Chapter Text
The night is quiet, only the sounds of his breathing and clashing of his thoughts reach the ear. Closing his eyes and falling to the embrace of sleep felt like committing a crime when his mind was this restless. Figuring turning left and right in his bed wasn't working, stormz laid on his back like a lifeless corpse, staring at the ceiling as if his thoughts were written above the empty white wall.
The first night here was just much like tonight, he remembers it as clear as the water in the king's goblet. Though it was cold and rainy and had just lost the hand that held him in such a loving way like no other. Those scoundrels would’ve been dead by this time if he had the strength and skill he had now when he was a little boy.
They think they’ve fallen so deep into acceptance that they wouldn't dare even have a dilemma between the two options, drowning in the pit of misery or trying to reach freedom. Not even a seed of doubt crossed their minds. In just a few days they were free at last.
Turning his head to the side, where lied dumb at the bed next to his. His dark locs laid across the pillow without his ponytail holding the mess together. Stormz couldn’t grasp how he could lie there as if the life they’ve known for over a decade wasn’t getting flipped over in days. Their lives as slaves, prisoners soon to be over and stormz couldn’t be more exhilarated.
Deathly has been working day and night like a madman while also proceeding with his duties given by their superiors. The plan, looked over by coin at this point numerous times. It was flawless. His heart banged hard against his chest from the insanity of it all, afraid it would break his ribcage from how intense he felt. This was a suicide mission they were willing to go through with and stormz felt fulfilled with it. They were going to gain control over their lives.
Next to him dumb tensed up in his sleep like someone poked him, stormz eyes locked on the back of his head.
Not even a few seconds later dumb turned his head, glancing over at stormz with tired eyes, crying and screaming for sleep. He pulled the blanket off his shoulders, turning fully on his side to face stormz. The man couldn’t help but focus on the way his red eye sparkled with the moon's faint light entering from the gap of the curtain.
“What?”
Stormz shrugged at the drowsy voice.
“I wasn't doing anything.”
“You know I felt you staring. What's wrong?”
He hesitated for a moment, his lips parted to spill but closed back up, sealing shut like a secret, swallowing it deep inside his chest.
“Im sneaking out to visit deathly, you coming? He hasn’t been sleeping. I'd like to check up on him.”
Stormz didn’t want to drown dumb with his emotional distress too much when dumb was also in the same boat as him. And it was true he was worried about deathly. It was a shame he wasn’t assigned in the same room as them. although that never stopped them from bothering him.
Dumb rises up on his bed and throws the blanket aside lazily with a big yawn.
“Sure- Coin is on night guard duty anyway, shouldn’t be an issue. Just a heads up deathly will nag us about our due ‘rent money.”
“He won't be able to complain in a couple of days.”
Stormz lets out a small chuckle, his loose grey hair falling down his face like silky fabric. The two men now out of their beds wobble towards the heavy metal door. Leaving their room after 2 am was forbidden, thanks to a certain someone -that being deathly- causing a turmoil among the staff by placing needles inside all of the commanders shoes on his second day. He was always a brave kid, most called him troublesome or a headache. For stormz he was the pioneer of a small rebellion.
“Thats because we’ll be homeless you idiot.”
“Says the guy named dumb-”
Stormz is cut off by a punch exactly where his recent injury is. Hate to admit, dumb has gotten significantly better under coins training. From time to time whenever he found a way to ditch his own duty he’d join them. It started when coin introduced training as ‘playing sword’ to not scare them off. Despite being a teenager at the time, coin was fast to climb up the ranks; quick to declare his status as a commander.
Having to share the same fate as them- as stormz called it- he took pity, treating them with care, sneaking food or clothing in their room, telling them about his own training and stories. Becoming their guardian in some way.
The two carefully open the door, the sound of the rust metal opening makes them squint and look around the long halls for any shadows lingering on the walls.
For a second stormz gaze glances down dumb's hand, the shiny, familiar sharp object catching his eye.
“Why do you have a knife?”
“For security.”
“You plan on taking out any guards?”
“If necessary.”
This was straight up betrayal from stormz perspective, he was planning on taking out guards and wasn't informing him which was just ridiculous.
Cold air erupted as soon as his feet came in contact with the ground, sending a shiver down his spine. The two tip toed their way into the right corridor, stormz hand slid on the wall for any vibrations, feeling of any presence.
“Do you think he’s even awake?”
“If we’re awake he definitely is.”
Dumb certain of that fact didn't bother to turn around. Walking ahead of him.
“What if the goodnight fairies kissed him good night?”
The man in front stopped dead in his tracks and tilted his head backwards, looking over his shoulder with narrowed eyes yet wasn’t able to hide that tiny smirk. A crooked, silly grin spread across stormz’s face.
A few years ago their head sergeant arrived with lipstick smeared on his cheek, once he was confronted he denied, blood rushing to his face. The ones who even dared to smile were punished -that included all three of them- by being put on cleaning duty of the bathrooms and showers. Since then it has become an inside joke.
Giggles emerged echoing inside the walls. Stormz reached forward behind dumbs long messy hair, pushing it forward signaling him to keep walking while they gained back their composure and the snickers died down.
They came face to face with the door just like the others around. Stormz crossed his arms leaning against the metal, watched as dumb grabbed his knife and turned it backwards. Held it against the door, dragged its hilt down to make that scratch sound.
No sign of movement, the two glanced between each other and the door. Stormz fully leaned on the door with his hands pressing on each side of the frame, pushed dumb aside and tried to look inside using the extremely small key hole. Was he actually, finally, once in a lifetime asleep?!
“He definitely died.”
The door abruptly opens. His small view of the keyhole now gone, replaced by the huge gap of the opened door showing inside and deathly who stood there with dark circles under his eyes. His bangs combed backwards, a headband holding it in place.
“You were saying?”
Deathly yawns mid sentence. Already used to this routine he moves away from the door to let them in. As stormz gets up and follows after him, dumbs eyes frown. His expression tensed slightly.
“He might as well be. Look at him.”
“I look handsome, thank you very much.”
Completely ignoring dumbs concern deathly stretches his arms and neck, flexing his tense muscles. The absence of sleep seemed trivial in deathly's book. It was probably the last of his worries at the moment. Stormz walked towards his desk, the small ember of the outrunning candle widespread only enough to light a small area.
Stormz 'eyes lingered on the papers with curiosity, he reached forward and grabbed what appeared to be a drawing, a layout plan of the exit with written time and peoples names. This madman had stalked everybody's schedule for the perfect escape. Who patrols where at what time, who's assigned to which area, their mission and status. It was safe to say deathly was the one pulling them through.
It’s been almost a year since they came up with this idea. They were days away. It was perfect. It was all going to be worth it. Deathly’s sleepless nights, the days stormz and dumb went to bed hungry to save money, all the trouble coin went through to cover for them, those rash painful trainings, cold lonely nights where they'd sleep on the ground were all going to be worth it and stormz was going to laugh in their faces when they’d get out of here. They couldn’t keep them prisoner, they failed. They couldn’t break them, they couldn’t turn them into the weapons they wanted to shape them into. The thought filled stormz with pride.
“Looks like everything is in order.”
Stormz called out, pulling their attention to him. Deathly’s smile widened and proudly nodded.
“It’s done. Completely! I organized everything., figured we could go hungry for around two days, we’re going to be on the run- in any case of emergencies we have the money you guys collected, enough to let us buy a couple of things. Although the nearest village is two weeks away northwest-”
Dumb shakes his head and stormz raises his hand to stop deathly mid sentence with a genuine smile.
“Enough running your mouth you're gonna break your jaw. Aren't you tired?”
Deathly looks between them, rolling his eyes just like how he lets their words get in from one ear and out of the other. Letting their words roll down his back into the pit of ignorance.
“I laugh in the face of sleep!”
“I think he wants the goodnight fairies to come kiss him.”
Dumb made a kissy face looking straight at deathly. Stormz smirks and plays along, also making a kissy face and sounds. Looking at them with disgust deathly purses his lips, taking a huge step back away from them like a disease ready to spread was coming closer to him.
“Aw deathly why didn’t you just say so, come here.”
Stormz spreads his arms wide walking closer to deathly who flinches away like an injured feral animal. Dumb joins at his side and they block deathly's escape.
“I will beat you up if you come any closer.”
After that warning, some fighting and playful and not so playful punches the three end up in bed with their bodies laid all across the cramped space of deathly’s bed. Stormz threw his one leg over both deathly and dumb, making himself comfortable like he owned the place. Keeping them both down, unable to move.
“Hope you guys are comfortable.”
Deathly grunts with sarcasm. Clearly tired from all his earlier work and surprise invasion of the duo.
“Dude I don’t even know which limb belongs to who.”
“Dumb your hair is in my mouth!”
Stormz spits out the dark hair, nudging at what he thinks is dumb’s leg.
“Thats my leg!”
Deathly struggles underneath them, trying to bruteforce his way out of the cuddle pile. Stormz shakes his head, going back to his comfortable position when suddenly there is a scratching sound coming from the door. The same one dumb made with the back of his knife. Dumb's tense shoulders ease like warm water washing over him, lying back down with a grin. They didn’t feel the need to check who it was.
“Are you guys having a slumber party?”
“Hey coin!”
All three voices call at the same time, not noticing or paying any attention to how loud they are. They are quickly shushed by coins panicked warning voice.
“Well- I’d like to join you because I know you miss me so much but I'm on night duty and everybody and their mother can hear you!”
He tries to sound angry yet the smile in his voice is too visible. He ends up giggling with them instead. He knocks once at the door softly.
“Keep it a tiny, itsy-bitsy bit more quiet.”
Coin was anything but a typical responsible adult, honestly it was funny considering how each of them saw him as their guardian of some sorts.
Stormz remembers their first meeting. It was his first training, right after he was taken from his home to become a soldier. His trainer gave him a real sword as if he could do something great with it, expecting him to mysteriously learn how to hold, carry a sword and use it, and when he couldn't even wrap his hands around the hilt properly he was punished severely. They called it discipline. He saw it as another reason to hold a grudge.
Coin, a teenager who had just become a commander instead of standing aside and minding his own business saw stormz as his own problem. Asked the other solider to hand stormz over for a couple of days, teach him the basics.
Coin got on one knee to meet his eye level and held out his hand, told him they were going to ‘play sword’ with dumb, asked him to come along and held out his hand. He was hesitant at first, reaching back felt as if reaching out knowing it would burn. He never regretted taking that risk, because when he did it was warm, the smile formed on coins face was the biggest smile he had ever seen in his entire life.
Coin held his hand inside his palm and never let go. To this day he feels like that feeling is still there, just with more people.
Faint sounds of footsteps slowly disappeared behind the door. The three left alone felt the tiredness kick in. Stormz felt his eyelids fighting to stay open and losing. His breathing with the others evened out, chests rising up and down with each breath.
Stormz shifted slightly, moving his arm across deathly’s middle. Who was fast asleep, passed out like a log, using their bodies as heaters.
“You know…”
He mumbles, his vision blurring with each second.
“I think I'd stay with you guys wherever we went. Even if the destination was here…”
Stormz’s vision went dark, after a long night falling into the embrace of sleep with his closest ones.