Relaying the News (Alastair, Werner, Johan)
"You wanted to see me, Dad?" Alastair asked, entering Werner's hospital room with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't even known his father was being taken here last night. They hadn't contacted him until this morning, something he wasn't all too pleased about. But his father was ill, and Alastair wasn't about to make it worse by turning all the attention on to himself and his feelings. He wasn't like that. "Are you feeling alright?"
Werner let his eyes fall closed and he took a moment to calm himself. What he had to say was not going to be easy. Not in the least. And poor Alastair was going to be crushed. When he opened his eyes again, Alastair looked even more concerned. The young man said nothing, however. He simply put his hand on his father's arm and he cocked his head to the side in silent questioning. "I have to explain something to you, Alastair, and it's not going to be easy to hear."
Alastair took a deep breath and he bit his lip. "Er...okay. Uhm...what? What's going on? Oh god, do you have cancer!?" Alastair turned quite white at that, assuming, of course, that cancer was the worst thing imaginable.
It wasn't. Werner shook his head and he reached his hand across his chest to rest it on top of Alastair's. "No, Alastair. I don't have anything. I'm not sick. I'm a werewolf. I...I was not aware that...I've been speaking to someone here. Someone who knows about things like this. And he says that werewolves don't live as long as other people do. Our bodies become stressed because of the constant changing back and forth, and...Alastair...that's why it's seemed that I've been ill lately. It's because I'm a werewolf. And the...the process is starting-"
Alastair looked horrified. "But..how...how long!?"
"I don't know. I don't think anyone can actually tell us that. It's only been a few months, and Rolf seemed to think that most of the time, the process took a few years." Or at least he had said it sometimes did. But Alastair wanted to give his son some kind of hope.
"Years..." Alastair wrapped his arms around himself and he frowned. "Dad...I don't want you to-"
"I know." Werner said, squeezing Alastair's hand.
"I can take a leave of abscence from University!" Alastair said, suddenly frantic. "I can come back to Vienna with you!" He wanted to spend the remainder of the time Werner had with him.
"No...please don't do that, Son. Johan and I are going to relocate here until...it's important for me to be here with you. You don't need to uproot your life for this." And if Werner was dying, he wasn't losing anything by uprooting his. And Johan was enjoying the London Symphony Orchestra. He could play anywhere. This worked better than anything else would.
Alastair nodded, trying to keep himself from crying because he was twenty one years old, dammit. His throat felt like it was closing up, and his eyes filled with tears despite himself. He took a deep, shaky breath and he let it out slowly. "Thank you." He finally managed to say. "Thank you for...for staying here with me."
Werner opened his mouth to say something, but Johan entered the hospital room, not necessarily feeling refreshed after his piano based catharsis, but at least he'd gotten out enough emotion that he could be there for Werner. He stopped short when he saw Alastair standing there, however. He hesitated for a moment and then he took a step backwards. He was sporting an ugly black eye, courtesy of Werner himself, and Johan didn't really want Alastair to know his father had hurt him. Alastair had seen Johan, however, and his reaction was immediate. "Oh, Johan! Are you alright?" He moved immediately to Johan's side and he looked at the man's bruise with concern.
"I'll be fine, Alastair." Johan tried to sound soothing as he attempted to use some of his hair to hide the discolouration.
"But how did you..." Alastair looked all at once horrified and he glanced over at his father in the bed. Werner looked like he wished the blankets would swallow him whole and Alastair shook his head. "Did you do that to him?!" Alastair hissed, pointing at Johan. He had heard his mother explain how Werner had hurt her. She wasn't one to spare the details, as she was more interested in letting Alastair know it wasn't her fault they were divorced than in ensuring that no feelings were hurt. But Alastair had never seen that side of his father. To him, Werner was a gentle, kind man who would hurt himself before he would hurt anyone else. His lycanthropy was not his fault, and Alastair knew that. But he was already distressed, and he loved Johan too. God, what if Johan left his father because of this?! To see Johan injured and to think it might be the end of them together, and to know his father was dying...it was all too much.
"Alastair, it wasn't-" Werner began, but Johan cut Werner off.
"Your father didn't do it. The wolf did. And he's taking all the appropriate measures to ensure that it doesn't happen again." Johan reached out for Alastair's arms and he took then gently in his hands. "I am not broken. And I love your father just as much as I did yesterday and the day before that. If not more." Johan looked to Werner and he gave the man a little wink, which caused a blush to rise in Werner's cheeks. "It was an unfortunate accident that will not be repeated. Understand?"
Alastair drew a breath, and then he nodded. He gave Johan a miserable look and then he wrapped his arms around the other man, burying his face in Johan's shoulder. "Fuck."
"Yes." Johan replied. "I rather agree."
Werner let his eyes fall closed and he took a moment to calm himself. What he had to say was not going to be easy. Not in the least. And poor Alastair was going to be crushed. When he opened his eyes again, Alastair looked even more concerned. The young man said nothing, however. He simply put his hand on his father's arm and he cocked his head to the side in silent questioning. "I have to explain something to you, Alastair, and it's not going to be easy to hear."
Alastair took a deep breath and he bit his lip. "Er...okay. Uhm...what? What's going on? Oh god, do you have cancer!?" Alastair turned quite white at that, assuming, of course, that cancer was the worst thing imaginable.
It wasn't. Werner shook his head and he reached his hand across his chest to rest it on top of Alastair's. "No, Alastair. I don't have anything. I'm not sick. I'm a werewolf. I...I was not aware that...I've been speaking to someone here. Someone who knows about things like this. And he says that werewolves don't live as long as other people do. Our bodies become stressed because of the constant changing back and forth, and...Alastair...that's why it's seemed that I've been ill lately. It's because I'm a werewolf. And the...the process is starting-"
Alastair looked horrified. "But..how...how long!?"
"I don't know. I don't think anyone can actually tell us that. It's only been a few months, and Rolf seemed to think that most of the time, the process took a few years." Or at least he had said it sometimes did. But Alastair wanted to give his son some kind of hope.
"Years..." Alastair wrapped his arms around himself and he frowned. "Dad...I don't want you to-"
"I know." Werner said, squeezing Alastair's hand.
"I can take a leave of abscence from University!" Alastair said, suddenly frantic. "I can come back to Vienna with you!" He wanted to spend the remainder of the time Werner had with him.
"No...please don't do that, Son. Johan and I are going to relocate here until...it's important for me to be here with you. You don't need to uproot your life for this." And if Werner was dying, he wasn't losing anything by uprooting his. And Johan was enjoying the London Symphony Orchestra. He could play anywhere. This worked better than anything else would.
Alastair nodded, trying to keep himself from crying because he was twenty one years old, dammit. His throat felt like it was closing up, and his eyes filled with tears despite himself. He took a deep, shaky breath and he let it out slowly. "Thank you." He finally managed to say. "Thank you for...for staying here with me."
Werner opened his mouth to say something, but Johan entered the hospital room, not necessarily feeling refreshed after his piano based catharsis, but at least he'd gotten out enough emotion that he could be there for Werner. He stopped short when he saw Alastair standing there, however. He hesitated for a moment and then he took a step backwards. He was sporting an ugly black eye, courtesy of Werner himself, and Johan didn't really want Alastair to know his father had hurt him. Alastair had seen Johan, however, and his reaction was immediate. "Oh, Johan! Are you alright?" He moved immediately to Johan's side and he looked at the man's bruise with concern.
"I'll be fine, Alastair." Johan tried to sound soothing as he attempted to use some of his hair to hide the discolouration.
"But how did you..." Alastair looked all at once horrified and he glanced over at his father in the bed. Werner looked like he wished the blankets would swallow him whole and Alastair shook his head. "Did you do that to him?!" Alastair hissed, pointing at Johan. He had heard his mother explain how Werner had hurt her. She wasn't one to spare the details, as she was more interested in letting Alastair know it wasn't her fault they were divorced than in ensuring that no feelings were hurt. But Alastair had never seen that side of his father. To him, Werner was a gentle, kind man who would hurt himself before he would hurt anyone else. His lycanthropy was not his fault, and Alastair knew that. But he was already distressed, and he loved Johan too. God, what if Johan left his father because of this?! To see Johan injured and to think it might be the end of them together, and to know his father was dying...it was all too much.
"Alastair, it wasn't-" Werner began, but Johan cut Werner off.
"Your father didn't do it. The wolf did. And he's taking all the appropriate measures to ensure that it doesn't happen again." Johan reached out for Alastair's arms and he took then gently in his hands. "I am not broken. And I love your father just as much as I did yesterday and the day before that. If not more." Johan looked to Werner and he gave the man a little wink, which caused a blush to rise in Werner's cheeks. "It was an unfortunate accident that will not be repeated. Understand?"
Alastair drew a breath, and then he nodded. He gave Johan a miserable look and then he wrapped his arms around the other man, burying his face in Johan's shoulder. "Fuck."
"Yes." Johan replied. "I rather agree."