Request by Bardockswife

Prompt: "You can't die. Please don't die."

Characters: Bardock, Sue (OC)

Rating: T

Tags: Hurt/Comfort. Angst. Saiyans. Emotional. Takes place after an incident.

Bardock x Sue (OC)

As the roar of violent beasts came back into focus and the ringing in her ears started to subside, she became very aware of her heart pounding wildly against her chest wall. She hadn't been able to speak since she had witnessed what she hoped would be impossible; even her breath struggled to move past her throat. As the female Saiyan stood still, only just clawing her senses back to reality as the seemingly timeless moment dwindled, her eyes were transfixed by the sight ahead of her.

Just a short distance away, in a newly-created shallow crater, lay the still body of the man she had been bedding for over a year. It was a cruel twist of fate that had led her to witness him plummet to his death.

Now whirring through her head were endless lectures of protocol, the ones that said she was to continue the onslaught, that said she could only deal with the dead once the planet was cleared, and that said the completion of the mission was of the utmost priority. But how could she? It was him. Her Bardock. How could she leave his still-warm body in a surface grave with only a smattering of debris for cover?

With her dark eyes still brimming with the tears that she fought to hold back, the haunted woman looked up to the aggressive beasts that were continuing to torment her remaining teammates. This mission had already been far too long and hard to give up now; this had been their final push. She could see that they needed help and that they needed backup. But at the very thought of leaving him alone, like this, a shuddering breath passed her lips, and she let out a small, stifled sob at the prospect.

Quickly glancing back to the crater, she whispered to herself, "No, not like this."

With the decision made, she strode ahead, her serpentine-coloured hair whipping around her, determined to bring him back home to Planet Vegeta. Bring him to a place where she can remember and honour him. As he was their team's commander, she couldn't imagine that her teammates would begrudge her that, even without knowing of their relationship. However, justifying her inaction in the face of battle was going to prove much harder to explain. But that would have to be a consequence she would have to deal with later; in her mind, there were more pressing matters to deal with.

As she drew closer, with each emotionally weighted step pulling at her, she attempted to steel herself in the face of this new reality - that she would be alone once more.

Trudging forward, the signs of the chaos continued all around her, with the grit pebbling her skin, the roars filling her ears, the coarse burning of blasts colliding, and the metallic scent filling her mouth and nose. And in a blink, she had arrived at his side, with her eyes prickling with tears as she looked down at his broken body. She couldn't remember closing the distance between them, but she was glad to finally be here.

Kneeling down, she reached out with a trembling hand. This woman had seen more than her fair share of death; in fact, she had more often than not been the cause of it, but even for an experienced warrior, this was hard. And she felt herself beginning to unravel.

Dipping her head slightly, she spoke out loud to herself. "Come on, Sue, get it together. He wouldn't want you to be a crying fool like this."

With a renewed resolve, she pulled his arm around her and hung him over her shoulders.

Kicking off from the ground, Sue knew that she had to get him back to a pod, or at least somewhere sheltered, so that she could rejoin the battle before anyone questioned her whereabouts.

As the pair soared through the air - low enough to not attract too much attention but high enough to clear the remaining semi-demolished buildings - the wind dried in place streaks of her tears and his crimson blood that had stained through to her skin.

Sue's eyes narrowed as she eyed a nearby pod; it wasn't either of theirs, but at this point she didn't particularly care. As far as she was concerned, if she could just get his body to safety, she would be free of this emotional burden. At least she hoped so.

In eager anticipation, the Saiyan woman sped up her flight slightly, determined to see this through, when the sudden raspy gasp from the corpse in her grip triggered her reflexes. In a momentary act of clear shock, she loosened her grip on his body.

And before she could do anything about it, he slipped through her fingers and plummeted into freefall once more. Sue could barely close the gap to make it to him before he struck the ground.

In utter distress, Sue immediately landed by his side as he repeatedly gasped and spluttered at the force of this second impact.

"Bardock? Bardock!" With her knees now embedded in the ground, she shouted at him, attempting to use her voice as a lifeline to pull him back to her.

"Damn it! You can't die, Bardock! Please, don't die. I've only just got you back!" Her hands rocked his armour as she begged him to stay in this realm before embracing his heavily wounded body for fear of losing him again. With fresh tears now freely streaming, she didn't care about her pride in this moment; the only thing she cared for was this man.

Wincing at the tight grip she held on him, Bardock cracked his eyes open and spoke with a quiet, strained voice, "S-Sue? C'mon, what's the fuss about? I'm not dead yet."

Recoiling at his words, but without fully letting him go, she stumbled over her words, "Y-You, I, I just…"

In her elation for his return seemingly from the dead, she had overlooked the deep wound across the side of his abdomen and shoulder. Catching sight of them once more, she cleared her throat and refocused on the man's injuries, temporarily divorcing herself from the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume her. "You need treatment urgently. I'm taking you to a healing tank at the nearest station."

"I'll be fine; I've had scratches bigger than this." Bardock grunted as he attempted to sit up, the debris from the impacts falling from his hair in the process.

With a humourless chuckle, she answered, "I remember the last time you said that. That's how you got this." Lifting her hand, she gently stroked the raised, criss-crossed scar on his cheek. "You've had all your chances now; you don't get to leave me again."

"I won't, as long as you don't drop me again."

Sue clenched her jaw and lightly punched his non-injured arm. "It's not funny; I was terrified I'd lost you."

Meeting her gaze, he gave her an answer that would stick with her forever. "Don't worry, darlin', I'm not going anywhere."

A/N: There is a beautiful artwork that accompanies this snapshot by Bardockswife on Twitter & Instagram.