Zeb snorted, shaking his head a little and brushing back dark curls with roughened fingers. "Y'know it's bad when even the man who reads medical journals falls asleep reading something," he commented lightly, looking into silver eyes with warm hazel green. "Do ya gotta get back to that, or can I bring distraction to your evening? What's he even given you that bored you to sleep, anyway? .. would I understand at all?"
"Excuse you," Allen retorted playfully, eyes flashing and smiling at the corners as he gazed into Zebediah’s mirthful features. "But I’ll h-have you know those medical journals a-are fascinating…! A far cry better than the a-average soap opera or dime-store novella, I might a-add…"
Indignity fading the longer Zeb gazed at him, Allen felt the resolve to return to his work weaken, eyes flickering and dropping with an accompaniment of a sigh.
"Oh, just—things I’ve already c-covered regarding the s-storm victims that I don’t feel like going over," Allen admitted sheepishly, peeping back up at his lover. "He w-wants me to evaluate his findings thus far and add my i-insight. I don’t see why we c-can’t keep our files separate, but…it’s just frustratingly slow going." Biting his lip, Allen tugged on Zeb’s hand with a pleading expression and tangle of pale fingers.
"Rescue me…?"
Zeb was always the one to bring that happiness out in Allen. Zebediah and Ellie and Dinah, the Walkers and their wonderful sense of selfless love—people. Just ordinary people who had the extraordinary gifts of joy and understanding Allen needed to feel less discouraged about the world. Zebediah was Allen’s guiding light, his grounding force, and his one true—well. Love went without saying, now, didn’t it?
"Mine t-too," Allen replied softly, squeezing Zebediah’s marred, tough hand with a much more delicate one. "It a-always made me feel like I c-could accomplish anything. O-overcome s-so many obstacles." He said nothing of his own mother—who distantly patted Allen when he’d first shown her the book, and glided on her way. She’d never been one to sit by his bedside and read, no—he did that on his own. And she never tended her own garden, so it hardly mattered where Allen played in search of the secret one and only—till he wound up in the woods, of course.
Feeling relief from the shared warmth of Zebediah nestling against him, Allen shrugged his bony shoulder softly under Zeb’s generous touches, shifting closer to his lover—as if he could attach to him permanently. Reminded of the myth of two people finding their respective other halves; after Zeus cursed two-headed souls to split apart, Allen smiled vaguely to himself—wondering if it was time for him to find something to believe in, after all. And something told him, always, to believe in Zebediah. His other half, arguably. If he’d been asked two years ago if he believed in love, or other halves, or myths, Allen might’ve laughed or become very quiet—awkwardly so. As it stood now, he could stand beside his own roundabout fairytale, and dream impossible dreams.
And other romantic nonsense.
Such as running away, for example.
"Oh, I don’t know," Allen replied airily, avoiding Zeb’s sharp gaze with a lackadaisical shrug and a glance off into the starry skies above. "I’m s-sure others w-would be perfectly c-capable of carrying on my legacy without m-my direction. My w-work is…" He trailed off, looking back at Zeb thoughtfully. "…you think my work is important, Zebediah…?"
Fathomless, dime-bright eyes studied the freckled visage of the man he loved with new focus. As if he’d not taken into account Zeb’s support in that regard—emotional; yes, loving, of course, but…it was as if he’d forgotten Zebediah paid attention to every detail. And wonder displayed itself briefly on Allen’s face until the next topic of conversation—where it shifted to wary amusement and tired good humor.
"And where would we go?" Allen asked dryly, dropping his arm from Zeb’s middle to play with the fingers still tangled in his own, both hands examining Zebediah’s digits and knuckles and palm. "Where w-would you go, Zebediah W-Walker, if you had free r-range of your life and c-could go anywhere in the world…?"
He looked back up at last, silver eyes both severe and serene, catching the stars and hopes reflected in Zebediah’s own.
"…a v-valid point, Zeb," Allen responded softly, and pressed a kiss to Zeb’s palm, closing his eyes tightly shut with a muttering sigh, "but the only thing I’m s-scared to leave, truly, is y-you—I could g-go anywhere, provided you are th-there with me…"
Perhaps they were people who brought love to a doctor's life now, but before said doctor had even appeared, the Walkers had been ordinary people who suffered. Who watched as their families fells apart, and wondered what they did to make God so angry.
Allen gave Zeb, and Ellie, hope and strength to love; and they gave him love and strength in return. And that was, perhaps, the best example of people helping one another that anyone could think of.
He nodded as Allen agreed with him, smiling a little; watching him with that quiet, intent gaze of his. As for fairytales and believing in love, Zebediah had never really stopped. He had stopped believing that love was good for a while, but... that was beginning to change. And for that, Zebediah Walker was most grateful to Allen Townsend. And he was glad that he could change Allen's perspective on the matter in the first place.
"...I do think it's important," Zebediah said, looking at Allen as seriously as he could in that moment. "You thought to start it. If it hadn't been for you, there'd be no research. No team. No anything. You're figuring out things that are important for the people of this town. Perhaps I don't get it all, and that's just the lack of higher education. ...but I think what you're doing is important. And good. And it needs to be done."
But he smiled, a bit, at the questions, shrugging and glancing away; scratching the back of his head. "...I've only been to a couple'a States and England my whole life, love. If we ran away, we could go anywhere and I'd be happy. ...I don't really care. See, what I care about is having my loved ones. And being happy with them. ...we could live in a tiny apartment in a place I'd never been, and I'd still be happy because I would have you. And Ellie, and Dinah... my family. So long as I never lose you, I'd be okay." He shrugged, squeezing Allen's hands and bringing one up to kiss the knuckles. "I'm simple like that."
He paused when Allen looked back to him, though, and he chewed the inside of his cheek, before shaking his head, leaning forward to press a kiss to Allen's temple. "You're not gonna lose me. ...not while I'm breathin'."
