3Hey guys~ Thanks for taking time to read this. ^_^ it meant a lot.
And I'm sorry I took a while to finish this. midterms, ya know?
FILE 2: The Ice Prince
Lloyd uncomfortably crossed one leg over the other as he waited for the Captain to finish shifting through his documents. The Captain was a large man; towering at the height of 6'5, with mitts for hands, dark hair and eerie obsidian eyes. From what he heard from his fellow workers, the Captain was a considerably handsome man with regal features and a superior aura about him. To Lloyd, he was just a cold man with a short temper and a terrible attitude.
Not that Lloyd knew what attractive was.
"So, here's your new charge."
He frowned a bit when the Captain carelessly tossed the vanilla colored folder in front of him. He gingerly touched it, as if it were something very dangerous, like it could explode at any moment, and it might. His new charge, he means. The folder was quite thick, if he may say so. This could only mean one thing; his new charge was another problematic child. He inwardly sighed as his fingers skimmed at the end of the folder.
"He was Professor Stalks' old charge." The Captain continued as the golden eyed scientist opened the contents of the folder. Sure enough, the left side had a lot of papers clamped together; biological records of scientists and guards he had hospitalized and put on coma. This young man was quite the charmer now, wasn't he? Lloyd flipped through the records scanning the profiles of his colleagues. His ears began to ring from the silence and he could feel a headache coming on as he continued to flip through the files, face remaining impassive.
'Obviously, he attacks his handlers because they're cruel.' He thought with an unimpressed snort. 'Lawrence uses a lot of binds, from what I've heard. Valdez physically harms his charges and I'm pretty sure Calvin electrocutes his charges with that tazer of his. Brian obviously uses a lot of drugs. He's insane that way.' True enough, the stick-thin, twitchy scientist was probably a drug addict before he became a scientist. Lloyd once caught him injecting some of the sedatives into himself. The Captain cleared his throat, causing the blond man to look up.
"Usually, he just freezes one of their limbs, but his ice, for some reason, spread throughout the body and I'm pretty sure you know that we had to amputate those." The Captain leaned forward, interlacing his fingers together and resting his chin on his thumbs, coal black eyes watching the blond scientist intently. "But what he did to Stalks was he froze his entire body. Luckily, he's alive, but severely damaged."
Lloyd winced, feeling a chill run up his spine. Nevertheless, he met the Captains cold eyes with his own golden ones.
"If I may ask, what did Brian do to make Silverlight hate him so much?" He raised a brow at this. The large man leaned back, propping his obviously large feet on the table, causing the scientist to inwardly cringe at the man's manners, or lack of it.
"I'm pretty sure you'll get all the information you'll need in that folder, Professor Ashwood." He grinned and the blond nodded sourly at this but didn't say anything more. Two guards, Lieutenants he guessed, approached and stood behind him. The Captain nodded at him. "You may take your leave."
Lloyd stood up and immediately exited the office, a slight frown on his face. He ignored his escorts and exited the slate gray hall, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. Finally, the hall ended with another hall to the scientific ward of the institute and the blond man nearly sighed in relief. He hated the Captain, and loathed him to extent of wanting to force the Captain through the experiments he had forced the young Elementalists.
Elementalists
Over the years, humans seem to have not evolved a bit. That is until young children began having abilities, peculiar abilities. These children, not younger than six, had the ability to control elements, it was almost magical, and magical it was indeed. However, Lloyd was never interested in magic. He wanted hard facts; truths about these children. And so when he first got a job here, he was absolutely thrilled. But the thrill died down after the first month. Not only was he going to be posted as a 'missing' person in the public's eye, but he was also going to 'collect data' on these children. And collect data from them he did, that was all. He refused to be the one to put them through such torture.
'It's as if I'm being scolded for even joining this place.' He mentally cringed at that.
Walking the gray halls of the Institute, he felt himself grow weary, tired even with every step. For five years, he had been like this and those children; it was the worse. Lloyd was always watching, always hearing the children cry out of pain. That's why he tries to be friends with all his charges and he is. He really tries to protect them, especially the young ones. Children were being brought here every day. Some have already reached adulthood in here. Sighing, he opened the folder out once more and read the young man's sheet.
Name:
Kiyan Ledger
Patient Code:
Silverlight
DOB:
December 13th
Sphere of Control:
Ice/Snow/Frost and possibly Light
Programs:
Multiplication Program, Attack/Speed Program, Tolerance Program, Synchronization Program
Others:
Can't seem to control his ice if it freezes a living being; has a homicidal streak; not mentally balanced
Lloyd flipped the page just as he turned around the corner. Pictures of the young adult stared up at him with intense, cold eyes. It was as if his eyes screamed 'DIE!' and at the same time, not show any emotion at all. He found it rather… intriguing. The young man had snow colored hair that messily sat on his head, straight but slightly curled when they get to the end. He took note of the pale complexion, obviously done by sedative overdose and the dead eyes that spoke of pure hatred. Not to mention that his lips were pulled into a scowl; a rather sleepy one at that. Again, it was another symptom of overdose.
He shut the folder and walked through the Doctor's and Professor's office, folder tucked safely under his arm. He and the other scientists pretty much have their own private rooms in the institute, at the same time, they have their group office and individual cubicles. The Office was a large cream-and-coffee themed room with fifty cubicles, only twenty-eight were actually in use by the Doctors and Scientists while around fifteen were used by the assistants. The rest were the cubicles of those who had died. Sighing again, he sat in his chair and his eyes rested on a rather bulky paper bag with a blue sticky note attached to it. Lloyd shook his head. Already, he could guess that this was another apology gift from his assistant. He set the folder down beside the bag and picked up the sticky note, taking note of the artistically drawn chibi image of a young, black haired boy with tears in his eyes.
Heya Prof!
Sorry if I won't be able to attend much to you today. Doctor Richie dragged me around to take data on Floor three, Black-flame. Then Doctor Samuels asked me to go pick up some items at the grocer's and in the town convenience store.
Sorry 'bout that. I get to move around my post so much when I'm supposed to be your assistant. Congrats on the new charge though.
PS:
Hope you like Gummy Bears! I'M SO SORRY!
Cheers!
- Eara
'Figures…' Lloyd thought with a sigh, a small smile on his lips. His assistant, who had been working under him for a month now, was everyone's assistant, despite the fact that he was contracted to work under Lloyd himself. The blond man shook his head and set the note down and opened the bag. He blinked at the sight, unamused. Tipping the bag over to spill its contents on his bare desk, Lloyd counted twenty-eight –no, thirty packets of gummy bears. He picked one pack up and looked at the weight.
"250 grams… and He bought thirty of it…" He deadpanned. Already, he could feel another migraine coming on. The blond scientist silently tossed the bags one by one back into his Treats drawer. Sure, he like gummy and preferred it over smoking and alcohol, but he didn't like it to this wild extent. Now, he had a surplus of candy and he doesn't know what to do with it.
"He should've just bought me more coffee." Lloyd said with a sigh. He leaned back and crossed his legs, massaging his temples with his right hand.
"Now, now, we all know that too much coffee is bad for your health. We're getting up on the years, you know." A meaty hand had rested on his shoulder, causing the blond to jerk and look up at the beefy man whose left hand ended in a stub. He gave him a tight-lipped smile as his eyes landed on the stub the other doctor sported, and he shivered. Silverlight was Professor Cordon's charge before Stalks.
"Well, I'm not that old yet, Percy. I'm still younger than you by five years." He replied with a smirk. The bear-man guffawed, leaning in a bit.
"Ei! Using that against me shows how mean ye are, Lloyd." He teased, removing his mitt from the blonde's shoulder and shaking his head. His eyes flicked over to the vanilla colored folder occupying Lloyd's desk.
"So, I take you're Kiyan's unlucky new victim." Percy's face had grown stern, almost worried even, and Lloyd didn't miss the fact that he used Silverlight's real name instead of his code. The blond averted his eyes, a flash of worry flitting over his golden orbs.
Everyone knew that one misstep with The Ice Prince would lead to you being frozen, at least partially, in ice. But maybe it had something to do with the cruel way he was treated? Pulled away from his family at a young age, stripped of his identity, deprived from a normal life, forced through brutal experiments everyday; Lloyd sighed and looked up, studying the burly man with tired golden eyes.
"Well, He's not that bad. I mean he seems to have only injured those who overdose him and actually harm him." Lloyd answered, to which Percy raised a brow at.
"Ye saying I abused him before, Ashwood?" He asked, voice growling slightly. The blond winced inwardly before shooting a careless grin up at his friend.
"Now, now, you can't tell me you didn't try to hit on him." He retorted with a grin, leaning back as he crossed his left leg over his right, arms folding on his chest.
"Well, how was I supposed to know he doesn't like being slapped on the butt? Young 'uns do that a lot tah good booties nowadays!" Percy replied with a laugh, waving his stubbed hand, as if his loss was hardly bothersome. "I slapped him at the ass and he went batshit crazy!"
Lloyd shook his head at his friend's hopelessness. The big and burly man may look intimidating, yet he was all but that. Percy Cordon was actually one of the friendliest and biggest flirts ever and Lloyd knew that it was done all in frustration. The man's longing for a family was no secret amongst the doctors and professors. He rolled his eyes at the still beaming bear-man.
"Yes, yes, anyone would be if they were molested by a bear." He said with a smile. The said bear-man shook his head and smiled back, his brown eyes twinkling. Percy casted a subtle sideward glance at the clock on Lloyd's desk and sighed, frowning a bit.
"Well, looks like I gotta go and check on Blue Rock again. I'm pretty sure she's whining for a naptime story by now." The blond had to chuckle. Percy had once been a rather detached scientist towards his charges but now, he and his charges seem to have a father-child relationship, which definitely worked out for the better.
"Yep, it does seem like it." Lloyd replied, glancing at the clock with a nod, making the man grin and give him one last pat on the back before walking out, but not before sticking his head in. A large grin rested on his face.
"Just make sure not to slap him in that adorable rump of his, ye hear?" The man yelled before he disappeared out of the door.
Lloyd shook his head and watched silently, not saying anything until he was sure he was alone. Silverlight's data folder was propped open for the scientist to study. The humming of the coffee machine, the occasional glug of the water dispenser and rhythmic ticking of the clock were his only company in the office. He looked up just as the clock struck two in the afternoon and he decided that it was time to visit Snow a little. A soft smile played on his face. The young girl held a special – in a non-romantic way – place in his heart.
Snow, also known as Eira Cane, was the first charge he was ever asked to look after and she had grown up to be an adorable little girl, always smiling and seldom complaining. The young Ice user was a rather sweet girl in his opinion and if he remembered, she was always around his new charge whenever they have the chance to be together, not that he's seen them together. But Eira always complained about how Silverlight turned out to be quite the handful, but he only gets the pleasure of hearing her talk like that on times that she slips about him. Quite adorable if he may say. The blond scientist stretched his arms and stood up, grabbing a strawberry flavored lollipop –and a thermos of hot chocolate from Eara's table– for the girl and his trusty black notebook, mentally reminding himself to add Silverlight's data to it later.
He flipped the notebook open and exited the office, sharply turning to the left, until he reached the elevators. His notebook was messily filled with data, symbols and squiggles that only the blond could make sense of. The eerie silence began to press on his ear and the ringing on his ears sharpened as silence reigned over the place, causing his head to burn and pound. The door dinged open and the blond stepped inside, pressing the button to the second floor. He was alone in the metal box, and the silence that lingered gave him a sense of foreboding.
It reminded him of those horror videos and movies he used to watch when he was still in the 'outside world'. The victim, not suspecting anything, would enter an elevator. The metal doors would slide shut, sealing him in and a cold shiver would run up his spine, but the victim would ignore it. The small space would be filled with silence, elevator lights flicking on and off, –like what it was doing now– causing him to feel a strange sense of being watched. As he looks around the empty box, the elevator would reach a creaking halt, and the lights would flick off. The victim would curse and blindly look for the emergency button, all the while feeling goosebumps rise on his skin and cold shivers wrack his spine. Just as his fingers touch the emergency button, the lights would flick back on, illuminating the elevator room now splattered with blood. The confused occupant would now feel a sort of chill as his heart beat faster and his blood pounded in his ears. Terrified, he would bang at the doors, calling for help, not knowing that now, he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a vengeful spirit, face sullen with death and face streaked with blood. He notices a presence behind him and slowly turns around–
Lloyd quickly turned his head to look behind him, letting out a sigh of relief when he realized he was still alone in the elevator. Not that a vengeful spirit would be out of place in the institute.
Many Elementalists have died in the institute's twenty years of existence and eighty percent of these were children barely older than ten. In fact, the youngest would probably be a child, an energy elementalist and considered a powerful tool, who was around four years old. She died of electrocution and burning when she was tested against these conditions. Of course, this incident happened seven years before Lloyd came into the picture but he did see her burned corpse. It was preserved at Sector three of the West ward on Basement Five, and Lloyd could never get that gruesome image out of his head.
The man sighed and shook his head, deciding that the silence must be getting better of him again. Fighting the lack of sound, he hummed lightly to himself, just a bunch of random notes strewn together to make a tune, his golden eyes looking up at the flicking digital number.
A few seconds later, the doors slid open with a soft ding and he stepped out, humming 'We Could Happen' as he walked through the gray halls. He didn't know why that song popped into his mind and it made him try to remember where he heard that song before. He was sure it had something to do with Eira, since the younger man was always playing his songs on loudspeaker, much to the annoyance of—
"I'm playing it for my brother. He likes these songs and it's the only way I know to help him from where I'm standing. Key really likes music… He's a musical genius! You really should see him play!" Eara's cheerful face had fallen at the mention of his brother but he quickly lit up again.
'Ah yes… Now I remember…' Lloyd thought, feeling his gut churn slightly. His poor assistant had gone through quite a lot already, at a young age too. He let out a small sigh and continued walking along the corridors with grace, his feet having memorized the steps to his young charge's room.
He passed a few more empty rooms, and he almost shivered in thought. These rooms were once occupied too, but the previous occupants had switched rooms or had gone... somewhere where they would never be hurt again. The guards were also nowhere to be found and he guessed that they were either on roaming duties or on lunch break. He repressed another shiver as he neared a silvery-gray door.
The metal door was sealed shut, frost jutting out at the corners and he immediately knew that something was wrong. He slowly unlocked the door, and started pushing it open, the ice that held it together cracking slightly. It refused to budge and the golden eyed man decided to kick the door down. It creaked and he gave it another fierce kick, focusing his weight on his heel, forcing it to swing open. A cold gust of wind slapped him on the face as he quickly entered. Lloyd shivered slightly, thankful for the black sweater wrapped around him. The place was carpeted in white, save for the small smudge of brown-black that was huddled on the floor. White puffs came out of his mouth as he rushed over to the prone figure, opening the thermos of hot chocolate he had brought with him.
"Eira? Are you okay?" He asked, kneeling beside her and shifting her to a sitting position, offering the warm liquid to her lips. Her brown eyes fluttered open, but they were dull and unseeing, and had some sort of regretful sadness that only increased Lloyd's worries. A lot of thoughts ran through his head but now wasn't the time to reassure himself; Eira needed it more.
He gave the girl a reassuring smile. The young girl, barely eighteen, nodded slowly, her long, ebony hair had snow in it and it somewhat frightened the scientist to see his charge looking this pale, almost like she was dead. He noticed the shivers of her body and that her nails and lips were already blue. She looked so fragile that it almost scared him when she moved.
Eira slowly accepted the hot chocolate, fingers trembling as they encircled the warm container. Her eyes fluttered close while she sipped it lightly, Lloyd cradling the fragile girl in his arms, gently brushing the snow off her fringe when she took charge of holding the thermos. They stayed like that for a minute, the blond man supporting her and sharing his warmth as she slowly sipped the warm liquid. Eara was cold, cheeks pale with a thin layer of frost dancing on her skin. Despite the fact that she controls ice, the young girl had a surprisingly normal body temperature, even in cold weather. But right now, she was as cold as the room itself. He waited until she was a bit more warmer before he spoke.
"Can you tell me what happened?" He asked, fishing out the strawberry flavored lollipop and handing it to the girl, who gave a small , weak smile. He watched as life slowly returned to her eyes and a firmer smile formed on her face. She huddled underneath her black cardigan and pulled her knees close to her chest. The warmth was slowly seeping into her body now and the frost was beginning to disappear.
"I guess…. They hurt Kiyan… He wasn't moving afterwards…" She said softly, unwrapping the small treat and popping it into her mouth. She was shivering slightly, and he guessed that the two of them had just finished another of those session. He sighed and gave the girl a reassuring pat on the head.
Eira still had this worried-regretful sort of distracted in her eyes and Lloyd immediately wanted to make her feel better. Perhaps it was because he saw her as a younger sibling of sorts? He sighed and smiled softly, golden eyes twinkling.
"I see… Well, would you like to visit him? Just to see if he's alright?" Lloyd asked with a smile, watching the girl brighten up immediately and enthusiastically nod, despite looking completely exhausted. He chuckled and stood up, offering the girl a hand.
She took it and slightly wobbled, before falling down with a grunt, nearly taking him down with her. Thankfully, she landed on the snow that carpeted the room. It had grown about two inches deeper than when he had entered, making it almost as high as his thigh around the center of the room.
He frowned, sure that she wouldn't be able to walk all the way to the other's cell. An idea came into his head and he gave her a 'wait here' motion with his hands before going out. Near the elevator, there was a small door that led to a rather cramped compartment containing wheelchairs and foldable beds, used for transporting unconscious or disabled Elementalists. Grunting, he pulled out a wheelchair and wheeled it to the room entrance. Eira's eyes lit up at the sight.
He grinned back and started the torturous task of making a path from the wheelchair to Eira. It took a while, and quite a lot of kicking, to get a decent path. When he finally reached her, he smiled softly and leaned down. Eira looped her thin arms around his neck and he placed on arm under her knees, the other supporting her back.
"Well, up you go." He said with a smile, carrying her until they got to the wheelchair. He gently set her down before playfully dusting the remaining snow off her hair. When she was seated, he began to push it towards the other end of the hall.
"So, can you use your element right now?" He asked, mentally reading the name plates on the doors.
Black Tornado
Eira shook her head, a small frown on her lips.
Red Baron
"No. They kind of took a lot of energy." She said, and Lloyd nodded. So he knew that she was very exhausted. He continued to mentally read the name plates, trying not to look at the depressed and pained looks of the occupants.
Aquatica
A lone boy sat in one of the rooms, fingers ending in bloody stumps as he continued to scratch at the glass window. His body was covered in soot and there were thick drops of tears running down his face.
Amber Sands
Lloyd looked away, unable to stomach the disgust for his job any longer. It was vile, terrible, disgusting and most of all, inhumane.
Blood Rock
It was knowledge that he wanted, not the suffering of children. Those were different things.
Wind Crystals
To think that he was once thrilled to be here. Now? He was filled with so much regret, it disgusted him.
Amethyst Sparks
Green Metal
'Because I chose it here. It was my choice and my ignorance has led to this.' Lloyd though bitterly. 'There's not even room for complaint.'
Iron Burn
"Lloyd?"
Electric Gale
"Hmm?" His eyes flicked down, thoughts pulled at an abrupt stop as her brown puppy eyes blinked up at him.
Shadow Flares
"How did you get permission to see Kiyan?" Her brown eyes held a lot of curiosity and it was beautiful to see on such a young face.
Silver Grass
"Well, they appointed me as his new holder." He answered softly, grinning down at her. Eira beamed happily, looking like she was in a much netter mood.
Orange Breeze
Liquid Heat
Cerulean Light
The rest of the walk was silent, until they reached a big window. The two of them stopped in front of the frost-covered window.
Silverlight
Like Eira's room, this one was also coated in snow, but unlike her room, icicles grew on the ceiling and the inside was snowing. The cold could even be felt from outside of the confined winter wonderland. In the very middle of the room, strapped to the bed and dressed in surprisingly thin clothes, Silverlight was fast asleep, and Lloyd's eyes locked on the defenseless figure.
His picture had done him no justice.
Eira looked up at him. "Lloyd, can we go in?"
"Hmmm...? Oh what? Sure." He mumbled absentmindedly, fishing out his card and swiping it at the lock. More dangerous Elementalists needed a card key for their doors to open, since Silverlight was seemingly promoted in terms of being a threat, his lock was changed. The steel door swung open silently, the metal surprisingly unaffected by the cold, and he entered, pushing the young girl in until she was beside his bed.
Silverlight truly was Enchanting .
Eira reached out and began undoing his metal cuffs, unlocking it by freeing its latch. The blond man blinked and his golden gaze traveled down the male ice user. He noticed the dry blood on the steel and the scar marks on his wrists, causing him to frown. Despite being situated on the chair, the female Ice elementalist managed to undo all his cuffs, yet the silver haired male was fast asleep. Lloyd stared at his face, his own expression blank as his smoldering gold eyes took in his face.
Silverlight's silvery-white hair was mussed, messy, and slightly longish but not long enough to go past the soft contours of his jaw, framing his angelic face and shadowing his eyes. He noticed that the other had long lashes, creating contrasting shadows against the pale-ish complexion yet, his pale complexion only added to his charm. It was as if he was a doll, a sleeping doll with almost marble features. He didn't look fragile but rather, he felt so volatile that he might burst any minute. His mouth was slightly open, and he looked very relaxed, chest rising and falling softly, following a soft rhythm only his heart could hear. Golden eyes focused on those pink lips, watching the small puffs of breath come out of them. All in all, Kiyan Ledger was rather handsome in his opinion.
But he still didn't know what handsome was... right?
"He's usually frowning or glaring at people." Eira said softly, caressing Kiyan's sleeping face. Lloyd pulled his gaze away from the angelic face and smiled.
"Well, he should smile often." He said, reaching out to check his pulse, recoiling when his fingers made contact with ice cold skin. The man winced, rubbing his fingers together, ignoring the small sparks dancing on his fingertips. "Is he really supposed to be that cold?" Eira looked up at him and giggled.
"Yep! He's as cold as ice, maybe even colder." The girl mused, looking back at the sleeping silverette in front of them. "But he's really pretty sweet when we're together."
At her words, a wave of something strange struck Lloyd. He ignored it and settled for a grin, crossing his arms leisurely over his chest.
"Ah, I guess he should be." The man said with a smile. "I'd be surprised if he's cold to his girlfriend."
His own words surprised him but he was able to quickly mask it. Just in time too. Eira had glanced up at him in what looked like confusion in her face.
"Girlfriend?" The dark haired girl asked, the tone confused. "Kiyan's like my big brother, and he doesn't like me like that." Lloyd gave the girl a teasing smile, hiding his relief. Well, he will deal about this strangeness later.
"Really? I don't think so." Eira snorted and looked away.
"Kiyan likes guys, not girls." She said pointedly, pouting a bit, playing with the other's snow-colored hair. Golden eyes followed the soft lock of white twirl around her finger in what seemed like longing. Lloyd snapped back to himself.
"Now that's news. How did you know?" The blond asked, eyes flicking over to the sleeping male's face.
"He just does, and I know…" She trailed off, eyes growing soft. Lloyd nodded softly.
'Well, they do have a sibling-like relationship based on pictures and records. Not that I'm complaining. Kiyan seems to be a more caring person.' He frowned a bit and continued watching the two interact, Eira animatedly talking to the sleeping ice user as if he were awake. She was telling him that it'd be alright and that next time, when they both are awake, they'll go jamming again. And that he had a new holder, as she called Lloyd. He had to smile as the girl continued to talk about him, telling Kiyan that he didn't need to worry now. 'It doesn't make sense though. He has quite the terrible record but from what I'm hearing and seeing, it's all… lies.'
"Don't worry, Key. He'll make sure you're not hurt. He takes really good care of all his charges, like me." She chirped, before letting out a sleepy yawn. The excitement must've faded back into exhaustion and Lloyd shook his head.
"Come on, time for bed." He teased, crossing his arms. "Go say good bye now."
Eira giggled at that and gave another sleepy yawn, covering her mouth cutely. She moved forward and lightly kissed the older ice-user on the nose, making Lloyd smile until Eira looked at him with a mischievous grin.
"Your turn."
He gave her a confused look before letting out a small chuckle. Humouring the younger ice user, he leaned forward brushing Kiyan's bangs out of his eyes. His gaze lingered on those closed eyelids for a moment longer before he pressed a soft kiss on his forehead, hearing the dark-haired girl gasp lightly before bursting into a fit of sleepy giggles.
Lloyd stayed like that for a moment, feeling the cold skin underneath his tingling lips turn warm. He was about to pull away when he felt something soothing curl around him, like a warm gust of air, and a soft, almost inaudible whisper slipped into his mind. He felt some sort of fear enter him, but it was not his fear.
"I'll protect you. I promise." He thought.
Lloyd pulled away and winked at Eira, making her laugh some more as he pushed her wheelchair out of the room, silently closing the door.
"Well, I hope you're happy." Lloyd said with a chuckle, to which the girl gave a sleepy nod. He felt bad for his two charges, but after seeing the young man, he felt the need to protect him even more, and that in itself confused him. "But I'm not doing that again, Eira. So you can take that out of your thoughts."
"Awww… But he won't kill you if I ask him not to." She said before letting out another yawn. He shook his head.
"The answer is still no." He said with a cheeky grin. Eira looked like she wanted to protest some more but sleepiness overtook her.
She drifted off to sleep, lulled by the silent creaking of the wheels, leaving Alloyed alone to his thoughts. Just what was he experiencing earlier? the need to protect someone? But that emotion was never that strong before.
'Maybe I'm just over thinking it because of stress and whatnot.' He argued, wheeling right in front of Snow's room.
He unlocked the door and gingerly picked the girl up, entering the slightly warmer winter wonderland. Walking over to the other side of the room, he set her down on the pale pink bed and tucked her underneath the thick blankets. He bent down and adjusted the heater in the bed before standing up.
'Silverlight... didn't even have the luxury of a warm bed.' He thought, shaking his head.
Lloyd leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead and exited her room, silently closing the door behind him. The hall was silent again as he stared at the wheelchair, trying to find answers to questions he didn't even know he was asking. The heavy silence caused his head to pound again and he sighed. The blond placed the wheelchair back inside the compartment and he headed off.
He strolled down the hall, cold hands buried in his jeans. There was a chilled emotion in his stomach as he approached Silverlight's room. Without another word opened the door and entered the freezing room, eyes fixed on the still sleeping figure. He didn't move a bit.
Lloyd could feel the corners of his lips twitching up as he approached the ice user. Ever so gently, he slipped one arm underneath his knees, cradling the male to his chest. Surprisingly, Kiyan– no, Silverlight was heavier than he expected.
Feeling the solid weight pressed against him, Lloyd felt the other's defined body; He wasn't scrawny, but he was lithe, with defined muscles and a flat, yet muscular stomach. The blond could pretty much say that they had the same body type.
He blinked once more and noticed that he was staring at that peaceful face. At this proximity, he could smell the faint smell of mint and vanilla on him, mixed with the chilling smell of rain. Already, he could feel himself getting distracted.
'Snap out of it.' He scolded, shifting the sleeping form in his arms. Based on record, Silverlight's recovery time is slow, usually taking up a month and a half. After being forced into more experiments, it's no surprise.
Lloyd sighed. He was going to have to work a lot for this one. His eyes rested on the sleeping form in his arms and he smiled, lightly shaking his head when Silverlight pursed his lips in his sleep before returning to his previous expression.
Sector Thirteen of Basement One was a medical ward, complete with every item a medical facility needs; including patients.
Silverlight lay in room B1-13, in the rather dimmed room. It was quiet, with the air on blasting on low and the only sound in the room was the buttery-white haired blond professor working on his laptop on the desk just three steps beside the door. His fingers moved rapidly as golden eyes scanned the digital document in his computer.
"Sss... Kay..."
Lloyd looked up, rather surprised when he heard the sleepy voice mumble. It reminded him of water trickling down brooks and rivers. Silverlight tossed a bit in his sleep, face scrunching before relaxing, making the older man chuckle a bit. He stared at his charge and silently stood up, sitting down beside the bed. On automatic, his fingers brushed the silvery-snow colored hair away from his face.
"-arm... Sss... Warm..."
Lloyd's eyes snapped open and he moved away, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. He had moved close to the ice user, so close that noses were almost touching; so close that he had almost kissed his charge, in an absolutely-romantic-I-can't-help-it way. The blond let out a soft groan and leaned back a bit, resting his hand on the pillow instead of on the ice user's face.
"Well this is confusing..." He muttered softly, closing his eyes to clear his thoughts.
He shouldn't be having strange thoughts against his charge. He was asexual by nature and no one interested him since the day he was born. Sure, he did go out with a few females and males but all that was just to test his sexuality and he did confirm that no one looked interesting enough to actually date. His dates have never survived a second one so why, of all things, was he intrigued by Silverlight? Because he was adorable? No. That wasn't the case. Just what was with him that piqued Lloyd so much?
"Dun... -ove..." His attention was brought back to the snow haired beauty in front of him when he moved. Silverlight was glowing slightly as he moved around, and it made him look even more ethereal. Just beautiful and hopelessly
Enchanting
"What?" Lloyd blinked in surprise.
One second ago, he was beside Silverlight's bed and now; The blond curiously looked around, shoving his hands into his pockets. Now, he was in some sort of snowy, ethereal carnival.
The moon was large, illuminating the evening sky, casting a silvery glow against the entire place. Glowing bubbles in different shapes and colors drifted around lazily. Scattered around
him were tents and stalls decorated with gentle, pulsing lights and stock filled with goodies and prizes. To his left was a rollercoaster ride, the rails glowing faintly and towering just fifty feet from him was a large Ferris wheel. Its cabs were decorated with faint lights. Lloyd guessed that there must be a bumper cars ride somewhere and a spinning teacup around the corner. But the entire place lacked the sound of children laughing. In fact, Lloyd didn't see anyone at all.
And everything was dusted with fine snow.
"Looks like something out of a Fairy Tail, huh?" Golden eyes flicked to the speaker and he raised a brow.
"Hello there then." He greeted and offered the girl a smile. She beamed at him and trotted to his side.
The small girl, barely 5'1, had medium length silvery white hair that cascaded past her shoulders in a messy layer style. Her azure eyes were bright, and she looked exactly at home with the place. The girl brushed the snow off her black hoodie and kicked them off her combat boots. The blond noticed that she was wearing shorts, and that it was snowing.
"Kiyan has quite the imagination, don't you think?" She chirped, cutting Lloyd off before he could question her clothing. Instead, the blond sighed and nodded.
"It is impressive." His eyes flicked over to the girl. "You seem to know-"
"Oh look! There he is! Kiyan!" Lloyd looked over to where she was pointing. True enough, the snow haired ice user was there, walking around with evident confusion in his face. He was taking in his surroundings, Lloyd noted.
"Angel... Why is everything still white?" Golden eyes widened at the almost feeble voice. A soft whimper escaped those pink lips, accenting his angelic face. Ice blue eyes shifted around until they fixed on the blond, and he could feel himself shift under that gaze. He looked around for the girl, but she had disappeared.
"A-Angel? Since when did you become a fucking guy?" He questioned, frowning slightly. Lloyd blinked in surprise when the curse word easily slipped past his lips.
"I assure you that I'm a different person." He said with a smile, watching the ice user stiffen at his voice before he added "I'm not a girl, Kiyan."
"O-oh. Fucking thought she was playing another mind-fuck mind game on me." He swore, absently ruffling his snow colored locks. The scientist smiled and stepped forward, brushing those white locks off his face. Kiyan stiffened slightly.
"Do you know why the fuck everything is white over white?" He asked, and Lloyd swore that he saw the blush on that adorable face.
"No, but this place is simply beautiful. It's a shame you can't see it." He mused, resting his hand on top of the mop of snow hair. The blush darkened slightly.
"T-thanks? A-Angel said my mind is full of crazy shit so, I don't believe her compliments." He stuttered. Lloyd had to chuckle at that, causing Kiyan to avert his eyes.
He was just too adorable.
"Well, can you see me?" Lloyd asked. Blue eyes flicked up at him, catching the soft glow of the carnival. Pursing his lips, Kiyan shook his head.
"I can see your outline but I can't see you." He said with a huff. "You're just like everything else: White forced on fucking white." Lloyd chuckled, stepping closer to the smaller male –who was probably around 5'6 and a lot smaller than Lloyd's 6'0– and flocked his nose with a smile.
"Cursing doesn't suit you, you know?" The blond said with a chuckle, and Kiyan scrunched his nose.
"Who gives a fuck?" He retorted before grabbing hold of the blond's hand, which was resting against his hip. The professor's golden eyes carefully watched as he lifted it to his face before gently pressing it to his cheek.
"But you're warm... and..." Blue eyes flicked up at him. A faint dust of pink colored his cheeks and a sheepish smile played on his pink lips. "You smell really good." His voice was soft, barely a whisper.
Lloyd chuckled, cupping his face gently. He knew he was feeling a little too comfortable than he should be, but this was possibly the first time he felt his chest tighten slightly at the sight. His blue eyes were bright as he gazed up.
"Really now?" Kiyan smiled, showing his pearly whites.
"Yup!"
A soft smile escaped his lips and he brought his other hand to cup the ice user's other cheek and tilted his head back a bit. He watched as those eyes fluttered close, and a small shiver ran through the younger man's body.
"I think you're beautiful then." He mumbled softly, brushing his thumb against those pink lips. Soft.
Lloyd didn't know why he wanted to do it; why he wanted to do nothing more than to press his lips against those pink buds. Maybe it was because of the soft air of the ethereal carnival, with the faded carnival music playing in the background, with the irregularly shaped glowing bubbles that drifted around and the bright moon shining brightly at them. Maybe it was the innocent atmosphere that calmed them both. Maybe it was Kiyan Ledger's fragile aura that spoke of sweetness and at the same time, was as cold as ice.
Their noses brushed and he inhaled the sweet breath that the ice user released.
He smelled of mint and vanilla, enticing the older man, drawing him in to this beautiful being in front of him. Hands had reached up and curled at his chest, fists shaking slightly. Was it in anticipation? He was a hair's breath from those slightly trembling lips and he could almost taste him.
Almost
RRRIIIIIINNNNGGGG! RRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG!
"Wha-?!" Lloyd gasped, sitting up straight.
He was still in Kiyan- no Silverlight's recovery room; sitting on a chair beside his bed to be precise. His hand was intertwined with the sleeping ice user's and he blinked before shaking his head.
'It was probably a dream.' He thought, sighing. Another vibration and a tinny ringing rang in the room and he sighed, pulling out his phone. Without looking at the caller ID, he clicked the answer button.
'Hello?" He grumbled rudely before clearing his voice and trying again. "Hello?"
"Oh fudge! Thank goodness you picked up Prof! Where are you?"
Lloyd sighed. Talk about impeccable timing.
"I'm at Silverlight's recovery room. What's wrong Eara?" He asked, absentmindedly rubbing circles on Kiyan's -for the last time!- Silverlight's hand.
"Ah. Nothing. I just picked up your notebook from Snow's room and I finished downloading the new songs on your tablet." He chirped happily on the other side. Lloyd sighed, wanting to rub off the oncoming headache but his hands were both occupied. Unfortunately, Eara seemed to have noticed this.
"Eh? Did I interrupt you with your precious Silverlight?" He teased and Lloyd chuckled humorously.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, you did." He replied with a cheeky grin. There was silence on the other end before Eara sighed.
"Know what prof? Sometimes I dunno if you're lying or not." Lloyd's grin grew.
"Who said I'm lying?"
"Agh! La La La~ I'm not going to listen to you turn into another Percy-Pervert!" He complained before the line went dead. Lloyd smirked, pocketing the phone.
"Well, he really should've chosen the wrong time to but in. He should've known I was just teasing." He muttered, imagining his assistant's scandalized expression. Eara was dead scared of Percy after he had unceremoniously glomped the unsuspecting boy and tickling the living lights out if him, causing him to wet his pants. The blond shook his head at the memory, eyes drifting over to his sleeping charge. A soft smile played on his lips. He untangled his hand and ruffled his charge's snow colored hair, watching those pale cheeks tinge pink.
Now that was a dream he wouldn't mind repeating.
END OF FILE TWO: LLOYD ASHWOOD
Yay~ Finally done~ *cracks fingers* I managed it later than usual and it's... surprisingly effin longer than what I'm used to... when I'm working on my phone I mean.
So, Comment/Review if you liked it! :D Or wanted to point out a part or two. Lemme hear your thoughts~ Thanks for reading!