5/19 Instance: The More Things Change

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
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5/19 Instance: The More Things Change

Post by Slarti »

Timelined a day or so after Web of Lies

<Hope> It was difficult to process everything that had happened to her the past few days. Nothing was the same now and rather, everything was screwed up again. It was almost comforting how things always went to hell. She could count on it.

<Hope> David was still gone. Jess was... Jess. Sebastian was being, well, himself as well. This left her plenty of time to sit beside Shinobi and think. Someone, she didn't know who, had brought in a cot for her, though she didn't know when. She had tried to sit on that, but it lasted only a moment. It was too far away from Shinobi.

<Hope> Even pushed up against the bed, it was too far away. She couldn't see him. Couldn't feel him. She had pushed it back against the wall in favor of sitting beside him in her chair once more. Sitting. Staring. Beeping. It filled the hours. She was sure Jess or Sebastian came in. They may have even spoke to her. She didn't hear them.

<Hope> Eventually, the lack of sleep overwhelmed her. She was exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. She looked down at him again, still asleep on the bed. When would he wake up? Would he wake up? She swallowed the lump in her throat and carefully, ever so carefully, laid down in the bed beside him.

<Hope> The heart rate monitor speed up, but as she lay there, it settled again. She touched his shoulder carefully as she lay beside him, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. "Please come back," she whispered to him as she closed her eyes. "Please come back." Beside her sweetheart, and for the first time since the cell, Hope finally fell asleep.

<Shaw> After lunch, and after spending time looking for Sarkissian, Sebastian finally found his way back to his son's room, bearing two cups of coffee. The door was closed, but unlatched, and he pushed it open with his shoulder and then stopped.

<Shaw> Hope lay beside Shinobi on the bed, sound asleep. After a moment of thought, he quietly stole into the room and left the cup of hot coffee on the bedside table, then went to find Jessica.

<Shinobi> There didn't seem to be any transition between his previous state and consciousness. Shinobi opened his eyes - plural - and blinked. That was a change. All he could see was a ceiling unlike the last one he remembered, and for a moment he panicked.

<Shinobi> Nearly simultaneously, he sensed something and carefully turned his head toward a mess of wild red hair. "Oh..."

<Hope> The voice caused the owner of that mass of hair to protest the noise and snuggle closer to the warmth of her Obi. She didn't want to wake up yet. Her cheek eased more onto his shoulder as she re-situated, then settled.

<Shinobi> He watched her, lips curved in a faint smile. She looked better, and he felt... he wasn't sure. High, most likely. The memory of stabbing the man in the kabuki mask was clear, and so was the pain that followed it. He'd been so sure he was dying.

<Shinobi> Slowly, he raised a hand and inspected it, then awkwardly picked up one of her curls.

<Hope> The movement of her hair caught her attention. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus her vision once she did. They rested on his eyes. She smiled softly at him, not moving from where she was. He was alive... and awake.

<Shinobi> "Good morning," he attempted, then frowned since his voice sounded rough. Oh well.

<Hope> "Hi," she smiled, but she didn't sound much better. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hi."

<Shinobi> "Are you okay?" She seemed... twitchy, and he found himself winding that lock of hair around his finger.

<Hope> "I should be asking you that," she pointed out, tracing her finger lightly over his shoulder. "How do you feel?"

<Shinobi> "Tired," he said, closing his eyes briefly at the touch. "I think I'm high."

<Hope> She laughed softly at that. "I know you are." Hope glanced over at his IV. "They've kept you medicated. Tried to keep you comfortable."

<Shinobi> He tried to catch her eyes. "It was that bad?"

<Hope> She didn't want to look at him, but she did. She pressed her lips together, closing her eyes as she nodded.

<Shinobi> Why was she so nervous? He could feel it. He tugged on her hair a bit. "Hey."

<Hope> Her eyes opened at the tug, looking back into his eyes. "Hey."

<Shinobi> "I'm okay." He smiled and gave her a slow blink. At least, he thought so.

<Hope> She breathed a sigh and nuzzled his shoulder, trying to relax. "We're not home," she warned him.

<Shinobi> Shit. He knew better than to try to sit up, but he tensed. "Where?"

<Hope> "We're with Hydra. Jess and Sebastian are here too. That's who got us... out." She slid her hand to his cheek, trying to soothe him. "You're not in any danger."

<Shinobi> Jess and Sebastian. Sebastian, who was not his father, Jess who had lied to him for months... and so had Hope. He dropped his hand and turned his head away.

<Hope> She jerked her hand back like his face was hot.

<Shinobi> The apology was almost on his lips, but he just watched her for a moment, undecided. That'd hurt her, he could tell.

<Hope> She didn't really know what to do now. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. She bit her lip, considering moving back to her chair.

<Shinobi> "Was that it?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

<Hope> Her chest felt heavy as she carefully sat up, rubbing her hands over her face as the change of blood pressure caused her head to swim. "You're alive because of Viper." She gauged where the chair was before carefully moving herself back to it.

<Shinobi> Viper? That made him pause, and then she was gone. He reached for her but missed, still uncoordinated.

<Hope> Back in the safety of her chair, Hope curled back up, hugging her knees to her chest. "She did your surgery. Kept you alive."

<Shinobi> Now fully sidetracked, he frowned. "How long have we been here?"

<Hope> "I... I don't know," she answered truthfully.

<Shinobi> He gave her an odd look.

<Hope> "I don't know!" She repeated, hiding her face in her knees to get control of herself again.

<Shinobi> "That's okay!" Surprised by her reaction, he reached for her again and found he could only touch her arm. "We'll... figure it out..." It shouldn't be that hard.

<Hope> She slid an arm free to take his hand, holding onto it tightly.

<Shinobi> He just watched her for a time, trying to decipher what he felt through their link.

<Hope> Calmed enough to look at him again, she did, shifting to get more comfortable. "I thought I might lose you."

<Shinobi> "I think I'm going to survive." He tried a smile, wondering how much he might regret surviving when the painkillers wore off.

<Hope> She smiled weakly back at him. That wasn't entirely what she had meant, but it was half of it. The rest... well... it wasn't time for that. "And I'm so thankful that you are."

<Shinobi> He squeezed her hand, eyes narrowing as he picked up a ghost of her thoughts. "I just need to know one thing."

<Hope> "Anything," she focused on him, keeping a firm hold of his hand.

<Shinobi> "Was that it? Was...that the only secret?" He kept his eyes on hers, though he could feel them beginning to water.

<Hope> "Yes," she told him, sliding back onto the bed with him. "I swear to you, Obi. It was the only secret. And I don't care who asks me to keep one anymore. I'm not keeping anything from you again."

<Shinobi> Lips pressed together, he watched her, gauging. "Okay." When she joined him again, he let go of her hand and touched her face. Threading his fingers through her hair he slid his hand to the nape of her neck and brought her closer.

<Hope> "I promise," she whispered as she moved to him.

<Shinobi> "You promise?" He echoed her, watching her eyes, though her mouth was drawing his attention now.

<Hope> Hope slid her hand to his cheek, stroking it lovingly. "I promise you." She kept her eyes on him, letting him into her mind.

<Shinobi> That surprised him; they locked eyes.

<Hope> Hope stayed there for some time, but she felt the need to clarify one thing. "I just... can I have some time before I have to talk about what happened?" She stroked his cheek with her thumb, begging him with her eyes.

<Shinobi> With a swallow, he nodded and pulled her in, dragging her to him to give her a kiss on her forehead. "Sure..." He wanted to ask, but... later.

<Hope> She couldn't help but shake just a little as she rested against him. Thank you, Obi. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. About everything. For everything.

<Shinobi> I know... He really did feel her regret and guilt and the depth of her feelings. It was... shocking.

<Hope> She calmed at his words, closing her eyes and settling down. I love you.

<Shinobi> He smiled and tried to shift toward her just a bit, though it ended in a hiss. I love you, too.

<Hope> Hope moved for him, nestling into him and kissing his cheek softly, nuzzling him. He was okay. That was more than she could have asked for.

<Shinobi> Are you sure you're okay? He brushed their noses together and gave her a gentle kiss. Did David make it? If so, she should be healed.

<Hope> She smiled softly as she returned the kiss. "He made it. He left to do... I don't know what. But he's okay."

<Shinobi> "Good... but you didn't answer my question." He craned his head back enough to see her face clearly.

<Hope> Busted. Hope swallowed and shrugged finally. "I don't know."

<Shinobi> Just watching her for a moment, he stroked her cheek and sighed, his head dropping back onto the pillow. "Yeah... I know what you mean."

<Hope> "We can figure it out. Together," she assured him. "I'm not losing you again."

<Shinobi> "No... you're not going to lose me." Why she wanted him at all was entirely another question. He sighed, smoothing back her hair. "Whenever you want to talk about what happened..."

<Hope> She nodded, swallowing as she closed her eyes. "I just can't yet. Just too soon. I'm really sorry." She pressed her hand over his. "I feel like I'm still hiding something from you."

<Shinobi> "Just don't keep it from me forever, okay?" She almost looked peaceful, with her eyes closed like that. You haven't been sleeping, or eating. Why don't you do one and then the other?

<Hope> "I won't," she assured him," but gave him a bit of a look for his thoughts. "I'm fine."

<Shinobi> He rolled his eyes.

<Hope> "I just woke up on you, didn't I?"

<Shinobi> "I bet that was the first time you slept." He smirked, additionally pleased that it didn't hurt.

<Hope> "Entirely beside the point," she huffed at him. "I'm not leaving you... You're finally awake."

<Shinobi> "You don't have to leave to sleep," he said, his words punctuated with a yawn. "That was kind of what I was suggesting."

<Hope> She considered that, finally nodding. "Okay. I can do that."

<Shinobi> "Good." Move just a little so I can get my arm around you, he instructed, because if they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.

<Hope> She obliged, stealing a kiss while she was leaning up for him.

<Shinobi> He grinned and got them both settled again, fighting a little with the blanket.

<Hope> Hope assisted him, sighing contently when she settled in again. Sweet dreams, Obi.

<Shinobi> Let's hope. That small effort had worn him out and taxed the limits of his painkillers, so he sighed and leaned his cheek against her head.
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