#Quent Yaiden | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twinkletoes-rp · 5 years

Text

Wolf’s Rain: Bloodied Chances Ch. 6 - Morning Light

(Can also be read on FFN / AO3 / Previous / Next )

It’s before dawn, too early for even Kiba to be awake, when Toboe’s fever breaks at last. He wakes up several minutes after, ever so slowly, mind foggy and eyes not much better. He waits for both to clear, yawning and looking around while he tries to remember where he is.

After another minute or two, he’s alert enough to start investigating. It’s pitch black outside, a smattering of stars dotting the sky through the triangular doorway, and he takes in the rest of the little hut from there. That’s right... His pack’s makeshift little hideaway. And if he’s here, he knows his pack won’t be far away.

Of course, it’s only then that he realizes, heart leaping to his throat, that he’s not alone. It’s not something that would have slipped by usually, especially not dead last, but…well, he’ll blame it on how odd he feels. Why is there a wet…cloth on his forehead? Why is he so sweaty? He tries to move, but pain radiates up his left leg, and he hisses and chokes back a pained grunt, reflexively reaching toward it—

Which just makes the someone with him, apparently holding him now that Toboe registers the arms around his back and fingers tangling a bit in his hair, pull him closer, almost protectively. For a split second, Toboe’s heart pounds. Who could—?!

Wait…! He knows that smell. He knows that silver hair and that…that scar on his chest… “T-Tsume…” he breathes, stilted and startled at first, but so very relaxed in the next moment, it’s like he was never afraid at all. Oh, thank goodness…! He looks his packmate over. He doesn’t look so great. Wait… Has he been with him all night?! But why—?

All at once, he remembers the pain in his leg, and his encounter with Quent and Blue comes rushing back. Getting shot, Tsume and Kiba coming to his rescue after he froze. He’s still not sure why he froze, why the former two didn’t recognize him, but…

Suddenly, with that train of thought, his nightmares come hurtling back, too. But after that…he also swears he remembers Tsume being there, pulling him away from all the voices, all the truths and guilt and pain, prying his hands from his ears to hug him instead and replace them all with reassurance and forgiveness and a gentleness he can’t hope to describe. Tears sting his eyes, a few of them slipping past his defenses. He’s… Paradise, Tsume…! “T-thank you, Tsume…” he breathes, barely that, not wanting to wake him, after all. He’s sacrificed enough sleep for him already.

Hesitating for a half-second, Toboe wraps his arms around Tsume as carefully as he can, nuzzling into his chest again all too happily. Tsume doesn’t seem to object as he pulls him even closer, and Toboe’s smile turns into an outright beam, his hold tightening just a little as he burrows in a few millimeters more. He’s not sure Tsume would really allow this or continue cuddling him if he were conscious (at least not so blatantly), so he’s going to take this for all it’s worth.

Once he’s comfortable, Toboe closes his eyes and takes deep, even breaths. Tsume’s scent fills his nose, but if he concentrates hard enough, he can smell the others right outside, too. Good. He’s glad they’re safe. Toboe lets that knowledge lull him to sleep, out like a light in seconds. This is the best, most restful sleep either of them has had in a long time.

Outside, Kiba is smiling softly. He’s been awake for a while, watching the moon and keeping an ear out for Toboe. He sighs silently at these developments, altogether adoring, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Whatever happens this time around, he knows those two will always have each other, and he’s glad for it.

No one should have to be alone.

It’s a few more hours before Toboe wakes up again.

“Hey, look! He’s waking up!” he hears Hige tell the others quietly, the excitement in his voice getting a fond, relieved hum from Kiba, and someone takes his hand as he immediately kneels at his side. That’s Tsume. He can tell from the callouses, sure, but even then…he’d just know. That’s how they work.

Opening his eyes is a bit more of a chore this time than last, but Toboe attributes that to not having nightmares to interrupt his deeper sleep. When he finally does, he has to blink several times to be able to see, and the first thing he does is exactly what he’d want: his friends.

“Hey, buddy!” Of course Hige is the first one to greet him, already so eager about it, his toothy beam almost blinding. Toboe doesn’t mind. “Good to have you back!”

Kiba, of course, is quieter, but no less relieved and overjoyed. There’s a softness in his face that makes Toboe’s eyes widen and breath catch. “Toboe…” He says his name like it’s a prayer he’s been saying all night. Maybe he has. “You had us worried. I’m glad you’re all right.”

Tsume squeezes his hand, his voice calling for attention, but gentle underneath, too. “Hey.” Toboe looks over, and he’s pleasantly surprised to find Tsume’s other hand ruffling his hair in the next second. The boy smiles, breathes a stuttered, weak laugh. “How do you feel?”

Toboe opens his mouth to answer, but it’s so dry that he just coughs and grimaces. Hige rummages around for a moment and then comes closer with a small water bottle in his hand. “You’re probably parched. Here. This’ll help.” Helping him sit up a bit and supporting his head, Tsume’s hand on his back just in case, he lets Toboe drink, standing by if he needs him. He’s a little shaky, but mostly does fine, and Hige’s grinning even more by the time he’s done. “How’s that? Better?”

Having Tsume help him sit up the rest of the way, Toboe takes a deep breath and sighs in relief before smiling brightly at his packmate. “Much! Thanks, Hige!” His voice is still a little scratchy from disuse and crying, but it could be worse.

If there could be stars and colored lights floating in the background behind him, Toboe’s sure there would be. Hige looks like he’s just been given the world’s biggest slab of meat. “‘Course! No problem!”

Remembering Tsume’s question, he turns to find the older wolf still staring at him intently, waiting almost on bated breath for his answer. Softening a bit, he squeezes the hand Tsume holds, a fond smile on to his lips. “I feel…mostly fine, I think.” It’s only now that he notices the towel’s gone from his forehead. The others must have taken it off when they noticed his fever was broken. He glances down at his leg. “My leg still hurts, but not as much as it did earlier. I could still see the moon then, so I think its light might have helped.” But walking on it…he’s not so sure about that…

Tsume must see that in his expression because, after sighing through his nose (in relief), the next thing he asks is, “Can you walk?”

A frowning almost-pout crosses Toboe’s face as he eyes his bandages for a moment, then shrugs. “I don’t know.” He’s a little nervous to try – mostly because, if he can’t, won’t he just slow them down? He doesn’t want to be a burden on them…

Tsume interrupts his worried thoughts with an offered hand. “Well, we’ll never know if you just sit there.” Toboe looks up at his friend curiously, and Tsume’s serious, yet soft expression gives him pause. Touched affection curls in his chest. “Hold on to me. I’ll take you as far as we can go.” He blinks. That sounds…familiar somehow… He swears he heard something like that in the old world…

Pushing that aside for later, he shakes his head to clear it and nods determinedly, taking Tsume’s hand. “R-right!” After all, he made a promise to them last time, didn’t he? He swore he wouldn’t whine or run away anymore. This is the same thing. He won’t slow them down either.

Going slowly, Tsume supports him with forearms under his and hands cradling his elbows. Toboe actually gets farther than he thought he would, almost all the way up, before the pain becomes too much. “Ow!” He hisses sharply and squeezes one eye shut, lifting his bad leg reflexively and regretting it when his knees buckle. He gasps and braces himself, but Tsume’s latching an arm around him in a second. It takes Toboe a heartbeat to get his breath back, sighing with relief. “Th-thanks, Tsume… Sorry.”

Tsume squeezes him a little in lowering them both to the ground again. “Don’t be stupid,” he tosses back, no heat behind it, and Toboe looks up at him once they’re settled. Tsume doesn’t look disappointed. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he looks almost…!

A proud smirk breaks out on the older wolf’s face, and he reaches out to ruffle red hair with his free hand. Light laughter colors the air between his next words. “You really have gotten stronger!”

The beam those words invoke is worth everything. This is why they fought so hard for him. This is why they will always fight for him, do anything to keep him safe—just like they know Toboe would for them. It took them a while to figure it out, warm up to and actively practice it, but…this is what it means to be a pack.

And with the waking morning’s light bathing him, Toboe looks even more striking than usual, his bracelets glittering in the sun.

It’s beautiful.

He is.

Softening, the three older wolves collectively share a single thought: Thank Paradise he’s still with us.

Digging around in the bag again, Hige turns back to Toboe, looking sympathetic. “I’m gonna have to redo your bandages, especially if we plan on clearing out now that the old man knows we’re in town, so try not to move, okay? You should be healing all right as is, but I don’t wanna take any chances. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.”

Toboe nods, biting back a grimace as he stretches out his leg a little more to give Hige better access. He tries to lean this way and that to see inside the bag behind his friend, but he can’t see much of anything. He thinks he smells chemicals…? “What’s in the bag, Hige? Did you find some herbs somewhere?” he asks, curious if there’s anything he knows.

Hige chuckles, a regretful half-grin on his face. “Man, I wish.” He shakes his head. “Nope, sorry. We were without our resident Herb Specialist,” he gives Toboe a teasing, proud look, which just makes the boy flush and duck his head shyly, a delighted little smile on his face, “so we had to make do with more…‘conventional’ human methods.” Toboe makes a mental note to gather some herbs when they’re in a forest next, just in case. “We’ve been going on memories and instinct alone here, so don’t expect anything miraculous, but I think we’ve been doin’ pretty well so far. You’re still alive, aren’t ya?”

It’s meant to be a joke, but Hige regrets the words as soon as they’re out of his mouth. Freezing, he watches Toboe closely.

For his part, Toboe definitely feels a momentary stab of…something in his chest, and he definitely sees Kiba and particularly Tsume tense out of the corner of his eye, the latter glaring at Hige, who winces…but it’s fine, really. He died. They all died. And it’s sad, it’s awful, but…that’s why they’re here in this new world, and it’s why they can all be together again. So…Toboe doesn’t see it as the kind of taboo the others are making it out to be. He just…sees it as life. Because it was. His life. And he’s okay with it. He’s accepted it.

He grins triumphantly and nods. “You bet!”

#Wolf's Rain #Wolf's Rain fanfiction #Toboe #Tsume #Quent Yaiden #(It's been forever but this fic is NOT dead! Just been working like CRAZY and had no energy to write and also writer's block was a bitch)#Any feedback would be much appreciated #Thank you in advance

4 notes · View notes