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 Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:25 pm
Sherry sighed and smiled, trying to cover her worry. She squeezed his torso with one arm, pulling him closer to her. She didn't want to have to pick him up again. She was quiet most of the way, concentrating on walking (cause she'd been so good at it earlier). Besides, it was Jake. He wasn't one to talk much anyway. As they neared their destination, that ever familiar door getting closer, she finally gave in and asked again. "What's wrong?" [A.V.] >_> As I post from class.
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 10:03 pm
The contact made him flinch, and he stared at her, tempted to use his hand to shove her away. As they neared his room, he finally did push her away, turning to give her a tired glare.
"Nothing. I'm just tired. You can go now."
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 10:09 pm
The look she gave him was one of her best deadpan looks ever. "No." She placed herself between him and door. "I'm not leaving you on the floor again, Jake Cross."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 1:52 am
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm standing."
Though, he wasn't sure for how long. Damn this woman, he just wanted to be left alone. Was that so much to ask?
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 2:15 am
"You were standing earlier, too. Then you weren't." Sherry shook her head. "I didn't spend who knows how long kneeling in bloody sand just to have you keel over from who knows what."
She reached for the door handle behind her. "Is your door locked?"
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 2:30 am
Huffing, he pushed past her, opening his door.
"Does that answer your question? Now leave."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 4:00 am
It did answer her question. So she wrapped one arm around Jake's outstretched arm and pulled him into his own room. With her foot she shut the door behind them. "I can't leave yet," worry was seeping into her voice, "not until I know you are going to be alright." She let go of his arm. "Why on earth are you so tired you'd face plant in the cafeteria?" If he really was tired. Even if that's all it was, it was a serious kind of tired, the kind that normal people worried about. [A.V.] Sorry for the double quote. You know how me and typos are. xD
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 11:48 am
The motion almost made him lose his balance, and he stumbled slightly, managing to catch himself just as Sherry dragged him into the room. He had a feeling it wouldn't be easy to get rid of her now, and in his current state... he wasn't sure if he had the energy to.
I don't need help.
Kinda late for that.
He stumbled towards his bed, plopping down on it, resisting the urge to just fall over.
"I tripped, which is a perfectly human thing to do. I just need some sleep. I'll be fine."
Shedding his coat, he dropped it on the ground, giving her a tired glare.
"What are you still doing here? Go away."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 4:53 pm
Sherry stared at him, fully aware that he wasn't going to like her answer. "I'm still here," she started, pulling off on of her gloves, "because I felt you dying the other day. The bleeding wouldn't stop, and with every beat of your heart..." She didn't bother finishing as she stepped up beside him. She placed her un-gloved hand on his forehead, her other hand went to his shoulder to keep him still. "I'm worried. I know that makes you angry, but I don't care." She bent down to look him in the eye; she didn't want to loom over him. "Do you know how much not sleeping a person has to do to be as exhausted as you seem? Have you slept at all since the Sahara?"
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 7:04 pm
Too tired to push her away, he only closed his eyes when she placed a hand on his forehead, letting out a shaky sigh, and opened them again when she knelt down to stare at him. It wasn't like he was TRYING not to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the memories came flooding back. Catherine slowly dying in his arms while he could do nothing about it, Stormy's lifeless body several feet from him. It only reminded him how useless he was, how weak, how pathetic. What did he come here for? What had he accomplished? Even after all this time, nothing changed. Death eluded him once again, and someone else suffered in his place. He didn't want to deal with this anymore, didn't want to see someone else's bloody body take the place of his own. He didn't need more guilt.
Try as he might though, it was already too late. He had wanted to sever all ties, but they had already been made. Who's death would he have to witness next? Gale? Sherry?
The latter made him shudder, and he pushed her away, recoiling.
No, he didn't want to deal with this anymore. He had to find some way to make her give up on him. If she stuck around him...
Realization dawned on him as he realized he had been the cause of those two deaths. Because Catherine was protecting him, because Stormy stayed by him... if he had ran away at that time, Catherine wouldn't have been shot, and if he had managed to convince Stormy to stick by a stronger hunter, it...that would have... never happened. This was all his fault.
He drew his knees up, not caring that he was still wearing his boots, and hid his face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around his knees.
"If you leave now, I can go sleep. You want me to get better, don't you?"
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 7:32 pm
She expected him to push her away. Jake was predictable like that. She hadn't been expecting him to curl up on himself. He seemed sad, and it made her heart ache because she knew he wouldn't let her help him. There wouldn't even be any guarantee that the would have been able to help, if he'd allowed it.
"Right now, I want for nothing more than for you to get better." She sat down on the, slowly and lightly as she could. She was down to assuming the worst. What if he hadn't been sleeping? "How do I know you'd sleep if I left?"
Sherry bit her lip. Armagnac had a point, but she was also worried that he wouldn't sleep.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 8:03 pm
He stayed curled up for a long time, the only sound in the room was his ragged breathing, and after what seemed like an eternity, he finally lowered his legs, hands planted on the bed as he stared tiredly at the floor.
"I don't understand you. I've been nothing but cold to you, a complete jerk, and yet you still care. I've tried pushing you away, physically and verbally, but you still won't give up."
He turned his head, giving her a confused look.
"Why are you doing this? What's in it for you? If you think doing this is going to make me like you, you're wrong, so just... stop. I'm tired of this."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 9:08 pm
Sherry had been watching Jake, but when he turned to look at her, she found she couldn't hold his gaze for long. It was her turn to stare at the floor, which she did for several long moments.
"It's not that," she said, shaking her head but still looking a the floor. "You can't make someone like you. They either do or they don't." She remembered what Chester had said, and while it gave her some hope that Jake did care about her in that way, she also knew how Jake acted. Ok, she still wasn't sure what to think about it.
"But it's more than just my silly crush on you. You're my friend. I know you hate that, too, but..." she turned her head to look at him again. "I tried leaving you alone, and the next thing I knew you had a hole in your side big enough to put my hands in. Jake, I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my life."
She looked at her hands again, remembering the desert. "And then today, you scared me again. You could have been really ill or had some lingering problems from the desert. I just..."
Sherry sighed, looking back at the floor. "There's nothing in it for me. Other than knowing you are safe. Which I guess makes me completely selfish. If caring makes me a bad person then I'm sorry."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 9:47 pm
Her response only made him frown, and then it was his turn to look away, deciding the ground was REALLY INTERESTING.
"I'm not your concern, you don't have to worry about that. Whatever happens to me shouldn't affect you, so just forget about it."
He fidgeted with his hands, letting out a heavy sigh.
"I already told you before. We're hunters. Death is an occupational hazard. We're all bound to die one day, so what difference does it make if it's sooner or later? Forget about me. Just move on. There's... tons of guys on Deus, and there's always some new recruits waking up. You're bound to find one to your interest. So what if I die? You'll get over it. Seriously, just go away, I'm not your liability."
He lowered his head, resting a palm on his forehead.
"And I don't want you to be mine."
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 10:16 pm
Sherry stared at Jake some more. She didn't know how to respond to that. So the first thing she did was push herself farther onto the bed. Settle in. She wasn't going anywhere. Not now that they were actually talking about it.
The second thing she did was reach out, and nearly touched his shoulder. Nearly.
"Jake, I..."
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![[A.V.]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/8d/f2/221070ca3ff28d_flip.png?t=1546143856_6.00_11&pl=15)