I claim first fic!
Nothing big or impressive, but I had to do something. Alan and Nick vignette placed somewhere before the start of the book. Spoilerish nevertheless.
Timing
Alan grinned as Nick pulled away, glaring at the offending hand that had tried to ruffle his hair. He slumped into his seat and poured a bowl of cereal. “Ready for school?” he asked, injecting his voice with enough enthusiasm to garner another glare, though Nick just shoved another bite in his mouth instead of answering.
“Are we out of bread?” he asked, then bit his lip and hid it by taking a bite of his own cereal, because he knew there was a whole loaf. He’d just gotten it yesterday, and not even Nick went through anything that fast. The only reason he’d asked was to get an answer. Because sometimes it was just so damned reassuring to hear Nick speak, to know that he could speak-
“Uhh, yeah,” Nick said, looking at him strangely. “You just got it yesterday.”
Nothing big or impressive, but had to do something...
“Right,” he said lamely. “Right. I forgot.” Sometimes he didn’t think about it at all. Sometimes he spent whole hours-days, even-without it ever occurring to him that Nick was anything other than his brother. He’d once gone eight days and twelve hours. And then, while he and Nick were at the store, a child had run into Alan’s leg, and he’d caught his breath and closed his eyes as the impact hit just the wrong note of agony, and had opened them to see Nick with one hand holding the little girl by the shoulder, and the other reaching for his pocket, and an expression of such absolute unreasoning rage that he’d grabbed his brother’s hand before it reached his knife, apologized to the child, and pulled Nick out of the store after him before even speaking a word.
“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” Nick had said, once they were well away, voice mildly offended.
Alan had looked at him, startled, hopeful until his brother finished with: “It would be a stupid reason to have to run again.” And he was reminded for the millionth time that Nick wasn’t human. Would never be human, and the hopelessness had washed back in until he felt like he was drowning. He’d taken a breath and then another, and had said he was glad Nick hadn’t been going to hurt her, and how about pizza instead of shopping.
Eight days and twelve hours. He kept hoping he’d break the record again soon. Or could maybe stop keeping track.
For now, he just reset his internal timer and finished his breakfast.
Timing
Alan grinned as Nick pulled away, glaring at the offending hand that had tried to ruffle his hair. He slumped into his seat and poured a bowl of cereal. “Ready for school?” he asked, injecting his voice with enough enthusiasm to garner another glare, though Nick just shoved another bite in his mouth instead of answering.
“Are we out of bread?” he asked, then bit his lip and hid it by taking a bite of his own cereal, because he knew there was a whole loaf. He’d just gotten it yesterday, and not even Nick went through anything that fast. The only reason he’d asked was to get an answer. Because sometimes it was just so damned reassuring to hear Nick speak, to know that he could speak-
“Uhh, yeah,” Nick said, looking at him strangely. “You just got it yesterday.”
Nothing big or impressive, but had to do something...
“Right,” he said lamely. “Right. I forgot.” Sometimes he didn’t think about it at all. Sometimes he spent whole hours-days, even-without it ever occurring to him that Nick was anything other than his brother. He’d once gone eight days and twelve hours. And then, while he and Nick were at the store, a child had run into Alan’s leg, and he’d caught his breath and closed his eyes as the impact hit just the wrong note of agony, and had opened them to see Nick with one hand holding the little girl by the shoulder, and the other reaching for his pocket, and an expression of such absolute unreasoning rage that he’d grabbed his brother’s hand before it reached his knife, apologized to the child, and pulled Nick out of the store after him before even speaking a word.
“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” Nick had said, once they were well away, voice mildly offended.
Alan had looked at him, startled, hopeful until his brother finished with: “It would be a stupid reason to have to run again.” And he was reminded for the millionth time that Nick wasn’t human. Would never be human, and the hopelessness had washed back in until he felt like he was drowning. He’d taken a breath and then another, and had said he was glad Nick hadn’t been going to hurt her, and how about pizza instead of shopping.
Eight days and twelve hours. He kept hoping he’d break the record again soon. Or could maybe stop keeping track.
For now, he just reset his internal timer and finished his breakfast.