100 bad days (makes 100 good stories)
That first loop ends abruptly, which means someone killed him.
The Mountain, Singularity figures- probably came around from behind and broke his neck before anyone else could react. He’d known the big man was fast, but he hadn’t known he was that fast.
Another loop is wasted on panic and violence-an attempt to infiltrate the casino after hours which results in a fight with the single most ridiculous security team he’s ever seen-before loop three, where Singularity proceeds with the meeting as best he remembers it.
When Tango tells them during the debrief that Mr. House is a real person, is in fact Gordon House, something clicks.
Impulse catches Skizz the first time in loop four after running out of the room to follow Stratos. He lingers, tailing his younger compatriot until the back hallway.
Until he watches, wide eyed and horrified, as Skizriel Lehman- who once spent an entire day running from the truant officer while trying to find a shelter that would accept half-drowned kittens he’d found on his way to school- cheerfully picks up a struggling, bound man by his lapels, says, “Better luck next time, buddy!” and drops him down an elevator shaft.
There is an audible, distant crunch.
Skizz winces. “I’m sure that’ll buff out,” he says, peering down the shaft.
It’s so morbid, so ridiculous, so perfectly Skizz, that Impulse laughs. The laugh comes out a hysterical sob, and that first time Skizz doesn’t drop the knife.
Impulse bleeds out on the casino floor, Skizz’s panicked voice getting farther and farther away, don’t you die on me, we need you for this, I need you, I need you Impulse-!
Loop five is the first loop Skizz runs.
He runs for loop six, seven, eight.
Loop nine is.. different.
Impulse is thinking about loop nine as he watches Skizz stare at him.
Skizz licks his lips. “…..hey, Dippledop.”
"So what do you want to hear, Impulse, that you were right? Well you were right! I'm a thief! The best in the goddamn business, sure, but still a thief, because thats all anyone would ever let me be! I TRIED, you know? But the instant an employer saw my ability, saw my record, it was 'no thanks, that position has been filled, hit the road, jack.' I was doing NIGHT CONSTRUCTION, Impulse. All I wanted was to, to see people. Help old ladies move heavy stuff, maybe. Serve some soup. Shit no one needed to see my record for. Next thing I know I'm in an unmarked van headed to god only knows where and when I get out would you look at that, it's like prison only cleaner and hey would you all mind terribly obeying the teeny tiny print and murdering one another for our enjoyment?!”
“Hey, Skizz.” Impulse says. “Long time no see. Uh. Nice. Nice place?”
He hadn’t thought he’d get this far.
-
"You know why I'm not dead? Because the other guy had never used a bow before. This was a lucky shot and I ducked. And then, after feeding me SOMETHING they probably got from someone tied up in a BASEMENT, they took me out back like a dog with rabies and I was scared and you weren't there and suddenly I was where the dude with the gun was and he was where I was and well shit, Skizriel, not bad enough you've got burglary and robbery and grand theft fucking auto on your record now a man is DEAD."
Skizz takes a step forward.
“So what the fuck was I gonna do, Impulse? Go home? Go to the POLICE? Serve myself up on a fucking platter to serve twenty to life for the AUDACITY of not dying, or worse get forked over so the Watcher Council could finish what they started and turn me into what Doc made Beef? Or, or those two poor sons of bitches they left in the bay? No. No all they did was speed up what I knew was coming all along so I made like you and I got the hell out of dodge and yeah, here I am, doing the same shit I was when you an' Top left. Here to clean up your mess, just like always, you big damn hero.”
"Is THAT why you think I'm doing this? To, to win? To be right?"
"Well why the hell else-”
"THEY KILLED YOU, SKIZZ!”
“How many times?” Skizz asks, taking another step forward.
Skizz is faster now, so much faster.
He has his arms around Impulse before the other man can blink.
“Liar.” Skizz says, muffled against his shoulder. Still that much taller than him, the absolute jerk.
“…this is number ten.” Impulse says. “It shouldn’t be possible, you know that? We ran tests. They ran tests. Any more than, than five and I can cause aneurisms. It’s not safe.”
“I don’t give a shit how safe it is.”
“You should. I- last time you were yelling.”
There’s a wet spot growing on Impulse’s shoulder. “Good for me. Must have said what needed saying.”
“Yeah. You did. But I didn’t.” Impulse’s hands finally lift, wrapping around the bigger man, then his fingers tighten and no force on earth will make him let go.
“Skizz I’m sorry.” He sobs. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry. Tango found what Moth stole and it said they’d killed you and then Grian and Scar and- and I left you out there and you were missing for so long and I didn’t know, and I couldn’t let them kill anyone else’s Skizz.”
“They won’t.” Skizz promises, pulling back. The eye patch has a wet spot that matches the tear tracks on his other cheek. “They won’t.”
“Skizz we’ve tried!” Impulse says. “We’ve tried and tried and every time the plan goes off and she figures it out. At the very last second she realizes what’s happening and she tries to kill me.”
“Only I won’t let her.” Skizz says simply. “I’m stupid like that. So I die instead. Right?”
Impulse forces himself to meet Skizz’s gaze. “Leave. We can figure out another way.”
“Yes there is. The interview and the file drop is damning enough. All you want is the stadium messed up. Xibraltar can do it, or Stratos. Hell the Mountain if he’s pressed.”
“We need to get those people out first or it’s a deathtrap.”
“FUCK those people!” Impulse bursts and Skizz smiles down at him, Skizz who isn’t dead and is here and is touching him.
“You don’t mean that.” Skizz says.
“I want to mean it.” Impulse says. “Skizz..”
Skizz cups Impulse’s face in his hands, like he did when they were younger and Impulse was having a panic attack. He grins, lopsided. There are scars and lines now. Impulse can almost smell the campfire smoke, the pine sap.
“I have an idea. And all my ideas are good ideas, remember?”
"See? Okay. Cool. Step one." Skizz pulls back a little, takes his hand like when they were eight. "Let's go find Tango."
A/N: fun fact Skizz's loop 9 rant was written in its entirety back in august of 2025! : D
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