Just a reminder for anyone who doesn't know: Nugget and Cindy are cousins in my AU

The sun setting on the old farmhouse and accompanying farm was once a comforting sight to Nugget. But as he laid out in the cow field at dusk, the view looked as melancholy as he felt. The grass smelt of wheat and cow shit but Nugget couldn't bring himself to care about the stains his clothes would collect.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of his family's farm, and the sounds of his siblings washing up for dinner as the sun slowly lowered on the horizon. Nugget knew it would only be a matter of time before his mom called him inside to do the same but until then he would lay in moist grass below him.

Soft footsteps approached, accompanied by the squelch of the grass below their feet. The blonde boy sighed and lifted his head to the side to see who was approaching. "Nugget isn't feeling very hungry today, Mother..." He trailed off as he saw the pristine white sneakers approaching him. Those weren't his mother's shoes. Nugget sat up properly to see his new guest, the side of her face was obstructed by shadows cast by the sun's rays but even Nugget could make out the unmistakable trademark of Cindy's blonde pigtails.

They were lower on her head with loose strands framing her face. Her face was red like she had been crying an hour before and there were heavy bags under her eyes she didn't bother to cover with concealer. Her hoodie and jeans were painted with crumbs and cheeto stains, snot and boogers adorned the sleeves. Nugget stared up at her for a while, the setting sun shining harmful rays into the side of Nugget's right eye. The blonde girl gestured to the empty spot in the grass next to him, Nugget in turn shrugged and moved an inch as a way of communicating to her that she was welcome to commiserate with him, despite them being in a seemingly endless field.

Cindy sat beside him while Nugget flopped back down on his back. Normally she would be complaining about how wet the grass was or about how close the cows were getting and how smelly they were. And Nugget would roll his eyes and tell her to go back into the house if it was bothering her so much. But today, the cousins sat side by side in tension-filled silence. This silence wasn't like the ones he shared with Lily. This silence was filled with unsaid words and unshed tears.

Who knows how long they were sitting there, a couple of the cows came up to them and sniffed their legs and faces but Cindy barely flinched at their wet noses touching her cheek. After a while of the tense stillness in the field, the sky was a mix of reds, orange, and magentas as they watched the last legs of the sunset. Cindy pulled out a pink vape pen from her hoodie pocket, most likely strawberry or pink lemonade flavored, and took a hit, letting the trapped air escape through her nose and mouth after a second of holding it in. Any other day Nugget would snatch the pen from her and lower it away from the house's kitchen window where he knew his mother liked to peer out to watch the cows lazily graze. But today Nugget held out his hand for Cindy to give the device to him.

Cindy raised an eyebrow but handed him the pen still. Nugget raised the device to his lips and inhaled a generous amount of nicotine into his lungs. Almost instantly regretting his decision as a dirty cough hacked up from his lung and out of his mouth. Snot ran down his nose and into his open mouth he was busy coughing up the smoke to react. The blonde girl next to him laughed at the scene, not the malice-filled laugh he was familiar with but a light-hearted one that very few got to experience.

"Don't inhale if you're not used to it!" She said through ugly chuckles.

"Nugget forgot." He was nearing the end of his coughing fit, pounding a closed fist on his chest to alleviate the pain. He had vaped before, in middle school at their formal when he was trying to impress Lily. Before, that memory embarrassed him but filled him with happy memories of a simple time. But now, he only felt the embarrassment.

A gust of tranquillity and quiet swarmed the teens as they smoked on the grass. Cindy took the pen from his hand and inhaled a small amount.

"This sucks." She clicked her teeth. Nugget didn't need clarification to know what she was talking about.

"Yeah, it does." He dropped his in between his knees and let out a heavy sigh.

And finally after 3 years, 2 seasonal depressions, and a fuck ton of hyperfixations... this book is finally done!

Now time to work on Twin Sized Mattress :D

(Kill me)

Me when I do the hobby I chose to do for fun