The following takes place directly after the 'Noel Gets Injured' request from my Noerai Drabbles.

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters... do own the bad writing.

おまけ！The Healing Hands of The Patron

"You owe me." Noel was still reeling from the blow to his head, barely able to make out Lightning's voice as he came back to consciousness. He was in a hotel somewhere in Luxerion. Noel wasn't too sure of the details on what resulted in his arrival here versus his home back in the Warren. However the comfort of the bed that he lay in was so much better than the ratty old couch he had found and slept in for… who knew how long now?

"I know, it's just, we don't get along so well." Noel could hear Lightning scoff in response to the other voice in the room, definitely male, as though what the person said was hardly news to her.

"Then learn." Heels clicked against the floor and a door opened, though Noel didn't hear it close. "I'm serious Snow, take care of him." The door shut with an air of finality, making Noel wonder if he would see Lightning again before the end. Still, he had other things to worry about now. His head injury for one and Snow the benevolent caretaker who had taken Lightning's place.

This could only end in disaster.

"Don't think I didn't notice you're awake there kid." Snow chuckled as Noel grimaced. Snow must have noticed him moving a bit while he was talking with Lightning. Not too surprising since the room was still spinning every time he even tried to open his eyes.

"M'not a kid, Snow." The older man shrugged, or at least that's what Noel thought he was doing. Truthfully he didn't care, he just wanted to go back to sleep, recover and go back to taking care of Luxerion until the 13th day.

"Well, don't worry about a thing. Good ol' Snow is here to take care of all your needs until you've fully recovered." Noel simply turned his body away and snuggled his face further into the hotel pillow. If he was lucky, Snow would take the hint and leave him alone like he always did. That's how their dynamic worked.

No harm, no foul.

At least as long as you didn't look at the fact that Noel still felt responsible for the Chaos absorbing the world they once knew, time ending and Serah's death. "Damn, I can hear the violins from here while you wallow in your angst. Don't you do anything besides torment yourself?"

"For Etro's sake Snow, can't you just let me sleep?" He turned back towards the slightly older man, in spite of how the room tilted for him as he adjusted. "Besides, you're one to talk, Mr 'I wanna die a hero by throwing myself into the Chaos and turning Cie'th'." This comment caught Snow's attention.

"Damn kid, guess you've stayed in the loop."

"Let's just say I wasn't looking forward to the extra work involved in keeping the Order out of Yusnaan. I'm glad Lightning was able to snap you out of it."

"Yeah… It's safe to say we all owe her a world of debt and even though I tried to keep things together, I owe you too for fixing whatever I screwed up." Snow bumped his fists together. "So let's go get drunk!"

"Wait, what?" Before Noel could say any more, Snow had yanked him from the comfort of the bed he'd been laying in and threw the young hunter over his shoulder like a sack.

"There's only a few days left before the end kid. It's time to live it up just in case Lightning can't pull this thing off!" Noel grabbed his head as Snow jaunted along in his usual behemoth-like manner. Maybe if he kept really still, he could keep his brains from spilling out. "The South Station just started servicing Yusnaan this morning. The city is more comfortable than Luxerion and the atmosphere will be better for your recovery." Snow stopped briefly at the ticket stand, getting his card stamped before moving forward, not stopping until he found seat on the train where he could place Noel down. "Did you know that when Pandemonium was building Yusnaan that as the last living l'cie I was given a vote on what would go there? I really wanted a place where the last of humankind could relax and I remembered that you never went to a theme park before."

'Was Snow always this chatty?' Noel pondered to himself as Snow continued his dialogue unimpeded, feeling more than a little sorry for Serah. She truly had been a saint. Noel was still too injured to do anything to stop her ex(?)-fiancé though and if Snow was going to insist on dragging him to Yusnaan for the remainder of his recovery, he was going to play dead until he could sneak off and get back to business.

"So, I said: I'll go build my own theme park, with flapjacks and hookers! You know what? Screw the theme park and flapjacks!"

"Snow?" The blond finally stopped talking. For a few blessed seconds, all the pain Noel had been feeling finally disappeared. However, he knew if he didn't say something soon the idiot might ramble on again. So he decided to ask the most stupidly sarcastic question he could think of just to see how the 'Patron' would answer. "Are there strippers? I heard every Patron has strippers."

Blue eyes twinkled in answer as he slapped the Noel's back, hard. "Of course we have strippers kid.

"In fact, you should see the way I work the pole."