Away at War / Left Behind

[damn_my_leg]

 Left Behind: Away at War/Battle

We all know war can be a hard time for everyone but those left behind? It can be torture. Hoping you get a letter or a call, staying glued to the television and cringing at those news stories. Guess what happens to you now? Your loved one has gone off to fight a war (battle, fight, in that ilk of things) and some time has passed. Sadly the letters and e-mails have stopped so you are left wondering the fate of your loved one. What do you do? Do you move on or are you holding on to hope they'll come back?


1. Post as your characters (List whether you prefer to be the one left behind or the returnee).
2. Others go to RNG and roll 1-8 for a scenes then respond.
3. Feel free to make up your own scenes too!
4. Respect others' preferences!
5. Have fun!
6. Angst away!

One: You get a call, or you get a knock at the door. You are told the person you love is dead and you feel like your whole world has caved in. The healing takes time but after awhile you pick up the pieces and you've finally moved on. You've never forgotten them and you know they'd want you to be happy. Then one day you get another call and you feel like you've been punched in the gut. Surprise! Your loved one is alive and has been rescued. What do you do now? Or if you are the one returning home how do you handle knowing the person you love is with another? Do you try to get them back? Or do you let them stay happy and walk away?

Two: You are so relieved to hear that they've found your loved one. You go to the hospital to see them but when you go to kiss them they stop you. Oh...wait...they have a big chunk of their memory gone. Oh no! Can you get them to remember your lives together? Does it hurt too much that you walk away rather than deal with it? You with the memory loss do you try to find yourself letting this person guide you. Do you refuse and walk away? Are those memories ever return, or are they gone forever?

Three: They have come back safe and sound. Though they cringe away from your touch and can be a little violent. Something about them has changed because of what they've seen. They rarely sleep and when they do they wake up screaming. The intimacy seems to be gone because you can't seen to get close to them. Can you handle it? Can you work with them? Or have you had enough? Do you leave? The returnee how do you feel? Do you wish you could just hold them and be normal again? Do you seek help or think you can handle it yourself?

Four: Even before they left it was as if the love was gone between the two of you. Plans have been made to break-up or divorce but after the hell they went through? You feel obligated to stay. You try your best to rekindle what was lost but it's gone. Finally you are at the breaking point and it's time to tell your significant other that it's over. You want to end it. Either one of you has this feeling and are acting to end the charade. Ready to break it to the hometown hero or to your sweetheart that waited for you?

Five: You've lost them and it was just too much for you. People have told you to move on yet you never could. Now you get a call. They've been found but it's unclear if they'll make it. Better hurry and rush to their side just in case. You don't want them to go without you getting to tell them one last time you love them just in case. Alternately you are injured and you know it might be the end and you refuse surgery until you get to see them one last time. You want them to know you love them.

Six: You lost your other half and you still aren't over it. Might be that little one asleep in the other room that has their eyes or smile. You are always reminded of what you lost when you look at that. The sad part is you never got to tell them the good news. Never got to hear their excitement. Or maybe you had an adoption in motion and were just waiting and it happened while they were gone. It still reminds you of what you and your love had planned for their future. Then you get the call they were found, and now you are nervous. How will they get along with their child? Will they still want that life? How do you take it the first time you see your eyes when looking at the child?

Seven: Finally news comes in and they've been found and you couldn't be happier. They were injured pretty badly and had to undergo surgery. They are alive but they've lost a limb or one of their senses. How do you two deal with this? Do you try to work on it together? Do you leave unable to handle it? Or let your loved one go so they can have a normal life? It'll be a long stressful road, can the relationship survive? For better or for worse?

Eight: Make up your own if I've missed something.

Comments

[morethanstubble]

[A chair? Really? A chair will do nothing. Kili is already attempting to climb into bed with Fili as he'd done as a child, afraid of the night. And this night is quite a lot scarier than any he'd faced as a boy.]

Fili...

[He lightly presses down on his braid.]

You've made a terrible mess of your hair. I only just braided this two days ago.

[breakofday]

[Thorin smiles faintly, letting Kili do as he pleases. It's good they've caught Fili when he's somewhat awake, and he watches his nephews quietly from the corner. Fili's words are slurred and soft, but at least he's speaking, even if it is in disjointed sentences. And he's smiling.

Thorin sinks into the chair himself, feeling something constrict tightly around his chest and a lump rise in his throat.]

((ooc: I would attempt to manage Fili, but I'm terrified I'll butcher his voice))

[morethanstubble]

((OOC: I never thought he had much of a voice...in the film or the book. It's no problem. I'd just Durincest it up anyhow.))

And then Thorin--

[Kili talks his brother's ear off, hardly letting Fili get a word in edgewise before the blond's deep blue eyes roll back into his skull. Kili is left screaming and Oin and Gloin press in to return to their healing, telling the boys' uncle to take him back to bed himself.

If Kili hadn't been shaking earlier, he certainly is now.]

FILI!

[breakofday]

((ooc: fair enough, lol. Durincest ftw!))

[Thorin watches them with a small smile, but it disappears quickly when Fili sinks into a dead faint. His heart goes out for Kili.]

Kili, give him room. With me, come on. [He's on his feet in an instant, gently taking Kili's arm.]

Mwaha!

[morethanstubble]

[There's a murmur to Durin's beard for Fili's safety in this but eventually, Kili's strength gives out and Thorin is able to get him back into bed. He's still shaking like a leaf, panting, afraid.]

whoops, html fail

[breakofday]

[Thorin hates seeing Kili like this just as much as he hates seeing Fili so injured. Perhaps bringing Kili to see his brother was a bad idea. He pulls the covers up nearly to his nephew's chin and brushes a soft kiss across his forehead before taking one of Kili's hands in his own.]

Deep breaths. Fili is strong. He'll be fine.

[morethanstubble]

[The single hand that is not wrapped up clutches not to Thorin's own hand but to his shirt. Kili's teeth are clenched. War, he's just realizing, is a terrible thing. Everything, everything he's idolized about it, the strength of it, has been all wrong.]

What will I do? What am I going to do?!

[breakofday]

[If Thorin could protect Kili from the horrors of the real world, he would. Fili being so injured is just a taste of the reality of life. The king sighs deeply.]

You pray that your brother will heal. And you wait.

[morethanstubble]

[Pray. Kili won't let Thorin go. He's got a death grip on him, even as he fall silent. There's no sound coming from the next room at all. He tries not to be worried.]

I know you see me as a child.

[He swallows.]

And so this is a childish response... Will you...

[He tugs Thorin forward. He tries so hard to be an adult that sometimes it's hard to remember that he's just in his seventies. That's barely anything.]

[breakofday]

[To say Thorin's concerned about Kili's behavior is an understatement. He doesn't try to pry his fingers from his front, however. Whatever will soothe him is fine by Thorin.]

You must know by now I would do almost anything for you. Just ask.

[morethanstubble]

Lay with me?

[His voice is thick with pain.]

[breakofday]

[It's a bit unexpected, and Thorin's caught by surprise. After a moment, however, his expression softens, and he gives him a small nod.]

Move over.

[morethanstubble]

I've not fallen asleep alone in months.

[Dis forced them into separate beds a few years ago but since they've been on the road, Fili's woken with a wild mane in his mouth every single night and has complained up it every single morning. Kili misses it.

He moves away from the edge of the bed and pulls the blanket down for Thorin.]

[breakofday]

[Thorin slips off his light armor and sets it on the chair before settling into bed beside Kili.]

And I've not fallen asleep with someone this close at my side since you were a small boy. [But he doesn't mind. His nephews have a special place in his heart.]

[morethanstubble]

Mister Baggins use to make his camp near you...

[Perhaps he should not speak about the hobbit. Not now. Kili's lips press together as he burrows against Thorin's side. He's just trying to hold it all together.]

I remember when you would fall asleep in the front room in front of the fire. Fili and I practiced braiding on you.

[breakofday]

[Thorin tenses slightly at the mention of Bilbo and doesn't answer. When Kili moves more into him, however, Thorin is quick to allow his nephew into his arms.

It brings back memories, and he smiles a little.]

I remember. Dis insisted I keep the braids in, in the mornings. I would have left them even if she had not said anything.

[morethanstubble]

They were so terrible!

[He sounds more like himself, more like the little boy that use to son pitifully when Thorin had to leave the mountain to make money for their family or work in one of the towns for awhile to secure trade to the Blue Mountains.]

I know we hate the elves but I would have liked Lord Elrond to show me the four strand braids he did.

[breakofday]

[Thorin really does laugh softly at that.] Perhaps. I liked them all the same.

[Despite everything, Thorin's tried to keep a close relationship with his nephews. It's times like this when he is immensely thankful he's done so. If he hadn't been here to calm Kili...he doesn't like to think of what the young dwarf might have done.]

You may be able to figure it out yourself, if you practice.

[morethanstubble]

When Fili wakes up.

[He's trying so very hard to stay positive.]

And when my fingers work.

[Well that makes him smile and he hides it against Thorin's ribs. If Fili doesn't pull through, this might be the last smile he ever has.]

[breakofday]

[Thorin chuckles and absently brushes a hand through Kili's hair.] Working fingers is certainly a plus.

[morethanstubble]

I don't remember... I think they got stuck in my bow string--

[He swallows immediately.]

Could you keep that to yourself?

[breakofday]

[Thorin has the decency not to laugh at that. Battles are confusing at the best of times. Even Thorin's hurt himself a few times over silly accidents.]

I won't say a word.

[morethanstubble]

[There's silence for long enough of a time for Thorin to begin to think that Kili's fallen asleep when the younger dwarf twists uncomfortably next to him. He misses the way his brother smells. He misses the way he stroked his hair.]

Thorin?

When did your beard come in?

[breakofday]

[Thorin can't help but smile faintly.] Yours is coming in just fine, Kili.

[morethanstubble]

Fili's was braidable by the time he was seventy-five.

[Yes. It's always about Fili. Kili is a little bit obsessed.]'

I'm seventy-seven now!