𓈊 HotGuy and Canary

Chapter 7

TW: minor implication of past abuse

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"I'm going to get you out of here," Jimmy decided, lifting his hand and stealing light from one of the fixtures on the ceiling to make a lock pick. "And then you have to explain everything. I want to know what's going on."

Grian nodded, but stayed quiet as Jimmy twisted the pick around until the door clicked and opened. "I'm really sorry, Tim," he whispered, Jimmy kneeling next to him to take the chain off of his ankle. "I never wanted this-"

"It's fine," Jimmy said, then tossed the chain to the side and returned the light to its fixture. "We just need to get out of here."

Grian pursed his lips and nodded again. "There's windows in the hallway just outside," he said. "We could go out of those."

Jimmy nodded quietly and attempted to help Grian up, but the latter's legs wobbled and he fell.

"Oops," Grian said with a small chuckle. "Jelly legs. They, uh... sedated me earlier."

"Are you okay to walk?" Jimmy asked.

Grian nodded and tried to pull himself back up, his legs wobbling again. "Can I... lean on you?"

"Of course."

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"Don't feel bad," Gambit said to HotGuy from his spot on the sofa in the Top Ten's lounge, tossing a grape in his mouth. "You did the right thing."

HotGuy, who was picking flowers off of himself as they sprouted from his body, sighed. "Parakeet was my partner," he said. "My lover is a villain. How do you expect me not to feel bad?"

Spectrum sighed and smiled softly. "Both of my ex partners are villains," he said sadly. "Blaze and Imp. I know it's heartbreaking. You'll get over them, I promise."

HotGuy reached into his pocket, his fingers grazing a small, velvet box. "Right..."

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"Where are we going?" Grian asked. Jimmy was holding him on his back as he flew since Grian wasn't in a good state to fly. "And what about Joel?"

"We'll come back for Joel and the others," Jimmy said. "But we need to find somewhere to hide first." Grian nodded. "We obviously can't go back to the Menagerie. That'll be the first place they look-"

"Ah-" Grian buried his face in Jimmy's back, his grip around his torso tightening. He whined and started to cry.

Jimmy sighed and landed on the roof of a tall building, setting Grian down. "Do you need a minute?" he asked.

Grian clutched the sides of his head. "Hurts-"

"Just try to fight it, okay?" Jimmy said, kneeling next to his brother. "I know it's probably really hard, but you have to fight it. We'll get rid of them, I promise."

Grian sobbed at that. "Gone," he grunted. "Want it- gone-"

Jimmy pulled him into a hug. "I know," he whispered. "We'll figure this out. I promise that you won't have to suffer like this forever. But you have to fight them off."

"I'm trying," Grian said through gritted teeth, then he sobbed again, breaking Jimmy's heart.

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