As a child, Gavin is alone in his own personal hell. That is, until he discovers that he can communicate across the distance with a boy around his age who is just as desperate for connection - if they can allow themselves to be close to each other.
Honor Bound Masterlist
Psychic AU Masterlist
AO3
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Big Brother Instinct | Forced to hurt someone | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Cradling someone in their arms | Chapter 8 | Blindfolded
Contents: Gavin redemption arc speedrun, psychic connection, enemies to lovers, past torture, misunderstandings, go through me, held at gunpoint, death threats
~
As they approached the team’s safehouse, Vera threw the door open and came out with her gun raised. Isaac swallowed tightly as he glanced over at Gavin. Gavin’s hands were in fists on the wheel. Isaac could feel his trepidation through their connection. They hadn’t broken it during the entire 3-hour drive to the house.
He wondered if they would ever choose to break it again, now that they’d found each other.
“Stay in the car,” he said softly. “Stop here. Let me get out and do the talking.” He unbuckled his seatbelt as Gavin brought the car to a rolling stop at the bottom of the driveway. As he climbed out, his shirt – Gavin’s shirt – stuck to the blood that had dried on his back. He winced as he felt a few of the lash marks break open and start to bleed once more.
He felt it, too, when Gavin twitched with the shared pain.
He approached Vera with his hands raised. Vera sidestepped him, her eyes fixed with pure hatred on Gavin through the windshield.
Isaac sidestepped, too, to block her shot.
“Vera,” he said gently. “Put the gun down and let me explain.”
“I understood that phone call just fine,” she spat. “Code, right? You found a way to talk yourself out of his basement and brought him to us. You did a good job, Isaac, though I have no idea how the fuck you managed it. Now move. I’m gonna put a hole in this little asshole’s pristine windshield.”
Stay in the car.
{Maybe you should just let her do what she—}
She’s going to fucking shoot you, Gavin. Stay in the fucking car until I can get her to understand.
A beat.
{Maybe you should just let her shoot me.}
Isaac’s chest ached. “Vera,” he said through his teeth. “No. Listen to me. It wasn’t code, okay? He let me go. It was a misunderstanding. You can’t… you can’t hurt him, okay?”
She tried to push past him. “Give me a reason.” Her finger slid into the trigger guard and tightened on the trigger.
He stepped in front of the gun. She jerked it down, but he grabbed her hands and held the barrel to his chest. “Put one in me,” he murmured. “If you’re going to shoot him, just put one in me first.”
{Isaac, DON’T.}
If you don’t understand why I’m doing this, let me be selfish. We don’t know what it’ll do to me if she shoots you while we’re connected.
Gavin severed the connection.
Isaac opened it again.
{ISAAC.}
Don’t ask me to lose you again. I can’t.
Her eyes went wide. She released the gun entirely, leaving Isaac holding it to his chest. “Isaac,” she whispered. “What did he do to you? What… what happened back there?”
“I’ll explain everything,” Isaac said. He dropped his hands to his sides. The gun felt so heavy in his fingers, and it almost slipped from his sweaty grip. “I’ll explain it all. Okay? But you can’t hurt him. You can’t.”
“He hurt Sam,” Vera breathed.
Tears flooded Isaac’s eyes. Guilt and grief threatened to crush him, and for once, he wasn’t sure whose emotions he was feeling: his, or Gavin’s. “I know,” he whimpered.
“He hurt you.”
“I know that. But there’s… there’s more to it, okay? You can’t hurt him.” He handed the gun back to her.
She looked down at the gun, and then back to him. “Try and stop me,” she said weakly.
He held out his hands at his sides. “I will,” he said. “Stop you. You’ll have to go through me if you want to hurt him, Vera. If you hurt him, you’ll hurt me.”
She just stared back at him. “You can’t expect Sam to be in the same room with him. You’re choosing him over Sam? You’re really going to do that?”
The tears fell, at that.
{You can’t choose me over them, Isaac.}
The car door popped open.
“Gavin, no,” Isaac breathed.
Gavin got out with his hands over his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking only at Vera. She didn’t raise her gun, though, she just looked at Gavin, mouth twisted in hatred. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’ll do… whatever you want. Whatever you need, to make you feel safe.”
“That’s good to hear,” she sneered. “If that’s true, you won’t mind getting on your fucking knees.”
Gavin folded to his knees without a second’s hesitation.
Vera stalked to his side, her gun held out in front of her – but pointed at the ground. “Hands behind your back. Do it now. And if you so much as twitch, Gavin Stormbeck, so help me, I will blow your fucking head off.”
Gavin obeyed her. Two tears rolled down his cheeks and onto his shirt as he met Isaac’s eyes. Vera tucked her gun into her waistband and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a length of rope and bound Gavin’s hands behind his back.
“We’re going to talk,” Isaac said. “We’re just going to talk.”
Vera nodded. “Yup. We’re just going to talk. But he doesn’t need to be untied while we do it.” She wrenched her fingers through Gavin’s hair and hauled him to his feet. Isaac hissed as pain burst across his scalp. Vera shoved Gavin forward, oblivious to Isaac’s pain. She herded Gavin toward the house, keeping a rough hand on his bound wrists as they went. Isaac followed along behind, his eyes fixed on Gavin’s back.
Across the several feet separating them, he slid his hand into Gavin’s. Gavin squeezed back.
I am so so sorry it took so long to do this one! But I hope I’ve done a good job with it!
I officially love to idea of Cid being a fatherly figure to Cor and I love the way I’ve made him tease Cor and Titus!
Ok, here we go, from my @badthingshappenbingo card, “Go Through Me”
A Request for Aid
It was rare that the Guard and Glaive were sent out on the same mission, but when a pack of Wyvern is harassing a certain mechanic and his garage in Leide, it is clear why the King would want the issue resolved, despite all the stress he was currently dealing with, at least, it was clear to the Marshal or the Crownsguard and one of the Glaive’s Lieutenants.
Cor and Titus watched Cid storm over to the Captain of the Kingsglaive, the Captain, who was Insomnian born, looked down his nose at Cid, clearly not happy being out of the city.
“The Captain is going to get his nose broke if he keeps looking at Cid like that” Titus whispered to Cor, who smirked
“It’ll be nice to see that arrogant fuck get knocked on his back, don’t you think?”
“You in charge ‘ere, Marshal?” Cid barked, Cor stepped up to the shorter, older man.
“I am Cid. Sorry about the delay, if it was up to me, we’d have been here 2 days ago” Cid went to say something, something Cor knew would involve insulting the King so quickly added, “it’s not His Majesty’s fault, and he and the Lord Shield send their regards.” Cid raised a brow before nodding to the Diner
“Come on, I’ll explain what’s been goin’ on, you too Titus,” Cid clapped Titus on the arm as he walked past, causing the Captain to splutter in disbelief.
“He is not the Captain here, Mr Sophiar, I am!” Titus stopped for a moment as Cid looked over his shoulder.
“And yet he looks more like a Captain than you do” Cid continued walking, making sure Titus was following him.
Once inside the Diner Cid pulled Cor into a strong hug.
“Good to see you here, Kid!” Cor’s arms were pinned to his sides by the older man, once Cid let go of Cor he looked over to Titus, “you doin’ well, Lad?” He asked, clapping Titus on the shoulder again.
“Yes, thank you, Cid”
“It’s good to see you too, Cid”
“So, why is it you’re all late? Reggie said you’d be right ‘ere?”
“That would be because of my Captain, Cid, he has a tendency to…”
“Fuck around before a deployment” Cor finished Titus’ sentence. “So, these Wyvern?”
“Dawn hunters, just as the sun rises, injured one of the Hunters pretty bad on the last attack”
“So our best bet is to wait until tomorrow morning then,” Cor looked over to Titus, who nodded
“I’ll fill the rest of them in” Titus nodded to Cid and left the Diner, once they were alone, Cid looked at Cor
“You still happy with him, Kid?” Cor rolled his eyes and smirked
“Yes, Cid, I am”
“So why aren’t you married yet?” Cor cursed under his breath and chuckled. Trust Cid to ask about his relationship.
“A lots been happening, especially recently,” with that comment, Cids smile faded
“How is the Prince?” He asked quietly
“Regis is taking him to Tenebrae next month, the Oracle has offered her aid, Titus and the other Glaive will be going too, as part of his security detail”
“But not you?”
“I’m looking after Gladio, Violet and Iris, I offered. Clarus trusts me the most with them”
“Am I talking to the same Cor Leonis I knew? Rowdy teen, always gettin’ into fights, hot headed idiot?”
“Oh he’s still there, Cid, he just needs the right situation to show up” Titus said with a smug grin on his face. “Everyone is ready, now we just need to wait until morning” Cid nodded, then ushered the 2 men to a nearby table
“I’ll get us dinner, we can have a proper catch up”
Cor rolled onto his back as his alarm sounded, if he was at home he would have rolled into Titus’ arms, but instead he felt the edge of the single bed Cid had let him use at the garage, he let out a groan, this was the part of being deployed on a mission that he hated, he really missed Titus at his side.
Once he was up, he joined the other members of the Guard and Glaive who were gathering in the forecourt of Hammerhead.
“Morning, Marshal” Cor smiled slightly as Titus walked over, handing Cor the second coffee he was holding
“Lieutenant Drautos,” he greeted his partner with a nod of his head, Titus took a sip of his coffee, just as Cid sauntered over and spoke
“Why do the pair of you hide the fact that you’re fuckin’?” Titus choked on his coffee and Cor felt heat rise to his face. Once Titus cleared his throat he looked back at Cid
“Couldn’t you have waited until I’d had a drink?” Titus coughed
“Where’s the fun in that? Seriously though, why do you keep your relationship secret?” Cor shrugged
“It’s easier,” he admitted, “we both like to keep it private, and we don’t want to deal with the accusations… people I work with don’t like the refugees, so the fact that I’m in a long term relationship with one… it’s just easier.”
“And I don’t want people asking intimate questions” Titus added, earning a raised brow from Cor, “what? You think I’m the only one interested? 3 of the mages swoon when you walk past.” Cor stared blankly at Titus as Cid burst out laughing.
“Marshal!” The Captain of the Kingsglaive stormed over “we’ve seen no sign of any Wyvern, this whole mission just seems like a waste of time” Cor looked at the Captain and was about to tell him to be patient when they all heard a screech.
“Ah, right on cue,” Cid huffed, the Captain returned to the members of the Glaive he’d brought with him and began barking orders, Cid caught Cor’s wrist as he went to do the same, “don’t get yourself killed, Kid” Cor gave Cid a nod and ran off to the Crownsguard.
The Wyverns were massive, their wingspan was easily 4 times Titus or Cor’s size and there were 5 of them! Titus was trying to bark orders to the other Glaive to use Blizzard spells instead of lightning, all while he was fighting the smallest of the 5 beasts alone, he managed to swing up onto its back, by imbedding his sword into its neck and jumping on. He felt the familiar cold sensation build up in his left hand as a Blizzard spell began to form. Titus had a natural gift with the magic granted to him by the King, if he wasn’t so skilled with a sword he’d have likely been made a mage, but he was one of the few that were incredibly skilled with both. He dragged the ice that was forming in his hand along the blade of his sword before driving it into the Wyvern’s neck, the giant beast collapsed and Titus climbed off its back.
Once he was on the ground he looked around, making sure the 4 remaining Wyverns were being dealt with, they were, at least, all but one.
Titus felt as if his world slowed down and his blood ran cold as he watched Cor get knocked backward by the largest Wyvern, he slammed into a cluster of rocks and fell limply to the ground.
“Cor…” Titus started running over, pulling out his dagger as he did and threw it at the Wyvern which was now stalking towards Cor. Titus warped to his dagger and crashed into the beasts large head, in the confusion he managed to stab at it blindly before regaining his footing in front of Cor, holding his sword tightly in his right hand and summoning some more ice into his left, the Wyvern would have to go through him if it wanted to hurt Cor.
Cor’s eyes flickered open, his head was spinning and his whole body ached, as his vision cleared he saw Titus fighting the largest Wyvern, his movements were so precise, targeting the weak parts of the creature with both his magic and his blade, managing to also warp several times to avoid a dangerous bite.
Cor pushed himself onto his feet just as Titus managed to drive his sword through the neck of the Wyvern, the beast fell limp and Titus got thrown from its back, landing on his side and staying there for a moment, unmoving. Cor stumbled over to him.
“Titus?” Cor knelt down at Titus’ side just as the Glaive started to move, pushing himself up slowly. “You idiot, you pushed yourself into Stasis didn’t you?!”
“Might have done…” Titus wheezed, his face was sickly grey and he had beads of cold sweat running from his forehead. “Are you alright?” Cor nodded despite them both knowing he was injured.
“Marshal!” Cor looked over to Monica as she ran over, “Gods I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get to you sooner” the young woman reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a potion, she handed it over to Cor, who gladly took it
“Thank you Monica, would you help Lieutenant Drautos to his feet please? I think he’s suffering a little, he hit Stasis” Monica helped Titus stand up while Cor took the potion she’d given him before he too, pushed himself to his feet.
“Cid isn’t going to like the fact that you got hurt, Marshal” Titus said, giving Cor a weary smile
“Let me deal with Cid, Monica, make sure he rests please”
“Of course, Sir” Cor watched Monica put Titus’ right arm over her shoulders and began to lead him back towards the vans they had travelled in. Seeing Titus being supported by such a small woman would have made Cor laugh under normal circumstances, but after what the 2 men had been through today, Cor was just glad they were both still alive.
“Right…” Cor spoke to himself as he brushed off the dust from his uniform, “best report back to Cid.”
Characters involved: Simon Blackquill, the Phantom, Metis Cykes
Summary: What if Simon was there when the Phantom was about to kill Metis?
Their conversation was interrupted when the doors to the robotics lab slid open, revealing a person wearing a strange mask. Simon looked back at the psychology report, seeing that it had the same person as its photo, before turning it to Metis, who for the first time since she had taken him under her wing, had her eyes wide and from what he could tell, fear that was trying to remain unseen. But having trained under her for long, he can tell that she's shaken.
The person quickly ran over to the katana displayed on the wall and grabbed it, turning their attention towards Metis.
Simon reacted, feeling grateful that he had brought his own katana today, unsheathed it and blocked an attack from the intruder before they could reach his mentor.
"Cykes-dono, run!" Simon shouted as he was able to push the person away, but they got back on their feet sooner than he expected.
"No." Metis responded, and out of the corner of his eye, saw her take the psychology report and stand in between the two, seemingly having regained most of her composure. "You must be here for the report, correct? Take it, and leave me and my student alone."
The figure stopped momentarily at her attempt to bring this situation to an end. Unfortunately for the both of them, they didn't accept her offer and instead opted to strike instead.
Luckily for them, Simon blocked it again, knocking his mentor away unintentionally. He'll have to apologize to her properly when this is over.
"I'm not just here for the report." The intruder spoke for the first time as they and the samurai fought to dominate against their opponent. "You'll just create another one. So I'll have to eliminate you."
"If you want Cykes-dono, you must get through me first." Simon scowled, still in a struggle against the attacker.
"Simon, what are you-"
"I like that deal." The intruder must be smiling underneath that mask.
"Just go!" Simon urged. He just needs to hold out, long enough for her to escape.
To his relief, he can see Metis bolting out of the robotics lab, presumably to get help.
"Foolish of you to sacrifice yourself." The attacker taunted, their struggle against one another coming to an end when they moved away to catch Simon off guard.
"You're wishing to bring harm to Cykes-dono, that of which I must stop." Simon argued, standing his ground and readying another attack.
"How amusing. A mentee wanting to protect his mentor...I wonder how it feels." The attacker ran their hand on the blade of the katana. "Let's dance, I could use some training in the long run."
Go Through Me (1317 words) by tabbytabbytabby
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Characters: Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar
Additional Tags: Dancing in the Rain, Established Relationship, Fluff, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Character Death, Stabbing
Summary:
Theo and Liam's nice night out together takes a deadly turn.
For @underthegallowws for the Go Through Me spot of @badthingshappenbingo. Card under the cut.
4 bingo, go through me. Child Vanya is defended by one of the older siblings when they discover Reginald has been mistreating her <3
I hope you like this lil fic! If’n anyone enjoys my writing and wants to buy me a coffee, you can do so here!
Vanya would have dried her tears more thoroughly if she’d known that Ben was sitting on the couch reading a book. She’d already checked on Klaus, who tended to stay up late into the night because he couldn’t sleep in the dark and Reginald kept taking away his night lights, but she hadn’t checked Ben’s room. She’d forgotten that he sometimes had issues sleeping when the Umbrella Academy performed missions, and today, he’d spent 45 minutes washing blood off himself in the shower. It made her feel bad for pitying herself, and she was about to turn and go back to her room when she was caught.
“Hey, Vanya,” Ben called, setting his book down on his lap. “What are you doing up so late?”
Vanya forced herself to join him in the living room, hoping that it wasn’t too evident that she’d been crying on and off all day since her special siblings had gone out to fight and she’d been left alone once again.
“I was just getting up for a glass of water,” she explained. The stuffiness in her tone must have been a dead giveaway, because Ben’s face contorted into a look of sympathy.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
She shook her head. “Allergies?” she tried, but Ben shot her a disapproving look that told her he wasn’t convinced. “Fine,” she caved, “yes.”
Ben scooted over on the couch and patted the place next to him, so she sat.
“Why?” he asked. Vanya shrugged.
“It’s stupid,” she said. “I’m just hormonal and tired.”
“Come on, Van,” he chastized, “give me a little credit. I know you better than that.”
She huffed an irritated sigh. “It’s really nothing,” she insisted. “Dad just lectures me when you all go out on missions.”
Ben frowned. “He does?” he questioned. “About what?”
“Standard dad stuff,” she replied nonchalantly. “How I’m not good enough, not special like you guys are, why I’m useless. That sort of thing.”
At that, Ben looked, for the first time that Vanya had ever seen him, furious. Of all her siblings, Ben was always the one who kept himself composed and cool. He was patient where the others were competetive, like a tiny Dalai Lama who never fought with his family and never had a bad thing to say about anyone.
“Dad can be a real bastard,” he muttered. “You know that’s just him, right? He tells all of us that we suck.” He paused. “Well, probably not Luther, but the rest of us? All the time.”
Vanya felt her eyes well up with tears again. “Yeah, but at least with you, it’s because he cares. He sees everything that you can be and he gets mad when he doesn’t think you’re living up to it. He hates me just because he hates having to keep a kid that doesn’t have any powers. He’d get rid of me if he could; we all know it.”
Ben couldn’t deny it. Like Klaus always said, Reginald hated children. He probably only had the Umbrella Academy because it was illegal to own doomsday devices and this was the closest he could get. Instead of trying to convince her of something that he knew she’d never believe, he pulled her close for a hug, wrapping his arms around her small shoulders and not flinching away when he heard her sniffling and knew that she was staining his shirt with tears.
“He’ll have to go through me if he wants to throw you away,” he promised. “Powers don’t matter, Vanya, but you certainly do.”
Though Vanya would never quite believe that statement, it was a comfort to think that her brother, and maybe even the rest of their siblings, did. She nodded against Ben’s shoulder and let him squeeze her tighter before he let her go so she could swipe at her eyes and finally give him a shaky smile that wasn’t forced.
“Thanks, Ben,” she said, standing up from the couch and heading back to her room, the glass of water she’d come down for forgotten. “Get some sleep tonight, ‘kay?”
Ben smiled but looked back to his book as soon as she retreated up the stairs.
Excerpt from: Lingering by @distant-rose (She left a whumpy detail undescribed so ... obviously I had to write the backstory thing.) Starts as an angsty chat, turns into fanficing in @pirate-owl‘s inbox....as I do. Complete with occasional conversational detours for @distant-rose‘s entertainment :P
She finds a particularly jagged scar cutting across the left side of abdomen, cleverly hidden by the dark body of a vicious looking shark. She runs her fingers along it, studying it with a small frown.“Where did you get this guy?”
“The shark? Ages ago. Was drunk and thought it would look menacing.”
“I wasn’t talking about the shark,” Emma replies, deliberating tracing the old wound and looking up at him with raised eyebrows. “I’m talking about the scar.”
Killian is silent for a long moment, to the point that Emma is certain that he’s never going to answer her. However, he opens his mouth and lets out a shaky breath before speaking in a low voice just above a whisper. “When I was boy…There was a captain of a ship who…he…he wasn’t a good man and he threatened my brother with a knife when he thought we were knicking his rum…I got in between them.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
@gusenitsaa : I mean that’s an @icecubelotr44 level tempting tidbit
@pirate-owl : wow Liam would have been pissed.Not at the man threatening him, he is used to threats, but at his idiot little brother who got in the way. And Liam is better at defusing a potentially violent situation than Killian is. No one might have been stabbed if Killian hadn't gotten involved. Or Liam might have, but since when has that mattered to Liam?
Gusenitsaa: Also, ironically I suspect Liam was actually nicking his rum. How else does he usually manage to have a bit on hand for when Killian gets himself hurt?
Pirate-Owl: Ugh! That just makes it worse! :’( :’( :’( Ooooh! Do you that is what gives Liam his insanely protective complex?
Gusenitsaa: I dunno. Killian is what, 10. How long has brennan been gone at that point in your head canon?
Pirate-Owl: Killian was nine or ten when Brennan sold them. At least in my headcanon.
Gusenitsaa: Right.... the actors age thing is screwing me up again because lil' liam is definitely not 16-17
Pirate-Owl: It can go as low as maybe seven or eight if I really want an age gap. But yeah, Liam I usually headcanon as maybe five years older than Killian, and that is at the upper limit of the age gap.
Gusenitsaa: Well I guess it depends on that. If brennan had been gone for three years before this happened I kinda doubt liam managed to avoid a complex for so long. But if this is fairly soon after brennan left its definitely the kind of mess that could traumatize him into the obsessed-with-protecting-the-little-one mess we know and love
Pirate-Owl: Yeah. If this is soon, then it could totally be where Liam got his complex. But I think he managed to avoid a complex for like a week before he was that lovable traumatized mess.
Gusenitsaa: And we know I do love the head canon that it wasn't just a gradual transition. I do love the idea of " Something " happening that triggered him to suddenly realign every priority the way he does
Pirate-Owl: Yeah. I think it makes more sense. I mean you could make a convincing argument for Brennan selling them being the Something, but honestly it's more interesting fun in line with what little we know about him before and after if there was some other specific catalyst that prompted it
Gusenitsaa: yeah almost watching your 10 year old brother die because you weren't careful covering your tracks knicking the supplies you need
Pirate-Owl: That does seem like a fairly extreme Something.
Gusenitsaa: course its worse if it wasn't actually about rum as a disinfectant and it was a teenaged liam's half a second of being a normal teenage boy.....
Pirate-Owl: :’( Which is why he never lets himself be a normal teenage boy ever again. :’( :’( :’(
Gusenitsaa: Like 15 yo Liam: does something that like 90% of teenagers have done at some point *almost gets his little brother killed * Well.... I guess I'll just never ever be a kid ever again. cool. cool.
Pirate-Owl: Yeah. Sounds exactly like Liam.
Gusenitsaa:
It hadn’t even been enough to get him tipsy.
It was a feeble protest and one that he was smart enough to keep locked behind his lips when the captain confronted him about the swallow of rum that he shouldn’t have possibly been able to notice was missing from the captain’s bottle and maybe he didn’t know -maybe he just guessed- Liam’s mind was scrambling. It was a stupid, foolish impulse. A reckless and useless act of rebellion against a situation he couldn’t escape and he’d regretted it practically as soon as the liquid burned its way passed his lips. That was two days ago now and he’d thought it had gone unnoticed.
Until now.
The captain looked like he’d had more than a swallow or two by the time he confronted Liam, cornering him below where he’d been helping Killian to stack crates. He thought at first he was going to be yelled at for assisting his little brother… again… but it was nonsense. Killian, all of ten years old last week he shoved the bitterness down further and closed that trunk hard He was too little to lift the crates, and couldn’t reach high enough to tie them securely in place. Liam had wondered more than once if giving this job to a nine ten year old was more about giving him an excuse to ‘correct’ the boy later than it was about actually wanting the hold ‘organized.’
Pirate-Owl: :’( :’( :’(
Gusenitsaa:
Regardless, the captain seemed not even to notice Killian, who shrank back behind a crate instinctively when he came bellowing down. Liam shot his brother a look that he hoped communicated do. not. move. and glanced into the enraged and drunken eyes of their owner captain.
If he admitted it, he was dead.
Stealing from the captain didn't have degrees on this ship so Liam adopted an apologetic submissive expression... then lied through his teeth. "I never would, captain, I swear it.'
The captain was unimpressed, pressing closer until Liam could smell the rum. It smelled far fouler now on his captain’s breath than it had tasted.
“You’re worthless-“ the captain sneered. “Don’t know why I keep either of you brats.”
Liam shoved the indignation down and kept his tone calm and deferring. “We work hard, Cap’n.”
“Just another damned mouth to feed. It’s no wonder your father left you behind. I should have kept the boat.”
Yes, you should have.
He kept his eyes locked in the captain’s direction, trying to suppress the urge to glance at Killian to see his reaction. Even at barely ten years old he gave Liam's temper a run for its money. Twice the fire and half the will to keep it reigned in, all in a tiny package barely tall enough to reach the top of one of these crates .
Apologize first. Avert the captain’s rage first. Hate him later. Survive first, think later.
“I’m sorry you think so, cap’n-“
The captain sneered and didn’t let him finish, charging forward before Liam had time to blink. He sees a flash of silver and he froze, unable to think, unable to decide… can’t fight back, it’ll get them killed, can’t run away there’s no where to run.
And then every alarm bell in his 15 year old brain went off at once because his little spitfire-of-a-brother had darted out from behind the crate faster than lightening.
“No, K-“ It was too late. Killian barreled between Liam and his captain. A quiet hiss of breath and the captain stumbled back. Rage and confusion balanced precariously for a moment that something had come between him and his target. Then the man grinned and Liam’s stomach sank. He reached for Killian, tugging him behind him an eternity too late as the captain laughed.
There was blood on his hands. It took Liam a moment to realize that it was on his own hands too.
Pirate-Owl: :’( :’( :’(
Gusenitsaa:
He took his eyes off his laughing captain to where he held Killian pressed to his side with one arm. Killian looked a little sick and his hands were pressed tight to his stomach, bright red blood seeping between his fingers.
No.
Liam turned fully to Killian as he sagged, the words of the captain entirely irrelevant now. He thought he’d heard something about ‘a lesson’ but he just didn’t care enough to turn back. Apparently the captain decided that he’d done enough because a blade didn’t slide between his ribs while he sank to the ground with Killian.
“Killian what the devil were you thinking?” he hissed. Killian grinned up at him. It was more grimace than grin, admittedly, but Liam saw the defiant spark in his little brother’s eye and shook his head, hands hesitating for only a moment before pulling off his tunic to press it against the wound. He wished he had something better, something cleaner, but there was nothing in this room save boxes and ropes and Killian’s smirk had fallen, replaced with a groan as Liam pressed down on it.
“That’s what you get, you-” He trailed off, Some poorly thought through chastisement on the tip of his tongue but his mouth dried up on the word ‘bloody.’ “Killian, look at me.”Killian’s eyes slanted open and Liam nodded. “Good. It’s not bad, all right? You’re going to fine. I’m going to take care of you.”
Pirate-Owl: (Do at least try to remember that Killian has to survive to tell the story of the scar later)
Gusenitsaa: plot twist, it wasn't liam's first deal with a devil. except even I'm not awful enough to kill a fictional ten year old
Pirate-Owl: It's always good to know what your limit is. Stabbing a fictional ten year old is acceptable but killing one isn't.
Gusenitsaa: technically distant rose stabbed him
Pirate-Owl : She didn't run with it!
Gusenitsaa: I'm just leveraging it to break a 15 year old utterly...
Pirate-Owl: *sideeyes*
Gusenitsaa:
“Killian, look at me.” Killian’s eyes slanted open and Liam nodded. “Good. It’s not bad, all right? You’re going to fine. I’m going to take care of you.”
“I know,” came the breathy response. The words hurt. Gods they hurt more than anything Killian could have said in that moment. Killian trusted him. Trusted him completely and this was all his fault…(though I suspect later brennan will get his share of the blame)
Pirate-Owl: :’( :’( :’(
Gusenitsaa:
He thought that quiet assurance had hurt more than anything else could. He was wrong. One moment Killian's gaze had been steady and assured then something in Liam's face must have faltered and Killian's face fell with it, a hint of a scared ten year old peaking through the cracks.
"It's alright," Liam reassured quietly, fighting to keep the uncertainty from his voice and his hands steady. He desperately wanted to lift the fabric slightly, but he was afraid to remove the makeshift bandage which already seemed to be doing so little to slow the flow of blood. He pulled a small knife in a leather sheath from his pocket. It didn't belong to him, was just granted to him for the job of cutting the ropes."Bite down on this," Liam said quietly, and Killian obliged, all too familiar with this dance. Liam folded the messy layers of his now scarlet tunic on top of each other to thicken the bandage and pressed down hard. "Sorry, little brother," he muttered under his breath when Killian went stiff, a small whimper all the noise he permitted himself. He was too young. Too young to know how to do that.
Liam cursed Brennan again.
The blood chilled on Liam's hands and Killian shivered. He was pale and looked a little glassy eyed but he held Liam's gaze for a moment. Liam tugged him closer, risking taking one hand from the wound to pull Killian into his lap. Killian rested his head against Liam, looking sleepy and befuddled, as though he'd just woken up from a long nap. He should be in a warm bed with a doctor to care for him. He shouldn't be here at all.
Pirate-Owl: :’(
Gusenitsaa:
The sheath fell from Killian's mouth as his head dropped heavier against his brother, dragged under by a tide of exhaustion and blood loss. The blade landed with a thump on the wood next to them, and Liam's rising panic was calmed slightly by Killian meeting his eyes. "Just resting" Killian said weakly. Liam's eyes slipped to the knife next to them. It was a little thing, barely long enough for the job he was expected to do with it.
Long enough to rip out the captain's throat.
The thought came to him in a surprising calmness. It wasn't threat or despair. He just knew, in that moment, that if Killian didn't survive neither would the captain.It was little comfort.
(It is a truth universally acknowledged that in every universe... liam is one bad day away from murder. Apparently even at 15)
Pirate-Owl: (Does it really count as murder if he is killing the man who owns him?)
Gusenitsaa: justifiable homicide is probably not a thing that exists in this contexts though it probably should
Pirate-Owl: Yeah. I don't think the crew would care why.
Gusenitsaa:
Killian's shivering was growing worse by the moment, and Liam tugged him closer, wondering if he dared move Killian yet. There wasn't much in terms of blankets aboard, but this time of year there was little competition for them, the room felt warm to Liam even as Killian trembled. Killian had always been the little one, and now, fighting for every crust, Liam supposed he always would be. He could move Killian, yes, but it would mean taking the pressure off his wound. Was it a good trade for the chance to get him wrapped up in some blankets and ease the trembling? He took Killian's hand and his little brother opened one eye. "Can you hold it?" he asked quietly.
Killian nodded instantly, agreeing probably before he’d had the chance to think about it. Liam waited a moment to see if he would change his mind. Killian’s hand replaced Liam’s and Liam scooped Killian up quickly, making for the crews quarters.
It was a risk. There were some among the crew who would use this weakness to their advantage, but Liam had a blade in his pocket and he couldn’t hide Killian in the hold forever. He needed water and blankets and a real doctor.
Pirate-Owl: :’( :’(
Gusenitsaa:
This crew had no real doctor. They had a surgeon. A man who was more accurately described as a butcher than a doctor. Good for little more than wrapping up wounds and chopping off limbs. Liam shuddered slightly at the thought. He could find the blankets and water at least.
He settled Killian in the bunk they shared. It was a tiny thing, though that rarely bothered them. It was unusual for them to share a shift off, in fact it only ever happened when one of them was injured badly enough that the captain was forced to give them a few hours of unscheduled relief or risk the loss of a pair of working hands and then it was a relief to have the other close enough to watch their back. Today was no exception. Liam hesitated, once Killian was settled, the prospect of leaving him alone unnerving. He fished the tiny knife from his pocket and pressed it into Killian's grip.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Killian had done well, jaw tight, but letting no sound of weakness escape him as Liam carried him into the crew's quarters. Now he whimpered slightly and Liam tousled his hair. "Count to 100 little brother, and I'll be back."
Killian nodded and Liam could see his lips moving, the count beginning under his breath. Liam did the same, moving from the side of the cot in search of water and blankets. 4...5...6...
The warmth of the season meant sheets were available, fortunately, though stashed in various nooks and crannies. When he found them they were musty from the hold but thankfully dry. 40... 41... 42... He shook them out and threw several over a shoulder. Water was both easier and harder, depending on who watched the barrel today. 56... 57... 58... Liam was relieved to see one of the younger crewman there. He had no taste for generosity or for malace, which was about as good as he could hope for. Liam offered both Killian's flask and his own to the man for their daily water ration and he filled it without objection. It was very nearly the only thing that had gone right today.
He returned to Killian's side before he reached 90 and Killian gave him a relieved smile. Liam helped him sit up and Liam cut a strip from one of the cleaner sheets to serve as a bandage. Liam tied it overtop of his now scarlet tunic, still too afraid to risk moving it yet. He pulled out Killian's flask and offered it to him. "Slowly," he warned. They were not becalmed and water rations were reasonable at the moment but they didn't have enough to risk Killian being sick even with Liam’s own flask full as well. Killian sipped at the flask and Liam helped him lay down again with a grimace, tucking the sheets in around Killian tightly. His motions were quick and efficient and he barely realized how little he'd spoken to Killian since this all started until Killian's small voice jerked him out of his head.
"Are you angry with me, Liam?"
"No." Liam replied instantly, without thinking, and then he glanced sideways at Killian. Sod it. "Yes. Yes, I am you idiot you could have been killed."
"He was going to hurt you. You'd have done it for me."
"That's different," Liam snapped, not bothering to explain. "Promise me you'll never do that again."
Killian shook his head and Liam stared bewildered.
"I mean it Killian, promise"
Pirate-Owl: I feel like sobbing emojis are redundant... and yet...
Gusenitsaa:
Killian shook his head again and Liam cursed his stupid stubborn git-of-a-brother who was so determined to drive him mad. He was ten. Ten years old and already more stubborn than a mule. He was just a kid, and yet somehow inexplicably felt it was a reasonable thing to refuse to promise not to step in front of a knife again.
Liam wanted to shake him. To order him, to beg him to make that promise but he could see the futility of it in Killian's eyes. He sighed instead. Killian was still trembling and Liam shifted, helping Killian to move a bit towards the wall so he could lay along the edge of the cot, between Killian and the rest of the crew's quarters.
Go Through Me requested by anonymous with Lucifer Morningstar for the @badthingshappenbingo
Enjoy!
***
Your body felt like it was on fire. The transition had been more painful than you remembered, but then again it had been a while since you had summoned your wings. They were little more than a tattered mess now, feathers mostly burnt and torn off. They flopped pitifully from your back, proof that they were broken and rotten.
Falling in love with the devil had ripped your angelic grace from you. This was how you fell; not violently, but absolutely.
The angels that surrounded you had come to bring you back, to take you away from earth so that you could be rehabilitated. You might have gone with them if you hadn't known that they would erase all of your memories of Lucifer and you couldn't let that happen.
"No," you begged pitifully as you scooted back a bit, wincing when your wings dragged against the coarse concrete. "I'm not going."
"You don't have a choice," one of the closest angels said with a sigh. You had dropped your sword the moment you tried to summon your wings so it laid uselessly a few feet away. He bent down and picked it up, hefting it's weight before he met your eyes. "You held a position of power and you're willing to give it away. For what? For him?"
Him. You thought about Lucifer and frowned. You were supposed to meet him at Lux. Or was it the police station? Now you couldn't even remember that. He was going to wonder why you were late.
Would he find out what happened? Would he think that you went willingly? Amenadiel might know the truth if he would be privy to it, but with his tenuous relationship with Lucifer, they might keep him out of it as well.
You summoned as much of your angelic grace as you could, feeling your wings flutter uselessly at your back as you tried to give yourself the boost you needed. You might not be able to take on all six of them, but you weren't some weakling.
Maybe you had been on earth too long.
"Don't make us do this the hard way," another of the angels said, their hand on their sword.
You were just starting to wonder if maybe you should just surrender. The pain in your back was making you weaker and you weren't able to recall your wings in this state. The other angels had the ability to hide them for you, but if it kept you weak, they wouldn't. They would wait until you passed out from the pain and just take you back that way.
"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," came a familiar voice from the side. You turned and saw Lucifer in all of his glory, his beautiful wings spread so far that they were casting a shadow. "The six of you are welcome to leave and we won't have to do this the hard way."
"We aren't here for you Lucifer," the first one said, eyeing the devil a little uncertainly. "We are here for Y/N only."
Lucifer looked down at you and you saw the hellfire recede in his eyes for a moment before he stepped in front of you, his wings shielding you from them completely.
You felt your own rings start to recede as he used his grace to return you to your normal state.
"If you want her, you're welcome to try to go through me."
You had to wonder if any of them had been inclined to try, but the leader had said something low and you felt the rush of grace as they all left. Relief spread through you and you slumped into the wall.
Lucifer turned around and knelt down next to you. He reached out to briefly brush some hair from your face before he scooped you up into his arms.
"Let's get you home," he said quietly.
Home wasn't Heaven anymore.
X
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
After the run-in with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, U-1146 is...
...fine. He's just fine.
Another @badthingshappenbingo fic, and also my first post for @cawappreciationweek (day 1: favourite character). The BTHB prompt was Go Through Me. I’ll get back to writing things people actually requested, I promise. For now, here’s a smol!1146 dealing with a traumatic experience.
I might have another fic later today for my other favourite character (the problematic fave >_>), if I manage to finish it on time.
