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This was supposed to be nothing more than a fun midnight stroll over the rooftops of the city, maybe a little robbery, just for fun. Just the two of them enjoying their evening free from everyone else’s expectations. And Owen couldn’t have been happier. He had long since admitted to himself that he loved Scott. He loved everything about the white-haired man. And getting to spend a whole evening with him doing whatever they wanted, it was absolutely perfect. Like they were on some sort of cute little date, like the ones Scott once described wanting to go on. At least that's how it started.
They had just stolen a boombox and party lights from the local electronics store and were dancing together on a rooftop, smiling. content. Simply happy to have this moment together. Just them. When sudently the sound of an explosion snapped them out of there perfekt little world. A group of heroes Owen didn’t care to know the name of arrived, one of them apparently being able to create explosions and destroying the boombox they had just stolen to announce themselves.
Owen was already used to how quickly Scott fell back into the goldsmith act, how easily he slipped into that mask, that he used when addressing anyone. Except for those that really know him as Owen did. It was only barely quicker than Owen losing his smile to display nothing but annoyance at being interrupted. How rude could these stupid heroes get?
Who Owen assumed to be their leader started on his stupid speech about justice and whatnot, like that actually ever applied to him. Owen didn’t want to hear it so he lunged forward, claws first. These heroes could either leave right now or be dead, no matter what Owen just wanted them gone. He wanted his uninterrupted time back with Scott. If only he had been more careful.
The battle was almost over Scott and Owen were clearly winning, as they were stronger and had the better synergy. But just as Owen had managed to kill off the group’s leader, whom he assumed to be the last one left, he heard Scott shouting his name, before he felt someone knocking him to the floor, out of the way. As Owen hit the ground he could do nothing but watch as the scene played out.
The explosion hero wasn’t dead yet and had tried to blow him up from behind, Scott saw it and pushed him out of the way, making it so that he was hit by the full force of the blow instead. The explosion catapulted Scott against the nearby wall of a building that was directly attached to the one they were standing on. Owen saw as Scott crumbled to the floor after hitting the wall, clearly no longer conscious.
Panic and rage immediately consumed Owen’s entire being and as he saw the explosion hero raise up his blaster again as if wanting to hurt Scott more, he snapped. The next minute was nothing more than a blur of blood ending in the hero’s definitive death, before Owen still covered in red ran over to where Scott was lying.
There was a slowly growing puddle of blood on the floor under Scott’s head as well as a very apparent head injury at the back of it. He was indeed unconscious, breathing very faintly, and getting weaker. Scott didn’t look like he would survive this on his own, but he had to. Owen couldn’t lose Scott. He couldn’t lose everything that made his life worth living, not again.
He had to try everything, and quickly. Scott needed medical assistance, from a professional, from a doctor and Owen did know one of those. And he’d better be able to save Scott.
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Legundo was just about to leave his clinic for the day, as he didn’t currently have any more patients and was about ready to take a break, but before he could even put his jacket on he heard the front door open closely followed by a frantic voice he quickly recognised, shouting his name, it was Owen. Did the villain get hurt? Legs had promised once many years ago when the man was still a vigilante that he’d always help if the man was hurt. And even if Owen was now a villain fighting alongside Goldsmith, Legs still knew deep down he was a good man. One with a horrible past and unfortunate new company, steering him in the wrong direction. But a good man nonetheless.
“Owen are you alright what happened?” The doctor asked as he walked into the corridor expecting his former friend to need assistance. What he saw instead made his whole demeanor shift. Owen wasn’t hurt, at least not substantially, but he was covered in blood and bridle carrying someone who clearly was. Scott Goldsmith. The city’s top villain. A real danger to anyone who crossed him. The doctor despised everything that man did and stood for.
Even at a quick glance it was clear to the doctor that Goldsmith was in critical condition, even just from the head injury alone, though he doubted that that would be the only one. If he started medical treatment right now it wasn’t even guaranteed that the man would live. Not that he wanted to, even as he looked at Owens' pleading eyes, a look he hadn’t seen on his friend since the accident.
“Please doctor, you’ve got to help him. You told me you help everyone right,” Owens' voice was frantic and broken as he pleaded with the doctor while walking closer.
The doctor did truly feel hurt and remorseful in that moment, but not for the cruel manipulative man Owen carefully held in his arms like he was something precious, but more for Owen and the fact Goldsmith had him wrapped around his finger, to the point where he would stand here and ask Legundo such a thing, “I'm sorry but I won’t.”
“What?” Owen asked as he stopped walking and unconsciously pulled Scott closer into his chest protectively.
“Owen, if it was you in the same position I wouldn’t hesitate because you’re a good man-“Legs started explaining before Owen sharply interrupted him. “So is Scott!”
“No, Owen Goldsmith is just using you, manipulating you, hes a cruel villain who-“ the doctor started explaining before Owen cut him off with an angry shout, “That’s not true! Scott is an amazing person, you don't even know him, you know nothing about him. You always preach about being so good and now you have the chance to actually save somebody, somebody important and you just refuse?!”
“I'm sorry, if this is hard for you Owen, but it’s better for you, better for everyone in this city if he's no longer a threat.” The doctor said with clear finality in his voice.
Owen drew his eyes back to the man in his arms, a man who started to look increasingly pale, and his entire demeanor shifted. His face becoming eraly calm before facing the doctor once more, “let me make one thing very clear to you doctor, all of this time ive been holding back, because of him, because despite all he still ceared about the innocent people of this city, i do not, if Scott dies here, I’ll promise you not a living soul will be left in this city. I’ll make everyone pay for it, and I’ll save you for last. Make you watch as I let everything you hold dear die, just as you are doing to me right now. If he dies so will everyone else.”
“You can't be serious,” the doctor tried, but deep down he knew Owen wasn’t bluffing, the look in his eyes said it all. “What if I can’t do it, if it’s too late?”
“Same outcome. I don't care if you tried your best, if Scott doesn’t survive this, the city won't either.” Owen said making his ultimatum crystal clear to the doctor, and practically forcing his hands. He had to, even if it meant helping Goldsmith, he couldn’t let Owen go down that route, he couldn’t let the city die, because of Goldsmith.
“Put him on the table in that room, ill get my things and do anything I can to save him,” the doctor said, now with the new looming threat, as he quickly went to grab the tools he had already put away for the day.
“You’d better hope it’s enough,” Owen coldly said to the doctor before doing as he said and cearfully placing Scott on what he now saw was an operating table, before he fully let go Owen placed a soft kiss to Scott forehead and whispered, “its gonna be okay, please just stay with me, ill do anything if you just stay strong, please Scott, i love you and i cant lose you, not like this”
Then as the doctor walked in while pulling an IV behind him, Owen backed away the cold expression immediately falling back looking at the doctor, “I’ll start now you staying or waiting outside?”
As if Owen was just gonna leave Scott in a room alone with the traitorous doctor. He was obviously staying. He won’t ever leave Scott's side, especially not until he’s awake. Back to how he always is.
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Scott felt like he had just woken up after a long night's rest. Even if he felt much weaker, like his limbs were heavier somehow, even though he hadn’t moved them yet. The last thing he remembered was seeing the hero get up and aim his cannon at Owen. He remembered pushing Owen out of the way, the next thing he remembered was an incredibly bright light blinding him before he closed his eyes to shield them from said light. Owen. Owen! Did he actually manage to push Owen out of the blast radius?! Was he okay?!
Scott opened his eyes and immediately tried to sit up, he had to find Owen, but just as quickly he felt a pair of hands on his chest keeping him down. As he looked up he saw a man in medical attire, who was the one trying to keep him down. Who was this guy? And where was Owen?! Scott continued to struggle trying to get up ignoring the man’s attempt to calm him down.
Scott only stopped when he heard someone else practically shouting his name while sounding to be coming closer. It was a voice he recognised. Owen. And just as his brain put a name to the voice, another face came into his vision. Owen was smiling and crying, definitely happy tears. He looked relieved like he'd been waiting for this. He reached down to gently cup Scott's cheek with one hand, the motion was grounding, and Scott stopped trying to sit up. Claiming down slightly now since Owen was here. The hands on his chest did not move despite that fact.
“You're okay,” Scott said to Owen with a weak smile. His voice sounded hoarse, like he hadn’t drunk anything in days. Or spoken in even longer.
“And you’re alive,” Owen returned a smile, as more happy tears streamed down his cheeks. The implication sank into Scott’s head, that it seemed he was close to not having been among the living anymore. He sure felt like he had narrowly escaped death, which wasn’t a good thing.
Scott wanted to pull Owen closer, to assure the other that he was okay, that he wouldn’t leave him, as Scott knew it was one of Owen’s greatest fears. To lose someone again. But as he tried to raise his right arm he found it to be restricted… it was in a cast. Well if that didn’t work, he’d just try the left… which had an IV going into it.
“Tell him to stop moving around, the stitches are still fresh, and he definitely shouldn’t move at this point in his recovery,” the man behind Owen said, a man Scott had almost forgotten about. Who even was he?
Owen turned around to the man Scott couldn’t see his face from this angle but he could see the man taking his hands away from his chest and moving away before Owen turned back to him, smiling and gently saying, “The doctor said it would be better if you just stayed like this a little longer, okay. You know, rest up and give your body time. But you'll be alright.”
Scott could already feel the drowsiness returning to his limbs but before he gave in to it he moved his left arm so he could hold Owen's hand, the one that wasn’t on his cheek. He squeezed the hand with all the strength he could muster, even if he knew it wasn’t a lot, before silently saying, “I love you Owen, and I promise that I won't leave you”
It was meant to be nothing more than reassurance, but with Scott’s highly medicated brain it ended as a confession, one Owen gladly returned, even if Scott would not be able to hear him, as he had just passed out. “I love you too Scott,”
Owen then pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, and sat down next to the bed. Keeping an eye on Scott, for when he'd next open his eyes, and another on the doctor to make sure he wouldn't try any funny business. He couldn’t have anything hurt Scott ever again, especially not while he still was this vulnerable. He trusted Owen to keep him safe, loved Owen. And Owen would do anything he had to, to make sure Scott wouldn’t regret trusting him. And if he had to kill everyone the doctor holds dear to do it, then that was just what would have to happen.