Blundering down the hallway, Lavimo felt like he could barely see what was in front of him. He merely ran, tripping and ramming himself into the stone wall, a loud cry escaping him before he faceplanted right into the ground, his chest twisting on his choked sob. Everything felt like too much. The hallucinations of his parents and siblings from so long ago plagued him, though the farther away he got from Orvana, the more they quieted. But it still left him alone with his miserable thoughts, and he curled his legs into himself as his hands went to cover his face, feeling his wet tears against his palms as he let out more muffled cries.
What could he do? What could he possibly do? It was a sickening thing to realize he’d not only left those children behind, but also Haven. And it was even worse to realize he couldn’t bring himself to go back there to save them. What had even happened to them? He couldn’t remember clearly. The last thing he remembered was Orvana getting up close to his face and calling him the harbinger of corruption. But surely that wasn’t true. Surely he could do something to prove he wasn’t what she said he was.
“Ah… wait, the prisoners,” his voice croaked out, amber eyes immediately looking up with a spark of determined hope returning to their sparkling cores, Lavimo pushing himself up on bruised hands and knees as he began to run.
He needed to at least get one person out of here. Please, if he couldn’t at least help one person, he’d never be able to live with the guilt of what he’d seen. It would be too much. He desperately wanted Haven near him, craving their presence and stabilizing words more than anything else, but he trusted that they would be fine. They were stronger than him by far, being a wielder of two powerful concepts. Lavimo only had the one, telekinesis. But that wasn’t anything special, since Cirrus had it too, and his older cousin was actually the one who taught him how to develop it. Without the people around him, Lavimo really would be a lost cause. Which was exactly why he had to prove to everyone else that he wasn’t, that he could be just as capable as the best of them, and he trusted Haven to do the same. There’s no way they would die. With the way they were so direly obsessed with him, he doubted they’d let themselves die so easily unless they could bring him down with them too. But that was fine with him. If Haven were to die, he’d prefer to die with them as well.
Rushing down the halls with splayed hair and a bloody lip, he dashed into the prison room as quickly as he could, and with one fell sweep of his hands, molded the bars of the closest cell to create a wide gap and opening so that he could step inside. Hera of the Sea, was her name. And when he looked at her, all he saw this time was confusion and disbelief. This time around, she wasn’t looking at him like he was the villain, and he couldn’t explain how relieved that made him feel.
“I, I’m going to get you out of here,” he stuttered, moving to bring her gag off her pale face as he looked down at the chains that bound her arms and wrists. He was shaking and his breathing was still labored and ragged, his face still wet and lashes still caught with the leftovers of tears. His dark skin looked a bit clammy, and as he focused his telekinesis on her shackles, desperately trying to force them to break, he almost felt like bursting into tears all over again when nothing happened.
“Kid… hey, kid, stop,” Hera eventually spoke up after seeing his face crumble, Lavimo shaking his head further as he ignored her sturdy voice.
“No, no… I promise I’ll get you out, I promise,” he cried, limbs trembling as his fingers became tense and his breathing became choked. He couldn’t help the sob that escaped him, Hera’s ocean blue eyes becoming more concerned as she leaned towards him against her shackles.
“Kid, these shackles are concept resistant. You can’t break ‘em with your concept, and if they’re touchin’ you, you can’t use your concept, either. Just leave us.”
“What?” he blinked shakily, looking utterly horrified as he reached down to grab onto the shackles with his bare hands, and he felt the sudden powerlessness that washed over his muscles as his concept ceased to function. “No, but… you don’t deserve this… no one should be experimented on, you don’t…” his voice seemed to break, Hera’s face hardening as she stared at him.
She had no clue what Orvana was playing at. All she knew was that she’d been delivered to the crazy woman after her ship had been sunk and destroyed by a mythical beast, a serpent she used to be acquaintances with, who no longer seemed to recognize her. And then she’d been left here and tortured day after day. She didn’t know the people who’d been imprisoned alongside her, and she’d never laid eyes on any of them before, but she knew all of them were innocent, just like she was. Just pawns in this game she was witnessing. And she somehow felt that this boy was one of them too. Which meant she needed to get him out of here alive, because he didn’t deserve this fate either.
Sucking in a shallow breath, she suddenly lunged against her chains as she snapped her jaws at Lavimo, going in to bite him as the man jumped back, flinching away from her violent actions as Hera glared. Because if playing the evil villain got this kid out of here, so be it. “I don’t need yer damn help, ya hear me? You heard that ol’ missie’s story about me, didn’cha? I’d rather die than be saved by a worthless man like you.”
“Huh? But… but you’ll be experimented on,” Lavimo wavered, eyes welling up with more tears as Hera lunged at him again, snarling against her chains as she got up on her knees, pushing her entire body weight against them as Lavimo fell onto the back of his hands and scrambled away.
“Does it look like I care about that, kid? Get your filthy hands off me. I ain’t want no man touchin’ me, you perverted scumbag,” Hera growled, black hair waving off her face to frame her violent features as Lavimo stared at her, mortified. “I bet you’re just Orvana’s little pet whore, is that it? That’s all men want, right? Just sex and a good time. Well if you don’t get your slimy hands off me and get away from me in the next minute, I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs and do my best to get you killed. Do you want that? Eh, brat?”
And she watched as Lavimo’s sweet amber eyes filled up with more tears, the thick droplets spilling out onto his face as he hesitated to move. It made her heart ache, and she hated being the reason a kid cried, but she had no choice. And it moved her further when Lavimo still didn’t budge, merely trembling in his spot as he wavered, “But… but you…”
“LEAVE ME!! GET OUT!!” Hera snapped, lurching forward all over again as she summoned all the intensity she could manage, Lavimo sucking in a hitched breath before he scrambled to his feet, stumbling over his knees before his face knocking into the bars he’d bent, a small cry escaping him before he stumbled off in the other direction, a cut brow being seen on his face as blood trickled down the bridge of his nose. But he finally left, running against the bars of the next few cells as he walked himself farther away, and Hera leaned back against the wall as she let herself breathe a sigh of relief. Good. That poor kid shouldn’t waste time on her. It was better to prioritize the lives of the young, it was, because they had more going for them.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
But Lavimo felt about ready to fall over and let the earth reclaim him. He didn’t know where he was going, and as he clawed himself up the long spiral staircase, he eventually fell and hit his head on the stairs again, more pathetic tears overflowing as he broke down and collapsed on the steps. He really was worthless. He couldn’t help anybody. He was incompetent and everything Kal had said about him being inexperienced and naive with a lot to learn was right. He couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t help the people right in front of him, he didn’t even have the strength to go find his lover and make sure they were okay, or at the very least alive. He was the worst of the worst. He couldn’t do anything good with himself. And as those dark thoughts edged ever closer into his being, dark ash began building on his fingertips as the steps he was clinging to began to crack and crumble.
It wasn’t until he felt a very small, yet firm hand on the small of his back did he manage to look up and regain some of his senses, Haven’s distraught face meeting him with their possessive intensity before they took him by the face and pulled him up by force.
“Who did this to you?” they demanded coldly, soft mint eyes blown out wide as Lavimo teared up all over again, the smooth, calming feeling of Haven’s fingers brushing over his cuts and bruises soothing him more than anything else ever could.
“I… I think Orvana made me hallucinate or something. I kept running into things,” he trembled, moving himself closer to Haven’s warmth as he felt plants surround him and crawl over his body like a safety blanket, his lover continuing to smooth down his hair and mend all his bruises as he moved his hands over their wrists. He was so drawn in by their comfort, melting into their touch like it was all he'd ever craved, that he missed it when Haven's face twisted in slight frustration, pink brows furrowing before they lifted his chin up and angled their lips right against the rise of his neck. And his body froze when they made contact, skin fluttering when teeth sank into the slope of his throat, his gasp breaking into a whine before he found himself getting pinned against the wall.
Right. They were probably trying to mark him again, he realized slowly, eyes blinking shut as he let them do what they wanted, trying not to think too hard about the bruise they were sucking onto a very visible part of his neck. Their teeth dug into his skin, Lavimo’s body shivering rather helplessly against the slide of their tongue. He could feel them sucking intently on his skin, teeth nipping at his throat while his head knocked backwards, body quivering against the wet feeling of their lips while his hands balled up in their shirt. Ah, but this made him feel better. It reminded him of how safe he was with Haven. He would always have one person who desired him more than anything else, and that made him feel better about himself. As long as Haven was with him, he was safe. To him, their possessiveness was a blanket.
And when they finally pulled away, moving to wipe at their mouth while they admired the dark hickey they’d just given him on his neck, Lavimo felt absolutely dazed. Though, seeing their mark and the expression on his face seemed to satisfy Haven, a sense of pride showing in their eyes as he lowered his chin. Were they done already? It appeared so, his stomach twisting into knots as he let himself relax, before Haven moved to brush their hands through his thin hair, his body continuing to flinch at how they jerked him forward. They snatched the small tie that kept his hair together, slowly pulling it off while they untangled the knots around it, before they began to resituate his hair the way it’d been before he’d gotten it all messed up and bloody. Haven was silent as they worked, hands surprisingly gentle as they scooped up every last strand of his hair, and Lavimo felt a little guilty for assuming they just wanted to have their way with him and nothing else. Haven wasn't like that…
“How are you feeling?” they whispered smoothly as they tied the band back around his short black hair, Lavimo leaning into them as he felt his eyelids flutter, clutching against their smaller chest with all he could bear.
“I couldn’t save anyone…” he mumbled, the disappointment clear in his voice as he leaned his head against Haven’s shoulder, his defeat finally coming back to make his body feel heavy and weak. “And you probably killed all of those children, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” they retorted, moving away from his hair to embrace his shoulders, forcing him closer into their chest as they laid a hand on the back of his neck. “It’s either they killed me, or I killed them. I didn’t have enough time to try and figure out another way to break the mind control. I would have done so if I’d known of a way.”
“Mm, yeah, I know, it’s just… they were just kids…” Lavimo trailed off, the misery returning to his voice as Haven continued to caress his back before planting a soft kiss against his forehead.
“You’ll have time to mourn them later. Right now we need to get out of here,” they whispered against his hair, swiftly moving their hands under his chest to push him up, going ahead and standing as they pulled him along. And Lavimo stumbled to his feet, trying to do his best to push his emotions to the back of his mind as Haven clutched his hand in theirs to pull him with them. “It’ll be alright. Just focus on me. We’ll get out of here and then you can process everything you’re feeling safely.”
“Okay…” Lavimo trailed, his thoughts lulling as he let Haven lead them up the winding staircase.
He still felt like a failure, but at least Haven was okay. He really wished he could do more for them somehow. He wished he’d performed better in this underground facility… this hellish theatre. What would Kal think when he saw them? Haven had healed his injuries, but he still had blood on his face, and he must look like a wreck. Lavimo would understand it if Kallan got mad and became even more insistent that he know his place as someone who was immature and lacked experience. But… all he wanted to do was prove himself. He just wanted Kal to see that he had something to offer. Something worth putting hope into. How would he face the man when they met each other again?
Except, Lavimo barely had any time to think about that at all, because suddenly, Kal was right there. Haven also paused at seeing him rush down the stairs, ducking underneath a beaded curtain while looking stubborn and determined before he met their shocked gazes, Lavimo’s shame returning tenfold as he instinctively looked down.
“I… I’m sorry,” he stuttered, eyes wide and scared at what kind of criticism he would face.
What would Kal say? Lavimo could feel the man's gaze sweeping over him, probably about to note that he'd been right all along, and that he shouldn't have let Lavimo follow Orvana without him. Yet... instead, instead of any of that... all he received was an embrace. He barely knew how to register it when instead of any scolding words or reprimanding actions, or maybe even a slap to the face, Kal stepped forward and wrapped sturdy arms around his back, his red eyes wide and just as scared as his were for entirely different reasons. “Thank god you’re safe,” the tall, hardened general whispered, Lavimo’s eyes widening in complete and utter astonishment.
...huh? Why... why was this happening? He didn't know, he couldn't even tell if this was real. Maybe he was still hallucinating. But with Haven's hand clasped around his, and with Kal holding him tight, Lavimo just felt himself melting into everything as he began to cry yet again. He felt so small, so tiny compared to Kallan's large arms. But when you're so small, it feels safe to be embraced by something larger. To be cared for by someone bigger than yourself. And as more tears prickled at his eyes and fell down his face, Kal's hands moved to support the back of his head as he whispered more soothing words that Lavimo's mind was too cluttered to comprehend. The only thing he could consciously gather from this was...
People cared about him. He didn't know what to think about that. Of course people cared about him, but this man was going out of his way to care about him. Just like his aunt and uncle, or his cousins, or Haven. Lavimo had lost so, so many people, so many things, yet he still had those who saw him for who he was and who still wanted to reach out despite all his flaws and imperfections. He had people by his side who believed in him and what he might be able to offer someday. He might be inexperienced now, and he might be broken and crying and helpless at this very moment, but in the future, he would be a king. So he just needed to push forward, lean on the people who cared for him just like this, and fight for that future with all of his being. Right now, there was nothing else he could do.
Do you want to give Lavimo a hug?
