Gloom (complete)

Letters

The warmness around her was familiar, so much so, she instantly recognized what was going on upon her awakening. She groaned quietly at the throbbing pain in her side and shifted a little, not alarmed at all when she felt the warm flesh against her own.

"What... happened?" She whimpered into the warm plush material underneath her head - a pillow? She frowned and dug her face into the material again. Yes, a pillow.

She felt Blain shift next to her, his arm moving lower on her waist. "What else?" He asked quietly, voice tired. "You fainted like the obvious damsel in distress you are." He quietly huffed, hot breath blowing across her face. "You waited until we made it to your house first though, thankfully, but I still was forced into dragging your heavy-butt inside."

Her arm wrapped around him, fingers balling into fists. She blinked her lids open, being met with darkness. She felt ill, her stomach churned and her movements felt off, slow, uneven.

"The creature... What happened?" She could vividly remember it now, the Inkie. It had been chasing them.

"It was slow... We lost it," Blain answered. "It could have followed us, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

His answer did nothing to quell her worry, but exhaustion was a stronger feeling over her in that moment. Eyes blinking shut, her body slid up against Blain's, hoping to absorb more of heat his body was letting off.

She found herself falling into the black void of unconsciousness once again.

(O)

When she woke up again, she could see only because of a flickering candle in front of her. She blinked slowly, movement on her left caught her attention. Blain stood over her, a thin blanket wrapped around his shirtless shoulders. In his hands was a white bandage he was lining up with her side awkwardly with one hand. He noticed she was awake with a quick glance.

"You should learn to take care of yourself first to stop stuff like this from happening." He twisted his hand holding the bandage without grace, and gently pressed it into her side. A piercing pain shot through her, making her suck in a lung full of air. She winced lowly and leaned backwards away from his hand.

"Gah..." Tears spilled down her already wet cheeks.

"Relax..." Blain whispered. "My arm's broke in half and I made less of a fuss."

Jacey moaned, her fingers gripping the thin sheets underneath her. "No... you ... didn't..." Her body shuddered in pain. "You... cried..." She breathed out, eyes shutting close tight as she breathed between breaths of pain. His glare made her want to laugh, but the thought of the amount of pain she would be in stopped her.

"Hey, remember who's in control here." Blain said softly, he looked weary. He took a step back and worked his blue eyes over his work. Her face heated when she took note of her own bareness. Hoping to distract herself, she glanced around her, unable to see anything beyond herself and Blain. "We both slept for a day and a half... Apparently all of our running around had been making the wound in your side worse, opening it and stuff... You bled on your sheets."

Jacey glanced down, then up. "We're in my bedroom?"

Blain shrugged, "unless someone else has mini-skirts and purple thongs laying out in the open for all can see."

The girl choked on air. "I...I...do -"

"It's a joke, calm yourself. I'll give you hell if you tear your wound open again." He frowned at her. "I went into the first bedroom on the left. I was sort of too exhausted and it was sort of too dark from me to be able to tell who's room it was."