Charles' POV
Lynn was adorable when she shyly avoided my gaze but the way her eyes sprang to life at my revelation was absolutely dazzling.
"That's what you meant when you said you went to him for help?" Lynn prodded, staring at me in amusement.
"Mm-hmm," I affirmed, nodding with a smile and she grinned.
"What happened? Why didn't he come?" She investigated, not quite containing her laughter.
"We went into a bar and he was smoking a cigar," I revealed nonchalantly and Lynn expectedly scoffed, her expression naturally tumbling into an abyss of frustration.
"So that habit comes a long way," Lynn commented sarcastically, blatant disgust transcending through the hazel of her rolling eyes.
"Don't worry, Lynn. I'll talk to him about that," I guaranteed, combing through her hair as I delicately pecked her forehead.
"You better. I don't want you to die because I can't breathe," Lynn joked, albeit smiling only weakly as she was genuinely troubled by the thought.
Lynn surely loathed the smell of tobacco since she was little, not only complaining that it was vile but also for the fact that the polluting particles highly irritated her breathing tract. While her younger self was more robust against the detrimental inhalation, her current body, inevitably aged, was not as tolerant against the negative effects, exhibiting increasing vulnerabilities to stumble into asthmatic attacks with every recurring episode.
"Should I go on?" I probed softly, caressing her face in concern.
"Be quick," she mumbled with a tired grin, burying her head into my chest.
"Well, Erik and I just introduced ourselves, and you know what he said?" I whispered in her ear and she giggled, looking up at me with bloodshot eyes filled with unprecedented eagerness as I toyed with her auburn tresses.
"Go fuck yourselves," I mimicked and she genuinely burst out in laughter, her torso vibrating uncontrollably against mine until her exhaustion emerged dominant again.
"Did you?" She interrogated breathlessly, grinning at me with an odd expression.
"I'm sorry, what?" I muttered in surprise and she raised her eyebrows cheekily, finally evoking my comprehension of her actual inquisition.
"God, Lynn. No!" I exclaimed dramatically, glaring at her in absolute astonishment and she broke out in another string of giggles as her head collapsed into my chest.
"I already had my eyes on you. And only you," I confessed honestly, gingerly cradling her head and kissed the top it.
"You were such a flirt," Lynn teased faintly, lazily pulling away from me.
"But I'm glad to hear that," she commended, grinning brightly as she planted a loving kiss to my lips.
Slowly breaking away, Lynn laid lethargically back to her pillow, her strained eyes glistening with beauty undiminished even when they were progressively being concealed under their heavy lids as she gazed at me affectionately.
"Get some sleep, Lynn. Good night. I love you," I murmured, cuddling her snugly in my arms.
"I love you, Charles," she breathed sweetly beside my ear.
"Would you pop me another two before we go to bed, please?" Lynn requested politely as she gently tapped on my lower back.
"You're not supposed to take them this frequently, love. Besides, the pain is hardly even there," I asserted honestly, staring her in concern as barely a twinge plagued our arms, especially with hers duly elevated atop the fluffy cushions.
"It will be in a couple of hours and I don't want to wake you," Lynn argued cheerlessly, darting her shameful gaze away but I hurriedly cupped her face and forced a lock to our eyes.
"You wake me if you need to, but I'm not giving them to you now," I insisted in a resolutely stern tone and she glared at me with the same stubborn determination that readily extinguished the fuel of my stringent front.
"I understand that you're worried about me, Lynn, but-" I debated heatedly yet a strange sense of rationality overcame me.
Although my words were halted before they could spill, before they could burn and destroy everything in their path like hot lava gushing down the slopes of an active volcano, my heart was still pricked at the recollection of the dreadful event.
That day had been peaceful. The kids had behaved well, classes proceeded smoothly and it was an overall good day at the school. After a harmonious dinner with the energetic yet obedient children, my mood was exceptional and I spontaneously decided to make a detour down to Cerebro.
Docking the modernized helmet onto my head, an abrupt nauseous sensation overwhelmed me but assuming it was just a side effect of my heightened appetite prior, I casually dismissed it and weaved through the massive noise, excitedly targeting her new home. When my consciousness landed in Laughlin, however, my heart sank, and it never stopped falling deeper into the dark.
Her house brimmed with flustered thoughts as James helplessly observed vomit pour miserably from her wretched frame supported in his muscular arms. He gradually stroked her back as she threw up but her internal discomforts failed to soothe until her body discharged what seemed to be a dangerously large amount of fluids.
While the dehydration was not entirely experienced, her pale face and trembling body essentially evidenced the severity of her condition that doubtlessly mandated a trip to the emergency room and James naturally yearned to call for an ambulance but Lynn grew hysterical upon that learning, screaming and crying with all her remaining might.
The mild overdose had drained her vigor drastically, additionally rendering her slightly incoherent, but even when she had to slur her pleads, she cooked up every reason employable to prevent James from sending her to a hospital, apparently lucid enough to not unveil her true identity, and just as me, his heart conceded to the depressing scene.
Lynn eventually calmed down, when James caved in to her frantic begging, albeit still regurgitating some liquids from her throat as he merely phoned their neighbour who fortunately had the necessary tools in his surgical clinic to fully clear her moderately intoxicated system.
With appropriate medical attention sought, Lynn was permitted home despite her sickly and vulnerable state but noticing James meticulously giving her the proper care she needed, I tugged away the metallic headpiece and scooted myself out of the majestic dome, utterly devastated and completely shattered.
"I don't mean to be harsh on you, love. I just-" I articulated sincerely but it came out more bitter than I wished and I had to pause, composing myself, before my escalating exasperation and tyrannical obsession could further expose themselves.
"I can't let that happen under my watch. I'm sorry," I conveyed agonisingly and Lynn stared at me dumbfounded, a torrent of guilt rapidly surging onto her face as she immediately recognised my reference even without any further elaboration.
"No, I'm sorry, Charles," Lynn refuted in a remorseful tone.
"I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just... I already scared the hell out of him that night. I couldn't handle freaking you out as well. I'm terribly sorry you had to find out that way," she disclosed apologetically as she plopped her face into my shoulder and gripped her healthy arm tightly around my waist in attempt to suppress the sobbing that threatened to unleash if she made any less effort.
"I get it, Lynn. I know you didn't mean it," I consoled with certainty as I kindly rubbed her back.
"Just go to sleep, and we'll deal with the pain when it comes, alright?" I coaxed, looking fondly into her watery eyes that displayed nothing but her hesitation.
"You're sure you're doing alright?" Lynn verified warily.
"I'm doing just fine, Lynn. Trust me," I persuaded with a positive smile and she sighed in relief, finally relaxing into my embrace.
"Good night, Charles," Lynn communicated listlessly as she willingly closed her eyes.
Routinely patting on her side at a regular pace, I studied every stabilising breath and pulse of hers as she dozed off to my usual lulling and ultimately, I was also welcomed into that immersed mode of slumber.
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Hello there! It's Friday and probably nice to end of the week with this chapter. I swear I didn't plan it lol. It's the long weekend ahead but I'm not looking forward to the hectic mess of next week 🙄 I hope everyone else will have a better week than me, and be sure to vote & comment! 😘
