Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The Spirits One Shots

Sleep (Darc & Lilia)

Summary: While heading for the Cave of Truth, Lilia begins to notice an increasingly more exhausted Darc slowing them down, and decides to do something about it.

A/N: just something light to start off. So if it's a pairing fic, the title will be e.g (Darc x Lilia). Using "&" means it's just centred on the two characters without a pairing. Thanks!

"For a Deimos you sure move slowly," Lilia mused as the half-breed Darc stared off into the ocean.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and the Deimos side in him flared up.

"I'm the Deimos King, I can do whatever I please."

"Look, it's getting dark," Lilia's tone softened, "why don't we set up camp, have something to eat and rest for the night?"

Darc's eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth, seemingly to argue, before sighing.

"Do what you want, you humans lack the stamina for such journeys."

As Darc turned back to the water, Lilia shook her head. It seemed that so often, Darc either forgot or chose to ignore the fact that he too was partially human, and though to a lesser degree, was still haltered by human ailments such as fatigue, illness, hunger and injury, more so than his full-blooded Deimos friends.

A pang of guilt ran through Lilia's chest as the half-breed bowed his head, hand instinctively reaching for the birth mark on his arm that he naturally touched whenever something was bothering him.

As much as he tried to act like a "true Deimos", Lilia could see beneath Darc's tough exterior, and the fragile heart beneath.

"Hey, Darc..? Could you please help me by gathering some firewood so I can make something to eat?"

"Whatever," Darc replied nonchalantly, immediately disappearing off the beach they were staying on and into the trees behind.

OoO

Lilia stirred the pot of stew she had cooking, shivering slightly in the night breeze. Darc sat opposite her, staring into the flames of the fire. He had removed his armor, and was sitting without any clothing on his upper body. Lilia raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you cold? You can have my scarf if you would like to-"

"Don't ask such stupid things. Deimos don't get cold."

Lilia dropped the conversation at that, knowing the hot-tempered Darc would soon lose his patience, but she did not fail to notice the ever so subtle shivers the half-Deimos would be wracked with every now and then.

As the food continued cooking, Lilia studied Darc's face in the flickering firelight. The dark circles that were ever-present under his eyes had grown deeper, and even darker, and his tanned skin was somewhat pale on his face.

She was growing increasingly more concerned about Darc since they reached Yewbell two weeks prior, where Darc had lost his mother, and shown more of his human side than Lilia had ever seen as he broke down over her body, unsure how to react.

Since they had left to venture towards the Cave of Truth, Lilia noticed a decrease in Darc's already small appetite, and even more so in his sleeping pattern. When travelling with him prior, Lilia noted that Darc was always still awake when she had fallen asleep, and was wide awake already by the time she awoke.

But the physical changes had suggested to her that he was getting less sleep than ever, and even his usually fiery attitude seemed to ease off in his exhaustion. To put it simply - he looked terrible. She had to do something - after all, she had promised Nafia she would look after her son.

"Food is ready. Darc, could you please fill up this with some water from the nearby spring while I serve up?"

Darc didn't respond.

"Darc? Darc!"

"Huh? What?" he snapped his head up, hand dropping from his birth mark.

"Are you okay.. I-I just asked if you could get us some drinking water from the spring while I serve up our food."

"Yeah, sure," Darc snatched the travel bottle she held out to him, yawning as he stood and wandered off into the trees again.

"Okay."

OoO

"Come on, a Deimos has to keep his strength up, so eat, will you?"

Lilia looked from her half-empty bowl to Darc's, of which he had eaten a total of two small spoonfuls. He glared at her.

"Who do you think you are, my mo-"

Both of them fell silent as Darc realized what he had said. Shrugging in defeat, he began to eat his meal, to Lilia's relief.

After around half a bowl, Darc had slowed down distinctively, and began vigorously rubbing at his eyes with his human hand. As he began to sway on the rock he sat upon, Lilia moved beside him quickly, placing his food on the ground as she put an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey.."

"Why do I feel.. So heavy.." Darc mumbled, barely audible.

"Because you're exhausted, that's why. Now lay down and get some rest, okay?"

"Don't tell me.. What.. To.."

That was all he managed before his eyes closed, head dropping forward as he fell asleep on the spot.

Lilia smiled to herself, moving him back to lay him down on the makeshift bed she'd made for him earlier.

Gently brushing the hair out of the sleeping Deimos' face, Lilia smirked.

Finally, he's actually resting. Properly sleeping. And all it took was a few sleeping herbs in his food. Here I thought he'd catch on. He must have been tired.

Lilia laughed to herself before settling into her own bed, sleep engulfing her almost as fast as it had Darc, minus the help from herbs.