desire

His hand brushed against the Coke bottle, rested for several seconds. Then he drummed his fingers against the side for another few seconds, contemplating whether to allow the fizzling, brown liquid to wash down his throat like some raging seas.

Was it worth it? He usually strayed away from such worldly vices, never even going as far as flavored water. The less chemicals polluting his body, the better. And yet now he wanted to consume such a sugary, chemical-addled beverage. Consume another sugary, chemical-addled beverage. Should he drink it? No, it was a definite mistake. Would he drink it?

…yes.

He twisted the cap and nipped at the top, then guzzled half of the bottle's contents in almost one continuous motion. When he finally stopped, he felt drops dribble from the corners of his mouth. He felt inhumane enough to feel human, and those feelings would plague him whenever he lay awake in bed, but for now he would allow the pollution to overtake him. He hoped his comrades would follow better examples.

The sound of footsteps were heard as said comrades came into the kitchen. Mars had her arms draped around Saturn's neck, per her usual disregard for public displays of affection (he refused to call them 'PDAs'), and Jupiter was behind them, scowling and ready to give him a disapproving look.

…She knew.

Saturn, ignoring Mars's grip, pointed to the Coke bottle. "Good afternoon, Boss. Didn't know you drank Coke."

"Yes. I started three days ago. I have to admit it is a bad habit, one that I should not have."

"Well, it's never too late to try something, I suppose."

"I suppose."

"You suppose," Mars chimed in, pressing down on Saturn's shoulders. "It's always good to try new things, Boss. Helps us find what's the best for our goals."

"That's not the problem," Jupiter said, narrowing her eyes. "Sir, how many pops…carbonated beverages have you had today?"

Cyrus lifted his head. This was a trick question, and he knew that any answer he gave would be unsatisfactory. At least he could try with something vague. "Many."

"Many sounds like too many. How many in the past hour?"

"This is the sixth."

Mars's eyes widened. Saturn looked away, refusing to take sides in this upcoming argument. The truth often hurt, but it was also necessary, although not necessary enough for Jupiter to snatch away his bottle. "Sir, you cannot keep going on like this. You've been up for three days. You need sleep."

"Sleep is for the weak."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Mars mouthing 'three days' to Saturn. Yes, he was sure it was about three days by now. But the Coke kept him awake, so much so that he could feel himself almost floating away from his body. He had to try to stay awake for just a little bit longer, even it meant going to the least trustworthy for another bottle or three.

He would have to work fast, though. Jupiter had an admirable mind, and she was sure to figure it out quickly…

"Charon. Charon gave you these Cokes, didn't he?"

Damn, she was too fast. Well, he would have to be faster.

He could barely feel himself stand up and dash for the door, but he could feel the three commanders on him in an instant, pulling him in the opposite direction. Logically, it was probably for the best. But in his mind he could feel his inner weakness begging Charon to slip some more of that sweet beverage to him when the others weren't looking.

…it was probably the best that his comrades deprive him of this drink. When he had a clear mind, he'd make sure to punish Charon later.

(Original notes: Charon is the real monster.)

Originally written November 9th, 2015 on tumblr. It's also nice to be writing Cyrus again more often. It's fun.