If Cole hadn't been paying attention enough to see Itzal drop to his knees, things could've ended badly for the god. Where as killing the beings had taken focus from him, rushing to the other male's side was second nature. He dropped the sword on the ground quickly and was there just in time to stop Itzal's head from hitting the stone pathway of the bridge. "Itzal? Hey, you alright?" He asked, concern clear in his voice as he shifted to kneeling so Itzal's head was resting on his shoulder, far from the threat of hitting his head. Even before asking the question, he knew that he was probably unconscious, and every instinct in his body was telling him to grab the sword and find a way to get Itzal and it away from the beings. With how much he was shaking though, and the fact that he would have to carry both the sword and find a way to get Itzal as well, the least he could do was let himself take a break for a minute.
He wasn't out long enough to dream– though he probably wasn't out long enough to fully or even partially recover. Everything in him was shouting for him to wake up, yelling that Cole might still be in danger. Itzal's eyes fluttered open, his breath still alarmingly shallow. He'd never felt this weak before and, to be honest, it scared him. Itzal swallowed dryly and tried to figure out where he was. He'd dropped to the ground, and… Cole had caught him? It seemed that was the case. His thoughts were still muddled and though he could breath a little easier, his body was heavy. "Cole?" Itzal whispered, closing his eyes for a second. "Do we have to go?" He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious for, or if any more beings had shown up. It was surprisingly comfortable where he was, but Itzal forced himself to sit up on his own. Stars, his head hurt. Was it a long walk from the park to the hotel? He couldn't remember.
(Are we going with Cole did move him somewhere else? Or that they're still on the bridge? Just wondering so I can plan my response :) )
(I think they're stilll on the bridge. Itzal was only out for about a minute or so.)
"Hey, hey, shhh, we don't have to go anywhere," Cole said, his voice quiet and still full of concern as he answered Itzal. He was still kneeling in front of the other male, and didn't take his hands off Itzal's shoulders as he sat up on his own. After all, the last thing he needed to happen was for him to fall over again. "I've been keeping an eye out, there's no more of the beings, so we have time for you to rest. Are you alright?" Just because they didn't see the beings didn't mean there were no more of them, but he wanted to give Itzal a little peace, let him take a minute to gather a little strength. "As soon as you're ready, I'll help you and we can find somewhere safer to sit. You need to rest first of all though, regain your strength. Holding two of those beings still couldn't have been easy."
"Are you sure?" Itzal squeezed his eyes shut for a second, trying to will away the pounding in his head. It was difficult to think through the pain, but he made an effort. The first thing that came to his mind was how concerned Cole sounded. "Oh, good." He let out a shallow breath. He didn't really want to make Cole even more worried, but he was also not able to lie at the moment. "I'm… not alright. At least, not right now." Itzal closed his eyes again and rubbed his forehead. The pain was fading a little, and his body didn't feel so heavy. He could probably stand up in a few minutes, but for the moment, he was stuck on the ground. "Ha, yeah. It wasn't." Itzal frowned lightly. What would he do if that happened again? He couldn't do that again, at least not for a while. "I'll be able to move in a little while, I promise."
"Take your time, there's no rush. I'll deal with any more of those things if they come around," Cole promised, shifting from kneeling to crouching next to Itzal, "Do you need water? Or painkillers or anything? What can I do to help?" He looked over the god, confident that he wasn't physically injured. From what he could guess, he had collapsed from exhausting himself, and if Cole had any say in anything, he wanted to make sure Itzal was thoroughly sure that he could stand before even attempting to. He could help provide support, but carrying Itzal's entire weight would be a bit more of a challenge.
"Okay," Itzal breathed, letting his head fall forward slightly as he rolled his shoulders. "Water, probably. I don't know if painkillers could help, but I'm willing to try if we can get our hands on some. I mean, right now, what you're doing is fine." Itzal looked up at Cole with a soft smile. He was really grateful that Cole was being so gentle with him. After a minute or so more of sitting, he felt okay enough to try and stand. "Alright, I think I'm ready." Itzal took a breath and brushed a few stands of hair away from his face. This was probably going to be difficult. He pressed his hands to the ground and rose onto his knees. A flash of pain shot through his head, but he kept going. Itzal didn't want to be the one to make Cole fight a being who wasn't frozen. That battle would end with Cole dead, he was sure. He finally made it to his feet, swaying slightly. "Let's… let's get out of here."
Cole kept a steady hand on Itzal's shoulder as he stood, still thoroughly concerned for him even as he stood. He scooped up the sword from the ground in his other hand and nodded, adding as he started to lead the way slowly off the bridge, "Please tell me if you feel like you're going to pass out again, or if you need to sit down. I'll be right here to act as a support as well." He glanced over at him, finally seeing what Itzal had meant by the sword being heavy. It definitely wasn't light.
Itzal was grateful for Cole's hand on his shoulder. It made standing much easier. Each step was a mountain to climb, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. "Alright, I will." His words were soft, maybe too soft for Cole to hear, so he nodded as well. Itzal was stronger than this. He could make it back without stopping. He could keep his eyes open and his mind awake. All he had to do was concentrate. One foot in front of the other was all it was, really. Cole's hand anchored him, have him the strength to move forward. It was a bit stupid to be pushing himself so much, he knew that much. The way he saw it, though, he didn't have a choice. They had to get out of the area before more beings came, or before the mortals could figure out something was wrong.
"Do you want to try walking all the way back to the hotel? Or just to a bench?" Cole asked, finally finding that keeping the sword resting on his shoulder as he helped Itzal caused the least amount of discomfort from carrying it. Walking was slow going, and every time he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he thought it was another being, ready to finish them off. After all, even as much as he wasn't ready to admit it, there was no way he could take on one of those beings all alone, with just the sword as well as keeping Itzal safe from harm; just keeping the two of them walking steadily and alert was a task for the tired and jumpy male.
"We should get as far away from here as possible," Itzal said, taking a long, even breath. "More beings might come here and I don't think we could fight off another one." He took another breath. Walking was… not his favorite thing to do at the moment, but at least they were getting away. That was the most important thing. "I'm sorry I can't do more," Itzal muttered, glancing over at Cole. When they got back to the hotel– because they were going to get back– Itzal would have to rest, leaving Cole to watch over him. He was probably tired, and Itzal felt terrible that he had to suffer so much because of him. "I'm sorry I got you wrapped up in all of this."
Cole shook his head, meeting Itzal's eyes and shaking his head again, "Don't apologise. You've done more than I could've ever done, and I'm not going to ask you to work yourself to the point of exhaustion again. As scary as this whole day has been, I don't hate being wrapped up in this. It lets me help people, specifically you, and me being scared or being chased around is a small price to pay for that." He gently smiled, looking up at the mess of buildings in front of them, adding gently, "We'll get you back to the hotel, and I'll keep watch for as long as needed until you're feeling better."
Itzal let out a breath. Half of him was glad that Cole wasn't annoyed or mad, and the other half was convinced he was lying to make Itzal feel better. Feeling guilty wouldn't help anyone, so he tried to go with the half being glad. "How can you not hate it? Helping me can't be worth all the near-death experiences." The sentence slipped out before he could stop it and Itzal quickly looked away. They were making decent time to the hotel. At least one thing was working out. He peeked back at Cole, wondering what he would say. Itzal couldn't imagine why someone would want to be wrapped up in all of this.
"I like helping people, in any way I can, and you were someone that needed help," He replied, looking over at Itzal, "The near death experiences are just fueling both my overall scaredness as well as my desire to help you get back to your friends and defeat these things." Cole shifted the sword on his shoulder, scrunching up his face in discomfort for a second but then quickly masking it again as he let it lay differently. "I'm surprised that you're not sick of me hovering around you and following along like a lost puppy to be honest."
"I see." Itzal nodded, biting his lip at Cole's discomfort. "I'm not sick of it. It's nice to have company." He managed a smile. It wasn't a lie that he liked Cole's company. He just wished he could be 100% sure Cole wouldn't be hurt. Here was a mortal, risking everything and putting himself in harm's way to help a god. Itzal should be the one protecting. But he wasn't strong enough. He hadn't been strong enough to protect the other gods– his family– and now? If a single being showed up… Itzal might fade if he tried to stop it. He was almost completely powerless. And those beings were still roaming the earth. Who knew what they would do if they killed him? If he wasn't the last one alive, they would probably move on to the next god. But if he was? Would they start killing mortals? Itzal was so lost in his dark thoughts that he didn't notice how far they walked until the hotel appeared right in front of him.
Cole noticed when Itzal went silent, but he didn't do more than offer a tiny smile to the god and continue helping him to the hotel. Plenty of people gave him strange looks, but he ignored them, putting on a happy mask to hide the worry and concern for his friend. "We're here," He said gently when they reached the doors, thanking the stars that these doors were automatic as he helped Itzal inside the building and smiled at the receptionist. She, like everyone else, looked confused, but didn't stop him as he headed for the stairs, silently wondering how he was going to keep Itzal standing, heep track of the sword, and open their hotel room door all at the same time.
Itzal nodded, his mind mostly taken up by worries still. It was a good thing the doors didn't need to be pushed or pulled open, since his legs were still a little shaky and Cole had his hands full. Just as he was finished celebrating that, the stairs appeared in his vision. Great. Itzal loved stairs. Still, he managed to make his way to the door of the room without too many problems. The heaviness in his body was slowly fading away, replaced by a muddled brain and heavy eyelids. The problem of Cole opening the door still caught his attention. "I can lean against the wall or something while you unlock the door," Itzal suggested.
"Here, lean against me, hold onto my shoulder if you need." Cole gently let go of Itzal, though tried his best to be fast as he dug in his pocket for the key and eventually found it. It only took him a few more seconds of fumbling with it to get the door to open too, and soon he was holding it open for Itzal, the sword still on his shoulder and the keycard tightly pressed against the door with his other shoulder. He desperately wanted to put the sword down, as well as just rest, but he pushed his needs away, instead focusing on getting Itzal into the room and onto the bed so the god could rest.
Itzal did what Cole suggested, blinking rapidly to keep himself awake. It really was amazing how careing Cole was. A soft smile spread across his lips, though he quickly wiped it away. "Thanks." Itzal stumbled into the room, keeping one hand on the wall at all times. He should probably check to see if Cole was alright. His steps halted and he glanced over his shoulder at Cole. The man looked fine and Itzal was falling asleep on his feet, so he contuned to the bed and flopped onto it. He should take his shoes off, or at least thank Cole again… the thoughts faded. Itzal's eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Cole watched Itzal carefully as he stumbled through the door, a soft smile of relief on his face as the god reached the bed. Gently, he closed the door, then after making sure it was closed properly, made his way over to the bed as well, sitting lightly on the edge with the sword resting on his lap. "Goodnight Itzal," He whispered, then took over watching over his friend. From how fast Itzal had passed out, he figured they were going to be there for a long while.
Itzal didn't exactly dream, but he also didn't have a barren sleep. Images filtered through his mind, sometimes blurry or distorted. The faces of his fellow gods flashed though his mind. A bloody sword, a moment frozen in time. A being sprinting towards him, its sword leveled at his neck. And then Cole. Him smiling, laughing. And then an image he'd never seen before. Cole looking determined, the sword clutched in his hands. He was facing one of the beings, but it wasn't frozen. Before Cole could even move, the being lunged forward, sword heading straight towards Cole's heart.
Itzal's eyes flew open, a gasp of fear catching in his throat. The last image was still etched in his vision. Was that a nightmare, or something that was going to happen? He shook his head, finding that he felt much better. Except for that dream. How long had he been out?
When Itzal jolted awake, it was clear Cole wasn't ready for it. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed when it happened, and was shoveling what looked like takeout into his mouth as he watched cartoons, and even his focus on that didn't keep him from almost springing up from the bed, eyes wide. In an instant though, he recognised who it was and smiled as he sat back down, pausing with his fork mid-way to his mouth to talk. "How are you feeling? Did sleeping help? I got us food since you've been out for a long time."
Itzal sat up, eyes darting from Cole's face to his chest and back to his face. It had only been a dream. And it would stay a dream if Itzal had anything to say about it. "I'm feeling better. The nap did me the world of good." He smiled at Cole, trying to push the image of the sword plunging towards Cole's chest out of his mind. Dwelling on it wasn't a good idea. "What kind of food did you get?" Itzal asked, crawling over to sit next to Cole. Now that he could smell it, he had to admit that he was quite hungry.
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