Turning Back The Clock

Turning Back The Clock: Chapter 14

Zeldris was exhausted by the time the two got out of the checkup; and it wasn't just because of the late nature of the evening- or well- the early nature of the dark morning rather.

It was from the strain and near heartattack he had after seeing the little one missing. Luckily nothing was wrong with the child on top of it, or the ravenette might not have been able to take it.

By nearly three in the morning, the doctor was finally done, and Zeldris scooped up the drifting child again to place him in his own room so the two could get some proper rest. After all, the ravenette knew he wouldn't have a great state of mind without the reassurance of the other being there.

And vice versa from the looks of it. Mel had drifted in and out of consciousness during the check up, but about halfway through, the peaceful moments of rest turned into the unfortunately not uncommon stirrs of a bad dream. Which meant the poor exhausted boy needed comfort and well if he were to get any decent, undisturbed, sleep in the remaining hours of darkness.

The adrenaline from before that spurred Zeldris into his panicked tizzy was gone, but left remains that unfortunately made sleep allude him even as the small blond slept without a care in the world.

Sighing as he pulled Mel's head to his chest and squeezed gently, he tried to calm himself by his sibling's familiar scent to truly remind himself the child was okay.

He's alright.. He's safe, he's here, and he has no injuries, or any sort of illness. Everything is perfectly fine, and I can sleep now. I need to sleep now.

He chanted those words of comfort in his mind again and again to try to brand it there. However it did little to calm his nerves as he found his thoughts delve into all the could have beens.

I'm a horrible brother... First, I treated him atrociously over things he can't even remember as I tried to push him away. Then, I made him feel like a burden and like somehow he was the sole cause of my actions. Before finally, when I started to build a good relationship with him, when I finally started to get over my fear of his memories returning or him leaving, I LOST him in the woods before eventually he fell ASLEEP in them. How can I even call myself his blood when I acted so shamefully? How can I say my cruel treatment of him before was to protect myself from his inevitable abandonment of me and the others when I MYSELF almost lost him from negligence?

The scornings of his own mind kept hitting in waves as it mixed with disgust and remaining fragments of fear. Ugh... how was he to sleep like this? How could he shut his mind off to rest peacefully after what could have happened to his little brother the last time he took his eyes off of him.

Logically, he knew by the way the little demon snuggled closer to him, the way he purred happily and clung to the ravenette like he was his lifeline, that Meliodas wasn't going anywhere in the few hours of closed eyes and a blank mind accompanied by sleep.

So Zeldris honestly could rest and let everything settle for the night with maybe some calmer feelings in the morning. But... the feelings he had overcome him Every. Single. Day. after losing Mel all swooshed back over him even with logic to combat them.

He didn't want to feel that again. He didn't want to lose his brother again. And it wasn't just the boy leaving of his own accord Zeldris had to worry about; there were so many dangers of the world that could take the blond away from him. So many things that could dim the bright light that always shown from the child, so many things that could end that light altogether forever.