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 Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:51 pm
Marcos flinched, but it was only out of habit and there was no genuine fear or rejection behind it.
"Cute," he said, giving a mild grin. Ethan looked up and smiled slightly.
"Hellis," he supplied. Marcos nodded.
"Nice to meet you," he said, finishing off his beer. He sighed, setting the bottle on the table.
"Want another one?"
"Later."
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:56 pm
"Marc...arc--o--HMPH," Hellis began and then rested his chin on Marcos' shoulder. Clearly he liked the man already, "Hi."
Liam looked from Hellis to Björn, widenend his eyes, shook his head, sighed, and shrugged. Not his problem.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:01 pm
"That's me," Marcos said absently, picking at the beer bottle label. "Hi."
Ethan, who realized it was a rare occurrence for Hellis to speak - he figured, at least - thought to mention it to Marcos but then realized there'd be little point. Marcos wasn't all that perceptive on some things.
"Marcos," he said finally.
"Mm?"
"Where did you live before?"
Marcos, caught a little off-guard by the randomness of the question, sat back in his chair and sighed wistfully.
"Philadelphia," he said with a small smile. "God, but I miss it sometimes. You all have the magical mystical s**t going on, but for the love of Christ almighty there's not one goddammitin' decent place to eat."
"Then you're going to love Crow's cooking," Ethan said dryly. Marcos almost laughed.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:08 pm
Björn decided that saying he could cook well likely wouldn't help whatever perception Marcos had of him. Hellis, suddenly bored with Marcos (who, he decided,would be 'Marc' until the end of time), scampered over to Björn and climbed into his lap, snuggling there. Björn looked like he didn't know what to do.
"Uh. Hi."
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:13 pm
Marcos was unphased by the apparent rejection and subsequent Björn-affection giving.
"Ethan?"
"Mm?"
"Booze me."
"Getting," Ethan said patiently, picking up the key he'd neglected to give back to Liam and going back into the kitchen. Marcos rubbed at his good eye tiredly.
"Something strong, please."
"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know."
"Don't get mouthy," Marcos said absently. The minute the words left his lips he froze, turning slightly pale. The awkward moment passed and he coughed, wincing at the now-unsurprising jab of pain in his stomach. "I mean...never mind."
Ethan came back silently, handing Marcos a glass of vodka. He drank half of it right off.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:18 pm
"That ain't good, Marcos," Liam said offhandedly. Clearly, both of the older men were trying to get Marcos to get checked-out. Somehow.
Hellis was, once again, completely unphased by rejection. Eventually, Björn just gave the hell up and snuggled back.
"You...need to.....get it...fi-mmph. Better," Hellis said. Damn, he sounded like an idiot.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:24 pm
"Why bother?" Marcos said, finishing his drink. "Soon as the skinners find me they'll string me up just for spite, most likely. Right?"
Ethan flinched, then nodded.
"Probably," he muttered, studying his hands and shivering slightly. Marcos scratched at his nose absently.
"See? Why bother. Gonna die eventually either way, and I been in pain so long I don't even remember what it's like without, so I'm good."
He stood up, albeit rather unsteadily.
"If you gentlemen will excuse me," he said, sniffing loudly and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I think I'm going to go make a total a** out of myself and pass out on the bathroom floor. G'night."
"It's two in the afternoon."
"Good afternoon, then."
And so Marcos dismissed himself.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:26 pm
__Part 11
It was the ugly coppery taste of blood in Marcos' mouth that woke him, and it was the irresistable urge to vomit that spurred him out of bed at three in the morning. The pain in his stomach was jabbing, waves of splintery, icy agony that set his teeth on edge and made his eyes water. Staggering to the bathroom, he coughed as loudly as he dared and spat discolored blood into the sink. It ********," Marcos said casually, staring at the dirty, glutinous blood. "Well, <******** stomach gave another great stab of pain that made his knees turn to water, and he sank onto the floor, gasping at the torment of it. <******** hell, ******** goddamned sonuva-" he hissed through clenched teeth. "I knew it. Knew it, knew it..."
Of all the ways he'd have liked to die, this wasn't one of them. He sighed moodily. Well, beggars couldn't be choosers. Forcing himself up, wiping the blood from his lips awkwardly on the back of his hand, he staggered back to his bed and collapsed there. Maybe if he was lucky he'd just kick it in his sleep.
"Lucky," he muttered dryly. "Heh. Yeah, right."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:29 pm
__Part 12
When he had come down the next morning to find Marcos deathly ill and still managing to drink enough to kill an ox, Ethan's disturbed behavior made an unwelcome comeback. His expression had regained its exhausted, over-strained look, and his color had taken a definite swing towards gray.
"Stop looking like I'm going to puke my innards on you, kid," Marcos said, voice dry and cracking between drinks.
"Can't help it," Ethan said tiredly. Marcos managed a snort.
"Everybody dies," he said to his bottle, taking another swig. Ethan said nothing, though his hand took a white-knuckle grip on his rosary.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:37 pm
Ike just blinked at the man, not entirely sure how to act around dying people. Rabid and Björn, however, seemed to be taking a more active standpoint. Rabid had been running back and forth between Marcos and the kitchen, bringing cold compresses and cups of tea and coffee, barely touched by anyone but her. Björn was once more poring through medical textbooks, trying to find a reason for Marcos' unexplained illness.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:42 pm
Marcos, shifting the ice pack onto his stomach and shuddering as it set off another wave of pain, sucked in a long breath through his teeth and closed his watering eyes.
"Ooooh, this ******** sucks," he muttered. He cracked an eye open and looked at Ethan. "I want a good funeral."
"Marcos-"
"No. You shut up and listen, kid. I earned my ******** hole in the ground, and I want it to be good. Nice funeral. None of that cremation crap. Understand?"
His tone was so stern and his glazed eyes cutting into Ethan so sharply, the boy could do little more than nod.
"Yes, sir."
Marcos' face relaxed in spite of the pain, and he smiled rather beatifically.
"Good son," he said, voice dulled by pain but still sounding strangely optimistic. Ethan flinched and looked away, the color draining further from his face. Marcos took a sip of tea, his hand trembling violently. "I do wish it'd stop hurting so much, though."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:45 pm
"When Liam gets back, we can probably getcha somethin'," Björn nodded, deciding not to comment on the whole funeral ordeal, "Or I could go and quite literally drag Julian over here, which may not be the best idea."
Rabid tut-tutted.
"You're not gonna die, and' if y'do, I'll bury a'hundred dollars withya. Consider it a bet."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:52 pm
"Mn," Marcos said noncommittally, curling his trembling hands into fists to stop them shaking. "Just something for the pain....don't need a doctor. Just...aspirin..."
He trailed off, a peculiar expression on his face, and suddenly gagged and sat up with a strangled sound. Blood dribbled out from between his lips as he coughed, and he settled back uncomfortably.
"Hate that," he muttered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Ethan had flinched again, shivering slightly. Marcos gave him a sidelong look, then frowned, taking a closer examination.
"Ethan, have you slept at all?"
Ethan shook his head, shrugging.
"A little," he said, voice small. Marcos sighed.
"I swear to God kid that if you're feeling sorry for me I'll punch you in the nose."
"But I'm wearing glasses."
"I will even disregard the glasses. Go'n. I don't mind it."
He grinned at Ethan, who returned it with a reluctant smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You look like death. Go get some air," Marcos said. Ethan managed a choked laugh.
"Says the dying man."
"Shut up. I get to pretend I'm witty. Go outside and get some air."
"Going, going..."
Marcos watched as Ethan left with head bent and shoulders hunched. He sighed.
"Watch him," he said to no one in particular. "Somethings not right in his head right now. Don't let him do anything stupid."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:55 pm
But Hellis was already at the window, apparently glaring at nothing. His head hadn't quite been correctly screwed-on for the last few days either.
Rabid just gave a little sigh.
"Fine, fine. Some aspirin to hold you over." She disappeared into the upstairs bathroom, rooting around in the medicine cabinet.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:01 pm
What Marcos had noted about the condition of Ethan's mind was the most sincere form of understatement. The boy sat on the porch steps, staring blankly at the ground and murmuring prayers, counting the rosary.
"Hail Mary full of grace..."
The rest of the prayer had fled his memory, so he repeated the line over and over, fingers stumbling over the rough wooden beads. The rosary had once belonged to his mother. He wondered about her, how she would take the news that her son had been cut open and ripped apart by the skinners. Would she cry? Oh, yes. She would cry and scream and carry on and make a fool of herself. Ethan's expression twisted. So what. Marcos was right. Everybody dies.
"Hail Mary full of grace..."
Marcos wanted to die. He'd wanted to the minute he'd entered the Piper's service. He got to die. And what about Ethan? He got to wait, and wait and wait, frightened of every shadow and wondering when the skinners would come for him again. He could hear Mister Weaver's creaky, oily voice in his ear, whispering all the terrible things he would do to Ethan in a state of glee. Ethan shivered, voice faltering and eyes flickering.
He didn't want to wait. And he didn't want the others to see, Björn especially. Ethan knew what would happen to him when the skinners came for him. No one should have to see the ugly mess of aftermath.
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