DIVISION 52 - BOOK II

CHAPTER XLVI

M A K A Y L A

Proximo was a silent presence at the edge of the room. The best one. I would have fallen apart entirely without his solid hand and words at the time I needed them most. The lights had been dimmed for the night in the med bay. They would keep her under until morning to ensure her body was stable before waking.

It didn't make the hours move any faster.

The blue glow of his holo appeared against his face as he controlled the Division from his comm on the floor. It made a brief smirk take my lips seeing his dishevelled short hair and t-shirt as opposed to a fully equipped Vanguard and death hanging from his every limb. I preferred the short hair over the shaven cut.

"Stop staring at me." He muttered, swiping at his holo.

"That's the second time you've hugged me." I announced. 

"I have no idea what you mean." He answered calmly, keeping eyes on his work.

I rested my head on my hand with my other still on Alex's combats. Her steady beat on the heart monitor kept me sane. Half Proximo's face was shadowed and blue. Those stern yet square lines of his face skimmed over lines of communication. Then he lowered his wrist and met my gaze.

"What?" He demanded.

"Just trying to figure you out."

"There is nothing to figure." He retorted, resting his muscled forearms on his knees.

"I'm trying to decide how much of your personality is that serum, and how much is you."

He smirked darkly and flexed a hand. "I'm most myself in the mornings, Miss Xavier."

"But I never see you in the morn–"

"Exactly." He finished flatly, drawing his wrist back up.

"But you're not using it now..." I ventured.

He sighed and shook his head. "I am restricted from using it now." He grit out.

I scanned his irritation for a moment before a snort left me. "Oh, Prox... Did Art tell you no?"

"Do you want to join her on that bed?" He stated, looking like he was also ready to take the shot. I grinned back and trailed my fingers absently against her leg.

"I'm good right where I am."

This made him appraise me more closely.

"So... it is no harm done?" He raised an eyebrow.

I took his meaning and my hand stilled. I chewed my lip and averted my eyes to the machines again. He waited for my words but they seemed trapped now. A few moments passed and he decided to drop it.

"There's definitely harm." I finally murmured across to him. He acted like he hadn't heard me but I know he listened. "–I need her to be okay. Then we need to take some time to go over a lot of things..." I finally got out. "I can't run away from it."

"That's not the Xavier I once knew." He mused at his holo feed. 

The comfortable silence lay between us again and I resumed trailing my fingers against the dark fabric of her leg. "You know, in the beginning–I wanted to hate her so badly..." I murmured, scanning over her boots tied with military precision. "The way you two walked into my father's tower like it was nothing. Openly insulted him, made a scene and then smirked while it all went to hell around you..." I let out a small chuckle, "–I had never seen such arrogance outside of 1."