A Fairy's Tale (Eustass Kid & OC)

Chapter 46: The Wake of Disaster

The fan cover above was edited by my good friend shibalove !

I ADDED A NEW PART TO THIS CHAPTER, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE ITTTTTTTT.

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Heat ran the boar-bristle brush through Loklynn's long hair one last time, giving Loklynn's shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing up from the bed. 'Maybe she should just keep the thing,' the dread-head mused as he returned the tool to its home on the vanity; He certainly didn't use it anymore.

After Wire helped them to Heat's room and left to check on Mohican, it was down to Heat to assist a forlorn Loklynn with getting cleaned and changed so she wouldn't be sleeping in the remnants of her battle with Killer.
Ten minutes and some TLC later, Loklynn was more than ready for bed; she didn't look quite as bad as their first meeting (which Heat still sorely regretted), but her slightly clammy pallor and dulled eyes both spoke volumes to her exhaustion.

"Here, stand up for a minute... alright, back down. Getcha feet up under there..."

Heat tucked her in without much trouble. She took a lot of prompts and nudging with how listless she was, but it was at least easier than tucking in a drunk Mohican or (God forbid) Wire. Kid might not have given him express permission to switch accommodations with her, but he figured Kid could shove the technicalities for at least that night. With that in mind, he went to grab the floor pallet she'd been sleeping on to get himself situated for the night.

Or at least, he would have if Loklynn's hand didn't shoot out from her cocoon of bedding to grip his wrist.

"Doll? Y'alright?" He asked slowly, noting how tightly her smaller hand was squeezing him. She didn't look at him as she spoke, her voice a forlorn whisper.

"Can you sleep with me tonight?"

Well, hell. Apparently sea prism had nothing on his weakness to Loklynn's puppy dog eyes. What were Kid and Killer made of, to be so unaffected? Heartless bastards, the both of 'em.

"Look, thing is," He paused on a sigh, scratching the back of his head as he glanced away. "M'not exactly... I run a lil' cold. Blood doesn't flow right. S'why I look the way I do, too, alla this," he motioned to his pale gray complexion, "whole mess. M'not a good bedmate, trus' me."

Loklynn's expression didn't change. If anything, she actually pouted a little bit. "Heat, you could be a cactus and I'd still cuddle you, I just need... please?"

Heat sighed in defeat as he went to his wardrobe and threw on a t-shirt, hoping the barrier would save her the discomfort of direct skin contact. He caved to her request, lifting the thick blankets to join her. She didn't have to beg, really; there was no way he could bring himself to deny her anything right now, broken as she looked. The hesitance on his part was more out of concern for her comfort than anything else.
Heat just wasn't built for cuddling, or so he'd been told by every single person who had ever visited his bed; his wiry body was nothing but harsh, skeletal angles, while his pale, unsettling complexion remained unnaturally cool to the touch despite the nature of his power. He hated all of it.

He laid on his back with his hands loosely laced over his abdomen. He made no move to hold her like he knew she needed him to, dreading how she'd either immediately flinched away or endure five minutes at most before awkwardly drawing back. Loklynn didn't seem to give much of a damn about his reservations as she immediately turned herself in his direction and scooched as close to him as possible. She got comfy, curling her hands under her chin, her legs pressing into the side of his when she folded them. Despite the blatant temperature contrast, she never once recoiled from the contact. Instead, she reached out to lay a hand on his arm and press her forehead into his shoulder.