"Ahh, that should do it!" Blue sighed in satisfaction as he observed his carefully designed tacos. His smile grew brighter with each grain he examined, occasionally moving around the toppings to balance the art perfectly. After his 6-hour long cooking project was finally complete, he happily skipped over towards the stair case and called for his housemates.
"Dream! Ink! Come down if you'd like some exquisite, perfectly designed tacos!"
"Coming, Blue!" He heard the gentle, calming voice seap throughout the staircase. After a few moments, he heard the faint sound of a knock and the voice of Dream beckoning Ink's presence. Blue smiled once more, satisfaction and excitement surrounding his being. Dream descended the stair case in a timely manner, however, the look on his face and the lack of Ink's presence suggested that his search yielded disappointing results.
"I'm sorry, Blue, but Ink is either asleep or not here." Blue's face dropped.
"What? He said he would eat tacos with us..." Blue sighed, this time out of sadness.
"You know how he is... You have to stay on top of him for everything." Blue nodded.
"He did write that we were having tacos on his scarf, right?" Blue inquired. Dream nodded.
"Yes, but, you know how hard it is for him to remember to check his scarf... He even has to write 'check your scarf' on his scarf." Dream offered Blue a sympathetic look, empathy for Blue's hard work filling his soul. "I'm sorry, Blue... I know how excited you were for this." Blue nodded and thanked Dream, offering back a slight smile. Dream smiled back towards him.
"But, I'm still here! And, frankly, I love your tacos. Would you like to eat with me and we can save the rest for Ink when he comes back?"
Blue smiled wide at this and nodded, and, without being further told, rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the gorgeously fitted tacos. The two of them shared a laugh as they began to sit down and get comfortable.
"Oh, and as always..." Blue held out his hands for Dream to hold, which Dream followed through on. "We must say grace!" Dream nodded and giggled. The both of them began to close their eyes... When suddenly...
With a loud boom, the door crashed open. There, standing... or balancing on one foot with the other suspended in the air, was Ink. Blue sighed.
"Ink, how many times have we told you not to kick the-"
"Guys! Guess what! I got some candy from Sci!"
Dream and Blue returned concerning and confused stares. "Candy?" Dream clarified.
"Yes! It's a bunch of little cute things that I have to take, just one a day! Or... Was it three? Anyway! It's to help my... My... Oh, it was to help my... Oh, my Apple Dehydration Habanero Deficit! Or... Wait, was that it? Uh..."
Dream, being used to Ink's 'mysterious puzzles,' got to work decoding what he meant, while simultaneously pulling up a chair for the artist and closing the door. "Apple Dehydration Habanero Deficit... Deficit... Apple Dehydration... ADH-- ADHD???" Ink smiled. "Yeah, that one! AHDD!"
"What's ADHD?" Blue inquired, however, Dream stayed silent as if contemplating something. Ink, in the meantime, became entranced by the tacos Blue had prepared.
"Woah! Tacos! That's so awesome, Blue, they look amazing! Wait a minute... OH MY GOSH, I WAS SUPPOSED TO EAT TACOS WITH YOU GUYS!!"
Dream and Blue yet again gave blank stares. "We know."
As the three worked on indulging in Blue's appetizing tacos, Dream began to explain Ink's diagnosis.
"ADHD is a disorder where an individual experiences a lot of hyperactivity, a lack of focus, lack of social ques, trouble remembering things--"
"That doesn't sound like me." Ink interrupted, going back to the savory tacos. Blue chuckled at Ink's response. "I'm not sure I agree with you on that one, Ink."
"Huh? Agree with me on what?" Both Dream and Blue shared a laugh, much to Ink's confusion.
"What? What is it? Is there something on my face?" Dream shook his head. "No, you're just making your case even worse for yourself."
Ink, unsure of the conversation at hand, and too interested in the tacos at hand, hesitantly shrugged and continued with his consumption. Dream proceeded.
"All of these symptoms come from something much greater... Personally, I believe it is not an issue in the brain, rather, it is a response to inadequate discipline."
Blue titled his head which conveyed to Dream his confusion. Dream once more continued, "Normally, when people aren't raised properly, such as in the case of Ink, their vulnerable brains are forced to handle the world on their own, and therefore, they have a lack of discipline in their actions. They can't sit still, they can't focus... Although these are very real symptoms and a very valid response to their reality, it does require a lot of effort to control and rewire the brain."
"... Oh, okay." Blue nodded. "So really, Ink just is letting it happen and he has control over his symptoms!"
"Erm, not quite. It's not that Ink doesn't try to discipline himself, he was just never taught how and lacks the guidance needed to rewire his brain. It takes a LOT of effort... You're essentially tearing down every behavior and habit you've trained yourself to have and replacing it with beneficial ones. It's a very difficult thing to do, but those who don't give up and continue to try will find at least some success. And, most importantly, you can't do it alone. So, Blue, we're gonna have to be there for him as he tries to rewire his brain."
Blue paused for a moment... Before suddenly exclaiming, "Isn't that what we've been doing this whole time?!?! We check in to make sure he's eaten every day, we give him chores to do, we read the Bible together-- we've already tried rewiring his brain!"
"Yes, but what we've done is we've shown Ink the end goal. We've shown him what he should be able to accomplish on his own. However, we're gonna need to walk it out with him. Instead of just giving him a list, we have to walk it out with him until he understands."
Blue hesitantly nodded. "I see... In that case, we shall be there with him every step of the way, I shall make sure of it! Mwhahahah!"
Ink, watching the entire interaction, spoke up, "I am right here, you know." Dream smiled back at him.
"Alright, Ink, tell me what we just discussed."
Ink paused for a moment... And another moment... For several moments he pondered this question. Inevitably, however, his mind began to lose track of the task in the first place. Dream sighed.
"We have a lot of work to do. But, that's fine... We'll all do it together. When do you start the medicine?"
Ink, unsure of the answer, attempted to retrieve it from his memories. Without noticing, Dream grabbed the bottle of medicine from his hand and examined the directions.
"Aha, in the morning. And, Ink, it's only once a day... How many times a day?"
"Once?" Ink hesitantly confirmed.
"And when will you take it?" Blue added.
"In the morning?"
A cheer rang around the table as Blue and Dream celebrated Ink's accomplishments. "Yes, Ink! Great job! You did it!"
Ink smiled a long with the others, but deep down, he was disappointed in himself... From the sounds of it, he would have to be treated like a baby... He's the guardian of the universe, for crying out loud!
But, nevertheless...
This is a pretty good taco.
