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Who: Fayt Leingod, Albel Nox, and later Cliff Fittir, Okita Souji and Law.
What: A spar gone awry.
When: January 13th, afternoon
Where: Battledome
Summary: Fayt is tired of Albel avoiding them over lingering discomfort from the mistletoe shift, and tries to help him regain a sense of normalcy the only way he knows might work.
Rating: PG-15 for violence and heavy injuries.

Fayt had given it nearly two weeks. Two weeks of Albel sulking around, avoiding so much as talking to him or even looking at him. He'd barely seen the man, and even when he had it had only been for a second or two before Albel darted off.

He wasn't an idiot. That Albel seemed to be avoiding him was obvious enough, and he supposed he should have expected him to react this way-- Fayt had shrugged off the shift just fine, long used to the Malnosso messing with them by now, but Albel obviously didn't know how to. Albel avoided physical and emotional affection like it was the black plague, and shifted or not it had probably made Fayt's presence difficult for him to deal with.

It was more than a little awkward. Albel was eccentrically reactive at the best of times, but Fayt felt bad for making him so uncomfortable, even if it wasn't technically his fault. He had to do something.

A few messages sent Albel's way over the journals to try to smooth things over had gotten no response, though that wasn't surprising. Fayt finally just decided on the direct approach, heading to the battledome where he knew he'd find Albel training more likely than not.

When he finds the room the swordsman is using, he walks right in. There would be no running away this time.

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He'd had his talk with Albel, given him enough time, and now Souji was the one to visit the clinic recovery area - albeit with some trepidation. Seeing Fayt hurt could send him into a rage again, but not seeing him would leave Souji worried. He had no idea of the extent of the injuries beside the wing and the amount of blood, and so he braced for the worst as he headed inside and toward Fayt's bed.

"Fayt-kun...? Are you awake?"

Fayt was awake.... sort of. He had been drifting in and out of sleep most of the day, and he's lightly dozing when Souji steps in and speaks. He lets out a small groan as he opens one eye, blinking blearily from his position where he's been stiffly sleeping on his front since his arrival due to his injured back.

"Yeah, kinda. Hey." His voice is a little hoarse, courtesy of the sore throat that's developed along with his fever. Typical of a wing being removed, apparently, but it wasn't pleasant to say the least.

The hoarse answer the sight of the boy's bandaged back was enough of an answer to Souji's worries. He was alive, but the wing regrowth would take a considerable amount of time and he'd be ill for most of it. It wasn't easy to keep the worry from his face, but Souji made it to the bed and brought a chair with him, sitting close to Fayt's bedside so it would be easier for the boy to see him.

In his lap, he had a package wrapped in dark blue cloth, and he tried to smile at Fayt reassuringly as he opened it. "I'm glad to see you're alright. Cliff-san and your other--" He hesitated to use the word, but knew he had to. "--friend should be by soon, if Cliff-san has even left here for very long."

He pulled out a thermos of tea and a small cup. "I brought you some tea to help with your throat and the fever, do you think you can drink it?"

"Yeah, think so." He moves a bit, wincing as he shifts his arm under his chin to make things a little easier. It would be hard to talk-- or drink, for that matter, face down in the pillow, but rolling over on his side would be painful at the moment. Something to drink right now sounded really, really good, though.

"Thanks...." A pause, at that hesitation. "Are you guys all right? Law said you were all fine, but..." Can't blame a guy for worrying, especially with how Albel had been recently. His whole goal with that spar had blown up in his face, and he knew he'd probably just made the situation with Albel's discomfort worse.

Edited 2014-01-19 03:31 (UTC)

"We're fine." Albel was a mess, but Souji didn't really care if Albel was a mess or not. The man was being a child about this entire thing, and he'd harmed Fayt in the midst of his temper tantrum. The last thing Souji cared about was whether or not Albel Nox was doing well.

Cliff, on the other hand, was a central worry - second only to Fayt. He poured the cup of tea and then took out a straw - something he'd seen people use before to drink things. Putting the straw in the tea, he held the tip of it toward Fayt's lips.

"Cliff-san has taken care of everything. You don't need to worry about anything but getting better."

"Yeah, I saw him a bit earlier... He's pretty dependable like that." Fayt knew Cliff would do whatever it took to keep the peace, but that didn't mean there hadn't been any mess to clean up after his screw up. Literally and figuratively.

He seems a bit surprised by the straw Souji produced, but grateful. Shifting forward the small amount necessary to take the straw in his mouth, he takes a long, long drink, and when he's done he lets out an almost contented sigh. "Thanks. I needed that."

But feverish as he was, even he knew Souji was avoiding the mention of one particular person. And after his talk with Cliff... "And you and Albel?"

Edited (edited for continuity) 2014-01-19 04:50 (UTC)

Souji smiled, glad to know that both Cliff was safe and he had been here for Fayt. He waited while Fayt drank, staying silent until he was finished. Pulling the cup away, he refilled it and waited until Fayt might need a drink again. "I'm glad it could help. If you want more, just let me know."

Because Fayt's question was something he didn't want to answer. He took a moment and settled the cup into his lap before moving it to the bedside table. Rather than answer right away, he reached back into the cloth wrapped bag and pulled out a small box which housed a cold cloth. This, he pulled out and put against Fayt's neck to help with the fever. "We're fine - Albel-san returned home. I did the same."

He nods, smiling a bit wryly, but not missing the lack of detail Souji offered. "Wasn't expecting a fever quite this bad." Fayt didn't get sick much himself, and the times when he did were always a pain, but this was something else. Law hadn't been joking when he'd said he would feel like death warmed over for a while. Leaning forward, he takes another long drink, before leaning back, resting his head on the pillow but keeping his eyes on Souji even as his bangs fall in his eyes. The cold cloth was a relief, and he very nearly drops the obvious avoidance to relax, but...

He couldn't just leave this alone, after what Cliff had told him. "....But fine, huh? Cliff said it was nearly otherwise."

Edited 2014-01-19 23:44 (UTC)

"It'll pass soon enough and you'll be home again." He felt strange saying that, knowing that home wasn't here, but somewhere else. Some other "realm" or whatever it was that Albel had prattled on about in his angry admonishments was home for Fayt. It hadn't made any sense to Souji and he'd meant to ask about it, but seeing how weak and tired Fayt was, he knew it wasn't the time or the place - and it likely wouldn't be for some time even with Cliff. Instead, he settled into the role of caretaker, as he often was for Hijikata or even some of the other captains and commanders.

Souji moved to brush the hair out of Fayt's eyes, but froze when he spoke. He lingered between pulling his hand back and continuing his motion for a split second, then decided on the latter and pushed the boy's fringe behind his ear gently. "Nearly, but it wasn't and what you need to worry about right now is getting better - not about a little tiff we 'almost' had." He pulled his hand back and settled them both around the cup now in his lap. If Fayt needed more, he'd give him more, until then, the cup was his anchor. "It's fine now, so don't worry."

The touch on his forehead is surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, motherly in Fayt's mind. Memories of last summer come unbidden to his mind, and he closes his eyes for a moment at the touch.

But he knew Souji was still avoiding the topic. "Hey, I don't blame you for it. Albel has a bad habit of trying to bait people when he's upset." To get the reaction he expects he should get. A long ago night in Peterny came to mind. A blade through his pillow and a pointed question. Really, that idiot....

"I'm just glad neither of you got hurt.... Well, worse in his case. I'll be fine, but you guys can go at it hard."

Edited 2014-01-21 21:10 (UTC)

Souji didn't want to tell Fayt that Albel hadn't needed to bait him. He'd come to the clinic expecting to execute someone. He'd wanted to kill, or at the very least maim, the person who had hurt Fayt. Not even he knew where his possessiveness of his newfound friends came from, but he recognized what it meant. He would give his lives for them, fight by their sides, and destroy anyone who ever tried to harm them - friend or foe.

He smiled, even if it lacked its normal warmth and optimism. "We all have bad habits." Some worse than others, some more deadly - and after his talk with Albel, he better understood him, even if Albel hated him for it. He could deal with hatred so long as he himself was calm, and seeing Fayt alive and healing was doing wonders for that. "It was fortunate Cliff-san was there to mediate and I've promised not to attack first, so we should be at a stalemate from here on."

"A stalemate, huh? That's good. I think Law would have been pretty angry if you guys tore up the clinic, too." That smile is mirrored on Fayt's own face, though it's a bit wry. He didn't doubt that once Albel knew how skilled Souji was, there might be a challenge to a spar in the future. Albel couldn't resist a good fight, after all.

"He's not a bad guy, really. He's just not the type to hold back."

"Like I said, we all have our bad habits." Holding back wasn't one of Souji's strong points either. If the stalemate ever broke, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop himself from trying to ram a sword through Albel's gut. Hopefully, it would never come to that though. Souji couldn't let Albel just get away with it and while he knew he also couldn't permit himself to be around the other swordsman for some time, eventually they would get to a point (or, at least Souji would get to a point) where he could be in each other's vicinity without wanting to murder one another.

"And yes, I do believe Law-sensei would have had our heads for that. Which would have been unfortunate." Souji's smile brightened a little. "I think Albel's head is rather nice, even if he has a thick skull."

That draws a laugh from Fayt, though it's hoarse and painful enough to make him stop soon after, hacking for a few moments on the dry air in his already dry throat, the tremors it causes making the pain in his back spike uncomfortably.

It doesn't last long, though, and after a few moments of breathing he smiles awkwardly. Guess he can't even laugh without throwing something out of whack.... "Yeah.... he does, doesn't he?"

Souji almost regretted the joke as he saw the pain his friend was going through from such a simple action. He set the cup down and lifted up from his chair, his hands hovered over Fayt; not sure where he could touch to make it better, to help ease his suffering. When it seemed he was settling on his own, Souji sat back and gave Fayt a sympathetic smile. He knew what it was like to have something as simple as a laugh cause problems.

"Yes, to both parts. His little ponytails are cute - like little tails." He picked the cup up again and offered it to Fayt. "Would you like some more?"

Yeah... thanks." Liquid was what he needed right now, he knew, and he leans forward slightly to take the straw in his mouth, drinking deeply to sooth his raw throat. After the first drink he catches his breath, before taking another, equally long gulp.

When he's done he rests his head on his arms again, offering Souji a grateful look, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

He was used to taking care of himself when he was sick. Even when he was a kid his parents couldn't usually take enough time off to take care of him during the rare instances he was sick, so being stuck in a position where he couldn't take care of himself was an uncommon feeling. He decides to cut off any possible conversation about how he's feeling by continuing with Souji's train of thought. "You know.... It's kind of like the cats on his planet. Two tails."

Edited 2014-01-23 03:40 (UTC)

He laughed a little at the apology, not really certain why Fayt would think of this as an imposition of any kind. The only thing Souji had to worry about was whether or not he'd brought enough of the medicated tea; and if not, he'd just go home, make more and come back. "It's nothing to say sorry for," he said, setting the cup down to pour a refill.

"And cats, hm?" He smirked and tightened the lid on the thermos, setting it down by his chair. "That certainly would explain much about him - cats and I have never been the best of friends. I much prefer pigs."

"Not much of a cat person, huh?" A small grin returns to his face, though the earlier laughter is absent as he relaxes onto his arm properly, waiting as the pain in his back fade from the earlier, sharp pain into the more subdued pain of earlier.

"I don't think Saizou would want the competition, anyway, do you?"

Souji simply smiled and shook his head. It wasn't necessary to give Fayt the details of why he didn't like cats. He had his reasons - one about a demon and an elaborate, albeit befuddling trap he and his friends fell into; the other... Well, he hadn't exactly experienced it yet, but he'd read (and then burned) enough books on the subject of his death that he knew what harbinger came for him. "Pigs are much nicer."

He picked the cup back up, holding it in his lap in case Fayt made a move for another drink and laughed a little. "He already has a bit of competition - and he's not very happy about it, so no, I don't think he'd want more. He does like you though. I had to set him outside so he didn't try to come in."

"Really?" He looks curiously in the direction of the door, at least as much as he's able wondering if that was true. Law probably wouldn't like the idea of animals in the clinic, but Saizou was an entertaining little bugger.

"....I guess Law might not like that, huh?"

He smiled and nodded, pointing downstairs. "I had to leave him outside the battle dome. He caught Cliff-san's scent and started acting up." And Law was scary enough when he was mad over a possible tiff - Souji could only imagine how having a pig run wild in his clinic would make him feel. "So he's tied up where he can't get into too much trouble. Although he does apologize for not being able to come up."

Souji paused and then laughed. "Or he would, if he could talk."

His grins widens a little at both Souji's words and the mental image that produced. "Tell him I appreciate the thought." He leans forward to take another sip from the straw, feeling a little better for the liquid intake.

"Is he ever going to get along with Cliff, you think?"

"I will." When Fayt leaned forward, Souji moved the cup, bringing the straw closer to his face and reducing the amount of movement he had to do. He knew that hydration was important, and considering how Fayt's voice seemed to be improving, the herbal tea was doing its work.

The other thing, however... Souji laughed a bit. "I really don't know. Maybe, one day, once he realizes what everything means. He's been the only one to stay after all these years. I think he only wants to protect me."

"Protect you? From Cliff?" Huh.... Guess Cliff could be intimidating, at times. He certainly could be in battle. And when they'd first met on Vanguard.... well.

"I guess he can seem like a pretty scary guy sometimes. Certainly was when we met the first time."

Souji shrugged a little, acquiescing to Fayt's assessment. Maybe Saizou was protecting him from Cliff or maybe he was protecting him from something else - whatever the reason, Cliff sparked some sort of anger in the piglet. Maybe he was just jealous and had sensed something before either he or Cliff had. Whatever the reason, it paled in comparison to what Fayt just admitted.

"Oh? And how did you two first meet? I've never heard the story."

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