LUNA'S FIRST LOVE [II]

Her eyes drifted toward Xavier first like they always did whenever she was hurting, and the pain on her face softened slightly before she walked toward the small table beside the bed and picked up my earphones. She sat beside me afterward and handed them over gently, and I stared down at them for a second before looking back at her uncertainly.

"I'm sorry you both have to hear that," she whispered softly, but her voice cracked slightly halfway through the sentence before she turned toward Xavier and lifted her trembling hands carefully, signing to ask if he was okay. Xavier nodded almost immediately with a small smile, signing back that he was fine despite the sadness resting quietly behind his eyes, and something about the way he tried comforting her while being so young made my chest ache painfully.

Mother smiled at him again, exhausted but loving, before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Mom?" I called softly before she could close the door completely, and she paused halfway before turning back toward me.

"You don't expect me to sleep beside your dad tonight, do you?" she asked quietly, trying to make the words sound lighter than they truly were, but the pain beneath them settled heavily across the room anyway.

The bathroom door closed gently afterward, and several minutes later she returned wearing one of my shirts while her damp hair rested against her neck. Exhaustion clung visibly to her face, and when her eyes drifted toward the earphones beside me, sadness flickered through them again before she looked back at us.

"Okay, babies, time to sleep," she whispered warmly while signing the same words to Xavier before climbing carefully into the bed between us. She pulled the duvet over our bodies afterward before turning toward me first and pressing a soft kiss against my forehead.

"Goodnight, my love."

Then she turned toward Xavier and kissed his forehead too before winking at him playfully, earning a quiet laugh from him that filled the room softly. We both curled closer to her afterward while her fingers moved gently through our hair, and I closed my eyes eventually while resting against her chest, wishing desperately that the moment would never end.

After a long while she checked carefully to make sure both of us were asleep before leaning back against the pillow, and that was when I heard the quiet sound of her sniffing.

My eyes opened slightly afterward, and tears were slipping silently down the sides of her face while she stared at the ceiling with a broken emptiness. My chest tightened painfully at the sight, and when I shifted slightly closer to her, she immediately turned her head and realized I was awake, and for a moment neither of us spoke while more tears gathered silently in her eyes.

"I'll be okay," she whispered weakly, but even then her voice sounded like it was breaking apart beneath the weight of everything she was trying to survive. I moved into her arms afterward without saying a word, holding onto her tightly like I could somehow protect her from the pain swallowing her whole, and she hugged me back immediately while burying her face lightly against my hair as her silent crying continued through the night.