As The World Caves In [Five]

Nineteen

Emery didn't move to try the light. He knew it was pointless. He didn't try to leave either. He didn't have the energy and so he collapsed on the closed toilet seat and let his head fall, figure hunching and arms loosely tucked on his lap.

A candle flickered and spluttered to light.

"It's not a sunset but, it's close enough." A voice said, familiar in so many ways it was almost comforting. It was comforting.

"What happened?" Emery asked, voice raw though he had done no shouting. Perhaps it was simply from disuse but when he swallowed, it felt like injecting rocks.

"You did what you had to do." Fives voice said. Emery didn't lift his head but he knew the boy had joined him.

"And it still wasn't enough." He replied dully.

"Grace said it was a miracle her artery chord wasn't severed." Five said. "That was because of you."

Emery didn't respond immediately, taking the time to soak in Five's words. "What happened?" He asked again though the words held a different meaning; asked a different question.

"I don't know what exactly but you absorbed it- or that's what it looked like. The light from Vanya's powers came to you and the power along with it. Without one another, they are nothing and so they were attached but when the second round of light- of power hit you, and you absorbed it- it did something. Burnt you but didn't burn you. You kept going and when Vanya delivered the final strike, it wasn't as strong as it would have been. It fell short and Allison is alive. Because of you." Five finished. "Vanya didn't know you were there until after. She fled."

Emery nodded and his eyes fell to his chest. He inhaled shakily. It made sense now, the acute pain in his every breath. What else had the light done to him?

There were muted marks tracing their way down his chest and when he lifted his shirt up, he could see the way they left their mark. Scars. Scars he would never be rid of.

"I have some ointment in my room." Five said after a moment, his voice so loud in the room of darkness. "Come on." Emery looked up to see Fives face, half cast in shadow half not, extending his arm out for Emery.

He accepted the help.

Together, they walked to Five's room and the light now wasn't as blinding and it remained on and untouched as Five set to work, lowering Emery down onto his bed and removing his shirt and bandages. Emery didn't look at the damage done. Not in this light, where he could see everything.

"I've never seen anything like this before. They'll leave scars. Maybe not if you're lucky." Five said, voice level and even as he massaged the ointment into Emery's hands with painstaking time. "I didn't have the resources nor the time to do this right the first time." Five said, his own way of apologizing. He finished wrapping one hand and did the same with the other. When he finished that one too, he filled his hand back in the jar and raised it over Emery's chest, hesitating.

"It's my fault that this happened to you." Five said, hand still hovering.

Emery raised his own and covered Five's. Bringing it down onto his chest. The cool ointment was welcome but it burned. He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and tossed his head back onto the wall.

"If you hadn't, if I hadn't, Allison would be dead. It was worth it." He said.

Five didn't respond, just finished his work in silence, cleaned in silence, washed his hands in silence, and moved— in silence.

"We have to find Harold." Five said eventually. "We have to end this apocalypse."

Emery nodded.

He understood how Five felt. How finding this man was his way of regaining control. And losing such a thing, especially now was unsettling. Like an itch that couldn't be found. Emery understood that feeling now.