Chapter Text
"Anya! Are you listening to me?" A voice called her beside her , Anya was 97% sure that the owner of that voice was Becky Blackbell, her best friend. "Anya? What is it?"
She sounded worried, Anya didn’t want Becky to worry about her so with all the strength she could muster at the time she turned around so she could answer her questions and give her a smile to assure her that she was okay.
That was the plan, until another wave of thoughts came in her head overwhelming her.
Why did everyone have to be so... loud?
Before Anya could say anything to her friend, a dizziness got the pink haired girl making her stop in her tracks in the middle of the corridor that was full of people.
It seemed that all the people were coming from different directions, and with each passing second more and more were entering the place, realizing that there was little space to walk without bumping into someone.
"What’s the matter, shrimp? Now you forgot how to walk too?" a very familiar voice laughed at her, that was Ewen... or maybe Emile?
Even so, Anya couldn't confirm it since her vision was clouded, every second she passed her head hurt more than before, it felt like someone was trying to squeeze her brain out of her head with a hammer or similar... Did Uncle Yuri feel that way when Mom accidentally hit him a few years ago?
and .... Why were the walls of Eden spinning? A few hours ago the lockers were on the left side of the corridor, not in the front... And who moves them so fast? Because now they’re on the right... on the left again... now they’re gone.
And who moved Mr Evans' class from place? She could bet 20 bags of peanuts that the class was somewhere else the day before.
Anya blinked trying to focus, trying to keep moving forward. She had to get out of that place.
She needed a quiet place, the library? or maybe a bathroom.
She needed a place where she could be alone... if only the people around her would shut up for two minutes, just two minutes.
Two minutes are enough to be able to escape and find a place where she could be alone for an hour or two to prepare herself and go out again.
But that didn't happen.
Now, the thoughts seemed much stronger, almost like they were panicking about something she couldn’t identify and adding to the heated discussion a group was having around her about something that probably didn’t matter.
Two minutes to escape, that’s what she wanted.
"Get away from her! Let her breathe," exclaimed another male voice suspiciously similar to Damian’s, his voice was more authoritative but she still could identify some ... fear? Anger? in his words. "Shrimp, you’re scaring me... what’s wrong?... Anya, please look at me" asked again the voice this time in a calmer and softer tone, now he was addressing her.
«Cute boys in football uniform or cute boys in baseball uniform? How am I supposed to choose one?»
«Agh I have to do the math homework of Mr Miller but I want to go to that party... Well,it can't be that bad to not deliver a task, nothing will happen, right?»
«Is the arithmetic exam on Thursday or Friday of next week?»
«I need to go buy that beautiful designer bag that I saw at the mall yesterday, it will look amazing with the dress I bought the week before for my date with Simon.»
«So many exams to grade and I am sure that everyone failed…again.»
«Why is this place so big? How is it that the students of Eden don´t get lost here?»
«Why does Eden have to be the host of this stupid tournament? Agh, why can’t it be anywhere else as usual?»
«What is happening to her? She is horribly pale..is she ignoring us? Why isn't she answering?»
«I hope there are still places on the basketball court for the game, I heard that Demetrius Desmond is going to play and I will not miss it»
"Make them stop... please" whispered Anya putting her trembling hands to her ears trying to block all the noise but it was useless. "There are... many people... noisy…I can't"
«I am sure that that cute boy from the lacrosse team was flirting with me, I hope he will invite me soon on a date.»
«I´m so hungry right now…but the cafeteria was too full and I hate waiting...»
«.... if I want a good place to see Demetrius I have...»
«.... we do not need a teacher to follow us to every game, we are grown ups now....»
«.... practice tomorrow...»
«....something is wrong with her...»
«.... 4 days of this is a nightmare!....»
Anya felt something strange in her nose just to realize a seconds later that a liquid was coming down her face making her uniform dirty, blood.
This was bad.
A lot of blood had started coming out of her nose at the time, but it was the last thing Anya cared about.
All she wanted was to be able to get out there. Her head was about to explode, there was almost no air around her and her vision was blurred.
Soon she heard alarmed screams around her, with all the strength she could muster she took a step to finally be able to leave the place and then... everything turned black.
—--------------------------------------minutes before the incident—------------------------------
Damian was very excited.
The day was just amazing. He had finished all his homework the day before so he could sleep early and get enough rest, the weather was perfect, in the cafeteria they served his favorite breakfast, They only had a few hours of classes where they were left with a few tasks that could easily be completed that same night and the "Royal Games of Ostania" sports tournament was about to begin.
Yes, it wasn't the best name but still the event was still one of the best sporting events in the country.
It was the moment that everyone had been waiting for. Several weeks ago Mr Henderson had told them that soon the sport tournament would begin among the 3 most exclusive schools of Ostania and that that year it was the turn of the Eden academy to be the host of the games.
It was a long-standing tradition and was celebrated every 4 years to maintain a "friendly" relationship between academies and create a "healthy" spirit of competition among students, although of course everyone knew well that it was only a reason to show which of all the schools was the best and brag until the next games.
Damian was proud to say that the Eden Academy had won the last few years accumulating a total of 54 consecutive victories, although it was to be expected.
After all, his school was superior to the others.
The games were another way to confirm what everyone already knew and this year wouldn't be the exception; especially since he was going to be one of the reasons why the Eden academy would take the victory once again.
As the captain of his school’s soccer team, Damian Desmond was determined to lead his team to victory so they had been training even more during the last few weeks to achieve it.
They would win the tournament without problems and his father would be proud of him when he found out that he had won, placing the name "Desmond" on top, as usual; the school would be supporting him and congratulating him for weeks.
and he could also impress a certain pink haired girl with his incredible abilities…
¡No! What was he thinking? As if he wanted to impress Anya Forger in some way, he wasn’t even interested in whether or not she would show up for his soccer match or whatever... if his heart beat hard all morning after hearing Anya saying that she was going with Becky to his soccer match the next day, well... no one else had to know.
«Anya... shouting my name, with pompoms in her hands and supporting the team... supporting me... running towards me when I lift the trophy... Her beautiful green eyes staring at me and then I could...NO! Stop there Damian, what the fuck are you thinking? as if it mattered that she is going to see the game in the first place, it’s not as if I wanted her to be there when I win for her to see how great I am and fall in love with me and...Ok maybe I do care about it but it's not a big deal, really»
"Damian, are you ready to go?" said the voice of Ewen beside him, almost making his soul leave his body.
"Yeah, come on," replied Damian shaking his head a bit, images of a beautiful pink haired girl with green eyes holding a banner that read "SY-ON BOY WILL WIN" as she shouted cheers for him from the stands began to fade from his mind quickly.
Pff, it’s not like he’s been imagining scenarios like that all morning. No, sir.
After leaving his things in their bedrooms he decided to go out with his friends, Ewen and Emile, to go to the academy courts to see some of the matches that would happen that day.
They were 17 now (and imperial schoolars), so they could go to any of the matches they wanted without the supervision of their Homeroom Teacher, so they started walking and talking trying to decide which one they wanted to go first; before they had to leave for their last training for tomorrow’s game.
Damian knew very well which one he had to go to first, the basketball game of his older brother, Demetrius.
He wasn’t very enthusiastic about the idea but he knew he had to go see and support his older brother, after all, if he didn’t he would leave a terrible image of the Desmonds (specifically him) so he warned his friends that he would go to that one first and then he could see the rest, of course Emile and Ewen accepted to go with him immediately claiming that "if he was going, they were going too".
With a plan in mind, they decided that the best thing would be to shorten the path through the corridors near the cafeteria and thus avoid the majority of people who were at school so as not to be delayed or trapped in the crowd. After all, the students from the other schools had started arriving the previous day and now there were so many that they managed to fill the school considerably.
Unfortunately, many had the same idea and the hall was packed with students from Eden and even students from the other schools who wanted to get to the courts to watch the games of the day.
«Great... why can’t they walk faster at least? »
The second heir of the Desmonds sighed somewhat irritated when, for the second time, someone almost threw him to the ground for not noticing where they were going. He was about to suggest to Emile and Ewen that they turn around to take the long way when a long pink hair a few meters from him caught his attention, and a smile appeared on his face without him being able to stop it. It didn't take long for his friends to notice his expression and just laughed and began to tease him about it after seeing the girl that had caught his attention.
For many years (since the day he entered Eden) Damian had been in love with Anya Forger, and everyone in the academy knew it... Well, everyone but Anya.
Damian denied his love for her in many ways and even acted like a jerk with her, throwing different insults along with his friends... Over the years, the brown haired boy matured and changed his attitude a little with both Anya and Becky, Emile and Ewen also changed their behavior with them making everyone friends, even though they still did things to irritate each other most of the time.
Still, no matter how many years had passed, Damian still liked Anya Forger... you could even say that he was in love with her... even though he still didn’t fully accept it because of his pride.
«Will Anya also go to the basketball game? or will she go to another game? maybe I should ask her... just out of curiosity, of course, nothing more... and if she goes to basketball maybe we could watch the game together, not because I want us to be together... sitting next to each other, very close... Anya... close to me... and I could take her hand... just so she doesn't get lost among so many people, after all she is still very short and could get lost... yep, that’s why and as a gentleman I can’t allow that, right?. It’s just kindness...»
Damian´s face took on a red hue (the one that always appeared when thinking of the Forger girl) when imagining how he and Anya Forger would walk holding hands towards the game and how he could still hold her hand after sitting…
And no , Damian definitely didn’t speed up his pace to reach her and definitely he didn’t dodge and almost bump a couple of people just to keep track of her.
As he was about to reach Anya his smile quickly turned into a frown at the scene in front of him.
The pink haired girl seemed to be frozen in place with her eyes open wide and she was incredibly pale. They were in the middle of the hallway and Becky Blackbell was by her side trying to get her to walk but Anya didn’t seem to react.
"What’s the matter, shrimp? Now you forget how to walk, too?" said Ewen’s voice at his side watching the scene and teasing the girl although he was quickly silenced by the murderous look that Becky and Damian directed at him.
"Hey Blackbell, what’s the matter?" Damian asked as he tried to sound as casual and relaxed as he could as he pointed his head at Anya who looked paler and now seemed to be shaking. No matter how hard he tried, the concern in his voice was as clear as the glass.
"I have no idea, she seemed fine a minute ago but she stopped walking and now she doesn’t answer me, she doesn’t react," said Becky watching her best friend with worry as she took her by the shoulders to move her a little, preventing a boy from throwing her to the ground.
"She looks very pale, she looks like a ghost... Did she get her scores on something or similar?" Emile asked beside her, seeing Anya with a small teasing grin earning a hit in the back of his head, courtesy of Damian. “Auch! I was just asking” shout Emile glaring at his best friend.
"No idiot, she just got like that and I don’t understand why" Becky growled at Emile’s stupid question. Everyone quickly approached Anya to wake her up from the trance she was in but nothing seemed to work, Ewen touched Anya’s shoulder again when she staggered and banged herself against another student who just hurled insults at Anya... and, she didn’t even look at him.
They soon caught the attention of many people who stopped to see the scene, the boy only said another insult before leaving due to the threatening look on Damian´s face (Emile and Ewen were trying to stop him from doing something stupid) and because Anya was not even paying attention.
Although the "fight" ended, many people remained watching with curiosity and confusion at Anya who now was pulling her hair pretty hard even though her hands were shaking. Soon they began to gather more and more around them until they were surrounded by people who surely wanted to know what was happening to talk about it later with the people who missed it.
Damian saw them in anger and then stood in front of the girl hiding from the looks of the rest, trying to be like a shield for her.
"Stand back! Let her breathe," Damian exclaimed with a scowl and his hands closed to form fists. "You have nothing to do here, keep walking and mind your own business!" the boy practically shouted, getting everyone to keep walking. After this he turned quickly to see the girl.
She was burying her fingers in her long, soft pink hair over her ears with her eyes shut.
After taking a breath he came over to grab her shoulders and talk to her. "Shrimp, you’re scaring me... what is it?... Anya, look at me please" the boy asked this time speaking softly to the girl in an attempt to convince her, when he did not receive an answer he put a finger on her chin to lift her face.
Damian could swear his heart broke into a thousand pieces at the sight of the grimace of pain painted on Anya’s face, she trembled like a leaf while she was so, oh so, pale that she could compete with a sheet of paper.
"Make them stop... please" whispered Anya at last leaving him confused, he would´t have been able to hear her if she weren't so close now. "There are... many people... noisy…I can't"
He opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about when Anya's nose began to spill a considerable amount of blood out of nowhere, making his heart beat faster because of the fear of seeing her in that state.
«What the fuck? Why is her nose bleeding like that?»
Of course, the blood called everyone’s attention again... and Betty’s dramatic scream from across the room didn't help in the situation.
"We have to get her to the infirmary! Now!" Becky said, worried about her friend.
"The infirmary is on the other side of the school and we won’t be able to get through so many people!” Emile growled at her side although his face also showed that he was worried about the pink haired girl.
Before anyone could say anything else Anya stepped forward before her eyes turned white and fainted in front of them, scaring everyone present.
Anya was lucky that Damian was very close to her, so he quickly wrapped her in his arms avoiding an ugly fall.
Three teenagers screamed in fear of what had just happened to their friend as Damian quickly took her in his arms to carry her princess-style feeling a void in the bottom of his stomach, fear had flooded his senses as he watched Anya lose consciousness in front of him.
"I don’t give a shit if the infirmary is halfway across the country, she has to go now," exclaimed Damian starting to run at full speed with the girl in his arms as he screamed to the people he had bumped into. “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
While Becky, Emile and Ewen screamed "Excuse me! Emergency!" behind him to.
Damian had never run so fast in his life as he did now, his heart beating faster by the minute as he squeezed the girl lightly against his chest to make sure not to dump her and hurt her on their way to the infirmary.
In other circumstances the young boy would have gone nuts and turned in a blushing mess at the thought of him with Anya Forger in his arms but at that moment all he could feel was fear and worry.
« I can freak out about this later, the important thing now is to get her to the infirmary and make sure she is okay... Damn Anya, of all the things you could do, you decide to scare the shit out of me.»
Trying to catch his breath when he finally reached the door of the infirmary, Damian was sure he had just broken a record by running the entire campus in a matter of seconds.
Without stopping a second he walked to the door and frowned slightly when he saw that it was closed, so he hit the door a little with his foot not wanting to let go of the girl who was in his arms still unconscious.
...1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... . 7 ... 8 ... 9...Why no one is answering?
Damian knocked on the door again, this time a little louder in an attempt to get the nurse’s attention but no one answered, he was about to knock a third time and shout when the sound of several steps and gasps caught his attention so he turned his face slightly to meet his 3 friends entering clumsily to the hallway leading to the infirmary.
Emile and Ewen put their hands on their knees as they regained their breath as Becky approached him quickly as she noticed that they were still outside the infirmary and Anya was in the same state.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you’d be with the nurse by now," Becky said with some difficulty as she was still trying to catch her breath after running after him.
"The nurse is gone, maybe she’s helping the rest on the courts... although I’m sure one was staying here for any emergency," Damian said with some difficulty from shortness of breath and his chest burned too much, although he was quite sure that what he felt had nothing to do with the tiredness of the race to the infirmary.
No, the reason for his current state was still unconscious in his arms.
"I’ll go see if she isn´t in the other rooms looking for supplies or if there’s anyone who can help us," said Emile finally getting up and starting to walk quickly with Ewen by his side, both disappeared down a long hallway starting to look for someone who could help them.
Damian could only stare at the girl in his arms once more as the knot in his throat seemed to refuse to disappear and let him breathe properly, his heart was beating painfully in his chest and the hole in his stomach that had appeared as soon as Anya lost consciousness in front of him became deeper and deeper.
His eyes examined the girl’s face once more, having her so close to him it was impossible not to observe each of her factions writing each one in his memory... It’s not like he spent so much time watching her, of course not.
ok, he does but you couldn't blame him. She was just so gorgeous and so…Anya. It was impossible for him to tear his gaze appart when when she walked in a room.
Unfortunately, he was hoping that if he ever had the chance to get Anya this close (to have her in his arms) it would be in a completely different situation.
She was so small and so soft…
Anya’s face was in front of him, so he could see (rather, confirm) that she has small freckles strewn across her forehead and cheeks, like constellations of stars. Her beautiful green eyes were still closed and her eyelashes... had they always been this long?
Damian kept looking at her face, practically studying her and memorizing every little detail he could , until something made him stop and frown, something was wrong.
Blood.
He had completely forgotten that Anya’s nose had started bleeding seconds before she fainted, luckily the bleeding seemed to have stopped but had left a long path from her nose to her chin.
He quickly knelt down taking care not to throw Anya and accommodated her in a different position this time, leaving her sitting on his lap, one of his hands firmly wrapped around the girl shoulders to hold her close to him as his free hand searched in his pockets for a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.
«Damn, I forgot again... of all the days when I had to leave it in my room... I promised myself that this wouldn't happen again after that tonitrus in first grade and still…»
"Here, use these," said a voice in front of him, extending a small packet of pink fabric with a handkerchief showing from an opening in the middle. Becky.
Shit, he forgot that Becky stayed with him.
"Thanks" muttered Damian taking one of the handkerchiefs to start, gently, wiping the blood off the girl’s face, praying internally that Becky haven't noticed the way he was seeing Anya a few seconds ago.
Becky noticed, obviously. It wasn’t a secret to her (or anyone except Anya, honestly that girl could be as dense as a rock sometimes) that Damian has been in love with her best friend since they met, so she wasn’t surprised to see how Damian Desmond had taken Anya Forger in his arms and then rushed off to the infirmary as if his life depended on it.
Nor was it a surprise for her that the brown haired boy was still carrying her best friend, holding her in a protective embrace and looking at her as if she had hung the moon and the stars.
She may not have said it out loud, but Becky really supported Anya and Damian’s relationship. She was hoping to see the day when they would finally tell each other the truth and start dating.
It was painful to see them running in circles because of their feelings, and even though Damian was not her favorite person (sometimes he could be a complete jerk, seriously). She knew that he loved Anya and Anya loved him, even if they didn't admit it.
If her friend was happy, then so was she…even with that jerk in the equation
"What happened to her? she seemed fine when we got out of class," Damian muttered to himself as he finished wiping the blood off Anya’s face.
"I have no idea, we wanted to go see one of the games when out of nowhere Anya seemed very disoriented, she became pale and then ….Well, you saw the rest," said Becky, sighing, looking at her best friend, the concern never leaving her face.
Damian was silent for a few minutes, when he was finally going to say something else the voices of Emile and Ewen were heard accompanied by someone else.
"Here she is!" Emile said, finally appearing beside Emile and a blonde lady, perhaps in her 30s, carrying a briefcase. The school nurse, Miss Ainsworth.
"Oh God," Miss Ainsworth said as she saw Anya. The lady just kept walking to the door to open it. "Come in, come in, put her on the stretcher over there please," said the woman to Damian who nodded. He stood up again with Anya in his arms like a princess in the arms of his prince in fairy tales and rushed in behind her.
Damian made a beeline to the stretcher, leaving Anya with all the care in the world, and reluctantly took a step back away from her so that the nurse could work.
Becky, Ewen and Emile also walked in, but they were a few steps behind.
They started answering the nurse’s questions about Anya, telling her everything that happened in the hallway.
"Well, it looks like she just got low on sugar... she probably skipped breakfast or she has been under a lot of stress lately. It may take her a few minutes to wake up, but she’ll be fine." The nurse reassured them with a smile, earning a sigh of relief from the 4 teenagers.
"Thank you very much, Miss Ainsworth," Becky said to the nurse who only smiled and nodded.
"I will come in a few minutes to check it again, now I'll call her parents to come and pick her up, it is best that she rest for today," said the nurse turning around and leaving while closing the curtain behind her.
"Well, it’s a relief to know that it wasn’t really serious," Emile said after a few minutes in silence. It was uncomfortable being silent for so long. “although the blood and her reaction were…odd”
"Yes...anyway, maybe we should go and let her rest," Ewen said beside him. "The nurse said she needed that, didn’t she?"
“Next time I’ll make sure that girl eats her size in food before leaving her house," Becky whispered, shaking her head and sighed. "You can leave if you want, I’ll stay with her”
Emile and Ewen nodded and turned to see their best friend but Damian had only placed himself next to Anya, the concern and fondness of his gaze being the clear answer that he had no intention of moving from the girl’s side.
“Boss-man... you coming? your brother’s match is about to start" Emile tried again to get his friend's attention but Damian only shook his head without taking his eyes off the pink haired girl.
"No... You go without me, maybe I’ll catch up with you later," said Damian, simply getting Emile, Ewen and Becky to look at each other with knowing smiles on their faces... Okay, Becky was smiling too much and she was doing everything that she could to stop herself and not squeal with happiness at that moment.
This was like watching an episode of "Berlint in Love"!
"All right... we’ll save you a place," Ewen said nodding and then leaving with Emile. A few minutes later Becky followed them.
"Wait for me!" She calls them from behind. The boys could only look at her with surprise.
"I thought you’d stay with stubby-legs, Blackbell," Emile said, raising an eyebrow at the girl, though she started walking a little slower so she could reach them.
"Don´t call her that, you morons” growled the girl hitting two of them on the back of their heads. “besides that stupid nickname no longer applies to her, you know that”
“¡Auch! But it was Emile who said it! Why do I get a hit in the head too?” complained Ewen, rubbing his head and pouting.
“Because I feel like it” Becky said with a shrug, earning a glare from the boys. “And answering your question, I was going to stay with her but... I felt like I was interrupting something more important by doing it," Becky said,a sly smile spreading in her face.
The boys at her side only laughed in understanding of what she meant. "oh, the things I do for romance," said the girl, putting the back of her hand on her forehead and letting out an exaggerated sigh.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After another 20 minutes, Anya woke up again, She start moving slightly on the stretcher and complaining about the headache that was still present.
«God, at last there is silence... but where am I?.. I manage to leave the corridor? I don't remember leaving the hallway... and.. Why am I in something soft?»
Anya sighed as she began to regain consciousness, slowly opened her eyes to find... everything covered in white, why is everything white? And why did it smell like....A HOSPITAL?!7
The pink-haired girl rose up scared trying to see where she was but the sudden movement only managed to make her dizzy once more by sending her back to the stretcher on which she had been asleep minutes earlier.
«Agh, it hurts so much... no, you have to get out of here as soon as possible... How did I get here? Did they find me? Am I in the lab with them again?...No, Anya breathe. That's impossible. Just Breathe.»
She began to hyperventilate as the panic began to take hold of her until two hands took her shoulders firmly but kindly. She was about to scream for help, or push the person and run until she found a pair of brown eyes... No, a pair of golden eyes looking at her with concern. Damian.
"Breathe, you’re just in the infirmary," Damian said in an attempt to calm her, he had seen her wake up but before he could talk to her Anya sat down and then started looking around scared, as if she was trapped or something. "you fainted, you shouldn’t make such abrupt movements when you just woke up"
"Sy-on boy?" asked Anya, a little more relaxed to hear him speak. " I thought…nevermind, I Fainted? but..."
"You did, you were in the hallway. Then you turned very pale and then you fainted," the boy whispered, starting to move his thumbs on the girl’s shoulder in a soothing way. "I’ll call the nurse, don’t move"
"No! please, D-Don’t Go" said Anya holding his hand when he stood up trying to stop him from leaving. The boy just blushed again and stuttered something she couldn’t understand at first.
"I’ll just go get the nurse, dummy" said the boy when he managed to calm down a little and cleared his throat, giving a soft squeeze to the girl’s hand looking her in the eye. "I promise I’ll be back in a few seconds".
"...all right," Anya whispered, releasing the boy’s hand so he could leave. As he had promised, Damian was back with the nurse in less than a minute
"Hello Anya, I’m Miss Ainsworth, the nurse of Edén academy," said the woman approaching Anya to check on her. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts…a lot," the girl admitted, sighing and closing her eyes again. The nurse only nodded with a small smile of understanding as she finished her examination, took some pills and a glass of water to approach her again.
"Can you sit down? As slow as you can, okay?" The nurse spoke to her sweetly as she helped her sit, then gave her the pills and the glass so she could swallow them. "I called your parents a while ago but no one answered, is there anyone who can come to take you home?"
Anya just sighed, shaking her head, she had completely forgotten that. That morning she had read the thoughts of her parents and discovered that they both had missions that day so surely both were busy at the time.
"Hmmm... well, I’ll try to get in touch with them again," said the nurse, smiling sympathetically. "Get some rest, okay? Let the pills do their work, I’ll close the blinds a little so you can rest a little bit more."
"Thank you very much," said Anya, nodding with a small smile though it looked more like a grimace.
“Oh you don't have to thank me sweetie, it is my job after all…but, I think there are other people who deserve those words... your boyfriend over there brought you here with your friends, they were all very worried and your boyfriend hasn’t moved from your side since he brought you here" the nurse whispered with complicity to the girl who, at the nurse’s words she couldn't help but blush so hard that she was darker than her hair.
"he...I´m not…we aren´t..." the girl tried to say but the nurse had already left the curtain closed again on her way out.
An awkward silence flooded the room, Anya decided to lean back again, closing her eyes waiting for the pills to make an effect while Damian stood by with his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do.
«Should I go? It's uncomfortable to be here without saying anything... and she already woke up and soon they will come to bring her... No, the nurse said she hadn’t been able to get in touch with Mr Forger or Mrs Forger yet... I don’t want to leave but maybe she wants to be alone and...»
"Sy-On boy?" Anya’s voice said, surprising him a little.
"Yes?” said Damian, waiting for her to say something , Anya just moved awkwardly and bit her lip wondering whether or not to say whatever she was thinking at the time. Still, the boy just waited patiently for the girl to speak only to be frozen in his place at her words.
"Can you stay with me? please" whispered the girl in a shy manner, the second heir of the Desmonds didn´t know whether to be more surprised by the question or to see for the first time Anya Forger, the most determined, confident and reckless girl he had ever met in his life, speaking so timidly and insecure.
He was so shocked that he didn't notice that he hadn't said anything and was only staring at her with wide open eyes and another blush, until he heard her speak again.
"Yo-You don’t have to if you don’t want to... you can go see the games, it’s probably more fun and I heard your brother was playing so..." Anya started saying as she played with her fingers nervously.
"NO!" shouted the boy, he felt guilty instantly as he noticed the girl making a wince of pain once again from the noise. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry... I meant yes, I.... I’ll stay with you, not because I want to be alone with you... It’s just that you’re my responsibility, I brought you here after all," said the boy shaking his head, before he could say anything else he heard the girl giggle and he decided that the sound of her laugh was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
"Thank you Damian" said the girl turning her head to look him in the eyes and at that moment Damian was sure that he was dead and had gone to heaven because Anya Forger had just said his name.
HIS NAME.
She didn’t say "Sy-on boy" or "jerk” or “meanie”, no.
She said his name.
She said his name.
She said his name.
He definitely was in heaven.
Damian could swear that he had never heard anything more beautiful because of her voice... God, her voice made his name sound like a symphony... and. Who raised the temperature of the place? Why was the place so hot all of a sudden?
"Y-you d-don’t need to thank me for anything dwarf, I’m just doing what a gentleman should do," muttered the boy frowning trying to avoid the girl’s green eyes, although his face was completely red and his heart had begun to beat so fast that Damian suspected that his heart wanted to imitate a whole tango dance on his chest.
"Come on! Don’t just stand there…sit here” Anya said, pointing to the chair near her stretcher, so Damian nodded and sat beside her without thinking twice, if the pink haired noticed how he had pulled his chair closer to be right beside her, she said nothing.
"You scared the hell out of me... you know?" Damian admitted after a few minutes in silence and sighed. He looked up to meet the green eyes of the girl that was already staring at him, and it took all of his willpower to not look away embarrassed. "and Becky, Emile and Ewen were scared too".
"I’m sorry..." Anya whispered, guilt flooding her gaze and she looked away sighing. "I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to worry you…i didn't want to worry any of you" the girl whispered as tears began to flood her eyes.
"Hey... hey, you don’t have to apologize for that... the important thing is that you’re okay now, right?" whispered Damian holding the girl’s hand, surprising her in the act and getting her to look back at him. "We were just worried for you... Next time make sure you have a good breakfast when you leave your house or we are going to get mad at you idiot" said the boy with a mocking smile trying to annoy her as usual, he just want to try to make her feel better even though that went flying out the window when he saw some tears slip by the pink haired girl’s cheeks.
"I’m still sorry... I... I didn’t faint because I didn’t eat a good breakfast or anything like that," the girl admitted as tears flooded her eyes once again, making the heart of the boy hurt even more at the sight. "I just..."
"Hey... shhh, don’t cry.. you know I can’t stand seeing you cry, shrimp" Damian said shaking his head, though he still came closer and unaware of what he was doing he brought one of his hands to Anya’s cheeks to gently wipe the tears that had escaped from her beautiful green eyes by drawing little circles with his thumb. "... you don’t have to blame yourself for anything, tell me... what happened?"
"I... Damian... I" said Anya hesitating a little about telling the truth, she was interrupted by the boy’s hand on her cheek and his little caresses, unable to help but leaned a little more towards the boy’s soft touch as she closed her eyes for a moment, sighing as her cheeks became redder than before. "I... don’t do very well when I’m in crowds, I get overwhelmed and I wasn’t ready to be surrounded by so many people in such a small space today."
"I see..." Damian whispered, without stopping a second with his caresses on her cheek. "silly, you should have gone the other way"
"Becky wanted to get to the courts fast to get good seats and I didn’t realize until it was too late," Anya admitted embarrassed, gaining a sigh and a smile from the boy in front of her.
"Next time take the other corridor, okay? Or wait for me and so... And so I can take you to a place where there aren’t that many people" offered the boy who kept giving little strokes with his thumb absently.
"Really?" whispered Anya, surprised and smiled slightly as the boy nodded in shame. "Thank you Sy-On boy"
"I... Don’t think I’m doing it for you, I just don’t want to have to carry you back here if you faint again," said the boy with the frown.
«I don’t want to see you like that again, I don't think that I´ll be able to bear it... you scared me to death Anya.»
"If you say so, Sy-On Boy" Anya said with a small mocking grin causing the boy to roll his eyes, before Damian could say anything else he finally noticed that his hand was on the girl’s cheek and their faces were close. Very close.
«I want to kiss her...»
"Anya... I.." whispered Damian, seeing the pair of green eyes he adored. She is beautiful. Why couldn’t he speak again? Why did his mouth feel so dry?
"yes, Damian?" Anya murmured, feeling her blushing again because of the boy’s thoughts and leaned forward a little, feeling more anxious and excited knowing that the boy wanted to kiss her. Because she wanted the same thing.
"I... I am..." said the boy again leaning a little further, feeling the girl’s breath mingling with his, their lips were about to touch when another voice made them jump out of their skin.
"I’m Loid Forger, Anya’s father. Someone called me saying something had happened to my daughter, she’s here? Is she okay? What happened?" The voice of Anya’s father was heard as he entered the infirmary, and in less than 2 minutes he entered the room with the nurse, finding two teenagers of a red color that shouldn't be humanly possible and looking in different directions.
Seeing the odd behavior of the teens, Loid could only squint his eyes scanning the room, his gaze stared at the young Desmond who seemed even more nervous with every passing second.
Taking pity on the boy, Loid decided not to say anything about it and approached the stretcher on which his daughter was, his blue look instantly softened when he saw her.
"Hello papa," Anya whispered as she saw her father approaching her, his face showing how concerned he was about her well-being.
"Sorry it took so long to get here, my little peanut, I had... a problem with a difficult patient and I didn't receive the call until recently" the man apologized to his daughter while giving him a pat on her head. "How are you feeling now?”
"I feel better, papa... I’m sorry I scared you," the girl whispered feeling guilty again, not only had she frightened her friends... She had also frightened her father, probably her mother when she found out and her younger brother if he understood what had happened.
"She needs to eat something before she goes to bed,better if she eats some fruit with her lunch " said the nurse behind him, she took some pills out the pocket of her uniform and handed them to Loid. “If her head hurts again, you can give her one of these pills every 5 hours.”
"Thank you very much, miss," Loid said, nodding to the woman as he took off her hat, while he was writing down mentally what she had said to him.
"It’s nothing, and don’t worry, I’m sure your daughter will feel alright once again in the morning," the nurse said, smiling as she blushed slightly at how handsome the man in front of her was.
«It is a pity that he is already married...».
The nurse gave him a slight nod and then sighed out of the place as she mumbled something suspiciously similar to "why are all the handsome men never single?", leaving the two teenagers with the man.
"Damian Desmond" said the man to the teenager giving another nod towards him and reaching out his hand to greet him.
"Hey pops.. I mean, Hello Mr Forger," said Damian somewhat awkwardly, still reaching out his hand to shake it with the man’s as he nodded as well.
"The nurse told me that you brought my daughter here and that you were taking care of her," the blond man said without letting go of the boy’s hand, squinting his eyes a little, making the teenager squirm a little, suddenly feeling threatened by the kind man.
"I.. Yeah, well... I was with her when it happened and I couldn’t leave her like that," the boy said, clearing his throat and responding as best he could, in an attempt to hide his nerves.
spoiler: it didn’t work.
"Anyway, you brought her here and stay with her until I get here so thank you for taking care of my daughter," said Loid, smiling kindly as he squeezed the boy’s hand again (maybe a little to hard) and then let go.
«What are your intentions with my daughter?... Why were you so nervous when I arrived?... You better not be trying anything with my daughter, Anya is still too young to have a boyfriend».
"Don’t worry Mr Forger, I’m glad Anya’s better now," replied Damian nodding as he kept his hands in his pockets not knowing what to do with them, his palms were sweaty and he felt like a test rat in a lab at the calculating look the man was giving him.
«Did he notice that I almost kissed Anya?... impossible, he entered minutes after that... Oh God, what if he realized I like his daughter? What if he doesn’t give me his blessing when Anya and I start dating?... well, if we start dating... but what if he doesn’t like me? I can’t not be on the bad side of my future father-in-law.»
A small squeal drew both men from their thoughts and they quickly turned to see Anya holding her hands over her face in an attempt to hide it although they could tell how red the tips of her ears were.
"Anya! Are you okay? What’s wrong?" asked the two men at the same time approaching the girl in a matter of seconds, Damian had to retain the urge to squirm in place as he noticed the way Loid raised an eyebrow towards him and then how he narrowed his eyes when the teenager blushed.
«I thought pops liked me... I guess I’ll have to find a way to win over my future father-in-law.»
"I’m fine!" replied Anya with a voice a little bit too high. She uncovered her face showing a red color so strong that it could make a tomato jealous.
"Are you sure? You’re very red, do you have a fever?" asked Loid, looking at his daughter with concern. He took off one of his gloves to place his hand on her forehead trying to check her temperature.
"I’m fine, dad, don’t worry," Anya said, shaking her head and smiling as best she could towards her father without being able to look directly at Damian who was next to her. "Can we go home? I would like to sleep"
"Sure?...come on," the man nodded, helping his daughter stand up, grabbed her backpack and smiled at the boy. "Thanks again for your help, Damian."
"You don’t have to thank me, Mr Forger," Damian nodded with a small smile at the gentleman, even slightly flushed when he saw the girl. "Goodbye Anya, take good care and...I hope you feel better tomorrow."
"Tha-Thank you Damian" said Anya, still blushing up to her ears, giving him a little smile before leaving with her father.
Damian just sighed looking where the girl had gone.
After another 5 minutes he looked at the clock that was hanging on one of the walls of the infirmary, remembering again the basketball match of his older brother.
If he hurried he could see the last minutes and the award ceremony, so he ran after saying goodbye to the nurse.
ok, there was a high probability that he´ll get in trouble for being late.
Did he care?
Not really, the only thing he cared about was the only thing in his head at the moment.
He almost kissed Anya.
And the moment repeated in his mind over and over again.
«If her father had´t entered at that moment... would she have allowed me to kiss her?»
A huge and silly smile made his way on the face of the second heir of the Desmond´s as he ran to the basketball court remembering the feeling of having Anya so close to him, at the thought of how she had´t refused his touch and as how 20 minutes ago he was about to do what he had wanted for many years (since he was 9).
He almost kiss Anya Forger.