Work Text:
Waking up hurt.
Avid felt a stray tear roll down his cheek, dripping down the side of his face just beneath his ear. His whole body throbbed dully, an irregular pulsing that spread through his chest, stomach, and head, and journeyed out to his limbs. He felt hot, like he was burning up. His body was shaking with tremors as he lay there, his eyes squeezed shut as he fought through the waves of pain.
More tears leaked from his eyes as he swallowed, a dry feeling that brought a fresh stab of pain to his neck. He flinched away from it but it followed him, like a burning slash that swept through his neck and wrapped around to his back. Avid choked on more tears as he was finally able to move and twist away from the pain, turning to the side onto his shoulder. Another burst of pain spread through his body, this time starting in his shoulder. More tears and a sob, this time, as his arm wrapped around his middle and to his shoulder, feeling the thick bandaging wrapped around the joint.
A hand landed on his shoulder, a brief spark of pain as he flinched away with a sharp cry. The young boy curled in on himself, bringing his legs up to his chest as noise began to permeate through into his hearing. It was muffled, almost silent, but earnest, a rapid pouring of words that made no sense to his head. His mind felt stuffed full of cotton and fabric, thickly wrapped like this bandages he felt as he traced his hand up his back and shoulder to his neck.
Another hand grasped his, trapping it in a warm grip. He could feel the sweat slick off his skin as their hand came in contact with his, sharp pins and needles scattering across the surface of his hand. He shifted to wrap his fingers around theirs, seeking comfort in wrapping his hand around something real and comforting from beyond the void he felt he was trapped in.
The pins and needles spread and deepened as he held on tighter, revelling in the feeling beyond the darkness. His hearing sharpened as his eyes shot open, only for him to squeeze them shut again when light shot through the darkness into his eyes. He felt more tears trace down his face as he sobbed, the pain in his body intensifying as he brought his hand closer, dragging the person holding it closer to him.
"Hey, hey, it's okay—it's okay, I've got you. I've got you. You're okay—"
Avid snapped his attention to Elle's voice the moment he identified it, reaching out through the cloud of pain in his body with his opposite hand for where he thought her voice was coming from. "Elle—Elle," he cried, the single syllable causing sparks of pain through what felt like rough holes in his throat. He could barely remember what happened, only recalling brief flashes of movement, emotion, and pain before he reached a black wall.
"Avid," she breathed, then she dove forward and crushed herself against his chest, causing him to shout with pain. She ignored him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, sending sharp tingling through his body and jagged waves of pain through his torso. He sobbed again and returned her embrace, shoulders shaking as he pressed his face into her neck, half-raised off the bed by her desperate grasp.
The room rattled and shook. Avid jolted in surprise as he looked up abruptly, staring with wide eyes around the wallpapered space. Gas lamps flickered on the walls, illuminating the space. A thick drape hung on the wall beside his bed, disguising a slightly cold draft that came from it. The wallpaper was an unimpressive red and black pattern that faded into the shadows. He lowered his head and rested it on Elle's shoulder again as he tried to breathe through the sudden tightness in his chest.
Suddenly, he was aware of the rocking motion of his surroundings, shaking and jolting the bed he lay on and Elle as she leaned more into him, sniffling quietly. He knew they were moving, but not where to. The walls felt like they were closing in on him as he gripped Elle tighter, the muscles in his body tightening as the movement swept nausea through his body. Tears continued to drip down his face as he shuddered, tucking his face into the side of her neck as he struggled to clear his throat, fighting through the dryness that afflicted it.
"Avid?" Elle asked, her voice small as she pulled away from him. He whimpered from the shift in pressure from her hands and arms and the surface he laid on, closing his eyes tightly as she brushed against the wounds that lay beneath the bandages on his back.
"Elle," he gasped, the name choked around a sob that had built in his throat. "Elle—it—Elle, it hurts." He pulled away and fell back onto the bed. Somehow, his tears hadn't run dry, despite the dryness he felt in his throat and mouth.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Where?" she asked, her voice flat and serious. Avid almost shuddered at the sound, unused to her seriousness and lack of humour. "Is it your neck? Back? Head?"
"Elle—Elle, it's everywhere," he cried, a tremor shooting through his body. "It hurts so much. I can't breathe. Elle, it hurts."
"Avid," she whispered, her voice cracking as she swept him up into another hug. He gasped with pain as she pressed against his back, digging his fingers into her arms. She squeaked but didn't pull away, instead loosening her grip and resting her head on his shoulder, opposite to the side of his neck where he could now identify the deepest, throbbing ache.
Avid sobbed as he pressed his face into her shoulder, feeling his tears wet the shoulder of her sun dress. He felt the train rumble and jolt over a bump in the track, sending a brief stab of pain through his body before it returned to the dull aching throb that'd been present since the moment he woke up. He felt himself relax despite the pain, wrapped up in the warmth of the arms of his best friend.
"You're alive," Elle whispered, her voice muffled by his shoulder. He felt tears soak into his shoulder, like his were doing in hers. "You're alive and you're not gonna leave me."
"I'm not gone," he whispered back, relief travelling through the brief flashes of blood in his memory.
The windows rattled as the train continued on. He felt himself growing tired again, fog and clouds resting over his thoughts. He felt the same happening in Elle as she grew heavier on his shoulder, pressing deeper into him and sending stabs of pain into his body. Instead of pushing her off, he tugged on her arm, getting her to crawl over him into the space between him and the wall with the window and drapes. It was warm and safe as they rested together, alive.
Not well—not by a long shot—but alive.