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Your day had been horrible. A wanderer destroyed your bike and your phone in one hit, and while you got out of the fight relatively okay, your spirit sure didn't. You had gone on the mission solo, and your hunter's watch ran out of battery. You are stranded, alone, in the middle of nowhere. And you're starving, too. You haven't eaten since dinner yesterday.
From what you remember from looking at the map previously, you're a bit closer to one of Sylus's bases than you are to Linkon. Letting out a deep sigh, you begin your low-spirited trudge in what you roughly estimate is the right direction.
You had been walking for about half an hour when you hear a familiar caw and look up. Mephisto is flying towards you, and you raise your sore arm for him to land on. After landing, he caws at you incessantly, seemingly lecturing you. For what, you aren't quite sure, but there are quite a few things he could be lecturing you for, so perhaps it's all of the above. You weren't usually bothered by his caws, but they happened to be making your headache worse.
Though where the crow appeared, his owner often seemed to follow, so you just had to hold out hope that Sylus would be here soon. You started dragging yourself forward again, and Mephisto let out a frustrated rattle, flying in front of you and bumping your head with his own. His message is clear: sit and stay. You obeyed, sitting down on the dusty ground, your legs grateful to have a break.
Mephisto quiets down, letting out a softer caw and hopping into your lap. He tucks his beak beneath his wing and puffs out his feathers a bit before settling against you. You begin to gently pet him, gazing down at the crow in your lap fondly. You're lucky to have the bird as a friend, you muse, as you slowly doze off while sitting up.
---
You stir to the soft rumble of a car's engine and the sound of footsteps ambling towards you. They stop at your feet, and you hear crinkling leather as a palm gently presses to your cheek. Catching the faint scent of Sylus's lotion, you nuzzle into it instinctually.
You blink a few times, in a state of hazy awareness, as you see Sylus leaning over you with concern written into his expression. Just the sight of his face brings you a wave of overwhelming relief. "Sy," you mumble, raising your arms to ask to be picked up. "Missed you,"
He obliges you, hoisting you up in a princess carry and walking you towards the passenger seat of his car. "I missed you too, sweetie," he murmurs, his furrowed brow indicating that his thoughts are clearly elsewhere.
"Sy," you repeat to get his attention, and he looks down at you with slightly raised eyebrows, still missing his signature smirk. "M'really sorry," You want to get out more than that, but you're too tired for your mouth to explain the full depth of what happened to you today. You press your forehead against his chest, attempting to convey the depth of your emotions anyway. "I really, really, reallyreally missed you,"
A bittersweet smile crosses his face as he presses a soft kiss to your forehead, his lips warm against your skin. "I know, sweetie. I'm not mad." He sighs, opening the passenger side door, depositing you inside the car, and fastening your seatbelt. His leather seats are stupidly comfortable, and you're getting blood on them. You feel bad for dirtying his car.
Sylus closes the car door on your side, climbs into the driver's seat, starts up the car, and turns your seat warmer on. "Rest. We'll be home soon." he assures you.
Too sleepy to ruminate on the fact that you feel like Sylus's home is yours as well, you feel your eyes droop closed again as Mephisto nestles himself back in your lap.
---
When you fully wake, you find yourself tucked into Sylus's bed. Your wounds are cleaned and bandaged, and you're wearing one of his soft sweaters along with a pair of silk pajama bottoms. Sylus is sitting beside you, reading something on his phone. When he notices you're awake, he turns it off and sets it aside.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?" he asks, still with that concerned expression on his face. You feel a guilty throb in your chest.
"I'm okay, thank you for taking care of me, and I'm really sorry," You try to sit up, but he gently holds your shoulder down. You don't fight it, only realizing how exhausted your body is once you try to move it.
Sylus's expression now holds a hint of frustration. "You're not okay." He asserts, then sighs, pinching his nose, likely developing a headache. "You were asleep for a full eight hours. I couldn't wake you. You're lucky it was just exhaustion, and not..." He trails off, not wanting to think about what could have happened.
"Sylus, I-" He cuts you off with just a look. He isn't done yet.
"You're not going back to work for a month. At the least." He ignores your wide-eyed expression and continues. "Your concerned friend, Skye, found you unconscious in the middle of nowhere. Out of the kindness of his heart, he brought you back to his home and informed the Hunter's Association of what had happened. Needless to say, they approved a month's medical leave." Seeing as you're stunned into silence, he continues.
"Sweetie, you can't just run off half cocked all the time like you're invincible." His voice is firm, and his eyebrows furrowed. He never raises his voice at you, but you can hear the worry-turned-frustration in how his sentences wobble at the ends. "I understand you want to help people, but you can't-"
He's cut off by you leaning into him and wrapping your trembling arms as tight as you can around his waist. "I'm sorry, Sylus," you apologize, your voice just as wobbly as his, if not more. You can't be sure if you're crying or not. "I'm really sorry, I-I didn't- I should've-"
Sylus shushes you softly, resting a heavy, comforting hand on your back. He leans down to kiss the top of your head, then speaks, his voice much softer. "I know. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't be so harsh on you." He starts smoothing his free hand through your hair, soothing you. "Tell me. Why have you been pushing yourself so hard?"
You rest your weight against him, just wanting to be held. He gets the message and settles you comfortably in his lap, keeping you close. When you speak, your voice is unconfident. "It's... I've been trying to forget about what happened in Skyhaven," you confess, and Sylus's jaw clenches. The only reason he hadn't gone after that colonel was because you begged him not to.
Sylus begins to softly rub his hand against your back in circles, calming you. "What can I do to help?" His voice is soft and genuine, and you can feel it rumbling through his chest. You know he will do anything you ask of him. A kindness you feel you don't deserve, but that he freely offers to you nonetheless.
"After I'm more stable... could we go to the beach?" you offer, looking up at him. You're worried you will see disapproval in his eyes due to his dislike of the sun, but all you see is love and concern. "We could go at night, if you want. I just really like the water."
"Of course," he murmured, kissing the wrinkled spot between your furrowed brows, causing them to relax. "Any time of the day is fine. I enjoy myself anywhere as long as I'm with you." His words make a warm, fond bubble fill up in your chest, and you hug him tighter, causing him to chuckle. "Is there anything else?"
You squint up at him for a few seconds before your smile slips free and you touch your nose to his. "More kisses?" you ask, giving him your best puppy eyes.
His smirk returns, and he cups your face in his palms to gently hold you in place. He leans in close and presses his lips to yours, unhurried and soft. You whine against his lips and wrap your arms around his neck, trying to be even closer. He laughs, giving you another kiss, then another, and then guiding your back down against the bed.
He leaned over your prone form, his breath brushing against yours, as his expression finally lightened from all the worry it had been carrying for all this time. "More," you whine, already spoiled with affection.
"Hmmm," Sylus hums, pretending to think. "How about... if you eat something for me, you can have all the kisses you want."
"Okay!" you agree, not even pretending to be disappointed. You were happy as long as you were by his side. Without waiting a moment, Sylus lifts you into his arms with ease and starts carrying you towards the dining room.
"You won't be doing any walking today, sweetie." Sylus hums, smiling down at you. He tsks and sighs dramatically. "Looks like I'll need to stay with you all day."
You don't think you can even pretend to act disappointed as you grin up at him, feeling the best you have in a while. You missed him more than you realized, and you're going to savor every moment you have with your lover.