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Pete opened his eyes and sat up, desperately gasping for air as if he just emerged from the dark depths of the ocean. His inhales quick and sharp, leaving no room for his heart to slow down.
A grounding hand heaved on his shoulder.
"Pete? Breathe, ok?"
Pete turned to face him. Niran. He was sitting right next to him on the bed.
"There you are, Pete. You're back." Niran said, voice calm but firm enough to be heard above the thunderstorm in Pete's mind.
Niran pulled Pete in to lean against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. Niran breathed in deeply, and suddenly something in Niran's touch made Pete's breathing slow down.
Pete breathed in, as the feeling on Niran's chest pressing against him grounded him and brought him back. Slowly, death loosened his grasp on Pete, and the chaos enveloping him faded away.
"What… What the hell happened to me?" Pete asked as soon as words came back. His voice sounded raspy and weak.
"It's Yao. It got you." Niran said, letting Pete go. Pete wished that he didn't, because he felt safe in Niran's embrace, a feeling he hadn't felt in a while. "You were almost done for, you know?You need to stop being reckless. You wouldn't be here if my ritual ended seconds later than it did."
"Shit…" Pete said, passing a hand through his hair. "I'm never going to get rid of this, right?"
Pete was nothing but a stray cat living on crumbs and unsheltered by the rain. No one would care if he were to die. Pete wasn't even scared of death. Pete didn't-
"Hey." Niran's voice called him back and Pete immediately payed attention to him. "I know I'm usually cold with you. I know I should keep a distance. But…" Niran gulped. Pete stared at him as words struggled to come out of Niran's lips. "I don't want you to die. Trust me, I will do my absolute best to keep you safe. If anything happened to you, I-"
"Don't say that." Pete cut him off. "What's the point of all this? Yao is eventually devouring me. I can feel it. I can feel its breath on my neck. Its voice in my head. It's… It's too late."
"Pete." Niran said, placing his hand on Pete's knee. "I won't let it."
"I'm half a demon already. I'm doomed, Niran. We should stop fighting. You can let me go." Pete said. The words in his mouth sounded bitter, but Pete couldn't bear any more false hope.
"You don't get it, Pete." Niran said in a scolding tone, furrowing his brows. "Your life is valuable. There's people out there who love you."
"Who? My sister is the only one left and she barely stands me. My life is shit already, why should I-"
"Because I love you. I won't let you die. Understood?"
Pete stared at Niran, mouth falling over dumbly as his brain struggled to register the words he had just heard.
"Wha-"
"You should… rest. I'll go get dinner." Niran said, before he stood up and stormed out of the room.
"What the hell…?" Pete wondered. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat out of control.