A half hour later found Todd and Dirk sitting together in the corner of a pub that made pretty good food, at least in Todd's opinion. The first thing Dirk had done upon them entering was scan the room, obviously looking for any potential threats, and when he insisted they sit in a tiny booth in the back corner of the room Todd said nothing. If Dirk needed to sit in a cramped corner in order to feel safe, so be it.

One thing he hadn't thought to take into account though was how close he was to Dirk, or rather the affect it would have on him. The booth was a small triangle, so though Todd wasn't looking directly at the other man, he was forced to be touching him. His leg and shoulder felt hot where they connected with Dirk and Todd was confused by how much he enjoyed the sensation, much like he had been confused the night before by how much he enjoyed the feeling of Dirk in his arms. Knowing it was not the time or place to be letting his mind wander to places like that, Todd tried to rein them in. He needed to focus on what Dirk needed, not what he did. Trying to complete his previous train of thought so he could let it go, he told himself it was probably just the fact that Dirk was back and a need to prove it to his own mind, a need to prove that Dirk was alive and okay, or at least relatively okay.

The waitress showing up was just the distraction he needed as he placed his order, but that was blown out of the water the second the waitress heard Dirk's accent. The moment Dirk had finished placing his order the blond woman turned on the charm, giggling and playing with her pony tail as she blatantly flirted every time she came by the table to drop off their food or drinks. Todd wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that Dirk seemed completely oblivious to the young woman's advances, instead simply enjoying a captive audience for his stories about back home. Absently he could hear a story that involved a couch and a ghost, or a time machine or something, but he couldn't concentrate on it. He felt a rage building in his gut that he couldn't comprehend. He could feel it sitting there, burning him from the inside out.

Suddenly the points where he was touching Dirk felt like they were on fire, so without thinking he flinched violently away from Dirk and right out of his seat so he was sprawled on the floor at the waitress's feet. Vaguely, he could hear Dirk and the woman asking if he was alright but the second Dirk touched his arm it burst into flames. Before the pain started, because Todd knew that was only moments away, he jumped to his feet and clumsily ran for the bathroom. Locking the door behind him he curled into a ball in the far corner, biting down on his arm to try and stop the screams of agony. Clenching his eyes shut as tight as he could, he tried to force his mind back under his control. He could feel his body burning as he let out muffled screams.

It felt like hours he was in that corner but it was really only a few minutes, if his watch was anything to go by. As the pain receded to leave behind a full body ache he became aware of two things; the first, the sound of soft sobs that were coming from him, and the second, the sound of frantic banging on the door. Letting out a low groan because he didn't want to deal with this, not now and not here, he got to his feet. He knew he'd be lying before he even opened the door. He wasn't about to put this at Dirk's feet, not when the other man was already struggling to deal with his own load of issues, he didn't need Todd's as well, most of all not this particular issue.

When Dirk yelled for him through the door to see what was wrong and if he was okay he yelled back the first thing that came to mind. "I'm fine, Dirk, just got a little sick." He took a moment to splash some cold water on his face before going to open the door.

The taller man didn't waste a second pushing his way in as he blurted out question after question in worry. "Todd, are you sure you're okay? Did I hear you crying just now? Did I hear a scream before? What happened at the table? Why is your face so red?" Closing the space between them Dirk moved to grab Todd's shoulders but the shorter man flinched back, making him freeze in place as he breathed out, "My god, Todd, you're shaking like a leaf."

Letting out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob he scolded Dirk, "You know how much we both hate it when people ask that many questions at once." When he didn't get the desired response from the other man, instead just getting a more intense look of worry, he did his best to assure Dirk, "Really, though, I'm fine. It's probably just the flu or something. Not anything a little sleep can't handle."

For a second it looked like Dirk was going to reach out again but he seemed to stop himself as he nodded with a deep frown, clenching his outstretched hand before bringing it back to his side. Sounding more distressed than Todd liked, Dirk finally said, "Okay, if you think that's all it is." He was looking at Todd with a calculating look for a moment before it shifted back into a heart wrenching look of turmoil before continuing, "I paid the bill. If you'd like we can go home… back to your home, now, so you can rest."

He hated seeing that look on Dirk's face but was grateful for the out, so he quickly agreed, relived, "Yeah, Dirk, that sounds good. Going home sounds good." Slowly reaching his own hand out, a little hesitant, he gently patted Dirk on the arm before finishing, "Let's go home."

Todd didn't miss the wistful look the waitress threw Dirk's way as they left, though Dirk seemed to remain oblivious, or the wired mix of worry and annoyance she threw him. As the door closed behind them he knew he was glad to be rid of her, though he wouldn't let himself linger on why that was. Instead he enjoyed having Dirk next to him again as they walked back toward home.