crossmyheartandhope

[He keeps it up, then, slow strokes from the wrist, a gentle back and forth. His own breath is steady and even, slight warmth against her collarbone.]

[Slowly, she relaxes some as well, though careful, as if she might break something. Her hand creeps up to the nape of his neck, and she trails her fingers through, light]

[(She is fairly certain her collar is buttoned enough not to leave any shadows over her skin but...)]

[He's quiet for a long couple of minutes, curled up there against her, fingers tracing idly back and forth, forth and back. The motion has slowed, a little, maybe as he gets closer to sleep - but then it comes to a stop, at around the time when he takes a startled breath in.]

...what's this?

[She jerks when he does, not that she'd been asleep but certainly awake now]

...What's what?

...I dunno.

[He reaches up, careful, to touch - like he's afraid it might be something not yet healed, the edge of a raw wound.]

This?

[All he gets in return is a blank stare for like two beats before her eyebrows raise, and she takes in a quick little breath

Then she huffs it out; rolls to her back, casual]

That's--nothing. A zit, maybe.

[Whatever it was, it felt smooth and warm, same as (presumably) any other skin of hers he's touched]

I mean - it just. It looks kinda... not like a zit, is all.

[He hesitates.]

Like. If your stuff didn't heal up all the way, either, I got bandages.

I don't need bandages. I'm all healed.

[Pauses, then, more worried than she wants to sound]

...You don't got nothing new?

Edited 2019-09-03 03:44 (UTC)

[It takes him a beat to process that, and then a beat longer to process that.]

[Guess that answers what that is, even if he still doesn't know exactly what form it's taking. The reply sounds a little weak, when it comes:]

...nah. Same old, same old. The heart thing, and those scars I can't ditch.

[Which could have been worse. (But had been better until she'd messed it all up and she can't forget that.)

She lets her head rest down against the mattress, reaches for one of his hands]

...Sorry.

...pretty sure I'm the one who owes you the apology here, dude.

[He takes her hand - threads their fingers together, and squeezes.]

[Squeezes back, giving a weak smile]

...Pretty sure you aren't.

For real, though.

Whatever she did you you, you didn't deserve it. And - and I'm sorry.

You don't ever gotta apologize to me... After what she did to you, twice? After everything else? I just--

You aren't the kinda guy what's supposed to be done dirty is all.

Yeah, well. By my count, I had it coming.

You shouldn't've had to pay her in the first place. I should've - talked her down or something. Made a better deal.

I don't want anybody paying my debts. Even I should be able to do that much.

I mean - you did it, right? I know you can.

Point is, you shouldn't've had to. You, and Req, and King, and Yugi, and Intensity - none of you guys should've owed her in the first place.

I know.

Requiem shouldn't have started something--I shouldn't've made it worse. Should've thought for like thirty seconds; should've known it'd be way outta my league. And instead you guys had to pay the price.

Hey. Listen to me.

Req got hit for trying a doorknob after that guy told her to try the doorknob. You think we were ever gonna get out of there in one piece? Cause I don't. You didn't do nothing till he fried her crispy, after we knew it was a lost cause anyway, and that - I woulda done the same thing, if it'd been you.

Mistakes got made, but those weren't them, and you didn't make em.

It wouldn’t have been great but could have been better, and you know it. ...And if I didn’t make any mistakes, you sure didn’t.
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We never woulda been there if I hadn't messed up in the first place. And Req never woulda been around to get fried if I'd kept my mouth shut in that parking lot.

[He squeezes her hand, gentle.]

I'm just saying, dude - you didn't drop the ball on this one. Okay? It was bad, but it was always gonna be bad. We just gotta dump more skill points into stealth for next time, I guess.

I’m not saying we didn’t all mess up on the planning side, but— You and me, we went looking for Elly together—we went to heaven together. You didn’t mess anything up that I didn’t mess up first.

Before he meteored the city, I asked if there was a chance to get everyone and get out, and he said - he said he couldn't say for sure. That he was just one angel, and it was my call.

...

...I told him I wanted to try, if he thought we had a shot at it.

[Squeezes his hand tight]

I told him to help get the people out of jail. And he told me he couldn’t just leave everybody else in Hell out of angel duty or something.

Either way he’d be going into enemy territory. Wouldn’t have made a difference if he’d busted jail outside the city instead of through it. Just as many demons around.

...We just...gotta get him out, I guess.

...yeah. We can't leave him there.

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