Hope Falls

“Take all the time you need.” Wyatt assured, “Your son and I need to begin plotting the best ways to annoy you, it is our duty.”

---

“Right here,” Ira gestured at a spot just below his ribs as he took off his shirt, revealing a purple bruise that was already deepening and spreading across the lower right side of his torso.

---

"I see," Devika grimaced, moving behind and feeling his back and sides, applying pressure to check for any swelling. "Tell me if it hurts."

"He didn't have to go that hard on you." Cassius muttered as he shook his head. "Fucking dick."

---

"Of course." Kael laughed, squeezing Wyatt's shoulder as he got to his feet and headed out of the room. Only a few minutes later knocking on the door to Indira's rooms.

“Avani I ask - asked to be l - left - “ Indira slurred as she opened the door, sighing when she saw who was waiting. “You are not Avani.” She stated, lifting her hand - containing an empty wine bottle despite the early hour - to wave him away. “I will ask you t-the same. To be l-left alone. Good day Kael.” She moved clumsily to close the door.

---

“Cannot be seen to be going soft - fuck, Devika!” Ira hissed, jerking away and letting out a groan as the quick movement caused further pain.

Cassius frowned, reaching out with his good arm to grab Ira's shoulder and squeeze in support. "Easy..."

'Where was that?" She tilted her head, pressing each finger against his skin. Watching his reaction closely to work out the exact location the pain came from. "These session are to strengthen you, not weaken. Sore muscles and a couple of bruises is regular, expected but this kind of internal swelling, that kind of bruising."

---

Kael moved his foot to block the door from closing, though didn't step inside. "It didn't go as it should have, I think we miscommunicated, Indira. We need to talk."

“Y-you commun - “ Indira shook her head, slipping into her native tongue as she struggled to keep up in his. “You s-spoke clearly. You wish he wa-was hers. I have ruined y-your perfect family and you wish Idris was your wife’s. You want her to be his m-mother!” She moved away from the door as she put the bottle on the side, heading to her cabinet for more. “So w-why are you here when I handed him over? Y-you have won!”

---

“Stop it!” Ira smacked her hand away as she pressed against a piece of broken off bone from his ribs. Falling to his knees with the sickening bolt of pain it caused only a moment later.

"Woah," Cassius breathed, moving along with him. Biting through his own pain to lock his other arm around the front of Ira's shoulders. Taking some of his weight so the hit to the floor wasn't as heavy, holding him upright.

"I see now." Devika spoke quietly to herself, adding pleasantly to the boys, "I will be back. I need bandages, and you, Ira, will be taking a break from training for a month at least." Disappearing from the room before waiting for a response.

---

"That isn't what I meant, and I'm sorry it came across like that. Sorry it feels like I am trying to take him away from you, I would never do that to you. Never." Kael assured as he too easily swalled tongues, stepping inside and letting the door close behind him.

Ira breathed deeply through gritted teeth, the noise coming out ragged. “Fuck…” he groaned, moving his arm to grip at Cassius’.

---

“You wish h-he was hers. I complicated t-things mm?” Indira hiccoughed as she picked up a new bottle and headed back into her bedroom and launching herself back into her bed. “I h-hope it is everything you dreamed of, me out of the picture.”

"Look at me, look. Breathe through it" He encouraged quietly, tightening his own grip on him as he forced eye contact. "Count down from one hundred, remember? Breath in on evens, out on odds. We'll do it together."

---

"No, no. Never." Kael sat on the edge of the bed closest to her, resting his hand against her knees. "I want you involved, always. Your his mother."

“But you wish I-i wasn’t. You w-wish she was.”

---

“Just give me a minute!” Ira snapped, unable to catch his breath

Cassius went still, body tense as he kept an intense gaze on him. Studying each breath closely.

---

"That isn't true, I want you both to be the same way both my mother and my birth mother have always been my picture. How everyone who has ever been in my life are all shoulder to shoulder. That's all I meant..."

“Your birth mother was gone and you needed a mother. I am not dead yet, sorry to disappoint!”

---

Ira groaned deeply at the pain, moving to press his forehead against Cassius’ arm.

"You weren't joking, when you said they wanted a pound of flesh from you." Cassius tried to jest, though the anger that edged his voice was impossible to hide. Tightening one arm to support Ira's weight, as the palm of his other hand rested against the back of his head.

"I'm going to have to knock you out," Devika hummed as she came in, holding a vial of liquid up into the light as she filled a syringe. "Lose bone in a body is dangerous, it can float and damage other organs. Rip muscle. Pierce lungs. I am going to knock you out, then cut you open and place the bone where it came from before stitching you back up. Understand? I sent Marcus to go and get your mother."

---

"That isn't what I meant." Kael repeated, exhaustion coating his voice then. "Indira, please..."

“No, no no!” Ira shook then as soon as being put under was mentioned, “You cannot!” He panicked, pulling away.

---

“Please what? I have already given you the thing that means the most to me. I have given you your son and I’m not even owed the pleasure of being his mother, I have to give it up!” Indira pulled the covers over her head with a choked sob. “He is all I have. Avani I will likely never see again when she brings her sons back and goes to live with her guard. Too wrapped up in each other to remember I exist. I have lost you, because if we were friends you would trust me with our son and not think he needs more than me. And now you want me to watch as I lose my son, as you tell him Daphne is his mother too, and as he slowly does away with me and chooses her as the one he prefers.” She cried. “Then what have I got? What do I do then?”

---

"Ira, sshh," Cassius frowned, grabbing his shoulders so he couldn't move too suddenly and injure himself further. "Centre yourself, mm? No one knows birds like you - do you hear that one closest to us? What kind is it?"

"Ira, it has to be done so th-" Devika began, cutting off when Cassius lifted a palm up to silence her.

"The birds, Ira... tell me about them."

---

"You have me. You have our son. I am nit asking anything of you." Kael mumbled tiredly. "You don't understand what I meant, so, forget it mm? Daphne will be in his life though, she is my wife, she will ne Queen. She will be the mother of any future siblings he has. I just wanted us to be one family, not divided. I am sorry I have upset you, sorry you misunderstand me... I just thought talking about it would... save fights in the future, stop lines being crossed. Boundaries. You don't want to set boundaries? Fine, we'll... we'll just improvise."

“There was no division until you started with her being his mother! I am not stupid, I knew she’d be in his life! For the first few weeks of it she had held him more than me! She spent more of his first hours with him than I did! And did I say a word about it?! No! Because I accepted as your wife she would be there. But you had to decide he needed another mother and were not content with him understanding there is a difference between her and I. That I am his mother.”

---

“I don’t care about fucking birds, she wants to kill me! I won’t wake up! She wants to kill me!” Ira breathed shallowly as he panicked. “I won’t wake up.”

"I know you are his mother I never said otherwise, just stop yelling at me please. I am tired, just... stop." Kael mumbled, rubbing at his face. Repeating, "We miscommunicated."

---

"I'm sure she's wanted to kill both of us plenty of times, mm. The states we have gotten into, the overdraamtics when we were learning to use our wings and made messy landings." Cassius offered a wide grin. "She didn't though, and she won't."

"You don't have to sleep, I don't have to do it bur I can't work if I don't see what I am doing. Only binding your ribs may work, or they may heal incorrectly. The recovery time will be longer too, if you don't let me see the extent." Devika explained quietly

“You have all the power here Kael. Your mother is Queen, we are on your land, you are soon to be King… How do I know you won’t wake up one morning and decide you are tired of me and give my son to her?” Indira asked with genuine fear. “That you won’t decide she can do a better job than I can… That I am too mad to have him?”

---

“I don’t want to die.” Ira whined as he looked between them, “I don’t want to not wake up.”

"How do I know that as soon as I give you the power to leave, you won't take him and go? You've told me you won't, and I trust you." Kael laughed humourlessly, unable to disguise the sadness as he asked, "What have I ever done to make you distrust me? What did I do?"

---

"You'll wake up, and I'll be there when you do." Cassius promised quietly, thumbing brushing across his cheek before he could gain the self-control.

“You wanted him to have another mother…” Indira replied with equal sadness as she sat up and took the covers from her face, still wet with tears. “Until that moment, nothing. Just as I have never given you reason to think I’d go back with him…”

---

Ira swallowed thickly, resting his hand over Cassius’ for a brief second before turning to Devika and giving her a nod.

"Get up, on the bed. Then drink, all in one. It'll just be like settling down for a good night of rest, only you wake up and you'll feel better. Easy peasy." Devika assured gently, placing the vial down on the side of the bed.

"You've got this." He encouraged warmly. "I'll stay, when you close your eyes, when you open them too. Right here."

---

"I didn't mean it like that." Kael repeated, turning to begin to pace. Hands clapsed behind his neck to stop himself from picking at the bark, tired frustration needing to find an outlet.

Ira gingerly moved himself to sit down before laying, hesitating before reaching for Cassius’ hand.

---

Indira was silent as she rested her head on her knees, pulling them to her chest. Quiet for a long few minutes before she patted next to her ok the bed for him to sit.

Cassius nearly stumbled in his eagerness to get up, grabbing a chair to pull to the bedside to lower into as he clasped his hand firmly. "Nothing to be scared of when I'm here. I've got you, Ira."

---

Kael hesitantly kicked off his shoes before joining her, pulling his knees up to his chest without a word.

Indira grabbed the bottle of wine she’d picked up earlier, popping the cork before taking a swig and offering it over to him.

---

“Thank you…”

Kael took it with little hesitation, glugging several mouthfuls down beside he handed it back.

---

With his free hand, Cassius took the vial from the side and handed it to him. Squeezing his hand in gentle encouragement, "You're brave, you can do it."

“We both love Idris.” Indira took another mouthful of wine, “We’d do anything for him… we can work through this.”

---

Ira took the vial and downed it in one swig, closing his eyes soon after.