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Loudmouth sits in his room, closing his eyes as he waits for Rabble to get to the phone. He’s already tired of the bickering from his family downstairs, but then again, it’s the holidays, he can’t really expect anything else.
“Loudmouth!” Rabble sounds breathless and happy, and Loudmouth can’t help but smile.
“Hey, Rab’ika. What are you up to today?” Probably more trouble, if he knows his best friend.
“Eh… Ruckus asked to cook, so…”
Loudmouth grins. Anything that has Rabble quiet means something big. He shakes his head before saying, “Well, Mom says you guys should come over, but it can’t be for long, because today is for family .” He drawls the last word out, the sarcasm so thick it’s dripping. He knows Rabble will understand. “We’re doing portraits too, so... you know. It takes a lot to make our family look good, yeah?” He hates it. He hates having to pretend to be a family , when they’re so far from it. He hates having to cover up bruises because his old man got pissed off again that he came home late from practice, or that his grades weren’t good enough, or that he got caught with a flower Rabble had tucked behind his ear. He hates pretending not to care when the extended family starts sniping at each other over the table, while turning around to act like they’re such a loving family when it’s time for pictures.
Mischief sighs over the phone - Loudmouth isn’t sure how long he’s been listening in, but he can just see the two of them holding the phone between them, both of them pressed up against it to hear - before Rabble says, “Are you sure you can’t get away? I mean, we’re not doing much here, but… it’s better than that .”
“Nah, I can’t get away, I need to be here. It’s… it’s fine, don’t worry about me.” Loudmouth knows his smile sounds as fake as it really is, but he smiles when he says it anyway. “Hey, but look, Mom made those cookies you like, and she even wrote down the recipe for Ruck, so whenever you can come, that’s for you.”
“You’re changing the subject,” Mischief says, and there’s no mistaking that tone, even from far away. He’s pissed, but Loudmouth knows it isn’t at him.
Loudmouth sighs. “I mean, what am I supposed to do, Chief? Run away? My parents would kill me. I already fucked up Christmas when I fell and busted my wrist, splints look bad in pictures.” Couldn’t possibly look like they have lives after all. He regrets the words as soon as they leave his lips.
Mischief has the phone now, apparently, and he sounds dubious as he asks, “You fell?”
“Yeah, I fell.” Loudmouth’s heart skips a beat, but only silence greets him before a rustle of fabric and Rabble is back on the line. Rabble will at least pretend to believe him when he lies about it.
“Are you okay?”
Loudmouth smiles again, and it feels closer to a real one this time. “Yeah, Rab’ika, I’m fine. I’ll see you guys when you get here, okay?”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too, Rab’ika.”
It makes things easier to take, knowing that he has people he really loves, and thinking about the day when he gets to celebrate Christmas with his real family. He can’t wait.