An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jet Sikuliaq & Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Characters: Juno Steel, Jet Sikuliaq, Peter Nureyev, Vespa Ilkay, Buddy Aurinko
Additional Tags: Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Stabbing, Rescue
Series: Part 16 of FemSanzo291's Whumptober 2024
Summary:
Jet steps in the way of a knife meant for Juno. When they go to met up with the others at the end of the mission the wound is a lot worse then they imagined.
Killjoys 1x07 | Captain America: Civil War | Legends of Tomorrow 4x13 | Stargate SG-1 8x03 | The Falcon and the Winter Solider 1x03 | Grimm 2x20 | The Magicians 4x05 | Supergirl 2x17 | Legend of the Seeker 1x08 | The Avengers | Under the Dome 3x09 | Once Upon a Time 4x12
Prompt: On a need to know basis (recovery, scars, aftermath)
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: Tenzo/Kakashi
Rating: M (mention of graphic torture, injuries)
Words: 1298 (oops lol)
Notes: Requested by @vibgyoroygbiv. This one is also late, but I've been sick. We'll get caught up. This story references events from a much longer fic of mine called Find Me in the Dark if you want the background, but it isn't necessary to understand this piece.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Kakashi encouraged, pushing the door to his apartment wider. Dust motes floated across his vision, and he wished he’d taken some time to clean before inviting Tenzo over, but there hadn’t been time. “Did you want to take a shower or something?”
Tenzo shook his head without speaking, moving toward the couch. He sank onto the cushions and fidgeted with his pants leg. “You don’t have to do this senpai. I’m okay to go home.”
Humming under his breath, Kakashi nodded. “You might be ready, but I’m not sure that I am.”
It had been less than two hours since Tenzo was released from the hospital where he’d stayed for two days. Tsunade said the man was physically well enough after his ordeal, but his mental state was another story. She didn’t quite suggest that Kakashi should stay with him, but the implication was there. He hadn’t needed it. Kakashi wasn’t going to let Tenzo out of his sight.
“Can I get you anything?” Kakashi asked, glancing toward the kitchen. “Something to eat? Water? A stiff drink?”
Tenzo sighed. “I don’t need or want anything. I’m fine.”
You’re not fine. You were just tortured. You lost so much blood that Sakura couldn’t heal you. You almost died in my arms. The panicked thoughts raced through Kakashi’s mind, but he nodded instead of acknowledging them. “Okay.”
The pair sat in silence for several minutes while Tenzo looked everywhere except Kakashi. Deciding to leave him in peace, Kakashi pulled Icha, Icha off the table and started leafing through the familiar book. None of the words sank in. Tenzo glanced over once, but Kakashi kept his eyes on the page. Minute dragged toward an hour without speaking, but he did nothing to break it. Tenzo visibly relaxed, shoulders lowering as his breath grew deeper. Still, Kakashi didn’t comment.
A scream shattered the silence, the sound more playful than terrified. Kakashi assumed it was some kids playing, or perhaps a jutsu gone wrong and the inherent teasing that came with that. He turned to ask Tenzo what he thought of it and was shocked to see the whites of the man’s eyes. He sat rigid, hands clenched on the edge of the cushion. Kakashi frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Tenzo shook his head without answering, sucking rapid breaths through his lips. Kakashi set his book aside and moved closer. “I can’t,” Tenzo gasped, eyes darting around the room. “I—”
The man clutched at his heavy flak vest, so Kakashi helped him shrug it off. A shrill breath whistled in Tenzo’s throat as he pushed down the fabric covering his neck. Kakashi raised one hand to the newly revealed skin and pressed. Tenzo’s too fast pulse pounded beneath his fingers. He shied away, eyes on the door like he expected it to crash open at any moment.
“Look at me,” Kakashi pleaded. Another loud crash, likely someone dropping something in the next door apartment, made Tenzo cry out.
On a whim, Kakashi caught Tenzo’s hand and led him deeper into the apartment. The bedroom was furthest away from the noise of the street, especially after Kakashi closed the door and windows. He returned to Tenzo’s side. “You’re safe here,” he whispered, voice growing thick on the words.
Nearly a week ago, Kakashi had no idea where Tenzo was or how badly his mission had gone, only that he needed to find him. He recalled the injuries and blood loss that he’s seen, then the crippling fear that he’d been too late. Promising that he was safe felt dishonest.
“I wish I could promise that nobody else will ever hurt you either,” Kakashi continued, taking another step toward Tenzo. The man raised haunted, questioning eyes. Kakashi brushed over the scar that curled over Tenzo’s cheek. He traced the path toward the man’s temple. “What happened here?”
Tenzo closed his eyes, but his head tipped toward Kakashi’s hand. He exhaled in a soft whoosh and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know.” Kakashi smoothed his thumb across the area a second time. “But, you need to.”
For a moment, Tenzo didn’t speak or move. The tension between them stretched and grew until Kakashi wondered if he’d made a mistake. Maybe Tenzo wanted to be alone, and the extra attention was making him uncomfortable. Maybe he didn’t want Kakashi around because he blamed him for not getting there soon enough. Maybe he wanted—
“It was from a shuriken when I was first captured,” Tenzo whispered, cringing at even the lightest touch.
Kakashi spied another scar along Tenzo’s jaw and allowed his slide along it until skin met fabric. He eased the half mask down and let it hang toward his chest. Tenzo blew out a breath as the pad of Kakashi’s thumb followed the scar toward his shoulder. He tried not to think about how close the slash had come to ending his life. The opposite shoulder rose in a shrug. “A kunai.”
Though Kakashi had seen the damage first hand, there had been too much blood to catalogue the injuries. With a questioning sound he reached for the hem of Tenzo’s shirt. When the younger man didn’t stop him, he raised it. It took considerable control not to gasp at the roadmap of torture written across the pale skin. Kakashi laid the garment aside and sucked in a breath that provided too little air.
Kakashi smoothed a palm over the man’s right side, surprised the man shifted away from the touch. Pale scars ran along Tenzo’s ribs with a deep, puckered scar between two of them, large enough for Kakashi’s knuckle to sink into. He caressed the abused skin, but Tenzo showed no emotion when he answered. “Kabuto punctured my lung, mostly to see if it would reinflate on its own.”
As Kakashi drew back, his hand shook from either rage or sorrow. He didn’t try to figure out which. The skin over Tenzo’s heart was marred with an intricate pattern of scars. When Kakashi’s palm covered the area, Tenzo blew out a breath. “Those were done with a chakra scalpel.”
“Hot metal of some sort, meant to test my body’s ability to heal around cauterization,” Tenzo supplied, indicating a long, dark scar on the side of his stomach. “I passed out before Kabuto could finish the explanation.”
“Flayed,” Tenzo continued in the same monotonous tone, offering his left wrist with an irregular pattern encircling it. He raised his hand to display the missing joint on his left index finger. “I can’t remember what he used for this, only that it hurt like hell. What’s the point of this?”
Shame and guilt threatened to overwhelm Kakashi as he caught Tenzo’s hand. He turned the man’s wrist over and pressed a light kiss to the blemished skin. Tenzo’s breath caught at the movement. “I am so sorry,” Kakashi murmured, accenting each word with a gentle caress. He ended with his lips against a mark behind Tenzo’s ear that he still didn’t know the cause of. “I should have been there.”
Tenzo shuddered, crumbling in an instant. A sob caught in his throat, tangling in his vocal cords without fully forming. Kakashi pulled him closer, slanting their mouths together as if he could capture the pain and erase it. Tenzo clutched his back, fingers digging in painfully. When they broke apart, Tenzo shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I almost lost you,” Kakashi breathed, trying to control the emotion that crept into his voice. “I let you go, and I didn’t say all the things—”
Tenzo absorbed the confession in a feather light kiss that stole the remainder of Kakashi’s words. He wiped at his eyes and offered a fragile smile, squeezing Kakashi’s hand. “You found me, that’s what matters.”
October 16: A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY
A hand caresses their face almost lovingly, and they held held back a violent shudder. This man, no this monster, didn't like it when they showed their fear of him. "Now, darling. I know we've been going through some rough patches; and I hate to see you so upset." He stepped back towards the curtain he had set up; and they held back another shudder this time of relief. "Which is why I've gotten you a gift!" Oh no. Oh God no, they don't want it; whatever it is they don't want it, no! The rope is yanked and the curtain reveals- "Your sister! And she's prepared a magic show for us, isn't that wonderful? Now; all you have to do to save her is say please." They couldn't move. Not Allie, not like this, not about to be shot by a giant crossbow. "Otherwise, well, I don't know if she'll escape in time."
“Go long!” Hero’s brother shouts, launching the worn football as far as he can, his cheeks ruddy in the rapidly cooling fall air, hero crashes through a pile of leaves to scramble and catch it, when they do they throw both arms in the air in celebration, “I win!” They call across the yard, panting, winded from their sprint.
It’s a game they’ve played continuations of every year, hero was all too aware that this year it almost didn’t happen, almost dying in the Villain’s lair had made them question their choice of not telling their family who they really were, after all would they really want them to find out after they’d died? From the news no less? They could just imagine their mom sitting on the couch folding laundry after a long day, tuning in, just in time to watch her child’s murder on live TV, they shook their head--grateful that thanks to the antagonist that hadn't happened this time.
Hero bent over trying to catch their breath, they didn’t notice their brother racing towards them until they heard the leaves crunch under their brother’s feet, looking up in alarm just as their brother tackled them.
Their brother didn’t notice them tense and then go completely pliable as they pinned them to the ground, “Now who won!” They shout triumphantly, somewhere their dad is laughing at their antics, but hero can’t take the immobility, they can’t help what happens next, “What the..?” their brother whispers, too shocked to release them right away.
Hero is crying and they can’t stop, being pinned down by their brother had brought everything up all over again, in a moment they are gasping, unaware of where they are, their eyes wide and vacant, glazed with animistic fear, “Pl-please...” They beg, shaking all over, “D-don’t hurt m-me!”
“Shit, did I?” Their brother asks concerned, crawling off of them and looking for some sign of injury, especially one that would get this kind of reaction, they hadn’t seen the hero cry since high school.
But the hero is panicking now, they cringe away from their brother, curling up into themselves as the attack moves through their body stealing all rational thought. They think they can hear their mom, her voice high and frantic, their dad crouching over them, their brother sounding small and scared. But in their mind they are back in Villain’s cell, fighting vainly for air that wouldn’t come as Villain holds them down, one of Villain’s men holding a brand over a flame, they can smell their own blood, fear, and burning flesh--it’s their own personal hell.
Then it’s over, almost as suddenly as it started, they are on their back in the grass, home, not with the Villain, their family is gathered around, immobilized in panic as they watch the hero’s breathing even out, their eyes lose that horrified sheen.
“Sorry you had to see that,” hero rasped after they found their voice, they sit up shakily, their muscles protesting.
“What was that?” Their dad asks, looking more than a little concerned.
“Um,” hero wrung his trembling hands in his lap, “I, uh..” there wasn’t a good lie, they couldn’t say that they had some illness, that would make their family worry, and they didn’t want to tell them the truth--not after this episode anyway, not when they were looking so weak and shaken, they’d worry forever.
“I, um, I’ve got to go to the store to pick up something,” they mumble stupidly, getting to their feet and walking past the people that they loved most.
“What?!” Their mom exclaims behind them, “We’ve got to take you to the hospital at least!”
“Let me drive you,” their dad offers, digging into his pocket for the familiar set of jingling keys.
“I’m fine!” Hero growls, silencing the scrambling of their family, suddenly angry that there isn’t any person on earth now that doesn’t want something from them, they know it’s just because their emotions are running high, but they feel so overwhelmed in the moment that they don’t want to face the problem, so instead they turn and keep walking.
This time no one tries to stop them.
They get as far as the park outside of town before sitting down on a splintery bench and putting their head in their hands.
“Awww, poor little hero,” a voice taunts from somewhere close, it shakes hero to their core, cementing them to the spot in shock, it’s villain's voice, “You having a rough day?”
Villain sits across from them, smiling wolfishly as the hero goes pale, eyes widening in shock, run-run-run! Their heart thunders in their throat, but they can’t seem to move, fear pinning them to the spot just as well as the Villain’s restraints.
“How about I make it worse?” The Villain asks mildly, their eyes glinting with the promise of torment.
The very thing that was meant to help him out of situations like this was the thing that had him pinned. Virgil Tracy loved his exosuit, it felt like a simple extension of himself aiding to make the impossible possible, he knew it inside and out. He also knew the risk, that lifting something too large, heavy, and entirely the wrong shape to get a proper grip, could leave him in more trouble than those he was rescuing.
At least he could be grateful that he’d got the kids out before the suit had given way. It was a small mercy that it was only him left pinned by the suit, the only thing between him and the lump of concrete. Before long the metal of the suit would give again and the concrete would be on top of him, crushing him in the blink of an eye. That was if he didn’t bleed out first from where metal had dug into his side.
“Hang in there Virgil, Scott and Alan are coming in a Pod.” John reassured in his ear, like he had much option to do anything else but wait.
His own voice was breathless from the limited breathing room as he replied, “F.A.B.”
He could hear the rumble of the pod as his brothers approached some minutes later, muffled discussion blurred out by the rubble and his helmet and finally the noise of hydraulics. How long it took he didn’t know, but eventually the weight was lifted from his back, replaced by the light touch of a hand and a brother’s voice that pinned him just as much as the concrete had, “Stay there until I say Virg.”
He grunted a response, savouring the ability to breathe without being crushed. Being pinned by the weight of concrete was one thing, being pinned by the command of his biggest brother was something a bit easier to cope with even if it were just as frustrating.
