With trembling fingers you wrapped the new bandages that Baldur had brought around your arms. The new fabric felt irritating on your skin, but not as terrible as it usually did.

It just itched, terribly so, but it was better than the usual amount of pain.

The thought made you huff. A bitter smile appeared on your face.

Usual amount of pain. It was ridiculous to think about it. The fact that there was a usual amount of pain seemed so cruel and yet it was exactly that. You were in constant pain, so there was a usual amount of suffering.

What a tragedy, you joked but couldn't help and feel how true it was.

"Did you say something?", Baldur opened an eye.

He was laying next to you on the floor, arms crossed behind his head. A big rock was laying underneath his back, but it didn't seem to bother him.

The blue tattoos of his moved as he let hiss muscles flex and sat up straight to grab one of the bandages. He grabbed your leg, pulled it up a little and started wrapping it neatly.

But he wasn't even halfway through as pressure made you flinch. Burning your lips, you grabbed his hand to make him stop.

He froze. His eyes jumped up to yours.

Smiling through the pain, you gently pushed him away and loosened the bandage.

"If you wrap it too tight it cuts into my legs.", you said and showed him how to do it instead. "It has to lay on the skin, not press down on it."

Without saying a word he watched. His eyes followed your every move, memorised the way your fingers curled and how the tips grabbed the bandage while leaving small, light red spots.

You really were fragile like a butterflies wings. Even touching soft cotton bandages made your fingers bleed, even if not heavily. Even the smallest move caused damage, despite all the caution and a lack of clear danger.

As you offered him with a gesture to try again, Baldur hesitated.

"I'll break your wings.", he said and placed his hands in his lap. "It would be a tragedy to kill such a pretty butterfly."

A huff escaped you. Smiling, you wrapped the bandage yourself.

"Why do you call me that?", you asked.

"Hm? Call you what?"

"Butterfly. I'm not... pretty. And I'm not as free as them."

His hand found your cheek, just like it had many times before. It seemed to be a new habit of his to grab your cheek and squeeze it to leave a visible, dark print of his fingers on your (S/C) skin.

At this point it didn't even bother you anymore. It was just a short moment of pain and after that a burning feeling was left. But it wasn't that kind of burning that was caused but suffering.

It was a different kind, warm and excited.

You've never felt anything like this before.

"You might not fly, but just like a butterfly, you possess a visible kind of beauty.", Baldur said as his eyes locked with yours. "And just like the wings of a butterfly, you'll shatter if my touch isn't gentle enough. This curse of yours makes me feel like a monster. But at the same time it makes me want to try and control it. I want to know how gentle I have to be if I want to be able to enjoy those delicate wings a little longer."

His words made you blush.

He was so blunt, didn't hesitate a single time nor did he stop and rethink. He just said it. He didn't even blink while telling you.

His eyes just kept staring into yours. The blue seemed so calm in that moment, so deep. It seemed as if two mountain lakes were trapped inside his gaze.

A shaky breath escaped you.

He smiled.

"I am such a coward, am I not?", he laughed about his own foolishness and got back on his feet.

He turned away to leave.

You wanted to grab his hand and hold him back. Somehow, his words made something inside you move. Listening to him made your heart beat faster.

You wanted to hear him talk some more.

But all of a sudden the ground started to shake.

Struck by surprise, you pulled your head in as small crystals started raining from the ceiling.

More pieces came falling down, threatening to crush you underneath their weight.

Frightened, you squeezed your eyes shut.

Immediately, a shadow lay over you. Baldur's arms wrapped around your body. His chest pressed against your cheek while the rest of his torso shielded you from the falling danger.

A huge crystal came loose and fell. It shattered right on his spine. The thousands of little pieces filled the air like shimmering star dust. The soft light got caught in them.

They seemed like little fireflies that had caught blue fire.

A groan escaped him.

Shards of blue dug deep into his skin. Blood poured out, dripped from his back to his abs and down to the hem of his pants to soaked into the leather.

"Baldur!", your voice was shaking as you tore your eyes open and grabbed his face with both hands. "Are you alright?!"

Letting out a deep breath, he frowned and stood up straight again. As his face slipped out your fingers, he pulled a face as of it displeased him that you weren't touching him no longer.

"I'm fine.", he said and pulled a bloody piece of crystal out of his flesh. "I always am... physically."

Relieved, you wrapped your arms around him and squeezed as tight as you could.

It didn't awake anything in him. But a shimmer lit up inside his eyes.

"What was that?", you asked, your arms still wrapped around him.

His hand lay on your shoulder, loose and almost not noticeable. It was his attempt to give comfort.

His gaze wandered up to the ceiling. A huge hole had been torn into it, revealing the grey sky of a new morning.

Rain entered the cave through it.

"Something changed.", he said, lost in thoughts. "Something... isn't right."