Terror, Trust, Trepidation

by Hamii (Miss_Hami)

Summary:

Senkuu thought he was safe. Those who had hurt him had been defeated, everything should have slowly gone back to normal. Wrong. The Medusa cult is far bigger than anyone could have ever imagined, and Senkuu isn't the only one they're after anymore.

When the Cult launches their second, more brutal attack, Gen's paranoia only increases, and he finds his mental state slipping further and further as he desperately tries to protect the one he loves the most. What limits are there to his determination to keep Senkuu safe? None, is the answer.

He will take every last one of them down. Personally if need be.

Notes:

I'm back! I was originally planning to leave this series until around December, but then the new spin-off hit and... WHAT?? HUH??? HOW??? (I pray that the spinoff doesn't lead to where I believe it's leading to because...no...)

 

Motivation restored, I bring to you part two of my now definitely canon divergent series. this work will be a lot longer now that I have no prompt time constraints and maybe somehow more angst filled than the first, but with a happy ending!

Updates when I feel like it

PS: this is part two of my angst series, please read part one first! It's a bit darker and more gorey, but I assure you it's worth everything!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sense overload, implied/referenced suicide,

Chapter 1

Chapter one: 

 

For a few blissful moments, Senkuu was floating. It could have been seconds, minutes, years in the blink of an eye, but for once, the eternal ticking clock in his mind had stayed quiet. It was peaceful, and still yet complete. Like a puzzle with one piece missing, an absent link that tethered him from straying too far.  Was this death? It was more calm than he had imagined. He had conjured false images of eternal suffering in silence and darkness, just like there , but this was nothing like those fleeting nightmares. Senkuu could see everything and nothing at the same time, vibrant colours blurring together, indistinguishable from one another but never nonsensical. He could hear thousands of voices, tones muffled and unclear, but he still understood every word.

Senkuu was almost fine with staying here, if only he could be here too, then that would really set the deal…

And then he woke up. 

 

1, 2, 3, 4…

 

For a while, he drifted in and out of consciousness, occasionally stirred by the sounds of passing doctors and the warm feeling of sunlight seeping in through the window. A few hours passed, the sounds of conversation approaching close - a small crowd of people forming outside of his room, chanting to be allowed inside to see their friend. Senkuu didn’t have any strength to protest, not that he would have said anything given the opportunity. Who was he to be afraid of his allies? People who had stood by him for years. It was illogical, the way he shivered slightly, gripping the shrivelled, thin bed sheets with shaking fingers as the polished doorknob shifted to the side and a hurricane of energy burst into the room. 

 

“Everyone stay calm please!”

 

“Are you sure he’s conscious? His eyes are closed..”

Why was everything so loud…?

“Is he okay?”

 

CREAK. RUSTLE. 

 

Senkuu wanted it to stop. It was too much for him to process all at once. 

 

“SENKUU! I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE AWAKE! ”

Help…

 

The mindless rustling of the people surrounding him - cornering him- trapping him, pierced his ears like needles digging into his skull. The howling breeze was forever prevalent, unremovable background noise that he hadn’t been aware of before. The shouts cried - or were they just conversations?. It was all so deafening he wanted to curl up into a ball and forget the world and forget being alive and go back, however he was hooked to so many dozens of machines he wasn’t sure he could move even if he tried. Senkuu had expected something like this to occur at some point if he ever was rescued - finally being able to hear again after so long in silence would undoubtedly be an overwhelming experience - but this was more than that. Far more. It had only been twenty six seconds and he nearly felt like vomiting from the noise alone. Maybe… if he just pretended to fall asleep, the crowd would eventually disperse with the passing of time. 

 

No such luck. Ten minutes and twenty two seconds went by and no one showed any signs of leaving, all still firmly at his bedside, though slightly quieter. Senkuu would just have to brave it, speak to everyone despite the pain in his head and the fear in his heart that he would be hurt- 

 

And then he arrived.

 

“What were you all thinking? Can’t you see you’re stressing him out, all of you, back up!” A voice cried out, breathing heavily as if they had just run a mile in a raging storm. The missing puzzle piece finally slotted into place with a harmonious click.  Whereas the former sounds felt invasive, the sound of his voice was a comforting blanket drowning out all else. Everyone else had gone silent, seemingly at a loss for words, finally.  

 “Gen?”

 

The silver eyed man’s pupils glazed over, clouded grey hues distorted by the shine of tears. He blinked, perhaps trying to prevent himself from crying, or, for the other likely explanation, that he simply didn’t believe what he was seeing. As Gen composed himself, Senkuu did a once over of his appearance because well, he looked awful . There were heavy bags under his eyelids, and his face was pale and far more gaunt than Senkuu remembered it being in the past. His posture was stooped and withdrawn, and he crossed his arms over his chest tightly as if to quell a heart beating at an abnormal rate.  Seeing Gen so desperate made Senkuu’s gut twist. Being gone for so long had affected his friend far deeper than initially he had presumed. Gen had endured all this all because Senkuu couldn’t escape. Useless. Worthless. Helpless- 

 

Before he could spiral any further, Senkuu was pulled into a tight hug. The sudden contact made him jump a little, but he didn’t dwell on fear and unease. Instead, in spite of himself, Senkuu leaned in closer to the hug, savouring an embrace for probably what would be the first time in his life. He had never enjoyed prolonged affection like this, but now the thought of letting go was unbearable.   And so he clung on, like a sailor adrift on the ocean with only a single raft to keep his head above the water, the man never let go. Senkuu could feel quiet, muffled sobs against his chest, although he wasn’t sure whether it was Gen’s or his own.

 

Maybe both. 

 

When Gen finally pulled back, Senkuu was surprised to find the room departed of all except himself and the former. Maybe they had been ushered out, though his memory was… foggy.  For some reason, Senkuu couldn’t remember exactly how long had passed. Gen’s expression had changed from shock, to relief and then finally a dire, desperate gaze that sent a small shiver down Senkuu’s spine. He had seen gazes like that before. On people who had done unthinkable things despite themselves, who had sacrificed everything and more and would not quit until their goal was satisfied. 

 

When Gen spoke, his voice was hushed, an icy firm tone that spoke of happenings beyond Senkuu’s awareness.

 

“ It’s not safe here. We need to leave. Now . I’ve already informed Luna and she agrees. ”

“Not safe?”  had they come back for him? Senkuu was absolutely certain that the cult had been for the most part dissolved into shrouded memories and unaccomplished ideals. 

 

Gen shook his head, dispelling Senkuu’s thoughts even if he couldn’t actually hear them.

 

“No one is going to get you.” Gen asserted, slowly helping Senkuu remove the excess medical equipment and get to his feet. Or at least tried to - the moment Senkuu attempted to stand his legs gave out from under him and he nearly collapsed onto the floor, only held upright by Gen. After being chained for nearly a month, It was probably misuse, draining the muscles in his legs. Senkuu dreaded the physical therapy he would need to get back to full health. “I’ve got transport waiting outside. We need to be silent so the others don’t notice.”

“Why would it be an issue for them to know? I trust each and every one of them.” Senkuu said apprehensively, unsure of his own claims.

 

“I don’t. ” Gen cut through the conversation. Senkuu decided not to reply for now, sensing that it would be best to leave that statement at the door. Still, even without the scientist’s query, his friend continued, “Senkuu, while you were still comatose, someone tried to poison you! You nearly died. Whoever tried to end your life is still unidentified. We can’t take any chances… even with our friends,” he muttered bitterly, the word ‘friends’ laying heavily on his tongue like bile. 

 

Senkuu paused, mulling over the information as he limped, leaning heavily on Gen for support, over to a fire exit located nearby. An attempted assassination didn’t even surprise him all that much. What did cause him concern was Gen’s attitude. He was still breathing erratically, glancing down intermittently but for the most part, the mentalist kept his face totally neutral. As he always did when he was trying to deceive someone. They stumbled outside, Senkuu blinking heavily in the sudden light. Parked nearby was a car, windows blacked out and engine still rumbling. Senkuu was helped into the backseat, a thick blanket pulled over his form as Gen revved the car back into life. Tires screeching slightly, they peeled out of the hospital gates and headed west at an increasing pace. 

 

For eight minutes and six seconds, the pair drove in silence, unspoken questions clamping their mouths shut with the heaviness of the air. Finally, Senkuu attempted to pry at Gen’s shielded persona. 

“You aren’t telling me everything.”

 

“I’m not hiding anything.” Gen gritted his teeth, remaining steadfast. 

 

“Then why do you keep glancing at your phone like it’s some sort of wild animal about to attack!? I’m not a mentalist like you but I know you Gen. So tell me, what the hell happened ?” Senkuu demanded, anger gnawing at his temper. He needed to know everything, even the bad. So he could make sure it would never happen again for as long as he lived. 

 

“...They’ve already made their second attack.”

‘What?’

 

Senkuu didn’t realise he had said that outloud. His blood had gone ice cold. Had someone else been kidnapped, or worse, killed? And how? Senkuu was sure he had seen the petrification beam hit Miyuki, and with their leader gone and most of the members captured, then who could have orchestrated another attack on the Kingdom of Science? Judging from the expression on Gen’s face, the man was dying to know the answer as well. 

 

“Where?”

 

“In America.”

 

Oh.

 

Oh no. 

 

“Don’t tell me, they went after Xe-”

 

“On the mark as always.” Gen breathed, “His current whereabouts are unknown, but from what we could gather, I don’t believe the cult managed to get him as they did with you, but...”

 

“But he’s missing.” Senkuu finished Gen’s trailed off sentence, exhaling loudly and resting his head against the window.

 

“He’s not alone” Gen assured Senkuu, as if that would have any positive effect on the terrible morale in the car. “I… think so, anyway.” He gripped the steering wheel tightly and sighed defeatedly, “Now can you see why I didn’t want to tell you? You’ve been through so much in these last months, more bad news is exactly not what you need to hear right now.”

“No. I need to hear it.” Senkuu objected, “that way we can devise a rescue plan and-

 

“You are staying out of this one! You’ll just get hurt!” Gen put his foot down on the pedal, increasing the speed of the car.

“Oh! like you cared about your own safety by handing yourself to the cult on a silver platter?”  Senkuu hissed, “Petrifying yourself! Does that ring any bells?”

 

“I did it FOR YOU!” Gen yelled. Senkuu flinched back at the sudden rise in temper and Gen immediately drew silent, a look of awful guilt on his face. Senkuu wanted to hit himself. Why did he have to push away the one person who he….

 

“ Maybe you should have just let me die… that way you wouldn’t get hurt .” Senkuu whispered, avoiding eye contact.

 

“You wanted me to do what ?” The car screeched to a halt in the middle of the empty road, and Senkuu was nearly jolted out of his seat. Gen turned, his eyes wild and frantic. 

“I…” Senkuu gave up on words, slumping back in his seat and huddling further into the blanket. 

“You would rather I give up on you and let you die alone and afraid in that hell?” Gen’s voice wavered, and he sounded to be on the brink of tears. “Never!” 

“That wasn’t what I meant.” Senkuu lied.

“Do you know what Tora told me a few weeks ago?”

Oh no. 

 

“He told me you held a fucking shard of metal to your neck and tried to jump! If he hadn’t taken your place you would have DIED! Do you seriously believe I would let you kill yourself without going through tooth and nail to prevent it? I care about you Senkuu, so let me keep you safe. We’ll find them, so… don’t worry. Please.” 

 

The car drew silent, Gen gasped for breath, eyes watering.

 

“I care about you too…” Senkuu finally spoke, tears staining the thick blanket covering his body. His head nodded, and he admitted defeat with the sound of silence.

 

“Let’s go somewhere safe.” Gen started up the car again, eyes firmly locked on the road ahead.

“...Okay.”

 

They drove off.

Chapter 2

Summary:

The Medusa cult attacks.

Notes:

Heavy chapter, read the triggers please.

TRIGGERS: gunfire, explosions, injury, death,

3 days ago...

“Long day?” 

 

Xeno looked up from where he sat at his desk, briefly distracted. Beside him, his partner Stanley stood, having not made a single sound as he entered, typical of a trained war veteran. His green eyes darted from the cluttered floor to the heavy bags under Xeno’s eyes. 

 

“I’ve been surrounded by idiots for hours… Foolish, arrogant idiots.” The man admitted, sighing and taking another sip of his caffeine infused drink. A hand clasped his, slowly guiding it down until the cup was back on the desk.  

 

“Lay off the coffee for a bit, man. Too much and you’ll keel over.” Stanley advised, eyeing over to where several mugs had already been stacked up on the desk. 

 

“Quite a bold statement for the one voluntarily putting nicotine into his lungs.” Xeno retorted, but reluctantly pushed the coffee away, “Well, moving subjects, I thought you were staying at base for the next week?” 

 

Stanley looked down, thinking of a response for a few seconds.

 

“There were… changes in plans. Security measures.” 

 

Ah. He supposed, after what had happened to his former student, it would only be natural for those around him to attempt taking some precautions. Who knew what the group of brainwashed masses would conjure up next? Xeno, personally, couldn’t find it within himself to worry all that much about it. After all, he had Stan, and in the past, it had taken completely petrifying the Earth for a second time to prevent him from reaching Xeno. How long ago was that now? Eleven years? Granted he had only aged for about five of those, and Stan even less considering his statue had been held hostage for a while. To go so far as having him accompany Xeno during working hours was strange. Something had to have occurred recently that he wasn’t yet aware of.  

 

“So I’ll be having a personal body-guard…How ele-” His words were rudely interrupted by harsh buzzing resonating from the phone. He sighed, putting the thing to his ear and waiting for the incessant demands of his co-workers to pile in.

 

“Good afternoon, Xeno. We require your immediate assistance for an inspection of Satellite 216-A at 4:25. We hope this does not interfere with your schedule.” A flat voice he didn’t recognise announced from the other end of the speaker, drawing Stan’s gaze.  Part of Xeno wished the inspection did indeed contrast prior arrangements, but alas, glancing at the calendar proved the time slot to be readily available. 

 

“Hold.” Stanley unexpectedly cut in, glaring at the phone with narrowed eyes. “Confirm your identity first.” 

 

“Being cautious today, are we?” Xeno commented. Stan ignored him, focusing on the speaker, who paused for a second, and then responded. 

 

“My name is Lorei, I’m employed at support in the reestablished NASA. Security code for access to the Satellite project is 5t0n3. Is there anything else you’d like me to confirm before we continue?” 

 

Stan’s expression didn’t falter, but he did back off a little. “We’ll head over to the site shortly.” Then, in a hushed voice, he turned back to his partner, “Stay near to me. We gotta be careful.” 

 

“I’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.” Xeno smiled, but as they boarded the car, his expression shifted, as did Stan’s, who turned far more serious. He looked back, green eyes meeting Xeno’s. “I think we should roll down the windows, don’t you?” Stan nodded in agreement. Gradually, the dark windows raised with a mechanical whir, obscuring the interior of the car from any prying eyes and ears who had intentions to spy on them.  “So, what happened?” He got straight to the point as the engine revved. 

 

Stanley lit another cigarette, “Someone attempted to assassinate your student yesterday via poisoning. The plan failed of course, but it’s confirmed our theories that whatever cult that’s formed isn’t limited to just one sector. All the known members are imprisoned or dead, so there’s either more of ‘em in hiding, or another outside source saw the opportunity.  

“So far, there has been no known presence outside of Japan.” Xeno pointed out. “Are you suggesting the cult is global?” 

 

“This morning, one of your colleagues was found in a ditch with a knife impaling his throat.” Xeno’s eyes widened imperceptibly, the news of another death slightly stunting his train of thought. “According to forensics, he showed signs of repeated stabbing in non-fatal areas. Bloodied rope was located near the corpse which matched the chafing on his wrists.”

“He’d probably been tortured for information then.” Xeno murmured. 

 

“That guy was working on the Satellite you’ve been ordered to inspect. Seems highly coincidental , don’t you think?” Stanley shifted in his seat, and for a second, Xeno caught a glimpse of the polished firearm he had on his person, without a single scratch on the metal or any signs of discharged bullets. Recently made. 

 

“In the same way it’s coincidental that you got assigned as my body-guard.” Xeno eyed Stanley, who didn’t make a verbal response, but he did increase his grip on the steering wheel. 

 

“ You already got taken once .” He murmured. 

 

So this was what it was all about, the pieces finally clicked into place in his mind.   

 

“Last time I was held hostage it was due to my wishes of altering the new world. And remember, I was never tortured or intentionally hurt, simply refrained from completing our goals. This scenario… it isn’t anything like that.” He tried to soothe the man’s nerves, but probably to little success. If anything, it seemed to deepen the furrow in Stan’s brow.  

 

“I know that. Because this time. If they find you, they will hurt you exactly like they did with Senkuu. And that guy nearly died from his injuries.” 

 

“...I’ll be careful.” Xeno finally caved with a sigh, which seemed to calm his partner down for the time being. He could really use a coffee right now. Dealing with a paranoid Stan, a group full of idiots and an in depth inspection of a Satellite model that was in late-stage development was exactly not what he needed on a monday.  They arrived at the construction building at twenty five past on the dot. Grabbing his briefcase, Xeno exited the car, followed closely by Stan, who scanned the area, noting any hidden corners, out of place scenery and open windows with lightning fast perception moulded by years of experience. 

 

“All’s clear.” he muttered. 

 

The Satellite was huge, around the size of a bus, towering over the workers coding and tweaking with it’s controls. Ever since the petrification, nearly all satellites had been destroyed, burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere or falling to a stray asteroid. As of recent, there were still very few functioning masses in orbit. This would be the fifth. 

 

Or maybe the sixth. Recently with their most updated technology they had picked up strange signals resonating from a large mass in orbit around earth, but any messages resonating from within were practically indecipherable, as if years of repeated bursts of information had worn away communication to child-like scribbles and churning masses of numbers and letters. The most plausible message so far was 

‘B__ku__….I___h__e.’ . It was possible that it was merely remnants of the Medusa after it had retreated from the Solar System. This satellite would attempt contact with the mass, trying to distinguish it’s intentions and form as best as possible.

 

Xeno went up to the current head of the workforce, a woman who’s name he couldn’t even remember instinctually. 

 

“So… How can I help you?”

 

“X-Xeno? I wasn’t expecting you to be on site today, has something emerged that we need to be aware of?” She stumbled over her words, a look of sincere confusion on her face.  Behind him, Stanley’s hand twitched towards his gun.  

 

“...I was informed there was to be an inspection occurring at 4:25. Has the schedule changed?” Xeno glanced around. Something wasn’t right. 

 

“No… there’s nothing like that on today. Maybe you were mistaken.” The woman glanced down, flipping through her own notes as if to check what she was saying to be true. Her fingers landed on the page, the date at the top reading 8th of November. “Nope. Nothing happening today. If you want, I can forward you to-” She stopped mid sentence, her eyes widening several fractions as she looked on to a point behind the two. Stumbling a few steps back, she shook, words caged in her throat as she pointed past the both of them to whatever lay behind.

 

At that moment, the Medusa cult reared it’s head once more. 

 

“Shit!” Stanley swivelled around, grabbing his gun, but even his quick reactions couldn’t prevent what happened next. Instead, he turned on his feet, sprinting over to where Xeno and the woman were and grabbed both of them, pulling them to the ground and covering his head as a shockwave blasted through the plaza, hitting those working on the Satellite full force.  

 

BOOM

 

A screeching hurricane of sound and heat hissed overhead, ringing through Xeno’s skull as he was flat against the concrete floor, burns popping up on his arms, legs and back. He could faintly feel Stanley grabbing him and the woman up, practically hauling them over to where the doors had been situated, but through the haziness it was hard to focus. Still, he trusted his partner to lead him to a safety zone, letting himself be dragged through the aftermath of what was probably a bomb exploding nearby. 

 

BANG. BANG. BANG. 

 

Xeno ducked as gunfire reigned overhead, impaling the walls, following streams of blood in their wake.  People around were screaming, trying to haul eachother out of the rubble, only to falter in place, falling limp, limbs splayed against the floor from bullets in their heads. There was so much sound. So much going on. Stanley was right to be paranoid.  They burst through the doors and out into what could probably be best described as a warzone. Bodies leaning against the walls, small fires, smoke clogging up his vision. Beside him, the woman was hyperventilating, coughing up blood as she gasped unsuccessfuly for air. Stanley’s face had gone completely blank, his pupils pinpricks against wide green eyes. He gritted his teeth, keeping his body completely still as the three tore though the building towards the nearest exit. 

 

It wasn’t long before the woman collapsed against the floor, tears in her eyes as she threw up blood. She tried to get to her feet, but quickly fell limp, her legs too shaky to stand. 

 

“D-Dont leave me” She whispered, pure terror in her voice as she tried to get to her feet. Stanley stood, almost a bit too contemplative, but with no time to lose it wasn’t long before he came to a decision. Always a soldier, leaving civilians behind was something that he just couldn’t get over. Xeno distinctly remembered the time he had seen Stanley at his lowest, before the two were even together. The man had showed up late one night outside of his house, having just got off duty. An attack had been orchestrated, and many had died in the crossfire. He had practically fallen into Xeno’s arms and broke down right in the doorway, the most emotional he’d ever been in the many years they had known eachother. It took weeks for him to recover enough to continue duty. They had grown so much closer in those weeks, and it hadn’t been long after that when they’d shared their first kiss.

 

Bittersweet memories.

 

“Help me carry her.” Stanley ordered. Xeno nodded, reaching down to help the woman to her feet-

 

BANG!

 

She twitched, opening her mouth to scream for a split second, and then she keeled over, body completely still, shrapnel buried in her head, eyes glazed over. Dead right in front of his eyes. Another bullet shot past her form, burying into Xeno’s leg, burying itself into the bone and making no exit. Xeno nearly choked, barely burying his emotions as he lurched back, pulled by Stanley back into another sprint. He watched in horror as his partner was forced to abandon the woman’s body, keeping his face dead neutral under the circumstances. But Xeno could see the phantom tears in his eyes. Even when they weren’t there, he knew deep down. 

 

They finally skidded to a halt outside of the emergency exit, which was swiftly kicked down by Stanley. Ahead lay a thick forest, a jungle that had spread through America as a result of the changing climates. Beside them was road, as well as a set meeting spot for events such as earthquakes and fires. But there would be no standing around in an orderly fashion.

 

Xeno had seen where those bullets had been aimed. Most of them had gone for him, only being blocked by debris and other people trying to flee. If that woman hadn’t been in the way, the shot hitting her would have been splicing through his gut. They needed to escape fast. 

“Into the forest” Stanley said, breathing heavily with sweat beading on his forehead, “it’ll be harder to locate us amongst trees, and camouflage works perfectly for me.” As they ran, he loaded the gun, ducking behind a tree and firing off several shots towards where the bullets were coming in fast. Xeno could just perceive a few figures emerging from the exit, forms shrouded in smoke. One look at the weapons they held and the fact that they were aimed right where they had fled told them everything they needed to know. Stanley shot a few rounds and the figures slumped, several dying immediatly. One let out a scream, which probably allerted others inside. Stanley cursed under his breath, and he and Xeno fled deeper into the forest.

 

So this was what it was like for those Kingdom of Science people back then?” Stanley yelled over the gunfire. Xeno almost laughed, trying his best to find amusement from the horrors, even though the image of that woman dying kept replaying in his head like a mantra. 

 

“H-Having second thoughts about your actions?” Xeno gasped out the words, faltering as pain shot through the bullet wound in his leg.

 

“Not entirely. They kidnapped you all the same.” Stanley countered. Xeno noticed that his pace had slowed alongside his partner’s, who was practically leaning on him. 

 

“Adrenaline’s wearing off. I’ll probably pass out in a minute.” He informed the man, only to then stumble over a tree root and nearly collapse, only held up by Stan. His vision flashed white and waves of confusion took hold. Where were they? His sense of direction was off kilter. Xeno blinked the spots out of his vision, only for several more to crop up in their place. 

 

It’s okay, we’re pretty deep in. Any of them come at us and I’ll shoot.” Stanley let Xeno catch his breath, trying to quell his terror unnoticed. Xeno glanced up, eyeing Stan, who didn’t appear all that great either.  Then he noticed the man’s shoulder. A bullet had ploughed straight through, leaving a gaping hole that was quickly filling with blood.

 

“You’re injured as well.” Xeno said, a slight hint of irritantce in his tone. Stanley had definitely intentionally hidden that injury from him.

“It’s fine.” 

 

“Stanley Snyder that is a lie and you know it. You may have elegant perception, years as a sniper and war experience but don’t tell me that having a bullet go through you is ‘fine’.” Xeno ripped up his coat, passing a long strip of fabric over to Stan, “Use that to stop the bleeding.” Stanley nodded, tightening the makeshift tourniquet over his shoulder. Xeno turned back to his own injuries, wrapping the wound on his leg up tightly with cloth. It would require an operation to remove the bullets, but without proper medical attention, they would have to leave that for later, one they were safe. 

 

If they were safe.   

 

There were mild burns over his back, legs and arms, but again, with little medical supplies, it would just have to be endured as pain. Xeno glanced around, trying to regain his bearings after his brief spell of confusion. They were definitely somewhere in the forest, with trees swaying in the wind all around providing cover from the late autumn sun. The ground below was thick and mossy, slightly dampened by heavy rain. Xeno wasn’t someone with flawless geographical knowledge like Chelsea, but he could tell that wherever they were, Stanley had led him to this place for a reason. The sounds of gunfire in the distance had slowly faded as they ran, and now, with the whistling breeze, it would be a strain to hear any disruption at all. 

 

“Why lead us so deep. Surely it would have been more logical to cut through the forest and reemerge somewhere where we can get medical supplies and support?” Xeno queried. Stan looked up. 

 

“I know where we’re going.”

“And where would that be?”

Stanley lit a cigarette, and oddly, Xeno found that usually familiar scent of smoke to know feel unwelcoming, a reminder of the events they had just experienced. “A military base. Hidden in this forest for scenarios similar to this one.”

 

“Smart. Although… our attackers were heavily armed, we have to be cautious incase more people are against us than we think.”

 

“There won’t be any people there.” Stan brushed off the concern.  Xeno tilted his head in confusion, mulling over the words.

 

“Oh, then what exactly will we find, Stan?”

“One word, planes.”

 

“I see…” A small smile crept onto his face, the plan his partner had in mind becoming crystal clear. “Then…?”

 

“Then we’re getting the hell out of here.”

 

Xeno could really, really go for a coffee. 

Notes:

GIVE HIM HIS COFFEE.

Everyone keeps having conversations in cars D:

Pls leave a kudos and comment if u enjoyed, have a nice day :D.

Chapter 3

Notes:

Sad sad chapter today D:.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Panic attacks, suicidal thoughts. References to character death (OC)

“We’re here.” Gen announced, the engine going silent a moment later. The car gradually came to a halt, nestled on the outskirts of a forest about two hours away from any of the current rebuilt civilisation they were aware of. Senkuu peered out of the obscured window, squinting to make out the details through the darkened lenses. Beyond his gaze lay a scene of impeccable nature - a winding forest, bare, snake-like branches adorned with the smallest hints of frost biting at the wood. Foliage had forced it’s way up through the thick undergrowth, and lurking within the thorned bushes, chirping insects clicked and hissed. It was a sight most picturesque - Senkuu could imagine something like it making the cover of some wildlife magazine, back when those sorts of things existed. However, he knew that beneath the dense thicket lay hidden secrets only a few were aware of.

 

“If my memory stands correct, this is one of the Emergency Bunkers we built a few years ago,” Senkuu looked to Gen for confirmation, who nodded without a word, too focused on his surroundings to wage a reply. Then, under his breath, Senkuu muttered “Didn’t think those would ever need to see the light of day again… ” 

 

“Well, I’m glad we were cautious,” Gen eventually responded, glancing out of his window for the seventeen time in twenty two seconds. His silver eyes darted around sporadically - as if to check for something (or someone) who may be lurking out of their line of sight. Finally, with as much delicacy as he could muster, the mentalist inched the car door open, flinching slightly as the hinges creaked. “This is a perfect place to hide you… until it’s safe .” He seemed to stumble over his phrasing over the concept of the latter, turning to open the backdoor and offering a hand to his friend. 

 

Gen helped Senkuu out of the car, letting the man lean on him for support for the short walk to the bunker. After about five minutes of trekking into the forest, the two came across a patch of grass slightly shorter than the other blades in the vicinity. Fumbling in his pocket, Gen brought out a metallic key. Digging around in the dirt with his spare hand, the man’s fingers clasped around a small lock hidden under the grass. He jammed the key in the lock and with a sharp twist, followed by a high pitched click, the grass relented, opening into a stone mossy staircase leading down into darkness. 

 

Into darkness .

 

Senkuu took a step back. He did not want to go down there. Not for a single second. Just thinking about being alone down there, with nothing but candlelight and enclosed walls. Trapped underground. Nevertheless he couldn’t burden Gen any longer - not after their mid-drive conversation had been left with far too many inconclusive thoughts to be comfortably locked away. He couldn’t turn back down now.

 

What was it Gen had said? Senkuu would be safe down there. They wouldn’t be able to get him if he was in hiding - only members of the Kingdom of Science knew about this place, and most of them had probably already forgotten the location by now.  Then why did he still waver on the brink of something safe? Why did just seeing a dark corridor make his heart beat faster? 

 

Since when was he this weak and worthless??

 

Gen seemed to notice Senkuu’s apprehension. His expression shifted, eyes softening, hand twitching as if he wanted to reach out, but was unsure of what to do. The confidence of their previous hug had stagnated, unable to pursue further at the fear of some sort of barrier being broken too soon. 

 

“If you’d like, I can go first.” He offered instead, using words to provide solace. 

 

“Okay…” Senkuu muttered slightly reluctantly, his voice small and sapped away.  Grabbing a flashlight from his pocket, Gen lit up the stairway, illuminating the darkness by hand. He cautiously put his foot out to test the stability of the steps, and then, with more assurance, he began to traverse down the twisting staircase, head turned back just before he would have disappeared out of sight to wait for his friend. Senkuu took in a deep, shaking breath, following him through the underground, using the walls to stop himself from falling. He grabbed the handle of the trapdoor and pulled, red eyes glimpsing the last of the blue sky peaking through the leafy rooftops as the gap connecting himself and the rest of the world slid shut. 

 

Wanting nothing more than a hand to hold in that moment, Senkuu followed Gen.

 

A few seconds later, Gen’s footsteps ceased. In front of the two was another door, this one more firmly barricaded than the entrance-way. Taking out a different, thicker key, Gen twisted the item in the door’s lock, which relented with a clunk. The door jolted on its hinges, sliding open with a heavy push from Gen. The man reached into the empty space in front of the doorway and reached to the side, icy cold stone against his palm guiding his fingers along the wall until the material turned smooth and firm. Gen pressed down on the switch. With a click, light flooded the hall, revealing a sizable underground Bunker in a state of relative disrepair. 

 

A thick layer of dust coated shelves adorned with multiple bottles stacked up against the walls, each filled to the brim with Revival Fluid, labelled at the dates in which they were created. The most recent one dates back to three and a half years ago, just before Senkuu had set off to space. Back when Medusa was still an imminent threat. At least seven others like this were dotted through Japan, and several more had been constructed in other countries, stocked with supplies for the scenario that the Why-Man went back on their word and returned to finish what they had started. After returning from space, most of the Bunkers had been converted into storage units or left to slowly be retaken by nature. 

 

This one had been doomed to the fate of the latter -  roots buried deep into the stone decorated the ceiling, the most hardy of weeds and plants had managed to survive underground, clinging onto the supplies of oxygen running through the ventilation units. There were only small slivers of natural sunlight down here - most of it was artificial bulbs to illuminate their surroundings, but Senkuu knew that there had to have been new survival methods amongst nature over the last thousands of years. Eruptions, Meteor strikes and other disasters had coated the sky in thick ash and dust numerous times over the course of the Petrification, blocking out large supplies of sunlight for years on end. Plants that were commonplace back in modern times were now figments of the past, and old species known to humanity had twisted and formed into new forms, some unrecognisable from their ancestors. It wasn’t too unlikely that some species had evolved to survive off of little sunlight.

 

Enough of musing about new species, Senkuu turned to Gen, who had taken on a weary expression.

“I think you know what’s about to happen next.” The scientist mused, a small sly grin on his face. 

“The Kingdom of Science’s favourite hobby… manual labour…..” Gen sighed defeatedly. He walked over to a storage unit installed at the back of the main room, coughing slightly and taking a few steps back as a blanket of dust was disturbed alongside multiple supplies that had been leaning against the doors clattering to the ground. Within the cabinet were a few brushes and dustpans alongside several other cleaning supplies - though most had long since dried up. Having their occupation be a doomsday bunker was good for several things at least - having pre-prepared supplies as well as security was a bonus. But still, taking care of such a spacious area after many months of disrepair was a task both equally dreaded. 

 

Senkuu waited for Gen to step back, and then stumbled over to the cabinet, hand reaching for a brush, only to be halted. Gen shook his head slightly as he closed the supply unit.

 

“I don’t want you over-exerting yourself.” He said, gesturing over to another door at the end of the room, “Get some sleep, you’ve had a long day.” Senkuu glanced between Gen, the cabinet and the other room. He stopped. Out of the corner of his eyes, as clear as if it were right in front of him, he saw Gen silently nudging all of the sharper objects on the floor underneath the cabinet, turning his body slightly to face Senkuu more directly. As if to act as a barricade .  Senkuu glared, though his eyes didn’t contain any malice for his friend. He could understand Gen’s concern to some extent, but at this point, he was at the end of his tether. Could he really not be trusted with something as trivial as a pointed utensil? What did Gen even think he was going to do?

Senkuu crossed his arms, leaning away from the wall for just a fraction of a second to stand off against Gen, “I’m not made of glass, mentalist, I’ll be fi-” He stepped on one of the fallen supplies and slipped, arms flailing wildly as he failed to regain a hold on the wall. Gen shot forward, grabbing Senkuu to stabilise him, levelling the man with a firm ‘I told you so’ look.  

 

“Fine…” Senkuu relented, head bowed slightly.

 

“There are bathrooms to your right. If you need anything, just call for me. I’ll be there for you.” Gen said. Senkuu really wanted to believe him. 

 

After a quick shower - thankfully the plumbing was still working - he carefully made his way over to the spare room which, luckily,  was far less dusty than the main room. In the corner of the small space was a fold up bed. On the right, a desk and notebook, paper slightly yellowed with age but otherwise useable. The room was mostly barren, but Senkuu didn’t mind. It was already too small, anything more wouldn’t work. With a bit of effort, Senkuu managed to pull down the bed, which creaked slightly under his weight, but otherwise was perfectly usable. On the other side of the room, a blanket had been hung up, which Senkuu took down. He lay his head against the mattress, staring up at the stone ceilings in thought, pulling the sheet over his body to catch some rest-

 

Too close. 

 

Senkuu decided to go without the blanket. He tossed and turned for a few minutes, unable to find a position comfortable enough. It was currently around five thirty in the afternoon, and with winter nearing, the sun had already dipped below the sky. Any residual sunlight had faded, leaving the bunker dimly illuminated at best. The bulbs weren’t very good quality, they kept flickering, and the light they admitted felt so faint. Too faint.

Dark. 

 

Down underground there were no chirping crickets, no rustling leaves to fill that empty gap in his mind. Even Gen had been working without a word, sweeping away the dust in the room with dedicated precision. There was no noise to hear, just fleeting thoughts and nightmares collected in the swirling consciousness.

Silent. 

Suddenly it was all too familiar. Senkuu gasped, pulling himself upright, or at least attempting too. His limbs felt heavy, weighed down by an unexplainable invisible force. The flickering lights cut out, and the coppery smell of blood filled his mouth like iron lashing against his throat. In the corner, she stood, sharpening her knife. The sound - the only sound Senkuu could hear - was nails against a chalkboard.  And then all sound cut out. Senkuu choked on his breaths, but opening his mouth to scream yielded only silence. She kept on sharpening. It couldn’t be real, of course it couldn’t. The real Miyuki was a statue, eroding somewhere in a cell that she would never leave. There was no threat. He was with Gen.

 

There was no threat.

 

Scrape.

 

There was no danger. 

Scrape.

 

There was no one coming for him.

Scrape.

 

Senkuu gripped his arms tight, fingers digging into his skin. 

 

He had to get out.  Pointed objects under the cabinet, thick blanket on the floor, sharpened pencil on his desk. He could use those. No. no he couldn’t. Miyuki was in the way. There had to be another solution.  The room was so small, it’s cold stone walls pressing against him, strangling him, choking him, hands at his throat. Squeezing.  Then ripped away, held by some other force. Miyuki, stabbing him, electric shocks over and over and over and over and-

 

“Senkuu!”

 

A voice cut through the illusion, shattering into a million pieces on the floor.

 

***

 

Gen was just finished clearing away the last of the dust when the screams began. The dustpan fell to the floor with a clatter, sending dust flying in all directions, but Gen didn’t care. He practically sprinted over to the door, yanking it open and rushing inside.  Senkuu, huddled in the corner of the barren room, wide, unblinking eyes locked in another world, another nightmare not of Gen’s knowledge. And his hands were at his neck. 

 

Gen scrambled forward, clutching Senkuu’s hands and trying to keep them away from hurting himself any longer, but his friend’s grip was iron. But still so weak, as if they too did not want to sucumb to their own fate. Gen managed to rip the grip away and Senkuu shivered. Tears were in his eyes, desperate, fear filled eyes that couldn’t see past his nightmarish visions. 

Senkuu didn’t used to cry.

 

She made him cry. It was her. It was always her.

 

Gen vowed that when he went to hell, he would find that woman and kill her again. Drown her in a sea of molten lava. Hang her from the peaks of the tallest mountains. But not yet. He needed to keep on living before he could die. Senkuu needed to be okay. 

 

“Senkuu?”  Gen reached out into that void in Senkuu’s mind, trying desperately to fill what was left. “Senkuu. It’s me, Gen. You’re with me, We’re at the Bunker, the safehouse.”

 

“No… no… She’s….” His expression was haunted, unbelieving and yet horrified all the same.

 

“What you’re seeing… It's terrifying, but I swear on everything I love that no matter how hard that witch tries to haunt you, she will never touch you ever again.” Gen spoke softly, never raising his voice beyond a quiet, reassuring whisper. For a second, Senkuu’s eyes focused, the room becoming clear to him again, but then he flinched, expression glazing over back into anguishing memories. 

“You can’t be sure. T-there are ways to revive people and- and someone could tell her that I’m-” His breaths were too fast. Gen needed to take a desperate leap of faith in order to help him. What he was about to do could ruin everything.

 

But it could also save Senkuu. And as long as there was that slim possibility, Gen was willing.

“No one can tell her anything. I made sure of it.”

 

“Made… sure…?”

 

“ I killed her, Senkuu.” Gen forced the words from his lips, committed to his decision,  “I killed her and made sure she was unrevivable. She can never crawl back out of hell for as long as we live. There is no way to come back from a death that permanent. The laws of science says so, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… Yes it does.” Slowly, Senkuu regained his bearings second by second, slowly but surely he stopped struggling, stopped trying to hurt himself. His eyes darted around the room, finally settling back onto Gen. The man let out an imperceptible exhale, the stress and pain slowly leaving his body with every slowing heartbeat.

“You’re here…” Senkuu murmured with a wavering breath. 

“I’ll never leave you for as long as you want me to stay.” 

 

A promise so deep that Gen vowed to never break so long as he lived.

“Stay.”  For a single second, Senkuu’s expression twisted, a gaze of what looked like longing on his features, but it was quickly hidden by open tears as the two embraced again. Gen smiled, tears in his eyes. 

 

Everything would be okay. 

 

He would make everything okay.  

 

And then hope and serenity shattered into pieces upon the ground with the sound of a failed engine screeching it’s last breath from the sky.

Notes:

Have a nice day :D.

Chapter 4

Notes:

Trigger warnings: Injury, plane crash/ aftermath of vehicle accident

“The base should be over this ledge.” Stanley called back to Xeno, turning to wait for his partner.  The last day had been spent hiding out in caves and bushes, trying to remain unseen as they slowly got closer to the bunker. They had been trekking through the forest for hours, seven if Xeno were to be precise - the Bunker was still a distance away on foot - and his leg shrieked with every small movement, and the blurriness in his vision made it nearly impossible to distinguish the finer details of the undergrowth. Everything mashed together into one big green splotch that occasionally gave way to harsh, burning sunlight that pierced his eyes like needles. Xeno kept his eyes on the blurry figure leading in front, keeping his head low.

 

A sudden rapid onslaught of shots ringing out from over their shoulders jolted both into a mad sprint for the base. Beyond Stanley’s gaze, he could make out the moss infested doors that led into the base’s storage. He yanked the heavy metal doors open, hissing under his breath as the movement jarred the wound in his shoulder. Running in right behind him, Xeno slammed the doors shut. A moment later, the two could hear a cacophony of bangs as bullets bounced off of the armoured entrance. Turning back, Xeno spotted a plane of a fairly recent model, covered in vines but displaying no major degradation. After practically all of urban civilization collapsed in humanity’s absence, making new inventions with high durability had been considered as a more notable feature to include. 

 

Still, durability in battle against  numerous shells and shrapnel could only hold out for so long. They needed to get out before the plane was irreversably damaged.

“Is the engine still useable? That plane looks like it hasn’t been used for a year at the most recent estimate.” Xeno called back, grabbing a few helmets off of the shelfs, coughing as the dust was disturbed. 

 

“It will be.” Stanley replied shortly, running over to the engine compartment and giving it a once over at lightning speed. “But this will be risky. We don’t have enough time to run all the mandatory assessments. It’s possible the engine has already  been damaged and will fail up in the sky.

 

“I suppose that’s a risk we’ll have to take.” The sound of furious banging against the door signified it was time for them to exit. The two climbed into the cockpit and Stanley began starting up the plane. He turned, eyes wide.

 

“Xeno. Pull that lever over there, we need to open the hatch!” 

 

Xeno nodded, jumping down to the ground and sprinting over to the lever stationed at the side, tugging it down with all his strength. And the doors burst open. People rushed inside just as the plane’s engine roared to life, the propellers beginning to rapidly spin. Xeno rushed to make his way back to Stanley. The cult members saw him and opened fire right before he jumped into the safety of the plane. Several rounds bounced off of the armament of the plane, denting its exterior but not quite piercing. Xeno slammed the door just, but another bullet was already shrieking past, sinking deep just above the wound he already had. He felt something inside his leg shatter and agony coursed through his bones. Still, there was no time to feel pain.

They needed to leave. The plane was picking up speed, enduring bullet after bullet as it streamed through the forest, coming into a clearing prepared for takeoff. And then they were flying, higher and higher as Stanley accelerated the machine to it’s very limits.

 

“Close your eyes, we’re losing them in the sun.” 

 

They broke through the clouds, and Xeno’s vision turned red as Stanley continued to climb, and then sharply he banked to the side, soaring over the mountaintops of the jungle and into the stunning indigo sky. Below, the lush leaves of the trees were mere pinpricks in a sea of foliage that continued to paint the ground green for countless miles, until, suddenly, it finally relented to the deep blue sea. For minutes on end, no one spoke, still dwelling on the last twenty minutes as if they were some sort of fallacy conjured by each of their minds. 

 

“...That was terrifying. Not that I doubted your elegant piloting skills of course,” Xeno broke the silence,  turning to Stanley. his voice turned hushed as he looked his partner up and down. “How bad was that bullet hole in your arm? Don’t dodge the question this time.” 

 

“Not… bad…”  An obvious lie. No one who was actually in good health would be deadly pale, with silently gasped breaths and red starting to show through bandaged wounds. “You?” 

 

“They put another bullet in my leg, which is almost certainly shattered, but if treated it won’t be life threatening.” If treated.   “As for our next steps,” Xeno continued, “from what I can recall during our stay, there were several emergency bunkers stationed around Japan, the closest of which luckily happens to also be the most remote. Making it all the way over there will be difficult considering the state of the plane… but not too difficult for the greatest pilot I know.”

 

“Of course it won’t.” Stan mused.

The two conversed amongst themselves for a few hours, though in time, each grew more withdrawn, the burden of their injuries slowing any small talk down to a snail’s pace. The pain in Xeno’s leg only grew with each passing hour, but he vowed to endure it until they were out of harm's way. Then, around four hours into their seven hour flight, the left engine began to creak. It hissed, crackling like a dragon unable to create flames, doomed to simply cough and croak for the rest of its pitiful life. The plane shuddered, struggling to keep itself together, and then all of a sudden there was a ripping sound as several of the plates adorning the outer layer of the aircraft tore free, falling from several thousand feet up and disappearing from view as quickly as they made themselves known.

 

“The plane’s… falling apart. That’s… problematic.” Xeno noted.   

 

 “We’ll make it.” This time, Stanley didn’t seem nearly so confident. Perhaps it was the awful sound of the engine, or the blood staining the cockpit, or just the way both felt and looked to be near death, but his assured tone from hours prior was sapped away, replaced by an almost desperate self assurance that they would not die . 

 

The rumbling suddenly stopped, alongside the left engine, which had ultimately ceased to function. The plane veered very slightly out of control, but Stanley lurched forward, stabilising its course quickly before they could be sent spiralling into the ocean. It wasn’t out of fear or panic that he was so urgent - a plane could remain airborne as normal on just one engine, with only a slight decrease to thrust. 

 

It was because the other engine had started to hiss.

 

Two hours of tense silence yielded to land over the horizon. The plane was wobbling now, turbulence scraping against its trajectory. Xeno reminded his partner of the directions to the bunker, and the plane slowly, agonisingly corrected it’s course, now over the mainland, still over a thousand feet up, but descending.

 

Creak.

 

Creak.

 

Creak.

 

“We should arrive in around five minutes. There is a field near the Bunker, we can land safely there.” Xeno said, calculating the exact landing conditions they needed to be as safe as possibly.

 

But he didn’t get the chance. 

 

BANG!

 

The plane let out a screeching cry of death, its final engine crumpling inwards. The right engine -or whatever was left as remnants - was enveloped in thick smoke, obscuring the damage from view.  Xeno was harshly jolted back against his seat as the plane’s downward trajectory faltered into a nosedive. Stanley struggled with the controls, pulling the plane up to a still steep, but less fatal descent. The land was meeting the aircraft far too fast. The drop in altitude nearly caused him to blackout, but he clung on to consciousness. 

 

In one final attempt to save their lives, Stanley pulled back on the controls with all his strength, nearly snapping it in half. At the last second, the plane levelled out once more, but it was too late to land safely. 

 

Seconds until impact. 

 

All they had left was luck and hope. 

 

“This might be it. As cliche and inelegant as it sounds, I am glad to be dying with you of all people.” Xeno called out over the roaring plane. Stanley sighed, leaning back into his seat.  

 

“Yeah. you too…”

 

BOOM

The world turned red, white, scorching , bURNING -

 

And then black. 

 

Cold, solemn black. 

 

***

 

Gen ran, not for his life, but for whoever had just possibly taken their final breaths. That screech was inhuman, like a totalled car rolling down the highway. It came from overhead and only increased in ferocity as time drew, making it clear that it had to have come from the sky. A plane? Damnit, between Senkuu and a crashed vehicle, his day was just getting more painful. Speaking of the former, he could hear his friend stirring, getting to his feet to try and follow-

 

“Stay in the Bunker. Please!” The steps faltered in place and silenced. A slight pang of guilt shot through his chest, but he brushed past the feeling and continued dashing up the steps to the outside. Gen hadn’t meant to lose his temper, really, but the idea of Senkuu going out there when he could get hurt wasn’t an option. “I have a feeling something errible-tay just happened, so if you could, find something that can be used as medical supplies, that would be perfect” In his panic, Gen briefly slipped back into his stage dialect, the normalcy of the phrasing a bittersweet comfort to him. It was paired alongside days of being exploited as a child star, but also of times spent with the Kingdom of Science, who had been fond of his eccentric persona. 

 

The metal door swung open to clear blue skies, but Gen was no fool as to assume the calm spell of weather didn’t conceal whatever was beyond the horizon. His eyes darted around, trying to spot any signs of life or death, but still, it betrayed no clues as to what had just happened. Straining his ears, Gen finally caught the slightest tremble in the ground to his left, an area of thick woodland. Pushing past thorny bushes and low hanging branches, he trekked into the deep of the forest, until the trees abruptly gave way to open space - a thicket of wildflowers.

 

Well… the remnants of wildflowers. 

 

In the middle of the thicket had turned to pure carnage. The carcass of a plane, still hissing with heat. The wings of the plane had snapped clean off, lying several feet away in a broken state. The propeller was bent to an awkward angle, still shivering slightly in the breeze. The plane was upturned, and Gen could see a large gaping hole in its side where he was sure an engine would have been situated. From within that hole, writhing flames enveloped the aircraft, attempting to devour it. The cockpit, windows shattered into a million pieces, was obscured by thick smoke trailing upwards into the sky. Gen could see warm, red blood trickling down the side and onto the charred grass.

 

To say Gen was aghast would have been too much of an understatement. He nearly dropped to the floor then and there, overwhelmed by a deep bloodcurdling terror, but no, he found himself taking one step. Then another. Staggering over to the plane.

 

Someone was inside. 

 

Someone was inside that. 

Get them out. That was his one goal. Breaking free of his shock, he ran towards the plane, first trying the door. The moment his hand made contact, a sizzling sound could be heard.

 

Gen reared back, gasping as he watched the skin of his hand be fried by the handle, but his grip was still iron tight, the pain delayed by adrenaline. Pushing through, he yanked the door off, an easy task since it was already hanging on by it’s hinges. From within, a body, disturbed by the door’s removal, collapsed onto the grass, unmoving. Gen got them out of the danger zone and ran back. The other person inside wasn’t stirring either. Gen didn’t even register their faces, he had already reached forward and grabbed the body, pulling them as far from the wreckage as possible.

 

A second later, a bright flash of scorching heat had Gen on the floor, covering his face with his forearm.

 

The plane had burnt through and combusted. A second too late and those would have been casualties, if they weren’t already. The fire luckily hadn’t made its way into the cockpit yet, but with the numerous injuries they had, he didn’t doubt that it wouldn’t have mattered. Just a final nail in the coffin.

But by some miracle, Gen could make out a faint rise and fall to both of their chests. Alive by a slither. Still, he needed to secure both with medical aid immediately, both were in critical condition. Gen moved over to where the two lay, prepared to carry them both back to the bunker.

 

And stopped. 

 

No.

 

No it couldn’t be.

 

He knew those faces. 

Notes:

D:

Thank you for all ur kudos and comments! I appreciate every one :D.

Chapter 5

Notes:

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Injury description, fire,

No one is okay.

It had been ten minutes and twenty five seconds since Gen had rushed out of the Bunker, leaving Senkuu in silence once again, with only his overbearing thoughts assigned as company. A pool of unease churned at the thought of what, or who, could be taking up so much time. He had also heard that screeching sound from the sky, and could deduce it to be some sort of motor failure, but the chances of a plane conveniently crashing right outside a bunker that no one knew of in the middle of nowhere was ten billion percent too rare to be chalked up to a simple coincidence. In the last thousand years, the Jet stream had shifted further north - any aircraft in the new world would typically be miles away, unless of course they were aiming to land around this radius - far from any restored civilization. 

 

The most plausible explanation was that someone knew about this place.

 

That could mean they knew Senkuu was here too.  What was it that Gen had said again - his thoughts were too foggy to be clear - that te Medusa Cult had launched another attack? Despite all of the known members being incapacitated or killed, there were still further undiscovered branches that were active. It was possible they obtained information about his location through various unsavoury methods in order to avenge their fallen members, and, in all likelihood using the same torturous strategy that they had used on Senkuu to others…What if that plane was just a ploy to get them out in the open? To take back what they had lost. To-

 

Gen.

 

Gen was out there. Alone. Senkuu couldn’t leave him to a similar fate he himself had endured for nearly a month. Right now, perhaps for a long time unbeknownst to himself, Gen was something unaffordable, beyond priceless to him. Senkuu didn’t know what he would have done without Gen - in all odds had that man not come to his rescue, he would be an obituary, buried without a body.  Gen had been prepared to give up his own life in favour of his friend. Senkuu wasn’t about to give up on that favour for the world. 

 

Staggering up the mossy, concrete steps, Senkuu burst into the open air, unnerved at how calm and peaceful his environment seemed - he had been half expecting signs of a struggle or a bloodbath, but it was tranquil. Untouched. Senkuu’s eyes landed on a path cleared through an area of dense foliage and his blood ran cold - had Gen been dragged through the undergrowth? Using the trees to support himself, he stumbled through the bushes, unsure as to what exactly he was to do if his suspicions turned out to be correct.

 

Flee? That would mean abandoning Gen, so not an option. Put up a fight? Also out of the question. Senkuu had never been athletic, and his stamina training from the space mission hadn’t been put in practice in years. There was only one option that would save Gen.  

Let himself be taken. 

 

That was the only way. 

 

He couldn’t. Go. back. There. He wouldn’t survive. He would be hurt again. He would-

 

Senkuu finally fell into the clearing, his hands already shaking as he raised them over his head, the worst case scenario a clear outcome in his mind. Any optimism and hope he usually had for the future dwindled to mere sparks in a raging bonfire. 

 

Like the raging bonfire in front of him now.

 

His hands fell to his sized, mouth slack. 

 

Gen was there, kneeling on the ground but- but uninjured. Beside him were-

 

‘Holy shit.’

It was barely a whisper but Gen still heard. His bloodshot eyes flew upwards, wild and desperate, narrowing as they noticed Senkuu’s presence.

 

“I told you to stay inside, Senkuu.” His friend hissed, albeit his words were less of a demand and more of a plea. 

 

“What. happened.” Senkuu ignored the request. Being expected to stand by calmly as people were potentially dying was illogical.

“Medusa. Medusa happened.” Gen said quietly, a distant fire in his eyes.

 

 Senkuu could tell by his face that the mentalist did not speak of alien technology with his words, but rather the organisation that worshipped it like a god. The organisation that had recently attacked another of his allies. Senkuu’s eyes glanced back at the figures on the floor, “You don’t mean…” Their faces, illuminated by the glow of the burning plane, were just visible enough to see, “No.... No. that’s-”

“It’s them.” Gen lowered his head. “Looks like they made it here after all. Escaped.” There was no celebration in his voice, or happiness to his hollow, empty face, just a pained gratitude that those two were even still breathing in their state.

“... Why ?” A strangled exclamation, a broken cry spoken to no-one in particular. 

 

Gen sighed in defeated acknowledgment.“...The things people do for power.” 

 

“I’m not naive!” Senkuu snapped, a bubble of anger rising up from within him, though it was nearly instantly quenched by pain and guilt,”I- I just…” The man trailed off, unsure as to his words. What did he really want to hear? No reason, that was certain. Gen, probably picking up on this, chose to speak instead. 

 

“There are probably medical supplies somewhere in the Bunker. If you could, go get as much as you can. I don’t want to risk moving them too much incase there’s internal damage.” 

 

Senkuu nodded slightly, wasting not a moment before turning back in the direction of the Bunker and swiftly making an exit.

He had agreed so readily in order to not let the tears in his eyes be seen. 

***

 

Out of the two, Gen honestly wasn’t sure which was in the worst state. Both were bloodied, with injuries ranging from starting to be healed and subsequently reopened, to fresh slashes and burns from the crash. Xeno sported signs of bullet wounds in his leg - one recent and the other healing over. He had a sizable cut on his head, though the injury was partially obscured by petrification scars. Stanley had been the one steering the plane as it crashed, and it seemed that at the last second, the man had skewed the aircraft sideways, to make it that his side of the craft would be the one to take the brunt of the crash. Perhaps he had aimed to protect the one he loved in his final moments of consciousness.

 

Part of Gen envied that deep bond. He hoped he would have something like that in the future..  

 

For the briefest of seconds, an image of- 

 

Quiet. Gen thought he had buried those feelings years ago. There would be no reciprocation, so why pain himself with longing? He had nearly forgotten about that, so why was it appearing now? For months and months there hadn’t been a single thought given to the matter! It was never going to happen. Push past it. Push past it. Gen forgot about that thought and focused on slowly easing them away from the blazing inferno struck up by the body of the aircraft. Footsteps behind him signalled his friend’s arrival back at the field.

Senkuu carried with him several stacks of basic medical equipment as well as a bottle filled with liquid. 

 

“Did you-”

 

“The Bunker was designed for post-apocalyptic events initially, so I made sure there were plenty of materials on hand that could be crafted into necessary supplies back when we were making this place. In about half an hour, this should turn into an antibacterial solution.”

 

Gen nodded, looking over the supplies they had. Grabbing bandages, he wrapped up the more minor of the injuries - which would still need to be cleaned later, but were best kept away from the dirt until further notice, before focusing on the more severe. There were a few tourniquets in the pile, which he used to stop the blood loss on the worst of the deep slices. Just from an initial checkover, he could already make out numerous broken bones, and dozens more were likely to be hidden internally. Gen couldn’t claim to be any sort of medical professional, but even he could tell when arms and legs had been twisted in ways that were not possible without damage. Snapping off a few low hanging branches nearby to the woods, Gen, to the best of his abilities, attempted to set or at least stabilise some of the bones. 

 

Senkuu, for a brief moment, looked as if he were attempting to step in and help. Just seconds later however, he froze in his tracks, face paling, before stepping back to where he was before - hanging on the edge of the forest. He hadn’t been afraid of nasty injuries before. Gen mentally added another bullet point to his list of ways to make those who had even the most miniscule of influence in Senkuu’s pain suffer. 

 

Finally, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silently wrapping up wounds, Gen sat back against the grass, watching the sunset combining with the orange hue of flame painting the thicket vermillion red. Xeno and Stanley were still in bad condition, but as long as their internal injuries weren’t too severe, they wouldn’t be dying the moment they were transported back to the Bunker.

Gen sighed, tugging at his hair. The last days, weeks, months, still felt like a hazy, panic fueled fever dream of worst nightmares and sleepless nights. The moment he had dared to assume a state of peace, comforted in his ability to keep his friend safe, two other allies fall from the sky and landed in the middle of tranquillity, breaking any normalcy left into billions of tiny shards. Picking those shards up could take years. Gen shuddered to think what those two could have endured in the three days of unknown whereabouts. Had they escaped the Medusa Cult and fled here on broken wings? Had they foretold of an incoming attack and made their exit then, running out of fuel just before they reached a safe destination. Looking back to the carcass of the plane, Gen could make out five or six bullet shaped indents in the side of what was left of it. They had been pursued. 

 

In his peripheral vision, Gen saw a figure approach. Senkuu, using a nearby broken branch to hold himself up as he limped over to sit beside him. His faded green hair swayed in the breeze as he carefully placed the stick beside him, scarlet red eyes slowly moving from the floor, to Gen, and then to the remnants of the plane, still burning. 

 

“I found some stretchers in one of the storage units.” He said, drawing Gen’s attention, “I remember having some of those on standby in case someone was petrified and needed transportation. Luck’s on our side that we prepared for everything back then.

 

“I guess we were always paranoid…” Gen sighed with a flat expression, humour lost from his tone.  

“Only now our threat isn’t extraterrestrial artificial intelligence and has gone back to being humans again.” Senkuu murmured, eyes fixated on the still sizzling wreck of the plane. 

 

“…I can’t say which of the two terrifies me more.” Gen admitted. Senkuu offered no protest. 

 

“I don’t blame you.” 

 

The two stewed in heavy, thoughtful silence for a dozen minutes,  lost in their minds as the last embers of the aircraft sizzled out, leaving only ash, smoke and charred debris in their wake. The sun had nearly set now, and Gen saw that as a sign to move on from the field. 

 

“Let’s get everyone into safety and think of a plan.”

“Good idea, mentalist.”

 

This was going to be a long night…

Notes:

Gen stop hiding ur feelings its not good 4 u... Like I wrote you this way but aaaaa.

Please don't fact check any of the science/medical info in this fic. I'm a bit ick when it comes to researching actual irl injuries. I do do my best to research for things I have little to no knowledge off (my triple science classes seem to only focus on mitochondria rather than how to make antibacterial solutions), but yeah, sorry if anything is inacurate D:.

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed! Each comment I get are so lovely and reading them keeps my motivation up :D.

Chapter 6

Notes:

I FORGOR IM SO SO SORRY D: ITS OKAY MY DEATH WAS GREATLY EXAGGERATED

Trigger warnings; treatment of an injury (Burn)

this ones supper fluffy and comforty to make up for the hellstorm of last chapters, but... consider it a calm before the storm ;).

The infirmary room - set up in a stuttered panic, was defined by haste in each shoddy, half dust swept corner. Fleabitten seating had been stripped of fabric and laid bare with a sheet of thick tarp, polished off with a layer of softer, absorbent cover. Two lamps, the bulbs of which shone the brightest amongst the dim others dotted throughout the bunker, were positioned overhead of the two stretchers/beds, to provide optimum lighting during treatment (or what little treatment they were able to apply.) a tawny patterned moth that fluttered in an aimless waft overhead briefly marked a speckle of a shadow on Gen’s cheek.  The man weaved another layer of bandages around the patient’s heads - it stung to make reference to them as anything further. 

 

To apply names to those bloodied faces, for them to be allies… it ended in a far too personal matter for his comfort. Gen had already succumbed to plenty of bloodlust over someone he deemed close sustaining gruesome, unnecessary  injuries. To have two others be forced into that category as well… he was certain to wane and crack under the pressure. For now, the best he could do was pointedly avoid investing himself emotionally - a skill which in all honesty came easier than he would be privy to admitting. To remain as detached from reality as possible was a mentalist’s fine trade… Gen was beginning to suspect he had strayed far off that path in recent times. It wouldn’t be too long before he lost his way entirely unless he rectified his mistakes and returned to his rightful place as a conniving, malicious, undeserving snake who could do little else but watch as his friend was tortured in his dreams and cried out for him repeatedly but never received an answer and began to scream and scream and scream and- 

 

“Oi, mentalist.” Gen’s less than pleasant day-mares were stunted by the whisper of a hoarse voice, somewhere on his left. Senku had managed to creep up on him without a single sound, despite the fact he still wasn’t able to walk without heavy support from either the room or Gen. It must have taken him several minutes at the very least to silently traverse the wide, open space between his room and the pseudo infirmary. Had Gen really been that distant to not notice?

“Is everything alright?” Gen murmured offhandedly, still faced in the direction of the infirmary beds. It was late into the witching hours of  night, so logic dictated that if Senkuu was up at this time, it was for one of two reasons; a hyperfixation on a science project (the normal answer Gen long since came to expect from the eager scientist) or the less savoury option, a nightmare. Turning to greet his friend stabbed him with the bitter answer he’d half-known by the tremble in every word. Senkuu’s eyes were framed by hollow, sunken dark rings, his wild hair frizzed up every which way as if it had been dragged through a thorny bush.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Senkuu averted his eyes - an excellent dodge at an emotional confrontation if Gen were to comment on it “don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoiding medical attention.”

Gen winced, whistling under his breath with his own reason to shatter eye contact,  “Why… whatever do you mean, dear Senkuu? I am in perfect condition, thank you very much!”

“Then why are you hiding your left arm in your pockets?”

Astute observation, Senkuu….

“It’s…” Gen exhaled, shifting his position so the hand he definitely wasn’t suffering over was hidden behind him “not that serious . These two are stable -  I’m guessing that’s another reason you woke up, so… head to bed, get some sleep,” Senkuu grimaced, so Gen made quick work to tack on an “...if you can.” 

 

Senku’s glare bore into Gen’s back like a dagger.

 

 A dagger he’d been fearful of ever since they’d arrived here. What if he was next? He didn’t have a strong will like Senkuu had no, has. If the Kingdom of science were the birds and the cult the beasts, he would mark himself as the bat willing to play both factions if it meant Senkuu would remain safe. Senkuu… if anything happened to him again, he didn’t know what horrific lengths he would go to in order to save him…. Who he would betray, who he would plunder, who he would kill, all for Senkuu….

“I’m not going to be ushered off until you let me treat whatever injury you’re hiding.” Senkuu crossed his arms and leant back away from the wall to firmly stand in Gen’s path, albeit he almost immediately returned to his prior placement once his knees buckled from underneath him. He recovered the slip into a pointed scowl and brushed a few thick strands of hair out of his eyes to further cement his indignance.

“Senkuu no-” Gen started.

“Senkuu yes. ” The scientist cut him off instantly,  “Fess up.”

“Fine…” Gen groaned, too exhausted to protest any further,  “it really isn’t that much to worry about.” He gingerly untucked his hand out from where he’d buried it in his pocket, a hiss trapped in his throat as his raw, blistered palm was exposed to the freezing lash of the open air. The skin around where he’d unceremoniously ruined it in his dash to pry open the hatch of the aeroplane had turned into an ugly, boiled shade of red. Senkuu limped over to Gen, already gritting his teeth even before the full extent of the burn became clear to him.

“Not much to worry about?!” he snapped, “That's a second degree burn, y’know. Those are as bad as the ones that I- that…” Senkuu’s breath hitched on a wordless memory,  “t-that I…” he tsked under his breath, banishing whatever vision that had ensnared him away to the cobwebbed corners of his mind in a few harsh blinks, “Nevermind. Just follow me.”

Gen scoffed “I’m not a doctor but anyone knows you can’t leave  patients alone when they’re in this condition.” He jabbed a finger at where those in question were out like extinguished lamps.

“Didn’t you just say that they were stabilised for the night.”

“I- no,” Gen internally cursed at himself for the rookie slip up, ”Hahhh ! Fine,” He groaned,  “I concede, you win your victory. Though eally-ray,   I ought to be the one performing mental gymnastics over these sorts of things.

“I learned from the best.” Senkuu remarked, a tiny yet devilish grin on his face that made Gen’s heart do its own form of gymnastics in place of quick wit.

“Did you now…? Right.” Gen forced down a lump in his throat.  What had gotten into him today!? Why was he so prone to an emotion he considered buried years ago? Why now of all dire times?  

 

Together (though it was entirely Gen leading the way while Senkuu followed via clinging to him like he was the only piece of driftwood for miles on the open ocean,) they headed over to the other side of the room, where a few bottles of half empty, room temperature water was strewn about from where they had been used as treatment. What remained was then poured into a bucket and placed up on the table right beside Gen’s injured hand. 

 

“It’s going to hurt.” Senkuu noted, nonchalant. “So be ready for that.”

“I know,” Gen replied,  “Est-bay we get it over with quickly, then.”

 

“I’m not rushing this, Gen.” With that last comment, Senkuu rolled up Gen’s sleeve about halfway, wiping it down with a wet rag to be sure there was no dirt still infesting anywhere alongside the burn. He eased his friend’s hand into the water, cringing a little in sympathy at the pained gasp Gen expelled the moment his palm breached the surface. 

 

“I’m going to be bold and assume that I wasn’t the only reason you left the bedroom. If that isn’t the case then I’m flattered but…. Go on… There’s more, I know there is.” Gen leant in, nudging Senku with a prod of his spare hand.

“Mhm…then stay flattered.” Senku didn’t so much as spare a glance, gaze fixated on his work. While he wasn’t a doctor, he seemed far better at treating injuries than Gen ever had nor would be. The mentalist found himself enraptured by the efficiency in which his friend performed, cleansing the burn thoroughly, minimal pain attached. Still, the swift and sure shut down of Gen’s words caused an alarm bell to blare in the back of his mind.

“Senkuu… look at me.” At last, that spurred a tiny flick of those crimson eyes to lock with Gen’s, swirling with a hundred suppressed thoughts all at once “If you need to talk about anything at all, just know I’m willing to lend an ear, got that?” Senkuu recoiled. Even though he had half-expected the reaction, still, a tiny nail wormed its way through Gen’s gut all the same,

 

 “Appreciate the gesture but there’s absolutely nothing that needs talking about. And there won’t ever be.” Senkuu stated, the gateway to his mind locked shut before a key could ever be placed. The next twenty minutes passed in stony, awkward silence, neither side comfortable to continue the conversation after such an anxious end not on the prior topic. 

 

At last, Senkuu was the one to break the ice by removing Gen’s hand from the water, “There. Lay off that hand for a few days at least. 

 

“Senkuu.” Gen chided.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve dealt with me, now it’s time for me to do the same for you.” He chuckled under his breath at the face Senkuu made, though humour drained out of his tone in due time,  “You don’t have to tell me anything, but …You couldn’t sleep, could you?”

Senkuu brushed Gen off with a nervous grin that fell short of his eyes, “Y-you know me, I’m a chronic insomniac. This is- this is… one night is nothing …”

 

Gen hummed under his breath. “You can sleep with me, if you want.”

A pause. 

 

“I can do what? ”

“That ah…” Gen felt heat bloom in his face, “came out wrong… what I mean to say is, if you’re having trouble sleeping alone, I can stay by your side,”

“...I’m not…” Senkuu scowled, fingernails burrowing into the sleeve on his arm.  I’m not weak . I don’t need to be… I’m f-fine on my own. I- I…” he squeezed his eyes shut, and muttered something under his breath - too quiet for Gen to fully distinguish, of course - his breaths torn from his chest in ragged, uneven gasps, when just minutes ago, they had been restful. Gen wasn’t sure what had changed, but whatever it was, it needed to be fixed immediately. 

“... Well. I’m not.” Gen chirped faster than Senkuu could commit to his panic..

“Huh?” That gave Senkuu a brief pause.

“Yep, I believe I just came down with a case of sudden onset paranoia, and, as such, I will be staying with you for the time being.” he hopped down off of the counter, extending his good hand for Senkuu to take. The man eyed it incredulously, seeming at a loss as to how he should proceed.

“Gen no-”

“Gen yes!” 

 

Senkuu’s face was scattered between an irritated scoff, an apprehensive gloom, and at last a neutral, caged off blankness.“... Fine. Stay with me or not, I don’t-  I don’t care…” He stumbled on his words, much the same as his balance. He once again tumbled to the cold stone floor when his knees gave way (On that note, Gen was beginning to worry... He was aware Senkuu would be weaker on his feet for a while due to starvation and his confinement, but still… had something happened to his legs that the Petrification hadn’t fixed… or couldn’t fix? It better not be the latter or else he would-)

 

“ Gen?” Senkuu called up from where he was still slumped against the leg of the table, “Come on Paranoia Man , are you gonna help me up or just stand there like a goldfish upside down in its tank.” 

 

“S-sorry, here.” Once Senkuu was back up, they travelled back to his bedroom, keeping to the walls. Inside, the room was, for lack of a better word, an absolute travesty. The bed had been stripped of most of its sheets, which were strewn about the floor, easy for any intruders to slip on and faceplant into the ground if they tried to attack. There were already a few scratches carved into the mattress, scratches that Senku subtly attempted to conceal via propping a pillow up on the bed frame when he suspected Gen to not be looking.

Gen was always looking, searching for threats, but Senkuu didn’t need to know that.

Gen was the first to settle, nestled into the corner, a blanket over his shoulders. Senkuu, at first kept his distance, but over the course of the night, Gen could feel him huddle closer to his side until he was all but resting right on his shoulder. 

 

And it was then, hours later, when both assumed the other to be asleep, that Gen heard it, barely above a whisper, a mouse’s squeak amongst giants.  

 

‘..Thank you…’

 

Together, the two drifted off into sleep.

 

Unaware of the one stirring awake just over the hallway.

 

“.. wha….th’ hell’s…goin’ on….?” 

 

Notes:

Um.... Hi!

I'm aware it has been half a year since the last update, I'm so so so so so so so so sorry dear readers! I got super obsessed with a different anime and then a whole bunch of other things happened to me all at once and I couldn't bring myself to write anything... but I'm back!!! With no schedule, and sporadic updates but I'm here for now! I'll do my best to not disappear like that again. please tell me if ur still here I hope I havent lost all my viewers via hiatus-no-jutsu....

Also, while I was rereading my own fic, replying to some comments and generally reminding myself of all I wrote, I ended up having impostor syndrome over my own work like 'can I really match up to all that I set up before?'. it was difficult but Imma do my best. My writing style has evolved a bit so if it reads a bit diff then that's why ;)

Ty for reading :D!

Chapter 7

Notes:

Trigger warnings: Threat, Panic attack.

 

He was laid out flat, gazing up at several stars entwined in dozens of blurred, graceful dances. Orbs of light flitted into one another in tantalising fashion, a game of cat and mouse that lasted for eternity. For forever, they orbited a single space, until all at once, in a blinding flash, they melded into one single bulb. A lamp? Or perhaps the stairs leading up to heaven? Unlikely… if there were any gateway permitting him to pass, it would be one who’s steps lead down, down down into fire. 

 

Fire. 

 

Burning.

 

Stanley shot upright and immediately regretted it; his head pounded, worse than that one time he’d been forced to eject from the cockpit in the middle of a hurricane. Cockpit… wait… the Plane!

 

First, figure out your location. 

 

Stanley’s iron glazed eyes flicked around the room - a damp, hollow space carved out from rock perhaps a few dozen feet deep, provided with light by dim bulbs similar to the one positioned over him - draped out on a stretcher, half covered by a paper thin tarp-sheet. There were a few patches of moss in the corners, a select number of strong willed fauna strangling the ceiling, and overall minimal signs that the space had been lived in from the outset. But even so, Stan could tell the area had been disturbed recently - traces of fingerprints lingering on the dusty walls, an assortment of sharp objects stuffed underneath a cabinet, open at a jars width on rusted hinges. The centre of the room was far more polished than any other area. To claim the prize of that cleanliness, a broom was propped up beside a set of thick slatted stairs, their end point blotted out by a mellow dark gloom where light dared not touch. To his left, Stan noticed another human shaped lump - their body concealed by the same thin sheet, and head turned away. Even so, he could recognise Xeno ( is he breathing? Is he injured? Is he okay?!) from anywhere. That egregious, pompous, (adorable)  hairstyle was all that was needed to clue him in. 

 

Next, assess your condition.

 

One word; painful.

 

Most of his torso, limbs and face were wrapped - by an amateur’s hands, that much was obvious - in gauze that had already seeped through with red patches. His arm- where the bullet had pierced, was still utterly excruciating to move, but Stan could no longer feel any remnants of shrapnel burrowed in there. At the very least, someone here knew the basics of what they were doing, able to clean out and patch up the wound without him bleeding out. Fumbling around in his pockets, Stan found that his cigarette box had been spared - or the charred remnants of it. Most of everything he owned had burned away in the crash.

 

So there were people here who only recently arrived, extracted him and Xeno from the crash site, and at the very least, wanted to keep them alive. 

 

Enemies, or allies?

 

With some effort, Stanley rose, flinging the tarp off of his body. He first diverted his attention to underneath the cabinet, to the numerous sharp objects he could use to his advantage. Quiet enough to make his former instructors at camp smile, (and also biting down on his tongue to divert the pain from his obviously broken ankle)  Stan retrieved the nearest weapon hidden away - a sharp piece of scrap metal that fit perfectly around the palm of his hand. Next, the man limped back to the two couches and placed two fingers up to his partner’s neck, pleased by the faint glimmer of a pulse that replied to the touch (he was alive, he was alive, he was alive!)  

 

Just as he paused to consider his next move, a faint noise pricked Stanley’s ears to attention. He became a statue, unbreathing, unblinking, lying in wait for the instant the enemy came into the sight of the scope.

 

The echo of a slumbering breath.

 

A target.

 

Stan crept up on the room in which the snore came from, flattening his body against the metal walls to avoid breaching the line of sight that the open door gave to those within. It was too dark to account for just how many were inside, but he put the estimate at two on first glance - huddled in the farthest corner on the bed. He was less than surprised that, the moment he cleared his throat, it was the silent one who stirred. The person who snored - it was still too dark to make out their identities - slept lax, a bit tense, but otherwise at ease. The wordless one beside them on the other hand, acted the same way Stanley himself did; on edge, never committed to rest, expectant of an attack at any moment. 

 

“Mind tellin’ me where I am, who you are and what you want with us?”  he hissed, holding up his weapon close to the possible enemy’s neck. 

 

Two stark, thousand yard eyes pierced into him the moment the words left his mouth, instantly zeroing in on the shard. 

 

Stanley had been trained to expect the unexpected.

 

But even he was taken slightly aback by the reaction that followed.

 

***

There was someone in the room.

 

They were asking a question. 

 

There was a knife at hIS NECK-

 

Senkuu couldn’t hear it. No, he couldn’t hear anything…! He was back there, and there was a blade being plunged into his side in the same spot over and over, carving out their hatred in blood. He was screaming - tried to scream -  there was no sound other than a high pitched whine, and another sound from the attacker. This one was softer, calmer, almost a bit concer- no, it was a deception. She liked to play that game, allowing him a brief window of hope before snuffing it out yet again. She was here. She was back. Please, no, no no no no nO NO NO-

 

“Get away from him!”

The illusion waned under another yell, a yell that whispered in his ears a promise of security, of safety. Senkuu latched onto it, scrambled to get behind the safe voice, his breaths clogged up in his throat. 

Gen.

 

Gen launched himself at the attacker with his arms outstretched, swiping down to attempt to pry the shard they held in their hands. Senkuu could see the man process it a second before, already moving his blade out of the mentalist’s range, but the movement was sluggish, weighed down for whatever reason. Gen disarmed him and all but slammed the guy against the wall - surprising strength, considering whoever it was that had just threatened him looked to be both bigger and stronger. Could it be that they weren’t fighting back? Why not? They worked for the cult right, they- they were here to take Senkuu away and hurt him- he was- Senkuu’s heart once more took up an erratic beat. His ears rang out in a cacophony of disjointed memories; a great flood of pain, fear and loneliness drenching him down to the bone, washing away the barriers he’d forced into place so that Gen wouldn’t suspect a thing. Wouldn’t suspect that in every waking moment, Senkuu was plagued by memories, that he found himself terrified by the unknown rather than excited by it, that every minute it was becoming more and more clear to him that his body was-

 

“-ku, Senkuu… you with me?” Through the bloodied haze of his vision, a fuzzy blob appeared before him, its blurred shape resembling something adjacent to a human face. Senkuu’s reply was a barely legible tilt to his head, any words he wished to speak turning to ash on his tongue. The voice, a gentle, melodic tune that stripped away the fear he’d been swallowed up by, smoothed out the creases in his brow and calmed the tremor from his body. continued to coax him back to the realm of the living. Second by second - it had been thirty eight seconds since he’d woken up and five since he’d remembered to count the tick of the clock in the back of his mind - Senkuu felt the fangs of the cult loosen their grip on his neck, retreating back into his mind in wait for when they would next lash out again. 

 

“W-with you…” He forced out through clenched teeth.

“Listen, this was all just a misunderstanding,” Gen whispered, “you aren’t going to be threatened anymore, I’ll make sure of it.” A flicker of venom poisoned the last of those words.

Behind him, the man who’d held the shard in his grip leant back on the wall, arms folded over his chest, lips pursed as if to hold the phantom of a cigarette.

 

 “That’s surprising,” Stanley rasped in a tone cursed by years of smoking,  “can’t say I expected you two of all people… ‘s he alright?” the former soldier frowned, “Looks kinda out of it…”

The instant Gen shifted away from Senkuu, his demeanour did a 180. “Well, he WAS alright, but that’s a discussion that would be est-bay held later . Now, may I ask why you are walking around in the irst-fay place? It was only shortly ago that I found you bleeding out in a crashed aeroplane, in no condition to move, mind you .” Gen was back to his old stage tricks, an aura of hostility accompanying each syllable he shot from his mouth like he had tasted rotten food.

“I’ve had it worse.” Stanley shrugged. Senkuu, in all honesty, wouldn’t be half surprised - the guy was a former US Military personnel. Even so, the man’s hunched posture alone, not to mention the persistent twitch in his right eye, told the scientist otherwise. 

 

He could tell what hidden injuries looked like just by looking in a mirror.

“That’s appreciated.” Gen deadpanned,  “but as your temporary octor-day you will r eturn and you. Will. ~Rest!~ ” he chirped with a poisonous smile. 

 

Stanley sighed, but he didn’t protest further, “Ya sure sound a lot like Xeno…”

“Ah yes, your friend,” Gen enunciated the last part of his statement, just to poke one last needle into a sleeping bear. Senkuu scoffed a bit under his breath at the way the ‘steadfast, war hardened soldier with no emotions’ instantly averted his eyes and held a hand up to his mouth to cough. Whatever Stanley had going on with Xeno was the worst kept secret in the west. Even Senkuu , someone who didn’t care to pry into anything to do with ‘love’, could tell. It was blatant. “I’ll go check on him right now. Senkuu, will you be okay on your own?” Gen’s eyes softened as he glanced back at his friend, who responded with the go-ahead signal of a thumbs up, forcing a grin for good measure. At that, Gen’s eyes fluttered and he broke eye contact, a dusting of… pink? On his cheeks… Had he gotten ill? a flushed face could be the cause of a fever, or numerous other deadly illnesses… Senkuu made a mental note to check up on the mentalist when he returned. 

 

Stanley seemed aware of it too; something sparked in those pale blue eyes, lips curling into a malevolent, cunning smirk. Though it may have been his hearing acting up, as it had been for a while now, Senkuu could have sworn he heard a hushed conversation exchange amongst the two in the midst of their departure.

 

‘So, Scientists, eh?’

 

‘B-be quiet… it- it isn’t like that…’

 

Huh, confusing.

 

For some reason, Senkuu’s forced smile didn’t fall as willingly as it should

 

Was he… was he getting a fever as well? 

 

***

 

Kohaku scowled at her phone, which remained at a persistent, irritating 0 messages from Gen. She rattled the annoying box machine around in hope that it would churn out a response, but none came except for a signal for low battery. Groaning, the woman stuffed the phone back into her bag, leaning back in her seat. 

 

“Is everything alright?” Ruri sidled up beside Kohaku, a cup of dark coffee in her hands held out for her sister to take. Kohaku had been in the middle of visiting her and Chrome’s treehouse, just to get away from the clamour of the rest of the Kingdom of Science, who were all in discord over whether it was best to allow Senkuu space, or if his well being ought to be shared with them. Kohaku took the drink and downed the bitter taste in one gulp, glaring into the remnants pooling in the bottom of the mug with the imaginary face of Gen leering back up at her.

 

“That mentalist…” The woman sighed,  “he promised to give me updates but it’s been silent for days… It's like he thinks he’s the only one that cares about Senkuu!”

“That sounds frustrating.” Ruri said, though she herself seemed firmly on the side of ‘if he needs to heal, let him heal’, a sentiment that Kohaku could agree with in part, but only half committed to. She’d been right there on the scene, witnessed the horrific state that Senkuu was left in. The woman couldn’t stand the thought that he could be both in pain and lonely at the same time. But now Gen was hoarding their friend all to himself. “Have there really been none at all?”

“Nope. I got one on the first day that said ‘ going somewhere safe ’, but other than that, nothing.”

“I see…And as for the search?”

 

If Ruri had been hoping for better news, she was going to have to remain hungry, “Whoever attempted to poison Senkuu has disappeared. Luna found a whole lotta empty slides in the room, and the record of nurses who attended the room was stolen too…”

“They’ve gone quite far to cover their tracks…” Ruri murmured. 

 

“I’ll say…” Kohaku groaned, “I wish I could do more…”

 

Currently, she couldn’t leave the treehouse- weighed down by the small cylinder of technology she possessed as part of a pact to never allow the cult to get their hands on the Medusa. Every day, it would be passed in top secrecy -only those giving and receiving knew each other's identities, Kohaku had retrieved it from Suika, and she had no idea who the young scientist had received it from. In turn, until the time came, she herself had no clue as to who the next owner of the Medusa would be. It did, by proxy, make it so that each and every one of them was in danger so they had all agreed to station around Ishigami village, and never leave the house in less than a pack of three, at least one trained fighter among them. Kohaku, as a result of that rule, had been passed around like an unwanted gift from person to person, constantly requested to partner up with the less physically capable of the Kingdom. She, naturally, had obliged, but it was exhausting.

 

  Kohaku sighed, gazing outside the window with an absent expression. The leaves were now gradually fading from orange to mottled brown, peeling off the bark to pepper the grass in a sea of sunrise. It made for a pretty view; on a better day, Kohaku would have soaked it up. Now, all of those crimson leaves were tainted a blood red in her eyes, the trees appeared to be on fire, burning down to dust in front of her.

 

You couldn’t do anything to help Senkuu. You don’t deserve to see him anyway. Those amber hues hissed in her ears.

 

And as much as Kohaku wanted to deny it, the words just wouldn’t form, so she could only promise to herself that next time, if there was a next time, she would make sure to be there.

 

Kohaku would bring down that cult if it was the last thing she ever did. 

 

Notes:

I imagine Stan and Gen in the Spiderman Pointing meme going 'GAY SPOTTED' at eachother, except they both won't admit it :).

Might be the last update for a while before I'm off on holiday :>. I hope you enjoyed it, I was really happy by the response last chapter and everyone's kind words so I made sure to get this one out soon for everyone! but don't expect the schedule to be this consistent since my hyperfixations fluctuate a LOT :D.

Chapter 8

Notes:

Look! It’s my favourite queercoded villains, yippee! (The anime better make every last interaction zest af please. Especially for THAT scene (hint CAVE-GAYS)  

 

 

280870

 

280871

 

280872

 

“You still in there, Xe?”

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“It’s been a few days now.”

 

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“Y’know, you were always the punctual one.”

 

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280800 

 

“Woke up at exactly 6am every day, never missed meetings, constantly busy.”

 

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“ Yet you always managed to find time for me…”

 

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“Can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner.”

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“Your injuries aren’t doing so well…”

 

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“If they’ve messed with you permanently, just know I am going to find them.

 

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“And kill them.”

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“ All of them.” 

 

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“Unless your student’s friend beats me to it.“

 

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“I know you can hear me.”

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“Just…”

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“...Don’t sleep in too late.”

 

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“ Right, if you don’t open your eyes right now, I’m going to say it. …”

 

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“Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn ya’…”

 

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“. . .Love you ... ”

 

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…

 

…

 

…

 

Fractions of colors ignited and were extinguished in the same moment. Xeno opened his eyes - or so he assumed. His sight was glazed over, staring up at the world through a window of frosted glass, all manner of visible forms warped into a blur of unrecognizable smudges. The most present - most beautiful - of these smudges, leant in closer to him. He felt the icy touch of a palm placed against his cheek. 

 

Ah, he would know those cold hands from anywhere.

 

“Thought I told you… that phrase… ‘s the most… inelegant… of all…”

The hand was instantly retracted, replaced by a loud curse and the sound of something being dropped to the ground. Xeno’s lips curled into a small, smug smile - he rarely, if ever, caught Stan off guard. The man’s hyper-vigilance was impeccable, never faltering, not even for a second. But in those rare instances that it did, for a fraction of a second, drop… oh, he was so elegant when flustered…

 

“So you were listening,” As always, Stanley recovered his composure swiftly. “What’s your status?”

Xeno pondered the question for seven seconds, numbers swirling around in his mind from the lingering coma he had been in for over three days. 

 

“I-”

 

And then the pain set in.

 

Xeno could sense Stan’s eyes boring into him as his sentence was sliced in two by a strangled gasp. A thousand molten needles sent a ring of fire to scourge his veins. A sledgehammer to the frontal lobe would have been preferable to the alarm bells set off by each of his nerves simultaneously. 

 

“You good, man?” The concern in his partner’s voice slipped through the cracks of his typical concealment. The hand was back, caressing away some stray strands of his hair.

“I apologize… just… just give me a second…” With a shake of his head, Xeno shoved as much pain as possible to the back of his mental closet.

“Ah, I’m honestly surprised,” Another voice appeared from somewhere, accompanied by a vaguely purple blur. Xeno vaguely recognised the smooth tones as belonging to that mentalist from the Junior Science Brigade - Gen. “A normal human reaction to pain! Much unlike our dear Stanley here!”

Xeno narrowed his eyes at the blur inconspicuously shuffling out of sight, “Stan… are you ignoring severe injuries again ?”

“No…”

You bold faced liar.

 

Unfortunately, Xeno was deprived of the ability to scold his partner into treating his wounds seriously by a sudden blinding flash of light from overhead. His arms practically flew to cover his eyes, shading them with his sleeve. The aftermath of the crash must have left him with hypersensitivity to light… 

 

“Oh, sorry was that too bright?” Gen muttered another apology under his breath. Xeno heard the clatter of footsteps adjusting something above him, until at last, the brightness was quelled down to a more tolerable level. He removed his wrist, a sigh lodged in the back of his throat as the longing for his usual intake of caffeine reminded him he hadn’t had a single cup of coffee in a few days. The entire time, Stan remained a silent observer. Xeno could sense his scathing gaze giving him a once over, the hazy dark mass he assumed to be his partner approaching closer until their faces were inches away. At last, some vague detail broke through the distorted scape of colors; those wonderful azure irises, lips he would kiss if not for the hovering presence of the mentalist scurrying around wherever they were. 

 

“Your eyes, they’re different.”

Xeno couldn’t resist: “Do you look into my eyes often, Stan?” Elsewhere, he heard someone - he assumed Gen - choke on a bark of laughter. Stan didn’t say a single word, seemingly regretting his entire existence. If his skull hadn’t been under the siege of a thousand bullets of pain, Xeno would have joined in to poke fun at him further, but unfortunately, the soldiers assessment was correct. “On that note, you likely need to check me for a concussion, I can already tell I’m showing symptoms.”

“Right.” Gen re appeared beside Stan, the blur of his silver eyes narrowing in an attempt to seek out the difference the man had spotted. It was doubtful an untrained eye would have the attention to detail. Then again, he was a trained stage magician who had practiced with sleight of hand and precise movements for years. “I was half expecting that, you did take a rather nasty blow to the ead-hay. If only we were near a hospital… no… that wouldn’t be safe.” The mentalist’s voice adopted a darker tone,  “ Not after last time .  Nevermind. Ah… how do I check for those?”

“I can do it.” Another voice pierced the irritant mass of noise already swirling around in the room. Xeno instantly recognised the familiar dialect of his former pupil, Senkuu. At the same time, the scientist also noticed the  slight alterations to his typical vocals. There was more strain on certain syllables, a distinct lack of enthusiasm, and the way he spoke held a falseness, like a man reading from a script soaked in the rain. While some differences could easily be chalked up to him no longer being a bright eyed kid, there were others that were unexplained.

 

Like, for example, the fact that Senkuu sounded actively paranoid.  

 

The report of Senkuu’s kidnapping via the deluded masses of the Medusa had concerned Xeno, but there was little in the form of further context to understand the true depth of the disappearance. Ultimately, he had been so ensnared in managing all the fools at reinstated NASA that all he could do to offer aid was to send over a few drones to the Kingdom of Science so they could scope out larger areas of forest. The next he had heard of Senkuu was his rescue and subsequent brush with death thanks to a poisoning attempt. The status of his injuries and mental state had been tactfully erased from the transponded information.

“Senkuu, good to see you.” Gen departed from Xeno’s hazy field of vision, immersed in a conversation on the other side of the room.  Sorry for not waking you up, I thought it est-bay for you to catch a few hours.”

 

Senkuu either ignored his friend entirely or was too focused on his set goal to reply. A blur of white and green stepped into view.

“Xeno, focus on my finger, okay. I’m going to wave it around.”

“I know how these tests work…” Xeno sighed, exasperated. Illness only sought to hinder scientific progress. And, unfortunately for him, sickness in the early days of the Stone World followed their small brigade around like a plague. Diseases that had sprung up in the days of humanities’ hiatus stalked him, Stan, and their followers consistently through the years. The recreation of soap, antibiotics and other medicines could only prevent so many of these new outbreaks. And that brought him to another realization - Stan knew exactly how to check for concussions and head injuries, yet he had remained silent… was that his own silent revenge for the eyes comment- to let Xeno be fussed over? 

 

Oh… wait, what was he meant to be doing again? His thoughts were drifting off track… Follow… something? A finger. Where was it? Left? No, right. Or was it now in the middle. It was too unclear….

“Well, that's ten billion percent head trauma.” Senkuu cut through the confusion,  “I’d need to run more tests to be sure of which form it is, but we don’t currently have the resources on hand and creating them will take a few hours. List your own symptoms down.”

“Persistent headache. Dizziness. Disjointed thoughts. Vision impairment.”

“Right.” Something bright sparked in the corner of Xeno’s eye, moving across to cover his whole range of vision,  “I’m going to shine a light in your eyes and test for dilation, it’s going to be bright so be ready for that.” For several seconds, the torch got closer, then moved further away, then, the light was switched off. 

 

“That…” Senkuu paused and murmured something under his breath, before continuing to speak,  “isn’t good. It’s possible that the fire burnt away some of the lens and cornea. How clear can you see?”

“Right now?” Xeno squinted to make the most of what he had left,  “Only blurred smudges - though I don’t need my eyes to hear the sound of someone procrastinating over scenarios. Stop that,” he side-eyed Stanley’s general direction,  “You know it’s unhealthy. I’m alive and well.”

“I wasn’t.” His partner claimed. Xeno sighed - he was going to have to do this the hard way, it seemed.

“... Gen, Senkuu,” he addressed the remnants of the Junior Science brigade, “would you mind stepping out for a second, I need to have a brief… chat, with one Stanley Snyder .”

 

“Okay. Call me if your symptoms get worse.” Senkuu slinked off the instant the request came, returning back to whatever room he had popped his head out of. Gen on the other hand, smirked ever so loudly, his amusement clear enough for even Xeno to perceive.

“Ah, I see, a ‘~ Chat~’.” Gen exaggerated the last word for far longer than necessary ,   “Well then, I’ll leave you to it~”

 

Stanley sighed, “Don’t make assumptions.”

“But are they really assumptions if we all know they’re true?” Gen continued needling at the two. At this point, Xeno was ready to be out with this ‘secret’ and done - what would change if the mentalist knew? The world would continue spinning no matter what. (Besides, he was certain that nearly everyone in the newly formed NASA was well aware of his external affairs. He may or may not have flaunted this fact a few times discreetly.) 

 

“...Just go ,” Stanley on the other hand, seemed far from amused, but his words did take on a more conniving tone toward the end “ have fun with your own scientist.”

“ I-” The blur of Gen’s face was painted bright red. Oh, now that was an intriguing reaction. He squeaked “I’ll be off now! ” and, like a mouse hiding from the claws of a vicious cat,  scurried off to who knows where. 

 

Once Gen was gone, Xeno heard a poor concealment of a pained exhale from his right. “Come here.” He beckoned for Stanley to approach. It took his partner a considerable amount of time to reach the couch, his limp pronounced all the way.

“There… isn’ much to worry ‘bout….” Said the man already slurring his words. All of a sudden, a thump on the bed to his left caught Xeno off guard. He turned to see a human sized smudge collapsed onto what he assumed was another couch turned bed. 

 

“Or pass out, that also works in my favor.” Xeno shuffled over to where Stanley lay and weaved his fingers through his hair, “How often do I tell you: it really isn’t necessary for you to do this.”

“Gotta… keep ya’ safe.” Stan mumbled. 

 

“Stan…” Xeno replied, “Just before the impact, I noticed the plane pitch to an angle of about 32 degrees. I assume that was you, trying to take the brunt of the impact.”

“So what ‘f it was?” His partner brushed off his near flight with death to a meaningless comment,  “It didn’t work… anyway? I failed.”

Xeno frowned, “In what plain of existence did you ‘fail’ ?”

A hand was held up to his forehead, fingers tracing around the bandages, ““Y’re eyes…” Stan whispered, “Back then, Senkuu said somethin’ about retinal damage , I already know that you know that sorta injury doesn’t just go away.

“Stan…” I’ve been avoiding thinking about that. ”I don’t care about my eyes.” Lies. He did. A lot. His sight was crucial for his science endeavors. But that wouldn’t do any favors to mention, not to Stan when he was in this bad of a mood,  “What matters most to me is you staying alive. You… I care about you. And if that means dragging you into a bed and holding you down until you rest, then so be it.

 

“Holdin’ me down, ey?” Stan’s tone curled at the end, “..~Wouldn’t mind that~…”

How very elegant indeed. 

 

“...Not until your injuries are healed.” Xeno chided. It was regrettable to pass up such a prospect, but they both needed to make a recovery first.  He hoped that time would come swiftly. 

 

“Hmph, fine…” Stanley conceded. Well, ya’ got me to lie down, now it’s my turn.”

“Now hold on just a minu-”

 

He felt Stanley straddle him and ease him back down into the bed. “This entire time, you’ve been pushing all the injury focus onto me, don’t ya’ think that’s a bit hypocritical.”

“Baseless accusations.” Xeno shot back, though he didn’t put his all into defending against the claims.

“Whatever you say…Close your eyes, it’ll help ‘em heal…” Xeno did as such, allowing his eyelids to close, shadowing his world in darkness. “Xe?” Stan continued to muse,  “do you remember before the Petri-beam? When we were kids, you would drag me out at night to go stargazing…”

“Of course I remember.” Xeno murmured,,  “You always complained of it being ‘sappy’... but you’d always stay up anyway.” The warm memories made his lips form into a soft smile. Oh how elegant those days were, composed of little else except him, Stan and the galaxy he wished to take in the palm of his hand.

“Obviously I did,” Stan scoffed,  “who else was gonna carry ya’ back inside when you inevitably fell asleep on the grass? And out there was better than home, anyway. ” The last part was hastily tacked on, and even more swiftly glossed over. 

 

“And then those first few nights post breaking out of the stone, we did the same.” Xeno reminisced not as fondly on those days, the memories attached to them stained by the reminders of darkness and numbers.

“Most of that was just me tellin’ you to stop counting all the damn time when you thought I wasn’t listening.” Stan pointed out.

“Can you blame me?” Xeno asked, “Keeping track of the date for thousands of years is taxing…”

 

“Huh…” Stanley trailed off, his words caught on some unseen snag, a hidden realisation, “I just thought of something… we’re both pretty fucked up, aren’t we -  I tried to kill a bunch of kids for months, you went insane…we both went insane.”

“I suppose we did…” Xeno leant in to Stan, “But… what better form of insanity is there than one where we’re together?”

 

“Mhm…” Yet again, Stanley remained silent for a period of time, before, barely audible, he whispered, “Say, Xe, once this is all settled, I got somethin’ I wanna ask you.”

Xeno whispered back to him, “...Well, I’ll eagerly await that time…” Before long, the world grew soundless, only buffeted by gentle snores, a hum through his ear pressed up on his partner's chest. Stan was long since asleep, his injuries getting the best of his vigilance.

In that silent night, Xeno dared to utter the words.
…

 

“ Love you too…Stan ”

Notes:

OMAKE:

The mentally scarred squad @the cult rn

Gen and Stanley: I just want to talk to them

Senkuu and Xeno: Why do you have a shotgun?

Gen and Stanley: I just want to talk to them

Senkuu and Xeno: This is ridiculous, put that gun away

Gen and Stanley: I just want to talk to them.

Senkuu and Xeno: Wait, what are you doing?

Gen and Stanley: I just wanna shoot them.

(Senkuu actively loses it, while Xeno ends up cheering on the carnage.)

Anyway:

It’s interesting how I see loads of fics centered around the fact that Senkuu surely has a lot of mental baggage from counting for thousands of years, but there is like none for Xeno even when he was doing the exact same thing. Like, both of these guys are NOT okay, except one dealt with trauma by completely focusing his life on scientific progression and ignoring everything else, while the other became a dictator and lost the plot.

I’m pretty sure the only thing keeping Xeno remotely sane was and always will be Stanley… except Stanley is also insane so they kind of balanced eachother out in a way as the Menacing Gays

Listen, when the Anime gets to the next season , I BEG that they’ll make the VA’s for Xe and Stan good in sub and dub. PLEASE. I need to hear their voices or I'm going to bite the tv screen, the remote, to the window and to the wall. Also the comments on CR better be back by then I want to wild out with fellow DCST fans. (pls o’ pls thy graceful corporate marketing overlords, dont make our meager voices smaller, its killing all the hype of new shows)

Also sorry, im going on holiday again for another two weeks so bye bye until september ehehe- though, since Whumptober 2024 is coming up again I miiightt incorporate some of those prompts into this one too, but its not gonna be a full 31 day in this (I already have my next completionist whump fic planned for One Piece rn, so doing two at once is a bit too much)

Sorry for going on for so long in the end notes, I have a lot of thoughts. I Hope you liked this one because I LOVED writing it.

Notes:

Please leave a comment and kudos if you liked it!!!! :D

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Consequent