The clock ticking away at the wall combined with the constant ringing of phones and tapping of computer keys was enough to drive any person insane, and the combination of both sounds was the only thing Pepper could hear flowing in and out of his ears. His own fingers typed away at the computer in front of him, had been for a good hour now, but his expression could easily matched to a zombie's with how lifeless his eyes looked. The dark bags didn't seem to help either, and he looked like he'd nod off at any second.

This could could be said for the other employees in Jojo Corp. Each sat at their own desks, in their cubicles, typing away at their computers, filing through papers, and whatever other monotonous tasks the day held for them.

Pepper's fingers ceased typing momentarily as his eyes shifted towards the big clock on the wall, noting it was only 2:00. Had he not been in a public building, this would have caused him to scream and bang his fists against the desk. He'd done this once, and needless to say it had not ended well, only with a warning from his boss to be more quiet or else, whatever that meant. But 2:00 meant it was still another two hours until he could clock out and go home, another two hours of slaving away like a mindless drone. So much time he was wasting, and it was like this 24/7 save for the weekend.

If you'd told his eight year old self he'd be doing this for a living, he would have laughed.

A boring office job was never what he wanted from life, never wanted to have it as a career. He'd always thought he'd be a published author, or at least, known for something important by now. He'd told himself when starting this job, he'd try to make time for his hobbies, for improving on them, but he never got a chance. 4 years had he been stuck at this job, 4 years of his life dwindled away as an office drone.

No, it was definitely not what he wanted.

Yet no other job had wanted him, this had been his only choice. It wasn't like every job out there had a good medical plan, winners could not be choosers. But god, did he hate working here. In fact, he detested it.

The clock ticked away slower even though he wasn't looking at it, the time now being nothing but 2 minutes ahead of what it previously was. Sighing, Pepper looked back at the computer screen, at the documents he was typing. He was supposed to have these ready by now, he was running late as it was, but he really didn't feel like working on them any longer. It was all he'd been doing the entire day, only taking a lunch break, then getting right back to it.

Biting his lip, he looked around at the cubicles around him. No one was paying attention, except to their work, as per usual. Turning back to the screen, he shrunk down the documents and instead brought up a seperate word document which held an unfinished story chapter in it. He leaned forward in his seat, pursing his lips together as one hand propped against his head, the elbow on the desk. Closing his eyes, he allowed more pleasant thoughts to fill his mind, and then began typing.

"No, you don't understand. You never have, and you never will." Maxine crossed herself and turned away, away from having to face him. "I'm my own person, why can't you just accept it? Why can't you just accept that this is who I am?"

"Because..." He almost found himself at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say, what he could do now. She was slipping through his fingers, and it was own his fault. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do. Maybe he was too stubborn...too stubborn to admit defeat, to admit change...

"Because...that's not the person I fell in love with, Maxine. You're not her anymore...I can't look past that."

He finally said it.

And that seemed to be what she needed to hear, because she snorted, smiling sadly as she looked back at him.

"You can't?" The sad smile struck him like daggers, making him wish he weren't so set in his ways. He could have said something, different? Something that wouldn't hurt her, he could have, couldn't he?

He swallowed hard, unable to look at her any longer.

"No...I-I can't..."

"That better be the report I wanted, Maxwell."

The gravelly tone of his boss's voice caused Pepper's heart to beat fast in his chest. In a state of panic, he closed down the word document, going back to the report screen. His mouth felt dry despite his desperate attempts to gather saliva, and he looked nervously over at his boss, up with a shaky smile.

"Uh, um-" he stuttered. "It's not, sir, I uh-I didn't-"

"You didn't finish it yet?" His boss raised an eyebrow, before sighing and crossing his arms with the folders he was carrying. "Maxwell, I thought I made it very clear I needed that report on my desk at 2:30 precisely, if not earlier. How long could it possibly take to type up one report?"

"Longer than you'd think, sir..." Pepper muttered under his breath, but shut up the moment he saw his boss giving him a sharp look. He slunk back in his seat, letting his hands slide back from the desk.

"It's a complex report, Mr. Harris, I-" He picked at a loose fiber in his pants. "It's more work than I thought it was, I don't know if I'll be able to have it ready by 2:30."

"Well you better, otherwise you can kiss your paycheck goodbye." Pepper yelped as a stack of files hit him on the head and he rubbed the sore spot while grunting, noticing his boss now walking away. He felt a childish urge to stick his tongue out, but decided not to risk it. Instead, he slid his chair back into his cubicle, sitting there in stressed silence before leaning forward to work on the report again.

The airhorn that indicated it was the end of the work day was perhaps the most beautiful thing that Pepper had heard all day. It was suffice to say he felt dead inside, even as he drug himself out of the elevator and outside into the brisk city, amongst his other co-workers who also flocked from the building like chickens. Most talked to eachother, but the young man kept to himself, carrying his brief case as he walked to the nearby bus stop.

He'd forgotten how warm of a day it actually was; given the freezer-like temperature in the Joja building. Though, it was a bit cloudy, but the sun appeared to be managing it's best to shine through despite that.

While the other co-workers walked to the big parking garages across the street or flagged down a taxi, Pepper opted towards remaining at the bus stop. He didn't particularly have a thing for cars; they were a little too constricting for his taste. Besides, he took the bus everyday, he wasn't about to change his schedule at the drop of hat, even though hailing a taxi might have been quicker than waiting for the bus to show up.

At this thought, the bus pulled up, opening it's doors to the waiting patrons outside, which was really nobody save for a young woman and her child, and Pepper obviously. Both adults stopped at the entranceway at the same time, but he stepped aside to let her pass given that she was pushing a stroller. She smiled gratefully at him, and he smiled back with a nod, then boarded himself.

The doors shut, and the bus lurched forward as Pepper made his way to the usual spot where he sat. The briefcase, which hadn't even been that heavy, he sat in the seat next to him, as he crossed his legs and reclined back, releasing a tired sigh. This, was perhaps, the one time of the day he actually enjoyed except for the part where he finally got to go sleep. Plus he knew tomorrow was a weekend, which meant he'd be getting the day off. It was a nice feeling to have.

But heck, he did not have or feel a sense of accomplishment. He never did, even after the years he'd worked at Joja Corp, he'd never left with a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't exactly something he'd put on his list of being proud of; finishing reading a book, yeah, that was an accomplishment. Slaving away at a job that sucked his soul out of him? No, definitely not.

The bus turned a sharp corner, Pepper grabbing at the pole next to him to hang on, as in his daze had almost slipped from his seat. It was funny, he was young and healthy, he should standing next to this pole, not sitting and hanging onto it like this. But with his job, he felt many years older than he actually was and thus felt he deserved the luxury of sitting down.

It was gonna be another twenty minutes before the bus reached his apartment, so he took this time to check his phone for any unanswered calls or text messages. Hm...one missed call from his mom...a text from his step-sister, he could reply to that in a minute. However, it was the last unread message that made him cease in his screen-swiping.

A message from someone named Seth.

His thumb stayed frozen in place, his lower lip being nibbled by his upper teeth. A piece of him screamed not to read it, yet he found himself swiping it aside anyways and bringing it up to read it. He hadn't known what else to expect, except for the same repeated message that could be seen further up on the screen. Maybe not the exact same words, but it was definitely in the same vibe.

"Babe...hey. Just wanted to say happy birthday and uh...I miss you. Please call me sometime, k?"

A small shudder rippled in his spine and he exited out of the message screen and went back to answering his step-sister's text message, which read "You still coming over tonight?".

He tapped his reply in.

"Yeah, just headed home to get changed and relax for a bit. What time?"

Her reply came back quicker than he blinked.

"Kk! Also um, I think 7? Dad's working late and won't be home until then so if that's okay with you..."

"Yeah, sure. It'll give me time to squeeze a nap in."

He exited that message screen, just in time for the bus to pull to a stop. This wasn't his stop, obviously, so he stayed seated, eyes remaining on his phone. A man and an elderly lady entered, the man taking a seat across from Pepper, and the woman standing next to the bar. She held onto it, and smiled kindly over at Pepper with a nod as to say hello. He returned it, but questioned internally as to why she hadn't sat down.

That's when it dawned on him there were no other seats available currently, that the other man had taken the last one. Well, someone's mother had not taught them manners...

Standing wasn't exactly appealing to Pepper, but honestly, he knew he could handle standing for another fifteen minutes. It wouldn't be too long til his stop anyhow. Besides, he felt a little guilty seeing the old lady standing there while he stayed relax in his own seat, it just didn't feel right. So he coughed, reaching over to tap on her arm. She looked at him, and he stood up, grabbing the pole himself.

"Excuse me ma'am, hey, you can sit here." He motioned to the seat, the woman gasping and giving him a thankful expression as she sat down. Pepper snatched his briefcase up, but was caught off guard as the woman grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Bless you, young man. Not many young folk are that willing to give up their seat to anyone my age these days." she said warmly. "Thank you so much."

He said nothing, only nodding back at her with a small smile.

Soon enough the bus, made it to his apartment building, and he exited. The old woman had talked to him for the majority of the way back, and had even said goodbye when he left. Though in all his awkwardness, he'd remained quiet and just nodded and smiled a lot. He did feel bad for having acted that way, but what socialization did he get outside of work and family?

None.

So, he walked into the building, and to the elevator. While in there, he checked his phone again and mentally scolded himself upon noticing the missed call from his mother still on the screen. She probably wanted to know what he wanted her to cook that night or what he wanted her to get him...as she did every year. No use in putting off calling her back, he supposed.

He pressed her name and pressed the green call button, holding the phone to her ear as he waited for to pick up. The phone rang on the other end for a couple of minutes before he heard her voice, sounding a little too eager, but that was typical of her, he supposed. He didn't mind it.

"Hello? Pepper, hey, how are you doing, honey?"

"Tired, very tired. As usual." The elevator doors opened on the third floor and Pepper stepped out, gripping his briefcase as he walked down the hall. He shuffled in his pocket for his apartment keys for a minute and inserted them into the lock. "I had to cram in a last minute report for my boss and I swear to God, I thought my fingers were gonna fall off."

"Don't complain, sweetie, it could be a lot worse."

"Define worse." Pepper unlocked his apartment, walking inside. He tossed his briefcase aside, a small thud sounding as it hit the kitchen counter. "At this rate I think I would've been better off bagging groceries, at least then I'd be mobile all day. Huh. Anyways, what's up?"

"Your birthday, that's what. Last I checked, it was today, wasn't it? March 18th, right?"

"Mom, really? I know when my own birthday is."

"I know that honey, believe me I know it. I'm the one who gave birth to you, remember?" He chuckled at his mom's statement as he snagged a cup from the counter that he'd left out earlier. "Anyways, the reason I was trying to call you earlier is because I'm planning to leave for the store soon, and I wanted to know what you wanted for your birthday meal."

"I told you you didn't have to cook anything, Mom. Really." Pepper poured himself a glass of ice tea and headed to the living room, flopping onto the couch. "I'm fine with takeout, just get Chinese or something."

"Oh no, don't give me that. I'm cooking for you whether you like it or not." his mom scolded him on the other end, though he recognized her tone as playful. "My cooking is much better than any old takeout, plus it's your birthday. I'm cooking, end of story."

Well, he couldn't really fight her after that remark.

"Okay, okay you win, hah." he chuckled softly, grabbing the remote. "But nothing fancy okay? Just whip up some chili and hot dogs or something, I don't care. Just don't go to any extremes for my sake."

"No promises, hon. You know how I tend to spoil my babies, it's just how I am."

"I'm well-aware. Is that why you almost set the house on fire trying to light my sixteenth birthday cake?"

An almost-offended gasp from his mother caused him to chuckle again.

"I'm kidding, Mom. I'm kidding. You know I love you."

"Hah...love you too, honey." She sounded almost exasperated, and sighed. "You'll be here at 7, right?"

"Yeah, I'll try to be. Hey, no-no trying to surprise me or anything, okay? I'm just coming over for a simple supper and presents, nothing else. "

"Of course, dear."

"Please?"

"Yes, honey! I promise!" His mother laughed, and he heard her opening a door on the other end. "Look, I'm actually headed out now, I'll text you later to let you know when to come, alrighty?"

"Oh, Jamie already did that. 7:00, right?"

"Yup."

"Gotcha, see you then." Pepper took a drink from his cup. "Bye Mom, love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart, bye!"

She hung up, and Pepper turned his phone off, setting it on the coffee table in front of him. He sighed tiredly, propping his feet on the table as well and leaning his head back against the cushions. The noises of the tv became distant as he relaxed, holding up his glass as if he was about to make a toast.

Huh, to think he was 24 today. Felt weird.

Cocking an eyebrow, he shook his head and pretended to clink the cup against an imaginary glass.

"Well kiddo, here's to another year you didn't go insane..." he muttered, taking a sip.

Awhile later, he'd finished off his drink, and while the tv continued playing whatever generic program was on, he allowed his eyes to droop shut and eventually drifted off into a well-deserved sleep.

He didn't know what it time it was when he woke up; just that he was probably running late.

Where it had been slightly lighter outside when he'd fallen asleep, it was definitely darker than before in his apartment now, and he knew this for a fact considering he'd bothered to turn no lights on. The tv was still on, so he turned it off, and craned his neck to look at the clock on the wall.

6:30?!

God, he was gonna be late for his own birthday celebration.

Almost immediately, Pepper got up from the couch, though got hit with a dizzy spell due to getting so quickly, but he recovered and padded to his room, knowing very well he was already going to be late, but he'd be damned if he showed in his work clothes. He'd had enough work today to last him a lifetime, hell no one had even said happy birthday despite him stating it was today, several times, during lunch break.

Did it matter now? Probably not.

In his room, he opened his drawers and mumbled while shuffling through several pairs of pants and shirts. His fingers brushed against some kind of paper, and he paused. After a moment, he pulled the paper out, blowing off the dust covering it. It was a very old envelope, one that he had not really seen for twenty years of his life now.

The last time he'd even pulled this out was when he moved here, to this crappy apartment.

He might have only been four years old, but he could remember that night, his grandpa. He remembered himself, as a child, as a...different, child, but holding to his teddy bear, and listening to his grandfather's confusing, wise words. Now that he was older, he thought they made a little more sense now.

His fingertips brushed the wax seal carefully, and wistfully. Tempted as he was to open it, he remembered the words the old man had said to him. This was the whole reason he even bothered hiding this thing was because of those words, was because he was always too tempted to open it.

No, no opening it. Not yet.

Though, he would daresay modern life was already crushing, he wasn't sure yet. He'd had plenty of times where it would have been perfect to open this thing, but he never could. Couldn't bring himself to. He didn't know what was stopping him to be perfectly honest, but he just couldn't yet.

Maybe...maybe later.

Yeah.

Shoving it back into the drawer without another thought, he picked up a plaid button-up alongside some blue jeans and headed into the bathroom to get changed.

Almost forty minutes later, he'd journeyed on the bus from the bustling half of Zuzu City to the housing portions, where his family lived. His family, which consisted of his mother, Carrie-Anne, his step-father Jude, and his step-sister Jamie. Everyone, save for his brother. Everyone save for Cole.

No, he had other places to be right now.

He swallowed hard as he walked up the sidewalk, to the house. A grocery bag with a bottle of Joja Cola was in his hand, swinging back and forth as his feet tapped the stone pavement. He made it up the steps and knocked, stepping back to wait for someone to open. Waited, five minutes, and no footsteps came. Confused, he knocked again, but no one came.

He checked his watch. God, he was...he was only a few minutes late. They wouldn't have eaten without him, would they? Or decide to go out somewhere last minute?

No, they wouldn't. They would have told him. Besides, he recognized his step-dad's beatup old Chevy in the driveway.

So for the third time, he knocked, this time hearing a voice faintly speaking from inside.

"Come in!"

It sounded like his mother, so, he sighed and pushed the door open, surprised to find it was almost completely dark inside. Warily, he stepped inside, carrying the bag with him.

"Mom? Jude?" he called out. No responses, except for small giggles. He bent his eyebrows, then reached over and turned the lightswitch on. As he expected, his mother, step-father, and Jamie all emerged from behind the couch, each one of them holding a present...well, save for his mother who was holding a huge bowl of chili.

"Happy birthday!" They all exclaimed, his step-dad blowing a party horn in the process. Pepper snorted, a small smile spreading on his face. He should have expected this, regardless of his request to have no legit party. But as he looked around, he could see the room was entirely decorated with balloons and a confetti, even a huge banner that said "Happy Birthday, Pepper" on it.

"Wow, guys. You really surprised me, thanks." His tone of voice was sarcastic, yet he couldn't help but smile anyways. His family laughed, and each of them emerged from their spot, Jamie opened her arms for a hug despite holding a large wrapped present. Both young adults hugged while their parents stood behind them.

"I told Mom you didn't want a surprise party, but she wouldn't listen." Jude stated, chuckling as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. "But happy birthday anyways, buddy."

"Yeah, took you long enough to show up, but happy birthday anyways, squirt." Jamie stepped back, grinning, and holding her gift out to him. He took it, also taking the gift from his step-dad as well. The family all went to the couch together to open, while his mother headed to the kitchen to quickly put the chili up. Curiously, Pepper shook the box while his step-sister squealed at him and swatted his arm playfully.

"Aw come on, don't shake it!" she protested.

"Why? Is it a Gremlin?" Pepper smirked at her and she smacked him again, the two of them laughing. He finally tore open the paper to find a cardboard box, which he then discovered had several DVDs in them. Which, also happened to be Disney movies.

He pulled them out, and eyed Jamie with a grin.

"You know it'd be so much easier for you to just get me a boxed set of these things, right?" he asked, though she rolled her eyes and flopped back on the couch, folding her arms.

"You know how much those things cost? Nah, I'd rather take my time."

"Well I appreciate these anyways, Jamie. Thank you."

He set the box aside and picked the present up from his step-father, seeing it was not wrapped in a box, as he could feel what felt like a book wrapped inside. His mother had come back into the room, carrying something behind her back whilst nibbling at her lip.

"Hm..." Pepper tore open the wrapping paper, finding a leather journal inside. He flipped through the pages, while Jude watched with an amused expression on his face.

"I know it's not a lot, but I know how much you like writing and, heh, well, I thought you could use it." he said. "Considering how many of those you collected as a teenager, you know."

Pepper shut the journal, bouncing it in his hands momentarily.

"Yeah, yeah I did have a lot...thanks, Jude. Thanks Mom."

He set it aside with his movies, then clapped his hands together, standing back up.

"Alright, now how about that supper? I was promised chili and hot dogs, you guys didn't eat without me, did you?" A stupid question, considering he saw his mother with the chili bowl when he came into the house, yet he asked anyways. Both parents shook their head, and Jamie stood up from her seat, blowing out a sigh.

"I wanted to, but you know, Mom said you should get the first plate and didn't think it was fair." she said. "So no, your feast is still waiting for you, majesty."

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to some actual food instead of that factory crap from work." Pepper rubbed his hands together and started to head to the kitchen, but Carrie-Anne stepped in front of him, holding her hand out.

"Wait, honey-" She stopped short, Pepper noticing how sullen her face looked. She must have caught on that he noticed, because she smiled, although weakly, and brought out the item she'd been hiding behind her back. He looked at it, seeing a small box. His mind went back to his fourteenth birthday, and his conversation with Cole at the dinner table...

Quietly, he took the box, pulling back the string and paper. Through some tissue paper, he found a small, porcelain cardinal, holding it in the palm of his hand for a minute. His parents watched in silence, while Jamie looked at the floor, scuffling her foot against the floral carpet. The entire mood of the room, it seemed, had shifted vastly the moment he'd pulled out the bird, and nobody said anything.

Finally, Pepper himself broke the silence, though his voice sounded more choked up than he meant it to.

"It's...ni-um...it's nice. Thanks..." he mumbled, feeling a lump develop in his throat. He swallowed it down quickly, while his mother's weak smile remained and she nodded.

"Yeah, uh...Cole had me pick it out. I stopped by the home today to visit him...and uh, he actually asked about you, you know." she was saying, but her voice sounded distant to Pepper right now. "He was wondering if you still liked collecting those little porcelain birds or not...I mean, if you don't like it, I can just take it back-"

"No!" The loudness of his voice seemed to have startled everybody from their quiet expressions, but he chided himself and cleared his throat.

"Um...nah, nah it's um, I like it. It's okay, Mom." he apologized. His mouth felt dry now, and he licked his lips. "Just...I guess I wasn't expecting anything from uh...Cole, you know. I don't know."

He shoved the bird into his pocket, clearing his throat again.

"Thanks, thanks everyone. This has probably been the better part of my day." he admitted. "Now unless you've got anymore presents hidden in the back of the house somewhere, can we eat now? I haven't had anything since lunch."

Everyone was in agreement to that, especially Jamie. His mother patted him on the back as they all headed into the kitchen, each taking a seat at the table. No, he wasn't lying when he said this was the better part of his day; he truely enjoyed the time he got to spend with his family. Even though Jude and Jamie weren't blood-related to him, he'd loved and cared for them if they were from the day his mother married Jude and accepted Jamie as her daughter. And his mother, he would always love her, she had always been so supportive and so caring.

Then there was Cole, the one person he couldn't seem to stand talking about.

It was funny; at one point in his life, he'd thought maybe that his older brother had been on the mend. Guess he'd never gotten that chance after all that happened...

A happy hour passed for the family, as they talked and ate, each talking about their day and past memories, past, happy memories. Carrie-Anne, being the mother she was, delighted in recalling an embarrassing story from Pepper's childhood, to which he reddened and covered his face, much to Jamie's amusement. After dinner, they'd all taken turns in doing the dishes, and soon headed out to the living room to start up with the board games, as was Pepper's request.

It was only when they'd been halfway into Monopoly when there was another knock at the door. Carrie-Anne was in the kitchen making popcorn, and the other three family members were seated into the living room while Beauty and the Beast played on the television. Each looked up at the sound, and Jamie jumped up.

"I'll get it, don't take Parking Place while I'm gone." she called as she headed to the door.

"Good luck with that, you're still in jail." Pepper teased, and he heard his step-sister's bitter laugh at his statement. He snorted, and got back to sorting through his paper money while his step-dad rolled the dice. The door could be heard opening, and the sound of a familiar voice caused Pepper's arms to weaken.

"Hey, Jamie-"

"What are you doing here, asshole?"

"I-geezus, don't be that way. I just wanted to see if Pepper was here, he wasn't at his apartment."

"Oh, so you're stalking him, now?"

The conversation continued as Carrie-Anne exited with the popcorn. She'd had a smile, but it faded when she looked over at the door. She exchanged a nervous look with Jude, who in-turn looked at Pepper, who's eyes were on the floor. His skin was already naturally pale, but it looked even more drained of color than it ever had been before.

"Pepper?"

The figure at the door shoved past a protesting Jamie, walking in. Immediately, Jude got up, and he and his wife stood in front of their son.

"You're not welcome here, Seth." Pepper heard his step-father's stern voice, but he couldn't bear himself to look up. He heard that same chuckle, that awkward chuckle, he'd known it for two years of his life. He didn't wanna look up, didn't wanna see the face it belonged to.

"I'm-I'm not? Wow, okay. Sure, sorry." Seth, as Pepper could imagine, was holding up his hands and backing up. "Thanks for making me feel welcome then, guys. Sorry."

"What do you want here?" His mother snapped, causing Pepper to look up slightly. "If you haven't noticed, we're trying to celebrate Pepper's birthday right now, family members only."

"I know that, I swear I-I don't wanna take up too much of your time, I just wanna talk to Pepper." His voice felt like nails on a chalkboard, reminding Pepper of a previous time. He felt his skin go cold and grabbed at his arms, shaking slightly.

"You belong to me, you hear that?" Slap. "You do what I say, you dress how I want. You'll have sex when I want, do you understand?"

He said nothing.

Another slap.

"Y-yes-yes, I understand." He finally choked out, his lower lip already swollen. "P-please, I understand. But Seth...Seth please, not now. Not now. I'm not ready."

"I don't give a fuck if you aren't ready. I said I wanted to have sex, and we're having it now." Pepper cried out as he was shoved back, onto the couch. He tried to get away, but felt Seth's foot pinning him down. He whimpered, wailing, as he heard the sound of his boyfriend's pants unzipping.

"S-Seth-Seth, please-please, I can't-please..." He felt his hands on his backside, pulling his own pants back. He tried to get away again, but was kicked in the ribs. Howling, with hot tears streaming down his face, he felt Seth's cold hands on his bare skin, felt something...something awful...

"Seth! Seth stop, please! Stop it! Stop it!"

He felt his mind going blank, the tears on his face going down faster.

He tried to get away again, but was kicked in the ribs. Howling, with hot tears streaming down his face, he felt Seth's cold hands on his bare skin, felt something...something awful... "Seth! Seth stop, please! Stop it! Stop it!" "You never listen to me, you never listen, you useless little fuck, you never ever listen."

"Never-" It wouldn't stop. "Ever-"

"This is what you deserve."

"Why?"

Jamie's voice brought Pepper back, though he was trembling at this rate. He didn't wanna remember that; why, why had that asshole had to show up now, why...for the love of God, the day had gotten better. Why, why now.

"Because..." He heard Seth give off a huff, and looked to see him lifting up a gift bag. "I just wanted to give him a birthday present, you know. Like any good boyfriend would."

"You aren't my boyfriend." Pepper shocked himself by talking, even earning looks from everyone in the room. He didn't stare Seth in the eye, though looked at his face. He hadn't realized he'd let a few tears escape, and brushed them away. "You haven't been my boyfriend for six months, Seth. Why are you here now?"

"I-Like I said, it's your birthday." Seth smiled, as if that would help, and held up the birthday present again. "Don't you want your present?"

"I'll take it." Carrie-Anne had set the popcorn down and stepped forward, holding her hand ou to take the gift back. She looked ready to pounce, almost like a lionness, yet was doing a good job holding herself back. It was evident nobody in his family liked Seth, not in the slightest, and he was clearly outnumbered. Even though he didn't look like he wanted to give the present to his ex's mother, he did so anyways, releasing a disastisfied groan at the same time.

"Now get out." his mother snapped, tossing the bag aside. "We don't want you here."

"Okay, okay." Seth held his hands up in protest, stepping back. "Alright, I get it. I'm the unwanted guest. I'll go, sorry for disturbing you all."

He headed towards the door, but spared a glance to the silent Pepper as he grabbed the doorknob.

"Babe...hey. Text me back sometime, okay?" He said nothing, continuing to stay silent. Seth sighed, then opened the door. The family watched him leave, all with stone expressions on their faces, even when he looked back at them. He just looked annoyed, and shut the door hard behind him. At the sound of his car starting, it was then Pepper got up and headed to the window, watching the truck pull out of the driveway and go off down the street.

He jumped at feeling his mother's hand on his back, and shifted his eyes towards her.

"Honey, you okay?" she asked quietly, knowing very well what had been on his mind the moment that his ex had walked in. He only nodded, though it was a lie.

His day had finally shown signs of improvements, and just like that, it'd gone down the drain again.

Typical. How damn typical.

It was 10:00 by the time Pepper made it back to his apartment. His eyelids were heavy, and his body felt tired again, but there was no way he was going to sleep yet. He couldn't, not with how he felt. His morning had been crap, and the only half of his day that had been any good was the afternoon and half the evening. Now he was back to feeling as dragged out as he had earlier.

The presents hit the couch, and he rubbed the back of his neck, yawning softly. His phone ringing caused him to stop and he picked the device out of his pocket, dismayed to find it was his boss. At the very least, it wasn't Seth trying to bother him again, goodness knows he'd already done his fair share just by showing up and having the audacity to try talking to him.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mr. Maxwell!" He cringed at hearing his boss's voice, yet tried to maintain a calm tone as he replied.

"Yeah, Mr. Harris? What can I do for you?" He kicked his shoes off, heading to the kitchen to put away the leftovers that Carrie-Anne had sent him home with.

"Well I just wanted to call and wish one of our best employees a happy birthday, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to earlier but I really needed those reports. I'm sure you understand." Yeah, he understood. Completely. Despite knowing Mr. Harris was on the other end of the line, he nodded.

"Yeah, it's fine, sir, I understand." He shoved the chili into the fridge and shut the door. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

"Yes, actually. You remember Mrs. Collins, the cubicle across from you?"

"I'm vaguely familiar with her, sir." He never really got a chance to talk to his co-workers, if he was honest. "What about her?"

"Well, she's called in sick and won't be able to make it tomorrow. Now, I know you normally take off weekends, but there's no one else to available..." Inwardly, the young man winced as his boss continued. "Would you mind coming in, just for a couple of hours, at least?"

No, no, no. For the love of God, don't say yes-

"U-uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess I could." Damn it, Pepper. "That's...not a problem, really..."

"Excellent! I look forward to seeing you then, Mr. Maxwell. Have a pleasant evening!"

"You...you too..." He numbly hung up, standing in the kitchen for a minute before chucking the phone aside. Normally, he wasn't the type to get mad, but after the anything-but pleasant evening he had, that wasn't the news he was hoping to get. Not after a stressful work day, how could that prick talk to him like he hadn't been nagging him around...

Then his mother had mentioned Cole, even though she knew how he felt about talking about him.

Fucking hell...Seth showing up had been the icing on the cake.

Deciding he might as well get to bed now considering how early he had to be up, Pepper picked his phone up, annoyed to find it's screen was now cracked. He flicked his bedroom lights on, sitting on the bed and peeling his socks off. Sighing, he flopped back onto the mattess, staring at the ceiling above him.

In his train of thought...he couldn't help but reflect. This past day, week, year even...so much had happened. So much had happened since he was fourteen, four even. Twenty years since his grandpa...ten years since Cole had...huh...and a year since...

His brain fuzzed on him and he grunted, covering his eyes in exasperation.

Why, why had he delayed on opening that damn envelope. Hell if he couldn't help it, he was man enough to admit life was stressing him out, and he did indeed feel crushed.

His mind went to the envelope.

Should he...

Huh. Oh, to hell with it. He didn't know if this is what Grandpa had meant by "the burden of modern life", but he'd put this off long enough. It was his birthday damn it, he was gonna count this as the present he really needed.

He got up, flinging open the drawer, and dug through his clothes again before finding the envelope. Pulling it out, he tore the wax seal, but when it came to actually taking out the paper inside...he hesistated. Twenty years...it had been so long...

Was he really, truely ready for this?

Only one to find out, he supposed.

Slowly, he pulled the folded paper out, opening it to find his grandpa's handwriting.

"Dear Pepper, if you're reading this, your life must be in dire need of a change..."