Blood Oath (O/O CLOSED)

I pressed a loving kiss to his forehead. “Sleep, love. You need it..”

I snuggled closer to her, loving the way my scent rolled off of her. “You sleep, too. I’m not the only one who needs it.”

“I will…” I murmured, letting my eyes drift shut.

“Goodnight, my little fairy…” I murmured, falling into a slumber.

(My discord isn’t working… should we skip? Smtg with Kandreas/Altair to future the plot?)

(All right, but I’m not it!)

(Damn, which one?)

[TIME SKIP - Andreas's POV, a few days later]

I leaned sideways against my boyfriend's shoulder, linking out fingers together. The gentle rocking of our carriage helped to soothe the anxiety lodged in my chest, but it did nothing compared to the simple sensation of being in Kaden's arms. "Are you ready?" I murmured, shutting my eyes.

I wrapped my arms tighter around Andreas, humming softly. “Yeah,” I said gently. “Are you?”

I was really worried for Andreas. If something happened to his sister… it would kill him. I hoped nothing would happen. I knew he was getting nervous the closer we got, and I hoped I was proving to be a good supportive boyfriend.

“No,” I confessed, gripping his hand like a lifeline. “I’m scared, Kaden… I’m scared of seeing her.. dying and weak..”

I kissed the top of his head soothingly.

“It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him. “The surgery’s tomorrow, right? Everything will work out just fine. She’s going to need her big brother to be strong.”

I pressed my face into his shoulder, a silent signal that I wanted him to hold me tighter. "I hope so… I really, really hope so…"

I held him tighter, humming softly. “She will be. Don’t you worry.”

The carriage came to a slow stop.

I nodded, squeezing his hand one final time before pushing open the door and stepping out.

I followed Andreas out, swallowing thickly. I was about to meet his family, and under poor conditions, too…

The next few minutes were a blur, but before I knew it, we had moved past the crowded front lobby, down a few labyrinthian hallways, and through a faded grey door.

Arms enveloped me the moment I entered the hospital room, a familiar scent washing everything else away—my mother’s rose perfume. I sank into her arms, unable to speak.

I stood at the doorway, watching Andreas go limp in his mother’s embrace. I watched sorrowfully. I was glad I was able to give him what he needed to carry on with the surgery.

I pulled away from the soft embrace to cup my mother’s cheek and press our foreheads together. Her ginger hair was pulled back in a loose bun, stray locks framing her pale, freckled face. I was a mirror image of her; same eyes, hair, skin, and nose. My mouth and muscular figure came from my father, though, as did my height.

My mother pressed a kiss to my nose and pulled away. I was worried for her… where had the youthful happiness in her expression disappeared to? Why was her gown hanging off her slim figure as if she’d lost far too much weight? And why wasn’t she smiling?

“My son,” she signed, fingers fluttering in the air. “Mother..” I whispered in response.

I rubbed the back of my head, watching Andreas and his mother. Watching them made me miss my mother, too, so I was glad to see Andreas back with his mother. Especially since he hadn’t seen her ever since we went to the Academy. Would she be proud of the creature he bonded with? Would she dislike me for offering money?

A tear slipped down my cheek. I hadn’t seen my mother in months, and this was how we were reunited. It all felt so wrong and nauseating….

“I missed you…” I whispered, and beckoned to Kaden. “Mother, this is Kaden. My best friend.”

My heart broke seeing Andreas cry, but I couldn’t act like a lover. I was merely a best friend. I offered a small smile.

“Hello, ma’am,” I greeted her. “I wish we could have met on better occasions…”

My mother tried for a smile. ”Tell your friend that I’m happy to meet him, anyways,” she sighed in my direction. After a moment, I translated this to Kaden.

I froze at the sudden revelation. His mother couldn’t speak? Why hadn’t Andreas told me that before.

“I’m happy to meet you, too,” I replied, smiling again. “Should I let you guys catch up?”

Guilt flashed briefly across my features. I hadn’t told my own boyfriend that my mother was mute…. what kind of a person did that? But I was a selfish, awful person. I’d just wanted to forget that my family was anything but normal… Which was a horrible thing to think. And I was a horrible son.

But I shook my head and indicated towards a section of the room that was curtained-off from the rest. “I want to see her..”

I nodded, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder.

“Let’s go see the little angel then, hm?” I said gently.

Angel.

Was that what my sister was supposed to become?

I drowned the thought in a sea of false confidence, nodded, and crossed the room to where Alma was lying.

It took me a few seconds to find enough courage to pull back the curtain, but before long, the overwhelming urge to see my sister again took over. I stepped through, and my heart broke.

My blood froze when I looked at Alma on the hospital bed, though I had never met her until today. She looked extremely sick. Pale, weak, and her hospital gown seemed to be too loose on her. Her eyes had a bit of black rot in them and I nearly cried. Why was a little girl like herself suffering like this? It wasn’t fair.

“Alma—“ I choked out and collapsed into my knees at her bedside. My trembling hands found her pale ones and squeezed tightly.

“Andreas?” A weak voice reached my ears. “Y-Yes, Alma, it’s me. It’s your brother. I—I’m here.” Tears were cascading down my blotchy face by now as I struggled to keep the decimated pieces of my composure together. The strangest thing was happening—my body, rather than heating up from an overload of emotion, was cooling down. My blood turned to icy slush in my veins.

I swallowed thickly as I watched Andreas break down, and after contemplating, I decided to walk towards them and kneel down. I rested my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it to let him know I was here.

“Hey, there, princess,” I smiled towards Alma, eyes crinkling. “I’m Kaden, your brother’s best friend. How are you feeling?”

Her eyes—Her beautiful, amber eyes—were wide open, but unseeing. Glazed over. Lifeless. I shuddered, just as she spoke. “I—I can’t see you,” Alma whimpered, tightening their fingers around mine. “Or your friend. Andreas, it hurts—“