forum All my roleplays are dead please give me attention // closed oxo (I'll do more though)

Started November 22, 2021 by @Fraust

tune

"Ah… are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…" Aiki said softly, trying to get more stable. He glanced icy to Saul as if to ask if that was alright with him as well. They put one hand on their head with a soft groan.

"Yeah, it's fine," Saul muttered. He seemed to be in a trance.

Ben nodded. "You're not a bother. Come on, let's leave them be."

"Um… alright…" Aiki followed Ben out, definitely worried about Saul, but knowing that there wasn't anything they could do. He yawned and sighed, his tail dragging on the ground as he walked.

Ben shut the door behind them, leaving Saul and Farah alone together. "Sorry about him," he said as the pair strolled back down the hallway. "He and Farah have a… special relationship."

"It's fine… I can tell they're very close." Aiki smiled softly and followed closely behind Ben. "I guess we'll just let him be for now. He's not gonna leave her side any time soon, anyway."

Ben sighed. "There was a mission, not too long ago, and Farah almost sacrificed herself for Saul. After the… expedition was over, Saul refused to leave her side in the hospital while she healed." He shook his head at the memory. "It took four days. She… She almost died."

"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry." Aiki replied softly. "That's horrible. I'm glad she's alright… Eiji always gets mad at me for being reckless and such." He fidgeted with his hands, his gaze going distant again. The more they thought about Eiji, the more homesick they got.

"Ah. Eiji is… your brother, correct?" Ben asked, a smile lighting his features up.

–

Saul laid down next to Farah, still holding her hand close. He brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and smiled. "Please, Farah," he murmured. "Wake up."

Aiki nodded, smiling weakly. "Yeah, my twin brother. Fraternal… we definitely don't look identical. I've got the firepower and he's a healer type. I miss him already… it feels stupid, especially since I haven't been gone that long, but… I dunno. It makes me nervous to not have him around."

"I understand that," Ben replied, pushing open the door to the boys' dorm. "Saul is like a brother to me. Andreas… I guess he is too. He's my Specialist partner after all, and Rosalind put us together because we have a friendly bond. But, I've never related to anyone quite as closely as a blood brother. I'm sorry. We're going to get you home as soon as possible."

Aiki nodded again, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah… I don't want to worry anybody, either. I-I mean, I'm… I'm sixteen you know? I'm just in high school, and… my parents and my friends and my teachers and… and Eiji especially… they're all probably going to be worried if I don't turn up."

"Definitely. You'll–" Ben stopped talking mid-sentence when he saw Andreas sitting in his bed, twirling a butterfly knife around his fingers. "Andreas," he greeted.

"Hey, Ben," Andreas replied with a grin. His eyes darted to Aiki as they entered behind Ben. He nodded a greeting.

Aiki tensed up a bit when they saw Andreas and gripped Ben's sleeve for a second as they hesitantly returned the nod. After a few seconds of standing behind Ben, he faltered and headed into the room. He tugged at the collar of his borrowed clothes and sighed, stretching. They felt a bit small and uneasy with the two larger men in the room with them.

Ben headed to his bed and sighed as he lay down. Andreas glanced over at him as he did so, and the two made eye contact. Andreas then glanced at Aiki and back at Ben with a curious glint in his eyes.

"Aiki is staying in Saul's bed for the night. Saul is going out with friends," Ben lied casually.

"Friends?" Andreas arched his eyebrows.

"Yes," Ben replied, reaching over to turn on his bedside light and grab the book on top of his nightstand.

Aiki hesitated before sitting down on the bed and trying to relax. It took him a few minutes to lay down and curl up under the covers, stuck in his own thoughts for the time being. Eventually, they drifted off to sleep, which was very fitful. He twitched and whimpered almost inaudibly in his sleep, curling up tighter and grimacing with distress.

Saul and Farah lay together as Saul drifted into sleep. He hugged Farah's back to his chest, and she subconsciously matched her breathing to his. They were a perfect pair in every way – matching and canceling each other out in just the right places.

In the dead of the night, Farah's eyes opened, and for a moment, she was unsure of where she was. Then she smelled the familiar scents of peppermint and wood and felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her midsection. She smiled and turned her head so Saul's warm exhales landed on her cheek. She didn't want to wake him, but as she shifted around, his eyes fluttered open. He sat bolt upright and looked down at her, his eyes shining with joy. "Farah?! You're awake."

"Obviously, darling," she replied with a smile, rolling onto her back.

Excitement bubbled up in Saul, and he bent over to kiss her lightly. Farah reached up to cup his face and smiled into the kiss.

Saul broke away for a moment. "I missed you."

"I love you," Farah murmured and drew him down in for another kiss. Saul happily obliged, and after a few moments, their sweet reunion came to a close as Farah murmured, "We should be getting back to sleep."

He sighed. "You're right." He laid down beside her again, and she curled against him, laying her head on his chest. After a few moments, Farah felt his breathing become deep and even, signaling he had fallen asleep. She smiled, closed her eyes, breathed in his scent, and fell back asleep until the sun's morning rays slanted through the window and lit up the darkened room.

In the morning, Aiki was wide awake and sitting up in the bed. They had circles under their eyes and looked exhausted; they clearly hadn't gotten much sleep. His sleep had been very fitful and plagued with nightmares about Farah and Saul and Rosalind and Aiki… he was still stuck thinking about them now as he stared blankly at the wall. They were trembling lightly and their face was very pale, and they looked anxious and uncomfortable.

In the morning, Farah woke to kisses tickling the back of her neck. She let out a giggle and rested her hand on top of his that lay on her stomach. "Saul…" she breathed his name quietly and tilted her head down so he had more room.

"Farah…" he mumbled against her neck as he continued his feather-light string of kisses.

"My love, as much as I'd like to keep…" She sighed as pushed his hand softly into her stomach and kept kissing. She closed her eyes with a smile and let him continue for a few more moments before she reluctantly spoke again. "Darling, I think we should get up now."

"Alright," Saul replied, placing a final kiss at the nape of her neck before withdrawing and pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Farah remained laying down, savoring the moment a second longer before sitting up as well. "Where did Aiki sleep last night?" she asked, massaging her temples with her fingers.

"In my bed. Ben let him know it was okay," he replied, gazing at her as if she were the most glorious being in the world.

"We should check on them," she said, glancing over and doing a double-take. "What?" she asked.

"You're beautiful," he cooed.

"Stop," she retorted, shoving his shoulder with a smile. "Let's go." She rose off the bed and strode toward the door.

Aiki did their best to keep quiet, not wanting to bother Ben or Andreas with their whining. He felt very dizzy and his mind was foggy, and it was very difficult to focus. With little to no sleep or food in their system, they felt like they were barely functioning.

Upon vaguely hearing footsteps, or at least thinking that he did, he glanced up, briefly broken from his trance. Their ears were drooping and their heart was pounding in their throat, and their tail and hair were both very disheveled. "Mmnh… Farah…? Saul…?" He called out weakly in his croaky, cracky voice.

Farah quietly pushed open the door and saw Aiki sitting in the bed, clearly awake. She paced over to him, and her steps were as elegant, confident, and graceful as they were before she fell dangerously unconscious less than 24 hours before. She perched on the edge of the bed and covered Aiki's hand with her own, immediately transferring calm feelings through the touch. "How are you?" she asked kindly while Saul stood behind her. "How did you sleep?"

"Mmnh…" Aiki closed their eyes almost as soon as Farah touched them to help them relax. "Didn't… didn't sleep. Couldn't…" He swore softly under his breath and groaned, wincing at his growing headache. "Feels like my brain won't work… I-I feel awful. I just wanna go home and sleep through a full day in my own bed…" They yawned and leaned back a bit, their head bumping the wall.

"Of course," Farah replied. "We'll get you back to your family today, I promise. And I'm sorry you couldn't sleep, but it will be better once you're home. Oh!" she quickly tried to cushion their head from the blow to the wall with her other hand. "Easy. Just relax." She magnified the calm radiating from her to him, ignoring the mounting pressure in her head.

Aiki groaned softly, his eyelids fluttering a bit as he tried to relax as instructed. "I'm tired…" They murmured softly. "I just wanna go home… I wanna see my parents again, and… and Eiji… I'll even deal with going to school again." He winced a bit and rubbed at his eyes with one fist, his ears still limp. They seemed pretty limp as well, too tired to really do much.

"Well, let's work on that now," Farah murmured. "Saul, wake up Ben, and let's get this party started, shall we?"

Saul chuckled as he walked to Ben's bedside. "That's something I never thought I'd hear you say."

"Mm… work on what…?" Aiki asked sleepily, leaning against Farah. "Going home? Can I… do I get to go home now?" He yawned again and closed his eyes, starting to nod off despite how badly he wanted to stay awake at the moment.

Farah noticed, and she waved Saul off from waking Ben. "Well, I'd like you to get some rest first. I can feel you need it." She lowered her voice and whispered firmly, but not unkindly, "Stop trying to hide your feelings from me."

"But I can… I can rest at home… I wanna go home… please…" Aiki insisted, trembling lightly and turning their ears back. He couldn't keep himself from yawning again, and he was slowly growing limp against Farah.

"I just want you to rest. A few minutes, that's all it will take," she reassured him, positioning herself to be comfortable for him when he leaned against her. "You'll be with your family before you know it, I promise."

Aiki whined softly, but regardless, it didn't take long at all for him to fall asleep. They were exhausted, and their body desperately wanted the rest after almost a full night of none at all. He looked much more peaceful while he was asleep, although he was still a bit pale.

Farah and Saul exchanged a look, and Farah gently stroked Aiki's hair to urge them deeper into sleep. She knew he needed the sleep, she felt it the second she extended her calming aura to them.