TLV: IC Inbox

[primedirector]

"Hey, it's Jesse. I'll be right back."

Text | Voice | Video | Action
| Hotline |

Comments

audio;

[trustinthedevil]

[ He deserves that. ]

I'm, uh, in my cabin.

Re: audio;

[primedirector]

[About two seconds after he says that, his door is being slammed open and Jesse is rushing in - and without hesitation she's wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug.

And Matt will even feel that strange, soothing brush of Polaris against his mind - sedate and silent for a brief moment, his warden's other half checking in from the force of her worry.]

[trustinthedevil]

[ Jesse hugs him, but Matt doesn't move to hug her back. There isn't actually much response from him at all, except for an exhale as Polaris leaves behind a brief-but-lingering warmth. ]

I'm fine, Jesse.

[primedirector]

Matt, you fucking vanished. You can't just be--

[She notices the lack of reaction from him, and pulls back a little to look at him properly, keeping a tight grip on his shoulders to ground herself. To remind her that her friend is fucking back.

To keep her hands from shaking.]

What happened?

[trustinthedevil]

[ How can he even explain what happened? He still feels like he's on top of the roof of his neighborhood bar, he still feels all the hits and the early-forming bruises even though his skin is unmottled. And somehow, under all of that, he feels nothing but numbness.

He fights against the impulse to frown, his mouth quivering as he forces down the instinct. ]

Life. Life happened.

[primedirector]

[She swallows tightly, fighting back the urge to shake him even if it makes her hands tremble worse.

He's obviously not ready to talk about it. So... we have to wait until he is. But I'm not losing him again..

She forces her hands to loosen, and takes his wrists instead.]

You're staying in my room tonight. Okay? You can- take the shower for as long as you need, get drunk, or- or high, I don't care.

[She can't even hate how small it sounds, so desperate.]

Please.

[trustinthedevil]

[ A shower sounds nice. He can't deny that, even though all he wants to do is keep her (and everyone else) as far away as possible. Maybe, he thinks, he can placate her by doing this, and then he can shrink back here to his room and shut the world out after. ]

Sure. That's fine.

[primedirector]

Thank you.

[She's fucking rattled and she hates it, but at least she's willing to let go of Matt for a hot minute.]

Did you wanna- grab some clothes, or something? I'm on the same level as the wardrobe, I can- grab something while you wind down.

[trustinthedevil]

That'd be great.

[ Getting Jesse to grab some clothes benefits them both. It gives Matt a bit of time to himself, completely, and it gives Jesse something to do, which clearly she needs. ]

Let's go.

[primedirector]

[She doesn't spend as much time in the wardrobe as she could, after she gets Matt settled and showering in her room. Mostly she's trying not to think about it all, but that's- not helpful. Like at all.

So instead, after she's got him a t-shirt and some pyjama bottoms (that she sneaks the door open to leave on the bathroom sink, not trying to be subtle but not looking) she heats up some leftovers and popcorn, and so when Matt does come to the couch the apartment side of Jesse's cabin is gonna smell like reheated Chinese food.]