OOM: In Raven's room

[creator_raven]

It takes Raven a long time to climb the stairs, even with Ace's aid.

He leans against the wall as she opens the door, and almost trips over a chair on his way to the bed.

Then he stands there, staring idly at the blankets, one finger rubbbing back and forth over the material.

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[creator_raven]

Raven laughs, softly, sharply.

He takes a bite of cookie, and swallows.

"I think I will let them hug Wash, first. And possibly have a few days alone."

There is another pause.




"After that, I think, they are fair game."

He leans into the petting. She is right, it is comforting.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Definitely." She takes a cookie for herself, because really, chocolate is needed here. "Jayne should be pink." It is almost wrong, almost painful to be flippent and cheerful when something had just killed her brother, an' her other brother had to do something obviously not at all nice to himself to get him back, and the rest of the crew must be in danger even if they will be alright...

But it is a way of dealing. Of getting up and moving on until it doesn't take effort to do so anymore.

She's learned a few things over the last half-century. How to live. How to survive. How to make surviving worth living. It's just hard, sometimes.

[creator_raven]

Always hard, really.

If you pay attention.

There are reasons Raven is flighty, after all.

"Possibly. Do you think he would also like hair ribbons?"

Raven sounds almost hopeful.

If his face does not quite match that, well, he's still got it buried in her shoulder.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"'Bout as much as he'll like the glitter." Ace allows. And perhaps, if she gently rocks her brother, there is no one here to tell.

There is also no one to tell if she happens to get cookie crumbs in his hair. She brushes them out, anyway.

She just wishes she knew pretty songs, like he sings for her when she's tired and lonely and sad, but she settles for holding him and petting him and loving her dear brother as best she knows how.

[creator_raven]

He continues breathing.







Eventually he reaches up, and rubs at his eyes.

"Ace? I am tired, I think. Will you stay?"

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"Always." There isn't a moment of hesitation.

Some things are that easy.

[creator_raven]

Raven smiles, at that.

For all that it's a tired smile, it is a very real one.

With Ace there, it does not take long for Raven to fall asleep.

And though he dreams of the darkness in the space-between, he is not alone.

It is enough.