Pain exploded behind Ling's eyes.
Warmth spilled down his temple.
"Fuck... fuck... no, not now..." Ling gasped, teeth clenched as he staggered but didn't fall.
Blood blurred his vision.
Rhea felt it before she saw it, the wet heat against her cheek, the way Ling's grip tightened instead of loosening.
"Ling...!" Rhea cried, pulling back just enough to see the blood streaking down Ling's face. "You're bleeding...!"
"I know," Ling snapped, voice hoarse, furious at his own body. "Don't move."
Another rumble shook the slope.
Ling forced himself upright. His breath hitched, but he shoved the pain down like he always did.
Rhea's hands trembled as she clutched Ling's shoulders. "Stop... you're hurt... this isn't..."
Ling cut her off by pulling her close again, forehead pressed against Rhea's hair, blood smearing slightly.
"If you fall," Ling said low, urgent, "I won't get you back up. So listen to me."
Rhea froze.
"Hold onto me," Ling continued. "Around my neck. Tight. No matter what happens."
Rhea obeyed.
Her arms locked around Ling instinctively, fear burning through her chest.
Ling staggered forward again, half-blind now, rain mixing with blood, jaw clenched so hard it ached. Every step sent pain through his skull, stars flashing at the edge of his vision.
But he didn't slow.
Didn't curse again.
Didn't complain.
The mountain roared around them.
And Rhea realized something terrifying, something she didn't want to know...
Ling wasn't thinking about survival.
He was thinking about Rhea's survival.
"Ling..." Rhea whispered, voice breaking. "Don't you dare..."
Ling laughed softly, a broken sound.
"Quiet," he murmured. "You're too loud when you're scared."
Rain soaked them both.
Blood kept falling.
Then...
Ling's steps slowed.
His breath came uneven now, chest heaving hard. Each blink smeared the world, rain and blood blending into something dizzying and unreal.
His knee hit the ground first.
Then both of them went down.
Mud swallowed their boots as Ling dropped to a seated position, back slamming against a jagged rock. He kept Rhea upright even as his own body gave up, arms still locked around her like instinct had replaced thought.
For a second, everything spun.
"Ling...!" Rhea caught his face, panic tearing through her voice. "Hey... look at me..."
Ling forced his eyes open.
"Still... here," he muttered, more stubborn than conscious.
Blood kept running.
That was unacceptable.
With shaking hands, Ling reached for the hem of his shirt. He didn't ask. Didn't explain. He dragged it up and over his head in one rough motion, rain immediately hitting bare skin.
Cold sliced into him.
He folded the shirt quickly, efficiently, military precision even now, and pressed it hard against the wound, tying it tight around his head.
The bleeding slowed.
Ling exhaled sharply, then leaned back, eyes closing for half a heartbeat too long.
He was left shirtless, muscles tight and defined, skin slick with rain, chest rising and falling hard.
Rhea stared.
At the fact that Ling was bleeding, shaking, still trying to stay upright.
"You idiot," Rhea whispered, voice breaking despite her anger. "You're hurt because of me."
Ling opened one eye, unimpressed even now. "You talk too much."
Rhea laughed once, sharp, hysterical, then it collapsed into something raw. "You didn't have to... you could've let me..."
"No," Ling cut in, suddenly fierce despite the weakness. "Don't finish that sentence."
Silence fell heavy between thunderclaps.
Rhea shifted closer without asking, pressing her body against Ling's side, trying to share warmth, hands trembling as she held the edge of Ling's chest like it was an anchor.
Ling stiffened for half a second.
Then didn't move away.
Rain drummed down relentlessly. The wind howled over the ridge, cruel and unyielding.
Rhea tucked her face into Ling's shoulder, voice muffled. "You're freezing."
Ling smirked faintly. "I've survived worse."
Rhea pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes glossy, furious and terrified all at once. "Stop pretending you're indestructible."
Ling met her gaze.
For once, he didn't argue.
His jaw tightened instead.
"If I pass out," Ling said quietly, "you listen carefully. You stay here. You don't move. Rescue will come when the storm clears."
Rhea shook her head violently. "No. Don't you dare talk like that."
Ling's lips curved, not teasing, not cruel.
Tired.
"You're scared," he said softly.
Rhea swallowed, hands fisting in Ling's damp clothes. "I am."
Ling leaned his head gently against Rhea's, careful of the wound, letting their temples touch.
"Good," Ling murmured. "That means you're still alive."
Above them, thunder rolled again.
They forced themselves up again.
Ling pushed off the rock, jaw clenched, vision swimming. His legs obeyed on will alone. One step.
Then another.
He stumbled.
Hard.
Rhea reacted without thinking, arms shooting out, grabbing Ling's waist, trying to steady him. The motion was rushed, messy, desperate.
A sharp tear cut through the rain.
Rhea gasped.
"Ah...!"
She hadn't felt it at first, only the sudden pull, the violent jerk at her stomach. Her navel piercing had caught in the half-open zip of Ling's jacket she was wearing.
She'd yanked instinctively.
Blood welled immediately.
Red against pale skin, rain washing it downward in thin streaks.
Rhea sucked in a breath, hand flying to her stomach. "Shit..."
Ling turned too fast.
"What... Rhea..."
He saw the blood.
Something dark flashed across Ling's face, not panic, not fear.
Fury.
"Why would you pull like that?" Ling snapped, voice hoarse, reaching out before stopping himself. "Are you insane?"
Rhea's lips trembled despite her glare. "I was trying to keep you standing!"
The wind slammed into them again, colder now, crueler.
Rhea swayed.
Just slightly.
But Ling caught it.
His hands came up, firm on Rhea's shoulders. "Hey... look at me."
Rhea tried to focus.
The world tilted.
Her head knocked lightly against Ling's shoulder as the cold finally took its toll, her body shuddering once, then again.
"I'm fine," Rhea lied weakly.
Ling cursed under his breath.
He pulled Rhea closer, one arm wrapping around her waist, careful now, painfully careful, the other bracing his own balance.
"You're bleeding," Ling said, quieter.
"So are you," Rhea shot back, but her voice lacked bite now.
Rain soaked them both through. Clothes clung. Teeth chattered. Blood mixed with mud, with rain, with exhaustion.
Rhea's forehead rested briefly against Ling's chest, her breath uneven. "If we die here," she muttered, "I'm haunting you."
Ling huffed a breath, half laugh, half pain. "You already do."
Rhea looked up at him sharply.
Ling didn't realize what he'd said.
He adjusted his grip instead, anchoring Rhea against his side, forcing himself forward again.
"Lean on me," Ling ordered. "This time properly."
Rhea hesitated.
Then obeyed.
Step by step, they moved, slower now, weaker, but together, two stubborn hearts refusing to fall at the same time.
The mountain still roared.
But neither of them let go.
Ling took two steps.
The third never landed right.
The world tilted violently, edges bleeding into each other, rain turning into streaks of silver and black. His grip on Rhea tightened once, reflexive, then loosened just enough to scare her.
"Ling...?" Rhea said sharply.
Ling blinked hard. Once. Twice.
The ground swayed.
"Vision's... blurring," Ling muttered, more annoyed than afraid. "Give me a second."
Rhea didn't give him one.
She looked past Ling's shoulder, eyes scanning desperately through the rain and mist, and then she froze.