"Deryn, no!" Alek shouted.
The man aiming the gun at her fired. She braced herself for pain, but it never came. Alek had jumped in front of her, taking the bullet in his stomach.
Deryn saw Alek jump in front, jolt back from the hit, and fall to the ground from his momentum.
The man's eyes widened. He'd hit the wrong target- and the prince, nonetheless! He had to get off of the ship before too much happened.
All of this happened in two seconds flat. Very remarkable speed for this crew.
"Alek!" Deryn screamed. She fell to her knees and turned him over gently. Right at that moment, she wasn't too concerned with the man who had just tried to shoot her, or that she was still supposed to be pretending she was a boy. All she cared about was Alek.
A pool of blood began forming on the skin of the Leviathan. Blood dabbed at the corners of Alek's mouth and soaked Deryn's clothes. It was everywhere. It was revolting.
"Alek, please, please speak to me...!" she cried desperately. She was unbuttoning his coat,- why are there so many blasted buttons?! she thought- trying to get to the wound. In normal circumstances, this would make her blush. But when it was something like this, it made her pale with worry.
"Ar... Are you alright?" he sputtered. Then, he coughed violently, releasing a spurt of blood onto his hand.
"I'm fine, Dummkopf. Why did you do that? I could've handled myself. And now you're like this! Blisters, you're a sodding ninny, Alek!" she yelled, peeling off his shirt.
He laughed pathetically, coughed, and said, "Not quite how I imagined you taking my clothes off. Quite the opposite, in fact. Funny, isn't it?"
Deryn started to tear up as he said this. It became more and more evident that Alek wouldn't survive. His skin was paler than she had ever seen it, his eyes bloodshot, blood everywhere and soaking their clothes. He closed his eyes. It looked like he was asleep. Or dead.
"Aye, hilarious. Alek, I swear, if you die while I go get the doctor, I will kick your bum senseless!" she said, getting up.
"I- I'd rather be k- kissed senseless, b- but alright."
She gave him a light peck before springing away, rushing to find the doctor. (A/N NOT DR. BUSK, DIFFERENT, LESS MATURE DOC)
When she returned, the blood pool was bigger, there was more blood on his hands and cheeks, and he was even more pale.
"Alek..." she said.
No response.
"Alek!"
Stillness.
"Alek!" she shouted in his ear. With the sound of trickling blood, she slapped his face as hard as she could.
"Aah!" he shouted, trying to sit up. The bullet in his stomach took over, though, and he shot back down with a gasp of pain.
As the doctor got to work, asking questions every few seconds and digging around Alek's stomach, (fixing it, patching it up) Deryn held tight to Alek's hand. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes.
"Alek, you can't die like this. Not when you just..." she trailed off, continuing in her thoughts.
"...found out I'm a girl, when we just got together. I love you! And you're going to know that before you die. I'd prefer that I didn't have to say that in front of a doctor who thinks I'm a boy, and a straight boy at that! So stay alive long enough for me to tell you that in private!"
"Dylan? Dylan?!"
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the doctor.
"What?" she asked.
"We lost 'im."
"What?! That can't be true!" she shouted, panic taking over.
"Heheh, just kidding. He's still alive. He should live; I got the bullet out and fiddled with his stomach. Fixed it, should heal soon. He's unconscious right now. You should take him back to his room."
Deryn glared at the man. How could he scare her like that! She nearly died in her head when he said that Alek was dead. She was, however, grateful that he was still alive.
"Thank you sir."
The doctor left.
Alek wasn't heavy at all, Deryn realized as she picked him up gently. Although he was limp, she felt enormous relief wash over her. Good! Alek was alive!
Walking the halls of Leviathan, she got questioning, sympathetic looks from her shipmates, as they caught sight of a bloody and limp Alek in her arms and her tear-streaked face.
She laid Alek down on his bed carefully once she entered his room.
She was about to leave when she heard a voice.
"Deryn?" a soft voice mumbled.
Alek had regained consciousness. Checking that the door was closed, she threw herself at Alek (carefully, mind you) and hugged him tightly.
"Don't you ever get yourself shot again! You scared me half to death!"
"If it means saving you, I would get shot a million times over, Deryn," Alek whispered. He hugged her back just as tight.
Her eyes began to glisten as he spoke.
"I love you, Alek. I love you so much," she whispered in his ear.
"I love you, too, Deryn. I always will."
And they kissed. A long, loving kiss that meant that they loved each other, and nothing would ever change that.
When they broke apart, they smiled. "Not bad for a Dummkopf," Deryn said.
Alek laughed and said, "I'd hope so. The same for you."
They resumed kissing.