What to do with the room, the magicians thought when they arrived at the hotel. Switching to two rooms would be a bureaucracy that neither of them were willing to go through and as the room had two beds they decided to keep it. For Lucy it didn't have much problem, she was the partner of two magicians, Natsu and Gray, worse than they could be, so sleeping with another magician in the same room would not be new. Neither did Ryker, in fact, he didn't care.
It was a good place to sleep, spacious, two bathrooms, comfortable and big beds, they even had a wine cellar and their own fridge full of drinks. For the fourth, they would do very well. They each chose a bed, Ryker taking the one by the window and Lucy the other. After settling in and becoming aware of all the refinements of the apartment, they relaxed.
"What do you think?" asked Lucy lying on her bed. "Is it really that these bandits are going to try something. Apparently they have a very good security scheme."
Ryker was sitting on the bed facing the window, turned to Lucy. "There is always the possibility," he said thoughtfully. "But they wouldn't be very smart," Lucy agreed. "You were a rich girl, weren't you Lucy?", he said to the blonde, more a statement than a question.
She looked at him confused. "Yeh. Why?"
"Three things will be auctioned, works of art, paintings and jewelry. I don't think art is something very easy to sell around, or to get some money".
The blonde sat on the bed and thought to herself, reflecting on what he had just said. "In fact. Usually these things are purchased from experts, it requires analysis to ensure authenticity and provenance. Someone very rich is not going to acquire works of art from anyone or anywhere", in saying this, she realized where he was going.
"Are you implying that the bad guys were hired by someone to steal the auction?" .
"I don't know if that's the case," he said, crossing his arms. "I think if that was it, it would be very difficult to identify. I mean they would be professionals, hired by millionaires. Not a bunch of idiots, from the looks of it."
Lucy pondered a moment longer. "You're right, they would be discreet, they would go under the radar. These guys seem to be amateurs, they heard there was going to be an auction and they got ready to steal. But it takes a lot of movement, leaves a lot of trail," Ryker agreed.
"But then again, I don't think they're complete idiots. These bums will not come for art, but for jewelry. They are much easier to pass on and make money soon. Works of art, it would have to be a commissioned robbery, from what you say", said the magician.
"The last day will be the biggest problem, and they already knew it", added the blonde. "Still, it's better to be aware of others."
"Affirmative. That said, we had better rest for tomorrow", said the magician.
"You're kidding, aren't you!?", Lucy was alarmed by her companion's comment. "We are in Hargeon! It has shops, restaurants, bars and lots of fun things to do. And it's still early, I think we should have fun on our only day off. And we haven't even had dinner yet"
Ryker sighed at her, even though he didn't like the idea much he had to admit he was hungry and it was still early. The other days would be hectic, they would have to arrive early and accompany the escort bringing the auction items and acting as security during the event, which would last for who knows how many hours.
"All right. Let's take a shower, change and go out," he said, it might be fun after all. He owed her more than an apology after all.
Why does it take so long!? Ryker thought. "Come on Lucy!", he yelled in the bedroom waiting for the maiden to get ready.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!", she spoke of the bathroom finished combing her hair and putting on makeup, which of course took a lot longer, irritating the mage. "Done", she said leaving the bathroom, she was beautiful it was true, but for some reason it didn't catch the wizard's attention as she thought it would. Not that she was interested in him, but she liked to impress men.
"Fine! You know this city, so guide me", he said without much patience.
"Let's go to a restaurant first, I'm starving," she said as they left the room.
They walked to a famous seafood restaurant in town. It wasn't the fanciest or the trendiest, but it was definitely among the best. The atmosphere was pleasant and had that nice beachy summer vacation feel. Lighting aided table layout and comfort. The dishes weren't cheap, but they weren't gut wrenching either. They sat in a nice corner, and as soon as the waiter came to them, they ordered.
Lucy watched Ryker as they waited for dinner to arrive. She noticed that he was quiet but fidgety, as if something was bothering him. He couldn't want to apologize, he's already done it and everything was fine between them, not talking about the mission either, if not he had already talked. He looked everywhere and at everyone, like he was analyzing, but she didn't care, it must be part of his nervousness. Until a snap came to mind. Was he annoyed with her? Maybe with the silence between the two, well they didn't know each other that well, didn't know anything about each other, maybe it was a chance to get to know better a member of the guild.
"Ryker. Could you tell me something about yourself?" Lucy said in a soft, friendly voice.
The wizard looked at her in surprise and pondered her question. "There's not much to talk about. I was born, I grew up, I did things," he said without much interest.
Lucy frowned, of course there were things he could say, but maybe he needed a little help. She decided to talk about herself. "I was born into a rich family, recognized in the all country, the Heartfilia. I was happy while my mom was alive, but after she passed away and my dad focused on work and I…I was left alone. It was difficult, in a huge house full of employees, for you to still feel lonely. My dad never had time for me and always said I was bothering her", it had been a while, but it was still difficult for her to talk about this subject.
Ryker listened to her carefully, he knew that in that world what she went through was certainly complicated, but he would trade places with her without a second thought.
"Is that why you decided to join Fairy Tail?", he asked.
"My mother was a celestial magician and I found out I was too. I inherited your spiritual keys and as I couldn't stand that life anymore, I decided to leave. I ran away from home until I found Natsu in this town and he took me to Fairy Tail," she said with nostalgia, remembering when she met her best friend.
"A happy coincidence, I imagine," commented the wizard. He noticed that that damn guild was having an influence on him, his heart was more open to feelings he didn't even know he had, or long forgotten. They were changing it little by little, but he knew that sooner or later, it wouldn't last.
"I'm sorry about your mother, Lucy. But, you did well. Apart from, of course, their financial problems, which would be solved if you bought less frivolous things. You have a lot of friends and you are always smiling", he said in a nice and friendly way.
Lucy laughed at the comment and couldn't help but be happy. "Fairy Tail is a family, it's my real home. Thanks to them I can say I'm happy", he said smiling.
"I grew up on a farm," he said a little awkwardly. "It was a cool place, we planted corn, raised chickens and farm stuff".
"It must have been a good time," Lucy said.
"Yes it was. The best moment of my life, at least so far", he said and the celestial mage felt a weight emanating from him. "I had my father, my mother and my brother. We were together, it was good. But, that was a long time ago", he added wistfully.
"I didn't know you had brothers," said the blonde.
"I have one, I think he's fine. At least the last I heard of him, he was, and so was my parents".
"I'm very sorry. Haven't you seen them for a long time ?" Lucy said feeling sorry for him.
"Things of life," he said with a sigh. The blond mage wanted to say something, but they were interrupted by the arrival of the waiter bringing their plates.
Dinner was quiet, casual conversations and good food, very good indeed. As soon as they finished their meal, Ryker insisted on paying the bill and left the restaurant. He wanted to go back to the hotel, but Lucy insisted on walking around the city, which was quite beautiful at night, especially in the shopping area where the girl was happily looking at the stores and looking for things to buy, Ryker couldn't be more bored, but he kept up with her...
The last few days Ryker hadn't felt the same, something was bothering him. A heaviness in the chest, a feeling of being sick, a heaviness in the back, greater than normal. The mage knew something was coming, his lack of sleep was on the brink, he would burst at any moment, he just had to delay as much as possible. Her visions, too, were more frequent, as were her headaches and her fits. He thanked the heavens that he didn't have any outbursts in public and in front of his guildmates, but for how long. Lucy realized he wasn't okay, Erza also knew he had some issues, but he turned around, Mira wouldn't be outdone. Sooner or later he would have to face the truth.
After hours the two finally returned to the hotel and were getting ready for a good night's sleep, at least one of them.
"Ahh! I love this city! It's so beautiful and the stores are so good, I hope I have time to buy a few things after the mission", Lucy said lying down on her bed. She looked to the side, toward the bed of Ryker, who was sitting with his back to her, fumbling with his backpack. "Wouldn't you like to buy something later too? You know, maybe a gift, for someone special," she said mischievously. Ryker just rolled his eyes shaking his head.
"What are you taking?", Lucy said realizing that her partner had taken some vials and placed several pills in her hand and brought it to her mouth.
"Vitamins, just vitamins," he lied, were his remedies for headaches, body aches, antidepressants, anti-hallucinogens, stimulants to avoid falling asleep, and even more. They were huge doses, getting bigger and bigger.
"I never imagined you needed this," she commented.
"It's good. If you want to, just see a doctor first," he replied, not wanting to give too much detail.
"Is it because of your exams you're taking?", Lucy insisted.
"No. I used to take it before", he said indifferently. "We'd better sleep," he said, lying down on the bed and covering his body with the sheet. Lucy nodded and lay down too. He waited until she fell asleep, as soon as he noticed he got up and stood in front of the window sighing, waiting for day to break.
"Come on Lucy!" called Ryker impatiently beside the bathroom door of the room where they were staying.
"Want to be patient! A beautiful girl, like me, takes a long time to get ready", shouted the magician on the other side of the door.
"If you're so pretty, why does it take so long to get dressed!?" replied the wizard.
"Shut up!" yelled the angry blonde.
More time and less patience later, the mage opens the door and triumphantly exits the bathroom, earning an accusing look from her impatient companion.
"Now I'm ready. We can go", she said walking towards the bedroom door.
"Humph! It took so long and it didn't change anything," Ryker tells himself.
They were dressed socially, in blazers, shirts, dress pants and dress shoes. Despite the outfit, it was very comfortable and easy to move. Ryker had an all-black ensemble, minus his tie, which was red. Lucy had a similar set, but more feminine. Her hair was tied up in a bun and her bag with her keys and her whip stuck to her belt. His outfit, unlike his partner, was a bluer shade.
The magicians headed for the mansion where the auction would be held at the agreed time. They had to accompany the escort to the bank and bring the goods safely, as explained by Barret the day before. Upon reaching the site, they split up. Lucy went with the other guards to get the day's artwork from the bank vault, while Ryker stayed in the big house looking around for any suspicious movement. He wanted his presence to be noticed, so he didn't make much of a point of being discreet.
In the bank Lucy was keeping an eye out for any strange movements, both from the staff and from the surroundings. They were expensive and delicate works, many of them old, which would require care when handled.
"Will it take long?", the celestial mage complained.
"Yes ma'am," one of the security guards said. "These pieces are very delicate, we have to do this slowly," he said, giving way to bank employees looking for and taking the objects to the carriage.
"It's just that the longer we stay here, the more subject we are to attacks," replied the mage.
"Well, that's what you're here for," said the bouncer with a serious frown on his face. Lucy can only sigh and hope that this will be over as quickly as possible and that nothing bad will happen.
"Don't mind him", a firm voice said beside the mage, it was another of the security guards. "He's kind of stressed out," he said in a calm voice.
Lucy looked at him, he looked relaxed but focused on his work, always paying attention to everything around him. "I'm fine, do not worry. I just don't want anything to happen."
"Nobody wants to," he said. "But I'm sure you'll finish them all," he smiled.
Lucy smiles at the comment. "I hope I'm strong enough for this," she said.
"Are you kidding!?", the guy said in disbelief. "You are a Fairy Tail mage. You must have fought against Tartaros, won the Great Magic Games and even fought the war against Álvarez. Anything that comes is nothing".
Lucy was flattered and blushed at the compliment. In fact, she faced several challenges and fought against powerful enemies, some slipper foot magic bandits couldn't be a big challenge after all.
"You two want to stop flirting!", the first security guard shouted angrily at the pair.
"What!? We… were not…" Lucy said stuttering and embarrassed.
"We'd better get back to work," the legal bouncer said, patting her arm and smiling. Lucy nodded and went back to focusing on the presence of some threat as they finished tidying things up.
As soon as they finished picking up all the objects and putting them in the carriage, they headed to the house by a different path from the one they had come. It took longer, but it was safer not to use the same route over and over.
When they arrived, Lucy was the first to go downstairs and find Barret and Ryker waiting for them.
"Did you see anything strange?" Ryker asked Lucy directly.
"No, everything is normal. And around here?"
"Nothing too. I walked around the outskirts of the house, the interior and a few blocks around. Everything was normal", he replied, Lucy nodded.
"Excellent. I hope it stays that way," Barret said in a tone of relief, at least for now. "Unload everything carefully and take it to the house safe. With be careful", he told the helpers that they were unloading everything from the carriage.
"Keep watching until the auction's time," Barrett said, turning to the wizards. "And I want at least one of you to stay in the auction room, the other to hang around the place, or keep an eye on the works while they're being transported. Yea?"
"No problem," Ryker said, followed by Lucy.
"Perfect. There's food in the kitchen when you've been hungry. Make yourself comfortable," he said, leaving to take care of other matters, leaving the two wizards alone.
"Want to stay in the room today? I can walk around," the wizard said.
"If you don't mind," Lucy replied.
"I don't care, standing in a room will make me faint from boredom", he said and the blonde laughed. Just his style, she thought.
On the other hand, he looked tired. It was strange, he must have done nothing exhausting during the period they were apart. For a mage it takes a lot of effort to get tired and expend a fair amount of magic. It doesn't seem to have been the case. She wanted to ask, because she was worried, but decided to leave it for another time. She didn't want to get into a random argument right now.
The two entered the house and preparations were being completed, before the guests arrived. As the auction would only take place in the afternoon, they had some time to eat something before the event started.
When guests started arriving it was a relatively tense time, they needed to keep an eye on everyone for strange movements and looks. Ryker told Lucy to look mostly at her eyes and hands, they are great indicators of behavior.
The auction itself that day went smoothly, nothing unusual or strange. All the guests were doing well and getting their pieces and the normal disputes. It was as they imagined. The first and second days would be no problem, the last would be the riskiest. But, they still had to go through the second day before. When the auction ended and the aftermath was done, the magicians were allowed to return to the hotel, but not before stopping by a good restaurant for a good dinner together.
"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Lucy exclaimed, sitting in the restaurant waiting for her meal.
"It was, but tomorrow will be worse and worse next," Ryker complained. His strength was not in the best condition, he wanted to rest.
"We can reverse roles tomorrow. What do you think?", said the blonde to the man in front of her.
"Could be," he said without excitement.
The celestial mage looks at her partner worriedly. "Is everything okay?", she asked.
Ryker was massaging his temple when she asked. "Eh, yes," he said, but sighed. "Actually, I have a bit of a headache."
"Do you want us to go back to the hotel, or do you want something?", Lucy was worried, she had never seen him so downcast as at that moment. As a matter of fact, all day since they got up he's been down. And the magician didn't know what, in fact, was going on.
"Not alright. Let's eat, then go back to the hotel. There I have a painkiller", he said and soothed the blonde, but even so she was apprehensive.
His worry didn't lessen, only deepened when she saw Ryker get dizzy as he got up from the table to leave and lose his balance, needing the help of the celestial mage. On the way back, the mage stumbled a few times, but he didn't fall. What was going on with him?
The wizard didn't want to give any explanation. Upon entering the room he went straight to the bathroom where he took a shower and while Lucy cleaned up he took his meds in even larger doses. He knew it wouldn't be good in the end, but he couldn't care less now.
The next day was similar to the first, the only difference being that the mages switched roles. Ryker went to the bank to get the paintings, and Lucy was surveying the area. As before, nothing unusual was happening and everything was going normally.
However, for Ryker, that day was getting more complicated. He hadn't slept the night before, and he was trying too hard not to let on that he was on the last legs.
The wizard was in the auction room, frame by frame being auctioned off for astronomical values, which made no sense to him. However, he realized that something was not right with him. Always holding on to a corner to keep from falling, every step he took was difficult and to make matters worse flashes from his past were haunting his eyes. He could no longer fulfill his duties, he was not attentive and the other guards were noticing this by giving him strange looks. He needed to get out of there for awhile.
"I'm going to the bathroom", he said in a whisper to the security guard beside him and left. He was walking down the hall holding onto the wall and the window frames.
There were other people walking down the hall looking at him quizzically. His vision was blurred, frightening flashes appeared, as if he had gone back to his past he wanted to forget. A blond-headed figure appeared, running towards him, shouting things he couldn't make out.
"Lucyyy…", his voice trailing off as everything went black.
"Ryker! Ryker!" , a voice in the distance spoke as the mage slowly began to wake up. Lucy was calling to him, patting his face in an attempt to wake him up.
"W... what, what happened?" he asked in a weak voice opening his eyes.
"You passed out," Lucy said, kneeling, supporting him close to the ground with her arm on his back.
"How long?", he asked shaking his head and squinting to clear his thoughts.
"A few seconds", the mage replied helping him to his feet. "What happened to you?"
"I… I don't know". The magician looked around and some security were at his side, they looked at him with suspicion and indignation. Good physical condition was crucial for this job, and by passing out he could tarnish the guild's name and get a bad reputation. Even Lucy realized this, but she was more worried about her mate than anything else.
"How are you ?", the blonde asked worriedly.
"I' m fine. We'd better get back to our posts," he said, but Lucy gave him a stern look, but she ended up nodding. He knew later a serious conversation would come.
Ryker returned to the auction hall and continued his work as best he could. He never waited so long for a day to end. Once the work was done, the wizards were dismissed and were on their way to the exit when they were stopped by Barret.
"Hey! I heard something happened to one of you. What is it?", asked the boss.
The two looked at each other. "Yeah, it was me," Ryker said. "It was just a sudden evil. It's okay now," he said trying to avoid overcomplicating things.
"No, it's not okay!" Barret yelled, his expression showing his irritation. "I hired you because you are physically superior to ordinary people. And with a threat of magical bandits wanting to assault us, you tell me that you had a sudden illness!? If you was sick you shouldn't have accepted the job".
"I understand, but look…", Lucy tried to remedy the situation, but was interrupted by Barret.
"Look, I hope that tomorrow goes well, you know, or no reward! Do your work!", he ordered sternly and turned away leaving the mages without reaction.
Lucy looked at Ryker and saw his defeated and frustrated expression, she knew he didn't want to let anyone down or fail, but he should have said he wasn't in top shape in the first place. Now they had a sticky situation there with the employer and they needed to sort it out by doing a good job.
"Let's go," Ryker said walking away from that place, dejected, Lucy followed behind.
The wizards dined, but this time it was deafening and uncomfortable. The same thing happened on the way back to the hotel. The wizard didn't even bother to say a word, as soon as they entered his room he went straight to the bathroom to take a long shower, followed by Lucy.
The celestial mage, when leaving the bathroom, looked at her companion standing in front of the window looking at nothing. She needed to resolve this situation and decided she wouldn't go easy on that stubborn idiot.
"Ryker! We need to talk," she said deadly serious.
The mage looked over his shoulder at her, turned and walked towards his bed, sitting with his back to the mage. "I know," he said in a sigh.
"Look I don't know what's going on and of course you're not okay. But we need you to be okay tomorrow. So tell me what's up with you so I can help you, and don't give me excuses. Say it at once!", he could feel the harshness in her voice.
Ryker looked at her over his shoulder and sighed again. "I haven't slept in a while."
"And why is that ?"
"You wouldn't understand, it's complicated"
Lucy felt the anger take over her body. What a stubborn, boring guy, he never says anything, how can someone like that be helped? She wanted to explode with him, but held back.
"Look, you have to sleep. You don't want to harm the guild, do you?", she said trying to be calm, but her voice was serious and a little harsh. "We no longer have a good reputation for everything we've destroyed, but we've always done our job and now it won't be different. So sleep!", she ordered.
He knew she was right, if he doesn't sleep he won't be able to do tomorrow's work, the problem was what came in sleep. Something he wasn't willing to go through. But what other alternative would he have.
"Maybe you can go alone tomorrow. You can have all the reward," said the wizard. And he received a strong slap on the head that made him look stunned and look at his companion. She had such an annoyed look on her face, he never thought she could be mad like that.
"We came as a team and we will end up as one. What happened to that 'I'll cover you and you'll cover me' thing. Are you so short that you would abandon a fellow like that? Just like that!?", she spoke with her hands on her hips and a furious look at him. "Why don't you want to sleep after all!?"
Those words hit him hard. He would never leave anyone behind, it was part of his philosophy of life, he was trained that way. But now, weak and scared, he was trying to abandon his partner, someone he'd saved before, and he didn't care. He couldn't do that, he knew, he wouldn't forgive himself. She was right. What was it with the women in that guild?
"I can't, or rather I don't want to sleep," he said in defeat. "But you are right. If I don't sleep I won't be able to be fit, I don't have a choice anymore", he said resigned and melancholy.
Lucy felt sorry for him, realized that something was affecting him and it had to be serious for him to avoid sleeping for so long. But she was relieved that he decided to rest for today. She was tired, stressed and irritated, she didn't want to prolong this stressful conversation. They needed to rest. Then she would see what to do. Deep down she was very worried about her mate, she could see she was suffering.
Ryker lay down on his bed staring at the ceiling. It would be the first time in a long time that he would sleep, Lucy had already fallen asleep in the bed beside her, the cool breeze coming through the window, while a light rain fell outside. It was a good night's sleep, but he was afraid of what the darkness would bring. Gradually he was relaxing and his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, his whole body drifted off to sleep, so he closed his eyes and slept.
Lucy had been sleeping for a long time. A pleasant and refreshing sleep, when she had been awakened by moans. She opened her eyes and took a moment to wake up and see what woke her up. She was hearing sounds of distress coming from the bed next to him. The mage turned and saw Ryker moaning and squirming. It was clearly a nightmare.
The mage got up and went to her companion's bed and tried to wake him by shaking him slightly with her hands, but the mage did not wake up. She tried again, this time more vehemently, but nothing he kept sleeping, she started to worry.
Ryker was moaning and squirming violently, with every passing minute it got worse. He was in a cold sweat, his face contorted with pain, suffering and fear.
The celestial mage got scared, she couldn't allow it to continue anymore, she needed to wake him up. Lucy grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, but the wizard continued his nightmare.
"Ryker! Wake up!", the mage screamed desperately as she shook him, tears began to well up in her eyes. She didn't want to see her friend in that situation.
The magician was still trapped in his nightmares, screaming in terror at what he was dreaming, his body trembling, sweat pouring down his face that contorted in terror and pain. He spun on the bed, shaking and flailing his arms as he screamed in agony.
"NO!", he screamed. "GET OUT OF HERE!" screamed the magician squirming on the bed. Lucy was crying now, doing her best to wake him up.
"Ryker, wake up!", she screamed through sobs and tears. "Ryker! Ryker! RYKER!"
"NO! NO! NO! DON'T GO IN THERE!", screamed the magician in his nightmare.
"WATCH OUT!... YOU DON'T!.. STOP!... PLEASE STOP!", he shouted desperately. As Lucy tried with all her strength to wake him, he flailed his arms erratically as if defending himself from some threat.
"AAAHHHHH!", he screamed in terror and agony. Them he opened his eyes, for a moment Lucy felt relieved. He had woken up, but soon realized that he still hadn't rid himself of the nightmare.
Ryker was too agitated, his eyes showed he was in a state of panic. They were wide open, his face showed fear, the mage was hyperventilating, and Lucy could feel his pulse racing. He was panicked, looking around, scared of everything.
"Ryker! Calm!", Lucy called trying to hold him. "It's me, Lucy!", she said, shedding tears, she was desperate, she didn't know what else to do. "Ryker, look at me," she said trying to get him to look at her.
It was no use, he wasn't in his normal state. He held his head with his hands looking down and sitting on the bed, he cried out in agony. He kept screaming and screaming. Lucy cried with her hands covering her mouth at seeing her friend like this.
Lucy grabbed his head and made him look at her. As soon as the mage looked into her teary eyes she controlled herself and tried to calm her friend down. "Calm. It's okay, it was just a bad dream. It's going to be okay," she said in the calmest voice she could.
" L… Lu…Lucy!? Lucy?" , Ryker tried to say while looking at her. His eyes wide with fear, his body shaking, his heart racing and his breathing out of control. But seeing a familiar face, even full of tears, was a moment of relief.
In a blink of an eye he hugged her tightly, taking her by surprise, but she hugged him back holding him in the same way. Lucy patted his back tenderly. Tears falling from her eyes, she hated to see one of her mates in that state. Was that why he didn't want to sleep? Nightmares that bad? What happened to him? thought the magician.
"Shhhhhh! Shhhhh!", she spoke whispered in an almost maternal way, soothing the mage as she stroked his back. "Calm. Calm down, it's okay. I'm here". He hugged her tighter, feeling that her life and sanity depended on it, tucking his head into Lucy's neck. She held him closer and firmer, stroking his back and head as motherly as she could.
Slowly she felt his breathing return to normal and his pulse return to normal, but he didn't let go, he remained joined to her. The celestial mage felt that he needed that time, letting him hold her, she comforted him stroking his head and back. They didn't need to say anything. After a long time he pushed her away and lay down on her bed again.
"Go back to sleep, you need to rest", Lucy said patting his head and speaking softly. As soon as she got up to go to her own bed she felt her wrist tighten. She looked over and saw a pleading look. She had never seen anyone so fragile, and it really scared her, and she could feel the water pool in her eyes once more.
Despite the blush and the teary eyes, she couldn't leave him in that situation. She lay on his bed while he squished into a fetal position with his back to her. She hugged him protectively and hey spent the rest of the night with her holding him while they slept.