i might be wrong ― open

[mickey]

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— in hindsight, perhaps he shouldn’t have admitted his recent search for a new hobby to anyone-- eyes impatiently opened to stare at the ocean ahead, blinking a few times as he let out a gentle sigh through parted lips. let alone confide in someone like green. a man who was chock full of ideas, a creative- and always more than willing to help drag mickey out of the house to actually accomplish a new task or hobby when it called for it. he watched the waves as they crashed gently onto the shore, a mild saline breeze blowing calmly throughout the district. then, turning his head, he observed green sat next to him. watched as the wind gently tousled his hair.

he wanted to try and convince himself that he was mildly irritated whenever green convinced him to step outside. however, the time always came when he needed it most, even if he didn’t want to. he couldn’t be a recluse forever. on the other side of things, he couldn’t let himself go down that same path again, either. a path he knew he’d regret going down. his gaze lingered on vern just a moment longer before looking back out towards the ocean.

as reluctant as he made himself out to be, there was a grateful look in mickey’s eyes whenever he was dragged out of the house. thankful. he wouldn’t be coping nearly as well if he didn’t have a man like vernon green in his life.

drawing up his legs closer to his chest, he squinted his gaze against the setting sun. “i don’t think this one’s for me,” he admitted after a moment, pausing at the sound of footsteps nearby.
”what are you guys doing, anyways?” he turned his head over his shoulder towards addy. standing not too far away, arms crossed, brows furrowed. mickey looked away, taking interest in the sand nearby - as if he didn’t even want to say it.
“meditating.”

a pause. ”no shit?” the redhead stepped closer, waiting a moment before he sat down on the other side of green, a ways away. “and how is that going for you, green?” he said it so sarcastically, as if he didn’t believe green possibly had the patience to try and meditate -- as if mickey wasn’t the one to break first.

[spoiler=tags ― updated 02/25.][size=8pt]◜BASICS ┊ BURIED MY HEART IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND ◞
‣  ❝ mickey serge ❞ | mick, serge | male [he/him] .
‣ 33 years old . | may fifth; taurus.
‣  currently the prodigy of northstar district
‣  currently co-founder/co-head of st. peter’s clinic in the district alongside lucerne nouvel.

◜PERSONALITY: ISFJ ┊ THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND ◞
‣  aloof . ambitious . blunt . distant . driven . hard-working . passionate . humble . reserved . introverted . intelligent . level-headed . trustworthy . honest . caring . quiet . gentlemanly . kind . pessimistic . unreadable . stoic . withdrawn .
↳ lover of tea and cigarettes
↳ struggles with ptsd symptoms
↳ recovering alcoholic (over a year sober)
↳ currently showing signs/symptoms of depression following his mother's death

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ BURIED MY GUILT IN A PIT IN THE SOUND ◞
‣ six foot one & one hundred and sixty seven pounds ; reference .
↳ dark brown hair kept very short on the sides and neat
↳ skinny with slight muscle tone
↳ deep blue eyes , often stoic , emotionless

◜ FAMILY ┊ I TRIED AND I TRIED AND I WAS NEVER THE SAME ◞
‣  david serge x tamara serge | father deceased . mother recently deceased
‣ only child
‣ currently claims guardianship of arlo - doesn’t consider himself arlo’s parent

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ I'LL BREAK UP THE CHAIN ◞
‣  homosexual ; monogamous | a hopeless romantic .
‣ ex-fiance to elinor rose
↳ engagement fell apart after coming to terms with mick’s sexuality .
‣  ex-lover to edmund stirling-moray
↳ the first guy he had ever been with . helped him become comfortable with his sexuality before coming out of the closet.
‣ current boyfriend of vernon green
↳ currently live together . inseparable .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ I'M FOREVER CHANGED ◞
‣  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 8/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
‣ [member=1512]elysian.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]

[GREENIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Green was by no means an observant man, but he could tell when there was a change in Mickey’s demeanour. So accustomed to Mickey’s recovery and subsequent months of thriving, alarm bells were sent ringing following Tamara’s death. Whilst it could understandably be down to grief, Mick seemed unable to get out of the state of sorrow. Almost as if this was a catalyst for a kind of sorrow buried deeper within. Green didn’t want to worry himself too much, but he feared that this was more than just hurt over Tamara’s death. This could be more. This could be a test for his sobriety, something that Green had been so proud to help Mickey through.

Instead of wallowing on his worries, he’d gladly put aside his own grief to act as a pillar of strength in the household, for Mick and for Arlo alike. He hoped that he wasn’t being annoying with his intense joy and Cheshire grins but if his assumed happiness could help inspire Mick to push on then he’d do so gladly. Truth be told, Green didn’t really know what could actually help when someone struggled with their own cruel mind. Personally, Green was fortunate enough to have never had a lasting spell of depression. Good for his soul, but not so good for his capability to understand. But, he tried. He really tried because he couldn’t help but care intensely for the man he loved.

Maybe he didn’t know how to best help, but he would use his own initiative to try and encourage Mick. If Mick had days where he didn’t want to leave their room, Green would suggest that they go out and do something the next day. A careful encouragement instead of pushing Mick to his limits. If Mick didn’t feel like eating, Green would make sure he’d prepare Mick’s favourite meals for him instead. Whilst he’d do so wordlessly, his lips could not help but twitch a smile whenever he’d see Mick eventually pick at a meal he actually enjoyed. He’d call that a success in his books.

And, on days where Mick felt hopeless in his thoughts, Green would help out in suggesting things for Mick to try out. If Mick was hesitant, then Green would join in so that they could do it together. Well, that was what Green thought he was doing anyways — actually being less helpful that he thought he was being. Today was one of those days. Green didn’t know much about mindfulness but he’d spoken to a couple of Northerners in the past about their love for meditation to ease the mind. That sounded like something that could do Mick the world of good if Green knew how to guide him through it. For now, Green would go into it somewhat blindly, adopting meditative practices that were as good as cringy stereotypes.

Eyes closed, Green took long, slow breaths as he focused on the sounds of nature around him. The gentle waves breathing in and out again, the rustle of leaves on trees along the promenade behind, the coo of coastal birds flying above them. ❝ I don’t think this one’s for me. ❞ Mick eventually pointed out, Green blinking his eyes open again as he glanced over to watch his boyfriend. ❝ No? ❞ He was gentle as he asked, soon stretching his legs out as he watched the ocean. ❝ That’s okay. There’ll be something out there for you. ❞

❝ What are you guys doing, anyways? ❞ Green then glanced over his shoulder to meet Addy’s gaze, looking between Mick and Addy as they spoke before Addy began to address him. ❝ It's going great for me! Anything to get to spend more time with Mickey. ❞ He began to grin after his words cheesy enough to make any person groan. Not Green though; he was shameless as he looked towards Mick, in hopes that his words were enough to cheer Mick up even just for one moment. ❝ I think you’d find it fun, Addy. It’s calming… Oh my days, I’m actually a little tired from all this fresh air, you know. Is that even a thing?! ❞

[mickey]

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— it was hard not to fall back onto old comforts. alcohol had been there for him as something to lean against for years- longer than most people that dared try and get close to him. in some ways, it was more reliable than most people mickey had crossed paths with. more than anything, it had managed to make him forget. even if just for a few hazy moments. even if it meant waking up in the middle of the day with no clue what had happened. there was a certain peace in it, even. a freedom that he couldn’t possibly explain to anyone else, or expect anyone else to understand. the shackles of grief, violence, and regret vanished each time he raised a glass to his lips. no memories- just freedom.

in his tired, grief-stricken state, he sometimes wondered whether there was a purpose to sobriety. he sat on the edge of his bed all night. he could hardly move himself out of the house on his better days. slow to finally get around to picking at all the meals green kindly prepared for him. though, those small moments of so-called triumph served as a reminder of why there was a purpose to it all. everything he had, everything he loved… that was more reliable than alcohol. green was someone strong to lean against, someone that had been there for him through so much. all of green’s effort to try and boost his spirits never seemed to completely go to waste.

not even this one.

following suit, he stretched his legs out in front of him. “do you really think that?” he asked neutrally, staring thoughtfully towards the ocean shore. “i’m not so sure about it, myself.” green always tended to be the more optimistic of the two; a stark contrast compared to mick’s rather dark outlook on his life. he seemed to have more hope for mick than mick had for himself. still, while meditation apparently wasn’t his forte, there was something calming in being outside again. breathing in the salty breeze, watching the waves crash onto the shore, feeling the sand beneath his feet; grasping what it felt to be alive.

he observed the ocean as green answered how the so-called meditation was going for him. ”anything to get to spend more time with mickey.” the brief visible response to the remark was subtle and fleeting; there for a moment and gone the next. addy’s response was nearly as brief or as uplifted. he visibly grimaced, glancing between the couple before he looked out towards the ocean. ”gross.” although mickey struggled to show affections that were as visible - or as cheesy - nowadays, silently bumping his shoulder against green’s spoke its own volumes. “why did i choose to- fuckin’ third-wheel with you guys?”

green insisted that addy would find it fun, obliviously rambling on a bit off the subject. the redhead sitting with them appeared used to the slight ramble, scoffing a bit before he squinted, shaking his head. “yeah, i’ll pass.” crossing his ankles, he leaned back and sighed, ”you could rope a few of these idiots into doing it--” he spared a quick glance towards mick, bearing the closest semblance to being apologetic for his poor wording - mick silently quirked a brow. the redhead's lips quirked somewhat before he looked back at the shore. “but i don’t believe any of that hippy bullshit.” a simple “no thanks” would have sufficed. at least he was one to keep his opinion truthful, albeit a bit blunt, whenever he spoke to green.

// this is so bad i'm so sorry

[spoiler=tags ― updated 04/09.][size=8pt]◜BASICS ┊ BURIED MY HEART IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND ◞
‣  ❝ mickey serge ❞ | mick, serge | male [he/him] .
‣ 33 years old . | may fifth; taurus.
‣  currently the prodigy of northstar district
‣  currently co-founder/co-head of st. peter’s clinic in the district alongside lucerne nouvel.

◜PERSONALITY: ISFJ ┊ THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND ◞
‣  aloof . ambitious . blunt . distant . driven . hard-working . passionate . humble . reserved . introverted . intelligent . level-headed . trustworthy . honest . caring . quiet . gentlemanly . kind . pessimistic . unreadable . stoic . withdrawn .
↳ lover of tea and cigarettes
↳ struggles with ptsd symptoms
↳ recovering alcoholic (over a year sober)
↳ currently showing signs/symptoms of depression following his mother's death

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ BURIED MY GUILT IN A PIT IN THE SOUND ◞
‣ six foot one & one hundred and sixty seven pounds ; reference .
↳ dark brown hair kept very short on the sides and neat
↳ skinny with slight muscle tone
↳ deep blue eyes , often stoic , emotionless

◜ FAMILY ┊ I TRIED AND I TRIED AND I WAS NEVER THE SAME ◞
‣  david serge x tamara serge | father deceased . mother recently deceased
‣ only child
‣ currently claims guardianship of arlo - slowly coming around to considering himself arlo’s parent

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ I'LL BREAK UP THE CHAIN ◞
‣  homosexual ; monogamous | a hopeless romantic .
‣ ex-fiance to elinor rose
↳ engagement fell apart after coming to terms with mick’s sexuality .
‣  ex-lover to edmund stirling-moray
↳ the first guy he had ever been with . helped him become comfortable with his sexuality before coming out of the closet.
‣ current boyfriend of vernon green
↳ currently live together . inseparable .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ I'M FOREVER CHANGED ◞
‣  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 8/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
‣ [member=1512]elysian.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]