Hey all, I know I haven't posted in ages, but I hope you enjoy this little fic!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Violet and Xaden were still getting used to the idea of being separated, and having little to no contact given the distance. So it was understandable when their mated dragons started becoming more snippy, agitated, and all around surly. What wasn't planned for, was how it would affect their riders.
Imogen had stayed behind at the behest of Xaden, since Violet needed to be protected, and since Xaden himself couldn't be there to do it.
Violet had pulled Garrick aside before they left on mission, before basically begging to keep a really close watch on Xaden in her stead.
It had been six days with no contact, not even through their dragons. Vi had already started noticing differences in herself, not just in Tairn, as the days stretched longer and longer. She had noticed on day four, this overwhelming sensation of anxiousness bubbling under her skin. By day five, she was even more irritable than when Aunt Flo visited, and that was saying something. As the anxiety and irritability waged war on her nerves and mannerisms, she stopped being able to sleep, worrying about if Xaden had similar symptoms or worse, and if they were preventing him from doing his responsibilities.
It was on day six that Imogen caught on that something was really off with the woman she was supposed to be protecting, though she hadn't anticipated needing to protect Vi from herself. "Vi? What's going on with you? You're being sloppy, have fallen more times than normal, and are being unusually bitchy. What is your deal?" she demanded, looking down at the cadet on the mat for the umpteenth time, this particular training session.
Vi glared at her. "Why do you care?! Because Xaden told you too." she snarled, shoving the other woman's offered hand of help away. She gingerly got to her feet, hissing as all her muscles and joints screamed in pain.
Imogen straightened up, putting her hands on her hips. "No, Violet. I am hounding you because Xaden told me to, I am caring about you, because I am starting to trust you." she said in a firm tone that somehow penetrated the fog swirling in Vi's head.
"I'm sorry, I am really out of sorts, and just feel off." Vi admitted before she could realize she had even opened her mouth.
"How long has it been?" Imogen asked, knowing full well that what she was seeing was separation sickness, as she had researched it after Xaden tasked her with protecting his dragon's mate's rider.
Vi frowned, not quite grasping what she meant, until it dawned on her. "Oh... um... six days, I think." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If I feel this off, does that mean Xaden does too?" she asked, keeping her voice as low as possible, as she looked at Imogen in concern.
Imogen nodded. "Chances are, you have it easy. According to what little the scribes have, separation sickness always affects the one who is stronger. So since Xaden and his dragon are technically the stronger of your bond, he is going to be the most miserable. But as his symptoms progress, you will feel more and more off... not sick like him, but definitely not well." she explained from memory, as her own thoughts drifted to their fearless leader, wondering how he was fairing in all of this.
******
Garrick snuck yet another glance in Xaden's direction, knowing that something weird was going on, because the man was quieter than normal.
"What, Garrick?!" Xaden demanded, earning an embarrassed and confused look from his closest friend, who seemed to have forgotten his power or something. "That is the eighth time in an hour you have tried to be sneaky and look at me, like you are looking for something. So spit it out..." he ground out, grateful that he was seated on an alcove bench in his quarters... well their quarters, because for some gosh dang reason Garrick wouldn't leave his side. It was almost annoyingly clingy.
Garrick cleared his throat, looking away as he tried to think of anything but the truth, when an alarm blared signaling another attack was happening along the border.
They jumped to their feet, as Xaden swayed for a moment, then recovered and they raced off together to jump to the offense.
It was a long and messy battle, leaving both men bloody and shaky afterward, but thankfully alive and well.
They were flying back to the base camp, when Garrick could have sworn he heard Xaden groan, so he flew up closer to check on him. As he got closer, he was startled as his best friend leaned over the side of his dragon and started gagging like his life depended on it.
******
Vi stumbled in the hall, grateful that Imogen grabbed her arm to steady her. "Something is wrong with Xaden." she gasped under her breath, as Imogen helped lower her to the ground.
Imogen squatted in front of the rider cadet in concern, glad her frame obstructed most of outsiders' views of Vi's pale and shaky form. "What do you mean? What happened?" she asked, hoping that the man was okay.
Vi frowned, trying to figure out how to answer that question. "It's just a feeling, like a spike of adrenaline, then a crash of energy, and now a major spinning sensation... something big spiked his adrenaline, stopped coupled with random bursts of almost pain, and now an insane vertigo feeling." she explained, straining with Tairn's help to comprehend what she was feeling through her and Xaden's dragons' bond.
"Can you tell if he is hurt?" Imogen asked, knowing from her research that depending on how close everyone was in the mate bond, they might be able to feel each other's pain.
Vi shook her head no, too out of it to form any kind of coherent thought or sentence.
Imogen scooped Vi up, carrying her to her room, not wanting anyone watching her struggle.
******
Garrick helped guide Xaden's dragon to the ground, jumping off his own dragon in time to catch Xaden as he fell from Sygael. "Whoa! Careful, are you okay?" he asked in an anxious voice, realizing they were too far away from the Bastille and no one here wanted to help two rebels.
Xaden collapsed to the ground, gasping from the relentless gagging that had been plaguing his system since the fight ended. "N....no," he croaked, his stomach still churning aggressively from the sudden spike and drop of his adrenaline.
"You don't normally get sick... like ever." Garrick said, supporting his friend as he lowered him to the ground, relieved as their dragons huddled around them to block anyone from possibly seeing Xaden's struggle or discomfort.
Xaden curled into the fetal position, fighting the sudden urge to lose consciousness, when he felt Sygael trying to talk to him. Hmm? He thought to her, even his voice in his head sounded weak and worn down.
It's the mate bond... Tairn and I have been separated too long... Violet is not feeling the greatest either. She can feel your distress... try to calm your breathing, it may help the na.... Sygael said to him, cutoff by him starting to gag, deep in his throat.
Garrick moved closer to his comrade, helping him uncurl in slow movements, before having to jump back a bit, as watery vomit coated the cement beneath Xaden's head. "Sygael! Do something." he begged, looking at Xaden's dragon with a look that begged and demanded her help.
Sygael growled deep in her throat, a single thought from her head, going to Garrick's dragon's head, before reverberating into the demanding rider's head. HE NEEDS TO GET BACK TO VIOLET NOW!!!
Garrick jumped at the sudden forcefulness of the thought in his head, looking at his dragon in confusion, until his dragon nodded towards Sygael. "Got it, can you handle him riding on your back, when every movement makes him want to upchuck like his life depends on it?" he asked her, knowing that vomit wasn't something dragons particularly enjoyed being around.
Sygael growled again, flexing her wings to show she accepted Garrick's challenge.
He laughed, holding his hands up in defeat, before turning his attention back to his now shivering best friend. "Let's get you back to the school." he said, helping Xaden to his feet, and wincing in sympathy as his friend doubled over and gagged a few times before sagging against him.
"No, we need to complete our mission." Xaden rasped, looking too pale for comfort.
"We can discuss that later, right now, Violet... I mean, your Violence needs you." Garrick said, switching tactics, in the hope that Xaden would fall for his minor white lie, since he didn't know if Violet was struggling at all or not.
Xaden set his jaw, as his face took on a gray/green sheen, as a soft growl of frustration emanated from his throat. "Let's go," he said firmly, trying hard to ignore as his stomach lurched to his throat. Try as he might, taking a couple of steps towards his dragon was enough to send his stomach out of control. He retched painfully, bringing up only air and bile, which seemed to hurt even more than trying to throw up nothing.
If he throws up blood, Violet will be in agony. Warned Sygael in Garrick's head, less forceful this time, but nowhere near less urgent.
Garrick looked at Xaden in a bit of a panic. "Come on, dude, we gotta go before you try to throw up your organs too." he said, his anxiety loud in his tone.
Xaden nodded, looking worn out and about to pass out. With Garrick's help, Xaden climbed onboard, moving so clumsily and uncoordinated it would have been comical if Garrick was so worried about his best friend. Once the squad leader was situated, Garrick started to climb aboard his own dragon, until he saw Xaden was starting to sway dangerously close to falling off Sygael.
"Can I ride with Xaden?" Garrick asked Sygael, knowing that he needed permission to even touch another rider's dragon.
Sygael seemed to consider for a moment, before lowering her head in consent, knowing full well that if the young man didn't help her rider, he would lose consciousness any moment and fall from her, risking serious injury.
Garrick held his breath as he climbed onto the majestic back of Sygael, being careful to slide into place behind Xaden and secured him into place with his arms. "I got you, we're going home to Violence." he reassured, when the rider tried to resist his assistance. He smiled as Xaden relaxed and leaned against his dragon's neck, closing his eyes and drifting off almost right away.
Sygael and Chradh launched into the air, immediately heading towards the school, knowing it would be a long flight but it needed to be done as quickly as possible. They flew for hours, trying to keep the flight calmer and less bumpy, avoiding as much turbulence as possible to avoid anything waking Xaden.
About an hour or two from home, Xaden wakes in shock, lurching to his left so hard and fast, Garrick almost lost his grip on Sygael. He retched and retched, trying to bring up anything in his tumultuous stomach even if it was located in his toes. After what felt like ages of struggling to throw up and only bringing up bile, a mass amount of liquid rushed up his throat, spraying the air behind them in bright red.
"Sygael! It's blood! Hurry!" Garrick yelled, as Xaden brought up another amount of blood, before quieting and laying against his dragon again, losing consciousness again.
******
Imogen was sitting beside Violet, who had only just dozed off after hours of fighting to stay awake, even in a less than lucid state. She knew it was her responsibility to watch over her squad leader's girlfriend, lover, mate, she didn't know what Violet was to Xaden, but if he says to do something, then no questions asked.
She was just getting comfortable herself, not knowing how long Violet would sleep. She nodded off too, after what felt like ages of staring at the empty walls. They both slept for a few hours, before being suddenly awoken by Violet screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Whoa! Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me," Imogen said in a rush, jumping to her feet and moving to the other rider's side in barely a moment.
Violet whimpered, curling into the fetal position, as she sobbed almost uncontrollably. "Something is wrong... It hurts so much," she gasped out, in the middle of her frantic mumblings.
Imogen frowned, wondering what she was talking about and why it had her in such a tizzy. "What are you talking about?" she asked in complete confusion.
Violet closed her eyes as tight as she could, whimpering softly under her breath over and over again, but just as fast as the pain started it ended, and she quieted down. "Xaden..." was all she whispered, just loud enough for Imogen to hear her.
"Is he okay?" Imogen asked immediately, worrying for her squad leader and friend.
Violet shrugged, closing her eyes as tears fell unbidden from her eyes, as she reached out to Tairn in desperation. Tell me you can feel him... or Sygael, or something, please! She pleaded with him.
At first there was no answer, then finally she felt her dragon's presence. Yes, I can feel him... Them... Sygael is fine, Xaden however is unconscious. According to my mate, he is very unwell. Tairn explained in a calm voice, but she could feel his worry through their link.
"Unwell?!" Violet asked in desperation, causing Imogen to sit on the bed beside her in concern.
He has been vomiting or trying to off and on for hours. Tairn communicated from Sygael, sounding more than a little distracted, which she figured was from trying to communicate with both of them.
"Xaden is sick... like really sick." Violet explained for Imogen's sake, before realization dawned on her. "How can you talk to her? She is hours and hours away." she said aloud, so Imogen would be aware of what was going on too.
Garrick will be at your door with Xaden in about two minutes. Was all Tairn offered her, before she felt the majority of his presence vanish.
"Open my door, now!" Violet said, getting to her feet, and grabbing a bucket and her water, before putting them by her bed.
Imogen did as she was requested, startled when she saw Garrick supporting a pale and nearly unconscious Xaden against his side. "Ohmygosh!" she gasped, supporting Xaden's other side as he hung limp between them.
"On the bed, lay him down." Violet instructed, before reaching out to see if the mental link with Xaden was open or not. She was surprised to find it was, but only enough to talk to one another, not enough to feel anything he was feeling. Hi... Are you okay? She asked him in concern, her voice soft.
Garrick and Imogen laid Xaden down on Violet's bed and left the room, but not before catching the other rider's eyes so she knew to let them know if they needed anything or help. After they got her nod of confirmation, they left the room making sure to close the dorm room door behind them.
Xaden moaned, glad to be home, but not feeling much better even though he was close to Violet, and their dragons were reunited. No... queasy... he mumbled across their link, a bit of his nausea making it into the link, causing her to hiss in discomfort.
"Okay, here drink this, in slow sips." Violet said in a calm voice, offering her water to him not wanting him to dehydrate if he had already been throwing up.
Xaden tried to sit up, but needed Violet to help prop him up. He sipped on the water, trying to ignore the intense churning it incited in his stomach. He moved to lay back down, as he started feeling very dizzy. Once he was mostly flat again, waves of nausea washed over him relentlessly, so much so he couldn't block it from their link all the way.
Violet jerked backwards in surprise, looking at him in concern. "Bucket?" she asked him, watching his face for clues. She didn't wait long before grabbing it, pulling Xaden upright, and putting it under his chin. She was so glad she had been right, as he gave her very little warning before lurching forward over said bucket. She cringed as all the water he drank came right back up, followed by a lot of yellow/orange bile.
Tairn, please ask Sygael while his bile is an odd color. She pleaded with her dragon, knowing he was busy, but she was really concerned about Xaden. She could feel his annoyance through her link to him, but also his concern hidden underneath that annoyance.
He was vomiting blood, about the same time you started screaming in pain. Tairn explained after a moment of silence.
"You were vomiting blood?!" Violet yelled in shock, looking at Xaden with true fear in her eyes.
Xaden sighed, resting his head back against the wall before answering her. "Yeah, I kept trying to throw up air and bile, I guess my body couldn't take it anymore and gave me something to bring up." he rasped with a tired shrug.
Violet glared at him, strongly considering ripping a new one, but she knew it wouldn't help him feel better, and it would only make her feel worse for losing her shit on him when he was already sick as it was. "Fine, get some rest." she said in an almost impossibly calm voice.
"Come lay with me... I missed you, Violence." Xaden said, a ghost of a smirk playing across his lips.
"Fine, but when you wake up, if you're sick, I am taking you to the healers. No arguments or tricks." she said firmly, not really giving him any wiggle room to get past.
"That's the Violence I know," he said with a yawn, as he leaned forward a bit shakily, and put the bucket on the ground, and lay back down.
Violet rolled her eyes, climbing into bed with him, and cuddling close.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both were relieved to be back together and in each other's arms, even if she had to make good her threat and take to the healers, when he woke up vomiting pure blood again, hours later. Turns out, he had been hurt during the battle, leading to an infection that wasn't playing nice with the separation sickness that was induced by Tairn and Sygael being separated for too long.
As always: vote, comment, and request away. Love you all! <3