(Untitled)

[priorlives]

Prior always faced the change in weather with dread. One of the blessings of the island was that the climate was overall good for his immune system. He'd had bronchitis on the island once, and pneumonia another time, both during that small window of winter.

And as soon as he saw the real change that the island had undergone - the time period in

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[loveofmasters]

Florence was not lost, she lived in London for Christ's sake, but the sudden change and the snow and the whole... craziness of it had her head turned around and she'd been wandering the streets for the last half-hour looking for way back to the building that was now her home. However, if anyone asked, she knew she'd say she was exploring, she was not going to look like a lost fool in front of the people here, she had some pride. It was probably the last thing she could really call hers in this place.

But all of those thoughts faded as she saw the man double over ahead of her, coughing hard enough to shake. "Hey, do you need help?" Trying not to slip on the ice, she rushed forward to take a hold of his arm.

[priorlives]

The fit was on a downswing by the time she touched him, and the familiarity of the voice didn't register until he finally stopped, straightening up. "No, I'm - "

Then he saw her. His eyes widened in alarm. "Jesus!"

[loveofmasters]

"What! Is something-" Florence started, rocking back on the high heels of her boots and looking backwards, trying to figure out what startled him so. It took a moment before she realized he was looking at her.

"God, I'm sorry, you knew Maureen, didn't you? I didn't mean to scare you, I just... are you sure you're okay?"

[priorlives]

Maureen. No, of course she wasn't Maureen. Which meant...

"Oh fuck me, you're Florence," Prior blurted, and then his hand flew up to his mouth. "I'm sorry, sorry, I just..." He coughed again, but it only lasted for a second this time as he bent to pick up the fallen hat. So much for first impressions.

[unbellegeste]

Marie has been shopping--indulging a sudden interest in vintage fashion she hadn't been aware was lurking. Apparently being in London, even London of the past, makes her a bit stereotypically Parisian.

So she's contemplating her gloves, and paying attention to the way the snow crunches underneath her boots, when she hears the coughing, and looks up to see a man a few paces ahead have to stop and lean against the wall.

"Monsieur," she says gently, picking up the fallen hat to offer it to him. "Are you all right?"

[priorlives]

Prior got ahold of himself just as she approached, and managed to straighten up, offering the French woman a little smile. "Ça va bien," he said, his accent not bad for an American who hadn't actually been to France, and then took the hat. "Thank you."

[unbellegeste]

Marie offers him her arm anyway, though it might just be because it's what one does, when one is dressed up like this. She can't be entirely sure what's just the clothes and the atmosphere, at this point. "It's cold," she says sympathetically. "So sudden, it's hard to get used to, yes?"

[priorlives]

"Yeah, it is," Prior admitted. "I think I should... sit down for a second. Do you mind?" They were standing in front of a church, conveniently, and he nodded to the doorway.

[pitythetrumper]

Normally, coughs didn't bother Freddie much. Especially with the bite of cold the way it was, people were bound to get colds or even the flu just because it was so different to the way it was the other eleven months. This time it was different. This time, when he saw the suit and the cane and that damned hat...or maybe it was that he recognized the damn cough. Freddie ran to catch up with Prior, sliding a hand over his back.

"Why don't we head to the Compound and find out if we can get a little hot chocolate, Sunshine?" And Freddie could make a pit stop to find one of the doctors willing to make a house call.

[priorlives]

It would just figure that Freddie would be there just in time to see this - Prior was somehow simultaneously relieved and dismayed to see him.

"Is that a euphemism for a cute doctor?" he asked, not buying it. "Because I'm fine." For now.

[pitythetrumper]

"Absolutely not," Freddie answered. "Do you really think I'd leave you to the tender mercies of a cute doctor?" He already had enough abandonment issues and Prior knew a tiny bit of them. Enough to know that Freddie wasn't just going to hand Prior over to someone.

"Come on. Hot chocolate, maybe find some mistletoe... You know you want to."

[priorlives]

"Hot chocolate sounds divine," Prior said, managing a little smile. "Or is that a euphemism?" He was all about changing the subject right now. "For things one shouldn't do under public mistletoe?"

[capable_of]

Prior was not the only one to dread the change in climate every December. While it made Anatoly extremely happy, Lex didn't look forward to bundling up especially where his head was concerned. But it was better then catching pneumonia again, even if the pneumonia had eventually caught him a Russian.

Though he would agree on the clothes. There was something fun to dressing from a different time period, especially one as dashing as this one.

Lex had been returning home after running an errand when he first saw the escaping top hat. He bent down to pick it up and moved to politely return it when he Prior clearly in distress. "Prior...are you alright? What's wrong?"

[priorlives]

Prior managed to pull himself together and straightened up. He'd had his sleeve in front of his mouth as he coughed, and he was relieved when he pulled it away and there wasn't any blood on it.

"I'm okay," he said. "Hey, Lex. I just... want to sit for a minute?" They were conveniently standing in front of a church.

[capable_of]

"Of course." Lex offered first the hat back and then his arm of Prior so choose to use it.

"I'll try not to burst into flames as we go through the door but I warn you, as a Luthor, it is a possibility." He joked darkly in an attempt to pull focus from Prior's health, at least for the moment.

[priorlives]

Prior took Lex's arm and said, "Nah, it's probably me who should be worried, I'm not really on the good side of the angels."

As soon as they were inside, he dropped from Lex's arm into the nearest pew, in the back.

[highf]

Perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising that the health struggles of a loved one had made Kurt all the more aware of the fragility of humankind. When he heard someone coughing in the near distance, his first reaction was to hold his breath, less any germs be spread- but upon watching the man's top hat jar and fall to the ground, Kurt found that he couldn't keep himself away for long. He was young, his immune system presumably strong, and the end point was that the guy looked so miserable that he couldn't help wanting to offer a hand in aid. Brows furrowing in concern, he rushed to the man's side, tentatively reaching out with a hand to steady him.

"Hey," he said, hand moving to rub over the man's back in steady circles. Sensing that there was more than a cold going on, Kurt let out a slow breath and steeled himself. "Breathe."

[priorlives]

Right around the time that the strange began rubbing his back, Prior managed to pull himself together. He found himself doing as told, taking a deep breath, and though it wheezed a bit, he didn't start coughing again.

He straightened up, and turned to see who had helped him, a little surprised to see that it was a young man, probably about Marshall's age.

"Thanks," he managed, taking one more wheezing breath.

[highf]

Breathing slightly easier himself for the way that the man was able to stand up fully, not looking too much worse for wear, Kurt offered a watery smile and continued to have his hand circle around the man's back for a few seconds longer, in case it stood any chance of helping to stave off the coughs for a while longer. "My pleasure," he replied, even if it didn't seem entirely like the right thing to say, although the sentiment was meant kindly, laced with concern.

Of course, a closer look at the man's face just had to reveal that it was none other than Justin Kirk. Or, presumably, one of his roles.

Or just someone sharing his face.

"You okay?" he asked nonetheless, paying the fact no mind. More important than trying to work out his identity was just making sure that the man felt okay.

[priorlives]

"I'll be fine, honey," Prior said, because if anyone was a honey at first sight, it was this sweet, concerned kid. "The change in the weather, I think I might have... gotten a cold." Or pneumonia. It was coming, he just knew it. Freddie was going to lock him in his room until Spring.

"I'm Prior," he added, and held out white glove covered hand as he slid the top hat back on his head with the other.