Sad times.
She hiccuped.
Oh, no.
He wanted to look away. He couldn’t watch what he’d inadvertantly caused. A pained sniffle followed a choked inhale.
“I didn’t...” She began in a small voice, desperately trying to cover her reddening face by turning away and dragging her hair over her eyes. It was obvious she didn’t want to be seen like this either. “I didn’t know.” Her words dropped to a pained whisper, dissolving into hiccups threatening to become sobs. She looked so alone on the other side of the bed, gripping her clothes so tightly like she’d fall apart at any second. A fat tear spilled from her face and trickled down her cheek, just the sheer sight of it tore at his heartstrings. She became unnaturally still, and worry spread across his face.
“Babe, it’s alright.” He mumbled, slowly become aware that she was holding her breath to keep her composure. Her small frame trembled with hiccups fighting to be free, but the second she took a breath, she’d crumble. He’d seen this before, but only one other time. That one time lasted an eternity, and he hadn’t been able to console her. He stood and moved to sit next to her, not at all surprised when she jerked her body to face away from him and finched at the hand he’d placed on her shoulder.
“Azurai.” His voice broke through the tense silence. His gray eyes gleamed in the dim moonlight peering through the open window. He gave her shoulder a small squeeze.
Her body was uncomfortably tense. It must have hurt her to keep her body that rigid. But the pain she was going through was far worse than any physical pain she was inflicting on herself at the moment. She gave a small sniffle in response to him, another traitor tear drifting down her face.
“Babe, look at me.” His voice was a little firmer, leaving no room for questions. She stayed frozen. Xaiga closed his eyes and breathed a slow sigh. He knew what he had to do. In an instant he was on her, having made his way around her and pushed her back on the bed, knowing very well the panicked squeak he earned from her would be forgotten soon. She whimpered in confusion, more tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. He estimated that she was about a few seconds away from becoming a sobbing mess.
She laid there on her back, hands gripping her sides in tight fists. She wasn’t sure what to expect. He understood. Her sapphire gaze flicked around in such a panic he thought her eyes would jump right out of her skull.
“Azu.” He looked her square in the eyes. “Look at me.” She timidly nodded in agreement, blinking her eyes and looking into his own. A gentle hand reached out and stroked the side of her face as he hovered over her. “I want you to listen to every word I say to you right now. Can you do that for me?” Another nod. He closed his eyes and sighed again to gather his thoughts, opening them and cupping her chin in his hand. “You are my angel. You are my queen, and I am your king. I am your servant, here to serve your every whim. But most importantly, I am your partner. I am your rock. Any burden you shoulder will be mine to bear. You are never alone, for I am always here with you.” He could see a fresh wave of moisture coming on, as if the dam was about to break. Her eyes softened and the hiccups came harder as she held back a sob. “Azurai, I do this because I love you more than anything in this universe. I would give anything to make you happy. You are all I need in this world, and my heart beats only for you. It is only fitting that I be there for my queen in her hour of need.” His voice dropped to a soothing murmur. “I know the pain you’re feeling, I feel it too. You’re never alone.” He paused for just a moment to place a delicate kiss on her lips, which she halfheartedly managed to return in the storm of turmoil she was struggling through. “I’m never going to leave you, okay, my sweet? I love you.”
She just nodded. He knew she loved him too, but he wasn’t going to push for a response. Without warning, he gathered her up in his arms bridal style and sat himself on the bed where she was moments ago. The moment he hugged her to his chest, she broke. Her voice cracked when the wail squeaked through, wrung with shaky sobs and muffled by his jacket when she’d buried her face into it. He gently rocked her, nuzzling the top of her head and stroking her hair and repeating ‘I love you, I’m here, it’s okay,’ over and over and over.
Even when she was a crying wreck, she was still so beautiful to him. Her features were illuminated in a gentle grayscale that the moonlight had cast into their room, he couldn’t look away. He wasn’t the best at comforting someone, gods knew he’d missed several opportunities to both give and receive the consolation. But he’d do it over and over again, learn, try even harder, if it was all for her.
It took a long while for her to calm down from the sobs wracking her delicate frame, tears soaking the inside of his jacket. He didn’t care. He shifted his body so he could lean against the wall, his whole body on the bed as she lay on him. He didn’t dare move her from him, especially when her quiet whimpers faded into occasional sniffles as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep. He stayed awake a while longer for her, but eventually found himself nodding off as well.
