[Amnesty Day] [Yu-Gi-Oh!] More assorted ficlets
Still working on the April set, since it reminded me of these characters! I love that the new rules allow for posting previous months' prompts on Amnesty Day!
Title: One of a Kind
Day/Prompt: April 9th, 2019 - Cold and jealous with apocalyptic malice
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5, Vivian Wong
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG. For anyone who knows the show, Vivian Wong is warning enough!
Of all things Lector had honestly never thought he would have to deal with, a squealing fangirl was at the top of that list. Not to mention, a squealing fangirl who didn't know the meaning of personal space.
"Ooh! You're Démas Lector, aren't you?! I love your Lockdown deck! It's just perfect!" The strange girl was flying right at him before he could even process what was happening. "I'm Vivian Wong, but you can call me Viv. We're going to be such good friends! You're so strong, and dignified, and I love your Southern accent. . . ."
Lector grasped her shoulders and eased her back as she lovingly stroked first his chest and then his beard. "Excuse me, Miss Wong, but how do you even know my deck? I've never entered a public tournament. . . ."
"No, but I saw your duel against your mind-controlled friend!" Vivian replied.
Nesbitt cringed. "What?!"
"I was watching from a nearby building," Vivian explained. "A lot of people were!"
Lector frowned. That was not something Nesbitt needed to hear right now; he was still haunted by what had happened then.
"Hey, uh, you ever hear of respecting a guy's space?" Crump grunted as Vivian started to snuggle again.
She glared at him. "You stay out of this!"
Now Lector was angry. "Miss Wong, if you truly watched all of that duel, then you know my friends mean more to me than anything else. I will have to insist that you respect them if you intend on getting anywhere with me!"
Vivian scowled. "Fine then."
"I never thought I wouldn't be attracted to a pretty young girl, but she's really rubbing me the wrong way," Crump whispered to Gansley, who narrowed his eyes in agreement.
Over the next weeks Vivian continued to bother Lector wherever they encountered each other. Though he tried to be polite, his patience was definitely wearing down. And the fact that he wasn't really interested was all too obvious to Vivian. Her eyes burned. It was time for more . . . devious tactics.
"Alright, my darling," she said on their next meeting, "it's obvious that you find your friends more important than me. Well, now I present you with the ultimate ultimatum. Come with me . . . if you want to save them."
Lector went stiff. "What are you talking about?!" he demanded.
"This, for starters!" She leaped in the air and started to come down aiming for Gansley's knee. He tried to dive, swiping with his cane to knock her off-balance at the same time. She clenched her teeth in pain but immediately struck out with the other foot instead. Gansley fell to the ground, clutching his knee as he hissed in pain.
The Big Five were all in outraged disbelief.
"Gansley!" Nesbitt ran over and knelt down beside him.
"You realize that's assault, don't you?" Johnson spat. "A felony offense!"
"That's low," Crump snarled. "That's beyond low!"
"I'll fix it back . . . if Lector agrees to be my slave," Vivian purred.
"What the heck?! What kind of slave?!" Crump cried.
"Oh . . . we're all adults here. I'm sure you can figure it out," Vivian smiled.
Lector had been completely silent throughout all of this, staring, watching, listening, unable to really believe it. Now he suddenly came to life and fiercely struck Vivian across the face. "HOW DARE YOU!" he boomed. "I thought you were just a harmless yet bold young lady. I have never encountered someone like you before, willing to harm someone's loved ones to force your lustful desires! You will fix Gansley's knee right now, but there will be no agreement to be your slave, of any kind. Do you understand me?!"
Vivian shrank back, actually intimidated for the first time in her life. ". . . Yes," she squeaked. She quickly repaired the damage to Gansley's knee.
Gansley slowly ran his hand over it, stunned.
"How do you feel?" Nesbitt demanded.
"Alright." Gansley grabbed his cane and pushed himself up. "But I don't feel terribly forgiving at the moment."
"Do any of us?" Johnson said.
"I certainly don't." Lector relaxed, but he snapped to attention when he saw Vivian trying to slip away out of the corner of his eye. "You will never come around again," he said darkly. "In fact, I will make sure of it." He seized her arm while dialing on his phone with his other hand. "Hello, police department?" He glared at Vivian while she stiffened in his grasp. "I want to file a complaint."
Vivian struggled against him. "You'll regret this!" she screamed. She tried to kick out at him, but Nesbitt grabbed her too and held fast.
"No," he retorted. "You're going to regret ever tangling with us."
****
The next hours were exhausting. Vivian was carted to the police station and booked, while each of the Big Five gave their statements. But at last it was over and they could leave. All five of them were badly shaken and disturbed as they departed.
"Make that one more reason why I'm glad I'm asexual and aromantic," Nesbitt said with a shudder.
"I must admit, even though I know she is likely one of a kind, I'm rather glad I'm not particularly interested in such relationships myself," Lector said.
"Did you see the look on her face when Lector blew up?" Crump laughed. "I'll bet she's never had a guy do that to her before!"
"Which is disturbing in and of itself," Gansley grunted. "I wonder how many others she's pulled that abominable stunt with."
"I don't even want to think about it," Johnson said in horror. ". . . Although I could probably make a great deal of money prosecuting her for every instance of it."
"Hmm." Gansley smirked. "I must say, that's not a bad idea."
"After the trial, I would rather just forget about her and move on," Lector said.
"Let's just hope that actually being caught and punished will alter her thinking," Gansley said, "although somehow I doubt it will really help."
"Somebody like that might come out of jail even worse than before," Crump shuddered. "But I still think we needed to put that little tramp away."
"Crump, I daresay you feel completely scandalized by her not being a sweet little girl," Gansley remarked.
"Something like that," Crump said. "But I'm much more scandalized by how she was willing to hurt my buddies. Not just you, but the guy she's supposedly nuts about! Who does that?!"
"No one normal, that's for sure," Nesbitt growled.
Title: Aftermath
Day/Prompt: April 14th, 2019 - Sitting on this crumbling empire
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG, somewhat gratuitous hurt/comfort
Nesbitt's heart was broken as he sat on the rock near the edge of the cliff in Domino Canyon. He kept coming there sometimes, and he knew Gansley, Crump, and Johnson did as well. Tonight he felt that he just had to be there. It was where he felt the closest to Lector, since that was the last place he had been seen. Maybe part of him still foolishly believed that if he came back enough times, eventually he would see Lector stumbling over to him, battered and hurt but alive. Or maybe he thought Lector's spirit would show up and somehow help him move on.
He crossed his arms on his knees. He couldn't move on. He could never move on, or accept that Lector was dead, or anything that would pull him further away from his dear friend. But he also didn't know how to go on living this way. It was torture, being plagued by the memories of seeing Lector fall and trying so hard to lunge and catch him, and failing.
He sobbed hopelessly. Lector was dead and it was his fault.
"God, why did You take him?" he demanded, as he had so many times without an answer. "Why didn't You give me the power I needed to save him?" He clenched his fists. "Why did You make it so I have to be haunted by this for the rest of my life?"
"You don't have to be."
He looked up with a start. A shining figure was standing just to his side, a small girl with mint-green hair. She looked like Lector's description of the angel Kasumi.
"Oh, so now He sends someone?" he snapped. "Where were you when Lector needed someone?!"
"He had someone," she said softly. "He still does."
"And I've been crying out ever since it happened, but you only come now?" Nesbitt turned to fully face her. "The others have been devastated too. I know they'd like to make some sense out of this. But there really isn't any way to make sense out of it, is there? Lector's gone and that's all there is to it. I've lost my best friend and there's a hole in my heart that can never be mended. It's the same for the others. And we're just expected to pick up and go on with our lives, but how can we when part of our lives died too?!"
He was standing now, towering over this child angel as he screamed.
"It's not a sin to cry for your lost loved ones," she said. "Jesus cried too, at the loss of His friend Lazarus. And He cried even knowing that Lazarus was going to come back."
"But Lector can't come back," Nesbitt said brokenly. "He can't . . ."
"Nesbitt?"
Nesbitt jumped a mile. He whirled, looked towards the sound of the weak voice. Lector was limping up the hill towards the rock, his clothes badly torn and his tanned skin bleeding in several places. But he was breathing. He was alive. Even though he couldn't be.
"Lector?" Nesbitt rasped. He stood, just staring and unable to comprehend. It was what he had longed for so many times, dreamed of, and knew he would never see. But when Lector's legs started to give out, Nesbitt came to life and ran forward, catching him in his arms. "Lector. . . ." He could feel the bigger man trembling in his grasp, and he himself was probably shaking, but for a different reason. "This can't be real. . . . You fell into that waterfall. . . . I couldn't save you. . . ."
Lector clutched him close like the lifeline he was. "You did save me," he whispered. "Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is you trying so desperately to grab me and watching helplessly as I fall. I can't stand seeing how you looked then, but it's burned into my mind, just as I know seeing me fall is burned into yours. I'm so sorry. So sorry. . . ." He sank harder against Nesbitt and his grip tightened. "But that's kept me going. I had to get back to you . . . to let you know I'm alright. . . ."
"Lector. . . ." Slowly Nesbitt let himself believe. It was real. Lector was here. "You're alive. . . . You're alive!" He yelled it for joy, listening as it echoed off every nearby mountain.
"Yes," Lector told him. "I'm alive."
"Nesbitt?! . . . Lector?!"
They both looked as another car drove up and Gansley, Crump, and Johnson got out. All they could do was stare, just as Nesbitt had. Then they were running forward, desperate to join the reunion and make sure it was real. They all embraced Lector, and Nesbitt as well.
"We were worried!" Crump exclaimed to Nesbitt. "We thought maybe you finally decided to jump off the cliff and join Lector!" He hugged Lector close. "But Lector's here!"
"I wasn't suicidal," Nesbitt insisted. "But I felt like I had to be here tonight. Now I know why."
"Where have you been?!" Gansley cried, also embracing Lector.
Lector tried to hug them all. "I don't know. I went over the fall and was carried downstream. I woke up on the shore. I've been trying all this time to get back. . . ."
"And Nesbitt was right here to find you when you made it," Johnson whispered in awe.
Suddenly Nesbitt remembered Kasumi. He looked to where she had been, but no one was there.
"Let's get you home," Gansley said, his voice choked with emotion.
"I want to go home," Lector agreed.
****
Of course, all the Big Five planned to stay at Lector's house that night, and he wanted them to. Gansley insisted on calling one of Seto's doctors to come over and examine Lector, and afterwards, Lector insisted on having a shower. Knowing he had been at the point of collapse, the others were all worried about that thought. But there was nothing they could say to dissuade him, so finally Crump said, "Well, if you're gonna do it, just know that we'll be right ready to fly in if we hear you start to fall!"
"I know," Lector said. But even the thought of being seen like that didn't keep him from trying.
The others were still in awe and stunned shock over Lector's return. Even knowing he was right there, taking a shower, it still seemed too impossible to be real. None of them had believed he had survived that fall. But he was there.
It was Nesbitt who ran at the door the instant he heard the sound of Lector slipping. "Oh no you don't," he snapped, bursting through the door right ready to grab for his friend and shoving the shower curtain back.
Instead, Lector had caught hold of the towel rack. "I'm alright, Nesbitt," he insisted.
But Nesbitt had caught sight of the bruises and cuts not previously visible. He stared in horror, his stomach sinking. "Lector . . ."
Lector quickly pulled the shower curtain back. "I'll be out in a few minutes."
Nesbitt turned away, shaken. "I caused that," he whispered. "I couldn't catch him and he got hurt that badly. . . ."
Lector hadn't even turned on the shower yet. But as he did and the water started to beat on him, he went stiff. He hadn't anticipated this problem at all. The shower wasn't at all like the waterfall that had swallowed him and almost hadn't let him go, but just that feel of the water all over him was reminding him of it. He was a good swimmer, even, but he had been powerless against the force of the waterfall.
He shook, both hands flying to his wet and soapy hair. "No . . . no . . ." He slowly dropped to his knees, but that made it worse. The water was hitting him from every side that way. He staggered back to his feet. Every wound was stinging, just like when the water had hit them before.
It wasn't the waterfall. He could get out any time he wanted, or adjust the flow of the water. . . . He had power over this. He wasn't going to show this ridiculous weakness to the others. He wouldn't scream. . . . He would just quietly finish his shower and get out of the tub.
True to his word, Lector was out within five minutes. For a moment he stood at the sink, gripping the edges with his sore hands as he breathed heavily and tried to calm down. He had made it without scaring his poor friends any worse than they already had been. Knowing they badly wanted to know he was alright, he wrapped one towel around himself and took a second to dry at his hair before opening the door and stepping into the hall.
He was touched and slightly in disbelief to see all of the others spread out in the hall, each in a position to quickly jump for the bathroom door if needed. "I'm alright," he said again. "I'll just go to my room and get dressed now."
Gansley had to marvel at how stubborn Lector's hair was. Even wet, it soon stood on end again.
Lector had somehow managed to keep going all these hours and days. But as he slowly got into his shorts and then pajamas, the weight of it all crashed on him. He sank into the bed with the top still unbuttoned, shaking. "Oh. . . ." He passed a hand over his eyes.
"Lector?" Nesbitt was in the doorway now. "All the wounds you have. . . . They need to be taken care of. Will you let us . . . or me . . . ?"
"Come in," Lector said with a weary gesture.
He felt awkward to need to be taken care of like this, but he held still as Nesbitt set to work cleaning and bandaging the wounds. The others helped by handing him things from the first aid kit, but they recognized how important it was to him to be the one to actually bind up the injuries. So did Lector.
At last Nesbitt stood back. "There," he rasped. "That was the last one."
"Oh Buddy. . . ." Crump shuddered. "You got hurt so bad. . . ."
"That you survived is a miracle," Gansley declared. "To say nothing of the fact that you're not in far worse condition than you are."
"I suppose that's true," Lector said. "Although it seems bad enough right now."
Johnson, who had mostly been quiet, said, "I'm sure it does." He looked away. "It looks bad enough."
Gansley looked to him. "Johnson, are you alright?"
"Once again Lector was hurt," Johnson bitterly spat. "No, I'm not alright." He shook his head. "He always has to suffer so much. . . ."
"So do all the rest of you," Lector frowned. "Nesbitt's heart was shredded, and I know the rest of you have been in agony as well."
"Yes," Gansley said. "We've all been heartbroken that we couldn't save you."
"You did save me," Lector insisted. "Thinking about all of you kept me going."
"Are you hungry or anything, Buddy?" Crump asked.
"I am, but I'm also exhausted," Lector said, "and right now I believe I'm more tired than hungry."
"Then you should rest," Gansley said. "We'll all be here if you need anything."
"I know," Lector smiled.
He stumbled up after a moment and crawled under the quilt instead of laying on top of it. Crump pulled it up around him, marveling for a moment at the feel of his shoulder rising and falling as he breathed.
"Do you think somebody should stay in the room with him?" Crump wondered as they stepped into the hall. "You know, just to make sure he's okay?"
"Oh, I think we have that covered," Gansley said. Nesbitt was still inside the room, staring down at Lector in the bed.
"Nesbitt likely needs that as much or more than Lector might," Johnson said quietly.
Crump laid a hand on Johnson's shoulder. "It's okay, Pal," he said. "I'm angry this happened too, but at least Lector's safe."
"Someday he won't be," Johnson said morosely. He drew a shaking breath. "But I'm certainly thankful it isn't this day."
"None of us know the future," Gansley said. "For all we know, we might all die together saving the world." He glanced at the onyx ring on his finger. "It's not a farfetched possibility."
"I suppose it's not," Johnson said.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Crump asked in concern.
"Yes," Johnson said. "Sleeping is probably what all of us should do, if we can. We should be at full strength in case Lector needs us."
They were all heading for their various rooms when a bone-chilling scream from Lector brought them all rushing back.
"Lector?!" Gansley burst out as they tore into the room.
Lector flung the quilt back, nearly sending it off the bed. "I'm drowning!" he screamed. "I can't fight the waterfall. It's pulling me under!" He thrashed wildly in the bed, the terror obvious in his eyes.
Nesbitt looked shattered. But in the next instant he snapped to, grabbing Lector's flailing wrists. "Lector, it's alright!" he yelled. "Wake up! You're dreaming!"
Lector started to pull away but stopped. "Nesbitt?"
"Yeah." Nesbitt bent over the bed and embraced his friend. "I know you don't blame me, but I don't know how I'll ever not blame me. Look what my incompetence did to you!"
Lector slowly hugged back. "Nesbitt . . . you weren't incompetent any more than I was." He started to relax. "And you were at the cliff for me when I needed you tonight. I'm safe because of you. . . ." He slipped back to sleep, his grip loosening on Nesbitt. A smile played on his features.
"I wondered how he was taking it so well," Gansley said quietly. "The trauma he went through had to come out somehow."
"Poor guy," Crump whispered.
Johnson reached and gently pulled the quilt back up around Lector. "The night's cold. . . . He'll want this. . . ."
Nesbitt hesitated for only a moment before taking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed's other side. "Lector did this for me when he thought I might fall off and hurt myself worse," he said gruffly. "I won't let that happen to him."
"You may be in for a wild night," Gansley said.
"I don't care," Nesbitt retorted. "I'm staying."
"And Lector looks pretty peaceful," Crump noted. "Maybe everything will be okay."
Johnson had to smile a bit. Lector did indeed look at peace. With any luck, maybe there wouldn't be any further outbursts tonight. And if there were, Nesbitt was right there to help him. That was more than enough reason to look peaceful.
****
Lector started awake in the middle of the night, half-expecting to find himself laying under a tree for warmth. Instead, he was in his bed . . . and Nesbitt had draped a protective arm around him.
He looked at his friend in touched amazement. Nesbitt wasn't someone one would immediately think of as affectionate, but in the end he really was quite that way.
"Lector?" Nesbitt opened his eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. . . ." Lector rose up at another realization. "You're laying on top of the covers? You'll be cold. . . ."
Nesbitt shrugged, awkwardly. "I feel pretty warm."
Lector had to smile a bit. "You're a good friend, no matter what you think of yourself."
Nesbitt hesitated. "Lector . . . when I was sitting out on that rock tonight, I saw a little girl I think might have been that angel you talked about. . . ."
Lector started, stunned. "You did?"
"She talked to me a little bit, but then she disappeared and you came," Nesbitt said. "She was so vague and it was frustrating. But she said it was alright to be upset, even to cry, about losing you." He frowned. "Only we hadn't really lost you.
"I really don't understand why we weren't told that you were alive," he lamented. "We could have found you sooner, maybe. . . . You wouldn't have had to suffer trying to get back to us, and we wouldn't have had to suffer thinking you were dead." He frowned. "She didn't tell me tonight either."
"Maybe she thought it was better for you to see it and not just hear her say it," Lector said.
"Maybe." Nesbitt's grip tightened. "We tried so hard to find you, Lector. . . . We looked everywhere, but we just didn't have any success. The police were sure we'd never find you. . . . They thought the force of the water and the rocks would have probably . . . mutilated you. . . ."
"But I'm alright," Lector said quietly.
"I know that now, and yet it's hard to really comprehend," Nesbitt said. "I keep wondering if this is the dream."
"So do I, some," Lector said. "But I know it's real."
Nesbitt hugged him close. "I really know too. But it still feels so incredible."
Lector smiled, his eyes starting to drop closed again as he lay safe in his friend's embrace.
Title: Best Friends
Day/Prompt: April 28th, 2019 - This is just a matter of policy
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG. Racist character in a flashback (although what he says isn't shown). In the dub verse, I determined that Lector is mixed-race Creole from New Orleans. (I love that Southern accent....)
There were all kinds of people working at a company as big as KaibaCorp. But even knowing that, Nesbitt was both stunned and angry when he saw Lector trying to discipline an insubordinate employee who wasn't taking it well.
"You wretched . . ."
The rest of the man's sentence sent Nesbitt jerking to attention. "What did you just call him?!" he demanded. Lector himself looked first stunned, then angry.
The angry employee glowered at Nesbitt. "I called him what he is," he replied.
He had only barely started to repeat the racial slur when Nesbitt's fist connected with his nose. Blood spurted in all directions and he fell back against the wall of his cubicle.
"Nesbitt?!" Lector exclaimed in shock.
Nesbitt growled, massaging his hand. "Say that about him again and you'll get even worse than that," he spat. "Now just take your discipline like a man and get on with it."
Lector stared at him as they walked off, leaving the man to clean up the bloodied nose while everyone in his section peered over their cubicles at him. "Nesbitt, why did you do that?" he demanded. "We both know you don't like being disciplined by me either."
"Yeah, but race doesn't have anything to do with it," Nesbitt retorted. "I wasn't going to stand for anyone saying that about you."
"I didn't even think you liked me at all," Lector said.
Nesbitt looked away. "I didn't think I did either," he admitted. "But I wouldn't risk being disciplined myself, not to mention almost breaking my hand, for someone I didn't like."
"Well . . . thank you," Lector said. "I would have handled it on my own, but it's nice to know that someone cares that much."
Lector and Nesbitt had come far from those early days, but the protectiveness was just as strong, if not stronger. Lector sat on the couch, looking to where Nesbitt was sitting next to him, bruised and battered from once again jumping in when he saw an injustice being committed against his dear friend.
"Nesbitt, you know I don't want you hurt any more than you want it of me," he said.
"I know," Nesbitt grunted. "But I'm alright." He leaned back against the couch.
He looked as exhausted as Lector felt. Sighing, Lector leaned back too. "We should go up to our rooms and go to sleep," he said.
"Yeah." But Nesbitt was too tired to even move to do that.
Lector had to smile a bit. He drew an arm around Nesbitt's shoulders and closed his eyes, starting to doze. Nesbitt was soon doing likewise.
Gansley, Crump, and Johnson found them there a little bit later, both sound asleep with Nesbitt sinking against Lector.
"Aww, isn't that cute," Crump cracked, but he was really touched.
Johnson pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
"Not again," Gansley grunted.
"Oh, don't worry," Johnson said. "I'm not going to set this as everyone's wallpaper like I did with the picture of Crump and Nesbitt falling asleep against each other. I just thought maybe I'd like a memento of this."
"Well, that's fine then," Gansley said with a slight smile. But he had to wonder if Johnson was too intimidated by the thought of how Lector would react if he woke up and found Johnson had pulled that prank again, this time with him in the picture. Or maybe Johnson respected Lector's dignity too much.
Not that Gansley thought Lector's dignity was compromised at all by this. He turned away, letting the brothers sleep on.
Title: One of a Kind
Day/Prompt: April 9th, 2019 - Cold and jealous with apocalyptic malice
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5, Vivian Wong
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG. For anyone who knows the show, Vivian Wong is warning enough!
Of all things Lector had honestly never thought he would have to deal with, a squealing fangirl was at the top of that list. Not to mention, a squealing fangirl who didn't know the meaning of personal space.
"Ooh! You're Démas Lector, aren't you?! I love your Lockdown deck! It's just perfect!" The strange girl was flying right at him before he could even process what was happening. "I'm Vivian Wong, but you can call me Viv. We're going to be such good friends! You're so strong, and dignified, and I love your Southern accent. . . ."
Lector grasped her shoulders and eased her back as she lovingly stroked first his chest and then his beard. "Excuse me, Miss Wong, but how do you even know my deck? I've never entered a public tournament. . . ."
"No, but I saw your duel against your mind-controlled friend!" Vivian replied.
Nesbitt cringed. "What?!"
"I was watching from a nearby building," Vivian explained. "A lot of people were!"
Lector frowned. That was not something Nesbitt needed to hear right now; he was still haunted by what had happened then.
"Hey, uh, you ever hear of respecting a guy's space?" Crump grunted as Vivian started to snuggle again.
She glared at him. "You stay out of this!"
Now Lector was angry. "Miss Wong, if you truly watched all of that duel, then you know my friends mean more to me than anything else. I will have to insist that you respect them if you intend on getting anywhere with me!"
Vivian scowled. "Fine then."
"I never thought I wouldn't be attracted to a pretty young girl, but she's really rubbing me the wrong way," Crump whispered to Gansley, who narrowed his eyes in agreement.
Over the next weeks Vivian continued to bother Lector wherever they encountered each other. Though he tried to be polite, his patience was definitely wearing down. And the fact that he wasn't really interested was all too obvious to Vivian. Her eyes burned. It was time for more . . . devious tactics.
"Alright, my darling," she said on their next meeting, "it's obvious that you find your friends more important than me. Well, now I present you with the ultimate ultimatum. Come with me . . . if you want to save them."
Lector went stiff. "What are you talking about?!" he demanded.
"This, for starters!" She leaped in the air and started to come down aiming for Gansley's knee. He tried to dive, swiping with his cane to knock her off-balance at the same time. She clenched her teeth in pain but immediately struck out with the other foot instead. Gansley fell to the ground, clutching his knee as he hissed in pain.
The Big Five were all in outraged disbelief.
"Gansley!" Nesbitt ran over and knelt down beside him.
"You realize that's assault, don't you?" Johnson spat. "A felony offense!"
"That's low," Crump snarled. "That's beyond low!"
"I'll fix it back . . . if Lector agrees to be my slave," Vivian purred.
"What the heck?! What kind of slave?!" Crump cried.
"Oh . . . we're all adults here. I'm sure you can figure it out," Vivian smiled.
Lector had been completely silent throughout all of this, staring, watching, listening, unable to really believe it. Now he suddenly came to life and fiercely struck Vivian across the face. "HOW DARE YOU!" he boomed. "I thought you were just a harmless yet bold young lady. I have never encountered someone like you before, willing to harm someone's loved ones to force your lustful desires! You will fix Gansley's knee right now, but there will be no agreement to be your slave, of any kind. Do you understand me?!"
Vivian shrank back, actually intimidated for the first time in her life. ". . . Yes," she squeaked. She quickly repaired the damage to Gansley's knee.
Gansley slowly ran his hand over it, stunned.
"How do you feel?" Nesbitt demanded.
"Alright." Gansley grabbed his cane and pushed himself up. "But I don't feel terribly forgiving at the moment."
"Do any of us?" Johnson said.
"I certainly don't." Lector relaxed, but he snapped to attention when he saw Vivian trying to slip away out of the corner of his eye. "You will never come around again," he said darkly. "In fact, I will make sure of it." He seized her arm while dialing on his phone with his other hand. "Hello, police department?" He glared at Vivian while she stiffened in his grasp. "I want to file a complaint."
Vivian struggled against him. "You'll regret this!" she screamed. She tried to kick out at him, but Nesbitt grabbed her too and held fast.
"No," he retorted. "You're going to regret ever tangling with us."
****
The next hours were exhausting. Vivian was carted to the police station and booked, while each of the Big Five gave their statements. But at last it was over and they could leave. All five of them were badly shaken and disturbed as they departed.
"Make that one more reason why I'm glad I'm asexual and aromantic," Nesbitt said with a shudder.
"I must admit, even though I know she is likely one of a kind, I'm rather glad I'm not particularly interested in such relationships myself," Lector said.
"Did you see the look on her face when Lector blew up?" Crump laughed. "I'll bet she's never had a guy do that to her before!"
"Which is disturbing in and of itself," Gansley grunted. "I wonder how many others she's pulled that abominable stunt with."
"I don't even want to think about it," Johnson said in horror. ". . . Although I could probably make a great deal of money prosecuting her for every instance of it."
"Hmm." Gansley smirked. "I must say, that's not a bad idea."
"After the trial, I would rather just forget about her and move on," Lector said.
"Let's just hope that actually being caught and punished will alter her thinking," Gansley said, "although somehow I doubt it will really help."
"Somebody like that might come out of jail even worse than before," Crump shuddered. "But I still think we needed to put that little tramp away."
"Crump, I daresay you feel completely scandalized by her not being a sweet little girl," Gansley remarked.
"Something like that," Crump said. "But I'm much more scandalized by how she was willing to hurt my buddies. Not just you, but the guy she's supposedly nuts about! Who does that?!"
"No one normal, that's for sure," Nesbitt growled.
Title: Aftermath
Day/Prompt: April 14th, 2019 - Sitting on this crumbling empire
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG, somewhat gratuitous hurt/comfort
Nesbitt's heart was broken as he sat on the rock near the edge of the cliff in Domino Canyon. He kept coming there sometimes, and he knew Gansley, Crump, and Johnson did as well. Tonight he felt that he just had to be there. It was where he felt the closest to Lector, since that was the last place he had been seen. Maybe part of him still foolishly believed that if he came back enough times, eventually he would see Lector stumbling over to him, battered and hurt but alive. Or maybe he thought Lector's spirit would show up and somehow help him move on.
He crossed his arms on his knees. He couldn't move on. He could never move on, or accept that Lector was dead, or anything that would pull him further away from his dear friend. But he also didn't know how to go on living this way. It was torture, being plagued by the memories of seeing Lector fall and trying so hard to lunge and catch him, and failing.
He sobbed hopelessly. Lector was dead and it was his fault.
"God, why did You take him?" he demanded, as he had so many times without an answer. "Why didn't You give me the power I needed to save him?" He clenched his fists. "Why did You make it so I have to be haunted by this for the rest of my life?"
"You don't have to be."
He looked up with a start. A shining figure was standing just to his side, a small girl with mint-green hair. She looked like Lector's description of the angel Kasumi.
"Oh, so now He sends someone?" he snapped. "Where were you when Lector needed someone?!"
"He had someone," she said softly. "He still does."
"And I've been crying out ever since it happened, but you only come now?" Nesbitt turned to fully face her. "The others have been devastated too. I know they'd like to make some sense out of this. But there really isn't any way to make sense out of it, is there? Lector's gone and that's all there is to it. I've lost my best friend and there's a hole in my heart that can never be mended. It's the same for the others. And we're just expected to pick up and go on with our lives, but how can we when part of our lives died too?!"
He was standing now, towering over this child angel as he screamed.
"It's not a sin to cry for your lost loved ones," she said. "Jesus cried too, at the loss of His friend Lazarus. And He cried even knowing that Lazarus was going to come back."
"But Lector can't come back," Nesbitt said brokenly. "He can't . . ."
"Nesbitt?"
Nesbitt jumped a mile. He whirled, looked towards the sound of the weak voice. Lector was limping up the hill towards the rock, his clothes badly torn and his tanned skin bleeding in several places. But he was breathing. He was alive. Even though he couldn't be.
"Lector?" Nesbitt rasped. He stood, just staring and unable to comprehend. It was what he had longed for so many times, dreamed of, and knew he would never see. But when Lector's legs started to give out, Nesbitt came to life and ran forward, catching him in his arms. "Lector. . . ." He could feel the bigger man trembling in his grasp, and he himself was probably shaking, but for a different reason. "This can't be real. . . . You fell into that waterfall. . . . I couldn't save you. . . ."
Lector clutched him close like the lifeline he was. "You did save me," he whispered. "Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is you trying so desperately to grab me and watching helplessly as I fall. I can't stand seeing how you looked then, but it's burned into my mind, just as I know seeing me fall is burned into yours. I'm so sorry. So sorry. . . ." He sank harder against Nesbitt and his grip tightened. "But that's kept me going. I had to get back to you . . . to let you know I'm alright. . . ."
"Lector. . . ." Slowly Nesbitt let himself believe. It was real. Lector was here. "You're alive. . . . You're alive!" He yelled it for joy, listening as it echoed off every nearby mountain.
"Yes," Lector told him. "I'm alive."
"Nesbitt?! . . . Lector?!"
They both looked as another car drove up and Gansley, Crump, and Johnson got out. All they could do was stare, just as Nesbitt had. Then they were running forward, desperate to join the reunion and make sure it was real. They all embraced Lector, and Nesbitt as well.
"We were worried!" Crump exclaimed to Nesbitt. "We thought maybe you finally decided to jump off the cliff and join Lector!" He hugged Lector close. "But Lector's here!"
"I wasn't suicidal," Nesbitt insisted. "But I felt like I had to be here tonight. Now I know why."
"Where have you been?!" Gansley cried, also embracing Lector.
Lector tried to hug them all. "I don't know. I went over the fall and was carried downstream. I woke up on the shore. I've been trying all this time to get back. . . ."
"And Nesbitt was right here to find you when you made it," Johnson whispered in awe.
Suddenly Nesbitt remembered Kasumi. He looked to where she had been, but no one was there.
"Let's get you home," Gansley said, his voice choked with emotion.
"I want to go home," Lector agreed.
****
Of course, all the Big Five planned to stay at Lector's house that night, and he wanted them to. Gansley insisted on calling one of Seto's doctors to come over and examine Lector, and afterwards, Lector insisted on having a shower. Knowing he had been at the point of collapse, the others were all worried about that thought. But there was nothing they could say to dissuade him, so finally Crump said, "Well, if you're gonna do it, just know that we'll be right ready to fly in if we hear you start to fall!"
"I know," Lector said. But even the thought of being seen like that didn't keep him from trying.
The others were still in awe and stunned shock over Lector's return. Even knowing he was right there, taking a shower, it still seemed too impossible to be real. None of them had believed he had survived that fall. But he was there.
It was Nesbitt who ran at the door the instant he heard the sound of Lector slipping. "Oh no you don't," he snapped, bursting through the door right ready to grab for his friend and shoving the shower curtain back.
Instead, Lector had caught hold of the towel rack. "I'm alright, Nesbitt," he insisted.
But Nesbitt had caught sight of the bruises and cuts not previously visible. He stared in horror, his stomach sinking. "Lector . . ."
Lector quickly pulled the shower curtain back. "I'll be out in a few minutes."
Nesbitt turned away, shaken. "I caused that," he whispered. "I couldn't catch him and he got hurt that badly. . . ."
Lector hadn't even turned on the shower yet. But as he did and the water started to beat on him, he went stiff. He hadn't anticipated this problem at all. The shower wasn't at all like the waterfall that had swallowed him and almost hadn't let him go, but just that feel of the water all over him was reminding him of it. He was a good swimmer, even, but he had been powerless against the force of the waterfall.
He shook, both hands flying to his wet and soapy hair. "No . . . no . . ." He slowly dropped to his knees, but that made it worse. The water was hitting him from every side that way. He staggered back to his feet. Every wound was stinging, just like when the water had hit them before.
It wasn't the waterfall. He could get out any time he wanted, or adjust the flow of the water. . . . He had power over this. He wasn't going to show this ridiculous weakness to the others. He wouldn't scream. . . . He would just quietly finish his shower and get out of the tub.
True to his word, Lector was out within five minutes. For a moment he stood at the sink, gripping the edges with his sore hands as he breathed heavily and tried to calm down. He had made it without scaring his poor friends any worse than they already had been. Knowing they badly wanted to know he was alright, he wrapped one towel around himself and took a second to dry at his hair before opening the door and stepping into the hall.
He was touched and slightly in disbelief to see all of the others spread out in the hall, each in a position to quickly jump for the bathroom door if needed. "I'm alright," he said again. "I'll just go to my room and get dressed now."
Gansley had to marvel at how stubborn Lector's hair was. Even wet, it soon stood on end again.
Lector had somehow managed to keep going all these hours and days. But as he slowly got into his shorts and then pajamas, the weight of it all crashed on him. He sank into the bed with the top still unbuttoned, shaking. "Oh. . . ." He passed a hand over his eyes.
"Lector?" Nesbitt was in the doorway now. "All the wounds you have. . . . They need to be taken care of. Will you let us . . . or me . . . ?"
"Come in," Lector said with a weary gesture.
He felt awkward to need to be taken care of like this, but he held still as Nesbitt set to work cleaning and bandaging the wounds. The others helped by handing him things from the first aid kit, but they recognized how important it was to him to be the one to actually bind up the injuries. So did Lector.
At last Nesbitt stood back. "There," he rasped. "That was the last one."
"Oh Buddy. . . ." Crump shuddered. "You got hurt so bad. . . ."
"That you survived is a miracle," Gansley declared. "To say nothing of the fact that you're not in far worse condition than you are."
"I suppose that's true," Lector said. "Although it seems bad enough right now."
Johnson, who had mostly been quiet, said, "I'm sure it does." He looked away. "It looks bad enough."
Gansley looked to him. "Johnson, are you alright?"
"Once again Lector was hurt," Johnson bitterly spat. "No, I'm not alright." He shook his head. "He always has to suffer so much. . . ."
"So do all the rest of you," Lector frowned. "Nesbitt's heart was shredded, and I know the rest of you have been in agony as well."
"Yes," Gansley said. "We've all been heartbroken that we couldn't save you."
"You did save me," Lector insisted. "Thinking about all of you kept me going."
"Are you hungry or anything, Buddy?" Crump asked.
"I am, but I'm also exhausted," Lector said, "and right now I believe I'm more tired than hungry."
"Then you should rest," Gansley said. "We'll all be here if you need anything."
"I know," Lector smiled.
He stumbled up after a moment and crawled under the quilt instead of laying on top of it. Crump pulled it up around him, marveling for a moment at the feel of his shoulder rising and falling as he breathed.
"Do you think somebody should stay in the room with him?" Crump wondered as they stepped into the hall. "You know, just to make sure he's okay?"
"Oh, I think we have that covered," Gansley said. Nesbitt was still inside the room, staring down at Lector in the bed.
"Nesbitt likely needs that as much or more than Lector might," Johnson said quietly.
Crump laid a hand on Johnson's shoulder. "It's okay, Pal," he said. "I'm angry this happened too, but at least Lector's safe."
"Someday he won't be," Johnson said morosely. He drew a shaking breath. "But I'm certainly thankful it isn't this day."
"None of us know the future," Gansley said. "For all we know, we might all die together saving the world." He glanced at the onyx ring on his finger. "It's not a farfetched possibility."
"I suppose it's not," Johnson said.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Crump asked in concern.
"Yes," Johnson said. "Sleeping is probably what all of us should do, if we can. We should be at full strength in case Lector needs us."
They were all heading for their various rooms when a bone-chilling scream from Lector brought them all rushing back.
"Lector?!" Gansley burst out as they tore into the room.
Lector flung the quilt back, nearly sending it off the bed. "I'm drowning!" he screamed. "I can't fight the waterfall. It's pulling me under!" He thrashed wildly in the bed, the terror obvious in his eyes.
Nesbitt looked shattered. But in the next instant he snapped to, grabbing Lector's flailing wrists. "Lector, it's alright!" he yelled. "Wake up! You're dreaming!"
Lector started to pull away but stopped. "Nesbitt?"
"Yeah." Nesbitt bent over the bed and embraced his friend. "I know you don't blame me, but I don't know how I'll ever not blame me. Look what my incompetence did to you!"
Lector slowly hugged back. "Nesbitt . . . you weren't incompetent any more than I was." He started to relax. "And you were at the cliff for me when I needed you tonight. I'm safe because of you. . . ." He slipped back to sleep, his grip loosening on Nesbitt. A smile played on his features.
"I wondered how he was taking it so well," Gansley said quietly. "The trauma he went through had to come out somehow."
"Poor guy," Crump whispered.
Johnson reached and gently pulled the quilt back up around Lector. "The night's cold. . . . He'll want this. . . ."
Nesbitt hesitated for only a moment before taking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed's other side. "Lector did this for me when he thought I might fall off and hurt myself worse," he said gruffly. "I won't let that happen to him."
"You may be in for a wild night," Gansley said.
"I don't care," Nesbitt retorted. "I'm staying."
"And Lector looks pretty peaceful," Crump noted. "Maybe everything will be okay."
Johnson had to smile a bit. Lector did indeed look at peace. With any luck, maybe there wouldn't be any further outbursts tonight. And if there were, Nesbitt was right there to help him. That was more than enough reason to look peaceful.
****
Lector started awake in the middle of the night, half-expecting to find himself laying under a tree for warmth. Instead, he was in his bed . . . and Nesbitt had draped a protective arm around him.
He looked at his friend in touched amazement. Nesbitt wasn't someone one would immediately think of as affectionate, but in the end he really was quite that way.
"Lector?" Nesbitt opened his eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. . . ." Lector rose up at another realization. "You're laying on top of the covers? You'll be cold. . . ."
Nesbitt shrugged, awkwardly. "I feel pretty warm."
Lector had to smile a bit. "You're a good friend, no matter what you think of yourself."
Nesbitt hesitated. "Lector . . . when I was sitting out on that rock tonight, I saw a little girl I think might have been that angel you talked about. . . ."
Lector started, stunned. "You did?"
"She talked to me a little bit, but then she disappeared and you came," Nesbitt said. "She was so vague and it was frustrating. But she said it was alright to be upset, even to cry, about losing you." He frowned. "Only we hadn't really lost you.
"I really don't understand why we weren't told that you were alive," he lamented. "We could have found you sooner, maybe. . . . You wouldn't have had to suffer trying to get back to us, and we wouldn't have had to suffer thinking you were dead." He frowned. "She didn't tell me tonight either."
"Maybe she thought it was better for you to see it and not just hear her say it," Lector said.
"Maybe." Nesbitt's grip tightened. "We tried so hard to find you, Lector. . . . We looked everywhere, but we just didn't have any success. The police were sure we'd never find you. . . . They thought the force of the water and the rocks would have probably . . . mutilated you. . . ."
"But I'm alright," Lector said quietly.
"I know that now, and yet it's hard to really comprehend," Nesbitt said. "I keep wondering if this is the dream."
"So do I, some," Lector said. "But I know it's real."
Nesbitt hugged him close. "I really know too. But it still feels so incredible."
Lector smiled, his eyes starting to drop closed again as he lay safe in his friend's embrace.
Title: Best Friends
Day/Prompt: April 28th, 2019 - This is just a matter of policy
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Character/Pairing: The Big 5
Rating/Warning(s): K+/PG. Racist character in a flashback (although what he says isn't shown). In the dub verse, I determined that Lector is mixed-race Creole from New Orleans. (I love that Southern accent....)
There were all kinds of people working at a company as big as KaibaCorp. But even knowing that, Nesbitt was both stunned and angry when he saw Lector trying to discipline an insubordinate employee who wasn't taking it well.
"You wretched . . ."
The rest of the man's sentence sent Nesbitt jerking to attention. "What did you just call him?!" he demanded. Lector himself looked first stunned, then angry.
The angry employee glowered at Nesbitt. "I called him what he is," he replied.
He had only barely started to repeat the racial slur when Nesbitt's fist connected with his nose. Blood spurted in all directions and he fell back against the wall of his cubicle.
"Nesbitt?!" Lector exclaimed in shock.
Nesbitt growled, massaging his hand. "Say that about him again and you'll get even worse than that," he spat. "Now just take your discipline like a man and get on with it."
Lector stared at him as they walked off, leaving the man to clean up the bloodied nose while everyone in his section peered over their cubicles at him. "Nesbitt, why did you do that?" he demanded. "We both know you don't like being disciplined by me either."
"Yeah, but race doesn't have anything to do with it," Nesbitt retorted. "I wasn't going to stand for anyone saying that about you."
"I didn't even think you liked me at all," Lector said.
Nesbitt looked away. "I didn't think I did either," he admitted. "But I wouldn't risk being disciplined myself, not to mention almost breaking my hand, for someone I didn't like."
"Well . . . thank you," Lector said. "I would have handled it on my own, but it's nice to know that someone cares that much."
Lector and Nesbitt had come far from those early days, but the protectiveness was just as strong, if not stronger. Lector sat on the couch, looking to where Nesbitt was sitting next to him, bruised and battered from once again jumping in when he saw an injustice being committed against his dear friend.
"Nesbitt, you know I don't want you hurt any more than you want it of me," he said.
"I know," Nesbitt grunted. "But I'm alright." He leaned back against the couch.
He looked as exhausted as Lector felt. Sighing, Lector leaned back too. "We should go up to our rooms and go to sleep," he said.
"Yeah." But Nesbitt was too tired to even move to do that.
Lector had to smile a bit. He drew an arm around Nesbitt's shoulders and closed his eyes, starting to doze. Nesbitt was soon doing likewise.
Gansley, Crump, and Johnson found them there a little bit later, both sound asleep with Nesbitt sinking against Lector.
"Aww, isn't that cute," Crump cracked, but he was really touched.
Johnson pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
"Not again," Gansley grunted.
"Oh, don't worry," Johnson said. "I'm not going to set this as everyone's wallpaper like I did with the picture of Crump and Nesbitt falling asleep against each other. I just thought maybe I'd like a memento of this."
"Well, that's fine then," Gansley said with a slight smile. But he had to wonder if Johnson was too intimidated by the thought of how Lector would react if he woke up and found Johnson had pulled that prank again, this time with him in the picture. Or maybe Johnson respected Lector's dignity too much.
Not that Gansley thought Lector's dignity was compromised at all by this. He turned away, letting the brothers sleep on.