//------------------------------// // Everypony Talks // Story: The Brother and The Sitter // by Spike120812 //------------------------------// Everypony Talks *Beep... *Beep... *Beep... The steady monotonous sound beside him was all he could hear for a few seconds before his eyes barely cracked open, only to be closed once again when they were assaulted by the merciless rays of the afternoon sun. “Mom! He’s waking up!” That small voice. He knew it anywhere. With a few groans, he slowly cracked his eyes open, gradually getting used to the sunlight that invaded his sight. Through his blurred vision, he saw figures of ponies standing over him. He could see the splashes of blue, grey, and purple morph into the shapes of his family. “Mom? Dad? Twilight?” he muttered once they came into focus. “Shining Armor! Oh, my baby boy!” Shining Armor winced in pain after Twilight Velvet’s forelimbs wrapped around him like anacondas. She clung onto him like he was the most precious thing in the world, not noticing that she was squeezing the bandaged areas on her son’s side. “Mom! Pain! Everywhere!” Shinning squeaked tensely. Velvet quickly retreated from her son with a set of quick apologies. After recovering from the pain, Shining Armor looked at his surroundings, seeing large white walls, a curtain drawn at his side, and found that he was lying down on a bed with a beeping machine at his other side. “What happened?” he asked the ponies above him. Night Light was the first to break the news. “You passed out in the school. The doctor said if the fireponies hadn’t gotten there when they did, the smoke you inhaled could’ve...” he couldn’t nor did he want to finish that sentence. The thought of never seeing his son again was too much for him or his wife and daughter to bear. “The school was burning so severely,” Velvet continued for her husband with watery eyes. “They couldn’t believe you got that little colt out of there before more of the building collapsed.” ‘Moonstone!’ Shining’s mind screamed at him, bringing all memories of the incident back in a blur. He remembered now. He remembered the little colt he got out of the school before more debris could fall or before anything worse could happen. “Once the Princess was alerted about the fire, she had the paramedics send you to the castle’s infirmary to get checked out,” Twilight explained to her brother. Shining Armor took another look around the room. Now it all made sense. The EKG beside him, the bed, the curtain, and the hauntingly sterile white of the room. After the quick glance at his surroundings, Shining looked again at his little sister, seeing her eyes glossed over in a watery veil. Her lip was slightly quivering as well, but it wasn’t out of sadness. “I’m just so happy you’re here,” Twilight quivered as she brought her own forehooves around Shining Armor, making sure to avoid the bandaged areas. “Shining!” Both Twilight and the colt addressed looked down the bed to see a small purple dragon crawling up the blankets, placing himself by his older brother’s head on the pillow and wrapping his little arms around Shining’s face. “Hey, Spike,” Shining greeted his little brother as he slung one of his forelimbs around the small dragon. Shining, Spike, and Twilight, all together. It was a sight too sweet for words for the parents standing beside their kids. “So, what was it like in there?” Twilight asked from Shining’s side. “Hot,” Shining answered simply. “All I can remember was getting in there, bringing Moonstone out, then going back to try and get—” Shining’s pupils shrunk to pinpoints as it all came back to him. The wall of debris, why he went back in the school, why he collapsed. “CADANCE!” Shining Armor threw off the blankets that covered him and nearly flung himself in the air, bolting to the side, disconnecting any small probes on him that connected to the EKG in the process. The immediate pain that came to his sides went ignored as he ran across the hospital room, only to turn back when he saw a familiar blowing multi-colored mane out of the corner of his eye. In the corner of the room, mere meters away from his own bed, Shining Armor saw a relieved looking Princess Celestia standing over two other ponies. One sat next to the hospital bed with Celestia and had a look of pure terror in his sky-blue eyes. His amber mane was disheveled and unorderly, like he didn’t bother with it at all today. And the other was lying in her bed, unconscious and hooked up to an EKG, much like he had been. Shining instantly recognized the pink pony in the bed and couldn't help but feel his chest clench and his throat dry out almost instantly at the sight of his marefriend lying in a hospital bed. Celestia caught sight of Shining Armor and gave a small motion for him to come over. He took her invitation and slowly walked up to Cadance's bed, catching glimpse of Blueblood in his less than prince-like state. Cadance, too, was bandaged up in some areas. Her mane, tattered and singed in some places, and her coat was still blackened by the smog she endured. 'I should've gotten her out.' He knew Cadance was fine, otherwise Celestia wouldn’t have looked so calm, but he still couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve gotten her out of there. She was the one who just a few days ago said that he supposedly was a defender, but he couldn’t even get his marefriend out of a situation where she needed one. A gentle gold-slippered hoof on his shoulder caused Shining to look up and see Celestia’s gentle magenta eyes that instantly calmed him down. “You did all you could, Shining Armor,” Celestia reassured a silky and regal voice. “I’m just glad you two got out of there with only a few burns.” “Has she woken up at all?” Shining asked after a glance down at Cadance. “For about a minute a half hour ago, but the doctor insisted for her to get more rest, so she went back to sleep. Other than a few burns and the amount of smoke she breathed in, she’s fine.” A loud swinging of doors was heard followed by a loud gasp and the clang of a clipboard falling to the floor. “What are you doing out of bed?” Shining Armor turned his head to see a shocked pale-brown unicorn stallion in a doctor’s robe rushing towards him, his horn glowing a light brown aura. “You need to get back in bed this instant!” he instructed forcefully as he dragged Shining Armor in his magic back to his bed. Obviously he wasn’t going to have anything go wrong with any of his patients. “Sorry if I’m being a little forceful, but I will not risk any more injury to you. So... in you go,” the stallion said hurriedly as he placed his patient in his bed and drew the covers. “So, how long does he have to stay here, Dr. Scope?” Velvet asked once her son was back in bed. “Well, I want the skin under his fur to heal up naturally for a few hours before I do anything magically, so overnight should be enough time. Then he’ll be able to walk out of here like nothing happened, fresh as a daisy.” He cast another glance at the colt, giving him a stern look. “In the meantime, I want him resting up and not moving. The skin must heal on its own first for a few hours before any magic can be used.” “Thank you, Doctor,” Velvet said with a smile. The stallion gave his own smile before trotting off to Cadance’s bed, leaving the Sparkle family alone. “Do you want me to come and pick you up in the morning, Shining? I can try and take tomorrow off from the observatory,” Night Light offered. “It’s okay, dad. I’ll be able to walk home by tomorrow,” Shining answered with a small laugh. “Okay, son. I guess we should be getting out of here if the doc wants you to rest up.” “Shining, honey, are you sure you don’t need anything else? I can go bring you some leftovers from home,” Velvet suggested, only to be met with a small nod from her son. “I’m fine, mom. Really,” Shining reassured. His mom always got that way whenever he or Twilight got sick or had to stay alone somewhere else. Motherly instinct is what he always chalked it up to. “Oh, okay,” Velvet complied hesitantly. “He’ll be fine, honey,” Night Light comforted, easing his wife’s worries a bit. “Besides, Twilight and Spike are here, they’ll take care of him, right you two?” “You can count on us, dad,” Twilight said with a small salute. Spike copied his sister’s gesture with small giggles of an infant. Velvet smiled at the display of adorableness before her. She knew Shining was in good hooves. “Okay, you two. Shining, we’ll see you tomorrow when we get off work, okay?” “Okay, mom,” Shining called back as his parents headed out of the room, and out the castle, leaving the kids of the family alone. “So, Twi-Lee, how was your first morning in the castle?” Shining finally asked the filly by his bedside. “This place is huuuuuuuuge!” Twilight answered with wide eyes and an expanding gesture with her forelimbs. “Princess Celestia was giving me a full tour of the castle... we still haven't finished,” Twilight finished with a laugh. Shining turned his head over to the side to see Spike clawing at the blankets. “How’d Spike like the room?” “Well,” Twilight began, “he managed to go two hours before burning something,” she answered sheepishly. “What did he burn?” Shining asked with a droning tone. “Just the curtains on one of the windows.... probably should’ve told mom that I needed more Hoofy Potter curtains.” “What you need, young mare, is to let my patient get some rest.” Shining Armor, Twilight, and Spike all looked up towards the end of the bed to see a very annoyed-looking Dr. Scope being tailed by Celestia and Blueblood. “I understand that you want to see your brother, but he needs rest if I am to get him out of here by morning. Meaning you need to leave him alone,” he instructed with a stern hoof pointed at Twilight before turning to Celestia. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me, Princess, I need to chart and file a few records before I do anything else.” “Understood, Dr. Scope,” Celestia acknowledged. With that, the stallion headed off through some double doors and disappeared. Celestia turned her gaze back to her stunned student. “Forgive Dr. Scope, Twilight. He means well, but he can become a bit of a control freak when he has a patient.” Twilight’s head drooped down in sadness. “I understand, but I was hoping that Spike and I could sleep with Shining tonight. All three of us... before he has to go back home.” Celestia looked at the hopeful eyes of her student. She was, after all, just a filly that wanted time with her brother, but doctor’s orders are doctor’s orders. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but Dr. Scope was very clear on leaving your brother alone.” If sadness could be ponified, it would take form of the lavender filly on the bed at that moment. “Okay, Princess,” Twilight sighed. “But you know,” Celestia began in a sly voice, “he doesn’t check under the beds at night,” she whispered with a wink. Twilight radiated with joy at this little tidbit, only to have it grow once her mentor summoned an extra pillow and a perfectly-sized blanket out of nowhere with her magic. “I’ll see you two tomorrow at breakfast.” With that, Celestia trotted gracefully out of the infirmary with her nephew in tow. Once the royal pair were out of the room, Twilight turned to Spike, quickly grabbing him in her magic, and scurried under Shining's bed to find a very nice surprise. Slowly fading gold magic residue accompanied a plush set of blankets that sat under the bed. Twilight and Spike quickly got comfy in the setup before Twilight threw the pillow under their heads and the blanket over their bodies. “Twi-Lee? You and Spike okay down there?” Shining whispered. “It’s like a bed under here, Shining!” Twilight answered back with all the excitement possible without going over a whisper. Shining just chuckled a bit at his sister’s answer. “It’s only like seven o'clock. Do you really wanna go to bed now?” “The doc said you need rest. I just wanted at least one more night, you know, all three of us.” To say Shining really liked the idea of one more night with his little siblings would’ve been an understatement. The gentlest of smiles etched his face, and his eyes glimmered. “Okay, Twi-Lee.” The sound of shuffling blankets went on under the bed for a few seconds followed by two soft yawns. Shining, too, got himself comfortable in his bed for the night. “Night, Spike. Night, Shining Armor,” Twilight whispered from below. “Night, Twi-Lee. Night, Spike,” Shining whispered back before closing his own eyes. A few seconds passed before a third, small and tired voice sounded below the bed. “Ni-Ni, Twilight. Ni-Ni, Shining.” *************** Silence. It was the one word that really suited the infirmary that night in the castle. Celestia had raised the moon hours ago and would be up in a couple of hours to raise the sun. Twilight and Spike were knocked out under Shining’s bed, but the unicorn on the bed was a different story. Throughout the night, Shining Armor tossed and turned, unable to get a good night’s sleep, much to Dr. Scope’s annoyance when he came over to perform the healing spell several hours ago. He just couldn’t fall asleep. The same images of him and Cadance inside that burning building replayed in his mind. The one thing that pulled him out of partial sleep every time was when he reached the part where he couldn’t save her. To him, it was one of the most horrible scenes in his mind. He kept a sense of guilt throughout the night after seeing Cadance on a hospital bed. It kept gnawing at him like a rat in a cheese wheel. Currently in another attempt to get some sleep, Shining Armor was in no way having an easy time with it. The replay in his mind made his face contort into expressions one would experience while having a nightmare. It might as well have been. All he could see were the flames. All he could hear were the coughing fits from Cadance and himself, but mostly from Cadance. He felt nothing but guilt, terror, and heartbreak at the sight and sounds that swirled in his head. A terrible light, and a terrible sound. That’s all that came to him. “Shining.” The sound of his name... it wasn’t the hoarse whisper he remembered. No, this one was gentle, smooth... and wasn’t in his mind. He started to crack his eyes open once more, easily adjusting to the darkness in the room. Coming to his sight was the pink shape of his beautiful marefirend. Her hoof was on his shoulder, and her eyes glittered the way he loved. “Thank goodness you’re alright,” she whispered as she wrapped her forelimbs around her coltfriend and buried her face into into his shoulders. Shining returned the hug and realized the bandages that covered her earlier that day were gone and left no trace of any burned fur or skin underneath. ‘Bandages,’ he thought to himself. One thing that reminded him that he wasn’t able to get her out of there. That he wasn’t this protector she made him out to be. “Cadance... I’m so sorry,” Shining breathed out shakily. Cadance’s grip on Shining Armor tightened slightly before she opened her eyes at met his own. “Don’t be,” she said sternly, surprising the colt in front of her. “You had no idea that the ceiling would fall in. You had no way of knowing the place would catch on fire. And you had no idea that I would run in there.” Her eyes started to glisten, this time with a watery build behind them. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you.” She buried her head again into Shining Armor’s shoulder, where he felt a few wet drops soak some of his fur. The tears that wet his shoulder felt like daggers to his heart. ‘Now you made her cry,’ Shining’s mind screamed at him. The whole unable to save her idea that plagued his mind quickly left and instead focused on what he believed was his current screw up. This was the first time he ever saw Cadance cry, and he didn’t like it. He had no idea what to do, so he did the only thing that he thought would help. With a gentle lift of her chin, Shining stared into Cadance’s eyes for a few seconds before closing the gap between them in a light kiss. He pulled away a few seconds later to see a dreamy look on his marefriend, her eyes no longer running with tears, but back to their usual gleam. “I don’t like seeing you cry.” Cadance only smiled before leaning back into Shining Armor’s shoulder. He wrapped a forelimb around her and nuzzled her cheek. They stayed locked with each other for a while, just glad to know that they were okay. It was as if the fear of the other one being mad that fell over them just a few minutes ago just disappeared. No words, just each others’ touch. Cadance’s heart flew beyond description. Shining Armor relaxed with their embrace, all sense of guilt from before melting away. “You knowwwwww,” Cadance playfully teased as she came up from Shining’s shoulder, “this is kinda like our first night together.” Shining flung his eyes open at the realization. “Huh. It is.” He gave a slightly nervous look to Cadance. “So, what do you wanna do?” She batted her eyelashes when a thought came to her. “I’ve got an idea.” Slowly, but effectively, Cadance brought her lips to Shining Armor’s, and he brought her in. What she said about it getting better every time really proved itself that night. They could’ve stayed that way the rest of the night and let the sparks fly in a tirade of fireworks. “You know, the next time you guys try to talk to each other at night, make sure you do it a little more quietly.” The couple’s eyes flew open. Their lips were still locked and their tiny pupils traveled to the other side of Shining’s bed, where Twilight stood, wearing a wide smirk, with her little brother. Small puckering noises came from Spike as he imitated what he heard. Slowly and uneasily, Cadance and Shining Armor separated before Shining turned to his siblings and tried to wave his forelimbs in a hypnotic way. “This is all just a dream.” *************** Smart-alec remarks and funny looks from a certain sister aside, the next morning went by very smoothly for Shining Armor. Breakfast was eaten, Dr. Scope discharged both him and Cadance, and goodbyes were shared between the Sparkle kids. Shining had already said his goodbyes to the two princesses of the castle, and made sure to leave Cadance a little present on her lips before left. He was already out of the castle and on the streets of the very high class ends of Canterlot. All he wanted to do was get to his house and crash. The previous night was not pleasant to him sleep-wise, but he didn’t complain about the few minutes he had with Cadance last night. That was the highlight of his night in so many wonderful ways. As he walked through the posh streets of upper Canterlot, he noticed something a little unnerving. He heard ponies whisper and glance back and forth at him. Some whispered, others intentionally spoke out as to make sure he heard. He knew that news spread fast around these parts of the city. The elite always made sure to know anything and everything they could about the city and the royals, and the incident from yesterday was no different. From the whispers, he gathered a slew of info. The upside, Moonstone and all the other foals escaped with no injuries, not even burns. All the staff and researchers at the school were alright, minimal hospital trips, any that were were already out and about. Petri Dish was still a little shaken up, but will manage and be back at work on a much safer project in the coming weeks after repairs are made. The device that started the fire was destroyed, and deemed as an accident. The down side Shining heard in the sea of news and gossip was mostly coming from the more sharply-dressed and very upscale ponies he recognized in business, fashion, and fancy living magazines his parents had around the house. All of it dealt with one pony in particular... him. And he could hear everything. “There he goes. The colt that left the princess to burn.” “He’s supposed to be dating the princess?” “How in Equestria could he be dating her?” “Some nopony that abandoned her in a burning building.” “What does she see in him?” “I heard he left her behind on purpose.” “She could do so much better.” Each remark he heard stung like a swarm of killer bees, and the glares they gave him didn’t help. They were like the soul piercing eyes of predators on the prowl in a dense forest, and he was the little rabbit they were chasing. Shining kept walking, picking up speed as he felt their unrelenting gazes follow him. The whispers followed, forcing Shining to face the horrible opinions of the upper class. As he walked on, he kept shifting his head back and forth, trying to avoid the eyes, but at the same time, not seeing where he was going. The pony’s side he collided with was not seen by him, but it was felt. He stumbled backwards and shook off the blow. “I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going and I—” “I say you should be sorry!” Shining blinked his eyes open. He lifted his head up slowly, catching the details of the familiar stallion in front of him, Jet Set. He stood with an irritated look, surrounded by a whole group of important looking ponies and his wife, Upper Crust. Memories of that day in the library when he met the two rushed through his mind, crushing his hopes of escaping this side of town without anymore trouble. “Oh, it’s you.” Jet Set’s words came out with more venom than a king cobra. “Should’ve expected as much,” Upper Crust snarked. "He's the pony you two were talking about?" one of the mares in the crowd asked Upper Crust. "The very same, Pish Posh." Pish Posh and the ponies around her erupted into their own whispers of gossip, and from the bit Shining Armor could pick up, it was far from what he wanted to hear. "He's the one that left the Princess in that burning building?!?" one of the stallions gasped after the round of news circulated. "I didn't leave her! I tried to—" "Whatever you tried, kid, you obviously failed at," Jet Set interjected Shining's defense. Shining retreated a few steps as the glares he was receiving intensified. In the posh ponies' eyes, spoke everything he never wanted to hear; that he wasn't good enough for the mare of his dreams. “I knew the Princess could’ve done better,” Upper Crust seethed. “She still can, I’m sure.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up banished or worse in the next few days,” another stallion mocked. Shining stood paralyzed with each insult thrown his way. He knew of the cruelness of Canterlot’s social elite, he had observed it with Spike not too long into the dragon’s life, but even with experience, it still burned fresh. “Like I said, kid,” Jet Set sneered, “stick to mares of your own class. Maybe try one of the dirt waitresses at that new dive restaurant. At least that way, when you fail her, it’ll be somepony unimportant.” “Now you listen here!” Shining Armor faced the grey stallion nearly muzzle-to-muzzle with all the rage in his body burning in his eyes and presenting itself in his voice. One of his forelimbs trembled as he lifted it slightly above the ground when the thought of socking the stallion in front of him in the jaw raced in his mind. “Oh! Out of her league, left her in a burning building, and quick to violence,” Jet Set listed with a taunting grin plastered on his haughty muzzle. “I’m sure that’ll keep her with you.” Rage. Fury. Irritation. Wrath. What ever word to describe the anger Shining Armor felt at that moment was miniscule to what he really felt. Seeing Jet Set on the ground with a hoof-sized dent on his face was all Shining could think of, but as strong as the desire was, he stopped himself. On one hoof, give the snob what was coming to him, but on the other, it would be proving him right, not to mention putting himself in jail. Shining brought his hoof back to the ground, but kept his daggered glare on the group of ponies he knew were judging him. Without another word, he turned around and broke for home, sure that if he stayed any longer, he’d end up in jail. Jet Set, Upper Crust, and their little entourage looked on at the retreating colt with judgemental gazes. “A runner as well,” Upper Crust commented, “I’m not surprised.” “If the princess is smart, she’ll have a new suitor, a much better suitor, within the next few days.” Jet Set smirked one last time before turning back to his and his wife’s group. “Now, onto other matters.” *************** Shining Armor ran through the streets, passing anypony and anything in his way in a mad breeze. Rage turned to worry, and worry turned to hurt, and hurt back to rage. The verbal assault that came his way just a few minutes ago was still fresh in his mind. Once his house was in view, he sprinted to the front, opening and slamming the door once he was in. He thanked Celestia that he was alone. He didn’t want anypony to get alarmed with what he did next. With clenched teeth and an intent to hurt, Shining reared his back legs and struck the wall hard, screaming as he did. The resulting sight was a large dent in the wall. Shining stepped back and sighed out at the damage he did. With the flare of his horn and a flash of light, the dent morphed back into place. He hadn’t meant to cause that, but with all that happened in a short time, Shining had a good reason to be angry, but he didn’t want to be. He may have been wide awake, but his body ached for sleep. Last night wasn’t the best, so he figured a day of rest was needed. It was no longer than a few seconds after he made his decision that a familiar pattern of knocks sounded at the door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Shiny...” KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Shiny...” KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Shiny...” Knowing all too well who it was outside, Shining finally smiled. Something about that pattern of knocks always made him smile for some reason he never quite understood. He got to the door and flung it open to see his wide-eyed friend. “You! Leavin’ me wonderin’ if ya dead or not, and I hafta find out ya still breathin’ from a freakin’ newspaper!” Stardust ranted as her emerald eyes trembled slightly, a rare occurrence for the mare. Shining just stood in the doorframe and allowed his smile to infect Stardust as she began to lighten up. Stardust flung her forelimbs around Shining Armor in a tight embrace. “Don’t do it again you idiot,” she said with closed eyes. “Well, aren’t we worried and mooshy today,” Shining teased. “Oh, shut up,” Stardust responded with a punch to Shining’s limb. Shining just laughed off the admittingly strong blow from his friend.“So, where you coming from?” “Well, before findin’ out about ya, I was lookin’ at some apartments around work.” “You’re moving out?!?” “Figured it’s about the right time,” she simply answered, “but enough about me, you’re the one that just survived a fire! How ya holdin’ up?” “Good, actually.” “What about Cady?” “... About the same,” he answered with hesitance when he remembered the guilt Cadance carried with her after the incident. Stardust instantly picked up on this and dug deeper. “There’s somethin’ ya not tellin’ me, Shiny. I can tell.” “Look, it’s a long story, and I wanna tell you, but I’m just really exhausted right now. Think it can wait for some other time?” Shining practically pleaded as the exhaustion in his eyes resurfaced. She was hesitant at first, but one glance at Shining’s eyes was all it took for Stardust to drop the subject for now. “Okay, Shiny.” A light went off in Stardust’s head. “Hey. Ya still got the usual scheduled day off from the library?” “Yeah, why?” Shining asked, confused. “Well, I get my first day off tomorrow, so, why don’t you, me, and Cady all hang out tomorrow? This time away from work.” “Cadance can’t make it. She told me that Princess Celestia wanted to plan a little family thing with her and Blueblood after the fire.” “Oh, then how about just the two of us? It’s been awhile since it’s just been us.” Shining lit up at the idea. Just a day out with his best friend to chase the wreck of a terrible beginning of a week. “Sounds like a plan.” “I’ll show up here around eleven, sound good?” “Uh-Huh. See you tomorrow, Star.” Shining waved his friend off as she turned in another direction. “See ya tomorrow, Shiny.” When Stardust was out of sight, Shining receded back into his house and closed the door. Silence fell over the house once again, and he took its invitation. Sleep was on his mind when he entered his bedroom and plopped down on his bed with high hopes for tomorrow. He debated to himself whether or not to tell Stardust about what happened today. He didn’t know how, but he knew that if he didn’t tell her, she’d find out anyways. Shining turned on his bed when he remembered his encounter with the Canterlot elite. Their words, their eyes, those horrible, penetrating eyes, and the clear indication that they didn’t approve of him. He didn’t care if they did or didn’t, but what they said was another thing. “Like I said again, kid, stick to mares of your own class. Maybe try one of the dirt waitresses at that new dive restaurant. At least that way, when you fail her, it will be somepony unimportant.” His rage started to build again when Jet Set’s irritating voice echoed through his head, but something he said still stuck with Shining Armor, that he had failed Cadance. Cadance assured him the night before that it wasn’t his fault, but some guilt still lingered. Would she also carry some guilt? Did Jet Set’s words actually hold some truth to them? Did he fail? All these questions pounded against his mind in a merciless attack, but his exhaustion thankfully stepped in. Shining sighed as he flung the covers sloppily over him. “Not now, just... not now.”