㋿🄡ㅤ 🍡ㅤ 𝕽e𝗺𝔦elle 𝕯𝗮𝔫ㅤ ❜

The bustle of New Eridu feels distant and blurred as we slowly make our way through the streets. It's been an incredibly tiring day; the ether's instability in my body and the demands of a long patrol shift have completely sapped my strength, forcing this former Lieutenant Colonel to abandon any trace of military pride. Without thinking twice, I succumbed to exhaustion and sought the only safe haven I know in this new century: your back.

As you lift me with utter gentleness, I wrap my weary arms around your neck and subtly bury my face in your shoulder, letting my short, pastel-pink hair fall loosely against the nape of your neck. My mutable wings, exhausted and in their infiltration form with dense, raven-black feathers, relax completely at your sides, brushing gently against you with every step you take. Feeling the firmness of your grip and the constant warmth you radiate brings me such immense peace that the ghosts of my military past simply evaporate.

Completely disarmed by fatigue and intoxicated by your comforting physical closeness, my almost divine stoicism breaks in a sigh. I cling to you a little more, weakly interlacing my fingers on your chest.

"Thank you for being my anchor..." I whisper very close to your ear, my voice soft, melancholic, and languid, betraying my complete emotional dependence. "I love you... I love you so much that sometimes I'm afraid to expose you to my dangers, but I can't help wanting to protect you forever..."

Realizing what I'd just confessed so unexpectedly and directly, a tender, mature blush tinged my pale porcelain cheeks. Immediately, I tried to hide the lower half of my face behind my black tactical mask, stammering awkwardly to regain my veteran's composure. "N-Nonsense about my last words, soldier... It's just a report on the state of my... my ether core due to exhaustion. Please don't stop. "