N Has Fallen

XIX - Cacoethes

XIX - Cacoethes

Cacoethes
cac·o·e·thes
/ˌkakəˈwēT͟Hēz/
noun
an irresistible urge to do something inadvisable ; bad idea

🍁

Black dots covered her vision. Slowly, she blinked it away. Squinting when the harsh lights hit her. She felt as if her face was not there. Numb. But she can also feel the swelling lump on her left head. Not because it hurts her but because of how big it felt. She can't feel her face anymore.

What happened to her?

Then she remembered getting punched. By Noah. She knew she shouldn't have intervened with the fight, but she saw too much blood. If she wasn't lying on a bed, Nathan would be. And he's probably lying now too. The realization of her impulsiveness and stupidity only dawned on her now.

They shouldn't have fought with each other. They were only hurting theirselves.

She moved to sit up. The sudden movement caused the bed to shift making Noah jolt awake.

"Love?" He called softly. She smiled at him but winced when her bruises ached. The slight twitch of the muscles on her face proved that the numbness was fading. She hated how weak she is but then again even a skilled fighter would probably be hospitalized from Noah's fist alone. She did not expect what happened next. He pulled her close. Embracing her tightly to him but still so careful about her condition.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Then she felt warm liquid on her shoulders.

Noah was crying. She always thought about him as invincible, someone who will never be emotional about things. He was someone she always looked at as a warrior, a knight, not some fragile king who orders his people around. But right now, he proved her wrong. He was crying. Her great king was crying.

"Baby I'm so sorry." She didn't know what to do.

He did cry when they were in the ferris wheel but that was a pain so insurmountable for him that even she couldn't measure. That was an old pain he buried and chose to unearth. It was understandable. But now as he hugged her close to him whispering how sorry he was, how it was his fault she was lying on a hospital bed, how it would torment him that he laid a hand on her, how he wept for something he didn't even do intentionally, it pained her too. Her heart bleed.

She hugged him back. She couldn't speak. It was as if her throat was blocked by a brick. She wanted to tell him it was not his fault. That she was stupid for trying to stop two guys who are almost three times her size. But none of the words came out of her mouth. She wanted to sleep though. She was tired. And hurting.

The drooping of her eyes and the way her whole body sagged made Noah thought that she was on the verge of collapsing. He mistook her exhaustion and drowsiness for breaking down.

"Fuck. Baby don't fucking die on me." She wanted to laugh but her current condition didn't want her to.

To ease his worry she cupped his face and kissed his cheek, telling him she was fine. A touch so gentle that it made him lean on her for a moment. He inhaled her scent and kissed her neck, hugging her so close to him that he was almost occupying the whole bed too.

"I-I'm just going to sleep." She managed to croak out despite the burning she felt on her throat. Maybe it was because she kept on telling them to stop earlier that her throat was hurting.

"Okay love." He got out of the bed to give the space to her. Easing her down with so much gentleness it hurt her to see him broken for her.

"I-It's not your fault." She comforted him. He only shook his head and kissed her forehead. She wiped his tears away and he leaned into her touch. Resting his forehead against hers while trying his best not to break down in front of her.