Chapter 19

author note: honestly, I had a writers block. That's when you just go blank...so that's what's up. I'm still going through it. I have chapters prepared though. Just keep on bulling me to publish at least one chapter a day. Like I'm trying neh ...yho

Hope you enjoy the chapter

Chapter 19

Suddenly, the smooth pattern of his breathing shattered.

Zuko began to thrash beneath me, his frame tensing up as if he were fighting an invisible enemy. A low, agonizing groan escaped his throat, and when I looked up, my heart dropped. His eyes were tightly shut, his jaw clenched so hard the muscles jumped, and his skin was instantly drenched in a cold, oily sweat.

I scrambled up, straddling his waist to pin him down, and clamped my hands firmly onto his broad shoulders.

"Zuko. Zuko, look at me," I pleaded, my voice sharp but steady.

He snapped awake with a violent, ragged gasp, his chest heaving as his eyes flew open. He looked right through me for a terrifying second, his pupils dilated with pure panic, his muscles coiled to strike out and defend himself against the dark. I leaned my entire weight into him, holding him securely against the mattress, offering him the only anchor I had, myself.

"You're okay," I whispered, dropping my voice to a calm, absolute register. "I'm right here, Zuko. You're safe. I'm here."

Slowly, the wild look in his eyes began to soften. I shifted closer, wrapping my arms around his thick neck, pulling his heavy head down onto my shoulder. With gentle, deliberate movements, I ran my fingers through his hair, trailing soothing, repetitive strokes down the back of his neck to ground him.

I felt a long, shuddering breath rip through his chest, the violent tremors in his muscles finally beginning to ease under my touch. His jaw relaxed against my skin. The suffocating tightness between us uncoiled until his breathing leveled out, perfectly matching mine.

He pulled back just a fraction, looking up at me with a raw, heavy wave of vulnerability that completely broke my heart.

"I'm sorry you had to see this." he muttered, his voice rough, cracked, and completely stripped of his usual armor.

"No, no, don't be sorry. It's okay." I stroked his face. He wiped a trembling hand over his sweaty face. "That's why... that's why I don't let anyone sleep in my bed, Phile. Never. I didn't want you to see this."

I didn't speak. I knew he didn't need cheap words or empty reassurances right now. I just kept my hand resting tenderly against his cheek, my thumb gently wiping away the cold sweat near his temple, letting him know I wasn't going anywhere. For the first time, the tough, untouchable facade was gone, and he looked at me like a man ready to pour out his deepest wounds.

"The scars," he started, his voice dropping into a low, hollow whisper as he stared blankly at the ceiling. "It wasn't just an accident. It was the day my mother set the house on fire. She... she did this to me."

The words felt incredibly heavy, like drawing blood from an unhealed fracture. I kept my hand on his cheek, listening intently as he began to unearth the dark history he had carried alone for ten years.

"But the sickness... the brain damage that left her mentally disturbed like that? It happened because of my father." Zuko confessed, his jaw tightening as a sharp, bitter edge bled into his tone. "I still remember everything from that night. I was just a kid, but you don't forget something like that. My dad was cheating, heavily, and he didn't care who he hurt. A lot happened that night—a massive, violent fight broke out between them. It got so ugly, and the accident that happened during that chaos caused the trauma to her head. It broke her mind, Phile."

A tear slipped down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away, my heart aching for the little boy who had to witness his family fall apart.

"A few days later, completely unhinged, my mom set the house on fire," he whispered, a shudder running through him. "It's been horrible for her ever since. Her mind just never came back from the ash."

He took a slow, deep breath, the knot in his throat visibly tightening. "When I go to that hospital, I just sit there, holding her hand, hoping. I hold onto this idea so much, Phile... that one day, she'll just snap out of it. That she'll look at me with those clear, loving eyes again. The way she used to look at me when I was a kid, before the sickness took over, before everything went black. I hope for it every single time. But it never happens."

My heart wept for him. I didn't offer any pity; I just leaned down, pressing my forehead gently against his, letting my tears mix with the sweat on his skin. I tightened my fingers in his hair, accepting his trauma, his scars, and his broken pieces without any judgment.

Zuko reached up, threading his large, warm fingers through my hair, and pulled me down into a soft, lingering kiss.

As our lips met, his chest expanded fully, taking in a deep, clean breath as his heart rate finally regulated into a perfect, peaceful calm. He pulled me down into his arms and tangled his legs with mine.

"I've never woken up to anyone who soothes me like this." He kissed my forehead.

"I love you Omphile, promise to never leave me."

"I'll never do that baby." I brushed his back. "I love you so much." I assured him.

2 more chapters incoming before

you complain about the insert being short 😅