another Split Verse open

Still keeping his head down, James lowered his hand from where it was held up so it was out slightly towards Alfie. Most of the hand was covered in blood, there was a lot of it but the cuts themselves were quite small. Just numerous.

His hand is shaking. Alfie  didn’t disagree. It means he was right.More than that it means that they won’t look after him any more. And he’s on his own.

Alfie very carefully took James’s hand in his own, relieved to see that there was no major damage. A lot of cuts, but nothing that really seemed bad enough to need stitches, but he should probably go to the hospital anyway, just to be safe.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay, nothing too bad here," he said soothingly, worried by the way his friend’s hand shook. "How about we get you home and clean that up, yeah? Then we can maybe talk about what got you so upset?"

"I know what everybody's thinking." his voice is still muffled by his knees. "I know they all think I'm a monster. That I ruined Eric's life." He'd overheard endless conversations as he entered or left the psychiatrist's office. Heard kids and parents point and laugh or hiss to leave the crazy man alone. "It's all my fault." It wasn't Eric's fault. It was his and there was bugger all he could do to make it right. He couldn't just disappear. Eric needed him and he needed Eric.

Drawing his arm back in, he tried to hold it against the top of his head. "I should just stay here. In the trash."

angelicmeatsuit

James had gone to open his mouth to respond but Alfie managed to cut him off before he said anything.

"O-okay." And he slowly shifted as Alfie began to lead the way. "Ou-outside?"

"Yeah, we’re gonna go and get you some fresh air, okay?" he said soothingly, negotiating the door with a little difficult but managing to get them both through it without getting stuck comically or hitting James off the doorframe. "Almost there, okay? Just a little further."

James was clinging tightly to Alfie's clothes and his chest still wouldn't expand properly as he moved through the doorway, not able to look up from the floor, cause he knew, he just knew if he saw the walls right now he would upchuck everything he had managed to eat today, although in fairness it wasn't a lot. "M'not a crybaby." he said a bit forcefully, because he didn't want Alfie getting the wrong impression from this. Eric cries. James doesn't cry. James is the asshole and assholes don't cry.

BnB Verse: The West Room

The West Room ~ BnB verse

Castiel swallowed hard, hugging his arms around himself. He hadn’t noticed, Castiel had looked out his window every day and saw it, but had never imagined that anything was wrong in it.

"J-James you-" Castiel cut off as the other man walked out. He stared down at the floor, trying to get some control over himself before following James back to his room. He sighed sadly when he saw the demon sprawled out on the bed.

"James you aren’t the monster. The garden…it was fine until I arrived, right? You let it grow that much, took care of it constantly, nurtured it every day…" Castiel stopped, thinking of every time he had seen James outside, working.

"I-if you could grow it once…then we could always bring it back, r-right?" He said, crouching down so he could put a hand on the other’s back.

"The garden was fine until I hurt you. Maybe it was the reason I was unable to hurt anyone. So busy tending to its plants and flowers that I had no time to go out and terrorize anyone in the nearby villages." Sitting up he half-turned to Castiel. "Look at what I've done to you. I've trapped you here. I've threatened you, I've ruined you. I've stolen you from your family and friends. How am I not a monster?"

Lowering his gaze he shook his head. "I don't know if I could. I don't think I'm strong enough to rebuild it." Not physically but he genuinely didn't believe he had the strength to go out there morning after morning into the ashes of the garden and pray that his hands that had torn into the hounds, that had never known a kind touch could bring the life back into them. He lowered his gaze further as he turned away. "I don't deserve a garden anyway."

Team Free Will + Jurassic Park (AU)