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

[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.)

[if_at_first]

Snuggles are a vitally important function.

"Sorry for waking you."

[do_over]

"S'fine, you needed me," he mumbles, nuzzling a little.

[if_at_first]

Nuzzle.

"...Sorry I died. When you didn't know it was even possible I'd come back."

[do_over]

"S'fine," he repeats. Pause. "... The death wasn' - the - you came back. Eventually."

[if_at_first]

"Not without leaving you grieving for eighteen years."