#it just reminds me of dusa / medusa

[cactusnymph]

so do we think that dora is pandora or

[kleio-writes]

Medusa recovering after a bad mission.

Something that wouldn't get out of my mind when talking to @arturhunter about our characters in the MWII AU getting hurt.

This one is about Medusa, specifically. And I will be writing one for Hermes this week.

This is also a little part of the AU story that we're having fun with. So these characters are already in the TF141 (or at least used for some missions). On this specific one Medusa was deployed but not Hermes. This is after a week of Medusa being at the hospital (awake). Y'all have to wait until I write the whole background about what happened with the squad Hermes and Medusa were in before. But maybe that's after this gets some attraction.

The sound of the IV dripping fills the room and the smell of the antiseptic burns her nostrils each time she inhales. Medusa was recovering in the hospital bed of a private room Hermes had asked specifically for her when she was brought out of surgery. 

She should have been dead with the amount of blood she lost but the MedEvac brought her just in time. Another scar decorated her body now, another reminder of her brush with death. Looks like it’s what she always attracted to herself, ever since birth.

She was looking out the window absentmindedly when someone knocked at the door. She looked over, thinking it was a Nurse or Doctor. Or even Ghost who was guarding her since she was brought in. If it was because of Price’s orders or just because of his guilty conscience, she didn’t know.

-Hey ‘Dusa it’s me. 

The person didn’t need to say much, she recognized the voice of her brother. The only person that would have cared about her untimely death, maybe the 141 would have cared a bit but she was nothing more but another Soldier to them. A means to an end.

She stared blankly at the door before speaking, her voice hoarse.

-Yeah come in..

Medusa goes back to staring out the window as she hears the door open. She almost wants to look and try to see if Ghost is still out there but fears showing her face even more in the process. She couldn’t trust anyone. Fuck, why can’t she just have her mask here.

 On the bright side her family thought she was dead and buried after this last mission, right after going against them too. 

Morrigan. Her last name haunted her.

Hermes entered the room with some containers in his hand. Shaking them a bit, enough to hear the inside contents move. Medusa only looks back at her brother when she hears the door close.

-Brought you some of my delicious home cooked meals, the gods know you won’t be well fed with the hospital food or the MRE later on. 

Hermes says that with his normal voice. Excited, joking a little even. It was just how his booming voice sounded. Medusa found comfort in it, even if he was too loud at the times her brain was overstimulated. But anything was better than the constant buzzing in her ears and the arrival of her chronic headaches right now.

-Oh yeah ? Finally some good food..

Medusa responds with her quiet raspy voice and smiles, her lips cracked and with a little scar that was definitely staying. Another one adorning her features. 

She hasn’t talked that much since she was isolated in this bleak hospital room for recovery. 

Ghost sure didn’t talk to her or even bother to enter the room since the day she was brought in. The same day Hermes came to visit her with a disheveled look. All rage and concern and grief by just imagining she could have died. 

Ghost hasn’t spoken to her since the day the three of them talked when she woke up from her surgery. The day when Medusa asked for Ghost to stay when he wanted to give them both privacy, when she had her face in the open. All bruises and no mask.

She tried to shake the thought of someone other than Hermes actually looking at her.

Medusa tried to get up a bit to a sitting position, she winced from the pain. Her stitches and inflamed skin were giving her hell. Of course it had to be right in her abdomen, she had been a fool in her mission.

Hermes puts the containers on the bedside table when noticing her discomfort and helps her a bit. Medusa pulls a face at the sting.

-Easy there ‘Dusa.

-I’m trying..

Now she knew why she hadn’t  attempted to talk, even breathing hurt.

After successfully sitting on the bed she finally opens her eyes and actually looks at Hermes.

-No helmet or mask again, huh ?

-What can I say, I have a pretty face.

He makes a pause and focuses on the containers with food. Not really staring at them but lost in thought. Hermes looks at Medusa again after a bit.

-Plus, what’s the point if the team already saw my pretty mug when I came looking for you ?

She hums at his answer.

He sits down on a chair next to her and starts opening the containers, using the space on the bed next to her as a table. The sound of the plastic fills the room. She takes a look.

-Damn, not even metal utensils ?

-Nope, they search us up and down before entering. I love me a bit of a wandering hand but even I think it’s excessive.

She snorts at that and winces automatically.  Damn stitches. Hermes chuckles.

Both of them eat in silence for a while until Hermes breaks the silence.

-They’re worried about you, you know ?

Medusa doesn’t say anything, just hums and eats her food. Yeah right.

-I know you think they don’t after what happened to our last squad… Those motherfuckers were just a bunch of turncoats.

He continues. She continued to chew on her food. Medusa didn’t really like reviving memories and Hermes knew it.

-What I’m trying to say is…They were really shaken up with what happened. We all thought you weren’t going to make it ‘Dusa. Hell, I was not okay but the team certainly wasn’t better. Ghost blames himself you know ?

She swallows her food thickly and puts the plastic fork down.

-That’s his job, he’s the Lieutenant. He was responsible for the mission.

-Yeah but--

-Then he’s just doing his job.

-‘Dusa you don’t understand. He’s been at the door for the past week--

-Because of Price’s orders--

-THERE IS NO ORDERS.

Medusa just stares at Hermes after their back and forth. Her green gaze saying ‘You know better’ by his outburst. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a sharp breath, groaning right after.  Getting up he paces around while speaking loudly to Medusa.

-Why can’t you understand the concept of affection when it comes from other people!? These guys actually like us, why must you be so uptight about it !? For fuck’s sake, Ghost saved your ass out there. If it wasn’t for him checking in on you at that moment and called the MedEvac you would have died Mona.

Medusa closes her eyes, trying not to wince at the screaming. She knew that. She remembers having her eyes shut from the pain, trying to hold onto her wound to make pressure but being too weak for it. She remembers how the Lieutenant shouted her callsign and dropped to his knees beside her, grabbing her and putting his hands on hers to try to stop the bleeding, but it was bad. 

She remembers his gruff voice saying “Keep your eyes open Sargeant” and “C’mon ‘Dusa don’t fall asleep”. She wanted to remove those words from her brain. The softness and the distress of his tone along with them... Was that why she allowed him to see her face when she woke up ?

Medusa looked straight at Hermes, he had used her name, he had screamed at her too. Why couldn’t he just have his mouth shut.

-You know exactly why I can’t trust them. Both of us know.

Hermes remembers. He pales at the memory and swallows dryly.

-‘Dusa look, I’m sorry--

-Out.

-‘Dusa please--

-I said out. I’m tired.

The Operator didn’t say anything else as the Sniper put the container of food on the bedside table and got herself laid down. Her back turned. 

-I’ll be back tomorrow…Maybe Soap and Gaz will visit with me. Price still has some things to work with Laswell but he will appear by the end of the week.

That was all that was said before Hermes opened the door and left Medusa alone. She sighed, wincing again at the pain.

On the other side of the door, Ghost stood there waiting, guarding. He saw Hermes getting out by his peripheral vison.

-So ?

-So, she’s on her bullshit again. Seemed a bit better though hurting a lot from the wound, but she’ll live. That’s Medusa for yah.

Ghost looked down at Hermes, face unreadable from the plain black balaclava he was using. It was weird for him not seeing Ghost with his famous skull mask. Reminding the Operator of the uncanny valley concept. Humanoid but not really Human.

Ghost’s brown eyes stared intently at Hermes. As if asking permission for something. Would the Lieutenant ever use his own words ?

-You can enter, she won’t mind since she permitted you to see her face properly before. She is cranky and a bit mad right now so just beware. Snakes bite when threatened and all of that.

Was all Hermes said before going back to base.

Do not Repost.