[ percy won't actually look at her phone, he may cast it a reflexive glance when it appears, but he just squints a little and then smiles, turning away to let her do what she will. but when she grips his hand just a little tighter, he starts. it's just a moment, and then he closes his eyes and just. waits.
he holds her hand back, and maybe, if he prays to some unbidden god, or if he gets on his knees in the recesses of his mind, maybe he can help. somehow. he wants to help.
and then she says it.
rattles off his whole name. and when he looks, he can see the pinpricking tears in her eyes and he moves forward in an instant to wrap his arms around her. he forgets decorum and being proper and he forgets withholding everything that hurts and he folds his arms around her,, careful of her wounds, but enough to show her that the hurt is melting away. ]
My friend...
[ he says it softly, pressing his cheek to hers in the embrace. ]
I was afraid you wouldn't. [ somewhere in percy's gut, he tells himself that would have been fine, that it would have been for the better. ] That maybe this place would take you from me too...
[ he closes his eyes ] I'm tired of losing people. I don't want to lose myself. I don't want you to lose yourself either... Jiuqing...
[ something wet drops onto her shoulder. he's quiet. ]
[when he presses his cheek to hers, he'll feel tears there - but they're tears of relief. she can remember him.
her memories of him slide neatly back into the gaps, like they belonged there all along, because they did. they never should have been taken from her in the first place. she puts her arms around him in turn and holds tightly, partly out of relief that she can remember him, partly out of fear that the memories might slip away again. holding on won't keep that from happening, if it's meant to, but -
it helps soothe something in her.]
I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever. [definitely not to this place.] ...in the place where we were, yesterday, it... we... we lost ourselves. Some of them managed to remember while we were there, but I didn't, not really, not until I...
[her voice trails off. her grip on his coat tightens.]
...and then when we came back, I still couldn't remember you...
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countermeasures) wrote2022-02-13 07:27 pm
2/2
[she looks up at his face, and there's recognition there - real recognition. there's also tears.]
I remember you.
no subject
he holds her hand back, and maybe, if he prays to some unbidden god, or if he gets on his knees in the recesses of his mind, maybe he can help. somehow. he wants to help.
and then she says it.
rattles off his whole name. and when he looks, he can see the pinpricking tears in her eyes and he moves forward in an instant to wrap his arms around her. he forgets decorum and being proper and he forgets withholding everything that hurts and he folds his arms around her,, careful of her wounds, but enough to show her that the hurt is melting away. ]
My friend...
[ he says it softly, pressing his cheek to hers in the embrace. ]
I was afraid you wouldn't. [ somewhere in percy's gut, he tells himself that would have been fine, that it would have been for the better. ] That maybe this place would take you from me too...
[ he closes his eyes ] I'm tired of losing people. I don't want to lose myself. I don't want you to lose yourself either... Jiuqing...
[ something wet drops onto her shoulder. he's quiet. ]
no subject
her memories of him slide neatly back into the gaps, like they belonged there all along, because they did. they never should have been taken from her in the first place. she puts her arms around him in turn and holds tightly, partly out of relief that she can remember him, partly out of fear that the memories might slip away again. holding on won't keep that from happening, if it's meant to, but -
it helps soothe something in her.]
I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever. [definitely not to this place.] ...in the place where we were, yesterday, it... we... we lost ourselves. Some of them managed to remember while we were there, but I didn't, not really, not until I...
[her voice trails off. her grip on his coat tightens.]
...and then when we came back, I still couldn't remember you...