Cal continued to run through the forest until he saw her dirty blond hair. "Marya!" He called out, kneeling down next to her. A large pool of blood was flowing out on the ground. He looked back up from the wound running through Marya, smoothing her hair away from her face. "Marya, don't you dare die on me."
She showed little signs of life. Just a slow heartbeat and the slight movement of her chest. Rising up and down. Marya fluttered her eyes open, "Is this Hell or was I good and this is Heaven? Either way, I'm fine. Unless this is reincarnation. In which case, I want to find the king and whoop his ass again."
"It's not Heaven yet," Cal assured her, chuckling lightly at Marya's response. He pressed two fingers to her neck, feeling for a heartbeat. It was slow. "But, you are stuck with Cupid's son. So, it's pretty much Heaven." He finished, ripping off a piece of his shirt and applying pressure to her wound.
"Oh hell no, I'm dying, this is not a good time to flirt." Marya groaned, pulling up her undershirt so he could get to her stomach wound.
"Sorry, flirting is kind of my thing." Cal replied, lifting up the piece of cloth and looking at Marya's wound. It was deep, blood seeping everywhere. They didn't have the supplies to fix it here. "I'm going to pick you up, okay?"
"Okay." she really wasn't in much place to argue. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get Nimue. I hope-I hope she's not dead. Or it'll be all my fault." silents tears streamed down Marya's face.
"Shh, don't cry. We'll find her." Cal said softly, picking Marya up and holding her against his chest. He started to jog through the forest, trying not to jostle her too much. Come on, where are you Nimue?
She’s fine. Don’t worry. To Cal. Not Marya.
Give her to me. We can do the handoff now. Let Mary and Nimue go and I'll let you take me.
"I'm not fricking crying. Just have some dirt in my eye." Marya defended, clinging onto Cal and praying this would never come up in conversation ever again. "We're going to forget that you carried me after this is over, understand?"
He hesitated. It was a good deal. He should take it. Why am I hesitating?
Fine.
Nimue was shaken awake by Kirin a few moments later. “I’m sending you back to your friends,” he whispered. “Can you walk?”
She blinked and slowly got up. “Why are you so nice?”
“I remember what it was like when someone was mean.”
-
When she stumbled out of the trees and saw Marya, she almost screamed. “What happened?!”
Good. Let me drop Marya off with Nimue and a few other friends.
"Of course. Marya would never cry." Cal nodded, looking down at her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "But don't worry, I'll forget this ever happened."
"Good." she put her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself up, pressing a kiss to his cheeks. Love you. "That never happened either."
His face was so red he was sure that his hair was turning too. “Uh, this one about, about uh, sirens?” He said, trying not to scream.
“Well I’m going to stay here for a while.”
“Gre, Great, you can read it then.”
//three minutes later, pretend the thing with nimue happened
“I am going to,” London said, he put his chin on Marcus’s shoulder so he could read the files.
"Good." she put her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself up, pressing a kiss to his cheeks. Love you. "That never happened either."
A boyish grin spread across Cal's face. "I'll try to forget that." He sighed, ruffling Marya's hair as he turned towards Nimue. "Start heading down the path with everyone else. I'm going to collect my arrows and check that there are no survivors."
"Nimue! I'm sorry that I couldn't get you." a blush spread across her face, blending in with the bloody mess. Hopefully she had just come. "If I die, I promise my ghost will come come back to haunt the king."
He would’ve blushed more if he could’ve.
-
“You don’t mean…?” She couldn’t let Marya know what happened. “Don’t be sorry, I was fine,” she continued, cracking a grin. “I passed out for a few minutes then got back up. Are you alright?”
“So what do ya do when you’re done reading the files?”
"Fine, fine. Cal got me covered." she motioned towards him, his arms carrying her. "He's never going to let me hear the end of this."
Cal gave Nimue a concerned look, but decided not to press on. "Can you start leading Marya and the rest towards the base? I'm going to check on the forest and I'll be right behind you guys." He explained, glancing to his side, thinking that he saw a flash of blue.
They're going to be left alone, right?
I'll hand myself over if you promise that you won't touch them.
"Fine, fine. Cal got me covered." she motioned towards him, his arms carrying her. "He's never going to let me hear the end of this."
"You're right. I'm never going to forget this." Cal laughed, breaking out into a grin.
“No one’s going to let you hear the end of this,” she smiled, limping over. “Sure, See you in a few.”
For now.
-
Bastard.
What?
You told Cal to stay, didn’t you?
No no, he offered himself in exchange for you and your friends’s safety. Please, I’d never force him.
Wow.
(Who?
Cheese.
I’m sorry I don’t even know who the bold and italized are.)
Cal nodded, handing Marya over to Nimue. He turned around and headed towards the forest, slinging his bow over his shoulders.
Where are you now, dumbass.