Chapter Text
the apocalypse started last week.
if you owned a calendar or a working phone or really any sort of paper, that would be a hilarious entry. 'APOCALYPSE BEGINS!' circled in red. no one thinks about the little losses that occur when an apocalypse hits. for starters, missed opportunities for jokes are now one of many sore spots for you. your family calendar that still hangs on your wall that you'll likely never see again is another. no time for packing calendars when they're scratching at your front door and you need to haul ass.
a deep, familiar sigh on your left interrupts your musings. right, aether.
"which inconsiderate asshat greenlit the construction of this long-ass tunnel? i'd like to see the light of day once more, preferably in this lifetime," you grumble.
a solemn 'hmm' sounds off in response. how enlightening.
"on the other hand, there's nothing i appreciate more than the choice of a warm lightbulb colour temperature. 2700K is that sweet spot and yes, i will continue to review this tunnel until you spill those head beans and tell me what's going on up there."
"huh?... oh, it's nothing. just..." aether mumbles.
the pause has you holding your breath. is it-
"just... this is tenbury tunnel, right?"
ah, so that's what this is about.
"indeed, 3 billion miles have passed and we are all still in tenbury tunnel. poor lumine, i don't know how she took this route every morning to get to work. you think they'd send a helicopter with one of those ladder things for her to grab onto, just to add some pizzazz."
finally, a chuckle immerges and all's right with the world. well, not really but aether's got a very sweet laugh so one can dream.
"i'd bet she'd secretly love that. not that the fancy car they'd pick her up in was that bad." he tacks on. and then you both fall silent.
lumine. the elephant in the tunnel. badass lumine who you're 100% sure would survive a nuclear blast with sheer determination and an equally nuclear glare. but also badass lumine with her badass job that would likely send her right into the middle of all this. it had been a week and neither of you had heard anything from her, no call, no helicopter descending from the heavens to pull you out of this infested city.
no other way out now that perth crossing and burnwood bridge had been bombed to hell by the government.
"do you think she's looking for us?"
"i think she's probably busy sorting this all out and knows, despite all our dumbassery, that we make an amazing team. but i also think she's worried out of her mind for us. all the more reason to survive, right?"
"right."
and like a moth flies to a flame, your little exchange of hope invites despair to come and sit on it. there's a scream from far behind you that echoes around the tunnel and through the ears of every person in it. the same thought lights up in each head in response.
maybe... it's not them? someone could have fallen or stubbed their toe or opened a pop-up card-
another scream follows it, possibly within the same second. then a deeper one, then a much younger one. the faces of ghosts surround you, each knowing exactly what's about to happen. almost apologising for the animalistic beasts that they were about to become.
then, sound turns to visual and the impending tsunami of bodies becomes visible through the crowd. there's no way everyone will be able to make it out of this tunnel, no fucking way. there's still a mile of tunnel ahead and that mosh pit is travelling fast.
you take one final breath in acceptance of the death of this plan and tackle aether to the side of the tunnel.
a train-like collision occurs behind you as piles and piles of people shove their way through the tunnel, nails scratching and bones snapping under the sheer weight of bodies. as if they had already turned, mothers, children, friends and family gone feral begin to press against your back, pushing the air out of you. you cage your body around aether in response, feeling your ribs grate against his.
breathing becomes increasingly difficult and so in desperation, you look around for a door, a cubby hole, anything. where's the fucking- AH, maybe a metre to your left, there's a door with a fire escape sign above. and 5 metres behind that are the things everyone's running from. aether spots it too and yells something intelligible right into your ear. you can barely hear it over the screams and the cries and the groans and the snapping.
you both begin to push against the flood of people, avoiding the gnashing jaws of some that had already turned. just as the flow turns from warm to cold and their rotting hands are more than upon you, you squeeze through a crack in the door before slamming it shut.
cold, damp air greets your lungs like an old friend and you invite it in with huge gasps. the door rumbles and strains for a while and then finally, finally the screams die down and fade into the distance.
"are you, did you," aether manages to push out through the silence.
"no, no i'm fine. you?"
"they didn't get me, i'm ok too... what the hell happened? i thought the entrance to the tunnel was secure?"
"no clue... but that tunnel's not an option anymore, not with how many will be left in there."
feeling the emptiness of the tunnel behind you, you flop onto your back with exhaustion. another few breaths fill the tired concrete room before aether brings himself to speak again.
"there will be another way. there has to be."
your ears perk up to the tone of his voice.
"aether?"
the mention of his name draws his eyes to yours and he flushes with... guilt?
"you're not thinking what i think you're thinking, right?" you caution.
aether's breath hitches in his throat. his face fronts the same expression as before when he was lost in thought, just with more panic underneath. there's no way this bastard is really-
"you should leave me behind."
"is that so?" you remark with a deadpan voice.
"yes," aether falters at the coldness of your response. "i- i have to find lumine and it's probably going to be really dangerous and i want you to live so just leave me behind... i can't ask you to put yourself in danger for my selfish suicide mission."
"aether."
his trademark 'mm' greets you but now's not the time for kindness and concessions.
"ask."
"i said i can't-"
"ask." you interrupt softly.
his head droops in defeat. then his shoulders. then he looks up at you with those tear-filled, soft brown eyes, through those long brown eyelashes and finally asks
"please... stay with me."
part of you wants to keep him hanging for even suggesting the idea that you would leave behind your best friend and possibly the only family you have. another part of you knows that this has probably been eating away at him for the best part of a week already fresh from hell. the corners of your lips tug upwards and you crawl over to your sweet idiot of a friend.
"you are lucky you're so cute, you know. i have half the mind to throttle you for such blasphemy."
you slide your hands into his and his forehead presses into your shoulder. you then turn your head and speak into his hair, attempting to communicate directly into his temporal lobe via osmosis in the hope (and god you hope) it will get through.
"i will never leave you, aether. and i'm not abandoning lumine either, not while i know she's out there. so this little ploy to try and get rid of me on the sly," you tease, "will not bear fruit."
aether grins and chuckles quietly.
"damn. was i close?" he kids.
"not even a little, you crusty rat. you signed up for this ride the moment you beckoned me over on the playground. lumine too. so suck it up."
a louder laugh vibrates into your chest.
"shit, i-"
the handle on the door flicks, like a cat trying to jump up and open it. before you can react, it flicks again and the door creaks open. a deceased corpse politely wanders through, hesitant as if it knows it walked in on a moment.
fuck.
you both stagger to your feet and start racing towards the staircase against the south wall, too filled with adrenaline to notice the volume of your shoes slapping against each step. two more pairs of feet join the percussion band and it's suddenly a contest to get away from the place that minutes ago was your last chance of survival.
aether slams through the double doors at the top of the stairs and turns sharply to the left once his eyes zero in on another door illuminated in green. more stairs follow but the two pursuers behind you show no signs of fatigue. another wonderful effect of being bitten, much appreciated God.
at last, another 2 doors appear, one topped with a green fire escape sign but also hidden behind stacks of hastily-placed furniture and then another backlit by the beautiful light of day. a split-second decision has you both fling yourselves through the second door and into the outside world once more.
there's a barrier and then a sharp 90° drop in front of you.
a stern reminder that when people put fire exit lights above doors, you should probably trust that they know what they're doing. in your defence, you're both pretty stupid. the realisation and dread that hits with a thwack leaves no time to consider closing the door behind you.
a shuffle and a groan walk into a bar. god, that would be another great joke if you weren't busy competing for the prize of the world's most fuckity fuck fucked. "aether, start looking for a way out. i'll... well, i'll try hold them back." you suggest.
you grab a random broom from your right and start swinging it round like a bat. taste this, you fucks. one of your new friends takes a lunge at you but you knock them straight back onto their ass with a jab. ha. the other doesn't like that and starts chasing you around like he's 'it'. more footsteps resonate from the stairway inside, so no chance you're leaving this the normal way.
"aether, my dearest? i can't entertain these guests much longer!" you confess, failing to keep your voice calm.
"just hold on a second, wife." aether retorts, accompanied by the jangling of a belt buckle.
"um, we both know i'd be the husband-"
you're snatched out of your very legitimate line of thought by a strong arm. it snakes round your waist and hoists you up onto the barrier that separates you from a pretty gnarly death.
"so, suicide? ooh, we can die in each other's arms all romantically!"
"not today," aether smiles in return. "well, we're not dying intentionally at least."
he hands you the other end of his belt which has been flung around a thick wire that connects to a house on the other side of the road. oh... his smile tells you he's actually serious about this.
"ahaha, and I thought i was the funny one!" you jest.
"you're the annoying animal companion. i'm the smart one and lumine's the old hag who tricks you."
you guffaw at this brat's audacity and he pulls you closer.
"ready?"
"ready."
you step off.
the leather on the wire crescendos into an uncomfortable 'whizzing' sound as your bodies pick up momentum. the bottoms of your shoes just scuff the heads of a few wanderers below. for a sweet smattering of seconds, it seems like you're going to make it, you're mere inches away from a balcony that will mean you're safe and dry.
and then the wire snaps.
your knees feel like they've just shot into your stomach. the belt in your hand loses all its tension, no longer being held up by anything. but you'll make it, you have to make it. the balcony seems to fly towards you in slow-motion and there's only one thing on your mind. one second spans a million as you decide and then you slam into the wooden fence like a sack of potatoes.
searing pain rushes up the side of your ribs, so sharp that you almost lose your grip on the fence. aether's arm slides through your hand a little before your muscles remember to squeeze shut once more. before you can even think to cry out, a strange whipping noise sounds out from beneath you followed by an excruciating scream you had hoped you'd never have to hear.
aether's hand grows limp in yours and you realise he's passed out from the pain of something. something so bad that he screamed like that. no, just ignore that thought. the urge to join him in fainting grows strong. but you can't. not yet.
a frustrated sob leaves you, and in its stead follows a bubbling determination to keep going. you just need to get aether over this fence. then you're done. resolutely, you will your body to turn so that you're facing the road and slot your legs between the slats of the fence behind you, blinking away the dull ache biting into your calves. you exhale out another deep groan and strain as you try to lift aether's dead body, no, shut up. don't think, just lift.
apparently, some bald-headed bastard below finally pulls off aether's shoe and lets him go and he slumps over the fence, collapsing onto the floor like a ragdoll. you quickly follow him, throwing your weight over without a single thought as to where you land. your back hits the wood below with the softest landing you've experienced so far. thank god for back rolls.
you did it. you're both safe.
but like you've lied to yourself in many situations before, time and time again, you're not done and no, you can't rest. after a few painful breaths pump through very damaged lungs, you heave yourself up, ignoring the stabbing pain of your side again. nothing like the 3 stab wounds and then a gunshot from that crazy night with lumine. you can tank this easy. it's a short clamber over to aether's side and a very long moment while you check he's still breathing.
a shaky breath exits his lips.
hello brain function, welcome back. all the incentive you need to switch into work mode rushes your nervous system. you check his entire body for injury and find a cut along his back leg that's about 2cm deep, stopping just short of the bone. it's a clean slash, wrapping around his leg like a smile, but it undoubtedly needs stitches. likely from the wire whipping around after it snapped. well, it's better than getting gnawed on by shuffle and groan across the road.
you grab a flowerpot from nearby and flip it, delicately placing aether's leg on top to decrease the blood flow. next is finding some sort of first-aid kit which means going inside and taking out whatever comes your way. a sharp-looking trowel glints in your peripheral vision and you decide to use it like a knife, ready for potential danger (any fuckheads) inside. the sliding door opens quietly and you peer through.
God apparently hasn't forsaken you because the room is completely deserted, bar a few ominous bloodstains sported on the pale yellow walls and a hideously deceased bonsai, simply criminal. perhaps the big He even loves you, you ponder, when rifling through an oak chest of drawers to your right leads to the bountiful find of a first-aid kit.
racing back to aether, you quickly pull out the needle and thread and get to work patching up his wound. your shaky hands aren't helping and neither is the smaller and smaller tunnel of vision that you're squinting through but somehow, you manage to tie off the stitches and bandage the wound sloppily.
a sense of achievement fills your bones.
look at the fucking to-do list you just checked off! and they dared to say you lacked focus in school.
speaking of focus, yours seems to be blurring. it almost feels like you're viewing the world through a pinprick. the setting sun, the sliding door and the cream carpet splattered in dried blood seem to merge into one. ugh, and that damn tunnel has almost completely encompassed your vision. what is with shitty tunnels today?
half-delirious, you just barely operate your silly
little limbs to lift up your shirt (perv) and find
a lot of dar k purple skin.
'internal bleeding' becomes your last hilarious thought as you pass out onto the carpet.
slowly, painfully slow, you command your heavy eyelids to open. the popcorn ceiling in front of you blurs into view. moonlight bathes the white emulsion in blue. it's surprisingly pretty. and in the middle of this view, is a sharp blade hovering a few inches above your head.
it glints in the moonlight, willing you to look at it. an army knife, no a machete?
a weapon. that's going to kill you.
it's experience that stops you from freaking out first and the agonising ache that stretches across your right side that prevents you from moving. it takes all you have to drag your eyes up from the smooth curves of the machete above you, past pale, muscular forearms, stopping at a pair of dull red eyes. eyes that were assessing their next move, almost searching for something in you.
"i'm not one of them, if that's what you're thinking."
"not yet.", the man gruffly responds.
"threatening an innocent person, diluc? my, this new world has changed you."
a smoother, sultry voice slides from behind the red-haired frame. another man, this time wearing a gaudier white suit and furs, struts into view. shit, time to work the charm.
"i, uh... like your jacket?" you pose hesitantly.
not-diluc bursts out laughing, his volume garnering a glare from diluc-diluc.
"aha, that's your strategy? how interesting..."
you feel your face curve into a cheeky smile in response. someone's picking up what you're putting down. "come now, she's not exactly a threat." the man points out. "i'm kaeya. the sour-faced man is diluc. you are?"
"Y/N. nice to meet you, kaeya and diluc. thanks for not killing me."
and you really mean it.
diluc begrudgingly lifts his machete from above your head and strides over to the unconscious aether. he kneels down to check his condition. kaeya extends a hand
and pulls you onto your feet.