Requested by FantasyShades. Thank you for requesting!
Genre : Angst to Fluff.
Summary : Refusing to allow you into a mission after an injury, Nozel carelessly delivers words he would later regret.
Word count : 2011.
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"You cannot be serious!" You exclaimed in a fit of rage and disbelief.
"I'm not withdrawing my decision. You are staying behind from this particular mission." Nozel announced without as much as looking at you.
"My injury is not as serious as it had been. I can manage not to hold off the others during the mission." You defended. A quest prior to this, you had fallen victim to some burglars' spells, and had gotten yourself gravely hurt.
It was reckless from your part to let your guard down under the assumption that your opponents were mere burglars. Little had you known, they were no ordinary thieves, for they had set traps and resorted to unfair fighting methods.
The mission, as a result, had ended in failure. However, it did not matter to Nozel as he had barely managed to keep hegemony over his emotions and ire that promised eternal flames for those who had dared to inflected pain upon you. But mainly, it was the extreme concern to your well-being that consumed his mind.
Thus why he stayed deathly silent as he watched healers rush you towards an operation room to begin an urgent surgery; a last resort to save your fading life.
"You do realize my decision is finalised." Nozel sternly replied; he refused to make the mistake of looking into your eyes, for the plea and despair he'd find would instantly soften his grip; thus allowing you to join despite your incomplete recovery.
On the other hand, you did acknowledge that once Nozel had set his mind over a decision, it became an impossible hope to talk him out of it.
Still, you rejected the position to remain a useless asset to the team, especially in dire need for strategists.
"At least allow me to engage in scheme preparations. As one of your prime advisors, I should be granted access to aid in planning!" You tried to reason, but you did not fail to notice Nozel's jaw clench tightly.
"I can help you spot any inconsistencies in the established plan. You do fully acknowledge my skills as a strategist. You even compared my abilities to an eagle's ominous gaze: 'The Silver Eagle's Sharpest Eyes,' that's how you labelled me." You spoke in one breath, which was why you stopped to grant your lungs a few, brief breaths much to your mind's protest.
Fortunately, you could detect signs of softness in the captain's well-practiced stoic face; therefore, you decided to switch the tone for a better effect.
"Please, Nozel." You adressed him as your lover as you tried your best not to limp a few steps towards him, your hands reaching to his.
You ignored the chills of prolonged ache that shot over your muscles and the throb that continued to weigh your previously sprained ankle.
In your hardest wishes, you hoped Nozel didn't pick on any of the symptoms that would expose your lingering fatigue. Yet, much to your ignorance, the captain was able to observe much more than you had initially believed was evident.
The shaking of your body as it attempted its hardest to stand in its former pride and glory; the slight wobble of your legs as they carried your weight through careful and sure steps towards his spot; the trembling of your hands that you tried to hide through squeezing his.
None of these signs escaped his all-knowing eyes. Why were you even out of bed in such miserable condition?
Nozel's gaze hardened as the question crossed his mind. He knew you were too hot-headed to give up on anything you had set your mind on. Hence, Nozel concluded that as much as words were never convincing with you, he would have to be brutally blunt in his lies.
He, then, averted his eyes to the side as he spoke the words he would later regret.
"Why should I put my trust on someone who fell easily to a burglar's trap? Even my lowest magic knights can avoid such farce."
You harshly pulled your hands from his, for you had to physically restrain a gasp of offense and hurt at the insult you had just received from your captain and lover.
A burning moisture climbed rapidly to your eyes and glossed over your vision; yet, you grinded your molars together in a desperate attempt to hold back the threatening tears.
Through constricted throat and clenched jaw, you managed to spit out, "Very well. My apologies for being a havoc, Captain."
Without the tiniest chance for an unlikely redemption, you thundered outside the office of the stunned captain without as much as glancing back.
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You stroll through the corridors in a fit of loss and anger; unaware of your surroundings in your erratic path. A few beats of huffs and sniffles elapsed before you drew into a halt.
What am I doing? You thought to yourself, which resulted in a wave of disappointment to wash over your senses. Realizing the pathetic state you had allowed yourself to dive into, you quickly and roughly rubbed your eyes to deter and wipe any more tears from cascading.
You decided, then, that in lieu of dwelling in Nozel's indelible words, you would reside in the library and lose yourself in your book's fantasy world.
However, such task had proven difficult to accomplish; thus why you had set your book down in order to fixate your gaze on the view beyond the vaste window.
In the great shambles in which your mind had found itself lost, you welcomed sleep as your final ray of hope that maybe... just maybe, everything would've resolved itself when you reopened your eyes.
Time became a foreign concept to your mind once you had re-emerged to reality from a restless slumber.
In a state of drowsiness, your mind questioned the reason why you had ended up napping in the library; yet, it took only a matter of minutes before what had happened a few hours before came flashing in front of your mind's eye.
Feeling a familiar weight drop in your guts, you could not win the battle with your mind to pretend that Nozel's words did not scar.
Why did he speak such hideous utterances?
You could not fathom the reason, even though you were not sure there was one. Was he showing how he truly felt about you? Was the end to this relationship drawing nearer than your realization?
Sensing bullets of moisture attack your eyes once more, you did not resist them. In fact, tears freely cascaded down your cheeks and you did nothing to eliminate any trace of their existence.
In contrary, you buried your face in your palms and wept- wept for the loss and helplessness that had already begun overwhelming you; wept for a future you wholeheartedly hoped for, yet deemed impossible to occur.
Lost in sobs and hysterical cries, you failed to pick up on the sound of the library's door opening and closing with a click.
It was only when a palm grazed your head that you froze in place, shock and embarrassment enveloping you.
Thankfully, from your mana sensing abilities, you instantaneously recognized the holder of the newly found power, which immediately alerted your self-awareness even further.
'Good gracious.' You exclaimed in your mind as you refused to emerge your face from what had turned into its hiding place. In the awkward silence, you could still feel the mighty captain stroking your hair steadily.
You realized that the silence was only a mere pause for Nozel to chose his words carefully; in contrast to what he had previously done.
So, you summoned the patience of a saint to hear his explanation.
"Shh... it's a library." Not in a million years had you thought that after five minutes of awkward silence, Nozel would crack it with a joke.
Thus why you shot your head up to gaze at him through wide-open eyes and agaped lips. On the other hand, the captain's stoic face was as permanent as you had known it to be, except for a slight downsided frown on his eyebrows and lips.
The complete opposite face for such a comedic relief statement.
You scoffed a laughter and began erasing your tears as you said, "I never took you as capable of comedy, Captain." Despite your fiercest fight to keep the smile on your face at bay, it easily won its journey to the corner of your lips.
At the sight of such smile, no matter small, Nozel silently sighed through his nostrils as he realized he was on the right track for an undeserved forgiveness.
"If it would make you smile again, I would gladly do it." He admitted quietly, his eyes firmly fixated to the side. His words, once again, took you by surprise, but the most mesmerising feature that rendered you speechless was the barely noticeable pink that creeped on the captain's pale cheeks.
As much as you wished to enjoy the warmth of the moment, his previously proclaimed words hoovered over your mind and plagued it like venom. The momery left a bitter taste in your tongue as you averted your eyes from his in an attempt of apparent nonchalance.
Nozel, consequently, brought his stare back on you and immediately understood that the damage he had inflected was yet to be fixed.
The captain, then, straightened his posture before speaking, "I do realize that my words earlier have left undesirable consequences. I shouldn't have spoken so carelessly." He attempted an apology.
However, to your ears it sounded more of a script from a noble's speech, which did not set right with your desires for a genuine apology.
Sensing your lingering nonchalance, further confirmed by the deep frown that knotted your eyebrows, Nozel gave out a sigh of resignation and knelt in front of your seat. He opened his fists for your hands, an invitation and request.
Glancing back and forth between his eyes and palms, you decided to trust your remaining ray of hope and placed your hands in his, which were, as a result, tightly wrapped in a secure grip.
The mighty captain, next, worked on relaxing his features as he strived to expend your comfort.
"My dearest," he stroked your skin with his thumb, "my words were needlessly harsh and inconsiderate, and for that I know that what I ask from you is undeserved on my part, but do you find enough in your heart to forgive me?" He squeezed your hands.
Through your blank gaze, you contemplated his apology. From how his eyes glinted with a visible sparkle of hope and a shadow of genuine remorse, you already knew in the depth of your heart that you had forgiven the kneeling man before you.
"I forgive you. But I wouldn't be as lenient if it occurs again." You strictly warned, and Nozel knew better than to dismiss such reminder.
A final sigh of relief escaped through his nose as a smile of gratitude glowed his face. He tugged on your hands in a request to bring you to his arms, which you accepted irresistibly.
Once the feeling of your figure secured in his arms, Nozel tightened his embrace and planted his lips on your head; an expression of thanks his pride did not allow him to utter.
You lifted your head up to lock your eyes on his, and for the first time in the long day, a warm, genuine smile stretched both of your faces; one that relaxed your eyes, cheeks, and mouths. As quick as a flying bird, Nozel stole a chaste kiss from your lips.
At your look of surprise, he smirked smugly and proudly; yet, a sudden tickle of excitement burned through you, and the smirk that pulled the corner of your lips upwards surprised Nozel.
You shook your head while smacking your lips, "Very shameful of you, Captain. This is a library for heaven's sake!" You exaggerated your lip-smacking in a denouncing manner. Nozel's face, on the other hand, exploded into flames as he realized that his joke had just backfired on him.
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