[ToxicShadow]

"Mixie, take us home!" Z shouted, practically barking out the order into the communications device attached at his ear. His sword was still drawn in one hand, though it had proven less useful than his talent over fire in this particular confrontation. With his other hand, he was holding tightly onto Toxic's hand.

Though she was standing, the majority of her body was limp now, and she had a distant look in her eyes, entirely unable to meet his gaze.

[ToxicShadow]

If she did that, it would be all over. She wasn't even returning the man's gesture; her hand was just grasped tightly in his own, almost to the point of feeling like it was being crushed. But she didn't even realize it. Her gun was no longer in hand, just hanging onto her body because of the sling that kept it more carefully on her person. With it, it was more difficult for her to be disarmed, though that kind of precaution hadn't helped her in this situation.

[ToxicShadow]

Only a moment after Z demanded it, a strange sparkling vortex appeared before the two of them. It started out small, at first, but quickly grew more than large enough for the pair to fit through it with ease.

Initially, the man gave a small tug on the woman's hand, a gentle way of urging her to move, but although he was able to pull her hand forward, without her resisting, she didn't take a single step forward. The rest of her resisted, like she could even move her legs.

[ToxicShadow]

When Z realized that she wasn't moving, he turned back to look at her, even though she still wasn't looking at him, so much as through him. It was like she didn't even realize he was there in front of her. Or she just wouldn't acknowledge it.

Seeing her like his, it hurt. At first, the man's features tugged into one of sorrow and concern, but just as soon as it happened, he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes instead.

[ToxicShadow]

This wasn't going to beat them. And when she needed him, he wasn't going to just break down.

"Hold on," he told her quietly.

Although she wasn't seeing him, he was certain that she could hear his words, even if she may not have fully been allowing them to register yet.

He released her hand, their only link at the moment, but only temporarily. Stepping away from her, so as to avoid any accidents, he safely sheathed his blade.

[ToxicShadow]

With that out of the way, Z no longer having to worry about her accidentally getting hurt because of it, or getting hurt himself, he closed the space between them once more. Obviously, she wasn't walking. She wasn't moving on her own, she couldn't, so he had to go about this differently.

Without any hesitation at all, he stepped toward her, face to face, his arms wrapping around her form as he crouched down just a bit, before hauling her up into his arms.

[ToxicShadow]

It wasn't as charming or as graceful as a bridal carry, as he lifted her up with his arms below her rear end, and heaved her up she was partially leaning over his shoulder. But, like this, he could carry her one handed. Just in case.

Toxic didn't resist, not in the slightest. This was far from the first time that Z had picked her up in such a way; he loved to tease her by doing such. But, this time, it was different, and she was actually grateful for what he was doing.

[ToxicShadow]

Instinctively, rather than staying limp or going rigid, she braced herself by leaning her body over his shoulder, though she didn't even bother to prop herself up with her hands or elbows. Now, she was thinking again, but she was trying not to. Not yet.

With the woman safely in his arms, Z carried her right into the sparkling vortex.

One moment, they where there, the next, they were standing in the middle of the woman's home far away.

[ToxicShadow]

Z was silently thankful that Mixie had landed them upstairs rather than down, just paces outside of her bedroom, although he would have hauled Toxic all the way up the stairs without a second thought, had that been the case.

The door was closed to the room, as it usually was, so Z leaned a little awkwardly to the side to reach out and turn the knob to open it, pushing it open what little could while holding onto it, and pushing it open the rest of his way with his foot.

[ToxicShadow]

He still didn't put Toxic back down.

No, he carried the woman through the opened doorway, all the way into her room. Perhaps a little too roughly, he kicked the door shut again behind them, and it was entirely possible she'd make a halfhearted fuss about it later, before carrying her across the way, toward her bed.

Only then did he lower the woman from the safety of his shoulder, though he had to practically drop her onto the not entirely made up bed.

[Wild Pet Found]

[ToxicShadow]

She landed on her butt, given that he'd eased the drop, rather than just dropping her outright. Had he done that, she would have fallen all the way back, but that wasn't what Z was trying to accomplish.

With her now sitting on the edge of the bed, her feet not quite reaching all the way to the floor, she turned her head and gaze away from the man. She didn't look entirely away, but she was back to not looking at him.

[ToxicShadow]

For now, Z didn't address that fact, or let it get to him. She wasn't refusing to meet his gaze because of him; he knew that much. She was just still holding it in.

He moved to disarm himself, unfastening the sheath from his belt, and left the blade leaning up against the desk in her room. Then, he moved to do the same for her. "Come on," he told her quietly, as he reached for the gun sling on her person.

[ToxicShadow]

Had he not watched her turn the safety back on back there, before it got to the point that she became unresponsive as a result of being so shocked and downright horrified, he would have done that long before hauling her into his arms. So, knowing it was already safe, he didn't fuss with it, and simply removed it from her person. Once the gun was in his hands, he put it safely aside, setting it on top of her desk.

[ToxicShadow]

Still, Toxic did not resist Z's actions. He was helping her, doing for her what she could not will to do for herself in this moment. Though, when his back was finally facing her, as he moved to set her weapon aside, she gave up on holding herself up, falling backwards into the bed.

As she landed against the blankets and mattress, she exhaled loudly, almost like she had been holding her breath up until that point.

[ToxicShadow]

Her green eyes staring up at the ceiling of her room, she could feel it. The tight, painful feeling in her chest, like her heart was being squeezed, returned after she had gone through the effort to previously push it away. And, just like that, she could feel the change in her eyes as they became more moist, tears getting ready to well up and spill over.

It was then that Z turned back to face her once more, attempting to decide what he was going to do next for her sake.