Fandom The Day The World Changed { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Jacob felt the hands wiping away tears and he nodded, hearing Soren. “Thank you.” He whispered. It was like Soren had known that Jacob wanted to make sure his twin was okay. That his twin survived. He smiled through the tears, feeling the kiss on the top of his head before he turned to look at Josh. “Perhaps you two should head into the living room. Show Jacob what we’ve brought home and I’ll speak to Hayden privately. Then I’ll let you know if I need you or not.” Josh said, hands in his lap as he sighed heavily.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren nodded. He stood up, trying to slowly ease Jacob up as well. “Come on. We have boxes of stuff. It’s obviously not everything that everyone wanted, but it’s a good start I think. One box is only books. The other is a whole bunch of just stuff that we found.” He hoped that this would not be distracting enough for Hayden to want to stop and be with them instead of being with Josh.

Hayden knocked on the door for there not to be any answer at all. He frowned, wondering if maybe the parents weren’t back yet. Theo started to move in his arms, and Hayden knew that meant he would wake up soon. He knocked again, but there was still no answer. Come on. Where were they? “Did you lose your parents?” He asked. He felt like he was going to have to take this baby back with him if there was no one there. Of course, that would be a problem, because he was absolutely not equipped to handle a baby. He couldn’t properly feed him or change his diapers. In desperation, he knocked again. This time, he heard movement. Thank goodness. Someone was home. The door opened and a woman who looked even more exhausted than Emily opened. Theo’s mother Fiona. They were the Sharpes, and she had the worst day of her entire life. She thanked Hayden for taking care of her little baby, and he made sure to give Jacob the credit that he deserved. He promised to check on him more often. As he waved and closed the door, he felt that they were going to have Theo a whole lot more often than he originally expected. With a yawn of his own, he walked back to his apartment.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Jacob reached over and took one of Josh’s hands and squeezed it. A look between them passed and he nodded in thanks. Jacob stood from the bed, attention on Soren. “Books?” He asked curiously. Jacob loved books, any kinds. He followed Soren out of the bedroom where Josh said, nervously waiting for Hayden to come back. Jacob stopped at the box of books and knelt down. “Wow. There are so many good ones here.” He said, looking through them.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren smiled as he knelt down next to Jacob. “I think they’re mostly kids books, or maybe all kids books, but that’s better than no books. I think we found some older kids books too, so maybe some of the teens won’t be so teen about them.” He laughed as he started to paw through the books as well. The door opened soon after, and Hayden came in and shut it. “Well, that was interesting. We almost adopted a baby, but it’s fine. Ooh, what are you guys doing? Did you find us some things? You guys are so fast!”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“Kai and Theo will like them though. Should find some adult books, you can read to me.” Jacob said with a grin as he suggested it. Though he said it playfully, he wouldn’t mind it at all. He looked up at Hayden when he walked in. “Almost adopted a baby? Oh yeah. But um Josh wanted to talk to you about something then we can look through this stuff together okay?” Jacob suggested as he looked over at Soren before he started looking at the books again.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“Read to you?” But Hayden was coming in and Soren did not have time to say anything else about it. Hayden thought that was a bit strange, but he nodded anyway. “Don’t steal all the good ones, Jacob.” As he walked by them, he ran a hand over Jacob’s shoulder and then walked into the bedroom. “How would you feel about adopting a baby? Because I was about three seconds from…” His words fell away as he looked at Josh. Something was wrong. He could tell. From the way Jacob told him that Josh wanted to talk to the way Josh was sitting. They had been best friends for a long time. He knew there was something wrong. He stopped maybe five or six feet away. He furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?” There was no more playful joking in his tone anymore. That feeling that had been living inside him for days was back. Present. Taking over before Josh even had the time to say anything.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Jacob nodded and then looked at Hayden. “I make no such promises.” He said as he watched his brother walk to the bedroom. Josh was sitting there, hands in his lap. He looked up as he saw Hayden enter and heard his words. Any playful retort did not come out. He heard the question and sighed heavily. Here went nothing. Josh stood up, walking up to Hayden and wrapped him in his arms, looking at him. “Come sit down. Please.” He said, dropping his arms and taking Hayden’s hand to lead him to the bed. Once there, he swallowed hard and looked at his fiancée. “FEDRA bombed the downtown area. Soren and I were sent out after that to check out if it made the buffer zone we needed from the infected. It did. And.. while we were out there, we found.. bodies. And two of them.. one was my dad and the other..” Josh paused, pushing the pain away, hiding his tears and sighed roughly. “The other was your mom. I’m so so sorry baby, we tried to warn people, we flew planes and told everyone to leave but.. they.. got caught in it.” Josh’s voice had dropped to a whisper, those emotions threatening to come out once more.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Hayden did not like this. As Josh wrapped his arms around him, Hayden knew that he was not going to like what Josh had to say. Sit. He was not sure he wanted to sit now. If he sat down, what was Josh going to tell him? What could possibly be so bad that this was how Josh was acting? What could possibly be so bad that it felt worse than everything they had already been through? He sat, because he was not sure what else to do. He sat, and he took in how wrong Josh felt. How he didn’t even feel like Josh. He was too rigid. No, not a bomb. No no that was horrible. “Why would they do that?” A buffer zone from the infected? What did that even mean? Why would they bomb the entire downtown area? Bodies. Of course they found bodies. Bodies on the ground in a pile. A pile of bodies on floor where they broke down the door. When they fell after- His dad? Hayden felt like the whole world stopped. Time ceased to exist. Or maybe time was the only thing that did exist, because while Hayden’s insides started to twist and knot and convulse, Josh’s words kept coming. No, they needed to stop, because all Hayden could feel was the moment when Kyra told him on the phone that their dad was dead, and the world was supposed to stop then, and- His breath caught. He was not sure when the tears started, because they were streaming down his face already as those next words shattered what was left of his being. “No. No no no no.” Hayden’s head was moving back and forth, hands over his ears to make Josh’s voice go away. No more words. He didn’t want to hear any more of them if they were going to keep spreading images like the ones where two of his favorite people lay in the wake of bombs. Two bodies they found together in a pile. A body pile of broken people with flesh rotting away from their bones that he could see and blood mixed with who knows what other viscous fluids oozed from gaping wounds. Torn apart. Asunder. Ajar like a door they couldn’t ever close again. He didn’t noticed that he’d started screaming the words until his volume was hurting his own ears, and he pushed his palms harder into them like it could save him from himself as well as the knowledge that their reality was the Hell his parents feared. He shoved himself away from the bed, pushing himself back, stumbling to the floor, and like he had back when he could see them, heaved and retched until there was nothing left inside him, and then he kept going. His cries were not the nice and controlled sobs of someone sad. He they were reminiscent of days ago. It was like this one good day had never even happened. It was reminiscent of yesterday. Just yesterday. Was today a lie? Was it something he made up to make himself feel better? His arms shook as every vision of the world falling apart around him swirled in his mind. It made him dizzy. Horrendously dizzy. His father first. Josh and Jacob’s mother. Their father and his mother. Who next? Who was next? Where was Kyra? Where was Logan? Was it going to be one of their soldier boys? Would it be someone in this apartment complex? On of the many kids? Kai?

Soren sat and waited. He was not even looking at the books. He had a feeling how this might go, and he was right. The screaming started pretty quickly. This was what he expected when they had to tell an already broken person what else was breaking. He sighed as he looked at Jacob. “I think that’s our cue.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh knew this wasn’t going to go well. He knew that it would tear Hayden up. And he did it anyway. All he could think was how it was his fault. How the screaming echoed and wrenched at his heart. He didn’t even have a chance to wrap Hayden in his arms because his partner was off the bed and heaving whatever was inside him up. Josh just sat there, numbness taking over his entire body. His breathing almost stopped completely as he bit his lip. No. No emotions. Stone faced. Cold. Meanwhile Jacob was sitting with Soren, until he heard screaming. Hayden. “Yes.” He said simply, getting to his feet and entering. “Soren. Help Josh. I’ve got Hayden.” Jacob just about ordered. He dropped to his knees beside Hayden, avoiding his mess, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Hayden. Buddy. Come on. Breathe bud breathe. Sharks.. ring.. I’m here. I’ve got you.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren moved to Josh as he was told and reached for him. Nope, this was not going well for either of them. He hoisted him up without question. “Let’s go take a walk, okay?” He may have posed it like a question, but he was telling Josh. They were moving now. He would drag him out of this room if he had to. Josh was clearly not coping with this well either, so maybe they needed some time to cope without watching the other fall apart.

Hayden ripped his body from the touch, whipping around so that he could face his attacker as he stumbled backwards and fled. He slipped through the mess he created, slamming into the floor for only a moment, because the shock and jolt of the moment were enough to send another wave of adrenaline through his body. He flailed as he dug palms and heels into the floor to push himself further back until he shoved his entire body against the bare wall. The thud was nothing compared to the wail that choked out of him as he could no longer move. His hands shook so violently that it was like they were attached to something else. He did not even hear Jacob’s words. He didn’t see Jacob. He didn’t see this room. He wasn’t there. He was trapped somewhere far worse than that.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was sitting, staring at his hands in his lap. He startled at the touch as he was brought to his feet. “What? Soren..” He muttered as he looked over at Hayden, seeing his reaction to Jacob. He walked with Soren out of the room, his face looking like it was made of stone.

Jacob flinched at the reaction. Okay. So don’t do that. He grimaced as he saw Hayden slip through his mess. “Hayden..” He said as he moved over to his side. “Hayden..!” He said louder. He heard the choking wail from his brother as he sat beside him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder again as he squeezed. “Hayden.. come on! Come back to us. Come back for Kai. For Josh.” ​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren walked out of the room and into the living room. He flinched at the sound of the wail from the other room. He looked at Josh, and it wasn’t like he was hearing it at all. Or maybe he was, and that was the problem. So they were not staying in this apartment. He steered them through the room and to the front door which he pulled open and guided Josh out of before closing it behind him. “Okay. So that could have gone worse.”

Hayden felt the world breaking apart around him. The tremors from below were tearing apart the ground, and everything was falling deep, deep down, so far down, how long until they touched the bottom, was there a bottom would he hurt when they hit would it hurt when they crashed would it hurt then they melted from the heat they burning sizzling heat all that skin just shrivels away and dies. Dead like his father. Like all their fathers. All their mothers. Everyone was dying. They were laughing and playing and everyone was happy. He could see it from where he laid on Josh. Happy sunshine smiley misery. Dead. Everyone was dying and he was all alone with monsters of people he thought he knew. Monsters that broke down doors and smashed in faces. That shot little girls. That bombed parents. Surrounded by monsters. Everything else was a lie. He dug the heels of his palms into his temples as he sobbed so hard that his chest hurt. He tried to push out all the pain with pressure that only caused more. Words filtered through deaf ears. Words from a voice that pierced through all of it. Jacob. Jacob was not a monster. He pleaded. He pleaded for Kai. Kai was so sweet. And Josh. Josh. Where was Josh? His eyes shot open and he frantically searched. “Josh?” He had just been there. “Josh?” His voice was filled with just about all of the panic he could have. Did the monsters take him too? “no no no no.” He was slipping now, falling to the floor as his body lost grip with what little it had left. He couldn’t lose Josh too. Had had just been there. How can it take him too?
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh moved mechanically, the wails and sobs echoing around him. Hayden. He did that. He caused that pain and brokenness again. It was all his fault. As they stepped outside, he looked at Soren. “How could it have gone worse? He’s hurting and I.. I.. I caused it. And I just left him alone again.” Josh said, pressing his back against the hallway wall. Then the door opened. “Josh. I need you.” Jacob’s voice was pained as he said it.

Jacob looked at Hayden, saw his eyes shoot open and heard him asking for Josh. “Hayden. Hey. Easy now. He’s just outside. Hold on. You wait there okay?” He said, rubbing his shoulder before dashing towards the door. He went out and grabbed Josh, voice pained as he did. Josh looked at Soren and without a word, he ducked back inside. He may not have been processing things well, but there was always that part of him that drew him to help and care for Hayden. He entered the bedroom, and ignoring the mess, sunk down beside Hayden, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m here honey, I’m here. Shh. Beautiful. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jacob had remained in the hall, looking at the open door and then moved over to Soren. “Let’s give them a minute. Hayden.. needs Josh I think.” He said, wrapping his arms around his partner with a heavy sigh. “Just like I need you.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“He’s not brandishing a weapon and threatening to kill your children, so there’s always that.” It wasn’t exactly a helpful statement, but that would have been worse. He would know. Josh was summoned away from him too soon for that to have been a conversation. “Joshua!” he called as Josh disappeared. “Be there!” Soren could see that was one of the problems. Josh was having a hard time being present. Hayden needed that presence. Soren held Jacob close, enveloping him in an embrace to remind him that they were not alone. They had each other. “I am so so sorry,” he whispered as he gently rocked them where they stood.

Hayden’s cries were practically screeches as Josh came back in. He felt so lost. So so so lost. He was drowning in a barren world, and there was nothing but nothing everything too much all around him. Jacob and his voice said words he couldn’t hear, and then they were gone. Gone like everyone. Gone like the days where his worst fears were not making it into the college. Not being able to afford it. Not being able to afford volunteering anymore. Not being able to make it to his parents’ house that weekend. Gone. Gone. Gone. And all he wanted was Josh, but the world took that from him too. He jumped and tore himself away from the touch of something that reached out and grabbed him. Swung to hit him. He scrambled further away, eyes growing wide as his blurry vision tried to process who was there. His ears could not process words, but they heard the voice. Not Jacob. No. Josh. His Josh. “Josh?” His voice was so small and weak as he broke through the cries. He could barely see his fuzzy shape through the tears but that was him. He changed direction. He thrust his hands forward so that he could crawl as fast as he could back to where he was and throw his arms around his love. “- can’t-“ he heaved with the breath he did not have, “can’t lose- I- I can’t- not you-“
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh had barely heard Soren’s words as he ran to Hayden. He wasn’t expecting Hayden to jump at his touch and his body absorbed the hit. He heard the small and weak voice as he watched Hayden crawl back towards him a moment later. Once those arms wrapped around him, he wrapped his arms around Hayden just as tight. “I’m not going anywhere baby, you won’t lose me. I promise.” Josh to him, rocking them gently. “Shh. I’m here. Breathe for me. Come on. In and out with me.” He said softly, hoping to coach Hayden into breathing, and maybe starting to calm down. He’d clean up the mess after and he’d get Hayden and himself into clean clothes and a bath after as well.

Jacob clung onto Soren, holding onto him. He felt those tears streaming silently down his cheeks as he sniffled. The gentle rocking was helpful as he stood there with Soren. “I know. Thank you for being there when he found him.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Fingers like vice grips held onto Josh as tightly as they could. Hayden as so afraid that if they slipped, and he knew they he would, he would lose Josh forever. He couldn’t lose Josh. He couldn’t be all alone. He needed Josh. He cried, and at least now it was just crying. He was so tremendously sad and broken, but when Josh was there holding him together, it was almost like maybe he wouldn’t fall apart. His body couldn’t keep himself upright long. He lost the energy to hold himself up. He collapsed into Josh, arms falling away to eventually cling to his chest instead. His head rested there as well as he tried to listen to Josh’s breath. He tried to mimic it like he was teaching his lungs how to do this. Slowly, slowly it was working.

“No one should have to go through that alone.” Knowing that finding them was a possibility meant that Soren had to be there with Josh. He wouldn’t ever leave that for anyone to do alone. “Jacob. I think you should know. That bombing. That was us. That was our idea.” He pulled away enough to really look at him. “There were so many infected in the area that it was too dangerous to go in and save everyone. Josh- Josh and I suggested the bombing to get rid of as many as possible. I couldn’t- We had them send out planes. People who could tell as many people as possible that they had to go. They sent out so many waves to warn as many people as possible. I am so sorry.” He could not keep that from Jacob. He didn’t want to ever keep anything from him.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

He felt the vice grip that Hayden had on him and he held off him. Josh felt Hayden fall into him and he gently rocked them back and forth, breathing steady and even. “Shh. Baby, I’m here. That’s it.” He said softly, keeping that firm hold on his partner.

Jacob felt his breath hitch as he heard that. “What?” He said softly, looking at Soren. Then it made sense. They tried, so hard to get people out. “I believe you. And I understand why you did it. It hurts and I hate it, but I understand it was for the greater good to save everyone else.” Jacob said, nodding his head. He might not agree and he was upset and sad but he understood too. “I’m sorry you had to suggest that but I also get it.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Slowly, eventually, his crying fell away to only his heaving chest and after that the ragged breathing of so much effort. Finally, as his hands lost the will to grip Josh’s shirt, he just lay there. He shook his head. Softly. “I can’t do this.” His words were riddled with the ache in his throat. “I can’t.” It was too much. Far too much.

Soren hated that he had to tell him this. He hated that this was what their suggestion came to. “We knew it wouldn’t save everyone. That was the hardest part in even suggesting it. We knew that we could send a thousand planes out there, and we would never be able to tell everyone, and even if we did, not everyone would make it out.” He closed his eyes and turned away for just a moment. “I wish we could have done something else, but I don’t know what else we could have done other than let them be a danger to everyone else we already saved.” He turned back to face Jacob, resting their foreheads together. “I wish we could have saved them.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh held onto Hayden as he heard the crying give way to heaving and ragged breathing. He heard the words as he saw him shake his head. “You can do it. I believe in you. I need you to believe in me. You said I was a superhero, so let me be your superhero. Let me be the one to hold you.” He said softly, kissing the top of Hayden’s head. “And the first thing I want to do, is get you cleaned up and in your favorite comfy clothes. Then you can tell me all about your time with Kai. I found some books you can read him.” Josh said, trying to be what he thought Hayden needed.

Jacob listened to Soren, his heart breaking that he had to make a suggestion like that. He could only imagine what was going on in Josh’s mind. He watched Soren close his eyes and then turn his head away. When Soren’s head turned back to face him, Jacob placed a hand on his cheek. “Don’t blame yourself. It was the best thing to do. Okay?” He said, leaning in and kissing Soren gently before he pulled away and looked at him with a gentle smile.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Hayden believed him, because he always believed Josh. Josh was his hero. It wasn’t just because of Kai that he said that. Josh had always been his hero. He nodded, because there was nothing else that he could do. He was so overwhelmingly exhausted from all this sadness and despair that he was willing to do whatever his hero told him. He thought about Kai and reading to him. He thought about being there for him. He had Emily. And his father. He had parents. He didn’t need Hayden. He wished he could be necessary. He wished that he could do something that wasn’t just laying there crying which was definitely all he felt like doing. He wished he knew where his sister was, but he felt that if his parents were both dead, so was she. It only made sense. He couldn’t speak. Not yet. He was afraid that if he said anything else, he would start crying again. Instead, he nodded. He could do it if Josh helped him.

Soren closed his eyes, slight tears falling from where he could no longer keep them in. "I know. I know it was. That’s what I hope Josh understands, but I’m worried about him. I’m worried he won’t talk to Hayden about it. I don’t think he’s going to tell him.” Based on conversations they had before and the way he had been handling this so far, Soren was almost certain that he was not going to bring it up. He pulled Jacob into a tighter hug, this time allowing himself to bury his face in Jacob’s chest. “But I’ll always tell you. I’ll tell you everything. Even the hard decisions like this one.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh saw the nod and understood. He gently picked Hayden up in his arms and stood up. He led them over to the adjoining bathroom and set him in the tub. Each apartment had been hooked into the water reservoir, and generators ran with gasoline that they still had. So they had water, it was just cold. He took off the soiled clothes, his and Hayden’s and cleaned them both up. Once that was done, he moved away. “Stay there, let me clean the room real quick.” Josh said. He walked into the bedroom and cleaned the floor up, thankful they didn’t have carpet flooring. Once that was all clean, he took care of their clothes. Josh went back and picked up Hayden, bringing him to the bed and grabbed his comfy clothes. “Do you need help with them?”

Jacob saw the slight tears and it broke his heart. He’d never seen Soren cry before. “I fear you’re right. If Josh thinks he’s protecting someone he loves, he’ll refuse to mention things that would make it worse.” Jacob admitted as he felt Soren hug him tighter. He felt the face bury into his chest. Jacob rubbed Soren’s back and kissed the top of his head. “I know you will. And I love that about you. About us.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Hayden was quiet as Josh cleaned him. There wasn’t anything else to say. There wasn’t anything that he could do. So he let Josh be his hero like he always had. Like he always would. He watched him move. He watched him work. He marveled at who he was and who he could be. That moment before, when Hayden thought that this cruel world had taken him too, haunted him. As he watched Josh, he thought about what it would be like to lose him. He was terrified of what would happen if one day, Josh just didn’t come home. What if, one day, Hayden would be sitting on a couch, maybe reading, and suddenly look up to find that he wasn’t there. What was he supposed to do then? As he sat on the bed, a little unsure how he got there, he stared at the clothes being offered to him. Do you need help? Did he? He lifted his arms that felt like they were fighting against gravity. He tried anyway. He tried to lift the shirt over his head and will it back down, but the fabric wanted to do other things. He tried to put one leg into the pants, but he had a hard time even lifting it enough. The fact that his own body refused to work properly was so frustrating that he silently cried as he worked.

Hadn’t Soren just been comforting Jacob? Now it was the other way around, and he was not sure how to feel. No, he was sure that he did, and it was unlike anything he had before. Never ever had he been in such a mutual relationship like this. How had he come across something so beautiful and perfect as this? It was possibly a miracle in the midst of the tragedy. He pulled his head from where it sought safety, even though he did not want to leave, and wiped away the few tears that escaped. He kissed Jacob’s forehead. “I love you.” He was glad that decided it was the truth. “Should we go check on them?”
​