aching hearts are the kindest

“where is he?”

“he’s alone, paddy. it was bad.”

paddy sighs heavily.

“fuck’s sake” he mutters.

“you’ll make sure he’s alright, won’t you?”

“ah, eoin. what do you want me to-”

“paddy” eoin says again, voice quieter now.

paddy looks back at him, face softening instinctively.

“aye, i’ll see what i can do” he nods, and then goes to find augustin.

//

continuation of this

“you can come out now”

eoin appears, as paddy had known he would, characteristic grin in full effect.

"now that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

paddy rolls his eyes and then moves to lay down.

“sure, i didn’t do anything”

“you let him sit on my bed”

paddy scoffs.

“it’s not-” he sighs. “where else was he gonna sit? would you have been happy if i’d made him sit on the floor?”

“no” eoin says, taking a seat on his bed.

augustin must have made it before he left earlier, and paddy is momentarily transfixed as he watches eoin run his hand over the blanket- as if he’s trying to feel something.

“you let him sleep in here” eoin continues.

paddy looks back up at his face.

“he was tired”

“so you read to him, and then you invited him back”

paddy tuts.

"to give him something to focus on, it was your idea”

eoin grins at him again, as if he’d ever stopped.

“is that so?”

paddy huffs softly.

“have you got something to say?”

eoin looks like he’s considering it for a moment and then shakes his head.

“not just yet, i don’t think”

paddy watches as eoin watches him.

“he might not even come back, anyway” he sighs after a minute. “i don’t think he thought much of the book”

eoin beams at him.

“you’re right, i’ll go and see how he’s getting on”

paddy sits up.

“no, i didn’t mean- eoin, don’t!”

but eoin is already gone, disappearing into the air only to reappear in augustin’s tent.