Room 406, afternoon

[izzyalienqueen]

She'd needed last night, Isabel realized. After everything that had happened, she needed a night of being quiet and feeling safe

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[cantgetnorelief]

Anders's phone had really picked a stupid time to withhold his voicemail for a few honrs, and so the moment he'd listened to Wyatt's message from last night he was taking the stairs four at a time to the fourth floor and banging on Isabel's door.

[izzyalienqueen]

"It's open," she called out, ready to go open the door herself if whoever it was didn't hear her over the banging.

[cantgetnorelief]

And hey, just like that the door banged open and Isabel might very soon find herself tackleglomphugged by six feet of previously frantic, now relieved, but still flaily 'little brother.'

[izzyalienqueen]

Tackleglomphugs were always welcome and Isabel held on tightly. "It's okay," she promised. "It's okay."

[cantgetnorelief]

"Not allowed to do that again, big sis," Anders mumbled, clinging tightly.

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel swallowed hard and nodded against his shoulder. "I know. I'm sorry."

[cantgetnorelief]

He kept hanging on, as if he needed the tactile input to really convince himself she was back. "I would've missed you," he said hoarsely. "Graduation's close enough as it is."

[izzyalienqueen]

She wasn't making any move to pull away, at least not away from him. There might have been some pulling over towards the bed so they could sit and be comfortable. "Well I'm here. So that's all that matters now."

[cantgetnorelief]

"I really should lecture you on scaring the frak out of your friends like that," Anders noted, letting himself get pulled, "except I've gotten that lecture from you before so it wouldn't be that effective."

[izzyalienqueen]

"We can pretend you lectured," Isabel smiled. "And pretend I nodded seriously at all the right places. And promised never to do it again." Except she wasn't sure she could make that promise. There was always going to be some sort of danger, just because of who...what she was.

[cantgetnorelief]

Just like there was always going to be some danger because of who he'd chosen to tie his life up with -- Anders knew she couldn't really make that promise any more than he could.

"Consider the lecture delivered, then," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "You know, you are one hell of a resilient big sister. I feel like this should make me afraid, but . . ."

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel had her own thoughts about that. She'd already died once as Vilandra and been recreated. And now she lived on in Meris's altered body. If it happened again, would it be three strikes? But that wasn't something she was sure she could tell anyone.

"Be afraid," she teased instead. "Be very afraid."

[cantgetnorelief]

"Oh, well, if you say so," he replied gamely. "'course, you do realize, no matter how resilient you are, I'm always gonna worry about you."

[izzyalienqueen]

"It'll be mutual worrying then," Isabel grinned. "It's what brothers and sisters do."

"You know, there's no singing now."

[cantgetnorelief]

He'd completely forgotten about that in the chaos of the past couple of days. "I'd . . . noticed, yeah," Anders said, confused.

[izzyalienqueen]

"You could always tell me what was so funny," she replied. Not that she really wanted him to. But the flailing would make her feel better.