Hard to let go. The past cant just stay in the past. [tw]

Gerard felt his heart breaking, and it was clear that he needed time to process. Surprised to see that Eden actually gave him that space, he just used it to stare into the garden.

Eliza had barely been able to move, feeling her head light as she was laying on the ground. She didn't know if she was even alive still or if she just lingered in her body to avoid the inevitable. Her eyes were open, but she could barely see anything, and after the two men had left it felt like an eternity passed before the door to the warehouse opened once more. She could barely make out the person, the fabric around her neck soaked with her blood, but then she finally saw some eyes that she recognized. "Xal," her voice dry and weak from crying so much. Was he really there or was her brain just trying to comfort her in her last minutes alive? If so where were her family? Her eyes looked around, searching for them, only crying more as she couldn't see them.

Everything just seemed to be a mess now. He didnt need an explanation to know that Gerard had finally given in to Eden's terms. But he could and would worry about that once he had made sure that Eliza was okay. He had to run all the way to where Eden had taken her, almost kicking the door open on his way as he stumbled through the warehouse to get to her. He hurried to her, almost jumping to his knees as he picked her up in his arms. "Juro por deidades," he mumbled to himself as he moved her hair from her face and looked at the bloody cloth. He knew it was her blood because he could just smell how sweet it was. He grit his teeth, trying not to think of how apetizing it was to him as he bit the fabric of his glove to pull it off. He felt if she was cold and depending on how cold she was, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her before he picked her up from the ground and held her close to him. "I've got you now," he promised her in a worried tone. He didnt know how much blood she had lost, if Eden had carelessly bit her to kill her. He felt his blood boil, which was good because it would keep him warm as he walked with her. He would have run but he didnt want to shake her around too much. "Talk to me Eliza," he begged her, needing her to stay awake.

She felt so cold, her eyes blinking as she tried to stay awake as he wrapped his jacket around her. It felt comforting, feeling him lift her off the ground made her whimper, mostly because she didn't really know what to do or say. Couldn't he just leave her? She was dead anyways, right? She felt him hold her closer and she leaned her head against his warm chest, sighing with relief as her fingers moved up to touch his chest. He had her, he promised her that, and she felt so confused and yet so happy. He urged her to talk, but she could barely find words to speak. "Where's mãe and pai? Where's Tomas?" she whispered softly. She didn't know how much he knew right now, but it was clear she was asking for her family. She thought she had died, so to her it only made sense to ask for them. Her eyes fell shut unless he kept her awake, which was pretty crucial right now. Looking up at him she felt so disoriented. She knew he was Xalvador, but her brain had her fooled that he might be a seraph sent down to get her to the afterlife. "Is Xal going to be okay?" she asked, feeling her tears run down her cheeks.

"Hopefully home in their houses," he answered her whisper a little confused, looking down at her to check if she was staying awake. He would call her name if she started closing her eyes, stopping as he made sure that she was looking at him. Once he was sure she was awake, he would continue. This process would probably have to repeat itself and be tedious, but he didnt mind, just as long as she was awake and not drifting off. Her question made him frown a little as he noticed how she was crying. "He wont be if you die in his arms, alright?" he assured her with a frown on his brows, walking a bit faster as he just wanted to get home. He hoped that Leona would be there, maybe the old valkyrie knew how to treat a wound, because Xalvador clearly knew nothing. Wound treatment for him revolved around ingesting a lot of blood and bam there went the booboo and yes that would be the exact way he'd describe it. "Just keep talking to me Eliza, you're doing so well. How was your day?" he asked, wanting to keep a conversation going with her.

She nodded at his words, clearly not understanding a lot, but she didn't want to make him sad. She wanted him to be happy. Every time she seemed to drift off he was right there, waking her up and looking at her with pleading eyes. His question made her breathe out, blinking a few times as she tried to remember. "I finished reading Doomslash volume 4," she said. It had been one of the comics that Xalvador had suggested to her. At first she had found the vigilante storyline a bit dull, but with the inclusion of more characters she had found herself binging it one volume at a time. She smiled as she thought about it. "I ordered volume 5 and then ... And then," she said, her eyes watering as she remembered the vampyre showing up.
She hid away her face in his chest as she started crying, her fingers grabbing on to his shirt as she remembered how scared she had been. How violently the vampyre had bit her, slashing her skin open and leaving her on the cold floor of the warehouse. It was clear she couldn't get the words out about what had happened. "I just want this day to be over," she pleaded through her sobs.

He listened as she spoke, frowning a little surprised as she mentioned a comic he had told her to read. He hadnt thought she would actually be interested in that kind of stuff. But then she seemed to remember the bad and he didnt really know what to tell her. Maybe asking about her day wasnt the best choice, but Xalvador wasnt exactly the greatest comforter there was. He worked one goal at a time, and the main focus was to keep her awake. He didnt like hearing her cry, but at least it was a clear indicator that she was awake. He made it to the apartment where Leona was still comforting a crying Tessa. He placed Eliza on the couch and looked at the valkyrie with pleading eyes. "Help me," he begged her. Tessa just nodded at her mother who got up to walk over to the wounded human. She crouched down and removed the bloody cloth, frowning as she couldnt see what she was dealing with with all the blood. "Get me a towel," she said as she felt her eyes water. She told Tessa to go get a cup which the young valkyrie did, and then she told her to start collecting the tears that would roll down her cheeks. Tessa nodded and despite her own tears rolling down her cheeks, she seemed to do as she was told. "Is this Eliza? Did Eden do this?" she asked Xalvador as he came back with the towel to hand Leona. He looked down and Tessa just nodded to herself with a frustrated expression, "Thought so," she mumbled, looking back at Eliza. "Let her drink it," Leona told Tessa who looked down into the cup. "There's not enough," she answered, her voice a little devoid of feelings, but Leona frowned and sighed. "It's enough to boost her system," the valkyrie said. Tessa placed the cup at Eliza's lips and told her to open up and drink. Luckily seraph tears didnt really taste salty like regular tears, but had a more pleasant taste, like the feeling you get from remembering a good memory, only it was a taste and not a feeling.

Eliza cried most of the way there, and being placed on the couch she whimpered because Xalvador had been so warm. She didn't fight back when the valkyrie seemed to help her, but she was mumbling that she felt cold. The mention of the vampyre's name made her recoil, wincing in pain as her body wanted to get away from that name. Everything felt weird, fluid like the world was spinning and yet standing still at the same time.
Suddenly she felt a cup against her lips, and with the gentle plead she separated her lips to drink the strange liquid. It didn't taste bad but it didn't really taste familiar either. Once Leona would have removed the excess blood, she would be able to see the damage; Her skin torn and ripped just beneath her pulse, but still dangerously close that it could be deadly if untreated. She whimpered when they touched it, but the tears were slowly making their way around her system, stopping the blood from flowing and now it was just the outside wound that needed treatment.
"He has Gerard ... He has Gerard," she mumbled, her voice weak as her eyes started to feel heavy once more.

"The tears wont be enough. She'll need a blood transfusion," Leona said, making Xalvador frown a little as he wasnt sure what she was suggesting. "Shouldnt we bring her to the ER then?" he asked, Leona looking at him with a stern expression, "Then you should have brought her there in the first place, you brought her here instead. It's been too long. We'll have to do it ourselves and hope that it will work," she said, looking back at the human as she placed her warm hand on her forehead. "She's getting colder. We cant wait," she said, getting up as she went to the kitchen. She wasnt blind to have seen that Xalvador was at least some kind of vampyre, so she found the first and best bloodbag she could in the fridge. It was a human with some regular blood type, so she hoped that it would be the right one. She returned and looked at Eliza, telling Tessa to go find whatever that could work to close the wound. Tessa went and came back after a while with a needle and some tread, it wasnt much but it would do.
Xalvador went to get a tube and a syringe type of needle, frowning a little as he remembered the times when Gerard had had to feed him his own blood. He couldnt think of him right now, it would just make him unfocused. He returned and handed it to Leona. She thanked him and connected the tube to the bag before she grabbed her arm. "Hold the bag for me," she told Xalvador, as she stuck the needle into Eliza's arm and released the air before opening the bag to let the blood flow down. How many times had she not helped her on when a daemon had mercilessly mauled them on the street? She prepared the needle and tread, cleaning the wound before she warned Eliza that it might hurt, but she was actually doubting that the human would feel much. She started noticing in a change in the hybrid next to her, looking up at him with a frown. "You need to go get some fresh air," she told him, ordering Tessa to take over on holding the blood bag. Xalvador remained for a bit, but Leona just barked at him to get out and he was gone.

Eliza had lost a lot of blood, and her face felt like it was too cold to even move it. So when the valkyrie placed her warm hand against her forehead she whimpered softly, feeling like she needed the warmth. She could barely make out what everyone was talking about, but she frowned at the feeling of something sharp in her arm. Blinking fast to try and get her tears out of her eyes she was just staring up at the ceiling, but she could somehow sense when Xalvador wasn't in the room anymore. However as the wound on her neck was getting sewn up, she was whimpering softly. Not because the pain was unbearable, just because it felt weirdly numb.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but the blood had thankfully been accepted by her body. She woke up in a bed, her neck feeling sore and she reached up to touch where there now was a very good and sturdy piece of gauze secured with medical tape. Groaning softly she looked at her arm, seeing how a bruise was forming under her skin from the blood transfusion. "Hello?" she whispered in a broken voice, her throat feeling dry and itchy. Sitting up it felt like her head was pounding, leaning her head back against the headboard of the bed. Her eyes looked around. Thankfully she had gotten some color back in her face, but she still felt so cold.

Leona had sent Tessa home once Eliza was stabilized, the young valkyrie had seemed oddly unbothered but Leona hadnt thought of it as more than heartache. Xalvador was allowed to return once the wound was closed and covered but he felt a little lightheaded when he had picked her up from the couch to get her to bed. The whole living room just reeked of blood and it wasnt like Xalvador was the kind to keep himself well fed. Leona wanted to stick around till she felt sure that Xalvador wouldnt attack the human and ruin the hard work they all had just gone through. Xalvador heard the whisper from the other room as he was slurping on a straw that Leona had stuck in the leftovers of the bloodbag. He got up but Leona pushed him back again and told him to finish the bag, moving in to check on the human instead. "You're awake," she said with a smile of relief on her face. She went to sit down on the bed, looking at Eliza with a gentle look. "You should only be getting better. But I do suggest you go to your doctor and have them check if you've got any infections," he said, but then she sighed and realized they didnt really know each other. "The vampyre guy, he's in the living room. I wasnt sure if he was stable enough to take care of you, so I stuck around," she explained. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a worried expression.

Eliza felt a bit lightheaded and as the valkyrie stepped in she couldn't do much other than nodding, however it seemed to add to the spinning sensation. "I'll call for my private doctor," she said, smiling softly but feeling a bit uneasy. She knew this was Xalvador's room, but where was he? Then the valkyrie mentioned him, and her eyes widened in fear. "Is he alright? Please, please he isn't hurt, right?" she pleaded, clearly not fully aware of what had happened, but it would come back slowly to haunt her in time. She refused to answer how she was feeling before she knew that Xalvador was safe, nodding as she relaxed back in the bed she had tried the get out of, but the valkyrie probably held her down for her own sake.
"I feel a little lightheaded, and my throat hurts a lot," she admitted, frowning as she felt her breath tremble. "Where's Tessa? She was here, wasn't she? I heard her voice," she pleaded, placing a hand over the valkyrie. "Is she alright? Are you?" It was clear that the human was far more worried that any of her friends were hurt and that was when she remembered Gerard and the dreaded Eden.
"We need to help Gerard ... He's not safe," she pleaded.

Leona shook her head as she seemed to be concerned with Xalvador being hurt, sighing as she shook her head and expressed with her face that she had used the wrong words. "He's not hurt, just thirsty. It wasnt safe for you, so I made him sit with the rest of the blood we couldnt transfer to you," she explained with a gentle smile, hoping that would ease her mind.
She nodded as Eliza explained, sighing as she asked about Tessa. "I've sent her home. It seems that something has happened, that I have yet to find out," she explained, mumbling the last part as she looked away, like it was a note to herself. She shook her head as Eliza seemed to worry about them. "She'll hurt for a while, but hopefully it'll get better. I'm just worried," she said in a calm tone. She had to be calm, even if she worried for Tessa. She hadnt ever experienced her daughter the way she had been when Gerard had left. Like nothing really seemed to matter to her. She thought it was just shock for now. Then Eliza mentioned Gerard and Leona frowned. "What happened? He came here and left so quick.... Telling me to keep Tessa safe.. I dont understand what's going on?" she had to admit her own lack of understanding of what was happening.

Eliza felt more at ease once she was reassured of everyones position, but she would lie to say that she didn't still worry. However the question of what had happened made her look down frowning as she wasn't sure she had the whole story. "I don't know the full story ... But from what I can understand, I think the guy who hurt me was after Tessa because of Gerard," she said, not really knowing how to put it. She had heard most of it, but it all seemed to mix together. "He ... He spoke about owning Gerard, that's all I can really remember now - and that he would hurt everyone if he didn't cut ties with them," she said, feeling her head pound.
"Can I see Xalvador?" she then asked, not knowing if he was alright enough to see her yet, but she just wanted to see him. Wanted to hear that he was alright, not just take the valkyrie's word for it. "Please?" she added, looking at the valkyrie with begging eyes.

Leona listened as she explained, but she wasnt sure if she was hearing that right. Because it really sounded like something that shouldnt be happening to anyone. So this Eden guy was just claiming ownership over someone else? Clearly the thought seemed to make her a bit distraught but she quickly seemed to control her own emotions as she looked at nodded. "I see," she mumbled, frowning a little. Did Tessa know this as well? She felt her worry grow as she pulled out her phone and called her phone. No answer. Eliza's question almost went past her, but she mumbled a quiet yeah as she focused on calling her daughter. "Come, I'll support you," she said a little distant as she got up and offered the human a hand. She would help her into the living room where Xalvador was still slurping on the blood bag. He looked at them with a confused expression before he seemed to soften up in a smile realizing that Eliza was okay. Leona helped her to the couch and down to sit before she went to the kitchen to try and get in contact with Tessa, but over and over it seemed that there was no answer. She poked her head into the living room. "Something's wrong, I gotta go see if Tessa really went home," she said before she went.
Xalvador told Leona to keep him updated before he looked at Eliza and frowned a little as he looked at the gauze. "Does it hurt?" he asked once he heard Leona leave through the front door.

Eliza felt herself worry for Tessa now, but she also knew that in the grand scheme of things she couldn't do much right now. She needed to heal, but she thanked the valkyrie anyways for helping her in to the living room. Seeing Xalvador on the couch made her get tears in her eyes, because he was fine, sitting there slurping on the blood bag. She got put down on the couch, feeling her head pounding and grimacing as the gauze around her neck wasn't really comfortable. She watched as the valkyrie left to call, but she felt a deep set worry when she came back and said something was wrong. Eliza wanted to help, but again what could she really help with?
The friendly valkyrie left and the human looked down, fiddling with her bloody shirt frowning a bit. His question made her shrug a bit. "A bit, but if I don't think about it it's not too bad," she said. Was she annoying his senses with her dried blood? Gods she felt like maybe she should ask for spare clothes, but she didn't really know if he would find it weird. "Could you ... Could you help me out of this shirt?" she asked a little flustered, but it wasn't really like she could do it herself with the fear of tearing at the gauze.

He nodded at her answer and drew in a deep breath, thinking about if there was something he could do. But frankly with the straw in his mouth and the knowledge that there was blood at the other end was turning him a bit primal. He just kept slurping before her question made him frown a little as he looked at the blood on her shirt. He nodded before he put the blood bag away as it was almost empty either way. He knew that the way seeing blood and smelling it in this moment was just his body wanting more, like a sugar rush but with blood. He excused himself for a moment as he went to fetch her one of his shirts, because it probably wouldnt feel good to shit without a shirt on. He placed the shirt next to her before he gestured for her to lift her arms. He would carefully take the shirt off of her, being mindful of the gauze. He then handed her the shirt, seemingly either ignoring or not caring if she wasnt wearing anything underneath. He had after all grown up in a place where nakedness was more a regular sight as they didnt exactly have the best of conditions. "You hungry?" he asked.

Eliza honestly didn't really know what to think as he left, because he hadn't said anything. Was he angry with her? He came back with a shirt, and helped her off of her own before helping her get another one on. Once it was done she wrapped her arms around herself, not liking being that exposed, especially when he hadn't had any reaction to it. It felt almost like he was avoiding her and she knew what that meant; he wasn't seeing her how she wanted him to. It was alright, it wouldn't work out either way she told herself. His question made her nod. "Y-yes," she stammered before looking for her phone. She probably needed to inform her aunt, and she might as well ask the doctor for an appointment.
She joined him in the kitchen, standing in the door as she looked at him. "I'm ... I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen," she said, frowning as she was mindful and keeping her distance. Perhaps her blood was just too much for him and she didn't want to aggravate him - besides she wasn't looking for a new set of teeth in her throat. Fiddling with the shirt he had given her she just looked down, not really knowing what to say. "I - uhm - read Doomslash, volume three wasn't that good, but four was pretty good ... I ordered five earlier," she said, clearly not remembering what she had told him earlier.

It wasnt that he was ignoring how she looked, but it wasnt a wonder she felt that way. He was dumb as a door when it came to women, not bearing the same charm and understanding as Gerard seemed to have. He just hadnt ever found it necessary. He went to the kitchen to make her some food. He wasnt a seasoned cook, but he knew some basics, like making mashed potatoes because it was cheap and easy. He frowned a little at her apology and looked back at her with confused eyes. "You shouldnt apologize. It's not your fault, at all," he assured her before he turned his head back to the potatoes, sorting the good ones out from the ones that had been lying around for a little too long. He chuckled softly as she mentioned the comics, glancing towards her. "Yeah you did mention those when I was carrying you back here. So what do you think of it?" he asked, grabbing a peeler to peel the good potatoes before throwing them into a pot. "Just wait till you get to volume seven. That one.... wheeew. Lot of emotion," he spoke rather gently with a smile on his face because it was something he was quite passionate about. Gerard had his photography, Xalvador had his comics.

She smiled softly at him as he assured her that she didn't need to apologize, but she still held on to her words. Perhaps it was also her way of apologizing for making him feel uncomfortable around her. Walking closer she watched at him sort and peel the potatoes, and she liked hearing him chuckle. "Wait ... You carried me here?" she asked rather surprised, perhaps because she knew it would've taken a lot of strength not only to carry her, but not bite in to her with her blood flowing out. She grabbed one of the bad potatoes, just turning it and looking at it for a while as he went on to explain the upcoming volumes.
"Hey, don't spoil it," she said, looking at him with a small smile. She should just be happy to have a friend like him, he was brave and he had put himself in danger to get her here safely. "As long as it's not Bird Girl who gets hurt, then I'll be fine," she muttered, however as he seemed to not be able to hold his pokerface she opened her mouth, staring at him in disbelief. "No ... But Bird Girl is my favorite!" she said, sitting down at the kitchen table, rolling the potato between her palms. "She's smart and strong ... She held back ten guys so Doom could go after Doctor Manic," she shook her head, it was clear she was very invested in the story.

"Yeah I did," he told her with an assuring nod. He had been lucky enough to just be able to switch off his senses and not notice the blood smell as a food source, but rather a worry that she would bleed out in his arms. He lifted his hands in a defensive manner as she told him not to spoil but then she seemed to dig herself, and the mention of Bird Girl just made him sigh deeply as he shrugged at her. But he couldnt help but let his expression betray him as something obviously was going to happen. He chuckled softly at her words and found some greens to cut out and add to the mass once the mashed potatoes were made. He listened to her and nodded a few times in agreement. "Well, sometimes the past just catch up to you," he remarked until his own sentence made him frown as he stared into the wall for a bit. Those words suddenly had a sour taste to them and he sighed as he shook his head. "But it'll get better," he assured her, though he didnt know if he could say that about the current situation. A part of him wanted to run out that door and go get his brother back, but it just wasnt so.

Eliza heard his words and frowned, looking down as the only sound between them was the sound of him making food. "I'm worried," she spoke softly, placing a careful hand over her gauze as if she wanted to feel if it was real. "If this ... Eden ... Can do this to me; What will he do to Gerard?" she asked. Even if it was something they both didn't like thinking of, she just wanted to know. She felt her eyes water, getting up from her seat and walking closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she hid away her face in his broad shoulders.
She shouldn't be crying, she told herself, she could've gotten off way worse, and now Gerard had to do this. It just didn't seem fair. "I know I'm not as close to him as you are ... But he's been my only friend since I became alone," she mumbled, turning her head and resting her cheek against her back so he could hear her better, and not have her voice slurred by his clothes. "Is there really nothing we could do?" she asked, hoping the hybrid had an answer. She realized that once again she had been selfish in holding on to him, letting go slowly, to take a step away, mumbling that she was sorry before excusing herself to the bathroom.

//Out <33//