[crash and burn] you're not alone (rp for zee_ali)

[magic_fratboy]

(continued from here.)

'You're a mess, baby. You feel like eating or you just wanna pass out?'

"Protein bar and six years of sleep." Tommy sighed, shutting his eyes as he leaned back against the furthest wall of the elevator, allowing himself to appreciate the slow, rattly grind of the car being pulled up to his floor. That was all he wanted for himself right now: to rest, to surround himself with the familiar, the comfortable. He wanted to forget the world for a little while and just soak in the quiet familiarity of his own home.

And that felt wrong, somehow, out of place in his own head. Yet it was part of his nature, a part he rarely let himself reach out and touch. Was that part of the other soul that he'd been, perhaps? Was that Eric Weiss instead of Tommy Karras?

//They're one and the same.// he reminded himself. He had to remember that...because it was true. Slowly, the reality of it was sinking in, and he knew he had to deal with it.

When the elevator rolled to a stop and the doors slid open, Tommy straightened and gestured for Ziyah to exit ahead of him. "Ladies first." he declared with a small smile.

Comments

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Folding her arms into her chest out of habit when she stood in an elevator, Zee nodded and looked over her shoulder at the numbers ascending. 'You got it.' she smiled and lowered her eyes back down to the floor.

Tiny little pings alerted them to the passing levels until the lunge sent her stomach to drop and the doors to slide open.

Moving ahead, she stopped just outside; glancing at the first door she saw to find out what way to go.

'Right or left, T? she arched her back in a stretch and proceeded right and down the hall.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy pointed to the end of the hall, moving past her to lead the way. "Over here...good old number seven."

Reaching the door, Tommy realized that, in just his sweats, he didn't have his key. Testing the knob to find that whoever had last left locked the door behind them, Tommy sighed and shut his eyes.

And smiled as he wrapped his fingers around the knob.

Sixty seconds later, he turned it again and walked in without hesitation as the knob opened under his touch.

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Following in behind him, she stopped and looked over his shoulder with a cringe. 'No key.' she sighed before dumbly watching him move through the open door. Nodding her head with a surrender, she chuckled. 'Don't need a key, right.'

As she pulled her bag off her shoulder and set it by the door, she looked around to familiarize herself with the layout of the loft. 'Alright you. Where's these protein bars located?' she moved towards the kitchen, still keeping her eyes on him.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"On the counter, next to the coffeemaker." he replied, walking across the loft to flop down on the couch with a sigh. The whole place was decorated with a minimalist, clearly masculine eye, but wasn't unwelcoming to a female presence. The color scheme was mostly black, red, and grey, but scattered photographs of Tommy with members of his family, a few unfamiliar paintings hanging on the walls, and various small knick knacks gave it a warm, personal touch.

Shifting to stretch out on the black corduroy sofa, Tommy knew he was probably going to fall asleep there, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was his couch, and almost too soft to sit on. That was originally why he bought it, because it was so comfortable to sleep on. Leather probably would have looked better in his airy, all-in-one-room style loft, but this one had been custom made just for him.

And right now, it was just what he needed to feel at ease again.

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Already Zee felt comfortable as she slipped through the loft and found herself scanning the counter for the bars. The home definitely had a decor that reminded her of her loft in New York and as she meandered back to the couch where Tommy lay to give him the food.

'Here..' she smiled warmly while holding it out to him. After he'd taken it, she squatted down, resting her back against the bottom of the couch and continued to check things out.

'Tommy?' she spoke quietly while dropping her head to the side to look at him seriously. 'How'd you do it? How'd you get out?'

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy accepted the protein bar without opening his eyes, tearing the wrapper open and taking a bite. The taste of apples and cinnamon flooded his tongue with the same warm familiarity that the too-soft couch cradling his body had, the well-known feel of home.

And that wasn't usually like him, to find so much joy in that. Roots, home, standing still...a line was already starting to blur, he could feel it, and wasn't sure if it scared or pleased him.

He was stirred from his reverie by Ziyah's quiet question. Chewing thoughtfully on his mouthful of food, he finally swallowed as he broke off another bite and popped it into his mouth.

"He helped me." he replied simply after a moment. "The cuffs weren't man-made, I couldn't focus enough to get free. He helped me, I guess he's gotten out of situations like that before. We got loose together, and then I got out of the building on my own." He paused, glancing at her with a small smile as he broke off another piece of his protein bar and offered it to her good-naturedly. "And that's one thing I don't think I could explain, even if I wanted to."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Straightening her head to move a hand through her hair, she looked down to see her orange blossom fall into her lap. With a small smile, she picked it up and gazed at it as Tommy indulged her with how he got out and turned her head back over to his direction; resting her cheek on the plush cushion around Tommy's midsection.

'Well, he was the greatest escape artist ever. Guess him being with you is quite the blessing, eh?' she grinned and reached out to take the piece he offered her. After swallowing it, she reached up behind her in a weak attempt to stretch and ended up rolling onto her side and perching her chin on her hand.

'Not a bad guy to have in a sticky situation, eh?' she grinned, trying to make light of a very dark evening.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy got quiet at her observation, absently peeling the wrapper further off his protein bar as he rolled it over in his head.

"He ain't with me." he finally observed quietly. "He is me. I just don't remember all of who I was, not yet. I can kind of feel it, too...the line between us blurring as stuff comes back to me. I mean, I'm not him anymore. But who...who I was back then, what I did? It's going to affect me now. I need to remember some of it, be that guy in some ways if I'm gonna survive."

He paused, taking another bite of his protein bar and tucking an arm behind his head. "They almost got me tonight...just like they almost got me eighty-some-odd years ago. I just got lucky that the peritonitis killed me before they did, or else I wouldn't be here right now."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Nodding solemnly, she gazed up at him, absent-mindedly reaching up and wiping a smear of dust from his cheek, then realized what she was doing and moved her hand away quickly.

'Well, the two of you worked at getting your body out of that building alive.' she replied gently while focusing on the blossom in her fingers.

'So..' she heaved a sigh and let the moment of seriousness rest. 'You plan on showering before you pass out or can I steal one first?' she straightened up.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy smiled at the friendly gesture, watching her as she toyed with the flower, then looked up at him again. He motioned towards the back of the loft with his protein bar at her request, then popped the last bite into his mouth.

"Go for it...I'm good right here." he sighed, crumpling up the wrapper and promptly vanishing it without a second thought. "Bathroom's back that way, you can't miss it."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Getting to her feet, she looked down at him with a quick smile and shimmied over to get her bag and stopped at the back of the couch. 'You good then?' she double checked, making sure he didn't need anything before she headed off to the bathroom and moved along when he seemed fine.

'Towel?' she hollered out and opened a cupboard just inside bathroom. 'Nevermind!' she added before closing the door with her hip.

Taking a deep breath, she stared blindly at the back wall of the bathroom and let the whole evening sink in while she had the privacy. The whole scene enveloped in her mind. Her arrival. The drinks with Benji. His words. The human servants. The building imploding. Finding Tommy..

Zee turned on the water and waited for it to start steaming the room up before she stripped down and stepped in.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

The distant sound of the shower starting was soothing and familiar, in a strange way. In some distant part of his memory, he didn't hear water, but distant singing. A female voice, sweet and true...never the prettiest or the most developed, but still as joyful as a mockingbird on a pair of weary ears...

Rubbing his face wearily, Tommy decided that the memories were going to drive him a little crazy. Still, it brought greater understanding to his sense of confusion. He'd seen so little of home once upon a time that having a steady place to lay his head was a comfort. So was having Ziyah staying with him while she was in town. He had a feeling that after she was gone, the place was going to feel far too lonely...

"That's it." He muttered sleepily to himself as he started to nod off where he lay. "Tomorrow, 'm getting a damn cat."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Allowing the water to rush over her face, Zee contemplated things and once she was finished, changed into a worn black, Clash t'shirt and a pair of low cut, denim shorts. Cleaning up the bathroom and leaving it as it was before she showered, she headed back out to check on Tommy.

Seeing his eyes closed she padded across to a comfy looking chair and sat down; pulling up to grab a magazine that was on the coffee table. She wasn't tired. Too much went on. Dawn was about to break, but she knew sooner or later she'd have to get some sleep.

Her eyes strayed, looking at his peaceful form. Tommy, to her was beginning to be more than a friend. Perhaps Benji was right. You just can't help caring for the guy.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"The circle is the shackle that binds us. Serve the power, serve the mother. Serve the mother, serve the Fates. Serve the Fates, serve the gods. In our service, defy their will, and in our defiance, serve the power."

Hearing the oaths spoken aloud touched a chord in him, called to a part of his soul he hadn't known existed. It frightened and exhilarated him at the same time, leaving him with a strange moment of indecision before he finally extended his arms and responded in kind.

"Let me be bound by no chains but those I choose. Let my will be freed by my complete surrender. I choose service. I choose bondage. Give me my chains."

"We can't do this the normal way, Harry, you know that."

He smiled then, shaking his head. "You've no need to worry. These locks I won't open."

It was the first and last time he would ever allow himself to be bound by chains he could not and would not escape...

* * * * *

Rolling on his side in his sleep, Tommy rubbed his face, inadvertently drawing his hair into his eyes and making him look like a sleepy little boy.

And as his left hand flopped over the edge of the couch, on his left wrist, just above the small tattoo of a pair of handcuffs he now sported, a shadow was forming just above the mark on his skin, mirroring its shape with a more out of date design...

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Glancing at the magazine, she could feel her eyes getting heavy. A spot of sunshine worked it's way through the window and illuminated the space of couch he was sprawled out in and caused a rather radiant burn under her lids that forced them open slowly.

He seemed okay, and for a brief second Ziyah sunk herself deeper into the chair; pulling her slender bare legs into her chest and began closing her eyes again. A shiver lapped over her as the cool morning air hit her on a breeze that came through the same open window. Looking around for a blanket, she spotted one bunched up under Tommy's bent knees.

Scooting up, she moved towards him and went for the blanket when her eyes caught the shadow over his fallen hand. There on the inside of his wrist, she watched a blur of what was a set of handcuffs, morph, changing into a older dated set. Same place, just different cuffs.

'Tommy..' she gently nudged him. 'Baby?' I need you to get up for a minute.' she spoke as she picked up his arm to take a closer look.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

In his sleep, Tommy stirred drowsily, mumbling. "Give me my chains..."

On his wrist, the more modern tattoo seemed to be bleeding into a second mark as the shadow darkened, forming as if it drew ink from the newer brand to form the second set of shackles on his wrist. As she watched, over the course of minutes she watched the ink bleed into the second tattoo, leaving him with two sets of handcuffs branded on his wrist, the antique set becoming clearer with every passing second.

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

'Chains?' her eyes narrowed while knowing the change had something to do with Harry, but left her unaware of the details

Her feeble attempts to wake him went unsuccessful, but as she stood there, she watched the the two pictures form. Completely awed, she caressed his cheek, which slid down to his chest.

'Tommy!' she spoke more urgently. 'Come on. WAKE UP!' she added louder and a little more urgence.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Her sharp words finally stirred Tommy back to semi-wakefulness as he heaved a deep sigh and reached up to rub his face harshly before opening his eyes and moving his hand.

Blinking up at her owlishly, Tommy frowned as he tried to get his bearings, still half-lost in his own dream. "These locks I won't open, I promise...er...Zee? Yo, 'sup, babe? Somethin' wrong?"

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Letting him take his hand back, she tucked her hair behind her ear and cringed, not particularily happy with the fact she had to wake him so violently.

'Sorry..sorry.' she stayed leaned over. 'Uh yeah. You know anything about this?' she turned his wrist to show him the two similar, but very different tattoos.

'I just witnessed this one form in the last few minutes.' she lowered her voice and took a seat on the small piece of couch beside him.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Blinking, Tommy stared at his wrist as she showed him the matched set of tattoos, frowning blearily at the pair as he reached up to run his fingers over the newest mark. Rubbing it with his thumb and finding it didn't come away, he took a moment just to stare at it.

"I've seen it before." he murmured with a yawn. "Single action cuffs, turn of the century..."

Trailing off, his features lit with recognition as he dissolved into a grin. "Aww, man...how cool is that?"

Meeting her gaze, he showed her the tattoos, pointing to the most recent, then the new one.

"This is my mark of brotherhood, shows I'm a member of the Fraternity? This new one is my old mark. His old mark, the one Houdini got back in 1899."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Looking at him, her lips curled into a smile and when he kindly showed her the two in completed form, she ran her thumb across it and nodded happily at his words.

'Well if it wasn't apparent before it really is now, hun. Welcome back, Harry.' she grinned, running her same thumb over the turn of the century tattoo of the cuffs.

'Now, that I feel like an idiot for waking you out of this deep sleep, and by the way you are absolutely adorable when you sleep..' she eyed with a teasing grin while standing. She moved back, pulling the blanket from behind his knees and draped it over her shoulders with another small shiver.

'You should get some more sleep. I'm gonna make some coffee and root through your cupboard to see what sort of food you got for later.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Blushing at her remark, Tommy rolled his eyes with another mighty yawn as she stood. When she advised him to sleep while she hunted up some food, he frowned blearily and shifted to sit up, rubbing his face with one hand in an effort to wake himself up.

"You should get some sleep." he advised as he got to his feet. "You look like I feel...leave the coffee, grab a snack and crash for a while. Please?"

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Already halfway into the kitchen, Zee looked around, her voice showing a little distraction while she opened a few cupboards to get to know what was where. Looking over her shoulder, she turned fully towards him and grinned while scrunching her hair up.

'Didn't you know the bedhead, sleepy look is back in?' she chuckled and made a little pinup girl pucker of her lips before all out laughing.

'I'll take it easy today..promise..' she turned back to the cupboards. After making a mental list of all the things she'd need from the store to make dinner later, she proceeded to make some coffee.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Laughing a little as she struck a pose, he moved across the loft, absently raking a hand back through his own perpetually tousled hair. "Yeah, if it's in, I must be fashionable as hell."

Reaching her, he laid a hand on her shoulder to turn her so she was facing him, his dark gaze imploring. "Zee...rest. Please? For me?"

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Zee filled the carafe, holding it at eye level to make sure there was enough water to pour in the machine, when she heard him get to his feet.

'Benji is gonna kick my ass if you don't get at least a couple more hours of slee-' she stopped abruptly to pull the blanket over her shoulder but felt his hand touch her bare shoulder. Turning to face him, her stare moved up to his and she smiled warmly.

'Only if you do too.' she spoke low, her dark brown eyes softening while she gave a quick nod.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

With a smirk, Tommy offered her his hand to shake in agreement, nodding. "Dealio." he agreed, reaching out to adjust the blanket more securely around her shoulders in a friendly manner before gesturing across the loft.

"Door on the left is my room, one across from it is the guest room." He explained. "Technically, it's not a bedroom, but my buds stay over enough that I shoved a futon and a nightstand in there. It ain't huge, but it's comfortable, and I got a TV in there. Modem's wireless capable, too, so if you got a laptop or something you can use the net here. If not, lemme know and you can use my computer. I sleep like the dead, and I don't sleep naked or nothin', so you can come and go from my room as you please."

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Giving a big smile, she pulled her hand out and set it in his for a shake. Even while he adjusted the blanket, she kept her eyes on him.

'Cool, thanks. I did bring a laptop so..' she gave a nod and let go of his hand, brushing past him to go check out the room and put her bag in.

She had gotten a few minutes of sleep on the chair in the livingroom which only ended up being power nap, but to make him feel better, she retired, closing the door only half way.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

As she headed for her room, Tommy headed for his own. Barely drawing the covers back before he flopped down and burrowed into his pillows, it was only a matter of minutes before he was fast asleep on his stomach, hair in his eyes and the quiet hum of the central air the only sound left in his ears.

He was home. He was safe. So was Ziyah, just in the other room...

And even though he knew it wouldn't last long, for the moment things felt like they were exactly as they should be.

[zee-ali.livejournal.com]

Crawling up on all fours from the bottom of the futon to the pillows hear the top, Zee rested her cheek down; sliding her hands under and bunching it into her arms, she lay with her eyes open before flopping onto her side. It was abduntantly clear that she wouldn't be sleeping, but she stayed put. Tommy needed his rest and she was against making him feel that he needed to stay up to entertain her.

Pissing around like a young child would in effort to self meditate themselves in order to fall asleep, Zee got up instead. She needed a sedative. Something even paced and comforting to trance her. The deafening silence was not something she was used to.

Crossing the hallway, she tilted her head, listening and smiled. Quietly, she slipped in on the other side of him, all the while making sure not to stir him. Ziyah closed her eyes and barely listened to his even breathing before she succumbed to her own dreamworld.