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Naib knew he would be in for an earful by the time he got back to the manor.
”Don’t move! I’m coming!”
The frantic mercenary raced toward the rocket chair, scrambling to get to it on time. He knew that Jack was in the area, but he didn’t care. He could hear Norton shouting behind him, waving his arms in the safety of the exit gate and chiding him for his impulsivity. He didn’t care. Once he reached the woman trapped inside, he rushed to her side and started pulling open the restraint.
“Trace, it’ll be okay—”
“Why didn’t you go?”
“I had to save you. The exit gate is open. Go! Run! I’m right behind you.”
The mechanic quickly jumped up, clutching her bruised and bloodied side as she ran toward the gate. Naib followed behind, keeping an eye out for any sign of Jack. He could tell from the way she walked that she had significant injuries, his stomach sinking with guilt and anger.
If only he had been there.
If only he had blocked all of Jack’s attacks.
If only…
“Naib!” Tracy shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts. He had nearly run into her when she stopped short. His blood boiled when he caught sight of what made her stop.
The tall slender man started toward them, almost in an effort to corral them away from the exit gate. They were so close and yet he wouldn’t allow for their escape. Naib was already fairly injured himself. He didn’t know how much more he could take. However, he had to try.
He had to try for her.
Without a second of thought, Naib wrapped his arms around the mechanic defensively and pulled her out of the way from Jack’s blade of fog. He took the hit, then threw her toward the gate.
“Run!” He yelled. She took off, vaulting a pallet and checking behind her for any sign of the mercenary. She turned around once she got there, then nearly dropped to her knees at the sight before her. Her eyes welled up with tears as she reached a hand up over her mouth, frozen in abject horror.
Naib’s head tilted toward the sky as he dangled from Jack’s blade, pierced straight through his shoulder, chest, and neck. He hung limp, struggling for consciousness while the hunter caught sight of the mechanic. His gaze narrowed, then he flicked the man off of his claw with one casual sweep. Naib hit the ground hard, tasting the tangy metal of his own blood rising from his throat. His vision faded as he laid on the hard ground, feeling blood further pool around him. He caught sight of the mechanic behind the gate, staring at her.
He weakly smiled, then closed his eyes.
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“What the hell were you thinking?” Norton asked him as he stepped out of Emily’s office. Naib had fresh bandages from the now more miniscule wounds he obtained during the match. The soreness lingered, but it always did. He learned not to pay too much mind to it.
“Better me than her,” Naib replied nonchalantly, picking at the stray threads of his jacket. He rolled his shoulder, cringing in pain. He squeezed his eyes for a moment, then adjusted himself to sit on the bench outside of the infirmary.
“No! Better her than both of you!” Norton rubbed the bridge of his nose. He said nothing for a little while, then sighed. “You know we’re just going to end up getting hurt anyway, right? You doing that now isn’t going to stop her from getting hurt in another match. Why do you do this? Why do you risk yourself so often even if it wouldn’t make a difference? That would have been a draw be it you die or she dies. If you both die, then it’s just a loss.”
Naib rolled his eyes, much to Norton’s dismay. He was right, and Naib knew that. He knew a loss wasn’t particularly worth risking, but how worth it was a win? Even if they all survived, they would be right back in the game the next time. Then they might get a draw, or another loss, or maybe even win again. All in all, fighting over outcomes seemed relatively pointless. Still, he supposed he had to accept Norton’s ideology of winning. Somewhere in his mind, Naib knew Norton grasped onto the hope he would actually win this game someday and escape. Most of them did, but Naib wasn’t one of them.
“I’m sorry. Is that what you want to hear?” Naib rested his chin on his hand, propping his elbow on his knee and staring up at the prospector.
Norton placed a hand on his good shoulder, giving it a singular pat.
“Amigo, I’m not the one you should be saying sorry to.”
Naib’s face relaxed, mulling over his words. He didn’t speak for a moment, staring down at the ground. He pulled out a thread with his free hand, rolling it into a ball between his fingers.
“...She pissed at me?”
“Oh totally.”
“Ah…” Naib sighed. He stretched again, wincing in pain. “Better pissed than looking like me right now.” He slapped his thighs, pulling himself up to stand. “Guess I gotta go talk to her.” He glanced at Norton. “Wish me luck?”
Norton grinned, shaking his head tauntingly.
“Nah.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
With that, he started toward the workshop.
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Tracy sat in a fetal position, listening to the faint breeze as it slipped past her. She decided that fresh air was certainly needed, especially after that last match. While she felt an array of emotion: pain, confusion, betrayal. She knew she couldn’t shake the one feeling that burned in a pit in her stomach. She gripped herself tighter, balled up in a protective position. She couldn’t be near anyone right now.
“You weren’t in the workshop.”
The mechanic picked her head up slightly, clenching her teeth at the voice behind her.
“No I wasn’t. I knew you would check.”
“I see. So you did it on purpose.”
Naib moved to sit beside her, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his hands. He decided it would be best to not say anything. If she genuinely had something to say to him, it would come. Fortunately, he was normally correct in this circumstance.
“Why did you do that?” Tracy asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Naib’s initial confidence deflated upon hearing her. He shifted uncomfortably, now somewhat copying her sitting position. He closed his eyes, furrowing his brows slightly.
“You know I can’t just let you die—”
“You could have!” She turned to face him. He froze, now seeing the redness of her face. Tears freely pooled down her cheeks as she didn’t bother hiding her hurt. He wanted nothing more than to brush them away, but he kept to himself.
“No, I couldn’t. I can’t bear watching it. I can’t handle going on to live while—… While…”
“Naib...” Her voice shook. “I watched you dangling from Jack’s blade like a ragdoll. I watched him throw you to the ground as if you were nothing. You looked like a corpse.”
Naib kept quiet. He couldn’t deny or downplay how she felt. In truth, that moment had been just as horrific for him as it had been for her. He wished she hadn’t seen him like that. If he could take it back, he would have. However, he couldn’t hold that promise. He needed for her to be safe. He watched her closely, finally noticing that the woman was shaking. He swallowed, then got up. He moved behind her, sitting down calmly. Tracy didn’t protest as he pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on her head. He clung to her, unsure if it was for her sake or his. Though she initially didn’t react, she found herself leaning into him. She stared forward, reaching up to wipe her eyes.
“I’m sorry…” He murmured into her hair, nestling against the side of her head. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. Believe me, I was scared too.”
“You aren’t scared of anything—”
“That’s not true,” Naib interjected, giving her a faint squeeze. “There are things I am afraid of. Many things. I just had to learn to ignore them to prevent the other things I’m afraid of from happening.”
Tracy squirmed in his hold, catching the man off-guard. He raised a brow, only to watch her turn around and straddle his lap. He released her from his hold, waiting for her to get comfortable as she wrapped her arms around him. He moved his arms back around her, feeling her shaky breaths on his chest. He rubbed her back, sighing.
“You think I like being safe if you aren’t? You think I enjoy seeing you get hurt trying to save me?...”
“No, I don’t believe that for a second.”
She pulled her head back, looking up at him. “I can’t stand it. I can’t watch you constantly hurt yourself. I can’t—”
“I know,” he murmured. He quietly shushed her, pulling her closer to him. “I know…” He repeated. He wished more than anything that he could prevent it, but it just wasn’t in him. He didn’t care how much Tracy hated him, as long as she was safe. “Do you still hate me?” He asked, tipping his head.
“I never hated you in the first place.” Tracy frowned. She nervously shifted in his lap, as if debating what to do. Naib could sense her nervousness, his brow furrowing. What was wrong? Perhaps he should have cut his losses. He lowered his head, relaxing his gaze.
In a split second, she kissed the side of his mouth.
Naib froze, staring down at her. His face flushed. As if a switch had flipped in her mind, she also turned bright red. She got up in a hurry, moving toward the manor.
Before she could leave, however, a hand reached up and snatched her wrist. Tracy tried to break free from his grasp, but Naib held steady. He stood, gently tugging her toward him and snaking an arm around her waist. The mechanic refused to look up at him, instead keeping her eyes trained on the ground. The man had moved so fast, he almost wasn’t sure what to do next. Did he want to move? What if it wasn’t what she wanted? No, it couldn’t have been that. She kissed him first. He quickly shook out of his thoughts, watching her try to hide her face from him.
Naib gently cupped her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. She had tears in her eyes again. He wouldn’t dare let that happen again. He gently leaned down, pressing a faint kiss to her thin lips. He patiently waited for her to realize. While her face dusted a deeper shade of red, he smiled and lightly bumped their foreheads together. As much as he wanted to play off his confidence, he had practically turned red himself.
“So, this whole time?...”
“Yeah…”
He hesitated for a moment, then moved to quickly scoop her up. He flinched as he felt his arms ache, but gently twirled her and set her down. The woman could tell that he was in pain, placing a hand on his arm. She let it linger there for a moment, then lowered it.
“It’s a shame we’re here… It does pain me to see you so hurt, you know… What is it even worth? How long have we been here?” She sat quietly down in the grass, closing her eyes. Naib sat behind her once more, pulling her into his chest.
“I couldn’t tell you. I’m as tired of it as you are…”
Tracy sighed, resting back against him. She turned to listen to his heartbeat, pressing her ear to it. Naib clung to her, burying his nose in her hair.
“I say we go to the workshop and build a car to drive out of here.”
Naib huffed with amusement. “You can do that. I’ll support your endeavors.”
“You don’t want to test drive it?”
“I will most definitely test drive it, actually. You just need to build it.”
“Hm! Fair.”
Naib let out a faint laugh, causing the small mechanic to brighten up. She smiled, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and pull his head into her. He complied, humming contentedly.
“That’s the plan. I build a car and then you can drive us both out of here.”
Naib gave her waist a small squeeze, his eyes fluttering closed.
“I like that plan.”