Tag: proper Naval lieutenant

drivingsideways33:

@sidewaystime you know what you did. 😀 

1.

Later-much later- Thomas takes an inventory; a languid count
of changes visible. He trails a finger down James’ ear, whispers, eyes
crinkling, “an earring?” and presses chapped lips to the sickle-moon on his
arm, places his calloused palm across the bullet-shaped wound on his shoulder,
runs the back of his hands against the roughened grain of his scalp-

James lets him.

James takes his own silent inventory: each broken bone badly
reset, the gash on Thomas’ left thigh, the way his fingers remain bent, knuckle
joints reddened-

“I can’t remember”
Thomas says, suddenly, softly. “Not all of them. Which ones are -new- and which
are from- “he swallows- “I tried not to forget you, but you slipped away from
me, while I wasn’t being careful.”

“You didn’t forget me” James replies, “You recognized me
even”-

He finds he cannot go on; the shadows thrown by the single
lamp seem to take on a different, familiar shape, but her face is hidden from
him.

Somewhere, a house is burning to the ground.

Somewhere, a bullet meant for him has found its home.

“I recognize you” he says, after a moment, softly,
“that counts for something, doesn’t it?”

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