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A few days had passed since Tristan had learned her secret, one of them at least. Acrucis would remain a secret from him especially since not even she knew if, or when, she’d power up again. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia was a part of her life and unfortunately defined who she was to a degree; she was sick, plain and simple.

But Acrucis… The name she was given the day Sheena materialized her henshin pen and spoke the words that changed her life for a second time, that was a choice. And right now the Senshi of Prayer, Va’Lenna a world away from home and the magical war between order and chaos couldn’t be any further from her mind as she slept soundly beside her boyfriend.

There'd been little else on his mind since she finally told him about her condition, and who could really blame him? He accepted it, but he didn't fully understand everything that was going on beyond simply knowing that she needed him and that he needed to be there for her. So he fixed his schedule a bit so he could, with work taking the biggest hit. Thankfully the women in his family were all hopeless romantics and gladly, willingly covered for him despite his lack of a proper explanation; he knew it wasn't within his right to tell them anything about what Hannah was going through, so he just asked for a bit of understanding and left it at that.

And there he was, right beside her and completely, totally relaxed. Worry still ate at him a little bit whenever a nurse came in to check on Hannah, but aside from that little reminder that they were in the hospital it felt just like any other day.

Tristan had been sketching quietly when she'd fallen asleep, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder; he was careful not to make any movements that might wake her, but he kept right on sketching. The subject had changed since she'd fallen asleep though, to one of her caught in the rain. She was clutching onto a book for dear life while at the same time struggling with the inside-out umbrella that was perfectly useless against the downpour coming from above. He remembered every detail of that night, from how he'd slammed into the door in his rush to go and help her all the way to the look on her face when suddenly being pulled by a seemingly complete stranger that was trying to be nice.

He couldn't keep the chuckle from coming out as he recalled the first words he said to her that night. “I'm not some creepy kidnapper, just trying to help” he whispered while finally signing the piece now that he was finished.

“Hmm?” Beside him Hannah stirred. It was a subconscious sound in response to what he had said.

Her eyes fluttered open for the barest of seconds then closed just the same. Whatever she had been dreaming about at the time had already been forgotten as she slipped back into the the state of limbo where she was neither awake nor asleep; the foggy area where both battled to claim her for their own.

Tristan was warm beside her and his even breathing served as a lullaby which made it that much harder to finally wake up. “Hmm?” she repeated somewhat hoping he’d repeat himself so she didn’t fall back asleep.

Tristan glanced down beside him just after she stirred the first time, his expression a strange cross between a smile and a frown. He hadn't intended on waking her, which was why he whispered in the first place, but she was a much lighter sleeper than he thought. He leaned down to press a light kiss to her temple by way of greeting, smile turned soft as he offered her the sketchbook.

"Remember?" he asked, voice still quiet. "I told you I wasn't a creepy kidnapper just before I literally pulled you out of the rain. In hindsight it probably wasn't such a good idea to let a guy just pull you along, but I'm glad you followed me anyway."

Though he couldn’t see it, Hannah’s lips tugged into an amused yet tired smile. She remembered that day, albeit foggy at the current moment in time. “Me too,” she responded sleepily followed by a stifled yawn.

“How long was I asleep?” She finally asked after staring at his sketch for several long seconds. Each stroke had been made with a purpose and it didn’t look like there were many places where he’d had to erase. When he first pulled out his pencil and pad of paper Hannah had meant to watch him draw; especially since it was something she had never been particularly good at. Unfortunately it seemed she had missed the whole process, though it did make her happy being able to see how vivid his imagination and memory really was. Tristan even included the scarf she was wearing; something she had even forgotten till seeing the moment drawn on paper.

He watched her contentedly from where he sat, curious what was going through her mind as she looked on at the sketch. It took a second longer for her question to register, and he shrugged initially.

"Long enough for me to finish, I guess?" he replied, having genuinely lost track of time. Normally when it was still daylight out he didn't bother checking the time; the exception might have been if he had appointments or classes to get to, but even then he never worried too much about it, choosing to keep his focus on their time together instead. "I didn't mean to wake you. I figure while you're in here you need all the rest you can get…"

He reached for his sketchbook and flipped it back a couple of pages, through some things he worked on during his previous visits, eventually landing on a portrait of her sleeping face. "I don't mind, though. Actually I think it's kinda cute, how you're always dozing off when I come around."

Noting his statement to be true Hannah laughed. “Yeah, I guess I do don’t I?”

“You’re like a breath of fresh air in a stale white walled room.” His smile alone was like the first rays of sun after a long winter's night. “I feel safe when you’re around.” Hannah admitted. Whether it was here at the hospital or walking her home after work. It’s like so long as he was near everything felt like it’d be alright.

“That…” She paused to look up at him with a sleepy yet teasing smile, “and you make a really good pillow.” She then added just before giving him a feathered kiss on his lips.

Her laugh never failed to bring out his brighter smile, even a slight chuckle as he gave the room a quick once-over thanks to the comparison in her comment. When his eyes fell to her once more, to the blue in her eyes and her soft, smiling expressions, tired and yet still so young and full of life, he really felt as though she didn't belong in such a room. At the very least she didn't belong in one all by herself, which only bolstered his desire to visit as often as he could so she didn't have to be.

When he caught that teasing smile he raised a brow out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised by the comment and brief kiss that followed. Too brief, he though in passing, so he dipped his head slightly to catch her lips with his own in a more lingering kiss. "Well I'm happy to help," he said with a grin as he pulled back just enough so he could rest his forehead against hers.

"So put me to use. Can I get you anything? Food, water, maybe even just another kiss?"

“D all of the above?” She responded questioningly with an innocent smile. Her eyes searched his despite knowing already what his answer would be. Tristan was sweet like that, always so considerate, rarely did he ever complain which is why she often wondered how she had been so blessed as to have him in her life.

"You can't possibly be this cute," he said with a laugh as he leaned forward just enough for their lips to meet again, light and quick so he wasn't quite so tempted to sit there for too much longer. And before he gave in to that temptation he slipped off the bed as soon as he was able to, straightening out his slightly ruffled clothes once he was on his feet again. "So food..." he started to say, then paused as though he was waiting for her to fill in the blanks for him.

"I can swing by the cafe if you want? Get something you like from there. You know Arianne always stashes at least one of your favorites, there's probably a sorbet or a brownie waiting for you there right now."

“That actually sounds really good. Are you sure you don’t mind?” Hopefully in just a few more days her doctor would release her from the white-walled prison they called a patient's room and she’d be able to walk with him back to work.

His response was a simple shake of his head, matched with a smile as he leaned in just once more to kiss her forehead before moving away to tuck away his things. "I'll be back in a few, yeah?" he said, waiting just long enough for her response before waving a small goodbye and head out the door.

Tristan was quick about it; Arianne had lent him the car so the trip was significantly shorter than if he'd been commuting. He did his best not to let their questions keep him lingering around the cafe for longer than he really had to be, and soon enough he was back at the hospital, small bag of goodies in tow.

"My sister is…" he started to say as he entered the room, eyes on the bag he was holding, "incredibly generous. And she says she misses you."

“Are you sure she’s not mad?” There was worry in her voice that could not be hidden. Out of everyone, it would be expected that she’d at least tell her boss what was going on in the event something happened at work. But she didn’t. No, Hannah kept it a secret from even Arianne.

Tristan was in his seat and already emptying the bag on the little table--a small plate of brownies, a little single-serve sorbet, some pudding and several little cartons of juice--when the question came, and he only shrugged. "She's always had this sixth sense," he explained while arranging the snacks. "Usually about me. Who I liked, if I was keeping secrets, that kinda thing. Or maybe I'm just that obvious? But she hasn't asked for any other explanation after the first time, when I told her you had to miss work for a little while without really saying why."

He gestured at each snack after looking up, a silent question of which one she wanted him to open for her. "Anyway, rather than mad she's probably more concerned. She'd appreciate hearing from you at least, if you can?"

Hannah wringed her fingers nervously while worrying her lower lip. Fight or flight was kicking in and while she would prefer to avoid the topic if at all possible she knew that wasn’t going to work out for anyone in the long run. At the very least Arianne deserved an explanation for what was going on.

“Okay…” Hannah reluctantly conceded “Just… not today please.” It would take a bit to work up to approach not only her friend but also her boss. While she could face a youma without thinking overmuch on what she was doing, dealing with people was something else altogether. Friend or not, it was a bit of a delicate topic.

He moved back toward the bed, snack table in tow, as he waited for her response. He even managed to get comfy beside her again before she finally spoke, to which he could really only nod in response. It was her decision who to share her situation with, and when. And he honestly hadn't meant to bring it up, so Tristan just popped open the sorbet first and handed her a spoon.

"Not today," he repeated, "and you don't have to tell her anything if you don't really want to, whenever you decide to reach out. I meant more as a 'hi' sort of thing, you know? Checking in and stuff."

"But today you're stuck with me and all these snacks, and this one's the melting kind." He offered her a comforting smile before producing another spoon, this time for himself. "I figured you might want some help with it."

“Heh, thank you.” Hannah leaned against him teasingly then added “You’re so considerate.”

More awake than she had been a few minutes ago, she accepted the pint of strawberry sorbet and spoon then promptly took a bite. Surprisingly it was still quite cold but at least with it sitting out for as long as it did the desert was easy to scoop at least.

After a few more bites Hannah put the lid back on the sorbet then set it, and the spoon, on the table beside her bed. “You know,” she paused for a moment till she knew she had his attention. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I feel more than blessed to have you in my life.”


“Things have been really difficult lately and you… you made me feel like everything will be OK” The way her eyes cast downward or worried her lip Tristan got the feeling there was more she was going to say. It was something she often did when deep in thought.

“I-I know we’ve only been going out for a few months.” Hannah’s arms wrapped around herself, a defensive motion she did when expecting a negative reaction to what she was going to say. “I’m sorry, but - I think I’ve fallen in love with you.” Admitting something so deeply personal as that was likely not the best idea while she was at the hospital but it was an epiphany she had the first day he showed up here and didn’t run away. He still treated her as he always had; light hearted teasing. But even more than just that, Tristan had stayed with her even while she slept and visited often, work and school permitting.

“It’s ok. You don’t need to say anything. It’s just - I wanted you to know how I feel.”

He leaned back in response, tempted to smear a bit of the ice cream on her cheek before she could start eating. He fought it down though, and simply started digging in as well, taking just a few spoonfuls until she spoke and got his attention. It didn't stop him as he was still mid-bite, but he turned and paid attention to what she was saying. For the second time in that room she gradually ushered him into a state of speechlessness, only this time he couldn't fight the smile that now settled on his expression.

Tristan paused, purposely extending the silence just a bit as he gave his next few words some thought. He quickly realized he didn't really have a whole lot to say to that so he set his spoon down and set his eyes on hers.

"You know," he said softly. "I love you, too. I'm not sorry, though. Hope that's okay with you."

There were sad tears and there were happy tears and in all honesty it really didn’t take a genius to figure out which hers were. It was a chance she took in telling him how she felt but hearing him say those four words ‘i love you too’ made her heart flutter in a way that words could not express.

A light pink blush spread across her otherwise pale face as a smile tugged the corners of her lips relentlessly. It seemed that it was her turn to sit there speechless, only able to nod her head in reply. “Times like this I really wish I wasn’t sick.” What she’d do to be anywhere but here; stuck in a hospital bed unable to leave.

Tristan left the happy tears to fall, a smile staying on his own lips as he leaned forward for just barely a kiss. "We'll have other times like this," he said as he turned back toward the table. "Just try and focus on getting better, alright?"

"Now!" Playfully he eenie-meenie'd the next snack that they would share, soon presenting a pudding cup to her. "While you've got me here, why don't we get through the rest of this stuff?"

Hannah couldn’t help but laugh “I think I’ve had enough pudding to last me a lifetime, I’l just l stick with the sorbet.” She turned to the side to pick up the pint and remove the lid. After taking a bite she pointed to the chair over by the window where the remote was last placed. “In case you feel like watching something while we eat.”

His smile went a little lopsided, but he just gave a shrug and popped the pudding open. "Suit yourself," he said, then picked up his spoon. "And no thanks. We can snuggle up on a proper couch and do a movie once you're home. Right now…" and he paused again to give her a peck on the cheek.

"Just you and me. Cool?"

“Ok.” Hannah offered up no complaints as it was just one more thing for her to look forward to once she got better.