Victor Brannigan (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sciomachy) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} nevermore_au,@ 2013-03-21 19:55:00 |
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
as we ARE doing another thread as I type this ;)
WHAT: Talking mostly
WHEN: The morning after this
WHERE: Kemps house
WARNINGS: Language
Victor slid out of bed, though not before planting a kiss on the sleeping Kat's cheek. He pulled on a coat and his shoes before stepping out of their RV and into the Kemps' house. He knew they were welcome to sleep inside the house and sometimes they were likely to, but Victor had wanted to spend some time alone with Kat in the wake of her injury.
Inside the house, he found Thomas awake on the sofa alone and in the dark. He raised his eyebrows and lit a candle to offer some light before crossing to his friend. "The fire's out. Should I start another one?" The air inside the house wasn't cold yet, as the fire's embers had burned throughout the night. One wouldn't necessarily say it was warm either.
"If you like," Thomas replied. He looked exhausted and even in the dim candlelight, Victor could see his eyes had dark circles under them. "I couldn't sleep so I sort of hobbled out here to sit. Then I couldn't light a candle. Shaky hands. Don't want to burn the house down."
"No, that wouldn't be pleasant. Have you been sleeping well at all lately?" Victor looked him up and down and wasn't encouraged by the state of him.
"In fits and starts. Sometimes it hurts too much and sometimes-" Thomas shook his head. "I don't...remember. Night-nightmares." He squeezed his eyes shut and then he said, "-for...no. Sorry. Confused."
"It's alright," Victor soothed him. "Give me a few minutes, okay?" Victor stood and busied himself and soon the fire was built back up and roaring. There was porridge and coffee bubbling away in pots over the fire. When it was finished, Victor carried breakfast back over to his friend.
Thomas was helped with some pills, washed down with some coffee. Then Victor gathered some of the porridge in a spoon. "This might help clear your head a little. And there's some Spam for dinner," he made a faux-excited face.
"More than one meal a day?" Thomas joked weakly. "Crazy talk." He let Victor feed him some of the porridge and he did look like he perked up a little after a few bites. "Jamie's snoring. 'snice. That he's asleep."
Victor looked off in the direction of the snores before spooning some more porridge into Thomas' mouth. "Is he really okay?"
"He's exhausted. This last week he's gone out twice for supplies and found practically nothing. Things to burn, and nothing else. Sometimes," Thomas said quietly, "I wish you two would just...take him with you. He's wearing himself thin and I can't help."
"We could take both of you," Victor reminded Thomas. He told the man that every time they stopped by. "You'd both be better off." The travelling probably wouldn't be good for Thomas, but at least the two of them wouldn't be secluded and barely getting by. "I'm not going to force Jamie to leave you. You know that kid would slice through me with his knife to get back here if I did."
Thomas groaned, but he knew. "And if I came with you, what about in a fight situation? The moment someone realises you have an invalid with you and uses me against you, you're all fucked. I can't risk that. Just...Victor, just take him. He needs the food and the sleep."
Unaware whether it was really Thomas talking now, or his deteriorating mental state, Victor took it at face value. "If you think food and sleep are all he needs, you're wrong. He needs you. People aren't fighting so they can just eat and sleep and get up and do it again. He loves you. People are fighting for the people they love. If I took him and by some slim chance he didn't escape back here, how do you think he would be knowing he left you to die? You think that's going to help him?"
"I don't know," Thomas said, defeated. "I just- He's- I'm so afraid for him. He would be better off without me weighing him down."
"That's bullshit," Victor said, inviting no arguments. He fed Thomas the last of the porridge and then held up more coffee for him. "Being with us is a risk, it's true. Yes you might slow us down, but so what? You deserve help just like everyone else. You're still alive, Thomas."
"What about the first time I get confused and try to hurt someone because I think they're attacking me?"
"Then we'll keep you away from the guns," Victor said with a shrug and then he smiled brightly even though Thomas was looking at him with a dubious expression. "Come on, Tom."
"Maybe," Thomas finally said, and Victor decided to give it a rest for now. He could try again later when Thomas was rested.
"Alright. Do you need more porridge?" Thomas shook his head and Victor put the bowl and spoon aside. "Can I be honest with you? I worry about my people every day too. I worry about Kat. She's- She's so good. She's so self-sacrificing and wonderful. But I worry about attacks in the night. I worry about her running herself ragged. I worry about one of the men in the camp snapping and assaulting her or any of the other women. It hasn't happened so far and they're good people, but circumstances do funny things... This isn't really how I imagined our life together. She could go be with Hermes and be safe and protected, but I would hate being without her." He looked over at his friend. "Sometimes I feel selfish. It's her choice, of course, but I still feel horrible for wanting her with me instead of safe. So I guess we both feel guilty."
"I guess we do," Thomas smiled gently at him. "Is that why you look so-" and then he mimed 'serious' again like he had to Kat the previous day. Victor just laughed and nodded. "Well we can't make decisions for them. And the world is in chaos and things suck. But I didn't spit my porridge out on you."
"I did appreciate that. If you do come with us, we'll do what we can for you. Make you comfortable." Victor patted Thomas' shoulder.
"You make it sound like I'm dying," Thomas said, going for levity.
"Something like that. Just think about it. Talk to Jamie about it. And don't tell Kat the...you know, me feeling guilty thing."
"Secret's safe with me." Thomas yawned and Victor was about to suggest he try sleeping again when the other man said, "I might try to take a nap. Okay?"
"Of course it is," Victor assured him. "I'll help you back to your room. And I'll be keeping a watch the entire time. No need for nightmares."