Theme: 10, Breathe Again
Wordcount: 524
Rating: T
Warnings: none, unless teenagers sleeping together should be something I should everyone warn about.
Notes: His breathing is the only constant in her life.
Nothing came close to scaring her as badly as he'd scared her when he was unconscious and barely breathing after Ragnarok ripped through his chest, nearly killing him. Even now, so many months after the incident, it would catch her off-guard every now and then and she would relive every second of it. The coppery smell of his blood as it flowed from the gaping wound in his flesh would fill her nostrils and make her feel like throwing up. Her skin would crawl as she felt it soak into her clothing and skin, warm, sticky and wet. And then she would panic, suddenly and irrationally (or maybe not irrationally) afraid that every breath would be his last, and that he would abandon her.
And so she watched him breathe tonight, her eyes locked on his lean, but muscular – scarred – chest as it rose and fell with every breath he took. Though she was slowly calming down and regaining her self-control, she couldn't help praying for him to breathe again, to keep breathing, because – Dammit, Soul! – she didn't want to lose him. Every soft exhalation reassured her that yes, he was okay and no, he wasn't going to leave her. In a world of uncertainty and insanity, his breathing was a constant, and that was the greatest comfort of all, more than his antics or his voice or even the way his arms would close around her when he held her. All she wanted was for him to keep breathing, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stay.
He finally stirred, as if sensing the distressed wavelength she was radiating, and rolled over to wrap her up tightly in his arms. "It's okay…" he murmured sleepily. "Go back to sleep, Maka." He nuzzled her face, gently kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and then her lips before tucking her securely against him. He wasn't even half-awake, but he wasn't going to give in and fall back into the deep, dreamless slumber her panicked state had roused him from. He would fight it off until he knew she herself had returned to dreamland, preferably a region that wouldn't give her nightmares.
She nuzzled his scar, fighting the tears that threatened to spill whenever she had moments like this, and clung to him just as tightly as he held her. His slow, deep, steady breathing filled the room, reassuring her, calming her, and slowly, ever so slowly, lulling her to sleep. A few tears always escaped, along with a few silent sobs that wracked her tiny frame, but as always, they slowed and eventually stopped as she finally gave in to her body's demands and slipped into sweet unconsciousness in the confort of his arms. And this time, her dreams – if she was dreaming at all, now – were pleasant, rather than terrifying.
To the soft, content sound of her breathing, he would drift back to sleep, reassured that she was safe, that he had protected her once again.
29 Oct 2009
My apologies for not updating in forever, guys. Hopefully these four installments I've just posted will make up for my lack of activity around here. Happy Halloween!