curiosity

     he almost wanted to roll his eyes , the other could be crude , his manners were appalling , and it almost made elijah resent the idea of inviting him at all . with each interaction , despite the smarts the two evidently shared , elijah was only reminded of how the two differed . he had hoped they’d form a bond of some sort , learn to enjoy each other , but it was obvious to elijah now that his desire for william was no different to his desire for anybody else . eventually he’d grow bored , or the other would offend him in some way , and he’d react the way he typically did . 

his brows knitted together , watching the other for a moment or two , before nodding his head , trying not to focus on the intense scent of his cologne , something not everybody possessed and something that consistently distracted elijah whenever he shared william’s company . he hummed ,  “  I’m  an  exceptional  cook ,  and  you  are  most  welcome  for  the  offer ,  ” he responded , sarcasm dripping from the doctor’s tone as he straightened up and smoothed his hands over his clothes to force out any potential creases . the blonde turned , intending to take his exit , pausing when the question came ,  “  an  olive  branch ,  william ,  since  we  seemed  to  have  gotten  off  on  the  wrong  foot .  do  not  be  late  ,  please ,  dinner  is  served  at  six  exactly .  ”

“I’m more of a ‘believing it when I see it’ type of man. And thank you.” He added as a quick afterthought, learning from the beginning polite manners were essential when in Elijah’s presence. Will often discovered something new about the man any time the pair were forced in the same room together, from passing looks, to the astonishing abilities in the medical field, to Elijah’s impeccable clothing. The man looked as if he never came across a speck of dirt or blood in his entire life, more giving off an appearance he stepped from a runway and straight into the apocalypse. It seemed Elijah cared about how he dressed and what impression he left on others. Will’s own paled in comparison looking more like a man who’s never showered after rolling around with the pigs. “As long as you don’t make me regret it, I think a second chance is in order. I won’t be late.”

William went home that night scrambled in a bundle of odd nerves that shouldn’t have existed to start with. Thoughts of Elijah crammed the entire space of his head as he showered in what seemed like days, splashing on his only brand of cologne before realizing he used too much. It only took him a couple of minutes to dig around his closest for the closest thing he had to nicer clothes before jeans and a tight-fitting sweater would have just had to do for the occasion. The world was ending, he didn’t expect black tie event. Will arrived at Elijah’s home and wrapped his fist on the door with a minute to spare, lifting a shrug as the door swung open, “Now, this is what I call punctual.”

     ‘  playing  the  war  card  is  also  a  dangerous  game. ‘ eric threw his hands up before dropping them back to his side. he was hoping that will would eventually come around and see things from his side. they couldn’t go to war. they couldn’t kill sol , and quite honestly , eric didn’t want to. ‘ and  everyone  has  the  same  choice:  to  stay  and  follow  what  is  set  or  leave. i’m  not  holding  anyone  hostage  here  but  people  put  me  in  this  position  for  a  reason  and  if  you  don’t  want  to  trust  him ,  then  fine  ,  but  at  least  show  me  some  decency  and  trust  me. ‘ eric had never steered them wrong in the past and he wasn’t going to steer them wrong now. ‘  if  it’s  asking  too  much  then  you  and  everyone  else  that  doesn’t  like  it  can  take  your  chances  outside. ‘ it was harsh , eric knew that , but his hands were tied here. he didn’t have another option for will or anyone else.  ‘  sol  and  i  are  a  lot  more  alike  than  you  think. ‘

“We’re losing either way.” Whether it came to war or it reached a peace promising a sense of community togetherness, the risks were lurking in the background, waiting for the opportunity to strike when no one would ever see it coming from a mile away. “Listen, I trust you, Eric, I have always placed every ounce of trust I have in my fucking body knowing you would make the right decisions by us. I’ve bitten my tongue, I’ve tried seeing your ideas in a different light if I somehow hadn’t agreed, but I went with it because I had faith in you.” Will ran the back of his hand along his forehead, wiping away the sweat, “You’ve changed, you know that? This shit’s changing you.” Maybe he couldn’t leave Arcadia behind. “No, no, you two are not the same. If someone steps out of line, you don’t bash their heads in for a public execution. You don’t instill fear in your own people.”

       elijah made his way into the office , humming softly at william’s words . the other had done a perfect job at avoiding him , almost always getting out of here before elijah’s own arranged time for use . he’d avoided him out in the community and he’d barely paid much attention to elijah when they’d happened to find themselves in each other’s company , though he had certainly paid attention to his work . in the beginning , he’d assumed the other would find some arrogance in the age gap , that he would assume he was the most skilled since he had the most experience , but elijah had a thirst for knowledge , and he was happy to learn from the other , just as william had grown to find some pleasure in paying attention to the younger man’s skills . 

this evening , there was no planned patients , nobody , unless they happened to return from a run or hurt themselves in the short time allocated at the end of the day before both men retired for the evening , they both had some free time . with the events that had taken place in the community that day , elijah’s clean up was required , and he was more than pleased to do so . it granted him the ability to extend an olive branch to his colleague . he drew closer to the other in the small confinement of the room , head cocking slightly to the side ,  “  please ,  join  for  me  for  dinner ,  william  .  ”

They had learned a great deal from each other, it wasn’t something Will took lightly, even while Elijah’s unwavering stares were invading and holding a fair share of uncomfortable breaking of personal space more than anyone he has met. Most distanced themselves due to their paranoia, it was a behavioral trait he never minded with his work ethic, but the other doctor pushed the boundaries any opportunity he sought and Will let him if only to see what transpired. It was the choice to play the game expertly. Move the pieces on the chess board, protecting his sanity the best he could.

Please, it was such a simple word, often offering a polite insertion for the user hoping to receive what he was asking for. Will squashed the first thought to pop in his mind as the phrase tumble from Elijah’s lips. How he said it, the emphasis, the wonderment as to what the other would have sounded like offering another beg. It was the intrusive knot Will believed had been inappropriate and ridiculous. “Dinner, oh, is this you asking me out on a date? We’re moving too fast.” He flipped off the faucet and reached for a small hand towel that was more of a rag he hadn’t been sure was given the proper cleaning as he pressed his face into it before pushing it through his damp hair. “Fine. I hope you’re a good cook.” Tossing the cloth aside, Will breathed slowly as he met Elijah in the middle, “Why the sudden offer?”

      ‘  i’ve  thought  about  all  the  possibilities ,  will.  about  other  communities.  about  war.  about  slitting  sol’s  throat  in  his  sleep  but  you  know  what  it  leads  to?  losing  this  place.  if  we  go  back  out  there ,  we’re  putting  our  kids  and  elderly  at  risk. ‘  and  even  if  we  left  ,  there’s  no  guarantee  that   we  would  find  a  place  that  could  sustain  all  of  us. ‘ eric sighed and shrugged his shoulders  ‘  i  can’t  risk  having  someone   here  that  doesn’t  agree. i  can’t  risk  having  someone  here  that  might  decide  to  take  matters  into  their  own  hands.  like  it  or  not ,  if  you  stay  here ,  sol’s  people  become  your  people  and  you  become  his. ‘ it was the best scenario really. anyone who didn’t like it could leave and take their chances outside but for those who agreed , they could stay here and help keep this community in tact. ‘  you  may  not  want  to  do  that  but  i’m  asking  you  to  do  that.  other  than  coming  beyond  the  gate  ,  what  have  they  done?  ‘

“Playing the harmony card is dangerous. Sure, we’ll offer the food from our tables, our beds, and everything would be fine and dandy, but you have the ones growing restless and hate the arrangement.  It’ll burst in flames eventually.” Will wouldn’t know what the future held for Arcadia, he couldn’t know this new deal would have a successful run. It was only natural he expected the worst even if he can’t find a way to hope for the best. “Not everyone is going to agree with you, Eric, I don’t agree with you. Does that mean you’re planning to throw my ass over the fence and condemn me to death for a difference of opinion?” The statement left his lips in a harsh tone that wasn’t intentional, “And what if it’s asking too much?” Will’s gaze dropped, considering the question carefully, “Nothing yet. Doesn’t mean it won’t.” His eyes returned to Eric, “I hope to god you’re prepared for the consequences if this alliance destroys us, Eric, and I pray he doesn’t take you down with him.”

-   

  ‘  we  have  children ,  here.  i  have  boomi.  we  have  old  people.  how  many  of  them  do  you  think  could  make  that  trek? how  long  until  boomi  or  some  other  kid  throws  a  tantrum  and  draws  walkers? ‘ he needed will to get this. he may not have liked it but he needed will to understand why he made the decision that he did. ‘  this  is  as  good  as  it’s  going  to  get.  and  i  need  you  to  understand ,  to  really  understand ,  that  you  have  to  be  onboard  or  you  have  to  leave.  ‘ eric sighed and shrugged , ‘ they’re  apart  of  our  community  now.  you  won’t  be  able  to  avoid  them  forever  so  you  might  as  well  bite  the  bullet  and  make  an  effort  and  don’t  forget  that  we’ve  all  done  fucked  up  shit  out  there  to  survive. ‘

“We would figure it out like we always do.” Crying children would be a problem and the more elderly of the bunch would have slowed the trip. It meant days of endless walking, sleeping in the dirt without a gate’s protection, and days where some or all members of the group went without eating and eventually succumbing to starvation. It was a nasty way to die and an even nastier scenario. “You would really kick out anyone who disagrees with this, wouldn’t you? That’s not how it used to work before.” Will stopped to stare at the other man for a long pause, perplexed in the ways Sol’s presence changed Eric’s leadership methods. “I’ll live with them, I’ll acknowledge their existence, treat them, but I won’t play the welcoming friendly neighbor.”

After the quick run outside of the gates with Eric, the man informing him they came to a mutual agreement leading Arcadia together as a team leaving a bitter taste on his tongue, William devoted his hours not spent avoiding the swirling thoughts in his brain one hundred percent completely with his clinical duties.  While the space was now shared by another doctor he couldn’t escape from even in his favorite getaway from society, the only conversations between the two men were brief back and forth bantering. It was difficult for Will to admit he would often watch Elijah diligently, hoping by some miracle he could figure him out to no avail. The man was a fucking stone wall that dripped amusement and spiraled any frustration Will possessed.

Bidding farewell to what he wished was his last patient for the day, William busied himself by cleaning around his office space, returning the instruments to their drawers and haphazardly scrubbing the miniscule drops of blood from a runner who came in with a cut on her arm earlier. He hadn’t slept last night, he didn’t really sleep anyway, so it was clear he was exhausted. Will finally slumped over to the sink and turned on the water, splashing a handful to his face and brushing the droplets through his hair. The sound of floor boards creaking sent him slightly turning as his gaze fell on Elijah, “I’m almost finished in here. I’ll be out of your way.”

         ‘  there  isn’t  anywhere  else  ,  will.  and  any  other  community  that  owes  me  a  favor  wouldn’t  take  all  of  us  in. ‘ kevin and boomi eric could make a bargain for but not all of them and he wasn’t about to involve another community in this. he wasn’t going to start a war and get people killed over this place. '  this  place  is  too  important.  sol  knows  that. ‘ and it was probably part of the reason why sol even agreed to the deal. eric sighed and scratched at his brow , ‘  well ,  that’s  a   choice  you’ll  have  to  make.  either  you  get  on  board  or  you  leave.  there  isn’t  another  way  around  it.  ‘ what will decided was out of eric’s hands. ‘  talk  to  him.  to  sol.  to  anyone  other  than  the  weird  doctor  and  maybe  just  maybe  you’ll  change  your  mind.’ 

“We don’t need to call in any favors, Eric. There’s other empty communities just like Arcadia when we found it, there has to be.” He knew it was an impossible task requesting another group to open their homes to strangers based on slight distrust and the fear of running out of resources quicker. That’s likely what would have happened had Sol attempted the kinder approach asking for food and shelter instead of, well...what he did. “Sure, well, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Will clenched tightly, feeling his nails dig into the flesh of his palm with an irritation he pushed aside and pretended wasn’t there. “Might rub me the wrong way.” It wasn’t as if Will was scared to walk up to Sol and hold a conversation with the man, he was just too set in his opinion. “I don’t care to be in any of their company, Eric.” Other than Elijah’s perhaps, “Oh, so, you mean to tell me they’re not all creepers who look at you like you’re a meal? Shocker.”

    ‘  it  wouldn’t  have  made  a  difference. ‘ it didn’t matter who was there and who wasn’t.  things  happened the way they wee supposed to happen and there was no real changing it even if eric wished that there was. ‘  really  isn’t  anything  you  can  do  about  it. ‘ he had to have some kind of hope or he knew that it would take him out. he knew the odds of them being alive were slim but that didn’t mean that they weren’t. he took in a breath at will’s comment. ‘  they’re  not  going  anywhere.  sol  isn’t  going  anywhere. look ,  i’m  calling  a meeting  tonight  but  going  forward ,  sol  and  i  are  running  this  ship.  together.  there  isn’t  another  option. ‘

William said nothing, instead pressing his lips firmly together as his body tensed in response to the conundrum Arcadia landed itself in as a whole. To have a world Will has known for the small majority of the years he’s been with the group shifting suddenly, knowing the routine life he has ever barely altered changing, caused a great deal of pressure on his anxious stress, “What, are you serious? Are you crazy?” Will liked to believe he was a man respecting the decisions of his leader and he respected Eric, without a doubt, but there were times he would disagree, “You can’t trust him, you can’t trust his people.” Will tried thinking rationally, he did. “You had another option, Eric, you say fuck it and we find somewhere else. I would rather we leave this place than share it with them.”

     ’  you  weren’t  out  there , ‘ eric spoke as he stopped walking to turn towards will. ‘ morgan’s  dead  and  thinking  the  other  two  are   alive  right  now  is  about  the  only  thing  keeping  me  sane.  if  you  want  to  talk  negative  theories ,  find  someone  else. ‘ eric didn’t mean to be harsh but in the moment he couldn’t exactly help it. ‘ it’s  not  an  issue.  they’re  moving  in  the  opposite  direction  and  i’m  not  willing  to  risk  going  out  there  unless  sol  does.  this  isn’t  just  an  us  issue.  it’s  their  issue  too. ‘

“Maybe I should’ve been.” Will doubted his presence would’ve made any difference in the outcome of the mission or saved the lives of the two missing arcadians and Morgan, but it was a moment where he thought it could make him feel better knowing he had some control over the situation. “You and I both know how dangerous hope is, Eric. I’m not going to sit here and watch it eat you alive.” The man’s eyes flickered over Eric’s expression slowly, “Fine, but I’m not ashamed to admit I wouldn’t mind if he ran into the herd.”

     ‘  no. ‘ eric’s jaw tightened a little as he kept walking , ‘ hawk  was  gone  for  three  weeks  and  came  through  the  gate  like  nothing  happened.  i’m  not  going  to  rule  out  that  they’re  still  alive  out  there  somewhere. ‘ eric had to be hopeful or he was going to lose his mind , he knew at least that much. he sighed , pushing some of his hair back. ‘  i’ll  talk  to  sol. i  don’t  know  what  they’ve  dealt  with.  he  might  have  an  idea  on  how  to  solve  this  before  it  becomes  an  issue. ‘

“That doesn’t mean what happened to Hawk will happen this time around. She got lucky, there’s a great chance they won’t.” Will refused to play the role of the optimist. It wasn’t in his nature to keep morals high in the wake of two missing people who had families in Arcadia praying for their safe return when the burning daylight decreased he possibilities by the minute. It may’ve deemed him the asshole, but he was the realistic pessimist. “And it wasn’t an issue already?” He switched his rifle from one hand to the other, feeling every doubt rise within him. It isn’t an emotion he wanted to associate with Eric. “I don’t think we should split off this time around. It’s better staying together.”

     ‘  lets  hope  not.  i  don’t  think  we  have  the  man  power  to  turn  them  back  around. ‘ and after what happened , he wasn’t too sure if that was something that he wanted to risk although he knew that wasn’t just his call anymore. ‘ morgan  died ,  two  are  still  missing.  i  don’t  think  this  is  something  that  we  should  risk  right  now. ‘ they couldn’t take all of them out without wasting the ammo that they had which would eventually run out if they tried and they , as far as eric could see , didn’t have a lot of options on where they could lead the hoard.

“Then let’s hope we don’t make too much noise and attract their attention.” Which almost always ruled out shooting a gun. While Will had a hunting knife stashed away somewhere in the backpack, up-close combat with a walker wasn’t his style despite the limited supply of bullets being one of a few downsides to his weapons choice. “Have we received any further communication from them?” He quickened his pace to match Eric’s leading stride, “I don’t want us getting our hopes up here. The longer they’re gone, the likely it’ll be that they’re fucking dead.”

    eric probably should have taken a break. he probably should have been resting , or  hell , spending time with his family but come the next morning , him and a few others had went beyond the gate to try and get eyes on the hoard that had proved too close for comfort a few days back. but he needed to keep moving. he needed to keep going. ‘ they’re  moving  in  the  opposite  direction.  we  should  be  okay ,  for  now. ‘ for now. that was the kicker. anything could happen to turn them around. 

    eric took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. ‘  we  didn’t  find  much  in  the   place  we  hit  up  so  sol  and  i  went  to  the  shopping  center  and sent  everyone  back  home  to  fill  the  rest  of  you  on  the  new  plan. ‘ he ran a hand down his face before looking back at will , ‘ not  to  be  a  dick ,  but  i  don’t  have  to  answer  to  you. we  made  a  call  out  there  and  we  went  with  it.  we  don’t  have  a  lot  but  enough  that  can  hold  us  over  for  now  before  we  have  to  go  back  out  again. ‘ he understood the concern , he did , but eric was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sit there in silence for a moment before going inside to his son and nephew. 

“I’m not the only one who’s going to ask you that question. Rumors always grow, people talk and make up their own theories.” Will favored the truth, it’s not often anyone slipped by him with the lying, but it was a preference to save his intellectual energy for more stimulating instances other than playing the guessing game. “I haven’t heard anything about a new plan. And if there is a new plan in place, I want to hear it from your lips, Eric, not theirs.” Resting his elbows on his knees, he threaded his fingers together, “How bad is it?” It was fair Will jumped to conclusions. Maybe the new solution would benefit both group or everyone can disagree with the action.

      “  I  can  assure  you  that  no  amount  of  insults  or  belittlement  you  throw  my  way  will  sway  my  attitude  any ,   I’ve  came  across  bigger ,  badder ,  more  intelligent ,  your  own  arrogance  only  presents  your  similarities …  ”  he watched as the other took his seat , chin tilting up ever so slightly , eyes narrowing a moment , before the smile touched his lips again . it was almost endearing , how this other felt that by somehow standing his ground and flexing his ability to read basic human body language placed him higher than the rest of the people here . the only thing that separated him from anybody else here was his choice in cologne , which was rather rare in these circumstances , and definitely attractive , if elijah ever understood what attraction was . he pursed his lips together , and then shook his head ,  “  no ,  william ,  because  I  am  not  a  toddler ,  and  nothing  you  have  to  say  can  interest  me ,  I  assure  you .  I  will  be  back  later  to  set  up  my  things .  ”

“Was I insulting you? Did it sound like I was insulting you? No, I have always been for the most part honest and this is me voicing what is obviously so damn clear.” Will rested his hands on the table’s surface, threading his fingers together and fully expecting Elijah to turn down the offer anyway. Anyone would have jumped at the chance to sit down and take a personal dive into the mind of a man who closed off every personal relationship in favor of the work laid before him if only to grasp the concept of knowing Will on such a rare level. Yet, no one really knew him that well. He held his secrets, his dark desires, the secret monster growling in the shadows. “You’re under the impression I’m keen to hold your interest. I was only making conversation.” Will rose from his chair and crossed the room, passing unnoticeably close enough to the man that he could see just how blue Elijah’s eyes were, before reaching the door and pulling it open. “You know where to find me, Eli.” This was a game Will knew how to play and if he needed to crack a few eggs to prove he could win, so be it.

-  

  ‘  if  this  goes  to  shit  ,  you  aren’t  going  to  be  the  one  they  crucify. ‘ eric looked away from will for a moment before letting his gaze fall on him again. ‘  i  will.  i’ll  see  you  when  i  get  back. ‘ he offered a tight lipped smile as he patted will on the shoulder before moving past him to head out. eric , of course , didn’t return when the others did. he made sure that they knew what they were going to say before he ever parted with them. that him and sol decided to go out a little farther and send the rest of the runners home.

it wasn’t until the next day did the two finally return. eric was exhausted and he barely stopped to say anything to anyone but once he reached the porch of kevin’s home , he opted to si ton the porch first , setting his bag down next to him.

Will left the man on his mission, feeling a sense of unease for Arcadia’s leader that had contiguously agitated over the course of the day. He focused on his work mostly, caring for minor injuries like stove burns and bumps to the head, not much completely out of the ordinary. His conversation with Elijah left Will absolutely reeling and it was due to the other doctor’s mysterious discretion that he learned nothing that would pain him in an obvious light. His assistant poked and prodded for a reaction, until he altogether went home without any news of Eric’s return.

This wasn’t a simple run for supplies a couple of miles away, that was clear to William when Eric finally arrived after a single day. He stopped by the man’s house first, knocked on the door, and no answer. It was a quick deduction that brought Will to Kevin’s home and there Eric was, his ass on the porch looking like a train ran him over and backed up several times. “Are you going to tell me what the hell happened?” He climbed the porch steps, taking a seat next to him, “Or are we going to pretend that trip didn’t take longer than you said?”

      ‘  can  you  just  let  me  worry  about  this? ‘ eric knew that will was only trying to help but he also knew he was going to lose his mind if this conversation kept going in that direction. he didn’t have any answers for him in the moment. ‘  sol  is  an  asshole  with  a  bat.  i  don’t  think  the  doctor  who  doesn’t  look  more  than  ninety  pounds  soaking  wet  is  going  to  be  a bigger  threat. ‘

“It’s never just on your shoulders, man.” Leader or otherwise, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the community. Everyone had their parts, knew their places, but they were technically supposed to carry burdens together. And even while he appreciated the sentiment, keeping on his own worked for Will. “You’re underestimating the power of intelligence. In my field, a bat and intimidating build is just as deadly as what the brain can do. I’ve seen it.” Will looked down at his hands and nodded once, “Listen, be careful out there. Don’t keep your weapon too far from your reach, you know what I mean?”

     ‘  and  that  may  be  a  possibility. ‘ he didn’t expect people to get it , not completely , but eric was trying his best here to keep the peace. ‘  i’m  not  going  to  start  a  war  i’m  not  sure  we’re  going  to  win. ‘ that’s wha tit all came down to. ‘  we  got  too  comfortable  here.  we  stopped  teaching  people  how  to  survive ,  how  to  prepare  for  the  worse.  ‘ and this was the result of that. ‘  do  what  you  have  to  do  but  the  answer  you  get  probably  won’t  change  mine.  we  can’t  kick  him  out. ‘

“What if we found other communities like ours? I know we’re a rare breed with a working society, but if it does come to a war, we’ll need all the help we can get. I’m not implying one will start, I’m simply implying we need to prepare if it does happen.” Will would be there on the sidelines, down another brilliant doctor fighting the opposite side, overwhelmed by the bodies being pushed through his door. It was a curious catastrophe inducing exhilaration. “And if he’s more a public danger than Sol is?” He lifted an inquisitive brow, somehow not wanting Eli to leave despite his words.