drabble for @nwesninski, who requested an urban fantasy au - i hope you enjoy this vicious inspired au!! || want one?
On the worst day of Neil’s life, Andrew dies.
Surprisingly enough, this is not what makes it the worst day. It had qualified long before Andrew falls to Neil’s feet, long before he’d faced his family for the last time. It had started staring down the barrel of a gun and it seemed it would end the same way.
Neil doesn’t even bat an eyelid at the body at his feet. It didn’t change anything. He was going to die here; he’d known it all along. It would be at his father’s hand, as slow as Nathan could make himself go. Neil wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of his pain. He clenches his jaw and says, “You got the wrong one.”
Nathan laughs, sharp and loud, but before he can say anything, Andrew sits up.
At that, Neil’s mouth hangs a little agape. Andrew is red with both his and Neil’s blood, sat in a pool of it, bullet holes riddling his shirt.
“Andrew?” Neil says, suddenly crouching to pull Andrew up.
Andrew accepts Neil’s hand, sticky with blood, and pulls himself up with surprising sturdiness. “Your father is a useless shot.”
Laughter bubbles up in Neil’s chest, sudden and almost choking.
Bang. Andrew’s body jerks with the force of a bullet.
Bang. Neil watches a second bullet land on Andrew’s chest, a fatal shot, surely - but no new blood appears.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Shots sound as Nathan steps closer to the duo, and Neil notices crushed bullets land at Andrew’s feet.
“Looks like you’re going to need stronger bullets, Nathan,” Andrew drawls, never one to be fazed by the impossible.
Andrew turns, shrugging Neil’s hands off him, and stands squarely between Neil and his father.
“What game is this?” Nathan growls.
“It’s a new one,” Andrew says, pushing Neil back. “This will be fun. How many bullets do you have left? Will it be enough to get through? I don’t think it will.”
“Oh, I think it’s what you did,” Andrew says, then strikes, knocking the gun out of Nathan’s hands.
Neil blinks and Andrew has handled Nathan and his crew. It must have taken longer, but Neil couldn’t say for certain. He doesn’t know what Andrew is capable of beyond bulletproof skin.
When Neil is certain Andrew’s done, he approaches him and reaches a hand out slowly to his face. “What happened?” He wonders aloud, running a hand down Andrew’s cheek - it feels the same under the layers of blood.
“I think I died,” Andrew replies, matter-of-fact.
The breath catches in Neil’s chest. “I thought so, too. But you’re here.”
Andrew gives him a hard look.
“This isn’t linked to your research project,” Neil says. “Your theory about superheroes.”
“EOs,” Andrew corrects blandly.
“So, what, you died and came back with special powers? A gift from God?”
“More like a gift from biology,” Andrew replies.
“How else would you explain the fact that six bullets bounced harmlessly off my skin?”
Neil opens his mouth for a second, then shrugs. The human body may be capable of many extraordinary things when under stress, this he knows, but he doesn’t think defying death quite this literally is among those. “Does this mean you’re a zombie now?”
Andrew considers that. “Technically.”
Neil sighs. “I really thought that if my dad was gone, my life could go back to normal.”
“Your life has never been normal,” Andrew says. “Come on, I’m sure the Feds would love to get their hands on these bodies.”
“Come on, Neil,” Neil replies tiredly. “Just get over the fact that I’m a superhero now and your family is dead, we’ve got to move on.”
“Exactly,” Andrew says, already climbing the stairs.
“Don’t you think this gives you an unfair advantage against Renee?”
“There are no rules in sparring.”
“Who brings bulletproof skin to a knife fight?”
“I’d love to join you in zombiedom.”
