Practicing(attempting to practice without getting side tracked) to draw more male physique(hopefully with references)
Drew Rorick, so I just had to sprinkle in Phyllis as well 🙃 she didn't turn out well but I quite liked Rorick.
Lasso brush go brrrrrrrrr everywhere. I lovelovelove lasso brush. Though lining with it is tricky...but it's also relaxng. I feel like fine liners are tricky on the new tablet because the offset on the nib is inconsistent.
Summary: Elenya had been a bit sceptical when she received Huss and Tuss' invitation to their hot pot. But she never imagined that it would end with her being trapped in a burning building.
Word count: 7,080
Prompt: Trapped in a Burning Building
Author's note: Who expected to see me this soon again? Not me, that's for sure.
I can't believe how fast I got this one down on paper. I would like to say that it's because I've been thinking about it for three years, but this one gave me the most trouble to come up with. Having two opportunities in the game, besides all the other ideas I have had, it took me a while to settle on one. (I just wish I had a better picture for it)
This one is quite angsty I think, so be prepared for that. But that doesn't mean there are no cute scenes between Elenya and Arlo (and that damn sweater). You know me.
Warnings: Fire, very vague description of someone being sick
Read on AO3: Link
The Hot Pot Debacle
Why did she always have to have such bad luck?
Elenya didn't know how she kept finding herself in these situations. Arlo would probably say that her big heart drew her into everything, while Dr. Xu would probably start looking for a trouble magnet on her.
But it really wasn't her fault!
Huss and Tuss had invited her to a hot pot dinner to celebrate their new respectable lifestyle and their new home, and she couldn't very well decline. They were really trying to better themselves, and in her opinion, everyone deserved a second chance.
Of course, she still had some reservations, mainly about their cooking skills, but what could possibly go wrong?
As she quickly discovered, a lot.
The hotpot was cooking in a pot hanging over an open fire in the middle of the house. Before they could even start eating, the fire grew out of control, spreading across the floor and engulfing the walls within seconds. More and more smoke filled the room, and Elenya quickly had trouble breathing.
The two brothers tried to leave the house in a panic. Tuss flailed around frantically, heedless of the consequences. Huss just managed to dodge his flailing hand.
Elenya was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe; her lungs were burning and panic was clouding her mind. She was going to suffocate!
She was about to run after Tuss in panic when she noticed that Huss's pant leg had gotten caught in the structure holding the pot over the fire and he couldn't get free. He tried frantically to break loose, but the metal wouldn't budge.
Without thinking, Elenya threw herself onto the floor in front of him and desperately tried to free his trouser leg. She was plagued by incessant coughing fits, which made it difficult to coordinate her hands.
Damn it! If they didn't hurry, the ceiling would collapse on top of them!
Then she had a saving thought: Her knife! She quickly grabbed the small knife she always carried on her belt and cut through the fabric without hesitation.
Now finally free, Huss rushed out of the burning house, which was increasingly resembling a fiery inferno. Elenya straightened up and was about to do the same when, suddenly, there was a loud crack above her. Before she knew what was happening, she was lying face down on the floor, something hot and heavy pressing down on her thighs.
So here she was now.
Gasping for air as her lungs filled with smoke and a hot inferno raged around her.
Heat surrounded her entire body, licking at her skin, while whatever was lying on her thighs grew hotter and hotter.
Through her tear-filled eyes, she could no longer see anything.
If she had still had the strength, she would certainly have panicked.
But with every burning breath, her awareness faded. The bright light around her grew darker, and the last thing she heard was the splashing of water.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Arlo considered taking a nap. The words in front of him kept blurring, and he found it difficult to concentrate on Remy's Rapport.
Emily had thrown him out of bed at 3 a.m. because a strange animal had startled and attacked her chickens. She had managed to scare it away with a loud bang, but was afraid it would return, so Arlo assured her he would look for it.
Elenya, who had also been woken up by the frantic knocking, offered to accompany him, but he sent her back to bed with a reassuring kiss. It was his job to ensure the safety of the village, and she shouldn't lose any sleep over it.
Unfortunately, the hunt had taken much longer than he had expected. By the time he finally found the culprit, the sun was already rising and it was no longer worth going back to bed.
Now it was late afternoon, and he was really struggling. The bed in his old room called to him, but he knew that if he slept now, he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight.
Instead, he decided to go outside for a bit. The fresh air and exercise would do him good.
With a quiet groan, he stretched, then made his way to the door.
Outside, the warm spring sun was already low in the sky. For a moment, he basked in its rays. Winter was not too long behind them, and the warm sun was a welcome sight.
Arlo decided to take a walk around the village. That way, he could check that everything was okay while trying to wake himself up. He turned right towards the ruins and set off at a leisurely pace.
For a moment, he considered making a detour home to give Elenya a kiss, but then he remembered that she was at Huss and Tuss's. Hopefully she wouldn't come home with food poisoning.
He was sceptical of the two bandits as they had already wasted many hours of his time, but he was willing to give them a chance. Which didn't mean they knew what they were doing, though.
Who knew what they considered to be edible?
He was just level with Abandoned Ruins #2 when loud, rapid hoofbeats snapped him out of his thoughts.
Someone was riding up the path he was about to enter at breakneck speed and all his alarm bells went off immediately. Apart from his two colleagues, hardly anyone rode within the city walls, let alone at such speed. Something must have happened.
He looked down the path expectantly, trying to prepare himself for whatever might be around the corner. But no matter how much time he might have had, nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him.
Between the trees, he could make out brown fur, which didn't immediately reveal whether it was Sam or Remy approaching him. But then a bright green flashed, and shortly thereafter, Remy came into view.
At Arrow's speed, he couldn't make out much at first, but when he finally realized what was playing out before him, Arlo's face fell.
Covered in ash from head to toe, Remy sat on his horse, and in front of him, limp and completely lifeless, was Elenya. Arlo's heart sank, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.
What...?
Remy didn't seem to notice that he was standing at the side of the road, because he shot past him without stopping, heading straight for the clinic. It took Arlo far too long to get his body, frozen in shock, moving.
What had happened? Why... why was Elenya unconscious? Was she...?
Panic spread through his chest and, without realizing it, he suddenly found himself standing in front of the clinic door. Remy and Elenya were nowhere to be seen; only Arrow stood in front of the door, breathing heavily.
For a moment, he felt sorry for the horse, but his thoughts quickly became filled with worry and panic over his wife. Frantically, he pushed open the clinic doors.
“Where is she?!”
With wide, panicked eyes, he looked around the clinic until his gaze fell on the familiar shape on the hospital bed at the back. Subconsciously, his feet started moving, his gaze never leaving his little builder for a second.
She, too, was covered in ash from head to toe, her head hanging limply to one side. A strange sound that seemed to come from her lungs filled the room. Dr. Xu leaned over her with a stethoscope while Phyllis tried to untangle a clear mask.
His brain struggled to process what he was seeing, and he desperately tried to reach for Elenya.
But before he could get close enough, two brown eyes suddenly appeared in his field of vision and he heard Remy call his name for the first time.
“Arlo! Stop!'
Startled, he looked up at his best friend. Close up, he looked even worse than he had on the horse. There was ash everywhere, and Arlo was sure that the skin underneath looked too red.
Desperately, he looked from Remy to Elenya. “Remy... What happened?”
“There was a fire. Elenya, she...” Remy didn't get any further. A terrible coughing fit overtook him, and he began to sway slightly. Without thinking, Arlo grabbed his upper arms and led him to the stool in front of Dr. Xu's desk.
He carefully lowered Remy onto it while he tried to recover from the coughing fit.
“Elenya, she was...” Remy tried to continue hoarsely, but another cough quickly interrupted him.
Arlo was torn. He wanted — no, he needed — to know what had happened to Elenya, but he couldn't bear to see his friend suffer like this.
“Calm down, Remy. Take it slowly," Arlo said, trying to reassure him. But Remy just shook his head and tried to continue.
“No, they need to...” another cough, “her thighs.” That was too much and Remy bent over, coughing violently.
Arlo patted him on the back, worried that he would suffocate if he didn't get air soon. Fortunately, Phyllis stepped up beside them, another mask attached to a gas cylinder in her hand. She pressed the mask over Remy's nose and mouth, instructing him to breathe in as deeply as possible.
After a few attempts, Remy's facial features finally relaxed, and he took a few deep breaths through the mask.
Arlo turned to the medic. “Phyllis... I don't know what happened, but something's wrong with her thighs?” He looked questioningly back at Remy, who nodded.
“Okay, we'll take a good look at her. For now, we're trying to improve her breathing. She must have inhaled a lot of smoke.”
Arlo would have loved to learn more about her, but now that Remy was able to breathe properly again, she scurried back to Elenya's side and Arlo tried to appeal to his sense of reason.
Elenya needed Phyllis!
Overwhelmed by the situation, Arlo turned back to Remy, who was holding the mask to his face with his fingertips. This seemed strange to Arlo, but his brain was working far too slowly to process the information.
However, the oxygen seemed to help Remy; when he lowered the mask, he didn't cough immediately and was able to speak a few words.
'I'm sorry, Arlo. I almost arrived too late.” Full of worry and guilt, Remy looked up at him, and Arlo looked back, confused.
Almost too late? He didn't even want to think about those words.
"There's nothing to apologise for. I'm sure it's not your fault. But... what happened? Why is Elenya...?" Desperately, he turned his gaze back to the bed, where Elenya now had a mask over her face too, and was being turned onto her side so that her thighs could be examined.
“I don't know exactly. I was patrolling around WOW Industries when I saw a large cloud of smoke in the east." Remy had to pause briefly to take a few breaths with the mask on. “I rode in that direction as fast as I could and was horrified to see that Huss and Tuss's house was completely engulfed in flames.”'
Once again, Arlo's heart sank. Why had he known that something would go wrong at the meeting? But he had expected food poisoning, not this!
“Tuss was already standing in front of the house when I arrived, and Huss came rushing out shortly after. At first, I thought the worst had been averted, but then Huss mentioned that Elenya was still inside.” Another coughing fit took hold of him, and this time Arlo pressed the mask back onto Remy's face.
Even though he was bursting with tension inside, he at least knew that Remy had been able to rescue Elenya from the flames, so he couldn't in good conscience let his best friend suffer.
Once his breathing had calmed down, Remy continued: "I couldn't see anything through the high flames, but luckily Huss and Tuss had built their house right next to the lake. The three of us managed to extinguish the fire at the entrance, and when I finally saw Elenya... God, I thought..." A shiver of horror ran through his body and Arlo had an idea of what was going through his mind.
“I didn't wait for us to extinguish more of the fire, but jumped right in. There she was, lying on the floor, one of the heavy skylights resting on her thighs and the flames dangerously close to her.”
Arlo suddenly wished Remy hadn't described what had happened in such detail. An image popped into his head that made his heart stop.
Elenya, lying on the floor in a panic, hot, all-consuming flames surrounding her while she was unable to move. How scared must she have been?
Guilt mingled with all the other emotions already raging inside him. Guilt that he hadn't been there for her when she needed him. That he hadn't been able to protect her.
“I struggled to lift the frame off her, the metal already heated by the fire, and the smoke was getting worse. I don't know how long it took, or how long she had been in the house, but by the time I finally managed to free her and carry her out, she was barely breathing and unresponsive. The sound of her lungs...”
Remy coughed again and, once more, held the mask between his fingertips over his nose and mouth. Finally, this strange detail made sense to Arlo.
Remy also always wore fingerless gloves, just like him, and when he had lifted the hot metal off Elenya...
Without thinking, he knelt down in front of his best friend, carefully reaching for the hand not holding the mask to examine the inside of his fingers.
He sucked in his breath with a hiss when he saw fiery red skin that was already blistering.
"Damn it, Remy! Why didn't you say anything? We have to cool the burns down immediately, otherwise, they'll only get worse!”
Remy lowered the mask and tried to wave him off. “It's okay, Elenya needs help much more urgently than I do right now. Once Dr. Xu and Phyllis have taken care of her, I can still say something.”
“Nonsense, I'm sure...” Arlo didn't get any further before he was interrupted by Phyllis, who suddenly appeared next to the two of them again, holding something wrapped in a towel.
“Here, for your hands. Arlo is right, you should have said something right away. The faster you treat a burn, the fewer problems it causes. Please hold this between your hands for the next 10 minutes, then I'll take a closer look at them," Phyllis instructed Remy and disappeared back to Elenya's side.
Remy did as he was told and Arlo watched with satisfaction as the tension gradually left Remy's face.
But Arlo's relief was short-lived, and he was consumed by worry again shortly afterwards. Remy's last words kept buzzing around in his head and he had to use all his strength to stop himself rushing over to Elenya's side to check she was still breathing.
Desperate, he ran his fingers through his hair and impatiently paced up and down the clinic. He could hear the concerned exchange between Dr. Xu and Phyllis, even if he couldn't make out every word.
However, what he did hear did nothing to ease his worries.: “Severe smoke inhalation,” “severe burns,” and “rapid pulse” only fuelled his fear.
Please let his beloved Elenya recover.
Why did she always have to get into situations like this? Since she had arrived in Portia, she had stumbled from one disaster to the next, and it seemed she couldn't even accept an invitation to dinner without something happening.
How had the fire only started?
He would have to ask Huss and Tuss about it later. He didn't know what had happened to them, but he didn't want to bother Remy any further. Remy was sitting exhausted on the stool, the cooling pad between his hands, and the oxygen mask now properly secured to his head.
Arlo would get his answers soon enough.
Still pacing back and forth, he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by a commotion. Startled, he looked over at the hospital bed, where Phyllis was frantically pulling the mask off Elenya's face while Dr. Xu held her head over the edge of the bed, directly above a bucket.
A gagging sound followed by a splashing noise could be heard, then the room was filled with the sound of a terrible coughing fit. Arlo had never heard Elenya cough so badly before.
Her asthma attacks sounded bad enough, but this was worse. Each cough came in quick succession, accompanied by quiet whimpering and a roaring sound that no lung should make.
It tore Arlo apart to see his little builder like this, and it became increasingly difficult for him not to simply take her in his arms and protect her from all the pain. Knowing that he couldn't do that, he made the hardest decision he had ever made.
He left the clinic.
Only when the light breeze outside brushed his face did he notice that tears were quietly rolling down his cheeks. Without bothering to wipe them away, he sank to the floor next to the clinic door and buried his face in his knees.
Even through the closed door, he could hear Elenya coughing, and it drove him crazy. He felt so helpless.
There was nothing he could do to ease Elenya's suffering except give Dr. Xu and Phyllis the space they needed to care for her.
He hated not being able to do anything.
He sat leaning against the clinic for what seemed like an eternity. At some point, Sam sat down next to him, but he couldn't really remember their conversation. She had seen Remy riding across the meadow in a hurry and wanted to know what had happened. He answered her, but couldn't remember exactly what he said.
After a while, she left, and he thought she mentioned that she wanted to calm the worried minds of the people who had also seen Remy.
But that couldn't have interested him less at that moment.
His thoughts were solely focused on Elenya.
Only when Phyllis stepped out of the door and gently touched his shoulder did he startle out of his thoughts. He jumped up immediately and looked down at her expectantly.
“You're welcome to come in and see her. We've stabilised her as best we could."
Arlo didn't need to be told twice.
He quickly went back into the clinic and let his gaze wander. The first thing he noticed was the other hospital bed, where Remy now lay, his hands bandaged, his mask replaced by a kind of tube that ran under his nose, apparently asleep.
Concerned about his best friend, Arlo looked questioningly at Phyllis, who smiled reassuringly at him.
“Don't worry, he's doing fine so far. He also has mild smoke inhalation and we'll keep him here overnight for observation, but I'm sure he'll be much better tomorrow.”
Good, at least that was one thing he didn't have to worry too much about.
“Dr. Xu will be able to tell you more about Elenya. Feel free to sit down with her.” Phyllis pointed to the bed at the back, which was now partially hidden behind a room divider. Arlo walked towards it with uncertain steps.
He was afraid of what awaited him.
The first thing he noticed was that Elenya was lying on her side, her face toward him and Dr. Xu, who was standing behind the bed and holding a stethoscope to her back. Only then did he take in Elenya's appearance.
Her clothes had been taken off and she was now wearing a thin hospital gown which swallowed her up completely. The large mask that supplied her with oxygen was still covering her mouth and nose, but it only partially managed to mask the unnatural sound of her breathing.
The ash that had covered her skin had been completely cleaned off, allowing him to see the unnatural redness of her face, arms, and legs. On her thighs, under the hospital gown, he could just make out thick bandages.
Given Remy's story and the burns he had suffered during his rescue mission, Arlo could only too well imagine what was under the bandages. His Elenya must have suffered so much as the heat of the metal gradually penetrated her clothes and burned her skin.
With a heavy heart, he dropped onto the chair next to the bed and carefully reached for her hand. He didn't dare exert even a little force, afraid that he might hurt her.
"Hey sweetheart, what have you gotten yourself into yet again?" he asked tenderly, kissing her lightly on the temple. Then he turned to Dr. Xu, who had his hand on her pulse and was counting the seconds on his watch.
As soon as he was sure that Dr. Xu was finished, Arlo asked him tensely: “How is she? What exactly is wrong with her?"
With a heavy sigh, Dr. Xu dropped his hand and looked at Arlo sombrely.
“To be honest, she’s not well at all. I had to sedate her to give her body a chance to recover."
A new wave of concern washed over Arlo at these words, and he looked back at Elenya's face, which was completely relaxed and showed no signs of pain. He wasn't sure if he welcomed that, considering the reason why it was like that in the first place.
"The hot smoke has burned her airways. Every breath is painful for her right now, not to mention the severe smoke inhalation. Without the sedative, she wouldn't be able to rest peacefully. And that's something she desperately needs right now." Dr. Xu explained, and Arlo couldn't help but press another long, gentle kiss to Elenya's temple.
His heart ached at the thought of how much pain she must be in if she could feel it. He couldn't even begin to imagine what a respiratory burn felt like.
“The rest of her injuries are generally mild burns all over her body, similar to sunburn. The burns on the back of her thighs are more serious. From what I've just heard, she was seemingly trapped by a hot metal frame, which resulted in severe second-degree burns."
Arlo had to swallow hard.
"Fortunately, if you can call them that, they are only two relatively narrow strips, but the skin is badly damaged and the burns are weakening her body even more. This type of burn takes several weeks to heal, and unfortunately it will be very painful for a while. However, I will do my best to speed up the healing process and prevent scarring."
With a heavy sigh, Dr. Xu checked her pulse again, but seemed more satisfied with the result this time. "Good, her pulse is slowly normalising. That means she can finally rest in peace. Can you help me turn her back onto her back? She can breathe more easily then."
Arlo jumped at the chance to do something useful. No matter how small, he had to do something. The thought of the struggle ahead for Elenya, and of the pain she would be in, was driving him mad.
He carefully helped Dr. Xu turn Elenya onto her back again, taking care not to subject her to any unnecessary jolts. Once she was lying properly, Dr. Xu slid a round pillow under her knees to prevent her burns from touching the mattress.
He then inserted an IV to provide her with fluids and left them alone.
Arlo let out a heavy sigh and fell back onto the chair, looking at Elenya with concern. With the oxygen mask covering half her face, she looked incredibly small and fragile in the large hospital bed.
The urge to wrap her in his arms and shield her from everything bad in the world was stronger than ever. Her wonderful, loving self didn't deserve to be treated like this.
But he also knew that she wouldn't allow it. She was far too strong and full of life to let him hold her back, and he admired her for it. Loved her for not needing his protection, but always gladly accepting it anyway.
Gently brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, he reached for her hand again, holding it tenderly. Even though he knew she couldn't hear him, he leaned down to her ear and whispered, "I'm here, my darling. I'll watch over you."
Arlo didn't know exactly how much time had gone by where he just sat next to Elenya and watched over her sleep. He knew there wasn't much he could do, but being by her side made him feel better, if only a little.
Took away some of the helplessness that threatened to overwhelm him.
Phyllis seemed to have noticed what was going on inside him because she approached him with a transparent jar containing a clear cream and handed it to him.
"Here," she said. "If you want, you can help me put cream on her burns on her arms and legs. The ointment is cooling and should help them heal faster."
Arlo straightened up at the words. He would do anything to help her.
Phyllis's gaze softened at the sight of his eagerness. "You're welcome to do it by yourself. I'm sure she's in good hands with you."
"Of course. I'll be very careful." His gaze drifted back to Elenya, full of love and gratitude at finally having something to do.
“I have no doubt about that.” With these gentle words, Phyllis withdrew and left him alone with Elenya.
He opened the tin and loaded a small amount onto his fingers. Carefully, he spread the herbal-scented cream over the reddened skin covering her entire right arm. He gently massaged it into her skin, making sure he didn't miss any spots.
One might almost have thought it was just a simple sunburn covering her. But the bandages around her thighs and the unnatural sound of her breathing revealed the truth. A fire had tried to consume her, and he realised once again how close he had come to losing her.
The thought made him pause. He was almost finished with her right leg when his hands began to shake.
Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to calm down.
It hadn't come to that. She was here, in front of him, and he had to take care of her. She needed his help.
He watched her chest rise and fall for a moment to make sure she was still with him, only then did his pulse calm and his hands stopped shaking.
He had something to do.
He finished treating her right leg, being careful not to disturb her bad burns, and then walked around the bed to start on her left leg. He tried to focus only on Elenya and his task.
Banished any thought of the fire and enjoyed being close to her instead. Touching her as gently as if she could feel it, careful not to cause her any additional pain.
With that, he finally managed to clear his head and he felt almost as calm as he had before he saw Remy hurrying up the path. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.
But with that calm came back the tiredness that had originally led him out of the headquarters. Exhausted, he slumped back into the chair and closed the jar of ointment.
He was tempted to sleep here in the chair and not leave Elenya's side, but he also knew that this would achieve nothing except a kink in his neck. She wouldn't wake up until tomorrow morning at the earliest. If Dr. Xu thought it necessary to keep her sedated, she would even sleep for a while longer.
So, with a heavy heart, he decided to go home and sleep for a while. With a gentle kiss on her forehead and a "See you tomorrow, sweetheart. I'll be back soon," he said goodbye to her.
Remy was still asleep, so he said goodbye to the two doctors and set off in the hope of getting a few hours' sleep.
Unfortunately, sleeping was going to be more difficult than he had hoped. The big bed felt too empty without Elenya, and when he finally managed to fall asleep, he was haunted by an old memory.
He was just a little boy then, not even ten years old. A hot, dry summer had hit Portia. It hadn't rained for days, and his parents had warned him not to play with fire.
He didn't know why at the time, but he soon learned what could happen if the soil and plants became too dry. He didn't know what had happened back then, but one day, while he was practising with his wooden sword on a self-made training dummy, a fire suddenly broke out in the middle of his parents' fields.
Within minutes, a field full of golden wheat was completely consumed by the flames. Fascinated and horrified, he had only been able to watch this natural spectacle unfold back then. How the harvest of half a year burned to ashes in front of him.
But this time, something else interfered with his memory. Instead of just seeing the field in front of him engulfed in flames, there was suddenly Elenya. She lay unconscious on the ground as the fire danced around her and panicked, he tried to get to her.
He desperately called out her name.
But no matter how fast he ran, she seemed to get further and further away from him. The fire was getting closer to her, and he knew he would be too late.
With a scream, he shot up in bed. Drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, his eyes met the wardrobe opposite their bed.
It took his brain a moment to process that nothing was burning around him. He was at home in their bed while Elenya was safe in hospital.
She was okay. The flames couldn't hurt her anymore.
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only 5 o'clock in the morning. With a heavy sigh, Arlo let himself fall back into the pillows. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.
Every summer, he thought back to the day half of his parents' fields fell victim to flames, reminding people to always be careful with fire. He never wanted to experience a fire like that again.
Still trembling slightly, he got out of bed and stepped under the cold shower to banish the nightmare.
He managed to distract himself until 7 o'clock, but then he couldn't bear it any longer and made his way back to the clinic. On the way, he met Dr. Xu, who was also heading there. He explained that Phyllis had offered to look after Elenya and Remy overnight while he got some sleep, and now wanted to relieve her.
It was quiet in the clinic. Elenya and Remy were sleeping peacefully, while Phyllis sat in a chair reading a book.
When Arlo finally got Elenya back into his field of vision, something loosened in his chest that had been making it difficult for him to breathe since the nightmare. When it came to her, his rationality went overboard and his emotions took over.
~~~~~~
For two more days, Dr. Xu kept Elenya in a light coma. The burns on her airway were slow to heal and he didn’t want to expose her to unnecessary pain.
On the second day, he finally learned from Tuss and Huss exactly what had happened. As he had almost expected, Tuss was the first to flee the house, with no thought for the other two. However, what filled him with both desperation and pride was what Huss had to say.
As it turned out, Elenya's big heart was once again the reason why she had been hurt. Huss's trouser leg had gotten caught in the grill, and of course she couldn't resist helping him.
As much as he loved her for that very big heart and her selflessness, he wished she would show a little more self-preservation sometimes. It would have saved him a lot of worry.
Still, he couldn't be angry with her. Not when she had probably saved Huss's life.
Arlo hardly got any sleep during those days. Every night, he was haunted by the same nightmare, no matter what he did. Between his visits to Elenya, he went on patrol, exercised a lot more to burn off energy and tried to distract himself in other ways, but nothing helped.
Only Elenya's hand in his could calm him down.
It was now midday on the third day; Dr. Xu hadn't given her any more sedatives and expected her to wake up at any moment.
Arlo sat anxiously in the now familiar chair next to her bed while the rain gently beat against the windows outside. He couldn't wait to see her beloved green eyes again.
~*~*~*~*~
Elenya was floating on a soft cloud. Everything around her was soft and warm, and she couldn't feel anything at all. Did she even have a body?
She didn't know, nor did she have the energy to think about it.
She let herself drift on the cloud, which carried her towards a warm light. The warm light was soon joined by a warm voice. A voice she knew.
She might not have known if she had a body, but she knew whose voice it was.
Arlo.
He was whispering softly in her ear, things she couldn't quite make out, but she was sure she heard the word “wake up”.
Wake up?
...
Was she asleep?
She instructed the cloud to move faster towards the light and shortly afterwards she was completely enveloped in the warm light and then... darkness.
But the darkness wasn't quiet. Arlo's voice was much clearer now, and she could make out what he was saying.
"... take as much time as you need. I'll be here when you're finally ready."
His warm words hit her right ear and she turned subconsciously in the direction of his voice. Immediately his voice fell silent and a surprised gasp could be heard.
"Sweetheart? Can you hear me?"
Elenya tried to make a sound, but her vocal cords refused to obey her. So instead, she mustered all her strength and tried to open her eyes.
A blurry red and beige dot appeared in front of her, but after blinking a few times, she could make out Arlo's gently smiling face.
“Hey, there you are.” He leaned over and gently pressed his forehead against hers. His eyes, full of love and care, captured hers, and she lost herself in the warm blue depths.
However, the longer she was awake, the more aware she became of her body. Her skin felt wrong, she could feel something pressing on her thighs and there was something in her face that didn't belong there.
A confused sound finally escaped her throat, sending instant pain through it. A subconscious whimper followed the sound, which only caused more pain and she looked desperately at Arlo.
What had happened to her?
Arlo immediately pulled away and ran his hand soothingly through her hair. "Shh, don't try to talk. I'm afraid your airways are burnt."
Burnt?
It took everything in her not to make more confused sounds.
“Can you remember anything?”
She shook her head slightly.
“You were with Huss and Tuss when their house caught fire. One of the skylights fell on you after you rescued Huss. You inhaled a lot of smoke, which burned your airways. Your lungs are still recovering, too. This mask here,“ Arlo tapped gently against the something over her mouth and nose and now she finally knew what it was, ”is providing you with oxygen and helping you breathe."
Arlo's words made sense, but she couldn't remember anything. She could remember going to Huss and Tuss, but everything after that was black.
A fire had broken out? And if she was hit by a window, how did she get out?
Arlo seemed to anticipate her question, because he continued.
"Luckily Remy was nearby. He got you out of there. Without him, you might have..." He didn't finish his sentence, instead averting his gaze, his eyes full of despair.
Elenya's heart ached at the sight. She could imagine how much he had worried and reproached himself, and probably still did.
Trembling, she lifted her right arm and gently cupped his cheek, turning his face back towards her. She barely had the strength to do it, but she couldn't speak and had to somehow let him know that she was okay. Or at least would be.
Arlo seemed to notice her struggle and enveloped her hand in his, pressing it closer to his cheek. Closing his eyes, he leaned into her palm and she gently stroked his cheek with her thumb.
They stayed like that for a moment, Arlo's eyes closed while Elenya looked at him lovingly and worriedly. She could see the deep shadows under his eyes and she hoped that now that she was awake, he would get some sleep soon.
Then her thoughts drifted back to Arlo's story, and with it, to Remy. He had rescued her from the burning house and saved her life. How could she ever repay him? Was he even okay? Was he hurt in the process?
Concerned for her friend's well-being, she gently tapped Arlo's cheek to get his attention. His eyes instantly opened and looked down at her questioningly.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Do you need something? Are you in pain?"
Elenya shook her head, frustrated that she couldn't speak. How could she make her question clear to Arlo?
Her gaze fell on his hand, still cradling hers even though they were now lying on the bed. With difficulty, she brought her left hand to his and traced the letters 'R E M Y' on the back of his hand with a trembling finger, hoping he caught her meaning.
For a moment, he stared at her hands in confusion, but then he seemed to understand. His gaze flitted back to her eyes.
"Oh, you want to know about Remy?"
She nodded.
"Don't worry, he's mostly fine. He suffered slight smoke inhalation and burns to his fingers from lifting the metal frame off you. But they're already healing, thanks to Dr. Xu, and he's over at headquarters, recovering."
Elenya was relieved to hear this, but Arlo's gaze suddenly became heavy, and his eyes wandered down to her thighs. At that, she was suddenly reminded of the strange feeling again. What was wrong with her thighs?
'The metal frame... It lay on your thighs and heated up quickly. Dr. Xu said that there are only narrow strips, but the burns are deep... He doesn't think the nerves were destroyed, but there will most likely be scars," Arlo explained to her in a heavy voice, and Elenya looked down at herself in puzzlement.
The fact that she couldn't feel anything apart from the strange pressure told her that she had been given strong painkillers. As she was covered with a light blanket, she couldn't see anything and so she turned her gaze back to Arlo, who was looking at her lovingly yet worriedly.
"It will take a while for the burns to heal and for you to be able to move normally again," he said, gently pressing his forehead back against hers. "But I will take care of you."
Elenya had no doubt about that. He was always there for her, and she couldn't imagine a better man. As long as he was by her side, she could do anything.
What she couldn't do, however, was stay awake.
Her limbs suddenly felt as heavy as lead, and her eyes threatened to close.
Blinking heavily, she tried to keep them open. She didn't want to miss being close to Arlo!
Arlo seemed to sense her thoughts, because a soft chuckle rang out, followed by a long, warm kiss on her forehead.
"Get some rest, sweetheart. Your body still needs a lot of energy to get you back on your feet. I'm afraid I have to leave soon anyway to help Sam with patrols, since Remy's out of action. But I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
Although it hurt, Elenya couldn't stop herself from letting out a small, distressed whimper this time. She didn't want Arlo to leave!
Shortly afterwards, she felt sorry for having thought that, knowing that Arlo's job was important and that he would stay with her if he could. Nevertheless, she wished he could have stayed with her.
Elenya wasn't sure if the painkiller was wearing off, but her head was starting to ache and her whole body felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to be alone.
With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Arlo, who was returning her gaze mournfully.
"I'm so sorry, darling. I'd stay with you all the time if I could." Apologetically, he gently stroked her hair and she leaned into the familiar gesture.
“Here, maybe this will help you a little.”
Confused, Elenya opened her eyes, which had closed involuntarily, and watched through blurred vision as Arlo removed his sweater. Even in her muddled thoughts, she could tell that it was her favourite one. The grey, soft sweater that always smelled of Arlo.
He placed it so that she could nestle her cheek against it, with the rest of the fabric lying over her shoulder and chest. Unfortunately, the mask prevented her from smelling it, but the familiar fabric alone helped to soothe her unease.
Warmth enveloped her, and an almost soundless sigh escaped her.
She would have preferred to have the real Arlo with her, but she could live with his sweater if there was no other way.
Arlo's large hand brushed gently through her hair again, and his voice rang out once more: "I'll stay here until Dr. Xu comes back from his lunch break. I'm sure he'll be able to give you some painkillers again to make you feel more comfortable."
How did he always know what she needed?
She was already about to fall into the healing lap of sleep when warm lips pressed against her forehead again and the soft, loving words: "Sleep well, my heart. I love you." reached her.
Feeling warm and safe, she drifted down into the darkness.
if i had a nickel each time i wanted to date a bachelorette that has a strong ship that's almost canon i would have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's funny it happened twice.
