ihavecharacter (ihavecharacter) wrote in valloic, @ 2020-10-15 22:27:00 |
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Doc had been lingering outside. Most of the hang up was even with feeding, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with himself around people he knew were injured. The smell of blood was...uncomfortable at times. He was not a man that wanted to put himself into situations that might make people see him differently since he was full up on that at the moment. He did not wish to have a moment like he had had at fight club or with Wynonna in general.
He heard Wynonna coming before she arrived. He could have moved or left, but he stayed put, leaning against the side of the building, more in shadow than in light. He watched as she sat down on the curb, noting the shift in her body language when the pain hit. He still wasn’t sure that he should announce his presence, but he figured it was worse manners to stand in the shadows and stare than anything else. Even if he was still uncertain how to act or behave in the certain circumstances.
He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag before. “I believe you will find it harder to get up than you expected when you are ready.”
Right, the pain was worse than she would have anticipated even with the shots of whiskey in her system and she tried to take a deep breath. Nope. Great. Well, at least it was a distraction from everything going on in her head. She glanced down at her phone before looking down the sidewalk, a frown on her face briefly.
When she heard his voice though, she paused and then moved to turn her head over her shoulder toward where it had come from, the adjustment just enough to pull at her injury and she cringed. “Fuck,” she murmured, bringing a hand up to the spot where her ribs were bruised on her left side. “Yeah, I realized that as soon as I managed to get my butt down here but gravity is a thing and…” She gestured sort of nonchalantly, as if gravity was to blame for her decision to even try to sit down that low in the first place.
“Since I’m stuck down here for right now, come sit?” she asked, tucking her phone away carefully. No sense in having it out since he was well, right there.
Doc studied her for a moment before taking a seat by her, settling in fairly easily considering the lack of injury. “You should be more careful,” he said, nodding toward her torso. “Lest I have to take you back to fix your stitches.” But he would do so without complaint even if he was required to carry her the entire way. Well, that was not true. He might complain for the sake of complaint but without the actual feeling behind it.
He glanced over at her, the well of complicated emotions filling up. Funny how he would think of it that way, but that was the thing of it. “I will do my best to assist you should you desire to rise to your feet at some point. I cannot promise you will like the standing any more than the sitting.”
“It’s what I get for agreeing to help wrangle a stupid T-Rex that decided to chase its lunch through downtown,” she said with a bit of a sigh. “Though I can’t imagine anyone at the clinic would be happy to see me back so soon if I accidentally tore my stitches just from trying to sit or stand. It’s not that big though, few inches. Hurts like a son of a bitch without meds though.”
Wynonna could feel his eyes on her and it made her sober up a little. Even though she’d just seen him on Saturday, though there’d been no conversing between the two of them, the look he’d given her while she slept before he walked out the door of the Homestead haunted her. “Neither option is very comfortable and I’m supposed to stay off my feet tomorrow if I can help it. Doctor’s orders.”
She went quiet for a moment and turned her head to look at him more properly, her eyebrows knit together and her lips pressed firmly in a sort of frown. It was like there was so much she wanted to say and yet she didn’t know how. Story of her life, really.
He was not entirely certain of these oversized lizards or why they were attacking. He had done some reading regarding the dinosaurs, but for the most part, it was the only reason he was not currently staying in the woods. He spent most of his time at work or at a bar. When he had no other options, he sat outside. Perhaps it was a touch ridiculous, but he hadn’t been ready to go back to the room he’d shared with Wynonna. It felt like that time right after he’d come back to Purgatory. Only mixed in with the pain of having to watch their daughter fly off into the evening sky. They had been through so much that they would always be tied together in some way.
“Well, I do believe you should follow doctor’s orders or you will be in more pain after the fact.” But he had a feeling Wynonna Earp was not going to follow orders. Not when she felt that she could help. And there was nothing to do for it but hope she did not hurt herself too much. He was not certain he desired to be in a fight where he’d be exposed to blood. Even though he had been a vampire longer back home, it was new to him here and the adjustment was a bit trying.
“I do advise not running into any more dinosaur fights until you are healed.”
“I’ll do my best to not run into anymore dinosaur fights, but I can’t make any promises, especially if they wind up running through downtown again.” Not that she was that much use against them as a human with no special abilities, but she tried. She wasn’t the type to just sit around on her ass and let everyone else do the work.
Wynonna breathed out another small sigh and finally just succumbed to what she’d been wanting to do the last few minutes by leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. There was a hint of a wince as it made her side stretch uncomfortably, but being closer to him was worth it for her.
“Are you holding up alright?” she asked quietly, eyes cast down at their feet. “I know I keep asking that but it’s hard to know right now and I don’t think there’s anything I can really do to help other than give you the time you asked for, you know?”
“I reckon you will find yourself in one again. Knowing you. But I had to advise against it for the sake of it.” But he did not pretend to have any ability to tell Wynonna what to do. She did what she wanted and it was part of why he fell for her. Even if he was not in the mood to discuss that at the moment.
There was a moment of tension as he watched her get closer. He almost moved, but he did not. “I am not certain I know the answer from one moment to the next, but I will manage.” He’d done so up till now and even with the weight of her words to him still laying heavy on his shoulders, he would not succumb to whatever hurt it caused him. He had become this creature to protect them and even if a part of it was a way to still the hands of time and keep him from dying, it would never be as important as keeping his family safe. “You will hurt yourself if you sit like that for too long.”
A smile pulled at one corner of her mouth, though it felt a little sad. “I appreciate you advising against it for the sake of it.” It means you care. Not that she thought he stopped caring after everything, in fact it was the opposite, but it was still a struggle for her when he chose to distance himself like this.
But there was a sense of relief when he didn’t move or pull away from her leaning in. She listened to him and gave a small nod, acknowledging his words. “You always manage.” Wynonna turned her head a little and glanced up at him. “Is that your way of getting me to move?” she asked, a teasing sort of tone to her voice, though she couldn’t help wondering. “I don’t think I’m going to hu-“ But her words were cut short by a sudden sneeze, lifting her shirt collar up to cover her face as quickly as she could and whimpering loudly. “Fuck, ow ow ow.”
Doc raised an eyebrow when she sneezed, a hint of amusement around his eyes when she swore after the fact. “I do not wish to say I told you so, but…” He knew it was not really about the fact that she was leaned over with her head resting on his shoulder, but he would take a small moment of normalcy over logic anyway. For now.
“And I have quite a few years of managing on my side. So I am bound to continue with it.” Though, the truth was that he never really managed well even if he did survive. There was more than his fair share of bad memories lingering in the back of his mind. He could not really help that any more than he could anything else. But he was not a man for giving up. At least not on himself or life. So here he was.
“Oh, you love being able to tell me so, don’t lie,” she quipped as she lowered her shirt back down and groaned softly, cuddling into his arm a little more. She was thankful he hadn’t moved away from her though she had half expected it. “It’s bad enough I’m supposed to make sure I cough every couple of hours because apparently bruised ribs can cause pneumonia, and that’s definitely a thing I’d like to avoid.”
Wynonna went quiet again and let the silence fall between them, taking a moment to just enjoy being with him. That was something she was learning not to take advantage of anymore. Finally, after several seconds she spoke up again, though her voice was soft. “I hope you come home soon.” The apartment was very empty and very lonely when it was just her, but mostly she just missed him.
There was a hint of a smile before he righted his features. “A pneumonia tended to kill men back in my day. Though, most things tended to kill men back in my day.” Whether it was illness or a gun likely only mattered somewhat. He was aware now that Tuberculosis was a curable disease. Though, back then, it was a death sentence. Eventual, but no avoidance was possible. Except for magic in his case. Some days he was surprised he made it as long as he did.
He sobered slightly at her next words, eyes focused on a spot ahead of him rather than her face, but he was well aware of her presence and the fact that she was so close. Home. He missed the ease of their being together. They had gotten through a lot of things that not many would have, always crashing back into each other like waves on the sand. “I fear I do not much sleep these days. So I cannot say I would stay all night in yo- the bed.” There was much more time to give to projects, but perhaps it was time to at least try to be there again.
Back in his day. Oh lord. Wynonna scoffed quietly, playfully, and rolled her eyes a bit as she turned her head to hide her smile against his arm, eyes lifting a bit to look up at him. It never failed to amuse her when he’d bring up stories like that from Ye Olde West Days. “It didn’t take much to kill people back in your day, Doc,” she mused softly. “Though I suppose it doesn’t take much to kill people now either, though medicine is a lot more advanced, so there’s that, at least.”
They had no right being together, really, not after everything they’d been through but somehow they still found their way back. It was always inevitable, even during the few times it felt final. But they’d managed to find something nice here, something she’d even consider sweet and easy, which would probably never be able to happen back in Purgatory. That was a thought that always felt like it was tucked in the back of her mind when they were together. Don’t waste it.
“I know you don’t sleep much now. What was it you said in the barn?” She cleared her throat a little and tried to put on his sweet Georgia accent, failing terribly just like she did any other time she attempted it. “It is one of the benefits of my condition.” A smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth and then she breathed out a gentle sigh, eyes still on his face. “I don’t want you home just to keep me company at night, you know.”
Doc breathed out, the sound tinged with amusement. “We were a dying sort. It was just the way of things.” Which was sad to think about, but not entirely untrue. They did know a thing or two about dying and killing. The killing was something he wanted to move away from, but he was uncertain if he truly could at this point. Perhaps less people and more monsters. “But perhaps you are right. There is some joy in modern medicine. It has not been so long since I was quite injured myself. Even worse than you were.” A pause. “Which is not a challenge.”
He shook his head at her accent, suppressing a laugh. It was definitely something. Bad. It was bad. “It does help when looking after the people you need to, yes.” His gaze shifted ahead of him and he focused on it. “I know.”
“Oh right, your hospital stay because of the murder bunnies, huh?” she teased, grinning against his arm a little. That was something she refused to let him live down and she was still only a little disappointed she’d missed out on that adventure. “I mean. I guess a concussion is worse than bruised ribs, but it’s ‘not a challenge’ so neither of us win that argument.”
The fact that she managed to get him to crack a smile in an attempt to not laugh was a win for her; she'd take that one even if he wasn’t really looking at her. But her amusement softened and after another moment of looking up at him, she turned her head and pressed her cheek against his arm again, eyes looking ahead. “I just miss you, is all. Which, maybe that’s stupid since it hasn’t been that long, but it feels longer.” Realistically it had only been a handful of days, but maybe it was the events of what had happened back home mixed with their current reality that made it feel like it had been weeks. That pain in her heart from watching him walk out the door was still fresh.
“And once I had a rather sizable gash along my back. But that was another fight.” He smiled a little. It was not a challenge to see who could get injured worse, no. He was simply saying that they had both been injured and she should be more careful. “I am simply saying, you should be more careful. This could have been worse.”
He glanced over briefly, letting out a sigh. “It is a recent wound in my mind and my...emotions.” A word he did not like to say that often. But then in his time...and now, even, men were not strictly encouraged to address their emotions. They were expected to be men. As such, he had a complicated reaction to saying what he felt. But he was trying. “It does mix rather confusingly with what has already occurred. You know I would do anything I could for you or Waverly should it come to it. We will have to listen to each other better going forward.”
Wynonna’s features screwed up a little, her eyebrows knitting together as a frown pulled briefly at the corners of her mouth. “What happened that you hurt your back like that?” she asked quietly. She didn’t recall that happening either back home or since she’d arrived, so it must have happened in between and she just hadn’t known about it.
“You know I’d do anything for you too, right?” The question came after a moment of quiet after he’d spoken. Maybe sometimes she said things that hurt, in an attempt to guard herself, but that didn’t make what she felt for him lesser than. She also hoped she’d shown him just how far she was willing to go to make sure he stayed safe and in her life. But the question also caused a small surge of emotion and came out softer, the threat of tears clear in her voice. Dammit. She lifted a hand to brush at her cheeks though no tears had fallen yet and sat up carefully, shaking her head a little, hair curtaining part of her face from view. “Um. Can you help me up, please? My ass is going numb from sitting here.”
“Goblins this time. Part of things that happen here.” It felt like years ago and yet it was mere months. Time was funny in that way. He’d survived it and was only a little worse for wear. He’d insisted on letting it heal on its own without the help of magic. Even if he might have been better without. The sting of magic and the Stone Witch left him particular about magic.
“I do,” he said softly. “Though, on occasion, you do a terrible job of relaying the message.” Not that he was entirely innocent on that count. They were just as good at fighting as they were actually showing one another how they felt. He knew he’d been ready for something more serious than they’d had up till then, but things got in their way.
His attention was briefly drawn down to the ass in question before he looked up at Wynonna again. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes as he stood easily. I love you, Wynonna. The words were always on the tip of his tongue, but somehow he never did get them out. “I am at your command.” Was what he said as he reached down to help her up.
Goblins. Of course it was goblins. Why wouldn’t it be goblins? Though Wynonna had already experienced things she’d never anticipated experiencing in her life, she was quietly thankful she’d missed out on that one, despite the injuries sustained from her run in with a hungry T-Rex earlier that day.
Wynonna frowned at him a little and furrowed her eyebrows. “How do I do a terrible job of relaying the message?” she asked. She wasn’t exactly offended but there was a slight defensive tone to her question. Because in her head, she’d done a lot to relay that message. She paused though and sighed, rolling her eyes at herself, turning her head away for a moment. “Actually, maybe don’t answer that question. I need more to drink before I hear how bad I am at showing you… things…”
Her eyes followed him though as he stood and reached out for her, looking up at him before reaching with both of her own hands to be helped up carefully. “You’re like my own personal Westley,” she teased quietly, positive he wouldn’t get the Princess Bride reference. As she found her footing and with minimal pain involved, she felt the tingly sensation that had been in her butt travel down her left leg. “Ooh, leg’s asleep, leg’s asleep” she whined, losing her balance a little and leaning into him so that she could get her foot off of the ground as the sensation intensified before finally going away. There was a small snort of amusement and an almost embarrassed sort of smile on her lips as she looked down at her feet and then back up at him, eyes searching his face for a moment before she leaned in enough to press a kiss to his lips.
“To be fair, we do have a bad habit of fighting and using each other’s fears against one another.” Because being told that Wyatt was right about him was something he was perhaps not afraid of, but also he’d told her that she and Peacemaker deserved each other which was his way of telling her she was becoming Wyatt.
He stared at her for a long moment, the confusion evident on his face. “Westley?” He didn’t get the reference. He also wasn’t sure he liked the insinuation. “Is that supposed to be a positive or a negative thing?” He moved to grab hold of her as she leaned into him. The kiss caught him mildly off guard, but it was the way of things with Wynonna. She had a habit of impulsively going for things, which was something he liked about her. His arms wrapped a little more securely around her and returned the kiss.
“You seem to have recovered a little, I see.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. They both had a tendency to get defensive and say things they didn’t necessarily mean to try and wound the other. Which wasn’t exactly the healthiest way to go about things, but that was always how things had been between them. She sighed quietly in response and glanced down. There was a sense of shame in it; she knew that it was a habit they needed to break sooner rather than later.
“It’s a good thing,” she answered, her voice quiet. “It’s a reference to The Princess Bride. I’ve seen it like, 70 times and it never gets old. But his, uh, catch phrase? I guess? Is ‘as you wish’ which ‘I am at your command’ just sort of seems like your version of that. Look. That was a really long roundabout way of saying thank you.”
There was another moment of relief as he not only returned the kiss, but tightened his hold on her. She’d been afraid for a split second that he’d turn away and reject her. It wouldn’t be the first time. But she was glad he didn’t and she let it linger for a few seconds before she broke it, nudging her nose against his in an almost sweet way. “A little.” Then after another moment she moved just enough to tuck her head against his neck, hugging herself to him. “Can we go home? Or did you want to come in for a drink first?”
Doc would have tried to understand that, but he was more than happy to write it off as something he would not fully comprehend until he was forced to watch it. It was likely not the most important thing that was going to happen.
As upset as he had been, he’d missed Wynonna. It had been a while since they’d seen each other and he’d felt the space and time even if he had needed it. It was important to separate home and Vallo and sort through everything. Either way, they always seemed to fall back into each other even when one of them decided that they were done with the other. He smiled a little as she tucked herself up against him.
“I believe we can go home,” he said after a moment. He’d wait until she was asleep to get his things and bring them back. “But we will have to move if we are leaving.” Which he hadn’t exactly started doing himself. “Do you have anything to collect before we go?”
She was careful not to nestle against him too tightly as to avoid causing her new stitches or bruised ribs any further pain. But she was comfortable. Relaxed. Sleeping the last few
nights had been more difficult than she cared to admit without him there and knowing he was upset with her. Or was he just upset with the situation in general? That was more likely.
“Mm, moving seems like such a pain in the ass right now,” she muttered, closing her eyes again as she breathed out a quiet sight. She hadn’t felt this content in a long time. Not like she was in that moment. “I’ve got everything I need but I should probably pay my tab, huh?” She was still reluctant to move though. “Maybe I can just make Raylan pay for it and pay him back later so I don’t have to go all the way back inside.”
He chuckled softly. “You should probably pay it, but if Raylan is willing to do so, I’m sure it would be easy enough to get around. Plus, I’m fairly certain you need to sleep.” Or at least rest and drink water instead of alcohol. Would he listen to his own mental advice? Probably never, but no one said he was here to make sense or be reasonable.
“Mm, he will be,” she murmured as she dug her phone out of the pocket she’d tucked it into and shot Raylan a text. Can you pay my tab, please? Will pay you back and explain later.
Breathing out another sigh, that was accompanied by a wince over her sore ribs, she put the phone away again and snuggled into him for another moment. “I’m sure I do need sleep, but-“ Wynonna cut herself off then and frowned, pulling her head back enough to look up at him. “I’ve honestly slept like shit ever since you left, so no, I do need to sleep. You’re right.”
He studied her for a moment before carefully nudging her towards the apartments. “Come on, then, Earp. Let’s get you back home.”