No Rest for the Wicked

V- Mature

C.w- Mature content latet signalled from bold text. Please do not read unless 16+.

A cool breeze. That was what his touch felt like. A cool breeze on a burning summers day. Or the pool you dip your feet into. The feel of the ice cream melting down your hand. Somewhere, in the darkness of the fever, she could feel this cool breeze skimming across her with a feather light touch. Her face, her jaw, her arms. Each touch brought momentary relief from the raging fire that had consumed her. He smelled like lavender, and sounded like molten gold. She could hear him occasionally, snippets of conversation. But her favourite thing to hear was him saying her name. Worriedly over the phone, with an air of desperation, or right by her ear as it trying to tease her from her unconscious state.

Burning logs crackled in the background, and Lia began to toss as she tried to fight off whatever she had been wrapped in. Her eyes drooped open to see the early morning rays reveal her prison. Her red blanket. It was too tight, binding her limbs together and causing her to let out a whimper of agitation.

"What is it little one?" She heard. It was followed by a loud demanding meow. Dream followed the ragdoll back into the bedroom, a simple plain affair with a double bed, chest of draws and a rudimentary desk by one of the glass panelled windows. The leather chair he had occupied for the past few days sat empty by the bed, his coat draped over the back. The man cursed under his breath as he spotted the restrained movements from the bed, vanishing the covers in a second to exspose Lia in just a sports bra and pyjama shorts. He grabbed his coat to drape around her, crouching beside her but found it being pushed away as the woman instead wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of his shoulder.

It took a moment for Dream to process what had happened, the feverish heat of Lia's body sending flamed sparks darting across him. Slowly, he pulled her in by her waist as he sat on the edge of the bed, propping her body up against his and placing her in his lap. His heart thundered as she tightened her grip on him, a small sigh of relief slipping out at the coolness that finally enveloped her. Pressed against his chest, a few buttons of his usual black shirt undone, she was able to find salvation in the coolness of his skin, like a marble floor during a heatwave.

He couldn't stop his eyes fluttering shut when her lips brushed the side of his neck as she adjusted herself, fingers reaching out through the top of his shirt to try and find some more of the forgiving coolness he gave her.

"Lia," He said finally, voice strained, "would it be better if I took my shirt off?"

The woman mumbled a yes, the brain fog not allowing her to clearly relize what he was offering. Once he had slipped off the shirt, the fabric wafting silently to the floor, he lay back slowly to allow her entire torso to lay flat against his. Lia stretched her arms out, yawning before settling back down ontop of him, their legs tangled as Dream carefully moved his hands to the center of her back. His fingertips grazed the indent of her spine causing her to twitch as he smiled gently. The fever had started to wear off, her face regaining some of the lighter rosyness in her cheeks, skin cooling back down to normal temperature. He wondered how much time had passed since her last does of the remedy Cain had given him was, the herbs battling with the effects of Bliss and eventually winning. He hadn't let himself think about what would of happened if she hadn't seen through Desire's disguise, or had they not found her passed out by the museum fast enough. Doing so was enough to make him want to burn Heaven to the ground just so The Creator knew what it felt like when he saw the ripples of water, not knowing if Lia was safe or drowning.

Time passed unfortunately fast, the clock striking three in the afternoon after what only seemed like a few minutes. Lia sturred at the sound of the chiming bells, Dream quickly silencing them a second too late.