Hero & Villain

Lance | 1325w

When I arrive back at the hotel room I call a hello to Calen, momentarily panic when he doesn't answer, then breathe a sigh of relief when I see he just fell asleep in the bath. I set the clean clothes down on the counter, then crouch beside the tub. First I check the temperature of the water, which is warm but not hot anymore, then lift my hand to brush a stray piece of hair out of Calen's face.

"Hey Baby, you gotta wake up," I murmur, smiling when he unconsciously leans into my hand. "Come on love, the water will get cold," I chuckle, kissing his forehead and brushing my fingers through his wet hair.

He shifts, blinking his eyes open slowly, then smiles when he sees me. "You're back," he murmurs, reaching up to grasp my wrist and pull my hand down to hold his. "Can you he-help me up please?" He asks, looking mildly embarrassed.

I smile and release his hand in favor of slipping it under his arm and around his back. I lift him easily out of the tub, helping him settle against the counter before I turn away and start to peel my dirty clothes off. They feel gritty with ash, and it burns my eyes when I pull my shirt over my head.

My strong Calen is able to dress himself and stumble to the bed, but the way he's rubbing his chest with a pained pout worries me enough that I rush my shower despite how nice the water feels.

As soon as I'm finished showering and getting dressed in clean blue jeans and a black long sleeve, I hurry to check on Calen.

He's sitting against the headboard, looking tired as he watches me exit the bathroom. He doesn't seem very pained anymore, but I'm definitely still taking him to hospital. I lean over and kiss his forehead, then sit next to him on the bed and bend forward to put my socks on.

He moves easily to dangle his feet over the side, but when he leans down to grab his new shoes he almost topples forward before I catch him with an arm across his chest. He frowns, looking dejectedly at his feet as I crouch beside him and help him put his shoes on.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles. "I'm starting t-to feel better..." he trails off, expression going blank in a way that tells me he's in pain again and doesn't want to admit it.

I settled my hands on either side of his legs and raise myself up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Either way, Love, I'm still taking you to see a doctor," I tell him in a soft murmur as I press kisses all across his cheeks.

He nods without protest, waiting for me to put my shoes on before hesitantly standing. He wobbles a little, throwing out a hand to grab my arm and steady himself. "I'm okay, I'm fine," he argues when I move to pick him up. "I can walk, I just n-need a minute."

I smile at his stubbornness, honestly relieved he feels okay enough to argue. I offer him my forearm, and he immediately grasps it with both hands, leaning on me as we walk out of the hotel room. He's holding himself up by the time we get to the elevator, and once we're at ground level walking to the sidewalk he hardly needs me for balance.

I start to hail a taxi, but Calen grabs my hand with a worried expression. "Wait, how... how are we going t-to pay for it? How did you pay for these clothes?"

He looks so genuinely nervous I refrain from laughing. "Don't worry Baby, you don't need to arrest me. I swung by the bank before going shopping, and believe it or not I got money from it without robbing it."

Calen peers up at me, looking comically skeptical. "Hm... if you say so..." I feel mildly offended until I realize he's teasing me, and let out a chuckle.

"You can handcuff me if you want to," I purr, winking as I pull away.

He flushes deeply, but doesn't back down. "Maybe I will."

We eye each other, pretending to scowl until we both break into laughter. At least, until Calen's beautiful laughter is cut off by a gasp, and his hands fly up to press against his heart. I grab his hips loosely, worried he'll fall while he's distracted by the pain. He leans forward against my chest, and I slide an arm around his waist while I flag down a taxi.

I help him into the backseat, ordering the driver to go to the hospital before moving Calen's hands from his chest. I meet his eyes while I flatten my hand over his heart, willing my hand to heat up while keeping my flames at bay.

He sighs, his whole body seeming to relax as he closes his eyes. "Thank you," he whispers, reaching up to rest a hand on top of mine. "You know, I can't seem to take very good care of my heart, I think I'll just give it to you," he opens his eyes and meets my gaze. "Promise you'll take good care of it?"

I can't help the grin that overtakes my face. "I'll take the best care of it Darling, I promise. In fact, I can't just leave you without a heart so how about you take mine, hm? Then we'll both have incentive to be careful."

Calen grins back, releasing my hand in favor of grabbing my neck and pulling me into a long kiss.

***

Two hours of worrying and waiting at the hospital, just to find out the pains aren't in my Calen's heart, they're in his head. Phantom pains, the doctor called them. It's hard to believe the pains aren't a medical issue, as I watch Calen beside me rubbing his chest with a pained pout. I tug his closer to me, angling myself toward him as I once again rest a hand over a heart.

The doctor explained it well, her gaze sympathetic. "It's like soldiers who lose a limb in battle, they can still feel it like it's there, it still pains them. Especially if the event is traumatic. The pains could last a week, they could last years, or they may never go away. I'm sorry," she told Calen, who looked conflicted about whether to be relieved or upset.

He walked himself out of the hospital just fine, but once we were outside we didn't know where to go. Neither of us really wanted to go back to the hotel, which is why we ended up where we are, debating our next move.

He leans his head on my shoulder, staring across the street from our place on the surprisingly comfortable public bench. "What do you want to do, Baby?" I ask, wishing I could cheer him up somehow.

Hearing the pains might not go away was a hard blow, especially when he started wondering if they would show up while he was Falcon. After all, the feeling of a knife going through your chest is pretty distracting in a fight.

He tilts his head to look at me, shrugging. "I don't know... I'm just tired."

I nod, settling back against the bench. "I know Love, me too. How about we go home?"

"Yeah," he whispers in agreement. "Let's go home."

We manage to find a taxi driver who's willing to take us back to our city, especially after I pay them half the fee upfront.

Calen falls asleep after no more than ten minutes, after whispering a faint "I love you."

I try to stay awake and alert, but despite my efforts I follow him into sleep not long after, my unnaturally warm hand protecting his heart from pain.

Just like I intend to do for the rest of my life.