Chapter Text
Consciousness came in fits and starts.
L’strom drifted in comfortable blackness, listening with half an ear to familiar and beloved voices around him.
Then the pain hit, he whined softly and there was a hand smoothing through his hair, untangling it as it went,
“Shhh… take your time,” that voice, he needed to see that voice, needed it more than breathing. L’strom forced his eyes open and yelped at the lights that assaulted them, shutting them quickly as someone moved to dim them, “open your eye’s slowly ‘strom,” he peeked out from his lashes, letting his eyes adjust, watching as G’raha moved back to the chair beside the bed, “welcome back to the land of the living,”
“’raha…” he winced at the state of his voice, G’raha reached over to the bedside table and picked up a glass,
“Water?” L’strom nodded, not trusting his voice and G’raha helped him carefully sit up and take a few sips, “how are you feeling?” L’strom hesitated, all the emotions hitting him at once. G’raha made a soft sound and settled on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm carefully around L’strom and pulling him close, letting him sob into his shoulder. G’raha pet his hair, purring comfortingly in his chest and slowly, slowly, L’strom’s sobs eased,
“Sorry…”
“No apologies my darling, you’ve been through a lot,”
“I sent you all away…” ah, that,
“You wanted to protect us,” G’raha said gently, “you were scared for us,” L’strom nodded against his shoulder,
“Alisaie is going to yell at me…” G’raha chuckled softly,
“Most likely, although she has promised to let you recover before lecturing you,”
“Small mercies,” G’raha kissed the top of his head,
“I told Krile I would come and get her once you woke up,” L’strom nodded,
“I’ll be alright,” G’raha helped him lay back down and left the room. L’strom looked over the room, cataloging everything, must be G’raha’s room he concluded, as the one Ojika always had him stay in was much less personalized. He cast his memory back, trying to piece together how he got from the edge of existence, collapsed next to Zenos as he breathed his last, bidding to follow him into death to now, sore and exhausted but alive and back in Sharlyan. A spark caught his eye and he looked to see a starbird fly through the open window, chirping happily at the sight of him,
“Meteion…” he murmured, slowly and carefully reaching a hand out to her. She flew closer, settling on the edge of the bed and nudging at his fingers, “you brought me to the ship, didn’t you?” she nipped lightly at his fingertips in response and fluttered up onto the bedframe as the door opened to admit G’raha and Krile,
“How are you feeling? You had us all quite worried,” Krile said, fussing at the blanket covering him and looking over the bandages wrapped around his body,
“Sore,” he responded, smiling fondly at her, “how long have I been out?”
“Only a day or two, not long considering all you went through. Healing magicks are always soporific so we weren’t surprised,” Krile nodded, satisfied, “our friends are all waiting for news that you’ve woken up, so you’ll have a mob in here soon enough,” she said with a laugh, “I’ll go and find you something to eat,”
“Thank you, Krile. For everything,” she waved him off and left in a flurry. G’raha chuckled and settled back in the chair beside the bed,
“Every hour or so one of them would pop in to check if you’d woken up, I kept having to shoo them off or tell them to go to sleep,”
“Have you slept at all?” G’raha winced,
“A little,” he admitted, “but I have been far too worried to settle down,” L’strom’s ears drooped,
“I am sorry for making you worry,” he said softly,
“I am always worried when you go off into danger, even when I’m right at your side…” L’strom lifted his hand to set gently on G’raha’s arm,
“Is everyone alright?” G’raha laughed,
“After everything… you’re the last person…” he looked down at L’strom, fondly exasperated.
Their peace was interrupted by a whirlwind of Alisaie, bursting into the room with wild eyes,
“You’re lucky you’re so weak right now,” she growled, stalking to the bedside. L’strom could see her hands shaking, “damn you…” her voice shook, “damn you for making us worry,” L’strom held out his arm and she sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, taking his hand,
“Alisaie!” Alphinaud paused in the doorway, “ah,” he walked over and smiled fondly, “Krile told us you were awake, and she ran the whole way here,” Alisaie glowered at her twin, who grinned back shamelessly. L’strom laughed softly,
“I appreciate your restraint,” he teased, she huffed at him as Thancred and Urianger came in,
“It does me good to see you awake,” Thancred said with a grin,
“Verily, it bodes well that thou art up and about,” Urianger added,
“You’re awake! Oh, thank the twelve!” Tataru fussed at him, looking over the bandages and tutting gently,
“Are we all going to just crowd in?” Y’shtola’s voice came from the doorway, fond and amused,
“It’s what we do, isn’t it?” Estinien said, voice dry as he stepped in after her, L’strom smiled at his friends, listening to them bicker and tease each other as he took comfort in being in the presence of the people he loved,
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Alphinaud snapped his fingers, “I’ll be right back,” he rushed from the room leaving L’strom staring after him in confusion,
“What was that about?” he asked,
“We got you something,” Alisaie said unhelpfully, grinning as he gave her a look. Alphinaud came back in with something hidden behind his back,
“What’s this then?” L’strom asked, tilting his head,
“G’raha told us you’d lost your hat,” Alphinaud began, L’strom’s eyes went wide, “so, Alisaie and I had one commissioned,” he brought the hat from behind his back and L’strom stared. It was a beautiful thing, three cornered and slightly floppy in his preferred rich red with a few beautiful feathers attached to it. Alphinaud handed it over and L’strom ran his hands reverently over it, it had perfectly sized spaces for his ears too,
“Thank you…” he murmured, “it’s beautiful,”
“Glad you like it,” Alisaie said with a grin, “we should get going however, Father asked us for a proper family dinner once we knew you’d be alright,”
“Go on then,” L’strom said, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” they each gave a gentle hug before hurrying out. Slowly the others filtered out, saying their own goodbyes and leaving with a clear weight off their shoulders. L’strom leaned against G’raha, enjoying the peace, “You look tired,”
“It’s fine,” G’raha said quickly, L’strom got a wicked gleam in his eyes,
“What would Lyna say if she heard you were denying your needs,” G’raha dropped his head to L’strom’s shoulder with a soft groan,
“I can hear her and Beq Lugg’s voices in you saying that. If they heard I hadn’t slept, Lyna would lock me in my chambers until I slept for as long as she deemed acceptable,” he muttered, “I just… I was so scared that you weren’t going to make it, that if I closed my eyes you’d slip away,”
“Lay with me then?” L’strom gave his best kitten eyes and G’raha chuckled,
“Can never resist you,” he manuvered them into a comfortable position on the bed, curled around L’strom,
“’raha?”
“Yes?”
“I love you,” G’raha blinked at him before he smiled,
“I love you too ‘strom, with all my heart,” L’strom grinned and snuggled up as close as his body would allow, breathing easing out as he drifted off to sleep once again. G’raha stared down at his lover, committing his peaceful, sleeping face to memory before allowing himself to follow L’strom into sleep.