Together (cont'd and closed)

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had relied heavily on the hand rail on the way down the stairs at home in the hopes of conserving energy, but he was still wilting before they made it to the café. His jaw was tight with the effort, but again, he was determined to push himself as far as he could.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wanted to hurry and get somewhere Dare could sit, but he couldn't rush Dare, not when he was like this. He was just glad Elouai seemed content to follow their lead and didn't attempt to change their path. He tried to hold Dare and did what he could to help, but it all seemed useless until they finally found a place to sit.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare let out a breath of relief when he was finally off his feet again. "I'm not going to make it to school," he said, his eyebrows drawing together. He hoped he didn't fail everything, hoped Dru hadn't fired him while he'd been gone, but told himself that if she had, that would only mean more time with Michael.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael shook his head as he looped Elouai's leash around the leg of a chair. "I didn't expect you to start. You could get someone to bring you work," he said. "Markise helped me, I'm sure he'd help you. Maybe even Ariel." He didn't know who had classes with who, but between everyone they knew surely Dare could keep up.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded, trying to think enough to decide who was in what classes with him. "Markise is in most of my classes," he said. Silver was in another couple, but they hadn't spoken since that day with Quinn. He'd just have to hope Markise would get his work for him. After another moment or two to recover, Dare looked up at Michael. "All I want is water," he said. His lips were still cracking, and without some kind of healing potion, they were going to stay that way for a long time.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"You need to eat," Michael said, "Even if you don't want to." Dare couldn't just down water and expect to get better, he needed to eat, too, and sleep at night. He hated that he had to do this, but it was necessary if he expected Dare to ever get better. He knew that if Dare had his way they would still be in bed.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded, unwilling to argue the point. He'd be telling Michael the same thing, then boycotting food himself if that was what it took. "I'll try," he said. He hadn't really thought he'd get away with it, but eating had been so difficult last night. "If they have soup, I'll take that." It felt like a compromise, and far better than trying to choke down a sandwich.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

That seemed like the best way to settle it as the waitress came by with a short menu. Within seconds she was off to get drinks. "As long as you eat something," he said, "I don't really care what it is, as long as it's more than water." Water wouldn't make Dare better, not fully anyway. He didn't want a partially better Dare.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded again. He wanted to improve, wanted to get back to how he was, but he knew it was going to take more than the week it had taken to get this way. He wanted to speed up the process, but he didn't want to go to the hospital, where Michael wouldn't be able to be with him all the time. "Maybe we could... see if Grey has anything to help?" Dare asked, peeking out from under his hood. He hoped Michael didn't get upset at the suggestion, but right now, it seemed perfectly rational.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes shot up to Dare's and a moment later he shook his head and looked down at the menu. "No." And that was that, he wouldn't even consider it. It had taken them half a year to Dare better from the last potions and to fix everything that had happened because of it. He was not going through all of that again. Not to mention that it was very unlikely that Grey would even give them anything.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare could hear the finality in Michael's voice, and he'd seen it in his eyes, but the idea wouldn't leave him. Not for a sleeping potion, he didn't want to even attempt starting one again because he'd never be able to stop, not with how good he could still remember it feeling to wake up refreshed and dreamless every morning. "But just a healing potion?" he asked. "A one-time thing?" It was so little, and it could help so much.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was saved from an immediate answer by the arrival of their drinks. He was glad for the extra few moments to think before he finally looked up at Dare. "Just one," he said, though he didn't like the idea of Dare having any kind of help from potions. He didn't want anything to happen like it had at the beginning of the year.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare blinked in surprise. He'd been sure that Michael would say no again, and terrified that he'd been screwing things up by asking. After a moment, he spoke a low thank you, then set himself to sipping his water gratefully. He didn't know much about medical potions, but there had to be something to combat the weakness, or the thirst.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wanted Dare to get better more than anything, so he could stand to let Dare have a potion, just one, to speed up the process just a little. They could get something small from Grey and Dare could take it and it would be done with. Maybe Dare just needed a little boost, and then he would get better soon.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

When Dare's soup came, a mellow vegetable beef, his stomach ached in eagerness. He'd gotten to eat the night before, if only a bit, and he was ready for more. He went after a chunk of meat first, though he soon regretted it. The time it took to chew dried his mouth so badly that he went back to his water right away. When his spoon dipped into the bowl again, he brought it up quietly, filled with broth.