Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » Comfortably Numb (Semi Open, Ask First)

"Stay." With that Josh was gone and up the ladder. It took a lot of effort with his lame leg, but he got up there eventually.
Cautiously, he approached Jacob, tensed to flee if he made any sort of aggressive move. When he got as close as he could, he sat down next to him, watching him out of the corner of his eye and waiting to see what his reaction would be. If he didn't immediately boot him out then he'd try to go in for a hug or something, but he wasn't holding his breath on it.

Jacob knew someone was there. He didn't care who it was, but he was glad it was Josh. He didn't think that he'd be able to carry on, but with Josh there, he'd let him stay. He didn't want to be alone. Not at a time like this.

He waited a moment; he wasn't kicking him out so that was good.
Still a little wary, he leaned in until his head was on Jacob's shoulder and he relaxed a bit, savoring the man's body heat. This would do for now until they built up a suitable trust level or Jacob initiated a hug himself.
But this would do.

Jacob wasn't thinking. He just hugged the kid, carefully, not trying to hurt him. He was still crying, but it wasn't that bad. At least he could be with someone.

"She left me... She left me on my wedding day... Right before the bombs dropped..." Jacob got out through his tears.

Josh snuggled into his warmth, letting Jacob hug him like a therapeutic teddy bear. He was still silent, feeling like there was really nothing to say that would make it any better. Actions spoke louder than words, so he was going off of that right now.
He was hoping he was being something of a help. If he wasn't it would be really bad.

"She left me, broken hearted on the steps of the church. Just left. And she always told me that she loved me." Jacob still cried, burying his head in Josh's shoulder. This man may be the deadliest man alive, but he had a soft spot, deep down inside. He was glad Josh, if anyone, was there. He was being so much of a help. He didn't move when he said: "I was never right after that day... Thanks. Thanks for being here,"

"No problem," he replied, a little muffled since he was getting squished from all directions by Jacob now (not that he really cared). "I'm always there."

He let go, and tried to calm himself. He wasn't crying anymore, but he wasn't calm. He was... A mix of both. It had been maybe ten minutes? He couldn't tell. He knew that he wasn't going to go sleep anymore, though. He couldn't.

"Thanks, Josh. I feel like I've known you for my whole life, but I just met you today. I'm sorry if I scared you, and sorry for this. You didn't have to go through that," Jacob sniffed, and looked at his beer bottle. It looked friendly.

"It's fine. I get where you're coming from... Today I almost died multiple times, I killed people, and I'm pretty sure my mom is dead since Sanders and the two of us were really the only survivors. It's a lot to take in in just a few hours." He shrugged resentfully. "Pretty crappy day, I'd think."

Pretty crappy day? More like pretty crappy month. It was all messed up. Hell, he didn't know anything. He kinda felt sorry for the kid, but it wasn't as much as everyone else felt sorry for him.

"Can I talk? I need to talk to you,"

"I'm all ears." He shifted his position slightly to better lean against Jacob and closed his eyes to listen.

((I think that this would be much less awkward if it was a female character. ))

"When the bombs hit, the only reason I survived was because I was under the alter of my church. After that, over two months of being alone took hold. I killed because I could, and I never regretted anything. I was crazy, insane. And to this day, I still have nightmares of that. But I always feel that I should end it. It's really tough."

( quick, josh! To the gender changer! *insert batman theme*)

He looked up at him, finally stretching and letting out a stifled yawn.
"The world went to hell. I don't think there were a lot of people left who didn't do what you did. I know Randall would've been one of them if I wasn't alive to keep him steady."

((I wish. ))

The world went to hell, yes. But it did more than that. It broke down, and Jacob was a problem. He didn't like it at all.

"The world went to hell and back. But what I did, I don't think I can forgive myself for that. I mean, you helped Randall, but my friends left me..."

"If they left you, then were they really friends?"
The mind of a fifteen year old is a curious thing.

"I don't know. I guess not, but they did it to survive. Hell, I'd've probably done the same damn thing," Jacob rubbed his eyes. He didn't know what time it was because he never had a watch, or a small enough battery for the watch, anyways. He guessed that it was 12:30 at night. Boy, he was tired.

"Go to sleep," Josh suggested, looking back up at him with those large blue eyes of his. "Tomorrow will be kinder, odds are."

"Thanks. I think I will be able to feel better if I could sleep," Jacob said, and yawned. He turned off his music, and stretched. "Thanks for doing what you did. I really appreciate it,"

He stood up, arched his back in a stretch, and limped back to the ladder. "This should be a joy to get down again... And don't worry about it. I'm a social person, believe it or not. Just shocked, that's all. I should be back to normal in a day or two." At least, that's what he hoped.

"I got a couple of beds here, if you want to sleep here. Getting down in the morning will be much easier." Jacob pulled the covers back on one of the beds, and set his beer bottle down, getting ready to go to sleep.