Hannah – POV
I sat curled in my bathtub as hot water from the shower rained down over me, steam curling like smoke through the small space. My skin stung beneath the spray, bruises blooming like ink across my body — across my ribs, my spine, my thighs. The worst one spread like a dark bruise-stained galaxy across the left side of my rib cage, purple and angry and pulsing.
Sliding down that godforsaken hole in the Skull Cavern and slamming into the stone below probably didn't do me any favors. Every inch of me ached like I'd gone through a meat grinder, but at least I was in one piece.
Mostly.
Eventually, the water turned cold — a clear signal that it was time to stop hiding in here. I stood with a groan, wrapping myself in a soft towel, limbs stiff and reluctant.
"Dang it," I muttered to myself, "left my clothes on the dresser."
I peeked my head around the bathroom door and spotted Sebastian sitting on the edge of my bed, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked up as soon as he heard the door creak.
"Hey," I said with a sheepish smile. "Could you, um... grab my clothes?"
Sebastian blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. Of course."
His voice was steady, but I caught the faintest hint of red rising in his cheeks. He stood and crossed to the dresser, carefully picking up the folded clothes I'd set there earlier. When he reached the door, he turned his head to the side politely, extending them to me without even trying to sneak a look.
I smiled as I took them. "Thanks."
He just gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment and returned to his spot on the bed.
That was something I really liked about Sebastian. He wasn't performative. He didn't try to impress me or say the "right" thing just to get in my head or my space. He just was. And in a world where everything always felt like a test — of my worth, of my strength, of how much I could endure — being with someone who didn't make me feel like I had to prove myself was... grounding.
It made me feel human.
I pulled on my favorite loose white t-shirt and a pair of well-worn pajama pants, too tired to care about drying my hair. I ran a comb through it once and let it fall in damp waves down my shoulders. The warmth of the room and the softness of the clothes felt like safety.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Sebastian was back on the bed, still quiet, still there.
He looked over at me and tilted his head. "So... how was your first shower since, you know, coming back to life?"
I let out a breath and smiled. "Amazing."
I sat down beside him, the mattress dipping slightly under our weight. The silence that settled between us wasn't heavy. It was gentle. Familiar. He didn't need to fill it with small talk or reassurance. Sebastian could sit in the quiet and not be uncomfortable — and more importantly, not make me uncomfortable.
He was just present.
"I don't know what you saw down there," he said softly after a while. "And I won't pretend to. But if you ever want to talk about it... even if I don't say much, I'll always listen."
His voice was quiet but serious — a deep sincerity threaded through each word.
"Thank you," I murmured, staring down at my hands.
I hadn't let myself process everything yet. The way my heart threatened to give out every time I turned a corner. The screeches in the dark. The feeling of being hunted. Of knowing one wrong step could mean never making it back.
My fingers clenched in my lap. I shivered involuntarily, despite the warmth of the room.
A knock on the front door snapped me from the spiral.
Sebastian stood up without hesitation.
I heard a familiar voice from the other side, pitched in faux formality. "Hello sir, is your wife home?"
I instantly recognized the voice to be Sam.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You okay with visitors?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Let them in."
Moments later, Abigail and Sam stepped into my room.
Abigail crossed to me in an instant, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. It was unexpected — I froze for a second — but then melted into it. I hadn't realized how much I needed someone to just hold me.
"I'm so happy you're okay," she said, her voice muffled by my hair.
"I just want to say," Sam said as he dropped dramatically onto the foot of the bed, "you were badass down there."
I laughed. "My ass hurts pretty bad, I'll say that much."
Laughter erupted around the room — even Sebastian cracked a smile, but still it felt wrong. Like I had to force joy within myself. Something is off.
"Let me see that lightning sword, Percy Jackson!" Sam called, pointing toward the fireplace.
I chuckled, limping slightly as I made my way to the blade. The Galaxy Sword rested against the stone hearth, humming faintly like it had a heartbeat of its own. I bent down to pick it up.
"Holy sh—" Sam started, cutting himself off when Abigail smacked his arm.
As I straightened, I realized my shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing my lower back. I turned and caught the sudden silence — the look in Abigail's eyes, the stillness in Sebastian's face.
"Is it really that bad?" I asked, trying to joke. I couldn't see it, but from their expressions... maybe I didn't want to.
"BAD? You're tie-dyed," Sam said dramatically, then flinched. "Please don't hit me."
Abigail rolled her eyes but her voice was gentler when she spoke. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, Hannah."
There was real guilt in her voice, and I hated hearing it. None of this was her fault.
Sebastian didn't say anything, but he hadn't looked away from me once. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face unreadable, but his eyes — his eyes looked like they were holding everything he couldn't say aloud.
"I didn't mean to make such a dramatic entrance," I said with a half-laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks. I think. I mean, I can't actually see it."
I handed the Galaxy Sword to Sam, hilt-first. He cradled it like it was made of glass, eyes wide with awe.
I sat back on the bed quickly, trying not to wince. My body had been through hell, but my heart? It felt full in a way I hadn't let it in a long time.
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The fire in the hearth crackled softly as the four of us settled in. Sam plopped himself in the big armchair across from the bed, still cradling the Galaxy Sword like it was some ancient relic — which, honestly, it kind of was. Abigail tucked her legs beneath her and leaned against the headboard beside me. Sebastian remained leaning against the wall for a moment, then finally exhaled and joined us on the bed, sitting at my other side.
Everything smelled faintly like cedarwood, lavender, and the peppermint tea Abigail had made in the kitchen — her solution to "trauma, bruises, or minor apocalypses." She'd insisted, and I didn't have the strength to argue. A mug now rested in my hands, warm and fragrant, thawing out the parts of me that still felt frozen.
Outside, the snow had started falling again, soft and slow — thick flakes like feathers catching in the moonlight.
"This place is really cozy in the winter," Sam said, eyes drifting toward the frosted windowpanes. "Makes me feel like I should write a book or something."
"You can't even read," Abigail teased.
Sam gasped dramatically. "Excuse me, I wrote lyrics for our whole band!"
"Yeah, half of them were about snacks and fighting trees," she shot back with a grin.
I laughed softly, pulling the blanket up over my lap. The ache in my body hadn't gone away, but it felt... manageable. It felt far away under the shield of this warm room and these people who cared about me.
Sebastian hadn't said much, but I could feel his presence beside me like a steady anchor. He didn't need to speak — the way he leaned just slightly toward me, his hand hovering near mine on the blanket, said enough.
Abigail took a sip of her tea, her tone softening. "Seriously though. You scared the hell out of all of us, Hannah. I've never seen Sebastian that freaked out."
I glanced at him, raising a brow.
Sebastian gave a shrug. "I wasn't freaked out."
"You didn't sleep for longer than ten minutes for two days," Abigail shot back, smirking into her mug.
"Insomnia. Coincidence."
Sam chuckled, running his finger along the glowing edge of the sword. "He punched a rock wall."
"You did what?" I turned to Sebastian.
"It wasn't that dramatic," he muttered, suddenly very interested in his tea.
"It cracked," Sam added helpfully.
Sebastian ran a hand down his face. "Can we change the subject now?"
"No," Abigail and Sam said in unison, then laughed.
I looked down at the mug in my hands, steam curling up like fog. "I didn't think I was coming back," I said quietly. The laughter faded, the room falling into a thoughtful hush. "There were moments where I didn't know which direction was up. Everything hurt." I shook my head trying to get the images out of my head. I felt so alone."
"You're not," Sebastian said, his voice low and steady. "Not anymore."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward or heavy. It was shared, like everyone in the room was letting those words settle somewhere deep.
After a few long moments, Abigail nudged me gently with her shoulder. "Next time you go storming into a cavern full of monsters, we're coming with you. No arguments."
Sam raised his mug. "I don't know."
"Absolutely not," I said, smiling in spite of myself, "None of you can ever go down there. Ever."
"We're serious," Abigail said, then her voice turned gentler. "You don't always have to fight alone, Hannah."
I looked around the room — at her, at Sam, at Sebastian sitting close enough to feel the warmth of him — and felt something tighten in my chest. Not fear. Not pain. Something warm. Something that felt like peace.
"You don't know what is down there. I didn't even know, and I can't begin to explain even half of it. Seriously you can be brave for me or with me whenever we go to the local mines, but none of you can ever, ever. Go there." I say sternly.
The fire popped, sending sparks up the chimney. Sebastian leaned back against the headboard beside me, his arm brushing mine. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it without saying anything.
We didn't talk much after that. We didn't need to. The warmth of the fire, the scent of tea, the quiet rhythm of people just being there — it was enough.
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