Autor's Notes: And with this chapter I am now officially on Hiatus! But don't worry, I will be back in time for one or two more chapters for the year before January. After all, I can't neglect to update this fic on its first birthday now, can I?
So without further ado, enjoy the 'nightmare', plot, and then some oh-so-good-you'll-melt vanilla!
Interlude 20: Peaceful Night
"Wwwwaaaahhhhhhh!"
Crying.
"Wwwwaaaaahhhhhh!"
Michael's head felt like it was about to split open, but the crying was somehow pulling him together. By no means was the crying pleasant to hear, far from it, it was actually quiet annoying. Probably the most annoying noise Michael had heard yet. Slowly, Michael opened his eyes. He was lying on cold granite tile flooring.
"Where am I?" Michael asked himself aloud as he picked himself up from the floor. Aside from the tile flooring, everything else around him was pure white. Almost as if he were in a void.
"Wwwwaaaahhhhhhh!"
Again with the crying! Now that he had collected himself, he could tell that the crying was coming from behind him. Michael turned around and was shocked by what he saw.
It was him. But not the young boy he had met in one of his other nightmares. This time, it was a memory of himself from when he was much younger. Maybe he was three at the time? Honestly, Michael didn't really care to remember.
'Am I going to have to talk with him and be told something cryptic again?' Michael asked himself sarcastically. At least these nightmares weren't so much as freighting as they were thought-provoking. "What's wrong?" Michael asked his younger self, "Why are you crying?"
"Wwwwaaaahhhhhhh!" the toddler Michael continued to cry. It wasn't as if he were ignoring Michael or crying too hard to stop, he just couldn't hear him, as if Michael wasn't even near him. As if he didn't even exist in the dream.
So Michael tried to do something he couldn't do the last time he was in a nightmare; walk out of it. He simply started walking away from his younger self, hoping that if he walked far enough away from his nightmare, it would collapse on itself and he would wake up. Hey, any idea on how to get out was just as plausible as the next. Except, Michael ran into an invisible wall halfway through. Not a metaphysical wall, but an actual invisible wall. A thud and the resulting smarting nose gave Michael a clear answer that he would stay here and listen to himself crying incessantly until the nightmare ended. Great. How long could he be here?
"Whatever is the matter, my boy?" a deep voice belonging to a man asked as the form of Michael's own father appeared next to him and began to walk towards his younger self.
Immediately, his younger self began to stop bawling, his sniffling the only reminder to his crying fit earlier.
"And why would such a handsome young lad be crying now, hm?" Camael asked as he knelt down on his knee and began to wipe away the tear stains from his the young Michael's eyes, "Why don't you tell Daddy?"
"I was alone," Michael's younger self told Camael, "I was all alone and no one wanted to find me. I was scared. And then I started to cry and couldn't stop."
Michael stood still, rooted in his spot as he watched the conversation play out. A discarded pit of resentment began to eat away at his stomach as he felt his throat begin to close. His closed fist was slightly trembling with anger.
"Oh, honey!" a new voice, this time feminine, cooed as the form of Michael's mother appeared next to him and ran over to his younger self and Camael. Gabriel picked his younger self up into a huge hug as she nuzzled his cheek, "As long as Mommy and Daddy are here, you will never be alone. We will always find you. That's a promise of a lifetime."
"I know," Michael's younger self agreed as he gave his parent's a beaming smile that could light up an entire city, "I have the best Mommy and Daddy in the world!"
"Stop…" Michael whispered to himself, as if in a vain attempt to warn his younger self of the pain that awaited him, "They were never there…and they never will be…you'll find yourself alone one day…and they won't care at all…they'll just toss you aside as soon as they have another child in their life…"
After the family shared a tender moment, Camael and Gabriel both took the younger Michael by an arm and walked off as a family. Their joyful laughter could be heard by Michael until their very silhouettes faded from the horizon that somehow appeared for them. Michael could taste iron in his mouth. The pit in his stomach had only grown larger, as if it were trying to consume him entirely.
Michael didn't know when it ended, but he eventually felt himself coming to. Before he opened his eyes, he could feel his head resting on something very soft. He couldn't place it in his mind, but it seemed like a familiar feeling, as if he had been in a situation similar to this before.
"Why isn't he up yet?" a slightly annoyed voice asked loudly, "He was one of the first ones to be knocked out and he's the last to get up! Talk about embarrassing!"
"How about you just shut up?!" another voice yelled at the other one. This was much closer, enough for Michael to physically wince when they yelled. Eventually, Michael took the opportunity to crack open his eyes and take a peak.
Looking down on him was Lyn, a large cut over her right eye. She looked bruised and battered, but her natural beauty still shined through. It helped that she had a wide smile on her face.
"Nice to see you awake!" Lyn happy laughed at Michael, "I think this is the second time you've had the honor of waking up in my lap."
Michael couldn't help but smile back as he closed his eyes shut, as if he had never opened them. He then turned over, as if he were merely going through the motions while he was asleep.
"Hey!" Lyn said as she frowned, "Don't think I didn't see that! What's the big idea?"
"Cashing in on my reward early," Michael pretended to yawn as he wore a satisfied grin, "Your lap is easily the most comfortable thing my head has ever had the pleasure of resting on. It's an honor in an honesty. You should be proud of your magnificent thighs."
"Ah, I see…" Lyn responded with a slightly angry twitch as she covered Michael's mouth and plugged up his nose, "You're still half asleep, that's why you're being so cheeky!" Michael began to flail with all his might as he tried to free himself from Lyn's grip.
He eventually fell off her lap from all of his failing and everyone turned to look at him. He felt his face turning a deep shade of red as he picked himself up and tried to act as if he had meant to do that. As he looked down in embarrassment to stop from looking at everyone's glances, Lyn offered her hand to him. He took her by the hand and pulled her up onto her feet without hesitation. His hand lingered on hers for just a second longer than he wanted it to. Their eyes met for a brief second and Lyn had a slightly mischievous sparkle in them. She pulled Michael in close and whispered something into his ear,
"I'll be sure to give you a proper reward later, okay?"
"Y-Yeah!" Michael sputtered as Lyn moved away. Never before had he ever felt his face go red so fast or so deeply. Lyn had obviously gotten more daring from the last time they were together.
"If you're done with your flirting," Hector called out to the twosome, "We can all find Lord Hausen now!"
"Lyndis?" Eliwood asked as Bernard loomed over him, "Would you happen to know anyplace the marquess could hide himself?"
"There's a switch behind the throne!" Lyn shouted, "If you press it, it should open up a secret passage in the wall. If anywhere, he'll be there!"
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?!" Hector asked in an exasperated tone, "We could be done by now!"
"…How long was I unconscious?" Michael asked as the two began to walk towards the throne.
"Through the rest of the battle and twelve minutes afterwards," Lyn told him, "You were sleeping like a log. Eliwood and Hector couldn't even believe you had fallen asleep while so much was going on."
Michael could feel his face going red again, but this time out of shame, "Sorry. It would've been a much quicker fight if I had—wait a minute! Isn't that the enemy general we were all fighting for our lives against!?"
"Long story," Lyn told him with an understanding sigh, "Eliwood's decision."
Michael breathed his own sigh of relief and understanding. It was most definitely something only Eliwood would think to do in that kind of situation. In a way, Michael was glad he had been unconscious. He probably wouldn't have let the general live after knowing Laus had such a fearsome fighter amongst them. That could spell trouble later down the line. But, Eliwood was their leader and his word was law on any final decision.
"There it is!" Eliwood grunted in approval as a section of the wall behind the throne began to rise, revealing a secret room.
After the room had opened all the way, two figures began to walk out. One, was Lord Hausen, limping along as he was supported by a young woman with red hair. She had a wary and intelligent look in her eye, as if she were silently coming up with escape paths to take if things turned sour for her. Obviously, she wasn't a regular soldier or servant. She felt eerily similar to Matthew in a way, but more professional? Serious? Michael couldn't come up with the right word.
"Greetings, Lords Eliwood, Hector, and Lady Lyndis," the young greeted them calmly as she carried Hausen.
"Grandfather!" Lyn shouted as she broke into a run towards them, "Are you okay?!"
"I-It's only a flesh wound, I assure you!" Hausen managed to say with a pained smile as the girl began to lean him onto the throne, "I should be the one asking if you are alright, Lyndis. Goodness, look at the cut on your head! You should get that looked at!"
Lyn touched her wound with her right hand as she listened to her grandfather speak, "Nonsense!" she told him, "This is only a scratch! Look at you! I only don't even need to pull up your shirt to see that you've been bleeding!"
"Nothing a vulnerary won't fix," Hausen assured her, "Why, all I need to do is fetch one from—"
"Serra!" Lyn shouted out at the top of her lungs, "Please heal my grandfather!"
"On it!" Serra responded back wearily as she wobbled over with her staff out. She looked as if she could fall if a weak breeze passed over her.
The young woman had been steadily stepping away from Lyn and Lord Hausen and towards an undisclosed exit. Michael was tempted to say something, but Hector and Matthew beat him to it.
"Leila!" Matthew called out in what could only be described as a lovesick voice, "Where do you think you're going?!"
"Can't let one of our best spies go when I see her escorting an injured lord," Hector nodded to himself, as if he were reciting words someone else had told him long ago.
"Greetings, Lord Hector…and Mathew," the girl named Leila said after a brief moment of silence, "I'm sorry for not trying to stay around, but I need to get back to my cover before I rouse suspicion."
"Hector," Eliwood said as he found himself being pulled into the conversation along with Michael, the two of them leaving Lyn to tend to her grandfather, "Who is this again?"
"Allow me!" Matthew shouted with unmistakable glee, "This is Leila! Ostia's most prized and skilled spy! She alone can make or break any country within all of Lycia given enough time to snoop around! She's perfection in human form, she's a goddess amongst mortals, and she is my one and only love of my life!"
"You're more proud about that last one than anything else…" Hector muttered in disinterest as he looked back to Leila, "Make it quick about anything of interest you've found out. We're kind of stuck at a dead-end now that we don't have Laus here anymore."
"Of course," Leila nodded, "Then please, clean out your ears. I'm making this fast. Through the last few months I have been infiltrating and rising through the ranks of the Black Fang. They've been spending a lot of their time in Lycian territory of late. Most likely trying to spread seeds of rebellion. At the very least, they've taken hold in the heart of Laus's marquess. The man responsible for it all? Ephidel."
Michael gasped once he heard the name. It was the same one he had heard in his nightmare. He was starting to think it wasn't just a simple nightmare anymore. "I've heard that name before!" Michael told the group.
"Where?" Eliwood asked in avid curiosity.
"A dream…" Michael told him, knowing full well how bizarre it sounded. Truth often had a strange way of being even more bizarre than anything else.
"A…dream…" Hector repeated, "So, Leila, you were saying?"
"Yes, Ephidel," Leila went on, "He has been whispering into the marquess's ear for some time, gradually gaining hold on him through his desires. Specifically, his desire to rule all of Lycia."
"We already know this," Hector told her, "Erik told us as much!"
"Hey!" Matthew butted in, "Let her finish! You're the one who asked for info!"
"Quiet, Matthew," Leila commanded him.
"Yes, ma'am!" Matthew told her happily as he stood as attention.
"Anyway," Leila began for the third time, "Ephidel is one of the higher ups in the Black Fang. However, he reports to someone else. Someone who I only guess is far more dangerous than even Ephidel. That man, is named Nergal. He's gained influence over the Fang by getting a woman named Sonia, who is loyal to him, to marry Brendan Reed, the leader of the Black Fang. Since then, they've went from vigilante heroes in Bern that only killed evil rulers to a professional assassination guild in the process of just a few years. Everyone can be a target for the Fang as long as the person calling upon them ha enough gold."
"Think we could hire them to kill each other off?" Michael asked just so they could in fact establish that it would never be that easy.
"Highly doubtful," Leila answered him with complete seriousness.
"Knew that already," Michael sighed, "Just…wanted to scratch that option off the list."
"Is there any news of my father?" Eliwood asked her.
"I'm unsure as to whether he supported the rebellion or not," Leila shook her head, "But he was last seen getting passage to the island of Valor. Also named the Dread Isle by the locals of the area."
"Ominous…" Michael said as he scratched his chin, "Let me guess; that's our next destination?"
"What are those two like?" Hector asked Leila, "Nergal and Ephidel you called them?"
"I've never met Nergal," Leila explained as she looked down in disappointment, "But I've had the 'pleasure' of meeting with Ephidel many times. He's inhuman. My body trembles every time I'm near him."
"Not normal," Michael offered to her as a phrase for description, "By any sense of the word."
Leila nodded in agreement, "Powerful as well. And able to influence his foes in the most minute of way."
"I'll keep that in mind when we inevitably fight him," Michael smiled sarcastically, "I can see it now! A mage with great and terrible magic that can tear us limb from limb in seconds…fun."
Leila let out a small chuckle at Michael's realistic viewpoint on what Ephidel could be capable of. In all honesty, he had never so much as lifted a finger to attack anyone unless it was with a dagger. For all she knew, that was all he was capable of. "That's all I know as of now. I'd best be on my way to Valor. I'm sure I've already caused enough suspicion by being so late. By your leave, milords."
As Leila walked away, Eliwood and Hector began a hurried discussion that Michael didn't care to try and follow. He watched Leila walk away with great interest. If the Black Fang was as dangerous as she had made it out to be and Ephidel was as powerful as he assumed, she would be in a grim situation if her cover was blown. Evidently, Matthew had a similar idea as he scurried along after her. Michael, in what must have been the tenth time tracking Matthew, followed after him.
"Wait, Leila!" Matthew called out to her as Leila slipped past a door. She stopped dead in her tracks.
"Yes, Matthew?" Leila asked, "I need to get going. Make say whatever you need to say quickly so I can leave."
"Fine," Matthew said, now slightly crestfallen, "Look, we've been together a long time, right? We know each other well?"
"Of course," Leila nodded her head, now more guarded because of where she felt the conversation heading, "That goes without saying."
"Even more so considering the kind of business we both work in. So…with all of the things going on right now…I was wondering if you…wanted to give it all up after this is over?"
"Giving it up?" Leila repeated, "What are you talking about?"
"Leila," Matthew began as he took a huge breath, "After all is said and done, will you mar—"
"Hey!" Michael called out as he emerged from his hiding place. He would've felt horrible if he listened in on Matthew saying something so private and personal. So of course he had to ruin said private and personal moment.
"Michael?!" Matthew asked in shock, "Since when have you been there?!"
"Since the beginning," Leila informed him in a split second, "You didn't know?"
"Well now I do!" Matthew told her before looking back to Michael, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to give this to Leila," Michael explained as he reached into his bag, "Just for insurance should things get nasty."
Michael pulled out a Master Seal and presented it to Leila, who carefully took it into her hand. She eyed it cautiously before looking back to Michael with a slightly wary glare, "Where did you find something like this?"
"My friend gave it to me," Michael told her, knowing not to say any more of the subject of the Seal's creator.
"What is it?" Matthew asked as he stared at it curiously.
"It's a Master Seal," Michael began to explain, "One from the third generation. When used it has the power to bring a person past the peak of their natural abilities. Strength, speed, skill, mental fortitude…all are pushed past their very limits. But the effects only last for ten minutes. Any more than that and the body will begin to turn to jelly."
"Ten minutes…" Leila muttered, "That's too short of a timeframe…"
"But there's more!" Michael continued, "If you find yourself in a situation where you have to go beyond the ten minute mark, all you have to say it "Limit Breaker." The Seal will then elongate its timeframe to infinite. But, the longer you keep it up beyond that point, the greater the strain your body will be subjected to will be. Go too long and you'll break down…damage to your body and senses would be getting off easy."
"A double-edged sword…" Leila mused, "Thank you. I'll be sure to use it if the need arises."
"Stay safe," Michael told her, "For Matthew."
"Hey!" Matthew said, "I can tell her that on my own! Last time I checked, I was a big boy!"
Once Leila had left to return to her spying duties, Hausen began to shower everyone with praise. The usual fare of being called heroes and being subjected to a great and plentiful feat occurred…at least it WOULD have occurred if it weren't for the fact that everyone was tired and there were no castle servants anywhere to be found. Lord Hausen was quiet embarrassed by this turn of events after talking up such a great game about the food that would be prepared. Everyone was satisfied with how it had played out. Especially with Kent and Collin, the both of them being witness to more than one occasion of the marquess getting too liberated on the high quality spirits and causing an uproar in a drunken state. Lyn didn't need to see her grandfather in such a state. Michael had taken the opportunity to lock himself in the library where he could enjoy the peace and quiet for a while. Books tended to be nonsocial objects. He would have stayed there the entire night, but Lyn, however, had different plans in store.
"OOOOOWWWWWWW!" Michael screeched through gritted teeth as Lyn dragged him out of the Caelin library by his ear, "OOOUUUUCCHHHH!"
"Shut up!" Lyn commanded him, "It's already past midnight and you're still holed up in here. You should be asleep."
"But I'm not tired…" Michael tried to explain to her, "Really, I'm not!"
"I'm still showing you to your room,' Lyn told him without looking back.
"Aren't there a lot of free rooms?" Michael asked her, "I can choose one at random and everything will be fine."
"I'm choosing for you," Lyn told him once again.
"And where would that be?" Michael asked.
"Next to my room," Lyn responded coolly.
Michael all about just lost his higher brain functions. Why so close to her room? Did she have something planned?! Was it good?! Michael wasn't prepared for this! He still wanted to get to know Lyn even better before this happened! He wanted the timing to be right and the mood to be romantic!
"Here," Lyn said as she opened the door to the room and lead them over to a loveseat sitting beside the balcony.
Outside?! Lyn was certainly a bold one!
Lyn plopped them both on the loveseat as she stuck her head out into the air to enjoy the fresh breeze passing through. She looked so peaceful that Michael could almost imagine the kind of girl she had been back when she still lived in Sacae. A part of him wished he could see her basking in the warmth of her home once more if only to commit it to memory.
"This is a nice breeze," Lyn laughed, "I hadn't taken the chance to do this recently. A lot has been going on…"
"Yeah," Michael agreed as he followed her example and stuck his head into the air, "All these battles and talk of rebellion…it would take time out of anyone's schedule."
"Not that," Lyn chuckled as she shook her head, "Well…not entirely. I've been busy with the jobs of the nobility. I didn't know that being a noble meant going to so many gatherings. It makes me wonder how they even find the time to rule over their lands with how much they travel."
"Oh," Michael said dumbly, "Sorry, but I don't have an answer for you."
"Thanks for being so knowledgeable," Lyn sighed as she rested her head on the armrest of the loveseat, "Just what kind of bookworm are you?"
"The kind that worries about his best friend," Michael responded back to her seriously.
"Good," Lyn said more softly and with a tender expression on her face, "I'm glad you do."
"So why'd you drag me off here?" Michael asked, "I can't imagine you did that just to get me to sleep?"
"I wanted to spend some time with you alone," Lyn told him as she looked him in the eyes, "If you haven't noticed, we've haven't been alone since we met up again."
"Yeah," Michael laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "We also weren't being wise when we decided to have one of our moments. I wonder what the others think?" Michael could feel himself physically flinch at that last thought.
"Let them think whatever they want!" Lyn said as she placed her arms around Michael's neck and pulled him into a gigantic hug, "This has been a long time coming."
Michael hugged her back. He couldn't help but feel at peace in her embrace, "You can say that again. I've missed you so much," Michel felt an odd shape against Lyn's clothing as her body pressed against his.
"What's wrong?" Lyn asked as she felt Michael shift slightly.
"There's something in your robes," Michael told her, "And whatever it is, I could feel it through your clothes."
"Ah, this," Lyn smiled as she pulled out a familiar looking silver locket. The imprint of two dragons, one more angelic while the other was more demonic. The angelic one was flying skywards, as if flying all the way into heaven. In direct contrast to the angelic dragon, the demonic dragon was flying downwards, as if being banished to another dimension. In between the both of them was a single sword, its blade facing downward, as if the ground beneath it was its sheath.
"My locket!" Michael remembered as he smiled, "How long have you been wearing it?"
"Every day," Lyn smiled back at him, "I should have told you in my letter, right? People have given me strange looks when I told them the story behind it. I've worn it with pride the way that most veteran generals wear their medals."
"I could say the same thing about this," Michael agreed as he pulled out the necklace underneath his shirt. He grabbed Lyn's earring in two of his fingers, "Not a day went by where I didn't wear it."
"Well look at us, the sentimental couple!" Lyn laughed, "We have attachment issues."
"Not issues," Michael corrected her, "We just hold each other very dear. At least I do. I don't think I would be able to live without you."
"Oh!" Lyn whistled as her face turned a bright red, "Where did you go to learn such seductive lines like those? Was there anything you didn't tell me in those letters that I should know about?"
"No way," Michael joked, though partially serious, "You're the only one I use these lines on."
"Good," Lyn smiled at him as the look of a predator filled her eyes, "Keep it that way…otherwise I may have to kill you."
"Lyn?" Michael asked, not joking around anymore. In fact, he was quite frightened.
"Kidding!" Lyn said with as innocent a smile as she could muster.
Once the two had recovered from that situation, they both exchanged their old trinkets. Lyn insisted on putting Michael's locket back on him rather than letting Michael put it back on himself. Michael was happy to tell her that his locket had grown incredibly warm since the last time he had felt it on his skin. It had meant that Lyn's amazingly warm heart had changed its very being. Lyn also said something similar about her earring regarding Michael.
"You just copied what I said to you!" Michel laughed at her, "No fair, you can't cheat like that!"
"I can cheat if I want to!" Lyn told him as she leaned against his shoulder, "I'm a young maiden after all! We have to cheat every now and again to get what we want!"
"And what would that be?" Michael asked her as he snuggled closer to her as well. The breeze had gotten a little bit colder since they first sat down.
"Love," Lyn smiled with a laugh as she closed her eyes, "It can be very difficult to catch a man's heart when he's dense. It's quite frustrating, in all honesty."
"You have your heart set on someone?" Michael asked, trying to keep an interested tone. Internally, his heart shattered into a dozen pieces. He had been too late. Lyn already loved someone else.
"Not telling," Lyn yawned slightly, "But I'll tell you this much; he is a terrific man and he always makes me smile."
"…I see…" Michael sighed. She truly was in love. He could hear it in her voice. Michael could feel himself smiling in spite of himself. He would have a heck of a time finding out who this mysterious man was. But once he found out, he would help Lyn snatch his heart. She deserved as much.
"What are you thinking about?" Lyn asked.
"The guy you like…" Michael began, "It's not that Casanova guy, right?"
"By all that is Father Sky and Mother Earth, NO!" Lyn screamed, "Don't even suggest that! You'll make me sick!"
"Sorry," Michael laughed, "Just had to get him off the list of suspects. Good thing to, I didn't like him," Michael didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt his eyelids getting heavier.
"I have tastes!" Lyn said as she turned her head away from Michael, "A man can't just be a noble and expect to get my attention! He had to show commitment and will. Plus knowing his way around a sword and being intelligent helps too… Are you writing these down?"
"Zzzzzzz…"
"You have got to be kidding me," Lyn whispered to herself as she looked over to Michael, who had managed to fall asleep in less than twenty seconds. He was snoring away, as if the little nap he had earlier didn't even matter! Still, Lyn had to admit that his sleeping face was cute.
"Hey, Michael?" Lyn asked quietly as Michael just sank deeper into the realms of sleep, "I'm still waiting for you to admit you love me. I've been waiting since Araphen. I'm sorry to say I heard your little confession to Jeigan back then. But…it made me really happy. At first, I thought you were just some guy that I'd know for only a short while, but you stuck by my side when we found out about my origins. Thank you for that. It did me good to have someone I knew by my side. Just know, I'll wait as long as it takes for you to find the courage to confess your love for me. I'll be patient. To be honest, I don't know why I'm waiting for you…I could just tell you myself and save us a lot of trouble."
"Zzzzzzz…"
"You have such a way with words…" Lyn sighed, "Oh well, at least I've got the best seat in the entire castle tonight…" With a yawn and a stretch of her hands, Lyn cozied up to Michael's chest and fell into a deep sleep.
For the first time in who knows how long, Michael slept without worries or nightmares. Was it merely being in Lyn's presence that did it, or was something else at work that made him sleep so peacefully?
Author's Notes: Just want to say that nightmare was one gigantic spoiler for some of Michael's character. And on a different topic,
Did you guys think this scene with Lyn and Michael is better than the one I put in a different Author's note in an earlier chapter? Personally, I like this one MUCH more. But just out of convenience for those that forgot, this was the other scene;
"What was that?" Michael asked breathlessly in confusion as Lyn pulled herself away after gently planting her lips onto his forehead.
"A good luck charm!" Lyn told him with a smile as she leaned over the railing of the balcony while putting all her weight on her arms. "With that, you'll be able to sleep soundly tonight without worries."
"I think I'll need a stronger charm than that to keep me asleep…" Michael sighed as he hung his head down dejectedly, "These nightmares aren't the run-of-the-mill variety…"
"They're really that bad?" Lyn asked with concern in her voice. This was one of the few, if not the first time she had ever seen Michael this depressed.
"So bad I don't even try to fall asleep anymore," Michael told her as he turned around and began to pace back and forth, "At first, I was only scared. You know, one bad dream, it's not so bad, but then the next night you have another. And they keep happening. Every. Night. But these nightmares…they… I… question my right to live. They make me experience the worst possible situations for those I care for. I-I… I don't know what to do…" There was a quiver in Michael's voice as he finished speaking his mind. Tears were beginning to well in his eyes.
A pair of warm arms wrapped around Michael's chest as the familiar sensation of another person pressed up against his back. "For you to cry, they must be truly horrific," Lyn murmured as she buried her face in the back of his shirt, "How long have they been occurring?"
"I don't know," Michael shook his head as he wiped away the droplets escaping from his eyes, "Maybe a little longer than a week, two at most. But… it feels like they been attacking me for much longer than that. I think the lack of sleep is getting to me…"
Michael felt the warm pair of hands leave his side as Lyn walked back into his bed chamber and sat down atop the end of the bedspread. The contrast from the purple sheets and Lyn's typical green attire somehow gave the room a more appealing appearance, but especially to the bed. But that may have been because of Lyn lying down face-up with her arms outstretched that me it truly appealing to Michael. "Come on over" Lyn commanded as she turned onto her side and curled her right index finger.
Michael stood rooted to his spot on the balcony for a brief moment as he registered both what Lyn was saying and what she was doing. "Yes, ma'am!" he said as his cheeks flushed into a furious red before he began to hurriedly walk over to the bed and fall onto his side right next to Lyn. For a moment, the two simply laid there, staring into the other's eyes as Lyn gave him a cool and coy smile.
"You must be really out of it!" Lyn eventually laughed, breaking the silence between the two, "The usual you would at the very least question what I was saying before doing anything."
"Sorry," Michael apologized as he struggled to keep his blush from spreading further.
"No need to apologize," Lyn assured him, "Least of all to me. Now, where were we…?" Lyn asked as she rose up from the bed and proceeded to climb on top of Michael, barely putting in any effort into pinning his arms with her own. She had the vague look of a predator stalking its prey in her eyes.
"Eh, Lyn…?" Michael asked as he stared into her eyes, a single finger planting itself over his lips.
"I just need you to do one more thing for me," Lyn told him, "Could you…close your eyes? It's slightly embarrassing for me to do this otherwise."
"Wh-" Michael began to ask but was cut off once again by Lyn's finger before he obeyed her request and closed his eyes shut as quickly as he could.
"There we go," Lyn said, "Now, if I remember correctly…this is how it goes…" Slowly lowering her head towards Michael's, Lyn puckered her lips ever so gently as she brought them down closer and closer to Michael's. He wasn't sure how long he had closed his eyes, but all Michael knew was that during that time, the very world itself around the two stopped. All noise ceased and time stopped dead in its tracks. The feeling of soft lips pressing against his own was all that Michael was able to remember. The feeling continued to last for over a full minute. Eventually, Michael summoned the courage to open his eyes.
What he found, was Lyn's own lips pressed against his own. His mind then officially left him for good as his face turned a violent shade of red as he blushed as the scene playing out in front of him. Just as he was about to surrender himself over to the pleasure of their embrace, Lyn pulled away from him, returning to the position they were in before, with her planted firmly on top of him.
"So," Lyn said triumphantly as she looked down upon him with a mysterious glint in her eyes, "How do you feel now?"
"Warm…" Michael told her honestly as he felt himself lulling into unconsciousness, "Very…warm…"
