Work Text:
Owen
A loud wailing siren had Owen jumping to his feet. He ran as fast as his weak body would let him towards the bars of his cells, peering out of them. He saw many of the other men doing it as well.
The walls of the prison were cast in red lights and sounds of men running echoed through the halls barely heard over the blaring noise of the siren. Owen heard a man yell a plea for help followed by a blood-curdling scream. A wave of panic spread through Owen’s body, he didn’t know what had happened to that man but god it didn’t sound good.
***
Curt
“Please, I’ll do anything,” The man below him begged desperately but Curt ignored him and pulled the trigger. He checked his watch, the little map that Barb had programmed into it popping up, showing him the path he had to take to get to the control room. Stepping over the body before him, Curt lept into a run, speeding down the hallway.
He had rigged the place with explosives but having learnt from his mistakes, had set no timer, rather having the trigger being a push of a button.
Curt reached the end of the hallway and recocked his gun, holding it before his chest. He glanced around the corner but to his relief, it was deserted. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kill these people, it was more that he didn’t want the prisoners to have to hear the pitiful screams of the wounded. Hell, they’d been through enough without having to hear that.
Curt reached the door that Barb had marked out as the control room. He jimmied the lock and pushed the door open.
***
Owen
‘‘In 2, 3, 4, out, 2, 3, 4, you are not going to die,’’ Owen repeated over and over to himself trying to convince himself what he was saying was true. He massaged his wrist and attempted to focus on that instead of the overwhelming feeling of terror flowing through his body. Still breathing slightly faster than what was healthy Owen shifted his body into a more comfortable position, pushing his back up against the wall.
From where he sat Owen could just see his reflection in the grimy, cracked mirror that hung above the basin. He almost didn’t recognise himself. His ripped clothes hung off his thin, grey shoulders, barely covering any of the scarred flesh beneath it. His hair, lifeless and oily, framed his gaunt face and hung down below his shoulders, his hair used to be slick back with gel and the interest of many men and women alike. A ragged beard disguised his once chiselled jaw and lips.
His eyes were the only thing that convinced him he was still the same man. They were the soft, delicate brown that they had always been, though his eyes were now framed by lines and deep purple marks courtesy of sleepless nights, they were still his. His eyes had always been Curt’s favourite feature of his, he used to say they were prettier than all the stars in the sky combined.
The sound of the lock on his cell jangling brought him back to his senses. Two large, burly men charged forward into his cell, guns held aloft. Before Owen had time to do anything, one of them had him in a headlock, blocking off his airway. He flapped his arms around trying to pull the man off but did not prevail.
“This is taking too long,” The first man yelled to the man choking Owen, “We need to get him out of here, just, I don’t know, knock him out”
Owen felt the grip on his neck loosen and the man stepped away, he slunk back into the wall, afraid of what was about to happen. The first man advanced towards him. He heard the sound of the man’s fist colliding with his face before he felt it. His ears rung and he felt his body drop to the ground.
“Pathetic,” The second man scoffed, peering over his weak body. Blinking tears of pain away, Owen stared back up at the grinning man before him. The man grabbed his gun out of his holster and flipped it so that the butt of the gun was facing forward and brought it down upon the side of Owen’s head.
***
Curt
His dirt and blood covered fingers ran over the keyboard, typing in the disable code Barb had given him as quickly as he could. Pressing enter on the keyboard, Curt looked up at the security feed and to his relief, all of the locks on the cell doors clicked and fell off. There were a few shouts from some of the prisoners and few of the others began to burst out of the doors, some laughing and smiling others looking terrified.
Feeling proud, Curt ran over to the door and made his way back down the corridor. Turning a corner Curt ran straight into a prisoner, she had a gun, probably from one of the dead guards,
“Stay back,” She yelled, her voice course, “Let us leave or I’ll kill you I fucking promise.” Tears streamed down the woman’s dirty, black face. Curt flung his hands in the air dropping his gun.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you, I’m not one of those sick bastards, I’m here to get you out, the exit’s-” He pointed down the hall- “is that way.” The woman looked him up skeptical but after some consideration seemed to conclude he was being honest, she turned back around and beckoned for whoever was behind her to come. To his surprise, a group of children, the oldest being maybe 12 ran past Curt, all of them small with bones poking out from all over their bodies.
It broke Curt’s heart to see it, he had no idea why the people here had children held captive but it was fucking disgusting, to say the least.
Curt bent over and picked his gun up again and turned the corner. He was met with chaos, people were running everywhere, some were sobbing, for what reason he didn’t know but he began to direct people to the exit when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Spinning around he saw a man being dragged down a corridor by two burly prison guards. The man was unconscious and his body was being pulled and shoved in every direction. He started in that direction, moving further away from the rest of the prisoners but they were helping each other and this man needed his help more.
“Hey! Put him down!” Curt yelled pointing his gun at their heads. They looked at each other and said something that Curt couldn’t quite hear before one of them pulled the unconscious man into a headlock and pointed the gun at the side of his head.
“One more step and I blow his brain out.” The one holding the gun said, Curt just chuckled, he’d heard that kind of threat before, they wouldn’t kill the person, he was far too valuable to them. Looking the man holding the gun directly in the eye he took a step forward and said,
“Well, I just took a step, why isn’t his brain splattered on the floor.” The man grumbled and jammed the gun further into the man’s head. Curt stepped forward again and again. He cocked his gun quickly and raised it at the first guard’s head and pulled the trigger. The man dropped to the floor instantly, dead, the man he had been holding falling as well landing on his stomach. The second man looked between his now dead friend and Curt looking utterly terrified. Deciding to be slightly merciful Curt said,
“Give me the man and I’ll let you live but if I do, you have to disappear and if I ever see you again, so help me god, I will finish you and you know I’m not bluffing,” He gestured at the dead guard on the floor.
The second guard nodded timidly and then sped off down the hallway. Grumbling, Curt walked forward and cradled the man in his arm pulling him away from the dead man and the pool of blood.
Brushing the man’s long hair out of his eyes Curt finally got a look at his face. He was oddly familiar but Curt couldn’t quite place where from. He looked like he was once extremely handsome but pain and grief had bore down on his delicate features making him look a lot older than he probably was, scars and bruises lined his face and the rest of his visible body. His light forehead was lined with wrinkles and his lower face covered by a bushy black beard.
Sighing, Curt put his arm behind the man’s back and the other around his knees and lifted him, both shocked and concerned about how light the man was. Picking up his pace Curt ran down the hall towards the exit.
***
Owen
He was underwater, unknown weights in his pockets pulling him down into the dark depths. He was running out of oxygen, fast, the feeling of his life slipping out of his body consumed him. He couldn’t die now, he had to keep Curt safe, to make sure Chimera didn’t get any information, he kicked his legs pushing against the weights and back towards the surface. He began using his arms. This couldn’t be the end, all of the fighting and pain for nothing, no, it couldn’t be how it ended. He could see the surface now, it was so close,
2 meters
1 meter
Owen gasped for air, flinging his head forward, his eyes snapping open. He was… being cradled? Owen turned his head and was greeted with the last thing he would have ever expected.
He was dead, he had to be. This couldn’t be real. Curt couldn’t be there holding him, again. He hadn’t changed much since he’d last seen him. He looked older but he was still the most handsome person Owen had ever seen. He looked tired and stressed but it was still Owen’s Curt.
Owen let out a sob.
“C-” He began but was cut off
“Shh, it’s okay, don’t say anything, save your voice, it’s probably very weak from lack of water,” Curt said without looking down. Tears streamed down his face now, god he hoped this wasn’t a dream and snuggled into Curt’s warm chest.
***
Curt
“C-” The man huddled in his arms began but Curt cut him off.
“Shh, it’s okay, don’t say anything, save your voice, it’s probably very weak from lack of water,”
Curt pulled the man closer to his chest and began to run faster, he needed to get the person out of here, there was something about him that made Curt’s heartache and he needed to see that he was safe.
He rounded the last corner and saw the exit. He charged forward towards it. Stepping out the double doors Curt was met with a large group of prisoners.
“Is everyone out?”
“Yes, he was the last one,” The woman Curt had seen with the children earlier said.
“I need everyone here to step back, I’m about to blow this place sky high,” Curt yelled at the people, earning a few jeers from the crowd. Everyone backed away and Curt pressed the button in his pocket.
The building was up in flames in a matter of seconds. A few people behind him cheered, he could hear others crying but he ignored them and turned back to look at the man in his arms who was sobbing profusely.
“Oh, god, please don’t cry, it’s okay, they won’t ever be able to hurt you again,” He said, trying to be comforting. Awkwardly, Curt sat down on the grass, facing the smouldering wreck that had been the prison. The man still in his lap tears sliding down his face.
Without thinking, Curt cupped the man’s face with his hands, using his thumb he wiped the tears away from his eyes.
“It’s-it’s gonna be okay,” Curt said gently,
“Is it really you, love,” The man said, his dark brown eyes meeting Curt’s and everything fell into place. He knew where he knew him from, his eyes he’d never forget them. He used to say they were prettier than all the stars in the sky combine.
“Owen?” Curt asked, choked with tears.
“Hello, Love,” Owen responded smiling through his tears. Curt put a hand to his mouth as he let out a loud sob. “Is this real, I thought-I thought you were dead” Owen just shook his head in reply.
“Oh god, Owen, I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you, I was-was an idiot, I have regretted it every da-” Curt began but Owen put a finger on his lips stopping him.
“Love, I don’t blame you, I never have, god you don’t know how hard I tried too, but instead I just loved you, I always have and I always, I know you have probably moved on Curt and I completely und-” Owen started but this time it was Curt’s turn to cut him off.
He pecked the man below him’s lips before pulling away and saying,
“Owen I could never move on from you, I love you so much.” Owen chuckled and sat up, slinging his arms around Curt’s waist.
Their lips met and Curt felt the walls around him crumble, pulling himself closer to Owen Curt deepened the kiss, Curt began to run his fingers through Owen’s long hair. He felt Owen nibble on his bottom lip and Curt moaned louder than he had expected. Owen’s tongue slipped into his mouth and began searching for something, tongues and teeth clashed as the kiss deepened even more. Eventually, they broke apart, both of them struggling for air.
“I love you, babe,” Curt said, his hand still on Owen’s cheek.
“I love you more than anything,” Owen responded, pulling Curt into a tight hug and for the first time in years, Curt felt truly happy.