Page 165 of A Soul to Touch

Faunus pulled her against him, forcing them to cuddle on the ground of the dust-covered, cluttered storage room.

“Then show me more of your life and your family’s lives. I would enjoy nothing more than to learn everything about you, knowing you would trust no other but me to hear of it.”

Mayumi bit her lips shut to quell the whimper that wanted to escape from her.

It’s not fair when he pulls on my heartstrings like that.

The threat of tears tingled her face, and she turned her glare towards the ceiling to stem them. But they were getting harder and harder to control and hold back the more time they spent together.

She wanted them to be closer than ever, yet Faunus was shoving walls between them.

I... I wish someone would tell me what I need to do.

Faunus slowly untangled Mayumi from his limbs, the tiny female holding his fur tightly with her clutching little human claws. He rose to be seated with his legs crossed, wishing he could lay his forehead in his palm to rest his head, but hecouldn’t bear the pain that even touching the good side of his skull brought anymore.

I cannot sleep,he thought as he looked at the darkness of her home, the sun soon to rise but not yet shedding its light upon the world.

Currently, his face was bandaged. It was done at his own request to prevent dust and dirt from getting inside his constantly open wound. The salve she placed in his crack did little to ease the throbbing he felt in it, and he was constantly in agony.

He tried his best to hide the extent of this from her, but even he couldn’t stop the sudden whines that burst from him during certain tasks now.

There is no point to me being here any longer.

Other than being a presence in her home, Faunus could no longer assist Mayumi in any strenuous task; no matter how much he tried.

Anything that accelerated his heart rate caused his injury to worsen in its severity of pain. It was only when his heart slowed again that he was eased, but sometimes he’d bleed through his crack and inside his nose hole.

His sense of smell was hindered, as was his hearing on the left side of him.

He couldn’t move trees for her, cut kindling for her fireplace, or even cart it inside. He couldn’t shovel snow or even walk around her home. He could do nothing without feeling dizzy or weak.

I cannot touch her.

He could hold her, he could speak with her, but nothing more than that.

Faunus felt... useless.

He doubted he would be productive in protecting her. If a fight were to occur, he knew his increased heart rate wouldbe a hindrance in his sense of judgement. The dizziness that overwhelmed him caused his mind to be slow.

He could end up becoming a distraction for her.

She will seek to protect me.

Which, in turn, could end with her coming to harm. She’d already made that obvious by hanging up her protective charms each night while he was sheltered inside her home.

She was trying to keep him inside even if there was danger, knowing he couldn’t pass through it with the way his skull was. It didn’t further destroy it, but it was too painful for him to pass through now.

Faunus turned just enough so that he could touch his fingertips to Mayumi’s sternum.

A soft, orange glow lit beneath her flesh as though her skin was the surface of water – it even began to ripple when he lightly touched her. A wisp of fire fluttered out before a round head followed.

Her soul was limp as though half-asleep since he was the one pulling it from her rather than it aggressively jumping out.

He didn’t need to grab it as he pulled it from her. Instead, her soul fluttered through the air below his fingertips until he brought it in front of him. He cupped beneath it with his large, dark grey palm.

Sitting on its hip with its legs curled underneath itself, her soul looked up to him. He swore his very essence quivered when it appeared as though it smiled at him. Two dark spots lazily blinked.

He carefully brushed it underneath its tiny jaw with his forefinger. His sight morphed to bright pink when it leaned against him in welcome.

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