Soaring (BTS KTH FF)

05. Saving Grace pt.1

Patting Mioks back, she looked like she wanted the reassurance, before turning back the Dragon to continue with his job. She barely reacted, eyes glued on the Dragon, not comprehending anything happening around her. Not even how defensive he got when they tried hooking him to wires or how loud one of the nurses screamed when he snapped at her. Had she been paying attention she'd have pointed out that he was being defensive, not trying to gobble her up. As it was, she didn't seem to register anything happening around her despite staring straight at the Dragon.

It wasn't until after gave her another pat on her back she was snapped out of her spiralling thoughts. At the verge of fainting, as she'd been holding her breath the entire time, they'd been busy with him. Hand trembling and breath shaky, she looked at Carter, not seeing the man even though she was staring him right in the eye.

"Try not to dwell too much on it Rider. I know he's not your Dragon, but you bonded with him as if you are..." He trailed off, a frown marring his brows as he studied the haggard-looking girl. He hesitated before wrapping an arm around her, turning her away from the Dragon and the nurses who were packing up the stuff they had used for the experiment, walking her away from them a few paces, stopping facing the wall.

"Maybe..." he started to trail off all over again, a gaze thrown over his shoulder at where the nurses were packing everything. "I know I'm not supposed to ask you of this, but he has too much potential to leave to go to waste. Maybe You might be able to talk to him? I am aware it is a bit of a far stretch, but we can always try, can we not? You are the only person I have seen interact with him without almost getting their head snapped off. I saw the CCTV footage of you actually touching him without being mauled. Try?"

As soon as he was done saying what he had to, he called for the nurses and walked out with no other glance at the girl he had left in shock. The door clicking shut was too loud in the otherwise quiet cell. The Dragon and Rider stared at each other from opposite ends of the cell, neither breaking the silence that descended upon them.

Had she been in the mood to, she would have found the defiance he stared back at her, a challenge, daring her to try and change his mind the way the doctor had asked her to. As it was, she felt too miserable to find the silver lining in this situation.

Instead, she studied him in her silence. Burning the ethereal beauty of the Dragon to her memory. Memorising him in a way that she would always be able to tell him apart, no matter how many dragons she would meet in the future.

It was when she focused, really focused, on his gaze burning her back in an equal fire that she lost her battle with her tears. Turning sharply away from him, facing the wall, she broke down. The sob that had been building since Carter dropped this bomb on her head, finally finding release.

Pressing a hand over her mouth in hopes of stifling the loud sound, she hunched over, body giving up the fight to remain upright. Tears she'd been holding back all this time cascading over down her cheeks in a steady stream. At one point she had curled into herself, forehead touching the floor as she fought to regain control of her emotion only to break down all over again. Mind unable to wrap around the fact that she had barely gotten to know him before he was ripped away from her.

'Why is this happening to me all over again? What did I expect? that I could save anyone just because I'm a Rider now? how laughable.'

"I'm the one who is about to die, why are you the one who's crying?"

"They aren't going to kill you,"

It wasn't until the words were already out of my mouth the low, deep register of the voice clicked. his voice was like warm hot chocolate, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine with the low baritone.