He walked into their bedroom to see his wife laying on the bed in the dark, like she had been that afternoon, and that morning, and the day before, and the day before. Unmoving, like a statue. The only way Damian knew she was even alive was the slight rise and fall from her stomach that showed she was breathing, and when her eyes occasionally budged to blink. Other than that, she just laid there on her side, staring at the window. It was dark now, nothing could be seen outside that window, yet she continued to stare.
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"Are you hungry?" Damian asked, obvious concern in his usual sturdy voice. He hadn't seen her eat in two days. He knew she must be hungry.
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He got no answer.
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"I made your favorite, just the way you like it. Lasagna with a layer of cheese on top."
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He hoped this would entice her to budge a little, maybe just twitch her finger, but she remained motionless. Damian walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed by her feet. He sighed, not knowing what to do or what to say to make her feel better.
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"It's not your fault."
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He knew her well enough to know the thoughts going on inside her head. He knew that she was blaming herself. She always did when things went wrong.
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"There was nothing we could do, it was out of our control."
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He scanned her face for some kind of sign that his words were getting through to her. Her features were set firm, her lips were pursed, her tired brown eyes fixated on the dark window. She showed no signs that she cared about what he had to say, or that she was even listening.
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Damian felt powerless. His wife was in so much pain, and he didn't know how to help her. He wished he could carry this burden alone, he wished for things to go back to normal. He got off of the bed and knelt in front of her, putting himself in her line of sight so that she would look at him. He took her hand and held it with both of his as he brought it to his lips. He searched her eyes, she wouldn't even focus on him, she was just staring.
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"Destiny, baby, I know that you're hurting right now, I'm hurting too, but you have to eat something, you can't just lie here." He pleaded with her to no avail. She didn't budge.
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"Tell me what I can do. I'll do anything for you. Just tell me."
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Her eyes glazed over to look at his. He felt his heart leap with joy to get some kind of reaction out of her. Her lips parted, and she spoke.
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"Kill me." Destiny said, her voice sounding so empty there was almost an echo.
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Damian felt his heart stop and sink into his stomach. He slowly began to shake his head.
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"No, no, I can't do that..."
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"Then leave me alone and let me lay here until I do."
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She drew her hand away out of his grasp and laid it back on her side, she blinked and went back to staring forward. Damian just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He knew she was hurting, and he expected her to after not being able to carry their child to term, he knew that she must feel ten times worse than he did about it, but he didn't think she had gotten this bad.
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"If you eat something, I promise that you'll feel a little better, and if you don't, you can just come back and lay down again."
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No response. He wasn't going to get her to do anything while she was in this state. Damian sighed, his shoulders fell, he admitted defeat. He stood up and began to leave, looking over his shoulder before he left the room.
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"I'll leave it out in case you change your mind, alright?"
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He closed the door and left her alone for the night.
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The next day, before he went to work, he checked on her again to see her laying in the same spot in the same position. He left her there and went to work, going through the motions of the day on autopilot. Gossip in their little town spread like wildfire, and everyone at the office had learned of the news over the weekend. They stared at him with pity, and some offered their condolences to him and Destiny.
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Damian was eager to get out of there and go home. He left early, and went home the first chance he got. He walked into his house, the lack of sound and darkness was the only thing to greet him. He sighed, walking into the living room, loosening his tie, and turning on the TV to listen to the news.
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He walked into the kitchen to see the plate of lasagna that he had left for Destiny was untouched. He picked it up and put it in the fridge. Damian walked back into the living room, looking towards the hallway that lead to their bedroom. He knew he should go and check on her, but he didn't want to see her in that state again.
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He looked away and sat down on the couch, watching the TV for about ten minutes before getting up and going to their room. He opened the door and peeked his head inside, no one was there. Where had she gone? Goosebumps formed on his arms and every hair on his body seemed to raise as he recalled what she had said yesterday. "Kill me." His blood ran cold at the thought.
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"Destiny?"
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He walked into the room, looking around. No one was there. He went into their bathroom. Nothing. He searched the kitchen and living room even though he'd just been in there and knew she wasn't there. He looked in the guest bathroom.
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"Destiny." He said as he walked into every room.
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He found himself standing in front of what had almost been their child's room. He reached for the handle and hesitated. He hadn't been in this room since they got the news that they wouldn't be having a child. He even avoided looking at door. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and opened the door.
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There was the bassinet, the stuffed animals, boxes of supplies, all yellow decorations in the room since they hadn't known the gender of their baby. They had wanted it to be a surprise. The room was just as it had been the last time he'd saw it, only, instead of joy, it was a reminder of what he had lost. Destiny wasn't in there either. He was worried. Where had she gone if she wasn't in the house? He walked outside, looking in the backyard, then the front. She wasn't there.
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"Hey, Damian, I heard about Destiny, I'm really sorry, man." A familiar voice spoke from behind him and startled him.
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He whipped around to see his neighbor, Alan. He reached out and put his hands on Alan's shoulders, pulling him in.
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"What did you hear about Destiny?" Damian's face looked spooked, as if he had seen a ghost, or like he was the ghost.
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"Um, y'know, about the... about the baby..." Alan looked at him like he was crazy, stepping back and out of his grasp.
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Damian had overreacted because he thought that Alan had heard something about Destiny while he was at work.
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"Oh, right." He felt foolish for grabbing the man like that, he was just scared for Destiny.
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"Are you alright, man? I mean, I know that you're not, but you look like someone's got a gun to your head."
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"No, I'm not alright. I can't find Destiny and she was saying some concerning things yesterday... I'm worried. Did you see her leave the house today?"
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"No, I haven't seen her, I've been at work, but try asking Mrs. Schultz, she's sitting on her porch most days, so if anyone's seen anything, it's her. What was Destiny saying? Damian?"
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He walked away from Alan, not bothering to answer his questions, and went across the cul-de-sac to the small brown house where Mrs. Schultz lived. He banged on the door, and kept banging until he heard the woman shout.
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"Who's that banging on my damn door like the FBI!?"
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"It's Damian, Mrs. Shultz. Damian Warner, I live across the street."
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"I know who you are." She yelled, dismissively.
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He heard some clicks and shifting on the other side of the door, then the door opened and he found himself looking at the lady's brown face through the screen door. Damian noted the rolling pin in her hand; no doubt she had planned to hit him with it for pounding on her door like a mad man.
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"I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you've seen my wife, Destiny, today. She's not home and I'm worried."
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The woman gave him a side eye, still bitter about how he'd been knocking on her door, but she could clearly see how distressed he was so she wouldn't scold him this time. She opened her screen door and motioned for him to come inside. Damian walked in and looked around, he'd never been in her house before. It was small and quaint, and smelled of savory food, but unfortunately he was too preoccupied to make himself at home.
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"Have you seen her?" Damian persisted.
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"Come in, sit down. I'm making coffee, would you like some?"
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"No thank you, I was just wondering-" Mrs. Schultz cut him off.
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"I know, I heard you the first time. What's this all about?"
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She sat down in her big brown leather chair, and pointed towards the couch to get him to sit down as well. Damian obeyed and sat. He sunk into the couch, feeling like it would swallow him whole if he were to relax into it.
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"Destiny has been having a hard time lately, and she said something concerning yesterday, and I couldn't find her when I got home from work, so I'm worried about her. Have you seen her?"
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"Let me think, my minds not as sharp as it used to be." The woman rocked back and forth in her chair, it took her awhile to recall everything she had seen today.
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"Your wife is the black woman with the braids, right?"
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"Yes."
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"Yeah, I saw her. Poor thing was walking down the street without any shoes on. I tried speaking to her, but she didn't say anything back."
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Damian didn't know if he was relieved that the woman had seen her, or even more concerned cause this meant that Destiny was God knows where doing God knows what.
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"How long ago was that? Did she look hurt?"
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"No, she looked fine, she just seemed like she was in another world. It was about three o'clock when I saw her. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but if you're that concerned, you should probably call the police. You can use my phone, it's in the kitchen."
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He looked at the clock on her mantle, it was six thirteen now. That had been nearly three hours ago. He nodded at the woman and stood up, walking into her kitchen and using her phone to call the police. He waited with Mrs. Schultz until he saw a cop car pull up in front of his house. He told the woman goodbye and thanked her for her help then went home. He gave the police all the information that he could, and they told him they would be on the look out for her, and suggested he stay home in case she came back, and call some friends to see if they'd seen her. Damian did just that. Everyone he called said that they hadn't seen her, but would let him know if they did.
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Damian couldn't sleep, and didn't bother trying. He wanted to be out there looking for Destiny, but knew the officer was right, someone should be here in case she came back. He missed work the next day, and the day after that, and still there were no signs of Destiny. He called the police so often he knew they were getting tired of him. Damian went three days without sleep, and ended up leaving the house to look for her himself. There were no signs of her anywhere. He wasn't a religious man, but he found himself praying she hadn't done what he feared she did.
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On the fourth day, Damian found himself fighting to keep his eyes open. He laid down on the couch, convincing himself he'd just shut his eyes for a couple of minutes then get back to looking, but a couple of minutes quickly turned into a couple of hours.
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While Damian was sound asleep, he dreamt of his wife, the way she'd been before. Smiling all the time, making him laugh just by giving him a look, full of life. He used to envy how she could brighten up a room. He pictured her standing before him, putting a hand on his cheek, and telling him how much she loved him. He couldn't tell if this was a good dream or just a bittersweet reminder of what he might be losing.
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Damian forced his eyes opened, despite his brain wanting to keep them shut for a little while longer, and found himself staring at something. He could feel a hand caressing his cheek. He waited for his eyes to adjust to what he was seeing, and realized what he was looking at were a set of brown eyes. He looked at the rest of the face. Dark skin like the finest Oakwood, full lips set in a familiar smile that made him feel at peace. He jolted up as he realized, he was looking at Destiny. He blinked a couple of times in case he was still dreaming, but she didn't disappear.
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"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you, I just-" Before Destiny could finish speaking, Damian had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
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"I was so worried about you." He said, fighting the urge to shed a tear of joy.
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"Worried? Why?" Destiny was genuinely confused.
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He loosened his grip on her and leaned back so he could look her over and make sure she was okay.
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"You just disappeared without a word or warning, and you'd been talking so dark, I thought you had hurt yourself or something. Where have you been?"
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Damian laughed a little as he spoke, in disbelief that she was really here with him. He didn't know when he was going to let her out of his sight again, but it was no time soon.
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"Something happened to me, Dami."
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"I know baby, but we can get through this together, I'm here for you, you're not going through this alone."
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"No, not that. Something else. Something... hard to believe."
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Damian arched his brow, "What?"
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Destiny stood up, taking his hands in hers and having him stand with her, then she put her hands on either side of his face and smiled that smile that could brighten a room, the smile he desperately missed.
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"I have powers."
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Damian didn't react to what she said, it took a minute for him to digest her words. He put his hands on top of hers, trying to understand what she meant by that.
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"What?"
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"I know, this sounds crazy, but it's true. I didn't believe it at first either, but it's crazy."
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He furrowed his brow as Destiny spoke, becoming concerned. Did she really believe she had powers? Had she hit her head or was this a stage of grief?
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"What kind of powers?" Damian wanted to know what she meant before he got any ideas.
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"Come. Follow me." She smiled, and lead him into the kitchen.
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"That day you went to work and I was home alone, I felt terrible, I just wanted to die, I really did. So I came in the kitchen and I got a knife, right?"
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Destiny pulled a knife out of the rack. Damian didn't like where this was going. He cautiously stepped forward as Destiny continued her story.
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"I took the knife and I cut my throat, and nothing happened. Watch."
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She lifted the knife to her neck, but before she could make contact, Damian had already grabbed her wrist and snatched the knife out of her hand.
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"Are you crazy?!" He looked at her, concerned and confused, what had gotten into her? "Destiny, did you hurt yourself? Do you need to see a doctor?"
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"No, didn't you hear me? I said nothing happened. I was going to show you. I tried to cut myself and I just healed. Look, the scar is still there, see?" She tilted her head upwards so that he could see the line across her throat where she'd cut.
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Damian blinked in disbelief, "I'm calling the doctor. Don't move."
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He was convinced that she had gone too long without food and water, hurt herself, and was now delusional. He let her go and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing for the hospital. While he was busy, Destiny grabbed the knife and decided to show him despite his protesting. He looked up in time to see her swiftly cut open her throat.
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"Destiny!" Damian dropped his phone and reached out to her.
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He expected her to start bleeding and stumble, but she just stood there. He looked at her throat, a little blood trickled down, but then the wound closed and all that was left was a scar. Damian stared in disbelief. He must've been more tired than he thought, or perhaps he was still dreaming.
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"See? I told you." Destiny said with a smile, "And that's not all I can do either."
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He took a few steps back and leaned against the counter, continuing to stare at the scar on her throat.
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"I think I need to sit down." He said, feeling like he was going to pass out.
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Destiny put her hands out to give him support.
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"Dami, are you okay?"
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"No, no, I'm not. You should be... How are you not... bleeding out?"
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"I don't know, but you know what this means, don't you?" She was beaming at him.
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"No, I don't know what this means."
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"It means we can try again. We can have a baby, Damian. If my body will heal like this, that means no matter what happens while I'm pregnant, I'll just heal and the baby will be fine."
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She spoke with so much enthusiasm, as if what she was saying wasn't crazy. As if all of this wasn't crazy. He just held onto the counter to keep from falling to the floor. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to process this, but he just couldn't seem to get a grip on what was happening.
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"Damian, did you hear me?" She cupped his face in her hands and had him look at her, "I said we can have a baby!" She repeated.
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He simply stared at her, managing to regain some of his composure, "How did this happen?"
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"I don't know." She said with a giggle, but Damian couldn't seem to find the humor in the situation, "Maybe it was God, maybe it was some other force that's out there, who cares what it is, it means that we can start a family."
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"So you can just heal like a you're an X-Men and we're not going to question it?"
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"I can do more than just heal. Do you want to see the rest?"
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He didn't know if he could stomach anymore demonstrations of what she could do, but he reluctantly nodded. Destiny lead him outside to the backyard, which made him concerned. She led him to the middle of the backyard and stood behind him, wrapping her hands around his waist.
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"What're you doing?"
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"Just keep your mouth shut and squint your eyes."
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"Why?"
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"So that bugs don't get in your mouth and the wind doesn't hurt your eyes."
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"What?"
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He tried to get her to let go of him, because none of that sounded good, but her grip was surprisingly stronger than his. Before he knew what was happening he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet, the air was rushing around him, he couldn't see the lights coming from his house or the houses around, it was dark, and he couldn't see their house or anything but stars. Damian panicked as he looked around, trying to figure out what she had done. Finally he looked down, and saw the neighborhood where he lived about a hundred feet below him. It looked like a lego city from all the way up there. He shut his eyes and grabbed Destiny's arms. He had a problem with getting on the roof to clean the gutters, he wouldn't even get in a plane, this was his worst nightmare. His body went rigid and he felt like he was going to start hyperventilating. He would've pissed himself if his muscles went so tense and clenching everything inside of him.
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"I can fucking fly, and I'm really fucking strong, I mean, I can lift you. Isn't this crazy?!" Destiny sounded as if she were genuinely enjoying this.
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Damian refused to open his eyes. He wanted to feel the ground beneath his feet. He missed that feeling, he had taken the comfort of being on the ground for granted all his life, if he could safely be on the ground again he would appreciate it for the rest of his days. Destiny could feel how tense he was without having to look at his face. His silence was loud enough, and the fact that he was holding on to her so tightly his nails were digging into her flesh. She slowly began to lower them both to the ground. As soon as they touched down, and Destiny let him go, Damian fell to his hands and knees and began to vomit the contents of his stomach up through his mouth and nose in chunks and acidic liquid. After he'd finished, he wiped his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, and just stayed on the ground, taking deep breaths.
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"I forgot you didn't like heights. I'm sorry. Are you okay...?" Destiny asked, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder.
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"No. No, I'm not." His strained, his voice forced out the words, "Don't ever do that again."
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"Sorry, I just got excited. That's why I was gone for so long, seeing what all I could do. I didn't mean to worry you."
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Damian continued breathing heavily, just reflecting on what was happening. His wife was back, and she had powers. This was... odd. He stood up once he felt like he had the strength to, turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
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"It's been a long couple of days, let's just... Go to sleep. We can talk about this more tomorrow. And if there's more that you can do, I prefer you tell me instead of show me, okay?"
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Destiny nodded and giggled, wrapping her arm around him as they walked back into the house. Damian was able to ignore the topic of her new abilities and focus on the fact that he was just so happy to see her for the night. Even though they were both tired, neither of them slept that night, they were just focused on the fact that they were happy to see each other, and happy to not be sad. They talked until the sun rose, about nothing in particular, and everything all at once. They talked about memories, their future, and what all she could do. Apparently she had incredible strength, could fly, and was extremely durable. They both agreed that Destiny would see a doctor tomorrow, and if she was in good health and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, they would try for another baby.
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