The Scars We Share - Censored

Chapter 1: Far from Home

Chapter Text

“Hey!” Gyrus called enthusiastically, running across the pavement.

“Slow down!” Maria laughed, meeting him in the middle of the parking lot. With linked arms, they walked into the science building.

It was early, around 7:30 in the morning. The two both consistently woke at dawn despite their better wishes, so they had opted to register for morning classes.

“I missed youuuuu,” Gyrus complained. “You were gone so long.”

“I was gone for two days, Gyrus.” Maria punched him in the shoulder playfully.

Gyrus harrumphed. “Two days too long, Maria.” He leaned his head on her shoulder briefly and fiddled with her hair.

“Just kiss already!” a freshman immediately called to the pair, echoing through the open hallway that then filled with laughter.

“Pfft,” Maria snickered. “As if.”

Gyrus groaned and lifted his head, his half-up-half-down emerald green hair falling around his shoulders. “Can a man and a woman not be friends? I don’t even swing that way,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Here’s your stop,” Maria pointed out. “Now get to your nerd class.”

“It’s not– it’s just astrophysics!” Gyrus protested, but laughed. “Have fun in mech!”

The professor was already in, as usual. “Good morning, Mr. Axalei,” she greeted, not looking up from her computer.

“Morning!” He sat down in his seat in the front row, starting to scribble in his dream journal.

“Ah, Gyrus, I have a favor to ask of you,” Dr. Mimi said. “Mr. Bo will be absent for his differential equations section tomorrow. Would you be willing to sub in?”

Gyrus looked up, a grin spreading across his face. He’d subbed for professors before, usually for mathematics or physics, but it never excited him any less. “Of course! What time and room?”

Dr. Mimi smiled. “Four to five-fifty, 34 Kariko Hall. I’m pretty sure they’re working on Chebyshev’s equation right now.”

That’s not too bad, Gyrus thought. “I’ll be there,” he promised.

“Good, thank you. You will receive ten extra credit points.”

“Only ten?” a voice from behind Gyrus mocked. “If I were you, I’d bargain for more. Two hours is worth at least twenty.”

Gyrus rolled his eyes and clicked his pen. “That’s because you need those points, Vee.”

“Pshaw, do not. I’m a straight-A student.”

Gyrus’ hair almost fell out of its ponytail as he whipped around to face Vee. “I’d sooner believe Hell froze over,” he quipped.

Vee scoffed. “Whatever, nerd!” She twisted her silver hair around her fingers with her blood red nails.

“Alright! Time to get to work!” Dr. Mimi clapped her hands and redirected the class’ attention to the front.

Maria would be in class for another two hours, so Gyrus headed to their apartment alone. He adjusted his backpack straps around his pale yellow NASA shirt that was becoming too small. He couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it.

I’ll have to stay an extra couple hours tomorrow too, so we can go home together, Gyrus realized. Awesome, we’ll take just one car, then. I hope the students will like me. I’m not that much older than them. What would they be, nineteen? It’s typically a sophom*ore-level class, but this is a semester early…

He didn’t notice himself becoming lost in thought until a firm grip on his wrist pulled him out of the road, a speeding car flying by.

“Diablos, you must be more careful,” the stranger said sternly, not letting go of him. His voice was gruff and muffled by his messy beard.

“Ahh, sorry… and thank you,” Gyrus replied sheepishly. He eyed the man’s grip oddly.

The stranger regarded him. “Hmm. Your hair is quite a charming color… How’d you like to come to my place? I grow the best tomatoes.”

Gyrus gulped. That was quite the odd observation. “Um, no thank you, I’m just on my way home from school...” He tried to pull his hand away, but the grip only tightened.

“Oh, come on. You’re what now, 22? Don’t you ever rebel?” His voice was low and condescending.

How did he know that? Gyrus took a few steps backward, tugging at his wrist. “I, uh, really have to go home… my, um, cat needs to be fed…” he stuttered, knowing full well he did not have a cat. He found himself backed into an alleyway. Please don’t hurt me, he pleaded silently.

The stranger let go of Gyrus’ wrist to snag his collar, causing him to yelp and shake. “I was going to do this the easy way, but I guess we’ll just have to do it the hard way.” He heaved Gyrus up and over his shoulder with a grunt.

“Hey!” Gyrus squirmed. “Let me go!” He felt a tear slipping from his eye as he struggled.

After a few minutes of useless struggles, he was thrown down next to a dumpster behind some random building. The air smelled of smoke, grime, and something else he couldn’t place.

“Turn around,” the stranger commanded.

Gyrus remained still for a moment, trembling in thought. He realized he had to fight while he still had the chance. After a second, he tore down the alleyway, not daring to look back.

“HEY!” the stranger yelled, trailing after him.

The man tripped Gyrus and dragged him back into the alley. “Ngh! No! Stop!” he cried, clawing at the ground helplessly.

Bam. And he was back next to the dumpster, pinned face to the brick wall. Sharp pain thundered through where he had hit the ground, now accompanied by where his face had hit the wall.

“If you try that again, you’ll only make this worse,” the stranger growled in his ear. “Stop moving.” Gyrus’ backpack was torn off and thrown to the side. He tried to struggle, but it was in vain.

No, no, no, no, no! Gyrus pleaded in his thoughts as he was bound. The rope burned against any friction, and any sight he still had against the wall disappeared as the stranger tied a bag over his head.

Some more rustling came from outside the bag, and then the stranger seemed to stand up before pushing Gyrus to the ground. “I’ve tied you to the bin here, so don’t try anything. I’ll be back… Do not move.”

He’s just going to leave me here?! Gyrus thought, thrashing around. This can’t be happening. I’m sorry, Maria! She’s gonna be worried sick… I should have fought harder when I had the chance.

After he knew the stranger was gone, he tried feeling around for anything he could use to free himself, but only managed to find random rocks and twigs. The rope was too thick and tied too tight either way, he realized. Is this it for me? he wondered dismally. This was definitely targeted. He acted like he knew me. Why? What does he want? A sob wracked his body and he slumped against the wall.

Hours and hours flew by as cars and pedestrians passed by the dark alleyway, but he couldn’t cry for help, and every once in a while, he heard his phone ring from his bag, but he couldn’t do anything to reply. Eventually, he heard the clock tower sing. Midnight.

After a long while, Gyrus felt himself slipping away into sleep, which was more than welcome at that point.

When Gyrus woke up, he was somewhere unfamiliar. The bag over his head was gone, but the restraints remained. He seemed to be in some sort of bedroom, sat against a wall. His backpack was nowhere in sight.

The man that had abducted him walked into the room with forceful steps, sending a chill down Gyrus’ spine. “Buenos días,” he sneered, kneeling next to Gyrus. "Mi nombre es Don Santiago." He could only squirm in response.

“Let me tell you what’s happening: you’re going to be here for a while, and you will be part of some experiments. ”

Gyrus shuddered, eyes locked onto the monster in front of him. What had he done to deserve this?

“W-why…” Gyrus choked out.

Don smirked. “Your mother gave me quite the hard time before you were born...”

My mother…?

“I’ll teach her son the manners she never learned. But trust me, Ragan would be far less merciful.”

Gyrus shuddered. He’s f*cking insane!

The man barked another disgusting laugh. “This will be fun,” he said, smiling. He turned on his heel and left.

Yet again, Gyrus welcomed sleep when it came.

Gyrus grew used to the pain after a while, old and new alike, and even longed for it eventually, if only to remind himself he was still alive. Nevertheless, when the opportunity came, he took his chance to escape.

He woke up to a dark room: night outside. He was usually beaten so badly that he’d be out cold through the night and Don would wake him in the morning, but he got lucky this time and Don had gone easy on him. Even better, Don hadn’t used restraints ever since Gyrus had pretty much given up, so he was mostly free to move.

Gyrus took note of his surroundings. Don was asleep in his bed and Gyrus was laying on the floor on the other side of the room, loosely tied to the leg of a table bolted to the ground. It was easy enough to free himself.

He looked around for his bag. Bingo! Don had been careless enough to leave it beside his dresser. Gyrus quickly rummaged through it and pulled out his phone. He pressed and held the power button until it turned on. Luckily, the power-up was silent.

His immediate thought was to text Maria, so that’s what he did. He opened their messaging app to see about a thousand messages from her, some dating weeks back. How long have I been here…? He checked the date. Halloween. Not that he had time to gape over the fact that it had almost been two months.

– 31 October 2XXX –

1:04 AM gyrus_axalei: help

Gyrus waited for a moment, contemplating what to say next. He only had 2% battery.

maria_34 is typing . . .

Bing!

1:05 AM maria_34: GYRUS WHERE ARE YOU

1:05 AM gyrus_axalei: idk

– GYRUS_AXALEI has sent their Location –

1:06 AM maria_34: coming rn

Gyrus missed talking to Maria. Out of that feeling, he opened the photos app. But he didn’t see pictures of him and Maria. He saw pictures of himself, unconscious, beaten beyond repair. Hundreds of them.

He closed the app, forcing the memory of the photos out of his mind.

Alright, now Gyrus just had to get outside. He knew the door was too loud; he had heard it creak open and closed too many damn times. The window was his only option.

Almost tripping over his own feet, Gyrus slowly and silently made his way to the window. He fumbled with the lock and opened it slowly. He could feel each rapid beat of his heart against his chest.

He breathed in the cool fresh air. It had been too long.

Luckily, they were on ground level, so he climbed out and onto the grass with ease. He closed the window as quietly as possible and trekked across the yard.

The moon was a beautiful waning crescent, and he could see the stars for the first time in too long. The grass had a light frost over it and glinted in the moonlight. He began to shiver. Was it really only Halloween?

And now that he had time to actually think — what did Don have to do with his mother?

Crash! Gyrus whipped his head around to see that Don had turned on a light inside and had thrown something against the wall, searching for him.

Gyrus took off running as fast as his feet could take him, ignoring the pain that flared up in every part of his body. The street lights flickered and he narrowly avoided being hit by a car without its lights on. He kept running. He couldn’t stop.

Bam! He ran into someone and toppled over. He couldn’t make out their face, but the feminine slender figure definitely wasn’t Don.

“Ack, sorry! Are you okay?” The person rubbed their palm on their forehead where the pair had collided and offered a hand to Gyrus.

Gyrus stood up on his own, wary of anyone else. He tried to speak but couldn’t.

He could see the person more clearly now. Long blue hair flowed past and behind their ears into a high ponytail, and their silvery blue eyes pierced him. … Maria!

He realized he must look pathetic. He was covered head-to-toe in various wounds, courtesy of Don. The street lights were beginning to make his head hurt.

The woman grabbed him by his upper arms, making him wince. “Gyrus! Oh my god, I found you! What happened to you?!” Maria exclaimed, eyes raking over him.

Gyrus stared in silence and heard Don’s heavy footsteps approaching. “He’s coming,” he whispered, snapping his neck around to see Don gaining on them.

“What?! Who? Gyrus–”

I can’t let him get her, too, he realized. His eyes glazed over in defeat.

In a split second, he chose to rip himself out of Maria’s arms and shove her and his phone into the ditch beside them with the rest of his strength, out of Don’s sight, then promptly collapsed onto the sidewalk. He had no more energy whatsoever. “He’s going to kill me,” he sobbed quietly, his voice horribly hoarse.

He didn’t hear a noise out of the ditch. If he had any luck, Maria would be knocked out so she wouldn’t stupidly come running after him. The footsteps came faster and faster until Don was above him.

His captor stepped on his limp back. “Bad idea, amigo,” Don snarled into his ear. He dragged his limp body along, burning his skin against the concrete.

Gyrus sobbed silently as he was dragged away and the street lights faded, his limbs flailing uselessly. At least she’s safe… he thought, slipping away.

The next day, Gyrus woke up to a metallic taste.

He knew there would be no escaping now. He was no longer even in the same place; it didn’t matter that Maria knew where he was being held before. The place wasn’t even a house. It looked like an abandoned restaurant, various matching tables and chairs scattered across the floors, yellowed and ripped up menus adorning them.

For what felt like an eternity, he kept passing in and out of consciousness, fading back in whenever his captor felt generous enough to offer him water or expired food, He could feel himself losing more and more weight each and every day, his ribs becoming more pronounced whenever he was lucky enough to be in a position to catch a glance of himself.

After a while, the man’s ‘experiments’ became less frequent, leaving Gyrus completely alone for up to days at a time. It was better than the alternative, at least, but he was slowly being driven to madness. Eventually, the last visit came. But the man wasn’t there to do his usual business. He was there to collect Gyrus and drop him back by the dumpster where it had all started.

Chapter 2: Everything is Fine

Chapter Text

“Hey,” a voice whispered. “Hey!”

Gyrus stirred. His senses were dulled, as per usual.

“Oh, thank God, you’re alive… Listen, I’m going to get you out of here.”

Huh? Gyrus took in the situation. This voice… was not his captor’s.

“Are you okay?” the person asked, attempting to untie the ropes.

“Nnh-mmph,” Gyrus tried to reply unsuccessfully.

The person scowled. “Ugh, they even gagged you… Here.” They lifted the bag and ripped the gag out.

“Haah!” Gyrus gasped, sucking in the air he had previously been so ungrateful for.

“Oh f*ck,” the person muttered upon seeing Gyrus.

“Whh?” Gyrus responded, in a daze. I probably look like sh*t, he figured.

“Nothing.” The person shuddered and patted his back, behind which his wrists were still bound. It wasn’t metal anymore, but the new ropes were thick. “Sorry, these are tied tight… I’ll call the emergency services and they can help.”

Gyrus took a few more breaths before responding. “Okay…”

He could easily be distracted by this man. The person in front of him was gorgeous. A tall, muscular man with long brown hair and a blond streak that so perfectly complemented his electric blue eyes. So unlike Don.

“Alright,” Gyrus’ rescuer sighed. “Take a deep breath. It’ll be okay.”

Gyrus felt a tear slip. “Th-th-thank you.”

“I’m Kodya, by the way.” The man smiled sadly.

“Gyrus,” Gyrus replied weakly.

“HEY!” a familiar voice shouted. Gyrus’ head whipped around to see Don and shuddered.

“Блять,” Kodya muttered under his breath.

“Get out of here!” Gyrus pleaded quietly.

Kodya stood up and faced Gyrus’ assailant. “Well, hello,” he growled.

He’s trying to protect me, a total stranger. Why?

“Are you asking to die, Karevic?” the man snapped harshly, advancing.

…Do they know each other?

“I’m asking you to f*ck off.” Kodya held up his fists threateningly.

Gyrus tried to stand, but he was again tied to the dumpster. Kodya… I hope you know what you’re doing, he thought desperately.

He didn’t notice himself black out (a defense mechanism, Gyrus knew) until he felt an arm slip around his shoulder.

Beyond them laid Don’s lifeless body. For some reason, Gyrus didn’t really have a reaction to that. He felt numb.

“It’ll be okay,” Kodya whispered, pulling him in close. Gyrus felt a tear slip and he fell into Kodya’s warm embrace. They held each other silently until help came.

Soon enough, an ambulance arrived. “I’ll see you on the flipside, okay?” Kodya smiled with baggy eyes as he was placed onto a stretcher. He had a gash on his face…!

“O-okay,” Gyrus stuttered, the other responders untying him.He barely noticed as he slipped into unconsciousness again.

When Gyrus awoke, his head was pounding, and the bright lights of the hospital room were definitely not helping.

“Well — we’re not — but he may…” a voice whispered, passing in and out of Gyrus’ ears as he came to. “He’s — Axalei — need a miracle…”

As Gyrus stirred, the voices stopped. He couldn’t move well. “Don’t move!” a frantic voice said, and Gyrus flinched. “Sorry.” The voice softened.

As Gyrus’ vision slowly returned, he looked around the room. It was all blurry, but he could tell none of the people were him. Thank the stars.

His gaze landed on one man, the one standing beside him. “Kodya,” he whispered, reaching for him. The others left the room one by one as a doctor ushered them out.

Kodya placed a hand on his. “It’s okay. You’re going to be alright.”

Gyrus slowly turned to look out the window. There was snow… but last he knew, it was only Halloween. How long was I…?

“Gyrus,” Kodya gently squeezed his hand, redirecting his attention. “Do you know what, ah, month it is?”

Gyrus thought. He had been abducted in early September, but he had no idea how long he had been kidnapped beyond Halloween, nor did he have any idea how long he’d been out cold. Kodya seemed to be healed well enough. Gyrus looked down to scan his own body; he was still exceedingly malnourished, but there were no open wounds, and the unwelcome scars appeared to be at least somewhat healed over.

“...November?” he guessed, although it was rare for them to see snow so early…

Kodya sighed and sat down in the chair next to Gyrus. “It’s February, Gyrus.”

“What?” Gyrus cried, abruptly sitting up and facing Kodya.

Kodya placed a hand on Gyrus’ shoulder and guided him back down. “I’ll answer any questions you have. We can save my questions for you for later.”

I was gone for that long…? Gyrus almost couldn’t believe it. And how long had he been in the hospital? He was still in pain, but it was bearable. He didn’t think anything anymore could come close to what he had gone through. A million questions buzzed through his head: who was – had been – Don? Why did he recognize Gyrus? What did he have to do with his mother? How did he know Kodya?

He decided on one question. “Are you okay?”

Kodya snorted. “Seriously? I’m not the one who went missing for four months and then fell into a three week long coma when he was found.”

“Four months and then…” Gyrus repeated in the whisper. He turned to Kodya. “But… are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Spent a couple nights in the county jail before someone named Maria bailed me out, but it turns out there were other witnesses. The trial went surprisingly quickly, especially after recovering your phone.” Kodya shrugged.

Gyrus breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you, Maria. Another question came to mind. “Um. I can’t move that well… How bad is it?”

Kodya grimaced. “Pretty bad; honestly, it’s a miracle you didn’t get sepsis with how long you went untreated.”

Gyrus groaned and let his head fall back onto the pillow softly. “Anything permanent?”

“There’s a lot of nerve damage to your left arm… Try moving it?”

Sure enough, his left arm only twitched a little in response. “That’s going to need lots of physical therapy,” he muttered to himself. He turned to Kodya again, taking note of the scar over his right eye. “Is that because…?”

Kodya shrugged. “Yeah. I can still see, don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry,” Gyrus sobbed quietly.

“The hell are you sorry for?” Kodya scoffed. “I’d been trying to track the bastard down for some time. He had it coming.”

“You knew him?”

Kodya went pale. “Uh… yeah. We were in the military together.”

Gyrus didn’t press further.

Kodya looked at him sadly. “Can I ask you something now?”

Gyrus nodded.

“How did you end up with him?” Kodya asked gently.

Gyrus’ shoulders sagged and he stared at the ceiling. “I was walking home and he saved me from being hit by a car,” he said. “Then he tried to get me to ‘really’ thank him, I said no, but he took me anyway…” He grimaced.

“I’m sorry,” Kodya murmured sincerely. “sad*stic bastard,” he added under his breath.

“He said something about my mom,” Gyrus muttered. “Something about her giving him a hard time before I was born, and that he was taking it out on me. But my mom died during childbirth.”

Kodya scratched his neck. “Right. Some of that was uncovered during the trial.”

Gyrus turned to him slowly, careful not to hurt himself. “Really?”

Kodya nodded. “He and Amelia were best friends until they got into an accident with his family, who died on impact. He did horrific things to her because of that. Your mother, I mean. She escaped him, but he poisoned her with something first.”

“Poison?” Gyrus breathed.

“Something to weaken you… This all happened while she was pregnant with you,” Kodya said sadly. “Don’t worry, you aren’t his,” he added quickly.

Gyrus fought to even his staggered breathing. “How was I born healthy, then?”

“You weren’t.”

“...”

“You were born extremely premature, almost three months early. You were barely alive. I guess Don paid a fortune to rewrite your medical records.”

Gyrus didn’t notice himself crying until he sniffled. “And my mom…?”

Kodya’s eyes turned downward. “She technically died during childbirth, but not due to complications with the pregnancy…”

Gyrus could infer the rest. He sobbed, Kodya held him, and he sobbed some more, then some more, and some more after that. Over the next while, Kodya continued to visit him, and Gyrus found comfort in his presence. He was his savior, after all, and he just clicked with him. He was like this missing piece that he hadn’t known was missing.

The day Gyrus was discharged, which was surprisingly soon, Maria almost tackled him, Kodya pulling her away at the last second. “Stop, he’s still healing!” he snapped. It was true; Gyrus’ skin was covered in numerous bandages and varying degrees of healed scars and burns.

Maria frowned at Gyrus. “Why didn’t you let me visit??”

They were in the parking lot of the hospital. Gyrus was supposed to be discharged the night prior, but he had refused to go out at night.

Gyrus looked at her, but the sight was blurry. He could only recognize her from the voice. “Sorry,” he whispered. His voice was still hoarse.

Maria pulled him into a soft hug. “Sorry, I’m just really happy to see you,” she said, half- laughing. “Are you okay? When I saw you that night… And those pictures…”

“I…” Gyrus breathed, remembering the night he knocked Maria out in order to save her from Don. He saved her, but Kodya had saved him. “I’m… fine. Can I talk to him?” Gyrus asked, looking at Kodya, wobbly on his feet. Kodya uncrossed his arms.

Maria pulled away, looking hurt, but allowed Kodya to support Gyrus on his feet instead. Gyrus trembled and leaned into Kodya. “Gyrus? Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Please, I just want to go home,” Gyrus sniffled. I haven’t been home in so long.

Kodya nodded. “Okay. Do you live with anyone?”

“He lives with me,” Maria said defensively.

Do they not like each other?

Kodya raised an eyebrow. “Alright.”

“Come on, Gyrus.” Maria urged him towards her.

“W-wait,” Gyrus stammered, holding onto Kodya tighter. “I don’t want to leave him.”

Maria sighed and crossed her arms. “Fine. Who even is he?”

“Do you not like him?” Gyrus asked without thinking. He flinched at the thought of speaking out of line, and Kodya pulled him in closer.

“What? No, I– Gyrus, who is he?” Maria looked confused.

“He– he–” Gyrus stuttered, starting and stopping with hesitation. He couldn’t stop thinking about the rules . “He– he’s the one that saved me.” Kodya looked at him fondly.

Maria’s expression softened. “Oh sh*t, you’re Kodya? … Of course he can come.”

The three decided that Kodya would drive with Gyrus and follow Maria to their place, and off they went.

When they arrived, Kodya led Gyrus inside.

“Home,” Gyrus breathed. He glanced around and spotted a poster that had also been on the wall there and– “No!!”

“Gyrus?!” Kodya clasped onto him, trying to steady him.

But Gyrus dropped to the floor of the living room in Kodya’s arms. He trembled but knew better than to speak… otherwise, he … he would…

“He’s not here,” Kodya whispered, rubbing circles on Gyrus’ back. “He’s gone. You’re safe.”

Gyrus stopped shaking as hard, but didn’t so much as make a squeak. Maria gave him a pitying look. “What’s wrong?”

“That poster.” Kodya pointed at the offending item.

Maria moved quickly to take it down and even went as far as to rip it apart and throw it away. She sat next to Gyrus and Kodya after. The two waited for Gyrus to speak, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“You can talk,” Kodya finally said, realizing the situation.

Gyrus let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and started sobbing, letting everything out. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” he muttered repeatedly.

“It’s okay,” Kodya whispered. “It’s okay.”

“Can we do anything to help?” Maria asked gently.

Gyrus sniffled. “Company is nice,” he whispered, and so the two stayed by his side.

“The doctor said you should eat some real food,” Kodya said after a while. “What’s your favorite?”

Gyrus thought about that. “I… can’t remember.” He turned to Maria expectantly.

Maria looked at him, eyes narrowed in thought. “You really liked 만두,” she said.

“Oh!” Gyrus smiled for the first time in a long time. The others smiled, too, and Maria got up and headed towards the kitchen.

Now alone with Kodya, Gyrus turned to him. “What do you like?”

“Hmm,” Kodya hummed, “I like пельмени, I guess.”

“Dumplings!” Gyrus said excitedly. “Right? 만두 are dumplings, too.”

Kodya chuckled. “You’re really cute.”

Gyrus felt like a tomato for a moment. “Huh?”

“Sorry, was that crossing a line?”

“N-no! I just wasn’t expecting it,” Gyrus laughed quietly. “It’s… been a while since anyone has said anything like that…”

Kodya smiled sadly. “That’s too bad. Can I tell you that more often?”

Gyrus thought his heart might explode. “I-I guess??”

“See, this is what I mean,” Kodya laughed, gesturing at a very flustered Gyrus.

Gyrus covered his face with his good arm. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Of course,” Kodya murmured.

The pair talked for hours as Maria prepared dinner, learning more about each other and catching Gyrus up on real-world events. A lot had happened, and it dawned on Gyrus that he would likely have to redo an entire year of college. He decided that was a problem for later; he, quite literally, was only functioning halfway.

He broke me, Gyrus thought. After everything, he was right. He sniffled and Kodya patted his back gently.

Gyrus barely felt himself drifting off, but as always, it was a welcome rest.

Gyrus couldn’t help but scream, earning him a stamp to the stomach, sending him into a coughing fit. He fought himself to stay silent so as to not provoke his captor further.

“It’s quite nice, really,” Don sighed, “seeing someone so helpless and utterly devastated. It’s exhilarating.”

I hate you, Gyrus cried internally. I hate you. I hate you!

Gyrus pressed his eyes shut as hard as he could until even that hurt, knowing he couldn’t make a sound. He tensed all his muscles and sobbed silently, allowing the monster hovering over him to repeatedly wreak havoc on his body, somehow managing not to kill him.

When Gyrus startled awake without new physical pain, he instead felt it mentally. Not so much of a welcome rest anymore. He was so used to physical pain that being without it felt like a dream… Was this even real? Was this just another part of his nightmare? Kodya was by his side, asleep, but it could easily still be a dream. He had to make sure.

By the time he realized what he was doing, it was too late to do anything about it. Kodya was already stirring, and the blood seemed to alert him further. “Gyrus?!”

Gyrus frowned. “S-sorry,” he said, still not used to being able to speak. I shouldn’t have…

“О Боже, what happened?” Kodya yelped, eyes raking over Gyrus’ injury.

Don’t look at me like that, Gyrus pleaded internally. “I-I thought I might be dreaming,” Gyrus muttered, voice shaking. Kodya took notice of the blade on the floor.

“You did this to yourself?!” Kodya said, staring at the blade in disbelief.

“I had to make sure it was real!” Gyrus spat out. “Because if it wasn’t, I’d wake up and still be there...”

Kodya stood up abruptly. “ Maria!” he called out, running towards the kitchen.

What’s he doing? Gyrus wondered, eyes dancing between Kodya and Maria from around the corner. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but Kodya rushed back after a moment.

“Come on, we’re going to get you fixed up,” Kodya said, pulling Gyrus to his feet.

“What do you mean?” Gyrus mumbled, reluctantly following Kodya.

“Your wound,” Kodya said, leading him to the kitchen and bending him over the sink.

“Kodya?!” Gyrus flinched out of the way.

Kodya pulled away. “I’m just tending to your wound. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Gyrus eyed him for a moment before bending back over the sink. He won’t hurt me. He won’t hurt me. He’s not like him. He won’t hurt me, he repeated to himself in his mind.

He watched as Kodya cleaned his wound and stitched it up, looking at him sadly. He then wrapped a bandage around it and led him to the couch.

“Gyrus,” Kodya said softly. “That’s your bad arm. If you do that, it’ll be harder to get back to moving it.”

“Okay,” Gyrus said, unblinking.

“That does not mean you can stab yourself somewhere else,” Kodya said sternly, guessing his thoughts.

Gyrus glared at him. “How do I know if this is real or not, then?”

“This is real,” Kodya reassured him. “If you ever need to check, just look at your hand. In dreams, it would be distorted. You’d have a weird amount of fingers or it would be a weird color. You’d know.”

Gyrus blinked and considered that. He glanced at his hand, which looked normal. “...Huh.”

Kodya gave him a weak smile before looking at the floor. “I get the feeling. Nothing about this is what you’re used to anymore.”

That was uncomfortably true.

Chapter 3: Even Now

Chapter Text

Months passed by, and soon enough, it was August and Gyrus was back in school. He adjusted his bag strap and wheeled into the building, Maria by his side.

He knew he looked different. His hair was longer, many scars and old burns adorned his skin, and his arm had an eternal twitch. He had taken to wearing more modest clothes to cover his scars, in contrast to his previously usual loose outfits, but it was almost impossible to hide everything. The reminders of his abuse covered just about every inch of his body. Of course, the most obvious change was his inability to walk without aid.

Maria walked him down the halls, but it didn’t stop the stares. Those that used to be friendly faces now looked at him with a mixture of disgust and pity.

They arrived at Gyrus’ first class and he waved goodbye to Maria, not without a tremendous amount of anxiety. He slowly rolled in, wary of familiar faces.

“Gyrus?” a familiar voice called. He flinched and looked up to see Tori. He cracked a small smile and went to place himself next to her.

“Tori. Long time no see,” he laughed bittersweetly, setting his bag on the floor.

Tori returned the small smile. “It is good to see you, Gyrus. I saw the story on the news.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Gyrus suggested. His therapist had advised as much until he was ready.

“Ah, my apologies,” Tori said sheepishly. “I must warn you of something, though. I believe a woman by the name of Ragan Turgard is planning something against you.”

Gyrus paused and stared at the desk in front of him. Why did that name sound so familiar? Calm down. Kodya taught you how to defend yourself. You’ll be okay, he reassured himself.

Class came and went, and Tori left for her next class in the opposite direction, leaving Gyrus on his own.

A blonde woman approached him as soon as he was in a quiet area. A sense of dread washed over him.

“Are you Gyrus Axalei?” the woman barked out.

Gyrus froze, immediately forgetting everything Kodya had taught him.

“I thought so.” The woman laughed devilishly, a sound Gyrus hadn’t heard in half a year.

The woman he presumed was Ragan snagged the collar of his shirt and Gyrus couldn’t unfreeze himself. The situation was all too disgustingly familiar. She pulled him out of his wheelchair and slammed him against the cold wall, grinning wickedly.

“Kgh!!” Gyrus whimpered, struggling around Ragan’s grip. It was hard to breathe, let alone move.

“I figured you’d be a weakling,” she laughed. Gyrus wriggled beneath her, but Ragan had him pinned. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” The words pierced his heart and he felt faint.

“This is what you get for killing Don.”

His vision went dark.

The room faded in and out as Gyrus blinked himself awake. Some people were talking… Kodya? He let his eyes focus. He was in one of Neph’s rooms at the office.

“How was Ragan at R.O.S.?!” Kodya was saying.

“I wish I knew,” someone else replied with a sigh. “At least she’s in custody again.”

Nephthys…

Gyrus quickly took a mental scan of his body. There were definitely new bandages on his neck and chest, and he felt the familiar throb of fresh stab wounds. He was also hooked up to several monitors which hurt his ears. He groaned.

“Gyrus!” Kodya exclaimed, rushing to his side. Nephthys smiled and quietly left the room.

Gyrus met his eyes with a tired smile. “How long…?”

“Don’t worry, you’ve only been out for a few hours,” Kodya reassured him. “She missed anything important. You’ll be okay, I promise.”

“...Okay,” Gyrus sighed weakly. “Kodya?”

Kodya’s eyes gleamed with worry. “Da?”

Gyrus snickered at the Russian answer. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Gyrus…”

“I’ve gotten to know you so well over the past six months, and you’ve done everything possible to help me,” Gyrus murmured. “If anything happens to me… I want you to know this first.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Kodya pleaded, taking his hand.

“I love you.”

Kodya blinked. “What?”

Gyrus laughed, coughed, and laughed again. “Y-you heard me.”

“Don’t joke like that, you’ll get my hopes up…” Kodya gasped, a tear forming in his eye.

Gyrus gripped his hand. “I’m not joking.” He stared into Kodya’s shining eyes. They danced like stars about to collide.

“Gyrus…” Kodya choked out.

“I get it if you don’t feel the same.”

“No, that’s not it! It’s just… Are you sure? And it’s not just because I saved you?”

Gyrus gave him a look. “You think I’ve cuddled you almost every night for the last six months just because?”

“And you think I did that because I liked you platonically?” Kodya countered.

Gyrus smiled weakly. “You love me back?”

Kodya threw his arms around Gyrus, making sure not to use too much force. “Idiot. I love you so much.”

Gyrus accepted the warm embrace, although he couldn’t do much to reciprocate. Kodya didn’t seem to mind. He was just perfect like that.

“I’m sorry, I’m really tired,” Gyrus admitted quietly. “I might… rest.”

Kodya pulled away. “Okay. Do you want to go home?”

But Gyrus was already asleep.

Kodya chuckled a little and sat down next to Gyrus. He stroked his emerald green hair, admiring the way it flowed around his shoulders. Every inch of this man was perfect, and his heart ached knowing how much pain he’d had to endure.

Was he usually this still as he slept?... No. The monitors started beeping loudly and everything fell apart as time seemed to slow down, only for it to quadruple its pace as Gyrus quickly flatlined and stopped breathing.

Kodya didn’t waste a second. He shot up just as Nephthys rounded the corner. His training kicked in and he started compressions. No time to think, he just had to move. He was not losing Gyrus, especially not right now.

After several intense minutes of CPR and electric shocks, Gyrus started breathing again and his heartbeat rose steadily. Kodya let out the biggest sigh of relief he thought he had ever released and fell back into his chair.

Nephthys continued to monitor Gyrus as Kodya caught his breath and brought himself back to reality. It all happened so fast, his brain couldn’t keep up. His brain had gone into overdrive immediately. It reminded him of the more unpleasant parts of his deployment.

Once Gyrus was stable, which took a few hours, Nephthys gave the all-clear and sent him home with Kodya. “Do not hesitate to call me if anything happens,” Nephthys warned him.

Gyrus woke up in his bed at home, but the looming sense of dread hadn’t left.

To make matters worse, Kodya wasn’t there.

He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before Kodya walked in and his wonderful blue eyes lit up. “You’re awake!”

“Hey,” Gyrus managed to say, softly.

Kodya ran over to him and seized his hands. “You almost gave me a heart attack,” he laughed sadly.

Gyrus blinked at him.

“You… stopped breathing. Your heart stopped, Gyrus.”

“...Oh.” No wonder he’d had that overwhelming sense of dread. “One step back into school and I land back in the hospital and my heart stops.” He laughed, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Kodya leaned his head on Gyrus’ arm and shook in silent laughter. After a moment, he lifted his head back up and locked eyes with Gyrus. “I have a secret,” he said.

“Yeah?” Gyrus smiled, urging him on.

“I’m actually back in school, too.”

“Huh??” Gyrus gripped Kodya’s face, eyes wide. “When? Where? What??”

Kodya smiled and snickered. “This semester. Your school. Veterinary medicine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Gyrus cried. His left arm twitched and he accidentally slapped Kodya.

Kodya only laughed, being used to the twitches. Physical therapy hadn’t fixed everything. “You inspired me to go back… I was going to surprise you at the dining hall,” he said. “It didn’t quite work out."

“This is great!” Gyrus was practically bouncing into Kodya’s arms and pulling him onto the bed. “We can be the school’s power couple!”

Kodya blushed and adjusted himself on the bed. “Power couple?”

“You can stay by my side and protect me,” Gyrus said, closing the distance between his and Kodya’s faces as they laid side by side.

“Now, that I can do,” Kodya whispered. He let Gyrus pull him into a kiss.

Kodya’s lips were soft against his, gentle but wild. He savored the taste and fluttered his eyes closed, relaxing in Kodya’s embrace, not wanting this one perfect moment to end.

“You’re so silly,” Kodya laughed into his mouth.

“You say that as if you aren’t equally as guilty,” Gyrus protested with a giggle, biting at Kodya’s lip.

A small moan escaped Kodya and he leaned in further, tentatively tapping his tongue against Gyrus’ lips. Gyrus let him in and they explored each other’s mouths, probing deeper and making louder noises.

“Kodya…” Gyrus panted, briefly pulling away.

“Mmh?” Kodya hummed, eyes half-lidded.

Gyrus tapped their noses together. “Mark me.”

Kodya’s eyes flew open. “Mark you?”

Gyrus tugged at the bottom of his shirt. “Mark me,” he repeated. As if to show him what he meant, he adjusted positions and breathed a puff of hot air on Kodya’s neck.

Kodya shook beside him. “I-I would love to, but are you sure?”

Gyrus smirked and sat up with surprising strength, pulling his loose shirt up and over his head. Underneath, he wore a compression shirt for his wounds, but there was plenty of space for Kodya to ravage. He laid down and tugged Kodya closer.

“But your scars, you said–” Kodya stammered, staring at the newly exposed Gyrus, but Gyrus pressed a finger to his lips.

“I know,” Gyrus whispered. “I trust you.”

Kodya heard enough and pushed himself on top of Gyrus with a sly grin, straddling him. He leaned down and placed a wet kiss just below Gyrus’ ear.

Gyrus let a lewd moan fall from his lips as Kodya bit at his ear lobe, kissing lower and lower until hitting his clavicle and sucking hard.

“Kodya… Ngh!” Gyrus panted, arching his back in pleasure.

Kodya glanced up at up and smirked, but kept sucking and biting. He inched back up and caught Gyrus’ Adam’s apple with his teeth.

“f*ck,” Gyrus whimpered. He’d never felt so good before.

“Can I touch you?” Kodya asked suddenly.

“Please,” Gyrus whined. He didn’t care if he was begging. This felt too good to stop.

His partner smirked and placed a feather-light touch on his inner thigh, resuming the onslaught of Gyrus’ neck at the same time.

Gyrus shuddered and felt his heart race. Wait, he thought. My heart literally just stopped, I probably shouldn’t…

Kodya seemed to make that realization at the same time and pulled away. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and pursed his lips. “Oops.”

“Pfft.” Gyrus covered his mouth in a laugh.

“For what it’s worth, that was still amazing,” Kodya said with a wink, helping Gyrus back into his shirt.

Gyrus beamed at him. “Thank you,” he whispered earnestly.

The pair headed into the living room and Gyrus noticed it was sunset. “Ugh,” he grumbled. “Now I won’t be able to sleep all night and I still have class tomorrow.”

“You seriously plan on going to class?”

Gyrus scrunched his face up. “I… I know how to deal. And I don’t want to miss more school.”

Kodya sighed. “Alright, but I’m coming with you.”

“Please do!” Gyrus smiled, seizing Kodya’s hands. “We’ll be the power couple, like I said!”

“So, are we boyfriends now, or…” Kodya scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Duh.” Gyrus stuck his tongue out. He enjoyed the blush on his boyfriend’s face as he pulled out his laptop.

“What are you doing?” Kodya asked, sitting down with Gyrus.

“Checking the school site,” Gyrus explained. “Luckily, all my classes from last year are still available this year.” He frowned. “I still can’t believe I have to repeat an entire year.”

A warm arm wrapped around Gyrus. “At least we’re in the same year now. I stopped after my bachelor’s a couple years ago.”

Gyrus sucked in a breath. “Oh my stars, I never asked your age!”

“Of course not. You’re you,” Kodya chuckled. “I’m 24.”

“I knew you were older than me,” Gyrus groaned, “but I wasn’t sure by how much…”

Kodya squeezed Gyrus’ arm and clicked something on his laptop. “Hey!” Gyrus protested, but let Kodya pull up a tab and google help my boyfriend is a dork.

Gyrus harrumphed and weakly crossed his arms with a twitch. “How rude. Your boyfriend got stabbed and went into cardiac arrest, and you’re calling him a–”

Kodya silenced him with a peck on the lips, leaving him reeling.

“Mmm, I dare say he enjoys it,” Kodya murmured, fiddling with Gyrus’ hair, “and that I’m only doing it to cheer him up…”

“You flirt,” Gyrus joked, lightly hitting him in the chest. He left the new tab open but moved back to the school one and looked over his syllabi.

He clicked through the classes and determined he would be okay. None had assigned homework yet. He turned to Kodya. “What’s your schedule like?”

“I actually planned mine around yours,” Kodya said without hesitation. “All my classes are pretty close to yours in terms of location, and the times are close but don’t overlap, so we can always be together.”

Gyrus blinked at him. “How did you–?”

“Worked with the registrar.”

“Of the university?!”

Kodya co*cked his head sweetly. “What else?”

Gyrus paused for a second. “I can’t believe you’ve done this,” he said with a mock English accent.

“Pfft!” Kodya startled, eyes wide, and almost doubled over.

Gyrus beamed at him and they genuinely laughed together. Maybe life really could get better, Gyrus thought.

“Gyrus. Good to see you back on your feet,” Dr. Mimi greeted him.

Gyrus stared at her from his wheelchair.

“Ahem. Who is this?” Dr. Mimi awkwardly gestured to Kodya.

“Ah, this is Kodya, my boyfriend!” Gyrus gleamed, tugging at Kodya’s sleeve.

Kodya nodded and blushed at the term, taking hold of Gyrus’ hand. “I’m here for physical assistance and protection.”

“Of course,” the professor said, nodding and gesturing for the pair to join the other students.

Kodya wheeled him halfway up the ramp of the lecture theater before Gyrus stopped him.

“Ragan,” he whispered, eyeing the brute a few rows up. She scowled at him.

“How is she not in prison?” Kodya growled under his breath, turning Gyrus around to sit somewhere near the front. It had only been a few weeks since the incident with Ragan; they hadn’t expected to see her that soon.

Class was uneventful, but Ragan approached the pair afterwards, somewhat mirroring their first encounter.

“Ragan,” Kodya hissed, stepping in front of Gyrus protectively.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Ragan spat.

“For good reason,” Kodya shot back.

They know each other too? Is Kodya not telling me something? Gyrus wondered painfully.

Ragan jerked her head toward an empty classroom. “We’re not settling this here.”

“Who do you take us for?” Gyrus snapped, startling both Kodya and Ragan as he wheeled to Kodya’s side. “I’m not falling for your bullsh*t again. We’re talking this out here or not at all.”

“Gyrus,” Kodya whispered, “this won’t end peacefully.”

“Hah! You’re right about one thing!” Ragan barked, not giving either of them further warning before kneeing Kodya in the groin.

“Oomf!” Kodya’s knees buckled and he grabbed Gyrus’ chair arm for support. “That’s dirty!” Kodya growled.

“Kodya, let’s leave,” Gyrus pleaded.

“LeT’s lEaVe!” Ragan mocked, bringing her hand to her forehead. She swiped Kodya’s feet out from under him and sent him toppling to the ground.

Gyrus reached for him but missed. “Kodya!”

Ragan used the opportunity to grab Kodya’s ankle and drag him across the hallway, much like what she had done to Gyrus.

“Stop!” Gyrus cried, wheeling after them.

The hallway entertained more than just the three of them, but no one seemed to pay much attention to the commotion other than to move out of the way.

Kodya kicked at Ragan’s arms and freed himself, hooking an ankle around her arm and taking her to the floor. She landed with a hearty thud.

Ragan tch’d and rocketed back up. She tapped something on her ear, crossed her arms, and leaned back against a wall.

“What are you doing?” Kodya demanded, hoisting himself back up.

Ragan shrugged with a smirk.

“I asked–” Kodya slammed a hand to the wall beside Ragan– “what are you doing?”

The blond uncharacteristically flinched and shrunk.

“Excuse me.” A commanding voice came into earshot. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Dean Anan?!

“He just came at me out of nowhere!” Ragan cried, feigning innocence.

“That’s not true!” Gyrus exclaimed.

The dean considered both of them. “I’ll have to review the camera footage. For now, you are coming with me.” He put a firm hand on Kodya’s shoulder.

The situation dawned on Gyrus, and he could tell Kodya felt the same chill. “No,” Kodya murmured. “She’ll go after Gyrus! She stabbed him!”

Ragan put on a face of confusion. “You’re delusional.”

“It’s literally on the news!” Kodya retorted.

“I’ve heard enough!” Dean Anan snapped. He gripped Kodya’s shoulder and tugged him along.

Kodya yanked himself away. “No!”

“Security!” the dean whistled.

Gyrus swore he saw a smile on Ragan’s face as men in uniforms stormed the hallway. His ears rang and it wouldn’t stop. His breathing was becoming erratic. And they took Kodya.

“Kodya!!” he screamed, tailing after them, but something caught him.

“Think you’re going somewhere?”

Ragan. She was grabbing the handles of his wheelchair.

Gyrus grit his teeth and stood up. He wasn’t supposed to be standing on his own, let alone running, but he didn’t exactly have a choice. He took off.

“HEY!” Ragan ran after him.

No, no, no, no, no, Gyrus cried internally. He was greatly outmatched. Everything was going wrong!

“Ngh!” Ragan tripped Gyrus and he hit the ground. “No! Stop!” he cried, clawing at the ground helplessly as he was dragged backwards, away from Kodya, away from safety.

He only briefly saw a flash of blue eyes before Ragan slammed the door behind them.

“Ragan, please!”

“Stop screaming!” Ragan growled, eerily mirroring Don.

I might as well use all my strength while I still can. With a burst of energy, Gyrus kneed Ragan in the chin and shot up to his feet, throwing the door open, and running as fast as his splintering legs could manage.

He tore through the hallways straight for the main office where he knew security had taken Kodya, and Ragan quickly followed suit, but he grit his teeth and pushed on. Don and Ragan had tormented him and his mind for far too long.

Just as he was about to turn the last corner, he was thrown to the ground by a familiar force. He couldn’t fight this time. He just didn’t have the strength left.

“HELP!” he screamed with all his might.

His luck was not in tune, and his pleas fell on deaf ears. He cursed as Ragan gripped his wrist again.

“If you try that again, you’ll only make this worse,” she growled in his ear. “Stop moving.”

“Ragan?”

Ragan’s head snapped to the side and Gyrus saw a petite blue haired woman facing the brute. “Cibby?” Ragan whispered quietly.

Tip, tap, tip, tap! “What are you doing??” the short woman demanded, hauling Ragan off of Gyrus with mysterious force.

While the curious woman distracted Ragan, Gyrus took his chance and got to his feet, stumbling the rest of the way to the office. By the time he swung the door open, he was bleeding from multiple orifices and was on the verge of collapsing.

He spotted Kodya being held down and tried to scramble to him, but something got in his way.

“Wow, what trouble have you gotten into now?” Dean Anan scoffed, a hand on Gyrus’ chest.

“GYRUS!” Kodya yelled at the same time Gyrus yelled “KODYA!”

He’s okay, Gyrus thought, smiling ever so slightly. He slid to his knees.

“I’m okay,” he half-whispered, half-mouthed to Kodya, allowing himself to slip under again.

Gyrus hit the ground and the security guards finally released Kodya. He wasted no time as he raced to Gyrus’ side. “О Боже, Gyrus?! Stay with me!” he cried, shaking Gyrus’ shoulders, but he was unresponsive.

Kodya whipped his head around. “This is your fault,” he snarled at the dean. “I told you this would happen!”

The dean considered Kodya and smiled. “Yeah.”

The f*ck does he mean, ‘yeah’?! Kodya fumed.

His vision temporarily blacked out as the dean kicked the back of his head, and before he could see again, he heard the click of the door closing.

Everything happened in a blur of betrayal. Gyrus was pulled away from him by one of his own school’s guards and Kodya couldn’t stop it.

He fought as hard as he could, but even he was no match for six burly security guards. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you!

He could feel his consciousness fading. Is this what you felt for so long? he wondered last.

Chapter 4: Lost Love

Chapter Text

Gyrus stirred awake to the worst possible scenario he could have possibly imagined.

The scene itself was bleak. Kodya, his savior, his love, was sat down and tied to a pole in front of him, and he was beaten, albeit mildly. The room was dark. He couldn’t tell how big it was, only that there was a dim light bulb hanging from between the poles he and Kodya were tied to. The place felt familiar, but from whence, he couldn’t place.

Gyrus took in the state of his boyfriend. He was almost stripped naked; only ripped up shorts remained. He had definitely looked better. But he was awake and breathing heavily.

“Gyrus?” Kodya whimpered quietly.

“No… Kodya,” Gyrus cried as softly as possible. He shifted but felt the godforsaken burn of rope against his wrists. He hung his head and let the tears fall.

“You look like sh*t,” Kodya said suddenly, snapping Gyrus’ attention back to him.

“Do I?” Gyrus chuckled hoarsely. Kodya was right. He hadn’t noticed at first, but he had a plethora of wounds scattered across his body. It must have happened while he was unconscious.

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the situation. “How does this keep happening?” he asked rhetorically.

Kodya laughed along with him. “I don’t know, but we’re in deep sh*t now.”

The pair slowly stopped laughing. “...Yeah.” Gyrus looked around, but there was nothing more to take in. The room was simply too dark.

“It’s not that tall,” Kodya said.

“What?”

“The thing you’re tied to. It’s pretty short. If you’re flexible, you might be able to get over it.”

Gyrus tried to turn to look at the pole, but it was useless. His neck was also tied in place. Instead, he turned to Kodya. “Yours is… I think it goes to the ceiling.”

Kodya looked to the side grimly. “Oh.”

“I’ll try,” Gyrus said slowly. He tried to stand up, scraping the rope against the pole. It took a few tries because he was weak and kept falling over, but he eventually made it to his feet. “How much taller is it?” he asked.

“Maybe a few inches taller than you,” Kodya rasped. “I need to tell you something,” he added.

“Tell it to the whole class,” a new voice laughed.

Gyrus and Kodya turned to see a new person enter the lit area. They had long purple hair and bangs that covered their eyes.

They approached Gyrus first, who stared at them, even more shaky than normal. After a second, the person grabbed his shoulders and forced him back to the floor.

“Oof,” Gyrus muttered, hanging his head.

The person stepped below the light bulb, casting shadows on the men. “My name is Feather,” they said, “and I’m here to get some answers.”

“What could you possibly want to know now?” Kodya growled.

Feather put their hands on their hips and tossed their head. “Oh, nothing,” they whispered, leaning down to get in Kodya’s face, “maybe just how you happen to so closely know Amelia’s son.”

“What does this have to do with him?” Gyrus asked desperately. “Did you know Don, too?”

“Kodya didn’t tell you?” Feather murmured with mock sympathy. “We worked for Don.”

Kodya’s face fell into horror and his eyes darted between Gyrus and Feather.

“You…? Worked for Don?” Gyrus asked, staring at his boyfriend, voice cracking.

Feather turned and knelt beside Gyrus. “Not only that. He killed for Don.”

“No,” Gyrus whispered. “You’re messing with my head.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Feather smirked, backing away and gesturing to Kodya.

Kodya’s face revealed the answer. He blinked at Gyrus, locking eyes, and a tear slipped.

No! Gyrus internally sobbed. Why?!

“How could you?” Gyrus cried, struggling within the ropes. “I trusted you! And you… You…!”

“You don’t understand,” Kodya said, voice hitching.

“What is there to understand?” Gyrus snapped.

And then Feather reappeared behind Kodya, hovering over his shoulder. His eyes widened but remained locked on Gyrus.

“That’s right. He betrayed you,” Feather said smoothly. “He did unimaginable things for the one that hurt you.”

Gyrus shook violently. “N-no…”

Feather continued. “He was buddy-buddy with Don…” They sneaked a hand around Kodya’s shoulders. “Don’t you think he deserves to die?”

More tears slipped from Kodya’s eyes and he squeezed them closed, arching his neck instinctively at their touch.

Gyrus stopped to think about it. Don, he knew, was some sort of psychopathic sad*st that drew pleasure from hurting others. And Kodya, Kodya took pleasure from helping others. He would not willingly hurt others. Gyrus knew that.

With that, he came to a conclusion. “No,” he said sternly.

Feather narrowed their eyes at Gyrus and Kodya peeked his open, breathing hard.

“I-I know Kodya. If he did anything like that, it either wasn’t by choice or he had a reason.” Gyrus’ words wobbled. “And you’re not going to kill him.”

“Oh?” Feather raised an eyebrow.

“You need information from him,” Gyrus said simply, trying to remain calm as Feather’s hands inched towards Kodya’s neck. “This… This is just to provoke me.” He looked them in the eye. That was their plan, and he wouldn’t let them.

Feather smirked and released his neck. Kodya instantly relaxed, falling against the pole, shoulders shaking. He looked at Gyrus with an expression he couldn’t quite place.

“I underestimated you,” Feather said. They quietly maneuvered their way to Gyrus, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look at his bound lover. “Kodya. Go ahead and tell him.”

Gyrus trembled beneath Feather as he watched Kodya steel himself.

“I-I did meet Don in the military,” he stuttered, sweat dripping from his brow. “He was on the other side of the war and took me prisoner. But he offered me safety in exchange for… jobs.” He shuddered.

Kodya took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. “He said all I had to do was execute whatever other prisoners he brought in.” He shook his head. “I-I-I shouldn’t have done it. They were s-soldiers from my side of the war. They had families. I…"

“But–” Gyrus tried to say, but Feather snapped his jaw shut.

Kodya glared at Feather. “Feather was on the other side, too. And Ragan, and a few others. After the war, we became a sort of gang, I guess… I couldn’t leave.” He bit his lip and winced. “I knew Don had some… thing against Amelia, and that he wanted revenge, but I wasn’t part of that,” he said. “I fled when I could.”

“Even Kodya here doesn’t know the full story of Amelia,” Feather whispered into Gyrus’ ear.

“W-what do you–” Gyrus started, but Feather forced his jaw shut again. Kodya scowled.

“Do you even know who Iro is?” Feather asked Kodya.

My father? Gyrus thought, eyes wide.

Kodya paused for a moment, noticing Gyrus’ reaction. “No…” he said truthfully.

Feather turned back to Gyrus. “Iro planned and intended for the ‘accident’ to kill Don’s family.”

Gyrus could feel his heart skip a beat, but not in a good way.

“I’m surprised neither of you knew!” They barked a laugh. “Oh, yes. Iro jammed the brakes and drove the other car.”

“But my mother–”

They clapped a hand over his mouth. “Ugh, stop yapping. She wasn’t supposed to be in the car.”

But what did he have against Don? Gyrus tried to convey as much out loud, but Feather didn’t let him.

“Iro, the dumbass. Couldn’t do anything right,” Feather sighed.

“Nrrng?” Gyrus mumbled beneath Feather.

Feather smirked. “You want to know more? Your parents were in the early war.” They released Gyrus’ mouth but didn’t stop talking. “Classic enemies to lovers trope. Opposite sides of the war, fell in love, Don took advantage of that.” They leaned in close to Gyrus and whispered in his ear. “Just like he did to your dear love, Don had Iro kill for him.”

“That’s why Iro wanted revenge,” Gyrus whispered, the pieces finally falling into place. “And Don… Don killed him, didn’t he?”

Feather didn’t need to say more. They stood up and marched back to Kodya. “Alright, buddy. Speak up.”

Kodya glared at them. “What do you need to know?”

They rolled their eyes. “What are you, a goldfish? How do you know him?” They jerked their thumb at Gyrus.

“I saved him from Don,” Kodya growled.

“No sh*t,” Feather growled back. “How? How did you kill Don? How did you become so close with green-head here?”

Kodya scowled at them.

“Don was going to kill both of us, so Kodya stopped him. We got close because he’s my savior,” Gyrus snapped. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Feather put Kodya’s chin in a death-grip-like vice and jerked it to face Gyrus. “I want to hear it from Kodya Karevic.” The full name sent chills down Gyrus’ spine.

Kodya trembled as he stared at Gyrus. “Fine! I stabbed him in the heart, damnit! It was on purpose! I wanted to kill him!” he yelled, his face scrunched up and eyes barely open. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Gyrus’ mouth fell agape. Why was he so surprised? Don deserved to die after what he did to Gyrus, to his parents. After what he did to countless people. After what he did to Kodya.

Feather smirked and lifted a small device that was blinking red. “Thanks, man.”

Kodya went deathly still, eyes locked on the device. Feather clapped him on the shoulder and left the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

That was what they really came for. Evidence.

Gyrus and Kodya locked eyes for a heartbeat before Kodya tore his gaze away and sobbed.

“Kodya…”

“I’m sorry!” Kodya cried. “I f*cked everything up!”

Gyrus ached to go hug his boyfriend, but it was hopeless. They were quite literally tied up.

“I-I thought… I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to leave it all behind. I was going to tell you… eventually…” The pain in Kodya’s voice was almost tangible. “And now Feather has evidence against me! And I won’t be able to protect you!” A sob tore itself from Kodya’s broken lips.

“Why are you like this?” Gyrus cried quietly. Kodya shot him a quick look of confusion, anger, and misery. “Every time something happens to me, you try everything you can to save me regardless of the consequences for yourself. You didn’t run when Don came back. You keep risking yourself for me. And now!” Gyrus sobbed, “Now you’re worried about protecting me when this is what you face!”

Kodya didn’t answer or look at him. He just kept crying and shaking.

Gyrus stood up against the pole. “We’re going to get out of here,” he said through gritted teeth.

“How, exactly?” Kodya said in barely a whisper.

“I’m going to get over this thing.”

“No! That was a stupid idea!” Kodya cried. “You’ll get yourself even more hurt…”

Gyrus stared at him. Kodya was still looking away, cheeks red and inflamed.

“Look at me,” Gyrus demanded. When Kodya didn’t move, he raised his voice. “Look at me, Kodya!”

Kodya finally snapped his gaze to his boyfriend.

“You’ve done everything for me. Let me do this,” Gyrus said, the words easily falling out of his mouth even if Kodya wasn’t ready to hear it.

With a hic and a sob, Kodya nodded.

Gyrus shot him a weak smile and set to work. After secondary school, he had gone to an astronaut training camp. He could use those skills now, even if he was rusty.

With strength that surprised even himself, he hoisted his legs over his body as he would for a backflip and hooked them around the pole. It was a risky move with his neck restrained, but the movement forced his neck free, as he had hoped. He could see an upside-down Kodya gaping at him.

He shuffled his way up the pole with the friction of skin-to-metal contact until he reached the top.

He threw himself over, making it but landing hard. He almost immediately toppled over after hitting the ground.

“Gyrus!” Kodya cried.

“Shh!” Gyrus hushed. He didn’t want to make too much of a fuss. It hurt like hell, but he’d have to deal. He pushed himself up to his knees.

He looked around. There seemed to only be one door, the one Feather came through, but there were two windows.

He flashed back to when he had tried to escape Don and grit his teeth. They’d be successful this time.

Wait.

Feather has evidence against Kodya. We need to go after them first.

He forced himself up and dropped beside Kodya.

“Gyrus, you’re hurt,” Kodya said with the softest voice, hoarse from crying.

Gyrus nodded. “I’ll be okay. We need to find Feather’s recorder.”

“No, we need to get out of here,” Kodya snapped.

Gyrus sighed. He longed to cup Kodya’s cheek, but seeing as that was impossible at the moment, he opted to rest his head on his chest. “I’m not scared. We’ll figure this out.” He pulled away and offered a shy, weak smile.

Kodya sniffled and looked Gyrus in the eyes before leaning forward as much as he could. “I trust you,” he murmured, then planted a small kiss on Gyrus’ lips.

“Dios mío, how charming.”

Both men jolted and stared at the figure that suddenly loomed over them.

“Surprised?”

“Don,” Gyrus muttered.

“The one and only,” Don snickered. He hefted something over his shoulder.

“How are you not dead?!” Kodya shouted.

Don chuckled. “I am not so easy to kill, amigo.”

Gyrus stood up and faced Don directly. “Why do you do this, Don?”

The monster had the audacity to smile. “Revenge, of course.”

Gyrus grit his teeth. “You’re not going to get away with this,” he growled.

“Still haven’t learned your lessons, I see,” Don snarled. He lunged for Gyrus, but Gyrus dodged and sent him tumbling to the ground. “Mierda!”

Gyrus took the opportunity to stomp on Don’s back and pin him to the ground. He leaned all of his weight onto the man.

“NO!” Don screamed, thrashing, but Gyrus held him down with his legs.

“Kodya, forgive me for what I’m about to do,” Gyrus pleaded.

In a blur, Don was lifeless.

“f*ck,” he whispered. “I just…”

“You had to,” Kodya whispered back.

Gyrus shook his head and recollected himself. He shuffled to Kodya, pulling at the ropes. Once Kodya’s wrists were free, he collapsed. “Save us,” he pleaded. “I’m… going to pass out, I think.”

“It’s okay. You’ve done more than enough,” Kodya whispered.

Gyrus smiled weakly and surrendered himself to sleep.

Kodya pat Gyrus’ head as he passed out. Okay. It’s on you now, Karevic. He grit his teeth and worked at pulling his neck out of the ropes.

The rope gave way without much resistance. Once he was free, he pulled off Gyrus’ restraints and checked Don’s pulse. Definitely dead, but he had managed to live before, like some sort of damn co*ckroach…

Don’t think about it. In one swift motion, he made sure the co*ckroach was gone. He hefted his boyfriend over his shoulder and stood up.

“Kodya? Tell me that’s you, Kodya!”

“Huh?” Kodya sprinted through the door and saw a familiar face. “О Боже, Maria?! What are you doing here?!”

Maria’s gaze pierced Kodya as she took in his and Gyrus’ states. “Saving you– sh*t! We need to get out of here!” She grabbed Kodya’s elbow and tugged him along through a dimly-lit hallway.

“Where are we?!” Kodya shouted, sprinting beside Maria.

“The abandoned restaurant behind R.O.S.,” Maria answered, not looking away from wherever they were running.

“Wait! We left evidence behind and Feather has more!”

Maria shot a look at him that he didn’t like and abruptly stopped them. “Damnit,” she growled. “I don’t know where they went.”

Kodya frantically looked around. “Don wasn’t dead. He came back. But Gyrus ended him. f*ck!” Kodya paced, head spinning.

The purple-haired menace rounded the corner. “HEY!” they yelled.

“Блять,” Kodya grumbled. He gently set Gyrus down by the wall and turned to Maria. “Think we can take them?”

Maria balled her fists and shifted into a fighting stance. “Come at me, bitch!”

Feather held their palms up in surrender. “Wait!”

Kodya and Maria stopped for a moment.

Feather looked around before returning their gaze to the pair. They took the device Kodya had seen earlier out of their pocket, held it up, and threw it to the ground. They stomped on it until it was in several pieces.

Kodya stared at the mess in confusion.

“Go!” Feather urged them. “Ragan’s coming!”

“No way in hell! You probably backed up that sh*t!” Maria shot back.

Feather’s face fell as Ragan rounded the corner. “FEATHER!” she yelled.

“GO!” Feather yelled one last time before Ragan lunged for them.

“Traitor!” Ragan snarled, tackling Feather and attacking them. Feather’s screams quickly died out.

Kodya and Maria swapped glances of immense confusion and frustration before scooping Gyrus up and taking off. They ran until they couldn’t, then some more.

They ran straight to Nephthys’ office, in, and right to the back.

Kodya slammed the door to Neph’s personal office open. “Neph!” he panted.

“Oh my god!” Nephthys shot up and ran to his side. She wasted no time and took the trio to her mini emergency room.

Kodya handed Gyrus to Neph and immediately collapsed onto one of her beds.

Chapter 5: I Killed Him

Chapter Text

Gyrus, for the gazillionth time, woke up in Dr. Nephthys’ infirmary. He blinked for a minute, trying to recollect what had happened.

“Holy sh*t, I killed him!” he shrieked in realization, rocketing up to a sitting position, gripping his face. He saw numerous bandages wrapped around himself, almost as many as when he had first returned from his abduction.

“Gyrus!” Kodya’s warm voice called. He whipped his head in the direction of the noise and saw Kodya sitting down in the chair next to him. “You’re awake,” Kodya said with a small smile. He also had many bandages and a couple casts, but not nearly as many as Gyrus.

“Kodya,” Gyrus cried softly, burying his face in his hands. “f*ck…”

Now that his brain wasn’t in fight-or-flight mode, the whole situation washed over him like a tsunami. It threatened to tear his world to shreds for the who-knows-how-many-th time.

He felt a warm hand on his thigh. “It’s okay,” his boyfriend said reassuringly. “I promise, it’s okay now.”

Gyrus put his hands to his temples. “But Feather–”

“Sacrificed themself for us,” Kodya finished morosely. “They destroyed the evidence. Ragan…” He sucked in a sharp breath. He didn’t need to say more.

“Oh…” Gyrus felt incredibly confused. “But Don…”

“He was already legally dead. The authorities know the whole truth now, but the new case for his murder went nowhere.”

Gyrus sobbed. Was everything really okay now?

“Ah, and Ragan is actually in prison now,” Kodya said, running his hands through Gyrus’ hair lovingly.

“Wait, how long have I been out?”

“Mmh, two weeks?”

Gyrus let out a sigh of relief. No need to repeat the school year again.

Kodya continued to play with Gyrus’ hair. It felt nice. “Gyrus,” he said softly. He guided him back to a sleeping position.

Gyrus lazily looked at his boyfriend.

“I got something for you.” He stood up and limped out of the room for a moment.

Kodya produced a rough blueprint of what looked like legs. “I know it looks weird,” he said sheepishly, “but I came up with it. It would help you walk without hurting your legs or having to use a wheelchair.”

Gyrus snagged the blueprint. It was brilliant: mechanical covers that put pressure on the entire leg, concentrated per injury, and reacted to the wearer’s own neurons to move.

“This is an amazing idea!” he gasped. “I could totally design this! I don’t think I could build something so intricate, though…”

“That’s where my friend Olimedes comes in!” Kodya smiled. “He’s an engineer and can work with fine detail. I talked about it with him.”

“Thank you,” Gyrus sobbed, throwing his arms around Kodya.

“Woah, your arms aren’t quite healed either!” Kodya laughed, gently hugging him back.

They laughed and talked and held each other for a long while, finally in safety.

The two quickly set to work with Olimedes to create what they were calling the Walkinator. Maria pitched in as well, being a mechanical engineering major, but she had enough on her plate: she was building an entire android.

By the end of the semester, the Walkinator was complete and Gyrus was walking on his own.

On the first day of the winter semester, the power couple walked into the science building arm in arm. The new dean, Ainju Hanh, greeted them with a friendly smile. The hallway crowds parted ways for them happily. They looked into each other’s eyes longingly.

Kodya slid his arm around Gyrus’ shoulder as they walked. “Babe?”

“Hmm?” Gyrus looked up at his boyfriend sleepily. He hadn’t slept well due to… reasons.

Kodya smirked. “I love you.”

Gyrus smiled and leaned on Kodya. “I know.”

They walked to the end of the hallway where they had promised to meet Tori and Olimedes, but they noticed a new girl alongside Oli.

“You made it,” Tori said, grinning.

“Who’s this?” Gyrus asked, looking at the girl with fluffy pink hair beside Oli.

Oli put an arm around her and patted her head. “Uhm, this is my girlfriend, Sylvia!” Sylvia flashed a toothy smile. “She doesn’t talk.”

Kodya squeezed Gyrus’ shoulder from where he was holding him. “See, not everyone is your definition of ‘normal.’”

Gyrus huffed. Earlier, he had had a panic attack about never being able to be ‘normal’ again. He still felt bad, but he couldn’t deny that this made him feel a bit better.

“It is almost time, Gyrus.” Tori bumped his shoulder. “Time must make haste. I cannot wait.”

“Time for what?” Kodya questioned.

Tori grinned. “You shall see.”

Gyrus pulled away from Kodya and kissed his cheek. “Trust me,” he said softly, looking into his eyes.

Despite his confused expression, Kodya nodded and returned the kiss. He waved shyly and left for his class, Oli and Sylvia following suit in their respective directions.

“Are you ready??” Tori exclaimed, sounding like she was letting out a lifetime’s worth of excitement.

Gyrus went to scratch his neck nervously but his arm twitched and he hit his ear. “Ack! Yes! Maybe?” he stammered. The box in his pocket felt as heavy as a black hole.

“Just a few more hours!” Tori winked.

The next hours couldn’t have possibly gone by slower. To make matters worse, he didn’t want to tell anyone of the plan for fear they would ruin it and tell Kodya. Only he and Tori knew, and the tension was killing him.

Until finally, finally, it was six-fifty and Kodya was done with his classes. Gyrus waited outside of his classroom, fidgeting with his collar.

“Gyrus?”

Gyrus grabbed onto Kodya for stability as he startled. “Stars, don’t scare me like that,” Gyrus giggled.

Kodya laughed. “Why do you look like the Earth is about to explode?”

“Maybe it is,” Gyrus joked. He pulled on Kodya’s sleeve. “Come on, I have something to show you!”

This is it, Axalei. Don’t screw this up!

He led his boyfriend up the hill behind the university, where the stars were already twinkling and the moon was full.

“Gyrus?”

Gyrus turned and smiled, his teeth sparkling in the moonlight. He pulled Kodya to the very top of the hill and leaned on him, gesturing to the sky. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

“It is,” Kodya said, tugging Gyrus closer. “Just like you.” He tilted Gyrus’ chin up.

“Hey, that’s my line,” Gyrus protested, giggling.

“Oh?”

Gyrus felt a blush settle across his cheeks. “Um…” he stepped back. “Kodya.”

Kodya’s eyes shone brighter than supernovae in that moment.

“You are the light of my life,” Gyrus said softly, taking his hands in his. “I, quite literally, owe my life to you.” He put Kodya’s warm hand to his heart. “You saved me once, twice, so many times I lost count. You’ve been there for me when I couldn’t even be there for myself.”

Kodya pressed his remaining hand to his mouth, tearing up.

Gyrus tried to get on one knee, but had to grip Kodya’s arm for stability as he shook. “I love you so, so, so much,” he whispered, pulling out a box decorated with little drawings and stickers of animals. “I hope you’ll grant me the honor of having you as my savior again.” He shook himself in preparation and locked eyes with Kodya. He opened the box.

Inside the box laid a beautiful indigo ring as blue as the sky just after dusk, resting softly in silver silk.

“Kodya Karevic. Will you marry me?”

“Goddamnit,” Kodya cried softly, burying his face in his hands. He fell to one knee beside Gyrus and took his hand. “No!”

“No??” Gyrus almost laughed.

Kodya immersed himself in Gyrus’ eyes before pulling out his own little box lined with mini stars and galaxy stickers.

He opened it, revealing a ring as dark emerald green as the gemstone itself. “I was going to ask you, you idiot! Marry me!” he sobbed.

“What??” Gyrus burst out laughing. He snapped the boxes shut and tackled Kodya, and together they rolled down the hill, a bundle of sobs, laughter, and joy. He reminisced in Kodya’s stupid puffy face, knowing he would never get tired of it.

“That’s a yes, just so you know,” Kodya said between laughs, wiping his tears away.

“Really? I thought I heard a loud and clear ‘no,’” Gyrus teased.

“I– ah–” Kodya seemed to stutter, and his face scrunched up. “AAAAHH!” he screamed.

“Kodya?!”

Kodya sniffled and rubbed his nose. “Sorry.”

“Was that a sneeze?!”

Gyrus’ fiancé glared at him with mock anger. “It’s cold outside!”

Gyrus buried his face in Kodya’s chest and shook with laughter. “I love you,” he murmured, mindlessly massaging Kodya’s back.

“I love you so much.” Kodya held him closely. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“You can’t just say that,” Gyrus pouted.

“Why not?”

“B-because!” Gyrus sputtered, laughing into his fiancé’s chest. “It makes me all happy inside…”

Kodya raised an eyebrow. “And that’s bad because…”

“Gahh, nevermind!” Gyrus grumbled.

“Pfft.” Kodya sat up and pulled Gyrus up with him. “You’re really cute.”

“H-huh?”

“Sorry, was that crossing a line?” Kodya joked. He fully knew Gyrus’ boundaries– but Gyrus remembered what he was referencing and smiled.

“L-let’s just go inside,” Gyrus stammered, pulling Kodya up. “It’s c-cold.”

“Alright, but first,” Kodya said, dropping onto one knee again, “you didn’t answer me.” He re-opened the box.

Gyrus giggled gleefully. “Yes!”

Kodya slid the ring onto Gyrus’ finger and kissed him tenderly, allowing Gyrus to slip the other ring onto his finger.

Gyrus shivered and tugged Kodya along, who shrugged and started walking with Gyrus. “Told you it was cold.”

The newly engaged couple walked home arm-in-arm, laughing the entire way, ignoring any and all other variables… including the weather.

“AAAAHH!”

“Bless you! Hahaha!”

As soon as Gyrus and Kodya came within sight of their building, they knew something was up. Lights of all colors bounced around the block, emanating from none other than their windows.

“I-is Maria having a party or something?” Gyrus groaned, hugging Kodya’s arm tightly.

“Maybe it’s for us,” Kodya joked, rustling Gyrus’ hair.

“If it is, they didn’t do a very good job of hiding it.”

Ding!

Gyrus checked his phone.

– 12 January 2XXX –

7:34 PM maria_34: where r u??

“There it is,” Gyrus laughed.

7:34 PM gyrus_axalei: almost home

maria_34 is typing . . .

Bing!

7:35 PM maria_34: get here faster loser

“Does she always bully you like that?” Kodya asked, sounding a little concerned, but mostly amused.

Gyrus chuckled. “Yeah, haven’t you noticed?”

Kodya went quiet for a moment. “Good point.”

They finally reached the doorstep and Gyrus went to put in his key, but the door flung open first, revealing Maria sporting a lamp shade as a hat.

“Maria what the hell.” Gyrus face-palmed.

“Whaaat? Don’t you like it?” Maria giggled. She eyed the pair’s rings. “Heh. Called it.”

Kodya smirked and rolled his eyes, pushed her aside, and dragged Gyrus inside.

“HAPPY ENGAGEMENT!!” the room sang as soon as they stepped in. All of their friends were there: Maria, of course, Tori, Oli, Sylvia, Knox, Alastair, Vela, Bronzo, and was that Vee?

“Ahh! Thank you!” Gyrus squealed, grinning ear to ear and not letting go of his fiancé.

“What were you all going to do if he– if I– if the answer was no?” Kodya laughed.

“Impuss*vle,” Vee slurred, one arm slung over Bronzo.

Bronzo rolled his eyes. “Sorry, she drank too much.”

“You know Vee? What is she even doing here?” Gyrus chuckled. Kodya eyed her suspiciously.

“She’s sort of like a sister to me,” Bronzo said. “She said you were friends?”

“Hardly.” Gyrus patted Vee on the head. “But it’s okay. If you trust her, I trust her.”

“Who’s this?” Kodya asked, gesturing to Bronzo.

“Ah, this is Bronzo! I forgot you hadn’t met!” Gyrus pulled their hands together for them to shake.

Bronzo looked Kodya up and down. “So you’re the infamous savior,” he said in a low, calculating voice. Kodya gulped. “Nice to meet you!” Bronzo perked up and clapped Kodya on the shoulder.

Kodya looked confused, but nodded. “Uh… Thanks?”

Maria rounded the corner with two wine glasses in hand. “Here!” She shoved the glasses towards the couple.

Kodya took one, but Gyrus held a palm up. “Um, I don’t drink, remember?”

“Oh, come on, you just got engaged! Don’t you ever rebel?”

Gyrus froze. “What?”

“What?” Maria repeated, looking dizzy.

Kodya pushed Maria and the remaining glass away with a glare. “He said he doesn’t drink. Back off.”

Gyrus continued to stare at Maria. His sight began to blur and his ears began to ring.

What did she say?

That was what Don had asked him when they had first met. That was what he had wanted from Gyrus. To rebel.

He couldn’t take it. He ran past the crowd and into his and Kodya’s room. He only allowed Kodya in before slamming the door shut and sinking to the floor in tears.

Kodya slid down beside Gyrus, not saying a word, just holding him. Gyrus cried for a while before wiping his tears.

“What’s going on, Gyrus?”

Gyrus sniffled. “Th-that was what Don asked me. She asked– she…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, but it was okay. Kodya held him anyway. The wine glass was nowhere to be seen– he must have left it behind– they held each other without anything between them.

“Breathe with me,” Kodya whispered. He inhaled and exhaled at a steady pace.

Gyrus tried his best to match his fiancé’s rhythm, and soon enough, he was a little bit calmer. “Thank you,” he murmured, nuzzling his head in the crook of Kodya’s neck.

“Of course.” Kodya played with Gyrus’ hair. It was oddly calming for him, and Kodya knew that.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Not right now,” Kodya called.

“It’s Neph,” the knocker called back.

When did Nephthys get here? Gyrus wondered.

Kodya looked at him, and he nodded, so he let her in.

She sat in front of the couple. “Hey.” She gave a small wave and Gyrus looked up, brushing the tears away. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I-I thought I was over this,” Gyrus hiccupped. “But when Maria… She asked if I– if I ever rebel. He asked that, too. When we first met. I guess it stuck with me…”

Nephthys cupped Gyrus’ cheek. “Oh, baby. It’s okay. These things take time.” Her golden bracelets shone in the lamp light, shining right into his eyes. Somehow, even that part about her was calming.

Kodya squeezed his hand in reassurance as he nodded. “I-I don’t want… this party. I want to be alone.” Although both he and Kodya knew that meant being alone with him.

Nephthys nodded and stood up. “Rest up, lovebirds. I’ll take care of this,” she said with a wink and exited the room.

“Everyone needs a Nephthys,” Kodya chuckled as the door shut.

“They really do,” Gyrus agreed, leaning on Kodya’s shoulder.

Kodya picked him up bridal style, set him down on their bed, and joined him. “So, fiancé…” Kodya teased, fidgeting with his engagement ring, “big or small?”

“My dick or spoon position?”

Kodya blushed madly. “The wedding.”

“I know,” Gyrus laughed. It was rare for him to even be able to see the bright side in these moments, so he took the chance to joke when he could. “I’m thinking small.”

“Are you sure? I’ve seen you…” Kodya gently nudged Gyrus’ crotch with his knee.

“Kodya!” Gyrus giggled.

“Hey, you started it.” Kodya booped his nose. “Why a small wedding? Crowds?”

Gyrus shrugged. “It feels more special when it’s smaller. More personal.”

“Fair enough.”

“I’m so happy I’m gonna get to have you as my husband,” Gyrus giggled. “It feels like a dream.”

Kodya took Gyrus’ hand in his and held them between them, open palms facing Gyrus. “Is this a dream?”

Their hands were normal. Five fingers each, normal colors. “...No.” He smiled.

“This is real,” Kodya said, pulling Gyrus into a strong hug. “This is real…” he repeated after a moment, as if he still needed to convince himself.

Gyrus was about to say something when he felt his fiancé shaking. He pried Kodya’s hands away from his face and noticed his tears. “Babe,” he said softly.

Kodya sniffled and didn’t answer.

“Kodya.”

He finally reacted, albeit with a slur of Russian curses.

“Kodya, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I’m fine,” Kodya whimpered.

“...You’re not fine,” Gyrus whispered, holding Kodya’s face.

Kodya sobbed into Gyrus’ embrace. “...I don’t want to lose you.”

Gyrus fidgeted with Kodya’s engagement ring. “I know the feeling. But this is my promise to you that I’m not going anywhere.”

Hic. “You’re too good to me,” Kodya sobbed. “You know what I’ve done.”

“I know that you’ve been the perfect boyfriend,” Gyrus murmured, “and I know that you’ll be the perfect husband…” He placed a kiss to the back of Kodya’s hand.

“I love you,” Kodya cried softly.

“I love you, too.”

.•° Though I’m past one hundred thousand miles, I’m feeling very still…

Gyrus rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. Who could be calling at four in the morning?

.•° And I think my spaceship knows which way to go…

He rolled over to check who it could possibly be.

.•° Tell my man I love him very much, he knows

NEPHTHYS is calling . . . Answer | Deny

Gyrus groaned. Was this about last night?

.•° Ground Control to Major Tom–

Answer tap!

“What is it?” Gyrus asked groggily.

“Gyrus! How are you doing?” Nephthys responded cheerily.

Kodya stirred beside Gyrus. “Neph, it’s four o’clock in the morning,” Gyrus groaned. “I’m tired.”

He could hear chatter in the background. “Is it? Oh dear! Sorry! I’m working the night shift,” Nephthys laughed.

“After the party??” Gyrus gawked.

“Yes, that’s why I called,” the doctor explained. “How are you doing?”

“Oh. I’m okay,” Gyrus sighed. “Thanks for checking up on me.” Kodya murmured something in his sleep and Gyrus ruffled his hair lovingly.

“Of course.” Gyrus could hear Neph’s smile through the phone. “Tell Kody I said hi, okay? Have a good day!”

“I will,” Gyrus laughed quietly.

Hang up tap! – boowoowoop –

“Hi,” Kodya murmured sleepily.

Pfft. Gyrus smiled down at his fiancé. He’s perfect.

He nestled back in beside him contentedly. I really couldn’t ask for a better husband, he thought happily.

“Gyrus…”

“Hmm?”

“Ya tebya lyublyu…”

Gyrus felt his face heat up. Kodya spoke in his native tongue in his sleep sometimes, although he refused to translate anything Gyrus repeated back to him. But Gyrus knew this phrase.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.

Chapter 6: Today

Summary:

<3

Chapter Text

On the day of their wedding, Gyrus and Kodya were the happiest either of them had ever been. It was a small wedding: only their closest friends were invited, but it didn’t make the occasion any less grand.

Nephthys was in the other room with Kodya, and Tori had offered to help dress Gyrus. Sylvia had tagged along too, having gotten close to Tori.

“Well, astrobutt, thy husband will be impressed,” Tori commented as Sylvia added a flower to Gyrus’ hair.

“What’s with the Shakespearean speech today?” Gyrus chuckled. His heart warmed at the word husband , although it wasn’t official yet. Still: he was really marrying Kodya!

Tori shrugged. “It is a formal ceremony, is it not? Thy speech must meet the occasion.”

“This ‘astrobutt’ begs to differ,” Gyrus joked.

“That does not count!” Tori huffed.

Sylvia backed up so Gyrus could see her and gave a thumbs up. Gyrus turned to look in the mirror and grinned: he really did look good; just how he wanted to, as well. His hair was styled similar to his usual half-up-half-down look, but instead of a bun, it was in multiple braids shaped into a 3D heart with a blue azalea poking out the middle. Below, he wore a tailed white suit adorned by a midnight blue rose boutonnière and a tie of matching hue.

He couldn’t wait to see how his fiancé looked!

Sylvia clapped her hands to direct his attention to her, then fired off some signs. “You look amazing! Kodya will love it!” she signed excitedly.

“Thank you,” Gyrus signed back with a giggle.

Tori looked between the two, not knowing how to sign. “She said I look good,” Gyrus translated.

“She is right,” Tori agreed, shooting him a sincere smile.

“I am always right,” Sylvia corrected haughtily. She pointed to the door. “Time to go!”

“What? Already?” Gyrus gasped.

The fluffy pink-haired girl grinned and nodded. “Are you ready?”

“I-I guess??” Gyrus stammered. He looked to the door nervously and Sylvia patted his shoulder in reassurance.

Tori hooked an elbow around Gyrus’ and opened the door grandly. She led Gyrus down the hall and to the entrance to the beach, Sylvia trailing not far behind.

“This is really happening!!” Gyrus whisper-yelled, unable to contain his excitement.

“Aye,” Tori laughed. She pressed her head against Gyrus’ and pointed ahead, guiding his line of sight to Kodya. “There he is.”

Gyrus’ heart almost gave out as he took in the sight of his fiancé. He was always easily distracted by this man, and this day was no different. The person before him was gorgeous . A tall, muscular man with long brown hair and a blond streak that so perfectly complemented his electric blue eyes… He wore a jet black suit, a bell of Ireland boutonnière, and an emerald green bowtie, his silky brunette hair pulled back in a high pony with a magnificent green hellebore tied tightly around it.

“Absolutely stunning,” Gyrus whispered.

Kodya caught his gaze and gaped at Gyrus. “Beautiful,” he mouthed, and Gyrus giggled.

Tori led him down the aisle, and when they reached the altar, Tori handed him off to Kodya with a silly bow.

Nephthys stood beside Kodya as his best woman, and Maria stood by Gyrus’ place as his. Alastair, the celebrant, cleared his throat. “Good evening, friends and loved ones. My name is Alastair and I am today’s celebrant. Today, we come together to celebrate the love of Gyrus Axalei and Kodya Karevic.” He turned to the grooms. “Gyrus and Kodya, you have chosen to come together in this union, not out of a religious or traditional obligation, but because of your deep love and commitment to each other. We are honored to stand as witnesses to the power of human connection. Your love inspires us all.” He turned to face the audience again. “Now we will hear a reading to celebrate this wondrous occasion.” He gestured to Nephthys, who stepped forward to the podium.

The doctor smiled at the crowd. “Here is ‘The Space Between Us’ by James A. Pearson.” She cleared her throat. “ Don’t try to give me all of yourself– as if you would, as if the wilderness that bears your name was yours to give .” She looked up to the dusking sky. “ Instead let’s live like mountains: two worlds rooted together but each cutting its own shape into the changing sky. ” Nephthys gestured to the couple meaningfully. “ I’ll be the one to see you radiant in the morning light, and to watch as evening’s last glow anoints your head.

“ I’ll be your companion as the seasons paint you green and gold and white and green again.” She stopped to make a digging motion. “And as the snows melt and the rains fall, carving ever deeper the beautiful grooves of your being, let them flow into the sacred space between us– the quiet valley our bodies make, where deep waters and the dark earth take everything we’ve lost and everything we’ve given and make new life… ” she stepped back and placed a palm to her heart, “ for all those who call this place home. ”

The small audience erupted into applause before Alastair stepped back up. “This couple met due to very unfortunate circ*mstances, but these two have stuck together through thick and thin since first sight.” He took Gyrus’ hand and held it up for the crowd. “Gyrus Axalei, would you like to share your story?”

Gyrus took a deep breath and joined Alastair by the podium. He glanced at Kodya, who gave him a warm smile, and knew he could do this. “Right, um…” He laughed a little. “A little under two years ago, I was kidnapped and held for four months before the monster– er, my captor– tried to leave me to die. But Kodya–” he shot him a gentle grin– “rescued me, endangering his life for me… So stupid…” He laughed despite himself. “When I woke up from my three week coma, Kodya was by my side, and he never left. I will forever thank him for that.” He accepted the applause before stepping back down.

Alastair cleared his throat. “Thank you, Gyrus. Now–” he turned to Kodya– “the one and only savior. Kodya Karevic has his own story, one that he holds close and far away from others and plans to keep it so— which is okay, mind you! Upon his return to the normal world, he was a lost soul until he met Gyrus, the so-called light of his life, which I might add is true, seeing his bright red face.” The audience collectively laughed before Alastair continued. “Kodya Karevic, please speak your vows to Gyrus Axalei.”

Kodya stepped forward and seized Gyrus’ hands. “Gyrus. The day I met you, I knew my world had changed, and not only because I almost killed someone…” He laughed morbidly. “I have stayed by your side since the beginning, and I vow to never leave. I vow to be a shoulder you can cry on. I vow to be someone you can trust with your whole self. I vow to love you forever, as I do now, and always will. I love you, Gyrus.”

“WOOOO!!” someone in the audience roared, and the rest clapped delightedly.

“Gyrus Axalei, please speak your vows to Kodya Karevic.”

Gyrus cupped Kodya’s cheek. “Kodya… You have saved my life more times than anyone should have to,” he laughed, “yet you’re still here, willing to do it all over again. I promise to do the same. I promise you that I will always love you, even if your sneezes sound more like screams than anything else.” The audience collectively chuckled. “I love you, Kodya.”

He would have leaned in to kiss him if not for the fact that it was a wedding and he would have to wait.

After the applause and shouting died down, Olimedes stepped forward with the rings.

Alastair smiled. “With the love you feel in your hearts, you want to seal your vows by exchanging wedding rings. These precious rings are a symbol of unity, and the unbroken circle of love. Kodya, please take the ring and place it on Gyrus’ left hand and repeat after me.” Kodya did so. “I choose Gyrus to be my lifelong partner and give you this ring as a token of my love. I join my life to yours forever.”

“I choose Gyrus to be my lifelong partner and give you this ring as a token of my love. I join my life to yours forever.”

Alastair turned to Gyrus. “Gyrus, please take the ring and place it on Kodya’s left hand and repeat after me.” Gyrus did so. “I choose Kodya to be my lifelong partner and give you this ring as a token of my love. I join my life to yours forever.”

“I choose Kodya to be my lifelong partner and give you this ring as a token of my love. I join my life to yours forever.”

“Kodya. Do you promise to love, cherish, comfort, honor, and keep Gyrus in sickness and in health, for good or for bad, for rich or poor and shelter him for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

“Gyrus. Do you promise to love, cherish, comfort, honor, and keep Kodya in sickness and in health, for good or for bad, for rich or poor and shelter him for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do!”

“I pronounce you husbands– you may now kiss the groom.”

.•° And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

Swoosh!

.•° ‘Til touchdown brings me ‘round again to find I’m not the man they think I am at home

“Hahaha!”

.•° Oh, no, no, no

Gyrus and Kodya spun each other around on the sand like children playing, swimming in each other’s love and dancing like they had all the time in the world. The sun set peacefully behind them, disappearing behind the horizon in a splash of orange and red against the blue sea, giving way for galaxies to shine above them.

.•° I’m a rocket man

“I have a secret,” Gyrus whispered in Kodya’s ear.

“Me too,” Kodya whispered back.

.•° Rocket man

“I love you,” Gyrus giggled.

“That’s what I was gonna say!”

“I know!”

.•° Burning out his fuse up here alone

.•° And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time…

The Scars We Share - Censored - ros104 (2024)

Chapter 1: Far from Home

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Chapter 2: Everything is Fine

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Chapter 3: Even Now

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Chapter 4: Lost Love

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Chapter 5: I Killed Him

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Chapter 6: Today

Summary:

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References