deep inhale
Jesus Christ, it's been how long? I need a better schedule. Sorry about the wait, everyone. The pandemic's been really hard on my mental health. But I know you're not here to read a sob story, so let's get right into Chapter 3 of Murphy's Law! Hope you guys enjoy it.
~ragingbaboon38 (Now known as MechanismEight!)
Aeris ran across the rocky terrain, headed for the large blue temple that stood in the distance. Behind her was her own team's red temple, where her flag stood. Both these temples seemed to be on an asteroid, spinning around with the Earth and Moon in the distance. Gripping her Liandri Shock Rifle, the feline spoke into her communicator."Sitrep."A robotic voice responded, followed by a gruff-sounding female, and an alien voice.
"Engaging." "Red Leader, I've got your back." "Heading for the flag!"
She grinned a bit to herself, feeling confident as she raced into the blue temple, bisecting a blue-painted robot with her Shock Rifle. With her teammates backing her up, she took the flag, running out of the base as a few bullets struck her in the back, breaking her armor."I got the flag!"As her teammates took out any pursuers, she hurried back to her base, a bit of worry crossing her mind as she met the halfway point. She only saw three blue soldiers… where was number four?
"Where are you…?" Aeris mumbled to herself, looking around worriedly.
Her question was soon answered as a Shock Rifle beam shot straight through her chest, sending the cat crumpling down to the ground, gasping for air. As she fell to the ground, she dropped the flag, looking up just in time to see Leo, walking up to her with his usual grin, clad in blue armor and holding a Shock Rifle."Try turning the safety off next time, Aeris." He mocked her as he started to walk off, carrying a red flag on his back. Her vision faded to black…
Your killing spree was ended by Leonardo!
Shortly after, she was back at her base, fully restored and ready for battle again. But the second she left, she was completely frozen, and an omnipotent voice spoke from the skies.
"Game over, Blue Team wins the match!"
…
Aeris sighed as both her and Leo's computer screens faded to the familiar menu of Unreal Tournament 1999.
"How did you get over there without me seeing you?" She spun in her chair, facing Leo, whose computer was set up on the opposite side of the room.
"Simple, Pinky. The Translocator. I shot a teleport disk close to your base, and then waited for you and your goons to leave. Too easy!" He spun in his chair to face her, shrugging a bit and wearing his signature grin on his face.
"Mn… right." She huffed a bit in annoyance, glaring at him.
"I totally would have beat you if you didn't instakill me with that damn Shock Rifle."
"Pft, yeah right. Guess you should have healed up, huh?"
"Hey, not my fault you took the big health powerup in the center of the map!"
"First come first serve, Aeris! I won that game fair and square!"
"Yeah, yeah… I'll totally ice you in a rematch!" She challenged him, her fangs showing a bit in a cocky grin.
"Is that a bet, Pretty in Pink?"
"You're damn right it is! But first… how about we get some more drinks?" She motioned to Leo's desk, where several empty cans of soda sat.
"Oh… right. Can't forget those."
Aeris nodded, standing up and stretching.
"Gonna have to go to the store… we're out."
"Can I-"
"Of course you can come with me, Leo." She smirked, interrupting him.
Leo stood up, blinking a bit.
"Surely I'm not that predictable, Aeris!"
"Oh, you are. Now let's go. Sun's gonna set soon."
The ashen feline was all too happy to follow his sakura shaded lover, trailing behind her like a puppy as they left the house.
"Leo… about what happened the other day…" Aeris spoke up, drawing Leo's attention as they walked to the nearest store. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. Leo was the last person she needed to break down in front of.
"Aren't you… scared? About those guys coming back for us?"
"Nope! The police are after them, they won't come back. And if they do, you'll floor them!" Leo said confidently, meeting her gaze with an errant look in his verdant eyes.
Aeris scoffed, looking back ahead. After knowing he couldn't see her face, she looked down at the sidewalk as they continued. Her face was one of uncertainty, and the look in her sapphire eyes showed that she was troubled. For once… she was scared. She saw what they did to Leo, they were dealing with something serious now. She… doubted herself. But, she quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head. She was going to stay strong. She had to. For her lover… for Leo.
As for the careless grey cat himself, he was looking up at the sky, a contemplative little smile on his muzzle, just barely showing his dulled fangs.
His strange gaze made Aeris look up as well. What she saw managed to catch her attention, too.
The sun had almost set, its scarlet glow bathing the sky in shades of red. However, a blanket of clouds was rolling in, bringing dark shades of blue and gray with it. It was going to rain.
It wasn't the rain she cared about, not at the moment at least-- it was the colors. A sea of blues, azures, silvers and grays. Not unlike her errant little lover.
With the exception of those captivating emerald eyes, of course.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Leo's voice chimed in, carrying an appreciative, contemplative tone that she hadn't heard before.
"Weather like that is my favorite. I've never really liked sunny days all that much-- I'll take a calm, gray cloudy day over that. It's… just amazing."
Aeris was kind of surprised. It was rare to hear Leo talk like that, in such a thorough way. Especially about something as mundane as the weather.
"Yeah… it's nice. Didn't take you as one to appreciate nature, Leo."
"You're talking to the Leo Leonardo, Aeris. You never know."
Aeris actually found a lot of truth in that statement. Leo was definitely an enigma…
By the time she was lost in her thoughts again, they had reached their destination.
She absentmindedly walked into the small store, occupied with her thoughts as she picked out some drinks for the two. Leo beelined for the snack aisle. After the two had picked out their things, Aeris paid and they left.
On the way back home, Leo couldn't help but stare up at the sky again. The clouds were close now, and the rain could be seen pouring from them, a silver curtain stretching to the ground. He couldn't wait for the rain to hit.
The rest of the walk home was generally quiet. Aeris seemed to be muddling over her thoughts still, and Leo was still mesmerized by the sky.
Once they were home, Aeris took the bags of snacks and such and put them in her room. When she went back into the hallway… Leo was gone.
"...Leo? Where'd you go?" She called out… getting no response. She had just started walking down the hallway when a pair of furred arms wrapped around her waist, Aeris being picked up by a somewhat muscular figure.
"C'mon kitten, we're going somewhere. No way I'm staying inside during weather like this."
It was Leo. He was holding Aeris bridal style now, carrying the feline out to their garage. She couldn't help but giggle as Leo opened the door of his vehicle and gently placed the pink furball into the passenger seat, then hurried to the other side and jumped in the driver's seat.
The vehicle in question was Leo's own, something he owned since his teen years: A well-used F-150 from the 80s. Like everything else Leo owned, it was an azure blue-- but the years had faded the paint.
Blue was Leo's favorite color, and Aeris knew it… despite how much he reminded her how much he loves pink.
Leo cranked the key and the engine kicked to life. The rumbling, foreboding sound of the engine echoed throughout the garage until the large door opened, and he drove out.
"Sit tight and buckle up, kitten. We're going out and having some fun."
Aeris shifted in her seat a little, allowing a sheepish little smile to cross her face. Leo was taking her on… a date? That would be a first… ooh, it'd be so much fun!
Her giddy little fantasies were interrupted when the sound of Pantera started blasting from the speakers. Rock and roll always was Leo's favorite.
Aeris smiled more, staring out the window at the approaching clouds as Leo drove down the highway. She didn't know where they were going, and she didn't care; she just wanted to be with him. And, for a brief moment… with the rumbling of the engine, the rain beginning to patter outside, and Leo's admittedly amazing singing along with his favorite heavy metal…
Aeris wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.
--
After almost a half hour of driving and jamming out, Leo turned down the music to the point of being only background noise.
"Like what you see so far, kitten?" Leo asked his lover, looking to her expectantly.
She was staring out the window at the passing scenery. They were driving through a rather complex road heading up through a hilly landscape, and Aeris was mesmerized by the passing trees. Much better than the city…
"Yeah… it's really pretty. Where are we going, anyway?"
"It's a surprise. We're almost there, promise." Leo kept his eyes on the road. Video games weren't his only skill; Leo was plenty adept at driving.
After not much longer, he pulled off the road, and to a small clearing between the trees… just the right size for a pickup truck. He pulled into it, then stopped and shut the engine off. Then, Aeris looked out the windshield.
The sight was nothing short of beautiful. They were at the peak of a small mountain, overlooking the entirety of Toronto. The rain showered over the city, creating a thin haze that the lights of the city shined through.
"Gods… wow, Leo… this is perfect…" Aeris leaned against him, admiring the scenery as the rain gently pattered on the vehicle.
"I know you've been stressed, kitten… I wanted to get you a nice spot to wind down. And lucky for you, I found this one. There's nobody and nothing here… just me and you…"
Aeris chuckled to herself, resting her head on his shoulder. Leo was her biggest annoyance; he was snarky, clumsy, irresponsible, aggravating, annoying, and everything else in the book… and yet, he was compassionate… loving… and doing all this just for her. She wouldn't have anyone else in the world by her side. Nobody could replace her best friend. But… that's where she questioned herself. Could you love your best friend? Were best friends supposed to be lovers… or just best friends? She didn't know. She just knew that Leo was all she wanted.
"This is perfect, Leo… I couldn't ask for anything else in the world. Everything has been so hard since you got hurt, and I…"
She stopped herself, silencing herself the moment her voice broke. No… she couldn't break down. Not here. Not in front of him.
"Hey… don't worry, kitten… I'm here. And I love you… always." Leo whispered into her ear, his breath disturbing a few errant strands of hair on her head.
The moment those words left Leo's mouth is when the tears came. Aeris hugged him tight as she cried, crystal tears streaming down both sides of her face.
"Gods… Leo, I'm so scared… I can't lose you… I can't…"
Now, that caught Leo off guard. Aeris was, by far, the strongest woman he knew. And it was extremely distressing to see her break down like this. Aeris was his beacon of strength… the driving force that kept him going. Everything he did, he did it for her; and her strength was something that Leo endlessly admired about her. Without it… he felt lost.
"I was so scared that night, Leo… that I had lost my best friend. And… it would have been my fault. For hell's sake, I know you're not safe on your own, and I let you go! If I had lost you… I would have lost myself. I… I'm nothing without you…"
Leo held her tight as the tears kept coming, but they were only from her. Leo didn't cry. He couldn't. He couldn't break down.
It was time for him to be her beacon of strength.
"It's okay, Aeris… I promise. It's not your fault… don't dwell on what could have happened, and focus on what you have right here."
He gently moved a paw under her chin, tilting her head up so their gazes could meet.
"I'm right here… always and forever. And I swear on whatever gods that exist, I won't ever leave. You're my everything… I'll stay until the damn Rapture if I have to…"
That seemed to quell her worries… and the tears stopped. She just held Leo tight… and all was quiet.
The silence was broken when she pushed up and sealed her lips with Leo's, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him down, forcefully keeping his body pressed to hers.
Leo wasn't one to protest. He let Aeris pull him down on top of her, using one paw to gently rub over her cheek while the other took hold of her side.
This loving, passionate embrace lasted for a good few minutes before Aeris grabbed Leo's paw, moving it under her shirt and upwards to her chest. Leo grunted and pulled his paw away, sitting up and pulling away from Aeris.
"N-No… not here. Sorry."
Leo had turned her down. He… he couldn't do that. Not after what they just talked about… not after she had just broken down. She was vulnerable… and Leo refused to let himself take advantage of that.
Aeris was at first confused by his rejection, but soon felt horribly guilty…
"Gods, I'm sorry Leo… I… I just need you…"
"Not like that, you don't. I know you, Aeris… and I know what you want. That's not one of them. And I'm not going to let myself take advantage of you while you're so vulnerable."
Aeris just went silent at that, curling up in the passenger seat.
He looked over at her, eyeing over her for a moment… before feeling slightly guilty and cuddling up with her, pulling her back down. But instead of pulling her over top of him, he laid down with her at his side, holding her protectively.
"I'll be here as long as you need, kitten…"
Aeris hugged him tight, snuggling with him. It wasn't long before, despite both of their best judgement, they were lulled to sleep.
Aeris woke up in a haze, noticing a sudden lack of warmth. Leo was gone. She sat up in the truck and looked around, noticing that the driver side door was wide open. Now slightly worried, she crawled out of the vehicle and looked around outside. It was still cloudy, but the rain had stopped.
"Leo…?"
There was no response. Her words echoed into nothingness…
Now even more worried, she called out again, immediately stopping when she heard something. It was a cry… Leo's.
Her triangular ears quickly swiveled to pinpoint the source of the noise, and she broke out in a dead sprint towards it.
She rounded a tree and saw Leo, bloodied and beaten, doubled over on the ground. His damaged ear had been completely cut off… and his body was covered in additional slashes and cuts. He was going to bleed out.
She didn't even have time to scream before something hit her hard in the back, making her fall to her knees. She wheeled around to punch whatever it was, but her hit didn't connect, being stopped by a large man kicking her down, picking her up by the arms and holding her up. She was trapped…
Another man came from behind the two, looking to Aeris and nodding. Everything about this terrified her… but not as much as the man's face. Or, rather, lack thereof. Where a face should have been, there was just a slab of pocked gray flesh. Aeris couldn't put a face on someone would would hurt Leo so much…
The man then turned to Leo, grabbing him by his hair and pulling him up. His bloodshot eyes met Aeris', and she felt nothing but fear…
"See what happens when you're too slow… too neglectful… you weren't there for him. And now you suffer for it." The faceless man said, drawing a knife to Leo's throat.
"A-Aeris! Why aren't you doing anything! G-Get him away from me.. please! I don't want to die…!" Leo pleaded with her, shaking in fear.
Aeris tried to fight, but was thrown down to her knees, the large man holding her now pinning his knee to her back and pulling her arms back behind her. He used his other hands to pull Aeris' head up, forcing her to watch as the faceless man drew the knife across Leo's throat.
Out of everything that happened afterwards… the gushing of blood, the thump of Leo's lifeless body as it was thrown to the ground… the one thing Aeris would never forget was the scream. It was a scream of pure desperation and terror, a scream that pleaded to every god in existence to make it all stop.
Aeris awoke with a very similar scream, jolting up in the seat and holding her paws to the sides of her head. This immediately scared Leo awake, who jumped up and immediately pulled Aeris against him, holding her tight and gently petting her head.
"Shh, shh… it's alright kitten, it was a dream… I'm here…" Leo shushed her, calming her as best he could.
Aeris held him tight, shaking violently as tears escaped her. That… that felt all too real.
"Gods… L-Leo… I saw them kill you… i-it was all my fault, I… gods…"
Leo shushed her again, slowly rocking back and forth and assuring her that everything was alright.
"Let's get you home, alright kitten? I'll cuddle with you all day if you want… anything to make you feel better."
Aeris didn't say anything, but her gentle nodding showed her approval.
Leo then let go of her and started the truck again, backing out of the spot and beginning to drive down the road, back down the hill and the way they came.
But when they reached the first curve in the road, and Leo pressed on the brake pedal, something became very apparent, even moreso as the truck approached the edge of the hill at 60 MPH:
Someone had cut the brakes.
And that's it! This has to be the longest chapter I've ever written for anything, and I really hope you enjoyed it! I know it's not enough to repay you guys for a YEAR LONG WAIT, and I have no excuses for that. But I expect things to speed up dramatically for this story, now that I have a definite plan for it. Please R , and never forget that I love you all.
~ragingbaboon38 (Now known as MechanismEight!)