[PRP] claws like the ones on your hands [nasir/alexis]

[Daekie]

Through Alexis' door is still white-hot spikes of boiling pain, irregular in pace - just wanna sleep, god, why can't i sleep, ********> - their thoughts push out, panicked, before being pulled in on the next breath. It's an impressive degree of emotional self-regulation, although that's a little bit untrue, because the panic keeps bubbling up hot in their chest --

Alexis pulls the pillow into their face and grumbles, but it just comes out pained and breaking, the sound shot-through with hurt before it even breaches their lips.

didn't want more - covers them up, less questions - why have i been here before

Their thoughts circle on that point. It's eerie.

why do i remember this, i shouldn't, i've never had fire on my back before - the pain spikes again, and the words Nasir's picking up from their mind fall to pieces. It's just burning burning burning, I failed I failed, you LEFT me as so many disconnected concept-thoughts.

azuredreams

title from on being raised on fairy tales in which you are the monster

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir was not expecting such disjointed thoughts - but perhaps he should have. Alexis was a broadcasting tower and he, of course, would pick it up. It was why he was looking in their room, hesitating before he came in.

Their circling thoughts, the feeling of burning and failure- It reminded him have how he had taken the feeling of burning from the Burning Man. At least there was no smugness this time. "Alexis?" he calls out, hesitating before he heads towards the bed. "Did, um, Wick help heal you?" The unspoken are you alright is obvious but so is the do you need help falling asleep?

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis' thoughts are so bright they feel like a beacon in the maze of hallways - bright and angry and terrible. There's a purity of desire to them; they are straightforward even in their own head, nothing to hide, not on this topic where it hurts it hurts - another razor-spike of pain as their arms tense. Untense.

A slow push to a sitting position.

The shirt they've been given hardly counts as a shirt, by some metrics; backless and sleeveless, some loose fabric of a deep red, flowing and gentle with a loose collar. Nothing to constrict their chest, nothing to force against their skin. Normally they'd complain - it is to Wick's tastes, less so theirs, but - their stubbornness will cause them so much pain, they already know that. He's offered them this respite when they wouldn't take the other.

"Little. Told him I didn't want any more than this." The blisters are gone from their arms, but the skin looks terribly painful; they hold their fingers a little above the bed's fabric, unlikely to touch it. There's so much hair missing. All the way to their shoulderblades, it's gone. "It hides anythin' else that was there. So. Even if it hurts -" <********, it hurts, it hurts, conceptual-pain straining and spiking out of their mind before it's thrown back under lock and key - "I'd rather have this than what was there."

Alexis looks tired, but the glassy-feverish-blind look to their eyes is gone; the look they'd had when they'd held his hand and called him Daniel, seeing someone who wasn't here. Now it's just pain, and pain, and pain, and they look so small; the set of their shoulders, their jaw, still posturing for intimidation.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

At least Nasir was able to navigate somewhat, able to try and focus on the mark on his hand and not find himself overwhelmed. It was not easy because he cared about Alexis. His expression is set to a soft frown, concern etched in the way his brows are knitted together.

Nasir settles delicately next to them, reaching to their hair and letting singed strands slip between his fingers. "I can cut this later, if you want," he said quietly, before looking at their face and the less angry looking wounds. "You ... sure you don't-" he stops himself and sighs. "They could heal it more than this."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"I know." They flattened their lips and looked away. "But it won't ******** up my range of movement when's done healin'. It'll just look like s**t. N' I'd rather have the burns." Alexis flexed their fingers once, twice, and the pain they broadcasted was tamped down further and further until it was barely a blip - still there, but dealt with better.

"When we get home I'm actually planning t'lock myself in my room and drink. Didn't get a chance to do that earlier this week, with all the hospital stuff. But that's waitin' until after we do magic stuff, 'course."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir's hands and forearms had faint burn scars- as far as the magic could go. They were barely there but up close they were noticeable from when he had gripped onto the Burning Man.

"There's still some of that liqueur you like in the kitchen, if you want it." The fact that their pain disappeared had him not so tensed him, though it reminded him that he needed to find Oliver and-

He did not know what to do but the thoughts and feelings from others was invasive still.

"I'll even food delivery," he said with a small smile. Sometimes Nasir was the worst enabler.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

They laughed; a short little huff of breath, more palpable in the way their shoulders shook than in any noise. Alexis didn't really laugh loudly, after all, not when it was genuine - their snorts and scoffs and little bitter noises were audible instead. "Nah. You know how my tolerance is. With my luck, I'll get a hangover n' ******** up the casting tomorrow." They leaned towards him, not touching but close.

(There was a key burned (maybe branded, really) into their sternum. It was already scarred, pinked-up, pale; far too old to be from this. It would never have been visible, the way they normally dressed; but the neck on the shirt was low, as to not pull any further at their burns. They didn't seem too aware it was visible.)

"I know actually trimming this's best left to another day, but can you just sit for a little while? It'd help."

asuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir laughed a little, a tired laugh but a laugh all the same, and shook his head. "I meant after everything." If he noticed their burn, the other scars, he seemed mindful of them and did not ask. Instead, when they leaned, he leaned as well.

"Yeah, I can do that. At least until you fall asleep," he gave them a small smile. "We'll get to the trimming once we're back and this is all behind us. Though it'll probably confuse Trouble for you to have shorter hair.'

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"We talk about that after," Alexis huffed, and rested their head on his shoulder - the actual physical contact relaxed them, that was so easy to see in the way their shoulders untensed, their fingers uncurled. "N' Trouble will have to figure out other ways to freeload on me."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Give him time," Nasir replied, arm going around Alexis and holding loosely. "He'll figure it out. Trouble has become his name for good reason at this point." Somewhere, he was certain that his familiar was up to it.

"Try to sleep, alright? I'll stay here until you fall asleep." He leaned his head against theirs, a gentle brush of lips against the top of their head.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

A gentle noise of assent, and Alexis let their eyes drift closed; it was fits and starts, every time they brushed their arms too roughly and their frame stiffened, drawn out of sleep too suddenly. They never made a noise to signal it, but they didn't need to; Nasir knew their tells.

Eventually they drifted off, breathing even, slumping down.

azuredreams