And in This Small World
Wandering Minds and Strange Behavior
The quivering chin, the bitten lip,
The cold and sweating brow,
Later may yearn for fellowship --
Not now, you ass, not now!
Rudyard Kipling - The Comforters
Gemlin narrowed his eyes. Reaching out he grabbed Seph’s fork and the plate of pie. “Do I want to know?” Seph grinned but didn’t say anything. He reached out to take his pie back, but Gemlin grabbed onto it. “Nuh-uh, I need this right now.” Seph raised his eyebrows.
“Um, Gemlin, I don’t think… I mean that really does have a lot of alcohol in it and if you haven’t…”
“No. You know what? I don’t care. Shut up, I don’t want to hear you anymore.”
Seph wanted to hit the kid, but he shook his head and took a small breathe. Slowly he settled down and began tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Staying silent he watched his pie disappear at a rather alarming rate. He couldn’t help but wonder how much the boy could actually take. His body size meant that he would become intoxicated faster, but depending on how much Gemlin usually drank, if any at all, the amount would change. Seph realized that though his plan had failed his objective would still be achieved.
“Hey Gemlin, how are you feeling?”
Gemlin looked up and snorted “fun why?” Frowning Gemlin dropped the fork on the empty plate and touched his lips “fine, I feant mine” giving a lopsided grin Gemlin whispered loudly. “I sound funny.”
“You’re drunk, kid.” Seph stood up. He took out his wallet and paid for the pie at the counter.
Gemlin let the side of his head fall on the table and watched as Seph handed the cashier a ten dollar bill. “I like your jeans, Espa” Seph looked over his shoulder and then walked back over to the boy. Gently he took Gemlin’s elbow and almost carried him out of the restaurant.
“You mean you like my ass, Gemlin.”
“Do I?”
Seph looked down at the boy. He was leaning all his weight on Seph and his feet were tripping over themselves. His eyes were wide and innocent. Frowning Seph said “I’m not sure.”
Gemlin grinned. “Okay….you’re right.”
Seph nearly let go. “I am?” He stared straight into Gemlin’s eyes. “You’re kidding right?”
“Nah. Hey, Seph, you’re eyes are pretty.” He giggled like a small child “Green like me!”
Seph shook his head in wonder. The kid was almost a different person. He took him back home and sat him on the couch. “I think you should sleep underling.”
Gemlin had stopped talking a while ago but he smiled lazily. Seph spread a blanket on Gemlin’s lap and began to straighten up but Gemlin wrapped his arms around his neck and wouldn’t let go. “My head hurts.” He finally whispered.
Seph nodded and pried the boy’s hands off his neck. “It’ll stop when you fall asleep”
Gemlin shook his head “I don’t like the couch” Seph frowned at Gemlin. He had a strange look on his face, but Seph wasn’t sure what that look meant. With a sigh Seph carried Gemlin into his bedroom and set him on the bed.
“Better?” he asked. Instead of replying Gemlin wove his hands around Seph once again. His eyes caught the Esper’s and he bit his lip gently. He pushed himself up against Seph’s stomach.
“Don’t leave me ‘lone” Gemlin whispered. Seph shook his head and chuckled softly.
“Well I would be flattered…. if you actually meant it, But unfortunately you don’t”
“Come on! You can do anything’n I won’t even member it!”
Seph stared at Gemlin. He couldn’t believe the boy had just said that – Still the thought was appealing. “Gemlin, I can’t.” He wanted to, really he did but it wasn’t fair to the kid. Seph would rather take him kicking and screaming then when he was so drunk that he didn’t know what was going on.
Gemlin saw him hesitating, “Pussy!” He folded his arms and kicked his body down into the covers. Seph gave him one last look before he left the room. His socks made no sound as he shuffled over to the fridge. Opening it he pulled out a Styrofoam container of linguini with alfredo-sauce. He tossed it in the microwave and moodily watched it turn in circles as it heated. When the smell of it began to fill the room, he took it out and set it on the dinky little kitchen table. He flopped down into a chair and began twisting the steaming noodles around his fork.
As he ate Seph stared at the other wall not truly seeing it. His mind was wandering. He wanted to believe that the boy reciprocated his feelings, but he knew that when one was drunk one tended to do things that they would never ever do sober. He also wanted to think that the kid would enjoy it, but he knew that would never happen, especially not with his...condition. He built up the power in his hand and then let it out, breaking the window beside the table. Wouldn’t his father be proud of him now? Oh yes, his almighty father would love the fact that he was left as the Queen’s lackey to rule over a little sector of her kingdom. It was his fault after all; if he hadn’t chosen to die with Seph’s mother then Seph wouldn’t be the last of the family, but they did. They left him to rule without asking if he wanted to, and so he didn’t.
He let his head fall on the table as Gemlin had at the restaurant. Seph realized that he envied the underling. What would it be like to live a life without power, without being able to choose who lived or died, a life of innocence where you lived life like there was no tomorrow. Though he knew it was stupid he thought that if he could just be near the underling, maybe the boy would rub off on him, just a little. He found himself wanting the underling so bad at that moment. He turned, ready to go back into the room but was surprised to see Gemlin rubbing his eyes in the doorway.
“Is that food?”
The cold and sweating brow,
Later may yearn for fellowship --
Not now, you ass, not now!
Rudyard Kipling - The Comforters
Gemlin narrowed his eyes. Reaching out he grabbed Seph’s fork and the plate of pie. “Do I want to know?” Seph grinned but didn’t say anything. He reached out to take his pie back, but Gemlin grabbed onto it. “Nuh-uh, I need this right now.” Seph raised his eyebrows.
“Um, Gemlin, I don’t think… I mean that really does have a lot of alcohol in it and if you haven’t…”
“No. You know what? I don’t care. Shut up, I don’t want to hear you anymore.”
Seph wanted to hit the kid, but he shook his head and took a small breathe. Slowly he settled down and began tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Staying silent he watched his pie disappear at a rather alarming rate. He couldn’t help but wonder how much the boy could actually take. His body size meant that he would become intoxicated faster, but depending on how much Gemlin usually drank, if any at all, the amount would change. Seph realized that though his plan had failed his objective would still be achieved.
“Hey Gemlin, how are you feeling?”
Gemlin looked up and snorted “fun why?” Frowning Gemlin dropped the fork on the empty plate and touched his lips “fine, I feant mine” giving a lopsided grin Gemlin whispered loudly. “I sound funny.”
“You’re drunk, kid.” Seph stood up. He took out his wallet and paid for the pie at the counter.
Gemlin let the side of his head fall on the table and watched as Seph handed the cashier a ten dollar bill. “I like your jeans, Espa” Seph looked over his shoulder and then walked back over to the boy. Gently he took Gemlin’s elbow and almost carried him out of the restaurant.
“You mean you like my ass, Gemlin.”
“Do I?”
Seph looked down at the boy. He was leaning all his weight on Seph and his feet were tripping over themselves. His eyes were wide and innocent. Frowning Seph said “I’m not sure.”
Gemlin grinned. “Okay….you’re right.”
Seph nearly let go. “I am?” He stared straight into Gemlin’s eyes. “You’re kidding right?”
“Nah. Hey, Seph, you’re eyes are pretty.” He giggled like a small child “Green like me!”
Seph shook his head in wonder. The kid was almost a different person. He took him back home and sat him on the couch. “I think you should sleep underling.”
Gemlin had stopped talking a while ago but he smiled lazily. Seph spread a blanket on Gemlin’s lap and began to straighten up but Gemlin wrapped his arms around his neck and wouldn’t let go. “My head hurts.” He finally whispered.
Seph nodded and pried the boy’s hands off his neck. “It’ll stop when you fall asleep”
Gemlin shook his head “I don’t like the couch” Seph frowned at Gemlin. He had a strange look on his face, but Seph wasn’t sure what that look meant. With a sigh Seph carried Gemlin into his bedroom and set him on the bed.
“Better?” he asked. Instead of replying Gemlin wove his hands around Seph once again. His eyes caught the Esper’s and he bit his lip gently. He pushed himself up against Seph’s stomach.
“Don’t leave me ‘lone” Gemlin whispered. Seph shook his head and chuckled softly.
“Well I would be flattered…. if you actually meant it, But unfortunately you don’t”
“Come on! You can do anything’n I won’t even member it!”
Seph stared at Gemlin. He couldn’t believe the boy had just said that – Still the thought was appealing. “Gemlin, I can’t.” He wanted to, really he did but it wasn’t fair to the kid. Seph would rather take him kicking and screaming then when he was so drunk that he didn’t know what was going on.
Gemlin saw him hesitating, “Pussy!” He folded his arms and kicked his body down into the covers. Seph gave him one last look before he left the room. His socks made no sound as he shuffled over to the fridge. Opening it he pulled out a Styrofoam container of linguini with alfredo-sauce. He tossed it in the microwave and moodily watched it turn in circles as it heated. When the smell of it began to fill the room, he took it out and set it on the dinky little kitchen table. He flopped down into a chair and began twisting the steaming noodles around his fork.
As he ate Seph stared at the other wall not truly seeing it. His mind was wandering. He wanted to believe that the boy reciprocated his feelings, but he knew that when one was drunk one tended to do things that they would never ever do sober. He also wanted to think that the kid would enjoy it, but he knew that would never happen, especially not with his...condition. He built up the power in his hand and then let it out, breaking the window beside the table. Wouldn’t his father be proud of him now? Oh yes, his almighty father would love the fact that he was left as the Queen’s lackey to rule over a little sector of her kingdom. It was his fault after all; if he hadn’t chosen to die with Seph’s mother then Seph wouldn’t be the last of the family, but they did. They left him to rule without asking if he wanted to, and so he didn’t.
He let his head fall on the table as Gemlin had at the restaurant. Seph realized that he envied the underling. What would it be like to live a life without power, without being able to choose who lived or died, a life of innocence where you lived life like there was no tomorrow. Though he knew it was stupid he thought that if he could just be near the underling, maybe the boy would rub off on him, just a little. He found himself wanting the underling so bad at that moment. He turned, ready to go back into the room but was surprised to see Gemlin rubbing his eyes in the doorway.
“Is that food?”