He doesn’t even know what he’s doing. Not really.Not that he wouldn’t have done the same thing if he’d had more time to think about it. More time to consider. But there’s no time now, and it doesn’t matter, and he just moves on instinct.
❝ GET AWAY FROM HER - ❞ he begins to roar, just before the voice is ripped from his throat.
He doesn’t even feel it. His adrenaline is pumping, and he can hear his blood rushing in his ears far more than he can hear anything else. He hears her scream.
Then he sees the blood.It’s soaking his shirt, and all over his hands, and he stares down at it in confusion. Was he hit? He can’t tell. His vision swims. Around him, the enemy party scatters. He sinks to his knees in a state of shock. “Whose blood is this?” he whispers. It’s his. That hits a second later.
Around him, a few members of the team rushed forward. Their faces were blurred, but he could tell from the voices that one of them was Jemma. The pain came in a wave, crashing down on him all at once, washing him away like sand in a tsunami. He sucked in a sharp breath, only feeling more pain when he did so, his entire body freezing up in pain.
It occurs to him, despite everything, to be satisfied with his actions. He’s known for a while that their job is a dangerous one. That their lives - despite being scientists who initially entered not cleared for fieldwork - were up for grabs most any day of the week. Hell, he’d had to write a will at age 16 when he entered the Academy. He’d written four updates of it since then. His own mortality was an old friend. He’d imagined his death a thousand ways (it wasn’t a hobby, but it happened in their line of work). Some of them glorious and bathed in honor, and others due to his own stupidity. But if this was how he went…then he’d done well. If his life culminated in this, in saving someone he loved…then that was worth everything. If he got to save Jemma, then his death was worth it. The world had always needed her more, anyway. He’d only ever been a vehicle for the Universe to take care of her. He’d accepted that late at night during their last year at the Academy.He felt familiar hands drift over his face, fretting over his chest, trying to get him to pull his hands off his stomach. They were soft, and on the smaller side, and too cold for comfort. “Jemma,” he got out. “You…okay? Jemma, you okay? Y-you, you okay, Jemma?” Then the world went black.
I like you / I hate you / I dislike you/ I love you / You are family / I would take a bullet for you / I would shoot you / I would lie to your face / I would say something cruel to you on purpose / I would say something cruel to you accidentally / I would cheat on you / I would physically hurt you / You annoy me/ You amuse me / I’d laugh at you / I’d laugh with you / I’d manipulate you / You scare me / You confuse me / I wish I knew you better / I trust you / I don’t trust you / You inspire me / I consider you an equal / You are beneath me / You’re better than me / I would trust you with my life / I think you’re mean / I think you’re petty / I think you’re childish / I think you’re smart / I think you’re stupid / I think you’re a bad person / I think you’re a good person / I’m not sure what kind of person you are / I wish you would listen to me / I want to make you proud / I wish you would notice me / I want to impress you / I would hurt other people for you / I’m not sure how to make you happy / I’m a bad influence on you / You deserve better than me / We make a great team / I’d have a one night stand with you / I’d have a relationship with you / I would marry you / I fantasize about our life together / I would trust you with my most treasured belonging / I would tell you my darkest secrets / You disgust me / You intimidate me / I hope I intimidate you / I’d hug you / I’d let you hug me / I’m scared of losing you / I don’t think you like me / I want to be better for you / I respect you / I don’t respect you / You’re my mentor / You’re my friend / You’re my best friend / I have a crush on you / I could easily watch you die / I’d get drunk with you / I’d party with you / I’d comfort you / I’d prank you / I’d spike your drink / I’d act behind your back / I’d abandon you / I’d hurt you to get what I want / I would choose my happiness over yours / I would choose your happiness over mine / I despise how much I care for you / I need you / I’m dependent on you / I don’t know what I’d do without you / I’m scared of you leaving me / I’d give my life for you / You frustrate me / I’d call for you in a time of need / I would protect you / I’d visit you in hospital / I’d carry you if you were hurt / I’d feel guilty if I hurt you / I’d let you be near me when I am vulnerable / I’d ignore a phone call from you / I’d call you at 3am / I’d break you out of jail / I’d get angry at you / I would shout at you / You’re too loud / You’re too quiet / You’re too sensitive / You can’t take a joke / You embarrass me / I feel nothing for you / You’re reckless / You’re bossy / You bore me / I would ask your advice / I would blame you for something I did / I would cry in your arms / You have the power to hurt me more than anyone else /