Guava 30 and Trail Mix 1
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Guava 30 (you were lost and gone forever) & Trail Mix 1 (down the aisle)
Toppings & Extras: Sprinkles, Fresh Peaches (You won't be able to see how you can get out of your current situation. You may have some financial or physical problems at the moment. If this is the case, it's because you don't rely enough on your abilities and good sense to pull you through. It's possible that you don't take care of your body as well as you should. That's easily remedied)
Word Count: 1577
Rating: PG/PG-13 (a few innuendo type moments)
Summary: Time to make a new life.
Notes: I got a request for ‘shirtless Bri’ but my friend failed to specify how or why, so here’s an idea of the kind of things he was up to while presumed dead. NaNo break :)
“Are you sure you’re up to this, Kira?” George Thomas, her boss at the makeshift infirmary asked. “He’s not even on his feet yet.”
He actually was, but neither of them had informed any of the higher-ups about this. Kira was afraid of what might happen when they realized he was healing. “Of course. If he’s going to get back on his feet, he’ll need the extra care, and I’ve got a spare room in my flat.”
George stared at her closely. “Kira, you can’t help all of them. And half of them are traitors.”
She ground her teeth together to keep from shooting off a quick response to that that she’d regret later. “I know I can’t, but let me do what I can do. Everyone deserves a chance, right, George?”
He scowled. “You know I think so, I just think this guy is a lost cause.”
“It’ll be in my off time.”
He glanced past her towards the bed containing the man in question. “Fine. I can’t spare anyone to help you get him there, so if you can do that then go for it.”
“He’ll be gone by the time everyone comes in to work tomorrow,” Kira promised.
“I’m trusting you on this. You know they want him once he’s better.”
She barely kept her own scowl off her face. “What I know is that they’ve been pestering my patient, which is not helping with his recovery.”
“Kira,” he said sternly. “They have every right. All the rebels in there are their prisoners. Don’t you forget that.”
“I won’t, George, I promise,” she said, just keeping her hands from clenching into fists. “Can I do it?”
“Fine. I don’t have time to debate with you. He comes back when he’s better.”
“Understood,” she said, wanting so badly to beam.
**
That evening, Kira waited around until only the two night workers were there - George and a few others lived within a block so if there was an emergency, the kid on duty and his partner could run and alert while doing the best they could until the others got there. Kira lived almost three blocks away, but she was fairly confident Bri could make it. “You ready for this?” she asked him.
He carefully pushed himself to a sitting position and smiled lopsidedly. “Think so,” he said, the horrendous cut on his face only half healed.
She nodded and turned to the night worker, Justin, who was standing a few feet away. “Last time you have to omit the details for me,” she said with a smile, tossing him a coin, which he caught with ease.
“Always a pleasure, Kira,” he said, leering at her.
She ignored him, bending down and slipping her arm around Bri’s shoulder. “Ready?”
“You already asked me that,” he pointed out.
“Just checking.”
He looked up, catching her eye seriously and nodding once, both knowing what it meant.
“Good,” she said and carefully hefted him up. While there was technically nothing wrong with his legs, there had been so much mental and physical damage done to his face that it had seemed to translate all over, making him weak and just plain damaged. His footing had improved so much over the previous week, though, that Kira wasn’t too worried that he wouldn’t make it as far as her flat.
He looked like he was leaning heavily on her - more for show for Justin and his partner than anything - but kept most of his weight on his own feet for now. “If I need you,” he muttered.
“I already told you,” she said. “Don’t worry.”
Laboriously, the two of them made their way from the hospital room, leaving behind the whimpers, groans and creaks of the patients still there. By halfway through the second block, Bri had faltered the first time and had a good portion of his weight on Kira’s shoulder. Having grown up with an older brother, though, Kira was no pushover and had no problem keeping him up, even if they had to slow down some. She was glad the little town was a sleepy place, because the pair of them would have been the perfect target for thieves and other ruffians in a larger city.
Pushing that thought out of her mind, she focused on getting them safely to her flat and up the flight of stairs to her front door. That accomplished, she leaned Bri against the wall to wait while she fumbled out her key and undid the dead bolt. Pushing the door open, she held out her arm to him, which he took and carefully shuffled inside.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she led the way towards her spare room, which she had made up for him earlier after her shift but before she’d returned to get him.
“Like crap,” he said, voice strained.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “Almost there and then you can rest.”
“’preciated,” Bri managed, a bit of levity seeping into his tone.
She smiled, since that was one of the things she liked best about him and that had drawn her to him even when he’d barely ever been conscious. Despite the situation, he had done everything he could to stay positive, joking with the other nurses and generally ignoring his horrendous, almost fatal wound.
They finally reached the bed and she gently helped him sit down and then lay back, fluffing his pillow a bit. Bri swatted her hand away. “I’m not a total invalid,” he said, face a pasty white, even in the gathering dark. She reached over and lit a candle, holding it up to his face.
“You’re bleeding, though,” she said, scowling. “Damn it, we were probably too early.” Kira turned away, in a bit of a huff, mad at herself, but his hand shot out, grabbing her arm in a surprisingly tough grip.
“No, I...thank you,” he said sincerely, tugging her back around to face him. “I didn’t have much more time there. It wouldn’t have been long before someone had realized I was a lot more healthy than we were pretending. Then we both would have been in trouble.”
She sighed. “Look, get some rest. We’ll make plans tomorrow. I’ve got the afternoon shift, but I’ll be here in the morning.”
**
A week later, Kira was sitting in bed, reading a book by candlelight when she heard noises coming from somewhere else in the flat. She frowned, setting her book down and going to scoop up her candle when Bri appeared in her doorway.
Surprised, she stared at him. “Need something?” she asked, throwing her bare feet over the side of the bed.
“No,” he said and then paused. “Well, yes.” He shifted nervously, eyes darting around her room, barely settling on her before moving again. He was dressed only in a light pair of pants, his shirt having somehow gone missing, although she hadn’t thought he was capable of taking it off, due to the healing scar. She’d been very careful every time she’d help him (a task she was not about to complain about).
“Then what’s up? Can I get you something?” she asked, a bit worried, because he hadn’t gotten up much on his own in the week he’d been living there on her insistence. Well, at least not that she knew. She was away a good portion of each day.
“I, um...” he hesitated, finally making eye contact and blurting it out, “I want to snuggle.”
Kira was a little used to Bri’s good natured insanity but this one completely caught her off guard and she could only stare at him for a minute.
He ducked his head for a second but managed a grin, looking back up. “You’re allowed to turn me down.”
“Um,” she managed, the candlelight all but reflecting off his bare chest and making it very hard for her to think straight. “Snuggle.”
He nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I think I used to be a snuggler. I mean, I think I still am, but I kinda remember that, that I liked to snuggle. And I miss it.”
At this little speech, she finally burst out laughing, not sure how else to react. She reached over and patted the other side of the bed. “How can I say no to that?” she asked as he pouted at her. She drew her eyes back up to his face and, around the pout, she could spot a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Kira blushed, suspecting he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Bounding over, showing far more energy than he had in most things in the past week, he settled himself onto the bed next to her. “You know,” he said, voice sickeningly cheerful considering the words that followed, “it sucks I hurt my face, because it makes kissing really hard.”
“Well, um, you haven’t tried yet,” she said lamely, still distracted by his closeness.
He brightened. “Good point!” he said and promptly leaned over, kissing her firmly. “It worked,” he said, grinning wickedly at her when he finally broke it off.
Feeling out of breath, Kira let out a laugh. “Yeah, nothing wrong there,” she said, realizing in that moment she didn’t want to lose him back to the war, for good or bad.
“Let’s leave tomorrow,” he said more seriously. “Run far away from here.”
She carefully wrapping her arms around his neck, mindful of the injury. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Guava 30 (you were lost and gone forever) & Trail Mix 1 (down the aisle)
Toppings & Extras: Sprinkles, Fresh Peaches (You won't be able to see how you can get out of your current situation. You may have some financial or physical problems at the moment. If this is the case, it's because you don't rely enough on your abilities and good sense to pull you through. It's possible that you don't take care of your body as well as you should. That's easily remedied)
Word Count: 1577
Rating: PG/PG-13 (a few innuendo type moments)
Summary: Time to make a new life.
Notes: I got a request for ‘shirtless Bri’ but my friend failed to specify how or why, so here’s an idea of the kind of things he was up to while presumed dead. NaNo break :)
“Are you sure you’re up to this, Kira?” George Thomas, her boss at the makeshift infirmary asked. “He’s not even on his feet yet.”
He actually was, but neither of them had informed any of the higher-ups about this. Kira was afraid of what might happen when they realized he was healing. “Of course. If he’s going to get back on his feet, he’ll need the extra care, and I’ve got a spare room in my flat.”
George stared at her closely. “Kira, you can’t help all of them. And half of them are traitors.”
She ground her teeth together to keep from shooting off a quick response to that that she’d regret later. “I know I can’t, but let me do what I can do. Everyone deserves a chance, right, George?”
He scowled. “You know I think so, I just think this guy is a lost cause.”
“It’ll be in my off time.”
He glanced past her towards the bed containing the man in question. “Fine. I can’t spare anyone to help you get him there, so if you can do that then go for it.”
“He’ll be gone by the time everyone comes in to work tomorrow,” Kira promised.
“I’m trusting you on this. You know they want him once he’s better.”
She barely kept her own scowl off her face. “What I know is that they’ve been pestering my patient, which is not helping with his recovery.”
“Kira,” he said sternly. “They have every right. All the rebels in there are their prisoners. Don’t you forget that.”
“I won’t, George, I promise,” she said, just keeping her hands from clenching into fists. “Can I do it?”
“Fine. I don’t have time to debate with you. He comes back when he’s better.”
“Understood,” she said, wanting so badly to beam.
**
That evening, Kira waited around until only the two night workers were there - George and a few others lived within a block so if there was an emergency, the kid on duty and his partner could run and alert while doing the best they could until the others got there. Kira lived almost three blocks away, but she was fairly confident Bri could make it. “You ready for this?” she asked him.
He carefully pushed himself to a sitting position and smiled lopsidedly. “Think so,” he said, the horrendous cut on his face only half healed.
She nodded and turned to the night worker, Justin, who was standing a few feet away. “Last time you have to omit the details for me,” she said with a smile, tossing him a coin, which he caught with ease.
“Always a pleasure, Kira,” he said, leering at her.
She ignored him, bending down and slipping her arm around Bri’s shoulder. “Ready?”
“You already asked me that,” he pointed out.
“Just checking.”
He looked up, catching her eye seriously and nodding once, both knowing what it meant.
“Good,” she said and carefully hefted him up. While there was technically nothing wrong with his legs, there had been so much mental and physical damage done to his face that it had seemed to translate all over, making him weak and just plain damaged. His footing had improved so much over the previous week, though, that Kira wasn’t too worried that he wouldn’t make it as far as her flat.
He looked like he was leaning heavily on her - more for show for Justin and his partner than anything - but kept most of his weight on his own feet for now. “If I need you,” he muttered.
“I already told you,” she said. “Don’t worry.”
Laboriously, the two of them made their way from the hospital room, leaving behind the whimpers, groans and creaks of the patients still there. By halfway through the second block, Bri had faltered the first time and had a good portion of his weight on Kira’s shoulder. Having grown up with an older brother, though, Kira was no pushover and had no problem keeping him up, even if they had to slow down some. She was glad the little town was a sleepy place, because the pair of them would have been the perfect target for thieves and other ruffians in a larger city.
Pushing that thought out of her mind, she focused on getting them safely to her flat and up the flight of stairs to her front door. That accomplished, she leaned Bri against the wall to wait while she fumbled out her key and undid the dead bolt. Pushing the door open, she held out her arm to him, which he took and carefully shuffled inside.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she led the way towards her spare room, which she had made up for him earlier after her shift but before she’d returned to get him.
“Like crap,” he said, voice strained.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “Almost there and then you can rest.”
“’preciated,” Bri managed, a bit of levity seeping into his tone.
She smiled, since that was one of the things she liked best about him and that had drawn her to him even when he’d barely ever been conscious. Despite the situation, he had done everything he could to stay positive, joking with the other nurses and generally ignoring his horrendous, almost fatal wound.
They finally reached the bed and she gently helped him sit down and then lay back, fluffing his pillow a bit. Bri swatted her hand away. “I’m not a total invalid,” he said, face a pasty white, even in the gathering dark. She reached over and lit a candle, holding it up to his face.
“You’re bleeding, though,” she said, scowling. “Damn it, we were probably too early.” Kira turned away, in a bit of a huff, mad at herself, but his hand shot out, grabbing her arm in a surprisingly tough grip.
“No, I...thank you,” he said sincerely, tugging her back around to face him. “I didn’t have much more time there. It wouldn’t have been long before someone had realized I was a lot more healthy than we were pretending. Then we both would have been in trouble.”
She sighed. “Look, get some rest. We’ll make plans tomorrow. I’ve got the afternoon shift, but I’ll be here in the morning.”
**
A week later, Kira was sitting in bed, reading a book by candlelight when she heard noises coming from somewhere else in the flat. She frowned, setting her book down and going to scoop up her candle when Bri appeared in her doorway.
Surprised, she stared at him. “Need something?” she asked, throwing her bare feet over the side of the bed.
“No,” he said and then paused. “Well, yes.” He shifted nervously, eyes darting around her room, barely settling on her before moving again. He was dressed only in a light pair of pants, his shirt having somehow gone missing, although she hadn’t thought he was capable of taking it off, due to the healing scar. She’d been very careful every time she’d help him (a task she was not about to complain about).
“Then what’s up? Can I get you something?” she asked, a bit worried, because he hadn’t gotten up much on his own in the week he’d been living there on her insistence. Well, at least not that she knew. She was away a good portion of each day.
“I, um...” he hesitated, finally making eye contact and blurting it out, “I want to snuggle.”
Kira was a little used to Bri’s good natured insanity but this one completely caught her off guard and she could only stare at him for a minute.
He ducked his head for a second but managed a grin, looking back up. “You’re allowed to turn me down.”
“Um,” she managed, the candlelight all but reflecting off his bare chest and making it very hard for her to think straight. “Snuggle.”
He nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I think I used to be a snuggler. I mean, I think I still am, but I kinda remember that, that I liked to snuggle. And I miss it.”
At this little speech, she finally burst out laughing, not sure how else to react. She reached over and patted the other side of the bed. “How can I say no to that?” she asked as he pouted at her. She drew her eyes back up to his face and, around the pout, she could spot a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Kira blushed, suspecting he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Bounding over, showing far more energy than he had in most things in the past week, he settled himself onto the bed next to her. “You know,” he said, voice sickeningly cheerful considering the words that followed, “it sucks I hurt my face, because it makes kissing really hard.”
“Well, um, you haven’t tried yet,” she said lamely, still distracted by his closeness.
He brightened. “Good point!” he said and promptly leaned over, kissing her firmly. “It worked,” he said, grinning wickedly at her when he finally broke it off.
Feeling out of breath, Kira let out a laugh. “Yeah, nothing wrong there,” she said, realizing in that moment she didn’t want to lose him back to the war, for good or bad.
“Let’s leave tomorrow,” he said more seriously. “Run far away from here.”
She carefully wrapping her arms around his neck, mindful of the injury. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”