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[abrightboy]

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Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

Malcolm melts into his warmth, finally relaxing a bit. He nuzzles lightly at his neck.

“It’s not your fault. It’s… whoever did this.” He pauses. “What do you mean by ‘flashes’?”

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

Will lets a shaky breath out, as if he's been holding it the whole time Malcolm has been away. "Oh, you know...that visualization thing I do? It's not so optional, at the moment. But it's navigable, at least."

He'll argue the 'not your fault' portion of this once they're out of it, probably. That's not for now. But it all still came from his head.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

“Are you getting anything from me?” Malcolm asks, a little muffled because he hasn’t lifted his head.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

Will hesitates to answer. It's worse than it's been right now. "The living room is your dad's cell. Your head is covered in some sort of static fuzz- I assume that's our current affliction. Sometimes it takes the form of a figure behind you."

He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I can usually see the layer of reality under it, if I'm paying attention."

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

“He is still lurking here,” Malcolm tells him. “Trying to drive a wedge between us like he always does.”

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

"He has a good opportunity for it now. I'd be surprised if he wasn't trying," Will replies. Probably not a good idea to refer to a figment as of it were real, but they both know the fears that these come from.

"I wish I had advice for you, but clearly I didn't handle my own demon all that well," he says. "Anything you want to try to do to settle, or distract ourselves?"

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

“It’s not going to work,” Malcolm tells him. In case he’s concerned. In case he’s concerned and Malcolm clinging to him like a life preserver in a choppy ocean doesn’t allay those concerns.

He lifts his head to look at Will’s face.

“I’m sorry that I ran. I thought if I kept talking to you, you’d… realize it was me and then… it started to feel like I was deceiving you, not saying anything. And then I said something and… it seemed like… when you actually saw me, you didn’t know who I was. And… that was the scary part that I couldn’t handle.” A beat. “But I should have handled it better than that.”

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

"It's not," Will confirms quietly (at least partially to himself).

As Malcolm pulls back to start apologizing, Will's brow furrows a bit in confusion. "No, I...I don't know what would've been better. I wasn't seeing you. Some part of me was trying, but my mind was fighting it. Like there was suddenly a crack in reality. I could see there was a distortion, but not what was under it."

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

Malcolm blinks surprise. "So when you could see it wasn't him, you couldn't see it was me?"

That's better, honestly. That's a relief.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

"I saw you, briefly. And then I saw Garret Jacob Hobbs. And I wasn't sure about any of it."

Will's eyes lower, then, staring at Malcolm's shoulder. "It...felt similar to the encephalitis, before. But I could tell I wasn't sick this time. I just...didn't know what was happening."

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

"Like... a psychotic break?" Malcolm asks. In which case, he needed Malcolm's support more, not... down the hallway somewhere. "It's still not your fault," he reminds him.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

Will nods, moving somewhat shakily, at the psychotic break question. Well, he knows what that feels like now in earnest. Lovely.

"I- I know it's not. It's whatever thing is going on with the Barge this week. But it's- it's all still from my head."

He smiles mirthlessly. "And boy, is there a lot to work with." A lot of sharp edges for even Malcolm to cut himself on.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

"You could never scare me away away. A brief regrouping at most. I promise. I don't care what happens. Okay? I'll always end up right here." Clinging to his side like a giant chatty barnacle. "Always. It's had a lot to work with in my head too. It's just..... he's always been in my head. My whole life. I've been conditioned to battle him there all my life. I just have more practice. I'm not... more sane than you are."

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[empathicfault]

Will lets him talk, and it's like a soothing balm to all the unusual- but not entirely unfamiliar- recent events. Will hugs him close again at the promise, so the rest of it is probably slightly muffled.

Malcolm's assurance that he's not more sane has Will chuckling. "I know. I know, and I'm sorry you have more practice. But...thank you for understanding." There's plenty more to talk about, but Will is feeling more steady now. It's not just him and his faulty visions anymore.

Re: October 19th, early afternoon

[abrightboy]

This barnacle likes to be squeezed.

“I love you. All the parts of you.”