Jeez, it's been three years since I've done any writing of the fan fiction variety. For good reason too since I felt like most of my works didn't hold a candle to it's full potential.

Well, guess I'm back up for more and didn't learn my lesson. *snort*

This should be a four part series. Should. I'm trying to make that as a goal for myself so I can complete it. There might be a sequel, but, I'm not making promises just yet.

Nothing explicit in this first part, but at least how I view Alvin, he tends to take something and run with it...run very very far with it.

I don't own any of the characters, just this sad excuse of a plot. Enjoy, please let me know what you think :)

There had been countless battles that he was involved with from the start of his mercenary career that he would walk away without a scratch. It became a second nature to him to focus on the battle and let no other lingering second thoughts cross his mind, let alone let his thoughts wander.

At first it wasn't noticeable, he would have some close calls before recovering and putting an end to the fight with a finishing blow. But as each fight came within times with no intervals in between to where his technique was becoming predictive and sloppy. He would get the occasional questioning look from his comrades before shaking his head and moving to the monster.

It's nothing to worry about. Just keep going, Alvin. You're better than this, he would repeat to himself in a mutter in his mind.

But the words of a certain honor student were much, much louder.

Alvin shook his head as he swung his sword down, embedded to the ground to let his free gloved hand push against his sweaty forehead through his now messy and oily hair. Was he seriously going to let a kid's words get him worked up like this? It wasn't hurting him physically, and it wasn't going to change anything. He was better than that he heard worser things that could put a damper on a guy's ego. It wasn't going to change a thing.

...Was it...?

"Alvin...? Alvin! Alvin, watch out!"

The mercenary didn't look up like his instincts tried to tell him to do, all he could feel was the ground caving from under him, his sword was out of reach as he fell down the breaking earth. Alvin didn't know what hurt more, the initial collision of his body hitting the earth, hitting every rock and boulder on the way down...

Or the fact that he let Jude's words of trust get to him long enough to meet such a fitting end. He couldn't help but laugh a bit to himself before his head met one of the boulders, and Alfred Ven Svent's world went black.

He could hear the sounds of dripping water next to his head. He felt like he was forced still on his back. He tried to open his eyes, but only darkness greeted him. At first his vision was blurry and could see the slight glow of different colors in the room, but he couldn't make out any shapes around him.

"Huh...is this what death is?" He managed to whisper, he could feel his voice crack from speaking for the first time, "Kinda lame."

"You're pretty far from it." A voice chimed up, causing Alvin to stiffen, shortly after wince at the immense pain that followed. footsteps could be heard as a light was slowly turned on of glowing mana at the bedside, Alvin had a better look at his surroundings, it looked just like a typical dorm room. He attempted to tilt his head, but found that to be painful as well as his eyes glanced over at Jude who straightened up from lighting the room up.

"...Are we…?"

"Back in Fenmont yes." Jude replied, reaching up toward Alvin's face, the mercenary feeling a cold cloth against his face, he shuddered a little, but it felt nice against his skin as it was moved about his face, "You were really badly hurt from that fall. So we went back here to have you recover."

"...Isn't this...?"

"My dorm room." The younger finished simply. He placed the cloth over Alvin's forehead before sitting down on the side of the bed the mercenary's body wasn't occupying, "You've been unconscious for about a week, so your manas really low."

Alvin held back any thought of correcting him, but he didn't hide back his chuckle, flopping his head back, "Well...guess I'm pretty tough to kill, huh?"

Jude cracked a little smile, but it didn't remain on his face, "Everyone was worried about you...we almost didn't find your body in the landslide."

"When you say that you mean when a good chunk of them gave up looking for the liar?" Alvin asked casually, which didn't help Jude's expression, "Maybe they said 'good riddance', eh. No hard feelings really, I wouldn't have tried looking too hard for me either."

"Would you stop talking about yourself like that?" Jude snapped quickly. Alvin didn't flinch as he looked back to the doctor with a small motion of his shoulders in attempt of a shrug.

"Well it's over now right? You found me, I'm alive...not really kicking just yet, but I'm in the good hands of the honors student, right doc?"

Jude didn't answer as he looked to the window. Alvin couldn't help but feel uncomfortable to the silence, "Your silence isn't all that encouraging."

"Sorry...but you'll be fine, the recovery process is going to be a delicate one. You fractured several bones. I currently have your body in a stabilized state so you don't hurt yourself."

"So what...am I going to have to go through rehab...or something?"

"More or less…despite the fall you were in a better position than Milla…"

Upon the mentioning of Maxwell the mercenary fell silent, looking back up at the ceiling again, "So...how's she?"

"She's okay...you know her...single minded as always…" Jude trailed off.

"What's wrong? I thought you were going to be continuing on the journey with them." Alvin raised an eyebrow. Jude blinked a couple times before putting a hand to the back of his head.

"I already told you, they're-"

"You don't have to lie to me. The others went ahead on the journey with Milla right?"

"..." Jude sighed, defeated.

"Heh, you can't lie to a liar." Alvin chuckled again, "I'm surprised though...why didn't you go with them? I thought you were going to stick with Milla's side…"

Jude continued to be silent. The mercenary thought the boy wasn't going to answer until he stood up, "I didn't want you to wake up with no one there...but I didn't want them to delay on the mission. So I stayed behind…"

The mercenary tilted his head to look at the outline of Jude shielding away the glow from outside. He couldn't help but smile a little since the boy couldn't see before commenting, "I don't need your charity, kid." When the boy turned around he looked back up with a straight face, "I know you're needed back with the group-"

"I'm not the only one that is, though. You're needed just as much." Jude finished that conversation quick, his amber eyes seemed to burn at the Mercenary's mere suggestion of leaving him.

"Who said that?" Alvin quipped.

He saw Jude's throat tighten at the question, "Alvin. I'm not going anywhere until you recover. And with that you will recover so we can finish what we started."

"Is that the doctor's orders?" Alvin smirked.

"If you'll cooperate for that reason, then yes."

"Fine, fine…"

"But there's a caveat."

Of course there was a catch to all this. Alvin resisted the urge to sigh, but his body failed him that suppression, "...And what's that, kid?"

Jude crossed his arms, "If I help you recover, you can't run away again, no more lying, no more tricks….is that understood?"

All jokes aside the mercenary's eyes went half lidded, the echoing words coming back to mind:

I'd like to think Alvin knows how I feel.

He normally would've agreed like usual, brush it off as if it were nothing. Let everything pass and hope to never come back to the same conversation again. He never ran away from a fight...but he always ran away from everything else.

"Well, that's kind of dark, do you bribe your patients like this?" Alvin asked. Jude's body stiffened again as his hands tightly held his arms before flinging them down to his sides.

"I said is that understood?!" Jude's head hung forward with his eyes closed as if he were afraid to look eye to eye with the other.

Alvin felt like he held his breath when the other shouted back at him like that. It was the first time he heard the boy actually speak up in an order. He swallowed the knot of air that was lodged in his throat before exhaling, his own eyes falling to a close.

"You have my word, Jude."

It felt strange to make a promise like that. He lost count how many times he did say he would agree to something before turning around and doing what he wanted or what he thought was the more appropriate thing to do. Never before did he feel the weight of this commitment on his chest, it was heavier than all the drugs combined that the young doctor had him under.

Jude slowly looked up, but his hands were still clenched to his sides as if holding back any motions to sock it to the mercenary's face. Alvin didn't blame the kid, he had every right to be angry, bitter or any other of those emotions. In fact, he owed him nothing.

Nothing.

"...I hope I don't have to hold you to your word." Jude said quietly, he reached over and removed the cloth from Alvin's forehead. The movement was so subtle, but neither male broke eye contact from each other.

Jude's eyes fell half lidded, holding the cloth in his palm to his side, "We'll begin your rehab in the morning."

"Ah...Okay...right…" Alvin closed his eyes, swallowing again. Why couldn't he get this dry feeling from his mouth? He opened his eyes again to give a weak smile, "Thanks, kid….I owe you big time for this…"

Jude stayed quiet as he went to close the blinds, so the glowing from the outside wasn't as noticeable in the room. Alvin could still make out the boy's outline in the shadows, "Sleep well."

"You do the same…" Alvin replied back in an awkward tone, watching the outline stride past the bed to what seemed to be a pull out mattress not too far away. As if the mercenary didn't feel any more like an ass, he was sleeping on Jude's bed. He sighed again in defeat and closed his eyes, in attempts to get some sleep. He had no sense of what time it currently was or the time Jude meant by 'morning' in Fenmont anyway.

But it wasn't like the mercenary was going to get sleep anyway after a conversation like that.