Breathe Me (Closed)

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Terra let out a shaky breath of relief when Jamal let the issue go. She wasn't thrilled about having to sleep soon since she knew her efforts to let slumber take her would be futile, but she didn't protest.
Then he let her go, standing to move the gun out of plain sight. She closed her eyes, keeping herself ignorant to where he hid it. She wondered briefly why she felt that she missed his warm hand on her head. Terra's ears perked up at his shaky breath, but she only opened her bright eyes to watch Kiki head to her room. "Goodnight Kiki." she responded.
She had no idea where she would be sleeping, but she figured she should move off of the floor next to Adint's mattress. So Terra clenched her hands into fists and moved onto her hands and knees. Then, one leg at a time, she stood, briefly wishing that the first aid kit would magically conjure pain killers. The last time her ribs were this bad, she remembered she'd been fed enough to take care on the streets. She was also very lucky. So unfortunately, she also knew that all of her bruises would be even more sore in the morning. At this moment, in this much pain, she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the implications of the sunrise, but as long as she could just...get to the couch without collapsing..
Terra was shaking with the effort it took just to stand. She was hunched over with her arms and tail clutching her midsection, holding her breath when she slid her right foot forward, then her left, determined to do just one thing for herself!
 
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Jamal was tempted to stop Kiki from taking that last step into her room, to question her on how she could have gotten the mail without breaking the first rule of not using the door, unless it was an emergency. But he didn't. He let her go, stopping himself at the last second. Terra and she were teenage girls who had, afterall, been trapped and bored inside the house for. It would have only been natural for their curiosity to have piqued. At least, that's what he continued to tell himself.
He was only upset though, he hoped they would realize in the morning when he would scold them then, because he cared for them and didn't want anything to happen to them. For now though, it was late and could wait till morning when he was a little calmer. He turned around to see Terra trying to get to the couch on her own, and quickly hurried over to help. Something about her expression made him stop himself several feet away. She wanted to do this on her own, so he would let her.
 
Terra's teeth were grinding together and she was trying so hard to keep her heavy breathing steady enough to keep from moving her ribs, but it was futile. It hurt so much....
4 steps left. Four. She would despise herself even more than she already did if she couldn't take four steps forward. In her peripheral vision, Terra could see Jamal rush towards her to help, but upon catching sight of her blazing eyes, he backed up. Good choice.
Terra moved her right foot forward again, then her left. She didnt have anything to lean on so her center of balance was off. She was hunched too far forward and for a few seconds, she was afraid her shaky legs wouldn't hold her up. So she hastily rushed the last two steps and collapsed onto the couch, shoulder first, then rolled the rest of her body up. After that agony though, her show of strength ended with an abrupt whimper as Terra curled her legs up to her throbbing ribs. She was lying on her right side which bore the least amount of injuries; the pressure still made her ache though. She'd probably end up sleeping that way if she slept at all. The blanket she'd used when she first arrived was wrinkled at the other end of the couch, but if she didn't have to move for the remainder of the night, she'd endure the chill.
Her body was very small curled up like that. She didn't take up much room at all. The slightest curl at the edge of her lips told Jamal she was satisfied with her independence for the night even though she was trying not to look at him. Terra knew she'd have to be completely dependent on everyone else for tomorrow and at least she knew she'd done this.
 
Adint shook a little when Terra collapsed on the couch, he had mostly been listening, and he kept his head turned around, he shifted his head however though, and closed his eyes, it would be best to go to sleep now, he closed his eyes slightly and welcomed the embrace of sleep.
 
Jamal waited a few extra seconds from the time that Terra collapsed successfully on the couch, until the small groan and slight curling of her lip told him that he was permitted to help her now. Standing over the couch now, he could see just how small and delicate her frame was. It made him want to hold her so that no one might ever hurt her again. She seemed so frail, but also so much stronger for living through it and continuing to prove that she was anything but. It amazed him.
He could have sworn that she shivered just a little but he couldn't be completely sure. So to bring some peace to his mind, he took the blanket that lay crumpled up at her feet and spread it over her snugly. His hands habitually straightened and spread the sheet over her back, ignorant to the fact that he was also stroking the female neko who lay underneath. "Good night, Terra; Adint; Kiki," he said in a hushed tone, knowing their feline ears would most probably pick it up.
In the furthest corner of the living room, closest to the hallway, sat a single reclining chair that had lost the ability to sit itself back up quite some time ago and was therefore rarely used to sit on, but much more commonly slept on. Just as Jamal had been doing on every night that they ran out of sleeping spaces. They owned two mattresses and two two-seater couches, although Jamal usually left the second unoccupied just in case, and he had grown somewhat attached to his sleeping spot. Still wearing the trench-coat, he curled up into a lumpy ball with his one leg sticking out slightly, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
 
Terra kept her eyes and ears down while Jamal stood over her and then placed the blanket on her small frame. She was going to thank him, but then he was unintentionally stroking her back. In response to his sweet touch, her eyes closed in content and she gulped to contain a purr. His hands were soft enough to keep from putting pressure on her wounds and she was so unused to someone touching her when it wasn't necessary or painful. Her ears flicked up slightly when he spoke, bidding her a goodnight. She opened her eyes then, but Jamal was already lying in the armchair in the corner so she didn't respond.
Though it had been a long night, Terra knew she wouldn't be able to sleep for a long while. She kept her breaths shallow and her eyes half open in the darkness. Her pupils were huge and taking in as much light as possible, so she could see fairly well and her ears were alert and twitching toward any little noise in the apartment. She was a real alley cat and most of her nights were spent like this, save maybe two hours of rest. A cat nap at the most.
A small movement from near the mail caught her eyes. She narrowed them, trying to figure out what was skittering about over there. Eventually, a large cockroach waved its antennae and made its way across the room. Terra watched it calmly and silently. Bugs didn't really bother her. It was rodents like mice and rats that made her jumpy. The cockroach took its time making its way across the carpet and before it reached the hallway, Terra's eyes fluttered closed and she tumbled down into dreamland with her parents. Unfortunately, her dreams turned into nightmarish memories, but she hadn't expected anything better. Most of her nights were full of trauma, which is why she hated falling asleep.
Adele and Simon stood growling and hissing at the men on the other side of the alleyway. They weren't foolish drunkards dingdong ditching their family this time. 13 year old Terra could tell that much by their expensive, black coats.​
"Give up your little schemes and tell us where he is." One of the large humans said. Terra glared behind her parents. She didn't like these men. They were holding guns and everything about them-- their hair, skin, body, scent-- screamed DANGER.​
"Never!" Mommy hissed. Terra's little claws elongated and she bared her small fangs just like her parents. She didn't know what this was about but they were humans. This was serious. And she would help take them down if need be. Because she wasn't a baby anymore and families stick together. These guys weren't going to change that!​
At least that's what she told herself before the gunshots rang in her black velvety ears. In her nightmare, everything faded to black and all she could smell was blood and gunpowder. Everytime she moved, trying to get back to her mom and dad, knives stabbed into her sides sharply. Voices screamed. Her parents were commanding her to "Run Terra! Run! Find Marley!"​
"Run!"​
Terra twitched and squirmed in her sleep beneath the blanket until finally, she shot up on the couch and gasped, "Marley!"​

She covered her mouth with her hands as tears ran like twin rivers down her cheeks and soft whimpers of fear and pain tried to get past her shaking fingers. Her torso was on fire and her ears were flat against her head as her wide eyes darted around the room. There was no way she was going back to sleep like this.​
 
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Adint was sleeping peacefully until he heard her gasp out Marley, his eyes darted open and he nearly jumped out of his bed. His eyes vegan to adjust to the darkness and he saw her sitting on the couch and he sighed softly, yawning a little, now looking over to Jamal to see if he was awake now as well.
 
Jamal sprung up from his comfortable position on the chair with a small gasp of surprised panic at the sudden noise. His eyes were wide as they darted around the room to find the source, somewhat dazed. They landed on Terra, where she sat shaking and crying silently in the darkness, the occasional suppressed whimper passing her lips. Marley? How did she know about Marley?' he questioned himself. However this was quickly ignored as he decided to deal with the more immediate problem.
Jamal scrambled off the couch like a cat caught in a tangle of yarn, taking him a moment to recognize that the feeling came from his claws being out and caught up in his coat. He shed the warmth in minor frustration and retracted the nails, then ran over towards the upset girl on the balls of his feet, more neko than human. It was only in the cover of darkness that these small details were let out of their tight bindings of the day. He positioned himself behind Terra with one arm wrapped loosely around her abdomen, while his free hand gently caressed her shaking ones to try and ease them into calmness. His chin lied firmly on the top of her head between her ears, his nose nuzzling her hair every few seconds as he whispered words of soft comfort, tail twining and untwining from around hers. It was commonplace for nightmares to come, or continue to come even, shortly after arriving, and would take time to suppress.
 
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Terra was so unaware of the room around her that when a strong arm circled her abdomen she flinched in surprise and began to sob. Jamal calmed her hands and nuzzled her head as her tail uncoiled with his own. Her ribs were in agony, but she couldn't stop sobbing. Terra, at this point was too broken to care about pride and independece. Someone was holding her and for once in six years, she felt almost...safe.
"I'm s-sorry.." she whispered, trembling in his arms. Apologizing for not saving her parents, for being such a burden, an eyesore a ...weakling. She simply...crumbled.
 
Adint looked at the both of them and sighed softly, this was none of his buissness, and he had to stay out of it, would probably be best that way anyways, since Jamal was protecting her, he looked away from them, perhaps this was something he shouldn't see, he closed his eyes and stuck his face back in the pillow.
 
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Jamal shook his head in no while still against her own so that she might feel it. He didn't believe that she needed to apologize for anything, from staying with them and being taken care of to even so much as being born. Things were only as they are, he had recently learnt, and the only way you could continue living was to in through them with as much will as you could conjure, not apologize. If doing so was a step forward for her though, then so be it, but she needed to know, "It's not your fault," he told her firmly in a low voice, mouth close to her ear. "No matter what it is, none of it is your fault." He slowly began to rock them together in a slow, regular pattern, hoping that it might soothe her and regulate her breathing. "Trust me."
 
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Terra whimpered one last time as Jamal shook his head. Of course he didn't agree with her. He was so good. He hadn't abandoned his own parents when they died like she had. As if he had read her mind, he said that it wasn't her fault. That none of it was her fault no matter what it was. He rocked them slowly, telling her to trust him. She knew she might regret it, but she took a leap of faith for once, and decided she would trust him. Her sobs subsided, but her tears kept flowing. Terra made little hiccups that stabbed her sore abdomen repeatedly. Then she did something she had needed for awhile. Terra turned herself around, buried her face in Jamal's chest, and cried softly. She let out her pain and her miserable memories out in the form of salt water from her violet eyes. She knew he might never understand how horrible she was, but for now, nothing mattered to her and she pressed herself against him, trembling in his gentle embrace
 
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Jamal let out a deep, hearty sigh and closed his eyes as Terra buried her face into his chest. He didn't mind her warm, salty tears as they fell onto his shirt and made his skin beneath the fabric cold. He didn't mind if she was only using him to heal her own pain, even. Just so long as he could hold her now and help her in any other way that he could. His arms wrapped around her protectively and gently rubbed her back from the crown of her head, down to her tail bone and back up again.
 
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Jamal sighed and stroked her back comfortingly aa she cried. His embrace was the only place she started to feel drowsy in and when her tears finally subsided, Terra could only whisper "Thank you..." before falling asleep in his warm arms...weightless and spent for the night. She hadn't asked for this, and she never would have, but it was exactly what she needed and he gave it to her.
 
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The last thing Jamal heard before slumber overtook him was the whispered thanks that came from Terra.
He awoke next several hours later to the literal 'cat-calls' of the teenagers from the day before. The words were mostly muffled during the journey that the sound took to reach them through the thick wood of the door. It was the only dependable defence that they had from the outside that would need some real effort to brake down. It was enough through and managed to brake him from his still sleep. He looked around himself slowly, feeling an unsuppressable shiver that coursed through his body that started at his head and ended with a sharp flick of his tail. He momentarily contemplated waking the sleeping Terra but thought better of it. She needed her sleep after all she had been through and he enjoyed the warmth of her body on top of his own. It felt... nice, and it caused a butterfly-like flutter to fly around his stomach that made him smile whenever he felt it. Like now.
 
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Terra awoke slowly to a shivering motion beneath her. Her eyelids fluttered softly and she scrunched her nose a little as her ears twitched. She had her arm wrapped around Jamal's chest and her head on his heart. Her tail was twined with this and one of her legs was hitched around his hip slightly. He was warm and his heart was a perfect song...until she opened her eyes and realized exactly what position she was in. She flinched, made a tiny squeaking noise and untangled her body from his anxiously, eyes wide. But she was dangerously close to the edge of the couch and her claws elongated, alert to the feeling of her right side falling to the carpet.
 
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Jamal watched in undeniable amusement as Terra let out a small squeak when she awoke, already struggled to remove herself from his body. Successful in her immediate goal, he tried futilely to mask the small, sleepy smile that played on his lips when he noticed, along with her, that her balance was now off. He waited until the last second before she fell to suddenly jump up from the couch and catch her. The smile came through all the way as he beamed a smile at her, a rather mischievous glint in his eyes at his attempt to give her a heart attack. "Careful now," he warned when he released her. "Never know what kind of weirdo will try to catch you." He winked then, silently implying that she and many others may view him as weird.
 
Jamal waited until the last moment to snap his arms around her and she stared up at him, her panic quelled. His deep green eyes held a glint of playfulness and she blushed down to her neck. Jerk. He placed her back on the couch and smiled big. "Careful now. Never know what kind of weirdo will try to catch you." He winked. Terra glared at him, a reluctant smile making its way onto her lips. Before she could reply, her smile faded as her ears perked up and the voices from last night echoed beyond the door. She narrowed her slitted eyes at the entrance to the apartment while her blush faded finally
 
Adint now sat up, stretching a little, and letting out a small yawn, he sat up and looked at Jamal and Terra, who looked toward the door, he was confused at first until he heard the voice's and his eyes widened, now going back underneath his cover's to remain hidden, holding his legs tightly, hopefully the human's would leave them alone soon.
 
(Sorry guys, I wound up going home for the weekend but I'm back now.) Kiki walked out of the bedroom with a yawn and she rubbed at her tired eyes. "Morning." She said with another yawn.
 
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