They never say much, and it’s always misspelled and scrawled by hands that weren’t taught to write until Rictor realized that nobody had ever taught Shatterstar to read or write (and Rictor had been the only person paying attention enough to realize Shatterstar couldn’t read or write). There was no reason for him to leave these notes. Often times, Rictor was in the room when he wrote them. But still, Shatterstar left his little notes for Rictor:
“There is a new episode of Criminal Minds tonight! Pizza and chicken wings for dinner? -Shatterstar”
“Do not forget to take you medication Julio! -Shatterstar”
“We are out of pizza rolls (and I may have broken the microwave) -Shatterstar”
“Your hair looks very nice today! I love you so much! -Shatterstar”
Sometimes they included drawings of trees, cats, buildings, all of which were extremely realistic, especially compared to his child-like handwriting. Rictor kept every single one of them. Tucked safely in a box under his bed.
in case you still want prompt: rictor trying to explain to shatterstar why strong guy makes jokes about their relationship (and why it bothers rictor so much)
Star’s stopped asking for clarifications about situations and emotions until they’re alone, and this might be part of the reason why. Before, he never hesitated to lean over and ask Rictor to clarify something, but Ric’s noticed the absence of that habit in the past couple of weeks.
They’re sitting in bed together, tangled up and touching aimlessly, no goal other than getting as close as possible. It’s one of the nights where Star’s not only open to something close to cuddling but also actively seeking it out. Those nights are always Ric’s favorite.
He presses his fingers into the soft skin of Star’s back, rubbing circles with enough pressure that Star can actually enjoy it, “It’s not that, Star, it’s just… You were gone a long time, and the whole Cortex thing, and they’re still a little on edge about it.”
“That was not
me,”
Star says, Rictor can feel him tensing as if to strike, “That was
something
using the body as a
tool
.”
“I know that,” Rictor says, moving one hand over Star’s heart, pulse fluttering against his fingers, unspoken way to tell him to calm down, “They know that too, they’re just adjusting.”
Star’s stopped asking for clarifications about situations and emotions until they’re alone, and this might be part of the reason why. Before, he never hesitated to lean over and ask Rictor to clarify something, but Ric’s noticed the absence of that habit in the past couple of weeks.
They’re sitting in bed together, tangled up and touching aimlessly, no goal other than getting as close as possible. It’s one of the nights where Star’s not only open to something close to cuddling but also actively seeking it out. Those nights are always Ric’s favorite.
He presses his fingers into the soft skin of Star’s back, rubbing circles with enough pressure that Star can actually enjoy it, “It’s not that, Star, it’s just… You were gone a long time, and the whole Cortex thing, and they’re still a little on edge about it.”
“That was not
me,”
Star says, Rictor can feel him tensing as if to strike, “That was
something
using the body as a
tool
.”
“I know that,” Rictor says, moving one hand over Star’s heart, pulse fluttering against his fingers, unspoken way to tell him to calm down, “They know that too, they’re just adjusting.”
Benjamin Matthew Victor is an American sculptor and Artist-in-Residence and Professor of the Practice at Boise State University. He is also the only living artist to have two works in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.
Anonymous
