Private Tunnel Vision

[Darth Daiara]

"Zaavik," she protested. The hallway was too narrow and he was still weak enough that she didn't want to risk further strain by removing herself. She shot him a pursed look instead. Anything to avoid going into that place, huh?

She wondered how he was going to relearn control if the place that could give it to him was treated like a plague. ...Like everything with Zaavik, she knew she'd have to tackle it one thing at a time. The doctor's would be first.

She helped him lay her down, the dour look not relenting as her muscles relaxed into the mattress. She hated how much he had been right, she could feel the exhaustion sink in as she made space for him besides her. Bodies weren't meant to run for days straight. She had been sustaining of the energy she had drained from him and she looked paler for it.

"You'll have to face her eventually," she leveled. "She cannot help us if you never meet her."

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"I know," Zaavik conceded on his way down onto the mattress. In any other circumstance he would have been out the moment he was off his feet. Supine onto the springs, eye to the ceiling, there was too much in the way of a quick driftoff. Sensations of melting into the bed only asserted exhaustion a half-step up yet still behind Aradia's far more present words. If only that first lapse of consciousness had left him well rested, he wouldn't have to fight two conflicting instincts.

"I'll talk to her," he assured with a quiet sigh following close behind. The obvious caveat was just not right now. That probably went without saying. If she had any desire to be insistent, he figured she wouldn't have let him carry her this far. Tomorrow, or at least his now out-of-whack schedule's sense of tomorrow, would be up for debate once he knew how much of his sapped strength would return. If he was going to face that shifter, he wasn't going to do it on weak knees. Of course, he didn't mention that part. Aradia would understand, he thought, but if she wouldn't, fighting about it was the last thing he wanted right now.

They'd only just settled down.

A smell drew his eye slowly down to the bedside. His brow furrowed. "You didn't eat."

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia blinked bashfully. "I, er..." She didn't want to admit she was spiting him. It didn't sound so go when put to words.

She reached for the cooled plate instead and shoveled in a pointed bite. It tasted like ash on her tongue but she forced herself to swallow it back and take a second bite.

After a painful second swallow, she gave up the act and shoved it away.

"You'd think a ship like this would have better food," she dismissed. She didn't expect him to buy it, but it would be nice if he didn't press it. Did he really need her to say it?

She didn't feel herself. She could barely feel anything after a week like this.

The dream of that cabin felt so far away. She slid under the covers, shoes and all.

"If it's hurting, there's bacta stims. Second drawer." She pointed to the table besides him.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

Zaavik's insight was sharp enough to pick up on her once intended spitefulness that was now remorse. He'd briefly had a small suspicion she might take that route when he had delivered her modest fare. What he didn't expect was her actually trying to make a show of at least making a dent in it. He shot her a look as if she was doing something crazy, its sincerity only half-feigned. It was a little late to be saving face, especially where now half-hour old food was concerned.

A breathy, voiceless chuckle emanated out from behind a weak grin. He shook his head with humorous dismissal. Faced with expression and defeated dismissal at cold food, he couldn't help but find mirth in the absurdity. "Don't worry about it," he petitioned lackadaisically, subsequently appearing to sink slightly into the mattress as he let his sag backward, eyelid slamming shut like it was made of steel.

"If it's hurting, there's bacta stims. Second drawer."

"I'm fine," he insisted, gingerly taking her pointing hand and coaxing it back down, all without opening his eye. There was pain, but whatever they'd given him at the medcenter hadn't entirely worn off yet. Throbbing in his skull hadn't yet crossed the threshold into unbearable. Reaching over for a stim felt an insurmountable task whilst on the precipice of approaching slumber.

"You remember that place we went?" he asked abruptly., voice weak with fatigue. "The morning after I found you?"

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia furrowed her brows, trying to place which and when morning-- it clicked. "The restaurant?"

She leaned over him and yanked over the draw, trying not to pinch his body under her as she ruffled around. She pulled out a stim herself and ripped it open with her teeth, not content to let him wake up in agony because he was stubborn.

She tossed the wrapping away and went to jab it into his arm before he could protest.

"You know just because you can handle it doesn't mean you have to." She stressed, looking down at him in a mix of concerned agitation.

He didn't like to see her not eat. She didn't like to see him suffer. Funny how that worked.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"Yeah. We should-" A shift in the mattress coupled with a presence above him turned his attention away from articulation. His eye opened, met with the sight of Aradia bridging over him horizontally. In his drowse, pilfering sounds from the bedside didn't tip him off. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked just before the answer to his question came in the from of a pinch and pressure onto the flesh of his arm.

Zaavik exclaimed some unintelligible Zeltron curse in a hissing intonation. Cold, metal fingers grasped her forearm, yanked to remove the hypo only a split second after it had administered the full dose. It rolled off the corner of the mattress and clattered onto the floor. His previous clutch and heave on her limb had brought them only a centimeter shy of nose-to-nose contact.

"I said I was fine," he reiterated.

 

[Darth Daiara]

Her eyes twinkled in tell-tail smugness, a grin splitting across her grim expression.

She wasn’t sorry.

“You also said I would be coming.”

She pecked his lips in cheeky dominance. He wouldn’t be living that down any time soon, nor would she let him forget— he belonged to her. Her eyes swirled darkly down at him

“Sleep.” She moved to slide off him.