ʙᴏʏ ʙʟᴜᴇ

“Aight, c’mon ya’ lazy fuck. Leggo, we’re gonna get some groceries ‘n shit.” Butch was kicking Boomer up and out of his bed, and waving half a burrito in his face. 

“This is legit all we got left to eat right now. We need to stock up on s’more burritos fucker. ‘N mebbe some other snacks ‘n shit.”

  Boomer simply whined in response. Existing this early in the morning was so....meh. The sun had barely just risen. Nine hours ago.

 “I don’t wannaaaa.” He snatched his Rilakkuma blanket back over his head before catching whiff of a familiar scent. Peeking out from his blanket, he was horrified to see the half-eaten burrito. “Holy shit bro...! I miss Brick. I can’t believe it. This year I lost my dear brother, Brick. Sometimes, I can still his his voice....”

He couldn’t breathe – why couldn’t he breathe? In the pit of his stomach settled a feeling of doom and gloom, a fear that Butch only ever felt when fear of his own power encroached on himself. The fear that screamed that he was going to harm them – that he would hurt them, the two that he would so readily end his life for – would give it all to see them happy. So why, was it in this moment that he felt such a fear overwhelm him in his search for Boomer.

‘Tch, C’mon fucker.. Where are ya’.’ Words muttered beneath the raven’s breath while he zipped around the rubble of the non-existent mountain. X-ray vision was certainly up on max, scanning each body that lay in the waste. Most of which were animals whom now were crushed. Finally, F I N A L L Y !  He picked up a trace, that very human-shape, that struggle to lift a boulder.. .. a .. .. “BOOMER!” He screamed so loudly, and darted to his brother’s side. 

It was.. .. .. Butch couldn’t find words – couldn’t feel anything but that overwhelmingly, encroaching fear that shrank his esophagus. If he hadn’t been able to breathe before, now he was choking to sustain the air around him. Boomer.. Boomer was buried beneath it all.. .. and there was chemical-X everywhere. This wasn’t reality – there was no way that Boomer was trapped, that he was dying.. ..No fuckin’ way! He wouldn’t believe it.

Tightly, the super-human’s fists curled up as he summoned that barrier of his. Using every bit of it, he placed it all in his hands and smashed the boulder into pieces, lunging it as far away from his brother as he could. After that, his feet hit the ground and Butch was in a rush to the blond’s side. “Hey.. HEY! Are you still awake!? Alive?! Boomer, say something! Anything you fucker!” ʜᴇ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ, ʜᴇ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ. Every single word was an endless shout as his fingers scrambled to the younger’s shirt. He shook him, smacked him.. Did everything he could to get a sign – to know that Boomer was still alive, still breathing.

“Ye’ ain’t supposed’ta die before I fuckin’ do..” Finally, his voice croaked with a sob. This was his baby brother, and sure all Butch ever did was pick on him, that didn’t mean he didn’t love him. Only he was allowed to do that shit to Boomer (well, him and Brick) but nobody else. He’d fight tooth and nail for him, he’d fucking kill himself from exhaustion before anyone EVER laid a hand on his baby brother. He was supposed to make sure he was safe – what kind of a Big Brother was he now?

  He could sense his presence, looming over the REMNANTS of his body. DEATH, it's shadow lurking, awaiting to drag him away. Once more. 

  A smile. A beam of light in the DARK.  Ah, he had forgotten how Death's embrace felt. 

  ❛ This isn't half bad. ❜     

   It would sure as hell numb the pain that REVERBERATED through his bones. The darkness was THREATENING to swallow up his very being. His eyes fluttered. He could feel Death's bony fingers CLAWING into his shoulder.

    ❝ HEY. Are you still Awake!? ❞

   That voice. It was enough to breathe some form of life back into Boomer. If only for a few seconds. He wanted to do NOTHING more than wrap his arms around the raven and sob into his chest. Only if he could lift a single finger. 

Just when he thought he'd managed to escape from the reaper's grasp. 

    He was trapped inside his HOLLOW shell of a body, at a loss of control of his movement. Every BEATING became lighter and lighter, until he could feel no more. He was paralyzed. NUMB. He could see the light...

      ❝ Ye’ ain’t supposed’ta die before I fuckin’ do...❞

  Azure orbs shot wide open. Lips opened to speak but only managed to spew out Chemical X. He could make out a silhouette, blurry features. GREEN. Butch. But it couldn't be. Those sobs were completely foreign to that typically ROUGH voice. 

    ❝ Butch....❞  Boomer called out softly, raising a trembling hand to caress the other Ruff’s face. It pained him to see AFFLICTION written on the face of his older brother who once stood so tall, so mighty before him. He wanted to do something, ANYTHING to change that.

       ❝  ♪ Talk to me softly              there's something in your eyes                 don't hang your head in sorrow                         and please don't cry.... ♪   ❞

    He WINCED as his senses returned to him all at once, the AGONIZING pain returning with a stinging vengeance. He emit a soft whimper, beads of tears forming in the corners of his eyes.