It was evening when Cyra arrived at the mansion. All was quiet except for the soft hum of the medical equipment in the room Clara was in. A breeze drifted through the balcony doors. Clara was propped up in bed, her shoulder and side heavily bandaged. Natalia was seated nearby, reading a medical journal with absolute focus, flashing her eyes to the front door as it closed shut.
"He finally returns. Like a stray dog sniffing for scraps." Natalia flipped a page, not looking up.
"Aww, missed me that much? I'm touched, really. Or is it, could it be— concern for Clara I hear in your voice, my dearest Natalia?" Cyra appeared in the doorway and tossed his jacket on a nearby chair.
Natalia still did not look up. "No. It is indigestion. Caused by your face."
Clara smiled weakly. "He was gone for a few hours and already you're at each other's throats?"
Cyra walked over to her bedside. "That's how we say "I love you." Isn't that right, Natalia my dear?"
Natalia snapped her book shut. "You are lucky you are pretty. Otherwise, I'd have killed you years ago".
Clara laughed softly, then winced. "Ow… okay, laughing hurts. No more jokes."
"Who's joking?" Natalia flipped her long thick braid, standing up.
Cyra sat beside Clara on the seat that Natalia had vacated. "Sorry. How are you feeling Darling?" He held her hand and a relaxing wave of energy poured out of her and a calmness blanketed her.
"Like I got hit by a bus. Then dragged for a mile. Then the bus backed up to make sure they got me. But somehow that's better than I felt this morning."
Natalia cut in, "Doctor says you are strong. But also stupid. You heal in four to six weeks if you rest. If not—you die, maybe. We see."
"Helpful as always, Natalia." Clara said sarcastically.
Natalia shrugged. "I'm not nurse. I am assassin. I only keep you alive because I like you."
"She does. That's basically a love confession." Cyra said, matter-of-fact.
Natalia faced Clara. "You are better match for him than most. I would be… disappointed if you died. But I would bury you very nicely."
Clara blinked a few times. "Wow. That's— so comforting."
Natalia silently left the room, closing the door behind her. Clara watched her go, then looked at Cyra.
"So. Did Emily try to bite your head off?"
Cyra grinned. "Only a little. She's got claws under all the lip gloss. But I like her, she's a good friend. She told me she's rooting for me. For us."
Clara sinked slightly into the pillow. "There's no us, Cyra".
Cyra's expression was gentle. "Isn't there?"
Clara bit her bottom lip, avoiding his gaze. "I'm just… I'm still trying to figure things out. That kiss caught me off guard. And with this—" she
gestures weakly to her bandages, "—I'm useless. I can't even walk without help, and Emor is still out there."
"You're not useless, Clara. You're healing. That's not weakness — it's survival."
Clara exhaled impatiently. "I don't have time to survive. I need to stop him. What I learned from all of this is that there is too many dangerous people out there and someone has to do something."
"And if you collapse doing it? Or fall into another coma because I was too far away?Then what?"
Clara stayed quiet for a moment. Even with the balcony windows open, the room felt stuffy, like there wasn't enough air.
"It was you who said you didn't need me anymore. Did you forget that all of a sudden? You cast me aside the second I let you in. Never again."
Cyra's voice was soft, his accent tickled every syllable. "I would never cast you aside— I thought I was protecting you from disappointment but I see now that I'm meant to protect you from physical harm, that is my priority."
"It's not your job to keep me breathing." She answered after a few seconds.
"It kind of is now."
Clara glanced up at him. "What does that even mean?"
Cyra leaned closer, voice low but steady,
"It means I care about you. And I'm not going to pretend I don't, just because you're afraid of hearing it."
"Cyra…" Clara whispered.
"You don't have to say anything back. But I need you to know. Because when you go chasing Emor again—and I know you will—I'll be right behind you. Whether you like it or not. Don't ever do anything like this without me again."
Clara blinked hard, turning her head slightly to hide the flush on her cheeks."This is stupid. You shouldn't care about what that happens to me."
Cyra smiled. "That's funny. I only started falling for you after you called me a smug bastard."
Clara's eyes widened. "I did not!" Her lips curled up.
"Did too. And it was oddly charming."
Clara laughed then groaned in pain. "Okay, seriously. No more making me laugh. It hurts."
"I'll be quiet. For now." Cyra whispered.
He brushed a strand of hair from Clara's face carefully. She let him.
"We're going to have to figure out school, too. If I can't be away from you for more than three days without collapsing, and you have your own classes too…" Clara pondered.
"Then I guess we both get really good at creative scheduling. Or you can let me hire you a driver with a trauma kit."
"You're impossible." Clara rolled her eyes.
"You're irresistible."
A long pause passed between them. The weight of everything—the pain, the healing, the feelings unspoken—settled into the room. Somehow, it felt a little lighter than before.
"…Thanks for rushing back so quickly." Clara said softly.
"I always will."
Clara's cheeks burned.
"Were you in pain when in was away? Your head I mean. Did I hurt you being away for so long?" Cyra touched her head gently.
"Not nearly." Clara lied. "The doctor gave me some pretty fantastic pain meds".
"You should get some rest. Do you need Natalia's help with anything?"
"No, I'm ok. She's been such a help, I don't want to bother her."
"Then let me take over for her. Bother me all you want—" he kissed her knuckles. "— Good night my Love."
Clara laid her head on her pillow and pulled the blankets to her face. It smelled like medicine but also a very faint wiff of maple leaves and cider.