Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eleanor was tired. Tired of all the pointed stares, all the hatred that has been surrounded around her lately, and tonight it has reached a boiling point. Today's mission, although successful did not help relieve the tension that has risen in all of the Hex, not this time.

And worst of all, she was the only one to actually need medical attention, or rather to be babysat, as her brother lovingly pointed out that she's been much more “wild” today than usual.

And who better to keep her in check than the woman who seems to loathe everyone, but her most? She could feel her stare from across the room, like daggers into her skull.

“Like what you see?” She tried to jest, but it only earned her a curse in her native language that she didn't understand.

Finally glancing at her, her red armor dull in the shadow she has found comfort in. “You seem to have something on your mind” Her scowl deepened.

“Should I probe your mind for an answer or…?” An entire sentence under her nose and the meaning she could not decipher before she spoke in a language she understood. “If you try I will not hesitate to kill you.”

She tried her best to keep her face as blank as possible, but her patience was wearing thin. “A threat is still better than nothing.”

“And why do you want to talk?”

“Because communication is key in any relationship, no?” Lettie scoffed. “Relationship? I don't see a reason to talk to demonio.”

She could feel her mask of indifference slipping. “At least you finally got the guts to say it to my face.”

“What difference does it make? You can still hear it from across the mall.”

“But I still respect your privacy that you're so damn protective about!” She lunged off the couch, she could feel that she was slipping ever so slowly, her iron fist tight control crumbling ever so slightly under her intense emotions. She had enough!

“I don't listen to every single thought you have! Or at the very least you don't know if I have!” She took another step with each spilled word, and for the first time she saw an expression of shock on the medic’s face.

“I keep your secrets quiet, do you have any idea how much I wish it would just stop!” She's right in front of Lettie, the woman in front of her extremely tense.

“And most of all, you hate me-!” She slammed her hand onto the backrest of the armchair she was sitting on, almost tipping it over, panic momentarily flashing in Lettie's eyes. “For it! You don't even try to understand, or emphasize.”

She took a deep, shaky breath to calm herself, tears in her eyes, her emotions were already boiling over, literally, the entire room, if not the entire hall, settled with the emotions she's been trying to bottle up all this time. “But I feel pity for you. Because unlike me, you still whine about the situation you're stuck in, like a hopeless child, instead of accepting it, accepting what you've become.”

She was staring right into her eyes, the eyes that right now were dashing over her face searching for something, before settling on matching her glare back. She realized she had been baring her teeth in anger, further amplifying her already inhumane look so she quickly took a few steps back and calmed her expression to that she was used to having. Indifference.

“If you're going to direct your hatred for-” She choked on a sob. “-everything at me, then do it to my face.” She must've been a sore sight for the eyes, tears falling down her cheeks as she tried to keep her sobs in check. She turned back and rushed towards the bathrooms, the only place where she could truly have a moment to herself.

“Don't you dare follow me.” She spat out before almost running out of the room.

Lettie didn't, or rather couldn't, still trying to piece herself back after that show. It wasn't Eleanor's clear anger that shocked her to the core, it was the emotions that came with it. With every word, every sentence she could feel more and more of what Eleanor could feel. Grief, sadness, anger… loneliness. Everything that she herself has been trying to throw back at the world with double the force for everything it has done to her, she just felt in a singular moment from the cracks in the shell.

She realized that maybe, they have more in common than she initially thought, and setting aside their differences, they could bond.

“Mierda!” She sighed quietly, rubbing her eyes that stung with unshed tears.

Chapter Text

The tension seemed to grow tenfold after yesterday, everyone looked miserable at the briefing before leaving the mall. Even Aoi seemed down.

It wasn't that Lettie didn't care, it's just that she had her own on her plate, same as everyone else, and unlike someone like Aoi who could spare her own problems to help others, she would sooner crush them under harsh words than soothe them.

Her rough, unbroken shell which so far has saved her multiple times, now seemed to bring more problems than solutions.

But that was not something she should focus on, as she was popping technocyte left and right in the metro they were currently at.

She channeled her bottled emotions into the next shot and pump of her shotgun, but it did not help to alleviate any of it, only ember it on.

“We’re done here!” Arthur spoke as he took out the sword that was embedded in the corpse below him. “Let’s evacuate!”

Everyone followed through without much thought, and as they neared the exit Quincy quipped in through the Radio. “Where's Amir?” Only then did they realize that the technician was missing.

“Fuck.” Arthur cursed. “Amir! Come in.” After a moment of silence on the channel he tried again. “Amir! Come in!” The silance immediately spurred Aoi to action but Arthur held her back by her wrist. “Aoi wait-”

“Wait!? You want me to wait when the least experienced of us all has been left behind on the field!?” She yanked her arm out of his grip.

“We can't just rush in-” Aoi cut in. “Really now? You couldn't care less for being careful rushing in headfirst to danger whenever you can!”

Eleanor tried to reach out to her. “Aoi-”

“Don't!” She turned her glare towards the psychic but it immediately softened at the woman's shock and she breathed in and out slowly. “I'm going back whether you like it or not.”

Before any of them could stop her she ran away and shortly after Eleanor followed. “Is everyone going to desert now?” Arthur quipped under his nose but he forgot that Eleanor does not “hear” normally, and her glare held much more hurt than anger.

That left only Lettie and Arthur by the exit. Arthur opened his mouth to speak but cut himself off when his last companion left him too.

Shortly after Quincy spoke through the comms. “I got a visual! Amir’s down!” Arthur cursed loudly as the radio chatter went haywire and ran towards their last location.

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When Eleanor joined Aoi she was already leaning over Amir, who was laying on the floor, deep gashes and other nasty injuries covered his body. His glasses were cracked.

“Eleanor!” Aoi looked at her in shock as she crushed the nearest enemies. the floor was full of technocyte bodies, more so by her legs. “I'll take care of Amir.” She knelt down by him just as he coughed and gasped for air, regaining his consciousness. “H-elp… It hurts-” She shushed him. “You're okay now.”

“Quincy! We need backup fire!” A gunshot rang out, taking out three technocyte at once. “You don't have to tell me twice.”

She barely had time to register when someone knelt by her, and she recognized her by the closing up wounds under her touch. “Lettie?”

“What? I'm the medic for Sol’s sake.” Eleanor felt relieved, it was almost like before the technocyte, almost.

“Can you get him patched up on your own?”

“Yes now go! We're getting swarmed!” She sprung into action, shredding the technocyte into pieces on her warpath.

“Changing position, we have to get out of here asap!” Quincy spoke over the comms.

“Amir’s condition is stabilized but he's unconscious.” Lettie pipped in.

“Then leave him to me.” Arthur spoke as he slashed his way through.

“Arthur!” Aoi glanced towards where she heard him. He picked Amir up bridal style. “Careful! I didn't go through all the effort to close his wounds just so you could open them back up.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. Aoi! clear the way!” She mock saluted. “On it!” before sprinting back where they came from and polarizing or pulling the enemies towards her so she could kill them.

“Lettie, you know what to do.” She nodded.

“Eleanor!” He yelled again. “I'll cover your back.” She spoke as she bit a chunk off the technocyte in her grasp.

“Quincy?” He spoke into the comms, and right as he spoke the man himself came up from the side, turning visible again. “Cover duty?”

“Id prefer if you went recon, we can't run into Scaldra units.” He spoke as their little bundle slowly reached the exit. “Got it.” And he disappeared.

Getting Amir on one of the bikes was another challenge that opened up more than one wound and earned enough curses from Lettie that would put a sailor to shame.

Slowly but surely they reached the mall and this time Quincy carried the man towards one of the rooms that served as a makeshift medbay.

Straight away Lettie kicked out any unwanted visitors while everyone gathered outside the store entrance that was Lettie's turf. No one dared to go in now.

Aoi paced around, Eleanor sat by one of the plant pots, staring off into the distance, Quincy leaned against the nearest pillar, just enough to give him a shadow and Arthur was spinning his sword by the entrance.

“Will he be fine?” Aoi spoke to no one specifically.

“He’ll pull through if he's made out of the same shit as us.” Quincy knocked his fist against his armor covered chest for emphasis. Aoi sighed and stopped, facing him. “Yeah… yeah you're right.”

“Arthur, I just want to know…” Quincy spoke slowly and carefully. Arthurs blade stopped.

“What in Sol’s name were you thinking?” Arthur could feel Quincy's stare on him. “I believed that he needed to know, that next time-”

“There would not have been a next time!” Aoi yelled at Arthur and he sighed. “I understand, I made a mistake and I'm sorry.”

“A simple sorry won't cut it! If you wanted to teach him a lesson leaving him to the technocyte was not it.” Aoi was visibly shaking, and while Eleanor could not see the woman, she could feel her anger, fear, empathy. All of the feelings that were swirling in herself too. She grit her teeth.

“He doesn't have the training nor experience we have Arthur! We can't treat him as an equal but we can't baby him either! He was doing so good too!” She heard Aoi pace again.

“What do you mean by that?” Arthur spoke after a brief pause. “He was starting to trust us, believe that he was one of us, a team.” Quincy scoffed.

“Yea right. He's just a stray and I hate to agree with Artee right now but he's taking this war business too lightly.” Eleanor phased the conversation out past that point, focusing on a single thought. Them? The Hex? A team?

It seemed like such a simple concept and yet unimaginable in their case. No one here spoke of them as a team, sure they talked, they went on missions together but that was because… because?

Shouting brought her from her thoughts. “Call me that one more time! I dare you!”

“Oho-ho~ Bring it on Artee! Show me what’chu got.”

“Boys! This is not the time for a fight!” Aoi spoke, physically holding Arthur back. Eleanor turned her gaze to them and standing up all eyes fell on her as she spoke. “Sure, fight more. I'm sure that's what the Scaldra want, but is this really necessary?”

She focused on her brother. “I could read everyone's real thoughts and bring them to light, but I don't. Because you trust me with the knowledge, or at the very least enough to not kill me.”

“Eleanor-” He shut up quickly upon her narrowed gaze. “We should be making sure that anything like this-” she pointed towards where Amir and Lettie were behind the wall. “-Never happens again. Not fighting and letting our woes guide us.” After staring straight into her brother’s eyes she added. “And I thought I was the emotional one here.” She left quickly to avoid looking into her brother's eyes, even when she heard him calling her name.