Loyal Wingman 2022


Prompt: Protector, Part 1

Title: Mistake I Can't Take Back

Summary:"Just ask me, guilt is practically a buffet for anxiety and while it's good in small amounts, in larger ones it's more detrimental than good, you know?"

"I guess... but this isn't just a little mess up, you know? It's the kind of stuff I can't take back."


Literally wrote 6k for just Klein today, so I split this is half with what I have since I promised a double upload ^^


It was hard to believe that four and a half years after he put that helmet on and was enthralled with a world of sci-fi, magic, and swordplay. Four years of being trapped within that very world and being forced to completely relearn what he decided what he called "reality," the little group he was part of grew till it was part of a real family, and now leaders.

Leaders and protectors of a group of people who Klein would give his life for as needed. Protecting them, training them, and helping them as they all fought to escape this hell alive.

Yet… he had messed up, and badly.

Which was why he was sitting here, alone and away from everyone else. Away from the ones he had accidentally hurt.

Because he could still see the deathly glare on Sinon's face alongside her sneer and the knife prodding his throat while Liz was on the ground behind her. The brunette holding a hand to her bleeding nose, and giving him an almost cautious look.

The look of fear and real terror on Caylee's face as she wriggled and tried to get out of his grip on her shirt and way once the words came out those blue eyes, scared and terrified, filled with tears and broke, blue pools shattering apart into broken sapphires.

Argo's yell and how the mousey blonde dropped to her knees in front of the deathly still Ex. GM.

How she didn't move and didn't respond to Argo and Asuna lifting her up.

A coma.

The shock on Ashley's face that turned to disappointment.

The way Liz had hauled herself to her feet and the lights turned out when she got him straight in the nose.

He squeezed his eyes shut and his fingers went to his hair, brown strands slipping between his fingers as he cradled his head in his hands.

Hurting them had never been his intention, he had never meant to hurt them at all.

He had been in shock and worried about what would happen next. About what they would do, how they would all cope and function with what would happen. About if Argo would be okay, and how they were all going to be able to keep moving and make it out with this added issue.

He hadn't known that Caylee wouldn't catch herself, or that she would slip and hit her head, or that any of what happened would happen.

Lashing out hadn't been something he had wanted to do. Just like he doubted that Liz had fully intended to give him a concussion with how hard she had punched him, shattering his nose in the process before Silica healed it.

He heard footsteps but didn't lift his head, keeping it low, especially as he heard them talk.

"I get that you're mad," Kirito was sighing, "and Sinon and Asuna are on Argo's side-"

"What does that have to do with anything?" She replied defensively, but Kirito didn't take the bait, and instead Klein heard something smack something. "Ow! Flat edge or not, metal hurts Kirito!" she snapped. "Fucking hell," she cursed in a grumble which Kirito seemed to ignore since he continued speaking.

"Knock it off, your head is harder than titanium Liz. Trying to stab you would just bend my blade." He told her dispassionately and Liz grunted disapprovingly but didn't rebel against his words. "Just because they're pissed off to high hell doesn't mean the rest of us should always emulate what they're feeling."

"I'm not," Liz grumbled and it sounded like Kirito smacked her again. "Do it again and I'm crushing it!" she snapped.

Kirito completely ignored her threat, "since when do you willingly ignore your friends if they're done nothing directly to you?"

"Never…" Liz mumbled in turn sounding a bit more like a kicked puppy.

"Exactly, so you're emulating Sinon's aggression and there's a lot of it," his tone turned teasing," since she's more of a firecracker as you, Liiiisbeth."

"Shut it you," Liz huffed embarrassed and Klein heard their footsteps crunch over the sticks and rocks near him as they got close enough that he could see the toe of Kirito's black and white boots stained brown at the soles from mud despite it's hydrophobic fabric.

One of the boots nudged his foot. "Come on man, lets eat, it's just me and the grumpy bear."

"This bear is tempted to throw you into the river if you don't tone it down bozo," Liz mock growled to Kirito and Klein caught sight of the side of her pink boots stained with soot, dirt, and metal shavings. As she walked to his other side.

Unlike Kirito's soft nudge, Rika in her usual brash fashion, merely tapped Klein's butt with her boot and he couldn't help but snicker, even if he really didn't feel like looking at her.

After all, he had been the one to punch her first in the whole instance, regardless of how aggressive her demand for him to tell her what he had done.

"Get your ass up," she told him jokingly, "since I have to ask… is there space in the pity party for two more? Cause being in the doghouse sucks ass!"

Damnit, she was too good at making jokes.

"Now it sounds like you spend to much time in one Liz," Kirito snorted for Klein and he felt the log beneath him shift as the black swordsman dropped down onto it.

"Probably because I do," Liz sighed dramatically with a dramatic groan, "between being a workaholic, low attention span, and frisky, I spent too much time in the doghouse in the game dude…"

"No kidding," Kirito groaned.

Klein couldn't help but snicker. Since he remembered how often he heard Liz whining over training comms from getting her ear pulled with how bored she'd get and Sinon was always last so she had to put up with the smith's bored antics since long before the game when it was Asuna and Sinon getting on her case as her best friends.

"There's a laugh, I heard that," Liz grinned and Klein was jostled by her shoving at his knee a bit before he heard her dropping down on the rocks in front of the log instead of sitting on the log with them and saw a bit of her brown and pink hair. Not much could actually hurt her, perks of her abilities he guessed.

She got comfortable and Klein heard Kirito eating next to him, lazily spooning stew into his mouth.

"Seriously though," Liz hummed, "you shouldn't sulk about it so much Klein. Everyone makes mistakes and I doubt you meant to hurt her."

"I didn't," Klein reluctantly agreed and stared down at the rocks beneath the log. Since he couldn't ignore them forever and it looked like they weren't going to go away.

"Then you took your punishment and that's that," Liz shrugged. "I clocked you in the face and while I'm sure Caylee's gonna kick your ass like the badass secret agent she is once she's awake, I think a broken nose even if immediately healed, concussion, and the guilt is enough punishment."

"Guilt's a heavy punishment on it's own," Kirito agreed which didn't help Klein keep his head down and bowed low.

"Just ask me," Liz pointed out, "guilt is practically a buffet for anxiety and while it's good in small amounts, in larger ones it's more detrimental than good, you know?"

"I guess," Klein sighed and reluctantly lifted his head and looked out at the bubbling river he had been skipping rocks into a little while ago. "But this isn't just a little mess up, you know? It's the kind of stuff I can't take back."

"Maybe," Kirito swallowed a mouthful and agreed, "but it's not just you right? I'm here, Liz is here, and I'm sure once Sinon calms down, she'll be able to be nudged into helping you out but on Argo's side."

"Er, what might take a while…" Liz piped up sheepishly, "Shi-Shi's more stubborn than Asuna, even with my influence on the other side. At the same time though," she hastened to add, keeping Klein from spiraling down, "she's mainly just pissed that you punched me. So just apologize to me in front of her for punching me and she'll back you even if she's being passive aggressive toward you."

Well at least there was a chance that he wasn't going to be skewered by Sinon today. He preferred passive aggressiveness rather than the terrifying sense of violence in those teal colored eyes and having her pressing the tip of her knife dangerously into his throat earlier.

"Either way, regardless of Sinon's temper or being the way to cool off Argo and Asuna," Kirito brushed it all aside casually, "you can lean on us man. There's no optionto be solo out here and even if there was, we'd still be giving the same offer."

"Oh totally," Liz agreed with a hum.

It felt wrong having them be here acting so chill after the chaos of earlier…

To be continued…