(Aka: I'm not over Bloodwings death and wanted to write some lowkey Brick/Mordecai)
The gaunts under his eyes ached when his knuckle rubbed over the tender flesh. The sniper adjusted his goggles, fiddling with the strap as he became all too intuned to his surroundings. The murmured voices talked about furthering the mission, hushed as if the room was wire tapped. The constant droning hustle of the town below.
He couldnt stand it anymore.
Mordecai stood up. Catching the attention of the woman across the table.
The sniper glanced at siren before continuing for the door. He lerched back as a hand gripped onto his shoulder.
"We need everyone to stay in headquarters until we get intel from the vault hunter," Roland gave, blankly staring at the lanky man.
Mordecai harshly shrugged him off, freeing himself from the crimson leader's grip.
Mordecai clenched his fist as he swung his entire body around.
"I am not your fucking soldier, I am not apart of this stupid goddamn patrol of yours," Mordecai barked, "So if you excuse me," he added as he stormed out of the room, into the grundy streets of Sanctuary.
"Mordecai, wait!" Lilth called out.
"Let 'em be Lil'," A previously silent voice said.
Lilith looked at Brick with confusion. How could he be so calm? His friend just left.
"He's going for a drive," Brick said, as if reading her mind as they watched the man walked into the small hub of the city.
"Soldier, so God fucking far from the way it is," the man grumbled under his breath as he stomped away from the fast travel.
His vision adjusted as he looked around the wastelands. Empty. For now at least. Mordecai walked over to the florescent sign.
Usually the grating, thickly accented voice caused the man to roll his eyes. But, today. Today it was a comfort as he waited for the vehicle to materialize.
Mordecai ran his hand over the metal before climbing into the driver's seat, engine purring as he pulled from the idle spot and onto the pathway.
There was no particular destination in mind.
Anywhere but back there was good.
Occasionally, Mordecai took his eyes off the road, glancing to the side. Nothing but barrenness and remnants of bygone times.
The past. Distant yet still so close.
The sniper sighed, shaking his head while taking a sharp turn to keep his mind from wandering futher than what was meters infront or in back of him.
Back on his home planet, driving was something he loved. The freedom of rolling faster than the local habitat, everything he passed became an uprooted blur. A Nomad of his own town.
Maybe that's why other reason he left, dropped off land, wandering until he got to where he really wanted to be. Even then, he wasn't so sure he would stay rooted for long.
Mordecai swerved around the rocks, the car leaning just slightly too much to the right before smashing back onto the dusty ground.
A smile cracked on his face as he pressed his foot to the ground of the vehicle. The wind, the kicked up dust hit his face as he laughed.
"Just like old times in New Haven, eh gir-" His voice trailed, shoulders dropping when he saw only empty air above him.
The vehicle jerked as it came to an abrupt halt, drifting beneath the shelter of rusted bars.
A nomad without his pasture was just, a displaced man.
His fist slammed against the steering wheel, the searing pain traveled up his arm. He didn't care what damage he was causing to him, or the vehicle.
Frankly, he didn't care about anything; his mind clouded with resurfacing rage and a chest filled with a cold, lowly ache. His blurry vision glared towards the sky, the giant 'H' that loomed over Pandora. The lump in his throat emerged as he let out an angry,anguished cry; echoing off the sun washed billboards.
The sniper's chest heaved, breaths shallow as he rested his cheek against the steering wheel. Relishing in the cold material coming into contact with his burning face.
Exhausted. He was, exhausted; in the physical and emotional sense, he couldn't sleep, sure as hell couldn't drink the exasperation thoughts away. He tried.
But, with it replaying in his mind, he didn't even have to close his eyes to hear her pained screeching. The gurgling cries muffled from the echoes of the detonation. Followed by the hoops of laughter from the tyrannical bastard on Helios.
The sniper roughly rubbed at his tear stained face as he grumbled weakly.
Mordecai peeled his face away as he sat back up, silently watching the sun setting behind the mountains. The pink hue mixing with the natural yellows and oranges as the darkest times of twilight slowly emerged. Dim lights of the vehicle blinked on, casting skewed shadows against the boulders. He blinked slowly, wincing as he gripped the wheel once more.
Silence, save for the electric humming from the lights. Mordecai slipped into the headquarters, careful to avoid the few creaky steps as he walked upstairs.
He paused in his motions as he looked to the sleeping bodies. Lilith curled into a small ball, blanket tucked around her securely. Eyes wandered up, spotting the Roland, sleeping upright as he acted as a bed. The sniper held back a gruff chuckle at the two.
A yawn escaped past his lips as he tugged further in, hanging his rifle back up for the night before wandering out onto the porch. The sniper leaned against the guard as he looked past the monochromatic skyline of the town.
Sleep was at a fingers brush away, he finally was going to seize the opportunity.
He clutched his chest when he spun around, face to chest with the berserker.
"Ey, ey, give a man a warning before you do that," Mordecai said, although the tone came off as annoyed, he was glad to see the bigger man, in a sense.
Brick shrugged, "Guess I'm getting better at that sneakin' huh?" He chuckled.
Mordecai gave a lopsided grin, slowly fading when he saw the other man yawn.
Brick shook his head, "Was waiting up for you, all were. "
The sniper's stomach knotted with guilt.
"You, you didn't have to do that," he quietly told.
"You went out without sayin' where you were going, of course we all were staying up, make sure you made it back," making a small nudge towards the other sleeping two,"Had half a mind to send one of my boys to find you. But," he paused with a small shrug, "I know you can handle yourself out there. Still though."
The sniper rubbed the back of his neck, he felt as if he were a teenager being caught sneaking home late.
"Fun drive?" The taller man said to fill the awkward air.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess," Mordecai said, "Same old shit just at an elevated speed, less dusty boots."
He flinched when the large hand patted his back. Leading the lanky man back inside.
Usually, Mordecai would stay put, not budge from the leading action. Tonight, tonight was an exception to that rule. He leaned into the contact, letting his head drop.
"Not the same without her."
Brick raised a sympathetic brow when he heard the mumbled voice.
"Course it ain't the same, ain't gonna be for a while," he explained, "you two were close, like me and Dusty."
Mordecai chuffed as the two sat on the cot. He didn't have to worry about being psychoanalyzed when it came to heart to heart conversations with Brick.
"Yeah, kinda like that," the sniper gave, letting his body slump onto the mattress. Too tired to further comment.
Brick looked at the man for a moment before standing back up. Mordecai tilited his head up in curiosity.
"Unlike you, I can't wear my shoes to bed, go to sleep, I'll be back in a bit," the berserker said.
Mordecai simply nodded before curling his knees to his chest, he wanted to see what the man was up to but, his body had made claims to the cot and was not leaving. The sniper closed his eyes to a dreamless sleep.
The light of a new dawn shone through the room. Mordecai groggily lifted his head, patting around blindly. He blinked slowly once his goggles were on.
He was the only one in the room.
"How long was I-?" His thoughts were paused when his hand brushed against a box by his head.
The sniper squinted as he held the box in his palm, carefully he tugged at the bow that held the top securely to the box. Mordecai peered in, eye widening as he quickly pulled the object out.
A chain dangled between his thumb and index finger. An all too familiar feather tickled the gap between.
Mordecai turned his head towards the door, watching as Brick walked in, standing idly by the cot, glancing at the opened box.
"Do you make this, amigo? How, how did you find her feathers?"
Brick smiled with a nod, " 'fore, what happend, when you two came by here she was shedding and dropped a few. Kept them, it ain't much but," the man was cut off when arms wrapped around his sides. Surprised by the sudden fling of affection coming from the scrawny sniper.
"Thank you," Mordecai softly said as he looked up at the bigger man, rolling the chain around his fingers when he moved away from the embrace.
The berserker tugged at his own necklace, the paws clinking together from the jostling.
Mordecai pulled the chain over his head, tucking the feather under his shirt,
"Gotta keep 'em alive somehow." Brick said as he gently patted the sniper's chest.
"I uh, saved you some breakfast, if that's something you wanted to come get right now?"
The man swallowed back the lump in his throat, "Yeah, actually might take you up on that," he said as he walked with the other man down the stairs.
Brick smiled, slinging his arm around Mordecai's small frame. He knew it would be a lengthy process for the sniper to go through, but this, this was a nice step towards that.
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