Chapter Text
"Did you see her last night? Damn! She surely rocked my body!"
An uproar of laughter ensued, and that's when Bennett decided to stop walking through the already dark city and approach the window of Angel's Share, curiosity taking the best of him. The bullet inside his shoulder would have to wait for a bit.
He only needed to peer inside the tavern for a second to instantly recognize one of the six men that were sitting by the window: Albert.
Suspicion started raising inside him, but he decided to listen a bit more, least he was wrong.
"Be careful of what you say about my angel, Tony. Should I remind you that you are talking about my future wife?" that voice was undoubtely Albert's, and now Bennett knew who was the subject of their conversation.
"You wish! Just because you are completely obssessed with her, that doesn't mean that you have more rights over her than us. Barbara is of public property, right boys?"
A chorus of roaring agreements and more laughter. Bennett frowned, grittinng his teeth.
"She surely has grown up to be a goddess" said a third voice, clearly that of a very drunk man. "Those thighs every time her skirt goes up while dancing, those lips, that... that chest! Phew... if I could only get a small taste..."
Another round of agreement, now including some whistling.
"I will be the one getting a taste of her, you fools. I loved the innocent Barbara back then, but I am completely head over heels for the mature Barbara now" Albert spoke again, drunk as well, Bennett noticed. "She surely has changed over the past years, and now that she is a woman, it's time that I formally present myself not only as her number 1 fan, but as her only man"
Bennett closed his fists tightly. Albert had always been harmless. Sure, he was a bit creepy towards Barbara, but it had never been serious, just the usual wandering around the Cathedral. But this? This was not just creepy, but borderline disgusting.
Bennett should have seen it coming though. At Barbara's performances during the past months, Albert had been turning more agressive with other fans, and his cheering and screaming for the idol at the stage sounded completely desperate. And now he spoke of himself as if he owned the Deaconess. Even worse was that there were other five disgusting pigs probably with the same intentions.
"That bouncing chest... I am drooling just thinking about it" continued the other man, ignoring Albert.
"I will make my move during her next concert. You guys wait and see, because I will be the first one to taste her" came another drunk voice.
Bennett couldn't take it anymore. Nobody spoke about Barbara like that, not on his watch. But before he could make for the door of the tavern, he was stopped by the sound of another voice. A very serious and stern one.
"Leave my tavern this instant, you lot. Unless you want me to call Grand Master Jean. I think she would not be too happy if she knew that you were talking about the Deaconess like that"
Bennett instantly identified Diluc as the owner of that voice.
"Sir Diluc! You got it all wrong! We were simply admiring Barbara's beauty and talent"
"Is that so? Then I guess I must have been hallucinating when I heard that you all desired to get a taste of her?"
"Well, about that..."
"Enough" Diluc cut them off. "You are forbidden from entering my tavern whenever Barbara is here. And also for tonight. Get out now"
Bennett heard the sound of chairs slidding across the floor and Mora hastily placed on the table, all accompanied by a chorus of murmured groans. Not a minute later, the door of the tavern was kicked open, and the six men spilled out of it, all of them wearing angry looks on their faces.
Bennett walked straight up to them, clicking his tongue at the sharp surge of pain that overcame him. The wound on his shoulder was not going to stop him from confronting those pigs, though.
"How dare you talk about Barbara like that?" he asked, stopping in front of Albert and looking down at him.
Even though Bennett had grown up to be taller and more muscular than many men in Mondstadt, Albert looked far from intimidated. He eyed Bennett with disgust, snarling at him.
"Well, well, if it isn't the unlucky worm" he said, now flanked by the other men. "You are always around my angel Barbara, preventing me from seeing her, and you now dare to say that?"
"Out of the way, scum" one of the other men spat at his feet.
Bennett was undoubtedly bigger and stronger than them, he also possessed a Vision and wielded a sword, but nobody was ever scared of him due to his extremely peaceful and cheerful nature, not to mention his infamous bad luck. But he was angry now. Very angry.
"I will make sure that you keep your dirty hands and words away from Barbara" he said, looking at them all before focusing his eyes on Albert. "And I will tell the Sisters to immediatelly call the Knights if they see you around the Cathedral again"
They all looked at him as if he had grown another head, but then they erupted into a defeaning fit of laughter. Bennett growled under his breath, getting more pissed by the second.
"Ok, that was funny, unlucky worm" Albert said, wiping a tear away from his eye. "How exactly are you going to stop me?"
"I-I..."
"Everybody knows that you go adventuring away many times. How are you going to prevent me from paying a 'friendly' visit to Barbara?"
"Hey now, unlucky bastard, you have to share her with us" said another one. "That body of hers needs to see the world"
Bennett suddenly saw red, and the next thing he knew, he had his sword in his hand, and was about to strike the man on the head with its hilt.
Unfortunately, due to his injured shoulder being from the same arm, his movements ended up being too slow and clumsy, so his attack was stopped by another blade, whose silvery surface reflected the faint moonlight.
Albert had drawn a big pocket-knife, and next to him, one of the other men joined him with a similar weapon, both of them pushing back Bennett's sword.
Soon, Bennett found himself surrounded by the men, all of them carrying either knives or small crossbows.
"Ohoho, it seems that you are injured again" said one of the crossbow wielders, lifting the weapon to aim an arrow at him. "That could only mean that you were on your way to see our dear Barbara... and rob her away from us once again"
The arrow shoot through the air so fast that Bennett barely had time to dodge it, as it scrapped his leg a bit. He charged at the man then, disarming him with a strong punch to his hands.
Unfortunately, the other men took the opportunity to all jump at him at the same time, and due to the huge amount of blood he had already lost, Bennett was unable to avoid them fast enough.
He screamed in pain when he felt a sharp blade piercing his skin just over the injury on his shoulder, while an arrow stabbed him in the thigh. Even if they were drunk, they surely managed to aim right at him.
Just as he was about to engulf his sword in flames and go on a rampage, the door of the tavern burst open again, and a very angry Diluc stood by the doorframe. At the same time, Bennett heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind him.
"In the name of the Knights of Favonius, you are all under arrest for assaulting an honourable member of the Adventurers' Guild. And also for ruining my night even before it started"
Bennett turned around and saw Kaeya pushing two of the men to their knees and tying their hands together.
"What a dutiful knight…" said Diluc to the Cavalry Captain, grabbing two other men. One of them was especially aggressive, so he punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.
"Oh, don't even start, Diluc" said Kaeya, taking Albert by the collar and pushing him down to the asphalt, pressing his face against it.
Diluc rolled his eyes and turned to Bennett, who was wincing in pain on the floor.
"Bennett, sorry for not coming out earlier. I couldn't hear the commotion with all the noise inside the tavern" he helped the younger man to his feet, eyeing him cautiously. "Let's go to the Cathedral now. You are severely injured"
"N-no need, Mr. Diluc. I can go by myself" Bennett breathed in weakly. "Please, I beg you and Captain Kaeya to inform Grand Master Jean about the possible danger Deaconess Barbara might be in with these men lurking around the city" he managed a smile at the two brothers. "That is the most important thing for me right now"
"Oh? So they were lusting after dear Barb again?" Kaeya frowned at the men, and Bennett understood that these pigs had already talked about Barbara before without him knowing. "Do not worry, I will do the report myself, and I will make sure that these nice citizens get a very comfortable cell in our dungeons" Kaeya assured him, taking three of the men by the arm and pushing them with him.
"I..." Diluc hesitated, but upon Bennett's pleading look, he sighed in defeat, grabbing the three remaining prisoners. "Alright. Please, be extremely careful on your way to the Cathedral"
"Thank you" Bennett smiled again at them, hiding behind it the immense pain he was feeling at the moment.
-----------------
He barely managed to make it past the big stairs that led to the immense building.
Otto, one of the Knights that kept guard outside the Cathedral, managed to take a hold of him just as he was about to collapse at his feet, and he dragged him inside.
The last thing Bennett heard before losing consciousness, was the door to the sacristy opening, and Barbara's unmistakable voice worriedly calling out his name.
---------
The strong smell of disinfectant woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling of Barbara's small infirmary inside the sacristy.
"Barbara" he called with a raspy voice.
"Bennett! For the love of Barbatos..."
She entered his line of vision, and a wave of guilt washed over him as he noticed the worried frown on her face.
"How long was I out?" he asked.
"Just a few minutes. Otto just left and I was preparing some bandages" she answered, checking his head for any sign of a concussion.
"Sorry... for making you worry all the time. And for coming at this hour... I guess you were about to leave"
She stopped, now looking at him with a mix of sadness and anger.
"That is not important” she said sternly. “What would have happened if you didn't reach Otto? What if you fainted somewhere around the city at this hour, when almost everybody is at home or at the taverns? We would have found you dead by tomorrow morning!"
Bennett noticed that some tears were forming in her eyes, and a new sharp pang of guilt hit him square in the chest.
"Please, do not worry. I am just a bit more injured than usual this time" he forced a smile to his face, in an attempt to make her sadness go away.
"Shut up, Bennett, shut up..." she turned away from him, quickly approaching her desk to grab a few things. One of her tears, however, had already fallen on his cheek, and his heart constricted painfully as he wiped it away.
They both fell silent for the next minutes. Barbara placed her chair next to his bed, her eyes briefly surveying his body as she decided what to start with. The arrow was still inside his leg, so he was not losing blood there, but it could become infected...
No, his shoulder had to be first. He was losing too much blood from it.
"I have to remove your clothing..." Barbara said weakly, her tone indicating that she was not asking for permission, but simply informing him.
"Alright"
Bennett propped himself up with his elbows, hissing in pain when he felt the bullet moving inside him. Barbara quickly placed a few puffy pillows behind his back, helping him to a sitting position.
The hand on his good arm clumsily made for the zipper of his sleeveless jacket, but without the support from his other hand, the small metal piece got stuck midways.
"Allow me" Barbara murmured, replacing his hand with her own. She gulped imperceptibly, hesitating for just a second before slowly pulling the zipper down.
Undressing a man was something that Barbara had never done before, not even if the man was a patient. The thing is, nobody ever came as injured as Bennett always did, so there had never be a reason to do it. Sure, it had been necessary to remove pieces or armour, coats or simply roll up sleeves or open up shirts. But having a half-naked man in front of her was going to be a first. Considering the increasing seriousness of Bennett's wounds, it was only natural that it was precisely him the first one that was required to undress in order to treat him. And that made Barbara really nervous.
One had to be blind not to see that Bennett was attractive. Very attractive. Besides being extremely handsome, his well-built and toned body only added to his appeal.
But Bennet was now severely injured, and Barbara had to remind herself of that when his naked upper body started appearing before her eyes from the gap that the zipper was leaving behind.
Her eyes lingered on his muscular chest and abs for a second too long, her face blushing both due to the view in front of her, and to her sudden unprofessionalism. She had been treating Bennett's wounds for years but... well, it was a fact that he had never looked as good as he did now, and she had never had to remove his clothing.
Bennett suddenly grabbed her hand, and she squeaked in surprise, wondering if she had been caught staring.
"Barb, please don't be afraid of what you are about to see" he looked at her intensely, and Barbara, still a bit dazed, misunderstood his words. Her face flushed deeply, and she gaped at him a few times before he spoke again. "The injury looks worse than it is, so please, don't worry"
And now, she felt like a complete idiot. May Lord Barbatos forgive me.
"I will be ok" she assured him, her serious expression returning. She helped him get completely rid of the jacket, placing it on a nearby chair, and Barbara noticed the nervous glances that Bennett was directing at her. She didn't understand why was he acting like that until her eyes finally focused on his shoulder.
She heard herself gasping, as if she was not the owner of her own body. Her eyes were about to pop out of her skull, and her hands started trembling.
"Did you... g-get shot?" she managed to whisper. "How..."
"A Fatui Skirmisher with a Pyro riffle" Bennet answered, and Barbara noticed that he was getting paler by the second. "I was winning but... my bad luck decided to strike down at that moment, and..." he felt silent, unable to summon enough strength to continue talking.
"Hush, don't make any effort" she ordered, frowning at the horrible sight of his bloody and burnt skin.
Wait a minute...
"There is something more under the bullet hole" she added, bringing her face closer to his shoulder to inspect it, her heart thumping against her chest. "D-did the Skirmisher also stab you?"
"N-no" he whispered weakly. "I-I mean, yes, yes he did" he managed to say a bit louder.
Barbara raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.
"Ok, prepare yourself. This is going to hurt" she said, breathing in deeply as she placed her hands over the wound. She had only dealt with bullet wounds one time before, and it was not as nearly as bad as this, but she couldn't let it show. She had to save Bennett no matter what.
"Ready when you are" he murmured, closing his eyes tightly.
Barbara closed her eyes as well, focusing her Hydro power on her palms. A faint blue light emerged from her hands and into Bennett's shoulder, making him hiss in pain.
"You must resist" she whispered.
She immediately found the small metallic object residing inside Bennett's shoulder, and she concentrated all her power around it. She made sure to soothe and numb his arm as much as she could before proceeding, but she was sure that this was going to hurt a lot anyway.
She mentally counted to three before closing her hands tightly over his shoulder, small powerful Hydro currents moving the bullet and its remains towards her palms.
The young man besides her squirmed around a bit, grunting and moaning in pain. While others would have probably been screaming loudly, Bennett was already too used to get hurt that his pain threshold was above any other person Barbara knew. The multiple scars on his body were proof of that.
"I got it, Bennett!" she happily exclaimed once the bullet reached her hands. She winced when she looked at it, soaked in her friend's blood, so she quickly put it away. The scary part was done, at least.
"I... am glad" he said, smiling gently at her, his forehead covered in sweat.
Barbara grabbed a small towel that was resting on her lap and dampened it with her Hydro water.
"Let's take a small break" she said, turning to him again and gently rubbing his face with the towel, sweetly returning the smile.
Bennett's heart skipped a beat at that moment, and his green glazed eyes focused on her light blue ones.
"You are amazing, Barb..." he whispered.
She blushed a bit, quickly looking away in embarrassment.
"I am simply doing what I have to do..." she murmured.
"You have been curing and patching me up for years" Bennett said, raising his hand to her arm. "If it weren't for you, I am sure I would have died a long time ago"
Barbara said nothing, but grazed his hand with her fingers, gazing at him again with so much fondness that the young man couldn't help but tremble at the sight.
"I-I am ready to continue" he said quickly, hiding his blush behind his wrist.
"Yes, I better disinfect the wound and stop that bleeding now" Barbara stood up from her chair and hovered over him, placing again her hands over his shoulder. "This won't hurt... too much"
Before he could say anything, Bennett felt a calming current moving inside his shoulder, as if his broken and burnt skin was being purified. A few minutes later, a sudden small pang of pain struck him, but it went away as quickly as it came. The next thing he knew, Barbara removed her hands from him, a relieved smile on her lips.
He looked down at his shoulder and was marvelled to see that the horrible wound had completely disappeared, and in its place now simply was a small, barely visible scar.
"Barb..." he gasped, hesitantly touching his shoulder, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Even though he had been witness to her powers many times before, he still kept on getting completely awed by her abilities.
"Now for your leg" she said, smiling while she gently pushed him back again into the pillows.
"Y-yes, I am ready"
Barbara moved her chair closer to his legs, and quickly surveyed the situation, a small frown appearing on her face.
"Did the Skirmisher do this as well?"
"...Yes" he whispered, avoiding her eyes.
Barbara examined the arrow again, this time pinching the part of his pants that surrounded it and bringing her face closer. Her frown got deeper.
"Bennett," she called, her eyes still focused on the arrow, "don't lie to me"
He gasped, taken aback by her words. Did she know? How? He decided to play dumb.
"W-what do you mean?"
When Barbara looked at him again, she was so serious that she looked like a different person.
"This arrow is not from the Fatui" she said simply before closing both her hands around it. She gave him a quick look before swiftly pulling it out in a single movement. It had been so fast, that Bennett didn't even have time to react to the horrible pain that he felt at that moment.
"Shiiiit..." he hissed, grabbing at the sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"That is what you get for not telling me the truth" Barbara stood and approached him, showing him the arrow. "Read the small letters on the shaft"
Confused and in pain as he was, he made the effort to focus his blurred vision on the tiny letters that adorned the wooden surface of the arrow.
"B-Barbara Fan Club" he whispered, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion.
"Do you think that the Skirmisher was a member, Bennett?" she said, taking the arrow away from his eyes and throwing it to the nearby bin. She was pissed, he noted.
"M-maybe...?" he tried.
She suddenly looked furious, her frown getting deeper by the second. If he hadn't been injured, Bennett was sure that she would have slapped him by now.
Barbara didn't like when people messed with her. The innocent Barbara from the past would be willing to let it pass, but him putting himself in danger and then lying about the details? No, that was unacceptable.
"You know, I was weirded out by the fact that neither the stabbing nor the arrow wounds had any traces of Pyro elemental energy, like the bullet did. But I said nothing, because well, it could happen. But this?" she gestured towards the bin. "Not only do I learn that my Fan Club is selling weapons as merchandise, but that some members have attacked you!"
"Barb..."
"Why, Bennett?"
"Listen, there is no need-"
"Tell me what happened" she crossed her arms over her chest, her voice lowering to a dangerous tone. "Now"
He closed his mouth shut, looking away from her. How could he tell her that some disgusting members of her Fan Club where practically fighting over who got to... touch her first? And that some of them were even willing to make their move during her next concert? Barbara's whole purpose as an idol was to bring happiness and heal everyone's hearts with her songs! He could not tell her that some bastards were tainting her goals with their dirty intentions!
"I am still waiting" she said, now moving to his leg again to clean and close the wound. Just like the first time, the gentleness of her powers took over his aching skin; and just like the first time, sudden pain struck him just before his wound completely vanished.
"Listen, just forget about it" he said weakly. He couldn't bring himself to lie to her again. Barbara didn't deserve that, so he opted for simply try and hide the truth. "It was just a small conflict, nothing serious"
"No" she approached him again, her arms on her hips. "They stabbed you right under your wound, clearly with the intention of hurting you. And a small conflict doesn't end up with one of the parties involved having an arrow stuck in their leg"
It was clear that Barbara wasn't going to let it slide, judging by the way she was expectantly looking at him. Bennett clicked his tongue, once again avoiding her eyes as he nervously started playing with his Vision.
"There were some... individuals..." he murmured, "and they were saying some... unpleasant things"
At that, he fell silent, praying that his short explanation was enough to please her. However, his luck was, once again, not on his side.
"Details, Bennett, I need details" Barbara said. "Who were they? What were they saying? Why did they attack you, for Vennessa's sake?"
"T-they..." he hesitated again, his eyes unconsciously darting around for a way out.
"Bennett!" Barbara urged, stomping her foot on the ground.
"Albert! It was Albert, and Tony, and Adam..." he blurted out finally.
Barbara frowned, her jaw suddenly tense.
"Bennett..." she said again, this time with a warning tone.
"Ok, ok, jeez!" he fell back onto the pillows in surrender. "And also Felix, Darius and Norman"
Bennett eyed Barbara cautiously, and saw her pressing her lips into a thin line, her hands fisting her skirt tightly. She looked as if she were going to murder someone, and he gulped unconsciously.
"So it was six against one..." she whispered, more to herself than to him.
"But you know I have a Vision and-"
"It doesn't matter!" she cut him off. "You were severely injured and had probably lost an immense amount of blood! They could have killed you!"
"B-But I am alright!" he lamely tried, desperate to remove the anguish from her voice and her eyes.
She clicked her tongue and passed a hand over her blonde long locks, falling silent for a few seconds before looking at him again.
"Now tell me why they attacked you" she commanded, giving no room for complaints.
Bennett sighed, defeated. He had no strength left to fight against her stubbornness. He would probably hate himself later for telling her, but there was nothing he could do to stop her interrogation.
"They were saying nasty things about you, and I confronted them about it" he said, refusing to look at her face.
"N-nasty things? What do you mean?"
"It's better if you don't-"
"Tell me" she ordered. Bennett groaned in frustration, suddenly wishing that he hadn't come to the Cathedral in the first place and instead sought help from his dads at the Guild.
"They were talking about your body, about how they wanted to t-touch you and be with you... they were discussing about who got to get you first... and some of them were thinking about trying to do that soon, at your next concert. Albert was claiming that you were his future wife..." by the time he finished talking, Bennett's voice was barely a whisper, and he was resenting every word that escaped his mouth.
A long silence ensued. Bennett was unable to look at Barbara, but he could perfectly feel her intense gaze on him.
"Why did you feel the need to confront them about it?" Barbara said suddenly, her voice disturbingly calm.
He was taken aback by the question, and now it was his turn to frown.
"What do you mean why?" he directed a hard look at her. "How could I let them speak about you like that? They were practically planning to assault you, Barb!" he exploded, looking again at the ceiling in an attempt to control his anger.
"…"
"They attacked me because they claimed that my constant visits to the Cathedral are preventing them from seeing you! Those guys are obsessed! They are dangerous! Thank Barbatos that Captain Kaeya and Mr. Diluc-"
A finger on his lips silenced him. He blinked a few times, confused, before lowering his eyes and facing a very troubled Barbara. Her lower lip quivered a few times, and fresh tears were starting to form again in her eyes.
Bennett didn't have time to say anything, because Barbara suddenly embraced him tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck, just above his newly healed shoulder.
"Enough" her voice sounded muffled against his skin. "That's enough... you lovable idiot"
He tensed, his face blushing a deep shade of red. Barbara's actions had taken him completely by surprise, and he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands.
"Barb..." he managed to say, finally settling on rubbing her back affectionately, his strong arms surrounding her body.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Barbara stopped her silent crying.
"You risked your life for defending my honour..." she whispered, a mixture of affirmation and question in her tone. She moved away from him, looking at him directly in the eyes. "But you know well that I am powerful enough to defend myself in case I feel I am in danger"
"Of course I know that" Bennett answered, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. "But I wanted them to pay for their words and behaviour anyway"
His stare turned intense, and Barbara couldn't help but blush a bit.
"I couldn't bear to hear that bullshit about one of the people I appreciate the most" he added.
Barbara gasped a bit at that, the tips of her ears turning bright red at the passion in his voice. That's why she felt all the worse when she thought about what she was about to tell him next. Something that she had been mulling over for some time now.
She walked away from his bed and to her desk, leaning on it as she tried to find the words to explain herself.
"B-Bennett, I..." she cleared her throat, unable to look at him. "I have to tell you that... I have been thinking about Albert lately... and now that I know that he is planning to make a move... I might just accept his feelings…"
Silence. Deep, cold silence.
Barbara summoned all her bravery and raised her eyes to him again, hiding them a bit behind her bangs. And upon looking at Bennett, a sudden wave of many powerful emotions tackled over her.
Bennett felt as if he had just been stabbed. Not a physical stab like the one on his shoulder, but a deeper and more painful one to his heart. He suddenly realised that he had stopped breathing for the past ten seconds, and he quickly gasped with shaky breath. He managed to tear his eyes away from her and look down to his hands. They were shaking violently.
"Please, say something..." he heard Barbara plead, and he suddenly felt very guilty.
Making a very conscious effort, he forced the muscles on his face to move, forming a smile on his lips and removing the shock from his eyes to be replaced by their usual kind glint.
"C-congratulations..." he managed to say, chuckling a bit to force away the painful knot in his throat.
"Please, let me explain-" Barbara was far from relieved upon seeing his smile, since her dutiful disposition couldn't allow herself to rest until she explained to him why was she willing to be with the very man who had disrespected her and had attacked Bennett for defending her.
"You don't owe me anything, Barb... even less an explanation" his smile was wider now, far from mirroring his broken heart. "I-I guess that he will treat you like a princess, like no man will ever do. A-after all, he is completely in love with you-"
"But I don't love him!" Barbara screamed, interrupting him in return, finally letting her emotions out her chest. The echo of her voice resonated all over the dark and empty Cathedral, and her own desperate tone surprised even her.
The only thing Bennett could do amidst the sudden silence that ensued after her voice died off, was to sink deeper into the bed, immense relief shaking his whole body into numbness as his previously tense muscles unconsciously relaxed.
"Why, then?" he heard himself say, now willing to hear an explanation.
Barbara wouldn't look at him. She fidgeted with her skirt, biting her lips in thought. He waited patiently.
"I..." she murmured, trembling, the sound of her voice barely audible. "I w-want to be with someone... like everybody else"
Bennett opened his eyes wide at that, but before he could even begin to form words in his mouth, Barbara continued.
"I am old enough to be able to say that I have had some kind of experience with men..." she looked to her knees in shame, her face flushing, "but I can't do that... because I haven't even kissed anyone...". She timidly raised her pupils to him then. "I simply want to have what everybody our age has... so I think that Albert..."
Unable to continue, Barbara stopped talking, turning her eyes away from Bennett once again.
"Barbara..." was the only thing he could say.
"I realise now how terrible that sounds" she weakly added, covering her face with her hands in utter shame. "I am willing to use Albert for a childish wish of mine"
Bennett was completely at a loss of words, so he simply gazed at her. Now his heart was breaking for an entirely different reason, since he couldn't bear to see her suffering. But what could he say to her after what he just heard?
After a moment of solemn silence, Barbara suddenly removed her hands from her face, shaking her head a bit and removing herself from her desk. Bennett frowned in worry when he noticed the fake and forced smile that she was now sporting while she approached his bed.
"It's time to sleep, Bennett. It's more than an hour past midnight, and you need to rest"
She gently removed the pillows from behind his back, helping him down to a laying position, very aware of his eyes never leaving her face.
"You do, too" he said, grabbing her wrist and making her stop to look at him.
"Of course, but I have to take care of you first" she said, her fake smile returning. Bennett was starting to despise it by the second. Barbara's smile had to be genuine and happy, and not hide hurt and guilt.
"I am perfectly fi-"
"Shhh" she hushed him gently, the palm of her hand carefully stroking his hair and forehead.
Satisfied with his lack of attempts at moving or talking anymore, Barbara walked to a shelf on the other side of the room, where stood the majority of the candles that illuminated the room. She blew them off, turning now to the one on top of his bedside table and doing the same. Only a few candles remained lit, making the room fall into semi-darkness.
Bennett attentively watched her every move, unable to think of anything to make her cheer up again.
"Now I need you to relax, alright?" Barbara said gently, approaching his bed again. "Close your eyes"
Bennett did as he was told, engraving in his mind the beauty of her face just before his eyelids fluttered shut.
Barbara placed her hand again over his forehead, reciting a prayer in her mind as she let her Hydro powers take over her fingers. She smiled when she saw Bennett relaxing his face, the frown on his brow finally disappearing.
Her fingers moved down a bit, gently caressing his closed eyelids before passing over his nose and his mouth.
With a tiny gasp, Bennett's lips parted on impulse, and Barbara quietly clicked her tongue in self-berating when she lost track of the prayer she was reciting, suddenly feeling nervous.
Bennett silently thanked the dim light, as he was sure that he was blushing slightly. The sensation of her finger pads brushing over his lips had made his heart skip a beat... or two.
Barbara's hand moved further down, grazing his chin and passing over his neck before settling on his chest, where she extended her palm.
His skin was warm, roughed up in some places but smooth in others, and his hard muscles felt like rock under her fingers. Barbara couldn't help it when her body moved on its own, her hand slowly stroking his chest a few times from side to side. Her heart started beating faster the moment she felt Bennett's own heart thumping wildly against the palm of her hand.
What am I doing?
She concentrated again on her prayers and the soothing of his body, pumping more of her powers into him before her trembling hand moved down to his stomach. His toned and impossible-not-to-stare-at stomach.
Many things were dancing around Bennett's mind, and none of them were innocent enough for him not to feel shame as he forced himself to remember that the owner of that tortuous hand was his Deaconess friend.
But oh, Celestia above, how was he supposed to relax and ignore her fingers slowly tracing every muscle of his stomach? Or her powers licking at his whole body? A hissed whimper escaped his lips as her nails involuntarily scrapped his skin, so gently that he got goosebumps.
"A-are you ok?" she asked in a low voice, her innocent tone making Bennet feel guilty again. "Bennett, your skin is burning..."
"I am alright" he said huskily, forcing his eyes to remain shut in spite of the surging desire to just look at her. "But I think you should go home now, Barb, it's pretty late" he heard the urge in his own voice, and he prayed for her not to notice it.
"I am almost finished" Barbara said. "You are so tense... you need to relax again for my powers to properly take effect"
"I-I will try" he didn't have it in him to protest once she placed her other hand on him.
Barbara felt as if she was trapped in a trance. The way in which his perfect body was making her feel things she had never felt before was reflecting in the way her hands were moving. Her eyes were eating up every inch of him, and her fingers followed suit, making her both nervous and marvelled at the way his body reacted with every touch and stroke. And the sounds he occasionally made.
Her face started heating up, as well as another place somewhere under her skirt.
She wanted to touch him. Not as the Deaconess healing her friend, but as just... her... and him.
She extended both her hands over his stomach, her glazed eyes focusing on his muscles dancing at her fingers' command.
Was this... desire?
A low grunt escaped Bennett's lips as Barbara slowly dragged both her hands up his stomach, making him burn under her touch. She stroked his heart over his skin, making his yearning for her almost impossible to keep under control.
Fuck.
He was sure that she was not aware of the things she was doing to him. He didn't want to be a disgusting pervert like Albert and the others, so he was trying, as hard as he could, to keep his hands from simply grabbing her and pulling her down to him. Healing, she was healing him, and that's all-
He gasped.
Her hands had travelled down again, and were now on his hips... brushing dangerously close to the hem of his pants.
"Barb" he said breathily, now opening his eyes and propping himself up with his elbows.
His breath hitched in his throat when she raised her eyes to him, making his head spin out of control.
Flushed cheeks, glazed eyes framed by long, dark lashes that fluttered upon hearing her name. And a pair of rosy lips that made his throat go dry.
"Barb, what-"
Bennett's voice calling her suddenly woke her up from her dazed stupor. She blushed deeply, very aware of where her hands where, so she removed them immediately.
What is wrong with my mind, for the love of Barbatos?
She got up from her chair and approached him, covering his eyes with her hand in a soothing manner while she pushed him down onto the bed again.
"Now your muscles are healed and relaxed. Sleep"
And even before he could open his mouth to say something, Bennett's body suddenly felt impossibly heavy. The last thing he heard before succumbing to sleep was the sweet voice of Barbara.
"Goodnight, Bennett"