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Drift lays on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It’s dark, and she remembers once stumbling in here with AJ, every touch lingering and burning hot. It’s cold tonight, but Drift is warm and comfortable below the sheets. Her eyes drift over to the poster on her right- E.T- and she grins again at the thought of AJ, and Flick being ridiculous and taking it. Maybe they’ll have another visit. Drift wouldn’t mind.
There’s a hurried, scratching sound above Drift, coming from the window. She sits up immediately, and reaches for her dagger- but it’s only Flick. Her feathers are ruffled, lacking that usual inky-black shine. Flick’s beak now thuds repeatedly against the glass, so Drift drops the dagger, and lets her in. She comes barrelling in, landing against Drift’s chest, before gliding upwards in flying circles.
“Flick?” Drift whispers, frowning at the frantic crow.
Flick, previously silent, now lets out loud, painful caws. She tugs insistently on Drift’s pinky, her beak a little painful.
Drift pauses, “Where’s AJ?” and Flick just tugs harder, towards the door. Drift rushes towards the door, and unlocks it, letting Flick lead the way. The academy is quiet and dimly lit, Drift’s own running muffled by the carpet. She skips multiple stair steps, and her heart races, but not from the exertion. Come on, AJ. Please, be okay.
The academy rushes past, and Flick is almost swallowed up by the midnight sky. The night air is cool, and causes Drift’s breath to fog. Everything passes in a blur, the trail through the trees, the bridge, the tent, more trees, until Flick stops at a stone-brick building. The tavern. Drift doesn’t hesitate to slam open the doors, Flick now trailing behind her. The pub is almost empty, minus a few stragglers, and Drift’s eyes desperately search for AJ.
AJ finds Drift first.
“Flick! You left me. Brought me back a drinking buddy, eh, pal? I can’t lie, I think I can drink Open Book under the table-” and Drift runs towards her.
AJ’s arms are a bloodied mess, with long, crimson, lines carved into the skin. There’s multiple- they’re not deep or life threatening, but they look painful. On her neck is a light bruise- was she strangled?- and her lip is split. AJ’s hair is messy, and though her tone is bright, her eyes are dark.
“AJ, who did this to you?” and Drift reaches out, but she doesn’t want to hurt AJ. Her arms fall limply to her sides.
AJ looks taken aback, and she pauses, as if only seeing Drift now. “Doesn’t matter, Open Book,” she says, and takes another glass of alcohol up to her lips. Drift looks at AJ’s injuries, and bites her lip. “It does.”
“Come on, we’re going back to the academy, AJ,” Drift says, and AJ frowns. Drift takes off her jacket, and wraps it around AJ’s arms. AJ starts laughing, and Drift spares a glance to her face.
Drift loops an arm under AJ’s shoulders, and her other holds AJ’s hand. “Tell me if this hurts,” she whispers, and AJ mumbles something back about being tough. They step out into the cold, and Drift holds back a shudder. She hears Flick scouting out the path ahead.
Drift tries again, “What happened?”
“So many questions, Open Book! Are we going back to your dorm?”
“We should probably go to Ros, or the infirmary-”
“No,” It’s unyielding, and AJ’s voice is hard. “I swear, Open Book, I will turn around right now, and head back to the pub-” AJ stops walking
Why doesn’t she want to see them? Drift thinks; her dorm is closer, and AJ’s not ready to talk.
“Okay, then, my dorm, it’s closer-”
“Oh, I know you want me in your dorm, Open Book,” AJ teases, and continues walking, as if nothing happened.
“AJ, you don’t have to- to make everything a laugh. It’s alright to just.. Be not okay or brave, for a bit.”
AJ is silent, so Drift looks over, and she’s scowling. “I have to, Drift,” and Drift squeezes her hand, a small I’m here. She has so many questions, of everything that’s made AJ who she is. Drift thinks of all the things AJ never received but deserved, and maybe now the things Drift can give her.
---
They drag their feet along the path, and over the bridge, almost at the academy. AJ stumbles, which she usually never does. “AJ?” Drift asks, and receives a nod in return. They somehow make it up the stairs, and to the academy. The carpets turn from plum purple to the Vulpes green.
They enter Drift’s room. AJ sits on the edge of her bed. Drift gathers bandages, cloths, golden apples, healing salves and bottles of water from the cabinet.
“Since you don’t want to go to Ros or Violet, I’m going to bandage your wounds. They should be healed by morning, if I do it right,” Drift says.
“I wouldn’t say no to your hands on me, Open Book.”
Drift wets one of the clean cloths, and gently takes AJ’s arm. Her eyes glide over each of the cuts, scarlet and meant to hurt. They don’t look intended to do permanent or large damage. Just hurt. Drift grits her teeth, but softly presses the cloth to the wounds. She can feel AJ’s eyes on her. Drops of water run along AJ’s skin, warm and wet, and slowly turning pink. Drift washes away dirt and dried blood, and repeats the process for her other wounds.
Drift takes one of the golden apples, skin gleaming with faint, iridescent glow, and passes it to AJ. She simply stares at it, not taking a bite.
“Please, AJ,” Drift begs. AJ holds her gaze as she brings the apple to her lips, teeth biting into the crisp skin. She swallows, and her throat bobs. Drift nods and exhales. Her hands reach for the healing salve, which she spreads along the wounds. Carefully, she takes the roll of bandages, and winds the spongy material around AJ’s arms. Ties it off.
They sit in silence, AJ rarely taking bites of the apple.
“Hang on, Open Book,” and she stumbles into the bathroom. The door closes. Drift waits at the door, but the sound of coughing erupts, so she opens it. AJ is slouched in front of the toilet, head hung low, but her head sharply turns at the sound. Her eyes are wide, even fearful, then angry.
“Drift, get OUT-” she says through clenched teeth, her voice loud and harsh, but then her head drops back down. She gags.
Drift gets down on her knees beside AJ. There’s sweat on her forehead, and her face is slightly flushed. AJ meets Drift’s eyes for a second, before they quickly dart away.
“Please, let me take care of you, AJ.”
AJ gags again, and ducks her head. Drift's fingers brush back her hair from her forehead, which is warm, and gather the locks behind her neck. Her other hand rubs slow, soothing circles on AJ’s back. There’s the sound of water flushing.
“You’re okay.”
Her head lifts again, but her eyes remain on some fixed, lower, spot on the ground. AJ’s eyes blink rapidly. The bruises on her neck stand out even more now, and Drift feels her heart squeeze.
The pair sit on the bathroom tiles, every once in a while accompanied by the flush, followed with a warm hand tracing circles on AJ’s back, and small sips of water. Drift stays there with AJ throughout the few hours, and AJ never once glances at her again.
Eventually, AJ finishes and washes her mouth out. She stands suddenly, and Drift does too, ready to steady her. AJ reaches for the door, and wrenches it open a little too forcefully. Her knuckles are white on the handle.
“Well, I’ll see you later, Open Book?” AJ says, and her tone is bright, and it’s wrong and Drift can tell she’s lying, that she’s performing.
“AJ, wait.” Please stay.
AJ pauses, halfway out the door. She turns back. Her hand still grips the handle.
“Don’t push me away. I’m tired of this, AJ.”
The door closes. AJ is in Drift’s room.
Drift runs towards AJ, and holds her.
“All I want is always you.”
---
The sky borders between the morning hints of sun and the remnants of the moon. AJ lies with Drift, both of them tucked beneath the blankets, limbs intertwined. Drift's hands brush against the bruises on AJ’s neck, a warm comfort.
“I’m sorry for yelling,” AJ whispers, lips moving along Drift’s temple.
“You’re forgiven,” she says back, though her hazel eyes are curious.
AJ feels her throat close up, worried Drift will make her talk. She doesn’t press, and that makes it easier. AJ tries, for her.
“I didn’t want you to see me like that. Finding me like you did was already bad enough.” I was worried that after tonight, you wouldn’t like what you saw, and leave.
“You can’t scare me off that easily, AJ,” and Drift just knows, somehow.
They rest in a comfortable silence, and AJ slips further down below the sheets, pressing her ears against Drift’s heart. Her arms are wrapped around Drift’s waist, and she can hear her heart, slow and steady.
“Can I ask what happened, AJ?”
“I’ll tell you another day, Drift,” and AJ presses a kiss to her neck.