running on empty

8 // Chips.

tw: lots of mentions of vomiting and mentions of eating garbage.

 
eds are a lot grosser than most people give them credit for :(

Ethan leaned back against the sofa, chuckling at something one of the cars on-screen said. He didn't quite catch the punchline, but Mark was laughing so he figured it was funny enough.

In truth, he was distracted thinking about breakfast. Yeah, he threw away the food in a rather... rude manner, but Mark had hit a nerve, reminding him of just how hungry he was. If he had kept talking about it any longer, Ethan was sure he would have scarfed down the plate at record-speed. Plus, the tone the older used made him feel ridiculous for even attempting to restrict himself, and that was certainly a slippery slope. Disposing of it was necessary.

But... he still wanted the breakfast. It was in the garbage and absolutely disgusting, but that didn't stop his mouth from watering at the thought of what could have been. Ethan felt like he needed to eat something, and the plateful he had tossed was all he could think about. Only a few bites had made their way into his body, and even though he felt nauseous thinking about it, the meager portion he had did nothing to curb the intense hunger he felt nearly 24/7. Just imagining the rest made his stomach burn painfully. Like it was reminding him that it did, unfortunately, need food if he still wanted to be a functioning person. And judging by the way he had wobbled standing and how hard Mark had gripped him, he was inclined to agree. At least for a day.

Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to eat, he knew he couldn't very well just ask Mark for a snack after dumping the breakfast he had spent time making - which was delicious, by the way - in the trash! That would be insulting, and probably pretty frustrating too. Ethan knew that from experience.

So... he couldn't ask for something new, but he couldn't just dig in Mark's garbage, either. That was... indescribably gross. If Mark saw him dig up the breakfast just to shove it in his face like an animal - well, he could say goodbye to their friendship and his reputation. Honestly, the man might just lock him up in a mental hospital and be done with it! Not that he'd be wrong for doing so, the brunette mused.

Shaking his head, Ethan chewed on his lip to hide a manic giggle. He couldn't believe he'd even considered garbage-cuisine - even if it would be a fun restaurant name.

"Coming to you hot and fresh: New! Reheated leftovers with a drizzle of mystery sauce and a side of suspiciously smelling napkin! Or perhaps you'd like the aged mystery goo presented on an apple core in a bacon wrapper?"

Fuck, he really was losing his mind.

Mental breakdown aside, he was hungry and wanted to take advantage of the rare urge to eat. It had been, fuck, almost a day since he had snatched the last bag of chips in his pantry, and while he was proud of his control he couldn't last much longer.

Funny how the one time he was willing to cheat there was no food in sight.

Ethan halfheartedly watched the brightly colored talking cars on-screen while trying to make up his mind on whether to stick it out or suck it up and ask for something. Both options were equally unpleasant, and he wasn't looking forward to making his decision.

Fortunately for him, his stomach decided it had done enough waiting and growled loudly, getting Mark's attention even over the loud noises coming from the TV. Red tinged his cheeks and ears as his friend slowly looked over at him, raising an eyebrow in the general direction of his stomach. Shit.

"You - uh, you hungry?" Mark asked, shifting slightly towards him. Ethan wanted to die.

He smiled tightly, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. He was hungry - almost comically so - but he wasn't going to let Mark in on that. "A little, but it's fine."

Mark stood up and grimaced as his joints popped. "No, let me get you something. Since my breakfast was bad and all."

Ouch. He swallowed nervously and ran his fingers along the threads in his jeans. So, Mark was mad about the breakfast, or at least annoyed. Not great for him. Embarrassed, Ethan watched as he walked into the kitchen, and called out after him. "No, not at all! I'm not lying - it was really fucking good, dude. I'm sorry for dumping it."