Son of Apollo

Chapter 1- darling

This first chapter comes from the original story hadiya

Baby - 16

Baby yanks the handle of the switch car, skidding to a precise halt in the parking garage. The car hasn't even stopped moving and Buddy already has Darling in his arms; he's rushing her to the elevator and slamming the call button impatiently. MC5's Kick Out the Jams comes to a perfectly-timed finish as Baby unbuckles himself and follows behind them.

-

It was supposed to be an easy job. There was a bank just outside city limits with shoddy security and untrustworthy employees, and everything was going according to plan until one of the tellers pulled out a gun.

Flint, an enormous but unsuspecting man with an affinity for shooting things, had the employee on the ground in seconds, but not before she got in a shot at Darling.

Baby watched through the windows as Darling cursed, planted a retaliatory bullet between the dead woman's eyes, and continued on with the job.

By the time the heist was finished, she was dragging herself into the car with Buddy's help, and both of their bags were slung over his shoulder.

-

Buddy is more worked up than Baby has ever seen him. Darling is sprawled out on the large meeting table, her blood pooling onto the fake wood. Flint stands at her other side, holding pressure over her stomach with a gray scarf. Doc is on the phone with someone, and he seems to be holding an entire conversation using code words. (Baby is only sixteen--he doesn't know all of them yet.)

Darling isn't cursing anymore, and it occurs to Baby that she's actually dying, right here, as Disco Daddy  plays in his ears.

He'd promised himself he would never do this. Never show this to Doc or anyone else. It was dangerous, and reckless, and hardened criminals knew the risks they were taking.

But Darling is kind. Full of life. She protects Baby from legitimate threats and criminal bullies all the same. She works hard, looks after her own, and always gets the job done. She's also still bleeding, and Baby's sure there's way too much blood on the wrong side of her body. He doesn't want to watch her die. He can't bear to stand still and watch someone die.

Baby steps closer, assessing what he can from the wound. There's a lot of blood, but the bullet hole in her abdomen had been pretty clear. It was between her ribs, a few inches above her bellybutton. Darling's breathing is fast and each exhale comes with an unsettling groaning sound. Her eyes are squeezed shut, but there are no tears. Darling doesn't cry. She gets angry.

He steels himself. Takes a deep breath. And hesitantly reaches, first to brush his hand over hers in an innocent gesture.

"I'm real sorry," he murmurs, as Flint says something about giving her more space. "I swear this isn't what it looks like..." He leans in, apologizing again to Darling. He promises her she can hit him when this is over. Watches her confused reaction before pressing his lips to hers as lightly as he can.

He can feel it start almost immediately, and he ignores Buddy's shout from behind him. His senses can feel the body connected to his, the gaping hole where there should be healthy flesh. The irregular beat of her heart pumps in his ears, louder than Lord Nelson.

Energy flows, beginning to fill the void, but it's sluggish. He presses his hand to her stomach, close to the wound. There's blood, sticky and warm, and it makes him feel sick. But it works, anchors him to that spot, and he can feel the progress.

Torn muscle and tissue mends itself back together. Unscarred skin begins to spread over the healing wound. Darling's eyes snap open, and Baby realizes that she's pushing into his lips now. She's regaining strength, and she understands what he's doing.