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"Colonel Casey wants to speak with you, sir."
Virgil paused for a moment, not expecting this. "Why she wants to speak with me?"
He trusts the colonel. But he didn't want to leave to talk to her. He didn't want to leave Kayo alone here. He didn't want to leave the hospital until a brother could take his place.
He didn't want to remember those moments again.
"You are a witness, sir. She wants to ask you questions about the crime scene."
But why did she want to talk days later?
"Lady Penelope tried to postpone the conversation by saying you needed some personal time."
"And can't she stall her any longer?"
"Virgil Tracy." And when he turned around, Colonel Casey stood before him with all seriousness.
I literally updated it after years... I can’t make up for all this time, but here I am. hope you enjoy it <3
He’s had problems all his life. He’s got a lot of experience in dealing with problems, really. The ones that can be solved with bullets, anyway.
This is not that kind of problem. Well, maybe a bullet could take care of this. But he promised himself he would never take that path. So, he suffers.
His problem is the dichotomy. His problem is Ghost, months of suffocating under a stale mask, the orders, the blood, the uniform. His problem is Simon, weeks of nothing, the silence, the civilian comfort, being a person.
He’s gone. Somewhere between base and “home”- a cold, dark flat in the outskirts of London-, he lost his soul. Now he isn’t here nor there. None of his names fit him.
He is just a being, two legs on top of two feet that can’t stand the feeling of dry, clean socks inside of simple sneakers. A head, a neck, on top of a pair of shoulders too wide to fit the door of normalcy. A back too tight to bear the weight of actual life. Hands too strong to hold reality without breaking it, skin so rough it tears instead of caressing. A pair of eyes that do not know where to look if not for threats.
He's a storm waiting to happen. Too dark to be a person, too broken to be a man. Too heavy for a ghost.
The flat feels wrong. Especially the first few days. He has to open the windows to let the fresh air in- more like freezing air. It’s okay, he’s used to dealing with the cold. It’s actually being comfortable what makes him uneasy. The fact that he has so much space for himself. He doesn’t have things. He doesn’t own more than a couple changes of clothes. His sofa looks new, even though he bought it years ago. His bed is soft, his bedside table is empty. He owns a table, two chairs and headphones. One bottle of water. Four glasses, a cheap six-piece cutlery set. Some plates he bought on sale. One rug he doesn’t step on. A broom. Shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste are in the bag he brings from base. Even his bike just takes up half his designated parking space.
Other than that, he has nothing.
The other thing that bothers him is the silence. He should be able to sleep in the quiet- he’s fallen asleep in active bombing zones, for God’s sake. But the white noise of the cars, the soft humming of the refrigerator- all they do is keep him awake. It’s always too quiet, too… Too safe. He knows it’s a trap. It always is.
That’s why he checks the windows.
Like now, when he enters the apartment in silence. The lights stay off until he’s cleared every room. Then he turns them all on. His duffel bag goes into the wardrobe, still closed. The boots under the bed. He changes into civilian clothes, checks the pantry- empty, always empty- and starts his rounds.
He checks the three windows: the small one in the bathroom, the one in the bedroom that looks over the neighbor’s rooftop, and the one in the living room. Usually, the last one is his favorite. The view lets him keep an eye on the street, alert in case there’s something suspicious lurking down there.
This time, though, he can’t look down.
He’s stuck in the window in front of his. The apartment building across the street is nicer than the one he’s standing in. By his standards, anyway. That means it looks warm and worn down. Brick walls instead of grey cement, wood stairs instead of metal. It has pots with flowers and an old mirror in the entrance.
There’s only one apartment with the lights still on. It’s late, he reminds himself, for normal people. Most of them are asleep at two in the morning.
You’re not. Through your open curtains, he can see your tired face. You’re curled up on a desk chair, with messy hair and reading glasses on. Your pajama is cute, it looks soft and a little too big. It fits you perfectly. You’re holding a steaming cup and frowning at the pile of papers on top of your desk.
When you fix the -presumably hand-knitted- blanket on top of your shoulders, he frowns. Aren’t you cold? You should close the window.
And go to bed, while you’re at it. What are you doing up this late, anyway? Working? He hopes not. A cute little thing like you should have a quiet job, with stable working hours and low stress. But you look very stressed. Maybe you’re studying. That’s it, probably. You don’t look his age, but he’d bet you’re in your late twenties, maybe thirties.
He pictures you getting a degree. It’s easy, you look smart. Oh, you must have a degree already. Surely, he decides, you must have one. You’re getting a doctorate now, aren’t you?
It’s a silly question, of course. He knows nothing about you, except that you should be sleeping instead of munching at a cookie. But it’s a relief to pretend he does. To believe he can see life through your window. If he had to guess, that’s what living looks like: a woman in the room, plans for the future, eating homemade treats and knowing you’ll survive the upcoming test, even if you don’t pass.
For the first time since he bought this place, he’s actually there. As if taking a deep breath, Simon is suddenly aware of his body. The t-shirt he’s wearing is soft, a little too thin for the weather. The place smells like leather- must be the sofa. Was the ceiling always this high? Simon makes a mental note to buy air freshener and a blanket.
It takes him a couple of days of staring out the window to realize what happened.
It’s Friday, and he’s checked your closed blinds for the third time this afternoon. Simon hasn’t seen you today. He sighs and turns around. He goes to open one of the kitchen drawers when it hits him.
There are cookies in there. Two different kinds. And he’s wearing slippers- they were on sale at the supermarket, and he didn’t even think about it. But he’s thinking about it now. Simon looks around. One of his jackets is hanging by the door. There’s lint on the rug. The cushions on the sofa are out of their place. He left a mug on the counter.
He's living again.
It a crushing discovery. Once he saw it, it’s impossible to miss. He made plans. He has tickets to watch a movie next Tuesday. When was the last time he planned something other than a mission? And cookies? Simon hasn’t eaten cookies since he enlisted. Maybe longer. His clothes are comfortable. Actually comfortable, he doesn’t need to ignore the fabric irritating his skin. The windows are closed: he’s not cold. It’s quite nice, honestly. And the place smells like someone lives here. A mix of cologne, tea and leftovers from lunch.
The flat doesn’t feel empty. Simon doesn’t feel empty.
His muscles give out. It’s not a dramatic fall, more like an extreme relaxation. It hurts a little; like clenching your fist for hours and then letting your hand open. The blood starts flowing back with a tingle. The oxygen gets where it is supposed to go. There is a strange open space in the palm of your hand.
The relieved smile is a side effect.
He still wears it when he settles back down on the couch. Someone is playing music outside, and the plants on your building’s hall are blooming. What a weird time to bloom, in the middle of the cold.
Simon understands, though, when he sees you finally open your blinds.
Yes, he gets the desire to be alive now.
A/n: I sat down to write and four hours later I'm posting this. It is not proofread and I'm a little too tired to care. Maybe I'll fix it later. Also, my anxiety has been a bitch lately (that means I freeze instead of being able to reply to messages and asks- my poor friends have the patience of a thousand saints stacked on top of each other), so I won't reply to the asks today. Maybe tomorrow, we'll see. In any case, I hope you're all having a great weekend, full of flowers and treats <3
Sooo I hope this isn't nonsense because I wrote it in an hour, well past midnight 🙈
I'll leave this here and run away, hope you like it!
°°°°°°
Collapse
It was August 14th. He had started making preparations for Thunderbird 5's elevator to land on the island that night. His hands were tracing the configurations he knew by heart on the holo-screen.
When the call came, he still had 9 hours before he had to get home. They still had 9 hours to send the calls to GDF. There were 9 hours left before everyone on the island was given mandatory leave.
That's why John hadn't considered whether to accept the call or not. The cooling system at a geothermal power plant in Iceland had collapsed. One of the underground tunnels had exploded, and five technicians were trapped in the rubble of the collapsed tunnel.
Virgil and Gordon had gone there with Thunderbird 2. He had sent Kayo there on her way back from another mission to reset the facility's cooling system with the Thunderbird S.
Four people were standing directly behind where Virgil and Gordon were removing the crumbling concrete. A woman had sprained her wrist, and while Virgil continued removing the concretes for fifth person, Gordon had left to make sure the woman got out safely.
The excessive temperature was interfering with the sensors and the data John was receiving. Had Kayo's voice not interrupted their normal conversation with Gordon and Virgil, none of them would have known that the tunnel next to them was also about to explode.
They had only a few minutes; Virgil was determined to save the last person behind the closing tunnel.
The explosion occurred just as Virgil had created enough space for the man to escape. The flames hadn't reached them, but the explosion had caused the already unstable tunnel to collapse even further.
Virgil wasn't running with the man who had managed to escape. Because until the man emerged from the tunnel, he was using all his strength to keep one of the supporting columns in place.
Data from Virgil's exo-suit was triggering alarms. The hydraulic lifts were about to break due to the extreme heat and weight. But Virgil refused to leave, insisting that the fifth person could get out safely.
John had asked him to back down.
Gordon too.
Kayo too.
When another explosion occurred, Virgil was trapped under tons of concrete, along with his broken exo-suit.
Now they were all at the hospital for hours, waiting for news from the operating room.
It was 23:59. One minute later, it would be his brother's birthday, who was fighting for his life inside.
He slowly opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it wasn't locked. There was a broken mirror right in front of it. Several pieces of glass had fallen to the floor, and Kayo was leaning against the wall amidst the shards, her face bowed down.
The IV pole had also fallen over onto the floor right next to her.
Eddie Munson is three things: a coward, a loser and imaginative.
Since he's a coward, he never dared ask you out- or get close to you, for that matter. He just pined after you, happy that he had the chance to share the same air as you while at Hawkins High, and to know of your existence now that he's finally graduated.
Since he's such a loser, life didn't get that much better after he got out of school. He's still getting side looks from most of the people in town, and he hasn't become a famous musician just yet.
But, since he's imaginative, he has a way to cope: you. Not the real you, of course, he's sure you'd never look at him twice. But his active imagination keeps him afloat. Eddie pictures you everywhere, anytime, always by his side. It makes life easier. Bearable.
Some of the things Eddie pictures you doing are:
- Wearing Corroded Coffin's t-shirt
- Sleeping in his bed
- Going to parties with him
- Braiding his hair
- Going to the thrift store
- Sitting on top of his amp
- Eating his food
Since you guys seemed to like the idea, I'm starting this series! I have a pretty long list of ideas, but I'll add to the masterlist only the parts already posted + the title of the one I'll post next. Hope you enjoy it!
I'm back after a long time and this is not something I wrote new, it's something I've had in my drafts for months... I still have the urge to write, there may or may not be updates in the future.
I hope you enjoy this!
...Collision...
The damage was greater than expected considering the asteroid that was currently rolling with Thunderbird 3.
He had failed at keeping people calm just as he had failed at protecting his brother. And now - miraculously - those who were not injured were running towards the escape capsules in panic.
Their efforts were in vain, most of the escape pods had been used before the collision and and the rest were damaged by the collision.
EOS had predicted this, and Alan was trying to prevent it.
It had been difficult to get people away because most of them could not understand why their only way out was blocked.
John was trying to persuade the last few people to move away before the collision.
It was a miracle that he survived where they were, but it was very painful. It couldn't be said that he could walk properly because of a piece stuck in his calf, but he was still trying to move in the opposite direction while everyone else was running to the escape capsules.
In fact, he didn't care about the piece stuck in his calf, his shoulder complaining with every movement and his chest aching when he breathed were the least of his worries.
He needed to be able to send a signal to someone again as quickly as possible. That's why he ignored his blurry vision.
As the ground began to slide under his feet, his body could not even struggle to find a place to hold on and and he was slipping to the ground. But before he hit the ground, a pair of hands grabbed him, and the gripped areas ached painfully.
"Hey... u are ...of those -ho came to -ave us..."
He couldn't understand what the woman was saying and couldn't find the strength to stand upright again.
"Can- Can- u... help me..? My... brother's ship -is drifting with- that asteroid... "
He wasn't sure if she answered, but she was still there, her grip still painful, but the weight must have been too much because his world was shifting further and further.
"I- I have to- save him... please..."
I'd love to know what you think! Maybe I can clarify the ending of this story...
I know I said this morning at the latest, technically I should have posted much earlier... but this morning was a little busy...
I've edited this so many times even today I'm still not sure if I should send it away...
There were many nice RBs in the quote, thank you very much for all of them!
You can find the whole fic here on my ao3 account, it has been so long that it has become very difficult to find old chapter on tumblr.
I hope you will like it!
What Happened There? Chap.7:
Hospital Room
She was in pain, she could see it. So she hoped she could postpone this conversation until later. But there were words that needed to be said.
Somehow Kayo was able to persuade Scott and Virgil to go out. Maybe the fact that she literally came back from the dead had an effect on their inability to stand up to her.
And maybe that was the reason why Penny couldn’t insist on postponing this conversation either. Kayo was normally good at hiding the emotions in her eyes, but now she could see everything from the vulnerability to the concern in her eyes.
She didn't like to see this, of course she had become adept at reading even the emotions Kayo didn't want her to see, but she was already like an open book because of the drugs.
“Dad, I understand- you want to see me... I understand... you want to come here... but you know you shouldn’- leave.”
She could see that her words were sincere. But the worry in Kyrano’s eyes still hadn’t left since she first saw him.
Unfortunately, she was too late to tell him what had happened, and by the time she contacted Kyrano he already knew something had happened.
“And Penny..." Glassy, tired eyes turned to her, and Penny hated herself for not being able to put off this conversation. "After everything we’ve done, why would- you risk everything?”
She was totally right to be angry, but Kayo still didn't know what happend and her eyes looked more disappointed than angry.
And it would be a miracle if she was just angry if she knew what happened last night. She didn't know if what happened was because of Kyrano or if it was related to Kayo's incident.
“I would have come here whether Lady Penelope helped or not, Tanusha.”
They didn't even know what Kayo's incident was about.
The truth behind the words stunned Kayo for a moment. It was something she would normally never show anyone.
She turned to her again, this time not even trying to hide the pain. If they had told her that the GDF had accused her with evidence, they wouldn't have been able to stop Kayo even in this state.
“Thank you for keeping him safe, Penny.”
That's what she was trying to do. Kyrano’s enemies were still out there, hiding in their hiding places, waiting for him to appear. If Parker hadn't gone to get Kyrano and the man had come here on his own... the chances of people finding out about this would be greatly increased.
“Always sweetheart.”
Yet there was still much that was unknown. Even if only someone had a suspicion that Kyrano was here or if one of the families of the dead learned that they were in this hospital, that was reason enough to keep watch on the hospital.
She hadn’t been able to talk to Ames yet, but she knew the man from last night was being followed.
She just hoped things would get better before they got any worse.
○○○○○○
Trying to stay awake was tiring her more than she wanted to admit. After convincing his father to leave and Penny leaves, Scott and Virgil had came back into the room and started talking about ridiculous topics that were obviously just a distraction.
She must have fallen asleep at some point because when she opened her eyes next, it was dark.
Even breathing felt like being stabbed again, so she had couldn't escape Virgil, who was right next to him.
He had said something to her about it being medicine time, then a few nurses remembered.
In the morning she finally found him asleep. Virgil had literally taken care of everything while she was in the hospital.
She couldn’t blame him, she knew she had scared them all, but Virgil hadn’t left her side since she first woke up and it was obvious he hadn’t been sleeping properly.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been here and how many days Virgil had been with her, but she didn’t want to put this conversation off.
“I understand you don’t want to eat anything, but you’re thinking too much and you should at least try to eat.”
“What do you mean, I think too much?”
She must have sounded more accusatory than she intended, because he held up his hand, which wasn’t holding a plate, even though it was a fork. “I was just trying to get your attention here..!”
And she laughed and pointed with her head in the air, “Drop your weapon, Mr. Tracy.”
Laughing made the pain worse, but-
....
“Drop your weapon..!”
...
Her own voice was echoing as a humming sound filled her ears.
“... Kay? Kayo?”
All she had to do was look at his face to understand what he was asking. His eyebrows were knitted with concern.
“I’m okay. Just headache.”
After this answer, the worry in his eyes didn't disappear and she wished another made-up idea would come to her mind instead.
And what she said wasn't a lie, even if it was just to get past him.
"I'm fine, Virgil. You follow the doctors, you know I'm taking the meds I need."
It was her own voice she heard, but she wasn't sure what it was. She wouldn't worry Virgil any further until she was sure.
“Okay. Do you think you could eat something?”
So she turned her attention fully back to Virgil. She should have at least tried to eat, right?
When she nodded, she immediately regretted it because of her pain signals.
He dipped something in the plate and handed it to her.
“You know I can move one arm easily, right?”
But she still took the food offered to her into her mouth.
She was more hungry than she wanted to admit, and she finished everything on her plate, albeit slowly.
Virgil placed the plate on the far corner of one of the floating shelves next to her and then poured water from the jug sitting there.
She was preparing herself for an argument about whether she could hold the glass, but this time he surprised her and handed it to her.
“Better?”
He had certainly done everything he could, but only for her, not for himself.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You haven’t eaten anything.”
She knew he was trying to find an excuse in his head to avoid more questions, it wasn’t the first time she caught him in situations like this.
If a brother was avoiding eating, this was a sign of trouble and could not be overlooked.
When their eyes met, he immediately looked away and was preparing to say something, but she silenced him.
“Virgil, you need a real bed and shave.”
His hands spontaneously wandered over his stubble and the scabbed wound.
“I’m sure I still look attractive.” She couldn’t help but smile at the grin on his face.
He knew he was already caught, so she could let it slide because she didn’t want to push him any further.
“I’m sure the whole hospital is already talking about you.”
His hand brushed against his beard again. “Ohh... That explains all the whispers behind me when I go to get coffee.”
She really wanted to laugh at this. She hoped that it would at least reach her eyes that she was enjoying this moment.
“Virgil,” she said in a voice she hoped wasn’t too serious.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy with his company, but she thought that if he looked in the mirror, he would be able to admit that he didn’t look good either even if he doesn’t admit it out loud.
“I need you to be okay, Kayo.”
Of course he wanted her to be okay, she knew that, but Virgil was being more of a mother hen right now than he normally do.
“Virgil... Whatever you’re thinking will eat you up if you don’t tell me."
She wasn’t sure until she saw that look in his eyes, but when he took a deep breath she knew it was a step in the right direction.
He looked quite hesitant, and she wasn’t sure if it was for an emotional reason or because he was revealing something he shouldn’t say.
“I was the one- who found you.... like... that...”
She didn’t remember what happened there, she had been told she was lucky to be alive, and considering her injuries, it wasn’t hard to guess how Virgil had found her.
Acutally she never thought about the possibility that one of them had saved her, she thought the GDF had found her.
She must not have asked the right questions when she woke up, how could she skip this topic?
“You saved me.”
He had to believe this, who knows what he was thinking about in his head for days.
She had questions, but they could wait.
“Virgil, you saved my life.”
She wanted him to look at her, so she gently placed her hand on his.
Instead of turning his head towards her, he turned it lower and shook it.
“If I had arrived a few minutes late-“
“But you didn’t, you were there on time.”
“Your heart stopped, Kay, It was a few minutes away from the hospital and your heart stopped.”
But she was here, telling him these things. She was alive.
She shook his hand softly.
“Virgil, look at me.” When he looked at her, albeit reluctantly, she smiled in response. “You saved me. I’m here and it’s because of you.”
He needed to remind himself of these.
“I think it was too close and I Just-“ He looked away, but then he found hers again. “Thank you.”
She was thinking of asking for a few minutes for the both of them to process everything, but they were distracted by the notification sound.
As soon as Virgil picked up the device that received the notification, his face lit up.
“This is Scott. He says everyone wants to see you, if you are suitable.”
She was sure that her face also brightened. “Of course.”
“So you don’t want me to accompany you anymore?” She sensed a hint of jealousy in the question.
They both knew that wasn’t the point, but serious topics were rarely discussed in hospital rooms, it was just a distraction.
“Not that I’m bored of you, Virgil, like I said, bed and shave.”
“Okay, so I’ll have to get a brother who’s more boring than me to stay the night.”
She would say there was no need for someone to stay with her, but she knew that was out of the question.
“Do you want to try walking a little until they come? The doctor said that if we take care of your stitches, you can walk for a few minutes for now.”
Yeah, it's been a long time since I wrote this title here... I'm someone who writes at a tortoise's pace and wouldn't like anything if I did it myself...
But the new chap is this evening or tomorrow morning at the latest, enjoy!
,,
"And Penny..." Glassy, tired eyes turned to her, and Penny hated herself for not being able to put off this conversation. "After everything we’ve done, why would- you risk everything?”
She was totally right to be angry, but Kayo still didn't know what happend and her eyes looked more disappointed than angry.
And it would be a miracle if she was just angry if she knew what happened last night. She didn't know if what happened was because of Kyrano or if it was related to Kayo's incident.
They didn't even know what Kayo's incident was about.
