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The world swam around him in hazy patches of silver and yellow, and Lillium Roseus realised that he couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation he was currently in.
I was… with Sphene, Lamaty'i and Gulool Ja…
We were chasing down the Simulant Sphene and then…
A flash of purple streaked across his vision, and his body jolted despite itself before an unfamiliar voice sounded in his mind- albeit muffled.
"So he didn't die. Vexing, but expected."
The Simulants then spoke, exasperated. "That was about the strongest bolt we can produce within Everkeep. What now?"
He had been struck by lightning.
An intense bolt of levin that had run through his body. Scorching his skin and making his heart skip a beat.
He could remember the smell of scorched flesh… the way his breath was stolen from his lungs.
Panicking now, Lillium tried to sit up, but when his muscles refused to cooperate, a strangled cry left his chapped lips.
Let me out. Let me go.
I can't… not again… I don't want to die.
Am I on the floor of Solution Nine or back at the Edge of the Universe?
Gods… my legs… my arms… I can't feel anything…
I'm dying.
I-
"Stardust, it's alright… I'm here." The husky voice of one of his partners cut through the rising dread that was spinning around his mind.
Kunzite…
Blinking a few times, the world finally stood still, and the eldite came into focus. Beautiful lavender eyes, silver hair, and the black neo-tunic that did little to hide the bulging muscles underneath. "You are in the Backrooms infirmary; I promise everything will be alright."
Tears started to stream down his cheeks, his breathing still uneven as he tried to reach for the former Arcadion Champion. Without missing a beat, Kunzite grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly. "Breathe, my Stardust. Follow my chest, and it will be alright."
Kunzite shifted closer and made sure that Lillium's palm rested against his pec in a way that didn't strain his body, and started to take exaggerated breaths that the viera could follow. "In and out, my Stardust. That's it."
Eventually, Lillium was able to get his breathing under control and further relaxed when he felt the warmth of Kunzite's body under his cold hand. "I-" Lillium whispered, his voice croaking from disuse. "I am sorry… I-I didn't…"
"It's alright, Lillium," Kunzite spoke in a gentle tone. "You needn't force yourself. The others apprised me of the situation with the Stimulant and this other one they are calling Calyx." He turned away slightly, and Lillium felt the emotions surge around him. Kunzite was angry. Not at him- never at him, but at the people who had left him bed-bound. "They almost killed you…"
That was true. Even in his bones now, he felt the Levin coursing through his veins. The way that his body was refusing to comply, as though he had been afflicted with levin sickness.
"L-Levin… sickness?"
Nodding, Kunzite shifted ever closer. "Aye. The eldite with the white hair- the one in red you travel with- she said there is a way to cure you… Thank the Queen."
Any closer and he would be in the bed with me… not that I mind.
Lillium kept his gaze on Kunzite, noticing the bags under his eyes, the way his hair- while usually in a stylish mess- was now completely in disarray. "How long… W-Was I out?"
"Almost four days…"
His heart skipped a beat, his stomach rolling as he tried to keep his breath even once more. So much time had passed. And all the while, the threat of Calyx and the Stimulant was looming.
"Stardust… don't cry…I-I understand, I do, but please, your companions have been working hard to deal with matters, so may rest easy…"
Lillium tried to shake his head and grew more frustrated when he realised he couldn't. The fear was still real in his veins. He had been struck by lightning again, but this time it was worse. The first time, he had already suffered from losing his memories and breaking his Padjal horns.
But despite losing everything once… the fact that he had almost lost everything again.
Not only forgetting Haurchefant… but also his memories of helping save the world and even as Chloris…
But of finding love again with Kunzite and Eheeya… the time he spent as Lillium - the shetona who healed in the Arcadion… who caught the gaze of the duo after one of their matches left them both bruised and in need of a gentle hand.
"I… if I had forgotten you both…" He took a shaky breath. "E-Eheeya?"
Kunzite now climbed into the bed, pulling Lillium's limp body into his strong arms, where Lillium could breathe in the warm scent that was his beloved Gemstone. First, and the strongest, was the polish he used on his scythe, a metallic tang that wasn't too overpowering when mixed with the lingering concoction of Shaaloani coffee with hints of caramel and the musky scent of leather. For all intents and purposes, it was warm, safe, and most of all- familiar. "Our sweet Flower went on a coffee run for us both. It was his turn, and he is aught to be cross when he returns to see you awake before he got back."
He managed to huff a laugh through his nose as he melted more into Kunzite's touch. "You… both stayed here?"
"Of course we did." Kunzite started to run a hand up and down his chest. Not in a sexual manner, but so Lillium was aware he could still feel the gentle touch. That despite his limbs being numb to movement, it didn't mean he was completely void of feeling. "What was his name… G'raha? He came to us both in the Arcadion and beseeched we follow him because you were injured. I don't think I've seen Eheeya run so fast…"
Lillium's gut twisted in guilt. Oh, how they must have felt seeing me in the aftermath of that surge of lightning… I must check on the others too… I need to apologise. If I had been faster… but when I saw the flash of levin I… I froze…
His thoughts were once again interrupted when the door opened, and a familiar whistling could be heard. "Hey, Gem, I got you the coffee you wanted." His voice got closer as he almost rounded the corner that blocked the beds for privacy. "That fellow who likes energy drinks outside wanted to make you try one called DAM, but I don't want you being so hopped up that you then crash and miss when the Baby Bun wakes up."
Eheeya finally came into view, wearing a loose purple shirt that was only buttoned up halfway, and his classic white trousers. His hair was messily tied up into a ponytail with a pin, and his sunglasses hung loose off his nose. When he looked up to see Lillium awake and Kunzite hugging him, he spluttered and just about managed to put the coffee down before he dove towards the bed. "Baby! Oh, you're awake… thank every groovin' god there is that you are!"
Lillium couldn't help but laugh again, but was quickly coughing and wheezing. Eheeya acted fast and pressed a straw to his mouth, which blessed his throat with water. He managed to nod his head in thanks afterwards and fell back against Kunzite, exhausted.
"I apologise, Flower." The eldite gave a tired smile as he helped shift himself and Lillium aside so the shetona could join them in the bed. "He woke maybe half a bell after you left."
Eheeya snuggled down and immediately started nuzzling Lillium's neck, right over the bite marks on the side of his neck. Healed, but proof of the bond he shared with the two men. "Seems like you remember us too. That makes me glad… I know it's been a fear of yours, Bun."
Letting out a soft sigh, Lillium let his eyes slip closed. The smell of Nopaliflowers mixed with mint and Windsbalm bay leaf joined the Tyrant's scent and mingled into what Lillium knew was home.
"Thank you… f-for staying with me… I-I can't…"
Both Kunzite and Eheeya snuggled closer and rested their hands over Lillium's heart, feeling the strong thrum of it under pallid skin.
"Of course, Baby. We will be here when you wake too! Both of us this time. I think we could do with a nap; I'm all grooved out."
Kunzite pressed a kiss to the middle of his hair and let out a deep sigh. "Rest, Stardust. We can always wake you when your travelling companions return with the way to cure your body. I promise, it won't be forever."
Lillium sighed. While he still felt the anxiety under his ribs at the idea that he could stay like this forever, the reassurances of his partners made it easy to let the exhaustion take him, and thus he sank into a blissful, dreamless sleep, surrounded by the scents of his loved ones and the shared warmth that never failed to make him feel protected.