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Keep running. Nothing you could do but keep running, through the abandoned buildings and twisted streets. You splashed through the puddles on the ground. The screams of wanderers in your ears as Ever’s goons were hot on your trail. Heart beat in your ears. Your body was aching, begging you to stop but you couldn’t. The adrenaline was surging through you as you ducked and weaved through the streets. The shots rang out, whizzing past your head. You’d already been hit once in the side, and you had a twisted ankle, but you couldn’t stop, if you stopped you’d surely be killed. There was too much that needed to be done. Too many dreams, too many plans. It was too soon to leave this planet. Determined to live as your body pushes forward through the pain, glancing around the labyrinth of streets in this no hunt zone. You dived into an old factory, the smell of old blood and rotting meat hit your nose as you tried not to vomit. The taste of your own bile was stinging the back of your throat as you tried to catch your breath through your burning lungs. You ducked behind an old piece of machinery, deciding it was time to try and hold out and waste time against these fools. You reloaded your gun as you slid down to the floor. You hissed as you realised the wound on your side was bigger than you had truly known, touching it now your hand was covered in blood. Your vision blurred for a moment before you steeled your gaze towards the entrance.
The grip on your gun never faltered as you heard the voices of the Ever agents on your tail. You knew that the wanderers would find you first, trying to stand on your ankle again caused you to yelp and fall back down. Your hair stuck to the back of your neck as your head hit the back of the machine. You pulled an arm up, and pressed the distress signal on it, praying that there were hunters close enough to you to pick it up quickly. Your grip on consciousness was fading fast when you heard the sounds of wanderers disintegrating.
You heard the pleas of one of the Ever agents who cowered just inside of the door of the old factory. You glanced around the machine as you saw Xavier standing over him. His sword in hand as he stared down at the injured man.
“What did you do to her?” He asked slowly, as he stepped towards the man.
“It wasn’t me who hurt her– I was just following my orders, please it wasn’t–” The man begged but Xavier didn’t seem to care as he pierced through the man's chest with his sword in one devastating move.
“But… you’re a hunter, you’re not meant to kill humans…” The man choked out, his blood gargled in his throat as he was dying.
“Anyone who touches her will die by my sword”
You couldn’t see Xavier’s face but from the pure terror on the agent’s face before he died… he must have been truly upset. It wasn’t often you were able to see pure unbridled rage in Xavier. He was often more composed, but light was all powerful. All consuming. You winced as you saw the way his lightblade lit up the man's body while it turned to ash around it. Xavier growled as he pulled it out of him with ease.
“Xavier…” You whimpered as you tried to pull yourself towards him, out of your corner so he could see you, you needed to protect him from his own rage.
You watched his face soften as he spun to your voice. The light returned to his eyes like water calming after a deadly storm. His sword dissipated like it was a trick of the light as he rushed over to you and fell to his knees as he pulled you towards his chest, not caring if he was covered in your blood. His hands shook as he looked at the wound on your side, his eyes narrowed, his hands hovered over it as he tried to assess the situation.
“Okay starlight, you’re with me don’t worry anymore..” He reassured you as he grabbed something from his belt, bandaging to wrap the wound until you were in the hands of professionals. You heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the pair of you. You tried to sit up, panicking as they came closer.
“Xavier, run they will hurt you–” You tried to tell him but he pushed you back down as he continued to work on your wound.
“Do not move.” He hissed. You glanced towards the door. Your heart was in your throat as you watched an Ever agent step in and raise his gun towards the back of Xavier. The last thing you saw before you finally lost consciousness was many swords appearing around the ever agent and cut him down like he was nothing.
“Xavier…” You breathed as your eyes fluttered shut.
As the consciousness came back to your body, the only sounds you could hear were that of hospital equipment that you had heard your whole life. You knew that Xavier must have carried you back through the whole of the no hunt zone and back to Akso hospital. Your eyes flickered open as you slowly tried to sit up, but you were met with a hand that pushed you back down onto the bed.
“Rest… please…” Xavier pleaded, your head turned to him as you looked upon his dishevelled state. He was still in the blood stained hunters uniform that he had carried you here in. It was clear to you that he hadn’t slept, and his hair was a mess. He looked like he needed a week’s worth of rest and his collar around his neck was flashing an angry red.
“You overused… your evol..” You scolded but you didn’t recognise the sound of your own voice. It didn’t have its bite and it was weaker than you realised.
“Yeah I did…” He laughed gently as he grabbed your hand, bringing it to his face and pressing a kiss into your palm.
“And you lost a lot of blood… why didn’t you wait for me to arrive before going in on this mission?” He asked, his brow furrowed as he played with your fingers, his eyes lingered on the bandages.
“There were… children… or so i thought” You muttered, unable to meet his gaze. Ever had set up a trap to try and get their hands on you, although you had put up quite the fight, there were too many of them for you to handle completely on your own.
“I want you to promise me that you will never do something like that ever again.” He asked quietly, as he squeezed your hand tightly, his eyes a piercing blue as they stared into your soul. He was desperate, pleading. He had been scared that he would lose you. You licked your dry lips.
“Xavier I-” You started before you were cut off by the sound of a Zayne and his nurse entering the room. Xavier glared at him and squeezed your hand tightly before he let go. He stalked out of the room as Zayne started to talk to you, completely ignoring how Xavier had acted towards him.
“You are lucky that you did not hit any vital organs.” He stated as he looked over your charts with an unimpressed expression.
“There was-” Your explanation was stopped with one move of his hand as he continued his work.
“Your ankle is severely twisted, you will need to rest for at least a month before you do any field work. You always have stitches on your side that need to heal as well, that means no running, no exercise, and no putting yourself in life threatening situations.” Zayne glanced at your vitals, before he glanced at you again, his eyes finally softening at you.
“How are you feeling?”
“A lot better… thank you..”
“Please don’t do anything that dangerous again… I wasn’t the only one who was worried..” He glanced towards the door. “I almost had to sedate your partner who was trying to fight every one of my residents who tried to get him to remove himself from your room…”
“Oh….” That would explain the look he gave him as he entered. It made you wonder what type of conversations they had while you had been out.
“How long?” You asked, as you bit your lip guiltily.
“Two days.”
“Ah…” you glanced towards where you could see Xavier as he paced back and forth in the hallway, watching your room.
“You will go home tomorrow.” Zayne explained, as he handed you some pain medication for you to take as well as a glass of water. “Perhaps you could try and get him to go home and take a shower before then? He’s scaring the nurses.”
You couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
The next day, Xavier was there to take you home. Luckily you had been able to convince him to go home and get some rest. At least a shower. He pushed your wheelchair to his car with ease, before lifting you into the passenger seat.
“Do you have everything you need?” He asked as he started to drive you home.
“Yes I believe so, although I'll have to order some groceries and other things so that I can survive in my apartment” You thought as you pulled out your phone to start when Xavier put his hand over the phone.
“That won’t be necessary” He stated slightly. Your brow furrowed as you turned to look at him but he was focused on the road ahead of him. His other hand gripped the wheel tightly, perhaps a little too tight
“What do you mean?” You asked with the tilt of your head.
“You will be staying at my place, under my watchful eye until you are better.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re currently not trusted out of my sight” Your lips pursued together as you looked back towards the road ahead of the two of you.
“So it's a punishment?”
“No…” He sighed as he pulled into the apartment building finally and turned to you, He took both your hands in his, making you look at him while he spoke.
“You, really really scared me… and I… I need to look after you, okay? Will you please allow me to look after you?” He asked quietly as he rubbed small circles into your palms. “I thought I was too late…”
You pressed your forehead against his as his eyes fluttered shut and enjoyed your presence for a moment.
“I’m sorry Xavier… of course you’re allowed to look after me…”
“Good…. Because you also smell like a hospital..” He muttered as he grabbed you and pulled you into a tight hug,”and you’re meant to smell like … me…”
You laughed as you playfully hit his shoulder while still hugging him. When he kept holding on you glanced at him, confused.
“Xavier?”
“Just one more moment… okay? I need to feel the weight of you in my arms to erase the feeling of your limpness before…” He whispered against your skin as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck. For once, you decided not to complain about being stuck in the car before he finally pulled away just to press his lips against yours.
“Never do that again, please…”
“I promise I won’t”
“Good.”