Into The Abyss
[ TW: drugs! This is some dark!Resslington. Red and Ressler go down a drug-fueled spiral. Inspired by this post by @falle-ness ]
Ressler feels a hand curl around his bicep just as he’s about to snort the crushed line in front of him and let the numbness overtake him.
“If you’re here to stop me, you’re too late.” Donald’s icy voice cuts through the air.
The agent is already in too deep.
“I’m not here to stop you.” Red says, his voice heavy, mirroring the pain in Donald’s.
“Then why are you here?” Ressler demands.
Donald just wants Red to go away. He wants everything to go away. The grief. The hurt. The pain. He wants it all to go away.
Red loosens his grip on Donald’s biceps. He leans forward until his chest is just lightly grazing Donald’s back. He slides his arm, with the sleeves pushed up over his elbows, into Donald’s view.
Donald eyes trail up the older man’s arm until they reach the red and purple track marks. Donald had picked up on Red’s comments about opium over the years, but this is the first time that he’s seen the undeniable proof for himself. He and Red are two kindred souls.
“I just want to help.” Red breathes out as Donald’s fingers lightly graze against the bruised skin, a sign of their shared pain.
He’s not lying when he tells Donald that he wants to help. The man is being quite reckless. He’s getting drugs from anywhere he can and snorting lines off dirty bars with zero regard for his life. But, in true Reddington fashion, he has an ulterior motive. He doesn’t want to be alone in his spiral. He needs to be with the one person who truly understands the weight of his grief, someone who is willing to spiral into darkness with him.
Ressler licks his lips. He’s still itching for the fix that’s the right in front of him, but he knows that he’s taking a risk. He doesn’t know where these drugs came from or what’s in them. He hasn’t completely lost himself, not yet at least.
And if he’s being completely honest, he wouldn’t mind the company. If he’s going to disappear into the darkness and let the drugs consume him, it might as well be with Reddington. After all, isn’t that where he’s been headed this whole time?
Ressler finally turns his head to face Reddington, their faces close enough that each can see the other’s emotions so clearly.
“Let’s go before I change my mind.” Ressler concedes.
Even though his entire body is already vibrating on the edge, he can wait just a little longer.
Reddington simply nods, places his hand on Donald’s back and leads them both into the abyss.
