A/n
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH y'all!!!
....
Linden was getting worse and I had no idea where Aspen was.
"Those idiots launched a bomb at the city," Linden said from where he lied on the couch. "Your boyfriend went to stop the missile midair."
"Satan!" That was such a Super Storm thing to do I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill him or kiss him. The TV was on, silently flashing scenes of destruction from the day's events. There was no news of any missile or Storm's current whereabouts.
"Stop standing there and come help me," Roux said. She was kneeling by the couch, operating on Lin's bullet wound.
I was beside her in a jiffy. "I thought you removed the bullet," I said, seeing how the wound was still bleeding.
"I - I did. I can't stitch it up till -"
My phone rang and I nearly fell headfirst onto the floor as I scrambled to get it.
"Satan! Can he be any more obvious," I heard Lin mutter in the background. I ignored him.
"Where are you?" Aspen and I said at the same time.
Aspen chuckled. "Are you safe?"
"Yes, you?"
"Yeah. Where are you?"
"Hideout -" I hesitated for a second, looking around at our base from where we had planned all our heists, most of which were against Super Storm. I gave him the address.
"Garnet and Wurzel are with you?" he asked.
"Yes."
"You're not going to ambush me, are you?"
I narrowed my eyes at the wall in front of me. "If you still don't trust me, don't come."
Aspen let out a laugh. "Will be there in ten."
Super Storm arrived in less than ten minutes, looking like he had stopped a missile. His costume was blackened, his hair was in a mess and he was slightly bleeding from his palms.
"It's just a few scratches," he explained when I demanded to take a look. "That on the other hand looks more serious than a scratch," he added, eyeing Linden who had fallen unconscious on the couch.
"I - I don't know what's wrong," Roux admitted miserably. "I've done everything right but -" She broke off when Aspen approached Linden's side, peering down at the table where Roux had kept the medical supplies.
He picked up the forceps, the remains of the bullet trapped in its jaws. He studied it for a while, then looked up to meet my gaze.
"No," I muttered, stumbling back against the wall. "No!"
"What?" Roux cried, looking between the two of us.
Aspen turned to her. "It's not an ordinary bullet," he said. "It's the Zotak."
She mirrored my actions. "No," she gasped. "You're lying!"
Aspen said nothing.
"No." Roux got to her feet and rushed out of the room. On reflex, I ran after her.
"Roux," I cried. She stopped, turned and threw her arms around me in a bone crushing embrace. It was when she sobbed into my chest that the reality of the situation dawned in on me. I buried my head on her shoulder and held her tight.
"Why does this always happen to us, Ridge?" she said between her sobs. "Why couldn't the three of us just be? Why couldn't they leave us alone? What did we do to deserve this?"
"I know, Roux, I -"
"I just got him back. I can't lose him again. Not now, not like this."
"I'm sorry I caused this."
She shook her head against my chest. "You didn't cause this. We all did. We were a team but we let personal issues get in the way and now, here we are." She pushed away from my hold to look at me. "Here we are."
It was then that I finally broke down. I cried on her shoulder, holding her tight though I had no right to. She held me too, though she did not need to. I cried away all my years of guilt, remembering all the bad decisions I had made simply because I always kept my own self interest in sight. I cried, thinking about all the memories we shared, thinking of a time when we used to laugh together, hold hands as if we were two normal guys in love instead of - well, whatever we became. I wasn't sure how long Roux and I stood there, holding each other, didn't know how long Linden had, or if he was still alive. All I knew was that I was crying for him, though I had absolutely no right to.
"Ridge," Aspen's voice brought us back to reality. "Garnet," he added, just as softly as he had said my name.
I turned to look at him. He had a towel flung over his shoulder and his hands were free of gloves. "He's awake," he told us. Following him back into the room where Lin was in, I realised Aspen had been trying to help Linden. His bullet wound was covered in a creamy paste and a wet towel lied on his forehead.
"What the hell's wrong... with you two?" Linden muttered when he saw Roux and I with our eyes red and shoulders shaking. "Who got... married?"
Roux let out a laugh. She walked up to him and knelt by the couch. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Linden winced slightly as he raised his hand to run a finger through her hair. "Are you crazy? I'm... so proud of you."
All of a sudden, I felt like I was intruding. I looked around the room, as if to give them some privacy. It was then that I noticed that there was no sign of Aspen.
"Babe," Linden said, bringing my attention back to him. I forced my feet to lead me towards him. I gulped down a sob and took his hand, kneeling down next to Roux.
"I was a pretty... lame boyfriend... wasn't I?" he smiled.
I reached out with my free hand to brush his hair, feeling the familiar touch of the leaves and twigs that always laid entangled in his curls. "So was I," I admitted.
"I guess... we were too alike... for us to actually work."
I didn't say anything. We all knew he was right.
"I won't... say sorry," Linden whispered. "I just... I wanted -"
"Us to be happy, we know," Roux completed his sentence.
He shook his head ever so slightly. "I wanted us... to have the things that... that we were meant to have. Things... you deserved. I -" he looked at Roux, "I wanted you... to be free. And you," he turned to me and smiled his gorgeous, flirtatious smile that made me fall for him in the first place, "I wanted... the world for you."
I squeezed his hand. "I didn't need the world. I just wanted the two of you."
"Fucking... romantics," he cursed. "Don't hate him... too much," he told Roux. "He always loved you... more than me."
"Stop talking like you're dying," Roux cried.
"But I am... aren't I? I always... imagined a grander death. Like... Ridge stabbing me while... we made love."
"Fuck you," I sobbed. I put my forehead to his hand and said, with all the honesty I could muster, "I'm sorry."
I heard him sigh. "I know I... I did a bad job at it... but -" He paused slightly so I looked up to meet his eyes, alive and full as ever. I suddenly felt this indescribable ache in my heart, one I had never felt before.
"I love you," he whispered. "Both of you."
...
A/n
I'm sorry. I really am. :(
The song to the top is Beige by Yoke Lore. After I was done writing this chapter as well as typing it, when I was proof reading, I played this song in the background and I damn near broke down in tears.
I feel bad because there was so much to Linden that we don't know/didn't get the chance to know.
If there are enough petitions, I might even write a story about him. I don't know. Oof don't take me seriously, I'm too emotional right now.
Not only for Lin, but also because Love-Love might be coming to an end. Just - idk, brace yourselves (?)