It's fine, don't waste your energy, I did it to myself. [Explanation, what's that?
[He carefully gets to his feet, a hand on the crown of his head--it's still throbbing, but it's a dull, grainy ache now instead of that sharp stinging pain. Taking a slow, deep breath, he reaches down and offers a hand to pull Xion up.
[Glancing back into Roxas' empty room, he sort of stops short, the pan in his head and the exhaustion behind his eyes forgotten for a moment.]
There's something... [Once Xion's standing, he releases her hand and steps into the room. It's so still, so untouched, it's like walking into a tomb, and it sends gooseflesh up and down Axel's still-clammy skin beneath his wet sleeves. Moving to the bedside, his breath catches in his throat and he reaches out.]
Xion...
[He holds up his hand, two popsicle sticks caught in his fingers. They both say 'Winner' on them, and Axel has to sink to sit on the bed before his knees give out. There's no envelope this time, but... did Roxas somehow know he was going to be taken away
( ... )
Riku was okay last I saw, but that was before... [He trails off, then frowns.] I sent him a message, so I'm hoping to hear from him soon. I'm... not sure what happened to Lea. We were ambushed by whatever it is the curfew's in place to keep people safe from. I told Riku to get him the hell out of there while I tried to hold them off--I figured they'd be like Heartless, you know?
[A shake of his head and a sigh.] They're nothing like Heartless--nothing I did made a damn bit of difference. They overwhelmed me, and the next thing I knew I was waking up sopping wet in the Park.
I'm fine, though--they didn't... hurt me. If I'd died I would have come back in the Plaza, right? So I've got a headache, a hole in my leg, and I'm... really cold, but I'm okay. [He pauses, then pokes her foot with his.] I'm okay, okay?
[She gives his foot a poke back in return.] You better be. [She gets off the couch, just to grab the heavier blanket that's set in a closet, for when it gets colder. Bringing it back to Axel, she wraps it a little awkwardly around his shoulders -- to a small meow from Elan -- before plopping back down next to him.
She was still concerned by what had happened to Axel, and shaky because of...Roxas, but she let herself try to relax against the couch. Axel has some water, he has a blanket...she can't do too much else.]
[Normally he would have protested the blanket and insisted he was fine, but he's actually grateful. Axel doesn't usually get cold--one of the perks of working with fire the way he does--but the blanket is a welcome weight on his shoulders at the moment. It's probably just because he's overwrought. Between the situation with Lea, the pain in his leg, and the waking up drenched after falling to an attack, he's definitely not at the top of his game. Adding Roxas' departure to the equation doesn't help. He kind of just wants to go to sleep, but he can't get his brain to slow down--everything's running at a hundred thousand miles an hour.
[Pulling the blanket around his shoulders, he starts to fold his legs up--]
Ah--!
[And then folds forward with a gasp of pain. Okay, maybe the home first-aid job on a significant stab wound (self-infliction notwithstanding) wasn't the best idea after all. He grits his teeth and kind of hisses through them.]
[After taking a moment to compose himself, he takes a deep breath and exhales audibly. Then he glances at her.]
Can't...? [A beat of silence and then he looks down at his pajama pants.] Oh. [He starts to try and roll the pant leg up, but it gets too tight around the thigh, pressing against the wound, and he hisses in pain again.] O-okay that's not gonna work.
[He looks at her again, one eye squinted in pain, and then his face sort of crinkles in awkward uncertainty.]
Uh... maybe I've got some shorts or... [He gets to his feet and sort of hobbles toward the hall, suddenly completely flustered.]
[Xion can't help feeling a little awkward about it, too, though she's surprised by how flustered Axel is; she doesn't see him like that usually.]
Don't hurt yourself. [He kind of looks like he's going to fall over. She gets up before he can get too far, and reaches out to rest a hand on his arm.] I can, um, look for you. [She's just worried he'll keep hurting his leg if he walks on it.]
No, just... it's fine. [She doesn't want to be in Roxas' room any more than he does. Jeez, this is awkward. It's not that he doesn't trust Xion--on the contrary, she's one of the only people he really does trust--but something about dropping his daks, even if he's wearing perfectly decent boxers underneath, is just... weird. He grimaces and sits down on the arm of the couch.] Okay, okay, just gimme a second.
[He gets up again half-limps to the hallway. Between showing off his classy boxers with the neon orange flames on them or being in pain for the next three days, he'll take the momentary embarrassment. Tossing the pajama pants over his shoulder, he frowned. He never wore shorts because his legs were so damn skinny--like the rest of him. Axel doesn't really give a damn about what anybody thought about him, but he was feeling really vulnerable at the moment. Or he was remembering what it felt like to feel that way. Or something
( ... )
[She blinks at him for a moment, a little surprised when Axel actually just shimmies out of his pants. Normally, she might giggle a little at the neon orange on the material, but there's...something off about the way Axel looks. Vulnerability, she would call it if she knew that was what it was.]
Okay. [She moves to sit beside him again, and very gently undoes the work he did trying to patch up the wound. Biting her lip when she sees the blood, she ever so carefully pulls away the gauze, exposing the deep cut.
Xion can hardly believe he did that to himself, from how bad it is.]
Wow... [That really had to hurt. But, realizing that, she is quick to lift her hand over the wound, casting a Cure over it. The result is near instantaneous, the skin knitting together until it looks good as new, aside from a bit of blood that still clings to the newly-healed flesh.]
[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
( ... )
[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
( ... )
[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.]
[He carefully gets to his feet, a hand on the crown of his head--it's still throbbing, but it's a dull, grainy ache now instead of that sharp stinging pain. Taking a slow, deep breath, he reaches down and offers a hand to pull Xion up.
[Glancing back into Roxas' empty room, he sort of stops short, the pan in his head and the exhaustion behind his eyes forgotten for a moment.]
There's something... [Once Xion's standing, he releases her hand and steps into the room. It's so still, so untouched, it's like walking into a tomb, and it sends gooseflesh up and down Axel's still-clammy skin beneath his wet sleeves. Moving to the bedside, his breath catches in his throat and he reaches out.]
Xion...
[He holds up his hand, two popsicle sticks caught in his fingers. They both say 'Winner' on them, and Axel has to sink to sit on the bed before his knees give out. There's no envelope this time, but... did Roxas somehow know he was going to be taken away ( ... )
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[A shake of his head and a sigh.] They're nothing like Heartless--nothing I did made a damn bit of difference. They overwhelmed me, and the next thing I knew I was waking up sopping wet in the Park.
I'm fine, though--they didn't... hurt me. If I'd died I would have come back in the Plaza, right? So I've got a headache, a hole in my leg, and I'm... really cold, but I'm okay. [He pauses, then pokes her foot with his.] I'm okay, okay?
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She was still concerned by what had happened to Axel, and shaky because of...Roxas, but she let herself try to relax against the couch. Axel has some water, he has a blanket...she can't do too much else.]
At least let me fix your leg? Please?
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[Pulling the blanket around his shoulders, he starts to fold his legs up--]
Ah--!
[And then folds forward with a gasp of pain. Okay, maybe the home first-aid job on a significant stab wound (self-infliction notwithstanding) wasn't the best idea after all. He grits his teeth and kind of hisses through them.]
Yeah sure okay go for it.
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Gently, she shifts the blanket aside, then realizes he's got on long pants.]
Oh, um...I can't...
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Can't...? [A beat of silence and then he looks down at his pajama pants.] Oh. [He starts to try and roll the pant leg up, but it gets too tight around the thigh, pressing against the wound, and he hisses in pain again.] O-okay that's not gonna work.
[He looks at her again, one eye squinted in pain, and then his face sort of crinkles in awkward uncertainty.]
Uh... maybe I've got some shorts or... [He gets to his feet and sort of hobbles toward the hall, suddenly completely flustered.]
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Don't hurt yourself. [He kind of looks like he's going to fall over. She gets up before he can get too far, and reaches out to rest a hand on his arm.] I can, um, look for you. [She's just worried he'll keep hurting his leg if he walks on it.]
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[He gets up again half-limps to the hallway. Between showing off his classy boxers with the neon orange flames on them or being in pain for the next three days, he'll take the momentary embarrassment. Tossing the pajama pants over his shoulder, he frowned. He never wore shorts because his legs were so damn skinny--like the rest of him. Axel doesn't really give a damn about what anybody thought about him, but he was feeling really vulnerable at the moment. Or he was remembering what it felt like to feel that way. Or something ( ... )
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Okay. [She moves to sit beside him again, and very gently undoes the work he did trying to patch up the wound. Biting her lip when she sees the blood, she ever so carefully pulls away the gauze, exposing the deep cut.
Xion can hardly believe he did that to himself, from how bad it is.]
Wow... [That really had to hurt. But, realizing that, she is quick to lift her hand over the wound, casting a Cure over it. The result is near instantaneous, the skin knitting together until it looks good as new, aside from a bit of blood that still clings to the newly-healed flesh.]
There. [She offers him a nervous little smile.]
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[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 ( ... )
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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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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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