The Agent's Priority

C50

Matthew's POV

"O~nly Rafa.. can...call me... Y-yan-"

And she was out

Shaking my head at her humurous antics I tuck her blanket under her chin more properly

Only I could call you that huh?

Somehow it felt...nice

"Thank god she passed out already"

I snap my head at Lance's now relieved features with a raised eyebrow

"Oh she kept cursing at me to call 'Rafa' so as for my well being, here you are now" he gestured a hand towards me as he settled on the chair by the window

I too sat down awkwardly at the chair on the other side next to Zaia's bed and across Lance's slouch form

He's distractedly typing away on his phone so I took the chance to watch Zaia sleep

Creepy I know

Unlike the other time she was asleep that one time when she got a flu she looks sleeping rather peacefully this time

No frown on her eyebrows, eyes, lips... nothing.

Maybe its because she's completely out after being sedated

My eyes travel from the healing bruises on her face, to her bandaged shoulder, to her right arm in a black sling, then to her side where a rather big dagger wound is supposed to be hiding under the blanket

...

"Do not make that face Matthew"

Snapping my head up I blinked at Lance who hadn't bothered looking away from his phone

"She has been at ease now that you're safe, so don't feel bad no matter how wounded she has gotten... in fact she doesn't care about her injuries at all as you witnessed earlier" he added still without looking up instead of down at his phone "none of it was your fault after all"

Yes...you—

"You're right..." I started my voice a mere whisper through the quiet room as I chose to continue watching Zaia asleep "but it still has to do with me. She could've been much more injured or wor—"

"You might wanna tone down your negativity for a bit.. otherwise you want the sleeping demon to awaken just to argue with you on that one" he's smirking at his phone by now as I just roll my eyes at him

Reaching a hand out to brush my knuckles against her usual warm bruised pale cheek softly

I don't doubt that at all

"If you weren't saved at all dear Matthew..." he dawled on glancing up at me slowly before going back to his phone "believe me when I say this, Zaia would've been a whole lot worse than these pathetic injuries she had gotten from rescuing you"

What—what does he mean by that?

When I saw her face on the cell I was being kept that day, I remembered staring at her dull dark grey eyes shining with overwhelming stress and hopelessness with dark bags underneath her eyelids accompanied by the sickly pale face of hers

I'm not good at reading people but Zaia... she looked overwhelmingly exhausted that time... but not physically despite the wound on large stab wound her side

Rather it was a very clear and visible raw emotional exhaustion...

Her eyes showed so much emotion that it had caught me off guard that time.