Alliance || 1 || ✔️ mature

40 | Eleven

My eyes flicker to his, "Me too."

I can see Archer scooting closer but with every wince that overcomes his face my own heart follows.

"Don't."

He stops. "Sarge-"

"You're hurt, you need to rest." I continue.

"I'm hurt! You are lying on a metal table, bound with your blood pooling around you and you're worried about me?!" He hisses.

"Yes, so get over it and relax." I try to adjust on the table but only pain meets my efforts. "How long has it been?" I ask quietly. The days all blend together, feeling like it had only been one long nightmare.

"About a week, maybe more. I go off her change of outfits." He huffs, and it brings a smile to my lips despite the circumstances. "She reopens your wounds with each visit."

I flinch, "I figured."

"I'm kind of glad you're never awake when she comes in, you don't feel it as much."

My eyes find his. "Silver lining."

He flashes me a small sincere smile.

"We're going to get out of here." I say.

"The guards change every four hours." He whispers back.

So, six guards a day. That's excessive.

I glance over at Archer, but he's not staring at me, his gaze focused on the door across from us.

"How long has it been since the last one?" I reply, my eye narrowing in thought.

"Judging by the lack of footsteps, I'd say two hours." He turns and watches me.

"What time does the guard come with the food?"

"When the guards swap over for the fifth time, the new guard brings the food before going to his post." Archer says before nodding his head at the door. "This is only the third guard today."

"Hmm." I hum and relax against the table, wincing as my wounds bark in pain.

It doesn't last long before Archer speaks again.

"So, Holland? Tell me something about you I don't know." I can hear the smile in his voice as he says my name and I roll my eyes.

I stare over at Archer with a 'really' face and he just shrugs his shoulders at me.

"What? It's a valid question." He says.

"I never wanted to be an Agent, I only joined because situations forced me to."

He pauses. A thoughtful look on his face.

"What would you have done if you weren't an Agent?"

I blink, the thought never crossing my mind before. "I'd never really thought about it to be honest. Being an Agent didn't really seem to be something I could just leave."

"But you did." Archer says, "You did leave."

I shake my head, "Not truly. I knew I would always be back. I just needed answers first."

"Answers?"

I breathe out roughly, my eyes finding Archer's. "Samael told me Lilac was killed by Jedrik Molotov. She wasn't."

His eyes widen and flash to the door for a second, "The same Molotov-"

I nod.

"How do you know she wasn't?"

"Because I found Jedrik Molotov and forced the truth out of him."

Archer silence plays on my mind for the few seconds he lets it dwell.

"Is he still alive?" He finally replies and I look back at him, not realising I'd been lost in focus, staring at the wall.

"No."

"Good."

His eyes bounce between both of mine, and he rests back against the wall, "I'm glad he's dead."

"Me too." I whisper.

I hum, melting against the table as exhaustion pulls me under, yet I want to keep talking.

"An artist." I whisper into the room.

"What?" Archer replies.

"I think I would have liked to be an artist." I add on, finding Archer's eyes. "There's so much beauty in it, it's so different from the destruction of our world. I think it'd be good for me."

He smiles, the sight caressing my heart. "You could still do it."

"Maybe." I blink away the moisture in my eyes, "Tell me about Clay, what was he like growing up?"

"He was a pain in the ass." Archer chuckles out, "but the best man you'd ever want on your side."

I smile at the words.

"He didn't have a good relationship with Director growing up, so he spent a lot of the time with the team, he made us a family. He made us who we are today."

"Cleo told me Samael wanted him to be leader, but he chose you."

"He asked me to be the leader, yeah. But I took it on one condition. That he be joint leader. He was always meant to be the one in control, he's perfect for the role. But he never likes to do anything Director expects of him."

"He had the biggest fight with Director when he chose to focus on intelligence rather than weapons training." He smiles as if recalling the memory. "He was so happy when he won that fight."

"What do you think you would have done if you weren't an Agent?"

Archer blinks, as if he didn't expect me to ask him and he smiles at me, "I haven't actually thought about it. This life was all I saw for myself."

"It's a hard question to know the answer to, huh." I taunt softly, resting my head against the table.

He laughs, "Yeah, I guess it is."

My eyes slide slowly shut as exhaustion sweeps over me.

"Holland?"

I him, slowly opening my eyes to stare down at Archer, his eyes not focused on me.

"Why were you really avoiding me?"

I swallow, throat tightening, silence stretching on. Archer finally turns to look at me, his hazel eyes connecting to my brown ones and I finally reply.

"Because-" I pause, my eyes finally closing. "I didn't need to fall in love with you."