Chapter Text
The creature believed he truly had no one left, until he felt the small bundle of furs in his arms give a ragged breath.
After all the anger, all the hatred he had built up from the very beginning of what he felt to be his conscious existence, knowing that his creator was still alive even now brought a feeling of relief.
There was someone still there; someone who still knew who he was. Despite the circumstances of his existence, he was still endowed with that innately human fear of being forgotten.
He was not a beast: a beast would not have such a fear.
"Victor Frankenstein," His voice was soft, a tone so gentle being entirely new to him. "Victor Frankenstein, you will live. You will live, and as shall I."
The being he cradled stirred slightly - barely even a tremor - and glanced over him with glazed, barely lucid eyes. A lone word was spoken soundlessly before his eyes closed again, and it was as the creation was traveling across the ice in search of safety for them that he realized what had been said.
Adam.
A name. By God, he had been given a name. He was Adam. Adam, who carefully held a nearly dead man in his arms after pushing him to that almost terminal fatigue. Adam, who was - and always would be - nothing but grotesque. Adam, the monster.
Adam, who would save the life of the one who bestowed it upon him.
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The last thing Victor remembered was staring up at the creature in the ice, yet he awoke inside of what seemed like a makeshift snow house with still hazy vision.
Where was Adam? Where was he? Was he going to die?
There was an attempt made to call out to him - to anyone, really - but no sound passed his lips; only a tight pain in his throat gave him any indication that he had even tried to speak at all.
Oh dear. He was going to die, wasn't he? Abandoned in a hut.
Actually, that didn't add up. Why go through that much trouble just to abandon him? It seemed useless. Logically, it seemed like Adam would be returning. What would happen then? Had he been waiting for Victor to regain consciousness so that he could take more pleasure in the kill? He grew tense: he wouldn't hold Adam above something like that.
It felt like torture, having nothing to do except wait for his probable demise; well, wait or reflect on his past, his choices. Both wrought nothing but misery and frustration from him. Both only further fueled his despisal of Adam.
He shivered, and drew the furs closer around himself. It wasn't the first time he had felt the harsh chill of the arctic, but this was the first time that he was helpless to do anything about it.
It was frightening.
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Adam had expected the man to still be resting upon his return, so finding Victor sitting upright as he entered the igloo jolted him into a standstill.
"... You."
His voice was frail - God, why was it so frail? - despite the distinct malice in it, the man seeming to shrink back from him slightly. Was Victor angry? Afraid?
He took a small step towards the other, and received an almost immediate rasp of 'Stay back!'; so he paused for a moment before sighing.
"I can stay near the edges, but I need to come inside. Does that work?"
The man simply scowled at him.
"I'll take that as a yes."
With that Adam resumed entry into the igloo, keeping his word of remaining at the exact opposite edge from Victor, so as to be as far away as possible. Despite this arrangement, Victor still seemed to have that peculiar mix of fear and anger in his unyielding eyes. Adam sighed.
"... How long do you plan to watch me like that?"
"How long do you plan to let me live?"
"You think I plan to kill you."
"I know you plan to kill me."
The word 'idiot' briefly passed through Adam's mind.
"What if I don't plan to kill you?"
"You do."
"I didn't realize you knew my thoughts, Victor."
"I didn't realize you had the nerve to try and lie about your intentions."
He opened his mouth to debate this but quickly closed it again, deciding it was better to avoid indulging Victor in an argument; so he changed the subject.
"Are you warm enough?"
The man seemed to curl tighter into the furs.
"... Why do you care?"
A fair question. Why did he care? Victor had caused him nothing but misery since his creation; the idea of him slowly freezing to death should be appealing, why was it an appalling idea to him?
"I'd wager freezing to death is a horrible way to go," He paused and looked up to calmly meet his creator's distrusting gaze. "…You deserve better than to perish like that."
"I suppose you want me to say 'thank you'?"
"No, no, I know better than to expect that. I just want to know if you're warm enough."
Victor seemed to silently contemplate for a bit.
"... I'm fine. It's warm."
"Are you sure?"
"What do I stand to gain from lying about it?"
The man was silently glaring again, and Adam frowned when he caught him shiver violently. Was he going to have to fight just to get the other to understand that his life wasn't in danger with him? Why did Victor have to be so frustratingly stubborn?
"Clearly you stand to gain something, or else you wouldn't have lied about it."
"And just what do you plan to do?"
"I plan to help you preserve body heat."
"Don't you dare!"
The man had recoiled away from him again. Oh, why did he have to be like that? Adam rose to his full height, and there was a noticeable shift in Victor: he was visibly more tense, and the slight rasp of his breath had hastened.
Realization dawned on him as Victor attempted to shrink into himself.
"You're afraid."
"You're imagining things-"
"I'm not." Adam made strides towards him. "You're scared of me,"
"Get back-"
"frightened. Why? What did I do to deserve your fear?"
"Stay away--"
"You've been revolted by me as long as I've existed, and for what? All I ever did was exist, Victor!" He was towering over the other now, frustration fuelling the booming voice that trapped his creator against the wall of the igloo. "Just what about that is so deserving of your continued disgust?!"
"STOP!"
The figure beneath him let out a desperate cry before doubling over, gasping for whatever bit of breath he could snatch up. Just as Adam stepped back, Victor collapsed.