freewill: (tear at my own scars)
Castiel ([personal profile] freewill) wrote in [community profile] damned_institute2011-08-21 01:09 pm

Day 58: Men's Showers (Second Shift)

By the time that breakfast had ended, Michael didn't really know what to think.

The good part of him -- the part that went to church every Sunday and prayed that he could find justice for his clients -- wanted to feel for those two boys. They were going through Hell (and not the literal kind that they were thinking of) and he really did hold out hope that they would get their acts together. But the rest of him wanted to forget all about them and focus on himself. They weren't his responsibility anymore, now that the case had been dropped. The very idea of a killer had been a fantasy, after all. It wasn't his job to worry about them.

He certainly wasn't some guardian angel, either. He had never signed up for that and he had no idea why his mind had decided that was the case. Figuring that out was probably his key to getting healthy again, but it seemed like an uphill journey at this point.

Either way, it was good to get away from Matt and Eric. He needed some breathing room, some time to just let his mind clear out all of that crazy angel and demon stuff. Being religious was one thing; this was another, and he knew it wasn't right. He tried not to think about what his parents probably thought of him, but for all he knew they weren't even aware that he was here. In fact, Michael couldn't even remember who had admitted him. It was possible he'd just brought himself here.

A shower sounded like a real blessing, though, and he didn't hesitate to strip out of the uniform and find shelter under the hot spray of one of the shower heads. It was definitely more than just washing off; it felt like a cleansing experience, like he was scrubbing the very idea of Castiel out of his skin. He knew it wasn't that easy, that he could relapse at any point, and yet he tried anyway.

However, once he'd washed his body and shampooed his hair, he realized that he needed to give up the shower space for someone else who might need it. As much as he would have liked to spend the entire shift there, he did the right thing and went back to get dressed once he was finished, heading out into the Sun Room on a soldier's heels.

[To here.]

[identity profile] spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com 2011-08-22 09:19 am (UTC)(link)
Usually, Kratos' showers were short, five-minute affairs that never went over unless he was handicapped in some form, which he certainly had been last week. However, in the span of merely three days, his chest had returned to its normal color and the pain had subsided, which meant that he could safely return to a quick, brusque shower. Ironically, despite its hastiness, he could honestly say that he preferred finishing his shower as swiftly as possible rather than opting to linger. It was his routine, something he could concretely stick to in the midst of an environment that was still in some ways foreign and confusing- the last shred of control left to him, as it were.

And so, as soon as five minutes were up, he stepped away from the shower and turned the water off before heading back to dry off and change back into his uniform. He didn't have much to do afterward - the only option left to him now was to go to the Sun Room - but Kratos was sure he wouldn't mind simply taking a nap for the rest of the shift.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1153450.html?thread=79491242#t79491242)]
Edited 2011-08-22 09:30 (UTC)