Dark is the Night

[impsychic]

The screen's too big. He's pretty sure he could use it as a raft if it would float. It would probably float. He tosses a piece of popcorn up into the air and catches it as the music dies down.

A sound from behind him catches his attention and Tom half turns from where he's draped out on the couch, eyes not leaving the television.

"You're late. It's past your bedtime, you know. You've got a date with....someone....fuck what was her name." He offers half-heartedly to who can only really be Bruce.

He really was later than Tom had been expecting...but he could chew him out later. Maybe. Depends on if the reason Bruce was late was interesting.

Comments

[impsychic]

He looks up as directed and that high pitched tone is outside of him now, some radio speaker connected to nothing on the side table ringing out the discordant note of his abilities.

"Right." The lamps, at least stop flickering with the excess psychic bleed pouring out from somewhere else.

But wasn't that an idea? His hands find the towel and he turns sharply back to face Bruce, eyes darting over the various places blood has pooled. Too much blood...on the outside. He could make it be inside.

It begins to gather itself and the speaker buzzes as the blood from Bruce's shirt seems to wring itself out and gather in the neat ball floating over it's source's chest. "Move the towel." It's dry now and useless anyway, only the blood on their hands and what little remains to stain hands and couch and clothing remains.

Bruce was right, if he was going to panic, he could do so productively.

[knightbynight]

Bruce is deeply uncomfortable with whatever is happening, but he doesn't want to die and this is better than destroying his house.

So with a sharp, speculative, look he removes the towel. It's definitely dry, he's not too worried but-

"That's... new?"

To him.

[impsychic]

The wounds are still open, but they're not actively bleeding, like a barrier's been erected over them to keep the insides inside.

"Ye...ah..." His voice is breathy, but confident enough despite his next words. "I'm making it up as I go."

Which is likely a relief when the ball of what blood he could siphon folds out into a ribbon and slides back into the wounds cleanly. The barrier stays as Tom's steady hands swipe the wet towel by the edges and over his own hands so he can grab needle and thread.

"Try not to move. And don't growl at me when I stab you with this." At least holding the blood back and focusing on the precise and even way he turns to begin stitching up one wound is taking most of his attention. And consequently, his energy. The buzz from the speaker begins to quiet into a low hum.

[knightbynight]

"I'm not going to growl at you for saving me the effort of doing it myself...."

His voice has trailed off, though, both because he is wary and because he is deeply intrigued. This has possibilities. He wants to test it. Well maybe not this specific part (not that he minds really) but just because.

Meanwhile he does not growl, does not flinch, does not get upset. He does continue to stay still and look deeply speculative.

"Have you ever deliberately done anything with your abilities?"

[impsychic]

That takes half a thought to consider...and the answer is no. Of course it's no. He spent too long pretending they weren't there because he couldn't possibly be the only person with them and if he was- then he was very good at lying. Especially to himself. So he doesn't answer.

"I'm going to have to clean the floor and this couch and I bet your car's a mess, but you get that one. I'll change the bulb in the morning." He's quick at least. One down, onto the next.

[knightbynight]

He's say that as a terrible avoidance tactic, but it's one he employs on rare occasions that his avoidance isn't just pretending to be another person so there's no possible way anyone can ask uncomfortable questions.

Great in theory, breaks down in practice when you're one of the few people close enough to know him.

He closes his eyes and evens out his breathing.

"We're going to start. This was very nearly worse than the incident with the pipes."

[impsychic]

Tom glances over at him as he starts in on the second wound, smaller at least. It was going to bruise like a motherfucker, though.

"The pipes were an accident. I was drunk." He was not. That wasn't the point, the point was his own internal narrative.

There's a lengthy pause afterwards, even if Bruce responds, and he finishes the last stitch and tie it off so he can turn and find bandages. "I don't know why we should bother. Most of the time, it's fine."

[knightbynight]

"We should bother because you may have just saved my life, but you also nearly destroyed my house."

Which is to say: "It could be fine a higher percentage of the time and I wouldn't have to choose between death and destruction."

There is a choice there.

But also

It'd be good for you.

[impsychic]

Sounds fake. There's a low rumble like an earthquake that shakes some of the fixtures briefly. "Don't be so dramatic."

He puts antiseptic and gauze patches over the wounds before finding that towel again to start cleaning some of the smaller wounds. Good enough, probably.

"I've done worse to bigger buildings. But I did just save your life so you should get off the couch so I can clean it and go lay down in that way too big bed of yours."

And get out of his face with this practicality stuff he doesn't want to acknowledge.

[knightbynight]

He gets testy and nearly growls once the stitching is done. Like his tolerance or touch in that kind of 'concerned', clinical way is wearing off.

Which is accurate.

"You don't need to clean my blood off my couch. You should watch it off your hands. After that I'm finding a building that isn't here that we can safely experiment within."

[impsychic]

He holds his hands up for the growl and stands to....frankly throw the towels away, they were his cheap hand towels anyway, who cares. "You're right, pay someone else to do it."

He glances to Bruce and then to the blood on the floor and the broken glass in the kitchen from the ruined light. "Pretty sure you're supposed to go lay down if you almost died, though. Plus, I have a show in like half an hour I want to watch." He doesn't actually care, he just cares about not....doing this. Thing.

He starts cleaning....anything else. Whatever else looks out of place, before finally getting to his hands as an after thought.

[knightbynight]

Bruce might not have nerve endings. He certainly doesn't have any sense, because he gets up and starts cleaning up the couch he was on, and eyeing Tom.

He leaves it alone until the light bulb and then - "Be careful with the glass, and what's the show?"

Breathe.

He's going to do the thing, anyway, but he doesn't have to talk about it.