Chapter Text
He stood there in the grass, his hands shaking at his side, his nails digging into his palms to try and calm them. Unable to move he watched Sam walk down the street, and he didn’t look back. As he saw him turn down the end of the road and back into the streets he felt his legs give way and he collapsed onto the grass. Unable to catch his breathe, tears formed at his eyes as he sat there, feeling as if he was choking in air, unable to gather his thoughts in his head.
He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there but the dampness of the grass has begun to sink into his trousers and he could barely feel his toes as the winter cold creeped into the night. He had tried to stand up, to get out of the park and to make it home but every time, the tears came back, the shaking overtook him, and his mind spiralled into downfall.
Slowly his eyes cleared up and he dragged himself to his feet. Looking around he looked at the swings, they slowly swayed in the wind, the sight creak of the chains being the only sound to break the silence. Brushing down his trousers and smoothing out his jacket he started to make his way over to the gate, his legs still shaking beneath him. Lifting his head up, he turned down the road and began to make his way back into the lit up streets.
The street was quiet, little signs of life could be seen in the houses as it got later and the young man found himself to be the only one out at the time. Walking down the street he made his way back to the town square through the same route as before. Going back past the closed down shops his mind flashed back to walked down them earlier in the day. He felt his mind start to run and choked out a sob, curling his hands into fists he quickened his pace. He felt tears come to his eyes as he ducked his head down and ran out the square turning down the next street, directly into another man walking past, possibly the only other man out at that time of night. The other man glanced his head up and the pair made eye contact seconds before the two collided and crashed to the ground.
Throwing his hands back to try and catch himself, his hit the ground hard and felt the pavement dig into his palms. Looking up, the man opposite was starting on the pavement inspecting the sleeves of his jacket when he glanced across and a look of concern flooded over his face.
“My god, are you alright?” The other person looked worriedly at him as he noticed the tears in his eyes as he pulled himself to his feet, “ I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, I’m afraid I didn’t see you.”
He was in too much shock, still sat on the floor to reply to the man and correct him for the blame.
The other man finished inspecting his clothes which seemed to be harm free and stuck his hand out,
“Here let me help you.”
Reaching up and grabbing the hand without thinking, he was quickly pulled to his feet before dropping the hand out of pain with a short gasp. The other man quickly retreated his arm to his side. Peering down at his hand he saw both his palms were lined with a deep graze that was leaking blood onto his fingers, with one side the cut running all down the side of his arm where he landed on it.
“Shit,” he let out a small mutter as tried to bend his hand, it making on my the slightest movement before he stopped from a burning pain.
He stood there his hands help out in front of him and pain searing up his arm from the graze up the side. The other man stepped forward, towering over him from the slight height difference and gently took hold of his wrists, turning his hands over and bringing them closer to his face, inspecting them. His face twisted into a frown as he peered into the deep red cuts that covered the man’s hand. The other man looked up at him, the pairs faces inched from each other, their eyes staring at each other. The shorter of the two took a small step backwards, pulling his hands out of the grasp of the other.
“You need help.”
“Excuse me?” He blinked at the man standing across from him.
“Medical help, you need first aid on those hands.”
“Uh, it’s ok I think I might have some bandages at home.” He stammered over his words, not wanting to need assistance from the other man.
“There’s no way you can do that yourself, here, there’s a first aid kit at where I’m staying and it needs to be cleaned.” He stared into his eyes, a serious look on his face.
“It’s ok, I don’t want to trouble you and I can manage.” He nodded at the man and set himself to leave.
“Nonsense, I will be quick just let me at least get the dirt out of the cuts.” His voice shone with sincerity, his eyes showing his concern and pleading him to allow help from another.
Letting out a small sigh and glancing around the street, he looked back at the other man and tightened his lips,
“ok.”
“Great, I’m not far from here, just a brief walk.” He have a small grin to the man watching him and set of down the street, the other following.
They walked in silence, the walk making the man behind’s mind float back to the events of earlier that evening, he had stopped thinking about it during the recent drama. And he willed the memories to leave his mind, at least whilst in the presence of another man, he could allow himself to break in front of what was a complete stranger. The thoughts of a officer turning up at his door the next morning because the other man, Sam had decided to report him seeped into his brain. Before he could think any harder about it the man in front of him slowed his walk so that the pair were next to each other.
He glanced down at his hands before speaking out.
“I’m Havers by the way.”
The other man didn’t respond.
He coughed slightly, “I’m here for the conscription, came out from a few towns across.” He glanced across as the man who was walking with his head held high.
“What about you?”
“Oh, I didn’t travel but also I was here from conscription, not that I didn’t want to enlist just only recently turned 18.” He didn’t turn to look at Havers when he spoke out, but the response still seemed intimate, like he was staring into his eyes when he spoke to let him know that the answer was for him and him only.
“Your 18?” He stared at the man slightly confused, “you look older.”
He finally turned to look at Havers before answering, “I get that a lot, but what about you?”
Havers coughed slightly, bringing his hand up to his face, “17.”
“Oh,” he looked away, “why did you sign up then? It’s not mandatory, it’s not even allowed.”
“My brothers signed up, felt I had to I guess.”
Before he could reply, Havers stopped walking and turned up a small path to a little house. Following him up the path, Havers pushed open the door before stopping him briefly,
“We’ll have to be quiet, the owners of the place will probably be asleep.”
“Of course,” his face flushed slightly, embarrassed from the feeling of guilt that came with the need to have help from another man.
Stepping inside, the pair entered into a small corridor which stairs on the left, and a small doorway to a living room on the right. The whole house was dark with the exception of a dim lightbulb that lit up a room at the end of the hallway. Havers began to walk down the corridor and they reached the small room at the end. It was a square room with a door on the opposite wall leading to a small patch of grass out the front. One wall had a small collection of cabinets and the opposite sat a small square table with two wooden chairs sat next to it. Havers went directly to a cupboard and began rooting around at the back of it whilst the other man paused at the door watching him.
Looking over his shoulder and smiling slightly at the other man, Havers nodded towards the table.
“You can take a seat just there, I think it’s somewhere in here so give me a moment.”
He carefully pulled the chair out with his foot and sat down on the edge of it. His arms still held out in front of him. He looked over at Havers who was now crouched down teaching into the back of one of the lower cabinets. Standing up he held out a small black bag and grinned at the man in the seats.
“Found it!”
Placing the bag on the table, Havers pulled the chair out and placed it in front of the other man and sat down.
He looked at the other man and held his hand out.
“Do you mind if I see the injury?”
The other man glanced up at him, “oh, yes of course.” Holding his hands up the other man took hold of his writes and carefully inspected the cuts. He glanced up at the man across from him again,
“I’m going to have to clean first, but it’ll hurt.”
“I’ll be fine.” He gave a small smile to Havers.
Searching through the small bag in the table, Havers pulled out a cloth and a small bottle of liquid. Tipping some out onto the cloth, he carefully pressed it against the others man’s hands.
Jumping slightly he pulled his arm away from the other man.
“Bloody hell, what is that stuff??” His held his arm as a stinging pain shot through his hand, burning his arm.
Havers looked apologetically towards him. “Sorry, I did warn you.”
Carefully taking his arm again, Havers began to clean the rest of his injuries. And the other man sat there gritting his teeth, taking sharp breathes. After a few minutes, Havers stood up and chucked the now red stained cloth into the bin.
“There we go, you alright?”
The man still sat at the table have a short nod.
Smiling at him Havers sat back down at the table and started digging through the bag again, “I’ll bandage them up but it looks like it’ll be ok.” He pulled out a small roll of white bandages. The pair sat in silence as Havers wrapped his hands and arm in bandages, carefully wrapping them. A few minutes later, he sat back and the man held his hands up, looking at them. He gave his hands a small flex.
“Thank you.” He looked up at Havers.
“Oh, well really it was no bother, the least I could do.” He stood up and placed the bag back into the cupboard. “Would you care for some tea?” He asked.
“Oh, no thank you, I really must get back.” He stood up from the table. “Thank you for the help, I really do appreciate it.”
“Well it was no problem.” The pair walked to the front door, “perhaps I shall see you again one day, but if not, good luck.”
He stepped out the door, into the cool night.
“Yes and good luck to you Havers, I hope it all goes well for you, goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Walking down to the street, he heard the front door click shut behind him and he began to walk home, this time the wind had dropped down, and for the middle of January, the night felt warm.