forum Why would you love a monster like me? (One on One)

Started September 02, 2018 by @Vuclan-is-tired

tune

“I’m doing it!” John smiled, leveling out and soaring in the brisk wind. I’m flying, gosh I’m really flying! He beamed from ear to ear, flapping his wings to go a bit higher.

Halo flies beside him. "This is great. You're doing so well!" He smiles gently. "I've got you. You're doing so well!" he laughs.

John smiled looking over at Halo. A few rain drop started to splatter down, but it was barely anything so he hardly cared. John didn’t notice the darkening sky, rather he was too focused on being able to fly for the first time.

Halo smiles and looks at the clouds. He frowns a little. "That's not good…" He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.

“Hmmm?” John raises an eyebrow, carefully gliding a little bit closer to Halo, “What’s up?”

Halos eyes narrow. "I don't like the look of those storms…" He takes a deep breath and sighs quietly.

John squinted at the horizon, suddenly aware of the sky changing to a dark color, tinted with green. “Oh…” He furrowed his brow, the rain coming down a bit more. “We’ll be fine, right?”

Halo shakes his head. "I don't know. But we can continue this later love. I've got you. But we need to get back." He says gently.

John’s breath caught for a second, but he forced himself to keep breathing. His heart rate was picking up, and he clenched and unclenched his fists to keep himself from shaking. We’ll be alright, we’ll be alright- He angled his wings downward as the wind started picking up, trying to keep his panic under control. Not now, I need to focus, just not now.

Halo grabs John's hand, his wings spreading out to their fullest length. He growls lowly, wishing the storm would go away. He carefully leads John down, his hair blowing frantically.

A strong gust caught John off guard, the only thing keeping him steady was Halo. The rain started to come down heavier, John hair already getting soaked. Just get to the ground, keep breathing, not now, please- “H-Halo!” John tightened his grip on Halo’s hand, trying to just breathe.

Halo was soaked to the bone. He gasps sharply, shivering at the cold seeping into the marrows of his bones. He had to get John to safe ground and get them both in the cabin. He brought John to his chest as he flies down. "Shut your wings. I'll carry you." He says, trying to stay in the air.

John closed his wings tight, pressing his face into Halo’s chest and shivering- not from the cold, but from fear. No, no, please, no, no- The wind howled around him, and a roar of thunder came from the sky. John shook more, trying to tell himself that they were safe, that they were okay.

Halo lands and pulls John into the house. He takes a gentle hand, cold and soaked with rain. He looks at John. "Baby? Are you okay?"

“Nononononono,” John pressed himself against Halo again, his body shaking, “Halo I’m scared.” It wasn’t like him to be afraid of a simple thunder storm, in fact he used to play out in the rain throughout childhood and survived through worse conditions during many campaigns, but… panic and fear still held him in a vice grip nonetheless.

Halo hushes his lover, kissing his forehead. "Sh. I've got you. Sh…." He says quietly.

Another boom over thunder sounded, making John cling to Halo. “H-Halo, Halo, p-please, please,” He shuddered, hearing the final words of his comrades over and over again like they were on repeat. Captain, Captain— J-John, tell my family— Hold the right flank— John, watch my back— John let out a shaking breath, trying to discern reality from memories at this point. Was it rain on his clothes, or blood? Was it the howling wind outside, or the sound of an incoming army?

Halo held onto John like there was no tomorrow. I've got you. Hush now. Easy does it." He whispers. He hums a soft lullaby, kissing his cheeks. "I've got you. There's no need to be scared." He whispers softly and shakes his head and takes a deep breath. He starts to sing softly, his voice soft and assuring.

John took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. He hung onto every sound coming from Halo’s mouth, his voice like an anchor. He reeled himself back in -too darn slowly- and his pulse finally returned to normal and his breathing became steady again. John looked up at Halo with hollow eyes, waiting for his love to ask something, to say something about what just happened.

Halo looks at John gently, brushing some wet hair from his face. "Love… we need to talk about your flashes… You're getting more and more of these…" he whispers, kissing John affectionately as he walks them into the cabin and places a blanket around him.

John tugged the blanket even tighter around himself, staring at the floor. “Why… Why is th-this happening to me?” He whispered, shoving away the knowledge of veterans that had gotten PTSD after retiring. That couldn’t be him, could it? John was still young, it just couldn’t be possible.

Halo bites his lips. He takes a trembling breath and slowly places his hands on John's cheeks. "I… I could remove those painful memories… The bad things… But it would mean I would take the good too. You'd forget your comerads…" He whispers, caressing John's cheek.

“I don’t know what to do anymore…” John said weakly, his face contorting slightly as he tried to hold in the tears. He glanced at the list of names forever on his arm. I can’t let myself forget, I can’t dishonor their memory like that… “Halo, I-“ His voice broke off, and he clamped his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling.

Halo kissed his forehead. "Shhhh. I've got you. I know it's hard…" He whispers gently. He runs a hand through his hair. "I've got you." He looks at John. "Easy… Breathe." He caresses his cheek gently. "If you need to cry, go ahead. You don't need to be strong anymore John. Just let me take care of you." He whispers.

“B-But what if- what if y-you’re in d-danger and-“ John broke down, tears pouring out of his eyes like the rain outside. “W-What if-if-if I c-can’t get t-to you in-in time and y-you d-die-” John cried, sobbing into Halo’s shoulder. Because Halo wasn’t just another comrade this time, and if anything dangerous happened and he died on John’s watch- He cried louder, his shoulders shaking with every sob.