Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lawrence didn't have very much of a self preservation instinct most of the time, but there was something in Melvin's tone that even made someone as generally indifferent to the emotions of other people as him pay attention. He wasn't sure whether wheedling or apologising was most appropriate but had decided on the latter when Melvin curled his fingers and this time twisted a raw and instinctual yelp out of the pale man, reaching up to seize his wrist and try to move him away.

"Stop that." he said with an edge of urgency. "Stop it, you will RUIN my healing." This was what he dealt with first because he was the most important person to himself in many ways. "And I thought it would go away, yes. I thought you'd leave when you knew who I was and what I'd done. I thought that was what you would have done. I'm sorry for taking advantage of you and I'm sorry for hiding things from you. I am just a secretive person, used to running many lives and doing many things at once. But I was using you, I told you I was using you for stability without giving the same back." he sighed.

"And I still won't be able to give you that. You know I won't. I'll continue to try and woo America, I'll keep on falling into people's beds, It will never stop Melvin. You don't want that."

But he knew the feeling of obsession, relentless dogged obsession and could only hope that Melvin's brain wasn't as frazzled as his was and that this wasn't anything like America.

"But if you want to start with gentle touches that would be great. Though I appreciate you killing my hellish libido stone dead for the moment. It was harassing me all day but who knew wrenching abdominal pain would be the thing to control it?" he sounded a little hysterical.

"What about them?" he asked. "I apologised to Horace, I gave him my apologies for what I did to him and what he did from there was his decision. If he wanted to sleep with me that was up to him. My libido isn't something I can ignore, it either gets sated or it contorts into something horrible." And with Melvin so close, even wounded, even when it should have been nowhere to be found it was still there, still wandering back in unwelcome as if he'd spoken its name like a demon in bringing it up.

"America I love." he said "And I've already ruined her life. There's nothing more I can do to her. I just want to be near her, I always have, even when I was with you. Where do you think I went when I wasn't at the labs? I was at her house, I was following her, I went to Russia just to get a look at her. Its not just about stability, I can think when I'm near to her, I get to be me again instead of what she made me." he carefully stroked Melvin's hair. "I care about you Melvin, insomuch as I'm able. I wanted you to be the survivor that got out of the mine with me and got away."

"If you want to stay I won't chase you away. But you know what you will need to contend with." He fidgeted slightly. "The hugging is slightly distracting again. Look there's something wrong with my meds or something after the mine just...you shouldn't be on the bed."

Melvin wasn't going to move it seemed like and for a moment he considered looking for the little call alarm that had to be in here somewhere in case of emergencies. He realised it was probably on the side without a hand and really useful. He wasn't afraid of Melvin but the idea of his body healing up off to one side or unbalanced irritated him.

This wasn't how telling Melvin was supposed to pan out and he set the absurdity of the situation squarely at Rodney's feet.

Still, there were issues and if Melvin was going to submit to him as some sort of desperate follower, there were things he could potentially help him with. He took a slow, careful breath. "Well you know." he said. "I've been in here a while.. and it's been even longer since we.."

It was probably just using Melvin again, but he'd tried and he had stayed anyway, what else was a guy meant to do?

The bandages were wrapped firmly all the way around the pale man's body, stretching from just below his chest all the way down until well below his navel. They stopped just before the point where they would have done irreparable damage to his libido. It was very very close. Some of the bandages were already growing faintly bloodstained from all the touching by Melvin.

Lawrence flinched as the covers were tugged down and with a sound of displeasure moved to try and cover himself only to give up when pain stayed his hand.

Still it was obvious he wasn't lying when he complained and that he was bizzarely capable even like this.

<< Tell him tae ******** go away.>> Butch snapped.

"/I know/" he said.

Lawrence was uncomfortable and it was a strange and alien feeling. Normally nudity didn't bother him, the only discomfort being the dissonance in being caught between personas like a hermit crab on occasion. This wasn't such an occaision, comfortably clad in what passed for the master self. He should have been invincible, even in his present wounded state smug and pleased to show off what he had.

But he wasn't in control, this was outside his power to dictate in any way and that in itself was enough to make him irritable at being seen.

He didn't trust melvin right now and the way the other man reacted simply twisted the sick discomfort into irritation. At least he'd gotten off of him, at least he wouldn't do more damage.

"Happy?" He snapped. "Now put the damn sheets back." And for lawrence damn was tantamount to swearing. "I'm cold." But not cold enough.

"It was famine." He said. "Like I told you."

Lawrence was even more uncomfortable and concerned as Melvin took the sheets completely away, concern's dagger twisting in his guts. He crossed his feet and turned his head away from the other man giving him a sidelong and suspicious look.

"..Ye-ess?" he said uncertainly. He hadn't been cold before but he was feeling it now. "I think you should call one of the other life hunters if there's something of concern." he said, very tempted to call for help.

Lawrence resisted the desire to say that he was the one who wanted another life hunter here.

"Moths." he said. "Nest. There's moths. They are years." it sounded delirious but he could still all but reach the flitting, fleeting moths when he closed his eyes. "The injury was when I came up against one of their minions, claws and no shield."

"Sort of." Lawr said, not wanting to try and explain what Nest had done or asked him to do, aware that it would for the most part just make him look bad.

"And yes, what I ran into was quite enough frankly." Nest was the only famine creature he was interested in, she was the one who could apparently transfer years from one creature to another or at least a very, very convincing illusion of it.

He seemed just a little relieved when it looked like Melvin was only going to give him a bath, but he wasn't about to put his guard down, not strong enough to deal with a partner going nuts on him.

"You don't need to you know." he said.