IC Voicemail

[evowhisperer]

 *There's nothing but a long silence after the ringing stops. If the caller's been looking at their screen, there are plain black-and-white letters on display:*

Please leave a message after the beep.

*Beep.*

Comments

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

{It was nothing.}

*No, it wasn't, but his gut clenches at the memory of L's feeble struggles, and it occurs to him that there's a frantic, jibbering creature in his ribcage that's just waiting for the reality of the situation to sink in before it rears its ugly head.*

*He plans to delay this as long as possible. He's almost done scrubbing his hands with adrenaline-sharp motions, and it occurs to him that if he didn't have this, they'd be shaking.*

{Are you ok?} *As though he hadn't just asked that minutes ago.* {You should sit.}

Text;

[dead_black_eyes]

Yeah.

Tonight? Don't say yes if you're busy with something pressing. I don't want to impose.

Text; (time-wise: should we say this thread is a-few-plus-two-hours before kidnapping?

[evowhisperer]

Tonight.

Come over in a few hours?

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

No, it wasn't nothing. It was everything, because that's what I stood to lose.

[He squints, half-remembering trying to wake up and breathe.]

I'll sit, but... for now, I'm trying to stay awake until it's out of my system. You can attest to the fact that I have a very good reason for not wanting to pass out at this time.

[He glances at Cesar's tense scrubbing, then moves to tug the washcloth out of his hands.]

Do you want to have any skin left...? Careful...

[He drapes the wetted washcloth over his forearm and grasps the first aid kit, and uses his other hand to turn Cesar by his shoulder.]

Bench.

[Short, crisp instructions, and a nudge in that direction.]

Sounds good!

[dead_black_eyes]

Don't eat dinner. I'll bring something.

[evowhisperer]

Got it.

Thanks.

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*The cloth is tugged free of his hands, and he finds himself walking away as though he'd been given orders from god directly. This isn't any sort of time where he wants to think this reaction through, so he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It puts his hands where he can study them, and--... Well, the doppelganger did a number on them, that's for certain.*

*He keeps his head down while he signs.*

{He did this to get to me. If he hadn't wanted time alone, he wouldn't have done any of this.}

*His hands are shaking. He folds them into fists, and then re-extends the fingers slowly. It doesn't help.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L's movements are slow, still on the tail-end of drugged. He sits beside Cesar, shoulder-to-shoulder with the other man, surveying the damage done to the skin of his hands. His face is a little more difficult to see, considering it's bent and bowed over his open knees.

L's voice is slow, firm and clear when he speaks.]

This isn't your fault. I thought I could watch him every second, and... clearly I was wrong. I am so sorry this happened, and you were put in that kind of position.

[He gingerly nudges at Cesar's forehead with his knuckles, trying to get him to raise his face; it's a far cry from the grasping, bold advances of his doppelganger, handling Cesar like a possession with rampant entitlement. He dabs at some of the blood on his face, focusing on what's crusted around his nose. The skin is changing colors, already beginning to bruise.]

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*The sign for 'it's nothing' is simple and without hesitation. Him lifting his head is a little less so, but when he turns to let L dab the blood away, well, there's not much consideration to that at all. He licks the corner of his mouth, and then just presses his lips closed altogether: the towel won't help where the inside of his lip is bleeding, and he knows now that the blood on his lip isn't from that.*

{It's ok.}

*It's as though he's amending his previous 'nothing' comment, knowing that he'd sounded dismissive.*

*The nose looks bruised, but there's no major deformity or interference with his breathing.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[Several hours later, there's a soft knock on Cesar's door, and Lazarus is standing outside, looking serious, but not like there's anything direly wrong physically or otherwise. He holds a paper casserole dish with tinfoil over it in the crook of his arm; it is, very obviously, frozen food that he baked.]

It's vegetable lasagna. I was afraid I'd burn it so it might be a little undercooked, but the cheese is melted.

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*The friendly face that greets him at the door is looking a little different today: Cesar, more exhausted than L probably remembers, is standing partially silhouetted and completely sans facial hair. For whatever reason, he's shaved it off.*

*Switching on a light chases away a lot of the exhausted look, but not all, and he waves L further into the apartment, making the sign for 'thank you' with a bigger smile. L is pointed towards the kitchen, and Cesar closes the door behind him.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[Frozen food is a fantastic option for someone as inadequate in the kitchen as L. There are precise instructions on the box, everything is already assembled, all that is required is literally just throwing the tray in the oven and turning it on and sort of keeping an eye on the clock.

The lasagna isn't just undercooked, though. The center is actually still frozen, and the second someone pokes a fork into it, they'll be met with hard, knocking resistance.]

You shaved your beard... time for a change?

[The question is asked in a small voice, as if L's not quite sure if he has permission to be quite so familiar or sound lighthearted around Cesar again.]

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

{Something like that. It's to make me different from my doppelganger, at least until he catches on.}

*Cesar lingers where he is while he talks, drinking equally from the 'awkwardly unsure of boundaries and familiarity' cup. His smile is a front, and there's a lot of heavy effort that's going into being as relaxed as he's trying to seem, and it's unclear how long any of this can last.*

*He turns and steps past L, beckoning him towards the kitchen's open door.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[His fingers stray to his own neck, just under his ear, where there's a fairly new tattoo he got for just that purpose.]

It should help for at least a little while.

[He slips out of his boots and follows Cesar further into his apartment; it feels strange. It's been a long time since he was here, and his heart rate's increasing as though worried he'll get caught existing in a space he shouldn't have access to.

He sets the lasagna on the stove, where the iced-over part clunks loudly, and he winces.]

Sorry if this isn't... can I have a drink? Something strong, if that's OK.

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[His motions slow slightly at that sign, which really does look a little bit dismissive. The amendment is an enormous relief; it actually kind of shocks him how much of one it is.]

Is it OK?

[He tips Cesar's face up a little more, squinting, examining the bleeding. For such a notorious germaphobe, Lazarus is surprisingly good with dealing with injuries. Goodness knows he's had enough of his own.]

I mean... can you...?

[It's truncated. He glances down at Cesar's hands, taking the wrist of his less-injured one and raising it toward his face.]

Hold this here. I'm just going to the sink to wash my hands before getting some Neosporin on these scratches.

[He stands, starting toward the row of sinks.]

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar looks surprised, but he inclines his head forward, keeping his hand where it's been put. Why did L ask him to do this? There's no medical reason why holding this here and not the other would help, is there?*

*Suspecting that L cut himself off but not confident enough to call him out on it, Cesar waits for L to come back, watching him.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L glances back at him in the mirror.]

You're nose, where it was bleeding? Hold the cloth there, in case it starts again.

[Even if Cesar's shirt is kind of a lost cause, at this point.

He finishes and returns, uncapping the generously-sized bottle of Neosporin and starting to carefully apply it to the cuts on Cesar's other hand, the one not holding the washcloth.]

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar winces, but quickly complies. He discreetly wipes his mouth on the cloth while he's at it, but otherwise takes care not to jostle anything too much.*

*The Neosporin is cold on his hand, but L's touch isn't enough to disturb the cuts themselves. It's more skill than he'd expected. He keeps both hands still, switching out if asked.*

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*It's been a while since L was last here, but at the same time it wasn't. There's the table where they ruined at least 20 pages of printouts. There's the door where they pressed against each other on their way past. Now they're in the kitchen, and there's where L got down on his knees...*

*... Cesar tugs at his collar and opens the kitchen's tiny window, taking the second to gather himself. The lasagna clunks. Without being asked, he reaches over and turns on the oven. They're going to need this, aren't they?*

*This, and a few extra bottles. Cesar sends a wan twitch of his lips L's way and moves to a cupboard, taking out two short glasses. The bottle of tequila from that first night is still exactly where he left it, though it's significantly fuller than before. A new bottle? He pours a couple of finger's worth into each glass and recaps it, offering one glass to L.*

*YOUR nose, this is how I know I was too tired to write a tag

[dead_black_eyes]

[Lazarus has a light, delicate touch, and always has; a five-year period of most of his fingers essentially atrophying doubtless contributes to this, but so does his nature. He's gentle, methodical, and patient. He gets along well with animals and children. Despite seeming dishearteningly frail in a lot of ways, he has a manner of strength, and he's drawing from it now.]

Can you look at me? Without seeing him, I mean. After all that, did he erase everything that came before?

Hahaha

[evowhisperer]

*The surprise is palpable, and his breath changes pace like someone stepping farther to avoid a crack. He pulls his hands away to sign.*

{No, of course he didn't.}

{You can't erase something like that in just two weeks.}

*... Whatever 'something like that' really was. Prying questions that tried to dig into his life like persistent roots? One drunk night on a couch? He's too tired and still too close to whatever anger drove him to slam the copy's head against the table to get him to stop moving to want to soul-search deeply right now, even if he's replying the way he is.*

[Action]

[dead_black_eyes]

[There's no certainty for L on the matter, just clues and speculation, objects that are out of place since the last time he was here. Was that Cesar's doing independently, or the doppelganger's? He averts his eyes as Cesar opens the window and hears the oven click. At least the lasagna will get backed through, even if it means that its status was embarrassingly obvious. Maybe Cesar does think that it's fine, and merely wants to warm it, and L wants to believe that.

Thankfully, Cesar's not judging him for asking for something to take the edge off, but L eyes the bottles. The amount is different, and not really in a reassuring way. He went through a dark period of surviving almost entirely on alcoholic calories to replace some of what the cocaine burned and sweated through, and he can recognize the signs.]

Cesar, uh... have you been drinking more?

[He accepts the glass but keeps his eyes warily on the other man as he takes a sip. Are you OK is the question he feels like he should have asked; it's every bit what he means.]

[Text]- evening of the 6th

[oncedevil]

Your doppelganger problems have been solved.

[Action]

[evowhisperer]

*Cesar shrugs and nods. He seems disinclined to elaborate, taking the moment to drink a little more generously from his own glass.*

*The glass goes back to the counter.* {Would you like anything with that?} *He nods to L's glass, smiling slightly.* {I have juice.}

[dead_black_eyes]

[L glances up, then down again quickly as soon as he's registered and read the signs. He doesn't know if he's being humored or if Cesar's being wholly sincere; what he does know is that the man has been significantly shaken and that anything he says is something he might want to take back later.

He reaches toward Cesar's face, gently nudging the hand holding the washcloth against his nose squinting as he looks for injuries he can spread Neosporin on.]

Thank you for saying that, in spite of everything. For what it's worth, I agree.