Understanding - Repkyle

twenty

Song: In this shirt
by the irrepressibles
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Rogelio's POV

The pain hits me in the form of anger rather than sadness. Once the door shuts behind me I'm convinced it isn't real, that none of it has really happened and that I'll wake up from this twisted dream with nothing but a miniscule case of shivers.

Of course, I don't wake up, and the realisation that Kyle has been separated from me settles in. A surge of hatred for myself runs through me and I punch the wall with a glare on my face.

How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I fight harder?

My head feels like it's splitting in half again and I let a tear fall down my cheek. I haven't cried since I was a child, but this moment seems fitting. I've lost my world, my everything, and all because I was too weak to fight.

It's ironic. Me, a soldier, scared of fighting after years of rest in love with a soldier who hasn't stopped fighting wars inside his head for years.

I'm too agitated to sit down, so instead I take large but quick steps around the cell, my tail feeling abnormally heavy and my teeth suddenly too sharp. Is this what it's like to be Kyle? Paying attention to so much details that everything slowly becomes painful?

A scratch coming from the ceiling makes me turn around. The spin makes my head go into frenzy but I manage to stand still. More scratching noises come and I realise they're in the vents. Have the princesses come to rescue us?

After being here for a while I forgot that was a possibility.

"Kyle? Rogelio?"

The voice is instantly familiar.

'Catra?'

Soon enough I can see her behind the silver grill of the vent, smiling down at me. I feel relieved that it was her who came for me, since she can understand every word I say almost as well as Lonnie can.

"Where's Kyle? What's wrong?"

Adora crawls up beside Catra and frowns down at me. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and look back to where the door would be.

'She has him.'

They share a look and Catra shakes her head.

"How many times do we have to come back here?"

She grumbles. Adora shoves her lightly and gestures towards the grill, which she slices open in an instant. The sound of the metal barrier crashing to the floor fills my ears but nobody comes to check in on me.

'I can't leave without him.'

I growl, backing away towards the door. Adora wears a pitied look, but she shakes her head anyways. My heart drops.

They obviously spent lot of time planning our rescue, and risked a lot sneaking in here, but am I willing to throw all of that away?

What will happen to Kyle if he comes back and I'm gone?

"Rogelio, come on! We'll have to rescue Kyle when we rescue the sword."

Catra hisses. They both stick their arms out in unison and I'm torn for what to do, my head turning from the wall to the vent a couple of times before I'm interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the cell. Adora gasps and waves her hand at me so I have no choice but to do it.

I have to leave.

I quickly slide a bedframe to the wall and stand on top of it, the vent now right in front of me. The wall starts to slide and I grip into Catra and Adora's hands, thanking them when they pull me up into the metal chute. My heart feels way too heavy.