Things don't always look better in the clear light of morning

[runmakitarun]

Makita sleeps for nearly sixteen hours before her eyes snap open abruptly. She's in a bed. That isn't right. Her mind casts back, trying to figure out how she got here, but the memory she finds first stops any search for an explanation.

Now she's curled up on the bed, tucked into as small a space as she can manage, whining brokenly.

Comments

[slayer_fray]

Mel isn't gone for more than a few minutes. She has a plate of warm fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon buns when she returns, which she leaves on the bedside table.

There's no need to worry; Mike made them.

Mel just sits on the bed, and lays a hand on Kita's shoulder.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

There's a slight twitch at the touch, but it's no longer the feeble instinct of an exhausted girl. Rather it's that girl remembering other touches, and shying away from the memories.

She sobs quietly for quite a while, long enough for the cinnamon buns to cool down to room temperature, before she manages to speak. "Hey." Her voice is dry and cracked from disuse and exhaustion, the word barely sounding like more than a hurt little noise.

[slayer_fray]

"Buns have gone cold," Mel says. Not scolding, more just fact.Her hand stays put.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Makita can't even muster more of a response than that. She's still numb, though no longer with physical exhaustion. And that's part of the problem: being tired had been a great distraction.

[slayer_fray]

"Mmmm." Mel replies, not pushing for anything more. "Eat one anyway, OK?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

The tiny jerk of Makita's head is barely a nod, but it's progress. She doesn't, however, reach for the food.

[slayer_fray]

"Kay."

Mel will leave it for now. Now she just sits, stroking 'Kita's hair some more.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita simply sits silently, letting Mel's hand run across her hair for a bit. Eventually she speaks, softly, "Hurts."

[slayer_fray]

"I know," Mel says softly. 'Cause she does. "It's s'posed to."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Sucks," Makita tries to say lightly, but it comes out in a choking half-sob.

[slayer_fray]

"That too."

Mel picks up the plate of buns now, and jerks them towards her. "Eat."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita doesn't much feel like eating, but she knows better than to argue with Mel. She reaches out and reluctantly takes one.

Of course once she takes a bite she realizes she's really hungry and wolfs the rest of the bun down, already reaching for a second one.

[slayer_fray]

Mel smirks and sits back to watch.

"Should probably take a dip in the hot tub later."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Normally the thought of soaking in hot water would be a nice one, but Makita can't summon up much enthusiasm at the moment. She simply shrugs absently and continues eating.

[slayer_fray]

"And there's ice cream," Mel says. "Baked Alaska."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita just shakes her head weakly. At another time she'd really appreciate Mel being there for her, but at the moment she just hurts so much she can't think about much beyond that.

[slayer_fray]

When the buns are done, Mel sets them aside and climbs properly into bed with Makita, wrapping her arms around head and shoulders.

Right now she doesn't say anything else.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Right now that's all Makita needs. The tiny girl turns her face and lets silent sobs wrack her body.

Time passes, but she has no idea how much.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

He's afraid what he'll find. But he's more afraid not to look, more afraid that if doesn't try to help, he's failing Kita. She got him back home alive. So now he has to do the same, in a sense.

Alex enters the room, and tries to find Kita in the dim light from the other side of the door.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

She's not hard to find, really. Even curled up and buried in the bed, the low keening sound she emits makes her location obvious.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Kita?" He moves closer to he bed, not sure she will respond even if she is awake and not catatonic this time.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

For the moment, at least, she doesn't. The sound has shifted a bit from what it was the night before. It is no less broken, but where before it had been a sound of instinctual anguish, this time there's a note of awareness of the pain.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

He steps closer still. "Can I stay? If you want me to go..." He wants some kind of response. Even "go away!" would be something.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

As his presence finally penetrates her self-absorption, Makita slowly brings the wracking sobs under control and glances up at him. Weakly her hand twitches as if to pat a spot on the bed.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Hey." He sits. He's so utterly nervous. This isn't something he has a clue about. Though, he thinks, who really does?

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Hey," her voice cracks harshly. The only thing she's been using it for for days has been crying, so that's probably not a surprise. Her tone and her glance have more life than they did before, but only a little. Despite the sleep she's still clearly exhausted on every level.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"I..." There is an awkward pause. "Kita...if you want to talk, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine too. Either way...I can stay for a while."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

A little twitch of her shoulders is all she can muster in the way of a shrug. She knows Alex doesn't really understand. That he can't. And while she might never say it, she dearly hopes things stay that way.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"So...Raps told me to send her love. She's worried, too." They decided just one of them should descend on poor Kita. "But she's okay."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

That draws a small reaction. Makita looks up and offers him a little twist of her lips that could almost be a grin. If one were being charitable. "Good."

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Mel been taking good care of you?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Makita's voice is still rough, but she nods at the (still untouched) cinnamon buns on the table beside the bed.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"You probably should eat. Or I might eat it for you." It's a stab at humor. He's sure it won't work.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

It doesn't. At least if Makita's vague wave and "Go ahead" are any indication.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

That didn't work. He doesn't touch the food. "I think I can leave it for you."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

She nods numbly.

"Glad you're fine," she eventually manages to say.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." He takes a deeper breath. "Kita, do you need to talk? I figure you don't, but I had to ask." Rather, he figures she desperately needs to, and can't, and isn't ready. But he has to try.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"'m fine," she tells him. It's a lie, and a very obvious one. She might even believe it herself.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

He tries to smile, but it's not real, either. "Kita...I don't know what happened. Maybe I shouldn't know what happened. But you aren't fine. And we know that, and we are here to help. Got it?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

For the first time since he walked into the room, an emotion other than dull pain flashes across Makita's face. And it's rage. "I'm fine!" she snarls.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

Well, it's something. It's also unnerving since Kita is scary when she's angry. "Then I should go, right?" Because if his presence isn't going to help, he maybe should be someplace else.

And the whole thing is just not something he knows how to handle. (Maybe he should just leave it to Mel or Steph. Or send Rapunzel.)

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Her face collapses back into an expression of vague lostness. She looks up at Alex for a while before nodding jerkily.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

He wants to hug her. He figures she might just karate chop him if he tried. So he gets up slowly. "If I can do anything, just let Mel know, okay? I'm around."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

She nods again. This time the gesture is somehow a bit softer, but only a bit.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

And off he goes, likely to worry and to wonder...