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“D-don’t let anything happen to me,” you found yourself begging in an attempt to keep her focused. The creeping cold was extending beyond your limbs, threatening to encompass your chest. Botan was almost literally holding your life in her hands. Blood was still dripping from your wounds, and you could feel your heartbeat start to pick up in speed. You try to move your arm out of sheer instinct again, attempting to grab Botan’s hand. You wanted something to hold onto. You wanted some kind of contact for comfort. But your limb just twitched and flopped uselessly.
“Hold still, please,” Botan chided you gently, her gaze meeting yours. A powerful hand kept your arm in place, and the ghost of a smile flickered across the lion’s mouth. “I’ll do what I can to keep you alive, but you need to relax.”
“I’m sorry. I’m… a little scared,” you admitted, feeling shame wash over you, briefly overwhelming the mix of pain and fear that flooded every inch of your mind.
“I’ve seen your record, Anon. Plenty of years on duty, but you’ve never once been shot. I guess you were lucky… until now. I feel like I’m partly to blame.”
“What? Why…? It’s not your fault, Danch- Botan,” you try to reassure her, stumbling over your words as you recall her asking you to skip the formalities.
“I’m getting too old for this,” Botan murmured as your wounds are cleaned and packed with gauze. “I shouldn’t have dismissed those sounds as nothing. I should’ve done more to protect you, I-”
“N-no, please. It’s okay,” you stammer in an attempt to interrupt her ramblings; you could see that eerie gleam of anger and bloodlust in her eyes again, and you wanted to keep her calm just as much as she was trying to keep you calm. “I don’t want you to blame yourself. I’m not upset with you, I promise. And… C’mon, I’m sure you’re not that old,” you add on at the end without thinking, causing your cheeks to flush pink all over again.
Botan’s wheezy laugh echoed off of the cave walls. “‘Not that old,’ huh? Aren’t you sweet… But seriously, an old hag like me? A man your age should be complimenting women younger than me, I’m past my prime.”
You shake your head, albeit the motion was a little too furious for you right now - the cave started spinning again and you had to squeeze your eyes shut to stabilize your brain.
“No way. I think you’re... gorgeous...” you blurt out amid your bout of dizziness. But despite the situation you were in, you realized you meant those words. You said them with the absolute strongest of convictions. When you opened your eyes, you were met with a lioness who was frozen mid-movement, her silver gaze boring straight into your skull. Botan appeared to be at a total loss for words, and her pale face was beginning to fill with color again. Beyond that, however, the look on her face was inscrutable.
“B-Botan, are you-” Was all you managed to squeak out before she dove down. For a split second, you thought she had given into her base instincts, preparing to maul you to death and turn you into dinner. In the next instant, however, you found that her lips were crushed against yours, bloodied hands clutching at your face as she pinned your skull down. Another second passed by before you realized she was kissing you furiously, and soft mewls of pleasure were leaking out of her throat from such intimate contact.
Without fully realizing it, you were reciprocating Botan’s kiss. The second your lips parted, her tongue darted into your mouth, swirling and dancing with yours as her breathing grew hotter and heavier against your face. Your heart was thundering at a frightening, uneven pace. This wasn’t an unwelcome gesture, but it was completely unexpected.
