Music Choices: I See You by MISSIO, Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, Sloppy Seconds by Watsky
Eclipse
Chapter 32
Nothing Gory Means No Glory
Awareness hit her like a punch to the gut. Raven was a white hot bundle of agony, a strand of nerves on fire; her ribs were cracked from Taiyang's frantic chest compressions, her leg was a nightmare, and her lungs ached as she coughed violently.
Breath. In, hold it.
Remember the feeling- hang on to it!
Out-
Gods be kind, that fucking hurts
"-aven!"
She could hear again.
She coughed again, turning her chin away.
Breath in. And out. Stay here.
Summer and Taiyang were speaking to one another in fast, frantic voices as they tried to save one another's partners.
Raven opened her eyes, the memory or hallucination she'd experienced while standing on the precipice fading to a confused jumble. Taiyang's eyes again as he did something with furious, but professional movements. He had pulled the anti-aural foil off her once her heart and lungs got started again, but hadn't injected her with aural-boosters yet.
She was confused by this decision, but too far out to question it. That was until she saw what he was doing, and sluggishly realized it made sense.
Taiyang was a universal donor, meaning he had the O negative blood type and in times like this could give blood to any of his teammates. He could, however, only accept his own blood type should things reverse. However, he'd come well prepared for such an event today; and was hooking up a blood bag to her now that her heart had started back up.
If he hit her with aura boosters right now, her aura would trigger; but then it would make it impossible for him to get the needle to transfer blood. Which, she really needed right now, to be honest.
She faded in and out of consciousness, aware that there wasn't really anything she could do besides stay alive. She noted at one point how warm his hands were.
Then, suddenly, aura. Aura burning like magma, crimson and desperate, flooding through her body and focusing on the crisis points. Raven hissed in pain and then relief, as endorphins began to kick in.
He was talking to her, his voice firm; sounding much older than his age. Most of the time, when Taiyang was stressed or afraid, he would make stupid jokes to try to lighten the mood. It helped him, and to a degree it helped the people around him, too. Laugh in the face of the thing in the dark.
He wasn't joking now, though. He was just talking. Telling her what he was doing, trying to keep her present. Grounded. He would occasionally update Summer, who was talking to someone over the mirror-pieces they'd been using to communicate during the raid.
At one point she met his eyes, and saw...a lot. Everything he hid in between the gaps and jagged edges in their conversations. Everything he didn't necessarily have all the words to say. Everything he would try to cover up with a too loud laugh, an awkward stutter or an argument.
"Hey," she muttered, listlessly waving her hand to get his attention.
"Hey," he took her hand. "You're ok, I'm right here."
"Mmhm. Tai?"
He was wiping blood and sweat off his face, having removed his mask at some point; he was rubbing his cheek on his black jacket. His eyes were round and scared.
"Yea?"
"What do you call...a woman with one leg?"
He paused, hovering over her, stuck between a life saving task and being instinctively compelled to listen to a shitty joke.
"Wh..what?"
Raven ginned moonily, completely off her fucking head; but also extremely proud of herself.
"Ilene."
He stared at her, the blue in eyes wrestling with fear and humor and everything else in between.
"Guess I should change my name now, hm?" Raven slurred.
"You little shit," he whispered hoarsely.
As Raven broke out into a small burst of snickers, he leaned over and kissed her. It was fast and sweet; he currently tasted like sweat, tears and maybe even a little blood. He tasted like life. She drank it in.
He broke the kiss first, going back to his task of pumping his own heart's blood into a bag to share with her.
"Listen here, Ilene , your leg is not going anywhere," he insisted. "You're just gonna be hobbling around for awhile. Maybe I'll get you a walker or something, so you can chase kids off your lawn, you fucking granny."
"Oh, you're one to fucking talk," she drawled, feeling a tad more alert. " Grandpa ."
Her aura was pulling double time, and he had shot her up with another booster, timing it so as not to put too much strain on her heart. Going from no aura and dead as a doornail to max aura in no time flat could actually damage the nervous system.
"You geriatric fuck," she continued, unable to keep the smile from her face. "How's your back there, pip-pip, you're gonna throw something out bending over like that."
"Don't you call me pip-pip," he chortled. He kept snuffling, and wiping his face on his shoulders to hide his tears. "You hellacious old biddy."
"Hellacious? Wow," she droned, trying to sit up a little. "That's a big word, did you read that off a tramp stamp?"
"Gonna stamp your tramp, if you don't shut up and stop moving around," he said, pushing her back down.
"Oh yea," she hummed, waggling her eyebrows. She almost felt drunk. "Pip-pip, stamp my tramp. "
"Stop distracting me!" he exclaimed, still laughing. "Gods, I almost miss you not talking!"
She smirked deviously.
"Oh? Guess I'll just die then ."
"Raven!" Taiyang shouted around a smile. "You're such an asshole!"
Raven chuckled nefariously, despite the cracked ribs, pausing occasionally to cough and curse.
"I'm sorry," she giggled, still completely delirious from crossing the threshold of life between death. "I love you too."
A pause, before warm lips pressed firmly against her forehead; his stubble tickled and scratched. She pushed into the sensation.
"Yea. I know."
