kittencafe | York's Interdimension Basket of Washes

York has put a lot of work and effort into this. Making the nest was one thing, almost every pillow, cushion, blanket and duvet has gone into it and the only ones that haven't are the ones he was scared of taking from their owners. So he just went out and brought some more and now the nest takes up most of the main room in the base.

The food was also pretty easy, if expensive because fresh fruit.

No, the really tricky bit is convincing both Washes to be in the same room, especially at the base, for long enough for him to get them into the nest. He's got people keeping an eye on the transponser as well, just in case any other Washes come through. Then they can join in because all the worlds seem determined to screw over his best friend.

York had sounded pretty insistent when he'd called. And he'd sounded like it was serious too.So of course Wash had shown up, albeit warily. Only to find York there in the main room surrounded by masses of pillows and blankets and... bubble wrap? More pillows and blankets than he thinks he's ever seen.

"Uh... what's going on?"

"York, have you seen my--"

Wow. Okay. York wasn't kidding about the whole...loving environment thing. Wash is a little disgruntled that York is using his vintage Astro Boy blanket, but it looks like every blanket in the base is in this room, so Wash doesn't really have a leg to stand on.

"Um. What are we supposed to...do? Exactly? With that?"

Brilliant! They're both here as planned. Step one: get them in the main room in the base is complete. Commence step two: get them in the nest.

'This is an intervention because you two have been way too down lately. So I made a nest.' He waves his hand to take in the vast expanse of blankets and cushions. 'And you're both going to get in it and stay there until you've at least t-sheered up a bit and preferably started getting on a bit better. In you go!' He ushers them both towards the construction.

Things happen.

This is a universal fact that David has long since come to accept. No, more than that. Bad things happen. Have not the last months of his life been an exploration in this concept. Wasn't PFL properly summed up, long before everything went to hell, in those words?

Bad things happen. Like you walk towards your apartment door in some grungy old building on some shitty backwater planet far from where anyone would ever look for you. Bad things happen like you know you're walking towards your apartment door and then you're tripping over your feet and counting the fibers of a carpet that does not exist.

There was no carpet in his apartment, except in the rarely used bedroom. His feet are always cold, which is why he wears socks. Doubly true since Eon because the kitten liked to play with his feet and the tiny extra protection of socks always helped. But this isn't the color of the carpet in the bedroom, so David, formerly Agent Washington of Project Freelancer, stares at the fibers for a while and wonders just what memory he's falling into. Because clearly, it's the only rational answer.

Either that or he's finally gone well and truly insane.

A call comes through from one of his friends watching the trnasponser. Someone's come through, and it's another Wash. Great timing! Giving Holly instructions to take care of him until he gets there, he leaves the current two Washes in the nest, under supervision since he doesn't trust them to not get out yet, and drives quickly to the casino.

When he gets there, he hurries inside, wondering how shitty a hand this Wash has been dealt and hoping it's not too bad. Soon see. He rounds a corner and finds Holly talking quietly to the young man who's just shifted worlds.

This isn't real. None of this is real. None of it can be real. For one thing, Leonard Church never knew a woman that looked like this, has never been in a room that looks like this. Nor has David, or Agent Washington, or Epsilon. The only one that has ever been in a room that glowed with faint blue light cast from a...

No.

No no. No nono no no nononono no.

noononononnononoono

David rushes from the woman, finds a corner to put himself in. Back to two walls, minimize angles of attack. He pulls his legs up to his knees and tells himself the only thing that makes sense.

"It isn't real. I'm not here. They can't hurt me. They can't hurt me. I'm not him and she's dead and this isn't real."

Holly looks up as York comes in, her expression worried. York's gaze darts from her to the man in the corner and, okay, that wasn't a good start for hoping things were non-shitty.

'He started jabbering a few minutes ago,' Holly says softly, trying not to startle him. 'He hasn't stopped since, I don't know what's wrong.'

'Thanks, Hol. I'll take it now,' he says, and once she's gone, he slowly moves closer to the new Wash. This is really not good. Poor guy.

'Hey. Hey, Wash. It's me, York. Can you hear me?'

York?

The name, the voice, it's perfect. That's safety. Here an anchor to pull him from the grips of Alpha's memories. He doesn't want to live the torture. Don't make him live through the torture in full, terrible detail.

David is up and throwing himself into York's arms immediately, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck.

"Miles," he whispers, his voice raw with emotions ranging from fear to love to simple fatigue. "Miles he won't stop making me remember what happened. You've got to help. It won't stop. I can't make it stop anymore."

Well, that's a reaction. York doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Wash despite his surprise. He's thin. Definitely thinner than both the other Washes, he should know, he's hugged both of them. That's also not a great sign. And that's not all.

'I'm--' not Miles. He doesn't finish it though. Let the guy calm down a bit first, then explain the situation and hope he doesn't freak out too much.

'I've got you,' he says instead. Comfort, that's what this Wash clearly needs. And a blanket nest. 'You're safe, I promise you're safe. Let's get you out of here.' The room is a bit creepy with the transponser in the middle. Etheral, but in a kind of freaky way. best to get Wash out of sight of it.

"Where's Nic?" David asks, following as he's told. Because it's an easier question than 'where am I' because sometimes the echoes of a fragment get him into weird places in the city. But surely if Miles found him then Nic is looking too.

If only he could ask Delta. The AI would know immediately where Nic was.

That is a question he would love to answer, but he has no clue who Nic is. Or Miles, for that matter. Is he Miles? Wash certainly seemed to think so, but it seems strange that his counterpart wouldn't share his real name. Unless Wash was mistaking him for someone else? But he wouldn't have reacted like that if he didn't recognize him, right? So that means that not only does his counterpart have a different real name, but he's told Wash what it is.

'I don't know, sorry,' he admits as they get out of the room. 'But I'm sure he's safe. Are you gonna be alright?'

"No," David whispers. "No I'm not. Just... take me home. Please, love, I just want to go back to sleep and..."

Well, when he says 'never wake up' his boyfriends get very concerned. "Can I borrow Delta tonight? Just to make the dreams go away? He's good at interrupting him. Though I guess Theta is better at making them happy."

"Love"? Okay, this is... complicated. And that talk about Delta and Theta. That's got to be them as AIs, right? Humans wouldn't be able to make dreams happy. God, that's weird that they can do that. He keeps forgetting the AIs were integrated the agents' brains.

So this Wash is from a world a bit more similar to Other Wash's than this one. And has really bad nightmares? Definitely poor guy.

'I... Okay, please don't freak out. I'm not Miles. Or I am, I think, maybe. I'm York, but my real name isn't Miles. You fell through a portal, that's what the glowy thing was, and this is like an alternate reality-slash-universe thing. I promise I'm not going to hurt you.' He loosens his grip so Wash can get out more easily if he wants.

"A- nest?" What the fuck. Wash looks at York like he's crazy, and coming from him, that cannot be a good thing.

"You can't just put us into a nest, York," although it does look comfortable. "We're not... not birds or cats that you can bribe with cushions and blankets and... oh hey, is that fruit?"

It sounds like miles and looks like Miles and yet there is total bullshit coming out of his mouth.

"It's not April, and it's not funny," David warns him, his voice low and not quite a growl. Not too much of angry Maine or Omega in it. They aren't even all that prominent in his memories, so they aren't easy to tap. "Don't lie to me, Miles. Tell him it isn't funny, D."

York might not agree with the statement that the two Washes aren't cats, but that's besides the point. Wash is fixated on the fruit his other self pointed out.

"It is," he breathes. "Look--oranges. If this was Earth, they'd be in season right now."

He takes the teeniest step closer to the nest.

York sighs, running his fingers through his hair with his free hand. 'Yeah, Delta's not... in my head. He's an AI in your world, right? He's human here, they all are. Look, you can t-sheck the back of my neck if you want, I don't have the - what are they called again? - neural implants.'

Please don't let this go too badly.

Edited 2015-12-24 14:05 (UTC)

'You're both definitely cats,' he counters. 'Both of you have admitted to being cats in disguise on separate occasions.'

They've noticed the fruit and both look enticed. He knew that would help. 'Yep. And it's fresh. Oh, and there's chocolate as well. Both of whit-sh you will get if you go in the nest.'

"Oh my god," Wash agrees. Fresh oranges. He hasn't had any in years. Fruit was a treat even here and his mouth is watering thinking about it already.

"So this is what? A timeout? You're putting us in timeout?"

Timeout with chocolate and fresh fruit.

Chocolate? That's a low blow, York. Wash doesn't know anyone who could resist the promise of fresh fruit and chocolate, let alone the two Washes.

"Nah," Wash shakes his head. "Timeout is a punishment. I don't think this is meant to be a punishment." He looks back at York. "The chocolate better be for real, man."

'Not a punishment, ' he confirms. 'A comfort zone, let's say. Safe space.' Because God knows there aren't many of those.

'The t-shocolate's for real. I'm many things, but a liar is very rarely one of one. You both deserve a treat, so this is that, and if you're both really, really good, I'll melt the t-shocolate and dip the fruit in it for you.' He knows how to tempt.

He eyes York for a moment when he says that. The whole idea just seems pretty weird. But at the same time... chocolate and fruit. "You promise about the chocolate, right?"

He can't go back on that once he's said it.

It's official. He has finally lost it. This is true insanity.

David shakes his head and pushes York away from him.

"Stay away from me. You're not York. You're a liar!"

He lets him go without any resistance and sighs. This is what he'd been worried about, now it's a matter of trying to convince him of the truth.

'I am York. Just not your York. This is another world, I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's true. And I'm a terrible liar, you should know that.'

York's Interdimension Basket of Washes

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject