Chapter Sixteen: Closer

When Holly woke up, she was pressed against a half-naked chest. She didn't move as she blinked and tried to process just what was going on. She lifted her head and looked into Quix's sparkling eyes. "Hi?" she greeted.

"Hi," he responded with a lazy smile. He pulled her back against him and cuddled his nose into her hair. "I'm still sleepy and you smell great."

"You said you wouldn't try anything," Holly growled at him as she fought to pull away.

"I'm not doing anything. Just holding you closer and enjoying that scent of yours. Maybe Ruby will have some competition if this keeps up." He chuckled down at her.

Holly pushed against him to free herself and Quix's smile vanished in an instant to be replaced with a grimace. "Quix?" Holly froze. "Did I hurt you?"

"I'm still tender from yesterday's heroics. I'll be fine later. Man, Krim would laugh..." he frowned and shook his head. "Never mind. Ruby, she'd find this whole situation amusing."

Holly didn't bring up Krim. She could tell it was a sore subject, and she herself wasn't ready to think about what the other reaper had done. Did he know what she would experience when he had given her away like a shiny toy?

"I don't know what it is about you, but I sleep really well when you're near." Quix chuckled and hugged her close before letting her free. "But I'll stop, I get that you don't want to be all over me."

"What happened to your shirt?" Holly demanded. "When we went to sleep, you had a shirt on."

"I got hot. You were so out of it you didn't even notice. Besides, at least I didn't take my pants off." He watched her with a smirk on his lips, and despite her trying so hard not to, Holly once again had to combat raging cheeks.

Holly's stomach chose that time to let itself be known with a loud grumble. "Oops," she whispered.

"I forgot, you need food." Quix winced as he sat up. "Then I have to go get you some. I should have thought about common sense stuff like that from the first anyway."

"You can't teleport again," Holly glared at him, even from her close position against him. "You're still in pain, right? No way can I let you teleport and not feel guilty about it. I won't die if I don't eat for a day. You could die if you push yourself too soon.

Besides, she really didn't want to be all on her own. She couldn't even imagine how scary things would be if it came to that.

"Just let me rest a bit, and I'll bring you back something edible for lunch." He paused. "Hopefully edible anyway. I'm going to have to check around all my spots. There has to be something I can feed you."

Holly shook her head again. "No, you're staying right here. I promise one day without eating won't kill me. Besides, what would you do if you teleported away and that spell of yours went with it? "

A dark scowl marred his features. "I won't let that happen." He sighed as he collapsed back onto the pillows. "I'm glad I built this thing for comfort. Everything hurts."

Holly looked around the small room. "How can I help? There has to be something I can do."

Quix winced. "Unless you have the power to heal, there's not much you can do. We just have to wait for it to wear off. I don't think I'll be able to get us out of here for a while at this rate. I didn't mean to imprison you."

Holly shook her head. She was still haunted by the brief time she had spent with Death, but right now her savior needed her. "Waking up next to a woman was pretty nice, you could always hold me while I'm trying to recover." He suggested it with a wink and then winced.

"I can do that."

Quix's head jerked to the side to study her. "Sorry, I was teasing you. You really don't have to do that."

Holly shook her head. "Would it actually help you feel better?"

Quix nodded.

"Then I'll do it. The more time we're away, the more I realize this isn't a trap. You aren't going to make me suffer, you saved me." She took a deep breath. "And if holding you makes you feel better? I"ll do it."

Quix ducked his head. The bridge of his nose turned a dusty rose. "I can't even enjoy it because of how sapped I am. Thank you."

Holly wrapped her arms around his back and cuddled her face into his warm back. His entire body was still so cold. "Are you going to be okay? You're like ice."

"I've never used that much power before. I should recover, but I'm not going to be able to do that trick again anytime soon. At this rate, I have no idea how I'll get you out of here without ending up in a bad situation again. I'm going to have to figure it out." he sighed and relaxed against her touch.

Holly meanwhile was staring at his back. Had she ever been this close to a man before? Nothing was happening but she couldn't help the raging blush that burned through her. Could he feel the heat off her skin? She was too shy to ask.

"You know," his voice was soft and half-asleep, "I've never had someone hold me to sleep before. This is really nice. Just the feel of a heartbeat next to mine warms me up. Maybe being stuck here awhile won't be so bad."

Holly's stomach chose this opportunity to growl and rumble. Quix tensed in front of her and chuckled with a sigh. "That's right, I can't just keep you here as a prisoner. I'll find a way to get you back to safety, I promise."

Holly just continued to press her hot cheek against the coolness of his back. Could such a simple action really help him? It required so little effort, so why would it be worth anything? He was completely relaxed against her.

"I can't explain it, but this feels so familiar," he mumbled. "Please, don't let go." After his whisper the air filled with his snores as he passed out in her arms.

Holly didn't speak she just focused as the man's chest expanded and deflated as she hugged him close. Was she using him? This contact with another person brought her so much comfort after what she had experienced. She didn't know how she was going to be able to leave this safety net of theirs.

But she did have to leave eventually, somehow. This wasn't set up for a long term solution. There was a bed and a bathroom, and that was it. He didn't even have a fridge set up.

He shifted in her arms, pushing back against her as he shuddered. "I'm sorry," he whispered his voice breaking before he went still again.

Holly waited another moment but he didn't speak again. Whatever was tormenting him was strictly in his head. She wrapped her arms tighter around him and his shivering stopped as a relaxed sigh escaped his lips.

She'd never have dreamed she'd be comforting someone else after what she had been through, but she couldn't stand for him to suffer. Eros would be so angry at her over this, she knew it, and likely Ruby would be disappointed. She didn't know how Lachesis would take it, but she wasn't particularly close to the woman, at least not yet.

Maybe she never would have a chance to be close to anyone else again.

Quix's hand covered hers and squeezed it. Holly leaned over to see if he was awake, but all he did was snore. She left her hand where it was and settled back down. What was she going to do if Death found her again? She couldn't fight him, and running away didn't look like it'd work either.

How was she supposed to fight the Sins or whatever if she couldn't stand the beginning levels of torture from Death? This whole idea was a failure before it even started. She was a failure.

Maybe staying here with him would be best. If he could somehow get them food they could just hide out here until the end of the world. The end that would take away Eros and the others. Holly groaned. What was she going to do? Tears smarted the corner of her eyes but she dared not move to sweep them away.

Quix let go of her hand and shifted, turning over and pulling her against his chest once again with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She was about to ask what was wrong when he just snored at her again.

Could this guy really sleep through anything like this?

"I'm going to have to ask you two to separate," demanded a voice from the other side of the room.

Holly froze and lifted up so she could figure out who had caught them. But that voice, she knew it.

The man smiled at her, looking kinder than the gruffness of his voice had let on. His dark blue eyes were piercing. "My name is Dagon, and I'm here to rescue you."