To Love A Villain

Matching scars

He smiled gently, making my heart race for a moment, "You can heal your limp with it."

My eyes went wide at his words and the world almost seemed to stop around me.

"I, what?" He stood up, pulled the other chair closer and sat down, "Hael!" I looked at him wide-eyed, "Really?"

He took my hand in his, "Yes," And right after, I felt my body filling up. He had started to transfer his mana into me!! Hael didn't say much,after a minute of giving me his energy he looked at me, "You can start now." He gave me a soft look, "You already know what to do." With his free hand, he pointed at the side of his head with his index finger, "Focus, imagine it in your mind."

I gave him a nod, and looked down at my foot. My heartbeat had gotten slightly louder but I still couldn't believe that my limp could be healed.

There was still doubt in my mind.

What if Hael was just fooling around? I've had this thing with me for three years.

I gulped in fear. After all, the news was so sudden, so unexpected and something I couldn't imagine coming true. Of course, I always thought about my healed self but having it as reality is different. That's why my mind was full of doubts.

What if he's not lying but simply wrong?

I brought my hand towards my chest, putting it in a praying position. It felt incomplete with just one hand but Hael told me before that I didn't necessarily need the praying position, especially not if I'm not purifying miasma.

"Heal" I whispered as my hand trembled. I pointed my palm towards my foot and my heartbeat grew louder. The light surged out of my palm and surrounded my foot

My chest reverberated in anticipation and I didn't realize it but I clasped Hael's hand tightly. He let me squeeze the life out of hand without a word.

I watched intensely as the light faded away, my eyes stuck to my foot.

I gulped

Slowly moving it, nothing much felt out of the ordinary so I stood up, letting go of Hael's hand. Balling my fists I jumped

It surprised Hael but he didn't say anything and let me celebrate.

I landed on the ground and then stood still. My eyes were wide, my heart seemed slow but each beat was wild. I slowly turned to Hael by rotating in my place.

"It doesn't hurt," I whispered. Disbelief and joy washed over me in equal measure, "It doesn't hurt!!" I jumped again and Hael stood up.

I let out a squeal, "My God!" I kept jumping around while Hael simply smiled at me, "It actually healed!!!" Unable to contain my happiness, I turned to Hael, a wide grin spreading across my face as I moved to wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace, "OH, Hael! Thank you!!!" I held him tightly without thinking of anything else.

But as our bodies pressed together, With a slow, deliberate motion, he reached out, his hand touching my back, sliding towards the middle and slowly coming to rest lightly against the small of my back.

!!!

The touch sent a jolt of electricity coursing through me, igniting a fire that blazed with an intensity I couldn't ignore. I felt myself leaning into his touch, drawn inexorably closer as if by some magnetic force. His arms encircled me, pulling me flush against his chest, and the heat of his body seared through me,

My breath hitched, a sudden wave of realization crashed over me, washing away the euphoria in an instant.

With a sharp intake of breath, I pulled away from Hael, my heart pounding with a mixture of guilt and confusion.

What am I doing?!!! Why the hell did I do that?!? Have I lost my mind?!?!?

"Sorry," I looked away shyly

"..." But he didn't reply.

I turned to look at him again, he was looking at his hands that lingered in mid-air, "Hael?" I called his name and he looked at me. That's when I caught a glimpse of something when his locks, covering the side of his head moved.

His scar! The one he got in front of me, it was still there.

Wait,

I can heal that too, right? If I can heal this limp, this means it can heal scars!

"I'll heal your scar for you " I moved my fingers towards the scar he has on the side of his head, hidden by his bangs. But just as I moved closed to it he moved away

Slapping his hand on his head to hide the scar he said, "I'll keep that." And I noticed a scared look in his eyes which confused me. It was only there for a second though. Did I see wrong?

"Why?" I was confused, but something else crossed my mind then and I chose to ask. Hael had his magic when he worked in the Cory mansion too, right? "You could have used magic to heal your scar." I reached out to his forehead but he flinched, "I won't do anything," I assured him and only after that he stood still.

Weird

Why is he attached to this scar? I traced the scar on the side of his forehead, "Why didn't you?"

He looked back at me with a soft sad smile, as if I had asked something I already know the answer to

"We won't be matching anymore." He brought his finger up to my head, *Would we?" And with a soft touch, he traced the scar on my forehead, the one I had hidden behind my bangs, "I want us to keep matching."

!!!

My heart skipped a beat

I said it last time too, it's not something to be happy about. They're matching scars, not matching shirts or bracelets. Yet, my heart seemed to melt a little at his words.

I guess, I won't be healing mine either.

And it was as soon as I said those words that a harsh realization struck me.

***

>> Hael (After Amber squeezed his hand while healing her limp)

I stared at my hand. It was red and it actually hurt a bit. What was going through her mind that she was able to conjure this much strength?

Wow

I have no idea where she conjured that much power from...

I looked at her, she was jumping with a bright expression on her face. I brought my hand down.

Oh well,

As long as she's happy.