Sleepless Night
Mar. 4th, 2013 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spongetasticOriginally written in 2008
"Peter, it's late," he said with all the patience he built up over the years. "I'm not going to be driving around all night."
"I said I would switch with you," the empath replied.
"That isn't the issue," the older man told him. "I'm tired of being in this car." Before his companion could protest, Adam pulled off at the next intersection and parked their car in an empty space. The motel he'd chosen wasn't the best but he wasn't going to be picky.
Being back on the mission with Peter turned out to be less of a pleasing adventure than Adam hoped. A definite rift had come between them since they were separated, and Adam knew that the Irish girl was to blame for it. Obviously he could sense lingering attraction from his companion but the boy's feelings were confused.
"Do you even have money for a room?" Peter demanded as he got out.
"Who needs money?" Adam retorted, smirking.
"What?" Peter yelped, blanching. "I am not breaking into a motel, Adam." The older man just kept smiling. If he could convince Peter to steal clothes, he was certain he could do this too.
"We will be out before anyone even notices. I see no reason for us to spend our funds when we don't have to." Peter still looked rebellious, so Adam played his trump card. "Peter, I am not sleeping in the car. I have had enough of confined places." As he expected, Peter's expression softened and he caved.
The fact that he could still manipulate the boy into getting what he wanted was a very encouraging sign. Adam wondered if he could talk Peter into doing other things... Peter found them an empty room and phased through the wall.
"No one's next door, either," the younger man reported. "I'll go over there." He phased through before Adam could say anything. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Adam walked the thin carpet until he stood in front of the wall where Peter disappeared.
"Just like old times," he said, pressing his hand against the wall. "You and I separated by rooms. Can you hear me all right?"
"Yeah," Peter's voice answered. "The walls here are pretty thin. Cheap motel." Adam smiled and leaned his back against the wall. They couldn't turn the lights on for fear of alerting anyone, but Adam's room had a window so the moonlight could stream in.
He seriously doubted either of them would be getting any sleep. His body had adjusted to the habit of sleeping whenever he felt tired, despite what the true hour was. And Peter's body was still stuck on Ireland time. Even so, it was nice to rest for a while.
"Peter," he called out after a few moments of silence. "This girl... Caitlin. Do you love her?" There was a thoughtful silence in answer. Adam knew damn well they couldn't save her; he didn't want Peter to be crushed when this was all over.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such sharp fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends," Adam said, more to himself than Peter. But the empath heard him all the same.
"What?"
"Shakespeare," he explained.
"Did you know him?" Peter asked with interest.
"He was a bit before my time, but-- as I'm sure you know-- he's grown quite famous. I have all his plays memorized."
"You... you do? Really?"
"Of course," Adam answered casually. He could imagine the shocked look on the younger man's face. "Need I remind you how long I was trapped in the Company? I had to have something to occupy my time. It wasn't just Shakespeare. I memorized Paradise Lost, Dickens... well anything, really. At the time it was to keep my mind sharp. But it saved my sanity during those long years."
Normally Adam wouldn't confess any sign of weakness, but from previous experience he knew that proving his humanity to Peter would ultimately be in his favor. On the other side of the wall, Peter's head was spinning. He couldn't imagine anyone holding all that information in their head.
Peter was amazed to find out how much he'd missed spending time with Adam. Of course he only recently remembered the man, but even as an amnesiac he found he missed bonding with another person like himself. Peter was drawn to the man from the moment they exchanged names in the cell. All of those feelings were rushing back to him now, and he placed a hand on the wall that separated them. This was how it all started for them: talking through a wall, keeping each other from feeling alone.
Music started coming from Adam's head. Peter hadn't been consciously listening in but now he focused, trying to guess the tune. "Hey!" he said suddenly. "I know that song."
"Hm?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be listening in on your thoughts," Peter said awkwardly. "But I know that song." Without really knowing why, he started singing along. "It's been a hard days' night, and I'd been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log." Adam laughed, and joined in:
"But when I get home to you I find the things that you do will make me feel all right." The two of them sang the entire song together, momentarily forgetting they were unknown guests at the motel. Adam hadn't enjoyed himself like this for centuries. It made the motel room as cold and lonely as his cell in the Company felt before he met Peter.
Damn. What did this boy do to him?
"Peter, it's late," he said with all the patience he built up over the years. "I'm not going to be driving around all night."
"I said I would switch with you," the empath replied.
"That isn't the issue," the older man told him. "I'm tired of being in this car." Before his companion could protest, Adam pulled off at the next intersection and parked their car in an empty space. The motel he'd chosen wasn't the best but he wasn't going to be picky.
Being back on the mission with Peter turned out to be less of a pleasing adventure than Adam hoped. A definite rift had come between them since they were separated, and Adam knew that the Irish girl was to blame for it. Obviously he could sense lingering attraction from his companion but the boy's feelings were confused.
"Do you even have money for a room?" Peter demanded as he got out.
"Who needs money?" Adam retorted, smirking.
"What?" Peter yelped, blanching. "I am not breaking into a motel, Adam." The older man just kept smiling. If he could convince Peter to steal clothes, he was certain he could do this too.
"We will be out before anyone even notices. I see no reason for us to spend our funds when we don't have to." Peter still looked rebellious, so Adam played his trump card. "Peter, I am not sleeping in the car. I have had enough of confined places." As he expected, Peter's expression softened and he caved.
The fact that he could still manipulate the boy into getting what he wanted was a very encouraging sign. Adam wondered if he could talk Peter into doing other things... Peter found them an empty room and phased through the wall.
"No one's next door, either," the younger man reported. "I'll go over there." He phased through before Adam could say anything. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Adam walked the thin carpet until he stood in front of the wall where Peter disappeared.
"Just like old times," he said, pressing his hand against the wall. "You and I separated by rooms. Can you hear me all right?"
"Yeah," Peter's voice answered. "The walls here are pretty thin. Cheap motel." Adam smiled and leaned his back against the wall. They couldn't turn the lights on for fear of alerting anyone, but Adam's room had a window so the moonlight could stream in.
He seriously doubted either of them would be getting any sleep. His body had adjusted to the habit of sleeping whenever he felt tired, despite what the true hour was. And Peter's body was still stuck on Ireland time. Even so, it was nice to rest for a while.
"Peter," he called out after a few moments of silence. "This girl... Caitlin. Do you love her?" There was a thoughtful silence in answer. Adam knew damn well they couldn't save her; he didn't want Peter to be crushed when this was all over.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such sharp fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends," Adam said, more to himself than Peter. But the empath heard him all the same.
"What?"
"Shakespeare," he explained.
"Did you know him?" Peter asked with interest.
"He was a bit before my time, but-- as I'm sure you know-- he's grown quite famous. I have all his plays memorized."
"You... you do? Really?"
"Of course," Adam answered casually. He could imagine the shocked look on the younger man's face. "Need I remind you how long I was trapped in the Company? I had to have something to occupy my time. It wasn't just Shakespeare. I memorized Paradise Lost, Dickens... well anything, really. At the time it was to keep my mind sharp. But it saved my sanity during those long years."
Normally Adam wouldn't confess any sign of weakness, but from previous experience he knew that proving his humanity to Peter would ultimately be in his favor. On the other side of the wall, Peter's head was spinning. He couldn't imagine anyone holding all that information in their head.
Peter was amazed to find out how much he'd missed spending time with Adam. Of course he only recently remembered the man, but even as an amnesiac he found he missed bonding with another person like himself. Peter was drawn to the man from the moment they exchanged names in the cell. All of those feelings were rushing back to him now, and he placed a hand on the wall that separated them. This was how it all started for them: talking through a wall, keeping each other from feeling alone.
Music started coming from Adam's head. Peter hadn't been consciously listening in but now he focused, trying to guess the tune. "Hey!" he said suddenly. "I know that song."
"Hm?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be listening in on your thoughts," Peter said awkwardly. "But I know that song." Without really knowing why, he started singing along. "It's been a hard days' night, and I'd been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log." Adam laughed, and joined in:
"But when I get home to you I find the things that you do will make me feel all right." The two of them sang the entire song together, momentarily forgetting they were unknown guests at the motel. Adam hadn't enjoyed himself like this for centuries. It made the motel room as cold and lonely as his cell in the Company felt before he met Peter.
Damn. What did this boy do to him?