More Than Paralyzed { Ricky "Horror" Olson }

This is Horror, This is Sin

Lucian and I fell asleep on the couch last night, with the Lion King playing on repeat all night long, I think it maybe his favorite movie. My phone rings and I reach to grab it trying my hardest not to wake up the sleeping toddler on my chest.
"Hello?" I ask still half asleep.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you Crucible," I don't need to look at the caller ID to know who it is there's only one person who calls me that.
"What's up Mr. Horror?" I ask.
"Well Ms. Manson, I was wondering what you and your little man were doing today, I've got writers block and I'm a little bored," he says I smile.
"Um we're watching movies all day, and finally putting up our Christmas tree," I say.
"You realize Christmas is two days away right?" He asks
"Yes I do but Christmas isn't my favorite holiday I only celebrate it for him," I say,"and the less I have to look at the stupid tree the better"
"Fair enough I could come over and help you guys if it's okay," he suggests.
"Sure I'll text you my address," I say.
"Alright and I'll see you in a few,"he says I can almost hear  the smile in his voice.
We hang up and I instantly text him my address. Lucian wakes up and kisses me good morning. Before climbing off of me and we go brush our teeth and get ready for the day. I'm in the middle of making breakfast for Lucian when someone knocks on the door.
"Who is it?" I call they don't answer so I rush to the door and pull it open, Ricky smiles at me.
"Hi," he says.
"Hey, I'm making breakfast, come inside hope you're hungry." I rush before going back to the kitchen and flipping the pancake I had on the griddle. Ricky walks into the kitchen shortly after me with Lucian in his arms.
"So this is your son?" He asks while Lucian plays with his hair.
"Lucian, did you ask if you could play with Ricky's hair?" I question the almost two year old, who looks at Ricky with expecting eyes.
"I don't mind" Ricky tells him and Lucian goes back to tying Ricky's hair in knots.
"So what are we doing today?" I ask.
"Christmas tree first?" Ricky asks I nod.
"Well breakfast first," I say setting out three plates, pancakes some fruit, eggs, and bacon.
We eat pretty silently before making our way to the living room where Lucian picks out a movie, The Nightmare before Christmas of course one of his favorites. His sits in his chair and watches while Ricky and I pull down the steps to my attic to get my tree.
"Do you want to go up or do you want me to?" I ask Ricky looks up.
"Um, I'll go do you have a flashlight?" He asks.
"Just the one on my phone," I shrug.
"How do you keep this house running," he mutters turning in the flashlight on his phone before climbing up the sketchy steps," did you furnish your dark as fuck attic?"
"Yes there's another way up there and the light switch should be on you left," I say
"Spider web, I fucking hate you, Salem," Ricky curses then I see the light turn on.
"Stay right there baby," I tell Lucian he nods and I start to go up the stairs.
"Baby? Salem we're just friends, but to each their- oh you were talking to Lucian weren't you" he says as I stop right behind him.
"Yeah, but you're kind of a big baby too," I say rolling my eyes. I move a couple boxes with my exes name on them and uncover the tree. It's one of those colored ones, well it's black because it looks badass with white lights it looks almost like an inverted tree in black and white of course. I grab the box of ornaments and pass it to Ricky and grab the tree myself before we both attempt to go down the stairs with the boxes in our hands. At the bottom I close the little staircase and set the tree down by my coffee table; and begin removing all the pieces and Ricky digs out the tree skirt.
"Has your family always had a black tree?" He asks I nod.
"For as long as I can remember, they've always been.." I trail off trying to think of a word to describe my family,"creepy? Growing it was like eternal Halloween, and I loved it,"
"Did you ever want to try something different?" He asks connecting the base pieces.
"Yeah, instead of the Goth or emo phase some people went through, I went through a preppy phase, that probably was also because I went to a boarding school were self expression wasn't allowed," I laugh at the end handing him a branch.
"Huh, I want to see what you would've looked like," he says smiling at me.
"I looked terrible, plaid skirt, white tights, white button down, navy blazer, black Oxfords." I shudder at the memory.
"I'm sure you looked fine," he says rolling his eyes.
"Let me find you a picture," I say,"and our hair had to be braided for like all of freshmen year it was terrible."
I hand him my stack of bottom branches and set off to find my year books.
"Even though my parents weren't and aren't religious, I went to a catholic school," I say,"they wanted me see experience what religion was like, because they would never practice one,"
"Why a catholic school though?" He asks as I'm scanning my bookshelf.
"Um because it's probably one of the most fucked up of all of them? And it was like one of the first religions or some shit," I say,"there you are you little bastards, anyway, they both were also Catholics, before giving up completely."
"So what would they have done if you liked it?" He asks.
"Suffered through Mass, I've already asked, they're so supportive, I could tell them I wanted to move to California and become a nudist and they'd be totally with it, well not totally but they wouldn't try to stop me," I say,"but I wouldn't do that"
"They sound pretty awesome," he says as he puts together the last of the bottom layer of the tree.
"They are," I smile,"you'd like them,"
"When can I meet them?" He asks starting in the next layer.
"Never," I smile,"they'd think your my boy friend"
He nods and goes back to I putting the tree together
I finally find my year books and pull all four out. Each one is from a different school, we moved around a lot, but it's alright, I've gotten to see so much of the country, but the 570 will always be home. I find my pictures and show them to Ricky.
"Oh my god you were adorable," he laughs at my freshman picture, I hand him my sophomore picture,"looks like you were still in that preppy phase, but you look good,"
"Thanks" I say and I pass him my last two.
"You look much happier in these two," he notes.
"Because I was finally comfortable in my own skin." I say smiling.

We finished the tree hours ago now it's well past midnight and Ricky is still here, only now we're watching horror films, currently Hush, and I'm nodding off, Ricky pulls me into his side and wraps his arms around me while I fall asleep and it's got to be one of he best feelings in the world.