Soldiers in the Trench
Rating: T
Summery: Break and Liam sitting against a piece of rubble after the Isla Yura party. Neither has enough energy left to get up. Break has a bone to pick with Liam. An interesting conversation ensues.
Characters: Liam, Break, mentions of Isla Yura, Baskervilles, Ada, Sharon, and Headhunter
Comments: This started as just like it sounded, two guys, just sitting there, really wanting to argue but being too tired to actually do it. Technically this is supposed to be Liam and Break friendship but it doesn't take too much squinting to make it more, which I don't mind. It was nice to write something lighter tone between these two, I hope you enjoy it. Please review.
Spoilers: Chapter 56 spoilers all over.
"Wait a sec. I thought you were dead."
(Break, Retrace 56)
One of the truly odd things about crises, the real, screaming mess kind of crises with people running blindly everywhere and more than one insane killer loose at the same fancy party, was that no one was sure what to do when they were over. In fact, often people are a bit confused at the 'over' concept in general and insist on being hysterical for some time afterward.
But even those slow learners could be of no doubt that the crisis was passed. The flames in the mansion had been doused, the remaining party-goers had been herded out of the building to the relative safety of the gardens, the evil ceremony taking place in the in the basement had been stopped, what Baskervilles that had not died had fled into the night, and what of Isla Yura's cult that could be rounded up had been shipped off to Pandora's cells for trying to end the world while their leader to wriggled out of his bonds and escaped. Pandora agents had descended on the mansion and were busy doing productive things, like searching the mansion, examining the ritual chamber in the basement, and trying to deal with the many nobles who were wandering, looking rather dazed and scorched, through the shrubberies rather like stray sheep.
This spectacularly unimpressive ending to the attempt at making a second Tragedy of Sabrie found Liam and Break sitting against a piece of wall that had once been part of the mansion, before application of flame had caused it to tumble into the garden. Both were bloody, though the former sported notably rather more bandages than the latter, and both were obviously counting on the fact that they were both leaning on each other to keep them from falling over as much as they were counting on the wall to do the same.
From an outside prospective they looked like two soldiers who had dragged themselves only this far and would very much like a drink right now, thank you please, before even thinking about going any further.
Considering the amount of bodies, both decapitated and otherwise nastily dead, that were being recovered from the mansion a battlefield was almost an appropriate analogy.
"Well, aren't we a fine sight." said Liam.
"Oddly enough, sight isn't something I'm all that concerned with right know." Break said placidly, his head resting serenely on his friend's shoulder. "Especially considering my circumstances, I might never be worried about things look again. Would give me free reign when it comes to acting-"
"Shut up, Xerx." Liam said, but in a tone as if he was too tired to put any real snap into the request.
"Sure, sure," Break replied in an equally exhausted voice. In spite of his words he was silent only a few moments before he spoke again. "I meant to ask before, but things were far too exciting, I thought Lady Sharon sent you off somewhere. How'd you even get back here?"
"Lady Ada." Liam explained. When Break rotated his head around on Liam's shoulder so he could give him a raised eyebrow he clarified, "Lady Sharon sent me to where she was, remember? After the Baskervilles fled."
"Ada? Why does that sound familiar?"
"She's Lord Oz's little sister."
"That must have been interesting for her. A bleeding man falls out of thin air in a swirl of darkness, exactly what a young girl who's had a far too interesting night already wants."
"No, she kept a rather level head about it." said Liam, who, it must be pointed out, was wearing bandages clearly fashioned from strips of cloth ripped off a formal gown. Rose pink was not a good color for him. "When I told her about the situation she ordered the carriage turned around so she could aid in the… situation."
"You told her what was going on? She's not even part of Pandora if I remember correctly." Break shot Liam a vaguely questioning look. "Surely you didn't just volunteer the information?"
"She pulled rank on me, she is a noble, after all, and did I rather owe her after she stopped me from bleeding to death."
"I had noticed," Break fingered one of the bandages, "Silk isn't usually used to stem wounds nor is lace usually considered very effective for bleeding prevention. Too many holes."
Liam glanced down at the piece of cloth in question and raised his uninjured shoulder, the one Break was leaning his head on, in a shrug. "That must have come off the hem." he didn't seem too perturbed about it. "Besides," he said, "You can't argue that it wasn't a good thing she decided to turn back. I was helpful."
"You would have been more helpful somewhere safe, where I didn't have to worry about you getting into trouble." Break muttered, with real energy for once.
With a sigh Liam reached over and flicked him in the forehead. "Stop sulking. I'm sorry you thought I was dead. But the situation was desperate and I had no other choice except that."
"I am not sulking. And you told me the March Hare's power was making you unobtrusive and that it doesn't work very well."
"I lied." Liam said. "Did I apologize for that yet?"
"No."
"Oh. Sorry."
"For…" Break drew the word out to double its normal length in a leading manner.
As much as he could manage when his head was resting on Break's Liam gave the other man a withering look, then he sighed and said in a sing-song voice, "I'm sorry for pretending to be dead without informing you first. I'm sorry if that led you to no amount of distress and to do some rather stupid berserker fighting. I'm sorry for lying to you about the relatively useless powers of my chain. I'm sorry that I committed the unimaginable crime of keeping secrets from you, Xerxes Break, who are always completely honest with me."
"You were doing awfully well until that last bit."
"Honestly, Xerx." The two words brimmed with annoyance and pent up frustration. Internally Break winced, readying himself for the inevitable lecture. But instead Liam just said, in a tired voice, "I really don't feel like yelling at you right now."
"How very out of character of you." Break remarked, mildly.
"I do more than yell at you. Admit it; you would have never been able to find your way to the sealing stone chamber if I hadn't gone looking for you. I helped."
"You were distracting." Break said, bluntly. "I spent valuable time I could have used to track the Headhunter worrying what exactly you had gotten yourself into. And I was right to worry. Not only did you almost get yourself killed," Liam tired to interrupt but Break didn't let him, continuing right on over his protest, "But then you came back into the mansion. I don't know what you were trying to accomplish, you didn't even have a gun anymore, -and it's not as if you could use the March Hare again- there was nothing you could do to help. Sometimes I just… I don't know what to do with you, Liam. You- you drive me next thing to insane!"
Liam reached up and put his hand on Break's head, threading fingers stained rusty red into the white strands. "It's alright Xerxes." He said, softly. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. We both made it out."
Break slumped more heavily against Liam, his shoulders suddenly loosing then tension they had as he'd been speaking. "You don't understand." his voice was the drained husk of a whisper, defeated, weary. "I thought you were dead. Even if it was for just a little I honestly believed I'd gotten my dearest friend killed. And I was so cursed angry at myself for letting it happen that I forgot everything else, everyone else, all I wanted was to kill those Baskervilles. Because they had killed you. Because you were dead. Gone. Vanished. Never to be…" he trailed off into pained silence.
"I'm alive, Xerx." Liam said.
"I know." Break said, mostly into his shoulder. "And that is something I am fervently thankful for."
"Likewise." Liam said calmly. "You do realize that I did get something out of all that."
"Something?"
"Information. About the Baskervilles. It might be important."
"What?"
"I'll tell you later. It's complicated." Liam let his head fall back against the piece of rubble. "I'm too tired for complicated right now."
"Liam, I just had a thought."
"What?"
"Does anyone know we're here?"
Liam was thoughtful for a moment; they had gotten separated from the others toward the end and had managed to get out of the mansion by smashing one of the windows. Then they had hobbled over here and practically collapsed into the position they were in now. "You know, I don't think they do."
"Hmm. This could be interesting. Think you could manage getting up?"
The answer Liam gave was mixed with a groan. "No…"
"Well, so much for your claim of being 'fine'." Break said.
"May I direct your attention to the one of us that makes a habit of coughing of blood on a regular basis? And which of us still retains our sight, hm?"
"Touche."
"…you can't get up either can you?"
"I don't think so."
"It appears we're going to be here for a while."
"Yup."
Wincing, Liam shifted so Break's head rested more comfortably on his shoulder; he dropped the hand that had been in Break's hair back into his lap. "In that case, I'm going to sleep. Wake me if something interesting happens."
"Of course, of course." Break said airily. "Though I must point out the fact that I don't make the best of watchmen, being somewhat lacking in an area necessary for good watchmanship?"
There was no response from Liam. A few moments of silence were punctuated by the deep breathing of someone who was already asleep.
Break chuckled, "No worries, I suppose. They'll find us eventually. In the meantime," he reached up to steal the glasses from his sleeping friend's face and folded them out of the way in his hands, "This is quite acceptable."
"Liam, I'm glad you're alive."
(Break, Retrace 56)
End.