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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:48 pm
noticed that I was in pain
Chris doesn't respond to anything for awhile, simply just there. It's quiet around him, Heddy still back in the ivy and Chris just laying there.
But after close to fifteen minutes, Chris stirs, blinking up at Thorne.
For a moment all he can feel is intense confusion, because above him is Thorne and the last thing he remembered was standing by the ivy. Was Heddy calling his name, about to ask him a question.
"Thorne?" He mumbles, clearly confused. "What are you doing? Where's Heddy?" He shifts, trying to get up, but he just feels tired and decides to just stay in Thorne's lap. Shifts his attention to his arms, which he realizes sting quite a bit, finds all the cuts.
There was a large gash on his cheek, although he couldn't feel it yet. He didn't really want to move his arms to find out anything else.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:10 pm
noticed that I was in pain
Thorne hisses when Chris stirs in his arms. He's been managing the wounds on Chris, making sure nothing hit anywhere important, though he hasn't moved inside to get gauze for fear of doing something that might harm Chris further.
"What am I doing?" he responds, sounding exacerbated. Nearly hysteric - not no, he's just relieved. "What are you doing! You passed out for nearly a half an hour!"
Exaggeration. Maybe.
"Heddy isn't here," he says, "She must have gone back to the ivy once you passed out. No - don't move. I'm doing this."
Thorne swipes one arm beneath the junction of Chris's legs, and huffs a little as he pulls them both up. Princess carrying? Yes. It's warranted. He's careful though, gentle enough, and his fingers press to Chris, willing some of the pain from the cuts into his own body.
It's shameless, but he does it anyways until they're back inside.
"So," Thorne drawls, putting Chris down on the couch, his tone edged with fading fright and panic, "As far as absolutely terrifying experiences go, that was definitely one that made the top five list."
His voice softens as he moves to grab gauze from the cabinets, a medical aid kit always kept for situations like this. Returning, he kneels before Chris, looking up at him.
"Any idea what happened?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:38 pm
noticed that I was in pain
Chris flinches slightly at Thorne's reaction, his tone. It's clear he's ******** up and he feels bad, both physically and metaphorically. He didn't mean to do this.
"I'm sorry," He says honestly and means it. "I didn't.. it was an accident."
Obviously. He didn't cut up his arms like this on the regular.
"Oh," He says, thinking. "Wait just-" But he's lifted up before he can complain, or do anything. It wasn't like he could walk really, but he wanted to pretend. It's embarrassing that Thorne has to carry him. Embarrassing he even ended up like this on the first place.
He still sighs and rests his head on Thorne's chest, closes his eyes for a second. His arms and cheek don't hurt as bad, oddly enough. Maybe it's because he's off the ground now.
The couch is far more comfortable than the concrete outside and he's grateful to be on it. He's less happy that he can tell Thorne was spooked, was terrified. He wanted to protect him, not scare him.
"I'm sorry," He repeats again and his time reaches out an arm to card through Thorne's hair. There are a few cuts on his leg now that he's noticing it, but he doesn't care. "I'm not..."
He pauses for a second. Thinks.
"I think I might have overexerted myself."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:58 pm
noticed I was in pain
"Don't apologize," Thorne responds immediately, because that is a whiplash reaction. He is frightened, his heart still pounds in upset, but it's not Chris's fault. Not really. "I'm not blaming you for anything. You just - "
He sucks in a breath, eyes cutting to the floor.
"You scared me."
He kneels on the floor, reaching out to touch the gash on Chris's face, thumbing away a small droplet of blood. His eyes flare and fade. He says, "Are you alright?"
He moves to work on patching Chris up. They have enough that it won't be hard here, and Thorne has had enough basic medical training not to be a complete idiot about it. He'd like to simply hold Chris's wrist and will the pain away, but unfortunately that doesn't close wounds.
"This is going to sting a bit," Thorne says as he sets to work cleaning the wounds on Chris's arms, working slowly, carefully. He looks up at him, eyes tracing the gash on his face as he moves to that one next.
After a breath, two, he says, "How long has it been since you've slept last?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:15 pm
noticed that I was in pain
"I didn't mean to," Chris says, but he's being obvious. They both never mean to do anything to each other like this and Chris wants to each out his arms to comfort him. But he's tired and he doesn't entirely remember what happened, just the feeling that he's overworked himself, so he stays silent.
He's quiet as Thorne touches at his face, noticing his eyes. He feels bad all over again, but says quietly, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."
Thorne helps tremendously with that.
He hisses as he feels the sting of the antiseptic, grits his teeth and sits through it. Wonders how he got so cut up - did he drop the glass? It had to have been. But Thorne works efficiently and gently, speaking of skill that Chris isn't sure he wants to know why he has.
His mouth is a thin line when Thorne asks that question and he's quiet longer than he should be, but finally answers "Two days. Two and a half, technically. I've-" He stops himself. Doesn't want to divulge the nightmares he's been having. Echos of something he wishes would go away.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:24 pm
noticed that I was in pain
"I know," Thorne responds, quiet and easy, and looks up at Chris. "I know. I just wish I could do something else. All the world of magic and I - "
I can't do anything.
He looks down, applies pressure to the sterile pads he presses to the cuts, counts a minute for each before moving on. His work is slow, methodical, and as gentle as it can be.
When he looks up at Chris again, his eyes are raw and open, the way they always are around Chris.
"Alright," he says softly, because he knows how hard it is for both of them to find sleep. "I can clean up the glass later. I've heard the wildest things about these things called naps - and even if you're not interested, I just got finished putting the bed back together from the dryer and I have the longest, most boring book I can recite to you out loud. There might even be faeries involved."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:47 pm
noticed that I was in pain
Chris' mouth thins again and this time he reaches a hand out, cups Thorne's face in his hand. It's gentle, this touch. "You don't have to protect me from everything," Chris says, "Magic isn't always the answer either."
He lets his hand drop away, lets Thorne continue his work. Still grits his teeth at the light pain, the stinging. He doesn't enjoy it but it has to be done.
"Are you sure?" Chris asks, "I don't want - I don't mean to take up time like this. You don't have to." He feels like he's already taking too much, with scaring Thorne like that.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:58 pm
noticed I was in pain
Thorne smiles, turns his head into the touch and nuzzles Chris's palm.
"I'm selfish," he says, "I want to. Maybe not with magic, but..."
With something. Anything.
He is unbound from the cycle. He still hasn't found the courage to tell Chris.
He opens his eyes and looks at Chris, done with his work now. A soft smile crosses his lips and he laughs, a gentle sound.
"Yes, I'm sure," he returns, "You are a bother. And I could use a break, anyways. I'd like to, in fact, if you don't mind."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:41 pm
noticed that I was in pain
Chris can't help but smile himself at Thorne.
"You do enough," Chris says, and he means it. "But I won't stop you from trying."
Nothing could stop Thorne really, he knows. But it's a thought that he could, an idea that he means something like that.
"Okay," Chris says, laughing. "If you mean it."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:51 pm
home over the phone
The problem with having a sibling who was active in your life was that they had a habit of making their presence known come hell or high water.
With Hyejin Kim, this meant calling Chris multiple times a month and making sure he was alive. The only problem with this was that she lived in a completely different timezone and that most of her calls were at odd hours. This usually wasn't a problem, since Chris himself wouldn't sleep, but it was hard to deal with now when getting sleep was impossible.
So in accordance with the universe screwing him over, just when Chris was getting to sleep, Hyejin called.
In her defense, it was only 3 pm in Ashdown. Reasonable of her to call, especially since it was 4 am her time, but still. Chris had only just barely managed to fall asleep when he was woken up by the shrill, obnoxious Kpop song that he had set to be her ringtone. He was defenseless enough that he reached over to the phone and answered it, still half asleep.
"Hello?" He mumbled in clumsy korean, mind working off the kpop song. Hyejin, sensing nothing was wrong, was speeding ahead like usual.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:06 pm
home over the phone
When the call comes, Thorne is nothing but a bundle on one end of the bed. He is half starlight and half blankets, wings folded over him in an attempt to recreate a night setting so that he can sleep without the possibility of the sun being an a*****e and waking him up.
He had recently bought more pillows, more blankets, more everything, until the bedroom was 99% bed and 1% room, a fortress of smaller plants in windowsills and pots with a climbing ivy starting to trail across the far wall and over the entrance to the bathroom.
Thorne is in a sleep haze when the phone call comes through, and a sleepy grumble pops from his lips. He unfurls one wing and stares at Chris dirtily, like he has done some sort of heinous crime.
With ease, he rolls over and stretches, still getting acquainted with this preternatural body of his, and climbs closer.
He hooks his hands on either side of Chris's hips and tugs. Pulls him down and gives him an inquiring look, laying across Chris's upper body and curling his legs closer. Like a cat waiting to pounce if this interruption keeps Chris from sleep.
"This better be good," he murmurs, half a tease, "This better be the president, or the Banana Bread Council telling you you've lost the war, or something equally important or I'm dragging you to sleep and stealing your phone."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:13 pm
home over the phone
Chris only gives Thorne a half-lidded look, still groggy, unable to process the glare he's being given. He himself isn't happy about being woken up, especially since he was just dropping off to sleep. Was in bed with Thorne and was in a comfortable room and was finally at peace with everything.
Hyejin is still going on about something (a co-worker at her job who is, according to her, 'making her life hell') and Chris gives a non-committal reply to her as he watches Thorne pull closer. He's all beauty and grace, a galaxy contained to a person, and Chris can't help but be enchanted.
"It's my sister-" He starts in korean, but presses his lips together and tries again. "It's my sister, so about as important as all of that. Or at least as persistent." Chris yawns, still obviously drowsy.
Hyejin is oblivious to the exchange going on, for once.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:21 pm
home over the phone
"Hmm," Thorne responds softly, "Sisters are important, I guess."
He looks up at Chris, eyes lidded, the galaxies in them swirling. Shifting. He says, "One day you'll teach me that language of yours."
And it is a question, a dare, and a tease all in one.
But first.
He sighs, laying his chin on Chris's chest and glancing up at him imploringly, because he wants sleep and warmth and this quiet silence as much as the other. But he knows how sisters work. He's never had one, but his brother is just as demanding for time in his own way.
"Shall I pretend to be you?" He asks. "You need the sleep more than me, and I've heard I have an excellent disposition for listening to complaints."
He smiles, cat-like.
"Or I could just wax poetic about something stupid until she gets disgusted and hangs up. How about your eyes?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:26 pm
home over the phone
Chris rolls his eyes, but there's still a soft smile on his face. It stays there as he studies Thorne's eyes, the starlight that's seemingly trapped in them.
"If you insist," He sighs, but it's a tease too. A joke, an acknowledgement that he'll try. He'll want something in return, but he'll try.
Chris places a hand on Thorne's head, runs his fingers through the strands. He'll never tire of this easy comfort, the way they can play off each other. It keeps him idle while he considers if he wants to hand the phone over, wants to unleash his sister on Thorne.
He decides he does.
"Take it," He says, offering the phone to Thorne. "I don't care what you do, so long as she hangs up on her own accord."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:32 pm
home over the phone
"Always," Thorne answers, easily, and laughs.
His purr is deep-bellied and slow, and he tilts his head down and pushes it against Chris's hand. It's soothing and helpful. It has become second nature to him, this sort of touch. This easiness between bodies, between their world when no words are necessary.
"Very well," he says, and takes the phone, laying down against Chris's chest and curls into the heat.
"I've taken control of the situation it seems," he says to Chris's sister, "as the sleepless one has been rendered unavailable by my extreme wit and charm. I'm far less interesting, but I'll try my best to be of service."
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