"Rite of Passage"

by HonestlyCynical

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

A/N: I know the last chapter set you guys up for some action but my friends decided it would be better to keep you all waiting for it. Without further ado, Chapter 5!

Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental.

Chapter 5: Awakening

Weeks had passed with little to no action. An occasional bar fight would break out, but it didn't last long before the fighters ended up puking. Dom was in better spirits, and only he and Marcus knew why. He would still check in on Rex, but only once a day. Marcus kept the man busy with some problem he would make up on the spot.

Baird and Cole were always kept busy. Baird had to work on everything that broke, while Cole was in charge of making sure everyone was doing their job. It was easy for Cole to make sure his job was done. He would always talk about how if someone neglected their job, then they'd run the risk of ending up like Rex. However, every time he would bring up Rex, his mood would switch from happy, to sad. Even though it happened for about a minute or two, everyone noticed that it was a sore spot for the black gear.

Harper and Snow were always off seeing Rex, or sitting in the mess hall screwing around. Harper would always bring up gossip at random moments in time. "Yeah, I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but I've got some gossip for you." the man would say. Snow rolled her eyes at her friend. "Well, it beats sulking around, so let's hear it." she would always reply. She had to admit, the gossip that Harper had made her cheer up when she was down.

Harper set his hands on his lap. "All right. You remember the fight last week? The one that Connor started? Well, get this. I had heard from Sean, that he had seen Connor messing around with Chris." he said. Snow looked at Harper, a hand on the table. "Who the fuck is Chris?" she asked calmly. She knew who Sean and Connor were because they had always gotten into trouble, and would be scolded in front of everyone.

Harper rolled his eyes at the female. "Chris is some guy that works in the medical ward. I've only seen him once." the male replied, keeping his eyes on Snow. The female gear nodded slowly. "I see. So they're messing around, and how is it that people know this?" she asked her friend, the base gossip.

The male smirked at the question. "I have ways of finding out these things. Mostly though, I caught them kissing behind the garage." he said, taking a bite of his lunch. Snow sipped her soda, looking at Harper. "I see. Well good for them. They better hope their secret doesn't spread. It'd cause Hoffman to lose his already short temper." the female replied.

Snow and Harper then changed the subject. "So, how've you been holding up?" the male asked her. Snow raised a brow and looked at him again. "Holding up with...?" she asked, clearly confused. Harper hit his head on the table. "How're you doing about Rex. I know you've been wanting to avoid the subject, but they might just end up pulling the plug on him." he informed her. "I heard the medic talking about it." the male said when he saw Snow's expression go into confusion.

The female sighed, she really didn't want to talk about this. "Well... I still say it's too early to pull the plug, you know? The three of us are nineteen, we haven't even seen Locust activity until the incident, and even still, it's quiet again. It's a long shot, but if this war is indeed over, then he has a lot to look forward to when he wakes up." the female explained. She considered Rex a brother, as well as Harper. They had grown up together, and were the only ties they had to their former lives. She didn't want to think how she would feel if her friend was just left to die.

At 19:30, Dom and Marcus were in the bar. Baird and Cole were there, although they had went their separate ways. Dom took a sip from his beer, and looked at Marcus. Ever since that night, Marcus was trying to avoid him. That, or just not talk about it. That didn't stop the gear from bringing it up when they were in their room.

"Marcus, I'm gonna go, man. I'm not feeling so good." the man said, drinking the rest of his beer. Marcus grunted in response, nodding his head at his friend. "All right, Dom. I'll see you later." he replied, drinking his beer. Dom sighed and walked away. He wished that that night had never happened. 'All it did was make things weird between us.' the man thought to himself.

On the way to his room, Dom ran into Anya. The female had her blond hair curled for once. Her green eyes looked into his brown eyes. "Anya, is that you?" he asked, not sure if it was. The female looked at Dom and nodded. "Of course it is, Dom. Who else would I be?" she asked curiously. Dom shrugged in reply to her question. "I don't know. I'm not used to you curling your hair, is all. If you're looking for Marcus, he's back at the bar. I decided to head in early, not feeling well." the gear explained.

Anya pat Dom on his bicep. "Thank you, Dom. Oh and feel better, okay? I'll see you later." she said, rushing off to see Marcus. Dom watched her disappear from view. 'There she goes, off to the one person she loved.' the man thought, turning around to walk. Dom found his room, and walked in. He undressed and slipped into bed. When his head hit the pillow, his eyes snapped shut, and he drifted off to sleep.

Back at the bar, Anya found Marcus sitting with Baird and Cole. Baird noticed her, and nudged the two gears. "Look sharp, Anya's heading over here. Cole, let's go and give the lovers some privacy." the blond man said, getting up from his seat. "Shut the fuck up, Baird." Marcus said, sipping his second beer. Cole got up, and went with Baird. "See ya, Marcus." the black gear said, already navigating himself across the room.

Marcus set his glass on the table when Anya sat down. "Hello, Marcus." the female said, ordering a beer. Marcus took another sip of his beer. "Hey, Anya." he replied, setting his drink once again on the table. Anya looked at the man. He looked expressionless as always, but something seemed to be wrong with him. "I saw Dom on my way here." she said, trying to spark a conversation.

"Did you?" Marcus asked, turning his head to look at Anya. He noticed she had her hair curled. It was a new look for her. Anya nodded at the gear. "Yeah, he said he doesn't feel well. Poor guy, worrying about the rook, right?" she asked, taking a sip of her beer. "Yeah, but he's been visiting once a day now. Not once every two hours like before." Marcus said, staring into her green eyes.

Anya nodded silently when Marcus spoke to her. "Hopefully the kid will wake up soon. If not, they're going to pull the plug on him, Marcus." the female informed him. It was the first time Marcus had heard of that. "What do you mean, they're going to pull the plug?" Marcus asked, raising a brow curiously. Anya looked surprised at Fenix.

"You mean they never told you? Marcus, it's been three weeks since Rex was attacked. He shows no signs of waking up, and we can't waste anymore supplies on him. Unfortunately, he has by the end of the week to wake up, or they'll take him off of life support." the female explained. She had been to the meeting about it, and she was shocked to learn of it. However, it was a sacrifice they needed to make.

"Goddammit! They can't do that to the kid, Anya. If they do, it's going to piss a lot of people off." he said, thinking back to the kids he had seen talking to Dom. Anya sighed and took a sip of her beer. "I know Marcus, I know. Hoffman argued in the kid's defense, but Prescott was hell bent on not wasting any resources. Even I tried to stop it, but they refused to listen." she explained.

If Marcus was in a bad mood before, this bit of information would have done the trick. "Perfect. Just fucking great, Anya. I risked the life of myself and Dom for that kid, only for those fucks to try and kill him themselves." he growled, downing his beer in one gulp. Anya looked at Marcus, concern in her eyes. "Marcus... I'm sorry." she said, looking at the table.

Marcus shook his head. "It isn't your fault, Anya. You tried to stop them, that's all that matters. Just don't tell Dom." he said, thinking about what would happen to Dom. The man had cared for Rex all this time, and now they wanted to kill him. That wouldn't sit right with the Corporal.

Marcus stood up and dusted himself off. "Anya, it was nice to see you again. But right now, I need to make sure Dom is okay." he said, watching the female finish her beer and look at him. Anya nodded at the Sergeant. She knew Dom was like a brother to him, and she also knew he was a pushover when it came to anything Dom related. "All right, Marcus. It was great seeing you." she said, taking the man's large hand in hers. "See you soon." she said, dropping his hand and walking out of the bar.

Baird and Cole headed to Marcus when Anya left. "What was dat all about, Marcus?" Cole asked, crossing his arms curiously. Marcus shook his head at the big man. "Cole... It's about the rook. If he doesn't wake up by the end of the week, then they're pulling the plug." the Sergeant said, getting a headache from all the noise.

Baird and Cole looked at each other. "They can't do that though! I mean, we risked our asses to save the kid. How the fuck can they even think about ending his life?" Baird said, shaking his head in disbelief. Cole scowled, and cracked his knuckles. "Yo, this is some fucked up shit, right here. They can't really do this, can they?" he asked, trying to look for something to throw.

Baird pat his friend on the back, thinking rationally. "Unfortunately, if it was Prescott that ordered it, they can. If that's that case, we have no choice but to roll with it, that asshole. But besides that, who's going to tell Dom this shit?" the blond asked, and boy did he hate asking it. Marcus turned to Baird instantly. "I'll tell him. Dom is going to freak out when he hears this, and I'll deal with that problem myself." the Sergeant replied, turning to walk out of the bar.

Baird and Cole both glanced at each other then. "Shit, Damon. This is real bad. What if the kid ain't wake up in time? If that happens, Dom's never gonna live it down." Cole said, looking at his friend. Baird was fixing his goggles. So much had run through his mind. He had kissed Rex in the hospital room. He didn't like to think about it, but the more he pushed it out of his mind, the more it came back. He remembered the taste of the kid's mouth all too clearly.

Cole saw that his friend was zoning out. It wasn't like Baird to just space out, so the bigger man pat his shoulder. "Yo Baird, you all right, man? It ain't like you to just lose focus like that." the gear said, looking into his friend's eyes. "You thinkin' about the kid, ain't ya?" he asked, a grin spreading on his face. Baird grew beet red at his friend's comment. "Fuck you, Cole. I'm just thinking about the Centaur I've got to fix. Damn thing refuses to work, and whoever worked on it before I did, fucked it up." the blond said, scratching his cropped hair.

Cole sensed something was wrong, but decided not to say anything. He may have acted like a child, but he caught on quick to a lot of things. He could always tell when there was something being held back with his friends. "We might as well go, Baird. Suddenly, I ain't feelin' the mood to drink." the gear said, sighing heavily.

Baird frowned at Cole. "Shit Cole, this is getting to you? You, of all people? You're one of the happiest motherfuckers alive." the blond said, shaking his head. Damon Baird never grew close to anyone if he could help it. He knew these were times in which you could live one day, and die the next. Due to that, the blond genius closed himself off from making friends, and dealing with all the useless feelings.

Baird came across as a sarcastic man because of it. The only person he would admit to being his friend was Cole. He would never admit that he grew to like Dom and Marcus as friends. He would definitely not admit when he grew to like someone at first sight, as was what had happened with the comatose Rex. There he was, thinking about the kid again. 'Goddammit, why can't he stay out of my fucking head?' the genius asked himself in his head. Baird once again, sent the thought to the back of his head. "Let's go, Cole. I'm tired of being here." the blond said to the bigger man.

Cole nodded silently and began to walk out of the bar. "Come on Damon, baby. We gotta get some shut eye for tonight." the gear said, dragging the short blond with him. Baird tried to pull away from Cole, but with the man's four time MVP strength, Baird couldn't exactly fight it. Not to mention all his drinks seemed to take effect and he was drunk. The room started to spin, and Baird fell against Cole. "Fuck, man. Why's everything spinning?" the blond asked his friend. Cole laughed at the blond genius. "Baird, you're drunk, baby. I'll carry you to the room." the male said, moving over to his friend. "Fuck you, Cole. I can walk on my own." the blond said, struggling to walk in a straight line.

Cole giggled at Baird's poor excuse for walking. "Oh yeah, baby. You can walk perfectly fine." the black gear said, supporting Baird by putting the man's arms over his neck. Cole grabbed the back of Baird's utility belt. "Heehee Baird, it looks like I'm grabbin' yo white ass like this." the black gear said.

Even drunk, Baird scowled. "Shut the fuck up, Cole. Cut the gay shit, okay?" the blond growled. Cole shook his head lightly at Damon. "Damn Baird, you need to learn how to take a joke, baby. You good at crackin' them, but you get so bitchy about us making jokes about you." Cole replied. He navigated around the base, heading towards their shared room. Once in, Baird was helped into his bed by Cole. The two stripped down into their boxers. Cole walked to his bed after setting their armor against the wall. Cole set his head on his pillow. "Night, Damon." the gear said, yawning rather loudly. Baird settled into bed, lying on his stomach. "Night, Gus." he replied drunkenly.

Marcus walked into his room slowly. Dom was sitting on his bed quietly. He noticed Marcus come into the room. "Hey Marcus." he said, yawning slightly. Marcus grunted and began to undress. He knew that he had been trying to avoid Dom ever since that day. However, he needed to tell Dom what Anya had told him. "Dom, we need to talk." the man said, removing his bandanna last.

Dom looked over at Marcus, the moonlight bouncing off his various scars. "Listen Marcus, I can't apologize enough for what I did that day. I'm sorry, okay? It was wrong for me to do it, so it won't happen again." the gear said. However, Marcus shook his head, and Dom quited down. "It's not about that, Dom. It's about the rook, Rex. I just heard something that you need to hear." came the Sergeant's low voice. He looked at Dom, and could see he was listening. "Prescott gave him by the end of the week to wake up from his coma, or they'll pull the plug." the man said, obviously feeling guilty about saying it.

"What the fuck?" the Corporal yelled. "Goddammit!" he yelled, obviously pissed off. "We save his ass, only for them to threaten to kill him if he doesn't wake up? What kind of fucking government is this?" he asked Marcus. The Sergeant listened to Dom yell. He got up and went to Dom. "Dom... Calm down. Hopefully the kid will wake up soon." he said, placing a big hand on the Corporal's shoulder.

Marcus could feel his friend shaking with anger. "Dom, calm down. He still has three days before that happens. Just go to bed, and don't worry about the kid." the Sergeant replied, patting the angry man's bicep before moving off to his bed. Marcus stared at the ceiling silently. Dom was cursing under his breath, and he could hear little snippets. "Who does that asshole think he is?" seemed to be Dom's favorite phrase so far. Eventually, the Corporal must have fallen asleep because snoring replaced whatever he was going to say. Marcus sighed silently and closed his eyes. The Sergeant yawned, drifting into a deep sleep.

Three days had passed since Delta heard about what they planned to do to Rex. Baird was even more irate than normal. Cole carried on as the cheerful soldier he was. Everyone knew Cole by now to know he was just trying to cheer everyone else up. Dom was trying his best to not get angry. He knew how he could get when he was pissed off, and he didn't want to take out his anger on anyone else. As for Marcus, he had made sure everyone else remained as close to normal as they could. He didn't care much for Baird though. Baird had always been a bitch at the most random of times, so Marcus just let him be.

Snow and Harper were gloomy for the three days. Harper still had the latest gossip for Snow, who told him she hated gossiping. "But it takes our mind off of things." the man would reply each time. Snow knew better than to argue with Harper. After all, she was his only means of entertainment now. "Okay, fine. Harper, go on with your gossip." she would say. That was when the male would tell her about how so-and-so would look at him strange in the showers.

Dom waited for the others in the mess hall. He wasn't particularly hungry, but Marcus had gotten him food, and even got Baird and Cole to sit with him. There was an awkward silence between the four men. "Guys... I get it. He's being taken off of life support today. Stop treating me like a fucking kid, and speak." the Corporal said, rubbing his head and cursing. Cole looked at Dom with sad eyes. "Dom baby, ain't nobody treatin' you like a kid. It's just that we know how much this means to you an' all." the gear replied. Baird looked from Dom to Cole, then to Marcus. He didn't feel like maintaining eye contact, so he looked at the table. "Guys," the blond said, causing Dom and Cole to stop bickering. "I assume you want to be there when they... you know... do that. If that's the case, you might want to head out early. I doubt Prescott cares about waiting till night to do it anyway." he mumbled. Corporal Baird looked at the confused looks he was getting. "I know what you're thinking. The answer is no. I don't have any interest for the kid, I'm only letting you guys know since you love him so much." the genius replied sarcastically. In his mind, he knew this to be false. He did have an interest in the kid, not that he would even show any hint of it. Every time he would think about the rookie in the hospital, he would remember what he felt when he kissed him to shut him up.

Cole shrugged at Baird. He knew something was off with him, but didn't press the matter. Even the Cole Train knew when to back off. "All right then. We should get goin' after we finish eatin'." the gear said, taking a bite of his bacon. Marcus and Dom had practically finished their plates, and Baird had only eaten his bacon, and eggs. "Cole, take the sausage. I can't eat any more." the blond said, watching the black gear help himself. Cole ate the sausage in one bite, trying to hurry up.

When they all had finished, the four men got up and found Harper and Snow. "Snow, Harper, let's go. We're going to see Rex." Dom said, tapping the two on their heads. The two gears nodded silently and got up. "All right, I guess this is the final time we get to see him." Harper said, a wave of sadness suddenly washing over him. Snow held her friend's hand comfortingly. "Harper, it's fine to cry. We were close to him, closer than anyone. He was our brother, and we're off to see him one last time. Don't let him go with regrets." she said wisely. Snow had a way of sounding much older than she was. Dom smiled at the way Snow spoke to her friend. "She's right, you know. It's perfectly fine to cry when someone you love is taken from you." he mumbled, walking ahead.

Harper knew that Dom had lost his wife, and he had no doubt cried when he had to kill her. "Let's go. I refuse to cry like a bitch right now. I'll save the water works for later." the male said, obviously choking back tears. With a heavy silence between all six gears, they made their way to the medical ward. After walking for what seemed like forever, the gears stopped at Rex's room. What they had seen caused Marcus and Dom to growl in anger. Standing there, was Chairman Prescott and two Onyx Guard. "It is with a heavy sadness, that I inform you six that Rexxar's time is up. The week is over, and he is still not awake. I'm afraid I have no other choice but to pull him off life support." the Chairman said, watching as the Onyx Guards were moving to the machine.

Snow and Harper pushed through Dom and Marcus. "No!" they shouted, running toward Rex's bed, putting themselves between the machine and the Onyx Guards. "It can't end like this, goddammit!" the female shouted. Her hands clenched into fists, the female got into a fighting position. "You're not taking away one of my brothers, you son of a bitch! He's all that's left, along with Harper, of my old life, and I'll be damned if you fucking fascist bastards treat him like some injured animal!" she screamed.

The Onyx Guard went to hit Snow, but she had been to fast for them. She saw what was coming, and gripped the arm of the guard and used his weight against him. Within a few seconds, she had thrown the grown male to a wall. Harper snarled when the second guard went after her. He pulled out his Boltok pistol, and bashed it against the man's helmet. "Eat shit and die, motherfucker!" he said, watching the man crumple to the ground. He quickly got on top of the Onyx Guard, gripping his right hand and pulling on it. Harper grit his teeth as he increased the pressure. Delta squad moved in at that point, grabbing Snow and Harper. "Enough Snow, Harper. You've done enough. You don't need to be an enemy of the COG, so just stop now." Dom said silently.

A movement caught the Corporal's eye, and he looked at the Comatose Rex. He was lying still, but Dom could tell he had definitely seen something move.

'Son of a bitch, he moved!' the gear thought to himself. He wasn't entirely sure it was the kid's own reaction, but Rex had moved slightly.

A/N: These chapters take me a long time to write, unfortunately. So there may be a brief period of time where there might not be chapters. Forgive me when they happen, but I'd rather give you all the best that I can. Feel free to review and such~