He grunted in his attempt to lift the Dweller.
“Not dead,” Severo slurred.
“But for how long?!” He let out a squeal when they both toppled over and he landed on top of the man.
It had been so easy to toss the Dweller when he’d been fighting him, butNOWit was too much. Physics was such fucking bullshit!
Severo groaned, face even paler than before, and pinched with pain. “Sorry!” He scrambled off him.
“It’s…fine.”
Severo tried to push up but failed. Seri eyed the man. “I need to take your vitals. Yes, vitals, let me... WHY DIDN’T I HAVE THIS STUFF OUT HERE AND READY!?!” Seri yelled in horror.
“Seri…calm down. I’m fine…” the Dweller said with a wince, sweat now pouring off of him.
“I AM CALM! And you are not fine. Let’s get you to the couch and then we can check your vitals…and maybe call an ambulance?—”
“No ambulance… Can’t. If we contact anyone…Ende—” Severo’s words cut off in a cough, and he kept coughing, the sound thick and wet.
Seri stood there, eyes wide, staring. A tremble made its way through his body…Oh, Goddess…oh, Goddess, what have I done?!…
Severo was wheezing by the time the fit finally ended. “F—mmm,” he groaned. “That hurt.” The Dweller eyed him. “Seri…take a deep breath. You are hyperventilating.”
He was? Then he heard it—he was breathing too fast… His head swimming as the acknowledgement hit him, he forced himself to take a slow deep breath in through his mouth and out through his gills.
“That’s it. I’m fine. Go get your things, and I’ll get to the couch. I’ll be fine.”
“Things… Yes…things.” He took another deep breath and then took off to his room.
Flat on his back,Severo would have laughed as he watched the Nymph scurry away…if he wasn’t in so much pain. It felt like his insides were crawling, dragging blades through him as they went. Each breath felt labored, his throat fully coated with fluid. He winced and tried to curl in on himself as his stomach twisted, cramping hard, but he was too weak to even do that.
When the cramping eased, even while the rest of the shit continued, Severo eyed the couch, and tried to grab for it…but his arm wouldn’t move.
“That’s not good.”
He eyed Skya, the seven-month-old was standing there, one hand holding on to the edge of her playpen as she stared down at him. He gave a weak smile.
“Oh-Oh!” she said, blinking cutely.
Oh-Oh being the adorable name she used for him. The name he swore he’d heard her use at least as early as last month, but he definitely had shied away from bickering with Seri about whether Dah-Dah, the exact way she said dada, or Oh-Oh was her first word…because they both knew…that it had actually beenfuck…
He frowned. “Where did you get that cookie?” He eyed the wafer in her hand.
Skya’s gaze flicked down to the wafer and back to him. She narrowed her eyes, and while still looking at him, she licked it.
He chuckled and winced. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare stand between you and food.”
“Bah,” she said fiercely.
Severo flinched at the sound of a crash, glancing towards the hallway in concern. Not that he could see down it from where he was laying. About a minute later, Seri came running out, his arms full of things, hair out of place.
“Dah-Dah!” Skya squealed happily.
“Hi, my little dewdrop,” Seri said with a strained smile before glancing around. The man’s eyes widened when he spotted him. “Why are you still on the floor?!” The Nymph gasped before tossing the stuff in his arms on the couch.
“Uh…about that… Can’t move.”
“You can’t move?!” Seri squeaked. “Well, we expected weakness…but…”
