darker_london | Autumn Therapy (Flynn, Autumn)

Flynn had a lot to contemplate and he was doing so in silence, lying on his bed and scratching a forlorn Booster behind his ears. Thomas was alive again, Jax was as good as dead, Quinn was off in fairyland or whateverthehell, and Autumn was standing in Flynn's doorway. Flynn blinked and went back to that last thought, sitting up in surprise. "Autumn?"

"Hey there, Sugarvoice. Augh, I have no idea why I called you that..."

Flynn shrugged. "I'll take it. I can't sing like Spectre or Deirdre, but I like to think I can warble okay." Ever since Tristan's visit, Flynn had been speaking more. He wasn't alone. Oh thank Christ he wasn't alone. He wasn't exactly effusive either, but baby steps were all anyone could expect.

"You 'warble' better than okay." Autumn stepped into his room and she gave him a quiet smile. "I...I brought you some whiskey." She held up a brand new bottle and gave him a sweet little smile. Whiskey was their drink of forgetting. From way back when Autumn would have told everyone he wasn't a friend, just someone she knew to avoid getting in trouble with Jake.

"Thank you." Flynn said with a nod. "Probably...not the best idea at the moment. But whiskey time will come."

"That's why it's unopened." Autumn said, placing the bottle on his bed and then taking a seat beside him. "You can have it whenever." Then she cleared her throat. "Flynn...I can't stay in that flat anymore. I'm moving in with Timothy. I can't be there. I...not when..." She didn't want to have the memory of finding one of her best friends broken and bloody on the stairs every time she passed them. She had more bad memories from the place, things that had happened to herself, but seeing Quinn like that...that was by far the worst.

Flynn, though his heart was still raw and probably would be for a damn long time, could see that Autumn was in pain too. She had lived with Quinn. Quinn had helped her break away from Jake because he had experience from the shelter and he was the gentlest soul they'd ever known. Flynn reached out for Autumn's hand and he took it in his, though he couldn't quite look at her. "No. I...I don't blame you."

"All of his things are..." Autumn bit her lip. "Flynn, do you know where...where he's going to be?"

"Here. With me." Flynn gave Autumn's hand a squeeze. "When he's healed enough... I can get his things." The idea of going back to that place was not a nice one. Flynn didn't want to. But being surrounded by Quinn's things...and having Quinn be surrounded by his things seemed worth braving it the one time. "I'll just...drink the whiskey. Bravery drink, hmm?"

Autumn frowned and she patted Flynn's leg. "That might just be a good idea, Flynn. It sounds good to me anyway. I...could go with you?"

"Yeah. Bravery drink and bravery Autumn. Good combination." He looked up at her. "Autumn...I..I don't know what to do now. I can take care of him. And I will. For the rest of our lives, I'll make sure he's safe. But I...I'm so...he was-"

"Everything?" Autumn supplied for him instead of letting him fumble for words.

Flynn crossed his arms across his stomach and he nodded mutely. "We were supposed to get married. And he wanted to have a daughter. Adopted o' course. He wanted to name her Sylvia Poe because he's a big dork who used to be a bleeding heart goth." Flynn's face took on a fond look now that he was remembering all the plans he had Quinn had made. Plans that would never happen. But he could talk about them now. Which was better than saying nothing and sleeping in a box, all things considered...

"Sylvia Poe. Of course he did." Autumn smiled and she reached up to run her fingers through Flynn's hair. "You'll find your way again, Quinn. I have no doubt of that. And you probably don't believe me and that's okay too. I wouldn't ever blame you for that."

Flynn sighed. "I've been through...a lot. I don't complain. I reckon I'm lucky to be here, you know? Six years on the street, only surviving through the kindness or..at least charity of others, and before that 16 years wrapped up in the violence of the PIRA? But this is...he was supposed to be my reward, you know? Like...I got through all of that and because I survived it, I got to be happy. And now it's just gone."

"I know." Autumn said, because beyond that, there was nothing else to say. It was all true and there was nothing she could do to make it otherwise. "I love you."

Flynn glanced over at her and he gave her a watery smile. He couldn't quite say that again yet. He was too afraid that something else would happen to someone he loved and he would hurt more. He couldn't take more. He really couldn't... "Thank you." He said instead, and Autumn understood.