in the middle of the dark night

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[itdisappeared]

[ Why is the front door boarded up? That is so incredibly inconvenient. Giles stands in front of it, staring at it with rather plaintive eyes, his hands on his hips. Hm, calm and rational thoughts. We must have calm and rational thoughts, as they are what get us out of tricky situations. ]

[ituncleared]

[Deep breaths. That's what he keeps telling himself whenever he hears a strange sound, when he swears he saw something moving in the corner of his eye, when he misinterprets a shadow. Lewis reaches out to find a wall and lean against it for some sense of balance, then searches in his pockets for his pills. He can't find them.

Someone took them.

Someone wants him to go through this as punishment when he did nothing wrong.

Deep breaths.

It's getting harder to remember how to do that.]

[itdisappeared]

[ Noise. Is someone else here? Is it a someone or a something? Giles frowns, turning slightly. He runs a slightly nervous hand through his hair, exhaling softly. Calm and rational thoughts! You're just in a creepy as fuck house that looks like it came straight out of a horror movie, there's nothing to worry about.

Feebly, like he doesn't really want to do it: ]

Hello? Is someone there?

[ituncleared]

[He completely freezes over when he hears the sound, drawing an inevitably loud breath, almost a whimper. It takes him a couple of seconds to recognize the voice but the bizarreness of this situation and ensuing theories hold him silent for a moment longer. He presses his eyes shut and breathes slowly, finally calling out with a helpless, pathetic voice.]

Giles? [he moves, only slightly in the direction of the nearest doorway. He doesn't quite show hope about finding someone familiar; he just doesn't want to be alone in the dark.] Giles, is that you?

[itdisappeared]

[ Giles sucks in a wobbly breathe as he hears his brother's voice, feeling a small lump rise in his throat before he manages to speak again, in a voice that is far more steady than he feels. ]

It's me, Lewis. It's me. [ He turns completely, stepping away from the door. ] Where are you?

[ituncleared]

[He follows the surface of the walls, quickening his pace as much as the house's obstacles and his caution will allow. He goes through the doorway and turns to one side, seeing shapes under the moonlight seeping in through a very humble window. No visible signs of his brother, though.

Lewis doesn't want to sound anxious or vulnerable, much less in front of Giles, so he gulps and develops some restraint in his tone. It's still very clear that he is nowhere near comfortable.]

I'm--[his voice breaks and he gulps again.] I'm here. Can you hear me?

[itdisappeared]

Yeah, I can hear you. [ He takes a moment to think, wondering how to find him. ] Keep talking - I'll follow your voice, okay? I'll find you.

[ He doesn't want to sound patronising, trying to speak firmly and reassuringly. He doesn't like being alone in the dark either, and there is a sort of warm relief flooding in his chest that at least it is someone familiar here with him. The relief is followed by a stab of guilt - why didn't you feel this way when you were younger, it asks. Swallowing, he takes a few tentative steps in the direction he thinks Lewis' voice is coming from. ]

[ituncleared]

I'm here. [He repeats, again and again with growing hesitation, alternative answers and truths drawing a train of thought in his head.

I'm alone. I'm scared. I don't have my medication with me. Someone took it away from me. Was it you? Are you alone? Why am I here?

But he's too damn apprehensive about this situation and his brother to go ahead and spill all that information. The less he knows, the less he has to worry about. The less reasons he can have to judge or be afraid of him. The less reasons he has to believe Lewis quietly suspects of many things.]

I'm here.

[itdisappeared]

Okay. [ Giles wants Lewis to hear that he's still there, that maybe he's getting closer. ] Keep going.

[ He slips carefully through a doorway, stepping over a large plank of fallen, rotten wood, looking from side to side - and that is when he sees a shape in the darkness. Unsure in the low light, in the unusual location, he hangs back a little, and speaks at length. ]

Lewis, is that you?

[ituncleared]

[He tilts and leans his head uncertainly, remaining perfectly still otherwise. He confirms it's his brother when he recognizes the voice and shape.]

Y-yes.

[Lewis crosses and rubs his arms softly but nervously. Should he approach Giles or wait for him to walk over first? He wants to utter a meek and awkward 'it's nice to see you' (or something along those lines). Something else trumps his uncomfortable and disappearing desire to be welcoming.]

What's going on?

[itdisappeared]

[ Slowly, Giles makes his way a little closer to Lewis, managing a faint, apologetic smile to his brother, even though he knows it won't be particularly visible in this light. ]

I... don't actually know. I just found myself in here, inexplicably. [ Quietly: ] Are you alright?

[ituncleared]

[There's a subtle shift in his look. Only the shadows cast by the faint moonlight from the window portray his expression when he does that. It should be obvious to anyone observant enough in an environment with more clarity that he's preparing a lie.]

No, yeah, I'm okay. I just--[He nods absently, almost like he's trying to reassure himself as much as he's trying to reassure his brother.

There's nothing to worry about. I don't want you to look at me like there is.]

... It's good to see you.

[And he pauses to exhale nervously, allowing himself to smile against his anxiety.]

This is really fucked up.

[itdisappeared]

[ Yes, Giles can see the gathering lie, but he doesn't want to call Lewis out on it. It's not as though Lewis has ever had many reasons to trust Giles, with or without medication. He was never exactly a present figure in his brother's life, despite the fact that they were twins. Blood relation seemed to be their only connection. ]

It's good to see you too. [ Giles' tone is genuine. It's been a while. He allows himself a short, soft laugh, nodding a little in agreement. ] Yeah, it definitely is. If I was going to spontaneously turn up somewhere, this wouldn't be the top of my list exactly...

[ He trails off, unsure of whether to continue his stupid, idle chatter on. It feels useless, almost false, even if what Giles is saying is perfectly true of his feelings. ]

[ituncleared]

[The smile fades a little, afraid he'll give false hope or inspire some sort of pity. There are so many ways he's afraid of being looked at and it makes him think too much for too long. He observes his brother, wary and self-conscious while trying not to be.

There were many reasons why he was avoided by Giles and why he ended up doing the same to him; very few are a mystery to either of them. He makes the biggest effort not to think about his darkest moment against his brother because it never does him any good. It's easier to pretend everything is alright -- with him and between them. It's better this way.]

We should... [he shuts his mouth momentarily, running his hand through his hair, almost like Giles does. There's something quicker about the way he does it, impatient.] We should get out of here.

[itdisappeared]

[ The only way Giles wants to look at Lewis is as his brother. He doesn't think there needs to be any other way to define Lewis, and that anything should affect or change the way he thinks or feels about him. It's one of Giles' greatest desires, to make up for lost time with Lewis, even in the wake of their tumultuous childhood. He can't help but always wonder - would it have been better if he had been more forbearing, less afraid. He feels such an ache of shame nowadays, but he fiercely convinces himself that he doesn't want this out of shame. He wants it because Lewis is his brother. He believes in him, far more than some other members of their family do.

He'll be damned if he knew how to express this, though. He's not even sure if it'd be a good idea. ]

Good plan. [ Giles unconsciously raises a hand, pressing his hand thoughtfully to his mouth in a customary gesture. ] Do you have any idea how you got in here?

[ituncleared]

No.

[his voice trembles and he averts his gaze as he thinks about it. Numerous theories build up in his mind, none of them plausible enough to keep him concentrated on them. For now. He should tell (warn) his brother that he doesn't have his medication -- who knows how long he's been without it or how much longer he will have to be -- but he's trying to convince himself that he can hold it together long enough to save him the trouble of knowing that.

He brings a hand up and scratches the back of his head, looking down, almost like what should be a much younger version of himself.]

I just woke up in the other room. Alone.