he's such a prude though

[if_at_first]

Sylvi settles in very thoroughly. She makes a point of going out on her wooden horse and wandering the city every day or two, even if she has no specific errand to run (although she does also place orders for lenses and very fine-tipped pens and new notebooks). She hugs Avedan when he has bad dreams and he hugs her when she does, if they successfully wake one another despite the long pillow between them on the bed. And she plows through piles and piles of old notes, and condenses her childhood for inclusion in the same library for future 'bels.

As of this moment she is up to her specialization in shines. Write write write.

Comments

[do_over]

"There's still - some chance. I - love, love you should have realized by now that I'm a - a selfish bastard and... and... I love you. I love you so much..."

[if_at_first]

"Love you," she sighs. Neither of her hands is in great shape, but the bandages are fresh enough, and the wrist nearer him is happily free of lesions; she can bend her hand to touch his arm.

[do_over]

He smiles, just a little, at that.

"I'm sorry I'm selfish," he murmurs. "I am. But there's - there's no one else in the world like you, you're - irreplaceable, I can't just - I -"

He doesn't manage to finish the sentence. There are tears in the way,

[if_at_first]

"'M not getting better."

This is the third time she's almost just quit breathing.

[do_over]

"There could be a chance," he says, desperately. "Some - some small..."

[if_at_first]

"'M not. Getting. Better."

[do_over]

"Please."

[if_at_first]

"Breathing," she mutters. "'S all I can do."

[do_over]

"I - I know. Just - keep doing it. Because I'm selfish and I want you to stay, I want you to live forever, or - or - no, no, fuck it, I want you to live forever, period, much as I hate to sound like a petulant child, you're not allowed to die..."

[if_at_first]

"I can't - do - anything. Not just the - hurting."

[do_over]

"Love. You're not just - you're brilliant, you're wonderful, you're - you make the world better by existing. It's not the - you've done great things, my dear, you're - don't remove yourself from it because right this second you are bedridden."

[if_at_first]

"Not getting better."

Her voice is small, plaintive.

[do_over]

"Humor me and - and get better anyway."

His sounds begging. Pleading. Desperate.

[if_at_first]

"Love you."

[do_over]

"And I, you. Always."

[if_at_first]

"Mmm."

That was really a lot of conversation for her these days, let alone for the middle of the night.

[do_over]

It was. Aydanci just - hopes that means there's improvement, even if she doesn't feel it.

[if_at_first]

Well.

For the time being, Aly is still breathing.

[do_over]

That's all Aydanci can really ask for.

(No it isn't. He wants her to live, he wants her to get better, he wants her to live until she's ninety, and then keep going.)

[if_at_first]

Sylvi finally manages to wake up, gasping, scrubbing tears from her face, shaking from head to toe.

She unceremoniously flings herself at Avedan.

[do_over]

Avedan is asleep, and then he is surprised!

"Mmhr?" he mumbles. But he hugs her back (out of reflex), blinking blearily.

[if_at_first]

"Pox dream. One of Aly's close calls."

Squeeze.

[do_over]

Blink, blink.

Hair pet.

"M'sorry."

[if_at_first]

Snuggle. Sylvi knows better than to expect overwhelming coherence from him in the middle of the night.

[do_over]

That's a safe bet. But even without being completely coherent, he's perfectly capable of snuggles. Behold, how he can snuggle.

(Snuggle, snuggle.)