stay with me

Despite knowing she was safe and sheltered here with Indigo, the moment the larger brute wrapped a paw around her, Em's body reflexively went tense, her breathing coming to a halt with a quiet gasp of fear. Every nerve in her body snapped to life as alarm bells blared in her head. Her eyes closed to try and block out the horrific images flashing through her mind while Indigo leaned in closer and began to gingerly lick the tears from her face. His actions were so gentle, so soothing, but Em was still on the verge of hyperventilating as her body reacted to a phantom threat from her past. She sucked in a deep breath, filling her senses with Indigo to remind herself of where she was, and as his scent filled her nose the faces of her rapists began to disappear into the ether.

Emersyn trembled gently in his embrace, blinking open scared eyes and finding only rich violet fur while he cradled her against him, his head curled around her to protect her and shield her from the world. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and struggled to breathe without each inhale rasping or shaking. It was a primal sort of panic, her body's natural response to the larger male surrounding her. She didn't resist when he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, making her heart race, though whether it was out of terror or something else was impossible to discern. His comment about her being his type or not drew a weak laugh from her, a few more tears spilling from her eyes as her soul drained itself of pain and fear. It felt so cathartic and good, but she still felt like such an idiot for reacting to Indigo like he was one of her attackers when he couldn't be farther from them.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized once she had gotten control of her faculties again, wiping her paw across her eyes and looking back into his deep blues. "I... No one's gotten close or touched me like that since..." She didn't finish her thought; she didn't need to. The implication was filled in with the story she had told him. "It's not you, I swear. It's me," she hurried to reassure him, her ears folded to her head as she looked up at him with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. "I'm just... broken..." Em hadn't realized how badly the gang rape had effected her mentally until she'd been in Indigo's embrace. All at once, everything had come back and the pain felt raw and terrifying. She couldn't explain why, she just had to make sure he knew it wasn't his fault. It was hers.

"Emersyn"