Sleep, My Young Love

[resoluteprotector]

“I love you… I love you… I love you…”

He doesn’t dream; Whispers could still get to him that way. For Will it’s as though no time has passed between falling into unconsciousness in the passenger seat of the ambulance, telling Riley over and over again that he loves her, and slowly waking up. His eyes remain closed, but even through his eyelids he can tell that he is surrounded by light. Small arms are wrapped around him and he can feel his body rocking gently back and forth. For a second he is reminded of falling asleep in his mother’s arms. But this is not his mother holding him, he knows that. It’s Riley – Riley – safe and well. She must sense that he has regained consciousness because she begins to sing to him, an old Icelandic lullaby.

“Sofŏu, ung stin mín…”

Sleep, my young love. It’s all he hears before her voice quickly fades away. Everything fades away – the light behind his eyelids, the rocking motion of the boat, Riley’s hand on his chest, and the warm feelings of I love you and You’re safe radiating between them. Instead, he feels cold, hard floor against his back. The only warmth and comfort remaining is the blanket and BPO jacket draped over him.

Will had forgotten what it was like to feel this alone.

“Riley?” he whispers.

He opens his eyes. Darkness. His mind and body are still a little slow and blurred from the sedative, but his police training is still coming through enough to tell him to remain calm and think.

Light. He needs light.There's a fluorescent sliver coming in through the edges of a door, but it’s not enough. He could wait for his eyes to adjust, but there’s a quicker way. Will throws off the blanket and jacket, sitting up dizzily, feeling too weak to stand just yet. Thankfully, his phone is still in the pocket of his jeans. He shines the bright glow of the screen from side to side. Shelves of boxes and folders surround him. Will thinks he knows what this room might be - the records room at a police station.

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[resoluteprotector]

Will starts to fidget in the backseat as the taxi pulls up outside The Bramford Building. "My friend will be down in a second. He'll pay you." The driver sighs, but keeps the meter running and settles back in his seat, getting comfortable for the wait.

But he doesn't have to wait long.

Seeing Lito approaching the car, much like when he walked into that room and saw Riley just a few steps away from him, is like a dream. Will can hear what Lito can hear, can feel the temperature around him, and it's the same as what he himself is experiencing. He can feel Lito's excitement, too, and knows how much this moment means to the both of them.

"Hi," he manages to say, staring stunned at Lito, who grins back at him. Two seconds later, Lito has his arms around him, and he wastes no time in hugging him back. The connection between them is stronger than it has ever been before. He can feel how lonely Lito has been, and while he doesn't quite understand yet how that's happened, he wants Lito to know that he doesn't have to be the only one of their cluster in Darrow any more, that he's going to do whatever he can to not leave Lito alone ever again. He would say all of this out loud, but when they're holding each other this close, he knows that he doesn't have to.

And then the beautiful moment is interrupted by the barking voice of the cab driver. "Can you two lovebirds please take this somewhere else so that I can leave?"

[artoflove]

Lito goes a touch paler at the accusation, stepping away from Will as if he's been burned. For all that he's grateful to be in a new place, his career is still something that must be constantly worried over and the taxi driver may be a stranger, but it only takes a few strangers and a few connections before suddenly, Lito's reputation is in trouble.

Still, he's beyond glad to see Will here and he gestures excitedly for him to come inside. "I didn't have much time to clean and it is a mess," he says. "It's very dirty. Very small, not like my home in Mexico City. You've seen it," he reminds him, though he's not sure whether the house is what Will remembers from that incredible afternoon.

"I know I don't have to ask how you are, but I think it's polite. Are you okay?"

[resoluteprotector]

"Uh, sorry, sir," Will says to the driver as he steps up onto the pavement, still almost getting run over by the taxi as the driver takes off immediately. But then all of his attention is back on Lito.

"Hi," he says again, not sure what else to say. He listens and follows. "I remember. It was nice. Your apartment, I mean. You had nice, uh... sheets." Will can feel himself blushing. "I'm sure this place is fine, too. Don't worry about it." The state of Lito's apartment doesn't both him, especially not when he has so much else to be concerned about.

"It's been a long day, and I get the feeling it's not over yet. You've gotta try and explain all this to me, Lito. What is this place?"

[artoflove]

Will's blush makes Lito smirk, given that the incident that caused such a reaction is one that Lito will never forget as it had been a very special time for him, one that he will forever share with Will and Wolfgang and Nomi. Perhaps, one day, if he is ever to reunite and rekindle with Hernando, he will tell him of the company they had. For now, though, he digs out his keys and gestures for Will to follow him as they begin their ascent.

"I can try," he says, very serious about this. "But I do not think it will make much sense. If it weren't for the connection and the things we've seen, I'd worry that you will think I'm crazy."

[resoluteprotector]

"I won't think you're crazy. Just start at the beginning." Will has known since he was a child what it's like to have others think that he is crazy, and to wonder it about himself. All eight of them had thought they were losing their minds when their connection had first begun, only weeks ago. But he knows that everything Lito had told him so far hasn't been a lie, and he can see the evidence of the city around him. If Lito has gone crazy, then Will is stuck in the same delusion.

[artoflove]

Lito breathes in and decides to start at the beginning. "I was kidnapped here, I don't know how. I was drunk one moment and then I was here. There is no escape," he says, grateful that Will is going to believe him because he knows every bit of Lito himself. "And we cannot leave, and there are many strange things like bees and changing into a woman or a child."