bound - avatar oc x oc

part 37

"Akaia, my love—we have to go. Your siblings made it out, they're safe... but if we want to live, we have to leave now."

Her gun fell silent.

Akaia hesitated, her gaze drifting to where her brothers had just vanished. Her hand trembled slightly, the pain from her wound growing harder to ignore.

"Please," Mak'korro urged, stepping closer. She turned her eyes to him, glassy and dazed, and took his outstretched hand.

He pulled her gently through the ship's dark corridors, their footsteps echoing between the blaring alarms and creaking metal. Her vision blurred, each step heavier than the last. Blood dripped from her shoulder, warm and steady.

Mak'korro could feel her body weakening. Her skin had turned pale. She was starting to falter—her feet dragging, her balance failing.

"Hey, hey... come here," he said gently, dropping his spear. He scooped her up, one arm under her knees and the other around her back. She gasped at the movement, her head falling against his shoulder as he carried her in his arms.

Behind them, shouts rang out. Boots thundered down the hallway.

Mak'korro's ears twitched as he cursed under his breath, his grip tightening on her. He pushed forward, scanning desperately for somewhere—anywhere—to hide.

A door, slightly ajar, caught his eye.

He darted inside, shutting it softly behind them and pressing his ear against the metal. Footsteps raced past. No one stopped. No one noticed.

He exhaled shakily and turned around.

The room was small—just a crew bedroom, clearly human-sized, with a single bed in the center. He hurried over and laid Akaia down as gently as he could, her long legs dangling off the end of the mattress. She winced, but didn't complain.

Mak'korro's eyes scanned the room. A pile of folded clothes. He grabbed them and dropped to his knees beside her.

"You'll need to clean it first," she mumbled, offering him a weak, lopsided smile. Her hand lifted and pointed to a shelf. "There—bottle of clear liquid."

He grabbed the glass bottle and sniffed it, recoiling with a cough.

"What is this?"

"Vodka, I think," she muttered. "Humans drink it to get drunk, but I remember the scientists arguing about whether it could sterilize wounds. Never heard the end of that argument... but I'm willing to try."

Mak'korro frowned, uncertain, but soaked a shirt in the liquid anyway. He brought it to her wound.

She hissed sharply at the contact.

His hand faltered.

But hers came up and pressed his wrist, urging him to continue. "It's okay. I can handle it. Use more if you need to."

He nodded, grabbing a second shirt and soaking it for the exit wound. She groaned as he pressed it to her back, her tail twitching in pain.

"You're doing so well, my love," he whispered, gently. "You're so brave."

She focused on his voice, grounding herself in the warmth of his presence rather than the sting in her shoulder.

When he was sure the wound was clean, he ripped one of the shirts into strips and wrapped them around her arm with steady hands, knotting them firmly but carefully.

Her eyes lingered on his face, taking in the quiet intensity of his concentration. "I love you," she whispered.

He looked up, startled—but smiled. "I love you too."

He tied off the last knot.

Suddenly, the ship groaned. A deep tremor rumbled beneath them, and both reached instinctively for the bedframe as it shook.

Akaia's eyes widened. "It's sinking," she said breathlessly. "We need to get off this ship. Now."

Mak'korro nodded, rising quickly. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"I'll be okay," she said, though the pain in her voice made it clear she was anything but. Still, she pushed to her feet and retrieved the gun she had dropped earlier.

Together, they moved toward the door.

Akaia paused, pressing her ear to the metal. Silence. No footsteps.

She turned to Mak'korro, her grip tightening on the weapon. "Ready?"

He nodded, unsheathing his knife.

Without another word, Akaia swung the door open—and they ran.

———

a/n

sorry to end it hear yall but if i continued this chap would of been years long lmao