"You're strong" | Seb and Aria
Characters: Sebastian Taylor and Aria D'Souza
Location: Seb and Aria's shared dorm room
Warnings: Mention of brain tumours?? And many emotional moments.
Summary: Sharing a dorm together is awkward at first, but after talking, Seb learns something about Aria that changes a lot, and he ends up comforting her.
It was blatantly obvious to anybody who knew either Seb or Aria that neither of them wanted to be sharing a room that week. It had been almost two months since they’d broken up but they were still awkward around each other and there was clearly some tension. Sebastian didn’t want to hate Aria, despite all that had happened he still cared about her as a friend, but sharing a room was stretching it a little far anyway. Luckily, he’d barely seen the girl over the course of the week, by the time he’d woken up Aria was usually out, and with him going to see Meredith in the evenings by the time he was back Aria was usually in bed. It was just that circumstance as he came into the dorm, well into the night to see Aria in her bed, not sure if she was asleep or not, and not wanting to wake her if she was asleep.
When Aria had realized that she was going to be rooming with her ex boyfriend, the girl ended up smacking one of the comittee members. Even though she had not harsh feelings for Sebastian, she couldn’t help but feel awkward around him. Sharing four walls with him was the worst. The blonde got a kick out of making him squirm, but due to the fact that their schedules were so different, they never saw each other. Tonight Aria had ended up coming home from the gym earlier, she was supposed to see Travis but he hadn’t showed up, upset and exhausted, the blonde returned back to the dorm and jumped into bed, eyes locked on the wall when she heard Sebastian enter the room.
Sebastian was exhausted, not so much due to a hard week, he barely went to class anyway, it was just that he was always tired. Plus, with graduation getting even closer, and the fact that he was yet to even apply to college made it all even worse. The truth was, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing with this life and that started to scare him. As Seb sat in bed, he shot a glance over at Aria to see if she was awake or not, but it was pretty hard to tell. “Hey, you awake?” He asked softly, knowing that if she was, he’d be the last person she’d want to talk to, especially after the fact that Travis had apparently mysteriously left, leaving Aria ‘alone’ as she had said it, and he hated knowing that she might feel that, the feeling was all too familiar to Seb.
Aria flinched slightly, shocked to hear him even utter a word to her. The blonde quickly tabbed at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand before she turned over and sat up. “Yeah, what’s up?” She asked with a small sniffle, the junior avoided eye contact as she ran a hand loosely through her hair, Aria didn’t want to show her weakness, not even to someone that had once seen all her layers.
Seeing Aria sit and turn to face him, Seb noticed the look in her eyes and the way she was acting, something was clearly bothering her but Seb was unsure if it was his place to ask. “I’m fine.” He answered, raising an eyebrow at Aria, he knew her too well for her to pretend to be okay. “You’re not though. What is it?” “Missing mom and dad.. that’s all” Aria simply lied, her family only lived about a short fifteen - twenty minutes away from the school, she could go see them whenever she pleased. “How’s Meredith?” She asked for once with out an attitude or tone, Aria couldn’t think of any other way for him to not worry or press on about her.
“Mhm, okay. You can go and see them though, right?” Seb asked, not sure if he believed what she was saying. He’d been to Aria’s home enough times to know that they lived pretty close by, but he didn’t want to push her, especially not about Travis, who he didn’t exactly get on with anyway, Seb never had liked him. If she didn’t want to talk about her new boyfriend then it was totally understandable, especially if things weren’t going okay. Hearing her ask about Meredith, Sebastian smiled slightly and nodded, “She’s great. We’re great.” He spoke, realising that Aria, for a first time, wasn’t actually being rude about his girlfriend. Aria nodded slowly, giving him a small smile. “That’s nice, I’m happy that she makes you happy” She said softly before her eyes suddenly became preoccupied with her blankets as she sniffled. Deep down she knew that things with Travis really weren’t going to work out, in the three years she’d known him, he had never missed one of their training sessions ever, even when either of them were sick. Knowing that Sebastian and Meredith were still going strong made her feel somewhat jealous, wishing that she had what they had again When he was talking about Meredith, Sebastian couldn’t help but smile, and he nodded, “Yeah, she really does. I am happy.” Part of him felt guilty, he knew that it made him sound like being with Aria made him unhappy, but it wasn’t what he meant at all, he was just in a bad place when they were together and things just weren’t working anyway. She was better off with Travis by far, Seb had always thought they were good together anyway. “So, uh, have you spoken to Travis lately?” He asked, breaking away eye contact, “How is he?”
“Dunno..” Aria answered quietly, nearly feeling like her throat was closing in on her for a moment as she thought about him. It took her awhile to realize how attached she had actually gotten to the older boy. “I haven’t spoken to him since last week… ” She confessed, finally looking up at him with tired brown hues that sported dark circles just on the skin below them “God, Seb.. I’m so sick of pretending like things are okay when they’re fucking not..” Aria muttered as her hands rubbed her face. For the first time in what felt like forever, it seemed Aria was actually showing Seb her more vulnerable side again, and although it was nice to know she could be open about it, he hated how she was feeling. At the mention of how they hadn’t spoken in such a long time, Seb bit his lips to refrain from saying anything. Despite his dislike towards Travis, he’d never expected that he would hurt Aria or upset her, he’d hates Seb so many times for that. His eyes locked onto Aria’s as she looked up, the blonde girl looked exhausted and he shook his head. “Hey, it’s okay. I promise.” Seb tried to reassure her, never good at comforting, “He’ll be back, right? It’ll be okay. And if he doesn’t come back, then I guess you just don’t need him.” “It’s not okay, Sebastian” She sighed, her hands falling back down into her lap as she shifted her body to lean against the wall. “I’m going insane.. I barely sleep, I spend half my time studying, working out or worrying about him” The blonde began to pick at the ends of her golden hair before biting down on her bottom lip. “He was supposed to come and see me tonight and bailed. You and I both know well enough that Travis hasn’t missed a single training session since I met him.. Maybe it’s just a sign that we’re over..” Letting a long sigh out of his mouth, Sebastian was conflicted about what to do. He wanted to comfort Aria and tell her it’d be alright but he didn’t know what to say, or even if it would be alright. Travis kept himself to himself, it was clear from that just from being at his house the one time that he didn’t like people getting involved, and Seb had no idea how much he’d let Aria in. “I don’t know what to tell you, Ari..” He mumbled, feeling concerned, he knew when situations like this had happened before that she’d ended up forgetting to take her meds and getting took to hospital. His eyes still locked onto Aria’s brown eyes and he shook his head. “Don’t say it’s over till you’ve spoke to him, you don’t know what’s going on.” Sebastian was desperately trying to help now, “And if it is, then you’ve still got Cali, and your cousins, and plenty of other people, me included.” Aria shrugged at is his comment, she didn’t blame him for not knowing what to say, she couldn’t figure anything out herself. “He’s.. done, Seb. He’s gone.. I know him, he hasn’t picked up my calls in days. I just - it’s not going to happen anymore, he’s doing his this.. he doesn’t need to deal with me right now. I’m just a pain in his ass” She sighed tiredly, wallowing in her self pity as she leaned her head against the wall and shut her eyes. The blonde let out a scoff moments later, eyes opening as she raised a brow at him. “Have you met my family? My sister’s a stripper, Aaron’s off playing family with his fiance, Aurora’s in and out of here like they’ve got revolving doors and Amelia’s too busy shoving a dick down her throat or her tongue down someone else’. You’ve got Meredith, I’m pretty much alone here” Sebastian sighed as Aria talked about Travis, of course she knew him better than anybody else, and if she said he was gone then maybe he was. “If you’re so sure then I can’t change your mind. You’re not a pain in his, or anyone else’s, ass. He’s so lucky to have you and if he can’t see that then it’s his loss.” Seb watched as she leaned against the wall with her eyes shut and bit his lip once more. It seemed odd, Travis was there all the times Seb messed up, and now apparently Seb was trying to do the same back. “Okay, maybe not. But just because I’ve got Mere, it doesn’t mean I can’t be your friend. Because even if we both fucked up, I still care about you.” “If it’s his loss then why do I feel like I’m the one loosing here?” Aria asked quietly, her lips falling into a small pout as she resembled a saddened wolf pup with her big brown eyes. “I’m just… tired, Seb. I’m exhausted, I have to get decent grades, fun a clique of idiots and maintain my health when I honestly wake up feeling like death. Yeah, you might be here now but everyone important to me is leaving within in a month. What am I mean to do after all of that?” She asked, exhaustion evident in her voice as it started to break slightly. “I can’t keep it together anymore..” “Maybe it feels like that right now, but I promise you, it’ll all be okay. Just trust me, you’ll find someone, even if it’s not going to be Travis, you are never alone.” As Aria told him exactly how she was feeling, Seb shook his head and sighed, he knew the feeling of complete exhaustion all too well, and knowing the consequences he couldn’t let Aria feel any worse. “You’re strong, you’re a fighter. You’ve show me that so many times, and I know that side of you is still in there somewhere. What happened to the badass Aria who didn’t give a shit about what people thought?” Throughout knowing her for over a year, Seb was always the one to lose it first whilst Aria stayed out together and he didn’t like the change, at all. “I’m not going anywhere. Because I care about you, but also because there’s about a one in a million chance I’ll even graduate and go to college.” Seb scoffed, and then saw Aria completely give up. Left with no choice, he stood up and stepped towards her bed where he sat down beside her and tried to smile. “Need a hug?” “You say that all know but you really don’t know that, Seb” Aria sniffled once more, her emotions now taking full control of the blonde. Her eyes began to burn as they filled up with tears. “You don’t know that it’s going to be okay, I could wind up dead tomorrow or get it by a fucking truck and never walk again. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow..” She muttered as the salty tears pooled over the brims of her lids and down her cheeks. “I’m not a fighter anymore, I don’t want to fight anymore, I just want to sleep. I’m tired of fighting..” She whispered. Looking up as he sat down beside her, Aria instantly engulfed herself into his chest as the tears came down harder. “I”m nothing but a screw up.. I fucked up with you, and now him too..” “You’re right, I don’t know it for sure, but I’d say it’s pretty likely. Any guy would be lucky to have you. Maybe that guy isn’t Travis, or even me, but he’s out there somewhere.” Seb sighed, he knew Aria was still an amazing girl and she deserved someone to be there for her, Seb could try but there was only so much he could do or say. Seeing Aria cry broke Seb, he hated it but at least he wasn’t all to blame this time. “Don’t say that. And don’t cry. Please.” He spoke softly, even though she was full on crying now. “Do it for me, please. I know you can, you’ve just got to try.” As Aria fell into his chest, Seb awkwardly wrapped an arm around her and let her cry, his breaths deep and heavy. “No, you’re far from that. You didn’t fuck up with me, it just wasn’t meant to work out. And this thing with Travis is far from your fault.” “I don’t think so..” She argued back through her tears, Aria’s chest felt heavy while her body arched. It didn’t hit her how hard she worked today till now. Shoulders throbbing while her hands were bruised and nearly raw from hitting the punching bag in anger over Travis not showing up, she thought that he had been running late and maybe if she worked hard enough he’d magically appear. “I can’t try.. I’m tired.. i don’t want to do this anymore.. ” She sniffled, pulling away slightly to wipe her eyes with the back of one of her bruised hands. With nothing left to say to Aria’s response, completely unable to make her see it how he saw it he simply sighed again and just let her cry into his chest for as long as she needed. In the moment he just needed to be there for her, telling her it would be okay wasn’t important to him, not if she wouldn’t listen anyway. As she pulled away he noticed the bruises on her hands for the first time, she’d clearly been letting out a lot of anger. “Don’t give up. Promise me that. I gave up and there’s nothing I regret more. I was at such a low point that I didn’t think I’d ever get out of, but look at me now, I’m actually happy again.” “I’m not going to kill myself” Aria answered, sniffling as she lightly pulled away before awkwardly giving him a apologetic look when she realized what she had said. “Sorry..” She muttered before resting her head on his shoulder. “I have nothing going for me right now.. What am I supposed to do when I graduate, hm? They can only keep on pumping hard core drugs into me before something goes wrong, so what, i get good grades. What’s the point of all of this when the chances of me making it to my 21st birthday aren’t very high?” The girl wallowed, letting him into the smart parts of her life which included her health. “I’m getting worse, Seb. I’m getting sicker and they ran.. other tests on me last month..” As Aria mentioned not killing herself, Sebastian drew in a breath and pursed his lips tightly together. He knew she didn’t mean it and it was okay but it was awkward nonetheless. “It’s okay.” He mumbled, and allowed her to rest her head on his body gently. As she spoke, it was clear the girl Seb once thought was so strong was broken into a thousand pieces and he had no clue how to fix it. “Just keep going. You never know what could happen.” He never knew how to approach the topic of health, with his mum being sick too, and even through their entire relationship Seb had always felt wary of her. The next words were like a shot in the heart, it couldn’t be happening. “What do you mean?” He said, his voice cracking, “Aria.. What is it?” “..Exactly.. I don’t know what could happen and that scares me the fucking most..” She croaked quietly, closing her eyes for a minute as she let out a deep breath. Just weeks ago while visiting her parents, Aria found herself in the hospital one faithful saturday with a migraine that left her in tears and on the floor, screaming in pain. After being rushed to a neurologist, the girl had suddenly began to feel like a test rabbit as the doctors began to run tests on her for hours, only to come up with a few answers. None of which made her feel very good when she came back to school with another bottle of pills in her bag. “.. Remember how I used to get those headaches?” The girl asked quietly, her heart now completely dropped to her stomach as her voice became raw. “They got worse.. and worse, sometimes I’d end up fainting.. and one day it happened at home… I - … I could possibly have a tumor..” The blonde barely whispered, her small hand falling into his lap before she locked their fingers. “Think of it as a good thing.. You could get better.. And the best thing in life are surprises.” Seb spoke, trying to believe the words he was desperately trying to convince Aria of, although he didn’t know if he could quite believe it himself, as much as he wanted to. Breaking away from his thoughts to listen to Aria speak, Seb nodded his head and his face grew more concerned as he carried on listening. In shock for a moment hearing the end of it, Sebastian couldn’t speak and could only mumble an “Aria..” Before feeling her lock their fingers. Looking down at them cautiously, he allowed her to hold his hand for comfort. “I can’t.. No. I’m sorry.”
Aria’s throat grew dry when she told him, she didn’t want to tell anyone. She hadn’t even told her own sister, promising her parents that she’d tell the older girl herself when she knew it was the right time. “… Sorry? For what?” She asked weakly, her head coming up to look at him in confusion with furrowed brows. Seb didn’t know how bad the tumour was, or how much Aria and anyone else knew, just that it was bad and now he’d have to be there for her more than ever. His voice stuttered as he began to speak and he ran his other hand through his curly hair. “I don’t know.. Everything?” He replied, a tone of desperation in is words. Aria being upset over Travis was one thing, but this was completely different and so much more serious. Aria’s head rested back against the wall as she sighed, hand locked with his. “Don’t be.. you didn’t cause this” She answered back quietly, it wasn’t a topic she thought about most. Due to moments like this, she hated the feeling of helplessness. She knew people wanted to help, hell, she wanted to help herself but there really wasn’t anyone else could do. “They’re sending me for more tests next week.. I’m just scared.. i don’t want to die, Seb.. I’m tired, I’m sad, I’m down.. but I don’t want to die..” Seb looked down at Aria then away again. “You still don’t deserve all this.. And I hate that there’s nothing I can do about it.” He mumbled, hating seeing her so weak, it wasn’t the girl he knew and had once loved. “Don’t be scared. I’m going to be here, the entire time, I’ll help you with whatever you need.” His hand slipped from hers, and he gently put his arm around her shoulder, in a protective way. “No one deserves it.. it’s shitty.. ” She sighed before she felt her his arm pulling her into his side. A small smile came onto her sad face when she realized that they were finally getting along for the first time in ages, it was only unfortunate that it came with the price tag of Aria’s health declining. “Thank you..” The blonde breathed out with a small sigh as she shut her eyes. “One problem” the younger girl muttered tiredly. “Your girlfriend seems to think that I’m still after you.. I really don’t want to cause any problems..” “Yeah.. That’s true.” Seb mumbled, noticing the first smile he’d seen from Aria in a long time and it was comforting. Her head was now against his shoulder and to any outsider the situation would seem suspicious for two exes, but Seb was just trying to do what was right. “It’s okay.” He forced a smile onto his face at the mention of Meredith, knowing how the two girls seemed to clash, and the other probably wouldn’t be okay with the current situation. “Well, you’re not, right?” Seb tried to joke and brighten the damp mood. “Seriously though, it’s okay, I’ll talk to her. She’ll understand, she loves me, and she trusts me. You’re not any trouble, promise.” “Sorry.. You’re not my type” Aria teased, sticking her tongue out at him as the mood in the room lightened slightly. Truth be told, although they were broken up, Aria wouldn’t even forget the boy sat beside her. He had been her first love and one of her best friends. It would be silly of her just to act like he had meant nothing to her. “Alright.. Pinky promise?” She asked, holding out one of her thin, bruised digits out. Sebastian grinned at Aria’s response to his joking question and he nodded his head, “Yeah, you neither.” Aria would always be the first girl he’d ever loved, so of course he’d always care about her and he was almost sure that she knew it too, even when they were with other people. And the truth was, how Seb was now made him happier than anything, he just hated how Aria was going through hell alone, so he was going to do all he could to be there for her when she needed it. “Pinky promise.” Seb smiled and took her little finger in his own. Aria smiled when they locked fingers before her head went back to resting on his shoulder, it was quiet in their shared rooms for a few moments before her thoughts went south. “What if it’s really bad.. Seb?” She said quietly, swallowing harshly. “What if it’s too late and they can’t do anything about it?” He found Aria rest on his shoulder once more and he stroked his hand along her blonde hair slowly, not wanting to say anything in the moment. “Don’t think like that, at least don’t say it.” Seb mumbled, before it hit him that it was a very real possibility. His voice cracked as he spoke, the thought of it all becoming overwhelming, “But if it is, you have to know that you’re not alone and I’m here. But don’t think like that, not yet. Stay strong - for me?” “Sorry..” Aria muttered quietly, not knowing what more to say as the thoughts swirled through her head. She had ambitions in life, the blonde wanted to become a Veterinarian, she had loved animals all throughout her short 17 years and wanting nothing more then to take care of animals that couldn’t take care of themselves. “I haven’t even gotten my license yet.. w-hat…what if I don’t make it to graduation..” She whispered, her hand nearly shaking against her leg. “I’ll try… I’m scared” “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay..” He mumbled, this time his turn to tell her not to apologise. The whole thing was a huge mess, Aria’s life seemed to be spiralling out of control and neither of them could do anything about it. “I know you can. Even if you don’t think you’re a fighter, I know you’re Aria D’Souza and you’re not going to let any illness stop you from getting what you want.” His hand put itself over Arias own as it shook and he shook his head. “Don’t be scared.” Aria made a face and lightly shook her head. She honestly loved her family with all her heart but having her last name honestly felt like a ball and chain to the girl. Her cousins and sister were all party animals, nearly everyone in the group of child she grew up with were all bubbly, fun, and exciting. it wasn’t that Aria wasn’t, she just didn’t enjoy the expectations that came with being a D’Souza or a Hendrix. It always made it harder for her to make friends when she was a child, kids wanting to get close to her family for certain reasons. “i haven’t even told my family yet.. ” Aria sighed, a pained expression on her face. “Only my mom knows.. and you.. - W-will you.. teach me how to drive properly?” The blonde asked quietly, biting down on her bottom lip. Noticing the face Aria made when Sebastian mentioned her last name, he looked quizzically at her for a moment, only to realise how she obviously hated having the name and the reputation. He didn’t know her cousins too well, and although he knew Cali, she didn’t exactly like him, but he knew enough to know that the whole group of them were very well known around the school. He guessed Aria just felt left out of it all, and a problem like she said she was to him. “You should tell them soon.. They should know..” Seb mumbled “Or not, if you don’t want to worry them..” Seb mumbled, pretty unhelpful with way, “But I’m glad you told me.” Hearing her ask the question, Seb nodded his head and smiled at her. “Of course I will.” “And say what? Oh, hey, by the way.. I might not make it to my next birthday cause theres this massive thing pressing on my brain that could kill me?” She asked with a sigh, not wanting to think about their reactions. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to say anything to them if her results came back saying that it wasn’t deathly or severe. “Had to tell someone.. it was eating me alive..” Aria muttered quietly before returning the small smile back. “thank you.”
Hearing the words from Aria’s mouth out loud did make it sound odd, even if she was only messing around, or so Seb thought. “Maybe not,” Sebastian shrugged his shoulders lightly, “But stay positive, alright.” He understood that this was all hard for Aria, but it wasn’t even sure yet, and even if she was dying, or something of the sort, moping around about it all would do no good. “Like I said, I’m always here. No problem.” The boy replied to her, his side still pressed close to her head. Having Sebastian stay so positive made it a little easier for Aria to breathe even though the whole time she was fighting to stop herself from blurting out something utterly morbid. The teen honestly thought she wasn’t going to make it. “Right.. positive..” She nodded against his side with a small sigh. “But what - … nevermind” Aria said before stopping herself from morbidly uttering something she should. Even if he’d managed to calm Aria down slightly and comfort her it was still that she still wasn’t feeling too great, who could blame her? Seb could never understand what she was going through and he never wanted to, but he had to at least try. He watched Aria start, then stop, saying a sentence and he looked at her inquisitively. “But what?” Sebastian was growing to feel even more concerned than he already was. “…. but what if I really don’t make it, Seb? What happens if they tell me it’s too late to do anything about it and I have no time” She thought out loud with a sigh, Aria was young, she still had years to live and millions of things to experience. It finally hit her just how scared she really was of death. The blonde wasn’t always so fearless. “I’m terrifed” Something like Aria’s next words should have been expected to be heard but it still didn’t make it any easier to hear for Seb, it was something he couldn’t bare to think about. Slumping down slightly, he sighed and shook his head. “If you don’t make it..” He started, unable to finish for a moment then looked at Aria. “You’ve had a good life though, yeah? And everyone’s going to be there for you.” Trying to remain positive, Seb pulled her closer in attempt to console her. “It’s okay right now though. Nothing bad is going to happen, not right now.” Aria subconsciously began to chew on the insides of her cheeks as she waited for him to say something, as if maybe tearing up the insides of her cheeks would fix all her problems. “Yeah.. I guess.. kinda” She answered with a shrug. The small blonde let out another sigh before looking down at her lap, eyes heavy. “God forbid the roof collapses on us..” She muttered.
A worried look was now firmly fixed onto Seb’s face, his eyebrows furrowed in concern at Aria’s reply to his question. “You guess? What does that mean?” Seb asked, letting out a sigh, beginning to feel impossibly helpless at comforting the blonde girl beside him. Hearing her last remark Seb forced a stifled chuckle with a shake of his head, “I don’t see that as being likely, but we’ll see.”
“Well I spent most of my childhood in doors being home schooled cause I was always sick or kids would bully me.. High school has been alright so far, but I never really made my mark in the world.. y’know?” She said quietly, her thoughts swirling in her head. “almost kinda like I wasted my life only to have it taken away from me..” Aria muttered before giving him a small giggle. “If it does, you’re gonna have to save me from getting crushed”
Nodding to show he was listening to what Aria had to say as she spoke to him, as soon as she became silent, Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t know, it’s your life, but I’d say you made a pretty big mark on the world, more than you know, and I don’t think it could be that wasted anyway.” He spoke truthfully, glancing over at Aria again. “I know you made a mark in my world, my life would be completely different if I never knew you.” It was true, a lot had happened in the time they were together, and not only that she was his first love, something unforgettable, he wouldn’t forget Aria any time soon. Laughing, Seb shrugged his shoulders casually, “Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you…” Aria said softly, surprised by what he had said next, the compliment send a warm chill down her spine. At least now she didn’t feel entirely useless. She gave him a small smile before leaning her head back down on her chest, deep down Aria was thankful that they had now began to work it all out.
“It’s okay.” Seb replied to Aria softly, drumming his fingers gently against the mattress of the bed, his breathing growing heavy and deep. He pulled his other arm slightly tighter around Aria, and looked at her, she already seemed slightly happier, and he spoke once more. “It’s all going to be okay, no matter what happens. I promise.”
“Seb?” She asked quietly, her body growing heavy and slightly weaker as her days activities continued to catch up to her. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep..” Aria muttered lightly, listening to his heart beat. “Will you also lay with me? Just till I fall asleep?”
The weight of Aria’s body against his own was beginning to become noticeable to Sebastian, it seemed that in her exhaustion she was growing tired and he couldn’t blame her for that. “I just have a feeling this is going to turn out okay.” His grip around her shoulder released slowly as he heard Aria speak and Seb nodded slowly, “Of course,” He mumbled, adjusting his position to give Aria room to lie down.
“Maybe I’ll just have to believe you then” Aria sighed before slowly laying her blonde head of curls down on the pillow and moving to make space for the boy. It hadn’t been the first time she shared a bed with him but something about Sebastian being around made her feels safer. “You sure the ceiling won’t collapse?” she asked, paranoid.
“You should do that.” Sebastian replied with a small smile on his face. The truth was, in no way at all was he confident that everything would be okay, but he had to be, for Aria’s sake. As she lay down, Seb ran a hand over her hair, moving strands out her face and gently slumped down beside her. “I’m sure.” Seb answered, a tired smile on his face.
“This might sound stupid..” Aria started, looking over at him before tugging the blankets over their bodies. “but.. would you come with me to my next appointment? They’re going to trust some tests in that big, scary CT scan thing and I really don’t want to be alone.. My mom kind of has a hard time with all of this” She muttered, big brown eyes peering over at him.
Sebastian raised a dark eyebrow at Aria as she started to speak and he shrugged his shoulders, his voice now quieter “I doubt it, but what is it, anyway?” With every moment and words, he seemed to be more concerned for Aria, hating the situation. The blankets spread over their bodies and Seb leaned back, turning to face Aria slightly, and he nodded his head slowly, “Of course I will. When I said I would be there no matter what, I meant it, Ari.”
Aria hesitantly moved closer, head resting on his chest as she tried her best not to cross any boundaries. “Thanks..” She muttered quietly, getting out a small sigh as she shut her eyes. “It’s just that those machines make me claustrophobic.. and it’s like going inside a massive testtube..”
Aria’s head was now rested on Sebastian’s chest and Seb cautiously moved his arm to allow to rest her head more comfortably, his hand resting on her golden hair. In any other circumstance, Sebastian would have felt uncomfortable, but that night was different. “It’s no problem.” Seb mumbled, noticing her start to get tired, “It’s scary, I know, but you can be brave, and I’ll be right there.”
“They won’t let me move in there.. I have to hold my breath, it’s such a tight squeeze too.. Kinda makes you feel like when you open your eyes again you’ll see aliens” She said with a light laugh as she tried to up the morbid mood. “I know.. I know” Aria sighed before peering her head to look up at him. “Hey, Seb?”
Listening to Aria describe the hospital made the whole thing sound ten times worse, somehow bad things always seemed to happen to good people and he hated it, and the fact that nothing could ever be done to change it. Smiling at the joke about the aliens as best as he could, Seb found Aria looking at him and their gazes locked. “Yeah?” He asked, “What?”
“… the chances of Travis coming back are really.. really slim, aren’t they?” She asked quietly, the blonde knew that answer was yes, herself but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Everyone knew that Travis was one of the most dedicated people around, he always stuck to his word. The fact that all these things seemed to be hitting her at once was enough to knock Arias optimism down.
Hearing the mention of Travis caused a deep sigh to release from Seb’s mouth and he looked down at Aria sympathetically. “I don’t know.. You know him way better than anyone.. If you think that, then I guess..” There was no point trying to sugar coat the truth anymore, it all seemed pointless in the grand scheme of things now anyway. “I want him to come back, for you.. You need him, and he’s not here, but we don’t know why. Wherever he is, I’m sure he cares about you, but if he never comes back then know that you’re going to be just fine with or without him.”
Aria finally let out the breath she was holding in, thankful that Sebastian had said it in a better way then just blunting agreeing that he wasn’t coming back. “I know.. I just needed to hear it from someone else” She said quietly. “I guess.. I guess I just have to learn not to lean on him that much anymore.. Be my own person, 100%” The blonde said with a light yawn.
He noticed straight away the deep breath of air Aria let out of her mouth and sighed along with her, understanding it was hard that he’d just left, not jut because he was her boyfriend but because of how close they’d always been, even when she had been with Sebastian, he’d always found himself feeling jealous anyway. “I guess you do. And you know what? I think you can do it, I really do think you can. It’s going to be hard, but you can.” Seb said reassuringly, believing every word. Smiling at her yawn, he ruffled her hair as he spoke, “Get some sleep now, okay?”
Aria chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, she was glad that at least someone believed in her. It took everything in Aria to not but him at least twice a day since he had been gone and the phone calls and texts stopped coming through. “.. at least someone has faith” She said quietly, closing her eyes and laughing lightly as he ruffled her blonde locks. “Alright.. one more thing though” Aria grinned, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. “Still watch Hannah Montana?”
Seb leaned his head back slightly and looked at Aria, who looked deep in thought. “Of course I have faith. Why wouldn’t I?” Sebastian questioned, smiling as Aria laughed at him. There was no awkwardness between the two of them anymore, no tension, and it felt nice that they could finally be relaxed, Seb still grateful for what she’d told him, even if it worried him. Rolling his eyes at the mention of Hannah Montana, Sebastian looked at Aria, “Really? What do you think?”
“No reason.. I guess. I don’t know. I kinda feel like some people just thing that I depended on him a lot.. which is true” She shrugged lightly before smirking at him when he rolled her eyes at her. Aria relax again, closing her eyes with a small sigh. “Well. I’m sure hoping that you’ve caught up and were saving the last season to watch with me” The blonde said with a smirk.
It was true that Aria depended on Travis, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Everyone needed someone to depend on at some point, Seb knew he did and he was glad to have that, but maybe it was time for Aria to do it all alone and be her own person. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Show everyone that you don’t need him, show everyone how strong you really can be.” Seb said convinced of it all now, and laughed once more. “Maybe, but that’s for another time, okay? Go to sleep.”
“All when ironically I’m just going to get weaker..” She muttered sadly, thinking about just how bad things could get just for a moment before she yawned once more. “Alright.. Night Sebbie, Love you - I .. agh you know what I mean” Aria said with a light sigh before patting his stomach. “Sleep well” Was the last thing the blonde muttered before she began to doze off on his chest.
“But nobody else is going to be going through that, you’re going to and that’s why you’re strong.” His eyes were tiring too, feeling a small yawn from his mouth. Seb had said he would stay with her until she fell asleep but leaving her after it all felt wrong, it wouldn’t hurt anybody, right? He froze at the word love for a moment, and nodded his head, muttering an “Mhmm, goodnight Aria.” He murmured, before noticing that the girl was now asleep on his chest and he shut his eyes, wondering how in any way would he explain the situation to his own girlfriend, who was probably asleep in her bed, in the morning. Guilt was already sinking in, even if nothing had actually happened, he couldn’t help but feel it.