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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:57 pm
Casseth’s wings twitched as he laid in bed. His mind sifted through tiny snippets of what had happened. The fight in the workout room, the slow spread of the poison, his confrontation with Detra and finally the fight. Things had gone terribly wrong because of the poison. Cas’ brows pinched together as he remembered Detra’s fury as his wings had popped into existence. It had been instinct, something Cas had been unable to prevent no matter how much he had tried.
After collapsing to the ground in the pit, most of the events were a blur, with familiar scents and voices breaking through the haze. The first to break through had been his father. Casseth struggled to make his body move, to make himself say something. Instead, it was as if he was frozen, without the ability to respond to anything. And in that moment, he heard his father praying. Something Cas had never heard the man doing before. He wanted so badly to reach out to his father, to let him know that he was alright, but his body wouldn’t nudge.
Again, he drifted off, the scents of Valla’s magic reaching him but not pulling him away from unconsciousness. Soon, the familiar presence of LIthian’s magic in him, seeking out any injuries and left over poisons. His soon to be mate, lover and friend. It pained Cas to know that he could do nothing to let none of them know he was alright. His body soon demanded more sleep and Casseth could do nothing but give in. Voices mingled here and there and at one point, Casseth though he’d heard Ara at his bedside, but he never gained consciousness completely again until early the next morning.
Cas squeezed his eyes shut against the bright light shining on his eyelids. His mouth felt as dry as the Eowyn desert and he was hungry, as if he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in days. He groaned, though it came out as little more than a whisper, as he tried to move and pain shot through his body. It wasn’t just his side that ached but everywhere. As if he had taken a beaten over his entire body. Cas flexed his fingers, curling them into fists and then uncurling them. When he let his hands rest against the bed they came into contact with hair. Cas’ brows furrowed as he forced his eyes open and he couldn’t help but let a small smile curve his lips. “Lith…” The rest of his name was lost on a cough as his voice cracked. He forced his hand up, wincing at the pain it caused to just use that limb, and brushed the hair in Lithian’s face away.
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:57 pm
Lithian slept fitfully, drifting in and out of a shallow sleep fraught with phantoms of loss. He woke multiple times in the night, and performed routine check-ups on Casseth every time: small pulses of his magic to track the progress and state of his basic functions and healing process. Unnecessary, but mostly for his own peace of mind as anything else. By the time dawn came creeping into the room, soft yellow light filtering through the thin curtains and spilling onto the bed, Lithian was asleep again, his head on the mattress, fingers tucked beneath him in a makeshift pillow and hair a splayed mess across the sheets, body still propped up in a bedside chair.
Through his exhaustion, he barely registered the first brush of Cas’ fingers, only just stirring at the touch. Casseth’s voice, though — however strained — made his lashes flit with awareness, and when Cas’ fingers grazed over his cheek, Lithian murmured, pulling more fully from his sleep as his eyes opened into groggy slits.
“Casseth…?” he murmured around a yawn.
Then, the full weight of the situation sank in, and Lithian’s eyes widened.
“Cas.” He pushed forward without a second thought, catching Cas’ face in his hands and dragging him into a kiss outright. His fingers trembled against Cas’ skin, a soft whine burying itself against Cas’ mouth, and then Lith’s hands were curling, carding into Cas’ hair, stringing and clinging. He squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered. “You’re awake—you’re alive—you’re up—how do you feel? Does anything hurt? Are you hungry? Do you need anything? Water, I should get you water—and Kilian will want to know you’re up! Can you see alright, though? You move everything, can’t you? Does anything feel numb? What do you remember?”
Before giving Cas even half a chance to respond, Lithian was kissing him again, clinging as though terrified, at any moment, his intended would be wrenched from him, and by the time he managed to pull back, his stinging eyes were wet, bleary, with unshed tears. He gave a choked laugh and a pained smile, dipped his forehead to Cas’, and let the tears roll unimpeded down his cheeks when he shut his eyes.
The words, “I love you…” were barely louder than an exhale.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:14 pm
Casseth winced as Lithian threw himself at him but he didn’t say a word, too glad to see Lithian’s face once again. The last sight he’d remembered seeing, before the haze had taken over, had been Lith’s panic stricken face. He kissed back hungrily, forcing his arms into movement as he snaked them around Lith and held him tight. He closed his eyes as he listened to Lith speak, the words coming quick and blurred. Casseth knew it would be pointless to try and talk while he asked question after question and so he waited until Lithian was finished.
He blinked as Lith’s lips were on his again and his body relaxed even more as he kissed back again. “Lithian…?” His name came from Cas’ mouth as a question as his love leaned his forehead against his and tears began to fall. “Oh Lithian.” Tears threatened to spill out of Cas as well. “Shh, I’m fine, I’ll be alright.” He murmured as he held Lith close. “I love you too, Lithian.”
Cas sat there, holding Lith as tight as his tired and aching arms would allow him before he finally had to loosen his grip and pull back. “You mentioned water?” Casseth asked as a small smile curled up the corner of his lips. He watched Lithian’s face, trying to remember exactly how he had ended up like this. “Lithian...what happened? I only remember bits and pieces. It’s all so blurry.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:50 pm
Lithian’s posture stiffened a fraction at the last set of inquiries, but he chose to ignore the latter in favor of the former initially, nodding and standing. “I’ll fetch you some. Stay,” he instructed. “Don’t even try to get out of bed. I’ll be back in only a moment…”
True to his word, Lithian made quick work of fetching water and, since no one seemed to up or about the house yet, he went directly back to Casseth, opting to inform Kilian and Vallarah when Casseth was not waiting on him. After handing over the glass, he watched Casseth drink greedily and debated how to phrase his next answer.
“Detraeus poisoned you. Your arena match was rigged, and he…when he saw your wings…” Lithian laced his fingers together to quell their need to shake. “He almost killed you, Casseth. I watched him loom over you with his weapon raised, and I—” He bit his lip. “I told you he wasn’t trustworthy—I know he was your friend, but god, Casseth, I swear in that moment I could have killed him in an instant. He ran away and I pray he never sets foot near here again if he knows what’s best for him…” Lithian dropped his eyes to his hands, brow tightly furrowed, and his voice dropped to something barely above a whisper. “He nearly stole you from me…”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:15 pm
Casseth’s hands paused as he lifted the glass up for another drink. The words were a shock and Cas knew, in that instant that they were not true. Fuzzy as it was, his mind remembered bits and pieces of what happened during the fight. One thing that stuck out in his mind in that moment, was Detra being surprised that Cas had been poisoned. Even then his brain had been too foggy to fully comprehend what his friend had been saying.
He put the cup down without even taking another drink, his mind whirling and barely registering the words Lithian spoke. “Lithian, he didn’t do it. Detraeus wasn’t the one who poisoned me.” Cas shook his head, continuing on before Lith even had a chance to speak up. “There was a fight before the match. There was an orderite and two hybrids.” His fingers grazed across the front of his stomach, the small wound from the orderite’s blade already healed and gone thanks to Lithian and Vallarah. “It wasn’t Detra…” Casseth whispered as he glanced up to Lithian, pleading him to believe him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:09 am
Lithian frowned, his attention pinning on Cas as he listened. On the one hand, it was entirely possible that Casseth didn’t remember accurately — that the poison had interfered with his perception or damaged his recollection of the events. On the other, though, even Lithian had to admit there were oddities in the timeline. Detraeus hadn’t seemed to be aware of Casseth’s wings until well into the fight, and had even dropped his weapon at one point directly prior to the reveal, at which point Casseth’s poisoning was already making itself apparent.
Lithian, however, found that he didn’t care, and said as much. “It’s irrelevant whether he poisoned you or not. He nearly killed you over your wings, Casseth…one orderite wing was enough for him to go beserk on you — you, after you’ve been, as far as I know, the only friend he has for how long…? He’s out of his mind. He’s insane, racist, and violent, and I hope he stays away. He doesn’t deserve to share your company…”
Lithian fidgeted, frowning a moment before standing.
“Are you hungry…? I’ll get you something to eat if you’re hungry…and I should tell your father that you’re awake, and Vallarah. They’ll have been worried…”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:01 pm
“He could have killed me. It wouldn’t have been hard. It’s fuzzy but I remember feeling very weak and I could barely lift my limbs. My magic was weak too, it was almost as if I had none.” Casseth gripped the covers beneath him, gaze dipping down. He knew he’d been lucky and if it hadn’t of been for both Lithian and Valla, he’d likely not be awake to see the day. Still, despite Lithian’s resolve, he knew that Detra wouldn’t have killed him. He knew that now, more than ever. He wasn’t going to argue with Lith, though. Not now, not when all he wanted was for Lith to crawl into bed with him.
Cas’ stomach growled at the mention of food and his cheeks flushed at the loud noise. “Food sounds good.” He looked back up to Lith. “Let my father and Valla sleep, though. They’ll be awake soon enough. I want you to myself for a bit.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:28 am
Lithian blinked and then flushed, huffing lightly at the words, though some of his tension seeped out. Detraeus was the last person he wanted to think about, and the fact that Casseth seemed happy to move on from that topic pleased him. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over Cas’ cheek, relishing in and reaffirming his good fortune: Casseth was here, now, awake, alive, and — while certainly not well yet — on the road to recovery.
“Food will help you regain your strength…but if you’d rather, I can lay with you for a while. Nothing strenuous, though,” he cautioned, giving his terms a pinch of firmness to emphasize that he was serious. Much as a part of him wanted to crawl into the bed and assure himself that every part of Cas was real, healthy, and functional, he knew that would have to wait, and Casseth’s health came first.
Fortunately, that seemed to be Casseth’s intention to begin with, and after assurances as such, Lithian removed his boots and climbed carefully in beside Cas. Tucking against him, he savored his warmth, scent, and presence, and — though he had not intended to — Lithian soon drifted off into a light sleep in Casseth’s arms.
Much remained to be discussed and arranged for, but in that moment Casseth was safe and in a position where no harm could be done to him. That, for Lithian, was enough.
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