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Post by medic on Aug 27, 2012 14:11:01 GMT -5
status done
for jay
wordcount 437
notes if any of the details about the shop are incorrect, absolutely correct it and wing like the wind~
The 10pm to 4am shift. Absolute killer, and that wasn’t gallows humour talking. Well, maybe a little bit. Todd’s sleep cycle was well and truly shafted the moment he got his job, and it hadn’t stopped being shafted ever since. It was half-four in the morning when he arrived at the glass windows at the front of the quaint little bookshop, and Todd still wasn’t tired. Half an hour ago he’d been helping firemen cut someone from a pile of smoking wreckage and getting them back to hospital; he was buzzing with adrenaline and absolutely restless. He got like this a lot… it sort of came with the job.
Jay was one of the very few people in the city that he called a friend—unlike said friend, Todd didn’t get out much—but there were really only a few things that he knew about him. Fortunately, those things pretty much added up to this: that Jay always seemed to be awake and around when he wanted him to be (and sometimes when he didn’t, or pretended he didn’t), and that Jay was willing to put up with his whining and showing up at ungodly hours of the morning in exchange for him putting up with Jay’s firecracker act and constant arsing around. And there was a bit of Jay providing pizza, Todd providing banter. It was very give and take. Quite sweet, really.
Still, Todd wasn’t one for getting sentimental, so after fancying that he spotted a light on in the shop’s backroom, he made his way to the locked front door and hammered a fist against the glass. Fortunately the place was old-fashioned enough that it had a letterbox in the storefront door, which Todd pushed open so that he could call through to his seemingly ever-present friend. He put it down to the magic of fate. “Oi, half-pint. Let me in, will you? I know you’re back there. I can feel my IQ dropping.”
That’s gratitude for you. Todd folded his arms, the hoodie he’d shoved on over his EMT greens seeming way too thin now that he was standing still instead of half-jogging to a bookshop at four in the morning. That was the first stage of the adrenaline comedown: the recurring high. Stupid energy. Stupid biology. Stupid evolution, giving his body a reaction that was rendered useless in modern society. As for the crash that would come later—at what point did mother nature decide that suddenly passing out was a useful response to anything? Whatever. He’d be happy enough just getting out of the rising wind and the weird, creepy feeling that the streets of Chicago sometimes picked up when the sun was down. [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 27, 2012 20:51:29 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
The books seemed to whisper to him. There were old books and new books, books that were leatherbound and made his mouth water, books were fresh and sour and made him shy away. Books were wonderful things. It was unfortunate that not many people came for them, but for the mystical things Jay kept in the back. Vampire and werewolf alike would come and shop- even a slayer or two would bring their best cross or stake or mystical ring- and they would try and convince the small lycan man to give up his treasures for theirs. Well, one man’s trash….
Finally the fall shipment had come in and Jay had spent his time in the shop unboxing and sorting and inventory taking. Magic doo- dads and enchantment scrolls galore yet still he kept the shop closed. Didn’t want his more unsavory customers coming in and thinking he had an abundance of these items- oh no- he had to keep them wanting, waiting. As for the once who came for the books… well, nobody was so hard- pressed for a book that it couldn’t wait until morning. Or was there that one person? Jay could hear the approaching human before he saw them, and, peeking through the office door he could catch sight of the vehicle, a mischievous grin spreading on his face. He was quick to shut off the office light and grope in the gloom for the rubber mask which hung on the wall. It was a hideous thing that smelled like latex and depicted a ghoulish version of a werewolf. He pulled it over his head and was able to sneak his way through the shadows, silent and quick on his toes and holding his breath until he reached the darkened corner next to the door.
He breathed slowly, the latex tang already getting to his head, but every time he thought of what was to come a smile came to his lips again and threatened to blow his cover with snickers. He could hear the squeaky mail slot opening as his friend looked in. Todd was a paramedic, a mortal, and although Jay despised mortals, Todd was okay. You know, for a mortal.
The short man could hear the echo of the medic’s voice and he knew he would have to get Todd for accusing him of being I.Q. dropping but perhaps this would be enough. He watched the light on the floor that pooled in through the squares of glass in the door and waited for Todd’s shadow to appear again. Catching sight of the silhouette of his friend’s head in the light, Jay took a breath then hopped out before the door, growling at Todd until he couldn’t stand it anymore. Breaking out into laughter, Jay pulled up the mask, pointing and mocking his friend’s reaction. “Oh man, you shoulda seen your face. Priceless. Priceless!” He gasped between laughter and managed to reach for the door, unlocking and opening it. “Come in come in come in.” He giggled and mimicked Todd’s face once more. “Priceless. Priceless I tell you!”
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 27, 2012 21:18:34 GMT -5
Todd was extremely fond of books—but he didn’t believe in any of that books-calling-to-you nonsense. Perhaps there was such a thing as being a little bit too… mortal. Todd was so down to earth that he was practically underground. The magic of charms and rings and amulets could scarcely be explained by science, though lots of like-minded people had tried. Journals and journals were filled with things entitled ‘the science of magic,’ but it was all senseless in the end. But it was a scary thought, the world having systems and powers within it that were ruled by nothing more than absolute bloody chaos. Science was comforting.
There’s a science to fear, too. Todd knew that fear is there to save one’s life. There were the occasional nutjobs that had irrational phobias of kiwis or question marks or the sticky side of a postage stamp, yes, but they were irregularities. Adrenaline. It brought him up into another part of himself, made the world seem slower and his brain seem faster and every other thought in his mind bottom out into coldness. A messy but measured cocktail of hormones flooded his cells; neurones firing, heart rate hitting G for gallop, flight-or-fight energy leaving ripples as it tore its way across his body and made him spring to attention. Todd had already hit that point a couple of times during his work shift today, but that was the sort of lactic-based fear-strength that never ran out.
Oh, and pulling silly faces too, yes. That was also an essential part of the body’s evolved response to fear.
“You absolute ass,” he gasped, still short of breath from the adrenaline demanding that his lungs overwork themselves now now now. He turned around and put his back to the window for support while Jay unlocked the door, hand clasping his chest dramatically. “You know that dying of shock is an actual thing, yeah? I’ve seen it! An overload of epinephrine in the heart… bosh. Gone. Then who the hell would put up with this shit?”
So, that should be another five hours before he managed even a wink of sleep, then. Thank you, Jay. “Caffeine. Stat. Might as well.” [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 27, 2012 22:01:33 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
The way Todd spoke only made Jay roar with a new wave of laughter. “Hey. Woah. I may be an ass but I’m a smexy ass. Look at that.” He openly displayed his flat butt that was swimming in his gray skinny jeans to his friend and smacked it. “Hottest ass in the shop so I’ll take it.” Smiled at the mortal with a mischievous grin spread across his features. Thing is, all of Jay’s smiles were mischievous. He couldn’t help it. He was born looking like an elf about to prank someone out of his shoes. At least, that’s what his mother always said. But really, who believed in elves? That fantasy mumbo- jumbo? Pure fiction.
Blue orbs laughed at Todd, watching a dramatic display as the other man entered the shop, a hand on his heart like it was failing him. Shaking out his shaggy hair, Jay headed towards the back office, already aware that Todd was going to request caffeine, and a lot of it. “Oh, don’t be such a drama club.” He laughed. “Hate to break it to ya, but you don’t have the face for it.” He mimicked the face once more, then knew it was getting old, and slipped into the labyrinth of sorting that was the back of the shop.
The office, a mess of boxes, had two planned paths- one to the back right corner where a mini fridge with a coffee pot on top and another to the couch, Jay’s lap top open as it sat on a pile of boxes with a Disney movie paused on screen. He almost made it to the coffee, too, before Todd asked a stupid question. He launched himself at his friend, throwing an arm around him and locking his elbow at Todd’s neck, a sloppy chinlock. “You, knucklehead.” He managed to reach a hand to Todd’s head and perform a more elegant noogie, if noogies could be performed with any sort of grace at all.
Jay released Todd and hurried over to the fridge so that he would be protected by the sole purpose that if Todd tried to tackle him back it would mean more of a wait before he got his caffeine. Problem was, in the mess of the fall shipment, Jay had lost track of whether or not he had any coffee left. “Uh- oh.” Knowing he would be in trouble for this, he looked in the fridge, beaming when he caught sight of a tall blue and silver can. “Aha! Here we are!” He tossed the can of Redbull at his friend.
“It gives you wiiiiiings.” Folding his arms up at his elbows, he let his wrists go limp to flap his hands like wings and laughed, shuffling his way over to the couch and collapsing there.
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 27, 2012 22:51:09 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 490
“Oh, whatever. And for your information, even if ‘smexiness’ were quantifiable, that’d be no excuse.” Really, he should have been used to being pranked by then. He kind of was. But Todd was also used to whinging about it for decades afterwards. Todd was in the muddle of clothing he always was when he dropped in on Jay in the wee hours: half-uniform, half-whatever-the-f**k-he-could-find. He didn’t care overmuch what he looked like. It was half past four in the morning and he’d spent the day being either bled or puked on. Or both. At least he’d taken a shower in the communal staff bathroom at the hospital before coming over here to save Jay the smell. That was how much he loved him. And look how his devoted love was repaid.
Noogies. Noogies and betrayal.
Todd let go of his heart to massage his temple slightly as he followed Jay through the racks and stacks, banging the shop front door shut loudly behind them. And then into the office, which was a lovely little wonderland. Todd had no idea what half the stuff was, but he liked to pick things up and mess with them. He sometimes suspected that Jay left out the most tempting-looking things with the weirdest (or funniest) side-effects on purpose, just to see if Todd could tempt fate to kick him in the nads.
“Ow!” He fought back against the noogie—which, with Jay being so much shorter, should not have been so difficult. It was just embarrassing. He bumped his shoulder into Jay’s chest and made a grab for the arm scrubbing at his head. “D’you know, one of my callouts today was tending to a crackhead that fell into the river. He gave me less sass than you’re giving me now.” Maybe because of the hypothermia, but details. Meaningless petty details that had nothing to do with his argument.
Oh, if Jay had rudely forgotten to keep up the caffeine supply for his friend that liked to drop in at complete random, Todd would have definitely had to retaliate. Perhaps even a noogie wouldn’t have been enough. In a real fight Todd would fight like a little schoolgirl whose arms were attached to her shoulders by paperclips, but when it came to horseplay, he liked to get involved. Invisible guns and everything. Pew pew.
“Thanks,” he said despite plausible imminent battles, catching and cracking the can open slickly. Time to give his poor heart even more of a shock. He was going to keel over flat-out dead by the time he was thirty-five at this rate. “And oh my god I am craving chicken wings now.” He flung himself down towards the sofa too, sitting on the floor with his back against the legrests rather than on the actual thing. “Hospital food is diabolical. They make it out of the corpses of the patients that died while trying to digest hospital food. True story.” [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 27, 2012 23:34:47 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
It was Jay’s turn to gasp this time, and he began to wipe invisible tears from his eyes with dainty gestures. “How could you say that, Toddial?” He sniffled, and fanned his face with his hand. “My thmexyneth uthed to be an ethuthe for everything! Now, you’re cheating on me with other ethcutheth!? What do they have that I don’t? Can you tell me that, Toddington? Can you jutht tell me that?” He hid his face in his hands.
Then, another gasp. “A crackhead, eh?” He cracked a crooked grin Todd’s way. “Weeeeelll, surly he was not nearly as entertaining because he had less brain cells than your precious friend Jay. Obviously his lack of control caused his brain to dwindle away to mush and leave you to turn to a fully witty me for all your entertaining needs. You should be thanking me, really, you should.” Then, Todd did. Sure, for the Redbull, but that wasn’t what Jay was going to graciously accept the gratitude for. With a sweeping gesture, he crossed his left foot over his right foot so that when his sneaker slapped the ground it sort of stuck there, then grandly put his arm out straight, forward, and dipped downward into a bow. “I live to serve you.”
On the couch, Jay pulled his knees up to his chest and held them there, his feet pointing to each other, the toes of his shoes overlapping slightly, contorting his body in a way that clearly showed how easily such a small person could curl up in a little ball and hide. That wasn’t what Jay was attempting to do, however. If anything, he only wanted more attention. “What, do I look like I own a freaking bar here?” He blinked, and beamed. “Oh wait, yeah, I do. You know, you could have gone to that instead. Hot wings galore.” He knew what Todd would be thinking: if he had gone to the bar, Jay would be here. Wrong. Eh, or, perhaps Todd was just thinking some sour things about Jay for pointing out that there were no hotwings to be found in a bookshop. Either way, he doubted his friend wanted to change locations that badly.
Jay chuckled at Todd’s complaining. “You know what’s a good solution? Don’t eat. See, what I do, is I let myself starve, and just when I feel I’m about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. Saw it in a movie once. Works wonders, my friend.” He patted Todd’s shoulder and was aware his words weren’t entirely true. He ate human food. It was the flesh he deprived himself of. Each moon he ate a rat or a mouse. That’s it. That’s all there would be until the day he was allowed mortal flesh.
Though he didn’t like to think such things with Todd around. Sometimes he wished Todd was anything besides mortal. Hell, he’d even take a slayer, because slayers, at least, would know the difference between a wolf and a lycan. But no. Plain and human. There wasn’t a day with Todd that went by where Jay didn’t think it would be easier just to bite him and get it over with. The responsibility of siring him though, and the very thought of doing that to him when it was clear that Todd genuinely enjoyed his human life…. Jay couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Stupid mortals, making him even think such a thing. Stupid mortals for making Todd one of them. Stupid-
Jay punched the wall behind him, forming a hole in the drywall. His knuckles were stinging and he knew once he pulled his hand out that there would be blood. “Ow.” He squeaked helplessly as the slight dust from the chalky wall subsided.
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 28, 2012 0:03:56 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 500
“Good grief, woman, calm down,” Todd said, taking a sip of his hyper heart-rate busting Red Bull, currently at twenty-five hours without sleep and counting. Perhaps Todd didn’t bounce off of the walls like Jay did, but both of them had a certain… relentlessness to them that made the relationship work, and half of Todd’s complaints hypocritical. “There is no good excuse for scaring the crap out of me when I come knocking humbly on your door for caffeine and shelter… ergo, I am not cheating on any excuse!” Logic. Even after all this time, Todd valiantly attempted to apply it to their arguments.
The over-flourishing bow was classic Jay: the shoot-me-now eye-roll was classic Todd. “Tiny, one of these days you’re going to be one of the gibbering lunatics I’m pulling out of a storm drain, I can just feel it in my weary old bones.” Todd was the walking, talking definition of ‘seen it all.’ That was the one defence he had against awkward silences at dinner dates with people he’d suddenly realised he had nothing in common with: stories of work. Of course, a lot of the stories involved drug-addicts thinking that they were bleeding barbeque sauce or the weird and wonderful world of root vegetables people can get stuck up their asses, and put said date off of dinner for the evening and possibly off of dating for life.
Pfft. They didn’t know what they were missing.
And Todd turned around to look up at his tightly-curled friend, his own stance a little more relaxed: legs out in front of him, can of Red Bull in one hand. He lifted one finger as if to stop him talking before wagging it knowingly. “Yeah, no, but I had a feeling that you’d be here. See? I always know. It’s magic.” Yes, this was his way of rationalising how he always seemed to be able to find the exact place where Jay was: he had super Jay-detecting senses due to being the most awesome friend and bro imaginable. Poor, deluded Todd. “As superpowers go, I could hope for better, but it’ll do.”
That advice just made Todd snort slightly. “Oh? Sounds completely healthy to this trained practitioner of medicine. Nope, can’t see any way that would backfire…” He wasn’t aware that Jay was drifting into another stream of thought as he rambled on, continuing to talk right up to the moment there was a sudden crunch and Jay’s fist had disappeared through the wall. Todd’s can of liquid energy stopped halfway to his lips before he put it down on the floor. “Jesus, Jay, what’re you playing at? Alright, hey, I’m sure your ‘cheese theory’ is perfectly sound…”
Todd’s was the sort of job that followed him home. He’d already sprung to his feet and leaned towards the point of impact. Oh, Todd had absolutely no idea that Jay was anything other than a slightly eccentric but completely mortal human being. “Come on, then, let’s take a look.” [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 28, 2012 1:47:36 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
”Humbly? You think you’re asking humbly?” True shock. It was outstanding. Todd. Humble. Get real. Still, the show must go on. Summoning up all possible feminine brovodo, Jay puffed up his chest and prepared a hand for much finger waggling. “Mmm-hmmm mofo ain’t you be comin’ in her acting like you huuuuumble telling me I need to give you caaaaffine an’ yellin’ at me for a friendly noogie. Mmmmm child, no. You can take yo humble and stuff it up yo bubbly ass. Humble!” He snapped his fingers in a shape of a ‘z’ and gave a little gut of his hip before storming away, pausing after a few steps. “Good God! I’m white! When on earth did that happen?”
“Ooooh and I’m a boy too, well, I quite like that, yes.” He laughed, and tried to imagine what it would be like if he went out dancing in a rain gutter. With a wry smile, he waggled his eyebrows at his friend. “Well.” He breathed. “Pray that you may find me butt naked and singing like a bird with a cheeky grin on my face and some silly, illogical hat on my head.” Jay caught the tiny jab, as well as the slight nod to his friend’s age. He’d regret that soon. “Good luck pulling me out, Grandpa. You’ll need it. I plan to go kicking and screaming.”
Jay snickered, eyes tracing Todd’s face. Serious. Completely and utterly serious. That didn’t stop the knowing look in Jay’s eyes at the mention of magic. It was the sort of look that, if the person on the other end noticed it, made you end up leaving with a feeling like the other person has some secret dirt on you, some inside joke that you don’t know about, but somehow should. To add to it, Jay even raised his eyebrows once, real quick, receptive to anything in Todd’s reaction that might indicate he had finally started to believe. Nope. Just ego. “Riiiiight. It’s tooootally just you.” He looked away, shaking his head and chuckling again.
It wasn’t until Todd was helping him pull his fist out of the wall that he noticed the man’s existence and presence in the shop. What hurt the most was his dragon ring, which had embedded itself into his index finger when he punched it against the wall. “Sorry.” He breathed, and had to hide his face in his knees, letting out whimpers with every touch Todd made. He knew his friend hated cry babies but he couldn’t help it. It just hurt.
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 28, 2012 3:13:53 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 447
It was one of those moments. They happen every so often. Todd just stared. It was mainly utter disbelief, with just a hint of a sense of him being stunned. He waited for an appropriate amount of silence before saying at last: “You are so white, Jay. So, very white.”
Todd’s nose instantly crinkled up in an approximation of disgust. “How about I don’t pray for that, and you stop threatening me with nude kamikaze storm-drain suicide? My job’s grim enough as it is, thank you.” He really couldn’t be doing with naked man imagery. It was just so absolutely repulsively gross. Abhorrent. Like it was meant to be. Not to mention uncomfortable and stuff. “You’re not going anywhere if I’m working the city callout shift on the day you decide to kick and scream your way into oblivion, son. Believe it or not, I’m really quite good at my job.” True, because Todd was a paranoid perfectionist with good gut instinct. True, and the reason he pretty much lived to work and work only. There were a couple of exceptions.
These frigging knowing looks. Frankly, Todd had seen enough to last a lifetime in this damn city, and considering that Jay apparently lived to mess with him, he wasn’t about to have a sudden change of heart. Anyway, Todd was so much happier believing what he wanted to believe. “No, but really! What other explanation is there? Fate? Don’t believe in it. And I know you don’t have mind-reading capabilities, because you would have used it to destroy half the world as we know it by now. Face it. I just have instinct.”
Crybabies made the job a hell of a lot harder, especially with injuries like this when the injured person’s input was usually necessary for a full diagnosis. Still, it was only drywall—that hardly ever caused serious damage. That index finger could be an issue though. “Oi. You’re alright,” he murmured, turning the hand over again. “That finger’s going to swell like a bitch, though. I suggest you get the ring off real fast, or you’re going to end up having to get it cut off of your finger.” It would definitely hurt a lot to pull the ring off now, but one squeeze of the knuckle confirmed that there was no joint damage so it was safe to slip the thing off without fear of dislocating. And the alternative was a harrowing operation involving a pair of what looked like thin bolt-cutters. Not cool. “Don't think. Just yank it off.”
Dear god, he hoped Jay had the mental fortitude to pull the ring off of his finger. Because if he couldn't, Todd would. And he wasn't afraid to use the 'I just need to check how dilated your pupils are, look at me please... YOINK' trick usually reserved for five-year-olds. [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 28, 2012 15:11:26 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
Yes, white. So white and pale that he had to go out in the sun with spf 75 and apply often, the thick white glop a permanent layer on Jay’s skin during the summer months. “You know, I never understood that.” Jay said, rubbing at the back of his neck, just at the nape. “Like, I’ll fill out those race forms and check ‘other’ because I’m really not just a Caucasian but nobody seems to care. White is white but black has a whole spectrum? They’re not even black, and we’re not even white! Look at this-“ He held out his arm for Todd’s inspection “I am a pale creamed peach. And most black people? Chocolate. We all just food, can’t we just leave it as that?” It was a silly little peeve of his, that was all.
He grinned, letting out an evil spurt of laughter. “Good grief, man! What kind of fun is that? Besides, I vowed long ago to make your life more… lively, even in death, so count on it, buddy.” He poked Todd and his smile dropped to something a bit more comfortable, but still cheeky and full of mischief. “Oh no body would doubt your mad meddie skizzles, dear Todd, you’re good at your job.” Jay admitted freely. “But as Chicago’s official jester, I am obligated to be good at mine as well.”
He was a lycan, he should heal faster, but that didn’t stop the pain. “Gorramit I don’t even have booze to make me feel better!” He complained, knowing that a nice warm glass of spiced rum would warm him and make him feel all tingly as it eased away all feelings of pain. “God I’m so stupid! Why did I do that!?” Still he did not lift his head from his knees, not wanting to see the damage, afraid seeing it made it more real. Not even when Todd threatened cutting off his ring. No. Jay couldn’t look. Not until Todd fixed it.
For some reason, he trusted Todd with his life. No, this wasn’t a life- threatening injury, but to lose the ring or have it be ruined would surly ruin Jay’s life, considering without it, it would be impossible to run two out of his three shop locations. He would probably end up closing down Tony’s as well as this bookshop, so that he could keep his loft above the bar. That is, if the ring was ruined. He hoped Todd would be gentle with it. “No.” He squeaked in a sort of whisper towards his knees. I can’t. I can’t do it. You have to. I.. I just can’t.” His other hand gripped at the leg of his skinny jeans in anticipation of the pain to come.
“Do it quickly, Todd, please.” He pleaded.
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 28, 2012 16:18:41 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 367
Todd was slightly ginger. He knew about supernova sunburn. But there’s being white… and there’s being white. “Race isn’t a colour chart, moron. It’s about where you’re from genetically. For some people, it’s a big part of their identity.” He leaned his head back against the seat of the sofa, feeling the caffeine shaking him up inside. But in a good way. He didn’t want his energy to plummet so that he bottomed out and ended up passed out on Jay’s floor, though it probably wouldn’t be the first time. “Like being Jewish or gay or addicted to crystal meth or whatever. Though nobody gives a crap about those equal opportunities forms anyway.”
An eyebrow rose wryly at the poke, making his head bob to one side. ‘Lively’ sure was one word for what Jay brought into his life. ‘Ungodly chaos’ were another couple, but as much as he complained, Todd could live with that. He thought that he had quite an exciting life: he had no idea that it was pretty tame compared to some of the people he was closest to. “Oh, it’s official now, is it? My apologies.”
Todd pinched the metal band between his thumb and forefinger; the skin around was already getting darker, shinier, starting to swell up. He squeezed lightly to get a feel for how bad the damage was underneath. “Don’t be such a baby,” he said cheerfully. “It’s not that bad. I know you can do it. It’ll make you feel better if you do it yourself. You’ll grow as a person. Nothing like a bit of-.” And without warning, he pulled the ring clear off in one movement. It would have sent one very sharp jolt of pain down Jay’s arm, but that would fade. Todd knew from experience that it was a whole lot better than slowly, painstakingly teasing it off, wiggling it from side to side. That was just torture. Rip the band-aid off, as they said… when it was least expected. Jay had been bracing himself too much. It would have made it worse.
“Lucky for you, that was complete bullshit,” Todd said, holding up the ring briefly to look at it before tossing it onto the coffee table. “You got any ice?” [/size][/color] |
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Post by Jay on Aug 29, 2012 17:52:56 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
The more Todd explained the further out Jay’s lip stuck, forming a pout on his face as he listened to his friend. “But but but I wanna be a peachhhh.” His face relaxed, a bit of a light smile actually tugging at the corner of his lips. “Being a peach is important to my identity.” He argued. “So those things I fill out for Tony’s are completely pointless?” He questioned, his wild eyebrows raising. He was all for equal opportunity- but for competent workers. He didn’t care if they were purple, if they thought it would be fun to spit on the pizzas, they weren’t going to be working at Tony’s. Or at least, not after Jay figured it out. They may get a few pizzas in before he noticed, he was a busy man, after all.
Jay laughed his usual, joyful laugh. Again, he bowed, but this time with a slight bit of a curtsy, holding on to the edges of his flannel as he did so, like a jester with costume tails. “You are forgiven, peasant.”
Such joy in Todd’s words, such glee at his pain! “Whaaaat?” He wined, shaking his head into his knees before he lifted it slightly, scowling at Todd through bushy eyebrows, his eyes wet. “I’m not a baby it huuuuurts.” He attempted to get his counter argument into it but Todd kept arguing, and with Jay’s eyes focused on his friend’s face, he didn’t notice when the ring was being pulled away until a fire ripped through his body, lit at his finger. He yelped, flinching at the same time, then the pain subsided to but the low throbbing of his hand. “You bastard!” He lunged for his ring with his good hand and shoved it into the tight pocket of his jeans. Eyeing his friend with his eyes still wet, he had to look away a moment before he could apologize. “I mean thanks. Sorry.” He grumbled.
He didn’t need ice. He knew the hand was already beginning to heal itself on hyper speed like all mortal injuries did, but Todd would find it odd. So perhaps if he had ice, he could blame it on that. Sure. Ice could bring his swelling down all the way. “The.. freezer box in the fridge.” He wined, looking at Todd with pleading eyes because even though his hand didn’t affect his ability to walk, he didn’t want to get up.
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Aug 29, 2012 19:03:05 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 474
“Then petition for a goddamn ‘peach’ box. The law being as concerned with political correctness as it is these days, I bet there’s even a chance you could get it added.” Eh, probably not, but nothing wrong with a light jab at the PC police. Todd isn’t particularly into that stuff, which isn’t hard to tell from his general… himness. He thinks being straight-up blunt is a lot better than all the pussyfooting and whining and mixing things around. “Besides,” he said with a bit of a smirk, “you being a fruit? Totally believable. Though vegetable might work even better.”
Unlike some people in the medical profession (or so Todd suspects—he’s looking at you, dentists), Todd hadn’t a sadistic bone in his body. The cheerfulness he injected into his voice sometimes was meant to help people relax, though with Jay there had been a little bit of trolling involved. But hey, Jay probably wouldn’t have believed him if he’d said in a soothing, babying, sincere sort of way. The two were close, but sincerity didn’t come into it. And Todd had seen so much worse that a bit of finger damage wasn’t something he was going to dredge up a whole ton of sympathy for, even with Jay’s big woobie tearful eyes. “It’s what I do,” he said easily before getting to his feet.
Of course he hadn’t been planning on making Jay crawl off for the ice himself. He wasn’t that much of a hard-nosed prat. And anyway, he had his professional pride to think of. He raised one finger in a ‘wait here’ gesture and then left for the kitchen, not even stopping to peer suspiciously at some of the weirder items that existed in the back room of Jay’s shop. See, that was dedication. He was back soon with a pack of ice wrapped in whatever dishcloth he’d been able to get his hands on. Jay should probably keep the damaged hand hidden once it magically super-healed. If Todd knew anything, it was the rate of human healing compared to supernatural healing. After all, since the truce made the paranormal creatures into equal citizens, his job contained just as much fixing up of vampires and werewolves as it did of mortals.
“Here we are,” he said brightly as he held the ice pack out for Jay, still not sitting down next to him. “That should keep the swelling down. Does it feel broken to you? There’ll be a kind of rough, grating, needling pain if there is. And you probably won’t be able to move it.” He glanced around for his Red Bull again, deciding that there wasn’t much more he could do. Sure, he could advise Jay go to a hospital, but he didn’t see much point in that. “I don’t think it is, though. Colouring’s not so bad.”
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Post by Jay on Sept 2, 2012 12:10:29 GMT -5
I dreamed the world...[/size] [/font] ..with my eyes open... ...but time moves on and then... ...new worlds begin again.... [/blockquote]
Jay’s grin widened. “Aw, good ol’ Todd, keeping the dream alive. Hey! While I’m at it….” He looked to Todd’s skin color, examining it. “I’ll add a pasty box for you.” He jibed the offer as his smile fell to a smirk. He wasn’t actually going to petition congress for these changes. No, that would require work, and Jay was far too lazy to any such thing. Regardless, Jay was also too much of a jester to be taken seriously, and the young lycan was well aware of that fact. He nodded sagely at the mention of fruit. “Hey, I’m fruity and delicious, man. I’m like froot loops. I’m fruiting and looping all over the place because that’s just how I roll. Oh yeah.” His hands flailed about in demonstration of his ‘rolling’. “Vegetable? I don’t need no vegetables because they’re bitter and nasty and nobody likes to eat their veggies. Oh no, I’m far too loveable.”
He caught sight of Todd’s finger motion and waited until his mortal friend’s back was turned before reaching into his pocket with his good hand and pulling the ring back out. The gold dragon curled around the wizard’s stone seemed to taunt him, aware of the mystery he was hiding from someone who was so close to him. With a slight sigh the lycan reached up and unclasped his cross necklace, letting it fall down his chest to the bottom of his shirt. Pulling up the fabric of the shirt, the necklace fell to his lap and allowed him to use the one good hand still, slipping the ring onto the chain. He managed to use his thigh and clasp the necklace closed once more before lifting it up to his head with one hand and letting it fall down to his neck. He tucked the cross and its new dragon ring buddy back under his shirt in time to see Todd walking back with the ice in a convenient towel.
Once offered, Jay took the ice and put it on his hand, wincing as the weight and cold took its toll on his injury. He let the towel open and drape over his hand, the ice just sitting there as a white cluster on top of the towel. He kept his eyes trained on it until Todd spoke again. “No.” He looked up to Todd, knowing that he had, in fact, felt the needle- like pain before the ring was removed. “It’s just a low throbbing.” He wasn’t entirely lying. It was only throbbing now. Throbbing and cold. The truth of the matter was that it could very well have been broken initially, just already healed. He couldn’t tell Todd that without suspicion or being taken to the hospital, where, mortal idiots would put a cast on a hand that would be healed by the time they began wrapping it with colored tape. Then what would he do with a pointless cast for two weeks?
“You know….” Jay began, wanting to draw focus away from his injury and more towards Todd’s reaction to it. Or anything else, really. “I actually think I have found a new respect for you.” He cocked a grin in Todd’s direction. “Don’t get used to it.”
lyrics: nova vnv nation
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Post by medic on Sept 3, 2012 10:29:35 GMT -5
status done
wordcount 434
“Unlike you, Jay-cloth, I’m not so obsessed with being different and special that I demand a box of my own.” He took a leisurely sip of Red Bull, flicking one foot over the other. One hand waved knowingly, like they were having some sort of extremely impressive intellectual discussion. “I’m comfortable with my different-and-specialness. Secure in the knowledge.” Shooting the breeze with his friend at five in the morning. It developed into a pattern after a while, a comfortable one. Even if they didn’t make all that much sense with Todd jacked up on caffeine and Jay time-travelling. “You also suffer from stunted growth. Probably related to your lachanophobia. Though, as fucked as your immune system must be, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you ill.”
Or injured, for that matter. Strange considering all of the stupid stuff Jay did, punching walls included, but he supposed he was just an unfairly lucky kind of guy. Some people just had life let things slide for them because they never worried about a thing. Besides, despite the mild snivelling, Todd hadn’t thought there was anything seriously wrong. It had been drywall, for god’s sake. And had it been titanium and Jay’s entire wrist possibly been broken, he still wouldn’t have panicked overmuch. There were many, many injuries and situations he wouldn’t want to see Jay suffer in a million years. He could give or take a broken hand in their place.
Assured that it wasn’t broken and the pain would be quick to fade from the ice, Todd sat himself down again. Both lycan and vampire treatments had become a part of Chicago’s paramedical training after the truce was made—equal citizens deserved equal care, after all. Drawing silver from the blood, treating light-burns on delicate vampire skin. And setting bones. Sometimes a werewolf’s enhanced healing could be a downside—the bones would knit together and fuse awkwardly if they weren’t held together in quite the right way. This knowledge was ever-present for Todd, but unfortunately the relevance of it to this situation was utterly lost on him. Oh, well. Jay could probably take care of himself.
“Seriously? For dealing with a bruised fingerbone?” Todd raised his eyebrows. “An hour before I got here, I had to hold someone’s kidney in place while we were blue-lighting it down the tollway at sixty-five miles an hour. I can deal with your super-macho wall-punching incidents.” He’d turned to look at some scattered trinkets on a nearby shelf but at this slowly turned around to give Jay another Look. “Though do me a favour and don’t do it again.”
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