Happy Wednesday Descendants!
We hope you're ready for a Concerning chapter... For T and Harry...
Yeah...
Don't forget to let us know you're out there. We look forward to and appreciate all your support. Thanks guys.
Lots of Love!
-Dark-
An ambush? Really?
And they'd walked right into it. Edged down the stairs into the dark, dilapidated basement of a building full of mattresses.
T jumps back, barely dodging the blunt edge of the gap-toothed prick's sword. Any slower and he'd have another scar across his neck.
He automatically adjusts his footing on the slippery stone floor, silently thanking Jay for all the drills they'd run through. His mind was so clouded, but at least his damn body knew what to do. It'd been a while since he'd fought four to one.
Red stains his vision when the piece of shit in front of him grins wickedly.
"Ya ain't lookin' so good Shadow." The man's eyes shift before his smile widens before the other fuckers in the room cheer, "Neither is yer double."
A low growl leaves his throat as he fights down the urge to look. Harry was more than capable of handling himself. "I'd be more focused on yourself right now, prick." They'd been going like this for hours, but they'd hit a jackpot when they'd swept down the stairs of this bar.
Five unsuspecting idiots were certainly easier to take out than eight prepared ones. He couldn't get distracted. Not right now.
He had to trust Harry.
"Suit yerself." Fritz sneers. Spit flies as he yells and rushes him.
He manages to block the awkward, untrained angle the man was using, catching the guy off guard when he pins the rusty sword between his own sword and dagger.
Before he can twist the blade away, Fritz manages to surprise him with a kick to the gut. He falls back, all the wind knocked from his lungs at the impact.
Shit. SHIT!
His sword! His dagger!
He looks around, through the black spots in his vision, trying to find them. To find anything to block the swing he knew was coming his way.
Fuck! He rolls on instinct.
The tang of metal hitting metal makes him look up.
"Ya-" Harry grunts before returns the kick, sending Fritz backward a few steps, "-be done with yer nap?" He heaves before he turns back to his own attacker.
"Oh, shut up." He bites back, forcing his voice through the painful void in his chest as he jumps back to his feet, a broken bottle clenched in one hand, his spare dagger in the other.
"I be thinkin' back ta back?" Harry offers as he holds his sword and hook up, facing the five still standing.
"Probably." He breathes, his eyes narrowing on the man now holding a dagger.
His dagger.
"See ya be-" Harry shakes his head, "ah gettin' two."
"Still time ta catch up." He grins.
"Aye." Harry gives him a small smile. But for some reason, his aching chest tightened at it.
He'd worry about it later. Harry was fine. Had to be fine.
They just had to keep chipping away at these fuckers.
His back cools when Harry rushes the one across from him, leaving him to reclaim his dagger.
He catches the man off guard when instead of stabbing he throws the bottle, catching him in the under part of his jaw with the dagger. His hand shoots out to grab his weapon before the man hits the floor.
He jumps back, as a sword swings close to his side.
A grunt of pain pulls his attention away for the briefest second, but it was all Fritz needed.
His side burns as he watches the other man jump back, red dripping from the tip of his sword.
He snarls before he's in the man's face, digging his reclaimed dagger in deep before he twists it.
Fucker. He spits on the fallen man, before he turns.
Everything seems to stop.
Falter.
Freeze.
No.
No!
Fuck no!
As his eyes settle over the last two men towering over Harry's fallen body, their blades poised.
The edge of his vision blurs tinged with blackness.
NO!
His blade was hilt deep in one's back before he even realized he'd moved. On instinct he jerks Harry back, away from the last man standing.
Away from danger.
He blocks the swing of the sword with his dagger. He growls as he follows through with a swing of his sword.
The man's scream of pain echoes around the room, rattling in his mind.
With a frown, he continues his assault.
Their weapons clang and crash off each other before he manages to catch his opponent in an opening, bringing his blade up under the man's ribs. He watches with dark satisfaction as the blood gurgles in the man's mouth in lieu of a cry, his back hitting the ground with a final thud a moment later.
He turns his eyes glancing for the last of the men. Was there another? He couldn't even remember anymore.
But everything stops as his world narrows to the still figure lying sprawled on the floor. Motionless.
Right where he left him.
A blood-curdling scream echoes through him, shaking him to his core.
Cold. Everything was cold.
He takes a step forward.
Two.
He finally darts to Harry's side. His shaky hand gripping Harry's shoulder before he drops his ear to his chest. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
A heaviness settles over him, unable to move fast enough.
No. Not like this. Not-
Ba-bum.
He cries out, never knowing how beautiful the sound was until this very moment.
Harry was alive!
He furrows his brow as he pokes and prods the overly large hoodie, finding several places where blood was seeping through the material.
He bites his lip, flinching in disgust at the taste of iron.
Fuck!
They both needed to be patched up. And quick.
He closes his eyes. There was no way in fuck he was making it back to the ship. Not with the way his muscles groaned and protested. Or the dull thrum of exhaustion pulsing through him. Let alone with Harry.
Uma was going to kill him.
If Faustina didn't first.
Harry gasps in pain as he sits up, his throat hurting from the silent scream that ripped him back to the waking world.
"T!" He calls out hoarsely before coughs tear past his dry lips.
"Fuck! What is it? What's wrong? You okay?"
Something thuds into his back, making him wince as he turns. "T!" He calls out again before he rolls to his knees and wraps his arms around him, "I-" He grimaces, noticing the pain in his chest, shoulder, and side all at once as another round of coughs rattle his lungs.
"Fuck." T breathes as his muscles tighten like rebar beneath his grip before he's pulled back as green, panicked eyes sweep over his face.
"Fuck." T sighs in relief and uncharacteristically pulls him back into a tight hug.
"Wha-" He shakes his head. Every time he tried to talk he coughed. He presses a hand around his neck. His throat was bone dry.
T releases him as he pulls away. "One sec."
His one-handed grip on T tightens.
He didn't want T to go anywhere yet. He could still feel the terror pumping through his veins. T. He'd almost lost T. Twice in one damn fight. They'd both gone down in that last damn fight. He furrows his brow and looks around, trying to figure out where they were. But it was too dark to make out anything.
T's blinks as he looks up at him, eyes clouded with uncertainty. "I just wanna get you some water. Is that okay…? I promise I'll be right back."
He sighs as he turns back to T, his eye falling to his hand where he was holding T's wrist like his life depended on it.
In this moment it felt like it did.
He looks back up into T's worried green eyes before he slowly nods and pulls his hand back.
"Good Hook." T sighs in relief, leaning up to kiss his forehead before he shimmies away from him.
He startles when something warm spreads over him.
"Stay." T pats his head before he hears him pad away softly.
He leans back into the softness beneath him, wincing at the pressure on his shoulder.
Where were they?
He pokes at the bed he was laying on, no, not a bed...
A fluffy couch?
The only place he could think of that had a couch like that was the-
How the fuck had T gotten him to the hangout? Last thing he remembered was one of the bastards tripping him before the two jumped him.
Then nothing.
He winces as he lightly explores his body, his eye twitching with every new bandage he discovers.
That had been a stupid mistake. Tripping people during a fight was like his signature fucking move and he'd walked right into it.
He hears two soft thuds before T gently guides him up just enough to slide beneath him.
"Here." He hears T say before he presses him back to his chest and presses something to his lips.
Before he registers the chill water in the cup he'd already greedily drank half of it. Like he was trying to put out a fire in his throat.
T nuzzles against his neck.
"Thanks." He grunts, testing his voice again.
"Want more?" T asks already twisting.
"Ain'nah sayin' no." He blindly reaches out.
T hands him the cup before he takes the empty one.
"How ya be doin'?" He asks roughly before he starts drinking.
"Better now." T breathes out.
He smiles hesitantly before he downs the cup and tenderly presses his fingers to his throat. Every swallow seemed to help soothe his throat. "Aye?" He leans back into T's hold, surprised at their skin to skin contact. "They be gettin' away?"
"No. We got 'em."
"Ya be ah meanin' ya be ah gettin' them." He chuckles darkly. Two. Two out of Eight. He'd left T to deal with the rest.
"Nah, pretty sure it was we." T corrects him softly, as he starts running his fingers through his hair gently.
"Do ya be ah pityin' me for fallin' like that?" His voice cracks.
"No." T sighs, "You went fuckin' hard for bein' as fucked up as you were…" He nuzzles his neck again, "When were you gonna tell me you were that fucked up?" He asks sounding stiff as he tried to hide the hurt in his voice.
He sighs, "I- I know I should ah been sayin' something sooner, but I were afraid ya be ah sendin' me away." He shakes his head, "Ya never be ah complainin', even when ya be fucked up yerself, so-" He sighs again, "I kept me mouth shut so ya did'nah be ah havin' ta be ah dealin' with it on yer own."
T starts to play with his hair absently.
He knew T needed time to think. Knew better than to interrupt. But as each beat of his heart thuds in the silence, it was becoming harder to keep that in mind. He'd gone down at the worst possible time in a fight, but this actually felt like it was killing him.
"I'm sorry…" T eventually sighs. "I never thought about it. What that must make you feel like… I can ignore shit for days, pain doesn't- I can push it away- But it inevitably catches up-"
"Aye, like ah damn punch in the jewels." He huffs before he winces, realizing he'd interrupted. "Sorry."
T presses a kiss to his shoulder, "I don't think I've ever considered how anyone would feel about it. Any of you. I just did my best to hide it- Ignore it so I didn't have to answer questions. Not think about it." He takes a deep breath. "But seeing how bad you were, realizing I hadn't noticed, that I hadn't even thought too- It fucking hurt. Like a lot. Like, more than I thought it could…" His lips brushing his shoulder. "So, I'm sorry you felt like you had to do that. Push yourself like that. It sucks. Sucks to know you did it because you thought I'd leave you behind. But I get it. Why you felt that way."
"Ta be bein' fair love," He smiles as he bumps his head against T's hands, "I were ah handlin' it, then we be ah gettin' jumped by eight fuckin' bastards an' I were'nah handlin' it anymore. An' it did'nah be ah seemin' like the right time ta be ah tellin' ya."
T continues to play with his hair.
"Now that ya be ah knowin', what would ya have been ah doin' with me?" He asks curiously.
T takes a deep breath, "Sent you back… Or knocked you out and stashed you here..."
"Ah." He sighs as he leans back, "That be why ya ain'nah trustin' us."
T drops one hand to his waist and pulls him tightly to his chest and rests his forehead to his shoulder. "That's what you guys mean when you say I don't trust you…"
"Aye. If we be ah tellin' ya somethin', we be ah keepin' our word, even when we don'nah be ah wantin' ta. But, ya were appologizin' ta me like ya be ah givin' me the wrong impression. Ya would ah been leavin' me, and I be ah knowin' it. So I be ah makin' me choice, same as you. Except we would'nah be ah leavin' ya behind." Sea gods he hated that he was the one reprimanding T right now. He'd just saved his life, but if he was willing to look at the way he thought about things, the least he could do was help him understand.
Hopefully they wouldn't have a whole lot of these real-life examples.
T's other hand drops to his waist as well as he hugs him tightly to him. He falls silent for several moments. "I'm sorry… I- I'm just sorry. I didn't consider… Any of it, I just-" He lets out a deep breath, "Didn't think about it…"
"T." He breathes out as he turns, carefully straddling T's lithe frame before he cups his jaw. "I ain'nah askin' ya ta change. Ya be ah wantin' ta send me away so I ain'nah slowin' ya down, that be okay." He rubs his thumbs along T's cheekbones, "I just be ah askin' ya ta consider that we ain'nah gonna be doin' that ta ya. We're gonna be ah askin' ya ta be ah takin' it easy ta be sure. But we ain'nah gonna be takin' yer choices away."
T studies his face for a moment before he drops his eyes and falls silent. "That's not fair." He eventually sighs out. "I don't… It can't be a two-way current." He bites his lip. "I didn't think about it like that. That it was taking away your choices by sending you back or knockin' you out- Which is fucking stupid- I just- It's the only thing she's ever…" His brows furrow as he tenses and stills beneath him.
He furrows his brow before he thumps his finger against T's sternum, "Ya be ah forgettin' somethin' important."
"Did I?" T blinks, "My head hurts."
"Big thoughts and not breathin' can be ah doing that." He shakes his head before he slips to T's side, pressing his back to the couch cushion as he snuggles against T.
"Yeah..." T frowns, still not breathing until he reminds him to again.
"So," He thumps T's sternum again, "Faustina be ah mhmm and ya be ah yeah when ya ain'nah listenin' huh?"
"She definitely mhmms."
"Aye, an' thrownin' punches." Harry chuckles.
"That too…" T responds
"Ya be breathing now?" He nuzzles his nose to T's shoulder.
"Yeah…" T nods.
"Good, cause I might not ah be able ta be breathin' after this…" He shakes his head, "How long I be out?"
"I don't actually know…"
"Cool." His stomach does a flip, "We be ah havin' ta go."
"Kay…" T nods as he moves to stand up.
"Home." He sighs, already missing the warmth of being pressed against T, "We be ah havin' ta check-in."
"Figured..."
"How bad I be?" He groans when he realizes how stiff his shoulders were, and how much everything hurt.
Luckily he knew it was all above the waist.
And below his Pretty Boy face.
T rubs his head, before he turns to him, "Better than when you passed out I guess...?"
He sighs. "Got it."
He could hide how bad this was. T patched him up. Had obviously also patched himself up. They were fine.
Uma had no reason to be-
He drops his chin to his chest, even he couldn't fully think the lie.
Jesus that first scene.
Was it intense? Or was it anticlimactic? Were you expecting the boys to find themselves in such dire straits? Were you happy we didn't end on that? I mean besides the fact it woulda been a hella short chapter.
What are you thinking about T and Harry's new task? Are you worried? Hating it? Disturbed? Concerned?
And then that second scene.
I don't think T's ever been so handsy. But when one of your best mates nearly dies in front of you it's hard to not want that touch and reassurance that they're still breathing. Still with you, you know? (Hopefully you don't...)
And what about T's epiphany? What did you guys think? Surprised he actually got something through his dense ass?
And Harry's thoughts and responses, on par?
How do you think the rest of the family is going to react?
Much love and appreciation
-Twisted