A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Silence drifted into the room and hung there. If someone were to look in through the window, every individual in the room would've seemed as though they were in a wax museum. No one moved. (F/n)'s head hung down, and her (e/c) eyes stared lifelessly at her lap as though she wasn't even present in the room with the others. Ether stared on worriedly, not another word about the plan to reach her parents house leaving his lips.
Nick continued to lean against the doorway. His brown optics slightly focused on (f/n), but he didn't move a muscle towards her even if part of him wanted to. He understood the consequences if he tried to comfort her, and he couldn't afford them. Chris was leaning forward on her hands, a concerned expression on her countenance for (f/n). Ren had his left hand placed on Chris's right leg, and he was more concentrated on Callest attacking Chris than (f/n). Their next encounter, his fiancée might not receive just a broken leg, and that scared him terribly.
Deidre only knew a fraction of the horrors that (f/n) had experienced in the subway. Unlike (f/n), she only had mental and emotional scars; (f/n) bore physical ones too. She knew that some of them had healed, but the deeper wounds would remain scars. Understanding the heavy quiet, Deidre was the first one to move. "We can go over plans again. Like Ether mentioned, we have two weeks." The twenty-two-year-old woman moved towards the door and Nick. "We don't need to get all of it done today."
"Right," Nick finally responded, pushing himself off of the doorframe. His eyes stayed on (f/n) a moment longer before he faced away from her. Mentally, he sighed, but he didn't say another word. Ren and Chris moved next. Carefully, Chris stood up on her feet, and she winced. Ren supported her up, and she smiled up to him before the both of them began to leave the room.
When all four of them had left, Deidre peered over her right shoulder. Ether nodded to her, and she nodded back before she closed the door. With them gone, Ether sat up a little straighter on the chair. "(F/n)," he spoke softly. She didn't react. Given her current state, he preferred the hallucinations she used to have. At least, she would react to those, and he could draw her attention away from them.
Whatever she was witnessing in her mind now was deeper. That b*st*rd had gotten into her head to the point where not even he could distract her from such dreadful thoughts. Over the past six weeks, he had seen her fall into such states, but they only had been for a minute at most before she had broken out of them. Some of those times, she had tears. Other times, she just had remained silent for a little while after, and she had leaned on him. When that happened, he reminded himself that it was only because she had missed him, not because she loved him. Even though that was the case, he was happy to be there for her.
Today, however, was the longest she had been in such a state of mind. It probably related to the fact that they were talking about her parents, but they had discussed that topic beforehand. She even called her parents regularly to check up on them. Perhaps, it was because they were leaving. No, that wasn't it. He had been over-thinking the circumstance. (F/n) had tensed after he had mentioned fighting Callest and the fact that he never had seen Callest be completely serious before.
Completely serious. That had to be it. (F/n) must have seen him that way before. She had spent ... about two whole months with him. The fact increased his rage, and his left nails stabbed into his hand. Crimson decorated his deathly pale skin, and some of it dripped onto the floor. He would clean it up later. His nails stayed in his skin, and the blood continued to drop onto the floor, forming a small pile of the substance.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Each drop acted like the rhythmic falling of sand in an ... in an ... An hourglass! His eyes momentarily blinked at the sudden thought, and he almost slapped himself in the face. He shouldn't be trying to think of what random human items were called. Rather, he should be focusing on how to help her.
"(F/n)," he tried again. His nails retracted from his hand. The stab wounds healed, and the blood lessened until it stopped completely. Again, she didn't react. He stood up from his chair and turned hers towards him. Crouching in front of her, he wrapped his right hand around hers. Very pale blues met (e/c)s. Her eyes continued holding a lifeless expression. "I'm right here. He isn't. Whatever you're remembering, it's not happening now."
Slowly, a few tears trickled down her cheeks, and life began to enter her eyes again. Her hands felt cold, and he squeezed his right hand around hers again. Even though their eyes were lined up, she finally, truly looked at him. "Ether," she spoke out as if she was simply imagining him.
On his lips, a small smile formed. "That's right." She choked on a sob, and her eyes averted from him. A frown fell onto her lips. He figured that she hated herself for being so weak in front of him even though he already had seen her at her most vulnerable. "I'm sorry." (F/n) looked back to him puzzled. "I should've been more careful with what I was saying."
Slightly, she shook her head. "It's not your fault. It's his." She pulled her hands from his, and he stood up fully. "I think that I need to wash my face with some warm water." Ether stepped aside as she steadily stood up. Her eyes glanced around the room. "They left."
"Yeah, Deidre got the message." He placed his hands in his hoodie's pockets. "I'm glad. They were getting on my nerves." A frown of his own met his lips, and she sighed at his comment.
"They were ..."
"I don't care. I don't want people staring at you like you're some exhibit." He began to walk towards the door, though slowly, so that he wouldn't be too far from her. "I know that I hate the feeling, so it probably annoys you too."
"But, the difference is the intention." Her voice was quiet. "Besides, I didn't even notice." She stopped moving, and she stared down to her feet. Ether peered back at her. "Will it ever get any better?" The tears stopped, but she sounded so broken, and he felt that he had his heart ripped out of him momentarily.
"... I can't say." A heavy glare set on his face, but it wasn't directed at her. "I can't promise you that it will, nor can I cure you of your thoughts." He shrugged, and it seemed like he hated the action, like he despised his inability to aid her. Truthfully, he did. "All I can do is be here for you and kill him once you're healed." Ether grinned a little. "Remember, darts with his head?"
To his surprise, a tiny laugh parted from her. His eyes widened a bit, and his ears rejoiced at the melodious sound. If only she could've laughed like that outside of a situation that wasn't horrible. Her laugh was short lived, however, and the miniscule smile that had been on her lips fell. "Will you be alright fighting him?"
Again, he would've been surprised had he not known the true intent behind her words. "Worried for me?" She didn't reply. Instead, she averted her eyes from his. A giggle parted from him. "I know; you're worried that I won't kill him. You're concerned that he'll ..." Ether stopped himself. Those words didn't need to be spoken.
Decreasing the distance between them, he rested his right hand on her head. "You won't be fighting him. I'll be doing so, and I have every intention to murder that a**hole." (F/n ) saw his left nails twitch. The grip on her head tightened, and she winced when it did so even more. Ether immediately relaxed his right hand and removed it from her. He took a few steps back from her and signaled over to the door. "Come on; let's get you to the bathroom. The warm water will help you clear your head."
"I don't want it to be cold." Ether, momentarily, halted his movement. He understood the meaning behind her words, and he knew that the words weren't really for him, but for herself. The knowledge that Callest had washed her caused him almost to punch a hole in the wall or to chase down Nick and punch him a few times, maybe tear off a limb. But, he did neither of those things. Still, he couldn't hold off a few high-pitched giggles.
"It won't," he finally responded as he opened the bedroom door. He checked each side of the corridor. Nick wasn't in sight. It was clear. Ether met (f/n)'s gaze. "Has the water been cold since you've been here?"
Stopping herself, she stood beside him and shook her head. "It hasn't."
"And, it won't be now either. I'll make sure of it. I test it every time, right?" She nodded, and he walked over to the bathroom with her. Opening the door, he allowed her in before he closed it behind him. (F/n) walked over to the sink, but he turned on the faucet and made sure that it was on hot water instead of cold. His fingers remained under the flowing stream until he was certain that it would be warm enough. "It's ready."
Carefully, she tested the water herself, and she was relieved that it was warm, not cold like it had been in the subway. Ether placed a plush washcloth on the sink counter, and she was glad that it wasn't soap like sandpaper. Splashing the water on her face, she tried to forget the memories of the subway even if it only was for a short while.