star walking ✷ woods&theo
Apr 13, 2023 14:46:58 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2023 14:46:58 GMT -5
C A P T A I N
W O O D S
"Hey man," he likes to front that he's always big and bold, but his words come out weak.
He's missed Theo - he's really missed Theo. An aching at his core that festers in a way that makes you hate your life; he left and everything got so much worse, dude. Captain's been on his own for the majority of it, the boys are pretty much done for. Good, fuck those guys. He threw Aytac out the warehouse shortly after Theo left, and sure enough that damn rat never came back. They fought for a day until Aytac put his hands on him, digging his knuckles into the collar of his tee and Captain decked him without thinking about it. A nosebleed between the two of them; guilt set in quick, but not as quick as everyone cleared the hell out.
There was no point in following after them. Marshall's the only one he's seen or talked to since, the only one with balls to show back up after the whole scene. They'd drink or smoke and watch the games but it's not like watching EXY, there was no cheering, only a grimacing, malicious silence that hung between them every time Theo was on screen. He didn't feel right, just sitting there while one of his best guys fought through a screen for his life. It was no sport, it was death every day.
Captain could hardly stomach the shit, watching the slow and laborious deaths of Theo's allies.
He never killed until he was alone, and Captain respected that. Only when he had to, but it didn't make it any easier to stomach. On the seventh day, a capitolite reporter came down and sought out anyone they could find with a thread to Theo, and Captain didn't leave the warehouse after hearing about it. Marshall's dumbass spit on the camera man and got sent to the DC, so he finished the season alone. By the end of it, with Nikolas's suicide, there was no celebration. There was only him, Theodore, standing amidst it all while he, Captain, watched alone in the dark.
It was one long week after that, spent wasted one way or another waiting for the time to finally end. Man, I'm going to see you again - he wondered if he was still pissed. At Captain, at the boys, at the situation; he wouldn't blame him if they didn't speak again. And he wondered if they ever overthought each other at the same time, if Theo overthought about him at all. It seems the entire time all Captain could do was question himself, if he was ever good enough.
But all he could do now was be present. The time of the train station's arrival was written down and double checked a dozen times; he had to be there, he had to see him. It's corny to say what's left of him, but whatever version of Theo came home to him, Captain would gladly accept it. Hell, better than he did last time. Theo proved he never needed his protecting anyways, but he mulls the guilt over until he finally sees him.
All in one piece, here we go.
They meet outside the station, the crowd finally dispersing after Theo's ushered through by his escort and Capitolite team. There's a moment where he thinks they'll pass him up entirely before Theo's able to slow things down, buy a minute for some kind of word exchange. All he knows to say is at first is hey man, stuffing his hands in his pockets. It's cold with the distance, and Theo looks different. He can't ignore it, but he doesn't care to focus on it. There's too much for him to say and so little coming to him.
"It's insane you're actually back," he says, "things kind of fell apart after you left but uhh," that's not his fault. That's how things should've worked out a long time ago, and they can talk it all out later. For now it's two of them and only so much time before the escort takes him away again, for however long that is. It's hard to speak, looking Theo in the eyes again.
"I'm happy you're home, welcome back."