Once Bitten

Hourglass Of Regret (11)

It didn't take long for Bai He to fall asleep, her body exhausted and worn out but MK couldn't get himself to relax or sleep, his mind whirling with worries and thoughts that kept him wide awake, unable to move since Bai He was using him as a pillow. 

Quieter outside the city MK listened to the sounds that he could hear, the fires still brewing in the distance, the far-off fire alarms, and the distant wailings of horror. He used to sit like this sometimes in the early morning on days when he didn't sleep at all, listening to the birds wake up and feeling utterly exhausted. Only now the one sound he couldn't hear was the sound of birds.

He stayed sat still, holding onto Bai He and feeling guiltier than he ever had in his whole life, a sick, twisted feeling knotting at the bottom of his stomach that made him want to crawl in a hole and hide away from it.

When the sun came up the next day, after what felt like an eternity, MK winced, shifting his head so the light wasn't directly in his eyes as he sighed, Bai He boneless beneath him. It was only a few hours later when Bai He started shuddering in her sleep that he moved, concern swelling inside him as he stared down at her trembling form, her eyebrows scrunched up in distress and her hands clenched.

"Bai He?" He called out in a whisper, his voice dry and cracking from dehydration that made him suddenly realize he hadn't drunk anything all day. The mental reminder just made his throat hurt worse though. 

She whimpered again in her sleep, almost thrashing now as concern built into worry and MK shook her a little, trying to be gentle but also trying to wake her up. 

"It's just a bad dream, kiddo. It's okay. I've got you, you're safe." He muttered out loud, knowing guiltily that even if she heard him she might not believe him, not when he'd proven that she wasn't actually safe with him. He let her get hurt after all.   

Luckily he didn't have to try any harder to wake her up because in the next moment, her eyes snapped open with a cut-off scream, her mouth open and wide as she gasped for air and all MK could do was hold her and repeat empty reassurances as she slowly caught her breath. When she finally did calm down, it was only to immediately burst into tears, Once again sobbing as MK pulled her into a hug, letting her cry endless tears as he rocked her back and forth, hating how awful she must be feeling and hating how he couldn't do anything to help. He was useless. 

"Feeling any better?" He asked softly once she calmed down and Bai He shook her head into his chest, still crying which MK could tell because he could feel his shirt getting more and more wet with every second and he thought suddenly that she must be so dehydrated with all the tears she'd shed. 

"Have some water." He offered as he grabbed his bottle, holding it up to her as she tilted her head and slowly grabbed it from him, taking a few, small sips before greedily chugging the rest as though she'd only realized how thirsty she was once she'd gotten a taste of the water first. 

"Sorry." She muttered miserably as she handed him back the empty bottle and MK pet her head a few times to comfort her, keeping his voice soft and kind. 

"It's okay." But it wasn't okay, nothing was okay. 

Eventually, she shuffled out of his hug although it was almost an hour later and MK heard her stomach growl loudly, making him wince and scold himself. How stupid could he be to forget that she hadn't eaten yesterday?  She must be starving. 

"Do you want breakfast? I've got chocolate bars or anything you'd like." All she had to do was ask and he'd do whatever he could just to make a smile appear on her face but she simply shook her head quietly, looking ill at the thought of food.