Writ Longhand: Melancholy and Poppy Z. Brite

[rsadelle]

Right wrist sliced open by a broken beer bottle.
--Chapter Inc.'s List of James' Injuries

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Kirk snatched the broken bottle out of his hand, away from his wrist.

"No," James wailed. "Cliff. Gotta get to Cliff." His voice desperate and wounded, his words slurred.

"No, you don't have to get to Cliff," Kirk snapped. He grabbed James' uncut wrist. "You have to stop doing fucking stupid shit." Kirk got them into the bathroom. He ran cold water over James' wrist, pressed a washcloth to it. He pulled it away. "Fuck. You need stitches."

"No. I need Cliff." Big, round tears rolled down James' face. He wrenched out of Kirk's grip. "No stitches. No more." He neatly avoided Kirk's attempt to grab his wrist again. "No more." The tears fell faster.

Kirk slapped him, the shock forcing his stillness. "Yes. We are going to the hospital. Now."

"But Cliff--"

Kirk let James' arm drop. "You are not the only one he left," he snapped. He grabbed the keys off the night table. "Into the car. Now." He pressed the washcloth against James' wrist again. "Keep that there."

"It was a broken beer bottle," he calmly told the emergency room nurse. "He needs stitches."

She peeled up the washcloth and examined the wound. "You just wait here, and I'll find a doctor."

James moaned at the pain of the needle numbing his wrist. Kirk only watched, his lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line.

"Kirk, don't go so fast."

Kirk ignored him.

"Kirk. You're driving too--"

"Shut up, James," Kirk ground out, his eyes never leaving the road.

James subsided into silence.

Kirk banged on Lars' door. When a still half-asleep Lars answered it, Kirk shoved James at him. "He's staying with you."

Lars frowned at him in confusion. "Why can't he stay in his own room?"

"Ask him what happened to his wrist," Kirk snapped. He turned away and stalked to his own room.

Lars and James called after him. "Kirk."

He closed the door on their voices.

Comments

*sigh*

[minette.livejournal.com]

I love it when you write James/Kirk. Kirk doesn't take shit and he just takes charge when it comes to James. He's so level-headed and sensible and it's wonderful to read.

I also love it when you break James. He's just so needy and he hurts so much. Listening to Tool while reading this just made it hurt all the more.

Beautiful.

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Trying to find words to describe how I feel about this, but they're not coming. "Jezus fucking Christ!" is as close as I come, but that's no help to you, is it?

I really really love your Kirk. He's pissed off at James for being so self-centered and wanting to take the easy way out, leaving him and Lars with even more grief, but he still takes care of him, still cares for him.

I love it.

[zillahcross.livejournal.com]

I like the mixture of annoyance and concern here. It's a blend that's hard to get right, and you've done it well.

I like to see James this fucked up, it fits him.

Re: *sigh*

[rsadelle]

Kirk has to take charge because, in his mind, James is being an idiot.

Broken!James. Coming soon to a fic near you. ;)

[rsadelle]

Helpful? No. Nice to hear? Yes.

Nette and I talked a bit about this idea before I got around to writing it down, and we think that James probably wouldn't seriously attempt to kill himself. I think Kirk knows that, and that's why he's mad. James isn't really serious about it, so what he's really doing is just causing trouble for Kirk. I think Kirk, more than any of them, has a real sense of the band as a family. In a family, you take care of each other no matter how angry you are. At least, that's the way he is in my mind.

[rsadelle]

I think Cliff's death had to really fuck James up. If you look at early days pictures of him, he's almost always happy, and you can tell that his badass act is just an act. It's only as he got older that he really became angry.

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Well, at least that's something. :)

I can't help but wonder how many times Kirk and Lars despaired and actually wanted to gve up on James but didn't, could't, because they're family.

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

I think when Cliff died, aybe the badass image was all he had left to be.

[rsadelle]

I can see them lying in bed together, clinging to each other like children, and trying to figure out what they're going to do about James.

[axxy-rose.livejournal.com]

:O Ohh you should write more to this. Please.

[rsadelle]

Glad you liked it!