I am pretty sure if the Master had to take Baby Quinlan and McHottie to the Happiest Place on Earth, it would look like this.
Gus must have been on some sort of school field trip because WHAT are the chances??? This relationship must be written in the Stars, right?!?! Even at twelve, Gus is a player.
it's an alternate version of what happened in the compound between Gus and Quinlan
and i am just going to say right now i am so fucking soRRY
*psst, it's also on AO3 user Contra_Indicated*
A Dangerous and Painful Weapon
Inside the compound at night, even with the floodlights on, the darkness was suffocating. Gus could feel it lurking; a feral, hulking animal, tension in every fiber of every muscle poised to fall upon what was left of humanity the instant he turned his back, draining them of their essence. As he crept along the outside wall of the central power complex alone, keeping to the shadows, he felt its glowing dead eyes burning into his back, he felt its hot, moist breath on the back of his neck; Gus felt the surge of adrenaline through his veins; his heart, already racing, was suddenly hammering away inside his chest. Every muscle fiber abruptly tensed, prepared for the attack--.
It is almost time.
Quinlan’s voice shot through the darkness and snatched Gus’s mind from the jaws of his fear. He jerked his eyes up and was met by the penetrating gaze of his mentor, inches from his face, red orbs glowing in the dark. Recognition dawned on his features and he eased his stance, letting his breath escape in a rush.
“Damn, make a little noise when you walk,” Gus snapped.
I’m afraid that would defeat the purpose, Gus.
“Yeah. Right.” he continued, “The rest get to where they need to be?”
The Born was crouched beside him, listening to the noises around them, not making a sound. Gus could feel the heat from his supercharged metabolism radiating off him in waves. Dressed in black head to toe, Quinlan was loaded with weaponry. A holster was strapped to either thigh, each with a .357 jammed inside; a silver sword was sheathed on his left hip, a double barrel rifle slung across his chest, in his hands he cradled his favorite semiautomatic weapon, outfitted this evening with a new long-range scope and eight inch silencer. Every pocket, Gus knew, was stuffed with ammunition. On the ground next to him was the equipment bag, loaded down with even more fire power.
They have.
“Then why don’t you sound too pleased?”
These others, they will know I am not as they are. It will not take long before he can feel me.
Gus nodded his understanding and checked his watch. They had exactly 6 minutes and 41 seconds until he had to make the shit it the fan. Only 6 and a half minutes until the end of the world, no matter the outcome of this mission. Either they fail, and The Master retains power and they all die (or turn), or they succeed and live… most of them, anyway. With the destruction of the vampire comes the eradication of his line. The thought made the knot in Gus’s stomach tighten exponentially.
You have the charges. It was not a question.
“Of course, man. I didn’t spend two years getting my ass kicked by you just to forget my shit when D-Day finally comes around,” Gus responded, a small smile ghosting the corners of his mouth as he remembered their introduction, or as he liked to call it The First Ass Kicking. He’d been stubborn and suspicious and aggressive and difficult while Quinlan had been steady and unmoving, patiently kicking his ass for him until he finally understood what was being asked of him. What a fool he had been.
Your training was… rigorous. I knew it would strengthen you. Quinlan responded nonchalantly. After several moments, he continued.
A long time I have waited for this day, Gus. Lifetimes spent training and planning and hunting. Hunting and waiting. Tonight The Master will fall. Humans will have their world back, rid of these spawn of evil.
Gus flinched at that; a small twitch of his chin and shoulder that he was almost able to convince himself Quinlan didn’t see. Gus knew how the Born felt about his vampire half-brethren, but it had become more and more difficult to hear him speak of them like that because--. Because Q was of The Master. If they were successful this night, the horrors would end. No more blood farms, no work rations, no more hunting because there would be nothing to hunt… and no one to hunt it with. Gus wasn’t sure anymore that it was a fair trade. He took a breath to say as much when he noticed the half vampire was still – completely unmoving – and listening.
It will begin soon. It being, well IT. After a pause, I had a family once.
Gus blinked in surprise at the abrupt change in topic, but nodded in response, not knowing what to say.
They were beautiful and they made my world beautiful. One day, He— I released them.
Quinlan cut off. Gus quickly averted his gaze. It was disrespectful, right, just sitting here watching his- just watching this warrior replay the tragedy of his life right before he storms in, guns blazing, fighting tooth and nail to basically ensure his own death. Gus suddenly burned with shame at his selfishness; Quinlan had lost so much more than him, and will have to give more, give everything, and all Gus could think about was that once this was all over, he would be… alone. Quinlan continued, looking at the gun in his hands, the growls and purrs from his stinger increasing as he did so. Gus likened the quiet sorrowful tone of his voice to the sounds one hears when they open the cover of an ancient book that has lain undisturbed in the dust for centuries.
I failed them when I didn’t protect them, but I also failed them when I did not teach them how to protect themselves. She had silver, oh yes, but what is that against The Master? We always fail the ones we love, Gus.
Gus gaped at the ancient hunter. Did he really go there? Probably the last few minutes of their lives and he uses them to twist the knife of his madre in his heart— his blood was suddenly boiling, he could feel the crescents of his fingernails drawing blood from his palms, he could feel the muscles and tendons from his neck to his feet tensing under the rage threatening to erupt.
But I would not have myself fail you.
Gus’s anger fled from the statement and he visibly deflated, hopeful confusion dawning in his eyes.
The Born raised his head slowly, his red eyes pouring every drop of grief and shame of his soul into Gus’s own. It was like a kick to the chest. Gus felt the world tilting on an unseen axis as the vampire moved even closer to him, hot breath coming in controlled exhalations against his lips.
I refuse to lose another family to Him. I refuse to lose you to Him. Love is a dangerous and painful weapon in this world but I will not let Him take it from me again.
Slowly, Quinlan leaned forward, closing the already minute distance between them. Gus’s heart was pounding in his chest as he just barely felt the weight of a hand on his waist, felt the heat of Quinlan’s lips against his own. They were smooth and hot, and there was something oddly muscular about them. A sigh escaped the former gangbanger’s lips as he let himself sink into the feeling. Gus raised a hand, slowly, until just the tips of his fingers were ghosting along the edge of Quinlan’s jaw. The kiss was chaste, yet full of emotion, and— There had been no kisses since Felix died, and Gus wanted to hang onto this, wanted to make it last. He reveled in the feeling of physical contact, reveled in the fact that it was Quinlan doing this, dredging up these emotions in him. Gus felt his heart soaring and felt it breaking simultaneously; his very soul was singing and weeping at the same time. He snatched the seconds from the darkness around them, locking it within himself knowing that he would have precious little of this moment to hoard away.
The intrusion of alarms blaring was absolute cruelty. They jerked away from each other, searching the grounds of the compound. Gus looked at his watch and swore.
“Mierda! Two minutes early.” Gus grabbed Quinlan’s wrist as the Born began to move away. He looked desperately into the red orbs, wanting to tell him everything and nothing at the same time. Instead, he yanked him close and kissed him with every ounce of hope and anger and despair and love he possessed before breaking off and giving the vampire a gentle shove in the direction of the main barracks building. He felt tears stinging the back of his eyes as Q gave him a sorrowful nod before turning and moving off into the darkness. He watched him disappear and turned back toward the metal structures, movements fast and purposeful.
He nestled the charges against the three biggest transformers in the cluster and ran like hell. He felt more than heard the eruption of gunfire around him as he reached the perimeter of the central yard. Pure surging adrenaline and muscle memory brought his rifle to center and he began shooting, a war cry tearing itself free from within his chest as he saw his silver bullets hit home in the throats and skulls of the corrupted now converging upon the camp proper.
He felt the air displacement from the propellers of a helicopter and shifted his muzzle up and to the left, unloading his weapon with abandon. He felt a punch to his shoulder first, then another almost immediately to the left side of his stomach. Several more jabs followed in quick succession and Gus realized disconnectedly that they were not punches, but bullets.
Quinlan’s kiss and his words were singing in Gus’s veins as his legs gave out, still screaming at the strigoi, the recoil of his gun hammering against his shoulder. As he landed on his back, the strength in him finally loosed by the holes in his body, he both felt and heard a steady cadence of one word in a voice that Gus for some reason thought sounded like a book of all things as the lurking darkness began to close in around him.
gus gus gus gus …
He released one long sigh and let the darkness take him.
