Toby Mitchell (likeacannonball) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-06-03 22:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, adrian, adrian x toby, toby |
Who: Adrian & Toby
Where: Road into Seaview, Toby's Apt
When: Tuesday evening. 01/23
Status: Complete
Adrian barely knew where he was going. He'd thought he was heading toward his car but it was hard to tell. Every step made his head throb and he kept thinking that maybe dodging death had just been very temporary and he was about to keel over any second now. It definitely felt like something was broken inside his brain, like some nerve had caught fire or a vein was severed, flooding his skull with fiery hot blood. It was hard to breathe and it was only fear that kept him on his feet and walking. He was sure he'd gotten Kane good but what if he was wrong and Kane came after him. Just the thought of those hands closing around his neck again made him feel like he was suffocating and breathing was hard enough without panic tightening the airways.
He stumbled onward for a while, blinking as he tried to see more than just inches ahead and he wondered if it was really just him or if the fog had come back in full force. But no, he thought he could see it lapping at his ankles, the rest of it was just blur. There was a limit to how far he could go and eventually he sank down against a car and let his head rest against the cool metal. Was it his car? Maybe, maybe he could check in a minute once he had rested a little. Or maybe he'd just die again right here, blood still slowly seeping from the cut in the back of his head, his vision swimming and something in his throat cracked. His breathing still wheezed and as perturbing as it was it was almost reassuring too, much like all the pain it was a reminder that he was alive.
Toby had never walked off the floor mid-shift before, but the hospital was in such chaos that he doubted anyone would notice. There were people everywhere, in the waiting room, on the floor in the hallways, most of them passed out, in a coma or just asleep. It reminded him of a scene from Sleeping Beauty, where everyone just fell asleep where they were, all to wait until the prince arrived and woke the princess with a kiss. Except this was reality and they were in the midst of a situation that continued to devolve by the minute. Not only were they over capacity, but both the patients and the staff had turned combative. Those still awake anyways. Toby was not immune to it; he just realized that he needed to walk away.
His hands shook as he got in the car and for a minute he just sat there, trying to calm his nerves. His gut said this was the right thing to do and he trusted that more than anything else, more than the law. Maybe he’d lose his job over it, but his boss had passed out at her station, so he doubted it. Taking a deep breath, he started home, driving on auto-pilot as his thoughts began to wander. He needed to shake this mood he was in. He needed to get home, draw himself a bubble bath, and just soak until all the bad juju was gone. He needed to help the guy dying on the side of the road. FUCK. Toby slammed on his brakes, then put the car in reverse, backing up so he could look out the window again. It wasn’t just some guy. Double fuck. “Just do your fucking job,” he muttered to himself, then put the car in park and climbed out, rushing to Adrian’s side. “Hey,” he said, giving his shoulder a shake. “You awake?”
The touch at Adrian's shoulder jolted him out of his stupor and he jerked away, fumbling for the bloody knife at his side. "Back off," he hissed and it hurt to try to speak, like he was trying to cough up glass. He still couldn't see well, just a blurry image of dark hair but it wasn't Kane, this guy was smaller and the blur that was his hair was a lot... more. So Adrian didn't try to stab him or crawl away, just held the blade up shakily as he tried to breathe and focus. Even if it wasn't Kane, people were going crazy, he'd heard as much earlier and there was still noise like car horns blaring in the distance, more noise than was normal in a small town, coming from too many directions at once. Something was wrong, something more than just his body trying to crawl fully back to the world of the living.
“Fuck you,” Toby snapped, but he still fell back on his hands when the knife came up. He glared at Adrian and had a mind to slap the knife out of his hand, but self preservation prevailed. Adrian looked weak, but if looks were deceiving he could probably break Toby. “It’s Toby. You look like shit,” he said, still staring him down. It wasn’t exactly his best bedside manner, but Adrian didn’t look like he was in a place where he could wait for someone in a better frame of mind. “You wanna let me help you? Or would you prefer to sit out here and die?” Was that over dramatic? Toby didn’t think so, based on the state of the town tonight and Adrian’s current condition. He couldn’t help but pick up bits and pieces of Adrian’s thoughts, unable to completely stamp out his powers in his own condition, but he did his best to ignore them. Everything was so scrambled, it might not even be Adrian he was reading.
Adrian's thoughts were hard to read, even for him. All chaotic panic about dying, about not being able to die, being hunted. He was so tired but the moment Toby told him who he was he relaxed a little and lowered his arm to get the knife out of the way. He opened his mouth to speak but shied away from actually saying all that he wanted to say, the pain in his throat a reminder that speaking would hurt even more. "No hospital," he finally whispered and thought of the pills in his car, how much he fucking wanted them right now but telling Toby that or explaining to him where his car was and what it looked like or why he couldn't go to the hospital - those things required a lot of words and he felt exhausted just thinking about trying.
“No hospital,” Toby groaned and pressed his hands to his face, finger tips pressed against his eyes. He was out of control, unable to stop himself from knowing things that he had no business knowing, unable to ignore it when it might save a life. There were pills in a car somewhere. Pills Adrian wanted, no, needed. The images came through the chaos, unfiltered and unwanted. “Fuck,” he growled, and hit the car behind Adrian, just because he needed something to hit. It seemed to dislodge some of the anger inside of him and he breathed easier, finding his focus once more. He could do this. “Don’t talk. You’ll make it worse,” he said, then held out his hand. “Let me have your keys.”
Adrian was in no shape to fight or argue. He knew Toby though he wasn't acting much like himself at the moment, no doubt affected by whatever crazy shit was going on. He was trying to help, or it seemed like he was and Adrian felt compelled to trust that he wouldn't fuck him over so he dropped the knife, hissing in pain as he dug his sore hand into his pocket to find his car keyes. When Toby took them from him he grabbed his wrist, tried to give him a pleading look, a meaningful look in some fucking way but he could barely see him and his eyes hurt, like they were trying to escape the sockets so he closed them pretty quickly again. "'ove 'partment," he mouthed and found it was possible to whisper a little bit without using his throat much.
“I said don’t talk!” Toby insisted, though Adrian couldn’t have known how loudly he was projecting in Toby’s head. The touch alone relayed everything he needed to know and as soon as Adrain released him he was up, trying the car behind Adrian first. It felt like his car and he was sure of it even before he hit the unlock button and the lights flashed. Toby popped open the glove compartment, grabbed the pills, then returned back to Adrian as he opened the bottle. “One,” he said, offering it to Adrian before pocketing the rest. “I can’t have you passing out on me. You can have more when we get in my apartment. Come on.” He wasn’t the strongest of guys, but he could lift Adrian so long as he wasn’t completely dead weight. As soon as he’d taken the pill, he put an arm around him, trying to help him to his feet. They’d be safer in the car.
Adrian let the pill melt on his tongue, not even attempting to swallow it and the bitter taste on his tongue gave him something to focus on as he tried to help Toby get him to his feet. Inside a car was where he'd wanted to go in the first place so he was relieved when he all but fell into the passenger side seat, dragging his legs up into the car like they weighed ten times too much. He slumped there until Toby joined him and hearing the car doors lock was... yeah, it felt good. It wasn't his car but it wasn't outside and that was all that mattered. He felt stupidly grateful to the point of crying, but he clamped down on that and focused on the melting pill in his mouth. Swallowing hurt as much as talking but it was worth it, or would be worth it soon enough.
Toby didn’t linger once Adrian was in the car. As soon as they were buckled in, he started towards his apartment, cautiously checking his mirrors to make sure no one was behind them. “Should I be worried about him following us?” he asked, unable to fight the mounting paranoia that someone was watching them. He couldn’t fight like Adrian probably could. The car afforded them some safety, but eventually they’d have to get out and make their way to his apartment. The guy that attacked Adrian, and it was definitely a guy, could probably break him in half if he caught up with them. “I’m sure you have a fantastic story to go with this, but you’ll have to tell me later. Over large quantities of alcohol.” He slammed on the brakes as someone sped through the intersection ahead of them, completely ignoring the stop sign. “This fucking town,” he muttered, then continued on, breaking the speed limit himself.
A cold chill crawled down Adrian's back as for a moment he pictured Kane coming after them like some goddamned terminator, unstoppable and out for blood. But no, he'd been bleeding pretty heavily, he had to be dead or close to dead. He didn't try to answer or shake his head, just tried to sit still as the car rocked and jolted. They were going too fast, he didn't need to see the road to know that, and wouldn't that just be the perfect fucking ending to his day, a car crash. He wrapped his arms around himself, braced his knee against the glove compartment and tried to breathe through the ride. He could almost feel his body healing, like things were snapping back into place, slowly and painfully. His eyes were apparently not a priority though, his vision still blurry every time he tried to open them to look.
“Oh my god,” Toby whispered as an image from Adrian’s brain popped into his, vivid and frightening. They could be on the run from a serial killer for all he knew. It justified his speed at least, something he noticed only after Adrian began to worry about it. His head was beginning to throb, his own senses overloaded from overriding everything around him for hours. He needed sleep more than anything, but after seeing so many people at work passed out like the dead, he worried that sleeping might be a bad idea. “Almost there,” he said, trying to keep himself calm when it was the last thing he felt about now. “You know… you’re, like, the first person I’ve seen who wasn’t passed out or losing their mind. And that’s a good thing. But also kind of weird. Not that I’m losing my mind, but… I don’t feel like me either. Which makes me sound crazy. I promise I’m not.”
Adrian didn't really care if Toby was crazy, he didn't think he'd ever be the violent kind of crazy Adrian was actually scared of and he'd had plenty of experience dealing with the safer kind of crazy. All he knew was that he was pretty sure Toby didn't want him dead and that was all he needed. The bar was set low today and Toby cleared it with no problems. He reached over to pat Toby's arm, wanting to convey something, reassurance or gratitude maybe, even if his voice wasn't up for it. Body language was a powerful thing, physical touch even more so. He vaguely hoped it helped even if his hand was covered in dried blood. So maybe not that helpful. It was funny, he thought, because for all Toby knew he might be manic and losing his mind too, he was just too beat up to show it. It didn't even occur to him that Toby had some gifts of his own, he hadn't questioned for a second how he knew about the pills, too dazed to realize that Toby had just known they were there against all odds.
Toby laughed softly, appreciating the gesture, gore and all. He’d seen his fair share of crazy shit working at the hospital, so a little blood didn’t scare him off, even when it was outside of work. The message Adrain was trying to send came through loud and clear and that was what mattered. He pulled up in front of his apartment, performing one of the worst parking jobs of his life, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Okay,” he said, turning off the car. “We’ve got to get inside. Then head first, stop the bleeding. You might have a concussion. Then… fuck, I don’t know what to do about your neck. I’ll figure it out.” He didn’t wait to think though and hopped out of the car, coming around to get Adrian. The faster they could get inside, the better. He wanted to run into as few people as possible.
Adrian was very much on the same page which was why he feebly pulled his hood up before Toby was there to pull him out of the car. He did his best to carry his own weight but ended up leaning heavily against his former co-worker since his legs felt like jello by now. He couldn't waste precious energy on worrying but those worries still flitted through his mind, that someone would see them, that his murderer would come after them, that maybe he was incapable of dying now and then what. Then what. He'd never thought of suicide as an option but what if everything got worse and he had no other way out? Now he didn't even have that and the idea was terrifying, looming over him while he tried to avoid thinking about it right now. He should only worry about getting inside and maybe then he could worry about stinking up Toby's place. Bodies were so gross when they died and he was sure his was no better. Everything felt sticky and wet and not just with blood and snow. The frivolous thought that he'd just had a nice shower damn it crossed his mind and almost made him laugh it was just so stupid compared to everything else he was upset about.
“No one’s dying tonight,” Toby muttered as they crossed the lawn, making a beeline for his apartment. “But I may need one of your pills by the time we’re done. I think my head’s going to explode.” He didn’t know if it was because he was in such close contact with Adrian, because he was touching him, or if it was because he knew him, or all three of those things, but he couldn’t seem to stop the signal. It wasn’t clear, thank god, but it felt constant. His brain kept trying to hone in on things that didn’t make sense to him and he just wanted to shut it off. He thought again of that bubble bath he’d wanted to take and tried not to pout. It would have to wait. “Okay,” he said as he unlocked the door and let them both in. He relocked it, then proceeded to the kitchen, where he did his best to carefully guide Adrian to a chair. “Hang tight. I have a first aid kit. Be right back,” he said before running off.
That was not a problem. Aaron had used up most of the dosage but there were still a few pills left and Adrian didn't have a problem with giving away one as payment for his life. Sitting down again should have felt better than it did, it felt better than standing but everything just hurt so much. Almost like his body hadn't fully caught up with the fact it was supposed to be alive. God, was he a zombie now? Would he start rotting away or go into rigor mortis? Adrian tried not to think about it, live in the moment, take every horrible thing as it came and don't waste energy worrying about something that might not come to pass. But he still couldn't help but think it and shuddered as he imagined what it'd be like living inside an essentially dead body. It made no sense though, his heart was beating rapidly, blood was still seeping slowly from his head wound and while he knew that was normal, it still felt fucking crazy. First aid kit was good, especially since Toby knew how to use it. Adrian just wished he could give him some of the good drugs straight in the vein so he could pass out while his body (hopefully) healed.
As soon as he had his first aid kit in hand, Toby hurried back to the kitchen, dropped it on the table, and turned to assess Adrian. Normally he’d start by asking questions, but talking could damage Adrian’s throat further, so instead he pulled up a chair next to him, took a seat, and let his fingers gently touch Adrian’s neck. A chill ran through him and he looked from Adrian’s neck, up to his eyes in stunned silence. He could be wrong, he’d been wrong before, he wasn’t a mind reader, but… what he was thinking didn’t make any sense. He took Aidan’s pulse though, just to be sure. Fast, but that made sense. “What hurts besides your neck and your head?” he asked, sensing there was so much more, but not knowing where to start. His neck was the worst, but he couldn’t do much about that. The head wound needed attention though, so he stood to take a look, grabbing the bandages. As soon as Toby touched Adrian’s head he knew for certain he had a concussion and began to wonder if giving him the Oxytocin was such a good idea. The last thing he needed was for him to pass out.
Adrian tried hard not to flinch at the touch but his neck felt like it was on fire and he was pretty sure he didn't want anyone to touch it ever again. Toby was a nurse though, Toby was helping and he could see him a little more clearly now, much to his relief. He shook his head at the question, then raised his hand and squinted at his knuckles as he cautiously made a fist. He didn't think anything was broken there but punching a guy wasn't exactly his specialty and he'd probably done it wrong. He hated not being able to talk but maybe it was for the best. He could practically see all the uncomfortable questions dancing around in Toby's eyes and it wasn't like Adrian had answers.
Head wounds were such a pain in the ass, but at least this one looked worse than it probably was. Toby cleaned the wound and was glad to see it didn’t need stitches because he doubted either of them wanted to endure that tonight. “I don’t think you need stitches. I’m just gonna butterfly these closed and wrap your head,” he said as he worked. “I gotta tell you… it looks like you fractured your tracheal cartilage… and I’m not totally sure how you’re alive, so… maybe take it easy for a few days?” As soon as he was done wrapping his head up, he gave Adrian’s hand a look and almost laughed. Of all the wounds on Adrain’s body, he thought that needed the least bit of attention, but he also knew how hand wounds hurt. They were the cuts that never seemed to heal. “I hope you gave as good as you got.”
Adrian nodded and even attempted a little smile though it came off wry and very brief. He hoped the bastard was dead, he wished he'd have shoved that knife in his neck to really get even but he hadn't been able to see shit so he supposed he was just happy he hadn't missed. Thinking about it made him realize he'd dropped his knife and never picked it up and he almost groaned before remembering that would hurt. At least the oxy was making him feel a little cotton-headed which helped a lot with not caring about the knife or what losing it might mean.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” Toby smiled back at Adrian. He didn’t want to think about what that meant, that there might be someone else out there on the brink of death and that he’d just inserted himself in the situation. Maybe it would be better if the guy was dead. Then he didn’t have to worry about being hunted down. It was a morbid thought. “I’ll go grab some blankets and a pillow. You can crash on the couch. I’m trying to decide if I need to wake you every twenty minutes for that concussion or if we’d both be better actually sleeping. Not that sleep works miracles, but it helps.” If he was honest with himself, he didn’t think he could handle waking every twenty minutes to wake Adrian. He was exhausted, had been for a while, and was close to hitting a wall. “If you’re still alive in the morning, I’ll drive you back to your car and we can look for that knife.”
If he was still alive in the morning. For a moment Adrian wondered if this was just a short reprieve, that he was back from the dead for a reason and he was squandering it when he should be doing something else but god, he could barely move, could barely talk, what the hell could he do other than let Toby take care of him and wait patiently while his body worked on healing. He just hoped Mila and Aaron were somewhere safe, untouched by this new onslaught of madness because that was all this was, just another crazy day in Point Pleasant. "Sleep," he whispered, finding that some words were easier to whisper than others, like that one which only really required him to hiss a little and barely use his throat. It came out more like 'seep' with how numb his mouth felt but whatever, he was sure Toby understood. He didn't want to wake up every twenty minutes and he was pretty sure that at this point death was a luxury that was now beyond him.
“I figured,” Toby nodded. “I’ll be right back.” It only took a second to gather up a blanket and a pillow and Toby laid them out on the sofa for Adrian. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but Toby wasn’t in a good enough state of mind to offer his bed. He needed space to turn his brain off and didn’t want to risk picking up signals from someone sleeping beside him. The day had been hard enough that the night needed to be a reprieve. “Okay,” he said, returning to where he’d left Adrian in the kitchen. “All set. Need to use the bathroom or anything first? You can borrow some clean scrubs if you want, but that would take putting them on and I thought that might be more pain that it’s worth.” He also knew that Adrian wasn’t technically his patient and might not be super comfortable with him helping him change clothes. Even though they were both nurses, it felt completely different to be on the other side of it all. Toby didn’t make the best patient himself.
Adrian nodded emphatically to both questions because yes, he needed to clean up and yes, god yes he needed clean clothes. It'd probably hurt and his body felt very tired but the thought of a hot shower was like having paradise within his grasp. "Towel?" he whispered, giving Toby a pleading look that was probably every bit as pathetic as he felt at the moment. He didn't feel like he needed help with any of that though. He'd dragged himself out of a fucking cave with a broken leg and blood in his eyes before, he could take a shower by himself, he was pretty sure. It might even make him feel better. His throat didn't agree that he was in any state to do anything when a simple whisper made it ache but he ignored it as well as the lurking fear that he might not be able to eat anything and if he couldn't eat...
“Seriously?” Toby said, both brows raising in surprise. He thought about it for a second and decided that, no, Adrian would not fall in the shower, in which case he was fine with it. “Sure. I’ll set one our for you. And the scrubs,” he offered, then led the way to the bathroom, staying close just in case Adrian needed help. For someone who’d needed help getting to the car, he seemed to be doing much better. The pills had to have helped. “I was gonna make something to eat before I crash. Do you… want anything?” He imagined swallowing anything more than tea or a smoothie would be hell on his throat, but he was picking up all kinds of weird vibes at the moment. Maybe it was his neighbor. It wouldn’t be the first time Toby got the munchies without actually getting high first.
It spoke volumes about the pain in Adrian's throat that he kind of wished he could inject a big needle full of food straight into his stomach but that'd hurt like a bitch too so it was wishful thinking at this point. Toby looked exhausted so he shook his head at the offer though he suspected he'd be rummaging through his fridge for something later on. He didn't want to lose his mind again and he wasn't sure if this temporary death thing had changed the 'rules' or not. He was a little shaky on his feet and infinitely grateful for the wall he could lean against as he walked so much slower than he wanted. At least he could see again, maybe he was healing faster than he'd hoped - but at what cost? He patted Toby's arm again when they were in the bathroom, mostly because he wanted to say thank you but he didn't want to speak.
It occurred to Toby that it wasn’t all that late at night, not like when he normally got off shift, but he was exhausted. He attributed it to the day as a whole, to the insanity at work, then finding Adrian on his way home, but he hoped whatever curse was affecting the town wasn’t taking it’s hold on him now. If it did, then… he just hoped he woke up. The people passing out at work had creeped him out, especially when he couldn’t find anything physically wrong with them. He didn’t want that to happen to him as well. “Welcome,” Toby said, giving Adrian a weak smile in return. “Just don’t die on my couch tonight, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.” It was said in jest, but was also a real concern. If they both woke in the morning, Toby would consider it a win.
Adrian attempted a little smile back as he nodded. He was pretty sure he wasn't about to die. Suffer, sure, but death didn't seem to be in the cards for him and as much as he feared dying he really wasn't happy about this fact. He'd seen people wish for death when they were old and tired and in pain, death could be a relief and what if he never got that relief? What if he just morphed into something other than himself, and what if he could still feel all this pain even then? He slumped against the wall until Toby left, not wanting to take his clothes off with him in the room. It had nothing to do with shyness and everything to do with how gross he felt. Dying was messy business and while he didn't want to become immortal, he wasn't ready to do that again anytime soon.