Dark Places of the Soul (Lost Galaxy, Kai/Leo)
Title: Dark Places of the Soul (cont)
Pairing: Kai/Leo
Rating: Still PG
EDIT: Fixed the html. *glares at Rich Text function*
Somewhere in between
Warm. He was warm. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been warm. It seemed like a different lifetime now, a lifetime that belonged to a different person, not… whatever he’d become. Kai forced his eyes open, fighting the slumber that wanted to wrap itself around him yet again and drag him down, back into a nightmare. Yet there was part of him that didn’t want to wake up, that wanted to stay here, wherever here was; somewhere between waking and sleeping where he didn’t have to be anything, didn’t have to do anything but exist. Just drift.
Kai’s vision blurred and he was unable to make out anything about the room he was in except that he was apparently no longer in his cell. It didn’t look like the Lab either, which was both a blessing and cause for alarm. If he wasn’t in his cell or the Lab, where was he? The possibilities seemed almost endless and each one was worse than the others. He extended his mind carefully, not wanting to alert anyone that someone was looking around, just trying to get some answers. Well, that was the plan anyway. Pain exploded behind his eyes, racing through his head like wildfire and he screamed, clutching at his head, fingernails scraping against his scalp as if it would somehow make the pain go away.
Hands reached out to him, running over him, all over him and he screamed again, feeling something inside him snap. The hands disappeared as if they’d been pushed away and he curled up in the bed; sobs wracked his body as he lay there, fear and pain running amuck, screams and cries and whimpers echoing in his ears. It was happening all over again and he wasn’t going back. He didn’t care where he was but he wasn’t going back to… that place; no matter what he had to do he wasn’t going back.
And nobody, not even… someone he couldn’t remember; nobody could make him go back there.
Strangers
Leo hesitated outside the door to Kai’s room. There was something different in the air today, even if he couldn’t put his finger on what it was and it was enough to make him wary about going in. Which was ridiculous, because what was an unconscious man going to do to him?
“Why do you keep going?” Mike had wanted to know. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know that he needs someone to visit. Nobody should be left alone, Mike.”
“I’d be careful if I were you.”
Leo turned around to find Kai’s nurse, Katherine, standing behind him. “Why?”
“He woke up,” she said shortly. “And it didn’t go well.”
Leo started in surprise, stomach flipping over and his nerves jangling with a bundle of emotions he couldn’t make head nor tail of. “He woke up? He’s awake?” It had been a while since his last visit, how long had Kai been awake?
She nodded and he stared at the door, now even more nervous than he had been before. He’d been visiting off and on over the past couple of months and the nurses had got used to seeing him. It seemed like he was the only visitor Kai had and he got the distinct impression that they approved of the fact that he visited, even if Kai’s family didn’t. It had even got to the point where Leo was thinking of the man as simply ‘Kai,’ as if they were long-time friends when in actuality they were complete strangers. Despite what the nurses might speculate about when he wasn’t around.
“How bad was it?” he asked cautiously and she sighed.
“Very. No-one could get near him for just over a week, not even to administer pain killers. It’s only been the past few days he’s even let anyone in the room without kicking them out.”
“He still has his abilities then,” Leo said quietly and Katherine gave him a sharp look before nodding once more.
“Very much so. But he’s been over-extending in his attempts to keep everyone out and that’s taking its toll. That might be the only reason he’s started to let us back in.”
Leo stared thoughtfully at the door. “Should I go in or not?”
“You can go in,” Katherine said carefully. “Just be careful. He knows someone’s been visiting him so it won’t be completely out of nowhere.”
“Okay, thanks.” Without stopping to let himself think, Leo opened the door and stepped into the tiny room. Dark brown eyes latched onto him and immediately Leo felt the temperature in the room drop a good several degrees. “Hi,” he said easily. “Remember me?”
“No.”
The reply was short, clipped and distinctly hostile. Not that that was surprising. The man had spent the past six months being experimented on by a bunch of crazies, it was no wonder he wasn’t all that trusting. “That’s okay, I didn’t think you would. We only met for a couple of minutes and that was in kind of a crisis situation. I’m Leo, by the way.”
Kai didn’t respond, just continued to watch him warily and Leo fought the urge to scuff his shoes on the carpet.
“Alright, I guess you don’t want me here and that’s fine, I just… I’m glad you’re awake, that’s all. I guess I’ll just… leave you alone now.”
“Why?” Kai asked as he reached. “Why did you visit? We don’t even know each other.”
“Because,” Leo started, Because for a moment it felt like I knew you, even though I’d never met you before in my life. Because I couldn’t let you go through this alone. Because I’m a sucker for punishment and always have been. Because… “…I don’t know.”
Welcome to the Club
It should have ended that day. While he hadn’t exactly been kicked out it had been made abundantly clear that he wasn’t welcome and usually Leo could take a hint. So why, he thought, am I here?
Because you’re a sucker for punishment, he answered himself. And because for some reason you can’t just let this go. He sighed. This was quite possibly one of his stupidest ideas ever. What on earth made him think he could help put a shattered man back together again?
“I know you’re out there,” Kai said from inside the room. “You might as well come in.”
Bracing himself and assuming a bright smile, Leo stuck his head round the door, giving Kai the chance to tell him to get the hell out. The man was sitting propped up against his pillows, book resting in his hands. To Leo’s relief Kai looked a lot better than the last time he’d seen him; not as pale or actively hostile. “Hi. Me again.”
“So I see,” Kai replied dryly. “Although why you’re here I have no idea.”
“Join the club,” Leo shrugged. “It just feels like I should be here, so here I am.”
Kai studied him pensively, head tilted slightly to the side. “Were you ever tested for psionic ability?”
“No,” Leo replied in surprise. “Why would I be?”
Kai shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all. But I guess sometimes a hunch is just a hunch.”
Leo frowned at the cryptic comment but Kai didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. “So,” he said, deciding that if he wasn’t getting any answers he might as well just ignore the comment, “how’ve you been?”
“Other than being stuck in a room ten feet by ten feet with nothing to do? Just peachy, thanks for asking.”
“Bored, huh?”
“Excruciatingly. I don’t suppose you could do anything about that?” Kai asked hopefully, sitting up in his bed.
“Such as?” Leo countered in amusement.
“Getting me out of here, for one thing. Before I really do go crazy.”
“If they’re keeping you here it’s for a reason,” Leo said carefully. “And I really don’t think I want Kat pissed at me.”
“Coward,” Kai muttered, then sank back against his pillow.
“I don’t see you trying to escape either.”
Kai shrugged. “Because I wouldn’t get far, that’s why.”
Leo hesitated, trying not to think too hard about what he was about to offer. “Look, I can’t do anything about getting you out of here, breakout raids only work so often, you know? But when you do get cleared? Give me a call and I’ll take you wherever you want. Unless you’d rather your family did that?”
It was a shot in the dark but it paid off, confirming something Leo hadn’t really wanted confirmed. Kai stiffened visibly at the mention of his family and he shook his head firmly. “No. But thank you. I might just take you up on that.”
“Fine, I’ll make sure they’ve got my contact details for when you get out and I’ll drop you off anywhere, no questions. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Link to table
Pairing: Kai/Leo
Rating: Still PG
EDIT: Fixed the html. *glares at Rich Text function*
Somewhere in between
Warm. He was warm. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been warm. It seemed like a different lifetime now, a lifetime that belonged to a different person, not… whatever he’d become. Kai forced his eyes open, fighting the slumber that wanted to wrap itself around him yet again and drag him down, back into a nightmare. Yet there was part of him that didn’t want to wake up, that wanted to stay here, wherever here was; somewhere between waking and sleeping where he didn’t have to be anything, didn’t have to do anything but exist. Just drift.
Kai’s vision blurred and he was unable to make out anything about the room he was in except that he was apparently no longer in his cell. It didn’t look like the Lab either, which was both a blessing and cause for alarm. If he wasn’t in his cell or the Lab, where was he? The possibilities seemed almost endless and each one was worse than the others. He extended his mind carefully, not wanting to alert anyone that someone was looking around, just trying to get some answers. Well, that was the plan anyway. Pain exploded behind his eyes, racing through his head like wildfire and he screamed, clutching at his head, fingernails scraping against his scalp as if it would somehow make the pain go away.
Hands reached out to him, running over him, all over him and he screamed again, feeling something inside him snap. The hands disappeared as if they’d been pushed away and he curled up in the bed; sobs wracked his body as he lay there, fear and pain running amuck, screams and cries and whimpers echoing in his ears. It was happening all over again and he wasn’t going back. He didn’t care where he was but he wasn’t going back to… that place; no matter what he had to do he wasn’t going back.
And nobody, not even… someone he couldn’t remember; nobody could make him go back there.
Strangers
Leo hesitated outside the door to Kai’s room. There was something different in the air today, even if he couldn’t put his finger on what it was and it was enough to make him wary about going in. Which was ridiculous, because what was an unconscious man going to do to him?
“Why do you keep going?” Mike had wanted to know. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know that he needs someone to visit. Nobody should be left alone, Mike.”
“I’d be careful if I were you.”
Leo turned around to find Kai’s nurse, Katherine, standing behind him. “Why?”
“He woke up,” she said shortly. “And it didn’t go well.”
Leo started in surprise, stomach flipping over and his nerves jangling with a bundle of emotions he couldn’t make head nor tail of. “He woke up? He’s awake?” It had been a while since his last visit, how long had Kai been awake?
She nodded and he stared at the door, now even more nervous than he had been before. He’d been visiting off and on over the past couple of months and the nurses had got used to seeing him. It seemed like he was the only visitor Kai had and he got the distinct impression that they approved of the fact that he visited, even if Kai’s family didn’t. It had even got to the point where Leo was thinking of the man as simply ‘Kai,’ as if they were long-time friends when in actuality they were complete strangers. Despite what the nurses might speculate about when he wasn’t around.
“How bad was it?” he asked cautiously and she sighed.
“Very. No-one could get near him for just over a week, not even to administer pain killers. It’s only been the past few days he’s even let anyone in the room without kicking them out.”
“He still has his abilities then,” Leo said quietly and Katherine gave him a sharp look before nodding once more.
“Very much so. But he’s been over-extending in his attempts to keep everyone out and that’s taking its toll. That might be the only reason he’s started to let us back in.”
Leo stared thoughtfully at the door. “Should I go in or not?”
“You can go in,” Katherine said carefully. “Just be careful. He knows someone’s been visiting him so it won’t be completely out of nowhere.”
“Okay, thanks.” Without stopping to let himself think, Leo opened the door and stepped into the tiny room. Dark brown eyes latched onto him and immediately Leo felt the temperature in the room drop a good several degrees. “Hi,” he said easily. “Remember me?”
“No.”
The reply was short, clipped and distinctly hostile. Not that that was surprising. The man had spent the past six months being experimented on by a bunch of crazies, it was no wonder he wasn’t all that trusting. “That’s okay, I didn’t think you would. We only met for a couple of minutes and that was in kind of a crisis situation. I’m Leo, by the way.”
Kai didn’t respond, just continued to watch him warily and Leo fought the urge to scuff his shoes on the carpet.
“Alright, I guess you don’t want me here and that’s fine, I just… I’m glad you’re awake, that’s all. I guess I’ll just… leave you alone now.”
“Why?” Kai asked as he reached. “Why did you visit? We don’t even know each other.”
“Because,” Leo started, Because for a moment it felt like I knew you, even though I’d never met you before in my life. Because I couldn’t let you go through this alone. Because I’m a sucker for punishment and always have been. Because… “…I don’t know.”
Welcome to the Club
It should have ended that day. While he hadn’t exactly been kicked out it had been made abundantly clear that he wasn’t welcome and usually Leo could take a hint. So why, he thought, am I here?
Because you’re a sucker for punishment, he answered himself. And because for some reason you can’t just let this go. He sighed. This was quite possibly one of his stupidest ideas ever. What on earth made him think he could help put a shattered man back together again?
“I know you’re out there,” Kai said from inside the room. “You might as well come in.”
Bracing himself and assuming a bright smile, Leo stuck his head round the door, giving Kai the chance to tell him to get the hell out. The man was sitting propped up against his pillows, book resting in his hands. To Leo’s relief Kai looked a lot better than the last time he’d seen him; not as pale or actively hostile. “Hi. Me again.”
“So I see,” Kai replied dryly. “Although why you’re here I have no idea.”
“Join the club,” Leo shrugged. “It just feels like I should be here, so here I am.”
Kai studied him pensively, head tilted slightly to the side. “Were you ever tested for psionic ability?”
“No,” Leo replied in surprise. “Why would I be?”
Kai shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all. But I guess sometimes a hunch is just a hunch.”
Leo frowned at the cryptic comment but Kai didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. “So,” he said, deciding that if he wasn’t getting any answers he might as well just ignore the comment, “how’ve you been?”
“Other than being stuck in a room ten feet by ten feet with nothing to do? Just peachy, thanks for asking.”
“Bored, huh?”
“Excruciatingly. I don’t suppose you could do anything about that?” Kai asked hopefully, sitting up in his bed.
“Such as?” Leo countered in amusement.
“Getting me out of here, for one thing. Before I really do go crazy.”
“If they’re keeping you here it’s for a reason,” Leo said carefully. “And I really don’t think I want Kat pissed at me.”
“Coward,” Kai muttered, then sank back against his pillow.
“I don’t see you trying to escape either.”
Kai shrugged. “Because I wouldn’t get far, that’s why.”
Leo hesitated, trying not to think too hard about what he was about to offer. “Look, I can’t do anything about getting you out of here, breakout raids only work so often, you know? But when you do get cleared? Give me a call and I’ll take you wherever you want. Unless you’d rather your family did that?”
It was a shot in the dark but it paid off, confirming something Leo hadn’t really wanted confirmed. Kai stiffened visibly at the mention of his family and he shook his head firmly. “No. But thank you. I might just take you up on that.”
“Fine, I’ll make sure they’ve got my contact details for when you get out and I’ll drop you off anywhere, no questions. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Link to table