OTA

[prince_of_nymphs]

 The hardest part was keeping the lies straight.

"I thought you were only having one of your eyes done?"

"I did, the other I had done abroad- It was a spur of the moment choice..."

"Your so pale now..."

"The medication, it doesn't sit well with me."

"You're so thin!"

"No appetite. It'll get better though, I'm sure."

He'd anticipated that though. He'd known he'd need to lie and fib left and right, until people just accepted he could see again- And that perhaps he was still a touch unwell. What he hadn't anticipated, however, was the resentment that many of his old friends seemed to  suddenly feel towards him. It was one thing when Fin was a rising star- But pitiable because of his disability. Now, however... Now he was already receiving television and film offers left and right, and that... That apparently upset a few people.

He'd been leaving one of his favourite coffee shops when he nearly walked right into Phil. A man he'd worked with many times in small productions. A good actor, but older- Perhaps past his prime in the eyes of many.

"Oh! Phil, how brilliant to see you," Fin had smiled, offering his hand, and looking puzzled when it wasn't taken.

"Brilliant is it?" Phil replied, raising a brow and ignoring the offered hand. "So posh sounding these days, Fin. I don't remember you being posh- Not when you were sleeping on the streets, begging for parts. ...Wouldn't know you were dragged up in Manchester with that posh voice you put on."

Fin's smile faded slightly, and he forced an uncomfortable laugh. "Bad habit, I suppose," he said awkwardly.

"Not a habit," Phil assured him. "Just as fake as the rest of you, that's all."

Fin's smile faded completely then, aware that people were staring now. "Right," he said awkwardly. "Well, I should... I should be off."

Phil smiled then, a vicious smile. "I suppose so. That casting couch wont get warmed without you. ...Catch something, have you?" he added, looking Fin over with a sneer. "Should be a bit more cautious, Fin. ...Or is it Finlay now?"

Fin didn't answer that, he simply turned away trying to hide the embarrassment he felt as he started walking and brushed off a young woman who tried to stop him for a selfie.

Comments

[jageskro]

Jag frowned, but let Fin take his hand where he wanted it. And then frowned more deeply as he realised not only how cold Fin was, but that there was no pulse. "What...?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Death," Fin replied, his voice low and soft. Nervous, almost. "Or... Or something terribly close to it."

[jageskro]

"You're living dead," Jag sussed out for himself, remembering the terrible tales of muló Dora used to tell him. He pulled his hand back slowly, frowning at Fin - in confusion, rather than anything else.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"My pulse in exchange for my eyes," Fin nodded, looking down at his hands as he wrapped them around his beer.

"I didn't know... I didn't realize that's what I was trading."

[jageskro]

"What is it like?" Jag asked, and took a drink from his pint, watching Fin. Now he realised that how pale he was wasn't just him not having seen enough sun in a while.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"It's... Well, it's cold, mostly," Fin replied. "Like I can't get warm. ...It's an odd feeling."

He sipped his beer, tugging his coat tighter around himself as he tried to get comfortable. "I feel weaker- Actually, I know I'm weaker. Though there are some small perks. I heal quickly, remarkably quickly, actually."

[jageskro]

"And at least you can still have beer," Jag added with a small smile. It was a joke, but it was also true. Not about beer specifically, but food and drinks in general. He couldn't imagine not enjoying those things.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"That's true. I'd be heartbroken if I couldn't enjoy food and drink any more," Fin confessed. "I do love to eat. I could empty a buffet left to my own devices."

[jageskro]

"Not if I beat you to it," Jag replied with a grin, then sobered up. "Would you have made the deal, if you'd known?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I don't know," Fin confessed. "It's wonderful being able to see. I missed my sight more than I can put into words. ...But there are drawbacks. Terrible ones. ...Ones I'm not sure I can speak of."

[jageskro]

"I'm sorry, mate," Jag told him honestly. He'd definitely been hoping the answer would have been yes.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I shouldn't sulk. I'm still here, and I'm working again- I'm lucky, really. ...I just feel a bit lost right now I suppose. I feel as though I'm learning who I am all over again," Fin sighed.

[jageskro]

"That doesn't have to be a bad thing," Jag stated hopefully.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"No perhaps not," Fin agreed. "Though the more I change, the more the people I once called friends seem to hate me."

[jageskro]

"They don't sound much like friends, then," Jag pointed out. "Those are supposed to stick by you while you figure yourself out, aren't they?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I agree, Jag. ...I wonder if they were ever true friends at all," Fin admitted. "I thought having money and fame would make things so much better, but- They don't. I love acting, adore the parts I'm given, and I wont pretend I'd ever wish to return to a life where I had no idea where I'd rest my head for the night, or choosing between a cab to my audition, or eating that day... But I do miss knowing that the people in my life were- I don't know. Genuine."

[jageskro]

"You can find your friends outside of those circles, right?" Jag stated. "Keep doing what you love, find more genuine people to surround yourself with?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I can try," Fin replied. "...You seem genuine though, Jag. I'm thankful to have met you."

[jageskro]

"I don't have much reason to pretend," Jag answered, and then smiled, and shook his head. "Okay, that's bollocks. But I'm trying to get better. You've helped, you know. Last time we saw each other."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Oh?" Fin asked curiously. "I'm glad if that's the case. ...You seemed upset," he remembered.

[jageskro]

"I was going to run away from everything here," Jag stated, and smiled over at Fin. "You convinced me not to."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'm glad. I'd have missed you had you left," Fin smiled, reaching over and patting Jag's hand. "Things have resolved themselves then?"

[jageskro]

"Better than," Jag stated with a small smile, putting his hand on top of Fin's to give it a squeeze before pulling it back to take another drink. "No, yeah, I'm - trying my hand at this relationship thing." Hopefully it wouldn't end with two broken hearts. That was the fewest broken hearts any of his previous attempts had ended up in.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Really?" Fin asked brightly. "That's wonderful! Certainly calls for another round," he grinned, waving for the server to bring them two more.

[jageskro]

"It does," Jag agreed with a slightly incredulous chuckle, like he couldn't quite believe it was happening. He drained the rest of his pint, so the waiter could pick up his empty glass. "Yeah, he's giving me another chance, after I fucked it up once."