Tale as old as time

[Valentine Marius Asclepius]

True as it can be, barely even friends,
then somebody bends. Unexpectedly ....

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“Miss, can you please sit still?”[/b] There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, which he couldn’t hide very well. He hated himself faintly when he couldn’t. It made him less professional, while he really did everything to be a good nurse. He face was focused on her arm, but she was so tensed that he wasn’t sure how to pull this off. The lady in front of him had the age of sixty five. She was nicely dressed, modern for her age. You wouldn’t give her sixty-five. He had liked her when she walked in the waiting room. She seemed cheerful and had a nice smile on her face which showed her white teeth. Though when he called her name he knew it was all wrong. He wasn’t sure if it was the harry Potter flashback which he got or that he just simply thought it was not healthy to have a surname like hers. Umbrigde, he name was. The fictional character made up by the wicked mind of J.K. Rolling was much intimidating than this lady was, but they both had some similarities. Things that were bound to the name, so it seemed. He almost had made a comment about it, but swallowed his words right on time. She seemed to have high demands, and at first she didn’t want Val to help her.

A man should have a real job, and he should let the women do theirs. It was an age thing he was sure of it. His responds to her nifty comment was that he was gay. It did raise an eyebrow with Miss Umbridge, but she didn’t ask more. This was a sign he could start to take the blood samples. The only reason she came in. ”Can you please relax a little more.” This time his voice was pleading, he really wanted to get this over with. He looked her in the eye and held her hand. ”I am sure the results will be just fine.” His smile was magnificent. He knew it did wonders. She managed to smile back, but he could see clearly that there were tears in her eyes. He stepped back and got a tissue. He didn’t ask if she wanted it, he just dried her eyes gently. The name may have been wrong chosen by those who picked it long back, but that didn’t mean that his lady should be judged by it. She was a sweet lady. She had breast cancer which spread like weed through her body. She feared that her lungs were now the victim of this deadly decease. Val understood her fear. He had to face it every day. You may think that it is different when you aren’t the patient, but that isn’t so.

Valentine smiled when she did in fact relax more. He didn’t say a word, until the needle glided into her vein. ”You are doing well.” He said in a low voice, taking his second container to fill it with her blood. This was the easiest part of the job, filling the capsules with blood. It normally just spurs out of your veins, because of the pressure. There were some jokers, unlike Miss Umbrigde, who clenched their hands into fists when taking out the needle, causing a real bloodbath. Not that you could die from it, but still it was a nasty look. He smiled to her when he pulled the needle out, and hold a gauze against the little wound. She smiled, but she was defiantly not enjoying herself. He understood that visits to the hospital weren’t exactly fun, but it was necessary. She should know that by know. He had read she was a patient for many years already. She has been lucky, maybe that was her fear that she ran out of luck. It that was even possible. Val, Marius or even ‘hey gay guy over there’ as you may, never believed in luck or stuff like that. It is like believing in god, telling that you are made of clay and such rubbish. Yeah, no it was even a difficult thing for him to believe in love.

Love had always been a difficult thing in his life. From his first boyfriend till the last one, which whom he bought that ridiculous large house with. He still lives in that house, though, he is alone now. The man found it more interesting to screw little boys while Val was at work. His lover was a twenty-eight a year older than he is, but he had more interest in boys around the age of sixteen than for Val. Val kicked him out. He couldn’t stand it. There was one thing you should never do, which is cheating on him. He will likely burn your arse off or cut your balls. Miss Umbridge left the building, she was still a bit shaky, but Val knew she would be okay. He prepared the room, for his next patient. Again a checkup. There were so many of these, these days. Though all were different. He wasn’t sure what was next. He hoped it would be something interesting, at least more interesting than taking blood. Even though, that was almost standard procedure. ”Mister Drake?” He called. He always did that with a steady voice. Even when he wasn’t sure if he pronounced the name as it should be. Mistakes were human, right?

M e r r i, H o s p i t a l, 9 0 1

[/justify][/blockquote]

[MERRICK LUCIUS DRAKE]

SOMEWHERE ALONG IN THE BITTERNESS
and i would have stayed up with you all night

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• • • • • • • • • • • VAL ASCLEPIUS ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

He was not in a good mood today. Not in the slightest. It was time for his regular check up, which meant they would be doing lots of blood work, which meant it wasn’t a very bright idea to do any drugs. This was torture, but not getting caught would be worth it. Or at least it better be. His hands trembled as he got dressed, having been lounging around his run down apartment in his boxers all day long. He pulled on a pair of old black jeans and a crude black tee shirt, and finished with a heavy black and red sweater. He knew it wouldn’t be enough to keep him warm, but it was all he had. He stepped out of his small bedroom and kicked aside the crap littering the floor. For someone who didn’t own very much, his place sure was a mess. Clothes, bongs and empty bottles were most of the stuff littering his floor, but if you looked hard enough you would find much worse things. Then again, it wasn’t like his apartment was very big or spacey, so it didn’t hold much.

“I’m taking this,”

[/color] he announced, not to himself, but to a friend who was passed out on his floor. With no protest coming from his friend, he picked up the rather nice iPod touch and turned it on, knowing the guy had similar taste in music to himself. At least this could distract him from the cold as he walked. His hands dug into the pockets of his sweater and his head was bent low as he walked through the halls, taking the stairs rather than the elevator. He knew better than to stick himself in a confined space with someone who would no doubt annoy him when he was in a bad mood. Not to mention he was trying to hide the fact that he was a junky, and right now he was probably a poster child for a rehab center.

Merrick’s usually pale skin was even more pallid than usual, and his deep set eyes were lined with dark bags. He had smudged some black eye liner around his eyes to make the bags look like makeup, but had no idea how good of a job he had done. Despite how cold it was outside, and it was pretty fucking cold, his brow was lines with beads of sweat. Luckily those were hidden by his thick red and black hair, which hung in his face in attempts to hide himself. His hands were trembling in his pockets, and he was almost in pain from the cravings. He couldn’t believe he had gone this long without any drugs what-so-ever. The second he got out of that stupid check up he was going straight to his apartment to do celebration lines. He would be celebrating now getting caught with drugs in his system, which was a big deal to him.

It was quite a walk from his shit hole apartment to the hospital, and Merrick didn’t have any cash on him for the bus or a cab. He wouldn’t mind minded walking if it wasn’t so fucking cold outside and the sidewalks were shovelled. By the time he was halfway there his shoes were soaked and his feet felt numb. Well, at least they weren’t cold any more. Wait, since when did Merrick think on the bright side of things. By the time he reached the hospital his teeth were chattering and he felt like a popsicle, the warmth of the building actually shocking him. He took his number and signed himself in, then sat down as far away from everyone as possible. His head was lowered as he listened to the heavy metal music, tapping his foot along to the beat and ignoring the world as best as he could. As best as he could with the music turned down so he could hear the names being called. That also meant he could hear crying babies and annoying conversations though.

His hands remained in his pockets, doing the best that he could to hide their trembling. Every time someone sat near him he would get up and move to a more secluded area of the waiting room, keeping to himself. When he finally heard his name he stood, turning off the iPod and taking off the large headphones. He let them hang around his neck as he walked up to the man, narrowing his eyes up at him. Jesus he was tall. And a nurse? He snorted. “Nice way to make a living,”[/color] he insulted.[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 767
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: the fray, how to save a life
notes: <3
[/blockquote]

[Valentine Marius Asclepius]

True as it can be, barely even friends,
then somebody bends. Unexpectedly ....

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He had heard it before, being a male nurse was hard at times. There were all kinds of people who wanted to judge you, just because of you job. As if a male nurse was something weird. If he had been a hooker he would understand the argument, not that male hookers are weird or something, but to be honest it is a little controversial than a male nurse. The argument always start like this; ‘How could he be a nurse, that was a job for the ladies’, it was actually really tiring. Val was so sick and tired to hear it day in day out, even from the patients who came by. He was there to help them, to make sure they didn’t die within three month or less. Maybe cruel to put it like that, but the truth is hard. Miss Umbridge had done the same thing a moment ago. Val could handle it then, but this kid just crossed the line. ”Thank you” He said as he closed the door. He didn’t want that the other people in the waiting room would think badly of him. He was really good in what he did.

”So you seem to have some problems with a gay male nurse?”[/b] He said looking straight into the guys face. Val was a boxer, it might not show immediately but he was doing it ever since his first love got beaten up by some gay hater motherfucker. He almost left this life, while Val couldn’t protect him. He felt so powerless. That wasn’t something he wanted to experience again, which was the reason he took some box classes. He enjoyed these so much that he even joined the competition. He may be a simple male nurse, but this kid shouldn’t act as if he was more than him he didn’t seem to be someone who made a living for himself. Val wasn’t surprised though. He was someone who had an eye for detail.

Val was an observer. He always looked how his patient walked and moved, talked even. It’s all important to how he was going to approach this certain person. Mister Drake was someone who seemed to have some ugly issues. Meaning that he was using drugs. What kind of drugs wasn’t really interesting to know, however that he used any was reason enough to keep taps on him. He was a cancer patient, Leukemia had haunted him for a long time. Val knew that was always a bitch. The fact the man had insulted him made his conclusion stronger. As if he hadn’t used any for this visit, well if that was so, Val would be flattered. Val always thought why someone would start using drugs, was it to get attention, to forget something of his past, or just for fun, which was something he couldn’t believe. Drugs was no fun, like smoking wasn’t. Val was a smoker himself, so if he did that he wouldn’t say a word. He suddenly hoped that this man had someone in his life to whom he could go home to. Where that came from was a riddle, but it was one he didn’t want to solve. He better started with his work.

”Can I do my job now?”[/b] He said. There was a smile on his face, but his voice was ice cold. It was why the man was here anyway. The sooner they did this the sooner the man was outside. Val took Mister Drake’s arm and rolled up his sleeve. He had no time to wait for the man. The touch brought Val back to earth. He was ice cold, as if he had been on the North Pole or something. He didn’t understand that someone could be so cold. The answer was easy, with only a sweater to keep him warm he couldn’t be warm. He shook his head in disapproval. If he had a say in this he would be proper dressed. Val was a nurse from top to bottom. He couldn’t help it. He was just someone who would take care of someone else. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

”Mister, I don’t want to sound rude, but you can’t go out like that. it will kill you.”[/b] Val was concerned about all of his patient, it didn’t matter how badly they treated him, as long as he did his job as good as he could. He only wanted to be perfect because he didn’t want to hear later on that he was the cause of someone’s death, because didn’t take enough samples. He had nightmares over these thoughts, mothers who haunted him, screaming to him that he was a monster, who should be punished. ”Anyway, I hope I can find a good spot.” He said looking at the man’s arm. This wasn’t the first time someone used a needle on him. Val traced the spots with his thumb, stroking his arm gently. He wanted to feel it, just to get a better idea about the situation. ”You are on drugs, I am right?” There was a weak smile on Val’s face, not because he found this amusing. He didn’t understand that someone like this kid would use drugs, fuck up his own life a little more than it was. Oh, he shouldn’t judge.

M e r r i, H o s p i t a l, 8 8 9

[/justify][/blockquote]

[MERRICK LUCIUS DRAKE]

SOMEWHERE ALONG IN THE BITTERNESS
and i would have stayed up with you all night

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• • • • • • • • • • • VAL ASCLEPIUS ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

It wasn’t that Merrick had any problems with this guy being a male nurse, he just found it funny. So of course he would make a crude joke about, a joke this guy must have taken offensively. It actually wasn’t weird to Merrick, not in the slightest, and to be honest he kind of preferred it. In his experience female nurses has a stick up their ass, and not the good and gay kind either. Women could be bitches at times, especially when he fought back. He doubted this guy could do much to him. Physically or verbally. Except maybe miss his mark with the needle, which Merrick had done to himself before. “Any time,”

[/color] he sneered, smirking brightly with his amusement. He watched the nurse close the door and sat down where he was supposed to, pushing hair further into his eyes so you couldn’t see as much of his face. “No problems at all,”[/color] he replied in a sing song voice. “What you shove up your ass is your own business, unless, of course, I’m invited,”[/color] he pointed out, still smirking brightly.

He was looking up into the man’s face as he said all of these, peering up at him from beneath his curtain of black and red hair. This guy was considerably taller than him, and had more visible muscle, but Merrick had a superiority complex to end all superiority complexes. He was a god in his eyes, meaning he could take down anyone, and get anything he wanted. The reason he wasn’t living the in the ritzy life right now was because he didn’t want to. The reason he hadn’t taken a cab here was because he didn’t feel like it, not because he didn’t have money. He would keep telling himself this until he believed it himself. That was how he worked.

Merrick was definitely not liking how this guy was looking at him. It made him nervous, which was the last thing he needed right now. The whole reason he hadn’t done any drugs the past few days was so he didn’t get caught, but this man was looking at him like he could see into Merrick’s soul. That’s how he felt at least. He was unwilling to accept that he was paranoid, even if it would make him feel a better. He just didn’t like the feeling of being judged. Merrick knew he wasn’t that great of a person, and he knew he had fucked up his life by making the wrong choices. The world had no right to judge them without knowing what he had been through and why he had made these bad choices. The only person allowed to judge him was himself, and Merrick saw himself as the best thing to walk the earth.

“Go right ahead,”[/color] he remarked in a tone that could care less what the nurse did. He extended his arm for the nurse to take and let him roll the sleeve up, not wanting to take off his sweater. He still felt really cold despite seating from the withdraw. He was doing his best not to tremble, but he was cold and in desperate need of drugs. His eyes narrowed at the nurse’s shake of his head, waiting for what Merrick knew was coming. “Unless I win the lottery then I have no choice,”[/color] he spat. “Not everyone gets everything handed to them,”[/color] he added in a cold and rather irritated tone. He didn’t appreciate being told what would kill him when he very well knew, and he didn’t appreciate having to admit that he had no money. It was humiliating, even if it was just to a gay male nurse.

“I’m sure there’s plenty,”[/color] he stated, rolling his eyes. Not like he really cared if the nurse missed a hundred times and had to keep trying again. The prick of a needle was barely anything to him any more. He watched the man’s movements, shivering from both the cold and the man’s touch. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from saying anything perverted, then gave a snort when the nurse spoke. “Not right now I’m not,”[/color] he said in the same cold tone as before. “Why would I need drugs if I’m ‘cured’,”[/color] he asked, sneering once again. He was being a smartass, and avoiding the true meaning of the question. He knew very well that this guy meant, but he wasn’t about to answer truthfully and admit he was a junky. [/justify] [/blockquote]words: 751
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: the fray, how to save a life
notes: <3
[/blockquote]

[Valentine Marius Asclepius]

True as it can be, barely even friends,
then somebody bends. Unexpectedly ....

[/font][/center]
He looked at the boy. He had no real interest him other than to rip his head off. Maybe he shouldn’t help him, and just ask a female nurse to do this one. There was something though, call it his maleness, that prevented him for calling for her. Not that this guy would have liked her. She was as cold as ice. She wasn’t warm and giving. She just did the job, because she had to feed five little kids. It was a sad story, but it made him a bit grateful that god decided he should be gay so he couldn’t make any kids at all. Or that would be against his nature. Yes, because begin gay was these days very normal. Val sighs as he heard the guys responds. He was not in the mood for this bullshit. He smiled softy. ”I think I feel anything of what you have to offer.” Val said it with a straight face. The time for jokes were over. This was a weird way, to turn him on, but he had to be honest it was working. He was almost impressed. He ran one hand through his hair. He needed to put on some gloves, you could never be sure what would happen.

He didn’t respond to the man’s reply. He could go ahead, but he wouldn’t. Anyone who knew Val, would have told you what would happen next. Val always cared for everyone, it was in his blood. Some say that you can tell that he was born for the job. The man was not properly dressed. It was a sign, he didn’t have anyone above him. He probably lived on his own, in a dirty box full with little bugs. He shouldn’t think of it, the idea of bugs and spiders caused a cold shiver down his spine. ”Don’t judge me.” His voice was suddenly as sharp as a knife. He didn’t like the comment made on his behalf. He had worked hard to get where he was now. No one was supported him. If it hadn’t been for him he would still live in a room of two by two. It was his own ambition to help people, to become something. ”The cover isn’t all there is. If you think I was judging you, you should listen a bit better, and get the hell out of your safety zone, because you are in mine now.” the feathers of his face were deathly calm, as if he was about to strike again. ”You should just have nod in agreement, when someone gives you free advice, even when you don’t ask for it. It might come in handy later.” He said as he turned himself again to look for the needle. He had one, but as he forgot to put his gloves on he had to throw that one away.

He caressed over the man’s skin once again. He stopped when the man started to talk again. It was so obvious that he thought he was something more than that he actually was. In a way it was even cute. He couldn’t explain which way he found it cute. He couldn’t even explain to himself why he found himself a bit drawn to him. Val was never a guy who had preferences towards men. It was more about personality and how they performed in bed than anything else. He never had a spark or something. Then again, he isn’t that hopelessly romantic either. No he is no Edward Cullen for that matter. He is more a Bill, though he never found his male Sookie. He should look better. Right now he wasn’t using anything. Who the fuck did he think he was fooling? Did the man seriously think that he would believe this bullshit? Well, if he didn’t want to come clean with him, that was fine, but you should lie to mister Val. His eyes light fire, but he didn’t actually look at the man. He still hold his grip on the man’s arm, but lay down the needle which was in his other hand. ”Please, cut the crap.” Val’s voice was almost fatherly. ”I don’t fucking care if you use, I was just motioning it, because I need to stab this needle in a vain of yours.”

Val anger came from the fact that he tried to fool him. He didn’t like to be fooled, by anyone. He, himself, was rather forward in things. He always said what he had on his mind, which was why he mentioned these marks. He looked at the boy. For some reason he couldn’t believe that he was as he presented himself. He couldn’t be like this. No one in the world would want to be so, so, alone. That was what Val saw. A boy who was fighting against, everything, especially himself. He wasn’t going to say this. He didn’t want to pain the man. It wasn’t his job to tell him what he had seen. If it was the truth, he would know it deep down. ”But, if and only if, I were you, I would stop using. You may have enough reason to feel nothing and whatever you gain from it, but in the end it’s not worth it.” Val voice was calmer, it was also a bit warmer less parental. He had seen it from up close. It isn’t something you can stop, not when the user doesn’t see how much damage it does.

M e r r i, H o s p i t a l, 9 1 5

[/justify][/blockquote]

[MERRICK LUCIUS DRAKE]

SOMEWHERE ALONG IN THE BITTERNESS
and i would have stayed up with you all night

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• • • • • • • • • • • VAL ASCLEPIUS ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Merrick really wasn’t the mood for this shit. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with idiots, especially ones who thought they are the smartest thing ever. He really wasn’t in the mood for much right now. His symptoms of withdraw were quite obvious, despite his attempts at hiding it. He was also trying to hide the fact that he was freezing cold, but he was still shivering despite having been inside for so long. He shivered despite sweating from the withdraw. He really wasn’t in the mood to be lectured about how he should live his life. About how he was poisoning his body. He had survived cancer, he should be thankful he was alive, not killing himself with drugs. Yeah, he had heard it all by now. He really couldn’t care less. They didn’t know the problems he had. They didn’t know what he went through. They had no right to tell him how to live his life. He thought about the nurse’s words, repeating them a few times, but choosing to remain quiet. His lips curled down in a defined frown, hints of a scowl in the corners of his mouth.

He looked around the small room in an almost nervous fashion. His eyes darted about and looked at everything as if it might attack him. He wanted this to be over. He wanted to go home. He wanted his fix. The longer he went without drugs the more he thought. The more he was able to recall the morality behind how he lived. He couldn’t help but think of his childhood and how familiar this was to him. How many times had he sat down on a bed just like this one to get needles? Of course, he was much smaller then. At ten years old Merrick had still looked six. He was always a very tiny guy, which had come in handy when he was still living with his mother. His mother run down house had a lot of small hiding spaces that child-Merrick could easily fit in to while terrible men defiled his mom. He gave a violent shake of his head at the memories of the hospital and of his mother’s house, his face twisting in the pain he felt from them.

“I’m not judging you,”

[/color] he snorted, sounding a bit insulted by the notion. He gave a light chuckle at the notion. “I’m in no position to judge you,”[/color] he admitted in an arrogant tone, any sign of the painful memories gone from the demeanour of his face. You could still see it in his eyes, but those were hidden by a thick layer of red and black hair. He kept it in his face for now; he didn’t want this know-it-all nurse to spot anything. “I don’t want the advice,”[/color] he stated bluntly. “I don’t need any fucking advice. I’ve heard it all, so save it,”[/color] he hissed in a dangerous tone. Oh this, he definitely wasn’t in the mood for.

His eyes finally rested on the man’s hand, watching him caress over his own pale skin. He felt like a pasty ghost compared to this guy’s skin tone. Another trait he had always had. He had always been pretty pale, getting cancer hadn’t helped at all. His time in the hospital had been some of the worst years of his life. Definitely not the worst moment, but they had been some shitty years. It didn’t help that the nurses refused to let him have a shared bedroom after he pushed a kid out of the bed and broke his arm. He was bored and the kid was a jerk! He couldn’t help it. Which actually got him wondering if the file the nurse had on him explained his conduct disorder as a kid, and current anti-social personality disorder? Probably. Whatever. “Then just do it all ready!”[/color] he yelled, finally losing any patients he may have had. “The quicker you stab me with that stupid fucking needle, the faster I’ll be outta’ here and outta’ your hair!”[/color] he added, not quite yelling as he had been before. “Well, you’re not me, so how’s about you just do what you need to do, and let me leave. Then you never have to deal with me again,”[/color] he rolled his eyes, his body trembling even more than it had been. The cold, withdraw and anger fueled him.[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 735
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: the fray, how to save a life
notes: <3
[/blockquote]