#theyre all tiny snippets out of order

[jaysworlds]

Whumptober 2021 Day Nine

“He’s not dead,” Freddie says, for what must be the sixth time. “He’s not dead. He can’t be.”

He just … can’t believe it. They made it this far, he and Alexei, and now Alexei’s just … gone? No. That isn’t right. It can’t be right.

Terri sighs, looking out over the churning water beneath them. “He was unconscious when he went under. I don’t know how he’d have survived.”

“He has to be alive,” Freddie insists, looking out over the water for … something. Anything. Any sign Alexei’s still there.

“I can go look again,” Miles says, pulling himself to his feet. He’s clearly exhausted, and Freddie feels so guilty about asking him for it, but he just nods.

Miles gives him a tired smile and takes off again, gliding over the surface of the water.

Another body drifts past, and Freddie looks away.

“Freddie,” Terri says gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know how he could have made it.”

“He has to,” Freddie says, and turns to bury his face in her shoulder. “He … I need him.”

He’s going to have an awful lot of things to think about, once this is all over. His father is dead, and his brothers are likely the same. Everyone he ever knew could be dead.

He doesn’t want to think about that, any of it. He pulls away from Terri and stands, as if he has more of a chance to spot Alexei in the water than Miles does.

There’s so much water. This was a city, a few hours ago, and now only a few roofs are visible above the flood.

He doesn’t understand how Alexei did this. He’d never seen so much raw power from anyone before, and on the one level he’d known Alexei had power but … not this much.

Not so much power as to raze a whole city to the ground.

It saved their lives, though. Freddie doesn’t think he’s fully processed the fact that his father was going to kill him, just for … loving Alexei.

He doesn’t really understand that either. He doesn’t know if he’s ever going to.

“C’mon, Alexei,” he whispers, more to himself than to anyone else.

Terri sighs, but she doesn’t say anything.

Kai’s missing too, but Freddie isn’t so worried about her. She’s built for water, and she wasn’t unconscious. She’ll be fine, and he’s sure she’ll make her way back to them eventually.

He sits down on the edge of the roof and then stands again, walking over to the other side and looking into the water there.

Nothing. Of course there’s nothing.

“Freddie,” Terri says, coming to stand beside him. “I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“What do I do without him?” Freddie asks, hollow.

“You’ll be alright,” Terri says. “Come back with me and Miles. You can stay, if you want.”

Not like Freddie still has anything here. His father is gone. His brothers are gone. The castle is gone.

He stifles a sob, rubbing at his eyes.

He’s king now. That … he doesn’t want to think about that, but he is. Not like there’s anyone else to do it.

“I don’t think I can,” he says, a little wobbly. “I … shouldn’t leave, not now.”

Terri shrugs, puts an arm around his shoulders. “Fuck ‘em. They’ll find someone else.”

She must have realised too, then.

“That’s not how it works.”

“It might have to be.”

They’re interrupted by a yell from Miles, and Freddie almost falls into the water trying to see what he’s doing.

Please. Please, by all the gods, let him have found Alexei.

He’s found something, because he’s flying low, close to the water, and he seems to be struggling. Freddie wishes he could help, but he can’t fly and neither can Terri, and there’s not much they can do between the water and the distance.

Freddie’s momentarily distracted from Miles by the arrival of Kai, who drifts up on to the roof they’re on and collapses at his feet, obviously exhausted.

He crouches beside her, stroking her scales with shaking hands, and she barely reacts.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “Good girl. You can rest now.”

“I found him,” Miles says, finally alighting on the roof, and Freddie scrambles to his feet. Sure enough, he’s holding Alexei in his arms, soaking wet and limp.

“Is he alive?” Freddie whispers.

Miles shrugs, lets Freddie take Alexei from him and lay him down on the roof. “I couldn’t check. Kai was keeping him out of the water.”

“Good girl,” Freddie says, glancing over at her, and presses two fingers to Alexei’s throat, praying.

He’s alive. He’s alive. There’s a faint pulse beneath Freddie’s fingers, and Freddie slumps down beside him, about ready to cry with relief.

“He’s alive,” he whispers, to the others, and wraps his arms around himself, unable to stop the sobs.

Miles collapses beside him, laying down on his back and closing his eyes. When Freddie finally manages to stop crying he needs to thank him, over and over, but for now he can’t even speak.

It’s going to be alright. They’re all here, all alive.

They’re going to be alright.