#burnxgold

Continued from (1)

Eyes fluttered open gently only to see nothing but white. His mind was fuzzy, head heavy and throbbing, and it was too difficult for him to piece together where he was. He blinked slowly, trying to focus his blurred vision. The fog was starting to clear and he could hear the steady beeping of some sort of machine near him. Groaning, Mercury tried to sit up but couldn’t move. Perhaps it was because of the pain ripping through his body - it came in waves, rolling around his chest, fading into a dull thrum at the back of his mind before suddenly shooting through his torso like red hot blades stabbing at him.

He tried to speak but his voice didn’t seem to be working. It was only then that he could feel the large plastic tube down his throat, forcing his mouth open. His gag reflex kicked in immediately and he choked, jaw locking tightly around the offending instrument. Panicking at the sudden sensation of asphyxiation, he lurched upwards violently. Aat the back of his mind, he could feel something in his chest rip and tear as he moved to rip the tube out. The metal bit into his wrists from where he was handcuffed to the frame of his hospital bed.

Every instinct screamed at him to break free from his restraints and tear out the tube but he fought with every fibre of his being to calm down and take deep breaths from his nose. 

He fell back against his pillow and forced himself to breathe.

But he couldn’t.

A simple twist and it would be all over.

Then her hold loosened and she stepped back. 

Mercury gasped for air. 

He wasn’t surprised, but he was disappointed.

“You’re too soft, Blondie.”

Part of him had hoped that she would have done it, just to prove to her that she wasn’t as good as she believed herself to be. Or perhaps all he really wanted was to push her over the edge, to corrupt her soul the way he had tainted his own so long ago. There was something perversely appealing about the fact that it would be of his doing.

“It’s gonna cost you one day.”

The frequency of the beeps from the heart monitor was increasing rapidly. The pain was flaring up in his chest again - he had most likely reopened his wounds - but that didn’t seem important. He tensed, hands fisting, fingers digging into the palms of his hands. 

He couldn’t breathe.

Or maybe he was just hyperventilating.

He thought he could hear someone yelling and holding him down but he couldn’t be sure.

All he could think about was how he couldn’t breathe.

He was surrounded by the police with their guns cocked and trained at his chest. Mercury grinned but the flicker of desperation betrayed him.

To go down without a fight would only be one of the many blows to his ego today but he wasn’t stupid enough to choose death over something like mere pride. No, he knew the fate of criminals like him if he were to be arrested. Nothing but endless hours of torture and interrogation awaited him before being executed or locked up for all of eternity.

Mercury made no move to surrender even as the police barked orders at him. Instead he turned towards her and stilled, relishing the way her glare burned into him, the anger and hatred finally coming to the surface. 

He shifted his weight around; his boots felt a lot lighter now that he had run out of bullets. “It’s been fun, I suppose.”

Mercury aimed a shot at her.

His fingers tapped lightly against his cheek, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. 

“She is so hot,” he mumbled.

“Who is it this time, Merc?” 

He ignored the exasperation in her tone, continuing to stare after the redhead wistfully. Yang followed his gaze.

“No, Merc.”

“Why not?”

He was not whining. Mercury Black did not whine like a puppy. Sure, he knew the answer already and he knew damn well he wouldn’t act on his desires either, but it was still very, very frustrating. 

“My friends are off limits,” Yang replied matter-of-factly.

"All your friends are so hot though,” he grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets before turning around and leaning against the counter.

“Quit complaining, it’s not like you ever have trouble finding your next fling.” Yang downed her shot and waved at the bartender for another.

“True. I mean, just look at me.” Mercury grinned when Yang slapped him lightly on the arm. “But the same could be said about you, no?”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, sweetheart.”

“Wasted, really. By the way, your six.”

Yang glanced over her shoulder. 

“Maybe.”

“Give it a shot.” He gave Yang a fist bump and she sauntered over. Giving the bar one last sweep, he decided that today wasn’t his night. With a sigh, Mercury got to his feet and whipped out his wallet.

There was a bit of a ruckus behind him, loud enough to be heard over the pumping music, but he ignored it. He pulled out a few lien notes and handed it to Junior. 

“What,” he asked, noticing the frown on Junior’s face.

Junior pointed over his shoulder. “Aren’t you gonna help your friend?”

Mercury turned around to see Yang arguing with the guy. The man was leering and motioning at the blonde in a lewd manner, oblivious as to what was to come. Mercury’s lips curled up into a smirk. 

“No,” he finally drawled. “She’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

He watched Yang sidestep a grope and knee the man in the crotch. He threw back his head and burst out into laughter.

“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t worry about Yang at all.”

“Let’s go, Merc.” She growled as she stormed past him.

“I’ll pick better next time, Blondie.”

Ah, thanks for sending me this!! Here goes:

My nose (seriously, the angle & stuff?? 👌 perf)

Ability to learn new tasks quickly

Fascination with ancient/medieval history

..........This is harder than I thought, um. I suppose cooking counts? Because I’m pretty good at that (not chef level, but good enough for me).