(no subject)
Title: O death
Fandom: Angel
Characters: Lindsey McDonald, Marcus Hamilton, Angel
Prompt: 053. Indifferent
Word Count: 864
Rating: R
Warnings/Spoilers: AU after Not Fade Away, character death
Summary: You should always be rewarded for hard work.
O death
Coming back from where I’d been hurt in more ways than I thought was possible. When the screaming stopped, I slowly opened my eyes and focused them on the unsmiling man in front of me. There was a still oozing gash in his throat and his neck wasn’t completely straight. He had one hand on my back and the other on my chest and if they weren’t there, I had the feeling I’d be curled into a little ball on the floor right about now.
“We’re even now, Mr. McDonald. I don’t owe you a damn thing.” He shuddered as he released his grip on my body. “And the fight’s almost over. Most of them have fallen to our people.”
I slumped over for a moment, trying to push the pain away long enough to form sentences. Licking lips that tasted like copper, I managed a tiny smile. “What about Lorne?”
He chuckled softly. “He’s not a threat and was allowed to leave unharmed.”
Part of me wanted to say that no one had made it out unharmed, that we’d all been shattered inside, but I doubted he cared. There was something I needed to ask him before I bothered thinking about the remaining heroes. “Marcus, did she...?”
“The building collapsed and my sister didn’t make it. She was waiting for you to return.” Marcus rubbed at the wound on his neck. His eyes fluttered closed and when they opened again the smile that spread across his face chilled me to the bone. “It’s done.”
Did that mean everyone else was dead too? I started to ask him and he yanked me to my feet. “Come on, you’re going to want to watch this.”
---
I’d never seen so many demons in one place before. They had someone surrounded and I could see a body on the ground. The crowd parted to let Marcus through. He had a painful grip on my wrist and I knew I’d never be able to get loose, no matter how hard I tried. He lashed out with his foot, turning the body over and I watched the rain wash some of the blood away.
The shredded corpses of the former street thug and god king lay nearby and I had to assume Spike was dust in the wind at this point. They hadn’t stood a chance against the armies of the Partners, but they’d fought anyway. I could see the remains of a dragon next to what used to be Angel’s hotel. It took a hell of a lot to kill one of those, but they’d done it.
“The Partners want to know what you’d do with him, Mr. McDonald. It’s pure curiosity on their parts.” Marcus shoved me to the ground and I landed next to Angel’s face. “Enlighten us.”
I tuned out all of the other sounds until it was just like static on the radio. My fingers brushed against the bruised and battered skin on his cheek. “You fucking idiot, you murdered them all.” Angel didn’t even stir and I heard Marcus say my name. Ignoring him, I leaned in closer. “Was it worth it?”
A hand closed on my shoulder and I felt the bones start to grind together. “Answer the question.”
“Did you ever meet Holland Manners, Marcus? He told me something once that’s always stuck in my head. Come here.” I motioned for him to crouch down next to me. When he did, I started to whisper. By the time he pulled away, he was staring at me with a cross between fascination and amusement.
“Oh, they like that. I can heard them laughing. That’s perfect.” He slapped me on the back, doubling me over. “He’s all yours.”
The ground rumbled and buildings shook as a portal opened up behind us. I stared into it, watching the armies slowly leave our plane. Marcus was the last to go and he waved at me as it closed.
---
I ended up dragging Angel’s body into one of the buildings nearby. When he finally woke up, he looked around wildly. “What happened? Why am I still here?” He frowned at me. “I feel... different. And aren’t you dead?”
“It’s your punishment, Angel. They wanted to know what to do with you and I made a suggestion.” The wounds in my chest ached as I got to my feet. “Holland told me that it was always better to go for the pain instead of the kill. They could have finished you off in the alley, let you rest and maybe move on, but instead, you get to live with what you’ve done. You can spend the rest of your days dwelling on the loss of your friends.”
As I moved towards the door, I grabbed the blinds and tore them off the window, letting the sun come streaming in. It hit his body and there was no reaction at all. Angel blinked in shock. “What the hell?”
“They tore up that little paper you signed. Hope you enjoy that reward of yours, you’ve earned it.” I left the room and could hear him yelling my name, but I didn’t care. He’d brought it on himself.
Fandom: Angel
Characters: Lindsey McDonald, Marcus Hamilton, Angel
Prompt: 053. Indifferent
Word Count: 864
Rating: R
Warnings/Spoilers: AU after Not Fade Away, character death
Summary: You should always be rewarded for hard work.
O death
Coming back from where I’d been hurt in more ways than I thought was possible. When the screaming stopped, I slowly opened my eyes and focused them on the unsmiling man in front of me. There was a still oozing gash in his throat and his neck wasn’t completely straight. He had one hand on my back and the other on my chest and if they weren’t there, I had the feeling I’d be curled into a little ball on the floor right about now.
“We’re even now, Mr. McDonald. I don’t owe you a damn thing.” He shuddered as he released his grip on my body. “And the fight’s almost over. Most of them have fallen to our people.”
I slumped over for a moment, trying to push the pain away long enough to form sentences. Licking lips that tasted like copper, I managed a tiny smile. “What about Lorne?”
He chuckled softly. “He’s not a threat and was allowed to leave unharmed.”
Part of me wanted to say that no one had made it out unharmed, that we’d all been shattered inside, but I doubted he cared. There was something I needed to ask him before I bothered thinking about the remaining heroes. “Marcus, did she...?”
“The building collapsed and my sister didn’t make it. She was waiting for you to return.” Marcus rubbed at the wound on his neck. His eyes fluttered closed and when they opened again the smile that spread across his face chilled me to the bone. “It’s done.”
Did that mean everyone else was dead too? I started to ask him and he yanked me to my feet. “Come on, you’re going to want to watch this.”
---
I’d never seen so many demons in one place before. They had someone surrounded and I could see a body on the ground. The crowd parted to let Marcus through. He had a painful grip on my wrist and I knew I’d never be able to get loose, no matter how hard I tried. He lashed out with his foot, turning the body over and I watched the rain wash some of the blood away.
The shredded corpses of the former street thug and god king lay nearby and I had to assume Spike was dust in the wind at this point. They hadn’t stood a chance against the armies of the Partners, but they’d fought anyway. I could see the remains of a dragon next to what used to be Angel’s hotel. It took a hell of a lot to kill one of those, but they’d done it.
“The Partners want to know what you’d do with him, Mr. McDonald. It’s pure curiosity on their parts.” Marcus shoved me to the ground and I landed next to Angel’s face. “Enlighten us.”
I tuned out all of the other sounds until it was just like static on the radio. My fingers brushed against the bruised and battered skin on his cheek. “You fucking idiot, you murdered them all.” Angel didn’t even stir and I heard Marcus say my name. Ignoring him, I leaned in closer. “Was it worth it?”
A hand closed on my shoulder and I felt the bones start to grind together. “Answer the question.”
“Did you ever meet Holland Manners, Marcus? He told me something once that’s always stuck in my head. Come here.” I motioned for him to crouch down next to me. When he did, I started to whisper. By the time he pulled away, he was staring at me with a cross between fascination and amusement.
“Oh, they like that. I can heard them laughing. That’s perfect.” He slapped me on the back, doubling me over. “He’s all yours.”
The ground rumbled and buildings shook as a portal opened up behind us. I stared into it, watching the armies slowly leave our plane. Marcus was the last to go and he waved at me as it closed.
---
I ended up dragging Angel’s body into one of the buildings nearby. When he finally woke up, he looked around wildly. “What happened? Why am I still here?” He frowned at me. “I feel... different. And aren’t you dead?”
“It’s your punishment, Angel. They wanted to know what to do with you and I made a suggestion.” The wounds in my chest ached as I got to my feet. “Holland told me that it was always better to go for the pain instead of the kill. They could have finished you off in the alley, let you rest and maybe move on, but instead, you get to live with what you’ve done. You can spend the rest of your days dwelling on the loss of your friends.”
As I moved towards the door, I grabbed the blinds and tore them off the window, letting the sun come streaming in. It hit his body and there was no reaction at all. Angel blinked in shock. “What the hell?”
“They tore up that little paper you signed. Hope you enjoy that reward of yours, you’ve earned it.” I left the room and could hear him yelling my name, but I didn’t care. He’d brought it on himself.