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routinemercyShe's meddlesome and irritating, brash and far too forward. And he nearly killed her. That's more than reason enough to stay away from Allison. And if he needs a visual reminder, all Hal needs to do is look at Alex, living something that can't quite be considered life. Unseen by so many, stripped of so much. Allison could just as easily have joined her ranks the other night - or worse yet, those of Cutler.
This and more Hal tells himself, over and over, drilling it in during his press-ups. And again while he's tidying his already pristine room. And again while attempting to get through even one round of dominoes.
(He still hasn't been able to complete one before dashing it apart in frustration, digging through his suitcase until he finds the flask and pouring from the bag he 'borrowed' from the Clinic. Somehow managing not to spill a drop despite his shaking hands. And then, having failed again, beginning his routine anew.)
And at the center of it all is Allison, Allison, Allison. The girl who's managed to get under his skin. The girl who cuts herself open and yet pities him, points out his loneliness as a shame rather than a necessity. But just as he was somebody else that night, so was she. And for a moment, they glimpsed each other's demons. The stories they'd never tell by the light of day.
So what do they do now?
[This is a companion narrative to That a Tangent Has Occurred forgodelsolution, set in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
boomtown.]
This and more Hal tells himself, over and over, drilling it in during his press-ups. And again while he's tidying his already pristine room. And again while attempting to get through even one round of dominoes.
(He still hasn't been able to complete one before dashing it apart in frustration, digging through his suitcase until he finds the flask and pouring from the bag he 'borrowed' from the Clinic. Somehow managing not to spill a drop despite his shaking hands. And then, having failed again, beginning his routine anew.)
And at the center of it all is Allison, Allison, Allison. The girl who's managed to get under his skin. The girl who cuts herself open and yet pities him, points out his loneliness as a shame rather than a necessity. But just as he was somebody else that night, so was she. And for a moment, they glimpsed each other's demons. The stories they'd never tell by the light of day.
So what do they do now?
[This is a companion narrative to That a Tangent Has Occurred for
godelsolution, set in boomtown.]
