AUGUST 25, 2012
Braig frowned.. He was tired.. His head hurt and his entire body felt as though it had been stuffed into a blender. He sat up after a few minutes, and rubbed his forehead, getting up a few minutes later. "the hell am I..?" he asked stiffly, and frowned as he realized he was sitting on a gurney, with lights staring down on him all around.
He reached down to pull on his bandanna and tighten it, and reached over to a table nearby.. As if he automatically knew where his clothing lie.
He slipped on his pants and tunic, and leaned over to shakily lean on the floor, and soon collapsed to lean on the wall next to him. "shit." he swore softly, his legs buckling beneath him. He had been in a coma for quite some time.. And his legs were like jello, trying to keep him supported, his arms were no better.. But they just felt weak. He stared around the room a bit. He was in a rather small looking room.. No doubt a hospital ward, or at least a very well managed laboratory, light and various trays lined the floor around him, and he shuddered with the very thought of not knowing what was happening to him while he was asleep.
---
Xehanort idly walked in to check on his ward. How strange, he thought. He remembered when it had been Braig taking care of him and not the other way around. Even had told him it would be months before Braig woke, but every so often, Xehanort liked to come in and read to him or something. He'd heard somewhere that coma patients whose friends spoke to them tended to fare better.
He guessed that must have been true, as when Xehanort walked in, Braig was leaning against the wall.
"You're awake," Xehanort informed him unnecessarily. "Even told me you wouldn't wake up for several months. How do you feel?" He spoke as though Braig were a stranger and not the man he'd married eight and a half months ago. His voice was blank and wooden, though more out of shock than a lack of concern.
---
He looked to the other for a moment or two, and pushed himself up, and leaned on a mobile tray nearby, and began to drag himself forward, his face blank of nearly all expression, except for the darkness surrounding him. He stumbled forward and collapsed the tray with him, falling down beside it.
He pushed himself back up, panting for air already exhausted. He forced himself back up, on doughy legs, and managed to get closer to the other, until he could knot his fingers into Xehanort’s coat, and pull himself up to stand up relatively straight.
He stared down into Xehanort’s eyes... Unsure of who the other was for a few moments.. It had been long enough since they last saw each other, and the other had still managed to age considerably. He placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning his weight on him, with a strikingly firm grip on his shoulder.
"how do I feel..." he said flatly.. His voice was weak and sickly... "like I been in a hard-ass sleep for about a damned year." he groaned, and cupped his cheeks, staring down at him, forcing Xehanort to stare back up at him. He gripped into the others shoulder and dipped his head down to kiss his forehead lightly. "Xehanort..." he whispered, and drew his head back slightly, "I dreamed about you and...” he lifted his head to look around.. "Marluxia..." he whispered and closed his eyes, "where is he..?" he asked softly and leaned back into the bed, and reached forward... Hoping Xehanort would come sit with him.
---
"Not quite a year," Xehanort replied coolly, pulling out of the other man's grasp. "Your muscles are somewhat atrophied. You need to take it more slowly or you'll destroy your body. Don't try to stand." He was surprised by, but did not comment on, Braig's surprisingly strong grip.
"I imagine Marluxia is in the Castle that Never Was," Xehanort responded to Braig's question. "He doesn't know about your coma. I'm a bit unclear on what happened as well, but I know you've been ...asleep. Marluxia has been under the impression that you divorced us. He stopped visiting me, but I heard that he befriended another member of the Organization, who left on a mission at the end of May, and has been living in that member's now-vacant room and occasionally wandering the Castle like a ghost. Of course, that's all speculation. I haven't been through the warp points to see for myself. I've been studying..."
He frowned in concentration. "What happened to you?" he asked. "What's the last thing you remember?"
---
"the last thing i remember...?" he asked and looked down in thought, a little offended Xehanort didn't come to sit with him. he shrugged and laid back on the bed. "i remember... a sudden flash of light, and... pure darkness surrounding me." he said, placing a hand on his forehead, and frowned, touching over his unbandaged eye. "i remember... a voice inside'a me... tellin' me that... it wasn't my time to be lost in the darkness..." he rubbed his forehead. "i can hear 'em though..." he said, hearing the soft echos of Xigbar in the back of his head. "he's..." he looked down. "he's in Marluxias time now." he sighed and winced, as though it hurt too much. it did, to an extent, but he shook his head, and pushed himself to sit up. "so he doesn't know i'm gone anymore..." he sighed and stood after a moment, moving over to knot his fingers through Xehanorts coat, and drag him over to sit next to him.
"do i freak ya out now?" he asked, and leaned back, unable to sit up anymore. he closed his eyes, tired. "i could.. hear your voice, while i was under.." he said. "it was... friggin heavenly." he said softly and smiled. "i missed ya." he said, and peered up at the silveret.
---
AUGUST 26
Xehanort gazed warily at the other, but he softened when Braig said he'd missed him.
"I came to visit you every week," Xehanort said, gently pulling Braig's head into his lap, stroking his hair. "I read to you. Even told me that comatose patients recover quickly when people talk to them. I thought it was bull, but here you are."
Not Braig's time? Xehanort supposed that was a good thing. He had about given up on Braig ever coming back to life, but now he realised he wasn't quite ready to lose him. "I don't think I'll say anything to Marluxia yet," Xehanort murmured. "I want you all to myself."
---
He smiled a bit and draped an arm around his side, nosing into his thighs and abdomen. "I do too.." he whispered, he hated to admit it, but back when all three of them were together, his favors did lean towards Marluxia, but now that Xehanort told him, Marluxia was never here, his opinion had changed immensely.
He relaxed into Xehanort and closed his eyes, loving the feeling of the other running his fingers through his hair. It was heavenly. He smiled, and traced little circles on the others back and sides, he had smelled so different now... He wasn't sure what to think of all he was told, but he reveled in the fact Xehanort did care for him... That he cared enough to come see him as frequently as he said. He sighed softly and a soft smile drew across his face. He opened his eyes and stared up to him, "I'm glad you saved me." he whispered, "I'm glad you're still here to be with me...” he sat up a bit to kiss his chin. "I'm glad... You hadn't given up." he said breathlessly, and laid back down in his lap...
A thought crossed his mind, and he frowned, he would have to build up his muscle strength again, he was rather worried about how long recovery would take, until he was able to be let out of here, and when he could go back to his normal life.
He reached down, and pulled the sheets over himself, unusually cold.
---
AUGUST 27
Xehanort smiled, though he did feel a little guilty. It was no secret that when the three of them had been together, Marluxia had been extremely jealous of Xehanort, thinking that Braig had favoured the darker, more innocent man. What he'd actually heard was that Marluxia had gone insane after Braig's collapse and, thinking the merc had abandoned him, taken up with a berserker who was almost as mad as he. Xehanort held his tongue on these matters though and simply continued stroking Braig's hair.
"That tickles," he complained slightly, flinching away from the touches to his sides. "And I wouldn't exactly say that I saved you. You recovered on your own. I just kept watch over you every so often." He smiled at the little kiss. "You've changed, for the better," he said softly, then reached down to pull a blanket from under the bed. He shook it out and wrapped it gently around Braig.
"Just relax for now," he said. "You'll need to eat and do some light exercises to build your muscles back up. You're rather more de-conditioned than you'd normally be."
---
AUGUST 28
"I'm not... Deconditioned, I'm just, tired." He said softly, and nosed into the blankets softly, reaching up to bring Xehanort down with him. He stretched an arm around him, and buried his face into the others neck, "I don't... Fully remember how I used to be...” he whispered, "some things I do remember... Some I don't." he whispered and closed his eyes, sighing into Xehanort’s neck. "you remember right?" he asked, and lifted his head to stare up at his lover, his eyes wide and pleading.
"how I used to be...?" he asked, appearing to be like a lost child.
"I remembered I love you, and we used to have a life together... But, I died and woke up here...” he sighed and stretched an arm around him, even though it hurt to stretch, it still felt amazingly good afterwards.
He sighed pleasantly, and closed his eyes... He traced both hands down his sides and shoulder. "maybe you can get me back into shape, and tell me how I was back then." he whispered and sighed into his shoulder, "whichever is easiest on you." he said softly.
---
Xehanort yelped softly as he was brought down into the covers. It was really much too warm to be cuddling, but he endured it for Braig's sake.
"I remember," said Xehanort. "It's really all I do remember." He was surprised to hear that Braig had actually died--he'd thought the other had merely collapsed.
"I can try, certainly, but I do have other duties here," said Xehanort gently. "Though I suppose I can have my new apprentice help me with the research I took on..."
---
AUGUST 30
He lifted his head slightly when the other mentioned a new apprentice. He looked down and kissed his neck lightly. He sighed a bit.. No doubt Xehanort had well and moved on with him gone. He lifted the blanket so Xehanort could have his limbs back, and laid his head on the blankets. "I'm going to... Y'know, get some rest." he said softly, "I'll let you get some work done...” he whispered, "so... I'll talk to you in a bit." he said softly, and lowered his gaze, before he closed his eyes and tucked his head into the blankets...
"Gnight...” he said from under the blankets, hiding from the others line of sight.
---
SEPTEMBER 4
Xehanort thought he sensed a mite of jealousy. "The apprentice is an industrious worker," he said. "Helps with paperwork and filing studies so that I have more time to be here. He's a violinist as well. Perhaps I should bring him in to play for you. Normally he plays only for his music teacher and 'the ballet girls', as he calls them. Oh, and of course his boyfriend."
---
OCTOBER 3
Boyfriend? He stared up at Xehanort for a minute or two and laid his head back down on the pillow, too exhausted... "If you say so...” He said quietly, and reached out to take Xehanort’s hand... His grip was weak, but firm in a way. He gently dragged Xehanort’s hand under the blanket, and kissed his wrist softly.. "Thanks for waiting..." He said softly... Near passing out... "You have no idea how... Grateful I am." He sighed, "I love you..." He yawned and slowly drifted back into sleep.
---
Xehanort gave Braig's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Love you too," he murmured, gently resting against Braig. "I'll just stay with you here for now, if you want," he murmured, though he suspected Braig had already gone to sleep.
---
He had woken up a few hours later... His entire body ached to pieces from him moving around so much... It would take forever to get his physic back... Wouldn't it..?
He moved a bit and pulled the sheets down slowly, so he could gather his bearings, and let out a quiet groan, before the ever encroaching embrace of sleep took him over once again, making the man fall back into his seemingly endless dreamscape.
