simplepuzzle | It's been a while....

"Yeah."

The hug is going on a little long, but he's not going to push Raleigh off first. He doesn't know what to do now, honestly. He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know how to be with Raleigh right now. It feels like he's about to shatter in Chuck's arms and Chuck...

"You need to get out of here." He pulls back, not letting go, keeping a hand on Raleigh's shoulder. "We won't leave the block, i promise, there's a place at the corner."

This is the not vulnerable he's ever felt in his life. Not even losing Chuck felt like this, though that had been a completely different kind of hurt and fear.

"I-I can't-- what if he wakes up and I'm not here--"

"He'll be relieved you took a fucking break and weren't worrying yourself sick," he says, gripping the back of Raleigh's neck.

"Have a sandwich that wasn't made in a hospital cafe."

He shudders, swallowing the sob that threatens to overtake him, and finally nods. Chuck is right - Yancy would be pissed if he knew that Raleigh was wasting away right there next to him.

"Yeah. Okay."

Chuck keeps an arm around Raleigh as he guides him out. He drops his coffee in the trash because he's pretty sure drinking it will dissolve his intestine, and manages to set the gift store teddy bear on the table by Yancy's bed.

He leads Raleigh out, not letting go mostly to make sure Raleigh doesn't try to backtrack to the hospital room. The fresh air has to do Raleigh some good.

Raleigh sees the bear, takes note of it and it just makes Raleigh lean on Chuck that much more, shivering when they go outside and he's hit with sunlight and air that hasn't been filtered and filtered and filtered.

He can't thank Chuck enough, not in words and he's ashamed of himself for being so weak but...

He can't help it. This is Yancy.

He follows and goes along with Chuck, leaning into his side and clutching at his shirt. Raleigh's clean, he showers, he just...has seen better days.

Raleigh is close and literally clinging and Chuck's feeling a little weird about it. Though that might be the two hours of sleep he's had. He doesn't have the heart to push him away, anyway.

He gets them a table outside so Raleigh can get some sunlight and so they can shift the seats so he can continue to cling if he needs. Which he seems to need.

Also a pot of coffee.

Raleigh needs a lot of things right now and he's so, so grateful for Chuck being here that he doesn't know how to properly articulate it. He's emotionally vulnerable and Chuck showed up when he needed him most and got him out if that hospital room and he just --

Fuck, he doesn't even know.

He sinks into the chair, keeping contact with Chuck but not leaning heavily on him. The coffee is well needed and the food is appreciated.

This cafe is down the street from a hospital. It knows how to do comfort food.

Chuck doesn't know where to go from here, just knew he had to get Raleigh out of there for a couple hours at least. He's still not sure what good he's doing, not convinced they're just being unhealthy here.

But he's still not sure what to do, so he starts talking. About his new job, school. He talks about his work, his classes, stays away from the personal life that lead to the split. Just trying to distract Raleigh.
Or put him to sleep, either way.

Chuck is the best.

Raleigh orders whatever comfort food he can find, then settles in to listen to Chuck talk. He asks questions when necessary, prompts him to keep the conversation going and listens to everything he has to say.

Just hearing his voice has helped immensely and Raleigh wants him to talk forever.

Well he's trying.

He talks until his throat starts to get raw. He'll pass the palm of his hand over Raleigh's shoulders now and then, a reassuring gesture.

"What about you?" Because if he keeps talking he's going to lose his voice.

Raleigh pulls in a breath, leans into the hand on his shoulders, though he's careful to keep the sore one out of reach.

"Well--"

He swallows, then carefully starts talking about what he's been doing, what he's been up to, how he's gone to school and gotten degrees of his own, set up shop, tried to make a living. He just -- has sort of been throwing himself into things and trying not to think about Chuck (though that isn't something he's voice, though really -- judging by what he's saying it's kind of obvious that's what he was doing).

He talks for a while, as long as Chuck will let him.

Chuck's going to let Raleigh talk until he doesn't want to any more.

He might start fingercombing Raleigh's hair, petting him gently like he might have while he did homework years ago. It might not be his place, it might be too far when it's been so long, but he can't leave Raleigh right now.

Raleigh relishes the touches, leans into it and against Chuck as he talks.

He rambles until he runs out of steam, his mouth is dry and he needs water.

"You want to go home?" He suggests almost tentatively, one hand on the back of his neck. There's not a lot of expectation for that but maybe if he gets Raleigh to spend a night in his own bed he'll feel less guilty about leaving.

...not that he's planning on leaving immediately.

He hesitates and his eyes dart in the direction of the hospital but he's so tired, so worn out.

"Yeah. Will you stay a while? Are -- are you able?"

--fuck he can't say no in the face of that.

"Yeah. I'll be around for a few days." As long as Raleigh needs, he wants to say, but that might not be possible. "You want a ride home?"

He's also fucking exhausted himself and is sort of about to drop off.

"Yeah. I don't think I can drive."

His car hasn't moved from the hospital lot on days. It'll be fine.

"Thanks, Chuck. Seriously."

"It's no problem." He takes care of lunch and walks Raleigh to his own car.

He's just all right enough to get them to Raleigh's place (once he gets the address), and he's seriously considering passing out in the backseat of his car.

"Come inside?" He says, leaning a little on the door of the car, giving Chuck a slightly guarded but hopeful look.

"You look exhausted."

"Shouldn't."

They're still not really--they haven't talked really, about...what they are now.

.....but he so. Fucking. Tired.

"..okay, thanks." It's helped by a giant yawn.

"C'mon."

He pulls Chuck's door open, and offers a hand to pull him out, smiling faintly.

Stay with him.

Chuck follows Raleigh in, looking around his place a little.

But mostly focusing on his couch. He would love any soft surface that he could bed on.

"Want a pillow...?"

He'd like Chuck to curl up in bed with him but that's inappropriate, right?

Right.

It'd be.........

.....not on. They haven't talked about that. About them. And this isn't the time, either, not with Raleigh's brother laying in a hospital bed.

"Yeah, thanks." Maybe a blanket. He's sort of just about to unconscious with little warning.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject