Triple Life [3rd Life SMP]

23. Yellow

Grian shot upright with a shout, wings flaring open, and he quickly checked them over for injury, but they had healed with the respawn. Still, the pain of arrows going through his skin was fresh in his mind, and a moment later, there was a phantom jolt to his forehead and he groaned, pressing a hand between his eyes. He had died nearly immediately when Pearl shot him, almost too fast for the pain to register, but that split second before the black was excruciating.

He flopped back, breathing hard, staring up at the ceiling. His fingers clutched at the blanket, released, clutched again. He felt slightly weaker, more on edge, anxious. The burden of being a yellow life. He closed his eyes, trying to settle his breathing, but it was difficult with the way his heart seemed to be beating against his ribcage.

There were rushing footsteps across wood and he jolted up again, spreading out his fingers and hooking his claws as he hissed, but then Jimmy was entering the room, eyes wide, holding his communicator in a hand.

Right. Everyone would have just seen what happened.

"Fuck," was all Grian said, shuffling back against the wall and then drawing his knees up, burying his face against them.

Jimmy didn't say anything, but he climbed onto the bed with him and moved in close, wrapping his arms around him. Grian turned into the hug, holding Jimmy around the shoulders and pressing his face to his neck. His omega's scent and warmth was soothing, and slowly he was able to relax, getting his breathing under control.

"Pearl shot me out of the sky," he said quietly. "I flew over this cave entrance and I guess they were in there, her whole team, and they started shooting at me. Got both my wings, my leg..."

Jimmy made a sympathetic noise and began petting his back. Grian leaned closer, sighing before continuing.

"Couldn't get my shield up fast enough, Pearl took out one of my wings so I couldn't flap it, so I hit the ground, knocked me down to half a heart, they surrounded me... Pearl taunted me, she wanted Doc to come after her so she could kill him, so... she killed me. Just to get to Doc."

Jimmy hissed, shaking his head. "We need to keep Doc from going after them then, it's what they want, and all three of them together can kill him."

"Is Doc still out hunting?" Grian asked. "He'll come check on me, right? Then we can just make sure he stays..."

His question was answered as he heard noise in the other room, quick, heavy footsteps, then Doc came in, breathing hard. He looked like he had sprinted from wherever he was at.

"Grian, I just saw... are you okay?" He hurried to the bed and climbed up next to them, and when Grian turned his face toward him, Doc cupped his jaw and looked him over, concerned.

"Fine, I mean... I'm yellow now, but fine," Grian replied.

"How did she get you?" Doc asked, a roughness to his voice.

Grian explained what happened and he could see the growing anger in Doc's expression. When Grian said that Pearl did it to intentionally set Doc off so he'd come after her and she could kill him, he growled, tail lashing.

"Oh, I'll come after her, but it won't play out like she thinks," Doc snarled. "I'm going to kill her."

"Doc, no, don't give her what she wants," Grian said, grabbing his wrist as he shifted like he was going to get up. "All three of them will be together, if they gang up on you, they'll kill you. Or they might lead you into a trap, or anything else. Please, just stay here."

"I can't just let them get away with doing that to you! They shot you in the wings!"

"Yeah, it sucked," Grian said, shuddering as he remembered how much it hurt, the primal fear that swept through him upon losing the ability to fly. "But it's a death game, and they're red lives, it's their job to try and kill people. They're trying to win the game. They did what they had to to take me out."