Free Fall

The feeling of a scales wrapping around her neck. The burning in her lungs as they beg to breathe.

Black spots dancing across her eyes, lethargy settling in. Being flung over the edge, catching Shirou’s usual apathetic face broken apart in his panic.

How his eyes widen in worry, in fear.

Michiru is no stranger to the sensations of falling, having ridden many rollercoasters.

The wind on her face, how it made her heart race. This was a very different experience.

The wind was harsh against her skin, ripping at her clothes painfully. How her heart felt like it was going to rip out of her ribcage.

Time seemed to slow as her gaze caught his. The worry she saw in them, the fear. She can distantly hear the panicked shout of her name.

Her lungs are still burning, the wind ripping away her needed air. A Silver streak in her peripherals catches her attention, Shirou.

Then she sees him jump, arms outstretched to catch her. How he pulled her flush against him, a hand on the back of her head and her lower back. The harsh “don’t look” she hears has her clamping her eyes shut, gripping his coat and shirt like a vice.

The thump of his heartbeat stuttering upon impact is nearly drown-out by the crunch of bone. The air being forced out of their lungs as they start to roll harshly down the incline. The deep scrapes and gouges barely registering in their spiral.

The shattering of glass, hands clenching her closer painfully in a moment of shock. The broken grunt of pain, the whispered mantra of “let it be over, please let it be over.”

Rolling off the incline into another freefall.

The pavement creeping closer and closer.

The scent of blood has Shirou snapping his eyes open and rolling out of bed. As he gets his bearings, he can hear the broken whimpers coming from Michiru’s room. He’s moving before he even consciously decides to do so. He hasn’t even reached the stairs when a blood curdling scream pierces the silence. He’s ripping her door open seconds later. There on her bed is Michiru, clutching her tail to her chest as she curls into herself sobbing, blood leaking from her palms. It’s then he hears what she’s brokenly whimpering to herself.

“He’s not dead, He survived. I survived. We survived.”

“Michiru” His voice has her snapping her gaze to his. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, but he’s never seen them look terrified.

“S-Shi- Shirou.” The broken reply is hardly a whisper on the wind, barely a breath.

Shame washes over her and she snaps her gaze to her tail as she forces her sobs back. A stuttered apology about waking him passes by an even quieter “I’ll stop now, you can go back to bed.” It’s then he realizes that this seems normal for her as she starts busying about looking for something to wrap her hands. How often does she bite back her terror filled screams to not worry anyone? How hadn’t he smelt the blood before? How hadn’t the salty scent of her tears woken hi… why can’t he smell her tears, even just a few feet away. It’s then he realizes he’s never smelled her tears, even while gripping her against himself during their fall. The sting of failure burns through his chest as he realizes he had failed her yet again.

“Want.. to talk about.. it?” He tries for comforting, but it comes out slow and incredibly awkward. The snort has him raising his eyebrow at her, his deadpan stare back full force. When she lets loose a small giggle, he counts it as a small win. The giggle stops and a small voice rings out “I’ll be fine Shirou, you can go back to bed.” It’s then he notices she’d pulled out her phone and was scrolling through some social media site. She’s sat leaning against the windowsill, allowing the gentle breeze to ground her. He can tell she’d rather be left alone but he feels compelled to go and sit next to her. As her bed dips she looks at him as he leans back, crossing his ankles and arms. Out of the corner of his eye he sees her softly looking at him, like she’s searching for something. When she seems to find it, she speaks.

“I had a nightmare, of the skyscraper incident.” He knows all about nightmares at this point, he knows how debilitating they can be. “How I watched you walk onto the roof, then I was falling. Hearing how your bones broke more and more every time we made impact.” He pulled her into his chest running his fingers through her hair. “The pavement getting closer and how all I could think about was how because of me you were gonna die too.” She’s gripping him just as tightly as she did that day.

Shirou holds her just as tightly, gently rocking her. It’s a bit later when her breathing even’s out and she goes lax in his arms. As he goes to unwrap her hands, she grips tighter, pushing herself against him in her sleep. It takes a bit but as soon as he gets one hand unclenched as broken whine leaves her lips and he resigns himself to his fate. Pulling her fully into his lap he gets himself comfortable and covers them both with her blanket.

He’ll never admit it gives him comfort too, that he’d dreamed she hadn’t survived the fall. For once the person he loses in his mind is alive. The steady thump of her heart, the soft breaths of air on his collarbone soon lull him back to sleep. Neither release their hold on one another.

When Gem see’s the open window the next morning, he peeks in to check on Michiru. He’s surprised to see Shirou and the position they’re in. Then a small whimper leaves her and he watches as Shirou pulls her tighter to himself and starts o gently run her back, allow rumble leaving his throat. Neither are awake, nor aware of their audience. Gem abandons his usual morning crowing, knowing it’d wake the obviously exhausted pair.