Status: 1/1
I Feel Absolute Fantastic
to fall asleep would take some magic.
How do you think that felt?
Mat couldn’t believe everyone had been so thoughtful. A birthday party! It was already such a treat to be allowed to leave the hospital on his birthday, but a surprise party? He had no idea. All his friends and family, gathered in his house. There were banners hung from every wall, balloons touching the ceiling, confetti tossed over him the second he had stepped in the door.
And the cake! Oh, the cake. It was beautiful: creamy white frosting, with rainbow blobs of the same all over. It read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATHEW! in yellow icing. Mat didn’t know what kind of cake it was, but he didn’t care, it was just so sweet of them.
How do you think that felt for me?
Everything was perfect. He was home, in his own house, and everyone he loved congratulating him… and he deserved it. Mat felt deserving of the praise. He could feel his hospital bracelet against his wrist as he cut the cake, his friends clapping their hands excitedly and chattering as they organised plates and asked who wanted a slice. It was fitting that he got to celebrate his life today. He deserves this. He does.
How do you think that felt?
Brian glanced over his shoulder, a little worried someone might see him peering in the window and think he was a peeping tom. But he had to look. He was concerned. The passenger earlier was not like his usual patrons, and Brian supposed that was saying something, because he had seen all sorts of weirdos get in and out of his cab over the years.
Maybe being a bit odd didn’t justify Brian looking inside the guy’s livingroom window, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d sat in the car for fifteen minutes after dropping the man off and he couldn’t seem to bring himself to drive away, so sue him. If that made him a peeping tom… well, so be it.
The hospital gown the guy was wearing on top of seemingly nothing but boxers just felt… well, deeply concerning, to Brian at least. But he’d seemed so happy. He’d mentioned a party, so maybe it was fine. Maybe he just didn’t have anything else to wear to go home. Or something.
The scene in the livingroom, though, just felt wrong. Brian knew it was none of his business. None at all. But he couldn’t look away. It wasn’t like any party he’d ever seen. It was simply his previous passenger, sitting on the floor. There were little cut up pieces of paper all over the floor, craft paper, maybe. It was a rainbow of snipped up colour. And a cake, intact, sat atop the coffee table. It was dim and Brian couldn’t really see all that well but it seemed like the confetti and cake were the only splashes of colour in an otherwise lifeless room.
The man he’d been so concerned about was sitting cross-legged, a small smile on his face.
Brian wanted to misunderstand. Maybe there was a party. Maybe the guests were in another room, arranging a surprise. A gift, perhaps. A gift that the man wasn’t allowed to see yet.
But Brian stood there while the minutes ticked past, and nothing happened. The man just sat, smiling and unmoving. There was no sound coming from inside… no party music or laughter.
How do you think that felt for me?
It was dusk. Brian knew he really needed to leave. He had another shift starting in the small hours of the morning; he needed to go home and get some sleep. But it was hard to look away.
He was about to. He really was. But then the man finally moved, shifting a little where he sat, and looked down at his hospital gown. Brian shrunk into his own shoulders, not wanting to be seen, but also not wanting to miss this.
The man smoothed his hands over the gown, and then placed one hand on the floor, spreading the confetti around. He plucked up a handful of it and tossed it above his head, causing a rainbow shower over his tangled hair. He wasn’t smiling any more, but Brian couldn’t read his expression.
The livingroom was growing darker by the minute with the setting sun; there were no lights on in the house, it seemed.
He shifted himself up onto the couch, tucking his knees up and wrapping his arms tightly around his own body. It made him look very small. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off.
The man remained that way for several more minutes. Maybe falling asleep.
Brian finally allowed himself to turn away.
Mat couldn’t believe everyone had been so thoughtful. A birthday party! It was already such a treat to be allowed to leave the hospital on his birthday, but a surprise party? He had no idea. All his friends and family, gathered in his house. There were banners hung from every wall, balloons touching the ceiling, confetti tossed over him the second he had stepped in the door.
And the cake! Oh, the cake. It was beautiful: creamy white frosting, with rainbow blobs of the same all over. It read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATHEW! in yellow icing. Mat didn’t know what kind of cake it was, but he didn’t care, it was just so sweet of them.
How do you think that felt for me?
Everything was perfect. He was home, in his own house, and everyone he loved congratulating him… and he deserved it. Mat felt deserving of the praise. He could feel his hospital bracelet against his wrist as he cut the cake, his friends clapping their hands excitedly and chattering as they organised plates and asked who wanted a slice. It was fitting that he got to celebrate his life today. He deserves this. He does.
How do you think that felt?
Brian glanced over his shoulder, a little worried someone might see him peering in the window and think he was a peeping tom. But he had to look. He was concerned. The passenger earlier was not like his usual patrons, and Brian supposed that was saying something, because he had seen all sorts of weirdos get in and out of his cab over the years.
Maybe being a bit odd didn’t justify Brian looking inside the guy’s livingroom window, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d sat in the car for fifteen minutes after dropping the man off and he couldn’t seem to bring himself to drive away, so sue him. If that made him a peeping tom… well, so be it.
The hospital gown the guy was wearing on top of seemingly nothing but boxers just felt… well, deeply concerning, to Brian at least. But he’d seemed so happy. He’d mentioned a party, so maybe it was fine. Maybe he just didn’t have anything else to wear to go home. Or something.
The scene in the livingroom, though, just felt wrong. Brian knew it was none of his business. None at all. But he couldn’t look away. It wasn’t like any party he’d ever seen. It was simply his previous passenger, sitting on the floor. There were little cut up pieces of paper all over the floor, craft paper, maybe. It was a rainbow of snipped up colour. And a cake, intact, sat atop the coffee table. It was dim and Brian couldn’t really see all that well but it seemed like the confetti and cake were the only splashes of colour in an otherwise lifeless room.
The man he’d been so concerned about was sitting cross-legged, a small smile on his face.
Brian wanted to misunderstand. Maybe there was a party. Maybe the guests were in another room, arranging a surprise. A gift, perhaps. A gift that the man wasn’t allowed to see yet.
But Brian stood there while the minutes ticked past, and nothing happened. The man just sat, smiling and unmoving. There was no sound coming from inside… no party music or laughter.
How do you think that felt for me?
It was dusk. Brian knew he really needed to leave. He had another shift starting in the small hours of the morning; he needed to go home and get some sleep. But it was hard to look away.
He was about to. He really was. But then the man finally moved, shifting a little where he sat, and looked down at his hospital gown. Brian shrunk into his own shoulders, not wanting to be seen, but also not wanting to miss this.
The man smoothed his hands over the gown, and then placed one hand on the floor, spreading the confetti around. He plucked up a handful of it and tossed it above his head, causing a rainbow shower over his tangled hair. He wasn’t smiling any more, but Brian couldn’t read his expression.
The livingroom was growing darker by the minute with the setting sun; there were no lights on in the house, it seemed.
He shifted himself up onto the couch, tucking his knees up and wrapping his arms tightly around his own body. It made him look very small. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off.
The man remained that way for several more minutes. Maybe falling asleep.
Brian finally allowed himself to turn away.
♠ ♠ ♠
i didn’t really intend to enter that contest but i was reading through the prompts out of curiosity and the one i ended up choosing immediately reminded me of the music video for raining. i remember watching the video when it was released and it gave me such a sad deep ache, and i decided to match it with that prompt and try to write my own short version (except it’s a birthday party rather than a welcome home party). i’ve never written a tfb fic before so i wouldn't mind some comments... maybe... *insert a "needy when i'm needy" joke here*