Scars to Your Beautiful (the 100 fanfic)

Chapter 7

True to my word, after a day and a half, I was able to focus on resuming my training. I had come up with no clear answers and knew that I probably never would. For once, I was okay with not knowing and grateful to turning my attention to something that I could. Tomas pushed me hard that day to make up for the loss of training and Nyko was no easier taskmaster. By the time I came home, I was a trembling mess of muscles and could do no more than collapse on the bed before I fell asleep.

I woke up to something repeatedly hitting my head. I groaned as I tried to move, but I was in too much pain and stiff to do much more than shift my head towards the direction of the room. I blearily opened my eyes to find Ava sitting in the chair holding something that looked like nuts in the palm of her hand.

"Are you throwing nuts at me," I demanded, glaring at her.

"I had to spend the night at my mother's," she said as way of explanation.

"You're throwing nuts at me because you spent the night at your mother's? Well, why did you spend the night there?"

"You couldn't be woken up and you refused to move. You are much heavier than when you first came to us."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said and tried to move again, but my body still refused to obey me. "Tomas was merciless yesterday. And Nyko had me harvesting winter plants until darkness fell. Ava, my body hurts too much to move. I think I'm stuck."

She shook her head ruefully and put the rest of the nuts in the bowl that was sitting on the table. She got up and hauled me into a sitting position. My body hated the movement so much that it contracted painfully and I had to bite back a scream.

"Fuck, this hurts," I said breathlessly as I leaned against her. "How the hell am I going to get through training today if I can't fucking move?"

"Luckily, your lover figured that you would be sore," she said as she propped me up against the wall, "and procured a hot bath for you this morning."

"Oh, you are an angel sent from above and I will gladly worship at your feet for the rest of my life," I said eliciting a chuckle from her.

"You say the strangest things sometimes, hodness, but they make me feel very good inside," she said as she began the painstaking task of undressing me.

"It means that I am so very lucky to have you in my life, Ava. I don't know how I'd get through each day without you here."

"There you go again," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "Strange words."

"Compliments, my love," I said. "Not strange. I tell you as often as you tell me."

"Yes, well," she said, standing up and reaching for my hands. "It is strange to hear them at all. I'm not so used to being in a relationship that it does not cause me to blush when you utter those words."

She took my hands and bracing her foot against the bed, pulled me forward until I was standing. I leaned against her as she walked me over to the waiting tub and I moaned as she slid her hands against my sides and lifted my shirt off me.

She laughed as she lowered me in, "So, your body knows more than pain at the moment, hmm?"

I sighed as the warmth slowly seeped into my body making my muscles relax in minuscule increments and I said, "Pleasurable pain. Thank you for this."

"I take care of mine," she said simply and leaned over to kiss me.

I was able to move enough to reach up and grasp the back of her head, snaking my fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss. When I finally released her, she sat back abruptly and looked at me in wonder.