broken heart-strings (seer x embalmer, +more ships apparently)

fifty-three

Eli stood slowly, his body aching and still panting from all the previous action. He couldn't be sure what this was, but something felt far too off to really be totally real. Maybe he was hallucinating. 

"Hello?" he whispered, only for there to be no reply. He couldn't help but frown. What was this?

Eli turned around, trying to take in his surroundings this time. The wall behind him was different, it was a large mirror that seemed to go on forever. He approached it, standing just maybe a foot away. 

Eli stuck out his hand, gently touching the cold, smooth surface and smearing it with pure red. He looked at himself, before taking off his blindfold and shoving it into his pocket. Eli rubbed his bloodshot eyes, looking at the blood covering him and seeping all through his clothes and skin. 

The metallic smell would never fade, huh?

He began to smear the liquid on the mirror more, but as soon as his finger came over the reflection of his face, the room flashed black and the mirror wall disappeared from his grasp. His hands suddenly felt too cold for life really, and he just let himself stand there in the dark room. 

It was getting colder and colder, but Eli just stood there and let the room fill with the icy feeling he couldn't break. 

He was drowning in himself in the silence, holding his hand up to his face and blowing the warm breath into them gently, but it was all still cold. He tried to breathe, but breathing was never really an option. Eli just let himself stand there, the unstoppable feelings coming right back.

"Maybe I should just-"

Without a second of hesitation, Eli slipped, falling backwards, but he never hit a hard surface; his back slammed against something soft that he gently bounced on. His eyes shot open, in fear it would be like the last time he was on a bed, but when he shot to a sitting position, he sighed in relief at what he say. 

Aesop was sitting there, obviously worried. He was gently holding Eli's shoulders, which made the boy relax. Eli wasn't covered in blood anymore, and he was wearing Aesop's hoodie. 

"Holy fuck!"

Eli shot forward, collapsing into Aesop's arms, to which Aesop quickly held the other. Aesop held him tightly, running his hand through the boy's brown hair and whispering small things to him. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's really alright. You were just having a nightmare, trust me. It's alright Eli. You've been shaking like crazy for awhile. Please calm down."

Eli sobbed into Aesop's chest, to which Aesop just held him. Eli continued to sob, not really knowing how to feel. He knew it didn't seem real, but he just cried in more relief that it was over. He couldn't help but shake and let it all out, as this nightmare had really shaken him to the core. 

"Eli, please be calm. Please just stay calm. Do you wanna go take a bath with me? To just calm down?"

Eli was still crying, but he nodded into Aesop chest, who picked him up bridal style and began carrying him to the bathroom down the hall. Without any extra added thought, Aesop quickly began filling the bathtub with water and helping the still sobbing boy out of his clothes and into it. 

Eli leaned his head back, closing his eyes and relaxing in the warm water. Aesop decided to sit beside the bathtub, watching the peaceful look on his face. He quickly rolled up his sleeves and began gently washing Eli's hair, which made him hum in relief. Right after he rinsed it, Eli sat up gently and looked up at Aesop, who smiled gently. 

Eli waved his hand in the water for a moment, before gently splashing Aesop. 

The silver-haired boy raised his eyebrows and let his eyes go a bit wide, with a small smile on his face. He put his hand in the water, swirling it around gently. 

Eli flinched, holding his hands over his face, in attempt to keep whatever was about to come his way out of his eyes. He swirled his hand around a few more times, before smirking and splashing Eli hard in the face. 

Drowning. 

D R O W N I N G -

Eli coughed hard, cold water invading his system almost like the blood but far worse. It burned more than the blood ever could. 

His arms and legs flailed, and he realized he was deep in cold water. Cold, dirty, water. 

He was underwater, so he began to swim up, the water burning his insides up like fire. 

When he broke the surface, Eli gasped loudly, opening his eyes. The world was mostly dark, but he recognized he was outside, in a lake, near the shore, which seemed to be surrounded by trees. Using all the power he had left, Eli swam for the shore, throwing himself onto the dry land. 

Eli coughed up his lungs, heaving for any air left. He knew that something was wrong as soon as it happened. Hadn't he just been in the bath...?

Eli coughed roughly, the sound of the night surrounding him. 

"Eli! Eli where did you run off to?!" 

The sound of Naib's voice in the forest made him clench his eyes shut in relief, though he couldn't be sure it was real. He just shook, still coughing up water and mucus. 

-:-:-

Hey guys... I'm sorry about not uploading in awhile and being kind of distant, but i'm somehow still alive! Thank you all so much for reading, and if you'd like, go ahead and leave a comment and tell me what you think; you guys all know the drill.

Again, i love you all and am really appreciative of you guys. Thank you, my lovelies. 

-Mags++