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 Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:58 am
He left the shell that had been a home behind, a blackened skeleton of scaled wood and the smell of wet ash. It lingered in the back of his mind like a ghost, a quiet accusation that he’d been the last person inside the place that Priam had once called home. He thought on the stacks of files that had been slammed down on the desk at the Station, the tired of the whole day creeping into his bones, grinding its teeth there as he pulled into the driveway he called home. He sat for a moment behind the wheel, it felt like someone was pushing down on his shoulders Priam had to feel worse, as long as he didn’t think it was Yu’s fault… he hoped it didn’t seem like his fault. At last, he slid out and checked the back for the books he’d saved by accident, by intent to bring some small joy, and then turned to walk carefully up the steps. He fumbled to unlock the door, listening to hear what he could to brace himself. “H’lo? I’m back…”
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 4:24 pm
The house smelled like takeout, because who could really be bothered to make dinner. Priam had a plate in front of him that looked like he'd move a bit around but hadn't actually eaten much. He was sitting on the couch, using the coffee table like it was a dinner table. The dogs had been watching his plate eagerly until Yu opened the door and then the two of them, in tandem, hurried to him.
Even they seemed to know that something was wrong; their ears were folded low and they walked with their tails nearly tucked beneath their legs. They hurried to Yu but didn't seem their usual waggly selves.
Priam, despite the soreness and damage from his fall, despite the weight of today, pushed himself up like he couldn't feel the pain, like he couldn't feel his body protesting.
He was in the same clothes as earlier and the smell of smoke clung to him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and something about him looked more haggard. He forced a smile--his muscles moved but it didn't reach his eyes despite how happy he was to see Yu.
There was a heaviness in the house, not intentional but just because of the gravity of all things. Priam was either still suffering from the smoke's agitation to his eyes or he was still recovering from a bad cry. He looked miserable, except for the part of him that seemed genuinely relieved to have Yu back.
"There you are," he said, voice hoarse in a way that could have been too much use, or too little use, or too much smoke, or too much crying, or too much anything that he shouldn't have been doing.
"I was fifteen minutes from calling a lawyer and coming down there myself," he said, so tired and worn down, that even if it had been meant as a joke it just sounded like he'd meant it.
He did not ask to embrace Yu; he shuffled behind the dogs and leaned over them so he could hug him. "We ordered pizza, there's some in the stove for you. Are you okay?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:57 am
Sterling hadn’t known what to do after they had gotten home. He had ordered food. He had paced, he had tried to comfort Priam as best he could, but eventually he just didn’t know what else to do.
When he heard the door open, he looked up from where he was standing in the kitchen and let out a long breath, relieved that Yu was finally home, and without thinking about it, he put together a plate of pizza for the male and made up a cup of chocolate milk. A sovereign remedy for any ailments that had ever bothered Sterling...and he hoped would help Yu as well. It hadn’t done much good for Priam but...
Well. He didn’t know what to do to fix this.
He was trying though. That was all that he could do.
When Sterling reached the living room and saw Priam embracing Yu, he hesitated, feeling very weary and put the food on the coffee table, moving to add his arms to the hug as well, resting close to the both of them as he held them tightly. “...Welcome home. We were so worried.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:41 am
“I’m ok… I’m ok… are you though?” He didn’t want more attention on him right now, and there wasn’t a great way to say that, because they meant well he thought. He leaned into the hug because the touch felt nice, a kind touch, a warm hug, an embrace that had care and sadness in it. “They just, want easy answers.” He shook his head. “I was there, the neighbors said some s**t, but I was working like…every time. So it's not like they have a hope of making it stick.” He said it more for them than the idea that he believed it himself. “I’m just tired… they pulled some bad-cop and bad-cop bullshit.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 1:20 pm
Priam didn't want to lie to either of them, not right now when he was feeling so absolutely raw. He wasn't okay, and if he said he was, neither of them would believe him anyway.
On the other hand, he couldn't say he wasn't okay, because he didn't want to worry either of them. So instead, he said nothing and just held onto them, closing his eyes and relaxing against the two of them.
He was glad there were two of them; he might have felt guilty about it otherwise.
"I'm sorry, Yu. You didn't deserve that. If they give you any trouble again, have them call me. It's my house, I know you didn't do anything to it. Sterling said he didn't want me to leave until after the holidays, but I'm sure neither of you are so devious." It was the tired attempt of a joke, and he just hugged Yu a little tighter. He didn't want to let go, so he only loosened his hug a bit.
"Come sit down and eat. What can we do to make you more comfortable?" he asked, and it was clear that Priam didn't know how to deal with his own overwhelming situation; his comfort was taking care of other people.
...The house had burned. He was waiting for phone calls back. No one would tell him anything, he didn't even know where to start.
Being with people he loved helped. Knowing they were okay helped.
He couldn't do anything for himself right now, but he could still try and do his best for them.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:12 pm
Sometimes, Sterling didn’t feel that he had a filter, and this was one of those moments. “I’m just...glad that you were here. Glad that you weren’t home...that…” That nothing bad happened. That he was alive. That Penny and Odie were alive. That Yu hadn’t gotten hurt.
He placed kisses to each of their temples. “...I’ll get some more food for you too, Priam...and something good to drink.” Not wine, sadly. He was still on his medications and there was enough trouble going on.
“Yu, this wasn’t your fault...neither of us think that it was, I know I don’t. I don’t...understand why they decided to bully you…” It wasn’t fair. This was just a terrible accident. Nothing more.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:18 pm
He opened his mouth to tell them why, the weariness of it, the knowledge in his heart that they would tell them, that SOMEONE would tell them. What came out instead though was selfish, and didn’t include a word of why they might have reasons, not the real ones. “The neighbors swore they saw someone who looked like me, that’s a quick sell.” He murmured, staring at his shoes with the weight of what he wasn’t saying. “I don’t suppose after we eat we could just… if I could just if you wouldn’t mind if I just curled up with you guys for a while, like… all of us.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 7:22 pm
Priam was quiet and just hugged Yu tighter again. "It wasn't you," he said, just to make sure Yu knew he didn't think it was even remotely possible that he was in any way responsible. "...If you want, we can take the food and eat it in bed. I haven't had much of an appetite." He still didn't, but he could at least pretend like food was an option now that Yu was home.
"...I'm glad to have you here, Yu. If you go put on your pajamas, I'll go put on mine and make the bed up. It doesn't have to be my room, but I know there's enough room for all of us. And the dogs. I just want them in there with me too," he said, and the tiredness crept into his voice again. He didn't sound like he was going to burst into tears but there was the distant threat of them, held at bay through fatigue and willpower alone.
It was a long day.
He wanted to go to sleep and wake up from a bad dream.
But, if he couldn't, he at least wanted to wake up next to them.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 5:58 pm
Sterling nodded in agreement. “That sounds good...I’ll...put the food away then and get changed into mine...I want to hold you both…” His words sounded so hollow to his own ears and he made his way back to the kitchen, getting the pizza and food put away before going to change into his own pajamas, grabbing an extra pillow or two and making his way to Priam’s room.
They would get through this. Goodness knows they had been through enough already in the past few weeks but…
They would get through this too.
Tomorrow, they would wake up, tangled in each other’s arms...and they would figure out how to get through this.
So long as they could survive the night.
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