Sev took the glass back once it was empty, refilling it from a nearby pitcher. He handed the glass back to the guy, who seemed very thirsty. Not that he could blame him…
There were so many things he wanted to ask, but Sev held back. This guy seemed to be very traumatized, and he didn't want to make things worse… "I'm Sev," he said with a gentle smile. "What's your name?"
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Alex gladly accepted the glass once it was refilled. He stayed curled up, eyes closing as he drunk.
"I… I'm Alexander," Alex said timidly, holding the half drank glass in his hands. His hand went over himself a bit, remembering what used to be on his chest.
Sev smiled slightly, although Alexander couldn't see it. "That's a cool name," he said. Then he hesitated, unsure how he was going to ask this, if it would be too traumatizing to ask.
"Um… Alex-Alexander… do you know how you got into that statue?" He asked softly, his voice gentle, the voice he used when he was talking to frightened animals.
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Alex had a faint smile at what Sev says about his name. His eyes widened a bit at the second question. He nodded a bit, curling up a bit more.
"I-I… I saw something I want supposed to, a-and then they-" Alex shivered, drawing closer to himself.
"Hey. Hey. It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Sev said, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
He regretted asking the question. Alexander was clearly in no state to say anything about it. It must have been traumatizing.
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Alex leaned into Sev's hand a bit, trembling a bit.
"O-okay…." Alex closed his eyes again, letting out a shaky breath. He leaned his head towards Sev a bit, glad for some small comfort in this strange new place.
"I… How long was I i-in there..?"
"I-I'm not sure," Sev said hesitantly. "But at least 50 years. The sculptures were discovered then. It's the year _____, if that helps."
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Alex let out a shocked gasp, curling up a bit more.
"No, no no no nonononono…" He let out a choked sob. He'd been trapped in that statue for that long?! No, no, he- he shouldn't even be alive!
"What's wrong?" Sev asked, concerned. He bent over Alexander, trying to calm him down. "Hey. It's okay. Calm down. You're okay."
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"I-I-I shouldn't be alive!! I- I've been in that statue for h-hundreds of years…" Alex lifted his hands up to his face, sobbing and leaning into Sev.
"Hundreds of years-" Sev was shocked by these words, but he didn't have much to think about it, as Alex leaned against him and started sobbing.
He didn't say anything. What were you supposed to say in times like this? So he just patted Alex's back, making soothing noises.
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Alex eventually took Sev's shirt in his fists, sobbing into Sev's shirt. He'd managed to keep himself together, but this… This was too much. He ended up curling right up next to Sev, shaking with the force of his sobs. Eventually he stopped crying, shaking a bit and curled up with Sev.
Alex was panicking. Not that Sev could blame him. The guy had been stuck in a plaster statue for hundreds of years, and everyone he loved was dead. Sev would be traumatized if that happened to him, too.
Alex had calmed down slightly, curling next to him. It put Sev in mind of a cat, although he wouldn't tell anyone that. It was kind of cute, if very heart-wrenching.
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Alex wiped at his eyes a bit.
"I… I'm sorry," he eventually said, trying to pull away weakly. Still, he didn't really want to. "I… I don't even know you, I'm sorry for doing that…"
"It's okay," Sev said, rubbing Alex's back slightly. "I understand. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. Waking up centuries later… that's got to be awful." He smiled gently, his eyes sad. "I like helping people in need. It's what I do."
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Alex rubbed at his eyes a bit.
"Y-you too?" He asked, managing a weak smile. "That's how I m-met H-Henry…" Alex's breath hitched a bit. Oh, oh god, Henry was… he was…
"Who is Henry?" Sev asked gently. He wasn't sure if he should ask this, but Alex seemed to have liked this Henry guy, so maybe talking about him would be a distraction…
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Alex looked down at his hands.
"He is… I-I mean, he was…" Alex took a deep breath, trying not to break down again. " My lover…"
"Oh…" So no. That hadn't been a good topic. Sev was at a loss for words. What exactly do you say to a person whose been trapped in a statue for hundreds of years? "Well, what was he like?"
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Alex rubbed at his eyes, doing his best not to freak out.
"He… he's probably the nicest man I ever met," Alex said. "He can a-always make me laugh, and he always make sure to get m-my favorite breads for me when I have a bad day." He couldn't handle talking about him in the past tense, not yet.
"He sounds really cool," Sev said soothingly. He wrapped an arm around the trembling figure. "How long did you know him for?"
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"I-I… We've known each other since we were children in school," Alex said. He smiled a bit at the memories, tears still falling occasionally. "He-he always plays the stupidest tricks on the teachers…"
"Were they really good tricks?" Sev asked softly, trying not to let an ounce of pity slip through. This guy needed a listener, not a pity party.
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Alex nodded.
"Yeah…" He smiled some more, giggling a bit. "His favorite one to pull is- he loves to shift everything around just the smallest bit. Everything, everything in the room, a-and then when the teacher comes in he keeps bumping into everything with the most confused expression!"
Sev laughed, trying not to make it sound forced. His mind wandered. That poor guy… what was going to happen to him after this?
"Was the teacher blind, then?" He asked, forcing his mind back to the subject at hand.
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Alex shook his head some.
"Henry used it as a point- he's always been fascinated with how people work, and it seemed to prove his theory that people really don't pay attention to where their body is taking them. He always goes on about how the body has a separate memory from the soul…" Alex smiled softly as he thought about his lover.
"That… that's a surprisingly complicated thing to think about," Sev said with surprise. "How did he think of something like that?" It was an interesting theory, something that seemed to make more sense to study than the dumb theories they were coming up with these days.
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"Well, he first thought of it when he saw how many people who do continuous, routine work every day are able to do the work without actually looking at it. Like a baker, knowing just how to fold the bread while chatting with his latest boyfriend." Alex laughed softly, smiling fondly at the memories.
"He wanted to see just how much we do without actually thinking about it, including walking around."
"Isn't that just instinct and muscle memory, though?" Sev asked. And then he thought of a theory that might make Alex happier.
"Did he believe in the rebirth of souls?" He asked cautiously, hoping this wasn't a trigger for the frightened man.
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"Muscle… memory?" Alex tilted his head some. "You- you mean Henry is right?" Alex beamed at the thought, grinning at the revelation.
"And yeah, definitely. Well, if someone is deserving of it." Alex put his finger on his chin, humming some.
