I own nothing
Thanks so much for reading, and I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. I'm in such a rush to make these chapters. This is a mix of the kitchen and before.
Again, thank you all so much for reading.
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Rorschach had been prepared to walk out into white when Daniel's gasp caught his attention. Daniel's distress had always had that power over him. During fights and skirmishes Rorschach's ear would always pick out Dan's voice, or his breath, or his body hitting pavement. Rorschach was attuned, and even now facing his imminent death he stopped for Daniel.
Adrian calming explained the ultimatum. If he were to walk out into the snow, Daniel would never breathe again. Rorschach turned past Jon, ignoring him, to face Adrian. What he saw was stressful to say the least. Daniel was being held aloft with one strong hand while the other made grand hand gestures.
"Now that I have you attention, I'm going to give you a choice," Adrian said with a dead voice, "I can't have you tell the world about what happened here today, but I don't want anymore people to die."
Adrian's words and actions were contradicting. Rorschach stood frozen listening and watched as Daniel clawed at his throat. He took a breath that felt as though he was also being strangled.
Adrian continued, "Which is more important? Daniel....or a world that doesn't even care for you?" Adrian loosened his hand a fraction and Daniel made a small forced gasp to punctuate the question.
"There is no shame in compromise! You won't have the guilt of Daniel's death, and the world will have peace." Adrian's voice swelled with pride, imagining the future.
Rorschach made a step forward, decisive, but Adrian tightened his grip further to show he disagreed. "Choose now, he is dying and the world is waiting," Adrian said slowly, "I need your promise of silence Rorschach, given by your own free will. Take off your mask so I can look you in the eye."
Rorschach felt horrible. It had been a long time since he felt this desperate, this powerless to what was happening. Hardly thinking, he pulled off his mask. He knew his answer without knowing it.
The world was a horrible place.
Daniel was a good man.
Daniel was a good friend.
Daniel was Rorschach's friend.
Did Daniel deserve death, and the world truth?
Staring at Adrian he tried to breathe slowly, "I promise-," he stopped to swallow and continued with a pained and weakened voice, "I promise I will never tell the world what has happened. I will never tell the truth."
Daniel hit the floor and was coughing on all fours. Adrian looked serene and content, content with Rorschach's promise. Something on his face or in his voice must have convinced Adrian, because he released Daniel instantly. The compromise had been made.
Rorschach felt empty. As Adrian walked over to the only witness, Jon, Rorschach walked over to Daniel. He looked down on him, and even then he didn't fully understand what happened. He felt resentment, that Daniel was the reason he turned on everything he had believed.
Whatever was under his mask had compromised, and Rorschach was tainted. Years of fighting against the scum that consumed so much innocence now meant nothing. This man now meant everything. He always had.
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Rorschach was now trembling in Daniel's kitchen, and hadn't seen this coming. Dan had backed him against the counter, and he felt as helpless as he had infront of Adrian six months earlier. He wasn't sure what the choice was now. He wished he knew the ultimatum.
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For six months Daniel and Rorschach had been allowed to live in Adrian's utopia. Daniel kept his home, and his past slept untouched in the basement. Daniel slept fitfully, but he was alive. Rorschach had lost everything. He still went out at night, and stopped the criminals that existed in utopia. Some nights he would go to the apartment, others he'd come to Daniel. Daniel was the only thing that remained unchanged.
Atleast he didn't seem to change. The closer he got to Daniel, the harder it was to look at him as a whole. Daniel was now sharply detailed in Rorschach's life. His food was always in the cupboards. He kept his basement door unlocked, knowing it was too dangerous to keep busting through the front door. He still waited. He waited to find him in the kitchen. He waited to find him alive. He was always waiting for Rorschach.
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"Don't," Rorschach said, but he almost meant something different. Something opposite.
Daniel heard this wavering and took another step towards the volatile man in his kitchen. Daniel reached out again and found the seam that seperated mask from flesh. He began pulling it slowly and found himself repeating, like the only truth, "You're all I have."
TBC