Who: Neil and Ty Where: Castle View When: early evening, Monday, June 25th
A whole week had gone by since Neil's very-out-of-character night out on the town. Or not really out in town, more like with a man in a bathroom. He still couldn't fully wrap his head around the fact that it had actually happened, that he'd gotten a blow-job in a public bathroom like some desperate whore. He'd been mortified the next day, and then the day after that, enough so that he called in sick at work out of fear that Jai would show up there, or that everyone he worked with already knew. It was a small town! Out of all the people he could have ended up in the bathroom with, did it have to be their IT guy? Yes, he was still mortified, yes he'd taken a few sick days off work and then spent Friday at work with heart palpitations, worrying Jai would show up or text or be mentioned within earshot. It wasn't normal for him, taking time off work, and he still felt guilty about it and more than a little rattled by his actions.
He had saved Jai's number and sometimes it felt like his phone was burning a hole in his pocket, just with it being in there. No, he was not texting him, he didn't even know what he'd say. Yet he didn't delete it, because what if Jai called or texted him and he'd answer it blindly? No, he didn't really know what to do. What did people normally do after behaving like this? He sure as hell did not have the experience to answer that and he was kind of regretting not making this stupid mistake as a teenager while he was excused by an underdeveloped frontal lobe.
It had been a week now and he almost called in sick again to work with how stressful Friday had been but he made it there and he made it through work and nobody questioned why he was sullen because... well, that was a fairly normal state for him. He was still glad to be home where he could lock his door and close the curtains, drink his tea and read away from prying ears and eyes.
He was walking from his car to the front door when he froze in shock, his stomach doing an unpleasant drop and his heart skipping a beat. It wasn't because Jai was there, he would have much preferred that particular humiliation to this outright fear. No, walking out the door of his building was Ty Solomon, the deputy who had confronted him at the library with a gun. Was he here for revenge? Neil was too far from his car to bolt back so he just stopped walking and stared, bracing himself for whatever was coming while fighting the urge to drop and literally play dead.
Ty hadn’t started at the vet’s office yet, but he’d been in touch with Marsh and he was all set to start the next day ... except for something to wear. He was sure the first day would mostly be orientation stuff and hands-off learning, but he wanted to show up looking ready for the job. Ty had never had a reason to own any scrubs, and he was sure he could get away with jeans to start with, but he was kind of antsy-excited, so he’d decided to go out shopping after dinner. Ty preferred to shop for clothes alone, even ones like this, so Jared had been agreeable to staying home.
Ty was headed out of the building, car keys in his hand, when he glanced up and locked eyes with a man he hadn’t seen since he’d been released from the hell dimension -- Neil Wainscott. He knew he would never forget that name, it was seared into his brain by a force that had felt like such a part of him at the time. Neil had frozen up too, and they stared at each other for a few heartbeats, Ty’s expression more surprised than anything. Did he live here too? Or was this just an uncomfortable coincidence? A sharp stab of guilt broke his paralysis and Ty’s face turned pained. “Neil,” he said, to at least say something. “Are you -- ... do you live here?”
That was a weird question coming from someone Neil was sure had specifically showed up at his home to- he wasn't even sure what Ty was there to do. He looked surprised though and that was weird too. "You didn't come here to see me?" Neil asked stiffly, just barely biting back the accusations that came to mind. Liar, liar, you're here for revenge! Would Ty even still have a gun? Was he a cop again? Neil hadn't looked into any of the people who had come back, he'd just fretted and feared they'd show up at the library and when they didn't he'd let himself relax a little until things got so weird that it was hard to think of anything but Jai and what they'd done together at Dragonfly. Ty's presence was a rude reminder that this wasn't over, that there might still be people out there who hated him with all that they had and would eventually want to harm him. Joke was on them, he had lightning now, even if he wasn't all that sure he could use it if it came to that.
The question confused Ty even further for a beat before he realized that there was real fear in all that intense staring Neil was doing. He was scared of Ty, and apparently thought he’d come here to confront him or something. Ty spread his hands a little away from his sides and shook his head. “No,” he answered. “My husband and I ... we live here now.” Ty back-nodded toward the building he’d just left. God, not only were they neighbors, they were close neighbors. This was going to remain uncomfortable, he had a feeling. “After I got back, we left town for a while, we’re renting here until we find a place to buy. I had no idea you were here.” Ty wet his lips, not quite sure what to say that would convey everything he was suddenly feeling. He wanted to apologize but he also wanted Neil to apologize for having a hand in locking him away in hell for months. Ty knew that was unlikely though, and he knew it had ultimately saved lives, including Jared’s. So he owed them, at the same time. It was a fucked up situation.
He lived here now and that's why he was walking out of the building all casual like, juggling his keys. Because he lived here now. Neil thought for a second he would have preferred it if he was there looking for him because that'd mean he'd go away again. Then again he had no idea what shape Ty would have left him in if that was the case. Preferably, Ty would not be there at all. "Oh," he said coolly, feeling both sheepish for assuming Ty was there to hurt him, then feeling angry for feeling sheepish for it at all. Ty had come after him, he might not have pointed the gun at him but he had showed it to him - offered it to him, inviting Neil to shoot him. The threat in that was unmistakable! A cop killer wasn't bound for a long or happy life. "And you are... better now?" he asked, folding his arms somewhat protectively as he stared at Ty, but avoided looking him in the eyes.
Ty wondered then if any of the others from the fog had talked to him, if Neil had even known they’d all come back. Most of them, anyway. He realized he’d been assuming that everyone knew everything now, but maybe he was wrong. Ty tried to keep a casual position, his hands slightly out from his hips, his shoulders relaxed, very aware of Neil’s body language. “Yeah,” he answered, even giving a faint smile. “I’m better now. All of us are. Most of us made it back, I’m, uh ... not sure if you’ve seen or talked to any of the others. Like I said, I was out of town for a while, so this is late in coming, but ... I owe you an apology, Neil. The last time we saw each other I wasn’t ... in control of my faculties. But I was a raging asshole at you, and I’m sorry for that.” Maybe it wasn’t quite Ty’s fault, but he still felt guilty for how obviously rattled Neil had been and still was.
Neil was neither used to receiving sincere apologies, nor was he expecting one from Ty so it came as a bit of a shock and he couldn't help but wonder if this was a trap. Ty looked so sincere though and considering what Neil had done to him in the end - necessary or not - he hadn't exactly been wrong that day at the library. Neil had been fully in control of his faculties when he sent Ty to hell but he hadn't had any control over the situation and it had been necessary evil - or a tragic good, he wasn't even sure which way to look at it. "If we're going to be neighbors we may as well be civil with one another," he muttered, not quite relaxing although his expression got a touch softer. Still perturbed to be sure, but softer. "I am not looking to make more enemies." He considered this and nodded sharply. "For what it's worth, none of us wanted to do what we did. We had no choice."
Throughout his career as a police officer, Ty had dealt with quite a few people who were afraid of him -- or afraid of the uniform, most of the time -- and he was glad to see that he was getting through to Neil, even a little bit. They might never be super friendly neighbors, borrowing cups of sugar back and forth or whatever, but Ty definitely didn’t want to be enemies either. He was too tired and he’d been through too much to invite that kind of stress into his life. The last part put a wan smile on Ty’s face and he nodded a bit. “I know,” he said. “And you all did the right thing. You saved my husband’s life, so I’m actually grateful to you, in spite of everything.” Ty let out a soft laugh that said he was also slightly amazed by that fact, but it felt completely true. “If I’d come out of it later and found that I’d drained him completely ...” he trailed off and shook his head, not even wanting to think about how traumatic that would’ve been. He truly wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. But who knows if any of them ever would’ve ‘come out of it’ if Neil and the others hadn’t stopped them. “You saved a lot of lives. I dunno about all the others, but I understand that.”
Neil's chin rose a bit as Ty appealed to his pride and of course he was right, Neil had saved lives that night - an unlikely hero in the midst of all of that chaos. They had all done their part but he was sure that if he hadn't shocked Jules when he did, she never would have closed the portal and things would have ended up far worse. So yes, he was heroic, much like the men in the stories he'd been reading, even if he so often identified with the ladies - something he'd be loath to admit if not for the fact they were the protagonists and thus written to be relatable. Not that he needed to be thinking of those stupid stories right now, it was just nice to find himself in any way similar to the men he actually admired. Fictional men. Not just fictional men though, he thought as he remembered Jai and that really wasn't something he needed to be thinking about. Hero, that was a much nicer train of thought. "I'm glad your husband is okay," he said, though he honestly didn't really care one way or another. It was just a nice thing to say, he supposed. "I don't assume to understand what you went through in that awful place, but we saw no other way out of this."
That seemed to have been the right thing to say, and something in Ty’s gut relaxed again. Not that he was scared of this skittish little librarian in any way, despite having seen what Neil could do with his hands. That night had been utter chaos, but some things just burned into your brain and stayed there. Knowing that someone had a power like that made Ty want to talk to him more about it, tell Neil about his own, see if he could get any more understanding about it. He wasn’t sure that would be an actually productive conversation with this man though. He would probably do better to talk to the others who were actually with him Over There. “For your sake, I hope you don’t ever understand it,” Ty said with a soft chuckle that had no humor in it. “But no hard feelings from me. I get it. I just want peace and to rebuild my life now. So ...” He trailed off and made a vague gesture between them to indicate that any bad blood was done, as far as he was concerned. Still giving Neil plenty of room, Ty started to walk around him to head for his car.
Neil could only hope Ty was telling the truth. Right now wasn't an optimal time to make a scene, they were outside in public and it was better if Neil believed he was no threat, but he actually did believe him - or he wanted to bad enough that he could convince himself he did. "We'll let bygones be bygones then," he muttered, appreciating the space Ty gave him. He hoped this was a very temporary situation but if Ty meant what he said, maybe it could be beneficial to have him and his cop husband in the building - just in case someone else was not feeling as forgiving. "Welcome home," he blurted out and while he wasn't the best at social niceties, he felt like he should make an effort to smooth things out. "I hope everything goes well for you."
Considering everything he’d experienced, Ty was well aware that there had been much bigger forces at work than just the people involved. As much as that sometimes felt like it was breaking his brain, it was undeniable. There was probably some residual anger in him at the people who’d locked them up in hell for months, but that was Ty’s to deal with internally. Taking it out on them wouldn’t help anyone now, least of all him. The last bit surprised him a little, and Ty looked over his shoulder with a quirked eyebrow that turned into a small smile. “Thanks. You too, Neil. Take care.” What else really needed to be said? It wasn’t the warmest interaction he’d ever had, but he felt a growing sense of peace as he kept strolling toward his car. Resetting one’s life happened a step at a time, he was learning, and this had been a decent one.