(Untitled)

[unchosen_son]

His nose was broken

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[off_the_ceiling]

Jess winced when she got a good look at Sam's face in the light of day. "Shit," she said, reaching out but not quite touching it for fear of doing further damage. Not that there was much unbruised space around his nose to even touch. "Did I really do that? I swear, the last time I broke someone's nose they actually deserved it."

[unchosen_son]

Sam let out an exhalation that coupled with a laugh to sound genuinely amused as he gave her a fond look. "I love that you have previous experience in breaking noses, I really do," he swore, a refreshed tone in his voice as he looked at her. "It's okay, though, really. It was worth it," he added, because he would happily break another limb just to have her alive and happy.

[off_the_ceiling]

"Probably would've been better without all the blood, though," she said, finally brushing her fingers against him, high up on his cheekbone. "Does it hurt really bad? Is there anything I can do?"

[unchosen_son]

His eyes fell closed at the touch and he had to take a full step back, just to remove himself from all kinds of temptation he didn't know that he could stand. "You being here is enough, I promise," he swore. "You just have to give me some...not time, I guess, maybe, some patience? This is really weird," he had to admit.

[off_the_ceiling]

Jess got the feeling he wasn't exactly talking about the broken nose there. "It's pretty weird for me too, Sam," she said, pulling her hand back to her side and not reaching out again. Sam always did have his quirks, and Jess had some experience waiting them out. "So this is the Compound, huh? Anybody ever tell them that's a really creepy name?"

[unchosen_son]

"Yeah, it sort of sounds like you're bound to get drugged just walking in the door, right?" Sam agreed with an easy smile, finding that as per usual, his worries melted away as they tended to do when Jess was around. It was just so easy. "And I know, it's weird. So weird. But I want to tell you about it all because I want to be honest with you."

After all, not being honest had gotten him into trouble.

[off_the_ceiling]

"If someone pulls out the kool-aid I'm keeping my distance, that's all I'm saying," said Jess, smiling and just touching his arm this time. "I want you to tell me everything, Sam, I always did. Whenever you're ready."

[unchosen_son]

"I'm ready, but, you have to be warned that it's really kind of insane sounding. I mean, what you heard this morning is just the tip of the really, really fucked-up iceberg." In fact, it went down for miles and miles.

[off_the_ceiling]

"Is this the sort of unloading that I'm going to be wanting to sit down for?" she said. "I have to tell you, Sam, I haven't heard a whole lot today that hasn't sounded at least a little bit insane."

[unchosen_son]

"You'll probably want to be sitting down, yeah," Sam agreed with something of a tired smile. "And uh, alcohol? Alcohol would probably be a good idea too, seeing as I have a lot to say and it's not going to sound anything but crazy, I hate to say."

[off_the_ceiling]

"Well, let's do this, then," said Jess, reaching for his hand as much for him as for herself. "Let's just get it all out there. And if we have to get hammered to do it, well, I'm pretty sure with everything that's happened we're overdue for a drink or five."

[unchosen_son]

"Uh, I think we still have booze?" Sam guessed, trying to remember if they'd drank it all. "We had a wake...for a friend of ours, we sort of got really drunk then too." Or Sam had. Sam had drank a lot, trying to make it all fade away.

[off_the_ceiling]

"Oh Jesus, Sam, I'm sorry," she said, squeezing his hand and trying not to think about how he shouldn't've have had to go through something like that alone. "There's too much I don't know about this place. About you."

[unchosen_son]

Sam was so worried about those things, too. He was so worried that he was going to give her a list of those things and she was going to go running. "I guess the biggest thing is that I'm not the same Stanford-Sam that you knew. I mean," he rushed to speak, "I am! I really am, but...I was hiding a lot and I've stopped doing that, so think of it like, unfiltered-me."

[off_the_ceiling]

"Baby," said Jess, and leaned in to give him a soft, undemanding kiss. "I've been waiting for unfiltered you since the day we met. What are you so afraid of?"

[unchosen_son]

"Trust me, just hold onto that question until we're done talking," Sam assured weakly, but he did manage a strained grin and a laugh from all of that. "Seriously. You'll be like, thanking me for being so filtered and withdrawn about this stuff."