kukkijar | Luke fon Fabre; Appointments

[It's not what he wants to hear, and he can't help just staring for a moment. It's not her story to tell? What did Guy tell her? How... does he feel about all of this? When he's ready? He...

He's a little scared. About this whole situation, about Asch, about Guy, about himself, about... everything. Even her. How she's reacting. What she heard. How she's doing now.

So he slowly reaches out to take her hand, squeezing it gently. Both for himself and for her. He's worried about everything, scared of it, unsure if he wants to face it all. But she's here. And... she's been here this whole time.

He can only hold on to that for now.]

... Thanks. For... talking to him. For telling me.

[ She's actually a little startled by his show of support. She tries not to show it - tries very hard - but in the end, she can't help the way her hand twitches, the way her eyes dart to his face.

But then she relaxes, sighing out slowly, and curls her hand around his in return. ]

You're welcome. I just ... I saw you with the journal. I guessed you were trying to contact him, and ... I thought knowing he was okay would help you sleep a little better. [ She smiles, finally, and gives his hand a squeeze. ]

[He returns that squeeze, and... there's something about the shift in his lips that might indicate the faintest smile he's ever given. But it looks like it might be one all the same.]

I'm that obvious, huh...

... yeah. [ She smiles too, wide and sad and grateful. ] Or maybe I just know you that well. [ She laces their fingers together. ]

That's what I like to think. [Being obvious is not something he likes to be. Or maybe he just likes knowing that Xion knows so much about him.

Either way, he brings her hand closer, to let his lips rest against her fingers. Even without Asch, even without Guy... At least he isn't alone.]

[ She -- blushes, actually. Which maybe is weird, considering. But they haven't had much in the way of overly romantic or affectionate physical contact since -- since the day he told her the truth about what was happening to him -- and she's still surprised he's being so open, suddenly. At least, it sure seems open, after his complete lack of reaction these past few days. She understood, of course, but--

... it's nice.

Her mouth works, as if she's not sure whether she wants to actually smile the sort of charmed smile that wants to cross her face. But after a moment, she remembers the food and picks it up. ]

By the way ... I got us something. Again. [ Now with a real smile. ]

[He loosens his hold to turn his head slightly again, to look up at her.]

Strawberries again? [That was nice. But he has to admit that it'd be nice to get something else too. Hospital food is gross, and he can only take so much pie, even though it's very delicious pie.]

Hehe. No. [ She removes her hand from his so she can reach into the bag, bringing out two wax-wrapped sandwiches. ] Chicken sandwiches. I got dad to make them earlier.

Oh...

[She said the magic word. "Chicken". Just that word gets his eyes to widen with interest, and he leans up on his elbow again. Once more, his attention is caught by the prospect of wonderful food in his stomach. Truly, he is a man.]

[ She swallows a laugh, though only just barely. She unwraps his sandwich, then places it on the bed next to him. ]

You've got a little extra chicken on yours. Dad says hi, too. [ She pokes him in the shoulder. And smiles. ]

[He gives her a little glance and a slightly raised eyebrow at the poke, before he picks up the sandwich. Though he'll speak before he bites into it.]

Say hi if you see him later, too.

[It's about all he says before he digs in. Again, he's eating slower than he normally would, but at least he manages to eat it all.

His sleeping doesn't much improve, even though, later in the evening on the 19th, his mood seems to. After Guy visited him, after they talked, after Guy assured him that he didn't hate him, that he's still his best friend... It lifted a bit of weight off of Luke's chest. But he still didn't sleep well.

On the 20th, he is, for once, on his back. He stares up at the ceiling, only to glance at the clock, then frown and look at the ceiling again. The cycle continues every few minutes, with Luke seeming more and more annoyed and anxious.]

[ It takes her some time to notice. Maybe half an hour. But eventually she picks up on his constant glances at the clock. The final time, she watches him glance, then looks at the clock itself before looking back to him.

She doesn't say anything, at first. But then her brow knits. She puts aside her notes and the medical text she had open, and pulls out her journal, flipping through the pages. Her eyebrows fly up when she finds the confirmation she's looking for, and she shuts the little book gently before looking up at him again. ]

... what is it, Luke?

... Huh?

[He glances at her now. Luke had been hoping that his constant looks at the clock wouldn't be noticeable, so... maybe she's talking about something else.]

You keep looking at the clock...

[ Her expression is gentle, though she's not smiling. He really ought to know by now. He can't hide these things from her. He's more obvious about it than he thinks. ]

[His gaze shoots down for a moment - Damn - before he looks at the clock again. It's been about three minutes since he last looked. And still nothing.]

It's a lot slower than I thought. ... Is it working right?

[ A smile flickers across her features. ]

I think so. I mean, it's been working all week. [ ... carefully: ] What are you waiting for?

[His lips press together as he looks at the ceiling again. It's... still hard to say out loud. To hear out loud. Just hearing Asch's name from his talk with Guy made Luke cry tears of frustration after he left, even though he still felt happy over the conversation.

He shuts his eyes, his good hand gripping into the sheets below him.]

For it to come back. [The link they share.]

[ ... she reaches out to lay a hand on his arm. ]

Today's the day, isn't it?

... It's been a week. [He slowly opens his eyes.] Right? [After all, he was practically out for two days, and the rest seemed timeless.]

... yeah.

[ She sits back in her chair, watching him. ]

You know, you really shouldn't be getting out of bed.

[ But there's, strangely, a small smile on her face. ]

But...!

[He looks at her, eyes wide with protest. Then he sees that little smile.

Perhaps a few days ago, he would've protested anyway, not knowing why she's smiling. But now, there's a faint half smile of his own.]

Are you going to stop me?

No.

[ She smiles a little wider. ]

... I'm pretty sure you know how I'd feel if Sora came back. I'd do anything to reach him. [ She reaches over and brushes her fingers over his cheek. ]

I'll help take you there. Just tell me when, okay?

... Yeah.

[Again, he takes her hand, this time to actually press a kiss against her fingers. Sometimes, it hits him more than ever just how much he loves her. How much he appreciates the fact that she fully understand intentions like this.

He doesn't loosen his hold, either. Rather, he entwines his fingers with hers as he... glances at the clock again.

Two minutes.]

I love you.

[ The words are quiet, but impulsive. She gives his hand a squeeze after he entwines their fingers. ]

... it'll go faster if you don't concentrate on it, I think. Maybe we could do something else?

... Like what?

[Just her mentioning it makes him glance again.

... Ten seconds. B| So he'll just lower their hands a bit to give her his attention now.]

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