A/N: Εταίρος is 'partner' in Greek! I wanted to emphasize that WY and LZ met even though they were from different parts of the world. This detail becomes important later on :)
" Jiang Cheng ." There is still white covering most of their face, but the fabric–simple, soft, and sturdy–has fallen just enough to uncover Wei Ying's eyes and reveal White Man's face. Still as serene as ever, he is able to disarm Purple Man–Jiang Cheng , if the way his hand flexed at the name is any indication–with a kind hand on a shoulder and a white sleeve to hide the monster.
" What." The word is tight, forced, only possible at all because of a level of respect a man finds in his dog. The comparison is amusing, but Wei Ying is too concerned with the scent of mahogany and rainwater. They know there is no war–hasn't been for over a decade now–but the screams are so close that Wei Ying knows if they were to take their eyes off of White Man, they would see bodies for miles. White Man is their home base now. They are scared to look down, scared to find red staining home. Once was far too many.
"Calm." Wei Ying knows this is meant for Jiang Cheng , but they close their eyes nonetheless, trying to ease the creases on their lids.
"Don't be hasty." The tension winding their body like twine releases. They hadn't even noticed its grip until it stopped suffocating.
White Man is unstringing them from their binds, one quiet phrase at a time. Wei Ying is stealing kindness not meant for them, relishing in its pilfered glory. With their eyes closed, Wei Ying can believe White Man is speaking to them, all caring and familiar and warm. Their long-dead skin remembers life. They are warmed and nourished and loved. They are obsessed with this. They can't get enough of the camaraderie. For the first time in their past sixteen fugitive years, they are known.
White Man drops his hand.
Mahogany burns out and rainwater seeps away. The screams have stopped too, but it's a brutal hit to have lost the scent once again. The first time, Wei Ying had spent a day and a night crawling the remains of a battlefield, searching, screaming, sobbing. They'd been ready to barter with God, lay down all their meager possessions for their one precious thing. Just one more time, they would've given everything to hear that boy say–
" Εταίρος. "
The thrashing is visceral. Wei Ying is trying to escape something. Something is trying to escape Wei Ying. For all these years, they'd lived to hear that word again. And now, it will be their undoing. But, if their last memory is teasing crooked lips forming unfamiliar sounds, and the last thing they see is White Man mouthing silenced words at Wei Ying's slipping consciousness–well. Wei Ying smiles at the crooked display.