The situation with Zach was not great, to put it mildly. It felt almost as though they were dancing on a tight rope just waiting to see which way they would fall. Jo knew Alfred was right, that she would end things sooner or later, but she hadn't wanted him to be right. She still didn't want him to be right, she merely wished that the situation were different. That Zach would see the life of a nomad as an appealing one. That he would be willing to establish a shop anywhere. That his reputation wouldn't be so heavily considered and they could throw caution to the wind. Anything, really. Anything to make her feel as though she wasn't crawling out of her skin with all the compromise she felt she was making.
She stopped going over to his flat as often. The place that felt more like home than her own did now felt unsafe, as though she were navigating a tomb riddled with hidden curses. One misstep and the entire building would collapse upon her. Perhaps it would be easier this way. Perhaps she would just slow her visits to him until they became nonexistent, until the pair of them forgot they were supposed to be together at all.
However, slowing her visits to Zach's meant she had to be home more, which was also not great. Although Tiffany Smith was a kind mother, she was also a meddling one who didn't understand why Jo would rather stay locked in her bedroom than converse with her bizarre siblings. Even Saturn was weird now that they fought last year. Everything was disjointed and off, and Jo felt as though she could claw her skin off with how uncomfortable she felt.
A particularly difficult morning led to the decision early afternoon to go to Alfred's. Even if he wasn't home she hoped he wouldn't mind her raiding his alcohol and hiding on his sofa with a book. If he did ... well, she could always pay him back for the alcohol.
Only, when she arrived in her puff of green smoke, Alfred was there and he was packing. Jo froze a foot from the fireplace already regretting her decision to come at all. Alfred hadn't understood her the last time she tried to express her feelings towards Zach, and now he was leaving and he hadn't even thought to mention it to her.
And he was taking down the bloody fucking star maps which were undoubtedly her favorite part of his flat.
"What ... what are you doing?"
beautiful set by mj
![[Image: V9Vf0R0.png]](https://i.imgur.com/V9Vf0R0.png)
She stopped going over to his flat as often. The place that felt more like home than her own did now felt unsafe, as though she were navigating a tomb riddled with hidden curses. One misstep and the entire building would collapse upon her. Perhaps it would be easier this way. Perhaps she would just slow her visits to him until they became nonexistent, until the pair of them forgot they were supposed to be together at all.
However, slowing her visits to Zach's meant she had to be home more, which was also not great. Although Tiffany Smith was a kind mother, she was also a meddling one who didn't understand why Jo would rather stay locked in her bedroom than converse with her bizarre siblings. Even Saturn was weird now that they fought last year. Everything was disjointed and off, and Jo felt as though she could claw her skin off with how uncomfortable she felt.
A particularly difficult morning led to the decision early afternoon to go to Alfred's. Even if he wasn't home she hoped he wouldn't mind her raiding his alcohol and hiding on his sofa with a book. If he did ... well, she could always pay him back for the alcohol.
Only, when she arrived in her puff of green smoke, Alfred was there and he was packing. Jo froze a foot from the fireplace already regretting her decision to come at all. Alfred hadn't understood her the last time she tried to express her feelings towards Zach, and now he was leaving and he hadn't even thought to mention it to her.
And he was taking down the bloody fucking star maps which were undoubtedly her favorite part of his flat.
"What ... what are you doing?"