Can't believe I haven't written Fuse before now XD
Day 4
Theme: Trust Fall
Prompt(s): "Do you trust me?" | pushed
"I can't believe you did that."
"Don't look at me, alright. I panicked."
"You placed a bomb!" If his helmet wasn't in the way, Gordon would have facepalmed. Instead, he threw his arms up in exasperation and turned away from the man before he was tempted to throttle him.
Only a second passed before he spun around to face him again.
"Why did you even use a bomb in the first place?" Gordon wasn't sure if he was more angry or annoyed at this man. He had put others in danger, like usual, but now through his idiocy, he'd put the two of them in danger as well.
"It went off too early! It was meant to trap you so I could get away." Fuse had his fists clenched at his sides. Anyone else who was standing across from one of the world's most wanted men might have been afraid, but Gordon was just trying to resist the urge to punch him.
"Well, you've trapped both of us instead. I take it that wasn't part of your plan?"
"Don't know why you're even complainin'. Your brothers will come get you, won't they? I'm the one that's gonna have to find a way out of here before they get here." He crossed his arms and looked away, almost like he was pouting. If Gordon wasn't still angry at the man, he would have laughed.
"In case you've forgotten, my brothers are busy rescuing those innocent people you trapped in this cave. So, we both have to find a way out of here." Gordon couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the thought of his family. They were probably worried about what had happened to him, but Gordon hoped they were concentrating on the rescue.
"Some rescue service if you can't even get rescued yourself," Fuse muttered, as if to himself.
"I would prefer they helped them first before they came for me." Gordon had already brought up a map on his watch of the tunnels that John had sent him earlier.
"Suit yourself."
Gordon ignored the man in favour of focusing on the map in front of him. The main tunnel that he had come through was not an option any more, thanks to Fuse and his ill-placed bomb. After a bit of analysing, he found another route of tunnels that led to outside. It was narrow and winding, but shouldn't cause much problem with getting out.
He looked up from the map to the man standing on the other side of the tunnel. As much as he wanted to leave Fuse there, he knew he couldn't. It wasn't safe in these caves with the risk of them collapsing even further. Besides, he would probably follow Gordon anyway.
"There's a tunnel just a little further up that way that leads outside." He pointed down the tunnel they were in, in the opposite direction to the exit that Fuse had blocked off and further into the caves. "Won't take us long to get out."
"Perfect." Fuse didn't move from where he stood, and he watched Gordon expectantly. It took Gordon a moment to realise what he was waiting for.
"No way am I going first." Gordon shook his head. "You're not walking behind me so you can stab me in the back, literally."
Fuse shrugged, and thankfully didn't need much persuading as he turned and started to walk in the direction Gordon had indicated.
"Suit yourself, but I didn't bring a knife with me, so you don't have to worry about me stabbing you." He sent Gordon a wink over his shoulder, and Gordon tried not to think about how he didn't deny trying to stab him if he did have a knife.
With guidance from Gordon, they found the smaller tunnel that branched off the one they were in. Fuse's suit was bulky enough that it barely brushed the sides of the tunnel, and Gordon tried to not think about what would happen if the man in front of him got stuck. Hopefully the tunnels got wider, or Gordon would start to regret not going first.
They had been walking for a little while in silence, but Gordon found that he couldn't keep quiet for long.
"Why did you even cause a cave-in in the first place? Can't imagine there's anything in here you want to steal." The question had been playing on his mind for a little while, and what better time to make conversation than when you were stuck with a villain.
"Just wanted to cause some chaos." Fuse didn't turn around as he spoke and only offered a shrug as he continued through the tunnel.
"Surely you had time to leave before we got here, though?" Although Gordon didn't agree with the man's actions, he still wanted to know his thought process and how he'd ended up in this situation that he could have avoided.
"And miss the look on your faces? That's what makes this worth it!" He chuckled, and Gordon glared at the back of his head, knowing that Fuse took joy in Gordon's family putting themselves in harm's way just because he wanted a bit of fun.
"But instead you were dumb enough to end up stuck here with me." Gordon should have watched what he said, but he was having fun trying to rile the man up.
Fuse spun around abruptly and scowled down at Gordon.
"Watch what you say, little fish, or I'll-"
"You'll what?" Gordon stepped closer so he was face to face with him and grinned up at him. "I have the map, don't forget."
Fuse growled but stepped back and turned back around a second later, knowing that Gordon was right. He took off down the tunnel, and Gordon laughed as he heard the man mumbling under his breath.
They went on a little further. The tunnels got a little wider and Gordon could stop worrying about being trapped behind a bulky, purple suit, although Fuse knocked his head against the low ceiling quite often, which made Gordon laugh every time. When that would happen, Fuse would turn to glare at Gordon, but Gordon swore the expression softened just a little each time.
Fuse was still walking ahead of Gordon. Gordon had given him instructions of where to go if they came to a branch of tunnels, but the tunnel they were in right now went on for a while before they'd have to turn down another.
Gordon had been in his head for a while, wondering if his brothers were alright or if they were trying to get to him. He had also been thinking about what to do about Fuse when they did get outside. He couldn't let the man get away, but Gordon knew he wouldn't be able to stop him on his own if he did try to get away. Hopefully, there would be too many people around for him to sneak off.
He had been so lost in his thoughts, that he almost missed the rumble as unstable rocks beneath their feet began to fall.
Where Fuse had been walking, the ground had suddenly started to give way. He only had enough time to jump to the ledge on the other side before the gap appeared where he was once walking.
Gordon was forced to take several steps back as the floor by his feet crumbled, as he didn't have time to follow Fuse to the other side. Now, there was a large drop between the two of them.
Gordon eyed up the gap between him and Fuse, who was taking a few shaky breaths before he turned to face Gordon on the other side. The gap was too big to jump over, and the drop was too deep to climb down.
"Just jump over. I'll catch you." Fuse offered casually as he put his arms out, like Gordon just had to jump over a puddle and not a chasm that was who knew how deep. The torch on his helmet only went so far, and the drop was dark as it continued on past the light.
"Absolutely not," Gordon replied before he could even think about it. There was no way he was putting his life on the line for this man, who thought it was fun to trap civilians in a cave.
"Don't you trust me?"
"No." Gordon didn't know why he was even asking.
Gordon looked down at the deep drop between them, and a shaky breath left his lips. The drop would injure him severely, if it didn't kill him. This would be a perfect opportunity for Fuse to get rid of him.
"I swear I'm not going to let you drop. Scouts honour." He placed one hand on his chest and held the other one up next to him, palm facing Gordon.
"I doubt you were ever part of the scouts."
Gordon sent another look at the drop, and then at the ledge across the gap. It was quite far, and would take a miracle for him to make it without help. He really wished he had brought his grapple with him. It would make this decision so much easier.
He looked back up at Fuse, who for once actually appeared to be quite genuine. Gordon tried to work out any way he could be playing him here, but he couldn't think of anything. Yeah, killing him would work in the Hood's favour, but Fuse had never shown that to be his intention. He was a pain and wasn't against potentially injuring people, but letting someone blatantly die when he could have stopped it was another thing.
And really, Gordon had no other choice.
"Fine," he eventually agreed. "But if you let me fall, I'm coming back to haunt you."
Fuse let out a small chuckle, before he got himself into position. It was the first time Gordon had heard him laugh when it wasn't at someone else's expense, and it oddly made Gordon feel a little calmer about what he was about to do.
He turned and took a few steps back down the tunnel before he faced Fuse again. He only had one shot at this, so he couldn't mess it up.
"Ready?" Gordon called to Fuse.
"Ready." He replied.
Gordon took a deep breath to calm down, and then before he had time to talk himself out of this, he ran.
It was only a few steps before he reached the end of the ledge, and he pushed himself off with as much force as he could.
He saw the other side of the gap and Fuse growing closer, but it was with a heart sinking feeling that he realised he hadn't gone far enough. The image of the other side vanished as he dropped into the empty space. His heart was in his throat as his feet met air instead of solid ground.
Suddenly, his world stopped as his fall lurched to an abrupt halt. Something wrapped around his wrist and the muscles in his arm protested. He slammed into the wall of the cavern, and he heard a grunt above him before he felt himself start to be pulled up.
He helped Fuse pull himself back up over the ledge, and once he was on solid ground, he slumped over to catch his breath. He heard Fuse breathing heavily above him, but after several moments he was standing straight again.
"You're right," Fuse said from above him, and Gordon looked up at him questioningly. "I was never in the scouts. Too good for my tastes."
He walked down the tunnel without another word, and Gordon watched him go as he took another moment to get over the fear of what he had just done. When he didn't feel so shaky, he pushed himself to his feet and followed Fuse before he was left alone.
After that, the journey somehow felt less tense. The tunnel had widened so they could walk side by side, and Gordon felt a little less like Fuse was going to kill him or abandon him down here. If that was Fuse's intention, then he was really playing the long game.
They still didn't talk much, but the silence between them was comfortable. If Gordon didn't keep glancing at the man he was with, he would have thought he was with a friend.
"You don't have to keep looking at me like I'm gonna eat you."
"What?" Gordon was surprised by the choice of words and couldn't help the splutter of laughter.
"Don't think I haven't noticed you keep side-eyeing me." Fuse also laughed. "I'm just saying, what good would it do me to betray you at this point? You have the map, afterall."
He flashed a grin at Gordon, who couldn't help but smile in return.
"True, but I wouldn't put it against you to-"
His words were cut off by the loud rumbling ahead. Gordon knew what that sound was, so he could react before Fuse. Without even thinking about what he was doing and who he was with, he placed both hands on Fuse's arm, and shoved him out of the way.
It was just in time for the rocks to fall on his head.
It took a moment for the rumbling to stop and for Fuse's world to stop spinning. He didn't know what was happening when Gordon had pushed him to the floor, but then part of the ceiling came down on them. He threw his hands over his head, even though it was barely more than small rocks that hit his suit.
When it was over, he realised what the other man had done.
Fuse pushed himself up and looked over at where Gordon had once been standing. Now, there was a pile of rocks on top of his crumpled body.
"Gordon?" Fuse moved over to him. His eyes were shut, but Fuse hoped they would open if he heard his name.
However, Gordon didn't move or show any response to Fuse's voice.
Fuse tried again, this time shaking Gordon's arm slightly, but he was still met with nothing.
He sighed and fell back on his heels as he thought about what to do. He could just leave him here, but deep down he knew that was wrong. Gordon had saved him, it wouldn't be fair for Fuse to leave him when he was dealing with who knew what injuries.
Gordon was pinned beneath several rocks. They mainly covered his chest and legs, but they weren't big enough that Fuse didn't think he could lift them.
Being careful not to injure the other man further, Fuse lifted the rocks off his body one by one. When he was free, Fuse gave him a quick scan for his injuries.
He wasn't bleeding anywhere, which Fuse supposed was good, although he'd probably broken at least a couple bones. Fuse gently picked up his left wrist and placed it on his chest. He didn't know how to work his watch, but after a couple taps, the map that Gordon had been looking at appeared before them.
They weren't too far from the exit now. It was only a little further.
Fuse memorised the rest of the route, and then he carefully positioned Gordon so that he could carry the man on his back.
With Gordon in position, Fuse stood up. He adjusted the man so that they would both be comfortable, and then he carried on towards the exit.
The light was the first thing Fuse saw that indicated he was close. He picked up his speed at the sight, and soon he was in the sunlight as he stood at the edge of the cave.
He hesitated before he stepped outside. From here, he could see a couple of the Thunderbirds as they sat a little distance away. There were a few people about, although Fuse was far enough away that they likely hadn't seen him. He had to get away before he got caught, but with Gordon on his back, he was torn.
Fuse crouched down to the ground as he made a decision, and gently lowered Gordon off his back and onto the floor. He was close enough to the exit that his brothers would no doubtedly find him here.
He gave the man a final look. Gordon still hadn't stirred, so maybe Fuse gave his pulse a quick check before he stood, although he wouldn't admit to it.
Then, Fuse turned to the exit. He gave a quick glance around to check that the coast was clear, before he hurried outside and towards where he had parked Basher, hoping that no one had discovered where he had parked it yet.
He tried not to think about the condition he had left Gordon in, or the rest of their time together. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the day with the other man, but if asked, he would deny it. Havoc would want to know what took him so long, and Fuse knew he definitely wasn't going to tell her who he had spent the day with. Especially the part where he had carried Gordon to safety.
He did hope that Gordon would be found and that his injuries weren't too bad. He really hoped Gordon wouldn't look too far into the fact that Fuse had saved him. Although, he might send him a get well soon card anyway, just for fun.