AU: Soft Parachutes (Josh)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

In his five-and-a-half decades of life, Sean had seen and experienced more than his fair share of excitement. As a telepath, Sean was able to bring unique insight, and gain unique connection, with his partners when they were intimate. He treasured that. He treasured the ability to use his imagination for the full experience with partners.

More than anything, he enjoyed doing so with Josh.

Neither man was a stranger to role play. When they combined their imaginations and enthusiasm, there were few areas that went unexplored – with some well-defined hard limits. They always had fun, always enjoyed one another and themselves. They had each acquired a number of costumes to aid the scenarios, and continued to do so together.

In all of his years as an adult engaged in relationships with other adults, Sean had never had an evening that could be described as disastrous. Yet he and Josh had broken that streak that night.

Everything had started fine. More than fine. They were having fun, had fully immersed themselves in role play for the night. Sean had tied Josh to a chair to interrogate him in his role as a super spy. Their banter had been light and improvised, and while it wouldn’t win any awards for creative writing, they were enjoying themselves, which was all that had mattered.

Then Josh had jerked back in the chair, and in doing so, had yanked the chair off-balance. Sean had lunged to try to catch him, but his reflexes were befitting those of a fifty-five-year-old man. The chair had tipped over, Josh had fallen backwards, and then hit his head on the floor.

The telepath had scrambled to his side, had quickly untied him while whispering his name to get his attention. But his partner’s eyes had closed and that had led Sean to grab his rarely used medical kit to check his vitals.

They were stable, which was good. Just a nasty bump on his head. Hopefully not a concussion.

Lifting him onto the bed, he settled beside him, waiting for him to open his eyes.

[Joshua Bernstein]

His head throbbed painfully. That was the first thing that he was aware of as consciousness returned to him. The other was that there was someone beside him; he could feel their weight upon the mattress.

He struggled to remember what he had been doing before lying down, because somehow being on a mattress seemed wrong, but nothing came to mind.

That was concerning.

He forced his eyes open, blinking as the light filtering into the room from the blinds felt blinding. As his eyes adjusted he took in what he could of the room without moving, noting every unfamiliar crevice and nook. How had he got here? This was most certainly not his bedroom. Nor was it a hotel room, either the sort he was accustomed to for work or the sort he took flings to for a bit of fun.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, glaring at the person on the bed beside him as he reached into his pockets for some form of protection.

Gone.

Of course. He must be kidnapped; they would think to divest him of anything dangerous.

He decided that it was best to say nothing, let his captor start. Perhaps he could glean who the man worked for and then figure out a plan of escape from there.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

As Josh’s eyes fluttered open, Sean’s expression melted into one of relief, and he heaved a soft sigh. He could see that his partner’s eyes had focused, weren’t glazed or rolling about, which meant that he could see, and that he was probably fully cognizant. The telepath was so relieved.

"Oh good,” he said, reaching out to brush dark hair away from Josh’s forehead. “You’re awake. I was worried.”

Considering that this had never happened before, and that Sean believed that he could remain calm in difficult situations, he thought that he had responded well. At the same time, he never wanted to see his partner injured. He certainly didn’t want his partner injured when they were supposed to be having some lighthearted role play before being intimate together.

“Does your head hurt?” He asked, shifting slightly on the bed so avoid crowding the younger man. “I can get you a damp cloth, if you want. It was a nasty fall.”

Hardly the worst that could happen, given the size and layout of their house. Still, it was a few feet to the floor from being Josh’s height and seated upright in chair and unable to brace himself for the fall due to the wrist bindings.

[Joshua Bernstein]

He narrowed his eyes at the other man, trying to discern if this concern was as genuine as it appeared. It was possible that this man had rescued him, but one couldn't be too sure.

Particularly as the man seemed...familiar somehow. Was this one of the disguises worn by his arch nemesis? They were of a height...

If only his head didn't ache so, then he could concentrate and think.

"I'm fine," He lied, because he didn't want to admit to any weakness in front of someone whose intentions he was unsure of. "Please explain to me why I am in...this....place."

He had wanted to say in your house but then he realized that he didn't actually know whose house it was.

"Did you bring me here?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean frowned at the question, both due to the phrasing as well as the accent (if one could call it that – perhaps if one felt charitable). That was reminiscent of their game, although their game had come to an abrupt and decisive end with Josh’s injury. Any focus on role play and fun had long evaporated from the telepath’s mind.

“You fell,” he said, which wasn’t a reminder as much as it was simple information. He knew that head injuries were often coupled with short-term memory loss, o fthe seconds and minutes before and immediately after the injury was sustained. He didn’t expect Josh to remember with detail, if at all. He would provide the other man with any details he desired, but he didn’t have expectations. “And I picked you up to take care of you. So, yes, I brought you here.”

Which was to say that he had untied his partner from the chair and then put him to bed.

“Can I get you any water? You should keep hydrated.” And Sean would keep an eye on the other man to make sure that he was, in fact, fine. That Josh was awake and able to speak was good progress, but Sean would continue to be concerned.

He then reached onto the nightstand for his medical kit, withdrawing a penlight and bringing it up onto the bed with them.

[Joshua Bernstein]

If he were honest a drink of water would, in fact, be welcome. But he couldn't trust the other man not to poison his drink (never mind that should he have wanted to kill his prisoner he had plenty of opportunity) and so he said, "Water would be nice. But only if I can watch you draw it. And you drink from it first."

He couldn't afford to be too trusting when he was already compromised.

The emergence of the penlight caused him to recoil, shielding his face with one arm. He had one of his own, and his was a concealed weapon.

Trust nobody.

"And in what manner ought I take the phrase take care of?" He hissed, glaring at what he was sure was a weapon.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean continued to frown. While he was long used to Josh’s anxiety, which came with a fair amount of paranoia and self-doubt, he was unused to Josh being suspicious of him. In fact, Josh was a trusting individual unless someone crossed him enough times that it was blatant, or a person articulated positions that the attorney found distasteful, or his jealousy had been engaged. He certainly had never displayed any distrust of the telepath before, and Sean didn’t know what to do with it.

He would, for the moment, attribute it to the head injury.

“If you think you can stand up and you want to watch me draw it, I wouldn’t object.” He gestured towards the master bathroom, where the sink he intended to use was located.

After he had given Josh the proper medical check.

Even with his partner’s peculiar behavior, he hadn’t expected him to recoil from him. That had never happened before, not so sharply and aggressively. Not even during the worst of Josh’s trauma.

Sean’s frown deepened, and he regarded the other man curiously. “I need to check your pupils. As I said, it was a nasty fall, and I want to make sure that you don’t have a concussion or other lasting damage.”

He might be a psychiatrist, but he was still a medical doctor. He had skills enough for this.

[Joshua Bernstein]

He waved the other man away with one hand, fumbling in his pockets with the other. He hoped that he could find something to use to stun his captor long enough to make an escape. Nasty fall or not, he thought he had the ability to outrun the taller man; he'd had nasty falls before, and he would surely have more in the future.

"I'm sure I can stand up," He muttered to himself, feeling coins, his wallet, a piece of chewing gum....none of which would be useful in subduing the other.

He reached into his other pocket. "And you don't need to check me, I assure you I'm fine."

Aha. There it was, his ballpoint pen tazer.

He yanked the weapon out of his pocket, pulling off the pen and aiming it at his captor and....

splashing ink everywhere.

He watched the effects of his attack in dismay. "You...you....that was underhanded! You replaced my tazer!"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I’d like to help you if I may?” Sean offered, extending the hand not currently holding the penlight towards his partner. He wouldn’t stop Josh from trying to stand, but he wanted to help him, lest the younger man have a second fall. That was to be avoided.

“And I want to check anyway,” the telepath continued. He would feel better confirming with his own eyes and knowledge, rather than leaving that to Josh’s words alone. Particularly since he was behaving oddly and didn’t have any medical training.

Sean’s eyes widened as Josh’s pen managed to douse the bed in ink. The bed, one of the pillows that Beth had given him years before as a present, and the telepath’s shirt. He then sighed heavily, because he would have to tend to the laundry and change the sheets, while also catering to Josh’s peculiar behavior.

That, with the mention of tasers, confirmed that this was the result of the head injury. Although it was problematic, given what they had been up to before Josh had sustained that head injury.

“I really don’t want to clean anything up right now,” he said, sighing again. But he rose from the bed to cross the room. Upon reaching his dresser, he opened a drawer and pulled out a clean shirt. “Please don’t do that again.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

He assumed that this was a threat. One he would have to acquiesce to, given that he was unarmed and at the other man's mercy. He resisted the urge to hunch his shoulders protectively, instead throwing them back so that he stood straighter.

Or as straight as he was able, given that his head continued to throb, making it difficult to judge what was upright and what wasn't.

"Very well." His captor had the upper hand here, undeniably. "But you won't get anything out of me."

He was a professional, he could withstand torture. He'd done so in the past and had no doubts that he could do it again, though it was unfortunate that he had allowed himself to get caught.

How careless of him.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean didn’t bother to turn his back to the other man when he removed his shirt. After all, Josh had seen him in greater states of undress before; being romantically entangled included complete comfort with showing his body to Josh. He looked every bit of his fifty-five years, particularly when not clad in professional clothing. Sean pulled the nearest tee shirt over his head and onto his chest; it happened to be the Bear Pride shirt that Josh had bought him for his birthday all of those years ago. Since he didn’t intend to go outside in the near future, he felt comfortable wearing it.

Perhaps that would help the other man calm down a bit; Josh had always liked this shirt.

When he had changed, he folded his other shirt over the back of the nearest chair. Then he returned to Josh’s side and offered his hand again. “I’ll go get your water now. Since you wanted to watch, you’re free to come with me.”

They had water glasses in the bathroom. It would be easy enough to fill one and to drink from it – in accordance with Josh’s request – before giving the glass to the other man. The telepath also intended to use the mirror and the bathroom lights to check Josh’s pupils. It would be less direct, but it was a method of testing.

[Joshua Bernstein]

He looked at the hand offered to him with undisguised suspicion, then decided that the other man had plenty of opportunity to do him in before accepting and sliding unsteadily off the bed.

He wasn't as fine as he had insisted, and he stumbled, trying not to lean against his captor for support. He gritted his teeth, mentally cursing his vulnerability. He ought to be able to hide this weakness of his.

Somehow they made it to the bathroom, however, and he attemptd to surreptitiously lean against the counter, watching the other man through eyes slitted to minimize the pain the light was causing him.

"You're quite solicitous for a kidnapper," He commented in a would be casual voice. He wished that the other man would say what he wanted; the suspense was almost more difficult than the realization that he was captured.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

...for a kidnapper.

That confirmed the last of Sean’s suspicions. It was problematic. It also meant that he should probably try to get Josh to the hospital, since the head injury was obviously worse than first suspected. Josh wasn’t thinking clearly if he believed that Sean would ever lay a hand on him, let alone kidnap him against his will.

He had kidnapped him a few times in the past, always with Josh’s consent and enthusiasm. That was what had led to last night’s activities, after all. Which was the cause of the present situation, including Josh’s suspicion and his exceptionally poor accent.

It would be a long day, but Sean hoped that, slowly, he could earn the other man’s trust. At least enough to convince him to go to the hospital with him. Given the present situation, this was a lofty goal.

Reaching for the closest glass, he ran it under the tap until it was full. Then, turning to face Josh fully, he brought the glass to his lips and had a long sip. “There,” he said, “It’s free of poison, so feel free to drink it. You might feel a bit better.”

As for the other comment, he shrugged his shoulders. “I have manners. I’m told that it gets you far in life.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

He watched as the man drank from the glass of tap water without any noticeable ill effect before accepting with a nod. The water was refreshing, more than he had expected it to be, and he set the empty glass down upon the counter feeling slightly better than he had when he'd tottered into the bathroom after his captor.

He now could take a better look at the clean shirt the man had put on. Something with bears. It seemed familiar somehow; he thought it must be the logo of some underground group. He must have hit his head rather hard since he couldn't actually remember what the group was; he felt that he ought to consider them to be friendly, though he couldn't recall why.

He gestured to the shirt then, trying not to look too trusting. "You're very willing to share your allegiances. I don't suppose you justify that with manners, do you?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean watched Josh drink the glass, not because he doubted that the other man would actually partake of the liquid since the telepath had followed his requests to the letter. Rather, he needed to take surreptitious notes of his partner’s behavior, and he had to check his motor skills. Since Josh had made it plain that he didn’t intend to cooperate with a typical medical check, Sean had to be more discreet.

He also took the opportunity to watch the other man’s reflection in the mirror, trying to gauge his pupil response. This was complicated by the fact that the method was circuitous, and that Josh had half-shut his eyes, making the exercise worthless.

Perhaps he would be able to wear the younger man down. Or he could focus on wearing him down in his efforts to bring him to the hospital or the local doctor. One or the other.

“I justify most things with manners,” the telepath replied, which was true enough. He had found long ago that politeness allowed him to mingle with the most people, and his powers and observation skills allowed him to navigate. “I don’t worry about broadcasting privately.”

He gestured at the glass, and asked, “Do you want more water?” Ideally, he wanted Josh to have another glass for good measure, but he wouldn’t force the matter.