Sleep prickles behind his eyelids when Leon Vercetti comes in. It takes a moment for him to muster up the strength to open them back up, lethargic and slow. It's just in time to take in the flowers being sat down on his table, the vibrant purple and yellow a pop of welcome color in the room. He reaches out with his good arm, barely able to brush a few of the petals with his fingertips before it drops back on the bed with a heavy thump.

".... truth." It's quiet and raspy, a deep breath taken in a wheeze to shake the silence from his throat. For some reason, all he could think about was the half-forgotten flower meanings he had looked up when chryssa glasgow was in the hospital. So he could send her an avalanche of flowers.

Leon was the first person to come to him since he's been here. Granted, he'd only been here a few hours, but it's still endearing and sweet. It alights a complicated cocktail of feelings in his chest, which swirl together with the crystals and medicine in his system to make him nauseous.

Finally, after ages, Chu-e lifts his gaze to actually look at Leon. A lot of words want to spill off his tongue, small jabs and half flirts of teasing. It's too muddled, the medicine keeping him from clear thought. So what spills out is much more honest and vulnerable.

"Will you hold my hand?"

I'm glad you didn't die

Chu-e wished he felt the same.

When he squeezed back it was weak. Chu-e hummed and managed to give a mildly crooked smile. "Explosion." The sudden thought of Leon Vercetti trying to fight a fiery blast popped into his mind, forcing a small laugh from him. It causes him to cough, pain in his chest and lungs from the internal damage he had suffered,

Crystals forming in-

The grip tightened and a shaky breath left him. Five, four, three, two, one, deep breath. Hold it. One, two, three, four five, release. The heart monitor picked up slightly, just a bit, before his grip slackened again.

"Tell me about," A pause, head lolling over to try and catch Leon's eyes, trying to really focus on the other man. "Tell me about.... something good that's happened to you. Your happiest memory." He needed distraction. Anything, something to pull his mind out from the terrible thoughts, from the smell of antiseptic, from the burning terror the needle in his hand caused him when he remembered it was there.

Blip... blip... blip....

A Leon Vercetti spoke, the machine would slowly even out, back to a more natural rhythm. The memory was sweet. If Chu-e focused really hard, he could almost imagine it; the laughter, the warmth from the crowd, the sweetness of the ice cream on his tongue. Happy memories like that were precious things.

"You sound like you love her a whole lot." The statement was gentle, one not of mockery but of warmth. It was so hard, for people like them, people in Rocket in general, to pick out happy memories. In Chu-e's mind he had come to realize that people weren't born evil. Most people didn't want to hurt others. What pushed people to do what they did, to want to destroy... it was usually rooted in something else. A cycle of pain. But having things like what Leon had with his sister, that good time all that time ago, it could help ground you.

"My older sister used to take care of me and my brother like that. This one time... this older kid at school, her age, he kept picking on me and Calla because of our lunches. Our parents were immigrants in this tiny country town in Sinnoh, so. You know." He sighs lightly. "Well, she finds out, and Joey was always this tiny little thing like our mom, and she waits after school one day. She had brought all the leftovers from dinner that whole week, she made him sit down and eat every bite. Also blacked his eye. He didn't bother us any more after that."

It was not quite as sweet as Leon's memory of his sister but it meant a lot to him. He had only been five or so and that was when he really knew he could rely on his older sister for anything. She had done so much for them growing up before he ran away...

"Do you miss her?" Yet even as he said it, Chu-e felt it didn't need to be asked.

"If she cares even half as much about you as you do her, I bet she misses you every day. Even if you're a no good delinquent who decided to fuck your boss." When Leon Vercetti tightened his grip, Chu-e did the same. It wasn't crushing but the pressure was nice. Even if he was hurt and vulnerable in his own way Chu-e found he didn't like the severe look on the other. Most of their interactions till now had been flirting and banter, grins and smiles and twinkling eyes from the blond. His face was better suited for that, he thought, than for the sharp lines of frowns.

"If you really wanted, Rocket has connections." It's a small offer, just a balm for a wound. "Even if Pasio hates your guts, that doesn't mean we can't pull a few strings just for one little trip... I'm sure a mission could potentially come up around that time."

A small shift and Chu-e gently pulls his hand out of Leon Vercetti's. He can't really sit up too much on his own, but thankfully the chair is close enough to his bed he can try to reach up and cup Leon's cheek. The blond's face is warm, which is nice, and he tries to brush his thumb over the other's lips before pulling away. His arm thumps heavy against the bed, as if just that much effort exhausted him.

"Would you show me all the tourist trap spots?" Grinning lightly, Chu-e flexed his fingers in a grabby motion for the other's hand again. Thinking back through the sludge in his brain, he hummed before continuing. "I don't think I've ever been on a real vacation. You'd have to make it really special for me."

"I dunno, that sounds pretty funny to me." While Chu-e might not have been as skilled at it as Leon Vercetti, he had his own experience with mugging and sticky fingers. In fact, he was quite good at getting into places he shouldn't be. The idea of someone trying to intimidate him or slip something from his pockets was funny- especially with someone else more skilled there to cover his own blind spots.

There was a small pout at the mention of him getting better anytime soon, though. Chu-e hated being in this hospital bed more than anything. It just reminded him of his time spent in Kalos and bed-bound or the times strapped down to one and cut open. It made him feel like his time was being wasted because he would be bed-bound again sooner rather than later. The needles made him nervous due to his previous captivity. Being in this hospital was slowly stripping away what little bit of sanity he had left. If only a miracle would happen.

"Maybe I would if they fed me." It was easier to deflect, though. Chu-e rarely experienced hunger anymore; not only due to regular access to funds for food but due to his medication and sickness making him lack an appetite. While he wasn't properly starving his hospital diet was liquid only- so he had been sipping flavorless chicken stock and jello cups since arriving. Something a little more solid would have been nice.