A/N: *sighs* Hello. This isn't Thinking. Sorry. Love you all. Ta.
This story was supposed to be something else, like about half of my stories. But it will make the person (whose name I have forgotten, sorry) who asked for something like Freezing Fire, but that would give Kaz the chance to actually act on what he learned, happy. Something he couldn't do when Oliver was, you know, dead.
I guess the characters tend to say it best, so... *bows out*
Chase walks over to Oliver with a sympathetic expression
"You too, huh, bro?"
"Yep," Oliver sighs. "She said she couldn't concentrate on tormenting you, for some reason, so she decided to torment me."
"And me!" Kaz interrupts, irritably, poofing in from nowhere. "When will that girl get it through her head that we can express our feelings without someone dying?"
Chase raises an eyebrow. "And do you?"
Kaz and Oliver suddenly can't seem to look at each other. "Yes," Kaz says, defensively.
"Sometimes," Oliver adds, "When he's not mocking me for being weak."
"And he's not making fun of my lack of intelligence."
"Uh-huh, Chase, sound familiar?" The author asks, popping in. Chase also becomes shifty-eyed.
"No, no, not at all..." He trails off, awkwardly.
All three boys think about it and sigh.
"Carry on," Chase says resignedly, and disappears.
"Fine," Kaz growls, "But I expect reimbursement in tofu pops." He also vanishes.
"And I want that story you promised," Oliver demands, "The one where Kaz and I have a nice, normal day where nothing bad happens."
The author sighs. "You realize that'll be terribly boring to read, right?"
Oliver shrugs. "Sometimes, boring can be a good thing, trust me." He poofs away.
The author stares after him thoughtfully, mulling over the idea he just gave her. That wasn't half bad...
/fin_for_now/
XD Did I just hint at a companion piece in a mini story before the real story? I believe I did.
Have a nice day, guys. And make someone smile, okay? :)
The snow was turning red, and Kaz's stomach was turning at the sight of it.
Snow was supposed to be white. White as snow, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, it's looking like a white Christmas. White and snow were supposed to be inseparable concepts. And yet, they'd just been separated.
Solar Flare stuck her head inside their makeshift shelter, concern clear on her face. "How does it look?"
Kaz cleared his throat, trying to remove the sharp edged lump that had settled there, but Oliver beat him to it. "Not very good, I'm afraid," he replied, trying his best to give the superhero a smile. "But it could be worse."
Olver broke off, coughing in harsh rattling explosions. Kaz gripped his friend's shoulder until his knuckles turned white in sympathy. Solar Flare's eyes widened behind her mask as Oliver spat red-tinged mucus into the snow.
Kaz offered him a tissue. It seemed so, so inadequate. He wished with every fiber of his being that they'd never come out there in the first place.
"How could it be worse?" He asked, softly, anger simmering under the surface. "How could it possibly be worse?"
Oliver looked up at him with tired eyes. "That attack could have gotten you."
Kaz just stared back in shock for a moment. Then, unable to face what he'd done to his friend, he closed his eyes, and slowly shook his head. Oliver was the most loyal person he'd ever met. Loyal enough to take a deadly attack without flinching, if it meant saving his best friend. His best friend who had gotten them into that fight in the first place, as usual. The one who was sitting, watching, as Oliver's body burned up, from the inside out, unable to do a single thing about it.
If he'd known what would come of pulling Oliver along on this hare-brained scheme...
:-:
"Come one, Oliver, it'll be fun!" Kaz flashed a grin behind him as he pulled his long-suffering best friend along behind him.
"That's what you said last time!" Oliver protested. "And the time before that!"
"And I was right, wasn't I?" Kaz shot back, still with his signature smile.
Oliver laughed, and rolled his eyes. "Only if you consider being wrapped in seaweed, and then hailed as an exotic new sushi roll fun. Or, you know, almost dying during the fight last week."
"Oh, come on, Oliver, don't be such a wimp. For your information, I've been told that we would've been delicious, and we got to fight evil! Not just clean up after it! It was amazing!"
Oliver sighed, but shook his head, amused at his friend's antics. "Right... So, what's the big plan for today?"
"I overheard whatchamawho telling what's-his-face that someone heard that Solar Flare's out in the Rockies, facing her nemesis, Frostbite, and they got an emergency call from here. The ambulance will go out any minute! I just hope we're not too late."
Oliver stopped, dead. "No way," he said, firmly. "If she's hurt, we'll just get in the way. She could be hurt worse because of us, do you want that to happen?"
"Aw, come on, Oliver! Name one time we made something worse with our wealth of superhero knowledge."
"Never," Oliver replied, dryly. "Your impulsiveness, on the other hand..."
"But I can't be impulsive if you're there to keep me in check," wheedled Kaz.
Oliver looked at his friend seriously. "Just to be clear, if I don't go, you'll go anyway?"
"Yep."
Oliver sighed. "Then I guess I really have no choice, do I?"
Kaz flashed him a dazzling grin. "Nope!"
:-:
A hand brushed against Kaz's knee, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I did have a choice, you know," Oliver said roughly, knowing what was going through Kaz's mind. "I could've said no."
"I'd be dead right now if you had," Kaz said quietly. "That's kind of crazy to think about." Still, he had to wonder if it would've been better that way. He would be dead, sure, but he would be dead for his own stupid mistake. Oliver would be impacted by his death, of course, but he would be okay. He was strong, much stronger than Kaz ever gave him credit for. The fact that he was clinging tenaciously to consciousness when he really should have passed out ages ago was proof of that. Oliver was pale on a good day, but now, he was whiter than the snow should have been. Kaz couldn't keep his hands still. He itched for all the equipment so far away, the supplies that could save his best friend that normally surrounded him. He made a silent oath to himself that if Oliver survived this, he would never take medicine for granted again. Heck, he might become a doctor in real life. But only if Oliver stuck by him, alive.
A weak cough, and an even weaker smile. "You're thinking again. Don't hurt yourself."
"Oh, ha, ha." Kaz tried to smile, but nothing came to his face but a worried frown. He finally asked the question that had been burning in him. "Oliver, why did you do it?"
'Why would you ever think I was worth that?' Kaz added, mentally. 'What made you think I would be okay with this, ever?'
:-:
Solar Flare and Frostbite had fought hard, exchanging attacks so quickly, Oliver and Kaz hadn't been able to do anything. They had just watched from behind cover, seeing the ambulance decimated in the conflict. The hero and villain seemed like perfectly matched opponents, matching blow for blow, shot for shot.
But after several minutes, Frostbite got in a lucky shot, and hit Solar Flare. It hadn't been a direct hit, hadn't done much damage, but it stunned her. Frostbite loomed over her threateningly, and Kaz didn't even think, just darted out from behind cover with a loud and obnoxious, "Oh, HELLO. Jack Frost, right? I thought you'd be cooler. Get it? Cooler?"
It had distracted the villain, as Kaz had intended, but it had also made him angry. Very angry. Frostbite growled, wordlessly, and threw a bolt of ice shaped like a snarling wolf head. It howled as it hurtled towards Kaz. Kaz froze under the wolf's icy eye, and even though he recognized the deadly attack, Frost's Bite, he couldn't get out of the way. Kaz prepared for the worst.
But at the last second, Oliver had slammed into him. The attack missed Kaz, barely, but it hit Oliver hard. Solar Flare surged up with a furious cry, and torched Frostbite, but all Kaz saw was his best friend, lying limply beside him in the snow.
And all he could do was ask why...
:-:
"You're my friend," Oliver answered, softly. "My best friend. I just knew that, even if I got out okay, a life without you running around, dragging me into trouble, wasn't one I would want to live anyway."
"But I don't want one where I can't run around and drag you into trouble!" Kaz shot back. "I need you. You know I do."
Oliver just sighed and closed his eyes, all the snark gone. "I know," he said, simply. "I'm not sorry I did it. But I am sorry if I, you know-"
"Don't say it," Kaz nearly begged, "because it won't, okay? Help is coming. Help is coming, and it won't happen." Please, Oliver, just let it go.
But Oliver wouldn't. "No, Kaz, if I die, then I'm sorry. Not sorry that I saved you, but sorry I left you alone. And I would tell you to go on, and make trouble, and be sarcastic and ridiculous and know that somehow, I'll see it, and I'll be laughing. And I'll see when you're smart and mature, and when you are, just think of me, okay? Just- live your life, a-and don't forget me. Okay?" Oliver nearly whispered. "For me?"
Tears were running down Kaz's cheeks now, leaving trails that burned cold in the icy air. He wanted to scream. To shake Oliver and convince him that he wasn't going to die. But he knew better than that, and so he just nodded. Kaz cleared his throat, feeling the sick pit in his stomach, and replied quietly. "Okay. And I'll do my best to help Skyler, if she'll let me."
Oliver's speech had taken a lot out of him. His face was nearly grey, and Kaz recognized the look in his eyes from darker days at the hospital. Oliver was nearly ready to give up. A sob welled up in his throat, and he let it come.
"Thanks," Oliver murmured. "And...T-tell my parents I love them? No matter what you guys have to come up with, to explain what happened, just tell them?"
"Of course," Kaz choked. "Yeah, I- of course."
A spasm of pain tore through Oliver, and he grabbed Kaz's hand without a thought. Kaz clung back, just as instinctively. Neither cared if they looked stupid. No petty disagreements held them apart, none of the conventions of not expressing emotion. They were beyond all that. Nothing remained except their friendship, their brotherhood. Two boys that knew each other as well as they knew themselves. Kaz, through the tears, cursed the world that only allowed that to happen on the verge of death.
It shouldn't have to be that way.
Oliver opened his eyes as it passed, startling chips of blue against his drained complexion, and sighed. He was done, he knew it. He couldn't hold on anymore, not even for his best friend, and faced that reality with grace. A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and Kaz tightened his grip on Oliver's hand. It was time, and he wasn't ready. He'd never be ready for this. "See you on the flip side," Oliver whispered. "Take care."
He faded, eyes slipping closed, and his hold on Kaz's hand weakened, and then vanished altogether. The next moment, backup arrived, and Kaz could only curse them for taking so long.
For being just too late.
-MM-
Many anxious hours later, hours of heartbreak and pain, of waiting and pacing, while doctors worked, and Kaz begged Oliver to hold on, they were alone in a small room. Kaz sat in an obnoxiously uncomfortable chair, and Oliver lay still and silent beside him. He had regained a little color, but the white, white room probably helped. White as snow, Kaz thought, with a snort. And red blips on a heart monitor. Red as snow, too.
A twitch broke him out of his thoughts, and he sat forward eagerly. He knew he should get Horace or someone, but if Oliver was waking up, he sure as heck wanted to be there for it.
Pale lids flickered, froze, and finally, finally, opened slowly, as if fighting weights. As they overcame their burdens, threw them off, and flew open, the weights on Kaz's heart did the same. He met his best friend's slightly confused, but beautifully alive eyes with a blinding grin.
"Welcome to the flip side."
And Oliver smiled.