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“So... what exactly are we looking for?”
Tobias looks to the scientist for an answer. Francis, having no one else to trust, had asked the manager if he could help him with one of his theories. This one would require him to get samples from outside which he could then use to test the limits of his new device. At first, he had planned to go alone, but realized it would be more efficient to get some help for larger variety of samples from the surrounding area.
“Everything.” Francis simply replies, handing over a small bag. “Everything?” Tobias raises a confused brow. “Whatever you see could be used as a sample. Pick up whatever you can find and as many you can carry.” the scientist says, professionally. “I’ll go over there and you stay over here on this side. That way we’ll cover more ground.” the man adds without sparing him a second glance.
“Alright...” he misses the discouraged look from the older over his shoulder, too engrossed in his own head with his theory. “Uh, Francis? Isn’t it a bit too... late, or, early to be looking for samples?” Tobias voices somewhere behind him. “This is the perfect time to get a good balance of organic organisms and plain scraps.” he retorts to which the manager doesn’t comment.
Francis continues to stray a bit further and is surprised when the sky seems to get a bit darker. Not only that, but there seems to be a tinge of red in it. “That’s odd...” he says to himself. “Tobias, are you seeing-” when he turns around he’s alone. “-this?” the scientist frowns, but continues with the task at hand. As he crouches down to pick up a geod-like specimen, something jumps out from the ground.
Francis falls backwards and onto the ground with a scream. “What the-? AH!” he jumps back with another shriek. An arm, more precisely a disembodied arm was lying on the spot next to the geod, slowly crawling towards him. Then, he felt something brush against his elbow and he quickly scurried to get up. It was another disembodied arm that had attempted to grab him.
[SKIP POINT]
As the scientist looked around in horror, he saw more and more appearing out of the ground. Some were perfectly cut at the limb, others were covered in blood which had spurted from their ends. One thing they all had in common - they were heading straight for him and were suddenly much quicker at crawling. Francis tries to go around them to find Tobias, but there’s too many blocking the way.
He ends up getting pushed back to go the way he was initially heading and one of the bloodied arms manages to get a hold oh his ankle. The scientist shakes it off, vigorously. At the moment, the scientist could care less about the dark red splotch on the hem of his jeans. He risks a look back, dozens upon dozens crawling towards him, the closest grasping for him. Francis could feel his heart beating out of his chest.
[SKIP END]
Suddenly, two more manage to get a hold of both his legs and he falls down. The first one he kicks off easily, but the other he has to pry of with his hands. He manages to roll away just in time before another one launches itself towards him. The panicked man runs on all fours until he’s able to get back on his feet. No matter how fast he was, the disembodied arms seemed to always be right on his tail.
As he looked back, he failed to notice that one of the arms had somehow gotten ahead of him and he tripped over it which had sent him flying, tumbling down right to the bottom of a small hill. Francis wasn’t sure how long he was unconscious for, but when he opened his eyes again, the sky looked normal. There was a soft annoying ringing in his ear, accompanied with a headache.
Propping himself into a sitting position proved to be more challenging than he’d thought when the world dangerously spun around him, making him nauseous. “-cis! Francis!” the scientist heard his name being called out after the ringing subsided. Tobias had suddenly re-appeared, carefully making his way down the hill and to his side. “Are you okay?” he quickly asked, dropping to his knees in front of him.
“I-I think so... Just... a bit dizzy, I suppose.” the manager wraps an arm around him. “I’ll help you up.” he mutters. Standing ends up being worse then sitting down. It was as if he was on a merry-go-round, spinning and getting pulled off balance every which way. “Wow, easy there Francis.” the man apparently catches him. The younger wasn’t even aware that he was tilting forward so much.
“Let’s get you checked up in medical, buddy. I think you may have hit your head...” Tobias says, taking on all his weight and dragging them both back up. “W-Wait, where were you? And did you see all those things, too?” the scientist questions. “Yeah... I don’t know what that was, but it was kind of like... a hallucination? You know like one of those you see in the dessert when you’re dehydrated?”
“Something’s not right. How did we both-”
“The important thing is that it’s over. We can keep wondering about that after you see a doctor.”
***
“It’s just a mild concussion, Mr. Cooke.” the doctor concludes after performing a standard checkup. “You should be fine after laying in bed and resting for a while. Make sure to drink plenty of water.”
“Thank you, doctor” Francis gratefully nods with Tobias sighing in relief next to him.
“And stay safe!” she looks at both of them before bidding them goodbye.
The two walk out of the clinic and to the elevator, heading down. “Do you think she also saw the hallucination?” the older suddenly says.
“What makes you think that?” the scientist turns to him, confused.
“Don’t you think she was acting a bit... weird? Something had clearly shaken her up before we arrived. Didn’t you hear her say ‘stay safe’?”
“I think she was referring to my concussion, Tobias...”
“She looked at both of us and seemed very serious, too.”
“I-I guess if both of us saw it then she could’ve as well...?”
The elevator dinged when they finally arrived to the underground parking floor. Tobias still had to keep one arm wrapped around him to help with his balance. Through trial and error, they discovered it was easiest for him to keep it at his wait to Francis’ dismay. He tried not to stiffen again when his arm was back in place, still fearing the disembodied arms may come back at any time.
“You okay?” he would always check. “Fine.” the younger croaked. “You can relax, you know. I won’t let you fall.” the manager promised. How was he supposed to explain that falling was the least of his concerns? Tobias’ arm was around his waist for crying out loud! No doubt they looked like a couple and acknowledging that sent Francis spiraling into a blushing mess, much like everything else regarding the man.
“Wait-” the younger snaps out of his daze. “My car is that way! Wh-Where are you going!?” he panics. “You can’t drive like this, Francis!? I thought you’d know that with how insanely smart you are...” the scientist opens his mouth to reply, but the compliment makes his brain short-circuit. He’ll never get used to how easily Tobias can say nice things about him so randomly...
“Come on! Hop aaand, in you go.” the older practically hoists him up himself while he’s stuck in his mind, trying not to show any obvious signs of how much the situation is affecting him. “But what about my car!?” the manager sits at the driver’s seat. “It’ll be here. You can stay at my place until you’re not dizzy anymore then I’ll drive you back here and you just go home with your own car.”
Oh, Francis was so doomed.
“B-But I- Wh-” he stumbles through trying to form a sentence, face flushed. “Why can’t you just drop me off?” the scientist finally manages to spit out. “Because.” then the older frowns.”I-I want to keep an eye on you... just in case.” he mutters the last part. “You can sleep in my bed, I’ll take the couch. There’s enough room for both of us don’t worry.” which was the only thing Francis was doing - worrying.
“Huh? Your face is red...” the man notices, briefly cupping his cheek with his hand then moving it up to his forehead. “...but you can’t get a fever from a concussion... right?” Francis looks the opposite way through his window. “Maybe- Probably- I-I dont’... Can you just drive already!” Tobias stares at the back of his head for a moment then awkwardly smiles. “Sorry, you must be tired. We’re going.”
***
The whole ride was spent in silence with Francis’ mind going into overdrive over the fact he was going to the man’s home and will be sleeping in his bed and Tobias trying to think of ways to make the other feel better and more comfortable. At some point, the scientist had closed his eyes and by the time he’d opened them again, they were parked at the house.
The dread settled in again and he almost wished he was back with the disembodied arms... almost.
“We’re here.” Tobias quietly announced, helping the younger again. “You know I’m not so dizzy anymore... I can walk fine.” the scientist frowned. “Oh, y-yeah, of course! Ahem-” the older cleared his throat, quickly removing his arm form his waist. “I-I forgot.” he laughs and Francis thinks he sounds nervous for a moment. “Sorry for the mess... make yourself at home.”
“Oh...”
“So what do you think?”
“It’s a lot tidier than I imagined... NOT THAT I’VE IMAGINED WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE I MEAN-”
“...”
“...”
“Th-Thank you? I- This... this way is the bedroom-”
“Tobias it’s... it’s alright, I can rest on this sofa.”
“Nonsense! You’ll get backache from this old piece of junk!”
“Well, I don’t want your back to hurt either.”
“We could both sleep in my bed then.”
“What?”
“What...?”
The two stare at each other and both their faces turn pink.
“I-I mean- that is- of course if you- I mean- I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
“N-No, we- I mean- You shouldn’t- W-We can...” Francis gulps, both of them visibly stressed and avoiding eye contact. “We can share the bed...”
“If it’s awkward-”
“No, it’s... it’s fine...”
‘Darn it, Francis! What are you even saying!? Of course it’s not fine! You’re in love with this man!’ he thinks to himself, scolding himself for agreeing to it.
“Then, I have no objection...”
‘Tobias, you idiot, why would you even suggest to sleep in the same bed with the person you’re in love with!?’ the man scolds himself, physically wanting to slam his head into a wall.
A painful silence sets in after that where the two just kinda avoid looking at each other until their eyes accidentally meet and then they both flush again. The manager clears his throat for the second time that day. “I’ll... get you some water.” Francis scratches the back of his neck. “Thanks...” he stands by the sofa as if Medusa had turned him into a rock. “You can go make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right there.”
It was strange how for a moment the man forgot that he could walk on his own without Tobias’ hand wrapped around his waist, guiding him everywhere. “Right...” the younger slowly enters the bedroom, staring at the bed like it was going to bite him. He gulps before tentatively sitting down on the edge, barely even touching it. Oh, he’d definitely prefer the crawling arms over this...
The first thing the scientist noticed when the other came back was that his cheeks were also pink. In the thick of it all, he forgot to ask if Tobias was even okay... the one person he cares about the most. “Are you alright?” too little too late he thinks, but has to ask. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” the older laughs. “I just wanted to make sure... You know because of... all of whatever that was.”
“Well, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” he answers softly with a smile.
“Do you promise?”
“Yes, Francis.” the older laughs. “I’m a-okay.”
The younger breaths a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.”
“You should undress and lie down now.”
“WHAT!?”
“I MEAN- YOU KNOW TAKE YOUR JACKET OFF AND BELT- SO YOU’RE NOT UNCOMFORTABLE- I DIDN’T MEAN- J-Just do what you want...”
At this point, Francis wasn’t sure if things were still spinning from his concussion or if it was just in his mind. “The bathroom’s over there if you... need to use it.” Tobias says form the other side of the bed, his back turned. The scientist doesn’t reply, choosing to shrug his jacket off instead and fold it onto the bedside table. The two wordlessly, get into the bed, an arm’s reach from each other.
“You know... when you said you wanted to keep an eye on me, I didn’t think it would be this close.” the manager snorts. “Someone has to look out for you when you do a terrible job at it yourself.” he defends. “You never even move the hair out of your face when it’s clearly obscuring your view.” Tobias outstretches his hand to do just that and Francis stays deadly still, eyes locked with his.
“There we go...” he says gently, hand lingering at the side of his face. The air between them seemed to change while they silently stare at each other. The gap between them seemed to vanish on its own, getting smaller by the second. “How are you feeling?” the tension could be cut with a knife. “It’s better... now that I’m lying down.” the older smiles. “I’m glad, you feel better.” he’s playing with that strand of hair now.
Francis feels like he’s suffocating. He swallows thickly, hoping that the other won’t notice. “Still nervous?” of course he notices, they’re a few inches apart! “That hallucination or whatever it was, really shook me up too.” the manager comments absently, eyes never leaving his. The man just hums in reply, slowly closing his eyes. The motion was making him sleepier than he already was.
Tobias’ gaze softens if even possible as he stares admiringly at the younger. The scientist catches him in the act. “Why are you looking at me like that?” his cheeks flush again with no way of hiding his reaction. “Like what?” the other asks innocently. “Like... you’re admiring me.” a beat of silence. “...because I am...” his hand stills. “I’ve... never seen you this close before...”
And then... the older leans closer until their lips are almost touching. “May I?” he whispers. “Please.” Francis whispers back and they finally close the gap between them. The kiss was short and tender, sweet. Both of them were bright red by the time they broke off. “I’m dizzy again.” Tobias chuckles, pulling his body closer. “The good kind of dizzy I hope.” another rare nervous moment.
“Of course.” the younger grins.