BAEKALIS’ POVI really had to start fixing old habits. For example: leaving my window open before bed. Growing up on a farm, I hardly had any problem with leaving my window open at night. The worst that could happen was a chicken somehow got into my room, and that wouldn't even be a problem. It wasn't like anyone wanted to rob a farm anyway. However, I was once again reminded just how far away I was from the home I grew up in when I accidentally left my room window open last night. Thankfully, nothing too outrageous happened, other than the fact that a snake had crawled in and I found it hiding underneath the pile of me and Cyrus’ clothes. I'd gotten a really long lecture from Cyrus, although that was a given since he was the one to kill the snake while I hid in my closet. But that was all in the past, at least I hoped it was. Shower time was sacred for Cyrus and I. It was the time we spent together the most — on my bed being an obvious exception of course — because immediately a
STEPHEN'S POV“We need to talk, Cyrus,” I forced out, trying to keep my voice even. I had finally decided to talk to Cyrus about the whole Baekalis thing; I was tired of being a mere background character in my own life. It was tiring, to be everyone's second choice all the time, and I wasn't sure how much more I had to endure being Cyrus’ shadow. Cyrus moved from where he was situated behind the table, coming to stop in front of the desk as he rested on the table, not really sitting on it, but not standing either. I shamelessly traced his every movement, more than aware of how this conversation would end if I wasn't careful. “You want to talk? Okay,” Cyrus scoffed. His tone was nonchalant as he rolled his neck around. It was an action that I knew all too well. It had been directed at me enough times to know what it meant: Watch your words, because I won't hesitate to get my hands bloody today. It terrified me, as it always did anytime Cyrus and I fought, but maybe I had to grow so
STEPHEN'S POV The first thing I was able to recognize was the dull scent of caramel vaguely present in the room. The next thing that hit was the bright light bulbs on a mission to permanently blind even through my eyelids. The last thing to register was the dull ache in my jaw and my nose. I tried to move my mouth just a bit, feeling the stitches on my face move a bit with the action. Finally, I let my eyes flutter open, immediately regretting the action as the light met with my eyeballs head on, this time without the saving grace of my eyelids. I squinted, anything to shield my sight from the torture as I tried to find a comfortable position from where I was seemingly laid down. My back hurt. Really badly. Eventually, I somehow found a way to sit up, the action making every single bruise and cut in my body alert and hyper aware. My eyes lingered on my left hand, my gaze trailing up to see the blood bag the drip thing was connected to. I looked up to see a mirror situated on the d
CLYDE'S POV With a sigh — God, I've been sighing a lot lately — I stopped in front of Baekalis’ room. From what I knew, and from firsthand experience from the one time I went looking for him, Cyrus hadn't slept in his room for a while, and instead kept Miss Baekalis company in her room instead. They usually spent their nights together, and apparently, Cyrus even spent his rut with her. It made me wonder if he was going to get remarried or if this was a fling. Huh… One problem at a time I suppose. I took in one last deep breath just for good measure, exhaling exasperatedly as I gripped the door knob and twisted, pushing the door open so I could enter. It was better late than sorry, I guess. I opened the door to the sight of Cyrus with his shirt half raised, and his mask zipped down, one of his hands holding said mask in a tight grip and pressing into a swollen area on his face, while the other was resting on the side of his torso where another bruise was quickly forming. Ah, so
STEPHEN'S POV Wallowing in self pity was harder than I thought, and it only took me trying it to wonder how Cyrus did it all the time before Baekalis. Clyde hadn't come back to visit, and admittedly, some part of me was worried about what happened. It wasn't like him to bring someone to the health building and just abandon them. I knew Clyde well enough to know that he went to see Cyrus — be it to talk to him or to scold him for beating me up like this. It wasn't like he did it unjustly or I didn't deserve it afterall, I knew what I was getting into when I walked into his office talking shit like that. The only luck I had was that neither of us had remembered to lock the door, so it was just shut close. I sighed, sipping from the glass of water that the pack doctor had placed on the bedside drawer when I was still asleep. The water eased down my throat, a cool filling blossoming in my chest as it passed by. It was soothing, and it refreshed me just right. Soon enough, the glass wa
STEPHEN'S POV I let my body soak in the water for a while, pushing my claws out of my cuticles and letting them flick the water before redrawing them, only to repeat the whole process all over again. I did it multiple times, even trying to carry as much water as I could in my hands before eventually they spilled over the edges and returned back to the tub to meet the rest of it. Usually, I wasn't the kind of person to take long showers, or spend more than five minutes in a bath, but I supposed the stress of everything that had been weighing me down finally crashed on me. I was somewhat thankful though, because I didn't have a break down in the middle of doing something important, like maybe when we would finally decide to get rid of Nightshade. Still, the reality of the situation was that if Cyrus and I continued the way we were headed, without communication, then the whole handling Nightshade mission might as well be cancelled. Of course, it would most probably all work out if we
TW: Suicide, self harm, negative thoughts. STEPHEN'S POVI gripped my pillow harder in my hands, my back aching from how long I've been in this position. I was resting against the headboard of my bed. And right now, I realised how uncomfortable and unnecessary the carvings and designs on the headboard are. They were too much, and were very stupid at this moment. My throat hurt from how much I'd been screaming in to the pillow, and my head was aching, but even with all these physical inconveniences and pain, none of them could compare to the feeling on my heart sinking even further down my body as my tears tainted my pillowcase like they never had before in my life. I buried my face further into the pillow, trying to bring up my knees closer to my chest so my knees could prop up the pillow in a better posture that won't have me crying from both my mismanagement of emotions, and from back pains. It didn't work, and the position only seemed to be getting worse, which fueled my tears.
STEPHEN'S POV By the time I came to consciousness, there was an apparent dull ache on my wrist — both of them. My fingers felt numb, and they struggled to move. I felt them twitch, digging into the linen of the bed I seemed to be on. My nails scratched the fabric irritably, the sound getting drowned out by the insistent beeping that I just noticed. I took in a shallow breath, letting the puff of air put shortly after as I struggled to make my eyes open. My eye lids fluttered pathetically, closing and opening up again rapidly and exposing my eyeballs to short bursts of light. I settled for squinting, as that seemed to be the only action that didn't cause me pain at this moment. My head was pounding, and I was starting to think this headache was a manifestation of a generational curse of some sorts. Jesus, who did I offend? Squinting seemed to help a bit, and soon I was able to open my eyes just enough to take a look around at my surroundings. I was lying down on a bed — but I had al