rcvcgers - Tumblr blog

rcvcgers · 3 days ago

Text

Sunday Morning

pairing ; caleb x reader

synopsis ; you and caleb spend a sunday morning together

word count ; 4.7k words

content warning ; a lot of kissing! fluff so sweet it may hurt your teeth!

author's note ; happy birthday caleb! here's a fluffy one shot in honor of his bday! <3 it was inspired by maroon 5's "sunday morning" so i suggest listening to that while you read!

main masterlist ~ ao3 link

Caleb’s heartbeat is steady in your ear, his chest warm against the side of your face. The sheets of your shared bed are over your heads, shielding you from the morning sunlight, the gentle light making the sheets glow. There is a big smile spread across both of your faces and your legs are tangled together, Caleb’s arm wrapped around your body, pulling you closer to him if it were even possible.

He presses his nose to the top of your head and slowly inhales. The intoxicating scent of your shampoo fills his nose. He has never felt so safe in his life, so fulfilled.

There is simply no urge to leave the bed. The sound of steady breathing and hearts that beat in sync are like a lullaby that keep you two in a trance.

In your bed, there are no expectations. Caleb is not a Farspace Fleet Colonel and you are not a Hunter. There are no Wanderers to fight or flights into the Deepspace Tunnel to take. The world does not have its eyes on you two. You can rest easy in each other’s arms, shielding from prying eyes and those who wish to hurt you.

Your eyes flutter open and a small yawn escapes from your lips. You stretch your arm out, body tensing before relaxing. Caleb gently grabs your wrist and pulls it to his lips. He kisses your warm skin, peppering his lips along the invisible line that leads to the palm of your hand, covering every inch, taking his time. You smile, cheeks heating up from a blush, a quiet chuckle leaving your lips as he kisses the pads of your fingers.

Slowly, you shimmy up his side, the cotton of his worn out DAA shirt stretching between your bodies as you come to eye level with him. His amethyst eyes greet you like a melody you adored in a past life, enveloping you with nothing but pure happiness and love. He scoots back and makes room on his pillow for you, the tips of your noses touching once he leans in again.

“Good morning, Caleb,” your voice is raspy and it drives him crazy, mad with love and adoration for you.

“Good morning, my love,” Caleb murmurs back. He leans in and presses a kiss to your lips.

You melt into him, closing your eyes once again as the man pulls you on top of him. His hands grip your waist, slipping underneath the fabric of his DAA shirt, his calloused hands scratching against your soft and gentle skin. It sends chills down your spine.

You lay your full body weight into him, which Caleb just adores, and pull away. Your hair falls past your face, making a shield around your faces, keeping the outside world out. You smile down at him. Caleb tilts his head to the side and his head sinks deeper into the pillow as he admires your face.

“You are…the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on,” Caleb lazily smiles. You blush and shake your head but he simply nods in return. “I hereby decree that you must believe that you are beautiful on my birthday.”

“Oh? Is that so?” you ask, leaning down. Your lips graze against his and Caleb nods. “Then you must believe that you are the most handsome man to ever exist. No other man can even compare to you.”

“I like the sound of that,” Caleb hums.

The man reaches his hand up and places it on the back of your head, helping pull you down the last small gap to connect your lips. He sighs into your mouth. You place your hands on his chest and try to push away but he brings you right back to him, his lips never leaving yours.

You giggle into the kiss, pushing against his chest once again. Caleb shakes his head and sits up with you in his lap just to push you back down onto the bed, trapping you beneath the weight of his body. You gasp and wrap your arms around his neck. Your head hangs off of the edge of the bed, your hair cascading down the side with the soft sheets. Caleb pushes himself up ever so slightly to get a good look at you.

The sunlight strikes across your face at just the right angle. It illuminates your irises, highlighting the way your smile adds to your beauty. The silver necklace that hangs around his neck dangles in the air, the dog tag and apple resting on your chest. Caleb lets out a sigh of content, of pure joy and adoration he has for you. He reaches out with one hand and cups your face. You lean into his touch and Caleb swears he is finally in his own personal heaven.

“Caleb,” you breathe his name out, tilting your head to the side to press a kiss to the palm of his hand, “I need to get up.”

“No, you don’t,” he says it so matter of factly that it makes you roll your eyes. He leans back down and presses his weight into you, pinning you into the bed. “I want to stay right here with my pips and sleep the day away.”

You can’t help but laugh, your fingers slipping into his messy hair, flattening out the strands that stick out and gently untangling a few knots. Caleb buries his face into the space between your chest and neck, kissing your collarbones and throat.

“Stay right there,” Caleb murmurs against your skin.

“Caleb!” your laughs fills the room as he nuzzles into your neck, his cheek fully pressed against the side. He loves feeling the vibrations of your laughter, the way it always makes him smile and laugh himself.

You attach your hands to his shoulders and push him off of you, quickly slipping free from the bed. His shirt is big on you, the now stretched out collar showing much of your skin. Caleb flips around on the bed and looks you up and down, a satisfied smile on his face.

“What do you want for breakfast? Hm?” you ask, already backing towards the bedroom door. Caleb moves to get up and help but you rush back towards the bed, shoving him down. “No! I want to treat you for once!”

“But pips,” Caleb pouts, trying to use the cuteness aggression you feel towards him, “let me help. I’ll be the best sous chef you’ve ever seen—”

“I am perfectly capable of cooking you breakfast on my own, Caleb,” you roll your eyes.

You rest your hand on his chest and push him back down into the bed, your eyes never leaving his. Tugging the sheets up, you tuck him in, even making for sure to do a mummy tuck where you push the sheets underneath his body, trapping him in. You sit on the edge of the bed and lean over him, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“So,” you mimic his head tilt, “what do you want for breakfast?”

“Since I can’t have you,” Caleb dramatically sighs, remaining beneath the mummy tuck as a willing participant, “I guess pancakes and eggs and maybe bacon — okay, a lot of bacon — will be good enough.”

You nod in confirmation and lean down. You press a kiss to his forehead, to the tip of his nose, and then his lips. He pushes up, trying his best to deepen and keep you trapped with him for as long as he can, but he lets out a saddened sigh as soon as you pull away.

Caleb watches as you walk away. You know he’s watching, too, and Mae for sure to put some sway in your hips, walking as slow as you can. You stop by the doorframe and take one last glance back at him. He has the sappiest smile on his face, just exuding the most puppy dog energy that you have ever seen. A laugh leaves your mouth and you disappear behind the wall, heading towards the kitchen.

Caleb leans back into the pillow and closes his eyes. He sighs, shaking his head as he snuggles into the sheets, sheets that have your scent on them, and slowly inhales.

“I love her so much,” he exclaims to the room. “I love my girlfriend!”

You hear Caleb’s words echo down the hallway, reaching you all the way in his apartment’s kitchen. You begin to grab out ingredients and utensils, humming to yourself. Once everything is set up, you take out your phone and connect it to a nearby speaker, beginning to quietly play your lazy Sunday morning playlist.

Minutes pass and you are deep into cooking, the smile remaining on your face as you lay down pieces of bacon onto Caleb’s cast iron pan. There is a stack of pancakes off to the side, towering high. You are proud of yourself for actually being able to pull it all together.

Usually, Caleb’s kitchen would be in complete and utter disarray, his countertop littered with piles of scrap food and specks of flour. Caleb always freaked out at the mess and stepped in, cleaning the destruction you sowed in his apartment. You would always end up with food all over you too and he would have to help clean it off of your skin while you pouted at him.

But now? You are a pro. Someone to be feared in the kitchen. A formidable foe that even the world’s most famous chefs will learn to be afraid of.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Caleb says from behind you. You gasp and turn around, spatula in hand. A few eggs sits on the counter to the side of the stove. “I would think that you’re coming for my job as personal chef.”

“Caleb! Get back in bed!” you wave your spatula at him, trying your best to shoo him away.

“I think I’ll stay right here, thank you very much,” he nods his head and stays right where he is. He leans his hip against the side of the kitchen island, keeping his distance across the kitchen. He is just far away enough to make a quick escape if you were to go after him but close enough to see the golden and bronze specks in his purple eyes.

“Fine. Stay right where you are, though,” you roll your eyes and turn back to the stove, flipping over the strips of bacon, “I got this under control.”

You begin to ignore him and hum along to your song. You can feel his eyes trained on the back of your head.

The song is one of your favorites, one that you and Caleb would always play while taking a drive in Linkon or while on a flight in Skyhaven’s skies. You sway your hips back and forth, focusing on the meat in the pan. You grab two of the eggs to the side and crack them against the rim of the pan, dropping them into the searing hot pan. With a quick seasoning, the eggs sizzle beside the bacon, looking absolutely delectable and savory.

Caleb creeps up from behind you, slowly wrapping his arms around your waist. He nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. Your cheeks heat up but you attribute it to the hot stove in front of you and not the way the man behind you makes you feel.

“I am the luckiest man to ever live,” Caleb murmurs against your skin.

He kisses your neck and you lean back into him. You reach around and slip your fingers into his hair, gently scratching his scalp. Caleb groans and pulls away from your neck, pushing his head into your touch. You smile and glance at the pan. You push it off of the flame and turn the stove off, placing the spatula to the side.

Caleb slowly turns you around in his arms, his hands planted onto your waist. You wrap your arms around his neck. Caleb lifts you onto the countertop, the marble warm beneath your thighs. He pushes you back far enough to where you’re comfortable and he slides between your legs, making himself at home.

“Hi,” Caleb whispers.

“Hi,” you respond. You hook a finger into the silver chain around his neck, wrapping it around once or twice, before pulling on it, guiding him to lean in closer. You meet him halfway.

The two of you share a sweet and gentle kiss. It is slow. You take your time with it. You two mold into each other’s bodies. Caleb smells like summertime and you the spring. There is no urgency in your kisses, no fleeting moments as you run off on an emergency mission or Caleb leaving for a month long mission. It is just the two of you. Plain and simple but you wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I love you so much,” you breathe against his lips. Caleb pushes into you, leaning you back into the cabinets.

“I love you too,” Caleb deepens the kiss. He holds the back of your head, shielding you from the cabinets.

Your heart swells in your chest. Your stomach flutters. You squeeze his sides between your legs, keeping him trapped against you. Caleb inhales your scent, overwhelmed by his emotions.

“Marry me,” he says against your lips.

“What?” you chuckle in response, slowly pulling away from him. Caleb follows your mouth and presses another kiss to your lips.

“Marry me,” Caleb repeats, finally pulling away. He rests his hands on the tops of your thighs, his calloused fingers grazing against your skin.

“Caleb,” you breathe out, still in shock from his words. “You couldn’t possibly—”

“Wait right here,” Caleb interrupts you.

The man suddenly slips away, leaving you alone int he kitchen. You blink at nothing, suddenly feeling cold now that he isn’t here. Your feet connect with the ground and you begin to walk back towards your shared bedroom, leaning to the side to try and get a good look at what it is that he’s doing.

Caleb emerges from the bedroom, his hands behind his back. You stand in the middle of the living room now, shaking your head at him.

“Caleb? What are you doing?” you ask. Your heart races inside of your chest as he grows closer.

Once he is right in front of you, Caleb pulls his hands out from behind him. He holds it between you two and slowly opens his hand, revealing a silver ring that sits in the center of his palm. A quiet gasp leaves your lips. Your hands reach up to cover your mouth, your eyes filling with tears.

“I wanted to save this for the right moment,” Caleb whispers. His words tingle your ears. Your stomach erupts with butterflies, looking up at him. “Right now feels perfect.”

Caleb slowly lowers himself onto one knee. You watch his every move, the way he takes your hands in his. He holds the silver ring out for you to see. You bite your lip and hold back the happy tears that threaten to fall. Caleb smiles, putting you at ease.

“I love you so much,” he begins, his voice slightly cracking under the weight of his own emotions, “I dreamed of you every single night that we were apart. Your face and laughter were some of the things that kept me going. You are my reason for safely landing my planes and coming back from missions in one piece. You are the reason why I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. If it weren’t for you, I would feel so lost. You are my North Star. You are my home. You are the person I want to wake up beside every morning, to spend the last five minutes of time in bed in your arms instead of putting that damn uniform on.”

“Caleb,” his name rolls off of your tongue and the tears begin to fall down your cheeks. You let out a quiet chuckle, wiping them away.

“I want you. I need you in my life. I love you so much…will you please marry me?” Caleb asks. Tears well in his eyes, his smile as big as the sun.

You nod, unable to form a coherent sentence. The emotions you feel are overwhelming. Caleb’s smile brightens and he stands to his feet. He slips the engagement ring onto your ring finger and you immediately wrap your arms around his neck, kissing him once again.

“I love you so much, Caleb,” your combined tears mix into your kiss, the saltiness spreading across your tongues. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask for so long.”

“Really?” Caleb pulls away. He brushes your hair out of your face. “Then let’s go to the courthouse right now.”

“Caleb,” you laugh, your hands slipping from his neck to his biceps. You give them a squeeze and shake your head, “you want to go right now?”

“Yes! I have a suit and you have that pretty white dress…it’s perfect,” he takes your hand in his and brings it up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to your finger where the ring sits.

“But I don’t have a ring for you,” you frown. Caleb shakes his head and pulls you close, cupping your cheeks.

“Baby, I would marry you with rings made out of string if it meant that I get to call you my wife and have you by my side for the rest of my life,” Caleb coos.

You slowly inhale, thinking it over. What was that’s saying? If you know, you know. The moment feels so right…

“Okay,” you nod, “let’s do it!”

Caleb cheers and picks you up into the air, spinning you around. You laugh and press your forehead against his. He quickly sets you down and points over your shoulder at the bedroom.

“Go get on that dress, baby,” he smiles, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before heading towards the door, “I need to go get something!”

“Where are you going?” you ask between laughs, watching as he fumbles with his keys, struggling to find his wallet next.

“It’s a surprise!” Caleb says, blowing you one last kiss before disappearing behind the door.

You laugh and cover your face, your cheeks hot from a blush. The silver ring looks so good on your finger. It belongs there. It looks so natural almost as if it has been there all along.

You quickly run to your bedroom, heading straight for the closet. Shuffling through the clothes, you land on a white dress, one that you picked out not too long ago while shopping with Tara, and pluck it from its hanger. You bring it out to the bed and delicately lay it down, moving back to grab a matching pair of heels, a pair that he actually bought for you, and set it down on the floor.

Knowing Caleb, he’ll be back in a matter of minutes so you barely have any time to spare.

You throw the dress onto your body and flatten out the wrinkles, slipping on the shoes. You snatch his more relaxed suit jacket and matching pair of pants, moving outside of the room and place them on the living room’s couch. He’ll see it as soon as he comes back and will get ready in a matter of minutes. It gives you more time to do your makeup.

You sit in the bathroom and quickly work through your steps while remaining precise with your movements. A necklace with a simple diamond hanging from its metal string, another gift from Caleb. You wear earrings as well, ones that compliment the shine of your highlighter and the delicate color you chose for your lips. Your hands and wrists remain empty except for your wedding ring.

It’s the only piece that matters after all.

You hear the front door of the apartment swing open then close. You rush towards the door, finally starting on your hair, and put your ear against the door. Caleb is on the other side and it sounds like he’s holding something wrapped in plastic.

“Caleb?” you call for him through the door. You listen as his footsteps grow louder, quick.

“Pips? Is there something wrong?” Caleb asks. The doorknob begins to move but you quickly lock it.

“I set your clothes out for you…it’s bad luck to see me before I’m ready!” you excitedly say, biting your lip.

“Okay, okay,” you can hear his smile in voice. “When I’m done, I’ll come get you for your first look, okay?”

“Yes,” you breathe out and unlock the door, slightly opening it.

You stick your hand out, the one with your wedding ring on your finger, and wiggle your fingers. Caleb immediately latches onto it, pressing his lips to your knuckles and the place above the ring.

“I already know you look so beautiful,” Caleb compliments.

You blush and pull your hand back, closing and locking the door once again. You press your back to it and let out a quiet and content sigh, eyes closed as your heart pounds inside of your chest. You open your eyes and stare at the messy bed.

The sheets are sprawled out all over the place and there are remnants of your clothes from last night scattered across the floor. Who would have known that a lazy Sunday would end up like this?

You run back to your jewelry and dig around, trying to find something that haunts your mind. It’s a ring that looks similar to the one on your finger, matching it in its simplicity and elegance. It’s a simple band. It’s one that Caleb can wear to work without drawing too much attention to it. It’s perfect.

You snatch it and slip it next to your ring. Your heart swoons as you tilt into the bathroom, quickly fixing your hair just the way you like it.

Once you’re done, you walk back towards the door and unlock it. You suck in a deep breath, settling your nerves, and slightly open it, your eye able to see past the small sliver you make for yourself.

“Pips? Are you ready?” Caleb’s voice perks up from the living room.

“Yes,” you smile, “stay there! And close your eyes!”

“Okay!” Caleb exclaims. He stands from his spot on the couch and looks down, fixing the wrinkles in the jacket and white dress shirt. He rounds the coffee table, bouquet of your favorite flowers in hand, and waits for you at the beginning of the hallway. He hides the bouquet behind his back. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

You nod and take a deep breath. You slowly step out of the bedroom, looking down at Caleb, whose eyes are thankfully closed. Placing your hands behind your back, you slowly walk down the hallway, your smile growing by the second.

Now that he is here, you don’t feel nervous. There’s no expectation for you to be someone you’re not nor are you expected to play the role as the perfect girlfriend.

Those days are in the past now. From this point on, you will be Mrs. Xia, a woman who has captured the heart of a kind and gentle man, one who has loved you for the entirety of your life together. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

You stand in front of him, beaming. The bigger ring is loose on your finger and you slip it free from its place. You take another step forward, a small gap now separating you and your future husband.

“Keep your eyes closed,” you whisper. Caleb nods. You take his hand in yours, the pad of your thumb rubbing the empty spot on his ring finger. You slide it on and watch as it fills the empty space. Caleb shudders but his smile grows. “Open.”

Caleb obeys your command. His eyes shoot open at your appearance. His eyes roam up and down your body, taking in your delicate appearance. You make his heart skip a beat, his stomach tossing and turning around. His lips slightly part, tears filling his eyes.

“You look…so pretty,” Caleb whispers.

“Thank you,” you smile. You raise his hand up to his eye line, showing off the ring you place on his finger. “I was also saving this for a special occasion.”

Caleb moves the bouquet from behind his back. The delicate petals match your appearance. You truly look like a princess straight out of a romance novel. He’s dreamed of this moment for so long but now that it is finally coming true, Caleb couldn’t be happier.

“Come on,” Caleb laces your fingers together, “let’s go get married.”

The two of you pile into his car. He rolls the windows down for the nice and sunny day, the skies littered with big and fluffy white clouds. The flower petals rustle from the gentle and warm breeze. You and Caleb hold hands as he slowly drives you to the courthouse, weaving through the scattered traffic and near empty streets. He takes his time with this. He doesn’t want the memory to end too soon.

On the radio plays a song from your childhood, one that brings back memories of Caleb being the first official boy you danced with at your first middle school dance, the boy who helped put bandaids on your scraped knees, the man who protected you from slimy men and was a friend when you needed it the most. The lyrics resonate with you and you close your eyes, swaying to the beat of the song.

“That someday it would lead me back to you,” you happily sing along, opening up one eye to look at Caleb. He smiles and leans in, joining you.

That may be all I need

In darkness she is all I see

Come and rest your bones with me

Driving slow on Sunday morning

And I never want to leave

The courthouse pulls into view. Caleb quickly finds a spot along the side of the road, quickly getting out and running to your side. The clouds have turned a dark gray color, gathering over the floating city. Thunder rings out, lighting striking down the road.

You get out of the car and gasp. Caleb takes your hands, shocked that the rain could have formed so quickly, berating himself for not having seen it coming.

But you? You’re laughing. You’re purposely slowing him down, to take his time to go inside the courthouse. Caleb looks back at you, noticing the way you tilt your head back and greet the rain with a bright and big smile. He slows his space, his thumb grazing against the now wet skin of your hand.

“Aren’t you sad that your outfit got ruined?” Caleb asks over the sound of the pouring rain.

“I don’t care,” you laugh, pulling him closer to you. You wrap your arms around his neck, bodies fully pressed against each other. You stand up on your toes, slipping your fingers into his hair. “All I want to do is marry you. I don’t care if our clothes are drenched or not!”

Caleb sighs, a look of adoration and devotion prominent in his eyes. He leans in and kisses you, the rain swallowing the two of you whole but you don’t care. They can judge you all they want, but they will never share the same experience of being loved and to love Caleb Xia.

The two of you get married in drenched clothes. A woman took a photo of you sharing a kiss, the flowers he bought you dripping water onto his soaked suit jacket. He keeps you close, the silver ring you bought for him a year ago on full display as he holds the back of your head.

“Mrs. Xia,” you breathe out as soon as you exit the courthouse. Your fingers are laced together and Caleb stands beside you under the building’s cover from the rain. “I can get used to that.”

“Well, Mrs. Xia,” Caleb smiles and kisses the ring on your finger, “are you ready the rest of our Sunday together?”

“There’s no one else I would rather spend it with.”

as always ; likes, comments, & reblogs are greatly appreciated!

#caleb x reader #caleb x fem reader #caleb x you #caleb x mc #caleb x non!mc reader #caleb x y/n #caleb xia #caleb fluff #lnds caleb #lads caleb #caleb love and deepspace #love and deepspace caleb #calebmc #caleb lads #caleb #lnds #rcvcgers writings

189 notes · View notes

rcvcgers · 8 days ago

Text

Rotten Apples ❦.ׂ

chapter thirteen: escape

masterlist , series masterlist , ao3 link

previous part | next part coming soon

oh yeah, i made a spotify playlist for this <3

18+ MINORS DNI

pairing: caleb x non!mc reader

synopsis: you can caleb make an escape from the meeting.

word count: 10k words

warnings: please, please, PLEASE read the trigger warnings before proceeding. lightly proofread...it ain't perfect! i wrote this in one go so...have fun! :D

author's note: ahhh okay so this one is a little heavy on the murder part but hey!!!! the bad stuff is over!!!! for the most part :D back to our regularly scheduled programming of caleb and reader being messy as fuck!

oh and remember...the narrative isn't completely objective!

trigger warning: death/murder, bodily harm, gun violence, okay maybe there's a kiss or two, but mainly violence, and blood, and okay there's like a pretty bad death in there on caleb's part

my rotten apples <3 : @militaryapple , @kebarney , @pinkismyfavcolor , @romils , @erisnxxi , @rik0shii , @reni502 , @spacehopper27 , @llamabois , @likesvader , @pandoras-rabbit , @princessfruit , @lukassafespace , @jexireads , @etsuniiru , @tinnyrabbit , @orianakira , @xiaorixx , @beomluvrr , @sanzy4 , @vickykazuya , @blcknebula , @sleepydang , @flamedancer13 , @gojosbedwarmer , @silmeria-lafleur , @ikiru-wa , @animecrazy76 , @fealy , @i-messed-up-big-time , @motheraiya55 , @vvonunie , @1uv4jiya , @yuuuumii , @okumurarinsbabe , @mcdepressed290 , @luleck , @sanzy4 , @lucifers-silhouette , @crazygirl3001 , @april-likes-smut , @kazbrkker , @l1ttlebabyapple , @writersandroses , @kookie-my-little-sunshine , @curryexpress , @earthykitsunesrain , @raining4food , @chaoticbardlady99 , @lemonwithstupidity

Being dead has its perks.

You get the chance to get away from life for a bit, being submerged beneath the ice cold sea — well, that’s what it feels like — before feeling your body thaw out from the life returning to your body. The downside, though, is that it is you stuck inside your own mind, your brain trying to make up for the fact that you’re dead and not breathing.

You know that saying that your life flashes before your eyes before a person dies? That’s what happens to you except every single time you are in this state, it is a different memory that you are forced to relive over and over again. You’ve seen it all from your first conscious memory as a child — your fourth birthday where your mother posed you in front of her garden in the backyard of your home — all the way to your less than ideal high school graduation where a certain someone tried to steal your chords and accolades before he was dragged away by his own family.

This time, the memory feels warm on your skin. It feels like a childhood blanket that’s been draped over your body on a cool summer day. It’s warm and the breeze is nice and gentle, the blanket protecting you from the last bit of chill in the air.

Except this time, when you open your eyes, you find yourself inside of your high school’s library. You sit up against a bookshelf, the wooden shelves pushing into your back, jutted out books taking their turn poking into your flesh. The book is heavy in your hands. You cross your legs, your backpack sitting beside you. The pages are crip between your fingertips, your hair falling into your face.

You brush your hair out of your face and tuck it behind your ear, clearing your throat as the tingle from the bullet Caleb put into your brain begins to heal itself.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Zayne asks from beside you. You turn your face to the side, a small smile on spreading across your lips. You nod, slowly closing the book that sits on your lap.

“Yeah! Good luck with your class,” you say.

A small smile tugs up the corner of his lips before it falls. The dark haired man nods his head at you, his hazel eyes darting away for just a brief moment before he disappears down the library aisle. You look away from the empty space that Zayne once inhabited and look out the window. It is a warm and sunny day in Linkon, most of the days are like this in the city, especially during the springtime.

A butterfly crosses the window. Its orange wings catch your attention just like it did all those years ago. The soft smile remains on your face, your fingers slipping back into the pages of your book, opening it up to the page where you left off. You and Zayne had teamed up for an assignment together for Mrs. Thompson’s English class. The book was well over a hundred years old and spoke about the effect of selfishness and vanity and how it decays the soul and tortures one’s mind and actions.

A sigh leaves your lips. You close the book and your eyes, rolling your head back against the bookshelf.

“Whatcha readin’?”

You open one eye and see Caleb standing before you. He wears his usual cocky smile, one that your heart used to flutter at the sight of, and his backpack hangs off of his shoulder, only one of the straps attached to his body. His dark brown locks of hair are messy, slightly sweaty. His uniform is messy, his tie loose and hanging around his neck. If you had to guess, he just came back from his morning basketball practice. You push your lips to the side, unable to control how you verbally respond to him or what your body does.

You are reliving your memory, after all, and there is no changing the past no matter how hard you try.

“Nothing,” you quietly respond, voice just above a whisper. “Just the book for Mrs. Thompson’s class.”

“Ah, nice,” he steps towards you, dropping his backpack to the ground. You watch with a close eye, your heart rapidly beating inside of your chest just like it did the day this happened. Caleb sits beside you, his arm grazing yours. You can feel his body heat, the way he so casually places himself at your side, acting like he belongs there. “You know, I haven’t been able to get into it. Her quizzes always stump me, too.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” you shrug, barely glancing over at him, “you always do.”

The corners of your book are frayed, the cover weathered. You got it from a used bookshop. It was tucked away in one of the back corners, hidden from the world. It felt like fate the way you happened upon it. It helped, too, that the book was already annotated, helping you with digesting and fully understanding the novel. It was cool to see this mysterious person’s take on the plot and characters as well. A different perspective is always nice to have.

A comfortable silence falls between the two of you.

Neither dare to break the silence, the soft sound of footsteps and muffled voices from the nearby hallway float into your area. The nearby window is open. The scent of fresh cut grass is prominent but it doesn’t bother you. Birds sing their songs. Your book remains closed in your lap.

“Were you with him?” Caleb asks his question so casually. His purple eyes flick to your book, memorizing the way you hold onto the cover, almost like you are protective of it.

“Be specific,” you respond.

“Zayne,” Caleb responds.

There is an unspoken tension in the air. It has always been there between you two. It’s followed you around in your childhood. You’ve always felt it, lingering the background. It’s the way your eyes always found each other whenever you entered a room. It’s the way he always made sure to hold the door open for you whenever your families went out for a shared dinner. It’s the way he brought you a butterfly figurine as an apology for leaving you behind. It’s the way the two of you never spoke of a love that blossomed between your hearts due to the dear that the world will not be so accepting of the bond you hold.

“Yes,” you slowly nod and swipe your tongue over your teeth, choosing your words carefully. “He was helping me with the symbolism of the book and the portrait.” You don’t know why you feel so tense, why you feel as if time is standing still in your memory. From the corner of your eye, you watch Caleb slowly nod his head.

The silence turns uncomfortable. Ugly. Compromising. You feel exposed to the man you have loved since you were children. You hate it.

The real you — present day you — know exactly what is coming. His question. There is nothing you can do to avoid it. To avoid the discomfort of your own decisions, the regret that you have secretly held inside of your chest for years as you allowed the corpse of your inner child to decay and rot at the foot of an apple tree.

“Did you mean it?”

Your body runs cold. Stiff. You do not look Caleb in the eyes. Instead, you seek refuge in looking at the book in your own hands. Perhaps your own hidden portrait is decaying somewhere, showing the ugly manifestations of your own vanity and selfishness for the way you so desperately wish to avoid this confrontation with Caleb.

“Did you mean it when you said you never wanted to see me again?”

You finally look at Caleb. His purple eyes are glossy. His Adam’s apple slightly bobs up and down. His voice was hoarse, dry. He struggled to get the words out. Your heart twists inside of your chest. A sharp pain overtakes it as your head throbs, the organ slowly rebuilding itself.

You wish you can remain silent. You wish that you can avoid answering his question, to avoid all of the pain and angst that has struck you down when you were a teenager. Your eyes sting. They feel hot as the invisible rope around your neck tightens.

“Yes,” you breathe out, shaky. You hold onto your book, bending the bound pages, the book groaning from twisting the spine in one direction and the exposed pages in the other. “I meant every single word.”

No. No you don’t. Don’t say that, your voice screams, echoing off the walls of your inner consciousness. You love him! Don’t let him go!

“What did I…” Caleb clears his throat. He inches closer to you. You let him. Your biceps touch. His skin runs hot while yours runs cold, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. His bottom lip trembles. “What did I do?”

You rip your gaze away form his. A single tear rolls down your cheek. You watch Caleb’s hand reach out, presumably to wipe it away, but hesitate, drawing back to his body. He lets out a quiet sigh. Caleb hangs his head beside you, his fists balling on his lap.

“Tell me. Tell me what I need to do to get back into your life,” Caleb firmly speaks. You close your eyes and shake your head. “Yes,” he combats your movement, “yes, please, tell me.”

His voice is desperate. Pleading. His own misery now on full display. You know now that he was just as broken as you were. Nights spent in bed with Caleb, him holding you so close to him, face buried in the back of your neck, whispering that he will never let you go again.

Oh, the irony.

“Caleb…you…no, I’m sorry,” you tremble at his side.

Caleb breathes your name out. You ignore it. You always did after this point.

“You need to let me go,” you hold back a sob.

Your body shakes from the sudden urge to cry. You try your best to hold it back but the tears begin to flood down your cheeks. You stand up, reaching down to grab your backpack. Caleb looks up at you, his eyes glossy and pleading — begging — for you to look at him.

But you can’t. You can’t bring your face to face the reality that you have created, one you made thinking that after you graduate you will never see this man ever again. Oh how wrong you were.

“Hey,” Caleb’s voice is more demanding, a bit on the whiny side. “Will you please look at me? Can you at least—hey.”

Caleb stands. His fingers curl around your wrist. You had just taken a step away from him but he drew you right back in, keeping you at an arm’s distance. Caleb’s touch is searing hot, burning into your skin. You close your eyes, your backpack hanging off of one shoulder. Your free hand reaches up to wipe your tears away. You stare at the library exit, unable to bring yourself to look at the man whose heart you just obliterated.

“Will you just…tell me what I did wrong,” Caleb’s voice tingles the back of your ears.

Your once tense arm feels loose, the teenager closing the distance. His fingers slip into yours. The final nail in his coffin. You suck in a shaky breath, your lungs feeling like they are on fire. A piece of you wishes they actually were. Maybe then the emotional pain you feel will finally be outweighed by something that you hope will cleanse your soul.

“It’s not something you’ve done,” you whisper. Caleb hangs onto every word. You finally turn around, eyes meeting his. Slowly, you move your hand from his, letting it retreat back to the safety of your body. “It’s what you didn’t do.”

Caleb shudders. The gun is heavy in his hand, your blood spraying across the cement floor. Your body goes rigid, tensing up as the grey drowns out from your eyes, returning to their original color. Guilt twists inside of his chest. He watches as the gray color in your eyes fade, returning to its original shade. His heart plummets inside of his chest. Caleb forces his face to remain as stoic as possible, knowing that if he shows even the slightest amount of emotion, that both him and you will remain the Professor’s prisoners.

Your lifeless body falls back with a thud. There is a gentle cracking sound, most likely the back of your skull hitting the hardened cement floor. Caleb gulps, swallow what is left of the spit inside if his mouth. He turns to look at the room.

Their eyes are on you, not him, watching as you fall.

He wishes that he could pick up your body, to handle it with the care and grace that you deserve. You shouldn’t have to be subjected to experimentation, to be the Professor’s lab rat for all of those who wish to see.

He mourns your death. He knows that you will be back soon. But the pain you felt? All of that was real. The microexpression from your flinch, the recognition that the end was near. It happened in the blink of an eye, the way your eyes rolled into the back of your head before you fell.

Caleb should have used his Evol to catch you, to gently place you on the ground. You deserve as much respect as the highest ranking officer in this room.

“Good, X-02,” the Professor speaks.

Caleb lowers the gun. His amethyst eyes remain on your body. Your blood is dark, darker than usual or of that he has seen before. He knows that his looks the same, a signature that the Professor likes to leave behind just in case he needs to be able to identify just how hard his assets have been hit.

Caleb takes a step to the side. He places the gun on the table with the muzzle aimed at Professor Lucius. His eyes fixate on the elder man. His white hair is neatly made, giving off the image of a perfect person. It makes Caleb sick to his stomach.

The Colonel places his hands behind his back. His heels click together. In one fluid motion, Caleb makes his way back to the General, taking his place behind the man in authority. The General shoots a quick look to Caleb. The older man’s jaw clenches, brows knitted together, face hardened. He is shocked and yet his first move is to look towards Caleb.

Is it to see if his perfect soldier will flinch? Will Caleb show a crack in his seemingly impenetrable armor?

No. Caleb won’t give them the satisfaction.

“In just a short while, V-03 will be up and running again,” Professor Lucius says.

Caleb silently sucks in a breath, his ears heating from anger. It angers him to know that the Professor refers to you as a machine, something that people can bend to their will, instead of like the human being you are.

“How long will it take?” one of the men at the table speaks up. They stand from their chairs and the attention of the room moves back to your lifeless body.

Caleb glances in your direction. The table shields your body from his vision, showing just the strands of your hair and the pool of blood that seeps from your head from one side of the table’s corner to where your feet stick out on the other.

Agony rips through his body. His hands grow clammy from behind his leather gloves, his steady heartbeat loud in his ears.

He waits, eyes remaining on you. A flinch. A twitch. Any kind of movement. A sign that you truly are still alive and will wake up instead of being condemned to a fate away from him.

No…he won’t let it happen. Caleb will do everything in his power to bring you back to life, to save you from the brink of total decay, to bring life back into your eyes instead of them being grayed out for all to see.

“Soon. Be patient. You will see the power that she holds, a power that I will bestow onto your armies,” the Professor’s voice echoes down the large aircraft hangar. His eyes remain on Caleb. Steady and sure, ready for his rebellious experiment to break at any given moment.

“What if she doesn’t wake up?” another man asks. “What if there is a limit on how many times she can die?”

“Then she would have been proven useful to show us what the lab rats’ expiration dates are,” the Professor lets out a laugh. The rest of the room follows.

Caleb stays silent.

The minutes tick by as the Professor continues with his presentation on the new type of super solider he has created. Your image is flashed on the screen from behind him. The experiments that the Professor has done unto you displayed for all to see. Burning, poison, drugged with a multitude of chemicals such as arsenic and valium, all to see how the human body reacts, your purpose to serve both the Professor but for the pursuits of science as well.

“She is phenomenal, a true maverick in this new field of study,” Professor Lucius smiles, the yellow of his teeth on full display. “If we apply her Evol to your men, there will nothing that you can’t do.”

“Our enemies are the Fleet and their pursuit of the Deepspace Tunnel,” one of the older, more scarred and disfigured officers speaks up. “We fight against their pursuits. They bring more harm than good,” his eyes move to the General. “This…unofficial meeting feels like a trap. It feels like you are flaunting the Fleet’s new weapons.”

“Isn’t war better if it’s transparent than hidden?” the Professor asks. The man remains silent.

Professor Lucius round the table, slowly approaching the man who sits in his seat. Caleb mimics his movement, circling the table, moving in your direction. Nobody pays attention to him. The Colonel watches you from his peripheral vision. The black soles of your leather boots catches his attention, the whites of your pants specked with residual blood.

“The aspects of war does not matter. What matters is who holds the power and what they are willing to do with it,” Professor Lucius is condescending towards the man, acting as if he has some hidden cards up his sleeve that nobody knows about. “Many men like to think that with knowledge comes power, one would think that I am one of those men.”

“Aren’t you?” Caleb speaks up. The room turns to look at him. His hands remain folded behind his back.

Professor Lucius’ smile falters for a brief moment, a hint of his inner ugliness slipping out. Caleb matches his smile, warm and welcoming, false in its nature but the room doesn’t need to know that. He is one of the Professor’s pets, after all, so shouldn’t he come to his owner’s rescue?

“No,” the Professor responds. “Power sits with those who are willing to do whatever it takes to change the world. It doesn’t matter what their vision is.”

The room fall silent. The Professor gains the men’s attention once again, snapping his fingers. Caleb takes this opportunity to look down at you.

No movement.

He lets out a sigh, his plan going on for much longer than he anticipated. Caleb’s gaze flickers to the side, looking at a nearby control panel. If he had to guess, there are about twenty Ever soldiers stationed here. Viper has to be one of them. He knows this. The snake is slithering around here somewhere. He’ll cause you and him trouble. He needs to be taken out first when the onslaught of soldiers hits.

The Professor speaks but Caleb drowns out his voice. His eyes scan the environment, noting a nearby helicopter on the indoor tarmac. There is a control panel just to the side of it, one that is familiar from his days as a DAA pilot. It was on the air carriers that he landed on, controlling the sequences for takeoff as well as when he landed, the hooks on the ground sunken into their place. The helicopter makes it easy, though, just needing to open the top of the hangar to get you out of here. Liam will be outside ready to keep the other soldiers at by a while the two of you make your escape.

A squeak. Not loud nor was it quiet, just discernible enough for Caleb to pick up on. He glances at you, the black leather boot twitching in its place. His heart lurches at the sight, his hope reignited inside his chest. It looks like the Professor noticed it too.

He walks back to your unconscious body, your chest now slowly rising as falling, your lungs filling themselves with the air they need to survive. Your body regains its color, the life slowly coming back to you.

“Ah,” Professor Lucius begins, his gaze drifting to you. He turns to the room, the smile returning to his face. “She’s awake.”

Caleb stares at the glass tablet. It sits inside of the Professor’s jacket pocket, just an arms reach away, for Caleb to steal away, the control of your body back into his hands instead of the Professor’s. It’s too risky, though. He risks breaking it, which will condemn you to a state of limbo, body turned on but not quite able to receive orders. At least, that’s what the documents from Ever showed him.

Caleb takes a step away, moving backwards but still close enough to be there when you need him to step in. His purple eyes focus on your chest, drifting up to your neck where your throat moves, watching as you swallow the remnants of blood that flooded your skull almost an hour ago. Your eyes remain closed but your torso moves in one fluid yet robotic motion.

You sit up up on the ground. The hole in the middle of your forehead now closed up, a mix of dried and fresh blood sitting in a circle, a literal target just in case the Professor makes him shoot you again. Your eyes finally flutter open, staring straight ahead. They are not gray, no, but instead flooded with the dark red of your blood. Caleb watches as that redness disappears, the white returning along with the vibrant shade of your irises. His heart pounds inside of his chest.

It is a miracle. You are here. Alive. Breathing. His love has finally returned to him.

“V-03,” Professor Lucius speaks, “please return the bullet to X-02.”

Caleb’s eyes slightly widen. He watches as you slowly bring yourself to your feet. You glance behind you at the pool of blood, the lights reflecting off of the thick liquid. You turn back around, your eyes meeting his. A flash of recognition strikes across your face. You remain quiet, though, composed.

It’s him. The man who has haunted you in both your sleep and in death. Constant memories of you two kept you company while you were being held hostage. In some of them, you found solace, while in others you could feel nothing but anger and resentment towards the man. Your nostrils flare as you huff out a breath of air.

Your heart yearns for him, a sliver of your mind wishing to sink into the safety of his embrace, to have him protect you. Your mind, though, screams at you to run away, to put as much distance between you as him as possible.

A third part of your consciousness splits from the other two. An unreasonable fracture that stems from your body constantly having to heal itself in desperate times of need. Fight or flight seeps into your mind. You are unsure if a spot by Caleb’s side will be one that is safe or one that will bring you nothing but pain and agony.

Your mind is in shambles. All you can feel is pain as your body stitches itself back together. Every nerve ending is reconnected to its rightful place, your fresh skin burning as the stale oxygen of the hangar touches it. Even your eyes feel nothing but pain and suffering as you adjust to the harsh lighting.

Your eye twitches. There is a snap on the inside of your brain, your personality and character shattering. You have unknowingly become a wildcard in this game, a grenade ready to explode at any given moment, taking down as many people as you possible can.

According to the Professor, you’re expendable when he deems it. This is just another way for you to take your ending into your hands instead of allowing a man such as him to write it for you. To Caleb, though, you know that he will do anything in his power to bring you back to him.

Which side will you take? (And who says that the side you choose will be final by the end of the bloodbath?)

You slowly cross the small distance that sits between the two of you. Caleb remains strong in his place. He stands at an arm’s length away from you.

“X-02…your hand.”

Caleb follows the Professor’s command. The black leather of his glove shines beneath the hangar’s harsh white lighting. You hesitate. Unexpectedly, you take another step forward, closing even more of the gap that separates you and Caleb. The tips of his fingers press into your chest, pushing into the thick material of the Farspace Fleet’s uniform. You open your mouth.

Between your teeth sits the metal casing of the bullet that was once filled with protocol energy. It’s silver and your shattered skull has scuffed the metal. You slowly tilt your head forward, releasing the bullet from your teeth, allowing it to fall onto Caleb’s hand.

Your eyes meet. There is something behind your irises that Caleb does not recognize. There familiarity is there but you have…changed. He knows that after everything you have been through that you wouldn’t be the same woman you used to be, but he thought that maybe — just maybe — you would show some warmth towards him.

His fingers curl around the bullet in his hands. The small piece of metal leaves an imprint into his skin.

“I’m getting us out of here,” Caleb whispers.

You don’t respond. Instead, you stay exactly where you are, the Toring chip not currently in charge of your body. You slightly narrow your eyes at him, asking the silent question.

How?

Caleb’s free hand slowly rises, eyes never leaving yours. His hand hangs in the air beside your head. The gun he set on the table, the same one he shot you with, flings into his hand. You don’t flinch. Caleb moves his hand ever so slightly, adjusting his angle, then pulls the trigger.

Professor Lucius falls to the floor, body crumbling to the ground. He hunches over, his blood freely pouring from his body. Caleb clears his throat, the gun remaining in his hand. The weight feels much lighter than it did before, its purpose almost fulfilled.

“I like to think that whoever is in control holds the gun,” Caleb speaks while staring at you. The corners of your lips perk up for a split second.

The men at the table flinch. Caleb finally turns to look at them, his hand slowly lowering. Nobody moves. The scrape of the soles of your shoes fills the silence. Slow and controlled. A weapon ready to be unleashed. You adjust your body to face the man. They stare at you and Caleb with a mixture of awe, fear, and anger on their faces. You clear your throat, eyes flickering between the men.

As if on a cue, every single man at the table reaches for their gun. Caleb throws his arm around your waist, dropping to the floor as bullets and surges of energy burst across the room. He moves your head beneath his chin, the man looking over the edge of the table as the men and officers begin to fire at each other, a few bodies dropping like flies. A few stray bullets head your way, Caleb using his Evol to move them into the nearby concrete pillars.

You attempt to slip free from his grasp but Caleb brings you right back to him, your back pulled against his chest. He pulls the trigger once again just as the man who sits beside you two turns his weapon in your direction. The gunshot makes your ears ring. Their body goes limp, slumping over. You reach up and grab the gun from his hand, checking it out with a quick glance.

Caleb stares at the back of your head. Your hair is drenched with your blood, the back of your skull still reconstructing itself despite you gaining consciousness. It’s nauseating to look at. He can’t even begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now in this moment. He can only guess that you are used to the pain, that you are used to the suffering that comes along with the now deceased Professor’s constant experimentation. He knows what it feels like.

“What are you—” Caleb asks but is interrupted by a steel doors flying open.

At the top of the stairs stands Viper alongside Ever soldiers. They begin to fire down upon the small group. The wooden table is engulfed in a blue and orange hue, the gravity around it vibrating as Caleb maneuvers it into the air, slamming it down in front of you and him, shielding you from the barrage of bullets.

Splinters of wood go flying. Caleb spins the two of you around, hunching you over, protecting your exposed skin. The splinters make themselves at home in his flesh, digging in. He winces, his breathing going ragged, and waits for the soldiers to reload before moving.

You open your eyes and scan the fresh battlefield. Many of the officers are face down on the ground, unmoving, blood encasing their bodies. You feel nothing when you stare at them. They knew exactly what they were getting into.

“Caleb!” Viper’s voice echoes throughout the hangar, “I know you’re in here!”

Movement catches your attention. The General moves behind a cement pillar, bullets now focused on him. Your eyes meet and you glare at him. He doesn’t pay much attention to you. You follow his gaze, noticing that he stares at the Professor. Just beside him lays the glass tablet. The one thing in this entire building that you need to escape and be free from anyone’s control.

You turn to look at Caleb. He pulls his head away from yours, looking down at you. He cups your cheek, his thumb grazing over your cheekbone. You reach up and pinch one of the wooden fragments, one that buried itself in his cheek right below his eye. You pull it free, blood forming just above his skin but not enough to be worried about. Caleb shudders. You press two fingers to the cut and swipe to the left.

The mark is gone.

“Stay here,” you say, “give me a push.”

Caleb is in too much of a trance to do something about stopping you, simply nodding in response, amazed by the way you literally wiped away the splinter and all of the pain that came with it. His grip on your body loosens as you turn back around. The continual sound of bullets being shot at you comes to a slow when the men begin to reload their magazines.

You feel Caleb’s power rest against your back as soon as you push off of the floor. Fingers outstretched, muscles straining, you dart across the cement floor. You reach down and swipe the clear tablet from the Professor’s corpse, bolting towards the right to the closest pillar. Caleb’s power picks you up, your legs slowing as you’re lifted off of the ground, a gasp flying from your lips. You land on the ground behind the safety of the cement pillar.

Viper and his men don’t shoot and instead make their way down the countless metal stairs. You poke your head around the corner, looking at Caleb. You signal for him to come over and he immediately obeys your command, rushing across the small distance. You take a step forward and allow him to fill in the space between you and the cement pillar. He pulls you back to his chest as you look down at the glass tablet in your hand.

It lights up, a flurry of beeps and chirps coming from the device. One side is covered in blood. You wipe it off on your pants, the bright red liquid staining the white fabric.

“You’re here,” Caleb breathes out, still in shock, “you’re alive.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” you question aloud, face and voice remaining neutral as you try to figure out the Professor’s tablet.

You click on the blue buttons, navigating your way through the small mainframe and commands. Caleb’s arms move up around you, guns in his hands. He shoots at two men who rush towards you with their own weapons aimed at you. You barely flinch at the sound, still focused on the screen in your hands.

You reach the portion that controls your body and Toring Chip. There is only one thing required to get inside the control board: a retinal scan. You groan and drop your hands, the glass slamming against your thighs.

“What? What is it?” Caleb asks, looking down at you.

“We needed his fucking eyes,” you groan. You pocket the tablet in your jacket. The machine fits perfectly on your stomach, stuck into your Fleet uniform pants.

“Well shit,” Caleb mutters. He glances at the Professor’s corpse. Surely his eyes are intact? Still usable?

“You just had to put the bullet in his head,” you mumble, scanning the aircraft hangar. You look up and to the side, your eyes meeting the General. You let out a breathy chuckle, it dies as quickly as it leaves your mouth, and you point to the tablet that is tucked inside your uniform.

Who is the next best person? The only other official that the Professor would trust enough with control over your body?

The General.

“We need him,” you nod your head at Caleb’s superior.

“We can hack into the tablet when we reach safety,” Caleb breathes out, “he’s not part of the plan.”

“He’s part of mine,” your head snaps to look at him. Caleb hesitates on fighting back. All he can bring himself to do is nod, swallowing the lump that forms in his throat from the sudden and added complications.

The General makes his escape. He begins to run deeper into the hangar, heading towards the planes and helicopters that wait to be used. Caleb grunts, glaring at him as he goes. He opens his mouth to speak to you but you are already gone, chasing after the General. Caleb gasps, pushing off of the wall as he sprints after you.

His long legs catch up to you easily, the man slightly alarmed that you are much faster than you were before. It makes sense, though, seeing how you did spend the last eight months in a torture situation where your bodily autonomy and identity was stripped from your hands. At least he knows that you’ll be able to keep up with him during your escape.

“Hey, hey!” Caleb calls out, barely out of breath. You hold out a hand and he unconsciously places one of the guns inside of it. “It’s not safe, pretty bird!”

You don’t listen to Caleb. Viper and his men reach the bottom floor and begin to shoot once again. The pillars around you two begin to crumble with every bullet that gets lodged into its frame. Bullets fly past your head at high speeds. Caleb flinches and you slow down, letting him rush past you. You know that you can take whatever it is they have for you. Caleb, on the other hand, actually has the possibility of succumbing to an early death.

A bullet lodges itself into your shoulder. You cry out in pain, the sheer force of the metal casing ripping through your body. Caleb stops and uses his Evol to pick you up off of the ground whipping you towards him. You glance at your shoulder, feeling the muscles tingle as the searing heat rips through your body. You grimace and look away, focusing on the gun in your hand. You aim it past Caleb’s head, pulling the trigger right as he grabs you into his arms. The bullet flies towards the general’s head but he turns at the last second, disappearing behind a large cargo plane.

“Fuck,” you curse under your breath and conserve your ammunition.

Caleb places the two of you behind a helicopter. His Evol pulls open the doors, pushing you inside, keeping you low on the ground. He looks around, the controls of the small cockpit familiar to him. The Colonel quickly turns his attention back to you, lifting up one hand as your shoulder glows with blue and orange specks. Your eyes flicker to him as pressure is applied to the wound.

“Are you okay?” Caleb gushes, his face hardened despite the desperation in his voice.

“I can take it,” you talk through the pain, “I can get hit. You can’t.” Caleb begins to shake his head but you sharpen your gaze at him, causing him to stop. “I’ll take the shots, okay? I’m healing already. I’ll probably die again but that just means you can come back for my body.”

Caleb sucks in a breath. He knows that it’s the truth, that you are more expendable than he is. You died right in front of him — he killed you — and here you are, alive and breathing. He diverts his gaze for a split second before it moves back to you. He simply nods once in response.

“What did you have planned?” you ask, clearly knowing that he is here for you and you only.

He has to have a plan, right?

“My plan,” Caleb grunts, loosening the tie around his neck, “is to kill everyone and get out of here. My adjutant is waiting in a jet to take us back to Skyhaven.”

“You want to go to Skyhaven?” you shake your head, eyes widening, “that will be a death trap.”

“It’s the only chance we got, pretty bird,” he breathes out, slipping the tie free from his uniform. “What do you suggest?”

Before you can respond, bullets bury themselves into the metal of the helicopter. You poke your head over the edge of the metal, looking through the tinted windows.

“Four men,” you murmur to him, feeling as he presses his gun into your hand. “No sign of Viper.”

“There’s a control board near the table,” Caleb pushes through words out of his mouth, “it will open the hangar. It will give Liam enough time to drop in and get us.”

“Right,” you nod. Your eye twitches, your head now fully healed. There isn’t even a scar to commemorate getting shot in the head.

A bullet cracks through the helicopter’s windows. One of them grazes against your skin, ripping apart your cheek. You gasp, dropping below the metal barrier once again. Caleb’s hand flings to your face, your blood soaking his leather glove. His fingers envelop your face, squishing your flesh beneath his own. You wince, tears filling your eyes.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Caleb asks. He releases your face, eyes focusing on the way your ripped muscles reach for each other, connecting together just like how he repairs his uniform with black thread.

“Nothing,” you clear your throat, mentally screaming at yourself to push away the pain, that the pain is temporarily and will go away soon. “It just hurts.”

Caleb nods. He cups your cheek, the warmth soothing your aching muscles. You lean into his touch, putting the full weight of your head into his hand. He holds you there as bullets fly in your direction.

Caleb’s eyes darken. While you wallow in your pain, trying to will it away and to force yourself to heal faster, he turns his attention back over to the men who close in on your hiding spot. He lets out a quiet sigh, mustering as much energy as he can. You remove his trembling hand from your face, the bullet graze now fully closed. You offer him a small smile, killing it as soon as it blossomed.

“Stay here,” Caleb demands. You simply nod and watch as the tall man slips from the helicopter with no weapon in hand.

The Ever soldiers begin to shoot at him. The bullets stop in mid-air, hovering in place as they vibrate beneath Caleb’s Evol. With one flick of his hand, the bullets return from where they came, burying themselves into the bodies of the soldiers. They drop to the ground, gunshots still ringing out from across the hangar.

You slip free from the helicopter, both guns in your hands, keeping them raised up as your eyes scan the environment for any more men that may appear. The landscape is quiet for the most part, except for the echoing gunshots from the distance. You don’t even realize Viper is right behind you before he wraps his arms around you, pulling you off of the ground.

“Caleb!” you scream out his name, knowing that he will come running as soon as he hears your cry.

Caleb’s head snaps in your direction. He glares at Viper who holds a knife to your neck. He wears the same demented smile as the Professor, one that shows his full indoctrination into Ever and the games that they wish to play. You struggle beneath his hold on you, not caring that the knife is digging itself into your neck. The guns you once held fall to the ground, the metal clattering against the cement.

“One move and I slice her neck,” Viper hisses.

You grab onto his wrist and try to pull it down but your strength is immeasurable compared to Viper’s after the Professor’s latest modifications. Viper pushes the blade into your neck as soon as Caleb takes a step forward. You let out a cry. Your esophagus aches and tears begin to roll down your cheeks. Caleb holds up his hands. A smirk spreads across Viper’s face.

“So she is your weak spot,” the sounds of Viper’s s’s make your skin crawl, the prolonged and dragged out sounds reminding you of the nights you were alone in your cell, crying as your body was doubled over in pain. Viper was there to laugh at you. Mocking. Teasing. Patronizing. Threatening.

Caleb’s gaze meets yours. You scowl, anger crashing through your veins as your tears stain your cheeks and the silver blade that presses into your flesh. Slowly, you nod.

You know what’s coming. You know that another death is near, that you will fall into another deep slumber while the men that surround you play their war games. They will fight it out while your soul leaves your body just for it to return, to endure the pain of reconstruction.

Caleb shakes his head, though. Your eyes widen and Viper’s body goes rigid against yours. The knife falls to the ground with a clatter, remaining by your feet. Caleb tilts his head to the side, his eyes going dark. He closes the distance, flicking his fingers. Viper’s grip on you loosens. You stumble in Caleb’s direction, kicking the knife past Caleb.

Caleb grabs hold of your wrist, fingers digging into your skin. He pushes you behind him. Viper’s body begins to float into the air. You watch in silence while your heart swells with a weird sense of relief — or is it pride?

Caleb clenches his jaw. Viper’s bottom lip trembles as the pressure that surrounds his body begins to increase. He couldn’t even shake his head or beg for mercy if he wanted to, completely under Caleb’s thumb.

In the past, you would have stopped Caleb, asked him to find it in himself to let Viper go and to leave hand in hand with you. But now? Now you would love nothing more than to see the death of a reptile that has plagued your existence for the past eight months.

“Who said you could touch her?” Caleb growls. His open palm begins to close. Viper’s bones crunch under the weight. Discoloration explodes across his skin, the bruises from the pressure immediate. His screams are trapped inside of his throat. “Did you really think that I would let you get away with touching her? To slice her skin with your blade?”

Cracking echoes off of the cement walls.

You glance at the knife on the ground, noticing the General move in the shadows. You step away, leaning down to swipe the knife off of the floor, and begin to walk in his direction. Anger boils inside the pits of your stomach, the reminder that it is the General who pushed you into the Professor’s clutches.

He is the reason why you are changed.

He is the reason why you were tortured for eight long months.

He is the reason why you can no longer recognize yourself in the mirror.

He is the reason why you have become a rag doll for those to play with.

He is the reason why you were ripped from Caleb’s hands.

He needs to die.

Caleb’s fist closes. Viper’s body is in the form of a ball. He drops the reptilian man to the ground, the smack reverberating off of the walls. Caleb turns around to look at you, to see if you are okay, but you aren’t there.

There are no more gunshots in the background. There is nothing but the sound of running footsteps, something that you have forced Caleb to become familiar with.

Caleb floats himself into the air. He looks over the entirety of the hangar, looking in the direction of the running footsteps. A blue light flickers to the right. He watches as you turn the corner and shoots after you, soaring across the underground building in mere seconds. He drops to the ground, sliding across the cement, his shoulder slamming against the wall.

You chase after the General, the reflection of light showcasing the knife that sits in your hand.

Caleb calls out your name, the sound bouncing off of the walls. You don’t listen to him though, pushing forward with your plan to get the man’s retinal scan and to turn off the Toring Chip that sits in the base of your neck for good.

Your breathing is heavy, body aching from the chase through the hangar. The General is just out of reach, too far to snatch the back of his collar. You swipe the knife in the air, trying to connect with his skin and clothes in an attempt to slow him down.

It doesn’t work, though.

The General turns the corner and disappears inside of a nearby server room. You follow inside, hot on his tail, ready to enact upon the revenge plan you formed in your head. After that…well, you don’t really care what happens as long as your escape plan — one that comes in the form of a six foot two tall Colonel that you can’t figure out if you love or hate.

Your mind is too fragmented and shattered to even make sense of what your relationship is with him after this time.

He calls out your name again. He’s closer now.

You pick up the pace into the server room. The walls are made of granite, carved beneath the earth. Numerous rows of servers are lined up in the room with one min center aisle leading to a wall filled with security footage of the base and its surrounding areas. You glance at the screens, noticing a familiar face laying towards the camera. A pang of remorse and sadness wells inside your chest. Caleb’s adjutant, Liam, is no longer apart of his escape plan.

That just puts a wrench in things, doesn’t it?

“Come out,” your voice booms across the server room, “you’re cornered either way. Would you rather it be me or him who kills you?”

There is no response. You can’t help but chuckle at the situation.

If someone had gone back to a previous version of yourself, one from just little over a year ago, and told you what would happen to you over the course of a year, you would laugh in their face. You would have also offered them help or a ride to a therapist’s office to make for sure that their mental health and wellbeing are okay.

You twist the blade between your fingers, something you learned in middle school when Caleb taught you how to twirl your pencil, and the light shines back into your eyes as you move down the aisles. There are a few echoed footsteps down the hall but the sound bounces right back to you, giving you no way to find where the sound originated from.

“You once said that I reminded you of your wife,” you call out, the memory you and the General dancing together nine months ago. The hilt of the blade falls back into your hands, the move final and definitive. “Perhaps you would like to get one last look at her before you go.”

“Don’t do this,” Caleb’s voice booms across the server room.

You roll your eyes, looking at the cavern’s walls. You memorize the pattern, the black specks and dots that run across the walls. It doesn’t bring you any comfort or solace but instead perpetuates your need to kill the man who has ruined your life. The sound of booming footsteps comes to an end from behind you.

You know who it is. You don’t even need to turn around to know that it is Caleb who places his hands on your hips, stopping you in your track. He leans down, his fingers pushing into your stomach before he connects with the tablet. Caleb sighs and plucks it from the inside of your jacket and pants, revealing it to the server room.

“Your friend is dead,” you whisper, nodding your head at the screen where Liam is on the ground.

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Caleb’s response is immediate. “Only you do.”

He steps around you, tablet in hand. You move to follow but his Evol keeps you in place, holding your feet to the ground. You groan, glaring at him from your spot.

“He’s mine,” you yell at him.

“Trust me when I say that you don’t want to do this,” Caleb stops in his path and turns around to look at you, tablet in hand, “you are not a killer. I am.”

You remain silent. Maybe there is a bit of truth in his words. Caleb always knows best when it comes to situations like these. You followed his word at the Farspace Fleet, always having your head low and keeping to yourself. You didn’t draw attention to either you or him, well, until the General offered you that translating job.

And that turned out to be a lie.

Now you’re a shell of who you once were. You’re not even sure what body parts belonged to you originally before you grew them back all over again.

“Caleb,” you yell, “let me go!”

“No!” he snaps back, “I can’t let you become anymore like me!”

There is pain behind Caleb’s voice. It stops you in your tracks, rewiring your brain with the desperation that is laced within his voice. You want to reach out for him, to draw him away from the General, away from the bloodbath that lies outside the server doors. His pain resonates with you.

But…he isn’t a monster. Not to you. Caleb is anything but the monster he has painted himself out to be.

“Caleb,” you choke his name out, tears falling down your face. He gently smiles. It’s kind and reassuring. It softens the hardened feeling that sits in the place where your heart once was. It begins to melt away your shields, the ones you have built so meticulously during your time with the Professor.

“I know,” he nods. “Stay here.”

His Evol releases you. Caleb immediately turns down the aisle, tablet in hand. You close your eyes, fists balled at your sides. You drown out the sounds of the General’s screaming, his cries for mercy and forgiveness.

Breathe in.

Hold.

Breathe out.

“What are you doing, pretty bird?” Caleb whispers into your ear.

You jump in your skin, eyes flying open. You look at him from over your shoulder, feeling his hands wrap around your waist. His calloused fingers slip underneath your shirt — well, his shirt — and his palms flatten against your sides. He pulls you close to him, his chin resting on your shoulder. Your heart begins to steady and you turn your attention back to the stove where a single pot sits.

The flame curls over the bottom of the pan, curling up along the metal. Caleb trails kisses along your neck, moving from the base all the way up to the back of your ear. You blush and giggle at the feathery touch.

“I am attempting to make dinner,” you finally respond, turning to look at him. His purple eyes are even more vibrant up close, the orange and gold specks reflecting the light of the kitchen. “I thought you’d like it.”

“Mhm,” Caleb hums. He buries his face into your neck, and slowly inhales, the scent of your body wash lingering along your skin. He presses another kiss right where your pulse is, earning another laugh from you. “I love boxed macaroni and cheese.”

“Okay, okay, I see you, using its full government name,” you tease, “still in Colonel mode, are we?”

Caleb spins you in his arms. You wrap your arms around his neck, watching as he shakes his head, eye bags slightly darkened from just how tired he is. Caleb shakes his head no in response to your question. His hand clasp your waist, lifting you onto the counter beside the flame.

“You look tired,” you whisper. You reach out and push some of his hair out of his eyes. The man leans into your touch, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh.

“I am tired,” Caleb confirms with a lazy smile, cracking one eye open to look at you, “I’m just happy to be back home.”

You smile, heart skipping a beat. Caleb is still in his Colonel uniform, his hat set off to the side. You reach for his tie and loosen it. Caleb’s tired smile grows even more. You slip the fabric free from his neck, tossing it off to the side while the water in the pot comes to a rolling boil. You help him free himself of the Colonel jacket, letting it fall to the floor as he remains in his dress shirt.

“What did I do to deserve a woman as beautiful and amazing as you?” he asks, slightly tilting his head to the side, watching your hands as you slowly help to unbutton his shirt.

“You mean someone who cooks box macaroni and cheese and helps you with your tie?” you ask.

“Exactly that,” he breathes out with a small nod. “What did I do? Hm? To make you like me again.”

You pause for a moment. You think about the last month of your relationship, the ups and downs. You remember the shared laughs, the morning cuddles on a sunny Sunday morning, the shared showers, and the way he left an obscene amount of food in front of your door when you refused to speak to him. You recall the moment you fell in love with him all over again, the way his purple eyes shimmered under the peace summit’s glittering lights.

Caleb was the one who followed you after the wedding. Caleb was the one who followed you all the way to Linkon when you needed to escape from him. It was Caleb who let you see his scars, the metal that covers his arm. He was the one who let you into his past.

“It was the things you’ve done,” you smile at him.

Caleb leans in and presses a gentle and sweet kiss to your lips. You sigh. He pulls you closer as you melt into the kiss, the uniformed man’s hands moving to cup your cheeks.

“Pretty bird?” Caleb’s voice brings you back to reality. You open your eyes, blinking as you adjust to the dim lighting of the server room. His bloodied hands cup your cheeks, easing you out of your daydream. “Are you okay?”

You nod. Caleb’s eyes examine your face, checking to see if you have any other marks or open wounds he needs to look at. His face, though, has light blood droplets sprayed across it. You don’t pay attention to it, your body feeling weak.

“Did you get it?” you ask. A single tear rolls down your cheek, mixing in with the General’s blood on Caleb’s hands. “Did you…get control of me back?”

Caleb doesn’t respond. He flicks his head upwards once, a silent confirmation. Your legs feel like jelly. Your body almost gives out on you, your weight falling into Caleb. He catches you, one hand slipping to your waist to keep you steady.

“You look tired,” Caleb whispers. You nod again. “Alright…let’s get you out of here.”

Caleb’s hands slip from your face, fingers intertwining with yours. He begins to walk, pulling you along. White noise fills your ears. You look around the room before it switches back to the hallway, the man guiding you out of the base and up the stairs.

You look upon the bloodshed. Bodies lay scattered across the floor. Pools of blood and bloodied footprints trailing from one to another. Discarded guns, other weapons, and bullet casings litter the spaces in between. The wooden table that Caleb flipped is covered in bullet holes.

A small gasp leaves your lips. Caleb stops at the bottom of the stairs, moving you in front of him. You ascend up the metal flights, holding onto the railing.

Exhaustion sweeps over your body. The bullet hole in your shoulder finally closes up, the blood stopping its consistent flow out of your body. You feel Caleb’s hands on your lower back, urging you to keep pushing forward.

You do.

You reach the top of the stairs, your tears freely running down your cheeks, cutting through the red bloodstains. Caleb remains behind, staring at the unlocked tablet. All retinal scans have been deleted from your profile…all but one, that is.

His retinal scan.

Caleb pauses just below the top of the steps. You continue to move forward, each and every step monotonous as the last. Your limbs feel heavy and you are in desperate need of sleep. Real sleep, not the kind the Professor gave you when he pressed the off button.

The metal doors to the outside world stare at you. There is no window to reveal what is outside nor is there any clue or hint that can reassure your safety as you exit the building.

You recall the server room, the security footage on the screens. It was still, not a soul to be found. Just a few dead bodies here and there. Slowly approaching the metal doors, you flatten your palm against the surface. The metal is warm but your fingers immediately become clammy, slipping along the material.

Your fingers reach the doorknobs and you push them down, pressing open the metal door. You push through, feeling the warm night breeze on your skin. You take a single step out of the underground bunker and airplane hangar when suddenly your world goes black.

please drop a like, reblog, & comment!! i love see what you all have to say <3

i <3 commenters

#caleb x fem reader #caleb x non!mc reader #caleb x you #caleb love and deepspace #caleb #love and deepspace caleb #lnds caleb #caleb angst #lads caleb angst #lads ansgt #love and deepspace angst #love and deepspace #love and deep space caleb #rcvcgers writings #rotten apples ❦︎

207 notes · View notes