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

Started November 22, 2021 by @Fraust

tune

"O-Okay…" Aiki closed their eyes and rested their head on the wall as they clung to Farah's hand. He was breathing more steadily more and seemed more tired than panicky. "I'm sorry…"

"Nothing to… apologize… for…" Farah murmured. As much as she tried to fight it, the unconscious slowly pulled her back. She moaned quietly, trying hard to stay awake.

"Farah, relax," Ben urged. "Don't fight it."

Saul pressed her hand so tightly against his chest that Farah felt his heartbeat in her fingertips.

"Please… rest if you need to. We'll be fine." Aiki smiled weakly to reassure her, a little more color finally returning to their cheeks. "Don't force yourself to stay away for our sake, alright? Take care of yourself."

Farah's eyes fluttered shut, and her grip on Aiki's hand went slack. The calming flow stopped, and her head fell back against the pillow.

Saul lowered his chin to his chest and closed his eyes.

The tightness in Aiki's chest returned when Farah passed out and he sighed shakily. "She's fine… she's fine… everything is going to be f-fine…" They whispered softly to themself to try and calm down.

"Yes, she'll be quite alright once she gets an adequate amount of rest," Ben stated with a nod. "For now, there isn't much anyone can do."

Saul took a deep, quiet inhale and let out a long, shaky exhale.

Aiki nodded weakly and rubbed at their eyes. "W-Well… um… what should we do now, then?" He asked softly. "We probably shouldn't just sit here and stare at her until she wakes up."

Ben checked his watch. "It's getting a little late. I don't know about you two, but I'll be going to bed soon. I suggest you do as well, but I can't tell you what to do."

"I'm staying with Farah," Saul stated without even looking away from her face.

"Alright… I should probably get some rest too. It'll be good to be well rested assuming that I'll actually be permitted to leave…" Aiki sighed, getting to their feet unsteadily and leaning against the wall for support.

Ben touched Saul's shoulder gently. "Are you really staying here?" he asked quietly.

Saul nodded, not breaking his gaze from Farah.

"Aiki," Ben said, turning away from Saul, "you can sleep in Saul's bed tonight if you'd like. It's more comfortable than other arrangements we would have to provide."

"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.