MM: Why the Jonny Gossamer books skip the long-term aftermath. (Hint: it's boring.)
Guess what?
Even the infirmary in Milliways is boring when you're not quite up to leaving the room on your own power yet.
(Actually, Harry kinda thinks he is. He's just not in any shape to deal with the kinds of things that can go on in Milliways. It can get a little rockier than, say, your average hospital cafeteria.)
Even the infirmary in Milliways is boring when you're not quite up to leaving the room on your own power yet.
(Actually, Harry kinda thinks he is. He's just not in any shape to deal with the kinds of things that can go on in Milliways. It can get a little rockier than, say, your average hospital cafeteria.)
"Also," he blurts out, trying to distract, "you're definitely gonna get your shirt back, I don't have with me, which actually is a good thing, if I'd been wearing it there'd be bullet holes and bloodstains, well one bullet hole, it didn't actually go all the way through, it lodged, again, but uh, it's back home in pretty good shape and it should stay that way, I'll just uh, leave it with the Bar when it's ready."
. . . subtlety isn't exactly Harry's strong suit, either.
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And, you know, Holmes said he lent one of Stark's shirts to Harry because he spilled coffee on his, which is a completely reasonable thing to do if you're Holmes, and he barely wondered about it at the time.
But.
Stark tries for a reassuringly ignorant smile, fails, and gives Holmes the eye instead.
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He admits defeat with an apologetic shrug.
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You suck.
"I spilled coffee on mine," Harry finishes weakly. "It was the squid's fault."
Fuck that fucking squid, anyway. This is all its fault. If it hadn't made Harry spill his coffee over the fucking toast, he wouldn't have gone upstairs with Holmes, and if he hadn't gone upstairs with Holmes, he wouldn't have gotten stupid ideas, and and and this is the worst version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie EVER.
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Come to think of it, Holmes also mentioned that Harry was just out of a bad breakup. And here they are obviously having had sex that Holmes obviously feels vaguely guilty about and Harry obviously regrets.
No wonder this whole situation gives him icky feelings.
"Thanks, though, yeah. For, uh, taking care of it. The shirt." He can barely remember that they are talking about a shirt. The subtext is definitely becoming a text here. Stark rubs his face and looks down at Holmes. "Y'know what, speaking of borrowing things, I'm gonna steal this jackass for a bit. Doesn't look like you'd miss him anyway. Sorry to leave you alone in your boring-ass hospital room."
He wraps his hand around Holmes's upper arm and pulls him to his feet, firmly but not roughly.
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Fuck.
Because what he really needed, on top of everything else, was an extra dose of humiliation.
If Perry does pick now to put in an appearance, Harry is seriously just going to go walk right into the lake and say hi to the squid in person and never fucking come back out. Anyone who tries to stop him will fail.
(At least recent events have conspired to keep him from dwelling on being dumped, at least for the time being? He'll get back to that sooner or later, but for now, recent events win.)
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"...you unbelievable asshole... ...been there, remember?... ...go home and talk about this. Fuck..."
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He is going to get so drunk when they finally let him out.
(. . . Okay, knowing Holmes is getting himself a new one torn wide open helps a little, but not as much as he'd like. He'd still trade it for a little more privacy and a little less everybody fucking figuring out his embarrassing shit.)
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