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 Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 8:29 pm
Anthony was easily going stir crazy. It was strange. At the library he didn't think he did that much, but now that he had time to think about it he was acutely aware of how much he walked and talked, ran errands and processed books. He interacted with people constantly, and his mind was always stimulated.
Sitting in a hospital bed, he had none of those things. At least, however, he had a playstation he could play.
It was an old model, not the second or the third, but the very first. Even so, it worked, and the games were simple enough that he didn't have to feel stupid for failing in them. He didn't have much of a selection, a skateboarding game, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot for now, but that was fine.
At the moment he was playing the skateboarding game, which just made him want to go outside. His leg and its cast, however, wouldn't allow for that. Not to mention his nurses, who told him not to play too much at any one time, because he needed to rest and recover. He thought sleeping for three days straight was rest enough.
Granted, that hadn't technically been sleeping, but the semantics didn't matter. In the end, the only detail that mattered was that he was bored, and wanted to do something.
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Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 9:25 pm
"What's up, Tony Hawk?"
Edward Nguyen was suddenly at the side of his bed, bearing three things: a mylar get-well balloon in garish green hues and a teddybear-shaped card. The card said, I'M BEARY SORRY. This was directly attributable to Edward's sick sense of humour, which enjoyed torment, and he was already tying the balloon to a knob next to Anthony's bed.
The third thing was a Starbucks cup. Two. Knowing the younger man, the other one would be half-empty already and would have contained a seriously doctored strawberries-and-cream latte sweet enough to make the teeth rot inside your head. "I got you a hot chocolate," said his friend, and settled his angular self down in the chair next to him as he looked him over. His glance flicked to his cast, then to his face.
"So -- they're not going to amputate after all?"
Also classic Edward.
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Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 9:44 pm
Tony jumped. Or at least, as much as one could jump while sitting down on a bed. He jolted a bit, the controller slipping from his grip and landing in his lap, the character in the game crashing into a wall. He hadn't even heard Edward come in, and there he was, standing right beside the bed.
Gazing at him in wonder, he just had to gape for a long moment. Was this man part ninja? How could one be part ninja? Was ninja a race?
Tony shook his head. He really needed to keep his mind occupied, to stave off these random wanderings of thought. Being idle could really grind his nerves, and he was already feeling it in his hospital stay.
"That's a nice balloon," he said, looking at it and shaking his head. The cup of hot chocolate, however, was much better received, Tony thank him as he took the cup and drank from it happily. He frowned over the rim of the lidded cup when Edward made his joke.
"That's not funny, they very well could have," he said, though he wasn't sure that was true. He had been unconscious for three days and had never actually gotten a proper look at the damage that was done to his look. For all he knew, the doctors just put him in the cast as a joke.
"You came all this way to visit little ol' me, and it's not even our scheduled lunch time. I'm touched." He smiled as he teased, though, he smiled because he was rather glad the other man would come and see him.
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 4:26 pm
"You're in hospital," said Edward, who had taken the lid off his cup and was swilling around the liquid inside. He tossed a swig of it back. The smell was now distinctively over-doctored strawberries-and-cream latte. "Somebody has to look after you. Give you a balloon."
But he was smiling that slightly awkward, lopsided smile at his friend, the one that was also distinctively this raises a lot of questions, Tony. If the younger man was a ninja, he was a ninja from the Hidden Village of Worry.
"What happened, Anthony?" he said lightly. "The nurse wouldn't even let me wheel you out into the garden, says you have to stay in traction. Luckily I brought a Sharpie to draw on your cast with." This was being extracted from his pocket. "Spiderweb? Skull chewing a book?"
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 7:02 pm
"Contrary to popular belief, I am not twelve years old. Though, I do appreciate the balloon. And the drink," he smiled, wrinkling his nose when the scent of the other man's cup hit his nose. "What are you drinking?" He asked on impulse, looking worried that he might be offered a drink of it now that he asked.
When Edward asked what happened Tony sighed, looking down at his cup for a long moment. He shook his head.
"I seem to be a target for some hoodlums around the library these days," he lied, "probably those kids I kicked out for knocking over the shelves. One of them got arrested. Ah, well. In any case, I was jumped while I was walking home."
He frowned, eying the sharpie suspiciously.
"Are you sure any of those things are within your artistic range? Just don't draw anything lewd..."
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:41 pm
"Tony, Tony, Tony." Edward's eyebrows had shot up. "This is me we're talking about, thank you very much."
It really was a G-rated spiderweb. The younger man shifted his chair over and lightly pressed against the plaster-of-paris to draw a fat Sharpie spiderweb, with a fat sharpie spider in the corner. The spider had seven legs, not eight. A little bubble from the spider's mouth said, 'HI TONY,' and Edward kept blowing a stray lock of hair out of his face as he drew.
"I'm sorry that happened," said Edward as he drew. His face was solemn. "Destiny City's gotten less safe in the past two years. When I heard you'd broken your leg, I thought the library had been held up -- you know, all those bank robberies?" Next to the spiderweb: I AM A TAURUS. What? I LOVE CANDLELIGHT DINNERS. What? "You want a taste? It's a strawberry latte."
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 10:07 pm
Tony watched the other man draw on his cast, helpless to stop him if he did decide to go with something rude. As it turned out, he really was just drawing a spider web, which was fine by Tony. A bit silly, maybe, and he would have to explain it when someone asked, but that was okay.
"I would be very surprise if bank robbers got so bored and had nothing else to rob that they had to come hold up a library. After all, what have we got? A drawer with some dollar bills for when people buy used books? Hardly a hall worth getting out of bed for, really."
He was doing that babbling thing he tended to do. When he was stressed, or in denial, or, as in this case, caught in a lie. There had been no hoodlums, just like there hadn't been any library robberies. Both were equally as likely.
"What are you writing..." he craned his neck to look, frowning. "I don't need a dating ad on my cast, Edward. Ed. Eddie-boy." He shook his head, both to protest the writing and to decline the drink. It sounded terrible. Strawberry latte? That sounded far from appealing. He'd stick to the hot chocolate.
"So, while I was getting beaten near to death, what have you been up to recently? Hopefully less eventful things..."
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 3:02 am
"Work," said Edward, not taking his eyes off his craftsmanship. He made a little flourish under CANDLELIGHT DINNERS in the manner of a thirteen-year-old girl's trapper-keeper. His returning smile at Anthony was mild and angelic. "I'm just looking out for you in the event of a single nurse."
The Sharpie was abandoned after that. He returned to his disgusting-sounding strawberry latte, tossing his head back and draining the rest of it before tossing the cup into a nearby trashcan. "Worrying about you," he said. "Funerals. A girl in my youth group lost her father last Wednesday. I was looking at your neighbourhood, Tony -- do you know there's been ten deaths there since March? Isn't that ugly? Isn't that unbelievable?"
He was scratching at a fleck of ink on his fingernail. "I was going to ask if you wanted to move in with me," he said.
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 12:10 pm
Tony, helpless to stop Edward from decorating his cast however he saw fit, shook his head as the other man made to pretty the drawing up. It was very silly, and now he would have to cover it with a blanket if he didn't want to be teased by his visitors or the hospital staff. Because they totally would.
"I appreciate that," he said, his voice flat, indicating that maybe he didn't mean it entirely. He wasn't sure his broken leg was the best way to pick up ladies, but who knew? Maybe it would work. Tony shook his head, chiding himself for thinking it, and somehow justifying Edward's silly handiwork. At this point he couldn't help but grin at his friend.
Which quickly faded when the topic got a bit dark.
"I'm sorry to hear about that," he said, meaning the death of the girl. He looked down at the cup in his hand, shaking his head. Ten deaths in his neighborhood? He hadn't been aware of that. It made sense, though, considering how often Tony himself was in trouble. And he didn't think everyone else had a Zodiac looking out for them.
"Move in with you? I hardly think I need to move anywhere," he said, shaking his head and chuckling softly. He imagined Edward was joking, though the situation was pretty grim. "I'll just have to be more careful. Ten since March? I can't believe that. What about your neighborhood? It's probably bad all over."
Things were crazy these days. Tony was just taking it in stride, as best he could. He clearly remembered the panic in his chest when that negaverse agent had very nearly strangled him. It was like the man had been waiting for Tony to walk home from work. So not even the library was safe. Of course, Tony already knew that.
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:57 pm
The look on Edward's face said that, in fact, he was not joking. He looked deadly serious. "I've got a second bedroom," he said. "My landlord owns a shotgun. I'm not kidding, Tony, this place is dangerous and you're living alone."
And so was he, well. Was he really serious? His mouth was grimmer than Edward's mouth usually got, and he had the expression on his face that he had when he was really intent about something -- like he was looking at you as hard as he could to get you to listen. Endearing sometimes. Other times, no. "We're community-minded," he said. "We call the police if we see anything. I worry about you. How many times do I say that?" His hands were spread out a bit ruefully. "I drop the towels on the floor and I can't cook, but my offer's still open. Who's going to look after you if I don't -- Carol? Your student librarians? The cops?"
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:21 pm
The librarian shook his head a few times, slowly, so he didn't make himself light headed. "I've Booder..."
Because Booder, his hamster, would protect him if anyone came to try and kill him again. He sighed, avoiding Edward's eyes. The look made him uncomfortable, very aware of just how dangerous everything was. He really didn't like thinking about how close he had come to dying. To the fact that he could be killed as soon as he returned home. These days he had no idea what might be waiting for him.
"The cops?" he asked, looking up. He had been silently considering the other's words, but that part distracted him. "I don't break the law that often. But, ah, I get your meaning. We can stop pointing out how alone I am now, thank you."
He sighed, shifting in the bed. He wasn't getting comfortable, he just felt like he had to move. Do something, like it might disrupt the conversation. But it didn't, and he shook his head again.
"If things get any worse I might... consider... relocating. For now I have blind, stupid faith that things will get better. Anyway, you don't want a librarian living in your place. Everything will be organized by a system you won't understand."
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Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 5:52 pm
"I know Library of Congress, Tony," said Edward, whose voice had slipped into the Slow Patience mode of somebody who was betraying their irritation. Uber-patient. Uber-reasonable. "You make me sound like someone who organises his DVDs in stacks on the floor. When's it going to get 'worse' for you? If they break both your arms? Skull fracture?"
'They' was an interesting slip. Who did Edward think had beaten Anthony up? Edward's fingers were fussing with invisible lint on his jeans. "You run away from all your problems," he said. "That's all right. Faith is blind and stupid most of the time, that's the beauty of faith. Library of Congress," he seemed stuck on this point, "Tony, I colour-code my calendar."
Then again, maybe Edward was less 'naturally organised' than he was 'very lonely.'
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Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 7:19 pm
Tony sighed, trying not to laugh. He didn't know why he was laughing, or at least wanted to laugh, because it wasn't very funny. He knew Edward wasn't joking with him, and he knew the situation wasn't very funny at all. The facts were he had been attacked. Again. And was in the hospital. Again. This time had been much more serious than some stitches and a sling. If things got worse, as both men seemed to assume they would, who knew where he would end up.
Tony didn't want to think about it.
If Edward had made a mistake in saying 'they' in that cadence, Tony furthered it by responding in kind. He didn't think about it, talking about his 'they' without remembering he had lied a few times about who 'they' were. Hoodlums? He wasn't talking about kids. He was talking about negaverse agents. Youma. This monsters he knew precious little about, but did so much to cause the public harm.
Tony had once seen three starseed spill from a killed Youma. Three people, Virgo had indicated, that would die without them. Could have already been dead. Probably were. How many others were there?
"I don't think they're targeting me. I think I just keep ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I'm more careful, more aware, I'm sure it will be fine," but he didn't sound like he believed himself. For how long? Walking home like he was expecting to be attacked. Paranoid. And who said it would ever get 'better'? "I don't run away from all my problems. Wouldn't moving in with you be running away from this one? Not that I have any intention of going out there and settling it myself. Que sera, sera, I suppose."
He looked up then, to see Edward's expression. Tony's own softened, and he thought that maybe the invitation hadn't been solely for Tony's sake, "do you really think it would be any better, moving? What if I just drag these problems with me? You'd be in the hospital with me."
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