Heronstairs: A Fluff Collection

A Battle Gone Wrong

A/N: Dedicated to @GretaFreiburger for the idea! Thanks! Also, sorry it took so long!

Will's vision exploded in a burst of color and pain. A metallic flash flew by his ear as Jem threw his dagger directly into the demon's chest.

Will staggered and fell to the floor. His vision was blurring as he saw Jem kneel in front of him.

"Will, look at me. Look at me. We have to get you back home, okay? I'll help you stand up. Come here," he murmured soothingly, wrapping his arms around Will's shoulders.

Will nodded, vision dancing. "What happened?" His voice sounded off, even to his own ears.

"Demon hit you in the head with its tail... and cut you with the spike. You're bleeding fairly badly, but it should heal up alright if we get you home," Jem said worriedly, peering at him.

"I'm fine, James, you needn't fuss so much," Will said, hearing his own voice slur a little.

Jem opened his mouth to reply, but Will did not hear his words. All he could see was the demon about to attack his parabatai... who was so busy worrying about Will he was not looking behind him.

"Jem, look out!" Will cried, tackling him just as the demon pounced. They hit the floor with a loud thump, and Will heard Jem mutter what sounded suspiciously like a swear under his breath as his head slammed against the floor painfully.

He didn't have time to worry before the demon hissed an unintelligible string of curses and sprung forward once more. Will threw himself over Jem, shielding him as best he could with his own body.

The weight of demon on his back was the first thing Will could feel, and he was only aware of the panic in his heart that the thing might get to Jem, might hurt his Jem.

Then came the pain. The searing, incredible pain as the demon tore at his back and torso with its claws, hissing and screeching. A scream tore through the air loudly and it was all too much, too much with the pain, the weight, the panic, the scream tearing from his own throat.

"Will, you idiot, move for God's sake," Jem said, struggling to move to protect Will. There was a fear in his voice Will had never heard there before, not even at the darkest days of Jem's illness.

It was a fear for Will.

Will could form no response to this, could barely process the demand, but he shifted enough so Jem's throwing arm was freed. He yanked a dagger from his belt, but the demon saw his movement and sliced a claw at him, knocking the dagger from his hands. With a quiet string of Mandarin curses, Jem dove after it.

The demon lunged after him, teeth bared and ready to attack as Jem scrambled to his feet, weaponless, backing away as the creature advanced.

'Protect him. Protect Jem. Don't let him get hurt,' Will thought fiercely to himself as his hand closed slowly around the hilt of his seraph blade. 'Don't let anything hurt him.' The thoughts were the only thing propelling him to keep moving because everything hurt. He just wanted it to go away.

Ignoring the violent protests of his wounds, Will shoved himself to a standing position and named the blade under his breath.

"Jem!" he cried out, voice a pained slur, "Get down!"

Jem looked at him and hit the floor without a second's pause. Will whipped his arm toward the demon, and the blade sailed home, sinking into the demon's chest. The beast exploded in a shower of stinking ichor, and Will felt satisfaction pulse through his chest.

Then the room spun as the floor rushed up to meet him. The world went black.

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