John visibly hesitates, but he takes a breath and shakes his head.
"I can't--not here. Not...not with people." he admits quietly. "I'll either puke or panic. Got in trouble for it once, stuck with me. Can't eat a bite or drink a drop unless I'm alone."
Still, there's one reason he can think of that the kid might be suspicious...and John can think of about a dozen situations where he might have similar fears.
So he glances down at the plate, takes a deep breath--
"Is there a law against me gettin' something to eat here?"
"Yeah. Me."
His hand is steady as he breaks off a piece of one cookie. It doesn't start to shake until he lifts that piece off the plate. He can't quite stop himself from looking around, can feel the icy water pinning him to the jail wall, remember the adrenaline and panic all because he was fucking hungry...
Shutting his eyes, he pops the piece of cookie into his mouth, chews, and swallows as fast as he can. It's a small piece, but it feels like its tearing at his throat going down--dusty in his mouth, hitting the bottom of his stomach like lead.
He opens his eyes, and he swears he can feel eyes on him even though he knows the kid is the only person paying attention.
See? Safe to eat--so John offers him the plate again.
CW: very mild disordered eating habits/very mild anxiety attack
"I can't--not here. Not...not with people." he admits quietly. "I'll either puke or panic. Got in trouble for it once, stuck with me. Can't eat a bite or drink a drop unless I'm alone."
Still, there's one reason he can think of that the kid might be suspicious...and John can think of about a dozen situations where he might have similar fears.
So he glances down at the plate, takes a deep breath--
"Is there a law against me gettin' something to eat here?"
"Yeah. Me."
His hand is steady as he breaks off a piece of one cookie. It doesn't start to shake until he lifts that piece off the plate. He can't quite stop himself from looking around, can feel the icy water pinning him to the jail wall, remember the adrenaline and panic all because he was fucking hungry...
Shutting his eyes, he pops the piece of cookie into his mouth, chews, and swallows as fast as he can. It's a small piece, but it feels like its tearing at his throat going down--dusty in his mouth, hitting the bottom of his stomach like lead.
He opens his eyes, and he swears he can feel eyes on him even though he knows the kid is the only person paying attention.
See? Safe to eat--so John offers him the plate again.