New Beginning

Again, no response from the redhead.

"She might have a concussion," Camden murmured. "Looked like she hit her head pretty hard."

He sure wasn't going to risk any more jealousy from saint. He'd let the other decide what to do.

Well, for one thing, the psychopath in Saint's head was practically cackling and telling him to leave her to be eaten by the Nightmares. And for another, there was the doctor telling him to pull her up and force her to continue on with the tests, to fully know her limits. And another telling him that if she as gone, Camden would be his.

But the last screamed loud and clear above all others and begged him to help the girl because she was just a girl and probably more scared than she had ever been in her life.

Giving in, Saint moved to her side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We're here to help you. I'll be civil as long as you are." he paused, searching for the words. "Camden and I will get you through this, we just need to to cooperate. Just remember that this is a dream. If anything, you can wake up."

Slowly, the girl lowered her arms to the floor and lifted her head to look at them.
She swallowed painfully and winced, then opened her mouth to speak.
"W-who are you?"
It was strange, seeing Rowan looking so...vulnerable. It was like the spell had lifted and Camden could see again, the power that she had wielded over him was gone for now at least. Camden moved to stand beside Saint as he waited for the other's cue.

"I'm Saint." he replied just as gently, being careful not to talk too loudly. Migraines could be a bitch- he would know. "That's my partner, Camden. We fight the bad things that hide in your head. And you're our new partner and we're going to protect you until you can defend yourself, okay?"

He didn't look up as his mind jolted him into awareness of Camden's presence beside him. It was stupid, but he was still pretty upset. Not that he would ever say anything, no. He still suspected hat at the first sign of digression, they'd send him right back to the Institute.

"Right now, we need you to trust us. Can you do that, Rowan?"

Her suspicious green eyes went from one boy to the other, then after a moment, seemed to hover on Camden's face for just a moment longer. Then she broke the unnerving stare and nodded at Saint, attempting to smile through the pain coursing through her head.
Camden tried to catch Saint's gaze as he struggled to bring back their mental connection.
How...long do y...you think until we all w-wake up?

Saint flinched as the presence filled his mind. I can last a couple more hours. We'll go whenever you want.

Good, that didn't sound too cold.

"Rowan, tomorrow, one of us is going to go up to you. We won't look like this. And it'll probably be Camden. You'll know it's him because he'll call you by the name you just chose, though it won't be loudly at all, can't be too careful."

He regarded her with an urgent stare.

"Can you do that?"

Camden winced at the short reply. He didn't know how he was going to fix this, how he could make it up to Saint...

Rowan blinked, and looked back to Camden, then to Saint again. She really looked more like a child now than she ever had in her child form.
"...Yeah...But...Wh-"

The girl's eyes widened in shock and she flickered, once, twice, then was gone.

Silence filled the Realm for a moment, then Camden looked to Saint and sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry if you're getting the wrong idea. I really don't know how I can make this right, but I can see that you aren't okay with this girl. And we're going to have to figure this out because I would hate it if every night after this was the same, with both of us not talking and..." He trailed off and sighed again, shaking his head.

"Forget I said anything," the boy grumbled.

Saint shook his head.

He had forgotten his place, after all, Camden shouldn't be apologizing, he should be. Who was he to dictate a Real a get upset over who they liked? Saint obviously wasn't up to the standards of society, the very fact that he had been stupid enough to even think that Camden would have wanted to be with him was absolutely stupid, of course. He wasn't supposed to even be able to talk to a Real, he was really just pushing his luck.

"It's fine." he amended in a quiet voice, looking up at Camden from the floor, where he belonged. "She seems agreeable enough towards Reals. I'll just hang back and help when it's needed, okay?"

It always really hurt whenever Saint used that word. Reals. Because he saw himself as something below human. He categorized himself as...dirt. It killed Camden.

"Saint..." He sighed. They had had this conversation before. About how Saint had to stop referring to everyone else as Reals. About how he thought of Saint as just as human as anyone else. They'd had this conversation many times, in fact. And Saint never actually believed a word of it. Repeating it would do nothing, hell it would probably strengthen Saint's resolve to distance himself. He didn't know what he could do, what difference he could make on a boy who had been conditioned since birth to think of himself this way. After all was said and done, Camden really couldn't do anything, no matter how much he tried.

Saint waited for Camden to finish whatever thought he had patiently, sitting on the floor even as his legs began to cramp, looking up at Camden.

Camden glanced over at Saint. He noticed the way his legs shook as Saint crouched, looking up at him expectantly.
It was all he could do not to yell at him to get up. But of course that was the last thing on earth that would help the situation. Last thing. On the earth. In the galaxy. The universe. All of space and time really. Just. No.

"You don't have to sit like that Saint, we've been through this. I see you as my equal, you don't have to do that around me, okay? Please, please don't." He spoke softly, words laced with a sadness that was quick to quench the frustration.

Saint faltered, unsure of what he had done wrong, when it struck him like a slap to the face. Of course, he was apparently equals with Camden. But he didn't know if that meant he was suddenly whisked to the top where he didn't belong, or Camden torn to the bottom, where he didn't belong. It was very confusing, this whole thing on being equals.

"So... okay." Submissively, Saint stood, still in the mindset that he had done something wrong. You'd think after a couple years it would finally sink in that he was somewhat human. You'd think.

Camden's eyes softened and he reached to touch Saint on the shoulder, hoping he just might not flinch.

"Look at me. Tell me what I can do to make this right. Please. I'll do anything."

Saint didn't flinch at the contact, in fact, he welcomed in. Leaning oh-so slightly into the comforting touch, Saint shrugged his shoulders, not sure how to answer such an ambiguous question.

"Can we just take it one step at a time?" he practically begged, though knew he'd be just as eager to do what Camden willed, should he say no.

Camden sighed lightly and smiled, relief flooding his face. He had been terrified that Saint would push him away, avoid him, go back to who he had been before all that progress had been made.

"Of course. Whatever you want. I'm here for you, and that's never going to change."

(luuulz so cheesy -shot-)

Saint frowned but resisted the urge to shake his head.

"... Did I forget to remind you to set the alarm clock?"

Never-mind that it was technically Camden's job, Saint just didn't know if he could blame the Real for something he could have avoided.

Camden's eyes dulled as he stared off, trying to remember.

"I...That...Is a great question. A very sound, logical question that deserves an equally intelligent response. And unfortunetly, I do not ha-"

And then the alarm clock went off.

Justin bolted upright from the blankets layered to make a mockery of a cushion on the floor and whipped his eyes to the alarm clock above his head. He laid there, breathing heavily from begin torn so suddenly from that world of blissful nothing to the agonizing reality. A sharp pain screamed at him from behind his eyes and Justin groaned, rolling over to bury his face into his over-stuffed pillow.

He had good days and bad days and today was going to be one of the latter.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

James groaned and rubbed at his right eye blearily, then reached over to smack the alarm into silence. He sighed at the blissful silence that followed and flopped back against the pillow, eyes shut. A minute later, he sighed and pried his eyes open and sat up. The blond thenglanced down at the dark lump on the ground that was Justin in his nest of blankets. He could see by the way the boy clenched his pillowe over his head that he was having another one of his migranes.

James reached into his dresser drawer without a word and pulled out a bottle of pain meds. After about a month of Justin staying in his room, James had recognized the importance of always keeping a bottle of the medication in the room for instances like this. Instances that occured far too often for his liking, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"How many you need?"

"The whole thing." Justin's voice was muffled by the feathers, but pitiful enough to show that he was honestly serious. After all, it wasn't like he could overdose.

"Or seventeen..." he lowered the number as to avoid James freaking out. The blond didn't like him taking too many pills, something about his liver.

But Justin was pretty sure the doctors had ruled out the necessity of a liver for him a while ago so he really didn't see the point.

Yeah, they went through a lot of pills in this house now.

James merely shook his head and unscrewed the lid, counting out the number of desired pills. There were only ten left. He'd break open another bottle if Justin was still desperate after he took these ones.

Who was he kidding, of course Justin would need more, he always needed more.

"Got ten left in this one, I'll go find another bottle in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom."

He poured the pills back into the bottle and set it beside Justin's pillow, then stood to search out the pills in the bathroom.

Justin laid there a moment more, before practically bouncing to his feet, which sounds much more happy and exuberant that it actually was, but there was no other word for it.

He moved quickly towards the bathroom and stood patiently in the doorway for James to take notice of him. And once the blond had, Justin spoke.

"We should try to get ready very quickly." He suggested, but certainly didn't insist, oh no, never.

"Mrs. Larson said something about breakfast last night." he offered just as quietly, looking up at James from under his lashes, even though he was the taller.

James nodded to the other. "Yeah, it would probably be a good idea to actually eat for once. She gets annoyed when we skip breakfast half the time. And of course she worries that you still aren't eating as much as you should be."

He turned back to the medicine cabinet and propped it open, reaching into the top shelf that was lined with three sealed, never-been-opened pain killer bottles. They'd need to get more soon. Really soon.

James grabbed the nearest bottle and broke the seal, then twisted it open. He unscrewed the lid and counted out the remaining seven pills that Justin had wanted. Or rather, needed.

"Here ya go," James said, smiling gently as he offered the pills in his outstretched hand to Justin.

Justin swiftly took them, along with popping the cap and pouring out the pills of the other bottle, tossing back his head to swallow them dry.

"Thanks." He said gently, suddenly feeling... awkward about the night.

The feeling fo awkwardness spread through the room like some sort of deadly infectious virus, incapacitating James' normal ability to think of what to say.

"Yeah, no problem..."

He scratched at the side of his head, then lowered his hand quickly, feeling stupid for doing that. It hadn't itched. There had been no point really.

He shook his head at himself and strode to his closet, pulling out clothes and throwing them on his desk chair.

Well...Justin wasn't likely to be the first one to say anything. This would have to come from him or they'd have to continue all day in this strained, quiet state until they'd really have to deal with it tonight.

He opened his mouth to speak.

And then promptly shut it, instead slipping out of his sleeping shirt and into a button up. It was green. He preferred blue, but he couldn't exactly go to school wearing blue every day of the week. And he totally wasn't distracting himself from thinking about what he should really have been saying to Justin right now by pondering the color of his clothes. Not at all.