Embers of Sun and Flame (Fuegoleon Vermillion x OC)

Chapter 15 Dreams

She burst through his door, her mana fluttering around her, ready to fight whatever had caused him to yell out in such agony. But what she saw, surprised her, making her brows furrow slightly as she glanced around the room hastily.

Her eyes found nothing else in the room. Nor did she feal unfamiliar mana; there was only Fuegoleon.

He sat on his bed, with his head hanging low, as his hand was placed where his right arm should've been, and his skin glistened as sweat dripped down. His gaze shot to hers, eyes full of terror.

Their gazes lingered for a brief second before she let hers wander around the room, still wanting to make sure there was no one else in the room. Her mana calmed down, her fury and terror dispersing, leaving only worry behind. She gazed back to Fuegoleon, taking a few steps closer.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, worry like honey coating her lips.

"I-," he paused and cleared his throat, unable to look at her and instead buried his face into his hand. "Yes...You just... got to sleep. I'm alright." His voice was weak and shaky, unlike anything she had heard before, and it tore through her chest and carved out her heart.

"Sir...?" She uttered as her hand reached towards him by instinct, but all he did was lower his hand and swallow, while turning his head to her.

But his eyes didn't lift from the sheets as he tried to catch his breath, chest heaving and an occasional shiver running down his body. His lips parted as he searched for words, but nothing came out. He buried his face into his hand once more, and she couldn't, for the life of her, bring herself to leave the room. So, she backed just enough to close the door before hurrying to him.

His head barely lifted, but she saw him glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

"I really am fine," he tried, but there was nothing convincing in his tone. He shook like an autumn leaf, still grasping onto the tree from which it hung before being blown off by the wind.

"I'm sorry Sir, but you're not being very convincing," she whispered as she sat on the edge of the bed.

His body was hunched, but slowly it straightened as he tried to get a hold of himself, his hand lowering down onto the sheets with a clenched fist. His heavy breathing pierced through the silence. Seeing him like that... it felt like someone was trying to carve out the fragments of her heart, the ones that still laid in her chest, and grab her by the neck so that she struggled to breath.

"Sir...?" she cooed without realizing it, and took a hold of his hand before she was able to stop herself. Her eyes searched for his, ready to meet his gaze whenever he'd allow for it.

His eyes travelled with her hand, following the gentle hold she had of him. Her skin felt like the soft caresses of morning's light cascading onto the floor, her thumb massaging circles onto the back of his hand. And though her hold was careful, as if she was asking if she could, he didn't want her to let go. He wanted to grasp onto her hand and pull her closer, but he couldn't. I can't. She... She's not mine to hold... He clenched his jaw as he couldn't either bring himself to retract his hand from hers, nor ask her to stay, and yet his eyes travelled up her form until they met hers. His sheer force of will being the only thing that kept his emotions from rolling down his cheeks, for the sincere worry that was reflected from her divine green eyes, from which specks gilded hope glittered, bright as rays of dawn after a pitch-black night; those eyes looked at him with all the blessings of heaven itself.