Sam Wilson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sizeofyourbaggage) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thecapitol2015-01-07 03:57 pm
sizeofyourbaggage) wrote in thecapitol2015-01-07 03:57 pm
tried counting sheep
Who| Sam Wilson and YOU! All of you!
What| Sleep issues and trying to settle post-arena
Where| Various spots in the Tribute Tower/over the Capitol
When| After the end of the arena and through the first week after, mostly before Panem Nightly
Warnings/Notes| Prompts for specific locations under the cut! Nightmare and PTSD-talk likely, probably mentions of violence and death
Late Nights in District 5
It’s probably not a secret that Sam hasn’t slept much since getting back from the arena, the same way that he can pick up the signs that he’s not the only one with sleeping problems in District Five. Some nights, he doesn’t even try - he either doesn’t return back to the floor at all, or when he does, he heads straight for the couch or the kitchen.
The nights he is there, he can be found in the common areas at all hours of the night, watching bad Capitol TV with the volume on low, in the kitchen making snacks, or even occasionally catching a few minutes of sleep on the couch before he jerks awake again.
In the Training Center
He’d been in the training room a lot before the arena, sure, but it’s even worse now. Whenever he has downtime that he can’t fill up by something else, Sam ends up here, going through a workout, practicing with whatever weapons are available, or just attacking the punching bags.
When he’s alone, he goes all out, sets up a playlist full of fast-paced, heavy workout songs and just loses himself in them.
When there’s other people there, though, he goes slower, reduces the pace so he can maintain a conversation, if they’re the type that will put up with him when he attempts to strike up one.
Out and About in the Capitol
Now that the curfew’s gone, most mornings he goes outside for his run. He hasn’t found a path he likes enough yet to make it a regular one, so he alternates routes through the parks and on the sidewalks.
When he’s done, sometimes he lingers in the Capitol, going shopping or just wandering around to get a better feel for the city, keeping an eye out for anyone he knows. Or anyone who looks like they might be a Tribute, instead of another… interestingly dressed Capitol citizen.
For Close CR
Some nights, he just can’t stand the thought of being alone. All right, a lot of nights, and he’s not too proud to seek out company when he needs someone else’s presence to pull him out of the thoughts that get stuck in his head.
Even if he does feel a little guilty at the late hour, but he figures they could tell him to get lost if they actually are sleeping, and don’t want to be disturbed.
So he when he can’t sleep, he makes his way to rooms that aren’t his, knocks quiet but firm on the doors of the people he considers himself lucky to call his friends.
(Starter prompts for specific threads in the comments!)
What| Sleep issues and trying to settle post-arena
Where| Various spots in the Tribute Tower/over the Capitol
When| After the end of the arena and through the first week after, mostly before Panem Nightly
Warnings/Notes| Prompts for specific locations under the cut! Nightmare and PTSD-talk likely, probably mentions of violence and death
Late Nights in District 5
It’s probably not a secret that Sam hasn’t slept much since getting back from the arena, the same way that he can pick up the signs that he’s not the only one with sleeping problems in District Five. Some nights, he doesn’t even try - he either doesn’t return back to the floor at all, or when he does, he heads straight for the couch or the kitchen.
The nights he is there, he can be found in the common areas at all hours of the night, watching bad Capitol TV with the volume on low, in the kitchen making snacks, or even occasionally catching a few minutes of sleep on the couch before he jerks awake again.
In the Training Center
He’d been in the training room a lot before the arena, sure, but it’s even worse now. Whenever he has downtime that he can’t fill up by something else, Sam ends up here, going through a workout, practicing with whatever weapons are available, or just attacking the punching bags.
When he’s alone, he goes all out, sets up a playlist full of fast-paced, heavy workout songs and just loses himself in them.
When there’s other people there, though, he goes slower, reduces the pace so he can maintain a conversation, if they’re the type that will put up with him when he attempts to strike up one.
Out and About in the Capitol
Now that the curfew’s gone, most mornings he goes outside for his run. He hasn’t found a path he likes enough yet to make it a regular one, so he alternates routes through the parks and on the sidewalks.
When he’s done, sometimes he lingers in the Capitol, going shopping or just wandering around to get a better feel for the city, keeping an eye out for anyone he knows. Or anyone who looks like they might be a Tribute, instead of another… interestingly dressed Capitol citizen.
For Close CR
Some nights, he just can’t stand the thought of being alone. All right, a lot of nights, and he’s not too proud to seek out company when he needs someone else’s presence to pull him out of the thoughts that get stuck in his head.
Even if he does feel a little guilty at the late hour, but he figures they could tell him to get lost if they actually are sleeping, and don’t want to be disturbed.
So he when he can’t sleep, he makes his way to rooms that aren’t his, knocks quiet but firm on the doors of the people he considers himself lucky to call his friends.
(Starter prompts for specific threads in the comments!)
I'm so sorry for the wait ; ; thanks for your patience. <3
His expression slowly changes to that of a sympathetic frown. They may come from different places but trauma inducing horror is practically universal. Panem may allow Nick the downtime he needs but overthinking it could sooner leave him to believe that he's just a lost cause. Or always had been, but he's still here simply because he's apparently so god damn entertaining. It pisses him off, knowing that the Capitol brought folks with baggage like him and Sam and practically everyone, just because they're apparently so fascinated by their trauma.
He squeezes the napkin into his fist before slowly relaxing as Sam continued, expression still soft, though his eyes are burning with anger. At least there's life in him now.
"I'm...glad that worked out," Nick says, unsure how to comment on it without making it too awkward. Although he's not off to a good start. "I mean, not sayin' it was good that it happened. I just...sorry." He takes a short pause to shut his eyes and thinks about what he wants to say. Finally, he opens them again and for his eyes to meet Sam's. "You found a way to recover that worked out for you. So I know it ain't...entirely hopeless."
His conviction's a bit shaky there, but he's used to having a shaky start at nearly everything.
no problem! <3 thank you for your patience too ;a;
He wonders a little what Nick’d been thinking through that, with those flashes of anger peaking through the sympathy, but he doesn’t ask. If Nick wants to share, Sam’ll listen, but he’s not going to push it. Especially not when Nick hits exactly the point of why Sam chooses to share what he does, and that gets all of his focus.
“Nothing’s hopeless,” he agrees, but his conviction is pretty damn strong there. “That’s one of the things that helped me the most, knowing other people’d come out fighting.”
of course <3 and thank you for continuing this. I think we can wrap this up soon, yeah? c:
He gives Sam a nod. "I know other folks have it bad or even worse. Seein' them pull through..." He would think he's not like them at all. He's not. But he'll find his own way, if not for his own sake but for the others. Whatever sense of borrowed time he seems to have being here, he wants to put it to good use.
He picks up the bowl of the soup and drinks up the rest, finally taking in its warmth. He remembers to tab his mouth with a napkin rather than using his sleeve.
"Thanks for doin' this," he says with another smile. A rare, warm and sincere one this time. There's still things he needs to work out, but some knots have been undone that otherwise would've tightened if he hadn't spoken with someone. "I...don't know what to say besides thank you, but I mean it."
yeah, sounds good to me!
There's a pause as he swallows the last spoonful of his soup, then he gives Nick a small smirk.
"And I know where you are, don't think you're gonna be able to avoid me stopping by again."
no subject
Nick moves to put the dish in the sink, but not before catching that smirk from the other man. "Well, damn," he manages with a smirk of his own, "guess I'm screwed then."
He finishes washing up his bowl and spoon and sets them to dry. He then looks down at the sink, scratching the back of his neck. "Hey, Sam?"
Nick can't count how many times he's already thanked Sam in his head, but he says it again as he turns his head to the man with a smile.
"Thanks for not givin' up on me." Words that he has said to Clementine before when she helped him out. He never would've thought he'd be able to say that a second time to someone else.
no subject
Nick might not be one of his veterans, but the place he comes from might as well be a war zone, from what it sounds like. He can’t help but emphasize.
He turns back when Nick calls his name, eyebrows raised in a silent question, but they soften at what he says. And there’s another reason why he’d loved working at the VA - so many damn soldiers who felt like the world’d given up on them, needing someone who wouldn’t.
“Yeah, man, of course. I’ll see you around.”