Stay On My Side Tonight|(Henry)INACTIVE

[cuervo]

It was nice and calm here, a soothing quiet had stole over the night and made me feel quite humbled, even in my own great city. It reminded me of the peace my mother once described as a little girl growing up in her small town in Spain, within her own little world where it was just her, her brother and her mamá y papá. I often feel small and insignificant in this sea of lights and wonder, a place like no other, and to be honest I truly am. But the city is like a heart and each person, a beat, that keeps it loud and alive and forever it carries on. As I glanced over at Henry soaking up the moonlight, I could tell that he too was taken.

He expressed awe at the fact that it was the start of a new day, no longer the night that had brought us together. Maybe he wouldn't normally be out and about or even awake at this hour, but this felt completely normal for me. I just happened to be especially exhausted tonight for some unknown reason. I had done everything I usually do at the Cat Scratch, save for meeting an Irish man and singing kareoke with him infront of some fifty people. Nevertheless, I'm glad to be accompanied home, and I'm certain that when I return to Roger, he'll massage my back till I have no choice but to give myself up to sleep.

"Course I don't mind. If you're coming with me, you'd have to find out anyway" I chuckled. He was too sweet. He'd get eaten alive in a place like this.

Okay, it's not that terrible. But fear is your life when you're a New Yorker.

I took his arm gently for a moment just to steer him in the right direction, then I released him and kept walking. "I live in a crappy loft in the East Village with Roger. It's not too much farther from here" I explained. I left out the part about not having electricity or heat, and sometimes, no running water. Eventually he'd discover that, if our relationship turned into a friendship and I invited him inside. I had a good feeling it might, and that he'd be okay with the absence of otherwise basic living necessities.

Suddenly, my stomach lurched, and I had to use every ounce of self-control to restrain my body from jerking too obviously. I didn't want to startled Henry all of a sudden, nor dampen the nice mood with my bout of suffering. I knew my body well enough to just know that this wasn't a good sign at all. I wanted to break down and cry in desperation. Please, don't let such a lovely night be spoiled by withdrawal...

I forced a smile and glanced at him, hoping we could carry on with our conversation casually.

"So, where do you live? Do you room with someone?"

But I knew that this pain was inevitable, and that it'd only get worse as time stretched on. Hopefully I could keep the cramps and shivers at bay before I began to spill. If it's going to come to that, it'd have to be once I'm safely home.

[ricketts]

Pacing slow, Henry's face beamed with a candid, boyish smile, which was captivating in its own way, as the dancer toned a little laugh. She took his arm and twirled him in the fixed direction, and as resuming the walk he drew his jacket closer around him. From there Henry was quiet, and his head bowed. It was evidently no use making even an attempt at flattering the girl's opinion on her home, a loft sounded miles better than some places he had stayed in. The thought of Mimi's home reminded Henry of his own apartment, and the little stack of tax, electric, debit and doctor bills tallying up. His face grew paler, and the hand that grasped the folds of his jacket started to tremble - still without that much-needed second job.

Christ I'm going t' need to get it done tommorow, He thought, staining his face with self-pity.

But quick as the thought had come, it disappeared as Mimi caught his attention. Her stolid features seemed to contort, and her statue of dignity looked to dampen. A few new lines of care broke upon his brow, and the old kindess was still in his eye. His voice sank by degrees to a plaintive, quiet mutter - and as she seemed to offer no explanation he didn't greet or inqure. There then came a pause, which he broke. A slight, half-weary smile playing on Henry's lips.

'Um, I'm on Pearl Street .. just by Wall Street.' He said, his eye wandering back to her. 'I live with Colonel, he' me dog. Other than 'im, its just me like.'

[cuervo]

Our flat wasn't too much farther from this street. Come on Mimi, keep it together, a voice chanted encouragingly in my head. But I was beginning to lose my grip and I no longer felt confident and strong. I had to fight to keep my body from trembling again, despite the fact that it wasn't chilly at all outside. I knew the real reason was because I was frail and exhausted. My arms were crossed against my chest, and I gripped the sides of my arms a little tighter than I had before as if that'd bind me and keep me safe. I could scarcely pay attention to Henry at this point.

"Pearl Street? I might've passed by once or twice..." I replied as casually as I could manage, though my stomach was churning and my cheeks were getting warm.

My eyes darted down the alleyway we were just passing, and I glimpsed the Man standing under a dim light, the glare illuminating the side of his face eerily. He seemed to jeer at me, and for some reason, just the sight of him filled me with overwhelming fear. I was about to distract myself and ask Henry about Colonel when suddenly I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and tumbled to my knees roughly. My palms shot out to break my fall and I hissed at the sharp tearing of my skin. This sudden jerky movement set me off, the moment I had been dreading, and I brought up all over the jagged asphalt. I groaned in pain, and feeling more humiliated than I had in a while, the corners of my eyes burned and hot tears welled up in my eyes.

[ricketts]

Ignorant of the details of the infelicities of her life, Henry scented a mystery about the woman. He seemed to be listening attentively, his strong, foursquare face set like a mask; but his eyes roamed back to Mimi on more than one occassion. All of a sudden she halted. As did he, with a confused contraction of his brow which showed he was testily intimidated by her manner. With an awful wretching noise she still sprang down over the floor, bending over the path and raptly started heaving.

He backed away in wide-eyed horror. With new and fervent clearness, it wasn't Mimi's straining frame he was looking at - it was his own, clear as day. Much younger - eighteen thereabouts, a teenaged Henry who could find no hearkening or standing form. Stalwart frame staying prone to all-fours where he had thrown himself at that moment and face hidden. A bead of sweat, then a second, and then a third started down the older Henry's forehead, referring darkly to this awful scene where Mimi had been suddenly overclouded by some past image. He knew what he was seeing, he was looking upon his body's reaction to a first dose of antipsychotic that had left him bed bound for days. Filled with fright nonetheless, Henry turned his face away and closed his eyes hard. Then reopened then back to Mimi. The other Henry was gone.

She had been trying to behave herself with dignity; but now she burst into a violent fit of vomiting. Henry could have fainted with relief that such a hallucination had ended, and in the ecstasy of reprieve he was more than welling to throw himself at her side and help in any way.

Bending onto one knee, Henry gave a mixed look of tender sympathy and confusion. He put his arms out like he might have meant to catch her from falling and replace Mimi onto her feet, but hesitated then let one fall over his knee and the other steal around her shoulders. At twenty-three he was a man again, physically and mentally sound, doing all betrayal to that memory.

'Easy there, Mimi. You a'right?' His wide palm rubbed quickly up and down her arm in some hopes the bare skin might catch some friction. 'I think we'd best be gettin' you home love.'


(Hallucinations. He gets them when Hyde makes it so that he forgets to take his meds :3)

[cuervo]

I lay frozen with my face shoved into the jagged cement as I felt my own vomit gush sideways. My lips were like a rock in the middle of a current. The overwhelming stench of the smashed and liquified contents of my own stomach made me gag and feel like bringing up again, but luckily I surpressed that urge. I absolutely couldn't believe how easy it was to lose my composure in this situation after I'd held myself together so tightly and pleaded, no, prayed to God that I wouldn't have to go through this agony again. I was beyond sick and tired of sucumbing to the backlash of something that is my own fault and my own cause alone. Especially in front of someone I'd only known for a few hours at the most.

I couldn't even gather words when his strong hands seized my shoulder and leg. I was grateful that he hadn't freaked out as much as I worried he might, nor did he sound too repulsed. Maybe he was just good at hiding it.

"T-thanks" I mumbled as I shakily got back on my feet. For a moment I wobbled on the spot weakly, and I thought I might fall over again, but I clenched my muscles and willed myself to stay rooted. My little show had been embarrassing enough. Oh, how I hated that dizzy empty feeling you get after you wretch that violently. My head felt like it weighed the equivalent to air.

"Yeah, I don't usually lose it like that, I'm sorry you had to see this" I coughed feebly. I really needed to get home soon and just get out of Henry's sight. He was probably used to gentler, more natural girls back in Ireland.

"I live just a block away from here. If you'd like to go home now, you can, we can see eachother again some other time..."

I was speaking hastily now. The Man was also affecting me and making me feel even more anxious, if that were possible. I didn't want Henry to leave, in fact, I didn't even want to move. I just wanted the Man to fix me up with a dose of smack just so I'd feel normal again.

[ricketts]

Their advance was painfully slow, but wearily the girl managed back onto her feet. She was in a violent sweat, but she uttered not a word of complaint, instead, she apologized. In truth, Henry showed very soon what person he was, and though scarcely awake and wholly at a loss to know where to start questioning this sudden fatigue, he had his hands out ready to catch her should she drop, which she looked ready to do so. Where he had curiosity, he had more good sense than usual, as well as an overwhelming sense of duty when it came to offering his help in those in need of it. By and by, he met with Mimi's strained gaze, that was self-deprecating and unproud, and bent his back slightly to echo her own off-posture. The last thing he wanted to come off as was patronizing.

'Yeah, 'cause I'm gonna feel great 'bout lettin' ye' light foot it up the next block without seein' ya home safe. Come 'ere,' At first with great care and earnestness, Henry took her wrist. Then slowly, and with more hesitation, he would her whole arm around his shoulder, still holding the wrist as it limply hung. With Mimi fastened into place, he gently pushed his back straighter. 'Ok Mimi, jus' lean on me yeah? Which way's home?'


(Two things to apologize for here, one GUHIAMSUCKFORMAKINGYOUWAIT and two, the shortness. I'd written this post previously and - ugf, lost it. So I'm afraid this is the watered down version of what that post was ><)

[cuervo]

(I understand.)

The Man locked eyes with me for one horrible moment from where he stood on the opposite end of the alley. Even in the shadows of the night I could feel his cold glare had reached my own pathetic expression that I knew I must be wearing. Soon, he turned his head forward and stalked on down the street and I was relieved. The tension had broken…for now. But the Man leaving didn’t even begin to eradicate how shitty I felt.

But, Henry hadn’t left. He was still standing right beside me; his warm hands on my goose bump layered skin. His deep, calm voice broke into my panicked thoughts and I wiped off any clear signs of vulnerability or weakness from my face before shifting my head to look at him again. My brows were furrowed slightly in my confusion and anxiety – why was he so damn generous? He’d just met me today, in a fucking S&M strip club of all places (though at the very least, we weren’t next door to a church either. Only the dingiest dumps are shamelessly located smack dab beside a church). We’d literally only known each other for a few hours, though somehow deep down I felt that I’d already made a lasting impact on him for good…well, before this shit happened.

I couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re too sweet, Henry.”

I let him take my hand and drape my arm around his shoulders. My body willingly leant on him. “Two blocks north. We go straight. It's a tall building on the corner..." I breathed for a moment. "Of 11th street and Avenue B. Red spray painted designs on it.”