8 - upwards to infinity
Welcome to our eighth prompt post.
As ususal, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1) All fills for prompts of the earlier prompt posts go in the post the prompt was posted in. No re-posting or splitting up prompts and fills.
2) Self-prompt when you post unprompted fic. (This means posting what the fill is about in a first comment, like a real ( Read more... )
As ususal, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1) All fills for prompts of the earlier prompt posts go in the post the prompt was posted in. No re-posting or splitting up prompts and fills.
2) Self-prompt when you post unprompted fic. (This means posting what the fill is about in a first comment, like a real ( Read more... )
Then, someone was wrapping their arms around his legs and lifting him up, the pull of the rope ceasing and the ability to breathe slowly coming back to him. He was still very much aware of the uncomfortable burn around his neck, but he could breathe again.
Maybe he had died?
Then, he was being moved, and the tension of the rope left completely as he felt something cold curve between it and his neck, snapping it loose. He felt someone shifting him to carry him in their arms, their strong heartbeat pounding through their chest and vibrating against his ear. The first thing that came through his mind was that he wasn’t dead. He was alive, and from what he could tell through his oxygen-deprived, blurry vision, was that his saviour was wearing a blue tie.
“…Da…David?”
Two emotions ran through him then, one was anger at the man for bloody saving him and the second was shame for the bloody man saving him. As if he didn’t feel depressed enough, David Cameron had walked in on him trying to kill himself. If there was a new form of low, Nick had definitely found it.
“Nick? Nick, can you hear me?”
He’d been placed on the sofa, he assumed, and he could slowly see that David was leaning over him, paler than Nick had ever seen him.
“Nick...what were you doing?...I’m going to call an ambulance”
It seemed the political side of Nick’s brain hadn’t been effected, because that panic crazed statement had his arm reaching up and blindly grabbing onto what he hoped was the man’s blurry sleeve and tugging him back with as much force as he could handle. “Don’t…you dare…”
Finally, his vision was coming back, and he could see the realisation spread across David’s face. Stupid man. It would do them no good to have the tabloid declaring how suicidal Nick had gotten only a few months into the coalition.
But God did he still want to die.
“David…what…what are you doing here?” His windpipe felt crushed and a part of his brain reminded him that ropes sort of did that to you if you tried to hang yourself. Nick was actually surprised how quick he was recovering, and soon found himself able to sit up whilst David watched him, worried, and holding a phone in his hand, probably debating whether to call anyone or not.
“David.” he prompted, bringing a hand to his neck and delicately pressing against his windpipe, trying to ease the scratchy tone out of his voice.
“I came to see if you had gone home or not, yet…clearly not.” Placing the phone down, much to Nick’s relief, David simply sat and watched him for a moment, before shaking his head. “Why? ….Why would you do such a think, Nick? Hang yourself? Die? What could be so wrong with your life that you would have to resort to that…?”
Reply
“What could be so wrong?” he repeated, and was amazed at how much better he felt simply by being angry. "What could be so wrong?”
It wasn’t like Nick to be so threateningly angry, but the stress had been building so long that it was going to be released in a violent way eventually. Said violent way was by punching David Cameron square in his obliviously confused face so hard that he fell off the chair he had pulled up beside the sofa. Not done there, Nick found himself on his feet and pacing the room, although his legs shook a little from the sudden movement.
“I am the most hated man in the entire country right now! The most hated!” They were lucky, he supposed, that it was so late, since his voice had reached that level of volume that had this been during the day, would have caused some problems. “And you don’t even notice! I sold out my party for you and you don’t even notice what it’s done to me, to them! You selfish fucking Tory!”
Oh, Nick Clegg was pissed, if it wasn’t evident enough by the shouting, then the swearing was definitely a big help and David, not really having seen Nick angry was finding himself too shocked for words.
Nick, on the other hand, had not yet run out of any, and the more he yelled, the more his voice cracked before he eventually let out a defeated wail and placed his head in his hands, sobbing. “I sold out everything, I’ve done everything I can…and you don’t care, you don’t notice and you don’t thank me….”
As David reached out to console him, Nick whacked his arm away with a dark glare. “It’s not your name they chant! It’s not you they want to burn on a fire! You’re a Tory, it’s what you do. They expect it from you, but they looked to me and my party for support…and we didn’t give them it…we failed them…I failed them…and you wonder why I want to die? You wonder why I can’t go home and sleep? You did this to me!”
“I most certainly did not! You had a choice to vote, Nick!”
Reply
Before he knew what was going on, Nick found himself pushed up against the wall surprisingly gently, with David watching him with calm, cool eyes. “Because, Nick, if you had died, if you took your life…how am I ever meant to make this all up to you? I didn’t want this for us, I didn’t want this for you.” He paused, frowning, “I’m sorry…I know what you’ve done for me, and I’ll do my best to protect your seat, Nick, I promise…”
Shaking his head, Nick found himself frowning. “No, I’ll quit. If you won’t let me die, then I’ll quit, and you and Ed Miliband can go back to fighting…I’m too tired to do it anymore…”
“No.”
Looking up sharply, Nick frowned. “No?”
“No. You’re not running away from this. You’re depressed, Nick, suicidal. It won’t do you any good to just run and hide. You must try harder, fight with me! “ Shaking him by the shoulders again, Nick was half worried and half surprised that David was smiling. “We’ll fight it together, Nick. We’re in this together for good or for worse. I’ll help you, I’m the most powerful man in Britain, I can help you. We’ll get you help for your depression, and help to fix the coalition and the Liberal party! Nick, Nick, please don’t quit and run away…I don’t know what I’d do without you. In addition, I am grateful for everything you’ve done. Really.”
He wanted to prove it, Nick realised, and his determination and confidence seemed to feed his own, and Nick found himself smiling despite it all.
“You with me?”
The nagging feeling of depression was still there, and the urge to run and jump out the window was still a solid thought, but with David smiling like a bright eyed puppy that had brought you back a Frisbee, Nick couldn’t bring himself to stay in that state of mind. And so, reluctantly, he sighed and gave a small nod.
“Yes, David, I'm with you."
Reply
"You selfish fucking Tory!" < Best part.
Reply
Captcha says: Special pat. Well, it all started with that hand-on-back thing they both did after the Rose Garden press conference, didn't it?
Reply
Leave a comment