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[color=808080][color=796e9c][b]#796e9c[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]alloy[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/5xxtzfJ][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [color=bdddff][b]#bdddff[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]polar[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/iJzlZbZ][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]descendant tower[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]The gunshot echoed in her mind like she’s in an empty dome, the sound reverberating over and over until her teeth felt loose and her ears rang. The dream didn't end when her mom died, it was like a time loop, replaying over and over, never ending, no escape in sight. Bellamy watched her die too many times to count, and then she watched her father die, and then she watched the men die, and then she watched her mom die again. The only thing she was never given the privilege of seeing is the release of her own life, and that was what woke her up shaking and gasping, vomit climbing up her throat. 

She jerked out of the bed, putting too much pressure on her bad ankle, and she crumpled to the ground with a dull sounding thud. Loki popped up behind her, eyes wide and bleary from sleep, but Bella couldn’t afford to pay him any mind. She all but dragged herself to the bathroom, the door already open, determined to throw up anywhere but Tobias’s hoodie. She makes it, but there is nothing in her stomach to really expel besides bile, heaving over the toilet until the sickness had passed. 

Eventually, Bell sank to the floor, pressing her flushed cheek to the tile as shivers shook her body. She felt feverish, but there was a ball of cold that was manifesting across her chest, pressing down on her. She couldn’t breathe, but two thoughts stood out louder than all the rest. 

Her mom was dead. Her dad was gone. 

A violent shudder ripped from her, and she knew she had only a few seconds before it all fell apart. Bella ripped off the hoodie, ignoring the pain that rolled from her shoulder blade down her spine, pushing the compression bandages to its limits as she struggled up, shucking off the sweatpants, stumbling toward the shower. The temperature in the bathroom was dropping rapidly, and Bella slipped when she stepped onto the cold tile, falling hard on her hip, and that’s where she stayed, dragging the glass shower door shut behind her before Loki could slip in. 

Her hands shook, the bracelet slid from her wrist, clattering to the tile, and then the ice practically exploded from her skin. It crawled across the floor, up the walls of the shower, wrapping around the ceiling. Loki yowled from the other side of the shower, unable to help, but the ice was contained with her in there, frosting over her skin. The temperature was dropping further, and she couldn’t [i]breathe.[/i] Bella curled in on herself, pressing her hands over her eyes as tears froze on her lashes. 

[color=d6d6d6]"Ms. Drake,"[/color] a voice was speaking, but she couldn’t seem to understand the words it was saying. Her vision was narrowing, dimming, as the ice frosted over the glass. She could hear Loki howling from the other side of the shower door, sounding pathetically panicked, but she couldn’t slow how her chest was heaving or her thoughts were spiraling. [color=d6d6d6]"Ms. Drake, your core temperature is rapidly dropping, do you require assistance?"[/color]

[color=bdddff]"No, no, no, [i]no,[/i]"[/color] she was incoherent, one hand clutching the wrist of her other hand hard enough to bruise. It was too much, powers too closely linked to her emotions, she couldn’t get it to stop. She was having an anxiety attack, nothing particularly new for Bellamy, but it had never been this bad before. Her powers were spiraling out of her control because of it, and she couldn’t get it to stop which only added to her panic.

[color=d6d6d6]"Ms. Drake, how may I assist you?"[/color]


Her chest hurt, and she stayed on the floor of the shower, surrounded by ice, hyperventilating, but inside she was standing in a forest screaming until her heart burst. The trees grew until the sunlight could no longer break through the foliage, and the darkness in her head became impenetrable. She wanted her mom, she wanted her dad, she wanted…

She took in a breath that seemed to rattle in her lungs, choking her as if ice was climbing up her throat from the inside out. [color=bdddff]"Tobias,"[/color] His name fell from her lips begging, like a prayer, without even an ounce of consideration to why she was saying it, calling out to him like he was there and he could save her from the spiral she’d fallen into. The voice overhead said something else, but she didn’t listen. Loki was making loud sounds of distress, clawing at the glass door, but Bella felt as if she was sinking in on herself, drowning in her anxiety. 

Everything else felt so, so far away. 

[color=d6d6d6]"Mr. Lehnsherr,"[/color] The sound of J.A.R.V.I.S. cut through the silence of Tobias’s penthouse. [color=d6d6d6]"Ms. Drake is in severe distress, her core temperature is approaching below zero, heart rate at 189 bpm, and she has called for your assistance. Should I alert someone in the case of a medical emergency?"[/color] 

Tobias had managed to stumble his way back to his apartment and fall into bed. He barely managed to get beneath the covers before sleep took him. He hadn’t moved an inch, unaware of how much time had passed when J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice rang throughout his bedroom and pulled him out of his nightmare. It took a second for his brain to catch up, fighting through the mental fog of exhaustion. Then it all crashed into him like a tidal wave, rousing him like a bucket of ice dumped over his head. He threw his blankets off of him and practically jumped out of bed as all of his exhaustion and pain was locked away beneath a surge of adrenalin. 

[color=796e9c]"No. Remain on standby,"[/color] he replied to the tower’s AI as he sprinted through his apartment, running past the elevator and out the door to the stairwell. Tobias took the stairs multiple at a time and used the railing to quickly launch himself around the landings and down the next flight. He reached Bellamy’s floor faster than the elevator would have reached his floor and hurried toward the ornate staircase in her living room. [color=796e9c]"Where is she, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Primary bathroom."[/color]

Where Tobias’s legs had grown weak with every step as he climbed to her bedroom earlier, he took them with a hastened fury, tunnel vision overpowering every other thought and sensation that attempted to cross his mind. The second he entered her room he was hit with a blast of cold. The drop in temperature sent an involuntary shiver down his back as he made his way toward her, finding it to look more like an arctic tundra than a bathroom. He quickly and carefully scoped Loki off the frozen ground. [color=796e9c]"Sorry buddy."[/color] The panic was evident in his voice as he set the cat outside the bathroom, then closed and locked the door behind him so he didn’t get hurt. 

Tobias turned back around, his breath a white cloud rising from his lips as he watched the frost climb up the sides of the shower, cracking and splintering the glass. He hesitantly reached out and carefully wrapped his fingers around the handle to the shower. The metal was so cold it burned against his palm. The fragile touch made the glass pop and threaten to shatter. He took a deep shaky breath and prepared himself. Then he pulled open the door. He let the handle fall from his grasp before pressing his hands against the tile above Bellamy. He hunched over her, using his body as a barricade as the glass shattered around them, and slid off his back before crashing to the ground. 

Once the destruction had settled, Tobias crouched down in front of her. He tucked her hair behind her ear then dipped his head to try and meet her gaze. [color=796e9c]"I’m here,"[/color] he whispered with a warmth she desperately needed. His finger gently hooked beneath her chin, turning her to face him. Bellamy’s skin was colder than ice. He wasn’t a doctor, but that wasn’t normal. There was a brief second where he reached for the shower’s tap, but she couldn’t stay there with all the broken glass. 

His skin was so warm it burned, but Bell relished in the pain because it distracted her from everything else. She took a deep, shuddering breath as if she’d emerged from water for the first time after quite a long time, opening eyes she hadn’t realized slipped shut. Her tears had crystallized, tumbling from her lashes and shattering against the frost covered tile. Confusion clouded her face at the sight of Tobias, but her hands rose of their own accord, latching onto the fabric of his hoodie like a lifeline.

[color=796e9c]"I’m sorry,"[/color] he spoke quietly as he slipped his hands beneath her and picked her up. Tobias tried his best to carefully step out of the shower. With his focus solely on her, he didn’t notice the small pieces of glass that sliced the bottom of his feet as he carried her toward the tub. He perched himself on the edge, letting Bell rest in his lap as he turned on the hot water. He didn’t want to send her into shock, so he made sure it was a cool but comfortable temperature before plugging the drain and carefully setting her down inside. 

Some part of her brain registered what was happening, trying to pull back her powers, desperate to make it stop, terrified of accidentally hurting him because she couldn’t control it. The lukewarm water was agony for a moment, the differing temperatures between her body and the liquid slowly filling the tub drew new sobs from her chest, and she twisted in the tub, looking for a way out.

Tobias didn’t know if someone with her type of powers could get hypothermia, but with the way she shook and how she felt colder than death, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. He knew the fastest way to raise someone’s body temperature was skin to skin contact. There was a brief second where his cheeks flushed, but he pushed aside the embarrassment for the sake of Bell’s well being. He quickly pulled off his hoodie so his chest was bare, then climbed into the tub behind her, still wearing his sweatpants. Tobias slowly slid his legs on either side of her as he lowered himself into the lukewarm water. [color=796e9c]"We have to get you warm,"[/color] he whispered from behind her, as a quiet warning. He hesitantly grabbed her biceps and eased her backwards so the exposed skin of her back rested against his bare chest. His hands then started to rub along her arms, trying to boost circulation and give her some of his warmth.

[color=bdddff]"Toby,"[/color] Bellamy’s voice was choked, and her back arched to put distance between them for a moment, scared beyond words of hurting him, the burn of his skin searing into her back and arms. [color=bdddff][i]"Hurts."[/i][/color] His hands were steady on her arms, rooting her to the spot, and after a moment, as the heat slowly began to thaw her body and cut through the panic, she collapsed against him. 

[color=796e9c]"I’m sorry,"[/color] he whispered as the warmth of his breath brushed along the back of her head. Her skin against his was numbing and piercing at the same time, while the warm water stung against the fresh cuts along the bottom of his feet. The muscle in his jaw tensed, but the concern that tugged at his brows wasn’t from his discomfort, but hers. He didn’t want to hurt her and contemplated pulling away, but then the full weight of her body fell back against him. 

Her gasping, shaking breaths subsided slowly, turning into soft sobs of mingled shame and fear. Bella felt as if the dam she’d built up around her emotions finally broke, and the flood was simply too much for her to bear alone. She hadn't wanted to give him this burden, they barely knew each other, and yet in the midst of it all, she’d wanted Tobias to be here, and now he was. She went very still for a moment, chest not rising or falling, body tensing in the water as the last of her ice melted, and then… Bellamy twisted around, arms slipping beneath his own, curling around his sides, and she pressed her face into the warm skin of his chest as her sobs spilled over. She could be embarrassed later, could hate herself for the weakness later, for now she clung to him and cried because her family was gone and she was alone and it was all just too much for her to face alone. 

[color=bdddff]"I’m sorry, I’m sorry,"[/color] she managed to find the words between her sobs, lips ghosting over his skin, but she made no move to pull away and put distance between them.

Tobias’s eyes went wide as she turned to face him and he froze, not knowing what to do or how to react. He didn’t know what to expect. Was she going to be mad at him for the warm water or getting in with her without asking permission? Maybe she was mad at him for breaking her shower. But it was none of those. Bell’s arms wrapped around him and she buried herself into his chest as her grief took her. There was a second or two of hesitation before his arms reflexively wrapped around her, one hand rested along her back while the other gently cupped the back of her head. He slowly sank into a more comfortable position, resting his back against the tub with a silent wince at the pressure against cuts. [color=796e9c]"You don’t have to apologize,"[/color] he spoke calmly, lightly stroking her hair as he attempted to console her.

The pressure of his arms around her, cradling her to him, made Bellamy feel as if she was being held together while she broke apart. She trembled against his chest as her sobs turned from soft to heartbroken and gut wrenching. She let the grief out now, because she wasn’t sure if she’d ever give herself another chance. Incoherent words fell from her lips, things like; [color=bdddff][i]"They’re gone."[/i][/color] and [color=bdddff][i]"My fault."[/i][/color] and  [color=bdddff][i]"I’m sorry."[/i][/color] repeating over and over until she’d exhausted herself, cries slowly quieting, arms going a little lip around his sides. Bella didn’t know how long she cried for, clinging to Tobias, but by the time she was done the water had cooled and she was shivering against him. 

Bell didn’t move away, she couldn’t find any energy to be embarrassed, the beat of his heart beneath her ear was steady and comforting, lulling her into a sense of calm that felt foreign and far away. Her hair was damp, clinging to the bare skin of his chest, and she shivered again, instinctively pressing closer to him, seeking more warmth even though she was the one that caused all the cold to begin with. [color=bdddff]"’M sorry,"[/color] she mumbled, eyes drifting shut. The cold didn’t matter all that much, anyways. This was comfortable enough, and she had no energy left for anything, let alone to pull herself away from him and out of the tub. She just… didn’t want him to leave.

Tobias didn’t pull away or try to leave. He settled into the chill of the tub, their shared body heat the only thing that kept him from trembling. He didn’t know how long they remained there, but when the water got high he used his foot to shut it off, being careful not to disturb her. He didn’t know what to say or what to do besides be there and give her soft reassurances. Every time she blamed herself he muttered a soft, [color=796e9c]"It’s not your fault,"[/color] or when she apologized he said [color=796e9c]"It’s ok,"[/color] and stroked her hair. 

As the water grew cold, he concentrated on keeping his breaths steady. His muscles ached as he held in every shiver and tremble so he didn’t make Bell feel any worse than she already did. [color=796e9c]"Bell,"[/color] his voice was soft and quiet, but a faint shiver hung on the end of her name as it left his lips. [color=796e9c]"You’re getting cold again. We need to get out."[/color] He slowly sat up, letting her remain against his chest as his hand fumbled around for a moment until he found the drain. It took some coordination, but Tobias managed to keep one arm around her as he lifted them up until he was sitting on the edge of the tub with her in his lap while red tinged water swept from his feet and down the drain. He carefully swung his legs over the side, turning to face out toward the rest of the bathroom. [color=796e9c]"I need you to stand. Ok?"[/color]

He gently helped Bell to her feet, then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. [color=796e9c]"Dry off,"[/color] he instructed her before turning back toward the room. Tobias grabbed another towel and knelt down on the tile. As best as he could, he attempted to sweep the pieces of glass into a pile beneath the sink. He could figure out cleaning it up and replacing her shower door tomorrow when he talked to Alfred, but it wasn’t worth waking him up in the middle of the night. When he thought he got it all, he ran a hand along the ground sacrificing his own palm to make sure she didn’t cut herself on any strays. He noticed the clothes he had lent to her, picked them up before he stood up and held them out to her. [color=796e9c]"Here."[/color] Then without a warning, he picked her up for the… He had lost track of how many times at that point. While he was certain he got every piece, he still didn’t trust it. 

Tobias unlocked the bathroom door, opened it and then set her down on the soft carpet where Loki impatiently waited for her. [color=796e9c]"Get dressed,"[/color] he directed her gently. [color=796e9c]"I’ll wait in here until you’re decent."[/color] He closed the door and sighed. Now that he was alone and didn’t have to put on a brave face, he grimaced with each step as he made his way to the toilet and sat down. Tobias sat in quiet, shivering in his soaked sweatpants as he pulled the small pieces of glass from his feet and discarded them into the trash. It wasn’t until he was done that he noticed the blood he trailed across the tile floor. [color=796e9c]"Fuck,"[/color] he muttered under his breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Everything Tobias said took a few moments to process, she felt as if she were in a fog, unfolding herself from his body to stand, rubbing the soft fabric of the towel over her chilled body slowly, taking the clothes and staring at them blankly for a long moment before her feet left the ground and she was lifted. Bella tilted her head back, eyes catching on his own, and her breath stuttered in her chest as she realized he was [i]here.[/i] It hadn’t fully registered, but… she’d called, and he came, and something about that meant more than she could put into words. 

The carpet was soft and warm compared to the bathroom, Loki meowing and rubbing against her bare foot, trying to get her attention as the door shut and she looked down at the clothes, at the towel still wrapped around her, and her soaked bandages. It took a moment, but slowly, with stiff fingers, Bellamy unwound the compression bandages. First from her wrist, then her ankle, and then finally the one around her chest and shoulder. Slowly, painfully, she pulled the hoodie over her head. The fabric pooled around her waist, but she didn’t bother with the sweatpants, remembering vaguely that Tobias’s were soaked. 

[color=bdddff]"Tobias?"[/color] Bell’s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, and she cleared her throat, trying again until his name came out clearly.  [color=bdddff]"I’m dressed…kind of."[/color] Loki was climbing up the back of the hoodie, until he could curl around her shoulder, and when the bathroom door opened she held up the sweatpants with flushed cheeks, eyes set on the ground.  [color=bdddff]"You…You wear them,"[/color] her hand trembled, eyes burning with fresh tears, and she couldn’t look at him, didn’t want to see his expression as she allowed herself to be selfish one more time tonight. [color=bdddff]"Just—please, don’t leave."[/color]

Tobias pushed off his knees, slowly standing up and making his way over to the door. The tips of his fingers unintentionally brushed hers as he took the sweatpants gently from her grasp. [color=796e9c]"Ok,"[/color] he replied quietly with a nod. He slowly closed the door then pressed his back against it as he studied the crimson streaks mixed with water that trailed along the floor. First he needed to wrap his feet before he trailed bloody footprints across her apartment. He took a step toward the sink and started opening cabinets and drawers. There were things for certain about the academy, that they’d get injured and that most of them were too stubborn to go to the infirmary. As such, every penthouse had its own first aid kit. He just had to find it. 

After a minute or two of searching, he found the white box tucked up under the sink out of sight. Tobias set the hoodie he was wearing and the dry sweatpants on the counter before returning to sit on the toilet lid. He made quick work of cleaning his feet with antiseptic wipes and then wrapping them in bandages. It was nothing fancy or a fraction as efficient as the infirmary, but it stemmed the bleeding which was all he needed. He then spent the next five minutes on his hands and knees, cleaning up the puddles of pink water with a towel. He discarded the stained cloth in a pile with the one filled with glass and moved back to his feet.

For the first time since returning to the academy, Tobias caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Circles nearly as dark as his tattoos curved beneath his eyes. Small clumps of dried mud lingered in his hair and along the curve of his jaw. The cut in his cheek ran along his cheekbone just beneath his eye and halfway across his nose. The ink that decorated his body rose and fell with every labored breath. Every bandage was soaked and clung to his skin. He sighed and head fell, no longer wanting to look at the shadow of a man that stared back at him. His fingers diligently tore the bandages from his arms and shoulder, discarding them into the trash, and then pulled on the dry hoodie with a sharp breath. He peeled off the drenched sweatpants and draped them over the side of the tub before pulling on the ones Bell had borrowed. 

Tobias sighed then slowly crossed the bathroom. The glint of metal out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked over and saw a small bracelet lying on the ground in the shower. He held out his hand, pulling the small piece of jewelry off the ground and floating it through the air until it fell gently into his palm. With one last deep breath, he opened the door. Tobias stood silently on the edge of her bedroom, just the tips of his toes brushing against the carpet. His gaze fell to the ground the moment he noticed Bellamy was undressed from the waist down. The full gravity of everything that had just happened and what he did finally slammed into him like a sledgehammer to the chest. His cheeks flushed as he struggled to meet her gaze. [color=796e9c]"You dropped this,"[/color] he spoke quietly, filling the silence as he extended his hand toward her with the bracelet resting in his palm.

She’d curled in on herself waiting for him, and it wasn’t the sound of the bathroom door opening but his voice that pulled her back from the spiral her thoughts had almost fallen into again. Bella titled her head back, taking in the sight of Tobias with tired eyes, but…she reached out, taking the bracelet and slipping it back onto her wrist before she struggled to her feet, catching herself unsteadily on his arm once she was standing. The fabric of his hoodie fell just below the tops of her thighs, hiding her underwear from view, and she leaned against him for a second, letting out a soft sigh. 

Her hand slid down his arm, until she found his fingers, lacing them with her own, before she very pointedly pushed Tobias back a few steps into the bathroom, limping along behind him without a word. Bellamy directed him back toward the tub in a way that was a little bossy in its silence, putting both her hands on his shoulders when they got to the ledge and pushing down uselessly until he obliged and sat. She twisted away without a word, moving carefully as her ankle and hip throbbed in pain, snagging a clean washcloth from the rack and a bottle of shampoo that had been left by the tub before she turned the water on and left it on, steam billowing up as hot water slid down the drain. 

Tobias remained silent, heat building in his chest and flooding his cheeks as his gaze followed her hand from the corner of his eyes. His hand twitched slightly as her fingers slipped between his effortlessly. A breath caught in his chest as she pushed him backwards, his mind fumbling to keep up and understand what was happening while his body heeded her commands subconsciously. It all felt intimate… [i]too[/i] intimate. Panic tugged at the back of his mind as she moved him with a silent dominance that felt foreign to the timid stranger he was familiar with. It wasn’t… [i]She wasn’t…[/i] His heart raced as a thought sunk into his mind like an anchor. It couldn’t be that. They had just met… They were exhausted. [i]He was exhausted…[/i] That wasn’t why he did it. He didn’t want repayment, not like that. He needed to tell her to stop but his body still caved to her demands, lowering himself onto the edge of the tub. Tobias’s lips parted, struggling to find the words to tell her no when she turned on the water and a panicked tense laugh spilled out instead.

Methotically, Bell wet the washcloth beneath the water, added a small dollop of soap, and rubbed the fabric together to spread it, before she turned back toward Tobias. She was determined, lips pulled down into a slight frown as she stepped closer, slotting herself between his legs without a second thought, one hand curling around the back of his neck and tugging gently until he bowed his head some so she could properly find all the little bits of dried mud that still flecked his hair, rubbing at them gently until the soap cleaned it all away. Bellamy was so focused and intent that she didn’t properly register how close they were at first, his forehead nearly brushing her collarbone as she leaned into him, her outer thighs pressed to his inner thighs, the hand at the back of his neck found her fingers ghosting over bare skin. 

She paused as the realization sunk in, hands stilling as the heat of his body registered, his cologne mixing with the smell of the shampoo; something floral and musky, it took a lot of self control for Bella to step away as color flooded her face, soaking the wash cloth and then squeezing the soap from it as best she could until only water remained. She returned to her spot in front of him, still blushing but just as determined, running the hot, damp cloth one more time over his hair to remove the soap that had remained, using one of her hands to tilt his head back so she could look at his face. It was a little silly, how he put up with her silent demands, looking exhausted and just a little bewildered, but it softened her some as her lips pulled up into a tired smile. 

Some of Tobias’s initial tension melted away as he realized what she was doing. But something else twisted and knotted in his chest as he sat silent and obedient. He swallowed, knees subconsciously spreading slightly as Bell stepped closer, slipping between them. His gaze fixated on the drawstring of his hoodie she wore, keeping his breathing steady as the heat grew in his cheeks and his clenched fists rested on top of his knees. Everything from the neck down remained frozen and stoic like a statue while his head moved with every gentle guidance of her touch. When she tilted his head back, Tobias blinked slowly before letting his gaze slowly lift to meet hers. He wasn’t expecting to see her smiling down at him, even exhausted and sad, there was an authentic warmth behind her eyes and the subtle curvature of her lips. His shoulders fell slightly as the faintest bit of tension eased from his muscles while a weary smile softened the dark melancholy in his eyes.

She took him in properly, the slope of his nose, the curve of his cheekbones, the bags beneath his eyes, the shape of his lips… Bella blinked, lifting the cloth to rub at a single remaining smudge beneath his chin, using her free hand to tilt his head ever so slightly. Once she was done, she laid the washcloth along the edge of the tub beside his soaked pants, turning back to face Tobias with slow uncertainty. [color=bdddff]"I…"[/color] she licked her lips and looked down, feeling like her mouth was too dry all of a sudden, and catching sight of how close she was to him from where she stood, keeping him in place on the edge of the tub with how she’d wedged herself between his legs. Her face burned, and she looked back up at him. 

[color=bdddff]"Sorry, I-I don’t know what I was thinking, I just…"[/color] Bell went to step back, bad ankle flattering for a second, body tilting backwards. 

Tobias’s eyes widened. He leaned forward, standing slightly as his hands reached out to gently grab Bell by her waist. He steady her carefully before slowly lowering himself back onto the side of the tub. Hesitantly he released his hold on her, but his hands hovered in the air at her side, ready to catch her if she stumbled again. [color=796e9c]"Why do you keep trying to use that foot?"[/color] he asked her quietly with a weak playfulness in his tone as he let his gaze fall to the bruised culprit. [color=796e9c]"It’s not going to heal if you keep twisting it every five minutes."[/color] He slowly looked back up into her icy blue eyes with a gentle concern that knit his brows together.

The press of his hands curling around her waist made her heart skip a beat, and her face felt so hot that she was worried she had an actual fever. Bell looked down, away from his soft gaze, feeling a lump form in her throat as she contemplated how to answer. [color=bdddff]"I…"[/color] she squeezed her hands into fists for a moment, breathing slowly as she took a moment to make sure she had full control of her powers. [color=bdddff]"I can heal, technically,"[/color] she felt disgusting for admitting it aloud, for sharing the fact that she was choosing this weakness over the alternative. [color=bdddff]"I was too tired, and…it feels [i]wrong[/i] to heal it when—when they’re—"[/color] Fresh tears filled her eyes, and for the first time since she’d come to the tower it wasn’t only sadness that filled her chest. There was a swell of anger, and it only made her even more tired. 

He scooted forward slightly, gently taking her forearms into his large calloused hands. Tobias waited patiently for her to meet his gaze and settle her breathing. [color=796e9c]"Your parents wouldn’t want you in pain."[/color] His voice was calm as he spoke slowly, emphasizing each word with a reassuring squeeze of his thumb. [color=796e9c]"What do you need to do to heal?"[/color]

Her breath caught in her throat, tensed shoulders relaxing beneath his hands as she peaked at Tobias from beneath her lashes. They wouldn’t want her in pain, she knew that, but… [color=bdddff]"I have to turn into ice."[/color] It sounded so, so ridiculous saying it out loud, and her cheeks darkened a little, so she hastened to explain herself. [color=bdddff]"I have an organic ice form, I mean, technically I could use molecular control over moisture to replace my body's compromised cells with fresh, untainted water molecules but…"[/color] Bell trailed off, and she let out a soft sigh, sagging just a little against his hands. Her eyes burned, both from the tears and exhaustion. [color=bdddff]"It helps if I’m submerged in water, and it takes focus."[/color]

[color=796e9c]"So, what you’re saying is…"[/color] Tobias’s voice trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder toward the steaming water she left running. [color=796e9c]"You could have healed yourself the entire time we were in there, and [i]didn’t?[/i]"[/color] He quirked a brow then slowly looked back over at her with a tired but soft playfulness behind his eyes. He understood that it was the farthest thing from her mind while in the middle of a panic attack and he didn’t blame her for that. But he still tried to find some levity in the irony of the situation. If only to ease tensions.

Pink flushed her face from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, embarrassment seeping into her like cold, and Bella tried very hard not to squirm where she stood. Yes, that was what she was saying, but it was the way he wasn’t condemning her for it, rather gently joking about it, that made her chest feel warm and her heart flutter. [color=bdddff]"Yes,"[/color] she managed, biting her lower lip and realizing that just like with Alfred, Tobias being so kind in this moment felt like proof that something in her had broken. She wasn’t even sure if she deserved the kindness, not after he’d sacrificed so much trying to save her but she allowed her injuries to remain. [color=bdddff]"I wasn’t thinking clearly."[/color] 

Bellamy swiped at her cheeks with one of his sleeves, trying to stem the flow of tears before she could fall apart completely again. She looked back at him, letting his presence ground her in this moment, fighting the urge to hug him again. It was wrong, and confusing, to take so much comfort in Tobias when they barely knew each other, and it wasn’t fair on him either. [color=bdddff]"I’m sorry, you were sleeping, I didn’t mean to. I had a nightmare, and sometimes I can’t control it."[/color] She held up her good wrist, tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie until the bracelet he’d returned to her was visible. Bruises in the shape of her fingers overlapped the pale skin, and Bella blinked at the sight in surprise, quickly tugging the sleeve back down. [color=bdddff]"The bracelet is supposed to help, but I panicked."[/color] She couldn’t quite bring herself to meet his gaze, eyes settling on his cheekbones instead. 

[color=796e9c]"Stop apologizing,"[/color] he chided her softly with a warm, understanding tone and faint smile. [color=796e9c]"I can sleep on the couch if it’d make you more comfortable having someone close by,"[/color] Tobias offered. With how tired he was, it really didn’t matter where he slept. He’d be out within a few minutes and still probably sleep like shit between how sore he was, the numerous fresh wounds he had, and the nightmares that plagued him every night. Plus, if she had another panic attack he wouldn’t have to run as far, which was a bonus.

She caught sight of his lips pulling up into a soft smile, and her bottom lip wobbled traitorously for a second before she managed to return it. [color=bdddff]"Could you… I mean, if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you could just sleep in the bed."[/color] Bella’s face [i]burned[/i] and she hastened to add more, looking anywhere but at Tobias. [color=bdddff]"I just mean, it would be more comfortable, and of course I don’t expect se—I mean, Christ."[/color] She raised her hands, covering her face and trying to decide if it was too late to have Tobias leave so she could just drown herself in the damned tub and end all of her suffering in one go. 

Tobias’s face turned bright red as he abruptly stood up, shifting from being at eye height to towering over her. She was still close enough that he wobbled slightly, trying to find his balance without tipping backwards into the tub or pressing his chest against hers. He swallowed the lump in his throat, holding his hands up cautiously, letting them hover precariously in the air near Bell’s shoulders. [color=796e9c]"I…"[/color] His brain struggled to find the words and make coherent sentences. [color=796e9c]"I’m not that type of guy,"[/color] he admitted between shaky breaths. He blinked trying to focus his thoughts. [color=796e9c]"You uh…"[/color] He nodded his head at the tub behind him. [color=796e9c]"Heal yourself and I’ll—"[/color] Then he pointed at the door. 

Her hands slipped from covering her eyes to just her lower face when he stood up, head titling back some to look up at him. Bella’s brain felt like it stalled for a second as she realized how tall he actually was, and how close they were still, every breath she took kept the smell of his cologne in her head. She felt awful, he was clearly flustered now and it was because she’d said the wrong thing, she didn’t—it wasn’t like she was trying to seduce him or something stupid like that.

While holding his breath, Tobias sidestepped, slipping out from being sandwiched between the edge of the bath and Bellamy. Before she could panic again, he quickly added. [color=796e9c]"I’m not going anywhere. Just… you know… privacy."[/color] He nodded his head and quickly exited the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him. 

Not two steps into her bedroom, Loki meowed up at him seemingly annoyed that he was closed out. [color=796e9c]"Sorry, buddy,"[/color] he whispered, giving himself a second for his heart to stop racing and the heat to fade from his cheeks. Tobias sighed softly, leaning down to pick up the small kitten before making his way toward Bellamy’s bed. Then he sort of just… [i]froze.[/i] Five minutes earlier he wouldn’t have thought much about it, but now a cold sweat tickled along the back of his neck and the subtle dread of anxiety twisted in his chest. There was one clear side where she had been sleeping, so he walked around to the other side where the blankets still remained perfectly made. 

Rather than climbing beneath them, Tobias laid on his back on top of the comforter. He gently set the cat on Bell’s pillow as he got settled, crossing his ankles, tucking his left hand behind his head and resting his right hand across his stomach. Once he stopped moving, Loki wasted no time climbing onto Tobias’s chest, burrowing himself into the hood of his sweater, nuzzled against his neck. It wasn’t his intention to fall asleep, but as another rush of adrenalin left his body, he was too exhausted to think, let alone keep his eyes open. It was a matter of a couple minutes he was out cold, chest rising and falling rhythmically with each heavy breath.

The door had shut softly behind Tobias, and now it was her turn to sit on the edge of the tub. Bellamy rested her elbows on the tops of her thighs as she hunched over for a second, hands pressed to her forehead, and she fought to calm her breathing. It had been irrational, the panic she’d felt when she’d thought that he was leaving. It wouldn’t be any good for her to get attached to him, it would be bad for both of them. She pushed herself to her feet, looking at the tub for a moment, debating which way would be easier, but… no, it would be faster to just switch to her organic ice form. 

Bell dragged off the hoodie, squeezing her lips together tightly as her shoulder pulled and pain slid down her back like rain water, cold and persistent. She dropped the hoodie to the ground, and slid her undergarments off, letting her eyes slip shut as she focused. It started at the soles of her feet, soft skin shifted into unrelenting ice, as blue as a glacier in the Arctic. It spread to the tops of her feet, up her ankles, curling around her calves, thighs, stomach, all the way to the top of her head. Her eyes fluttered open, and she held out a hand for inspection. This form reminded her of her father, it made her chest hurt just to look at her iced over hand, but she’d never felt stronger, more [i]alive[/i] than when she was like this. 

She let out a soft breath, the air that expelled from her lungs visible as it hissed into the relative warmth of the bathroom, and she let the focus on holding this form slip. The ice seemed to seep back beneath her skin, leaving her body unblemished of the previous injuries that had marked her and, in their own morbid way, represented the tragedy that had become her life. Bellamy stared down listlessly at the hoodie for a moment, feeling as if she’d displaced the last piece of herself that existed before everything fell apart, and then she got dressed. The world doesn’t stop spinning, even if it feels like hers did, so she took it one step at a time. Turning off the water from the tub, making sure the hoodie covered her as much as possible, and finally making her way out of the bathroom. 

She wasn’t expecting him to already be asleep, but Bellamy shouldn’t have been surprised. Her gaze softened, and she hesitated before slipping into her side of the bed, very carefully and delicately draping a blanket that had laid rumbled on her side of the bed across Tobias before she slid beneath the sheets and curled up on her side. The bed was soft, and warm, and the steady breathing beside her lulled her off into sleep faster than she could begin to overthink the fact that he’d stayed. If at some point in the night she naturally gravitated closer to Tobias, one of her hands curling into the fabric of his hoodie, the crown of her head just barely brushing his arm, well she was asleep and it wasn’t her fault.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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