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Despite mass protests (and an attempt at a strike), Alison has altered the usual movie night rota at Robin’s request.
The Captain simply doesn’t care that Alison, Michael and Robin all want to watch this new film starring a “Mr. Ryan Duckling” – order and routine must prevail. He has made this very clear to all involved, loudly and directly. Havers had eventually managed to talk him down (with a very witty pun about the title) but, understandably, the Captain is not in his best spirits this movie night as he takes his place on the sofa.
As Alison and Mike struggle to enter their own password into the television set, the Captain taps his swagger stick against his knee as he waits for the familiar rhythm of footsteps to come down the hallway. Soon enough, heralded by that very sound, Havers enters the room and the Captain light up at the sight of him. Havers returns his smile but hovers awkwardly at the arm of the sofa, realising that there are no more seats free. Not even the windowsill is up for grabs as Thomas has recently had a particularly bad bout of lovesickness after watching Bridgerton.
The Captain looks around for a solution but Kitty notices this predicament before he can come up with anything.
“Oh no, Havers, do you not have a seat?” asks Kitty, pressing a hand to her chest.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Havers chuckles, rocking up onto his toes.
The Captain’s heart swells at the sight. He has recently been enlightened of the fact that he himself has a habit of bouncing and is very charmed to see Havers copying that quirk of his.
Havers continues to – as Mike puts it – ‘embody the standing man emoji’ as everyone else comes up with reasons they can’t move, ranging from optimal vantage views, petty feuding, and simply “I don’t want to move, this is my place”.
Before the Captain can (reluctantly) offer up his seat, he is interrupted by Julian.
“I don’t know what all this fuss is about when there’s lots of free real estate over there,” the politician says with a smarmy look, gesturing towards the Captain.
The Captain shuffles and looks at the space between him and the arm of the sofa. “Don’t be ridiculous, Julian. There’s barely enough space for a dormouse!”
“No. I mean, isn’t your lap up for grabs?”
Spluttering nonsense words, the Captain can feel all the blood in his body rushing to his cheeks and ears. One peak at Havers and he finds the man just as rosy.
“Somefing wrong?” Robin asks, an almost exact copy of Julian’s smirk spreading across his face.
"Well, I don't think that would be q-quite appropriate," the Captain chokes out.
"It's alright,” Havers says, fluttering his hands. “I’ll just sit on the floor."
"But didn't you say that your back was playing up?" Julian pipes up again.
The Captain frowns, concerned.
"Is it, Anthony?"
"Well..."
"Alright that's sorted,” the Captain declares, moving himself to the edge of the sofa. “I'll sit on the floor."
Now it’s Havers’ turn to look concerned. "But what about your back? And your knees?"
"Why don't you just let Havers sit on your lap?” Julian says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s a win-win situation."
"Why me? Why not one of the others?" the Captain asks.
Julians gives him what the Captain has been reliably informed by Kitty is a ‘bombastic sideye’.
"No offence to you, Havers,” Julian replies, gesturing loosely at Havers, “But he'd crush Kitty and Mary and Pat what with him being so tall. Besides I thought you were the fittest and strongest one here?"
"I suppose,” the Captain says after a pause, puffing out his chest.
“Are you quite sure, James?” Havers checks in, quietly.
As the Captain looks up at Havers, standing inches away from his knees, he cannot bring words onto his tongue. He lets out a noise of vague agreement instead.
It takes a while for the arrangement to become comfortable. Havers lowers himself gingerly onto the Captain’s lap, reluctant to put his full weight on the Captain’s legs and careful to not initiate any more physical contact beyond the necessary. On his part, the Captain tenses his legs, both out of nervousness and to reassure Havers that he can support his weight. It quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t working for either of them as the Captain can feel Havers’ legs quivering from the strain of supporting himself in such an odd position for an extended period of time. It takes a good couple of scenes for the Captain to work up the courage to gently touch Havers’ side. His head swivels to look at the Captain with warm, questioning eyes. Wordlessly, the Captain guides Havers to lean back, relaxing himself as would a rider signal to a horse that there is nothing to fear. Feeling his hesitation, the Captain whispers – as to not disturb the others – into Havers ear:
“Don’t worry, Anthony. I’ve got you.”
The effect is almost instantaneous. He can practically hear Havers’ spine crack as he starts to sink into the Captain’s chest. For a bit, the Captain is unsure of where to place his hands, keeping them hovering awkwardly at his side. The matter is solved as soon as Havers’ notices and guides the Captain’s arms so that they encircle his form. At some point, the Captain believes they have melted into each other so much that they become one entity. Together, they breathe like a pair of lungs working in tandem. One, steady heartbeat between them, like a drum keeping a marching beat.
All of this is silly thinking, the Captain knows. They don’t really have bodies. They’re ghosts. Neither of them has a proper breath nor heartbeat to offer.
Perhaps what he means to say is...
Their souls become intertwined. Like all the colours of the rainbow mingling until they become a single, pure, white light. He is not made complete by Havers – he can shine by himself. But Havers makes him more. In the way that a single voice may sound beautiful by itself, or a note may be pure and sweet, the right accompaniment may elevate it into something beyond the bounds of solitude.
Once again, he is struck by the utter fortune he has been given in his afterlife. A second chance to love and be loved by the best man he has ever known. Even better than Sir Anthony Bartholemew Raisinby Jones.
They were never going to experience this sort of domesticity in life, but now they have the rest of their deaths to share each other’s quirks and oddities, to worry about each other’s backs and knees, and to hold each other tenderly, surrounded by family.
The Captain hadn’t expected to enjoy the film Project Hail Mary but, goodness, has he been proven wrong. He couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in it, but he has never felt more content.