That's right. You have all the control here. I'll just give us a nudge in the right direction.
[Henry actually has all the control here, and that's why this requires so much trust. But he's letting Alec take the lead, letting him form the memories as he likes, so it's just splitting hairs, really.]
Just close your eyes, imagine the river, and open them again.
[ So it's a joint effort. That's fine by him. His whole life is going to become a joint effort with Henry, isn't it? They can start here, with this.
And it's an easy request. Alec knows the Riverwalk well, and it's a simple thing to pull up an image of the place in his mind's eye. Henry can do the rest, and soon enough, they'll find themselves on the bank of the Chicago River. ]
[From one place to another, just as before. But this time, when the scene changes, it is quite unlike anything Henry's ever seen.
Even in the 50s, Chicago had impossibly tall buildings, the sort that jutted up into the blue expanse of the sky. That hasn't changed, though the thing is, Henry would not know it. He has never been to a city as large as this one, and the modern touches that were never present in his time add an ironically fantastical feel. At least for a man who had spent all of his life in a small town, or a government lab, or a dark, unpleasant alternate dimension.
The orange-yellow of the trees are so starkly contrasted against the neutrals of the pavement, the buildings, the cornflower of the sky, that his eyes are drawn to that first. But then the river glistens beyond, and of course Henry just... walks towards that direction, to get a better look.
It's all simultaneously striking, overwhelming, and it makes him feel small. A bit like being thrust into the Upside Down for the first time, but frankly without all the harrowing pain and alarm that caused. This, at least, is pleasant, even if that has not had time to settle in.]
[ As has become his habit, Alec watches Henry. Watches him take in their new surroundings, from the tallest building to the blue of the winding river. There's nothing like this in small-town Indiana, past or present, and certainly nothing like it in that hellscape that is the Upside Down. It must be a lot to process.
He follows along as Henry wanders toward the river. ]
[Nothing at all like small-town, middle-of-nowhere Indiana, and it likely never will be. Does Hawkins even exist in this world? For a moment, he wonders, but then the idea is swept away again by the sight of the city, the river catching the light of the sun. Henry realizes that he simply does not care if it does.
Alec's question draws him out of his very slight reverie (no pun intended).]
It's big.
[Well. It is.]
There must be enough to do in the city to last a lifetime.
[ "Big" is a pretty fair assessment, all things considered. Alec's been here so long it's all ceased to be wondrous to him, so seeing Henry look at all of it for the first time has made the city somehow seem fresh and new. ]
Well, to start, there's more places to shop than just one mall.
[What's this? A public display of affection? Even if the term is used liberally when it's within the confines of Alec's head, there is still something so striking to Henry about the offer; once again, this other man ushers in that strange, warm and coiling feeling in his chest.
But he does not hesitate to complete the gesture, hand clasping his.]
[ Is it really "public" if they're together in a memory? If the few people around are fewer than there would be normally, and if they're not technically real?
Well, it hardly matters. Henry's hand curls around his own, and the feeling it elicits in him is warm and all-encompassing. Still wholly alien to a man like him who has never felt this way about anyone in his whole, long and miserable life, but welcome all the same, now that he knows what it is. ]
This way.
[ So saying, he leads Henry along the riverbank. ]
[This is still a big and unusual step for them both, okay.
He falls into step easily beside Alec. The environment around them has far from lost its grandeur to Henry, so of course his eyes still wander to the river, then to the buildings again.]
I had seen photographs when I was younger. [Of a big city, of Chicago, or other places like it.] But to see it in person is something altogether different. [Well. "In person".]
[ Their walk takes them through more towering buildings, under bridges with morning traffic trundling by overhead. A few boats and a handful of kayakers drift by on the water. ]
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striketwice) wrote2022-10-02 07:47 pm
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[ Having a boyfriend who can get into people's heads is like an info broker's dream. ]
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Going to send me hopping into a few of the more stubborn individuals’ minds?
[Oh, he would love that.]
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[ It will always be Henry's choice, of course. That's the one thing Alec will never falter on. Henry always has a choice. ]
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Yes. Of course. I’ve spent most of my life without possession of my powers; I’m not going to deny a reason to make up for lost time.
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If that's what you want, then far be it from me to stop you.
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Like I said. We’ll have fun.
[They will probably be very terrifying together.]
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Can't wait.
[ He truly cannot, though getting out of the prison will be no easy task. It'll be well worth it.
He waves a hand, and the illusion settles back over the room, plunging it into mundanity once again. ]
You wanna take a walk? If I remember, I'm supposed to be showing you the city.
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Sure. But would I be missing anything else unique in your apartment?
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Good point. Then let's take a walk around the block. Or wherever else you want to show me.
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because Henry will be making the bed]You wanna see the river?
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he will fight you over wrinked sheets, sir]I do. [Why not?]
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come at him]I assume I can just like... take us there, right? It being my brain and all.
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[Henry actually has all the control here, and that's why this requires so much trust. But he's letting Alec take the lead, letting him form the memories as he likes, so it's just splitting hairs, really.]
Just close your eyes, imagine the river, and open them again.
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And it's an easy request. Alec knows the Riverwalk well, and it's a simple thing to pull up an image of the place in his mind's eye. Henry can do the rest, and soon enough, they'll find themselves on the bank of the Chicago River. ]
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Even in the 50s, Chicago had impossibly tall buildings, the sort that jutted up into the blue expanse of the sky. That hasn't changed, though the thing is, Henry would not know it. He has never been to a city as large as this one, and the modern touches that were never present in his time add an ironically fantastical feel. At least for a man who had spent all of his life in a small town, or a government lab, or a dark, unpleasant alternate dimension.
The orange-yellow of the trees are so starkly contrasted against the neutrals of the pavement, the buildings, the cornflower of the sky, that his eyes are drawn to that first. But then the river glistens beyond, and of course Henry just... walks towards that direction, to get a better look.
It's all simultaneously striking, overwhelming, and it makes him feel small. A bit like being thrust into the Upside Down for the first time, but frankly without all the harrowing pain and alarm that caused. This, at least, is pleasant, even if that has not had time to settle in.]
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He follows along as Henry wanders toward the river. ]
Penny for your thoughts?
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Alec's question draws him out of his very slight reverie (no pun intended).]
It's big.
[Well. It is.]
There must be enough to do in the city to last a lifetime.
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Well, to start, there's more places to shop than just one mall.
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I see you as someone more apt to enjoy the view than go shopping.
[This memory is very clear, very vivid. It's nestled itself into Alec's head with some poignancy, so it must be a view seen very often.]
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Alright fair. I walk here a lot. Or run. It's a good place to come clear my head when work is getting annoying.
[ He motions to the sidewalk running along the river, then offers that same hand to Henry. ]
So about that walk?
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But he does not hesitate to complete the gesture, hand clasping his.]
Lead the way. Show me the route you take.
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Well, it hardly matters. Henry's hand curls around his own, and the feeling it elicits in him is warm and all-encompassing. Still wholly alien to a man like him who has never felt this way about anyone in his whole, long and miserable life, but welcome all the same, now that he knows what it is. ]
This way.
[ So saying, he leads Henry along the riverbank. ]
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He falls into step easily beside Alec. The environment around them has far from lost its grandeur to Henry, so of course his eyes still wander to the river, then to the buildings again.]
I had seen photographs when I was younger. [Of a big city, of Chicago, or other places like it.] But to see it in person is something altogether different. [Well. "In person".]
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A pretty far cry from Indiana, isn't it?
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