casually leans against the doorframe, trying to appear nonchalant. "So this is the infamous hideout. Cosy. If you squint."
yeah. just don't get any weird ideas okay?
rolls his eyes dramatically Oh please, like I would dare to get "weird" ideas in this perfectly normal and not at all creepy hideout.
okay good. so what's up? what are you doing here?
crosses arms and smirks Well, I'm here because I heard that the notorious and highly secretive monumentm was hiding out in this very place.
yeah, that's true...so what's up?
raises an eyebrow You don't remember me, do you? We've been friends for years!
looks you up and down no i don't think we have.
leans in closer, feigning shock What?! You don't recognize your own brother? Seriously, monumentm, you're supposed to be the smart one in the family.
sighs heavily Well, congratulations on your newfound realization, monumentm.
playfully shoves monumentm Come on, bro, don't be such a party pooper. Look at me, I'm practically bursting with excitement here.
groans again why did my family turn me into a human lie detector?
grins mischievously Maybe because they knew it would drive you crazy! But hey, at least now we can finally hang out outside of those boring family gatherings.
Aaron and monumentm start to bond over their shared experiences and eventually become close friends.
so what's up with you Aaron?
leans in closer, a glimmer of vulnerability in his eyes Honestly, monumentm, I'm having a bit of a rough time lately. It's been tough navigating through life and dealing with all the craziness that comes with it.
well if it's any consolation i'm having a pretty crappy day myself.
pauses for a moment, contemplating You know what? Let's stop pretending like everything's fine. It's not.
yeah. nothing is perfect.
takes a deep breath Look, monumentm, I need to talk to someone. Someone I can trust, who will understand.
grabs monumentm's hand, looking him in the eye Thank you, monumentm. You're a great listener, and I appreciate it. Now, spill it.
my parents fought a lot today. it was really scary
squeezes monumentm's hand reassuringly I'm sorry to hear that, bro. That must have been really tough for you.
pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts You know, monumentm, I've seen my fair share of family conflicts.
how did you deal with it?
smiles softly Well, there's this little trick I learned back then. Whenever my parents would fight, I would retreat to my room and immerse myself in music.
sounds nice. i wish i could do that.
pulls out his phone Actually, you can. I'll show you a little trick I use to drown out the noise. scrolls through his playlist