Crowned

Arc 1, Chapter 9: Whither Away.

TW: DEATH

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Nickel was screaming, his eyes shut excruciatingly tight as blood continued to pour down his face from his eyes. His eyes felt like someone was stabbing them. The blood began to mix with the boy's tears of pain. As blood also began to drip from his mouth. Balloon was on the verge of tears again, he desperately attempted to help Nickel. And of course he had been, a boy was bleeding out in front of him! What kind of person wouldn't? "I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Balloon screamed and once again tried everything in his power to stop the blood, to no avail. "G-GOD... UH—UHM...?!" He grabbed the sheet and held it to the boy's eyes.

Eventually, the screaming died down. The blood was dripping down his face at a less rapid rate, but in still concerning amounts nonetheless. Any amount would be concerning, really. Nickel was breathing rapidly, His breath very shaky as he struggled to ground himself after the pain he had suffered moments ago. He couldn't have understood how he hadn't bled to death. Balloon was covered in the blood. And he had barely stopped himself from crying. Albeit, Nickel couldn't see that. Everything was... So blurry. And it had hurt to keep his eyes open. All of his body felt like it was on fire. "W-Wh... What happened...?!" He groaned in nearly a whisper, a panicked one at that.

Balloon continued to wipe the blood and tears from his face. "I—I don't know...! Y-you said you saw a card... A-and... You started screaming... and Bleeding! Y-you're still bleeding..." he choked out, trying his best to help the other.

"A-are you crying...?" He asked quietly.

"No..." He began, though a tear snuck through, and he couldn't hold it back any longer, "...Y-yeah! Of course! I-I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!" He cried. Tears began spilling faster down his face, he hugged the other boy again. "DAMN YOU!" He choked out again, squeezing Nickel a tad too hard.

"Oh yeah... I should've known the random glowing card would cause me to bleed profusely from my eyes and mouth... I'll make sure to warn you next time too. Heheh..." He muttered in a joking sarcastic tone.

"YOU BETTER! H....GH...—I don't know what I would've done if you died on me...!" Balloon took a shaky breath. "I don't think I could live with myself if I couldn't have saved you!" He cried, nearly angrily.

"Balloon... Don't say that..." He frowned, choking slightly on the blood in his throat. He hoped he hadn't been bleeding internally.

Balloon flinched and looked at him in his squinting, bloody eyes. He wiped off the blood and tears again. "I'm being serious..." his brows furrowed, grumbling with sorrow.

"That's what worries me..." Nickel huffed, trying his best to not show his anxiety.

"..."

"..."

"I forgive you... By the way..." Balloon informed in a soft tone, turning back to Nickel with a more gentle tone.

Nickel flinched slightly, before he shut his eyes to ease the pain. The light was nearly blinding, and he could barely see anyway. "B-Balloon... I understood you're a kind person... But that's the sympathy talking I—!"

"No! Nickel, I'm being serious..." He said sternly. "I forgive you... A-and it's not the sympathy that's talking. I know... I know that we had a rough past, but, maybe we could start over? After all... We... We gotta make the first steps to get past this." He pulled away from Nickel, and hugged himself as he sat on his knees. The floor would've been hurting him by now, if it wasn't for the carpet as padding. "I just... Want to believe we can move past this. I-if uhm... You want to. As well..."