sad sonsssss

	Aurora felt the cold, not the pain, until the knife was twisted, driven deeper and his breath caught with a harsh strangled noise in his throat. His eyes went to Daniel, terror-stricken and hopeful that he would do something, anything, but all that he got in return was a blank stare. Brathmoore’s hand pulled away and the knife came with him, bringing a pour of blood down his back and a weakness to his knees.
	Impersonal.
	It’s far too impersonal when you would look so satisfying with a knife stuck between your ribs.
	Satisfying was far from how it felt.
	His knees buckled, leaving him staggering and staring down as a pearl of blood dripped down from Brathmoore’s blade and landed just beside him. Back to Daniel, he stared. What balance he had wouldn’t last and the strength in his legs was fading quickly. Their eyes stayed locked, stuck in a staring match neither one of them ever wanted to be in.
 “Daniel…”
Nothing.
Blood rushed in his ears, pulse pounding. He slid to his knees, one hand moving hastily to wrap around himself, but his fingers felt too clumsy to press against the wound. He didn’t remember falling backwards, only staring at the cloth ceiling above him and feeling the drain of warmth from his limbs.
Fading.
There was no fighting it.

~ ~ ~ ~

	“Daniel…”
	He choked on a breath.
	The look, the fear in Aurora’s eyes made him feel sick.
	As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t move. His feet were stuck, boots frozen in a puddle that no one else could see. It was a cowardice, a shocked horror that he would curse himself for later. It was something that would scream curses in his ears when he tried sleeping, something to haunt him, but it was his fault it was there at all.
	Fear.
	It was no excuse.
	Aurora fell with a thud, knees striking the ground first before his body went slack and his eyes were on the tent above them. Brathmoore only stared, bending slowly to wipe his knife off on Aurora’s coat before he stood again.
	Daniel’s face fell in horror.
	“S-step away from him.”
	“Calm-“
	He drew his gun. “R-right now.”
	“If you don’t want to end up like him, you’ll put that gun away, Norton.”
	Reluctantly, he listened.
	“I warned him. I really did,” Brathmoore continued. “Going against the Dravara like you’re doing is just going to get every last one of you killed. You’ll all die,” he paused, motioning to the ground, “starting with him.”
	Daniel opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
	“I’m not here to kill you, Officer Norton. Rowena wants you back. She doesn’t want you dying because of what you did for him. If you come with me, we’ll end this. If not, you can die with him. What Benji did…” The man stopped, shaking his head. “The Dravara don’t want a war, Norton. Right now, we’re about to stop one before anyone can start it.”
	“Step aside,” Daniel managed half in a cry. “Please, just let me help him. I don’t care about wars-“
	Brathmoore drew his gun. “You’re missing my point. You’d turn down being forgiven for everything you ever die for him? Don’t you get it? I saved you.”
	“Saved me,” he cried. “You might as well take that knife and put it through me too because if he dies-“
	“You’ve got nothing tying you here.”
	“What?”
	Clearing his throat, Brathmoore motioned downward again. “When he dies, there will be nothing tying you to here or to the resistance.”
	Daniel swallowed, raising his hands slowly and taking a nervous pace forward. “You don’t understand-“
	“Aurora was your friend, I get it-“
	“He’s more than that! He's-“
	Brathmoore’s gun clicked, cutting him off.
	“Benji was my friend too. Look where we’re standing, Norton. We both know you didn’t want to go back for him when Rowena called you east. I know you would’ve taken it back if you were given a second chance-“
	“He means everything to me.”
	Brathmoore ignored him. “I know you regretted it because I felt the same way about Ben. I didn’t know how much until Rowena came to me, offered me something and I couldn’t turn her down. We’ve both been following a madman for too long.”
	“No.”
	“Yes. I’m not asking you, Daniel.” He stopped, lowering his aim slightly. “Can I call you that? You can call me Percy if you’d like. You know I’m telling the truth. We followed and we didn’t question. Don’t tell me that doesn’t feel wrong to you.”
	Daniel couldn’t bring himself to speak again, only stepping forward carefully again and staring down at the blood trickling away from Aurora’s body.
	“Not so far, Daniel. Stay where you are.”
	“P-please, stop saying my name-“
	“Take another step and I’ll put a bullet in you. This isn’t a game. I’m asking you to choose and I don’t have much time. Rowena’s going to restore your rank. You’ll be her chief again-“
	“No, I-I won't.”
	Aurora stirred on the ground.
	A snort. “He’s stubborn, isn’t he?”
	He was searching for something, hand reaching for a nonexistent weapon before his shaking arm rose slowly. Aurora’s hand folded, mocking the shape of Brathmoore’s gun. Daniel was torn between a ragged laugh and a sob, bringing one hand to cover his mouth. Brathmoore brought his boot down heavily onto Aurora’s arm before he could fire off his false gun, ripping a cry from the other man’s throat that faded soon after.
	He went still.
	Daniel felt his stomach turn.
	“I wasn’t supposed to kill you,” Brathmoore huffed. “She cares about you, Daniel, really does-“
	“Kill me. I don’t want to go back,” he croaked. “And you can tell her I said that.”
	“I really don’t want to do that-“
	It came as a cry, something desperate and broken and pleading. “Do it!”
	A gunshot rang out, echoing through the tent and thundering in his ears. He stayed still, waiting for the inevitable buckling of his legs that would send him down to the very same place as Aurora.
	It never came.
	Brathmoore swayed where he stood, staggering off to one side before he fell away, landing in a crumpled heap while blood drained away from his head. There was a second staggering, a wet sounding cough and the dribble of crimson that fell down from his lips. Benjamin fell against the wall of the tent, pistol dropping with a heavy clunk on the ground as he grunted.
	“Help him,” he rasped, staring down at Aurora.
	Benjamin only gave a nod, sliding down to the ground without another sound. For a moment, Daniel was frozen again.
	It didn’t last.
	He stumbled, kneeling down at Aurora’s side and pulling him up into his lap to press an arm against the wound at his back. His eyes were close, but his chest still rose and fell in a rhythm that seemed far too slow, shallow.
	“Aurora, can you hear me?”
	Nothing.
	Twice, he hadn’t been able to stop it. Once, it was a gun and a bullet traveled faster than he ever could, but the second time was preventable. He had seen the knife, watched the blade glint before it was driven into him, and yet, he had done nothing.
	“Help! Someone…please, help!”
	“Daniel?”
	“Right here,” he croaked. “Keep your eyes on me, alright? I’m right here.”
	Aurora squinted. “Brathmoore…”
	“Dead, he’s dead.” Daniel swallowed, trying to laugh. “Just hold on for a moment, Dianna is on her way. The two of us…we’re going home. Just think of how happy Fina's going to be and Silas, he can come too-“
	“It’s funny,” Aurora slurred, “isn’t it?”
	“What is?”
	Daniel watched the struggle in Aurora’s focus, the blinking of his eyes, and he only then realized the stinging of his own. Tears welled there, slipping down his cheeks and spilling down onto Aurora’s jacket.
	“Evander,” he hissed. “That’s your name…I know it is. Look at me, what are you talking about?”
	He laughed faintly. “For a while…” His words trailed off, a groan cutting him off as his eyes rolled.
	“Aurora, look at me, what’s funny?”
	“For a while, I was convinced you stopped caring about me. But…here we are…me, dying practically in your arms, and…you.”
	“No, no,” Daniel scolded. “You’re not dying. You’re going to be just fine, Aurora. Do you understand me?”
	Again, it returned to nothing.
	“Aurora, look at me,” he cried. “Evander!”
	His hopes sank further with every drop of blood that oozed through fingers that shook too harshly against Aurora’s back. He jerked away briefly, slipping his jacket from his shoulders and pulling him back up against him, pressing cloth into the rush in hopes of stopping it.
	Daniel felt himself choking, strangled by something that was far too strong for him to fight off. There was a hand on his shoulder then, tearing him up from where his head had come to rest against Aurora’s chest.
	Dianna.
	Her face was bloodied, jaw cut and cheek torn.
	“Daniel, are you hurt?”
	“A-Aurora,” he hiccupped out in a sob. “He’s been stabbed. Benjamin…he’s dead. I’m sorry, he’s dead. Brathmoore-“
	“Dead?” she repeated, stunned.
“Brathmoore shot him.”
There was a pause, however brief.
Dianna swallowed, blinking rapidly. “Listen to me, Daniel, this isn’t your fault. Emery is hurt too. The others are on their way. Everyone is going to be alright.”
	She was gone, disappearing for a moment outside of the tent and returning a second later with Zayne and Josephine. Daniel couldn’t bring himself to look at them, still clinging in the very same place as before. It wasn’t until Dianna reached to pry his hands away that he even considered moving.
	“Zayne, now.”
	“Goddesses, what-“
	“Right now!”
	Daniel didn’t understand.
	Two sets of hands came under his arms, pulling him away as Dianna lowered Aurora back onto the ground gently. She was quick, going to work the moment Aurora was freed, but panic rose in his throat. He fought, writing against them and swearing as he was dragged backwards.
	“Let me go! I can help him.”
	“Daniel, she knows what she’s doing,” Josephine sniffled.
	“No, no, please…just let me go.”
	They stayed in the doorway, holding fast.
	Aurora had been conscious, talking to him only moments earlier. Daniel watched the small movements of his chest, watching his breath come until everything shattered around him. Dianna hissed out something he couldn’t understand, eyes rising.
	“Get him out, right now.”
	“No,” Daniel argued. “Why-“
	“He isn’t fucking breathing! Get him out.”
	For a moment everything faded, his vision, the sound of his own voice as he pleaded with the two holding him, even the cries that came raggedly from his throat.
	There was nothing.
	Then came a gasp as Aurora’s chest rose again and another broken sob followed.
“For a while, I was convinced you stopped caring about me. But…here we are…me, dying practically in your arms, and…you.”
	That was the last thing he said.
	Nothing had ever felt more wrong.
	Everything was breaking, shattering at his feet. There were two dead, others injured and another in between.
	“Please.”
	He’d said it once and he would say it a million times more, but no matter how many times he pleaded to them between sobs, they didn’t let him go. His thoughts were tangled. They were doing what was best. They were doing what was best for the both of them, what would save Aurora.
Some sliver of himself knew that but, it didn’t stop him from fighting.
	There were too many things coursing through his mind in order for him to truly know what he was feeling. He was angry, so horribly angry and though he lashed out at the two of them repeatedly, it wasn’t aimed at them.
	It was his fault.
	One word could have stopped it.
That was all he had to say and Aurora would have known. One word and he wouldn’t be watching his best friend dying on the ground a few feet away. One word and everything would have been alright.
	He’d seen the knife, seen the glint of steel in Brathmoore’s hand.
	He still failed.
	Somehow the bravest man he’d ever known had a coward for a best friend. They’d joked about it before, mostly in teasing words that came from Aurora. Daniel wasn’t about to argue. He wasn’t brave. He wasn’t valiant. He wasn’t courageous.
	He wasn’t a hero.
	But neither of them were.
	He supposed that was the point. Neither of them were champions, perfect beings suited only for battling evil. They were far from perfect and that’s what made them who they were. They were ordinary, exceptionally ordinary.
	His thoughts were slipping together again.
	He couldn’t focus.
	Dianna looked up, peering over at him with the strength in her eyes that he lacked. Her face was marked with blood, his or others, Daniel didn’t know. She said something, her lips moved and her face contorted with every word she spoke but he heard nothing.
	He stared back at her, eyes lifeless.
	“Daniel, can you hear me?”
	“No.”
	“Zayne, take him out of here.”
	He heard that.
	Daniel was on his feet again, straining against the hold of the two behind him.
	“Please, no, let me stay. I have to stay,” he managed, voice breaking.
	Her eyes flashed between the two of them before she looked back at Aurora once more, biting her lip and then shaking her head.
	“Daniel, I’m not going to lie to you. This isn’t looking great right now and I don’t want you in here if…”
	“If what?” he croaked.
	“If I can’t help him,” she said shakily.
	“If he dies? He isn’t going to die. He wouldn’t do that. I know he-“
	He was cut off when Zayne and Josephine started backwards. Daniel swore, still choking on sobs and fighting back against them. They couldn’t take him away.
	He couldn’t let that happen.
	“Dianna, please!”
	“Get him out.”
	“No!”
	They weren’t listening.
	“Aurora, listen to me! You’re not going to die! Don’t you dare -“
	“Zayne!”
	He was dragged back further and finally out of the tent. His feet slipped on the ground and he fell, landing on his back and staring up at the sky. Josephine moved to help him, but Zayne stopped her, extending his arm out to keep her from moving.
	He sat up, wiping the dirt from his hands and looking up at the two standing there.
	“Please, don’t make this any harder. If you want him to survive then let her work.”
	“He’s my friend. I should be there,” he raged.
	“I know,” Zayne said, his eyes softening, “and I’m so sorry.”
	Daniel stood slowly, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He marched forward again, prepared to fight if he had to. Nothing was going to stop him but Zayne stepped into his path before he could get near the tent again.
	He was grabbed roughly by the shoulders.
	“Daniel Norton, that man is far more capable than most I’ve ever known. He’s strong and you’re right…he wouldn’t do that. So look at me, let Dianna work, and listen to what she says. She knows what’s best,” he said sternly, “understand?”
	For a moment he thought about shoving past him. Zayne was thin and shorter than he was, easily shoved aside if he really needed to, but his strength was gone.
	Zayne seemed startled when Daniel nearly collapsed against him, head buried in the fabric of his jacket and arms wrapped tightly around him. But he didn’t move, only standing there while Daniel broke down, whatever miniscule shred of composure he had left falling away into nothing. Zayne’s arms were around him then and Daniel only cried harder.
	“Go back to Dianna,” the man hissed to Josephine. “I’ve…got this under control.”
	He barely even heard Zayne’s words.
	“Please, Aurora,” he pleaded, voice muffled by the fabric of Zayne’s jacket.
	“He won’t,” Zayne assured him, voice breaking. “He wouldn’t do that.”
	The air felt heavy, blood soaked and coating his lungs with the reek of it. He couldn’t escape it no matter what he did, no matter how far his face was buried in Zayne’s shoulder. It was still there. It was everything.
	He was helpless, waiting, desperately hoping that Aurora had a reason not to let go.