delvedinto:
even before the encounter, helena was more than aware of what the lower-ranking cadet was like. disgusted by his behaviour and attitude towards women was an understatement, he was nothing but a misogynistic prick. he did his best to compete with her older brother, joseph - jealous that he was his superior in every way. when joseph died, oliver tried his hardest to absorb his qualities, attach himself to joe’s closest friends and altogether replace him; disintegrate his memory once and for all seemed to be his lifelong mission despite the grief which struck within the ranks. she knew gracie would have told lukas what he was like, she often found her lingering to eavesdrop on their conversations. however, there was nothing either of them could do due to the overwhelming ideology of patriarchy. she couldn’t even entertain the thought of lukas being thrown to the outlands, it caused her too much anxiety and upset. it was strange having all these emotions about him, she was still unsure what it meant.
“no. it would be unprofessional of me not to get involved, you need evidence that it’s not just you to blame for these violence accusations.” she explained, eyes still scanning the sheets of paper. she knew she had to do something to help. as much as he told her to not get involved, she was incapable of listening to instructions which weren’t her own. once her mind was focused on an initiative, she was determined to see it through. regardless of what he thought, surely he would know that by now. “but if there’s evidence that suggests you’re not just some anger-induced, hormonal head-case… then it can help your cause. plus, we have evidence against him and i know there’s things others, sentinels, are keeping from me about him.” she admitted, mind reeling with multiple incidents where the blame was placed on oliver’s shoulders.
her small hand lingered momentarily, slender digits subconsciously brushing against his skin as a gesture of reassurance and support. helena was never really good at being affectionate, the thought of hugging another brought chills to her spine. though, she had debated the idea during this moment. “you don’t know that until we, at the very least, try.” she took a step forward, hand still perched on his upper arm and gaze pointed towards his as she extended the paperwork back.
an almost defeated look trespassed onto helena’s features as she recognised the other’s voice, a silent huffing airing as she momentarily closed her eyes with frustration. her body stiffening as she could feel him behind her, a nauseous feeling sitting in her chest as she peered over her shoulder. “lukas, it’s fine.” she muttered, tone trying to be as calming and soothing as possible. she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop him but she had to appear like she was trying. she watched his movements with a careful eye, hand moving to the centre of his chest to add slight pressure to stop him. “lukas.” her voice raised ever-so-slightly, waiting for him to look at her instead of oliver.
“got her wrapped right around your little finger, haven’t you?” oliver grinned, back leaning against the wall with confidence. “bet you’d love to have her other ways too… but take my advice from a previous experience, don’t. she’s not as great as she looks.” he hummed, gaze falling over helena’s physique once again. “definitely not as good as gracie.” he finished with. helena could see the anger boil within lukas, oliver’s final comment was the last push she needed to stop preventing lukas from acting on his rage. instead, she turned her back to the both of them and observed the area for any other onlookers.
as far as the list went, lukas was an unhinged terran who didn’t know what control felt like. maybe that was true. before gracie died, he was somewhat grounded. his only charges had been mild harassment of sentinels because he didn’t care to piss anyone off beyond that. it was all out of good fun & didn’t result in punishment most of the time. the sneaking out was easy, a countless amount of nights spent lingering around the watering hole & exploring the small area surrounding tera. people would catch them every so often, but gracie was pretty good at convincing others that their behavior had been harmless. lukas learned a lot from her, but would never showcase that now. the damage done after she’d died was chaotic. his friend group had a falling out & it was mostly his fault. there wasn’t much he could do when he exploded on them for blaming him for her death. after all, he was the one who promised medicine that would never come.
“ what evidence is there ? how i treat you ? you have my respect, preston doesn’t. ” lukas hadn’t had ill intentions when it came to helena since the moment they met. the night of the party was one that still lived in the back of his mind & he kicks himself for it every single day. still, he knows she’s trying to help & he’s at least grateful for it. for a moment, when it’s just her & him in that stairwell, he feels like there might be a little bit of hope still out there.
as if his knuckles weren’t enough to shut oliver up, lukas lets him breathe for a second & instantly regrets it. the way he spoke about helena made the male’s stomach churn, but then gracie’s name leaves his mouth & lukas becomes feral. it doesn’t take long for him to throw the sentinel down the few steps there were to the landing. no, this wouldn’t look good for his hearing, but he’d already nailed that coffin shut. oliver goes to move & lukas takes a few steps down to him slowly, bending down to talk to the male with his voice eerily calm compared to what it had just been before. “ preston... ” lukas started, brows furrowing before he glanced up towards helena. “ you’re lucky i’m gone in a week. ” one hand extends out, patting the other male on the back just a little too hard before he’s standing again. he’s sending one last kick to oliver’s side before lukas is reaching up to retrieve his papers again & start making his way down the steps. firsts are shaking & borderline battered from the punches, but at least he was left unscathed for the most part. he doesn’t even bother turning towards helena, unaware if she was still following him because he’d turned into someone he wasn’t proud of just a few seconds back. he’d be alright, he always was.











