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rosiehunterwolf · 3 years

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For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 1

Here is my submission for Day 1 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

Link to read on ffn.net

This is part 1 of the story, and the rest of the parts will be posted, one each day, for the rest of the event. Because of the length of this, full story is under the cut. I've provided a little preview of the story below:

Preview

Perhaps the most strange looking thing about the scene, though, was the small boy perched on the badger’s back. Small black horns pertruded from a head of fluffy blond hair, and long, pointed, velvety black ears wiggled eagerly. Short, splayed fingers gripped the badger’s shoulders, and his small, webbed wings proved quite the contrast from Zane’s feathered ones. Perhaps the most noticeable of all, however, was the long black tail that waved behind him, curved fins flaring out at the end of it. And the delighted trills coming from his mouth were definitely anything but human.

Well, maybe it was strange-looking to anyone else. But for Kai, it was just an ordinary day.

Prompts Used: Panic, Hiding

Word Count: 10,082

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: Imprisonment, Dehumanization, Mentions of Murder

Part 1

“Wake up, sleepyhead!”

Kai groaned, blinking awake. His sister grinned down at him, her arms dangling in his face from where she was hanging, her spotted tail wrapped tightly around one of the structural beams.

“Go away,” he mumbled, tossing a pillow in her face. “It’s too early.”

“It’s ten am.”

“So? It’s not like there’s anything to do around here, I might as well get my beauty rest.”

“Goodness knows you need it, with that dreaded mane of yours.”

He tossed another pillow at her face, which turned out to be a mistake, because now he was out of pillows.

“Why do you always have so much energy? Don’t you ever sleep?”

She shrugged. “I like to sleep in the afternoons. I guess it’s a leopard thing? They’re nocturnal, you know.”

“I know, Nya. I’ve had a half-leopard as a sister for sixteen years, don’t you think I would know that by now?”

“Debatable.”

“I’ll ignore that comment if you let me sleep for a little more.”

“Have you forgotten what day it is?” Nya chirped, beginning to swing back and forth. “Today Dr. Borg is letting us take Lloyd into the city!”

Kai sat bolt upright. “That’s today?”

“Yes, fish-brain! You should see him, he’s so excited.”

Kai scrambled out of bed, startling Nya and making her fall into the bed with a yelp. He shook his head, letting his mane cascade around his face and down his back. Huffing as half of it fell into his eyes, he wrestled it into a ponytail- part of it, anyway- and walked over to the door, Nya bounding after him. The other four beds in the room were already empty.

Opening the door revealed the same thing it always did. Another room- this one much larger than the last one, but a closed-off room nonetheless- stretched around them. There were a few other doors that led to bathrooms, a room with skylights (made with reinforced glass, of course, so no one could break it, even if they had superstrength) so they could soak in the natural light from time to time, and just some rooms with various activities- paints, notebooks, computers, puzzles, TVs, and all the books and video games they could ever want, or if they just needed some alone time away from the others for a bit.

But none of that changed the fact that the door on the far side of the room was always firmly locked.

In the kitchen, Zane was whipping up a bowl of pancake batter. Tawny-colored wings unfurled from his back, stretching freely now that he didn’t have to hide them. The feathered tufts behind his ears twitched as a loud shriek sounded out from the other side of the room.

Kai turned, a purr rumbling in his throat as he caught sight of the large badger lumbering across the room. A small yellow labrador raced after him, barking excitedly.

Kai’s tail thrashed fondly. Well, maybe it was strange-looking to anyone else. But to him, it was just an ordinary day.

Almost.

“Lloyd, you’re here already!” Kai called, hurrying over. The small boy brightened- even more so than he already was- at the sight of him, and leapt into his arms. Kai stroked him gently, and Lloyd purred softly, his long tail thwacking against his leg.

The badger blinked at him, shaking his head, and, in a flash of light, he was gone, a young man sitting on the floor in his place. His curly black hair, with a white stripe down the middle, nearly hid the small black ears poking out. Round glasses framed his dark eyes as he grinned up at Kai, his fangs glinting. The lab jumped into his lap, and the man scratched behind his ears. With a flash, the lab turned back into a teenager, his auburn curls falling into his freckled face.

“Augh, Jay! Get off of me, you lump!” He shoved his friend off of his lap, sending him tumbling.

“Hey, Cole, you could’ve asked nicely,” Jay whimpered, even though his golden tail was wagging, and his ears were perked.

“Yeah, well next time, don’t transform back when you’re in my lap! Having a small dog sitting on me is one thing, a lanky teenager is another.”

“Stop acting like you’re so superior! You’re only four years older than me, barely out of teenagehood yourself!”

“I’m not acting like I’m superior! I’m just telling you not to sit on top of me!”

“Whatever,” Jay grumbled.

“Hey, guys,” Kai snorted.

“Mornin’ Kai,” Jay grinned. “Have a nice lie-in?”

Cole groaned, shaking his head, and Kai shot Jay a glare.

“You shut up with your damn puns, puppy boy.”

“Jeez, apparently someone’s had his pride hurt.”

“I swear, one more lion pun-”

“Fine, fine! I know when my witty quips aren’t wanted.”

Jay,” Cole sighed, “they’re never wanted. Anyways, you ready for today, Kai?”

“You bet! They brought Lloyd in early, today, huh?”

“Dr. Borg wants us to get him ready and make sure he’s behaving well before we leave.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “And romping around giving him badger rides and riling him up is a good way to do that?”

“Aw, come on, Kai, he’ll be fine. Besides,” his voice lowered as he went on, “he deserves to have a little fun while he’s here.”

Kai instinctively tightened his grip on Lloyd. None of them knew what happened to Lloyd when their caretakers took him away at night, apart from the fact that Dr. Borg insisted he was perfectly safe, but, at the very least, he was alone, and sometimes, Kai, with his heightened sense of hearing, could hear him whimpering through the walls. Lloyd hated being alone, and Kai didn’t understand why he couldn’t just stay with them all the time.

But, like most things, Dr. Borg just kept them in the dark about it.

Not that he was being ungrateful- Dr. Borg had kept them alive.

Issac Borg, son of Cyrus Borg, had taken over his father’s company when he had died, and, as head scientist at Borg Tower, had made it his mission to help the few living hybrids left- Kai and his friends. Dr. Borg had told them stories of how the human world rejected anything that was different from them- that they feared those with different blood such as Kai and his friends, saw them as “monsters,” and would seek them out and kill them if they ever found out their secret.

But Dr. Borg didn’t think the same way as the rest of the world. He wanted to protect them, to let them thrive and grow strong. So, he took them in and helped keep them hidden. He had given them work to do, too, not normal work, but things that only they could do. Dr. Borg told them how the world wanted everyone to be the same, and to hide what made them unique, but he said that they should be able to play to their strengths. Their trainers helped them learn how to fight, and to use their unique skills to an advantage. At this point, Kai had a repertoire of fighting skills he was eager to bring to fruition, but it seemed like the time never came to use them.

They did get to use their skills in other ways, though. Jay often went out in the streets in his dog form, his quick and cunning nature allowing him to be a natural pickpocket, with the ultimate disguise. Zane’s flight abilities allowed him to scope out Ninjago City, and keep Borg posted on the government’s actions. Nya’s agility skills let her slip around nearly undetected, which kept them out of a lot of fights. Kai’s hearing allowed him to eavesdrop for information, and Cole’s strength and digging skills could break through a lot of walls and barriers.

Except for the ones of their room.

For as much as he loved Borg- he was the closest thing to a father that any of them had- he couldn’t help but feel a bit like a prisoner, trapped up in here. He just wished Borg would trust them more.

Kai was eighteen now. He was old enough to keep himself and the younger ones out of trouble.

Which Borg is depending on me to do today, he reminded himself. The others had gotten the hang of how to behave outside of the tower by now, but Lloyd was still so young and often needed reminding. And it was no secret the little oni, dragon, and human tribrid was especially clingy with Kai. It was his job to keep him under control and on his best behavior.

I can do this. I will prove to Borg how trustworthy I am.

“Pancakes are ready!”

His thoughts were interrupted as Zane chirped at them from the kitchen. Lloyd’s warm, comfortable weight vanished from his arms as he leaped to the ground and scurried towards the kitchen island on all fours, climbing up the barstool to perch on top. He clicked and chirred brightly at Zane, his red eyes glinting hungrily, and the falcon hybrid bit back a grin at his expression.

“Use your words, Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s expression dimmed slightly, and Kai frowned. Lloyd’s reluctance to use human words was probably what worried him the most about integrating him into society. But Zane had been practicing with him ever since he could crawl, and if anyone could get him to speak, it was Zane.

“Can I have pancakes? Please?”

“Yes, Lloyd, you may.”

Zane slid two chocolate chip pancakes onto his plate. The sweet scent of the pastry drifted over to them, and Kai felt his mouth water. Jay, Cole, Kai, and Nya bounded over to the island as well as Zane served them the food. Jay jumped up and dashed towards the cupboard, grabbing out a container of rainbow-colored sprinkles.

Lloyd’s eyes practically glowed as he grappled for them. Jay laughed, and sprinkled a handful onto his pancakes. Lloyd chirred delightedly and hurriedly began to devour his breakfast.

“Jay, don’t give him more sugar. He’s going to be impossible when we go into the city.”

“You’re the one watching him, not me,” Jay chirped.

Kai put his head in his hands, sighing.

“It’s okay,” Zane assured him. “A little milk can go a long way to calm him down. Here Lloyd,” he pushed a sippy cup of milk towards him, “drink some of this.”

Lloyd worked on the milk as the rest of them ate, and, by the time they were all finished, he was looking a lot less feral. Zane was a lifesaver.

Nya glanced at the clock. “It’s almost time to go. We should start getting ready.”

They walked over to the closet where they kept all their gear. The large, loose sweaters allowed them a place to tuck in their tails, and, for Zane, his wings as well. As Kai helped his friend to adjust his coat to properly hide all the feathers, Nya pulled the sleeves of hers longer down her arms, hiding the light rosette spotting there. She had been able to pass it off as a tattoo before, but they really didn’t want to take any chances, especially not with Lloyd along this time.

Cole began to help Lloyd with his jacket, but the young boy swatted his hands away. “I can do it.”

“You sure, bud? It can be tricky-”

“I do it. I do the buttons.” His ears twitched as he ran his fingers over the smooth objects.

While Lloyd worked on the jacket, the rest of them shoved hats over their heads, Kai, with some difficulty, getting his over his mane, but when they turned back to Lloyd, now sporting his lopsided-buttoned jacket, there was evidently a large issue, and it wasn’t Lloyd’s button job.

“What are we going to do about his tail,” Jay asked. “The rest of us have the self control to hold ours under our coats for the time period, but he’s four, he’s not gonna be able to do that.”

“And it’s so long,” Nya pointed out. “I remember having a lot more trouble with my tail than any of you guys did, and Lloyd’s less than half my size!”

“Didn’t we used to tie it up when you were younger?” Kai asked.

“What?” “Here,” Kai pulled a scarf out of the closet. “C’mere, Lloyd.”

The child bounded over to him, and Kai picked up his tail in his hands, examining it. “Hmm. Flexible enough.” Folding it back on itself a few times, Kai used the scarf to tie it up firmly, and then pulled the coat down over it. “That should hold for quite a while.”

Lloyd bared his teeth at him, and Kai winced. “Sorry, I know it’s not the most comfortable thing, bud, but we got to do it, okay?”

Lloyd started to grab for his tail, but his small arms couldn’t reach it. Kai stopped him, nonetheless. “Hey, bud, don’t. I’m not kidding, okay?”

Lloyd huffed dramatically, before pacing towards the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Lloyd glanced back, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the small hat Kai was holding in his hands. He squwaked loudly, trying to scramble past him, but Kai swooped him up in his grip. Lloyd hissed and struggled, although his body was trembling with the familiar vibrations Kai recognized as playfulness. This was a game to him.

“Lloyd,” Kai growled through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on the squirming bundle, “Just put on the hat. It’s not the end of the world.”

“No!”

Well, that was one word he knew quite clearly.

Kai jammed the hat onto his head, but Lloyd quickly shook it off and jumped away, scrambling under the couch to hide, his red eyes glowing eerily in the darkness, his pupils narrowed into thin slits.

“Lloyd,” Kai said, letting an authoritative tone slip into his voice- which wasn’t something to be messed with, when you were part lion. “This is not an option. Either you wear the hat and behave, or we don’t go out at all.”

Lloyd’s eyes blinked, and after only a second, he was scurrying back out and reluctantly letting Kai pull the hat onto his head.

And not a moment too soon- Kai’s ears twitched as he caught the sound of movement behind the big, blocked door. His head whipped towards it, and the others quickly picked up on him, revving their gazes towards the door, too. After a few moments, they began to hear it, too. Jay cocked his head anxiously, Zane adjusted his coat, Cole pushed his glasses further up his nose, and Nya narrowed her eyes, grabbing Lloyd’s hand.

The door slowly swung open- Kai had to resist the urge to dash out- and revealed four of their caretakers- Liam, Noah, Rahn, and Kelsey. Kai let out his breath, slowly.

“Are you ready to leave, children?” One of them, Liam, asked. His gaze flitted between each of them, scanning them carefully. He stopped on Lloyd, his eyes narrowing, but if he had a problem, he didn’t voice it. “You look wonderfully human. A job well done, and not an easy one, I’m sure.”

“Yes, but appearances are only the beginning,” Kelsey pointed out. “You must make sure you are all on your best behavior, especially the muta- Lloyd. You all have learned a lot from your human behavior lessons, have you not?”

They nodded, and Kai added, “Is Dr. Borg not going to see us off today?”

“He’s a very busy person, Kai,” Rahn reminded him. “You children are lucky that he makes as much time for you as he does.”

Kai dipped his head, falling silent.

“Don’t worry, he’ll probably check in with you when you’re back,” Noah assured. “For now, we can escort you. Are you ready?”

Yelps and purrs responded him, and Noah shot them a sharp glance. Kai felt his ears droop shamefully as he responded, in sync with the others, “Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s go.” Noah beckoned for Cole to follow him, who was closely followed by Jay, then Zane. Kai and Nya went last, Lloyd bounding between them. His eyes were both bright and wary.

Rahn cleared his throat as they passed, and Nya bent down to Lloyd, whispering, “Two feet, bud.”

Lloyd grumbled, but obliged, taking his hands off the ground and standing up on just his feet instead. His steps were a little wobbly, so Nya and Kai each grabbed a hand. That made him look a little less grumpy about the situation, at least.

The caretakers led them down the floors of Borg Tower, and for the first time in weeks, Kai saw people, more than just doctors and scientists and caretakers, at least. Employers at Borg, but these ones weren’t the higher up, didn’t know their secret. Wary glances were shot at them, but it was probably just because they were wondering what a bunch of kids were doing in Borg Tower, not because they were secretly a bunch of weird monster mutants that had to hide everything about them because no one trusted them and people wanted to hurt them, and they just wanted to be normal kids-

The point was, it was nice to be looked at like a kid, for once.

And then, there were windows, and then-

They were outside.

The little skylight in their room couldn’t bring justice to this. Sunlight streamed around them, bright and cheery and welcoming, and the crisp autumn air tickled his cheeks. There were people everywhere, not Borg employees, but just regular people, talking and laughing with each other. No one was staring at him, conversing in hushed whispers, or telling him off for smiling too much and showing off his fangs. There weren’t any trainers scolding him, or doctors whisking him off to yet another appointment, and most of all, there weren’t any walls.

Kai felt like he wanted to cry. It wasn’t his first time out, Dr. Borg let them out every so often, but…

It had been way too long.

Although he knew that, however bad it was for him, it was worse for Lloyd. While they got to go out every month or so, Lloyd only rarely got cleared to come with them, and he had only been allowed to at all about a year ago. Dr. Borg said it was because he was too young, although Kai swore that he could remember him and the others going out more often when they had been Lloyd’s age, with adult supervision, of course.

Sure enough, Lloyd’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he gazed around, taking everything in in that quiet, attentive way of his.

“Excited, Lloydster?” Kai asked him. “Wanna go to the mall?”

Borg had given them a fairly sizable chunk of money- after all, being the owner of the city’s largest science organization didn’t exactly leave him with empty pockets- to spend as they pleased (as long as it wasn’t anything too outrageous, and their bags and pockets were to be searched before they reentered the tower,) so they went shopping at the mall. Lloyd obviously wasn’t so enthralled with Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, or Hot Topic, so the ninja took turns with Lloyd while the others went shopping. When Kai was with him, he spent a lot of time going up and down the escalator. Kai was worried the behavior might be unusual among humans and draw attention to them, and although they got a few odd looks, after a little while a little girl named Raina started running up and down the escalator with him. Kai had frantically apologized to her mother, but she just laughed, telling him “kids will be kids!” Kai had allowed himself to give her a tentative smile, and had been reluctant when he had to leave with Lloyd. The woman, Jessica, had given Kai her number if Lloyd ever wanted to get together.

Kai didn’t have the heart to tell her it could never happen.

After they finished shopping, the group stopped for lunch in the food court, then headed to the park and chatted while Lloyd ran around.

The afternoon was peaceful and cool, and it was all too soon when he got the call telling them it was time to go back.

“Hey Lloyd, time to go, bud.”

The look that flitted across Lloyd’s face made his heart break. “Can we… can we come back tomorrow?”

“I don’t think so, bud. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.”

“We can watch a movie when we get home, bubs. You wanna do that?” There was a shake in Nya’s voice as she spoke, and he knew she hated this as much as he did.

“Can we watch… the one with dinosaurs?”

“We can watch whatever you want, bubs.”

The walk back to Borg Tower was grim and quiet. The silence was only broken when Lloyd pointed at the fountain in the town square, as they were walking past.

“Look!” he called, leaning over the side to peer in. “There’s so many shiny things in there!”

“People throw their coins in fountains,” Zane told him.

“Why? I use my coins to buy a lollipop,” Lloyd giggled.

Kai crouched down next to him. “They say that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you can make a wish.”

Lloyd’s eyes were wide. “A wish? Like what?”

“I don’t know. Anything you want, I guess.”

Nya crouched down on the other side of him, slipping a penny from out of her purse. “You want to make a wish, bean?”

“Yeah.” Lloyd took the coin and closed his eyes. He was silent for a moment, before tossing it in. They watched it sink, down, down, down, until it hit the bottom.

On the way home, Jay spoke up. “What did you wish for, bud?”

Lloyd was quiet for a moment.

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

---

After their caretakers looked through their bags, they brought the group up to the room. The walk was a quiet one. The unasked question in all of their minds hung on the air- they wanted to ask if Lloyd could stay the night, just this once. The boy had been eerily quiet since the fountain, not even protesting when he had been searched, and Nya was holding him gently in her arms now. He wasn’t asleep, but his eyes stared off into the distance, his mind obviously elsewhere.

Dr. Borg himself met them at their door. “My children! How was your day out? Were you on your best behaviour?”

“You already know,” Nya muttered.

Borg frowned. “What was that, dear?”

“Nothing.”

Kai cocked his head at her, and she gave a tiny shake of her head, her glare telling him, not now.

He stared her right back, the message clear. We’ll talk later.

“It was good, Dr. Borg, but we were just wondering- would it be okay if Lloyd stayed the night with us? He’s pretty tired, and it would just be for one night-”

“Zane, I’m sorry, but Lloyd has a very important doctor’s appointment tonight-”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai caught Lloyd stiffen, gripping tighter to Nya’s shoulder. A low growl sounded in her throat, and she brought her hands up protectively around him.

“Another doctor, Borg?” Kai snapped. “That’s the third one this week. Is there something wrong with him? Something you’re not telling us?”

“Of course not! Kai, calm yourself. What reason do I have to hide Lloyd’s medical records from you? Nothing is wrong, we just want to do some more testing. As you know, we give you all frequent checkups so that our doctors may learn more about you and your bodies. Lloyd is even more unique than any of you, so unfortunately, that just means more appointments.”

“He’s not a test subject,” Nya growled, “He’s family.”

“I never said he was! He is just as much family to me as he is to you!” Borg’s voice softened. “Nya, I know you are protective, but I am doing this for Lloyd. Knowing his body better will help us to help him better in the future, if he is to ever get sick or something.”

Nya wilted. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I know you mean well. Now, c’mon, Lloyd, it’s time to go.”

Lloyd wailed as Borg’s assistant tried to pull him away from Nya, and he clung to her as firmly as his fingers would allow, which, for someone of his genetics, was pretty tight. Eventually, Kai had to step in.

“Lloyd, please. Let go. We’re just trying to help you.”

Lloyd released Nya’s shoulder slowly, but his eyes were round and hurt as he gazed at Kai. He tried not to flinch. Lloyd didn’t understand that this was for his own good.

Kai didn’t really understand it, either.

The group filed into their room- the door locking with a sharp click behind them- and the others wandered off to do their own things. Jay flipped through the TV channels, not settling on anything for more than ten seconds, and Cole and Zane worked on a puzzle, although their progress was slow, and their heart didn’t seem to really be into it.

Kai, however, made no time for pointless hobbies, and headed over to Nya.

“We need to talk.”

“I agree. But not in here.” She pointed towards the bedroom door. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

He followed her in, closing the door behind him, before heading to sit next to her on her bed. “What’s so important that the others can’t hear?”

“It’s not that they can’t hear it. It’s just… I don’t know if they’ll want to. I don’t know how everyone’s going to take it, and I think it’s best to not tell everyone all at once.”

“What?! Nya, you’re killing me, just tell me what’s going on!”

“Someone was following me.”

Kai froze. “What?”

“If I’m right, someone was following all of us.”

“You mean in the city today? Like, a stalker or someone?”

“More like a Borg employee.”

“...What?”

“They’re spying on us, Kai, don’t you see? Dr. Borg sent some of our caretakers out to monitor us today. It’s their own fault, really. If they hadn’t trained me to use my detection skills to their full potential, I never would’ve noticed them.”

“But why? What have we done to break Dr. Borg’s trust? We’ve done this before and never got caught, why would today be any different?

Nya narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t be dense, Kai. He’s been doing it since day one. We’ve just never noticed before.”

Kai was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taking. “How do you know that? Do you have proof?”

“Proof!” Nya stood up suddenly, her eyes blazing so fiercely that Kai flinched back. “What about any given day over the last sixteen years of my life, or the eighteen of yours! We’re prisoners here, Kai. One day a month outside of the tower doesn’t change that, especially when we’re being monitored even then.”

“Nya, don’t get like this again. Dr. Borg saved our lives-”

“From what? He tells us that people want to kill us, but do we have any reason to believe that’s true? What if he’s lying? How do you know he’s not just using us?”

“Dr. Borg is the closest thing I have to family! I trust him. With people like that, you just know.”

Nya’s ears pinned back, her voice wavering. “What happened to this family? True family is always there for you. Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd… me… we’ve all done more for you than that old fool ever has.”

Kai flinched, immediately regretting his words. “Wait, Nya, I didn’t mean- of course you’re my family, I’m sorry-” he snatched for her wrist as she began to walk away, but she easily dodged. She turned to look at him, her eyes sad.

“I know you are. You don’t want to hurt anyone- you’re just doing what you think is right, and I get that. But come talk to me again when you’re ready to reconsider.”

---

The next day, Kai had fighting training with one of his trainers. She seemed to be working him especially hard, but he only worked harder, and when he stopped for a rest, it took a moment to calm the adrenaline rippling through his veins. He had always been much stronger than the average human, but… usually it wasn’t so hard to control.

Dr. Borg showed up later in the lesson to pull him aside. “Kai. Your trainer tells me you are doing well. This pleases me. You are growing stronger.”

“I’m trying my best, sir.”

“Good. I expect nothing less. You’re eighteen now, Kai. Officially into adulthood. Soon, you will enter into a noble line of work I have to offer you. Now is no time to hold back. In fact- and keep this between you and me, if you will- I think you have the greatest potential of all your peers. What beast is greater than the lion? They don’t call it the king of the jungle for no reason. Your strength will be unmatched.”

Kai felt like he was supposed to be pleased by that, but something about the words just felt wrong.

“Sir,” he interrupted, feeling the sudden need to ask something, “What… why do I need to learn to fight like this? Who will I be fighting?” “If all goes well, no one. But this is necessary to defend yourself. Like I have told you since you were a cub, the rest of the world wants to hunt you down. You deserve a way to fight for your life and honor- and for the… weaker members of your team, don’t you?”

Kai nodded. “Of course. I was just wondering… is that all it’s for? Self-defence? Nothing more?”

Borg narrowed his eyes, but nodded slowly. “You will only have to do what must be done.”

“…Alright. Thank you, sir.” “And Kai?”

“Yes?” “If Nya’s been putting ideas in your head again, don’t listen to her. I know she means well, but she’s going through that natural ‘teenage rebellion’ stage right now, and isn’t thinking straight. Just take my word for it, alright?”

“O-okay. Have a good evening, sir.”

“Train hard!”

As Kai trodded back to the room that evening, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Borg had said. His words had been so vague. And he had been so quick to accuse Nya! Did he mean what he said, or was Nya right?

Did Borg want to use him for something more?

He still didn’t know what to believe, but one thing he knew was that he didn’t like the way that his sister had immediately been blamed. She had always been the most reluctant to listen to Borg, the most upset about their situation, but he wasn’t going to let Borg do anything to her, if that’s where this was heading.

His thoughts were interrupted as the floor suddenly heaved beneath him, and Kai was knocked to his feet. He barely bit back a scream, his breath coming in shallow pants.

What was it? An earthquake? He had never felt an earthquake before. Oh gosh. Should he be doing something? Was he going to die?!

But as quickly as it happened, it was over, and Kai got to his feet, breathless. After he was sure the floor wasn’t going to collapse beneath him, he set off towards the room in a dead sprint.

“Guys,” he gasped, “Did you feel that?”

Jay glanced up from his phone. “Like, that weird tremor thing, you mean?”

“Tremor? It was way worse than a tremor, the ground, like, bounced beneath me!” He gave a demonstration of this with his hands, but the others just blinked at him, unimpressed. “What?”

Cole shrugged. “I dunno, maybe you were just closer to the source or something. It didn’t seem that bad to us.”

“Do earthquakes even have sources?”

“First of all,” Zane said, “they do, and second, Ninjago City doesn’t get earthquakes. The geographic location makes it literally impossible.”

“But you can’t tell me that was nothing.” His voice wavered, and he caught Nya frown.

“You serious about this, bro?”

“I dunno, it’s just…” he put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what happened. It frickin’ scared me.”

Nya rested a hand on his shoulder, at his side now. “Hey, everything’s okay now. You’re safe here.”

“I know.”

“Do you want me to call Borg? I’m sure he can tell us what’s going on.”

“Thanks.”

Nya dialed, and they waited for Borg to answer. He didn’t pick up until the last ring, which was unusual for him. When his voice did come through, it was harried and distracted.

“What is it, Nya?”

“Dr. Borg, Kai was just coming back from training and he felt this weird… earthquake-type-tremor thing. We were just worried. Is everything alright?”

“Oh? Ah, yes, don’t worry, you’re perfectly safe-'' there was some muffled yelling in the background, and the phone went quiet for a minute. “There’s nothing to worry about, we’ve got it under control-”

“But what was it?”

“We’re… uh, still investigating. Maybe some sort of malfunction in the machinery, or radiation leak or something.”

“Radiation?”

“I assure you dear, it’s fine, we’ve got a whole crew on top of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m kind of in the middle of something-”

“What about Lloyd?” Kai asked, leaning over to speak into the phone. “Is he okay?”

“Lloyd… Lloyd’s fine.”

“Can we see him?”

“No,” Borg said quickly. “...he’s seeing people right now. Will be for a while, probably, so don’t even ask.”

By this time, the others had joined them at the phone too, and they all looked at each other at that. “Seeing people?” Nya asked. “What kind of people?”

“Just… double-checking his safety. For… the radiation.”

“Was he close to it?” Nya gasped. “I thought you said he was safe!”

“He is! It’s just a precaution-”

“Then when can we see him?”

“Nya, I told you, not now!” Another muffled shout interrupted him. “I have a lot bigger fish to fry right now, this conversation will have to continue later.” And, with that, he abruptly hung up.

“What was that,” Nya spat.

“If that was your attempt to make me feel better, it failed miserably.”

“I didn’t know he was going to be like that, did I? Ugh, Borg always is so vague, but this- this is a whole new level!”

“We need to find out more,” Zane said. “Borg isn’t giving us clear answers. We need another way to find out information.”

“Luckily for us,” Cole added, “It seems that in all the commotion, they never sent a caretaker down to lock the door after Kai returned.”

The others froze, staring at each other. Slowly, they turned their gazes to the door.

Cole was right. It was still open.

Kai immediately felt his heart begin to race. He didn’t know how to react. This had never happened before.

Zane was the first to snap out of the shock and into action. “Borg is a careful man. It won’t be long before he realizes we have free reign of the place. If we’re going to do something, we need to act quickly.”

“I say we escape,” Nya hissed. “This might never happen again. Kai’s the only one who knows this, but I saw Borg employees following us yesterday. He’s always watching. This could be our only chance to get out of here!”

There were a few uneasy looks at that. “Nya,” Zane warned, “Borg may be secretive, but he’s not a bad person. He’s protecting us.”

“Yeah, and what about the police?” Jay whimpered, his tail between his legs. “Borg told us they would kill us just for being different.”

Nya’s tail lashed. “You all are hopeless! The old fool’s got you all wrapped around his little finger! Can’t you see we’re prisoners here? I’d rather take my chances with the police.”

“Nya,” Cole said firmly, squeezing Jay’s hand, “You’re making Jay nervous.”

“I’m sorry, Jay, but it’s the truth. You’re seventeen now, it’s about time you start hearing it.”

Jay’s ears quivered. “It’s okay, Cole, she’s right.”

Cole grunted. “If we’re doing this, I won’t let no police lay a finger on you.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“I dunno. I’ve never really felt comfortable with Borg. But we’re also safe here. I want to protect you guys. I don’t know if freedom is worth the risk.”

“Well, we don’t have time to think about it. Zane’s right- if we have to act, we act now. I’m going- come or don’t.”

“Nya, come back,” Cole growled. “We’re a family. Whatever we do, we do together. I don’t want us splitting up.”

“Then do the right thing and come with me.”

The tension crackled between the two for a moment, until Cole ducked his head. “Nya-”

“Kai, you’ll come with me, won’t you?”

Four pairs of eyes turned towards him. Kai’s tail twitched, and he tried desperately to still it.

“I… I don’t know what I want to do, Nya. But I’m not leaving without Lloyd.”

Guilt flashed in her eyes. “I… I didn’t mean… of course I would never leave without him, I just didn’t even think… we can go get him, right?”

“Do you know where he is?”

Nya’s tail drooped. “Then what do we do?”

“Zane’s right- what we need is more information. Running away isn’t the answer.”

“Kai- can you just think about it-”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” he roared. “I’ve spent eighteen long years locked away in this room- don’t you think I want to leave, too? But this is about more than just me- this is about us. I have a family to protect, Nya, and this is the best way to keep them safe.”

Nya cringed back from him- something any sane person would do when a lion- or a half lion- was yelling in your face. He didn’t like to use it on his family often, but when he did, it was the quickest way to silence a room. Everyone knew you didn’t mess with a lion’s roar.

“So what are you going to do instead?” Jay asked quietly, after a moment.

“I’m going to go find Borg and listen in on what he’s doing.” Turning to his sister, he added, “Nya? Will you come with me? Your stealth will be useful.”

“You still want me?”

“Don’t be like that, Nya- I’m just doing what’s best for us. You get that, don’t you?”

“I guess.”

“So you’re not coming?”

“No, I’ll come. I’m just still upset with you, that’s all.”

Kai sighed as she whisked out the door past him. “You guys keep a lookout, alright? I’ll have my phone on silent so we don’t get caught, but I’ll be able to feel it vibrate, so shoot me a text if something happens, alright?”

“Good luck,” Zane nodded.

“Hurry back!” Jay called as Kai slipped into the hallway.

He bounded a little ways to catch up with Nya. They walked in silence for a little while until they made it back to Kai’s training room, where he had felt the tremor.

“Smell anything?” Nya asked.

“Jay’s the best tracker, but I think I can pick up Borg’s scent coming from that way.” He pointed a finger down the right hallway.

“Think?” “I don’t know. There’s a lot of foot traffic coming from that way as well.”

“Surely that’s a good sign. If there was some sort of catastrophe, a lot of people would have gone to help.”

“Yeah, but it’s strange. It mostly smells like caretakers and trainers. I would’ve thought Borg would’ve wanted more mechanics and doctors if there was a malfunction.”

“Unless he was trying to keep this a secret.”

Kai shot her a look, and she ducked his gaze. “Sorry.”

Kai shook his head, turning back towards the trail, letting Nya slink down the hallways ahead of him, checking that the coast was clear before he followed. He pointed her in the directions that the scent led, until, at last, it led to a door.

“Borg’s office?” Nya questioned. “His scent will be here all the time. Are you sure that he’s here now, or is it just leftover residue?”

Kai opened his mouth to respond, but froze when he caught the sound of footsteps. “Hide!” he hissed to Nya, and the two of them dove into an empty lab room and pulled the door shut, just as two pairs of footsteps rounded the corner. They came to a halt outside the office door, and Kai held his breath.

“What do you mean you can’t control him, that’s your job!” Borg’s voice, sharp and angry. The rooms in this part of the building were soundproofed, but Kai’s hearing could still detect their voices when he pushed his ear to the door. Nya hovered beside him anxiously, watching his face for signs.

“Sir, we’re doing everything we can, but we’ve never worked with a specimen like this before.”

“Borg,” he whispered to Nya, “and a researcher.”

“Tell me you at least have him contained?”

“He’s chained and isolated right now, sir. And under guard.”

“Did you tell him that we’d punish the others if he stepped out of line?”

“Yes, sir. He’s young, and seems to have some literacy issues, so we’re not sure if he got the entire message, but we believe we got the basic point across.”

“Good,” Borg sighed. “Hopefully that will be enough to stop him from trying anything like this again.”

“Sir, surely you’re not just going to let him stay. People could’ve died today!”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Borg snapped. “Seven of my best researchers have been hospitalized, and now the damn police are on our back and I could get sued. I could lose millions, you know that? And to make things worse, the kids called me and are trying to see him. They suspect something’s wrong.”

Kai’s blood was roaring in his ears. Was he hearing this right?

Nya put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong? What did they say?”

He shook his head, gesturing at her to be quiet. “They think Lloyd was the one responsible for the accident. People were hurt. Borg might get sued.”

“Would it really be such a bad thing to let him see them, sir? He obviously is very on edge about the testing and sampling. Seeing the others might put him at ease.”

“They’re already suspicious, and I can’t help but feel I’m losing my grip on them. They’re teenagers, I knew they’d rebel at some point, but… I don’t want to risk him telling them anything. Now that he has power over us, I’m not sure what good the threats will do.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

Borg sighed, slow and tired. “I had hoped it would never come to this, but… I think we bit off more than we could chew with this one. And he’s only four, it will only get worse as he ages. I don’t think we will ever be able to put a handle on him. I had hope, after such great success with the others, but… it just didn’t work out. Breeding oni and dragon and trying to contain it was always going to be a bad idea.”

“Are you sure, sir? There’s no going back if you decide to go through with it.”

“I’ve thought about it for a while now, and today’s accident has only solidified my suspicions. We will still be fine. The others have amazing amounts of strength, speed, stealth, and heightened senses. We can be well-equipped without him.”

“Alright. We will begin making preparations first thing, sir.”

“Make sure you keep the body so we can continue to study it. I want him euthanized first thing in the morning. The longer we wait, the more of a window we give him to act up again.”

No. No, no, no, no, no. Kai squeezed his eyes shut, slumping against the door as the door to Borg’s office was clicked shut. This couldn’t be happening, it was just some sort of sick dream, Borg would never do this-

“Kai, Kai please, answer me!”

He opened his eyes to see Nya shaking him gently.

“You were right,” he croaked, “we have to go.”

“Kai, what’s wrong, what did you hear, you’re scaring me.”

Kai stumbled to his feet, and Nya grabbed his arm as he trembled. There was no time to sit around and mope. Lloyd’s life was on the line.

“Nya, we have to go-” he reached for the doorknob and began to twist it.

“Wait, are you sure they’re gone, we can’t get caught-”

“I’m sure, we have to hurry-”

Nya skidded in front of him. “Kai, tell me what’s going on. I need to know what happend. I can help!”

“There’s no time, Nya,” he gasped, half in tears by this point. “I’ll tell you later. I’m going after Lloyd. You go and get the others. Meet me near that little diner at the edge of the city. The one we went to for your birthday last year, you know the one? We’re leaving. Now.”

“Wait, you mean you changed your mind?”

“No. I told you that I was going to do whatever it took to keep you guys safe. Before, that meant staying here. Now, it means leaving. It is the circumstance that has changed, not me.”

Nya gazed at him, tears glazing her eyes. “I wish you would tell me more.”

“I still need time to process. I’m sorry.”

“I get it. Just stay safe, okay?” She kissed him softly on the cheek, and then, she was gone.

Kai didn’t waste any time, and set right off on the researcher’s trail. Eventually, it led him to a small, closed off wing, where she had then taken a right, but Kai was more interested in the room on the left.

Two guards, armed with guns, stood attentive at it. Kai shifted into a lion, and, trying to remember stalking lessons from Nya, crept along the hallway. If they spotted him before he was within pouncing distance, he was done for. They wouldn’t hesitate with the guns, he was sure.

Luckily, Nya was an amazing teacher, and as one guard fell to the ground with a smack, the other one turned sharply, raising his gun, but Kai was already pouncing, knocking him out.

Shifting back into himself, he grabbed the keys from the guard’s pocket, and unlocked the door.

Inside, the lights were dim. Kai wished he had Nya’s night vision right about now.

When his eyes finally adjusted, Kai choked back a gasp. Lloyd was lying on the floor, chains bolted around his wrists, ankles, and tail. Metal clamps pulled back his wings, and a muzzle had been tied over his mouth.

“Oh my gosh, Lloyd-” Kai dropped to his side, trying not to look at the boy’s face. Blinking back tears- emotion was something they didn’t have time for right now- Kai ripped through the chains and pulled off the muzzle and clamps. Lloyd whimpered, looking up at him with watery red eyes, and reached for him, cooing softly. Kai scooped the boy into his arms, accidentally pulling back his shirt as he did so, and revealing a long, raw, red scar along his side. Kai quickly pulled the shirt back down, looking away, and planted a kiss on his forehead. Bolting to his feet, he took off down the hall, towards the back door.

After only a minute of running, an alarm began to flash, and Kai swore under his breath, praying that the others were already out.

After what felt like far too long, he spotted the door. As he sprinted for it, he heard someone yell out behind him, but it was too late. He was already out the door.

He didn’t stop though. He wasn’t stupid enough to think they would give up chase so easily. Heading down some of the back alleys, he ran in a crisscross of crazy patterns, taking a way which was five times longer and more complicated than necessary, but he wasn’t risking the chance of being caught, or worse, leading the Borg employees back to Nya and the others.

When he began to feel a little safer, he stopped for a rest behind a dumpster. Setting Lloyd down, he checked his phone and saw he had twenty-seven missed calls from Borg.

Shoot, he can probably track this. Cursing under his breath, he tossed the phone in the dumpster. He didn’t like being phoneless, but it was a thousand times better than the alternative.

Lloyd’s stomach growled loudly, and Kai glanced down at him. The boy looked smaller than ever, his red eyes wide and scared. Kai crouched down, pulling his trembling form close, and the two just sat there for a moment, silent. Kai breathed in Lloyd’s comforting scent.

I almost lost this. Forever.

Kai wiped at his eyes. But he hadn’t. And they weren’t safe yet. They had to keep moving, and get as far away from that phone as possible.

But first, he had to find the poor kid something to eat. He looked half-dead on his feet, and Kai felt a surge of anger as he realized that Borg probably hadn’t been feeding him well.

Jumping into the dumpster, Kai scrounged around until he was able to find half of a cheeseburger and a stale bag of pretzels. Not the most sanitary, but it would have to do.

“Here, bud, you want these?” He handed the food to Lloyd, and either the boy was really, really hungry, or his animal instincts were just kicking in, because he scarfed down the food without any reservation about the fact that Kai had literally dumpster dove for it.

As Lloyd finished the food, licking the wrapper, he spoke for the first time since Kai had found him chained up that evening.

“Am I in trouble?” His voice wavered, tears pricking his eyes. “Did I do a bad thing?”

“Honey, no, it’s not your fault,” Kai whispered, pulling him close. “You didn’t mean to do it. Your powers are too strong for your own good. But you’ll learn to control them eventually, I promise.”

“People are hurt,” he whispered. “I’m the reason we had to go.”

“You just opened my eyes to what Borg was doing to you. To his true intentions. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Lloyd looked at him. “He told me he would kill you.”

Kai bit his lip, and Lloyd broke down crying in his lap. Kai curled his arms protectively around him.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I let you go through that all these years and didn’t notice something was wrong.”

Lloyd buried his face in Kai’s shirt. “I just want to be normal.”

---

Lloyd fell asleep soon after that, and Kai carried him towards the meeting place. The walk was long, about two hours, but with every moment that passed, Kai was more and more grateful that he had picked somewhere far away. He was exhausted, and if Borg’s associates found him now, he was in no position to fight back.

It felt like heaven when he finally spotted the little diner in the distance, with its gleaming lights offering a cheery glow to the foreboding dusk. Reluctantly shaking Lloyd awake, he took off his hat and coat and helped Lloyd put them on to carefully mask his monster features. Since Kai hadn’t had time to grab extra, he fluffed up his hair extra (something he hadn’t ever thought he’d do, it was fluffy enough as-is) to cover his ears, and tucked his tail into his pants.

The little bell on the diner door rang cheerily as they pushed their way in. At this time of night, the diner was empty, as expected- but there was one booth in the corner where four people were sitting, eating what looked to be pancakes and bacon. They looked up sharply as the bell rung, and Nya stood up abruptly, meeting his eye.

“Kai,” she cried, running over to him as tears sprung in her eyes. “Oh my goodness, oh my spots, oh my goodness.” She threw her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder as he squeezed her just as tightly back. “You’re alive, thank the stars you’re alive, I thought I had lost you for good.”

“I’m just as relieved to see you guys,” Kai breathed, walking over to the booth. Although it was only intended to seat four, his friends squished over to make room for him, and he scooped Lloyd onto his lap.

“Kai, what took you so long, you had me worried out of my mind,” Nya muttered, stopping to take a breath and sip from her coffee. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Sorry, we got a little held up. We got caught escaping, and were followed. I spent a good hour, at least, trying to throw them. I wasn’t going to risk leading them anywhere.”

“You could’ve at least texted me, letting me know you were alright. Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?”

“I ditched my phone. Speaking of which, you guys probably should too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Borg had a way to track these things.”

“Get rid of our phones?” Jay whimpered. “How are we going to communicate if there’s an emergency?”

“Would you rather us get caught?” Kai snapped. “We can just buy some of those burner phones from the store.”

“Kai, I think you owe us an explanation,” Cole growled. “We’re tired, hungry, scared, and don’t know why we’re here. Nya told us you overheard Borg saying something, but wouldn’t tell her what he said, and just said to run. Are you going to give us any more than that?”

“I’m sorry, but I was just so scared, and there was no time…” He took a shaky breath, drawing an arm around Lloyd and pulling him closer. In a whisper, he admitted, “Borg was going to kill Lloyd.”

The table lapsed into a stunned silence. Even Nya, who had always been heavily critical and suspicious of Borg, looked shocked and horrified.

“When?” Zane asked faintly.

“Tomorrow morning.”

Cole paled about ten shades, Jay looked like he was going to faint, and Zane just stared as if he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“One more day,” Nya whispered. “One more day and we would’ve lost him.”

“Don’t remind me,” Kai told her, his breath hitching as he tried to focus on the weight on his lap- warm, gentle, and alive. He was here. He had saved him.

“I don’t understand,” Jay whined. “Why would he do such a thing? I mean, I know we all had our suspicions, but… kill him? Really? What changed?”

“Remember all those ‘doctor’s visits?’ Apparently they’re some sort of testing, or sampling, or something. Show them the scar, Lloyd.”

The boy looked up at him hesitantly, before slowly pulling up his jacket and shirt to reveal the long scar Kai had seen earlier. Four sharp intakes of breath sounded as it came into view.

“Oh, Lloyd, honey,” Nya whispered.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they were doing at our doctor’s appointments, too, but for some reason they are really obsessed with Lloyd. Something about his lineage, I guess… but it was too much for him. He…”

Kai glanced at Lloyd, who was nibbling at the bacon Cole had slipped him. He didn’t seem too invested in the conversation, but he still kept his voice low.

“That tremor we felt? Apparently, Lloyd caused it. People were injured, and… the police came to investigate… Borg was furious. He decided Lloyd had caused more trouble than he was worth. Lloyd was chained and muzzled when I found him, and I… I couldn’t… I wouldn’t deny it any longer. Borg doesn’t care about us. He never has. He’s just using us.”

Silence gripped the table as his friends stared at him. Jay wiped at his eyes, which were bright and wet.

“What do we do now, Kai?” Nya asked, her voice barely audible.

“What do we do? We survive. You got some money, I hope?”

“We’ve been stashing it. Any time Borg gave us money on an outing that we didn’t use, we kept it. We brought everything we could find. And a few valuable items as well. We can sell them if we need to. Hopefully this will last us a while, if we stick to the necessities.”

“Good. Because we’re going to need every penny we can get. I have no idea how long we’ll have to be out here.”

“As long as Borg is hunting us, nowhere is safe,” Cole warned. “He’s got amasses of people at his disposal. I don’t know where we’re going to go that he can’t reach.”

“I know a place.”

---

“Are w-we al-almost there, K-k-kai,” Nya hissed, her teeth chattering. “I’m freezing.”

“We’re here.”

Jay stopped beside him. “An old warehouse?” “Hey, I remember this place,” Cole said, stepping up beside him. Lloyd was fast asleep in his arms- he had been out cold before they had even left the diner, and when Kai had tried to carry him, Cole had told him off, saying he had already done more than his fair share for the night, and that he ought to give someone else a turn before he keeled over from exhaustion. Kai was grateful for the gesture, although they still had needed to walk another hour to get to his destination.

“When we were younger, Cole and I used to take a bus down here sometimes on our days out to play around in this abandoned warehouse.” Jay raised his eyebrow, and Cole laughed. “When you’re a twelve year old boy, those kinds of things sound a lot cooler than they actually are. Still, I’m grateful you thought of it now. Who would’ve thought, when everyone else failed us, it’s the old warehouse that held through.”

“It’s nothing special,” Kai said as they tramped inside, “but it’s sheltered, it’s sturdy, and, most important of all, it’s unsuspecting. I doubt Borg would ever think to look here.”

“It’s perfect, Kai,” Nya sniffed, “Thank you.”

“I don’t know why you’re thanking me,” Kai sighed, lowering himself onto the ground and wincing at the ache in his back. “I was the one who kept trying to convince you that the child-murdering psychopath actually cared about us.”

“It’s not your fault, Kai. Borg tricked all of us. If it weren’t for your jump into action, we’d have lost our baby brother.”

“I just can’t stop thinking,” he whimpered, squeezing Nya’s hand tighter, and watching Lloyd from where Cole cradled him across the room, stroking him gently, “what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten there in time, or if I had decided to stay back in our room.”

“You can’t spend time dwelling on the past, Kai. You didn’t do those things, and everything worked out- well, as best as we could ask for, at least. You have to have more faith in yourself. We’re scared and confused, and we’re looking to you. I know that’s not fair, that you’re struggling just as much as any of us, but it’s the way things are. We need someone strong, like you, to keep us going.”

“I want to protect you guys, and keep you safe, more than anything else in the world. But I’m lost. I don’t know what to do, and I can’t do this alone.”

“Oh, Kai. No one would ever ask you to do anything alone. Whatever happens next, we’re all right here.”

#ninjago #NinjagoInhumanAuWeek #For the Romping and the Roaring #R&R #Part 1 #rosie writes #ugghhh guys i pounded this out in like four days and i am exhausted #i should've started writing for the event earlier #the amount of writing ive done in the last two weeks is insane #i'm lowkey gonna have burnout after this lol #my fic

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bazypitchandsimonsnow · 5 years

Text

Always Chasing After You

Rating: T

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Word Count: 5655

Summary: Baz is out for a walk, when the most ridiculous and beautiful boy in the universe runs into him. And the Chosen One has gotten himself into trouble. Again. Based on "there’s people chasing us and I pulled you into the alley with me and wow you’re close" and "I’m dying and I’m confessing my love for you" requests

Read on AO3

AN: Again, I can't express my apologies enough for taking so long with these requests. Stupid work and health, ugh. Idk if you guys are annoyed, but I'm def annoyed with myself. I hate being too tired to do things. But I got this done so yay! Hope you guys like it :)

———————————————

Baz

Why the fuck am I out here? It’s the day before Christmas Eve and bloody freezing, yet I’m wandering the streets like some moping emo. That’s probably what I am honestly. A depressed, lonely, lovesick emo, trying to freeze away my stupid feelings.

I shove my hands in my jacket pockets, warming up slightly. And my stupid lovesick brain imagines that warm, callused fingers are there heating my skin. I rip my hand out, keeping it in the cold, making the thoughts disappear by sheer stubbornness. No, stop it, subconscious. It’s not possible. Just because Snow and Wellbelove broke up last week doesn’t mean there’s a chance for me. There will never be a chance.

My head drops. I stare at the snow dusted ground, trying not to think of him. As if that’s even possible.

“Fuck fuck fuck!”

That’s the last thing I hear before a bloody fucking battering ram hits me. I yelp as I fall over onto the pavement, barely stopping my head from smashing open with my arm. Something or someone is pressing my back down. I whip my head back, ready to scream my head off, but then I’m met with panicked plain blue eyes.

“Snow?” I say.

“Baz?!” he replies, panting for breath. “What are you doing here?!”

“I could ask you the same thing.” I look to my left, and my eyes widen. “Why is your bloody sword out?”

“Uh, well, actually.” A rumble thrums through the pavement, like distant thunder. It gets closer and closer. Simon scrambles off me (unfortunately) and holds his sword tighter.

“You’re gonna want to run,” he says. “Like, now.”

I lift my head up just in time to see scaly feet pounding on the ground. “What the fuck?”

“Now!” Snow grabs my arm and hauls me to my feet. I scramble to follow him, the thundering sound chasing after us.

We bob and weave and duck through the streets. There’s only a couple of people, and they run away pretty quickly when they see whatever is behind us. I try to take note of Snow’s appearance. He’s in jeans and a hoodie, both tattered and bloodied. He’s not even wearing winter boots, just ratty old trainers. Bloody hell, he’s going to catch his death of cold. If we’re not killed by whatever’s chasing us first.

I catch up to Snow (thank magic for football). “What the ever loving fuck is going on, Snow?”

Snow dashes around the corner, and starts speaking between panting breaths. “Uh, long story short, accidentally wandered into a goblin nest while looking for a late night snack at a twenty four hour store.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Yeah.”

I follow Snow down a side street, and the thumping follows. “You are an utter fucking disaster, Snow!”

“Um, duh!” He grabs and swings around a pole to make a tight turn. I just use my feet like a normal person. “Why are you out here late at night? Isn’t your house in Hampshire?”

“I was at my aunts and I needed to clear my head.” Because I can only think about you, Snow. And it’s driving me to the brink of insanity.

Simon barks out a laugh. It’s wonderful noise. “What are the odds, huh? Just running into you.”

I let out my own tiny chuckle. “Yeah, true enough.”

We run down the streets at breakneck pace. Luckily, London provide lots of tight corners and winding paths. Snow looks over his shoulder a couple times, making his eyes widen in fear. That worries me. Snow has fought a chimera and a dragon. It takes a lot to get to him rattled, and he definitely looks a bit shaken up right now.

Snow dashes down a road, and I follow. But I quickly slam into his back with a formidable thwack, falling on my arse. “Ow!” I shout. “What the fuck, Snow!?”

“They looped around,” he pants out. “They fucking looped around.”

I scramble to my feet. I’m faced with oncoming horde of goblins, all pop star pretty with sharp teeth and claws. “Fuck.” I look over my shoulder. Another group is fast approaching. “Going back isn’t an option.”

Snow looks back too and frowns. “Fuck, you’re right.” Their thundering steps get louder and louder. “You got your wand?”

I pull it out of my inside pocket. “Always.

“Good.” He spins on his heels, sword raised high. “I think we’re going to have to fight our way out.”

“It’s the chimera all over again,” I grumble.

“Don’t get pissy about the chimera, that one was your own fault.” He moves into his fighting pose, every inch the mighty hero. Stupid Snow. Why must he always be so impressive?

I stick my wand out, fire already building at the tip. “Well, this one is your fault, so now we’re even.”

He growls deeply. The sound hits me harder than it should. “Just shut up and fight, Baz.”

“Gladly.”

The goblins close in. And all hell breaks loose.

It’s an absolute tornado of claws and blood and fire. Snow hacks and slashes like a madman. He’s a bloody force of nature with that sword. Nothing can get past him, no one can touch him. I unleash volleys of flames. The goblins roar and reel away, clutching their burnt arms. They jump at me with their supernatural speed, but luckily I’m a creature of darkness too. I block their attacks and kick them off with ease.

As I whip my wand around, sending a fiery lash into the final goblins’ face, I hear Snow shout loudly behind me. My dead heart kicks into overdrive. I spin around instantly. I couldn’t stand it if he got hurt, or worse. No no, that can’t happen.

Snow is being pushed back, feet digging into the ground, sword locked with a goblin’s claw. His drooling maw is far too close to Simon’s face for my comfort. His long teeth graze his face, drawing a drop of blood. My vision goes red. I charge forward and bash my shoulder into the beast’s broad chest, making him fly backwards into some of his fellow brethren. They fall like furious bowling pins, motionless on the ground.

After all the chaos, there’s a moment of silence. The calm after the storm, I suppose. Snow and I stare at each other, both our chests rising high in desperate gasps for air. There’s goblin blood all over his body, but he’s alive. That’s all that matters.

Snow’s gaze is wide, but I can’t tell what emotion lays behind it. Shock, fear, amazement, I have no clue.

“Baz...I...” he starts, words stalling out like a bad car motor. I open my mouth to reply, just as the worst pain I’ve ever felt scorches down my back.

I scream in agony, probably loud enough to wake some Normals. I stumble forward until a pair of strong arms wrap around me. Snow drags me over the waking goblins before they stand up. The pain is throbbing, burning, aching. I’ve heard rumours that goblin claws cause particularly terrible wounds. Unfortunately, they’re true. I push through it to get to my feet, running next to Snow away from these damn creatures.

We run like before through the serpentine pathways. The goblins are slower because of their injuries. They’re more than a few paces behind us. And it can definitely work to our advantage.

Snow and I turn a sharp corner. My eyes catch a narrow, almost invisible crack in a wall. I grip Simon’s arm tight and haul him towards it with all my remaining strength.

“Hey-” I cover his mouth before he can attract more attention with his shouting. He looks at my hand in surprise, but doesn’t push me off. I listen as the hoard approaches like an oncoming storm, then rush right past us. I wait until their heavy steps are completely gone before I (reluctantly) lower my hand from Snow’s mouth.

“They’re gone,” I sigh.

“Thank God,” Snow says.

We both take deep, calming breaths, though our chests are restricted in the tight space. I subtly flick my eyes downward. Blood hell. There’s barely an inch between Snow and I. Just a sliver of air separating my cold corpse from his warm being. He’s still disgusting, covered in goblin blood and dirt, but he’s still the most gorgeous thing in the cosmos. I force my eyes upwards, only to be met with Snow’s own.

Strangely, they’re not scared, or even shocked. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. All I can focus on is that he’s staring at me, that his pink lips are parted slightly, that I can feel his breath on my skin. He’s so close. One step, and we would be pressed together from head to toe. I could kiss him. Right here, right now. He doesn’t want me though, he never has. Yet...he’s looking at me like that. With wide, curious, pretty eyes. Could it be possible? Could he really?

“Simon,” I whisper. And in that moment of weakness, I reach forward, just about to touch his tawny cheek. Miraculously, he doesn’t pull away.

But that’s when the horrible pain shoots through my entire body again.

I gasp and hiss, suppressing the terrible scream I want to let out. My legs completely give out underneath me. Every bone in my body turns to jelly. As I’m falling, for the second time tonight, I feel arms wrap around me. Snow stops me from smashing my skull on the pavement. He gently lowers me down, my head pillowed on his thigh. I wish I was well enough to appreciate this.

“Holy fuck, Baz,” he says. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t know,” I reply, voice strained. I feel like I’m thinking through a fog. ”My back, it really hurts.”

Snow reaches around me, and I faintly feel his hand press against my back. When he pulls back, his palm and fingers are practically dripping in blood.

“Well,” I chuckle weakly, “that’s not good.”

“T-That’s a lot of blood...”

“No shit, Snow.”

He looks down at me with his wide eyes. “Why didn’t you say it was this bad?!”

“Well, we were a bit busy running for our lives.”

“Still!”

“Don’t worry, I’m-” I cough violently into my hand. When I pull it away, there’s tiny drops of scarlet on my pale skin. “Fine.”

“Oh my god, you’re dying.”

“Am not,” I grumble defiantly. Though, for once, Snow might have a point.

“Yes you are!” He runs a hand through his tangled curls. “Fuck, I don’t know any powerful healing spells. I don’t even have my wand!”

The reality of the situation finally hits me. Vampire healing can only work so fast. I suppose the wounds are too wide for it . Snow doesn’t have his wand, and it’s not like he can cast a proper spell anyway. I’m too weak to try to cast anything.

I’m going to bleed to death in an alley while Simon Snow holds me in his arms. It’s not exactly how I imagined I would go, but close enough.

The most surprising part though is how worried Snow looks. I’ve never seen him panicked like this. And all it’s over little old me. Interesting. Horrible, but interesting.

“Fuck, maybe we can get you to a hospital,” he mutters, more to himself than me.

“Snow,” I say, but he doesn’t listen.

“Maybe we can do to Dr. Wellbelove, he could help.”

“Snow.”

“Or maybe the Mage-”

“Simon.” That finally gets his attention and our eyes meet again. His are quivering, matching his shaky breaths. I reach up and touch his cheek. It’s soft, just like I always thought. “It’s okay.”

His brows pull together in indignation. “No, it’s not. You only got hurt because of me, a-and now you’re dying and I don’t know what to do!”

My weak hand trails from his cheek, down his arm, and finally lands on top of his fingers. “Stay,” I say hoarsely. “Just stay.”

Snow’s face tenses up again, and I swear I can see a few tears on his pretty face. It breaks my heart into pieces. He squeezes my hand. “Okay.”

I smile softly. My mind and body are fading, I can feel it. All my thoughts are getting muddled, inhibitions lowering, bravery rising in my final moments. I may finally be brave enough to say the one thing I’ve always wanted to.

“Hey, Snow,” I whisper.

“Yeah, Baz?” he replies.

“I never hated you.” His eyes bug out of his pretty skull. “You’re too incredible to hate.”

His lips fall open again. I want to kiss them. “What?”

“You’re amazing, the best person I’ve ever known.” My limbs are growing weaker. Snow’s face is becoming a blurry abstract blob of blue and bronze and gold. “I love you, Simon.”

The last thing I see is Snow’s beautiful face fall into utter shock, blue eyes sparkling and pink lips open wide. That’s a good thing to die looking at. I lose the ability to move at all. Everything is fading away. I wonder if my mother will greet me in the afterlife. I wonder if I even have a soul to go there.

And that’s my final thought before the world goes black.

———————————————

Hurts. Everything hurts.

My whole body aches worse than it has in years. Is this what Hell feels like? Just painful darkness for all eternity, uncertain of where you even are? It’s a far cry from fire and brimstone, but somehow so much worse.

Slowly, my other senses come back to me, something other than searing pain. I feel softness beneath me and over me. I hear clamoring voices and footsteps. And is that...bacon? Does hell smell like bacon?

It takes me awhile, but I realise I can open my eyes. Everything is too bright and blurry. I blink as my vision readjusts. Okay, I don’t think this is hell. Instead, it’s a small white room with old pine furniture. A closet, a desk, a shelf filled to the brim with books. I recognise the knapsack on the floor, dark blue with a feminist patch sewn on in blatant defiance of Watford’s uniform code. My eyes scan further up, and immediately grow wider.

Snow is curled up in a ratty arm chair, still dressed in his goblin blood covered jeans, hair tangled with the goop. His sleeping face is awkwardly squished against the side, a little drool falling from the corner of his mouth. But strangest of all, sprouting from Snow’s back are a pair of massive scaly red dragon wings that curl around him like a cocoon. A matching devil’s tale drapes over the seat and onto the floor. And I thought Snow couldn’t get anymore fascinatingly strange.

“Good morning, Basil.” I jolt up, causing pain to lance through my body. I hiss as I turn my head, though I already know who it is.

“Hello, Bunce,” I reply. “Where am I?”

“My house, in my room specifically.” She walks forward, looming over me in a strangely menacing way. “You’re welcome for the bed, by the way.”

I look down at the little twin bed I’m in. The sheets are moderately nice, and there’s a Star Wars blanket on top of me. “Um, thank you.” I run my hand over the fleece. It feels real enough. I look up at Bunce. “Am I dead?”

“Nope. Not for lack of trying though.” She points down, and I follow her finger. Well, this is something. My entire torso is wrapped in tight bandages, all the way from my shoulders to my waist.

“Oh my...”

“Yeah. You can thank my mum for that. She’s got five kids, she’s used to patching up scrapes. Though this was more than a scrape.”

“That’s an understatement. Damn goblins.”

“Simon told me all about it.”

My eyes flick over to Snow, curled up in his little wing cocoon. “What happened? How did I get here?”

She sighs and puts a hand on her hip. “Simon showed up here in the middle of the night carrying you and looking like...that. You were barely alive. He begged me to heal you. So we brought you upstairs and I casted every healing spell I know while Simon told me what happened, about the goblins and you saving his life. Then my mum bandaged you up. You survived, obviously, but I warned Simon that you may not wake up, considering how much blood you lost.” She glances over at the sleeping dragon boy. “He hasn’t left that chair, wouldn’t move no matter how much I asked him. For once, you might have a better idea of what’s going on with Simon than I do, Basil.”

If I had enough blood to blush, I would. Simon stayed with me. Was it out of guilt? Or something else? “I’m not sure, actually.”

“Alright.” She sounds a bit annoyed, but accepts it. “Do you need anything to eat? Or...anything to drink?”

I gulp and stare to the side. “Are you really buying into Snow’s crazy theories now, Bunce?”

“Not really. But you’re injured, so if he’s right, I think I’d rather ask than have you die.”

“Will you turn me into the Coven?”

Her eyes flick over to Simon, and her face softens, arms falling down. “I know I’m supposed to, but you saved my best friend’s life. I think it would be a dick move to turn you in after doing that.”

“You promise you won’t?”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I promise.”

I see no sign of deception, no sign of malice. She looks genuinely kind. If I were stronger, I would probably keep refusing. But right now I feel like I’ve been run over by ten very heavy lorries. I don’t think I could survive without blood right now. So I lean further back against the wall.

“Animal blood works,” I say quietly. ”Despite Snow’s assumptions, I don’t kill humans. And if you have any real food it would be appreciated. I need that too.”

Bunce nods. “We made some blood pudding yesterday. I’ll get the leftover pig’s blood from the fridge. And I’ll make some soup too.”

I nod slowly. “Thank you, Penelope.”

She lightly pats my shoulder, trying to not aggravate my wounds. “Welcome.”

She turns on her heels and walks out. I take deep calming breaths, both for my wounds and for my panic. I just admitted I was a vampire. Penelope Bunce knows I’m a dark creature. But she hasn’t killed me. She’s grateful, because I saved Simon. And then I said I loved him. Bloody hell, what have I done?

“Baz?” I slowly turn my head to the side. Snow is rubbing his eye like a toddler just waking up from a nap. It’s absolutely adorable.

“Good morning, Snow,” I say with a raspy voice.

He stretches out, feet touching the ground and wings spreading out. He looks bloody majestic, like a storybook creature. “You’re awake.”

I laugh softly even though it hurts. “Yes, I am, last I checked.”

Snow stands up with shaky legs. His wings flare out and I’m even more glad that I can’t blush. “I...I thought you were dead.”

“Apparently I nearly was.”

“Yeah...” He walks towards while fiddling with his dirty fingers. “I really thought you were. Dead that is, in the alley after you passed out. There was so much blood...”

My heart aches at his small voice and nervous fiddling. He looks so scared. And it’s because of me. It hurts, yet a dark part of me wants him to care that I nearly died. “Yes, that goblin wasn’t playing around I suppose.”

My joke lands with with not even a fizzle. Snow’s face stays tense and nervous. He very slowly walks closer, like he’s afraid. I’m not sure of what though. “You were bleeding out, and I couldn’t think of anything to do. I was so sure you were going to die. I-I’ve never felt more scared and helpless in my life. And then...” He lifts his head. And his wide, wet, vulnerable eyes finally meet mine. “Baz, do you remember what you said to me? Just before you passed out?”

I gulp down the massive lump in my throat. Of course I remember. It was the stupidest decision I ever made, and I only did it because I assumed I was dying. Now I’m here, alive in a world where Simon Snow knows how much I adore him. So what do I do now? Do I run away? Or do I face the damage I’ve caused? I stare at Snow’s open face. There’s none of his usual anger. Snow has always worn his heart on his sleeve, he can’t hide anything he’s feeling. He’s obviously nervous, pulled in physically and emotionally, but he doesn’t look scared or angered. I think for once he doesn’t hate me. And I think for once I don’t need to be afraid.

“Yes,” I force out. “Yes, I remember, Snow.”

He lets out a quiet shaky, breath. A lot of tension leaves his shoulders. I think he assumed I would run away. I can’t blame him, I nearly did. Snow steps closer, standing at the edge of the bed. “Okay, okay. Did you, uh, mean it?”

My mouth pulls into a frown. Yes, Snow, I wanted to mess with you the minutes before I assumed I would die. Part of me wants to be angry, but I have never been truthful with him before. I can be now though. I nod slowly. “Yes, I did, Snow.”

“Oh.” His voice squeaks in this utterly adorable way. He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Um, how long have you uh, felt like that?”

I chew my lip for a moment. No Basil, you’ve already gotten this far, don’t be a coward now. “A long time. Almost since we met.”

His eyes widen. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Y-You’ve never said anything...”

I sigh, putting a hand on my stomach. “I never could, Snow. We’re meant to be enemies.”

“Oh, yeah...” He looks at the end of the bed and lazily lifts his arm. “Can I, uh, can I sit here?”

“Go ahead.” I’ll never object to having Snow near me, even if it’s at the end of a bed and between a sheet.

“So,” he starts tracing random patterns on his leg, “I know we’re supposed to be enemies. But you don’t want that, right?”

My heart aches, just like it did the moment I realised my feelings at 15. “No, I don’t. But it’s not like I have much choice.”

“Who says?”

I furrow my eyebrows. Even that hurts a bit to do right now. “Let’s see, my father, my aunt, your mentor, years of power abuse, the ghost of my mother, and the entire bloody Magickal World.”

“But none of those people are you, Baz.”

That hits hard. It’s delightful if not a bit tragic that Snow thinks I have any control over this matter. That I have any ability to do what I want.“No, but that’s not the point. Even you call me your nemesis.” And it stabs me in my undead heart every time I hear it.

“Yeah, I know,” he grumbles. Snow finally looks at me again, his gaze now determined. “But I’m not sure that’s true now.”

I won’t lie, that sends an ever frightful spark of hope in me. I school my face, only raising one eyebrow. “Oh?”

Snow nods, hands linked in his lap. “Yeah. I mean, I thought you were an evil monster, but you’re not. You’re a snob, and a bully, but you’re not a monster.”

“Thank you?”

He sighs and drags a hand over his tired face. “Sorry, words, ugh. What I’m trying to say is that you’re not the villain I always thought you were. You helped me fight the goblins and saved my life, twice really. I don’t think an evil person would do that.”

My mouth nearly twitches up into a smile, but I keep my composure. “If you say so...”

“Yeah, I-I do. And then,” he gulps a little, “when you were dying, seeing you like that...it was horrible. I suddenly thought about life without you, and it was terrifying. You’ve always been there. I can’t imagine you not being near me, where I can see you, where I can make sure you’re safe.”

Oh, how incredibly glad I am that I can’t blush right now. Why must Snow do this to me? My undead heart and broken body can only take so much. “You care for my safety? What, want to make sure you’re the one who kills me?”

Snow tilts his head back. “Baz, stop,” he groans loudly. “I’m trying to be serious here! I’m saying I don’t want you to die at all! The thought of you actually dying scares the fucking shit out of me. When you passed out, I sprouted fucking dragon wings and flew you here I was so terrified.” He puts his face in his hands, shoulders trembling with every breath. “You said you fucking loved me, Baz. I...I can’t even think about killing you now, it makes me feel sick.”

Crowley. He looks so upset, so broken. My brave strong hero, completely destroyed by the thought of my demise at his hands. I never thought I’d see the day. It’s absolutely heart wrenching. It’s difficult for me to lean forward, but I do it, for Simon. I place my hand on his. They lower slightly from his eyes, letting me see a sliver of plain blue.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry I scared you. And I’m sorry I put that on you so suddenly. It was unfair.”

Surprisingly, he doesn’t yell at me or storm off to go bash something. Snow just grabs my hand tight while he wipes his eyes with the other. “It’s alright. Y-You thought you were going to die...”

I squeeze his hand lightly. “Yes. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to say it otherwise.”

He nods slowly, looking me in the eye. And I think we understand each other more now than ever before.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” he says quietly.

“You don’t have that option,” I reply. “Neither of us do.”

“I don’t care.” He looks at me with his puffy eyes and little frown. “I’m not going to fight you. Everyone else can fuck off.”

A laugh spills out of my mouth. But even that relatively small sound hurts my chest. I hiss and press a hand over my heart. And to my utter surprise, Snow presses his own hand there.

“Lay down. You should actually rest. We both should.” His voice is soft, caring, and I wish I could hear it like that all the time.

I do as he says, shimmying down so my head rests on the pillow. I expect Snow to go back to his chair. But instead, he moves further up the bed. I freeze, and he decides to look up.

“Can I?” he asks. “T-The chair isn’t really comfortable...”

I slowly nod, hoping I won’t burst into flames from all the insane emotions inside of me. Snow lays down, just next to my arm, human and dragon limbs alike hanging off the edge. I shift to the side. Snow moves even closer. We stare at each other for a long moment, time and space bending around his plain blue eyes and freckled face.

“I like this,” Snow whispers. “What we’re doing now. I like this better than fighting.”

“What is this?” I ask, because I’m genuinely confused. I know what I want this to be but Snow might have an entirely different idea. He probably does.

“I’m not sure yet. I just know I like being close to you, making sure your safe instead of yelling. I don’t know if it’s...love. Love is a big word. I’ve never really fully got love, never learned about it as a kid. But I care about you a lot. I always have, but now it’s a good way.”

I’m filled with a mix of emotions. A swirling sea of hope and confusion and wonder. I want to believe Snow loves me or one day could, I really do. But it’s an impossible feat. Right? “Snow-”

“You called me Simon before.” That little smirk is so annoying and so attractive.

“Simon,” I sigh. “That’s very nice to say, but you know how strongly I feel. So please don’t play with my emotions.”

Snow shakes his head as hard as he can. “I’m not, I wouldn’t do that, Baz. I-I just...so much has happened today. I’ve just found out my enemy has loved me for almost seven years after nearly being killed by goblins. My tried as fuck brain is still catching up and shit. But I do know I really care about you, and I want to try...being with you in a better way. That’s all I can say for sure right now.”

If Snow were a terrible person, someone like me, I would doubt him. Maybe think this is some long plot to get me to let my guard down. But he’s such a golden hero, always has been. He’s honest, honourable, and kind to a fault, the things I love the most about him. He wouldn’t lie to me. But there’s still so much in our way...

“What do you want us to do then?” I sigh. “Just pretend we’re not on opposite sides of a war?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe we could do this and show everyone they can work together and don’t have to fight.”

“And the whole world of mages will hold hands and sing a song about cooperation.” My pessimism and sarcasm are always persistent.

Snow smiles slightly. I feel something brush against my hand and I jolt. I know exactly what it is though. All warm with rough calluses, what else it could be? “Could I start by holding your hand?”

I gulp again. I can’t imagine how ridiculous I look. I want that so much, but I’m scared. I’ve been scared for years. Snow has always been braver than I am. Maybe I can be brave too.

Slowly, I take Snow’s rough, warm hand in mine. Our fingers weave together perfectly like a finely made tapestry. Snow rubs his thumb back and forth on my skin. It’s so simple, yet my body feels like it’s burning to happy ash.

“We can talk more later,” he says. “I know you’ll want to overanalyze everything even more.”

I laugh again, not caring that it hurts my chest. “You know me too well.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand. “Yeah. Not as much as I thought I did though, so I want to learn more.”

It’s a miracle I’m not a puddle right now. I think Snow’s hand is the only thing anchoring me to this Earth. We stare at each other for a long time. He just keeps smiling. And slowly, I start doing the same.

“I want to learn more about you too.”

We grin at each other. Snow and I are both damaged, confused, exhausted young men. But that only means we can understand each other better than anyone else. It will be incredibly difficult. Almost everything and everyone will stand in our way. There’s a high chance of more bloodshed and tears. Yet, I think this could work.

Oh, how I want this to work.

———————————————

Penelope

Making any sort of food in my kitchen is incredibly difficult on a good day, what with six people living here, but today is particularly hellish. My mother and father are racing around trying to prepare for Christmas supper. They keep asking if Simon and Baz are going to be here tomorrow and if they’ll need more food. Priya asks if Simon is a pokemon now. Pip wonders if Baz is really a vampire. Pacey wants to eat the candy canes early. It takes far, far too long to make some damn soup and blood.

Finally, I get up the stairs with a bowl of chicken noodle and a thermos full of pig’s blood. I have no idea how Basil drinks this stuff. It smells absolutely vile. I keep the thermos far away from me as I climb the stairs. Slowly, I push open my bedroom door. And I nearly drop everything because of the sight I see.

I’m not sure what to make of this. Baz and Simon are both asleep, on the bed, very close together. I’ve never seen them so close, except when Simon was cradling Baz’s unconscious bleeding body earlier. This is far less horrifying.

Baz is still laying on his back with one hand on his stomach, but his other is entwined with Simon’s. He’s curled around Baz, face pressed into his long neck, arm draped over his shoulders, and one leg slung on top of his like he’s trying to climb Baz’s long body. Even his dragon limbs are all over Baz, tail wrapped around his thigh and wing draped over them like a scaly blanket. But the strangest thing is that Simon looks...calm. I’ve seen him sleep before, curled in a knot and whimpering from his nightmares. From what Simon has said, Baz has nightmares too. Right now though, they’re just laying there with no sign of pain.

Baz got seriously injured after saving Simon’s life. Simon brought a near dead Baz to me while almost in tears. Now they’re tangled up together and sleeping peacefully.

Everything is starting to make sense.

I leave the tray on my desk. I doubt the soup will still be warm by the time they wake up, but I’d rather let them sleep. Simon and Baz are still snoring softly when I close the door. And I think that’s the best thing to happen today.

———————————————

AN: Alright another one done! I've still got a quite a few in my inbox, including the ones I had to skip and go back to later. And if anyone else wants to send a request before I close them, please do so by September 2nd. You can choose from the cliche/trope list or just what you want. I can't promise I'll get to it soon, but I'll do my best. Have a nice day :D

#carry on #snowbaz #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #fluff #angst #tw: blood #pre canon #canon divergence #t talks

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