Work Text:
He had watched him from a distance.
Ten years, he’s kept an eye on him. He has watched him climb the career ladder at a dizzying speed; has watched him work almost 24/7 in order to reach his goals.
So ambitious, so determined, so full of belief. He’d admired him – in the beginning.
He has watched him from a distance.
The blue suit he wears is like armour, shielding him from everything. And when Gene says everything, he means everything. Today’s horrors can’t touch him, but neither can the beautiful things of this world.
He doesn’t let his colleagues come any closer to him than through the regular ‘good morning, Sir’ when he enters the building. Gene’s never seen him join the team for a drink after work. He seems to be trying to replace this lack of human contact through cold, modern, technical knick-knacks, which help him to withdraw even more from reality and let him slip into his own world - a world, that only contains iPods, mobile phones, and personal computers. He must have longed for more, Gene thinks, he must have longed for something real.
It’s January 2nd, 2006. This is it. This is the year. Gene never thought he would actually live this long. He doesn’t know when and how and where the accident will happen. Sam never told him all the details. He doesn’t know if he would warn him even if he did know all the details. He doesn’t want to lose his memories of Sam. Not the good ones, not the bad ones. If he warns him, Gene will never have met him, will never have worked with him, will never have argued with him, will never have fought with him…will never have loved him. Here, in this time, there won’t be a chance to make new memories. He’s too old, too tired, too jaded. The good times, as well as his health, are long gone. Tyler’s future seemed so bright in the beginning, so promising, but Gene knows now for certain, Sam’s future lies in the past.
He watches him from a distance.
This will be the closest he will ever get to him again, Gene thinks, coughing, and wraps his coat closer around his sickness weakened body. In this time they don’t know each other, they never will, and the only thing Gene can do is hold onto his memories.
And he does.