Fic: Roso y Blanco (11/13)
Title: Roso y Blanco (11/13)
Characters/Pairings: Walt/Jesse, Walt/Skyler, Jesse/Andrea
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1001
Summary: Sometimes things just come out of nowhere that you don't even expect, and you end up having to re-evaluate everything and everyone you've lived your life for.
Author's Note: See explanation of origination of plot idea in Chapter One. Spoilers for "Salud", and operates based on one assumption of how the end of that episode could have gone.
Chapter One: Welcome Home
Chapter Two: Code Blue
Chapter Three: Condition Critical
Chapter Four: Responsible
Chapter Five: Welcome to Somewhere
Chapter Six: Occam's Razor
Chapter Seven: In Times Like These
Chapter Eight: Exit Infinity
Chapter Nine: Don't Say a Word
Chapter Ten: Here and Back Again
Chapter Eleven: Could We Start Again, Please?
“I have an offer for you.” The words echo into Jesse’s ear, spoken so softly and so calmly. He turns and Donald is no longer standing in front of him; Gus is in his place, arms at his sides and looking as unflappable as always. “Stay here. Assist me in my business in this place.”
“What kind of business?” Jesse asks, breathing slowly and determinedly; it takes every ounce of effort. His mind is still reeling, and he’s still trying to cope with seeing Jane again, Gale again, Donald again - maybe he could handle one of them but all three is making him feel like he needs to sit down, or like he needs to seriously light up some crystal to wrap his mind around it all. He wishes Mr. White were here, maybe he could talk this out to him and figure out what he needed to do.
“Helping me settle my business,” Gus says simply. “You will be well-needed.” Well-needed… well-needed… What did that mean?
Jesse wishes he didn’t have to handle Gus alone - he’s never really been able to handle him alone. But he is alone, and that’s not going to change.
***
Walt rushes back into Jesse’s room, finds a worried Skyler standing there.
“They said he’s getting worse,” she tells him, swallowing hard. “He’s falling deeper into a coma, they said. He’s scoring lower on that… scale of theirs, the Glascow Coma Scale.” Skyler turns and looks towards Jesse again, unable to meet Walt’s eyes.
“Jesse,” Walt whispers, stepping closer. “If you can hear me, please wake up soon. Come back. I’m sorry about… everything.” He takes another step and no longer cares that Skyler is standing here, watching and he gently grips Jesse’s hand, interlacing his fingers with the younger man’s as he squeezes. “Jesse, I need you. I need you. Don’t give up, Jesse. Fight. You know you need to fight.” He takes a deep breath before changing tactics, like this is really a negotiation that he can work out. “Your girlfriend… Andrea… came by, with her little boy, Brock. They need you. If you don’t get better for me, get better for them?” Walt blinks hard - he will not cry, will not cry.
Skyler watches him and doesn’t know what to feel. Walt, who’s never been particularly the “sharing and caring” type, has shut down even more over this past year. It’s a little heartbreaking to see Walt like this, so close to breaking down, but it’s also - though she feels horrible for thinking it - a relief that he’s still human.
“All we can do is wait and see,” she pipes up quietly, not wanting to startle Walt. He nods; in the corner of the room, he notices an episode of House playing against the silence.
“Which episode’s that?” Walt asks, desperate to talk about anything other than Jesse being in a coma.
“It’s ‘Wilson’s Heart’,” Skyler replies.
“What happens in that one?”
“Well… Wilson’s girlfriend… she’s sick… and it turns out it’s House’s fault. And she dies.”
Walt doesn’t want to talk about House anymore.
***
“I have stuff I need to do on Earth. You said it’d be my choice,” Jesse retorts.
“It is your choice,” Gus replies, “But there are… incentives to stay.”
“What kind of incentives?” Jesse inquires. He feels that he might be tired of Gus’ incentives - where have they brought him? They brought him here, didn’t they?
“You would have a position of great usefulness,” Gus begins, “You will want for nothing. No pain, no stress, no dealing with Walter White.” Gus spat the name.
“Maybe I want to deal with Walter White,” Jesse whispers. He tries for firmness, for a lack of fear of a man who seems like he could destroy him as easily in death as in life. Not only that, but underneath all the utter hatred that coursed through Jesse for Gus, there is that realization, that admiration of Gus’ intelligence, and of the loyalty he not only inspires but commands from those men who work for him. Jesse can’t help but be a little in awe of the man.
And then there’s Mike. Forget Gus - Mike. The man who’d been there, unwavering and firm, when he’d been shattered in the wake of Jane’s death. Even before he’d seen Mr. White, he’d seen Mike. Then the man - what was his job title? P.I.? Enforcer? Just all-around bad-ass? - had taken Jesse under his wing, maybe it had been a ploy at first, no, it had definitely been a ploy at first, but Jesse was certain it had developed into more than that.
All the medical staff working on Gus, none on Mike - “This man needs help!” “This man pays my salary” - Jesse wishing he hadn’t screwed around in high school and had taken a goddamned First Aid class - a tourniquet, that’s what he needs, right? He pulls off his shirt, but where does it go - wrap it around, that’s got to do, apply pressure - Jenny’s words when Jake had fallen into a neighbor’s metal railing, wrap that around and apply pressure, Jesse now don’t panic, he’ll be fine, I’ll go call, just apply pressure - how old had he been? Jesse’s applying pressure to Mike’s wound but it’s not enough and he can’t stop himself from crying out in desperation, pleading that somebody needs to help him here - by the time they turn to Mike it’s too late, too late… Jesse watches the man’s eyes go dark - but they don’t close, they don’t close, they keep looking at him as if asking him why he failed, why he failed, and Jesse’s head sinks into Mike’s chest and he just cries.
“I want to go.” Jesse cannot stay here. There is nothing more he can do for Mike. Mike is Gus’ now. Perhaps he always has been. But Jesse cannot change that by belonging to Gus as well.
“Jesse,” Gus responds, “I have information that may change your mind.”
Characters/Pairings: Walt/Jesse, Walt/Skyler, Jesse/Andrea
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1001
Summary: Sometimes things just come out of nowhere that you don't even expect, and you end up having to re-evaluate everything and everyone you've lived your life for.
Author's Note: See explanation of origination of plot idea in Chapter One. Spoilers for "Salud", and operates based on one assumption of how the end of that episode could have gone.
Chapter One: Welcome Home
Chapter Two: Code Blue
Chapter Three: Condition Critical
Chapter Four: Responsible
Chapter Five: Welcome to Somewhere
Chapter Six: Occam's Razor
Chapter Seven: In Times Like These
Chapter Eight: Exit Infinity
Chapter Nine: Don't Say a Word
Chapter Ten: Here and Back Again
Chapter Eleven: Could We Start Again, Please?
“I have an offer for you.” The words echo into Jesse’s ear, spoken so softly and so calmly. He turns and Donald is no longer standing in front of him; Gus is in his place, arms at his sides and looking as unflappable as always. “Stay here. Assist me in my business in this place.”
“What kind of business?” Jesse asks, breathing slowly and determinedly; it takes every ounce of effort. His mind is still reeling, and he’s still trying to cope with seeing Jane again, Gale again, Donald again - maybe he could handle one of them but all three is making him feel like he needs to sit down, or like he needs to seriously light up some crystal to wrap his mind around it all. He wishes Mr. White were here, maybe he could talk this out to him and figure out what he needed to do.
“Helping me settle my business,” Gus says simply. “You will be well-needed.” Well-needed… well-needed… What did that mean?
Jesse wishes he didn’t have to handle Gus alone - he’s never really been able to handle him alone. But he is alone, and that’s not going to change.
***
Walt rushes back into Jesse’s room, finds a worried Skyler standing there.
“They said he’s getting worse,” she tells him, swallowing hard. “He’s falling deeper into a coma, they said. He’s scoring lower on that… scale of theirs, the Glascow Coma Scale.” Skyler turns and looks towards Jesse again, unable to meet Walt’s eyes.
“Jesse,” Walt whispers, stepping closer. “If you can hear me, please wake up soon. Come back. I’m sorry about… everything.” He takes another step and no longer cares that Skyler is standing here, watching and he gently grips Jesse’s hand, interlacing his fingers with the younger man’s as he squeezes. “Jesse, I need you. I need you. Don’t give up, Jesse. Fight. You know you need to fight.” He takes a deep breath before changing tactics, like this is really a negotiation that he can work out. “Your girlfriend… Andrea… came by, with her little boy, Brock. They need you. If you don’t get better for me, get better for them?” Walt blinks hard - he will not cry, will not cry.
Skyler watches him and doesn’t know what to feel. Walt, who’s never been particularly the “sharing and caring” type, has shut down even more over this past year. It’s a little heartbreaking to see Walt like this, so close to breaking down, but it’s also - though she feels horrible for thinking it - a relief that he’s still human.
“All we can do is wait and see,” she pipes up quietly, not wanting to startle Walt. He nods; in the corner of the room, he notices an episode of House playing against the silence.
“Which episode’s that?” Walt asks, desperate to talk about anything other than Jesse being in a coma.
“It’s ‘Wilson’s Heart’,” Skyler replies.
“What happens in that one?”
“Well… Wilson’s girlfriend… she’s sick… and it turns out it’s House’s fault. And she dies.”
Walt doesn’t want to talk about House anymore.
***
“I have stuff I need to do on Earth. You said it’d be my choice,” Jesse retorts.
“It is your choice,” Gus replies, “But there are… incentives to stay.”
“What kind of incentives?” Jesse inquires. He feels that he might be tired of Gus’ incentives - where have they brought him? They brought him here, didn’t they?
“You would have a position of great usefulness,” Gus begins, “You will want for nothing. No pain, no stress, no dealing with Walter White.” Gus spat the name.
“Maybe I want to deal with Walter White,” Jesse whispers. He tries for firmness, for a lack of fear of a man who seems like he could destroy him as easily in death as in life. Not only that, but underneath all the utter hatred that coursed through Jesse for Gus, there is that realization, that admiration of Gus’ intelligence, and of the loyalty he not only inspires but commands from those men who work for him. Jesse can’t help but be a little in awe of the man.
And then there’s Mike. Forget Gus - Mike. The man who’d been there, unwavering and firm, when he’d been shattered in the wake of Jane’s death. Even before he’d seen Mr. White, he’d seen Mike. Then the man - what was his job title? P.I.? Enforcer? Just all-around bad-ass? - had taken Jesse under his wing, maybe it had been a ploy at first, no, it had definitely been a ploy at first, but Jesse was certain it had developed into more than that.
All the medical staff working on Gus, none on Mike - “This man needs help!” “This man pays my salary” - Jesse wishing he hadn’t screwed around in high school and had taken a goddamned First Aid class - a tourniquet, that’s what he needs, right? He pulls off his shirt, but where does it go - wrap it around, that’s got to do, apply pressure - Jenny’s words when Jake had fallen into a neighbor’s metal railing, wrap that around and apply pressure, Jesse now don’t panic, he’ll be fine, I’ll go call, just apply pressure - how old had he been? Jesse’s applying pressure to Mike’s wound but it’s not enough and he can’t stop himself from crying out in desperation, pleading that somebody needs to help him here - by the time they turn to Mike it’s too late, too late… Jesse watches the man’s eyes go dark - but they don’t close, they don’t close, they keep looking at him as if asking him why he failed, why he failed, and Jesse’s head sinks into Mike’s chest and he just cries.
“I want to go.” Jesse cannot stay here. There is nothing more he can do for Mike. Mike is Gus’ now. Perhaps he always has been. But Jesse cannot change that by belonging to Gus as well.
“Jesse,” Gus responds, “I have information that may change your mind.”