After several more moments of being smothered inside Levi’s arms, Noah was starting to realize that if he didn’t initiate their separation, his silly brother-in-law wouldn’t let go. So, he very patiently tried coaxing the other, “I’m fine now, brother…” – So, you can let me go.

The other, naturally, didn’t catch his implied meaning.

Noah tried again, “We came out of it whole all thanks to your quick reaction! How did you know something was amiss?”

It was at this moment that Levi’s brain went back online, and he realized what just happened.

That’s right!! His baby nearly died!! No – if he weren’t here, his baby WOULD have died!!

And just like that, as if flipping a switch, Levi’s bliss and relief flipped into an overwhelming fury the likes of which he had never felt before.

Their table was the nearest to the Fluxer, and if it weren’t for Levi’s freakish animal-like instincts, Trey’s shield wouldn’t have been put up in time!

One look at the people who had been sitting further away than them was enough to imagine what their state would have been. The same people who would have bled to death before medical help arrived had Levi’s pressure not stopped the blood loss!

The image of his baby, lying there among those near-corpses, broken, flashed in Levi’s mind. In an instant, his chest became stuffy; each laborious breath was more painful than the last. Levi’s searing fury turned into a chilling horror as he desperately tried to erase the haunting nightmare his mind had conjured up.

But he didn’t need to visually see it to feel the excruciating impact of the thought. The thought, the unbearable thought of his baby disappearing forever from this word.

Noah, who was in the process of distancing himself from Levi, felt the sudden change in the man. Levi’s arms had suddenly tightened around Noah, bringing him in even closer, as if the other wanted to blend their two bodies together.

Levi’s heart thumped so agitatedly Noah could feel the pulse through the layers of clothes in between them.

Oh, no! His attempt to divert his brother-in-law’s attention seemed to have backfired, triggering something unpleasant in the other.

Levi’s breathing was becoming harder and harder, and his mental power started to boil up chaotically.

Alarmed, Noah quickly activated his soothing.

Thankfully, Levi’s mental power showed no resistance to his soothing whatsoever, so he hadn’t caught whatever had caused the Fluxer to go berserk. In fact, saying he had no resistance to Noah’s soothing would be putting it mildly. It would be more correct to say that Levi’s mental power had always responded incredibly well to Noah’s soothing. To the point, Noah felt as if he wasn’t using up any power when he soothed Levi.

Feeling Levi slowly calming down again, Noah let out a breath of relief. Who knew that this wild and imposing man’s heart would actually be this sensitive? It was true what they said – everyone’s insides were made of soft flesh.

With the assistance of Noah’s warmth in his arms, and the refreshing coolness caressing his mind, Levi quickly regained control of his emotions. The horror and fury were no longer overpowering and debilitating; instead, they were lingering. Not as intense, but omnipresent. Easy to miss yet deeply etched into his consciousness.

Soothing was never meant to erase unpleasant emotions. It was meant to help one cope, to empower one to resist the crushing weight of the world. To restore the lost rationality and hope, stimulating the best within you to fight off the worst.

All of your fear, hate, and grief were your own. And only you, yourself, could overcome them.

Soothing served only to protect you from breaking under the pressure until you gather enough strength to bounce back.

And that short burst of light was enough for Levi to find his way out from the dark pit he had fallen into. With his baby alive and well in his arms, the darkness held no power over him.

But he’d remember it, remember the feeling very well. And he’d make the ones responsible for it pay dearly.

Hearing the sound of approaching sirens, Levi let out a heavy exhale and reluctantly released Noah.

“Don’t leave my side…” Levi’s voice was huskier than usual, a bit soft and quiet, yet at the same time unquestionable. ‘…ever. Never ever.’

Noah nodded his head very obediently. If being in arm’s length would alleviate his brother-in-law’s worry, then he’d stick close by. Levi’s concern wasn’t unfounded, Noah had two close brushes with death, two days in a row now. If Levi wasn’t here today, Noah would have probably had to rely on that unreliable system of his to survive this.

Blackie: (ꐦ▔皿▔) ‘What do you mean unreliable?!? I’d like to see you succeed in dying on my watch!’

Future Noah: ‘You want to be considered as reliable after digging pits for your host left and right!?!?’

Blackie: ‘Those are some weak-ass pits, aren’t you still very alive and well?’ ╮(╯∀╰)╭

Future Noah: ‎(ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ ┻━┻ ‘Don’t you dare mention the word ass!!!’

***

When the guards of the resort stormed the scene, the first direction at which they aimed their tasers was at Levi. The man, whose roaring wrath had cooled down into cold fury, was exuding such a baleful aura he looked like a perfect picture of a homicidal maniac who had just bathed the restaurant in blood.

Luckily, the reliable young master of Concordia was there to explain what actually happened. His explanation was given much credibility when the emergency life rescue personnel heavily praised them for the creative use of force in staunching the bleeding.

To quote the words of one senior: “Without your intervention, we would need half the amount of hospital beds. Because 20% of the injured would already be dead before our arrival, and another 30% wouldn’t live long enough to make it through treatment.”

The peacekeepers and hospital magcarts arrived minutes after the guards and emergency life rescue personnel of the resort. As Noah watched everyone busying about to save lives, all of the tension that had been building up in his body relaxed. They had done their best, and now it was ok to let others take over.

“Blackie, I am so glad to be Soother!! Even if I go berserk, what can I do? Make a lot of people nice and cozy?”

“…If you are a normal Soother that can’t do a reverse soothing, then yes. But since you are an SS-rank, your power rampage would probably cause everyone in the vicinity to go berserk.” ╮(╯∀╰)╭

Noah suddenly felt an onset of cold sweat, “…if I was to… you know… go berserk… could you, like… knock me out without killing me?”

“Yes, but no.”

“…” QAQ

Blackie snickered at Noah’s wronged-meets-crestfallen expression, “I mean, handling the berserk you is too much trouble for my taste. It’s far simpler to just prevent whatever outside influence is trying to mess with you.”

“…and you can do that? No, wait, you’d actually do that?? For free?? Who are you, and what you’ve done with Blackie?!”

Blackie rolled his eyes, and then very justly added, “We at the Bureau value you very much! The job, naturally, comes with free mental healthcare, which includes preventing damage to and tampering with your mind and soul.”

Noah’s expression flipped from understanding to a touched feeling of appreciation, but before the gratitude could even settle in, Blackie added: “I mean, how would you do your job properly if you become retarded or traumatized?”

“…should have known…” (눈_눈)

Author Note:

Today I woke up to find out that a really nice, wonderful person had popped the cherry of my ko-fi page with one huge, black... well, cup of coffee...

( ﾟ 3ﾟ )~♪

MlleAdler, I just wanted to let you know, that I really, really appreciate your generosity and I don't want it to go unrewarded, so when the first (and later second) volumes of SSC get published (ofc, polished up and filled with extra goodies ) - you'll be the first to get your hands on it through your inbox. Thank you so, so much!

To everyone who is supporting me, be it in the form of a cup of coffee or leaving me a lovely comment, thank you! ❤

Whenever I see that my work has brought joy to someone somewhere, it makes me feel good about what I'm doing and super fired-up to continue writing. Every time I get up in the morning and sit to continue working on my pc, the first thing I do is not to open the word document but to check the comments/reviews/views/etc. It is your support that makes my day, every day, and makes me continue doing what I am doing through thick and thin.

Thank you ❤

P.S. If anyone else is feeling that my work is more or equally valuable to you than a cup of coffee, you can find the ko-fi link in the Info chapter)