xp_logs | Jay & Paige

Jay visits Paige in the infirmary. They bond. Lots of cute Guthrie-ness ensues.

Paige was back. Paige was back. She wasn't the quivering husked creature huddling in the corner of the infirmary anymore. Jay didn't know what to do. Would she want to see him? Now that she was back on the journals, would she read what he'd written when she'd left and then not want to talk to him anymore?

Or maybe she wanted to see him. Maybe she wanted family. It was worth the risk of potential Paige-wrath, Jay decided, slinging his guitar case over his shoulder and heading down to the medlab. It was as white and empty as usual. Jay shuddered. He hated this place. He couldn't imagine Paige having been down here so long.

Spotting her room, he approached it slowly and knocked on the door, looking through the window and offering his sister and small smile and a wave.

"Hey there, feathers," Paige answered with a grin, once the door had cracked open. Her grin widened at his expression and she shrugged, innocently. "I'm trying out this nickname type thing. I can blame it on the fever later. Shh. Miss me?"

Jay nearly wet himself in relief. Paige was back. "That's probably the most flatterin' thing you've ever called me, sis," he said as he stepped into the room and pull up a chair by her bed. "Missed ya? Well, maybe just a tad."
There was a giggle as she waved him closer. "I was really mean to you when I was little, wasn't I? Give your mean old sister a hug, would you? I won't break, no matter what they say."

"You're one nasty ole gal," Jay teased, putting down his guitar and offering his sister a hug. It was a nice hug, too. Not a wimpy two second brief touch hug. This was the hug of two people who haven't seen each other in forever. "Ya holdin' up all right down here?"

"It's really white, did you know?" Paige said as an answer, making a little bit of a face. "But it's clean, which I like. And people keep bringing me things." Gesturing at the pile of books, CDs, food and a stuffed animal, she continued, "And good company. Real good company. How're you? Okay?" Her look instantly softened; it was concern. She knew how much this had to suck for him and Sam.

"Yeah, Ah noticed that when Ah was walkin' down here, too. Too white. Ah dunno how ya stand it." Jay looked at Paige, his expression quickly growing to match hers. "Ah'm fine. Been doin' a whole lotta nuthin'. Well, coupla summer classes, avoidin' the latest drama whatever it is, writin' a bit . . . That sorta stuff."

Sighing, Paige gave up on the whole distant, personal bubble type thing and pulled Jay onto the bed. They were never going to be a normal 'Ew, don't touch me, sister cooties!' type of family, were they? Oh well. Snuggling up to him, she pulled the blanket over his lap. "I'm glad. I know I've been a rather awful sister the last little while, but I still worry. Anything good? Writing or classes wise?"

Since when was Paige so strong? Jay found himself in the bed, his sister cuddling up against him, much like he used to do when he was just a kid. "And Ah've been a rotten brother mahself, so we're even, yeah?" He adjusted himself on the bed, spreading wings so neither he nor Paige were lying on them. "Takin' Dr. Grey's Shakespeare class, and it's nuthin' Ah haven't read already. And Ah think people think Ah'm a dork 'cuz Ah love all the romantic shit he writes. As for writin', Ah got mahself a coupla songs. Need some refinin', Ah think, but they might be good ta go soon."

"Aw. You ol' softie. You better watch it, people are going to stop running from you in terror if you keep this up," Paige teased, tickling him just a moment before drawing away. In a tickle fight, she'd definitely not be the winner. "Or we could accent this new look you have going? Get you some tights?"

Jay squirmed and tickled Paige back. She may be strong, but he was no weakling himself. And he was bigger, which gave him the advantage. "Ah've always liked Shakespeare. Folk just didn't expect little ole me ta actually have a soft side. How many fellas can recite his first dozen love sonnets from memory anyway?"

"Can I get one of you, but. You know. Not my brother? Maybe a couple years older? I'll treat him real nice, feed him every day," Paige asked, batting her lashes, and swatting the hand that was inching to tickle her again with a loud 'crack'. She might be sick, but she was still capable of swatting. "Also? Would you like to remind me why we don't have a fan club already? The Guthries are just so cool."

"Ouch!" Jay exclaimed, rubbing the slapped hand with his other. It hadn't hurt much, really, but he made the show for Paige's benefit. "Ya know, Ah bet Ah could train Forge. Pull a Cyrano on him," he quipped, proud that the teasing smile didn't falter from his lips. Yeah, he was getting over the crush, but every so often, a little something happened that made him want to try again. The thought of Forge reciting love poetry was one of those things. "And Ah thought we did have a fanclub. Remember that whole 'Save Our Guthries' thing or whatever they called it?"

"Noooo tickle," Paige drawled, in a perfect reproduction of a certain cartoon llama. She thought a moment, pulling at her lower lip with her teeth before snapping her fingers. "Cyrano! Big nose story. Right. Ah, I knew I'd get it, just took me a second. And well, as entertaining as that would be... that would mean you'd still be feeding someone lines for your sister. And that's kind of icky." The scrunched up face she made transferred over at the mention of the SOG. "Blech. Let's not bring that up. I'd like to repress that memory and hold out for a fanclub that types badly and picks through my garbage."

"Speaking of fan clubs that type badly, has anyone given ya the new Harry Potter yet? Thought'cha might like ta read it. Give ya somethin' else ta do besides starin' at the walls here."

"I think I have three copies at this point, not including the one Bobby is using to read to me," Paige admitted, grinning. "But I could do with one more, if that's what you're getting at."

"Bobby's readin' to ya?" Jay blushed a little at the thought. Ever since he'd teased Terry about her not-crush on Bobby, Jay had found himself catching glimpses of the other guy whenever they passed each other. What he wouldn't give to have someone that cute read to him.

Paige couldn't miss that; she might not be the brightest when it came to reading people, but a blush with a raise in the voice and the way he was trying not to look interested? She'd have to be an idiot. Grinning slowly, she innocently looked at the ceiling. "Yep. I'm sure if you just happened to be in the room with me, he'd read to you too. And you know, if I was way on the left, and there was this big gap on the right, you'd just have to be in the middle. No question."

Jay glared at Paige. Good thing that he wasn't a pyrokinetic, because he heard himself say stuff like "burst into flames" to her in his head. "You're awful."

"What I say?" Paige asked, still grinning, her head lolling to the side to look at her brother. "It makes perfect sense! And Bobby is awful cute, in that ew he's my brother, but hey, nice butt sort of way."

"It's the eyes," Jay found himself saying, but quickly slapped a hand over his mouth before he said anything else. Eww, who talks to their sister about this kind of stuff. "No setting me up. Ah ain't interested. Ah'm just . . . window shoppin', is all."

Giggling, Paige nodded and patted Jay on the shoulder. "Okay, okay. I'll play good. As long as you're happy." She paused and really looked at him, tightening her grip on him. "You're happy, aren't you?"

Okay, that was a mood swing. "Uh, yeah, Ah'm fine. Much happier than Ah was even a coupla months ago. 'Specially now that'choo're up and at 'em."

"Just checking. I'm enjoying this part where you and I are talking and I wouldn't like to find out later that you were just putting on a show for me because you're afraid I'll go hide in iso for another two months," Paige replied breezily, with much more confidence than she felt. Two months. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear that thought, she smiled. "So, anyone else you've been looking at through this shopping window of yours, or have we fallen into that zone of things siblings aren't supposed to talk about? I never quite figured out where that line was."

Jay squirmed uncomfortably, embarrassed. He was afraid she'd go into hermitage again, but that wasn't why he was here. It was a reason he'd visited her before she became coherent again, but he'd gotten beyond that. "S'not a show," he replied quietly, eyes cast down. "Ah was really worried about ya." He gulped and mustered up his boldness, raising his eyes again to look at Paige. "Ah was a real fuck to ya. M'sorry."

Smiling gently at him, Paige took his chin in hand, turning his face so that she might kiss his cheek. "Our family has this bad habit of coming here and turning into real fucks, it seems. You know you're forgiven." Using the cuff of her pyjama sleeve, she wiped his cheek where her lips had been with a little grin and let go. "Thanks for worrying about me. I'm sorry for leaving," she continued quietly, whether she was talking about years or two months ago, unclear.

Jay took it to mean both. "We're fucks and yet we have a fan club of sorts. Wonder what that says 'bout the folk here, eh?" Laying his head on his sister's shoulder, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Ya talked ta Mama yet? She's been worried sick. The little'uns, too."

Face falling, Paige closed her eyes as if in pain. She didn't want to see his once accepting face turn disappointed or even angry. Same old Paige. Leaving her family without a care who she hurts. Good job, girl. "No. I... I've been sleeping a lot. And hoping someone would do it for me, honestly."

Jay smiled reassuringly at her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it softly. He didn't blame her. Hadn't he avoided talking to Lucinda after the night at the club? "Ah'll do it, iffn ya want. Ah owe her a call anyway. S'been a coupla weeks."

"Naw, s'alright," she answered, allowing herself a small drawl as she opened one eye to look at him. She wasn't quite sure when he'd turned into a young man as opposed to her little baby brother, but close up like this, with her bad eye open, she could see... hm. The wings definitely suited him. "Something I've got to do. Think I'm going to try out this healing wounds thing I've heard so much about. Sounds like something a smart person would do, and I do have this super genius reputation to keep intact."

"Sam's got his force field thingie, you can pull off your skin, and Ah've got super healin'. Ya know, s'like we Guthrie weren't designed ta die or nuthin'. We're unstoppable!" He sat back up, but kept Paige's hand in his own, as if letting go would reverse every bit of progress they'd made. "Yeah, ya better get back ta work on the super genius thing before someone else steals it and ya have ta beat them up ta get it back."

Paige laughed so hard that her nose scrunched up, hiding the dark against white freckles there, and her jaw began to hurt again. "Magneto has nothing on us, baby. Well, will have nothing on us, once I can stand again. I don't even think I could defend my super genius title right now." Rubbing her thumb along the back of his hand, Paige looked at him very seriously, the only thing giving her away the sparkle in her eyes. "Do feel free to kick anyone who looks like they might be thinking about making away with it until I can deal with them later."

"Oh, don't'cha worry. Anyone who tries ta make away with your crown will find themselves fallin' from a couple stories up."

"Aw. And here I was loving you just because you're so darn pretty," Paige teased, with a grin. Oh yes. She was definitely back.