Title: A Better Man
Author:
chibifukurou Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: zombie!Nate/Eliot
Summary: Luckily, the zombie apocalypse hadn’t been the bloody massacre that everybody expected. Still, paranoia ran rampant and some stupid government big wig had won their election on the platform of controlling the zombie population.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Sad story
Nate paced around the office. He hated his visits with his Government Appointed Psychologist. Eliot always made him come though, no matter how much he complained. The only good things about these visits was the fact that Eliot packed him the best lunches. He always gave Nate a thermos of pigs blood and a package of ground veal before he put him on the bus to his psychologist down town office.
Nate loved veal.
“Mr. Ford. Mr. Ford!”
Nate startled and turned around. Dr. Howard was watching him over the rims of her glasses. “Why don’t you sit down Mr. Ford?”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
Dr. Howard sighed and settled further into her brown leather armchair. “You should be here Mr. Ford. It’s part of your parole. If you want to stay with Mr. Spencer you have to come to these meetings.”
“I’m an adult. I can stay with Eliot if I want.”
“You’re not an adult, Mr. Ford. You’re a Zombie. Zombies are considered dangerous beings, which have to be monitored for murderous impulses. I explain this to you every time we meet Mr. Ford.”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
Dr. Howard sighed, before pasting on her best comforting smile. “You can take the bus back to Mr. Spencer’s house in a few hours Mr. Ford. Now why don’t we talk about how you’ve been adjusting to being around living humans?”
“I like being with Eliot.”
“I know you do Mr. Ford. Please take a seat, you’re making me uncomfortable pacing around like that.” Nate perched on the edge of the armchair across from Dr. Howard. Despite that, he kept fidgeting. Dr. Howard took what she could get. “Now why don’t you tell me how you’re adjusting to dealing with living people, besides Mr. Spencer?”
“Eliot matters.”
“And nobody else does?”
“They sound good. Smell good. Eliot is better.”
“This is probably a pointless question but have you felt the need to eat anybody?”
“Why?”
“No reason Mr. Ford. Why don’t you eat the good lunch I know Mr. Spencer made you while I take care of some things.”
That was finally enough to calm Nate down. He immediately began rooting around inside the brown paper bag that held his lunch. A big smile on his face. Dr. Howard returned the smile before getting up and heading over to her desk to put away her notes. Moments like these were bitter-sweet.
When the zombies had started rising from their graves nobody had known what to expect. Hell, half the world had gone into a panic thanks to all the zombie movies that pervaded pop culture. She’d admit to a bit of panicking herself.
Luckily, the zombie apocalypse hadn’t been the bloody massacre that everybody expected. Still, paranoia ran rampant and some stupid government big wig had won their election on the platform of controlling the zombie population. The first part of the government’s plan was to hold all the zombies in a prison. The second part of the plan was where psychiatrists like Dr. Howard came in. Those few zombies who’s family managed to get them out of the prison were required to have monthly physiological evaluations.
Dr. Howard hated these evaluations almost as much as her patients did. Particularly the ones that involved zombies like Mr. Ford. By all accounts Mr. Ford had been an extremely smart and kind man, then he took a fatal shot to the head. Now the only thing in the world that mattered to him was his lover, Mr. Spencer. A lover who was now forced to dedicate his whole life to caring for his mentally damaged Partner. Dr. Howard knew from previous meetings with Mr. Spencer that he didn’t regret that fact but as she watched Mr. Ford stuff the raw meat into his mouth like a child enjoying a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich she couldn’t help but feel bad for Mr. Spencer and Mr. Ford.
She couldn’t imagine having to care for her deceased husband as Mr. Spencer cared for Mr. Ford. She wasn’t as good a person as Mr. Spencer. She wished she didn’t feel as guilty as she did about that fact.