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He wiped his nose, pressing his hand to his pants to wipe off the obvious blood. He swallowed thickly—vision blurring the shapes and colors.
He could faintly hear the up-twist of Warrior’s voice questioning.
Before he knew it, Warriors’ arms were around him. Body seized in panic realizing how close to the ground he was.
Still he refused to admit he was done.
The fight was still going on, his brothers still fighting for him. He wouldn’t back down because of blood or dizziness. He just couldn’t.
“Enough—“
“No.” He cut Time off even earning a stern look. “I’m fine, we can continue on.”
“You nearly collapsed. That blood loss is going to your head soldier.”
Twilight swallowed, feeling how sluggish his movements were— everything was slowing down.
“I said I’m fine. We need to regroup with the others.”
He pushed away Warriors’ help. Marching ahead. Each step making it so much harder to breathe. His chest burned of fire and everything spun in circles, but he was stubborn.
Behind, he could hear the faint noise of a conversation. Head lobbing to the side to see Time’s look. Watching he saw their leader sigh, motioning them along to follow after.
He didn’t dare look back for fear nausea would send him barreling over. The searing pain was something to focus on and the only thing keeping him from falling to the ground.
“At least take it easy.” Sky called readying the Master Sword.
The Master Sword chimed softly in tune with Sky’s voice of worry. It was too faint to make out what was said however.
“Take the back, Rancher, we can focus on the enemies ourselves. We aren’t that out of shape to rely on a wounded soldier.” Warriors butted in passing him with an assured smile. Eyes glancing over him worryingly with persistence.
“I’m not that incapable.” He gritted his teeth to not cough up a bloody lung. Hand raised for his sword that he barely dragged from its hilt.
The two nodded, taking off ahead.
Time was still behind him, having not moved a muscle.
“Twilight, sit down.” Those words were stern and sure, and Twilight nearly collapsed hearing them but something was keeping him standing. Pride, stubbornness– he didn’t know anymore.
“I said ‘m fine.”
Time rounded on him till he was in front. Twilight could barely follow the quick movements.
“Then what did I say to Warriors and Sky? What was our battle plan?”
He frowned. Blood rushed in his ears, his head unable to focus to even make a lie.
“If you’d been okay, you would’ve heard me tell them to go on without us. That you and I were going to stay behind while the rest of the boys made a retreat.” Time grabbed his shoulders pushing him back. “You're injured, I won’t be sending any injured soldiers to fight a battle that can be fought another day. There is no shame in knowing when to retreat, and I figured you out of all the boys would recognize that.”
Immediately, guilt rushed him. He felt his gut churn with doubt and shame. He did something stupid and Time was doubting him.
He stepped back like the words were a physical slap.
“I’m— I’m not stupid.” He gritted through the pain. Through the fear of disappointment.
“I never said you were.” His leader assured, but to him it was nothing. Not when he could see his gaze and know what he thought of him. “I'm just saying you should know better than to push yourself so carelessly. Your life isn’t something meaningless to prove a point. There’s no shame in knowing your limit.”
No— it was doubt. Time doubted his capability and the moment he got an injury his worth had been chunked out the window.
“And I’m saying I can fight! I'm still useful!”
Why couldn’t Time see he was trying?
Twilight couldn’t see the way Time’s eye narrowed onto him. He couldn’t see the flicker of irritation. “And why would you assume I thought you weren’t useful?”
“Then why are you mad! Why can’t I prove ’m fine?” He seized his side in pain, fumbling and bracing on his sword to grab the wound. He couldn’t stop the coughing fit this time, kneeling to the ground in a flurry of muddled chokes of blood. “I— ’m fine.” His breathing was wheezy. Lungs rasped with liquid slowly filling them. He couldn’t keep back the rattled coughing of blood.
His pant leg slowly collected more dried blood from his palm.
Time knelt with him to rub against his hunched back.
“Please just— just let me prove— prove ’m still useful.” He stared up waiting for an answer. He didn’t like the look he’d earned or the tense silence of Time staring him down.
“No.”
That was it. The finite decision of his leader and mentor, and despite all his persistence he would not sway that decision. Time had made his choice, and Twilight was once again lacking in every way.
“Twilight.” Time snapped his fingers by his face, irritated. In his other hand, a fairy. “I’m tired of this stubbornness. We’re done.” He uncorked the bottle as the pink fairy teetered out. The little thing moved about Twilight. Her magic buzzed over his side and head. He leaned into the magical touch it gave but the pain did not ease.
When she flew back to Time, he was still very injured with more blood pouring from his nose.
Time barely wasted a moment, grabbing Twilight before he could fall backwards. The fairy hurried back from everything, but jingled something Time understood.
“You can’t help? His wound–!” His words were breathless. Hands desperately pulled at Twilight tunic till the wound was visible. Dark sprawling marks circled the wound and appeared like a root system had taken hold.
“Black blood— shit. Twilight, stay awake.”
Hands worked away to stop the bleeding as best he could. Red potion splashed on the wound, but nothing happened. No healing was taking effect, and the wound was only getting worse by the second.
“Damnit.”
Twilight reached out. “Sorry…”
“Shut up, Twilight!” Time glared down at him. “I don’t have time to deal with your self deprecation. Your wounds aren’t healing, and if I can’t at least stop the bleeding then you’ll be dead from blood loss before I can even yell at you for your stupidity.”
His leader was spastically working away for any medical supplies they had. Needles, thread, something to bite with— whatever he could find he grabbed.
“Here, this will have to do.”
Time forced a rag in his mouth. He wasn’t completely lucid to know what was happening, but the moment that needle touched his skin, he bit and screamed. Eyes screwed up in pain. Side alight and burning. Hands deeply fisted into Time’s tunic, fighting the urge to cry.
He mumbled constant pleas for this mess to end quicker— he knew Time was trying his hardest. He pleaded for forgiveness for being so careless to be attacked. Anything and everything he prayed for was met with a dull pain in his side and a numbing feeling over his whole body.
“I stitched it.” Time finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of burning pain. “Twilight— Twilight are you still awake? I need you awake.” He patted his chest to stir him from his half conscious state.
“Sorry.” He spat out the rag. It was torn from his teeth, bloody from his coughing.
Time took a deep breath. “Apologize one more time for this bullshit, and I’ll give you something to apologize for. I don’t care if you’d gotten a damn splinter and cried to me how much it hurt. I don’t want a damn word from your mouth telling me how this was your fault or how stupid you were.” Time’s glare was unforgiving, and his anger very rarely turned on anyone.
Twilight just wasn’t lucky.
His anger was expected. Twilight had seen it before and wanted to keep clear of it, but it just— it wasn’t right.
“No, ‘m sorry. I should’ve— I should’ve known better.”
“God dammit, Twilight! Why do you think I’d get on your ass for this? Do you truly expect so little of me to throw away one of the most skilled fighters I know because of a stupid injury?”
“What makes this different from the one Legend had two weeks ago when he was bedridden for a few days? The illness Sky and Wind got back at that village in Wild’s time? What makes you different that I’d throw down the gauntlet at you. Fucking— get so angry you’d beg for forgiveness when your so close to dying! What makes your life meaningless to me compared to any of the other boys— to yourself?”
He’d never been yelled at in such anger before. Twilight was actually stunned to have listened and retained what the hell Time had even yelled at him.
“I’m waiting.” Time sat back almost daring him to open his mouth and utter complete nonsense.
Twilight might would’ve known to keep his damn mouth shut if he wasn’t half-delusional laying in a pool of his own blood— only alive by the wishes of a man who’s shoddy medical work was keeping him alive.
“Because,” blood dribbled down his chin. “Because, ’m older. I’m mor’ skilled ‘n tougher. I’m supposed to be stronger!” He lumbered to his side. Words coming out in puffed breaths.
Time’s hand was the only reason he’d stayed upright to even look the man eye-level.
“I’m supposed ta take care of ‘n be useful ta others. If I ain’t— if I can’t get back up— I ain’t no better than dead.”
Twilight was older, he had everything the other should’ve had and he was still lacking. How was it that he was so incompetent he needed a dead man to teach him what that man as a kid already seemed to know? He knew Time’s life, he knew the age his mentor was as a hero and did everything so effortlessly he couldn’t compare.
He couldn’t stand by not making himself useful– taking all the hard hits, taking care of the younger heroes, just being a brother to them in their time of need. Twilight didn’t have the privilege to complain about an injury when it was his own mistake that made him end up under Time’s wrath.
Why couldn’t Time see it didn’t matter what happened to him– he’d prove his worth to the man he looked up to and sought to be?
It’d been like this all his life.
There was no difference now.
Without his use, his life meant nothing.
It took a lot of Time to not slap him upside the head. Twilight could see the look in his eyes of how much he wanted to hit him. He was surprised he hadn’t been even speaking out against Time’s order of staying down and dead to him, but he was his successor. He was supposed to carry on what Shade taught him. He wouldn’t let himself get left behind.
With a steady hand Time forced Twilight's head to his shoulder. He ignored the blood in his face and side that would obviously stain, and he instead pressed him close.
“Twilight, your usefulness doesn’t matter to me. I have not once thought of you or the rest of the boys in any way that wasn’t a close friend, brother, or— or son.” He felt his hands envelope him closer. “And hearing you call yourself stupid or useless and being so close to bleeding out in my arms breaks my heart.”
Twilight could feel the steady beat of Time’s chest. He could feel strong warmth on his cheek.
“I never want to hear you keeping an injury a secret because you’d think I’d be mad. I never want to hear you say those horrible things to yourself— if you're in pain scream. Cry bloody murder no matter how small the wound is. No matter what, I’ll sit by your side and comfort you. Tell you how proud I am to have met you and know you, and I’ll do everything I can to take that pain away. You’ve never disappointed me.” He hummed.
His hands clenched into Time’s tunic. Shoulder squared and side sizzling in pain.
“Now, how bad does it hurt?”
Tears welled up in his eyes.
His side was burning and his chest ached and nothing felt right when he let his son ring out. Arms grappling with Time as he cried out.
“It hurts! I can’t— it burns and stings and the fairy made it worse.” He choked on his blood. “Time, it hurts!”
It might’ve hurt more to hear those pained screams and be unable to help, but he’d never tell Twilight to not scream out. To hide away his pain when he was struggling.
He pressed his face deeper into his shoulder. “I know— I know just hold on. We’ll figure it out I promise you. You’ll be okay. Just stay awake with me. Keep talking to me.”
Twilight's voice was wet from his sobbing. Each breath felt like his lungs were collapsing. Somewhere along the way he knew he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
“Time.” His voice shook looking up to that worried gaze.
Lips trembled, hands grappled at his burning side. “It– It hurts so much. I don’t– I can’t–” Twilight’s voice cracked. Time held his shaking form.
For a moment, Twilight looked too calm. His plea, too soft. His eyes, too glassy. Before he could promise him any hope Twilight was face first in Time’s chest, body limp altogether.
Hands grabbed him in a panic.
Almost instantly when Twilight had fainted, Warriors, Sky, and Legend were on each other’s heels racing to the two.
“What happened? We heard screaming?”
“His wound. His wound wasn’t healing right. A fairy wasn’t working and no potions could close it. I had to stitch him up.”
Warriors helped them up. Twilight's limp body hung between them.
“Oh shit, was he infected by black blood?” Legend cursed seeing the obvious dark marks sprawled out along his torso. Similar to all the other monsters they had seen.
“We need to get him out of here, where’s the others? What about the monsters?”
“Out of the woods, and down close to the village. We circled around to get you two. The monsters retreated through a portal so we sent the other’s off.” Sky explained quickly as they wasted no time.
Time nodded hoping they would even make it to the village before Twilight could get worse. He didn’t even know how he’d tell the boys later the extremes this wound had taken, the pain it inflected, and the possible outcomes. He pushed back all those thoughts to instead think of getting Twilight help as quick as he could.
His mind replaying every heart breaking word Twilight spewed at him.
He didn’t know what happened in Twilight's life to place everything on his worth, but he swore when the younger lived this he’d make him cherish himself. Make him see how much everyone loved him and meant to them.
And definitely– positively– wouldn’t let Twilight’s last words to him be begging for any sort of forgiveness.