|| Light my Love || Adam X Lute

Ch4 : Lute POV

     I had been beat. I had been beat? No, that didn't even sound right. But it was true- the demons had beat me. How? All that training, all that hard work, just to fail at the one thing I toiled to be good at every day. I gritted my teeth, half in pain and half in anger. I couldn't even begin to count the amount of injuries I had... which was why I was incredibly grateful that Adam was carrying me. Wait- Adam was carrying ME? What the hell? I blinked my eyes open, becoming increasingly aware that I had not been in my right mind since Adam's light flash that had practically saved my ass. I wondered if my fuzzy head was a side effect of being so close to the light, or maybe I was just coming out of shock or something. One thing was for sure, I was painfully aware of every cut on my body. What I was not aware of, however, was my location. Aside from being in Adam's arms, that is.

     I blinked a few times before turning my head up to look at Adam. He was looking out in front of him, his gaze unreadable, as if he had completely shut all his emotions down. I wondered that if he wasn't wearing the mask, I could tell better what was going on inside his head. I moved my hand slowly, painfully, and tugged softly on the cuff of his sleeve. Adam jumped and quickly looked down. His eyes brightened, no longer devoid of emotion. "Lute-" he breathed. I could almost smell his relief in the air. "What's going on Adam? Where are we?" I asked him, glancing around at what was now a dark, starry sky. Adam hesitated before replying. "We retreated Lute. They were slaughtering us like animals. There was nothing left to be done... as you know," he gestured to my battered body. I dipped my head in understanding. "As for where we are," he continued, "almost to Mercy Mountain*." 

     "Mercy mountain." I repeated, looking out at the stars. I then turned my head again to meet eyes with Adam. "Thank you for carrying me." I said quietly. I wasn't really one for thanking people, but here I was. Adam's face contorted into a more normal expression for him... which was pretty much just his 'I'm a jackass and I know it' face. "Oh don't worry hun, I'm pretty good at saving damsels in distress." He said this with a wink, causing me to roll my eyes. He obviously wasn't that shaken by the fact that we had just taken a loss to beings from hell. Adam pouted pointedly. "Whattt, you don't think I'm funny Lute? All the other bitches do." He put on a snarky grin and shot a look behind him at the other exorcists. I gave him a blank stare, blinking twice. "Whaaatever," he scoffed, scanning the sky in front of him. "And would ya look at that Lute. You woke up just in time. We're here." He halfway folded his wings, sending him into a dive towards the ground. About halfway down he held up, flying more softly into a yawning cave. I looked at him, then back at the cave. He had taken me here before, to train. The trip was so long that I had only been here once. The reunion with Mercy Cave was bittersweet for me however, considering the circumstance. 

     Adam's halo was conveniently able to light the entire cave, which was generally large and conformed from black rock. The floor was a light colored, practically white sand. I heard the other exorcists landing behind us. Adam turned to face them, leading me to be presented to the whole crowd. How embarrassing. If I had the strength to elbow Adam in the ribs, I would. Adam addressed the group quickly, obviously tired and wanting to rest. Well, that was my best bet at least. I listened to Adam explain that the group would be staying here until they had the strength to continue their battle, and that they were 'honestly a big bunch of pussies' for not 'fighting better'. Once he finished he carried me to the farthest corner and gently set me down. Nobody else dared get close enough to Adam to even be within earshot, so we had a mild amount of privacy; as much privacy as one could have in a cave. Adam propped me up against the walls and locked eyes with me. "Hey, hey how are you? Are you alright? You gave me such a fucking scare Lute, you know that?" His voice was surprisingly soft... I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him act like he cared as much as he did right now. He ran his right hand down the side of my mask until he reached the bottom, pulling it off my head. I could see him bite his lip as he realized that I was banged up below my mask too. "Oh Lute..." he trailed off, pausing before he scooted around and sat beside me, his back against the wall. I noticed that he was wearing the same thing he had been wearing when we had received the news that we were needed to fight... his white pants, gold belt, and had apparently added a white shirt at some point when I hadn't been paying attention. He reached up and took his own mask off, setting it beside him along with mine. 

     I was exhausted. I hadn't realized just how tired I was until now. I figured that sleeping would be tough with the intense amount of pain I could feel throughout my body. But at least I was beside Adam. He was a comfort, a solid point in my otherwise swaying world. Adam scooted until he was laying on the ground, looking up at the ceiling. I noticed he had a black eye, both otherwise no other injuries, spare the one I had caught a glimpse of earlier in the center of his back. I figured this was normal for Adam; he was far more powerful than any of us mere exorcists, and far more capable of protecting himself. I shifted slowly until I was laying beside him, our bodies inches from touching. Apparently that wasn't good enough for Adam, as almost instantly he slid his arm around me and gently pulled me until our bodies pressed against eachother. He made no further move, just laid there, unblinking. I did the same, fidgeting with the hem of Adam's shirt. A few minutes went my before Adam took my hand in his, quieting any remaining urge to play with his clothes. "Get some sleep Hun, you deserve it." He whispered, giving my hand a squeeze before closing his eyes. I watched as his breathing deepened over time. Shoving my face into the crook of his neck, I followed suit, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. I could smell his scent, something between vanilla and cedar wood, as I slowly drifted to sleep. What a fucking day it had been.

* Mercy Mountain ~ a large mountain made purely from black rock. Snow covers the top year round. The surrounding land is whitish colored sand and large shards of black rock. Within Mercy Mountain is 'Mercy Cave,' which is utilized for training very rarely; only when an exorcist shows extreme potential. The trip from Heaven's golden gates to Mercy Mountain takes nearly 6 hours.