Take me to another place where clarity is found

[disentombs]

WHO: Gansey and Annabeth Chase
WHERE: Over text and in De Chima
WHEN: The week during which Ronan is gone.
WHAT: Gansey has been isolating himself and Annabeth wants to make sure he’s okay (he’s not)
WARNINGS: Cur...sing? Maybe?



It hasn’t been a pleasant few days for Richard Gansey.

His best friend Ronan Lynch has been ported out, confirmed by Ronan’s sleeping dream-brother and sleeping dream-farm. Noah has been mourning on his own. Adam is trying to hold it together, insisting he’s fine to the point of driving Gansey away, his temper with a shorter fuse than usual.

And so that left Gansey all on his own, wandering the property for full days and not bothering looking at his phone at night, missing the near nightly late evening texts he would send Annabeth. He’s far too distracted and inside his own head to think to message her.

Comments

[athnvas]

As Gansey moves to take his steps and then turns back to look at her, Annabeth moves to step in beside him - close, only inches from brushes against his arm - but not too close. There is still space between them if he wants it.

"And Adams up on the moon, right?" A pause- Annabeth had met Adam, once, but she knew there was a lot going on between all the boys than she really understands. "Is it okay for you to be here alone?" A beat, and then she sighs. "I'm not saying you can't handle it, just that doesn't exactly sound like the best idea."

[disentombs]

"Yes, or holed up in the tower that he and Ronan sleep in." Adam hasn't been emotionally available for Gansey...almost ever. Not that he expected a sudden change.

He doesn't move away from her. In fact, when they step out of sync with each other, they lightly bump shoulders, but Gansey doesn't find it unpleasant at all.

"What do you think would happen if it wasn't okay?" The absolute last thing Gansey wants Annabeth to think is that he would do something drastic without someone around.

[athnvas]

The fact he lets her close at all is a better space than she was fearing - knowing her own reluctance to be around anyone when she was hurting, she's happy he'll let her in that much, if only by proximity.

"You sitting alone in your room staring up at the ceiling for days on end, not eating or drinking, until someone shows up because the smell has gotten too much." It's said half in jest- the sarcasm evident enough that she could shrug off the entire statement if she wanted to, except that it wasn't all untrue. Still, Annabeth shrugs - causing that bump in shoulders once more - before she looks over to him.

When she speaks, her voice is a bit more honest than it was before. Intent. "When you're used to having a lot of people around, solitude can be dangerous. Not directly, maybe, but in ore subtle ways. Ways that sit under the surface, and catch you when you least expect them."

A pause, and then she sighs.

"If you tell me- honestly and truthfully- that you wanted to be alone, I would leave you alone."

[disentombs]

He smirks slightly as he looks at the ground in front of them, glancing up at a sleeping forest creature every once in a while.

"I'll have you know I showered today, thank you," he says playing along.

They walk in silence another minute or two as Gansey contemplates.

"I don't...want to be alone," he says carefully. I just didn't think I had anyone else to turn to.

[athnvas]

She doesn't realize how much she'd been hoping to make him smile - even the slightest bit - until she feels the relief when he does.

"Oh, well, thank the gods." Because she can play along equally well, too, even if her eyes do linger on him a little longer, just to make sure. Just to keep checking. When he speaks again, the breath she releases is more tension than air, pushing out of her in a rush.

"You don't have to be." If Gansey turns to look at her, she will smile, bumping into him once again. "You have more people who worry about you than just the ones from your home."

[disentombs]

He’s certain Annabeth can appreciate just how much Gansey trusts her by having said that sentence alone. Admitting it aloud makes him feel raw, like it’d been building for months, not the past few days. He does turn slightly to see her smiling face, not minding the shoulder bumps one bit. It makes him feel grounded—there are others around. It’s always been difficult for him to open up. He’s a Gansey and Gansey’s don’t show other people anything but a polite smile, no matter what they’re feeling on the inside.

His face falters slightly, as though just realizing that Annabeth had come to care about his well-being. It’s an odd phenomenon, separating out the role of “friend” from the true meaning of it, but Gansey had learned a long time ago that for the most part, he wasn’t worth worrying about. He was always the super privileged kid that had anything he could ever want. Why should anyone worry about him?

He bows his head in silence as they continue walking.

“Thank you, Annabeth,” he replies, heartfelt.

[athnvas]

She does, don't worry. The second he admits it, lets the sentence hang for the briefest moment in the air between them, Annabeth understands the weight of it. They're similar enough to know what it would take for herself to say, so she can imagine how it makes him feel. It's why she does what she does - why she smiles, why she watches him, supportive and understanding and open, whatever he needs.

The faltering is what catches her attention most, and Annabeth wonders if she should ask about it, pick at it until Gansey is forced to take it apart himself. But she doesn't think that would help, so instead she just keeps walking with him. Huffs a very gentle laugh at his thank you.

"For...what? Worrying about you?" Asked half jokingly.