FFXIVWrite 2023 DAY 26 - LAST
(I realized that despite having written several shippy pieces, I hadn't actually written a kiss scene with Rhiki. So, I had to fix that : 3.)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Angst
Characters: Sidurgu Orl, Rielle de Caulignont, Warrior of Light (Z'rhiki Irhi)
Relationships: Sidurgu Orl/Warrior of Light
Word Count: 1,248
Content Warnings: Implied Character Death
Dammit! He hoped he had been imagining it but no, the clambering behind them was definitely getting louder. They were catching up.
Fury’s flaming-
Searing pain arced up his side and he stumbled, clutching at the fresh wound just above his waist. Warm blood seeped through his broken mail and between the fingers of his gloves. Not good. He gritted his teeth against the pain. It was bad, but not the worst he’d ever felt. Not fatal. That wasn’t going to matter in a few minutes, though.
‘Stupid! Reckless!’ He could almost hear Fray saying in the back of his mind.
“Sid!” Rielle called from a few steps ahead. Rhiki had stopped as well. No! We need to be moving faster, dammit!
He glanced around them. The corridor had narrowed into something of a bottleneck. Good. He could work with that.
“Here, let me,” Rielle started, taking a step back in his direction, but he shook his head.
“I’m fine,” He growled, which they all knew was a lie. But they all also knew that Rielle had run out of mana ages ago, before they had made a break for the exit.
The cacophony behind them grew louder.
Shite.
He already knew what he was going to have to do. The hard part was telling them.
“You two keep going,” he panted. He could taste blood on the back of his tongue. He must have taken more of a beating than he’d thought. “I’ll catch up!”
“What?!” Rielle demanded, but past her, Rhiki shook her head.
“It won’t matter. We’re not going to make it. You’re not slowing us down that much,”
Fury take her, of course she wasn’t going to let them do this the easy way. The easier way, anyway. There were times when he admired her stubbornness and complete lack of sense, but this wasn’t one of them. Of course she was going to insist on picking one last fight with him.
“You will if I keep them busy.” He replied simply, his other hand tightening around the grip of his sword.
Rhiki’s eyes widened in panic as she realized what he intended to do. He tried to tell her with his own how sorry he was.
“No! No no no! Sid, no!” Fear sharpened each word. She was afraid because she knew he was right.
Rielle looked between the two of them anxiously. “What are you-“ She was a smart kid. It didn’t take her long to figure out, either. “Sid we’re not leaving you here!”
“Yes, you are!” The words hissed through his teeth as the hand that had been gripping his side reached for the wall to steady him. He looked to Rhiki pleadingly, but she was shaking her head again.
“Rielle’s right! You know I hate noble sacrifices!”
He cursed under his breath. “It’s not nobility! It’s practicality!” When he raised his voice he could hear the pain seeping in around its edges. Their pursuers were drawing ever closer, and urgency bled into his frustration. “We don’t have time for this!”
Rielle had opened her mouth to protest again, but he ignored her and looked at Rhiki. She could deny it all she liked, somewhere in her mind she knew he was right. He could see it written on her face. And every second they spent standing there was a second that they were losing in their escape. “Rhiki, please!” He supposed there was no point in sparing his dignity now. He’d beg if it would make her move. “One of us can die here, or all of us can! Take Rielle and go!”
She was frozen, staring at him. He wished she wouldn’t look at him like that. He didn’t want to do this to her. To either of them. He knew all too well the sort of pain he was about to inflict. But if it meant they would both make it out of here alive, he would force himself not to care.
Rhiki was moving back towards him, reaching for her sword. “Fine! Then I’ll stay and hold them off!” She sounded desperate. This close, he could hear the way the distress made her voice hitch, and see the way her other fist shook from how tightly she was clenching it. He caught her raised arm by the wrist and yanked it to turn her towards him so he could look her in the eye. So she could see his own desperation.
“Don’t be stupid!” He snapped.
“Rielle needs you!” She argued, the first traces of tears glinting in the corners of her eyes.
“She needs you too!” Gods be damned! This was taking too long. “The whole world needs you! You’re the bloody Warrior of Light! You have millions of people relying on you to clean this mess up! You have a duty! And I-“ He realized he had been shouting when he heard his own voice crack. His next words were softer, but no less forceful. “All I have is the two of you! You two are the last things in my life worth a damn, and I’m not going to lose you too! I can’t!”
Her tears were falling now, and the sight was more painful than the grievous wound in his side. “Sid, I-“ Whatever she was going to say, he couldn’t listen to it. It would break him. This had already taken longer than it should have. Instead, he used his grip on her to wrench her up towards him and bent down to catch her lips in one last kiss. To shut her up, to comfort her, to tell her all of the things he didn’t have time to say. A silent I love you; the one that he didn’t have the strength to give voice to. It was the first time he’d found the strength to admit it to himself. As they kissed he could taste tears on her lips and hoped to the Fury they were hers.
Before he could risk becoming lost in the kiss, he shoved her away. “Take Rielle and GO!” He ordered.
She looked at him for a moment longer, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He knew that she wanted to argue, that she wanted to scream at him, but he also knew that she cared about Rielle as much as he did, and that she wouldn’t let her anger at him be the death of her. He sent wordless thanks to whatever gods might be listening when she turned and grabbed Rielle by the arm.
Sorry, Rhiki. She’d probably never forgive him for this, but he couldn’t help himself. He was selfish. He didn’t want to be the one left behind again.
“Sid NO!” Rielle, who had been stunned into silence by the kiss, had found her voice again, and he winced. He hoped she knew he was sorry. He was sure Rhiki would tell her. He heard her struggling against the woman’s grip, heard her yelling his name, but he had turned to face the coming onslaught. He was going to need to drag this out as long as he could. If he had to, he could always trip the old failsafe, he thought – the same one Fray had used in his own final battle, or so he had heard. A few extra seconds, paid for in blood.
Rielle’s voice was growing fainter, and he smiled bitterly through the tears he could finally allow himself to shed.
He was so, so sorry.
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vampire bats share mouthfuls of blood to other bats they’re close to if they weren’t able to feed and now i need old vampire!ghost sharing a bloody kiss with fledgling!soap, giving him mouthfuls of blood bc his fresh fangs are too sensitive to bite with
it’s been so long since he was turned that ghost’s forgotten the deep ache that comes with growing fangs and he almost worries when johnny goes to bite into the meal he’s brought him only to whimper and pull back; only the slightest pinpricks of a bite left in the man’s neck, barely enough to bring blood to the surface
it’s only when johnny whines and massages at his gums that ghost realises his oversight; crooning at his sweet mate in reassurance. he’s not upset that he couldn’t feed, at the unintentional rejection of his offering. he’ll make the pain stop
ghost pulls the man to his mouth and sinks in his fangs, sucking in a heavy mouthful and drops the now paralysed prey back to his feet; his throat steadily gushing with blood and spilling over his body
he cups johnny’s face, looking into his eyes, teary with pain and hunger, and purses his lips to carefully drip the blood into his mouth. the pain immediately vanishes from his eyes, replaced with pure bliss as he opens his mouth wide; curling his tongue to catch every drop. ghost presses his mouth to his in a hungry, blood-filled kiss; tongues twining together as they share the taste
johnny sucks the last of it from his lips and ghost guides him down to lap at the prey’s neck; licking up the blood he was too weak to draw himself. he’s ravenous with it, his whole face covered in red as he licks up the spill and suckles at ghost’s bite
ghost’s filled with an overwhelming pride at having provided for his mate in an even deeper way than just hunting for him. he spilled the blood johnny’s drinking; fed him in the most intimate way their kind knows and he’ll do it a hundred times over for his love
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