11-13-2016, 10:32 PM
She spun around and sank her teeth into him. He'd expected it, of course. He was a born warrior, after all. But he held there, gladly accepted his punishment for having a taste of her.
It was worth it.
He didn't even try to mask the smirk still plastered to his face. She retorted her sharp barbs at him. He'd grown to expect them, and apparently even to seek them out. Pain was something he knew well, the most familiar thing he could find since washing ashore in Beqanna. She was the only one that would deliver it to him without hesitation. Like a vaccine, she injected the soldier back into him, boosted the man to what he'd been raised to be. This was who he was.
And so when she went all soft in the face again, he only stood there as if waiting for instruction; waiting, watching. But no one commanded him now.
Sparkles of light burned into existence all around her, claiming the air she warmed with her presence. The colors danced, and he stood still in his shock. Confusion and something else, fear for her, warped his senses. It took all his will to stay in place, not to ram her to the side and somehow confront this magic. His mouth was dry, his eyes a little wider. They hadn't harmed her yet, see? No damage, no pain. She was not even aware of them. Don't touch her.
He forced himself to breath, still tensed and ready to leap to her side. She whispered, her voice filled with love and awe. For some reason it hurt, hurt like hell. Perhaps it reminded him of something from the past, he wasn't sure. All he felt was pain and regret as she looked up to meet his eyes. He held her gaze only long enough for her to finish telling him she had felt her baby within her move with life, then his eyes slid to the ground a moment, then away.
Whatever this was, whatever was wrong with him, he needed to get it under control. He was the guardian. This was not the pain he was meant to endure, trained to ignore. He didn't even know where it came from, why it had come now. He wouldn't dare ruin what was clearly one of her happiest moments.
With effort, he formed the warrior's face he had once worn so easily. Emotionless eyes, hard lines and severe brows. Brown gaze finally returned to her. Like a goddess, the world had lit at her pleasure. She was yet another Untouchable. Unreachable. He was meant to protect ones like her, at all costs. The worthy, the precious. She'd hidden herself behind a sharp and clever tongue, but he knew her now.
Congratulations, he said solemnly, bowing his head to her not for the first time. She was a friend to him. A rare thing indeed for the likes of him.
He couldn't make sense of it. Here she stood before him, with love and joy, and he felt like he'd lost his only friend. He smiled easily, despite the perplexing emotions rolling through him without logic.
I guess I understand what you mean now. About the light. He held her gaze. They seemed to do that a lot, meet stare for stare like they still challenged the other to do something out of turn. Things he seemed to do regardless of a challenge or not.
Do you feel anything now? he asked, breaking the eye contact to watch the tightened skin at her sides. Maybe if she felt it again, he'd be able to see the movement too, and share her little moment.