(no subject)

[twisted_albel]

Who? Albel Nox and Rinoa Heartilly
When? Shortly after Albel's encounter with the possessed Ike
Where? Rinoa's room
What? An injured Albel seeks help from the only person he would allow to touch him
Warnings None really. Slight emo.

Albel was left in a sorry state after that battle. He had underestimated the enemy and regardless of the outcome, he had sustained far too much damage than he should have. What's worse is that his gauntlet had been completely destroyed during the clash, revealing this horrible mess underneath. If anyone had offered any sort of help, Albel stubbornly refused as he trudged off towards the dormitories, bloody and limping as he dragged himself over towards Rinoa's doorstep.

Rinoa had been more than aware of the events that occurred. She knew about the green moon. She knew about the shadow creatures that roamed the campus. And she'd heard the commotion that came about from the horrendous entity on the beach. She simply didn't get herself involved. It was too much like the adventures with Adel and Ultimecia. They had already vanquished the latter twice. Why did she need to find herself participating in yet... another series of battles?

Her Shooting Star projectile weapon donned her left arm. She had been preparing for anything to come and burst through the door. If that happened, she would be ready. As to whatever Lute was doing... Well... That was something else entirely. Rinoa hadn't seen her in the least. (Or perhaps she simply wasn't paying attention.) At any rate, the sound of the scraping, of the dragging had caught her attention. She pressed up against the wall beside the dormitory door, as ready as ever.

Albel's strength gave way and he collapsed next to the doorway. He cursed himself before he pulled himself closer to the doorway. He couldn't believe that he was putting himself in this position again, that he would look so pathetic in front of another like this, especially in front of her. He called out her name and knocked on the door, coming out far softer than he wanted them to be. Had he drained *this* much of his strength already?

With her ear pressed against the wall, she seemed to recognise the voice as well as her name. There weren't many people in Aegean who knew who she was. As a result, her logic concluded that it was someone she knew. Pushing herself out the door and looked around swiftly with furrowed eyebrows, she propped the Shooting Star up. Then she turned her attention onto him, crouching. Her free arm extended and slipped around his midsection, "Did anyone or anything follow you on your way here, Albel Nox?"

"As if I would let anything in to do you harm," Albel coughed. If something did follow him, it would have most likely seized the chance to down the weakened swordsman. He pushed against the ground with his feet in his attempt to move himself into her room.

She allowed him to use her as support and hastily escorted him into her dormitory, but not without that cautious glance around again. "Nice to see you're still a smart ass, even in the heat of battle. Try to take things a little more seriously, hm? You're hurt." When they managed to make it in, she used her left foot to close the door roughly behind them.

"Don't you think I know that?" he hissed, then winced as a sharp pain hit his side. "Great..." On top of the pain, he had lost his gauntlet, his dignity... hell, he didn't even have the shirt on his back anymore. What a wretched turn of events. "And I *was* taking things seriously."

Rinoa tossed her projectile aside and helped him over to the foot of her bed. "Don't snap at me, young man. Not when you come to me for help." Then she smiled and leaned down and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad that you're not... You know." She didn't want to consider what would happen if she was threatened with the loss of him. It was better to know of his status, and it was better to have him in her immediate vicinity.

Albel blinked up at her when she ruffled his hair, catching that look of concern in her eyes. He turned away, making up the excuse to tidy up the bandages that bound his arm. "It could have been worse. The fighting is just that intense." He was simply glad that Rinoa had been out of harm's way, safe inside her dorm.

She straightened her posture and after brushing herself off, lifted a hand to excuse herself. She'd actually thought this would all happen. Albel Nox was a man of action, and at times, could be defined as reckless. As a result, it was up to her to administer to his wounds, in all cases, of course. When she returned, she had a small tub and a cloth to daub his wounds. "Ummmm, off with all of that, so you know, I can do the girly thing."

The bandages had been too worn to be effectively retied together anyway. He scoffed in exasperation and just let the scraps of cloth go to open up the wounds to Rinoa. "Just be careful," he said as he raised his scarred arm up for her to treat. Those other maggots who wanted to take care of this arm could go to hell. He wouldn't let anyone else touch him, much less his left arm for that matter.

She sat down upon her knees at his side and after dampening the cloth she'd brought, she took it to the arm that he offered her. "Don't go wandering around after curfew, Albel Nox. You'll cause me to worry." Though the chances were that he'd go do this anyway. After all, that was the type of man that he was.

"And let those things come near you? Please, fool," he replied stubbornly. "See? Nothing but scratches." The wounds stung with every dab, but he held back his hisses and even kept his expression even, just to prove that everything was fine. Perfectly under control.

"I can protect myself, you know," she replied in a rather calm manner. "You can't protect me if you're dead, Nox. Remember that. I don't remember you being so foolish in Ares, and you said and did some really stupid things." At least, they were 'really stupid' in her opinion. The dancing was excluded from that, of course.

"Well, we were never under attack by shadow creatures," he pointed out. Despite what Rinoa might have said, Albel suspected that she was well-aware of the green-moon. If someone with minimal magic like himself could sense it, then she certainly could. "With my track record, I can't afford to be lax."

It must have been pretty obvious to him. Rinoa had openly implied that not only did she know about the green moon now, but that she had the entire time before. And she would further that implication with her response. "I would hardly consider them a big deal." Not when she thought about the things she saw on the other version of earth, the one that held Centra and the Lunar Cry. "It'd be better if no one messed with them. Of course, people are bound to get bored. They might not see another option."

"I can't just ignore them," Albel stated. "That beast went so far as to possess students at the university. People aren't going to let that slide." And if anything ever possessed Rinoa...well, Albel was going to reign hell down on the creature responsible.

You can't ignore them, but I sure can. I don't want to be anywhere near this, you know.

"Those who get possessed subconsciously ask for it. You can only be possessed if you're weak enough to open yourself up to it. I was no different when I was possessed by Ultimecia," Rinoa explained. She reached for his face and drew away some of the strands of his dark hair.

"Do you really want me to step aside and let others handle this?" Albel asked as he looked up at Rinoa. His main motivation had been to keep those creatures away from her, but if doing so caused this much grief, then it would defeat the purpose of it all, wouldn't it?

"I'm not you, Nox. You're going to do whatever it is you want to do and that's perfectly fine with me," she admitted. Then she withdrew and rested her hands upon her lap. "I'm just worried about you. It's my job to nag, apparently, so I'm just trying to live up to the expectations." And by that, she meant Squall's and the others from back at home.

"I'll stay safe. I'm not going to allow myself to die so pitifully," he stated as a matter of fact. "What would my father say if I were to go with a whimper?"

"As you say, as you say," she replied with that defeatist tone. Then she returned to administering to his wounds. "It sounds like you've got a thing for impressing your father. I never would have guessed. Heh."

Albel had never thought of it that way and he grew quiet for a moment before he spoke up. "I better be damned impressive... He's the only reason why I'm alive today," he scoffed bitterly.

: "It's sweet to hear you talk about him the way you do," she voiced. It wasn't the way she would feel about Caraway, but the idea was sort of nice. Then again, Rinoa had a soft spot for families.

"Hmph. Sweet? He mocks me. He's the source of my nightmares. As much as I idolize him, he brings so much pain at the same time."

"But you idolise him," Rinoa pointed out with an index finger while she spoke. Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled, "That's an important thing for a child to realise about his or her parents."

Albel couldn't defeat her logic because every bit of it was true. He let out a growl in defeat and replied, "The sad truth is, I'll never be able to be as great as he was. Far too much for a single man."

: "I think it's better if you are just you," she confessed. Leaning forward, she finished offering her aid to his wounds and placed aside the tub and the cloth she'd retrieved. "Why don't you go take a bath? I'm sure you'll feel better."

The mention of bath made him remember of that one particular incident at Ares and he smirked to himself, as though he was in on a private joke. "Maybe. I think I tracked enough blood on your floor already."

She thought about the trail that had followed him and offered an idle shrug in reply, "Lute will probably think I killed a small rodent or something as equally ridiculous. Knowing her, she'll want to analyse it or something. I guess that means I'll be cleaning it up before I see her again."

Albel attempted to get up and managed to get on his feet, albeit a little unsteady. "Right. Last thing you want is to have her analyze me," he teased as he made his way towards the bathroom.

: "...Ummm... No. Not really. I don't even want to analyse you," she replied. Helping herself to her feet, she lifted an eyebrow, "Can you make it on your own?"

"I'm not so completely helpless" he said. He wobbled a bit though, but leaned on the wall to steady himself as he continued towards the bathroom.

Rinoa watched him, somewhat unamused by his predicament. She folded her arms over her chest, "I'll check on you after I'm done cleaning up, so try not to make a big mess, eh? Remember, this isn't Ares. I share my room with someone else who isn't you."

...don't remind me, fool...

"I know better than that. I'm older than you, aren't I?" he said as he finally made it over.

She paused for a moment and then smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, you are. By like a good five or six years. You're twenty-six. That's what you told me." And at the time she'd wondered so much about their age difference.

"Heh, you remembered," he said from inside the room as he closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar to talk to her as he undressed.

She leaned against the wall and nodded, "Yeah. I remembered." There wasn't much more she could add to that. The green moon and the shadow creatures and things like this issue with the Chimera had all somewhat helped her out.

"I miss those times," he said as he leaned against the wall. "Interesting...fun..." He was about as calm and peaceful than he had ever been back then. "...but what can I do now?" he shrugged. Meh, there was no point in pining like this again.

"I actually didn't like Ares so much. There was a lot of constriction, you gotta' remember. You couldn't go all crazy there like you did in Airyglyph. And I couldn't exactly do everything I wanted to do either. Not without the threat of 'ultimate termination' breathing down my neck. One of the few good things aside from my friends there, was you. Like our trips to the arcade." She grinned. "You didn't seem to like deception."

She was right. Compared to back then, he wasn't nearly as wild as he used to be. He had to learn to keep his tongue and not threaten people with mutilation. He had a fun time fixing that his first year at Ares. "Oh? And you looked real cute there when you started concentrating." he snickered.

"Hey, hey! That's what I said to you. And then I won that round and you got all pissy because I apparently 'cheated'." Rinoa broke into laughter and she straightened herself out. "And then you took me out for lunch afterward. It was one of the times we talked about my occupation and you were so angry about it. Well, not so much angry that I was a geisha, but more angry at the idea that there were people watching me. People who weren't you."

"You *hated* that job. Plus I'm not going to be content when some random maggots ogle you and place you in whatever sick fantasies they may have, even if you never did anything explicitly sexual," Albel scoffed from behind the wall. "As far as I was concerned back then, you were mine and mine alone."

"I wasn't the one who hated it," she reminded him. "I was the one trying to explain to you that it wasn't so bad. You always took it out of context." Then she quieted herself as she listened to his explanation. "I think a person's fantasies are their own. We shouldn't be getting involved in them, right? I mean, the whole point of a fantasy is to be a fantasy." She smiled kindly and peered in on him curiously before turning her attention away.

Albel had completely undressed, but was sitting crosslegged on the bathroom floor, resting against the wall. He didn't seem to have noticed Rinoa peeking in as he continued on. "Yes, but they were pretty close to intruding on my reality," Albel said. "You were the best thing to happen to me in Ares. But like everything else, something was bound to take you away."

: "Well... I was actually kind of happy to go home for a little bit," she replied thoughtfully. "As much as I don't like my father or some of the people there, it was sort of important for me to check on the Forest Owls and stuff. Besides, I wanted to make sure Irvine was okay too. After he disappeared from Ares, I was really worried. For me, it was... Again, it was nice to go home for a little bit." Then she grinned, "Besides, I made it here, didn't I? The red string of fate must be involved somewhere here, especially if our paths get to cross again."

"Still, you can't forget the scare that you put me through when I met you here for the first time. I've found you after such a long period of time and you end up forgetting everything about me..." He growled to vent some of the irritation he had with that event. "That ranks as one of the most hope-shattering experiences in my life, you know."

"...I think it was just the idea that I haven't seen you for a while. I wonder if anyone else had that feeling. I've noticed a lot of people have had at least fuzzy ideas. Besides, I wouldn't say I remember everything about you, but it's definitely on its way." She pushed herself away from the wall and shook her head, "Anyway, sorry for distracting you. Why don't you go take your bath? I'll make you something to eat for when you come out."

"...You do realize that I'm going to have to repay you somehow." He tried standing up, but as he suspected, he couldn't quite stand on his own two feet yet. He pushed himself up and limped over to the shower stall. "You've already done more than enough."

"You don't owe me a damn thing," Rinoa replied rather stiffly. She pulled a face at the very thought. She didn't really like surprises, and she didn't really like getting gifts or anything like that. It made her question whoever it was doing the performing, and that she didn't like doing either. She liked being certain about everything. And by everything, she meant everything.

"Well, if you're going to be that way.." Albel allowed his voice to simply trail off. It was a simple sentiment and nothing more. Nothing to get worked up over, he thought. He turned the knob on the faucet and soon the sound of falling water echoed out of the bathroom. He couldn't help but feel just a bit awkward at having to rely so much on Rinoa right now. She remembered him more fully, but he wondered if he'll ever have her seen him in the same light as she did back then.

If she hadn't retained some of her feelings for him, than she wouldn't have offered him so much help. She genuinely liked helping people in general, but she wouldn't exactly do more than what she felt was necessary. With Albel, that was a little different. He needed her help. Besides, he would help her in the same position. She murmured something to herself about not needing anything in return before heading into the kitchen.

So what to make for him. Rinoa wasn't prided on her cooking. Not really. In fact, most people didn't let her near a stove. Fortunately. there was no stove in the dormitory, so any food she had, would have to be put in the microwave that she was sharing with Lute. It was a simple little thing, really, and meant only for reheating food. Otherwise, she had to finish everything when she got it, or else it'd eventually go bad.

She brought out the leftover Japanese food she'd gotten from Sea of Japan and decided to heat that up for Albel.

Albel hung his head in the shower stall and just let the water run over him. He still felt stunned and his arm still hurt, but those were just minor inconveniences at this point. After awhile, the sound of water ceased and Albel emerged from the bathroom, a little damp, and wearing nothing but that skirt of his. He'd have to go shirtless for awhile at least until Rinoa could figure something out. He didn't think her roommate would appreciate having a half-naked wounded man lounging around the place.

She wasn't going to say anything. She didn't really have a right to. Well, she did, as it was her toilet paper and her dormitory, but that was about it. No sense in getting worked up about it. After all, Albel was just going to cause trouble anymore. "That's exactly why you can't expect to protect me, Nox. You have to protect yourself first. Besides, I'm not some damsel in distress. I'm the one avoiding everything you want to go outside and play with."

"You make a good point, but it doesn't matter since I'm going to be stuck here for awhile anyway," he said. "Plenty of time to think things over." He hobbled over next to Rinoa and tapped her gently on the side. "So...what do we have on the menu?"

She hoped by 'here' he didn't mean her dormitory, because there wasn't a good chance that Lute would be okay with that. And she wasn't sure how okay she would be with that. Rinoa glanced over to him and handed him the takeout box she'd acquired. "I got it from the Sea of Japan. Don't ask me what it is, because I don't really know. I imagine it's seafood. That sushi stuff. You know, like the stuff that was at that one restaurant in Ares."

"As long as it's edible, I don't really care," he said as he accepted the box and started his meal. He seemed to be occupied with some thought or idea that he wanted to express, but for some reason, the words just felt awkward to his tongue. He looked pensive, but finally, the words came to him awkwardly. '...thank you. Rinoa. For all your help."

For a moment she simply stared at him. He was pulling her leg a bit, wasn't he? Well, no he wasn't. She knew it too, but she didn't really have a good way to respond. Instead, she merely shrugged, like it was nothing and turned her attention onto something else. Anything else. "Don't think about it too much, Albel Nox. Anyone would have done it. Even for you."

"You'd be surprised," he shrugged. "But I may have to stay for a night. I don't think I'll be able to return today with the way I am now. I know it's a bother, but I'll leave as soon as I'm able to."

"Uh..." Rinoa began. There was no winning this, was there? Oh, well. She'd do what she had to. No sense in kicking him to the curb, "All right. That's fine with me."

Albel wondered how true that was, but didn't voice it. He didn't like the situation any more than she did, but he really had no choice in the matter. "Don't worry. I'll behave. I'll make this as easy as I can for the both of us."

"I didn't say anything."

He was well on the way to causing her to grow miffed. Sort of. She offered a shrug of the shoulders and sighed. "Really. Don't worry about it, Albel. You can stay here as long as you need to. I don't mind."

This was why Albel had wanted to pay her back initially. It was a way to show his gratitude without actually expressing it out loud. He found himself tangling up his words, but in the end, he appreciated the patience that Rinoa treated him with. It was one of the things that made him fall for her in the first place. "Whatever you say, fool," he smirked quietly.

Lifting her arms above her head, she stretched and offered a sigh. "It's a bit late, isn't it? For you and for me? Why don't you eat up and let's hit the hay. I think you might be better off with having your arm rest on a pillow. That way you don't have to worry about me sleeping on it or something." She'd automatically assumed that she'd sleep with Albel, but perhaps that wouldn't be so plausible as long as he was hurt.

Albel couldn't quite hide how pleased he was at the implications of her words. He was going to suggest it as a tease to Rinoa, but looks like he wouldn't need to. "All things considering, I'm amazed that my arm hasn't fallen off by all of the abuse it's had so far," he said. "But you're right. It'll be better that way."

He looked so... gleeful, she thought. It was a good look for him. A terribly good look for him. He wasn't made to be serious, but she was. They could counteract each other just like that. "Just take good care of yourself. That's all I'm asking. I'm gonna' sleep out here, so you can have my room. I sleep better out here anyway."

"I might recover more effectively if you happen to be close by," Albel laughed as he poked her on the shoulder.

"I'm not sleeping with you," she said simply. "Not while you're injured. When you heal, then I'll sleep with you again. Maybe." He didn't really belong in her dormitory, after all, and he must have known it.

"Someday....still can't blame me for trying," he shrugged still in good-spirits. He was done with his food by now and since it was take-out, there was relatively little clean-up to be done.

She chuckled a little to herself, "Think about that when you have the ability to. Not isn't the time. You know better than to be inappropriate." Then she offered her hand, "Let me have that. I'll take care of it for you. Get your little tookus in bed."

: "Yes, Nurse Heartilly," Albel teased as he handed her the box. "When I get better, well, you better watch out," he said with a grin.

"......" She hadn't been called that for quite a while. Not since she was a nurse, it seemed. Rinoa simply stared at him for a moment and then she turned a delicious shade of pink before waving him off -- or his comments. They were one and the same, it seemed.

Albel almost regretted being hurt as badly as he was. If he was better, maybe he could stand to flirt with her a little while longer. But his wounds were hurting and pleaded for Albel to go rest. "I'll see you in the morning, dreamer," he said before limped over to her bedroom.

She watched him with a fondness and nodded, though it was more to herself any anyone else. "Yes... See you in the morning, Albel." She looked down to her food box and then edged over to the couch before sitting down and getting comfortable. "Yeah... See you in the morning." She yawned, placed the box on the floor beside the couch and curled up.

"Gah. How long am I to stay in this weakened state?" he said exasperated as he nearly tripped over his own feet, hobbling over to where Rinoa was preparing the meal. "What a nuisance..."

Rinoa didn't think much of it when Albel approached her side where she was waiting for his food to finish. After all, she'd seen Albel somewhat tastefully nude before, hadn't she? After all, she slept with him. Didn't that mean something? Just a little bit? As for whatever Lute would say, Rinoa would take responsibility for it.

She looked over to him and raised an eyebrow, "Hm? You just need to rest for a little bit and you'll be fine. If you get so easily irritated, you'll have a difficulty recovering."

Upon closer inspection, it would seem as though Albel had used some toilet paper to wrap up his left arm to keep it away from the prying eyes of her roommate if she ever did come in. A strange choice to be sure, but it was the only thing that he could find on short notice. "I am just irritated period. Not even strong enough to protect myself yet," he said, complaining about himself yet again.