John (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fundamentally) wrote2014-11-17 10:04 am
fundamentally) wrote2014-11-17 10:04 am
Effie
It was getting worse, not better. John was nervous during the day and he had changed his routine so that he never went past that alley, never went to anywhere threatening. He'd found ways around all the obstacles, going well out of hi way to keep himself 'safe'. But he thought of Lindsey and the man's words, how he'd learned that even the most friendly looking people could be monsters. John lost his trust for the world bit by bit.
But at night- at night things had progressed in a different way. No longer did he dream of being passively disemboweled. No, now he was fighting. Now he was going out in his dreams seeking out danger and fighting head on. He flailed in his sleep, jerking and twitching and it only grew more violent with every passing night.
He was't safe from himself and Effie even less so. Tonight he'd fought valiantly in his sleep, but there was a pain in his arm that was bad enough to rouse him. He blinked and looked and surely enough he had finally loosed his fury on the woman he loved and she lay bleeding from a stray elbow.
"Oh my god," he said, immediately springing to care for her.
But at night- at night things had progressed in a different way. No longer did he dream of being passively disemboweled. No, now he was fighting. Now he was going out in his dreams seeking out danger and fighting head on. He flailed in his sleep, jerking and twitching and it only grew more violent with every passing night.
He was't safe from himself and Effie even less so. Tonight he'd fought valiantly in his sleep, but there was a pain in his arm that was bad enough to rouse him. He blinked and looked and surely enough he had finally loosed his fury on the woman he loved and she lay bleeding from a stray elbow.
"Oh my god," he said, immediately springing to care for her.
no subject
Opening her eyes she looks up at him and smiles softly. Hoping that having made his decision about getting help means he's coming out the other side of the panic. She's still exhausted and she can tell from his face that he is too, but neither of them will be getting any more rest if she can't get him settled. "Do you think maybe you want to take something to help you sleep? Or you could just talk to me, you know I'll always be here to listen."
no subject
"I'd rather just hold you...and maybe talk of, erm, something else? I don't want to think on it anymore tonight," he says softly, tentatively reaching out to stroke the softness of her cheek with the back of his knuckle.
"Not that I don't want to talk about it. Just not tonight, mm? I feel like it's consuming me and I'd truly like, what I'd really like if I could have anything, is I'd like to have some peace from it. and you...you're so lovely. You're so strong and you've been so bloody good at soothing me through all this. You shouldn't have to deal with another man haunted by demons, Effie darling. And I realize that mine are nothing like...like Haymitch's. Or yours. Even yours. And...and I realize this isn't the...the trauma Olympics...but it's still..."
He stops then and huffs a sardonic laugh.
"I likely need to explain Olympics, don't I? You've no idea what I'm talking about. Come back to bed and I'll tell you of the games in my own world, hmm?"
no subject
"There is no blood on your hands, John. You're a sweet, gentle man and you don't deserve any of this. That's all that matters."
She leans into his touch then, wondering suddenly if he would be open to being distracted in other ways. They are both exhausted, but maybe not too exhausted to enjoy each other for a bit. Sliding her hands slowly up his thighs she licks her lips and lets a bit of heat show in her eyes. Nothing he can't ignore if he chooses to, but at least the opening is there. "And yes. You can tell me about anything you'd like. You know I'm always interested."
no subject
John considers himself a smart man, but he's not too terribly skilled at understanding when he's bing played. He was with his boyfriend seven years and only recently understood he was often manipulated. He just doesn't think that way, he doesn't do it himself, and he doesn't expect it. And so he reads nothing into her obvious flirtation other than she's interested. Caring. That she loves him. Surely there's nothing more to it than that.
"Come to bed," he says, covering her hands with his own...then pulling them to his groin. "Let me kiss it better..."