Joel laughs in surprise and it's really him for the time being, it's really his laugh, though it feels like it's being dragged out of a throat lined with glass. Everything hurts, even laughing, even breathing, but the words surprise the laugh out of him all the same. At a moment when everything feels like it's bound to fall apart, when he feels like he's barely hanging on by a thread, when he's worried about Coop and Spencer and even his own physical being, having someone speak to the demon like that comes as a strange sort of relief. He doesn't think it means Les isn't taking this seriously, not if Coop trusts him, not if Nerium does, but it makes the demon angry and that pleases Joel.
He wonders if maybe he's losing his mind. Just a little bit. If having the demon inside him is making him go crazy and if that might help them. The less he cares about himself, the more invested he is in making sure the others are safe, in making this invader inside him as angry as possible, maybe the better chance they have. It feels a little bit like giving up, but Joel feels everything inside him slip another notch and he thinks maybe it's not like that at all. Maybe letting himself go a little is what's going to make it easier to come back.
"Come inside," he says as quickly as he possibly can, before the demon can recover from the genuine amusement Joel had felt for just a moment. "You have to invite Nerium, too, I might not be ab-" And his arm is wrenched harder still, pulled behind him until something in his shoulder pops and he doesn't think it's broken, he doesn't think it's even been wrenched out of place, but it hurts an Joel grinds his teeth together as his body is suddenly flung back, dropped in a heap beside Spencer.
And he looks over then, he looks at his husband and even though he can feel the demon starting to regain control, he smiles. Spencer is so strong and so brave and he's right here with Joel. No matter what happens, he was the first one to come. He'll always be the first one to come and Joel's good hand inches over toward him, the tips of his fingers brushing the outer edge of Spencer's hand just as he'd done that day in the park. "Come back," he murmurs, as if that alone will be enough to wake Spencer up. "Please come back."
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He wonders if maybe he's losing his mind. Just a little bit. If having the demon inside him is making him go crazy and if that might help them. The less he cares about himself, the more invested he is in making sure the others are safe, in making this invader inside him as angry as possible, maybe the better chance they have. It feels a little bit like giving up, but Joel feels everything inside him slip another notch and he thinks maybe it's not like that at all. Maybe letting himself go a little is what's going to make it easier to come back.
"Come inside," he says as quickly as he possibly can, before the demon can recover from the genuine amusement Joel had felt for just a moment. "You have to invite Nerium, too, I might not be ab-" And his arm is wrenched harder still, pulled behind him until something in his shoulder pops and he doesn't think it's broken, he doesn't think it's even been wrenched out of place, but it hurts an Joel grinds his teeth together as his body is suddenly flung back, dropped in a heap beside Spencer.
And he looks over then, he looks at his husband and even though he can feel the demon starting to regain control, he smiles. Spencer is so strong and so brave and he's right here with Joel. No matter what happens, he was the first one to come. He'll always be the first one to come and Joel's good hand inches over toward him, the tips of his fingers brushing the outer edge of Spencer's hand just as he'd done that day in the park. "Come back," he murmurs, as if that alone will be enough to wake Spencer up. "Please come back."