Shooting Star and Swallow's Song

Can't Help It

Her thoughts kept her up a while, even as it got late, but eventually Alex became drowsy. She thought it best to put the d20 down on the small side table beside herself. The last thing she wanted to do was lose it, despite what Steph said. Placing it with the twenty face up as a sort of good luck charm, she hoped it didn't count as cheating.

Alex curled up in bed and wondered what it would be like with Steph there, in her bed.

Would she be the big spoon? Probably, she's taller. I'd probably have to get on my tippy toes to...no no no...

She dismissed her fantasy before it fully formed. Alex never really had someone she wanted to be intimate with until now, as pointless as her feelings felt to her. There was a name for that she recalled.

Maybe I'm demisexual?

She drifted off to sleep, recalling past events in her life to try and make sense of her sexuality. It did not all completely add up. Her last thought before losing consciousness was deciding that maybe she didn't need to label it. Knowing how she felt about Steph was enough.

When she woke, Alex felt a touch of panic seeing the unfamiliar environment, but quickly calmed down when everything came back to her until another thought sprang up.

Steph's dice! Die? Whatever, where is it...

She started pulling the covers up to search and then looked to the table, remembering she had put it there.

Oh thank god. No actually...thank me. I did that.

She never really believed in a god, but when her powers manifested she was even more uncertain about the universe and her place in it.

What time is it...

At first she started looking for her phone, but then remembered it was destroyed in the fall.

Shit...I can't get texts from Steph anymore. Actually...how am I going to pay for a new one...or this hospital stay? I didn't even think about that...did I sign paperwork with Jed? Do I have insurance? I don't remember.

As her anxiety built up, she noticed the clock on the wall.

7:48

Okay, I can at least leave soon. They probably need to do one last check on me and then I'm out of here.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a nurse came in to perform some routine checks on her vitals and said the doctor would do one last check as well before discharging her. There was some vague talk about insurance and she hoped it would all work out somehow. After getting through that, including being given a set of crutches, she changed back into her clothes and made her way out of the hospital.

Getting downstairs to the main waiting room where the exit was, she saw Steph, slumped over a chair asleep in the same clothes as yesterday. Disheveled hair stuck out under her black beanie.

Oh my god, she never left.

Alex made her way over to her as quiet as she could, not sure what to do. She hated to wake her, though Steph didn't look too comfortable. With careful movement, Alex eased herself into the chair next to the sleeping girl and set the crutches quickly down to lean against the chair on the opposite side.

Is it creepy to stare at her? But I can't help it. She's so...

Steph stirred and Alex froze. The sleeping girl's head leaned down, threatening to tip her whole body over, but she caught herself and shifted to Alex's side without making contact, keeping her eyes shut.