The afternoon sky outside the apartment was the color of wet concrete.
Gray clouds hung low over the city, pressing the light flat against the buildings. The kind of day where the world felt quieter than usual.
Sable sat on the couch in the living room.
A blanket rested loosely across her legs.
The last few days had passed slowly.
Her strength was returning, little by little. She could move around the apartment now without feeling like the floor might tilt beneath her feet. Still, most of her time had been spent here on the couch.
Resting.
Healing.
Her father had been unusually present.
He didn't hover.
He didn't ask too many questions.
But he stayed nearby.
Cooking when she didn't have the energy to stand in the kitchen. Bringing tea. Sitting quietly in the armchair sometimes with a laptop open, working without disturbing her.
He never pushed her to talk.
And Sable appreciated that.
But there was still something missing.
So earlier that afternoon she had sent a message.
Can you come over?
Raxian's reply had arrived less than ten seconds later.
On my way after school.
Now she waited.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway outside the apartment made her look up.
A second later the door opened.
Raxian stepped inside.
He paused for a moment when he saw her sitting there.
Just to take in the fact that she was actually here.
Then he closed the door behind him.
"You're up."
Sable nodded faintly.
He glanced toward the hallway.
"Your dad home?"
"He went out for a bit."
Raxian frowned slightly.
"Everything okay?"
"He said he didn't want to interrupt."
That seemed to satisfy him.
He nodded once and crossed the room.
Then he sat down beside her on the couch.
For a moment he just studied her face.
"You feeling better?"
Sable didn't answer immediately.
Instead she shifted slightly closer.
Then she leaned her head against his chest.
"…Better now."
Raxian's arm wrapped around her instantly.
Tight.
Protective.
She could feel the tension in his shoulders slowly easing as he held her.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
They just sat there.
Holding each other.
Processing something that still didn't fully feel real.
She was back.
Eventually Sable spoke again.
Her voice was quiet.
"When I was there…"
Raxian's arm tightened slightly.
"…I couldn't process time."
She said it carefully.
Watching his reaction.
His grip around her shoulders stiffened.
But he stayed silent.
Waiting.
Sable rested her cheek more firmly against his chest.
"I'm not sure if I can talk about all of it yet."
Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of his shirt.
"But… having you here makes it easier."
For a moment she simply listened.
His heartbeat.
His pulse.
Strong.
Steady.
Her own pulse responded instinctively.
A faint resonance passing between them.
Raxian felt it too.
His hand moved slowly through her hair.
Gentle.
Encouraging.
Sable continued quietly.
"The person who kept me there…"
She hesitated.
"…Lynx."
Raxian's entire body tensed.
Sable noticed immediately.
Her hand moved slightly against his chest.
"He visited regularly," she said softly.
"At first he just supervised."
Her voice remained steady.
"But when I started getting weaker…"
She paused.
"…he started taking care of me."
Raxian's jaw tightened.
"Taking care how?"
"Water."
"Making sure I didn't fall."
She hesitated.
"…That kind of thing."
The question slipped out before Raxian could stop himself.
"Did he touch you?"
The moment the words left his mouth he regretted them.
Sable didn't react with anger.
She just thought about it.
"…I don't remember."
She spoke honestly.
"Not clearly."
Her fingers traced a small circle against his chest as she tried to recall.
"Other than when he moved me."
Raxian's mind flashed instantly to the tunnel.
The moment Lynx had been standing there.
Holding her.
Sable weak in his arms.
His golden pulse flared instinctively.
Sharp.
Protective.
Sable felt it immediately.
Her own purple pulse responded almost without thought.
Calming the spike.
Raxian exhaled slowly into her hair.
"Sorry."
Her hand rested more firmly over his chest.
Steadying him.
"It's okay."
After a moment she continued.
"At some point I was only half conscious."
Her brow furrowed slightly.
"But I remember… a doctor."
Raxian's body went still.
"He was testing something."
Sable searched for the memory.
"…He took blood."
"At least… I think he did."
"I didn't really feel the needle."
Raxian felt heat rise through his chest.
They had tested her.
While she was barely conscious.
His fingers tightened slightly against the blanket around her shoulders.
"And there was another man," she added quietly.
"I didn't see his face properly."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"But he examined me."
"Closely."
She frowned faintly.
"I didn't like it."
"But I was too weak to protest."
She paused.
"Lynx was there."
"He didn't stop it."
Raxian's thoughts spiraled instantly.
A doctor.
Blood test.
A man examining her.
Zenith.
It had to be him.
But he didn't say that out loud.
Instead he pulled her closer.
His arms tightening protectively around her.
As if he could somehow shield her from the memory itself.
Sable relaxed slightly in his hold.
The warmth of his body.
The steady pulse beneath her ear.
After a while her words slowed.
Then stopped.
Raxian looked down.
Sable had fallen asleep against him.
Her breathing soft.
Peaceful.
He carefully adjusted his hold around her.
Making sure she was comfortable.
And stayed there.
Holding her.
Not moving.
As the gray afternoon slowly faded into evening.