empathicfault | IC Inbox

They're that close? -they were that close. He feels the loss keenly.

Will starts crying, soundlessly. He blinks the tears out, so he can see Malcolm's face. He feels a deep, hollow place in his chest, the very spot Malcolm is staring at. He wants to fix it.

He reaches out and- gently, so this man can pull away if he wants- tips his chin up so they're looking at each other. "Can I kiss you?"

Malcolm’s very damp eyes slowly shift focus to Will’s face as his chin is lifted, blinking surprise at the grief there.

He frowns faintly. He… wants to do that?

“You… don’t know me.” That makes his voice break a little. “Do you think it would help?” he asks with a very guarded hopefulness.

Will gives Malcolm a small smile, even as the tears roll down his cheeks. "I don't know anyone," he admits. "I'd like to know you. Maybe it'll being something back?"

He sounds hopeful, even if it's more for the chance to kiss the man in front of him than anything else.

A couple of tears slide down his own cheeks, but he manages a small, hopeful smile and nods, leaning up to meet the kiss, hesitantly setting a hand on Will's upper arm to steady himself and to make some sort of contact.

Will reaches up again, this time to cup Malcolm's face. He hadn't noticed the ring on his hand- it'd been comfortable and settled there. But he sees it now, realizing it for what it is even if not all the aspects folded into it.

His kiss is soft but not hesitant. It's not quite the same- there's a certain amount of control missing. But that's at least somewhat made up for by his eagerness. Once their lips touch, he presses in and lingers, as if savoring the sensation.

When he pulls back, his eyes are closed. They slowly open and search the face in front of him, now much closer than before. "....Malcolm?" he asks. That sounds right. "Is that your name?"

Malcolm's eyes go wide, his grip tightening on Will's arm.

"Yes! Yes, that's me! Do.... do you remember me?" he asks earnestly. "Do you....... do you remember us?"

Will blinks, then his eyes half-close. "I remember...something. Being warm. Being bathed in sunlight, and..." He hesitantly wraps his arms around Malcolm, leaving his hands on Malcolm's back. "-doing this. You're...like me, somehow? And that's important."

Malcolm is warm, and that feels right, too.

His expression warms faintly at that, though it only lights a corner of an otherwise baleful look. When Will's arms wrap around him like they always do, he slides his own arms around Will, too.

"We are the same," he promises.

He glances down at Winston, then up at Will.

"Do you know that's your dog?"

"Mmmm" and a closed-eye smile is the response to Malcolm hugging him back. His arms squeeze a little tighter, holding onto the only life preserver he's found.

He looks up at the dog. "Oh?" he asks, with hopefulness. "I thought...maybe. He came over to be pet, and has hung aroun-" He cuts himself off, narrowing his eyes at the dog and then asking, "Winston?" The retriever mix wags his tail and spurs Will on. "That's your name, huh? And you're the best, most loyal dog there is, aren't you?"

That gets the wag really going and Winston finally stands up and comes closer, with a small bark of excitement.

Will is still hugging Malcolm tight, and is unlikely to stop before Malcolm does. But he gives Winston a grin. "And I like dogs, huh?"

"You've got about half a dozen at home. Just two here. Winston and Buster. And we have two snakes, too. And a parakeet," Malcolm tells him, watching his face, still clinging tightly.

He looks briefly confused, and probably not for the reason Malcolm would expect. After apparently doing some mental calculations, he looks at Malcolm and smiles. "Here is home, though. Isn't it? I...know there's another place. But..."

But it's not home.

Malcolm is very charmed by that.

"Here is home right now. Because you and me are our 'home'. Forever."

He closes his eyes, letting himself bask in the saying of the word. "Forever."

He can feel memories coming to him, like little wagging dogs. One by one. Most fundamental first. That's Malcolm. And Winston. And his brother and sister. And that he won't ever go back where he came from. The only thing waiting for him there is-

He frowns and his eyes blink back open. That doesn't stop the imagery, changing from dogs to a single giant stag in a wintery forest, stamping its feet and charging whatever comes near it.

He feels a drip on his forehead and reaches up, only to feel a scar with his fingers. He starts searching his face, finding two more. "Why- why did people attack me? I'm-" He cuts off. Maybe he's a bad person. Maybe he doesn't want to know.

Malcolm's expression, starting to brighten, creases in concern when it starts. He recognizes what it is to see a horror movie in your head that you can't stop. Intimately. He sprays his hand on Will's chest.

"You have a unique ability to connect to people. To anyone. To understand them. Some people where you came from... they wanted to use it. So they used you. And you got hurt. But you're not going back there anymore. You're staying with me. I won't let them hurt you again."

He looks up at Will's face, determination in his features, but also a little shame: he hadn't protected Will from Justine's little game.

"You're staying with me now." He takes off his ring and holds it up for Will to look at. "Do you remember this?"

Will's eyes look around, even as they partially squint due to the the oncoming headache. He worries his lip with his teeth at hearing he can connect with people, but- oh yes. He was very useful. Jack's bloodhound. The FBI's mad dog. Takes one to catch one.

He can feel his mind spiraling around various awhile truths, and he almost clutches at his head. But Malcolm's question distracts him from the slide and he looks up with wide, vulnerable eyes that make him look almost a decade younger. They focus on the ring, then on his ring. "Something about broken...ceramics. And the cracks."

He says it uncertainly. It's a bit of hope in this ocean of painful interactions he's suddenly finding himself in.

Malcolm watches his face carefully.

"Do you remember giving it to me?"

He squeezes his eyes shut as he tries to summon the memory. He's close, he knows it, but he feels like he's trying to swim through a heavy current. Too slow. And there are too many things trying to pull him in different directions.

"No one's born broken..." is what he murmurs after a moment.

"Someone breaks us," Malcolm whispers. "Let's..." He glances around. "Do you think it would help to go to our cabin?" he asks. "Do you think... seeing your things and.... and your art would help?"

Will sniffs, and the tears that he sheds upon opening his eyes are his own. He knows who broke him now. He knows there are others that made it worse. He's scared to look any further, but it'll probably still come.

But for now, he looks at Malcolm and nods and hugs him tight. "If it's both of ours. I want to be...safe. My head hurts." He breathes out a deep but shaky sigh. "...can you help me there?"

Malcolm nods, stepping out of Will's embrace just enough to take his hand and hold it tight, staying shoulder to shoulder with him as he starts them towards the stairs. He's concerned. He's very concerned. He doubts she thought to test this drug on werewolves. What if it doesn't work like it's supposed to? What if he has holes afterwards, like Malcolm does, except the holes are his time on the Barge. His time with Malcolm. He tries not to catastrophize, but his stomach is churning. He takes a deep breath through his nose and pushes it out through his mouth as they walk. He can't have a panic attack right now; Will needs him.

"I can show you some pictures when we get there. Maybe... maybe they'll help you remember. Maybe they'll trigger your memory of those times."

Will snorts, shakes his head- and immediately regrets doing that. "It's coming back, but it's...a lot. The- the actions I've taken and things I only saw. Feelings I've felt."

He puts his arm around Malcolm's shoulders, leaning fully on him. "You're the only part that isn't...sour in some way. And I had to leave my whole world behind before I met you."

Malcolm manages a weak smile at that. And at Will wrapping an arm around him. He’s a genius even without all his memories. He slides his own arm around Will’s waist. Extra support. For at least one of them.

“We’re all from different world’s here. You and me… we decided not to live in yours or mine. Do… do…” he looks up sidelong at Will, trying to make himself form the prompt, but this is so part of their heart… it takes him a second to make the words come out. “Do you remember where we decided to go?”

He squints a moment, then relaxes a bit. "Our own place. Away from everything...but only if we want that. A ship. We want to travel, and help people. I want to destroy the bad ones."

He's not surprised by that, but it does make him frown again. He knows the last bit, but he doesn't feel it yet.

Malcolm can see that it's more like watching something on TV than something that's happened to him, but it's a start. And if he keeps him talking about his time here, maybe it will distract him from the details of Hannibal flooding back.

"Do you remember the day we met?"

Will's still leaning on him, but this question gets an easy smile. Apparently, distracting him is working well. He doesn't even have to mentally reach for this one.

"Mmmhmm. It was the second day I was here. I was sure people were going to shove me into Counseling right away, so I...I wanted to see what I had to contend with. Didn't expect to find someone who'd see me so well. We talked, for hours. It was an instant connection."

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will

Re: Right after Jedao reports Justine's Amnesia Attack on Will