Room 504, Tuesday Afternoon

[wesleynotponcy]

It was afternoon. Or maybe it was morning. Or night, even. Wesley hadn't moved since coming to his room in the first place yesterday after finishing watching the Games, at which point he'd slumped onto the floor with a bottle of scotch and proceeded to down what felt like most of it. His head lolled back against the bed behind him. 

Everything hurt. Just -- less, with the fuzzy outline that alcohol gave everything. He wasn't moving.

[[for she who knows who she is! NFB, please.]]

Comments

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Now Wesley was smiling as if in a trance, remembering. "She was -- quiet," she said softly. "She -- leapt around. Her feet must have touched the floor at some point, but I couldn't hear her. She could make herself inaudible. When -- that weekend when we had that little girl, they were in perfect sync. Like every move was choreograped."

[glacial_queen]

Karla wasn't sure if Wesley usually spoke like a poet, or if talking about Katniss just brought it out in him. "Is that when you knew you loved her?" she asked. "Or was it something else?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Neither, actually -- it was the scotch, and the reflective tone of the afternoon, that drew that out of him.

"I suppose that was a lot of it," he said softly, thoughtfully. "And other things. Her eyes when I made that fake prom for her. The way she looked after me when I was an owl. How shw never laughed at me when I fell out of a tree."

[glacial_queen]

"Fake prom?" That was something Karla hadn't heard about. "Why did you--oh. You were an owl still for real prom, weren't you?"

That gesture was unexpectedly sweet and romantic. Her estimation of Wesley went up a notch or two.

[Sooooo sorry for how late this is! Unexpectedly busy day ended in extra-unexpected tornados!]

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley flushed slightly, then nodded. "Yes," he admitted. "I just thought -- well, she was about to leave, and..."

[[Oh, gosh! I hope everything's okay!]]

[glacial_queen]

"And so you did something to show her how much she meant to you," Karla supplied. "You should eat that." She nodded at the bun in his hands. "You're not doing anyone any favors by not eating."

[They didn't touch down in my town, thank goodness. But they did lot of damage around us.]

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

He didn't have much of an appetite, but he took a small bite for Karla's sake. Honestly, the fact that he was functional enough to even talk, let alone eat, was pretty phenomenal, and nothing at all like his typical coping method. Score one for Karla.

"Well," he said softly. "I wasn't sure if she'd even like it. I know she's not really the dances-and-parties sort of girl, but..."

[glacial_queen]

She appreciated the effort in eating, she really did.

"Maybe not, but there are few females--Hell's fire, few people--who wouldn't appreciate the thought and effort behind it," Karla pointed out. "And if she'd decided to take it casual that night, I doubt you would have protested much."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

And there was that tiny half-smile again, twitching at the corners of Wesley's lips in spite of everything.

"True enough," he admitted. "We -- we were good together, weren't we?" he asked, flicking his eyes up at Karla uncertainly.

[glacial_queen]

"You were," Karla agreed, reaching over for his hand. She looked at him directly in his eyes as she said it. "You complemented one another's strengths and shored up each other's weaknesses. You reminded Katniss that there was more to life than just the Games and politics and pain and rebellion. You made her laugh and smile again...something I'm not sure she ever expected to do again. That's a gift I don't think she was expecting."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley nodded. "I -- I'm glad I could at least give that to her," he said softly, truthfully.

And he took another bite of the bun before finally guessing, "I think... I think I'll be all right, Karla."

It was an odd realization, the idea that he could heal. It had never been one of his strengths, healing. And yet what she had done today had helped him. A lot.

[glacial_queen]

Karla looked at him for a full moment before slowly nodding. "I think you will be, too," she said quietly. "I'm glad. She wouldn't have wanted you to remain broken after she was gone. You're too strong for that, too."

Giving his hand one final squeeze, Karla stood up. "Get a shower," she said frankly. "You smell like scotch."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley nodded, and stood up with her. He still hurt, but for the first time in his life, he had a support system through which to deal with the hurt. Its effects on him were considerable.

"Thank you, Karla," he said seriously. "I... this was..."

[glacial_queen]

"No thanks needed," Karla said quietly. "You're my friend. She was she. It's what friends are for."

She would have done it even without a promise.

"Don't be afraid to come knocking on my door if you ever want to talk, either," she added. "There will be days when it's going to be hard again, just as hard as yesterday. Don't get all male and foolish and think you have to go through those days alone."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"Actually," Wesley said, glancing over for Karla's approval, "I thought I might arrange a sort of... memorial, of some sort?" The idea had only come to him just now, but he knew at once that it was something he wanted to do. "And then everyone who wishes to could just... grieve together."

[glacial_queen]

"Ooh, I like that idea," Karla said with a nod. "Something small, I think. Maybe outside? That seems more her than everyone going to the church in town."

Besides, every time Karla went into a church, she ended up traumatizing someone.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley nodded. Hesitantly, he offered, "She liked the Preserve..."

[glacial_queen]

"I think that's a place that suggests Katniss like no other," Karla said. "Nothing fancy, just a few words..."

She paused, thoughtful. "Did you know her name is actually a plant? Arrowhead. Maybe we could plant some? I can make sure they thrive."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley's eyes lit up. "Would you?" he asked, intrigued. "That -- I think she'd like that. Almost like a proper -- " His voice cracked ever so slightly on the last word -- "burial."

[glacial_queen]

"She covered Rue in flowers," Karla said quietly, knowing if she spoke to quickly or too loud, she would cry again. "I think--I think this would be kind of like that, yes."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I remember," he said softly, recalling that one beautiful, powerful moment from Katniss' first Games. "Then we'll do that. Whoever wants to."

[glacial_queen]

Karla offered Wesley a soft smile. "This is a beautiful idea. It will help. Thank you, Wesley."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley allowed himself to smile back, tentatively. "Of course," he said. "And thank you."

She'd said not to thank her, but he was going to break the rules just this once.