#lex/sarah chapters always end with him being like 'k bye'

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Enemy of my Enemy

for Angstpril, Day 25: Nothing Lasts Forever

cw: adult language, death mention

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The moment his cybernetics were reattached, Cinder was on his feet, and it took a lot of effort for Sarah to hold her tongue and not tell him to get back in bed and sleep. He was clearly exhausted. She wouldn't be surprised if the most rest he'd gotten in the last few weeks was the handful of hours he'd spent unconscious, and that hardly counted.

But instead of insisting he stay and heal, or at least have something to eat for fuck's sake, she forced out a casual, "Headed out?" as Cinder brushed past her on the stairs, hardly sparing a glance up. 

The man grunted, not turning around. "You gonna stop me?"

"No."

"Good." He carried on down the hallway, one hand on the wall for support. It was almost painful to watch, even more so to not comment on.

It's his choice, she reminded herself. It needs to be his choice, or you're no better than Uriah.

"Where will you go?" she asked.

"You don't need to know," he said, not slowing.

Sarah huffed. "You're right. I don't. But we did just save your life, and it'd do my fragile heart some good to know you're not about to undo all our hard work." She leaned on the wall, pulling at the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "At least… just tell me you have somewhere to go, alright? Somewhere safe?"

"Why do you care?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I just say—"

He glanced back, looking mildly annoyed. "Okay, why did you bother to save me then?"

"Told you that too. Real heroes save everyone." She sighed, reaching up to adjust her glasses, if only to have something to do with her hands. "Look. You didn't deserve whatever happened to you in that prison, and you don't deserve to be lorded over by Uriah Fox." She shrugged. "If nothing else, getting you out of his clutches is just another way to be a pain in Titanium's ass."

That much seemed to get through to him, at least a little. He gave a short nod. "Enemy of my enemy, huh?"

"Something like that," she replied. "I want to be clear, I meant it when I said 'no conditions'. What I'm about to offer is just that; an offer."

His expression didn't change whatsoever, but he wasn't retreating further down the hall, so that was a start.

Did she really want to do this? Whether he hated Fox or not, the guy was still a trained killer.

But then again, weren't they all, in a way? A Hero team could do just as much harm as an assassin, if not more. At the end of the day, the only difference was the side of the law they were on. 

Heroes didn't get to choose their missions. Maybe Cinder had never had a choice either.

Sarah took a breath. "You don't have to go out and face the world alone," she said. "I mean, you definitely can, and I'm sure you're good at it, but that's not your only option. If you want to stay here with us, you can. Obviously, you'll be able to come and go as you please. You can even just use this as a place to crash every now and then."

"And what do you want?" Suspicion was back in his voice.

"All I ask is that you're a good house guest and don't bring down hellfire on our happy home," Sarah replied. "'Course we'd appreciate some help with Uriah too, but I'm sure you've seen enough of that man for one lifetime."

There was a long pause before Cinder answered; what felt like a full minute of him staring her down, as if trying to read her mind.

"I'll think about it."

Better than nothing. He turned away, but stopped just short of the door.

"Do you actually think you stand a chance against him? Against Titanium?"

It almost sounded like a challenge, but his tone was too drained to give it any bite.

"Guess we'll find out," Sarah said.

"Hope that's not what you're basing your lives on. Guesswork."

"I'm working on a plan." And had been for months now, but being constantly on edge due to the neverending potential for an attack wasn't exactly great for plotting to overthrow a company. "We'll find a weakness," she said.

"For Uriah?"

"For the Corps."

"The Corps?" He half turned back. "They're an empire. You want to take all of them on with just a handful of people?"

"Empires fall," Sarah replied. "Just gotta find the right spot to start pushing."

Cinder looked like he wanted to say more, but he only shook his head, reaching for the door.

"I'll see you around, Spyglass," he murmured as he stepped over the threshold and into the fading daylight. 

It might've just been in her head, and she hadn't sharpened her hearing enough to be certain, but as the door closed Sarah could've sworn she heard a soft,

"Thank you."

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