R's surprised by how strong Howard is when he grabs his wrist while he's waffling like a lost patrol. For a little guy, he's stronger than he looks, R stumbling behind the clothing rack, the jangling of hangers bouncing off each other drowned out by the alarm. He ends up jammed between the pole and Howard, who's put himself under cover but in a place that's easy to bolt from if anyone pulls back the sweaters and blouses.
R doesn't know what to do with his hands. His scalp feels tight like someone's pulling at it, and for some reason he needs to do something with his arms. Without thinking, he reaches over and wraps them around Howard, drawing him close as Howard wheezes and shakes. No idea if it's helping either of them. Guess he must've been clingy when he died. Too much clinging, not enough target practice against zombies. Screw it. R wants to grab onto something - or someone - until this blows over.
He clings to Howard as he twitches, listening to his own breathing, imagining that Howard's heart is racing as fast as his. Maybe faster. It takes him awhile to notice the alarm's finally stopped. Could've gone to silent for now. One of his arms has fallen asleep from being pinned between himself and the steel pole holding the clothes between them and the rest of the store.
R waits, listening. His ears recover. His heart starts to slow: compared to how fast it'd been thundering before, it feels almost sluggish now. He's aware of strange clicking sounds from Howard.
"Hey," R whispers, shifting to better face Howard. They're so close their faces almost brush. "Hey, I think we're in the clear. Howard?"
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R's surprised by how strong Howard is when he grabs his wrist while he's waffling like a lost patrol. For a little guy, he's stronger than he looks, R stumbling behind the clothing rack, the jangling of hangers bouncing off each other drowned out by the alarm. He ends up jammed between the pole and Howard, who's put himself under cover but in a place that's easy to bolt from if anyone pulls back the sweaters and blouses.
R doesn't know what to do with his hands. His scalp feels tight like someone's pulling at it, and for some reason he needs to do something with his arms. Without thinking, he reaches over and wraps them around Howard, drawing him close as Howard wheezes and shakes. No idea if it's helping either of them. Guess he must've been clingy when he died. Too much clinging, not enough target practice against zombies. Screw it. R wants to grab onto something - or someone - until this blows over.
He clings to Howard as he twitches, listening to his own breathing, imagining that Howard's heart is racing as fast as his. Maybe faster. It takes him awhile to notice the alarm's finally stopped. Could've gone to silent for now. One of his arms has fallen asleep from being pinned between himself and the steel pole holding the clothes between them and the rest of the store.
R waits, listening. His ears recover. His heart starts to slow: compared to how fast it'd been thundering before, it feels almost sluggish now. He's aware of strange clicking sounds from Howard.
"Hey," R whispers, shifting to better face Howard. They're so close their faces almost brush. "Hey, I think we're in the clear. Howard?"