed, then shrieked in horror as Slick tossed them in the stove. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOIN', I PAID FOR THOSE." Well, part of them. Slick had eaten the others. "I'm not fuckin' addicted to cookies, I just think they're fuckin' good! 'An what do you care?! It's SUGAR. It's not gonna hurt me! When I run out, I'll buy more. For fuck's sake stop making such a big deal out of it!" But it wasn't just about the cookies, was it? He'd let the heroin thing slip, he finally realized. He smacked his lips shut and took a step back. "...it...it wasn't about you," he replied in a pathetic whisper. "You ran from your problems. You made your mistakes. You got to be numb for so fuckin' long. I didn't get that. I never got a goddamn break, Slick. I'm ALWAYS in pain. All the goddamn time. I never got to run away from my problems!">
(11:50:39) Dean Pierce: <His voice was getting progressively louder. "I needed a fuckin' break, okay!? I needed a minute to just...fuckin' sit back 'an not feel anythin' before I goddamn snapped. Is that so fuckin' WRONG?!"
(11:59:17) Will Hadote was half expecting Dean to start throwing punches; if he were Dean, that's what he'd do. But fortunately he didn't, and the only blows were with words. "Yeah, they're just cookies with something extra, like fucking heroin is goddamned -powder- with something extra!" Slick was definitely making a big deal out of it. "I wasn't just fucking numb! I was digging myself into a pit I still am trying to dig out of today! You think that shit doesn't come with consequences, that you'll just use it once and be done with it? Even when you stop using, that shit- it fucking sticks with you, it fucks you up! I think about it every -goddamned- day, how easy it would be if I just started using again. >>
(12:00:19) (12:00:19) Aiden ta Aesin is now online.
(12:00:47) The first batch of the Halloween 2019 Sales are up! (More!)
(12:02:17) Will Hadote >> But it would kill me, and it would kill everyone around me, and it'd do it slowly to where, in the end, you just have your hollow shell of a self, and the drugs. You're alone, and you're dying, and even though you're drugged up you're afraid of what you're doing and what you've done. And when you're crashing after a good binge, you're terrified, 'cause all that shit- it doesn't help with it. It makes it worse. You're not wrong for wanting a break, but you -are- wrong for choosing that shit!"
(12:09:44) Dean Pierce stood there in shocked silence, tears welling in his eyes. He tried not to show his weakness, but it was written all over him in permanent marker. Once he was through, Dean sat down on one of the steps leading to the yard. He hugged his knees and hid his head, defeated. He already felt like a hollow shell, so what was the problem taking something that made him one? He knew, deep down, that Slick was right. There was a reason he hadn't been able to wait until after his test to try the drug a second time. Even if he'd only done it once and wasn't PHYSICALLY dependent on it, psychologically, he yearned for the effects of it. "...please don't hate me..."
(12:15:32) Samir Kerem: [[Slick u don't have enough chairs to have a party dude]]
(12:16:47) Dean Pierce: [xD]
(12:16:49) Aiden ta Aesin: [Sit on my tail]
(12:17:23) Will Hadote had more than managed to get all of the baked goods into the oven by that point, and he grabbed the book of matches that was nearby to throw in the hole. He slammed the door shut, and kept it all closed. He didn't want to be smelling it more than he had to. "I don't -hate- you, Pierce. Why the fuck would I hate you? I think you just need to- find a better way of dealing with your shit, that's all. And yeah, I'm sure you're gonna say 'everything keeps saying that but not giving me actual solutions'; well, guess what. No one -has- a solution that's perfect for you, because no one -knows- you like you do. And if you don't know yourself, well, case in point. Options are out there, solutions, but only you can find the right ones. I found rehab, and counseling, and moving out of the city. You can find shit, too." [lol yeah I would've picked a three-seater couch, but there aren't any good-looking ones]
(12:24:08) Dean Pierce ALMOST protested when Slick set the food alight, but he thankfully realized it was not going to be a good look considering their topic of conversation. Instead, he remained in his defeated stance, eyes downcast. "...you could hate me. I keep disappointin' ya." He squeezed his legs. "I was doin' sorta Ok for a while, y'know...but I just..." He went quiet for a moment to try and keep himself from bursting into waterworks. "I'm so TIRED, Slick. I barely sleep, I can't eat." (Bakeries aside.) "...I'm goin' stir crazy bein' in such a small confined place all the goddamn time. I don't got a home. Uncle Ray's never around. Every day I gotta get up 'an go to New York for school. I'm overwhelmed. I'm tired. I...I just want to feel like I BELONG somewhere."