A Piece of Me (Tracob)

Begin Again

Jacob

Troye's been asleep for 22 hours.

I am in fact, 100% serious and I do literally mean 22 hours.

I keep feeling like I should be worried but the thing is that he looks so peaceful. I go into his room every couple of hours to check on him and he wakes up just slightly, drinks a bunch of water, takes his meds and passes out again.

No fever, no pain. He's really just sleeping.

It's just before sunset now, and all of Los Angeles is getting ready to be bathed in that golden glow.

I step lightly down the hall, Nash padding after me and peak into Troye's room. The curtains are closed, so it's dim here, but in the minimal light I can see him rolled onto his stomach, buried in a mound of pillows. His lips are parted so he makes the tiniest little snores.

I walk in and set the glass of water down on his nightstand.

"Hey, Troye," I shake his shoulder. "Time to take your meds, okay? Wake up real quick."

I feel far more comfortable now to wake him and talk to him then I did a week ago. He's so much more...easy about it. He's agreeable. He's also pretty much strictly been asleep since we talked yesterday, but hey. I stroke his hair, because it feels natural instead of letting myself overthink it like I always do. Right now I'm just glad - thankful.

"Troye," I shake his shoulder. "Hey, wake up."

Troye rolls onto his back, mumbling a string of words that make no sense together and hiccuping. I place my hand on his chest, remembering that since the accident, he has a habit of waking up in a panic, but this time he just blinks his eyes open sleepily.

"Hi."

"Hi," I smile at him, noting how much easier it is to smile now. Nothing is forced. "Brought your pills and some water, can you sit up?"

Troye wiggles up into a halfway sitting position, leaning back into the pillows. He reaches out for his water and I hand him the tiny condiment cup with his meds.

He makes a face after downing the first. "I always feel like I'll choke on that one," he whispers, voice scratchy and I almost make a comment about how I didn't realize he still had a gag reflex before realizing that's slightly inappropriate given the situation.

Troye takes all four of his pills, drinks the entire cup of water and then asks me sweetly to bring him another.

Troye's sweet, he's always been sweet and irresistible in his little mannerisms and soft voice. That's one of the things I missed terribly about him. The accident took that away, changed him. But now I feel like he's coming back to that and every time I think about it that way, I feel a little rush of happiness. He's coming back to himself.

He's coming back to me.

When he's finished I take the glass and the empty pill cup from him. "I'm gonna be in the kitchen, okay? If you need anything. But you can go back to sleep if you want, okay?"

He nods, sliding back down under the covers and I turn away.

"Jacob?" His hushed voice stops me before I reach the door.

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired. But it's a little lonely and boring in here. Y-you can stay. If you want."

I hesitate, not because I don't want to stay with him, but because I'm surprised through and through that he asked. For the first time the whole time he's been home, he's showing genuine inclination to being with me again.