Who: Johnny Reb and Emo Where: The house in Memphis When: Backdated to shortly after they went paintballing What: Serious discussions in unconventional places Warnings: Well, they're in the shower, so: nudity, language, mentions of sex, and discussion of self-injury.
Memphis was rapidly becoming Johnny's favorite place in the entire South. Once upon a time, it had just been another city where he was mostly certain of a warm welcome, a place to stay, and a few hot meals. It stood out no more than Mobile, Charleston, Atlanta, Little Rock, or any other city he'd drifted through in his nomadic post-war life. Now, though? Now he had a house in Memphis, the first actual honest-to-God home he'd had since leaving Avondale, and he had a boyfriend who had no problem with Johnny's need to spend at least a third of every month there. He could soak up what little power he could get here, recuperate from the weakness that always accompanied his extended visits North, and best of all he was far, far away from Her and the dreams Her presence in the city caused.
He had been in an uncommonly good mood for this entire trip, more lighthearted and jocular than probably anyone had ever seen him. This good mood lasted precisely until he, along with Emo and the rest of his band, left the paintball arena after a heated battle. What seemed like a fun, easy way to spend an afternoon didn't seem that way anymore, when he was covered with blue --blue, of all colors!-- paint and probably a network of bruises all over his upper body. When they got home, Johnny had no hesitation about making sure he got to the master bathroom first, turning the water up to just this side of scalding before he got in the shower. That blue paint had to get scrubbed off before the pain from the bruises kicked in and he couldn't move with any sort of ease.