Darkness's Flower: Pulling It Together

Chapter 55: My "Mini Baby Freckles"

~Nico~

Lilly and I crawled into bed. She was facing me and looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes were started to close by instinct. I brushed my hand over her soft cheek.

"Please don't get sick again and puke up whipped cream and strawberries," I pleaded.

She smiled. "I'm fine. And if I do, I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"I just get worried about you, that's all."

She kissed the tip of my nose. "I know, but I'm alright. Trust me, Nico."

I smiled and pulled her closer. "It's not that I don't trust you, because I do. I don't like it when you're sick and I get worried that something's happening to you."

"Sweetheart, I'm fine. If something's wrong with me, you're the first person I would tell. And I always tell you." She kissed my nose again. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Okay. Now come here."

Lilly smiled a little bit. "Did you know that you have the tiniest freckles imaginable on your nose?"

I sighed. "Yes, I do know that and I hate them."

"Oh, baby, I think it's cute!"

"Well I don't. They might be the smallest things ever, but I hate every single freakin' one of them that dot my freakin' nose."

"Don't say another word about your mini baby freckles. I think it's adorable, so shut your mouth."

"But, Lilly," I whined.

"Don't pull that with me, Nico di Angelo! Don't get all pouty and crap with me. I don't tolerate that and you, of all people, should know that I don't."

I smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "Okay, stop with all the sass."

"Leave me alone and let me sleep. If I don't get sleep, you will have to deal with all of my sass in the morning and all day. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, okay! I give up! Just
go to sleep!"

Lilly put her nose to mine and her body into mine. I brushed my fingers through her hair and pushed my lips into hers. It was a nice kiss, perfect. Not intense, but not almost nothing. She kissed me as much as I'm kissing her. I let my lips pull away from hers.

"I love you, Lills," I whispered.

She wiggled down and tucked her head under my chin. "I love you too, Nico."

We stayed like that, all tangled together. Her face against my chest. Her arms pressing into my stomach. Her legs tangled with mine. Her head tucked under my chin. Her body pressed to mine. My arms around her tightly. Yeah, just like that.

Lilly is mine. I never want her to go. I will protect her with all I have, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm protecting her while she's cuddled up with me.

And with that, I fell asleep.

No dreams. It's a wonderful thing as a demigod to not have dreams. I woke up to find just me and the bed. Lilly wasn't there. I stretched and yawned, then staggered out to the kitchen.

Not here. I went back into our room and looked in the bathroom. Not here. I went upstairs. Not here. I went back downstairs to the kitchen. Then I looked in the living room. There she is, all curled up on the couch with a blanket. I smiled a little bit and knelt down beside of her.

I kissed her on the cheek and stood back up. As I continued watching her, she was shivering and her eyes slowly fluttered halfway open.

"Hi, beautiful," I whispered.

"I'm c-cold," she said, her voice chattering.

I picked her up from the couch and took her back to our room. I pulled up all the covers and kissed her on the forehead. I was planning on leaving her alone, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me down beside of her.

"Lills, are you alright?" I asked, getting under the covers as well.

"Khione. Chill. Cold. Murder," she whispered.

I scooped her up and held her. "Baby, are you okay?"

"No."

I heard her sniffle a few times and held her tighter. She cried into my chest, her tears running down my skin. I rocked her back and forth and held her head to my chest.

"Shh, shh, shh. You're okay. I'm right here. I'm right here, Lillian," I whispered.

"Don't let me have that dream again." Her voice was so quiet and shaky, it was so hard to hear and understand her.

I held her even tighter. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"It's too painful."

I was about to say something, but she kept talking.

"My brother. My sister. They're gone because of Khione. She killed them. I saw it, Nico! I saw everything!"

She burst into tears, like, full on crying. It's one of the hardest I've ever seen and heard her cry.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I tilted her chin up to look at me. "You still have me and Ash, Gabby, Leo, Percy, Annabeth, and everyone else!"

Her eyes wouldn't meet mine. "I know, but-"

"Lillian! Hey, look at me, babe!" Her eyes came up to mine and I brushed her tears aside. "I know it's hard. Percy promised me that he...that he would keep Bianca safe. She died. It wasn't really Percy's fault. It was all her choice and she sacrificed herself for them. I know what it's like, but you have to keep going."

"But it was her! She killed them both!"

"Shh." I brushed more tears off of her beautiful face. "Shh."

"But-"

"Hey! It's okay! Lillian, they might be gone, but you still have everyone else. I love you!"

I let my lips crash into hers and kissed her.