Chapter Text
Next time you stir, it's to the uncomfortable sensations of something sharp constantly poking against your cheek. You whimper, your eyes scrunching up... The sound of wings flapping all but echoes near your ears, but the poking sensation is quickly soothed away by a warm, big hand, and your face relaxes slightly.
Though, the culprit of the poking seems to have shifted targets to your hand, constantly poking at it. Your hand twitches, but you barely have strength to move... And the warmth now cupping your face gives you enough comfort to ignore everything else.
Such an encompassing sensation... Such comfort on your face... But... Why had Sylus come with his bird? Ugh... You would surely have an argument with Mephisto later...and Sylus too... For the poking from the bird was not being stopped by its owner...
"Sylus... Ngh... Mephisto... Stop..."
"For that to stop, you'll probably have to wake up, Sweetie."
As his voice washes over you, it instantly soothes your nerves, like it's spreading through your blood to every inch of your body.... But something was off about the candence of that sentence.... Something was off, even though it was Sylus and his rich voice that made your brain feel like you were drinking the most decadent of hot chocolate, somehow, there was a bitter undercurrent of worry to it...
"Sy...?"
"Mhm... Please. Wake up..."
Wait... Was that... Desperation? Sylus had never ever sounded like that, had he? But... His warm grip on your face was so... Comforting... But that damn bird would probably poke a hole in your hand... But... You wanted... You just wanted... Sleep... But...
You somehow force yourself to blink your eyes open, if only to plead Sylus to ask Mephisto to back off... But...
Damn. Something rings alarm bells in your eyes when you fully grasp the emotion in those red eyes that were not conveyed through the strained, controlled and measured tone of his voice earlier... Because they're FULL of pain, and a heartbreaking look of desperation, as though yearning intensely for something, fear, worry... Love... Pain... So much pain..
"...! Sylus... W-what... Happened...? You..."
"You wouldn't... you aren't waking up... No matter how much I beg... Please..."
That tone to his voice triggers something in you, and you try to force through the heavy blanket settled over your mind.
"S-sylus... Ngh... Sylus... I'll try..."
You're struggling... Why is keeping your eyes open... so hard? Something is wrong... You hear movement around you in the room. You whimper, pained, as Sylus seems to notice you finally struggling against the sensation, and he mutters something, quickly cupping your face more firmly with both his hands.
In an instant, You feel Zayne appear on the other side, and your hand not being poked by Mephisto, which was apparently being gripped throughout this time, is squeezed. You feel someone else immediately rush to the foot of your bed, squeezing at your legs, and then you hear the soft clank of dogtags tingling and an indignant squawk as you feel someone has finally plucked Mephisto away from your hand, a warm hold replacing it urgently instead.
Zayne... Xavier... Rafayel... Sylus... Caleb... Everyone's here...? Why...? Ngh... Your head is swimming. Zayne is saying something to Sylus, who's not moving, even as he replies to Zayne... His eyes are still fixed down on your face, as you turn your gaze back to him... Why is it so hard... To keep your eyes open? You just... Want to sleep... But the sensation of something is wrong has finally overpowered the heavy blanket of lead settling over your brain, and the presence of all five people you cherish... It registering to you now that all of them are panicked... Is finally giving you enough strength to struggle against this sleep.
"Listen to me. Focus on my voice. You need to break out of this. Wake up. You need to fight it. You..... Please, darling."
"This is not how this story ends... I cannot allow it... I cannot... Please, open your eyes. We have a lot more battles left to fight... Starlight, how can I do them without you by my side?"
"You promised to protect me, right? For that, you have to stay awake, princess! I'm not freeing you from your promises just yet! You cannot abandon me. I will not tolerate it."
"Pipsqueak... I trust you... You have to come back to me. You will. There simply is no other choice. Yes... You cannot stay asleep any longer. I know you will wake up. Right? C'mon. I'm waiting... I... I'll introduce myself again, if needed... As many times as needed... Just... Just wake up...."
You struggle, every statement registering as a blow against the cocoon of the deceptive warmth of slumber that had wrapped up your mind... As your eyes flutter in a struggle to stay open. Sylus says nothing, his gaze intense, as he looks right into your eyes, his own glowing a bit...
And then you feel it in your head... Like a flash of dark red starting to cut away at the dark heavy curtains covering your mind. You hear it resonate in your ears even though you're sure he's not speaking... But you can hear him loud and clear anyways... Sylus...
"I'm here. You're not alone. I'm here. Come. Fight with me."
Yes... He's here... And so is everybody else... You force yourself to call forth your evol, with as much focus as possible, and it's like it bursts through you, intermingling with all the five energies that seem to be reaching out to you.
Your body thrums with power, a symphony of shared resonance... And it's like the curtain shatters, and your eyes finally open for the first time, glowing, as you feel your mind push back and burst forth through the darkness that had gripped your very existence. You jolt, the movement violent, and everyone moves as you sit up suddenly, your breath coming in startled pants, as Sylus let's go of your face, the pain in his eyes finally giving way to relief.
"Welcome back. That was quite the nap, kitten."
"Miss bodyguard! Finally!"
"Pipsqueak... Do you have any clue how much you scared me? Don't do that again."
"...Thank stars you're awake. I..."
"How are you feeling? Relax. Calm your heart. We're here. You're alright. Everyone, please give her a bit of space. She looks disoriented."
You feel Zayne's firm touch on your back, while everyone else moves back a bit, not crowding you much.
"Deep breaths. With me. In, out. Relax."
You inhale shakily, closing your eyes, trying to imitate Zayne.
"Hey! Don't close your eyes again!"
"Let her be, she seems awake now. It's okay."
Despite the situation, you cannot help the soft chuckle that bubbles painfully from your very dry feeling throat. You open your eyes again, even though everyone is still blurry, and give what you hope is a reassuring smile, before focusing back on Zayne and his breathing.
Once he's sensed you've calmed enough, he quickly performs a check up. It is now that you finally slowly start registering your surroundings. Wait... You were in the hospital? You don't even remember how you got here... And you notice the IV hooked to your arm... And the slightly redded skin from Rafayel's scorching grip earlier, along with the beak marks from the bird currently perched on its owner's shoulder...
Ugh. Your head is spinning. You swallow painfully. Your throat is so dry... As Zayne checks your heart rate, Xavier sighs, approaching with a glass of water, looking questioningly at Zayne who nods. Xavier moves closer, before gently holding it to your lips.
"Drink. Ah... Slow. Slowly..."
He patiently guides you through the first few struggling sips, as your parched throat suddenly recognises the intense thirst it was feeling, though Xavier ensures you're not choking on it by going too fast.
After you've had your fill, he gently rubs your back, adjusting a pillow behind you, and pushing your hair out of your face, strands dampened by sweat that were sticking to your forehead.
"Xavier.... What... W-what happened? I'm sorry... I..."
Xavier shushes you, gently shaking his head, as he continues to smooth your hair into place.
"I'm sorry. I should've rushed you here even sooner. Infact, I should've come to you on that mission today to fight that wanderer... Then perhaps this wouldn't have happened at all."
He sighs, a clear undertone of guilt running through his voice. You quickly lift a weak hand to cup over his on your face, even though it trembles with the effort.
"W-what? Hey... Don't feel guilty... Xavier... And fuck. That mission... That wanderer... I remember now... It was... Ugh. It was pretty weak, but then I don't know why I felt so tired after coming home..."
"Hmph. Maybe because it doused you in this substance. Do you remember an attack where it gave off this pollen? You surely got hit by this, miss bodyguard. I was reading up on it. Ring a bell?"
Rafayel suddenly states, his boots making a firm sound as he walks up to your side, Zayne moving away to jot down some notes. Rafayel holds up his tablet screen and shows you a translucent powdery substance, a frown on his face, even though his eyes drink in the sight of you with a mix of relief and lingering frustration.
Ah. Now you remember... That wanderer did look to be shimmering with a weird kind of dust... You remember the air becoming slightly cloudy at one particular attack of it's that had kicked up a lot of dust, but you'd just huffed in annoyance and killed the thing anyways.
"O-oh... This... Pollen...? I thought it was the environment... Just some dust..."
"Hmph. I've told you many times... Substances of all kinds can be dangerous! And specially you should know, seeing the kinds of trips I've dragged you onto to obtain materials for my paints, I always make you wear masks if they're dangerous! Dust is dangerous! You can't just—"
You sigh, letting go of Xavier's hand, to hold it out towards Rafayel. He glares at you, but you simply signal to your hand again.
"Raf... Please?"
He sighs, quickly gripping it with both of his own.
"Miss bodyguard... Never, never disregard substances again! Promise me... You... You—"
"I'm sorry. I scared you... But I'm fine now. I promise."
"You're not allowed to not be fine! I... Sigh. I cannot handle it. I'm sorry for singing your hand a bit earlier... It was an accident."
You giggle softly, shaking your head.
"I know... And... Mm... I promise I'll be careful next time—"
"...There will be no next time. You should stop going on solo missions. You need protection if something goes wrong."
You frown, as you hear caleb chime in firmly. You shift your gaze towards where he's leaning against the wall, gazing intently at you, his expression deceptively neutral and cool, but his eyes extremely intense.
"Caleb. Sigh. C'mon."
"Don't 'Caleb' me, pipsqueak. You—"
"These risks are part of the job! I can't just stop going to missions!"
"Why do you even need—"
Seeing the expression that crosses your face, Caleb groans, running a hand over his face.
"Ugh. I'm sorry. But you need to... You..."
You sigh, beckoning him closer, as Rafayel let's go of your hand, pouting, but giving you space to accommodate Caleb, going back to reading about the substance from the wanderer.
Caleb crosses the room, looking intensely at you still, his arms crossed. You hold out your hand, and he crumbles at the pitiful look in your eyes, as he grips onto it.
"I promise I'll be more careful."
"You... Fine. You must text someone after every mission without fail. Atleast promise me that. I... Text me. Or... Ugh. The rest. But someone. You have to. I can't protect you if you won't let me. Please."
"...sigh. Caleb... Fine. Fine.... Don't worry. I promise. Okay? I'll try to text someone after every mission."
"Just try? You—"
"Caleb..."
"...fine."
He sighs, sensing the tiredness in your tone, but the look he gives you makes it clear that he'll talk more about this later. You give him a weak smile, as Zayne comes back, and a few things happen. Your position is adjusted, and the hospital bed is adjusted too when you protest against lying completely down again. Some medicines are given, and Zayne takes a full report. Before he can turn to leave again, you grab his hand, squeezing it, and his expression softens.
"...sigh. You scared me a bit, darling."
"Thank you, Doctor Zayne. And don't be scared."
"...Yeah. you're one resilient patient. Though my scolding will come later."
"...I'll remember to get chocolates as a peace offering."
Through all this... Your eyes sweep across the room, searching Sylus... Who's sitting at the sofa, his face lowered and held in his hands, as Mephisto is perched on his shoulder. The bird notices your gaze, and immediately squacks, flying over to you before you can say anything.
"Caw! Craw... Caw caw!"
You cannot help but huff, rolling your eyes as you pet the bird flying over to your hand instead.
"C'mon... You can't scold me now!"
"Caw!"
"Meph, you're literally a bird! I can understand the guys scolding me, but not you! Hmph."
"Caw caw. Caw!"
"No. Hehe. But I'm fine... I'm fineee! Don't be angry. I'll get you something shiny as an apology."
You shift your gaze to Sylus, a worried look crossing your face. Ultimately... You remember that sheer raw pain in his eyes that had finally helped to start to snap you out of this...
"Sylus... Are you... O-okay?"
Hearing the tremble to your voice, he quickly glances up. He blinks, unwavering, as he stands, walking towards you. You reach out to him, wordlessly beckoning, and he obliges, leaning close.
You run your hand over his jaw, tenderly cupping his face, your eyes full of questions as they search his. He sighs, nodding.
"I'm fine. That... Dream you were trapped in was quite ensnaring. It was very... Ugly from the outside, and warm from within. Fighting against it was quite... The battle."
"I felt you in my mind... Did you..."
"Use my... Abilities? Yes. I had to try. I am sorry if it was uncomfortable or painful... It couldn't be helped..."
Your eyes glisten, and Sylus quietly wipes at your face with the pad of his thumb.
"Sylus... You looked like you were in a lot of pain too...."
"...I tried to take as much of it as possible. Seeing you in endless slumber... That is not something I can witness, sweetie..."
He murmurs, and your heart breaks. Not only for him, but for everyone else too... But currently, you decide to mend things one at a time.
So, you pull Sylus even closer, sighing as you rest your forehead against his.
"Relax. I'm here... I'm back. And I'm safe... Thanks to you..."
"Honey... I love you."
Your heart thumps, and you hug him as tight as you can. You feel his strong arms wrap around you, squeezing back.
"I love you too. And... I'll always love you."
After a good moment, you glance out to the others, and beckon them closer too. Rafayel comes to your left, and Caleb to your right, along with Xavier. Sylus shifts slightly to accommodate them, and Zayne walks to your back, a bit behind you as well, as you invite them all into a warm hug.
You hold everyone as much as possible, and they do the same. You sigh, relaxing finally, wrapped up in the warm embrace of your boys.
"Xavier... Caleb... Rafayel... Zayne... I love you all... A lot... I'm sorry for scaring you... I... I'm alright..."
"We love you too."
"Yeah. And no need to apologise."
"Just don't scare us again..."
"We'll avoid such situations next time... Sorry for not being able to avoid this one..."
Even though your body feels weak and you have a lot to wonder, atleast your heart feels full in this instant.