Ace looks at her. "What are you saying?" He mutters quietly, his eyes saddening as he looks at her. He could feel his heart crack. "Becca… I'm always here for you. I love you more then anything." He whispers. "I wouldn't leave." He mutters. "I want you to be my girlfriend. I want you to be the one I hold and kiss and love." He whispers.
Her heart hurt so much. She knew that going through this decision would save him a lot of pain in the end but when she glanced over and locked eyes with him, her entire resolve crumbled. She couldn't go through with this. So why was her mind still working like she was? "Please. It's Rebecca." Her voice held no emotion like she'd detached it from herself.
Ace felt something shatter in him. "What…?" He whispers. "Becca- Rebecca… please. Please don't do this. You're not alone." He whispers, his eyes were wide. He felt like he were glass. Like he was being shattered into a million little pieces. She can't mean…
Then, something in her broke. Her last remaining thought that this would be fine was gone. She couldn't hurt him like this. Her eyes filled with tears and she forced her gaze away. The longer she looked at him, the more it hurt. "I can't do this." She whispered. "Please…someone save me from myself…" Her mind was toxic and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
He gently extends his hand, placing it softly on her cheek. "Look at me." He whispers. "Please." He smiled softly. "Rebecca. I will always be here to love and support you. If you want someone to save you, I will help you save yourself. I am never going to leave your side. never in a million years." He whispers, his gaze on her.
She curled up tighter and didn't respond. She felt awful. She played with his feelings and made him feel bad and then backed out and he still said he loved her. How could he deal with someone like her?
Ace sighed softly and looked down. He sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands. He waned to protect her and love her. But how could he if she kept pushing away. And did she even fully want him?
"I'm sorry I'm like this." She mumbled. "I'm sorry I keep pushing you away. I don't mean to, I really don't. I just don't want anyone to have to deal with the girl behind the mask." She wore a sweet, bubbly personality easily but it wasn't really her. She was weird, she was sarcastic, she was a bit of a bitch. But no one knew that because if they saw that, they'd see everything else and that would be horrifying to her.
Ace was quiet. "You wouldn't want the boy behind the mask either." He replies quietly. "But you.. You loved me anyway. I felt wanted. I felt like I could fly and no one could bring me down. You… Brought a part of me back that I had thought I had lost years ago." he mutters quietly. "We all have demons, Rebecca. It's how you choose to fight them that makes you who you are. You don't have to hide behind a mask anymore."
She sighed quietly. She knew she didn't, she knew he'd love her anyway. So why was it so hard to take the mask off? "Hospitals bring her down." A sudden voice from the door made her jump. Kelsie was back, leaning against the wall. "Ever since we watched our sister basically lay on her deathbed, it causes her to go into a depressive state. She'll push everyone away no matter who they are and just want to be alone with her thoughts. Which is never a good idea but hey."
Ace looks up, jumping a little. "Hey Kelsie." He says softly. He stood. "I'm going to go find my sister. I haven't seen her around the hospital…" He says quietly before leaving the room. He looked for his sister, his hands buried in his pockets.
Kelsie took his spot beside her. "This isn't healthy for you." "But what about-?" "I know Dr. Picani said that being co-dependent is bad and it is. But constantly pushing away everyone who cares is bad too. You guard your heart with battle armor and I understand why. But you need to let down your walls, just a little. You've found your Prince Charming, now let him slay the dragon to save you."
He walks quietly along the halls, his eyes searching for his sister. He found her looking out a window in the lobby. "Hey sis." He croaks. Alyssa looks back at him and her eyes furrow in concern. "Ace…? Is she okay?" She asks gently. Ace nods. "She's awake." He mutters, and she nods. Alyssa hurries to his side, her eyes wide as she looks at her brothers downtrodden face. "Ace, what happened?" He shrugged. "I don't even know anymore." She nods and hugs him tightly. "Mum and dad are going to be back tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful? You'll get to see mum again." She mutters running a hand through his hair.
"I want to love him." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I really do. I just don't know how. And I don't know if he's willing to be patient with me while I learn." "Becca, of course he would be." "You don't know that." Both girls went silent. They really didn't know if he would be patient with her or if he'd just get annoyed and move on.
Ace clung to his older sister as she ran a hand through his hair. For the longest time, before he had Becca, Alyssa was his safe haven. He loved his older sister. She was everything to him. He shuts his eyes as he remembers when he was little.
"Sissy?" Little Ace walked into his older sisters room as the storm raged outside. He was only 6 years of age, his hair longer and his eyes softer. There were no scars defining him. He was just an innocent small child. It had been a year since their father had passed on, and their mother was dating another man. Alyssa looked up and her eyes softened as she smiled down at Ace. "Hey there Alice." She mutters gently, patting the bedside. Ace hops onto her bed and nuzzles into the other, shivering at the noise. She held onto him, singing a soft lullaby as he slowly fell asleep.
Soft tears fell down his cheeks as he cried. He shook and shivered as he released all the heartache and pain in his heart. He had been so tense, never breaking down in fear of being rejected. He was scared. He didn't know what to do… He wasn't even sure if Becca loved him anymore.
"Rebecca. You have to believe me when I tell you that Ace loves you more than I've ever seen anyone love a person." Becca bit her lip softly. Kelsie never called her Rebecca unless it was serious. "Then please…send him a message for me…I love him. I just need him to be patient with me while I figure it out. That's all I ask." She nodded and kissed her sister's forehead before heading back to Ace's room. She knocked on the door twice before coming in. "I've been ordered to send a special message."
Ace wasn't in his room. Infact the room was empty. The sheets were faintly ruffled but that was it. Ace was sitting out in the lobby with Alyssa, sleeping on her shoulder. His breathing was soft and slow as she hummed faintly, her hand running through his hair. She was tired as well, dozing but somewhere between asleep and awake.
Kelsie blushed in embarrassment when she realized but shook it off before heading to the lobby. She hesitated for a minute, what if they didn't believe her? She shook the thoughts away before sitting next to Alyssa. "I came to deliver a message."
Alyssa looks up, her eyes slowly opening. "Oh… Hey Kelsie…" She yawns softly, slowly stretching as not to wake her little brother. "What's up?" She asks curiously.
"Well…Becca wants to make this work. She does. She just needs him to be patient as she figures out this whole love thing. She's really scared and being in the hospital isn't helping."
She nods. "I know… Ace is trying to be patient. He's having a rough time too… The hospital gives him some bad memories. But I understand. He just needs time as well. They both do." She smiled a little bit before kissing her brothers forehead.
She smiled, relieved. "Well, maybe they didn't get the most traditional start but hopefully they'll have a traditional ending. I mean, I certainly hope they do."
"I know they will. Ace loves her to much to let her go. She helped him through so much. She was the only one to make him feel human for a time."
"Well then. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that." She checked her phone for the time. "I should go check on her, make sure she's not slipping into a hospitalized depression."
"Understood." She smiles gently before stretching and smiling widely at her.
She gave Alyssa a quick hug before heading back up to her sister's room. "How'd it go?" "All systems go." Becca sighed in relief. "Thank God. I can't bare to lose him."
Alyssa smiled at the hug and ran a hand through her brothers hair. She sighed softly and looked at her phone. Her ex fiancé was texting her. Telling her horrible things. She opened her phone, skimming through it before opening the options and hitting the block. She sighed and leaned her head back.
(Should we skip to once Ace gets released from the hospital? Becca wouldn't be with him since, ya know, punctured lung and stuff.)
(Sure)
One of the doctors appeared in Ace's room. "Alright, you're all good. I just need you to sign this and you can leave." She handed him a clipboard and a pen with a smile.