The hallway was dimly lit, and was empty with nothing but that one room. That one room he has been waiting in front of for three days, with no results. The whirring of the machines were the only sounds in the hall, echoing in his ears as if to remind him of his foolishness, and to keep him in his own world of despair. The only thing keeping him sane was the vengeance of his fallen comrade, with a picture of his twisted brother burned into his mind.
It's time, he told himself, as he slid the orange jacket off his shoulders and put on the rags he had worn that day. The day when his brother had turned his back on him.
He took a look at his morpher and his mouth twitched for a second, as if fighting to smile. He removed the morpher from his arm, placing it gently on top of his folded jacket. His eyes averted to the gray wall, where Champ was on the other side, waiting to be fully repaired. Placing his hand on the wall, he could feel the rumbling of the machines, working to the smallest detail.
Scoprio will be dead soon, he declared, finally turning away from the room, and his jacket and morpher.
He advanced down the hallway, his echoing footsteps mixing in with the sound of busy machines. Eyebrows furrowed, fists flenched, his mind was set. Nothing was stopping him.
Until, a tiny hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him to a stop.
Kotaro, he sighed.
Turning around, he grabbed Kotaro's shoulders and crouched down to reach his height level.
It wasn't Kotaro.
"H-Hammy?" He stuttered, eyes widened. He never noticed how little her hand was, and how she was barely taller than Kotaro.
"Stinger, where are you going?" Hammy asked, looking down at the ground with clenched fists.
"...somewhere," Stinger replied while looking away from her.
"Somewhere with Scorpio?" She asked again. His grip on her shoulders tightened, and she smiled sadly.
"Please don't. If what happened last time happened again..." she pleaded in a whisper. Stinger looked away.
"I have to. For Champ..." he trailed off when that name came out of his mouth.
He forced a smile, which he knew couldn't fool anyone.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." The lie came out of his mouth before he knew it.
"At least don't go alone. I'll go with you-" she started to offer, holding her head up for the first time.
"NO!" He roared. He hesitated when he saw her eyes. They were always so full of cheerfulness and joy, but now they were red, and brimming with tears. He hated doing this to her, but he had his mind set.
"I don't want another Champ because of me. It's better I get hurt than any of you." Stinger looked down when he heard a sniffle. Looking up, he watched as one fat tear slid down Hammy's face. Before he could even think of anything to say to her, his arms slid down to her back, and he embraced her tightly, resting his head on hers.
He could hear her completely break down beneath him, tears soaking his tattered coat. His hand was rubbing her back, while the other held the back of her head. Again, he had never noticed how nicely she had fit into his embrace, most likely because he never hugged her before. But now, it felt like she had been made for this moment - their first, and most likely last, hug.
They stood in silence. Even the sound of the machines that had haunted him for days had been drowned out, and all he focused on was Hammy's sobs. Soon, her breathing had slowed, and she slowly pulled away from his embrace.
Hammy looked him square in the eyes, with her swollen ones, and said only two words.
"Don't die." Before he could breathe, she had gone up on her toes, and lightly touched her lips on his. He stood still for a moment, then immediately started to kiss back. Her arms slung around his neck, and his hands were on her hips. He pulled away.
No more. I need to go, he told himself, taking his hands off on her.
She advanced towards him and threw her arms around his body.
"I'm begging you one more time. Please don't go," she whispered, burying her head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her again, and hesitated. Then, with his tail extended, he struck her in the back. She immediately fell limp in his arms, and he gently lowered her until she laid on the ground. He stood up, looking at her sadly.
"If you said anymore, I could have never left," he whispered, and turned away. Pulling his hood over his head, he headed down the silent hallway and didn't look back.
A/N: Sorry for the late fic, I was on vacation! Anyway, if you want to request anything, just private message me and I'll get on it as soon as I can!