Big thanks to appolloop for giving this a beta read! You gave me the confidence to post.
I'm a reluctant perfectionist, so I have to make all sorts of excuses and disclaimers before I share my work. So you can just skip this part.
Still here? Are you a perfectionist, too? Sucks, right?
This fic is not even remotely perfect. It's kind of a dump that I didn't put serious effort into editing. It hasn't been streamlined or refined, I didn't go back and correct for characterization, I know there's definitely some repetition of theme, pacing problems, choppy tone shifts, probably canon conflicts, etc.
So. Real drafty. Must have left the window open. Are you still here? Fine, quick summary and then you can get on with it.
This story is bloated with H/C, mutual clueless pining, convoluted character arcs, and contrived almost-kisses. It is constantly edging. The logic of the plot devices is extremely nonsensical (so, fits right in with Promare) and they blatantly exist only because I want certain things to happen. In short, this work is pure self-indulgence.
By necessity, there were some head canon choices made-some because I like them, some just because an explanation was necessary and I went with what best fit the story. I'll try to clarify those in the notes, if it's not explicit in the prose. One that I will explain more about later is that I have Lio with the Mad Burnish and Galo with Burning Rescue for longer than is implied in the official side stories. I just wanted them to have more history/bond with each other than a few months would afford.
Kbye.
And just like that, the fire was gone and the thrilling connection of two joined hearts dissolved. Galo blinked and took a deep breath as he realized he was no longer flying across the solar system on the wings of a dragon made of protective fire or waving a colossal matoi, but instead stood once more on the broken Parnassus with its torn hull and fractured tower. A bright sun was beginning to shine over the thoroughly defeated behemoth, and with a grin he ran towards the edge to see the dawning of the new world.
A world saved and a world to rebuild. He stretched his fists in the air. He'd done the first part with the shining star known as Lio, and he was definitely planning to do the second part with the same partner. He couldn't wait.
Glancing back, his smile faltered at the sight of Lio, face in shadows, speaking to the man Galo used to admire more than anything in the world. Kray, who had always made him believe he could do the impossible, this time had been the one who tore down everything Galo thought he knew, had broken his confidence hard. Galo's eyes immediately sought the figure beside his former mentor, slight and easily dwarfed by Kray's bulk, but straight and strong and willing to stand against anything to save his people. A soul that matched the fire of his own. It was Lio-fierce, honest, heart raging-who had pulled him up each time Galo sank the past few days. His brutal truth, undeniable determination, and, perhaps most of all, his vulnerability had lit a stronger fire in Galo than he'd ever experienced. This was someone he had needed to save, and Lio had turned right around and saved him back. Because that's who they were.
Galo's shoulders tensed as he looked at Lio standing, head bowed in the shade, still far too close to the influence of Kray. Lio shouldn't be standing in that shadow, he should be here, shining in the sunlight they'd fought so hard for. Well, the gravity between them was stronger than Kray's. Time to pull.
Stay with me.
"It burned like a dream! This is the beginning. The city's new beginning." Galo exclaimed loudly, turning back to the horizon ahead. He was rewarded with the sound of Lio's footsteps approaching, and his heartbeat sped up in inexplicable anticipation. He could hear the rest of the Burning Rescue team assembling behind him, but his focus was on the petit figure that drew alongside him, all weary grace with an inquisitive look quickly replacing whatever dark lines had previously lingered on his face.
"Let's clean up after the fire. Lio, you're gonna help too." Galo grinned over, no room for argument.
Stay with me.
"What?" Lio pushed back, incredulous.
"We're short of hands. We'll get your buddies to help too!"
Lio's face tensed. "But…"
A momentary memory of Lio leaving him behind in a cave, declaring it too dangerous for the Burnish to stay while they were being hunted and abused, flickered through Galo's mind. Never again.
"Don't worry, if the haters give you heat, I'll put them out! Through spark and flame, I got your backs!"
Stay with me.
He was rewarded with a sight that made his chest feel like it was completely filled, overflowing. Every aspect of Lio glowed up at him as his shoulders relaxed slightly, his figure softening as it turned an inch further towards him.
"You really are an idiot." But his eyes spoke of gratitude and trust with that exasperation.
"Yeah! The universe's #1 firefighting idiot!" And they could do anything together. He held his fist out.
Stay with me.
Lio's knuckles bumped into his, somehow both soft and firm. Shy but determined. And this was it. Definitely. Galo's favorite Lio moment. There had been many great ones (also the worst ever, but he wasn't going to think about that right now). Not that he was intentionally keeping track, it's just, the novel joy of those moments had branded themselves into him. He had never experienced anything as exciting as his first battle against Lio. At least not until they were actually joined together as one to fight their common enemy. Lio watching his back and supporting what he needed with perfect understanding. Even soaring together in a teal fire that consumed and protected at the same time, unrestrained, souls singing in perfect sync as they literally saved two worlds. All those moments were glorious. But the Lio standing here unguarded and beautiful beside him, arm outstretched to connect with him, silently shook the world in a new way.
And he wanted to extend his arm further, step closer, until his palm could curve around the elegant slope of that cheek, fingertips burying into the silky strands behind his ear, get close enough to see what was making those amethyst eyes still flare now that the Promare fire was gone. Smooth the skin of those delicate cheekbones with his callous-rough thumbs, and why is he even wearing gloves and why is his skin on fire and why is he feeling like this again and why is Lio shaking-no, shivering…
"You're cold!" Lio, who was looking concerned at whatever face Galo had been making, jumped as Galo all but shouted, voice pitched a bit higher than usual.
"Y-yes, I imagine it will take some getting used to. Not burning…" Lio quietly admitted, gesturing with his hand in a way Galo recognized he used to summon his fire. Used to use.
Galo's medical rescue training instantly kicked in and he registered what had been in front of him all along. The shivers Lio seemed to be trying to suppress, even in the warm desert sunlight, the spread of goosebumps along his bare arms and torso-every line, plane, and curve of glowing skin begging to be touched, his own body was warm, maybe on fire, he should share, wrap him up in some of that heat-
"A jacket!" Galo pointed back to the toppled Rescuemobile as Lio raised a questioning eyebrow. "I have one. You should use it, medical reasons not because it's distracting, stay warm-"
Galo watched as Lio's eyes followed his gesture and took in the gathered Burning Rescue team. They widened slightly at the sight of Kray being loaded under guard into a local police hover craft. Galo wondered when they had gotten there.
"That… would probably be good." Lio acknowledged and Galo could see his shoulders brace again, a weight descending as the moment of light and joy ended, and Galo felt its loss. But a moment later, with Lio sending him a quick, grateful little smile, a spark leapt back into Galo and he dashed off to the truck to get something warm for his partner.
After all, Galo thought with a critical backwards glance, there was still a lot of rescuing to be done today. It would probably be pretty distracting for everyone in the midst of handling this emergency situation to see the graceful way Lio's neck curved into his shoulder...
Ignis gave himself credit for a fair amount of discernment, but it didn't take keen observation skills to see when his youngest team member was acting like more of an idiot than usual, racing to the truck as if his pants were once more on fire. One Lio Fotia seemed to again be the source of whatever freakout Galo was currently going through. Ignis quietly assessed the smaller figure as he approached, observing the young face shifting to the no-nonsense almost-glare he recognized as a signature of the Mad Burnish leader. Just shy of hostile this time. Well, Ignis could work with that.
With a walking gait that seemed simultaneously urgent and unhurried, Lio Fotia, world's most-wanted Burnish criminal, walked directly up to the Promepolis chief of police and the Burning Rescue Squad 3 captain and team. Ignis almost wanted to smile at the way he stopped immediately outside of arms distance. Bold but not stupid. He had to apply sharper observation skills to see what he already expected of this enigma who had just somehow saved their world. But it was there. Worry. Exhaustion. And yet a readiness to keep fighting to see his mission through.
Ignis understood. So when Lio squared off for confrontation and opened his mouth to speak, Ignis jumped right in.
"What do you need?"
Lio's mouth stilled, slightly parted, as he directed a carefully probing look at the fire captain. Assessing the situation before making his first move.
"What do you need to finish this rescue?" Ignis clarified.
"You can't seriously be planning to allow Mad Burnish, terrorists, to dictate emergency operations here," the police chief cut in with a tone just on the professional side of derision. She was a statuesque figure in her tailored uniform, with a look that Ignis knew always demanded quick decisions and prompt action. Her radio was quietly running with the nonstop chatter of frustrated first responders trying to coordinate across Promepolis in an overwhelming situation.
"Considering most of the people needing emergency services here are Burnish, I think it's reasonable to listen to the one who understands and represents them, Chief Sideros." Ignis' sunglasses glinted as he tilted his head. He had only had a chance to give her a brief overview of the situation so far, clarification was obviously needed.
"The citizens of our city are suffering from the infrastructure damage and violence visited upon them by those on this ship. We need all the resources we can spare aiding them. I understand the Burnish here are not necessarily to blame, but are they dying? We have an untold number of our citizens stranded under wreckage, likely injured. I don't think we can prioritize individuals who are secure where they are. We can find alternative housing for them later when national support gets here."
There was no verbally jumping in front of Lio this time.
"These Burnish are human beings who were brought to your city by your governor against their will! They've been held captive and tortured and practically killed and are currently stuck like bugs pinned to a wall, by the monsters you put in power!" Lio had gathered an impressive amount of rage in a body so small, so when he moved toe-to-toe with Sideros, his presence pushed the taller woman back a step. "Are they dying?! Is that what it would take for-"
"Everything was all tumbled up and crazy in there, but I found it!" Galo declared, jogging into the scene with his red Burning Rescue jacket held triumphantly aloft. He marched up to Lio who had redirected his wide-eyed death glare at the clueless man.
Without preamble, Galo tossed it around Lio's shoulders and zipped it straight up, Lio instinctively shoving his arms in the sleeves.
Ignis noted that Galo didn't immediately register the gaping looks he was getting from the group. The bubbly man had stilled, staring with his own expression of shock at Lio, who still glared even though only half of his face was now showing above the high-necked collar. Galo's jacket positively swallowed the smaller form, hem at midthigh, fingertips barely peaking out from draping sleeves.
"I think I made it worse." Galo declared.
Face flushed, he darted over to where Aina stood beside Ignis and began whispering to her. "It's too, y'know… too cute, right? Distracting?"
Aina bit her lip in silent agreement, but also stomped on his foot with a hushed, "Not now!"
Lio interrupted their private whispering. "Of course you made it worse! You really have no sense of timing, do you?"
Galo straightened and grinned back at Lio. "No time like the present! That's why it's called a present! Ahahahaha!"
Ignis dropped his face into his hand and began to massage this brow.
"Tch. That's not at all how the saying goes, and not the point." Lio's glare began to morph with exasperation.
"You were cold, right? No rescue, however small, should wait!" Galo declared.
Lio's glowering was broken by a shake of his head and what sounded suspiciously like a snort-chuckle, then he straightened and pointed a dramatic finger. "You can't interrupt me in the middle of my pose! I'm announcing my intentions!" Lio mimicked Galo's tone and general protest from their first battle with a pointed look.
Everyone could see the moment realization dawned on Galo's face as he looked around at the tense stand-off, and gave a quick, sheepish apology.
Varys side-eyed Remi. "Did Fotia just speak Galo?"
Remi nodded. "That…is terrifying. The corruption of another poor soul."
"Very interesting." Lucia gave a small cackle.
But they all uncoiled at the lessening of tension in the air.
"There," Ignis addressed Sideros and gestured to Lio, now wearing part of a Burning Rescue uniform. "It's official."
Lio and Sideros both looked like they wanted to protest, but then Lio sighed. His tone became more subdued as he unzipped the collar and rolled up the cuffs of the sleeves, but his brow creased as he returned his attention to the urgent needs of his people.
"We need to free everyone from that death trap now," Lio demanded. Ignis nodded and Galo raised a clenched fist in agreement as Lio continued, "They'll need a safe place to rest, eat, and recover as we organize what to do long-term, also protection from those who would harm or neglect them," his eyes flicked to the police chief, "The basic human things you'd offer any normal disaster victims. There are injuries, and everyone will need medical treatment and pain management, and we…" Lio paused. "We should figure out who didn't make it."
Sideros had the grace to pause and give an introspective nod.
"My units are stretched thin," she began, but in a decidedly more conciliatory tone. "The former governor didn't hold back on his military might. Against his own city." Venom laced her voice. "Frustrating that those Freeze Force bastards got away. They're not the first priority, though. How many people are stuck in this boat?"
"About twenty thousand Burnish."
Everyone stared as Heris announced the figure. Her quiet voice steady but her eyes unwilling to make contact as she stood close to Aina and faced the group.
"They gathered almost half the world's known remaining Burnish here. There were losses. Twenty thousand were needed to power the ship. What's more, if they've all lost their connection to the Promare's regenerative fire, they likely will not have had time to fully heal from the physical traumas of the past couple days."
Lio nodded with a shadowed look in his eyes. "The Promare did what they could before they left. But for a Burnish, the more damage sustained, the slower and more… layered the healing is." He tilted his head, trying to think how to explain. "Older damage will have had longer to heal, more recent things will still be in progress. Yesterday's wounds won't come back fresh, but they will need to finish healing, and they'll feel it. They need somewhere safe to rest."
"Evacuation and safe relocation with medical attention." Ignis confirmed. "That's exactly what Burning Rescue is trained for."
Sideros nodded. "Right. We'll leave you to run point. As we get the city further under control, we'll send you what assistance we can." And the police chief was off, giving rapid-fire directions to the voices giving her updates through her radio. She paused midstride and looked back over her shoulder at Heris.
"You were Kray's lead scientist. You clearly knew what was going on here. You should be in custody."
Heris raised her eyes for the first time and met Sideros' accusation. "I should be, but right now I'm of greatest use here. I know how to work the machinery. We need to free these people."
Sideros stared for only a second longer before shifting to nod at Ignis.
"Don't lose her."
Ignis nodded, then asked Aina to start getting on the line with Promepolis' other Burning Rescue stations to pull in their manpower. He turned to Heris as she began explaining what was required to unload the captive Burnish. Lio's face was carefully devoid of emotion as he listened to her describe getting to the loading room and the way they'd need to work section by section. She was flipping rapidly through programs and schematics on a tablet, and announced that about 200 of the pods' mechanics were damaged and would require manual aid, but the rest should be fairly straightforward to retract and offload. The pinch point would be having support teams and resources to give the weary captives aid.
Ignis turned to his team and with the efficiency of a practiced leader addressing a synced set of professionals, got everyone moving with orders and instructions to stay in constant communication. This was going to be a big job, and time was of the essence. Varys was running point on setting up security and coordination with the police. Remi was assigned to work with Heris on the release logistics and coordinating with the local hospitals for medical support. Galo would manage the retrieval of the Burnish from the broken pods using a special set of jetpacks and harnesses Lucia had invented for tricky rescues. Aina owned coordinating transportation and temporary shelter. As usual, Lucia was acting as comms coordinator and resource manager. Incoming Burning Rescue personnel from other stations would be allocated through these team leads.
As his squad quickly began contacting the needed city support branches and Heris plotted out a mechanical sequence for releasing the Burnish, Ignis turned to Lio.
"Anything we're missing that the Burnish will need?"
Ignis watched as Lio mentally ran through the scenario with a look of concentration.
"They're not used to trusting people in uniforms. They've been through a lot and need time to process and recover, and being directed by outsiders they're used to fearing will be one more stress point." Lio tapped his fingers against his thigh as he thought through the problem.
"I assume you'll want to be on the frontlines where the Burnish are being released from pods?"
Lio nodded and continued with a hint of bitterness in his tone. "I doubt they documented the names of the disposable fuel the put in each container. But if we can get all the Mad Burnish members from the recently destroyed settlement released first, we can see if they're in a state to partner with the rescue teams. We need some familiar faces to reassure the rest of the people being released."
Ignis' estimation of the Burnish leader increased as he understood the sensitive and sensible nature of the suggestion. He called Heris over and in under a minute, she had located the section holding most of the Burnish recently captured from the nearby settlement and set it to priority one. She returned to update Remi. Lio flicked his gaze back to Ignis with a nod of thanks and turned to follow, but the fire captain halted him with a hand on his shoulder. Ignis could feel the immediate tension that filled the small frame, so he let go.
Ignis knew this day had been exhausting for all of them, but he could only begin to imagine what fallout Lio was dealing with. He'd manifested as a fire dragon, powered a battle mech, fought a monster, channeled twenty thousand Burnish fires, and done something none of them really understood in order to release the Promare and save the world. And that was only what Ignis knew about. On top of that, he'd lost his means of protection and recovery in the process, and now had to rely on strangers he was naturally distrustful of to rescue the people he clearly cherished more than his own life.
In a very quiet tone, Ignis asked, "What do you need?"
Lio gave him a baffled look that quickly morphed to suspicion.
"I'm the leader of Mad Burnish. I attacked your city twice in the last couple weeks, I almost burned the whole thing down. I understand it's your job to rescue the innocent people on this ship, but why ask about me?" Lio questioned bluntly, challenging, like he was calling Ignis out.
Ignis felt his lips quirk but something sad settled in his chest at this reaction. He crossed his arms and thought about how his offer of help might be best received.
"Yes, you attacked. You could have killed many through intention or indifference, but you didn't. Those Burnish flames were non-lethal, and I know that takes willpower. You wanted to make a statement, not slaughter people, and that's more than I can say for those you fought against. Then you went a step further and saved one of my team. Not to mention the world. So, if anything, I'd say we owe you."
Lio looked away for a moment, clearly still unsettled by Ignis' observations, trying to find the real motive for his concern. Then his face cleared.
"Don't worry, I won't take Galo up on it," Lio nodded to the edge of the Parnassus where Galo had declared for all to hear that they would rebuild together and he'd have Lio's back. "I know that wasn't his offer to make."
"I'm the captain and what I say goes. That offer stands from my team." Ignis smiled as Lio blinked up at him in surprise. "Besides, have you ever tried to stop Galo?"
Lio's whole demeanor shifted as he laughed, a sound that drew Galo's gaze from where he was setting up jetpacks and rescue harnesses by the still-toppled Rescuemobile. Hoo-boy, Ignis thought at the goofy grin that spread across the junior firefighter's distracted face.
"My lieutenants. Meis and Gueira," Lio stated, finally sort-of answering Ignis' question. "I need them. They're in the same section as the Burnish from the settlement."
Ignis nodded and called his blue-haired idiot over.
"Galo, you remember Meis and Gueira from when we captured the Mad Burnish leaders?"
"Of course!"
"We need them extracted and brought here top priority. Grab a hover pack and check with Heris for general coordinates."
"You got it, captain!" and with a happy smile to Lio that Lio returned with a small one of his own, Galo was off again.
When he returned less than a couple minutes later and released the two other Mad Burnish leaders from their harnesses, Ignis grabbed Galo by the arm, nodded to Lio, and hauled his junior away to get a Burning Rescue team status report, giving the reunited trio some privacy.
"Boss!"
Lio didn't bother to hide his immense relief when his closest allies-and friends-ran over upon release. He threw his arms around their necks and pulled them into a fierce hug as soon as they reached him, pressing his face between theirs. All the intensity of Lio's recent worries and fears crashed into him, and he refused to let Meis and Gueira go until he was certain he could control his face and the moisture fighting to free itself from his eyes. They held him back just as tightly.
Lio took a deep, steadying breath, and leaned back just enough to look in their faces.
"You idiots!" he hiss-yelled. "What were you thinking separating us like that?! I would never leave you guys!"
Gueira grinned shamelessly and ruffled Lio's hair. "We know that."
Meis raised a brow, unapologetic. "That's why we did it."
Lio glared harder and his lieutenants pretended they didn't see the tremor that ran through his lips before he spoke.
"Are you guys okay?" Lio released his hold but stood close, crossing his arms and speaking more quietly.
"Felt better, but seem to be all in one piece," Meis smiled.
"We knew it would be okay as soon as we heard you attack the ship the first time, knew nothing could stop you, Boss," Gueira gave a thumbs up. "Sounded like it took a few tries?"
Lio's mouth twisted. "The first time wasn't well planned out. I wasn't… quite myself. That other idiot did stop me, but later we were more successful together." Lio quirked his head to indicate Galo, who was currently ranting to the Burning Rescue team about the state of the Burnish he had just seen and stressing the urgency of freeing them. And something about his burning soul, of course. Lio smiled slightly.
Meis and Gueira exchanged a look trying to imagine how the boisterous firefighter had managed to stop Lio when it wasn't planned like their first encounter.
Meis studied Lio carefully. "We saw him save you. After that awful…" He grimaced and stopped talking, then, "Your fire was protecting him." Lio noticed he and Gueira exchange a look as if they wanted to say more, but shook their heads as if deciding against it.
"It's all gone, isn't it," Gueira stated rather than asked, opening his palm and staring when no fire appeared.
Lio felt very, very tired. He looked at his companions, wondering if the haunted look in their eyes was reflected in his own. He knew they felt the disturbing stillness inside, too.
"Turns out it wasn't ours to begin with." His tone was a steady murmur as he described what they had learned about the Promare. They nodded in resignation at the explanation of what they had just felt through experience.
"Well. At least they seemed really happy," Gueira gave a brave smile as he referenced the emotion all the Burnish had felt through their empathetic bond as the Promare finally, finally burned free. "We sent them off right!"
Meis gave a contemplative nod, hand to his heart. "It's… peaceful, finally."
Lio looked down for a moment. He knew these guys felt the loss and the cold and the unfamiliar vulnerability, but they were still putting a positive spin on it. He knew they were doing it for him. He really didn't deserve these two.
But this wasn't about him.
"We're not done yet." Lio met their eyes with resolve and saw it instantly reflected in Meis and Gueira's faces. He glanced at the Burning Rescue team nearby. "And we're not alone."
"Working with the uniforms, eh?" Gueira sent them an unimpressed look, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You want to free thousands of our people all by yourself?" Meis nudged his shoulder.
Gueira pursed his lips and then, pointing at Lio's attire, yelled to the group gathered a little distance away, "Oi! Where do we get one of these ugly-ass coats?!"
Once things were in motion, they happened blessedly quickly and took on a rhythm. Lio knew that was a testament to the Burning Rescue team's competency and good will. Well, there was a reason he had originally chosen them as the unit that would capture his team so they could execute their prison break.
Before dispersing to their active tasks, Meis and Gueira paused in their playful ribbing of each other's new outerwear to march over to Galo, as if to confront him. Lio pretended not to overhear them instead thanking their former opponent for saving "the boss" when Kray had nearly killed him in the engine. And he had no idea what they meant when they told Galo not to get any "fresh ideas" before giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder. His guys were weird.
Lio also tried to ignore the way the little female member of the team was gleefully eyeing all three Mad Burnish, her fingers twitching.
"Why is the scary little girl grinning at us like that," Meis whispered.
Galo grinned. "Lucia likes making things! I think you've inspired her." As if that explained everything. Meis and Gueira just looked more unsettled.
Lio brought up the rear as the Mad Burnish joined Heris, Remi, and Ignis in descending back into the ships innards. He took one last deep breath of fresh air with a look at the horizon, and then descended the hatch. He had barely made it to the bottom of the ladder when sudden pain bloomed along his left shoulder blade. Right hand reaching over to hold the weight of his arm for a moment, Lio realized what was happening and tried to remember what had caused this particular resurfacing injury. Ah. When the Burnish settlement had been attacked, a block of concrete had fallen against his back before he'd had a chance to create a protective flame barrier. He'd barely felt it at the time, the pain passing swiftly as inner fire dulled and set to mending. It's return settled as a persistent ache that spoke of a bad bruise, but likely nothing worse. Lio dropped his hand and hurried his steps to catch up with the group. The fact that his Promare healing was that backlogged wasn't great, but at least he now had a basic time window of reference. Lio fingered the sturdy cloth of the Burning Rescue jacket, grateful that it would help him avoid awkward conversations. And he was probably imagining it, but Galo seemed to have left some of his warmth in its layers.
All warmth fled when their pathway turned and led them along the border of the massive central engine chamber. The rows of prisons, the shattered diamond at its center, the hushed echoes. Lio felt like he'd been plunged into ice water as his heart leapt into his throat. He barely registered the whimpers and murmurs that echoed his people's discomfort throughout the hollow space before a feeling-memory blindsided him.
Pain, pain, endless waves of agony flooded through him until it was all one ocean bursting out of him, tearing apart-
"Don't worry, you'll all be free soon!" Galo's voice jarred Lio free from the flashback and he was able to breath again. The matoi-loving firefighter was descending into the area on a jetpack. "Mad Burnish and Burning Rescue are here for prison break 2.0! Keep your souls burning for your bright future!" He spotted Lio and waved gleefully before heading for the first broken pod. Somehow, a relieved smile had found its way onto Lio's face, and he wondered what kind of magic Galo possessed to summon it so easily regardless of the circumstances.
"Heris, is there a way to address everyone?" Lio asked the scientist. He had very mixed feelings about her, but knew there wasn't time for anything but cooperation for now.
She nodded and with a few taps to her datapad, handed it to Lio who spoke into it as they continued to hurry forward.
"Burnish." Lio's familiar voice projected across the vast space and the captives quieted. "I know your suffering, but also your strength. Have courage. We're going to release everyone as fast as possible." Lio continued to describe the mechanical process of going section by section, promising rest and medical treatment, and explaining Galo's role in manually releasing those with broken pods. "Burning Rescue fought on our behalf, and they're here to help us. Let them. I'll see you soon." Lio concluded and handed the pad back to Heris as they entered an enormous white room packed with mechanical apparatus and conveyor belts, lined with tunnel openings the size of the pods.
Heris activated the machinery and less than a minute later, the first pods were being offloaded. Within five minutes, additional rescue workers and medical teams arrived and set up triage and processing stations in the space with Remi's guidance. Remi had set up an open video comms channel in the room so the whole rescue team could see this focal point of their operation at all times.
Lio tuned out everything else as he looked in the faces of each of the rapidly disembarking people from the settlement he'd most recently stayed at. Coordinating with Meis, Guiera, and the rescue workers to make sure the newly released were physically supported, and humanizing the mechanical process through touch, eye contact, and voice, handing the tired, scared, sore people to the rescue workers with reassurances and explanations of what to expect next. As other members of his Mad Burnish gang were freed, he made sure they were checked out. Then all of them chose to return and man the offloading bays and help the next people disembarking. In half an hour, the operation was in full swing and the first section of 1,000 had been freed. Aina had a whole fleet of hover crafts picking up Burnish and taking them topside where temporary tents had been set up while they looked for potential shelter options.
But it wasn't all sighs of relief.
Within the first minutes, the extent of the human abuse was vividly evidenced for all to see.
While all were sore and exhausted, there were a fair amount of Burnish with injuries that had been sustained and poorly cared for prior to being strapped into the pods. Some were no longer conscious.
Aina's gasp was audible on the open comms when the pod with the first child, a small girl, catatonic and limp, whirred into the room. She only offered a response when Lio went to her, carefully placed a hand on her head, and stroked down along her cheek, earning her eye contact.
"Mari. It's okay now."
Without removing physical or visual contact, he reached with his other hand to manually pull the release, supporting her body as it dropped free. Shaking arms snaked around his neck and he simply held her while pods continued flashing into the room and being emptied.
As he walked her over to a medical station, murmuring quietly into her ear, he made eye contact with as many of the rescue workers as possible, to make sure they saw. Both for recognition of the despicable situation, and to silently demand that they follow his example in caring for the children.
But it was the first empty pod that made Lio go still. A small pile of drifting ash remained on the bottom, particles fluttering through the air. The silence he'd been trying to ignore inside him seemed to grow until it was all he could hear. He felt Gueira and Meis each put a hand on his shoulder as they came up behind him.
"Lio?" Galo quietly questioned, obviously keeping an eye on things in the loading room as he continued with his rescue efforts in the main part of the ship.
Lio took a deep breath. Instead of answering him, Lio spoke the final rites of the Burnish that Galo had heard him offer in the cave a week ago. When he finished and turned, he realized Ignis and Remi were standing solemnly nearby in a respectful stance. Taking a moment despite the ongoing near-chaos around them demanding their attention. He held their eye contact for a minute, reading, needing the reminder that there were those who valued human life without exception. Those who protected and rescued. Needing to quell the urge to push away those whose help they still needed, to not grab the Burnish and run.
"Is there any way to know… who…" Remi started, but Lio shook his head.
"We'll know when we know who is missing." Lio kept his tone flat.
Heris looked empty as she spoke brokenly, "I'll… set these ones aside so… later we can collect…"
Lio walked away before she could finish and stepped up to the next pod that docked, returning to the task at hand, offering help to those who could still receive it. He counted though. In the first thousand person section, there were 32 previously occupied pods that arrived empty.
The cold inside was getting harder to ignore, but at least it drew his attention away from the ache in his shoulder. Lio knew that no matter what happened, he couldn't let his own discomfort show. All of the Burnish were suffering, some shivering some burning with sudden fever, as their bodies struggled to remember how to regulate temperature themselves, overcompensating in both directions. Lio suppressed his own shivers-compared to an Absolute Zero Bullet, this was practically warm-and made an effort to appear easily upright and confidently relaxed yet focused.
We'll be okay without our fire. He willed the message with his words and posture.
While Lio was not in a charitable mood at the moment, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful for the enveloping presence of the Burning Rescue 3 members throughout this ordeal.
Ignis managed to simultaneously keep on top of his team's operations and act as point of contact for the national and international agencies who were trying to address issues from the volcanic and Promare activity worldwide. Lio felt his guard around Ignis slowly go down as the rescue leader regularly consulted with him about decisions that would affect the Burnish. He and Aina reported that they had found a couple of recently completed residential highrises that they could use for immediate shelter, and asked Lio what the Burnish would want for comfort besides the usual living supplies. Lio asked that they provide ways for the Burnish to adjust the room temperatures, either through the built-in HVAC systems or portable units. They understood, acting on the request immediately, and didn't comment when Lio offered them his first "thank you".
One of the best parts of working with Burning Rescue, Lio discovered, was the banter that was constantly shooting back and forth between its members, somehow keeping energy and hope high despite the circumstances, which soothed those they rescued as well. It seemed to help the team coordinate, too. Lio let it wash over him and gave his first slight smile since they started the unloading process when Meis and Gueira began to occasionally join in.
Lio listened for Galo's voice, though. He was regularly giving inspiring, passionate commentary, and announcing each time another Burnish had been manually rescued. For some reason, it both eased the tight feeling in his chest and granted a spark of much needed energy to push against the severe fatigue that clawed at the edge of Lio's consciousness.
Two hours in, they had managed to release and provide immediate care for a quarter of the trapped Burnish, and many were already being situated in their temporary dwellings.
"Lio," Ignis called him away from the check-in he was doing one-by-one with his Mad Burnish members, sending a couple who were worse for the wear to rest. "One of our lines has been hacked by people from several different countries, as far as I can tell, who are identifying themselves as Burnish leaders. They refuse to speak to anyone other than Lio Fotia." Ignis raised a brow.
"Wow!" Galo's face appeared on comms. "Do you know everybody?"
Lio could feel that traitorous Galo-induced smile appear on his face and transform into a smirk as he quipped, "We're more coordinated than you think." But would say no more until he had the line patched through to a private channel on his own comms device. With a nod to Meis and Gueira, who were holding up admirably well because of course they were, Lio walked out of the room into a quiet hallway. He waited to turn the corner completely out of sight and auditory range before speaking to those on the call.
He didn't realize it would be such a relief to hear that the small settlements of Burnish who had remained free around the world were by and large okay. They had even found a way to contact him despite their usual system being unavailable.
It took him the better part of half an hour to explain everything he knew, and the responses were shocked and varied. It was hard to tell what part of the news was the most upsetting, but there were some sentiments of cautious relief, tinged with a kind of grief Lio understood deep in his soul. They agreed on a communication protocol for the present, to keep updated. Then Lio paused.
"It is going to be very different now, but not everything will change at once. The Burnish condition is gone, but... the lives we've lived have been different from anyone else. Our experiences are our identity. That Burnish is still us. Many of us are here in Promepolis for the time being. If any Burnish want aid or protection… we'll find a way to take them in here."
Lio wasn't able to decipher any meaning from the outpouring of voices on the line, as a violent reminder of his incomplete healing from the past couple days chose that moment to tear through him.
He gasped when a shock of intense cold flew up his right side, then couldn't breathe at all as the next blow brought him to the ground. It was like someone had punched an icy fist right through his heart. He lost vision completely as it froze his lungs and dug unrelenting, frigid claws across nearly his whole body.
The experience of being shot with an Absolute Zero Bullet was unforgettable, so he recognized the source for this backlash instantly.
But it was worse. Worse than the first time, because now there was nothing fighting against it, nothing resisting the icy burn with a familiar internal warmth, nothing protecting his living body from the deadly cold. The residual power of the Promare that had kept consequences contained while this healing took place was gone, and all that was left were cells crying in pain as they had to take on a burden they were ill-equipped for.
When he was finally able to pull air into his lungs, it took everything in him not to immediately release it as a scream.
The ache settled deep into his core, his bones. He could feel his heart racing in protest as it tried to battle the urge to slow down with the cold.
Lio didn't know how long he lay there on his back as one tsunami of shivers after another worked their way down his body. He knew exactly how long it took to push himself up on shaking arms. Scooting over to the wall, it took an eternity to pull himself up with the handrail, uncooperative legs wanting to lock up and collapse everytime the blizzard tore through his body.
But he stood.
And instinctively closed his eyes to reach for the strength that had never failed him before. That would make the cold stop.
But it wasn't there.
His eyes slowly opened and he stood utterly still, frozen in more ways than one.
Except he must not be actually frozen, because it was water, salty but definitely not solid, that trickled its way down his cheeks. A drop fell and hit his hand. A hand with no fire. A cold hand.
But he could still hear their voices. Wait, no, the flames had never had this kind of voice, the kind that made sound. Lio's eyes followed the sound automatically and saw a comms device lying on the floor, persistent chattering still flowing from it, although it took another moment before he could understand what they said.
"-don't know, try again, it just went quite, keep trying, no, don't loose the line it took us two hours to get this one-"
The voices were tied to faces in his mind. The faces of people. His people. And Lio took a sudden deep breath that immediately turned into a cough and ached so badly, but he kept a fierce grip on his focus.
Made his body move.
Picked up the device.
Cleared his throat.
"Sorry about that." Breathe. "I- have to go." Breathe. "Talk to your communities. Stick to the comms protocol we discussed." Breathe. "I'll check in soon."
Closed the line.
Wiped his face.
By the time he walked out of the hallway and back into the loading room, Lio thought he was doing a pretty good job of seeming normal. If he clenched his whole body when a piercing wave of cold flowed through him, he managed not to outright shiver. While giving Gueira and Meis a quick update on the Burnish worldwide, he ignored the probing looks they gave him. Acting normal was the best reassurance, he figured.
But hour after hour, it was hard to keep up outward appearances. The cold didn't stop. Everytime he thought he had gotten used to the feeling, it seemed to settle deeper and spread relentlessly outward from his chest. Just like the bullet had originally, only this time slower. He clenched his teeth to stop them from chattering. Grabbed some heat packs from the med supply when no one was looking and slotted them into the inner pockets of the jacket he wore, but he barely felt their radiating warmth. It didn't really matter, though. There was no way he was leaving his people again, wouldn't stop until every last one was free and safe. So he just steeled his resolve further and continued on.
When a coffee supply and packaged snacks were brought for the rescue workers, Ignis and Lio both agreed their team members should take breaks in shifts. Lio almost felt betrayed, though, when Ignis nodded to Meis and Gueira, who immediately hauled their boss away for some hot coffee and a few minutes of rest.
It was while he was sipping some of the scalding fluid, willing it's heat further into his chest, reluctantly grateful, that Lio felt a splintering pain radiate throughout his upper body. Recalling how Vulcan's fist had smashed into his ribs minutes after he'd shot him, Lio didn't have to question where this damage came from as Promare healing unwound further from his body. Recently fused but still fragile and tender cracks wound their way through the bones of his ribcage, and Lio choked on the coffee he was drinking.
The resulting coughing did not help the situation, shooting sharp spikes through his torso with every violent contraction of lungs. When he caught his breath at last and looked up into the worried faces of his two Mad Burnish leaders, feeling their hands patting his back and supporting his shoulders, he smiled weakly.
"Went down the wrong tube."
"Boss, maybe you should rest a little longer."
"I'm fine. We're almost done."
They were, in fact, about two-thirds of the way through clearing the engine pods. But the next hour bordered on being unbearable for Lio. More partially healed bone fractures appeared next in the arm Vulcan had punched. It began to take a lot of his attention to breathe normally while each inhale-exhale ached fiercely, and to not show any blatant favoritism to his right arm. And bracing himself for the swells of cold that seemed to be coming more frequently now.
"Lio, how's it going?" Galo's voice broke through Lio's pattern of brace, breathe; brace, reach; brace, clench for shiver, as he continued helping Burnish from their prisons.
Lio blinked at the comms image of Galo's face directed at his unit alone. "Fine?"
"I don't think I've heard your voice for a whole hour! Maybe you should take a break?"
Lio pressed his lips together actually considering, before shaking his head. "We're almost done, and how many of the Burnish have been waiting for hours to be freed? I'm just a little tired, same as everyone." And if he stopped now, he might not be able to start again.
"How is it going on your end?" Lio changed the subject.
Galo's grin was still bright even though Lio could see the fatigue there as well.
"Good! Only got 30 left in these broken pods, should be done within the next couple hours!"
Lio's smile was genuine and grateful. "Thank you for helping them."
He took a moment to look around and realized that everything had been going smoothly here for quite awhile. They were down to the last two thousand, and would likely be done within the hour.
"Actually. We're almost done here. I'll come help you. It'll go twice as fast with both of us."
Galo gave an enthusiastic reply with a shameless Galo de Lion teamwork reference and said he'd grab another jetpack for him. Lio couldn't keep the amusement from his voice as he confirmed and cut the call.
With a quick update to the team, Lio walked swiftly out of the room onto a platform walkway that ran behind the pod banks in the direction of Galo and the last broken units.
This scene change seemed prudent because it had occurred to Lio what was likely coming next in the whole sequential dismantling of his fire-healing systems thing. And that would probably be harder to hide in a room full of people and very bright lights.
Although he preferred that location to being back in this horrible haunted cavern. He looked at the now mostly empty rows around the engine hall as he walked. His pace seemed to slow until it felt like he was walking through molasses. This place still felt saturated with suffering to him. Each scream of pain from the people who had filled this space felt like it was being carved into his veins again, competing with the ice that now seemed to flow endlessly from his chest. Anxiety pressed down on him. The Burnish may not have the Promare any longer, but they still needed protecting in this world, he wasn't naïve enough to believe otherwise. And he knew he couldn't really rely on that protection coming from anyone but himself. Not long-term.
Lio passed the center of the ship, and his eyes locked on the sinister broken diamond. Even the sunlight flowing in from the roof couldn't seem to push away the dark shadows that crept into his vision as he jerked to a stop, staring. Dizzy, Lio clutched the railing. His throat squeezed closed. And then he wasn't seeing anything at all as-
-the pain of thousands channeled through him and it hurt it hurt IT HURT.
A stab of ice sliced through and broke him from his momentary suffocation.
It's just in your mind. That's not happening right now.
But the ice inside was real and he couldn't move as his body seized up, shuddering without stopping. And then the pain was replaced by fear, and panic flooded his consciousness, because ice meant danger, they were being hunted, captured, he needed to run, fight, escape from the entombing ice.
A faint voice echoed from far to his left, a sound that sent a gentle, soothing thaw at the edges of his mind. It brought up an image of a face like the sun that slowly unwound his panic until he was able to see again.
Galo. Though far away and out of sight, Lio could hear him talking kindly and encouragingly to someone he was saving, the sound echoing throughout this vast space. Saving Lio, too.
Lio slumped over, resting his head on the arms he'd propped up on the railing. Bringing himself back to the moment. Galo's voice reassuring him that it would be alright. Even at this distance, he could feel that man's shine.
It made Lio feel vulnerable, the way Galo could so easily make him believe. In every encounter since they'd met, Galo had turned the moments of dark doubt and despair inside of Lio to a hope he realized he had forgotten. How?
It was unnervingly easy for Lio to summon Galo's image to mind. Intensely honest blue eyes he couldn't look away from, a grin that momentarily made Lio feel warm despite the ice currently coursing through his veins. Somehow, it was easier to breathe, something straining inside of him eased.
Lio lifted his head.
If he wasn't careful, that comfort could lull him into a peace that wasn't real, a rest he knew he couldn't afford. He rubbed a hand across his face and then leaned into his palm, thinking. What would it take for his people to be truly safe?
Safe.
He felt a prickle along the edge of his eyes at the first thing that came to mind. He imagined what it would be like for Galo's arms to surround him, to rest against his chest. For a moment he just let himself imagine that, a sense of safety settling across his shoulders. Imagined reaching higher until he was pressing his cheek to Galo's.
With a gasp, Lio opened his eyes, heart beating an irregular staccato as he realized what he'd been thinking.
He pushed away from the railing and willed his feet forward. He shook his head as his heartbeat evened out but retained the rapid tempo as he realized he was about to see the one he'd just been thinking of.
He had just reached the final section of the ship when Galo descended from a hole in the roof, expertly steering his jet pack towards a pod that hung slightly crooked and clearly jammed. The incoming rescuer halted as soon as he saw Lio standing on the walkway nearby, and Lio tangibly felt the sunshine hit him with Galo's welcoming smile.
"Lio!" With a joyfilled exclamation, Galo swooped down and landed by Lio whose answering smile was automatic.
Galo rested a hand on his shoulder and just looked at him for a minute, until Lio raised an eyebrow. "Perfect timing!" the firefighter finally continued, beginning to explain the rescue operations for the final 27 Burnish.
Lio nodded, then made a suggestion.
If it took time to free them from the pods and time to fly them up and out, it would be easier for one of them to release them, and the other to fly them up top. Galo's enthusiasm for this tag team set up was unmistakable.
"But should it be Lio de Galon or Galo de Lion?" he puzzled.
It was scary that Lio realized what Galo meant.
"I'll free them. They know me. You take them up."
Galo helped him into the spare hover pack, and though Lio couldn't help gripping Galo's steadying arm more tightly as the bigger man secured it around his aching chest, he succeeded in keeping his face emotionless. Or so he thought, until Galo asked him if he was alright.
"Fine." Lio said without meeting his eyes. Then he paused. "I used to be able to do this kind of thing without a machine." He zipped up the high collar of his jacket and launched himself to a damaged pod. Galo paused, then followed a moment later.
It was no surprise that they easily fell into a natural rhythm. But as Galo departed with the third Burnish freed, Lio felt a throb in his jaw that a moment later exploded into full on blinding pain as that bone resumed its fractures, only partially knit back together over the past few days. And once it started, Lio could count the number of percussive explosions shattering through bones and tissues, paralleling the number of times the sadistic Freeze Force general had smashed his metallic fist into the Mad Burnish leader's face before his friends had stepped in to stop him.
By the time it stopped, Lio was leaning heavily against the wall of the empty pod he was still in. He raised a shaking hand to the right side of his face, which had sustained the most damage. He was pretty sure all the bones in the lower half of his face were cracked. Jaw, cheekbone, and nose all in place but electric with pain as he gently ran his fingertips over them. He could feel the swelling and feverish heat of bruising from his eye socket down through his collar bone. His breath came in hissing gasps through his teeth as he weathered the initial pain.
A couple minutes must have passed, because he could hear Galo returning. Lio tugged his tall collar back up and combed his hair forward to give his right eye as much shadow coverage as possible. Then he propelled himself from the pod before Galo reached him.
"Sorry, had to take a call." Lio called over his shoulder to excuse his slowness, struggling a bit to make the words come clearly as the pain and swelling in his face made it difficult to work his mouth as usual.
"Oh. Sure." Galo accepted the explanation easily and didn't seem to think twice about the fact that he only saw the left side of Lio's face as they worked the next Burnish free together. This captive was unconscious, so Galo hurried topside without another word and Lio flew to the next pod.
He almost fell when he landed as his body strongly protested its current state. Pain and cold were now so all-present that it was hard to know what exactly to tune out in order to keep pushing forward. To coordinate limbs. Speckles of black dotted his vision.
Still. He managed. Spoke quietly to those he freed, pulled the manual levers for each limb shackle, supported their weight as best he could until he could hand them off to Galo. It took a little longer for Galo to make a full roundtrip than for Lio to free a captive, so he found a few moments to rest through the physical repercussions with each Burnish release.
This place once more flooded his mind with screams and they never stopped now, they just ebbed and flowed with his labored breathing as his movements became automatic.
And he made it. The final Burnish freed. As Galo flew away with the last one, calling back a parting promise to see him up top, Lio fell to his knees, hand clutching at the entrance edge of the pod's floor. He stared into the darkness below. Tried to figure out how it could be silent and filled with screams at the same time. He drifted.
"-io! Lio, is everything okay?"
Lio startled at Galo's voice coming from his pocket and sluggishly pulled his comms device out.
"Yeah." Was all he managed to respond.
Galo was saying something, but it was just sounds without meaning, so he didn't know what to say back. He heard Meis and Gueira's voices, too, but they didn't make sense, either. The device slipped from his fingers and fell into the shadows below.
He needed to get up but now the blackness from the chasm below him was creeping up until it surrounded everything he could see. He clutched the edge of the wall, pulling until his legs were under him. The blackness chased him, closed in on his vision as he stood.
He heard that voice again, the important one, and looked up. Let go of the wall to reach out his hand. But the darkness closed the door on his vision; the last thing he saw was a look of desperate panic in eyes as blue as the sky before he fell and knew no more.
Rambles you can skip:
This whole thing has been written (about 60k words). I've outlined and done some key scene drafting for two sequels. I'll post as frequently as I can manage to edit. I am DEFINITELY looking for some beta reading support, because I have little confidence that things make sense when I write a draft.
I've tried to keep my distance from fandom HC discussions because I wanted total mental freedom to look at things with as unfiltered a perspective as possible. It's not a problem most people have, but I tend to get creatively stuck if I take in too many of other peoples' ideas. Makes me sad, though, because I'd like to just geek out about things, too.
That said, fanfiction is a derivative work, and we're all going to come up with many of the same themes and ideas, and that's totally okay and fun to see the plays on variation. I probably am doing a lot of things in my story that have already been done by others, but as long as it's still fun to read, that's all good. I did NOT try to take anything from anyone else's work, though, so if you see parallels, please know it's just a coincidence inherent in creating in the same space. I'll credit anything I intentionally reference.
Eh, I am on Twitter (and currently only Twitter) akadoreengreene, but I mostly just retweet the Promare art that is inspiring me as I write and post occasional tweets about writing. Omg, there is so much good Promare fanart, I just feel so blessed to see it and intensely admire the artists, so it's really hard to show restraint when retweeting. I've tried to be slightly more friendly recently about talking to people, but mostly I'm like a hedgehog curled into my spiky ball.
Th-thanks for reading this chapter! ^^;;;