kukkijar | Luke fon Fabre; Appointments

... 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.]

[ ... somewhat sheepishly ] Good question. We could play a game, if you're up to it.

A game...?

[He doesn't really... feel like playing anything. It just doesn't seem right. But he does stare up at the ceiling to think of a way to pass time. One eye twitches, though whether that's because he's in thought or he hears some very quiet humming in his ear isn't clear.]

I don't know, maybe... What kind of stuff can you play when you're stuck in bed?

I dunno. Maybe a board game, or a card game. I'd have to go get something, though. Or I could just read you a story. [ ... ] Nothing from a textbook, I promise.

You'd put me to sleep if you did that.

[His eye twitches again, and he brings his hand up to wave it as his ear, as if he's trying to get an annoying bug away from it.]

Do you hear something?

[ She grins, quick and sweet, though it fades when he continues to look bothered. ]

No... not a thing. Luke, what is it?

[Not a thing, huh...

He squints slightly, and he presses his hand over his ear.]

I don't know, it...

[But then his eyes widen. No, wait, he knows this feeling... It's what happens when Asch prods him sometimes, not opening the link, but a sign that he's there. They just haven't done that often. Rather, Asch doesn't do it to him, as he can just open it without Luke even noticing. Luke's done to Asch plenty of times.

It's a hum, and Luke notices where it's coming from now. Within his mind, not his ear. At the very spot where it was so dark and lonely and cold... And he realizes that it isn't quite like that anymore.

...

All this week, there'd be times where he'd slowly push himself up, to eat or talk or walk to the restroom or whatever he needed to do. Now, though, he's pushing himself up faster than he has that past week, already shifting off of the bed even though his collarbone and shoulder are protesting against it.]

It's Asch - !

Luke-!

[ She immediately rushes to his side, taking his good arm and helping him ease out of bed. ]

Slow down! You'll hurt yourself. Lean on me, okay?

[ She's going to pull his arm over her shoulders whether he wants her to or not. She's not letting him go anywhere until she's sure he can handle being on his feet. ]

[And he does have to lower his head and lean for a moment, eyes shut with a light cringe. But then his head is up again, his gaze fixated on a certain part of the wall.]

Asch is - We're connected again! He's here - He's calling me!

[Granted, he can't hear any words right now. But that hum is enough. He's squirming, trying to move, trying to get to his feet to follow the path the link is already giving him.]

[ One hand holds his arm, the one that's over her shoulders - and her other arm goes around his waist. She's trying to support him bodily as much as she can while he gets used to being up on his feet. ]

Okay, okay! But Luke, if you fall over getting there, it won't go any faster! Just -- please, slow down a little, okay?

[ Still, she'll guide them towards the door, her mind whirling. Does she open a portal? Does she even offer? She'd have no idea where to go, and she has no idea what Luke is sensing. But she's worried about his safety, too... ]

I - yeah, okay, I'll slow down but - I have to find him!

[Still, he tries to not be so frantic. His squirming slows, and he lowers his head some to get a look at his legs. Come on, body, you can do this. It's Asch. His legs still felt weak, as if he hadn't been using them at all the past week.

It's a little strange. The few times he would get up to walk, despite the pain in his shoulder, he'd actually felt... stronger. And his fonon separation hadn't kicked in at all that week.

But Luke's thoughts only touch on that for a second, enough for him to realize that, okay, his legs need a little work again, but with Xion here supporting him and helping him move, they're slowly gaining their strength. He does stop every now and then when the instinct to reach his other arm out for balance makes him wince and hold her shoulder tighter, but then he'll shake his head and keep going, his steps growing more and more sure.

Asch is out there. He's alive. He's alive. And Luke will be damned if his own body fails him right now.]

I know, I know!

[ She carries him, as best she can. There's a thought in the back of her mind, sort of dry, that any of the healers or medics here worth their salt would kill her for helping him get out of bed. She herself does not a very good medic make for even allowing him to do this.

But she knows full well how she'd feel in his shoes, and also that there's really no stopping him. So better to do it safely, right?

Once they've got something of a rhythm going, she glances up at him. ]

Can you tell at all how far away he is?

[And she'd be right about that. Even if she held him down, if every healer tried to keep him in the bed, he'd struggle with all of the strength he had to get out and find his original. Better to do it this way, rather than make him waste all of his energy just getting out of there.

When his gaze isn't on his feet, it's at a spot that's slightly diagonal from them. He knows that Asch is pretty far away. Not at all the spot where he... where that happened. But Luke also knows that no matter how far away it is, he won't stop until he gets there. The link is strong enough to pull at him even when he feels like falling to his knees and giving up.

It's tempting to lie and say that it's close, so that he can go by himself. But... he looks at her for a moment. She'd be upset if he did that, and he can already feel a protest rising up in his chest. He hates not telling her the truth, it's one of the reasons why he reacted so badly when she learned the truth of his condition.

So he lets out a huff of a sigh at himself before he brings his gaze to that particular spot again.]

He's pretty far - What were they thinking?

[It's at that point that the hum in his head turns into a whisper. Wordless noise, nonsense. But it's a voice, a presence, something that Luke has missed, needed, eagerly and anxiously waited for.

He takes in a breath, and his legs seem to gain more strength on their own. Hold on, Asch, he's coming, he'll be there, hold on - ]

[ She makes a quiet, thoughtful noise, just continuing to help him walk and not replying right away.

Logistics, logistics... ]

I don't think they care. We'll just have to be careful...

[ Though the look she gives him is a question. Will he even let her come with him, that far? ]

[He glances at her, sees that look. And... he isn't sure how to feel about that. A part of her wants her to come, to be there, to support him and share in the joy that's starting to bubble in his chest. But there's also a part of him that wants to do this on his own - it's a little silly. Like it's his duty or something, as Asch's replica.

So, he's silent until they reach the entrance of the clinic. By then, Luke straightens his back and stands on his own, though he still keeps his arm around Xion's shoulder.]

Xion... Do you mind if I go alone? I feel like it's something I have to do.

[ The look she gives him is a long one, a searching one. She glances away -- out there, maybe not even in the right direction -- then turns to face him, lifting her hands to cup his face. ]

Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?

[He lets his arm slide from her shoulder when she faces him, only to cup his hand over hers, pressing it to his cheek. Honestly, he isn't sure if he'll be all right. But... For the first time in a while, he really smiles.]

I think so. I mean... I've got you.

[And no matter where he is or what's going on, he knows she'll always be there to pull him up again. Just like she did this entire week.]

[ ... it's the look on his face that gets her. Relief overwhelms her, making tears prick at her eyes, but she smiles, too, very warm.

Leaning up on her tip toes, she kisses him, gently - something she hasn't done at all in the week since the fight. Then she drops back down and takes a step back. ]

Good luck.

[He returns her kiss, shutting his eyes to savor it. It's something he hasn't felt all week, and he's realizing just how much he's missed it. This sort of affection from her...

When she pulls back, he follows her enough to run his hand through her hair and rest his forehead against hers, that same smile on his face.]

Thanks.

[For the luck. For staying. For being there.

For everything.

He takes a step back to look at her a little longer, then move to the side and past her. He walks first, but before he gets too far out of sight, he breaks into a run.

It's at that point that the whispers grow louder, and the tone is a little more desperate.

waitformewaitformeimcomingaschwaitforme]

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fourteen - 2012-05-25 12:03 (UTC) - Expand