Watch As We Burn

Chapter 10

I heard a door open and artificial light beat down on my closed eyelids, I was being carried by Nate. The only reason I knew that is because it smelled like him. Sweat and metal.

Nate-smell.

My hands, which were limp, hurt from punching Ikora. And my heart felt heavy with presence of Darkness. I opened my eyes, looking up at Nate, who didn't notice I was awake. Him and Cayde were talking about something that I couldn't make out. It felt like my head was stuffed with cotton.

His mouth was moving and his nostrils were flaring. His shoulder length hair was damp, and his brown eyes flared with anger. I smiled to myself, Nate. I felt Cayde look to me, looking up at Nate. I pressed my hand to his bare chest.

Cayde's headlight was on us, and I looked into Nate's eyes when he looked at me. I smiled again.

"Kyrine."

"Hello."

"Glad to see you're back with us," Cyade nodded to me and I looked to him. "Darkness has spread to the lower stairwells, we are taking the stairs so Zavala won't locate us until we are in the Hall. Ikora is still in the Quarantine Unit, and won't be up anytime soon." He grinned at me.

Darkness..in the Tower? I ignore my twisting gut, my back was aching from being carried so long.

"What floor are we on?" I mumbled softly to Nate.

He as still looking at me, "89th floor. There are a hundred floors in the damned place." His spoke softly, Cayde did as well. Were we approaching danger?

I stared at his chest, while Cayde went on up to scope out the next floor. He said something about not wanting to be caught off guard, leaving me and Nate alone.

We were in the dark.

"Kyrine?" His voice wasn't shielded and hard like it usually was. He was lowering himself down onto a step carefully, putting most of strength into his legs so he wouldn't drop me. I felt it. I felt him.

"Yes?" I answered.

We were sitting now. The stairwell was cold, and my exposed skin made me shiver. He tightened his arms around me in response before speaking. He was warm and sweaty, not that I cared.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

How was I feeling? I didn't know, physically I was aching. Everywhere. My hands felt sore from punching Ikora. My head hurt from the spiral of previous emotions. Anger, hatred, fear. I didn't feel good. I bet I didn't look good either. But he couldn't see me now that Cayde's light was gone. I looked up at him.

"I'm okay."

"That is a lie. I know where you're lying, and you're lying." He said stubbornly.

"Mmm," I hummed and put my head on his chest. "No, I think you're wrong." His heartbeat was fast. But his breathing was calm.

Closing my eyes, I smiled when he huffed angrily. "You need to learn to trust people."

I shook my head on his chest. "It is not about trusting people, Nate. It's about carrying burdens. I know that if I told you then you would try to carry the burden that is mine to bear. It's not logical." I tell him softly and my breath hitting his chest.

He stiffened when I spoke, my lips brushed his chest. I was made to make him uncomfortable, to bring his high and mighty attitude down a notch. And that's what I do.

"Learn to be irrational, like you taking trips into the Wilds, disappearing off the face of the Earth for months, that is irrational." He quipped, his voice raising a notch.