Dovey's POV
I knock softly on the Evil Dean's door. A strip of yellow light shines through the crack between the floor so I know she's in. Normally I wouldn't disturb her this late at night and in her rooms at that but this is urgent – some Never broke into my office and stole the plans for the Unity Ball right off my desk.
"Hey, Lesso?" I call out. "Can I come in?" I knock again louder this time and I'm starting to get worried. Taking a breath, I push the door open. The Evil Dean's room is a mess as usual with books and clothes spread over every visible surface. It's even worse than the last time I set foot in here with a candle dripping wax onto an open book and the bedclothes in a tangled mess at the foot of her magnificent four-poster.
"Leo, you in?" The bathroom door is shut, and I have to wade through several layers of God knows what just to reach it. I knock once again and pause for a long moment. The realization of how stupid I'm being hits me – what a fool I am, practically hunting down my partner, she's probably in her office. I scoff and turn to go, trying to smooth over the uneasiness I feel in my stomach. All of a sudden, I freeze. That was definitely the sound of something smashing. I turn back to the door and call out her name.
"Leo? Is everything all right in there?" I press my ear to the door and hear a sound of scrabbling from within.
"Yes, I'm fine, everything's fine! Can't we talk later?" Lesso's tone is sharp as usual, but her voice is unusually high-pitched and sounds slightly muffled. I raise my eyes to the heavens and gather up my skirts.
"Ok, well, I'm coming in." I unlock the door with my fingerglow. At first, the spacious room appears empty, and I am faced with walls of black marble, lined with flickering candles and my own face blinking back at me from an enormous ornate mirror hanging above the sink. Finally, I spot a few red curls sticking up from between the vanity and bath. I walk slowly toward Lesso and crouch down in front of her, careful not to make any sudden movements. The other woman is wedged in the gap in her underwear, knees pulled up to her chin, shoulders rising and falling rapidly.
"Oh, Lesso," I whisper. Even though we've been together for a few months now, I am still so unused to seeing the figure I've come to associate with everything strength and elegance showing weakness so crippling it reduces her to a quivering heap.
"Hey, can you come out of there for me?" I grip her arm softly and am suddenly struck by how small and frail she looks in that moment, like a small bird with a broken wing. I help her coordinate her long limbs enough to scoot forward and lean against a cabinet. The silence is only broken by Lesso's rapid breaths and the periodic drip of a tap.
"Please just leave me alone," she whispers and buries her face in her arms. Frustration mingles with the sadness that swirls in my stomach.
"No." I reply softly, "I'm not going anywhere." I place a hand on her back, feeling her heart beating erratically. "I'm not going to leave." The taller woman leans into my side, and I breathe slowly and deliberately and Lesso copies. After a few minutes, she finally looks up and lifts a gentle hand to my face. "I trust you more than anyone else, you know that, right?" I nod and press a kiss to her temple. "Thank you for staying. You make everything a little easier."
I smile, rocking her from side to side in my arms and rest my head on her shoulder.
"What happened just now?" I ask softly. Lesso sighs.
"I don't know, it just came on. I was about to take a bath when I got so dizzy, it just happened. No trigger."
"Just one of those days, huh," I sigh.
"Just one of those days," Lesso agrees. We sit in silence for a few more minutes until the Evil Dean's breathing finally slows and she's able to take a deep, clean breath. I smile into her neck before sitting up. She barely seems to register the movement and is staring unblinkingly at something only her eyes can see. The smile fades from my lips as I watch her for a few moments before nudging her softly in the ribs. Fear flashes across her face and she jumps at my touch but soon settles back into her usual sharp expression bar the softness that creeps into her eyes when she is with me.
