5 Times Hazel and Isaac Hugged and the one time they couldn't. AKA 5 times in which they knew.
A/N: Written in snapshots to take my mind off the horrible ordeal that is doing a BA in English. Also: sorry for not updating WYWF. Also: Hi John.
1. Two Months after the funeral of Augustus Waters.
I was sitting on the couch of Isaacs's house playing another round of Blind People Video Games when he blurted it out. His house had become almost a vacation house to me on the occasions that I needed to get away from my 'normal' life. I was getting good at killing these virtual, invisible crooks and had just decapitated the leader with some well enunciated words when Isaac turned his two blind eyes to me and proclaimed that it was the Anniversary that Never Was between Monica and Isaac.
I knew mom always got a kick out of celebrating the little holidays, but I didn't think Isaac would appreciate celebrating this one. I looked at him closely. It wasn't unusual for him to be unsmiling these days, but his face seemed set in a way that suggested he wasn't so much as not smiling as incapable of doing so. The silence was getting to me, so I just said the first true thing that came into my mind.
"Sucks."
His eyebrows rose a fraction. "I know" he responded and swallowed. "We even had a word."
I thought back to them pressed against the church, muttering their sacred word between kisses.
"I know" I mirrored.
"It was dumb."
"Yeah, I remember thinking that too. Then I got one."
"I know. It's funny how we thought we could define something so…." He gestured clumsily, his hand inches from sweeping against my shoulder. "…vast in one simple word, a selection of 26 letters." He wasn't facing towards me, but rather at the pale grey carpet. I gave half a sigh, it was usually as much as I could manage on a good day. Not because I was angry or sad or anything, just as a reflex of sorts, a way to keep the conversation going, so that he could still speak while I thought of what to say. He didn't add to it though.
"Words are… simple. Relationships aren't. You can define words." I said finally.
"Yeah. It's called a dictionary."
"I know."
His face melted, just a little bit. He nodded his head slightly but didn't add anything. I fiddled with my cannula. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but I still felt it pressing between us.
"Sorry, I'm gonna go. Tired."
Isaac closed his eyes but his face softened more and swivelled to face me on his long neck. He gave me what was almost a smile. "I know."
He couldn't show me to the door, so it had become my habit to lay a hand on his shoulder before leaving. Compulsively I reached for the opposite one, still sitting, so that my arm was around his back and my chin pressed briefly into his shoulder before I let go.