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Part 5 of How to Save the World
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2021-04-10
Updated:
2021-10-25
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21/?
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Brothers In Arms

Summary:

"Claus yelped, clutching his face as the mechanical part of his brain began screaming 'wrong wrong wrong something was wrong.' Lucas quickly went to his brother's side, not caring about the body on the floor, and clutched Claus's shoulders tightly.

'The nightmare-" Claus choked out. "It's here, it's him, it's-'"

Fall seven times,
Get up eight.
When the Soldier thought,
He had met his fate.
And was filled with nothing,
But endless hate.
He was saved,
By his Brothers in Arms.

(Or, Claus and Lucas find the Winter Soldier unconscious in an alleyway.)

[WE HAVE A DISCORD NOW! :D COPY THIS LINK:]
https://discord.gg/SZFkDbnwkJ (This link ACTUALLY WORKS!)

Chapter 1: Prolouge

Summary:

Put up!

Notes:

A/N From all 3 of us!

thank you for deciding to join us on this adventure! we hope you have as much fun reading it as we did writing it ^^!
-backflipintothesun

Hope Ya'll enjoy this big project of ours! This was a TON of fun to write and actually kind of helped with my mental state. See you in future chapters!
-Hello_I_Exist

So... here goes...

First of all, thank you so much for clicking on this fic, and READING it!!

It's a long journey ahead, and I hope y'all stay with us till the end of the line. (Ha get it?)

If you see any glaring mistakes, tell us! The same goes for spelling and grammar.

Just so you know what you're getting into, there will be fluff. There will be pain. There will be angst. Read this for the found family feels, and the bond between three unlikely people. Read this for the good in this world (and the bad). And read this for its action, adventure, and worldbuilding.

Anyway, thanks for trying this out, and without further ado, the prologue!!
-RitzCrackers

-----
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing, non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All characters/rights belong to Marvel Cinematic Universe, Toby Fox, and Nintendo.

Chapter Text

 


Brothers In Arms

Prologue: The Beginning 


 

Far above, on the frozen glass rooftops of Fourside, a man adjusts his rifle. 

Click. Click. 

The sharp sound cuts through the dead silence before disappearing into the emptiness.

Cars whiz past, leaving small simmering and hissing balls of mist into the crisp air behind them.

The men beside the one adjusting his rifle were younger. They had not seen as much, nor had they been through as much. They weren’t innocent, no. They were just… a bit inexperienced. They didn’t know how the world worked. It was a game to them, and they were pawns made to be sacrificed for the greater good. 

Not that they knew that. 

"Look, I just don't see the point of a puppet mayor! Why this city? Why not New York or somewhere important?"

"Agreed. But either way, they're sending us and the Asset after the mayor. So suck it up. It's not our place to question the boss."

Not our place to question the boss. Not our place to question the boss. 

Not our place. 

Not my place.

"...UGH. At least we have the Asset with us, right? Legendary assassin and all."

The two agents shift to glance at the man adjusting his rifle. Almost invisible in the white night air, they see the metal arm hidden beneath black. 

"Yeah. Feels kinda pointless to send The Winter Soldier himself after the mayor of freaking Fourside of all places."

The man’s eyes frost over, like the windows of the Monotoli, as he listens to them talk. His persona is colder than the weather. The name suits him.   

 "...What do you think the arm's for?"

The younger agents' hands begin to shake, having nothing to do with the cold. His face shows unease and curiosity as his eyes meet the Winter Soldier’s. The Asset’s hair is murky black, and partially obscures his right eye, making the left seem all the more piercing; as its frozen blue hue searches his face. The agent could feel its chilling gaze stabbing at his numb skin. He looked away harshly. 

The Asset huffed. 

Everyone knew about the Winter Soldier. What he’s done. What he represents. But in HYDRA, if you wanted to live, you kept your mouth shut, head down, and followed orders. A part of him grimaced in reminisce. 

He didn't know how long it had been. And he didn’t want to. It would only make him cover in shame and guilt. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know what he was getting into. If he did, maybe he would have killed himself right then and there. 

It wasn’t my fault, He repeated. 

He didn’t know who he was convincing anymore. Himself? The Asset? All the people he had killed?

Confronting it meant he acknowledged that it was there. He couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. Even if it would save the single shred of humanity left in him. But he wasn’t human. Was he? No. Neither were the agents beside him, whose names he did not care enough to know. And neither was the man hardened by pain, time, and grief inside him. He was HYDRA. They were all HYDRA. 

And HYDRA wasn’t evil. It was… it was just opportunistic. Right?

Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place. 

"Shut up! What if he hears us and decides we're a liability to the mission, huh? Ever think of that?"

Faded sunlight glimmered through the buildings, the soft light spreading nothing but a cruel sight, for its warmth could not be felt. 

"I don't think we need to worry about that. He probably doesn’t even care about what we're saying."

It seemed so distant, the hazy golden glow, insignificant in the frozen vastness. 

The Asset grit his teeth.

 

....

....

 

The frigid night air ripples, with heat distortion as the rooftop door bursts open, falling stagnant again as dozens of police officers infiltrate the scene. Metal glints in the moonlight and the sound of slides racking penetrates the air. The slight movement of fingers toward triggers causing atoms to bounce off each other. 

"FREEZE! THIS IS THE FOURSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND HANDS UP WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!"

This was bad, this was very bad-

He had to think fast. There was no way to finish the mission, all they could do was escape. Winter tried hard not to think of what would happen to them -to him- when they got back to the base. 

White. Red. Then black. That was how it always was and would be. 

He diverted his mind ( away from the blood, away from the pain) to focus on the task at hand. 

What should he do? What should he do?

The mission was supposed to be simple. Get in, kill, and then get out. Clean and easy. 

They didn’t bring any extra ammo. There shouldn’t have been any need to. 

The officers were starting to close in as Winter clicked the safety off. The smoke grenade was meant to knock the guards out, but since there was no way to complete the mission, it would have to do. 

They open fire. The Assets ears begin to ring, the bullets electrifying his sensitive nerves. 

He keeps moving. 

It all happens so fast, his movements erratic and robot-like. 

Bracing himself to leap, he starts running to accelerate his jump. It was a long fall, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to survive it. 

Just before he takes the leap, white-hot, blinding pain, spikes through his torso. That had to have hit something important. Maybe an artery? 

He jumps.

He doesn’t make it. 

Winter’s heart stops for a split second in the air as gravity does its job. 

His eyes widen as the realization of what was happening hits him harder than the bullet in his torso. 

Blue eyes focus on the moon, whose light was becoming more and more distant now. Faint voices echo in his ears as he falls, and vaguely he realizes that it was his name on their lips.

The Asset 

A name that wasn’t even his. A name that wasn’t even a name. It was an object. He was an object. A broken glass. A broken heart. A broken mirror. A severed reflection. An untold story of unsaid words, that would never see the light of day. 

He was going to die, wasn’t he? 

It would be over in a second and his mind would disconnect from his body, and wander away from reality. Away from life. 

But he was okay with that. 

He was?

His whole life was one big dark room. One big dark room with blood smeared on its walls. 

Death wouldn’t be the greatest loss in his life. No, his greatest loss was what died inside him that day.  

So no, he wasn’t afraid of death.

But maybe, just maybe, there was a part of him that still wanted to live. 

To see the world. To escape his mind. To seek redemption. 

That was different, right?

As the ground rushed upwards, a snowflake - something so small and meaningless in the vast reality of the world- flew towards him. 

It was beautiful. Clear and bright. 

If one were to put forth one’s hand, the warmth of that hand would do what?

Melt it. Ruin it. Kill it, KILL IT, KILL IT-

The Asset stared at it for a long moment, his eyes quickened shut.

He let his breath out.

It was as warm as summer on his teeth.

His hand reached towards the snowflake. It flew away.

Cold arctic air blew out around him. He looked away. It disappeared.

His head cracked against white concrete. 

He closed his eyes, now it was just him and the flurry of snow.

The white snowflake moth fell onto his chest. 


The crunch of snow below the feet of pedestrians was always sharp in the air, the whizzing of cars and the never-ending hurry of going from one place to the next pungent in the city.

Fourside was always loud. In action. Moving. If something happened, the city would learn to adapt and overcome, never one to stop for anybody. So much like a certain city that never sleeps.

So when the sound of the dull thud of a body- too loud to have been fully human, but too soft to have been fully metal- shot out in an alleyway by one of the busiest streets in Fourside, it shouldn't have come to be much of a surprise that nobody had stopped to help.

Nobody came.

And as he succumbed to the cold tasteless embrace of unconsciousness and darkness, one particular being was roused from his sleep, jolted upright.

The boy's eyes widened and almost shot the wall in front of him with a heavy metal weapon, attached to the stump of his right arm, stopping only because of the very thing in front of him being a picture.

A blond boy holding a small yellow sunflower. An orange-haired lad with a wide grin, missing a tooth in his front teeth. A tall, mysterious figure, cowboy hat dipped down so low there was no way to tell if the man had eyes.

And not too far off, a beautiful brunette woman, blue eyes twinkling softly and a bright smile adorning her face, surrounded by the golden halo that was the sunflower patch, lifting her up and practically hugging her as her hair floated freely in the wind.

With a deep breath, the boy lowered his arm.

The heavenly smell of bacon and eggs immediately perked him up, and he finished the last few steps running and bursting into the kitchen. A blond boy that looked exactly like the one in the picture was facing him with amusement on his face, standing by the counter and wearing a comically large apron. The man in the picture was sitting by the table, though his hat was removed, revealing his weary yet kind eyes.

His brother. Lucas.

His father. Flint.

He turned to the seat to the left of his father expectantly, but his face fell when he realized that no, it was still empty.

*Old habits die hard.

Shut up, Chara.

"Good morning, Claus," Lucas hummed, scooping up a plate of delicious breakfast goodness before setting it on the table by the man's right side. Not left. Because left was reserved for mother, who was probably in the fields collecting seeds, who was-

The boy named Claus (that's right, he had a name, and he wouldn't dare forget it,) sat down and stared at his eggs, the delicious smell still ticking his nose yet his hand not moving at all to lift the fork.

Lucas took a seat beside him, taking a large bite of his breakfast before staring at Claus calculatingly. After a few tense moments, the silence drew on far too long and Claus was forced to turn his attention to the empty seat in front of him, staring blankly at the sunflower engraving on the back of the chair.

"Did you forget that mother isn't here?" Lucas asked softly.

Claus didn't respond, but he didn't need to for Lucas to understand. As brothers, he supposed he was lucky to have that bond.

"Did you have another nightmare?" His father asked, voice calm and deep with a faint line of concern drawn into the words.

"Yes," Claus said dully. "Was with Porky again. Grey, grey, grey, then mother was back. She told me to join her. Again."

His father drew in a sharp breath, but let him speak.

"I wanted to. I wanted so badly, but when I reached out to grab her hand she was gone, and nothing but the Pigmask army was there. They were- they-" 

*Hey, remember. Deep breaths.

Claus drew in a deep breath.

"They killed Mother. You. Lucas. Everyone. Ashes and fire, metal and monsters, and I was the one that had brought it upon you all."

Breakfast was quickly forgotten, Claus shut his eyes and squeezed his fists. He fought the urge to throw up, not wanting to ruin Lucas's cooking, and felt his chest constrict with the familiar signs of panic. 

Warm hands were on his shoulder, and suddenly he was in a deep embrace, arms wrapped around him tightly as soft words of "You're not there, you're here…" were uttered into his ear. 

Slowly, slowly, slowly, Claus loosened up enough to open his eyes, Lucas's arms still around him. When the blond was certain Claus wasn't about to have an attack, he settled back into his chair.

*You better now?

Yeah. Sorta.

The silence was heavy, and Claus felt sick that he was the cause for it yet again. Conversation used to come easily to him, but now it took all he could to not let anyone else become uncomfortable.

"You alright, son?" His father asked.

"Yeah… yeah, I'll be fine," Claus responded, feeling the exhaustion trace its fingers under his eyes as he stared resolutely at mother's chair.

Hinawa's chair.

"What was strange about the nightmare I guess was that I was also falling," Claus noted, shoveling his slightly colder eggs and bacon into his mouth before adding onto his point. Anything to stop the dead silence in the air. "Not normal falling- I felt heavy, was fast approaching snow, and it looked like I was in an alleyway. I'm not sure what's up with that, but I guess you should know, Lucas, since I was the one to cause you to fall several miles with your friends."

And finally, like a spell was broken, Lucas giggled. And the atmosphere was no longer tense and painful.

Eventually, small talk sparked again and the small family began to talk about mundane things such as extra activities they could do, places to visit, materials they need, people to talk to.

Because everything moves on.

Eventually, Claus and Lucas agreed to slip on something warmer to face the cold outside, Lucas's nose still a bright red despite all the layers he piled up onto himself. He looked very miserable.

Claus, on the other hand, used to not be that much better, but now he could keep at least himself warm with heaters built into his system. Pulling a long sleeve over his metal arm and situating his hair so that it covered his left eye, he turned to his brother.

"Should we get started on grabbing those groceries you wanted for dinner?" Claus asked Lucas. Groceries meant supermarkets, and supermarkets meant indoor heating.

"Yes, yep, definitely, let's go!" Lucas said quickly, grabbing a laughing Claus's arm and dragging him into the nearest store, breathing out a sigh of relief as the warmth of the indoors grasped their bodies.

Picking out their groceries, Claus felt a strange pricking at his mind, frowning at the feeling.

He hadn't had (many) mechanical malfunctions after coming home with Lucas, and close to zero recently. Concerned, he looked around to see if anything was amiss, but alas, the store was still its festive self.

He was distracted by a concerned Lucas showing him different options they could buy, but the prickling feeling never really went away.

It got stronger when the duo left the store, and the cold had once again wrapped them up in its icy cold grip. Lucas shivered dramatically, clinging to his brother's arm to steal any heat that he could produce.

"Think you can sneak a bit of PSI to warm yourself up?" Claus whispered to him as the two entered a busier part of the street.

"Probably, but we'll need to duck into an alley." Lucas looked gratified at the suggestion, as if he was thinking about it himself, but was teetering on whether or not to do so.

Dipping into a shaded alley, Lucas quickly held up his index and middle finger, bringing his hand close to his face.

A brilliant bright flame burst just above his fingers, hints of pink and blue dancing around the reds and yellows, swirling together to form a very effective source of heat.

The prickling in Claus's head grew.

"Oh, that's so much better," Lucas sighed, relaxing against the wall while Claus looked around in alarm, trying to see what kept causing the pricks.

A sudden groan from further within the alley jolted both boys, the sound bouncing off the walls and making it seem much more menacing than it really is.

Lucas raised his fire, illuminating a small part of the dim alley as Claus crept cautiously closer to the sound, unsure if it was a friend or a foe. The groaning stopped abruptly as Lucas's little light lit up his face.

His head exploded in pain.

Claus yelped, clutching his face as the mechanical part of his brain began screaming wrong wrong wrong something was wrong. Lucas quickly went to his brother's side, not caring about the body on the floor, and clutched Claus's shoulders tightly. 

"The nightmare-" Claus choked out. "It's here, it's him, it's-"

Claus summoned his own PSI Fire, springing away from Lucas's comforting hands and going recklessly close to the body. It was still, far too still, but if the groan from earlier and the bare movement of the chest was anything to go by, he was still alive. 

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, Lucas help, we have to get him back home," Claus said raggedly, bringing his flame closer to heat the man up more efficiently.

*Do you need me to help?

It’s fine, we can do this.

With shaky hands and barely controlled breaths, the twins hauled the man's body onto their shoulders. Making haste, they made the trek home, hands gripping so tightly that their knuckles had turned white.

Their mind was so focused on helping the man, in fact, that they had no clue that just a few feet behind, a pair of eyes watched their retreating backs.




Chapter 2: The Winter Soldier

Summary:

The Soldier wakes up in Claus and Lucas's house.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Amazing cover art by backflipintothesun!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!)

                                                                 test 

 


Brothers In Arms

Chapter 1: The Winter Soldier 


 

For a while, there was nothing but Darkness.

 

Was this death?

 

The world around him was empty. Nothingness spread endlessly in all directions.

 

Was this all that awaited him at the end?

 

Just… nothing.

 

...This wasn’t so bad.

 

 

 

 

Then, the voices started.

“Oh, god, there’s so much blood-”

“Calm down! We need to heal him!”

“R-right!”

“Okay. On three! One! Two! Three!”

And suddenly, the softest sensation he had ever felt filled his mind. 

The warmth was almost overpowering, filling his heart with a feeling that storybooks describe as a mother's love. 

It felt as though two other minds were brushing against his own, reassuring him.

One was confident- Unflinchingly Determined and Just.

The other was Just, as well, but was also brimming with an unending Kindness.

Both were incredibly strong.

And, slowly, green light began to flood the void.

And the Soldier began to awaken.


The Soldier opened his eyes.

Somehow, impossibly, he opened his eyes.

He wasn’t expecting to live, after all- falling like that should have been enough to break his back, not to mention the blood gushing out of his arteries and staining the snow.

So… How?

The Soldier slowly looked around.

He wasn’t in a HYDRA medical room, as he had expected. He was in… a child’s bedroom?

Yes… He seemed to be in a child’s bedroom. Or, more specifically, two children’s shared bedroom, as there were two beds.

He felt around his chest, feeling little to nothing out of the ordinary. The areas that once exploded with pain now gave a gentle hum, the slightly numb areas of skin slowly regaining its feeling.

Slowly, the Soldier’s gaze turned from object to object, before it landed on a specific item lying on the bedside table.

A picture frame with an image of a family of four. A man with a cowboy hat, a woman in a red dress, a blonde-haired boy, and a red-headed boy.

The children and mother didn't seem like threats, but the man could potentially be. The Soldier had no qualms he could crush him like a bug, but he still wasn't sure what had happened to him, and how he was saved from near death. For all he knew, this was a test from HYDRA to see if he would respond with empathy or with violence. Maybe this was his punishment, for presumably failing the mission. Watch as he kills the family with his own two hands.

He felt the venomous thoughts pushed down by a warm pressure, the same feeling he had when he was unconscious. 

He frowned. 

That was new.

Slowly, the Soldier begins to raise his body to get out of bed-

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

-Only to freeze at the sound of a voice.

Slowly, the Soldier turns their head towards the now-open door, only to be met with the red-headed boy from the picture. He was wearing a red-and-yellow striped shirt and khaki shorts.

The boy shrugs and says, “I mean, you could if you wanted. But. Uh. I’d really not recommend it. You’re still healing, after all.”

The soldier merely stares, eyes darting up and down to analyze the anomaly.

He was in a civilian household. A child was telling him to stay in bed. Perhaps HYDRA was using the child to make him more likely to stay put? 

In that case, wouldn't it be better to try to escape, get out of the room while he still could?

The Soldier grips the blanket tightly and starts to look around for any other exits other than the bedroom door. There’s a window nearby-

“I can see you looking at that window,” The boy says quietly. The Soldier turns his head to look at the boy again. He’s frowning. The child was more observant than he had first thought. 

Perhaps he should get rid of him first, to make sure the red head doesn't do anything to worsen his position-

“Don’t try it. Please.”

The Soldier paused. He sounded almost pleading , it was almost pathetic. And yet... 

The boy carried himself with an odd strength and confidence that most people, the Soldier found, heavily lacked. Like those pathetic people that he was forced to "team up" with during the mission to get rid of Mayor Monotoli. 

The boy sighs and un-crosses his arms.

“Just… Get some rest. Okay?”

He exits the room.

Despite it all, despite the fact he could destroy the boy and all the residents (if there were any) in the house with little to no effort...

The soldier rests his head against the pillow, thinking.

This is the first time he’d ever found himself in a situation like this. Sure, he’d failed missions before, but he’d always been brought back to a nearby base for medical. Then came the punishments. But here? He had no idea what to expect.

It was… 

 

 

Strange.

 

 

But then why was he filled with such Deja Vu?


Immediately after leaving the room, Claus groaned and dragged his hand down his face.

*Well, I think that went well.

At least he didn’t attack me this time.

*You think the last times were because of the arm?

Probably.

Slowly, Claus took a deep breath and looked at the two phantasmal buttons hovering in front of him.

 

[SAVE]                              [Load]

 

This was already his seventh attempt, dammit! He didn’t want to have to do it again!

*I say we keep it like this. He hasn’t discovered your arm- Thus, he hasn’t attacked you. Keep it that way.

...Fine.

Claus lowered his hand, and the buttons disappeared.

He turned, starting to walk away, but paused.

Shutting his eyes, he reached out with his mind to brush up against the strange man's own.

It was muddled- messy and violent, stewing. 

Mind inching closer with mental tippie toes, he carefully embraced the other's mind.

Almost immediately, it subconsciously lashed out and tried to attack him in what was a surprisingly capable attempt of self-defense. 

But Claus was stronger, or at least mentally. He held on tight, and eventually the man stopped struggling and simply accepted his mental power hug.

The bloodthirst died down just that little bit more.

Quite pleased with himself, Claus walked away.

In the other room, the Soldier was none the wiser to what just happened, although he was just a little bit calmer.


When the Soldier next awoke, the bedroom was dark. The lights were off, and the sun was down.

Slowly, the soldier began to get out of bed-

PainPainPain

-Or maybe he’d just stay in bed for the rest of the day- that sounded like a much better option. 

Biting his lip in frustration, The Soldier fell back into bed with a long groan. 

It didn't seem like the pain was a controlled shock, like he was used to down in the facilities. Perhaps this really wasn't just a simulation made to torture his soul more. But...

If HYDRA wasn't behind this, then who was?

When the Soldier next opened his eyes- even if it was more like prying them open- it was to a person slowly opening the door to the bedroom.

A blonde child with blue eyes- The other boy from the picture.

The boy carefully stepped into the room, carrying a tray with a plate of food, as well as a cup of water.

He stepped forward, trying to be as silent as possible, only to stop when he saw the soldier awake.

“Oh! Hello there!” He says quietly. “I didn’t notice you were awake.”

The soldier just stares, somewhat awkwardly.

 

 

 

“...Um.” The boy says quietly.

 

 

 

“So, I brought you some food. You… You want it?”

The soldier blinks.

With more added hesitance and awkward silence, the blond steps forward. With no agitated response, he moves even closer.

“Okay, well… here you go!”

The boy places the food on the bed. It’s a plate of flat bread and thin strips of meat, along with a cup of steaming brown liquid.

“I made it myself. Pancakes, bacon, and some hot cocoa!”

...He made this… for him?

“Oh, I’m Lucas, by the way.”

Lucas. Should probably remember that.

The Soldier hesitantly dips his head up and down, in some jagged form of a nod. Excited from finally getting a response from the man, Lucas smiles and asks another question.

“What’s your name?”

...His name?

His name ?

What does he say!?

He wasn't told what to do in this situation before. Nobody's ever asked for a name, they just knew who he was from a single glance at his mechanical arm.

The Soldier opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it. Closes it.

“...Are you mute?”

The Soldier blinks and frowns. No, he isn’t.

 

 

“...No.” He says as quietly as he can. He cringes at the sound of his voice, which is raspy and hoarse from lack of use, but recovers just as quickly.

“Oh! Do you just not want to say it? That’s alright,” Lucas says quietly. “I understand.”

Phew.

Lucas gets up and begins to leave the room. “I’ll let you have your breakfast.”

The Soldier nods, this time a bit more smoothly. Lucas leaves the room and closes the door behind him.

He looks down at the food and carefully picks up the fork, poking at it and lifting up one of the flat strips of meat.

There didn't appear to be any powder on or around the food, though just because there weren't any visible signs of a drug didn't mean there weren't any…

And yet, he was kept in a relatively comfortable (even if a bit small) bed with little to no restraints other than the limits of his own body. What was there to lose?

He brings the fork to his mouth and takes a bite.

 

 

...

 

It’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.


“So, we’ve got a guy with a metal arm and ridiculously big muscles who also refuses to tell us his name and barely speaks in general. Yeah, this is sketch as hell.”

“Claus!”

“While I don’t approve of your language, Claus, I agree.”

“Wha- Dad!”

Lucas, Claus, and their father, Flint, were all sitting at a table, discussing the mysterious man the children had found.

Claus sighed. “Come on, Lucas. Don’t you find this at least a little bit sketchy?”

“I mean, I suppose, but-!” Lucas stuttered out before Claus interrupted him.

“Besides. Remember? I had a nightmare about him. We’re connected, somehow.”

Flint spoke up. “That could be due to you both being partially mechanical.”

Claus nodded. “That’s likely. But… I feel like there could be more to it.”

Suddenly, footsteps are heard from the hallway to the bedrooms. All three heads jerk to face the man coming down the hall.

He's up much faster than expected... just who is this guy? Claus asks himself

He’s standing there, favoring one of his legs.

“...Hello,” he says throatily. 

 

 

“Hi!”

“‘Sup?”

“Hm.”

 

 

For a while, the four of them stared at each other awkwardly. The man's eyes were darting from face to face, though not in a particularly hostile way. It was as if he was trying to see if any of them were notable to him.

The man steps forward, pulls out a chair, and takes a seat.

*Should I say hi? I’mma say hi.

Wait! I don't think that's a good idea- 

Suddenly, a bunch of red particles burst from Claus’s chest, floated off to the side, and formed into the shape of a child with a green and tan sweater, red eyes, pale skin, and light brown hair.

The mystery man jumped, his chair clattering back and falling onto the floor. Lucas jolted from the noise, and Flint stood up, ready to protect the children should it come to that.

The child smiles creepily. “Greetings. I am Chara. And you are?” Chara sticks out a hand for the mystery man to shake.

For a few seconds, nobody moves. Until, eventually, the man slowly raises his hand to meet Chara’s. His eyebrows raise a miniscule amount when his hand feels something, as if he was expecting it to go right through.

The two of them shake hands.

They both let go.

They both stared at each other for a while. Calculating gazes sweeping over each other’s faces. 

Eventually, the mystery man speaks:

“...M’name’s Winter.”    

Notes:

From this point onward, all chapters will be about 10 pages long unless they are special!

Chapter 3: Questioning

Summary:

In which questions are asked and a friend of Claus's visits.

Chapter Text


Brothers In Arms

Chapter 2: Questions


 

“So. Me, Lucas, and Dad have a few questions for you.”

The Soldier tenses up for a moment.

Claus notices this and immediately moves to calm him down. “There isn’t any punishment for lying or not answering. Just… Please be honest.”

Warily and hesitantly, The Soldier nods.

“Who do you work for?”

After a few seconds of thinking, the Soldier gives the answer he is supposed to give in situations like these. “Classified.”

“Come on. Pleeease?”

“Claus, shut up.”

“You shut up, Lucas!”

“Boys…”

Sorry, dad.

The Soldier blinks. This was like no interrogation he had ever been in before.

“Okay. So, that’s classified, but can you tell us what you were doing before we found you in that alleyway?”

The Soldier nods. “I was on a mission to assassinate Mayor Monotoli in order for a puppet mayor to be-”

The Soldier freezes. Shit, he had said too much-

“An assassin? Huh. Honestly, I thought you looked more like a leader-type person.”

The Soldier blinks in confusion. “I… What?”

Lucas looks at Claus, confused as well. “What’s an assassin?”

“It’s a guy who is paid to kill people stealthily.”

“...Oh.” Lucas looks distinctly uncomfortable at that revelation. “Then again, I suppose I should have known seeing as he’s like…” Lucas’s eyes drift to Claus’s covered-up arm.

Without the two knowing it, Flint had moved a bit closer to the children and put a heavy hand on Lucas's shoulder, staring at Winter with what could have been a look of distrust. 

He speaks up slowly, “Let’s stay on track, boys.”

Both Claus and Lucas nod, before turning back towards the Soldier.

“So, why did you want to install a puppet leader? And who would that be?”

“...Classified.”

“Yeah, I expected that.” Claus sighs. “What can you answer?”

The Soldier thinks. What could he answer? Why did he want to answer in the first place?

There isn’t any punishment for lying or not answering. Just… Please be honest.

 

 

“...Can I… Tell… You later?”

Claus nods, while Lucas looks vaguely disappointed. Flint’s expression is as incalculable as always, though his hand seemingly clenched tighter to his son's shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s move this to the dining room.”

 


 

"Who's that seat for?"

 

Winter points at the empty seat next to Flint, and just about everyone in the room goes still.

 

They all eye each other warily, hesitant to answer. It wasn't until Winter reached for the chair that Lucas interjected.

 

"Hinawa's. Claus and my mother. She's... Uh..."

 

"She isn't here right now," Flint said coldly. "And I'd suggest you step away from the chair."

 

Winter stared inquisitively at the man, before taking a step back.

 

The silence extended for a long time, too long, and the frosty air between them all grew colder and colder. 

 

"She dead?"

 

Claus blinked.

 

Flint's fist collided with Winter's jaw, and the soldier's face broke into an expression of surprise.

 

Wasting no time, Chara quickly attempted to drag Flint back. But they only made it worse, and they were struck by Flint's hand, staggering back.

 

"Chara!" Claus yelped, running over to the demon. Their upper body was splintering and shuddering, but was slowly coming back together, contrasting brightly against their pale skin. They groaned under their breath, before standing up. 

 

"Don't worry about me, Claus, stop Flint!"

 

Spinning around, Claus looked helplessly at the two men, one of them in a strong offensive position while the other held his arm up in defense.

 

Flint was enraged, his eyes livid under his hat as he pummeled the unmoving soldier, Winter's eyes looking surprised and guilty.

 

Claus felt his own indignant anger bubble up at the jarring reminder of his mother's absence, but he pushed it down.

 

Winter didn't know. It wasn't his fault.

 

"Stop it!" Lucas yelped as he clenched his hand tightly, the other hand preparing a PSI attack. Claus attempted to shove Flint aside, his father merely stumbling before turning to Claus. The boy looked up to see a frightening image, but he didn't back away.

 

"What are you doing?" Flint snarled, precipitation dotting his face as his entire form seemed to quake with rage. Winter slumped against the wall, purple bruises decorating his skin in an ugly way.

 

"What am I doing?! You're beating up Winter over a misunderstanding, what are you doing?! He didn't know, okay! If Mom could see you right now, she would be disappointed ."

 

The two breathed heavily for a long moment, eyes boring into each other's souls as if they could convince the other to back off.

 

Flint's eyes, which were previously burning with an insatiable anger, began to die down, the fire in him crumbling to sparks, and then ash.

 

Flint sighed, removing his hat. With jagged breathing, he turned to Winter cautiously, clutching said hat between shaky hands and dipping down into a half bow.

 

"Sorry." Was all that was said.

 

Winter merely nodded, accepting the apology, but he made no move to get up. He himself looked merely resigned to the beat down, as if he felt like he deserved it. Lucas, lowering his offensive hand, attempted to sling the man over his shoulder as Chara moved in to the other side to assist, the duo struggling momentarily to evenly distribute the weight before making slow, slow progress to the stairs and up to the bedroom.

 

Claus stared Flint down, squinting at him suspiciously as if waiting for him to suddenly leap after Winter's retreating figure.

 

Thankfully, all he did was watch the trio leave wearily, and after their shapes were no longer seen he collapsed into his chair.

 

"Sorry you had to see that side of me." Flint said dejectedly. "Jus' that Winter stepped over a line. Guess it's not his fault, he didn' know, but it still stung. He's- he's dangerous, he's a killer, Claus, he-"

 

"That didn't stop you from taking me back in after Porky, did it?"

 

Flint stopped, his eyes wide with empty horror. "No, Claus, you know I don't mean it like that-"

 

"I know," Claus sighed, rubbing a hand on his mechanical eye. "I know…"

 

There was a brief silence between them.

 

"I just…" Flint said suddenly. He looked more old than ever, the bags under his eyes deep and unforgiving. "Hinawa. I miss her so much." 

 

"Me too." Claus replied. "But it didn't justify you pouncing on Winter like that."

 

Claus took a moment to even his breathing. "I guess- would it be asking too much to have you and Winter not get into another fight? Because it looked… very brutal."

 

Flint chuckled a little and leaned back. He looked guilty. "I'll try, Claus. I'll try."

 

Claus nodded before rushing off to help his brother and his new friend.

 


 

The green glow of Lucas and Claus’s shared healing filled the dark room. Slowly, the bruises on Winter’s face began to vanish, fading out of existence.

 

Lucas eventually pulled back, rubbing at his forehead with his hand. Winter blinked before reaching up to touch his face.

 

“For some reason, it takes a lot more effort to heal you then it does most people. Or is that just me?”

 

“No, I noticed too, Lucas.” Claus responded carefully.

 

They both looked towards Winter. He blinked, before eventually speaking.

 

“Must be the serum. It… Makes me stronger. Faster. Heal better. But…”

 

“It makes it harder to heal you with PSI and I assume Magic, too.”

 

“...Yeah.”

 

Huh. Claus would have to remember that.

 

 

A serum. Why did that prickle at the back of his mind so much?

 

Suddenly, Chara phased into the room through the wall. They were no longer flickering, though they looked a bit dimmer than usual.

 

“Hey guys. You done healing? Flint wants to talk to Lucas.”

 

Lucas nods, stepping forward.

 

Claus turns back towards Winter as Lucas moves, presumably to talk more, but Lucas had already left the room.

 

A few minutes pass by before Claus speaks again. 

 

“Winter?” 

 

His soft voice pulles the soldier out of his trance. 

Winter’s hazy eyes begin to clear as they look towards the younger boy. For a second they stay blank, until recognition sparks and the soldier is pulled back into reality. 

 

“I just- I just wanted to say thanks. And sorry.”

 

Silence passes through them as Winter waits for Claus to continue. 

 

“I know what Dad did today wasn’t okay. He shouldn’t have let his emotions get out of control and attack you like that. You didn’t deserve that. So thanks. Thanks for not attacking him back. Lucas and I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to him even if it was by accident. I just, everything's been so hard since what happened with Mom, Porky, the Pigmask Army and me turni-”

 

Claus abruptly cuts off as he realizes what he was just about to say. As much as he wanted to trust Winter, his past wouldn't let him. Claus prided himself in being able to tell if someone was good or bad, but his instincts had failed him once and he wouldn’t make that mistake twice. At the back of his mind, he sees a beautiful woman, her brown locks laying lifeless, blue eyes cold, and the once bright smile dull. He sees the golden halo disappear and red appear. There was so much red. It was everywhere. On his hands, on his clothes, on the ground underneath him, and dispersed in the air around him. 

 

Taking a shuddering breath, Claus continues, 

 

“So yeah, just please don’t mention her again. As much as I want Dad to come to terms with what happened, I think he has to do it on his own.”

 

Winter looks at him with narrowed eyes. Oblivious to the battle within Claus as he fights the one inside himself. Was this a test? What would happen if he said the wrong thing? Would he be punished again? Would it be like last time?

 

His head hurt. He couldn’t breathe. The pain was all-consuming, it was drowning him, yet it was giving just enough air to keep on suffering. The tides kept on coming, harder each time. 

 

“Did you learn your lesson?”

 

He kept his eyes closed, not because he didn’t want to face the man in front of him, but because he thought it would hurt too much to open them.

 

Yes.

 

No.

 

No. No. No.

 

He wouldn’t let that happen again. He had made that mistake once, he wouldn’t make it twice. 

 

The soldier's calculated gaze swept over Claus’s frame in an attempt to understand the situation. He was the one who had stepped out of line, not the Father. He was the one who had talked without permission. Therefore, he deserved it.

 

But then why did he want to believe the twin so much?

 

That he didn’t deserve it. 

 

Why was it that when he looked into the child’s eyes that he couldn’t see a single speck of malevolence? Why were they brighter than the blue sky? Surely there couldn’t be a child like this in the world they lived in. The world was a corrupt place and no one was to be trusted.

 

Except HYDRA. 

 

Right? Right?

 

Why was it so hard to believe that? HYDRA had saved his life and it was his job to pay it back by helping them fulfill their mission. It wasn’t like they were doing anything bad. They were getting rid of the evil to make the world a better place. 

 

Then why did it -why did believing in HYDRA- feel so wrong , and believing in the child in front of him right?

 

“I deserved it.” 

 

The “did I?” went unspoken. 

 

Claus’s eyes snapped open. 

 

“No. No. Why would you even think that? It wasn’t your fault at all. You couldn’t have known that Dad would react like that. Stop blaming yourself!”

 

That...That was not what Winter had expected. 

 

He had expected more of a painful response. Did this mean he was right to trust them?

 

“Oh. I thought…” 

 

Winter didn’t continue, and for some reason Claus had anticipated that. 

 

“Well. You thought wrong. I’ll see you later, Winter.”

 

The twin left him at that, exiting the room quietly, leaving the soldier alone in his thoughts while wondering about his own. 

 

Was there more to Winter’s past than they had originally thought?

 


 

His dad was waiting at the dining table. He turned towards Lucas as he approached.

 

“...Hey, son.”

 

“Dad. You know you can’t go berserk every time somebody mentions mom. You remember that time Ness tried to sit in her seat and you threw your cup at him- With water still in it?”

 

Flint sighs and nods. “I know, I know. I can’t… I’m still not over it, you know-”

 

Ding-Dong

 

Both father and son turned towards the front door.

 

“I’ll get it,” they said in perfect sync. They looked at each other and chuckled.

 

They ended up getting it together.

 

As Flint opened the door, Lucas right beside him, he ended up raising his brow at the tall goat-like woman standing before him.

 

“Greetings! Toriel here. Is Claus home?”

 

Flint was immediately suspicious. “Why? What do you want with him-”

 

“I’ll get him!”

 

“Thank you, young one!”

 

Lucas smiled and ran off to get Claus.

 

Flint just stared at Lucas’s back as he ran off excitedly, before sighing and turning back towards ‘Toriel,’ who began to speak.

 

“You are Claus’s father, correct? I am Toriel, one of Claus’s friends!”

 

She held out a hand- No, a paw- to shake. Flint hesitantly took it. It was surprisingly soft.

 

He was just lowering his hand as Claus came running back, an excited look on his face as he ran up to Toriel and- and gave her a big hug? Which she returned with a laugh???

 

“Toriel! So great to see you!”

 

“And you as well, my chi- Er, Claus,” She corrected with a quick look towards Flint.

 

Claus just smiled and backed out of the hug. “So, Toriel, whatcha doin’ here?”

 

“Well, I came because I heard that you had just finished moving into your new house! So nice of Ness and his family to fund our homes until we can get settled!”

 

“Oh, he did the same thing for us! Once Flint gets a job, he’ll probably stop sending us money, so he’s kinda reluctant to do so but he’s-”

 

“Claus, breathe!”

 

“RIght. Sorry! I’m just excited to see you. You know what, come on in!”

 

Flint stuttered. “W-Wait, Claus-”

 

But Toriel was already walking into the house.

 


 

He swallowed, clasping his trembling hands before him. His feet ached and his arm was on fire, but he couldn’t seem to remember how to move. 

 

Not only had they failed the mission, but had also lost the Asset. 

 

Footsteps had him tensing, but the agent didn’t turn, knowing very well what would happen if he did. 

 

The footsteps were familiar. Swift, heavy, and powerful. He’d learned them over the years and years of listening. 

 

He was still as ice, as they came to a stop. 

 

The silence was deafening, stretching along the hallways like a rubber band being pulled apart in different directions until it breaks into two pieces the same way he would be when the dreaded-

 

“...Mission Report.”

 

-Came.

 

He was scared. No. He was terrified. Not at the thought of what would happen to him, but at the thought of what would happen to his family. 

 

To his kids.  

 

His throat worked for a long minute before he coughed out,

 

“Mission Unsuccessful.”

 

There was no indication other than the small intake of breath that the man had heard his answer. 

 

 

“...How unfortunate.”

 

A gun was raised.

 

A safety was clicked off. 

 

A trigger was pulled. 

 

A bang was heard.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Silence.

 

Chapter 4: The Quiet life

Summary:

In which time passes.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 3: The Quiet Life


Butterscotch.

 

Peculiar.

 

Winter twitched at the soft smell, wafting in the air from beneath the door.

 

If the smell was that strong, then that means it was made fresh.

 

But when did the children or the father have the time to make the food?

 

Before he was able to ponder further, his head jolted up to hear two quick successive knocks at his door. Startled, but not particularly afraid, he watched as a tall fluffy goat lady walked into the room, paws gently holding onto a thin porcelain plate with the source of the smell sitting right on it.

 

"Hello ch- oh, well, I suppose you aren't a child, are you," she chuckled. Her voice was… Motherly. It held an unspoken message of calm and goodness.

 

Winter still watched her every move like a hawk.

 

After all, she was still a brand new person- And one of the Mt. Ebbot monsters. Besides, he's come to understand that the intentions behind the children are usually never made with hostile intent, but that didn't stop him from being wary.

 

Not everyone was a good samaritan like them, after all.

 

The goat woman walked to the window, propping it open. The breeze floated in, causing the lovely smell to somehow enhance.

 

"I may have received a name from Lucas and Claus," she began, "But I'd like to get it from you yourself, if that's alright?" She laid a big fluffy paw on the edge of the blanket, as if assuring him of her presence. 

 

"I'm Winter," he said. It got slightly easier to speak after the first few times he did with the children, so at this point his fake name came out with a bit more ease.

 

"Winter!" She said, delighted. "How lovely to formally make your acquaintance. Here- I brought you something to eat."

 

The plate was brought closer to him, the fork already in its place inside the food's crust.

 

Pie.

 

"It's butterscotch cinnamon," she said quickly. "I wasn't sure if you had any preference so I made both-"

 

"'S fine." He grunted.

 

He pulled the fork out of the food, lifted it to his mouth, and took a bite.

 

And froze. It tasted… warm, in a way that the rest of the food he had eaten hadn’t. The pie had an almost familiar taste to it, as if he had eaten something else with this much effort and love put into it-

 

 

Winter was hit by a sudden… Yearning. Something he had never felt before (to his knowledge).

 

“...Does it taste alright?” the goat asked him.

 

 

“Yeah. Yeah, it does,” Winter responded shakily.

 

"I am Toriel, by the way," she said sweetly. "I'm glad to have met you."

 

“...Yeah. Me too.”

 

Toriel stood up. “I believe I have much to discuss with… Flint, was it? I may be coming and going for a while, so do not be surprised if you see me around the house!”

 

Winter nodded. Not like he could do anything.

 

(A tiny part of him remembered h̸̛͍̪̞̳̖͍͛̓͒͗̌͐̈̽̍̌͜i̴͙͜͜͝ͅs̴̹͉̼̗̘̜̥͖̿ ̴̫̪̺̠̉̇͊m̵̛̛̻͒̐͗͌̿͝o̷̡̧̹̩͚̻̤͆͛̀͛̋͗̑̾͌̑͑̂͜t̵̛̞̦̍͋̑͂̑̌̌̌͋̌͝ḧ̸̛̠̝̻́̑̑̍̑͆̅̄̕e̷̫̬̝͈͖̯͆r̴̙̒̃̅̎̇̀̓̈́͘̚͝.̴̻̩̖̥̥̅̉̎̅͘)

 


 

“So, if you’re gonna be staying with us while you heal,” Claus began, “You’re gonna have to help us out around the house. Not my decision, it was my dad’s.”

 

Winter nodded.

 

“So, seeing as my dad’s out right now... Let’s surprise him with dinner!”

 

Making dinner was… an experience. Neither Claus nor Winter were chefs, and neither of them knew how to work any of the equipment. The plan was to cook some of the Chicken Nuggets and Mac n’ Cheese, (both beautiful creations in both Lucas and Claus’s opinions,) but… Well.

 

In the end, the cheese in the Mac n’ Cheese was somehow both too runny and not liquid enough at the same time, while the Chicken Nuggets were unusually moist.

 

Also, they may have nearly exploded the microwave in a last-ditch attempt to cook the Nuggets.

 

In his defense, how was Claus supposed to know that you weren't supposed to microwave forks of all things!? Why forks specifically? Was it because it was metal or something?

 

Of course, Flint was less than pleased to come home to the smell of burnt food and a scorched microwave. At least he wasn’t too mad.

 

(A small part of him remembered cooking with ẖ̵̢̰̲͕̲̤̑̓͘i̸̡̟̺̤̯͔̖͂́s̶̳͓̑̄͋͆́ ̶̨̫̗̲͓͇͎͕̔̽͐̌̃͗͛̈́̏͘͝s̷̘͈͕̥͆͋̎͑̇͑̚͝ị̶̥̹̪̗̰͍̆̀͜ś̴̨̯̟͔͓͙͐̿̅́͆̾̃́͆̕ẗ̸̛͇̂e̶̢̘͈̱̞̙͍̰͙̼̺̜̒ŗ̴̡͎̏̊̏̾̈́͐,̴͙͔̫͎̹̘̮̺̖̰̅̽̓̐ͅ ̶̧̮̖̬͕̦̘͍͒́͊͛̌ͅR̸̦̗̻̝̩̖͙̲̻̪͛ͅẻ̸̞͍̭̗̺̘̺͆̀͋͜͠ͅb̶̲̺͎̀ę̴̥̝͉͇͙̲̊̓̌ĉ̴͕̦̟̤̠̮́̔͐͊͑̍̔̕c̴̡͖͓̺̯͒̇̓̆̃̉̚a̷̞͔̰͓̞͉̩͆͑̽̈̌̂͂͗͒͝ͅ.̸̟̦̥͕̺͓̠̥̼͌̐̆̔̎̆̊̅)

 


(What was happening to him?)


 

Winter stared at the contraption in front of him.

 

The headlights of the car stared back, like a pair of impromptu eyes.

 

Winter kept staring, as if expecting the car to blink.

 

The car kept staring back.

 

“...What are you doing?” Flint asked from behind him.

 

“...Looking,” Winter responded, only half paying attention. It didn’t make sense- He had seen dozens of cars before, why should this one suddenly be catching his attention so… Absolutely?

 

“...Well. Alright. Ness gave us that thing because it’s an ‘Antique,’ and ‘It would get more use with us then sitting in a garage.’ At least, I think that’s what he said.”

 

Winter nodded half-heartedly.

 

(And suddenly, it was the great Depression again, and they couldn’t afford a mechanic because they were poor but they still had a car, so he learned how to do maintenance on it himself, but who were ‘they?’) 

 

“...Do you have any tools around here?”

 

Flint raised his brow, but nodded and pointed to one of the mostly-empty shelves in the garage. It had a toolbox on it.

 

Winter grabbed it and opened it.

 

He walked over to the car and opened the front trunk and was hit by a massive wave of nostalgia.

 

“..Winter?”

 

“...I’m fine.”

 

(He wasn’t fine.)

 

“...Can I work on this car?”

 

“I don’t see why not. I’m not getting my license anytime soon, ‘cause even Lucas is a better driver than me.”

 

Winter nodded, turned around, and pulled out a wrench. And, with a hand steadied by years of experience, he began to tune the vehicle.

 

(He remembered working on a car- The same model- With h̷̨̧̗̰͎̯͂į̷̡͚̲̬̖̠̦͉͓̖̎̇̽̐͆̑̓͜͝͠ͅs̵͇̭͙̯͍̯̺͗̊͒̈̾̇ ̴̰̩͓̳̤͍͖̑͋̏̋̈́̉̎͝f̵̢̣͛ẳ̵̗̼̳̜̯͉͉̱̥͎͕̣͈̼̆̓̓̒̏͘͜t̵̢̧̛̘̪̞͍͚͖̥͓̱̞̮̻̖̅̌̍̽̂̌̈́̈̕h̷̫͙̱̯̳͔̺̘͒̀̃͆̿͝ę̵̛̩̱̺̹̖̝̜̑͐̑̽̈́̈́͒̑́͘͘̕̕ͅr̵͔̲̻̺̝̻̻̳̯̗̮͈͐͂͒͌̈͒̓̍͗̋̕͜ͅ)

 


(Something was terribly wrong.)


 

Tentatively, he touched the sheep's fluffy wool coat.

 

It warbled at him briefly, annoyed at his heavy hand, before turning back to the grass. 

 

"Be gentle," the boy named Lucas said softly, before guiding Winter's hand to the sheep's fluff again. "She can't hear all that well, so you have to be slow."

 

"'M trying," Winter grunts, frustrated with how much effort it takes to get a damned farm animal to like him. "Doesn't like me."

 

"Nah, I'm sure that's not true," Lucas hummed, and he began to gently rub the sheep's wool between his fingers.

 

Evidently pleased, the lamb gave a little baah before nuzzling its head into Lucas's side, rolling over onto its back and exposing its belly for better scratches.

 

Lucas laughed, letting go of the back of Winter's hand before smothering the lamb with scratches on the belly, covering the little thing with so much gentleness and affection that Winter was slightly taken aback, if not impressed that the lamb had grown so fond of the boy.

 

"Her name is Agnes," Lucas murmured, a small smile on his face. "A new lamb. We got her a week before we found you. She's really affectionate, but can sometimes be a bit cold to newcomers. Sorry about that, Winter."

 

Winter merely grunted again, slightly miffed. He watched as Agnes wriggled her way out of Lucas's dancing fingers before jumping around the two humans energetically, eager to play.

 

"Why don't you toss something over?" Lucas suggested. "She hasn't really interacted with the other sheep that much, and unfortunately she's kind of like an outsider to them. Playing with her will give her company!"

 

Humoring the little lamb and Lucas's words, Winter held up a carrot from a bag the duo had brought with them to the sheep pen. Agnes perked up, ears flopping comically in a way that, funnily enough, reminded him of that lady… Toriel, right? Her eyes tracked the hand that held the delicious crunchy treat, and bolted after it as Winter tossed it in a random direction.

 

Unbeknownst to him, the carrot had flown all the way over the fence, and way into the far edge of the trees. Eager for the snack, Agnes ignored the barriers and leaped over, prancing innocently up to the carrot.

 

A shadow loomed behind her small form.

 

Winter watched with wide eyes as the figure turned into that of a starving wolf, eyes alight with that hunting instinct he knew from experience.

 

"Oh- oh god, Agnes no! Come here girl!" Lucas yelped, springing up from his spot. "Damn it- she can't hear me! I can't reach her in time before the wolf gets her!" He clutched his hands into a fist and began to sprint towards her, yelling and waving his arms above his head. Winter followed close behind.

 

But even from their distance away, Winter could see just how close the canine was to grabbing the sheep by the neck and snapping it entirely, the blood of the innocent dripping down it's pure white coat, eyes once full of life dimming into an empty, hollow husk.

 

As the wolf got closer.

 

Closer.

 

Barely a foot away and-

 

Wham!

 

The sheep was dead.

 

But... wait... was it? 

 

Winter opened his eyes, having closed them to somewhat honor the lamb before it died, but he was surprised to see not a stain of red on Agnes's pure white flank.

 

Instead, there were multiple white coats, surrounding her and baahing angrily at the wolf, digging their hooves into the dirt to threaten charging at it. Startled, and realizing its free meal wouldn't come so easily, the wolf snarled in frustration before bounding off.

 

Lucas sobbed in relief as he finally ran up to Agnes and engulfed her into his arms, the rest of the flock making some noises of encouragement as they nuzzled against the blond.

 

Winter let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and walked with Lucas back into the safe perimeter of the fence, helping the sheep over.

 

With his attention glued to Agnes, he had completely forgotten about the rest of the flock, who were probably just as scared as Agnes was about the threat.

 

But…

 

She was alive. Thanks to the flock. They didn't really interact with her before, heck, if what Lucas said earlier was true they didn't even see her as part of their flock yet.

 

But they came to her aid.

 

And while Lucas was still sobbing over Agnes, Winter simply thought.

 

He felt something… familiar stir inside him.

 

(He remembered fighting beside his c̷̨͚͙̗̼̰͚̝̑̆͒͌̃̎̆͌̃̚ǒ̴̠̮̥͍̥m̶̨̛̥̺̓̒̀̍̌͌r̴̢̛͓̮̱̭̹͍̘͎̭̉̆ả̵̢͕̺͍̻̱̫̹͇̌̀̚͘d̷̨̢̈͒̄̄̓̍͗̉͒ẻ̸̛͚̻̳͒̅̎̒̉̆̏s̷̲̪̱̣̠̻̱͗̉͜͜.)

 


(It wasn't that half bad, this feeling.)


 

Pop. Pop. Pop.

 

The sound was distant, but his finely tuned ears picked it up anyways. It sounded like a flurry of bullets, all of them happening in rapid succession, but much fainter. He got up quickly, the book falling out of his hand as he rushed ahead to see what was happening. 

 

Pop. Pop. Pop.

 

It got louder as he crept up slowly, intensely aware of his surroundings. His head was hurting, and the alertness was doing nothing to help. Normally, he would be much more agile and vigilant, but after what had happened today, he believed that he deserved a break. (and if that was because of the twins, no one had to know) 

 

Pop. Pop. Pop. Po-Beep.

 

Beep?

 

A strange aroma started to fill the air. It smelt like… like something burnt, or worse yet, sulfur. But the scent wasn’t necessarily toxic. No, it was.. refreshing in a way he couldn’t describe. It had a strange feeling of nostalgia that he just couldn’t shake off. 

 

“Claus come on! The show's about to start!” Lucas’s cheerful voice yelled out. 

 

Winter was confused. Was nothing wrong? 

 

“Coming! Just lemme get the popcorn real quick!” Claus hollered back. 

 

Popcorn? He hadn’t had that in forever. The last time was…. the last time was… why was he struggling to remember?

 

“Welcome to the Modern Marvel’s Pavilion and the World of Tomorrow. A greater world…” 

 

The sound blared in his ears as the show started. 

 

 A better world. 

 

“A better world!” 

 

Fireworks exploded in his mind as millions of faces flashed behind his eyes. Laughter echoed in his ears, loud and shrill. The sound was sharp as it pierced his sensitive ears. 

 

Suddenly, voices filled his head once more. 

 

“-ark!”

 

“I present to you… The Future!”

 

“Winter?”

 

“WINTER!”

 

His name pulled him out of his thoughts, his memories. 

 

“Huh?” Still distracted, he replied quick and short. 

 

“We were just watching a documentary from the 1940’s about Howard Stark! Wanna join?”

 

1940’s? 1940’s? 

 

“What… what do you mean? Isn’t it 1945?”

 

This.. this couldn’t be possible. It was all just a sick game, right? The war had just ended and HYDRA was the one who helped win it. He was a soldier under their command, an Asset. That was his job, wasn’t it? Then why was the boy lying to him?

 

“What do you mean 1945? It’s 2012.” Lucas’s innocent voice called out from the couch. 

 

No. He didn't believe it. He couldn’t. 

 

“I- I- I don’t understand”

 

“What’s there to understand, Winter? It’s the 21st century. Are you sure you’re okay?” Claus asked with a twinge of concern. 

 

“...”

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won’t even have to touch the ground at all... I did say a few years, didn’t I?”

 

The fireworks exploded in his head. The smell of popcorn remained. 



(He remembered t̸̨̝̗͎̜̜̺̮̹͓̝̣̒̽̈́́̕͠͝h̷̥̠̩̟̿͑̽́ȩ̶̛̛̤̝͚̖͍̣̥̀̈́̔̏̈́̑̓͗͜͝͝ ̶̨͓̮̗̦̥͓̠̬̪̹͖͔̜̃̇̏̓̍f̵̢̡̨̛̼͕̣͎̝̈́̒̅́̈̃̄̈́̇̈́̉̾̕͠ͅṷ̶̲͕̫̑̿̍̈̋̌̍̐͑̄̓͘͜͠ͅt̴̨̡̡̨̠̮̭̫̥͍̙̮̥̃̎̓̄̽̐̋͐̆̐̂͂͘͠u̵̡̢͕͓̖͕͙͖̔̓̔́͐̐̓̏̊̊̂̽ŗ̷̠̞̦̱̗̟̬̩́̀̾̈́͛͛̃̈̈͐̕͠͝ȩ̵̼̄͛̃̌͊͜͜͠͝.) 

 


 

"Heeelp!" 

 

The jarring cry of the child's voice that Winter had come to know as Claus rang out from outside, sharp and piercing in both its volume and intensity.

 

Winter jolted upright from his initial somewhat relaxed position against his chair and ran down the stairs, heart racing for a person he had only come to know in approximately a week.

 

Funny how time can change a person.

 

Flinging open the back door, he ran over to where he heard the shout.

 

And he felt his blood run cold.

 

Claus's body was covered in red. Red, on his face, hair, shirt, hands. He was under the shade of the tarp, causing the color to look much more sinister, and therefore much more deadly.

 

"Kid! Kid-" Winter exclaimed, running over.

 

"Are you- are you okay?" 

 

Claus laid still, the movement of his chest rising and falling barely visible. His lashes were hooded over his eyes, indicating that he was unconscious, which by itself was a cause for concern.

 

Winter was about to perform CPR onto the kid's thin chest before noticing something. 

 

Something wasn't right.

 

It smelled… sweet?

 

And suddenly, just as that realization struck Winter, Claus began to stir.

 

"Agh… shouldn't have planted the strawberries there… now my clothes are a mess!"

 

Winter stared, dumbstruck, as Claus casually got up, with no visible signs of injury.

 

"Claaaaaus!" Lucas yelled from inside the house. "Have you ruined the strawberry patch again?"

 

"No!" Claus yelled back adamantly. "It was already ruined before! Promise!" He gave Winter an overexaggerated wink. 

 

"So you're not covered in blood…?" Winter said after a short while. 

 

"No, of course not! What gave you that idea?" Claus squinted at Winter, bloodstained- no, strawberry stained hands in his pockets.

 

"Hm. Perhaps it was the fact you were screaming for help?" He felt a bit embarrassed for rushing over as quick as he did, but he knew that if it were a real emergency Claus wouldn't be looking as cheerful as he was, Lucas wouldn't be exchanging banter with the boy, the father Flint wouldn't-

 

"Oh, that?" Claus said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. "I just needed help because I tripped over the hose and was stuck in one of the bushes. I crushed all the strawberries… ugh, Lucas will be so mad…" Claus rubbed his forehead.

 

"Unfortunately for me, it really is a hot day, so I'm going back inside to meet Lucas's wrath." The boy sighed, hanging his shoulders. 

 

"Well, see you Winter! I also think I set a record for most words said in one sitting for you! That's one point for me! Take that, Lucas!" He cheered.

 

Claus ran into the house, leaving Winter to himself, around the ruined strawberry bushes and the crushed foliage.

 

And he felt a chuckle bubble in his throat.

 

Before he knew it, he was laughing so hard he had doubled over, hands on his knees. There were tears in his eyes, but for once they weren't from pain.

 

Joy. Happiness. Laughter.

 

A small part of him remembered… he remembered…

 

A figure.

 

He distantly remembered a figure, with similar blond hair to Lucas but not quite.

 

His face was all blurry, Winter couldn't pick out a single facial feature if he wanted to. But there was a figure, regardless, one that slung his thin arm around Winter's shoulders, thumping his chest and lifting a glass of some liquid.

 

A figure that joyously spent time with him, one that didn't care that he was a monster.

 

One that had followed him, wherever he went. One that trusted him.

 

One that was his friend.

 

Smiling, Winter followed Claus into the house, leaving the busted patch of strawberries behind.

 


 

If Flint was even more against Winter after everything, well, no one could blame him. Something was wrong about Winter and he would do anything to figure it out. No one would hurt his kids. Not again.

He wouldn’t allow it. 

 


 

As Toriel laid there on the couch, trying to fall asleep, she found she couldn’t, for her mind was filled with worry and confusion.

 

Where was Claus’s mother? She hadn’t seen the presence of anybody that could be her. Were Claus and Lucas adopted? Flint didn’t seem the type.

 

Or… Could she be…

 

 

Toriel opened her eyes at the sound of somebody coming down the stairs.

 

She stayed seated on the couch, watching as Flint trudged down the stairs in pajamas, and went to the fridge to pull out a bottle of wine.

 

He walked over to the table, popped the lid, and sat, staring at the chair across from him while occasionally taking long drinks from the bottle.

 

Toriel got up from the couch and slowly walked over to Flint.

 

She carefully reached out from behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little, but once he saw who it was, he calmed.

 

“Toriel, right?”

 

She nodded.

 

“...Hmm.”

 

He went back to staring at the chair across from him.

 

Toriel stared with him.

 

 

After a while, she turned and walked back to the couch, thinking.

 

They didn’t talk about it the next morning.

 

Notes:

so recently I was struck with the funniest image of Ness seeing Flint and Toriel and saying "So, when's the wedding?" and just smirking while the two of them just stammer on in various emotions

Chapter 5: Bonds

Summary:

In which bonds are evident.

Chapter Text


Brothers In Arms

Chapter 4: Bonds


“But-But I mean- No! Of course Hulk would win. Have you seen those muscles?”

 

“But Thor actually has a weapon. That gives him a major advantage. Besides, Hulk is dumb as a brick. I should know, Ness has met him and he told me so.”

 

“Yeah, but he’s strong enough to make up for it! He’s- Actually, you know what? This is going nowhere fast. Hey, Winter! Help us resolve this argument!”

 

Winter paused from where he had been washing the dishes. Flint was going to do them, but Winter had offered to do so in his place.

 

It was… nice, having something to do other than ruminate on the meaning of his existence.

 

He turned, exited the kitchen, and walked into the living room where Lucas and Claus were currently sitting on the couch, arguing.

 

“Lucas, you’re only doing this because you were totally losing.”

 

“I’m gonna win! And Winter is gonna help me! Okay, Winter, who is the strongest Avenger?”

 

Winter just blinked and tilted his head in confusion. “Avenger?”

 

“Oh, come on! You have to know! It was all over the news.” Claus looked excited, as if this topic was one of the more fun things he’d had to talk about in a while.

 

“Claus, you’re the only one in this house who actually watches the news. Or even uses the Happy Box- er, TV, at all.” Lucas looked slightly unhappy, but held a look of fond amusement towards his brother.

 

“That’s ‘cause I’m not a technophobe like you and dad!”

 

“I think I have the right to be a techno… thecno… techna… Whatever you said!”

 

“Oh, now you can’t even speak! What a baby!”

 

Winter began to back out of the room.

 

Lucas looked stung. “I’m not a baby!”

 

“Goo goo gah gah, ha!” Claus taunted, completely unaware of just how red Lucas's face was getting.

 

Winter turned, ready to bolt if things got too messy.

 

“Claus-”

 

“Baby! Just a big crybaby!"

 

“Claus, shut up!”

 

“You’re nothing but a big crybaby, wah!”

 

“Well, at least I haven’t killed anybody!”

 

The world pauses.

 

Winter freezes, foot on the first step of the stairs. He gets the feeling Claus does too.

 

“...”

 

“...Wait, Claus, I didn’t mean-”

 

“I thought you didn’t care. You said you didn’t care .”

 

“And I don’t! Claus-”

 

Winter couldn't help it. He looked back at the kids, but kept silent. 

 

“...Lucas…”

 

For a few seconds, both kids were silent.

 

“...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

 

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have called you that.”

 

The silence was almost unbearably heavy, weighing on everyone like a sack of weights. Gazes were averted, looking at one place, then the other, before...

 

“...Lucas.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If I… Ever… Go back to being like that… Can you promise that you’ll stop me? Whatever it takes?”

 

“Claus, I can’t promise that. But do you know what I can promise?”

 

“...”

 

“I can promise that I will save you. No matter what. Claus, I-”

 

“Lucas-”

 

“I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.”

 

And everything goes dark.

 


 

 

 

...

 

…"It was okay. She’s next to dead."

 

Winter was shuffling alongside someone. The voice was familiar- with the same feel and tone as… as...

 

“...You know, I was gonna ask-”

 

The world around him was different. But it felt strange. Like he knew where he was, like this was what the boys called Home. His home. And yet...

 

“I know what you’re gonna say, Buck, it’s just…”

 

There it was again. The voice was too similar to not be… to…

 

Why couldn't he remember?

 

“We can put the couch cushions on the floor like when we were kids. It’ll be fun! All you gotta do is shine my shoes, maybe take out the trash.”

 

Winter felt the vision of himself kick aside a brick, revealing a silver key underneath. He held it up as an offering to…

 

It was at the tip of his tongue.

 

And he looked up at him.

 

Blond. Similar to Lucas's hair, but different. Shorter than him, certainly somewhat scrawny. Prominent features like…

 

Blue eyes that sang of determination.

 

 

“Steve, c’mon.”

 

And there it was.

 

“...Thank you, Buck. But I can get by on my own.”

 

Winter stared. Waited. He didn't know how, or even why the vision was being shown, but somehow he knew just what to say.

 

“Thing is, you don’t have to."

 

He looked up at… at 'Steve,' really looked, and smiled.

 

Winter and ‘Bucky’ said it at the same time- even if one was proclaimed proudly, and the other was whispered.

 

"I’m with you ‘til the end of the line, pal.”

 

And the world went white.

 


 

Winter felt like shit.

 

Not as awful as when he had fallen several stories, but he still felt bad.

 

His head was pounding, and feeling around it he realized his skull was bandaged neatly and a very suspicious lump was now present under the wrappings.

 

This was getting old.

 

"Winter!"

 

The twins burst through the door, Lucas staring at him with worry and Claus just looking fondly annoyed. 

 

"We seriously need to get you like, a cane, or something," Claus muttered, reaching out a hand to touch Winter's injury gently.

 

Immediately there was a spike of pain, and he hissed sharply.

 

"Ack! Sorry." The boy withdrew his hand. "But seriously, you were like really knocked out back there."

 

Winter merely groaned, back pressing against the mattress.

 

“You know, all this fainting probably isn’t normal for a human being. Especially one with a serum or whatever.”

 

Winter looked to his right. There, floating in the air behind Claus, acting as some twisted version of a guardian angel, was Chara, who was somehow looking both concerned and annoyed at the same time.

 

“Oh. Hey. It’s you,” Winter quietly muttered.

 

“Yeah, hello or whatever. Anyway, I think I know where we can find the problem.”

 

Winter blinks. What?

 

“This may sound weird, but lemme check your SOUL for damage.”

 

Claus nodded at Winter’s- and funnily enough Lucas’s- dumbfounded looks. “Yeah, they can do that.”

 

… Look at his SOUL? 

 

What the hell was a SOUL?

 

 

Well, maybe it could offer some insight into what he had just seen…

 

Slowly, Winter nodded.

 

Chara nodded as well, before looking down at Claus and Lucas. “This will show off your guys’s SOULs as well, so just be aware of that.”

 

“Wait-” But Lucas’s response was too little, too late, as a pulse of red energy came out of Chara’s chest.

 

The moment it washed over Winter, he felt an… undeniably strange feeling. Something he had never felt before, and one he couldn’t describe with words.

 

Winter glanced at the kids, and paused. There was a small, heart-shaped light floating in front of both of their chests. They were each looking at their own lights- their own SOULs- in wonder.

 

Lucas’ was green and yellow, speaking of Justice and Compassion. Claus’ was yellow and red, glowing with power, Justice, and a frankly ridiculous amount of Determination. Funnily enough, they had each other’s shirt colors for SOUL colors.

 

Claus smiled. “No matter how many times I see it, it still feels the same as the first time.”

 

Lucas was in awe.

 

So, if theirs was in front of their chests, how about Winter’s…?

 

He looked down, and saw… 

 

Oh.

 

His own SOUL was covered in black gunk, with only little bits of color seeping through. Unsure if he could touch it, he hesitantly reached out, but quickly snapped his hand back when he not only physically felt the aura of damp and murkiness around the… the thing, he felt the presence of the hand register immediately to his SOUL. It felt as if it leapt at it, like a starving dog who had been offered a slab of meat.

 

Winter looked up at the three kids. All of them were looking at his SOUL. Claus and Chara looked absolutely disgusted, while Lucas just looked apprehensive.

 

Chara stuck out their tongue. “Ech. 37 LOVE, too. That’s… Really high.”

 

Winter was almost afraid to ask. “...Love?” 

 

“No, LOVE,” Claus answered. “You gotta say it with emphasis on the L and the V. It stands for Level Of Violence- A way of measuring one’s capacity to hurt.”

 

“You’re starting to sound like sans.”

 

“Yeah, well, technically I am the Royal Judge.”

 

Winter frowned. “37 doesn’t seem that high, though.”

 

“Oh, trust me. That’s really high. The amount you have to kill to increase LOVE increases the higher your LOVE is. So, the more you kill, the more you have to kill to get more LOVE-”

 

Claus abruptly cut off, freezing.

 

So did Lucas. 

 

Then, Claus dove for the floor, and shouted “GET DOWN-”

 

But it was too late to stop the explosion that rocked the house.

 


 

Just minutes after Winter was knocked out, a familiar fluffy friend of Claus’s was seated nervously in a small armchair, eyes darting from the cup in her palm to the man sitting across from her.

 

Flint looked tired, more so than he did the last time she had come by, and Toriel was contemplating if asking whether or not somebody needed sleeping pills or chamomile tea was rude or not.

 

Thankfully, the man before her spoke up before she needed to embarrass herself.

 

"I know you've er- known Claus before, right…?" 

 

He spoke awkwardly, slowly, as if he was getting used to speaking to someone who was- well- acquainted with his child before.

 

Claus was his child, correct?

 

"Yes, I met him in the Underground," she responded idly, fidgeting with the cup's handle. 

 

"Hm."

 

The silence stretched between them again.

 

"It's just-"

 

"Well I-"

 

The two shut their mouths again, looking away from each other.

 

Awkwardly, Toriel tried to speak again.

 

"Well…"

 

 

Suddenly, she had an idea.

 

She looked up, meeting Flint's eyes.

 

A shock of warm brown met her own unusual red.

 

She smiled.

 

"Have you ever baked a pie?"

 


 

“So first," Toriel said, bringing out a bowl of some flour mixture and cold water. "We need to make a pie crust."

 

Flint looked puzzled, his just recently washed hands clasped together as he watched Toriel slip on a glove and drizzle some water on top of the mixture, bringing out a fork to gently distribute the water to the flour evenly.

 

Soon enough, the mixture had been turned into dough, and it was whisked from one counter to the other. And now, Flint was presented with a new challenge at hand.

 

"Now follow my lead," Toriel said softly, handing him a pair of kitchen scissors. 

 

And her paw touched his hand.

 

Normally, Flint would think nothing of it and complete the exchange, no feelings harmed and no feelings made.

 

But…

 

Huh.

 

That was new.

 

The touch lingered longer than what was probably deemed professional, and Toriel jumped, extracting her hand.

 

"Sorry! So sorry- let's proceed!" 

 

She looked away, flustered, fluffy cheeks dusted with shades of pink.

 

Aww.

 

Wait, was it normal to think that was cute?

 

It was, right?

 

The pair began to snip at the pie crust, creating a little pattern together as they made their way around. Eventually, the duo drew back to marvel at their work, except…

 

"Pfft."

 

Flint looked up at Toriel.

 

He himself was rather proud of what he had done. He was never known for being a perfectionist or having steady hands, but he thought he had done a good job. At the very least, it passed, right?

 

But he glanced over at Toriel's side and he felt his jaw drop.

 

What was as simple as a pie crust was made elegantly and simply by the goat woman's paws, every loop or cut made with precision. 

 

Compared to hers? His was downright awful.

 

He heard another snort from beside him, and this time he glared at Toriel, ready to indignantly defend his pathetic excuse for a pretty pie crust.

 

And that was what had set the hammer to stone. Toriel burst out laughing, clutching the counter to keep herself supported. Her eyes were filled with tears, but they had nothing to do with pain or negativity.

 

I like her when she's happy.

 

Slowly, Flint began to smile, and he too started to laugh. Eventually, there was no other noise other than the bark of Flint's laughter and the hearty noises of Toriel's joy.

 

It took some time for them to calm down, and they proceeded with the recipe with higher spirits. Keeping the half beautiful half kind-of alright pie crust, Toriel brought out her own homemade butterscotch-cinnamon filling and piped it in, letting herself do half as a demonstration before handing it over to Flint.

 

He squeezed too hard and it landed all over the crust and the other side of the counter.

 

After another bout of laughter and more time wasted, they cleaned up and finished the job, sticking the pie into the oven.

 

And now with time to spend, the two began to talk while cleaning up their supplies. 

 

"You know, when I first saw you I wasn't quite sure if you were Claus's father or like, a foster parent or something." Toriel looked a bit sheepish, dragging the rag across the edges of the counter as Flint put the used pans and bowls into the sink.

 

"But… I see so much of his personality in you."

 

Flint paused.

 

"Claus's fire, his spark, it was all something so unique. And I had always wondered where he got it from." She chuckled. Looking over, the two met eyes again.

 

He wondered if he had ever seen such a shade of red.

 

"You're a very interesting man, Flint. I'm glad I got to know you better through the makings of this pie."

 

The sound of his name on her tongue was…

 

Nice.

 

It felt nice. Not too heavy, not too light. Spoken with something he dared to call fondness, but perhaps it was because she was also talking about Claus.

 

It wasn't like it was the first time she said his name. But this time was different. 

 

Regardless, his cheeks heated up and he looked away, hoping that his ears weren't turning as red as Claus's did when he was embarrassed.

 

Judging from Toriel's giggle, he wasn't so lucky.

 

It reminded him of her so much, of a serene brunette woman in a flowy red dress.

 

His dear Hinawa. He wonders how she is now.

 


 

"Mm! It smells just about ready now!"

 

Toriel popped the oven open easily, her mittens on tight as she carefully slid out the piping hot treat from its place on the rack. With quick steps, she plopped it onto the counter, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm, and gratefully accepting a small stack of plates from Flint's hands.

 

"Thank you, Flint, that's lovely!"

 

She almost missed the mumbled "'Course, Toriel," but felt her SOUL warm up.

 

Ah, this was the joy of baking with others.

 

Carefully cutting the pie into even slices and distributing them onto their own respective plates, Toriel paused, before drawing out two little forks and sticking them into one of the delicious pie slice's filling.

 

"Ah-?" Flint looked puzzled, as if he were trying to deny that he was looking at the entire thing with wide eyed hunger. It was surprisingly child-like for such a mature looking guy like him.

 

"It's for us!" Toriel replies cheerily, her paws laced together. "I mean, if you want your own slice you can go for it, of course, I just thought it would be more symbolic if we both took the first bites, especially since this is the first time you even made a pie-"

 

"No need to get defensive," Flint chuckles. "Let's do it."

 

And with their forks holding the bits of pie, they both bit down at the same time.

 

But their bliss couldn't cover the explosion when the bomb hit.

 

Chapter 6: Explosion 💥

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 5: Explosion


 

The smoke in the air was thick.

 

Claus came back to consciousness with a stuttering cough, only to nearly fall back under when the SOUL-rending pain finally registered.

 

God, it hurt so much. 

 

There was a blazing flame, a fire in his heart, engulfing the cavity in his chest where his SOUL was meant to be. Agonizing pain flared up with every motion, and Claus felt his vision blur slightly at the edges.

 

But he couldn’t faint- he had to stay strong. He had to get up!

 

*You’re filled with Determination.

 

Slowly, at a painfully pathetic pace, Claus began to stand up and take a look at his surroundings.

 

All he could see was fire and smoke. The color was eerie- like an orangey red haze that blanketed the entire room. His eyes watered- He could barely breathe. 

 

What were you supposed to do in a fire?! 

 

Oh right, cover your face.

 

Claus grabbed his shirt, now charred and ruined, and pulled it over his mouth and nose. 

 

But he found a different problem.

 

He began to shake as he looked around. Where were Lucas and Winter!?

 

God his legs hurt. If he stood up any longer, he'd probably fall back down and hurt himself even more. The blistering heat in the room was overwhelming as he stumbled around the room, seeking the others. Claus coughed into his shirt, and drew away in disgust as sticky blood parted from his mouth.

 

But that was a mistake. He accidentally inhaled the smoke, and now coughing up even more scarlet blood, he saw the ground come closer, and closer, and closer...

 

He felt something strong wrap around his arm. 

 

A thick, metal hand.

 

Winter.

 

Winter pulled Claus up onto his feet, and he registered that Lucas was standing just behind him, hands outstretched, ready to throw out PSI in case of an emergency.

 

“What-” Lucas coughed. “What was that!?” 

 

“An explosion, dumbass!” Claus shouted back. His relief at seeing his brother and Winter alive gave him the brief spurt of energy to shout, but the moment he spoke he felt the dryness of his throat nearly close up on him again.

 

The fire roared and crackled all around them.

 

Winter growled. “Damn it! I shouldn’t have gotten complacent!” He kicked aside a burning book by his foot. A black charred mark imprinted itself onto the planks.

 

Complacent?

 

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Claus yelled hoarsely as Winter helped him up, the sheer loudness of the fire and sounds of things breaking and exploding forcing him to raise his voice despite its condition.

 

“They’re here for me!”

 

“Who the hell is they!?”

 

Them!

 

Winter pointed behind Claus, to a pair of masked men trudging through the fire and rubble over to them. They didn’t look like firemen, not with their all black clothing and the silhouette of what Claus thought was a gun.

 

*Definitely not firemen.

 

Claus clenched his fists, and dashed forwards, heedless of the fire and Winter screaming at him to stay put.

 

His ribs felt like they were caving into himself.

 

Just as the men began to turn towards him, Claus felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, the mere thought of seeing Lucas or Winter collapsed onto the ground due to his incompetence driving him ahead. He grabbed a wooden pole- It looked like part of the hatstand that nobody ever used- and swung, instantly knocking one of the men backwards. Staggering forwards and putting a bit more force with his metal arm, he spun around , whacking the other man in the shin. 

 

Both of them stumbled, but quickly recovered. One of them took a swing at Claus with what looked like the butt of a gun. Claus blocked the attack- kneed him in the groin-  spun around, and fired off a PK Karma α. The man keeled over, clutching at his face and chest as if he were shot-

 

And suddenly, just as quickly, Claus heard a grunt from behind him. He whirled around, only to see Winter standing above the unconscious body of one of the henchmen.

 

Another groan. Claus turned towards the first enemy as he was standing up. He stepped forward and slammed his piece of wood into the side of his head as hard as he could. The man fell to the ground, unconscious, crimson dripping in its own hypnotizingly slow pace down his skull.

 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

 

“W-We need to get out of here!” Lucas coughed out from behind Claus. His hand was squeezing his side, a suspicious red stain seeping through the soft fabric.

 

“You think I don’t know that!?” Claus shouted, coughing into his fist as he looked for an opening in the fire where the men could have come from. He wiped the blood from the edge of his mouth as he breathed heavily, hand clenching the wooden pole as if his life depended on it. (Which it probably did.)

 

*There! Behind you!

 

Claus turned, spotting a pathway in the fire.

 

“Come on!”

 

With Claus leading, still standing purely through force of will, the three of them dashed through the destroyed house as the flames licked their heels.

 


 

Flint’s head hurt and he couldn’t breathe. There was an unexpected weight on top of him, one that he had never felt before. Soft fur tickled his nose as his brain started to function once again. 

 

Pie. Explosion. Toriel. Toriel. 

 

“Toriel! Wake up!” He had a slight slur to his words as he lifted his arms and planted them firmly onto her shoulders.

 

Flint shaked her harder than he probably should’ve, but he had to make sure she was okay. His heart was pounding as she lay unmoving. 

 

There, on the side of her head, was a wide, gaping hole. Where there should have been a pool of blood was a lake of… of dust , the particles rising with the smoke in the air.

 

(At the back of his mind, Flint saw a brunette woman lay unmoving, covered in red, her head in his lap as his tears stained the silky cloth of her dress.)

 

"C'mon," he groaned, feeling a building headache crawl up his skull. "We have to move-"

 

The sudden pattering of footsteps drew up behind him, and Flint whirled around.

 

His hands were still clutching Toriel's fur tightly.

 

Men. Firemen, maybe? It was hard to see beyond the smoke. About to drop his hands, he squinted at the silhouettes warily.

 

Something wasn't right.

 

What was that in their hands…? A hose? No, it was too thick to be that. It had a weird barrel-like looking thing and it seemed to be aimed directly at-

 

Flint narrowly ducked, a bullet whizzing above his head. Time seemed to slow as it clipped the tips of his hair, leaving a slight burning scent behind. 

 

Squeezing tightly, he grabbed the rolling pin left in the cabinet and chucked it across the room. 

 

"Ouch!"

 

The sound of a grunt echoing across the haze of red and black made Flint slightly more confident to draw closer, eyes darting left and right to catch any movement.

 

Maybe if he got rid of them, he'll be able to drag Toriel out of the house and somewhere safer. 

 

After ensuring Toriel had her mouth covered, (her shallow breathing didn't comfort him at all,) and that she was dragged to cover, Flint snatched a frying pan and charged at the hazy figures, swatting at one blindly.

 

It seemed like his particular target was surprised to see him charge up, for the makeshift weapon struck the skull with no resistance. (Flint noted the octopus-looking emblem on the mask the man wore.)

 

But Flint knew he couldn't be that lucky for the rest of them. 

 

Dipping behind the counter, he readied his pan as the sounds of bullets flying pitter pattered in the air. The jarring intensity of the noise jolted him, and he covered his scream with his shirt as a bullet grazed his arm.

 

His headache got worse.

 

Biting his lip so hard he drew blood, the muffled yelling from behind the counter grabbed his attention, and Flint jolted when he saw a shadowy figure approach him.

 

“Flint?” A soft whisper came from the left of him. 

 

"Grab my hand!"

 

Flint looked up, eyes wide. There was a small ember on the edge of his own bandana, his hat skewed off center. His sweaty palms almost slipped off the frying pan, but he reached out blindly.

 

He was met with a soft paw.

 

Toriel looked scared, her eyebrows creased together in an expression of terror. But Flint got the feeling she was more scared for him than she was for herself. The dust on the side of her face was no less jarring, but he half delusionally thought about brushing his fingers against the clumped together fur. 

 

If he was in a better state of mind he would have tried to stand up on his own and help her escape instead of him, but his spinning head and the ringing that still plagued his ears just wouldn't stop.

 

“Come on. We need to run.” Toriel’s voice was strong and unwavering, but was laced in worry and pain. 

 

Flint’s head snapped up, much more alert. 

 

“We need to find Claus and Lucas. I can’t leave them.”

 


 

Shit shit shit… why did I think staying was a good idea?! I should have left ages ago, they would have never been in danger, why why why-

 

But there was no time for that.

 

Winter rushed through the flames, clutching Lucas’s hand as the two of them followed Claus, who was clearly overexerting himself. Their pace through the ruins was quick, but it was only a matter of time before-

 

Claus suddenly stumbled and began to fall.

 

Winter quickly grabbed the kid and slung him over his shoulder before he could hit the dirty shard scattered ground.

 

“Gh- Hey!” Claus said halfheartedly.

 

But Winter ignored him.

 

Winter rushed forwards, gripping Lucas’s hand ever tighter.

 

And suddenly, they burst into fresh air, and into a forested area.

 

But he kept running, he had to get away from them, run run run-

 

Lucas’s hand suddenly jerked out of Winter’s. He spun around, and met Lucas running back towards the house?!

 

“Lucas, stop!”

 

Lucas shouted “Dad’s still in there!” and continued running without hesitation.

 

Winter growled and dropped Claus unceremoniously to the ground, where he passed out the moment he didn't need to stay awake anymore.

 

I have to get in there- Winter thought desperately. Lucas will die!

 

And he heard a yelp.

 

He ran through the door burning to cinders, ignoring the fact his literal clothes were on fire, just in time to see Lucas get shot in the neck with what looked like a tranquilizer dart.

 

No!

 

And suddenly, two HYDRA agents came rushing out of the woods and made to grab Lucas-

 

But Winter wasn’t going to let them anywhere near those kids. He lunged forwards and slammed his fist into the first agent’s face, breaking his jaw instantly with the force. He spun around, only to see Lucas tear the dart out of his neck, shout, and slam two glowing hands into the other agent’s chest. White sparks flew and Winter caught sight of hexagonal shapes as the HYDRA agent went flying into a tree.

 

Suddenly, Winter was caught in a chokehold- Shit he had forgotten the other agent- Winter grabbed at the arms and swung the agent over him, throwing him into the ground in front of them.

 

He looks around, but the other agent still appears to be unconscious. Winter slams his foot onto the agent’s face, and looks over at Lucas, who is stumbling a bit, but appears to be alright.

 

For a few seconds, the two of them unwaveringly look at each other.

 

Then, Lucas dashed off further into the house. Again.

 

The soldier fought the urge to shout in frustration. He couldn’t bring an unconscious Claus into the fire, but he couldn’t just leave him there, because what if more agents come? Best to let Lucas go off on his own, even if he didn’t like it.

 

After all, he has those magical geometric shapes to help him out, apparently.

 

Toriel gripped Flint’s hand as the two of them ran through the smoke and the fire.

 

Flint seemed to be in quite a state; he kept clutching at his head and groaning, but ran on nonetheless.

 

When faced with impassible walls of fire, Toriel simply parted the flame with a wave of a paw. Fire magic was quite useful for many things, even beyond cooking.

 

The two of them burst out of the burning house and onto the front yard, where they were faced with two black cars, both of them void of people. Whoever was in them must have already entered the burning house.

 

Toriel stopped running to catch her breath. Flint did the same.

 

She glanced at the cars. What was going on? 

 

Toriel looked around at the woods that surrounded the house and the city that looked to be a short distance away.

 

She pulled out her phone and struggled to unlock it- Honestly, modern phones were just not friendly to paw pads- and dialed a number.

 

“Hello, this is 911, what is your emergency?”

 

“Somebody-” -Toriel coughed- “-Somebody has attacked the household I was staying at. There was an explosion, and fire, and men with guns-”

 

“Understood. What is your address?”

 

“It’s the house in the woods outside of city limits, I’m not sure of the address-”

 

“Doesn’t matter, Ma’am, I know what house you’re talking about. Help is on the way.”

 

“Oh, thank you,” Toriel said tensely. “Be sure to send an ambulance as well. There are people hurt.”

 

“Understood.” The operator hung up.

 

Toriel breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at Flint. 

 

And then she remembered.

 

The kids! Winter!

 

She turned, looking at the house- But…

 

What could she do? Her HP was already getting low. She couldn’t afford to go back in there.

 

But- But-

 

Toriel growled, turned- And saw a blonde blur rush past her.

 

Lucas!

 

Said boy stopped, and whirled around! He charged at Flint and practically dove onto him in a tight hug.

 

Would it be inappropriate to laugh at the strained noises of pain Flint gave when their house was literally just burnt to a crisp?

“Dad! Ms. Toriel! You’re alright!”

 

“Oh, thank goodness! Is Claus alright? Winter?”

 

“Yeah, they’re both in the woods. We should probably-”

 

Lucas suddenly tilted, and Toriel caught him.

 

He was out cold, and was burning up. His eyebrows were scrunched up and pain was evident in his features. 

 

“Lucas! Wake up!” Toriel yelled, shaking him with just enough force to not hurt him further. 

 

His eyes fluttered open after several minutes of shaking and yelling his name, pupils dilating and then constricting, trying to focus on Toriel’s blurry figure. 

 

His voice was low and strained as he opened his mouth to talk.

 

“It burns. Make it stop. Make it stop please!” He screamed. Lucas flailed, only getting so far with his somewhat weakened state.

 

Toriel felt helpless. Lucas was in pain, while Claus was nowhere to be seen. He had said Claus and Winter were in the woods, but-

 

Suddenly, out of the clump of trees came a familiar figure- Winter, carrying Claus over his shoulder.

 

“I heard shouting,” Winter panted. “What-”

 

He glances down and sees Lucas. He curses, picking him up and swinging him over his other shoulder with little to no trouble.

 

He looked up at Toriel and Flint. “We need to get out of here before they find us.”

 

“I called the police,” Toriel says, holding the phone up. “They’ll come and-”

 

“NO!” Winter shouted in a panic. He quickly calmed down, and quietly said, “I can’t be seen by people. If- If they know what I’ve done…”

 

Toriel frowns, but nods. “Give us the children.”

 

Winter agrees, hoisting Claus over to Toriel and Lucas to Flint.

 

“What happened to him?” Flint’s voice was hard as he looked over Lucas’s limp frame. As far as he could tell, there weren’t any glaring injuries. He looked far better than Claus, whose clothes were smeared in blood. Flint hoped it wasn’t his, but deep inside he knew his hopes were fruitless. 

 

Lucas moaned once again, and Flint pulled him away to look at his scrunched up face. 

 

Sweat droplets on his forehead. Momentarily, the boy's eyes opened to reveal pain stricken blue eyes, just like-

 

Sunflower fields. Blood tainting the petals, red dress, brown hair-

 

“TELL ME, WINTER!” Flint roared. The tension of the attack and the worry towards his children was overwhelming, and Winter’s silence was doing nothing other than getting on his nerves. He needed to know what happened to his children. 

 

He had to.

 

Winter swallowed, voice gruff with guilt. 

 

“I think.. I think.. He was shot with a tranquilizer. But that’s all I could see, although he might be hiding burn wounds…”

 

Toriel took in a shuddering breath. Was that why he was flailing and screaming? If this was the level of pain Lucas was experiencing, what of Claus…?

 

About to tell them what Lucas had told her a few minutes ago, she was cut off by the blaring alarms in the distance. 

 

The police!

 

Everybody’s attention turned from Lucas to look into the distance as cars with red and blue lights on top of them suddenly raced into the front yard. 

 

Toriel turned back towards Winter, only to see nobody there. He was fast.

 

Flint frowned as the police got out of the cars and began to run into the household.

 

Two of the officers began to approach the four of them. One was male, the other female.

 

The male officer pulled out a notepad. The female officer kept a hand on her gun.

 

“I assume the miss here is the one who put in the call?”

 

Toriel nodded. “Flint can tell you more, he was awake longer.”

 

Flint took over. “A bunch of men in masks that had weird octopus emblems on them attacked the house.”

 

The officer nodded. “Could you draw the emblem for me?”

 

As Flint drew the emblem on the notepad given to him by the officer, Toriel watched as more policemen came out of the ruined house with the masked men in handcuffs. Some of the officers looked at the masks with various degrees of fear or confusion, while others didn’t seem to notice the masks at all.

 

Flint finally finished drawing the emblem and showed it to the officer. The officer took one look at the emblem and his eyes widened.

 

“Sir, correct me if I’m wrong, but… You’ve just drawn the emblem of HYDRA.”

 

And then, suddenly, his partner pulled out her gun and shot him in the back of the head.

Chapter 7: Shootout

Summary:

In which our protagonists escape from a shootout.

Notes:

Sorry if the chapter's a bit short. Hope it's okay ^-^

Also, we changed the date to be 2012 instead of 2013, because Iron Man 3 takes place in December 2012. FIXED!

Chapter Text


 ⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 6: Shootout


Winter was quickly making his way through the woods. The smell of pine and gunfire was overwhelming, and Claus’s blood was doing nothing to help. The branches were scratching at his face, the thorns thirsting for his blood. 

 

It was dead silent, the only sound being his heavy footsteps breaking fragile branches and his thoughts reverberating in his skull that just wouldn’t shut up. 

 

It was all his fault. He should’ve just left when he had the chance. And now four innocent people would be killed because of his stupid mistake. 

 

Why was it always someone else? Why couldn’t just Winter pay the price for his sins?

 

Claus and Lucas didn’t deserve this. They might have seen what the real world was like, but they were still so young, so fragile, so innocent, and child-like. That’s all they were, children. But, Winter? He had tainted them, and now because of him, they might not ever get the chance to grow up and see the world. Experience the good in it. 

 

What about the Father, Flint? He didn’t deserve it either. He was just trying to protect his kids from the world they had already been exposed to. He was grieving, for someone to help him, to complete him, and to show him the way. He didn’t have anyone other than his boys that made up their small family of three. 

 

And then there was Toriel, whose motherly essence took over everything that came in its way. Her soft smile that would soothe a child during the night when they had a bad dream. Why was she being punished? Why was she in pain? Why was her ‘blood’- her dust, rather- being spilled on Winter’s hands?

 

Why was he the one getting to live? 

 

He felt like a coward, running through the woods and away from the chaos -away from the mess he made- and towards the edge -towards freedom-. 

 

That was when he heard the shots. 

 

Winter didn’t think he had ever ran faster in his life.  

 


 

The blasting noises did nothing for his splitting headache, and honestly, at this point, Flint was certain screaming wouldn't be as loud as the gunfire, which sounded like firecrackers on the Fourth of July.

 

Stumbling around while clutching his skull, he was thankful to feel Toriel's heavy paw grip his arm and drag him somewhere presumably safe, her voice not loud enough to be decipherable but the soothing tone was enough to get him to not panic.

 

He really wanted to pass out.

 

Noticing the terrain under his feet turning from rocky to grassy, he briefly looked up to see that he was among the treeline, and while the gunshots were still loud they weren't so bad now.

 

The house appeared absolutely awful from here, looking like a burnt amalgamation of parts and scraps. Smoke drifted off into the distance, the echo of the bangs and cracks of a gun sounding around them, bouncing off the trees. Birds and animals scattered at every sharp snap, the cawing of crows and heavy underfoot of deer heard from behind him. 

 

Speaking of… 

 

Toriel was breathing hard beside him, and Flint hesitantly reached out a hand to help support her.

 

She took it, grateful, and the two watched the shooting with expressions varying from horror and weariness as the distant figures collapsed, one by one.

 

"This is so awful…" Toriel muttered, and Flint couldn't help but agree. The fact they were just standing there, unable to help, made Flint not only feel useless, but irrationally guilty.

 

He should have been more of a help.

 

Maybe if he had just beckoned the children downstairs. If he hadn't invited Toriel in. If he hadn't let Claus or Lucas interact with Winter at all.

 

If, if, if.

 

But.. he didn't have time to dwell on if's.

 

Right now, his family was in danger. Winter and Toriel included, he supposed. For now. And he can't just be dead weight as they all fight for their lives.

 

Flint dropped Toriel's hand, wobbling back to a standing position.

 

"Toriel," Flint grunted, his voice almost too quiet for the goat woman to catch. She turned to look at him.

 

"Have you ever heard of… HYDRA? Before?"

 

Toriel bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But from the looks of it, they seem to be a… a terrorist organization."

 

Flint nodded in agreement. "Maybe they're here to… send a message, I guess."

 

"But that doesn't make sense," Toriel interrupts. "Your family lives in the woods, far from civilization. What would be the point of targeting your house?"

 

Flint nods. "I agree. Then they're here for someone."

 

Toriel felt sick. "You don't think they're here for the children, do you?"

 

He shakes his head. "No… no not that. It's just…"

 

'I was on a mission to assassinate Mayor Monotoli.'

 

"Have you ever learned of why Winter was even staying at our home? Or who he was before we took care of him?"

 

"No. I think I have some idea, but I don't think I have all the details."

 

"He's an assassin. Hired to kill people. And apparently, he was supposed to kill the Mayor for one reason or another."

 

At this, Toriel looked surprised. "Really? He seemed so sweet before, I never would have guessed..."

 

"Well that's what hanging around Claus and Lucas does to you," Flint chucked. The conversation was helping him tune out the blasting noises, and he wasn't keen on stopping. "But if he was after such an important figure, we can only assume that some people are after him, too…"

 

"Oh no…" Toriel muttered. "But if this… 'HYDRA' organization is chasing after him, does that mean they'll chase after the children too, just for being associated with him?"

 

And it was at that point Flint felt the small semblance of normal conversation turn into a heavy metal ball in his stomach.

 

"It's not unlikely, is it? Speaking of, have you heard from them recently...? Flint...? Flint? "

 

The blood was rushing to his ears.

 

"Flint? Hello? Are you alright?"

 

Three dead bodies. Lined up in a row. Sunflowers on their bodies, in their hands. Two children. One woman.

 

Pale faces, dead eyes staring at the sky. The world moving on as if they didn't matter.

 

Tranquil. Too tranquil. Impossibly, unfathomably quiet, unfairly silent.

 

A noiseless scream. A heartbroken sob.

 

"We have to find the children," Flint said stonily.

 

"Yes, but we don't know which direct-!"

 

Flint yanked Toriel's paw and sprinted along the treeline, searching for their footsteps, their trail, anything-

 

Blood in the branches.

 

Tugging Toriel along, they ran into the woods.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Wake up!

 

 

*Claus, WAKE UP!

 

Claus opened his eyes to the sound of gunshots. The sunlight blinded his eyes and the shots pelted his ears the same way they did bodies. 

 

He jerked upwards into a sitting position, glancing in the direction the shots were coming from. They were coming from the left of him and judging on his position, they were near the house. 

 

The house.

 

Dad. Toriel. Lucas.

 

They were both in danger and he was sitting here doing nothing. 

 

No, he had to get up. He willed his aching muscles to move, the blood in his veins to run, and the strength in his SOUL to help him. Slowly, inch by inch, he got up, each movement making him gasp in pain as his tattered body was forced to move. Sharp claws of pain ripped at his lungs with every breath he took, piercing his chest further. 

 

Waves of nauseating agony spread through his body, controlling every inch under its jurisdiction. 

 

It took a lifetime, but soon Claus was sitting upright, with pure, unfiltered pain coursing through his veins.

 

He began to numb the agony, knowing that it would only make it worse for when he finally felt it.  

 

But he had to. He needed to move. Get up. Go!

 

Slowly, relief covered his body, like the warmth of a blanket, giving him the push he needed. 

 

He stood up and ran towards the chilling shots, determination spreading through his body like fire. 

 

Far into the distance, Claus could see people in blue- most likely the police- fighting those in black. The good guys fighting the bad as it had always been. 

 

But… There were some blue uniforms on the black uniform’s side, too!

 

Why was it that the people meant to fight the bad were fighting themselves? 

 

Claus grit his teeth and prepared to run in, shields up, to stop the fighting, but then-

 

*Wait! Look over there.

 

Something shiny, reflecting in the sun was almost beckoning Claus. Using his hand to shield his eyes from the light, Claus focused on the small, curled-up, lump on the ground. 

 

Easily in bullet range, Lucas lay unmoving and unaware of the world around him. All it would take was one shot, and he would be dead. 

 

He would lose his brother, in the blink of an eye, because he wasn’t able to save him in time. 

 

No. He wouldn’t let that happen. 

 

Claus grit his teeth, and opened a portal behind him, stuck his hand through, and dragged his little brother through the portal.

 

The portal closed as Claus grabbed Lucas’s shoulders. He raised him and shook Lucas’s stiff frame as hard as possible.

 

Lucas’s eyes must have snapped open sometime during the shaking, but Claus was still trapped in his demeaning thoughts. 

 

“Claus, stop!”

 

Lucas stared into his brother’s grief-stricken eyes, pulling him out of the hole he was falling into. 

 

Claus breathed a long sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging. Slowly, he stood up, and-

 

“Hey!” Came a whisper. Claus and Lucas both turned their heads around one after the other. 

 

Winter was standing at the treeline, waving for the twins to follow him.

 

Claus nodded and pulled Lucas up. They began to run.

 


 

Keep running, Claus shouted to himself in his head. Keep running.

 

Trees whisked past his face, branches whipping around to strike him but he managed to duck under, leap over, evade.

 

He had to get them out of there.

 

And so he did. He could hear the light steps of Lucas and the heavy footfalls of Winter behind him.

 

But Claus, as powerful and skilled as he was, was not immune to exhaustion. He felt himself begin to slow down, as he began to succumb to the heavyweight his limbs suddenly seemed to be producing.

 

He slowed his pace from a sprint to a run and down to a simple walk, until, finally, he stopped completely.

 

The rejuvenating feeling from earlier had now died down, and the distant ache of pain was creeping back.

 

He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

He looked up to see Winter, who had barely broken a sweat.

 

Winter carefully asked, “Are you okay to keep running?”

 

Claus shook his head. “We probably escaped them, anyway.”

 

*Can confirm. You’re pretty far away.

 

He turned towards Lucas, who was laying on the ground, heaving in great breaths.

 

Claus carefully sits down on the pine-needle laden ground and looks up towards Winter, who was pacing back and forth, when suddenly, Lucas speaks up.

 

“Winter, what did you mean earlier? That they were here for you?”

 

Winter looks over at Lucas, who was now sitting up. Winter sighs.

 

“I mean exactly that. They were here for me.”

 

“But why? If you weren’t going to bother them-”

 

“They didn’t want to kill me. They wanted to get me back in their clutches.”

 

That felt very familiar.

 

“Well, shit,” Claus says simply.

 

Winter turns towards Claus. “And what do you mean by that?

 

“Nothing,” Claus responds, his expression fixed into a mild stare, giving away nothing.

 

For a while, the three of them sit there, doing nothing.

 

 

Wow. The overwhelming feeling of awkwardness was appalling.

 

Desperate to break said awkwardness, Claus suddenly speaks out. “We need to stop them,” 

 

“Who?” Lucas asks.

 

“The ones who did this,” Claus responds. “If they’re after Winter, they won’t stop until they get their hands on him again. So, I say we stop them,” he says simply.

 

“It’s not that simple,” Winter says. “Their reach is everywhere. They have eyes in the police, the FBI, governments across the world… Everywhere,” he repeats simply.

 

Claus frowns. “...Oh.”

 

“So, what we need to do is hide. ” Winter says simply. “Hide and run.

 

*Bullshit.

 

“I’m not running.” Claus fires back. “I refuse to run. I am not a coward.”

 

“I’d rather you be a coward than dead.” 

 

The words spewed from Winter’s mouth before he could stop himself. Claus and Lucas looked at him, much less shocked than they should be. To them it was simple, of course Winter would come to care for them the way they did for him. It was human nature. It was natural.

 

But to Winter, the word affection - his mind spat out like poison- was nothing other than pain in the face of an angel. 

 

It wasn’t physical pain, oh no. It was much worse. Physical pain you could see. You could fix it with a few stitches and bandages, and you were good to go. It was manageable. 

 

Physical pain might have been the greatest evil in this world. But that was it. It was only the greatest in this world, but in the vast emptiness of the universe? There was nothing worse than mental and emotional pain. 

 

That shit ran deep and had no end. It was an abyss of nothingness, and you kept spiraling down and down. And no matter what you did, no matter how hard you tried, how hard you willed , or how much medication you took, nothing, nothing , could pull you out of it. 

 

Why?

 

Because it was the type of pain that killed you slowly on the inside, leaving you too weak to speak about it. Leaving you sitting in the dark, the silence, and the suffering, alone. No one would come and help you, because the person who would was dead and it’s always your fault. You’ve killed hundreds you’re evil you’re the Bad Guy you can’t save anybody

 

It was all his fault and nothing could change that

 

“Winter!”

 

Winter was suddenly snapped out of his gaping thoughts by a voice- Lucas’s voice.

 

Winter stared up at Lucas from where he was apparently laying on the ground. He also happened to be covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

 

Lucas looked very concerned. He had this.... this look on his face.

 

“Damn my broken brain,” he muttered quietly.

 

Claus’s face snapped towards him at that. Winter supposed he was louder than he should have been.

 

Winter sighed as he began to sit up. He glanced from Claus to Lucas, and back at Claus again.

 

“Alright. Fine. We’ll fight.”

 

Winter stands up all the way.

 

“But don’t come crying to me when it turns out to be an impossible task. Understood?”

 

Claus smiled and nodded. “I’ve done the impossible before. How do you think I freed the monsters from the Underground?”

 

Winter didn’t have an answer to that.

 

Claus stood up and rubbed his hands together, a smile on his face.

 

“So, guys. What’s our first step?”

 


 

“Flint, slow down!”

 

Find them. Find them. Find them.

 

“Flint!”

 

Won’t be like last time. Won’t be like last time. Won’t be like last time.

 

Flint!

 

Must find. Must find. Must find.

 

“FLINT!”

 

The paw that Flint was gripping suddenly tore out of his hand. He stumbled and tripped and suddenly, he was sprawled out across the ground.

 

Flint hadn’t realized just how exhausted he was until that moment. 

 

He felt like all the air that was powering him through the forest was being forcibly squeezed from his chest, and now he was gasping, clawing the dirt as the pain of having no oxygen finally reached him.

 

But Claus and Lucas- they were far more important than this inconvenience.

 

So with new energy, he began to stand up-

 

“Flint... stay down... please. You… You cannot be running… After...”

 

Flint, confused, looked up at Toriel, who had her hands on her knees and was breathing heavily as well.

 

Ah. Right. 

 

Flint’s frowned. “Oh. I… I’m sorry.”

 

Toriel smiled a little. “It’s understandable to be worried about your children. Next time, however, try to be a little more… reasonable.”

 

Flint nodded. Then, he carefully began to stand up, trying to ignore the aching in his legs. Toriel frowned, but let him stand.

 

Flint glanced around at their surroundings. They appeared to be relatively close to the city.

 

“There’s no way we can find them in this massive forest,” Toriel spoke quietly. “And my fur will protect me at night, but you’re a human. You may freeze.”

 

For a while, Flint just stood there, in abject misery. This was just like last time- Right down to the fire. He wouldn’t find them, couldn’t find them-

 

 

No. This wasn’t anything like last time. He had allies, now- He wasn’t alone.

 

“Then we don’t search,” Flint said. “We get help, instead.”

 

“But… From who?”

 

“Ness.”

 


 

The buildings that were once so distant from the house now glittered from the trees, the lights inside every neatly cut window illuminating the streets.

 

People. The rush of civilians. Real lives, going as they do.

 

Some don't realize the danger they're in. Some don't notice when a faint shift in the breeze can indicate whether they'll meet their true love or if they'll lay, eagle spread on the pavement, dead.

 

Distantly, perhaps without knowing it, a raven haired man tilted his head upwards towards the woods through the window of his house, the gentle glow of the bedroom lights beckoning him to sleep.

 

But strangely, he found himself stuck to the window, watching the trees dance in the wind. 

 

Ness prayed for those he could not see, those far away. He prayed from the bottom of his heart.

 

Chapter 8: Fourside

Summary:

In which the city of Fourside is explored.

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜ 

Chapter 7: Fourside




The City of Fourside had many titles associated with it.

 

The City That Occasionally Sleeps, the Big Banana, and (more recently) the city of Humans and Monsters.

 

And yet, the only thing that came to Flint’s mind as he stared up at the massive buildings and signs was ‘Overwhelming.’

 

Everything felt absolutely huge. No expense was spared to make the city anything but totally massive.

 

Flint was nervous. It wasn’t his first time in the city, of course- He and Lucas had had to come here in order to visit Ness’s apartment. But that had all been in a taxi. Right now, he was walking through the city besides Toriel, who seemed unaffected by neither the grand scale of the metropolis or the strange looks she was getting from the humans. Some were scathing, others were confused, some Flint could only describe as… Lustful…? (Excuse me, what the fuck?)

 

Though most completely ignored her.

 

Flint… Wasn’t unaffected. It reminded him too much of New Pork City. The overly colorful streets, the artificial smell up above and awful rotting stench down below, the plastic smiles of the pedestrians.

 

Eerily, Fourside shared essentially all of those traits.

 

Either way, Flint was not in a good mood.

 

“We keep going straight here," Flint grunted, jittery but not wanting to show it.

 

“Take a left here.” 

 

“A right.” 

 

“Left.”

 

Toriel glanced at Flint, concerned, every time he listed off a new direction.

 

His eyes were crazed, messy hair sticking to his skin as he jolted and twitched every time a loud noise sounded from around them.

 

Toriel squeezed her fists.

 

He was not okay. They needed to get to Ness’s apartment as fast as possible.

 


 

*Knock, Knock*

 

 

*Knock, Knock*

 

Toriel and Flint were standing in front of Ness’s apartment. The door was a dark mahogany brown and looked well used. Imprints were left on the door from presumably the family, little hand marks starting from the base of the door to just above the doorknob. There was an odd shoe mark here or there, but it didn't make the door look bad or anything negative.

 

It felt well used. Well loved.  

 

It felt like family.

 

Toriel didn’t know doors could look like that. 

 

Flint continued knocking, his fist rapping  against the door in quick successive hits. It was loud, and quite frankly it was a bit surprising that nobody had answered the door yet should anybody be home.

 

 

*Knock Knock*

 

 

*Knock Knock*

 

Suddenly, Toriel heard a voice come through the door.

 

“Yes, yes, I’m coming!”

 

It sounded exasperated, annoyed. As if they were deliberately ignoring the knocks and were just waiting to see how long it would take.

 

Hmph! Toriel hopes that isn't the case.

 

The rustling of locks being undone and the creak of the front door alerts her. It opens slowly, cautiously, then completely.

 

And the owner of the voice was partially exactly what Toriel expected, but nonetheless completely exceeded her imagination.

 

A teenager, or a young man? A lanky boy with slicked back black hair greeted them, cat-like green eyes darting up and down.

 

He was stiff. Observing. Making sure they weren't a threat. 

 

"Hm." The boy said after a while, seemingly finished with his observation.

 

"Well. I'm Loki. You're Flint, I'm to presume, and you are…?"

 

"Toriel," she said quickly. "I'm Toriel, Flint's compa-"

 

"His girlfriend, yes, yes." Loki was distracted, his stiff cardboard-like stature further emphasizing that.

 

Flint sounded like he was choking beside her, and Toriel then realized just exactly was Loki had said.

 

Oh.

 

Oh.

 

Her face grew red, though she tried to stifle the undignified yelp of surprise that attempted to bubble up.

 

"Hm. Well, I'm assuming you two are looking for Ness, correct?"

 

Flint, finally out of his coughing fit, replied semi-smoothly. "Yes. We need to speak with him, it's rather urge-"

 

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint, but he isn't here. Come back later, maybe."

 

And the door was shut in their face.

 

The cold was biting, the evening breeze picking up. Toriel glanced to the side to see Flint trembling, and if Toriel could feel the icy winds then Flint probably had it worse, with his sensitive human flesh.

 

Flint sighed.

 

"Well, I don't have much money on me, but I'm sure I could scrounge up enough to get us a hotel room. We can try again tomorrow, but if Ness isn't here we're going to be in a tough spot."

 

Toriel winced. The slums of Fourside were grotesque and dark, drug addicts and creepers crawling at every corner. One night camping out next to a dumpster in the streets would be awful, to say the least, even with company.

 

Just as Toriel and Flint were about to head off to try their luck later, the door swung open. Loki was back, and from his steeled expression he appeared to have heard what Flint was saying.

 

"Urgh. If I know Ness, he'd be greatly upset at me for not taking you in for the night. So come in, I suppose. No good leaving your limbs to freeze overnight, and none of your shared couple heat can fight that off."

 

And while Toriel and Flint had another spluttering bout, Loki stalked off, leaving the “couple” to follow him. 

 


 

Meanwhile, on the other side of Fourside, a man and two children walked through the dark alleyways and the ‘bad’ parts of the city. Nasty gunk was built up on the walls, and an acrid smell was present at every corner.

 

“Are you absolutely certain that we need to get an apartment?”

 

“Yes, I am absolutely sure.”

 

Lucas glanced uncertainly at the dirty, unkempt walls surrounding the trio. “I really don’t like this place. Can we leave?”

 

“Sorry, Luke,” Claus said casually, “But we’re kinda stuck sneaking around until we can determine who the good guys and bad guys are.”

 

To any normal person, Claus may look cool and unconcerned. But Lucas knew his brother well.

 

Claus was terrified. Likely not of the area surrounding them, however- But whatever he was scared of, Lucas didn’t know.

 

Claus was never one to be scared of the dark.

 

Winter turned towards them and gestured up to a short, fat-looking building with a sign. “This looks like a good place.”

 

The sign read ‘MOTEL 4. We have Rat-Free rooms!’

 

“...That does not fill me with confidence,” Claus spoke out.

 

Lucas chuckled. There was the Claus he knew and loved.

 

Claus rolled his eyes, and began to step forward- Only for Winter to stop him.

 

“Let me handle this. I’ve been on missions that have required me to buy apartments and hotel rooms.”

 

As the three of them walk into the motel, the receptionist, (A teenage girl,) looks up in what seems to be surprise at the fact that she has people to… recept.

 

“Hello, welcome to Motel Four. Imma guess you want a room?” She had a heavy southern accent, but even that couldn't mask the confusion of seeing three individuals with charred clothing and vastly unkempt hair.

 

Winter nods and, making sure to hide his arm, slaps a bunch of unsorted money onto the receptionist’s table. Coins scattered, and there was an awkward pause as the last penny rattled under the counter.

 

“If you have a room with a computer, give us that one.”

 

The receptionist raises her eyebrow, but nods and brings them down the hall, up some stairs, and to a door with a large ‘201’ on it.

 

“Here’s your room. It’s the suite, so. Uh. Pay up.”

 

Winter sighed, pulled out more money, and handed it to the girl.

 

“Thanks. Here’s your key, or whatever.”

 

A key was plopped into Winter’s hand.

 

“Mm. Bye boys.”

 

The girl walks away.

 

"...That was smooth."

 

"Shut up, Claus."

 

Winter opens the door and enters alongside the kids, the first thing hitting them being the appearance of the room. The floorboards were uneven, and Winter winced as the door creaked open loudly from disuse.

 

The room was… surprisingly big. There was one massive bed, a couch, and a computer on a small desk. There was also an off-shooting bathroom, though just how sanitary that would be was up for whoever was unlucky enough to go first.

 

A single overweight rat skittered across the floor and into a hole in the wall.

 

“...Home sweet home?” Lucas says quietly.

 

Claus groans and Winter chuckles.

 

Winter pulls back the chair and sits down at the desk. He boots up the computer- a monitor- and after what felt like an eternity, begins to type.

 

He’s incredibly fast- Much faster even than Claus, (though that’s not much of an accomplishment.) His fingers were a blur, the blue light of the dirty monitor screen flashing as different pages were opened, closed, then opened again.

 

Eventually, Winter settled on a large-scale map of the entire city.

 

“Okay. First off, we need to head to the base in Fourside. There, we can get more info on other HYDRA bases.”

 

Claus glances at the screen of the computer. “...You’re not looking for HYDRA bases, are you?”

 

“HYDRA lied to me. It’s not 1945. It’s 2013, apparently." He seemed oddly calm with that statement, and quickly moved on. "You go ahead and get ready to sleep. I need to get as much information as possible before morning.”

 

Claus blinks, but nods, and turns towards Lucas.

 

“I’m gonna take a guess and say we’re sharing the bed?”

 

Lucas shrugs, and nods as well.

 

"I call those big fluffy pillows, right in the middle!"

 

"Hey! No fair, those are the only pillows!"

 


 

Treading into the apartment joint, Flint was greeted with a sudden blanket of warmth, a sharp contrast to the freezing cold outside.

 

The living room was quaint, not that large but a comfortably small size, several chairs scattered about to accommodate all members of the family. A small TV was in the middle of the room, broadcasting a news channel whose words were muddled by their distance away from it.

 

Loki dipped out the room, and unsure if they were meant to stand around or take a seat, Flint turned to Toriel. She appeared to be very nervous, though her relieved expression said she was very grateful for the hospitality Loki showed.

 

Flint smiled. At least they got themselves out of that situation. 

 

"So," Flint said hesitantly. "How you feelin'?"

 

Toriel chuckled, shutting her eyes. "I'm doing better. I could do with a meal right about now, but I wouldn't want to intrude on this… 'Ness' and his family's dinner."

 

"You wouldn't be intruding at all," a new voice sounded.

 

Flint turned to see a blonde haired woman, hair tied into a small braid and going shoulder height. A little pink bundle was wrapped in her arms, and judging by the little sniffles and wet noises, it was a baby.

 

Another child peeked out from beside the woman as well. Their eyes were covered by their long brown bangs, and Flint was struck with a sudden sense of familiarity as they lifted a hand to say hello. 

 

"I'm Paula," the blonde said. "Ness's wife."

 

"Toriel," she said, clasping her hands together. "The man beside me is Flint. We thank you for your hospitality-"

 

"Nuh-uh-uh." Paula shook her finger, holding the baby effortlessly with one arm. "Not just yet. You have to give something in turn for your stay here with a warm meal and a warm bed."

 

Toriel swallowed, but Flint was quicker to the punch. "We have no money on us, and from the looks of things it might take us a while to pay you back fully-"

 

"Oh, I don't mean in cash."

 

At this, both Flint and Toriel stared at the mother with confusion, and Toriel was especially startled when Paula lifted her baby and plopped her right into the goat woman's arms, the little thing cooing and looking up at her with wide baby eyes.

 

"Harmony's been giving me a hard time all day, so I need her out of my hair for a few moments while I finally finish our dinner. I trust you two can handle her?"

 

"Sure," Flint said, seeing as Toriel was struggling to get the baby- ‘Harmony,’ apparently- to stop grabbing her ears. "How hard could it be?"

 

Paula gave them both a sinister grin and spun around leaving the two behind.

 

It was then Harmony began to scream.

 

A large, overwhelming pulse of pure energy shot out from the little girl, Flint struggling to get a grip on a nearby table as Toriel tried not to drop her.

 

The baby wouldn't stop screaming, and consequently the energy pulse was starting to get stronger in intensity. 

 

"Toriel!" Flint shouted over the noise. "What do we do?"

 

"I- I am not sure! A pacifier?"

 

"But where is the baby ba-"

 

The screaming abruptly stopped.

 

The child that was hiding behind Paula earlier had stuck a large pink milk bottle in the baby's mouth, and suddenly the little ball of noise turned into contented humming and chirping, drinking up the milk eagerly.

 

Flint was dazed, and Toriel probably wasn't any better off. The kid picked up the baby and headed for the couch, where a haphazardly placed bag of baby caring materials was set on the floor. 

 

Following close behind, they watched as the child effortlessly changed the baby's diaper in what seemed like less than a minute, entertained the baby with several tricks using their facial expression, and finally swept the little girl off her feet to throw her in the air, catching her with just as much ease.

 

This, somehow, calmed the baby.

 

Flint stared, dumbstruck. Had the situation gone any more strangely, his jaw would have dropped down to the floor. Toriel shared the same expression, though her paws were to her mouth from the shock of seeing the little girl be flung so high into the air.

 

"Sorry about Harmony," the child said, sitting down and rocking slowly. Toriel sat beside them and took the baby, knowing at least how to make gentle swaying motions, and Harmony cooed as she once again began to tug at Toriel's ears. "She's a little grumpy since Paula's not smothering her with as much attention, but I assure you she isn't always this crazy." 

 

Flint stifled a chuckle. "Who are you, anyway?"

 

"I'm Frisk," they said indifferently. 

 

Flint looked over to see Toriel frown, her head tilting ever so slightly to the side. She looked confused, as if she had been struck by deja vu of some sort.

 

But before Flint could remark on it, Frisk piped up first.

 

"So! What brings you two to our humble abode?" They leaned back, reclining onto their chair.

 

"We're here to see Ness," Flint responded. "It's rather important we do, so we have to find him as soon as we can."

 

"Speaking of which," Toriel piped up. "Where is he?"

 

Frisk picked up a remote control from a coffee table and raised the volume of the TV, which was currently showing a reporter speak about the disappearance of-

 

"The search for Tony Stark, dubbed the Iron Man, is still ongoing, the terrorist bombing by the Mandarin shocking not only thousands of people living in Malibu, but also injuring several as well. The casualty count is thankfully a zero, but the number of those harmed is a shocking-"

 

Frisk lowered the volume when they noticed Harmony beginning to wrestle Toriel's hold due to the disturbance.

 

"Ness is away at the ruins of Tony Stark's mansion, trying to search for the guy. Ever since he became an Avenger, he's just been busy helping people. You know, the whole saving the world business." 

 

Frisk grew quiet, and Flint and Toriel shared concerned glances. 

 

"He's coming home tomorrow," said a voice from the doorway. All heads looked up to see Loki, leaning casually on the frame with a juice box in his hands. "He always comes home. Everyday." Dragging a hand over his face, he slumped into a chair across from them. "I guess we should be a little more grateful that even with all his duties, he still has time to talk with us. But I just wish he'd come home a bit earlier. Maybe without all those awful injuries. Take a break, you know?"

 

Flint nodded, understanding. When Claus had left on his own to search for Hinawa and had disappeared for over three years, his stomach was a bottomless pit of worry and desperation, going as far as practically leaving Lucas to fend for himself while he tried to scour up and down for his lost son when the son he had was right there.

 

He couldn't really imagine just how Lucas felt.

 

Flint wondered where he was now. If he was safe. Flint had no doubt that Claus would keep his little brother safe, and Lucas would do  the same. 

 

But what if Claus wasn’t in a position to help him?

 

"Besides that," Loki leaned forward, propping his chin up with one hand. "How did you two meet? All things considered, the monsters returning to the overworld was a pretty new thing, and I don't really know how it would er- you know, work o-"

 

"We're not-"

 

"No, we aren't-"

 

"Loki! Couldn't you have saved it for after my story?"

 

Their combined volume began to rouse Harmony, and the baby started to sniffle, the vases on the shelves beginning to rattle. But they didn't notice, too busy in their own squabble to see the water in the flowerpots slowly icing over.

 

"No, that wouldn't even work, I only just met her just about-" Flint shivered suddenly, pausing halfway through. "Is- is the temperature getting lower?"

 

Harmony began to wail.

 

Toriel yelped suddenly and almost dropped the child in her arms, her paw pads very red from just how cold the child's skin had become. Suddenly all residents of the room were shivering in one way or another.  Even Toriel, with her semi-thick fur.

 

The wailing grew louder, and soon enough the volume from before had been replicated again, though it felt worse somehow due to the chilly air.

 

"I- don't think- a milk bottle- will work-!" Frisk said through gritted teeth, shivering madly. The milk left in the bottle had iced over, and the saliva on the pacifier left it frozen, too.

 

The temperature continued to drop, and Flint madly considered sharing body heat and waiting for Paula before something… strange happened.

 

The baby began to float.

 

Exclaiming his surprise, Flint watched as the swaddled child rocked side to side, a little melody being hummed from one of them. It took Flint a little longer to realize it was Loki, his green eyes a little bit brighter as he swayed the child left. Right. Left. Right.

 

And the wailing died to a stop.

 

"Is it over?" Flint asked a little belatedly. They all turned to Loki, who merely shrugged. The temperature seemed to be returning to normal, thankfully, so the movement was done smoothly. 

 

"Ask the baby, why don't you? I'm just the one who put her to sleep. Shouldn't you two as a couple know how to deal with a child?"

 

And before another bout of loud voices woke up the baby again, a voice finally sounded from the kitchen, the heavenly smell of steak drifting through the door.

 

"Kids! Guests! Loki! Dinner's ready!"

 


 

The next morning came with light shining through a window. Claus slowly and sleepily opened his eyes.

 

*Rise and shine, Claus.

 

He sat up, glancing around the room. In the chair at the desk was Winter, head down, fast asleep, with a blanket draped over him. Lucas was nowhere to be seen.

 

Concluding that the blanket hadn’t made its way onto Winter itself, Claus calmed his rapidly beating heart. 

 

The sound of a door creaking had him alert, though he calmed when he realized it was just Lucas coming out of the restroom, a towel draped over his shoulders as his somewhat damp hair laid flat.

 

Lucas nodded at Claus and gestured at Winter, who was snoring- quite loudly- at the computer desk.

 

Claus sighed and nodded back. Looks like it was time to wake them all up. 

 

They must have all stank from the fire, and they desperately needed showers.

 


 

As the three of them strolled down the streets, city map in the hands of Winter, Claus decided to take a look at all the sights that he could see in the nice part of town.

 

And… It was surprisingly well-off. The buildings were all shiny and clean, and the few non-modernized buildings were surprisingly well-maintained. It looked a lot nicer in the daytime than in the dying light.

 

It was a great view. 

 

The three of them passed a small building with a sign that read ‘Caf é,’ walked across the street, and ended up in front of a large, greek-style building with a sign that read ‘FOURSIDE MUSEUM.’

 

“This is the place,” Winter said quietly.

 

“Seriously? This is the HYDRA base?” Claus whispered back. It was tough to hear him among the hustle and bustle, Lucas found.

 

Winter nodded. “There’s a secret trapdoor in the Dinosaur exhibit that leads to a HYDRA base.”

 

“Wow, okay. Let’s go, then.”

 


 

The museum itself was nice enough. Winter concluded that the area the base HYDRA selected to reside under wasn't all that bad, and had it been an ordinary day he might have enjoyed himself here.

 

After paying for entry, (and thanking his past-self for his secret money stash that he kept on him at all times,) the three of them travelled into the main room of the museum, which had a variety of exhibits off to the sides. Though, what got his attention was the massive, skeletal T-Rex that was featured as the centerpiece of the exhibit.

 

“Can I just say, I am really glad that thing isn’t alive?” Lucas muttered.

 

“Agreed.” Claus returned with a nod. “Now, I’ma guess that it’s under the T-Rex?”

 

Winter pointed at a place directly between the two feet of the dinosaur. “There. But we can’t enter with all these people here. We’re gonna have to hide until closing time, then sneak into the base. But where to hide…?”

 

Lucas and Claus just looked at each other and grimaced. Seemed they both shared the same idea.

 

"Well. It's a shame, we just got that burnt smell off of us."



As the final light turned off in the bathroom, the trio hopped down from on top of the toilets and down to the ground. The three of them opened their stalls, stepped out, and shivered. It was cold in that room, and having to sit by the awful stench of sewage and waste was torture in and of itself.

 


 

As the unlikely trio descended the stairs from the upper hall to the main room, they spotted a man on his phone, sitting at the info desk.

 

Winter rushes forward, ready to snap the man’s neck instantly-

 

And stops, inches away, when t he guard suddenly turns around and stares Winter in the face.

 

For a few seconds, nobody moves.

 

Then, the guard faints.

 

“...Okay then,” Claus whispers from nearby.

 

Winter sighs and stands up fully. He turns towards the secret trapdoor and begins to try to open it.

 

The lock, however, holds. Winter gets frustrated and slams his hand into the lock, breaking it instantly. The noise was loud, but thankfully the break was quick.

 

“...Nice!” Lucas whispers.

 

Winter sighs again. How could everything going his way still be so frustrating?

 

The three of them open the trapdoor, get on the ladder, and descend into the base.

 

Chapter 9: The First Base

Summary:

In which a base is snuck into.

Notes:

Sorry for the low quality of the chapter, though I hope you enjoy the little bit at the end!

Chapter Text


  ⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜ 

Chapter 8: The First Base


 

The first thing that Claus noticed upon reaching the bottom of the ladder was the harsh lighting.

It felt like a hospital- The walls were all concrete, and the lights in the ceiling were a bright neon white. There was a complete lack of charm in the solid concrete walls, and what little it had was tarnished by odd, out-of-place stains.

 

*Ah, yes. Evil bases lack charm because of course, they do. Why would they have any in the first place? It’s not like they’re expecting visitors. Still, though. Maybe some golden flowers here or there might spice it up a notch…

 

Claus tuned out Chara’s ruminations on the decorations of the base and turned towards his brother and Winter. The pair were frowning with a look similar to how Claus was feeling at the moment.

 

“Chara’s complaining about the decor. Something about golden flowers.” Claus whispers quietly to Lucas, who giggles.

 

But he quickly sobers after a look from Winter and turns towards the hallway ahead of them.

 

The three of them start to slowly inch their way down the hallway, making sure to be as quiet as possible as they walk. A rat skittered across the room ominously as the distant sound of water dripping from a pipe accented their snail’s pace.

 

As they traverse the long hallway, the light from above begins to irritate Claus’s eyes and give him a headache. It stretched on and on, but luckily the bright fluorescent white seemed to stop at some point ahead of them, fading eerily into darkness.

 

The three of them cross into the darkness, onto a metal walkway, and-

 

Claus looks over the side and is stunned at what he sees.

 

An absolutely massive chamber, the size, and height of an airplane hangar filled to the brim with what looks like broken-down spaceships, conveyor belts with strange metals on them, and around fifty HYDRA agents. He clapped a hand over his mouth in surprise, trying not to make a sound.

 

“This place… has been under the city this whole time?” Claus asked in shock.

 

Winter nods. “HYDRA’s been using it to recover parts and pieces, ever since the attack from the Starmen about a month- Er, about 13 years back.” Winter shakes his head. “Sorry, my timeline’s all screwed up. HYDRA told me it’s still 1945, and they said they never put me in cryosleep for more than a day, which, by the way, was total bullshit.

 

After a moment, he sighs. “Sorry. I shouldn’t get emotional.”

 

“S’fine,” Lucas says, only half paying attention. “But… How are we supposed to get down there without being seen?”

 

“Simple,” Winter says. “We’re not. We just need to find the data room and get info on other HYDRA bases. Then, we leave and go invade another, less dangerous base.”

 

Claus nods. “I’ll be sure to use Hypnosis to put anybody who sees us to sleep.”

 

“You-" Lucas turns to look at him. "You can do that?” Lucas asks, stunned.

 

“Yep.” Claus responds, somewhat pridefully.

 

“Can you teach me?” Lucas asks hopefully.

 

Quiet! ” Winter hisses, frustrated. Three agents were walking down the metal catwalk and were all having a very uninteresting conversation.

 

“...Heard about the new movie that came out?”

 

"Yeah, heh. My daughter's going crazy over it, already begging me to get her the merchandise of that dumb princess."

 

"Brave, right?"

 

"Mhm. Lots of good reviews for it, and it's pretty cool, I guess. Though to be honest, it’s pretty much just another animated kids film…"

 

As the three agents got closer, more invested in their conversation than anything ahead of them, Winter nodded, and lunged forwards, locking the first person in a chokehold.

 

Claus instantly hypnotized the second, and Lucas punched the third agent in the gut, causing him to double over. Lucas gripped his fist and winced in pain.

 

Claus turned towards Lucas’s agent and threw out another Hypnosis. The agent’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he promptly collapsed, body making a soundless thump onto the catwalk.

 

The twins turned as Winter laid the unconscious- or dead?- body of the third agent on the ground.

 

Lucas stiffened at seeing the still body, but exhaled slowly and walked towards Winter.

 

“Hey Winter, can you try to be more… er… careful, in the future?"

 

Winter just grunts, not giving a proper answer.

 

The three of them continue down the pathway, but not before Lucas gives a long look at the three agents.

 


 

Toriel understood that having two children and a young adult, (Loki was a young adult, right?) in a relatively medium-sized apartment complex called for some cuts in terms of accommodating guests, but…

 

Why did she have to share the sofa bed with Flint? 

 

There was room on the floor, and despite Toriel's insistent argument that all she needed was a cushion and she'd be fine, both Flint and Paula practically forced her to lay down on the sofa bed, facing away as Flint took the other half.

 

The issue was that the bed was small. Their backs were touching no matter how hard they tried to squirm apart, and when morning came they both looked like they hadn't slept a wink, flustered and tired.

 

Loki took one look at them, sniggered, and left the room.

 

All things considered, it shouldn't have been that bad, but Toriel supposed it was the shared awkwardness of having only met recently but suddenly being forced into various compromising situations together.

 

After washing up separately and meeting up in the kitchen, Toriel noticed two potentially very important things.

 

One: It appeared that all the members of the family, (save Harmony, who was dozing peacefully in her rocker,) were exhausted, deep bags below their eyes.

 

And two: there was a significant lack of Ness.

 

"Did he come back?" Flint began, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Toriel followed suit. Loki magicked two plates of food in front of the duo, though his attention seemed diverted.

 

Frisk stabbed their fork into their morning bacon harshly. "No. He didn't. He should have come back yesterday evening, but he didn't. We assumed he'd come late and slept it off, but he's still not here." 

 

"Highly unusual, for our normally somewhat punctual Ness," Loki said nonchalantly, smoothly picking up his egg and taking a bite out of it. Despite his calm appearance, he seemed to share Frisk's worry, the same bags laying heavily under his eyes.

 

And then Paula strolled in. 

 

Her hair was a mess, tied into a very haphazard bun as she grumpily slapped her own breakfast meal onto her plate, swiftly stuffing her mouth with the food. The aggression startled the dozing Harmony, but before the wailing began again a pacifier flew through the air and into the baby's mouth.

 

The silence was deafening. 

 

Soon enough, all their plates were empty, and there was no reason to stay silent. Paula sighed, running a hand through her hair, and stood up, bringing out a file filled with several images and documents.

 

"Ness should be home by now. This work was supposed to have been an 'only one day job', so the fact he isn't here yet has me worried." She pulls out a map of California, slams it down onto the table, and points to where Tony Stark's ruined mansion stood. "I should have gone with him, but he went under Avengers business so I couldn't just… go in alongside him. But he did say that if he didn't come home the next day, something likely happened to him, else he would have called. So, here's what I vote for. We get to Malibu, find his sorry ass, scold him if he just fell asleep, and ruin the days of whoever decided it was a good idea to mess with my husband. Good plan?"

 

There was, yet again, another long silence.

 

"Ah… just a second," Toriel piped up hesitantly. "Er, we're in the middle of Fourside at the moment. How would we get to Malibu without taking a plane or a long extended car ride?"

 

And at this, Paula laughed.

 

"No worries, Ms. Toriel. We'll just teleport in."

 


 

The hallways all looked the same, Claus noted. How Winter could find his way through this, he had no idea.

 

*Stop! Bad guys ahead.

 

Claus stopped and held up his hand to signal to the others to stop as well.

 

Multiple agents came walking down the hall, passing by the off-shooting hall the three of them were in.

 

The trio continues to sneak through, passing by doors and other halls.

 

“This place is a maze. And… Also practically abandoned. Except for that big chamber. What’s up with that?”

 

“No clue,” Winter whispered back. “But I don’t think this place was made with being a HYDRA base in mind. Now shut up.”

 

Claus pursued his lips in annoyance. What was going on with Winter? It was just a simple question, there was no reason to get so snappy over it.

 

Eventually, the trio reached a door, which had science-y sounds coming from the other side. Lots of whirring and high-pitched frequencies filtered through the crack, a faint glow emanating from around it.

 

Winter nods. Must be the place, then.

 

Claus moves to open the door, but he is suddenly interrupted by-

 

*Allow me.

 

Suddenly, a bunch of red particles come bursting out of Claus’s chest, forming into the image of a light-brown-haired child, wearing a smirk.

 

“Hey, Chara, where have you been?”

 

“Well, I didn’t see a reason to go physical until now. Also, the explosion temporarily destroyed my form, forcing me to-”

 

“Okay, Okay, I get it. Now, what did you need to do?”

 

“Hold on.”

 

And Chara turned invisible, causing Claus to blink. He hadn’t known they could do that.

 

 

A few seconds later, a bunch of screams erupt from inside the room, including one shout of “GHOST!!”

 

Eventually, the noises quieten. Claus frowns, feeling quite fatigued.

 

Chara turns visible again, sticking halfway out of the wall. “Clear,” they say with a smirk.

 

Claus just sighs with amusement and walks into the room. Lucas looked dumbfounded, while Winter’s eyebrows were raised just a smidge above where they’d normally sit.

 

Inside was a bloodbath. Computers were strewn about the room, and three people in lab coats laid on the ground, bleeding from multiple orifices.

 

The massive monitor on the side of the wall was off-center as well. It frustrated him.

 

*Oh, of course, the corpses don’t bother you, but the off-center monitor does?

 

Yes.

 

Claus grins and turns towards Winter, who had grabbed a flash drive off the ground and was going to one of the few intact computers to likely pull some data out of it.

 

Claus then turned towards Lucas, who was- pale-facedly looking at the dead people on the ground. Okay then.

 

“Uhh… Luke, are you-”

 

And then the alarms went off.

 

Winter looked up at the ceiling and cursed. “Those agents we attacked must have woken up and reported themselves. Now they know we’re here. This is why we should have killed them!”

 

Lucas looks over at Winter, his eyes sharpening considerably. “But-”

 

“Come on!” Winter interrupts crudely, grabbing their wrists and dashing out the door.

 

The three of them began to rush out of the base.

 

As they ran, they suddenly encountered a quartet of agents, who all immediately pulled out their guns. They skidded to a halt, Winter dropping into a fighting stance.

 

But they weren’t prepared for the attack from the twins.

 

Working perfectly as a pair, Lucas raised a shield as Claus fired a Karma γ at it, and the shield reflected the attack in the direction of the enemy.

 

All four of the agents were struck with the reflected Karma γ, all causing them to collapse under the weight of their sins, non fatally wounding them but still dealing a ridiculous amount of damage.

 

Claus smiles. Poo and Ness would be proud of that technique- He and Lucas had been practicing it ever since Lucas had returned from the Nowhere Islands on the White Ship.

 

The trio run down a hall, through another hall, down another-

 

And run up to a ladder.

 

“Go!” Winter shouts, looking behind him. Only a pair of gunless agents- he could handle this.

 

When the first one stepped forward, he slammed his fist into his enemy’s face. The man was thrown off balance, landing solidly on the ground a good few feet away. The other hesitated, but stepped forwards anyway, and Winter himself charged forwards, hitting the agent in the stomach with a fierce uppercut. The first agent had gotten up- with a noticeable limp- and ran away.

 

But Winter was having none of it.

 

He pulled out a gun he had grabbed earlier, and with perfect accuracy, shot him in the back of the head. Before he could utter a sound, the enemy collapsed.

 

Winter turned and shot the other agent in the head as well, ignoring their desperate pleas. Jus for good measure.

 

He glanced around, checking for more agents, before scurrying up the ladder.

 

His bloodstained hands brought no guilt to Winter as he fled, running alongside the twins.

 

Because after all, didn't they deserve it?

 


 

The Malibu ruins were quiet.

 

There used to be a large amount of paparazzi and people swarming the area, but thanks to SHIELD's interventions, the general vicinity was blocked off from the public relatively soon after the bombing.

 

Though that didn't mean there weren't a few agents up and about, guarding the ruins and investigating, seeing whether or not Tony Stark left any coordinates or clues to his whereabouts.

 

For he certainly wasn't dead. And Ness knew this.

 

A quiet, almost silent warping noise was heard over the rubble, and a group of five stumbled out of a small portal of sorts, ducking behind a collapsed wall before an agent spotted them. 

 

Flint exhaled sharply, head laying against the stones as he tried to slow down his breathing.

 

The change in air pressure and altitude was immediate, and quite honestly if Paula hadn't pushed him through he wasn't sure if he would have stepped through on his own. It was strange, and quite honestly nothing like he expected.

 

"Okay, we're all here, and with no lost limbs. Excellent." Paula quickly looked over the rubble and peered at a little tent set up around the middle of the rubble, where several agents appeared to be trickling in and out of.

 

"How should we proceed, Paula?" Loki was decked out in all black clothes, appearing to be in his element. Perhaps he just really liked sneaking around?

 

"Well, we can start off with distracting those guards. There's something in that tent, and while it could just be a resting station or something completely unrelated to Ness's disappearance, it's best to check just in case."

 

"Understood." Loki shut his eyes and… a duplicate of him stepped forward, grinning at the group.

 

"Ooh, turn into a dancing monkey," Frisk jabbed.

 

"I will not turn into a dancing monkey," Loki and his duplicate shot back.

 

"Hush! Loki, just find a way to get those guards away from the tent while me, Frisk, and Flint dash for the tent. Toriel, I want you to stand guard here and let us know if anyone's approaching."

 

"Pardon? Sorry, but how will I communicate with you?"

 

"Like this."

 

Flint jumped as Toriel did, too, and they looked at Paula with sudden unease. The effortless way the woman had slipped into their minds was quite frankly very concerning, and it must have shown in his face for Paula just chuckled.

 

"I'm not going to read your mind, if that's what you're worried about. Telepathy, a link between all four of us."

 

Hesitantly, Flint attempted to direct a thought.

 

"Like so?"

 

"Yep! You try, Ms. Toriel."

 

"Er- hullo?"

 

"No need to worry, either of you. I assure you, should any odd or strange thoughts arise all of us will dutifully direct our thoughts elsewhere."

 

"Loki!"

 

"Okay, that's enough of that, go get them," Paula said somewhat lightheartedly, shoving Loki and his duplicate into the open. Immediately, both shifted into a monkey, though it kept the color of Loki's hair as its fur. 

 

Frisk snickered beside them.

 

As the guards pointed at, attempted to shoot at, and chased the monkey duo, Paula made a gesture and dashed for the tent, Frisk running quickly behind. Startled, Flint stumbled his way upright and ran after them too, narrowly making it into the tent before one of the guards spotted him.

 

It was cool, shaded from the elements. Thankfully empty of any guards or agents, Paula made quick work of sorting through the files and papers on top of the desk, Frisk investigating the file cabinets. Flint, feeling somewhat useless, attempted the shelves.

 

On them were various normal items, such as books or little miscellaneous items. Pens, pencils, and blank papers were thrown haphazardly on top, though what caught his attention was a small red notebook with nothing on the cover, sitting ominously in the corner.

 

Flint carefully opened the first page.

 

It was normal enough. Just logs of a particular SHIELD agent coming to the camp for their shift, noting things, making little doodles.

 

But what concerned him was the date the last entry was written.

 

Only three pages had been filled out, considering it hadn't been that long since the bombing, but strangely enough the last entry was made three days ago, completely throwing off the daily notes this person clearly made sure to routinely make.

 

Flint frowned.

 

"Find anything?" Frisk said suddenly. Flint turned to see them and Paula lean over a file, and he set the notebook aside. He crossed over and took a look at a file Paula had spread open before them, and he felt the blood drain from his face.

 

NAME: NESS EBBUND

 

OCCUPATION: AVENGER

 

THREAT LEVEL: 7/10, PROCEED WITH CAUTION. APPEARS TO HAVE SOME FORM OF RESTRAINT, CAN BE OVERWHELMED WITH A VAST MULTITUDE OF SOLDIERS OR AGENTS

 

ABILITY: APPEARS TO HAVE VERY STRONG PSYCHIC ABILITIES

 

USABILITY: POSITIVE. ATTEMPT CAPTURE- SHOULD CAPTURE NOT BE POSSIBLE, KILL IMMEDIATELY.

 

And worse yet.

 

STATUS: CAPTURED, READY TO PROCEED WITH TESTING.

 

The HYDRA insignia was stamped right at the bottom of the page.

 

"Paula! Flint! Frisk! You have to get out of there, they've-!"

 

Toriel's telekinetic message cut off abruptly, and Paula threw the file under the desk as multiple SHIELD agents ran into the tent, guns pointed directly at their heads.

 

Or should he say, HYDRA?

 

"Freeze! Boss, I've caught them. And it looks like we've got another Psychic as well."

 


 

The Motel was quiet when the trio got back, but the joy of their success could not be muted.

 

The receptionist was asleep when they entered. Helping them easily sneak past the desk and into the damaged halls of the motel.

 

As they walked into their room, Lucas and Claus practically fell onto their bed, with Winter falling onto the couch instead.

 

They had won their first battle.

 

Of course, this was just one of many, but for now, they wanted to rest.

 

And rest they did.

 


 

In a base thousands of miles away, a pair of young children- one boy, one girl- sit down at a table, just across from a taller, suited man.

 

“It is time for your first mission. I’m sure in your time at HYDRA, you’ve heard of the Winter Soldier, correct?”

 

The pair nod.

 

“Well, the Soldier has gone rogue. Everything you need to know is in here.”

 

A thick, worn file is placed before the pair. The male picks it up, and the female reads it over his shoulder.

 

TARGETS:

THE WINTER SOLDIER………… (Retrieve)

CLAUS LOCKE…………………… (Eliminate)

LUCAS LOCKE……………………(Retrieve)

 

The pair looks up.

 

In the dim lighting of the room, one could say it was just a trick of the light. But if one had taken a closer look…

 

The girl’s eyes flash an ominous scarlet. The boy’s bright silver.

 

They both smile.

Chapter 10: The Search

Summary:

In which Ness is found.

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜ 

Chapter 9: The Search


 

Winter sat on the couch, contemplating the large flash drive in his hand.

 

The drive was far more important than its lack of detail would be evident towards. For that drive potentially held the location of multiple HYDRA bases, as well as many HYDRA secrets.

 

Winter wasn’t foolish enough to believe that HYDRA would keep all their secrets in one place. After all, HYDRA was one of the most paranoid agencies in the entire world.

 

But that was why he had taken the map.

 

Now, they could find as many HYDRA secrets as possible, destroying bases along the way, and eventually dumping the existence of HYDRA on the internet.

 

Would it destroy SHIELD? Most likely. But that was a sacrifice they had to make.

 

In the end, however, that all depended if the computer he had hacked had actually had a map at all. He had taken the whole of the data compiled on the base’s server, hoping that somewhere in there had been a map.

 

So, as Winter places the hard drive into the motel computer, he holds his breath.

 

READING DRIVE.

11%

35%

62%

99%

99%

99%

100%

COMPLETE.

 

And suddenly, the drive opens, and Winter lets out a huge sigh of relief.

 

Because, right there, in the M’s section, is a piece of data labeled ‘MAP OF BASES’

 

He smiles, for he (and the kids) have won.

 

It might have been encrypted, hidden behind different codes that needed cracking, but Winter was confident he could break through most, if not all of them.

 

Dare he say that Claus’s mission was even starting to look possible?

 

Yes. He dared.

 


 

Toriel hated feeling trapped.

 

In the Underground, she never really felt claustrophobic, necessarily, but she did feel like there had to be more. 

 

Her diminishing marriage with Asgore put shackles on her, too, and she felt so free when she found herself a place in the Ruins. She felt she could fly

 

After the Monsters made their way out to the Overworld thanks to Claus, Toriel didn't realize just how much she was missing. The wind through her fur, the warmth of the sun, the strange creations that humans make- it was all so beautiful.

 

So with her paws held in physical chains instead of metaphorical ones, she felt that same feeling of crushing hopelessness that she had previously felt and didn't want to feel again.

 

"Move it, Monster!" A man said scathingly, and Toriel felt the tip of the gun press into her back. Not one to tempt fate, she quickened her pace.

 

Frisk, Flint, and Paula stood outside of the tent, each individual having their own set of handcuffs, too. 

 

Loki, however, appeared to be back in his single human form, and the guards had really gone all out in making sure he wouldn't escape. Topped off with not only a thick metal cover around his hands, he had a large muzzle clamped around his face, and several large guns were pressed into his skin. Loki rolled his eyes at Toriel as she approached, and she couldn't help but give a weary smile at seeing Loki still make light of the situation.

 

"Over the top, huh?"

 

"Ah! Pardon me, I didn't realize the telepathy was still working. Yes, I must agree with you, Loki, they really did overdo it."

 

"Toriel! Are you alright?"

 

"Ah, Flint! I'm just fine, though I must ask, what is it that you three found in the tent? Are we any closer to finding Ness?"

 

Before Flint could respond, however, Toriel watched with abject horror as a man roughly shoved his weapon into Flint's back, forcing him to stumble to the ground. 

 

"Hey! No slowing down, we're on a schedule, here. Get up, start keeping up the pace. Unless you want a bullet in your head."

 

Toriel felt indignant for Flint, but could do nothing else but continue to walk at an even pace as he struggled to get up on his own.

 

The others were oddly silent, Paula staring grimly ahead while Frisk looked like it was just another Saturday, and soon enough they were marching into the vans parked outside.

 

The ride was silent, save for the noise of light shifting and coughing. It could be described as pleasant had the presence of guns pressed into all their backs not been there, though the guards made sure they didn't forget about their existence. 

 

Soon enough, the van drove up to a stop, and the door was shifted open.

 

"Alright, get out, the lot of you. Take the Psychic and the Asgardian to the west ward with the other one, we'll grab these specimens and use them in our experiments."

 

Toriel felt a shiver run down her spine as a scientist squinted at her, and she tried to shrink herself away from his gaze.

 

"A Monster, huh? We haven't had many Monster subjects, but this one will be a good addition. They keep turning to dust so quickly, so the more the merrier. Come on, chop chop!"

 

And all the men fell at the spot save for one.

 

Toriel looked startled as the guard removed his helmet, only to reveal… Loki?

 

Toriel turned to look at the Loki that was supposed to be in a muzzle and chains, only to see him simply… evaporate into thin air?

 

Ah! The clone!

 

The real Loki grinned wolfishly and wiggled an unlocked pair of handcuffs, Paula giving him a slap on the back as she stood up and stretched.

 

"Good work, Loki. Could have gotten that off earlier, but you did well. Right! Let's go, come on! West ward, huh?"

 

After all their own individual chains were unlocked, they made a mad dash into the building. It appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the woods, and the grounds were oddly scarce of any people. It seems as if they had gotten past any blockade of men guarding as the van drove through.

 

"Well, it's probably full of scientists in the different units," Frisk reasoned. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep our guard up, but it'll be a somewhat smooth ride until we reach a certain point inside."

 

Agreeing with them, Toriel kept a quick pace, but was careful to keep light steps. Loki made occasional waving motions with his hands, possibly to decept the cameras that they weren't there, but Toriel didn't ask. Following Paula's lead, the group was relatively quiet as they dashed through the buildings, guided only by the memory of the directory that was on the front of the building, and they pulled up to a metal door.

 

"Might want to stand back for this," Paula muttered, and she shut her eyes in concentration. After a few tense seconds had passed, the lock beeped once, and the doors opened slowly.

 

“Thank god nothing blew up,” Paula said under her breath, and Toriel looked over in alarm. But they were already moving on.

 

They made haste down the stairs, every particularly loud footfall causing Toriel to become that more unnerved. But soon enough, after many twists and turns, (and narrow encounters with men in white coats,) they finally found themselves close to the front of a heavily guarded door, security cameras planted all around it.

 

"That must be it," Paula said through their mental link, and Toriel took a closer look. Through the glass on the door, she could only see hazy figures, though the various bright flashes did nothing to assure her.

 

"Are we going to use the same method to get in?" Frisk thought out.

 

"We'll have to, but I'm running a little low on PSI. We're going to have to hope that Ness has a little kick in him as we're leaving so that- You know. We don't die a painful death or get experimented on for the rest of our lives."

 

Toriel shivered at the thought. Though, the words the man from before stuck out in her mind. 

 

He had said that… that there were more Monsters down here. There were Monsters being experimented on, turning to dust due to these awful scientists.

 

It was risky, and it could potentially ruin their entire operation, but…

 

"Are we able to stop by the ward where they hold the Monsters?"

 

Paula looked at her in surprise. She was contemplating, looking aside, until finally…

 

"No. We cannot jeopardize Ness for the experimented Monsters that are likely to crumble as we find our way out. As much as I'd like to take them with us, we have to get out of here as soon as possible and hope we can come back another day."

 

Toriel felt her hope diminish. Of course, it was foolish of her to assume otherwise.

 

So Paula turned to the guards, Loki preparing his green magic. With bated breath, Toriel watched as the guards continued to move, until suddenly…

 

They all stumbled and collapsed.

 

"Yes!" Frisk hissed out loud, and Paula grinned.

 

"Indeed. Let's go get him!"

 

Toriel felt a rise of triumph blossom in her chest as they all hurried to the door, Paula using another PSI trick to pop open the door.

 

And there he was.

 

Though, in much worse shape than Toriel might've imagined.

 

Ness looked weary, his dark hair draped over his face as he hung limp from his restraints. He had several burn marks peppered on his body, puncture and slash wounds openly visible on his sides, stomach, and back. 

 

Thin, exhausted, and drained, Ness just looked like a gaunt mess.

 

"Oh my god," Paula muttered, sprinting over to begin undoing the restraints. Loki and Frisk followed, and reluctantly, so did Toriel and Flint. 

 

Soon enough, the thick metal clicked open, and the man fell heavily onto his wife. After a bit of struggle, they managed to prop him upright against the wall.

 

"G- Chk-" Ness coughed dryly, somehow looking more tired from those short syllables.

 

"Ness, I'm really glad you're alright, but you have to save your strength," Paula said quickly, lifting a hand close to one of Ness's injuries. It glowed a faint green color, and Toriel watched with fascination as the wound stitched itself back together.

 

"B- Be- You-"

 

Paula attempted to ignore him, but Frisk crouched down close to Ness. They placed a hand on his shoulder, and Loki followed with the other shoulder.

 

"Harmony is safe at home, if that's what you're worried about," Frisk says softly.

 

"You need to stay alive in order to see her again, though, else his mission is a bust," Loki chuckled.

 

But Ness continued to try and speak. Eventually, it took a good minute of Paula healing Ness's wounds for him to finally form a coherent sentence, and Toriel watched as he opened and closed his mouth, looked up, and sighed.

 

"They're coming," he said hoarsely. "Guards. Behind you."

 

The audible click of guns sounded from behind.

 


 

“So, what’s our next target?”

 

The three (plus one ghost) were all sitting in various places in the motel room, staring at the map of HYDRA bases displayed on the computer screen.

 

Winter pointed at a base, halfway across the world, in a country called ‘Sokovia.’ “They’ve got Loki’s staff there. That staff will be a powerful weapon if we can get our hands on it.”

 

“Loki’s staff? Like, from the invasion of New York? The one from, like, half a year ago?”

 

Winter nods. “We’re gonna take that base next. You kids with me?”

 

Claus nods eagerly. Lucas, less so. But Chara had something to say from where they were floating in the corner.

 

“That’s all well and good, but how are we going to get there? Claus can only teleport places that he’s been to… Or, rather, seen- before.”

 

“Who said we were teleporting?”

 


 

The Fourside International airport was very crowded, very loud, and very, very annoying.

 

“Okay, let me get this straight. You want to fly to Sokovia. On a public airplane. Without papers. Do you get how stupid of an idea this is?”

 

“Oh come on, it can’t be that hard.”

 

“Yes, it is that hard. I’ve been on a plane once and it sucked ass to get aboard. We barely managed to get on in time- Security was just hounding us that hard.”

 

“...Huh. Guess we’re sneaking aboard then.”

 

This was the conversation that took place between Claus and Winter as the pair of them, (along with Lucas,) stood in the lobby of the airport.

 

“Excuse me sirs, are you lost?”

 

The trio turned to see a security guard looking at them with a scrutinizing gaze.

 

“No, we’re not,” Winter answered at the same time as Lucas’s “Yes, we are.”

 

The two of them glared at each other.

 

“Well, I can guide you around the airport if you need to find your way to a gate. Or… Maybe you’ve already landed and are looking for-”

 

“Hey, would you happen to know a way onto a plane without papers or tickets? No? Didn’t think so.” Claus interrupted sarcastically. “Look, just leave us alone, please?”

 

The guard puts his hands up, shrugs, and walks away, as if simply surrendering to the situation.

 

Claus sighs. “How are we gonna get to Sokovia now?”

 

“Well, I say we steal an empty plane and fly there ourselves.”

 

“Lucas, no, that’s a terrible idea.” Chara says with Claus’s mouth.

 

“I just wanted to help…”

 

“Look, it’s charming, up to a point. But now. It’s just. Just sad.”

 

Claus blinks and takes back control.

 

“Anyway. Our best bet is probably to hide in the cargo bay of one of the planes.”

 

Lucas and Winter stare at Claus for a few seconds before nodding.

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

*Sure.

 

The three, though technically four of them, move deeper into the airport.

 


 

In the cargo loft of a plane, a light blue portal suddenly opens up from nothing.

 

Winter, Claus, and Lucas all stumble out of the portal.

 

They all collapse into various piles of luggage.

 

“Ugh. Good thing I got a good glance at the inside of the plane before the security arrested us. Hey, help me get these handcuffs off me, will ya?”

 

Winter sighed and effortlessly broke his handcuffs, moving on to take off Claus’s and Lucas’s.

 

“Honestly, why did the airport security have to manhandle us so hard? My arm hurts,” Claus complained.

 

“Shut up, Claus. At least you didn’t get hit with a baton.”



A massive castle sat in the distance. Sitting next to the city, the castle was mostly spire-less, consisting mostly of windowed walls.

 

And yet, for all that it looked so very inconspicuous, it was far more dangerous than anybody could have predicted.

 

And yet, the three were prepared.

 

Lucas held a long baseball bat in his hand, having bought one from the department store before leaving for Sokovia.

 

Winter gripped a pistol. What kind, neither of the kids knew.

 

As for Claus, he carefully handled a sharpened gardening knife in his hands. A very familiar knife.

 

The knife he had gotten from the Underground.

 

It was time.

Chapter 11: Escape

Summary:

In which team Floriel escapes the base, Ness in tow.

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜ 

Chapter 9: The Search


 

They all dove to the side the moment the bullets began to fly, right where they just were. Flint grinds his teeth as he lands unnaturally on his arm, but rolls over to be fully protected by the metal desk he finds himself behind.

 

He was joined by Toriel, who had to press against his side in order to fit behind the desk as well. The loud sound of bouncing bullets caused her to jolt, and the jarring movement caused his arm to ache.

 

"Well, this wasn't part of the plan!" Paula yells over the commotion, her hands up in an effort to prepare her PSI.

 

Even from half a room's distance away, Flint could tell she was falling to exhaustion, if her trembling hands were any indication. Ness, who had managed to hide with her, reached over and stopped whatever she was doing, whispering something Flint couldn't hear over the flurry of bullets.

 

"Of course it wasn't," Loki yelled sarcastically from the side. He and Frisk appeared to be ducking close to the floor by a set of metal cabinets, the two looking disgruntled at their position. "Is getting shot at ever in the plan?"

 

Ness gave a mirthless chuckle, hitting his head back on the wall. "Look, Paula, I love you, but if running out of PSI as you were rescuing me and praying to any deity out there as you left was your plan, it's terrible."

 

"Hey!" Paula whipped around, offended. "I have a bit of PSI left, but I was saving it for you! And besides, it wasn't my idea to let the guards just take us to you as opposed to drop kicking them at the spot!"

 

"Sorry, hold on-" Frisk yelled. "You didn't fight back on purpose?!"

 

As the family bickered, Flint peered anxiously at the men, who were still battering at their defenses with guns that kept getting reloaded, drawing closer and closer to their spots.

 

Desperately, he looked left and right for anything he could use, until his eyes landed on the fire extinguisher that was hooked to the wall.

 

Of course! That would work wonderfully as a distraction.

 

"Toriel," Flint hissed. "Toriel?"

 

She turned to him, frazzled, paws quaking close to her chest. 

 

"Yes, Flint?"

 

"See that fire extinguisher?" Flint pointed at the wall, careful to not let his hand peep over the top of the desk. "I'm going to run and grab it. Are you able to pose a distraction for the men over there?"

 

Toriel bit her lip, but nodded curtly. "I'll do my best."

 

"Alright, thank you. On my count…"

 

"Three."

 

"Two."

 

"One…"

 

"Go!"

 

Flint made a break for the extinguisher as Toriel stood up abruptly and waved her hands together, as if summoning something. Surprisingly, little bluebell flames erupted from thin air and rushed towards the men, the little embers setting their clothes on fire.

 

Certainly distracted, the guards quickly stopped shooting in order to put out the fire, and Flint made sure to not waste the opportunity. Sprinting as fast as he could, he grabbed the glass breaker, smashed it through the pane, and yanked the fire extinguisher out with a sudden surge of strength, feeling victorious.

 

But then, he heard a sudden loud gunshot noise, far too close to his ears.

 

White noise. Static. And then, burning hot pain.

 

Flint screamed as the hand he had gripped the fire extinguisher with dropped to his side, a clean bullet hole visible on his shoulder. Staggering back, he stumbled onto the ground as he saw the person who had shot him get engulfed by the flames, but not before several of the men stood back up, rage lit in their eyes and guns cocked directly at him, the only open target.

 

Ah.. is this it? Flint thought hazily, the blood loss beginning to hit him as he simply laid there, splayed on the floor. What a pathetic way to die…

 

"Damn right that's pathetic!" Paula hissed, popping out from her cover and leaping over the desk, hands spread wide. She opened her mouth, and a startlingly strong "Eat this, bastards!" erupted from her mouth as the guards turned solidly to ice.

 

Panting, they all hesitantly stood up from their spots, Flint laying on his side still as the pain flared up from any small movement.

 

"Flint! Flint are you okay-?" Toriel yelped, rushing over to his side. He groaned, not really wanting to respond because it meant moving, but he did for her sake.

 

"'M okay… hurts."

 

"Oh! Oh dear, well we need a medic! Paula, can you do that strange green glow you did to Ness?"

 

"Lifeup?" Paula asked, peeking over Toriel's shoulder and wincing. "No PSI left, fresh out. That Freeze was the last I had. Actually, we were planning on you having a bit of PSI, Ness."

 

Ness looked up, surprised. "Well the scientists were trying to extract my PSI to use in whatever their nefarious little plans are, but I can use one low level Lifeup. No guarantee that it'll be strong enough to patch up that bullet wound, but it can make it a bit better."

 

"Do it," Flint bit out. 

 

Shrugging, the man crouched by his side, Toriel shifting to the side in order to not interfere. From this angle, he couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was incredibly worried.

 

"Here we go," Ness mumbled, and that green light, (slightly blue,) draped around his hands, and they lowered onto his shoulder.

 

The pain spiked up again, and Flint was tempted to jerk his shoulder away from his grasp. But, knowing how important it was that he stayed still, he bit the inside of his cheek.

 

The hands moved against his shoulder roughly again, and he was now tempted to curse. If he was going to touch his shoulder, he might as well be gentle about it! But soon enough, the warm feeling began to seep in.

 

And god, it felt nice.

 

Like a blanket was being draped over him, the sweet satisfaction of feeling comfortable and not alone settled itself through his wound and into his soul.

 

But then, that link flickered.

 

And the pain jaggedly shot that illusion down.

 

Crying out, Flint jerked his shoulder away, and Ness cursed from beside him. Toriel caught him before he could hurt himself more, but he was already in burning hot agony .

 

"Ah shit, sorry Flint," Ness said sheepishly, averting his gaze when Flint glared at him hotly.

 

"I tried to push into the wound while using  Lifeup, so that the little dose would deal the maximum efficiency, but I guess my concentration… slipped?"

 

Toriel untied the bandana that was wrapped around his neck and offered it to him. He took it, knowing what to do, and he carefully , gently laid it against his shoulder, (Like Ness should have done.) Squeezing his eyes, he pressed it against the wound.

 

Gritting his teeth, he waited out the instinct to scream before soon enough, it got to a dull hum of just the pressure, and he was able to open his eyes. Toriel lifted a paw in an offer to tie it up, and Flint gratefully took it.

 

“Well, the scientists kept bringing me sugary food whenever I'd run out, so they definitely have some in the facilities," Ness said. "We'll need to grab some in order to get Paula enough PSI to teleport us all out of here, or else we're done for."

 

"Why not you, Ness?"

 

"Simply put, my physical exhaustion is great enough that it'll affect my psychic abilities, even if I'll get a bit to eat. You saw what happened with Flint and my healing. Compared to Paula's lowest Lifeup, mine was just pathetic. Imagine me teleporting you all out, and a couple of fingers get left behind."

 

Loki and Frisk wrinkle their noses, and Flint finds it in himself to chuckle.

 

So they were doomed until they got more sugary food. Fair enough.

 

Flint shifted in an attempt to stand, and with the help of Toriel, staggered upright. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

 

The six of them ran down the halls, searching for an area that supposedly qualified as a 'kitchen.' Frisk, having picked up a particularly long pole in the room Ness was captured in, whacked the men in the face as Loki drew them over, his trickery fooling even Flint momentarily as he swatted at thin air.

 

Toriel used the flames Flint saw before, although it was used rather sparingly. It seemed like she was hesitant on harming the men, even though they had literally tried to kill them all, but it was honorable to an extent on her part.

 

Ness was bashing at the men with a pole similar to the one Frisk was using, though he swung his like it was a baseball bat. Paula had grabbed a gun, and though her aim wasn't always perfect, she always finished her hit by bashing the barrel against their skull.

 

Flint felt a little useless, leaning against the wall and trying not to be shot at, but overall, they seemed to be doing alright. 

 

As the horde cleared out and they moved on, the alarm blared loudly from every corner of the building. More men began to intercept them, and even mister-brute-force Flint knew they couldn't just push through like they were powerhouses. They'd run out of energy eventually, and from the looks of it, they were getting closer to that cap.

 

Though, something caught his eye. 

 

A man dug into his pocket and drew out a round, green orb and flicked out a pin, chucking it towards the middle of the room. Cowardly, he scrambled away as the rest of the room continued to fight.

 

Ah.

 

Time to make himself useful.

 

"Dive! Grenade!" Flint yelled over the commotion, and while some soldiers looked around, puzzled, perhaps thinking it was a trick, all five of them dove to the side, just as the little thing made an astonishing Boom.

 

White briefly flashed at the back of his eyelids and soon enough, the ringing noise began. The sound of the hallway collapsing behind him was apparent, and he was glad he didn't get caught under the heavy stone.

 

Opening his eyes once the white faded away, he looked around, but his vision was obscured by the thick dust and falling rubble. Hissing as he accidentally inhaled some, he brought his shirt to his mouth and moved around, careful to avoid tripping.

 

"Toriel?" He called out. "Ness? Paula? Frisk? Loki?"

 

Nobody responded.

 

Concerned, he called out once again, but was met by the strange silence.

 

Until he heard it.

 

It was faint, obscured, and he ran closer to the source of the noise. Soon enough, Flint found himself standing before a large pillar that had been knocked over, and beneath it…

 

Toriel was struggling to pull her leg out from where the heavy column had trapped it, huffing in frustration with every tug that didn't free it. Relieved that she was alive, yet also amused at the circumstance, Flint rushed over to help her pull it out.

 

With enough struggling and no words exchanged, Toriel's foot came out with some difficulty, and she hobbled upright. 

 

"You alright?" Flint asked off the bat.

 

"Yes- yes I am fine, thank you. How about you?" 

 

"Better." And it was true. His shoulder, while it still hurt, didn't make him want to writhe with agony every time he moved. 

 

"Good." Toriel nodded. "Shall we go find the others?"

 

"Flint! Toriel! Are you two alright?" 

 

Flint blinked, startled at hearing Frisk's voice in his head, before remembering the telepathic link. It seemed Toriel was also caught off guard, though she recovered a bit faster than he did.

 

"We are fine, child. Where are you?" Toriel called out through the link.

 

"Uhh… I think we're by the part of the hall that collapsed in half… the midsection of the area."

 

Flint frowned. When he dove, he was right next to the middle area of the hall. While he was lucky enough not to get caught by the falling stone, he thinks he would have known if Frisk or any of the others besides Toriel was by the fallen middle area. 

 

Looking over the area proved his point again, for there was nobody there besides maybe a few fallen soldiers, who had gotten the worst of the blast.

 

"I think you're on the other side of the wall, kid." Flint thought.

 

"Ah. That's unfortunate." Loki's slick voice was heard. "Then, from the looks of it, it's me, Frisk, Paula, and Ness on this side, while you and Toriel are on the other."

 

"Does that mean you've found Ness and Paula?"

 

"We're a bit injured-" Ness said. "But we'll be alright."

 

"Should we try to find a way to you?" 

 

"That would be for the best," Paula's voice sounded. "We can regroup in a bit, though, I think I hear some soldiers coming."

 

"Ah- meet up in the forest just outside the facilities! Keep in touch through the li-"

 

Frisk's voice cut off abruptly.

 

"We should get going," Toriel said gravely, arms covering a part of her side. A bit suspicious... 

 

Flint was about to ask, but he, too, heard the noise of soldiers approaching.

 

"Agreed." And, gripping her paw tightly in his, they sprinted out of the hallway and deeper in the facility.

 


 

They were beginning to get worn down.

 

Toriel knew this, and yet she continued to overexert her magic, determined to protect both herself and Flint long enough to escape this ungodly prison.

 

But…

 

The building was a maze.

 

There may have been a map in the front of the building, but there wasn’t one now, and the signs that all pointed in different directions yet leading to a completely different place entirely was both dizzying and disheartening as the two of them continued to tread deeper into the labyrinth.

 

Soon enough, the next batch of soldiers arrived from around the corner, and in a sudden rush of impatience, Toriel thrust her paws forward to assault them all with a line of her magic fire, the men knocked to the floor from the force.

 

She felt her own ears pop as she lowered her paws and panted heavily. Toriel groaned, dropping to her knees, and retched emptily. The magical exhaustion seemed to be getting so bad that it was affecting not only her magical core, but also herself, and if she continued to use more she might actually dust away.

 

“Are you alright?” Flint asked, concerned. He looked tired, and for a man shot in the shoulder forced to use his arms to attack the men, being only tired seemed like an achievement. 

 

“I- I’ll be fi-” But she retched again at the floor, her stomach crawling with discomfort and pain. Nauseated, she tried in vain to push herself upright, tumbling back to the ground after a few failed tries.

 

Flint, the kind man he is, helped her up himself, shouldering her weight as they both hobbled down the hallway. Hoping to whatever God that existed out there that soldiers wouldn’t suddenly burst out of nowhere and gun them both down, for they were as helpless as deer on the highway. 

 

And she knew that she was dead weight now. She couldn’t fire off more magic, and Flint’s arm was likely killing him with how much he was using it. They were done for, with no allies in the near vicinity and death potentially looming around the corner.

 

Oh how she felt awful for the monsters and humans experimented here. They wouldn’t be able to escape, and with these men blasting at anything that moved they were likely to die, alone, in the building. Even the sign that led to the monster experiments looked lonely, sitting on the wall with various scratches on the edges, looking as if-

 

Wait.

 

She blinked, looking closer at the battered sign. MONSTER DEPARTMENT was written in bold letters, and right next to it...

 

“Flint…” Toriel coughed. “Flint, can you hear me?”

 

He grunted in response.

 

“This may be a ridiculous idea, but what if we went and rescued the monsters? Right now?”

 

He was silent for a few moments, stopping in their hobbling down the hallway as he squinted at her. “How will we do that? It’s likely they’ll have guards protecting the cells, and if they don’t, how will we know that they won’t attack us?”

 

“Monsters are empathetic individuals,” Toriel argued, dragging Flint to the door despite her state. Oddly enough, Flint let her. “Even under dire circumstances, I’m certain that they’ll be able to realize that we’re here to help.”

 

They were now in front of the metal doors. Sighing, as if not liking it, Flint readied the barrel of the gun at the door. “I hope you’re right.”

 

After several attempts to break open the lock, they finally burst through with some effort from both Flint and Toriel. The room was dark, dimly lit even with the lights on, and various empty cells were visible from the start of the area. It was quiet, eerily so, and the two treaded lightly as their footsteps caused loud creaking noises that made Toriel flinch. It seemed as if the men had left this room unattended in order to attend their break in for Ness, for there were no signs of guards anywhere at the moment.

 

But soon enough, they heard a voice.

 

“Hello…?”

 

Turning to the side, Toriel’s eyes almost popped out of her head as she saw what could have been a monster, but was just an amalgamation of bits and pieces. The Froggit, (or what she assumed was one,) hopped close to the bars of the cell, their eyes gaunt and mouth permanently dropped open.

 

Flint sucked in sharply next to her as she looked around, more destroyed looking monsters appearing at the bars. Looxes, Vulkins, Whimsuns, Woshuas, even Temmies were caged up, each holding their own sort of injuries and decay. They made odd moaning sounds, some able to form coherent words and sentences like the Froggit, though most seemed like their bodies were crying , weeping for some sort of escape.

 

“What happened to you all…?” Toriel whispered in horror, letting Flint let go of her in order to split up and free the prisoners. “What kind of sick… sick things would these disgusting scientists want to do to you?” She struggled with the lock on the bars until she merely decided to punch it, and despite doubling over from the stress it put on her body it was decidedly worth it as the thing fell off, letting the Froggit finally hop out of its cage.

 

“Thank you,” it croaked. Flint looked over, uncertain, but continued to shift behind her.

 

“We were used for experiments.” The Froggit said. “Tested for something. We were never told what it was, but it would be different sometimes. It would sometimes make us go mad. Some of us melt. Some of us dust immediately from the pain.” A few other experimented monsters joined them as Flint unlocked the cages one by one, and as far as Toriel could see it, there were so many trapped monsters.

 

“We were captured in the open. I was one of the more recent captives, which is why I’m still able to talk to you, though with some difficulty. The ones who have been here the longest have either dusted away or have lost most of their bodily functions.” The most indecipherable monsters raised a limb of some sort, perhaps to call to their presence. Toriel felt disgust at the men who decided that this was okay.

 

“Were you- were you all unable to escape?” Toriel asked tentatively, watching as Flint unlocked the last of the cells. An Aaron crawled out on their arms, looking so thin that it seemed one good hit would cause him to disintegrate into ashes.

 

“No. When they brought me in, the first thing they did was make sure we couldn’t use our magic.” The Froggit tilted their head, which hosted a fair number of scars and one large chip implanted at the back of their neck. “There was never a moment where we didn’t want to escape. We would dream, talk sometimes about the sun. Some of us forgot what that was. Some of us didn’t. It was nice, at least until they started to beat us up for talking.”

 

Rage built up in her stomach. How could they? These monsters were just helpless, living their lives normally, and these… these men decided it was okay to experiment on them? It was much more fitting to label the people associated with this monster experimentation zone as ‘Monsters,’ truly heartless in their strive for what? A weapon?

 

“Toriel…” Flint said quietly from beside her. Toriel suddenly let go of the tension in her fist, not realizing that she had been clenching her teeth so hard that she was practically trembling with anger. “We have to go. Now. The men are going to come back, and we’re not going to get anywhere sitting here.”

 

She sighed. “Okay. Monsters, all of you in here, follow us. We’re going to get you out of here, one way or another, and I promise you. These men… these sadists will get the end they deserve.” And with that, she gripped Flint’s hand tightly, her own magical and physical exhaustion overtaken by something new… something she isn’t sure she hasn’t felt before, but something not entirely recognizable. 

 

She was filled with Determination.

 

They ran, all of them ran, straight for the exit that was suddenly clear to them, at least with the help of the monsters. Several Whisums that were still able to fly rushed ahead, their shyness overcome with the rush of freedom, returning back to their running group to guide them to the next area. The dogs in their pack sniffed out any approaching men, and they quickly avoided them by taking a different hallway. But in the chance that they’d run into them head on, they all quickly overtook them with their sheer quantity. 

 

Toriel grinned as the entrance came closer and closer, the outside so close to their grasp.

 

These monsters being free, far away from these experimenters so close to their grasp.

 

And with a surging feeling of victory, they burst out of the doors.

 

Only to be greeted with guns cocked at their faces.

 

“Stand down!” A man said from atop a car. “I said stand down!”

 

Slowly, they all raised their hands, and what amount of confidence that had aided them outside was gone, replaced with hopelessness.

 

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. How long had these monsters had to wait, wait for a moment of sunshine to land on their shoulders? What pains did they have to gain, what would they need to do in order to be free again? What kind of favoritism was fate playing today? 

 

“Gather the subjects up,” A man in a white lab coat said, mouth curling with disgust. “Make sure they’re firmly locked, I don’t want it to touch me while we’re carting them back to the cells.”

 

Rage boiled hot in her gut as Toriel snarled. Flint seemed surprised at the noise, turning to her with his eyes wide, but she didn’t care.

 

They wouldn’t play fair? So be it.

 

“Monsters!” She exclaimed, loudly. The men aimed at Toriel, but the man in the coat raised his hand, stopping them from shooting. “I don’t know what you’ve been through. I don’t know the pain these vermin put you through, I don’t know what happened in your time at this filthy institution. But one thing I do know is this- you deserve freedom. You deserve every ounce of daylight in this world. And if these imbeciles can’t recognize that you’re all individuals with your own minds and bodies, with your own SOULS, then they’re the ‘Monsters.’” 

 

She pointedly turned to the man in the coat, who looked disinterested and bored. “You especially, have no idea what they have gone through. You have no right to use them as you please, no right to simply throw them around like a doll and discard them.”

 

“I’ve had enough of your prattle, goat.” The scientist spat. “You’ve bored me long enough. Men! Fire at will. I’ll simply pick up more, less damaged subjects later.”

 

And the back of the scientist’s head was blasted.

 

Loki burst from the trees, two loaded guns aimed at the men in his hands. He began to rapid fire, every shot landing precisely through the soldiers’ heads, no bullet wasted. Paula leaped over from the side, a massive strike of lightning erupting from her hands at the men, electrifying them. Ness appeared from beside her, taking down enemies that attempted to shoot at either of them with controlled bursts of bright purple circular sparks. As the army was distracted by those three, Frisk appeared from behind. 

 

“Nice speech there, Toriel,” they complimented, patting her on the shoulder. Toriel blinked, but nodded slowly.

 

“Thank you. But we must flee- how did Paula and Ness regain their psychic abilities?”

 

“We found the storeroom filled with sugary food. It was a bit of a struggle to get in, but after we got all the materials, it was easy enough to blast through the enemies. Anyways, how are you? I see you’ve gathered up a fair sum of allies.” Frisk waved a hello to a monster, who hesitantly waved back.

 

“We are alright.” Toriel said. Her magical and physical exhaustion was still an issue, but as long as she didn’t need to use her magic again any time soon, she’d hopefully be fine. Flint didn’t seem to be all that injured either other than his shoulder, but the ones who Toriel was most concerned about were the monsters. “Speaking of, is it possible for us to transport these monsters out of here too?”

 

Frisk hesitated. Toriel’s hope faded as they fidgeted nervously, their hand rubbing the back of their head. “I… don’t think so. Unfortunately, there’s way too many monsters here, and I don’t think Paula and Ness combined will be able to transport like- fifty monsters plus us.”

 

Toriel wanted to protest, but sighed, knowing that answer was coming. But the Froggit from before hopped up to her side and pulled at her hand, causing her to look down.

 

“You don’t need to worry about us. Thanks to you getting us out of there in the first place, as long as we can make it to the treeline we’ll be able to make it out of here. We can find our way to civilization and maybe even find an area with monsters in them.”

 

“A-are you sure?” Toriel asked hesitantly.

 

“Certain. Right guys?” The group behind the Froggit all made the same noise or cheer in unison, agreeing with the little monster’s proclamation. Relieved that they wouldn’t be leaving them behind, and glad that they were all now really and truly free, Toriel smiled.

 

“I’m glad. Take care, all of you. Please. Stay safe.”

 

Moving together, the monsters all broke for the trees, weaving through the thick trunks until soon enough, they were all gone except for the Froggit.

 

“Thank you.” They said sincerely.

 

And they bounded away.

 

“As touching as that was, Toriel, Flint,” Loki called from above. He landed by them smoothly, shooting a man in the head without looking up. Paula and Ness ran up to them, firing off a few more shots before grabbing each other's hands. “We needed to leave, like, yesterday . We have Ness, the monsters are free, and we’ve got PSI. Let’s move!”

 

And as Paula raised the portal, all of them running through like their life likely depended on it, Toriel felt the rush of victory pump through her blood.

 

Toriel hated feeling trapped.

 

And she was glad the monsters would hopefully never get to be trapped again, never get to be chained down.

 

Chapter 12: The Second Base

Summary:

In which a base is snuck into and a staff is stolen.

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 11: The Second Base


 

The HYDRA facility was massive- far larger than the previous one. Likely due to being above the ground instead of under, but that didn’t make its immense size any less jaw dropping.

 

Led by Winter, the trio walked towards the massive building in the distance. The darkness of night had fallen upon the forest not long ago, and the three crept through the woods, looking for a reliable potential exit.

 

Winter pointed towards one of the towers. “There should be snipers in those towers. We need to make sure we go unseen.”

 

Lucas frowned. “How are we supposed to fight snipers?

 

“We don’t. Were you listening to me?”

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“Just follow my lead.”

 

And Winter began to creep forwards. Lucas sighed, but reluctantly followed. Claus was not far behind.

 

Lucas gripped his baseball bat tightly. It was aluminum, and would definitely pack a punch. He had wanted to go for the wooden one- it felt much more comfortable in his hand. But the aluminum one had more Offense, and when fighting dozens upon dozens of agents, one had to be efficient.

 

Winter said that they had to make sure the plan went flawlessly, so despite his protests, he had him drop the wood bat and swiftly paid for the aluminum one. He hadn’t even held the thing in his hands before they were both out of the store, and Winter had passed it to him then.

 

He huffed, and continued creeping through the forest.

 

“I’ve infiltrated places like this before. These woods stretch over to that wall there, see? If we can get over there, we can break down the wall to get in.”

 

Claus nodded. Lucas frowned.

 

“But how do we break down the wall without alerting anyone? Maybe Chara could just… Unlock a door from the other side, if there is one?”

 

Winter blinked. “Well, I suppose they could…” Winter shook his head. “Alright, we’ll try that. But if there isn’t a door we’re going with my plan.”

 

“Okay.”

 

And so, the three crept through the blind spots created by the trees and the shadows, getting closer and closer to HYDRA’s base. Soon enough, they reached the wall. And, conveniently enough, there was a door.

 

“...Hmph. I guess you were right.” Winter said begrudgingly. “Chara, you’re up.” 

 

Lucas frowned. Why was Winter such a… jerk, to him, sometimes? He’d use a harsher word if he didn’t know Claus respected the guy to some level, but still. It was getting rather off putting. 

 

Well, it didn’t matter. The door opened, revealing a smirking Chara.

 

“Hello, everybody. Nice weather we’re having, eh?”

 

“It’s absolutely freezing out here.”

 

“...It was a joke, Lucas.”

 

His skin felt prickly. He didn’t feel right.

 

“Sorry...”

 

And the trio followed Chara into the base.

 


 

As the three crouched behind a bunch of miscellaneous boxes labelled ‘guns’ and ‘grenades,’  they watched a quartet of guards walk by them.

 

Winter had his hand up in a ‘stop’ gesture, and the twins waited.

 

 

 

“Now,” Chara whispered.

 

And the trio leapt over the boxes. Winter instantly clocked one in the skull, knocking him unconscious.

 

Claus, making sure to stay quiet, stabbed his dagger into the throat of the second guard. The guard choked on his own blood as Claus looked away with his eyes shut, not wanting to witness the death he had caused.

 

And Lucas SMAAAAASHED his baseball bat into the legs of guard number three, tripping him, before pressing two fingers to his forehead and casting PSI Hypnosis β, which he had learned from Claus.

 

SLEEP, he forced into the man’s mind as hard as he could- and so the man slept.

 

Winter turned towards the fourth guard, who had barely raised his gun, and got her in a chokehold. He held fast- But the guard wouldn’t stop struggling- She was about to shout-

 

Winter snapped her neck.

 

He watched as the lifeless body tumbled to the ground.

 

 

 

He turned towards the twins. “We should hide these bodies.”

 

He glanced at Lucas’s guard, who was snoring peacefully, before leaning over and raising a foot, ready to crunch their neck under his foot-

 

“What- No! Stop!” Lucas shout-whispered.

 

Winter glanced up from where he had been about to break the guard’s neck. “Don’t tell me you want to spare them.”


“Yes. I do.”

 

“...I don’t care.”

 

And Lucas watched on in horror as Winter snapped another neck.

 

 

He began to hide the bodies, not a drop of blood on him. Mutely, Lucas stared.

 


 

The inside of the base was even more shadowed than the outside. The halls were built with stone, and the oppressive dark was terrible.

 

They would have been unable to see, if it weren’t for Lucas holding a ball of PSI Flash in his hand to light up the area.

 

“Good thinking on that light,” Claus said quietly as he peeked around another corner.

 

A guard. Claus pointed down the hall.

 

Winter followed Claus’s signal, turning the corner and firing once. The guard fell instantly, a hole in his skull.

 

Lucas ran around the corner, but stopped when he saw the guard was already dead.

 

He sighed.

 

“Winter...”

 

Winter just harrumphed and moved onwards.

 

The three reached a double door. Winter peeked through one of the windows.

 

He watched for a few seconds, before turning around.

 

“Five guys in there. Small space, so guns won’t work well, though I think there’s a balcony where they could shoot from. Looks like there are two more up there.”

 

Lucas and Claus nodded.

 

Winter raised his pistol. “Here’s the plan. I’ll shoot the men on the balcony. Lucas, shield us. Claus, use your… shapes… to attack the guys on the ground.”

 

“It’s called PSI Karma.”

 

“Right. Now, go.”

 

The three of them slammed the door open. Lucas raised a shield- Winter opened fire- One kill, three misses- Claus threw out Karma Ω- instantly killed the closer men- downed the rest, but gave Claus a major headache- And, suddenly, Lucas’s shield was hit by a spray of bullets.

 

He flinched and grimaced, but the shield held until Winter could shoot the attacker.

 

The shield dropped as the kids and Winter looked at the carnage they had wrought in seconds.

 

 

“... Huh. What… even is Karma?” Winter asked.

 

“Karma is the pure form of Justice. I’m guessing that everybody here had about two to three LOVE. That likely means that these guys were experienced, meaning they were guarding something important.”

 

The three glanced around the room. Just some computers and such.

 

 

“This can’t be it,” Winter muttered. It just couldn’t! A place with this much security had to be important.

 

 

“Look around the room. There has to be something here.”

 

“Says who?” Lucas muttered, even as he began to search.

 

The trio checked under the computers, in corners and even the walls, until…

 

Lucas was tracing his hand along the wall- fingernails tapping gently against it- when he heard something odd.

 

In an area of the wall, the sound of his hand was… Slightly different.

 

He knocked on the wall.

 

Knock. Knock.

 

Then on the weird wall.

 

Thump. Thump.

 

Was it… A secret door? How cliche.

 

So, Lucas pushed…

 

And the door opened.

 

Lucas turned around. “Hey, guys! I found something.”

 

The trio moved forward and saw the door.

 

“Nice going, Lucas! I probably wouldn’t have found that.” Claus spoke with a smile.

 

“...Hmm.” Winter said quietly.

 

Lucas frowned at Winter, uncertain. Turning, he departed into the secret area.

 


 

After descending a flight of stairs, the trio entered a large chamber. Hanging in the middle of the room was a massive… Whale-looking thing. The walls of the room were lined with what looked to be alien technology, and in the very center of the room was a three-pronged pedestal with a staff sitting on it.

 

A staff with a single, glowing gem sitting at its head.

 

Claus watched as Winter stepped forward and reached out with his metal hand.

 

But. He hesitated.

 

“There should be security measures. Like an alarm. 24/7 security.”

 

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Claus spoke impatiently. “Just grab the stupid thing so we can get out of here.”

 

 

Winter grabbed the staff.

 

Immediately, alarms sounded. Loud blaring noises, all across the room, and likely around the base.

 

“Shit! I told you!”

 

“Yeah, now I can just teleport us out. Cool.”

 

Claus turned around, snapped his fingers, and opened a portal. They began to step through, but, suddenly-

 

The portal flashed red and closed.

 

Claus stopped. “What the fuck?”

 

He tried to open another portal, and it did open- Only for a few seconds, before the red flash happened again and the portal closed. Again.

 

“What is going on...?”

 

And then, suddenly-

 

“Having trouble?” Came a voice from up where the trio had come from.

 

They all spun around to see a 13-year-old girl, wearing a dark red coat, a black shirt, a pair of jeans, and brown leather boots. An innocent smile was in place on her face. All in all, she didn’t cut a very threatening picture. However, looks could be deceiving, which Claus knew firsthand.

 

And this girl was powerful. She had no PSI, yet Claus could still feel her power emanating from her- practically see it.

 

It felt a lot like a certain staff that Winter held in his hands.

 

Claus grimaced and looked over at Lucas. He was frowning. Seemed he noticed as well. 

 

If she really was as powerful as she felt she was, then this would be a tough battle.

 

“It seems you’ve fallen for our trap,” the girl said slowly. She had a heavy Sokovian accent, tilting her head ever so slightly to the left. “You know, me and my brother were supposed to track you down and bring you back in. But you’ve done all the work for us.”

 

And then, suddenly, a sliver blur appears for half a second and strikes Winter in the back. He falls over with a grunt, dropping the staff. The silver blur races back into the darkness.

 

The staff rolls across the ground, stone flashing.

 

It glows red, and slowly floats through the air and into the Scarlet girl’s hands.

 

That power didn’t feel like any PSI I’ve seen, Claus thought to himself. Then again, she doesn’t feel like a psychic at all.

 

The girl takes a look at the staff.

 

“Foolish of you to turn up here, right in the middle of enemy grounds,” the Sokovian says cockily. She had a smile that would fit a youthful little girl receiving a lollipop rather than a slightly insane girl with magical red powers. “I expected more from you. After all, HYDRA specifically sent us to deal with you. Surely, you were meant to put up more of a fight- or, I suppose, a challenge. But if you’re just going to walk right into us, then we’ll have to take the free-”

 

“Shut up.” Chara suddenly spoke out, using Claus’s body. “What is this. What are you doing.”

 

The girl, thrown off, blinked harshly.

 

“...Um. It’s… My monologue?”

 

“... Flowey was more threatening than you.”

 

“...Who?”

 

“He’s a flower monster w- I know. Look, just stay out of our way and-”

 

“Sorry, but I’m afraid we can’t do that,” The girl suddenly starts up again, once again over-exaggerating her speech. “I don’t think you’re aware that you have a date- A date with destiny!” She says dramatically as she throws her hands into the air, glowing with scarlet energy.

 

Claus just sighs and glances over at Lucas. He just looks incredibly confused.

 

He looks over at Winter, who is watching bewilderedly from the ground.

 

He turns back towards the girl, this time talking for himself. “Can I at least know your name so the authors don’t have to keep writing ‘The Girl’ over and over again?”

 

“...Oh.” She lowered her arms. “Yes, my name is Wanda. But I don’t want to know yours.”

 

“Well, screw you, my name is Claus.”

 

And Claus rushes towards Wanda, only to suddenly stop when the silver blur appears in front of him, suddenly transforming into a boy with silver hair, a gray and black tracksuit, and fancy-schmancy white light-up sneakers. Claus was slightly jealous. Slightly. 

 

“Hey,” he says simply. “Don’t touch my little sister.”

 

"We're twins, actually." Wanda opposed.

 

Then, suddenly, the four of them all heard a chuckle from nearby.

 

“‘Nother pair of twins, huh?” Winter says from his spot on the floor.

 

And then, in a flash, he’s up from the ground, swinging his fist towards Silver-boy’s face, and before he can react, it slams into the boy’s face, throwing him backwards a good solid ten feet before hitting the wall.

 

“PIETRO!” Wanda shouts from her perch on the wall. 

 

She leaps downward and slows her descent with her power, landing solidly on the ground with a huff. She holds her hands out, glowing with scarlet power, and throws them forward, a red projectile hitting Winter to the side before he can block her.

 

She runs forward, helps Pietro up, and turns back towards the trio. That strange red magic coated her fists, and she looked at them menacingly. Pietro cracks his neck, and glowers at them as well.

 

*Wanda and Pietro block your path!

 

Chapter 13: Battle! With the Twins

Summary:

In which a battle is had. Both psychically and mentally.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 12: Wanda and Pietro


 

For a good while, the five of them stare each other down. Wanda and Pietro on one side, and Claus, the blonde boy, and the Winter Soldier on the other.

 

 

 

 

Pietro, predictably, made the first move. He dashed forwards, and socked Claus right in the face, causing him to fall onto his back.

 

Wanda seconded, casting Scarlet Bolt II at the blonde boy, who raised a glowing orange shield. The attack dissipated, leaving the boy looking oddly confused.

 

But the Soldier, having not been attacked, raised his gun to fire on Wanda, only for the shot to go wide when her brother slammed into his side as hard as he could.

 

Wanda smiled a little, but quickly closed her face off again.

 

Pietro attacked the Soldier again, and again, and again, repeatedly forcing him back. Even though they were relatively weak, there were many attacks in a very short amount of time.

 

Wanda turned her attention back to the boys, only to get whacked in the face with a baseball bat.

 

-̵͎̜͊̍1̸̢̡̢͕̲̹͕̝̞̇͗̒̔́͑͒̾͑̿̑͝3̷̳̉͊͊̾̈́̒̚6̶͙̞͉͖̬͚̞͇̬̲͍̣͔̞͝

 

What? What the heck was that number? It seemed to be coming from the orange boy’s- Claus’s- mind, but it didn’t sound like him.

 

Wanda hit the ground in a roll, getting up quickly. Though she was still inexperienced in real battle, she had much training at the hands of HYDRA.

 

Wanda shrugged it off. She could figure the number out later. She threw her hands out and cast Scarlet Bolt II again, but this time closer to the blonde boy. He was thrown off his feet, landing in a heap about 5 feet away. But then, suddenly, the boy- Claus- came at her with a knife!?

 

Wanda barely managed to dodge backwards, and-

 

M̷̨̛̮͇̤͎̝͍̹̝͈̲̗̘̔̅̒̀̌̊͂͊ͅI̵̬̤̘͌̈̄̔̊͗̄̈́̓͘͘ͅS̴̛̭̥̲̼̱̠̦̈́̀̊̓̓͋̃͛̓̐̔̋͗̅S̴͔͚̜͙̺͎̊̿̓̍́͌͝ͅ

 

What the heck is that!?

 

Panicking, she punched him in the face as hard as she could. Which, considering everything, was not that hard.

 

Still, he stumbled back from the shock of it, losing his grip on his knife.

 

Wanda scrambled downwards, grabbed the knife, and-

 

Abandoned Lost Woman Hole Underground King Queen Prince Asriel ASRIEL ASRIEL

 

-And had a hundred flashes of memory through her power. Whoever had owned this knife before Claus clearly had an unhealthy obsession with this ‘Asriel’ person.

 

Wanda gripped the knife tighter, pointing it in Claus’s direction. Claus raised an eyebrow, but didn’t move.

 

… It was a stand-off. For a while the two just stood there, waiting for the other to move.

 

Claus’s eyes moved to something behind Wanda, and Wanda suddenly remembered that she was fighting two people, not one.

 

WHAM.

 

Wanda laid sprawled out against the floor for a few seconds. It was hard not to- She had just been decked in the back of the head by a baseball bat, held by a kid with one hell of a swing.

 

She groaned, rolled over, and moved into a sitting position. She looked up at the 10-year-olds that were standing before her. Why hadn’t they pressed their advantage?

 

Claus raised his now-recovered knife. “Are you done yet?”

 

In answer, Wands quickly rolled backwards, stood up, flicked her wrists, and made her hands glow.

 

Claus just sighed and turned towards his blonde friend. “She’s really overdramatic, isn’t she?”

 

Blonde boy just nodded solemnly. Wanda flustered angrily. She was not overdramatic! She was just the right amount of dramatic, thank you very much!

 

...Right?

 

And then, suddenly, there was a loud shout from nearby. Wanda turned her head away from her opponents to see the Winter Soldier bearing down on Pietro, who was scrambling backwards on all fours. She could see his power was struggling to activate- He kept on flickering silver every second or so. 

 

“PIETRO!!” Wanda shouted again, as she dashed forwards- But she tripped because the whole world tilted to the side and oh god she probably had a concussion , but she had to move move move or else Pietro would die-!

 

The Soldier raised his foot and slammed it into Pietro’s face. Wanda struggled to stand and fell over.

 

The Soldier’s normal fist hit Pietro’s stomach. Wanda reached out blindly. Somebody’s- Likely Claus’s- foot was pressing down on her back.

 

The Soldier slammed his foot down on Pietro’s leg. A loud crunch sounded throughout the room. Wanda and Pietro simultaneously screamed.

 

The Soldier took a long look at Pietro’s beaten and bloody body. He raised his metal arm, ready to punch Pietro in the face, likely to kill him.

 

The fist began to fall.

 

It looked to be in slow motion, as Wanda gaped and watched helplessly.

 

And suddenly, the blonde boy appeared between the pair of them, arms crossed, shield glowing.

 

The fist struck. The shield reflected the blow.

 

-̶̧̝͈͕̗̮̬͖̻̭̺̾͜5̵̢͚̣͕̥̭̒̔8̶̡̧͓͕̖̤̠̳̘̘̦͓̾̃̃͗̉̈́̀̎̊̈́2̴̧͙͉͔̰͙̭͈̖̟̬͇͋

 

The Soldier was sent stumbling backwards. As he got back into a proper standing position, he stared the blonde boy in the face with an almost... predatory gaze. It wasn’t even directed at Wanda, but she was absolutely terrified.

 

The blonde boy flinched, but didn’t move otherwise, bat outstretched in front of himself.

 

For a while, the two of them just stared each other down. Wanda felt like she was watching one of those nature shows back home-

 

Don’t think about home. Home is gone.

 

Wanda pursed her lips as she watched the wordless battle between the child and the Soldier.

 

 

 

 

Eventually, the Soldier lowered his gaze. He turned and walked away.

 

Somehow, the blonde boy had won.

 

… In the back of her mind, Wanda registered that Claus had taken his foot off of her back.

 

She blinked. Oh. She was free.

 

Rushing to stand, she dashed towards Pietro, and cradled him in her arms.

Still breathing, thank god, but it was shallow and hoarse. His lungs were probably damaged.

 

She looked up at the Soldier, who was staring at her with an emotionless gaze.

 

She pursed her lips. Was he going to finish the job?

 

He turned around and stepped through a blue portal that had just appeared.

 

And Wanda was left alone with her brother.

 


 

Back at the dingy room they called home, the heroes of the day entered slowly. 

 

The only one who looked relatively happy was Winter, with his eyes sharp and slightly loose posture. Their success was hard-fought, and the Soldier felt satisfaction at the mission well done. It felt good to not be punished for others' mistakes and failures. Freely, but hesitantly, Winter walked over to the small cabinet stacked with towels to go and wash off. His clothes were slathered in blood and the stench was doing nothing but putting a damper on his high spirits. Taking the stolen plain white shirt and black cargo pants, Winter left the twins to converse among themselves, while he took a shower. 

 

After watching Winter disappear into the bathroom and hearing the water turn on, Claus went to sit on the edge of the bed. He was careful not to get the clean sheets dirty, for they would need new ones. Compared to himself and Winter, Lucas was covered in comparatively less blood.

 

Letting out a deep sigh, Claus fell backwards onto the bed, with a quiet thump. His aching muscles found relief, as the mattress molded to his body. Looking over the day, Claus felt… disconnected in a way. 

 

While he was happy that they had gotten the scepter, the way they had gotten it in the first place was what bothered him. It wasn’t necessarily the carnage- no. It was more the fact that they had attacked and been attacked by people their own age. The girl- Wanda and her brother, Peter? No... It had more of a rolled pronunciation. 

 

Petero? Not that either. That was nowhere close. 

 

Pietro!   

 

There it was! The carnage didn’t disturb Claus, he had seen too much for it to have that power over him. It was the reality of what had just happened. The twins had not only attacked them, but seemed like they had wanted to. But that wasn’t the only thing that was eating away at Claus’s mind.

 

It wasn’t HYDRA. Rather, it was the man he was trusting his life with. Winter was peculiar. On one hand, he seemed like someone who was entirely alone in this world and needed someone to make him feel loved. But on the other hand, his actions made him seem ruthless, so unlike the Winter Claus had first thought he was. But then again, it made sense. The world was ruthless and Winter was a person who had been through some deep shit. Claus could see it in his eyes and in the way he walked. It was almost as if he was isolated from the world around him, and was only pulled back into reality because of fear. 

 

But the fear of what… Claus didn’t know. 

 

The only thing he could do was hope he trusted the right man. He didn’t need more on his already heavy conscience. 

 


 

While Claus was lost in his own thoughts, Lucas was attempting to calm his simmering rage. He felt ambivalent, torn between joy and anger. Currently, he was leaning more towards the latter.

 

They had gotten the specter. He was happy about that, for they were one step closer to their mission. But at what cost? 

 

Lucas wasn’t necessarily afraid of killing. He just didn’t want someone’s blood on his hands, or someone else’s for that matter. He wasn’t “God,” and didn’t want that power in his hands. 

 

What had happened today, shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Lucas understood that sometimes hurting people was inevitable. But that didn’t mean that killing them was necessary. 

 

Slowly pacing around the room, Lucas’s anger bubbled. 

 

Winter had completely disregarded his pleas to show a bit of mercy numerous times, never once caring about his actions. It had almost come to the point where he had nearly killed the boy - Pietro. 

 

Lucas knew what pain felt like, and he also knew how it felt when someone you were close to was hurt. He had seen and felt it many times, with Claus. Every time his breath stopped, and his eyes fluttered shut.

 

He hated that feeling. That helplessness. The feeling of seeing Claus in front of him dying, while he stood there paralyzed. 

 

Which is why Lucas also knew how Pietro’s sister, Wanda, must’ve felt when Winter was about to kill her brother. 

 

As long as Lucas was alive, he wouldn’t let anyone feel that way again. He and Winter needed to talk. 

 

… 

 

 

… 

 

After a few minutes, Claus broke the silence. The water was still running, which meant Winter was still cleaning up. 

 

“Lucas, do you want to get cleaned up first or should I?” Claus asked. 

 

Lucas’s head snapped upwards, his body automatically turning to face his brother. 

 

“You can go first. I need to talk to Winter.” The response was simple, but had a slight edge to it.

 

“Hmm. Okay. What do you need to talk to him about?” Claus, still oblivious to the anger raging in Lucas’s mind, got up slowly and walked over to the shabby closet. Pulling open the doors with a loud creak, Claus moved to pick up the second pair of clothes. He didn’t pay much attention to where they had come from, knowing that desperate times call for desperate measures- of which one was stealing.  

 

Lucas, on the other hand, did pay attention.

 

“Claus, where did those clothes come from?” He asked the question even though he already knew the answer. 

 

“Winter...got...them?” Claus answered hesitantly, not sure about what his brother was tugging at. 

 

“And how exactly did he get them? Last I remember, he didn’t have a lot of money on him.” 

 

“C’mon Lucas. You know he didn’t have a choice. Why are you acting like this?” Claus was confused. Lucas knew that none of them had any money left over.

 

“Are you kidding me, Claus? You’re okay with stealing, now?” Lucas’s voice was flat.

 

“Lucas! You know that we don’t have any choice! We have no money. ” Claus was angered. How could Lucas be so dense? That wasn’t the brother he knew. 

 

“That doesn’t mean we steal, Claus. Stealing is wrong, and you know it is. We always have a choice. Why are you siding with Winter’s actions, Claus? Can’t you see what he’s doing is wrong?”

 

So this was about Winter then. 

 

“Why are you bringing Winter into this? What did he do wrong?” Claus’s temper was rising at Lucas’s false implication. 

 

“Are you really asking me that? You really don’t know? Did you not see what he did today!?”

 

“He fought for his life. You can’t be mad at him for trying to survive. Yeah, he’s not as nice as he was before, but people change, Lucas. You know that better than anyone.”

 

“People don’t change, Claus. You know that better than anyone. If anything, they reveal who they really are.”

 

Before they could argue any further, the water shut off. 

 

“You know what, Lucas, I don’t want to fight with you right now - especially in front of Winter. Let’s both cool down, and then we’ll talk like civilized people, okay?” Claus turned around and picked up his clothes to shut the closet door. 

 

“We’ll see.” Was Lucas’s only reply as he turned around to wait for Winter. Clearly Claus didn’t see what Winter was doing was wrong, and he wouldn’t be any help when Lucas would talk to Winter. So it was better if Claus wasn’t there. 

 

The doorknob turned before Claus could question the reply, Winter catching the twins' attention.  

 

“Go ahead, Claus,” Winter said as he slowly walked over to the desk. “I’m done.”

 

“Okay. Be right back.” And just like that, Claus was gone, and the water turned on again.

 

Leaving no time to waste, Lucas got straight to the point. 

 

“Winter. We need to talk.” His voice was stiff, and hard. His posture was rigid, and his head was held high. 

 

“I’m listening.” Winter replied casually, not paying much attention. Clearly, he hadn’t heard the strain in Lucas’s voice. 

 

“I’m going to get straight to the point, and not beat around the bush. What you did today- no, what you do every day- isn’t right. You can’t keep killing all those people without a second thought just to get what you want. They’re human too.” 

 

Winter turned slowly, lifting his head to look into Lucas’s eyes. His voice was taut when he answered.  

 

“I did what I had to. And unless you’d rather be dead, you know it was right.”  

 

“Then what’s the difference, huh? Between you and them? The killing of innocent people is always wrong. No matter why you do it. You’re not the good guy anymore.”

 

Both of them were tense, waiting for the other to attack. 

 

“They weren’t innocent. All of them were murderers that deserve to die. I only gave them what they deserved.”

 

“You're not God! And you’re not justice! You don’t get to decide who’s innocent or guilty.” Lucas was close to the edge. If Winter continued to argue with him, he knew that this wouldn’t end well. 

 

“No, I’m not. But every person I killed today? Were ones who I believed were bad, and there would be people alive today if there were a death penalty. And as for God? When I do go face him, there’s going to be a lot of things I need to account for, but killing any of those people isn’t one of them. And never will be.” 

 

“I don’t believe in killing, no matter the reason! We’re supposed to be the good guys. And the good guys aren’t supposed to kill as many people as the bad guys!”

 

“In war, the good guys always become the bad guys!” Winter slams his metal arm into the table. Lucas flinches, the sound startling him. But he doesn’t back down. 

 

“This isn’t war!” 

 

“I know what war is and what it isn’t . You’re just a child! No, a baby that goes to cry to his big brother when he gets scared. What would you know about war?” Winter mocks a baby crying. 

 

Lucas was not a child. 

 

“I am not a child, and I know more about war than you think I would. I’ve lived through war, so don’t you dare tell me I don't know what war is.” 

 

Neither of them noticed when they had started shouting. 

 

“If you really knew what war is, you’d know that war doesn’t determine who is right or who is wrong. It only determines who is left. And if you want to come out on top, your plans need to be impenetrable. When you move, you need to fall like a thunderbolt and burn everything to ashes. In war, there’s no prize for the runner-up. That’s how it's been and always will be. There’s only ever one way, and rules like being good or bad are for children. This is war, and in war,  the only crime is to lose.” Winter was breathing heavily, staring unwaveringly at Lucas. 

 

“No. In war, we don’t fight to win because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us, and if you really believe what you said, Winter? You’re wrong. You’ll always be wrong.” Lucas took a short breath before continuing.  

 

“War isn’t just about victory or loss. People die, because they don't have a choice. But right now? At this moment, you have a choice. To kill the person in front of you - regardless of if they are good or bad. That decision of who you want to be lies in your hands, and clearly you’ve made your choice.” 

 

“Well, sometimes, the ‘good guys’ have to do bad things to make the bad guys pay. And the only way to reform people is to kill them. What’s one less person on the face of the earth, anyway?”

 

Lucas gaped.

 

“What the fuck , Winter!? I… I can’t believe you just said that. What’s the difference between them and us, huh? If we can’t accept limitations, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

 

“Do you know what it takes to stop a bad guy with a gun, Lucas ?” Winter’s voice was taunting.

 

“What?”

 

“It takes a good guy with a gun.” 

 

“That doesn’t mean you need to pull the trigger, Winter! That’s the point!”

 

“Then let me tell you how the story ends, Lucas . Where the good guys die and the bad guys win. And do you want to know why? Because good loses. Good always loses because good has to play by the rules. Evil doesn’t.”

 

At this point both were standing, the postures rigid and defensive towards the other. 

 

“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Cheating and killing is easy. That’s why good is different from evil. Because no matter how hard Evil tries, it can never quite match up to the power of good. Do you want to know why, Winter ?” Lucas taunted the Soldier back. 

 

“Why?”

 

“Because ultimately, evil is self-destructive. It may cheat and set out to corrupt others, but in the process it always corrupts itself.”

 

“Then what do you do in a world where evil runs free? Do you stay righteous and get killed? Or do you stay alive by drawing blood with your fists? Tell me Lucas. What do you do?

 

“I’d do the right thing.”

 

“That’s not an answer!”

 

“Yes it is!”   

 

“Well, what if the right thing was the wrong thing?”

 

“The right thing is never wrong.”

 

“We’re not in Wonderland anymore, Alice . The world isn’t as black and white as you think it is. It’s more important to do things right than it is to do the right thing.”

 

“Principles aren’t principles when you pick and choose when you’re gonna follow them, Winter . There’s always a difference between doing the right thing and the wrong. And there’s always a difference between the good guy and the bad guy.”

 

“The bad guys don’t always get punished, and the good guys are not necessarily pure, Lucas.

 

“That doesn’t mean we have to kill them. I don’t want their blood on my hands!” Lucas shouted. 

 

“Then wear gloves.” Winter dead-panned. 

 

Both of them were breathing heavily, their voices hoarse from all the yelling. 

 

“Winter! I’m being serious!” Lucas beyond pissed. Did Winter just think everything he was saying was a joke?

 

“I am too, Lucas!”

 

“No, you’re not! You act like you don’t give a crud about anything, and I guess it makes sense by looking at your SOUL.”

 

“Lucas!” Claus’s voice rang through the dead silence that had fallen after Lucas’s words. 

 

None of them had noticed when Claus had come back. 

 

“Don’t act like you’re any better! You killed them too!” Lucas yelled back, not paying attention to the warning in Claus’s tone. 

 

“He’s acting like a monster!” Lucas cried out, partially looking towards Claus for support. 

 

Winter huffs. “No, I'm not. All your morals, your code, it’s just a joke. You’ll throw them out the window at the first sign of trouble. You’re only as good as the world lets you be. I’ll show you.” Winter’s tone was deadly, dripped in venom. “If you’re as good as you think you are, tell me, Lucas, what would you do if someone were to kill Claus?” Winter spat. 

 

Just as Lucas was about to answer, Winter brought up his hand to stop him. 

 

“No, let me tell you. You’re not going to let them go. You’re going to want to hurt them like they hurt you. And you’re going to want to kill them. You’re going to become the monster you couldn’t even dream of. That’s why good can’t exist. Because it’ll always, and I mean always , be tainted by evil. Whether that be a little or a lot, You. Will. Always. Be. Evil. ”

 

“Then you’re just like them! Like all the people you’ve killed! Evil is Evil. Lesser, greater, or middling doesn’t make a difference!” Lucas shouted. “If they deserve to die, then don’t you too? Huh? Then shouldn’t you kill yourself?”

 

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” The words slipped out before Winter could stop himself. 

 

Silence. 

 

Dead silence.

 

Lucas froze in place as Winter roughly turned around and started walking away. 

 

“I. Am going. To plan. Our next mission.” Winter spoke through gritted teeth and walked out the door. 

 

The wood of the door slamming was the only thing left. 

 


 

Pietro ended up having to be hospitalized.

 

As Wanda sat by his bedside, she cursed the man who had done this- The Winter Soldier.

 

She cursed the boy that had stopped her from saving him- Claus.

 

She even cursed HYDRA a little for sending them on this mission with no back up or help of any kind.

 

But most of all…

 

She wondered about the small blonde boy that had stood up to the Winter Soldier and saved her brother.

 

 

 

 

And then, the door to the hospital room opened and a man wearing a suit walked into the room.

 

Wanda turned towards him, automatically on guard. “H-Hello, sir.”

 

“Maximoff,” he spoke. “I have a message from Alexander Pierce, the head of HYDRA.”

 

Wanda’s eyes widened. When she had signed up to be an experiment, she hadn’t expected to be a fighter, much less to be getting messages from the head of HYDRA himself.

 

The suited man held out a phone. Wanda took it.

 

There was a text message from ‘the boss-man.’

 

She began to read.

 

I am afraid I cannot overlook this failure.

You have two more chances to capture the Soldier.

Do not disappoint me.

 

Wanda went pale.

 

Notes:

Whose side are you on: Lucas or Winter?

----
Credits: Tony Stark, Chris K., Bianca J., Howard Z., Gerard W., Henry M., John C., Scott A., John L., Charles M., Chidi A., The Joker, Nancy R., The Witcher, B. Russell, Sun Tzu, Joe A., Carl P.,

Chapter 14: Respite

Summary:

In which there is calm after a storm.

Notes:

A/N from Hello_I_Exist:
Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. We agreed, when we started writing this story, that we all had to be present when posting a chapter, but recently, both Ritz and backflip have had major events going on in their lives. luckily, they managed to find enough time to at least get this ready for posting! Thank you for your patience!

Chapter Text


  ⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 13: Respite


 

It seemed the moment they had returned, everyone collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from their close call with death.

 

Flint himself felt like absolute shit, but after taking a few minutes to breathe and making sure his injury wasn’t jostled that bad, he checked on Toriel.

 

Her grin was wild, wide with exhilaration and undeniable pride. She sat up, looked at Flint with this bright gleam in her eyes, and laughed.

 

The entire family turned to look at her, but after a few seconds Ness started to chuckle, Frisk began to snicker, Loki coughed into his fist, Paula covered her mouth with her hands, and soon enough, they were all laughing, the family hugging each other tightly as they could. Flint too began to huff, but he suddenly felt large paws grip his shoulders. Surprised, he turned to feel large arms squeezing him tightly into a hug of its own. Toriel giggled into his uninjured shoulder, and after a few moments of hesitation, he lifted his hands and began to pat her back slowly, his face morphing into a little smile. As they all broke apart after the high of escaping left them, they trudged back into the apartment, each person’s hand slotting right into that individual mark on the mahogany door.

 

“Hey! We’re back!” Paula called out, wearily stumbling to the couch and crashing onto it. Ness gently moved her over to sit down next to her, while the children took their own armchair. Once again feeling like he was intruding just that little bit, Flint stood around until he felt Toriel grip his wrist. She yanked him to an unoccupied part of the sofa, and sat them both down.

 

“So soon? And I had just gotten her to sleep.” A somewhat accented voice was heard, and a rather tall man stepped out regally from the hallway. Harmony was dozing peacefully in his arms, and he smiled at them all. 

 

His hair was tied up into a high ponytail, black hair cascading down to the square of his back. He wore long white robes, oddly suiting the mysterious man, gold jewelry adorning his ears and hands. Swaying the child in his arms, he pulled out a chair from the kitchen and sat down.

 

“How was your day Ness hunting, Paula?” He said smoothly. Harmony stirred slightly in his arms, but nuzzled into her blanket.

 

“Oh, just fine, Poo. Got shot at a couple of times, ate a few treats, knocked out some dudes. I even carried Ness for half the entire heist. You know, like old times.”

 

 “How very flattering,” Ness deadpanned, and the trio laughed together. Frisk and Loki merely looked at each other boredly while Flint and Toriel looked at them quizzically. 

 

Poo then turned his eyes to them. He gave him and Toriel a gentle smile. “I don’t believe we have met before, have we?”

 

“No, no I’m afraid not.” Toriel replied.

 

“I am Prince Poo of Dalaam, and a friend to Ness and Paula. I assisted them on their quest to destroy Giygas.”

 

Flint blinked. Interesting. I’m in the presence of a prince in dirty, scuffed up clothing, probably smelling of smoke and gunpowder. “I’m Flint.” He responded gruffly.

 

“Toriel,” she said quickly from beside him.

 

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said charmingly, dipping his head. Almost immediately Flint picked up Toriel’s wide eyed, star struck gaze, and he narrowed his eyes. 

 

“Speaking of, Poo,” Paula said, averting their attention to her. “How is Dalaam? Don’t you have your citizens to attend to? I mean, I forwarded the request to both you and Jeff, though I didn’t you out of the two to come. Not that I’m ungrateful, or anything, just surprised.”

 

“Well, I got my father to take over for me, just for a day. He’s getting old, but he still wields the mantle of ‘King’ well. Jeff, on the other hand, told me he was busy with something off in Winters- apparently, he’s taking a trip with Tony to explore a certain section of the cliffside. Something about high levels of energy emitting deep underground. He says won’t be in contact for… oh, maybe a week or two due to the hail storms out there.”

 

“Ahh, that’s too bad…” Ness leaned against the back of the sofa, shutting his eyes. “I miss the guy. We should definitely find some time to just mess around and relax. Just the four of us. You know, other than those dinners we have every month.”

“Agreed,” Paula nodded.

 

And as conversation flowed peacefully, Flint felt his eyelids grow heavy. Soon enough, at the chatter and laughter of the three heroes, he was out cold.

 


 

When he came to, he found himself still lying on the sofa, albeit with a nice and soft blanket draped over his body. 

 

From the looks of it, it had gone from mid-afternoon to early evening, the sun almost gone from the sky and the shifting of pots and pans in the kitchen catching his attention. 

 

Groaning, Flint sat up, rubbing his face with his still soot-covered hands. He’d have to apologize to Paula for the marks he might have left on the chair or blanket, but at the moment he desperately craved a way to wash off the grime in some way.

 

Struggling upright and pushing himself off the soft cushion, he found his once injured shoulder feeling merely sore, and he rolled it experimentally.

 

No pain, he thought in surprise. He flexed his fingers and even threw a punch at the air, but all he felt was a little buzz where there should have been pain.

 

“Paula fixed it up for you,” Frisk said. Flint looked up, startled, only to see the child laying on their back reading a book.

 

“...Ah. And where is she, now?” He croaked, clearing his throat.

 

“I think she’s out grabbing some groceries, though she’ll likely be there for a while. If you want to thank her yourself, you might as well take a shower in the meantime.” Frisk playfully waved their hand in front of their face. “Bathroom down the hall and take a right, clean towels hanging on the rack. Don’t touch the baby stuff and you’ll be good.”

 

Nodding, Flint wandered off, rubbing his arm absentmindedly. His mind was still murky from the fight and his recent nap, thoughts bouncing around his brain like a pinball as he trudged through the hall.

 

He was so unfocused, in fact, that he almost didn’t hear the voices before he turned the corner, stopping just before the individuals could see him.

 

“...are your duties as Prince ever exhausting?”

 

“Oh, I’m certain the stress it puts on me is giving me gray hairs. It’s truly tiring having to sit through meetings that, while certainly important to my country, is so incredibly boring.

 

Flint frowned. Was that… Toriel? And Prince Poo? In his curiosity, he continued to lurk at the corner, peeking over to see the two individuals talking right in front of the bathroom door.

 

“I completely understand. If you ever need help with your duties, you may always contact me.”

 

“Thank you for the offer. For all your years in the Underground, you do look quite young.”

Even without looking at Toriel’s face, Flint could tell the Prince’s charming words had her blushing, and it was confirmed with her bashfully denying it, throwing a compliment at Poo instead. 

 

A dark, ugly seed of… of some emotion reared its head, bubbling lowly in the pit of his stomach. He suddenly strode out from his spot, approaching the two, and Toriel lifted her head. She had that same smile on her face, the same soft look that she gave everyone, but for some reason now Flint felt oddly spiteful at the notion that she may have directed that look at the Prince, with his irritatingly charming, punchable face-

 

“Flint! Hello, how are you doing?”

 

And he stopped.

 

Poo nodded at him, gracefully saying his own hello. But Flint didn’t see it, only focusing on Toriel’s gentle expression, the way she was so kind to him, to the Prince, to everyone. The way she smiled, so sweet, so bright, so welcoming. So much like Hinawa. Hinawa. Hinawa. Hinawa.

 

He stumbled back suddenly, clutching his head. Alarmed, the two reached out for him, but Flint didn’t want their touch. He threw open the bathroom door, slamming it shut behind him and clicking the lock closed, slumping against the door as he breathed raggedly.

 

His heart ached so, so badly, it felt like the strings were being snipped one at a time. 

 

He heard Toriel’s frantic voice through the door, questioning if he was alright, but he couldn’t bring it in himself to respond. Guilt made sure to let its presence known as it forced down every bubbling word, and soon enough her voice was ushered away by the Prince’s, and the two were gone.

 

Leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

 


 

With steam pouring out from under the door, Flint stepped out of the bathroom, feeling much more refreshed but not that much better.

 

Trying his hardest not to meet anyone’s eyes, he sat down at the dinner table, where conversation was bustling and plates full of food were being exchanged, Paula's presence duly noted as he thanked her quietly under his breath. He would have thought she didn’t hear him if not for the smile and “You’re welcome!” she gave back. 

 

He mutely stared into his food. Every bite of the dish that the family had spent time to prepare tasted like tin foil, every sip of his drink threatening to spill out of his mouth. Merely swallowing a bite became a chore, and soon enough with only half his meal left, he promptly excused himself from the table.

 

The vision of her still haunted him, and as he fled from the scene he felt those same bitter tears fall down his face, the same pang of longing and guilt stab him, the same intensity as when he was first told of her death.

 

He had managed to find himself outside on a balcony, overlooking the city of Fourside. Breathing heavily, he fell to his knees, gripping the railing tightly as he heaved, but didn’t retch. 

 

And he cursed himself.

 

Why? He screamed in his head, to nobody and everybody. Why does it have to hurt so much? After over three years, he had so much time to move on, accept her death, and find closure. It would have been what she wanted, after all. But he couldn’t, he had to remind himself or else he’ll forget her. 

 

As he watched the bright little lights of cars run through the city, the night sky causing them to glow, he heard footsteps behind him.

 

Struggling to wipe his face, Flint turned to face the approacher. Toriel looked sad, her face drooping and her hands fidgeting with each other. She sat down beside him, and with nothing to really talk about, Flint kept staring at the traffic. It was after some time of that comfortable silence that she began to speak.

 

“What’s wrong, Flint?” Toriel murmured, paw brushing the railing. It was dangerously close to his hand, and he moved it away. She didn’t notice.

 

“Nothing. It was nothing. I just- got dizzy. I’ll be back in a minute, don’t worry.”

 

She frowned at him. “I think I deserve to worry. You’ve been traveling and helping me for some time now, and I would have hoped we were at that stage of our friendship where we could talk things out together.”

 

Flint sighed, knowing it to be true. But that didn’t make the bitter pill that was remembering Hinawa any easier to swallow. 

 

Talk to her, a soft voice in his head said. You’ll feel better. I promise.

 

Following the voice blindly, he opened his mouth before he realized it. 


“I just remembered something, is all.” He whispered quietly. Toriel leaned in to hear him better.

 

“She was my lover. My wife. The woman who I would dedicate every day to, But one day, she was… Was… She was killed. I never saw her body. And then, things happened, and- And-”

 

Flint gritted his teeth.

 

“...And then Claus went missing. And… Searching for him, I neglected Lucas. Left him behind. And everything just. Went wrong, all at once.We were happy. I don’t even know how everything could go wrong in such a short amount of time.”

 

“...Flint…”

 

“And then, Lucas decided to go on this… Quest, of sorts, and then, suddenly, he was a Psychic, and then… I found Claus. And then he died. And then he came back, somehow.”

 

Flint chuckled. It was empty of mirth. “I always liked to tell myself that Claus was too stubborn to die. And… I suppose, in the end, he was.”

 

Toriel smiled a little, but it quickly vanished.

 

“...What was her name?”

 

“...”

 

...It’s alright.

 

“...Hinawa.”

 


 

Winter strode down the city streets, ignoring the swarm of people surrounding them.

 

Everything felt muted. Dull. Void.

 

It all had been blank ever since he had said… That, to Lucas.

 

Bit it wasn’t just that.

 

Winter ruminated over his fight with Lucas. He had said… things. Things Winter had never thought he’d hear. Things that were so undeniably stupid that there was no possible they could belong to Lucas, who was a pretty smart kid overall.

 

Winter sighed. What was wrong with that kid to have such a skewed sense of morality?

 


 

Lucas laid in bed, listening to the sounds of the city surrounding him.

 

Everything felt muted. Dull. Void.

 

It all had been blank ever since Winter had said… That, to Lucas.

 

But it wasn’t just that.

 

Lucas ruminated over the fight with Winter. He had said… things. Things Lucas had never thought he’d hear again. (He wasn’t a child) 

 

Things that were so undeniably horrible that there was no possible way they could belong to Winter, who was (usually) so kind.

 

Lucas sighed. What was wrong with Winter to have such a skewed sense of morality?

 


 

Lucas was wrong. I’m right, Winter repeatedly told himself. Lucas is just a naive child. He’ll come to grips with the world eventually.

 

 

 

 

But what if he dies before then?

 


 

Winter was wrong. I’m right, Luas repeatedly told himself. Winter has just been through a lot. He’ll understand eventually.

 

 

 

 

But what if he doesn’t?

 


 

 

It doesn’t matter.

 

I will Never change my mind.

 


 

 

It doesn’t matter.

 

I will Never let go of my morals.

 


 

Tick.

 

Tock.

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

Her hands were clenched over her brother’s, eyes weary and body exhausted. For days, Wanda had sat by her brother’s side for as long as she could, only leaving whenever the doctors shooed her out for his check up or if it was absolutely urgent. 

 

Logically, there was no reason for her to be so worried. The doctors had reassured her time and time again that he would be fine- his surgery went well and he just needed time to wake up. 

 

But that didn’t make it any less scary to see his chest barely rising and falling, his face still so pale and the haunting flashes of when he was crumpled over on the ground, bleeding out slowly.

 

Wanda hung her head, trying to stifle another soft sob. Stupid! She thought. He’ll be better soon- just wait! He’ll get back up on his feet, kick everyone in the ass, and we’ll take down those brats and the Winter Soldier! 

 

But the tear still slid down her cheek, hanging on her chin. She thought she tasted ash, she thought she felt the dust hanging heavily in the air.

 

Tick.

 

She didn’t feel the shifting of the sheets under her hand as she tried to cover up her tears. She felt like she was seven years old again, trapped under the rubble, too scared to move.

 

Tock.

 

She didn’t hear the soft groan of pain as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying and failing to not remember the memory of his broken and bleeding body, limbs hanging in a twisted way, the Stark bomb laying there, right there, ready to explode-

 

Tick.

 

“W-Wanda…? Where am I?”

 

Tock.

 

Her head jolted up, eyes still red as she stared at Pietro, his face looking blissfully unaware of just what had happened in the past few days. After several beats of silence, Wanda let out a hiccup and pulled her brother into a hug, his wild pale hair pushing uncomfortably against her face.

 

But she didn’t care. He was alive, he was awake, he was here.

 

Gingerly, Pietro patted her back. “Whoa, whoa there. I- Wanda, mind giving me a recap?” They pulled apart, a weary smile plastered onto his face.

 

“Right,” Wanda muttered, sitting back down into her chair. “What do you remember?”

 

Pietro thumbed his blanket, as if thinking of what to say. “Hm… I remember that kid. There were two, right? A ginger haired one- His name was, like, Clop, or something- and a blond one. And, uh, I also remember our mission. The Winter Soldier. He was there, too.”

 

It was here where he hesitated, eyes becoming unfocused. “But… something happened. I- I got knocked to the floor at some point, and there were… colors. The Winter Soldier, looming over me. And then a figure. I don’t remember what happened after that.”

 

She gave him a patient smile. “Looks like you remember most of it. Well, one of the squirts saved you- the blond one. He did some weird magic thing and stopped the Soldier from striking you, and they just left-”

 

“Wait wait wait, hold on,” Pietro said with amusement. “Aren’t we the same age? The ginger and the blond, plus us? Also, don’t we do magic too?”

 

Wanda gave him a dirty look. “Yes to both of those, but as I was saying-”

 

“You can’t just insult them if they’re just us but... But... Palette swapped!”

 

She couldn’t help the giggle that left her mouth after that. “That’s true. Well then, the other two magic users and the Winter Soldier left after the blond one saved you. Better?”

 

Pietro gave her a wide, innocent smile.

 

Rolling her eyes, Wanda continued. “After we got you in here, Alexander Pierce called. We have only two more tries to bring the Winter Soldier in.”

 

Almost instantly, Pietro’s eyes darkened. “Did he say what would happen if we failed?”

“I like to think what would happen is fairly apparent.”

 

His lips thinned, and as the silence stretched between them, he gave out a huff. For once, her brother looked serious as they began to plan out their next move, his hand giving hers a squeeze every once in a while to reassure her that this time, they’ll drag the Soldier back.

 

Together.

Chapter 15: A Quiet Moment

Summary:

In which there is a quiet moment.

Chapter Text


  ⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 14: A Quiet Moment


 

It was dark by the time Winter came back. The lights were off and the twins were sleeping. The soldier slowly closed the door, careful not to make a sound. 

 

Highly alert of the sleeping twins, he quickly made his way towards the computer. With agile hands, he pulled backward the drab chair and took a seat on it.

 

Looking behind him, the room was relatively clean. The papers he had thrown during the argument were set neatly in a pile that Claus must have made.

 

Winter was surprised at the thought. He barely knew the twins and was already picking up on their habits. 

 

He had to stop himself from becoming attached. The twins were weaseling their way into his mind (his heart) and making him care about them. He wouldn’t let them come any closer. In HYDRA, attachment killed, and while he was free from that place, (Would he ever be free? Would HYDRA ever leave him alone? Would his past ever stop following him like his shadow?) the world was ruthless enough. Besides, it’s not like the twins were anything other than people on his team. (When did he get his own team? When did he become a leader?) They were just teammates, no, allies. 

(That’s all they were, right?)

 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Winter turned away from the twins to face the computer while it turned on. 

 

There, beside the stack of papers, was a plate. Now that he focused on the ceramic, the absolutely fantastic smell of pizza fills the air. Winter’s stomach rumbles, and only then he realizes how hungry he is. 

 

Taking a slice of the now cold pizza, Winter slowly savors the taste. Making haste after the first bite, the soldier finishes the rest and gets to work. 

 

He doesn’t realize when dark turns into dusk, and dusk turns into dawn. 

 


 

The next morning, Lucas awakens slowly. Photons from the window blind him as he opens his eyes, half heartedly raising his hand to shield his face. Maneuvering himself to get away from the light, he sits up. Rubbing his eyes groggily, Lucas blinks to clear his vision. 

 

Everything is silent. Tranquil, almost. 

 

Lucas could imagine birds chirping as they soared through the cotton-white clouds and the clear blue sky.  

 

But alas, as the sun shone through the windows, Lucas knew it was time to get up. 

 

Making care to not wake up Claus, Lucas slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom. It wasn’t until he had finished doing his morning activities that he noticed the hairy head lying awkwardly on the wooden desk. 

 

Winter. 

 

Lucas was... to be completely honest, relieved. 

 

The way Winter had left after saying... 

 

No , Lucas thought.

 

I won’t think about that.  

 

The way Winter had left after their argument yesterday, Lucas was afraid that he would do something reckless. As much as their opinions contradicted each other, for some reason, Lucas still cared about him.  

 

He guessed that was what happened when you lived with someone. 

 

Shrugging to himself, Lucas walked up to their shared bed and took a pillow from Claus. His brother grumbled, clutching at the bed sheets to seek warmth. Smiling at his brother's struggles, Lucas ambled towards Winter. 

 

Careful not to awaken the sleeping Soldier, Lucas gently lifted up his head and slid the fluffy white cushion under his head. 

 

Looking at Winters face up close, Lucas sniggered. His mouth was open and he was drooling! Quite a different look from the stone cold, war hardened soldier he was in battle.

 

Trying to contain his laughter, Lucas quietly crept out of the suite, in hopes to find something to calm his rumbling stomach. 

 


 

He and Toriel had spent several minutes outside, staring down at the multicolored lights, before Flint proposed they head back inside before their limbs froze off.

 

But before they could step inside, Flint hesitated as Toriel moved for the door handle. Just as her paw was about to twist it open, he grabbed her arm gently, prompting her to look over quizzically.

 

“Hey, odd question, and really, you don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable-”

 

“Humor me, Flint.”

 

He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “What were you- talking about, with Prince Poo? I- I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I...” He clamped his mouth shut and avoided her gaze as her paw was gently removed from his grip. He wasn’t all that certain why he felt so nervous- perhaps it was because of how awkward it was to ask someone what the details of their conversation was- but he didn’t expect it when he felt her paw land on his shoulder. 

 

“Don’t worry,” Toriel chuckled in amusement. “You didn’t miss out on anything important. See, I was formerly the queen of the Underground, and I was curious to see the different methods that the Prince would use to manage a large group of subjects. In our discussion of royal matters, he asked me for advice on several different topics. We exchanged numbers so we can contact one another should anything happen with his kingdom in Dalaam.”

 

Flint blinked, then smiled at Toriel, feeling an odd sense of relief at her confirmation. Relaxing considerably, he gave her a nod, and opened the door for her.

 

“Thank you. Why don’t you go first, Your Majesty?”

 

Toriel blushed, chuckling in the same bright and bubbly way she always does. “Oh you- I said I was formerly a queen, alright? No need for the titles.”

 

“Certainly, my lady.”

 

Grumbling lightheartedly, Toriel stepped into the house, Flint following close behind. The door clicked shut silently as they both made their way towards the kitchen.

 

Inside of the room, Flint found himself greeted by the sight of everybody surrounding the table. Ness, who still looked rather sickly from having been experimented on, was the only one who sat down while the others stood up (besides Harmony.)

 

There was quite a bit of amicable chatter, but Flint noticed something peculiar- Paula was missing from the table.

 

Flint stepped towards Ness, whose back was to him. He tapped him on the shoulder.

 

“Ness.”

 

Ness turned around. His eyes were warm and inviting, and they wrinkled at the edges as he smiled at him.

 

“Hm? Oh! Flint! You here to join the conversation?”

 

“Actually, I was wondering where Paula was.”

 

“Oh, yeah. She’s in our room, meditating.”

 

Flint blinked. He looked towards Toriel, who looked just as confused. Meditating?

 

“Yeah, she decided she was gonna search for your kids. Like- now . So, she’s gonna meditate until she has a vision.”

 

“Oh.” That was still rather odd, but not that out of the ordinary. Psychics were weird.

 

“Ah, that makes quite a bit of sense,” Toriel suddenly spoke from nearby. “Sometimes, young monsters would meditate to gain better control of their magic.”


“Huh. That’s interesting,” Ness spoke, “But-”

 

And suddenly, a nearby door slammed open, interrupting Ness. Everybody spun around to face the noise.

 

Paula stood there, breathing heavily and looking as if she had just run a mile. Her hair was wild and in a mess, eyes blown wide with frantic worry.

 

“Sokovia,” She said with a croak.

 

Then she promptly fainted and fell over.

 

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, Ness just sighed.

 

“Every freaking time, I swear…”

 


 

By the time Winter woke up, the clock had already struck one and the twins were nowhere to be seen. 

 

Stretching, Winter felt the stress leave his stiff limbs. Once again, the scent of food caught his attention. Except this time, it wasn’t pizza.

 

It was scrambled eggs and bacon.

 

Scarfing down his breakfast, Winter went to go get ready. They had a long day ahead of them, and the argument wouldn’t stop him from fulfilling the mission.  

 

By the time Winter was done getting ready, the twins had returned. 

 

Leaving no time to waste, Winter called them into a group meeting. 

 

The twins knew as soon as Winter called them that he had found information on the next base.

 

Unlink Claus, who had quickly made his way to where Winter was standing, Lucas was still a bit hesitant to approach him. He was afraid to see Winter’s reaction on the argument that had taken place only a day ago. 

 

Grudgingly making his way towards the two, Lucas fumbled with his hands. 

 

“Let’s get this straight. I don’t care about what happened last night. What I do care about however, is loyalty. And before I debrief you, I need to know what our current situation is.”

 

Claus motioned for Winter to continue.  

 

“Before we start the mission. I need to know if you guys are with me or not. If I can trust you not turn your backs on me when things get messy.”

 

Claus’s answer was quick and firm with no hesitation. 

 

“Of course we won’t. We’re a team.

 

“Good. And you Lucas,” Winter turned to face the younger boy directly. “Can I trust you to not turn your back on me when the time comes? What with our different mindsets and all.”

 

Lucas flinched at the comment. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he sullenly nodded, confirming his loyalty. 

 

Claus smiled at his brother, happy that the people in front of him weren’t going to start fighting again. He shuddered at the thought of last night happening again. 

 

“Good. Suit up. We have a mission to finish.” Was the only thing Winter said before he turned around and began to walk away. 

 

“Wait!” Lucas called out. “You didn’t tell us where we’re going.”

 

“Washington”

 

He opened the door.

 

“DC.”

 

And left.  

 


 

After Winter’s dramatic exit as Lucas insisted on calling it, the twins rushed to get ready. There was a mix of excitement and nervousness in the air, as the two boys ran around the room. 

 

After changing into more suitable clothes for what they were about to do, the twins left the room in search of the soldier. 

 

Wandering around the halls to find the man, they found him casually leaning at the entrance.

 

“We’re ready.” Lucas grumbled, annoyed from searching the tiny motel. 

 

“I can see that, let’s go,” Winter grumbled back, to annoy him more. 

 

Ugh, Claus thought. Would the two ever stop fighting like little kids? 

 

“Okay.” Claus replied to get the attention on him. Moving to a more comfortable position, he began to teleport them. 

 

“Wait Wait Wait.” Winter interrupted. “What do you think you're doing?”

 

“Getting... Ready to teleport... Us?” Claus winced internally at the response. Why was he nervous all of a sudden?

 

“Oh.” Winter blinked. “Well then go ahead, I guess we didn’t need that van in the first place.”

 

Claus choked on air. Thank god, Lucas didn’t hear that, or he would have a fit and they would never get anywhere. 

 

“Three... Two... One!”

 

And just like that, they were in Washington DC.

 

“So... what do we do now?” Lucas asked. 

 

“We search,” Winter replied. “Let’s split up. We need to find the Ideal Federal Savings Bank, the faster we find it the better.” He turned and began to stalk off. 

 

Lucas was getting an odd sense of deja vu. 

 

“Winter! Wait! How are we going to find each other?” Lucas yelled out. 

 

“We just will.” And he disappeared into the background. 

 

“We just will.” Lucas mimicked underneath his breath. “Like that wasn’t dramatic at all.”

 

Claus could only huff in contentment, watching his brother take off complaining to himself. 

 


 

Washington DC looked beautiful in the evening light.

 

The White House, decorated with glowing red and green lights, sat in the distance.

 

And, nearby Lucas, stood an absolutely massive Christmas tree.

 

Lucas sighed to himself as he watched the happy people wander around the frozen town. He had never experienced Christmas before, but all he had heard was good things- And, even though they didn’t really have the money for toys or anything (not that Lucas had ever wanted toys, he much preferred playing outside,) he had still wanted to experience the season with Ness’s family and Claus’s new 'monster' friends.

 

Just another thing ruined by my rotten luck, Lucas thought to himself as he pursed his lips.

 

 

As Lucas stared out at the beautiful scenery, Lucas had but one thought.

 

Mom would have loved this.

 

He smiled a little at the thought. It was common knowledge in their family that Hinawa’s favorite season was winter. She absolutely loved the snow. She always called the snow ‘heaven’s gift to us.’

 

Lucas reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. It had been a while since he had thought about his mother. It hadn’t been a long time since he had cried, though- He cried a lot.

 

He was a crybaby, after all. Of course, he was okay with that.

 

 

But would mom be okay with this?

 

Would mom be okay with Lucas putting himself in danger like this?

 

Would he be able to keep fighting, not knowing if his mother would accept his goals?

 

 

“Hey, Luke.”

 

Lucas turned around. Claus was stood behind Lucas, hands in his pockets, looking very much like a budget sans.

 

“Hey, Claus.”

 

Lucas turned back towards the White House and sighed deeply.

 

...

 

“...Are we doing the right thing, Claus?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I mean, is what we’re doing okay? I don’t… I don’t really know anymore. What with Winter, and…”

 

Claus blinks, then smiles softly, stepping forward to stand beside Lucas.

 

“Lucas… I don’t know how to answer your question. But I think you do know how to answer yours.”

 

“Huh?” Lucas turned to look at Claus, confusion printed on his face.

 

“I mean… Nobody can really answer that question. Back when I was still the Masked Man, I thought I was doing the right thing. But… Well, we both know I wasn’t.”

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“I think, ultimately, the only person who can determine what the right thing is is you.”

 

“... Really?”

 

“Yeah. I do. So, Luke… What do you think the right thing is?”

 

“...”

 

Lucas looked out into the distance. “I don’t… Know.”

 

“...I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.”

 

“...Thanks, Claus. Can I…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“... Can we hug? We haven’t done that in a while.”

 

“...Sure.”

 

And the two wrapped each other in their embraces, heads on each other’s shoulders.

 

 

 

 

Lucas was filled with warmth.

 

 

 

 

“...Hey.”

 

Lucas and Claus both let go of each other at the sound of the familiar voice. They both turned to see Winter, standing there, arms crossed.

 

“I found the base.”

 

Chapter 16: Packing

Summary:

Preparations are made.

Notes:

Hey! backflipintothesun here-

Hello_I_Exist recently got banned from Ao3 for rick rolling on a fic, and unfortunately he can't be credited as of right now... But! Just know that he has, in fact, worked on this fic with the team, so his efforts won't go uncredited!

Thanks :)!

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 15: Packing


 

“Are you… Sure this is it?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

The trio stood outside of a white marble building that sat at the corner-turn of a street. It was relatively small, and had a sign labelled ‘Ideal Federal Savings Bank.’

 

“I’m relatively sure this was my primary… ‘Home.’ Back before you two found me in that alleyway.”

 

Claus nods, but frowns. “But… It's a bank. Tons of innocents. How are we going to find a way in?”

 

“I… Don’t know.”

 

“Maybe we could sneak in later tonight?”

 

“I doubt it. Security is going to be high, even though it’s been… What, a week?”

 

“A week since what?”

 

“Since I escaped.”

 

“Oh.”

 

 

“So, what now? Do we just… Give up and go somewhere else?”

 

“Of course not, we just need a plan.”

 

“What’s a… Puh-Lan?”

 

“Claus, shut up.”

 

“Never.”

 

“Lucas, Claus, focus. I’m trying to think of how to break into a bank on a budget of zero dollars…”

 

“Haven’t you done this sort of thing before?”

 

“Usually, I had all sorts of tools and weapons.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“...”

 

For a while, Winter stared up at the bank. Claus and Lucas followed his gaze, both of them struggling to think of ways to break in.

 

“...Okay, I think I figured it out. We’re gonna hafta wait a few hours for the bank to close, but after that…”

 

Winter turned towards Claus. “Your teleportation. Does it work if you see something through a window?”

 

Claus nods, seeing where this was going.

 

“Good. Once we’re inside, I can guide us to the fake vault, and I can open it. Then we’ll be in the HYDRA base proper.”

 

Claus nods, and Lucas frowns.

 

“What do I do?”

 

Winter blinks. “...Moral support.”

 

Claus struggles not to laugh as Lucas sighs.



Hours later, the inside of the bank is quiet. No patrons, no tellers, nothing.

 

And then, suddenly, in the middle of the room, a portal opened up, and through it stepped Winter, followed by Lucas and finally Claus, who was holding a cup of hot cocoa. He takes a big sip, then puts the styrofoam cup on the ground with a smirk.

 

“Let’s let whoever runs this bank find that in the morning. They’ll be so confused. I can practically feel the glorious chaos.”

 

Lucas rolls his eyes, though not without a small smile. Winter grunts, not fully paying attention.

 

“There’s not any agents in here at nighttime, because that would look suspicious. But there are a good number inside of the base. We’ll need to be careful.”

 

Claus raises his knife and smirks. “Oh, we are all sorts of careful. Aren’t we, Lucas?”

 

“...No, you aren’t, Claus.”

 

“Really? Back me up, Chara!”

 

*I’m not even going to grace you with a response.

 

“...” Claus pouts.



When the three of them finally reached the false safe, Claus frowned. He wasn’t expecting it to look so… Secure.

 

It was a massive, solid, and flat metal door, with the only protrusions being a small handle and a code pad.

 

Winter walked up to it, and pressed in a code.

 

The door clicked, and Winter pulled on the handle. The door slid open with no resistance.

 

Winter turned to the twins and nodded.

 

The three of them walked into the base.



“Okay, so what’s our plan?”

 

Ness sighed, pulling his hand over his face tiredly. Paula’s head laid peacefully on his shoulder as he mumbled to himself quietly, before heaving a sigh.

 

“Go after them, I suppose. But we’ve only just got back- we need time to rest-”

“My sons are out there-” Flint said slowly from his spot. “In the middle of Sokovia, with a man who an entire organization sent an army to capture. We have to find them as soon as possible.”

 

“And I understand that, yes, but Flint, give us a day. We need- we need supplies, sugary food in case we run out of PSI like in the facility you all rescued me from, adequate medical items, back up support, someone to babysit Harmony!”

 

Flint’s glower didn’t falter, but when he felt Toriel lay a paw on his shoulder, he deflated. Tired, he slumped in his seat and rested his head in his hands.

 

“... Fine. But please. Hurry.”

 

Nodding, Ness gestured for Frisk and Loki to come closer, muttering a checklist of what they needed to bring. The two nodded, Loki vanishing while Frisk headed to the kitchen.

 

Flint stared out the window, his eyes zoning out as the fog hanging over the city began to drift away.

 

Waiting. He hated waiting.



Toriel wasn’t quite sure what to make of Flint’s sudden dejected attitude.

 

He appeared to be quite exhausted, so when she noticed he began to drift off, she brought over a blanket and pillow and attempted to stifle her giggles at hearing his small snores.

 

She watched as most of the Ebbund family walked in and out of the house, Paula resting nearby, Ness making several calls, Harmony being her cute little baby self, and the two children(?) Frisk and Loki dragging in several materials.

 

And before she knew it, night turned into dawn, and the sky was bright with sun.

 

There were entire bags filled with sugary foods for the psychics and some normal foods for the non psychics, water bottles, medical supplies, camping gear, and general miscellaneous important items such as clothing and money.

 

Hearing a sudden groan from behind, she turns to see Paula’s body rise from the cocoon of blankets her husband had swaddled her in. Toriel smiling warmly despite the stress lines that had probably formed on her face overnight, she grabs the glass of water set beside Paula’s comfortable spot and hands it to her, unsure of how steady the psychic was feeling.

 

After several glasses of water simply disappeared down Paula’s throat, she exhaled slowly, before shifting off the sofa. 


“Miss anything?” The psychic inquired with a slight rasp, despite the water she had just chugged down.

 

“Oh, no, not much at all. Your family is preparing for the trip, and I believe we’re leaving… oh, tonight? It’s just about morning, so you have time to prepare.”

 

Paula groaned. “Ugh. Packing. Alright, thanks Ms. Toriel-”

 

“Please!” Toriel interrupted. “Just call me ‘Toriel.’ It makes me feel old, being called Ms. Toriel.”

 

The psychic chuckled, stretching tall. Several bones popped as she did a few morning warm ups. “Sure, Toriel. Make sure to wake up Flint before we leave, too, I’m sure he has some things he wants to take with him on the trip.”

 

She nodded, and Toriel watched as Paula’s figure went down the hall and disappeared to the bathroom. Feeling exhausted herself, she leaned back and gave a large yawn, jaw popping as she sank into the cushions.

 

Sokovia… Toriel thought absentmindedly, staring at the ceiling. She had never been to Sokovia, much less all the countries dotting Eastern Europe. She had always been comfortably roaming the United States, fascinated by just how large it was. To be… exploring a completely different continent made her shiver. 

 

Truly, the surface never ceased to amaze her.

 

“I’ll just…” Toriel muttered, own eyes drifting shut. “Lay… here… for a bit.”

 

And so she did.

 

//

 

She was floating.

 

Nowhere in particular. Just… floating. There. Like a balloon, drifting into the sky, she was merely hovering higher, and higher, and higher…

 

“Mother?”

 

Toriel whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice. 

 

“Mother? Where are you?”

 

She twisted and turned, writhing in the air until she suddenly found them, a child, standing before her.

 

But he didn’t look like her son.

 

And there were two.

 

“Mother…?” The shorter one said. His hair was yellow, not that different from a sunflower.

 

“Do you know where our mother is?” The slightly taller one said. His hair was orange, a bit like the sun.

 

“I’m- I’m sorry, little ones. I do not know where your mother is.” Toriel said hesitantly. She was not sure what to make of this… reality? Dream? Nightmare? But it unnerved her to no end. She felt a sudden urge to leave.

 

“Are you sure?” The blond one said. And suddenly, his face began to melt. Disturbed, Toriel took a step back, but the children took one step forward with her.

 

“Are you sure?” The redhead said, his own face distorting into something that couldn’t be human- something that was… demonic, in nature.

 

“Y-yes, I’m sure! Please, leave me alone!” Toriel yelped, and suddenly the two boys were grabbing her hands, tugging insistently. She struggled wildly, trying to break their hold, but she suddenly stilled when she saw it.

 

“If you do not know where our mother is…” The redhead had the face of Chara. 

 

“Are you our mother?” The blond had the face of Asriel.

 

//

“Toriel! Toriel?”

 

“Do you think we should splash water on her face…?”

 

“Don’t be stupid, she might accidentally inhale the water and choke.”

 

“Hey, move over, let me help…”

 

“No, no, let me. She’s more comfortable with me, I think.”

 

She felt a cool hand press itself onto her forehead.

 

Let go of me! Toriel thought. I am not your mother! You are not my child-

 

“Wake up.”

 

Toriel jolted awake, eyes blown wide. She breathed heavily, taking a moment to catch her breath before looking up.

 

Directly next to her stood Paula, and she extracted her hand from Toriel’s sweat soaked forehead. Ness looked weary, although slightly better than when they had first rescued him. Frisk had that wrinkled look on their face, Loki sharing the same concern but poorly hiding it behind a mask of indifference.

 

Flint was nowhere to be seen.

 

“How are you? You were… thrashing about, yelling in your sleep.” Paula said softly. Toriel shook her head, gently rubbing her own head.

 

“I’m… not sure. I believe it was a nightmare.” She said hesitantly, sitting upright. “Where is Flint?”

 

“Right here.”

 

She turned to see the man holding a glass of water for her, a wet towel in the other. He passed the two items to her and she gratefully took a sip, feeling a sense of deja vu for when she did the same for Paula. Rubbing her face, she tried to look brave as she stood up, forcing the remnants of the nightmare out of her mind.

 

Just that. A nightmare.

 

“Are we ready to go?” She asked. 

 

“Yeah. All materials, supplies, food... I believe you’ve already packed, right?” Ness asked.

 

“Yes. What of the baby?” Toriel gestured to Harmony, who was dozing off in her own cradle off to the corner of the room.

 

“We’re planning to drop her off in Winters, where Jeff will take care of her. Poo’s a little busy, you know, with kingdom duties.”

 

Toriel nodded, fully understanding. “Shall we?”

 

Stepping through the portal, bags on their backs and with the sun just dipping over the mountains, the group found themselves in front of a large, modern-looking home in the middle of a wintery wonderland, vague furry figures in the distance and various trees dotting the area. It reminded Toriel quite a bit of Snowdin from back home, except it was missing two particularly goofy skeleton brothers.

 

A man with neatly cut blond hair was waiting for them just a few feet away, and he came closer. A redhead was accompanying him, too, though he did not approach.

 

“Got the baby stuff, Jeff?” Paula asked the blond man.

 

“Yep. Harmony’s gotten a lot bigger since I last saw her!” He tickled the baby’s chin, and she squealed in delight.

 

“For sure. Here you go, make sure to remember her diaper changings, proper nutrition, bedtime, all that stuff. God knows you were always terrible at remembering that for yourself.”

 

“No need to worry, Paula. I have Tony for that.”

The redhead waved from behind. 

 

“Well then, here you go… stay safe, you two!” Paula said as she handed over Harmony. Though, oddly enough, she seemed rather irritated to have left her mother’s arms.

 

“‘Course! I won’t overwork myself like I did last time. Or at least, I’ll have different measures to keep me in check.” Jeff smiled at them. “See you soon-!”

 

Jeff halted from where he was about to turn around and head back to the house, suddenly stiffening. His body suddenly jolted back around, and judging from the expression on his face, it wasn’t his doing.

 

Harmony’s eyes glowed a bright yellow as she forced the poor scientist to walk back to Paula, depositing herself back into the bemused psychic’s arms. And as soon as the action was finished, she began to coo happily, eyes returning to its normal color.

 

“Oh you little rascal,” Paula said fondly. Ness’s eyes darted down to his daughter’s face, then back up to Jeff’s. He looked shocked, a little concerned, but mostly puzzled.

 

Said scientist shook his head, confused.

 

“She wants to go with you,” said the redhead that had suddenly approached from his spot a few feet behind. “I know little kids. They never want to go somewhere they don’t want to. With normal little buzzers, they’ll probably scream and wail, but for psychic kids? I’m pretty sure Harmony will destroy the house in less than a day.”

 

“Hm. That’s unfortunate,” Ness said, frowning, but Paula's expression had begun to look smug.

 

“Unfortunate indeed. I suppose we’ll have to take her with us.”

 

Ness turned to look at Paula. “Darling, I love you, but Harmony’s a little girl! She can’t control her PSI, and she could possibly get us killed! Not only that, but we haven’t even brought the materials from home to take care of her!”

 

At this, Paula’s smugness grew. “Well of course, she can’t control her PSI! If we leave her in the hands of Tony and Jeff, she’ll kill them! Well, not literally,” she added quickly, looking at Jeff’s suddenly paling face. “But she’ll stress ‘em out with all her psychic voodoo powers. Don’t you think her care is better left with us? Poo worked because he was a psychic, too, and he knew how to control little monsters like Harmony.”

 

“Yes, but the baby supplies-”

 

Frisk shook something in their hand, and they all turned to face them. Toriel was puzzled as to the events that were unfolding before her, but she followed along. A large, well sealed and packed baggy of baby supplies dangled from Frisk’s clenched fist. 

 

Ness stared, incredulous to what had just happened. 

 

Then he began to chuckle. 

 

A little hiccup, then a laugh.

 

Chortling, and now he was cackling from his stomach, his noises of amusement sending a few birds to the sky.

 

“Oh Paula, have I ever stated how much of a dear I think you are?”

 

“Several times, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it again.”



As soon as the trio walked into the base, they turned a corner and were met with a single agent with a gun.

 

He gasped, pulled out his weapon, and pointed it at Winter.

 

“F-freeze!” He shouts, voice shaky. It’s at this moment that Lucas notices the agent was trembling. The man took a step back, eyes darting between the three members of the trio.

 

“S-Stay where you are! Don’t move!”

 

“Yeah, we got the message,” Claus grumbled under his breath.

 

 

Lucas stepped forwards, arms held up.

 

“What are you-”

 

Lucas shushes whoever had talked, before looking the terrified agent in the eyes.

 

He ACTs.

 

“Look. I don’t want to hurt you, and while I can’t say the same thing for my teammates, I’m letting you go. If you drop your weapon and leave this place right now, we will SPARE you, do you understand?”

 

The agent stares unblinkingly at Lucas.

 

Then, he slowly lowers his gun, lip trembling, and drops it, putting his hands up.

 

Then, he slowly walks around Lucas- stops for a second- then runs towards the exit.

 

Winter pulls out his gun, but he’s not fast enough. The agent escapes into the bank.

 

He curses, and is about to chase, but Lucas steps in front of the exit.

 

“I said we were going to let him go, ” Lucas said firmly.

 

Winter stares. Then, with a growl, he spins around and walks into the base.

 

Lucas fails to hide his smile.

 

Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Undeath

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms 

Chapter 16: Undeath




Catching up with Winter’s fast paced steps, Lucas finally felt like he and Winter could work in a team once more. 

 

Maybe the Soldier wasn’t as bad as he thought he was. 

 

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice when the Soldier had stopped walking. After walking face first into Winter, Lucas kept his head down so the two couldn’t see his flustered face. 

 

“Look where you’re going.” Winter hissed. 

 

“I’m not blind, Winter.” Lucas scrawled. 

 

Just as Winter was about to reply with a remark that would possibly start another fight, Cluas interrupted him.

 

“Guys. Do you hear that?” Clause’s voice was serious - not in a big brother way, but a leader way.

 

Both of them sobered up. 

 

“Listen closely, it sounds really weird,” Claus whispered. 

 

Both Lucas and Winter stopped their breath out of habit. 

 

It wasn’t until Winter was about to open his mouth and brush off Claus’s concerns when he heard it. 

 

There. Winter’s head shot up, like a wolf craning his neck to look at the moon. 

 

It was a low, almost a mix of the moaning/ringing noise that you heard during the middle of the night. 

 

It felt dark. 

 

Inky, almost. As if it would stain his hand black, the way blood would red.

 

Winter stopped himself from shuddering because of the intense feeling of paranoia. 

 

“Claus,” Lucas whispered, careful not to break the eerie silence that had fallen.

 

“It sounds… like…like... zombies .” Lucas finished with a gasp as he himself realized what the sound was. 

 

Winter whipped his head to face Lucas. 

 

“What are you, four?” The Soldier whisper-yelled. 

 

“What do you mean!?! I’m not kidding! Claus c’mon. You gotta believe me.” Lucas felt indignant. He wasn’t a child and nor was he lying. It was the truth!

 

The sound sounded exactly like the high, but low pitched moan of a zombie!

 

“It sounds exactly like the sound you hear in movies! When the protagonist is on the run and he gets ambushed by a bunch of zombies and they’re all advancing on himandhehasnowheretogo” Claus cut off Lucas’s rambling, knowing his brother had a point - even though it seemed ridiculous. 

 

But before he could go to defend him, Winter beat him to the chase. 

 

“I’m fully convinced you never graduated kindergarten.” Was Winter’s remark, and the Soldier left the twins behind, and began to walk forward towards the sound. 

 

And the twins did the only thing they could do. 

 

They followed him. 

 

“Winter I’m telling you!” Lucas whispered-yelled, trying to keep up with him. 

 

Winter stops walking for a second. 

 

“Can you stop?” His tone is filled with absolute exasperation.  

 

“Stop what?” Lucas asks, confused. 

 

“Stop talking.” The Soldier dead-pans, and starts forward once more.

 

Luca scowls but doesn't say anything, not wanting to aggravate the Soldier any further. 

 

“Anyways, did you see how there weren’t any guards back there?” Winter’s voice was sullen. 

 

“Yeah,” Claus replied. 

 

“Good. Listen closely.”

 

“There’s a certain order to the way things happen in HYDRA. It’s like that for almost every base.” Winter looked back to see if they were listening.

 

“If there’s ever a specific location in a base that has no guards, it means that it’s abandoned.” He paused for effect. 

 

“But here’s why I’m telling you this. Just because you know it’s abandoned, doesn’t mean that it’s abandoned. There’s always something lurking in that area just waiting to be found.” Winter finished just before he pulled open the doors that were inviting them in. 

 

That’s when it hit them.

 

The smell of decomposing flesh filled the air. It was putrid and all-consuming. 

 

They all grimaced. 

 

The smell of ancient cabbage, dead rotting rats, and a horde of decaying undead w as everywhere. It was dispersed in the air, on the floor, in the walls.

 

 Lucas felt as if the smell were in his clothes, his hair, his skin. His blood. 

 

He felt like gagging. 

 

But that wasn’t the end of it.

 

Then came the noises. The groans of the undead. 

 

It felt unreal as if they were sitting in a movie theater watching a zombie apocalypse. But this time, they were the ones in the movie.

 

All three of them were pulled back into reality when Claus felt a pulpy, decayed hand take hold of his wrist. On instinct, he tries to push it away, only to feel his own nails sink into its skin. 

 

The skin peels back to reveal rotted sinew and tissue softer than butter. It doesn't stop there, though. 

 

The ashy white begins to slip off the still solid bones, melting away to show its skeleton. 

 

Being friends with skeletons, one would think that Claus would be unfrightened by this, but not in the least. The skeletons he knew were a pearly white that most people would wish their teeth would look like, but the exposed bones Claus saw were a tannish, sickly yellow.

 

Claus had to physically stop himself from throwing up his lunch.

 

“Winter,” He whispered. 

 

The wobble in his voice was what pulled the Soldier out of his trance. 

 

He nodded his head downward, pointing to the mangly arm - rather skeleton - that had a hold of him. 

 

But before Winter could react, Claus gets pulled into the darkness. 

 

“CLAUS!” Lucas shouts, unable to keep the worry out of his voice, and rushes in after him. 

 

“Lucas!” Winter yells, and heads face first after him. 

 

“Help Mphffff ” Claus’s muffled plea rings in Winter’s ears. 

 

He can’t let anything happen to the younger boy, the Soldier thinks. 

 

Claus was his responsibility. 

 

With his body moving on its own account, Winter slams into the nearest person - no, body - crushing its skull instantly. 

 

“Claus! Claus!” Winter yells. “Are you okay?”

 

Taking hold of the flustered boy, he shakes him to get a response. 

 

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little surprised .”

 

“A little?” Winter asks with a huff in his voice. 

 

“Uh guys? We have a little problem.” Lucas’s voice pulls the two out of their bubble. 

 

They were cornered. 

 

Looming over them like giants from a fairy tale, were hordes of undead. Tattered filthy rags hung on their grimy skin, with their hair matted, thick with dirt - and what looked like blood. 

 

The room stank of poisonous sweat and rotting flesh, and Lucas was glad it was dark. He didn’t want to know what their faces looked like - their silhouettes were bad enough. 

 

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!” Winter shouted. “We need to get out of here. AND NOW.”

 

Claus stumbled backward, in a hurry to move closer to the two. 

 

The lights turned on.

 

The glare blinded the three for seconds before their view became clear again. In front of them, stood an army of zombies. 

 

In the darkness, they hadn’t been able to see how many of those... Those things were there. 

 

They weren’t quite dead, no. There was a certain essence to them. A human essence. Lucas couldn’t explain it.

 

The ones nearest to them were twitching as if waiting to attack. Their faces were dead-white and papery, covered in a network of horrible veins - a color that was more black than blue. 

 

Claus felt an odd sense of deja vu. He felt as if he had seen those veins somewhere before. 

 

But before he could dwell further, Winter pulled him towards himself. 

 

“We don’t know how fast they react, so we need to hurry.” 

 

Lucas couldn’t help but stare at the engorged heads, his pupils flitting everywhere to avoid eye contact with the monsters in front of them. 

 

Apparently, luck wasn’t on his side. 

 

His eyes - no - its eyes were red pits, shadowed with black and blue. But it wasn’t the physical appearance that made him shudder. 

 

It was the look. 

 

It was pure evil.

 

Lucas was pulled out of his thoughts when a different zombie swung at Winter with a broad-bladed ax. 

 

“SHIT!” Claus yelled and pulled him downwards. “RUN!”

 

Lucas didn’t wait for a second longer. Pulling the two along, he ran through the crowd. Somewhere along the way, they got separated. 

 

Throwing out a PSI Love α, Lucas blasted his way through the swarms without killing them. At the least, he was mildly injuring them.

 

He didn’t stop until the groans began to fade into the background. 

 

It wasn’t until he turned back to check on Winter and Claus, he realized that he had lost them somewhere in the midst. 

 

Frick. 

 

Lucas hoped that they would be okay.



Winter ran through the empty halls.

 

The moans and groans of the now-awakened subjects of experimentation floated throughout the halls. He rushed, and rushed, and rushed, but he couldn’t escape.

 

A pair of agents suddenly appeared in front of him, both charging at him, but Winter just grabbed them and slammed their heads together. He hears the loud crack of bone, and the two agents fall to the ground. He doesn’t kill them, though- No time.

 

Instead, he continues to run, dashing through the halls, running into a room with a heavy metal door, and slamming it closed.

 

He turns, sees the room he had dashed into, and immediately begins to panic because right in front of him was a very, very familiar chair.

 

No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No

 

He couldn’t handle this. Not right now. He just couldn’t-

 

Just- Just.

 

Everything was fuzzy. The whole world felt far away as if he couldn’t touch any of it. Nothing was- Nothing was-

 

Everything was just wrong-

 

Breathe

 

Please don’t make him go back-

 

Breathe

 

Please don’t make him fight for them again-

 

Breathe

 

P l e a s e

 

Breathe

 

 

 

 

Are you okay now?

 

“Ish,” Winter mutters. He slowly un-curls from the ball he was in to look up at the chair.

 

It seemed to tower over him, like a skyscraper. All he could do was stare up at it from the floor.

 

He sighed. What was wrong with him? And who was that?

 

Oh, that was just me, Claus. You feel better? Stopped panicking?

 

“I… Suppose.” Winter says through labored breaths. He still feels a bit like running away from this place at all costs, but now, slightly less so.

 

Anyway, I’m on the other side of the door, can you let me in?

 

Winter shakily nods, stands up (With a struggle,) and opens the metal door that led to the room.

 

Claus was indeed on the other side, along with the corpse of one of those… Experiments.

 

“Howdy.”

 

Winter nods, before stepping backward and sighing.

 

What had come upon him? Why was he suddenly so… Weak? Panicking at the sight of a goddamned chair?

 

He still refused to move his gaze in its direction.

 

Claus sighed. “You wanna talk about it?”

 

Winter blinked. “No.”

 

 

 

“...Winter. I want to show you something.”

 

Claus looked to the left. To the right.

 

He looked down at his arm.

 

He reached down and pulled off the glove he always wore.

 

Underneath was steel.

 

Winter stared down. He looked up at Claus. Down. Up. Down. Up.

 

“...What…”

 

“I’ve been where you are. We can talk later, though- We need to find Lucas.”

 

And Claus slipped the glove back on, turned, and dashed away.

 

Winter had no choice but to follow.



Lucas sighs from relief as he shuts the door behind him. Breathing heavily, he pulls the nearest chair and sits on it. 

 

Raising his head to look around, Lucas catches his breath. The room was lined with tiny rocket-like tubes filled with clear aquamarine liquid. 

 

Each glass bottle was secured beneath another sheet of glass, the material dusty. He could only hope that it wasn’t what he thought it was. 

 

Paying more attention, Lucas noticed the relative absence of human activity. 

 

The glass and floor were dusty, there were a few spider webs here and there and there was a big white cloth covering something in the middle. 

 

Getting up to investigate, Lucas’s eye was caught by the giant filing cabinet near the covered object. 

 

Who knew an evil organization like HYDRA could have something as simple as a filing cabinet? 

 

Pulling open the drawer and cringing at the loud sound in the empty room, Lucas was happy to finally be of use and find something. 

 

A file with the word ‘SERUM 1.0’ printed on the front made its way into the boy's hands. It was dated 2007. 

 

Opening the red file, Lucas was surprised to see the words ‘OPERATION FAILED’ on the first page. 

 

Continuing to flip through the file, Lucas was struck with images of the zombies they had just fought. 

 

Each picture had a small description under it, with the first starting with ‘DAY 1 - DOSE 1’ and onwards. 

 

Lucas paled at the horrifying images of normal people now turned into monsters. Throwing away the file, he picked up another one in hopes of more information. 

 

Thankfully, this file was more text than images. This one was dated 2012.

 

Flipping to the first page, the blood drained from Lucas’s face, leaving his skin a color whiter than his hair. 

 

He came to realize the reality of the situation. It was bad. 

 

HYDRA wasn’t what they thought it was. It wasn’t just an evil organization that they had to fight. 

 

No. They were fighting a nation. One that already had an army.

 

HYDRA was a network of… evil people who had been experimenting and creating ‘assets’ as they called them for generations. One of which was Winter, and apparently one of which was the zombies. 

 

The zombies. 

 

They weren’t just experiments gone wrong. No. Like Winter, they weren’t only a part of the experiment, and they were the outcome. That was what HYDRA wanted. 

 

Lucas’s breath hitched as he continued reading. 

 

THIS IS A COMPLETE REPORT COMPILED FROM PREVIOUS AND MORE RECENT ONES.

 

‘OPERATION .̸̬̏̎.̵̢̞͋.̴̠͛́ first started in 1999 when Dr. .̸̬̏̎.̵̢̞͋.̴̠͛́ found abnormal traces of energy in certain humans. Following this discovery, years later, in 2003, .̸̬̏̎.̵̢̞͋.̴̠͛́ .̸̬̏̎.̵̢̞͋.̴̠͛́, extracted this energy from test subjects 1-50. (More information on these subjects can be found in a different file in Base 10.) Turning the unknown energy into a serum, it was injected into multiple [human] subjects. Base 5 was in charge of them. The operation was deemed UNSUCCESSFUL in 2007 when scientists began to observe hidden and slow-evolving side effects. (Information about effects and side-effects can be found page 10) 

 

Flipping to page 10, Lucas paled. 

 

SIDE-EFFECTS:

 

Effects may range from specimen to specimen. 

 

HUMAN:

Physical: 

 

Causes slow degradation of the body. These specimens can last longer than other specimens. (Experiments in Left-Wing Base 5 are all human specimens Others have expired.)

 

The body loses the power to heal over time and begins to decay. If not disposed of correctly, specimens can stay alive for longer than normal.

 

Appearance:

 

Veins begin to turn bluish-black over time with the blood turning a bluish-black over times as well (Scientists have not been able to find the cause even after countless experiments)

 

Psychological:

 

Fast degeneration of logical thoughts. The ability to think and make rational decisions has been compromised as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus have begun to decay. Cannot make coherent thoughts as they progress into further stages of development. 

 

PSYCHICS

Physical: 

 

Causes slow degradation of the body of natural psychics.  These specimens are much more powerful than human ones but last for shorter periods of time due to degradation being amplified.* 



(Experiments in Right-Wing Base 7 are the remainder of psychic human specimens if any are left.)

 

The body loses the power to heal over time and begins to decay. If not disposed of correctly, specimens can stay alive for longer than normal.

 

*Degradation is amplified with the use of PSI (Psychic Magic pg.36) Most specimens showed signs of suffering when PSI was used.

 

Appearance:

 

Veins begin to turn blue over time with the blood turning a blue over times as well (Scientists have not been able to find the cause even after countless experiments)

 

Psychological:

 

Slow degeneration of logical thoughts. Can still make coherent thoughts as they progress into further stages of development. 

 

MONSTERS:

Physical: N/A

Appearance: N/A

Psychological: N/A

*No current Monster specimens exist. 

 

CONCLUSION:

Serum 1.0 creates drones that do nothing but attack on command. When first created, specimens are an asset, but as serum development starts inside their bodies, they become ‘mindless’ and unusable. The serum does not spread unfortunately and a different version (SERUM 2.0) is currently being made. 

 

The current status of specimens and serum can be found on File labeled ‘STATUS’

 

After reading through the numerous files, (including the one labeled ‘STATUS’) Lucas felt sick to his stomach. 

 

The weight of what he had just read sat like a stone in his stomach and he did the only thing he could think of in the heat of the moment. He ripped up the files and the horrifying images that had plagued the air. 

Lucas had never truly felt alone in his life before. But sitting in the cold, dark room surrounded by the shadows of HYDRA’s doings, his thoughts wandered to the argument he and Winter had.  

 

“You’re just a child! No, a baby that goes to cry to his big brother when he gets scared.”

 

Those words had never really left Lucas’s mind, staying by his side like the monsters under a child's bed. 

 

He was trembling, being crushed under the weight of what he had just read, knowing that no one was here to help him. To comfort him. 

 

Lucas cringed at his own patheticness. 

 

Wiping the precipitation that had formed in his eyes, he got up and began to clean the mess he had made.

 

He wouldn’t be a burden to Winter or Claus. He would prove his worth - even if it was the last thing he did. 

 

Nonetheless, Lucas couldn't deny the fear he felt. 



As the pair ran through the halls, blasting down or shooting any of the weird zombies in their way, Claus found himself surprisingly calm.

 

He believed in Lucas, after all, he could defend himself.

 

*But would he? That’s the big question.

 

Yes, he would.

 

Claus was sure of it.

 

So, as the pair continued rushing, Claus was not worried.

 

Not in the least.

 

 

Okay, maybe he was a little worried.



The pair are about to pass by a small iron door, with bright blue light flowing through the window, when Chara suddenly stops Claus with a *Wait!

 

What?

 

*Lucas is in there! I checked!

 

Claus breathed a sigh of relief. He spun around and slammed into the door.

 

“LUCAS! LET US IN!!”

 

The groans of a massive horde were getting closer.

 

“LUCAS!”

 

Mercifully, the door opened, Lucas standing there, pale-faced and wide-eyed.

 

“...Hi.”

 

“ThankYouPleaseMovePlease-” Claus said quickly as he passed by Lucas, dragged Winter into the room, and slammed the door closed.

 

Claus sighed, leaning against the door, and slid down the ground.

 

He looked up at Lucas, who was still pale. “Hey, Luke, what’s up?”

 

“...Nothing,” he said after a long while.

 

He looked away.

 

“...It’s just… I don’t want to end up like them, ” Lucas said, gesturing to the outside of the room.

 

Claus nodded.

 

He then glanced over at Winter, who had moved over to where the file was laid. He was staring at the page, apparently reading whatever was written there.

 

“...God,” he muttered. “This is…”

 

“Huh?” Claus asked.

 

“They were trying to make a serum,” said Winter. “But they failed. Miserably. That ended up with what you’re seeing… Out there.”

 

Claus sighed. Just another reason to stop HYDRA.

 

“Looks like they’ve got a second version in development. Apparently, it’s going on in another base in… Malibu?”

 

“Let’s just remember that for later,” Claus says casually.

 

“...” Winter stares down at the file, then at the large containers, before putting a hand to his chin in thought.

 

“...I’ve seen this stuff before.”

 

“Yeah, you probably have. You were a part of HYDRA before you met us.”

 

“...yeah, that’s probably it.”

 

Claus nods and stands up.


“Alright. As the leader, I have decided to make the executive decision to leave this base immediately. We will destroy these tanks, then teleport out. Everybody voting-”

 

“Okay, hold on, I’m pretty sure that I’m the leader of our little gang.” Winter suddenly interrupted.

 

“...What.” Claus deadpans.

 

“...You know what, we can argue about this later. Let’s just get out of here.”

 

Claus sighs. They definitely should.

 

“Okay, I’ll destroy the tanks, you teleport us out,” Lucas spoke suddenly. “If you two are gonna fight about being leader, I’ll be the leader until you two figure something out.”

 

“No.”

 

“No.”

 

“...Fine. But my plan was a good one, right?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

 

And so, the plan was set. Winter and Claus faced the wall, while Lucas faced the tanks.

 

The tanks suddenly began to shake as Lucas began to force his PSI to break the containers, a brief flash of pain appearing on his face, likely from the effort.

 

The containers are about to explode just as the portal opens. Claus and Winter open the portal, and Lucas runs through seconds after them. The containers explode just as the portal closes.

 

The blue liquid splashes all across the room, slowly losing its power as it seeps into the ground.



Hours later, a pair of twins walk into the now-empty room.

 

“Told you they wouldn’t be in here,” the silver-haired one speaks.

 

“Shut up, Pietro,” Wanda speaks. “I just wanted to see.”

 

She glances at the files on the ground, steps forward, and begins to read.

 

Her jaw drops further the more she reads.

 

Pietro follows her lead, his brows furrowing as he reads as well.

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms 

Chapter 17: Sokovia


 

Sokovia was cold.

 

Or, at least, the particular area they had landed in was. Snowflakes drifted to and fro, swirling around the group in a hypnotizing dance that was broken by the feeling of sharp winds and rather exposed human limbs.

 

It was likely chilly at best for Toriel, who appeared to be rather unaffected, but for the average man it was freezing. Flint shivered, even with his long sleeved shirt, and rubbed his arms as he heard somebody’s teeth audibly chatter behind him.

 

“Warm. Place. Now!” Paula hissed through clenched teeth, her dress and simple pull over sweater not enough to keep the cold out. Ness gestured for them to all follow him, and the group quickly headed for a building that looked similar to a hotel of sorts. The outside was old and worn down, stones deteriorating into dust.

 

Despite the outside appearance, the inside looked warm and cozy, so they all huddled together as they stepped through the creaky door, exhaling in relief at the interior heating.

 

Grabbing a room, settling in, unpacking, and navigating the old fashioned hotel was difficult for one particular reason that all of them had completely neglected to see to, and Flint had stood around for fifteen minutes straight as their group struggled to communicate to the staff that spoke only Sokovian that they needed a room. 

 

But eventually, they got through it, if only because of Loki’s genius idea of pointing to a picture on the wall that showed off one of the hotel’s rooms.

 

The actual room wasn’t as well lit nor as clean as the picture, but it would do, and the group eventually split off. Paula, Ness and Harmony shared a room with Loki and Frisk, while Toriel and Flint had a room for themselves. If Flint had been listening harder when the arrangement was made, he would have heard two particularly mischievous children laughing silently and making low mutters of “Toriel and Flint, sitting in a tree…” 

 

But alas, he didn’t, and Flint was busy trying to see whether or not that weird off color on the wall above the mirror was a stain or a leak from the floor above while Toriel sat at the edge of her bed, nervously looking around. 

 

Washing up and crashing onto the bed felt like a feeling no other could compete with after the long day, and Flint quite honestly wished to pass out right then and there.

 

It was 4 am in Sokovia, 10 pm in Fourside. The sky was starting to get lighter, as it does in different regions, but Flint didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to get up, wanted to sink deeper into the mattress as he slept through the day.

 

It was like he had jet lag, but also not jet lag, considering he got here through a portal. Would that still count as jet lag? Maybe it would be classified as something else… portal lag, maybe?

 

But regardless of his absentminded thoughts, Flint knew that he had to get ready to move as soon as possible. Ness and Paula had requested that they come to their room after they finished unpacking and settling in, and Flint knew that the faster they did that, the faster they departed to look for his children.

 

So, fighting against his internal clock that tried to force his sleep, he sat up and met Toriel’s eyes.

 

“Ready to go?” He asked softly. His voice was slightly hoarse, but Toriel understood and nodded determinedly. She had bags under her eyes, and concerningly her hands looked like they were trembling, but she was ready to set off.

 

“Yes. Let’s go.”



“What do you mean, you have no plan?”

 

Flint watched bemusedly as Ness and Paula were yelling at each other, bickering like an old couple. Loki and Frisk were on their beds, busy with a mobile game, while Harmony was dozing off in her crib. It was supposed to be almost 11 pm back at home, after all.

 

“We do have a plan! Locate the kids, kick the asses of whoever is keeping them captive, including the soldier guy if he’s evil, and get back home!” 

 

Flint and Toriel had arrived at the Ebbund family’s hotel room a mere ten minutes before, waiting on the opposite side of the door for some time before being let in by a distracted Frisk. The shouting had been going on since they had gone in, and it was still dragging out now.

 

“That is not a plan! That’s just a general synopsis of what we should be doing! We have to figure out just how we’re meant to track these kids down, find some way to get around this country easier, and get an alternative if something goes wrong! Backup plans, Paula, backup plans!”

 

The two were glaring at each other, breathing hard. Ness’s black hair that was neatly combed beforehand was now wild and hanging in front of his eyes, reminding Flint of a rambunctious kid. The same went for Paula, who had her hair down over her shoulders as stray strands stuck out like porcupine quills.

 

“Okay, okay, let’s slow down.” She sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily. “Clearly, we left a little faster than we expected to, but we can sort it out as we go. Is that alright with you?”

 

Ness nodded, visibly deflating. The two shook on it, oddly formal for the married couple, before finally turning to Flint and Toriel. He waved, Toriel following his cue.

 

“Right. Sorry about that! Let’s discuss.” Ness sat down on the floor, Paula urging Loki and Frisk to sit as well. Flint hesitantly found his way to the floor, Toriel sitting on her knees, until they were all comfortably seated in a circle.

 

“Do any of you have ideas of how we should approach this?” Paula started. “We’ve been… trying to find out a good, well thought-out way to find your children, Flint, but we’re not sure about all the details, you know?”

 

He nodded tensely. He was impatient to leave Fourside, and knew they were bound to arrive forgetting something.

 

“We can find a map?” Toriel piped up. “Digital or physical, it’ll aid us a lot as we go along. 

 

Ness nodded. “For sure, that’ll definitely help us. Any other ideas?”

 

“We can look around the local news or area for sightings of these guys,” Frisk piped up. “Though I’m not sure how we’ll get past the language barrier.”

 

The room was silent for several beats, each person shifting uncomfortably, fishing for an answer. Harmony cooed quietly in the background, and Loki slowly raised his hand.

 

“How about a translator? We could grab a person that speaks both languages, but if you wish to be more… modern, I suppose, you could always use ‘Google Translate.’”

 

“Ah, great idea!” Paula said, clapping her hands together. Ness, who had just opened his mouth to respond, clicked it shut and nodded. 

 

“Right! It might be a bit off, but it’ll work.”

 

Loki leaned back, pleased with his contribution.

 

“What do we do if we’re ever like- tracked down by HYDRA, too?” Frisk interjected. “Isn’t that a possible outcome for what we’re going to do? Plus, have we forgotten the soldier with a metal arm Flint and Toriel said was hanging out with the twins?”

 

“Well, we can’t really do anything other than hide and fight back…” Ness replied. “But in the worst case scenario where we’re backing into a corner, we’re teleporting you kids back home. No matter what.”

 

At this, Frisk and Loki jumped to their feet. 

 

“Wait, what?! That wasn’t a part of the plan-!”

“Are you kidding me?! No, that’s off the table!”

 

“Hey!” Paula said sharply. The two snapped their jaws shut. “But that’s the worst case scenario, alright? Of course, we’ll try to get all of us out of there. But if we’re really, really short on time, you two and Harmony are out first!”

 

Clearly not liking it, the two sat back down, fuming angrily. Paula rubbed her face in her hands, before she also sat back down.

 

“Not another word about that tonight. Not now.”

 

There was a tense silence, but slowly Loki and Frisk nodded. Paula relaxed, giving a tight lipped smile, before gesturing to Ness for them to continue.

 

“Right, well… what’s our route?”

 

They all looked at each other, unsure who should speak up first. The outside was beginning to grow brighter with the sun, and the bustle of people heading to work began. Flint shut his eyes, thinking about just how his sons are, where they might be, how they might be doing. 

 

They needed him. And he’d bring them back.

 

“Let’s head to the streets.” Flint said suddenly. All eyes turned to him.

 

“Better to start somewhere than nowhere.”



As Toriel wandered the streets, she got odd looks from many of the people around her. Some may have thought she was simply in a suit, but others likely knew her for who she was.

 

But Toriel was used to the odd stares by now. She simply ignored them for a while, as she searched the crowd for any signs of… Anything, really.

 

It was mid morning, beginning to tip into noon as Toriel roamed the area. Flint had gone off on his own in an effort to cover more area, though she knew it was more likely he was forced to, based on the sour look on his face before they departed.

 

She brushed her paw against an old news stand- nothing in stock but a few raggedy old magazines and a plentiful amount of more recent newspapers. Clearly, the place didn’t get that many people.

 

Toriel took a look anyway, and peered at one of the newspapers. Seems like tabloids.

 

But then somebody suddenly grabbed her by the arm of her robe, pulled her into a nearby alleyway, and threw her to the ground, causing her to tumble.

 

She looked up. Three men stood above her.

 

“Eyy, I seeee y’ure one’a dem monsterz, from the America, or- * HIC! *

 

Toriel blinked, and stood. She brushed off her robe, even though it was already a bit dirty before she was thrown down, before looking up at the men.

 

“Yes, I am. And what does it mean to you?” She simply asked.

 

“We don’... Don’ like you monsterzz here-” *HIC!* “-You don’... Deserve the-” *HIC!* “-sun.”

 

“Well-”

 

“GET-” *HIC* “-HER!” The drunken man shouted.

 

His two ‘henchmen’ stepped forward, one of them pounding his fist into his hand, the other pulling out a switchblade.

 

Step by step, the three men continue to inch closer, as Toriel began to back up, she began looking for ways out of this fight-

 

But there was no escape-

 

She would have to FIGHT-

 

And then, suddenly, a metal pipe came flying out of the back of the alley, slamming into the left-most man. The other two backed up-

 

And then, a 13-year-old girl floated down into the space between Toriel and the men. Her hands and feet were glowing red.

 

She flung her hand forward, throwing a red projectile at the right-most henchman. He was flung back a solid five feet.

 

The middle guy pulled out a broken bottle- charged the girl- she hadn’t noticed in time- but Toriel threw her arms forward, and suddenly two white fireballs slammed into his chest, sending him stumbling.

 

“It’s- It’s the red witch! ” One of the men screamed, suddenly standing up and running away, screaming like a small child.

 

The other two men’s eyes widen, and they also begin to run away, escaping into the crowd.

 

The young girl lowered her arms, and her extremities stopped glowing.

 

She turned around, and grinned sheepishly at Toriel.

 

“Heh. Thanks for the… Save…”

 

Her grin dropped into a shocked expression.

 

“Oh my god. You’re- You’re from Ebott, aren’t you? Like, one of those monsters from the mountain.”

 

Warily, Toriel nodded. The girl’s face widened in wonder.

 

“Wow… You look. Uh. Really cool.”

 

“Oh, thank you, child!” Toriel said, smiling at the young girl, who smiled back.

 

“Oh, right. I’m Wanda.”

 

“And I am Toriel. Nice to meet you!”

 

“Nice to meet you too. Come on, we should probably get somewhere warmer…”

 

“Oh, no need! I am perfectly warm as I am. I have fur, after all.”

 

“...I can see that,” Wanda said, “But it’s more for me than you.”

 

“Well, no need for that either!” Toriel said as she lit a fireball in her palm, before throwing it at the ground. The fireball popped as it hit the ground, before becoming lit and, somehow, without fuel, stayed lit on the ground.

 

Wanda stared in awe. She stepped forward and began to warm her hands over the fire, looking up at Toriel.

 

“So, what are you doing so far from Ebott?”

 

“Well…” It was likely best not to divulge all the details. “...I am helping a friend to search for his children. We have reason to believe that they are lost, here, in this city.”

 

Wanda nodded. “Huh. They likely would not have lasted long in this city.”

 

Toriel winces.

 

“...Well, I’m sure they’re fine.”

 

Toriel sighs. “I… They are quite strong, those children. I believe in them.”

 

Wanda nodded. “I’m sure.”

 

For a while, the two of them sat there, by the fire, staring into its white depths.

 

“...Toriel.” Wanda says quietly. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Go ahead, young one,” Toriel says with a gentle smile.

 

Wanda looks up at Toriel, winces, and looks back down at the fire.

 

“...Sometimes,” she says, “I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. You saw, earlier, how I have these powers?”

 

Toriel nods, tilting her head. “Your magic.”

 

“R-Right, my magic. Well… Sometimes, I have to use it to… you know… hurt people. And… Sometimes… I wonder if the people I’m hurting deserve it. My brother acts like he doesn’t care, but I know he’s thinking the same thing. About. People being hurt. And…”

 

“Oh, young one, I doubt you need to worry about that.”

 

Wanda looked up at Toriel, bewilderment crossing her face.

 

“I understand that you may be afraid, but for how little time I’ve known you, I can tell you that, simply by worrying about that, you have proven to have quite the moral compass.”

 

Toriel smiles down at Wanda. “I believe in you, after all.”

 

Wanda blinks. Were those… Tears in her eyes?

 

“...Thank you.”

 

For a bit, the two sit there and wait, before-

 

BBBRING. BBBRING.

 

“Oh, I have to take this.” Wanda reached into her pocket and pulled out one of those flat-screen phones.

 

“Hello… Oh! Hey! Pietro! What’s going on… What? They found them? Okay, I’ll be right over in a few… Now? We’re leaving now!? Ugh.”

 

Wanda put the phone away and stood up with a sigh.

 

“I have to go, now.”

 

“Are you sure?” Toriel asked. She had been quite enjoying this talk.

 

Wanda nodded sadly. “Goodbye, Toriel. I hope to see you again!”

 

“ And you too!”

 

Wanda smiled, before running off.

 

Toriel smiled as well.

Chapter 19: The Shot

Summary:

In which there is a shot fired.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text


⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜

Chapter 18: The Shot


 

“Toriel! Are you okay?”

 

Flint was the first to rush to her side, and she laughed as he tried to figure out whether or not she was hurt.

 

“Don’t worry about me. I am just fine. Sorry for being a bit late!” Toriel said, gently patting Flint’s arm to reassure him about her health. The man relaxed, though he didn’t look that convinced.

 

And he was right not to. Toriel still had several dirty scuff marks from the dirt while she was in the alleyway with Wanda that were most definitely not there before, but she was for the most part unharmed. It was only a few seconds after the redhead girl had left that Toriel realized she was late for their rendezvous, and she ran out the alley in a hurry.

 

Now the sun was beginning to dip over the line of the buildings in the cold yet beautiful Sokovia, and Toriel so longed to take a shower and crash into the hotel’s soft pillows. But the way the Ebbund family looked, with their eyes nervously shifting to each other and Paula’s practically vibrating excitement indicated to her that today was going to be another long, long day.

 

“Well, better late than never,” Ness said, and Paula took that as her cue. She pulled out her phone from her back pocket and swiped through, Toriel watching slightly amused as the other woman growled in frustration several times before presenting her find.

 

“Take a look,” Paula said, stage-whispering, and Toriel took the small little device delicately from her hands to see it better. 

 

The photo was a little shaky, but Toriel got the main image. An odd, out of place brick building sat innocently among the snow, tall trees that looked to be brushing the clouds surrounding it in a faux barrier. There was a man dressed in black not quite looking at the camera- but getting quite close- which may have been why the photo looked to be badly taken.

 

But what really gave away the reason for Paula’s excitement was presented on the soldier’s chest, that same old insignia with the skeleton head and eight legs pinned ever so disgustingly proud. Toriel wrinkled her nose when she realized, and her eyes darted back up to meet the other woman’s blue ones. 

 

“This is the base, isn’t it?” She inquired pointlessly, knowing the answer already.

 

“Yep! And we think it’s better if we move in- like, now. If Flint’s children are somehow in there, behind all those men, I don’t want to see what happens to them if we find them later.”

 

Toriel nodded, determined. “Right then. Let’s go.”

 

Loki shifted the pack that was clearly not a light load on his back, rolling his eyes. “And here I was looking forward to a nice night relaxing and ignoring my horrid back pain.”

 

“On the bright side, you’ll get to experience more pain that will distract from your spine problems!” Frisk piped in chipperly. Harmony cooed in their arms.

 

“Quiet, you two. I’m going to entrust Harmony’s safety to you, Frisk, so should anything go horribly wrong I expect you to run for it, alright?” Paula said, patting her childrens’ shoulders.

 

“We’ve got a good amount of land to cover.”

 


 

The forest was creepy at night.

 

Flint tightened his grip on Toriel’s paw, which squeezed back gently. The distant call of birds and low rumblings of the woods caused him to feel unsafe and watched, more so now that they were beginning to approach their destination.

 

“Hold on…” Paula hissed, and they all stopped in their tracks. Crouching in the underbrush, Flint peered through the pitch black darkness for whatever had alerted her. But, alas, there was nothing.

 

“Ugh, sorry…” Paula muttered, holding her head in her hands. She stood back upright, and slowly the rest of them followed her example. “This forest is making me lose it. Seriously, it does not need to be this creepy.”

 

“It’s fine,” Ness said comfortingly. “We’ll be quick. You have us here, and we won’t leave you alone.”

 

Continuing their trek, guided only by one flashlight beaming on the dirty leaves, Flint squinted as a building seemingly materialized from the air, blue lights shining from the windows as the crunch of snow under the feet of many soldiers crossed the perimeter.

 

“Oh dear…” Toriel said softly, barely a breath, and Flint couldn’t help but agree. How were they meant to break in? 

 

“Do you think another round of dancing monkeys will distract them, Loki?” Frisk whispered. Loki rolled his eyes, not bothering to give a response. Paula hushed them both, quickly lifting her hands and shutting her eyes in concentration.

 

Ness too raised his hands, and unsure what to do Flint stood back. He watched warily as the soldier got closer and closer, and Frisk was forced to click their flashlight off. Harmony was thankfully silent, merely asleep, and Loki kept a keen eye on the men.

 

Fifteen feet away.

 

Ten.

 

Merely five. 

 

And then, just as the men were about to turn their heads and spot several unruly looking people and one monster, a pale blue light washed over them from the PSI couple. Almost immediately they tumbled to the ground, one man snoring before he even hit the floor. 

 

With three of the soldiers immobilized and out of the way, Paula carefully dragged them into the brush and removed them of their protective bulletproof armor and gear, leaving them in their underwear. Flint was tossed a bundle of clothes, and- getting the memo- he swiftly changed behind a large tree. When he had emerged, he spotted Paula and Ness wriggling on their security caps, Loki and Frisk looking generally displeased while Toriel looked a bit nervous in her spot. 

 

“And are we going to get any uniforms?” Loki asked dryly. Paula shook her head, smiling brightly.

 

“Nope! But don’t worry, I have a plan. Loki, you can turn into a neat little bird and be our eye in the sky, right?”

 

He rolled his eyes, but begrudgingly nodded. He cracked his knuckles, shook his head, and lifted off as a black raven, shooting into the sky. Frisk, however, looked a little bit unhappy about it. 

 

“Wait, what about me, Harmony, and Ms. Toriel? We don’t exactly have anything to do other than maybe get us all caught.”

 

“Well, that’s the thing! You will get caught.”

 

“What?!”

 

Frisk clapped a hand to their mouth at their sudden outburst, looking around nervously to make sure nobody heard. Thankfully, there wasn’t a squadron of soldiers rushing at them, nor bullets raining down.

 

“Sorry, it’s just that I’m a little bit worried about the fact that this place most definitely will kill us on sight, and I’m just a teenie tiny bit concerned about Harmony. You know, considering she’s a psychic baby who has literally no control over her powers?”

 

Paula sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, Flint noticed. “Well, yes, but we need a good distraction. I trust you, Frisk, and Toriel as well. Should you need it, one of us or all of us will come right back around to rescue you should things go bad, but for now, you gotta trust me on this. Plus, I’ll give you a psychic shield to help with your defenses. Is that okay?”

 

Breathing in sharply, Frisk nodded in determination. “Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Yeah. I get it.”

 

Paula’s face relaxed into a smile. “Great. Then, once Loki comes back, we’ll go in and out.”

 

Right on cue, the same black raven swooped down from the direction of the building and morphed into the familiar sleek haired figure they all knew. He dusted a few feathers off his clothes, before jutting his chin up proudly.

 

“I found a quick and easy way for you all to slip inside, though it needs a little fiddling around. Luckily for you all, I am a considerate and wonderful person, so I have stolen a key card for you.”

 

He lifted a thin card pinched neatly between his fingers, though Ness tilted his head questioningly. 

 

“You realize we could have taken that from the pockets of these men we’ve knocked out, right-?”

 

Paula gave him a sharp hiss. “Let him have his moment, darling,” she said, not quiet at all. Loki sniffed, pretending not to hear, and tucked the card quickly into his pocket.

 

“I can lead you all there, as a bird or other. So, are we all ready to go?” He asked.

 

They all looked at each other, expressions varying from determined, to nervous, to flat out disinterested. Flint felt a squeeze at his hand, and looked up to see Toriel looking at him encouragingly.

 

It made his heart warm.

 

Paula quickly waved her hands in Frisk, Toriel, and Harmony’s direction, a pale yellow hemisphere surrounding them, barely visible. She poked at it experimentally, and when a little resistance was shown, she smiled in approval. 

 

“Let’s go.” Ness said, and he marched out of the bushes followed by Paula and Flint, Loki flapping around nearby to help guide them. He turned to see Toriel and Frisk rushing to be seen by the men out in front, Toriel’s fire hovering protectively around them. Harmony’s figure was still sleeping, cradled close to Frisk’s chest, and pretty soon the alarm began to sound.

 

Ness urged Flint to step closer to the walls of the building, which he gladly followed. Now in the shadows, they watched as several men ran past them to apprehend the other group, and Flint bit his lip hoping that they wouldn’t get hurt.

 

Please, please don’t get hurt.

Hearing the quick caw from Loki’s beak, he skid to a stop before a tucked away metal door, a little slit on the side. Loki handed Ness the keycard with his beak, and the man took it quickly and swiped. The door beeped once, and clicked open.

 

They were in.

 


 

The sound of guns clicking in their direction was scary enough, but when the bullets began she was quite frankly very terrified.

 

It was loud, Toriel realized, very loud. She thought that the gunfire at Flint’s house and the laboratory was bad, but this time it felt deafening. Perhaps it was the fact the bullets were stopping a mere two feet away from their faces thanks to a particularly yellow magical shield. 

 

Toriel desperately shot out a few flames to at least hinder their fire, the dancing embers phasing through the barrier easily. She heard the yelps of several men, and squeezed her eyes shut.

 

She didn’t like hurting people, even if they were trying to kill them.

 

“Come on, Toriel!” Frisk called out, Harmony finally rousing from her sleep. Obviously disturbed by the bumpy ride, she began to squirm in Frisk’s arms. Frisk looked at Toriel desperately, not sure what to do as their grip began to slip, but she swooped in to take the child from them. Frisk gave her a grateful look. 

 

Now holding a wriggling child in her paws, Toriel sped up to keep in pace with Frisk. The bullets still rained, but at least they were losing some behind them. 

 

“Do you think it’d be better if we got some cover from the trees?” Frisk asked, gasping. Toriel shook her head.

 

“Then we would be in one spot. The men can corner us and hit the shield until it breaks.”

 

Frisk gave a frustrated groan at that. “We can’t keep running forever! Where to, then?”

 

But apparently, it seemed the combined noise of Toriel and Frisk’s voices, the battering gunfire, and the blaring alarm had finally gotten on Harmony’s nerves, and she too began to wail.

 

“Oh no, no no no! Harmony, don’t cry, shh, shh!” Frisk hissed as they ran, ducking for cover by one of the trees despite the fact that the men could corner them. Toriel heaved for breath, on the ground, glancing up once in a while to make sure the men weren’t getting too close. So far, it seemed they were keeping their distance, wary of her flames. 

 

Bullets, unfortunately, still battered their shield.

 

“Alright, crap- where’s the baby supplies?!” Frisk yelled, rummaging through their bag desperately while Harmony continued her loud cries. Fumbling with a pacifier, they stuck it into the baby’s mouth and swiftly stood back up, backpack still unzipped.

 

Toriel zipped it up as they continued to sprint, leading the men on in a race around the perimeter. 

 

I should really get more exercise… Toriel thought in her exhaustion, struggling to keep up with the much younger and springier Frisk.

 

“Frisk!” Toriel shouted. “Slow down!”

 

They slowed enough for Toriel to catch up, but at their now shorter pace, they both heard a sharp and distinct noise that caused both of them to pale considerably.

 

CRACK.

 

“Up there,” Frisk pointed, and Toriel saw it. A long, jagged line was cutting across the dome’s head, likely due to the impact of the bullets. Swallowing nervously, Toriel sped up.

 

“What are we to do?” Toriel asked, nervous. The front entrance of the building was beginning to near, but there was an assembly of men standing as a barricade, pointing their guns at them.

 

Not wanting to be cut off, they turned to try and run the other way, but the men had formed another barricade behind, too. Some emerged from the woods, and Toriel looked above to see some peeking out of windows and on top of the building, guns aimed for the kill.

 

They were surrounded.

 

The shield seemed to flicker meekly as they all closed in, gunfire having temporarily stopped. Toriel stood, back to back with Frisk, holding Harmony close. Her chest heaved from the effort of running, and she watched nervously as a man in a different uniform stepped forward.

 

“Monster! Humans! Surrender, now! We promise we won’t hurt you,” Even from their distance Toriel knew the man was lying behind his plastic-like smile, and she stepped even closer to Frisk. Harmony was fuming in Toriel’s arms, and she wasn’t sure if she was just fussy or actually beginning to heat up.

 

“No! Leave us alone!” Frisk shouted uselessly, knowing the men wouldn’t back off. They were doomed to die or be captured for experimentation, and Toriel found both options incredibly unsavory.

 

But suddenly, Harmony spat out her pacifier into the dirt and tipped her head into the sky, screaming for all it was worth. Frisk cursed silently behind Toriel, and she was tempted to tell them off about it if it wasn’t for the baby’s loud shrieking. 

 

“Shh… Shh… please, Harmony, not now!” Toriel whispered, a few of the soldiers chuckling with no amusement in their voices. 

 

“If you surrender, we’ll leave the baby alone,” the man said, but his gun was still aimed at their shield. 

 

“Never!” Frisk shouted. Toriel yelled in agreement.

 

But it seemed to be the wrong answer, at least to the man. His eyes darkened, and the smile morphed into a disgusted sneer.

 

“Men! Get ready to fire! Three!”

 

I am going to die. Toriel thought helplessly. Harmony’s screams would be the last thing she heard, Frisk’s pained yell behind her. 

 

“Two!”

 

She hopes Frisk and Harmony will be able to die swiftly and painlessly. Toriel wanted at least that much for them. As she sent out her last mental prayers, she didn’t feel the heat from Harmony begin to grow.

 

“One!”

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you well enough, my children,” Toriel muttered. The warmth from holding Harmony was beginning to get too hot, but she didn’t let go.

 

“FIRE!”

 

They all flinched at the sharp battering of the bullets, the all-too-loud noise of the cracking shield counting down their doom. 

 

But before the yellow barrier around them shattered completely, Harmony’s eyes glowed a bright purple, and Toriel saw her vision flash white.

 


 

The trio stumbled through the portal. Another successful mission- Another of HYDRA’s plans derailed.

 

Claus walked over to the bed and hopped onto it, laying down with a sigh. “Ahhhh… Finally.”

 

Lucas raised a brow. “We were gone for like half a day.”

 

“Dude. We just fought zombies. I need a nap.”

 

“Shouldn’t probably talk about that-”

 

“Sleep now, talk later.”

 

Lucas sighs. Claus could be so stubborn sometimes…

 

“Claus. Get up. You can sleep later, we need to talk. Now.

 

“Ugh, fine.

 

Claus slowly sat up, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in frustration.

 

“Alright. What is oh-so-important that we need to talk about it now?

 

“We need to discuss your arm.”

 

“Oh. Yeah. I’m a cyborg. I was also a living weapon, like you. Done. Now let me sleep.”

 

No! Why the hell have you kept this from me?!”

 

“Well, because I thought- And with good reason, too- That you would attack me as soon as you saw it.”

 

“Why- Wha- Okay, Okay, that’s a good point.”

 

Winter shook his head. “Besides, I have another issue to address.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“We’re not doing enough to eliminate HYDRA. We aren’t killing enough of it.”

 

“Winter-” Lucas starts, but Winter suddenly whirls around and faces Lucas.

 

“No, you’re going to listen to me. I’ve put up with your… Little ‘pacifist’ attitude up until now.”

 

“But-”

 

Shut. Up. You’re not going to kill anybody. Fine. But you’re not going to stop me from killing. Under stood?

 

“...Yes.”

 

“Good.”

 

And Winter turned around and walked away.

 

“I’m going to take a walk.”

 

He stepped forwards, opened the door, and stepped through.

 

The door slammed closed behind him.

 

 

 

 

Claus sighed. “I’ll go after him. You get some rest.”

 

“...Okay.”

 

Claus turned and left the room.

 


 

*Claus, are you sure this is a good idea?

 

Yes.

 

*I think what Winter needs right now is space.

 

And I’ll give it to him. I just want to make sure he doesn’t do anything.

 

*...Oh, I see. You don’t trust him.

 

Yeah.

 

As Claus walked down the streets, he suddenly heard the screeching of tires, the shooting of guns, and the screaming of civilians.

 

Claus rushed forward, only to find himself standing before a scene of destruction.

 

Multiple steel trucks overturned and on fire, with several more unturned ones currently dispatching units. Police helicopters flew high above, as well as jet-black ones as well. Seems HYDRA was in another shootout with the police.

 

Claus clenched his fists, and ran in, only to freeze at what he saw.

 

Multiple HYDRA agents circling Winter in the middle of the street, with Winter spinning around, looking for a way out.

 

 

 

 

Winter looked up and locked eyes with Claus.

 

 

 

 

Winter raised his gun.


Don’t do it, Winter! Claus mentally shouted to him. Just surrender!

 

Winter blinked. Then, his face hardened.

 

“I’m never goin’ back.”

 

Winter turned the gun inwards and fired at his own head.

 

 

Notes:

:)

Chapter 20: Broken SOUL

Summary:

In which there is another battle with the Twins.

Notes:

So
Uh
Hello! Um... It's been a while, hasn't it?
Sorry for the long wait, everyone. It's just... Well, the best way to put it is that life got in the way. School started, and stuff, you know...
Either way, hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text


  ⚜ Brothers In Arms ⚜ 

Chapter 19: Broken SOUL


 

Claus, stunned, stared at the headless corpse that used to be Winter.

 

Dimly, he felt his arms being grabbed and held behind him.

 

Faintly, he heard Chara calling to him.

 

But it all felt… Distant. Everything was just… Dim. Gone.

 

I’m probably in shock, Claus thought.

 

*Goddammit, Claus, wake UP!

 

 

*I need you to move! They’re handcuffing you! They’re throwing you in their truck! You need to wake! The Fuck! UP!

 

Claus blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.

 

He looks around, only half aware of the world around him.

 

He was inside of a small, box-shaped metal room. Or maybe it was the back of a truck? It was probably the latter, as he felt himself shaking.

 

There were also multiple agents around him, guns all trained on his forehead. Seems they were really taking him seriously.

 

 

 

 

Claus sighed and leaned back in the chair he was in. He felt like throwing up.

 

There was nothing he could do. 

 

*Claus, aren’t you forgetting something?

 

What?

 

*A certain… Ability of yours?

 

...Oh my god.

 

It had been so long since he had Loaded a SAVE- He didn’t even know when he had last saved- But it was his only shot.

 

Claus looked around at the men surrounding him, and said “Gentlemen, It was nice meeting you, but now I must go away.”

 

Two of them glanced at each other in confusion before Claus closed his eyes and focused.

 


FILE LOADED SUCCESSFULLY.


 

Claus’s world erupted into pain. SOUL-searing pain, in fact. The type of pain that makes you wish everything would just stop and end. The type of pain one usually only experiences once a lifetime.

 

Claus screamed. 

 

And everything went blissfully dark.

 


 

When Claus awoke again, the first thing he noticed was that the pain that had filled his entire being now seemed to be much lesser, and was also- Somehow- floating in front of him.

 

As Claus opened his eyes, his vision was filled with red and yellow light- Colors he recognized as his SOUL colors.

 

Claus opened his eyes, and focused harder on his SOUL.

 

What he saw shocked him.

 

There was a piece of… Something lodged in his SOUL. Something that wasn’t Chara, rather.

 

It looked like a piece of wood.

 

 

On closer examination, it was a piece of wood.

 

Cracks spread across his SOUL, starting from where the wood was lodged in.

 

And then, suddenly-

 

“He’s awake!”

 

Claus slowly turned his head. Lucas was standing at his bedside, an exhausted look on his face. Winter was nearby as well, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

 

They were still in the Motel. Good.

 

“...Hey Lucas,” Claus mutters, attempting to smile. “...When are we?”

 

Lucas blinks. “Uh… What?”

 

“I mean… like… What’s the date?”

 

Lucas blinked. “It’s… Oh.”

 

Lucas leaned back. “It’s Christmas. I just realized. With the zombies, and everything, I…”

 

Okay. So they were just after the fight. But Winter was here? He must have come back when he heard Claus scream.

 

“...It is, isn’t it?” Claus asked. “I completely forgot, too.”

 

Claus raised his head, and smiled. “Merry Christmas, guys.”

 

Lucas breathed a long sigh of relief, and turned towards Winter.

 

“See? Told you he’d be okay.”

 

“I never said he wouldn’t.”

 

“You totally did!”

 

“No, I did not. You are putting words in my mouth.”

 

“You just don’t want to admit you were wrong!”

 

“Well, I wasn’t wrong because I never said anything-

 

“Could both of you shut up?” Claus asked. They did.

 

Claus gestured to his SOUL. “Can we talk about this?”

 

Both of them winced. “Yeeeeah…” Lucas began. “I thought you had died for a second there, but Chara told me you were still alive.”

 

*Can confirm, but it’s really hard for me to go physical right now. If you excuse me, I’mma stay as a narrator for a while.

 

Got it.

 

Claus turned his attention back toward Lucas, who was still talking. “...And then I saw the thing- The like, piece of wood or something- that was in your SOUL and I realized that you were really hurt-”

 

“Lucas, I’m fine,” Claus said, chuckling. Lucas had a tendency to talk on and on when he was nervous. Either that, or he went completely silent.

 

Claus sighed, then threw the covers off himself, hopping out of bed.

 

Both Lucas and Winter stood up and began to speak, but Claus cut them off by loudly saying “I! Am fine.”

 

Winter blinked in confusion. Lucas just sulked.

 

“It hurts a little, but I am perfectly capable of full range of movement.” This was true- the pain had dulled by now.

 

Claus looked down at the piece of wood in his SOUL. When did he get it…?

 

 

 

 

Claus snapped his fingers, accidentally causing a few sparks to appear. Of course! It was obvious! The last time he had felt pain like that was when their house had exploded! The wood must have been shrapnel from the explosion.

 

“Uh… Claus?”

 

“The wood is shrapnel from when the house was blown up. It’s been in there this whole time. Not sure why it suddenly started to hurt now…” Actually, he knew perfectly well why. The strain of Loading a SAVE must have caused the shrapnel to drive in deeper.

 

… That was not a good sign, because that meant-

 

*-If you Load too many times… Your SOUL will break, trapping the world in an endless loop of your death until you decide to give up and let go, dying permanently.

 

...Oh.

 

He could only Load so many times, and every time he did, he would immediately faint. That meant he could only SAVE after missions, and not before major battles.

 

And… He could only Load a few more times before… well.

 

He didn’t want to think about that.

 

Suddenly, his confidence drained. That feeling of ‘we can do this, we can win’ was replaced with dread and fear. Claus had many desires in his life, but above all, he didn’t want to die.  

 

His fear of death had pretty much vanished when he discovered he could Load, but now that death was basically permanent?

 

Suddenly, everything felt so much more real.

 

Claus shuddered. This must have been what Flowey felt when he lost his ability to Load.

 

It was, frankly, quite terrifying.

 

“Okay. Okay,” Claus whispered to himself. “I need to focus. We’ve done well without Loading so far, I just need to do the rest without it too.”

 

He turned back towards Winter and Lucas. (When had he turned away?)

 

He opened his mouth to speak, when-

 

* Ding-dong!*

 

Claus sighed. “God-”

 

“I’ll get it,” Lucas grumbled as he walked over to the door.

 

Claus watched as Lucas opened the door.

 

For a few seconds, Lucas just stared at whoever was on the other side.

 

Then, he turned towards Claus and Winter.

 

“They found us.”

 

And Lucas was thrown back by a wave of scarlet magic.

 


 

Winter cursed and rushed forwards. Of course they would find them! He let himself get complacent- Again!

 

Winter pulled Lucas up, and looked up at the doorway.

 

A pair of familiar twins stood on the other side of the doorway, along with some soldiers. They were about to enter, when suddenly, the bed went flying through the air and landed in front of the door.

 

Winter and Lucas turned towards Claus, who was standing there, arms outstretched. He turned towards the window, ran, and leaped out the fucking window!?

 

Winter growled, before turning around, grabbing Loki’s staff, then followed, leaping through the hole created by Claus. Lucas copied Winter.

 

As Winter flew through the air, heading towards the street two stories down, he knew he had to roll or this would hurt-

 

But, just before he hit the ground, he felt his fall slow, having him land on his feet, barely having to kneel down.

 

Lucas followed, floating like Winter (And likely Claus) had done.

 

Winter turned towards Claus and nodded in thanks. Claus nodded back.

 

The three of them took off running, only to stop at the sight of HYDRA trucks in front of them.

 

“If we’re gonna escape, we’re gonna need a car.”

 

“Agreed. Lucas! Help me hotwire that car!”

 

“Why do you know how to hotwire a car!?”

 

“I just do! Don’t ask why!”

 

Winter huffed, and followed the twins to the car, gun in hand, ready to shoot if need be.

 

He heard the car- A small, crappy truck- start up, and he leapt into the driver’s seat.

 

“Get in!”

 

“There’s not enough room for both of us!”

 

“Fine! Claus, get in the truck bed! Lucas, with me!”

 

And so they did, and so they were off, driving past a large group of agents, whose shouts could barely be heard behind them.

 

They drove, and suddenly, the sound of shots hitting a psychic shield rang out. Winter glanced behind them, and saw Claus holding his hands up, casting a shield to protect the truck.

 

Winter growled, and turned back towards the road.

 

“Okay, Lucas. In my pocket, you’ll find a gun! Grab it and get ready to use it!”

 

“I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER FIRED A GUN BEFORE!”

 

“THEN LEARN NOW!!”

 

And suddenly, a group of HYDRA trucks pulled up from around the corner. Winter pulled the wheel to the left, making a sharp turn before the trucks could fully blockade them.

 

They continued driving, but Winter heard a loud BOOM. He looked behind him, and saw one of the trucks exploding. Claus must have fired off a PSI attack-

 

Winter!

 

Winter looked back to the road and cursed, quickly swerving to the right. He had almost hit another crossing car.

 

He spun the wheel around, making sure to get back onto the road properly.

 

He kept driving forward, hearing the sounds of explosions and screeching tires behind them.

 

And suddenly, there was a flash of red ahead of them, and a large ball of pure magic hit the road in front of them, caving in a large crater.

 

Winter shouted, and, slowing down only slightly, drove around the crater.

 

“Oh carp!”

 

Winter looked out Lucas’ window, and saw, at the street corner, a familiar girl dressed in red.

 

And suddenly, their car was lifted into the air.

 

She’s gotten a lot stronger since last time, Winter thought. Or maybe it’s because we’re in a car…?

 

But no- The car wasn’t glowing red. It was, however, floating forward.

 

Until it dropped, and hit the ground with a mighty thud!

 

Winter kept driving.

 

And suddenly, a silver blur raced besides them, and then a loud bang was heard as something jumped onto the truck bed.

 

Winter grit his teeth. “Let Claus deal with it.”

 


 

Claus blinked. There was… A silver-haired boy in front of him.

 

“What?” He asked in a heavy Sokovian accent. “Surprised to see me?”

 

“Not really,” Claus said simply.

 

Then, he swung forward in a slash with the knife. 

 

MISS

 

He, unsurprisingly, dodged. But there wasn’t much room to move in this small truck bed, and he was barely able to dodge.

 

I need to push him off the truck bed, Claus thought. But how…?

 

And then, something came out of nowhere and embedded itself into the bottom of the truck bed.

 

It was an arrow, with a beeping red tip.

 

The kids looked at each other, before Petero or whatever leapt off the truck bed, and Claus shielded. The arrow went pop! And a small explosion came out, pushing Claus back to the corner of the bed.

 

Claus shook off his psychic fatigue, and put away the knife. He then looked towards the trucks following them.

 

Suddenly, missiles rained down from the sky, creating a mess of explosions, one that only a few of the many trucks made it through.

 

And suddenly, something red, white, and blue raced forwards and smashed into one of the trucks, throwing it upwards.

 

Claus stared at the back of Captain America.

 

The Avengers had come.

 

And suddenly, the truck was thrown upwards, and Claus went flying out of the truck bed.

 

He slowed his fall, but landed harshly on his ankle. He stood, wincing from the pain, and rushed towards the truck- But, already, Lucas had smashed the window and was crawling out.

 

Claus helped him up, and turned towards the truck, running to the other side, and helping Winter out.

 

The three of them looked at each other, before getting ready to run-

 

Before a girl dressed in red floats down from the sky, landing in front of them, and a silver blur races past them to join her.

 

The three of them drew their weapons and got ready to fight, ignoring the chaos of the battle between the Avengers and HYDRA around them.

 

READY!

 

Wanda blinked. “Okay, WHAT IS THAT!?”

 

*Damn, it’s been awhile since I could narrate! Okay, here we go!

 

WINTER fires a beam from the staff!

-362 to WANDA!

 

LUCAS used MERCY!

LUCAS: If you surrender now, we won’t beat you up!

No effect…

 

CLAUS tried PSI FIRE α!

-75 to WANDA!

-66 to PIETRO!

 

WANDA: This is for putting Pietro in the Hospital!

 

WANDA used SCARLET BOLT III!

-76 to WINTER! 44/120

 

PIETRO attacks!

-44 to WINTER! WINTER is DOWN! -60/120

 

LUCAS used PSI LIFEUP β!

+90 to WINTER! 30/120

 

CLAUS used PSI SHIELD α!

WINTER was shielded!

 

WANDA: Don’t defend him- Dammit! WHAT ARE THESE NUMBERS!?

 

WANDA used SCARLET SCATTER!

-7 to WINTER! 23/120

-23 to LUCAS! 66/89

-24 to CLAUS! 56/80

 

PIETRO used DASH!

PIETRO can no longer be targeted!

 

WINTER fired a beam from the staff!

-301 to WANDA!

 

LUCAS used PSI LIFEUP Ω!

+30 to WINTER! 53/120

+30 to LUCAS! 88/88

+30 to CLAUS! 80/80

 

CLAUS used PSI LIFEUP α!

+45 to WINTER! 98/120

 

WANDA used SCARLET SCATTER II!

-14 to WINTER! 39/120

-44 to LUCAS! 43/87

-40 to CLAUS! 40/80

 

PIETRO returns and attacks hard! It’s a one-hit KO!

-ALL to LUCAS! LUCAS is DOWN! -50/86

 

CLAUS: Oh no you don’t!

 

CLAUS ignored the turn order and attacked, repeatedly, in retaliation!

-167 to PIETRO!

-172 to PIETRO!

-188 to PIETRO!

 

WINTER fired a beam from the staff!

-340 to PIETRO!

PIETRO was KO’d!

 

WANDA: Pietro! Ugh… I’ll just have to win on my own!

 

WANDA’s ATTACK up! WANDA’s DEFENSE down!

 

WANDA used SCARLET BOLT III!

-69 to CLAUS! CLAUS is DOWN! -40/80

 

WINTER fired a beam from the staff!

-315 to WANDA!

WANDA was KO’d!

 

THE BROTHERS WIN!

 

Winter, Lucas, and Claus stood over the wounded siblings.

 

“Ugh… How are you… This strong?” Pietro muttered from where he was on one knee.

 

“And what were those… Numbers? ” Wanda growled from where she laid, heavily breathing, spread-eagle on the ground.

 

Winter sighed. Looks like they were crazy as well as… Crazy.

 

Winter reached down for his gun, pulled it out-

 

Lucas reached up and pulled the gun out of his hand with PSI, having it fly out of Winter’s hand to his. 

 

When Winter looked bewilderedly at Lucas, Lucas just shook his head at Winter.

 

Winter growled, and looked back towards the other twins, who were also looking, confused, at Lucas.

 

Winter spun around and rushed towards the nearest HYDRA truck, even as the explosions and sounds of fighting continued.

 

Claus spun around and followed, but not before calling out “C’mon, Lucas!”

 

Lucas hesitated, looking back at the fallen twins, who laid on the ground, dejectedly.

 

 

 

 

Lucas’s face hardened, and he ran away.

 


Strike Two.

Chapter 21: POLL!

Summary:

A poll to determine the future of this series!

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! This is just a little poll to determine the future of How To Save The World. Please vote for which of these ideas you'd like to see here! Please note that all of the options will appear eventually, but this is determining the order they will appear in. Thank you for your time!

Series this work belongs to: