So, I just stumbled across this prompt and my imagination just ran wild and I had to write this.
This one-shot is thereby inspired by/based on a prompt called "Russian Roulette" by whumpthatiwant on tumblr.
Oh, and it's definitely AU.
ENJOY! :D
Kurt's sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. Though not by choice. A strong pair of handcuffs around each wrist and ankle are firmly keeping him in place.
He glances around the room, forcing himself to not look at the people cuffed to the wall before him. If he looks at them, if he was to recognize any of them, he knows he'll lose whatever game he's captured cooked up for him.
So instead he eyes the rest of the room. It's a big and would've been bright room -classic Dalton- but the windows have all been blocked. The only light falling over the scene being the large chandelier over Kurt's own head, creating a bright halo around him.
That's when the man walks into the room. He's chuckling, the malicious sound sending shivers down Kurt's spine. It's the Meerkat. Kurt's met him before. This "bad guy", in lack of better words, always plays games, and none of them ends well for his contestants. Physically or psychologically, all of them get scarred, traumatized.
He's waving the gun in his hand casually, as if it was a pencil or something, and the people in front of Kurt -no do not look at them- whimpers. The Meerkat's grinning. The smile's stretching from ear to ear and makes him look even more insane than Kurt's already certain he is.
"I like games- no, I love games!" the Meerkat announces as he comes to a stop before Kurt. He's looking at the other hostages, prompting more whimpers from them before he turns to Kurt.
"Do you like games?" he questions, tilting his head. His voice is light and cheery, and it's making Kurt nauseous. He glares up at the man, not saying a word. Not that it would've made any difference if he'd tried. A piece of duct tape had previously been pressed over his mouth, preventing any sounds to escape him. So instead he glares, willing everything he has into a death glare, which he's proud to say would've killed the other male if looks could kill.
The Meerkat is not impressed though. He's actually chuckling, the grin still present, as he looks down at Kurt. Slowly, he lifts the gun so it's at Kurt's eye level. Kurt knows the gun. It's a six-shoot.
Which is exactly why he feels his heart sink as the man raises his other hand and let's five bullets fall to the floor. Kurt knows what this is about, he knows exactly what game the Meerkat is playing today. Russian roulette.
Kurt can't help it; his eyes widens at the realization. The Meerkat however, simply grins even wider and rips the tape of Kurt's mouth. Kurt tries his best not to wince at the action and musters every ounce of his bitchiness into his voice as he's finally able to speak.
"Didn't you mother ever teach you not to p-play with guns?" he questions, his voice the very sound of icy, and he manages to only stutter once, barely noticeable.
The Meerkat's stops smiling, his expression even falling into a scowl instead.
"You have a big mouth." he states, glaring at Kurt with those piercing yet ice-cold green eyes of his. He then looks down at the gun, a small smile making its way back to his face as he spins the chamber. The smile, that was way to close to a smug grin, sends another wave of chills down Kurt's back. The Meerkat snaps the chamber close and looks Kurt dead in the eye for a moment. Then suddenly the grins back full force.
"Just big enough, I bet, for..." his voice trails off and instead he roughly grabs the back of Kurt's head. His fingers worming their way into the chestnut looks as he jerks Kurt's head backwards. The gasp that leaves the young man is cut short as the Meerkat forces the barrel of the gun into his mouth. The trigger is pulled back and...
Click!
The sound is almost deafening in the big room. Kurt would have gasped again -the emotions getting the better of him as the relief floods his body- but he's still having the revolver shoved into his mouth, almost choking him.
"Oh... Would you look at that? You're just one lucky bastard, aren't you, Kurt?" the man hisses in his ear and Kurt shivers for the umpteenth time that hour. The Meerkat's gaze then travels over to the five persons seated against the wall. A glimmer of something pure sinister glistening in his gaze eyes.
He briefly shoves the gun deeper into Kurt's mouth triggering his gag-reflex, though pulls it out before he can choke. Kurt fights against the urge to throw up as the Meerkat stalks over to the first of the hostages.
"Say, shall we see how lucky the rest of you are?" the man asks, and although the question is directed at the people by the wall, he's looking Kurt in the eyes as he says it.
As the barrel is pressed against the temple of the first person -a woman Kurt guesses from the shrieks erupting from her, but who is he to judge- Kurt closes his eyes. He can't watch, hearing it is enough. Kurt has barely taken a shaky breath before-
Click!
It's sounds ominously loud this time too as the hammer slams into the empty slot. Kurt tries to breathe, tries to get his heart to stop racing as the woman starts to sob when the Meerkat releases her from his grip. Kurt continues to keep his eyes shut, wishing he would just be able to cover his ears as well, when he hears the struggle of the next person.
He thinks it's a man, but no! He cannot think like that. It doesn't matter if it's a woman or man, or even God forbid a child! He cannot let these people become actual persons. Because if they, innocent as they probably are, becomes more than an awful but necessary sacrifice, more than a slight obstacle in his way, Kurt will fail. And he can't fail. He must finish his mission, no matter what.
Click!
The man is crying worse than the woman as the Meerkat once more moves along the line.
Click!
That's four. He moves to the next.
Click!
Five... Which means the next one, the last one will die. That person loses the Meerkat's game.
"No, please..."
Suddenly Kurt's eyes fly open. No, oh God no! It wasn't the begging -all of them had begged- but the voice that prompted the reaction from him. This time, he doesn't even try to breathe. He knows it's an impossible task.
Brown eyes meet glasz.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Kurt tries to close his eyes again, to erase the other man from his mind, but he can't. His body has stopped cooperating. All he can do is stare. He suddenly sees every detail about the who is going to die. Every detail he already knows. He also sees the tears streaming down the man's face, and the way his eyes are begging Kurt to do something, to save him.
No, this can't be-... This isn't fair!
The Meerkat's finger is moving towards the trigger again, the gun harshly pressed under this innocent man's chin. Kurt forces the air to flow into his lungs, but the room is still spinning.
No, please, no.
The Meerkat reaches the trigger and-
"STOP!"
The force of his shout shocks even Kurt himself and every head in the room snap towards him. The Meerkat's gaze is filled with joy and disappointed both at the same time. Suddenly Kurt can close his eyes again, and the air is flowing in and out of his too fast and too shaky. He's sobbing worse than the woman, crying harder than the man.
He has failed, he knows he has. Because he can't stop the next words from rushing out of him.
"Stop... Don't- Don't hurt him... Please, don't hurt him."
In just one shaky breath, the Meerkat has crossed the distance between them again and the gun presses against his forehead. He can hear a new plea leave the lips of the man he just saved, this time for Kurt's one life.
But the Meerkat doesn't stop this time, his finger presses the trigger, the shot echoes ear-splitting in the room as everything fades into black...
Kurt jerks awake from the simulation with a gasp that's too close to a cry. He stares at his surroundings, desperately trying to not cry or puke. Everyone's staring. And God... there's so many people there. All of them seeing him fail.
Over the pounding of his head, Kurt can hear the group closest to him whisper disapprovingly. He knows what they're saying without even having to hear it. He failed. He was not the spy they wanted him to be, he was not the cold-hearted man they needed him to be. Not yet. Possibly never...
Kurt swallows thickly, staring down at his lap in embarrassment as he tries to keep the emotions down. Slowly, painfully so, the room clears. And finally, he can break down.
Though just as the door slams behind the last person, Blaine rushes forward, pushing the helmet of his head and wrapping him up in his arms.
"It was Finn." Kurt cries, sobbing into his boyfriend's shoulder and gripping him as if his life depended on it. The other boy just hushes him, his hands running through his hair or up and down his arms or in circles over his back, or really anywhere else he reaches and can soothe Kurt with.
"It was Finn." Kurt sobs again. "It was my brother... It's not fair! I-I couldn't- couldn't j-just let him die!"
"Shh, hey, it's okay, K. It's okay..." Blaine mumbles into his ear, trying to make him calm down.
And Kurt does, but Blaine's wrong. They both know it. It's not okay, Kurt failed. He let himself get killed before he could finish the mission. His emotions got the better of him, and he failed. Which meant he would be punished, and next time would probably be worse.
"It'll be okay..." Blaine continues to mumble. It is mostly nonsense and stuff that probably isn't true. But Kurt still lets his boyfriend's soft voice sooth him into some semi-conscious state where he doesn't have to be here at all.
There he doesn't have to be a spy for this awful organization, he doesn't have to watch people die almost every day, he doesn't have to hide his relationship with Blaine. There he can be home again. Kissing his boyfriend on the couch, and baking cookies with Carole, and fixing cars with his dad. There he can play Mario Kart with his brother all night, instead of having to choose whom of them will die... There he can be happy and safe.
Hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! :D
I might do something more within this AU in the future. I'm quite intrigued to be honest. But then again, my "to write" list is already really long, so who knows. But if you want to read more of this AU, make sure to let me know, and we'll see what happens. ;)
Until another time in another story! :) /Libra