Shell Shock for Ganymede
Apr. 8th, 2018 04:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrwaverlyAlexander startled awake with a cry. The sound of explosions making his ears ring and the smell of rotting corpses in the Flanders mud still in his nose. He lay still for a moment, trying to remember where he was. This wasn't the trenches of Passchendaele. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. He was sweating. It was still hot at three in the morning. They were no where near the freezing damp mud of the trenches, but in Varanasi on the Ganga river.
Looking over at Ganymede, sleeping peacefully beside him gave him a stab of jealousy and guilt. He wished he could sleep like that. As if he had no cares in the world. The shroud of mosquito net around the bed, made him feel like he was in a fog. Getting up quietly so as not to wake G, Alex strode naked out into the living room and went to the cabinet. If he didn't take some opium, he wouldn't be able to sleep without the memories of the war. He didn't want to feel it. Didn't want to remember it anymore. He woke like this more nights than not. He poured a glass of water and put a few drops of brown liquid, tincture of the opium poppy, into it and stirred it. He'd had to use more and more of the drug to sleep of late. Alex went back to bed, then drank down the concoction and laid back down beside G. His limbs started to feel heavy and a comforting numbness seemed to wash over him.
G looked so serene next to him. They hadn't been together for very long. A few months so far, but Alex was sure that he loved the exotic young man. His eyes closed and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Looking over at Ganymede, sleeping peacefully beside him gave him a stab of jealousy and guilt. He wished he could sleep like that. As if he had no cares in the world. The shroud of mosquito net around the bed, made him feel like he was in a fog. Getting up quietly so as not to wake G, Alex strode naked out into the living room and went to the cabinet. If he didn't take some opium, he wouldn't be able to sleep without the memories of the war. He didn't want to feel it. Didn't want to remember it anymore. He woke like this more nights than not. He poured a glass of water and put a few drops of brown liquid, tincture of the opium poppy, into it and stirred it. He'd had to use more and more of the drug to sleep of late. Alex went back to bed, then drank down the concoction and laid back down beside G. His limbs started to feel heavy and a comforting numbness seemed to wash over him.
G looked so serene next to him. They hadn't been together for very long. A few months so far, but Alex was sure that he loved the exotic young man. His eyes closed and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.
