The male half-blood sat up, still feeling a little twinge in his muscles but ignoring it as he stood up and lowered his hand to his wife. “I’ll be able to… I-I just have to take it slow… like you do.” He kissed her on the forehead and shifted in his stance, taking yet another deep breath.
“It wouldn’t hurt for me to read up on medical stuff though… Damn…” He stretched, feeling his body twitch. “Really need to read up…”
“I’m not slow.” Protested the blonde, who helped the other up. She began to get some feeling back into her legs, and the girl stretched a little. Her hand went around his waist, keeping in pace with him as they moved.
It wasn’t long until the two had traversed all the way to the apartment. She smile graciously, thankful for the other’s strength. She doubt she wouldn’t have been able to carry him. “Now, you’re hungry aren’t you?” She asked gently. “I could whip up some soup?”
Raiden’s breath slowed to soft exhales, his features softening as the tension left him. The pain from his own work seeming to fade away to nothing. No more did he cough or did his breath hick as his body became calm. Blue wings spreed to the sky as he simply took a quick flight in a nightly world slumber.
Hours later did he wake up, slowly take a heaved breath as he gently held his wife’s cheeks in his hands, golden eyes back in full color as he kissed her on the lips. “… than-thank you…”
Alfonsa managed a light smile as the other awoke. She smiled tiredly, since she had fallen asleep for a little bit. The look on his face made her relax. It’d worked. Her eyes were seemingly duller, the small spell taking some out of her, but she paid no mind. The kiss sent her heart a-flutter again, as it had done several times. She nodded.
“You’re welcome, my dragon.” She continued to smile, stealing another kiss. “I’m just glad it helped. Extremely glad.” She hummed softly. “Do you think you can walk?”
“… Actually… To tell you the truth… I’m numb as hell…” He murmured softly, uncertain if he should’ve said that. Keeping his eyes closed, the male felt his thoughts slipping away again and swore the world was spinning. “… I’m sorry princess… I really am…” He muttered softly before he finally let his mind take slumber. His body limped a bit, leaning against the female as he quivered again, unable to help it with the electric current in his body finally dying down.
As the other fell asleep, she whispered something in the dragon tongue. Her eyes flicked cyan, something drawing out of her and going into him. This something took on the form of stars, the light shining brighter and brighter an it drew into him. She pressed another kiss to his head, keeping him there as the baby stirred inside of her. “Daddy’s okay..” She muttered. “Daddy’s okay…”
Raiden shivered silently, strugling to move forward to kiss her. “… You really shouldn’t… shouldn’t use magic when our child is taking most of your energy…” Even though he hated changing the subject, he tried… it was the only thing he could think of doing to keep his mind off of the pain.
It was starting to become over powering again… considering he was shivering, he knew it wouldn’t be much longer before he fainted again. “Alfonsa… we should get home… you’re going to ge-get sick… or something if we stay o-out here…”
“I’m fine.” She muttered. “It’s you I’m more worried about.” Her fingers went back to playing with his hair. “Just get some sleep. He won’t be there today. Not this time. I promise.” All she could want for him was a good night’s rest. She stole another kiss. “I’m not cold. You’re cold.” A hand gently began rubbing circles on his shoulders, peppering warmth all over.
“Please, just get some rest.”
He continued to frown, eyes still the odd shade of brown. “… Yes… yes I have…” He muttered. “I’ve killed without a second thought… I let myself nearly kill the one person destiny told me to fucking protect…” He gritted his teeth as he felt tears slide down his cheeks, closing his eyes and whimpering.
“… I’m just as weak minded as I was back then… Alfonsa…” He gulped. “Even the spell I put on myself doesn’t seem to hold him back anymore… Every time… every time I close my eyes… all I see is me…” Is me killing you and our child… Destroying our family… ”I’m the very reason why our family is always in danger…“
Alfonsa wanted to take the tears away, to protect him. To keep him safe from these faults he saw. “But you didn’t.” She whispered. “You didn’t. You might think that you almost did is bad, but the fact that you didn’t changes everything.” She whispered this as soft as she could, voice soothing and calm.
“I’ll fend him off for you.” She whispered. “You’re not weak, anything but weak. You’re so strong, Raiden… If only you could see..” A hand moved, wiping away his tears. “I know nightmares are rather terrifying,” That was an understatement. “But that won’t happen. I know it won’t happen.” She pressed another kiss to his forehead. “I know something that can help. And when you sleep I can use the spell, and then he won’t be there. I swear it, Raiden.”
Raiden looked up to her, trying to hide the pain ever so much. “… Of course I know that trick…” He gulped, holding in a cough as he slid his other free hand over hers. “… I’ve tried that though… it only makes… it makes things worse for me…” He muttered softly, obviously trying to hide his head.
“I’m sorry… I just… I though that maybe if I could get myself to black out… Th-that I wouldn’t have to watch those nightmares anymore… hea-hear myself… hear myself be like my darker…” He flinched as he lowered his head again, coughing and heaving for air. “… I thought for once I… I could protect you again… but all it seems I’m doing a-anymore… is hurting you… our child an-and… Kiyoshi…”
Alfonsa listened to him with a long silence again. He dreamt of being like his darker? Was that it. She continued to rub his neck with her thumb, falling silent. “You’re not like him.” She whispered. “You’ll never be like him. Never ever.” A kiss was placed to his forehead. “You never have been.”
The girl took a soft breath. “You can. You are. You protect us. I know you don’t feel like you do, but you’ve gotten us this far. So far, Raiden.” She explained, “You’ve saved us, protected us.. And you don’t even recognize it!” She inhaled, nodding her head. “You’ve always been there for us. The whole time.”
Raiden kept silent, following her orders and gazing away. He didn’t think… He didn’t know… He thought he’d be able to handle it way better than what he had. He didn’t find himself frowning or smiling though as the girl mentioned resting. That was the one thing… The one thing that he’s been trying to keep away from.
He didn’t want to hear that voice…
He didn’t want to hear those murderous thoughts…
He didn’t want to hear the dying screams of his wife.
The male instantly shuttered at that thought, gritting his teeth and keeping his gaze away. “… I can’t… not anymore…” The anklet did such a great job in stopping this shit…. Damn it! He winced again, curling his left hand slowly even if he had no feeling in it… “I can’t keep… I can’t… I can’t sleep…”
Alfonsa knew that feeling. She knew. God. She knew.
It was apparently she’d been too busy to protect her own fiance. How terrible was she? Her fingers moved, one finding his hand, the other playing with his hair. Her eyes closed, a long silence ensuing. “Yes you can.” The hand which was playing with his bangs went down to where his heart presumably was. “Remember that trick you taught me?” She whispered. “That one where you listened for my heartbeat?”
She smiled, managed to, at least. “You have two heart beats to look for now.” She whispered. “Two, okay?” Her thumb found the crook of his neck, thumbing there gently. “It’s okay. You can sleep.”
“I promise.”
