Screaming [two-shot]

[Sadie]

Can you hear me screaming?

The tumultuous clouds and overtaken the entire sky in one complete invasion that had only a taken a few hours. What had been a sunny day was now being scorned with lightning that ripped through the sky and tried to scar the earth below. Thunder raged inside the clouds, clashing and sending horrific sounds down to the ground.

The scene was only made worse by the rain; furious, splattering, pouring. The whipping winds only hurled it faster, until it was drenching those who were trying to run for cover. The very air seemed to howl as it roamed the cities, shaking the very foundations that kept them safe.

Anyone in their right mind would have gotten out of the violent storm as it raged around them, covering the city in a dark blanket. It was unthinkable that anyone should be outside if they were given a choice.

But Kuki Sanban was out there.

Her lungs were a horrific flame as she faced the storm. It tore at her, pulled at her, and crashed about her as if to try to scare her away. Her hair had become thick with water and was clinging to her skin as she screamed into the noise, her voice drowned out by the sound of thunder from above. It made her throat burn but she didn’t care, she didn’t notice it, she just kept pouring herself out into the storm.

It was a miracle that she was heard.

In fact, if Wallabee Beetles hadn’t wanted to get a flashlight, just in case, he probably wouldn’t have heard her. But when the sound reached his ears, he was at first a bit confused and frightened; had someone broken in? But suddenly the sound was all too familiar and he ran out onto the balcony without a second thought.

She was there; a picture of ruin and destruction. A picture of a grand city that had been reduced to nothing and was left with only smoldering remains of charred buildings and blackened earth. She was both beautiful and terrifying all at once and Wally was afraid to approach her.

The screaming turned into sobs; the wracking kind of sobs that seem to jerk at the entire body. Fallen, defeated, she dropped to her knees and became nothing. A small figure in a vast and consuming world; an insignificant piece that would just get smaller and smaller until it faded away and nobody would remember it or even try.

Wally did not need to ask the reason for her submission. The details, a vague story about a boy that had broken her heart, did not need to be recapped. That would happen at school the next day, when Wally would pleasantly and cheerfully beat the boy to a bloody pulp. For now, all that mattered was her state of mind.

Her sobs had reduced to muffled whimperings, like the last few minutes of a dying animal. He was scared to come closer with the fear that she would refuse his presence and send him away, only to bury herself deeper into self-misery. And that maybe, by thinking it hard enough, she could reduce herself to nothing and disappear into the shadows, having never really existed before.

Finally, he did the only thing that he could possibly think of.

Wally pulled her against him and wrapped her inside his arms.

He was a shield; a shield from the rain, a shield from the wind, a shield from the world and all of its hurts and cuts and bruises. He was warmth from the rain and solitude from the thunder and a firm body to collapse against when standing seemed to be impossible.

Her fingers curled around his shirt and she cried into his chest. The minutes seemed to take forever and yet no time at all, and he sat contentedly, silently, letting her cry in rhythm to the clashing of the elements around them. His hand had found its way into her hair; stroking, encouraging, building. Picking up the pieces that had shattered across the floor.

It was only when fatigue struck her body that her crying subsided. In his experience with the emotionally-driven girl, he figured that she would be better in the morning. Lifting up her small frame with ease, he took her back to her bed where he covered her in blankets to warm her drenched body. And then he made himself a mat on the floor, where he set up a place to sleep. Just in case she awoke with a new wave of tears.

Because that’s what protectors do.

[Sadie]

It was not a good idea to get in the way of Wally Beetles when he was on a mission.

It was apparent from the way that he stalked through the halls with an eye singular to his purpose, with a fist clenched tightly and a mouth set in a taut, unfriendly line. And his eyes, those emerald flame eyes, they burned fiercely and devoured his entire lenses with a hungry kind of rage. The suppressed anger was so entirely easy to see that the people in the hall moved out of his way.

He didn’t care about them; insignificant figures that simply blocked his path to his ultimate destination. He felt like James Bond, only his guns were two handy devices that were attached on the end of his arms and curled into threatening fists. If he felt inclined as such, he might have made his mission more enjoyable by ducking and rolling through the crowds. But as of right now, he burned with vengeance.

When he finally came face to face with the object of his search, a thin smirk pulled over his face and a glint sparked in his eyes. The figure before him was a boy; obviously handsome, with thick, chocolate-colored hair and blue eyes that matched the sky. His stocky frame could have served to intimidate the lean teenage Wally, but it didn’t. Not by a long shot.

“Oi.” The word was said with an unusual amount of calm. Anyone who knew Wally well enough would have been able to hear the threat underneath it, smoldering with a hungry desire to burn. The other male turned to meet him – what was his name? Wally had only ever called him Lunk inside of his head – and Wally smiled benevolently and then sent his fist flying into the middle of that perfect, symmetrical face.

A long line of cursing ensued from Lunk’s mouth as he fell backwards, a hand reaching up to cover his blood-spewing nose. The sight pleased Wally in ways that it probably shouldn’t have. “What was that, Beetles?!” he spat, snarling at the sight of dripping scarlet liquid on his fingers.

As if he wasn’t aware. Wally very neatly struck again, smoothly bringing him to the ground and slamming a shoe into his gut. The loud cry that escaped the deep cave of his throat was one that carried pain, and it felt like justice had been served. The white floors of the halls were now streaked with blood, and a crowd had gathered around to watch the happenings, knowing that Wally would come out the victor. Just because of a certain female that was waiting down the hall for him.

“Ya broke her.” Wally smiled cheerfully and stood above the crumpled body. “So I returned the favor.” He pleasantly nodded to the entire crowd and turned smartly around the walk down the hall. His mission having been accomplished, the scowl on his face had now turned into a smirk of triumph that only widened when he reached the girl in question.

Behind him, he could hear the clamor as what’s-his-name struggled to his feet and people spread gossip about if he deserved it or not. But none of it mattered to Wally as he reached out a hand toward Kuki, offering his companionship if she wanted it. It was understandable if she didn’t, considering the circumstances.

The watery smile was his answer.

With a warm hand tucked safely inside of his, Wally accompanied her to her next class, delivering her there like an escort. But not before affirming her deepest suspicions; the thought that she had always considered but never had proof of previous to this.

It was there, in the way that he casually leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she took her seat, making sure that she arrived there safely and then smiling warmly at her before disappearing down the hall. He hadn’t said much to her, but he didn’t need to.

He was her protector, and now, she knew it.