SHARPER || Chishiya Alice in Boarderland

-31- fireworks

Pain.

Sharp. Blinding. Unforgiving.

It rips through me like lightning, tearing me out of the warm, dark haze I had sunk into. My body jerks violently, and a choked, strangled sound escapes my lips before I even fully register what's happening.

The world crashes back into focus in an instant.

The sky above is darker than before, the pinks and golds of sunset swallowed by deepening shades of blue. The air is colder, thick with the scent of smoke and metal and blood. The pain lances through me again, sharper now, more unbearable. My hands twitch weakly, scrambling for something, anything—

There's pressure inside me.
Inside my wound.
And voices.
Yelling.

"Fuck—wake up!"

"Come on, come on—look at me!"

"Princess!"

"I'm sorry, I know that hurt—just stay awake!"

My breath stutters. My heart is slamming against my ribs.

Chishiya's hand is on me, his fingers inside my wound, pressing deep, trying to keep me here—trying to keep me alive. His voice is tight, sharp, panic barely restrained beneath the carefully constructed calm. But he's breathing too fast.

I groan, head pounding, feeling like death itself.

My eyelids flutter open properly, and I blink up at him, disoriented, my body trembling from the shock of the pain.

Chishiya is staring at me, his eyes wild, pupils blown wide, mouth slightly parted like he doesn't dare to believe what he's seeing. His fingers are still inside my wound, blood coating his skin, and I can feel his breath, uneven and sharp, on my face.

"Okay, okay—I'm sorry!" I gasp, trying to sit up straighter. My limbs feel sluggish, uncooperative.

Chishiya exhales like he's been holding his breath for hours and collapses into me, his forehead hitting my shoulder with a quiet thud. His whole body is shaking.

I freeze.

Chishiya doesn't shake. He doesn't lose control.

But now—

Now he's gripping onto me like I almost slipped through his fingers. Like I almost disappeared.

Like he thought I died.

I close my eyes briefly, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

"I'm here," I whisper. My voice is hoarse, hurting, but I force myself to say it. "I'm okay."

He doesn't answer right away. His hands are still on me, gripping too tight, like he's making sure I won't disappear if he lets go.

Then, a shuddering breath.

"I had to—I had to put my finger inside to get you to wake up," he murmurs against my skin, voice barely audible, rough with something I can't name. "You weren't—" He swallows hard. "You weren't waking up."

I nod, my chest heaving and heart pounding.

"I know," I rasp. "It's okay."

A second of silence.

"For fuck's sake, will you say something to me now?!"

My head snaps up just in time to see Niragi, still slumped against the car opposite us, breathing hard, his eyes wild and furious.

I groan, closing my eyes for a second, my head pounding viciously. "Stop shouting," I mutter.

Niragi scoffs, but there's a raw edge to it. "You almost fucking died, and I'm supposed to be quiet about it?" His voice cracks slightly on the last word.