Nana Mussolini

In these two days, you hadn't been able to get rid of the oppression in your chest that’s been overwhelming you since Adam returned to the new Ark with Tyki slung over his shoulder. Your mouth had gone dry, and your stomach churned. You rushed to them, and the Earl told you what had happened in a more optimistic tone than you would have liked to hear at that moment. He left Tyki in your care, fully trusting that you could handle it alone, and then he left, leaving you with the unconscious Noah. Since then, you've stayed by his side, wiping the sweat from his face and managing to feed and give him water.

Road visited you, but you noticed something was off about her. Her movements seemed oddly calculated, her eyes lacked their usual sparkle, her voice was weak, and you were sure her hair color dulled occasionally. You deduced that she hadn't come out of the battle unscathed and was tired, whether much or little. You sent her to recover, and somewhat reluctantly, she obeyed, not without warning you to be careful, the man you were caring for so lovingly might not be your partner. After reminding you to call her or Sheryl in case of an emergency, she left.

A growl brought you back to reality. Tyki was trembling, curled up. You dampened a clean cloth in fresh water and tried to uncover his face, which he kept hidden under the blankets.

"Tyki?" you asked, leaning over him on the bed. "Love?"

The Noah's growls grew louder, and in a movement you didn't fully understand, you fell to the floor along with the chair you had been anchored to for the past two days. The blankets moved as if there were a fight underneath, and you knew what it was.

The tentacles were not new to you; you had seen them before, hours after the Earl returned with Tyki, to be exact. You had already learned not to get too close in those moments. The small cut on your right palm started to bother you—a mark that would stay as a reminder of the first incident, a visible and tangible sign of the lesson learned.

Without standing up, you slowly crawled away from the bed. You sat in the corner near the door in case you needed to leave, and with your eyes fixed on the movement of the sheets, you waited. The growls intensified, the sheets tore, and the tentacles waved, twisted, and abruptly stopped. You could see how the Noah's back slowly straightened. His hair, now long, cascaded from his shoulders, and you couldn't help but shiver. The cold silence of the room chilled your bones. Your trembling fingers tried to grip the wooden floor, scratching it. In a blink, the Noah's figure towering above you.

And you could see his golden eyes. Those eyes you had seen thousands of times before, the same eyes that not long ago looked at you with the love and tenderness of the most devoted lover, now stared at you coldly and expressionlessly. This wasn’t Tyki.

You automatically understood the situation. You scanned the room frantically with your gaze, looking for Lero, but he wasn't there. Your breath caught, your heart stopped, and you bit your lips to stifle the small sob that fear had left in your throat.

You slipped a hand under the skirt of your dress; you had some talismans hidden in your stockings for emergencies, thinking, you could stop Joyd long enough to find Lero and improvise from there.

With a rough shove, the Noah pulled you from the corner and dragged you to the carpet in the center of the room while you took out the talismans and hid them in your sleeve. Before you could even remember the spell to use them, Joyd straddled you, a predatory smile on his lips and a sadistic gleam in his eyes. He leaned closer, buried his face in the crook of your neck, and inhaled deeply. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. You could see his posture relax, starting with the muscles in his shoulders followed by his back. He rested his forehead on your shoulder and slid his arms around your waist, hugging you tightly and nuzzling into your chest.

You waited for him to do something else, but that something never came.

"Tyki?" you asked again. Your shoulders tensed involuntarily when you heard him growl. "Joyd!" you corrected yourself immediately. "Joyd, Joyd," you repeated. "I'm sorry."

He nuzzled against you a bit more, and you couldn't help but giggle. Moved by tenderness, you hugged him back, and you could swear he started to purr.

It wasn't Tyki who controlled the body, but it was his body, and you remembered this when moved by instinct, you planted a soft kiss on his forehead before cuddling him to your chest. His body was so familiar that touching it felt easy, natural, right.

You stayed embraced for a while, the tik-tok of the clock and the loud growls of Joyd lured you to rest until he lifted his face slightly, just enough for your eyes to meet. And there it was. They were still the same golden eyes but now shone with an affection you knew by heart.

"Name?" Tyki asked in a husky voice. His eyes were half-closed, like someone who had just woken up.

"Yes?" you whispered, holding his gaze, your voice a fragile and warm murmur. A sound that felt comforting in the cold silence of the dark room.

He buried his face in your chest again. "Nothing," he sighed. He was too tired and in too much pain to think. The warmth and comfort of your embrace kept him sleepy and calm.

You slid a hand through his hair, lulling him, while the other traced circles on his back.