The Custodes

Chapter 11 - Past and Future Scars

------------------------------

Kayla sat in silence, struggling to find the right words to say after hearing such a story. She never would've imagined something like that had happened between Neo and his brother, and it must've been extra hard for him now after coming face to face again and seeing just how villainous Nexus had become. Neo had pulled himself up into a sitting position in the centre of the warehouse, looking down at the floor in front of him as he finished telling his story. He really didn't know what Kayla thought about it, and her silence was strangely filling him with worry, as though she might just up and leave after hearing the tale. Secretly he knew she wouldn't though, and after a few seconds she opened her mouth and spoke "Fuck Nexus." Neo looked at her, spotting the scowl on her face, then let out a small chuckle. "My sentiments exactly." He said, oddly unable to prevent a tiny smile from finding its way onto his face. He was just glad Kayla was on his side, and so far didn't seem to think any less of him because of what happened. "I don't like it you know. Attacking him in the apartment." Neo told her, rubbing the back of his neck simplemindedly "I don't regret it, but I wish it had gone differently. I was the bad guy - I attacked him without even trying to talk things out. And in the end, when he had the chance to stop me in my tracks, he was the one who showed me mercy." Kayla watched Neo with a considerate expression, then shook her head "You're human. You had every right to do what you did after witnessing something so...inhumane. Did you ever tell the police?" "Of course I didn't." Neo replied, leaning back but keeping himself propped up with one hand "I spent most of the time after that fearing for my life. I thought Nexus would have a change of heart and try to find me to cover his tracks. It was better to run away from everything that had happened rather than try to draw it to a close, and I suppose that what's happening with him now is me paying the price for it." Kayla had no clue what to say to that, simply giving a small nod before looking down at the floor. "I still have the scar you know." Neo said after a moment of silence, then, to demonstrate what he was talking about, lifted up his hoodie and t shirt to show Kayla his side. Along his flesh, just above his hip bone, was a large, extremely prominent scar, one that Kayla was sure must've taken months to fully heal. She was almost tempted to reach out and touch it, but that felt a tad bit too intimate for her and Neo at the moment. Instead she just stared at it, then looked up to meet his gaze. "I assume you expect me to talk about my past after such a heartfelt story?" She questioned, though realised it came out in a far harsher way than she had meant it. Neo however simply laughed and shook his head "Not at all, I just figured it would help take your mind off things. Which it seems to have done successfully." He flashed her a small smile, one that she returned before looking away and setting her hands down on her lap. Neo watched her for a second, trying to figure out what she was thinking before she spoke up to outright tell him "I think it's completely pointless telling you I'm scared. Of course I am, anyone would be if they found out they could drop dead at any given moment. Thing is though, it's quickly making me realise that I could be gone soon and have little to nothing to show for the life I've lived. I think if anyone understands that it's you, what with how much you're putting your life at risk nowadays. Doesn't it upset you to think your existence could be snuffed out any minute and you wouldn't have even made an impact on the world?" Neo's gaze didn't leave her as she spoke, but when she was finished he looked up at the ceiling and let out an exhale. After a moment of silent thinking, he replied "No. It doesn't upset me. Maybe a while ago it would've, before everything with you guys and Zuro happened, but now...it's a whole different story. I feel like I have made an impact, and if I were to die tomorrow, I'd at least have something to show for my efforts. Plus, in the end, I went out with newly made friends by my side. That's something I never thought I'd be able to say, it makes everything feel...worthwhile." Neo smiled a little as he monologued, half to himself, before he looked over at Kayla. Her gaze wasn't meeting his, but she turned to look at him in surprise as he shuffled over and reached out to take her hand gently in his, a surprisingly bold action from someone like Neo. "You're thinking about this all wrong Kayla. This whole time thing is...really quite confusing, and it's a struggle to think about the logistics of it all but, two years is a long time. Right now, we're facing off against Zuro, someone who could end our existences without hesitation right?" He looked at her, as though waiting for a response, and even in her confused daze at his words she gave a small nod "Well realistically, and bear with me here, you're still alive right now. That means from now till two years in the future, Zuro doesn't manage to kill you - in fact nothing does. And I'm willing to bet that if someone like him can't put you down in that amount of time, there's a good fucking chance you're gonna live until you're old and grey. So why worry? Don't live in fear of 'dropping dead' and instead live with the happiness and knowledge that you make it that far into life." He gave her hand a small squeeze, trying to see if his words were sparking any sort of hope in her, but all he could see was considering quietness. Neo let out a small exhale and began retracting his hand, realising it had been holding Kayla's for a bit too long, before he was suddenly caught off guard by a pair of lips slamming against his. He almost toppled over by the force alone but managed to catch himself, though it took him a good second to actually figure out that Kayla was kissing him. Neo immediately flushed as her lips pressed firmly against his, however he was quick to dismiss the questions beginning to fly through his head and instead closed his eyes and focused on Kayla, pressing back into the kiss ever so slightly. She slowly pulled away from him and sat back on her heels, embarrassment quickly overtaking her sudden burst of passion. Neo looked a tad bit dazed, blinking as he watched her before awkwardly clearing his throat "That um..." "Don't say anything stupid!" She hurriedly interrupted, expecting something along the lines of 'well that was surprising' to come out of his mouth. He was quick to shut up, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets to hide that he was fidgeting with them. There was a moment of silence, both of them unintentionally relishing in embarrassment, before Kayla decided to cut the awkward tension "Was that your uh-...your first...?" "What? Of course it was!" Neo admitted blatantly, his cheeks growing redder by the minute. Kayla gave a relaxed nod, absentmindedly looking at their surroundings and away from him. "It wasn't bad." She stated, biting her lip slightly as he looked at her, before letting out a small exhale. "How relieving." He commented, which actually made her smile a little. "It still doesn't help my understanding of why you-" "You were being nice, okay? You helped cheer me up, and you were all hopeful, and sentimental...and kinda cute too. So I went for it." Kayla told him truthfully, hoping he could understand her spur of the moment decision. "Yeah, I get it I just...wasn't expecting it." Neo said, a small smile coming to his face "What happens now?" "Now, I think it's about time we go and get Noah." Kayla stated, subtly avoiding answering the real question Neo was posing "My phone's on silent but I've felt it go off in my pocket at least six times during all that. Come on." She stood up and brushed herself off, offering a hand to Neo who took it gratefully and pulled himself up. "I wonder if he actually learned some things from Hector. Would definitely be interesting to find out." Neo commented as they started to walk out of the warehouse, with Kayla taking out her phone and quickly opening it. "Yeah, you're right. I'll call him and see whereabouts he is." She said as she dialled Noah's number, walking alongside Neo as they headed for the hole in the fence.