Summary: "Trust me, Thomas. I'll be fine." Before his death, Metias has a very serious conversation with his best friend, Thomas. Spoilers for both Legend and Prodigy. Please don't read unless you've finished both. One-shot.
A/N: Inspired by what Thomas tells June after her arrest. I hope you like it. It's kinda fluffy, but also serious... So yeah, tell me what you think.
I'll Be Fine
Metias wasn't expecting the sharp rapping on his door as it neared midnight. With a sigh, he closed his laptop and set it aside before making his way slowly to the door. As he went, he listened for footsteps from the hall. There were none, meaning June hadn't been woken by their late-night visitor. He peered through the peephole and was quite shocked to see a very familiar face. Undoing the locks, Metias opened the door and his best friend, Thomas, stepped inside.
As always, Thomas was impeccably groomed. There wasn't a hair out of place. The same could not be said about Metias, even on a good day. Metias looked over his friend. Thomas' shoulders were tense. Underneath his passive expression, Metias could tell something was wrong. He was upset about something. It gave Metias a bad feeling.
"Hey," he greeted, closing the door softly. Thomas said nothing as they walked into the living room. He expected Thomas to take a seat, as he often did, but he remained standing in the doorway. Weary, Metias didn't sit either. "Something the matter?" Thomas glanced around the room for a moment. It seemed as if he was hoping to find the words he needed scribbled on the walls.
"I don't really know how to tell you this, so I'll just come out and say it. I know that you hacked into the deceased civilian's database." Metias couldn't keep the shock off his face. How did Thomas know about that? "And the security admins know too." Thomas looked at the floor. Metias crossed his arms and stared intently at his friend.
"You reported me?" he accused. Thomas' head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What? No! Of course not! I would never do that. The security admins found traces of your hacking left in the server or something. They wanted me to tell Commander Jameson, but I didn't. I came here to warn you instead. You have to stop before things get out of control." This time, it was Metias who studied his shoes.
"I can't do that," he muttered. Before Thomas could protest, Metias continued. "I found out a lot of stuff. Bad stuff."
"Like what?" Metias didn't answer immediately. When he looked back up to meet Thomas' eyes, there was great sadness and pain in them.
"Stuff about my parents' deaths." Thomas stared at his friend for a long moment, the silence stretching out endlessly.
"Your parents died in a car wreck," he said gently. "An accident." Much to his surprise, Metias let out a harsh, bitter laugh, turning away from Thomas.
"It was a car wreck alright, but it was no accident." Thomas was confused. How was it not an accident? Had someone wanted them dead, he wondered. Was it really murder?
"What happened?" he asked, voice so soft, it hardly carried over to his friend's ears. Metias simply shook his head and Thomas knew he wasn't in the mood to give out details just yet. Whatever the truth was, it was pretty bad. He tried to recall a time when he'd seen his friend in such a bad state. The only one that came to mind was when his parents had actually died. A lump began to rise in his throat and Thomas walked slowly over to his friend, intending to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Metias stepped away and Thomas let his hand fall back to his side.
"Don't," Metias whispered. Thomas knew he whispered only because he didn't want Thomas to hear the strain in his voice; he faced away only because he didn't want him to see the tear in his eyes. But Thomas didn't care what Metias wanted, he cared about what his friend needed. Still, he remained still and silent. Neither of them moved or spoke as the minutes trickled by slowly. Finally, Metias turned back to face him. His eyes were dry, a blank mask on his face.
They were only inches apart. Thomas could feel Metias' warm breath tickle his skin lightly. He swallowed, suppressing a shudder. "Please, you can't keep hacking. They'll catch you."
"I don't care," Metias said defiantly, moving ever closer. His voice was firm, unwavering. "I can't stop now." Thomas was ready to burst. Why was he being so stubborn about playing with fire?
"Please," he repeated, voice carrying a desperate note. Metias raised an eyebrow. "Stop. If not for your job or your life or your country, then for June." Metias' mask faltered a little at the mention of his sister who was still asleep a few rooms away. "For me," he added before he could stop himself. Metias raised an eyebrow; Thomas wanted to stuff the words back in, but it was too late for that.
"Look, this is important. I really think I'm onto something. Nothing you can do or say will change that. Why do you care so much anyway?" Thomas didn't answer. The words kept replaying themselves in his mind. Nothing you can do or say will change that. And why did he care? No, that was a stupid question. Metias was his friend, and he wasn't going to let him get himself killed or arrested. How could he prove that he did care.
There were practically nose to nose. One thought ran through Thomas' mind, again and again. Prove you care. Prove you care. Prove you care. Metias' breath was hot on his skin as their eyes stayed fixed on the other. He had to stop Metias from ruining his life. It felt like there was an electric current running between them. Thomas swallowed once more. He was sure Metias could hear his heart pounding away in his chest.
In that moment, all the feelings, all the emotions Thomas had stuffed deep down inside of him and held under lock and key came bubbling to the surface. Before he could change his mind, or regain logical thought, Thomas closed the space between them and pressed his lips against Metias'.
Metias was definitely caught off guard. His stood, stiff as a board. Thomas was sure Metias would push him away at any second and demand that he leave and never return. But he didn't. He relaxed and leaned into the kiss. The electric current was coursing thorough his veins. He had imagined kissing Metias a few times, but always shoved the thoughts away before they could get too far. He never believed he would act on the insane impulse, but there he was.
He wasn't sure how long it lasted. Metias, at one point, grabbed Thomas' shoulders and pulled him closer. Thomas could feel his muscled through their clothes. He had his arms on Metias' back, pulling him close as well. Finally, they broke apart. Thomas' breaths were shallow, and he noticed Metias' were too. "Wondered if you would ever do that," Metias muttered, eyes closed. He released his grip on Thomas.
Thomas was shaking and confused. He tried to sort through what had just happened, what he had instigated. His minded was muddled. "No more hacking, then?" he asked, hopeful. Metias flashed him a confidant grin.
"Nice try, but no." Thomas' heart fell. "Trust me, Thomas. I'll be fine."