A/N
happy new years!!!!!!!!
END A/N
"Do you want the long or short version?" the voice asks. There's an impression in Paige's mind that they don't really want to do the long version, but...
"Long..?" Paige mumbles aloud.
"In your head, Paige," they remind.
"Oh," Paige thinks. "Right."
"There you go." Paige can almost see a slight smile blossom in his mind's eye, but it disappears as soon as a sigh rings in his head. "I guess we should start with basics, huh?" the voice chuckles a bit.
"That would be nice," Paige nods.
"Okay." Another sigh. "Well, hi. I'm Leaf," they introduce.
"Um." Paige thinks smartly. "Hi? I-I'm Paige?"
"I think I already knew that," the voice-Leaf laughs. It's a little weird having someone else laugh in his head.
"Oh." Paige doesn't know what else to say.
"Alright. Let's see, then." If Paige thinks hard enough, he can see Leaf holding a finger to his chin, though the whole image is a bit fuzzy. He doesn't even know how he knows it's Leaf, but he does. "I guess I start with who I am?"
"Sure," Paige nods again. "It would... definitely help me understand what you're... doing in my head?" He feels awkward as he says it, unsure. He doesn't know what's happening at all, let alone what Leaf really was. But if they were willing to explain...
"I'm... I guess the best way to explain it would be I'm part of you. A... different part. I'm someone you're not, because you needed me during hard times when being you just wasn't enough."
"...Being me wasn't enough...?" Paige echos. "What does that mean...?"
"...Let's do it this way," Leaf says. "How much do you remember about your dad?"
Immediately Paige frowns, body posture tightening. "I... I don't want to think about him," Paige replies, a bit shaky.
"You don't have to," Leaf soothes. "Just give me an estimate. A little? A lot?"
Paige is silent for a long moment, combing through his memories. All he gets is flashes of this and that, shouting, things shattering... but nothing concrete.
"...A little," he finally says. "Why?"
"You have me to thank for that," Leaf huffs with a smirk. Paige doesn't know how he knows they're smirking, but he does. "I remember those things. A whole lot more than you do. A whole lot clearer."
"...Why?" Paige asks again, confused. "Why would you do that?"
Leaf shrugs. "It's what I'm here for."
+++
True to James' word, Paige is discharged the next day. Thick bandages are still wrapped around his arm. He's been instructed to sink bathe for the rest of the week, careful of his wrappings. Replace them on Thursday. Remove them on Saturday.
It's all great and dandy, but Paige is barely listening to the doctor as he lists the instructions off. Instead, he's stuck in his own head, face blank.
"There's a lot of stuff I don't remember a lot of the time," Paige is saying. "Is that your fault too?"
"Ouch," Leaf chuckles. "My fault huh?"
Paige jolts a bit. "No, no! I-I didn't mean it like that! I-"
"Paige?" Quinn pouts, laying a hand on their child's. "Are you cold, sweetie?"
"I-I..." Paige stutters, unprepared to be pulled back into the real world.
"Repeat." Leaf instructs. "I'm just a little chilly."
"I-I'm just a little chilly!" Paige echos. "It's always a couple degrees too low in hospitals, y'know? Haha...!"
"You're bombing."
"You're the one who told me to say that!"
"Not that last part."
"You are really not helping your case here," Paige groans.
"I'll win it in the end," Leaf smirks, crossing their arms. They're... floating? How are they-
"How are you floating." Paige says more than asks, dumbfounded. "How can I even see you floating?"
"Beats me," Leaf shrugs. "But it's cool, isn't it?"
"...It is," Paige admits.
"Don't worry," Quinn smiles. "We'll be leaving in a second."
"Okay!" Paige smiles awkwardly. He absently twiddles his fingers. "I really want to go home."
"Oh, you guys can leave now, actually," James smiles. "I've told you all the things you need to do, so you're free to go." He looks at Paige. "Just make sure you get a lot of rest, alright?"
"Alright," Paige nods. "I will."
"C'mon, sweetie," Quinn says, standing and holding a hand out. "Let's get you home."
+++
Paige is quiet on the way home, pensive. He's now extremely aware of the person hitching a ride with him. It doesn't make him... uncomfortable, per say. Just...
"It's not something you expected," Leaf supplies.
Paige jolts. "Ah!" He shakes his head. "You have gotta give me some sort of warning before you talk! It's not exactly easy to get used to this, you know!"
"Excuse me for trying to help," Leaf huffs, rolling their eyes. "But I don't know how you expect me to warn you."
"Um..." Paige thinks. "I... don't know either," he admits after a moment.
"You'll just have to get used to it I guess," Leaf says.
"I guess."
"Paige?" Quinn asks.
"Huh?" he blinks, coming back into reality.
"You're quiet. Everything okay?"
"Um..."
"Just tired," Leaf says.
"Yeah... I'm just tired," Paige repeats diligently.
"That's understandable," Quinn pouts. "You went through quite a lot these past couple of days!"
"Yeah..." Paige mumbles. He neglects to mention he doesn't remember the majority of it.
They pass by the Aguja household, almost home. It pulls at something inside of Paige, and he asks, "Can Brandon come over?"
"Of course," Quinn answers. "I'm sure he really wants to see you."
Paige is escorted to his room by his mom and put to bed once they get home. He's not tired, quite the opposite actually, but he doesn't really feel like sitting up right now either.
"I'll let Brandon know he can come over, okay?" Quinn smiles a bit pensively. "I'll just send him up when he gets here."
"Okay," Paige mumbles. "Thanks."
"No problem, sweetie." And with that, Quinn is gone.
Left alone with his thoughts, Paige lets his mind wander. What was he supposed to do with himself, knowing that he seemingly knows nothing?
"That's not true," Leaf says. "You know plenty."
"That's not what I mean," Paige says aloud quietly. "I can't remember anything for the past week, Leaf."
"Eh," the other shrugs. "You ain't miss much."
"But I missed it in the first place!" Paige cries. "I'm used to missing minutes, even a couple of hours, but a week? I'm-I'm freaking out!"
"Okay." Leaf sighs. "I'll ask this time."
"Ask what?" Paige breathes, trying to control his outburst.
"Do you want me to take over for a minute so you can calm down?"
"I..." Paige starts, petering off. Instead, he starts a new sentence shortly after. "You can just do that?"
"How do you think you came to in the middle of a conversation earlier?"
"..."
"I don't have to," Leaf supplies. "I just thought-"
There's a knock at the door. "Paige?" It's Brandon. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah!" Paige calls. Slowly the door opens, revealing the hooded form of his best friend. He has on his red comfort hoodie. His hands are stuffed into the pockets and he doesn't look directly at Paige.
This is a bit worrisome.
"Hey man," he waves, "You uh... you feel alright?"
"Brandon..." Paige frowns. "Are you alright?"
Brandon blinks and looks at Paige in honest now. "Me?" he asks, incredulous. "Bro, you just had a blood transfusion. After getting clawed by that baddie from school. Which you apparently don't remember," he lists off. "I think I come second in this line of questioning right now."
"Oh," Paige says lamely. "That's... that's fair, I guess."
"It is," Brandon nods. His hood falls off with the motion. "Now, like I asked earlier, you feel okay?"
"I... I guess," Paige sighs. "Honestly, the transfusion stuff isn't even what's bothering me the most right now."
"What could be occupying casa de Paige more than his hospital visit?" Brandon quips, making the air feel a bit more familiar.
Time to throw it away again.
"I... um..." Paige tries, shaking his head. He grasps Teds tightly in his hands. "Do you... do you ever have people speak to you in your head?"
"Huh?" Brandon asks at the same time Leaf goes, "What."
"What?" Paige thinks back. "I can't not tell Brandon about you! He's practically my brother!"
"I just... don't think it's the best idea," Leaf mumbles. "Not right now, at least."
"Why?"
"Look."
Paige blinks back into reality. In front of him still stands Brandon, but he's going on quite the face journey. Finally, his expression settles on pure confusion.
"I..." he starts, looking Paige up and down. "Are you messing with me right now?"
"What?" Paige breathes, disbelieving.
"You're messing with me," Brandon repeats. "O-or you're still getting those meds out of your system or something, right?"
"Brandon," Paige frowns sadly, "I'm being serious. There's someone else in here. The week I don't remember? They do. The person you were hanging out with? That was them taking over for me."
Brandon frowns now, looking away again. "You're talking nonsense," he insists. "Voices can't..." he starts, only to stop and shake his head. "You're talking nonsense," he repeats.
"Brandon..." Paige warbles.
"I'll come back when you can think straight," Brandon says, turning around suddenly. "Bye."
"Brandon, wait!" Paige cries out, holding a hand out.
But Brandon doesn't listen. He hikes his hood back up and leaves, gently closing the door behind him.
"...That's why," Leaf sighs.
"But..." Paige mumbles. "Why didn't he...?"
"Believe you?" Leaf supplies. Paige simply nods. "I don't know. But something told me he wouldn't take the news lightly."
"Did you say something bad to him!?" Paige suddenly cries, scared. Had Leaf irreparably ruined his and Brandon's relationship while he was out?
"Calm down," Leaf says, rolling their eyes. "I barely talked to him."
"Oh," Paige sighs. "Good. But then... nothing else I can think of explains his reaction..."
"Imagine being in his shoes right now," Leaf shrugs. "It's a lot."
"It's a lot for me too!" Paige shouts shakily. Then, holding himself, he repeats it a lot quieter. "It's a lot for me too..."
"...We'll talk to him again soon," Leaf promises. "Maybe you both just need some time to process things for right now."
"...Yeah," Paige says blandly. "Maybe."
"Lay back down," Leaf instructs. "Get some shuteye. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?"
"...Okay."