Log:Addiction
From Literepetition
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After much insistence, Ron has convinced— or hopefully convinced— Howard to come over to Bartos for a change, perhaps feeling more comfortable with conducting discussion there at least this one time. There is a guarantee that his roommate will be out for the evening. It is fairly perfect conditions for, say, an illicit encounter, but of course, the phrase to describe their project has never exactly been illicit so much as unearthly wrong. In any case, Ron is seated at his desk, scribbling away at a human pace for once, and he is waiting.
Howard's knock comes to the door sharply. He's not too fond of coming to Bartos Hall. It's just not his type of place, to be honest. But Ron was insistent, so Howard capitulated for once. It won't kill him, right?
"Splendid!" Ron says before he's even gotten up. When he opens the door, he smiles and lets Howard in right away, ushering him somewhat comically further to the center of the room, all in silence. Then he closes the door and holds up both of his hands. "Look! I've managed not to worry about it. I haven't got it on! I was able to put it back on the chain and now it's still in my pocket but I'm staying very, very focused and now I'm writing less... disturbingly. It's wonderful!" That all comes out almost too fast and excited to actually understand, but with any luck...
Howard is ushered. He never liked being ushered. It disturbs his sense of balance, which is perilous as it is, given his unseemly height. After a moment of following Ron's babble, Howard opens his mouth and says, "Aaaah. So the effects were unequivocally tied to wearing the ring, and not just having it on your person." It's almost like he's talking to himself, or taking notes.
Nodding rapidly, Ron replies, "Oh yes, I do think so. I'm... I'm quite concerned about all of this still but I'm immensely relieved just to... well, you know. Have my life back, a little." Not that his life is actually all that different from when he did wear the ring last month, but if he chooses to make a distinction then so be it.
"Uh huh." Howard eyes Ron, and then asks, in his most pleasant tone, "May I see it?"
At first Ron reaches into his pocket like it's no problem at all, though as he actually brings the ring out, on its chain, he waffles for a minute. "Don't touch it, though?" he requests. "I— I think that would make me nervous. Which is so stupid, but I don't want to be tempted to put it on again."
Howard holds his hand out. "Don't be balmy, Ron. You've overcome, haven't you? That was why you called me here. To witness your strength of will." He stretches his hand forward, palm up. "Let me see it."
"I didn't call you to see that, that makes it sound so boastful. I was just... happy. That's all." Biting his lip, however, Ron hands it all over to Howard even as he keeps his eyes trained on it.
Howard takes the ring, and the chain, inspecting it. He takes a moment to lift it up into the light, long-spiderleg fingers moving to unlatch the chain, slide the ring off... and push it over his left middle finger.
That turns Ron's eyes into saucers. "No no no no!—" He clamps his hand over Howard's, already trying to wrest it off. It's impulsive, it's unlike him, and it's desperate. "Don't you know what it will do? Even if it's on for a moment— it's— you don't understand! Howard take it off!" The words fly furiously from him as he tugs.
Howard fights against Ron's tugging, shoving his elbow against the other boy's chest. "Let me go, Ron. If you won't experience it, I might as well." Howard is not in great physical shape, but then again, neither is Ron.
"But why would you want to? Why should I?" Ron pushes his weight right back into Howard. They're a tall pair and likely to wreak a bit of havoc in the room if they're not careful, their limbs too long to quite control as they ought to. "Howard!"
"Why shouldn't I? You've had your chance and you fought it off, now let me try myself!" Howard pushes Ron, which causes them both to tumble off their feet and against one of the bed.
Tightening his grip, Ron pulls with all his might on the ring and then, still not quite getting it, he throws himself away from Howard, sitting up on the foot of the bed, chest heaving. He's staring at the ring and not at Howard proper. "All right. All right!" he admits. "This is absurd, we shouldn't be fighting over this. Look, if it's so important to you that somebody be wearing the ring, I'll do it. At least I've already done it and I'm prepared."
"But we already know what the effects of it are on you. what would be the point?" Howard fixes his shirt and sits up straight. "This way, we can see what difference someone else wearing it may make."
Ron gulps. "Howard. You... you have to promise that you'll give it back to me. Yes I know that's a daft thing to say because I don't expect you to lose it, it's just..."
Howard pauses, and then takes the ring off. he hands it back to Ron with a short frown. "I suppose we should make sure there are no long-term side effects, first. I will ask you for it at a later date." Something about the ring made him change his mind.
"Oh." A blink as he snatches up the ring again. Ron was obviously telling the truth when he said that he would wear the ring, at the time, because there is no way that he of all people would be able to lie so seamlessly as that. But it is now plain from the look on his face that he's having second thoughts. Glancing up at Howard for a moment, he can't watch himself as he does slip the ring back on. "There," he murmurs. Once again, no lies. But... hesitation.
"I mean long-term side-effects of withdrawal, you idiot." Howard facepalms, quite comically.
Turning red, Ron pulls the ring off just as fast and sets it on the desk next to him, casting his gaze sidelong at it. "Er, right." Even when he looks back to Howard... he can't help another look right over there. "You make it sound like it's a, er, drug of some sort."
"You'd call it something else, maybe?" Howard raises a brow. "Under its effects, you find yourself hyperalert, attuned to what most interests you, and unable to sleep for days on end. I've heard of similar, if much less intense, reactions to cocaine."
The boy gathers the ring back into his palm and simply... holds it. For now. "Well, I've never done cocaine, of course. So I'm afraid I haven't any way to compare. And no, don't you get ideas about that," Ron returns.
"Ideas about what?" Howard smiles. "I heard you're going back home for the holidays. Congratulations."
Congratulations indeed; the circumstances have only come about because Ron managed to make enough of a profound impression in a social context that someone bothered to pay for the plane fare. Not that Ron has really thought about it in these terms. Or maybe he has, because he flushes again and smiles. "Yes. Um. I am. What are you doing? Not having to see your aunts I hope..."
"Mmh. Fortune favors not me, I'm afraid. I'm going home again, this time for an extended period. I hope that Sonia will be able to visit. I'm taking back a lot of my recreational reading to replace it with other books, as I've read everything else. Any particular linguistic books you might want me to see about acquiring?"
Ron furrows his brow, though he is not nearly as concerned as before. Less visibly so, anyway. "No, I... I think I'm all right. If you did... if you did manage to find anything regarding Northern Sami... it's um, a relative of Finnish spoken across Scandinavia and er, it's rather nice, but— not really that important. I ought to be working more on... you know. The project."
Howard nods. "And I ought to be preparing for my physics final. Despite Jules' help, I do not see my future as brightly as I'd like." He stands up to his full height and heads for the door, opening it, and pausing. He glances over his shoulder. "Speaking of the project, Ron: hhrri." What's it mean?
"Er... yes?" Ron tilts his head, not understanding right away. "Did we make that one up? I mean— did we... you know."
Howard glances at the ring, and then at Ron, with a raised brow. "Just write it down. It means obsession, addiction, and enslavement." He turns back away, head out. "Have a nice vacation, Ron." Click.
