The Lords against DJ

DJ in the scolding

DJ opened his tired eyes, heavy and swollen under the effect of a building fever, and slowly looked around his surroundings only to find himself in his room, on his bed and tucked neatly on his side. The room was silent, except for a slow breathing emanating from a corner, the lights were dimmed to assert calmness, and the temperature was set specifically for what DJ required for rest. The boy wondered about the time he was out cold while he breathed in and out to gain a grip over his acting system. Recollections from the life-threatening events earlier started flashing through his memory one by one—the chase, the pain, the trauma of getting stuck and the fear of getting caught— as it tormented DJ off his sanity and made him anxious once again.

The detective fisted the pillows, as shudders of anxiety surged through his core, and closed his eyes before large orbs brimmed with tears as he began exercising deemed suitable for mental health. He squirmed in unease and fidgeted his hands to release the stress erecting in his brain but it resulted in nothing when all DJ could feel was unsettled and helpless.

It was surprising, miraculous even, that he was alive in the first place and not flying in the skies of the afterlife. The way he was chased with purpose, by people laden with weapons too lethal for his fragile life, DJ was certain about not being able to see another sun rising ever again. Consequences of his unprepared, crooked plan were life-changing and the awareness only dawned on him when the situation went from one to a hundred.

Luck was truly on his side and DJ was thankful, since the nightmare never turned to reality and the boy was rescued before it was too late.

Amidst reciting numbers backwards and bruising his fingers, DJ thrashed a certain angle and instantly winced in discomfort. He stopped murmuring to look for the cause and soon realised the throbbing pain in his lower back, erupting slowly, as if waiting for the notice. It is also when DJ noticed that he was lying on his side with a pillow tucked behind his back for support, a heating pad strapped to his hips, and one of his feet wrapped under layers of thick softness.

Sighing in dismay, the boy recalled the moments from when he got the gift of those injuries. He clutched the duvet firmly and started to rise from his position, all wincing and cursing, until he sat straight. Once done, reasonably comfortable, DJ pulled the cover off his feet and examined his wrapped foot with hateful interest. Immobile, pitiful and small foot stayed limp while his calf was lined up with scratches and DJ stared at it while calculating the time it would need to be fully functional again.

Little did he know... those disappointed sighs, the staring contest, the winces due to pure discomfort and mental pampering were being witnessed by his audience silently. Lord Yael and Nyxara sat in the corner of the room while they collected bits of DJ's conversation with himself without breathing a word into the otherwise silent room.

One of them found it adorable and the other stored those seconds into his memory.

"You are awake, little bird?" Then Nyxara's quiet voice broke the silence of the room as well as the walls of DJ's comforting aura. The boy halted mid-cursing his life, mind suddenly void of any thought and fear, and looked up as white as a ghost. He traced the dimly lit room for the source of the sound until his large, doe eyes landed on a silhouette, now standing beside another on the chair.

Nyxara, meanwhile, watched amusedly how DJ detected her successfully with stunned, wide eyes and then slowly registered the presence of Lord Yael sitting there majestically.

DJ gulped as soon as his eyes met with the lord, considering his shenanigans and the trouble he had caused, while Yael held an angry glare on his forehead. Time stopped between them and an intense staring contest began, which Nyxara thought was more on the darker side than romantic, as it continued for a minute long. If DJ wanted to avert the contact, rightfully scared and nervous, Yael never let him as he imposed his powerful gaze and held DJ captive for guilt.