[Axel knows he can trust Xion, because he knows Xion would never take advantage of someone, even if she really knew what that meant in the first place. Maybe he still can't really remember having known her before their time here in Vatheon, but something in him knows her better than he can consciously acknowledge.
[His face contorts as she peels away the gauze, but he's not going to complain, this is uncomfortable enough without owning up to how much the wound actually hurts. He gives a tight grin when she seems impressed by the puncture.]
What can I say? I do good work, yah?
[He watches in fascination as the Cure spell knits the wound right before his eyes. It's kind of amazing, really--he's never been good at Cure, so he never really bothered to try much. The sudden absence of pain is a relief, but brings with it that wave of fatigue that follows having been in pain. Light, he could sleep for a week if his brain would only let him.
[After a decidedly awkward moment, he returns her nervous smile with a watery, hesitant grin, then quickly gets up and yanks his pajama pants back on before grabbing the blanket again. Draping it fully over his head this time, he sits back down on the couch and is quiet for a long moment. Then he speaks, his voice clipped and muffled beneath the blanket.]
[Xion offers him a smile, even if he can't see it.]
You're welcome. [Her voice is still soft, and she looks down at the gauze in her hands, before getting up to throw it away.
When she comes back to the couch, she shuffles her feet a bit, and it's her turn to look really awkward.]
Can...can I sleep here tonight? [She doesn't want to go back to her room now, because even if she sleeps alone already, she knows she won't be able to sleep there -- not tonight.]
[He hears her leave the room, presumably to get rid of the gauze, and then there's a heavy, awkward sort of silence. When her voice pipes up again, thin and soft, he tugs the blanket off his head and gives her a confused look.]
Wha--here? [He lets the blanket slide off the crown of his head and fold across his shoulders, pulling his legs up to sit indian style. Folding his arms over his chest, tugging the blanket tight around him, he frowns at her. He's not really opposed to it--she's fallen asleep on the couch beside him watching a movie once or twice before--but he doesn't like that fragile look in her eyes.
[Scooting into the corner, he silently nods his head to the cushion beside him. Axel doesn't do consolation or warm fuzzies or anything like that, but he's not about to send Xion back to an empty room across from one that's even emptier. Maybe two Nobodys don't make a Somebody, no matter how great their combined wish for a heart, but two is still better than one, right?]
Thanks. [She awkwardly settles onto the cushion next to Axel, drawing her knees up to her chest. She knows he doesn't do comfort well or anything like that, but she doesn't really need much. Just...to not be alone.
She rests her forehead against her knees, anc closes her eyes. It's not the most comfortable position she's ever slept in, but it's not the worst, and the combination of exhaustion and relief does a good job of automatically making her drowsy.]
[Watching her fold herself up into about two cubic feet of space, Axel frowns. Something hurts, somewhere in his chest, even where it usually just feels empty and hollow, it's like everything inside his torso has been flayed open. It's unfair, that even without a heart pain still hurts just the same, even the intangible kind. It can't just be because he remembers what pain feels like, because Xion doesn't. Xion doesn't remember, so why does she still hurt? How can she remember how to feel pain if she has no memories to draw from? Does she remember Sora's pain? Sora lost his best friend for a while there, so... maybe that's it.
[Or maybe feelings aren't something that can be contained in a nice neat box and discarded.
[Without really thinking about it, Axel just reaches over and takes the sleeve of her tee-shirt, tugging her sideways sharply enough that she tumbles into his side. Wordlessly draping his arm and half the blanket over her shoulder so she knows it was a deliberate act, he just sits there silently.
[Maybe grief isn't an emotion, because he's pretty sure no memory of an emotion could be this strong. Whatever this is, it's real, and it sucks, and as much as he's used to dealing with his problems on his own there's something kind of comforting about having someone's weight against his ribs. He remembers hugs, and even if remembering how they used to make him feel isn't enough most of the time, maybe it's enough this time. Maybe it's enough for Xion, too.]
[Xion gasps when she finds herself falling over onto Axel. She wonders if it's an accident, until she feels his arm and the blanket around her, and she slowly relaxes, shifting to get properly comfortable against him.]
Thanks... [Closing her eyes again, with her face pressed against his ribs, she actually allows herself to drift off to sleep, overwhelmed by a strange sense of safety that, for some reason, Axel provided.]
Night, Axel. [Her voice gets heavier as she gets closer to sleep, and her body just can't keep itself awake any longer.
She's grateful that Axel is still here. If...he wasn't, if he'd disappeared with Roxas, she didn't know what she would have done, who she would have gone to. She does know that whatever ache she felt from losing Roxas would have been amplified significantly, and that much hurt scares her.]
[He can't help a thin smile, and his hand finds the crown of Xion's head.] Night. [He thought he was too wired to sleep, but maybe sleep is contagious like yawning, because as Xion drifts off he finds himself unable to keep his eyes open any longer.
[That gratefulness is mutual, though he's not about to admit it aloud. He lost everything once already in his life. He lost his home, his parents, his best friend all in the same day when Radiant Garden fell. He knows that kind of hurt all too well, and while losing Roxas (again) rips open an old wound he would sooner have forgotten, having Xion around makes it bearable. At least he's not alone.]
[His face contorts as she peels away the gauze, but he's not going to complain, this is uncomfortable enough without owning up to how much the wound actually hurts. He gives a tight grin when she seems impressed by the puncture.]
What can I say? I do good work, yah?
[He watches in fascination as the Cure spell knits the wound right before his eyes. It's kind of amazing, really--he's never been good at Cure, so he never really bothered to try much. The sudden absence of pain is a relief, but brings with it that wave of fatigue that follows having been in pain. Light, he could sleep for a week if his brain would only let him.
[After a decidedly awkward moment, he returns her nervous smile with a watery, hesitant grin, then quickly gets up and yanks his pajama pants back on before grabbing the blanket again. Draping it fully over his head this time, he sits back down on the couch and is quiet for a long moment. Then he speaks, his voice clipped and muffled beneath the blanket.]
... Thanks.
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You're welcome. [Her voice is still soft, and she looks down at the gauze in her hands, before getting up to throw it away.
When she comes back to the couch, she shuffles her feet a bit, and it's her turn to look really awkward.]
Can...can I sleep here tonight? [She doesn't want to go back to her room now, because even if she sleeps alone already, she knows she won't be able to sleep there -- not tonight.]
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Wha--here? [He lets the blanket slide off the crown of his head and fold across his shoulders, pulling his legs up to sit indian style. Folding his arms over his chest, tugging the blanket tight around him, he frowns at her. He's not really opposed to it--she's fallen asleep on the couch beside him watching a movie once or twice before--but he doesn't like that fragile look in her eyes.
[Scooting into the corner, he silently nods his head to the cushion beside him. Axel doesn't do consolation or warm fuzzies or anything like that, but he's not about to send Xion back to an empty room across from one that's even emptier. Maybe two Nobodys don't make a Somebody, no matter how great their combined wish for a heart, but two is still better than one, right?]
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She rests her forehead against her knees, anc closes her eyes. It's not the most comfortable position she's ever slept in, but it's not the worst, and the combination of exhaustion and relief does a good job of automatically making her drowsy.]
Better...be here when I wake up...
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[Or maybe feelings aren't something that can be contained in a nice neat box and discarded.
[Without really thinking about it, Axel just reaches over and takes the sleeve of her tee-shirt, tugging her sideways sharply enough that she tumbles into his side. Wordlessly draping his arm and half the blanket over her shoulder so she knows it was a deliberate act, he just sits there silently.
[Maybe grief isn't an emotion, because he's pretty sure no memory of an emotion could be this strong. Whatever this is, it's real, and it sucks, and as much as he's used to dealing with his problems on his own there's something kind of comforting about having someone's weight against his ribs. He remembers hugs, and even if remembering how they used to make him feel isn't enough most of the time, maybe it's enough this time. Maybe it's enough for Xion, too.]
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Thanks... [Closing her eyes again, with her face pressed against his ribs, she actually allows herself to drift off to sleep, overwhelmed by a strange sense of safety that, for some reason, Axel provided.]
Night, Axel. [Her voice gets heavier as she gets closer to sleep, and her body just can't keep itself awake any longer.
She's grateful that Axel is still here. If...he wasn't, if he'd disappeared with Roxas, she didn't know what she would have done, who she would have gone to. She does know that whatever ache she felt from losing Roxas would have been amplified significantly, and that much hurt scares her.]
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[That gratefulness is mutual, though he's not about to admit it aloud. He lost everything once already in his life. He lost his home, his parents, his best friend all in the same day when Radiant Garden fell. He knows that kind of hurt all too well, and while losing Roxas (again) rips open an old wound he would sooner have forgotten, having Xion around makes it bearable. At least he's not alone.]
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