I collapsed forward as soon as we materialized, and my vision blurred.
Hell, why couldn't the System just give me a proper potion? What the fuck was this?
It looked like I said that aloud, because the System pinged.
-
[System Notification: Healing rate reduced due to high damage severity.
Standard Potion Absorption diminished until stabilization.
Recommendation: Increased physical contact with Partner to activate Healing Bonus effect.]
-
Healing Rate was reduced due to damage?
What kind of System design was that?!
A big wad of… something soft and frantic came running and skidding across the floor. It took me a moment to realize it was a small dog.
I let Llewellyn maneuver me until I was sitting down somewhere.
"Don't move," Llewellyn said. He took a moment to scratch the dog's head, then sit close so that we were touching from shoulder to calf.
The dog stood on hind legs, patting Llewellyn's knee with tiny excited paws.
Meanwhile, right next to me on the sofa, Penguin seemed to be running in a circle, anxious, before plopping himself down, seemingly unsure whether he should stare at me or at the dog. He'd probably never seen one before, now that I thought about it.
Just then, the dog noticed Penguin too and abandoned Llewellyn to go and sniff him. Penguin looked alarmed for a moment—then bopped him on the nose.
Both Llewellyn and I snorted.
The healing stats in my interface were crawling upward, and I could suddenly breathe again.
I shifted awkwardly, not sure if I was supposed to acknowledge the physical contact. Probably not, but.
"Where are we?" The taste of metal and blood lingered on my tongue. Llewellyn was sitting close enough that I could smell the faint tang of his sweat.
That shouldn't feel so relaxing. What was wrong with me? I closed my eyes, my body almost turning into a puddle.
Llewellyn didn't answer right away. I could feel him lean back slightly. When I opened my eyes to check, he was studying me with a scowl.
"I should have taken you to a hospital," he said, frowning.
"I'm better already," I said. "But you didn't answer my question."
A set of panoramic glass doors revealed a view of the city below that extended to the promenade, the sea, and beyond.
As I looked around, I took in the stylish, modern lines of what looked like a penthouse's interior, with polished wooden floors, minimalist decor, and… was that an art pottery collection?
"I didn't know where you live," he said, a bit gruffly. "This is my place."
"Wait, am I getting blood all over your white expensive sofa?!" I tried to pull away.
Llewellyn's hand rushed to stop me, pulling me back.
"Don't be ridiculous," he said, annoyed. "It doesn't matter. And the System can clean it easily anyway."
What?
"Really? How?" That was news to me. Could I get it to do laundry, too?
"There are System-generated cleaning products," Llewellyn said. "Don't worry about it."
Oh, that's what he meant.
Well, that was disappointing.
I settled back into the sofa, the healing warmth spreading through my body, even as I tried not to lean into Llewellyn too much.
"Why do you live here?" I asked, looking around with a bit of envy.
Llewellyn seemed amused. "Resources come with the job," he said. "It looks like you haven't taken advantage of it yet."
He wasn't wrong. Why had I negotiated such a comprehensive contract if I just kept living in the hole that was my flat? Though to be fair, I just hadn't had the time. I hadn't even been able to sort out Gran's nursing home bills so that I was the only one responsible for the payments from now on. There was no reason for Gran to have to pay most of her pension for it now that I could cover it; it was not like working for the agenc—
Wait. Shit!
I patted myself, looking for my phone.
"What are you doing?" Llewellyn said, frowning.
"I need to let my manager know I'm in no condition to work the shift tonight."
I couldn't spring this on Altan again, it was too late.
Llewellyn pulled out his phone instead.
"Focus on recovering," he said. "I'll tell Emma. Let me deal with this."
The System pinged again.
[System Notification: Healing efficacy plateaued. Recommendation: expand contact area.]
"…"
What was wrong with the System?!
I watched Llewellyn's ears go red.
"It's working fine," I said. "We're safe now, it doesn't matter if it takes me a bit longer. You should go and eat something, have a shower, whatever it is you do after a fight."
Penguin hopped onto the armrest, peering at us with round, curious eyes. He chirped softly, and Llewellyn reached up to pat his head.
"Don't be ridiculous." Llewellyn told me. He paused however, considering. "I'll just go and grab some tea and water," he said. "Don't move." And got up.
I let my head tip back, breathing in the warm air.
***
I woke to warmth and the smell of fresh shower gel and clean fabric mixed with something else—what was it? It was nice.
My face was pressed against soft cotton, and for a moment I couldn't remember where I was. Then I registered the steady rise and fall of breathing that wasn't mine.
My eyes snapped open.
I was curled into Llewellyn, my face buried into his shoulder. He was asleep, lying on his side facing me, our bodies pressed together along the entire length of the sofa, his arm around my waist. A cashmere blanket had been pulled over us at some point.
Oh.
I tried to ease back without waking him, but there was nowhere to go—the back of the sofa was right behind me. My movement must have disturbed him anyway, because his arm tightened reflexively, pulling me closer.
My stomach jolted. I tried to control my breath and not have a meltdown.
On the coffee table, I could see two mugs of tea, long since cold, and a glass of water, still full.
He must have come back, found me asleep, and... decided to lie down? No, he seemed to have showered and got into his pajamas first. The System had recommended sustained contact for healing, but—
I let my eyes roam. Penguin was asleep on a corner of the blanket, leaning into Llewellyn's dog, who was sleeping curled into a ball.
Llewellyn stirred, his breath ghosting against my hair, then my cheek.
I froze. I hoped he'd settle back into sleep, but his breathing had changed.
If last time had been awkward, this was much worse. And the worst part was, I didn't want to move away.
Llewellyn blinked slowly and hummed, voice rough with sleep, confused. Then he seemed to register our position and froze too. For a moment neither of us moved.
After a few seconds, Llewellyn pulled back slightly, though not enough to actually create distance between us on the narrow sofa. "How do you feel?"
Um.
"Fine," I said.
This was a lie. I was probably going to keel over any moment.
The glass of water looked inviting. Llewellyn followed my gaze and reached out without comment, handing it to me.
I lifted my body slightly and took it with a thanks.
"What time is it?"
"Late night," Llewellyn said, checking his phone. "You've been asleep for about four hours."
Four hours.
"I should go," I said, sitting up properly now and looking around for my shoes, even though I couldn't leave the sofa until Llewellyn moved.
"Emma sorted out your shift," Llewellyn said, frowning. "There's no need to rush."
"Ah, yes, thanks." Yes, that was good. "But I should let you get back to whatever you normally do with your evenings."
Llewellyn frowned again. Then, his hand reached out and he pulled me back down on the sofa.
I blinked, startled. What!
We looked at each other.
"Give me two minutes," Llewellyn muttered, closing his eyes. "You need to eat something before you leave. You lost blood."
"I'm still covered in blood," I shot back, but didn't try to leave again.
Our movements had woken his small dog, who had jumped off the sofa and was now on hind legs again, front paws pressing against Llewellyn's back, wagging his tail. Meanwhile, Penguin had sneaked under the blanket and was worming his way between me and Llewellyn.
"That's Lumos, by the way," Llewellyn mumbled, clearly referring to the dog. "He'll expect you to pet him."
Lumos?
I grinned. Well. I could see why he didn't find my choice of name for Penguin that well thought out.
The mental image of Llewellyn yelling Lumos to call his dog was hilarious.
I eyed the tiny tail-wagging thing and reached out beyond Llewellyn to scratch his ears.
As I did, my fingers accidentally brushed Llewellyn's temple and I felt Llewellyn go extremely still.
"…"
I petted Lumos and pulled my arm back slowly.
I considered apologizing, but then, I wasn't the one who'd got us into this situation to begin with. Sure, I'd said I was okay with this last time at the cabin, but.
Then again, what was I even complaining about? It's not like I hadn't wanted to do this again. Besides, thanks to him, my health stats were almost back to normal.
I let out a breath and gently patted Penguin, who'd finally reached the end of the blanket. He chirped, looking up at me, then flopped over and burrowed into Llewellyn's chest instead.
Honestly.
Well, at least he had good taste.
Llewellyn's eyes remained closed, but when Penguin snuggled into him, his lips quirked up.
Then he pulled me closer, to ensure we were maintaining physical contact.
Oh.
That wasn't necessary anymore, but.
I pressed back a bit, feeling far too warm, and closed my eyes too.