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 Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:42 am
The crisis over, Gaius felt a growing awkward silence as he stood there. How could he minister to the guy when there'd been nothing they could do for Gaius? All the phrases that came to mind seemed empty, trivial, especially in the light of that mouth... Gaius shook his head and, looking up to meet Sid's eyes, said the only thing he could speak with honesty. "...I'm sorry."
It felt awkward, seeing this older, crusted and hard shelled man exposed at such a vulnerable moment. Gaius only hoped Sid wouldn't hold it against him.
Behind him, his laundry churned loudly in the washer, lending its noise to the thrumming silence between the two.
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:52 am
"Ah noh," Sid said. He could almost pronounce it properly. Almost.
He sat there resting both hands on his cane, staring in the general direction of the dryer that held his clothes. They were going to be wrinkled, and for some reason the thought made him laugh. It died quickly, before it could have the chance to turn to sobbing, or maybe screaming.
As soon as the noise died away, leaving nothing but that from the washer, he slid his chair forward and opened the dryer. There wasn't much to extract from it, he'd been able to carry what he hadn't worn on the way over. Now the thought of getting dressed against was almost as daunting as the walk back. He gathered it all into his lap and slide the chair back. The door he nudged closed with his cane. Every movement was mechanical, but if he sat still he was going to lose whatever shred of self-control he had left to cling to.
He knew. That should have made it easier. The teeth he expected... but the jaw? He dug his fingers into the lump of shirts and jeans.
He was starting to drool- or rather he just noticed he was. Rather than wipe it off, he dug his fingers in a little harder.
" 'Emme... Lemme..." he shook his head and tried again. "Leath me thor a moment."
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:13 am
The laugh, far from humorous, made the hair on the back of Gaius's neck stand up.
He glanced at the washer, willing it to go faster. While he would've been more than willing to comfort Sid, he knew that wasn't what kind of man he was. Gaius could be bolstered by words, to a point, but after that there was a point every man had to face his troubles alone.
So, when Sid made his unintelligible request, though he didn't get what the guy'd tried to say, he understood the message clear enough. He pushed away from the washer and shrugged, making for the door. "It'll take a while for my stuff to wash..."
He paused as he opened the door, and looked back to throw out one bit of advice that Sid'd given him only a week ago. "Remember... you can take it like a man."
The door closed behind him, leaving Sid alone with his pile of laundry.
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:38 am
Hearing his own words thrown back at him made Sid wince as though he was physically struck. Once he heard the door close he slowly reached up and wiped his mouth off. Afterwards he lean forward and pressed his forehead against the dryer.
No crying, no screaming, he was better than that. He was just going to set there until it felt like he was going to be able to keep it together, at least for a little while longer. Slowly, more awkwardly than normal, he pulled on his t-shirt, then his jeans. After several attempts to pull them on over the tail, he settled for letting them hang low. He was going to need or scissors soon... Trying to think about the practical issues didn't help anything.
He put his sandals back on and stood, every movement still too deliberate.
He wadded the rest of his clothes under his arm, the same way he'd carried them there, and walked towards the door.
He made it three steps before he noticed the cigarette. He stared at it, at the trail of ash was almost to the filter. He snuffed it with his sandal, then he kicked it, and then at last he lost his cool. He screamed, he dropped his clothes and slammed his fists into the nearest machine, he threw the chair aside. He went on like that for several minutes until he exhausted himself. He hadn't even made a decent mess in the process. His hand throbbed but nothing felt broken, the dryer wasn't even dented.
"Fuhk," he said quietly.
Sid gathered his clothes and left the room. Along the way he pulled the rubber band from his hair, as always he winced as several strands came out with it. With his head bowed and hair in his face, maybe his jaw wouldn't be immediately apparent.
He was too old for this s**t.
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