Wasted

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z smiled as Illia took his hand. Maybe that was for the best... He kinda felt a little dizzy, and not all those drugs they put him on for the procedure had drained out of his system yet. He continued down the hall and out the door as best he could, but something told him he wasn't going to be running anywhere anytime soon. He hurt too much for that!

Along the way, Illia said something. He didn't hear it quite well at first because he felt a little out of sorts and dazed from the whole having to have surgery thing, but when he listened harder, he got the gist of it.

She was sorry? About the whole thing? He felt a little trill of uncertainty as he walked with her down the halls. Something felt a little funny about the way she'd said it.

She was sorry... Why did it sound so odd to hear? He believed her, right? It wasn't like he thought she was lying. But... something about it rung strange. She didn't sound... sincere.

He didn't know if this was the drugs, or his fatigue, but he was sure whatever he was feeling it was off. He had his instincts, but six hours on an operating table can leave even the best instincts a little out of whack.

"Forget about it." He finally said, though, to him it was just a suggestion. He wasn't going to forget about it. Something was wrong, either with him, or with Illia.

He really hoped it was just the anesthetics.

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[Iƪƪia]

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as Illia listened to Z's response. That was a decent response, right? Hopefully, he'd just remain his normal, clueless self. That was probably best for everyone. No one needed to dwell on her problems... Still, it was a bit pitiful that White was able to read her better than Z was. Well, that's not important at the moment.

However, Z didn't seem thoroughly convinced by her words. Maybe she should add something else?

"I'm really glad that you're alright..."

Perfect. It wasn't a lie at all, so no trouble there. Although, just to be safe, she made sure to flood her sentence with as much charm as possible. It wasn't necessary to reverse his mindset; just to erase as much doubt as possible.

Slowly, with pronounced, deliberate motions, she slipped her arms around his shoulders, holding him in a loose embrace. She tried not to hurt him at all, but she had to make sure that he understood. Well... All that he needed to understand right now.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z felt a little strain as he hugged Illia back. Just a little from his wound. Everything else was under a lot more stress now though. His body was burning up, and his brain was going crazy. She loved him, right? Just like he loved her? It sure seemed like it, but he just couldn't shake that feeling he had - that instinct.

He loved Illia, enough to jump in front of a vindictive vampire with a loaded gun. Enough to tell her to run instead of helping him. He loved her that much, but did she love him that much?

It hurt to ask, and he was sure as hell it would hurt more to know, even if the answer was a good one. If she didn't it would hurt, and if she did, then he'd hate himself for thinking of it. A lose/lose situation was forming, he knew it, and he couldn't do anything about it.

He just had to trust her... right? That's all it took. Trust? He didn't want to think about it anymore. His brain was done thinking. He just wanted to be near Illia, and that was it.

"I'm glad too." He murmured. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

And he was glad of that, and he held onto that notion. At least Illia wasn't hurt. At least White didn't go after her. That sounded better. That sounded a lot better.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Illia. Not even a scratch."

And suddenly, he had a goal. He didn't have to focus on the love or the trust part. He could just focus on protecting Illia. He could do that. He knew how to do that. Everything else was so complicated - so confusing it made his head spin, but not this. She was worth protecting, and all else aside, that was what he would do.

He almost felt better about it...

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[Iƪƪia]

Content, Illia pulled away. All was as it should be now. For the most part, anyway. At least a lot of things seemed to be better and she was confident that everything would work out for her in the end.

"Aw, don't worry about me. I'm not as brash as some people."

His earnest, simpleminded loyalty was almost cute, if not thoroughly pathetic. Although, it was better to be with someone who would blindly follow you instead of someone aware and intuitive who sought to question every unfamiliar move you made.

Despite his vile human qualities, Z had actually turned out to be a good friend. After all, he pretty much threw himself in front of a bullet for her. That meant he was worthy of being called a friend, right? And in a truer sense of the word than what she was accustomed to, at that. Lucky guy, to actually be considered her friend, wasn't he?[/color]