(Aha I k n o w)
Astral kept back, not going anywhere near Simon for now.
"Mia, I… I need to speak with you." Mia shook when she heard this, pushing back against Simon and trying to hide, silently beginning to cry. No, no, no! He- He was going to- to-
Simon shook his head quickly, wrapping his arms around her. He wasn’t going to let Astral take her. She was all he had left. This wasn’t going to be a peaceful event whatsoever.
Astral did hesitate when he saw this, but… he couldn't give in. He couldn't give Simon what he wanted, even if that was what the god wanted as well. So, the god made his way over to reach for Mia.
Simon pulled her closer, turning so he could use his own body as a shield. His back was pressed against the wall, there was nowhere else he could run to. As soon as Astral was close enough, he kicked the man in the leg as hard as he could. And when he was as desperate as he was right now, it’d be a pretty powerful kick.
Astral hissed some, falling to a knee. Normally, a hit from a mortal wouldn't have affected him, but… really, with Simon, he wanted it to affect him, it was what he deserved. Mia gasped loudly, sobbing.
"S-Simon-!" This was terrifying.
Simon still held her close, not saying a word, his eyes narrowed at Astral. He’d do whatever it took to keep Mia safe and here with him. He didn’t care about the consequences of his actions at the moment. He couldn’t be alone again.
"S-Simon, please…" Astral looked up some, not meeting Simon's eyes.
"I swear to you, I'm not going to hurt her. I just need to talk to her…"
“I don’t believe you!” He snapped back in response. Especially not by the way Mia was acting. ‘And really what is your word worth anyway.’ He thought to himself bitterly.
"Simon, please." Astral stood slowly, grabbing at Mia through Simon's arms. The doll was hyperventilating, screaming when she felt Astral's fingers around her as she clung to Simon's shirt.
“No!” Simon screamed, trying to push Astral away from them both, lashing out at the god. He knew that Astral could overpower him easily, had seen it happen before, but he kept fighting.
"Enough!" Astral grabbed Simon's wrists, forcing them away from Astral's body. He held the squirming and shouting Mia in his other hand, pulling away quickly to leave the room. He shut the door behind him, hurrying to the workroom.
Astral shouting terrified him as much as if the man had slapped him. That in combination with the way Astral had grabbed his wrists were enough to leave Simon frozen in fear long after he’d left the room. Plus it resurfaced bits and pieces of some..unpleasant memories.
Astral was breathing heavily when he was finally in his workroom, leaning against the door as he held Mia in his hand. The doll had shut up, staring at Astral in complete and total terror.
"I…" Astral looked down at her, touching her cheek.
"You have t-to make sure he ta-akes care of himself…" Mia shook under Astral's touch, but what came next confused her. In a moment, she was… human, again. Astral stepped away from the door, and from Mia.
"D-Don't… please, j-just make sure S-Simon is okay…" Mia watched Astral warily as she opened the door, then bolted away from the workroom. She stopped at the door to the bedroom, panting heavily.
"S-Simon?"
Simon looked up when he heard Mia at the door, but found himself unable to make any move towards it, or even make a sound. He really was paralyzed in fear.
Mia waited to see if Simon would respond, but when he didn't she grew more and more worried. She opened the door quietly, looking at Simon. Her eyes widened some, and on shaky legs she made her way over to him. She fell to her knees next to him, hands hovering just above him. She wasn't sure if she should touch him…
Thankfully, the sight of Mia being back to normal helped pull him out of his alarmed state some. He smiled, leaning over and hugging her tightly, actually beginning to cry softly. He was so glad that she wasn’t only safe, but back to her full human form.
Mia hugged Simon back, holding the man tight to himself. She herself was in some shock at being human again, her own tears falling. She rubbed Simon's back lightly, doing her best to help him while not really fully there herself.
After a few minutes, Simon was finally able to speak again. “Look at you..” he said, laughing softly. He pulled away to really get a good look at her, a huge smile on his face. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you or anything?”
"He… He didn't. I…" Mia reached up to touch her own arm, biting her lip. No joints… She wiped at her eyes, looking at Simon.
"Did- did he hurt you?" She wasn't the one who had been hurt, not even a bit, and she wanted to make sure Simon was okay.
((I’m sorry no w h a t))
((Bones? Snatched))
He shook his head, still managing to smile, but it faded a bit. “No, h-he just scared me a bit. But I’ll be okay. Nothing I can’t handle.” He reassured, still a bit overwhelmed by the fact that she really was human again.
(Hm)
Mia nodded quietly, moving to hug Simon again. Being human again, she really did feel like she could help Simon more.
"I… I really am sorry…"
((Swim don’t you hm me :’) ))
He hugged her tightly, feeling so happy. He liked a lot of physical affection so this would be good for him. He shook his head whenever she apologized. “You have nothing to be sorry about, it wasn’t your fault.”
(Hmmmmm?)
Mia nodded just slightly, tucking her head against Simon's shoulder.
"I just… I want to make sure you're s-safe from now on…" It wasn't because Astral had told her; she genuinely cared for Simon and his wellbeing.
((;w;))
“I hope I will be…I hope we’ll both be able to stay safe.” But he knew that wouldn’t last forever. If they were lucky they’d maybe stay out of harm’s way for a few years, but it likely wouldn’t be for any longer than that. But he tried not to think about that at the moment. He still didn’t understand why Astral had changed Mia back either. Was it the god’s way of trying to get Simon to forgive him? He wasn’t entirely sure.
Mia nodded in agreement. She wanted to do everything she could to ensure this. She curled up some as she sat with Simon, resting her head on him. She held Simon's hand, eyes half closed.