Senseless

A Little Talk

Tommy-

The faint click of the lock turning at the front door brought Tommy out of his doze. He'd been trying to stay awake until Christopher got home, an had nearly succeeded. A quick glance to the clock hanging on the wall told him that he'd only drifted off for about thirty minutes. 

No wonder my head is pounding. 

"How did things go? You're home really late." He said, voice heavy with sleep as he forced himself to at least lean against the armrest. It was a chore to keep his head up. 

Chris took off his coat and set it on the back of one of the small dining room chairs, then set his phone on the table and walked toward him. "You should be asleep in bed." He stated as Tommy scrambled dazedly to make room for Christopher to sit down. The sofa was a decent size, but he had been mostly lying down. 

The television was on a moment later, then Chris kicked his shoes off and lifted his feet up onto the footrest with a tired sigh. "I got a call from the foreman of the jail requesting that I come in early tomorrow." 

Chris glanced at the clock at the same time Tommy did, then met his eyes with a faint grin. "Today." 

Tommy frowned as he slowly re-positioned himself on the sofa, curling up so that he wouldn't be touching Chris. He wasn't sure if the man would appreciate the contact right then, so he didn't want to push him. 

"You're upset about it." 

Hearing Chris's words made Tommy fidget. He was upset, there was no arguing that. And that's why he just shrugged and tried to get comfortable and tucked one of the couch's small throw pillows beneath his head. 

He allowed the silence to take over and didn't look back at Chris until about ten minutes had passed. He's asleep? Tommy didn't trust his eyes. He'd almost never seen Christopher fall asleep before him. He knew that the guy had some sort of insomnia, but that was something he'd heard about doctors picking up over time. 

"Chris?" 

The nickname slipped by mistake, but when Christopher didn't open his eyes, Tommy realized that the guy might have actually fallen asleep that quickly. Well, he doesn't really sleep, so passing out so abruptly isn't that much of a surprise. Though, I thought he would be able to outlast me, like he usually does.

Sitting back up, Tommy got comfortable next to Christopher, eyeing him without worry since the man was clearly asleep. His eyes swept over Chris's face. Down his covered chest. Along his long legs, then right back up again. I want to help him. It was a simple thought, but one that he knew was highly unlikely to come to fruition. 

Slouching slightly against Christopher, Tommy blew out a tired sigh and lifted his eyes back to the man's face. Even through the fabric of Christopher's shirt, Tommy could feel his warmth against his cheek. Skipper appeared a moment later and looked up at them, but instead of hopping up onto his lap, the dog just curled up at Christopher's feet. 

I guess you know, somehow. 

Stress wound its way through Tommy's aching body at the thought of Christopher giving away Skipper later that day. After work. He's got that appointment. Pursing his lips, Tommy considered his options. He was limited because of his injury. He couldn't go back to work yet, but could he take care of a dog on his own? 

Shaking his head, Tommy blinked back the beginnings of tears as he carefully leaned forward and picked up the little dog. It didn't seem thrilled to be set in his lap, but after a moment of adjusting, it curled up and closed its eyes. 

"You must be tired. It's hard being a dog, I'm sure." He whispered, being careful not to wake Chris. 

At first, Skipper didn't seem interested in responding. He lay in Tommy's lap for about a minute before twitching his right ear and looking up at him with a bored expression. "I know you like Chris's attention more, but you'll have to do with me. He needs to rest." 

Tommy sniffled as he finished speaking, the action drawing the dog's focus. It sat up and put a small paw on his chest. "Hey now, you don't have to comfort me just because I'm upset." Skipper gave his tail a small wag and pushed himself up on his hind legs, using Tommy's chest to steady himself with his front paws, then leaned forward and licked Tommy's nose.  

"Alright, you win. I guess I could use a hug, and since you're the only one volunteering..." 

With a sad smile, Tommy pulled the little pup into his arms. "I really, really hope that he doesn't get rid of you, but I suppose it honestly isn't my call. I can barely walk right now and I don't even have a yard to be able to let you out in."

He gave another quiet sigh as he leaned a little more into Chris and bent his knees up to get more comfortable. "At least it's the humane society and not an animal control. Not that I'm worried that you wouldn't get adopted, you're adorable and very well behaved." 

The ticking of the clock took over as he quieted, relaxing his head back against Christopher. Skipper seemed to sense his mood falling even further, because the dog wiggled its way even closer. "Alright, you got me. I'm upset that he's giving you up, but I guess... I guess I just see Emmet in you, and man do I miss him. He was a rare soul among money-hungry surgeons and attention seekers. He just wanted to help, and he actually took the time to see his patients. I was so afraid that many of the prisoners wouldn't ever get help, especially Jana. That guy... I wonder how you two would have interacted outside of the prison." 

Skipper grunted, then looked up at Chris with his big brown eyes. "I know, you work for him." Tommy said with a bit of humor returning to his voice. "I do hope he sees how valuable you are before he takes you to that meeting. I hope that he sees a special gift from his little brother. Or, at least, something that's too cute not to hug once in a while and just let it eat all of your stress away." He said with a faint chuckle as he nuzzled the dog close, its fur tickling his nose.

He was just about to curl up a little more comfortably against Chris and finally let sleep take him, when he felt a nuzzle against his own hair and a warm arm slip behind him to wrap around his waist. If he hadn't been so tired, Tommy probably would have tried to force himself to fall asleep like he knew he should, but exhaustion fueled him to slowly look up. His forehead softly brushed against Christopher's with the movement. 

To his surprise, the man still had his eyes closed, and as he watched him for a moment, Tommy noticed that Chris's head was bobbing slightly and a quiet snore was coming from him. 

Okay, that's adorable, but sad. 

"Time to get some real rest." He said as he carefully worked his way free of Chris's arm and took the next fifteen minutes to get the man lying somewhat comfortably on the sofa. His feet were hanging off the side slightly, but there wasn't much Tommy could do about that. The guy was tall. 

When he was finally satisfied that Chris wouldn't wake up with any pain from his sleeping position, Tommy began trying to get himself up off the floor, as he'd need to kneel. His chest was aching by that time, since the pain medication had warn off a bit ago, but he didn't think that it would have affected him enough to keep him from simply standing. 

This just solidifies what Chris said. I can't take care of myself, let alone Skipper. 

Frustrated, he sank back down to sit on the floor, then pressed his forehead to the sofa cushion as he worked on catching his breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on gathering his remaining strength, and was just about to try one last time, when he felt strong hands grasp his waist and gently lift him up onto the sofa. Christopher moved him over his own body, putting him on the inside portion of the sofa while his body pinned him against the soft cushions. 

If he had been even a little bit more awake, Tommy would have felt a blush heat his face and nerves begin to stir, but as it were, he didn't even hesitate to snuggle into the man's warmth. He could feel Christopher's right arm wrap around his back and tug him a little closer as he finally calmed his breathing, but his eyes were already closed and darkness was clouding his mind. 

I'll be confused later... after some rest. He decided as he let his consciousness slip away into a dreamless sleep.